It had been a fair amount of time since Octavia had been forced to walk such a long distance--although it was substantially more preferable than the alternative of riding the rails in every conceivable direction over the continent. In a way, walking so far was almost nostalgic, her humble travels to Minuevera and Coda respectively not quite as long ago as she’d begun to believe. The temperate weather helped, sparing them from the sting of the summer sun that she would’ve dreaded traversing beneath weeks ago.
Of more interest was the way Mina had led them off the beaten path in earnest, her navigation guiding them well out of the structure of civilization and into an environment far more natural. It had only taken roughly an hour, from her house, to formally exit the limits of Selbright. The next several were entirely crowned by plush grass, ample foliage, and blue skies overhead. It wasn’t at all uncomfortable, distance be damned. True to her word, Mina at least attempted to fill them in.
“It’s hard to explain. Long story short, it’s a sort of…settlement, I guess you could call it. It was the last Ambassador’s idea. My dad helped her throw it together.”
Even in passing, the mention of Priscilla made Octavia’s heart swell. It took everything in her power not to gush. “I saw it in…passing, briefly. People live there, right? Maestros?”
Even with her eyes firmly forward, Mina nodded. “Lots of them. There’s no way they could get all of them to agree to stay, but they got enough. It’s a start. For the most part, all of them have stayed over the years. A few new ones came in. A few left and moved somewhere we’re aware of. We know where a lot of Maestros are, even if we aren’t physically close to them.”
“I forgot the exact numbers your dad said,” Octavia admitted, embarrassed.
Mina rolled her eyes with a smirk. “That’s a River question, not a Mina question.”
Octavia tilted her head. “What?”
She chuckled. “You’re about to meet a lot of interesting people, Miss Ambassador. Keep an open mind.”
The thought was somewhat daunting. Fidgeting was becoming a nervous habit, slowly but surely. “I’ll…do my best.”
“We’re gonna make so many friends!” Madrigal exclaimed, her eyes practically sparkling. “I can’t wait to meet all of their partners! Do you think there’s gonna be other Spirited Maestros? Do you think we’ll all get along really well? We’re all gonna have matching legacies, so I’m sure we’re gonna be amazing together! It’ll be like a little club! Do you think--”
“At least someone’s excited,” Viola whispered. Octavia giggled.
From the look on Mina’s face, she herself was just as privy to meeting interesting people today. She cleared her throat. “The whole place was made specifically to help the Ambassador. Hopefully, it can finally do what it was supposed to this whole time. We were all kind of wondering who ended up taking the job. Couldn’t figure it out.”
“You guys knew there was an Ambassador?” Harper asked. “Did one of the Muses tell you?”
Mina tipped her hand back and forth. “Sort of. If the Heartful ones can use their gifts in the first place, the Ambassador’s gotta be around somewhere. Plus, there was an issue with…well, there were a few other ways we could tell, is the gist of it.”
“Issue with what?” Josiah pushed.
Mina bit her lip uncomfortably. “Not my place to say. The point is, we could tell an Ambassador had been chosen.”
She cast her eyes over her shoulder to Octavia. “Have you performed the Witnessing at all yet?”
Octavia nodded. “A lot, actually. You guys know about that, too?”
“I promise you, we know everything about what you’re supposed to be doing. We know what we’re supposed to be doing, too. There’s some pretty talented Maestros in this place, and they’re all competent enough to fight on behalf of the Ambassador.”
“Oh my God, you have an army,” Renato teased.
“Don’t need one. I thought a certain someone was supposed to be my ‘soldier’,” Octavia muttered with a smirk.
He blushed somewhat. “Could you please just forget I ever said that?”
“How many tolls?” Mina continued.
“Harmonial Instruments? Let’s see. One, two, three, four…seven,” Octavia counted. “Tolls themselves? A fair amount more than that.”
“Did you guide any of the Muses?”
“Two of them.”
“Who?”
“Ethel and Breileneth.”
When she paused for a moment, Octavia pressed her. “Do you…know them by name, too?”
Mina chuckled. “We know a lot, but we’re not that good. Just…wanted to see if they sounded familiar at all. I don’t think I’ve heard their names yet, though.”
“Do some of the Muses know each other?” Harper tried.
“Oh, they know each other, alright,” Josiah mumbled under his breath.
“They all seem to recognize one another, at least a little bit. Some of them get along. Some don’t,” Mina explained. “I mean, if you were to put ninety-six people in one space forever, it makes sense that you’d get to know them all, right?”
“Who’s your partner, then?” Madrigal asked happily, hands clasped behind her back.
When the girl didn’t answer, Madrigal tried again. “Mina?”
“I’ll…introduce you later. For now, let’s just focus on getting you where you need to go. We’re almost there.”
“It literally looks like we’re in the middle of nowhere,” Renato said bluntly.
Mina smiled. “That was the point.”
“You’ve had so many Maestros in one place for years and you weren’t afraid of anything happening to them?” Josiah pressed. “It sounds like you guys had a big target sitting on your backs. If someone really wanted to screw you over, it would’ve been easy.”
Mina scoffed. “Who do you think you’re talking to? Remember who we are. Remember the things we can do. With the strength we’ve got, and with the numbers we have, nothing can touch us. What’s your legacy that you’re talking like that?”
