An Obligation

Lee mixed her liquids in her strange flasks and chopped herbs finely into them also, humming an eastern tune as she mixed then together and placed them under the heat of her cauldron which quickly brought the solution to a rolling bubble.

Aetri watched as she removed her cauldron from the heat, pouring the solution into a hand-carved bowl as it's ominous yellow fumes arose into the air and marking it with a pungent fruity smell.

She fed the mix, which Aetri knew as a "Long-willow potion?" He said curiously, Lee bobbed her head

"The Nectar of the Clearwaters." She spoke softly, almost fondly as she tipped it gently to the barely conscious and frozen black-Crow, the mixture passing between Crow's playing lips, Lee rubbing her throat to make her swallow "You know back in the day, I used to whip it up for the boys in the Legion, to help a cracked rib or to mend a puncture within, I ain't drinking no strange Easterling Draft, they'd say... I'd say: This concoction is a purity of the Green-spring, conduced of the Purest waters that flowed down the Oasis of Genryu, given to the Old Jade Emporer himself, who is a slither of divinity, if It's good enough for him then it's good enough for your ugly mugs... the fools..." Lee grinned, touching Crow's face momentarily before snapping out of her memoirs "There... that aught to fix some of the internal damage, but there is only one thing to deal with a broken spirit and mind!"

Aetri gritted his teeth "Not the thing with the needles again." He groaned

Lee nodded lazily "Oh shut up, acupuncture is highly effective for mending the spirit, even if it's cold and destitute like this moron is..."

Aetri stirred nervously, He had told her the events that had taken place during his outing, and she had been menacingly quiet the whole time "What could she be thinking?" He wondered, watching as Lee began to pull away at Crow's garb.

"U-Ummm, Lee." Aetri tried to protest as his Mentor began to peel off Crow's onyx suit, drawing back her tight breeches and unbuttoning her leather top.

Like her face, Crow was pale as Snow, her long lean legs were smooth and clean like porcelain, her waist, however, was quite full and allowing his eyes to glaze across her flat stomach, He saw the roundness of Her perky breasts, loosely wrapped in cloth that Lee began to unwind "Lee..."

"Oh shut up, like you haven't seen tits before, these bloody massive things are almost always in people's faces." She grumbled, pushing her large breasts around uncomfortably, Her thin tanktop leaving nearly nothing to the imagination, Aetri flushed with annoyance as He tried his best to purge his brain of these thoughts, not that He had much of a chance to close his mind to his Mother Figures Bosoms.

Pulling free more of the cloth until Black-Crow's full bust was revealed, two tender and soft looking globes, each topped with a small but dark nipple that hardened in response to the partly-frozen air.

The Young man paused, as something stirred within, something unfamiliar, something new... something primal, He felt chest begin to burn, his eyes glued to Crow's naked body, his insides writhing as a primordial symphony of whistling roars sung in ecstasy, commanding him to-

"Hey!" Aetri blinked as Lee snapped her fingers at him, "getting a nice eyeful are we?" She asked, making Aetri flush

"N-No, um..." Change the subject, change the subject "So what... no comment on my little adventure?"

Lee's face fell a little, her eyes softening "I may have a couple of thoughts... but they aren't anything that You want to hear, Boy." Aetri raised an eyebrow

"Well that isn't intriguing at all, come on, Lee, all these years and You can't even share your thoughts?" He said, jestingly, averting his eyes and cringing as Lee began to pierced crow with a collection of thin needles in precise points.

"...." Lee shook her head, but took another breath, chasing that down with more mead "...It's time, Boy. You escaped a hanging, rescued that silly cave-girl... took down those Skjal using Black-Crow, all without even wielding your sword... You are Ready."

Aetri's good mood faded, his face falling slowly as she said those three words "You are Ready"

Lee paused, turning back to look at him as He silently fiddled with his fingers "Got nothing to say, for once boy?" She said, though she sobered at the look on his face "What's the matter? all these years and You can't even share your thoughts?"

Aetri kept his eyes down, to hide his shame "I... I don't know... I don't think I am."

Lee gave a very unamused smirk "Are you serious, Boy? All this time, all this effort, and You've lost Your nerve?"

He stood, fire in his eyes as He gritted his teeth "So what if I have!?" He growled, Lee raising her eyebrows as He paced "I told you from the start how stupid this all is... I have a place here, the Uld are rough but they are good... I have no place in Britannia anymore, I have nothing."

Lee put down her needles, glaring at Aetri in a way that quickly replaced his rage with fear, She moved towards him, rage painted on her face as she slapped him so hard that He almost staggered seeing stars for a moment "If you believe that You don't have a place in Britannia, a purpose, then You really haven't learned anything at all--stand straight!"

She pulled him straight as He frowned "Listen to me, Boy, for eight years I've heard whispers from passing traders and deserters about Your home, of the ash pile of death and tyranny it's become, how people live in fear... You have an obligation to return, and as Your teacher... and Your friend, I will not let you walk away from that, do you understand me?"

Aetri hid his guilty eyes from her, hesitating to speak "Do You understand me!?"

"Yes, Mentor." He responded, seeing her soften as she shook her head, taking more deep breaths

"I'll patch up your scrapes, then I want you to do some of the light exercises, Tomorrow we will do the Full course, I am going to show you just how ready you are. Oh don't look at me like that, just finish Your rounds, then you can go spend time with Your stupid Outcast girl."

"Come on, don't you know what day it is tomorrow? can't I have just one day off?"

Lee smirked "Yes I do know what day tomorrow is, but you need to be ready, No excuses. remember My promise to you." He did indeed, he couldn't forget that promise.

"But... Crow." He said looking to Crow's unconscious form

"She will be alright, just come here before I give you a real wounding."

Aetri bowed "Yes, Mentor. Thank You, Mentor."