Petra drank her water, silently listening to Lily's story.
Given Elena's caution, she was sure that she had avoided the chaos.
Aside from that, this was the first time Petra heard about a fight between top level powerhouses. Although she didn't know what that 'vine' was, she still understood its terror. Being able to change the landscape with a single attack was a dream to the current her.
She kicked her little feet back and forth, wondering if she should go and take a look.
Frankly, she was against it.
Even considering it was a joke.
Looking at the stone map, she realised that one of the areas that the ants could not approach was the fallout left behind after the battle between the legendary warrior and the mysterious vine.
She looked at her tattered leather clothes, then at the massive leaf Lilly was wearing.
She found that she would also be a bit embarrassed if she were to go out like this.
She turned to Lilly. "Is my robe done?"
Lilly tilted her head cutly. "It should be done today. Do you want to see it?"
Petra shook her head. "No rush, looking at the tide, it's not like we can leave any time soon, anyways."
Lilly agreed.
She was taken in by this green haired girl who didn't look much older than herself. Should she call her Boss? Master? Little Lord?
Lilly frowned.
She didn't know how to be a servant.
Petra suddenly asked, "Why were those people chasing you?"
Lilly rolled her eyes. "I'm not too sure. I thought our family just wanted to take us home, but now..."
Petra interrupted, "They were clearly annoyed that one of you was going to die, so your family must want both of you very badly. Why?"
Lilly was silent, should she tell her little master?
Her mind spun.
"If you don't want to tell me, fine. But just remember that they won't give up, as long as you're alive, they won't stop looking. At least, that was my impression."
Lilly lowered her head.
After a pause, she finally spoke. "They should want us for our bodies. Me and my sister have something called the Lunar Echo Physique."
Although Petra understood what a physique was, she didn't have an encyclopedia on all of them.
She gave Lilly a look.
Lilly continued, "The Lunar Echo Physique has the ability to 'take' and 'give' any number of 'ailments'. My sister can 'take' the pain of an individual, and I can 'give' an injury to anyone I touch."
Petra frowned. "By 'give', do you mean you can transfer injuries from yourself to others? Then, why didn't you do that back in the forest?"
Lilly giggled, "Who was I going to give it to? My sister?"
Petra frowned. "Can't you just keep a mouse with you or something?"
Lilly paused, her little eyes flying open. "But that's so cruel!"
Petra really wanted to hit her.
Was this how Elena always felt?
"What's the limit you can 'give'?"
Lilly shook her head. "I don't know, our physique is only in the awakening stage. It's barely usable."
Petra narrowed her eyes.
Her big eyes peered over the upper rim of the coffee cup.
"You keep referring to it as 'our physique', does that mean you and your sister can share the property pool? Like you can 'give' away injuries from not just yourself, but also your sister?"
Lilly pursed her lips.
"That's right."
"Then why haven't you done that? Why leave her seriously injured?"
Lilly lowered her head. "I-I need verbal permission from Luna before I can do anything to her."
Petra understood.
This wasn't a matter of ability, it was a promise between sisters.
Luna was probably worried that her sister would do something stupid, like 'give' her her body.
Petra finished her drink.
Lilly went back to sewing.
Petra walked through the poison garden to inspect the poisonous plants she had collected over the past few days.
She spent the majority of the day gardening and cultivating new poisons.
After a long day of work, she snatched up the frog and went back.
Lilly and Luna were passed out in the main hall. Lilly still had a piece of half-finished clothing in her hands when she fell asleep. It looked like she was taking her new job very seriously.
Looking at it, it was a classic child sized maid outfit. One was made for her, and one was made for her sister.
Petra didn't ask her to make the costume, but she probably did so thinking that it was a way to relieve stress.
Petra quietly passed the two girls and went to her bedroom.
There, she found a large blanket sewn by Lilly.
Although the bed was still wood, and the pillow was still straw, being able to lay down and cover herself with a large blanket was very refreshing.
Petra cuddled with the large frog and fell asleep.
-
The next morning, Petra woke up to Lilly, hard at work in the lobby.
When the little girl saw Petra, she happily trotted over and passed her the 'robe' Petra had designed.
"I hope you like it, you're slightly larger than me, so I sewed it with that in mind!"
Petra took the pile of stuff, slightly stunned.
Looking at the professional handiwork, she was taken aback.
Petra had assumed these two girls were from a rich family. Learning how to sew was an unusual skill to say the least. Looking through the stitching, it seemed like Lilly had done this kind of thing a lot.
Petra took the clothes and went to the bathroom to change.
She stripped herself naked and began to look through the pile of new clothes.
There were a few pieces to the outfit.
Petra first pulled on a pair of knee length bloomers, then over that came a long black robe adorned with a big baggy hood. Petra popped on two black socks and tied her long emerald hair into a twin tail. The long sleeves were slightly big, covering her hands, but Petra didn't mind. Last but not least, Petra hung a large satchel around her shoulder.
