#that reunion with adult tiki gets me right in the heart okay

[iturbide]

Bantu's Arrival

"Excuse me..." The old man's voice called out as the smoke cleared, and the young girl's heart leaped with joy. "Have you met a young girl named Tik- oof!"

The old man in the red robe was interrupted by a rather curious projectile. A young girl in a pink dress and a red cloak tackling him and hugging his midriff tight. 

"Ban-Ban!" She cried out happily. "Ban-Ban, it's you!"

"Wh- Lady Tiki?" The old man's eyes were wide With disbelief, but he slowly, hesitantly put his own arms around her. "Lady Tiki, is that you?" Happy laughter was his only answer, and Bantu's face lit up with a joyful, kind smile. He opened his mouth to say something else, but was interrupted once again.

"Look! It's Ban-Ban!" He blinked and looked up. That had sounded like another Tiki, if he wasn't mistaken... And he wasn't, as was evidenced by another two small bodies tackling him at high speed, bringing him down to the ground where the first young girl had failed.

"Lady Tiki? And... Lady Tiki?!" One was missing the red cloak, and the other had her wings out in a swimsuit, but there was no mistaking it. He was looking at three Lady Tikis!

"I... How is...?" He looked up in confusion at the young human in the white robes, who simply smiled and shrugged noncommittally at him. 

"Just how things work around here," was all they said, before turning back to the altar Bantu had emerged from.

Bantu found that the answer satisfied him. He could see Lady Tiki again, and what's more, she looked happy beyond belief.

"Come on, Ban-Ban!" One said, getting off of him and tugging at his gnarled old hand. "You have to meet everyone!"

"Yeah!" "Yeah, come on, Ban-Ban!" The other two said, just as excited, hopping up to their feet and pulling at his hand to get him up. The old man could only laugh, amused at the excitement the young girls had. 

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" He chuckled, getting to his feet. "Let an old man get his walking stick!" The three girls giggled, and one of them handed him his staff, while the other two tugged at his sleeves to hurry him along. Bantu could only chuckle and let himself be swept along. Where they were going, he had no clue, but it obviously made them happy.

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Bantu was wide-eyed and open-mouthed at what he saw. The group of people in front of him was motley, to say the least, and yet they all looked... happy.

And Tiki (the Tikis) were all too excited to introduce him to everyone.

"Here's Myrrh! She's my best friend!" the one with the cloak said with a huge smile, introducing a young Manakete with purple hair in pigtails to him, her wings fully out. She bowed politely, a small smile on her face. 

"Pleased to meet you, Mr. Ban-Ban!" She said, earning a small giggle from Tiki and a chuckle from Bantu.

"Here's Tak-Tak! And Spooky Tak-Tak!" another called, bringing Bantu's attention to a pair of young men who were identical but for the odd, flat gleam in one's eyes. Both smiled kindly at him.

"And here's Kanna and Kanna!" the third caught his attention, pointing at two children with silver hair and silver clothes. "They have the same name but you get used to it! Their mama and papa are around here somewhere." 

"And here's Fae's Papa!" The cloaked Tiki called again, Making him turn around, almost dizzy with the new names and faces, and here Bantu stopped, suddenly a bit concerned at the sight of the tall, silver-haired man in front of him fairly radiating power. Far behind him, on a spire, a massive dragon stirred faintly. "He looks grumpy but he's really, really nice! He took care of us for a while!" The man looked at Bantu with crimson eyes for a moment... then smiled, and held out his hand. 

"Hello. You must be Bantu. Pleased to meet you," he said pleasantly, and all of Bantu's fears melted away. "I am Grima. My other self is around here somewhere. She should appear soon enough."

"The pleasure is mine, Sir Grima," Bantu said, offering his own wrinkled hand to shake. If this man had taken care of Tiki, then he was a friend in Bantu's book.

