When Micky’s mother called his middle name, Micky knew he was in trouble. He just didn’t know wtf for… Did she find his stash?... Which stash did she find?... There were a lot of them and he had actually forgot about a few of them till he thought of them again…

“Micky Darel Anderson! I swear to the [System] if you don’t get in here right this instant, so help me!...” His mother said.

Well, it probably wasn’t most of his stashes. She had found them before and she wasn’t this angry. So it couldn’t be those… So what was it? I mean, he cleaned his bed… well had it made, ha maid!... Anyway, his bed and home were clean. That wasn’t it. He hadn’t cleaned up from coming home, but that probably wasn’t it either. There were… various… Incidents that had happened over the time they had been apart. But he doubted that she was angry about any of those. Mostly because Prin was a part of them, so he could easily oust her if she told. No point in blackmail is it included yourself. It only mutually ensured silence, and destruction.

No, she had to have been angry about something, and it had to have been something that she had seen. The only thing he could think of was…

“Micky Darel Anderson! You dare? Did I raise a child so bold and detestable?” Said Mom. She was surrounded by the girls with a stricken face. Kux was there with fear in her eyes and Mayline looked on intimidated but passively, if anything she was taking notes… worrying… Prin was grinning from ear to ear in a sly schadenfreude. Clearly she wasn’t in trouble, though she might be if he throws her under the bus somehow. But she didn’t look like she was guilty of anything, this bandit of a knight…

“How could you! You get these two girls pregnant and you take in all these children? What kind of sick pervert did I raise? How did you turn out this way. Maybe it was when you were six...” Micky’s mom started to rant.

“Mom?! What the actual [Hell]?” Micky said.

“You don’t talk to me like that young man!” Scream stated Micky’s mother.

“I might not if you weren’t acting crazy! The kids of those two were sired by Bob! As for these kids, I’ve hired them. They're my staff now, kinda, sorta.” He started so strong… and ended so lame.

“What do you mean your ‘Staff’, hu? You expect kids to work for you? Is that it? You going to force them to make your bed for you? Maybe they’ll have to put your clothes on for you too?” Said his mother accusingly. At this point Prin is full blown laughing behind his mother’s back. She is, barely, staying quiet enough to stay out of the spotlight of hate and scorn.

“Mommm, this is how it’s done. All the other nobles have staff. It’s how things are. I can’t just go around without an entourage and staff!” Micky said.

“Oh no you didn’t! I did not raise a useless fop! You will be cooking and cleaning this house and doing the clothes or so help me!” She stated.

At this point both Mayline and Kux look thoroughly embarrassed and mildly vexed. Kux, feeling the need to defend her lord without the help of the so called knight stated. “Mrs. Anderson. It would not be proper for Lord Micky Anderson to perform such tasks as he is of noble standing now even if he has yet to receive a peerage.”

This was the wrong thing to do as now she was in the crossfire. “Oh we will get to you little lady. But before that, what gives you the right to interrogate me while I am disciplining my son? Oh?” She said with a mancing hate that its metaphorical burn seemed to have caused a near physical one to manifest on the poor girl. (Just a note… that line marked 666 words… I mean just saying...)

With the first sacrifice and soldier fallen Mayline stepped up to the fight. “Lady Anderson. It is not proper for a noble to perform such chores outside of the field because it is expected of them that they are performing other tasks at the time. For a lord, they would never be able to perform their duty and the house chores that are required of them.” She stated.

“Oh, and who are you to my son to be defending him from his own mother on the wrongs he has committed? Eh?” Stated Mrs. Anderson, still using the same sickly sweet flaming inflection that roasted Kux alive… figuratively speaking.

“I am his fellow student and comrade. We have gone on many adventurers together and helped each other in to many ways to count. It can no longer be simply stated in gain or lose, our comradery can only be a permanent part of our friendship.” Maymay stated with conviction.

“Oh I like this one.” Stated Micky’s mother. “But that does not give you the right to intercede between me and my son!” Stated Mrs. Anderson.

“Mommm, please stop.” Said Micky with a somewhat pleading tone.

“Don’t you Mom me! Do you think I have forgotten about you just because you hid behind these nice girls? Honestly are you a man or what?” Stated Mrs. Anderson. Mr. Anderson seemed to take the hit on that one. Why was his wife suddenly attacking him as well. This momma bear was starting to hit indiscriminately in her attacks now…

Prin finally spoke up. She had had her laughs at her ‘lord’s’ expense, it was time she got to defending him and his ‘honor’. “Mrs. Anderson, the question is who are you to be admonishing Lord Anderson? He has already left your home, nay it is you that are now in his. He has rescued these young girls from their fates and assisted in most of those here. You are still treating him as if he is your youngling to educate as you please when all you are doing is undermining the lord of this household inside their own.” She stated. Most everyone winced.

“Prin!” Micky stated. He wished he could come up with something more elegant than one word statements but people were hardly letting him get a word in edgewise, he was lucky he was getting even that one word… and four letters seemed to be the highest count yet!

“No, no, she is right. You are a man on your own now, and even if I’m your mother I don’t have the right of it to criticise your decisions even if I see them as right or wrong. It’s just, you’ll always be my baby and I will always care for you and wish you to better yourself, you know that right?” Stated Micky’s mother as she wooshed in to hug him. The wind was out of her sails now and she seemed to have been spent in her pent up rage. His other siblings wished he hadn’t thrust him under the bus though… Now more pressure was on the rest of her ‘babies’ to comfort her… the bastard!

“Now, now dear. We just arrived, it isn’t good to start things off on the wrong foot. Why don’t we go see what’s going on in the kitchen and then make everyone some nice tea to calm them all down, eh?” Stated Mr. Anderson. As the husband it was his job to soothe the savage momma bear. Micky’s siblings sighed in relief, the bullet dodged… for now…

As for momma bear? She seemed to be letting out her frustrations into whispered comments between the still loving parents. To think their baby was out of the nest… she still remembered changing his diapers and how much they stank… She could never truly wash them clean… And Micky didn’t need to hear it… or for anybody else to hear it… or for it to be said even into the darkest void in the multiverse…

Finally things were calmed and the family could start getting settled. Micky had decided to give his parents the lowest level storefront and the level above for his parents and siblings. They could also share and help out with the girls as well. He was sure his bratlings would get up to no ends of trouble with each other. Though it seemed his parents had plans to strike out on their own eventually considering. They hadn’t planed to be dependents, and instead still saw him as a dependant. The fact that he was independent and the ship had sailed was too much for momma bear to bare… Ha!