So yes. That happened. Finally lol.
Bree sat on the edge of the bed brushing out her hair and braiding it. Cole still sleeping. It had become the usual for them to share with each other or one of them staying with Alana to get her to sleep though the night. Bree sighed as she heard Alana starting to rustle around in her bed. Then the tiny calls of mama Im awake. Leaning to Cole and gently shaking him awake. Cole was usualy the morning person. Not her.
"Hey Bree, give me a minute" came a muffled voice. Before He paused and rolled over quickly to thrown his arms around Bree and drag her to him.
"Hi" Bree said laughing. "What's gotten into you?"
"Is that not my line?" Cole asked her nuzling into her neck and hair.
"Haha, Haha yes very funny. Id rather stay here with you...but aside from Alana we have a whole lot more people that are probably wondering where we took off to last night" Bree told him pushing herself up to sitting position still in his arms.
"Ugh. Of all the days Id rather not see them" Cole said.
"Honestly a few of them are probably very glad not to see me" Bree responded with her face pinching.
"Harumi and Morro have some explaining to do. But... I don't think we should exactly out them to everyone else yet. I was thinking after you fell asleep last night that they might have pulled the stupid handfasting thing so they wouldn't hurt Lloyd's feelings" Cole said. Not ready to get up.
"That is... a good possibility" Bree said with a huff. "While it might have hurt my feelings and I think its rushed. Its their own business. Just like we are our own business".
"What are we would be the first order of business" Cole said sitting up to pull her back into his lap and kiss her.
"That I think is a discussion for later between us" she answered gesturing to Alana's room and then towards where the door should be.
Cocking his head Cole realized she could hear someone yelling out side the apartment. Judging by the pounding on the wall, the swearing and the volume it sounded like a combination of Jay and Kai.
"Now I know how Kai feels" Cole said grumbling.
"Oh dear you can't possibly know what it feels like to be that inadequate" Bree said. Barely keeping a straight face as she said it.
Coles jaw dropping at her both making fun of Kai and teasing him. He went to grab for her again but she spun out of arms reach and headed off after Alana.
Not bothering with a shirt. Or pants Cole got up and stomped to the door in his boxers. He knew Bree had shut the door with her magic. And was pleasantly surprised when he waved his hand in reverse that he could unlock the door the same way. Grinning to himself when he heard a curse and a squeak from the now visible door. Kicking it open to see the surprised faces of Kai and Jay.
"What do you dumb-asses want?" Cole asked Running his hands through his hair.
Before they got a chance to answer Bree ducked under his arm. Calling over her shoulder for him to get dressed. And then to lock the door behind him.
Jay still stareing gobsmacked. Kai shocked then grinning.
"So you two" Kai started to say something smarmy before getting cut off.
"Not a chance Kai. Ill be down in a minute" Cole said laughing as he turned and kicked the door shut. He didn't think Bree would like them in their personal space. Now that he thought of it he wasn't so sure He wanted anyone else in their personal space just yet either. Literally and figuratively. He really needed to talk to Bree alone tonight. Throwing on some clothing he came back out to the waiting ninja. Locking it with a wave of his hand. Ha he was getting better at that and neither of the guys even noticed it.
Downstairs he could hear Bree yelling at Karlof. Laughing as she told him to stay the hell out of the library with a full tray full of who the hell knows what. Whatever it was the food smelled delicious. All three of them headed in. All sorts of ninja, elemental masters and family members were either eating, starting more food or cleaning up. Lloyd was sitting at one corner of a table just holding a cup of coffee. Bree gleefully set Alana down next to him in a tall chair and gave her a bowl of oatmeal. Grabbing a hot cup of coffee herself with relish.
Cole slid Alana a bowl of icecream when Bree was busy grabbing something for Pixal. They were on far better terms with each other now that Bree made sure that Pixal had extra warm clothing and blankets for Cyrus. How Bree knew Pixal would need them shocked the others. It hardly fazed Cole anymore. Kai and Jay each ended up finding their fiancees and sitting with them.
Bree more or less slammed a cup of tea in front of a started Harumi.
"Thanks but no thanks" Harumi told her. Pushing it back at her much more gently.
Bree said nothing but shoved it back. Glaring at her.
"It's not necessary, really" Harumi said.
