The noise of a whistle signaled their arrival to the city three of them called ho. Elua observed everyone as the final lurch of stopped motion brought the long silence to an end. The screech of brakes faded, replaced by the bustle of disembarking passengers as the five waited patiently in the cabin for the crowds to disperse.
Mint eyes swept over the Talcres pair, noting that the lingering effects of their late-night celebrations were pretty much gone. Cultivator techniques and good food did wonderful things, even in the backwater! The spirits of Nohre and Fusand essentially vibrated with anticipation now that their decision had been made.
As the brunette fell in at the rear of the departing group, Elua’s personal servant materialized at her side. While she’d taken the sa train, she had been told to just rest and read on the ride... with a regular ticket. Reading her romance novels on a train in front of everyone was *not* the woman’s idea of rest!
"Thank you again for your assistance, your attendance, and your lovely gift. I apologize if we won’t see each other much over the next while, as I have a lot of things to take care of."
yran returned the perfectly ’sweet’ smile provided by the Goltbred.
"It was our pleasure. And if it’s not too presumptuous, we would love to take your young friends here for dinner. If you two aren’t expected to be anywhere, perhaps you’d show us around the city? We could discuss so potential training exercises while we walk and eat."
"That sounds like an excellent idea. Nohre, Fusand - why don’t you go with them? I’m sure you’ll learn a great deal... and hopefully lose your nervousness."
The disciples still hesitated to voice any agreent. Elua felt a flicker of amusent at their uncertainty.
"Just enjoy yourselves. We can catch up another ti - and you may impose upon whenever you feel the need."
Relief and excitent burst in their expressions as they nodded at her.
"W-we’d love to guide you around. Is there anywhere in particular that you’d-"
The heiress strode away with a light wave and no more words. It was not like their temporary parting was so long farewell, even if the two teenagers wanted to act as if it were so!
’Thank you both for your sudden assistance. I’m sure my students will benefit from the experience, in so way. It’s also a nice opportunity to make them struggle with keeping my secrets even more~’
After following the river of people through the city away from the station, the reincarnator suddenly stood still. The noise of nurous spirits flowed around her... at once a reminder of the many at her wedding as well as a contrast to the intimate night spent in ditation.
The ’young’ girl felt the first *phantom* sensation of tendrils curl around her heart. She longed for Qat’s presence at her side, even as she loved that her husband-wife wanted to show off her conviction... and that she had convictions!
Elua blinked when finally drawn out of her introspection. The events of the wedding had twisted in a kaleidoscope of emotions, new plans, and revelations even as she felt her servant staring at her in concern. The heiress turned toward ho - the one she grew up in for thirteen years, anyway.
While they navigated the bustling city streets, Elua found herself subconsciously anticipating a barrage of congratulations from passersby that recognized her but could not attend the wedding. Such pleasantries would only increase the growing hollowness... the bit of deafening silence growing because of a certain devoid presence.
’I should be embracing it and letting our nas stay in the minds of the locals...’
The thought of letting herself get frustrated too quickly because of Qat being busy left a bitter taste in her mouth. There was lots to do to distract herself and plan for the increasing fa of her beloved, if necessary - but almost all if it started at the Goltbred estate. With a gesture entirely of spirit, she wove an illusion around herself and her servant so she would go unnoticed.
The old trick was comforting to the spiritualist. Faces that *might* have turned to offer their good wishes now slid past without two thoughts. Their gazes skimd over the pair as if they were no more remarkable than any other city-goer. In this pocket of crafted anonymity, Elua allowed herself to drop her facade.
The intentional absence of her usual self-deluding illusion in this sort of environnt brought conflicting sensations. There was a sort of relief - a lifting of the constant spiritual tax she so often ignored. There was also a certain sense of freedom at being ’real’ that acting in the way of how she most wanted to be like did not possess.
This liberty also brought with it a paradoxical twinge of vulnerability. Staying unnoticed the majority of the ti had been a survival tactic in her past life - a way to avoid the dangerous attention that often ca with power and recognition. It was how she learned to linger as a mortal long enough to enter the path of cultivation... and how she survived long enough to fail to ascend to Divinity.
Despite being hidden from others’ genuine perceptions, Elua felt strangely exposed. The brunette found herself scanning her surroundings even more intently than usual... her six senses heightened in response to this self-imposed whim. It was a reminder of how deeply ingrained her habits of self-preservation were that she began to look for any potential threat.
’Well, the wedding did teach that not all is perfectly peaceful. Though the lack of imdiacy and lethality the threats possessed has not been as worrying as I am used to. Which just makes even more nervous.’
The irony wasn’t lost on her. Apparently, she felt rather assailable when she was most truly herself. The reborn cultivator’s past experiences still shaped her present way of life, despite the centuries between using the skills out in public... and despite over a decade of trying to attune herself to her own delusion of an ideal.
The ability to control others’ perceptions of her had always been a thod of safety foremost. It still felt like a shield now, even if it was ’only’ protecting the sanctity of her bond with Qat from the well-aning but ultimately aningless approval of relative strangers.
’If I want their words to *gain* aning, I guess I’ll have to make sure to go on walking dates with her. Letting her experience the way others have positive feelings for what *little* they know of our relationship... has value.’
The walk was not short, but both her and the personal servant were used to maneuvering the city out of the comfort of a carriage. The brunette paused at the threshold of the quiet estate with a hand resting on the modestly fancy door handle after waving the doorman’s help aside. It wasn’t a terrible place to co back to, but she much preferred the smaller ho!
After another careful pulse of spiritual sense to check on everything, she pushed the door open. Familiar scents struck her, as the interior’s wood polish and the lavender scented potpourri hanging by the doorway made themselves known. One of the many servants appeared with a face of warm welco worn candidly.
"Young Miss, welco ho. Your parents are in the main hall. I will inform them of your arrival."
The illusionist nodded. Before she could take any more steps inside, her attention was arrested by a rather simple envelope the servant held out to her. She recognized the flimsy attempt at quickly imprinting spirit which her ’fortress’ must have started to learn from the illusory training tool.
/ Wait for . /
The unmistakable form of Qatrand’s script brought a tender smile to the girl’s face while she repeatedly read the one line note. She could almost hear Qat’s voice! The words were likely ant to be a reminder about dealing with the Negavigor tools. Yet... her beloved had been so affectionate with her lately - so she daydread that this was a more general romantic statent~
She tucked the note to her chest to ward against the abrupt ’loneliness’ that threatened to engulf her... the item sohow both working to solve and make it worse! Reluctantly, she handed the paper off to her servant and asked the woman to place it in her room. Before she faced her parents, there was one more thing she would rather do - without prying eyes.
Her feet carried her to the nursery. She had already confird Onya played in it, watched by her own unofficial personal servant. The eldest sister scooped her up seconds after entering. She murmured greetings at her in monotone, dull but sohow sweet.
"Hello, little ’river bend’. Did you miss ?"
The reddish-blonde child babbled and reached her tiny hands for the face with familiar mint eyes. The noisy world fell away for a brief mont as the two of them stared at each other. When her cheek was ’roughly’ pulled on, the feeling that rose up in the past life orphan was warm... a love and protectiveness unique to a sibling.
Forcing her facade, the heiress laughed joyously while pinching her baby sister back. A happy squeal pealed into the room as the tiny hand started to slap against her. Elua turned to the servant with a pointed ’smile’ and the woman bowed and exited the room. The area was quickly sealed through her usual combination of Elent and spiritual barrier.
Her ti spent playing with Onya was hers and the girl’s alone.
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