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Chapter 2

I slept better than I thought I would, considering we had an intruder who was very good at their job (though not good enough), and thrown a knife at me. But, when both my wife and our best friend were making an effort to take my mind off it, I ended up too exhausted care.

At least until I woke up again. Better rested, with the same problems as before.

"fox... leggo." Aisha mumbled into one of my ears.

As was usual when she joined in, she ended up in the middle, and my tails has the same unbreakable grip as my hands. "my pillow is talking." I mumbled back, "bad pillow." I did however start the process of untangling my nine tails from her legs, while quite petulantly keeping my arm over her chest and head on her shoulder.

"i know you don't have to wake up with the kids anymore, but we have to talk." She gave my ears a pat with one hand, but then started to wiggle a bit to get free of me.

"this already sounds like a bad day." I sighed, rolling over so she could get free and stand up, but then rolling back to take over the warm spot and wiggle over to Haruhime (who was still snoring very politely).

I could hear Aisha stretching and gathering up clothes, "And you're not wrong." She said, followed by a metallic sound as she picked up the thing that our intruder had thrown at me. "I know where this came from."

She moved around so I didn't have to abandon my new happy spot. Now in better lighting and not thinking about catching up on well deserved snu-snu, I saw that I was right. It was a tooth. The black surface had been sharpened, and the hilt had been worn down to become a handle. Overall, it was a bit longer than my hand, and I could see small grooves had been carved into the sides near the tip. And while overall blade was slightly curved, when I had held it, I could tell it was balanced for throwing.

"Ironfang tusk." Aisha said, sitting down while holding on the flat of her palm, "Imagine something about the size of a horse, except amphibious. Long snout, long tail, tough hide, and a bite that can crush stone."

"and it comes from someplace outside the dungeon?" I guessed, "no...stay sleeping." I encouraged Haruhime as she stopped her little mouse snores and shifted a little to cuddle me better.

"Yeah." Aisha sighed, "They live in the swamps back home, in Telskyura."

"ko-san... don't swear... nom cookie..." Haruhime mumbled into my shoulder, drooling on it a little as well.

Aisha and I shared a smile, "was only a matter of time I suppose." I sighed, giving Haruhime a little squeeze, "love?"

"I'll get breakfast going. Since most everyone else is in the dungeon right now, I think I can manage." She stood up again, "Don't be too long."

"put clothes on." I said as she left my view.

"Don't want to share the sight of me?" Aisha teased.

"who else could handle you?" I moved my head just enough to look at her, and wink, before laying down properly again and giving Haruhime another little shake.

Now that our children had grown up a little, and learned some of the basic things one should learn when it came to table manners, breakfast was far less chaotic. Still noisy, since 'manners' and 'volume' were still in separate dimensions, but less chaotic.

So while the children were eating today's breakfast of 'Aisha styled pancakes' (randomly sized, not exactly fluffy, but still pretty good), I told the three Gods what had happened. Also at the table were Weine, Shinkage, and our assortment of animal shaped people. Chime and one of her kittens (though fully grown now) were all that were left of Chime's children. The rest had wandered off to see the world over the past year or so. Sir Skitters was just as adorable as always (for a dog sized spider). While Loaner and Maki's fox (who still hadn't told anyone her name), skipped pancakes for raw eggs.

"And you didn't think to wake us to this intrusion?" Takemikazuchi said, frowning.

"o-ma is in trouble!" someone said, followed by a few giggles.

"Considering the hour, and how quiet it all was? No Lord Takemikazuchi." I replied, "With how fast they fled, I doubted they would return. They did not want anyone to know they were here."

"Aisha? Are you sure they were from Telskyura?" Astraea asked.

"Unless they managed to intrude on Amazon lands, hunt down an Ironfang, and copy all of the usual techniques to sharpen and shape the tusk? Yes I'm sure." Aisha nodded, "Going to have to tell the girls though."

The Amazon were probably still doing the 'morning thing' with their children, but it wouldn't be long before they came to the kitchen for their own breakfast. "You think they are in danger?" Hestia asked.

"Maybe. Maybe not. But if a scout was here, they wanted to learn something. Like if there really were horned children here." Aisha said.

