"So, how has school been?" Maxine asked Silky since it had been a couple weeks since she talked to Silky about it last.
"My teacher, Mrs. Harrison, tries to teach me all sorts of stuff, but it gets boring because I already know everything she is teaching. She gets mad at me when I don't pay attention," Silky sulks, but her mood becomes more cheerful, "My classmates are fun, though. They showed me how to play soccer and tag. They try so hard, but they can never catch me! Also, the boys keep asking me to climb up walls in my arachne form. Why do they do that?" Uh, oh. I never thought there would be young perverts in her class, but boys will be curious about their newest classmate that isn't exactly human.
"Maybe their curious about what's under your dress," Maxine said.
"I think they already know and are just being perverts," Orianna offered her own opinion.
"Really, mama?" Silky asked.
"Yes, but you should already know why you shouldn't let them see anything," Maxine said.
"Yep, I do," Silky said with a smile and she looked to Orianna, "Auntie, do you like any boys?"
"Yes, I like Maxwell Adams a lot," Orianna said shyly, "He makes me feel safe and loved."
"He's nice to you too? That's great! I like him because he sneaks me chocolates when grandma Claudia isn't looking," Silky said happily. Oh, so that's how Silky has been getting her chocolate fix since I have been away from Earth.
"I know. He told me that he just feels like spoiling you every time he sees you," Orianna said.
"Really?" Silky asked.
"Yes, he can't help himself because you are just too cute," Orianna said with a happy smile and Silky revealed a huge smile of her own.
"She has always been cute, even when she was just a spider," Maxine agreed.
"Oh? She evolved into an arachne from a spider-type beast?" Madam Neshan asked.
"Yes, she did and from what I have heard, it extremely rare for something like that to happen," Maxine replied, "Regardless she is now my daughter and if anything were to happen to her, I don't know what I would be capable of." I would probably go on a murderous rampage, but they don't need to know that.
"That is how it is with most parents," Madam Neshan said. At that moment, grandma Victoria came into the room and disrupted their current conversation.
Silky's eyes widened all six of her eyes upon seeing grandma Victoria and leapt through the air at her to give her a hug tackle. Unfortunately, grandma Victoria rushed at Silky to give her a hug at the same instant. Maxine winced as the two collided with a loud thud and was surprised when she didn't hear Silky's nose breaking from the impact.
"Oh, you are so sweet to give your great grandma a hug," grandma Victoria exclaimed happily. Silky looked as if she was in heaven with how wide her smile was.
"Oh, yeah!" Silky said as she suddenly broke her hug with grandma Victoria and fished something out of her backpack, "I have something for you great grandma." Silky pulled out a purple scarf and handed it to grandma Victoria.
"Why thank you Silky. Did you make it with your silk?" grandma Victoria asked.
"Yep! I made scarves for auntie and mama too," Silky said as she pulled out a red and green scarves from her backpack. Maxine gently took the green scarf from Silky and gave her sweet little daughter a hug. We should be the ones giving her gifts not the other way around.
"I love it," Maxine said to Silky and noticed Orianna was already pushing her silken red scarf up against her face, "Look, your auntie Orianna loves her scarf too." Silky only showed a huge smile as her response.
After a few more moments, Silky finally released Maxine and turned to Orianna to ask her, "Auntie, can you show me around this place? Mama told me this place was huge and I don't want to get lost." Maxine stiffened up at Silky's request and saw grandma Victoria do the same. They both knew that Orianna rarely showed any desire to leave her room unless it was to spend time with Maxwell.
However out of their expectations, Orianna smiled and answered, "Of course, I will." Maxine released a breath she didn't know she was holding.
"Yay!" Silky said happily as she leapt to the bedroom door and patiently waited on Orianna to show her around. Orianna got to her feet and gently took Silky's hand into her own, but she hesitated as she reached for the door. She looked over her shoulder pleadingly at Maxine.
