Once Riyala and Cersai were done with the meeting, Riyala asked for permission for one more visit on Earth, and Cersai easily accepted it and allowed Riyala to head off towards Riverdale in America. On the busy streets of Riverdale, a convoy of bulletproof black cars with tinted glasses pulled up in front of the large fast-food restaurant owned by Jason’s mother, Mira, and the people standing around and walking by on the streets couldn’t help but stare in shock when they saw multiple men in black outfits come out of the cars and form a long line leading up to the building. One of the men entered the restaurant, and he saw Mira putting some food on the table with the youngest Marc daughter, Maya, standing behind the cashier’s counter. Mira was wearing a neat apron over a shirt and jean combo, and her hair was tied up in a rough bun, but there were dark circles under her eyes and fatigue lines on her face that showed how sleepless she had been for a long time. Once Mira saw the man in black, she frowned, but the man said something to her in a low tone, and her eyes widened before she quickly spoke.
"Everyone, I apologise, but I’ll need you all to please leave the restaurant. I have a family emergency. You don’t have to pay for the food you’ve already eaten. Just... please."
The people in the restaurant could sense the tension in Mira’s tone, and they could tell that this was something serious, so even though some of them murmured and grumbled about the situation, they all stood and left the restaurant one after the other. And once they were all gone, the man in black put his hand to his ear and told the rest of his team that the restaurant was clear. Mira was using a cloth to clean her hands as she waited for the person who had come to see her, and anyone who saw Mira at that moment would be able to tell just how anxious she was. The truth was that Mira had been trying her best not to break down for the past month.
Ever since Jason left Earth for his meeting with the Machina, Mira hadn’t heard anything from him. Jason told Mira that the meeting was only going to take a few days and he would be back before she knew it, but it had already been over a month now, and Mira could only imagine what Jason was going through out there. The only thing that assured Mira that Jason was still alive were the many Legion subordinates that she could see hanging around her house and shop. If not for those subordinates, then Mira would have thought that Jason was dead! And honestly, Mira didn’t know if she would survive if Jason died. It would break her in a way that she knew she might never recover from.
And that was one of the reasons why Mira decided to open up the restaurant again. Even though the Marc family already made enough money to last them for the rest of their lives from all the deals that Jason made, Mira just didn’t feel right sitting at home all day and worrying about Jason, so she decided it would be better to open up the shop and distract herself for most of the day while she waited! But right now, Mira could feel the anxiety that had always been lurking at the edge of her heart coming in full force! The man in black had told Mira that someone was here to talk to her about Jason’s disappearance, and Mira just hoped that she could get some news about where Jason might be and how he was doing.
Ding~
The bell above the door chimed as someone entered the restaurant, and Maya exclaimed from her side and pointed up at Riyala!
"It’s the dragon lady!"
"Maya, please leave us for now."
Mira quickly told her daughter to excuse them, and Maya exclaimed in shock as she protested against it!
"But mom—!"
"Maya, don’t make me repeat myself."
Mira gave Maya a hard glare, and even though Maya was now a superhuman with more strength than Mira would ever have, that glare still managed to put the fear of death into her, and she quickly scrambled away from the counter! Riyala smiled apologetically when she saw Maya glaring at her, and once Maya was gone, Riyala turned back to Mira with a more serious expression on her face. Riyala came closer to Mira, and she went to her knees in front of her respectfully. Mira sighed as she put her hands on Riyala’s shoulders and told her to please get up. Mira tried to smile at the dragon priestess, but her smile never really reached her eyes and once Riyala was on her feet, Mira asked in a desperate voice.
"Please, what happened to my son? Do you know where Jason is?"
Riyala took in a shallow breath when she heard the desperation in Mira’s voice, and Riyala hated the fact that she hadn’t come here to tell Mira anything that Mira didn’t probably already know. Riyala had only come here to make sure Mira knew that Jason and Gina were fine. Riyala bowed her head to Mira respectfully and spoke.
"I’m sorry, mother. I don’t want to lie to you, so I won’t tell you that I’ve spoken to Jason or Gina for the past month. In truth, I haven’t heard from either of them since they left on their journey. But the only thing I can tell you is that I know Jason and Gina are fine. They are alive and well, and they are working hard to protect both our worlds. So please, just be patient for a little longer. Your son will return to you. I promise."
Mira felt a sob trying to escape from her, and she quickly put a hand over her mouth and struggled to make sure she didn’t cry. Mira already promised herself that she wasn’t going to break down! She had to be strong! Mira had already cried her heart out when her husband vanished ten years ago, and she was now even more heartbroken that Jason was also forced to leave because of forces outside of his control. But Mira had to be strong! She still had two daughters here that needed her help, and she couldn’t leave them alone!
Mira took in a breath, and she released it calmly as she gave Riyala a kind look. Mira raised a hand to stroke Riyala’s face worriedly, and she asked Riyala if she was getting enough sleep.
"You look very tired. Are you getting any rest at all?"
Riyala blushed in slight embarrassment when Mira pointed this out. In truth, Riyala hadn’t been getting any rest at all since Jason and Gina left on their journey. From the meetings that she had with her council back in Radagan about the repairs that they needed to have, to the preparation that they were making for the payment in case things didn’t go how they planned, Riyala had probably not even closed her eyes in nearly four days.
Mira smiled at Riyala’s embarrassed expression, and she told her to come sit down and have something to eat. Riyala quickly raised her hand and tried to protest.
"N-No, you don’t need to do that. I have to return to—"
"Please, don’t be like that. You took time out of your busy schedule to come and make sure I’m doing alright. The least I can do is make sure my daughter is well fed."
Riyala’s eyes widened when Mira called her ’daughter’, and the blush on her face could have rivalled the reddest tomatoes!
Mira guided her towards a table and this time Riyala didn’t even bother to protest as she followed after her. Mira smiled as she sat Riyala down and Mira took the seat opposite her before she called out to Maya.
"Maya, put some burgers on the grill and get some drinks."
Maya’s angry voice rang through the restaurant as she came out and spoke with a heavy pout!
"But moooom~! I want to hear about oni-chan as well!"
Maya was glaring at her mother with tears in her eyes and Mira sighed as she finally decided to extend a small olive branch.
"I’ll tell you all about it tonight, Maya, I promise. Now go do as I say."