“Gods…” The Chief slumps over her desk in the Councillor’s office, burying her face in her arms. “Nearly five hours of questions. To think I had to limit it to three questions each…”
“Oh, I didn’t mind one bit.” Arezza smiles, sitting across from the Chief and still looking as beautiful as ever, even after an hours-long interrogation session. “It’s natural they’d have so many questions for one like myself. I am, after all, a very interesting individual~”
We were all a bit exhausted, even if it didn’t show in some of us. Nearly everyone in the room had questions they wanted to ask. About Arezza personally, about her family, the nation she came from, her people, and the wider world beyond the confines of the Abyss. Despite her young age, Arezza was well-travelled, and had many stories to tell. She’d seen Crimsonsky, the largest city in all of Perga, ate at the finest restaurants in the great ogre city of Granbouche, travelled across the Golden Dunes and seen the magnificent splendour of Avise. Her fellow Azorii, the large ogres who resembled humans more closely than any other Pergan race; the woolly Aren, the bovine Urmos, the vampiric Vashoran, the elusive fox-tailed Fencs, and of course, other Damned. The Chief’s books were true, in that Damned from other places can look very different to us. Arezza had met a talking cat, that was once a human transformed when they were reborn in this world.
In truth, it only went for nearly five hours because that’s when the Chief decided enough questions had been asked for one day. She was getting a bit tired of having to calm down the room when people got overly excited as to not overwhelm Arezza; not that Arezza seemed to mind. She answered every question calmly and succinctly. Still, it was starting to get late in the afternoon, and there were other things that needed doing. The tavern had been cleared out for now, and now most of the Council, myself, and our guests from the Wolf Pups were in the office above the tavern to recuperate for a moment. Only Vann had left to get back to his active duties.
“You’re certainly more well-travelled than most of us.” Rann comments. “Or certainly more imaginative, at least. I can’t imagine people willingly living in the shadow of a castle that casts a red light on the clouds.”
“I did not fancify or embellish a single thing I said! If you don’t believe me, then I’ll just have to take you to those places one day.” Arezza huffs, pouting at Rann.
“I’ve seen more than enough sights in my life. I’m sure the youngin’s would enjoy that trip more than I would.” He chuckles.
“I’m not certain about seeing all those sights, but the bakeries and kitchens of the capital of your Queendom sounds like a worthy destination. To think one nation would import more than half the continent’s sugar…” Anton muses to himself.
“I never thought I would miss the powdered sugar of those rosewater jellies they made in the palace… I never quite liked them, but now I miss them more than anything…” Arezza sighs, slumping over in a similar manner to the Chief.
“Ahem…” The Chief clears her throat, sitting back up and correcting her posture. “Thank you for being so thorough in your answers about the wider world, Arezza. There’s certainly a few corrections I need to make in the margins of some of the history books in my library.”
“I wonder what people native to Perga would think of me if they saw me if I’m really the only person you’ve ever heard of with feathered wings.”
“I’d advise some caution if you ever visit my homeland, Marina. I’m certain there’s a few nobles who’d give you anything and everything you could ever dream of just to get you in their harem. The only person in all of Perga with feathered wings… It’d certainly be something to boast about.” Arezza peeks up at me.
“... You wouldn’t happen to be one of those nobles yourself, would you?”
Arezza just grins. I gulp.
“No one is buying Marina. Certainly not on my watch.” The Chief frowns.
“You say that like you own me, Chief…”
“... Well.” The Chief pauses, seriously considering it for a moment.
“Ch-Chief?!”
“I’m kidding, Marina. What have I told you before about how easy you are to tease? It leaves you vulnerable to people like her.” She shoots a glare at Arezza.
Arezza just gives her most innocent smile in response.
“What are they talking about, Mole? Why is Marina blushing so much?” Rabbit asks Mole, the two children sitting side by side at Tiff’s desk.
“Things adults think they can hide from children by obscuring their words.” Mole answers bluntly.
“You’re not being fair on Rabbit, Mole. Not everyone can read people as well as you.” Tiff leans down behind the two children, hugging each of them as she whispers in their pointed ears. “And some people aren’t as good as hiding things as they think they are~”
“I know exactly who that statement is made towards, Tiff, and I reject it.” The Chief chides, glancing in Tiff’s direction. “I’m glad you’ve gotten acquainted with our guests.”
