Up to chapter 43 for the $3 tier on Patreon.

"Master, are you still working?" Kaala came into the kitchen and noticed how things had changed. Near the stove, Aila had put a new set of cupboards made of wood, as well as a counter that would make it easier for Kaala to prepare food. Beside that, she planned to put a sink.

"Come over here, Kaala." Aila told her, so she obeyed. "Stand right here and reach out so that you are acting like you'll wash some dishes in a pan in front of you. Try not to bend over to do it." Kaala tilted her head, but obeyed. When she did so, Aila took a stick and marked the wall.

"Excellent!" Aila smiled, and made a platform that went up to just an inch below that height. She formed a box of planks, fused them together, and rounded the internal edges. Once that was complete, she ran her hands over the surface, and used a combination of earth and water elements to smooth it out.

"Now, a hole in the bottom, as well as a pail to catch water. Hm. Now I need a plug." She took a piece of wood and began to carve it. The plug had a tapered end, blunt on the very tip, and a knob on the upper end that could make it easy to pull. She put it in the hole, and grinned.

"Let me see." She poured a pail of water in the newly finished sink. "Hm. The wood will absorb water over time. That will make it smell when the organic material soaks in. How do I fix that?"

"Master, you could use a metal inlay. A lot of washing pans are made of metal to make it easier." Kaala said.

"An inlay. That's a good idea, but not metal. I don't know where there is a source of iron. I need some lime to burn and make cement. No, cement is still porous. It would be okay if there was paint, or enamel. Maybe all I can do is go out onto the wasteland and look for some iron." Aila sighed.

"Well, this will work for now. Kaala, this is not a gift. This is a kitchen tool to make it easier to wash dishes. I still have to solve the issue of bringing water into the house, so we'll need to get water from the spring for now."

"I understand, Master. Ah, Master, what are you doing?" She closed her eyes as Aila put her hand on her chest, and radiated life elements into her body.

"I'm making my servant more healthy. In the future, when you've been properly healed, I'll teach you how to channel flame elements. That is your affinity, and I'll help you to grow stronger." Aila walked back into the main room. Kaala put her hand on her chest.

"She doesn't understand, Kaa." Shaala came out of the storage room. In her hands were a few pairs of boots. "Try this pair on, sister." Kaala's eyes misted up.

"She really means it, doesn't she?" Kaala said. Shaala smiled.

"Yeah. She knows I went downstairs to get the boots she told me to get. I even put them on, and fully expected to be punished, even though she told me to do it." She showed off her new short boots. "I really like how they fit, and how they make it easier to walk around." She sniffed, and wiped her eyes.

"We have boots, Kaa. Our own pair of boots."

* * *

The ladies were laying quietly, but none of them could sleep. Aila had a hard time sleeping, not because of the ladies though. Even though she heard some whimpers, she had flooded the area with light elements in order to purify the entire manor, and allow them to sleep.

The problem is that she had too much energy. She couldn't sleep as she was restless. Eventually, she rolled out of bed, and walked into a separate room. It was off the main room, and in her mind, it was a good place for a bathroom.

It had been a storage closet before, and now she decided to change it's purpose.

She took out the tiles that used to be laid there, had already broken, or popped off. Aila absorbed those shards, and pried out the smooth stone pavers. She absorbed the dirt elements until there was a large trench underneath the floor level of that room.

"Hm, the entire manor is built right on the ground. How does it remain standing all this time?" As soon as she said that, the soil flowed right back into the area. "Ah, yes, I did forget that part, didn't I?" She groaned a bit. "I need to lay something down, and the soil will flow around it. Or, I need to build the bathtub up off the floor, and let it flow into a channel outside. But what about the toilet?"

Aila sat down for a moment, and thought carefully. The ladies had finally fallen asleep, but now that the pressure was off, both Ellie and Elena woke up with a loud cry.

"It's okay, baby." Nuri said to Ellie. Nadya held Elena to her side, and let her seek comfort in her body heat. Aila came out and sat on Nadya's bed.

"Don't be angry with her, Master." Nadya asked quietly.

"I'm not angry." Aila put her hand on Elena's head and radiated light elements into her brain. Elena began to relax. "She's having night terrors."

"Night terrors?" Nadya asked. Aila got up and went over to Nuri's bed, and did the same thing to Ellie.

"It's a type of trauma. They aren't under pressure now, so they have relaxed their guards. As a result, the nightmares they suppress through force of will now come out." Aila lightly rubbed Ellie's back. "Let them dream, have nightmares, and learn how to defeat them. Don't put pressure on them to stay silent. Let them cry, let them cry out, and let them express themselves." She sighed.

"It will be the most difficult on you two. They won't mean to, but they may become angry at you, and even me, with random thoughts and resentment. They will feel guilt, anger, rage, sadness, and a lot of other emotions they aren't familiar with. Just comfort them as best you can, and don't hold it against them. They can't help it." Aila sighed.

"To be honest, you two may have the same problems. Even Shaala and Kaala may experience night terrors. They can't be stopped. Only endured. When you learn how life can be good, those terrors will slowly stop. When you get confident, and grow strong, you won't have them anymore." Aila smiled gently, leaned down, and kissed the top of Ellie's head. She got up and did the same thing to Elena.

She walked into the kitchen and sat down. She put her chin on her hand, and propped her chin up on the table.

"Six adult women suffering night terrors. I tolerated the Inaris up until now. However, at this moment, I really hate them."