He felt it was best if Joshua and whatever the Old Lady turned into familiarize themselves with each other in advance.
This way, even if Ves had yet to design any mech based on his new spiritual product, Joshua would already be able to channel her glow through the Everchanger!
He was curious to learn what sort of influence his upcoming creation could exert through its glow. He made a lot of guesses, but he wasn't familiar enough with wood and earth-attributed spiritual energy to know for certain what effects they brought.
All Ves cared about was getting access to new possibilities. As long as he was able to enrich his collection with new and useful additions, he would have access to a greater variety of building blocks in the future!
"Papa hug!"
His daughter pulled him out of his reverie by climbing on his lap and calling for his attention.
Ves smiled indulgently at his little girl and gently returned the hug. As they basked in each other's warmth, he showered her with attention for a few minutes before he glanced towards one of the most recent additions to the Larkinson Clan.
An older woman had always been standing by the side. The way she stood at attention like Clixie suggested that the two had adopted similar roles.
That wasn't far from the truth. In the time Ves spent his time on dealing with the Aduc Family, Gloriana had taken the initiative to hire a more competent nanny from Davute!
"You are Mrs. Shannon Maris, correct?"
"That is correct, sir."
"What are your responsibilities, exactly?"
"I have recently been brought into your clan to serve as the chief caretaker for Aurelia and possibly your other children. In addition, I can protect her and carry her away from any danger zones if any outbreaks of violence have occurred. Lastly, I can also serve as her etiquette teacher."
"That is quite a varied skillset."
"I used to serve in a special forces branch of my former home state in the galactic heartland." Shannon stated in a factual but slightly proud tone of voice. "I retired from the service in my forties and took up employment at a large security company. It was there that I trained in the care and protection of VIPs, most specifically younger children such as your daughter."
Ves examined the woman a bit closer. Shannon Marie-Larkinson wore a typical Larkinson uniform with the addition of a toolbelt. Her short, auburn hair along with her matronly appearance did not give out the vibe that she used to be an elite soldier, but looks could be deceiving. He was certain that she benefited from a lot of combat-oriented augments!
"Can you fight when the situation calls for it, Mrs. Shannon?"
"I can." The chief nanny nodded and gestured to one of the armored honor guards. "Aurelia's guards will always carry around a spare case of folded combat armor in the event it is needed. They carry a smaller armored suit for your daughter as well."
He quizzed Shannon a bit more and generally felt satisfied with Gloriana's choice. Though he would have preferred to rely on a trueblood Larkinson to guide and protect his daughter, a heartlander like the new hire was much more competent and skilled in every aspect.
A good nanny and caretaker could easily keep Aurelia occupied in the times when her parents were too preoccupied with their responsibilities to play with their daughter.
Shannon's military background and training was also a nice bonus, though not entirely necessary. Aurelia already enjoyed the protection of her own exclusive bodyguard detail. At most, the new nanny wouldn't get in the way of the guards.
"Sir, we are approaching the Green Dream. We are scheduled to land in her hangar bay in three minutes."
"Understood. Proceed with the landing. Did the Aducs relay any special instructions regarding the Everchanger?"
"Not for the time being. Our hosts have already informed us that the Everchanger can proceed to the Green Sanctum from the hangar bay."
"That is good to hear."
Ves wasn't sure whether he wanted to involve Joshua and the Everchanger for his next creation job, but it was nice to have them around in case he ended up needing their services.