Octavia wasn’t going to say it. She was definitely going to think it. For whatever reason, Josiah went along with her question. Technically, even now, he wasn’t wrong. “Born with a bit of lightning in my blood. You know how it is.”
Mina grinned. “Essenced, then. Figured as much. Welcome to the club.”
He raised an eyebrow. “You’re the same, then?”
“I’ve got a soft spot for my legacy siblings. You and I should get along pretty well.”
If anyone was going to point out the glaring problem in their interaction, they declined to do so. Octavia side-eyed Josiah. He did the same right back. In his defense, he was only being partially dishonest about his status as a former Maestro. As to why, she was still unsure.
“You sound like you put a lot of faith in the whole legacy thing,” Renato observed, crossing his arms comfortably.
“You can tell a lot about a person by their legacy. I can’t always guess everyone’s on sight, but talk to me long enough and I’ll usually figure it out.”
“Oh, what’s mine, what’s mine?” Madrigal challenged, waving her hand excitedly.
“If you’re not Spirited, I’m quitting being a Maestra,” Mina said with a smirk.
“Wow, that’s right! You’re amazing, Mina!” she cried.
“Okay, even I could’ve done that one,” Harper muttered with a grin of his own.
“It’s gonna be kind of strange meeting other Maestros from the same legacy,” Viola admitted. “I’ve never met another Maestro with a soul of ice before.”
“I wonder what the other Heartful Maestros are like,” Octavia said with a smile.
“Hey, Ambassador, don’t get your hopes up too high on that one.”
Octavia cocked her head. “What do you mean?”
Mina tucked her hair behind her ear delicately, ruffled by the breeze as it was. “You don’t exactly have as many siblings as the rest of us.”
She hesitated. “There’s…not a lot of Heartful Maestros? Do you mean in this place, or in…general?”
“We’re here.”
“Here” was every bit as beautiful as Octavia had seen secondhand.
It really was her truest mental interpretation of a settlement, should such a mental image be crowned by the splendor of nature. Their grassy path suddenly dipped low, a plain giving way to more varied topography. What was once flat suddenly erupted into a picturesque assortment of soft, rolling hills and abundant meadows, stretching in nearly every direction. True to Renato’s words, it was more or less the literal middle of nowhere.
Of most note were the quaint houses that speckled the landscape, cottages that looked overwhelmingly cozy even from afar. They were small and yet plentiful. Octavia didn’t bother counting, far more engrossed in the sweet splashes of color they blessed the greenery of a silent landscape with. From her current vantage point, the canopies of forests she couldn’t quite make out in full from this far away were at least semi-observable.
Octavia blinked. She rubbed her eyes, too, and still it was here. For all the cities she’d taken refuge in, for all the nights she’d spent surrounded by the hustle and bustle of civilization, to be back in the arms of nature left her heart singing. It was breathtaking beneath the afternoon sun, humble as it was. Should her soul not belong to Silver Ridge, she would’ve wished to live here forever. She didn’t need to so much as set one foot within its borderless borders to make that decision.
“I haven’t seen you make that face in a while,” Viola teased in a whisper. “The tourist-y one.”
There was a time and a place for embarrassment. Now wasn’t it. Octavia was conscious of the sparkle in her eyes and unashamed of its glimmer. “It’s beautiful,” she breathed.
“Damn, it really is in the middle of nowhere,” Renato mumbled.
“It’s so cute!” Madrigal cried, clasping her hands together joyfully. “It’s so…green! So…natural! I love it already!”
Mina smiled. “It’s not much to look at, but it does what it’s supposed to do.”
“It’s lovely,” Octavia added quickly, already somewhat defensive on her paradise’s behalf. “I…it’s wonderful.”
“Glad you get something out of it, then. There’s a reason I stay in Selbright. I think if I had to deal with this much grass all the time, I’d go insane,” Mina admitted.
Harper chuckled. “If it’s any consolation, I don’t think some of us have ever had the chance to try.”
“Never really had the chance to grow up surrounded by the splendor of nature, you know,” Josiah muttered.
“That’s your problem now,” Mina said. “The Ambassador, especially. Good thing she’s taking it well.”
“What’s it like knowing this whole place was built just for you?” Viola teased once more, elbowing Octavia gently.
The thought alone left her starstruck. “I…don’t know what to say.”
Mina grinned. “Ambassador, welcome to Tacell.”
----------------------------------------
The further Octavia traversed, the more smitten she became. There was a relief that came with knowing she wasn’t the only one captivated by the settlement--Madrigal wasn’t faring much better. Granted, she expressed her delights in her own unique way, as expected. She pointed and gushed over each cottage, floral feature, and everything in between that crossed their path on the way to who-knew-where.
Octavia had somewhat forgotten the origins of most of her companions. It left her with the stark revelation that she and her Spirited friend were perhaps the only two who’d grown amongst the beauty of nature. In that way, Harper’s words were true, what with the wonder of the environment somewhat lost on the four who’d instead been raised within the confines of cities. She prayed they would come to appreciate such a paradise, particularly given how long they were going to be here.
The meadows and fields of the Heaven that Mina called Tacell were only somewhat distinguishable from one another, and not at all by much. Most landmarks came in the form of trees, rocks, hills, or some combination of the three. Remembering them all was surely going to be the death of Octavia, should she find the need to in the first place.
