Apologies & Trophies

Briefly, Keran wondered if she had accidentally stumbled into some sort of illusory technique placed by a random cultivator. 

I mean, of course that was the only way that the current scenario could make any sense, right?

Her mother? Apologizing? Sincerely??

This had to be some sort of fever dream, or even a marijuana induced hallucination. 

"Wipe that incredulous look off your face, it irks me terribly." Ayame grumbled. 

"S-Sorry, mother, I just..wasn't expecting you to say something like that so suddenly."

'Or at all…'

"I feel like you are thinking something insulting."

"It's your imagination!"

Ayame ran her hands through her hair as she let out a deep sigh.

"Well… something like this was long overdue. I thought I may have been just a bit too hard on you for too long and… I realized that maybe you stoked a bit of an inferiority complex within me.