“How could I not? I hosted them in my own home! Why wouldn’t I get to know such interesting people?” Tiff pouts.
“Tiff was indeed a most gracious host last night. She tucked each of us in and kissed us goodnight, and what a blissful night’s sleep it was~” Arezza chimes in.
“She what? And since when do you call her Tiff?” The Chief turns back, frowning.
“Since I started calling her Arza.” Tiff preens over her newfound friendships. “I didn’t think we’d find another soulseer in the Abyss, though! Nor did I…”
Tiff pauses as she looks down at Rabbit. Rabbit’s clothes have caught her attention, and she kneels down in front of her, running her hands along her arms as she closely inspects Rabbit’s clothes.
“The stitching… and what kind of fabric is this? I’ve never felt something like this before… It’s not linen, but it’s not cotton or silk, either… Ah?” Something inside the back of Rabbit’s shirt near the collar catches her attention, pulling it up to take a closer look. “A tab sticking out, with… what language is written on this?”
Rabbit peers back, tugging her shirt around a bit to read what it says. “It says… fifty percent cotton, fifty percent poly… polyester, I think!” She confidently answers.
“Polyester?” I blink. Polyester. Where have I heard that word before? Poly… oh.
As in, the modern fabric that’s made from petroleum?
Polyester isn’t a word I’ve heard in a long time. Neither is petroleum, but that came to mind along with polyester. It’s not a material I’ve seen or felt in a long time, either. It’s not something the Overlands in my time had, but apparently they do in Rabbit’s time. Does this mean that the Overlands develops products from oil at some point in the future? They just so happen to call this material polyester? Just how far into the future is Rabbit from?
“You recognise that word?” Tiff looks back at me, surprised.
“I… I thought it sounded familiar, but after saying it out loud it doesn’t make any sense, just… Rabbit, what was the year you remember it being before you came to the Abyss? The number of the year?”
“It began with a two! Two… oh! Twenty-something! It began with a twenty, and had two more numbers after that!” Rabbit nods, only for her smile to fade as she tries to recall the year in more detail than that. “I can’t remember the other two numbers after the twenty… I remember seeing it when I was going to a faire with my parents…”
The year began with a twenty… so the twenty-first century. 1541, the year I died, was the sixteenth century. Rabbit’s from 500 years, or maybe even more into the future. A time that, in another life, would be called the “modern day”. What would the modern-day Overlands be like? If they have polyester clothing, then they must have advanced oil refining and everything that goes with that. Combustion engines? Cars? Electricity?
Of course, it’s hard for me to just… ask things like that. I’m not supposed to know what the word polyester even means. It took me a moment to actually remember what it means, after all.
That was two lifetimes ago.
“Did your parents buy these for you, Rabbit?” Tiff asks, holding Rabbit’s small hands in her own, her words snapping me back to my current reality.
“They did! They’re adventurer’s clothes! I got these for my birthday!!” Rabbit beams.
“They’re wonderfully well-made! Your parents had an eye for quality.” Tiff nods, patting Rabbit’s shoulders.
“... You’re kind.” Mole mumbles, looking in Tiff’s direction.
Tiff turns to Mole with a smile. “Thank you, Mole. You know, the Chief used to be a lot more direct with what she saw in people.”
“What exactly do you mean by that, Tiffany?” The Chief frowns, crossing her arms.
Rann starts chuckling to himself, which just worsen’s the Chief’s disposition.
Tiff stands, clearing her throat as she walks into the centre of the room with all eyes on her. She pouts, turning to point at Rann with her hand on her hip.
“You took more bread rolls than you were allowed to! You said we get one each!! You can’t hide it from me!” She accuses, in a higher-pitched voice that sounds remarkably like what I imagine a younger Mia would sound like.
“Haha!” Rann laughs. “You’ve got that down perfectly, Tiff.”
“Sh-she does not!! I did not sound like that!” The Chief retorts as we all giggle at her expense. Even Anton smiles to himself. I saw it with my own eyes. Anton can smile!
“You see this!” Tiff dramatically points at her left eye. “This means I’m a soulseer! I can read you like a book!”
“I see it… I really see it!” Arezza giggles, nearly falling backwards off her chair.
“What do you mean you see it?! You didn’t even- agh, forget it!” The Chief throws her hands up in defeat, sitting back down in her chair with a huff.
