Riveria laid the girl down in her bedroom, then we moved over to Loki's office.
"So?" Loki sat in her chair and asked. "Where did you find that young fairy?"
"In the alley." I sat on the sofa and answered, while Ais sat on my left. "When Riveria and I were on our date," I said, emphasizing the word date, which made Riveria stop for a moment before she continued. "We heard a child crying. And after following the voice, we stumbled upon her being harassed by a stray dog."
"You just have the most interesting encounters, don't you?" Loki leaned her upper body flat on the desk. "Anyways, we should at least decide on her name. Calling her a fairy or spirit child feels weird, and it would definitely attract too much attention to her."
"I agree," Riveria said, placing a teacup in front of me and sitting on my right. "Do you have any suggestions?" she asked Loki, who only shrugged.
"Shouldn't you be thinking about it? You were the one to find her."
I took a sip of tea, savoring the flavour when I felt a tug on my shirt. I looked down to see Ais's golden eyes staring up at me. "What is it, Ais?"
"...Can I…suggest one?" She asked, and both Riveria and Loki went silent.
I hesitated as well. If there was anyone worse at naming things than me, it was Ais. Still, seeing how much she wanted to name the girl, I couldn't bring myself to tell her no.
I mean, how much worse could it be? She will most likely say something like Jyagamarukun or something.
"Sure, Ais, go ahead." I patted her head.
She smiled lightly, then spoke. "Noel."
My hand stopped on her head. "Hm? Noel?" I repeated. That's quite a good name.
"That's a good name, Ais." said Riveria.
Loki leaned back in her chair. "Huh? Noel? Not too flashy but simple enough. I like it!"
I looked at Ais, who was still watching me with those golden eyes. She didn't look particularly proud of herself, but there was a faint hint of anticipation in her expression, as if she was waiting to hear what I thought.
"Yeah, I like it too."
A small smile appeared on Ais's face.
"That settled it then," Riviera announced. "From now on, we shall call her Noel."
Ais still seemed unsure as she asked, "Do you think she will like it?"
"I think she will," I reassured her.
"How do you know?"
"Well, I don't." I shrugged. "But it sounds like a name someone would be happy to have."
Ais nodded, apparently satisfied with that answer.
Riveria watched the two of us for a moment before turning her attention toward the teapot. "There is another matter we need to discuss."
Loki's expression became more serious. "Yeah. What are we going to do with her?"
"She has no memory of where she came from," Riveria said. "Nor does she appear to know where she belongs. Until we learn more, I believe the safest option is to allow her to remain here."
"I second that," I said.
"That shouldn't be too hard." Loki tapped her fingers against the armrest. "We can keep her here without anyone asking too many questions. If anyone does, we'll just say she's a child we found and are looking after."
"That should work for now," Riveria said. "However, we must be careful. If she truly is a spirit, some people would be very interested in her."
Loki's usual grin disappeared. "Yeah, that's what worries me."
"I think we are worried about nothing." I interrupted the quiet in the room. "We're not some small-time familia. But one of the top in all of Orario. If we can't even protect a child, then I think we need to rethink how we're going to face worse things in the future."
My words seem to have brought a little hope as Riveria nodded sharply.
"You are right, Arin," Riveria said, her expression softening. "We have faced monsters and enemies far more dangerous than anything that might come looking for a single child. I have no doubt that we can protect her."
She glanced toward the door behind which Noel was sleeping. "But that does not mean we should become careless. Until we know who she is, we must remain vigilant."
Loki nodded. "Exactly. Strength doesn't mean we can ignore the unknown."
"I know," I said. "I just don't want us treating her like some fragile little thing that needs to be hidden away."
Riveria smiled faintly. "I do not believe anyone here would do that." Her gaze briefly shifted toward Ais, who was still sitting beside me. "Besides, I suspect she has already found someone quite willing to keep watch over her."
Ais paused, a cookie in her mouth; she swallowed it, then spoke. "Me?"
"Yes."
Ais thought about it for a moment before nodding firmly. "I will."
I couldn't help but smile.
Well, I suppose Noel already has a guard dog.
And judging by the determined look in Ais's eyes, that guard dog was going to be terrifyingly effective.
Not to mention Ryuu and the others. Especially Alise. She would definitely want to keep Noel in her pocket.
Just as I was thinking that, the door to Loki's office creaked open. We all turned toward it, only to find Noel standing hesitantly in the doorway, one hand gripping the edge of the door while the other clutched a fistful of her skirt.
How did she even get here?
Riveria's room was in the other tower. Getting from there to Loki's office without knowing the layout of Twilight Manor was practically like navigating a maze.
Could that have something to do with her being a spirit?
"Oh, you woke up?" Riveria quietly stood and approached her. "Are you hungry? Does anything hurt?"
Noel nodded at the first question and shook her head at the second.
"I see. Then let's get you a bath first, then we can eat more, okay?" Riveria grabbed Noel hand and motioned for Ais to follow. "Then, Arin, I will leave explaining all this to others for you." she said and left.
"You got it."
I wasn't particularly thrilled with the task, but someone had to do it, and I don't trust Loki with it.
"You are thinking something rude about me, aren't you?!" Loki pounded her fist on the table as I stood up.
"Yes," I said, and left the room, ignoring Loki's cries from behind.
Now, how do I go about this?