Having been stripped of his blacksmith leathers and boots, he felt much lighter. It was always a pleasant surprise to come home to Neris. Although there were plenty her age, Neris had always been different from the other children, even Carmine. Hell, even the distance between her and himself were staggering. She'd started to look more and more like her mother everyday. It was something he used to despise. It reminded him of the Church's pyres, and that thought always brought the stench back to him. But unlike anyone else in this village, Neris didn't look down at him. Even Carmine's incessant nagging had gotten to him, so the short amount of times he'd catch Neris with her nose out of a book were cherished ones.<br/><br/>The cottage they had was a small one, the two rooms of the house only being separated by a small cloth strung from the ceiling. On the wall in his room hung his prized possession, the bell and crow-beaked hammer hung just above his bedding. Below it hung the weapon he'd made so long ago. It was a crude short sword, not even the length of his forearm. The dull sides made for a perfect training weapon, and had been one of his gifts to Neris. "Such a wonderful day outside and Carmine has to go and take up all the space doesn't she?" He gave a small grin while making his way towards the wall, towards his hammer. "So, up to learn some more today, from something other than a book?"<br/><br/>Unlike Carmine and her anger towards Neris, Ocieros hadn't ever blamed her. Their reputation had further been diminished by Joed's drunkard lifestyle. The only honor they had to their name was the fact he'd served the Church's call to war twice. He'd become extremely well known through out his branches for being more pacifist when he attacked as well, preferring to incapacitate instead of decapitate. He'd even earned the title of Peacekeeper from his allies. But those days were behind him, he'd been away from the wars for a couple years now. Only time he handled weapons these days were training or forging.