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Every day for the next few months Ancile wakes up with the knowledge that her and Fon have reached an extremely fragile truce. Her trust in the man never deepens and respect barely begins to grow but it's a step in the right direction.

It helps that he hasn't abandoned her with the monkey in quite some time.

Though she still is forced to sleep outside.

At first she had thought that this new leaf for them would mean an adjustment in her training - after all, he had to like her at least a little bit, right?

Wrong.

Every two days she's forced to play that ridiculous bastardization of tag and face the humiliation and rage that come with losing. She knows he likes messing with her - he never fails to pop up seconds before the five minute mark is up, getting her hopes up just high enough for her crash down to earth to be dramatic and painful.

He's also stopped responding to her unless she calls him shifu, something that had initially gave her endless joy because if he's not responding, then neither is she. Her smug satisfaction had screeched to a halt when a krait bit her on a lazy afternoon. She had all but fallen into his lap, screaming in agony but the man hadn't so much as flinched until she had sobbed out a broken "shifu".

It's not a particularly endearing memory but honestly, just the fact that he had helped her had softened her heart somewhat.

Time passed by in the same repetitive cycle: Fon stalks her through the woods and Ancile flees with her heart in her throat until eventually he finds her cowering behind a tree, too tired to go on. Months had gone by until one day, when she and Lichi were messing around on the training grounds, Ancile realised she could curl her flames inwards. She actually hadn't figured it out on her own, Lichi had done it on a whim and then demonstrated it for the curious girl when she wouldn't stop pestering him about it.

It takes more concentration than she can always muster, still getting easily distracted when an unfamiliar bird caws nearby or a squirrel chitters from the ground at her but she thinks she's gotten better at it. Sometimes she can even manage to completely block out the noises around her and if she closes her eyes, she can practically see how far her flames extend and pull them right back to her.

Don't ask her how that works though, she has no idea.

Hearing a leaf rustle to her side snaps her out of her daydream and sends her moving again. Staying still is certain death, she learned that the hard way. She imagines her flames like a hot pack pressed tightly to her chest - if she doesn't hold tight, the pack will fall away from her just as her flames will spill wildly out in every direction. Mastering this has been one of the hardest parts of her training, every inch of her just wants to relax with her flames practically begging for freedom.

In a surprisingly earnest moment, Fon had told her that was completely normal.

'Flames don't want to be controlled.' He had said.

The older someone is, the easier it is for them to wield their flames. One, because they've had more time to develop an understanding of their flames and two, because their flames actually have somewhere to go. The problem with children activating their flames is that they produce so much all the time that it has nowhere to go, their bodies and minds are too small to contain such an intense output and so they shoot off in every direction. As someone grows up, their body and soul begin to adjust to one another until they reach a perfect balance and all that's left is a faint outline around their body.

And even that, according to Fon, can be controlled.

Dodging to the right, Ancile feels her control slipping and pauses for a moment. Usually, she doesn't stop moving until she's sure she's gotten enough distance between the two of them but that hasn't worked so far. She eyes a tree far on her left contemplatively before shooting a ball of flames at it and then the tree behind it. She tries to make the second ball smaller than the first, hoping it'll be enough to convince Fon that she's gone off in that direction. Once she's satisfied with her work, she ducks behind a fallen log a few paces to her right and pulls her flames in as tight as possible, knowing full well that he's not far behind.

Soon, he glides up to the spot she was just in and if Ancile wasn't completely silent - not even breathing so that she doesn't accidentally give up her location - she would've missed it completely. He's still for a long moment before finally he moves.

It's to his left.

The shock and relief almost slip out but she manages to clamp a hand tightly over her mouth. As soon as she gets her breathing under control, she counts down from ten and then makes a break for it.

She makes it five steps before smacking right into him.

The air whooshes out of her all at once as she trips over herself and lands on the ground but she does not scream.

"How...long?" She gasps in between breaths, eyes wide with shock.

Fon makes a big production of sighing in displeasure, his eyes narrowing just long enough to give her the impression that she's failed terribly. It's only when she turns her gaze away, utterly defeated, that he allows a small, almost proud smirk to slink onto his face.

"5 minutes and 13 seconds." Her head snaps back so fast he can hear it but she pays no mind to the sudden crick in her neck.

"What?" She asks dumbly. The smile on his face grows a little wider at her incredulousness as he repeats himself for her.

"5 minutes and 13 seconds." He extends a hand to offer her leverage to pull herself up from the ground. It's the first time he's ever done so. She eyes his hand warily for a long minute before grabbing it, tugging hard on her way up.

"Are you joking?"

"When do I joke?"

She pauses then and finally really takes in his words. 5 minutes and 13 seconds. The words are ringing in her ear, a melody she won't soon forget. A large, beatific smile swallows up her face as she practically starts jumping in place.

"That's the longest I've ever gone!"

"I know."

"I totally tricked you, didn't I?" She's screaming in her excitement now but he doesn't stop her.

"I was thrown off for a second, yes."

"A second?" Her voice somehow manages to go higher than her usual tone. "Nuh uh, it was way more than a second!"

