Cyran’s exasperation was only mirrored on Astrid’s face, who currently looked far more tired than a twelve year old had any right to look. He supposed after their long journey, she had a right to look like that. Seeing such a weary look on a child was still alarming to Cyran, though, especially considering the implication that Astrid was technically one of the most mature in this group, barring her spiritual guardian. How in the hell had Blue Raspberry, an… ooze knight… made it thus far without understanding what money was?

And how in the world had they all made it this far with the shittiest lying skills in Charon? They were somehow even worse than Cyran, and that was saying something.

“Um. Okay. Yes, I definitely believe you.” Cyran said to Blue Raspberry, nodding along, not believing the knight’s explanation in the slightest. If there was one thing he’d learned in his years of dealing with kids, he’d learned how to read their tells- namely, how far they would dig to protect their secrets despite how ridiculous the story sounded. Cyran didn’t know enough about magic to properly dispute what Blue Raspberry was saying, but they were looking awfully nervous as they glanced at Astrid, waiting for her to back them up. Cyran couldn’t say he particularly cared whether Blue Raspberry was human or not. All he really cared about was the mess they’d now made of his new establishment.

“Let me keep the money?” Cyran asked, suddenly pulled out of his thoughts as Astrid suggested that they leave it here to help him take care of the kids, with Melodia agreeing. “I’m not sure I should…” He trailed off as he bit his lower lip. While he didn’t want to take their charity, especially if the money might help Astrid and Blue Raspberry, he really needed the funds with this sudden influx of mouths to feed. It still felt incredibly selfish of him as he eventually nodded. “I… would not say no to help, for the kids.”

They started talking about this orphanage from the Marshflats again, where the treasure had supposedly come from, and there was only one thing Cyran had left to ask, the one question that no one had been able to answer for him. “And can someone tell me what the heck happened at the orphanage?”

Oh no, Cyran doesn't believe them. Astrid knows that look. He's just going along with it. Okay, okay, that's fine. He's not pressing. Oh, man, the kids are totally going to tell him everything, aren't they? That's fine. It'll be fine. So, all Astrid says is, "Look, just keep it a secret when ya piece it together, would ya?" Behind her, Melodia rubs her ethereal face.

With all the children running around with hands full of gold, pearls, and gems, the once quiet, empty orphanage has completely descended into chaos. Well, Cyran's the one who opened an orphanage. Surely, he expected something of this level at some point once the place filled with kids. Right? Right??

The half-dwarf watches two of the youngest kids rush past, screeching about the shiny objects. "I mean...even if we wanted it back, I don't think we'd collect it all. If it's alright with ya, Blue, I think we should leave it here. If we know anythin', it's that eatin's expensive." Her posture shifts to put her weight on her back foot, letting her shoulders fall and just kind of accept the situation. "We've gotten along fine without a buncha treasure before." Though... Blue Raspberry always seems to have coin to cough up - literally. She never thought to ask where they got it before. "Adventurin' pays pretty well sometimes, and none of the kids eat as much as me and Blue do."

Astrid rubs her head. "Ya found it in the weird wet basement? I guess I totally missed it..." She's well aware she's not the most observant person. Then Cyran asks about the orphanage, and Astrid exchanges a look with Melodia. "Well... Me an' Blue were lookin' fer work, and there were reports of a ghost hauntin' some ruins in the marsh. We found all these kids there prankin' people with a fake ghost... Turns out, there was a real ghost! Miss Melodia was there takin' care of 'em."

"The ruins were an old orphanage I worked at in my lifetime," Melodia adds, providing some additional context. "Parts of it were still... somewhat livable. It was safer there than the streets of the closest town, so I did what I could to give guidance to the children and teach them so that they could provide for each other. At least until these two showed up, gave us all a fright, and then offered to bring the children here. Though... they failed to mention it was across the continent..." The woman's expression grows somewhat sharp only briefly. "It worked out well enough. Everyone made it here safely and without incident." 

