Saphena

Something happened there, I was sure of it. I wasted most of my spying time checking on them and even knowing it would happen eventually it was still hard to spot, so I thought about how good my choice was. I’m also sure that nobody else could tell something happened, let alone what actually went on. I got much more confident that my plan would come to fruition, as I got confirmation that the two of them were capable of the kind of secret communication I was gunning for. It was possible to teach ways to deal with portal spying, although already having it was much easier and safer. As usual, I do prefer to take advantage of what is already there.

So, I don't know how much Solaria got from that interaction, it could range from only that something weird is going on to every Space Mage is part of a secret world controlling organization. Now that recruiting seems to be at least under way, I will have to drop the spying on my recruits and search for a lead that could explain what went on that I missed from the conflict. It sure would be good to have minions inside here to work for me for this kind of scouting, although I knew the benefits of going solo were still better, I still wanted to bitch about it. Maybe following Solaria most of the day was getting to me, a terrifying thought.

Solaria

“Achoo” I sneezed. Worrying about those Eyes were really shaking me, but I knew nothing could be done about it if Auvrey didn’t have anything. She was the smarter of the two of us, I’m sure she had a plan to deal with those, I just needed to know what I had to do to help. Now I just had to find a way to ask her what next without an all-seeing monster knowing. “I do love hearing how much you love your job, it's just… I guess I’m a bit lost in what to do now, since all my life I wanted to just enter the academy and it was a real letdown to find that it wasn’t exactly what I was expecting.” I say, feeling out where I was going with it at the start and getting carried away as I got more emotional towards the end, forgetting for a while what I was trying to do.

“You do the thing you wanted since childhood, you learn to cast magic and become the greatest Time mage ever!” she answers, with such a warm voice I found it hard to see if she was still talking with codes. Then I saw concern washing her face, saying: “Though all this talk about time magic makes me remember my parents, how they got so good at that and still all just washed away by an act of god. Just keep it in mind to take care of yourself” she continues, making it clear that we were still having the two layer talk since she wouldn’t have brought up her parents and I got scared as my mind made the connections.

I have to become a Time mage, sure, I was going to do that, terrifying eyes or no and she knew that. So her point was to warn me, an act of god clearly being within the capabilities of the Eyes, but I had already kind of guessed that. There was an implication in there I sure didn’t like, but denying it would do nothing to help me. ‘I have to get good, without the all seeing being realizing’ is the logical conclusion to all this. I start to think how I could possibly pivot this to ask a ‘how’ question.

“How did you get so dirty again?” Lunario asks, taking me out of my train of thought. “Because I wanted a bath again” I answer, with an idea popping into my head and a brain sufficiently mushed from all this secret talking I can’t reject it in time. I proceed to take out some of my clothes before entering the bathroom, making his face go wide and cheeks as red as a tomato. I don’t feel ashamed, as I am quite proud of the body I’ve built over the years, quite toned in some places, while of course not being close to the wardrobe like proportions of Auvrey. I knew it wasn’t fair to compare as she has a lot of advantages, but it was hard not to. As it was hard to keep from laughing at the ‘is the first time I see a woman’s skin’ type of reaction. I still have to find a way to get him in a dress, and this is a project I will keep on my mind, as is the most important plan I have with clear goals and direction. Defeating the Eyes can stay in the background.

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Solaria

Exiting the shower, I wear some running clothes I picked out before and exit the bathroom, since I still had to exercise today. I smell lunch getting cooked, so I beeline to the kitchen, and since it smelled so good I doubted that it was Lunario cooking, since I didn't smell any burned flesh. I was a bit shocked when I saw both Lunario and Auvrey. My first instinct was to run and take the knife out of his hand before everyone died, but I saw he seemed to be in one piece and knew what he was doing, so I was content in just watching and intervening in case something burst into flames. I should go and help with the cooking, but was completely mesmerized seeing that ball of absolute chaos smoothly going through the motions with practiced efficiency that made me think that maybe he wasn't a clumsy mess and just got a series of unfortunate events. I see him using a knife to cut some vegetables, which is weird, as the cutting portal to the side of him could do this all much easier, but he uses the extra control and agility of a movable cutting device to his advantage, peeling faster than I could. He then turns to grab some potatoes on the counter, seeing me.

