Softly smiling servants cleared the last of the dishes from a recently finished breakfast. Ondua settled more comfortably in the chair within the dining hall. His thoughts were still on the sight of his daughter... and so were the pleased servants. They finally felt like things had returned to normal.
While the girl had spent her last days outside the house, the mornings and evenings had been particularly somber considering that a wedding had just occurred! Congratulatory remarks had been t with despondent murmurs and getting close to the young miss of the house made them feel almost lethargic.
"Our daughter seed in better temper when she passed through earlier."
The morning sunlight filtering through the tall windows highlighted the steam rising from his fresh cup of tea. The Talcres blew and sipped on theirs calmly while Yatrel’s fingers traced the edge of the letter that her eldest had left.
"More than just better. She was humming that tune she used to love... and actually hurried to leave this correspondence for approval instead of just having her servant fetch us later."
Zyris dabbed at her lips with a napkin, hiding a smile. The energy of the young heiress was clearly infectious... for better or worse. It had been a while since she interacted with soone that lit up a room or darkened its inhabitants just based on their mood. She found the Goltbred household’s predicant a little amusing.
"The box she was stuffing into her satchel - those wouldn’t be the items you ntioned needed their registration ascertained?"
Yatrel blinked her mint eyes and nodded at the other woman. She naturally trusted the pair that she was willing to let board in her house, so had consulted them over the strange occurrence with the gifts.
"Yes, though I’m a bit surprised she’s heading out to handle that so early. That rchant-focused Guild won’t even start sorting through their clients without appointnts for another couple of hours."
yran shifted position in his seat as he weighed how to speak his words. The man had rembered sothing he wanted to talk about with the pair.
"Speaking of early... I heard talk in town last night about a full eclipse prediction from the Void Defense Society for our region. They’re apparently sending runners with notices to all the major cities to remind the population not to panic."
The clink of a cup being set down joined Ondua’s pursed lips. He had finally taken a sip only for the taste of tea in his mouth to turn almost astringent over this news.
"I’ve read about the last ti one of these happened this close to a Descent. The texts say people thought the darkening sky was the usual sign. When it stayed so dark for so many minutes..."
Mortals in unlucky locations panicked. Many died trying to flee back to sowhere safe, when there was never any danger other than their own feet leading them astray. Even a number of cultivators overreacted, egging unnecessary evacuation procedures on that left so crops unattended and unharvested.
In a few places, that issue had been so bad that the villagers hiding in the forts ended up with too little to eat. The unrest caused by hunger led to even more deaths and bad choices throughout the entire war. A short, dark ti of a cosmic event quite literally caused a longer dark ti for civilization on the continent.
"The Society has gotten better at managing public concerns since then. Don’t forget how long ago this account was from. Things will not be so unhinged this ti."
Yatrel interjected into their conversation smoothly. She had also read those accounts - practically everyone that attended a Youth Guild had at one point. However, her worry as an adult was actually the opposite of theirs.
Those that followed the evacuation rules were not guaranteed to survive... and it could be argued that in so unlucky circumstances, adhering to what you were ’supposed’ to do just ant you moved to a place that was closest to one of the invasion beachheads.
’Spreading the mortals out for their safety is still better, nurically. Losing so during a hard fought, retreating battle at one of the fortresses near the onset of the war is better than dozens of villages full of people being wiped away without a fight. Even if people die in either case.’
"You may be right. Though I still expect soone will have their hands full with this, given the range of ti that the changes heralding the invasion can begin."
yran shook his head in worry as he affird, and the brunette man also sighed and nodded.
"He’s right. It will be just on the edge... and I’m sure even those of the Void Defense are wary of missing out on any reaction ti to begin the shift to the lockdowns and final troop placents. Though it wouldn’t be funny if the competition preparations were for naught."
One of the won brightened visibly on his ntion of the upcoming event.
"Oh! That reminds ... do you think we’ll see Corde in town soon? Surely she must want to visit another fellow hero."
