Three days passed by in the proverbial blink of an eye.
Lucian blankly stared out of the hover cab’s window, not thinking about anything in particular as the cityscape sped by. Shifting his arm, he braced his right elbow against the plexiglass’s sill and rested his cheek against his gloved, balled-up fist.
Golden rays of warm sunlight washed over his impassive features at irregular intervals, sharply contrasting the urban jungle of towering brick façades, cookie cutter colossi of metal and glass, as well as greyish-white and reddish-brown pipes thickly layered over each and every structure prevalent in the heart of Capital Goldstar; stomping grounds of the main headquarters helmed by the Seastar Mega Corporation.
He watched with dazed eyes as a large cloud of steam abruptly erupted out from one of the pipes’ many seams. Before the superheated vapour could even fade away, he lost sight of it when the hover cad smoothly drifted, heading to Goldstar’s suburbs.
Turning his attention inwards, he idly went over his plans for the day while his ungloved left hand absently played with the folded holopad nestled in his bermudas’ pocket.
With Phoenix’s invitation still clear in his mind, Lucian had arranged a time with Iona to head over to the Shimotsuki’s branch compound.
The young woman, taking advantage of said fact, had made an occasion out of it; inviting along the rest of G@m3rs 4 Lyfe to come over.
As the New Age of Champions would be going live in two weeks, she thought it was time to meet up and talk about their plans – especially with all seven members of the group intending to enter the VRMMORPG.
Things proceeded without a hitch after making her intentions known in the group chat. Even Seo-Yoon, the member of their group most quarrelsome when it came to anything said by Iona, agreed to meet without protest.
With the United Government pushing for her citizens to play NAoC, the second and third week of the month of Verdant Blades had been mandated as a global holiday – something necessary despite much protest from business owners, since the neuro gear especially made for NAoC were being delivered during that time.
Taking advantage of said fact, Iona had arranged for the gathering to be on the sixth day of the month of Verdant Blades; the first weekend of the month.
……
“You have arrived at your destination. Landing in three…”
The staticky robotic announcement over the cab’s in-built loudspeakers drew Lucian out of his musings…
Just in time for a strong vibration to travel up through the synthetic leather seat and into his body, a soft whumpf entering his ears even through the modest sound insulation afforded by the plexiglass windows.
Glancing outside, he instantly beheld elegant wrought blueish-silver gates hemmed in on both sides by dense groves of lightly gilded bamboo, hiding the sprawling estate from sight. He knew for a fact the grove walling off the Shimotsuki’s compound wasn’t as harmless as it looked. Slithering within the stalks were mutated bamboo pit vipers; their venom, lethal, if it wasn’t treated in 10 minutes on the dot.
Before getting out, Lucian straightened out his simple black button-down and smoothened out any creases in his stormy blue bermudas, making sure he looked as presentable as possible.
The door smoothly slid to the side with a soft hiss when he swiped his holopad across the hover cab’s in-built scanner, 20,675 briefly appearing on the translucent crystal plane.
Tightly packed gravel crunched underfoot as warm, humid air blasted him in the face, the hover cab’s door sliding shut the instant he got out before it rocketed straight up and zoomed out of sight once it hit a height of 25 metres.
Pocketing his holopad, Lucian kept his left hand nestled in said pocket as he trudged up the path and to the closed gates.
He sharply veered off to the right after nearly reaching the gates, single finger pressing a wall-mounted buzzer with a sophisticated holo-projector attachment; one far out of his means.
Seconds passed by as he waited patiently. With a clear chime and imperceptible flicker, a middle-aged woman, dressed in a subdued kimono with her waist-length hair done up in an elegant, hairstick-secured braided bun, materialised.
The middle-aged woman bowed gracefully. “Welcome, young master Noxlear. As always, you are the first amongst the Young Mistresses’ guests to arrive. Please, be welcome.”
Before he could say anything, the holographic projection of the middle-aged woman flickered and vanished; gates soundlessly opening inwards in concert.
“One day I swear I’ll get Maria to be less professional.” Lucian muttered to himself as he walked through the open gates and proceeded towards the estate far in the distance.
Even though he had known the Shimotsuki’s Head Maid for almost as long as he had known Iona, there had never been a time when the elegant middle-aged woman hadn’t been the perfect image of decorum. He fondly remembered his younger days, when Iona, Phoenix, and him had tried to rattle Maria’s nerves and break her poise.
