Tala, Lyn, Rane, Terry, and their defensive unit were standing in one of Irondale’s parks, in an out of the way alcove created by decorative bushes, boulders, and a bubbling fountain.

“Here?” Tala asked her friend, clarifying what they’d discussed earlier.

Lyn considered for another long moment, and even consulted her Archive slate before nodding. “Yes.”

Tala shrugged. “You know, we can move it later, but I’d rather not.”

Lyn quirked a smile. “I do understand that, Tala. Here is good.”

Tala nodded. “Alright, then.”

She opened the exit from Irondale out into the cell atrium in which Mistress Dihsre awaited them.

The Paragon smiled at them through the opening. “So, is it time, then? You’ve picked the place, and you’re ready to proceed?”

Tala smiled in return, giving a slight bow of respect. “Yes, Mistress Dihsre. Do we have final approval to proceed?”

“You do, Mistress Tala. Will you remain inside for the devouring?”

“I will, yes.”

“Very well, I will leave the entry space while maintaining the seal. Give me twenty seconds, and I’ll be clear.”

“As you say.”

-Counting.-

Thank you.

Tala’s threefold perception could still see the superficial just as easily as she could when not within Kit, but there was something interesting about being within Kit for a devouring. She hadn’t experienced it from this side before.

After the requisite time elapsed, Tala willed for Kit to consume the space.

First, their side of the portal moved, shrinking to be a two inch by three foot horizontal rectangle on the ground in the center of the alcove. Then, Tala watched as the external manifestation of Kit slid to the outermost entry to the cell’s housing, where the two-space complex abutted to Zeme itself. There, Kit began to devour.

Tala felt the extra material and dimensionality being added to her expanded space.

The cell’s entry hall was first, and Tala took care to maintain the integrity of the depictions of the prisoner as set out by the Mages so long ago.

She didn’t know what she’d do with them, but that would likely be up to Lupe. They weren’t all the most flattering depictions of the glass phoenix, but they had likely been created with the phoenix’s input.

Regardless, with the entry space consumed—the dimensionality added to Irondale and the material sequestered for later use—it was time for the cell itself.

Kit gobbled up the cell in an instant, having already taken the anchor from the entry space. That said, the result was that the cell was mostly just dangling off of Kit into the void, rather than truly being a part of her.

That was as expected, given that’s how cells functioned, but it wasn’t where they were going to be stopping.

So, Tala came in with her will and actively worked with Kit, consuming the dimensionality and air while leaving the glass unclaimed. They didn’t eject the glass from their sovereign domain, but they didn’t try to establish direct authority over it either.

They didn’t want to have a direct clash with Lupe in that manner as Tala felt like it would be a bit unkind as well as being against the spirit of their agreement.

As the process continued, Lupe’s blue-green glass began to rise up through the rectangular portal that Kit had established.

Tala and Kit contracted the dimensionality of what had been Lupe's cell until it perfectly matched the dimensionality of the glass that was Lupe, forming a perfect, solid sphere of glass with nothing else in that distinct instance of existence.

The taken dimensionality and air were added to Irondale for the time being—after she was absolutely sure that she had full sovereignty and authority over it—just as the resources from the entry-space.

As Kit and Tala processed the new acquisition, they discovered some small glass particles in the air, but Tala left those behind without issue, and the particulates re-merged with the giant sphere once all of the air was gone.

Finally, the thick glass pane—which was the size of a door—was fully grown and manifested in the garden. Two inches thick, three feet wide, and seven feet tall, it was a stunning piece of perfectly flawless glass.

Tala thought she heard Master Limmestare swallow in barely contained delight at the sight.

The glass was transparent—but not perfectly so—and the corners were rounded, causing some slight distortion of the view through, in addition to the blue-green tint.

And just like that, the cell was no more.

There was a moment, where Tala felt a will, a need reaching outward to lay claim on nearby material, but this was Tala’s domain. The material was hers.

No.

And that was that. The questing will slid off like rain down a window, unable to find purchase. -Good, it worked. That would have been embarrassing.-

Indeed. Tala chuckled inwardly. If the advanced dasgannach had been able to claim material within her sanctum, they would have had a serious problem on their hands.

Master Limmestare walked forward and ran his hand down the glass. “Beautiful. Magic is laced through every particle of the structure of this glass. I doubt I could scratch it with a dozen years of effort.”

Master Girt patted his friend on the shoulder. “Don’t make it weird, Lim. That glass is alive.”

The man pulled back his hand reluctantly. “I suppose…” He sighed, then. “Fine…”

The others in the unit were watching with mute fascination. Terry was tilting his head back and forth, as if examining how the view through the glass shifted from different angles.

Finally, Rane stood to one side, left hand resting on Force’s hilt, a small contented smile on his lips.

-Oh, that’s interesting.-

What?

Alat sent the feel of a mischievous grin. -You’ll see soon enough.-

Tala sighed internally and put the issue to the side. Alat would tell her if it was something she had to address right then, or if it was going to be a large issue. She’d just have to wait and see. Therefore, she turned her focus outward once more.

