text: You're going to try one last time with Lena. MAYBE you can talk some sense into her.
  
  "Come on." You say and grab Tulla by her little hand to pull her along as you walk.
  "Where are we going?"
  "To see your mother."
  
  Lena usually holds her meetings in a drab looking two-floor house near the center of the village which she's made into her home since the village was walled up. You go there immediately and find her standing behind a table while she speaks to a bunch of other people standing in the room. It's packed, but you make your way through the crowd. Lena notices and wonders if you're here to tell everyone that there's an attack coming.
  
  "What's going on? Are those bastards coming to attack us?" Lena asks.
  "No, but I need to talk to you NOW."
  "I'm in the middle of something, can't it wait?"
  "No, this is something that needs to be addressed in private, and if you're unwilling to do so, I'm going to start clearing this room out in a less civilized manner."
  
  Knowing that you'll do it, Lena tells everyone that the meeting is over and that everyone should go back to their duties. When the home clears out, you're left with just Tulla and Lena in the room. You tell Tulla to go upstairs and find something to busy herself with. She complies though she's not enthusiastic about it. She also isn't a fool and knows when an argument is about to happen.
  
  "Okay everyone's gone, now what's so damned important?" Lena says.
  "Well for starters how about your own daughter? You let her wander away like this all the time, knowing damn well how dangerous it is."
  "She seeks you out right? I trust that you'll look after her."
  "Yeah, but the problem with that is I'm not her damn parent and I'm supposed to be keeping an eye on other things that are of more importance remember?"
  "And? I just sit around all day doing nothing? What exactly do you think I do and have been doing?"
  "Losing a war and satisfying your desire for vengeance, but that's not what I'm here about, I'm here to try to talk sense into you one last time... "
  "Oh here we go. Wisdom from the old shadow once again. Save your breath I've heard your fat musings about our situation time and time again. And as I've said before nobody is forcing you to stay. Go on back to your hole and hide with your beloved corpse. That is what you're best at right?"
  "Lena, this isn't about me, this is about YOU and your family, or what remains of it. This battle is lost, you know it and I know. Everyone probably knows it, but they're still following you out of loyalty and desperation."
  "You know damn well we can't surrender."
  "I'm not talking about that! I'm saying you need to take Tulla and just get the fuck out of here. You fought the good fight as long you could; you probably crippled Victor's army and wasted his resources to the point where he's probably struggling to maintain his holdings in Quala. I mean I think you're way past even now."
  "Even? Is that supposed to be a joke? Victor kills us and enslaves us all and because he's suffering from a little manpower shortage we're supposed be even? What kind of leader would I be if I just abandoned everyone?"
  "Fine then, if you really care about the people then talk them into leaving with you. Hell, I even know of an area where everyone could settle down anew. It's not the friendliest place, but it's the northern part of Delerg and out of reach from Victor or anyone else desiring to establish a military presence."
  "Since when have you been some protector of the people?"
  
  Now you start to get exasperated.
  
  "Lena, we've had this discussion before, but if you insist... I was doing this YEARS before YOU were even a lust filled idea in your parents' heads! Protector of the people... I've probably been doing more than YOU to protect the people of Delerg even now. At least I'm suggesting a way for them to survive, but let's get serious for a second. You're right, I don't care about any of them, I only care about one in particular. Okay two, but you don't want me to care in that way... you want me to want me to care on a whole other level but the time for has long since past if it was ever a possibility to begin with."
  
  Lena's expression, which is usually one of coldness nowadays, begins to crack a little. She turns her head a bit and brushes her hair in an effort to hide possible tears starting to form.
  
  "Look Lena, the first time you explained your reasons for staying to fight five years ago, you managed to convince me because you were right and despite how I knew this was going to play out, it was still a worthy cause. However, I'm right too. There is nothing to be gained by being a martyr or dying a hero, or whatever it is exactly you're trying to do here. If you don't care about your own life, at least think of your daughter's life. You've been distant with her ever since she was born, one would think in these times you'd want to spend more time with her not less. Let alone bad mouthing her father who DID spend time with her or leaving her in the company of a complete stranger."
  
  "I'm not leaving her with a complete stranger, I'm leaving her with you!" Lena says and begins to break down.
  
  "SHE'LL BE SAFE WITH YOU! SHE'LL BE HAPPY WITH YOU!"
  
  Lena collapses in a nearby chair with her head in her hands weeping.
  
  "She'll... survive with you... (sob)"
  
  You suddenly realize the situation that Lena has placed you in, and you hate her for it. You shake your head in disbelief. Out of all the things that have happened in your life, this has got to be the most unforeseen to your mind. You have no words; you instead just leave Lena to her crying and walk out the front door.
  
  You stand outside the house for a moment as the rain continues to fall just trying to wrap your head around all of this. You don't even know where to start. Did she always plan this? Was this a last minute decision? Does she just expect you to... 
  
