A/N: More than an epilogue but not quite a sequel, here's a bonus chapter for A Purpose for the Gift of Life. The main story was notably short because I wanted to condense it to only the most necessary and effective ideas, but the unused concepts and scenes stirred around my mind ever since, and I thought it was about time to give them their time in the sun. I hope you like it, but if you don't, there's a reason I didn't use some of these ideas to begin with. Please enjoy.

One wouldn't have guessed just how tumultuous the past few months had been on Gormott just by looking at its landscape. She fields were as green as ever with a night sky just as immaculate. However, the community living upon this grand old titan had indeed undergone several seismic shifts, and, within a home in the town of Torigoth, a white tiger stood at the door to the room of a girl who had been near the center of it all. He didn't want to disturb her but knew it was a necessity on this particular morning. As such, he entered the room and began the process of waking her up as softly as possible

"My Lady," a whisper accompanied the first signs of the sunrise.

"Mmmm?" the girl in bed let out a light growl as his eyes slipped open underneath her bed sheets, "Dromarch?"

"You have to get up now," the blade spoke more deeply as her consciousness became clearer, "They'll be here soon."

"Huh, oh yes, of course, that's today, isn't it?" she rose in response his nudging.

Eyes groggy and hair ruffled, the flesh eater turned doctor, Nia, made her way to the bathroom while Dromarch kept watch at the door. She had taken all sorts of clients in the last three months of medical work, but she now had a special one booked to show up at the crack of dawn with a very different sort of job

-a few days earlier-

"Babysitting?" Nia responded to the request for which she had been called before the Gormotti lord, Norman

"I mean, I guess it is if that's what you want to call it." Norman concurred, "I tend to describe it as guard duty to make it more appealing to blades and drivers."

The lord whose family she had developed something of a close friendship with in the three months since she planted her roots back in Torigoth had come to her looking for favors before but none quite like this.

"No offense, but Trevor strikes me as being capable of looking after himself and Sally for a day."

"He almost certainly is, but because of my position, I'm fearful of leaving them without someone around who can't ward of a potential threat to their safety," he explained, "I'm sure you understand."

"Yes, I do."

"Ordinarily, I would ask Thomas to do this, but he's away with his own family at the moment. I have others I could contact for this, but you're the only one that's already here on Gormott and Sally thinks the world of you. Would you be interested in having her and Trevor in your care for a day?"

"Sure, I don't see the harm," Nia accepted with a smile.

There actually was a bit of harm, but it simply involved Nia having to roll herself out of bed earlier than she would have liked. At the start she tried to be someone who opened up for business at the crack of dawn, but it was soon established that she really wasn't a morning person and pushed back her hours to where she would open at nine in the morning. Norman's busy schedule, however, meant that he needed to be where he needed to be at eight, so he'd be dropping the kids off at her home at seven which had her forcing herself out of bed a little after six to get herself cleaned and groomed properly. She focused intently on the mirror as she straightened out on remaining signs of her daily bedhead and brushed her teeth to remove any hints of the morning on her breath. The clock hit seven just as she finished throwing on her yellow jumpsuit to make herself presentable and a knock came at the door with admirable punctuality.

"They're here, My Lady," Dromarch informed her as she scurried down the stairs.

"I'm aware," she exhaled and put on a smile as she opened the door.

"Miss Nia!" Sally was immediate in her greeting.

"Sally," Nia patted her head as her brother and father followed close behind.

"Good morning," Norman offered her a handshake.

"Mornin'" she accepted and offered Trevor one as well.

"Everything seems to be in order here," the lord cut to the chase, " I should be back around sunset, and you don't seem to the type who's going to do anything stupid."

"I'm not," she reassured him.

"Then I wish you all the best today," he offered his kids one final goodbye hug, "Take care."

"You too," Nia waved him off on his way and took the kids into her home.

Deflating somewhat with the imposing figurehead gone, she plopped down onto her sofa with the Gormotti children pulling up the nearest chairs to her.

"So, how are you doing, Miss Nia?" Sally moved to break the ice.

"Fine but a bit sleepy," Nia replied with a yawn, "Speaking of which, you can go to sleep yourself, Dromarch. Thanks for making sure I got up on time, but I've got it now."

"Sorry that my dad is having you do this," Trevor apologized while Dromarch curled up next to the sofa, "He's always so protective, he's been even more than usual since you saved Sally at the farm."

"It's fine. I thought it might turn out to be interesting. I apologize in advance if I don't turn out to be the most entertaining host though. I'm not used to having this sort of company."

