Savory scents danced merrily around the quaint kitchen as Senna watched her mother flip bacon sizzling in a pan. They had marinated it with a dollop of a sauce similar to Dijon mustard, alongside black pepper and garlic. Celica cooked the hissing meat as the oil and fat crackled, seizing each piece with prongs as it reached that perfect medium of brownish-red; not too crispy, not too chewy.
Next, not wanting the grease to go to waste, she broke several eggs into the pan, whisking them aggressively until they were sufficiently scrambled, marinating in the juice of the bacon. Spreading several pinches of salt, some dashes of red pepper, and diced green onions, she was quick to give it a once over before removing it so that the latter wouldn’t dry out.
Lastly, she snagged some slices of wheat bread, spreading a little leftover egg batter across the surface, alongside butter and garlic. Senna watched intently as she leaned on a single crutch, trying to memorize every piece of the intricate alchemy that was cooking.
Having mastered the stairs recently and now able to traverse the entire house, Senna decided that the first thing she wanted to do was learn to cook as well as her mother does. So the last couple mornings she had gotten up early to spend time in the kitchen watching Celica prepare breakfast.
The kitchen itself was picturesque; various herbs were hung to dry around the ceiling leaving a perfect piquant symphony to waft through the room. The main counter had neat stacks of wooden plates, bowls, utensils, mortars and pestles, and pots and pans. In the corner was a cabinet filled with dried and preserved ingredients for various dishes.
On one side was a brick oven and stove top combination beside a granite wash basin that every nouveau riche up-and-comer would’ve died to have installed in their house to capture a cottage core aesthetic. In the center of the room was a mid-sized cherrywood table to accommodate the family of four. Senna had insisted on eating here with Celica the last several days now that she could navigate the house.
After their meal was finished, Senna pulled up a stool at the sink, urging Celica to let her at least contribute by doing the dishes. Dish soap in this world more so closely resembled its forms in the nineteenth century; a mixture of lye, vinegar, and touch of grease cured into a bar. Not that dishes had ever been enjoyable to do, but it was considerably less pleasant than the bottled soap in her apartment in the past.
“I’m going to step out to pull some more herbs for the pantry, did you want to join me?”
Nodding eagerly, Senna slipped some shoes on and snagged both crutches, following Celica out the backdoor. It was going to be the first time she had seen the yard, let alone it was the first time she’d be leaving the house since arriving.
Senna stepped down a pair of cobblestone steps, stopping so she could shield her eyes as she was nearly blinded by the sunlight. As her vision adjusted, she was somewhat surprised at how small the yard was. It wasn’t much bigger than the small spaces you might see with a condo on Earth. The arrangement of space was clearly to utilize every inch to the maximum potential possible.
In a somewhat wider space, there was a small, one-man greenhouse where Celica kept her herbs and spices to have seasonings available all year long. Around the perimeter of the space was an unusual flower that’s thorny stems resembled roses, with its petals forming a star shape. The petals themselves were a striking electric blue, beautifully contrasted by snow white tips and stamen. Rows of basic vegetables were slowly sprouting to life in the late spring air, all of them awaiting harvest in the summer.
Recovering from the glare, the fragrance of flowers, vegetables, and damp soil assaulted Senna’s senses. A city slicker through and through, the only recollections she had of the outdoors was walking home through the park after school, as well as a short stint in the gardening club due to a crush on a classmate. Otherwise, she had avoided the outdoors like the plague, forgetting what life was like outside of the concrete jungle.
“Did you need my help with anything?”
“I just need to pull some garlic, basil, and thyme from the greenhouse. I thought you’d like to get some sunlight and greenery while I do that and replant the seeds.”
“I’d love it, honestly.” She grinned, starting to hobble around the yard while Celica trotted off towards the greenhouse.
Enchanted by the garden, Senna began to wander around the space admiring the work that Celica had put into it. Not only did she find bird nests and a family of mice in the flowers, but also several lizards and a stray frog. It was a place that would’ve felt like a fairy tale to her as a child.
“These flowers are otherworldly… What are they called?” Senna mused, entranced by their beauty.
