Back in Mother Leanne's office, Tobias and she were now standing in front of her desk, the remnants of a simple meal all but forgotten behind them. Mother Leanne had lifted the golden flame barrier surrounding the desk and revealed Loch's current state to them both. His threadbare clothes had completely disintegrated, while there were several scorch marks on the hardwood outlining his figure. Loch's overall form looked the same as when he was first deposited onto the desk by Tobias. The only visible change to Loch at that moment appeared to be a little bit of color returning to his pale face and a layer of what looked to be grime surrounding his body. The stench emitted from the sludge like substance made Tobias step back with a hand covering his nose. "Ah, soil it. I forgot how awful the stench of the first Purification is. Nasty stuff."
Mother Leanne didn't reply, but the subtle wrinkle to her nose and the pursing of her lips led one to believe that she was also not enjoying the smell. Curling her open palm in front of Loch, she unleashed a stream of liquid fire that enveloped his entire body like a blanket. The dried sludge that was on his skin burnt to a crisp under the flames. Mother Leanne then cupped one hand in the air. The fire blanket curled in on itself, taking the remaining ashes off of Loch's body, while the blanket transformed itself into a hovering ball of slick golden flames.
Tobias, behind Mother Leanne, watched the process and couldn't help but praise inside about the control the woman had over her element. Not a single part of Loch's sleeping form was injured by her flames and he was left clean and pristine. Mother Leanne strode towards the window and opened it. With a tossing gesture, she launched the hovering ball of fire outside, where it dissipated, scattering the ashes of the grime into the wind.
After closing the door, Mother Leanne stepped back towards the desk and Loch. She reached out to place her hand upon the sleeping boy's forehead when she was interrupted by a black missile descending from above. Jack, the raven, had dive-bombed from his perch and landed right next to Loch's head. His beady black eyes gazed at the boy, his head roving Loch's body. After several seconds, and apparently seeing something he liked, Jack let out several happy caws and fluttered his wings.
Tobias smirked at the bird and said, "Well, I guess that's a good indication that the boy's health has improved." Mother Leanne ignored Tobias and shooed the bird further down the desk, giving her access back to Loch's head unobstructed. Similar to when she was checking his condition before Mother Leanne unleashed a glowing light ball that ran through Loch's body, giving them access to his inner state. Loch's organs, which were previously singed and battered, now looked clean and healthy. To Mother Leanne's more critical eye, she could also tell that Loch's insides looked far healthier than even before the damage made to them that night. Just like it had previously happened, when the ball of light reached the point just above Loch's belly button, it was forcefully shattered. This time, however, it wasn't a lightning bolt that had attacked the light but, instead, what appeared to be a winged humanoid figure wreathed in blue lightning. It had struck out a clawed hand towards the approaching light and shattered it effortlessly.
Mother Leanne and Tobias both wore shocked impressions after what they had just witnessed, before Mother Leanne's face went back to her plank of wood expression, while Tobias's face split into a large grin. The man was now staring at Loch's sleeping form not just in idly curiosity and some measure of concern but now with glittering excitement, like one would when seeing a treasure just within grasp.
Mother Leanne, even with her back turned, appeared to be able to see the excitement radiating off the gentleman behind her and let one side of her face curl into a smile before wiping it off and turning to face the man. "Well, as you can see, Loch has successfully passed his first Nightmare Awakening. Although I always wished he would leave a mundane life filled with simple joys. It's apparent he's always been destined for the perilous path of cultivation. How far he will go on this journey, I do not know. But I will be watching. I'll always be watching." Mother Leanne's eyes took on a predatory gleam, but Tobias either didn't notice or decided he didn't care and simply replied with a rich laugh, "Ha! From what I've seen, the boy will go far. I know he will." A clock chime rang out in the corner of the room, denoting the late hour, causing Tobias to look over at it with a small frown.
