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As Aquarina's family walked down into the crater, the sounds of the jungle echoed everywhere, birds of all types singing, monkeys yelling, bugs singing a lot, the sound of swarm of mosquitoes flying above the sky and more echoed everywhere, it was perhaps the noisiest place in all the Dry Steppes.
"This place's sure noisy every time we come here…" Justicio said. "Although not too much as we have to yell to understand one another."
"It's noisy compared to the silence of the Dry Steppes, but it's not that bad," Aquarina said. "The Amazonian Jungle was sure noisy though!"
"It was? How much compared to this jungle?" Silvia wondered, walking around Aquarina.
"Probably ten times as much," Aquarina said.
"R-Really?" Silvia twitched an eyebrow. "H-How did your tribe even talk with one another?"
"I mean, there's a reason why the Amazonian Tribe are known as "brutes" by most other… people, we usually don't talk, we yell," said Aquarina. "And that's not something everyone likes… though once we get out of the jungle we slowly adjust. Unless they're already quite too used to yelling."
"Huh, well, aren't we half Amazonian?" Justicio wondered.
"Yeah, our ancestors were," Silvia nodded. "Though, we've pretty much became our own tribe by now…"
Everstonians originated as a mix between Amazonian and Desert Elves, however, after thousands of years since then, their tribe had already diverged and gained their own culture and characteristics, becoming unique to themselves.
"Ah, look, we're getting close," said Aquarina, pointing into the distance, the village was right around the corner. "Mom! Dad! Over here!"
Aquarina called her parents, who had begun wandering around a bit too far away. Her father ended stopping at several locations, picking up some poisonous herbs and mushrooms he found interesting, and her mother started grabbing shiny stones she had never seen before.
"They're like kids sometimes…" Aquarina facepalmed, as Silvia and Justicio realized Aquarina's parents weren't all that serious all the time. "Come over here already! Hurry! Don't get distracted…"
"Ah, sorry, my bad, I just found these shiny rocks over there," Nepheline walked towards her daughter. "They all had their own unique auras, and I could swear one of them talked to me, it might have a little Earth Spirit inside… one of these."
Nepheline, who was usually strict, had a side she often didn't reveal to many, she loved rocks. She loved their shapes, forms, their properties, elemental affinities, and more. However, she worked hard to hide her hobby. She was also able to easily and accurately detect where Earth Spirits hide.
"You picked more stones already?"
"Seriously, Nepheline…"
"Well, wasn't that how she found a few of us?"
Three Spirits appeared around Nepheline, surprising everyone. It was a huge golem made of colorful crystals, a giant black turtle with a shell made of different metals, and lastly what resembled a little gnome-like girl, but made of mud and decorated her mud body with jewels.
"Hmmm? Oh you guys are finally awake?" Wondered Nepheline. "You've been sleeping for way too long… One of the few downsides of Earth Spirits."
"I-Is this the first time I see them?!" Aquarina wondered. "Mom, these are your spirits, right?"
"First time? I am fairly sure I've shown you… some of mine… Have I?" Nepheline wondered.
"Only dad has showed me like two, the Reaper thing and there was some kind of shadow bat?" wondered Aquarina.
"Ah yes, well… I guess it's time for introductions? Not like it really matters, they're going to go nap right away," Nepheline shrugged, placing the stones on a pouch.
"Don't be like that with us, Nepheline…" the crystal golem sighed, talking very slowly. "We've been looking over you for a while now, little Aquarina… My name is Crystallion, I am a Crystal Guardian Spirit."
"Hmm, I suppose so," nodded the turtle. "Name's Quake, I am an Earth Turtle Spirit."
"Aaah, she's cute!" the little gnome-like girl made of mud reached Aquarina, touching her face and leaving her covered on warm mud. "My name is Smilkas! I am a Gnome Spirit!"
"Crystal Guardian Spirit, Earth Turtle Spirit, and Gnome Spirit… Crystallion, Quake, and Smilkas, got it," Aquarina nodded, trying to memorize them. "Nice to meet you! I'm really happy mom's finally showing off her familiars for once!"
"It's partially our fault, we usually sleep for a long time if we aren't required to help," said Crystallion.
"We Earth Spirits always commune with the Earth and the Soil, so the best way to do it is by resting," Quake responded.
"We are part of the nap time club, yeah!" Smilkas nodded cutely, her big eyes were made of rubies.
"So since before I was born, you've been… sleeping this entire time?!" Aquarina wondered. "It has been seventeen years though!"
"That's very little, that's a nap!" Smilkas said.
"We sleep for hundreds of years, usually," Crystallion said.
"Hence why you can't find us anywhere else other than inside of stones," Quake said. "…Or mountains, big ones."
"Okay, that's enough for now," said Nepheline. "You guys are to huge and get in the way, also aren't you quite chatty? We are busy!"
"So mean…" Crystallion sighed.
"You're the mother of one… no, two? And you're still this grumpy, Nepheline?" Quake sighed. "What are we going to do with this brat?"
"Come on Nephyyy! We want to hang out for a bit! You know I love you too! Mooch, mooch!" Smilkas covered Nepheline's face with her mud kisses.
"D-Don't leave mud on my face! Aaagh!" Nepheline groaned annoyed, as Aquarina and the rest of the kids giggled.
This was certainly not something Aquarina expected to see today, a face of her mother that might have made her imagine how she was when she was younger, when she was more naïve and still learning, less strict and grumpy, like her.
Usually Aquarina always thinks her mother was always like she was, but her mother too had her childhood and teenage years.
"Let them be Nepheline, they're also part of the family, right?" Shade asked with a gentle smile.
"Ah, Shade!" Crystallion muttered. "It is nice to see you as well…"
"You've grown taller, and your face doesn't look like a girl anymore!" Quake said. "I guess you've finally grown up into a fine adult, eh kid?"
"Shadeeee! You're so handsomeee! Nephyyyyy! I'm so jealous! Kyaaaahhh!" Smilkas rubbed her body on Shade's face, leaving him with more mud.
"Smilkas! Don't touch my husband!" Nepheline dragged her away, leaving Shade with a new mud mask.
"Uwaah! But I didn't even give him a smooching!" Smilkas complained, moving around while Nepheline grabbed her, she was small but fought back like an angry cat.
"Hahah… T-They're as lively as ever, huh?" he giggled.
Silvia and Justicio were just watching as things happened one after another.
"Wow, Aquarina's family just keeps on getting bigger, huh?" Silvia wondered.
"Y-Yeah…" Justicio nodded. "Shouldn't we get moving though? Agua must be waiting for us…"
"Ah yeah!" Aquarina nodded. "Alright let's go already, mom! Just bring them along, they're spirits, everyone love spirits here!"
"Ugh, fine…" Nepheline sighed, walking with her daughter.
However, Aquarina quickly remembered something she heard that Quake talked about…
"Wait, mom…" she said. "Didn't the turtle say something about two children? I-I'm not your only kid?"
"Ah…" Nepheline muttered, realizing what her spirit had said. "Dammit that turtle… I mean, yeah, if you haven't realized already… Wait, I never told you huh? I am pregnant… So you're getting a little sibling pretty soon, maybe in a couple of weeks? It's definitely coming soon."
"E-EH?!"
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