A cool breeze drifted through Damien's hair and the happy Fae's who sat atop his head, reclaiming her spot from years prior.
It had been a while since his 'best friend' had spent some genuine-time on him. Usually, she was content to be off on her own or hanging around Garrett, but every now and then, she'd grace Damien with her presence.
It had been a long time since the last then.
Though, this time, it wasn't because she was missing his particular head. Kastra was also spending time up there rather than on his shoulder, where she usually sat.
"Ah, the breeze of the open sea. Nothing quite beats it, Kass" Marci called out.
Damien couldn't see exactly what was going on, but from his mana sense, he could tell she was being pampered by his wife, thankfully. The little Fae was always the most docile when Kastra doted on her.
He definitely couldn't deny that the air did have a wonderful smell this morning though, being so close to the ocean.
Their family moved through the town, guided by his hand as he steered their coach along, passing through the bustle of Eleram during the resident's early morning weekday rush. Wherever he looked, the most diverse set of beings he'd ever come across milled about quickly in an effort to contribute in their own way to the town's success, while the family was just on a mission to gather the last of the supplies they needed for the journey back home.
Their carriage was luckily being provided by the country, courtesy of Lemshire, for the trouble. The older man was either always trying to get on Damien's good side, or annoy him as much as possible. Sometimes, both at the same time, as shown with this latest gift. The country had decided to provide transportation to all the inconvenienced families who didn't already have their own for the trip to Hathen. They'd gifted each group a driver and a coach, only up until they got to Hathen. Once there, the Driver would turn around and head back.
For most people, that's how it had been explained.
For Damien, however, the coach was a present. They hadn't gotten a Diamond carriage, but the smaller Golden variety. Still, it was outfitted with cushions, dampeners for the bumpy road, and more than enough advanced tracking/locating spells to buy a small country with. There were so many all over the coach that even Damien, who had absolutely no prowess in tracking spells, was able to tell where a few were and help remove them. They'd had to spend the latter half of their vacation day getting rid of damn near thirty of the spells before Kastra had to step in for the last five ultimately.
Perhaps there were some on they would never find. What was a spell to track, what was just regular alteration mana... It was difficult for even his dad to tell the difference.
They were just finishing up their shopping today as the sun continued to rise, only needing to stop at one last place before they set off toward the main gate.
"So, what are we picking up from the shop?" Garrett asked from Damien's left while he drove the cart to the warehouse district, following directions a pamphlet in his hand showed while squinting at the map his ring conjured for him at the same time.
"Just some ore for a project," Damien explained. "I only got enough for one of the things I wanted and with how hectic the year was... Well, I let it sit for a while. Since we were going to have a few months before our next school year starts, I figured I'd get experimenting."
"Project ho?!" a voice squealed out from atop his head as Marci's face came into view, purple hair dangling down before his face and blocking his view of the road.
"Yes," Damien said, dropping his head slightly at the high pitched yell while trying to steer. "It's something I've been wanting to try and make for a long time, but never had the means."
"Stop teasing the information, what does it do, lad?!" the voice yelled from above, smacking his head.
"Take the eyepatch off, and we'll talk about it," Damien countered. "You're going to offend the guy; he's already touchy as is..." he muttered.
"Human's... never understanding aesthetic. Such backward creatures," Marci said, clicking her tongue while mocking him.
He wanted to reply indignantly and ask where she had gotten the eyepatch, but his father also had a yearning look on his face.
"I'll explain it later; I'd rather not spout off about plans while in this country for... reasons. Not that I wouldn't sell the idea to Lemshire if I made a working model, just that I'd rather it be on my terms than an eavesdropper!" he shouted, looking upward, "taking the idea!"
Garrett looked at him questioningly, then around the area.
"I thought we removed all the spells?"
"There are still people trying to listen," Kastra responded to Garrett. "I can block their eyes and ears but it's tiring. So unless we are inside the carriage, sensitive topics are banned."
Damien nodded.
"Banned until we leave, and they leave us alone," Damien stated.