"I hadn't realised how late it truly was. This night has slipped by. I best get going, Mother. I've plenty of things to prepare for tomorrow now and I still need to settle my mission with The Cabin, as I imagine they are desperate for an update. Thank you for your hospitality. I bid you goodnight." Tobias looked into Mother Leanne's eyes and gave her a bow before he strode towards the door, not waiting for a reply. Mother Leanne appeared not to find the action rude and simply turned back towards the sleeping boy. Once she heard the door close behind her, she reached out and ran a gentle hand along the side of Loch's face before drawing it back quickly when the boy squirmed for a moment. Loch mumbled some sentences before he turned on his side and let out an involuntary shiver, his body reacting to his now naked state. Mother Leanne couldn't make sense of many of the sleep-talking boy's words, but a couple words like, "Mother" and "Proud" rang in her mind like a bell. A little tear ran down the deadpanned face of Mother Leanne while she gazed down at the boy for several long seconds.
In a swift, almost violent swipe of her hand, Mother Leanne struck the tear from her face. Giving her body a shake, she soon picked up Loch's sleeping form with ease, like he was as light as a feather. Turning back to the Raven, who was now making a ruckus on the desk, she gave Jack a glare before motioning towards the closed door with her head, "Are you going to give me a hand or what? You wouldn't want me to drop the boy now, would you?" Jack, instead of fluttering his wings or cawing, gave the woman a very human-like roll of his beady black eyes.
Jack, with grace, flew through the air and, swinging one wing toward the door, produced a gust of wind. The wind lacked force, yet manifested a substantial presence. As it acted like a phantom appendage, grabbing the doorknob in its invisible grip and turning. The door to the office opened without a sound and Mother Leanne strode through imperiously, Jack flying through behind her. Mother Leanne walked down the hallway on silent feet and reached Loch's dorm room at the end of the hall in a moment's time. Another invisible appendage appeared to turn the handle again and Mother Leanne entered the room, walking right up to Loch's messy bed and depositing the sleeping boy under the cover.
A slight sound of fabric moving caused Mother Leanne to spin on the spot, her eyes flaring dangerously in the darkroom. Gazing at the end of the room, on the opposite side of Loch's bed, Mother Leanne came face to face with Lacey's wide-eyed form. She was currently sitting up in bed and staring back and forth from Loch's sleeping form and Mother Leanne's straight back no-nonsense face. Lacey appeared a mix of terrified and worried when a soothing but strict voice echoed in her ears, "Loch is fine, don't worry. I see you have also been healed. I'm glad to see that. Now, go back to sleep. Tomorrow is a big day. For all of you." Even though Mother Leanne was at least ten feet from the partially awake girl, it felt to her as if the words were whispered right next to her ears. Feeling confused but still tired from her recent sickness and then healing, Lacey wisely decided not to cause an issue and went back under her covers, her mind turning over with many thoughts.
Mother Leanne, seeing the girl's actions, simply gave a small nod, as if the girl's straight compliance was not a surprise and turned back around, heading out of the dorm and back down the hall. Jack had taken the time while Mother Leanne was communicating with Lacey to use its beak and grip Loch's blankets, pulling them tighter over his sleeping form. It then took its perch back on Loch's bedside table stand and closed its own eyes.
A hot beam of sunlight snaked through the closed window at the end of the dorm room. Lighting up the left side of the dorm and illuminating the top of Loch's sleeping face. With a groan, Loch rolled over and grabbed his pillow, covering his face from the sunlight and issuing out a mumbling curse towards the hated sun. Loch's squirming and muttering paused after only a moment, though, as his entire body appeared to shake. With an "Ah!" Loch's top half sprung up, sending his pillow careening into the wall on the other side. Loch had a wild-eyed look on his face, as he began taking short, gasping breaths. His forehead broke out into a light sweat as he gazed around the familiar but unfamiliar room before him. His cry woke up a couple of the surrounding figures in their single beds, with Squirt rolling off his bed and hitting the floor in fright. Squirt appeared to still be half asleep, running on some unconscious instinct. He squirmed underneath his bed and opened his sleepy eyes. Scanning his surroundings for threats.
Randall lifted his bald head from his bed and, with odd precision, retrieved his pillow and threw it at the hyperventilating Loch. The pillow smacked the boy in the face, softly but firmly enough it brought Loch's rushing mind back into focus. "It's just a dream Loch. Everything's fine." Jonesy's calm voice reverberated through his struggling mine. Finally, bringing the last of Loch's flying nerve down to normal. Loch closed his eyes and took deep, slow breaths. Visions of last night flashed through Loch's mind. Like a system being rebooted, he began to feel clearer after every passing second.