How Mina remembered which one was which was a feat she couldn’t fathom. Octavia couldn’t help but wonder just how long the Maestra had been coming here over the many years it had existed. Part of her wondered if she’d ever met Priscilla, particularly given her familial associations. Still drinking in the magnificence of her safe haven, Octavia shelved the question temporarily.
The field she’d chosen didn't appear to be coincidental, nor did it appear to be empty. The waving helped to give that away, somewhat.
“River!” Mina called.
The expanse of lush grass that swayed beneath the breeze did little to conceal the myriad of faces Octavia had never seen before. Still, it took them a moment to grant their full frontal attention, turned away and seated upon the earth as they’d been. Octavia retroactively felt bad for disturbing them, unknown to her as they were.
The one offset to the gentle greens below her feet was the waves of seafoam that crashed against her eyes, striking and overpowering all the same.
Octavia forgot to acknowledge anything else about the stranger before her, as much as she knew she should’ve. His vibrant gaze wasn’t anywhere near piercing, nor hostile in any capacity. It was warm, soft, pure tides that threatened to sweep her away should she stare for too long. She held her breath, lest she would drown. It was lovely, in a way.
“Mina?” he answered, softly and simply.
There were others, Octavia was aware. She did care. She knew she was distracted, and of that, she didn’t care quite as much. The feeling was mildly frustrating. The hint of displeasure she felt when he broke eye contact first was a solid sign for her to pull herself together. Granted, she probably shouldn’t have been as fixated as she was.
“I brought some people I think you’ll be pretty happy to meet,” Mina offered with a knowing grin.
His smile was just as soft as his eyes. Her seafoam stranger crossed his arms comfortably. “They’re Maestros, then?”
“Geez, that’s a lot of them,” remarked a voice she hadn’t yet heard. She trailed its deeper timbre to a different boy at his side, arms crossed in much the same gesture--albeit one crowned by a hint of audible confusion. “All at once? Where’d you find this many?”
“We’re kind of a unit,” Harper joked with a shrug.
“I mean, don’t get me wrong, we’re happy to have you. Briar, by the way,” he offered, one hand extended politely. Harper obliged his introduction with a smile and a firm grip of his own.
“Harper. Nice to meet you.”
“I’m gonna take a shot in the dark that all of you are Maestros, too, then?” Josiah tried, raising an eyebrow.
In his case, “all of you” left his eyes scanning a bit further than Octavia’s. The strangers before her numbered five in total, their attire varied and the faces they wore towards the Maestros equally so. At the very least, they seemed to know Mina. That was one relief. There was, conversely, a discomfort to be seen in exactly how long Josiah stared down the girl with her hand on her hip.
She was wordless, returning his stand-offish gaze with one of her own. Octavia hoped Josiah wasn’t enough of a jerk to be ogling the splintering scar that climbed up her cheek. She assumed she knew him better than that. If the girl in question had any qualms about the intentions of his inspection, she didn’t say so. She didn’t say anything, really, content to cock her head and stare him down. He blinked first. It was awkward just to watch.
The boy who’d greeted Harper was a godsend, in that aspect, filling in where Josiah had sought an answer to a simple question. “Yeah, everyone here is. Welcome to Tacell.”
“So it’s…literally like a little settlement of just Maestros,” Viola observed aloud. “You all live here?”
It was the boy blessed with the colorful gaze that offered her an answer instead. “Yeah. All of us live here. We’ve been here for a few years now, actually.”
“Mina won’t move in. She hates the great outdoors.”
It was a voice Octavia hadn’t heard thus far, from yet another boy she’d hardly given her attention to. His grin looked as warm as his cap. Really, everyone seemed more prepared for the chill of autumn than her.
Mina rolled her eyes. “Shut it.”
“Selbright’s a nice place,” Renato defended. “Can’t really blame her. Good food and all that.”
“The entire eastern block has a sinkhole problem.”
Renato winced. “That’s still happening? Damn, they really haven’t figured that out yet?”
“I’m just saying, you’re not gonna have any troubles like that out here. A few bugs won’t kill anybody.”
“Yeah, until they do,” Mina hissed.
The boy smirked, raising his eyes to Renato once more. “You from Selbright?”
“Yeah. You?”
“Yeah.”
Renato grinned. If Octavia squinted, their smiles were almost similar, sassy as they were. He gave a two-finger salute. “Renato.”
“Francisco,” the boy offered back.
“And I’m Madrigal!” a vibrant Maestra added, sporting a brilliant smile of her own. She waved excitedly, practically vibrating at Renato’s side. He side-eyed her with something endearing.
The boy opposite her was unfazed by her energy, the same unshaken grin resting on his lips. “Nice to meet you, too, then, Madrigal.”
Even now, Josiah was still well into his staring match. Octavia could’ve sworn this girl hadn’t blinked--or, if she had, it had been quick and subtle. Even Josiah seemed uncomfortable.
“I’m…Josiah. And you are…”
She didn’t answer. He sighed.
“That’s Mint,” Mina filled in on his behalf. “She doesn’t really talk much. Don’t take it personally.”
Josiah scoffed. “Did I really make that bad of a first impression?” he muttered.
Mina caught his eyes, Octavia’s own following along out of curiosity. They flickered urgently to the scar on the girl’s face before settling back onto him. Mina shook her head quickly and subtly. Josiah cringed, biting his lip and swearing under his breath. If he wasn’t being a jerk before, he was really pushing it now.