"Only a matter of time before news spread." I sighed.

"There there Ko-san, we did our best." Haruhime said, "They will be safe here."

"From harm, sure." I nodded, "But this is starting to smell like politics." I ate the last of my pancake grumpily, "Let them know, and we'll talk to them at lunch break?"

"o-ma said the 'p' word!" More giggles.

"Sure." Aisha nodded.

"Loaner?" Loaner paused in mid-slurp of his egg yolk, "After you've eaten, could you find Samira and ask her to come over? Be careful though."

"Yip." He replied, returning to his food with a little more gusto.

"Who's finished breakfast? Shall we carry these to the sink?" Haruhime asked the children.

After the various Amazon mothers had done their own breakfast, the majority of them, with their yearling slung in a kind of body hammock that let the child wiggle around but not actually fall, we got them all into the living room.

Just as we'd done with our children, they let them loose to crawl about, try walking, or napping, while the adults chatted about stuff. As luck, or rather, as having an amazing messenger on staff, Loaner and Samira (Aisha's white haired Amazon friend from her time in Ishtar Familia), entered the Manor just as we were all getting settled in. I felt a little bad, not only because it seemed politics would be involved, but because Bell and most of the rest of the Alliance Core were in the dungeon. We generally didn't have meetings like this when people weren't here.

"Samira." I nodded to the Amazon as she walked into the living room, "Loaner." I didn't bother nodding to him, since he was shamelessly getting headpats and his eyes were closed happily.

"He said is was urgent, and came in through the chimney." She said, making most of the other girls perk up. They'd been here long enough to know Loaner was dutiful, but didn't generally take side entrances. He was somehow still perfectly clean too.

"Aisha?" I glanced over to her. "Let's not waste time. We have a problem."

Without a word, Aisha unwrapped a cloth from the ironfang tusk, "We had a visitor last night." She said after holding it up for all to see, "And I can think of only one place this could come from."

Samira facepalmed, "Ah shhhh...shimmy." She corrected herself after Haruhime looked at her from over her teacup, "Are you sure?"

"Fen-chan-" I started, the giant foxxo, (a remnant of Fenrir's soul that I had eaten, my own magic, and some weirdness I couldn't explain) appeared from the shadow of the couch and the nearest wall. Oddly enough, he was wearing a bright pink bonnet.

From someplace nearby I heard Yuki, "Ah no! Come back?"

"Yes you may." I nodded to Fen-chan, "I'll call twice if I need you."

"Yurf." He replied, carefully stepping around and over curious Oni-Amazon children and through the gate blocking the living room from the main hallway as if it weren't there (or he was made of shadows).

"Right. So, he didn't react to the intruder. He's smart, but I'm pretty sure all Amazons are the same for him if he isn't looking right at you or poking you with his nose." I continued now that the comic relief had left the room again. "I felt it however, and since I knew you were all in for the night, I went to check."

"Yay he came back!"

"Did you get a good look at them?" One asked, a few others leaning in a little.

"No. They were dressed like they knew what they were doing. Dusky clothes and face paint." I shook my head, "All I could make out for sure were 'female' and 'thrown dagger'. Very professional, and quiet. And by the time I'd recovered from dodging the knife, she was already vanishing back over the wall."

Most of them looked worried as they mumbled to each other, "Yeah, sounds like a scout." Samira grumbled, "If you'd followed her you'd either have run into a trap, or ambush. Typical tactic."

"I learned that lesson already." I said, feeling my wrists tingle, "So I picked up the evidence and went back to bed."

Some smiled, others chuckled, Haruhime blushed a little, but then one of them said, "We're... safe here right?" She was likely the youngest, maybe second youngest of them all.

Hestia spoke up, "You are under our protection, just like these little guys are." She gave the light blue child she was holding a headpat. (Who then tried to capture said hand, likely to nom on it.)

"I am curious, and admittedly less knowledgeable than I'd like to be about the Amazon ways. But it seems our assurance isn't easing your fears." Takemikazuchi said.

