The next day, Ahylino woke up bright and early. They grabbed some clothes and put them on. Their mother came out of the bathroom, freshly showered.

"Good morning, sweetie," Dee smiled. "I was thinking we could go to the park today."

"Can Checksum come too?" Ahylino asked.

"I don't know. We could ask her," Dee said. She got dressed and put on a jacket. Right as they were about to leave, they heard a knock at the door. Dee looked through the peephole and silently cursed to herself. She opened it quickly and went outside.

Meanwhile, Ahylino ran into the kitchen to get some snacks. They went through a couple of things, but in the end just started to shove anything they could into their hair.

Dee walked back inside, looking exhausted. "Ready to go sweetie?" She asked.

Ahylino ran up to their mom, but stopped in front of her. "Are you okay mom?" Ahylino asked, looking at their mom's expression.

Dee forced a smile. "Of course. Just some dumb adult things. Now, let's get going," They exited the apartment as Dee got out her phone to text Ivan. Her hands were shaky as she tried to use her phone as well as lock the door. It should have been one of those things she didn't need to think about. Yet, she dropped her keys and kept pressing the wrong letters on her phone. When she picked up the keys, she couldn't keep her hand still enough to get them into the lock.

She had to stop everything, take a breath, and do one thing at a time. Key in the lock. Turn. Check that it's locked. Take the key out. Nope, need to turn again first. Now take it out. Phone. Open the app. Text. Misspell. Fix. Misspell. Fix. Misspell. Good enough. Send.

Dee put the phone away and sighed. She turned to see Ahylino looking at her, concerned. Dee just smiled and ruffled their hair before the two headed for the park. The walk wasn't too long, but it felt like it. Dee was having trouble keeping focused, even Ahylino can tell. As they approached the entrance, they saw Ivan and Checksum already there, waiting for them.

"Hello again," Dee smiled.

"Nice to see you again," Ivan smiled back. "Checksum couldn't wait to come to the park."

"Me neither," Ahylino chimed in.

"Alright, let's get going," Dee led them into the park.

"Mom, can I play on the monkey bars?" Ahylino asked.

"Of course sweetie," Dee said as she patted them on the head. "Just stay where I can see you."

"I'll keep an eye on her," Checksum offered.

"Thank you, Checksum," Dee smiled.

The two kids took off, running towards the playground. Ivan and Dee watched as they ran around.

"I don't want to intrude, but is everything okay?" Ivan asked.

"What do you mean?" Dee asked.

"Well, I can't help but notice that you seem a little on edge," Ivan pointed out. "Or maybe not. Gargoyles are very empathetic. You look on edge to me and Checksum."

Dee sighed. She pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket. "Long story short, I cracked the roof of my apartment building in a fight a while back." She handed the paper to Ivan.

Ivan looked at the paper. His eyes went wide and he coughed. "Oh my." He said. "That's a lot of money. What did you do?" He handed the paper back to her.

"I squished a giant ice spider," Dee said casually as she put the paper back in her pocket.

"You are an interesting woman," Ivan chuckled.

"Well, at least I'm not boring," Dee laughed.

As the kids played, Dee and Ivan sat on a bench and chatted. They talked about work, family, and more. Ivan had a calming aura, and Dee found herself relaxing. She was still stressed, but not as much as before. It felt good to share the load. Dee could feel her head clear a bit, having someone to keep her grounded.

As they were chatting, Dee spotted something moving in the bushes. She stood up, squinting, thankful she got her senses back before anything happened. She could see figures hiding behind the bushes, looking at the kids.

"(You see them too)?" Ivan asked in Under-Tongue.

"(Yeah)," Dee responded, eyes glowing. "(Keep an eye on the kids)." She got up and walked over to the bushes. As she approached, she could hear whispers coming from within.

"That's definitely them," A voice said.

"On my mark," Another voice responded.

Dee lunged at them, grabbing them by the necks and pulling them up. As she did, a third person jumped out to attack, but Dee just grabbed them with her third arm. The three of them dangled helplessly in her grip.

"What the hell are you doing?" Dee asked, her board tone showing how much control of the situation she had.

"Let us go!" One of the men yelled.

"We're not afraid of you," Another one added.

Dee said, tightening her grip on their necks enough to make them gag. She looked at the third one. "You have anything smart to say?" She asked.

"No ma'am," They mumbled.

"Good." Dee looked back at the other two. "Now, tell me why you were spying on us."

The two men looked at each other. Then the first one spoke, "We're just trying to get some information. We weren't going to hurt you."

A yelp was heard from behind Dee. She turned to see Checksum standing on a fourth man with her claws to his neck. "Checksum surprised them before they could surprise us!" Ahylino proudly declared.

