Ridon actually felt himself recoil a bit. That was most assuredly something Aphila would have never said. As the thought entered his mind Ridon had to hold his mouth shut. Alaina had told him before that she wasn't Aphila. They were the same spirit but their bodies and memories had changed. It still felt like someone had shoved a dagger inside of him and began to repeatedly twist it ripping the wound open larger with each twist. He doubted that Alaina would show him any sympathy either. Would she ever notice? “That sounds like a good idea. I guess I don't always think clearly.”

“Especially when you're upset. I just moved further away from your memories of Aphila I can hear it in your voice. Just as I hear the excitement whenever your image of me becomes closer to her.” As she spoke Alaina felt like telling Ridon that such tones actually hurt her. The thought that whenever he looked on her Ridon was actually looking at a dead faelom was quite unpleasant. She had grown attached to him and would have much preferred for him to see her as who she was rather then seeing what parts of her was like and unlike Aphila. She would tolerate such behavior for now and not add to his grief.

“Yeah. You warned me in the beginning though. I've just been putting a lot of effort into unlearning that lesson it seems. Well like Julia said. The best cure for feeling bad is hard work. If you're busy then you don't have time to feel sorry for yourself. So what reading would you recommend for my spirit study?” Ridon immediately realized he'd made a mistake by the way Alaina was looking at him. “Use the library's systems. I hear you.”

“That is better. Granted whenever you use that terminal I'm helping make the decision for you as well.”

“Huh?”

“As I've said before we're all networked with the citadel. We all know each book that you make use of and each of us helps decide what books you should read. It is simply whenever you ask me such a question my conscious mind is more involved while when using the library it's more of a subconscious act for us. At times this leads to decisions that even we didn't expect.”

Nodding his head Ridon finally stood up. “Well how about we go to the library and I'll see what your subconscious says that I need.”

***********************************************************************************

The life bloom was not a natural plant though the forest was truthfully filled with plants people wouldn't consider natural. A simple side affect of having so many alchemicaly useful plants in the same area. It was still new to the forest though and unlike the other plants had not had time to spread. It also gave off a unique mystic signature which was making it exceptionally easy for Naidra to track. As she moved through the forest she was mindful of the force she touched the plants with in order to avoid leaving any marks of her passing. Her fur shifted as she moved transferring the light from one side of her body to another concealing her form. This was tricky when moving quickly. If she moved too quickly there would be a clear distortion. Fortunately she could see the auras of those around her and for the moment she had little fear of being seen as it mattered little if the birds and lizards saw her.

She could still feel Joseph in the citadel. His concern and his panic was still increasing as he no doubt was imaging the outcome of his actions. He probably even thought she had retrieved the seeds already. That wasn't quite the case though. Even Naidra could only move so quickly and avoid damaging the forest. The fact that she had to move without leaving a path that would draw concern or be possible for the sisters to follow also limited her movements especially with them learning tracking methods that didn't rely on their sense of smell or hearing. A sudden feeling of weakness rushing throughout her body and her mind fogging stripped those thoughts from her mind as it seemed she would slam into a tree. The fact that she was suddenly on the other side of that tree surprised her even more and told her what was happening.

***********************************************************************************

“You have forgotten in your desire to regain what you lost. Seeking to regain what you lost is foolish whenever something better is just as likely. Relieve his fear.”

As Joseph had been pacing and trying desperately to think of a means of recalling Naidra he was surprised by a sudden feeling of weakness. His legs seemed to melt and nearly yielded to his own weight. Even more surprising though the protector who had been speaking to him. Whose name he had yet to learn had suddenly crumbled and began breathing very hard. Her eyes turned towards the ground. It was something he'd never seen. “What just happened?”

“One of the problems with a connected mind. If one mind is too powerful it can overwhelm all the others even their own thoughts. It. It seems though that my senior believes that we've acted in folly.”

Was the being speaking to the protectors the reason that he had felt his own muscles giving out? Was that simply some residual side affect of being so close to a protector when this senior had spoken? Those were both questions Joseph wanted to know but there was one far more pressing. “You mean Naidra is going to be returning?”

“No. That wasn't our mistake our mistake was putting such stress on you whenever you've not yet been refined enough to endure it. Joseph how many of the production class faelom actually know about the missing seeds? Just as importantly what type of person is the production class faelom that knows of those seeds?”

Once again Joseph felt like his brain had locked up. It was Vera who was currently leading the hunt for the seeds and she had only told those sisters she could trust of what had happened. They were intentionally keeping all the other sisters in the dark about what had happened for fear of how they would respond. Vera was already concerned about how the other sisters would respond. “I. I only have to convince Vera to keep quiet about what happened once the seeds and plant have been recovered. All the distrusted don't have to die over this but she's still going to want to know who's responsible!”

“Who's scent would be on the seeds once they're given to her?”

“Are you going to be alright?” Despite the situation Joseph couldn't help but be concerned for the protector before him. Even if she had just scared the day lights out of him apparently they had thought more about the situation then he had.

“Control of my body was temporarily taken from me by the force of the words. I'll be able to manage my body in a few moments. I'll go ahead and warn you that you should make contact with Vera soon. What Naidra told you may happen is still within the realm of possibility if Vera was to resolve to enlist the aid of the other sisters in her search. It is also up to you in order to speak with the apprentices and earn their silence. Yet you still have a problem.”

It was his problem. The thought positively made Joseph shiver as he considered the implications. So they find the seeds and stop the distrusted from doing any harm this time. What would happen the next time they tried? Would he be able to keep their efforts hidden then? How much longer could they keep Zarena in the dark and how much longer until the sisters themselves decided to do something about the situation? Joseph actually found his legs growing weak again as his legs seemed to be losing his strength.

“Vera is beyond your reach right now. You should at least begin talking with the apprentices. A loose tongue amongst them would work just as well as one from Vera.”

Giving his head a nod Joseph managed to force himself to stand and begin to move. He was aware enough to know that the citadel would guide him to where he would need to be. He wasn't aware enough to realize the protector had never told him her name.

***********************************************************************************

“I guess we can't simply leave the distrusted to their own activities any longer. You know given their limited size also including a restriction on their ability to have a child we always thought they would eventually fade away. Especially with the pressure the other sisters put upon them. It sure seemed like they would be gone soon before but they always managed to regain their numbers even if those numbers have never been very large.” As he spoke Nathan found himself running his hands along the table. Joseph had come to him, Mirin and a few others that were still in the citadel to talk about the life bloom issue and the distrusted in general.

“We should have known better with how the sisters have been keeping their presences a secret from Zarena. I'm sure that the distrusted at least were hoping that Zarena would be sleeping soon. Then she just stays awake and even begins working on a home for herself. Now they know they're one wrong sentence away from being killed and the danger seems like it's going to be around for a very long time. I just wish that would have prompted them to reconsider their views.” Mirin tried to keep a proactive mentality whenever it came to helping in their development. The distrusted issue was something he stayed away from though seeing it as something for the sisters to resolve. “I'm not certain what we can do though.”

“The problem is they truly believe that the sisters would be better off if we were kept under their control. In some cases even more so then the control that's exerted over the claimed. At least they have the ability to regain their freedom. Then they go and try to exert that control and there is a real problem. How do you prove to one of them that their belief is mistaken though? Given the resent happenings and the loosening of restrictions it should be even more apparent now then in the past that we benefit most when we work as a community instead of masters and servants.”

“Slaves would be a more accurate term.” A sigh escaped Nathan as he looked at Joseph. “We all know this though. Of course. I suppose we don't have to change their minds. We just have to obtain their compliance with certain standards. I'm a little fearful that could lead to the development of a hidden. Hm no no. That's kind of silly in this society.”

“I wouldn't say that it's impossible but it sure is rough to keep anything hidden here. I guess the situation with the seeds has you thinking on this doesn't it Joseph.”

“Yes. Before I was fairly content to forget that aspect of our society. Even with the issue caused by Zarena and the prospect of awakening other sleepers I just figured the sisters would resolve the issue. With what has happened though I just can't ignore it anymore. When I think about it. I'm really ashamed that I didn't bring this issue up sooner especially when Zarena made her stance on the subject clear. Yet I can't help but feel it's a little strange. We've been treating Zarena as if she's above the rules the other sisters follow. Is there something I don't understand?”

Nathan wasn't surprised when everyone looked to him and gave a nod. “Zarena is loyal to the rules of conduct from her time. A time whenever the distrusted wouldn't have been tolerated by any sisters not just her. Honestly it's going to be hard to change her mind about that as well. Just consider all the problems she had with our current situation and really she was right about them. It isn't just Zarena's size and power that makes this an issue though it's how the other sisters view her. Joseph I'm sure you're aware that for the sisters size is a sign of rank. Now sleepers, matrons and keepers are officially roughly of equal rank. One sleeper could not outrank two keepers except during a battle. Yet from a political view point we know the sleepers words carry far more weight.”

“So even if they don't have to follow her lead it's quite likely many sisters would follow her lead.”

“Yes. Just think about how she's been scolding the sisters in general over these last few weeks. How she supported the spirit hunters and how she reprimanded them for being so controlling of us. Between Zarena's size, her age, her sacrifices for the community and the recent beatings to their egos  most sisters would be quite ready to follow Zarena. It doesn't help that the vast majority do not like the distrusted. It's hard to like someone who looks upon your brother or especially your child and sees a slave after all.”

“Could you talk to Zarena Nathan and convince her to find another solution?”

“Oh wow!” For a moment Nathan went silent as he felt his heart rate speed up. The notion of speaking to Zarena about something she felt strongly about and trying to convince her otherwise wasn't welcome. It didn't help that he agreed with her view points in many ways. “That is going to be hard Joseph and very risky. We all heard about Pera's questioning her and how Zarena responded. I swear I wish we had ordered that child to avoid her. Now if I start talking to her about such issues she's going to know that something is wrong. To be more precise she's going to realize Pera wasn't asking her what if questions. Now if I can't convince her to hold off she's going to take what she believes is the appropriate actions.”

