***Amethyst***
Wilfred rubbed himself against Ame's leg.
"I'm okay. Honey will take care of her human, right?"
Her pup barked in agreement.
Willie would lay on her if he needed to make her rest. Surely, he wouldn't leave so easily if he thought something was wrong with Alastair.
Cyan took Alastair's jacket out of Ame's arms. "Is Collin upstairs?"
"Yeah, he's upstairs with Honey. I think they're cuddling."
Cyan smiled slightly.
"Can we sit?" Ame asked.
"I'll grab some snacks," Cyan said.
Maggie then sat down. "I'm sorry."
Cyan soon came back with hot chocolate and a plate of cookies. "Please help yourself."
"What in Nachima happened?"
"We were able to get Collin to leave the house for once. We took him to the mall to buy some cards. I let Cy go with her prince charming to buy puppy supplies. We were going to meet them to eat kezzla. That was when a creepy old man tried to kidnap him." Her lip quivered. "I tried to help, but Collin told me to leave. H-he looked rather scary, as if he were a different person."
Ame sighed. Was he trying to protect her? Or to avoid blowing his cover? Or both?
"I'm sure that was scary. I'm not sure if or how you could have helped even if you stayed with him. That said, please don't leave him alone if you do take him out again."
"You didn't need to say that."
Cyan held up a mug to her friend.
"I do not blame you. It was not your fault," Ame said.
This was bound to happen. Not that Ame could afford to tell them that.
"I'm sorry, but I need to go." Ame squeezed Wilfred's leash. "Please call me if you need me or if anything happens."
When she stepped out of the house, she teleported to her bedroom.
Strong arms wrapped around her neck. "Welcome home, honey."
"Ed!" Her cheeks reddened. "Were you waiting for me to come home the whole time?"
"The kids went next door. I didn't want you to worry."
Ame shook her head. "I need to call Hannah. I need to call Hannah."
Edgar pushed his wife to sit on their bed.
"Ed, I need to talk to Hannah."
Willie sat on Ame's feet.
"I'm not going anywhere either," Ed said. "It's my job to support my wife. Even when she doesn't want me to."
That was when Hannah picked up. "Hey, Let. What's up?"
"It happened. It finally happened..."
"Tell me exactly what happened," she said.
Ame rubbed herself. "The girls took him on an outing. He nearly got kidnapped by a creepy old man in a limo. He was able to get away, but I question if he has any sense of self preservation."
"Don't blame yourself. Make sure the girls know that, too."
"Even if I did become a full-time caregiver for him, I doubt that would be enough."
"You weren't planning on training him?" Ed asked.
Ame sighed. "He's hurt, so my options are limited."
"Ask him about his cat," Hannah said.
"His cat?" the couple asked.
Hannah giggled. "He'll know what you mean."
"With the girls in the house, I think I'm going to have to bring him here to train."
"That's fine," Hannah said. "Things will go more smoothly if you can keep him comfortable."
Ame sighed. "Should I start now?"
"Eat lunch if you haven't. Go check on him after that. If he doesn't feel up to training, let him rest."
Ed nodded. "That's a good plan."
"Call me if you need anything," Hannah said. "I need to go check on the casserole I was making."
Hannah then hung up.
Ed grinned. "Let's go check on our own kids."
"If it'll make you happy, you goof."
When they got to their son's house next door, their kids and daughter-in-law were in the kitchen.
Ed whispered in his wife's ear, "Wait, should we invite him?"
Ame shook her head. "He already ate."
Their oldest son furrowed his eyebrows.
"Don't worry about it," Ed said.
The family of five sat down to eat the porridge Ame's daughter-in-law made.
Sky finished his helping of the stuff and got up from his chair. "I'm going to go play outside!"
"I'll join you," Lulu said.
Ame rose from the table. "I need to run an errand. I'll be right back."
"Be careful!" Violet called after her.
Ame went behind her son's house, so she could teleport back to the house without worrying about wandering eyes.
***
"One of you scored a cute date?" Ame asked.
"No!" Cyan shouted.
Ame put her hand on her hip. "What is Collin doing?"
"He's in his room with his puppy."
"Let me take care of him."
Ame waved before going upstairs.
She knocked on the door. "Hi, honey. Can I come in?"
Honey scratched at the door.
Alastair opened the door a crack. "You already came today. What do you want now?"
Ame smiled at the boy. "I have some special training for you. Do you feel up to it?"
"Special training?" His eyes sparkled. "Of course, I do."
Ame held back a sigh. She was at a loss for what to do about his lacking maturity.
"Give me your hand. I'm going to take us somewhere special, so we can work without bugging anyone."
"Can Honey come, too?"
Ame smiled. "Do you have a leash for her?"
"The girls do." His eyes widened. "Do I have to get her leash?"
Was he really that afraid of Cyan and Maggie? It wasn't like they'd done anything to hurt him.
"Not necessarily... I guess it's good Honey is still small."
That was when Ame teleported them to a field.
Violet dropped the basket of clothes she'd been carrying. "Kayleigh, Amethyst! You should have said something!" She smiled at him. "Are you hungry?"
The boy shook his head. "I had a weird pizza for lunch."
Her tall, brawny son gave Violet a quick kiss. Him and his dirty blond hair wouldn't look out of place in a beach in California or Hawaii. "You alright?"
"You look like people from Betty's books!"
Violet's face turned red.
"Do you have a kid yet?"
"Sorry to rain on your parade, sport, no kids yet," Kai said.
