Bonny show's Everyone their little farm, "This is my favourite spot. Just look at the water from here. There's this boy I met after I fell in. He told me he's a guardian to keep children and animals safe. He's the most beautiful man I have ever met. I told my dad and he said Murasaki would know. Do you guys have anything you could tell me about him?"
Luna sits under the tree on her stomach looking over the edge of the hill. Everyone does the same thing accept for Angela sleeping on her side.
"They are called water breathers, they literally breathe underwater. They keep the country from sinking, but the old leaders abused them and they stopped doing that because they were no longer getting food and they were forced to stay in a really small space for so many people. While they were angry the curse of the infected happened and they saved their own families after saving a few of our people too. There wasn't much time they were frozen in time while running around like headless chicken. They actually called Murasaki and his Children Stark. Rex with the same power too." Sarah explains.
"They were there?" Barbie asks.
"Yup, there are castles in the sky called Sky castles you can't see it and even if you flew you couldn't find it. People from back than were rescued and taken there. Met a few of them, they have never seen an Infected but are so scared of one it's sickening. Este, Staria, and Medallion are from that place." Luna adds.
"They couldn't save everyone?" Bex asks trying to understand why some were left behind.
"Yup, life up there is really comfortable too. I wish I grew up there." Luna says.
"Wow, how do water breathers keep the country afloat?" Bonny asks.
"There are these golden fruits that absorb the country's power to stay afloat, and it sinks. They should not be there at all, but the leaders back than were selfish, they used them for ointments, food, Nanites, you name it, but at the expanse of the water breathers food supply and comfort. They were honestly disgusting because the water breathers never got a share." Sarah says.
Bonny smiles seeing the glittering in the light, "Do you guys see that? That's what happens when he's coming."
The girls wait patiently until Bonny's crush comes out of the water.
"What's his name?" Bonny asks.
The male smiles and flies out of the water standing on the hill, "Aquila, Lady Bonnie, Barbie, Bex, it's a pleasure to see you again." He bows on one knee keeping his head low.
"Lady? Me?" Bonny looks at him surprised.
Aquila smiles still keeping his head low.
"There's no need for you to bow like that. I've never met you, how do you know me?" Bex asks.
Aquila holds up his head and sees the other girls and bows again before looking up, "I am your protector, I know everyone's name, even the sheep." He answers sitting down.
Luna smiles at him.
"Lady Wish, a greeting from Aquarius. She is happy with your gifts." Aquila says.
"Thanks, how was the chili one though?" Aya asks.
"Works perfectly for everyone's skin, I heard it didn't work so well for you." Aquila laughs remembering how June narrated the story.
"Oh, we'll send you more than. Ask her if she knows how to not make it burn. For our skin." Una request.
"As you Wish." Aquila says before looking directly at Bonny who is blushing like no tomorrow, "Congratulations on your Baby sister Netty. She's going to bring a lot of joy in this place. It pains me that we lost so many little ones."
Luna smiles, "We solved the problem."
Aquila smiles, "That is excellent news. I hate losing a child. My gift is that I get to meet them before they are born. Too many slipped through my fingers. This curse even attacks the unborn, I am familiar with my enemy I have no idea what to do, but the few left will mark a generation of curse free children. We must protect them from outsiders who will try to destroy the hope they carry, the more of them there are, the more the curse will die. The key to saving the country is children born in the dawn of a new era."
Bonny drools at every word coming out of his mouth.
Aquila takes out a handkerchief wiping the drool away, "You can keep it."
"What do you know about the Stark descendents?" Kazumi asks still stuck on that.
"Stark was split into 3 heads after the birth of the first born triplets. The first born took the upper level Stark. The second the middle, and the third the outskirts. They ruled in harmony with there never being any conflict between descendants. When the attack came we saved the youngest of the each family and kept them here while the rest were sent to the Sky Castle. Currently the 3 Stark's are together." Aquila says.
"Wait, we know of Toya and Rex, who is the third?" Aya asks.
"Lycan." Aquila responds.
Everyone looks at him shocked.
"That explains so much." Sarah says.
"Like why they all went after the same woman? Why they all have bad tempers? Why they are all Lycan, why they are so powerful? You people have too many questions it worries us guardians sometimes. We don't want a war but should a war break out, we have to choose sides." Aquila shares the concerns of the under water people have
"Why were they all attracted me?" Luna asks.
"Before the curse. The three Stark nations had chosen 3 women from Wish for the countries prosperity. Your bloodline had very little members and Diane was very over protective about Everyone's partner that most died without marrying or having children. It may seem cruel but when a Wish marries the wrong person it affects the entire bloodline. There will plague after plague until either the people separate or they leave the clan. That's why Diane was very sharp and to the point about marriage with you." Aquila explains.
"The country was in famine and if a Wish was by an Alpha's side their power would have amplified to feed the people under the Alpha." Sarah thinks out loud.
