As soon as Maxine woke up, she felt a weight laying down on top of her and unconsciously signed in irratation. She didn't even need to open her eyes to know that Lucas was laying on top of her. This was mostly because she felt his tail wrapping around her left leg and he was the only one small enough to use her right breast as an effective pillow.

She had put him in a bed in the same room as hers and had hoped that he would sleep in it throughout the night. Unfortunately, that clearly didn't work out. She guess it was due to his fear of Hellen that he crawled into her bed. Afterall, he had torn apart three different sets of clothes that Hellen had put on him, shredded most of the furniture and took a shit on the bathroom floor, twice. The only positive about the whole mess yesterday was that at least he knew that he needed to relieve himself in the bathroom, but he still hadn't figured out he was supposed to do that while sitting on the toilet. All of that caused Hellen to spank Lucas multiple times and was probably the reason why he was afraid of her. That and no matter how much he tried, his claws couldn't so much as leave a mark on her skin.

Maxine felt like she hadn't got enough sleep, but she knew that she couldn't lay in bed all day. She needed to finish up the job that Amanda asked her to and meet up with Emily after she finished work. I still can't figure out how I ended up with two kids that like to use me as their personal bedding. Or is it perhaps that Lucas is afraid of Hellen sneaking into this room to spank him some more and wants me to protect him? Yeah, I'll go with that. Now to get this little shit off of me so I can get to work.

Maxine gently nudged Lucas' face with her tail as she gently said, "Time to wake up, sleepy head. I can't make your breakfast if you don't get up." Lucas unconsciously swat at her tail viciously with his claws. Unfortunately for him, his action angered Maxine quite a bit and she warned him, "Get up or I will give you to grandma for some more spankings." Lucas jumped out of the bed and landed on his feet as he looked around widly. He almost dragged her with him in the process since his tail was wrapped around her leg. Damn, I didn't expect that reaction. It seems Hellen taught him alliance common yesterday. I hope she didn't force the knowledge into his head.

"I'm sorry, Lucas. I didn't mean to scare you like that, but I needed to get out of bed," Maxine apologized to him, "I've got a lot of things I need to do today, and I need to leave you here again. But I will bring back some really tasty food for lunch, but if you misbehave, I will eat it all myself. Is that understood?" Lucas nodded his head swiftly.

"Good. Now give me some privacy so that I can get dressed and get dressed yourself. Don't destroy your clothes this time. Your grandma took the time to pick them out just for you, so you could at least wear them without damaging them for her," Maxine told him, "She just wants you to look your best."

"Okay," Lucas struggled to say while looking down before leaving the room. Maxine was stunned that Lucas was able to talk, but that feeling faded as a sense of pride took it's place. My god, he learns fast. Now that I think about it Silky learned insanely fast too. Maybe it's a common trait with beastkin that have recently evolved into a humaniod form. It would certainly make sense. They would need to figure out very quickly how to use their new bodies.

Maxine quickly got dressed and went towards the kitchen. But before she got there, she caught the distinct scent of cooking bacon and saw Hellen infront of the stove. Maxine saw Lucas wearing a pair of pants and a loose t-shirt while he sat at the dinning room table.

"I don't know how you did it, but I'm glad to see that little rascal wearing clothes for once," Hellen said without turning her head, "Now we just have to make sure he gets properly 'potty trained' as the earthlings call it."

"I think he 'missed' because he was mad at you," Maxine replied, "How else is he supposed to get back at you when he can't hurt you?"

"Oh?" Hellen said in surprise, "I never thought of it that way. I should've made him clean it up then." Maxine sense Lucas glaring at her angrily.

"Don't think for a second that your grandma can't see that glare of yours and you better not direct it at her," Maxine warned Lucas, "She might deprive you of your breakfast if you do that." Lucas responded promptly by sitting up straight and removing his angry expression. I thought that might be an effective way to make him behave.

Hellen glanced over her shoulder just before bringing four plates to the table. "Guan, breakfast is ready!" Hellen yelled and Guan just appeared in a chair. She didn't feel any wind or air displacement. How the hell was he able to do that? And when will he teach me how to do it? But it wasn't nearly as surprising as seeing Guan without his hood or mask. The skin colored scales on his face, jaw and neck were rather disturbing to look at. I wonder why he wears the mask and hood for. If I saw someone like that glaring at me with his reptuation, I would do my best to make sure I NEVER made them angry.

"This smells delicious," Guan announced before he began eating his breakfast slowly. Hellen smiled at him breifly before eating in an elegant manner befitting her upbringing. Lucas was simply shoveling in the breakfast with his fork. I better eat my breakfast before Lucas thinks he can get away with eating my breakfast along with his own.

After eating breakfast, Maxine took her plate to the sink to clean it. "I'm going to head out soon. I promised Amanda that I would make a batch of potions," Maxine said, "I'll be back just before lunch with something to eat for Lucas as long as he behaves. I would take him out, but I'm not sure how well he will react to seeing a large number of humans considering how he was treated recently."