“I didn’t catch your name. I’m sorry for not asking.”
Octavia was wrapped up in that seafoam tide yet again, almost disorienting up close. She was definitely staring. It wasn’t voluntary. Why she was stammering in front of him, she had absolutely no clue.
“O-Oh, no worries, it’s okay! I-I’m Octavia. It’s really nice to meet you, a-and thank you for having us here.”
She caught his soft smile once more. “River Cobalt. It’s nice to meet you, too, Octavia.”
Octavia’s breath snagged in her throat. “That’s such a pretty name,” she murmured.
“Thank you,” the boy said gently.
As soon as her own words settled in, Octavia kicked herself with all of the violence she could mentally muster. Why on earth they’d left her mouth in the first place was incredibly far beyond her.
She found her one and only reprieve in the distraction of another. “Viola Vacanti. Thank you for having us,” her Soulful companion offered with a deep curtsey.
“No thanks needed. Thank you just for being here,” he answered.
“You don’t…have to answer this if you don’t want to, but would you guys mind telling us your legacies? We’re trying to keep track of something here,” the boy with the gloves offered. If Octavia remembered correctly, that one was Briar.
Octavia did the work for them, a pointed finger wandering amongst the Maestros one by one. “Uh…Willful, Strong, Spirited, Essenced, Soulful, and…”
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
Hesitantly, she turned it upon herself. “Heartful.”
River's eyes widened, instead. “Wait, Heartful?”
She nodded.
“You are really drawing this out,” Mina said with a smirk. “Tell him.”
He tilted his head at Octavia. “Tell me…what?”
Octavia gulped. Something about his gaze was putting pressure on her that she hadn’t expected. She took a deep breath, fighting the urge to fidget uncomfortably.
“I’m…Octavia,” she repeated. “And I’m…the Ambassador.”
The striking eyes she was rapidly growing to appreciate flooded with shock. River fell silent, as did those around him. For a moment, Octavia couldn’t breathe. That wasn’t quite the reaction she’d expected.
“The…Ambassador?” Briar asked with equal disbelief.
“Are you serious?” came the boy with the cap--Francisco, if she recalled.
Even wordless as she was, the girl with the scar still pinned her with quiet eyes in turn. Now Octavia was fidgeting.
“Are you really the Ambassador?” River murmured.
It wasn’t as though she had a good reason to lie about it. Mina defended her, for the most part. It saved Octavia the trouble of doing it herself.
“She’s the real deal,” Mina offered. “I can say that with 100% certainty.”
“No kidding,” Francisco breathed.
When River’s shock collapsed into something far warmer, Octavia finally freed her internal sigh of relief. “I…that’s amazing. It’s an honor to have you here.”
Octavia blushed, averting her eyes. “Oh, uh, it’s…nothing.”
Briar smiled brightly. “To finally have the Ambassador in Tacell is…perfect. It’s been a long time coming.”
“Did you guys ever meet the last Ambassador?” she blurted out. Whatever plans she'd had to shelve that question didn’t last long.
River shook his head. “We personally didn’t. None of us, at least. There’s enough people here that you might find someone who did, though. We weren’t here when it started, but we know how it came to be.”
“We don’t really know a whole lot about her,” Francisco admitted with a shrug. “We just know she…well, she was the Ambassador, and she made all this. I don’t even remember her name, to tell you the truth.”
“Priscilla,” Octavia filled in with a soft smile. “She was the last Ambassador. She’s my…sister.”
River paused before bestowing her with kind eyes. “I’m not surprised to hear that the last two Ambassadors were related, truthfully. If you need absolutely anything, please tell us right away.”
“You’ve definitely got your work cut out for you,” Francisco said bluntly. “There’s a pretty solid mess here to deal with, you know.”
“Don’t sweat it,” Mina countered. “She’s already performed the Witnessing before. Multiple times, and she’s guided a few Muses along the way. She knows what she’s doing.”
The scarred girl--Mint, surely--tilted her head at Octavia, raising an eyebrow. Her expressions were going to take time to get used to.
“She’s got it covered,” Renato reassured, waving one dismissive hand. “Our fearless leader’s used to this whole routine by now. No problem.”
“We’ll still help with absolutely anything we can,” Briar offered. “Please don’t hesitate to ask for assistance.”
“Like, you guys specifically, or anyone?” Octavia asked.
“River’s more or less the guy who oversees this whole operation,” Francisco explained, gesturing to the boy accordingly. “He’s essentially our leader.”
River shrugged. “It just sort of ended up that way,” he responded.
“You guys seem pretty close,” Viola observed. “Is everyone here like this?”
Briar chuckled. “I wish. We’re…definitely exceptions.”
“What do you mean?”
Francisco grinned knowingly once more. “Do you want the easy answer to this, or the complicated answer?”
“I mean, if we didn’t want complicated answers, we wouldn’t be here,” Viola said coolly.
His grin settled into a solid smirk. “Easy answer? We’re River’s closest friends. We know him best, and we know how to back him up if something goes wrong.”
“And the complicated answer?”
Francisco cocked his head. “We are, without question or challenge, the absolute strongest Maestros in Tacell.”
Octavia vaguely remembered Mina saying as much--albeit not in reference to her newest strangers specifically. Still, it was a bold claim.