Tala could perceive Mistress Dihsre on the superficial, and the Paragon was already working to get the cell-core that had been used to form Lupe’s cell. Tala still couldn’t perceive the Doman-Imithe with her three-fold sight, but she could see echoes of what the woman was doing nonetheless.

More interestingly, within Irondale, right before their eyes, the glass crackled, seeming to buckle outward as if from a pressure within. The material extruded in a harsh series of pops and tinkling, accompanying the bulge which began to distort and grow, coming together to form familiar shapes. First, a hand seemed to extend from the glass, followed by the connected arm.

Tala made a statement of will, and the grating sound cut off, Kit suppressing the sound entirely despite the magical weight its source imparted to the noise.

Lower down on the surface of the large pane, a foot came forth, likewise creating a rippling cascade of cracks before stepping onto the grass.

Without the indicative sound, the whole process once again reminded Tala of an ocean surface, frothed by the emergence of some enormous, majestic beast.

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A moment later, Lupe came fully forth from the doorway, for that’s what the pane of glass was at the core of its nature.

It was a direct connection to the void-hung space which contained most of Lupe’s body. Only she could pass through it, and even then, the act would be more of a rejoining with the mass of glass than a true entering of a space.

To everyone else, it would be just an artistic addition to the garden.

Lupe stood, glass eyes closed in obvious reverence.

I don’t think that actually inhibits her perception.

-Of course it doesn’t, but it’s still a very implicative demonstration.-

She does seem to be going out of her way to give human-like cues. That was rather interesting to Tala, as it implied not only a deep knowledge of those cues, but a desire to show them to those watching.

-Indeed.-

Finally, Lupe opened her eyes, smiled, and spoke. Unfortunately, despite her throat and lips whitening from the movements, no sound issued forth.

The glass-woman frowned, seemingly realizing that there was no sound. Even so, she tried to speak again.

Tala sighed. “One moment. I’m flattening out all sound that originates from you, and that’s catching your voice too. Let me see what I can do about that.”

-Oh, I see what you’re going to do. Do you really think that Kit can filter that precisely?-

I think so, yeah. Tala did her best to impress her will toward Kit, and Kit seemed to respond with understanding.

A moment later, Tala gave a nod. “You should be able to speak now.”

“Thank you, Mistress Tala.” Lupe froze at the sound of her own voice. It was positively musical, like the tinkling of small wind chimes. No human could ever make any sound like these, but the words were still easily understandable, and the result was actually quite lovely to hear.

Master Limmestare gaped.

Lupe seemed to take a moment to gather herself before bowing. “Thank you for revealing my true voice, behind the harshness of my nature.”

Tala gave a nod in reply. “It is our pleasure as your host.” Tala gestured to Lyn. “This is Mistress Lyn. She is my adjunct, here in Irondale. If you need anything, please speak with her.”

Lyn gave a bow. “I greet you, Lupe, Phoenix of Glass.”

Lupe hesitated before giving a similar bow. “I greet you, Mistress Lyn, Mage of Humanity, Adjunct of Irondale.”

Despite her hesitation, Lupe actually seemed to relax at the formality presented to her by Lyn. It seemed more in line with what she’d expected, or what she was used to.

Greetings were exchanged all around, then, as the unit met Lupe in a less stark environment than her erstwhile cell.

Lupe, for her part, seemed to almost absent-mindedly brush against flowers and trees and other things nearby, clearly reveling in the feel of something other than glass, something other than herself.

Terry’s interaction with the being of glass was short and to the point. He trilled a few times, and Lupe shook her head sadly. “My apologies, good Terry. I do not think that I would be a good sparring partner for you, nor would I make enticing prey for you to hunt, not even as a game. My inclinations do not run that way, and I would be incredibly hesitant to produce a divergent biased toward such.”

Terry huffed a long, disgruntled sigh, then trilled his goodbye before flickering away.

With that derailment out of the way, they were just about to move toward a tour of the town, when Tala felt a distortion in the underlayment of the portion of Kit that was Irondale.

A moment later, she saw Lisa approaching fast from stoneward, somehow still within Kit’s expanded domain, though he was pressing against her boundary in that direction.

A moment later, the fox-man breached the superficial within Kit, popping into being in the garden beside them, eyes locked on Lupe. His voice was level but slightly clipped, showing that he was a bit on edge. “Curse of glass, what purpose do you have within this place?”

Tala’s unit all reacted, magic flowing smoothly into the normally dormant portions of their inscriptions.

Her eyes widened. We told them about Lisa, right?

-We did, but having an arcane pop into being beside you is still a startling experience when you aren’t expecting it.- Alat had a hopeful note in her voice.

This is what you noticed earlier, isn’t it. It wasn’t a question.

-Well, yeah. Lisa instantly noticed Lupe’s presence when Kit finished devouring the cell, and as soon as he could leave his house-construction in a stable state, he bolted in this direction.-

That would have been nice to know ahead of time.

-You could have looked for yourself.-

Why would I, when you’ve told me that you will do so on my behalf? Such would be a wasted duplication of effort.

-...Fine. I’ll tell you next time.- Alat did seem at least slightly contrite.

Thank you.

Lyn stepped forward, causing the surprised Defenders to relax somewhat. “My good Lisa, it is a pleasure to see you this morning.”