“Oh, I’m only lightening the mood, Mia~ We spent so long answering questions it’s nearly time for dinner!” Tiff giggles.
“Indeed it is.” Anton stands, adjusting his shirt as he glances at the clock, then heading out the door back down towards the stairs.
“... You have a clock? How?!” Arezza notices the clock on the office wall, hanging above the doorway, standing up to get a closer look at it.
“We have four of them, all still in working order. They were brought down here when Haven was founded.” The Chief answers, standing from her desk and gathering the scattered bits of paper into a neat pile. “I should get some work done myself before dinner. Marina, Tiff, I can trust you to look after our guests for a while?”
“Of course we can! Can’t we, Marina?” Tiff turns to me, and I nod in agreement.
“Good. In that case, I’ll see you all at dinner.” Mia leaves the room, holding her head high in her usual proud manner.
“What kind of work would she have to do now…?” Arezza asks after the Chief has left, tilting her head.
“Ah, she just needs some time alone. She can only handle a rowdy audience for so long before it starts to wear her down. Give her a while to herself.” Rann answers, looking out the window beside him.
“You can tell that?” Mole looks across in Rann’s direction.
“Well. You’re an even better soulseer than her. What do you see?” He responds.
“Worries. Stress. Nerves. They come and go quickly. She thinks very fast. It looks… tiring.” Mole lowers his head in an apparent frown.
“That’s our Chief, alright.” Rann briefly smiles to himself. “Well. Dinner’s in an hour or so, so you’re all free to do what you want.”
“Oh! Can we go see the waterfall again? Mole, do you want to go to the waterfall?” Rabbit excitedly jumps to her feet, taking Mole by the hand who follows along with her antics.
“Of course we can take you to the Crystalfall!” Tiff smiles, then turns her attention to a particular corner in the room. “Would the young man who’s been brooding in the corner all this time like to come with us?”
“Wh…” Griffin, who has been brooding silently in the corner all this, suddenly jerks upright as if he was asleep this whole time. “Well… if Her Majesty wants to.”
“I’d be happy to in a minute! You three can go ahead with Tiff. I just need a little more rest before I stand again…” Arezza sighs lightly as she lays over the desk.
“Okay!! We’ll scout ahead to make sure it’s safe, Your Majesty!” Rabbit gives an adorable little salute, before leading Mole to the door, with Tiff following out after them, while Griffin seems intent on staying in the corner.
“Griffin.” Arezza pouts a little. “Go with Rabbit and Mole. I’ll be right behind you.”
“They’ll be fine. I’m staying here to keep you safe, your Majesty.” Griffin curtly but politely replies.
“And I trust you to keep them safe. Look after them for me, okay?” She says, but Griffin’s still reluctant to go.
It takes Rann walking up beside him and nodding towards the door for Griffin to finally go along with the others, with Rann following out behind him.
Now, it’s just Arezza and I alone in the room. There’s finally a chair for me to sit down on, across from Arezza, who’s got her head buried in her arms on the desk.
“Were you… questioned as much as I was when you first arrived here, Marina?” Arezza asks, her voice betraying her weariness for a brief moment. She’s been talking for nearly five hours straight, and that would do a number on anyone.
“Well… In a way, but it was mostly questions asked by the five Council members. I wasn’t interrogated by the whole town. Most of them didn’t trust me, or even know what I was.”
“Really?” She sits up, looking into my eyes with her own dazzling emeralds. Dazzling emerald… I don’t know where or how these descriptors pop into my head when I look at her, but I feel like I should just get used to it. She frowns a little as she looks me up and down. “Your appearance may startle someone unfamiliar with the Damned of the Abyss, but that shouldn’t be a problem down here.”
“Well…” I sigh, glancing back over my shoulder as my wings sheepishly crawl out from beneath my cloak. The Damned of the Abyss can look a little frightening. Pointed ears, white pupils, often with red eyes, and black or red hair. I have all these traits. What isn’t common… or even heard of, are you, wings. You’re what got me in trouble when I first got here.
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
“Ah… Aran, was it? The boy whose face you scarred. Having seen them myself, I must say that they actually make him look quite fetching. Who doesn’t like someone with a few scars to show off?” Arezza smiles, somehow making me feel better about myself. At least, I don’t think Aran holds it against me anymore. It got him compliments from a princess earlier. What’s a little pain in the face of such gratification?
