Okay, so, I'm gonna be straight with you, guys: I don't know how long this story will be, but I'm planning to keep this one short.Will we see what the other Loud Sisters are doing? Probably, but I can't guarantee they'll all have plot relevance like Luan and Lori.Will we get to see Mera and Lincoln finally acknowledge each other as mother and son? You don't know how hard I want to say yes, so freaking much!But anyhow, I need to keep my priorities straight. This year, I want some of my stories to end, so I can't play the "epic" game anymore.That, and there really isn't much going on around, so if I made this super long, it'd be nothing but filler XDAnd now, let's answer some reviews:1) Nobody245:* She pretty much has no choice: she really doesn't like living alone.* Was that meant in a good or bad way? Because I assure you, Lori's strictly on the side of good.2) Zombie D-Man:* Yup, it'll be very interesting. ;)* Interesting.* It's definitely a plot point.And now, to the chapter!

"So, let me get this straight," Mera said, rubbing her forehead. "Your caretaker had to go do business somewhere, and they'll be out for a long time, and they couldn't find a babysitter for you in time?"

"And what's worse is that no matter how much I told them otherwise, they still think I'm a baby!" Molly whined. "But yeah, that's the gist of it. I don't like being alone, and Lincoln's the only friend I have in Royal Woods, so I was hoping it wouldn't be too much trouble to stay with you for a couple-"

"You talk a lot, you know that?" Mera growled.

Molly squeaked and fell silent.

"I'm not sure letting you live with us is a good idea," Mera sighed. "I mean, a couple of things just happened that has made me reconsider a lot, and Indus and I already struggled to keep a roof over our heads. Or at least, I did."

Mera turned to Indus. "You said you're doing fine as a museum tour guide, Indus?"

"Yes, Lady Mera!" Indus chirped. "The skills I learned from our previous job at-"

"Just say yes or no, Indus!" Mera interjected.

"Uh, yeah! I'm doing pretty good!"

Molly raised an eyebrow, but Lincoln quickly caught her attention with his next question:

"But you're doing great as an Epithet Coach, right, Mera?"

Mera's anger slowly subsided, but just as she looked upset at the statement, she regained her composure and shook her head.

"I-Uh-"

"You were pretty awesome with the way you used your Barrier, Mister Indus!"

Mera flinched at Molly's statement, but a look at her eyes made it clear what she was trying to do, so she played along.

"Now that she mentions it, that makes me a bit curious, too," Mera folded her arms and faced Indus. "You've never been that creative with your Epithet before. What happened?"

"I gave him a few pointers," Lincoln explained. "I asked Indus to meet me when he had time, and once he did, I told him a few ways to use his Epithet more creatively."

Mera lowered her eyelids. "And you chose to keep that a secret from me, why?"

"Well, ever since my Epithet awakened," Lincoln scratched the back of his head. "You've kinda been a bit... overprotective-"

"Lincoln, just snapping your fingers leaves you on the floor in pain!" Mera snapped, slamming her fist down the table. "Do you have any idea how much you could get hurt by training with Indus?! His barriers are as thick as his muscles!"

An awkward silence soon followed.

"You know what I mean! It's too dangerous!"

"Relax, Lady Mera, I made sure to be as careful as possible while training!" Indus chirped. "And besides, Lincoln stood at the sidelines while I trained!"

Mera faced Lincoln with a raised eyebrow, the boy nodding with a sheepish smile and a shrug.

"Fine, I guess I can allow that," Mera folded her arms. "Just so long as you stay safe."

"Alright!" Indus stretched his fist towards Lincoln. "Fist bump!"

"Carefully!" Mera interjected.

Lincoln chuckled and bumped fists with Indus, all while Molly looked at them with a notable frown.

"As for you..."

"Y-Yeah?!" a startled Molly asked.

"I'm willing to let you live with us, so long as you pull your own weight," Mera narrowed her eyes. "You'll help me clean the dishes, keep the apartment clean, and so on, got it?"

"Y-Yeah! That's fine by me!" Molly waved her hand. "I wasn't expecting you to let me live with you for free, anyway!"

