Things remained awkwardly quiet between the three of them. Most Artison told Mira was, "You may have the day off, Mira, enjoy it how you wish." before he disappeared into his laboratory. Loretta wasn't ever really far, just moved from room to room in the penthouse. Mira, heard the words of her boss, but she still stood outside the doors to the laboratory. Mira was just stuck in the middle of both of them. She didn't enter the lab of her boss, who was already upset. Loretta was restraining herself but was a little more accessible. Mira found her leaning on the kitchen counter and she came up beside her. "Loretta, could you answer something for me?"

"Sure," Loretta said, "Anything."

"What exactly happened when Artison lost his leg?"

"Anything but that."

"No, Loretta, please, I need to know." Mira said, "You both are hurting from this, but I'm not even sure how I could help with it. What happened?"

Loretta stared back at her, silent for the longest time.

"Do you want me to beg again?"

After maybe a minute more, Loretta let you a sigh and looked down, "Fine..." She walked to the kitchen table and took a seat. Mira followed suit, and let her continue. "We were off polishing tools for money, he was working extra hard and I wanted to treat him to something nice for it. While walking home with him, I led us over to a stand and I was going to buy a pair of apples. It was nothing compared to what's up here, but to children down below, it was like candy. The moment I look back, Artison was missing." She closed her eyes, "The only way I found him was when I heard him screaming."




"They cut his leg off?" Mira's ears dropped, "They cut a pup's leg off?"

"No, they were after something else." Loretta said, "They took his money, and they seemed to try and cut his hair off. He was flailing so wildly and they beat him down. I tried to help him and fight them off, but it was the people who followed me in that scared them away. Only one person was willing to stay and help me carry Artison to a hospital."

"Wait, he didn't lose his leg then?" Mira tilted his head, "The clerics could have healed him up easily."

"There's no clerics that skilled down below." Loretta said, "We got him there and onto a cot to rest, but there were these other women who would come in for sickness or these injuries even I could shake off. Hours passed and I couldn't do anything more, Artison was taking elixirs to numb the pain which cost us more than the real treatment. By the time someone could actually examine Artison, his leg had gotten infected from the stab wounds. The most people could do for him down there, and the most we could afford, was to cut his leg off."

Mira covered her mouth and just looked at her.

"I lost sight of him for just a moment," Loretta said, a tear building in his eyes, "It was my fault, I should have been there for him."

"What? No, no you can't blame yourself."

"I am his big sister, I'm supposed to protect him"

"No, that's what your mother should have been doing."

At that statement, Loretta just was still. It wasn't like Mira just stabbed her or anything, yet tears started to fall down her face as if a blade had run through her heart. Mira watched this and was equally silent. She struggled to ask, but because it said more than Mira expected for an answer.

---

Part 18

Part 17: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/58767968/

Part 19: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/58923015/



Mira (C)  ~Caly_Pso~

Artison, Loretta, art, and character (C)  watcher12