I Was Born The Unloved Twin - 144 Around the firestones

It’s been a while since the last real charging. While that continues to be the case, Lilyanne has plenty of supplies to keep her magical levels in check. So long as I’m around of course.

Since a long series of winters are coming up, a lot of fire stones have been ordered and stocked up. Fire stones can’t replace the need for firewood and charcoal production, which is the main source of heat in this world, but they really help with the consumption rate.

A small fire stone, say the size of a lemon, can double the longevity of a common family’s fireplace. More heat, less firewood, and less human labor or natural resources wasted. Time better allocated to allocate elsewhere.

To have even one really eases the burden of surviving through daily life.

They’re indispensable to not only my villa and the troop’s central heating but more importantly, the kitchens! The ovens must run on something!

While we can easily afford the finest of smoked charred woods and charcoal, isn’t it just absurdly more economical to throw a few fire stones in? Energy efficiency and sustainability is very important in keeping things running long term. Especially when it comes to keeping the troops afloat. Building and maintaining things isn’t cheap ok?

Normally fire stones are harvested and charged up in high heat concentrated areas. Volcanos may be involved.

Or they can be left in direct sunlight to charge up very slowly over time. It’s not very efficient that way but it’s completely free for people to just leave their a stone up on the roof or something during sunny afternoons. Much like drying laundry.

Of course, just like laundry, they’re open for petty theft. They’re always in demand and very useful. While it’s not terribly expensive to buy or charge in our warm climate area, not everyone has the resources to have one or even spares.

This year a lot of work has been done according to my plans, and all the actual nerd work that father or grampa implemented. But it wouldn’t be possible without the cooperation of the farmers, laborers, and anyone involved in all our projects.

Sure they got paid their fair wages, but everyone knows the allure of bonuses!

Ah, the amount of overtime I remember pulling off for the best benefits possible. Ah my soul feels so old.

To cut costs, and make this generous gift economically feasible, Lilyanne and I are instant charging up collected low or empty fire stones.

It’s already a lot when just looking at my household’s or the troop’s daily used ones, but those tend to be more set in place. Pillars in a building, a knob already built into a boiler or an oven. The bigger the more energy it can hold, like a super battery.

But that’s more than too much to work with. Boxes and boxes of rocks from the size of a necklace pendant to a bowling ball.

I have Abbey and Georgie to help with sorting them by size, for easier mass charging, but it’s still very much a lot.

It’s my fault for suggesting this sort of aid and idea. A very mundane but heavy workload on a small detail. But there isn’t much else I can think of being capable in helping out.

Mother runs the day-to-day operations of the family’s home and vineyard estate. Along with what I suspect is an increasingly more amount of the troops since that incident last winter.

Father juggles everything from the family’s businesses and overall estate oversees. Then there are his investments and projects. Which are still constantly increasing, like some nerd with a collection. That’s not even going into the businesses kept secret from little old me.

Grampa is…crazy. Yep. No one knows what crazy people do. But it’s apparently a lot with his insane resume. Perhaps he has an even bigger collection than the nerd. Enough to fill up a museum, especially if his rooms and work rooms are any indications.

I’m not feeling lonely.

Just a little useless.

It can’t be helped. All children are absolutely useless. Even Lilyanne, the heroine.

The little star of the story is far from wielding magic on her own yet. Sometimes I need to direct her, since she’s still so foolish and easily distractible. As a cute little girl, she still needs big sister to hold her hand and encourage her further. To keep her going and stopping her in the right places. Oh and to keep rocks from exploding in our faces, yes that’s very important.

But she’s learning at her own pace and doing so well! So energetic now.

Isn’t that just so precious?

Isn’t she just so cute like this, bowing to my every carefully worded instruction? Productivity is wonderful but obedience is the cutest!

Is that right?

“….Can I be let go, now?” the brain-damaged minion lifts up his little foot, shaking it.

Ah, what an idiot.

Amar does not look like he comprehended a thing throughout the entire lesson and storytime. Is it already too late for his head? I understand minions can never be as intelligent as their evil masters, but must I really suffer through leading all of them by the hand?

Having Lilyanne is already hard enough.

Instead, the older child sits comfortably amidst the boxes of rocks. Looking dazed and sleepy with his slow blinking, all as my sister and I work our butts off charging the fire stones. What a useless servant in training?

Instead, Amar showcases the brand new accessory that is the modified ankle brace. Child-sized and made from a recycled kiddy leash. It’s no tracking device but it will keep a troublemaking kiddy within a certain range of the bungee rope.