Alas, all they ever got was a calm, even stare and a telling off soon after; especially once Asuna, the Shimotsuki’s Dowager-Matriarch , sunk her proverbial claws into their hides.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
As Lucian reminisced about his childhood, he strolled past sparkling cerulean ponds, water lilies and hyacinths swaying amidst rippling waters, and absently crossed over lazily sloshing streams, polished stepstones and wooden bridges ferrying him from bank to bank.
Serene birdsong drifted on the breeze, carrying the fragrances of slightly minty bamboo and spicier notes from budding chrysanthemums grown in random, shaped patches.
From time to time, Lucian’s reverie was interrupted by familiar faces – warm greetings coming fast and furious from long time servants of the Shimotsuki family.
“My my~ if it isn’t young Lucian. Are you here to see the Young Mistress again?”
“Good afternoon, my boy! It’s been awhile since I last saw you around here.”
“Watch where you’re going, you little brat! I’m not going to fish you out of the stream if you fall in… again!”
…
The in-house chief gardener; Ms. Serena, the full time landscaper; Mr. Hashimoto, and the compound’s overall groundskeeper; Old Man Robertson…
Those were but some of the few he chatted with on his way deeper into the compound.
“Nyeh~!” Pausing for a moment, Lucian stuck his tongue out at Old Man Robertson and got a shaking, upraised rake in return – a clear threat if he had ever seen one.
He was sure any outsider who came across their interaction would think he was being rude, but he really wasn’t. While Old Man Robertson could be a crotchety old fart some—most of the—time, he was really a huge softie inside.
Waving a goodbye, Lucian quickly continued over the final wooden bridge separating the sprawling grounds from the main manor and took it in on his approach. Much like the rest of the bambooed-in compound, elegant simplicity and an understated opulence was the central aesthetic.
Boasting a framework and wraparound porch made from a white-stained timber and glazed roof tiles that shimmered like blue agates, the two-storey low slung mansion looked picturesque when backdropped against clear blue skies and cultivated nature.
Lucian patted himself down for a final time before stepping up onto the porch. Sliding his holopad out of his pocket, he turned it on and quickly tapped out a message to Iona, letting her know he had arrived.
Once he sent off the message, he dropped it back in before reaching out and pressing his index finger into the wall-mounted buzzer—as more of a courtesy than anything else admittedly—before stepping to the side and familiarly sliding open the front shoji.
“Excuse the intrusion.” He called out reflexively while stepping over the threshold, before kicking off his black sneakers and putting them neatly in a half-filled stretch of cubbyholes to the side; chunky silver laces gleaming gold under the house’s warm lights.
“Be welcome in my home Lucian. I am happy you were able to come and visit so soon. My daughter is in her room. I am certain you can make your own way up, ne?”
He looked up at the familiar soft voice, knowing who he would see even before meeting a pair of pale-blue eyes set in a maturer, close to identical face as Iona’s; framed by cascading curls of unbound snowy-white hair, a colour all her children inherited.
“Good afternoon, Ma’am.” He dropped into a slight bow then slid his feet into a pair of indoor slippers. “Thank you for welcoming me into your home again. I’ll head right on up.”
Luna smiled gently, causing him to smile back in return. “You do that. Do drop by and say goodbye before you leave.”
With her piece said, Luna’s head disappeared back around the corner, retracting back to the space he knew to be the Shimotsuki’s family living room; only accessible to members of the family, close, long-serving retainers, and established family friends.
As he lightly padded up the nearest set of stairs, incomprehensible voices streamed out from around the corner, laughter, as clear as pearls falling on a jade plate, joining them soon after.
Lucian’s smile widened by a touch, unable to help himself. He knew that, as a result of her station and perceived upbringing, the Shimotsuki’s Matriarch was usually stoic. It was only when around family or those she trusted implicitly did she express her emotions more freely.
Like right now, for example.
Stopping at the top of the stairs, Lucian looked around for a brief moment to confirm where he was, before taking a left turn then a right then another left; passing by a small, indoor Zen garden, several rooms full to the bursting with items for leisure, belonging to both the modern and archaic variety, as well as several closed sliding doors made from woven bamboo fibres.
The gentle notes from a wooden flute sweetly slipped into his ears as he walked, drawing him closer to his destination like a butterfly to nectar.
Eventually, he came to a stop in front of a sliding bamboo door, this one cracked open by a thin sliver.