"Is that why you gave yourself a makeover?" Sally remarked.

"Huh?" Nia blinked.

"You redid your hair and clothes," Sally noted. "I never would have guessed you actually liked short hair."

"What? I always look like this," Nia tried to explain to the kids who seemed to be drawing a blank until the reason dawned on her, "Oh right, you've never seen me in this form."

"Form?" they asked in unison.

"Well, the way I was when I met you two was my special... powered up mode that I take on for work," she searched for the best phrase to use, "This is how I normally look when I'm taking it easy."

"Oh," Sally answered in an abnormally non-nonchalant fashion for her plucky nature.

"Something up?" Nia noticed.

"Nothing." the girl's eyes showed there was certainly something on her mind.

"Come on. You can tell me," Nia persisted.

"I'm just surprised you would choose to change from how nice the other form looks, but it's none of my business to tell another girl how she should look."

"You like the other form more?"

"Well, that's just the Nia I first got to know, but I can get used to this Nia too."

"Honestly, it's the opposite for most of my other friends. This was the Nia they first met, but they only got to know the other one when I learned to trust them."

"Don't you trust us?"

"Of course, I do!" Nia made a sudden shift into her blade mode before anything else she did could be taken the wrong way.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to pressure you to change. I was just a bit curious."

"Does it have something to do with the way Uncle Thomas didn't seem to like you?" Trevor astutely interjected.

"You remember that?" Nia was impressed with his keen memory and observation.

"What?" Sally was befuddled.

"It was during the time you were unconscious after the Armu accident. I brought Nia to heal you, and he was not happy with the idea. There was almost a fight before Dad told him to let her do it."

"Really? But he's always so nice."

"I asked him about all that stuff he said about you being a cannibal, and he said he'd tell me when I was older."

"I already told Sally, but he probably has the right idea," Nia motioned Dromarch away when he lifted his napping head as if he were ready to interrupt.

"That's really what you meant?" Sally recalled the conversation with distress, "I know you said people were afraid of you, but I never imagined even Uncle Thomas would want to hurt you."

"Please, don't get the wrong impression," the blade hurried to keep any more negative thoughts from creeping into the girl's mind, "He was worried about you too in his own way. We disagreed on how to do it, but he only wanted the best for you, Sally."

"I said they almost had a fight, but they didn't actually," Trevor also tried to assuage her worries, "Nia was really cool in how she stood up for you."

"Well, if that happened because of me then I need to make up for it!" Sally stood with determination, "I'm going to make all of us breakfast!"

"I asked your father about your favorite kind of cereal so they should be that, some bowls, spoons, and milk in the kitchen. There should be some fruit and bread as well," Nia directed her.

"Excellent," the Gormotti girl pumped her fists, "You can also go back to the other Nia if you want."

"Nah, I don't think that's necessary at the moment," Nia declined, "You told me you liked how I look this way, and that's enough for me."

"Okay!" Sally scampered off into the kitchen as Trevor waited for her to be too preoccupied to eavesdrop.

"Uncle Thomas couldn't possibly have been serious though, right?" he asked cautiously, "You didn't actually devour another person."

"What makes you say that?" Nia gave an inquisitive look.

"Well, I mean you've always looked and acted so... pleasant."

"Do you always judge others by appearances?" she rebutted.

"No... but I mean... it's just..." he fumbled with his words before Nia came over to him with a playful pat on the back.

"To be honest, it's kind of a depressing story that I don't want to get into when we should be having fun. You can ask Sally to tell you more later if you still want to know, but I will tell you now that, in this blade body of mine, there beats a proud Gormotti heart just like yours." Nia held one of his hands to her chest and the other to his own so he could feel their combined pulses to his astonishment, "Does that frighten you?"

"No, why would it?" the boy still couldn't suppress a visible degree of shock.

"It's okay. It frightened me the first time I felt it," she admitted.

"Really?"

"Yes, it gave me a constant reminder to me of a certain person I couldn't save, but my driver made me realize that my life and hers would always have a purpose as long as this heart was still beating, and I now want it to be to sparing as many people as possible the same pain we went through."

"All right," he felt the hidden weight behind her words, "I'm sorry I asked."

"Don't be," she let go of him, "It was you two in part who helped me figure it out."

"I definitely still want to have a blade as cool as you and Dromarch someday."

"I'm sure that you will, Trevor."

"Breakfast is ready!" Sally called from the kitchen

"Shall we?" Nia offered

"Yeah, thank you." Trevor followed her lead to the table.