"I share the same concern," Hellen said, "But you shouldn't worry too much. He learns quickly and it shouldn't be long before it's safe to bring him around with you."

"Alright and thanks for educating him for me," Maxine said gratefully, "It would probably take me several times longer to teach him to behave."

"I know," Hellen said knowingly, "You can't bring yourself to swat his backside as firmly as you should. You made the right choice to let me look after him for awhile. He's too wild to use your soft approach."

"You're right," Maxine said in agreement, "Anyways, I best head out. Be good for grandma, Lucas." Lucas nodded his head and left the room. A few moments later she heard him playing with something without destroying it. Well, that's something.

Maxine calmly opened up a portal to a park that she was familiar with and leapt into it. She only took a few moments to orient herself before heading towards the Fire and Ice Guild to work on making the potions. She knew that she could at most finish the remaining iron tier potions today, but the silver ones would require her full attention to concoct over the course of four or five days.

When Maxine finally entered the guild's headquarters, she stopped in her tracks and felt her eyes stretch vertically and her teeth sharpen as rage reddened her vision. Ambassador Andrevich was standing next to the reception desk with four bodyguards and when he turned to face her, a friendly smile spread across his cheeks. He looks a little older, but he is definitely the same piece of shit that ordered the kidnapping of my birth mother, Claudia. I want to rip him to pieces! But I can't. I will get Amanda in trouble if I do. I need to calm down.

Unfortunately, her hydra bloodline wasn't making it easy. It hungered to devour the flesh of the person that hurt her and she was forced to lock her muscles in place to avoid acting on that impulse. Sadly, she wasn't able to stop herself form releasing dragon fear due to her extreme anger.

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Sweat spontaneously appeared on ambassador Andrevich's brow and the receptionist looked visibly pale. However, the receptionist slowly grabbed the phone at her desk and called Amanda.

"Ma'am, your friend is here and she's giving off this extremely terrifying vibe," the receptionist said fearfully, "Could you, please, come down here and calm her down? Ma'am?" Literately two seconds later, Amanda threw open the door to the stairs and hesitated for a moment before slowly approaching Maxine.

"Maxine, what's wrong?" Amanda asked cautiously, but she noticed where Maxine was looking, "Get the ambassador out of here! Right now!"

[He's the one,] Maxine answered Amanda via spiritual sense, [He's the one that sent those bastards that kidnapped mom.] Amanda's eyes widened for a moment before she walked up to Maxine and blocked Maxine's vision of Ambassador Andrevich while putting both of her hands on Maxine's cheeks to keep her from diverting her gaze.

"I know you're angry, but you need to calm down," Amanda said, but added via spiritual sense, [God knows that I want to hit him myself. The bastard tried to poach a few of my people behind my back, but now is not the time for this.]

"I know. It's why I locked my muscles in place," Maxine answered through grit teeth and she meant it as a answer for both conversations.

"What the hell is up with your teeth?" Amanda asked, "Do they get pointy like that when you are angry?"

"Yes, and it's the same with my eyes," Maxine answered as she started to feel her anger starting to subside.

"Most people need special contact lenses to do that," Amanda commented as she finally took her hands off of Maxine's face.

"I'm just lucky like that," Maxine said as her eyes and teeth returned to normal, "It's too bad I can't completely control that reaction though."

"That it is," Amanda said, "Feeling better now?"

"Some," Maxine replied honestly, "Although I'm still angry."

"I see," Amanda said, "What did he do to piss you off anyways?" Yeah, I guess I need to have a valid reason for my reaction besides the real one. Instantly, Maxine remembered every detail about ambassador Andrevich and his four bodyguards. It only took her one glance to come up with a suitable excuse.

"One of his bodyguards was wearing a snakeskin belt," Maxine growled, "And if you've forgotten, I'm part hydra. It was like witnessing someone wearing my cousin's skin."

"I'm positive they had no idea," Amanda said comfortingly as she played along, "Will you be alright, if I leave?"

"Yeah, I should be," Maxine answered, "I just need half an hour to calm myself down before I work on those potions. Do you have somewhere that I can be alone for awhile?"

"I'll get Maggie to find an empty room for you," Amanda said, "Now, I have to go see why the ambassador wasn't sent straight to my office when he arrived."

"Thanks," Maxine said before Amanda nodded and walked over to the receptionist. Maxine didn't bother listening in, but she could tell Amanda was furious.

A few minutes after Amanda finished chewing out the receptionist, a young woman with brown hair with a few green strips in her hair walked up to Maxine and said, "Amanda said you needed a quiet place to calm down. There is an empty one near the herbal storage room. Is that alright?"

"That sounds perfect," Maxine answered, "Lead the way."

