Look after my son…

ㅤ Following Kratos's instructions, Yuan peeked through the school window as Lloyd was getting hit in the forehead with chalk yet again. The boy was about to graduate, but he still struggled with basic things… 'Well, he really won't need any of that to work in the forge,' Yuan calmly noted. Lloyd knew his way better than anyone, so Yuan wasn't worried about his future. Unlike Kratos… "I leave the Great Tree in your care. And please… look over my son." The last request before departure placed a special burden on Yuan. And everything was clear with the Tree; it was for its sake that Yuan stayed, but… 'And what do you think I should do…?' he was genuinely perplexed. They both knew perfectly well how strong Lloyd was, how surrounded by loyal friends he was. Yuan could probably use some help here… So he limited himself to short stops, occasionally traveling the world and catching up on global trends. "Hm," Raine caught Yuan's attention, standing behind him. He was so immersed in his thoughts that he missed Raine leaving the classroom after giving the students their assignment. "…Good morning," Yuan spoke first. He didn't want to be seen by anyone. It was bad enough that Dirk had caught him spying on his son and… invited him to tea, during which he told so many stories that Yuan barely managed to escape. Lloyd had gotten into a lot of trouble even as a child, so Dirk had an impressive stock of stories. "Good morning," Raine smiled tensely. "You are such a frequent guest at our window that I’m already thinking of accusing you of stalking." Yuan laughed awkwardly. In a way, that was true… "I just pop in when I'm passing by, to make sure you're all right." Yuan glanced sideways at Lloyd, letting Raine know the true reason for his frequent visits. "Why secretly? We're always happy to offer you a cup of tea." At the mention of tea, Yuan's eye twitched nervously. "No, thank you." 'I've had enough…' Rain let out a knowing sigh. Yuan had his own responsibilities, but he continued to respectfully fulfill his friend's request, no matter how many memories Lloyd and his friends evoked, even if there were plenty of positive ones. "If you don't want to see Lloyd, you can just come to me next time—and I'll give you a quick update on how he's doing." This time, Yuan let out a sigh of relief and gratitude. "Thank you. I'm really starting to feel like a stalker…" Yuan looked at Lloyd again. "But I'm sure no matter how many times I check in, he'll be fine." "…I really hope so…" she said skeptically. "Lloyd has a knack for finding trouble. And if he can't find it, he creates it himself. And he gets my brother involved. But…" she interrupted her stream of complaints before Yuan could completely lose hope, "he's perfectly capable of solving problems, his own and others', without our intervention. We have nothing to worry about." "That's encouraging." Yuan smiled faintly, relaxing. ㅤ