Sally had not only prepared all the necessary items for the meal but arranged them in about as neat a manner one possibly could for such a simple dish. Nia had initially felt guilty about planning to offer the kids a much simpler breakfast than they were probably used to in their upper-class lifestyle, but it turned out to be the perfect thing to reset the mood from all the seriousness that had just preceded it. In a way, the kids seemed to appreciate the humble nature of the gathering. Wanting to keep in step with offering the kids a more pleasant window into her life, Nia offered them a tour of her home which included a primer on her own personal hobbies outside of her medical work.

"And this is my bedroom." she led them to the top of the staircase.

"Wow, the view is from here is so nice," Sally immediately noted the excellent view of the town square that she got from the second story window.

"Yes, for all his shortcomings, that Tora really knows how to put together a scenic place to live," Nia remembered the Nopon's own home as well.

"I can't believe the flowers I gave you are still here and doing so well," Sally looked at the vase she had bought on the windowsill.

"After all you've seen me do, you think some plants are too much for me to take care of," Nia grinned, "Water is my element even without my special powers."

"Hey, I recognize these guys," Trevor spotted a framed photo on the wall of Nia's old group.

"Yes, you already met Tora and Poppi as well as Rex, Pyra, and Mythra," she recalled

"Not just them, but isn't that Special Inquisitor Morag? She's the most famous driver around!" he suddenly looked to be starstruck as he went over the picture.

"Yes, we're really good friends even if it got off to a bit of a rocky start."

"Ah, no way!" the boy was now really floored, "Is that Thunderbolt Zeke of Tantal?!"

"Huh, oh yeah, it is," Nia responded plainly.

"I've only seen one or two pictures of him before but anyone who dreams of becoming a great driver has heard the legends of the Eye of Shining Justice!"

"That silly thing?" Nia rolled her eyes before realizing how tightly he was now clinging to her every word, "Hmm, oh yeah, it really is something else unlike anything you ever imagined..."

"Can you introduce me, please?!"

"Oh, I'm sure he'd love to meet you," Nia secretly began plotting what she'd do if he even tried to refuse the offer.

"Awesome! You're the best!" he went back to examining the photograph, "Mind if I ask about something else here though?"

"Go ahead."

"From what I can tell here, the blades and drivers are all next to each other, but why is Dromarch over here with you? You're Rex's blade, right?"

"I am."

"Then you and Dromarch should be closer to him."

"Well, Dromarch is actually my blade."

"Huh?"

"Remember, I'm different from other blades," she recounted, "Since I'm part human I can both act as a blade and resonate with other blades as their driver."

"So, you're both a blade and a driver?"

"Basically, I'm actually skilled enough to hold my own with these guys. I'm always ready to offer Rex a heal but it's nice to take charge every once in a while too."

"Then you've been in fights too?"

"Like you wouldn't believe. I've got some good stories too."

"How about some tips. I'm not ready to resonate yet, but I'm trying to learn all I can for when I do."

"Hmmm," Nia pondered with a hand to her chin, "Well, the most important thing is to pace yourself. You're not only going to need to learn from your blade, but your blade is going to learn a lot from you. Don't feel like you need to force the power from them or force yourself to have total master of your arts from the start. Your bond with your blade is going to be a lifelong one. If you act like you don't think that life is going to be a very long one that it likely won't be."

"Alright, I think I get it," he nodded as Nia mulled over another idea that was creeping into her mind.

"Awww, this collection of carvings is just the absolute cutest," Sally's voice interrupted them.

"Yeah, it's become something of a hobby of mine," Nia took the Ardanian bear that Sally was particularly focused on into her hand, "I'm pretty well recognized at the Cmalaf Artwork shop because of it to be honest."

"I had no idea. Now I've got to buy you one myself!" she decided, "Can we go out shopping today?"

"I don't see why not." Nia glanced at the clock striking eight, "They should be open by now and I could use some fresh air.

Quietly making their way down the stairs as not to disturb the mammal sleeping below, the three made their way outside to take a faceful of the morning sun. The mix of the beaming heat and crisp breeze brushing against her skin was a sensation that Nia was still not entirely used to after spending so long covering herself up in public, but it was one that she absolutely found to be comforting. Especially since she had grown her reputation to the point where she could go out freely in either form of herself without any major problems. While her mind began to wander though, the kids accompanying her remained more focused on the task at hand with Sally leading the way over to the art store that she was quite familiar with as well as a supplier of her father's home furnishings. As such, Peline the shopkeeper was able to recognize all three of them as they strolled up to her spot in the marketplace.