The fox glanced her way, clearly a bit torn, eyes flicking between the human and the woman of glass. Finally, he gave Lyn a nod of respect and addressed her. “Mistress Lyn, would you be able to answer my inquiry? Why is such an advanced curse here?”

The arcane was clearly still on edge, but he seemed willing to wait on an answer to his question before acting.

Tala might have been offended that Lisa didn’t ask her, but that was precisely why Tala had hired Lyn. Lyn was supposed to be the person whom Irondalians went to with their questions, requests, and inquiries.

Lyn nodded and smiled, falling easily into her role. “Absolutely. First, her true nature is already known, and she is here by design—in case the lack of an active struggle wasn't indication enough. More than that, we can discuss over there. If you are amenable.”

Lisa looked at the little garden bench that Lyn indicated and gave a careful nod. “Very well.”

Lyn had been kind enough to allow Lisa to keep Lupe in his line of sight from the indicated bench, as he was clearly a bit uncomfortable with the woman’s presence, at least until he had an explanation.

Lupe gave an apologetic look to Tala. “I regret being the source of any such trouble. I did not know you had one of the arcane within your space.”

Tala shook her head in negation. “No need to apologize. We’re sorting things out. I do need to go as we should be getting back to the city. Will you be alright waiting here until Mistress Lyn is ready to escort you about?”

“Oh, absolutely. Thank you, once again, Mistress Tala for this opportunity. I wasn’t looking forward to another extended nap. There is more to life than sleep, and I am excited to explore some of it.” Her woven, glass-fiber dress swayed as the whole garden rippled in a passing breeze. “You really do have a spectacularly lovely place here.”

“I hope that you enjoy exploring its wonders, Lupe. Take care.”

* * *

Lyn’s talk with Lisa didn’t take too long, all things considered, but the unit was well on the way back to Alefast when Lyn began Lupe’s tour, Lisa in tow for the moment.

The arcane fox-man, while momentarily mollified, did not seem to be fully happy with the glass-woman in his new place of residence.

Even so, he had been willing to give the idea a chance, and he hadn’t mentioned his own departure even once.

Tala took that as a good sign. That, along with Lyn’s clearly relaxed attitude, gave Tala confidence in the way things were going.

She was a bit sad to be missing out on the tour, herself, but…

Wait… why can’t I be in there?

-We need to physically move so that Irondale returns to the proximity of Alefast… huh.-

Yeah, that’s what I was thinking. Isn’t Terry enough?

-We’d have to orient Irondale on him, but that should work? He does have our aura, so he should be able to be the point of anchoring for Irondale, at least for a short time.-

That keyed off another idea for Tala. Couldn’t we also open a portal attached to this vehicle, and it would be carried along no matter where we were?

-...Wow… Why didn’t we think of that sooner?-

I have no idea. I suppose we don’t usually want Kit to move when we aren’t. So, we’ve never really contemplated it too deeply?

-Yeah, that’s probably it.-

Tala turned toward Master Clevnis. “Master Clevnis?”

The man opened his eyes, coming out of whatever meditation, contemplation, or light nap he’d been partaking of. “Yes, Mistress Tala?”

“Would it be alright for me to go into Irondale for part of the trip back?”

The man gave a knowing smile. “You want to be a part of Lupe’s tour?”

“Yes.”

“Check with the unit, but I’m fine with it.”

Mistress Cerna spoke up without prompting. “That’s fine with me, so long as you don’t need us to stop.”

“I don’t.”

Mistress Vanga gave a small smile. “I’m just glad to have you back with us, even if just for a short time. You’re still taking off some time after the wedding, right?”

Tala smiled back. “We are, yeah. Though, we’re not sure how much yet.”

“Of course.” The Healer nodded sagely. “You’ll not want to come back on active duty if you’ve a little one on the way.” She let out a small sigh. “As to you spending this trip in Irondale? I will be sad to lose the time with you, but I completely understand the desire. Go ahead.”

Master Girt waved in her direction, eyes locked on an odd rock he’d picked up… somewhere.

-It was inside the cell’s entry-hall. Apparently, it didn’t belong there, so one of the original Archons to establish the cell must have dropped it there for some reason. He’s trying to figure it out.-

Ahh. That sounded… actually kind of interesting? It wasn’t really something that she would want to pursue herself, but she would be curious if he discovered anything.

-I’ll let him know when he surfaces from his investigations.-

Thank you.

Regardless, the man seemingly had no issue with her idea.

Master Limmestare was practically vibrating. “I’ll agree if I can come.”

Tala chuckled. “Fine. Rane, you want to come too?”

“Hey, now!” Master Clevnis objected. “You don’t get to take Rane, too. He and I need to finish our discussion.”

Rane chuckled. “A hand-and-a-half sword is just better than a two-handed long sword. There’s not much more to discuss about it.”

The man pointed at Rane vehemently. “See! I can’t let this stand.”

Tala chuckled as well. “Fine, fine. Are you alright with that, Rane?”

He gave a small smile. “Sure. You go have fun.”

She leaned in and gave him a quick kiss. “See you soon.”