“You don't believe she'd at least wait for a while if the brothers insisted they want to handle the situation? She may not have considered that the brothers might have their own solution to the problem whenever she responded to Pera.”

“That is true. If we're going to do this though we need to have a plan and I mean a detailed plan in the event I'm not capable of changing Zarena's mind but can convince her to let us try to resolve the situation. I can't promise you anything though. It's quite possible that she still take this issue up with the sisters and they may resolve on a more immediate solution.”

“Is it anymore more dangerous then doing nothing or trying to implement a new system while keeping it secret from her?” As Mirin spoke he found himself glad they were in the citadel. He wasn't certain if he would feel secure in the laboratory with a conversation of this nature. It went well beyond their usual plans. “I can see what you mean by we need a plan to deal with the distrusted. Let's start by looking at the issues. The distrusted see us as no different then the claimed and many of them believe the claimed are treated too well. Given that they see us as claimed it's pretty clear they also don't believe in any form of promotion system or regaining your freedom. This is the core belief that leads to a sister becoming one of the distrusted.”

Nathan, “Except some of them seem to also believe that we should serve as a food source.” As Nathan spoke he found himself disliking the idea of speaking to Zarena on behalf of the distrusted even more. It wouldn't be easy to make a compelling argument for people who had such a low opinion of him.

“True. The sisters are going to never accept them so long as they hold this belief. It doesn't matter that they can't act upon the belief. This is both because they fear that the distrusted may try to act upon such beliefs on a small scale that may be hidden and simply because they find such mentality offensive. I know I wouldn't be able to put up with another brother talking about Sora as if she was a slave. I would probably even start throwing some lightning bolts at them.”

Joseph, “Don't you believe this will change if the brothers become stronger though? I mean with the reformation of the spirit hunters and the brothers being better trained in combat surely that could help us be seen in a different light.”

Nathan, “Joseph you seem to miss the part where they see us as claimed or even less then what we see the claimed as. The only difference between a claimed and one that could harm the sister would be how carefully they'd be watched and what keeper could serve as their keeper. The only thing us learning to defend ourselves is going to do is make them more weary of us. Not only that but we're not all going to become spirit hunters as you may recall.”

“That is true. I. Well does anyone else have any suggestions?”

Mirin, “Well compliance was mentioned earlier but lets be honest. The sisters and honestly I'm never going to be content with simple compliance. Teaching them to comply is just teaching them to hide the truth and wait for an opportunity. So the question is this. How do we change what they think of us?”

Once again it was that question. As Joseph considered it he thought of the usual methods. He could argue that both groups benefited more by working together rather then as masters and servants. Unfortunately that argument had already been mentioned before and the distrusted dismissed it. Even after the war had shown that it was largely the weakening of the brothers and the diminishing of their responsibilities that had let the amalgam come about.

Ridon, “Instead of allowing them to roam freely we could put the distrusted into a claimed system meant for sisters. There they could be taught and made to work in hopes of changing their views. I guess suffering isn't likely to work though. After all sense they're kept at a childlike size their hunger pains are always going to be some of the worse.”

Nathan, “Those are lessons that they were taught growing up and chose to reject. That would be Zarena's response and quite honestly the response of most of the keepers as well.”

Mirin, “What about a more active training program then? I mean sure their hunger is painful but the pain can always be worse. Even an intelligent being can be reconditioned for certain behaviors if you're willing to go far enough.”

Joseph, “Mirin it sounds like you're talking about torture.”

Mirin didn't hesitate to nod his head in agreement. “Joseph you're not talking about a simple issue here. Now I'm sure you realized that many claimed don't regain their freedom as they refuse to change their behavior. Even whenever there is a system in place they simply refuse to abide by the rules. With the distrusted though they're not just being asked to abide by the rules but to change their mentalities. A mentality that they've retained despite all the changes going on around then and even before that a great deal of pressure from their sisters. They even choose to suffer with their hunger with no real chance of progression and having it decreased rather then change their views.”

“Perhaps instead of suffering they need some kindness then.” Joseph actually felt like he'd been smacked upside the head when he noticed the looks he was being given. Even Ridon seemed to be looking at him as if he was an idiot. It actually seemed to hurt more then normal whenever Ridon was the one that chose to speak up.

It wasn't as if the distrusted had been singled out from birth to be rejects. They were raised with the same love and consideration that was shown to all children within their society. It was only when they became adults that they began to really feel the pressure to strive for their advancement and size. As young sisters were allowed to eat freely to accommodate their developing bodies. “Joseph I don't know how you could say or even think that. The distrusted aren't some fringe group. Perhaps you should set down and speak to one of the mothers of a distrusted and find out exactly how she raised her child. That or perhaps it would be better if you spoke to a brother who had fathered a distrusted.”

Nathan, “Joseph you've never actually spoken to a distrusted unless there was a meeting I'm not aware of.”

“No. Maria has never let me speak with one and I've never really tried to. Actually when I think about it seems she might have chased them off whenever they started to approach me or perhaps I was approaching them. I would at least like to get to know them.”

Nathan, “It isn't surprising you haven't really spoken to one of them. The sisters have issues with us standing near someone that could kill us in an instant and who may have the inclination to do so. Well they aren't criminals and it seems a bit unfair to make any solid decisions without their consent. Joseph sense you're the one pushing for this though are you prepared to actually set down and speak with a few distrusted and perhaps those involved in raising them?”

“I believe it could be quite enlightening.”

Nathan, “Fine. I'll see what I can do.”

***********************************************************************************

“Your plan has a ninety nine percent chance of having a ninety percent failure rate. The probability of complete failure still exceeds ninety percent with the current generation of distrusted.” As she spoke Naidra was currently setting the recovered seeds down in front of Joseph the life bloom was a few meters away in a large pot.

Joseph felt himself recoil. He had just asked Naidra as to how sound his plan in regards to the distrusted was. It had been a question he'd asked many times while working on the glyph and many times he had been told what he had done wrong. This was the first time that he felt like he'd received a jab to the stomach. It was also the first time he felt himself feeling a bit frustrated with Naidra. “Could I know the data you have supporting that estimate?”

Naidra couldn't help but chuckle as she looked at Joseph. “You're worried that I'm upset that you're not handling the situation the way I wanted you to and I'm lashing out because of that. We're all a little annoyed that you have such a low opinion of us. As for your question. I could have a personal report for you in forty minutes or if you'd like you can just read through the Luvarian's analyzes on the defective faelom and corrective attempts.”

“A Luvarian report? You mean to say that they were distrusted before before the collapse of the Luvarians?”

“The mass production models faelom have limited control over their spiritual aspects. This introduces an element of unpredictability that can't be removed without degrading the product. Education and careful biological design can minimize these but they still exist. These elements contribute to the mass produced faelom's individuality, creative abilities and several other beneficial aspects. However, it also means they're going to be a few unacceptable products. So yes the mentality that you label distrusted already existed during the time of the Luvarians.” As she spoke Naidra noted the expression on Joseph's face. The shock was fairly clear on his face, in his scent and in his energies. He was shaken.

“I see. Then this personal report would include your own observations?”

“Yes as well as an analyzes of the methods the production model fealom used in an attempt to convert the distrusted to a more acceptable mind set as well as their success rates. I'm sure you realize that you're not the first to try to deal with the distrusted issue.”

“Naidra in the past when they tried to deal with the distrusted issue why didn't they kill them then?”

“At times they did. The problem is that the mentality you label distrusted isn't something that can be exterminated. As long as the production model faelom are being produced with free and independent minds there will be some that decide that other species are beneath them and should serve them despite their strong protective inclinations. How this results is detailed in my report but to put it simply it's mostly due to the faelom's strong protective desires being turned inwards resulting in an inflated sense of self worth and notions of entitlement.”

“Well I've already managed to come up with one method you admitted has never been tested before. Let me have a look at those reports and I'll do it again. Start with the Luvarian one and then bring me yours in a bit.” As Joseph spoke he actually felt his self assurance growing. He felt like he was standing a little taller and he was actually smiling at Naidra. He was a bit surprised whenever she was smiling back at him.

“I don't know if you'll ever be upper level leadership material Joseph but you have the makings of a truly superb project development director.”

“Huh? You actually said something nice to me!” Joseph could swear he noticed Naidra's face drifting in the surprised direction as she looked at him. Her mouth didn't open wide and neither did her eyes change much but her muscles seemed to twitch. She was able to regain control of them before they could finish the act though and return to her previous smile.

It was tempting to admonish Joseph for wasting resources but Naidra didn't consider it appropriate. He had helped with the faelom's development and thanks to Joseph Ridon was feeling inspired to work towards becoming a Luvarian and not just an invited guest. Even if Joseph would never be the Luvarian they desired he could show the way for others. Even now they were apprentices working to refine Joseph's life bloom and hopefully they would go beyond that. One thing that interested her a great deal was if Joseph's new studies worked out would they continue to develop the bloom. “It is up to you now to present the seeds. I am curious how you intend on doing so.”

“I was. Well actually I was thinking of telling them that you brought them to me. Not you as in name you but say that the protectors retrieved the seeds. You have brought us items before after all. You've even protected apprentices and I'm sure some faelom in the past and Zarena says that you used to do a lot more. So I don't think it's unreasonable that you would have brought a stolen magical item back.” As he spoke Joseph actually felt rather nervous. Naidra had explained earlier that they wouldn't stop him from revealing their secrets but would prefer if he didn't. How would she respond to him giving away this bit of information.