Looking at herself in the water, Petra was very satisfied.
She left the bathroom and thanked Lilly for her good work.
When Lilly saw the clothes, even she was slightly surprised at how good they looked.
Petra did a spin.
She didn't have shoes, but the black socks made it hard to tell if they were dirty.
The satchel was made from old leather and spider silk. Petra filled it with many of the things she struggled to carry around on a daily basis.
The dart frog, wanting to join the fun, unhesitatingly hopped into the hood behind Petra's head.
Petra skipped through the door and out of the house.
Having proper clothes really made a difference.
Lilly, watching her little master so happy, quickly changed into the maid dress that she had finished not too long ago.
Following Petra out, Lilly was actually quite happy.
Back home, her family had always watched over her like a hawk. She never had the freedom to do anything she wanted. Growing up, she felt more like a prisoner than a family member.
Although 'making clothes' was a command, it was actually something she enjoyed doing.
-
For the next few days, Lilly spent all her time practicing her newfound skill set.
She wove curtains for the cottage, pillows for the bed, towels for the bathroom and tablecloths for the lobby.
Not too long later, the basic wood cottage was transformed from a simple wooden structure to something much more homely.
Although she and her sister didn't have beds, having a roof over their heads was much more than she could have asked for.
Outside, the final waves of the green tide were in full swing. The forest trees were pulled from the earth and thrown towards the horizon. Floods filled the trails and many cave dwellings were submerged.
Luckily, none of this had anything to do with Petra.
-
On a certain morning, Luna began to stir.
The little body mumbled and grumbled before slowly opening her eyes.
Her confused and fuzzy brain took a moment to register what had happened.
She slowly sat up, only to realise that the sharp pain had turned into a dull ache.
The wooden cottage she was in was unfamiliar to her.
Looking around, it didn't seem like she was taken back home?
She used her little hands to push herself up.
Her wobbly legs struggled, but she eventually managed to get to the door.
After opening it, she looked outside.
The first thing that caught her attention was her stupid sister dressed like a maid and hanging clothes on a clothesline.
Next… was the sight of a massive tornado and an apocalyptic storm, just passed the horizon. Thunder, lightning, rain and wind, the ferocity of nature wreaked havoc on the surrounding forest.
For a moment, Luna's brain stopped working.
She didn't know if she was dreaming, but something didn't fit.
The next moment, Lilly spotted Luna.
Her last remaining eye widened, and she lunged at her baby sister. The two tightly hugged before Lilly let Luna go.
Luna wanted to say something, but the moment she did, a sharp pain shot through her throat.
Realizing something was wrong, Lilly couldn't help but ask...
"What's wrong! Where does it hurt!"
"Sister, why are you clutching your throat! Say something!"
"Sister, why won't you talk! Boohoo, my sister's brain is broken!"
"Sister!"
"Sister!"
"Sister!"
Lilly cried and cried as if the world was going to end.
It wasn't until a 'tiny chop' landed on her head that she finally shut up.
"Your sister hurt her vocal cords, it's not a big deal!"
'Probably…'
Petra couldn't help but be annoyed.
Why did this girl have so much energy?
"Hurt her vocal cords? Does that mean she can't talk!"
Petra shook her head. "It might just take time, I don't know, I'm not a doctor!" Petra looked between the two twins.
She locked eyes with Luna.
Her little eyes twinkled with a mischievous light.
"You sold your sister to me as a tailor, so she has to stay, but you can leave."
Both Lilly and Luna's eyes widened when they heard this. Lilly was confused, but Luna jumped in fright because she did seem to have volunteered her sister for the job.
Lunas eight year old mind spun, quickly thinking of a solution.
Not wanting to separate, Luna did the only reasonable thing, and quickly snatched the maid costume from Lilly's hands and slapped it on. The soaked clothes were like a slap in the dark. Luna's eyelid twitched violently, but she refused to replace her look of determination.
The speed of her actions were comically fast.
Petra smirked, "Then from now on, you two will work for me." She turned to Lilly, who was still a bit slow and commanded, "Take Luna inside to clean up. She'll be in charge of cooking from now on."
Lilly awkwardly nodded. Over the past few days, she had been secretly thinking about a way to convince Luna to stay and work as a maid. Looking at it now, her sister was tricked? Lilly's little mind was dizzy.
Throwing these thoughts to the back of her mind, Lilly had Luna remove the soaked uniform and change into a fresh one.
She gave a brief explanation to Luna about their current situation.
Luna listened to the story, a look of doubt on her face.
She really wasn't sure if she was still dreaming.
When she learned that the clothes she, her sister, and Petra were wearing were all woven by her sister, she was even more doubtful.
Also... She had no idea how to cook.