Awesome Land Origins: Rise of the Empire

[Monika]

Chapter 1: School Days

"I've never been fond of kings. One man, with no right except that which he assigns himself, gains dominion over an entire nation - lays claim to an entire people - for the rest of his natural life! And then, once his time expires, he passes this 'right' onto his children. Then they grow up, rule the kingdom, and hand the crown to their own progeny. At no point in this line of succession are the people ever given a choice. They are stuck with the same family until the kingdom collapses or a new dynasty seizes the throne, at which point the vicious cycle begins anew.

Now, I don't know about you guys, but I'm proud to have been born in Awesome Land, a country that has survived thousands of years without a government and - Seraphina willing - will survive thousands more. But if we did have to have a government, I would be the first to show my support for democracy. The people are the ones being ruled. The people are the ones who give their ruler power. So why shouldn't the people be the ones to choose that ruler? It almost makes too much sense! The people elect someone whom they feel can represent their best interests. And if they're dissatisfied with that person? They elect a new one! In this way, they are not tied to any one lineage and their leaders are constantly updated to reflect the ever-changing views of the masses.

We live in a world where people have fallen from hundred-story towers and survived. A world in which my own mother can exhale fire from her mouth without damaging her lungs, throat, or lips. I can verbally communicate with Shadow Fiends, beings who don't even have vocal cords! You can take a trip down to Scholastic Land's Arcaenium and borrow any one of a number of world-ending artifacts! Yet somehow, amidst these ridiculous shenanigans that are everyday occurrences in our world, the monarchy remains the most absurd, nonsensical concept of all."

CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!

Ms. Polinski's 12^th grade Government class broke out into applause. Not the polite, almost forced applause one might expect from a classroom, but the genuine and enthusiastic kind, with Ms. Polinski clapping the loudest.

"Bravo, Leon!" she said once the roar of applause had died down. "A great start to your paper! And presented so well, too! I shouldn't have expected anything less! I hope the rest of you were taking notes! That is how a rough draft should be!"

"Aww, thanks, Ms. P!" Leon replied as he left the podium and navigated the rows of desks to return to his seat, high-fiving many of the other students on his way there. "I try. Government is always one of those things I've found pretty interesting, so I had a lot of fun writing this paper."

"Oh, it shows!" The teacher nodded enthusiastically, grabbing Leon's essay from the podium and slapping a gold sticker on the front. "You poured a lot of effort into this assignment! Excellent work, as always!"

"Hmph." There was one student in the class who wasn't clapping - one who wasn't so impressed by Leon's presentation. "It wasn't that good," he muttered under his breath. "He probably bought it from the Awesomenet anyway..."

"Mr. Cauldwell!" Polinski yelled in the harsh, shrill tones that only a high school teacher could manage. "What are you mumbling about over there? Is there something you'd like to share with the class? Perhaps you would like to go next, hmm?"

"Um, uh, yeah, of course!" The young wizard, William Cauldwell, snatched an index card from his desk and made his way to the front of the classroom, stumbling over a few outstretched legs in the process. Once there, he began to clear his throat. For a while. "Ahem. Cough. Cough cough. Blachem. Graaaraghem blechech-"

"MISTER. CAULDWELL!" Polinski shrieked. "TODAY, PLEASE."

"Um, right. Yes. You see, ah, I think that the best kind of government is, um...a mageocracy. Because mages know things. Um, a lot of things. And, um, good leaders...should...also know things...Mages rule! The...end?"

In the back of the classroom, Leon summoned a few Shadow Crickets. Their chirping was lukewarm at best.

"Mister. Cauldwell." Ms. Polinski closed her eyes, steepled her fingers, and took a deep breath. "How long did you spend on your essay?"

"Um, ah...Five...minutes..." William muttered. "But it wasn't my fault! I was up all night helping my father with C.O.M.A.S. stuff!"

"All night?" Polinski repeated. "All. Night?" She exhaled the breath she was holding in as she said, "William, you've known about this report for a month! Why should staying up late one night be an excuse?"

"B-but Ms. Polinski, I've been staying up every night! The Committee can't run itself. My father really needed the help!"

"I see. Then your father won't be surprised to find out that you've made a 'D' on your first major assignment this semester. You may return to your seat, Mr. Cauldwell."

A defeated William left his index card on the podium - the teacher didn't even bother to collect it - and found his way back to his desk, shamefully hanging his head to avoid the awkward gazes of his classmates. Fortunately for him, the shame was soon erased by the joyous ringing of the school bell, signaling the end of fifth period. The students were less focused on him and more on shoving their things into their backpacks, eager to get to their last classes of the day.