“It didn’t earn me any friends in the short term. Most people shied away from me at first. But, little by little, with the help of the Chief, Rann, Tiff, and all the others, I made my place in Haven. It’s… in a way, it’s not all that different from my former life.”
“Even though you’ve been separated from your family…?” Her brow furrows in concern.
“Nearly everyone down here’s been separated from their family, including you. I’m not exceptional in that regard. At least you know where your family is.”
Arezza quietly looks down at her clasped hands, having no response. I said that too harshly…
“Sorry, I didn’t mean that last part…”
“The fault lies with me, Marina. I shouldn’t presume such things. Besides, everyone’s probably wondering what’s taking so long. We should get moving before Griffin gets jealous.” Arezza eases the tension in the room with a smile, standing and adjusting her dress before heading to the door.
“What would Griffin get jealous over?”
“Oh, you know, the kind of things young men get themselves worked up over. Come along~” She grins, taking me by the arm and leading me out the room.
“W-what things? What are you implying?!”
Everyone has their own preconceptions about what the afterlife would be like, but I’m sure exactly none of them include being dragged around by red-haired girls with twintails and deceptively strong arms. I don’t know if it’s better or worse that Arezza can still strongarm me around while holding my arm in hers the way a proper lady should. No offence to Tiff, of course, she just probably didn’t grow up rehearsing such practices. I’m starting to wonder who would win an arm wrestle between these two.
Fortunately, the tavern hall has all but emptied, as people rush around town trying to do what’s needed after so many hours were spent asking Arezza questions. The enticing aroma of tomatoes is beginning to waft out of the kitchen, and I hear Anton’s voice calling out what needs to be prepared for the upcoming dinner rush as Arezza leads me out the tavern doors, and down the road towards the Crystalfall.
“E-excuse me!” A young male voice calls out from behind us, just outside the Chief’s library.
Arezza and I look back, to see a young boy with very short brown hair and bright red eyes, a taller girl with red-tinged black hair tied back in a ponytail, and a nervous, shorter girl clinging to the taller girl, with sandy-blonde hair and pale red eyes, that… I recognise these three. I can’t recall their names, though.
“Yes?” Arezza lets go of my arm, smiling warmly as she leans down in front of the children. “Is there anything we can help you with? Any more questions you’d like to ask before the Chief decided three questions each was enough~?”
“Y-y…” The boy stumbles over his words so hard he nearly physically trips over, straightening himself up stiff as a board. “Um! Uhh… Y-you say it, Mei!”
“We’re here for Irie, Adri, not you.” Mei scolds, but her expression lightens when she talks to Irie. “We have their attention. What did you want to ask them, Irie?”
“Oh! Irie, Adri, and Mei! That day behind the Chief’s library!” I remember the three of them now. I’ve seen them around Haven enough, and they’re always together as a group.
“You forgot your superior already- ow!” Adri starts, but a light smack from Mei shuts him up. Irie’s the one that wants to ask a question.
“U-um…” Irie looks less and less confident the longer she looks at me, clinging to Mei’s dress so tightly it looks like she might rip it.
“Is something the matter, little one? You look pale…” Arezza reaches out, lightly pressing the back of her hand against Irie’s forehead to check her temperature. Subliminal charm or not, Arezza has a calming effect on children, to the point that Irie’s actually getting a little flustered.
“I-I’m okay!... I just, um… Her.” Irie manages to point at me with her small hand. “Marina. You called her Marina Retali, didn’t you?”
Arezza looks back at me in mild surprise. “Yes, I did. That is her name, is it not?”
“Marina Retali, that’s me. Not the first Marina Retali in my family, but… maybe the last.”
Irie looks back and forth between Arezza and I, as if trying to put together a puzzle she can’t make sense of. We’ve spoken once before, so… what difference does knowing my family name make? Maybe she just recognises it from somewhere? The Retali family name was known far and wide, so it’s not impossible that she’d know it, even if she’s young… not that I know how young.
“If you are Marina Retali, then… did you ever visit an estate on the southern coast of the Sovrana Republic?” Irie finds her courage, launching her first question.
“I… visited quite a few estates along the southern coast, You’d have to be more…”
“It had pine trees imported from the north! Big white columns out the front, and a garden with lots of orange flowers!”