Bree lifted her wrist an wiggled it. Cole now figured out what the tea was for. After last night when Bree said she had been taking a prevention tea, she must be assuming that Harumi would need it as well. Bree flailed her arms in frustration. She looked like she wanted to yell some very specific things, but couldn't in the room full of people. So she brought up a shield bubble around just her and Harumi. Pixal taken aback because they were right next to her and Cyrus. She might now think Bree is kind and caring. Sweet but psycho as Zane told her last night.
"Alright then. How the hell is it not necessary? And oh yes right confuckinggradulations on getting married" Bree was now able to snap at her.
"Its a handfasting Bree" Harumi said rolling her eyes.
"Your a fucking Djin you dumbass. More than I am. Do you not get the point like I have told you what a thousand times over. A promise made to you, a female Djin, is pretty freaking permanent and binding!?" Bree now screeched.
"You know you look like a nut yelling at me in a bubble" Harumi told her, now somewhat aggravated.
"Would you like me to drop it and yell in front of what twenty people you got married and didn't tell anybody?" Bree yelled.
"No! I mean no. Its not the right time yet" Harumi said quickly.
"Then what are you going to do when you get pregnant?" Bree asked her. Not calmly.
"How did you even know we are trying?" Harumi asked quietly.
"Its on purpose?" Bree snapped. "For the love of... What on earth inspired you to date, marry and attempt to have a baby so fast".
"This is rich coming from you" Harumi snarled back at her.
"Yes, Slate and I waited till after our handfasting wedding, After we dated for quite a while. And I immediately got pregnant and he left. And remember what happened? He was killed and EATEN by a kappa. Djin karma at its finest. So yea did you fully explain to Morro what would happen if and when he backs out of your what barely a month long relationship?" Bree said.
"Just because Slate was a terrible person does not mean Morro is. But we love each other. And at the time we were terrified you and Alana were gone forever. And neither of us had any other family left. Why should we try and wait. Or put off having a family in case the worse happens. Why not just grab life and what makes you happy? Harumi told her.
"Would you at least consider staying here with Alana out of harms way instead of going out with Morro and trying to play the hero killing monsters?" Bree asked her.
"Im not pregnant yet Bree" Harumi said quietly.
"I know, I'd probably know before you will" Bree said tapping the side of her head.
With a groan Bree vanished the shield bubble around them and turned to Alana. Fully aware that other people knew they were having a massive argument about something.
"Cole what the heck did you feed her?" Bree huffed.
"Oatmeal" Cole said, getting up rapidly. "Im going to go do some training with the guys.
"This is not oatmeal Cole" she said. Rolling her eyes.
Most of the other ninja and a few elemental masters made to head off with Cole to the training rooms. Lloyd carrying the coffee pot and his cup with him. Bree also caught sight of Morro heading off to train with the others. She knew that he knew exactly what her and Harumi were arguing about.
"Hey Lloyd" Bree called out. Getting a tired and irritable Lloyd to turn and look in her direction. Kick his ass Bree mouthed to him. Pointing at Morro. Lloyd figured Bree was mad at Morro for something and raised his cup of coffee in salute.
"Mama I done. I wanna go fly with Cole" Alana said squeaking.
"Pumpkin you are gonna go to the library with mama and research some spells and magic, I want to try and make something new" Bree told her.
With a whimper as Cole left her line of sight Alana looked like she was going to cry.
"But wanna go fly with Cole" She said sadly.
"Why don't you just take her yourself" Pixal said. Not meaning to be rude, but it snagged at Bree a little.
"I can't summon an elemental dragon and fly. No matter how hard I have tried" Bree told her. She didn't know why she could not. And it got on her nerves. But it was what it was.
Coming up behind Bree and Pixal Sensi Wu was curious.
"Has Cole not attempted to teach you how? Or Spinjitzu?" He asked.
"Cole has tried and failed to teach me. Its not his fault every time I think I might get it I just shapeshift instead. And that is ten shades of aweful" Bree told him with a sigh.
Alana appraised Wu with a considering eye. She knew who he was. Over the past year her mommy and Cole had told her everything about their friends and family.
"Grandpa Wu has dragon?" Alana asked thoughtfully as a two year old can.
That startled Wu. Bree had never so much as referred to him as a parent or family. Hearing that from Alana was more than he had ever hoped for.
