Children

“It's a nice place.” Sigruko looked around the living room of the Tree-House, slinging off her weapons. Vidrou wasn't entirely sure – his sister had never been the most expressive – but he thought she was impressed. “Not my style, but nice.”

“Thanks. It took a while to get started. Here, you can put those over here.” He gestured from her weapons to a set of wooden hooks on the wall. “How have you been?”

“Busy,” she said wryly, starting the process of hanging her bandoliers and belts on the wall. “Three decades of monster-hunting and you'd think there'd be fewer monsters, but no. You?”

Vidrou chuckled. “Not as busy, especially with the children away at school.”

“Ah.” Sigruko paused, giving Vidrou an unreadable look before hanging her axe belt on the wall - the one she saved for last.

He watched her quietly for a moment, considering. His sister had never been the maternal type; she'd given one of her children to the father and his wife, and the other... Well, he'd thought Cory had done pretty much all the childcare. But still.

“Desdemona goes next year, doesn't she?”

Sigruko didn't respond for a moment, then sighed and sat down. “Yes. Yes she does.”