The buildings they were passing by changed from regular stores and shop fronts to longer, wider structures, indicating they were getting close. After another few seconds of quiet, Garrett looked over.
"What ore are we getting then?" he asked.
Damien sighed, trying to come up with ways to alleviate his father's boredom.
His dad was usually always talking about one of his projects, or thinking it over. Now that he was moving and planning to work with Kramer, he probably didn't have very much going on. Damien wished he could tell him everything right now to give him something to focus on, but it would have to wait.
Letting him know what they were grabbing was fine though. Lemshire would probably have a copy of what they got within moments of them receiving it, anyway.
"I figured I'd pick up some more silver, some iron, maybe steel, a little more copper, some gold if my sugar mama is feeling generous," he said, calling back towards the coach.
Unlike with their usual carriages, this coach had a separate seating area for the driver from the inside of the cabin, so he wouldn't actually know if she heard him or not. She most likely hadn't, since the coach was altered to make it difficult to hear the loud sound of the wheels on the road He wished they'd had a normal one so they could all talk, but...
'Maybe we should just add a door. It's technically ours now...'
Regardless of if she approved though, he had access to her funds. It was always easier to ask for forgiveness than permission.
"All in all, just more of what I already have. Oh, and a little Moonstone," Damien finished.
"They have moonstone there?" Garrett asked a little fervently, eyes becoming wide.
"Yes," Damien said, cocking an eyebrow at his dad.
"I'm curious what the price will be," Garrett said. "It's costly in Hathen these days so... it may be worth picking up a few pounds of it here."
"Should be cheaper than gold, right?" Damien said skeptically.
"Try five times as expensive," his father scoffed.
Damien's eyes went wide and his eyebrows lifted.
"It's the single easiest and most effective metal for alteration, and for that reason, for weapon crafting. It's weaker than steel, but battles aren't won with how much pain your sword can take. If your blade or shield can help a combatant with their limited manipulation in any way, it's better than a full steel weapon. It doesn't matter if the sword lives the fight, but its wearer dies."
Damien nodded. Just because a combatant couldn't get mana far from their bodies, didn't mean they had none. When Eita had the duels with Alexa and they did the expeditions with Ranger and Adrenna, it was obvious the different style fighters used mana in every single fight to assist them.
But Damien didn't need something that conducted mana. He could directly manipulate the elements with a flick of his wrist. Spending extra money for a material that lacked in strength to steel...
Well, when he decided to improve upon Eira and Kiara, he'd purchase steel. He had no need for the expensive metal.
"Well, I just wanted a bit to experiment with. I don't really need a lot so I don't know the price... Wait. If... How expensive are my swords?" Damien asked, pausing a few times when the realization struck him.
Mr. Kramer might have given him a lot more than he'd originally understood.
Garrett took a few seconds to think before opening his mouth to reply.
"Probably in the range of four hundred gold pieces. He mentioned being paid twenty-five to make them; then when they didn't do what the boy wanted, the Nobel considered the metal lost. Moonstone can't be repurposed or melted down after mana patterns have been carved into it; it'll ruin the metal and the alteration. Once you alter it, unlike a normal metal... What you get is what you get."
"He spent four hundred gold on a whim to appease his son... must be nice," Damien mumbled.
It was more than Alexa's earnings from being at this school for six years.
'So even if they are worth a lot, they're still practically useless for anything other than art,' he thought. 'Still, four hundred gold.'
"It's so expensive because of how rare it is. You can't even buy the stuff in a small city, let alone in huge quantities in a larger one. It can only be found in mana dense areas and typically is mined out of high tier Dungeons, three being the lowest and most uncommon. More often than not, a small vein will be in a fifth tier, but the more likely you'll find some the more dangerous it is to obtain. The threat of a Dungeon goes up exponentially depending on the tier. A tier one and two are clearable by a group of normal Humans without mages, given that they were extremely proficient in fighting and at working with one another, and still they may die. Back in our adventuring days, your mother and I only went as far as a fourth tier Dungeon. Boy, that was dangerous. We almost got surrounded..."