"Remember, those of you who didn't present today will be presenting on Monday!" Ms. Polinski shouted above the shuffling of papers and books. "You all have a great weekend!"

Just like that, every one of Ms. Polinski's students made for the door, filtering out of the classroom one by one. Naturally, Leon Veralice was the first to escape into the hallway, successfully bypassing the crowd.

"So glad I picked the seat in the back of the class," he said. "Being right next to the door is truly a blessing. First in, first out, and I never have to deal with any of that." He waved his hand dismissively behind him, indicating the mass of students slowly trickling out of all the rooms, tripping over each other to get to their next classes. Two such students - a pair of girls from Leon's Government class - ran up to either side of him, latching onto his arms.

"Ohmigosh Leon that was so awesome!" the first girl, a short-haired brunette, shouted ecstatically. "You've got to tell me how you write such awesome essays!"

"Forget that!" The second girl, a longer-haired blonde, tugged on Leon's arm, intent on keeping him away from the brunette. "You've got to tell me how you present them so well! I've never seen someone command an audience like that! You held our attention way more than Ms. Polinski ever did!"

"Ladies, ladies, please!" Leon chuckled as he escorted the two to the gymnasium, his next destination. "I'll tell you both how I do what I do, but only after this next class. As a matter of fact, why don't you two sit in on P.E. today? Fridays are free days, so Walter's just gonna let us do whatever. It'll be a lot of fun!"

"You mean you want us to skip our own classes?" the brunette asked.

"To sit in on your class?" the blonde added.

"And watch you run around?"

"And get all sweaty?"

"And glisteny?"

The two girls looked at each other, then to Leon, then back at each other, quickly coming to a consensus. "Sure!" they cried in unison as they ran through the gymnasium's large double doors, pulling Leon along with them. Slowly but surely, other students arrived in the gym as well, and they were all greeted by the same sight: nothing. A far cry from the usual display of nets and balls and poles, they saw only a bare hardwood floor and a few rows of empty bleachers. Well, almost empty. At the far end of the gym near the very top of the bleachers sat the class instructor, Walter Belgrade. He looked rather like Leon, in a way; he had a woman on either of his arms, and they were casually chatting and giggling away, ignoring the crowd of students that had just formed inside.

"Excuse me, ladies." Leon broke away from his own girls and walked up to the set of bleachers upon which Walter was perched. "Hey! Walter!" he called out. "What's the big idea? This is P.E.! Physical education! Where are all the tetherballs and treadmills and weights? You know, the P.E. stuff!"

"Hmm?" Walter looked around the room as if he were genuinely confused by the question. "P.E. stuff? ...Oh! Yeah, about that...It's free day, remember? That means I'm free from my obligations of hauling out all that equipment for you kids to play with." The two women at Walter's side giggled in appreciation of his complete disregard for his teacherly duties.

"I'm pretty sure that's not how that works!"

"Pfft. I'm the teacher, Leon! I decide how it works!" With a yawn, Walter added, "Besides, I spent all of last night hunting monsters. You know, doing my real job and keeping this town safe. I need a break before I'm going to entertain a bunch of children. Why don't you guys go talk amongst yourselves or something?"

"What are you? Twenty-six now? You've got some nerve calling us a bunch of kids." Leon shrugged. "Ah, well. I guess if poor old Walter is too tired and weak to grab a couple of air-filled balls out of the storage room, we really shouldn't bother him."

"Ooooooooooh!" The crowd of students around Leon all jeered together, egging Walter on. "Old Man Walter! Old Man Walter! Walter's too weak! Walter's too weak!"

The two women next to him joined in the fun. "You're not just going to let that kid get away with insulting you like that, are you?" one giggled.

The other nodded in approval. "Mmm. You're a teacher, right? You should really go teach that kid a lesson."

With a heavy sigh, Walter stood up, dusted off his jeans, and cracked his knuckles. "Alright, Leon. You want to be educated physically, huh? How about a sparring match, then? Just you and me. I'll show you that 'Old Man Walter' has more than enough strength left to knock you down. Ladies, if you don't mind?"

Walter's two women nodded and pressed their hands together. "Sacred Art: Non-lethal Sword Birth!"