"Yes, it was approximately 18 seconds." He folds his arms in front of him, finding her excitement surprisingly entertaining.

"Oh my god! I have to go tell Lichi!" And then she streaks off in the direction of the house, screaming the monkey's name all the while.

Fon doesn't make to follow her immediately, though. He glances back over his shoulder at the trees she had marked. He's known that her flame control was exceptional, memories of her circling small embers around her fingertips on their long journey from Squillace sit at the forefront of his mind, but this? He hasn't even introduced flame manipulation into her training yet. He lifts a red, glowing finger to press it firmly against the bark - the tree has enough of her flames imbued into it that he has to leave his finger there for a few minutes, carefully separating them out from the tree's own energy.

Clearly, she's ready for a more intense training regime.

Turning around with a flourish, he stalks back the way Ancile went, leaving behind a trunk still glowing purple in the fading daylight.

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Breaths are stuttering out of her as she practically flies through the trees. She cuts off her flames suddenly before zig zagging away, brief touches from her hand leaving small bits of her flames to form a dizzying pattern in her wake. Pushing out with as much force as she can, she directs her flames up and out of her body in a steady stream to her left before breaking off and maintaining her course straight ahead. It's a gamble, she knows, especially with how little concern she's giving to the snapped twigs and rustled leaves she's causing but it's one she knows they won't expect.

It's been months since Ancile foolishly used her flames for the first time in tag and Fon had majorly upped the ante afterwards. Now, they've shifted into a new routine of constant drills. Whether she's sitting in the living room, staring blankly at her language tutor or running through the forest half-cocked, he expects her to be practicing the manifestation and manipulation of her flames.

They weren't unreasonable requests - all of the practices he wanted her to do were just expansions on things she did already but a part of her has always and will always balk at being told what to do. With a frown set firmly on her face she had refused, claiming some nonsense about being overwhelmed. Fon hadn't even bothered to give her one of his smiles, instead opting to blandly tell her that she had no choice in the matter.

The tantrum she threw was a given, really.

After realizing that Lichi supported his master's idea, Ancile had begrudgingly given in, pretending not to like the swell of strength in her throat, the sudden clarity in her head, the warmth in her chest, or even the tingle of power in her hands.

Now, she's being hunted through the forest by both Fon and Lichi. It's evolved past whether or not she can stay alive past five minutes - she has to use her flames effectively at least once to be able to eat more than twice a day.

She careens around a bend, knowing there's a little clearing up ahead. Looking over her shoulder for a second she tries to find any hint of red amongst the foliage. For a second she sees a flash but as soon as she turns her attention closer to it, she crashes hard into something else.

Panic surges through her - she's run through these woods more times than she can count, she knows there's not supposed to be a tree right here and regardless of how quick Fon can move there's no chance he crossed the length of the forest in such a short amount of time.

Fighting through the shock, she immediately lowers herself to the ground. She has no advantage when it comes to strength but, as she calls her flames forward, she knows she can get them with speed and surprise.

But before she gets the chance to do anything, the person reaches out to grasp her wrists.

"Now nuvoletta, is that anyway to greet an old friend?"

There's only one person who has ever called her nuvoletta and with a deep scowl, she rips herself away from the man she considers a blood enemy.

The demon in question crouches down in front of her, a vicious smirk on his face. She knows nothing good can come of this but she can't help the spark of curiosity that lights in her. And against all better judgement, his next words ignite that spark into a full blown inferno.

"Do you want to play a trick on your shi-fu?" His voice lilts on the last word, clearly mocking the other man.

The idea immediately appeals to her, she's been wanting to up the ante on Fon for months now but hadn't gotten the opportunity to do so quite yet. Still, this man has never been a sign of good news and she's absolutely certain that this is some kind of elaborate trap designed to get her killed by Fon.

"Come on nuvoletta," his smirk rises higher at her indecision, "you know you want to."

Lichi chirps from somewhere behind her and before she can think twice, she's reaching out to grab the hand Renato extended.

In the blink of an eye, flames burst up on his palms, bright yellow immediately jumping to singe whatever is near. Internally lamenting her stupidity as much as an almost six year old can, she tries to yank her hands away as hard as she can but there's iron in his grip and he won't be moved.

Refusing to give in to whatever evil plot he's concocted, she funnels flames to her hand. It's a higher concentration than anything she's messed with before and just as a strangle shell takes shape, her mind blanks and exhaustion drags her down to the ground. Renato wrenches away from the girl, the sudden lack of support forcing her to collapse and watches her convulsing with a mixture of shock and irritation. A part of him bristles at the fact that every time they're together, he somehow manages to trigger her flames.

It takes him a moment to gather himself, she had managed to catch his pinkies on the rough edges of her shell - a feat many would brag over - but it takes even longer for her twitching to stop. He steps forward cautiously, convinced that he'll somehow trigger her into action again but he doesn't have to worry, Ancile is lying terrifyingly still on the ground.

Both he and the woods still completely, staring at the young girl for any signs of life.

This is not what her brother had asked of him.

No, the older Shamal had slunk out of some random corner when Renato had sought Anguis's latest serums out. He had looked as pathetic then as his sister did now, eyes glistening in the low light, lips a disaster from where he had clearly being chewing at them.