"Yeah," Dee turned back to the three men in her grip. "You definitely weren't trying to hurt us," She said sarcastically. "Want to try another lie or are you going to tell me the truth?"

The man in the middle coughed. "Alright, alright, we're with the Adventurer's Guild. We're investigating strange happenings around the city, and we believe you might be involved."

Dee narrowed her eyes. "Well I'm not," She told them bluntly. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"We were told you were spotted with some of the creatures that made their way into the city," the third one said.

Dee raised an eyebrow. "You mean the spider? I'm the one that killed it."

"I told you so!" The fourth man shouted, only for Checksum to shove his face into the ground to keep him quiet.

"You see?" The first man said. "They're dangerous. We should have brought backup."

"Hey!" Ahylino protested. "My mom is the strongest person ever! She'll kick your butts if you keep being mean!"

The man in the center looked back and forth between Ahylino and Dee. "Your... Your child? And you're a druid?"

Dee smirked. "Yep. What about it?"

"How?"

"Well, when two people love each other very much-"

"No, no, I mean how are you in the city? Druids are usually surrounded by nature," He explained. "I thought they usually kept their kids away from the city. Why?"

"Because this place has a good school." Dee said plainly.

"That's it?" The second asked.

"That's it," Dee confirmed.

The three of them all shared guilty looks. "We're really sorry," The third one said. "We misjudged the situation."

"Yeah," The first one agreed. "We were just doing our jobs."

"And you thought the best way to do that was by sneaking up on a single mother and her child?" Dee asked, not hiding her contempt.

The third man laughed nervously, "Yeah. We are definitely going to be in trouble when we report back. Speaking of, can you let us go, please."

"Only because you asked nicely," Dee let them go, letting them all drop to the ground with a thud.

"Checksum," Ivan called. "Let that one up." Checksum glared at the man under her feet before finally stepping off of him. The man gasped for air. Checksum must have been crushing him with her stone body.

"Spy on me or my kid again and I'll give you a reason to worry about me," Dee warned.

"Yes ma'am." The men said in unison, before running away.

Checksum rolled her eyes. "Why are adults so dramatic?" She muttered.

Ahylino smiled, "At least they're gone."

Dee picked up Ahylino and kissed them. "Yep. And no one got hurt."

"I definitely broke one of that guy's ribs," Checksum said with a cheeky grin.

Ivan placed his hand on Dee's shoulder. "I believe what they said," He started with a stern tone. "But know that is not the whole truth. Those who employ them, the Adventurers Guild, don't trust those of us from the Underworld."

Dee gave a nod, "I know." Doesn't help we've been drawing a lot of attention recently," She sighed. "I just want to raise Ahylino in peace. It's not like we're doing anything."

Ivan gave a sympathetic smile. "You're not. They're just... cautious."

"I think it's dumb," Checksum chimed in.

"Me too," Dee added.

"But it's a fact," Ivan continued. "People here don't trust anyone from the Underworld. And if we're not careful, they'll try and force us out."

Dee set Ahylino down. She readjusted the orange cloth on her child's shoulders. "Well, we're not leaving. Ahylino needs this school."

"I know," Ivan sighed. "Even though we all lived on the surface a little more than ten years ago, all they see are monsters from the Underworld."

"So, how about you and I work on finding some way to protect ourselves?" Dee declared.

Ivan gave a nod, "That's a good idea. Maybe we can come up with a plan."

"Or at least a warning system," Dee continued.

"Yeah!" Ahylino jumped up and down. "Like an alarm!"

"That's a great idea, little one!" Dee kissed Ahylino on the head.

"For now, I think we should all head home," Ivan suggested. "It has been a long day, even though it's only been a few hours."

"Can I spend the night with Ahylino, Grandpa?" Checksum asked so firmly it almost seemed like a demand.

Ivan narrowed his eyes. "Checksum, give them some time," He said. "Besides, I believe we need to discuss some things ourselves." There was a warning in his tone. One that Checksum picked up on, but tried to look uncaring.

"Okay," She muttered.

Ahylino ran up and hugged their friend. "We'll hang out tomorrow, I promise."

Dee smiled at the interaction. "Come on, let's get you guys home," She scooped up her child.

"I can walk myself," Ahylino whined.

"I know," Dee replied, not letting them go. "I just like carrying you."

The group walked back to their respective homes. Once Dee and Ahylino got inside, Ahylino ran around and talked about random things that Dee wasn't really listening to. The kid needed to burn off energy. Dee, on the other hand, felt exhausted. She made sure to lock the door and put a magic lock on it. She rubbed her temples. When she felt a little better, she went over to the couch and sat down. Ahylino jumped on the couch next to her and turned on a cartoon. Dee just stared blankly at it. She couldn't focus on anything right now.

