A few hours drifted by, the cabin, quiet except for the small talk or the soft clink of bandages being unrolled. Eldo, groggy and sore, finally pushed himself upright on his bed and glanced around the crowded room. There were new faces, Varia, Volio, Sapphire, and the strange gray-skinned girl in the dress.
Varia wasted no time. She stomped over to Eldo, arms crossed, and whacked him lightly on the head. "That's for causing all your friends serious trouble, idiot!"
Eldo recoiled, rubbing the spot with a sheepish grin. "Ow! Okay, okay, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" He waved his arms in surrender, his nervous chuckle earning a few smirks.
Varia turned away with an exaggerated pout, arms still folded. "What do you think, Elliot? Is sorry really enough?"
Elliot fiddled awkwardly with the hem of her dress, her gaze dropping. "Well... maybe not... but everyone deserves a second chance... right, Kyo?"
Kyo smiled from where he was rewrapping Eldo's arm. "Yeah, I think so." He stood, waving Eldo over. "Hey, Eldo meet Elliot, again!"
Eldo blinked, confusion written all over his face. "Uh, nice to meet you, I guess...?"
Kyo tried to explain as best as he could, stumbling over the details. "She's... well, she's Elliot. My cat. Or, she was my cat. Now she's... this."
Eldo's eyes darted from Kyo to Elliot, then back again, his mouth opening and closing a few times. "You're joking, right?"
But Kyo just shook his head, and the others fell silent, all eyes turning to Eldo as the realization dawned on him alone. Eldo's gaze flicked from Kyo to the strange girl, his brow furrowing as he tried to make sense of what he was hearing.
Eldo raked a hand through his messy hair. "I... I mean, I know we've seen some weird stuff lately, but this is... this is next level. Elliot? You... you really remember us? All the stuff from before?"
Elliot's green eyes softened. She nodded, her voice steadier this time. "I remember everything. You always shared your food with me when Kyo wasn't looking. You let me sleep on your pillow that night after your training."
Eldo's face turned red, caught between embarrassment and awe. He looked at the others. "Well, that's definitely her."
Kyo burst out laughing, the tension finally breaking. Varia grinned and patted Eldo's shoulder. "Told you it was her. She's the real deal."
Sapphire approached Eldo, arms folded, her expression unreadable. "So you're the one who sent demons to invade our world."
Eldo scratched the back of his head, looking anywhere but her eyes. "Well... yeah... I guess you could say that." He gave a weak, apologetic smile.
Sapphire eyed him up and down, lingering on his bandaged arms and wide, innocent eyes. "Hmph... I would never have guessed." She leaned in, voice low and dangerously calm. "But if you ever do something foolish again, I'll strike you down." Without another word, she turned and walked away.
Eldo gulped, his heart pounding in his chest. "She's scary," he whispered to Kyo, who just laughed. Varia joined in, shaking her head in mock exasperation.
"That's not funny, you guys!" Eldo sputtered, face flushing bright red. Even Winter let out a rare, genuine chuckle from his corner, the tension easing just a little.