Arissa had been feeling so much better for the past few days. Though she was still in pain, the stretch of days where that pain was amplified had ended and she counted herself as fortunate to have gotten through them with slightly more ease than she had before thanks to that tea and bark her daughter had brought home.
In fact, the washer woman had been wondering where her daughter had been. Thom the beggar boy had relayed a message from Sera saying she wouldn't be home for a while. No doubt the young woman had gotten herself into some sort of trouble again. Arissa could only hope that it wasn't too serious.
She didn't see her daughter again until she returned home a few days later in the morning.
"Ma?" Sera called softly as she opened the door to their small home.
Arissa looked up from her measley portion of oat porridge she'd purchased earlier and smiled. "Welcome home, Sera. I was worried about you."
"Haven't I told you before? Don't worry about me. Instead worry about yourself and I'll take care of the rest."
"Still, when Thom tells me you're not to be home for awhile, I can't help but to do so. I am your mother after all."
"Ah, about that-- Well, it's a long story but it comes with some good news."
"Then come," replied Arissa, patting the space next to her on the bed she sat upon. "Tell me all about it."
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It was afternoon by the time Sera finished explaining everything -- though she did leave out a few details here and there for the sake of her mother's sanity and her own -- and by the end of it Arissa remained sitting there in silence, half-stunned and half-worried.
"See?" Sera said with a smile. "I told you I would take care of the rest. You wont have to live here anymore and I'll be able to make sure you're safe and provided for much easier. And Carria says her sister is a healer. So, when things get bad again, maybe she can help you as well as Master Dimheim if it comes to that."
"But Sera, are you sure this is really alright? I'd hate to be an burden on someone and you and I both know that people aren't normally so generous."
"You're never burden, mother, so don't even think that. And, believe me, the thief hero is all about being a 'good person' and such, whatever that actually means."
"Well," started Arissa, the anxiety in her features melting away, "If you're so certain about then then I will also accept. You haven't let me down yet, dear."
"And I never will; not like he did... I'll have to go tell Carria and see about all the arrangements. Don't worry about it though, leave it all to me."
She could only smile at her daughter and nod, noticing that there was something a little different about her now. Sera's smile was brighter and more optimistic, not at all tinged with bitterness, anger, or mischief as it usually had been before. Perhaps that was a fair sign. Goodness knows the older woman knows how to take her bit of happiness where she can find it.
