01:46 a.m. July 19, 726 AF

Sara woke slowly and immediately wished that she were still asleep. She ached from her hair to her toenails. She felt the back of her neck and found that she was not only hot, she was nearly soaked with sweat. Glancing to the sides she saw that Luigi and Paolo were sleeping soundly. Paolo hadn't slept well lately, for various reasons, and she was more than a little disinclined to wake him.

Well, there was nothing for it. She'd manage somehow. Grimly she gritted her teeth, threw off the blanket, and carefully managed to get on her feet. She gingerly wrapped a robe around herself and gradually worked her way down the hall toward the bathing room. As she approached, she felt an odd pressure, as if something were trying to direct her away. Irritated and determined, she waved her hand and the pressure ceased. Well...that was easy. As sick as she was, she didn't think to question why there was an avoidance spell on the door to the bathroom.

When she opened the door, her eyes widened in surprise. Someone was already there. Even as muzzy as she was, she recognized the two voices conversing in soft whispers. Danica and Stavros?! What in the world were they doing?

She edged closer and heard Dani say, "Dummy. It's only been 10 minutes or so. Of course the pain hasn't stopped yet. Quit worrying so much. Like it or not, it'll be at least another 20 or 30 minutes before we can go back to bed."

"That being the case, Stav, get your ass over here and help me. I can barely move." Sara's words were followed by the sound of splashing and then sputtering as Stavros first slipped under the water and then struggled to right himself.

"Sa...Sa...Sara?"

"Who else in the family sounds like me? Hurry up. I'm burning with fever, and I'm having chills. I need a soak, probably more than Dani does...for whatever it is that's bothering her. Get over here, rinse me off, and then help me into the bath."

Dani and Stav exchanged worried glances. "It's OK Stav, I can hold myself up just fine as long as it's in the water. At least for a few minutes. Hurry and go help Sister."

"Ah, sure, right away."

After he'd rinsed her sweat off and was helping Sara to the bath she gave him instructions in a grumpy but weak voice, "Put me where you can sit between the two of us. As things are right now, I'm not sure I won't fall over too if there's nobody to hold me up."

Once he'd settled Sara, he resumed his position. Sara wrapped her left arm around his right and turned partially toward him. "Don't let me slip under the water, you hear me?"

He nodded then felt Danica doing the same thing as Sara. He turned toward Danica, surprise and concern on his face. If Mimi found out what she'd just done, they'd both be in a world of hurt.

As for Danica, she'd felt compelled to mimic Sara's action. It wasn't that she was unstable, it was more that she didn't like it when someone other than herself was touching him so intimately, even if it was necessary and someone in the family.

Stavros, as he had the first time he'd helped Dani, tilted his head and stared at the ceiling. He was sure that he'd find something interesting up there that he could concentrate on if he looked long enough.

It was somewhat over an hour later that Mimi, was awakened by her inner trouble sensor. The children had been in the bath far too long. When she arrived, she opened the door and silently flowed in. She halted in surprise when she saw three people in the bath, then noted that all of them were asleep. She also saw that Sara's nightgown and robe were lying on the floor, as if they'd been hurriedly dropped.

She picked them up and got a whiff of stale sweat as she did so. She nodded. So, Sara was ill. Given her ability, it was no wonder that she'd managed to make her way here in spite of the avoidance spell Mimi cast on the door leading to the bath every night.

` Well, first things first. She carefully tapped Sara on the shoulder. When her eyes opened and focused on her face, Mimi put her finger to her lips and helped Sara out of the bath. Once she was dry and in a clean robe, Sara said, "Explain."

Mimi did, Sara nodded, then asked, "Will you help me back to my room? I'm afraid that I'm still not feeling all that steady."

When Mimi returned, the children were still asleep. Mimi smiled fondly, then put her mildly stern face on and awakened them. "What did I say about inappropriate touching?" she asked with some asperity.

While Stavros was floundering mentally, trying to find a way to explain himself, Danica unexpectedly said, in a dry, almost clinical voice, "Stav has told me that you forbade him to touch me inappropriately. You said nothing to me about how I was to touch him."

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

She grinned. "Seeing that Sister Sara is gone, you must already know the circumstances, so why are you acting that way?"

Then in a more serious tone, "Sometimes you are too much like Aunt Miranda. I think you try too hard to play your role at times. If you're not careful, you may lose yourself to it."

She turned and said, "Stavros, it's time. Take me back to bed if you please."

"Uh, sure, right away."

After they'd left, Mimi remained standing in the bathroom for some time, thinking about what Dani had said. Perhaps, maybe, she was indeed living a bit too much within her character.

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August 04, 726 AF

Genie burst through the front door to announce that she and Mario had arrived home. At least that was her plan. Just as she'd begun to thrust the door open, it was jerked back so quickly that she was barely able to keep her balance. Once she straightened up, she beheld Mimi who, before Genie could say a word, quickly put her hand over Genie's mouth and said softly, "Welcome home Genie, Mario. Please come in."