Alastair hung his head. "I want to be an uncle..."
"Well, you are. Masahiko has Alain," Vi said.
"I don't know Hiko nor Alain well. En does. Betty, too." He mumbled, "I guess I have to wait for Angie and Chan..."
"Hannah has kids besides the ones you've met," Ame said. "I'm sure her kid isn't the only one who has their own kids by now."
Kai grinned. "Why don't we work on that?"
Violet punched her husband in the shoulder. "Shut it." She then shook her head. "So why did you bring Star here?"
"I wanted to do some special training with your brother, and I needed a quiet, empty place to do it."
Violet furrowed her eyebrows but said nothing.
"What are we gonna do? What are we gonna do?"
"I'm going to be a target, right?" Kai asked.
Ame nodded. "I'd like Lulu to play with his cat."
"His cat?"
Alastair then got out his silver cat.
Violet giggled. "There's nothing like a boy and his cat."
A little girl in a white dress ran over to them. "Kitty!"
Ame ruffled her daughter's hair. "It is a pretty kitty, Lulu." She looked into her eyes. "Could you help me?"
"With what, Mom?"
"Make an ice rink."
"Can I play with the kitty?"
Ame said, "Yeah, I need you to capture it."
Lucy grinned. "Oh, that should be easy!"
"Oh?" Alastair put his hand on his hip. "What makes you think that?"
"I'm great at catching rabbits!"
He jumped. "You eat rabbits?"
"Don't you?"
"No, that's weird!"
"It is? You must be from a very different culture then. Are you from Sursland?"
Violet said, "No, he's from my world."
"But you eat rabbit without issue," Lucy said.
Alastair looked at Vi in horror.
"It wasn't always that way," Kai said.
Ame cut in. "How about you begin the fight?"
Alastair raised his fist into the air. "Gineko, take her down for the bunnies!"
Lucy paled. "I feel as if I'm in danger..."
Lucy threw the cat by the tail when Gineko went to bite her ankle.
It then dug into the ice with its claws.
Alastair clicked his tongue. "I'm not going to lose to a little girl!
"Hmph. I'm strong for a little girl!" Lucy showed off her arm muscles.
Kai laughed. "She is my little sister!"
"Oh, yeah..." Alastair said as he hung his head.
Ame originally wanted Alastair to win, but now she wanted her daughter to do so.
Lucy jumped when the cat jumped to scratch her face.
"She's limber for a little girl!" Alastair shouted.
Violet smiled. "Kids are more flexible than adults. Lucy, who was raised in these wilds, can get around obstacles with ease."
"Else I would be eaten by bears," Lucy added.
Alastair looked around. "There's bears? Noah would love to meet one!"
"W-what kind of reaction is that?" Lulu's jaw dropped.
Ame laughed nervously. "His mind is younger than yours, Lulu."
"It's more nuanced than that, Amethyst."
Alastair glared at them.
"Are you done with us?" Violet asked.
"What? No!" Alastair laughed. "We're barely getting started! Right, Gineko?"
The cat let out a metallic screech resembling the hiss of a feline engaged in combat.
Lucy jumped as a metal wire sprung out of the ground behind her. "What?" She yelped as the tail curled around her ankle.
"Spin her around!" Star yelled.
Lucy yelled as the tail swung her around, flicking her over to her big brother.
The little girl gasped. "Kai, I think that I'm going to hurl..."
"Hey!" Kai yelled, forming a water bubble in front of his chest. The water bubble was soon filled with what looked to be floating fish bits.
Alastair went harder on her than Ame imagined. Maybe he will be alright after all. The kid could be vicious when he had to.
"Wanna keep going?" Violet asked.
"Sure!" The boy grinned. "Who's next?"
Kai patted Lulu on the head and handed her over to his wife. "Since you hurt my cute little sister, I'll take on that cat of yours next." He cracked his fingers.
"Rematch!" the kid shouted.
"Your brother hates to lose, huh?" Kai grinned. "Good thing that I do too! Come at me, kid!"
"Kineko!"
"Ohh, a golden cat!" His eyes sparkled. "Is this one more special?"
"Shock him!"
"Wah! Electricity!"
Alastair chuckled. "You won't be able to tackle Kineko!"
"Bubble Explosion!" Kai formed bubbles that explode, pushing the cat around.
Ame sighed. "This seems like it'll go on for a while..."
Ed smiled. "Why don't you go sew? I'll watch over them."
Ame smiled. "Thanks, though it's my job."
Ed crossed his arms. "I mean it, I don't mind. I am a GK, too."
"Alright, if you say so, mister," Ame said.
Allie ran over to them. "Let me help, Mom!"
Ame smiled. "Thanks, dear!"
Can I help too?" Sky shouted.
Ame shook her head. "No, you might get a booboo with sharp pointy things."
Her youngest son hung his head. "I hate sharp pointy things!"
Kai laughed as he overheard. "Good thing that you aren't fighting this cat!" He grabbed the cat like a wrestler as it jumped at him and slammed it against the ground.
Ame sighed. "Guess I was wrong..."
Alastair sniffed. "Vi, you married a bigger monster than Del!"
Ame glared. "Star, do you want me to go Mama bear on you? You did wish to meet a bear, right?"
"Huh?" He tilted his head. "You're a bear?"
Ame face palmed. "No, I'm not!"
Allie tugged on her sleeve. "Mom, let's go. Kai can defend himself."
Ame sighed. "Alright."
But she was more worried about her KK than her son right now.