In a flash of light, two hard plastic swords appeared before Walter, one of which he tossed to Leon (who caught it effortlessly). "These two lovely ladies are Swordcraft teachers at a high school in one of the other villages," Walter explained. "Pretty quality make, right? So I'll tell you what. We'll have a simple sword duel. First one to get knocked on the ground loses. Fair enough?"

Leon motioned for the rest of the students to take their seats on the bleachers. There was no way this sword fight was going to be 'simple'. Things never worked that way in Awesome Land. "Fair enough," Leon agreed. "But I've been on some of those hunting trips. You've seen my skill with the sword. I don't think you really want to embarrass yourself in front of the students and your girlfriends up there. It'd suck to be known as 'the guy who couldn't even beat a teenage high school student' in two villages."

"Keep talking!" Walter sprang from the top of the bleachers and landed rather gracefully on the hardwood floor. Pointing his sword threateningly at Leon, he said, "Once I beat you, I think I'm going to give you detention for the rest of the semester. That'll teach you to mouth off to your elders."

Grinning, Leon pointed his own sword at Walter. "Oooh, high stakes, huh? Alright. When I win, I want you to give everyone in this class an 'A'-"

"Like they weren't going to get one anyway," Walter interrupted, rolling his eyes. "It's P.E. for Seraphina's sake, not Biochemistry."

"-and," Leon continued, "I want you to handwrite a personalized letter of recommendation for me and all the other students. It's almost time to start applying to colleges, and we sure would love the kind words of Mr. Belgrade to help us get there."

"Heh. Fine. You're on. I hope you don't mind mopping the gym floor and reading my fan mail for the next four months," Walter chuckled, casually tossing his sword from hand to hand.

"And I hope you've got a stash of ink pens ready," Leon shot back.

"On the count of three, then. One..." Walter crouched into a battle stance, prepared to lunge toward his opponent at a moment's notice.

"Two..." Leon took to his own stance, fixing his eyes on their P.E. instructor, waiting for the slightest twitch to betray his next move.

"Three!"

Student and teacher dashed toward each other at impossibly unsafe speeds, their plastic blades clashing in a shower of sparks...

[Monika]

Chapter 2: Teachers

Hah!

Thrust. Parry. Slash. Block. Leon and Walter met each other blow for blow, the two engaged in an impromptu dance to which they both knew all the steps.

"Heh. Not half bad - for a little kid!" Walter caught an incoming strike and deflected it, forcing Leon back a few feet.

"Aww, that means a lot coming from you, Gramps!" Leon leapt right back into the fray with an overhead swing only to be blocked again, the collision sending a shock wave rippling throughout the gymnasium.

"Uh..." A concerned student who had been cowering in the highest section of the bleachers crawled down to where the two Swordcraft teachers were sitting. "Are...Are you guys sure those swords are made of plastic?" he squeaked, just barely raising his arms in time to shield himself from the next shock wave.

"Of course!" one shouted. "Are you doubting our craftsmanship?"

"No, it's just-"

"We've been studying Swordcraft since you were in diapers, kid!" the other one added. "Don't question our technique!"

"I didn't mean to-"

"Our Walter is just that good with the sword!" they said together. "He's so strong, so fierce, that even a piece of foam would become a lethal weapon in his hands!"

"And what about Leon, huh?" One of Leon's own lady friends climbed over to that section of the bleachers to chime in. "He's countering all of Walter's moves and still going on the offensive!"

"We're all getting A's in this class, but Leon's one of the few who actually deserves his!" said the other. "Go get him, Leon! Knock his head off!"

"Knock my head off, huh?" Walter chuckled. "It's nice to see you've got such loyal fangirls, but it's a shame that you'll have to disappoint them today." In one swift motion, the teacher dodged the next blow and hooked his foot around the back of Leon's legs.

"Hey! No fair!" Leon shouted.

"All's fair in love and war, kid, and I'm trying to win both!" Walter gave a wink to the girls in the audience and then-

FWOMP!

-a solid push was all it took to disrupt Leon's balance and send him crashing to the ground.

"Thank you, thank you!" Walter turned toward the bleachers and gave an exaggerated bow. "It has been my pleasure today to put this little kid in his place. Please, there's no need to clap for me."

A few awkward coughs made up the response of the class.

"...I was kidding about that last part. You guys can feel free to clap as much as you want."

"Maybe they'd be a little more enthusiastic if you'd actually taught them something."

"What the-" Walter whipped back around to the sound of the voice and grimaced at what he saw: there was Leon, suspended a mere inch above the floor, his collar held up by what appeared to be a giant, living shadow.

