bout to get fruit punched

It was difficult to give these lessons to her children, a careful balancing act between being unreasonably firm and too soft. More and more each day she found herself thinking of her own parents, and comparing herself to them. Was she ever doing well enough? Were there things she was missing entirely? It'd been a long while since she'd felt that deeply anxious, insecure part of herself creep up, but if anyone were to make it resurface it'd be her children.

All in the name of love.

She watched with narrowed eyes as Lore tucked in her chest, pulling away slightly. "We do not run, as Abraxas," she simply reminded her. Thalia would drill that truth into their heads, one by one, until she was tired of telling them. Until they understood. "When you turn and run, you can never be sure of what's coming. If you stay and fight, and protect yourself, you can see exactly what you're facing. We are far too brave, too strong, to run."

She knew her little daughter wouldn't understand the gravity of what she was saying, not entirely, even if she was already rightfully a bit rattled. Thalia saw so much of herself in her daughter that it scared her sometimes, made it even harder to know exactly how to train her in a way that would be productive. "What'd you find in that log, anyway? Anything interesting?" Temporarily putting the lesson on hold, she gestured to where Lore had been exploring before she'd found her.