Chapter 8- Scales, music and colorful bonding

When the three 'punks entered into the room where their human mother and siblings awaited them after the small exchanges, Helen turned from her place by the piano that she was placing music sheets down on and smiled to her children lightly.

"Did he put up a fight again to hearing it was time for a lesson?" she asked to Uranus, knowing full that Earth didn't care for these lessons but felt it was important for them to explore into different areas plus it being a good way for the siblings to bond.

"Not as bad as last time," Uranus answered and chuckled when his older green fabric colored brother huffed in annoyance and embarrassment to being called out on his complaining. It wasn't his fault that he didn't care for the arts really and yet it never stopped his mother or fellow stitchpunks from teasing him about it. "He whined a bit but at least his in here instead of hiding for you again."

"I don't hide from our mother," Earth bellyached once they had joined their other siblings on the floor beside their mother well she set everything up for the lesson of the arts. "I was forming a silent protest against being forced to play music, sing songs and paint with all the colors of the wind. Some of us simply don't want to learn this and see it was a waste of time that could be spent elsewhere in the house."

"I'd be carful what I say right now mister," Helen warned her child lightly, "I may be a passive female and mother most of the time but if you keep complaining about my lessons and in front of your new brother no less than I may have to get some form of punishment lined up for you."

Earth tensed on the spot and darted his eyes from his mother to his small blue brother still within Uranus's arms and dared to ask the question of what was up his human mother's sleeve that made her think she could scare him into listening. "Wh-what type of punishment?"

Helen finished placing the papers and looked down to her elders son with a coy smile before she sat down on the bench beside the piano. "If you don't stop this attitude and make Neptune hate art before his even seen what it's truly like," she said gently, "Than I'm going to let my nieces play with you the next time they come for a visit."

Round optic pupils shrunk down to mere pinpricks in terror and Earth shook visible like he was in the presence with a monster of the deepest part of his mind. Helen had two nieces that came over to visit their only aunt a few times a month and worse yet, they both knew about her creations but had agreed to keep them a secret from the rest of the family when Helen told the girls that some may not understand. Since than the stitchpunks and girls had interacted well together but many ran in terror to the thought of being played with like an actual lifeless doll for the children's amusement. The only exceptions being Venus, Mercury and Uranus whom actually enjoyed the girls company without complain if being dressed up or messed with.

"Yo-you wouldn't dare," he said in a cautiously shaken voice and became even more some when Helen said nothing but looked to him with an expression that read 'try me'. He sighed in defeat before nodding that he was defeated. "Okay…You win mother. What's on the agenda for art today? Some new song and music genre I'm sure."

Helen smiled to her victory against her small child and chuckled almost smugly to her win before addressing all of her creations with a warm smile. "Today I thought we'd combined instrumental music and singing as well as the other arts we've learned. I want to see if my lessons have paid off even those of you who think you have nothing in common can get along just long enough to create something beautiful together." The siblings looked among themselves in a mixture of excitement and nerves to wondering who was going to be paired up for this new lesson.

"Okay…" came their mother's voice that broke through their thoughts as she decided who she wanted to see working together today to create something grand. "Let's have Mercury singing with Earth, Uranus and Venus supporting her on the music. Earth can take the piano; Uranus can play the violin and Venus with the drums." The four looked at each other and well Earth and Mercury didn't get along the best it certainly wasn't going to be too much of a hurdle to over come as they nodded before allowing themselves to be picked up and moved to the piano scales and music stand.

"Next we can have Saturn and Jupiter excising in dancing arts by attempting to do it together instead of separate like we normally do." The two appointed stitchpunks smiled at each other knowing that well they had never danced together before; they certainly spent much of their time together so it wasn't too much of a stretch to see if they could find a way to move together in a structured way.

"Which means I'm leaving the art of painting and inspiration to Mars and Neptune."

Now there was tension as almost all of the siblings looked to the red arm striped female with bone earrings like she was about to make the new brother burst into flames on sight just because he was there instead on in a different room completely. She was just so stand-offish and mean spirited come paired to the others that all of them had wondered if mother had lost all good sense out of her ears for even thinking that she and the small blue boy could work together for even a moment without something happening. But the decision was already made as Helen picked up both siblings and placed them in front of her easel and got the paints out in small dabs onto the pallet for them.

