’Tis The Season Of Giving

Thiul opened her mouth to answer Hal's words, but Liun's timind was as great as ever and Hal was saved by the bell. Thiul didn't miss the smile Liun gave Hal, and she scoffed a bit as Liun pulled her aside.
"If I see you as much as drawing circles on the snow with that spear I'm taking it away."
Thiul called behind her at Hal before she and Liun went far enough so they couldn't be heard so easily. Thiul turned to face Liun, waiting for how he was going to win her over.

"If you understand my concern then why would you give Hal a magical spear without discussing it with me first? And why are you giving it to him in the first place? I was under the impression that spear was important."
Thiul crossed her arms and looked at Liun sternly, with a demanding look. If he was going to give her son a weapon that he could easily kill himself with Liun better have a good reason she could accept.

Thiul didn't know what she had expected. Maybe the generic 'Boys will be boys' kind of reason, or Liun calling her an overprotective mother hen, or anything in between. But the words Liun started with made Thiul's eyes go wider, and she squeezed her hands into fists. How dare he. She wanted to punch Liun, kick him, for insinuating Fweiu somehow looked down on Hal, didn't think of him as part of the family. All Thiul's siblings loved Hal, he was their family, and Thiul was certain of that. But...somehow she also knew that Liun was right, in some way he was right. There was, no matter how small it was, a rift, that was caused by the basilisk blood in Hal's veins. Thiul had worked through everything with Hal, had explained to him why some people would look at him differently. But she had also taught him that he could always count on his family to catch him, that their acceptance and support was unconditional. With Thiul that was true, she only saw a son, a beloved son, in Hal. But...she couldn't be absolutely sure about all of her siblings.
That stopped Thiul from striking Liun to the ground, but it didn'g stop her from glaring at him as she listened to his words.

Thiul was conflicted. She wanted to be angry, she wanted to hit Liun's words back at him, say he had no business in something he hadn't been a part of in decades. But...Thiul couldn't be one to judge him. In a way she had shut herself out as well, for many many years of depression, self-loathing and misery. Liun's death had made it worse, had almost driven Thiul over the edge, and she regretted every moment she had spent in the shell she had built, making her legs an excuse to give up on life. Ironic how giving birth to a new life had also given Thiul a new, amazing reason to live. So no, she couldn't be angry at Thiul, not really, she understood him. Thiul knew the slight bitterness she still held towards him would probably never disappear. Liun had been so important to them all, his alleged death had left a big gaping hole in all of them. But...she wanted to give Liun a chance. A chance to prove himself, even if she was also terrified of what would happen if Liun disappeared again. What it would do to Hal, to her.

"Yes, you weren't there."
Thiul said, she wasn't glaring anymore, just looking at Liun with calm seriousness, her arms crossed.
"You weren't there for all the moments I wanted to beat someone, who looked at Hal the wrong way. For all the nights he woke up drowning in his own poison. For all the unseen tears he shed for being different, tears that I caused."
Thiul gritted her teeth, but she didn't evade her gaze from Liun.
"I refuse to have any regrets, Liun. It wasn't my plan to have a family, it wasn't my plan to have a son. But I did, and I do not regret it. Through all the pain and hardships I will never regret having Hal, he is the one who gave me a reason to try again. To try and heal the wound your death opened even wider."
Thiul unwinded her arms and let them hang on her sides, her hands still in fists.
"I understand that you giving Hal the spear is a large gesture, but it is also a large bet. A bet for me, to see if I can trust you again. Because if you hurt Hal, if you cause him pain...I do not need to finish that sentence, do I?"
Thiul had an unspoken threat in her eyes.
"I've taught Hal family is there for you, that their love is there for him. Do not make me regret giving you this chance, Liun. Because my son goes over you. His happiness is what matters the most, his well-being. And if achieving those means I have to cut you off of his life I will do it."

Liun understood his position, of course he did. They had already had this discussion, Liun had already apologized hundred times over. But what he did couldn't be instantly fixed with apologies, only time could fix it. And even if the others could forgive Liun faster Thiul was different. Liun's death had affected her too deeply for her to forgive him so easily. But she was trying, and in the end Thiul loved the son of a bitch. He was family, and Thiul did in her own way appreciate Liun trying for Hal, giving him a reason to feel like he belonged. It was something Thiul couldn't do, not as a mother.

The comment Liun made about his fiancee and Thiul getting along amused and made Thiul sad at the same time. She would've liked to meet Liun's fiancee, hold his daughter. But Liun was thousand times more sad than her. Thiul couldn'g even imagine how she would feel if she lost Hal.
"Only a very peculiar person would like me. But it seems this family attracts those type of people."
Thiul said with a small smile, briefly thinking about Titus as well. But the smile disappeared quickly, and Thiul sighed. She stepped closer to Liun, and touched her hand to his shoulder.
"I'm not the right person to offer gestures such as hugs or anything along those lines. But I can offer enough of my trust to say that I believe you. If you thoroughly teach Hal how to handle that spear I will allow him to keep it. And I won't allow you to die, Liun. Not on my watch."
At this point Thiul grabbed Liun by the ear and tugged, stern expression on her face.