“That’s a bold claim,” Josiah muttered. She was glad she wasn’t the only one.
“I promise you, we’re not saying it to be arrogant,” Briar reassured. “It’s more of a…literal fact.”
“We can prove it, too,” Francisco continued, his voice tinted with a bit more pride than was necessary.
For a moment, River’s smile slipped in the slightest. It took him a moment to find it again, and he offered it to Octavia. “Would you be interested in meeting our partners?”
Her heart skipped a beat. “I-I’d love to! Y-You can meet ours, too!”
“Finally!” she heard Madrigal exclaim far too loudly behind her.
Octavia waited for River to make some sort of movement towards his Harmonial Instrument--wherever it may have been. In reality, none of them did. Stradivaria's case slipped from her shoulder more slowly than usual, and four gazes followed her with confusion. She feared breaking eye contact, for whatever reason. River tilted his head.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“I thought you said we were…you wanted us to meet your partners, right? So I was…going to introduce you to mine. Is that okay?”
River nodded. “No, that’s perfectly fine. It’s just…why are you taking it out?”
Octavia blinked. “What?”
When he was silent, she shrank under his gaze. “I…always take him out when I want him to be here. Do you…not do that for your own partner?”
River shook his head. “You don’t have to. None of us do.”
Viola, too, seemed taken aback. “Wait, have we…not had to do that this whole time? I thought that was necessary.”
“What are you talking about?” Francisco asked. “You can just leave them in their cases. As long as you have someone with the right gift to help you out, that’s all you need. We…only had to do that the first time we got to actually see them. There’s no point in doing it now.”
“Maybe ours just…like not being in the dark?” Harper offered.
“I'd still prefer to take mine out. Is that okay?” Octavia tried timidly. “I don’t feel right if he’s…not physically with me when I’m seeing him.”
River nodded again. “Of course. Do whatever makes you feel comfortable.”
“Faith, come here a minute, we need you,” Francisco called, eyes cast behind him into the depths of the meadow once more.
Mint laid a hand atop his shoulder, shaking her head. She gestured towards Octavia subtly, although not enough so that the motion eluded the Ambassador’s eyes. Francisco winced.
“Wait, nevermind, it’s fine! Damn it, I forgot,” he muttered.
“She’s the Ambassador. She’s Heartful,” Briar whispered.
“Yeah, I know, I forgot,” Francisco hissed. “I’m so used to it by now.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, forget it!”
“Nothing” wasn’t enough to satisfy Octavia's newest stranger. She had absolutely and completely forgotten that there had been five. One had simply been far too distant from their conversation, utterly detached from the situation. Up until now, she’d been content to stay isolated in the comforts of the soft grass below, stray blades sneaking their way between the buckles of her flats.
When she finally arose, she was perhaps the most striking of all, save for the rush of the sea that had blindsided Octavia at first glance. By comparison to colors much more muted, she stood out in their ocean of quiet attire. The girl tucked several fraying blonde strands behind her hair cautiously.
“What did you need?” she asked, perhaps with equal caution.
Francisco sighed. “Nothing. I’m stupid. I forgot that she’s Heartful and she can do it herself. You don’t have to do anything.”
The girl’s eyes widened somewhat as they settled onto Octavia. “She’s Heartful?”
Octavia blinked. “Wait, are you Heartful?”
The girl nodded slowly. “I’m…yes. I haven’t met a lot of other Heartful Maestros or Maestras, sorry. It’s a surprise.”
“It’s a surprise for me, too,” Octavia said. “I haven’t met any.”
“She said she was Heartful earlier,” Briar added, his eyes on the girl. “Didn’t you hear?”
The Heartful stranger blushed. “I-I’m sorry, I wasn’t paying attention.”
“Did you miss all the other important stuff, too?” Francisco grumbled.
She winced. “I’m sorry! I…didn’t think the conversation involved me, so I was trying not to eavesdrop. I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to.”
River held up one palm, a gentle plea for silence. “It’s okay. Faith, this is Octavia. She’s the…Ambassador.”
River's words were enough to elicit a mirrored Heartful reaction to his own from before. She might've been even more shocked, by comparison. The girl practically froze, her folded hands trembling somewhat in front of her dress. When she bowed--a true, genuine bow--Octavia physically recoiled.
“I-It’s an absolute honor, Ambassador,” she blurted out quickly, bending so low that the dangling tips of her hair kissed the grass. “I’m so sorry for my rudeness. I didn’t mean to ignore you like that. I’m really, really sorry.”
Octavia was practically flailing, desperate to diffuse whatever incredible discomfort was beginning to bubble in her stomach. “N-No, it’s okay! There’s nothing to be sorry about, honest! You didn’t do anything wrong!”
Even with her blessing of forgiveness, it wasn’t enough to keep the girl’s eyes out of the dirt and anywhere Octavia could see them. She resisted the urge to sigh.
“Octavia, this is Faith,” River introduced on her behalf. “She’s the…she’s with us. She helps us out a lot. We appreciate her.”
“There’s not a lot of Heartful Maestros here, so it helps us a ton that she’s willing to stick around and lend us a hand pretty frequently. She’s a hard worker,” Briar continued.
The Heartful girl in question flushed, still refusing to raise her head. “I-I just want to do whatever I can. The work the Ensemble does is really important.”