“They'll realize that we're capable of leaving the citadel if you do that. Which really doesn't bother me. Just because we're never seen outside the citadel doesn't mean we don't leave it and I'm sure. Well now I know that several of us would like the chance to be outside and not worry about remaining hidden. Now we're fractured in our belief about what is best.” As she spoke Naidra closed her right eye. This lightened the burden on her mind ever so slightly as the voices of the various protectors began to argue amongst one another.

“Are you okay Naidra?”

“Yes I'm fine with you revealing that much. We are not all in agreement though. Well it doesn't matter to much but we are going to be a while in resolving this issue.”

“I thought you all always got along due to your linked mind.”

“No! Oh no! A linked mind just removes miss understandings which helps a great deal in communication. It also forces you to resolve the issue as you can't just be quiet about it. Not that we're all always happy with the end result. Fine. Joseph a few of them insist that I say this. They fear that revealing we can leave the citadel will actually hinder our privacy as it's likely the production model faelom will go in search of us. What they aren't thinking about is the fact that we have very little scent making us very hard to track, the ability to shift light around ourselves making us hard to see and that this forest is simply massive so that any attempts to search for us would be a wasted effort.”

“That last part wasn't them was it?”

“No. That was me talking to you and them and now they're mad at me for making them look bad in front of the first Luvarian in a several hundreds of years.”

“You pick on one another!” Unlike Naidra Joseph couldn't hide his surprise. All the time he'd spent with the protectors they seemed to be working as a single unit. Individuals but all having the same purpose. To think on them picking on one another was amusing.

***********************************************************************************

Vera felt more then a little strange as she looked at the pile of seeds and the life bloom itself. Whenever she was asked to handle a task she either handled it or the task didn't get taken care of. She had never once had someone finish a task for her since she had began working on special request for the brothers. It wasn't something she was happy about. The fact that there was no one to catch her mistakes tended to annoy her more then make her proud. Yet as she looked at the seeds she felt very strange. Had she failed in her task? Had she succeeded? The goal was to bring the seeds and plant back or destroy them and that had been done. “So you're being honest with me. The protectors brought you these seeds and not Fera or Sora?”

It felt strange whenever Vera asked it. It reminded Joseph of how little interaction the sisters had with the protectors. “Yes. It was a little while after the meeting with the brothers about how to handle the distrusted. They simply walked up to me and presented the seeds as well as the plants. After they set them down they walked off.” As Joseph spoke he was careful not to lie to Vera. Naidra had indeed presented the plant and seeds to him as well as walked off. She had simply walked off after they had a rather lengthy conversation.

“That is well. That is quite surprising on many levels. I never knew that the protectors left the citadel but then again we can't exactly keep track of them. I wonder what prompted them to retrieve the plant. Were we that close to some climatic failure and didn't know about it? It's actually a little frightening whenever I consider that they didn't help with the amalgam. Well then again perhaps they did and we didn't see them then either.” As she spoke Vera walked over to the seeds and bent down taking in several deep breaths of air as she did. She wanted to get the scent of the distrusted who had handled them.

Mirin didn't need to ask to realize what Vera was doing and he knew that he needed to speak up. “Vera there is something that we want to talk you about. We don't want you to hunt down and punish the distrusted though hunting them might still be required?”

Vera was surprised. After the brothers had been so panicked whenever they had come to her to tell her to hold off on hunting them down was surprising. “I take it you want me to keep this a secret as well. I'll speak to my girls and make sure they know not to talk about this hunt for now. May I know why though?”

As he listened to her Joseph was rather surprised. He had expected Vera to take a considerable amount of convincing to keep this a secret. It served as a reminder that she often helped brothers with task that they didn't want the sisters to know about but couldn't have done without their aid. Vera probably knew about more secret dealings then anyone brother did as they all relied upon her for such things. “We want to try to integrate the distrusted back into the community through a well for a lack of better word a training program. It may be somewhat similar to the claimed system you're currently using.”

“Claimed can't run off into the forest and escape with the same ease that a distrusted can. They would also require far more effort to murder someone.”

Mirin, “We know those are two of the issues we're currently working on finding a solution for.”

Vera, “Well it's fairly simple. Assign a designated area for the distrusted. If they're caught outside of it they die.”

Joseph, “Don't you believe that's a bit harsh Vera? They might have a good reason for being outside of the designated area.”

“Fine. First they can explain themselves to a group of keepers and if their reason is found lacking or a lie they die.”

Joseph had been trying to help the distrusted for a while now. It was a notion that Mirin considered strange when he thought of what they would do to him if they could. “Joseph I believe Vera is right on how to handle this issue. At the most their presence outside of the designated area without approval could only be tolerated a few times if we're to go through with this.”

***********************************************************************************

To say that Lidra felt uncomfortable would have been an understatement. The first thing she'd seen upon walking into the citadel was one of the protectors looking strait at her. The massive creature seemed even larger then the keepers and while her face showed no emotion she felt as if the creature desired her death. It might have been due to the citadel itself though. The site of their creation and their original slavers. The temptation to rake her claws across the floor and try to cause some damage was there but she could never get over the feeling she was being watched and that would have great consequences. The notion that Vera looked less hostile then the protector almost made her laugh. “So where is this meeting taking place? I don't appreciate being drug out here like some servant.”

For a moment all Vera did was shake her head. Most sisters were glad whenever the brothers called upon them for some special reason. It often implied they were trusted and could be used as a point of status. To Lidra it was different though. Her behavior reminded Vera of a claimed who had only surrendered to save their life, blamed his keeper for all his problems and was determined to do as little as possible. Part of her wanted Lidra to keep the attitude though it would serve as a lesson. “The brother who wants to speak to you is this way. I'm going to be remaining in the room to insure that you don't try anything.”

“Oh yes! Because I'm so stupid that I would kill one of your pets leaving it painfully obvious that it was me that did it. Perhaps I would scar him up some and see if you could rush in to help before I made the damage permanent. I am not an idiot Vera. Unlike many.”

Vera actually felt herself twitch slightly. She really wanted to smack the distrusted to the ground and perhaps loosen a few teeth. Most sisters were rather nervous around her. Being one of the few sisters that had actively trained to fight and kill other sisters gave her a sort of presence. She held that desire in though she could could feel her ears flicking about as she worked to contain her emotions. “Follow me.” Vera felt like she was going to have to put a whole in her tongue to keep from saying you little bitch as she turned and began to walk. She truly was not used to anyone mouthing off to her.

***********************************************************************************

 Joseph felt more then a little awkward as Lidra walked into the room shortly after Vera. Her stature reminded him of when he had found Maria. Maria hadn't even been a guardian at the time and Lidra seemed to be the same size as her. The expression on her face though and her body language was far different from Maria's though especially when she looked at him.  “Please to.”

“What's this about! Why did you send this beast to fetch me? I swear we tolerate being trapped at this ridiculous size so that we may live our lives apart from this atrocity. Now you go intruding on what little bit of comfort we've managed to obtain.”

“Drug?” As he spoke Joseph turned his attention to Vera.

“None of them were willing to come when I asked and I did ask. Finally I had to use my rank as a keeper to force Lidra here to come.”

Lidra, “You're lucky you've grown to such a large size or I would have put you in your place.”

Vera's ears were twitching again. Of course if she beat the day lights out of a distrusted they would contribute the win to her larger size. It was enough to make Vera wish she could revert to the size of a distrusted just so she could beat them silly with an equally scaled body. She was certain that her combat training would give her an overwhelming advantage even at the same size. “Lidra I truly hope that the day comes whenever you're allowed to grow as large as I am.”

As Joseph listened to Vera's voice he felt his blood run cold and actually shivered a bit. Her words were nice but the tone of her voice cut through the room like a knife. It was the most threatening well wishing that he had ever heard. He was actually quite surprised when Lidra took a step back from Vera. Apparently she had picked up on the hidden meaning as well. The only thing he was left wondering was whether or not Vera would kill Lidra if they were the same size or if she'd settle for beating her within a centimeter of her life. “Lidra the reason I asked Vera to bring me someone that could represent the distrusted if we're making plans to bring you back into the community.”

“You mean you believe you've found a way to shackle our minds just like our bodies are shackled to this forest. It was the failings of human leadership that brought us to this low position. Only whenever we began to assert our dominance over you did we begin to progress but too many aren't willing to go far enough. You say the reason we faced that Amalgam was because we were too controlling. The only reason that amalgam could threaten us is we didn't keep you humans on a tight enough leash! Now tell me why I've been brought here.”

She sure wasn't shy about expressing her view points. As Joseph listened to Lidra the accusations weren't just in her words but in her tone of voice as well. “Lidra the reason you were brought here is because if something isn't done all of you are going to die. We're trying to save you.”

“Save us? You're trying to kill our minds and spirits. You don't want to save me you want to warp and twist me into your servant with promises of prosperity and an end to our hunger. We had plans to save ourselves. We finally had a food source that would allow us to be free of this forest. This prison that so many have been tricked into thinking is a home because they have no where else to go. You know you can't let us do that though. You can't let us make a home for ourselves elsewhere because then your pets will have a choice and they'll see the truth.”

“A food source that I developed and the brothers implemented. A food source that you lack the ability to properly tend to or manage and a food source that I won't let you turn into a curse upon the world.”

“Is that the lies you tell yourself to keep us bound here? The others seem to believe that you shared the life bloom with us to help us. Why don't you reveal the truth? That it's another chain to bind us to your will. Especially after you just claimed dominion over it.”

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It wasn't uncommon for Joseph to be tired after working. Developing new alchemical potions and glyphs tended to require quite a bit of thought as well as trial and error. Out of all those tiresome days though Maria hadn't seen him like this before as he leaned against her leg his eyes closed. She placed her hand on his chest and began to gently message it as she listened to his breath. Not only had he closed his eyes but he had covered them with his right arm. “I guess you're talk with the distrusted didn't go as well as you planned it to.”

