"Beautiful, isn't it?"
That was an odd line, so I couldn't help but glance curiously at the Abyssal woman by my side. Was she referring to the budding flowers down the path, the moon hanging over our heads in the clear sky, or the city park as a whole? Actually, hold that thought. I've read a bunch of Judy's 'research material', and based on that, this situation was eerily familiar to one of those clichéd romantic scenes. The kind where the female lead would go 'Pretty!' while looking at sothing, and then the male lead would start furiously blushing and gormlessly gawking at her as bishi sparkles fill the panels, or sothing.
"Is there sothing on my face?"
Goddamit…
"No," I responded in a neutral voice. "I was just wondering what you're referring to."
The head of House Shamash flashed a demure smile and tilted her parasol backwards so that she could look directly up through the gap between the treetops.
"I always found the night sky of the outside world so fascinating. The stars, the moon…" She let out a soft chuckle. "I'm not particularly fond of the sun, but it's still a captivating sight. The skies of the Abyss are very plain in comparison." She turned back to with a aningful glint in her ruby-red eyes. "But I presu that's sothing you already know."
I did, but the way she was saying it as if it was common knowledge still made raise a brow.
"What makes you think that?"
"Didn't you see it during your visit to the Abyss?" I had to make so effort to maintain my poker face, and seeing that I didn't react, she soon clarified. "On the occasion Lord Tracas ntioned during our dinner eting. I believe it was the ti you took so of House Inanna's Fauns out of the Abyss."
"Oh. You're talking about that…" I murmured with just a hint of relief. For a split second, I was worried soone noticed my latest visit to the Abyss and she was playing mind gas with . More importantly though… "I find it odd that you keep presuming that I personally rescued them back then."
"Did you not?" She asked back, but before I could respond, we stopped at a branch in the paths and she turned to face . "Based on what I know, back then you didn't possess the kind of backing you do today. Even if you did, you have a long and storied record of taking decisive action in person. It's also an open secret that you were in so kind of mutually beneficial relationship with Bel of the Abyss before you ascended to the throne of Elysium, and knowing that he possesses the ability to carry people between realms, those individual strokes paint a complete picture." She didn't wait for to respond and gestured towards the fork in the paved path. "Which way shall we proceed?"
"The left," I responded reflexively. "That one goes around most of the park, and it'll lead back to the information board after we make a full circle."
She inclined her head in agreent and the two of us started walking again. The silence didn't last long.
"You appear to be familiar with the roads of this park."
"I patrolled this place a lot a couple of months ago." She was looking at attentively, so I added, "We were hunting an undead Chira. It's a long story."
"Sounds like a fascinating tale. Once the war is over, please remind to invite you over, so that I could listen to it under more relaxed circumstances."
"Aren't you thinking ahead a bit too much? I think resolving the civil war situation takes precedence over planning any tea parties."
"I was thinking more along the lines of a wine tasting, but that sounds lovely as well." She let out a soft chuckle, finding the conversation mildly amusing. "If you ask , thinking of a pleasant future makes the hardships of the present feel much less daunting."
"I don't necessarily disagree in principle, but it's a bit too optimistic for my tastes."
"I'm an optimist," she freely admitted.
"You struck more as a political realist the last ti we talked."
She let out an amused hum and told , "Optimism and naiveté are not synonyms."
"I suppose. I'm more of a professional pessimist myself."
"There's nothing wrong with that." Her tone was conclusive, and she consequently steered the conversation in a different direction. "Since the topic of the civil war ca up, I believe we might as well address the true subject of our clandestine eting."
"Clandestine," I repeated after her a touch incredulously, and she inclined her head a bit. Was I supposed to keep our eting a secret? It didn't really matter at this point, since the girls and the rest of the family already knew about it, so decided to gloss over it. "Never mind. I'm listening."
She didn't respond right away. She absent-mindedly swirled her parasol a few tis, as if to build tension, then began to speak in a firm voice.
"The last ti I could only briefly touch upon the greatest setback we're suffering in the face of the Lord of Inanna's aggression. On the surface, the Houses are joined in shared purpose, but in reality, our alliance is a tenuous one, with everyone involved still weighing their own gain over the common good." She exhaled a sharp breath and looked in the eye. "You've already seen what I'm referring to with your own eyes."
For a split-second, I once again thought she was referring to visiting the Abyss, but I was pretty sure I was just being paranoid, and she was talking about sothing else. I didn't need to think long to realize what she truly ant, and then I felt a bit foolish.
"Tracas and the remains of House Ashur being more preoccupied with 'fixing' the succession than fighting Noir, I presu."