Tracking devices are hard to make and commission ok? They don’t exactly have jail ankle monitors available in this world. This will just have to do for now.

“Absolutely not. I don’t trust you to not get us all in trouble.” I state from where I help Lilyanne sort and charge through the organized boxes of rocks. My sister is also not free from a leash herself.

It’s very hard to babysit these children but I don’t really have much choice here.

Amar looks down again to his ankle, back up to the rocky mess, and back down again. Blinking in lost expectation and a reluctant acceptance. Which is slightly better than Lilyanne, who doesn’t even notice the rope at her waist.

“So so manies, Rosa.” Lilyanne points and plays, not minding the leashed ‘big brother’ at all. Or the leash on herself. Ah sweet ignorance.

In fact, she finds it a great delight to tug and pull the line at the other child. Even crying a bit at me when I refused to hand over the main handle and reigns on Amar.

Silly cute little girl, minions aren’t pets or playthings. They’re impossibly hard to train troublemakers! This one, in particular, would very likely disappear in a trail of sugar, blood, and tears if easy to trick Lilyanne was one holding on.

Luckily she’s also very easy to distract.

“Now this box Lilyanne. Isn’t that a lot faster than doing it rock by rock? But remember you just move where big sister tells you to, or kaboom!” I show with arms.

“Hee hee boom boom like grampy smashy! Lily go boom boom.” she giggles in complete misunderstanding.

“Noooo, no not that kind of boom Lilyanne. When booms are too close, they hurt and hit you. Like this.”

I snap and gesture for one of my servants to present to me a nearby fruit from a basket. I give credit where credit is due. The show you are about to see is a childish replication, yet retaining the soul and moral lesson at stake. Please keep all personal items and delicate fabrics at a reasonable distance.

“Must you do this young Miss?” Georgie deadpans, also unimpressed with me.

Well, I’m unimpressed with you too, so deal with it, Georgie.

“R-right away!” Abbey bows and delivers. This girl is my only sincere servant it seems.

“She must learn. Preferably before she hurts herself.” I reason and conclude, explaining more than need be for my servents.

They must understand where I’m coming from.

I do not have the time, preparation, or power that my father does. Nor his influence over the wide range of servants. But I can lift a heavy enough rock, one of the bowling ball-sized ones. That will do well enough, even if I prefer a little more on the showcase.

Lift I do. But I…just…can’t…get it any higher than my belly. Oooof.

“Minion, help me lift this up higher! Abbey hold the leash for me, my hands are busy. Amar if you dare to pull Abbey along in your escape, you’ll make her cry uncontrollably again, and do you really want that? Do you?” I instruct back and forth, looking between the two of them.

“… Why are you like this?” Georgie judges me from above, despite having no grounds to.

My hands really are too busy to see to punishing him. It’s also a lot harder than it looks? What else can I do this unruly young assistant of mine? Such a hard time for a young villainess finding and disciplining good help.

Like a good learning minion, however, Amar takes the rock from me. As if it were a blown up beach ball he nonchalantly lifts up the bowling rock higher than I can reach let alone lift. Far above our little heads.

“Zap? Then snackies? Lily gets cheesies too.” Lilyanne reaches, not understanding why I was placing innocent fruit in front of her.

“No no Lilyanne. Not snackie. Watchie. Watchie what will happen to your face if you boom boom too close. It will hurt a lot more than bread swords to the face.” I slowly stretch out my words childishly, all for her to understand.

Immediately she pouts in the recollection of the 300+ consecutive times Lukas defeated her in the battle of the bread. A moment later she brings up her little hands to her face, rubbing away the memory of pain and swelling.

Good, please keep all hands and crushable digits out of the way.

“Remember Lilyanne, this is your face. You’re lovely pretty perfect face. Get it? Amar. Now. ” I snap.

The rock drops onto the little fruit with a beautiful splatter. My sisters gasp and her baby screams sweet music to my ears. Yes, yes scream more!

“Oh ho bwahahaha! See what will happen to you?!”

“Aaaahhhh Lily no want!”

“…Why did we smash the orange?” Amar lifts up the mess again, poking the pulp.

“Look Lilyanne, your guts and brain matter. ” I am forced to push my sister to look closer, holding her screaming squirming head to the best of my abilities.

“Waaah no no no Lily want to be orange juice!”