"Are we all ready to begin?" she asked as she sat down upon her chair beside the piano and brought her cello so she could join her kids in this lesson, planning on backing Mercury up with singing once the female had gotten comfortable.

Earth asked for a moment as he cracked his knuckles before even getting onto the piano, than cracking his neck only to move to his back after that. Mercury drummed her fingers against the music stand that she sat upon, becoming more and more annoyed the longer Earth messed around instead of getting started already. Uranus and Venus were both set to begin and were actually quite amused to how frustrated the eldest was becoming over this stunt; Uranus already set with his small scale version of a violin well Venus lightly patted her hands against the top of the varies items that made up the drum set, mostly caps and small cylinders but still produced the same deep drum that was known for the instrument.

"I'm ready maestro" Mercury finally voiced sarcastically and relaxed when Earth got onto the piano like he was ready to play; jumping in a statement when he suddenly slide across a number of them just to get a rise out of his sister as she fall clean off the stand and hit the keys in a noisy mash of keys.

"Mama! He did it again!" she complained in a whine when picking herself up and glaring at Uranus and Venus for laughing at the scene. Helen sighed as she moved her first child back up to stand well Earth slumped against the keys with a pout when his mother gave him a unamused look; glaring right back at his sister's now smug expression as she crossed her arms once up on the stand again. "Tattle-tell…" he whispered to her softly but in an aggressive manner.

"Now no fighting my children," Helen said as she settled to her sit again and positioned her instrument. "Why do we move along and get back to the lesson for the time? Come on Earth and Mercury; behave long enough so everyone can hear your pretty song."

"Yes mother," her son replied sheepishly as began to play a soft haunting tone well his sister on her place to their mother; Uranus and Venus picking out the tone quickly so they could add to it.

"Come little children. I'll take thee away; into a land of enchantment," Mercury sang clearly in her haunting melody and voice; sending shivers down the new audio sensors of Neptune as Mars showed him how to mixed paint to make more colors for the painting the two were suppose to be doing together. "Come little children; the time's come to play. Here in my garden of shadows…"

"Follow, sweet children. I'll show thee the way; through all the pain and the sorrows," Helen joined in her daughter lovely voice, playing the scary lullaby like melody on her cello as she sang. "Weep not poor children, For life is this way. Murdering beauty and passions."

A bit of a dramatic and eerie of a song to sing when this was the first song Neptune would ever hear but he was enjoying hearing nothing but beautiful music and lovely voices as Mars directed him to the canvas in front of them once she had mixed the colors for them. The young 'punk touched the paint with his fingers and gave a small squeal to feeling what paint felt like against his metal, only shrinking back when Mars glared at him for squealing.

"Don't do that…" she said roughly as she picked up a small paintbrush and wetted it before adding a color and beginning to paint out a portrait like their mother wanted from them, gesturing for Neptune to join her because they were suppose to be doing this together. He seemed a bit hesitant but did as silently asked; no doubt doing so because he was afraid she may hurt him otherwise.

Hush now, dear children
It must be this way
To weary of life and deceptions

Well Mercury and her mother sang, Mars and Neptune painted and the rest of their siblings were playing the instruments to bring this tone to life, Saturn and Jupiter had begun to dance together. Well it had been awkward at first because of the males taller height and build the two soon had managed to find a rhythm that lead them to dancing together quiet well so a first attempt.

They twisted, they turned and they pressed together in well timed steps like it natural to them and again Neptune became distracted in his art project to watch his siblings instead with wide reflective optics. So this was dancing; it was beautiful…

"Eyes on the canvas squirt," Mars said as she nudged him back towards the canvas, not really aggressively but more in a stern way to keep his focus. Neptune nodded with a small blush for getting side tracked again but easily got back into this craft as he pressed his paint covered hands to the canvas, giggling when seeing that it left a imprint of his work when finished.