"Well, what's this?" the brunette rose from her usual chair, "I see most of the people responsible for keeping me in business all in one place here."

"Hey, Peline," Nia showed herself to be on a first name basis with her, "Yeah, I've found myself to have a common interest with this girl."

"Well, I've got more than a handful of new carvings in stock that I've been waiting for you to come check out," she presented her wares.

"Thanks, as always," Nia turned to Sally, "Why don't you pick one out for me?"

"Great!" Sally started rummaging through the selection with surprising discernment for the various crafts.

Nia waited patiently on Sally as Trevor turned his attention to the nearby vendors, but the shopkeeper seemed interested in a few more words.

"I must say that you're looking very nice today, Nia," Peline observed.

"Huh?" Nia realized that it was still rare for her to be using her blade form in a non-business setting. "Oh yeah, Thank you,"

"I wasn't sure if I was hearing the name of a certain blade in the local gossip correctly, but I guess this means you really are the one that people have been buzzing about for a few months now?"

"Yes, I am," Nia stood firm.

"I heard a bit that was bad at first, but since then I've heard a whole lot more that's been good."

"I've been trying my best," the blade rubbed the back of her heard.

"And I'd expect no less of my favorite customer," Peline place a hand on her shoulder, "Keep up the good work."

"How about this one, Miss Nia?" Sally settled on a carving of an owl.

"Yeah, I don't think I have one like that," she smiled at the Gormotti girl, "We'll take it."

"That'll be a thousand gold," the shopkeeper announced the price.

Sally attempted to fish out some of her personal allowance before being halted by Nia.

"Don't even think about it," she pulled out her own wallet, "Your dad has seen to it that I'm well compensated even for this. I could never ask you to spend your own money on me."

"But then it's not a gift."

"You've given me enough gifts as it is, trust me," Nia finished the transaction with a friendly farewell to Peline.

Getting Trevor's attention back from the nearby salvaging shop he had taken an interest in, Nia paused to consider whether she wanted to head right home or if it would be best to take the kids around to all of the local shops in case they wanted to buy anything for themselves. She also figured it would be nice to bring Dromarch back some sort of treat after leaving him home alone. As such, she took a detour to the nearby Tomi Fishmongers to pick up a bag of Gormotti Fish Flakes for her companion. Once she made it through the line and bought them though, a tugging on her sleeve prevented her from going any further.

"What is it?" Nia looked to see Sally pointing over to the Café Savvy that was within view from where they stood, "You want something to drink from there?"

"No, there's a guy over at the table who looks like he knows you," Sally emphasized her finger towards a patron waving at her from the table.

"Hey, is that you, Nia?" Nia's acute hearing picked up on the voice once she focused on it a little more, and she even seemed to recognize his face after a bit of wincing.

"So, you know him too?" Sally asked.

"Yes, I'm pretty sure I do," Nia confirmed to herself.

"Then you should go talk to him," the girl suggested.

"Do you mind?"

"Of course not," the kids both agreed.

With their approval, Nia walked with them over to the café where there was one table in particular that was being solely occupied by an Ardanian male who looked to be in his early twenties with medium length brown hair. With a Victory Smoothie in his hand, he was dressed gaudily in a green overcoat and black pants that looked to be way too bulky for the currently mild climate.

"Aren't you hot, mister?" Sally asked the man rather bluntly.

"Looking good is worth a little bit of discomfort," he kindly responded to the girl, "Are these two friends of yours, Nia?"

"Yeah, they are, She's Sally, and he's Trevor." Nia answered him, "Are you sure you're okay to be out here like this?"

"What is it with people that can't take a little heat?" he threw up his hands, "I bet it's because so many of the people here have all that fur."

"No, I mean the fact that you're out here all by yourself," she corrected him, "You know, in your condition."

"Oh, that." he sighed, "Well, it's only because of you that I'm out here at all."

"What does he mean, Miss Nia?" Sally wondered.

Without needing to say a word, Nia motioned her attention to the stylish if not overly extravagant cane at his side with a handle carved to look like the head of a dragon. As suave as he tried to look sitting down, he trembled somewhat as he grabbed the cane and lifted himself to his feet for a proper greeting.

"The name is Maxwell, but I mainly go by Max," he introduced himself, "Former soldier of the Ardanian army. My relationship with Nia here has been mainly a patient-doctor one, but I'd like to think that we've become something resembling friends after these few months of regular treatment."

"I tolerate your presence in my office," Nia quipped back.