"Looks like the only thing they've learned from you is not to turn their back on an opponent unless they're sure he's down!" Leon outstretched his hand and the Shadow Fiend hoisted him back to his feet. A few more rose from beneath the floor and flew straight for Walter's face.

"Hey!" The teacher swatted at his shadowy assailants like they were houseflies, but each time he managed to shoo one away, another one came to take its place, wrapping itself tightly around his eyes. "Dirty move, kid! No one likes a cheater!"

"All's fair," Leon repeated, charging in for a decisive blow.

Walter smirked and blocked this one almost as effortlessly as the last. "If you think your cheap tactics are gonna help you here, think again!" He countered with a strike of his own. "I hunt monsters! They thrive in darkness. You're sadly mistaken if you think I need to see to knock you down!"

True to his word, Walter continued to block - parry - counter - deflect - each of Leon's strikes, his own attacks becoming more ferocious with every swing of the plastic sword.

Damn, Leon thought. Does not being able to see actually make this guy stronger?

He took a quick glance at the ceiling overhead, barely sidestepping the next attack. The thing was a mess of old incandescent light fixtures from decades prior. Part of not having a government was also not having government funding, so much of the gym hadn't seen renovation in quite some time.

I bet I could take out those lights. There's no way he could fight in complete darkness, right? Ouch!

Leon caught a blow with his arm and felt himself struggling to keep up with the increasing intensity of Walter's attacks. Class was about halfway over now, and it was clear that his teacher wanted to put an end to it soon.

No, that probably wouldn't help. The Shadow Fiends work better in light anyway. But what if...

"Hey!" Leon called out to the people in the stands, narrowly avoiding a third slash. "Who here's got an essay they want me to help rewrite before Monday? Let me see 'em!"

"Oh wow! Offering to help us even while in the middle of battle? We love you, Leon!" came the cries of dozens of students in the bleachers, followed shortly by a deluge of crumpled up sheets of notebook paper.

Perfect. "Alley-oop!" Leon motioned upwards, and a dozen more Shadow Fiends caught the flood of essays and sent them flying into the lights above.

"Is your plan to bore me to death with mediocre writing?" Walter scoffed, having completely given up on sight now. His honed hunter senses were more than enough to carry him through every move and keep his student on the defensive. This battle would be over soon.

"Nope." Leon clenched his fist and a few shadowy protrusions sprang up from the hardwood floor. "My plan is to psyche you out by letting you know I just summoned a bunch of spikes on the ground. I know it'll be hard for you, but watch your step. It could prove pretty painful otherwise."

"Pfft. You can't tell right now, but I'm rolling my eyes. Give me some credit! You think a little field hazard is gonna trip me up?"

"No," Leon admitted, "but the water might."

"Water?"

Overhead, the papers that had been pressed up against the lights had begun to ignite. Smoke, then sparks, then embers, and full-fledged flames were born among the lights, just strong enough to trigger the one modern convenience the gym was lucky enough to have: a sprinkler system.

"What the hell?" Walter asked. "Is it...raining? Inside?" He stopped suddenly to consider this new development, and that one moment off his guard was all Leon needed.

"Might as well be!" Leon said cheerily as he thrust the hilt of his sword squarely into Walter's chest.

"Crap!" Walter staggered backward on the slippery floor, but hesitated to regain his footing. Damn it! He said there are spikes everywhere, right? If I catch myself the wrong way... Unsure of how to react, Walter let his instincts take over and did the first thing anyone might do in that situation: he reached an arm out in front of him, desperate to grab on to something - anything - and -

- Leon caught the man's hand. Right before banishing the spikes and gently setting him on the ground.

"WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

The crowd went wild, breaking out into uproarious applause. Shouts of "Go Leon!" and "You're the best!" and the occasional "Hey! You burned my essay!" echoed from the walls.

"Tch," Walter spat, the Shadow Fiends finally releasing their hold on his eyes. "Well played, Leon."

Leon graciously helped his teacher up to his feet and smiled. "Well, I had a pretty decent instructor. And some natural talent doesn't hurt, either."

"Hmph. Your pretty decent instructor gave you a handicap, anyway. If I had been using my real weapon of choice - the spear - this battle would have been over before it even started."

"I guess next time you should be dating some Spearcraft teachers instead," Leon replied. "Rematch?"

"Heh. You can walk away with this victory for now. I've gotten sweaty enough for one day. And besides, we're almost-"

BRRING!

