He nodded, “Where would you like to begin?”

Angels were an increasing source of curiosity and concern. If Igni could do this, then what about his cavalier brother? She shuddered at the thought.

Yet practically seized her. Her encounter with the great spirit was due days. Her ‘work’ with Rhevier was due in a few hours.

“Cultivation, I’d like to explain what I learned and get your thoughts.”

He nodded eyes bright and feathers puffed. She really wanted to know what they felt like. He lowered his cup without a sip. “That sounds wonderful.”

She couldn’t resist a smile.

“Rhevier, my teacher, Says cultivation is divided into three cycles, each composed of three phases for nine stages in total. But,” she sighed, “he only told me about the first.”

Igni smiled encouragingly, not bothered by her ignorance.

“It’s called internalization and involves understanding and controlling one’s essence, which apparently is the technical term for emotions when it involves cultivation.”

“Is there a distinction between emotions felt and those used in cultivation?”

She pursed her lips and sipped her tea. “I don’t think so? It seems like a distinction to make talking about it easier. For instance, Rhevier talked a lot about essence selection. I need to select ones I have reliable access to.” She trailed off, that touched upon an unsavoury topic.

Igni’s eyes implored her to go one. She glanced away.

“Before I continue, tell me about how angels cultivate. We gather, refine, and incorporate essence. Through I’m uncertain about how that works practically, and it might be different in the latter cycles” Said like that it struck home, how little she knew. Magic, essence had always been a part of her life. Like the taste of air, so common to be forgotten. She sighed, she had so much to learn.

Igni gazes off and hummed faintly. A slow rolling note. She liked the sound. “By your definitions, I’m not sure we do.”

“Come again,”

He hummed ruefully, “I said we do not cultivate. Though I have read records of Posteri completing feasts similar to ours. So perhaps it’s different in latter cycles like you said.”

Posteri, it was strange coming from him. She’d only heard it from roadside sermons and particularly egregious drunks. Everyone else said the children or The Mater’s children if they were particularly pompous. It made sense, angels didn’t descend from The Mater. Her mind stumbled on another point, “You were born this strong.”

“No,” She released a held breath. Thanking the world for the scrap of fairness. Until pursed his lips and shook his head. “Well from a certain perspective, the answer could be yes.”

She stared blankly at him. She heaved a frustrated sigh. Suddenly his immaculate feathers annoyed her. The scrap of fairness showed itself to be another joke.

“Igni please tell me how the power to melt a city block to mist is up to ‘a certain perspective’ ”

He had the gall to look embarrassed. He chuckled and a disarming smile her way. “That’s a good example, I couldn’t do that when I was younger. I had the capacity but It needed to be shaped. Whereas you cultivators need to build that capacity.”

She sighed and sipped her tea morosely. She was going to risk her life for a ‘capacity’ he always had. “Unfair.” She muttered to herself.

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“True,” Igni leaned forward, his grey eyes peering into her with piercing interest, “But weren’t you the one tell me things often are.”

She smiled ruefully. She couldn’t deny that. Deadra’s capture had half the city to her aid. Her rescue had been celebrated well into the night. If Two had been… she glanced at the angel. She realized her hood was down. The murky green scales that dotted her cheeks on full display. She was without a mask.

Yet she was comfortable as if this was one of the fantasies that visited in the lonely idle moments. But she wasn’t that naive. There was only one person who would’ve come for her, and she’d thrown them away for her own benefit. Even if to Daisy it would’ve been protecting an investment as much as anything else.

No use complaining, It could be worse. At least now she had a chance. “Your right, thanks for reminding me.”-

Igni’s gaze bore into her his smile saddened. He sighed and leaned back, “I don’t know if you should thank me. Some lessons, they hurt.”

Silence fell. She sipped her tea, her thoughts swirled into a dreary haze. She glanced at Igni.

The untouched cup sat between his arms that rested on the table. The wings that usually rested above his head. Dropped around his shoulder, close to his body. He stared out the window, she followed his gaze. To the shrouded path leading to the house, and the softly swaying trees.

She returned her focus to him and noticed, he wasn’t smiling. Yet his grey eyes shone with a softness, she couldn’t picture on any other face.

“You want another lesson,” he glanced at her, curiosity replacing that sad gleam, Much better. “There are two tricks to dealing with things that hurt to know, The first stop caring, I’ve tried that and I’ll tell you it’s harder than it sounds.”Much harder, ”The second, accept it, things happen, some of them are bad. That’s the way it goes. It doesn’t mean you have to like it, but…” she couldn’t find the words.

“What about changing them,” Igni stole the moment.

“Maybe you can, but I certainly can’t.”

“Why not,”

She sighed and sagged in her chair.”I’m weak.” The words burned deep.

“But you won’t always be,” Igni said gently. The words struck her like lightning. “You’re going to cultivate if nothing else you’ll have the power of your two hands.”

Half formed excuse surged to her lips but froze under Igni’s sincere gaze. He believed in her. “I’ve been stupid haven’t I.”

He laughed, not a faint chuckle, but a full thing, that shook his body, and ruffled his feathers. He was laughing for her, and she found herself joining him.

She spoke in a gasping tone after mirth had settled. “You are everything I thought angels were.”

“And what is that?”

She looked at, his closed wings once again above his head. Words supplied themselves without effort or thought. “Kind, in every story. From the really old religious tales where you guided The Mater from the damned plains. To the ones I know are made up, that have an angelic watcher punish a misbehaving child along with a gaggle of other spirits. Even in the stories, where you burn cities for the actions of one.“

His wide eyes renewed her smile. “How can burning a city be kind?”

“It’s why you do it. In most stories of that type. It’s a rampaging beast. Or a local spirit that got the wrong offering. In some, it’s even less than that. Just spirits going their way, heedless of the people beneath.”

“That seems like a lot. Are those historical or fictional?”

“I don’t know, I never got a normal education.” She shared without thought.

“How common is that view? Is that why people look at my brother and I so strangely.” He didn’t judge.

“Fairly, and I think the looks are mostly due to social nonsense. If the governor went for a stroll, she’d get a similar reception. If not as universally positive.”

Then he asked another question. She answered each to the best of her ability. Until they settled in a slow procession, that tugged on her attention just enough to stimulate without stressing. The minutes wore away. Until a knock on the door interrupted them.

Abery peaked in, “Ma’am Sir Rhevier will be here soon.”

“Thank you,” Time had slipped through her fingers. She hadn’t asked Igni the intricacies of his ‘from a certain perspective’ cultivation. Nor had she sated her curiosity. It had only grown to fill more of her thoughts.

In many ways, her morning had been a failure. Yet, she felt well. Relaxed in a way she hadn’t been for months if not years, and certainly not since Deadra’s kidnapping. It wasn’t a buzz of happiness or contentment. Those were still confined to her imagination.

She was limber. Her mind, her body her heart. Ready to act and move, or simply to be. Her problems still stood, but they did not loom.

She stood. “Thank you for your time Igni, I… have enjoyed it more than I expected and would be happy to meet you again.”

Igni stood, “I’d be glad to, you’ve been a fault of knowledge and novel perspective. Until next time.” He walked to the door.

A thought came to her and was almost smothered by a surge of jealousy. She shook her head and banished the emotion. “Igni, there are many libraries in the city. You can find more interesting perspectives there.” To stay silent, it’s something Daisy would do.

“Thank you Two,” he left the room, his smile brighter than when he entered.