Annabeth Stagitta- [i]Lamia Scale[/i]

The dawning of the fifth day since her return to the halls of the Guild found Anna sleeping soundly in her bed. Ordinarily she would have risen with the sun to start the day, but by this point she was utterly exhausted. Between nursing the injured members, particularly Jeanne, and tidying up some of the things that had fallen into disarray without her, and catching up on all that had happened, she was due for a day to sleep in. Besides, she thought as she rose and stretched at last, it smelled like somebody else had already used the kitchen for the morning. So, with her mind set to take things easy, she made her way to the roof of the Guild Hall where rested her personal flower garden. There were twenty flowers present, in all, of varying types, and she scolded herself briefly; she would have to plant six more if she wished to keep up properly. 

As she set about her tending to the garden, she noticed a streak of light as Jeanne swooped off on some business or another. Anna smiled, a touch of sadness coming to her face as she watched the younger Paragon Mage blaze off into the sky. It seemed she, in particular, had undergone a great growth spurt in her absence. The fact that the holy magic had attempted to rebel against her in Augustine Town was troubling, to be sure, but it was nothing a little extra vigilance on Anna's part couldn't handle. Shaking her head, she dusted herself off and headed back to her room for a nice, hot shower. She needed to head into town and purchase some flowers, probably pre-grown ones at that...

By the time Jeanne and Revan came hurling back toward the Guild, Anna was back at her garden on the roof. She waved to both as they came in, though she was entirely unsure if either one saw the gesture, and returned to her work. Caring for her flowers was calming for Anna, it made her heart and mind feel at ease. Over the years, that little piece of rooftop had become her own little sanctuary. Which is why it was so odd, for her, to hear another set of footsteps approach from behind. She turned her head, ever so slightly, to discover that it was Revan, one of the mages who had been embroiled in the battle at Augustine. She nodded to him as he stood just behind her, finishing his pastry, while she resumed her work. After some time, it seemed whatever he had on his mind had finally found its way to his mouth.

"Hey Anna, I've got a kid, apparently, and after meeting me, he hates my guts and wants nothing to do with me. Can you give me some advice on this whole parenting thing, since you are the de facto guild mother of Lamia Scale."

Her eyes widened in surprise.

[color=f7941d][b]"My, oh my. That's... quite a broad request, Revan. And I'm quite certain I'm the wrong person to go to for tips on being a successful parent, but... hmm."[/b][/color]

[color=f7941d][b]"I would say the first thing you should do,"[/b][/color] she continued as she snipped a few errant leaves a petals from her flowers, [color=f7941d][b]"Is find out why it is that he, err, 'hates your guts,' as you put it. And once you've discovered that, do everything in your power to remedy it. Because as long as there's a divide between you and your son, you'll find parenting obscenely difficult."[/b][/color]

[color=f7941d][b]"As for advice..."[/b][/color] Anna paused in her work for a moment, and looked up to the sky, [color=f7941d][b]"The best advice I can give you is to be there for him. Be present in his life, be close at hand when his troubles find him... be there when he needs you. Even if that means shouldering burdens of your own to do it. I can't say what sort of person he'll grow to become, but having his father around to teach and guide and show him how to walk through life... that's something irreplaceable. And trust me when I say that you'll never forgive yourself if you don't. That, I think, is the most important advice I could give you. It hurts at times, parenting... but the rewards you reap are greater than life itself..."[/b][/color]

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