It took Vyers a moment to realize Laharl was breathing, and even then it took Laharl speaking for him to let out the breath he had been holding. Dad... The word echoed in his head, filling him with a sense of both delight and shock. How long had it been since Laharl had called him that? Far too long.

He only half heard what Laharl said next, the emotions of all that had occurred catching up to him as he quickly pulled Laharl into a hug. Relief... Joy... A hint of fear... He couldn't even begin to recognize them all with the way they kept weaving together. And yet there was one emotion in particular that was quickly coming to the surface, one that he was much more familiar with.

Quickly, Vyers let go, looking everywhere but at Laharl as the awkwardness of the situation set in. He coughed quietly, an attempt to brush off what had occurred. "Y, Yes... It seems as though we were successful."