I turned back to Lesha and Alana, and the two were grinning at me. Great what had that witch said about me now?
"What are you smiling about?" I asked Lesha while trying not to scowl.
"You just look good as Mama K, I think it will be a good addition to your titles," Lesha said while coming over to wrap her arms around me.
"I am nobody's mother, if anything you're the one mothering over the girls!" I said indignantly.
I wasn't trying to mother the girls, but it hurt my heart to see them like this. Ever since the Gods came, things had changed for everyone.
"Maybe, but they all look up to you. It's not a bad thing, I think it's cute, but let's get this little one upstairs so we can get her cleaned up," Lesha said, turning back to Alana, who was waiting patiently.
"Come, we won't bite, but I can't speak for the other girls," I said with a small laugh that Alana crack a smile, and walk over to join us.
She had short light brown hair, and blue eyes, but not as bright as Lesha's. The clothes she was wearing were threadbare and worn with holes.
I put an arm around Alana's shoulder as we walked up the stairs, but then we stopped on the third floor. I led her over with Lesha and we went into the Guild Member rooms.
There was a long hall with many doors that were placed beside each other with barely a crack between them. I had a hard time believing that there would be room to even turn around in one of these rooms, but then I heard Corbit and Victor laughing from an open door ahead.
The three of us went over to see what the boys were up to like a bunch of noisy women. I mostly wanted to see what the inside of one of the rooms looked like considering how small the space looked to be.
I expected to find a small broom closet with a bed, but what we found was not even close to that. The room was about five by five meters, and it had a wardrobe, a four-poster bed, and even what looked to be a small room for a bathroom.
"Hey Miss K, what do you think of the room? This is twice the size of my old room back home! There is even a bathroom with a sink! This place is just as nice as the room I had back at the other Guild!" Corbit told me with excitement, coming up right in front of me.
This inevitably brought him closer to Alana who pulled into my side and hid her face. I tried to pay her no attention so she wouldn't get more embarrassed from Corbit noticing.
"Yes, I am a bit jealous, your bed looks like the perfect size. Did you just pick a room, or how does that work?" I asked as I backed out of the room slowly.
Now I really did feel like Mama K, but this girl was so cute. It was hard to think that she held a terrifyingly destructive power just behind that collar Dyster had made her put on rather than training her.
I understood why he did it. This was nothing new, and the rulers had dealt with things like this in harsher ways in the past. He was scared of this little girl's power and treated her like she was going to be the next one to rise up against him.
Little did he, or any of the other Gods knew, but these castaways would become my greatest strength. I would have to keep them a secret, and not let them flaunt their powers in the open.
"Your room will say your name on it, but only you will see it. Also, if you try to go into a room that isn't yours, or open, there is only a brick wall behind the door. I guess even the Guild knows better than to trust everyone," Corbit laughed.
"Will I have to sleep down here will the boys?" Alana asked, still tucked into my side.
I hadn't really thought about that, and then I groaned internally. I knew where she was going to be sleeping and I looked over at Lesha.
The look I got from her said we would figure it out, and I was okay with that.
"No, tonight you will share our bed, it is extremely large, so there will be more than enough room for you," I said, giving her a squeeze.
"Really?" She asked me, pulling her face from my side, looking up at me with wonder, breaking my heart a little bit.
"Yes, come, let's go up and see the girls. Actually, Lesha, can you take her up and I am going to go check on the food and bring some up. I also want to go check on the arms, I am worried that they might be getting into trouble," I said to Lesha, letting go of Alana, who was reluctant to part from me.
"Yes, I will take her up and start getting her cleaned, but try no to be too long, okay?" Lesha asked after giving me a kiss and then taking Alana from me.
The girl looked back longingly, but then she let Lesha lead her back out the door to the stairs. Victor came over, and smiled at me, bowing to me again.
"I was worried about her, but she seems to have attached herself to you. I am sorry when our parents left a couple months ago it was really hard on her. Our mother treated her like a monster and called her mean things before my mother and father left the city. So, I am sorry if she may act a little childish sometimes," Victor explained to me, but I patted my hand on his head.
"Don't worry, while you are staying with me, you are all my children. I want you all to succeed and feel welcome. Your sister is a little girl that has been given something that she doesn't understand and others don't want to, but that's because they are scared, but they are also scared of me, so it works out," I said with a smile, and Coribt spoke up, grinning will looking at Victor.