Octavia tilted her head. “The…Ensemble?”
“The four of us,” Francisco clarified. “River, Briar, Mint, and myself.”
She paused. “Huh.”
“Oh. I get it,” Renato deadpanned.
“That’s…actually kind of cute,” Harper added.
“Why don’t we have a cool group name, again?” the Strong Maestro whispered.
“Why would we?” Josiah muttered.
“Because it’s cool.”
Octavia’s eyes flickered down to Stradivaria in her arms. She hugged the violin tightly to her chest. “This is Stradivaria,” she introduced. “He’s my partner.”
The instrument's visage was a catalyst for raised eyebrows fourfold. Discomfort settled onto the Ambassador's shoulders instantly. She tensed, particularly as their gazes each moved to Faith in turn.
“W-What’s wrong?” Octavia stammered.
For all their talk of not bringing out their Harmonial Instruments, they wordlessly seemed to settle on a singular exception. Even Mina, silent as she’d been for a while, seemed equally as enraptured. Faith made for a case upon the grass, settled neatly within a circle of similar monotone homes for presumably similar partners. Like Octavia’s companions, they, too, seemed to lean towards coagulating into a pile.
The only thing more jarring than the exceedingly familiar shape of the case was the horrifyingly familiar shape of the instrument the Heartful girl withdrew from its linings. Ultimately, it was almost the splitting image of that which Octavia had come to know well. There were differences, granted--it was maple, for one. Larger, albeit not by a notable margin. If she flipped it over, Octavia wondered if the Harmonial Crest would still lie engraved in the exact same spot. Somehow, she doubted it.
“Oh my God, there really is a difference,” Mina mumbled.
“I…guess that counts, then,” Francisco added with mild surprise.
Harper blinked several times over, apparently equally as confused. “Uh…what?”
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen more than one of the same…‘kind’ of Harmonial Instrument,” Josiah said. “That can happen?”
“It’s not supposed to,” Viola countered, crossing her arms. “At least…I don’t think so.”
“They’re not the same,” Octavia answered. “It’s a viola.”
When Viola raised her head, Octavia had to fight for her life not to laugh. “You know, I knew for a fact you were gonna do that.”
Viola rolled her eyes.
“They look so…similar, though,” Madrigal observed aloud, balancing on the tips of her sandals for a chance at a better look.
“There’s some things that are different about them. They’re two different instruments. A violin and a viola aren’t the same thing,” Octavia explained.
Priscilla had drilled that into her enough times that she’d never forget it for the rest of her life. For once, surprisingly, it was useful.
“You meet another Maestra from the same legacy for the first time ever and she’s got almost the exact same damn instrument you do,” Renato muttered.
Octavia stifled a smirk, too. Instead, she did what she could to give Faith’s partner the respect they deserved. “What’s your partner’s name?”
Faith stiffened slightly, her fingers tightening around the neck and bow of the innocent viola. “This is Jadareverie.”
Octavia waved with a smile. “It’s nice to meet you.”
Somehow, her gesture got a separate soft smile out of River. It was almost enough to make her self-conscious, had she not been more fixated on being a catalyst for eleven resplendent faces at once. The idea of her friends’ respective Muses manifesting with their bodies sealed away in the dark was somewhat somber. Octavia still wasn’t particularly fond of the idea. Regardless, her first impression was a work in progress at the moment. She didn’t want to start a problem.
Play nice, okay? she teased within.
I will endeavor.
Octavia made the wise and conscious decision to close her eyes. Eleven simultaneous flashes of light would’ve been enough to jeopardize her eyesight, at least temporarily. She could inspect the damage once it had been done. She wondered if any of the others had the conscious thought to do the same.
Initially, she worried whether she’d managed to call upon them correctly at all, involuntary as the act was. With her eyes closed, she feared for their presentations, second-guessing River’s insistence that they could stay sheathed as desired. Whatever unfamiliar charisma was greeting her eardrums put a stop to those concerns immediately.
“Orleanna? Is that you?” came a voice dripping with equal parts femininity and satisfaction. “Am I to believe what I see? Is it truly Orleanna once again?”
When Octavia finally opened her eyes, the sound of Orleanna groaning--honest to God groaning--was the second-most confusing observation she made. “Yes. You are correct,” the Willful Muse answered curtly.
Her physical figure matched with her voice, vehemently dripping with sassy femininity as it was. She was slender, lithe in a way that left her only slightly larger than Orleanna herself. She was a radiant gold, glimmering with such fervor that it stung at Octavia’s pupils somewhat. Like Ethel, she was simply too vivid to witness with the naked eye, an honest testament to her legacy. Even with her body a ways away in the grass, concealed beneath whichever mysteriously-shaped case was relevant, she still stuck close to her Maestra. They all did, really.
“My Orleanna, once more,” the Muse spoke with muted joy. “It has been far, far, far too long. That fate should see fit to bring us together again is a true miracle. Would you not agree?”
Orleanna’s voice was nearly strained, monotone or not. “It has definitely been some time, of that I will agree.”
“You are just as splendid as when last we parted, if not more so. The Descent has perhaps made you ever more beautiful. Tell me, my dearest Orleanna, how badly have you missed me?”
Orleanna paused. “With absolute certainty, not as much as you have missed me.”