The Amazon looked back and forth among each other, then to Samira. She was the 'leader' of the Amazon in the Entertainment district, at least, since Freya had to sell all of her properties to cover the massive fines from the Guild. Being put on the spot didn't really bother her, but she sighed, "It's usually custom to take them home to show them off." She looked down at her legs, a dusky red child pausing a moment to look back, before trying to nom her kneecap again, "And unless you're an exile, it's expected of you."

"We... we didn't want to go back there to raise them." One said, "Even if they're special, they'd still be put into the fighting pits..." Said another.

Since I did know a little bit about all this, I asked a question of my own, "Weren't they supposed to be able to talk first, before that..." I skipped over the word I -wanted- to say, "happened?"

"Yes, but before that, we are expected to raise them there... toughen them up a little... special foods, lessons, wooden daggers instead of wooden blocks..."

"Samira-san..." Haruhime started, the tiny edge on her voice the only hint she was angry at all, "Is this intruder going to become a regular occurrence?" She had all four of her tails on her lap, and they were doing an angry little swish.

"Depends on who gave the orders, and if they're here in the city. Scouts don't give orders, so who ever visited last night probably has a handler." Samira replied, "They might try again, maybe a team this time. Or, diplomacy."

"Amazons use diplomacy?" Shinkage asked, quiet until now and content to boop the nose of any child who got curious about her and crawled too close.

Aisha laughed, "Yeah, it happens. We'll fight for what we want, but we aren't stupid."

"What about..." One of the Amazon started, looking down at the horned boy in her arms. One of the only two males to ever have been born from an Amazon in known history.

"So long as none of you have said anything about it, no one outside this room should know." Samira said, "Aside from the Ganesha Doctor. But he's a professional."

"I find it too convenient that we should have an intruder while almost everyone is in the dungeon." Takemikazuchi said, sipping his tea for effect and pretending to not notice the child that had latched onto his shin like a koala, "I would assume this 'scout' has been watching."

"Amazons do like to watch." Shinkage said, not even looking up to see the effect her comment had on the room.

"Can you send Mr. Loaner after her?" One Amazon asked.

"No." I shook my head, watching Loaner roll away from a crawling child, "I need a name and a face. I don't know one, and hardly saw the other." I hmm'ed, "But if she returns, I'll know."

"Samira-san? With all the Amazon coming and going from the city, would it be possible to find out when they arrived?" Haruhime asked.

"Possible? Maybe. But as you said, we travel how we please, and are commonly hired as guards. Just as capable, and easier to look at." She grinned, making many of the other Amazon laugh.

"Why not just invite her here?" Shinkage asked, "Would it be possible to ask for diplomacy from the start, instead of sneaking around?"

I nodded to Samira, who looked thoughtful, "I could spread the word."

"Be clever with your words." Astraea said, patting the back of a sleeping child, the other boy of the group, "We would like to meet, but if it isn't face to face..." She trailed off.

"I'm sure I can come up with a suitably veiled threat." Samira smiled, "But I do have to warn you Fox."

"Hmm?" This got all of the Gods, as well as Myself and Haruhime looking at her.

"There are a lot of us in the city. Sure, some don't care, and others hate how things are back home," She motioned to the girls, "But a lot of us plan on returning some day, and follow the traditions."

"And where do you stand, Samira?" Shinkage asked, her cold lizardlike eyes blinking at her once.

"I take care of my girls." She said, "And if that gets me exiled? Well, I'm already spoiled by silks and cottons."

Aisha laughed, while the other Amazon looked at her thankfully. "Urg... I'm actually looking forward to teaching class this morning." Hestia grumbled, "This just feels like trouble."

Despite last night's trouble and this morning's worry, the local children still showed up for school.

The 'education' system in Orario was still mostly 'trades'. For the 'people' (non-adventurers), Mom or Pa would teach the child words, numbers, and what ever profession they themselves did. However, if the child showed no interest/skill, or interest in some other skill, they might take up an apprenticeship with someone else. You know, like sending your boy to the local smith to learn how to swing a hammer.

This of course involved money. Unless the person teaching your son or daughter offered it themselves, you'd probably have to pay them for 'educational daycare'. The Hearthstone School was no different. But instead of a trade, we taught the children letters, numbers, and other such basics. This included swimming lessons, general athletics, and some other basic skills that everyone, young or old, should know. Like sewing, cooking, and some very basic survival stuff.

