To say Siren was worried for her children was an understatement, but she tried to remember their godly heritage. Maybe that was why she had been blessed with them to begin with. They were here to help see this madness to its end.

That was a good theory, except they all seemed to be plagued with the glowing sickness and Siren didn’t know how she could begin to fix them. Of course the herbalist in her tried to convince the pups to take their supplements but you could only give a sick puppy so many bitter herbs.

Siren fell into motherhood quite well despite the supernatural, and it didn’t keep her from wondering what growing up in a land of darkness like this would do to her two young children. The thought was often on her mind, especially as Siren prepared the evening meal and the nightly herbs she offered when any of the children turned up for dinner. Tonight she expected Albion and Scylla, but she never knew when Cerberus would be with them one night to the next.

A soft sigh left her lips as she refreshed the children’s beds and blankets from the ones stained with the glowing substance that plagued them.


"Siren Primrose Klein"

With so much strange ooze in her mouth, it was impossible not to swallow a ton of it. With her belly full of the stuff, Scylla had begun to feel sick. Her adventures had ended quickly and she made her way back home to her mom. Mom could always make things better. That was how the parental jobs were laid out in the girl's mind. Dad protected them from everything and mom made them feel better.

The girl's tiny form pushed into the chamber that she shared with her mom, brother and most of the time Dalila. Her ears were drooping and her head was hanging. The green ooze poured from her mouth, nose, eyes and ears. It was splattered across her slate and blue coat, mixing in with the cream spattered pattern. Seeing her mom, Scylla gave that soft whine that only a pup in distress can give. "Momma, I don't feel good."

"Scylla Klein"

To her surprise Scylla was home much earlier than she ad anticipated. Siren heard the door to the suites open and her dual toned eyes lifted to find her daughter’s sad form slipping through the entrance. Her mouth dribbling the glowing saliva as she approached her mother. The Queen knew her children, and Scylla could be nothing but miserable.

"I know, my little goddess.” Siren cooed softly as she led the little girl over to the bed so she could hang her head over the side. "Here, swish around some of this and spit in the bucket.” The purified ocean water held a high salinity and seemed to help for at least a moment. Siren offered her daughter the bowl as she placed a bucket beneath to spit.

"Siren Primrose Klein"

Scylla didn't put up a fuss when her mother led her to the bed. The girl climbed atop the fur covered mattress and did as her mother suggested. She swished the water around in her mouth, then spit it in the bucket. The contents of the bucket were faintly luminescent as the motion of the water stilled within.

"My stomach hurts," she spoke with a frown, rolling into her side a bit so there was less pressure on her painful belly. Perhaps it would have been better if she was able to throw up, but Scylla had never thrown up and had no idea that it was even a possibility. "Mom, why is this happening?" Mismatched eyes lifted to search her mother's face. She was at the age where everything her parents told her was one hundred percent true and she waited eagerly for her mother to explain.

"Scylla Klein"

Scylla was easy to coax, another symptom of the illness. The girl was easily led into place and made to do as her mother asked. The saliva was indeed luminescent and made the bottom of the bucket glow. Scylla moaned softly, lamenting how much her belly was hurting her. "Have you been swallowing the goop a lot?” Siren asked quietly as her dual toned gaze glanced over the herbs before her.

The girl continued quietly, asking why this was the way it was. Siren looked back towards the pitiful girl. "Try not to, okay. Spit into the bucket when you can, I’ll give you something to help settle your belly.” Siren told her as she gently caressed her daughter’s long fur at the back of her head. She gazed into Scylla’s cloudy little eyes and tried to formulate her answer. "There’s a curse. A curse over everything, and some of us are reacting differently, and worse than others. From what I’ve seen puppies are more easily affected.” She replied softly, as best she could. Hating her daughter had to go through this.

"Siren Primrose Klein"

Siren asked if Scylla had been swallowing the goo and the girl nodded, ears slicking back against her tiny crown. "It's all in my mouth and it's hard not to," she admitted. Even if she spat it out, some of it would still get into her stomach. It was coming from inside of her, after all. She didn't understand any of it, but she was ready for all of it to be over. Scylla was a new life and she hadn't spent much time on the earth, but she did know a time before she starting oozing goo and she definitely wanted to go back to that instead.

As her mom stroked the back of her head, Scylla's eyes closed. Just being here with her mom, being comforted and cared for, made her feel better. Siren explained that there was a curse on the land and that it seemed to hit pups particularly hard. The girl frowned. "How long until I'm not a pup, momma?" That seemed the easiest way to beat the goo. Just age fast. That was how it worked, right?