"And here's Fae!" Tiki said, pointing to the very small, lilac-haired girl standing next to Grima. Bantu almost did a double-take. So concerned had he been with the man, he had completely missed the girl, even with her enormous smile and huge, friendly eyes. 

"And that's Fae's Mama floating over there!" the one with no cloak called out, pointing to a massive, six-winged dragon, identical to the one perched on the castle spire. On its head could be seen a small figure, presumably Fae's Mama. He'd have to greet her later, Bantu noted. 

Loud footsteps called his attention, and Bantu turned, and blanched as he came face to face with a figure he had known only from legend. Duma, the Kingshield. Once the protector of Naga herself, but exiled for his crimes against humanity. Few dragons could boast the raw strength that he held. Bantu shook a little, more intimidated that he'd felt in a while under the other's stony gaze. Then Duma's eyes flickered towards Tiki, and a tiny smile lit his face up, breaking the spell. Tiki's next words shocked Bantu.

"And here's my Papa!" 

Now Bantu's eyes widened, and he looked at Duma, shocked, confused... Duma? Tiki's Papa? And as if to confirm this, he heard the pattering of tiny feet and the flapping of wings.

"Papa!" The Tikis called out, and launched themselves at him. Duma caught them in one arm, a slow chuckle rumbling in his chest. And Bantu noticed the bundle he held in his other arm, holding it close against his shoulder. A bundle wrapped in a red cloak, now stirring a bit. The hood fell back, revealing yet another Tiki, with sleepy, bleary red eyes. 

"Papa...?" She asked, sleepily. "What's going...?" Her eyes fell on Bantu, and suddenly they were awake, wide with surprise and wonder, and her mouth fell open.

"Ban-Ban...?" She asked, almost disbelieving. Bantu could only nod, and felt tears prickling his eyes as the tiny child's expression morphed into one of unadulterated, uncontrolled joy. 

"BAN-BAN!" She cried, leaping from Duma's loose hold and into Bantu's open arms. She felt lighter than the others, smaller, and yet... So much heavier. "Ban-Ban, you're here!"

"I certainly am, Lady Tiki," he chuckled. Still he glanced up at Duma. "I'm... a little confused. But I'm here." He cleared his throat. 

"So, uh... Duma is... your Papa?" he asked, tentatively. Around him, he could hear the conversation quiet down a little bit. Bantu glanced around, nervous, almost expecting some hostility, but all that met him was a bit of warm amusement. He was surprised to see King Naga, of all people, standing some distance away, and smiling warmly, if a little sadly, at the sight of the one who should have been her most terrible enemy tenderly carrying her daughter (daughters). 

Duma cleared his throat awkwardly, and set the two Tikis gently on the ground, next to their cloaked other self. He faced Bantu, and to the surprise of all present, bowed deeply at the waist. 

"I greet you humbly, Bantu of the Salamanders. I understand I have much to thank you for." Bantu gaped. The Kingshield was bowing... to him. What WAS this place?! Papa Duma? A humble Kingshield on good terms with Naga?

"I'm... I'm confused..." He said softly. 

"That's to be expected," a new voice cut in. Bantu looked up to see a young woman he'd never seen before, and yet... oddly familiar. She wore her green hair in a ponytail, a short red dress and a white cloak. And was smiling warmly at him. She stood in front of Bantu, and gestured at Duma.

"This is Papa Duma," she said. "He's taken Tiki -ALL Tikis-" she said with an odd emphasis, and the four Tikis erupted into giggles for some reason, "under his wing. I'm sure you'll have a lot to speak of, but first..." 

And suddenly she was hugging Bantu, squeezing him hard, as though afraid to let him go. She was shaking, too, and Bantu realized she was crying. Without fully understanding why, he put his arms around her as well.

"It's so good to see you again, Ban-Ban," she whispered, and Bantu's eyes widened in realization, before tears once again flowed from them.

Lady Tiki had lived. Bantu was more than satisfied.