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“Hi, Sol!” He beams, throwing his arms wide like an excited toddler welcoming their dad from work and thus letting the knife he was holding fly out of his hand in an unnaturally straight path, pinning it to the wall. I did some knife throwing in the past, so I know for a fact that it is hard to throw it with enough strength and technique to make it stick to wood. I'm equally concerned, as the throw was in the general direction of Auvrey, and impressed, with a small portion of me feeling relief, as I was beginning to think that I should question reality itself after seeing such competence from Lunario. “Need some help?” I ask, going to catch the knife on the wall, as I didn't want to let it get to his hand again for a bit. Forever if possible.

Auvrey

Something about that knife throwing bothered me, maybe it is how it could have hit to me, though since it missed, I shouldn't worry about it. So as we got to eating, I started to move some stuff around myself to take advantage of the extra calories I was acquiring, planning some changes. “This food is amazing, you girls cook so well.” Lunario says to Solaria, and I see her face go through a thousand horrible things to say all with promises of violence, though being fed must have put her in good spirits to let some poorly worded speak pass, as she settles for saying: “Why are you talking to me? Most of the work was on you and Auvrey. You prepared most of the ingredients and they did most of the cooking, I just cut some onions.” she says, shrugging. She always scared me a bit with how perceptive she was, I was pretty sure nothing of my preparation could be seen by someone else, though she somehow always knew when I was planning a visual change. I saw Lunario was a bit confused to hear her using ‘they’, and if I were a bit less tired I would talk about it. Unfortunately, worrying about not saying the wrong thing and dying was taking most of my energy.

“That's true, you are way better at cooking than I thought you would be. It came as a shock that you could do that well.” I answered truthfully, as I knew he probably won't get the implication that I was doubtful of him being capable of doing anything right. “When I was a kid, I had a lot of fun seeing the cook making the food, so I always watched. After some days peeking inside, she invited me to try and help, teaching me the ropes, and it quickly became one of the best parts of my day to go to the kitchen to help.” he answered, surprising me again, as I kind was thinking of him as another orfan, not a rich kid with a cook at home. “Wait, your family has a cook?” she asks surprised and I understand, because ‘he doesn't seem like a rich douchebag’.

“Well, yes?” he responded, like everyone has a cook at home, “Speaking of, I promised I would be back home soon, so I'm not staying here for too long.” he continues, deflating a bit. “Well, I’ve got to go back to my shop for an afternoon appointment with a client,” I start, knowing that Solaria probably realized where I was going, with no way to stop me, “so you can go with Sis, she even has to exercise today.” and she stared daggers into me. Hope you two can have a lovely walk.

Solaria

They know! Auvrey knows I have a crush on Lunario. I'm going to die of shame. Before that, I just needed to take this secret to the grave, now I had to take them out, or it will spread like the plague. To try to keep my mind out of the soul crushing thought, I focused on creating bubbles of time over my head, since it is good practice and, while it is seen as impolite to cast in public, Time mages were uncommon, so I didn’t see all that many people frowning at me. Lunario wasn't that talkative, looking honestly concerned, about what I couldn't tell. The houses around us were getting massive, going from the piled up low income houses that are close to the wall because people don't care if we get hit first by invading forces to houses so big that there literally wasn't space enough to fit them inside the inner walls. And they probably had portals to run inside the castle anyway.

“That's okay, I'm basically home, you can start heading back.” he says, anxious. “What? No, not when I came most of the way, I'm curious to see your house, if any of these are anything to go by,” I say as I gesture to the mansions around us, “I really want to see it.” I see he is distressed, but now that we are such close friends that I will probably die due to his mistake, I have to know where he lives to haunt him. “Sure” he defeatedly accepts, continuing walking as the Eyes seem to get denser. We get to the biggest mansion around and he starts to drag his feet, the Eyes really dense. Oh no, don't tell me. He lifts his hands in an exaggerated manner, shaking his hand like a circus presenter, but his face was so dejected it was like he was presenting to the crowd a war criminal that drives the monocycle. Unfortunately, the description isn't far off, as I just need to know whether the owner of this house knows to drive one.

“This is my house” he says, trying and succeeding on his impression of a depressed presenter. It wasn't just the size of the mansion that gave it away. It was mainly all the marble statues of people getting stabbed, cut or pierced by swords that was such a big indicator of who his dad really was. The man who was so well known that everyone already knew what those statues meant, everyone can tell his mansion by a glance after having seen it multiple times in a journal. The most successful Time mage of the century, sword of Neohazelel, the Minister of War known to have tripled the size of our borders. Yeasul, the cruel.