Daisy carried Michelle home. "You're getting stronger."

"I am?" Michelle reached out with an infant's hand, no strength in her arm or feeble grips.

"You are." Daisy nuzzled her daughter. "You can hold yourself up better, and don't get tired as fast. Look, um, I'm autistic. I focus. Right now, you are my focus. I want to get a high score at mothering the bejeebus out of you."

"Really?" Michelle looked up at Daisy and smiled. "Thanks."

Daisy laughed at herself. "Glad you appreciate me appreciating you. But it's good to hear. I was worried you weren't gonna be happy here, but it's fine." She rocked Michelle in time with her steps, entering the campus. "This is a magic school, if you didn't pick up on that. They teach all kinds of magic."

A thought hit her. "Hey, you're lucky, you get to pick your class. I was thrust right into the one I have. I'm a little jealous."

"What's your class?" Michelle asked as she held onto Daisy's arm.

"I am a warrior, a fighter." She wobbled a hand. "Paladin if you get picky about it, a warrior with healing magic. Started as just a warrior, nothing wrong with that, but I kept reaching." She touched her nose to Michelle's cheek. "You get to pick what you want to be, and I'll be there to support you. I know you didn't ask to get brought here, but I'll do my best to make it an enjoyable trip."

Michelle looked up at Daisy. "Thank you. I really appreciate that."

Daisy hugged Michelle. "Good to hear." She walked into the dorm and up to her room. "Ah, no one's back, good." She sank down into a seated position on the bed and moved Michelle towards a nipple. "Lunch time for you, if you want. Or not, if you're not hungry. Talkative child, you get to tell me."

Michelle reached to hold onto her breast, suckling softly.

Daisy let out a sigh of relief as she held Michelle, supporting her head while she suckled. "Good, you're getting better about this." She pet gently over Michelle's back. "We brood mice have good milk. I think it's helping you get stronger faster."

Michelle released the nipple after several moments, looking up at Daisy. "What's a brood mouse?"

"That's what I am. They're a rare type of rodent that, actually, did you ever look up the owner of this game? Dirty Mouse? We're in her image, and we're supposed to run the dungeons, make them fun for adventurers to go through. I don't have a dungeon, not sure I want one. I don't want to be stuck there."

Michelle looked up at her, eyes wide. "Wow."

"Yeah," Daisy said with a laugh. "It's a lot. So, yeah, that's what I am. Brood mice are tough, can heal a bit with their milk, can control monsters in their dungeon. Oh! My milk can transform people in different ways. I haven't been using that on you, of course."

Michelle nodded slowly. "Good." She looked down at her body, a little chubby and still weak. "I don't know what I am. Or what I want to be."

"You're Michelle, my wonderful daughter." Daisy stroked Michelle's ears gently. "I hope that one is obvious. What class you'll take, if any, is entirely up to you. I'm just your cheerleader." She shook an imaginary pom pom. "Go go go!"

Michelle giggled softly at Daisy's antics. "That's funny." She let out a sigh as she relaxed against Daisy's chest.

"Glad to hear that too." She touched noses with Michelle. The two flopped together to the side, comfortable on the warm bedding. "I used to be a wicked dad joke thrower, a world away. Feels awkward to say that now, being a mom."

"I like it. I didn't get a lot of jokes in my old life either."

"Oh? Why?" Daisy stroked over Michelle's cheek.

"I was kind of lonely." The little girl hugged herself, with daisy hugging her a moment later. "It's not a big deal."

"It's not good." Daisy kept cuddling her. "You deserve to be happy. Well, maybe that's why you're here. You won't be lonely, unless you want to be? You have a mother that cares about you, a lot." She stroked Michelle's ears. "Let me know when you need something, and I will do what I can."

"I just want to grow up." Michelle sighed softly, her ears folding back.

"Then drink as much as you can comfortably do, and keep waiting, impatiently." Daisy drew up the covers over both of them. "This is a time problem more than anything else."

Michelle snuggled against Daisy with a content sigh, closing her eyes.

Daisy rubbed at Michelle's back gently. "You aren't going to get away from me that easily. We have time, and I'm spending it on you. Growth is fast when you look back at it. You'll be old enough to start toddling in no time."

Michelle yawned softly. "That's good." She closed her eyes, curling up against Daisy. "I don't like being so small."

"It has its perks. I'm gonna guess you've never been able to just fall asleep in a soft bed like this with someone you love." She nestled in warmly, and both faded into a companionable sleep.

The first thing to disturb them was the door opening. Theodoren poked his head inside. "Are you sleeping?" he whispered softly.

"Yes." Daisy poked her head out from the covers with a little laugh. "Always a funny question."

"I didn't want to wake you." Theodoren came inside carrying a tray. "I have food for us, and Elina made up something mushy for our little girl there."

Daisy picked up her child in her arms as she sat up. "You don't have to do that. My child's still quite on the tit as it were. Her needs are met so long as my needs are." She reached for the tray as it came closer. "But I will take that, thank you my dear."

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Michelle stirred in Daisy's arms as she was moved. "Hm?"

"Awake again? Hungry yet?" Daisy ruffled Michelle between the ears with a little smile, her own food forgotten.

"Hm?" Michelle blinked slowly.

Daisy looked into Michelle's eyes. "If you're hungry, please drink up."

Theo leaned in, examining Michelle. "Huh. Technically she's my kid too, right?"

Daisy patted his shoulder. "Technically, but I'm taking care of her." She patted her lap. "You can hold her if you want."

Michelle held onto Daisy's finger as she looked up at him, a bit nervous.

Daisy nestled against Michelle. "He is a dear and close friend, a lover, if we're blunt about it. We're part of the same family. Don't be nervous of Theodoren."

