"Hey, Scouts, can you grab me some more nightshade?" "Didn't you have Vee bring you some a few minutes ago?" "Yes, and now I'm asking you to get me some." I rolled my eyes as she passed me a bucket, not even looking at me as she did so, but headed out to the garden nonetheless. Barbara was obsessed with potion making. She was twelve at this point, but she had the appearance of someone much younger, which made her affection for crafting poisons and whatnot rather frightening. Still, she was skilled. My sister knew her trade and knew it well. She'd made poisons potent enough to theoretically kill an adult bull elephant before. I picked the dark berries and quickly had the small bucket filled. Whenever she finished making a poison, she'd give it to our father to help get rid of any pest-like animals that seemed to love invading our yard. Or to hunt. Poison doesn't taint the meat, thank heavens. "Here's your nightshade, don't kill anyone." I joked. "What do you mean? I'm a lost little six year old, how could I pose any kind of threat whatsoever?" She joked back. She'd gotten sick of the kids at school mocking her for how slow to physically develop she was, eventually deciding to play the part for all of five minutes before verbally disturbing the crap outta whoever was stupid enough to taunt her. "By the way, what happened to Vee once he got you the nightshade?" "I think he went to see dad, but I could be wrong. Why?" "Just curious." I'd hoped he'd want to try practicing close quarters fighting with me, since I still had yet to master using daggers, but if he was with dad, he was probably just a bit busy with that. He was a great dual wielder and all, but he was still our father's son and loved hunting as a result. "Scouts, I could use some help over here, if you're not doing something else." Mom called from the kitchen. "Coming." She knew I enjoyed baking. Maybe she overheard what I asked Barb? Well, regardless, I'd be practicing something. Mom was the reason Barb had access to the alchemy journals and was a master illusionist. I had seen her use her magic before, when I was six or so, to make this horrifically large spider disappear once she'd crushed it. She basically never used her abilities, preferring to keep up as a homeschool mom to our little trio of siblings. She was the reason I was decant at baking too. I never managed to cook like her, not more than somewhat forgiving soups, but I could certainly bake well enough. "Alright, uh.. you get the mixer and beat those, I'll work on keeping up with the cooked veggies." "Okay, mom." I smiled. She was a great cook, but she could still feel pulled in a dozen directions too. I was gonna be making the Irish soda bread, while she cooked the corned beef and veggies, as well as lettuce. It was out traditional St. Pattie's day dinner and I couldn't help but feel content as I helped my mother make it.

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