His mind felt as if it was being hammered when he first woke and he couldn't make heads or tails if he was still dreaming or not. Luckily, due to have experience in similar states of distress and with the help of his friends. Loch got his mind under control, his restless thoughts evening out, until he began to get a clearer picture of the events of last night. Loch turned to his sleepy roommates and gave them all a shaky smile, "Thanks guys. I'm all good now." Looking below the bed right next to him, Loch made eye contact with the silent Squirt and gave him a wink, "Get up, Squirt. We're not under attack." The silent boy gave Loch a bright smile in return, but his eyes looked everywhere around the room for several seconds longer before he crawled out from underneath.
Loch looked beneath his covers and only now noticing his naked form, he spun his head to the other end of the room but seeing the girl still asleep made him breath out a sigh of relief. Taking the blankets off, Loch quickly took out a set of light brown clothes from his bedside draw and put them on. Taking a seat back on the side of his bed, he tried to recollect the events of last night. Piecing it together as best he could. He felt he was missing crucial parts, though, and had absolutely no recollection of how he had ended up back in bed. Loch remembered his initial meeting with the Hunter at the Butcher shop clearly, especially the feeling of despair he felt when the giant lipless monster had appeared. He could also remember the body wracking pain he felt when he was catapulted out of the room and into the hard counter. Raising his right hand, Loch tentatively rubbed the back of his head but felt no pain or bruise. Now that he was thinking about his injuries. Loch thought he should have been feeling painful all over as he could recall that every inch of his body had cried out in pain after his tumble across the hard butcher shop's floor, but at the moment he felt nothing.
Checking every inch of himself, even standing up and looking around. Loch couldn't see any injuries or feel any sore spots. The more he thought about it, the more surprised he was in the fact that he not only felt no soreness but he actually felt better than usual. As if there were an extra spring in his step. He couldn't remember a time when he felt so full of energy. Loch had to fight the sudden urge to go for a run outside, as he sat back on the bed and kept up his recollection of events. After the memory of his impromptu flight, the rest of the night felt hazy. He could vaguely recall crawling on the abomination's back and throwing something into its mouth, but not much else. Which also surprised him. 'Where did I get the mettle to do something like that?' Loch tried to remember how he got back to the orphanage but he kept coming up blank. While he was lot in his thoughts, an unbidden scene flashed through his mind, dominating. It was an image of his mother's smiling face and a large eyed creature looming behind her, after a few moments the image disappeared in a flash of blue light and heat that cleared more of the fuzziness from Loch's mind. 'Mom' The sight brought a bout of sadness to his heart but it didn't hurt as much as the previous times he conjured memories of the gentle woman in the late of the night. The sight of her visage now only gave him a small feeling of grief and reluctance of parting.
The sight of the flash of blue light and what he thought was the sound of a brewing storm coming from far away invoked far more fierce emotions at that moment than the surprisingly clear image of his mother. 'Storm, lightning, and rain... A mountain?' New images began to gather in Loch's mind, recalling a scene of him climbing a mountain. He couldn't figure out how that was even possible or why he would even do such a thing. Before he could focus anymore on the odd subject, a series of sharp knocks rang out on their bedroom door, causing his attention to deviate. Getting back onto his feet, Loch approached the door and cracked it open. Almost leaping back in fright at what was revealed. With the door opening wide at Loch's retreat, Mother Leanne's tall, stern visage came into view. Running a critical eye over the room and the slowly rousing inhabitants within, Mother Leanne's razor-sharp gaze landed on Loch. Her eyes made his body stiffen involuntarily, as if locked in place.