Maxine was moving before Orianna fully turned her head and took Silky's free hand. She smiled encouragingly at Orianna. Orianna smiled gratefully to Maxine before she opened the door and lead the way.
While they walked to the main hall, Silky was happily looking around with awe on her face as she stood between Maxine and Orianna. Orianna appeared nervous as she lead the way, and Maxine was certain that she hadn't realized yet that Madam Neshan and grandma Victoria were trailing behind the three of them.
While they walked through the halls, a few maids spotted them and they quickly moved in the direction Orianna was going in. Maxine observed them with her spiritual sense and saw them shoo away any males in Orianna's path. They even managed to redirect Zephyr after explaining that Orianna was coming that way. It seems grandma has told filled them in on what to do if they see Orianna leave her room.
Once they reached the women's communal bathing room, Orianna gestured towards the door and explained, "That is the girl's bathing room. Would you like to see the inside of it?"
"Um, okay," Silky said with a confused look on her face. She is probably used to the bathrooms on Earth.
Orianna lead her into the room and as soon as Silky saw the huge hot spring pool, she said, "That's a pool."
"That's actually a hot spring pool used for bathing," Maxine pointed out.
"Cool, I've never been in a hot spring before," Silky said, "Can we take a bath in it later?"
"I don't see why not," Maxine said as she looked at Orianna. Whom nodded her head in assent.
Silky's stomach growled very loudly and Maxine showed a bit of concern. Didn't mom give her enough to eat earlier? "Can I get something to eat please?" Silky asked.
"Of course, you can," Orianna said, "Let's get you to the Dining Hall." Maxine used her spiritual sense to let the chef know to make a large meal of various meats for Silky and to get a few other servings of food ready for everyone else.
When they arrived, Silky ran ahead and sat down at the table. Maxine and the others sat down as well while Silky waited anxiously for her food. All six of her eyes widened in surprise and delight at the sight of a large plate filled with sausages, steaks, meatballs and meaty ribs. Maxine could only watch in awe as Silky devoured it all with gusto and she continued to devour a second plate stuffed with just as much food as the first one. Each of those plates had been more than three times what Maxine could normally eat in one sitting. Holy shit. Her appetite has actually increased! No wonder mom sent her away. Feeding anyone with an appetite that big can be both exhausting and be a major drain on the finances. Finally, Silky finished eating and burped loudly.
"Doesn't Claudia feed you enough?" grandma Victoria asked.
Stolen story; please report.
"Yes, she does but for some reason, I'm extra hungry today," Silky said. I wonder if she is going through a growth spurt. That might account for her increased appetite.
"Well, are you full now?" grandma Victoria asked.
"Yep!" Silky said happily, "What else is there to see here, great grandma? And where is great grandpa?"
"Oh, he will come by to see you later when you are not visiting Orianna," grandma Victoria said, "You see she is terrified of men and it would upset her quite a bit if he were to come here right now."
"Oh? Why is she afraid of boys?" Silky asked, "They aren't scary."
"Maxine didn't tell you?" grandma Victoria asked and Silky shook her head, "Some men did very horrible things to her. Unforgiveable things that left a scar on her that can't be seen, only felt."
"Who?" Silky said angrily as all six of her eyes became tinted with red.
"Orianna doesn't talk about what happened and I can't really blame her for not wanting to either. I wouldn't want to talk about it if I was in her shoes," Maxine said and gave Orianna's shoulder a comforting squeeze.
"They should still be punished for hurting auntie!" Silky said angrily.
"I never said that they wouldn't be, Silky," Maxine said. She had been looking for those particular men the day she revived Orianna to give herself peace of mind. She had to know if they were vile men before everything went to hell. If they were, she would administer her own brand of justice before they could hurt anyone else. Unfortunately, she had no luck finding them. It was quite possible that they were not even in the same area anymore.
"Good," Silky said and the red tint in her eyes faded.
"Enough talk about those things. Would you like to see the training courtyard?" grandma Victoria asked, "I believe even Orianna has yet to visit there."
