Onyx kept quiet as she waited for her father's response, focusing on the cooking for now. Raldel didn't look up from what he was doing while he spoke, but his tone held all the worry he didn't show. "So you've both been worrying about that too. I'm not exactly sure what I will say yet, but I'm sure of one thing." Now he did look up, catching Onyx's gaze. "You should probably leave before then. You and Opal and maybe even Topaz, I don't want you here just in case I don't say the right thing."

Now there was no way Onyx could focus on cooking at all. She carefully put the bowl down and just stood, looking at her father and thinking what she should say. After a minute or an hour, Onyx couldn't tell how long, her body moved without her consent and she hugged him. "That's not a good idea. You need to show that you yourself are confident in your decision and if you push your children away, for any reason, they will see you as weak. The only thing you have to worry about is that you may be waiting to long to tell them." Onyx had no control over the words she spoke, but after she said them she knew why. 

The white mark on her palm felt warm as she lifted it to show her father. Now speaking in her own words, she told her father everything that she had experienced during her ritual the night before, while he seemed frozen by surprise for most of the story. "So, that's another reason that I don't think that's a good idea. You're going to need me here, to interact with the people and help guide the tribe." She concluded her story a little breathlessly. Just the memory of the ritual brought her joy and wonder.