"I see you're looking quite spry and awake this morning. I would say I'm quite surprised, especially after your little jaunt with a certain someone last night." Mother Leanne said with one eyebrow raised. Loch's body shivered at the words spoken, but he wasn't given a chance to ask or say anything in return as Mother Leanne barreled on. "Terry! Bring in the box." A teen boy entered the room from behind Mother Leanne, giving Loch an odd look on the way past. He then set down a small crate in front of Mother Leanne and then swiftly took his leave. Loch looked down at the crate and back at the woman before him several times. After a gesture from Mother Leanne, he crouched down and removed the lid from the crate. While he was doing that, the other occupants of his room, except for Lacey and Randall, were already dressed and making their way over.
Jonesy arrived, along with the signature rap tap of his crutch alongside the silent Squirt. With a small bow of his head and a smile, Jonesy greeted Mother Leanne and then peered over Loch's shoulder at what was in the contents of the crate. Squirt appeared to ignore the imperious woman altogether and crouched down right next to Loch. Randall was by Lacey's bed and looked to be talking to her softly while rearranging the pillows behind her to prop her into a sitting position. "Clothes?" Jonesy asked when he saw Loch retrieve several clean pressed shirts from within the crate.
The clothes were a mixture of light blue and dark green. They appeared in a similar plain style to the cotton beige shirt and pants they were all wearing. The only difference appeared to be that they came in different colors and were clearly new. Mother Leanne wasn't exactly a cheapskate when it came to the clothing of the children under her care. It was just that the clothes the children usually wore were quite worn and plain. She had opted to repair the clothes in house when damaged or in the case the child grew out of the set, she would retrieve a second-hand one from an older child who had outgrown their own. Some of the older kids, who had jobs, did buy their own clothes but the majority of the kids in the orphanage just wore what was provided by Mother Leanne. In the Shambles, simple clothes were not overly expensive, so Mother Leanne always had several sets ready just in case.
However, the clothes Loch retrieved from the crate were clearly of a slightly better make and quality. Being neatly folded and in pristine condition also helped to highlight their pluses. Loch grabbed a set. It consisted of a dark green shirt with matching pants that looked similar to his size. After looking them over, he moved aside to allow the eager Squirt, who was trying to not so subtly nudge him away, a chance to rummage through the box. Seeing Squirt's heavy-handed actions, as he was basically throwing the pieces that he either didn't like or were clearly unable to fit into, in the air. This left Jonesy in a flurry, as he had to deftly snatch the discarded apparel before they could hit the ground. Mother Leanne gave the ever smiling Squirt a heavy frown and said, "Show some care, young man. There is a set for each of you, so don't be impatient. They're perfectly matched to your measurements. Yours is at the bottom." Squirt, hearing the woman, simply smiled at her and then began to attack the crate of clothes with more vigor, making Jonesy push his dexterity to the limit in retrieving the raining clothes, leaving him with an arm full in moments.
Loch, ignoring the others, held the shirt in his hands and pressed it against his body, seeing that they did appear to be matched to their current sizes. He looked back up at Mother Leanne with a face full of questions. "Why would you give us new clothes? What do you want us to do?" Mother Leanne matched his stare and lamely replied, "Do you have a problem with them? Do you not want new clothes? I do recall you complaining over several meals that your usual apparel always makes you itch. If that's not the case, give them back to me and I'll return them to the tailor." She stuck her hand out towards Loch, gesturing towards the shirt and pants in his hand. Gripping the clothes tightly Loch took several steps backwards and grinned at the woman, "No, no, I didn't say that. I'm just kidding. I really need new clothes; I seemed to have misplaced my spare set and these are perfect. Thank you so much. We're so lucky to be in the care of such a generous person. I'll cherish them forever." Loch attempted his best sincere puppy dog face, the one he used on the old woman he called Granny when she appeared to be about to scold him for something he had said or done.
For what Loch thought was the first time in his short life, he witnessed Mother Leanne's impassive face break into a small smile. The pale scars running along her lips broke what would have been a beautiful smile, but it didn't stop it from changing the woman's entire strict aura into something more friendly and encompassing. Loch was further shocked when the woman, still with a curve to her lips, said in a joking sounding tone, "Don't try to use those new baby blues on me, young man. Men three times your age, with four times the charm, have attempted to woo me and they have all failed." Loch's confusion rose at her reference to his eye color and her obvious humorous tone, 'What in the holy soil is she talking about? My eyes are green? And what men would dare to woo her, unless they had a fondness for being scolded all the time?' Loch thought to himself as he turned to Jonesy, hoping the older and more mature boy would explain why the always serious Mother Leanne was acting so odd this morning.
