Minx removed the tray from the oven and began to cut rectangular bars just as she felt warm, loving arms wrap around her. The tree seemed to fail to inform her Sil had returned. Not that she minded. It was always a wonderful surprise to have her husband return.
"What did you make? It smells amazing!"
Minx giggled and broke off a small piece and placed it in his mouth.
Sil gasped at the flavor, "That is delicious! There is far more energy in that as well. Is this your latest batch of energy bars?"
Minx nodded, "is it improving? Do you really feel a difference in energy?"
Sil smiled, "of course, my genius wife will always figure it out," he chuckled.
She laughed.
Sil kissed her cheek and went to pick up the babies. They had been on the floor while she worked and fell asleep. They woke up a bit before Sil came home but didn't make any sounds. They were practicing rolling over and ended up off their blanket. Caser was trying to herd them over to the blanket when Sil came to his rescue. Caser didn't know why the babies were on a blanket all the time but figured mom did it for a reason and he was going to enforce it. The babies thought the game was great fun.
Minx finished cutting the bars and wrapped them each individually and placed them in her bag.
"So, dinner. Shall I cook or do we go to the Traveler's Center?" Minx asked.
Shalt spoke up, "how about you guys go home and I go get some food for you two and bring it back."
Sil looked at Shalt, "actually, I was wondering if I could get another cooking lesson," as he looked at his wife.
Minx nodded, "we can do that. Any special requests?"
"Something easy?"
Minx chuckled, "let's make a simple soup."
Back at the outside of their house, Minx grew food and the men harvested it, after Sil was taught how. In the kitchen, Minx pulled out dishes to set the room up for prep. Since Sil was asking, she was going to guide him from beginning to end. She also decided, putting on an apron, she was going to have Dilly make a Sil-sized apron.
The food was brought in pretty quickly and she began instructing Sil the simplest basics as he had never spent time in a kitchen as a child. The castle had servants to do such menial labor.
Sil paid very close attention as his wife demonstrated cutting vegetables and measuring ingredients. He found the measuring aspect easy to understand as he was great at academics. The fine art of cutting the vegetables precisely was a whole different story. Minx told him it took a lot of practice. As long as he understood the different kinds of cuts and what they looked like, practice would take time.
"I'm really glad you're taking in interest in this," Minx told him.
"Why?"
"What if you are somewhere and there is no food available? Did the temple teach you foraging techniques?"
Sil looked surprised, "no, actually…but I can see the value in it."
Minx nodded, "that will be on the list to teach you, then. I can't have you starving if you run out of food pills."
Sil smiled and kissed her on the cheek again. The babies were getting fussy so Minx left the prep work for Sil to finish while she fed the babies. At this point, even with people helping her feed the babies, she was running out of storage space for the extra milk she was producing. The fridge in their house and the lab were full. She didn't really mind it because it meant the babies were well-fed and could be fed breastmilk that much longer.
After feeding and changing them, Minx returned to the kitchen and showed Sil the next steps. Soon, vegetable soup was cooking nicely on their stove. Sil wanted to go play with the babies but Minx made him stay in front of the stove and watch the soup. She decided to be nice and bring Olivia to him then went back and got Owen. She put some music on and they softly swayed to the music so they would not get too distracted. The soup didn't take too long and Minx had to explain this was Logan's kitchen, designed and created by him.
Sil realized he should probably get one. The time he spent out with her made him see the value of a traveling kitchen. Minx informed him the kitchen is a very handy tool but it's not indestructible.
They sat down to eat, the babies in their laps, and Sil was shocked something he cooked was edible.
Minx laughed, "see what instructions can get you?"
"You are a good teacher."
"So are you."
They spent the rest of the evening just enjoying being a family. The babies got a lot of play time and slept through the night for the first time. Which was great because the parents still didn't get a lot of sleep that night. Taking care of the babies would have reduced sleep that much more.
