Chapter 106 It’s Been A Bit.
“Isaac,” Sera began and turned to look at Isaac and Lenna. She saw Isaac’s smirk and Lenna smile as she shifted her gaze from one to the other. “Lenna, what is this?”
“Happy late birthday.” Lenna told her friend with a warm smile. “It was Isaac’s original idea. Jessica made some corrections along the way, but here it is. We hope that it will keep you as safe against physical injury, as you have kept us against politics.”
“I, I do not know what to say?” Sera stammered and turned to her husband. “You knew about this?”
Izen nodded. “Yes. I warned them about possible political issues and ordered the treatment for the silk. This was their idea and doing, all I had to do was keep a secret.” He explained.
“I was all for it.” Marie chimed in from a step behind Sera as she peered over her friend’s shoulder to get a good look at the hanging drider silk corset and petticoat.
“You knew too?!” Sera exclaimed. “Did everyone know except me?”
“It was only us in this room and the entire Silverstrand family, as far as I am aware.” Isaac offered her. “So, do you like it?”
“Like it?!” Sera exclaimed as she looked around between her friends and husband.
It was then that the Arbencroft Heir walked into the room and took a look at his mother and her gift in front of her. “So it’s done then?” He asked rhetorically.
“You knew too?!” Sera cried out much to Isaac and Lenna’s amusement.
“Well, make sure it fits.” Isaac told her through a chuckle. “If it doesn’t, Jessica is going to blow a fu-” Isaac winced in pain. “gask- a seal.” Isaac finally settled on something that made sense given the technological level of the planet he was on.
“Are you alright?” Lucius asked Isaac. “That does not look normal.”
“It’s fine.” Isaac said.
“He’s fine.” Lenna said at the same time.
“The point still stands. If it doesn’t fit, then make sure to add some padding or lose some weight because I don’t think any of us want to break the news to Jessica.” Isaac told Sera.
“I have taken great care to maintain my figure, thank you. If it is Jessica’s work then I am sure it will fit perfectly.” Sera replied.
“Well don’t just stare at it, come on.” Marie said as she pushed past Sera and grabbed the garments. She held open the door to a dressing room that was adjacent to the sitting room that they were in. “Let’s go. The sooner you have this on, the better, as far as I’m concerned.”
“I, uh, I am coming.” Sera stammered and hurried after her. At the doorway she turned around and looked at Isaac and Lenna. “Thank you, both of you, this is a gift worth far more than the little that I have done fo-”
Marie yanked her through the doorway and closed the door. Through the door could be heard Marie’s voice saying: “Stop being mushy and try it on already.”
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Izen chuckled and shook his head at Marie’s antics. “Picking up where my wife left off,” He began. “this is worth far more than what we have done for you. Thank you.”
“Think of it as a down payment for all of the mediocre and missed birthday presents that are no doubt going to come in the future.” Isaac told him with a smile.
“That is right, you are going to be traveling the surface for a while.” Izen commented.
“You are? When?” Lucius questioned.
“After the wedding.” Lenna replied. “There are many places we would like to see, but this is still our home.”
“Do you want a gui-” Lucius began.
“No.” His father cut him off. “If they require a guide, then I am sure that we can find someone that is not you to guide them.” He shook his head and then turned back to the duo. “What are your plans between now and the wedding?” He asked them.
“Nothing.” Isaac replied. “The wedding is less than a month away and starting another adventure in the meantime sounds like an awful idea.”
Lenna nodded. “I am inclined to agree, but we both know that something new will happen before then.” She added.
Izen nodded with a serious look on his face. “Yes, life is never dull for long around you two.” He told them.
Lenna rolled her eyes. “You don’t know the half of it, did you hear about the time Lua appeared in our bedroom?”
“No, I don’t think I have.” Lucius piped up.
—
Luckily the drider silk undergarments fit Sera just as well as Lenna’s had fit her. After leaving the Arbencroft estate, the duo went about their lives as they had been with a few minor adjustments. Isaac and Lenna had decided to begin moving towards their next level ups while they had the downtime. With the incredible amount of gold that they had looted from Shamsha’s demidimension they were comfortable living for a century, as long as they didn’t make any huge purchases, even with paying their new staff their due wages.
The main change to the pair’s schedule was that every third day they would spend the entire twenty four hours cooped up in their basement practicing. On occasion it had interfered with the men moving the new furniture into the building but that was just an unfortunate byproduct of Lenna’s aura training. Lenna knew that her next milestone was aura related, again. This time it was just the next step on her aura strengthening journey. She had to maintain her aura, in an area around her, without directly affecting anything or anyone, not even herself, within an area of five times her height. It was a nightmare of aura control and strength in and of itself, but the further requirement of keeping it active and in that state for a full twenty four hours was what really pushed Lenna to her absolute limits.
For Isaac, his training was a bit different. It was a frustratingly simple idea but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t accomplish it. He knew that in theory he should be able to enact his will on the shadows and have them continue to do what he had told them to, even once a direct connection had been removed. He had thrown spears and arrows of shadows before and those rarely had a direct connection to him once they left arms reach. Those had maintained their state for a least a second before the shadows dispersed back into the mana stream. As far as he could tell, there shouldn’t have been any reason on why they couldn’t maintain their integrity once he told them to. It was a hiccup that had quickly driven him up a wall. It was during one of these training sessions that he had had a first: He was happy to have Judgment show up.
Judgment did the polite thing and waited patiently for Isaac and Lenna at the gate to their home. He hadn’t needed to wait long for the pair and when he noticed Lenna’s aura, and what she was doing with it, he gave her the slightest of approving nods before he returned his entire attention back to Isaac.
“Judgment, it’s been a bit.” Isaac commented. “I see you’ve been well.” Isaac’s statement was as much truth as it was sarcasm. He wasn’t specifically trying to get under the demigod’s skin but the slightly snide greeting had come too naturally for Isaac to stop until it had already been said.
“Likewise.” Judgment replied simply. “I come with a request as well as a declaration.” He explained. “It has come to my attention that some things should be kept private.”
Isaac raised an eyebrow. “Did Space tell you that?” He asked and waved him inside.
“Yes.” Judgment stated and lowered himself until his bare feet seemed to stand flat on the air half an inch above the ground. He walked through the open gate and followed the pair into their home. Just inside the door, Isaac and Lenna slipped off their boots and into slippers.
“I would offer you a pair, but we have not finished renovating.” Lenna told the demigod in their entree way. “I hope you understand.”
Judgment nodded to her. “I do.” He told her. “And there is no need, my feet will not dirty your floor, nor will it dirty my feet.”
Lenna nodded in reply. “Then come to our dining room. It is the only place with chairs at the moment.”
Judgment followed behind Isaac and Lenna until they reached a long table lined with chairs on both sides and two on each end. The head of the table was two seats wide so the pair of them would always be seated shoulder to shoulder as they looked upon their guests and dinner. Isaac and Lenna took their seats at the head and Isaac gestured towards the rest of the table. “Take any seat you wish.” Isaac offered him.
Judgment looked at the pair of chairs at the foot of the table and at the long line of chairs that ran between them and the head of the table. If he took a seat at the foot of the table, then he would be able to look straight at Isaac while he was talking to him, but then it would feel like he was forced to raise his voice to simply talk to the dark mage. He eventually settled on taking a seat near Isaac with only one chair between them. The entire time, even while he was sitting, Judgment never directly touched anything. It was as if he was being repelled by everything around him that wasn’t white and brilliant glowing gold. “Thank you.” Judgment said as a courtesy once he was seated.
Isaac nodded in reply. “Now, you said something about a declaration and a request?”