She moves around far too much to control. So much so I accidentally plop her whole face into the wet orange pulp.

For once, everyone goes very still.

“Whoops. Uh. Abbey? Georgie? A little help here?” I hold her carefully, holding my breath in fear for the cries to come.

“Do I drop the rock again now?” Amar asks at the completely wrong time.

3. 2. 1.

“WWWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! WAH WAH WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!! No WANITES sQuiSH!!! WAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!!”

Ah there we go, right on time with my prediction too. That’s the Lilyanne I know.

“Can we put her face back in there?” Amar asks.

It is not entirely my choice, but instinct and the timely suggestion that just plops Lilyanne’s head back down. Muffling her with orange mush and a table.

Still very loud, but better.

“Alright stop messing around wasting food. Rosalia, you should know better!” Georgie comes to recuse the day by cleaning up. “Abbey can you get that? I”ll, ow that’s loud, there there young miss Lilyanne. It’s all alright, we’ll get you a snack that’s… not on your face. ”

“S-sure.” Abbey nods along, quicker to clean and tidy things with experience.

“Hurry up Georgie, we have many supplies to work on. ” I busy myself with sorting the charged rocks and the empty ones, getting them ready.

If I get any listless judgemental looks from Georgie, well then that’s a clear sign he’s not very efficient of his job.

Sheesh. Without magic, this is as much as I’m good for. So everyone get to it!

There’s a lot of work to do before winter for everybody. There’s always something to prepare and see to. As soon as common children are old enough to work, they’ll be used in small errands and any other ways they can.

That’s the kind of world this is.

Every household and small community must be entirely self-reliant, in any season. Let alone the dark season where not only the fields but all life and society seem to come to a standstill. No one leaves their homes or safe spaces. No one can afford to. It’s not the cold that kills, but the long-enduring wait. Dwindling stokehold supplies. Darkness and boredom of days melting into another. A phenomenon that’s unseen and unknown in another world.

Money can only do so much. Money is useless without anything to buy or anyone to buy from.

How unproductive this world is.

Oh well, back to work.

It’s very easy to tell a good quality charged rock from either the vibrancy of the color or a slight warmth emancipating from them. Even without magic, with a bit of practice or experience, anyone would be able to tell them apart as well as use them. Crude as they are. In a way, they’re still a magic tool, even if it is just a very specific type of rock.

“Warm.” Amar yawns a bit sleepily, feeling a full box of freshly charged stones.

“Yep. We got a lot to charge up and distribute correctly. It looks like a lot now, but even if it’s just one per contributing household or a recycle refund, it would run out in a snap.” I make the gesture.

I gotta snap again and again as Amar seems to curl up over a box of rocks. Ready to take a nap over the warm heat.

Is he a cat or something?

“Blanket?” he asks, blinking up slowly.

“No. Bad minion. Not a bed. It’s work. ” I pinch at the soft little cheek.

The summer has tanned him a bit darker, but it’s fading away. Like a steamed cake with a bit brown sugar. The softest and fluffiest kind.

So squishy.

My snapping is very ineffective. Is it because I’m not scary enough? Or enough of an overbearing villainess? I may be extremely adorable, but for the most part I feel absolutely no one will take me seriously any time soon. With the exception of Abbey of course.

Ok, I have decided that she gets a bonus this year. And not Georgie!

Abbey, however, is too eager to serve as a maid. For she has brought over a whole pile of blankets and cushions. Presenting it with slowly developing grace.

I didn’t even ask for it though.

“Feel?” Amar pats at the bed of stones.

Abbey takes it as if directions on where all the cushions should go. Right on top.

With some fumbling about from those two, it soon begins to look like a small childish fort. Like children play camping when they’re all obviously inside. What a waste of time.

“That’s not for playing.” I shake my head.

Before I even finish with the simple gesture, Amar is already wriggling into the cozy fluffed up blanket fort. Like a spoiled child that’s getting increasingly lazy. Curling around and getting comfortable and…wait where did the ankle leash go?!

Abbey?! Do I have to rethink that bonus?

“Too sleepy. It’s warm.” his little voice begins to drift off.

“Hey, not again. I need to use you to lift rocks. This is very sensitive work. Hey?….”

…Obviously, I am forced to go discipline my own minion. But I am very small and cannot reach things. Thus I must crawl into the fluffy fort.

It’s not like I want to roll around the fort. That looks very warm and cushiony and soft. Not at all.

