"Oh I'm so proud of you Aranea! You're such a good girl!"
Corissa snuggled Aranea close to her body like always but unlike most other times when Corissa was being overwhelmingly adoring with Aranea, she was now spoiling the little spider hero that rescued her friend from a kidnapping. The difference, despite being hard to tell at times, was evident as Aranea responded well to Corissa's praise and headpats instead of lying like a dead fish in her arms.
"Do you want to eat anything special tonight? I'll make it for you!"
"Omurice!" Aranea cried.
"Kya, you're so cute! Alright, I'll make a special omurice for you today!"
Aranea seemed quite pleased to be spoiled but she tried not to seem so.
"Roko, you say something!" Corissa said thrusting the child at him.
"You did a wonderful job, Aranea." Roko said gently, "Thanks to you, we avoided a very sticky situation."
"I definitely didn't think you'd beat so many people so easily." Momo added, "Very impressive."
"Roko helped." Aranea said, "A lot."
"I'd call it half and half." Roko replied, "I did help with stat redistribution and some of the attack plans but half of it was your own ideas and you being able to use dark freely now that you're not using it to hide your body."
"See, it's a good thing you no longer have to hide your spider half." Kaguya smiled.
"...Maybe…" Aranea said, still a bit doubtful.
"Are you still sad about Medeia?" Melia asked.
"Not really." Aranea said defiantly, "She doesn't have to be friends with me if she doesn't want to."
"See, you're sounding a bit more childish this time." Helena chuckled, "You still want to be friends with her don't you?"
Aranea didn't reply though she looked away a bit thoughtfully and wistfully.
"Do you want your friends to be there at your reward dinner?" Corissa tried asking.
"...If they want to."
"I know that the boys will be there." Corissa nodded, "Naga's just...busy with something at the moment."
"With what?"
"Well…"
Gallus slammed Ursala's face into the table, cracking her nose and causing the sobbing woman to bleed profusely.
"Om sowwwy." Ursala sobbed as she struggled weakly against her bindings.
"I'm appalled that dad even has you on staff." Naga replied, no hint of sympathy or mercy in his voice, "And that mom would think to employ you."
"Please just leb me gooooo…" Ursala pleaded.
"Letting you go would be more mercy than you deserve." Naga replied, "...But I will allow you to return to Muldingirmus with your life."
"Rwelly?!"
"With a message." Naga added sternly, "One that I want you to deliver to my mom. And my dad if he's there."
"Ogey. Ogey, I'll do anything." Ursala began sobbing again.
"Tell them that they can stop trying to get me to come home." Naga continued, "Because I am coming home. On my own terms. The Earthbounds will begin their final war soon. I'll be coming back ahead of their attack. And when I arrive, we need to talk."
"It's probably very important." Corissa finished, "But don't worry, he'll be there! Along with Pluteum!"
"Okay…" Aranea nodded.
"And Medeia will be there." Corissa added, "And I want you to face her properly, this time, okay?"
"But…"
"No buts! Naga and Pluteum won't be forcing her to come this time so I want you to respect her courage!"
"...Okay…"
"Good!" Corissa hummed happily, "Now I have to start cooking. Do you want to come along or do you want to spend more time with your dad?"
"Ahem." Roko cleared his throat.
"I want dad to look over my spirit doll." Aranea replied.
"Okay…" Roko sighed, "I guess I'm the dad. I can help you with the spirit doll but you're not allowed to use it at the party."
"Kay!" Aranea nodded.
"Look at this happily little family." Helena said teasingly, "Oh it's so cute."
"Don't you have anything better to do, Helena?" Roko sighed.
"I'm offended, Roko! It sounds like you don't want your cool aunt here!"
"We already have three other cool aunts."
"Let's see, Momo, Kaguya and Melia. Hm, that's right, there are only three others. Guess that really means Corissa's the mom huh?"
"Goddammit!"
"Congratulations, Aranea!"
The party celebrating Mediea's quick return kicked off with a few loud crackers and confetti. Aranea was sat at the head of the table with a special omurice with a web pattern over it's omelet and a special cake made by Momo sitting next to it. It seemed like any other birthday party though with no birthday to actually celebrate, they just stuck to claps and praises, though Helena did try to sneak a birthday song in as as troll which was quickly stopped.
"Congratulations, Aranea!" Naga clapped, "We're lucky to have you on our side."
"Ummm...yay…" Aranea clapped along unenthusiastically.
"What's wrong?" Naga blinked.
"I'm starting to realize that maybe I didn't want a party after all…" Aranea said.