Damien smiled as his father rambled into one of the stories he'd heard a few times. He felt like he didn't even need to take the Dungeon course at Eleram simply because every chance Garrett got free from work, he'd always talk about when they used to explore them. He never spent much time on how fun it was, but how dangerous, and how amazing his wife was at saving them.
Marci complained from atop his head about the topic trailing off of Moonstone and the project, but Kastra calmed her down. Whenever it came to new, interesting things, this Fae seemed to lose her wild side and focus, if only for a few minutes. Once the interesting topic died away...
'It's nice that Kas has someone to focus on,' he wondered, looking upward with his eyes.
One long story later and the coach was in front of a large warehouse titled Greg's Shop.
Damien sighed.
"Can I come with?" Garrett asked.
"Yeah, I was hoping you would. However..." Damien trailed off, thinking of how best to get Kastra and Marci off his head.
"She'll be good," Kastra called out, reading his emotions of worry.
"Zipped, locked. Won't do anything bad," Marci said, patting his head.
Damien shrugged. If the Fae herself said she'd be good, nothing too bad should happen from bringing her along. He could just lie and say she also had a damaged eye.
They poked their heads inside the carriage to let the five and their pets inside know they were heading in, then departed toward the building. Oryen was still with them, seemingly determined to spend every moment he could with Alexa until they set off from the city. Perhaps if they'd offered, he'd even stay with them for the first two days of the trip and fly back to the teleporter.
Damien wasn't going to offer though. The man had requested/forced him to play his song over ten times yesterday, including showing how he'd made the spell step by step and the process he went through to refine each spell.
He was glad Alexa's father hadn't asked any invasive questions, at least. From what he gathered, the orchestra wasn't so prevalent in this world that a song like the Pirate's opener had been produced ever; the general populace in large cities was more amused by shows of illusion, beauty, creations... everything a reputable mage could show to those who couldn't dream of accomplishing it themselves. Some of the shows even seemed like movies of an event that had transpired, played by either the person who had been there or someone who had seen the 'movie' enough times.
Oryen himself had even dabbled in sound productions while he had time off, but to create something, he needed to hear it first. So while it was possible to make something new, it either required immense effort on the mage's part or gathering slaves or servants together and teaching them instruments to create a 'personal band' of sorts.
Damien had a feeling the man had just come up with that idea on the spot, as his eyes had shone with glee when considering it. He might have accidentally decided what close to one hundred people would be doing for the rest of their lives by simply playing that song for the Celestial.
Everyone else had loved the music when Damien had shown them. He'd made it a much less... immersive experience and thankfully, had no repeats of unconsciousness. Turning the volume down until they were ready for it, not using light magic on a whim to make the bright flashes of cannons and flintlocks... He really should have taken it easier on Oryen, let alone his poor dad.
Damien had thought he'd broken a member of his family.
Thoughts of the days to come drifting out of his mind, Damien refocused on the present and moved toward the shops front when a hissing sound came from one of his companions atop his head. Around the same time, he felt unease come through the bond.
"What-"
"Bloody Humans and their Iron," Marci spat out. "Get rid of it before we go in."
Looking up at the door, Damien saw a huge Iron plate had recently been set above the door haphazardly. He manipulated some mana and moved the object to the ground some fifty feet away, causing the pact to go back to normal.
"Sorry. It just... makes me nervous," Kastra mumbled.
"Don't be, though I'd like to hear why sometime," Damien responded, opening the front door that had a sign saying Open hanging on it.
Immediately after, a small bell sounded off through the air to alert those inside that someone had arrived.
"Hi welcome to Greg's. My name is Sofie. What can I help you with today?" a melodious voice called from behind a counter, situated just to the left of where the door was.
Damien's eyes lit up as a genuine smile plastered across his face.
"Hi, Sofie! Wow, what a pleasure to meet you, I'm Damien. We uh... we have met before actually, almost, I think," he said, receiving a light smack on the top of his head from Kastra.