“Abbey…please lift me into the fort. ” I also fail at finding a suitable path to climb up the box and into the kiddy tent. No more shall I shame myself by hopping up and down uselessly.

“R-right away young miss Rosalia,” Abbey giggles a bit, doing her job of actually listening to my demands. All without the mockery that is cooing and teasing me.

Very well, you may have your bonus back. So I have mentally decided.

“Will t-th-there b-be anything else, my y-young miss.” Abbey asks as she places me at the sole entrance of the kiddy fort.

Oh my it’s a lot more comfortable than expected? Is it the radiating heat? Soooooo comfy!

“Juice.” I give my order quickly, marveling, and rubbing my face into the cushions.

This heat has suddenly made me realize just how cold the soap rooms are. Besides the fireplaces and boilers, it lacks the centralized heating of any of the main buildings. After all it was a storehouse before I took it over.

But this artificially cozy heat? It reminds me of a heated spa floor, a freshly dried batch of laundry or better yet, a kotatsu table!

Such a modern novelty item. Perhaps seen only in your mangas and anime form of media? Ha! It’s actually the old fashioned but ultimate heating money saver. The ultimate lounging comfort of warmth and laziness!

Too comfortable even, a very dangerous thing that can trap you all day and all night in lounging around and doing nothing! Oh so good. Oh so nappable.

Should I commission one in this world? It would be the first of its kind! Would it be sellable though?

Oh no.

I can feel my will and drive to work quickly draining away from this reminiscent heat. No. No, my productivity! My list of plans and winter prep. So much to do but yet I now suddenly have no motivation for it.

How can a stupid pillow fort on a bunch of magically warm rocks be so comfy?

“I hate it.” I roll around, eventually reaching to kick a half-asleep Amar.

Kids need more sleep than adults, it’s perfectly reasonable for a child to have an afternoon nap. But something is a little fishy about my minion’s present condition.

Ok, a little, may be understating it. Just a bit.

He’s already slept so much beforehand, perhaps under the influence of something. How come he’s still so tired now?

“Did you have poison again?” I ask, kicking off my tiny shoes.

“No.” the boy mumbles, still buried in blankets and cushions.

“Are you lying again? I know about it already, you made a weird deal with my father. Since no one else will give it to you. You’re too young and dumb to start training in that, normally. ” I think, recalling what I could about poison training in this world.

Gotta use all my tools to their full advantage after all.

Mithridatism. There are a decent amount of people, noble and adventurers alike, who take small amounts of certain substances. Maybe on purpose. Maybe by accident, usually by some venomous beasts, insects, or general pests. That small amount may build up over time or it could just be that. The idea is reasonably to develop some form of resistance over time, from that first survivable exposure.

It’s not an unheard-of idea or concept. Dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing or haven’t hired someone who does. But in Rosalia’s strange and dangerous world it wasn’t unheard of.

It’s not very effective though, since it only works as resistance against the specific substance you used. Nor does it work against all components. Science and medicine here is blurry sometimes but we know that much. A real immunity is impossible. Besides, there are too many things out there that could kill you. Why bother too much with something so mundane?

Rosalia never did beyond the minimum when it came to that practical training. Even then she was at least 10 or so? After all a high noble such as myself must be careful about all aspects from every side.

Arsenic smells like bitter almonds about half the time. Then makes your breath or urine smell like garlic. Hard for most people to find a good source since the material is pretty impure. Easy enough to track any culprits when following trades.

Belladonna plants and leaves are very recognizable, the whole plant being lethal. Watch out but I can survive about three berries. The eye drops hurt like stupid though, but topical ointments can be used as medicine. Very specifically motion sickness medicine.

Cyanide isn’t even a thing there! We don’t have the technology to distill it in masses. I mean sure someone can make something, since it’s everywhere, but again there are just too many things that can kill you. Lots of more effective and popular things in these times.

Too much work, too low pay off.

Besides, it’s much less painful to just raise and train some cheap disposables. If they die, that’s fine. The main point is for them to protect their master. If they can just live long enough to identify and shout out what killed them, then that’s mission accomplished. They’ve fulfilled their life purpose.

It’s nothing personal. Just everyone has a role in life.

In such a world, human lives are surprisingly cheap. No?

I roll over comfortably and kick the unresponsive blanket lump again. Since this is usually the part he interrupts my occasional partially escaped thoughts, let alone give me an answer. Too still and too long a silence, definitely not asleep at all.

Hey, you. Are you really ok with being a disposable like that? Do you even understand?

