"You look a lot better like this."
For a mont, the illusionist wondered if she had actually said those words aloud. They certainly hadn’t been what she planned to say when imagining this confrontation. Confusion replaced fear in his expression at her words... and the brief similarity to her husband-wife’s features when puzzled made her spirit twist unpleasantly.
’On second thought, shouldn’t I just make him disappear?’
"I... what?"
She closed more of the distance as her Vacuum Layer kept this exchange between them. Her disciples didn’t need to hear the ugliness lurking beneath the surface. Of herself... or of the plots within families.
"You have caught in a bad mood again, though this ti you were not the original source. Arguably that was true in the past. I am trying to say that being *yourself* suits you. It’s a vast improvent over being soone else’s body double."
Sothing tumbled through his spirit - ’surprise’ at her bluntness then a fluttering ’hope’ that made her want to withdraw completely. Her teeth tightened as she clenched her jaw. That face showing such naked emotion was too similar to the precious mories of Qat that she didn’t want tainted.
Because it was impossible not to imagine a scenario in which this particular person was set to fool her under that family and their orders. If she had not been who she was. If she had been weak in spirit.
"I... thank you."
Elua nodded curtly to his hoarse response, then got rid of the barrier before turning to her disciples. She wanted to move things along before his gratitude could settle. No matter what shape it took, she knew it would be misplaced.
"Now, tell about your shopping. Did you find anything interesting?"
She felt his gaze linger as she guided the pair away. The ancient cultivator suppressed a grimace, realizing she may have accidentally encouraged ’attachnt’ where she had only ant to acknowledge his attempt at an ’honest’ life. Of course, she was sure that he had not achieved it yet.
Soone did not usually go from being sold and used as a child, their body manipulated and restructured... to being free enough to run a rchant stall. Even if it were a true rchant apprenticeship, it would be to his prior ’owner’ - or soone they knew.
"Oh! Well, we were just looking for uh..."
"A-anyway, then we thought we saw... so it really isn’t him?"
The pair of orphans deflected her attempt to change the subject.
"No."
The word ca out sharper than intended, but the disciples were used to their master being moody about the subject of her affection.
"My beloved partner has blue eyes that never change. Muscles that you won’t forget if I let you see. All in all, a lot stronger of a person than that was - in so many ways."
Her tone had softened but was especially ’saccharine’ on the last words. After so many minutes of tension, she was finally unable to keep the affection from coloring her facade. She had been ’forbidden’ from rushing over to her precious gem earlier, but her frustrations were never going to be aid that way.
’If anything, that my acknowledgent through our fragnts was enough for her to feel heartened and keep going makes so... ah, maybe I am a *little* frustrated? I want to go see her serious face and make it break just a little with love at seeing ~’
The giggles that began were nothing all that new to the pair of orphans, though it did draw glances from those passing by.
"So then who was that person?"
"Oh, just proof that the light of peace doesn’t erase shadows behind monoliths."
Cryptic lines fell out of the heiress in response to the sandy haired teen’s question - also sothing they were quite used to. Elua was feeling back to a more whimsical state... especially now that the ’shadow’ of her past life disciple was staying put without chasing behind her.
"If you’d like to be more specific, maybe we can circle back to what you aren’t telling about your little shopping date? Then we can trade for information."
Sothing caught the teasing Goltbred’s eyes - a rchant unpacking rolls of supple dark brown leather.
"Actually, there’s a different trade I’ve been aning to make."
The brunette approached the person setting up with quick and light steps. Her disciples trailing behind curiously, not thinking much of the girl being excited about leather. Her fingers traced the surface, testing its quality physically while silently probing it with her spirit.
Mortal lifetis of experience let her gauge its properties rapidly - perfect thickness, good flexibility, proper treatnt. It was sothing she could use imdiately without spending effort to refine. Her head tilted to the side towards the teen girl watching her ’work’.
"Perfect for a beginner’s dical kit, wouldn’t you say, Nohre?"
The braided teen’s jaw dropped and froze in an O shape. Her spirit lashed out with ’surprise’ and so unnecessary ’unease’.
"I... how did you..."
"Your questions during our last few sessions were quite specific."
Elua signaled the rchant and paid extra for a few bundles to be delivered to her camp. He thanked her profusely before yelling for his son in a hurry. As if getting it there in thirty minutes or less had been a part of his sale’s pitch.