Not because she cared, most likely, but because Alexa was suddenly sending curious vibes, wondering why exactly Damien had gotten so excited and happy.
Not that he could help it. Once again, right before him, was the cat girl that had quit on the first day of Advanced Combat. He hadn't seen her very often since then and never once got an opportunity to talk. He was surprised to see her here of all places, but it was a welcome surprise all the same.
Cat ears, tail, unique larger eyes, long golden blonde hair, a lithe, muscular styled body... He was so happy to live on this planet.
"Oh! The genius Human boy! I remember you. From Advanced... Combat... heh yeah," she said, her face starting out happy to recognize someone then becoming a bit more complicated and downtrodden.
Damien understood immediately, resisting the urge to bow down and apologize on the spot. It was his fault that she had ultimately chosen to leave the course. No sane person would start snapping their fingers, no matter how well reputed a class was.
"I'm so sorry for that first day," he eventually said, nodding his head downward slightly. "If I hadn't been there, maybe you would have-"
"No, no no no!" she said loudly, causing him to glance up and see her holding her hands out in front of her and standing up abruptly, thighs rocking the desk she sat at slightly forward.
The action surprised him and his dad, both taking a step back from the shoved counter.
"That's not what I meant! I'm just... embarrassed I quit that day. Even if you hadn't been there, I'm sure I would have left eventually... It... you were so resolute and I..."
The girl looked off to the left, shy and embarrassed as her face lit up red. Damien felt the strings of his heart being played as another light smack came to his head, though he could have very well hit Kastra back. He wasn't the only one finding the situation in front of him both adorable and in need of comfort.
'If she wants a hug... just to make her feel better...'
Right as he was thinking it, Kastra hopped off Damien's head and flew to the other side of the counter, growing to full size and pulling the girl directly into her chest. Damien almost laughed at the scene, wishing he could have gone over too. He didn't have wings, though, or the same freedomes Kastra had.
The young girl got even more embarrassed and just sat there, mouth opening and closing while looking up at the beautiful Fae that was holding her silently.
"It's not your fault," Kastra cooed. "Layla is a bit of a brute. You can try again next year. I suggest you take the class, especially if you are going to keep being a Combatant. You'll need to know how to take pain eventually."
Sofie nodded, still embarrassed, as Damien and Garrett chuckled, seeing the girl visibly uncomfortable while being unsure of how to push the rarely overly affectionate Fae off of her. When Alexa walked in a second later, Damien was grateful it had been Kastra who went to comfort her.
"What is taking so lo- oh. Kastra?" Alexa said, looking over the counter confused. "You're making her uncomfortable, I think."
"I'm helping her; she was sad." Kastra replied indifferently. "We are picking up an order for Damien, Sofie. Could you help us out?"
With a nod of the quiet girl's head, she searched a shelf near the desk and found a message sphere. Clenching her hand, it shattered into millions of tiny orange lights and flit off farther into the building, going directly through a door on the other side of the room.
"Someone should... come out with his things on a cart soon..." she whispered adorably, no longer fighting the Fae's vice grip.
Kastra looked up at Damien, a pleading look in her eyes.
"No, we can't keep her," Damien said, sighing and laughing internally at how ridiculous the situation was.
Sofie's face adopted a look of confusion.
It didn't matter how much she begged him right now. With Alexa here, there was no way he'd-
"She's so cute," Alexa said under her breath, moving around the counter to get closer. "Sofie, right? How have you been these days? You're so pretty; I'm sorry Damien was bullying you. Kastra, let me pet her too..."
Damien wanted to throw his arms up and yell in confusion at everything that was happening. If it were him who had been over there, Alexa would have raised hell.
'Or... maybe not?'
Perhaps the feline race had some kind of alluring magic like the Fae.
Right then, Greg finally walked in, eyepatch and-
'No eyepatch?' Damien thought, his chest tightening as he began to wonder why that caused him worry.
Instead of sporting an eyepatch, the man was walking around with a cloth band wrapped around part of his head, pushing a cart with more than a few materials on it. All were in perfect blocks, the name of the element and a number indicating it's weight impressed on it.
