2279 Ground Rules (Part 1)

Kamila wolfed down the chicken and gulped down the entire bottle of tonic before replying.

"I'm not surprised, dumbass. Don't you remember what happened back when Lith showed me his past life as Derek? No mana poisoning there either."

"No need to be cranky!" Solus said, receiving a hungry snarl in reply that she countered with a plate of steaming roasted potatoes. "This is actually pretty great news. It means that until the baby girl is born, teaching you will be a cakewalk.

"Even better, if the baby keeps this ability even out of your womb, there's no telling how quickly she will master even complex disciplines like Dimensional Magic or Light Mastery."

At those words, Kamila choked on her food and stopped eating. Judging from the mean look she threw at Solus while cleaning herself and swallowing what was left in her mouth, Kamila didn't share Solus' optimism one bit.

"Look, if we want to make our relationship work, you can't do this. Like ever." Kamila said. "Otherwise I'll kick your ass or die trying."

"What did I do wrong?" Solus was puzzled.

"You bragged about something you can do and I can't. Something that will bring you closer to my child than I will be." Kamila said, her voice bearing just a tinge of annoyance after recognizing the honest mistake.

"This is going to be hard anyway but if you turn it into a competition, our relationship will turn sour beyond salvation."

"I'm sorry, I really don't follow you." Solus had no idea what she had done wrong yet she felt guilty nonetheless.

"Solus, you just said that you and Lith might be able to have with our daughter the same privileged channel you two share. That no matter how long a mind link lasts, the baby won't suffer from mana poisoning whereas I will." Kamila replied, making Solus turn pale.

"I'm so sorry. I wasn't brag-" Kamila raised her hand, asking Solus to let her continue.

"It means that, again, your bond with Lith puts you in a privileged position compared to me. That our daughter might consider you her Mom more than me. Can you understand how painful it is for me?"

"Yes." Solus clenched the frills of her dress, feeling the dumbest genius ever.

"On top of that, I don't want the baby to learn magic faster than me. What will I do if she Warps around before I master dimensional magic? How am I supposed to protect her if she flies around faster than me thanks to some Light Mastery trick?" Kamila said.

"I'm no different from Threin, Solus.

"I'm not learning magic because I care for it, only because I don't want to be cut off from my daughter's life. I want to be able to teach her how to control her powers, follow her around, and catch her when she runs away in a tantrum.

"All things that you'll be able to do whereas I won't unless we set ground rules from now on. I need your help, or I won't be able to spend time alone with my daughter. Do you understand?"

"Yes." Solus replied.

'How can I be so bright and yet so dumb?' She actually thought. 'The baby is still unborn yet Kamila already thinks like a mother whereas I'm no different from Ripha, thinking only about magic.'

"Now, if we don't want our mother-daughter relationship to be skewed in your favor, I need you to think deeply about how you act and speak, sister Star." Kamila pointed at Solus' pendant. "Because even words hurt and children learn our bad habits fast."

"Then I'll need your help as well, sister Moon." Solus gave her a thin smile. "Because when I get lost in magic, I suck at everything else. I need you to ground me when I fly too high."

"I can do that." Kamila nodded. "As a rule of thumb, never teach our daughter anything I don't know already. This way, I can be her mentor as well and she can't fool me with her magic. Okay?"

"Okay." Solus too nodded. "By the way, will her moniker be sister Sun? You know, because of the pendant?"

"Heck, no!" Kamila's stern tone made Solus take a step back, making her feel like a child being scolded. "Do you have any memory of Menadion, Elina, Rena, or even Selia trying to be their children's friend?"

"No." Solus pondered. "They are loving but strict. They demand obedience and often force the children to do or eat things they don't like."

"My point exactly." Kamila said. "A parent is like a teacher. You need to respect them and understand that they know more than you do. If a child thinks of you as their equal, they won't listen to a word you say.

"Hence our daughter will call us mother Moon and Star while she will be our baby Sun. You can call me sister, not her."

"Wow. I'm supposed to be your teacher, but I'm learning a lot today as well." Solus pondered those words, taking them to heart.

"That's because I respect you as a mage just as you respect me as a mother." Kamila replied. "That's all we need to teach and learn from each other."

"Thanks, Moon." Solus hugged Kamila.

"Don't mention it, Star." She returned the embrace.

"Do you want to continue the lesson? Lith can use one more hour of sleep."

"Nah. I need a warm bath, lots of food, and rest. In that order. Or by the time Lith wakes up, I'll be smelly, hungry, and cranky."

'Too late for all that, sister.' Solus thought.

"Also, I don't want to spend these two days practicing magic. I want to enjoy your company." Kamila said.

"Agreed. Sorry for being a Lith." Solus said, making them both laugh. "Once you are done with the bath, I can give you a mud bath, a hot stone massage, or whatever you want. I visited several spas and I can replicate everything they had."

"Good to know." Kamila ate the remaining potatoes before standing up. "Mind joining me? This way, you can regulate the water temperature, conjure facilities, food and drinks while we get to know each other better."

"Are you sure?" Solus blushed a little.

"I meant separate tubs!" Kamila turned to a bright shade of purple. "Gods, Lith must have infected you with his dirty mind."

Solus blushed even more in embarrassment, knowing that no matter what she said, it would only make matters worse.

"Would you like aromatic candles for the bath?" With no excuse to offer, she could only change the topic. "Also, do you want more hot food or you'd rather have sweets now? According to Sinmara ice cream in a hot tub is the best."

"Candles and ice cream, please." Kamila sighed.

She could already imagine what Lith would think when he and Solus fused next and he learned about that conversation.

***

After Lith woke up for lunch, Kamila had worked up such an appetite that he didn't suspect she had already eaten a few times. They spent the afternoon on the mountain, hiking and taking a picnic.

They returned to the Desert for dinner, to eat with the rest of the family, and make projects for the day after.