Cece wasn’t sure how she got here, in a pool with Eibon sipping on a drink with more rum in it than she knew what to do with. They were the only guests up this late.

“Wow Cece, you really can hold your liquor.” Eibon said, surprised that the girl was such a drinker.

“What are you talking about?” She asked in confusion.

“You’ve had four of those and you seem just fine.”

“Eibon.” Cece began confessing. “I’m so drunk right now.” It was embarrassing to admit, but she had underestimated the drinks and was quickly approaching her limits.

“What?!” Eibon asked in surprise.

“It’s taking almost all of my mental power to converse with you right now.”

Eibon laughed, a deep and warm sound. “Gosh you should have said so earlier, I feel like I’m taking advantage of you.”

“What are your intentions?” Cece asked her eyes narrowing with suspicion.

“One you are not my type, two you are a child.”

“One, I am an adult, and two what’s your type then?”

“Men.”

“Oh.” Cece said simply.

“You have a problem with that?” She wasn’t unfamiliar with the concept, but it could be scandalous in certain echelons of society.

“No, not particularly. I’m just caught off guard I suppose.” Cece had no issues with it, to the point that the question struck her as absurd. She was in league with devils and just learned that god was dead, the idea of caring about who someone loved was insane.

“Why are you asking anyway? Looking to settle down with someone?”

“I… I’ve never thought of it.” Cece realized.

“It’s not good to not consider your future Cece. I get where you are, I really do, but if you succeed you’re going to be alive at the end of the day, and you’re going to need to have a life you want to live.”

“I don’t want to be lectured by a necromancer on how to live.”

“I’m being serious, Cece.”

“Very well… I will consider my future since you seem to find it so important.”

“Thank you.”

“So what is Ustrilla like?”

“Beautiful, a bit rustic for my taste, but beautiful. Well at least some parts.”

“Is it dangerous.”

“God no, the king is the daemon king of Pride, and he takes much pride in the country. It’s a touch dangerous because of the power struggles, it’s very dog eat dog for daemons, but for mundanes it’s very safe.”

“I don’t know why I’m surprised by that.”

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“Well it used to be where prisoners were sent, so I understand the bad reputation.”

“Is the king…”

“A criminal? No he’s native to the island.”

“What is he like?”

“He’s someone I respect a great deal.”

“A glowing endorsement.”

“It is. You’ll see what I mean when you meet him.”

“Oh god, I’m going to meet him aren’t I? Sometimes I wish I could speak to my father again, just to see the look on his face.”

“You know there is one thing. I wanted to tell you later, but now’s as good a time as any. There is one spell that will let you talk to the dead. It uses up their soul, but they-”

“I don’t have any interest in using up my family’s souls.”

“They would dissipate on their own anyway, unless you want to capture them and carry them around.” He corrected before continuion. “What I want to say is that I can let you talk to them, once, if you would like.”

Cece paused for a long moment, to think. There was a viciously weak part of her that wanted nothing more to go running to her older brother one more time. To ask her father for advice. To say goodbye to Uncle Cornelius. She sometimes wished she could be weaker.

“Not yet. I’ll take you up on it someday, but not yet.” She would only be able to show her face to them when she could tell them that Solastria was destroyed.

“Whenever you’re ready.”

“Thanks, Eibon.”

“Of course, what are accomplices for.”

They continued talking throughout the night, each getting progressively drunker, until it culminated with a conversation about the fight against the angel.

“You know what your problem is?” Eibon said his words slurring ever so slightly. Cece had no idea how he was getting drunk when she was fairly sure he was more corpse than human, but she didn’t yet understand the intricacies of black sulfur, so she couldn’t postulate on it.

“Enlighten me.” She stated

“You fight like a mage.”

“I do not.” She replied defensively.

“You do! You attack directly and with overwhelming force. You’re strengths are versatility not firepower.”

“And how do you suggest I fight?”

“With misdirection or minions or really anything that isn’t just throwing scrolls at the problem."

“The scrolls are working.”

“They are, but not well enough.” Eibon said. “Cece, why did you become an alchemetrix?”

“Because…” The words died in her throat.

“Because you couldn’t be a mage?”

Cece got up, her feet splashing through the water as she stood and walked away. It was childish, and beneath her, but she didn’t want to continue the conversation.

“Cece, wait!” He said, instantly sounding more sober.

The worst part was, that he was right. She had become an alchemetrix for that reason and that reason alone, if she could become a silver mage in that moment, she would gladly give up alchemy for it, she would give up everything for it. A mind enhanced to levels that perhaps no other human could match still couldn’t make her move past her childhood wish. It was pathetic. She walked quickly through the halls of the hotel and into her room before Eibon could follow her. Cece locked the door behind and threw herself into bed, feeling all the worse for feeling sorry for herself.

“Is something wrong, Cece.” Lotte asked. Cece knew it was part of her etiquette inscriptions and not because she actually wanted to ask, but she still always found moments like these so surprising. Lotte could sometimes seem so lifelike, at least from a conversational perspective.

“I’m upset.”

“Why are you upset?”

“Someone made me aware of something upsetting.”

“What is it?”

“I fight like a mage.”

“Why is that bad?” Lotte asked mechanically.

“Because its inefficient and strategically imbecilic, and I’ve been doing it this entire time because I can’t give up on my childhood dreams, and I just… I just didn’t realize how fallible and simple I could be.” Cece admitted, saying more than she really meant to.

“I see.”

“And the worst part is that I’m angry! I’m angry that someone pointed it out, that I didn’t get to live in a world where I felt like a mage.”

“Isn’t it better to know the truth?”

“Yes.. but I don’t want things to change.”

“Change is good.” Lotte said sagely. Cece looked at her for a moment in surprise, Lotte didn’t generally give her opinion on things, it was unexpected. She was right though.

“Thank you, Lotte, I owe you one.”

“I have a request, Cece.”

“What is it?”

“I want skin.”

“Oh, Jesus Christ!” Cece said in a mix between exasperation and horror.