Greg took a look around the room, taking it all in, before his single eye finally rested on Damien, squinting.
"Glad you managed to learn how to fill out the form this time around," the man said in a snarky tone.
"Hi. Yep, just here to pick up," Damien responded, still regretting making a snide comment about his one eye every day since the event.
'If he wasn't being so rude last time...'
Either way, Damien wasn't going to mention anything about the band. Not a single thing. The man was still mad even, it seemed.
"And harass my new help apparently," Greg shot back, rolling his eye. "I've got your stuff here. Sofie, he's a student, so get his ring signature to confirm they received the order. Paper for non-students, ring for students. Remember that."
Alexa and Kastra glanced over to Greg as the smaller looking cat girl reached in between them, grabbing a small stone out from her desk behind the counter and placing it up on the counter, passing it towards Damien.
"If you could... touch it to your ring," she said quietly. "I'm fine guys, really. I..."
Damien turned his attention away from the warm scene and picked up the stone as Greg watched on, most likely to confirm his newest assistant did her job properly. He'd heard of students taking extra work in the city during the months school was off, so the arrangement started to make sense finally.
When Damien brought the stone to his ring, an orange panel popped up and asked for his signature. With a few quick flicks of his finger, the document was signed, and the orange panel displayed one last message of complete before it disappeared back into his ring.
He put the stone back on the counter.
"Thanks for helping my son get his materials together," Garrett said with a nod. "He can be a bit insensitive sometimes, but the boy means well, in most cases. My name is Garrett Tearen. I run a small Alteration shop in Carlon," he finished holding out his hand.
Damien watched as Greg looked down at it and reluctantly held his own out, shaking the man's hand back.
"Don't mind it, just running a business. People suck."
When he said nothing else, Damien saw his dad acting a bit unsure of what to do next, dropping the hand and looking around.
"We were wondering how much the moonstone was," Damien threw in, hoping to help.
"Then why didn't you check the price on your order when you put it in?" Greg responded matter-of-factly. "You did just buy some."
Damien opened his mouth to answer but then shut it, unsure of how to proceed now too. He hadn't needed to calculate how much it would be at the time, since it was such a small amount. But now... if he were to answer, he felt like he'd be making excuses for himself and...
Eventually, Garrett answered.
"That's my fault. I was wondering after he'd put it in, I'm assuming. I said I run the small shop, but I'm moving to Hathen to work at Fletch Kramer's store out there. I figured I'd see what-"
"Kramer's Krafts?" Greg interrupted, getting a nod from Garrett. "Fletch. Good man. Haven't heard that name in a long time. You work with him?"
Garrett nodded as Damien let out a sigh of relief, looking at Kastra and Alexa while trying to prompt them to make for the door and stop doting on the girl. At this rate, they'd both want to keep her, regardless of the fact that the poor thing was probably as old as Alexa and a sentient being with an opinion on the matter.
"Guys, let's get this stuff loaded," Damien implored, dragging Alexa back around to the customer side while smiling at Sofie. "Sorry about them. I'm glad you're doing well. Thanks for all the help."
Finally, Alexa came towards him reluctantly while Kastra, appearing dejected, floated up and started shrinking down.
"It's... no, don't be. Thanks for... " Sofie trailed, seemingly relieved and sad the girls had left. "Come back any t-"
"When are we goingggg," Marci whined from atop his head, unfurling herself from underneath some of his hair and interrupting Sofie right as Damien had started relaxing a bit.
"Right now, we just have to load-"
"You!"
Damien's head ducked an inch on reflex, as his shoulders lifted a bit, feeling as goosebumps started rising on his neck from the anger in the man's voice. Turning around slowly, Damien looked over his shoulder to see Greg staring at him, or directly at the top of Damien's head.
"I'm sorr-"
"You know that little shit?" Greg asked, appearing more pissed than the last time Damien was here as Garrett backed away towards the door, pretending not to understand what was going on.
Damien felt his heart drop in his chest as dots became connected.