“I might know which one you mean, now, but…” I know the house she’s talking about. I have been to quite a few estates, but I remember those trees… and that spot in the tower on one of the corners of the mansion, reaching just above the trees. I’ve definitely seen it, but why would she talk about that one…
“You were with your father, and your big sister who had red hair like Tiff and the Princess, and you were delivering a cello!”
“I remember that! The um… Gods, that was so long ago, though, what was the family name…”
“Lucapenas! They had a young daughter, who-”
“Who I ended up spending most of the day playing with, but I was only seven then, and she was…”
I drop to my knees, and my head is now level with Irie’s. I see it now.
“Irie… Eirene Lucapenas! You’re Eirene Lucapenas, and you showed me all around your garden!”
“A-and you’re… Marina Retali, aren’t you…? You became my first friend that day, didn’t you…?” Irie starts to sob, clutching her dress.
“I was the first person you showed your hideout to, remember? And the window at the top of the tower that reached just above the trees, giving a perfect view of the ocean beyond…”
“Marina…” Irie cries, throwing herself at me in a hug.
Eirene Lucapenas. The only daughter of the Lucapenas family, with the same sandy-blonde hair I remember her mother had. She was sickly, pale, and thin, but she was utterly beloved by her family and was fussed over by her mother and her maids nearly the whole time we were there. Her father, Signore Lucapenas, a man of some renown as an admiral in days past, had requested a cello from our family, to be played by one of their maids. Eirene once heard a cello playing on a rare trip into town, and she loved the sound of it ever since.
Due to her health, she rarely saw people outside the family or the estate, and she had no one her age to talk to. Most outside guests were forbidden from the estate to protect Eirene’s health, but my father was already acquainted with Signore Lucapenas, and maybe they agreed that introducing Eirene and I to one another would have been beneficial for both of us, as I had a lot of trouble socialising in my youth and didn’t really have anyone my age (Vincenzo was too young then, and Carina was six years my senior. She only came along because she loved to travel, and our father had a tendency to spoil her when our mother wasn’t around.) I was seven at the time, and Eirene was just under six years old.
We quickly became friends. It was awkward at first, until we discovered our mutual enjoyment of running away and hiding from our parents. Eirene had maids, too, so hiding was even more fun when more people were seeking us! We moved from room to room through side doors and a few secret passageways, then made our way out into the garden while the maid staff were turning the entire house upside-down in a panic trying to find us. We ended up in her hideout, at the top of the manor’s tower in a small attic space, listening to the hurried footsteps in the hallways downstairs as the maids called our names. I think our parents knew what we were up to, but we certainly stressed the hell out of the maids.
We were eventually found by Eirene’s mother, as it turned out her hideout wasn’t so secret after all. We were lightly scolded for causing such a fuss, but in hindsight, both her parents and my father were quite happy we’d gotten along so well. Carina was just annoyed with how we basically spent the entire day there because of our antics. The sun was starting to go down as we left, and Eirene and I promised we’d write to each other. I sent my first letter not long after my visit.
I didn’t get one back from her. Instead, I got a letter from her father, informing me and my family that her illness worsened not long after we visited, and that Eirene had passed away in her sleep. That part of the memory I had suppressed to the point I’d almost forgotten it. But I can’t now, can I?
She’s right in front of me. In the Abyss. In the Underlands. In hell. I know for sure her family would have buried her in accordance with every custom and law imaginable, but, here she is anyway. I completely understand her not recognising me, but I’ve completely changed. All that’s changed in her are her eyes and her ears. But I’m… well, I died the day after my fifteenth birthday. Eirene looks… a year older from when I last saw her, at most. She’s grown a bit, and is less pale than before, but she’s still… Eirene.
“Hmm…?” A hand on my shoulder pulls me back to reality. Arezza gives me a warm smile as she gives a gentle squeeze. My cheeks are wet… was I crying too? My wings are out, too. Wrapped around Irie in a soft hug.
“I never thought the brown-haired Marina Irie talked about being friends with would be the same winged Marina that ended up in Haven.” Mei says, leaning down behind Irie and rubbing her back.
“She…” Irie sniffles, looking up at me and wiping the tears from her eyes. “You have the same face… but you’re so much older…”
“I was fifteen when I… ended up here. How old are you now, Irie?”
“Eight… You don’t look fifteen…” Irie frowns a little, getting a better look at me.
“Well, I didn’t have wings before I came to the Abyss, either. A lot has changed, and… a lot has happened.”