"Aye, it worked out alright," Astrid says with a nod, though her expression becomes apologetic. "Sorry fer droppin' this on ya suddenly and fer..." She motions around. "Alla the chaos."

"Yeah, I don't mind leaving it here... hmm?" Blue Raspberry replied, and felt a tug on their hand. They looked down to see some of the children pulling them. They smiled and let themself be lead down the hall.

While the adults and Astrid were talking, Blue Raspberry was pulled away by some of the children who wanted to play. They were having fun with the treasure, but they wanted the ooze man to perform their usual trick that entertained them on the boat ride here. They wandered off back to the bathroom where, along with the chest filled with treasure, some of the random debris they had been brough by the children still remained on the floor.

Inside the privacy of the bathroom, the blue ooze seeped through the gaps in their armor and engulfed it. The humanoid shape fell forward onto its arms which reshaped into legs. The front of their head elongated and a tail grew from their rear. After a moment, to the children's delight, a large, blue wolf sat in the middle of the bathroom with their tail wagging happily and their tongue hanging out the side of their open mouth.

Some children climbed onto Blue Raspberry's back and the ooze wolf ran through the orphanage with them laughing. Blue Raspberry forgot about their blunder with the treasure as they played with the children.

“It’s a little too late for that…” Cyran muttered under his breath. He turned his attention to Astrid, who’d at least seemed to realize that it was probably pointless to continue spinning this story. “But your secret is safe with me.” He didn’t really care what Blue Raspberry was, as long as they weren’t dangerous… he was fairly certain that oozes didn’t look like knights, but then again, he’d learnt to suspend disbelief considering all the strange people he’d met on his own journey.

Astrid and Blue Raspberry both assured him that they would be fine with him taking the money, which was a relief, though he wouldn’t admit it out loud. While he’d expected this place to eventually be filled with children, he hadn’t expected it to be so full so suddenly. The extra inflow of funds would help pay for food in the short-term, and perhaps if he was smart with finances, help save some money for them in the long run. “I suppose I’ll consider it a donation.” He said with a small smile.

And finally- finally- he got some explanation for what had happened in the old orphanage from both Astrid and Melodia while Blue Raspberry wandered off to play with the kids for a bit. It saddened him, somewhat, to hear that Melodia was still so dedicated to her job that she would watch the kids after her passing, and that an abandoned building in the Marsh was a safer option than the streets. But there was also understanding there, from one caretaker to another. Cyran nodded at her, solemn as the grave as he promised, “They’ll have a good home here.”

That solemnity turned to amusement as Melodia lamented that Astrid had neglected to mention the distance between the Marshflats and Cyran’s establishment. That sounded exactly like the kind of oversight an overexcited child might make.

“You have nothing to apologize for.” He reassured her once more. “If I couldn’t handle chaos, I wouldn’t have opened a place like this at all. I just wasn’t expecting it to happen… before my doors are even technically open.” He sighed, suddenly looking older than his centuries of life for a brief moment before recovering. “I should go get dinner started, if you’d like to join me.”

He set back off for the kitchen, trying not to think too hard about the electric blue wolf that was currently bounding across the living room lest he lose the scant remaining amount of sanity he still had left. Yes, it was probably best if he just focused on feeding the hungry kids after the long journey they'd just had.

It's a big relief to see Cyran take everything that comes tumbling out of Astrid's mouth through those few minutes in stride. Considering she only briefly met the man at the Black Harvest Ball, he seems pretty awesome. 

"I dunno if I'd be a big help in the kitchen..." Astrid says, though she wouldn't mind continuing with some other conversation while she "helps."

Melodia chuckles and chimes in, "Astrid's quite skilled at tenderizing meat, you know." 

Taking that at exactly face value, Astrid nods quickly. "Aye, anythin' with a hammer! Looks like Blue's got the kids entertained! Let's go!" 

Tarquin, who'd been sitting back and just watching Astrid flounder through everything, sighs and rolls his eyes. "She'll be useless. I'll help."