Probably not.

“Table.”

The little lump moves just a bit, unseen. If we judge from the blanket movement alone he could be rolling over as he sleep talks muffled under there. Since he makes even less sense.

“…what about tables?” I kick again lightly, sighing how random children are.

Kids are sensitive and not always understandable. They operate on another level that sensible adults have long forgotten. What was I even expecting? Even then, a strange voice whispers to me much like a headache. About time and how things aren’t up to me. It sounds like grampa.

I hate it already!

“There’s a table. In my old house. When the summer garden leaves go to sleep, the table comes out.” the blanket finally speaks up.

That sounds…oddly familiar?

The blanket ripples with slight movements. A soft little mochi face peeks out from underneath. Eyelashes low and teary with sleep. Even more so than usual.

“It’s not very tall, but everyone sits on the floor with lots of cushions. There’s a pit under for hot coals and firestones… Then you gotta throw a big blanket over it. One that’s warm and long. And another, to cover it on top for food and tea. Because of the heater, it got really warm under the blanket. ” Amar quieted down voice speaks out, oddly talkative.

So much it catches me off guard when one of the blankets rises up high on the fort as if a corner side was thrown up suddenly. It rises and falls, landing over my head, darkening my vision.

“Grown ups stick in just their legs and they share it. It wasn’t very big at all. But I can fit. All of me. It was always really warm under there. ” says the boy hiding under the blanket.

When my eyes adjust, I can see he clutches a too large cushion. Face down and entirely squished into it.

“It’s like a whole different world. Up top, the grown ups talked funny things. They drank chai and ate winter goodies even through the night time. Sometimes someone sticks their hand down with snacks. Even though I’m not supposed to be down there because it’s funny to breathe and gets too hot at times. Nuts. Seeds. Fruits. Cookies. Cakes.”

It’s not hard to imagine him drooling down there, despite not seeing his face. All he does is name sweet things. A tiny tummy about to growl out any moment now.

“Sometimes I got yelled at when they pulled me out. Even by mama. But because it’s cold outside, sometimes really cold, like when snow like Lukas makes fall outside, I get to drink warm pommes juice with lots and lots of cinnamon. Because the chai and kaffa are for grown ups. And I get tucked back on someone’s lap. So I don’t get cold. ”

Warm. The heat radiating from the firestones through the cushion makes it all very warm. As if every one of my fingers and toes had been heated and draped with freshly dried laundry. It’s oddly familiar.

Not just for me apparently.

“But everyone talks too much.” Amar let out a big breath from where he’s been trying to suffocate himself. When he turns his little head to the side, looking at me, it’s with a laugh and a smile.

I think this child is most definitely brain damaged. Maybe from breathing coal fumes from under any heated tables. Especially during any young developing years.

“Everyone talked too much and for too long. Even mama. So I fell asleep a lot. Sometimes in someone’s lap. But sometimes I slipped down again under the table. It was really warm and stuff. Is it really too easy to fall asleep in? I almost forgot.”

Should I give a response instead of staring dumbly? Or should I let the normally quieter minion speak it out? Let him fill up this small space with his even smaller words that sound both muffled and amplified?

I don’t know, but then again, I don’t know a lot of things. That much is clear. The me of right now knows too little of everything, even when I know the most about the future.

But I’m only one very small person. And my cheat only extends to me. I only know my sad fate and future.

“I really forgot. I forgot about it. Isn’t that funny? ….I thought I really forgots… ” Amar’s words fumble clumsily. Sounding even younger with a tongue that roll incorrectly, much like how real children do.

“And this made you remember?” I pat down below up, to the bottom of the forth. To the artificial heat burning low and slow, as if it weren’t running at all.

Fire stones. What a wonderful and convenient thing. Magic that’s as common as good firewood and coal.

“I don’t know? I don’t know what I’m supposed to do. Forget? Or remember? Everyone says different things.” Amar admits it like a question. Weighing and asking it for himself.

“Whose even everyone?” I ask back, since I can’t answer.

“…Everyone?” he rubs the side of his face back into the pillow.

It’s getting suffocating down here. Blankets pressed too close to small heads and fat faces. Slowly, it feels like we’re running out of oxygen down

“Forget it. Try to remember. Forget it all. You have to remember something, anything. Forget and don’t remember no mores. Give it up and remember it all. You have to. You have to. You have to if you want it back. You have to if you want anything back. Everyone says different things, and I don’t know anything. If I dids, I forgots. Like the korsi table. Like the cold nights with cinnamon pomegranate juice. I really forgots. Just like that. After enough time I’m gonna forget everything.” Amar gets increasingly quieter and quieter, harder to understand. I don’t know if it’s the pillow or himself.