Iris reaches up, lightly patting my fringe. “Your hair is still fluffy like before…” She smiles.
“I-it is?” As Iris pats my fringe, my left wing reaches up and pats her on the head with its outermost feather. Pat pat. Pat pat. She giggles.
“But… How can the Marina Irie knew and the Marina in Haven be the same person?” Adri looks between Irie and I, confused.
“Chief Lichtrufer explained this before, Adri. People can die at the same time but end up in the Underlands at different times, or die at different times and end up in the same time. It’s why Rann, who is Vann’s grandson, is older than him here.” Mei helpfully explains.
“R-Rann is Vann’s grandson?! I thought they were brothers!!” Adri exclaims in shock.
“You really don’t pay attention in class, do you…” Mei sighs.
“You’re certainly more well-informed on that than I am.” Arezza muses. “Maybe I should sit in on a couple classes to see what I can learn.”
“I guarantee that the Chief will throw you out for distracting the students from their lessons just by being there, Arza.”
“Marina…!” She looks at me in shocked horror. “You called me Arza~!” She gleefully flings herself at me in a hug, nearly making me topple over into the mud, and my wings excitedly flapping are not helping me stay upright.
“H-hey! You’re nearly pushing me over, calm down!”
“Aaah~ My soft and fluffy Marina~” Arezza purrs, rubbing her face into my hair and neck* “Hmm… Doesn’t smell too bad, either~”
“Get off me before you knock Eirene into the mud with us! You’ve gotten the hem of your very-expensive-looking dress dirty already!” Not that Eirene seems to mind, as she giggles along with Arezza.
“Oh, it’ll wash out, there’s plenty of clean water here! I just can’t help but indulge in the wondrous softness presented before me~” She smiles, resting her head on my shoulder as she rubs her back against my wing, and I desperately try to ignore how pleasant it actually feels to have someone rub themselves all over my wing like this. This is still a sensation I am not used to having and I’m not ready to admit that I’m beginning to like it.
“Heh.” That distinct, pebbles-rattling-about-in-a-metal-tray chuckle comes from behind us.
“Y-your Majesty! Your dress!” Griffin cries, as the two of us turn to see the group we were supposed to be “right behind” gathered before us.
“We were waiting nearly twenty minutes for you to show up. Poor Griffin was getting all worked up over how long you were taking~” Tiff grins, getting an annoyed look over his shoulder from Griffin as he helps Arezza up and tries to dust off her dress.
“A-ah… were we getting in the way?” Irie lets go of me, taking a few steps back towards Mei in panic.
“Of course you’re not, Eirene. I’m happy I get to see you again.”
“I’m sorry I never wrote, Marina… I got sick again after you left, then I don’t remember what happened, then I woke up here…” Eirene frowns.
“Did you get my letter, Eirene?” I ask, giving her another hug.
“I did…” She nods. “My mother read it out to me, but I couldn’t write one back…”
“... Marina Retali.” Tiff blinks, holding her head in her hands. “Marina Retali! I knew the name from Irie! I mean, I already knew the Retali name, of course, but I never put it together that the Marina Retali with wings that Rann found out in the Abyss would be the same girl Irie was friends with when she was young…”
“I didn’t recognise Eirene when we first met, Tiff. Don’t be too hard on yourself. It’s not like she would have recognised me, given how much I’ve changed.”
“Your face is still the same. Your hair’s still fluffy, too.” Irie corrects me.
“It is?”
“Your wings are fluffy, too.” She nods self-assuredly. My wings pat her again as thanks. At least they don’t take fluffy as an insult.
Soon enough, though, Adri, Mei, Irie, Rabbit, Mole, Arezza, and Tiff are gathered around me, touching and rubbing my soft wings. This is my life now. I’m a one-woman petting zoo. Even Griffin touches them at Arezza’s behest. I feel like some personal boundary is being crossed here without my spoken consent, but my wings absolutely love all the attention and praise, and if they’re happy, I guess I have to live with it. Better than people’s faces getting cut up, that’s for sure.
“Weren’t you showing the Wolf kids around town before dinner, Tiff? Or has Marina’s wings become the main attraction of Haven?” Rann asks, leaning against the wall.
“A-ahem, right…” Tiff steps back, a little embarrassed at being called out. “Well, why don’t Irie, Adri, and Mei join us for our tour? Maybe we could “borrow” a couple sweet pastries to share before dinner~”
“But, it’s impossible to take anything from the kitchen! Anton watches it like a hawk…” Adri says, clearly speaking from experience.