“Everything we did in her eyes was a means to control them and every mistake that was made could have been avoided if we have been watched more carefully. I'm a horrible monster that wishes to make you dependent on me through the use of the life bloom. Oh and teaching you to better channel energy into your bodies is just me increasing your dependance on me to think for you.” A sigh escaped Joseph as he risked opening his eyes and looking up at Maria. “Did you know Vera's ears twitch whenever she's angry? I always thought she had a really good poker face.”

“Vera? No! It's pretty obvious whenever she's angry they just aren't many things that actually make her angry. Now she can hide it whenever she's annoyed very well. Joseph don't you think you're over working yourself? You're developing the glyph and still trying to be part of the life bloom project. Now you're wanting to begin working with the distrusted? I really think you're trying to do too much. Just leave the distrusted to the keepers.”

“Maria the keepers are probably just going to end up killing the distrusted. How long do you think you can keep Zarena from hearing about them? How many sisters do you believe will side with her after everything that has happened? I doubt many will even question Zarena's reasons at this point. What about you? What do you think we should do with the distrusted?”  As he spoke Joseph focused intently on Maria looking into her eyes. Given what she had done to the soldiers whenever they first met he doubted she would show them much sympathy.

For a moment Maria went silent. She knew that Joseph was trying to help the distrusted and that meant he felt it was the right thing to do. She felt her nose twitch whenever she imagined trying to help the distrusted though. It wasn't a notion that set well with her. “I feel for their parents I'll say that. Most mothers of a distrusted don't even like to acknowledge their child's beliefs and in many cases they don't like the child to even be mentioned as it's nearly impossible to separate the two. As painful as it is to be the parent of a distrusted though it'd be worse to see them killed for those beliefs. At the same time though it makes me so angry to see one of them looking upon a brother and know she only sees a claimed. I just want to smack the bitch around until her eyes swell up so she can't look upon him anymore. Then when I caught one looking at you I just wanted to take her head off.”

“I guess that means you'd be siding with Zarena.”

“No. I would side with you but I would want to side with Zarena. I love you more then I love Zarena and hate the distrusted put together after all. I really wonder what you might do to change them though.”

“So do I. Maria do you know what the distrusted were like before they became distrusted?”

“Took a twenty year nap and I'm not very old to begin with.”

To this Joseph gave a nod. “When you were having issues with your eating how did the other sisters treat you?”

“Oh let's see here. Well at first my mother told me that I was eating more then what I should and I knew that of course. I told her that it was just a little bit and she gave me the talk about how a little bit can lead to growth. So she suggested some things that would take up space in my stomach and let me slip food into my mouth but wasn't very nourishing. Unfortunately this tends to leave a hollow feeling inside of us which really doesn't stop the pain it just. I guess you might say it redirects the pain. So they started watching me. I remember Stella taking my hands and gently moving them away from the food telling me that I had enough for the moment. Then I tried to argue I just wanted a little more and she threatened to whoop me so hard that I'd develop a phobia of grilled fish.” A slight giggle escaped Maria as she looked at Joseph.

“Well that sounds like Stella. So the other sisters tried to help you out?”

“They did. That's why I had to start going further into the forest if I was going to do my snacking. The time I spent gone became longer and my snacking became worse. I tried to avoid the others or not be standing whenever they came looking for me but it soon became impossible to hide. Then one day when I found myself standing next to a tree and realized how large I'd grown I was just so ashamed. It was hard to believe how weak I was.”

“I see. I thought there might be something to compare how the distrusted and a sister who's gone beyond what they're allowed to eat are treated.”

“No! Goodness no. Now when it came time for the meeting in which the keepers would decide how to handle the situation that was rough. The only choices were kill me or put me to sleep. If I resisted going to sleep then I would be killed. Well due to that the meeting was actually rather simple. It was settled that I would be given a week to spend with my mother and friends and be allowed to go to sleep full. The condition that you're in when you go to sleep supposedly can heavily affect how comfortable of a sleep it is. I felt so sick! Then when I looked at my mother it felt like something inside of me had crumbled. I'm not sure what a distrusted see whenever she looks at her mother.”

“They would have killed you and you were well liked?”

“Yes. We will mass execute other sentient beings if they allowed their population to outgrow the agreed upon limits by too much. Well if they refuse to handle the problem internally. Now twice when the orcs population outgrew what was allowed a good number of them chose to leave the forest rather then die. I have no idea how that worked out for them.  If we're going to hold others to such harsh terms then of course we're going to have to hold ourselves to same standards. It's a shame that the orcs can't choose to sleep the same way that we do though. Now the druids are downright impossible to keep in check with that shapeshifting of theirs. I swear even now after I make a kill and start eating it part of me wonders. Is this a real animal or am I eating a druid that didn't change forms quickly enough?”

“I suppose that is one danger of ambush hunting.”

“It's not just ambush hunting! Some of those people are so dedicated to living as part of nature they won't even return to human to save their own lives. We've gotten side tracked though. You were all torn up after your meeting with the distrusted. I can tell you now that speaking with the mother on the subject won't be any easier. It's not something they really like to talk about. I believe the only thing that would be worse then having a distrusted child would be having given birth to a brother and a distrusted daughter. To have a son and know that your daughter looks upon him as a slave. We have enough trouble handling it whenever two sisters of the same mother dislike one another strongly. Not that such happenings are common.”

“Yeah. As I recall you said that  your mom is quite a special case because she had two daughters so close together. It must have seemed even more special given that you had been put to sleep before Dremera was born.”

“Yes and side tracked again.”

A sigh escaped Joseph as he nodded his head. He could understand why it wasn't an issue the mothers of the distrusted wanted to talk about. Surely they would be for returning their daughters tot he community though. “Maria if we don't do something about the distrusted Zarena is going to learn about them. It's amazing that she hasn't learned about them already and honestly I believe it's due to the fact that she's been keeping herself busy. We have to implement something now.”

“Joseph I don't particularly see why we have to implement something. This isn't a case where they were born with a defective body or was never part of our community. This is a decision they made by themselves. They know that such minds sets aren't welcome within our community and they're just barely tolerated due to their parents and in some cases past connections.”

“Past connections. Could I speak to one of the sisters that was friends to a distrusted before she began behaving like that?”

“Sure. You speak to them all the time as is. Would you like to speak to Mina or Flora?” Maria couldn't help but grin as she noticed the look of shock on Joseph's face. “I guess you see now how much we don't like to talk about such fallen sisters. My mother has always been rather outgoing friendly and from what I hear a little on the wise side.  So she made a lot of friends whenever she was a child. I can't say she was quite the leader that Pera is to her little group. She was more then one they spoke to whenever they needed a clear head.”

“I see. Do you think it would hurt Flora?”

“Joseph Mina's mother died and the depression was great enough that she chose to go to sleep and see if she developed any mutations. We talk about it like she was sacrificing for us and in many ways she was but we know she was in a lot of pain. My mother had to see one of her friends and daughter go to sleep. She was also very close to Dremera as well. They know how to handle such burdens. Though I think Dan might club the day lights out of you if you started Mina to thinking about sleeping again.”

“Sleeping isn't exactly a good way to handle being sad.”

A slight chuckle escaped Maria as she gave a nod. “Yeah. Well Dan might feel the need to punch you a few times if you made her depressed. I'm pretty sure that she'll be fine though.”

“How would Mira feel the need to avenge her mother if I spoiled her mood?”

“Mira? I'm the one you have to worry about there.” A slight chuckle escaped Maria as she settled her hand atop Joseph's chest. His heart rate had calmed down and he seemed to be less worried then he was in the beginning. She couldn't call him relaxed but it was nice to hear him settling down. “They might be able to offer you some insight. Now I've never been friends with a distrusted. None of the sisters I would say I really know have ever even looked like they would go down that path. Then again it's not exactly common. You know Joseph when we talked about the distrusted we're only talking about around three percent of the sisters. So even if you're in a room with forty of us the odds are pretty good that there isn't a distrusted in there.”

“Maria the distrusted are those sisters that believe the brothers should be treated like the claimed or worse. What about sisters that don't support the brothers but don't support the distrusted either? Aren't they any sisters that would offer the distrusted some support?” As he spoke Joseph tried to set up but Maria was keeping him pinned. If she had a reason for doing so or if she just wanted to be annoying he wasn't certain but he wasn't fighting hard either. He was quite comfortable with his head wresting against her leg.

“That's kind of hard Joseph. Our protective instincts pretty much require us to be protecting something. Now they are some sisters that believe we have become too dependent on our brothers but have no ill will towards the brothers. They simply believe we need to be prepared for a situation in which we can't rely on the brothers anymore. You might actually get along with them. They've been working on cross breeding plants that produce more food.”

“Huh? Why haven’t I ever heard of this?”

“Joseph. I just said that they believe we rely too much on the brothers and I should mention the claimed as well. Naturally they're going to keep their projects to themselves. Even I don't know a great deal about them. Their efforts have well. They've always been rather frustrated. From what I've heard they've come up with some interesting techniques but the brothers due in part to their ability to use magic always seem to beat them. Instead of destroying their work though they just keep on trying and keep samples of their work. I'm sure your life bloom felt like one heck of a swift kick to their efforts.”

“So they've been using selective breeding to produce plants that produce more food?”

“Plants that produce more food or require less water. Plants that can grow in different conditions. They even visited the swamp area and made detailed notes of what plants are good to eat from there and what ones could truly be raised.  Er wait no. No they wouldn't support the distrusted. Not only do they not want to harm the brothers but they believe we're too dependent on them as I said. Turning all the brothers into claimed isn't making us less dependent on them and you. Sorry Joseph I can't really think of any groups that would support the distrusted. They either don't mean the brothers any ill will but want to rely on them less or they support the brothers.”