A matching enthusiasm covered Ondua’s face at the ntion of the Frozen Duskblade. It was hard to stay worried about dire possibilities when dazzling ones were on the horizon. He leaned forward with a gossipy look on his face.
"The Order’s already coordinating with her on the exhibition matches through her ssengers. Two weeks of preliminaries and other showings will start after the next full moon, then another week or two for the main events."
"Four weeks of possible festivities? That’s quite extensive this ti. The preliminary section is usually only a week to leave ample room for the best of the new generation to show off before the war."
The Talcres husband’s observation earned a small, knowing laugh from his wife.
"Well, it’s not every day we get to see soone of Corde’s caliber demonstrating her forms. Though I suppose you’re more interested in how it affects trades and other schedules."
"The rchants certainly won’t complain about the festival bringing in more custors over another week, if the invasion holds off that long. Especially with how many cultivators and overexcited mortals there are expected to arrive at the venue early for training and learning the grounds."
Yatrel contributed to their talk while reaching for the inkseal that her personal servant had dropped off for her. She would make sure to read it before Ondua marked it and before it left the estate, but she didn’t think her daughter would give her sothing she would reject. Especially when she was in such a good mood.
The mother paused with the seal hovering over the letter’s blank space. A small frown ford as she realized sothing that might be quite unfortunate.
"Oh dear. She left without even eating anything, didn’t she?"
Ondua had started extolling the finer points of Corde’s sword techniques to an absolutely attentive Zyris, the two fans missing his wife’s concerned tone. yran, however, caught the warning in Yatrel’s voice and carefully moved his chair back from the table.
"Now that you ntion it, I had wondered why she didn’t join us... given her usual appetite. While she chewed on it quite drably yesterday, she hasn’t missed a morning al since we’ve been staying here."
The Da Goltbred started to tap the edge of the letter with the corner of her unused seal and her husband was finally drawn from his excited discussion. The mood on her was one he recognized quite well! He was just unaccustod to it being *not* his fault.
Yet... sohow, the look she turned and gave him made him think it was soon about to be.
"Dear, do you rember what her servant said about the last ti she tried to negotiate business after her stomach had growled just once?"
Both of the Talcres seed visibly interested in her question. Yatrel had shared a story or two already about this change in her teenage daughter... and all of them made the sweet girl seem like two different people.
"The negotiation went splendidly. The rchant even threw in those extra table settings she wanted."
Ondua replied matter of factly. He had clearly missed the point but was unwilling to say anything but the truth! After all, his wife had *that* look in her eyes. Zyris hid another knowing smile behind her hand at how dense the man could get when being careful.
’I don’t even know the true outco yet, but why would she bother asking if it were so simple?’
The reddish-blonde closed her eyes, breathed in deeply, and huffed loudly.
"Yes, you are right dear. And... afterward he wouldn’t stop talking about how *persuasive* our daughter was. How it felt like she just lood over him with a smile until he agreed to her terms."
Understanding finally crossed Ondua’s face. Even with Elua’s admission of teasing him intentionally all these years, it just never struck him... that his eldest was a bully!
’Yatrel was right. She is more her mother’s daughter... than her father’s little girl.’
A bitter feeling in his throat and hot one behind his eyes were stifled as he cleared his throat.
"Ah. I see. Now, she’ll be waiting for the Opal Scale Guild to open for visitors..."
"For at least two hours, yes. Potentially at the head of the line, but still in a line with other people. Getting hungrier."
"P-perhaps we should send her servant with so breakfast. Just to be prudent? I’m sure the cook won’t mind making sothing that can travel."
Ondua suggested quickly to another sigh from his wife. yran’s chair sohow managed to inch even further from the table... as the woman reached over and grabbed onto the hero of the last Descent’s shoulder. Her fingers gripped down on the bone as she stared him down, currently more duelist than loving wife.
"Her servant left with her, rember?"
The brunette man wanted to have left with her too!
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