With that, the three of them join Cyran in the kitchen to help prepare dinner and have some friendly conversation. The biggest ice needing to be broken has been smashed into a thousand pieces, so their follow-up is much more... normal, for lack of a better term. Astrid ends up taking a back seat to helping to prepare dinner while Tarquin and Melodia start filling in Cyran on all the children's names, behaviors, and preferences. They are a varied group who will appreciate a hot meal lovingly prepared, and that's something Astrid can really relate to. A good meal when you're used to scraps and trash can meals really sets a high standard. However, knowing as much as she and Blue can eat, she decides they'll have a second dinner once they've left the orphanage to avoid putting any more burden on Cyran. 

Finally, they gather everyone up and share the meal at the table with the kids recounting their made-up adventures with the Big Bad Wolf that was Blue Raspberry. It seems they tired themselves out from all their running around, and once everyone's eaten their fill, Melodia helps them all settle in with Cyran. There's melancholy to her smiles. She's spent a lot of time with these children, and she cares a lot about them. Astrid notices this, and when Melodia says her final, heartfelt goodbye to Tarquin, the half-dwarf gives the ghost a bit of a concerned look. 

Astrid's a bit sheepish as she says, "Um, Melodia, do ya think ya could do that bit of magic bondin' with any of the others so ya could stick around? Seems like everyone's gonna miss ya..." 

Melodia sighs a bit sadly, but she shakes her head. "They will, but there would always be a day when I'd have to say goodbye. It always feels better to say goodbye to children who have a better home, and based on our conversations with dear Cyran, I think they are in good hands. Things will be alright." The ghostly woman smiles down at Astrid. "Besides, I see another child who could use a bit of motherly guidance in her dangerous pursuits."

This catches Astrid a little off-guard, and she looks kind of embarrassed at the suggestion. She's certainly not opposed. Melodia's been a big help with making smart decisions. "I-I mean, I've got a da."

"Well, I look forward to the day I get to meet him," Melodia says with a smile. Looking over at Cyran, she inclines her head. "Thank you again, Cyran. I hope things go smoothly. If not, I'm sure you don't need to hesitate to call upon these two troublemakers for help."

"Aye, ya sure can!" Astrid says with more confidence. 

When they finally get their goodbyes out, Melodia fades and Astrid and Blue Raspberry make their way out to have a bigger meal somewhere outside of Cyran's hair. It was certainly a long journey to make it here to Cyran's orphanage, but now all of the kids have a safer place to stay with someone they can trust. A warm meal, a bed, and a roof over their heads will go a long way. Astrid and Melodia are extremely grateful to Cyran for his willingness to take everyone in on no notice. Maybe their next encounter will be less abrupt...

As they walked away from the orphanage, Blue Raspberry suddenly remembered something very important.

"Ah! I almost forgot!" they said and turned to Melodia with a smile. "I get to eat your leg!"

Melodia sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Yes, a deal is a deal. Go ahead." she said as she pulled her ethereal dress up to show her leg and presented it to Blue Raspberry.

The ooze gave a toothy smile. Finally, they'd get to find out what a ghost tastes like! The whole reason they'd gone on the ghost hunt back in the Marsh Flats in the first place! It had been such a long journey, finding the children, bringing them all the way here, fulfilling their deal with Melodia. But now, it was all worth it! Well, even without the deal, they would have helped those kids out. But, still, now they'd get their taste of a spirit!

They reached their hand out to grasp the leg, but their hand passed right through it. They tried again. It passed through. They tried their other hand. It passed through. Both hands at once? Passed through. They tried to just bite it with their mouth. Their head just passed through. Blue Raspberry dropped to their knees.

"You tricked me." they said, brokenhearted.

"Yes. Now let's go get something you actually can eat." Melodia replied bluntly.

Blue Raspberry was still a bit dejected, but they rose to their feet again at the mention of food. They followed along, headed to whatever restaurant or tavern was unlucky enough to encounter the ravenous duo first.