While the Twins were winding down, Teacher Drakos initiated a holo-conference call with Head Nocturne and Morgranna. Once connected, their holo-images flickered into being, and the meeting commenced.
"I'm sending you the data from their first day of training. Please review it. From what I've observed today, the plan is too light for them. They adapt too quickly, and their willpower is higher than we expected," Drakos began.
The others reviewed the data, with Morgranna finishing first. She mused, "When they came home today, they looked to be in a better state than I expected."
"They looked tired and had some muscle soreness, but overall, their bodies seemed well adapted, as if this was their third day of training instead of their first. I wondered about the training plan you devised, and looking at it, it really is limit-breaking—but apparently, it works best for them!"
Nocturne, having finished her review, added, "I was expecting them to adapt fast, but this is…scary, even by Infernal standards. I agree that the plan is too light after seeing their data."
"Their adaptation rate is ridiculous, and that willpower is off the charts. Those Twins are going to be the strongest Twin Demons yet—and that's saying something!"
"I recommend bringing in the Head Masters and Nursery Elders. They need to know what's going on with the Twins so they can prepare."
Drakos nodded and invited them to the meeting. Their holo-images soon appeared.
"Please tell me the Chaos Twins haven't caused more chaos!" was the first thing out of Caine's mouth.
"It's not chaos, but they're definitely unpredictable regarding the training plan. I've sent today's training data to you. Review it, and then let's discuss whether the lesson plan needs a change, because as it stands right now, it's too light," Drakos replied.
The Elders and Head Masters reviewed the data and murmured among themselves.
"So what's your plan, Drakos?" Soleil asked.
"We'll increase the training regimen starting tomorrow. We'll begin in the Grav Chamber as before and have them do advanced combat drills to see how they adapt. Honestly, I suggest creating the plan day-to-day after reviewing each day's data, to eliminate the need for daily review meetings."
"As long as the data and new plans are shared with us for consultation and approval beforehand," Nocturne responded, and the others—including Drakos—nodded in agreement.
Morgranna, who had been silent so far, finally spoke. "As long as it won't cause harm, permanent or otherwise, I agree with your plans." Then she logged off.
"Haa, honestly, as long as she approves and doesn't come after me, I'll just keep pushing the Twins to their limits," Drakos sighed.
The others nodded, said their goodbyes, and logged off. Only Drakos and Nocturne remained.
"So, what's your take on the Twins' mental state?" Nocturne suddenly asked.
"Their mentality is surprisingly stable. It seems they've come to terms with their past and decided to embrace the present and future we offer them."
"Their willpower is unlike anything I've ever seen—and I doubt I'll see it again. Their adaptability is off the charts, especially during this afternoon's Grav Chamber session. After half an hour, nothing the chamber threw at them fazed them. They just powered through."
"I can't determine much more yet—not enough data. But I think they'll become formidable warriors before they even reach maturity. My hunch is, we're in for the ride of our lives."
"That's what worries me," Nocturne sighed.
Drakos tilted his head in thought. "As long as whatever happens to them doesn't adversely affect the Heavenly Clans, what should we be worried about?" He seemed puzzled by Nocturne's concern.
"Haa, you're right. I'm worrying unnecessarily—their Mammy is Morgranna, after all," Nocturne replied after a moment of thought.
She logged off after her farewell, leaving Drakos to contemplate the next plan for the Twins.
Meanwhile, after the call, Morgranna busied herself tidying up the Dorm's first floor before heading upstairs. The Twins were already fast asleep, so she quietly cleaned their used clothes and prepared their outfits for the next day. She also cleaned their grooming kits and other small, noiseless items before heading back downstairs to start making more clothes for them.
She ordered additional hair bands, pins, crowns, buckles, and other items based on their preferences, planning to collect the parcels the next day so they'd be available by evening.
Settling on the balcony under the Dorm's soft ambient lights, she cut and sewed fabrics into new outfits for each Twin according to their tastes—a nightly routine she always enjoyed as her charges slept. As the sky paled and dawn approached, she stretched, tidied up, and moved inside to prepare a hearty breakfast, knowing the Twins would need plenty of energy for the new day.
She carefully selected and prepared each ingredient as though it were the most precious delicacy in the Universe, cutting everything to the right size for a classic, nutritious Chinese-style breakfast.
As it stewed, she gathered the coffee beans, cocoa beans, milk, sugar, and salt needed for the Twins' coffee. They'd enjoyed it after breakfast the previous morning. She meticulously cleaned, dried, and dry-roasted the beans, gently heated the milk, and hand-crafted the salted caramel sauce for flavouring.
She ground both the cocoa and coffee beans finely and began boiling spirit water. Once boiling, she poured it over a filter containing the grounds and the prepared caramel sauce in a large jug, making sure every grain was soaked. Each drop would be rich in aromatic flavours.
When the filtering was complete, she discarded the grounds, stirred the chocolate coffee into the caramel until thoroughly mixed, then transferred it to a silver coffee pot and stored it in her inventory to keep it fresh.