She couldn't help but think about the situation. It had been years since they moved from the Underworld, but the people of the surface still didn't trust them. They only spent seven years in the Underworld, but it was enough for everyone to lose their trust in them. The Underworld is a lot more liberal with its magic, incorporating it in almost everything. It was even in the environment, which is what originally drew people to it. What better place to learn magic than a place that is soaked in it? However, the Underworld also has a reputation for being a dark and dangerous place. You needed to adapt to it fast. Unfortunately, it meant that the people who spent time willingly in the Underworld were seen as just dark and dangerous. Even though barely anyone was actually born there.

Dee thought back to the group they had just met. They didn't seem afraid, but she couldn't tell if it was genuine. They were definitely surprised and cautious. That was normal. People were still getting used to magic, but that didn't stop them from having prejudices. She wondered if it would ever go away. This whole thing was just exhausting.

Ahylino turned and looked at their mother. They could see her thinking. She was always thinking about something. "Mom, are you okay?"

Dee smiled, "Yes, I'm okay. Just tired." She kissed the top of her head. "Just tired," She repeated.

"Maybe you should take a nap," Ahylino suggested.

"That sounds like a good idea," Dee stood up and yawned. "You can keep watching cartoons. Just don't get into trouble."

"Okay," Ahylino replied, turning back to the tv.

Dee went to her room and collapsed on her bed, almost immediately falling asleep. She dreamt of the Underworld. They were all there. Just relaxing, having a boring day. Everyone was huddled together next to the fireplace, the blue flames dancing beautifully. They all had their own activities they were doing, but they were doing them together. No fines for property damage, no looking over her shoulder every few minutes, no decay reminding her of what was taken. It was just safe. It was just peaceful. It was home. Dee began to quietly sob.

---

Ahylino had gotten up and went to their room. They pulled out a box and started to draw. They drew themself and their mom. Smiling, they called on the magic they had. The crystals on their elbows began to glow, along with the picture. Soon, the drawing came to life, standing up from the paper. They laughed as the picture of their mother came out and began to dance. Their mom loved seeing their magic. This will definitely cheer her up. Ahylino took it and ran into her mom's room. She bounced excitedly in front of her sleeping mother.

Dee woke up to the sound of giggling and the smell of paint. She rubbed her eyes, quickly putting on an illusion to disguise her sorrow, and sat up on her bed. "What's going on, little one?"

"Mom, look! It's you!" Ahylino exclaimed, pointing to the animated drawing.

"Oh my goodness," Dee couldn't believe what she was seeing. "This is incredible!" She scooped up Ahylino and kissed them all over their face. "You did that yourself?!" Ahylino giggled more. Dee thought for a second. "Want to see something cool?" Ahylino excitedly nodded. "Okay, let me see your hand," Dee took Ahylino's hand in her's. "Okay, focus your magic into your finger," Ahylino did as they were told, a small, purple light appearing at the tip of their index finger. "Okay, now, pretend your finger has paint on it, and I'm guiding you to paint something," Dee slowly guided Ahylino's finger on the bottom right corner of the paper, making a shape that Ahylino couldn't really describe. "Now, let go of your magic," When Ahylino did, the shape appeared on the paper, looking as if she had drawn it with her crayons. The magic, dancing picture froze, turning back into a regular drawing on the paper. "Now, touch the symbol and put a little mana into it." Ahylino followed the instructions, figuring symbol meant the shape. When they did, the picture came to life once again, dancing.

"Wow!" Ahylino exclaimed. "I didn't make it do that."

"That symbol you just drew locks in magic," Dee explained. "It's how people make things magic that aren't normally magic. Now, the picture won't ever fade and will always have enough magic in it to move."

"Mom's so smart!" Ahylino cheered.

"Nah, I'm just old," Dee joked. "I've been around long enough to figure out more than a few tricks. Now, let's put this drawing on the fridge so we can always look at it."

"Yes!" Ahylino cheered again.

"Then, let's get dressed and get some dinner."

"Can we have pancakes for dinner?" Ahylino asked

"Sure, baby. Let's go," Dee carried Ahylino to the living room. "What do you want on them? Bananas or blueberries?"

"Bananas and blueberries!" Ahylino cheered again.

"Perfect. Let's make it happen," Dee carried Ahylino into the kitchen. "Get the flour, sugar, eggs, and milk out."

"Okay!" Ahylino jumped out of their mother's arms and went to gather the ingredients. The crystals on their elbows glowed as they summoned their spectral hands. With that, they were able to carry everything at once with perfect balance.

"Good job, my little one. You're a big help," Dee praised. She took the ingredients and set them on the counter. Ahylino smiled. Their mom was feeling better. They didn't know why they were sad before, maybe those mean men? It didn't matter. Right now, everything in the world is bright.