What he received from Jonesy was not a shared look of confusion like he thought he would, but was instead dealt with a bug-eyed look of surprise. The boy's usual calm facade was nowhere to be seen, instead he stared at Loch with his mouth wide open and he even let his grip on the bundle of clothes in his arm loose. Dropping the clothes to the ground at his feet. Mother Leanne's small smile disappeared, and a frown marred her features as she pointedly looked at the pile of clothes and let out a humph filled with displeasure. Jonesy took no notice of the miffed woman and instead pointed a shaky finger right at Loch's face, while he stuttered, "What... What happened to your... to your... eyes?"
Loch felt his pulse rise at the question and lifted one hand, touching the area around his eyes but seeing that there was no apparent injury or pain from the action, he was left confused and worried. After checking his face with his hands, Loch knew that there must be something actually wrong with his eyeballs going off where Jonesy was pointing. Going off of Mother Leanne's words, as well as a flashing image of an oddly demonic set of electric blue eyes staring right at him, Loch had an idea on what they were talking about, which sent him rushing straight to a small table near the other end of the room. The table was cluttered with an assortment of small metal contraptions and handmade tools. The dorm mates had all given Jonesy the rights to use the only independent table in their room for his work and practice as a Tinkerer. Loch swiftly retrieved a toothbrush-like object from the desk. Instead of a brush at one end, however, the tool held a small round mirror, for looking inside parts of machines that were situated at an awkward angle or hidden by other parts.
Raising the mirror, Loch put it right in front of his left eye and then his right eye and then back again. The sight revealed by the small mirror made him gasp; he was surprised at the state of the eyes looking back at him, but he wasn't freaking out entirely. For some reason that he couldn't put his finger on at that moment, Loch felt that the eyes looking back at him fit his face far more than his previous ones. The eyes reflected in the mirror were still human for all intents and purposes, but instead of the pale green he was used to; they were now a bright light blue and with the sunlight coming through the window, Loch could swear they were actually sparkling. Snapping his head around, Loch matched stares with Mother Leanne from across the room, the confusion written plainly over his face. The woman, however, was a plank of wood and was giving him nothing in return but silence.
"Was it all... real? That... dream... it was all so familiar but so so different. What has happened to me?" Loch finally managed to get the words out that he had been asking himself ever since he had awakened that morning. He didn't know exactly why, but he knew that the woman before him was the only person who could answer the hundreds of questions roving through his mind at that moment. She, however, stumped him with her next words as it answered one of his questions but left him with so many more. "Yes, you could say it was all real. And the... Nightmare not dream... was also real... in a certain way. I, however, will not be the one to answer what exactly happened to you and what it means for you moving forward. That job is for another and... considering the time, he should be here shortly. You will have to wait until then." Mother Leanne said with her plain voice, as if discussing that morning's breakfast choices, while she tapped the face of an old gilded watch on her wrist with one finger.
The whole dorm was as silent as a pin drop, with Loch's roommates sharing confused and worried looks between themselves, while also looking back and forth between Loch and Mother Leanne. Even Squirt had stopped his rummaging in the crate and was looking at Loch with a tilted head. A pair of small light blue clothes was in his grasp. Randall's eyes couldn't get any bigger as he gazed at his closest friend's unfamiliar eyes. If he had eyebrows, they would be raised so high that they would have joined his nonexistent hairline. Lacey, propped up in her bed, didn't appear as confused as the other boys and instead looked to the roof with a pondering expression, while she tapped her chin.
"Alright children!" Mother Leanne interrupted all their thoughts with a sharp clap of her hands and continued once all eyes were on her. "We don't have time for all this dawdling. I allowed your room extra time this morning to give Loch the chance to catch up on some sleep. However, the rest of the house is gathering downstairs in the hall. You have ten minutes to get dressed in your new clothes and make yourselves presentable. If you're not in the hall, lined up with the others, in ten minutes, my wrath will be the last thing you will be worried about," Mother Leanne ordered. After she was finished, she didn't say another word and swiftly turned around and left the room in her gliding fashion.