"Oh no your not" Bree said laughing. "The last thing Wu wants to do is go fly you in circles for hours. Come on silly".
With a sigh Wu watched Brianna pick up Alana and head to the library. He would have wanted to do that very much.
Bree spent several hours reading and trying out new magic and spells. She wanted to figure out how to make more effective weapons for them to use. And possibly some projectiles that could be thrown. She finally figured out a way to capture a spell in a glass bauble that can explode on impact. Very effective on say a fire type spell. But the dehydration tea might work even better. But she didn't want to actually try out these with Alana around. In case they went wrong or threw wreckage anywhere. So she headed out of the library and in search of Cole or maybe Harumi. It wasn't hard to find any of them. The noise from the large training rooms below was a dead giveaway.
Alana squirmed to run to Cole. Bree held her back and cleared her throat before letting Alana interrupt him. Cole looked up and held his arms out to her. And she ran to him. Cole had been sparing with Kai and Jay. The later quickly pulling up and laughing as he turned to instigate Nya with something. Kai was less careful and Cole had to swing up and block a blow from a sword. Bree had brought up a glow of purple magic. She didn't use it to shield Cole and Alana unless she needed to. That showed an enormous amount of trust on her part.
Bree turned and glared at Kai. Not saying a word. But her eyes and face burned with anger.
"Kai. If you had been paying attention better that wouldn't have been necessary" Sensi Wu scolded him.
"Well maybe she shouldn't have brought her kid in here" Kai snapped. That got the attention of everyone in the room. Jay actually dropping whatever he was chasing Nya and poking her with. And it clattered to the floor.
Harumi wasn't in the room right now. Or else Bree might have asked her to take Alana. Because now Bree was going to have to deal with Kai and his shenangains.
"Cole could you perhaps take Alana out for a flight?" Bree asked him nicely.
"No way" Cole said with a snort. " I want to see this".
"I had wanted to test out a few of these bauble tea spell things. The results might be explosive. And Alana is getting super bored with me" Bree told Cole.
"I love bubble tea!" Jay said ecstatically.
"Bauble Jay, not bubble" Nya told him.
Cole and Bree gesturing back and forth was one of those amusing couples things where they both know what they are arguing about and trying not to say it in front of everyone else.
"If I may provide assistance, I was going to go find Misako and get some tea. Perhaps I could take Alana with and also find Harumi for you?" Wu asked.
Bree's eyes got big. She looked to Cole instead of Wu. A few words back and forth and Alana bounced off after Wu.
"You know the instant they get out of sight shes gonna ask to go flying" Bree said to Cole.
"I figured. If they don't Ill take her quick before she goes to bed" Cole told her giving her a kiss on the forehead.
Without turning or giving warning Bree sent out a shot of purple magic. Grabbing Kai and yanking him off his feet. Still not turning her head she slammed the bubble up to the ceiling and then down to the floor a few times. Skyler gasping. Bree dropped the bubble and let him hit the floor before speaking.
"I don't know why you don't like me. Or my daughter. I do get why you dislike my cousin. However I have done nothing but help you and your friends and family. At this point I have spent more than a year of my life fixing up a fortress where all of your family and friends can be safe. Not even mentioning uncurseing or healing your fiance. This dam fortress is my home. More than even yours. If you don't like it leave." Bree told him.
"I don't like you or your bitch cousin. And I certainly don't like how you got your claws into Cole and seduced him. Im shocked you haven't gotten yourself knocked up yet" Kai spat back at her.
"I am not the one seducing anyone. Did you ever stop and wonder if disliking me or making fun of Cole is a way of making up for your own inadequacy's?" Bree said with a taunting tone.
"What the hell are you talking about inadequacy's" Kai yelled.
"Big attitude, little man. Very little man" Bree said pinching her fingers together.
Kai couldn't even respond for a second. Cole burst out laughing. The rest of the room was waiting for Kai to explode. And he did. Jumping forward with both swords drawn. Bree was waiting for it and had grabbed a short ax off the wall and blocked him perfectly. It was more than apparent Bree and Cole had spent time training and not just fixing the fortress.
When just swords didn't work Kai used his fire and tried to blast her.
"That's enough Kai" Lloyd snapped at him.
