It is thankfully not too early as you head towards the classroom where today’s guest expert will give her lesson. Katy mentioned that Lady Eiraiha had booked in advance again and she would be bringing over a few more Mamonme from her world of Praxis. Yet when you approach the room you hear a dreadful litany through the wall, accompanied by girls giggling softly. “Sit up straight! And button up that blouse a bit, you’re here as the professional chief of staff. Not as some hussy out for a quick gangbang, I will not allow that. Not with children here.”
Unlikely as it seems, the person scolding sounds far younger than her tone or the content of her scolding would imply. You wiggle a finger in your ear and have to conclude that there aren’t any blockages affecting your hearing. As you enter the classroom an unusual sight greets you. Katy, looking harassed and more chastely clothed than you can recall is being belaboured by what appears to be a small girl in a bluish dress that has holy symbols embroidered on it. The horns poking out of her red hair, which is done up in a strict braid, proclaim her Mamonme even if she did not have pink wings and a tail with a large heart-shaped tip.
Her ears twitch and she turns around, the scowl leaving her face for a stern, appraising look. “A~ha! You must be the caretaker in training.” She sizes you up and down for a few moments. “If you tuck in that shirt you’ll be more presentable. But I have to admit that you’re looking more promising than that one.” She hoicked a thumb over one shoulder as her tail lashed in irritation. Katy on the other hand looks ready to spit lightning and busies herself making weird faces at the girl’s back. “None of that either, missy. You’re on thin ice as is and I’ll be keeping an eye on you.”
Her face smiled though when she looked at you again. “There, that’s better. I am Alyssum Murwin and your name was…” You quickly supply it. “Right, well the reason why I’m here instead of Lady Eiraiha today is that she had to take care of a little situation in New Heaven. But you can be sure that I know enough about parenting to further your education.” There is another giggle hidden half behind a hand from a girl who looks definitely snaily, with a small shell backpack and for some reason a pirate hat on her head. “That’s true, aunty Alyssum.”
Next to her a boy with green hair rising into a crest on the front of his scalp has a hand on her shoulder and a look of quiet amusement. Another girl who looks like she banged her head on the ceiling overhead is staring down with amusement while one covered in chitin armour plates peeks from behind her legs. “She’s basically aunt Eihy’s mom in case you’re wondering.” Your jaw hits the floor. “Close it mister, I can see the back of your toes. And yes, I have taken Lady Eiraiha under my care, along with most of the family…” Alyssum wags a finger at the snail girl. “You should take off that hat Lena, we’re indoors and if people see a pirate hat through the window they might comment.” Lena snorted. “It’s my Pie-rate hat, and suitable for wherever I want to wear it, right Perry?”
The boy nodded. “It suits you Lena, but why not take it off for now? You can put it back on when we meet the local kids, right?” She tweaked his nose in response, but took her hat off as well. “So aunty Alyssum, who would you like to go first?” Alyssum scratched her head. “Well since Eurie is still a little shy, we might as well start with you Lena, step forward and be a bit sparing on the slime, okay?” Lena nodded and shuffled forward on one foot, dragging Perry along. Four eyes, two of them on stalks peer inquisitively at you. “Ahem, Lena’s an Ureonggaksi, a species of Mamonme that you can encounter almost all over Praxis, except for the Darklands.” Alyssum snorted.
“To be fair, the only Mamonme found there have no brains.”She blew a raspberry. “But anyway, Ureonggaksi are essentially shy Mamonme who love to travel, taking care of a young one is essentially relatively easy. A few buts though need to be mentioned.” Alyssum pointed to the floor where the shiny wooden planks had a clear trail of slime over them. “Ureonggaksi naturally produce slime, its essential for their mobility, the manufacture of their shells and so forth. It’s also fantastic for your skin and is currently used on both Praxis and Ithus in a wide variety of other products.” Lena nodded and chimed in. “My uncle Damast had a nasty scar, but mom got aunt Kaori to treat it with gel and it just went away in a few weeks. Uhm, the thing is, we can only make so much gel in a day and if we’re out… well, we can move, but it hurts. Mom sliced her foot badly once that way.” Alyssum nodded, spending a moment to glare Katy back into her corner.