“What do you want to do?”

At the silent response a moment too long, I can’t take it anymore.

Air!

Obviously I need air, unable to take the suffocation. I pull off the blanket on the both of us, waving in not only cold air but oxygen. It gets the bundle holding onto the pillow to shiver slightly, peeking up with a slightly annoyed look.

“You really are brain damaged. Did you get no air under there for your head to be like this? Ah it’s going to be so much work on you!” I sigh, smacking him with the blanket bunched up into my fists, pulling it off.

Amar stubbornly rolls over, taking a corner with him. Rolling himself against the fort into a blanket burrito.

A very fat and fluffy burrito. It’s funny looking and just a little cute.

“Hey don’t avoid me just because I’m right. What do you want to do? Isn’t that the most important thing? Not what anyone or everyone says. Remember or don’t. What is it that you want?” I crawl over, poking the burrito.

A little head pokes out one end of the overstuffed roll. Curious eyes blinking.

“…I don’t know?”

Don’t facepalm. Do not facepalm. Just a little kid, a very dumb and cute one, that needs patience and guidance. Think of Gable. What would Gable do? Do not, I repeat Rosalia, do not facepalm at the kid.

I smack my head into a pillow.

“I don’t know…no one asked that before? No grown up at least? Not even mama. She just did it, she didn’t ask, and then I had to listen. That’s the way things are?” a muffled voice rambles on, slightly nudging me with every roll.

“That’s a terrible way to go about it. I never listen to anyone, let alone my parents. They’re very horribly stupid, each in their own ways. ” I pop back up, shuddering at the injustice of it all.

This is the pain and constraints of children! Getting tossed and turned at the whims of others, their parents, or any guarding adults of this world. You have no power and no say in anything. It’s all a great draw of luck on who you get as your guides. If they’re any good for you or good at all.

It’s something I didn’t realize would be such a problem till I relieved a childhood in this persona.

How unfairly frustrating!

“Pffft-.” Amar’s little head disappears back into the blanket burrito. From the way it shakes though, I say it’s safe to assume I’m being made a mockery of again.

It happens too many times to be acceptable for a villainess of my status.

“What’s so funny now?” I kick, since poking does nothing against this fluff.

Because my tiny and weak physique isn’t much, I am forced to push and unroll the minion burrito. Somehow though, I just end with a bigger and fluffier burrito. Layers of blankets tangled up in a ball. If only making him gain weight was this easy.

Amar can still breathe in there though if his still audible childish giggling is anything to go by.

This is also fine. Children shouldn’t be thinking of such complicated things out of their control. Nor hiding in dark spaces without air, no matter how warm and nap worthy they are.

“Lily too!!!” comes a very high-pitched gasping.

I poke my head out of the fort to see my sister, face clean and fruitless, hopping up and down uselessly below. When she starts climbing the box, it’s only to slowly slide down its too smooth surface.

“This isn’t a tree you know? Lilyanne? Lilyanne you stop that. ” I speak down to her.

“Lily too. Lily in wit Rosa and big bruder too.” she yips and growls, continuously jumping and sliding.

With a light muffled laughter, Amar unrolls himself enough to fall freely on his back. Only to rebundle with the first blanket again before also peeking out. This child seems to get cold easily, which is fair given we’ve only put him in thin nightclothes.

“It’s very warm and sleepy in here. Thank you for making it warm. ” he thanks her for the magic charge, falling back to snuggle into his fort.

“Wah Lily too!” my unfortunately tiny little sister stretches out uselessly. Her tears and cries seemingly never-ending.

This one, I have no qualms about facepalming at and over. All the facepalms in the world would not be enough to express how I feel about this deathly cute and surprisingly chaotic creature. All I know is that no peace is to be had with her.

There is no peace in my future when Lilyanne is involved. But at the same time, I need this little girl for her powers and more.

It’s complicated.

“You’re all funny.” Amar says, tilting his head with a smile.

“Excuse you. You’re the one that’s funny in the head….don’t do stupid things anymore. Like seeing bad people. Your games are all bad and you’ll only get in trouble for them. Don’t think so much when you don’t know how.” I reprimand the child.

Whether he knows how to listen or not remains to be seen.