Rest now, my children
For soon we'll away
Into the calm and the quiet

Siblings painted, siblings danced and siblings bonded through the music as Helen dared to look around at her children of great design and purpose. Mars was helping Neptune to design shapes with his hands even though the female was rough. Saturn and Jupiter were dancing so sweetly and innocently together that it was magical. Even Earth and Mercury were smiling at each other when creating such beauty together along with their siblings whom were just happy to be a part of it and play on to their hearts content.

There was defiantly love here among the odd family and Helen only wished her husband was here to see who perfect these children were together as well. But that was impossible, he had left sometime ago because he didn't agree with her methods of 'making' children when discovering she couldn't have any herself. It had been a hard obstacle that to the family seemed like the end of them because soon after this Helen and her husband had separated into different homes.

But they still loved each other deeply. He just couldn't watch and be a part of this as he saw no good in this creations that his wife had tried to convince him were like his children to, even asked him to use his soul at one point to but he had refused. These things weren't children to him and he had lost his wife only them because of his stubbornness. But he didn't blame the ragdoll like creatures; he had made the choice himself.

It was all in the past anyways as Helen watched her children now, smiling through playing her cello as Neptune flickered pain on the canvas to make it appear like rain which Mars must have told him to do as he was to new in order to have seen rain yet. This was her family now and she loved them completely as any mother would, fearing the time when she was going to have to be honest with them all about their place in the world because she may not be there forever…

Come little children
I'll take thee away
Into a land of enchantment

"There and there and we are…done." Mars said and placed the paintbrush down to instead lean on it like a staff with an unreadable expression at the artwork her and Neptune had done together. It was heavily inspired by the music and lyrics as it depicted a shadowy figure leading a trail of small children off with a eerie smile and uncertainly on the young ones faces.

It could be seen as both a scary image but also had the potential to be a inspiring piece that someone could show up in life to take you away from hard times and show you something better out there. But what were the chances of that?

Neptune stared at the piece in awe, not knowing that in so many ways he had just helped make a small warning that his own future was going to end up like this painting. A lost and confused child he would become just like his siblings that would need to be lead and show the errors of their ways by one whom knew how; this was going to be Neptune's path one day. But for now it was just a harmless picture that made him happy, only looking away from it when Mars suddenly grabbed his hands and dipped them in the water nearby; watching the colors dissolve and swirl out with interest.

"Your not about to get paint all over me," the female excused with her back to Neptune, the youth now able to see her symbol clearly for the first time and he blinked in a blank look at it. A red color like her arms but looked like a heart with an arrow pointing out of it. The young 'punk moved before thinking and reached out to trace the symbol with his free hand that she had finished cleaning; female instantly tensing when feeling his fingers of smaller size upon her back.

Come little children
The time's come to play
Here in my garden of shadows

"What are you doing squirt?" she asked after finishing cleaning his hands and looking back at her newer smaller brother like she was fear of his answer. Neptune just shrugged lightly and now touched her symbol with both hands as he tried to figure it out, it's purpose.

"I want to know what this is," he replied simply and looked to her with confused blue optics, "I have one of my front, Uri has one on his face and Earth has one on the bottom of his leg…And now you have one on your back. I want to know why and what it means."

Mars almost smiled at his behavior but stopped herself because smiling and laughter wasn't her forte. "That's just my symbol kid. It means my name Mars and shows my heritage if you will. We all have one and their all different from each other; one symbol for one 'punk and this is mine."

Neptune seemed to understand surprisingly for how young he was and nodded before unexpectedly hugging her from the back, making the female gasp and tense well looking to see if anyone had seen this; no one had.

"Than I like THIS symbol," the young 'punk said against her fabric which was an odd felling that worked Mars up to no end. "I like Mars and her symbol. Because there's only one Mars…"

The female was stunned for a brief moment at his innocence and suddenly bold behavior but didn't smack him off like she did with her older siblings that dared to invade her personal space. Mars just cleared her throat in embarrassment before pressing a finger to the boy's head and slowly pushing him off of her being. "No touchy…It's weird."