-Late into the night-

  Tori comes into the lab quietly, seeing the trio curled up on the couch.

  Walking over to them she urgently shakes them. "You need to wake-up!" She stated.

  Aurelia woke first with a startle. "Tori?" She rasped sleepily, quickly sitting up and waking the other two.

  "What's goin on" Seris grumbled at the same time Elowen woke.

  "You need to leave, now. The Twelve houses met with the AZC council just now. It is to be assumed they are making moves against you." Tori explained.

  "Where should I go then?" Aurelia asked sleepily, mild panic in her voice as she was losing her first real home. "What about yall?" she asked next.

  Tori smiled at Aurelia's sleepy unguarded words. "Sonny, Merida and myself will be okay. The Academy can protect us, but not you since you are a graduate."

  Aurelia carefully stood up and nodded, looking at the room and what she could take with her as her hand went to brush a strand of hair behind her ear. The movement grazing the ear cuff she was wearing.

  "Oh! I could put all of my stuff on the Dimensional Island." Aurelia remembered. "I just need to see how much I can fit."

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

  Tori nodded approvingly as Seris and Elowen rose to their feet, helping pack everything.

  "All the left over ore you had is already stored on the Dimensional Island. It stored the moment you chose what it became." Tori explained. "There wasn't much though since Chomper ate most of it."

  Aurelia nodded and looked at where the parrot fish was. "I wish I could take her... but she is technically campus property."

  Tori chuckled and stood next to Aurelia, patting the young woman's shoulder.

  "Don't worry. I will get Chomper released in the morning. Take the worms and get everything on the Dimensional Island."

  Seris perked up and looked at Elowen, the twins sharing a knowing nod. "You can come stay with-"

  "No" Tori said, "While I am proud of you two wanting to help and take her in with your parents." Tori added gently. "They will anticipate that move since you both stood next to her at the ceremony."

  Aurelia sighed and nodded. "I hate to say it, but I will have to probably move and live on my own on the move for a while... though funds will be interesting."

  Tori nodded. "Thankfully you have done nothing wrong law wise. So you can still gate dive."

  Seris pouted as Elowen knitted her eyebrows. Both twins disappointed at the development.

  "We just got you back..." Elowen murmured, before giving Aurelia a gentle hug, before Seris tackle hugged her.

  "We will wait for you more, but always be ready if you need us." Seris vowed sincerely.

  Tori stole a quick hug next. "Don't give up. Be your resilient self."

  Aurelia nodded after reciprocating the hugs to all of them. "I will go to the last place they would expect." She stated as she placed her hands on all the storage crates that held everything she owned. Roughly seven in total. Three for clothes, two for her research that she had been doing and two for her hobbies. Making them shimmer before vanishing to her Dimensional Island.

  "Where would that be?" The twins asked in unison, startling Tori before she nodded in agreement, wanting to know.

  Sonny and Merida walked in, faces somber. "The orphanage." The two said, sadness in their eyes.

  A/N:

  Thank you for reading Chapter 17 of Idler Rising!

  This project is a progression fantasy about growth at the slowest possible pace — an idler who learns to live before he learns to climb. If you enjoyed this chapter, bookmarks + comments genuinely help a new story survive on RR. ??

  Next update: Chapter 18 releases Tuesday.