CH29: A Worried Mother

Elsie woke up the next day. She was wrapped in Ana’s arms. She moved to get up, only for Ana to tighten her grip on her. She was stuck until Ana woke up. She shifted to face her sister, their faces mere inches from one another. She watched her sleep, her slight smile as she dreamed. She looked so much better than before when she was panicking about fighting.

She caressed her sister’s face, the touch finally stirring her twin. Her eyes fluttered open as she slowly woke up. As soon as she saw her sister, she leaned in to kiss Elsie. Her arms pulled her close as they kissed. Elsie was shocked. Usually, she was less forward with affection.

It was nice.

They parted from the kiss as Ana whispered, ”Good morning.”

Elsie felt her heart race. She looked into her sister’s eyes, still sleepy, and felt a warmth fill her. Her sister’s breath lightly hit her skin, sending goosebumps throughout her body.

“Gods… what a way to wake up,” Elsie whispered back, her own arms wrapping around Ana.

They held each other. Neither wanted to leave the embrace as they lay there. They would have lain there all morning if they could, but they heard their mom’s footsteps coming up the stairs. Elsie shuffled to her bed, not wanting to explain to her mom why they were cuddling. As she left Ana’s bed, she was already missing her sister’s warmth.

Jess popped in right after Elsie got settled. Their mother looked a bit disheveled. She had a late night last night. “Breakfast is ready, and the Owens are here.” Their mom said in a near whisper, her eyes straining as she spoke.

Elsie's heart rate spiked. Claire was here. She felt her face blush as her mom exited their room. She looked to see Ana in a similar state.

They slowly got up, their bodies still a bit sore. But that didn’t stop their nightgowns from tenting from their arousal. They got ready to meet their paladin. Elsie’s eyes lingered on her sister as she changed, her chest tightening.

“Gods…” she unconsciously whispered as Ana bent over to pick up her clothes. Ana turned, her face red as she looked to her sister. A smile broke on her face as she slowly stood up. It was Elsie’s turn to change, and Ana wanted to watch.

Had people not been waiting for them, Elsie would have put on more of a show for Ana, but there were. She adjusted her dress, not wanting any of the parents to see her arousal. She offered her hand to Ana. She took it with a warm smile, their fingers interlocked. Anticipation was building to meet Claire as they descended the stairs.

Claire’s parents were in a similar state to Jess, their eyes strained as they slowly ate breakfast. Jane had modified horse blinders on to block out the sun while Eve rubbed her temple with one hand.

Elsie was there tending to them last night as they drank. She knew how much her mother pushed the other two. Claire was the odd one out, her smile beaming when she saw the twins enter the room. Her smile radiated throughout the twins as their hearts skipped a beat.

“Morning,” she said in a low whisper, causing Jane to groan at the sound.

Ana began casting her healing spell as they approached the table. The moms were enveloped in a yellow glow. Their postures loosened up as the spell started to work, Eve slowly stopping her temple massage.

“By the gods… Ana, thank you.” Eve whispered, her face no longer scrunched in pain. Jess hugged her daughter, giving her a kiss on the forehead.

“One of the best things about having a healer for a daughter.” She said, her voice back to a normal tone. “Now eat, we have things to discuss.”

The twins sat at the table, their breakfast already plated for them. The group ate in silence as the parents began to recover. Jane’s blinders came off when her headache eased, their nausea going away as they ate.

Finally, a conversation could be had. Jane opened the conversation,” Soooo… how does it work?” she asked. “The party and… you know, dating your party members.”

Her question was directed at Claire. All three Scarlet Seraph members blushed. They didn’t really explain themselves properly. All the parents knew was that Claire took both twins on a date and that Claire is likely romantically involved with the last member.

“Uh… what do you mean?” Claire finally responded.

“Jane,” Eve interjected.” Have some tact.” She turned to her daughter before continuing. “We’re just concerned. Parties that get too large or involve romance can crash very easily. Jealousy and infighting from a breakup or crushes kill parties.”

“Mmhm, seen it plenty of times. Adventuring parties disbanding because two people liked the same woman,” Jess added, her eyes scanning Claire. “Or cheating”

“Mom!” Ana interjected. “Nothing like that is happening! We requested this from Claire.” Her words were clear, no stuttering. Her mom flinched. She was shocked that her shy daughter not only yelled, but spoke so clearly.

“Yeah, it was something dumb… we talked about romance and what we’d like on a first date,” Elsie added, coming up with an explanation as she spoke. “Claire, with Jaz’s permission, set these dates up to reward us. It was very sweet of her.”