Aquila jumps excited, "Yes, you get it."
"Female Wish are more powerful than males too right?" Sarah asks.
"Yes. How'd you figure that out?"
Sarah laughs, "I have a friend dating an Alpha, literally her power evolves the more weight is on the Alpha's shoulder. I know a Male Wish who could not do that though."
"Perfectly correct." Aquila claps for Sarah.
"Thank you." Sarah says.
Luna oblivious it's her smiles and claps too.
"We should get going. Now it's time to see Barbie's favourite spot. Thanks for coming Aquila." Luna stretches out her hand.
Aquila jumps first before accepting a hand shake, "Thank you your highness." He dives into the water and the girls visit the mall.
"This is my favourite place." Barbie says. She enters the grocery shop and smiles, "Daddy always gets mad at me for walking up and down this place and never taking anything."
Luna laughs, "Murasaki it's the opposite. Colin would trade you in for his daughter any day."
Barbie smiles window shopping, "I could try on clothing all day."
Luna pics out an outfit changing in the change room and modeling it, "Out of 10?"
"4, contradicts with your colour. Too tight you'd get scolded for inappropriateness, the shoes just don't match with that length." Sarah says.
Next it's someone else while the girls wait for her to get dressed. They take turns learning fashion tips from each other.
Next it's Bex, taking them to the library, "Daddy said Murasaki will be having weekly classes where children from other camps join. I started studying so I can read and right and join advanced classes quicker."
"Oh, we didn't know about that. That's so cool" Kate says happy she hasn't been studying for nothing too.
~~~
Beauty smiles when Luna and the others come back to take them home, "I said I'm spending the night." She reminds them.
"Ohh, good thing we packed overnight bags." Sarah says like she just remembered.
They make themselves comfortable in the living room everyone with a sleeping bag.
Ashley joins the girls applying their overnight mask, "What's it for?" She asks excited.
"Black Mist makes you age super fast. We get exposed to it often, going out on delivery runs and stuff. This year's mist is so much worse. Have you seen the crazy storms? Some shields couldn't withstand it. Whole camps were wiped out. It's crazy." Beauty tells her sister.
Ashley's eyes widen, "Whaaat?"
"Where did they buy the shield?" Beauty's mother asks joining the girls.
"No idea, but everyone who had a shield they know didn't come from Murasaki was begging for one." Luna says.
"Where's Leeray?" Beauty asks about her cousin.
"Bathing. She has a rigorous nighttime routine. I used to make fun of her for it. Clearly I was wrong." Ashley says.
~~~
Talia smiles receiving the supplies from Murasaki in a cave. Kevin leaves and she calls one of the invaders to carry the massive crate.
The new and Improved Murasaki crate includes tents and shields too.
She puts up the shield that automatically rejects the black mist. She builds the tents staying in her own tent while the men share the other 3 amongst the 10 of them.
She smiles finding new healing products and feminine hygiene too. Before it was just essentials. Or maybe because a woman asked they delivered with her in mind.
She sleeps in the tub with bath salts waking up in the morning cooking in her room since it comes with a kitchen when it's set up for one person.
She thanks the men with breakfast keeping a straight face ignoring the burning mask she applied full body. She's used it before and loved it.
The men nod and eat while she sits down and falls asleep in her chair.
Talia wakes up in her bed long past mask removing time. She baths it off and smiles when it works. She decides to save the little left for a rainy day.
She goes outside and picks the leader of the group as her target.
She looks and smirks when her target is approaching.
"Hey, I wanted to say thank you for the shield and supplies. We were starving and thirsty." He says.
"Don't worry about it. We have to survive the Infected together. I'm glad I didn't find a bunch of crazy men that would have taken advantage of me. You truly saved my life. Thank you." She gets on her knees keeping her head down using the skills she learned at Camp Lana to work, a man melts like butter when you stroke his ego.
Lesson 2, in a room full of many men, get your hands on the leader and he'll protect you from the others.
Lesson 3, just keep your head low no matter how long he's quiet or clueless.
"Please, stand up." The male holds her up.
Lesson 4, physical contact is your spider web. Weave it perfectly.
Bump into him here and there. Always look him in the eyes and through eye contact tell him exactly what you want.
Weave the web to leave no room for escape, but of course don't rush it. Mind games are more deadly.
She thanks him and checks the time, "Storm will be at it's worst again today. Did they bring extra blankets? I'll go ask for them if you need any." She says.
A mark appears on her hand and Talia is back at Lana's camp.
"Here she is Natalia dear. We decided to lay a trap for the invaders near us keeping a close eye on them. It's safer than having them be suspicious about why we won't help them. Winter is over." Lana says keeping a straight face.
Colin nods, "That's actually genius. We'll look too suspicious leaving them in the dark. Change their name on the Comms from Invaders to Scavengers. Help those grouped together."
The call ends and Lana glares at Talia, "If it wasn't for your sister I would kill you right now." Lana says walking away.