{A/N: Sorry about the delay, I had multiple assignments to complete.}
Breathing heavily, Sage slumps to the ground, looking up at her mom. The taller woman observes her without any visible signs of fatigue.
With a light chuckle, Inari walks over and places her weapon on the wall rack. Smiling at the exhausted little girl on the floor, she moves closer.
Extending her hand, she pulls her daughter to her feet while brushing the dust from her shoulders.
"Good job, Sage. You're improving quickly. Shall we go check on your Dad now?"
Pouting slightly, Sage reluctantly follows her mom as the sun begins to set, its deep orange light casting long shadows through the windows. Glancing outside, she notices a few gardeners finishing their work for the night.
Sighing, Sage's attention drifts toward the panel floating at the edge of her vision. 'Quests' The panel shifts slightly, moving in front of her.
[ *New* Side Quest — Swordsman
Goal: Spend 200 hours learning to wield the katana.
Progress: 4/200 hours
Reward: 10xp, Title — Amateur Swordsman, Skill — Sword Talent (C) ]
Smiling, Sage waves the panel aside as steam engulfs them. Reaching the end of the hallway, he turns down the side corridor to take a shower. Meanwhile, Inari heads into the kitchen where Marcel awaits.
Under the shower, Sage enjoys the hot water cascading over his body, the day's sweat washing away with each droplet. Almost half an hour passes as they savour the water, waiting for a puff of steam so they can clean their female form.
After finishing, she exits the shower and begins drying herself. By the door, she finds a pair of fresh pyjamas waiting. Smiling, she dons the night clothes before searching for her parents.
Her ears twitch atop her head as she frowns, unable to hear anyone. Growing worried, she makes her way to the kitchen, pausing by the doorway to look around in confusion.
Hearing a slight shuffle, she enters the room and approaches the counter, her body tense.
Suddenly, she leaps back as her mom and dad jump out from behind, their faces lit with wide smiles as confetti fills the room.
"Surprise!"
Rushing forward, Inari scoops Sage up into a hug and tosses her into the air. Giggling happily, Sage looks down into her mom's eyes, her own face brightening with a broad smile.
From the side, Marcel watches the interaction with joy, discreetly lifting two boxes from the floor and placing them on the table.
"Happy birthday, Sage."
Setting her down, Inari places her on a chair at the table, ruffles her hair, and returns to the kitchen. Opening the oven, a delicious aroma fills the air as Inari retrieves the dish and brings it to the table.
The family enjoys their meal in comfortable silence, occasionally breaking it with jokes or remarks.
Sage smiles widely, overwhelmed by how much she loves her parents as a happy tear forms in her eye. Chuckling, Marcel ruffles her hair before collecting the dishes and carrying them to the kitchen.
Returning to the table, Marcel sits beside her just as a cloud of steam bursts from her. Coughing slightly, he reaches for the two boxes he grabbed earlier.
Bouncing with energy, Inari beams down at Sage, excitedly patting his shoulders.
With an exasperated sigh, Marcel pushes the boxes in front of Sage before pulling Inari into a hug.
"Happy Birthday, little man. Enjoy your gifts. I reckon you're going to love them."
Tilting his head curiously, Sage begins to wonder what could be in the boxes, his focus drifting further from the actual objects as he becomes lost in thought.
Tapping him on the head, Marcel gestures toward the boxes, redirecting his son's attention. Blushing slightly with embarrassment, Sage reaches for the nearest box, pulling it closer and turning the rectangular package a few times.
Digging his fingers into the edge of the wrapping paper, he tears off a strip. Beneath the paper lies a plain cardboard box. Removing the rest of the paper reveals the full container.
Running his fingernail along the tape, he catches the edge and pulls it open. Looking toward his mom, she nods eagerly as Marcel holds her in place.
Chuckling, Sage opens the box.
Inside, he finds a long, thick, polished wooden box with golden engravings forming intricate patterns. Opening it, the lid swings back on polished golden hinges, revealing a velvet-lined interior.
What truly captures Sage's attention are the two perfectly crafted daggers lying within, their blades gleaming sharply in the light.
Gently grasping them by the handles, he holds them up to examine them.
In his left hand, the thirty-centimetre blade shimmers with a dark hue. An intricate red lightning pattern wraps around the ebony wood handle, merging into the blade.
In his right hand, the other blade matches in length but gleams with a lighter tone. On the bone-white handle, purple rose engravings climb upward until they blend with the blade.
Smiling broadly, Sage can barely tear his eyes from the blades. A puff of steam momentarily obscures them as they return to their female form.
"These are so cool! Thanks so much, Mom!"
Placing the blades back in their box, Sage jumps up and wraps her arms around Inari's waist. The energetic fox woman calms slightly as she returns the embrace.
Quickly breaking from the hug, Inari hops back over to the box.
"Sage, you forgot to check the sheaths."
Sure enough, after lifting the top layer of the box, she finds two sheaths below, their leather covers mirroring the designs of the blades.
Smiling widely, both share a similar gleam in their eyes as they admire the weapons. Coughing awkwardly, Marcel steps forward to separate them before they decide to run off.
"Why don't you open my gift, munchkin? I'm positive you'll love it."
With an eager tone, Marcel guides the young fox girl back to the table, gently taking the blades from her and returning them to their box.
Pouting slightly at having her shiny weapons taken away, her expression quickly changes when Marcel pushes forward the other box with some effort. Curious about its apparent weight and eager to discover its contents, she cuts through the wrapping with her sharp nail.
Removing the rest of the paper, her gaze falls on a large metal box measuring roughly fifty centimetres in each direction. Jumping from her chair, she circles it before finding a cord on the back.