And since we were advertised, endorsed, and supported by Ganesha Familia, if a child did want to learn a trade, we had enough connections to find someone willing to teach them.

Despite the unwelcome visitor the night before, the school day was going really well. And we even had a surprise guest (a welcome guest this time).

Being a welcome guest in the Manor, Gros (our professional greeter, who's grumbles were so refined as to tell everyone in the Manor what kind of person was at the gate) hardly grumbled enough for me to make it out. A few minutes later, there was a quiet tap on the classroom door. Turning my head towards the partially open door, I could see a single orange eye, and the snout of a very large dog peeking back at me.

"It seems we have a guest." I announced, the class looking up from their books and slates (we didn't use paper for 'note books', but chalk and slate to write answers on).

"It's Spot!" One said, "And Fina?" Another guessed.

Unable to contain his inner happy doggo, Spot, the Xenos hellhound, nosed the door open the rest of the way and stepped inside. He didn't, however, pull the young Chienthrope (dog demi-human, like Nazza) into the room with him. He simply stepped to the limit of his purely symbolic leash, and flailed his thin whip-like tail back and forth happily.

He was, by all standards, a massive dog. Taller than some people at the shoulder, with muscles rippling under his short rust red fur, he would have been the best example of 'why you don't fight more than one at a time'. He'd done a LOT of growing since I'd met him, but was still the same happy, gentle, playful doggo. He could also read, write (very VERY slowly), and if you gave him enough time and a lot of space, make his own dog bowls out of a sheet of metal using his own fire breath and powerful bite.

The girl with him today wasn't the usual elf girl. That kind of surprised me actually. But no, today he was with Fina. A young woman of almost sixteen, she had nice cream coloured hair, orange eyes, short perky dog ears (as opposed to my tall perky fox ears) and a short curled tail that had been well brushed.

"Spot. Fina. Good afternoon." I greeted, "What brings you by?"

"Lady Kodori." She said formally, "I am here to attend the cooking class, but also to give you this." She took an envelope from her summer dress pocket, the paper common to 'official business' and not 'godly business'.

I accepted the envelope, and she stepped back to give well deserved ear scroofles to Spot.

I read the first few lines, paused, went back over them, and felt an odd mix of emotions. When Spot had been 'left behind' at the orphanage, the orphans there became his 'family'. However, being an orphanage, the children either got adopted, or moved out on their own, and it seemed Fina was the last of the original orphans who had been there that night when Spot stayed behind.

So, feeling pleased that Fina had found new parents, and a little sad they had all been split up, I said, "Congratulations." I smiled, "Maria didn't want to keep him around?" Yes, the orphanage was actually called 'Maria's Orphanage', and yes, Maria ran it. Nice lady, warmhearted and gentle. She had an adventurer for a husband though. His death, and no children of their own gave her a reason to take in the orphans around the Daedalus Maze.

"He doesn't seem to like the new children as much." Fina said, poking Spot's nose, "I think he's being silly, but since he doesn't want to stay..." Fina then gave me her best puppy eyes, without asking the obvious question.

"I'm sure we can find a place for him here, if he wants?" I looked at Spot, who moved his head away from the ear scroofles, and nodded to me. "Well children." I looked to the class, "Seems we have a new student here."

The children all knew him. Most of Orario knew him! He was the best doggo in the city, and even if he was a 'monster', he'd never done anyone any harm. He was even known to help the elderly get home by carrying them on his back, or carry their shopping home for them!

But still, he came over to my desk, nosed around a moment and gently bit down on a bit of chalk. He then went to the blackboard and wrote/drooled his name on it. S p o t! He then dropped the drool covered lump of chalk back on my desk and sat down. "Wurf!"

"Hello Spot! Welcome to the Class!" Everyone said dutifully.

"He'll fit right in." I assured Fina, "Don't be late for class. We'll be looking forward to what you make for dinner."

Fina nodded, smiled, then came to give me a hug. Spot got a hug too, and then she was gone.

