Love in the Time of Tenacity

Chapter 29: A Mother

I'd like to say that this particular climax has been a long time coming. Hopefully my hard work on it all has earned a review from you. Ah, well, time for Chapter 29!

Chapter 29

A Mother

"Come on, Gladion! This way! This way!" Lillie, no older than eight years old, shouted as she ran down the pristine, white hallway, waving for her brother. Gladion walked slowly, digging his hands into his dress pants. "You've got to see this!"

"Lillie, we can't just play around like this. You know what mom gets like," Gladion sighed out, taking a hand and running it through his hair, while the other started fiddling with the buttons of his waistcoat. It was obvious how much he hated wearing these things. "She hasn't been the same about things since dad..."

"But it's really cool!" Lillie insisted, very clearly ignoring the words that her brother had just spoken. The blonde reached forward, enclosing both of her tiny hands around Gladion's wrist, and finally pulling him along with her adventurous spirit. The boy appeared to give in, now, no longer struggling against his sister's whims. His feet just dragged along and he rolled his eyes at Miss Wicke as they went by. The woman was sending them an inquiring look, but otherwise made no motion that indicated she'd seen them at all. Only when they approached what was their mother's study did they finally stop.

Lillie's foot slipped on the cleaned and polished floor, and she tripped forward. Gladion attempted to stop her from falling, but ultimately did a relatively poor job of it, considering that grabbing her elbow just caused the young girl to snap her head into the mahogany door that led to their mother's office. Gladion jolted, and he looked rather fearful, wincing lightly. There were a few seconds of Lillie silently rubbing her head from the pain that blossomed on it through her new bruise, and then the door snapped wide open, revealing their striking mother.

Yet she looked...almost normal. Other than her puffy eyes, she wasn't wearing a smirk, but instead a look of almost severe displeasure as she addressed her children. "Lillie! Gladion! What have I told you about playing in the hallways? ! This house is not to play in."

"Sorry, mother," Lillie spoke, still rubbing at her bruise and looking up. Lusamine regarded her daughter with a slight affection and a sigh, bending down to touch to the mark on Lillie's forehead. Beyond her was a man with honey blonde hair and glasses upon his face. At his feet seemed to be a cage, covered up, and there was something else, some otherworldly presence inside the room.

"Go get yourself patched up, Lillie," Lusamine spoke with a tired sigh. "I don't have time to deal with this. There's a very important guest for me to meet with today."

"I wouldn't consider myself that important," the man laughed out, adjusting the glasses on his face and obscuring his crystal blue eyes. "Just someone hoping to advance the cause of the Aether Foundation throughout the world. I think a lot can be done with it to make a more beautiful world for people."

"Yes...a beautiful world," Lusamine spoke, patting Lillie on the head. She reached up to grab her mother's hand with glee, but it had already been removed by the time she did. Gladion frowned up at the man that was there, and then grabbed ahold of Lillie once more, dragging her off to find a first-aid kit. Lusamine straightened while the man came closer.

"I have a daughter, too, roughly her age," the man spoke with a light laugh, completely devoid of humor. "Planning to see her soon, actually. Now, would you like to discuss further business, Madam Lusamine? I'm sure these spoils will be very useful for research. I went to great pains to locate them."

"Mm...the Ultra Space you said? A world where even the faintest of dreams can become a reality..." Lusamine spoke out. Her lips twitched a bit, forming their telltale smirk for all of a second before it was gone, almost as though it had never been there in the first place. "Tell me more, Vice President."