Gently taking one of the flowers in her hand, Celica smiled, clearly keen to tell her.
“Empress’ Madrigal! They’re from a kingdom to the far south, named by an empress whose passion was horticulture. Even better, they’re used as a poignant catalyst for medicinal brews, so I grow them for fun and donate them to alchemists who provide free potions to city clinics.”
Eyes wide in awe of the woman, Senna daintily crept across the yard towards the woman. There had never been someone in her life even remotely like this, feeling like the more she learned, the more of a superhero her new mother seemed to be.
“How are you so cool!? You’re not only the kindest person I’ve ever met, but you were an adventurer, you’re an amazing cook, you can garden, you donate medicinal flowers to the sick… It doesn’t feel real that I could end up with someone like you as my mom.”
Celica stared blankly at Senna for a moment before laughter burst forth, leaving the latter in a stunned silence.
“Am I cool?! I find that I’m rather boring these days and just trying to stay occupied,” she retorted, smile still on her face as she held her sides. “Besides, you’re my daughter, of course I want to always treat you with kindness.”
“Still… I guess it feels so idyllic and I don’t know how to process it fully sometimes.” Her smile slowly fading, Celica half turned towards the flowers, a sober expression in her eyes.
“While I hate to shatter this image you’re building of me, I want you to know I wasn’t always like this. It took many years to learn how to cope with the trauma of my childhood and early years of adventuring and turn it into something positive.”
Putting a hand to her chin, she continued.
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“Adventuring is not a path for the faint of heart, and there was a time where I lacked more empathy than I should. While I’m a firm believer that very few mortals are born inherently evil, I would say that many are not inherently empathetic or kind. Those are things are often built through self-reflection and looking outside of yourself through the eyes of others.”
“Yeah… I imagine so.”
Snapping back to the present moment, Celica smiled once more and nodded.
“It’s a lifelong work in progress, too. I’m far from perfect and can even be a little petty...” She hesitated for a moment, blushing, gesturing towards a neighbor over the wall. Leaning in close, in a hushed voice she confessed.
“For instance, I found a useful levitation spell that I use to gather up all the snails in the garden and I drop them over the wall in the corner. The old man that lives there is a waspish ass and he yelled at you once for accidentally bouncing a ball into his yard, and so I never forgave him for it.”
Cracking up, Senna couldn’t help but laugh at the sheer pettiness of the snail fueled microaggression.
“If you’re trying to make me think this is a personal flaw of yours, it’s not working.”
“Well, I better get this done so we can head back in. Don’t overexert yourself, go take a seat on the porch.”
Turning back towards the house, Senna took a seat on the warm cobblestone to bask in the sun for a moment. The warmth felt incredible on her aching legs, helping soothe the recuperating muscles. She still had another month of laciel sessions with Cy, but she was making an incredibly swift recovery.
The sooner I can get back on my feet to help around the house, the less guilty I’ll feel.
It was a thought that had weighed on her conscience several times since arriving. Coming from a world that valued your monetary contributions above all else, taking a month to do nothing but study and recover felt selfish. It’s why she had been hiding the level of exhaustion she felt from her physical therapy.
Laying back on the stone, she closed her eyes as a breeze kissed her cheeks, decided this was the opportune time for a catnap. About half an hour passed as she listened to the distant sounds of children, laborers, and birdsong. A sound that didn’t quite fit the melody of the morning ecosystem met her ears and snapped her attention back to reality.
An otherworldly ‘meow’ sounded out from the tomato patch, as Senna bolted up to try to catch a glimpse of its source. Standing atop an upside-down bucket, a shockingly tall ‘cat’ silently stared at Senna, an amused expression on its face.
The cat was nothing like anything she had seen before. If she could hazard a guess, it was about two feet tall at a sitting position, with jagged ears that pointed back about fifteen inches. Its coat was short and bristled, a soft lavender in coloration with a tail that was about twice as long as an ordinary cat’s with a sharp, curved spine at the end.