The soft, more gentle femininity of Lyra’s voice was incredibly off-putting, by immediate comparison--even touched with surprise. “Is that--”
“Yes,” Orleanna sighed once more. “It is, whether for better or worse.”
“Lyra?”
Lyra tilted her head at the muted masculine tone that called for her. “You are here, as well?”
“As are you, it would seem. A coincidence?”
“For myself? Perhaps. As to your own? I suspect otherwise.”
The Muse that stuck close to Francisco, idling within several feet of his cap, was a stunning scarlet that Octavia had come to associate with the will of fire long ago. Their radiance told all, filling in the gaps where prior introductions could not. He reminded her of Stratos, somewhat, square in the center of what she would consider an average build. His tone was gentle, yet confident all at once. She liked it enough--or, at least, substantially more than the excessive and low femininity that was almost grating to his left.
At Lyra’s words, he chuckled. “I may be inclined to agree with the same. My greetings once more, Orleanna.”
It was to Octavia’s surprise that the Willful Muse genuinely bowed in response, humble as the motion was. “I offer the same to you at last, my Apex.”
Octavia’s eyes widened almost in tandem with Josiah’s. The look of surprise they exchanged was identical.
“Your…Apex?” he tried aloud cautiously.
“Oh, for my sweetest Orleanna to shirk the same praise for myself, is that not the greatest cruelty?” came that dramatic voice once more. Octavia was very slowly beginning to find it outright annoying, if not extremely confusing.
Orleanna, if her body language was anything to go by, had her far outmatched on that front. “You should not need my rationale as to why. Either of them.”
“And you, then,” she heard of Brava, near to Viola as he was. "You have found yourself in much the same company, as well? I am…remiss to believe such to be a true coincidence.”
It was not to the Muses that clung to Mint nor Francisco that he spoke, but one which shared much of his own radiant hue and build. They weren't identical by any means, what with their subtle differences in vocal cadence and size. It remained to be seen whether or not the borderline arrogance was a split trait. That Muse, in turn, seemed content to linger closest to a contently-smiling Briar.
He nodded. “It is as Lyra has spoken. It is not, perhaps, so much a coincidence as one could believe. Still, it is somewhat of a relief to find her once more.”
Lyra dipped her head in the softest of bows. “And my sentiments to you in turn, all of you.”
Ambassador.
The gentle tone that greeted her ears alone made her jump slightly, soft masculinity buzzing in her head. It didn’t quite match that of those she’d observed thus far, her eyes flickering to every unfamiliar Muse one by one. It took time for Octavia to trace its source to the shimmering viridian that enjoyed the company of yet more seafoam. He gazed at her from on high. She could only blink back in silence.
Yes? Octavia offered hesitantly. She hoped she was talking to the right one, at least.
He tilted his head in the slightest, a subtle gesture only for her. Please…do not speak of the Apex of Spirit aloud. This is my…personal request.
It was Octavia’s turn to return an identical tilt, albeit with far more confusion. Apex of Spirit?
His eyes--or lack thereof--trailed to Lyra. Octavia followed. It didn’t help anything. Why not?
She is our beloved Apex of Spirit, he began, but I simply ask that you do not mention her aloud as such. We will endeavor to do much the same.
Octavia stared. This was uncomfortable.
She turned within to a Muse who hadn’t offered any guidance as of yet. Is there a reason I can’t say Lyra’s an Apex, exactly? Is it rude or…something?
He was silent. Stradivaria? she tried once more.
When he continued to ignore her, Octavia lifted her gaze above her head. His own had long since dismissed her, offered only to that of the Muse who stared him down in equal measure.
She didn’t flinch. She stood--rather, floated--with confidence, in stark contrast to the Heartful Maestra who clutched her body nervously below. She was a far cry from the delicacy of every feminine form Octavia had visualized thus far, her remaining softer features be damned. She was tall, and somewhat bulkier. She was every bit as splendidly radiant as Stratos himself, crowned by the most glistening of soft yellows. It was his name and his name alone that she offered, their visual line of sight unbroken forever.
“Stratos,” she spoke plainly. With two syllables, Octavia found the exact poise and strength she could expect from a form so imposing.
He, too, was just as simple. “Jasse.”
“That you would all…and in such a place,” Brava spoke with a tint of surprise, crossing his arms.
“It was no simple feat,” came the foreign scarlet Muse. “Of this, there is gratitude to be granted to the prior Ambassador.”
“And to our own, I would assert,” Briar’s presumed partner added.
The way Viola emulated her partner’s body language was almost comical. She, too, crossed her arms over her chest. “So you all know each other pretty well, then? That…works out.”
“That is not so much as the least of it,” Mente muttered.
“As to the fate of our own Apex, such is a trial to be dealt with even now,” Aste added with equal annoyance.
“What’s this whole Apex thing, exactly?” Renato tried. “I feel like I’ve heard that word before.”
Francisco beamed with pride. “You really wanna know?”
If Octavia spared a moment to eye Lyra, she could catch the way several Muses gestured to her subtly and wordlessly. She, too, returned similar motions of her own--nods, headshakes, and flickering glances. The amount of times they settled upon River, even briefly, was uncomfortable. The fact that she wasn’t even the only familiar Muse to do so was infinitely worse.