"Okay class, back to work. I'll be checking on your answers in a minute or two, then we can apply it to something to show you it isn't 'just a bunch of numbers'."

"Yes Kodori Sensei." They replied.

"As for you... Well, you drooled on it, you can use it. Use that desk there." I gave Spot a pat on the side and pointed, "And could you prop open your book a little so he can see properly?"

"Yes Ma'am." The student said as Spot came over.

At dinner, while I nibbled on a pretty well done plate of egg fried rice (it was Takemikazuchi's turn to teach today), I pulled out a small curved bit of light blue glass.

This bit of magical innovation -started- with the Occulus. A pair of glass orbs that allowed visual and verbal communication between them. They were however, very advanced. But, it was in the Adventurer's nature to try and do the impossible, and this led to a 'half way there' 'speaking stone'. This one only did audio, but the same person who couldn't quite copy the original had actually given up on that, and went further with the audio. Now, instead of only working in pairs, if you made a bunch out of a single batch of glass, they could all talk to each other.

It didn't stop there. And with a little help from others who had been trying to copy the Occulus, they'd made what amounted to a magical walkie talkie. This thing did almost everything a modern one did. You could talk to any of the units on the same frequency (the same batch of glass), you could tap it a few times to signal in Morse Code (not a thing here in Orario, but some people did have 'beep signals' for their dungeon parties), and even make them light up to signal you wanted to talk.

And the range? Well, if you knew how to expend magical energy without casting a spell (most mages could, since 'showing off a puff of fire from your palm' was a cool party trick to learn), well, so long as you didn't melt the glass... we'd gotten a connection to Rakia with one, though that DID melt the glass after a minute or two. (Thus finding out the range, and what made them fail in one go!)

So, I took out this little curved bit of glass, and started to tap the end lightly, making it 'ping' as if it were actually being tapped by a tuning fork or something.

A minute or so later, I heard Welf's voice coming from the glass, "Hey Sister! Sorry, was just finishing up an encounter."

"No problem." I replied, "Everyone okay?"

"Pfft, who do you think you're talking to? Even the rookies are doing fine." Welf laughed.

From the background I heard Maki say, "Tired! But fine!"

"Hey no yelling, I'm on the Stone." Welf called back, "We're just above the Basin, and the rookies were doing so well we were thinking of tossing in a coin for luck."

I hmm'ed, since it would be a good chance for our 'rookie party' to maybe hit level two. Maki and Delly, two good friends that I'd brought over from Earth, away from all the Devil politics and scary super powerful magic users who wanted to wave around their 'I hate peace' flags... They'd become adventurers and had been growing quickly. They'd been level one for three years now, but peeking at their stats told me they just needed to 'accomplish' something. A catalyst to tick those numbers over to level two.

The other rookies were Momiji and Kaede, a fox girl Miko, and bunny-hume Samurai respectively. They were -officially- with Soma Familia. But since I'd met them, we'd basically adopted them all but officially. Soma, almost didn't care about his Familia, and so long as they were funding his wine making, never bothered to do more than update their status. But from what I could gather (since I couldn't peek at their stats) they were also close to level two.

"Sorry Welf, but we might have a situation up here." I made the call to ask them to come back up.

"Something that you, little Hime, Aisha and Shinkage can't handle? The Brothers?" He sounded disappointed, but understanding.

"I'll be calling them in a moment." I said, "But yes, I can't punch the head off this one, and it involves our guests in the school wing."

"Politics? You're calling us back over -politics-? Really?" Now he was complaining.

"Yeah, afraid so. We think they've been found out, and someone tried to trespass last night." I explained, keeping the details thin, just in case they were working with someone else outside of the Manor.

"Crap. Okay, I'll let them know. We'll be up... well, as soon as we can. Tonight earliest, morning latest." The volume of his voice dimmed a little, "Hear that? Boss wants us back up."

And from almost everyone (except Mikoto, who was too professional, and Chigusa, who was too shy) "Awwwwwwwww."

"Yeah yeah. Come on." Then back at normal volume, "See you later Sister."

"Take care." And I wrapped my hand around the glass, turning it 'off'.

