Lana informed him she had something to discuss with him in person as well so when Sil returned to the Cursed Ship, she would be coming with him. Sam had no issue with that and they ended their call.
After Sil's fitting was done, they went home and changed into something less water logged. The only outfit Sil had at the moment was the vampire outfit and some pajamas so he wore the later after taking a shower. Lana had taken the other outfits she bought him to the cursed ship expecting him to spend most of his time there.
Lana decided to commission another whole set for when he was there. With him having so much down time right now, Lana was going to keep him there as much as possible. With any luck, maybe his beast clothing would be ready before he had to go back.
Lana and the babies were dry thanks to her hair piece. She did, however, put a blanket on the floor and place the babies on the blanket. They had been held a great deal over the past week and having some time on the floor would do them some good.
While Sil was showering, Lana once again reviewed her notes on ancient plants that were extinct. She had told Mandy to start shadowing her the following day while she gathered her thoughts on training methods. She had never done this before plus she had her own training and research to do to support her family and The Family.
Lana decided two things. One, an 8-foot house needed to become her research lab. The second thing was a private area to teach family secrets. This would need to be secured and only an ability user having access to it. This was harder to accomplish. She decided to send a message to Logan and see what he thought. She didn't expect a response right away. He was busy working with the Bree family at the moment. For now, a cavern below would need to do.
When Sil walked in fresh from the shower, Lana had another thought.
"My Love, can we talk for a few minutes?"
Sil smiled tenderly, "of course. What's on your mind?"
"Your little brothers and sisters. A space ship is not the best place to raise them."
"They are not normal kids."
"I never said they were. Why don't we arrange a place here, below that is just theirs. We can ask Logan to arrange something to make the place secure so only family has access. Give them a back door so they can have access to going outside. Kids need fresh air and sunlight, Sil."
Sil smiled and nodded.
She smiled back. "Can I talk to Borden and Peter about it? Maybe see if the kids want to help design the area?"
Sil chuckled, "how did I get so lucky?"
Lana laughed. She leaned in and kissed him tenderly. "I love you so much."
The kids had fallen asleep so she picked them up and placed them in the bassinet and climbed into bed. She pulled back the covers to let him climb in and turned out the light crystal. Caser lay at the foot of the bed. Lana fell into a deep peaceful asleep surrounded by those who love her.
In the morning, Sil joined her in the normal routine. Qi meditation class, breakfast, martial arts class. Today, she pulled aside Steven to ask about sword lessons.
"Do you have a sword?" he asked her.
"Yes, but I'm not willing to use it until I know what I'm doing." She responded. "I bought practice weapons when I set this place up. That should be fine for learning."
Steven nodded and retrieved the swords. "I only asked in case you wanted to use your own for training. It's best to familiarize yourself with your own weapon."
Lana nodded and took the practice sword. Her face went white when her fingers gripped the hilt. Her breathing started to become erratic and she closed her eyes and knelt on the ground as the past came flooding back.
Lana was standing opposite a boy who had bullied Dobin for months. The teacher had put her against him in today's lesson. Her eyes blazed with anger as he smirked at her under the protective gear that was standard for children to wear during such dangerous activities.
"This isn't a plant; I'll beat you easily. Then I'll get your brother, too."
Lana screamed and went in just as the teacher said "go!"
Her opponent was right. He was well versed in the sword. His grace was unmatched in the school. He was even learning to use his ability through his sword at the age of 9. Lana's body was graceful, her steps smooth, but the metallic thing in her hands felt foreign. Dead. Cold. When they collided, the vibration reverberated and she didn't like it. She was nervous and unsure, her confidence shaken.
Suddenly Lana was on her back having been tripped and a sword, end down was coming for her. She rolled out of the way and flipped herself back on her feet.
"I can see it now… Your brother all bloody because you failed to protect him." Whin taunted her.
She swung her sword. He ducked easily and replied with a swing of his own. "Your brother won't survive school. You should give up on him." His face twisted in malevolent amusement.
"If you hurt my brother, death would be too kind of a punishment." She swung the sword down with both hands going for his head and failed once again.
"You're nothing. Your ability is maxed out. I don't fear you."
He swung for her neck but Lana ducked, screaming in rage, and swung the sword toward the boy's leg. He was knocked off balance by missing her but she didn't miss. In fact, she didn't know it but she added something unknown to the sword and chopped off his leg. She had not done that before or after this incident.
This is how she knew she wasn't topped out but she was also afraid to explore it until her watch issue was handled. Coming back to the present, she decided it was time she told this story to her husband and her teacher so they knew where she was coming from on this and why beast weapons scared her.
She looked at the two men, "an issue is now I can add my Qi to a weapon and it would have the same effect. I don't always remember to hold it back."
Steven smiled, "so I need really good armor."
Lana smiled, "and Qi."
"Let's work on footwork, shall we?"
For the next hour, they worked on just that. It didn't require a single swing but he made her keep it in her hands anyway. He needed her to find her confidence.
*************************************************
Join me on discord at https://discord.gg/wuNsfeGP Or Patreon at patreon.com/MindyLeeCrouch