“You let me in on that, and I’ll go distract Anton for you.” Rann grins wryly.
“Rann…!” Tiff turns to Rann in shock, and… extends her hand, which Rann shakes. “Deal. Come on, we’ll go the long way around while Rann distracts him!”
“But what about Her Majesty…? Griffin asks, as Tiff and the five children set off on their heist.
“I still have to see the Crystalfall! But first, I have a mission to entrust you with, Griffin.” Arezza turns to face Griffin, adopting a regal posture. “Secure some of Haven’s finest pastries for your Queen, and you will receive a share of the spoils. That is your mission.”
Griffin gives a firm nod, proudly saluting before joining Tiff and the other children.
But…
“W-Wait! I want some too, don’t leave me out!!”
“We’ll get you some too, Marina. The Chief entrusted you with looking after Arezza!” Tiff calls back as she rounds the corner behind the tavern.
If they say so, then I’ll stay with… Arezza.
I look to where Arezza should be, only to see her rounding the corner at the bottom of Crystal Road, headed for the waterfall. Since when can she move so fast?
I ran down Crystal Road after her. I don’t know why I ran, or why I felt like I couldn’t lose sight of her, but ensuring safety was the only clear thought in my mind. Most of the townsfolk were starting to head back towards the tavern, and I got a few looks as I was the only one headed the other way, and I was in such a hurry my wings were helping push me along. It didn’t matter. I was told to look after her, so I’m responsible if anything happens. Not that anything could happen. But still, if something did…
Of course, nothing did. As I rounded the last corner and was greeted by the great blue wall of the Crystalfall, the only things there were the waterfall itself, the numerous pools at its base, and Arezza, standing ankle-deep in the water, looking up at the majesty before her.
She’s safe.
That’s one less worry in my mind. Now to just catch my breath…
“You came in quite a hurry. You weren’t going to miss anything.” The hooded old man beside me says. The same hooded man from the day I awoke in the Abyss, and a while ago inside Haven itself.
“You.” I pant, wiping the sweat from my brow. Why did I get so sweaty from such a short run? “Been a while. What made you decide to turn up again?
“You happened to cross paths with me again. It was not my decision to make.”
I stand up straight, looking out at Arezza and the Crystalfall before me, having finally caught my breath.
“Uh huh, sure. Non-committal answers as always.”
He raises an eyebrow at me, giving me a sideways look. “You take issue with the manner in which I speak?”
“No, just… Yes, maybe. I don’t know. Got a lot on my mind.”
He stands in silence, waiting for me to continue.
“I didn’t recognise Eirene, when she’d barely changed. She said I was her first friend, and I was likely her only friend given she passed away soon after we met. I understand that people I knew in my former life might not recognise me, but if I can’t recognise them…”
How will I ever find my family, is the part I don’t say out loud.
“You were young then. Half your lifetime ago. For her, it was one of her last happy memories before she passed. What was just another day for one, may have been life-changing for another.”
“She was sickly. What if she passed because of me? Because I played with her, and brought her into contact with even just a minor cold, which ended up taking her life because she was so frail?”
“Is that why you rushed down here? You feared something may happen if you took your eyes off her for even a moment?” He asks, gesturing towards Arezza.
“I…” I don’t know how to answer that. I had no problem with Tiff taking Irie and the others out of my sight, but… they weren’t alone. Arezza would be, if I didn’t come with her. And something about her… makes me worry for her wellbeing when she’s alone.
“You do not have the soul-seeing gifts your peer possesses, but you do not need them to see her pain. She has her own doubts, her own worries, her own questions, and her own fear, all weighing heavily on her soul. She hides it well beneath her smiling veil, knowing full well the darker forces in this world may use her pain against her, but a kind heart pierces through that veil, where a dagger would find no gain. She fears she does not hide it well enough.” His gaze is cast downard, staring at the featureless muddy earth at his feet.
“And what do you fear?”
“I fear…” He looks up at her with a bowed head. “That fate is not quite finished with her.”
He gives me a small, pained smile, before turning to walk back up the path towards Haven. I don’t watch him leave. I stand there silently, reflecting upon my own thoughts and giving Arezza the time she needs.
Which, I suppose, gives me some time to think as well.