“Truly… she was so attentive and gentlewomanly,” Ana added, her eyes filled with determination.

Jess looked at Ana, and a new confidence filled her daughter. She had to admit, she preferred Ana like this. “I’m just concerned about my daughters’ hearts…” Jess finally said.

Claire took a deep breath before speaking. ”I understand, I’ll make sure they’re taken care of. They are precious to me.”

Her words struck both girls. A warmth spread throughout them. Every member at the table was looking at Claire now. Jess was looking for any doubt on her face. Jane and Eve showed concern, but the twins gave her warm smiles.

Jess rubbed her neck, still concerned, but willing to give Claire the benefit of the doubt. She watched her grow up to be a fine young woman. Her willingness to help and her kindness over the years eased her concerns. She chose her words carefully, knowing her daughters were now adults.

”Fine… just don’t hold anything in,” Jess said with a defeated sigh. “Ana, you especially. Elsie, make sure she doesn’t, I trust you to complain.”

The Bree family all burst out laughing, knowing Elsie’s personality. It broke the tension that was still lingering. Her concerns were eased slightly, but she was still pretty hesitant given the situation. Jess didn’t even want to start on the fact that both twins might be romantically involved with the same woman. She’d cross that bridge further down depending on how serious this was.

Jane leaned to her wife, whispering to her, ”Who’d have thought our daughter was such a ladykiller.”

Eve stifled a laugh, not wanting to be rude. Her daughter caused Jess so much strife last night. She was concerned that her daughters were being led on. It’s why they drank so much last night. Eve did her best to calm her down last night, but to no avail.

Jess had been a mess last night. Ana didn’t come home when she said she would. Eve and Jane decided to stay with her after their date to comfort her. Elsie was trying too, but Jess wouldn’t listen. She drowned herself in alcohol as she was worried about her baby daughter. She didn’t even know when Ana came home last night until Claire told her this morning.

Jess turned to Claire, taking a deep breath before she spoke, ”I trust my daughters and I trust you… I have just seen what can happen. So many adventurers have passed through our tavern, so many horror stories about inter-party romances. Just be careful. I don’t want you girls to hurt each other.”

Claire nodded. It was something she’d have to work on. Jealousy was a silent killer of any relationship, and it was much harder to balance with more people. She’d have to work hard to keep things fair. Jasmine too. She’d have to work with all of them to figure this out.

“I understand. Your concerns make sense.” Claire spoke, her confidence rising. She knelt before Jess, her hand over her heart. She intended to ease her worries with a declaration. ”I promise to my Goddess and to you that I won’t harm your daughters and will do everything in my power to protect them.”

She radiated scarlet light as she made an oath to both her goddess and Jess. The twins' mother was stunned. She watched light pour out of Claire’s form as she felt the goddess’s presence.

Everyone was speechless for a moment. Claire’s oath as a paladin and the beauty she displayed left them speechless. Claire extended her hand to Jess, solidifying the oath with their handshake. Hesitantly, Jess took her hand. The radiant light enveloped her as Claire’s oath was set. Her oath was written into both of their stat sheets, a Goddess’s oath binding the two. Jess read it when it pinged her. Her shoulders finally began to relax.

“Gods… how can I even respond?” She said, looking down at Claire. She pulled on Claire’s hand, helping her up, before hugging her. “Thank you. I’ll trust them to you. For now.”

They broke from the hug, Claire nodded, and turned to the rest of the table. Both twins’ faces were red, blushing at Claire’s display and her oath. Her own mothers’ faces were a mix of pride and happiness for their daughter. Claire felt her Goddess as she spoke her oath. A slight tingling in the back of her neck. Her body still radiated her light.

She looked to her glowing hand for any hint of her Goddess’s name. She found none, her light fading rapidly. She was left with nothing, no hint besides the color, no symbols appeared, no status or anything.

She shook the thought away. She was proud of herself for her declaration. Her oath was a symbol of her dedication to her lovers. Something that bound them beyond just her class.

Elsie and Ana looked at their paladin. Their shock slowly faded as Claire stopped glowing. Joy replaced it. For both their mother’s approval and Claire’s display of dedication to them. It left them with warm and fuzzy feelings. Elsie pledged to reward her later. For her gentlewomanly display and for calming her mother’s fears.

“Now that that’s settled,” Jane said, breaking the silence. “I have a gift for your party.”