[83.1] Teenage Bliss

I immediately threw open the door and watched as two teenagers jumped at the sound of the door slamming the wall. I screamed, "I knew it!!!"

I stomped over and pulled Zephyr out of bed as he cried out, "AHHH! MAMA!"

As I pulled him out, my face turned red, "WHY AREN'T YOU WEARING CLOTHES!?"

"They are stuffy!!!!"

I glared at Alora who wore a robotic expression on her face, "You better be wearing clothes!!!"

Her dull blue eyes were opaque, reflecting the light off of them and not much else. As she stood up, her platinum blonde hair reflected the light, looking almost white. She showed off her nightgown, "I'm wearing clothes."

"ZEPHYR!" I started whacking the top of his head making sure not to use my full strength, "I've told you several times to stop sneaking into her bed! AND to stop removing your clothes!!! Do you want me to make Lene use her webs on you again!?"

"NOOO! NOT THE WEBS!!!"

"And you!" I turned to Alora with a fierce expression, "Stop letting him do what he wants!!! When he tries to crawl in bed with you, throw him out of the room!!!"

She blinked back at me without expression, "I can't hurt Zep-"

"-I know! I know!" I interrupted in frustration, "UGH! Here I thought he was on your leash, but now I realize you're on his!"

Zephyr cried out indignantly, "Leash!? What leash!? I'm a fox, not a dog!!!"

I rolled my eyes and forced a pair of clothes onto him as he squirmed around. I dragged him outside and shouted, "Atta! Zephyr has too much energy this morning!"

She appeared beside me with fiery eyes and cracked her knuckles. Her excitement elicited a cry from Zephyr, "I'M INNOCENT!"

I smiled at Atta, "Just don't hit him too hard."

Zephyr let out a cry, "ALORA! Save me!"

As I handed him off to Atta, Alora came out of her room with soft footsteps. I held out my hand to stop her, "Alora. You're on cleaning duty. Astra!"

She bounced over to me with a bright smile, "Yes Mama?"

"Make sure Alora does everyone's chores. I want them so exhausted they can't cause any more trouble."

After determining that Alora and Zephyr were being properly punished, I went over to my lawn chair and collapsed in it with a groan.

Asmonious was already beside me, placing down a plate of snacks and tea to drink beside me. He smiled softly as he massaged my shoulders, "Tough morning?"

I raised the teacup to my lips and took a swig. I slammed it back down, "I didn't think having teenagers would be this exhausting!!! If I even turn my back for one second, they go off frolicking with no clothes!!! I can't let them have children yet! They are too young! They would be babies having babies!!!"

Asmonious stood behind me with a stiff smile.

I cleared my throat and wiped my mouth, "...Sorry. I'm ranting too much."

"It's okay, Master." He paused, considering his next words before asking in a small voice, "So you think they'll have children together?"

I glanced up at his face and noticed his smile was twisting strangely. I reached up to squeeze his cheeks, "Do you still hate Alora and want her gone?"

"Master." He let out an embarrassed sigh as I continued to squish his cheeks, "I recognize what I did was wrong back then and I promise I won't do anything like that again… It's just that I can't seem to get along with Alora no matter how hard I try."

"I know it can be hard to get along with everyone, but even if you don't like her, she's not going anywhere." I let out a sigh and pushed back my coarse black hair, "She's going to be with Zephyr whether you like it or not. Just look at them."

We turned our heads to watch as Zephyr successfully broke away from Atta and her training, running from rooftop to rooftop to avoid her. He hopped down, landing in front of Alora where he flashed a toothy grin and gave her a wink. She giggled back and gave a small wave just before Atta appeared and chased him back out of the courtyard.

I threw up my hands, "See!? I can't keep them separated even for a moment!"

Asmonious pursed his lips, "Master… I already tried making peace with Alora, but it's too late to repair the damage I did already. She holds a grudge against me and rebels against everything I say."

I let out a heavy sigh as I watched Astra instruct Alora to clean her collection of stones, "I know… Alora is one of those people that you only need to mess up once to get on her blacklist…"

Asmonious smiled at me as if to reassure me, "But I will keep trying, Master. Perhaps she will see my sincerity and change her mind."

I looked at him with a smile, but I could only feel anxious.

No, you'll never get her on your side.

Even when you become Felix and she becomes Hazel, you'll still fight like you are now.

I leaned back in my seat and closed my eyes, "As long as you try your best, it's all you can do. Just don't force a relationship with someone who doesn't care about you. It'll only end badly."

"Yes, Master." Asmonious forced himself to look away from Alora and focus on me, "What would you like to do today? Would you like to try painting again?"

I groaned and shook my head, "I'm not in the mood."

"But Master… You haven't painted since-" His words abruptly stopped as he anxiously glanced at me.

I knew what he was thinking and reached out to pat his arm, "There is no point anymore. All I've painted was someone I'm never going to see again… At first, I was worried I would forget his face, but I have Astra here to remind me in my dreams. Also…"

I looked over at Alora who was staring coldly at Astra as she was forced to reclean the rocks.

The corners of my lips curved nostalgically, "There's someone here that's nearly an exact image."

Asmonious looked despondent at my answer, "Master…"

I turned away from Alora and smiled at him, "How about you paint a scene for me? Nothing is better than sipping tea and watching you paint. It's the closest thing to television here that I can get."

Asmonious was confused by the last sentence, but this was quickly replaced by excitement. He jumped in front of me with an expression similar to that of a child, "You really want me to paint for you!?"

I nodded with a smirk, "That's right. So grab your stuff quickly, I'm waiting."

He sprinted off to his room, grabbing every item in a precise order. I chuckled as he ran back and started to set up his easel and painting set. Before he started, he turned to me with a bright look in his eyes, "Do you have any requests?"

"Surprise me."

"....Hm. Okay!"

He started to diligently get to work, his attention all placed on the canvas in front of him. I watched as he carefully chose the amount of paint to put on his brush and the careful precision behind every swipe of line. There were no imperfections as he worked slowly, ensuring that everything was smooth and accurate.

As I watched him, I saw his visage overlap with that of another small boy in a club classroom. I reached out to place my hand on top of his soft brown hair. I smoothed out his hair as I tried to burn every movement into memory.

How much longer do we have together?

"...Master? Are you okay?"

I snapped out of my trance and pulled my hand back with a smile, "Yes. I'm okay. I'm just thinking about something."

His eyes suddenly distorted as shadows swayed around his feet, "Do you… Not like my painting?"

I glanced at it and then back to him. I reached out to rub his head to soothe him, "I love it. It's perfect."

He let out a heavy breath just as the shadows stopped twisting, "That's a relief."