“So those sisters that believe you rely too much on the brothers. They don't want to drive the brothers from the community?”

“No! We can't reproduce asexually Joseph. They never even mentioned distancing ourselves from the brothers they just believe we rely on them too much to find new food sources for us and the like. Hey. Want to know someone that has helped with such projects in the past?”

“Who?”

“Vera and Kersara. Kersara as one of the sisters that live the furthest from the main village and thus the brothers is actually one of their main supporters.”

“I did not expect that. They're both key supporters of the brothers though.”

“Indeed. Like I said they believe that we're too dependent on the brothers. That doesn't mean they won't take full advantage of the situation while it's available. Now look at what's happening. Kersara has a group of sisters at the water front crying and moaning about how hard the training program that would make us more capable is. The simple truth is we're denser then humans after all. We have to develop our muscles more and developing swimming techniques if we're really going to move in the water. Unfortunately a good deal of those that believe we're too dependent on the brothers only want to be more independent if it's easier or at least not more difficult.”

“That's not going to happen.”

“I know. Now back to the subject of the distrusted. I'm sure my mom would be okay talking to you about them and her former friends. Mina would probably be happy to talk to you about them as well. How about tomorrow I take you to speak with Mina first? Given that she's on mommy work she'll be at the citadel and I'm sure could enjoy the break from Dremera. I'll play with Dremera while you have your talk.”

“Oh good lord!” A slight chuckle escaped Joseph despite the situation. “I can just imagine Mina getting upset and Dremera seeing and smelling her symptoms. She blames me for it and ends up chasing me around the room trying to whip me with her tail some more.” Joseph couldn't help but notice Maria's snickering even as she covered her mouth in an attempt to control the laughter. “I thought you sisters couldn't stand to see a brother hurt.”

“Yeah. I believe that's a side affect of what Zarena said. Now that we've accepted your not as fragile as we once thought we're not as opposed to seeing you in a little bit of pain. Plus that would just be plain adorable so long as she didn't actually bruise you.”

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Mina felt a little awkward as Joseph set across her and found herself more looking past him and towards her daughter then at him. Dremera was asleep at the moment so there was no reason for Maria to keep her busy. Part of her thought Dremera would be a welcome distraction from Joseph's question though as she rubbed her forehead. “You want me to actually talk about Anria. Wow! That is not a pleasant subject. I take it you're curious about how we were raised together right?”

“Yes. I want to get a better understanding of the distrusted so that we can help them. Plus I'm hoping you could offer some thoughts on how we might handle them without killing them. Plus now that you've given her a name I'm wondering what you think of Anria now.”

“Well first off I'll tell you that for me Anria died whenever she took on those views. I'm trying to think of a good story to show you what she was like before she became a distrusted though. Well I can tell you that she liked to spend her time away from the settled areas and live in the forest. There is nothing unusual about that many of us like to live a more wild then others.”  

As Mina spoke she had to take in a deep breath. This had been before she had went to sleep. Not only was she not fond of the memories but a lot of time had passed and a great deal had happened. “Anria typically would sleep in the forest despite her mothers attempts to get her to come home and sleep. They had an agreement where so long as she stayed in certain safe areas she could remain in the forest. She would typically only come into the village to deliver something she'd gathered in the forest or to eat at the dining hall. We really didn't have an Allen like Pera does. It was mostly a group of sisters. I'm not sure how any of this information would actually help you though.” A sigh escaped Mina as she began to rub her head. “Should I tell you how I found out she was one of the distrusted?”

“That might help.”

“Okay well it wasn't anything special. We were eating at the dining hall. I was having a bit of a rough time because the food I had picked up was a little spicy for me. I don't know what I was thinking back then I could smell the spice but it smelt so good. Anria tells me that I should just have one of the brothers helping in the dining area fix me another batch with less spice on it. I told her that I can tough it out and I didn't want to bother them. They were busy enough keeping the sisters helping from spoiling the dish. Suddenly she asks. Why not? It was probably one of them that chose to spice it up. I swear I don't see why we have to tolerate their taste when we're the ones that bring in the meat and herbs. Honestly I was quite shocked. Things became even more clear whenever I told her that I'm pretty sure some sisters had asked for this considering how fondly many of them were talking about it.”

“She became one of the distrusted over food?”

“No! Joseph that would just be silly though food is very important to us. This was whenever I realized that she had become one of the distrusted. I believe she probably began moving in that direction whenever she was first exposed to the claimed. As you know only certain sisters are trusted to be keepers. Those who can resist the temptation to use their authority and size to force compliance upon others and indeed those who don't like to use such methods are often sought out as keepers. Well so long as they are also willing to use their authority and size when needed. Those sisters who are a little too feral or dominating typically aren't trusted with that power.”

“What about Stella and Fera?”

“Fera is an exception due to how dedicated she's always been to the community. Plus she has a very powerful mutation as you know. Stella was a lot more calm until she realized she was going to give birth to a brother. By then she was already a keeper though and she hasn't done anything to deserve losing that status.”

“So would she have become a keeper if she was as she is now?”

“Oh! I'm not sure about that. I don't think I could have given her my support in that case. I probably wouldn't have spoken against her but I wouldn't have spoken for her either. Back on subject though. I think once she began interacting with the claimed Anria enjoyed the power she had over them a little too much. These days I wonder if she stayed in the forest so much in hopes of finding an escaping claimed. I know once I became a keeper I forbid her from going near my claimed and once I had Dan. Honestly if Dan had ran and any distrusted had harmed him I would have crushed the head of whoever had harmed him.”

Given how friendly Mina was her choice of words actually surprised Joseph. She wasn't satisfied with saying that she would have killed a distrusted for harming Dan. Rather she felt the need to add an image as graphic as crushing their head. He would have jumped out of his seat if it hadn't been for Mina's hand taking hold of his shoulder as the other shot past his head. The feeling of the wind rushing offer her arm made his heart skip a beat but even that wasn't enough to stop him from noticing a very sharp hiss.

“Dremera!” As she spoke Mina could hardly believe what had happened. Currently she held one of Dremera's toys in her outstretched hand. A durable flexible ball that was meant to take the punishment and affection of a young sister for at least two weeks. She had noticed Dremera gripping it with her hands but she had by no means been prepared for her to use her legs to kick it towards Joseph. Effectively she had used her entire body to aim and throw the toy at Joseph's head. “I can't believe you did that you naughty girl!” As she spoke Mina had already stood up and began to walk towards Dremera who was still looking back at her quite intently.

As she looked at Dremera then Joseph Maria had a smile on her face. She had actually noticed Dremera's movements before Mina had but chose to wait and see what would happen. Even after Dremera had tossed the ball at Joseph it would have been easy for her to intercept. She had chosen not to do so after seeing that Mina was going to handle the situation. As Joseph turned to look at Dremera and then her she had to fight back a laugh. He looked to be stunned. “Don't worry Joseph Mina was just being careful. Those are too soft to do any real damage.”

By now Mina had picked up Dremera who was now was trying to see around to Joseph. “You naughty girl! I swear if you didn't fawn over your daddy so much I would worry about you being a distrusted. Then again. Joseph you're the only brother that I've encountered who she doesn't like.”

“I see.” By now Joseph had calmed down and walked around to take a look at Dremera. He was able to keep his stance even when she gave a very sharp hiss upon seeing him so close. The fact that her tail came within centimeters of striking him didn't do anything to make him stop grinning. “Now Dremera do you just not like me or are you angry with me? Mina I'm not sure my petting on her did much to better her mood.”

“I believe you're right. I just don't know what to do. I guess it's time for another timeout for my little girl. Taking away her toys for a few days didn't seem to do anything. Well it was the first time. Perhaps after this a certain little miss will learn that when she attacks a brother without good cause she gets punished. Hey.” Mina tried not to grin but she couldn't help it whenever Dremera gave her a quick whip on the nose with her tail. “Well I think a certain little miss is angry with me now!”

“I wonder if she's going to hold a grudge against you like she does Joseph.”

“I sure hope not. Maria would you mind taking her now?”

“Sure. Come here you.” As she spoke Maria walked over and reached out for Dremera. The fact that the young sister was still watching Joseph made her grin. “You're a clever little one but I've never seen such a young sister hold such a grudge.” The fact that as she was taking Dremera away from Mina Dremera gave a very low very long hiss made it impossible for Maria to keep from grinning. “Now why can't you see my mate brings us good things? You need to settle your little bottom down and quit focusing so much on the negative.”

“Perhaps I should bring her a few more gifts.”

Mina, “I don't believe that's a good idea Joseph. If every time she attacks you she receives a gift she's going to associate attacking you with good things. Now what we might have to try is you bring her a gift but don't give it to her so long as she's hissing at you and trying to smack you with her tail. Now let's set down and I can continue answering your questions if you're still in a mood to ask them.”

“The sooner I can gather the needed information the better. If I wait too long we'll get the very result that I'm trying to avoid.”

“Very well but later you're going to have to tell me what has you so interested in the distrusted situation.” As she settled back down Mina gave a sigh. It was hard to leave Dremera with Maria whenever she could have made such a wonderful excuse to end the conversation there. “At first I was devastated when Anria revealed how she thinks of the brothers. So I mentioned that while we do the hunting and gathering it's the brothers that further refine the food and preserve it as well. After all we like the taste of natural food but the simple truth is an alchemical potion prepared from some of those items can give a lot more benefits then eating the food in its natural state. That's whenever I gained an even more clear understanding of her views. She didn't just believe that we should pick how the food is prepared  because we gather it she believed we should be the ones making the decisions for the brothers. I don't recall her exact words for this but she pointed out how our productivity is tracked, the claimed productivity is tracked but the brothers don't have nearly as rigid of a productivity schedule.