As the puzzled duo entered, they could hear the sound of a violin coming from the conservatory.

After nodding comprehension at Mimi, who then removed her hand, Genie said, "Oh, right. One of Mother's letters said that that Danica girl had taken up violin. Is she having a lesson?"

Shaking her head in the negative, Mimi answered, "No, her next lesson is the day after tomorrow. What you hear is Mrs. Piedmont practicing for her next concert."

"Huh? Piedmont? MARCELA PIEDMONT?!"

Fortunately Mimi still had her hand over Genie's mouth, so, as she shouted, it barely escaped.

"SHHHH! Not so loud." Mimi nodded in answer to Genie's question, then whispered to herself, "I see. Madame failed to inform her. I should have known... Wait, then that means she also probably didn't... Interesting. This should be fun...or not..."

Suddenly, she realized that Danica had been right. She was so caught up in her role that she was slowly becoming almost indifferent to anything but the game she was playing with Miranda.

Quickly Mimi told the two why Marcela was there, and that there was more she needed to tell them later...privately. After hearing Mimi's explanation, Genie grabbed Mario and buried her face in his chest. After a number of deep breaths, exasperated, muffled muttering escaped from Genie, "That woman! She knows that I don't deal well with things like this when she throws them at me. I take back what I said before. Mother's so-called sense of humor is FAR worse than Hibiki's."

"What are you talking about love?" asked Mario with a puzzled expression.

"The person playing the violin, Marcela Piedmont, is the most famous violinist in The City, and, probably, in all of Italy. I can't imagine how Mother got her to come here to practice. It's got to be another of her strange plots! Whatever the rest of it is, well, I'm not sure I ever want to know."

Miranda, who was working in her office, suddenly snickered and wondered what had prompted it, not that it mattered enough for her to stop what she was doing and pursue the thought. She had to finish her current task within the next two hours.

After gesturing once more for silence, Mimi lead Mario and Genie to the door to the conservatory, where they found several of the staff gathered. They glanced at the new arrivals, whispered: "Welcome home," and turned their attention back to the doorway.

Somewhat miffed at the less than lukewarm reception, Genie was soon entranced by the music wafting through the door. A moment later it stopped, and everyone dispersed back to their duties.

Genie complained, "Dang, that was way too short". As Genie and Mario turned to head off and get cleaned up, Mario stopped so suddenly that Genie ran into his back.

"What's with you? Tell me when you're going to do something like that."

Mario's only response was to raise his arm and point at the clock over the front door.

Genie looked. Her only response was, "Oh," after which she stepped to Mario's side and pulled him toward their room.

Mimi grinned, then entered the conservatory to assist Mrs. Piedmont. But first she also glanced over her shoulder at the clock above the door. Rather than the "moment" Genie had imagined, it had actually been over 30 minutes since the two had arrived home.

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After they'd unpacked, had a bath, and were sorting out their things, there was a knock at their door. Upon opening it, they beheld Mimi, who had an uncharacteristic, broad smile on her face.

"May I come in?"

"Yes of course," answered Mario. "Please do."

"As I mentioned when you arrived home, there's something that you need to know..." Looking directly at Genie she said, remarkably calmly given how tense she was feeling, "Your mother is planning something even nastier than her usual.

"In the past, I've felt that a maid has no business butting in on family affairs, no matter how...unpleasant...yes, let's call it 'unpleasant', such plots are. However, in this case she's crossed the line. I can't, in good conscience, let it go this time. So..."

When she'd finished explaining, Genie turned to Mario and said in a deceptively sweet voice, "Why don't we visit Master Hiroshi's dojo my love. I'm sure some sparring would be beneficial given the circumstances."

She followed that by growling, "Either that or we stay here and I start breaking things, or maybe even a certain person."

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After they'd left, Mimi pondered the situation somewhat longer, then tentatively sent out a thought, "Master, if you have a moment please? I have a dilemma, and I've not been able to come to a satisfactory conclusion as to how I should proceed."

A gentle voice responded, "You're overthinking the situation Subaru. Just go along with what your current plan is. As you have concluded, firmness is desirable, but rigidity is always to be avoided. You should relax more. Besides, you'll have more fun that way. If you don't take time for that, your brain will eventually rot.

"Should you have ongoing concerns in the future, discuss them with either Sara or Danica. Although they're very young, they're both well qualified to deal with this particular type of problem."

That was followed by, "When the celebration is concluded, deliver this to Miranda. It looks as though it's time for us to have another talk." This time the voice was stern and commanding.

Even though she was alone, Mimi still dropped into a full curtsy. "It shall be as you say Master."

As she stood, a letter with a wax seal bearing the logo of Brewster's Books fell into her hands.