"Well why did you then?" Pluteum asked.
"...Mom was so enthusiastic about it that I just...figured it was going to happen."
"Corissa does be like that sometimes." Argo smiled, "But I'm glad to have this chance to thank you, Aranea. No words can describe the relief I felt when you brought my little angel home safely."
"No, it's nothing…" Aranea said sheepishly, "You would've have rescued her even if I wasn't there to do it."
But Argo just responded more energy, "No! After what happened between you two, to still risk your life for her safety, I cannot thank you enough. I am indebted to you! My entire family is indebted to you!"
"H-Hold on!" Aranea gasped as Argo got on his knees and bowed his head deeply.
"As a father, I could never have left the task of recusing my daughter to anyone else! But I'm glad I trusted in you! In your and my daughter's bond!"
"I-It's nothing really!" Aranea cried, thoroughly uncomfortable now, "Please, lift your head!"
"Thank you." Argo said as he finally lifted his head again, "And I hate to ask anything more of you. But please...listen to what my daughter has to say!"
And with a welcoming gesture, Argo invited the second most important figure in this event to the party. Medeia was dressed in a very pretty party dress and she seemed to have been crying with her eyes a little puffed and red. Her gaze was still downcast, still unable to look anybody directly but she walked strongly to Aranea, still not looking her in the eyes but her downward gaze brought her a full view of Aranea's spider half which seemed to still trigger an emotional response that Medeia was bravely pushing aside.
"M-Medeia?!" Aranea cried concerned, and moved to lift Medeia's head so she can look at her human half.
But when Aranea approached with her arms up, Medeia suddenly reached out and drew her into a tight hug that she seemed to desperately hold on to.
"I'm sorry!" Medeia sobbed, her words barely discernible behind her wailings of remorse and fear, "I'm sorry for what I did to you! I know it was wrong! Please! Don't stop being friends with me!"
Medeia's desperate plea struck an emotional ball that Aranea wasn't even aware she had wound up and when it all started to unravel, the young spider child began sobbing uncontrollably too.
"I'm so glad!" Aranea cried, hugging Medeia back, "I thought you hated me!"
"I could never hate you!" Medeia sobbed back, "I'm so sorry for how I treated you! And thank you for being so kind and gentle with me! I promise I'll get over my stupid fear!"
The two crying childrens' reunion left such an emotional impact on everyone in the room that there wasn't a single dry eye around. With the two friends reunited, the rest of the party restarted with a bang, everyone continuing to celebrate behind emotional tears.
The two sobbing girls continued to cling to each other throughout the party, each too afraid of losing the other to let go. Even as they stuffed their faces with delicious food, they continued to hold hands and eat with only one hand with the occasional assistance from the adults. From the side, Naga watched with a content smile, the prince of Muldingirmus being unnaturally reserved and quiet.
"What do you think?" Roko asked as he joined Naga in leaning against the wall with a drink in his hand.
"I'm glad they finally reconciled." Naga smiled simply, "They had no reason to hate each other."
"No good reason, maybe." Roko sipped his drink, "And? What about you? What are you going to do?"
Naga's smile turned a bit bittersweet as he looked down, abashed or ashamed, it wasn't really clear, "I...I haven't been here long but it's been...a very eventful week. I certainly wasn't expecting something like this when I crossed over to this side."
"What did you expect?"
"...Only slightly more griminess and skulduggery." Naga chuckled, "It...certainly wasn't anything like my mother or father was telling me this place was about."
"Speaking of your dad. What's your plan with him? Still want to save him?"
Naga's lip curled into a pained smile or smirk, "I...didn't know half the things my father was responsible for. And I really...really didn't want to believe most of what I know my mother has done. I came here to try and right it. To maybe keep my family together. Because...I thought we were a family."
"Are you not?"
"We're a family just...not the way that I thought."
"What were you thinking?"
"This!" Naga gestured at the lively party with a wide smile, "This! All of this! I thought being a family would be more like...like this!"
"Why did you want a family like this if you don't mind me asking?" Roko continued to ask with an even, unaccusatory tone, "What made you try and change your family?"
"I dunno…" Naga sighed, the question drawing an answer he knew deep down but never had the need to put together, "Just...stories...of what other families are like. Like what the families of those I thought were my friends were like. I knew I was different, that my family was different but...it didn't seem right to have something that seemed...worse than everybody else had."
"We all deserve a loving family." Roko agreed, "So what are you going to do about yours?"
"...I still want to save my dad." Naga tightened his jaw as he prepared the response he knew he had to give, "I know now how bad my dad, Sirius, really was to people like this but...he's still my dad. And if nothing but to foil my mother's plan, I want to keep him alive."