My first thought was to point out how we had been growing larger and larger since the loss of our original energy system had forced us to regress. The brothers were finding better ways of refining our food allowing us to grow to larger sizes. She claimed it was too little and taking too long. That the brothers were just giving us little bits of scraps to keep us compliant and tricking us into thinking it was a feast. Then I became defensive of my father and things became increasingly heated especially when she said something about my father. I don't even remember what she said about him.”

“That doesn't sound like a very pleasant meal.”

“It spoiled every last bit of it!” A sigh escaped Mina as she leaned back. “Well the food was spicy anyway so it wasn't great to begin with. I really began to lose my head though whenever I thought of Anria looking at my father the same way she looked at a claimed. Except she didn't even looked at the claimed the same way we did. I believe that might have been the only time I hurt someone for speaking their minds to me.”

“You hurt her?”

“Joseph I've always been strong for my size. No where near as strong as I am now mind you but even back then I was one of the heavier built sisters. When I realized that this person would be a threat to my father if given the chance I just felt like I had to remove the threat or at least establish a territory. A keeper separated us before I could do any critical harm to Anria but not before I managed to get in a few good strikes. She must have been worked up too as every sister in the dining hall had heard our conversation. I honestly think the keepers intentionally waited for me to lose it because they wanted me to hit her. I really can't remember a time other then that where I've hit someone for speaking their mind to me. Now I've come close before and after then but Anria just crossed a line I didn't know existed.”

“What happened after that?”

“After that we really didn't see much of one another. When I did look at her I would remember what she had said about my brothers and I would start becoming angry all over again. It wasn't what she had said that really bothered me though. It's more like knowing what she thinks about then angered me. As if. Well call Dan a lazy slacker who use my position in our community to reach his own.” As she spoke Mina looked towards Joseph. She was quite pleased and amused that he seemed to recoil at the thought of saying such things.

“I'm not going to say that about Dan!”

“Mirin?”

“No.”

“Nathan?”

“No! Even if he does like to manipulate the other brothers into doing his menial work.”

A slight giggle escaped Mina before she gave her head a nod. “Well let's say that you did say such a thing about Dan. I'd be surprised for all of one moment and then that would be it. As I know that you don't mean it. I've seen you and Dan work together talk together and I suspect you've conspired together. I know that you are both friends. Now if I believed that was how you thought of Dan I wouldn't be having a friendly conversation with you.”

“I see. Maria mentioned that earlier. Even if they can't act on their beliefs the very fact that they hold such desires turns you hostile towards them. Mina could you calm yourself with the knowledge that while they have such feelings they know they're wrong?”

For a moment Mina's mouth opened to answer but instead she closed it and gave a long low whistle. Her lip moved back and she bit down lightly on it as she found herself struggling with the answer. The thought of someone even having such feelings about the brothers and especially about Dan angered her.  Yet if they hadn't acted upon them and they knew their feelings were wrong was it right to treat them poorly? “Is there any indication that they're progressing away from those beliefs and what's the odds of them actually acting upon them? I. No. Just knowing they felt that way about my brothers or Dan would still anger me. Their realization of being wrong would make them more tolerable though.”

“I see. What about other distrusted Mina? You mentioned that Anria liked to live in the forest. Is that common amongst distrusted.”

“No more or less common then it is among us. Flora's mother was a forest dweller. She felt boxed in when inside of a building and preferred the openness of the forest. My mom told me that the only thing that ever kept her home was Flora herself. Oh but the kills she would come back with and the reagents. I swear if it took us a week to find a fistful of some plant she would only need a day to find a bundle. You could forget hearing or smelling or seeing with her. Whenever she was in the forest it was as if she felt it. When she would take Flora and me hunting it was a struggle to even smell what she was going after before she'd taken it apart.”

Maria, “Mom told me about that! From the way she talked grandmother's speed in the forest would have surpassed my own even without a mutation.”

“Honestly Maria it wouldn't surprise me if she did. You run faster then her there is no doubt about that but the way she was just aware of her surroundings was remarkable. Now as for what.” A sharp hiss silenced Mina and she gave a sigh instead as she looked back at her daughter. “Baby please get along with Joseph.”

Dremera could tell by her mother's tone and the way she looked towards her that she was being talked to. She didn't understand the words but she could feel the mood. It made her anger regress slightly. She didn't want to make her mother upset after all. The fast female had avoided her last five attempts to whip her with her tail though and kick her. It was making her rather frustrated as she struggled to find a way to get after the noise making male. She didn't vocalize it fully but she still gave a slight hiss to show that she was annoyed. It was impossible for her to hold the hiss though as the fast female began to tickle her stomach again.

“You are such a mean little lady! Yes you are. Mean. Mean.” A slight giggle escaped Maria as Dremera once again began to wrestle with her. She had been quietly teasing Dremera the entire time hoping the child would relax. Dremera seemed quite insistent on her revenge though.

“Anyway. Joseph out of all the distrusted I know of and I'm pretty sure I know of all of them none of them had an unusual upbringing. Some of them had easier lives some of them had harder lives as different sisters impose different burdens on their children. Of course. As it's impossible to raise a young sister without involvement from others there is a fairly standard pattern. We all watch one another after all.”

“Then would you say that your raising Dremera doesn't represent the standard?”

“Well.” For a moment Mina once again looked at her daughter. She didn't like the idea she wasn't raising Dremera properly. After she had moved to the citadel though there had been fewer sisters coming by. Yet Dremera had been more contained. She knew that something had to be going on. “Normally a child of Dremera's age would have had far more interaction with other sisters by now. Mentioning that actually frightens me. I'm worried that the reason she's so unrelenting in her grudge is due to the lack of exposure to other sisters.”

Even if he had important issues on his mind Joseph knew that Naidra wouldn't like Mina's current line of thinking. He also doubted that Dremera was given as much privacy as Mina believed. The protectors had to be keeping a close eye on her. He could even imagine some of them sneaking in some play time.  “There is one complication with that Mina. Dremera had a grudge against me even before you moved back to the citadel.”

“You make a good point Joseph. You really need to come by and visit her more often.”

“Huh?”

“Well I have to break her of this grudge holding habit somehow. If I don't do it now then she's going to end up holding a grudge against someone else.”

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“We have relatively few methods of handling the distrusted. If we banish them we know that their actions will reflect badly on us. Not only because of what they are but the notion that we're the ones who banished them. I'm sure all of you understand how upsetting it would be if someone cast their problem on you. Killing them is exactly what we're trying to avoid so we won't discuss that. Changing their perception of themselves and others is our main goal but not something we can achieve directly. The only solution that I can see is containment.” Currently Mirin was addressing several of the brothers as well as Vera. As he looked around he doubted his solution was popular but it was supported by the information Joseph had gathered.

“Containment at what cost though?” Even without putting a lot of deep thought into the problem Alex knew that containing a distrusted would be very costly. Unlike a claimed they could easily survive in and travel through the forest. Due to the sisters resistance to magic and tendency to degrade magical items over a period of exposure it would also be very difficult to tag them.

“That's something I'm not really sure of. It must not only be able to contain them safely but also keep the other sisters happy as well. We also need a method of release and identifying those who are ready to undertake release. If we simply try to lock them away with no plans beyond that all we've done is create a bomb. There is also the issue of their treatment while they're confined. They'll have to be able to complete some task that makes maintaining them reasonable if not fully economical.” It was hard for Mirin not to look to Joseph. He had been the one that suggested they address the issue after all. Yet it was an issue they all had ignored and Mirin was doing his best to handle it without blaming the problem on the person who had brought it to their attention.

“We could use one of the buildings that is moving towards disuse at this moment. We need to keep in mind that they are very few distrusted. They could be housed within the laboratory for example and the rooms could be converted into gardens. Perhaps instead of wondering around in the forest for their food they could tend to the plants and even a few animals there. That might teach them a few lessons about proper nurturing.” As Nathan spoke he was still thinking on what he would tell Zarena. We're going to teach them to garden so that they can learn oppressive control is bad. Did not sound like a very convincing reason for her not to try to kill them. Locating them all in the laboratory seemed more likely to turn them into an easy target.

Alex, “Wait you want to dedicate the laboratory to them?

“Not really but it seems like a viable choice. We've been conducting more research in the citadel lately and while the move has been far from complete it seems clear to me we're moving in that direction. They advantages we have while within the citadel are simply staggering compared to the laboratory. The fact that many of us are now living in the citadel such that we're close enough to work that we don't have to rely on the sisters for transportation seems to be a big factor.”

“That has taken some getting used to. What about all the materials in the laboratory though?”

“They can be moved to the library's secure sections in many cases. Those materials that are of a more perishable nature might be moved to food storage or to the citadel. In some of the cases the citadel is the only viable choice of course.”

“What about the garden though?”

Nathan, “We would need to transfer the plants so the distrusted could use the area to grow other plants. So are we really considering this? We're going to give up the laboratory and begin all our work in the citadel? If we're really considering this I want to keep a few sections of the laboratory from being used in the event this doesn't work out. It seems wise to me to have at least one place of study that is in our control.”

As he had been listening Joseph was glad to hear that the others were trying to help. The notion of using the laboratory seemed like a good one but he had to ask. “So are you all thinking about confining the distrusted to the laboratory? Like prisoners.”

Mirin, “Joseph it seems like the best choice we have but well we all know they're not going to stay there just because we ask them to. There is also the issue of security. Once they're there how do we insure that they stay there?”

Alex, “Well what kind of restrictions are we talking about here? Are you all thinking that they should be confined to the laboratory and not allowed to leave? As I'll be honest with you. That's what I'm thinking at the moment. It's pretty much the only choice that I would truly be comfortable with. If we were to simply confine them then we could put up a mystic circle around the laboratory that told us when someone had went through it. After that we would just need a sister to sniff around the library and see if any of them had left it.”