"Don't tell me-"
"Oh! Angry man!" Marci said, jumping up on top of Damien's head as an arm with a pointing finger extended past his brow.
"You stole his eyepatch?!" Damien shouted, shooting his hands up to grab the little Fae, who flit up into the air just out of reach.
"No, I just get pissed off at any random patron in my shop for missing an eye," Greg growled in response, seething.
"I didn't steal it, I borrowed it!" the Fae yelled down, flitting through the air while sticking her tongue out. "It looks better on me anyway!"
Damien hurriedly tried to think of anything to help the situation that wouldn't result in Greg firing off spells, which it looked like the man was about to do. He turned to Kastra for support, but she seemed to be a proponent of quid pro quo, making eye contact with him while looking back at the cat girl.
'Either we get to keep her or you don't help!?!? Not the situation for that!!' Damien screamed out internally as Greg took a threatening step towards him.
"Marci, I'll make you a better one. Please, for the love of God, please give the man his patch back," Damien implored, ignoring the pinch in his side from Alexa for slipping up the phrase.
The Fae knew both versions anyway.
'At least I'm not the only one panicking,' he thought, feeling Alexa getting more and more nervous through the bond.
She flit around in the sky, looking down while considering the option while his dad continued to move their cart toward the front door carefully.
"I'll even make you a few of different colors."
"And a hat."
"And a hat," Damien agreed tearfully.
"A Pirate hat! With a feather from your wife in it!"
Damien just nodded along, doing his best not to look back at the man behind him.
The Fae looked around some more, sad to part with her newest fashion accessory, before nodding and slowly coming down, removing the tiny eye patch from her person.
Damien didn't want to be here. It was eerier to him that Greg was quiet while being this mad rather than lashing out with words, and he'd been silent for too long.
"Can you also... make it back to normal size before you give it back?" Damien begged politely.
"Oh, just want me to do everything for the tiny Human who can't," Marci replied, making it obviously too large.
Damien watched her float slowly over Greg's head and then drop it on top of where his forehead met his hairline, the man simply staring up with rage in his eyes. Damien gave up at that moment. Any chance of reconciling with him was gone. He didn't care anymore.
Grabbing Kastra and Alexa's hands, he moved for the door as fury incarnate burned a hole in the back of his head.
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Their carriage rolled out the front gate of the city towards a gathering of the other coaches, almost thirty in total when Damien counted. There was a central area where it seemed a few were in line, waiting to be processed by some people walking around with notepads. The rest were in rows off to the side, likely waiting to be assigned a spot in the caravan.
Damien held Piper in his lap as he pulled the cart toward the line, the small Pipin leisurely sleeping while soaking in his mana as always. Fifteen minutes later, their turn had arrived.
"Name," a female Minotaur asked, walking up to the coach as he slowed it to a stop.
"Damien."
She looked down the list for a moment before marking off one of the names on it, then flipped the paper to the back of her stack and asked another question.
"Number of people?"
"Uhm... do... Fae count?" Damien inquired, not sure how to answer exactly.
"You have Fae with you?" she asked, looking up at him and seeming a little bothered.
"Yeah, we have two. Kas-"
"Alright, row five," she said, ignoring the rest of the questions on the checklist and interrupting him.
Damien glanced over to the four rows of carts lined up, then looked back to her.
"There are four rows... Should we make a new one?" he asked.
"Yep," she said, already moving past to a cart that had arrived behind them.
Damien nodded after a few moments of silence and began moving their cart towards the others. He'd wanted to complain or ask why, but he understood. Row five most likely meant they'd be at the back of the caravan to keep the Fae from wreaking havoc on it. At least it would be less cramped when they settled down to camp.
A few minutes later and they were settled next to the other rows, lonely in theirs. Damien looked at the carts next to him and found most were the ones Lemshire had offered, standard wooden coaches with roofs, but not altered in anyway.
It looked like he had them made recently, maybe for this event specifically. In some places, the wood was still bleeding sap even.