"Oh my, that's terrible!" Sally gasped at his disability, "Don't you know that Nia's a super healing blade? She can fix you right up."

"She did fix me up," Max smirked down to Sally and then up to the healer, "I was in a wheelchair when she found me a little over two months ago."

"A wheelchair?!" The kids both exclaimed.

"My lower spine was a casualty of war," he revealed, "All the healers in the empire said I'd never get any use out of my legs again, but then I received a referral to this one here from Special Inquisitor Morag herself."

"When she disclosed to me the details of what happened to you, there was no way for me not to do everything I could for you," Nia's expression took on a sudden resolve.

"But I never would've guessed you'd do it to free after all the money I had to dump into just being able to get by."

"No, I owed every bit of it to you," she spoke sternly.

"But he's still walking with a cane," Trevor noted.

"The body needs time to readjust after being bedridden for so long. Remember what I told you about patience?" Nia reminded him but then turned to Max in a more scolding tone, "And speaking of patience, I can't say I approve of you trying to get around town all on your own even with a cane."

"After all I've been through I can handle this," Max tried to lift himself completely upright only to have the cane slip out from his grip. He glanced nervously at his audience until Nia bent over to pick it up.

"Now, please get yourself back home or at least get a friend to accompany you on these daytrips into town until I say otherwise," Nia handed him back the cane.

"Fine, I'll be in for more physical therapy tomorrow," he grudgingly accepted her instructions.

"Tomorrow?" Sally blinked, "But she's here now."

"She told me that the office was closed today," Max revealed to Sally's surprise.

"I didn't want you two sitting around doing nothing while I was working," Nia promptly explained to her.

"What if you're needed?"

"Unless it's a sudden emergency, I don't have any patients who can't afford to wait a day."

"But I don't want anyone hurting for a day because of me," Sally pouted, "We should take him back with us to your clinic."

"These sessions take a bit more time than my regular healing work. Are you sure you're okay with that?"

"I'll even help if I'm able!" Sally declared and Trevor also seemed to feel the same way.

"If you insist," Nia offered her shoulder for him to grab onto, "Let's get you out of here then."

Nia moved at a leisurely pace with the kids as she assisted Max in limping to her office. If necessary she could've fetched Dromarch to carry him, but she could tell that even this much help was a blow to his pride. As such, she let him do as much of the work as possible until he collapsed on the sofa the moment they got back to her home.

"Welcome home, my lady, Sally, Trevor, and even Maxwell, my goodness. It seems you're obeying the doctor's orders as well as ever," they were greeted by the now fully awake Dromarch.

"You know it," Nia gave him the bag of Gormotti fish flakes that she had just purchased.

"Shut up," Max grumbled as Sally awaited Nia's word on what to do next.

"Would you mind just taking his coat?" the flesh eater slipped the green garment off of his body, "And then fill the bathroom tub with water. I need to get him into it for some light regeneration treatment."

Sally gleefully followed the instructions given to her as Nia assisted him into the bathroom. On the other hand, Trevor seemed to take an interest in making some light conversation with Dromarch as Nia shooed Sally from the room as he now needed to get undressed.

"Please don't touch me right now," Max gently pushed away her hand, refusing to take help with something as basic as undressing himself.

"As you wish," Nia gave him some space as he disrobed and pulled himself into the tub that was intentionally designed to be larger than average so anyone could easily fit into it.

With the preparations complete, Nia placed her hands into the water where the emitted a faint glow that soon spread through the entire body of water. His earlier agitation gradually faded as he sunk into its soothing touch.

"Are you still going to pretend that you didn't need this?" she gently teased him.

"I guess not," he let out a deeply held sigh, "I guess I'm still a bit mad at myself over ending up like this. After all the crazy things I've seen blades do, I never thought it would be the mere strike of a sword that would do me in with all of work I've done on my own swordplay. Sorry if you ever feel like I'm taking it out on you. I don't know why you've put up with me for this long. Does Lady Morag's word really mean that much to you?"

"Yes, but that's still not the reason I'm doing this." Nia shook her head.

"You keep saying you owe it to me, but I don't get why. I'd never even seen you before you healed me," a twinge of familiarity came over him, "At least I'm pretty sure that I hadn't..."

"Whether you have or not doesn't really matter to me," she rebuffed him, "It's still an issue that's deeply personal to me as a blade."

"Lady Morag told me the truth about it, about how that blade was a flesh eater and how you're one too which is why you could repair my nerves in a way the other blades couldn't."

