Training in a forest cave

Kentis and Gwen were eating their fair share of cookies as the baker comes in. Gwen hears about his offer and replies, "Do we get paid?"

Morwen would sniff and wipe her tears as she heard her mother's words to summon her double back. With a nod, she would say, "Alright, mother, I'll keep this in mind. I'm sorry if I couldn't maintain my strength for a second time. Ow...my toes..." She held her feet and toes in pain as she still sobbed and wanted some comfort.

The baker says " I must bring the children back, but all I can pay you with at the moment would be letting you pick out some of the sweets over there to snack on with plenty of breaks for you both to join the dancing"as he watches the priestess escort their creation back to the fair grounds. One older priestess walks over to Xerxan and Arasinya feeling like she knew he wanted to make an offering to their lady but was too nervous to ask being he is an outside to this village event. She will ask them did you both want to offer a song to our lady which will be fine right after the children do their own little show" as she smiles knowing it will be funny and entertaining?

The matron mother walks away as the sisters hurry to Morwen passing her a minor salve that will ease her pain knowing how their mother didn't like a show of weakness in her children. They say " those doubles are weird how their strength varies each time one is summoned which I think you may need to freshen up after her secret weapon finished you off."

"Hmm, fair enough," said Kentis as he and Gwen followed the baker to help him out. They were glad to get treats and dance later as they were helping their newfound friends.

Seeing Xerxan look nervous about offering a song to their lady, Arasinya smiled and said to him, "Don't be shy, Xerxan. It'll be fun! I'm very good at writing songs so you can help me out with your ocarina!"

Morwen tried to breathe easier as she felt the salve touch her feet and toes. She even wiped her tears and said, "Yes, I'll work more on my skills in fighting. But why can't Mother hug me or even kiss me when I'm hurt? I'm part of the family now."

The Baker starts to leave the bakery to the fair grounds with the some unwilling children in tow who didn't want to leave sweet treat heaven while other came willingly. He will then get a pair of extra stools to bring over to his booth for Kentis and Gwen to sit on while helping him while the children rush off to tell the priestess that was watching them all to tell her all about the back room where all the sweets where made. The priestess says to both Arasinya and Xerxan don't plan it out just play a song from your heart is the best offering and seems to always sound the best.

The sisters say that is how mother is she doesn't show too much motherly affection being she is a fighter first brutal gladiator then mother at the smallest part of her soul." They add " she hated it when we were little trying to keep her attention by getting hurt then she ignored us being she wanted to toughen us up it was really easy with our brother she didn't make a mistake even acting like she cared which hardened his heart along with the two of us beating him up when ever he made us look bad."

Arasinya nodded and said, "Okay then." She turned to Xerxan and said, "Looks like we need to sing on the fly."

Morwen would rub her eyes with her arm when hearing that there wasn't much motherly affection with the Matron Mother. "What kind of mother hardly has a care for her own children? Maybe if she wasn't like that, maybe your brother would've stayed. I want Mother to love me, but how can I see and even feel that? Aren't I good enough to be her daughter?"

He says I guess so I will just blend the notes like do when I practice to fit in with your song you are planning to play. The children run up asking excitedly " can we do our song can we do our song?' The priestess smiles and says go ahead I am sure your song and dance will be welcomed by our lady along with anyone listening with her. The children cheer and dash off gathering the other children so they can perform their song as soon as possible.
The sisters say " I am not sure if her mother is the blame for how she raised us being she never showing any love to her own children." The youngest sister says " it was my fault our brother found a way to get his freedom because I accepted a bet against a very skilled fighter I though he could crush."

Arasinya and Xerxan went to find their seats as Genevieve kept watch over the others. They were excited to see how the children will perform.

Morwen would nod in understanding and say, "Look, I don't mean to sound like a good guy, but you have to respect that your brother has his own views in life. And I think Mother has to change that attitude because that's not how a mother should be to her own family." Just thinking on it made more tears slip from her eyes.

The children gather around some with a younger sibling trying to use them as a shield being they are really timid around so many people. Some of the children begin to sing as others start to dance with the younger ones just twirling around in their own way to dance. The musicians easily match their music with the singers words as they were the best in the village. Everyone else gathers parents smiling even if the child isn't theirs just so they can be supportive of their little show knowing their lady is probably smiling down watching it also.

The youngest says " he was more subdued when he lived with us intimidated more by mother than by us mainly because our only protection was the law he couldn't hit us without mothers approval which I am sure she considered it a few times with how we were before." The elder sister says " I doubt she will change because she sees this method of parenting works for her purposes."

Genieve, Arasinya, Xerxan, Kentis, and Gwen all watched as the younger kids were performing their music and dance for their Lady. Sometimes when she is babysitting, Arasinya herself often played music with the kids using her ocarina. Perhaps she can offer to take care of these children as well.

"Well, whatever works for her, I guess," says Morwen. "But of course, it doesn't work for everyone...even your brother. Have you ever tried talking to him about this?" Her feet and toes were feeling better, they needed to rest now to recover.

While the children were nearing the end of their performance their hair started to change from the silky white to a silky silver which when they finished and noticed they let loose a happy cheer scampering off to show their parents they received a blessing. The priestess who was talking with them before says " the change won't be around too long, but it is how our lady choses to show those that are asking for her blessing with a song or dance offering." The children rush back to Genieve showing her how their hair changed colors even though their younger siblings were clinging to them using them as a shield being they are still pretty timid.

The elder sister says " the only words I know our brother would want to hear from would be our cries for mercy or our final words." The younger sister says " when he was training mother would try to use his amazing progress to spur us into improving which we always took out our anger on him timing it so he wouldn't have to see mother till he could recover."