“They are Rukia and Emmy’s parents by the way. Metala’s my little sister.”, Alyssum cleared her throat and Lena winked at her. “Producing slime-“, “Gel!”, “Slime, takes up a lot of food though. Even as a small child Ureonggaksi can eat up to three times as much as say a human child. So any parents need to take a hefty food bill into account. Also, it takes a while for them to get the flow under control. A responsible parent won’t mind the frequent piggy-back rides, or being a bit cautious about whom his daughter meets. Ureonggaksi can be a bit too credulous, meaning that they are inclined to believe what they are told until proven wrong.” She swung her tail to and fro.
“Some special care needs to be taken with regards to their education as well. Lena’s got a backpack shell right now and Miho taught her how to make it, but an orphan Ureonggaksi will need to be taught how to make her own shell. An architect for a father would be good, but in regards to the more finicky parts you need another Ureonggaksi to teach them.” Small fingers tapped together. “Lena’s a bad example as she’s less shy than others, but Ureonggaksi tend to make friends best with kids who aren’t too loud, scary or aggressive. If frightened they will retreat to a place of safety, be this home, a cupboard or even a cardboard box.”
“Its not uncommon for a shivering box to be delivered back home, just so you know. They love travelling, so you need to be willing to make frequent trips with her. And mind her eyestalks, they are very sensitive. With regards to career prospects, they tend to gravitate to being housewives, though other common occupations are travelling merchant, home builder, mail courier and explorer. Though they look frail-ish, Ureonggaksi are very strong Mamonme, able to lift a house, literally. They can be terribly stubborn as well, so mind that… And very dangerous to anger.” Lena nodded sagely as she pulled out her Pie-rate hat again. “Yup~! We don’t like fighting, but if our lives or that of people we care about are at stake…” She shrugged. “That’s how I became the Pie-rate Queen of Praxis and Ithus.”
Alyssum snorted with girlish laughter. “True, those Minotauride pirates are mortally afraid of Ureonggaksi nowadays. As are some Mios tribes” She waved a hand. “Perry’s her boyfriend by the way, and a good boy. The last bit I need to mention is that they enjoy family gatherings and orphans tend to adopt people they like out of the blue just for that. Next up…” Lena shuffled back with Perry in tow. “We’ll have you Eurie.” The insectile girl slowly advanced, eying you nervously as if you might sprout fangs all of a sudden. “Eurie is a Shongororo, a millipede Mamonme with some of the strongest natural armour on Praxis.” Eurie let out a startled bleat and curled up in a ball. “They are just about the only Mamonme species more shy than Ureonggaksi.. At least as far as I know.”
“Prospective parents need to be extra gentle with them, they mainly eat fruits and can only move around slowly due to all that chitin.” Alyssum put on a winning smile and managed to coax Eurie out of her defensive posture. “Making friends is essentially difficult, but it can be done. Once they are relaxed around someone, they’ll open up and share stories. If they care about someone, they’ll use their armour to protect their friends. Now, though they can’t move fast and are shy, they are very observant. This means that they can easily become writers. Other career choices would be fairly quiet ones, usually with only a few friends and their hubby nearby. I know of one who married a fruit farmer and spends her days pulping fruits for all sorts of drinks. She does a decent dakry.” Alyssum licked her lips.
Eurie looks at you, squeals anew and moves away. “No helping that…” Katy stirred in her corner. “Are you done yet? I’ve an orphanage to run and-” Alyssum turned on her like lightning. “Who gave you permission to speak missy? Stay in your corner ’till you learn some proper manners, or I’ll give you what for.” Turning back she smiled again. “Last we have Inhilde, a Jotunn.” The overlarge girl stepped closer, giving you a view of a cute pair of knees just above eye-level. “Dear, could you try to shrink a bit? I get a crick in my neck looking all the way up there.” Miraculously, a faint light outlined Inhilde and she shrank somewhat, to just taller than you. “Thank you, now where was I? Oh yes. Jotunn are actually the first mortal race to live on Praxis, and they are naturally very large as you saw.”
“Technically they weren’t originally Mamonme, and they still have a special status, but their kind was as affected by the Great Changing as the Naga were. For the longest time they did not get on with Celestials due to some long ago disputes.” Inhilde nods as Alyssum waggles a hand dismissively. “Bad business of course, but I’m proud to say that my Eihy, erh.. Eiraiha, has managed to get somewhat friendly with them.” A tap on the shoulder preceded Inhilde’s speach. “True enough Mrs. Murwin, but the elders still keep a wary eye on the other gods.” Alyssum sighed. “Okay, true enough. Not on cutie-oodle Aerdayasêr though I hope?” Inhilde shook her head and Alyssum’s smile nearly split her head.
