Delilah joins Armella one evening in the alchemy lab, hanging some new herbs to dry. As she's organizing seeds into jars, she asks, "Do you ever remember a time you had peace, Miss Mella? Not running, not being hunted..."

Armella tilts her head, slowly turning the pommel thinking of the question, "To be quite honest, before any of this happened would probably be the last time. And even then, a year before that since my fallout with the church. Dolor had a time of peace but it wasn't meant to last. Even before the attack by Rhen, it seems that something was always following us."

Delilah nods, contemplating those words. Having started writing out labels for the jars, she pauses. A little quieter, she asks, "Do you think we'll ever find it again?"

Pausing and putting down the ingredients, she turns and leans against the table, "Find Dolor or a time when we don't have to run?"

She meets her friend's eyes and then looks down. "A time we don't have to run anymore."

"Ah, well...Maybe after Hikaru settles his, um, family matters and when we can stop the cult, perhaps. Though really I think it will depend, we've caused a ruckus for some people, if we truly wanted to disappear...." She pauses, shifting back and forth.

"I think at this point we would either have to go somewhere remote like the Elves and leave everything behind and just stop being a bother to people. We're doing good things against people who don't want good to happen and as long as we are thorns in their sides, it's either us or them."

Delilah sits down in a chair beside Armella. She pulls out some grimnettle and chews it slowly. "Yeah... You're probably right. As long as we're fighting back, it's us or them. That'll never really end, will it? Unless we do." She leans back, thinking.

Armella nods, "Sadly, yes, I think that's where it will end up. We can't police the world. Even after we stop the cultists, there's a chance that something else will come up." With a sigh she turns back and starts to clean things up. "Do you want to leave? Of all of us, you do have the best chance of vanishing," She asks quietly.

Delilah looks up, surprised at that. She seems unsure of how to respond at first. "I... I think the old me would have." She leans forward, rubbing her hands thoughtfully. "But I've hidden for so long. From so much. For once in my life... I feel like I don't need to hide. To vanish." She wrings her hands. "Even if something else comes up, even if every day brings another evil, I... I want to stand against that. To protect what good there is in this world. And to protect my family."

Armella listens quietly, "Of course, protecting loved ones is important. I guess it's just a game of give and take, I wonder sometimes if protecting people prevented actually enjoying the time with them. Perhaps there's a balance that can be found."

"Yeah... You're very wise Miss Mella." She wipes her eyes with her sleeve, a little nonchalantly.

"Balance sounds wonderful, if we can find it." She stares at the books on the table, thinking. "I hope to live through this... See my mom again. I got to stop and see her on the way to Central, actually... So... Even if this ends poorly for me--not that it didn't already, but--" she chuckles at the dark humor of it, "At least I got to see her then."

Lowering her head, Armella mentally kicks herself for possibly being dense. Turning back around to face Delilah, trying to have a helpful smile, "I'm sorry, I'm sure we will make it through. We are a tenacious group even if we are misfits" She leans back against the table, "I know we'll make it through, we wouldn't have been guided here if we couldn't survive."

Delilah looks back up, giving Armella a half smile. "You think so? I suppose you're right... I guess we've made it through a lot worse."

She pats her friend on the shoulder. "And you have nothing to apologize for. You're right. If we can't strive for peace, let's at least strive for balance. With the world. With our families. With each other." She grins a bit wider. "And seein' all we've been through... You're family to me."

Armella smiles warmly, "We've all become family now indeed, stuck with each other forever it seems."

"I wouldn't have it any other way." Delilah gives Armella a tight hug.

Armella hugs Delilah back. "So, ignoring our combat and mission for the crystals, death, and destruction, where would you like to go next?" She asks in a poor attempt to change topics.

Delilah chuckles good-humoredly. "Gracious, does that sound bleak. Well, I... I don't rightly know. I may take some more time with my mother. Perhaps help Mr. Luther with this new... venture of his." She shakes her head. "Something about roller coasters or some nonsense. Bless his heart." She relaxes in her chair again. "Having a normal like sounds almost bizarre now, ya know? I almost couldn't stand being back in the city when we were there. What about you? What would you care to do, once free from all our chaos?"

She smiles teasingly, passing Armella some hard candy she has in her satchel. She picked up a small amount from the market in Gravesford.

Armella eyes the candy with joking suspicion but accepts it. "I guess a normal life would be a little odd. But I think I would like to come back here or maybe Wuxia and live in the country side."

"That sounds nice..." Delilah pops a small piece of candy in her mouth too. "The countryside sure is beautiful. You grew up in Wuxia, right? Is your family still there?"

"Yep, that's how I know Hikaru, it's a nice place."

"Have you heard from your family at all? I know Kotowari is really tearing things up there, from what the refugees were saying, but..." She looks nervously concerned.

Armella stops, "I haven't, but I'm sure they're fine...."

"Y-yeah, I'm sure they are. I didn't mean to worry you." She looks immediately regretful. "What kind of work did they do again? Maybe we could send a letter in town before... Before things, later this week."