"Yes, but I can only heal the damage that was done. It's a much longer process for me to get your muscles back to functioning as they did before you spent months in that wheelchair. That requires a more gradual, controlled repair process. I know it's frustrating and I'm sorry about what that flesh-eater did to you as one myself."

"But I'm not petty enough to act as though that means I'm entitled to anything from you. What is it that bothers you so much about what the blade, Jin, from Torna did to me?"

From the details Morag had given Nia on Max's injury, Nia was able to piece together exactly when and where he had suffered his wound. She wasn't surprised that he vaguely recognized her because she was nearby when it occurred. Of course, she was still concealing her full blade form at the time, so it was unlikely that Max would make the connection to her current appearance on his own. Even so, she made the connection on her end, and that's all that mattered.

"Jin was a blade I knew personally," Nia opened up on the issue for the first time as Morag herself had concealed her brief ties to Torna. As much as she appreciated the act from the Special Inquisitor, she was still determined to see that part of her past properly resolved one day and jumped at the opportunity when Morag first referred Max to her.

"Then why are you helping me? I was told he was an advocate for mistreated blades. Shouldn't you be on his side?"

"There was a time when I might have been, but I found a different answer than he did through my own pain," she spoke somberly, "Besides, you've never mistreated a blade before now, have you?"

"Well, obviously, since I've never had one," he repeated a fact that she already knew, "Perhaps if I did I wouldn't have ended up like this."

"Not due to lack of ability to be sure. Morag spoke of your strength and skill to me in only the highest of terms. She believed you would be able to get up to her level if I got you back on your feet properly and resumed your training like before. Why not become a driver as well, Max?"

"Come on, you've seen how poorly I take care of myself as it is. The last thing I need is the thought of a blade whose existence depends on me staying alive. I enjoy the thrill of the action too much. If and when I finally get myself, killed I don't need anyone else going down with me."

"Interesting," this philosophy was both new and familiar to the flesh eater, "I've heard similar stuff from other blades before, but nothing quite like it from a human. From experience, that tells me that you'd make a better driver than you think."

"Is that so?"

"Bad drivers only see blades as immortal servants. The great ones I've seen were those who realized that life and death mean just as much to us as it does to you. You should put some more consideration into it."

"Maybe, but I still wish there were some sort of blade out there that wouldn't die just because I did. I'd team up with it in a heartbeat."

"Really?" Nia stored away a mental note of his remark, "It sounds vaguely familiar, but I might've heard of a blade like that. I'll have to get back to you on it."

"Thanks, Nia, for everything," he let off the last of his stress and let her fully focus on her work.

Following approximately an hour of this steadily applied treatment, Nia gave Max the okay to get himself out of the tub but was much more willing to accept her assistance while doing so. Leaving the bathroom led them into an empty house where they could hear the voices of the other guests coming from outside. Just down the street and in a nearby field, they came upon Dromarch playing with the Gormotti siblings. Sally was taking rides on Dromarch's back while he would occasionally show Trevor his skill in chasing down and catching his twin ring blade weapons when thrown.

"Miss Nia!" Sally showed some remorse, "I'm sorry I left you, but Trevor started playing with Dromarch."

"It's quite alright," Nia consoled her, "I was having some similar ideas myself. You two are still my guests, after all."

"Hey, give one of those things over to me," Max waved at the tiger to come over to him.

Max took the rings from Dromarch's teeth and, with Nia to help keep him balanced, gave them each a fling far beyond what the young Trevor could manage. Even Nia would have needed to put some extra effort into it to throw them that well. Morag had told Nia that Max was a natural with weapons unlike any other in the army and for the first time she truly believed it. However, it also proved to be an opportunity for Dromarch to show off the strength in his legs to still chase them down and leap into the air to get them.

"Damn, what a throw," Nia let out a whistle.

"Hey, it's just my legs that don't work right," the former soldier puffed out his chest as Dromarch returned to them.

"And it's been too long since I've seen you in action like that," Nia rewarded her blade with a scratch behind the ears and under his chin.

"Don't you think that's kind of demeaning?" Max wondered.

"What do you mean, Max? I'm always happy to accept My Lady's compliments."

"Yeah but, I mean, you're a blade, not a pet. I thought blades would be touchier about that kind of stuff."

"So? I'm a blade too," Nia pointed out.

"Then that means it's okay if I do this, right?" Max slyly reached around to grab Nia's ears with his fingers for a rubdown.