"Scylla Klein"

Firefly Shoppe - Siren

It comes for us all... but you are safe... for now.

Your attention blurs and refocuses. IT feels as if you are in a dream as you find yourself alone in the mist. Fireflies gather and light the way to a table with a figure waiting behind it. On the table lay three items, with their prices beside them. "Choose w̶̢̧͉̥̻̟͈͙̽̉̆̿̈͒͋̓̇̍͌̇̎͠͝ì̵̢̝̄͐́͆̓̚ṣ̶̛͙̟͎̤̞̤͎̹̙̭̪͔̓̐̾̂͆̄͆͌̈̈́̏̚͜͝͠ȩ̴͔̱̗̜̾̉̀̓̀͆͛̊̂̍̕̚̚̚ͅl̵̢̦̲̼̠̖̜̺̮̜̺͋̈́y̴̧̨̧̪̗̥̘͇̾͑͗͜͠, and only choose o̷͕̭̊̃̌̊̏̀ņ̸̼͚͉͔̒͐̊e̵̮̯͛̔̀̑͜," the figure says, looming over the table as his eyes seem to peer into your soul. Are they... moving? "If you can afford it, that is. Beware, however, for there are many d̷̡̯͉̎̊̈́͐͠á̴̬̪̣̝̞̅̀̈́̄ṉ̸̢̠̤̹̥̙̜͋͆̚g̷̛͍̹̣̬̙͖̝̘̃̈e̷͓͕̖͓̝̤̿͐͐͜͠ŗ̵̤͚͔̟̹̳̽̒͝ş̸̛͓͔̩̥̦͛̊̈̾̐̒̓ ̴̺͔̃̇̆ahead." He does not seem like he's in the negotiating mood...


I̵̜̖͎͓͒̑̕n̸͓̗̘̫͉̗̻͐̔̿̊͆̋͝v̵̦̹̠͉̖̼̮̎̌͆ȩ̸͕̦͔̳̩̈́͜n̶͍̝̙̯̣̹̫̩͋t̶̟͈̟̲̜̙̣̋̿̓̆̅͊͝͝ŏ̶̼͊r̶̖͎̙͔̥͎͙͈̊̍͝͠y̴̧͔̭͒͆̉̕͝:

• Coupon- 1 /
  Looks like a regular voucher but it glows. Apparently it’s good for one bonus purchase next time the Firefly Shoppe is nearby.
  
• Xtra Grow Potion- 1 /
  This bottle is shaped like an upside down pear and within it swirls a sparkly gold liquid. The label shows a crudely drawn image of two wolves of vastly different sizes, with a green checkmark over the largest one.
  
• Xtra shrink potion- 1 /
  This bottle is shaped like a pear and within it swirls a sparkly gold liquid. The label shows a crudely drawn image of two wolves of vastly different sizes, with a green checkmark over the smallest one.
  

Siren didn’t expect Scylla to be perfect in her advisement not to swallow her glowing saliva. The girl told her mother she would try and that was all that could be done. Siren smiled down at her daughter and kissed her forehead, silently wishing away the affliction of her poor child. Scylla did seemed soothed only by her presence, and again she wished her herbs were more effective. If only she could take away the girl’s pain, she would take it on herself instead of watching her dearheart suffer.

Scylla asked pitifully how long she would be a pup, following the logic that if she could just grow up she would be cured. Siren hoped the little girl wasn’t sick until she turned a year old. "Once winter returns you’ll be a yearling.” She told the child. "I’ll find.. Something. A cure, a balm… I’ll fix you.” Siren promised as she hugged the girl gently, caring little if the glowing ooze wound up on her own pelt.


--------------

Then Scylla was gone. Siren blinked her dual toned eyes to refocus and it seemed like she was in a different world. She was led by the fireflies to a cloaked figure and a table. She squinted her eyes at the items and despite her uncertainty with all of it pointed towards the Coupon. She offered one of her crystals in exchange.


"Siren Primrose Klein"

Firefly Shoppe- Siren

The small slip of paper is bestowed upon Siren and a wave of his hand is given. "Then it is yours," he says gently before disappearing in a cascade of deepening fog.


You gain:

• Coupon- Looks like a regular voucher but it glows. Apparently it’s good for one bonus purchase next time the Firefly Shoppe is nearby.
  

You lose:

• Currency (x1)- Used in Firefly's Shoppe, and perhaps elsewhere...