The young woman brought Maxine to the room. It had a office desk and chair in it, but little else. Without saying a word, the young woman left Maxine after shutting the door. Maxine immediately sat down in the office chair and leaned back into it as she closed her eyes. That was close. I nearly lost it back there. I really wanted to pummel that bastard into a bloody pulp. My hydra bloodline just made my anger more pronounced than it would've been otherwise. Anyways, I better calm down the rest of the way. Alchemy requires a calm and collected mind to produce the best results. Maxine calmed her thoughts and reviewed several herbs in her head as she meditated.

It took her less time than she thought it would to calm the remnants of her rage and began to make her way to the herbal storage room. She waved at the guards posted at the door when she went in and created three shadow clones before concocting potions. Iron-tier potions require more concentration and effort to make. So that limits me to three shadow clones. Silver tier potions are even worse. I might be able to only make one shadow clone to speed up the process without sacrificing the quality. It will still take me at least four days to finish them all though. She kept an eye on the time while she made potions and just before lunch time, she decided to take a break for lunch.

Maxine sent her spiritual sense through one of her clones to contact Hellen, [Hey, mom. Has Lucas been good today?]

[Much better than yesterday at least,] Hellen said, [He's only left a few scratches on my floors and furniture. I never expected that he would have such sharp claws. Do you have a similar problem?]

[I would if I didn't coat my claws in energy to blunt them,] Maxine answered.

[That just means both of you need more practice,] Hellen said, [So, when can I expect you to come with his lunch?]

[I'm not sure. I shouldn't be too much longer than an hour,] Maxine answered.

[Good. Lucas looks like he's getting hungry,] Hellen said, [And he gets even more wild when he gets too hungry. So, if you can, arrive as quickly as you can.]

[I will do my best. See you when I get there,] Maxine said.

[Alright, sweetie,] Hellen said before Maxine retracted her spiritual sense.

Maxine promptly left the herbal storage room and stopped in the reception hall when she realized something. She didn't have any means of paying for her meal. She felt like smacking herself upside the head for forgetting such a basic thing. Shit, I forgot Earth hasn't switched currencies yet. What do I do now?

"Miss Maxine, if you are looking for something to eat, our caffeteria has quite a selection," the receptionist offered, "Amanda said you could grab whatever you want free of charge and she notified them in advance about you as well."

"Oh, thanks," Maxine said, "Which way is the caffeteria?"

"Go to the second floor and follow the signs," the receptionist said.

"Thanks again," Maxine replied as walked over to the elevator and went to the second floor. As advertised, there were signs that lead her to the caffeteria. Before she even reached it, she could smell at least a dozen different kinds of beast meats being served and when she finally reached it, she smiled happily. It was as big even for a buffet restraunt and the selection was mind boggling. Now this is a caffeteria.

Maxine walked towards the takeout boxes, but noticed a sign above them. There was a 6 takeout box limit per day. Might as well load them up then and since I'm only eating lunch here, I'm going to take the maximum. God, I wish that I didn't need to eat so much to maintain my health in this form.

She took her time selecting various meats and vegetables for herself and ended up filling 5 takeout boxes. She used another four to select some sweet and robust tasting meats for Lucas. The last takeout box was for Hellen as a thank you for looking after Lucas and it was filled with a few different kinds of chocolate deserts. There that should be it.

Maxine walked up to the checkout counter just incase, but as the receptionist had told her, it was all free. With that confirmation out of the way, Maxine transferred the takeout boxes to her dimensional ring and moved to leave the building. However this time she scouted ahead using her spiritual sense to avoid any unpleasant encounters.

Thankfully, she didn't have to avoid anyone and once outside, she took a few extra moments to create an arch infront of her. This was more for everyone else than for her. She was completely fine with jumping into a portal on the ground, but she knew it would be disconcerting for most people to see her just vanish into the ground without damaging it in the least.

She walked through the arch and almost instantly Lucas hug tackled her. She retreated a step to avoid being knocked over before she hugged him gently back. "I missed you too," Maxine said as she gently stroked the back of his head, "Now, let's get to the table and eat. I brought you some goodies."

Lucas dislodge himself from her embrace before he practically became a blur as he ran to the dining room table and sat down. She followed behind him and proceeded to place the takeout boxes infront of him before opening them. He practically drooled as he looked at the food that she selected for him, and she was happy to see that he took his time eating it all while using a fork. I see mom has been teaching him manners. Although, I don't think she intended for him to use his fork like a dagger.

Maxine handed Hellen the desert-filled takeout box before she set up lunch on the table. While she ate, she thought of the events of that morning and shuddered. I wish I could've avoided making a scene at Amanda's guild and the excuse I used was just terrible. All I did was put that bastard on guard and give PETA a whole new excuse to push for better treatment of animals to avoid upsetting their beastkin cousins. To top it off, I'll be the first one under suspicion if the prick get attacked any time soon. I really fucked up. I'll have to wait at least a year, probably longer, before I can make a move on him without it leading to me. I can't even use a shadow clone to kill him while appearing somewhere else since it's public knowledge that I can make them. If I want to kill him, I'll have to get really creative without drawing any suspicion to myself.