“Hehehe, he’s just too sweet. In any case, Jotunn make friends easily and they do well in school. You just need a big bed for them as an adoptive parent and some sturdy house wares as Jotunn are strong enough to crack an Ureonggaksi’s shell with enough time. Career opportunities are plentiful, some become guards, some philosophers, woodswomen or even sculptors. You do need to watch out for any shelves and such in high places. An upset daughter can pick you up and set you in a high place, so keeping some rope with you is a good idea.” She rolled her eyes a bit, cocking her head to one side. “They can get pretty upset though, if treated badly, a rare few of those turn bandit. The ability to shrink down a bit can be developed quite extensively to the point where they are human-sized. Also, they kind of have a need to release tension and aggression by the occasional moonlit hunting trip. Just be understanding of that, ‘kay?”
“I think that’s it for now. Before we go though I’ll have to instruct this young lady on how to be a proper mother to the chil-” Katy roared as her hair-snakes spat venom. “HOW DARE YOU! YOU PINTSIZED RUNT! I’M AN ECHIDNA, A NATURAL MOTHER INSTEAD OF SOME PRECOCIOUS SPOILED BRAT!” Alyssum blinked before turning red with rage, an aura of dark energies crackling off of her horns. “SPOILED BRAT?! HOW DARE YOU, YOU OVERRATED CAMELHUMPED SNAKE!” Things looked grim and a fight of epic proportions seemed inevitable. Until Lena shot forward on a stream of slime and pressed something between the two women. “Enough, both of you! Aunty Alyssum, whatever you may think of miss Katy, this is her orphanage and her world. She can run it as she sees fit unless there is a real big issue. Aunt Eihy wouldn’t want you to start a war here over just some poorly chosen words, right?”
“And miss Katy, you were a bit rude to aunty Alyssum when we got here. And your outfit was indeed more for snagging a bunch of guys than for getting some good lessons on Praxian species. Now if you two insist on being grumpy, I should warn you that I can and will give you the ultimate cure if needed.” Both shied away from the folded nappy in her hand. “You’re right Lena, I guess.”, Katy voiced something similar. “You know I’m right, now you two go and apologize to each other.” She turned to you. “Ah… I’m just a little Ureonggaksi, but I guess we can use this extra time to tell you a bit about Wendy’s, aunty Alyssum’s species. They naturally remain short and flat, though very cute and pretty. They can eat human food, but Spiritus is a focal point of their diet once they have a husband.”
She giggled. “A Wendy will learn mothering early on and only improve with age, though as aunty showed they can still react a little childishly when feeling put upon. They make friends easily, though they treat most of them as younger siblings, or as children in their care. Uhm… That means, I think, that they do well in any job where they have to lead and organise. Like a daycare, orphanage or aunt Eihy’s church.” Perry raised an eyebrow and added to the conversation. “They’ll try to boss everyone around, but they mean well and are naturally good at many things, such as magic. A little time at magic school is a good idea, I think. Uhm, as is spending time in NeverNeverLand, the homeland of the Wendy’s.”
Lena nodded. “I want to go there again, do you think we can Perry?” Alyssum interjected then. “Naturally Lena, as long as you pack some food. Anyway miss Katy and I have said our apologies and buried our differences, so I guess we should think about going home.” She gave a friendly smile to the children before turning a strange one on Katy. “I’m glad we are no longer at odds miss Katy.” Katy returned the smile, equally oddly. “As am I mrs. Alyssum. I’ll just tidy up the paperwork a bit, my associate will show you to the children and to the door after.” Alyssum’s smile was just a little too innocent then. “I would like to offer a bit more aid though, a friend of mine who has adopted Eihy as her granddaughter is an expert on Ithus’ Mamonme and medicine. I expect she could teach you a lot. Would she be welcome?” Katy assented and before long you were escorting Mrs. Murwin and the children in her charge to the games room where they helped the orphans and made merry.
Fubuki was a bit shocked to see Katy hammering something on the front door of the orphanage at the end of the day. The Echidna would shy from work like this normally, unless it meant dallying with a few well built workmen doing the actual work. “Katy? Is something the matter?” Katy spat out a nail and replied: “Just taking a few precautions, Fubuki.” The sign read: All Wendy’s are reminded that staff are in charge here, despite what they may think. Adult Wendy’s are not allowed to enter unless looking to adopt.
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varry good i read what was posted of the main story nd i enjoyed this as well its well done dont think i could have dun better