My return to Gond garnered a mixed reaction from my parents. On one hand, they were glad I was ok, on the other hand, I had just kinda committed a crime.
"Ingen!" Mom ran to me, embracing me, crying once she saw my left arm.
She was much more emotional than dad, who stood there for a moment until mom was done, then kneeled to speak to me.
"Ingen, I need to talk to you, man to man."
"I understand." My workshop grew, and Orin came out of my shadow. "You heard the man."
Orin stayed at the door of the workshop as we entered.
"First, I'm proud of your ingenuity in making your new arm and dismantling my defensive field, but to what end did you do it?"
"I was doing some experiments and your field was blocking me, so Spirit analyzed it based on the glasses you made me, they have the same print so it was just pressing the right buttons."
Spirit elaborated on how he got into the field when we got back together, ever since he got back he's been quite chatty.
'It's way more complex than that! Don't you downplay me!'
He also got louder.
"Well, it's a little more complicated than that but that's the gist."
'Much better.'
"I may be proud of you, but that doesn't mean that I'm not angry about you breaking so many rules, ignoring your parents when you lost your arm, and almost getting arrested." Father's eyes looked like they would cut me.
'I was hoping he would forget that' I thought to Spirit
'There is no way he would, he's your dad.'
My eyes drooped in shame, I knew what I did was wrong, I could have easily stopped Spirit because I have control of his manipulation at-will, yet I did nothing, then I let him take the fall instead of accepting responsibility.
"I'm sorry" I wasn't sure who I aimed my apology at, Spirit, or dad, but I like to think it was both.
Dad's expression lightened, he was apparently satisfied.
"You're grounded from the workshop for break." He said, with a double purpose.
'Ha, your dad sure is shrewd, he just secured more time with you while also punishing bad behavior.'
'Good enough for me.'
I managed to not cry for once, whether that would stay the case is up to how my next question would be answered.
"Oh, yeah, dad, Teacher told me to ask you about the binding thingy."
"Heck! I can't believe I didn't already talk to you about it!"
Dad gave me the equivalent of "The Talk"
For some reason, the deities hadn't granted me my highschool health class.
It was like a veil had been lifted, I didn't fully understand what was going on before, but now I understood why my emotions and urges had been a maelstrom lately.
'I get it, so all I have to do is hide in my workshop and immerse myself in my work until this passes.'
'Nerd, you know you'll be even more socially inept if you do that.'
'Why must you ruin my dreams of being a shut-in'
"Oi! Look at me when I'm talking to you!"
My gaze had drifted and my eyes were glazed over while I talked to Spirit.
"Sorry! Spirit said something." I lied, I was the one who initiated the conversation in the first place.
"Don't try lying to me, your mother taught me your tells."
"Fine, I started the conversation. happy now?" I was suddenly angry.
"Easy kiddo, don't be disrespectful to your father."
"So what if I'm disrespectful? What's it matter to you?"
I felt a thump on my head, father had flicked me.
"Oi! Didn't I say to look at me when I'm talking to you? This attitude better not persist, you will be talking to mother soon and she's been worried sick ever since you pulled that stunt to save your friend."
"Is that so? Well, she'd better get a thicker skin, I'm going out!" I said walking towards the door.
'Don't do it Ingen, she really cares for you, you'll rip her heart out.'
'You don't know me!' My anger peaked.
'We know you better than anyone else." Orin joined the conversation, he had been avoiding reading my mind for a while, but once he sensed my anger, he was worried.
My mood swung the other way, I felt happy about Orin's concern. I finally realized what was going on, so I sat down at my workbench.
"There is no way I can talk to mom like this, I'm unpredictable."
"You sure can, she'll understand what's going on if you suddenly have a mood swing, she is a healer, after all, you just gotta go out there without flipping tables."
"I guess you're right. How long does this last?"
"You seem to be around halfway through the process, so probably one more month."
"I'll go talk to mom now." I left the workshop only to find mom brushing Orin's hair compulsively.
"Mom?" She looked up and smiled
"I'm so glad you're ok!" She was right back to crying. "I can't believe they would make you go into that dangerous forest!"
'Orin, mind helping me out here?'
Orin got a lot bigger and surrounded the two of us, a comforting mother with his tail.
"GIANT TREANT!" Someone shouted urgently.
Father had left the workshop after me and heard it. He was gone in the direction of the shout in moments.
"Sorry mom, I'm gonna be a little reckless." I ran about a meter and took off with my new glider, I streaked through the sky at high speeds.
'I'm so sick of trees.'