Michelle nodded slowly as she reached towards Theo, holding out a tiny hand. "Hi, dad."

Theo smiled down at her as he took that little hand in his, touching her palm gently with one finger. "D-dang, she called me dad." He sniffled gently. "I'm a dad. I didn't think it'd hit me that hard. Oh boy, this is what life's about."

Michelle grinned shyly as she reached for Theo, wrapping her tiny arms around him.

Daisy slipped to the side, letting her daughter and Theo get to know one another. She had a meal before her, and she set to attacking it with all the heartless zeal a warrior should have.

Theo took her place in bed, holding the infant close to his chest.

Daisy glanced over at Theo and Michelle, smiling. "She's a smart one."

"Ah!" Michelle wiggled in Theo's grasp. "What, um." She squinted a moment. "What's your class?"

"I'm a wizard. I can do some spells." Theo grinned down at her, then held up a hand. He began to cast a spell. A moment later a glowing light appeared above his hand. "I know a few, but mostly combat ones. I set things on fire or zap them with lightning, pew pew."

"Whoa." Michelle stared at the ball of light in his hand. She let out an excited squeak as she reached for it, touching the glowing orb gently. It flickered slightly as her fingers touched it before fading away. She looked up at him with wide eyes. "That was cool."

"I'm glad you think so." Theo stroked gently over Michelle's back.

Daisy licked over her snout, cleaning it. "That is so nice to see, you two getting along so well."

Theo smiled down at Michelle. "Yeah, it really is." He looked over at Daisy and chuckled. "Well, what do you want to do now?"

Daisy moved over to sit by Theo's side. "One thing about mothering, it takes time. I will spend a lot of time just watching Michelle grow, and teaching her about the world we're in. Oh! You could do that. Show her the basics of magic, maybe she likes it, or not."

"Oh?" Theo turned towards Michelle, holding out a hand to her.

Michelle looked up at Theo with a curious expression on her face, then reached for his hand. Her fingers brushed against his palm before she pulled back with a yelp. "Can I do that? I'm a little small." She shrank on herself with obvious doubt, her tail curled.

"You won't always be." Daisy stroked down her back. "If you can learn the basics, you'll understand how to build on them later."

Michelle pouted a little. "But I don't have any magic of my own yet."

Daisy looked ready to reply when a new thought brushed it aside. "Stay still. I have a soul appraiser built in, and I'm going to take a peek."

Which is exactly what she did, focusing to get Michelle's stats and look for how much magic she had. To her surprise, she saw a few spells already there.

─ Detect Magic

Daisy nodded at that window and kept her vision squarely on Michelle.

─ Mana Level: 25

"Oh, you can use magic!" Daisy gave Michelle's ear a little flick. "You have mana, though I don't know what that number means. Let me check."

She turned the same trick on Theodoren to see what level he had.

─ Mana Level: 213

"Okay, so you have less, but you're also a baby and not the full wizard that Theo is. You're going to need time and training to get that number up, which you can totally do!" She clapped encouragingly. "It's not zero, so we have room to grow. Theo, are you up to being a magic tutor?"

Theo grinned at this. "I'd be happy to." He picked Michelle up and put her gently on the bed next to him. "Alright, what do you want to learn?"

"Umm."

Daisy put a hand between them. "That's a silly question. Teach her how to feel magic, and how to move it around inside herself. I wish someone had showed me that before I just jumped in the deep end. After that, try a spell."

Michelle nodded slowly. "Okay." She reached out to Theo and took his hand.

He took hold of her little hand, then placed his other palm on her forehead. "Alright, now, close your eyes." When she did, he tightened his grip slightly.

Michelle gasped. "I feel something!" She wriggled her held fingers. "A tingle!"

"That's right. Feel it move from you to me and back, through our hands." Theo moved his palm from her forehead to her chest, where a heart would normally be. "Now feel that."

Her chest inflated with her sharp inhale. "Wow! It's all over." She shuddered with a swish of her tail. "That feels nice."

Daisy let out a soft sigh as she watched the pair, happy to see them bonding so well.

"Alright, now concentrate on moving it around." Theo closed his eyes as well, concentrating on the feeling in his own body. "You felt me pushing into you, now you move yourself. Grab that tingle, the one you have inside you."

Michelle let out a little groan as she tried to concentrate. A moment later her ears twitched. "O-okay." Her fingers shook as she struggled to keep her focus. "It's not easy."

"Not at first." Theo tapped her nose, his whiskers twitching. "But you have time to practice. It'll be second nature eventually."

"I-I think I got it!" Michelle grinned up at him. "It's all moving around inside me."

"That's good." Theo looked down at her and smiled softly. "Wow, you're picking this up faster than I did." He pouted at that. "Took me a full month to get that trick down."

Daisy laughed as she ruffled his ears. "Hey, I didn't even have a clue about any of this." She poked his nose, then hers. "Maybe we do better when we're not taught a specific way. You were told how to do it, so you had to unlearn that before you could learn the real thing. If it helps, it means you're good at teaching. Maybe you could get a job here at the university."

"Hard pass." He sliced his hand across his throat. "I'll stick to adventuring, thanks. I'm making an exception for you, little squirt." He nosed her belly, knocking her over and starting to tickle. "You're cute enough that I can stand teaching you."

Michelle squealed as she flailed about, giggling loudly.

Daisy laughed along with them. "That is a lovely sound, the laughter of a child." She hugged them both, stopping the tickling in the process. "I love you both so dang much."

Theo smiled up at Daisy, nuzzling her neck gently. "I love you too, Daisy." He patted Michelle's head affectionately.

Daisy held the pair tightly. "Now let's get back to training."