"Yes, please," Silky said.
They got up from the table and left for the training courtyard behind the mansion. The servants were encouraged to train there in an attempt to trigger a breakthrough to silver stage. With that increase in strength, not only would their standing within the clan increase, but they would also strengthen the clan as well.
Maxine went there a few times herself to train, but after the third time that she went there, she avoided it. She didn't like it when the servants started gossiping about her 'overly aggressive' fighting style. I learned how to fight in an extremely agressive enviroment. Fighting honorably is a quick way to get yourself killed. Only idiots or green horns choose to engage in honorable combat. Fighting dirty on the other hand increases the odds of survival by a fair margin.
Once they arrived, Maxine saw a few off duty maids were lightly sparring with each other and on the far side of the courtyard, the butlers were doing the same. Reflexively, Maxine turned her head towards Orianna to soothe her, but she wasn't freaking out. She only got somewhat nervous as she moved closer to Maxine and squeezed Silky's hand tightly.
"It's alright, auntie. If any of those boys get too close, I will chase them away," Silky said comfortingly.
"It's okay. I need to get used to them," Orianna said shakily, "And Maxwell's over there training. I just want to watch him." Maxine looked over and saw Maxwell sparring with three of the butlers. He was using his strengthening technique to only increase his abilities by fifty percent. He is training his endurance and combat skills at the same time. That's a rather efficient use of his time.
"Just let us know when you have had enough," Madam Neshan said.
"I will," Orianna said as she dragged Silky over to a stone bench and sat down to watch Maxwell. Maxine decided to watch him spar as well. He was doing quite well considering how much he was holding back. He's improving his form on the spot. I probably won't win the next time we spar. Not unless, I decide to go all out by using my draconic essence armor.
"Uncle Max is really strong, isn't he auntie?" Silky asked innocently. Maxine nearly choked on her spit mid-swallow at Silky's sudden statement.
"Yes, he is and we aren't married just yet," Orianna said while blushing fiercely, "My grandma, and your great grandma, wants us to date for awhile longer before that happens."
"Why are you not letting them get married, great grandma?" Silky asked after facing grandma Victoria.
"I just want to make sure Orianna is really in love with that young man. That's all," grandma Victoria said, but Maxine knew that was a lie. She was doing it for appearances. It would be odd if Orianna fell head over heels in love with Maxwell on first sight, especially considering her fear of men.
"Oh, okay," Silky said and turned her head back to watch Maxwell, "Look. Max is coming over here!"
"Shall we go meet him halfway, Orianna?" Maxine asked.
"No," Orianna said swiftly, "Let's stay here and let him come to us." Well, I can't blame her for not approaching him. That would put her closer to the butlers afterall.
"Good afternoon, ladies," Maxwell said once he got close enough to be heard. Although, Maxine wished he had stayed a bit farther away. His sparring had caused him to work up quite a bit of sweat and the resulting body odor was quite potent. However, she did her best to ignore it.
"Hello, Max!" Silky said happily and unexpectedly she didn't try to hug tackle Maxwell. Maxine belatedly remembered arachne, like spiders, have a very sensitive sense of smell. She probably didn't want to get any closer to Maxwell either due to his strong body odor.
"What? No hug?" Maxwell asked.
"You are too stinky for hugs," Silky said honestly as she pinched her nose and Maxine showed an amused smile.
"Yes, I agree," Maxine said, "Maybe he should go take a bath." Maxwell looked defeated and he started to move closer to Orianna for a hug.
"No!" Orianna giggled as Maxwell hugged her, "You stink!" However Maxwell just rubbed his face against hers, which caused Orianna to giggle louder.
"Well, it looks like Orianna will need a bath if this keeps up, right Silky?" Maxine asked.
"Yeah, she will!" Silky announced and suddenly hug tackled Maxwell, "Now, I need a bath too!" Maxine rolled her eyes at Silky's antics. Grandma Victoria was laughing lightly off to the side.
