"How much longer, Mom?" Ahylino groaned.

"Not long," Dee responded. "Just be patient, little one."

They had been waiting in line at the grocery store for 20 minutes, and Ahylino was starting to get antsy. The line wasn't moving, and Dee wasn't sure why.

"Do you have any idea what's going on?" she asked the woman in front of her.

The woman turned to her, "They're doing some sort of scan on all the groceries. Apparently, there's a new security measure that they're implementing."

"Oh, wow," Dee looked around, and saw the cashier scanning all the items and placing them into bags. She watched as a small machine attached to the cash register flashed green after every item. "That's very odd."

"Yeah, it is," The woman sighed. "I heard it's to check any magic fruits and vegetables, and check that the non magical ones don't somehow have more magic than the FDA considers safe."

"Mom, the ice cream's gonna melt!" Ahylino said in a panic. "Use your magic and freeze it!"

"I can't, honey," Dee explained. "You're not allowed to use magic on things you haven't bought yet. It's the same as eating it. Apparently," Dee thought it was a stupid rule. "Let's just go to an ice cream shop instead," She had hoped to get a lot of ice cream so they could have some at home for a while. She could buy a tub of it from an ice cream shop, but they're way too expensive compared to getting the same thing from a store.

"I heard there's a new cafe that also sells ice cream." The woman in front of her said. "But apparently the owner isn't very friendly."

"Can we try that, mom?" Ahylino asked.

Dee didn't like the sound of the owner. But, it's been a long couple of days. Hell, she still felt a bit of spider guts in her hair somewhere. She wanted ice cream as much as Ahylino did right now. "Alright. Let's put this tub back and we'll check it out."

"Yay!" Ahylino cheered.

"Good luck," The woman said.

"Thanks," Dee responded.

As they walked out, they noticed the line was still long and not moving. Dee wondered how long it would take for the new system to speed up to what it normally is.

---

The cafe turned out to be pretty close to home. It was called the 'Soda Cafe'. The name seemed to match, since it looked like a modern cafe mixed with an old timey soda shop. The outside had a rainbow sticker prominently displayed, marking it as a safe space for LGBT+ people. That helped Dee and Ahylino feel more comfortable about going in.

As they step through the door, they are greeted by the harmonious aroma of freshly brewed teas and the nostalgic scent of sweet syrups. The walls are adorned with vintage soda advertisements and black-and-white photos from the 1950s, evoking a sense of nostalgia. It had seating that reminded Dee of retro booths and stools. They seemed to be mainly made of dark mahogany, or at least something that mimicked it. In back was the bar area. Behind a counter was a sleek, modern tea bar and espresso machine, standing in juxtaposition to a vintage soda fountain. There was also what appeared to be some kind of tea infuser next to the soda dispensers. To the side, against the wall, was a simple glass display of ice creams of assorted flavors. Overall, the place seemed cozy and inviting.

The only thing off was the owner. He was a big, intimidating gargoyle. He had on a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up and black overalls, reminding Dee of her grandpa. His stone skin was a deep gray, and his wings were folded tightly against his back. His eyes were glowing red, and his mouth was curved in a frown. The top of his head sported the roots of broken horns. To most, he probably seemed like he would be better fit working in a cave somewhere, but here he was, running a cafe. To Dee, it made her feel safe, seeing another Underdweller.

Gargoyles made any Underdweller feel safe. They're naturally protective and kind. The lady from earlier was probably just judging him by appearance. Dee remembers reading a study that said gargoyles are, basically, genetically programmed to want to watch over something or someone. When an Underdweller sees a gargoyle, they know they're safe.

"What can I get for you two?" He asked, his voice low and gravelly. Yet, it had an oddly familiar accent.

"We would like some ice cream, please," Ahylino said, clearly unbothered by the man's intimidating presence.

"Alright, what kind?" He gestured over to the ice cream. Ahylino immediately ran over. They admired all the options, and started to debate to themself about what to get.

Dee decided to take the time to talk to the man. "My name is Dee, by the way." She introduced herself.

"Ivan." He responded. "Nice to meet you." The name was Russian, and he had a Russian accent, but there was also the slight articulation of the Underworld.

"Are you from the Underworld?" Dee asked.

Ivan's eyes widened a bit. "Yes. How'd you know?"

"So am I, actually." Dee said, giving a warm smile. They relaxed and let their accent out in their speech. Their eyes and freckles began to softly glow.

"Wow." Ivan cleared his throat before speaking, "(Well, welcome to my cafe, fellow Underdweller.)" Ivan said in Under-Russian.

"Thanks," Dee chuckled. "(It's nice to know we aren't the only ones around here.)" She said in Under-Japanese.

Underworld languages weren't so much languages as they were layers to existing languages, hence the 'Under-' prefix. It was a mix of body language, hand movements, clicking sounds, and, most importantly, magic. A person's aura would project certain emotions that could be easily interpreted. Things like 'thankful', 'hurt', 'scared', 'love', 'confused', and so on. With everything together, it allows one to add more meaning or subtext to their words. Most people refer to it simply as 'Under-Tongue', since the exact language it is spoken in isn't much of a factor. It's really more of a force of habit to speak in your native tongue. Most people on the surface feel uncomfortable with Under-Tongue, as it makes it harder to hide your intentions, and impossible to hide your emotions.

Ahylino began to point at flavors, and Ivan took note. When they were done, he scooped everyone they showed interest in. It was a small mountain, with vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, and cookies and cream. Ahylino was clearly excited, and immediately dug in.

"You have a beautiful child," Ivan said, smiling at Ahylino.