Although the group of teens and children were all sharing confused looks, most directed at the silent Loch, their fear of Mother Leanne appeared far stronger than their current need for answers. In a flurry, the group retrieved their clothes and began to change. Randall, while also getting his own, retrieved a set that was clearly meant for Lacey. Instead of pants, she had a dusk-colored skirt and a thick white blouse. The young lady attempted to get out of bed but seemed to lack the strength. She shared a blushing smile with Randall. Who, although appeared just as bashful, gave the girl a firm nod and pulled a curtain around the bed that hung on a rail above the bed, giving the two some privacy. Jonesy had installed the curtain a year ago, when Mother Leanne felt Lacey was getting too old to be sharing a room with four boys but she refused to be moved to an all-girls room and she only acquiesced after Jonesy had installed the curtains and because she trusted the boys, she shared the room with.
After a quick five minutes, the group was all dressed in their new clothes. Jonesy had even used a pitcher of water that Squirt retrieved for him and a comb to brush all their hair, except for Randall, into something resembling a neatly swept back look. Randall had helped Lacey get changed into her new clothes, even though she still stood with a slight hunch and part of her back protruding in places. Lacey was thrilled to notice that the new blouse had hid most of the bumps. Loch and Randall stood on either side of the young woman and assisted her in walking towards the doorway. She applied a slight pressure to the two boy's arms to stabilize herself and she took slow steps, but Lacey appeared to be gathering strength every second that she was up and moving. Her steps were firmer and needed less support over the small distance. By the time the group made it downstairs and into the mess hall, Lacey only needed one hand on Randall's arm to help steady herself.
When they passed the mess hall entrance, the group saw Mother Leanne standing right next to it, staring down at her ticking watch. She looked over the group on their way inside, checking every inch of them, as if a general inspecting their soldiers. She simply gave the group a nod, after she finished looking them over and gestured towards a spot near the end of a line of children. Loch saw all the children currently at the orphanage, in matching new clothes, standing rigidly against the back wall of the hall. Loch heard Mother Leanne mutter, "Ten seconds left." when he passed and he fastened his footsteps, ushering his group to take their place at the gestured spot, which was located at the end of the line of children.
As the group passed the kids, Loch saw Jonesy nod good naturedly to several similar age teens, while Randall threw menacing death glares at several younger kids who snickered or jeered in their direction. Squirt simply skipped by Loch's side, smiling brightly at everyone he passed. His eyes appeared to look right through the lined-up kids, however, as if he was daydreaming about something else. Some of the kids, especially the older teens, did their best not to match stares with Loch, looking away in apparent fear. Except for a few, when he matched gazes with them, they gave him a look of mock bravado only children possessed. However, Loch's eyes confused those few who looked at him. Loch smirked as those few children, attempting to meet his gaze with defiant eyes, were left slack-jawed.
Mother Leanne, witnessing all of this, appeared not to care and strode into the middle of the lined-up children once she saw Loch and his friends had taken their spot. Inspecting one last time at the gathered crowd, Mother Leanne addressed everyone in her usual no nonsense tone. "I know quite a few of you are confused about what is going on this morning. Including the reason for the new clothes and the cleaning spree we had the last few days. I will now clear up your confusion. This Earth Day is going to be far more special than all previous Earth days combined. I would say that for some of you it will be a life-changing day, that you will remember for the rest of your lives." Several of the children couldn't help but mutter to each other for a moment, but were swiftly cut short when Mother Leanne raised one finger into the air. "First. Jonesy, Matthew, Clara and Donnie, come here for a moment."