"Can I ask you a favor?" He had asked, earnest desperation coloring every word and though Renato had barely acknowledged his presence, he had continued on. "You know where Fon is." It hadn't been a question. "Please check on Ancile, just to see if she's alright. You don't even have to tell me anything! Just...just please, make sure she's okay?"

Renato rolls his eyes, whether at himself for ending up in this predicament or at the Shamal in his memories, one can never be sure.

When she doesn't stir, Renato reaches out and taps her a few times with his foot. Finally, she twitches in response and with a bud of relief swelling in his chest he reaches out and throws her over his shoulder like a rucksack.

He pauses for a moment before he takes off, stretching out his senses as far as they can go to try and "see" where Fon is, grumbling when he can't quite pin anything down. He's loathe to admit that he's not that talented at tracking.

Pushing through the branches and the underbrush, Renato makes his way back to the cottage. If nothing else, he knows Fon will end up back there eventually.

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Ancile wakes up to a strange warmth on her chest. It's not exactly unwelcome but the intensity of it throws her off. She peeks an eye open to spy a look only to end up jerking back with a surprised yelp. Lichi's wide, pitch black eyes are staring dead at her.

She swats at the monkey's face in a bid to get him off her. Lichi hoots sadly at her but aquiseces and scuttles off to the side. As her mind slowly comes back to her she becomes more aware of her surrounding - namely, the two voices she can hear in a heated conversation down the hall.

Swinging her legs over the edge of her bed, she pads slowly out of her room and towards the sitting area. The voices are coming clearer now. One is clearly Fon, speaking in clipped sentences. It's the most upset she's ever heard him and that includes the time she set her teacher's hair on fire.

(It was an accident, of course)

The other voice takes a little longer to place. It's smoother than Fon's regular voice, an octave lower as well. Where Fon was the wind cutting around the peak of a mountain, this was like velvet slipping through your fingers.

It takes her a concerningly long time to place the voice but once she does, the events of the morning all but slam into her.

With a fair bit of indignation at her back, she storms into the room, ready to throw the Biggest Tantrum but she stops in her tracks when Renato turns scheming eyes on her.

"Well if it isn't the guest of the hour."

"I can't be a guest, I live here."

Renato barks in laughter causing the pout she was trying to fight to form faster than ever. "How right you are, nuvoletta." He circles around to crouch in front of her only to be left staring at an empty spot as she scampers to hide by Fon. A victorious gleam lights the man's eyes before he pierces Renato with a glare but it does nothing to dissuade the man. "Aren't you sick of spending all day in one place?"

Fon quirks an eyebrow at the question, genuinely pondering if he's lost his mind. How could anyone ask a cloud if they were tired of staying somewhere? Just as he opens his mouth to set the annoying cretin straight, however, Ancile mutters her agreement.

It takes everything in him not to turn in shock.

"Then I have the perfect proposition for you." Fon closes his eyes in exasperation, wondering just what he did in his past lives to deserve suffering like this. "How would you like to come back to Italy?"

Ancile practically leaps out from behind Fon's leg, attention focused solely on the man in front of her. Before they can get too far ahead of themselves, though, Fon steps in.

"It would only be for a short time."

She turns to look at him quizzically over her shoulder for a moment before turning the look onto Renato.

"He's right, it would be for just a few days." Her face visibly falls at this. "But," he drops his voice to a whisper, "it'll be for Christmas."

A smile wide enough to cross the Pacific breaks out across her face. In fact, her whole countenance changes to practically exude joy. It's the happiest the two men have ever seen her. Quite possibly the happiest anyone has ever seen her. Her eyes shine with anticipation when she asks her next question, bouncing lightly on the balls of her feet.

"Is Trident going to be there?"

At his hesitation her expression falters, shuttering completely when she turns to look at Fon and all he can offer her is a small, sympathetic smile.

Uncomfortable with the sudden change in demeanor, Renato claps his hands loudly.

"Let's talk logistics."

Ancile smiles blandly and joins Lichi on the couch, eyes barely catching the light.

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y'all better count 'em! ancile smiled two (2!) times! my baby's finally moving up in the world!

sorry if the ending seemed rushed, i just did NOT want to have an emo ancile again, the poor girl goes through too much! but i had fun writing this chapter, especially with fon and ancile's changing dynamic. the kids might be alright after all! anyways, thanks so much for reading! please let me know what you think! even if you think this is just a hot steaming pile of garbage, i'd love to hear y'all's opinions. and yes, y'all's is a legitimate contraction don't fight me on this.

thank you to everyone who's reviewed/liked/followed. 109...i can't even believe it. thank you so much.

Guest: Honestly, Fon is the absolute worst when it comes to Ancile and Shamal literally ignored her for like the first three months of them living together. This chapter + the next are really important imo in developing their dynamic and really cements the way they're going to interact with one another. I don't want to build it up a lot lmao especially since i'm not the best at writing subtle scenes and it ends up just getting flushed down river but i'm really hoping i can convey where i want them to be next chapter. Thanks so much for reading and reviewing! I really appreciate it so much!