"I told you she was great, did I?"
I left the boys and headed back down to the mess hall. There were a pair of the shirtless men that waved to me as I came down but then went back to their conversation.
I waved back, but then headed around the bar to the back. I took a look at the back of the bar to see what was all there, this was my new home so I should get familiar with the layout.
There were multiple different kinds of alcohol that I have never even heard of in all different shades. I wasn't much of a drinker, so I wasn't overly fascinated by the robust selection.
I turned and headed into the kitchen area where I could smell some kind of bird cooking. I had almost forgotten part of the reason why I had come down when I found them peeling tubers.
"Ho! You must be the new boss in charge around here!" Said a small curly hair man that looked strikingly similar to Gram, the previous Guild Leader of my first guild.
"Yes, I was hoping to get some food to bring up to my girls, but it looks like it is still cooking. How are the arms? They aren't bothering you are they?" I asked, eyeing the pair that looked like someone was sticking their arms through holes in the countertop.
"Righty and Lefty? No, leave them be, I enjoy having extra hands around the place, BWAHAHA!" The old man laughed and ducked out of the way of a half-peeled tuber.
I turned to see the knife and a middle finger being shaken at the cook. Looks like they didn't like jokes, but it was good to see that they were fitting in.
"How long do you think until the food is ready?" I asked the cook.
"Ten, fifteen at most, but there is an elevator that we can send the food up to you with it, and there is even a tube you can call down to get food sent up! My name is Vergil, meat cutter by trade, but Dyster destroyed my shop by accident, so now I work here!"
"I am glad to have you, please send up some food when it's ready. I have six hungry girls plus myself up there," I said, turning to leave.
"Pleasure is all mine! The men are acting civilized and the place is quiet! You have my vote!" Vergil shouted to me as I left.
It was nice to see that the arms had a place already and they were freaking people out. The two men had left and now the mess hall was empty, so I jogged back up the stairs.
When I got back up top Gloria was sitting with Mei, brushing her in their room, but Trinity and Candi's door was closed. I walked over to stand in the open doorway, and Mei looked up at me.
"Where is the food?" She asked, making a funny face as Gloria hit a knot.
"Sorry, it's coming soon. What are the other two doing with their door closed? Or do I even want to know?" I asked with a small smile.
"No you don't, I have been hearing moans coming from over there, so I think it would be best just to leave them be," Gloria said with a knowing smile.
I left the two of them and left to go see how Lesha was doing with Alana. As I passed the other girls closed doors I heard Candi complain about a misplaced finger that made me grin despite myself.
I walked into my room and smiled at the big familiar bed that I had been kicked around the last time I had slept in at the other hall. I really hoped that this little girl would be a better sleeper than Gloria, I could have strangled her.
I sighed, going over to the bathroom and knocked on the closed door, calling out. Lesha answered me, telling me to come in. Lesha had her pants off again with her legs in the water, and Alana was in between them.
"Can you pass me the shampoo bar?" Lesha asked me as I closed the door, and locked it.
I went and grabbed the sudsy shampoo bar and passed it to Lesha. Then I took off my pants and underwear so I wouldn't get them wet.
They were only now getting dry after when I had come and sat with Lesha earlier while the girls were bathing. I slipped my legs into the warm water, and let out a sigh of relief, closing my eyes for a moment.
"Umm, Miss K, can I ask you something?"
I cracked open one eye, felt my face begin to heat before the little girl ever spoke. I closed my legs that I had so casually let spread open while trying to pull my shirt down.
"Miss K just needs a haircut, but some girls prefer it longer. Helps to keep your lady parts warm in the winter, right K? I bet you only were one pair of underwear when the snow comes, hehe! Hey!" Lesha cried out as I pushed her into the water.
She came up flailing like a drowning cat, and both Alana and I started to laugh at her. Lesha scowled at me after she got her long blonde plastered hair off her face.
"So, now that we have gotten clean the food should be ready soon as well, but I think now would be as good of a time as any to tell us your story, or whatever you want to tell us. Just know that no matter what you say, you have a place here with us," I told Alana, reaching forward to pull some of the hair out of her eyes.
Lesha floated over and wrapped Alana in a hug from behind, and I could see some of the stress leaving her body. Whatever this girl had been through, it had left her with many scars.
"I will tell you from when I first got the power," Alana said, taking a deep breath.
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GOT IT