The observation, apparently, was hers alone. Francisco was undeterred. “Apexes are the strongest of their legacy. You could almost say they’re like leaders of their legacies. You know what that means, right?”
When Renato shrugged, he only seemed to grow more satisfied. Francisco's grin was ceaseless.
“It means,” he continued with far too much satisfaction, “that their partners, then, would make the strongest Maestros.”
Renato's eyes widened. “Wait, seriously?”
“That’s amazing!” Madrigal cried, literally jumping for joy at least once.
“Wait, all of you, then?” Viola asked incredulously, flicking one finger between each of their new Maestro companions in turn. “All five of you are…partnered with one of them?”
Mint shook her head. Briar filled in where her wordless gesture could not. “Myself, Mint, and Francisco, specifically.”
Francisco’s partner offered a gentle bow to Octavia, for once. “It is a pleasure to meet the Ambassador. I am Kalist, the Apex of Will.”
She almost forgot to return the favor, scrambling for a curtsey of her own. “I-I’m Octavia. Ambassador. I mean, you knew that already.”
“Parsephii,” Briar’s partner said calmly, one hand where Octavia imagined his heart would’ve been. “I am the Apex of Soul. I, too, am delighted to meet the Ambassador at last.”
Octavia made much the same gesture. “You too. I, uh, look forward to working together.”
“Orleannaaa,” the Muse that clung to Mint drawled, far too comfortable as she practically reclined above the girl’s head. “That boy you have claimed as your own was a wise decision, indeed. Even for a human, he is a pleasing sight. I would not quite mind bringing the world to ruin for him.”
Harper blushed brightly, fidgeting as he tossed his gaze into the dirt. The way Orleanna moved significantly closer to him was absolutely not lost on Octavia, the slender rays that composed her fingers curling into fists.
“Curb your tongue and speak your name!” Faith’s assumed partner boomed. The power behind her voice was not at all surprising, admittedly. Mint rolled her eyes in what appeared to be quiet agreement.
“As you wish,” the golden Muse offered with a half-hearted shrug. “You may address me as Seliza, Apex of Essence. Learn my name well, Ambassador, and we shall get along splendidly.”
Octavia blinked. For her alone, an earnest greeting was difficult to come by. She still tried. “Uh…I’ll do my best. It’s nice to meet you.”
“I am Jasse,” the confident Muse offered, her tone far softer by comparison to her shout. She, at least, attempted to bow with some semblance of respect. “I am not an Apex, but I will strive to serve your cause all the same.”
The degree to which River’s partner had been largely quiet was somewhat startling, his voice aloud rather than within equally so. He, too, paid his respects. “And I am Rondelio,” he offered, softly and simply.
It was hard to curtsey to them both at once, and the gesture was beginning to make her muscles ache. Still, Octavia did her best yet again. “It’s great to meet both of you. I look forward to getting to know you guys better.”
“We haven’t found the Apex of Spirit or the Apex of Strength yet,” Briar clarified. “That being said, with the power all three of us have combined, we’ve got everything we need to defend Tacell with our lives.”
“There’s six of them in total, then, right?” Harper tried, still shrugging off the remainder of the red that lingered on his cheeks.
Briar nodded. “One to each legacy, and only one.”
Josiah raised an eyebrow. “But then…wouldn’t the Apex of Spirit be--”
He didn’t get to finish. Instead of words, he found fingernails digging sharply into the back of his hand. He hissed in pain under Octavia’s tight grip, glaring her down with confusion. She shook her head fervently. Puzzled as the look he gave her was, Octavia counted her blessings that it was enough to shut him up. She counted her blessings further that she hadn't previously had four more companions privy to the term “Apex” explicitly--even those who had witnessed Lyra’s incredible power firsthand. She still wasn’t sure why, exactly, she was supposed to be grateful for that in the first place.
Their interaction wasn’t particularly subtle, and Viola side-eyed them both. Still, the Maestra continued. “What about the Apex of Heart? Is there…one of those?”
“The Apex of Heart is our own Lord of All,” Stratos clarified gently. “He would not be found in such a place.”
“As to the Apex of Strength,” Orleanna said, “I…believe we may know the answer. It is not a simple one, and it may be best suited for another time.”
Kalist tilted his head, one hand raised to where his mouth would be thoughtfully. Octavia still enjoyed watching the way they emoted, expressionless or not. “I…see. I will not pry.”
“Ambassador, should you find yourself in need of assistance, our strength is yours,” Jasse offered. “Please do not hesitate to inquire. Our own will surely provide the same.”
Octavia nodded quickly. “Y-You guys are all really nice. Thank you for everything.”
“There’s going to be a lot you’ll have to have to deal with here,” River warned softly. “It’s...going to be rough. I imagine performing the Witnessing that many times won't be very fun, and I don’t exactly know what you’ll see. We’ll figure everything out together. We have your back, so use us whenever you need us, okay?”
The first words he’d spoken in some time were more uncomfortable than reassuring. Octavia wasn’t particularly fond of the idea of “using” anyone. With how many eyes were settled upon her, the title of Ambassador had suddenly been filled with thick lead and laid heavily upon her back.
There was a greater, secondary, and far more embarrassing pressure in knowing that she was going to forget every single name she’d just learned in the span of several hours. For the sake of preserving her fragile first impression in Tacell, Octavia would’ve rather forced a toll down her own throat than admit it.