The brunette shrugged and stepped back while signaling her ’friends’. When they closed in she made the sign that she would be using her Elent to prevent eavesdropping.
"You wanted to know exactly how your nd worked, what it could and couldn’t affect. How rapidly it could help. You were quite insistent about it."
Enough that Elua was concerned that she was the type to hurt herself using her own Aspect. The kind that would go too far for other people while not placing enough value on the number of lives she could save over the *full* course of her healthy life. Just like she was sure of her being the type of person to feel hurt just by having an ability that could help... but being unable to control it.
’A troubleso little water-deer.’
"Back then, I told you that I would have you look into dical practices to learn more about how bodies work. The way you lit up when we only discussed proper bandaging techniques that day was pretty telling."
Her mint eyes flickered to Fusand, noting his proud little smile at Nohre’s behavior. This was another worry of hers.
’The boy isn’t greedy enough. He would back her up and then feel lost and down on himself if she ruined her life. Because he would realize he could have stopped it by just advising differently.’
Hindsight and Clarity were the cruelest boons assigned to soone after tragedy.
"I thought perhaps having the right tools might help you explore that interest properly. Unless you’d prefer to keep watching work from a distance?"
"Master, you don’t have to-"
"Of course I don’t have to. I never have to do anything. But I want to encourage practical study. Besides..."
Elua’s voice dropped conspiratorially.
"Think of how much more impressive it will be when you own your personal dical kit designed by rather than just buying so bag to stuff things in."
The other girl’s fingers reached behind her back to rub the custom water carrier the leatherworking ’enthusiast’ had made. She would rather cut off and sell her hair than lose that gift! Despite that, her face looked like soone who was being upsold on a purchase - wanting to say no but stuck actually picturing it all.
"...I kind of wanted to try and start on my own. You do a lot for us, master. We-"
"Are you saying it’s my fault you can’t stop calling that title in public? Because I do too much?"
Green eyes flew wide as she looked around. There was no one particularly nearby... and it only occurred to her after the panic broke that they were supposed to be in the Air technique of the heiress. Her fellow disciple held back snickers and forced himself to look away.
"I don’t think that’s the case."
"I can hear you laughing at ."
"Yes, yes, the two of you can flirt later. We’re having a serious discussion here."
The raised chin and ’smug’ smile suggested she was more amused than not, despite her sentence. While the other girl sputtered, the boy shrugged to the side and nodded. The Goltbred girl was right on all counts!
"Let be clear about sothing."
The small cultivator’s tone imdiately shifted to that of her lecturing mode.
"I’ve said before that what I do for you both is actually quite restrained. I could be far more... involved in your lives and choices. I know *how* to teach that way. I don’t like doing it."
Mint eyes held an intensity that made both disciples straighten their postures unconsciously.
"That’s why if you ever truly want to stop - if I am crossing lines I do not realize - I will consider your words seriously. I can then pull back and let you decide what to take from ."
Her gaze lted as she felt a pulse of ’yearning’ through the fragnt again. This ti the swordswoman did not hide it or express any refusal when she returned the emotion. The severe speaking tone of the reincarnator faded like a chilly morning mist turned into cotton candy.
"However, you should not reject gifts or guidance if your only reason is guilt for taking ’too much’. After all, I already have soone I hold back a lot less with. Soone I would give more to than you would imagine."
Before either disciple could respond, Elua spun on her heel and bounced on the balls of her feet.
"Speaking of whom..."
The brunette darted away through the crowd, leaving her disciples to exchange looks. They’d seen this particular mood shift enough tis to know exactly who she was running toward. Though how the cultivator always seed to know and react to the approach was a mystery.
"Did she just..."
"Leave us in the middle of reassuring us? Yes."
Nohre’s attempt at nonplussed exasperation couldn’t quite hide her fondness for the girl. Fusand laughed in a quiet way that suggested he felt the sa. He raised his hand and made a Projection of what they had been shopping for.
"Well, should we follow after her or sneak away to go search so more?"
"Uhm. She did... just say we should flirt. Right?"
The braided haired teen clenched her fists and fidgeted with her foot on the ground. The sandy haired boy turned muddy brown in the face. It was one thing to agree ’academically’, but another to face the girl he liked also looking nervous but interested.
"I... uh..."
"Shop. We’ll go shop."
She punched him in the arm at the very expert edge of *almost* hurting and started walking away faster than he could keep up without chasing.
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