Nathan, “Now hold on. If we're going to confine them and not kill them then we can't just lock them up for life. This means that some of them will have to be allowed to roam. Now we all know what started this and we know that Vera knows who's responsible. I propose this. The distrusted will not be permitted around any brothers unless they have a keeper present. Just the same as with the claimed. Furthermore the distrusted are not to approach the claimed unless given permission by there keeper. Those distrusted that were involved in the theft of the life bloom could be confined to the laboratory like we mentioned until they prove they can be trusted again. Those distrusted not involved can start with a curfew at which time they must return to the laboratory. If they've caught breaking it they lose the privilege to leave it.”

At first the room went silent. Even Joseph found himself stunned. Up until that point Nathan had made it clear he didn't like this idea and he didn't want to speak to Zarena about it. Now Joseph felt he was more on board with the plan then he realized. “Where did that come from Nathan?”

“I'm still not sure if this is going to be worth it. I still think this could come back to bite us in the ass or end up being a huge waste of resources. However, if we're going to expend resources on something that most likely will not work then I'm going to do what I can to give it the best chance of working as possible. Now you want to know how to make the distrusted like their new living arrangements? Here is how you do that. You remind them that they're not going to a dungeon. They're being taken to a safe haven as this is the only thing keeping Zarena and Vera hear from killing them all after the last stunt their friends pulled.”

A low whistle escaped Vera who had been quiet throughout the meeting. Now that Nathan had mentioned her name so directly she had to speak up. “Wow! Make me sound blood thirsty why don't you?”

“Well am I wrong?”

Vera didn't feel comfortable giving an immediate answer but let her posture relax a little as she considered the question. She was most assuredly prepared to kill the distrusted that had stolen the life bloom. She would have beaten a sister she liked severally for such behavior. “Nathan I've tried to condition myself to harm and even kill sisters I care for in the best interest of the community. I've spent long hours just thinking of harming those I love until I could feel their blood on my claws. I've put myself to tears more then a few times building up my resolve for such an action. Now I'm sure you can imagine what I could do to a distrusted.”

Alex, “Woe! Hold on. Does that include brothers?”

“Naturally. I remember reading of situations in which a mage was overcome by their magic and lost their minds. I've prepared myself to handle the situation if that happened to one of you as well.”

“That's good thinking. Oh!” As she spoke Julia placed a hand against her forehead. A feeling of sickness had washed over her and threatened to take her legs out from under her. A bit of cloth wrapped around her hand was enchanted to soak up the heat her body was radiating but she still felt sick. It was exactly what her studies and the spirit hunter book had said would happen. Her body was now adapting to old paths for mystic energy to flow being hindered and forcing normally unused ones to open up.

Mirin, “Julia are you okay! You. You look like you shouldn't even be standing let alone be here!” As he spoke Mirin found himself raising from his seat to go help Julia. His legs hadn't straitened before Vera was already there. Yet he was surprised when Vera didn't pick her up but rather placed a hand against her opposite side for Julia to lean on.

Vera, “Now there sister. You're looking rather unsteady and well I can smell the chemicals in your sweat.” It surprised Vera whenever she heard a slight change in Julia's heart beat and noticed a smile suddenly appear on her lips. She wasn't quite sure why.

“Thank you Vera but this is all part of what should happen. The guide said that I should try to maintain regular activities during this time, drink lots of water and fresh juice and eat a lot of meat. A task that's a lot more difficult then it sounds as I'm having trouble keeping anything more solid then a strong tea down.”

Nodding her head Vera easily bent at the knees and walked with Julia. The natural strength and dexterity of a sister made even this awkward form of walking easy. It didn't take them long to reach an empty chair. “Well as you're here I imagine you want to join in on this meeting.”

“Ridon told me what happened during one of his visits. You all sure are leaving me out of the loop on this. So from what it sounded like you want to use the laboratory as living space for the distrusted.”

Nathan, “That is what we're currently considering. It's one of the few places that could serve such a purpose.”

“I can see that.” Before continuing Julia found herself grabbing a serving glass that had been placed on the table and the pitcher of water. She was surprised by how quickly she drained it. “I can not put into words how much my throat hurts right now if I don't keep it wet. Now I bet you're thinking of ways that you would keep them there. I believe I have a suggestion. You can pay a spirit to handle the observation for you. The sisters can't use magic in general and thus have little or no means of contracting with such a spirit. A spirit doesn't tire or sleep and as long as it's paid well enough it would be quite eager for the task. I recommend a.” Even before she could finish Julia found herself draining another glass. “A plant spirit of some type one with naturally wide spread roots.”

No one responded immediately though several looks were passed between brothers. Such spiritual dealings weren't unheard of. A spirit that would naturally settle in a given region could be easily persuaded provided the region was suitable for it. There were of course tricks to dealing with spirits. One had to be very careful about the wording of the agreement and the spirits nature. It was Alex who found his words first. “Well we saw what the orc shamans had obtained through their contracts with the spirits of the forest. So Julia do you feel comfortable making the contract?”

“No. Especially when it would be much safer just to contact one of the orc shamans and have them come here to handle the negotiations. They might even be able to recommend a few spirits for us. I haven't began the part of my training where I begin to more actively speak with spirits. The instructional aspect of my training as a spirit hunter though listed a good many advantages and dangers when dealing with such beings.”

Mirin, “Such as?”

“A simple example. Let's say that rather then learning to create flame using my own energies I contracted with a spirit for such an ability. Now let's assume that spirit is consumed by a greater spirit or disrupted. I could easily lose my abilities. Thus why shamans are known to contract with a great many spirits or a few very powerful spirits. It also detailed the dangerous of contracting with too many spirits or one that is exceptionally powerful. A powerful spirit has likely had time to learn as well and thus any contract made with such a spirit is likely to be in its favor. Should you contract with many spirits of moderate power you have to be careful that the contracts don't conflict.”

Alex, “Well that sounds like business in general. The sneaky aged high ranking brother has a life time of experience manipulating the lower ranks. So of course any time you agree to exchange favors you know he's getting the bigger slice of pie. That or you're being used for some ulterior motive.”

Nathan, “Hey!”

While still feeling sickly Julia couldn't help but give a chuckle as she noticed the expression on Nathan's face. “We would have to compensate the orcs for their aid of course but that shouldn't be difficult and would be worth it if we want to do this right.”

Mirin, “That does sound good. I believe we should look into other means of observation as well though. I would say that a regular head count and patrols from other sisters looking for stray scents would be simple and easy to implement security procedures.”

Alex, “Okay well that means we have a place and we have some methods thought up to keep them there. Now how about we split up? We need to begin planning out what rooms will be used for what purpose and to develop a method of promotion and demotion. Once we have a few choices we can meet to make it official.”

Mirin, “That sounds best. I'll handle contacting the orcs.”

A sigh escaped Nathan as he stood up. “In that case I'll set down and convince Zarena to help us. If she refuses to talk to me for a few days after this I hate all of you.”

***********************************************************************************

“Thanks for coming Flora.”

Flora gave a nod of her head as she looked to Dan, Mina, Maria and Dremera. Her attention immediately held on little Dremera. “Well hello little sweet heart. Are you already getting yourself involved in back room plotting?” As she spoke Flora walked over to the young sister. Her grin only grew all the larger whenever Dremera gave a very soft meow and reached up towards her. “Well now do you want me to hold you? Does that mean you're angry at your mommy?”

“I believe she is.” A sigh escaped Mina as she lifted Dremera up. Despite the situation she had to giggle whenever Dremera didn't release her hold on Dan's wrist. “There seems to be a problem though.”

“So I see. Honey you're going to have to let go of Daddy if you want me to hold you.” When Dremera gave another soft meow Flora couldn't help but chuckle. “Okay. Mina you hold Dan and I'll set next to the two of you. How about that?”

“That sounds fine.” As she spoke Mina was already lifting Dan up so that Flora could settle in next to them and Dremera could retain her grip on Dan's wrist. As she settled down Mina looked towards Joseph. She had a pretty good idea what this conversation was going to be about. It was tempting to let Joseph know that Dan had already told her about the life bloom issue. She would keep the fact that Dan shared such secrets with her quiet for now though. “Now Joseph what is this about?”

For a moment Joseph found himself biting down on his lower lip. He had been wanting to share this with Maria for quite some time. He had chosen to share it with Flora and Mina as well due to their status as keepers and a desire to have their feed back. He had wanted their feed back a long time ago. “As you know I've been trying to handle some issues with the distrusted. Well we have. The brothers as a whole. Dan you already know the finer details.”

“Indeed. So let's not dance around the subject. You know the first life bloom Joseph grew in his home? The distrusted managed to steal it and the protectors brought it back. The whole ordeal has all the brothers up in arms and there was a lot of talk about how to handle the issue. We can't just ignore the distrusted anymore and if Zarena learns about them she's going to kill them all.”

Flora, “Oh don't be silly! Zarene is too much of a sweet heart for that.”

Joseph, Dan and even Maria seemed to recoil from Flora's words. As he had called the meeting Joseph had to speak first. “What about what she said though?”

“Joseph what one says and what one does are two very different things. Now don't get me wrong she wouldn't ignore the distrusted issue. She would be roaring mad for us allowing the problem to continue for so long. And by roaring I mean I can see her just roaring at us for a while. Zarena became a sleeper to protect this community though and well. It's a lot harder to kill someone whenever their mother or father is speaking on their behalf especially if they haven't harmed anyone. Oh I should admin what I said. Zarena is too much of a sweet heart to murder someone who hasn't actually broken any rules yet.”

Dan, “Mina do you agree?”

Mina, “Well if we were still in a state of war I have no doubt she would kill them all.”

Flora, “Oh! That is true. Yes had she learned of them immediately after waking up they would have been dead.”