From the way he tilts his head back in the other direction, I would say no. No, he doesn’t.

“Ok? Whatever you say, Rosa…. I couldn’t say that stuff. Like before. I can’t say it to Lukas. He doesn’t have anything to remember. So it makes him sad, even if he doesn’t say anything. Ah that’s not right? He talks a lot. To tell himself he’s not lonely. Don’t get tricked by him? You’re very stupid if you do. ” Amar changes the subjects again, as easy and natural as breathing.

It’s a little scary how well he does that.

“But it’s better now. Lots. Next time then. Next time, I can tell him all the stories I don’t remember. I still don’t know…but it’s better. Thank you. ”

The fort is very warm, from my butt to my toes. The other child covers himself back under the covers, and like magic, seems to disappear under the pile. If left to his own devices, you may never know he was there.

The tiny world of children is a strange one, but until I grow up enough, I’m just as stuck as a part of it.

I was about to kick again, maybe pull those covers off, but a pillow goes flying through the fort. Then another. Another orange?

“Lily say Lily too!!!” somewhere below my sister aims and throws.

Much more things hitting out and around. But occasionally, something like the orange hits. It’s quite dangerous.

“Lilyanne calm down and put that down. So says your big sister.” I’m forced to immediately deal with her.

With this one I still can. Since she’s part of my story.

As for strange little minions and all their badly remembered secrets, well that’s a problem for another day. If I’m lucky, a problem that will have no relation to me.

“Big sister meanie wit big bruder. No share?! Smash?! Lily not a orange juice!!!”

“Lilyanne you’re making no sense. Lilyanne put down that rock, it’s heavy and dangerous. Lily? Lilyanne no?!!”

My own little sister is more than enough of a problem. Also she’s trying to throw rocks at me. She’s only three and already trying to kill me?

See if it wasn’t so complicated, I would have just killed her first and be done with it. But noooooooo. No one messes with the heroine. It’s the law of the universe or something. No one messes with the heroine and survives. Pffft.

“Lily, stop you’re making the box shake. ” I compliment her incredible aiming skills, failed only by her lacking strength and literally everything else.

“Waaaaaah Rosa no wuv Lily mosties no mores! Homewreckers!” she sobs on the floor.

“….what.” I lack the capabilities to respond to this nonsense.

“You’ve been holding out on me!” Georgie’s voice comes chasing down the hall.

“Am not! Get away!” yells another unexpected one.

“Homewreckers!!!” Lilyanne continues to cry.

My other babysitter gets steered and chased into the soap rooms. His pretty homewrecking face formed into a grimace at the sound, blocked off by a sparkly eyed Georgie. Near clinging onto him for some reason.

“I…just…want…one kiddo. Just here for one of the brats. Not that feral one. Hand him over.” Yuna backs away slowly from both the crying toddler and Georgie’s overly enthusiastic….something.

“And miss out the chance to go…shopping?!” Georgie’s glee is glaring.

“It’s not shopping for shit and it’s not even me or my money. It’s Cass! What does that even have to do with your loser ass in the first place? No, get away from me!” Yuna screeches away from the signs and affections of what is apparently how Georgie makes friends.

“House shopping!!! Oh this is going to be so fun! Your dorms sucks and that hideout is, no offense, really messed up, dark and creepy. Oh we can decorate, and furniture shop and I know Amar needs new clothes and-” Georgie manages to get his arms around the younger boy, squeezing in excitement.

“What is wrong with you?!” Yuna somehow does not fling my taller but much weaker assistant off of him, let alone the window.

Thank goodness for I don’t think Georgie can survive that. Even if he did get a bit larger over the summer of forced camp workouts. Yuna does however make his disgust very well known.

“Lily too!” my little sister toddles over, hugging onto Yuna’s leg.

Look like she just wants to constantly be involved in and on anything somewhat interesting. Oh kids. So needy for attention and such.

But what is this I hear?

“Shopping? House shopping? Now?” I make myself known, popping my head out the fort.

“No no no wrong brats, wrong one!” Yuna yells and points in horror.

“You sit tight right there with the kids. Abbey will be back with their snacks soon. I’ll go get Alfonso’s and the guard’s permission. Ohhhh outside shopping?! This is going to be great! ” Georgie pets the young grump, plopping Lilyanne into Yuna’s unwilling arms and seemingly skipping off.

“Hewo homewrecker! Cheese? ” my sister copies the patting motion, reaching up to Yuna’s face.

