A Mother's Love, A Lovers' Quarrel [ Martis x Lady Shura ]

"Momma! Momma!"

Lady Shura was picking flowers in her garden when she heard her children's cheerful voices calling out to her. She turned, happy to welcome them home from what she thought was a long day of wholesome fun. But her smile quickly changed to a gasp as two muddied, blood-spattered little runts ran towards her.

She immediately lets go of the bouquet she gathered and rushed to her twins, kneeling and embracing them tightly.

"Ashtaroth! Ashtarte! What in heaven's name happened to both of you?!" Lady Shura exclaimed as she fretfully examined them. She sighed in relief to find them unharmed, simply soiled from head to toe. She wiped off as much gunk as she could from their faces with her pure white silken dress, permanently staining it.

"Da'h took us hunting with him in the fomidden grounds!" Ashtaroth exclaimed with a bright smile on his face.

"Yes! Yes!" Ashtarte chimed. "We got to catch a biiiiiiiiiiiiiiig ter -- err -- tur... umm..."

"Tu'urnaak." Martis corrected, his voice calm but assertive. He wore dark, comfortable vestments that were stained as well, though not as much as his children. He held his hands behind his back as he walked towards his brood.

"Yeah! That! A Tuurmap! I-it was huge and-and had scales all over and had BIIIIIG sharp teeth!"

"Those scales were impemitrable! I thought my sling won't work on it, but D'ah told us to wait until it exposed its weak spot before throwing our shots!"

"Did he now?!" Lady Shura turned slowly to Martis. "That's funny because I recall him promising to take you to the festival where there aren't any dangerous monsters that can hurt my babies."

The Ashura King looked away and gulped, avoiding his ward's cold, menacing glare.

"I'm not a baby! I'm the prince of the Shuma clan!" Astaroth proudly proclaimed as Lady Shura continued to clean him. "And someday, I'm gonna be strong and powerful like D'ah. I'll be an Ashuma too, and I will rule AAAAALL the Shumas!"

"Nah-uh! I'M gonna rule because I'm stronger!"

"No, you're not!"

"Yes, I am! I'm the one who took down that big turnip monster!"

"You cheated! You tripped me when I was about to take the killing blow!"

"It's not my fault you are slow and weak!"

"Cheater!"

Ashtarte poked her tongue out at her brother. Martis let out a chuckle, but stifled it and cleared his throat when Lady Shura threw him a sharp look.

"That's enough from both of you." Lady Shura said calmly. "I want you two to go to your nan and get yourselves cleaned up before supper, alright?"

"But momma, I got a boo-boo!" Ashtaroth dusted off his knee to reveal a gash under all the soil and goo.

"Oh no!" Lady Shura furrowed her brows, genuinely worried for her son.

"Hah! You got a boo-boo because you're weak!"

"Your brain is a boo-boo!"

"Tsk! Enough you two!" Lady Shura said sternly. She wiped the remaining dirt off her son's knee, lightly touched then kissed it.

The gold marks on her face and arms glowed. The gold energy traveled to her lips and onto the wound, healing it instantly.

"There, all better now."

She kissed her son and daughter on the forehead, hugging them tightly without much care for how filthy they are. "Now be obedient little darlings and ask your nan to bathe you, alright?"