"Well, if that's all settled, I should start making dinner!" Indus said as he stood up excitedly. "What would you like to eat?!"

"Hamburgers," Lincoln and Mera said in unison, prompting them to exchange surprised looks.

"I'm not very hungry right now," Molly sighed. "Could I go check the guest room?"

"Of course! It's the last door to the left!" Indus snapped his fingers. "Hey, maybe Lincoln could show you the way!"

"Huh?!" Mera gasped.

"It's fine, I'll show her where it is and I'll return immediately," Lincoln spoke as he stood up. "Trust me, I won't make you worry."

Mera rubbed her forehead and sighed wearily. "You better not."

Lincoln nodded and he and Molly walked down to the guest room while the adults stayed behind to make dinner.

Once at the door, Lincoln opened it, and once inside, Molly spoke:

"You know, I'm a little jealous of you."

Lincoln raised an eyebrow. "A little jealous?"

"Okay, fine," Molly giggled. "I'm very jealous."

"I wasn't calling you out, I was just surprised," Lincoln tilted his head. "I mean, you don't look like the type of person who'd be jealous."

"Oh, you'd be surprised, hehe," Molly played with her hair slightly. "But, anyway, the reason I'm jealous is because of how well you and your parents get along."

Lincoln scratched his head. "Really?"

"Yeah, my situation back home... isn't the best," Molly grabbed her arm and lowered her head. "Mom isn't with us anymore, and my Dad and sister took the news pretty badly."

Lincoln frowned. "How badly? If you're not uncomfortable answering?"

"Dad regressed to the mind of a child, and sis followed soon after. Though thankfully, they didn't devolve all the way," Molly forced a hopeful smile and looked at Lincoln. "Dad initially put me in charge of the family store, but he wised up soon enough.

"Wow."

"He's still a manchild, but manchild who runs the family business," Molly rolled her eyes. "As for my sister, she helps at the store while trying to get through her studies. Needless to say, she's recovered faster than Dad."

Lincoln hummed. "Sounds like your family's got it rough."

Molly faced Lincoln with a raised eyebrow. "And what about your family?"

"My family?"

"Yeah, the birth one, to be exact: you look like a mix between Mera and Indus, but it's been made clear time and time again that you're adopted, so... what happened to your birth family?"

Lincoln frowned and lowered his head. "We grew too numerous. My sisters and I alone made eleven of us, and neither Mom nor Dad could support us. So, they took the hardest decision in their life, and put us all for adoption."

Molly's eyes widened as Lincoln continued:

"I was adopted by Mera and Indus, and I had the luxury of being the first one to be adopted. I tried to keep in contact with my sisters, but before I knew it, we drifted apart and we haven't spoken to each other for years."

Molly lowered her head. "I'm sorry for bringing it up."

"Nah, it's okay, I'm just glad most of them got adopted too," Lincoln shrugged. "Granted, some of them were adopted into troublemakers like the Banzai Blasters, but-"

"Wait, most of them?" Molly asked. "You mean, some of them didn't get adopted?"

Lincoln lowered his head. "My two oldest sisters didn't: Lori worked from the ground up to become a policewoman, and Leni walked off on her own."

"And where is she now?"

"I don't know. I just hope she's okay..."

And while that went down, Mera got a phone call:

"Hello?"

"Miss Salamin?"

Mera's eyes widened. "Principal Huggins? Why are you calling?"

"Oh, uh, I just wanted to apologize regarding our earlier... conversation, at my office."

Mera raised a skeptical eyebrow. "You are?"

"Yes..."

"It was one thing to fire you, but to add your adopted son as collateral damage was... uncalled for."

"Well, at last we agree on something. So, I take it Lincoln can continue studying at Epithet Academy?"

The man paused to look at the person accompanying him: a woman with long Blonde hair, wearing an all-concealing black cloak and a pair of sunglasses at the top of her head.

Seeing her unblinking stare, the man gave a simple answer:

"Yes, he can, and will, stay in Epithet Academy."

The woman flashed a toothy grin, one that sent shivers down his spine.