“…How about no.” the teenage babysitter holds her far away. Unsure what to do with her much like a ticking time bomb.

Which she kinda is, no lie.

My my my as nice as it is to laze around doing nothing sometimes, I’m just too busy for that. Oh my and property shopping too? Right before winter? Ohhh so much is needed!

Alright Amar, stay hidden and sleep away. Just for now. After all you’re just a child in need of his naps.

“Come on Lilyanne, let’s finish charging up and then we can go shopping!” I hop down and out from the fort.

“Yaaaaaay!!!” Lilyanne cheers in Yuna’s confused grip.

“This is not what I came for. I didn’t sign up for this.” Yuna complains, grimacing wide eyes as if he was holding something very dangerous. Or perhaps foul smelling?

Oh dear, did Lily forget cheese on her person again?

“Help us out. I want to finish these up before we go.” I huff, pointing to the scattered rocks my sister made a mess of.

“Why should I? I don’t even-”

“Today’s lunch was ragu ribbons if you wanted to pack any leftovers along with bread stew. You can also take two medium sized fire stones. Three if you’re quick enough.”

“Make it one big and three mediums and a pack of the pebbles.”, Yuna immediately sets Lillyanne down and gets the cleaning and packing.

“What an overcharge!?” I gasp, clutching my spleen. Oh money, those things could be sold or traded for money.

“I’m expensive, princess. And I want fresh loaves of bread from downstairs, daily. The camp cafeteria was barely decent before but it’s going to shit now with the stock hold supply and the funky experiments. We’re getting roots and bottom rung shit. ” Yuna speaks as he works, cleaning and stacking faster than anything Abbey could do with all her well intended efforts.

Well, I must admit Yuna is right on one part. He is expensive in a way.

But I don’t dislike that either. People who know their value and stand up for themselves. Messy ponytail and slightly dark circles from lack of sleep. But something about Yuna stands out very tall and straight. Maybe some inflated sense of price under the rigid shell of the grumpy.

I don’t dislike this kind of person at all.

“Fine. FIne, permissions granted. Oh good help is just so hard to find.” I wave him off, taking Lilyanne’s hand.

She laughs and cheers spinning us until I can lead her, and instruct Yuna, where the fire stones need charging.

We have work to do. Then more work after that. I’m going to use this magical little heroine for all she’s worth, even if it comes with a headache.

But it’s a little fun. At least for me.

I’m selfish like that.

“I’m here! I’m here! I’m here! And delivery too! Cap says to take these all to you in the Rosa rooms! Hi Rosa! Hi Yuna! Hiiiiii weird doll sitting over there! Ew stinky, hi to you too but you smell bad!” the doors slam open to some terribly stacked floating crates.

Floating with tiny legs carrying them. Lukas trips his way in with even more rocks. Empty firestones collected to almost double the rocks we already have.

Oh dear.

Wait what did he say about a scary doll?….

….AAAHHHHH PONYO-CORA ANNABELLE?!! hOW DOES THAT THING KEEP SHOWING UP?! HOW? AAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

“Rosa?” my sister hold me back from jumping out my little pumpkin pants.

“How?!!!” ” point to the thing, sitting there as if it were innocent.

“Hi Amar! Are you sleeping? Okay. Can I come too? I’ll be quiet! ….Okay!” Lukas happily drops everything like a freight, running with a head start into the perched up fort.

“Yuuuna! I demand you take the doll! Take it and get it away!” I shake, using my own sister as a sheild.

“Rosa funny. Dolly wants play!” Lilyanne states, simple as that.

“Yuna! I’ll pay you everything and more. Extra! Soda pops! Conditioner! Just get it!” I screech.

“As long as I get paid, princess.” Yuna does as tasked, picking the obviously cursed thing up and sticking it into the fort with the boys.

With a quick look, he pokes his head in as well. As if checking but pleased with the sight. For he gets back to work organizing and lifting in a slightly better mood. A little more at peace.

But that could be from all the pay he’s extorting out of me.

It’s a very strange mess going on. Not just in my soap rooms, even if that is the most obvious example. But at least with each and every stone charged, it’s becoming warmer and warmer in here.

With each one, it will go out somewhere. Maybe to light up someone’s kitchen fires. Maybe to stock up my own employee’s little nests. Somewhere, sometime in the near future. I hope it keeps someone a little warmer.

After all, paying me back is going to be expensive work. Get to it, everyone!

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