Dee smiled back. "Thank you. They are wonderful." She turned to Ahylino, "How is your ice cream, baby?"

Ahylino made some unintelligible noise with their mouth full, so Dee took that as "great".

There were some thuds heard from a door beside the counter. "Speaking of children, here comes mine."

The door opened and another gargoyle walked out. She was a girl of around 12. She had horns on the top of her head that curved back and then forward into a point. Her hair cascaded down her back and to the sides of her face, with long bangs swept out of her eyes, which had big round glasses. She had two braids on either side of her neck that sat on the front of her body. Her lower arms and hands were bigger than normal, ending in claws. The wings on her back looked like that of a bat, being huge with flexible fingers. Her entire body was made of the same deep gray stone as Ivan, but she had a few cracks all over. She was wearing the same shirt and overalls as Ivan as well, and carried a big box.

"Hey, grandpa," She said. Her voice was a bit gruff, but had a lightheartedness to it. She had a hint of Russian in her accent, but her Underworld accent was more prominent than Ivan's. "I got the syrups."

"Thank you, Checksum." Ivan said as he took the box. He turned to Dee and Ahylino, "My granddaughter," he introduced her.

"Hi!" She said, giving a big toothy, or rather fangy, grin. "Nice to meet ya."

"This is Dee, and their child, Ahylino." Ivan gestured towards them.

"Hello," Dee waved. Ahylino was too busy with their ice cream to say anything.

Checksum looked Ahylino over. "Oh, they're so cute!" The young gargoyle cooed.

Ahylino swallowed. "I'm not cute! I'm a monster!" They growled and bared their fangs, trying to appear intimidating, but Checksum only fussed over them more.

"Aw, you're such a little cutie. I bet you give your momma lots of trouble." She teased.

"I'm not cute," Ahylino huffed. "I'm scary and dangerous."

"Hey grandpa, can I take a break and play with Ahylino?" Checksum asked.

"Of course. Go have fun." Ivan smiled.

Checksum took Ahylino's ice cream. Ahylino shouted and ran after Checksum. The two ran around for a bit before Checksum sat the bowel down at a table. Ahylino immediately sat and went back to eating, with Checksum talking to them.

"You have a lovely family, Ivan." Dee said.

"Yes, I am very proud of my granddaughter. She is very sweet and kind, even though she looks like a little hellion." He chuckled. "She was always so curious and eager to learn. When we moved to the surface, she wanted to explore every nook and cranny. She was so excited about the world above ground."

"How long did you spend in the Underworld?" Dee asked.

"Eight years." Ivan said. "I was there at the beginning, when it was first discovered. I was one of the first to make their home there. The Underworld is far more welcoming to my kind, so it made getting used to being a gargoyle easier."

"I was only there for six, almost seven, years," Dee said. "I was there at the beginning too. Me and my friends. We weren't living in the best situation, so we took to the Underworld the second we fell into it." Dee's eyes felt a bit heavy. "I never felt more at peace."

"What made you decide to come back?" Ivan asked as he started making a drink.

"Probably the same as you, needed to make sure my kid got used to the world and its bull shit," Dee chuckled weakly. Ivan gave her a look that said he didn't believe her, but he didn't push.

"Yes," he responded. "Surface governments will establish themselves underground eventually. Best to get used to it now while it's still transitioning, getting used to magic." He set a root beer float in front of Dee. "On the house. Ice cream and root beer is homemade."

"Thank you very much." Dee smiled. She took a sip and let out a hum of approval.

"So, what do you do, Dee?" Ivan asked.

"I'm a librarian. Nothing too exciting," Dee answered, feeling a bit lighter with the change of subject.

"So, you're a bookworm?" Ivan chuckled.

"Comes with the territory," Dee laughed.

"I like to read as well." Ivan smiled.

"What genre?" Dee asked.

"Mostly sci-fi and fantasy." Ivan said.

"Oooo, you have a little geek in you," Dee giggled.

"A little, yes," Ivan said, amused.

Ahylino and Checksum ran up to the bar.

"Grandpa! Ahylino is my new best friend!" Checksum grinned.

"Checksum is so cool!" Ahylino grinned as well. "She's older, and knows a lot of stuff!"

"Wow! That is great to hear," Ivan smiled.

"Do you live in the area?" Dee asked.

"We live upstairs." Ivan said.

"We're so close to our house," Ahylino pointed out to Checksum. "You should come over and play!"

"Yeah, I'd love to hang out with you!" Checksum said excitedly.

"Well, it's almost 7 o'clock." Ivan pointed out. "A bit late today."

"Yeah, we should probably head home." Dee stood up and paid for the ice cream. "It was nice meeting you."

"You as well." Ivan smiled. "Don't be a stranger."

"Don't worry, we're definitely coming by often." Dee smiled back.

"Yay!" Ahylino cheered. "See ya, Checksum!"

"Bye Ahylino!" Checksum waved.

They walked out and headed home. Dee and Ahylino had a quiet night, eating dinner and watching a movie together. Eventually, Ahylino went to bed, leaving Dee alone with her thoughts. She was starting to feel better about everything, even though the transition is still rocky. Knowing a gargoyle family was close helped. She could tell Checksum was already forming a bond with Ahylino. Good. Dee remembers the discussion they all had, about if they should seek out a gargoyle to watch over Ahylino when they are born. A few families of gargoyles had offered, but they were wary about relying on someone else. Looking back, Dee wished they had said yes.

She shook herself out of the memory. Today was a good day. She wasn't going to let herself dwell on the past. She decided to just grab a cup of tea and watch some TV. Things would be okay. She knew it. She wasn't going to let any negative thoughts convince her otherwise. At least for today.