And before I got up from the table, I took a deep breath, and slowly said two names, "Fukawa. Okakai." Then again, "Fukawa. Okakai." Saying their names once, may happen 'in passing', or in conversation. Twice however is no accident. I didn't however say it a third time, which would have meant an emergency, and might cause paperwork if anyone tried to slow them down.

"Bring water! Water! There's a fire!"

Considering I was in my science lab, my first reaction was to look over my alchemy sets. Next, I got up and started running towards the yelling.

Big stone hallways made for great acoustics, so figuring out where the commotion was coming from wasn't difficult. Already I could hear children (mine), orphans (Takemikazuchi's) and Spot (who was his own doggo). Thin black smoke was already starting to creep up the stairs leading down as I got to them, but the scent from it was more like wood than anything else.

I got to the first floor, spotting all seven of my children in a little huddle outside the living room, with Spot between them and the smoke. I caught a hint of burning fabric in the air, but was already past the children, my hands linking together to form and gather my Senjitsu. "Mi-"

White fire.

I brushed off the surprise at seeing what looked like a white mass of flames clinging to the fireplace wall, the wood pile, and one of the nearest couches, and continued my casting, "Mizu-Funsha-Batsu!"

Yasaka once lamented how I used the ancient and venerated Sage Arts (Senjitsu) to make what amounted to a magic spray bottle (to punish naughty cat girls). But with my insane magic ability granted by having nine tails, my 'water spray punishment' was basically a fire hose with a pinched end. I couldn't keep the effect up for long, since 'insane magic power' only went so far when you were pulling the actual element (water) from the air. It wasn't a creation effect. But it was enough to douse the fire, break a window, and smash the half burnt couch against the wall.

Takemikazuchi and most of the Amazons rounded the corner, buckets of water in each hand and ready to start dousing. "Alas, my favourite couch." He said.

"What happened?" I asked, looking down the hall towards my children, the orphans, Hestia, Astraea Haruhime and Spot.

Since he was standing right there, Takemikazuchi gave his side of the story, "I was meditating when I heard the call. I gathered what help I could and we came with all haste."

Made sense, after dinner was 'quiet time'. "Return to your children." I said to the Amazon, "Don't leave them alone until we get things sorted out. Thank you."

They nodded and left, taking buckets with them. "Love..." Haruhime approached and was carrying a sniffling Kei in her arms, the other children holding her kimono or tails and looking a little shocked, "Kei?"

Kei obviously didn't want to say anything, but after some silence, a few false starts, and a nod from myself and Haruhime... "I did it."

So, I reached over and gave Kei a headpat, a nose boop, and a tiny little ear pinch, "The fault is mine, dearest Blessing." I waved Haruhime to kneel with me, and gathered everyone up in a hug, "I knew something like this would happen some day." I looked into the soaked living room, "Maybe not like this, but all of you will some day gain abilities like ours." I made sure to look each of them in the eyes, but also to check for any injuries. "Is anyone hurt?" And to make sure, I asked, "Even a little?"

"I bumped my knee?" Toshi said, poking his knee, "owie."

This declaration got a bunch of other admissions to minor bumps and bruises, and Haruhime and I made sure to kiss each of them better. Once done, I wrapped everyone up in a hug again, "We will have to teach you about this, so this doesn't happen again, okay?"

"I brought mops." Aisha said, breaking the mood as only an expert socialite could.

Foxfire. There was no other explanation for it. While I mopped up with the other adults, (the children helped too, but mostly as moral support and pointing out missed spots), Kei clung to my back. They were still feeling a little shocked, and didn't want to let me go, and since I was quite happy to get more hugs from any of the children, I went with it.

"So, what happened?" I asked, now that Kei had stopped sniffling.

"I... um... I was putting wood in the fireplace." And before you ask, yes, they all knew the basics of fire safety, and the wood we put in the fireplace was mostly just sticks, not logs. "But then it went 'pop!"

I had to use a tail to keep them from falling off my back as Kei raised their arms overhead to make the word 'bigger'. "Did it get you?"

There was a nod, little arms wrapping around my neck again, "A little, but I was surprised!"

There was a little chorus of 'me too!' from the other children just outside the living room.