The next morning, they did their Qi training then headed to the traveler's center. Minx announced they would be going out on a dangerous mission and asked everyone who accompanied her on that last dangerous mission to accompany her as well as Dawn and Fiza who were not part of her family yet when that happened.
Everyone readily accepted. Midas looked at Sil.
Minx noticed, "he's coming as well. He wants to see us in action as a team."
"I see…"
Breakfast vanished from plates having filled stomachs, Minx went to the system and added a special mission to the system: Escort Minx. She then had everyone insert their IDs. Her party this time around would be Midas (A), Aqua (A), Shalt (A), Caser, Dufus (A), Rene (C), Bonnie (C), Sil (B), Dawn (F), Mandy (F), Fiza (F), and Biff (A). Dawn and Fiza were issued traveler IDs at rank F. This was not a training mission. Raven drove them as far as she could which only knocked off an hour of walking time.
The route to the Bree shelter was too overgrown now to drive. Minx refused to needlessly knock down plants. Thanks to planting what she did, she would need someone to go through and make a permanent road in specific locations so plants wouldn't grow there or just switch to using ships which were more expensive to operate.
Minx explained on the way they were going to speak to that tree again then head in the direction she suspected her mother came from. What needed to be determined was is it above or below ground.
It didn't take long to get there. While Minx was still fully energized, the girls ended up piggy-back because they could not handle the pace Minx set and the rest were complaining. She explained once Quinn returned, Sil would need to return to his side. She needed to act fast.
"You can rest while I talk to the tree."
Minx found the tree. Three hours had passed since they left the shelter. While she sat calmly at the base of the tree, several of her party, the lower ranked, collapsed instead. Midas made sure to remind everyone to snack and drink plenty of water. Minx asked the tree to show her the best information it could provide as to where the lab was or which direction her mother came from, anything they could determine. At this point, she didn't know if the energy source was the lab or something else.
What the tree showed her of her mother's arrival into the area was shocking. She was beaten, bloody, her clothing in tatters. She was sheltering her babies with her body bent forward. The blood had mixed with dirt in some places forming a red, sticky mud. She collapsed at the base of the tree and stopped moving. Exhaustion overtook her.
We don't know where the lab is. All we can do is show you where she appeared, and the overlay map appeared in front of Minx's eyes.
Thank you. There is a danger I don't understand. I need all plants to remain vigilant and report to me anything strange.
All orders from the Botan will be acknowledged and spread.
Minx stood up and faced the direction the spot was marked on the map. She looked around at all her exhausted party members and felt bad.
"Sil, Midas and Caser will come with me. The rest of you, rest up."
They all looked at each other but knew they couldn't really complain.
"What's the plan, Sis?"
"I have an overlay right now. This is where they said mom would appear and disappear. I want to believe she made the trek underground but the trees can only sense so far. Since we've been that way when we took Sil hunting, this tells me the Bree caved in the location if it's underground. I'm thinking you can clear it while the others rest."
Midas nodded.
Minx looked to Caser, "how are you holding up with the saddle and the babies? Are you okay? Is it rubbing? Are you getting tired?"
Sil chuckled, "he appears to be fine. They on the other hand want to get out of their seats…"
Minx chuckled, "they get it honest…."
Midas chuckled, "onward, sis!"
Minx chuckled, "you guys can carry them for a bit. They do need to move a bit. Some food and a clean diaper…. Let's do that before heading out."
Babies taken care of and snack eaten, the smaller group headed out. Mandy would have the trees guide them once everyone was ready to continue.
The dot on the map was a small hill that was covered in foliage.
"Midas, could you raise the earth here to recreate a tunnel without destroying the plant life? I want to maintain the camouflage."
Midas thought about it. He examined the terrain. "I have an idea but it will drain my MC. Do we know how deep?"
"No."
"So we are shooting at the dark?"
"Yes."
Minx thought for a few moments. "Did anyone bring that scanner that Logan altered?"