Next, she steamed wild rice over a pan of water while kneading dough for bapaos. While the dough rested, she made a filling using Infernal Warbird meat for its protein and flavour, frying it with herbs and spices before simmering. Once the stew was ready, she ladled it into bowls for storage. She thickened the simmering Warbird meat with a slurry, then shaped the dough, filling each piece and rolling it closed into perfect, large bapaos.
Steaming them over the same pan, she cleaned and tidied the kitchen as she waited. When the bapaos were done, she plated and stored them, then made sure the kitchen gleamed as if brand new.
With an hour until the Twins had to get up, she sat at her table and pondered her caregiving habits versus those of the other Mammys. A fundamental difference was that Morgranna refused to let her charges have any ready-made food, drink, or snacks unless it was an emergency. She insisted on handmade meals for optimal nutrition, in contrast to the other Mammys, who had no such reservations. Morgranna was firm in her belief, having seen her charges routinely surpass their theoretical lifespan, while others' charges barely reached it.
Even though the data indicated no nutritional difference between handmade and ready-made meals, she stubbornly held to her approach—and always would.
Far away, in an office dedicated to monitoring Mammys, two people discussed Morgranna's habits, unchanged in millions of years.
Monitor 1: "Look at her go… She's still doing everything by hand. Not a single ready-made item in sight—not even the Twins' breakfast, snacks, or drinks. I've never seen someone so committed."
Monitor 2: "It's impressive, but does it really matter anymore? The data doesn't support her line of thinking—nutritionally, home-cooked and ready-made are indistinguishable, at least in our measurements."
Monitor 1: "True, but you can't deny the outcomes. Her charges always outlive expectations, while others barely do. Coincidence? Habit? Or is there something more we're missing?"
Monitor 2: "Maybe just sheer stubbornness. She's been like this for millions of years and never budged. Makes you wonder if it's the method or her relentless attention."
Monitor 1: "Maybe both. Even so, none of the other Mammys seem interested in following her model—they're happy with convenience."
Monitor 2: "And she won't ever change. Even with all the data against her, her belief is ironclad."
Monitor 1: "Guess we'll keep watching. Maybe one of these aeons, she'll finally have a point even the data can't deny."
Monitor 2: "Or we'll just keep collecting the same data while she keeps doing things her way. Some things never change."
By this time, it was six o'clock. Morgranna made her way upstairs to wake her charges and get them ready and fed for the new day.
As she opened and fastened each curtain, she took a moment to take in their sleeping postures, resulting, yet again, in a silent tut as this time they were both emulating starfish. With Yi sprawled out on his back, his right arm somewhere under Er's throat or chest, it was hard to determine.
Yi's legs were spreadeagled with his right leg pressed beneath Ers. Meanwhile, Er was facedown, face yet again pressed tightly into his pillow–she might have to do something about that habit of his–with his right arm slung over Yi's throat, his right leg sprawled over Yi's right leg.
Like the day before, she woke them up with a gentle yet firm voice and watched them go from relaxed to tense and back again as they slowly woke up. She had to rescue Er from Yi's instinctive attack as he found his throat being constricted.
Once they woke up and greeted her in their husky sleep-soft voices, Yi apologised to Er for attacking him. Er apologised for the way he had flung his arm over Yi. Once they were awake, she instructed them to wash up and brush their teeth.
Then they got dressed and groomed their horns, before allowing Morgranna to tie their hair in the ways they preferred and securing them with silver fasteners and, in Ers' case, a hair crown. They then placed the buckle in its proper location, and they headed downstairs for breakfast.
The Twins devoured the breakfast Morgranna placed in front of them and, as had become their usual routine, thanked her for the meal as the servant cleared the table and Morgranna set their coffee down. They then contentedly sipped their coffee as they appreciated the view from the balcony.
They enjoyed the quiet and the coffee for a while. Then Morgranna informed them of the meeting she had had the evening before about their training plan, "Basically, it comes down to the fact that you're adapting faster than expected, so the training plan is getting ramped up and changed on a day-to-day basis after the data of the day has been reviewed."
"Head Nocturne, the Nursery Elders, Head Masters, and myself will review the plan every day and give our approval or rejection based on whether we believe that you can handle it or not, so you don't have to worry about that. All you have to worry about is deciding how much you want to kill your Teacher or not."
The Twins nodded in understanding and then checked their terminals to see if they had received any messages or updates. They found that they had received an update from Head Teacher Virelle that they would be walking to the training ground on their own today.
After checking the time and seeing that it was just past seven, they decided to leave and finished the last sips of their coffee quickly. They then headed downstairs and headed towards the training grounds.
They enjoyed their quiet walk. After a while, however, more and more students could be seen and heard heading to their classes. The Twins quietly enjoyed the hustle and bustle of the waking school.
They managed to reach the training building housing the Grav Chambers with twenty minutes to spare, and they decided to wait outside the room they had used for training yesterday. They both pulled out some of Morgranna's home-made jerky and a bottle of fresh juice and stood there munching the flavourful jerky and drinking their fresh juice as they waited for Teacher Drakos to arrive.