"But when I went to brush the dirt off, there was a little white fire." Kie continued.

"Kei went 'ahh!' Chie said, with 'yes' and 'that's right', added in from the others.

"I did..." Kei nodded again, "And then the wood was on fire." A little hand pointed at the scattered wood pile and overturned metal rack they had been in.

"I was quite surprised as well." Astraea said, wringing out her mop, "But before I could do anything, the fire had started up the wall."

"We gathered up the children and raised the alarm." Haruhime said.

"Well, aside from a couch and a bit of wood, nothing is damaged." I said, reaching back and applying a headpat to my cling-on. "Feeling better?"

A pause, "No." Kei giggled, clinging to me even harder. Of course, this meant they -were- feeling better, but didn't want to let go.

"Now now, you must never be dishonest." Haruhime chided, prying Kei off my back, applying a huge hug, then setting them down outside of the wet area, "Help each other carry these buckets to the wash room, and empty them. Okay?"

"Yes Ha-ma!"

"Carefully now, no running." Haruhime waved as they started dragging/carrying half full buckets with them.

Haruhime and I shared a look, sighed, then went back to mopping up.

"Wild evening huh?" Aisha commented as she entered the bath room, "Need a hand?"

I had just started washing myself in one of the shower stalls when she walked in, "Wouldn't say no." I replied, scrubbing soap through my hair carefully, "How are they doing?"

"They all had a little scare, but Hime is reading them a story like nothing happened." She said, getting behind me, a soapy cloth 'splat'ing onto my back a moment later, "The Girls are still worried. But considering..."

I nodded, fumbling for a shower head and rinsing soap out of my hair, "I was nearly lost to my own children, and it nearly broke me. I can hardly imagine what watching your own child get eaten by a monster would do..."

"It's the darker side of our culture." She said, ignoring the first tail to wrap around her leg, but swatting the second away, "None of that, or I'll never get you clean."

"Sorry... Lemme..." I reached back and hooked all my tails with an arm and wrestled some soap into them.

"A lot of us make the mistake of having a child early. Sure, more warriors for the tribe, more glory for successfully raising a family. But some start as early as fourteen... and before their eighteenth birthday, they might have had to watch their child get mauled to death by a baby goblin or something..." She flopped over my back, chin resting on my shoulder, "Your promise means a lot to these girls. It's probably the only thing keeping them calm right now."

I half turned my head, "Who are you? Aisha would never be this clingy."

"What? I'm not allowed to cling?" She laughed, sitting back up, "Fine then, you can wash my back instead."

We switched places, "I'm helping them because I can't think of not helping them." I chuckled, "What kind of person would I be if I refused?"

"We both know that if you did refuse, everyone would ask if you were sure, and you would have agreed anyhow." She said. "Except then, people would be disappointed in you."

"True." I nodded, "But thanks to a certain Amazon, I know why they'd ask in the first place." It was my turn to cling to her back, and before I could slip away, her washcloth was plopped into my hand, "Really? You want more?"

"Are you going to refuse?" The smile was obvious in her voice as she raised her arms up and put her hands behind her head (showing off just how well she took care of her body).

I scrubbed the cloth over her abs, "Well, since I'm here." I agreed, "But on the topic of displaced Amazon..."

"Yes."

Like Haruhime, Aisha was really good at seeing through me. "But the sisters still want to fight me."

"Tiona and Tione left for much the same reason these girls did. If they don't set aside their issues with you to help, I would be surprised. Besides, they're just jealous."

"Hopefully we can resolve that issue too. I'll visit tomorrow or something..." I sighed.

"Politics." We both said. "How long are you going to scrub me for?" She asked, "Supposed to get clean in the shower, not dirty."

"Yeah yeah." I gave her rear a pinch and got the shower head to rinse her off.

NOTES!

Plot! Mystical happenings! Shower scene! More potential problems! Story warming up again!

... Or something like that. :) Party on, and hope you enjoyed. More on the way in five days, unless the world ends or something.

Daeore on Ko-fi, if you want to toss a coin to your writer (and look at Kodori art!)

Daeore on Inkitt, if you want to read my book 'Were Too?'