The sixth period bell rang, signaling the end of gym - and the entire school day. The mass of people in the bleachers all climbed over each other to get to the exit, a handful stopping to intercept Leon, alternately shaking his hand and embracing him in...less school-appropriate ways.

"-out of time," Walter finished, just barely audible over the crowd. "Hey, you owe me a new set of gym clothes, Leon! These are all wet and dusty now! It's gonna take three wash cycles to get these back to normal!"

"Yeah, yeah!" Leon waved dismissively behind him. "You just get started on those letters of recommendation, Gramps!"

And the crowd went wild again, cheering for Leon as they burst through the gymnasium doors to the freedom of the outside world.

-=≡=--=≡=--=≡=--=≡=--=≡=--=≡=--=≡=-

"Breathe in," the woman said, her voice cool, her mind composed. She was going to pass this knowledge down no matter what.

"Breathe in!" came her echo, softer, anxious, and energetic. She was going to learn this lesson no matter what.

"Hold it," the woman said.

"Hold it!" the echo answered.

"Close your eyes."

"Eyes closed!"

"Keep holding in your breath."

"Oh, right, um...Ohhh, I already let it out! Can I breathe in again?"

"Of course, Aurora."

Leon returned home that afternoon to find his little sister, Aurora Veralice, and their mother, Corona, standing opposite each other in their living room, taking part in some kind of exercise he couldn't quite place.

"And just what's going on here?" he asked as he entered the doorway. "Some kind of new meditation technique?"

"Leon!" Aurora immediately broke away from the exercise and rushed her older brother, latching on to one of his legs.

"Hey there, Aurora!" Leon scooped the girl up and lifted her high into the air, kissing her on the forehead. "I missed you, too."

"Welcome home, dear!" Corona, next in line for some affection, embraced her son as soon as he'd set Aurora (who looked less than pleased) down. "Have a good day at school?"

"You could say that," Leon replied. "You guys have a good day doing...whatever it is you're doing here?"

Corona beamed. "Want to tell Leon what we've been studying this afternoon, Aurora?"

"Mmm..." The girl looked away sheepishly.

"Come on, Aurora. You were all excited an hour ago!"

"Yeah! Don't be shy!" Leon said. "You know you can tell your brother anything."

"Okay..." Aurora nodded. "Mom was trying to teach me her super cool fire-breathing technique..." The young girl trailed off and dropped her gaze to the ground below.

"Fire-breathing, huh?" Leon looked at his mother skeptically. "Isn't she a little young to be learning that technique, Mom?"

"Oh, don't be so uptight! You know the tradition is for the parent to teach the child the moment they hit double digits. Your sister just happened to convince me to start a little early, that's all!"

Aurora glanced back up at her brother and grinned. "I'm going to be 10 in less than three weeks!" The smile quickly faded as she added, "But it doesn't matter. I just don't get it. I don't think I'll ever be able to do it..."

"Nonsense, Aurora!" Corona said. "This technique has been passed down the Veralice line for generations! If you've even a drop of our clan's blood, then this skill is no match for you!"

Aurora stared up at her mother, eyes wide with fear. "Does...does that mean I'm adopted?!"

Thanks, Mom. You always know just what to say. Leon rolled his eyes and knelt down to his sister's height. "You're not adopted, Aurora. Don't be so hard on yourself. I'll be 18 next year, and I still don't get how that technique works."

"See! How am I supposed to learn the technique if my big brother couldn't even get it?" Aurora cried.

"You'll learn it because you're a lot more talented than I am," Leon assured her. "Believe it or not, your aptitude for this kind of stuff is leagues above mine. You could be a world class spellcaster if you had a little more confidence in yourself. Don't give up so easily."

"But-"

"No buts, Aurora. I think what you need is a demonstration. It's always easier to learn when you've been given an example."

"You are so right, Leon!" Corona said. "Why didn't I think of that?"

Why didn't you think of that? Leon thought. You teach children for a living.

"I'll just have to show Aurora firsthand how it works! That'll be just the motivation she needs!" Corona closed her eyes, took in a deep breath and -

"-I think what we also need to do is take this outside before you end up torching the house, Mom."

"...You are so right, Leon." Corona let go of the breath she was holding in and hit herself softly on the head. "Silly me."

Leon regarded their mother curiously for a moment. Corona Veralice was many things. She was, by all accounts, a very beautiful woman - her above average height; her long, auburn hair; her delicate, defined features all led to her being the talk of the town in many sects (though Leon made a concerted effort to avoid the circles in which his mother was the topic of conversation). And she was a respected, beloved elementary school teacher, too, as evidenced by the many photos of her with smiling schoolchildren framed along the walls of the house. But careful, she was not. She did many things impulsively, and between her recklessness and general lack of inhibition, Leon couldn't help but wonder how he and his sister had made it past the age of five.