"It's alright Lloyd, Ill be fine" Bree laughed.
Bree blocked again with a shield spell and then chucked the ax into a corner. A curious move until the floor dropped out from under Kai and he fell down for a while then hit the bottom with a splash. More splashing and swearing. Sklyer and Nya leaning over the edge of the hole to see what happened.
"Its a well lined with vengestone and filled in partly with water. He's not going to drown. But he can't use his powers to get out either." Bree told them.
"What's the point in that?" Jay squeaked.
"Kai specifically? To learn some patience and I have a captive audience to talk to him without him trying to kill me. In general? A training tool to teach children that they can't always use their powers to fix everything." Bree told them.
"Welp I'm hungry who wants dinner? I think we skipped lunch" Cole said enthusiastically.
"You want us to leave him alone here to fend for himself?" Nya snapped at him.
"No I am going to stay here and keep an eye on him, I wouldn't leave him there in case he can't swim" Bree answered her.
Cole made to kiss Bree but she shoved him away telling him he was sweaty. Zane had apparently already wandered out once they were finished. Lloyd gesturing to the others to follow him out.
Bree kneeled and then leaned over the edge of the open well to peer in at Kai.
"Im going to kill you when I get out of here" Kai growled.
"Oh no you're not. Bluntly put you aren't a match for me. Lloyd maybe with some time and training. Or a huge group of you. Alone no." Bree told him. "But you are going to tell me what your problem is".
"I already said I don't like you or Harumi. And I want you to keep your claws off Cole" Kai growled again.
"Dude, right now Harumi and Morro are not on my favorite list either. And I have spent the last year telling Cole to keep it in his own pants. So your anger is displaced" Bree said.
She heard sloshing and noise from down below. With a sigh she knew Kai was trying to use his powers. It wasn't going to work.
"Neuro said that you were mad because Cole had a family already. Is it possible that you are just angry and a touch jealous because you and Skyler haven't been able to have one yet?" Bree asked.
"How the fuck could you even know that?" Kai yelled.
"Skyler had more than one curse on her, that's why she got so sick when she drank that tea. I bumped into her in the kitchen at the temple. My elemental powers told me she has some medical issues. I healed her then. I asked Skylers mother about it downstairs. Do you know how her mom died?" Bree asked him.
There was a long pause. The sound of water sloshing stopped then.
"Skyler says her mom died when she was born. That's why her father raised her alone." Kai answered. This time more civilly.
"Her mother died of eclampsia, sometimes called toxemia. It is a serious health condition during pregnancy that can be fatal. And tends to run in family's. The second curse on Skyler was put there to prevent her from ever getting pregnant. Her father was a melodramatic bitch who lived for drama. But part of him really loved Skyler. He must have been devastated when her mom died." Bree said.
"She has no idea. I had no idea" Kai responded softly.
"At any rate, no more curses, no more eclampsia. So at some point you guys will have the family you have always wanted." Bree told him kindly.
"Why did you do that?" Kai asked.
"Because it is the right thing to do? Why wouldn't I?" Bree asked.
"Cause I have been a dick" Kai murmered from down below. Bree laughed at that.
It would be nice to know who put the second curse on her. Because they are the same person who put the curse on everyone else" Bree mused.
"Wait what? Are you sure it was the same person?" Kai yelled from down below.
Bree rolled her eyes and huffed.
"Of course I am, I am the elemental master of magic. Magic and spells and teas and curses are my thing remember?" Bree said.
"Didn't Hana, Wu's mother say it was another elemental master, a dark magician that killed her? And that it wasn't a part of her or Rowena's family but the other clan?" Kai said rapidly and excitedly.
"Yes..." Bree said slowly. "But as of now that other clan is all dead. I can look it up in the library at the family tree's to be sure."
"Would the family tree still say dead if the elemental master was a ghost?" Kai asked from down below.
Kai heard Bree groan in frustration.
"Ugh. Yes it would. All the elemental masters in the catacombs that temporarily come back are still listed as dead. So I assume any other ghost would still be listed as dead. So we look though the family tree's and go from there?" Bree asked.
"Don't have to. I already know who it is. A ghost that can do magic and worked for Chen" Kai yelled.
"Well climb your feisty ass out of there and lets go tell everyone else" Bree yelled back down to him.