Unlike all the others, it sported a plaque of white jade as translucent as mutton fat, shiny lapis lazuli stretched around its border and forming the name, Iona, at its centre; raised gemstone strands laid out in an elegant, loopy font.
Though far less common on the upper floor, white jadeite and lapis lazuli accents were the precious materials that were most used as décor throughout the Shimotsuki estate.
Lucian knew that even using all the fingers on his hands and feet wouldn’t be enough to count them all. He had actually tried doing it when he was younger, after all.
“Why are you hesitating outside Cyan? Come in.”
In his brief distraction, Lucian hadn’t noticed that the notes from the wooden flute had come to a stop. Iona’s voice, however, did snap his focus back into the here and now.
“Sorry, I was caught off guard.” He explained, sliding the door open fully and stepping in confidently; scanning the room as he did. “I haven’t heard you play your baroque in quite a while. What’s the occasion?”
Nothing had changed since he was here last. Right in front of him was a space adopting an open plan concept, bank of clear sliding windows, stretching from bare tatami floor to well-illuminated ceiling, dominating the back end of the room and sectioning it off from a wraparound balcony.
Iona sat in a highbacked wooden chair, one absolutely not meant for lounging. It was only when she intended to play her flute did she make use of it. Otherwise, it usually took up space in the corner of her sitting room, abandoned in a shadowed nook.
Before she could rise to her feet, he crossed the entirety of the area’s floorspace and greeted her with a routine, friendly squeeze around her bare shoulders. “It looks like you haven’t lost your touch. Anyway, it’s nice to see you face to face again, it’s been… what, a couple of weeks?”
Iona pressed the side of her forehead against Lucian’s firm stomach, softly returning his affectionate gesture and hiding her contentment from his line of sight. Pulling away after a moment, she shrugged him off while tutting; miniscule smile having left her lips as if it had never existed to begin with.
“We literally just spoke a few days ago. That is why you are here, is it not?”
Lucian flicked her forehead before taking a large step backwards, avoiding the swipe aimed at his stomach without conscious thought. “Now now. No need to be sarcastic.”
Iona grumbled inaudibly but didn’t try again, knowing she wasn’t as nimble as Lucian even if she was far, far more flexible.
“Just sit your butt down and do not annoy me. We can talk once the others are here.” With her piece said, she straightened her spine and restarted up the previous tune; serene notes created under slender, dancing fingers, intermingling with the peaceful atmosphere whipped up by the joyful birdsong and warm sunshine gently streaming in from the cracked open windows.
Knowing Iona hated being interrupted without good reason, Lucian flopped down in one of the several armchairs—his usual one, as a matter of fact—scattered throughout her sitting room and slipped out his holopad before unfolding it without a sound.
He kept one eye on her playing form and the other on his device’s home screen, feeling a welcome calm fall over his mind as he tapped into G@m3rs 4 Lyfe’s group chat. Scrolling past all the inane chatter, he only paused and properly read when he saw something relevant.
Half an hour calmly slipped by in such a manner, the two occupants of the room content with their silent companionship.
Where one was fully consumed in her instrument, the other was partially engaged in listening while silently tapping away at his holopad; receiving constant updates on estimated times of arrival.
Lucian powered down his holopad, folded it in two, and then stashed it away just before the current bouncy tune came to a jaunty stop.
Iona placed her baroque in her lap, tongue darting out momentarily to wet her dry lips. “Is there any news from the others?”
“Yeah. All of them are on the way. Leia and Leon are the closest though.” He stated while getting up and arching his back, a soft groan leaving his mouth when a chorus of pops escaped his stiff spine. “They’re already in the estate apparently.”
At that exact moment, the sound of running feet entered the room without warning, coming from the corridor outside the slid open bamboo door.
“Dammit darling, stop running in other people’s homes!”
“Bite me!”
Accompanying the rapid footfalls were two voices; one exasperated where the other was playful, both coming from people the room’s occupants were familiar with.
Lucian felt his mouth curl up into a fond grin as he heard the familiar exchange. Shooting Iona an amused side-eye, all he got in return was a look full of exasperation; the young woman knowing as well as he did who had arrived.
“Speak of the devils.”
Bursting through the door moments later, a cheery young woman and tired young man entered Iona’s room one after another; the former beelining straight for both occupants even as she effusively announced.
“Leia’s here, bitches!”