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It was a hell of a thing, having everyone back like this. The Redwaters, in particular.

For months and months, he’d been the sole member of House Redwater among a sea of Rainlords. And for a while there, it had felt like that might continue to be the case for many months more. Years, even.

He’d never been terribly worried that they would be retrieved. For some reason, that had always felt like an inevitabilitly to him. Perhaps that stemmed from his faith in the other Houses to see it done. He’d known quite early on that they would not rest until everyone was recovered.

But he had been worried about being the lone representative of the Redwaters. The only one able to speak and act for them.

Truth be told, he’d always felt like something of a black sheep within the family. Growing up, it seemed to him that he’d always been singled out for one reason or another. In the very beginning, it had probably been quite superficial: the other kids poking fun at him for his red hair, for instance. Very few Rainlords had that hair color, and he remembered it being a frequent topic of conversation.

But over time, it had grown beyond that. Because he adapted. Leaned into all of the attention. Embraced it, turned it around on people, made fun of them, and learned the difference between a gentle ribbing and genuine humiliation.

That had been very valuable when it came to making friends--and also when it came to getting out of trouble. Rainlord families may have been stricter than most, but it still never hurt, being able to schmooze conversations a bit with the grown ups. He couldn’t recall how many times he’d been able to soften what would’ve otherwise been a brutal punishment for him and the other kids.

Now, he realized that he’d taken so much strength and vigor from the presence of his family. Just being around them had energized him. Made him feel whole.

So he had not been prepared when they all disappeared. When the weight and long history of House Redwater fell upon his shoulders, alone.

He tried to never let it show, of course. The insecurity. At least, not really. Joking about it was easy enough. And helpful for the deception, perhaps. And thankfully, there’d been plenty of opportunities to focus on whatever craziness was unfolding around them instead of his own fears and concerns.

But now that they were back, he felt a deeper, longer-lasting sense of relief than he thought humanly possible.

Out of all the Rainlords who’d been searching these many months for their lost kin, Diego Redwater didn’t think any of them could’ve possibly been more contented right now than him. Even in the midst of battle, he could still feel it there.