Corona returned her son's look with one of her own. "What are you staring at me like that for?" she demanded. "Come on! Let's go outside!"

She motioned for her children to follow and led them to a side door near the back of the living room. Their house wasn't all that large - "cozy," as Corona would describe it - but they were fortunate enough to have a few of the amenities of a grander home. One such luxury was a small rectangular slab of concrete that lay before a plot of grass and dandelions, enclosed by a roughly painted wooden fence. Or, as Corona called it -

"The Royal Garden!" she exclaimed. "No better place for a demonstration! Stand back, children!"

"Don't have to tell me twice," Leon muttered, putting quite a bit of space between himself and the living weapon he called 'Mom'. He grabbed his sister's hand and pulled her a bit closer.

"Now, Aurora, do you remember all the steps I taught you?" Corona asked.

"Um...I think so," she tentatively replied.

"Good. Recite them for me."

Aurora nodded. "Okay...First, breathe in."

Corona drew in a deep breath through her nose, slow and methodically.

"Then, hold it in and close your eyes," Aurora said.

The mother clasped her hands together and shut her eyes.

"Now, focus your energy and visualize the flames."

This step wasn't quite as visible as the others, but Leon could swear he felt the air in their yard get noticeably warmer. He took another step closer to the door.

"And finally, release!"

FWOOOOOOOOOOSH!

Corona did just that and a torrent of fire spiraled out from her mouth. She turned her head from side to side, sweeping the backyard like a human flamethrower. The ground lit up with a brilliant display of reds and oranges as everything in her path was incinerated. This went on until she finally let go of the stream of fire escaping her lungs. The surrounding flames died out soon afterward, and all that was left was soot and ash.

"Wow." That was all Leon could manage to say. No matter how many times he saw the spectacle, it was never any less impressive. He glanced at Aurora and noticed this sentiment mirrored in her eyes.

"That was amazing!" she cried.

"Yep!" Corona beamed, wiping the corner of her mouth. "And soon, you'll be able to do that, too."

"I can't wait! All the red and orange and yellow! It was like half a rainbow! It was beautiful!"

"Shame about the 'Royal Garden', though," Leon mentioned, pointing out the black dust that coated the ground.

"Eh." The mother waved her hand dismissively. "I was never any good at that whole horticulture thing anyway. All I could ever grow were weeds. Plants were always more your father's style, and he's still got his garden in the back...Oh fiz."

"What?"

"He is not gonna be too happy about that." Corona stared at the fence - or what was left of it - in horror. The concussive force of her flames had apparently been enough to knock several posts from their foundation. The ones that still stood were slowly smoldering away, leaving the pile of ash that had once been the Royal Garden exposed for the wider world to see. "I'm...gonna go preemptively smooth things over." With a parting wave to her children, Corona ran off into the house, shouting, "Ray! Honey! There's...uh...I kind of broke the fe...I'm making you a huge cake for being such an awesome father! Just, uh, don't leave your room! Stay there until I'm done baking!"

Leon sighed and shook his head as his mother disappeared through the door. "It's honestly a miracle we made it past childbirth," he said, smiling.

"World's best mom, hands down!" Aurora shouted, clenching her fists in determination. "I'm going to master this technique before my birthday and make her proud! Wanna stay and help me practice?"

"I'd love to, Aurora, but I can't. I have a bunch of essays I have to help rewrite." Man, if I'd had this technique an hour ago...

"Bunch of essays?" she asked.

"I'll tell you the story later. I've gotta get them done by Monday and I have to work tomorrow."

"Aww..." Aurora gave Leon a pitiful look - the kind of look that tugged at heartstrings and dispelled all reason. The kind of look that only a little sister could give.

He sighed again. "But, if I get these all finished tomorrow, then I should have plenty of time to help you out on Sunday. Say, after church?"

"Pinky promise?" she said, holding out her little finger. Her eyes sparkled with a glint of hope and seemed as if they might burst into tears at any moment. The little sister powers were at full force.

"Pinky promise," Leon repeated, latching onto her finger with his own. Aurora returned the gesture with a smile and hug, breaking away only after he gently pried her off. Satisfied with their compromise, Leon went back inside to get a start on the duties of the weekend.