Contrary to what Jasper believes, stories are not always about the doings of three siblings. In fact, in the case of the Taymons, there are four.

When the afternoon wanes and Giada is stumbling back home through the streets of Beledon, she wonders who out of her brothers and sister will be the first to greet her back, and who will be the one to admonish her for falling asleep in the archives again. She knows they worry when she spends the nights there, despite the guarded safety of the building.

However, they may well have a right to worry, given that the guarding couldn't be all that strict if the strange young man from this morning was able to get in. Giada has been working in those archives for a full four years: two of them during training, and two as a full-fledged archivist. She knows everyone who works there, and he isn't one of them.

Pushing open the wrought iron gate that surrounds her family's house and garden, Giada continues on the path that will take her to the front door. Slumped with exhaustion from a night of poor rest, she pushes her key through the lock and enters, only to be immediately accosted by a dearly loved head of blonde curls.

"Look who's back," says Fallon, bright eyed and golden haired. "You might try sending a message the next time you don't come home at night."

Too tired to argue in her own defense, Giada reaches out to ruffle a hand through his hair, curls pressing softly against her playful hand. Her youngest brother is seven years her junior and always sweet, despite his recent growth spurt pushing him past her height and proving his nearing of adulthood.

Fallon still wears his uniform for his studies, a neatly maintained white tunic with black shoes, trousers, and over-shirt. He must have just gotten back from lessons, ready to enjoy two days of recreation before schooling resumes once more.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to make any of you worry. Next time I'll try to let you know beforehand."

Fallon hums his approval at this before turning pensive, gingerly following her back to her room, where she is hoping to get a proper rest in before the evening meal. Giada waits for him to speak his mind, but her patience is wearing thin. She really needs to sleep.

"Giada," he says. By now they have climbed the stairs and reached her room. Giada wastes no time in throwing herself to lay across the vibrant red settee, her favorite napping spot.

"Yes, Fallon," she says, her voice muffled by the fringed pillow she has buried her face into.

Finally, Fallon understands her impatient edge. He goes on quickly. "I found something in my shelf of books today, before I left for my lessons. It was a brown leather book that I hadn't put there myself, and it had a note on top, addressed to me, but I didn't recognize the handwriting."

Giada frowns into the pillow. Reluctantly, she lifts her head to look at Fallon properly. He looks unsure, intimidated, but his gaze is steady.

"Did you tell Rian about this?"

"No."

"Edeline?"

He shakes his head.

Sighing as if the world's winds were rushing out of her, Giada sits up. "Alright, show me."

Fallon leaves the room and within a minute returns with the book he has described: leather-bound and completely unremarkable. He hands it to his sister, saying, "It's empty" before she even opens the pages. "But here's the note it came with."

In his careful way, her brother had retied the red ribbon around the rolled parchment. After pulling it away and unfurling the note, Giada reads: For Fallon, after the war.

Fallon hadn't recognized the handwriting, and neither does she. Nor does she understand what the words refer to: there is no war in or around Beledon. She does not want to scare her brother, but he has probably guessed the same as her anyway.

"So the chimera has left you a gift," she says. It is well known in the city and its surrounding regions what the marks of the beast's visits look like. Strange events could occur, abilities come to life or, in this case, a curious gift bestowed. Such occurrences marked the passing through of the elusive chimera.

"That's what I thought too. But why me? I have no idea what to do with it."

Giada had no advice to offer, for all appearances were worth it was just an ordinary, empty book. She thumbed through the pages: not one touch of ink.

"We can tell Edeline and Rian after dinner, see what they think," she suggests.

Fallon looks disappointed not to get a more straightforward response, but decides to leave the subject for now. Retrieving the note and book from Giada's hands, he is about to head for the door when something stops him. Looking past the settee where Giada is once more trying to get comfortable, his gaze turns intent.

"What's that?" he asks, moving towards the fireplace.

Giada, frustrated at this new interruption, pulls herself up once again to see what's caught his attention. Abruptly, she leaves the settee once she sees what he's peering at.

Upon the mantel of her fireplace is another tied parchment, this one next to a sheathed knife. The sheath is of red and black metal, shaped into the figure of a dragon. Taking it into her hands, she pulls the blade free to reveal a knife with a slight curve, flashing even in the dwindling late afternoon light. Like the sheath, the hilt is similarly made to resemble a dragon.

Fallon had taken a step back at Giada's quick pulling free of the knife. Upon her replacement of the blade into its holder, he hands her the unopened note. She makes quick work of the ribbon and yanks the parchment straight. For Giada, diving in. She does not know what to make of those scant four words. Diving into what? What use does an archivist have of an exquisitely made knife? She is strong, has the muscles and build to show for it. But she has no experience as a knife-carrying warrior.

Still in thought, she taps her fingers idly along the top of the mantelpiece. Her brother takes the note from her hands and reads it, but offers no ideas of his own as to its meaning.

"Two in one house," Giada muses. Fallon knows what she means. The chimera's remnants are usually a little more scattered than this.

After a protracted silence while the afternoon sun dives still deeper into the sky, Giada gives up. "I'm going to sleep," she announces, heading for the third and hopefully final time towards her adored red settee. "We can talk about it with the others later." Tossing herself onto it, bright red braid momentarily arcing through the air, she makes herself comfortable right away.

"The 'diving in' is probably about you onto that chair," Fallon mutters on his way out. His sister does not hear him, though, for already she sleeps peacefully

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There are two others, of course, and all four of the young Taymons gather in the parlor after their evening meal.

Without asking, Rian begins to set up his chessboard, looking expectantly at Giada to join him. She is his best partner in the game, the others don't last nearly as long.

Despite her lingering fatigue and the desire to curl up to sleep after such a good meal, Giada obediently sits opposite him. She has a soft spot for all of her siblings, and for Rian this softness is borne out of the few times where he reaches out, despite his reserved and serious manner.

As Giada makes the first move on the chessboard, Fallon sketches idly with pencil and paper and Edeline sits to peruse a letter.

Giada knows who it's from, can guess easily by her sister's expression.

"When you write back, make sure to give Hilo our greetings," she says teasingly. Immersed in the game as he is, Rian still looks up to share a conspiratorial smile with her.

The exasperated look Edeline is giving her is gratifying, but there is a real element of worry under the exasperation when she says, "You know he hasn't been able to visit us for a while."

Giada knows. Her sister's suitor is usually a frequent visitor, but his work as a lecturer at Beledon's premiere university has been keeping him busy as of late. Last she heard, his time was primarily taken up by the task of preparing examinations, leaving little opportunity for leisure visits to the Taymon household.

"I wouldn't worry about that too much. I'm sure those exams will be over soon, and I know for a fact that when they are, you'll be the first person he visits."

Hilo and Edeline have been in love for too long: Giada now somehow knows what to say to comfort her sister, when before she had had no clue about the rise and fall that comes with romantic notions.

From across the room, Fallon catches her eyes. She knows what his look means: When are we going to tell them?

But she can't bring herself to ruin it just yet. She knows this scene too well: teasing Edeline about her courtship, Rian being so serious about their games in that particularly intense way of his. When they are told of the chimera's gifts, small items of chaos to break the crystalline joy of their routines, then how can they go back? They could find a way back into this room, into these same positions, but it will not feel exactly the same.

Still, though. No secrets among them.

"Edeline, Rian," she says. "There's something you need to know."