The four kids, including Jonesy, appeared to be the oldest children of the bunch, being past their early teens. They stepped out of the line and walked over to Mother Leanne, making a small line in front of her. They all appeared less confused than the children behind them, with even Jonesy having a look of understanding on his face when he saw the other children he was now standing next to. Mother Leanne looked over each child, a subtle gleam of tenderness running through her eyes, while, to the shock of the several kids lined up behind the four, she smiled at each one of them. She addressed the four in front of her, but her voice was loud enough that every child in the hall heard what she said next. "My children. This day will change many things and I know there will be even less time for us to meet as you head out into the world, but I want you to know how proud I am of you. All four of you have already taken the first steps towards your destiny on your own merit and have made a path of your own. I've already spoken to each one of you and know you're determined to pursue your current goals. But just know that, no matter what happens, this will always be your home and you can return at any time. Just because you have grown wings and flown the nest doesn't mean that I won't be there to catch you if you need it."
All four of the children appeared to share different emotions after hearing the woman's words. Two of the boys appeared bashful, attempting to put on their best 'I'm going to be fine' look. While the girl, Clara, couldn't help let out a small sniffle, her head bowed. Jonesy's eyes looked to have a coating of moisture as well and also appeared on the cusp of releasing tears. He, however, had a bright smile on his face, exuding confidence and maturity the other three clearly lacked at that moment. He was the only one who appeared to be able to talk plainly to the stern but smiling woman in front of them. Leaning his crutch against his side, Jonesy said, "Thank you for everything. I can never repay everything you have done for me or even for everything you have done for us. But I promise. On the Blessed Earth, I promise, I will continue to strive forwards and make you and everyone else here proud. I may have arrived here without parents, but I will leave with a family and a... Mother."
Even Mother Leanne appeared surprised at Jonesy's words. Her eyes glistened and before she could say anything, she was further struck by another surprise when Jonesy wrapped the tall woman in a large hug. His muscular arms tightening around her for all he was worth. For several seconds, a war of expressions marred Mother Leanne's face before it finally settled into another small smile, this one appearing more indulging than anything else. She then returned the hug of the boy before her, patting his back awkwardly, like a robot needing oil. Her arms appeared stiff and unused to the action. Just as the two were breaking from their crowd stunning hug, Mother Leanne whispered into Jonesy's ear, something, to Loch's surprise he could also hear, "I'm already so proud of you my... son."
The words only heard by Jonesy, Mother Leanne and apparently Loch, brought an even larger smile to the older boy's face. As he looked down to retrieve his crutch, he stealthily rubbed one hand over his eyes. The other children lined up behind the four older kids were all stuck in poses of confused and shocked expressions at the display of affection before them. The reason for their current attire and the reason behind why this Earth Day was apparently so special, had been thrown to the back of their minds at that moment.
Mother Leanne gazing over the top of the four before her and at the other lined up children found her face slipping and her expression ironing out, while her golden eyes appeared to blaze for a brief moment. "Okay, you four stand behind me. This next part doesn't concern you now." The four older kids nodded at her words and took position behind Mother Leanne, with Jonesy giving an embarrassed grin towards his group at the end of the line. Randall was staring at Jonesy as if the boy had grown two heads, his mouth so wide open that one could fit a tennis ball into it. He was also had one hand pointed to the side of his temple and moving it in circles, as if saying 'you're crazy'. An elbow in the gut from Lacey brought his attention from Jonesy and back to Mother Leanne, who was now icily staring in his direction. The look made the hairless boy rub his head sheepishly with the hand that was making the twirling gesture.
"Now that is sorted. We can move onto the happenings of today. In only a short moment, a group of people from different forms of society are going to be entering through those doors. They will each take time inspecting you. They may even have one or two questions for some of you before each giving a small speech. After that, several of you will be given a choice. I will not explain what that choice is for now, as it will be different for almost all of you. I will tell you, however, who the people coming through those doors soon will be. Some of them and their organizations will be familiar to you, but some of them will be completely foreign. The first will be Mother Jessene from the Cleric Hall of the local branch of the Church of the Earth. After the blessed Mother will be Officer Ichabold of the City Guard. Sorceress Daniellea of the Glint Tower. Luke Cromen of the Merchants Union and finally Knight Captain of the Bullhorn Brotherhood."
Several of the children's faces shown with unbridled excitement after Mother Leanne's words, while a couple of others appeared so shocked that it looked like their souls had left their bodies and they were nothing but empty, surprised husks. Even if some of the names and organisations sounded unfamiliar, all the kids knew they sounded impressive.