  "Hey Uncle Shadow are you and mommy done fighting?" you hear Tulla ask as she comes from around a corner.
  "Huh? Where'd you come from? I thought you were upstairs."
  "I was, but I sneaked out while you and mommy were yelling at each other. Sneaked like you do! I wanted to play in the rain. So are you done fighting?"
  "Yeah... I think we're done fighting... " you say looking back at the door.
  "That's good. I didn't like it when mommy and daddy fighted either." She says.
  
  With her question answered, Lena's attention has already been distracted by the rain, which she gleefully plays in by splashing a nearby puddle. She has no idea what the hell is going on and what just happened.
  
  You watch her play for a moment and then call her over.
  
  "Tulla, come here."
  "Yes, uncle?"
  "Do you have any items that are special to you?"
  "Yes!"
  "Well go in and grab them, but ONLY the ones you think are really important. Some clothes too. We're going on a trip and we won't be back for a long time."
  "Where are we going?"
  "We're uh, going to your uncle shadow's secret hideout. Nobody will be able to hurt us there."
  "Yay! Is mommy coming too?"
  "No... she's got important stuff to do here. Look, get your belongings and let's go. I'll be right here waiting."
  
  Tulla goes inside and you wait. Doesn't take long For Tulla to come back out with a small bag of her things.
  
  "I'm ready uncle."
  "You say good bye to your mom?"
  "Yes. She was crying and sad when I first went inside, but when I told her I was leaving with you, she looked up at me and smiled a little. She told me that she loved me and to do what you say."
  
  You nod at Tulla's explanation of events.
  
  "Are you going in to say goodbye?"
  "No, your mother and I have said our goodbyes. Let's go."
  
  Your trip back to the temple is surprisingly uneventful. You don't even need to avoid any patrols. You do take the long way though and go through your alternate entrance. This causes a bit of worry for Tulla since she's never gone underwater before, but you reassure her that as long as she holds on to you, you won't let her drown and will hold her up to catch her breath using the air pockets in the underground tunnel. Naturally she believes you can do anything so this immediately alleviates her fears.
  
  Eventually you're home.
  
  "This place is dark and scary." Tulla remarks looking around.
  "Yeah, but my home, and your home too now. You can stay in this room, it was your mother's at one time."
  "Wow there are a lot of books in that room!"
  "That's the library."
  "What in there?" Tulla asks and points to the cavern with the garden.
  "That's... a private area. Don't go in there without permission okay? Even if you talking or faint whispering."
  "A ghost doesn't live there does it?"
  "Heh, well sort of I suppose." You smirk. "But don't worry she's friendly... in fact forget what I said, let's go into that room right now."
  
  You enter the garden with Tulla hiding somewhat behind you still nervous about the "ghost." You point out Talia's grave to Tulla.
  
  "There she is. She doesn't speak or anything though. She just listens, mainly to me of course. Her name is Talia."
  "Oh is she like my daddy?" Tulla asks making the connection that Talia isn't a real ghost and just dead.
  "Yes, yes she is, but I still talk to her. Because I still love her."
  
  Tulla starts to ask another question, but you are in mood to answer any more as its been a long strange day. You tell Tulla to go to her room and dry off and unpack. You then mention you'll see her shortly. Tulla leaves you alone to be with your beloved. You sit down beside Talia's grave and think about the strange situation you're in.
  
  "Well Talia, it probably isn't exactly how you ever envisioned it, but we have a child now."
  > shadow shelter for lost girls (Dendrin's Input)
  "Planning on turning this place in an orphanage and calling it Uncle Shadow's shelter for lost girls?" Dendrin mocks. You knew this was coming.
  "I'm really in no mood, you know." You reply.
  "Oh you're always in a mood. Just never a fun one."
  "Well get your jabs in now and get it over with, I know you want to."
  "I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about. If you think I'm going to make fun of you and this situation you've misjudged me as usual. On the contrary, I think it's very brave of you to take on such an unfamiliar responsibility at your age."
  "I wasn't left with much choice, now was I?"
  "Sure you were, you could've just left the girl to die along with her mother. You didn't though, I imagine for several reasons. Such as your not so secret need for living mortal company, or your dormant paternal instinct that apparently has gotten stronger in your later years. Even I didn't see that one coming until you took in this girl's mother a decade ago."
  "Yeah...  let's not bring her up right now."
  "My apologies. Anyway this should certainly be fascinating to observe."
  "And there it is, the whole reason for your interest. Something new to view. Glad I can always be a constant source of amusement to you Den."
  "Eternal you're more than a source of amusement for me and I think you know that. I still believe as I did when I let you live during your shadow indoctrination ceremony that you are destined for important things."
  "Well let me know what those important things are when you find out."
  "It may be that you're already involved in them."
  
  Before you can make a retort about Dendrin's usual vagueness, you wake up.