It seemed to notice immediately that Senna had noticed it, meowing once more at her. Despite sensing no aggression emanating from the creature, the hairs on the back of her neck stood up on end due to the magnetic aura it was radiating. She didn’t know what else to do but to call for help.
“Uh… Mom...?” She called out while maintaining eye contact with the creature.
Knowing that running was the number one mistake with a predatory creature, especially a feline of any variety, Senna slowly stood up and tried to make herself look bigger. This wasn’t particularly effective as she hoped due to being a teenage girl, yet she stood her ground.
The “cat” looked intrigued, taking a step off the bucket and taking several steps towards Senna. It was at this point that the girl noticed a strange, faint glow softly pulsing around its body, its steps almost misty as it traversed through the grass.
At this point, having virtually zero experience with animals, Senna began to fully panic, as she tried to step backwards with her crutches up the steps. The foot of a crutch caught on the stonework, causing her to painfully land on her haunches, back against the kitchen door. Through the daze she attempted to wield a crutch before crying for help.
“MOM! HELP ME!”
A crash could be heard from the greenhouse as the door flew open and Celica launched forward as if her feet had discovered jet propulsion. Seeing the cat, she threw herself between the two, hands raised and muttering an incantation. The telltale sigils appeared, and she called out a quick chant.
“Let Meltirra guide our sight to see that which would hide!”
A gold light flashed around Celica briefly before she lowered her hands.
The creature hissed, dazed by the brilliant flash of light, its wiry tail fluffed out. Taking a defensive position it took several steps back, baring its fangs at Celica.
“What the hell is that thing?!” Senna cried out.
“Wait, you can see it Senna?!”
“Yeah, it’s a big ass cat!”
Holding her ground, Celica glared at the ethereal creature for a few moments before she slowly lowered herself to be eye level with it. Extending a hand outward towards the creature, she spoke to it
in a calm voice.
“I apologize, that girl is my daughter, and she lost her memories. She has never seen an aethos before, and I merely believed her to be in danger.”
An ugly, rhythmic wheezing emanated from the creature’s mouth that Senna later realized was laughter. A voice then filled her thoughts, as the creature stared intently at the women.
“Apology unnecessary… Rez’nir was merely drawn to the girl. She is aeth sa’nak and possesses the sight. Not often does one such as this appear in these dwellings.”
Not breaking eye contact with Rez’nir, Celica slowly motioned with her free hand for Senna to come closer. Swallowing the knot in her throat, Senna used the crutches to push herself to her feet, warily approaching the creature.
Rez’nir’s raspy voice trickled her into her thoughts once more.
“Does the child have a name?”
“My… My name is Senna,” she pushed herself to say, her voice shaking.
She had recalled countless fairy tales from her childhood about the fey and how giving them your true name was always a dangerous game to play. Yet, if Celica urged her over, she assumed that it must be safe to do so.
“Sen-na. It is a powerful name, yes. You have been touched by stars; your aura shines like the sun. Should you embrace this, Rez’nir and others would gladly seek your calls.”
Celica slowly bowed to the earth, even going as far as to press her head into the grass.
“We are honored by your presence and offer.”
Turning her head to face a perplexed Senna, Celica silently mouthed ‘bow’ to her daughter, whom followed suit without even questioning the command.
To a third party, Senna’s attempt at reverence more so resembled a falling flat on her face than a bow, but Rez’nir either paid no mind or found it amusing and accepted the gesture.
“This one hopes you meet you again soon. May the warmth of Qualia guide your path.”
With that, the creature gave what they could assume was a small bow in return, before turning away and dissolving into thin air. It was only now that Senna realized the energy the creature was radiating; the hair on her arms and neck stood on end as if magnetized. Likewise, she felt a peculiar electric sensation passing through her body head to toe.
Feeling a touch overwhelmed by the encounter, both women rose to their feet, Senna somewhat panting as she lifted herself up.
“So that happened…” Senna awkwardly laughed, “What was-“
“Senna! Gods above, you’re a summoner!”
Celica’s eyes lit up like a kid on Christmas, excitement bubbling off of her, leaving Senna even more confused than before.