"Along with House Nergal urging him on, yes." Her expression grew weary, and as she glanced up at the sky again, she suddenly looked a decade older. Or maybe just felt so. "As I've said before, I'm not nearly young and idealistic enough to believe that people, let alone the Houses of the Abyss, would willingly co together for the sake of the greater good, even when their utter destruction is looming over their heads. In a way, the other Lords are as optimistic as I am." She glanced back at and flashed a thin-lipped smile. "They are so busy planning how they would re-draw the political landscape of the Abyss, they neglect the war we must win in the present."
"I'm quite familiar with self-destructive leaders living in their own little world, so I can relate," I spoke in a casual tone, and my comnt drew a soft chuckle from her.
"I assud that you have experience with such matters, and it's part of the reason why I sought you out in person, going as far as to insert myself into Lord Tracas's negotiations as a witness. I'll be frank with you, Lord Leonard. We need you."
"I've got that much from the part where you promised that you would give anything I asked for in exchange for my support. What I've yet to hear is exactly what you're expecting from ." I narrowed my eyes and added, "I imagine it's not sothing as straightforward as jailbreaking soone."
My words were followed by a long beat, and then she nearly stumbled when she couldn't hold it in any longer and burst into laughter.
"I've… never thought that breaking in and out of the most infamous prison of the Abyss would be ever described as 'straightforward', but I suppose there's a first ti for everything." She flashed an absent-minded smile at , but then she caught herself and cleared her throat before she continued in a more subdued tone. "While my request might not be as 'simple', it is in many ways just as outrageous: please lend us your na."
I had a feeling she didn't an that literally (though in a world with magic, one could never be too careful), so I interpreted it as its 'normal' aning.
"Wouldn't my open support hurt your side? I was under the impression that many in the Abyss were already convinced that Bel of the Abyss was just a Celestial false flag operation."
"Is he?"
"No."
"Then it should be fine, shouldn't it?" She sounded a touch provocative, and I could see a hint of a smile dancing at the edge of her lips. "Your rivalry with the Lord of House Inanna is well-known, as well as your penchant for involving yourself with others' conflicts. Just voicing your support of our cause would bolster the resistance against the aggressors."
"I'm not entirely convinced about that, but even if we presu that my na would sohow command enough respect, wouldn't the current acting Archon of Elysium denouncing Noir and Bel just strengthen their claims?"
"Allow to allay your doubts one by one," she responded lightly and… was she enjoying this discussion a bit too much? In any case, she twirled her parasol again and told , "You might not know this, but your na has been on many lips in the Abyss. Not as the Archon Polemos, but as the Peacebringer."
"The what now?"
The skin on the back of my neck imdiately broke out into goosebumps. When the heck did I gain another embarrassing title like that?
"Tales of your exploits spread amongst the populace like wildfire, and even those in the castle halls of the great Houses can't help themselves but share them in hushed whispers." She must've realized that I was feeling uncomfortable, because her whole face blood into a smile at my expense. "The great unifier, who not only united the disparate Dragonblooded clans, but also brought the dreaded Knighthood into the fold, and even ended the centuries-old cold war between the Wingless Ones and our Celestial cousins. You can easily see that such feats would ignite hope in the hearts of many. After all, if those ancient hatreds can be set aside, then can't the Abyss also benefit from the sa?"
That was overstating things a bit, as usual, but let's ignore that for the mont and focus on the more baffling aspect of this conversation.
"Where are those rumours coming from?"
"I'm not entirely sure. They seem to have cropped up naturally, in response to your deeds."
"No, I ant to say that it makes no sense that such rumours would organically spread to the Abyss of all places. On Critias, sure, but the Abyss is… Wait."
I felt a bit stupid at this mont, but I had to double-check, so I gestured for her to stop and then I activated my Leoforr. I didn't switch outfits, but accessed the leftover storage space in the array housing Cal and Teeny and retrieved the small handwritten notebook I stashed in there.
"What is that?"
"Don't mind , I just have to check sothing," I said as I took half a step to the side to make sure she couldn't see the writing.
"What a curious sight. From whence did that booklet appear? Was it one of your fabled enchantnts?"
"Yes, but that's beside the point. Please give a second." She nodded and quietly waited for to flip the pages until I found what I was looking for, and I involuntarily hissed out a quiet, "Goddamit, future-," through clenched teeth.
"Pardon?"
"Never mind!" I exclaid and stashed the notebook away, followed by a reassuring smile. "Let's ignore those pesky rumours for now. It’s not like we can do anything about them."
Her intrigued gaze told she wanted to ask, but her better judgnt made her nod along.
"As you wish. Now, for your other doubt, about Bel of the Abyss's legitimacy." She paused aningfully and then turned on her heel, which I understood as a gesture to keep moving, so we started walking again as I listened to her. "To put it in blunt terms, whether he's truly Bel of the Tenebrous Flas or not is entirely irrelevant."
"Is it?"
