“ we’re family. we don’t turn our backs on each other. “
The White Fang was settling down after yet another successful mission. Ilya would ask Zarina (no, begging is a better word) to take over the cooking duties from Leon, who so kindly offered to make his infamous stew. The dinner preparations were going smoothly. Alas, she heard Milou make fun of their leader once again, joined by Saine, who seemed to learn quite a lot from both of them as they traveled together. Even if it meant going playfully against his brother, making him let out offended huffs and saying that they were just exaggerating. A sensitive lot, he called them, pouting and looking away as Saine and Milou would almost choke on laughter. It was another sunny day with a warm evening and a cool night.
As Hawke continued to prepare the stew, she heard the talking happening in the common room. It seemed the four of the White Fang members were discussing something. Zarina stepped closer to listen in, not daring to make a noise as she was curious to hear what was happening. The conversation circled around the topic of family, discussing flashbacks where some familiar memories were touched. It was a delight to see Milou getting along just as well with others as she did with her. As an older sister, the silver-haired woman could only smile at how much brighter her younger sister’s voice was. There was a newfound sunlight, a new fire, a new brightness. As she leaned against the wall, arms loosely crossed under her chest, Zarina smiled at everyone’s happy voices.
-We’re family. We don’t turn our backs on each other.
How sweet. Did the two of them finally find a place they could call home? A place where they don’t need to run away from. Even if Sister - Mireil - catches up with
A second of silence would follow those words, only to explode in happy and energetic agreements. Hawke could hear Leon move to bear-hug all his companions and laugh happily, followed by everyone’s singing laughter. Zarina chuckled softly, but not before hearing everyone call for her name. They also seemed to want to share their unbridled joy with her. Golden eyes shined with a soft tenderness as she checked the stew's condition before heading to the main room where everyone was.
Milou’s eyes gleamed brightly. Her smile reminded Zarina of those early days when the four of them (Milou, Zarina, Elias, and Mireil) would sit together and sing songs. Then, they were a family. A shaking one, a trembling one, but a family. It was heartbreaking when it all had gone awry, losing one to betrayal and losing the other to death. Hawke knew that she couldn’t give her sister everything she wanted or deserved. They had their own lives, and there would be a day when Milou would be walking her own path. Without her older sister. Life was never sweet to them.
Let her enjoy this moment of closeness. Let her enjoy Milou’s happiness and watch White Fang’s smiling faces.
Zarina, too, was a selfish older sister. The death of Eli continued to weigh heavily on her, but seeing Milou’s smiling face when everyone was waving at her? The silverette felt a subtle warmth in her chest.
Hey, Eli, she thinks to herself. Milou’s growing up so fast. Do you remember how timid she was? Now she’s such a troublemaker.
Zarina chuckled when she saw Ilya approaching her first, taking the ungloved hand and leading the fellow silver-haired maiden to their gathering.
“Now, now. What got you all so excited?” Her voice remained much lower yet still had that melodic tone as she asked everyone despite knowing the answer.
“We’re a family, right, Zarina?” Leon suddenly asked, a cheeky smile on his sun-kissed face. Saine looked at her with hope, and Ilya stood beside Milou, all smiles.
“Naturally,” Hawke answers without missing a beat. “If we were not, I would’ve fed everyone your stew instead of making another one when you were not looking.”
Aghast, Leon stared in shock at his comrades before looking at Zarina. He certainly looked like she betrayed him at that moment.
“I knew it was suspicious!”
“We owe you our stomachs, Zarina.”
“Hey! It wasn’t that bad!”
“I think you created a new alchemical recipe, Leon. Color me impressed.”