Mina, “Right now things are peaceful though and we have a chance to fix things. Now if nothing was done about the distrusted in that case I believe she'd end up calling for their deaths. So what did you want to talk to us about it though? Are you looking for some support? I'll be honest with you Joseph any support I can offer depends on what is planned.” As she spoke Mina glanced over at Dan. Of course she already planned on supporting Dan's efforts. Once again she was trying to not reveal that Dan had already let her in on the meeting.

“Well before that. Maria.” Joseph didn't get far before he felt something press to his lips.

“We've been over the whole brothers have secrets and sisters have secrets thing before. Let's move onto something relevant.” As she spoke Maria settled back into her seat. After Joseph had come home in an anxious state so many nights and the meeting with the distrusted Maria wasn't surprised. The idea that the distrusted had stolen the life bloom he first grown was a bit upsetting though. “Wait before that. What's being done to those distrusted that stole the life bloom?”

“Nothing yet. Vera knows who they are.”

“Nothing! You have got to be kidding me! Even if a sister wasn't one of the distrusted if she was caught stealing something like that she would at least get the day lights beat out of her and be given a new and probably quite unpleasant work assignment. Now for a.”

Flora, “Maria settle! He said yet.” As Flora spoke she glanced towards her daughter. The tone of her voice seemed enough to settle Maria down though she gave a rather frustrated sigh.

“Fine but if they get away with a theft that's utter crap.”

Mina, “Maria has a point Joseph. That's not the type of thing you let slide.”

Joseph, “Hear me out first. Our current plan is to move all our research and development work into the citadel. We'll lock down a few rooms for emergency use and then begin converting the wrest of the laboratory into a detention center for the distrusted. There they'll be charged with growing their own food and possibly tending to some animals. The current notion is that the distrusted confined there will be given a curfew at which time they must return to the laboratory. They will lose all authority over the claimed as well as young sisters and be required to work their way back into the community. Those distrusted who stole the life bloom won't be allowed to roam.”

Maria, “That's it?”

Flora, “Maria! The brothers are trying to be merciful in their dealings with the distrusted. I remember a little miss who hoped for a little mercy once upon a time.”

A sigh escaped Maria as she nodded her head. She was forced to go to sleep but at least she was allowed to go to sleep well fed and given some time with her mother. “So they won't be allowed around the brothers anymore?”

“Unless they have a keeper.”

While Flora was holding Dremera she couldn't help but notice how the young girl was trying to edge herself closer to Dan. The feeling of the little squirming and the way Dan held her attention made it hard for Flora not to chuckle despite how serious the conversation was. She was rather surprised whenever she heard a very sharp meow from Dremera while her arms reached out for her father. The fact that Dan immediately turned to look at her and seemed to know what she wanted was even more surprising. Flora kept a close watch on Dremera's hands and feet as Dan reached up and pressed his hand against her stomach.

“Are you upset that I'm not paying attention to you? Is that it young lady?” As he spoke Dan began to rapidly move his hand over Dremera's stomach. The fact that Dremera began to purr moments later made him smile. “Yes you wanted your belly rubbed just like your mommy does.”

Mina, “Dan!” While it was true that sisters could easily tell when a sister or brother had sex as well as with who the finer details were more of a mystery. Some details could be determined by what parts of the body were most heavily saturated but there was plenty of between that wasn't revealed. Now Mina felt herself blushing slightly even as Dremera began to purr more loudly.

For a moment Dan said nothing and when he did speak he chose to avoid Mina's glare. “You were saying Joseph?”

Mina, Oh no. Don't think that this conversation ends there.”

Flora, “Don't worry Mina. I'm sure he'll rub your belly all you want to make it up to you.”

Mina, “Flora!”

Flora, “You should have him cover his hand in some warm scented oils before he begins his work. The type that can really work its way into your fur and warm your skin. Just make sure that the scent isn't overpowering or be prepared to really work to wash it out. I remember a scent message I got once. It was wonderful for about thirty minutes. Then for the next week I couldn't hunt properly because my scent kept giving away my location and nothing tasted right due to the smell.”

Mina, “Joseph please continue!” Even through her dark black fur Mina felt certain that everyone in the room could see her blushing. The fact that Dremera gave a delighted squeal seemed to confirm that.

“Ah well that is. Once the distrusted have been housed in the redone laboratory we hope to contract with a spirit to maintain a watch over them. The orcs are going to be called on to help with this. We also plan to make use of security features like head counts and scent checks to make sure the scent of a distrusted isn't found where it shouldn't be. We don't plan on just locking them up though like I mentioned before. We're working on a system that will allow a distrusted to earn her way back into the community.”

Flora, “Just what kind of system are we talking about?”

“You could compare it to the claimed system. They'll be assigned task to perform and those who show the desired progress will be rewarded with greater freedoms.”

“That's very vague Joseph.”

“We haven't worked out the finer details yet to be honest. That's one reason I wanted to speak to the three of you actually. We know that for this to work the sisters are going to have to agree as well. What kind of progress would you have to see? I know that the sisters will never accept the distrusted so long as the distrusted see the brothers as slaves.”

Flora, “The first step should be obvious then. The distrusted must recognize that the brothers aren't just outsiders who have been brought into the community. Several of them have been born to the sisters as not just accepted brothers but those carrying a blood connections. Our sons. As upsetting as it is to have a distrusted look upon a brother and see a slave it is even more so to have them look upon your child and see a slave. Well if Stella is to be believed.”

Mina, “I believe her. As much as I care for my fellow sisters to have someone look upon Dremera as something less then themselves would be positively infuriating to me. I suppose that if that is the first step the next would be for them to acknowledge the rights of mates.”

Immediately Flora gave a nod. “Indeed as such brothers don't just share the common bond that all do. They also have particularly strong bonds to certain sisters. I may not have a mate but they are certain males I am very fond of and glad to share myself with. Given how you gush over Dan and you gush over Joseph I can't help but imagine your anger is even greater then mine whenever a distrusted looks down upon them.” As she spoke Flora first indicated Mina and then Maria. “Acknowledging the blood connection and that those brothers born of a sister carry a connection to them should be a reasonable first step.”

Joseph, “So you would argue that they have worth due to their connections to the sisters?”

Mina, “No. I wouldn't say that personally. However, this should be something that the distrusted should understand. After all whenever two become mates they share a very special connection. Dan is an inseparable part of my life after all and were I too lose him part of me would die with him.” As she spoke Mina placed one hand on each side of Dan and gave his shoulders a gentle squeeze. He responded by leaning back and raising up so that his head rubbed against the underside of her right breasts. This brought a slight chuckle from her despite the teasing she'd received earlier.

Joseph, “Yes I can see where that could be a start.”

Flora, “Naturally this wouldn't be enough for them to accept them. It would make them more tolerable though. I'm not certain what kind of reward you might offer for this change in mentality other then the wrest of us would be a little more tolerant of their presence.”

“I'm not sure either but at least it would be a start.”

Maria, “Joseph are the distrusted going to be allowed to have sex while they're confined to the laboratory? As I have to say. If they're not allowed to be near any brothers without a keeper to keep an eye on them and they no longer have any authority over the claimed they're probably going to find themselves cut off. Perhaps once they're ready to recognize the rights of a blood related brother they could be allowed to have sexual interaction with willing claimed or brothers. That way if they ended up having a son at least they could be trusted to recognize their own child's rights.”

Joseph actually felt himself recoil a bit at Maria's question. The sexual interaction of the distrusted wasn't something he had been considering. He knew their size presented a problem as if they were to become pregnant they would have to be allowed to grow. They would then be required to regress in size once the child was born and the infant would be raised by another sister. “Maria wouldn't it be better to say that a distrusted that had reached that point would be allowed to raise their own child if one was born?”

Flora, “I wouldn't say that. Perhaps raise the child with close supervision.”

Maria, “Yeah but no I'm talking about them not being able to have sex. I mean. What keepers are going to want to wait around while a distrusted has sex with a brother? I suppose that some distrusted might be able to convince a keeper to let them have sex with a claimed if the claimed was willing. It sure would be strange. Mom what would you do if a distrusted asked you if they could spend some time getting dirty with one of your claimed?”

“Oh that is a hard one to answer. I guess if they had been on their best behavior and were interested it would be fine.”

“The distrusted?”

“No! Silly. I mean my claimed. They are men after all and some men enjoy the touch of a woman even if she's rather unpleasant beyond such interaction. I'm sure many of them would enjoy the physical aspect of such an encounter so long as the claimed was mindful of their well being.” A slight chuckle escaped Flora as a short list of names ran through her mind. “Of course. With the decrease in the number of claimed and my other responsibilities I don't really have many to tend to. The few I have are trusted claimed that I don't really have to supervise.”

Mina, “So there call?”

“Oh most of the time I suppose. Tom prepared some alcohol for himself and the others which would normally be fine but he became overly intoxicated and I had to handle him. None for him until he's off probation.”

Both Mina and Maria were made to chuckle at the image. Dan and Joseph took this moment to look at one another. The fact that Dremera began to giggle a few moments later drew both mens attention.

As Flora had been playing with her Dremera had been observing all three of the larger females while maintaining a hold on her father. The sudden laughter from all three females had at first struck her as curious. As she had listened to the laughter though it had built within her and soon the young girl found herself laughing along though she didn't know why. It didn't help that Flora began to tickle Dremera and speak to her a few moments after she began to chuckle along.

“Oh you're too young for such naughty thoughts little lady!” As she spoke Flora was certain Dremera was more responding to the mood then anything else. It was still a funny image especially as she noted Dan and Joseph's expressions.

Joseph, “I see. So does this mean we will have your support whenever it comes time to make the change?”

Flora, “We're still missing some things. Let's talk about how you might evaluate the distrusted without being tricked.”