While he was examining a particularly large drip, bored and waiting until it was time to head off, he saw a familiar face getting on a carriage in their neighboring row.
"Krissa," he muttered.
"You say something?" Garrett asked, looking towards him.
Damien shook his head.
"Just saw a Dresmyr I know. Not a friend or even acquaintance, though. Just... someone I know."
When he trailed off, Garrett shrugged and let it go. He'd rather not have to explain the woman that attacked him in Advanced Manipulation and was an outcast, even if he was dead bored.
His dad was definitely just as bored as Damien, but they'd agreed to be in charge of the first day so... this is what they got.
Their coach was being pulled by the same standard of horse everyone else had, likely in an effort to keep traveling times similar between the rented out carts. The horses had also been part of the gift, meaning they'd need to rent a stable in Hathen for them, since there wasn't enough land on their new property for one of their own. Their ears flicked from left to right as they waited to pull forward, Damien eager to give the signal as he pet Piper and continued examining his surroundings.
"You look droll as ever," a familiar voice rang out.
"Gallion!"
The tall Celestial strode over, mischevious grin plastered on his face as always.
"Who'd you two offend to make them put you all the way over here?"
Damien chuckled.
"No one believe it or not, they just don't like Fae. You're part of this caravan as well?" he asked.
"Yes. My father and I are riding back to our family for good this time. Usually, I'd stay over the winter, but my schooling here is done. I have nothing left to teach all of my beautiful followers; they will continue our tradition alone as it must be," Gallion said, wiping a mock tear as he hopped up on the cart. "I'm wearing black to mourn our separation."
Garrett chuckled and Damien grinned, scooting over on the bench to make room for him.
"Headed all the way back to the east coast then?" Damien asked, getting a nod in return.
"Unfortunately. Once there, we'll... well, continue with the merchanting business I suppose. It's going well. What about your plans? And when will you come to visit my lonely self?"
Damien looked up thoughtfully.
"Probably-"
"Never, hopefully," a cold, feminine voice interrupted.
Damien sighed, wondering why it was the case that when one of them arrived, the other always seemed to be just moments away.
"Ah, tramp. There you are. I was wondering who'd be taking care of all these guard's needs while we are traveling," Gallion said, energy leaving his voice as he waved his middle finger at Gianna.
"Ever the wisecrack, aren't you, you insufferable asshole," Gianna shot back angrily, looking him up and down while scoffing. "For a family who claims to be so adept at fashion, it seems like it won't be long till you're out of business. Who's funeral are you attending?"
"I haven't decided yet. Want me to pencil you in?"
Damien decided now was the time to hop down and get in between then. It would be the last time they saw each other until next year potentially, so it was sweet of her to show up at least. He didn't need them getting into a brawl here of all places though, they were already secluded as is.
With a small hop, he was off the coach and on the ground, Piper climbing up to his shoulder in an instant while yipping dejectedly.
"We just came to say goodbye, Damien," Gianna said, wrapping him in a tight hug and kissing him on the cheek while ignoring Gallion's latest comment.
"We?" Damien asked, pushing her away as she winked at him, Alexa and Kastra coming out of the side door of the coach a few moments later.
"Damien, a pleasure," Carien said from a little further behind his daughter.
He was walking with a different Celestial at his side and seemed rather downtrodden. Defeated and out of sorts.
"I'm surprised you all haven't left yet," Alexa cut in, hugging Gianna and nodding to Carien.
Instantly, Damien could tell the atmosphere between the three had tensed. Gianna looked upset, whereas the woman by Carien's side appeared content. Carien himself seemed to get even more distant than he'd been before.
"Yes well... plans have changed. We will probably... end up staying here this winter and... maybe for the foreseeable future, as well," the man lamented.
"Oh... ok. Well, then... I'm glad Lemshire is taking you in," Damien asserted. "This is my dad, Garrett, in case you haven't met yet," he said, grasping at straws while waving back at the carriage.
Whatever they were going through was not his business. Well wishes and a healthy distance was key to professional relationships, and that's all this was for Damien. Gianna, he was close to, but not close enough to pry.