"That can be done." Roko replied matter-of-factly, "I can't guarantee that it'll happen but we can win this rebellion without killing Sirius. I can promise you that we'll try to keep him alive if you want it."
"...Why...are you so accommodating to me?"
"Because I know what's going on in your head." Roko replied, "Years of a skewed family life coming into conflict with what might not be normal but is still ideal family life. If you still have the courage to do what's right, you can start with my full support."
"What's right…" Naga looked away, "I don't even know what's right anymore."
"Do you want Sirius to turn his wrath onto this small little party?"
"No! I mean...if he was a regular dad sure but he...he would try and make everything about himself. Like he does at every one of my birthday parties. Like at every party, really. But for something like this? I'm only afraid of what he would do."
"So if joining us is not an option, than what is? What do you want to do?"
"...I'm their son. I have to...at least try and fix my family, right?"
"Do you think you can succeed?"
"...I don't know…"
"I appreciate you care so much about your family. But there's more to family than those you are born with. Your mom might not even want anything to do with your dad after he loses all his power. Do you think you can keep them together despite all that?"
"Do I have a choice?" Naga said bleakly.
"Of course. Unlike your parents, there are people who still need you. Everyone here for one."
"Me? The son of their mortal enemy?" Naga rolled his eyes, "That's a laugh."
"No matter who your parents are, you are still Medeia, Pluteum and even Aranea's friend. Look at them right now. Do you think they'd be happy if you just left now?"
"Is there still a place for me here when even my parents are gone?"
"You are more than your parents. For example, what do you think will happen once Sirius is gone? What kind of changes will occur?"
"I don't know." Naga said flatly, "I'm not THAT smart."
"Fair. But do you know what SHOULD happen?"
"...Things like this...should be allowed to everybody." Naga looked out at the party wistfully again, "If people on both sides would like lives like this. I think they should be allowed to find find friends and family like this like I have."
"Mmhm. Good. But what kind of city do you think Mulapin should become? People can help you fix everything that's wrong but what the city should become is something that their leader will need."
"...Do you think I can be their leader?"
"It wouldn't be easy." Roko admitted, "You'd have to fight quite hard for the chance to stand at the head of Mulapin, especially at your age. And you'd likely have to abandon your parents. But...well...let's hear what you want first. What do you want Mulapin to be like?"
"What I want it to be like?' Naga gazed out at the party again, his eyes settling on the happy little monster in the middle of the humans, "...I want to make this city than can accept people like Aranea."
Roko nodded, "Then you have my support."
"You'll help me?" Naga looked up at the adult with wary puzzlement.
"I'll be gone once Sirius is dethroned." Roko replied, "But if there's anybody left to take charge of the chaos afterwards, I hope you'll stick around and really show what you really stand for."
And with that, Roko left the child to stew in his own thoughts.
"You failed?!" Ashlesha smacked Ursala in the face with her staff, "How hard is it to kidnap one child?!"
"You don't understand, there was this other child! And she was a spider!"
"Get out!" You should be glad I don't have you stripped of your clothes and thrown out into the wilds!"
Ursala sobbed as she ran off, humiliated and ashamed.
"Seriously, why did we have a child kidnapper on our pay roll?" Sirius remarked.
"That's your responsibility." Ashlesha scoffed, "But nevermind. At least I know our baby boy is safe."
"Oh yeah, I forgot about him."
"How could you forget?!"
"Honestly, I was hoping they'd kidnap Corissa somehow."
"Can you think with anything but your penis at this point?!"
"I mean have you seen her?"
"No! But if it'll get you to vacate your throne, perhaps I should consider it."
"See, I knew you'd come around." Sirius grinned, "Who cares so long as you get what you want right? Naga who, right? I knew we think alike."
"I am NOTHING like you." Ashlesha snapped, "I will get my darling Naga back regardless. If anything, you should be worried about that message he sent you."
"Sent us, you mean." Sirius smirked, "And what of it? Kid's coming back and he's bringing the rebellion with him. Who cares? I still got you and the rest of the Planetary Stars to fight for me right?"
"…"
"You'll fight for me, won't you dear?"
"I'll do my job and nothing more." Ashlesha retorted, "As for you, I'd get ready to vacate no matter which sides wins by the end of the day."
"Tough crowd." Sirius whistled, "But it's not like I'm not used to it. I always come out on top. And I will again. This battle. And for every future battle that rebellion thinks it can hold with their flimsy line-up."