Max knew as well as Nia did that it was seen as rude on Gormott for a non-Gormotti to touch the ears of a Gormotti, but they were also both aware that Nia wasn't exactly Gormotti. In fact, in full blade form her ears were more receptive that the average Gormotti in all sorts of ways and that included how they responded to being touched in a way that only Zeke had previously discovered but never had the courage to attempt again. Scratching them in the back, and rubbing them at the tips, Max was much more adept and caring in his touch than Zeke was in his efforts to taunt her. so much so that her face was soon flushed red and her attempts to tell him to stop became stuttered. The children watched, unsure of how to respond to this loophole Max had taken through traditional Gormotti etiquette, but the situation became too much when they heard Nia release an audible purr in his grip.

"Um, Mr. Maxwell," Sally spoke up, "I'm not sure you should be doing that to Miss Nia."

"I just want to establish that turnabout is fair play, and, besides, she likes it." he snickered and looked at her where most of her face told him to keep going but her eyes glared at him with a dire warning to stop which to he obliged her.

"You..." Nia scrambled to recompose herself, "You really are looking to get yourself killed..."

"Hey, it's not as though I'm hearing any kind of threat to never do it again," he leered.

"Mmmf..." Nia puffed her cheeks to try and get the red out of them completely, "I'm not going to say that I enjoyed it."

"As long as you don't feed me any lies about hating it either," Max countered to which she seemed to find a compromise, "I suppose I did forget to get under your chin too."

"Don't even try it," Nia quickly defended herself but could no longer help at least sharing a laugh with him the situation, "Do it again without my permission and I'll pay you back with a new cane."

"Your offer is duly noted, but I hope you won't mind if I stick around for a bit to relax," Max proposed, "As much as you insist on me not compensating you, I'm going to have to put my foot down on treating you all to lunch as repayment for all this."

"Fine, I suppose I've bossed you around enough for today," she accepted, "I had some board games planned as well for Sally and Trevor here as well, but you should now that I never lose at Sneak Thief King."

"Only if you're in the mood to try taking me on in a round of Money-Bye-Bye. You haven't lived until you've played that under Nopon rules."

"Sounds like a challenge to me."

After some more time in the field together, the group of five returned to Nia's home where they shared together in plates of Mince and Lentil Stir-Fry supplied by Max as promised. What also went just as promised was Nia's dominance in her game of choice, Sneak Thief King. She had been planning to take it easy on the kids, but, with Max around, she saw no need to pull any punches and had him out of the game before he could even remember all the rules. Of course, he vowed vengeance in the following round of Money-Bye-Bye, but neither guessed that Sally would be the one to put her on the brink of bankruptcy in that game.

"What? You can't take all of my assets for the rent at Goldmouth Inn," Nia objected, "I loaned you some money, so you could buy it in the first place."

"Because you didn't want me getting it," Max shot a look at her to which she crossed her arms and stuck out her tongue.

"Well, I mean, she did loan me the money," Sally readied to hand her the cash when Trevor intervened.

"Um, Sis, there's no rule in here saying that you have to honor a verbal agreement." he skimmed through the book that he had received from Max at the start of the round.

"What?" Nia took the booklet to verify his claim, "I thought this game had a specific clause about that."

"The sissy Gormotti rules you had do, but I told you at the start we're playing by Nopon rules," Max declared, "There are no restrictions on lying to the opponent and no agreements not on an official card are binding whatsoever. This game is about seeing what sort of lies your opponents will swallow and what you can pull on them before they get you back."

"This game doesn't seem very ethical..." Dromarch noted with concern.

"You don't know what you're talking about. This game is where boys are made into men."

"Look, just take the money, Miss Nia," Sally paid her regardless of the goading of Max and Trevor.

"Bah, party poopers," Max slunk back into his chair when a knock came at the door.

"Man, just look at the time," Nia was taken aback to see the clock having hit five in the afternoon already. Answering the door revealed Norman having returned for his children as schedule.

"Wow, look at this," the lord marveled at how the gathering had come together, "I hurried back because I thought it'd be a hassle for you, but I never envisioned you'd be doing this well with them."

"Please, sir, they're great to have around," Nia brushed off his praise as the kids in question readied their belongings to go back home.

"And did you have a good day too?" he hugged them both.

"You know I did, Daddy," Sally nuzzled with him.

"Yeah, Nia's a lot more fun to hang out with than I thought," Trevor commented thoughtlessly although the blade chose to graciously accept the backhanded compliment, but his words also reminded her of something else.