"Get off him, Silky," Maxine told Silky, "You will only end up being as stinky as he is."
"Okay, mama" SIlky said obediently and came back over to Maxine, "Do we get to have our bath now?"
Maxing glanced at Maxwell and Orianna, whom wandered a short distance away to flirt, and answered Silky, "No, not yet. It may be a little while since your auntie is busy flirting with Maxwell." Silky looked over at Maxwell and Orianna and walked up to them.
"Auntie, stop flirting so we can go take a bath," Silky demanded and both Maxwell and Orianna blushed fiercely. However the next instant they started laughing.
"Alright, Silky, but I want to spend some more time with Maxwell. How about we have a bath after dinner, okay?" Orianna asked.
"Yay!" Silky said happily and seemed to get confused, "When's dinner?"
"A few hours away," grandma Victoria said, "But, you will be busy until then. There are a few people that want to see you. They heard about how cute you were and wanted to make dresses for you." I see grandma already wants to spoil Silky.
"Really?" Silky said with wide eyes.
"Yes, they are right over there," grandma Victoria said and pointed over at half a dozen seamstresses and tailors. Silky waved at them with a huge smile on her face.
[Do they need to get her measurements? Or can they figure out her sizes with just a glance?] Maxine asked grandma Victoria via spiritual sense.
[No, don't be ridiculous. Even cultivators need to take measurements to make a dress properly. It should take a few hours for all of them to have their turn. Some even brought dresses that had already made in advance. I suggest that you stay with her since some of these craftsmen may be tempted to do something stupid once they realize she is an arachne. They will be less inclined to try anything infront of the patriarch's grand daughter. And don't worry about Orianna, Madam Neshan can always escort her back to her room,] grandma Victoria said.
[Alright, grandma,] Maxine answered and turned her attention back to Orianna and Maxwell. Those two lovebirds had resumed their flirting.
"Sis, is it alright if I leave with Silky? We will meet back up at dinner time," Maxine said.
Orianna looked at Maxine for a moment before she replied, "Yes, of course. I will spend a little more time with Maxwell before I head back to my room."
"Alright, then. I will see you at dinner," Maxine said and took Silky's hand as they walked to the amassed seamstresses and tailors.
Those craftsmen immediately lead them to an empty room before they pulled out various measuring tools. It surprised Maxine how many different measurements were required to make a dress. A couple of them even brought dresses and had Silky change into them to see what adjustments needed to be made to them. All in all, it took them a few hours to finish taking all of Silky's measurements. Holy shit. I never knew that they would measure how big around her arms were every few inches. What is grandma asking them to make besides a dress? A form-fitting body armor?
Once Silky was free of those people, her stomach growled in protest. It wasn't quite time for dinner, but Maxine still smiled as she said in mock disbelief, "You're hungry again?"
"Yes, I am, mama," Silky said.
"Alright, let's head to the dining hall then. It's almost dinner time anyways," Maxine said and started to lead the way.
As she walked to the dining hall, Maxine knew that she would have to send Silky back just after dinner. It had amazed her just how quickly the day had gone by for her, but she wouldn't trade that time spent with Silky for anything. It had been good for the both of them.
Regardless, she needed to do a few things before she sent her clone off to fight the Divine Marks clan. She still needed to make a few dozen high quality healing potions for emergencies, harvest some precious herbs from her medicinal garden in the shadow world, train her various techniques and see if she knew anyone that would be sent to fight in the war as well. It was a lot to do in only two days, but she was confident that she could do it all. However she wondered what kind of ship her clan would use for transporting so many combatants. The only ship class she has seen so far was the one that transported to the Kavros Clan. I don't see us having too many of those. Even if they double up people in those tiny rooms, they won't be able to move more than sixty people per ship and I know for a fact that there will be more than ten thousand warriors just from my clan. How will they transport everyone to the conflict planet?