While the fathers exchanged pleasantries, Oryen stepping out to join in as well, Damien turned around to get back up beside Gallion, only to find the Celestial gone and Ranger in his place.
"So, where are we off to my friend?" he asked, voice loud and chipper.
Damien rolled his eyes.
"We have enough new bellies to feed as is, buddy. You're not coming along, beggar," he said, jumping up next to him. "Where'd Gallion go?"
"But I'll miss you so much, I'll be so bored here al-"
"Adrenna, could you come say goodbye to Ranger please," Damien called loudly, receiving a resounding no from inside the carriage.
He shrugged while Ranger looked dejected.
"There you have it. Maybe next year bud," he said, laughing while patting his buddy on the shoulder.
"If I came with you, I'd have all year to-"
"She'd probably grow to hate you more. Maybe after six months, she'll come back nicer?" Damien proposed.
"That... is possible," Ranger said, laughing. "Well, if I get too bored I hope you don't mind if I come to visit?"
"Please, I'll be the one visiting you to get away from all of them," Damien whispered, leaning in while pointing back to the coach.
"We'll have some fun at the Lucky."
"I'll hold you to it then," his friend said, nodding.
"I'll even bring your favorite Brinter."
"That's a given," Ranger laughed out, leaning over and giving him a side hug before hopping down to go say goodbye to Alexa and Kastra.
Piper climbed down to his lap, looking back up at him and yipping once, indicating he wanted more mana. Damien smiled and nodded, petting under its chin as he warmed the tiny guy's body.
Glancing back at the large wall, Damien watched as the sun slowly rose high enough to coat the entirety of it in sunlight, the mountain shadows slowly dispersing.
It was going to be a long trip.
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"So we are going to let him drive away, just like that?" Tresil heard Reinal ask from his side, two other of the Academy staff standing atop the city wall with them as they gazed downward at the caravan that was pulling away.
He was wondering why he'd been letting the boy have such freedom himself lately, but if he wanted to truly show that he was worthy of the trust that would bring about what he wanted to know...
"Yep. We will wait for him to be back next year and hope to build a better relationship then. If things change, we can always imprison them but if not, he'll be more useful cooperative. If the day comes when he's planning to graduate and leave permanently, that's when we'll keep him in the country."
Reinal nodded next to him while Layla shifted next to her lover, seemingly conflicted.
"Kill a few, save the masses my dear," Tresil reiterated.
She was always the hardest to convince when it came to executing and using criminals in their experiments, so it was no surprise she had grown fond of the boy and didn't want to treat him like a tool.
"Are you sure he wouldn't be better off as an ally than to try and keep him here against his will later, Lemshire? Think of what he'd share a hundred years from now if we established a good relationship. The Fae might even retaliate if we try..." Ezra stated, trailing off.
"I'd rather have permanent gains sooner than later personally, I've already waited so long in this life... In any case, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it," Tresil finally stated, not confirming nor denying any particular policy with regards to that immensely special family. "I'm sure whatever happens, it'll be interesting just having him around."
"Don't get too hung up on this project," Reinal said firmly. "We have more pressing concerns."
"Reinal my boy, the only reason I became King of this country was so I'd have the resources to dabble whenever and wherever I wanted. If I can't be a little selfish here, what's the point in all this power?" Tresil laughed out. "In any case, Belinda will trail them over the break to make sure he and Alexa remain generally safe. If his family dies... Maybe he'll come here looking for protection sooner than later. How nice would that be?"
"So long as-"
"She knows not to get to close she'd trip the Fae's barrier," Tresil interrupted Ezra. "Though it's a good thing we were able to test it's effective range so well throughout the year," he finished, getting nods from those around him. "And if he manages to die out there, then that's just as far as he'd make it. As you said, we have other concerns," Tresil finally stated, turning around and walking back towards the heart of his country.
'As if I'd let him die,' he laughed internally.
War and planet be dammed. He'd finally found something interesting in the world besides the Gods and he'd sure as hell not allow his new toy to be stolen away from him.