"Yes, Trevor really seems to be serious on becoming an expert driver," Nia commented, "In fact, including myself I know quite a few other high-level drivers as well. With your blessing, I'd like to help in teaching him when the time comes that he's ready for it."

Trevor's eyes lit up like crazy at Nia but dulled while focusing on his father pondering his answer.

"Well, I've always been uneasy about subjecting my own kids to the risks involved, but if you're sincere in offering your support, I think it will be worth giving a chance in the hopefully not-too-distant future." he gave a steady but decisive nod."

"Thank you. Thank you!" Trevor looked read to leap out of his skin, "I'll do my absolute very best."

"Well, until next time then at least," Norman finished his business with the blade, "Thank you everything as always."

"Not a problem, sir," Nia saw the family out the door, "Not a problem at all."

Once her carefully invited guests had gotten on their way, Nia turned back to look at the one self-invited guest that still remained.

"Alright, I get it, I get it," Max grabbed his own things without her saying a word, "It's about time I got out of your hair too."

The young man took his cane and began his hobble to the door. It wasn't ideal but Nia could tell that he was walking better than he was when she had found him hours earlier.

"Will you promise me that you'll stop pushing yourself beyond my recommendations?" She talked into his ear as he passed her by.

"No promises," he chuckled before noticing the much more serious look on her face than before, "Fine, I promise you that I'll try."

"Look, if you have to run errands in town that badly, then at least be willing to come ask me to lend you a hand," she made an offer that caught him off guard.

"You'd really do that for me?" Max looked at her with slight incredulity.

"I can send Dromarch with you if you're too proud to be seen getting helped around by a girl," she added.

"No, no, that's not necessary," he pushed back against her doting, "I'll come see you next time I'm out and about."

"How about this?" she still wasn't satisfied. "If you can get through your rehab without any major setbacks, I'll take you out to my favorite restaurant on Uraya."

"Urayan cuisine?" Max gawked, "That lord must be paying you well."

"And on top of that, I also just happened to remember something I did hear about a blade whose lifespan is not tied to that of its driver," Nia continued, "I'll tell you about it at that dinner when you're all better, and you can let me know if you're interested."

"Okay, sounds like a plan," the Ardanian found her choice of words and timing odd but paid it no further mind as he focused on at least getting back to his current home without needing her to carry him again, "Take care, Nia."

"You too," she bid him farewell, "You had better."

Spinning around after closing the door to have the house to herself again after a long day, she found Dromarch staring at her with a somewhat stunned look on his face.

"My Lady," he was as wide-eyed as she had ever seen him.

"What?"

"Did you just ask Maxwell out on what humans would consider to be a date?"

"Who knows?" she shrugged to herself over the current day's events, "I just went on a gut feeling. Let's wait and see about what happens."

"As you wish," he bowed out as she went up the stairs back to her room where a fresh owl carving was waiting to be properly admired. While looking at it, it truly began to dawn on her just how many new bonds she had managed to forge since beginning down this new path, both as driver and blade. Taking the object into her hand and looking out into a pristine view of the setting sun brought another person close to her heart into her mind.

"Well Rex, you're always talking about what can be accomplished through our bonds," she murmured to herself "Being what I am, I can bridge the gap between blade and human like nobody ever has before, and I think I'm ready to really put it to the test. It's what you would do too if you were me, right?"

Looking out the window once more, she sent her thoughts out to one last person very near and dear to her.

"This is what you'd want me to do too, right, Sis?"

With newfound conviction in her answers to these questions, Nia plopped onto her soft mattress for a more than well deserved rest. She had every intention of getting right back to work when the next morning came, but this would be a night for her to drift off wrapped in the sensations of pride, joy and love, both from the friends she had already made and the new ones she found herself connecting with. Above all she felt as free of the laws and labels that had bound her for so much of her life as she ever had before, and perhaps that's what she had been seeking more than anything all along.

A/N: I originally did intend for Trevor to a bit more involved in the story but he ultimately wound up feeling like filler, so those scenes I planned were perfect for a piece compiling all of the other filler I ultimately decided against. More importantly, if you couldn't already tell, Maxwell was an idea I juggled around on a potential boyfriend for Nia if she couldn't have Rex. However, he was ultimately scrapped in favor of Sally and Trevor as I wanted the story to have a more family-focused tone than a romantic one, especially if the romance would have to involve an OC. Still, I couldn't help putting the idea, or at least an abridged version of it, into writing at some point, and if it turns out that people like it, I might continue with it a bit further, but if you don't like it, please don't hold it against the story that preceded it. Thanks again for reading and any feedback you feel compelled to leave.