"Yes." She didn't as much insist as simply stated a brute fact. "Let us presu that he truly is, as both Elysium and your Draconic Federation proclaid, the second coming of the Emperor of the Abyss. What does that an?" She shook her head, as if the question itself was silly. "It's nothing. True Emperor or not, he chose to wage war on the Noble Houses that inherited his land, without attempting to publicly proclaim himself and gain our support and allegiance. None of us will follow a man like that, whether his claims to the empty throne are legitimate or not."
"What about the neutral House?"
"House Ninhursag? They're a wild card. They refused to join the alliance of Noble Houses, but they never acknowledged the Lord of Inanna's claims either, and they isolated themselves on the Eastern coast of the Abyss. To be perfectly honest with you, I'm secretly hoping that your involvent might finally break them out of their self-imposed isolation."
"You're already presuming that I'd support you."
"Won't you?" she asked back, sounding almost playful. "Why else would you have listened to for this long, unless you were already inclined to help us?"
I didn't have a good coback to that, so I let the silence answer for .
"While you would not be able to gain much, I can tell you with perfect certainty that aiding us will lose you one thing," she pressed on, her voice full of confidence and conviction. "An old enemy. Aid the Abyss in our ti of need, and you will gain the goodwill of both the Noble Houses and the populace. It might not be enough to imdiately erase the millennia of bad blood between the Abyss and Elysium, but I swear on my na that in this generation, both of our people will have peace and prosperity." She fell silent for a long beat, and then added, "Also, it would be your crowning achievent; the final notch on the belt of the Peacemaker that will go down in history. Doesn't that sound nice?"
"I don't care much about that, but…" I hesitated for a second, but after mulling over it a few tis, I eventually gave in. "Fine. Let's just say that I tentatively accept that."
"Oh? That was quicker than expected." She sounded surprised. She must've thought I would need more buttering up. "Very well. I'm listening."
"To what?"
"Your terms," she responded off-the-cuff. "I've stated our part of the deal, now it's your turn to state your terms and conditions."
"I thought we were already done with that." My answer made her stop in her tracks, so I took one last step and turned around to face her. "I give you support, I get peace and prosperity. Sounds fair."
Her eyes went wide as saucers, but a mont later she broke into laughter again, and it took her several seconds to rein in the impulse.
"You truly are a strange man, Lord Leonard," she uttered while theatrically wiping the corners of her eyes. I ignored both her comnt and her acting and changed the subject.
"I can't promise military support, but I can give you supplies and humanitarian aid. If you want anything specific, please send a proper written request through the official channels."
"The website with the adorable cartoon dragon. Yes, I was told about it." She flashed a smile, and added, "I promise to do so, yet there's an already pending request that I would urge you to take upon yourself."
"The Ashur kid?"
"Indeed." She nodded along and dramatically closed her parasol before tapping its end against the pavent like it was a fancy walking cane. "While I don't endorse Lord Tracas's motives or House Nergal's ddling, I have to say that there are scarcely any better ways to publicly announce your support of our cause than rescuing the young Lord of a fallen House from the clutches of Bel of the Abyss and his Herald. Don't you agree?"
"So we're back to square one," I grumbled, but then I followed it up with a more distinct, "Why, yes. It would have quite the theatrical flair."
"I'm glad we're in agreent." The head of House Shamash flashed a delighted smile at , and I saw that the faint mist around her body was starting to billow and roil, as if whipped up by a strong wind. "I won't take any of your precious ti today, Lord Leonard. The next ti we et, let it be in an official capacity and in front of credible witnesses, so that our alliance may be enshrined in writing. And who knows?" As she spoke, her outlines beca more and more hazy, her pale skin was turning the sa black as her clothes, along with the sclera of her eyes, and her red irises gained an otherworldly orange glow. Then, just as her appearance was becoming truly uncanny… she flashed a warm smile and added, "Maybe we could have that tea party sooner than expected?"
Not a second after she said that, she winked and her whole body collapsed into a black mist with a dull orange-red light at its center, only to then disappear with a loud 'whoosh'.
So… she was also a fan of dramatic exits, huh? Birds of a feather, I guess.
More importantly though, while I had my reservations about this whole alliance business, knowing that future-'s handiwork was in play, I could kind of see the outlines of a plot in the making, and if I read the instructions in the notebook right, having allies within the Abyss was part of the plan. Probably.
I an, the instructions weren't exactly clear on that, most likely as part of so spoiler/paradox prevention asure, but I was still pretty sure I was on the right track.
…
Buuut just to be sure, I quickly completed the circle around the park, hopped into the public toilets near the info board, and then donned a familiar outfit. Making sure my lapels were in order and my top hat was sitting on my head firmly, I gave myself one last look in the mirror and then disappeared for a quick reconnaissance mission. Just to be safe.
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