Pulling at the cord, it easily unwinds. Confused, she waves the power cord while looking questioningly at her dad.
Sighing, Marcel guides her by the shoulders back to the front of the box.
"Do you see this camera here—" he says, pointing to a small lens in the corner of the box, "—look directly into it for a few seconds."
Following her dad's instructions, she stares into the camera, her tail swishing behind her. Suddenly, steam erupts, but he continues gazing at the camera.
After about twenty seconds, a hiss sounds from the box. Slowly, purple lines trace the outside as panels begin to shift.
Transforming, the box twists and bends until it's no longer a box but instead a high-tech pedestal with a hexagonal object on top.
Confused, Sage gently pokes the object, then turns to her dad with suspicion.
"Dad, I know you're one of the smartest mechanics in the world, but I'm not. What is this?"
Chuckling heartily, he straightens his posture as a knowing glint flashes in his eyes. From the side, Inari steps forward to examine the mysterious machine.
"I know what this is supposed to be, but I'm still confused. How distracted did you get?"
Shooting a scalding glare at her husband, he deflates slightly while breaking eye contact.
"I may have gone a bit overboard, but trust me, this is way better."
Regaining his confidence, Marcel smiles broadly and steps forward. Reaching for the machine, he begins adjusting the controls, occasionally taking Sage's hand or asking him to speak, in both forms.
"This is my magnum opus. Originally, I planned to make you a wristwatch to remind you when you get distracted, then I decided to add a tracker for when you wander off..."
Marcel continues explaining every aspect of the gift in detail. Essentially, it's a small robot that can float alongside her, equipped with various gadgets to help her develop intellectually and physically.
It can also function as a physical shield if Sage ever gets caught in a villain attack. Smiling widely, she pulls her dad into a hug, silently appreciating his care and thoughtfulness.
Breaking the embrace, she jumps up and down excitedly as he completes the final calibrations.
"There we go, that should be everything you need—to activate it, call out 'HLN-A.'"
"Hmm, HLN-A... that sounds like Helena?"
Beeping loudly, the little hexagonal robot pulses as purple highlights travel along the tiny edges in its armour. The screen forming most of its face flickers to life as an eye appears.
Humming softly, the robot floats out of the box and hovers above the ground, its 'eye' blinking several times.
The three family members stare wordlessly at the small robot, exchanging glances.
"Hello there, my name is HLN-A, and I would be happy to help you out. Hello Sage."
Turning in midair, the robot's screen changes to display a different emoticon, its face appearing happy with the dot becoming semi-spherical.
Breaking the silent staring contest, Sage rushes forward and circles the little robot, happily examining it from every angle as the robot studies her in turn.
"Hello there, HLN-A. Do you mind if I call you Helena or Hela?"
"Not at all! I would love it if you called me Hela."
Matching Sage's enthusiasm, the little robot flits about as its screen crinkles in amusement. Smiling broadly, Sage glances at her parents before grabbing her blades and turning to the robot.
"Come on, Hela, let's go! I'm going to show you around the entire house. You're going to love it here!"
"Yay! Let's go!"
Rushing down the hallway, Sage heads first to her room with Hela following, the little robot scanning the house as they move.
Behind them, Marcel silently reaches out toward Sage as she disappears, concern etched on his face.
Looking up at her husband, Inari frowns at his troubled expression.
"Marcel, what's wrong? I know that look—it's the one you have when something isn't right."
Opening his mouth as if to speak, he falls into thought and closes it again. A few seconds later, he gathers his thoughts and tries once more.
Turning to Inari, he pulls her into a hug while meeting her gaze.
"I didn't program the emoticons or personality. It was meant to be a basic robot that keeps track of her. It shouldn't have a personality like that."
Looking worried, Inari tries to free herself from Marcel's arms, but he holds firm.
"Marcel, let me go! I need to get her away from that robot."
Scratching behind her ears, Marcel easily calms her as she relaxes in his embrace.
"Don't worry, Inari. I'll keep a close eye on HLN-A and make sure it won't harm her. For now, this is a good opportunity—we'd be foolish not to give it a chance."
Sighing, Inari relents, resting her head against Marcel's chest.
"Fine, I'll trust you. Still, we need to tell her about her quirks, the sooner the better."
Nodding, Marcel releases his wife as she hurries after their child. With a slight sigh, he picks up the charging station/backup server from the table and follows with heavy footsteps.
In their room, Sage happily shows Hela all his action figures and collectibles. The little robot follows, nodding as its screen flickers between different emoticons based on Sage's comments.
Suddenly, a knock interrupts mid-sentence. Turning to the door, he calls out:
"Come in, the door's unlocked."
Pushing it open, Inari enters the tidy room, her gaze flickering over the hovering robot with mixed emotions before settling on her son.
"Sage, you ran off earlier before we could tell you about your quirks. Dr Chiyu finished her analysis while we were sparring."
His eyes light up as he carefully returns the action figure to the shelf and jumps to his feet.
"Really! Tell me, tell me, tell me!"
Responding to his playful nagging with a sigh, Inari places her hand on Sage's head.
"All right, calm down. I'll tell you everything."
Sage settles down and looks up expectantly.
"According to Dr. Chiyu, your first quirk, tied to your male form, is Enhanced Mobility. She can't tell you everything your quirk can do, but she mentioned it's an evolution of Dad's quirk – Accelerated Movement.
Your second quirk, connected to your female form, is Restoration. This quirk is a stronger version of my healing ability."
Nodding attentively, Sage absorbs the information, already brainstorming ways to use these powers.