Presley [https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AP1GczO4TbqZXQ0R2Sv5jE4kZ7AU-ucwl4QOtch_3hCrS6JDuW_utMOkXz6lGXktZZLaamdGk2krKaEwPP2Pbww7aK87NdNz1HwwLi7L12Agy06gn0dQD7TrRPftvTpXvVsoEUE9atKb2EqBKb9Pc7lY7Cv8=w613-h919-s-no-gm?authuser=0]
“Thank you for making the time to meet with me,” Patricia said as she sat down across a small desk from a priestess of the Parent named Yua Yavuz. She was an older cinderen that had been working at the temple for decades.
“My pleasure to be of service, Ambassador Wayland, especially to such a prestigious noble house,” the priestess replied with a bow before taking her seat. “Now, you mentioned having questions about a couple of former wards of ours. Is this about a job or…”
“Well, one is for adoption, and the other is his long-time friend,” she explained, “Dazien Smithson was chosen by Paul before the recent battle and–”
Yavuz’s face scrunched in distaste at the name, “That pretty boy managed to wile his way into the Lord Wayland’s good graces? I don’t mean to speak ill of your brother, m’lady, but I would stay clear of that one and not trust those words of temptation.”
Patricia paused at that. She hadn’t really been there to discuss Dazien’s past here since she had already done quite a bit of research on him long before Paul even mentioned adoption. Her more recent concern was about the title she had discovered Uriel bore and who else knew about it.
“Oh? I’m aware he is a gemite with the Shiny talent, but I hadn’t heard anything… unscrupulous in his past,” she replied carefully.
“That child has been nothing but a heartbreaker since arriving here.”
“Wasn’t he only four when he arrived?” Pati asked in confusion.
“We had quite a few people become interested in adopting him, but the High Priestess refused them all. It was as though the boy was incapable of truly returning their familial affections, which became much more obvious as he got older. By the time he was fourteen, he was already dragging girls and boys along with lustful strings. Flirtatious words to raise their hopes, use them for a short time, then I never saw them around again.”
Patricia wasn’t sure exactly how to respond to that. She hadn’t seen Dazien show romantic interest in anyone other than Uriel since first learning of the pair months ago. After talking more with the young scion, she had learned they’d been together in that capacity for about two years which sounded nothing like what was being described.
Yua leaned forward, speaking in a hushed tone, “I even caught him spending quite a lot of time at the temple of the Lover. While actively courting others. The boy is greedy to his core and cares nothing for the shattered hearts he leaves in his wake. While I am normally a huge supporter of adopting even the most needy of children, that boy will cause your House nothing but scandals.”
“I see…” she replied slowly, now uncertain about trusting anything this woman had to say about her former wards, but perhaps this was a case of bias against gemites? “The other inquiry I had was about his friend, Uriel Karislian.”
“Such a tragic story, that one,” Yua replied, leaning back in her seat once more, “Came to us as a soul-scarred teen, rescued by your brother now that I recall. The poor boy was so jumpy and stand-offish. Spent most of his time at first locked away in his room between visits to Priest Jacob, the mind mender.”
“Yes, I’m acquainted with him,” she replied, then tried to get the woman back on track, “So Uriel always kept himself isolated?”
“Until that floozy got his amethyst claws into the poor young man. Convinced Uriel that he should follow his delusional ideas of royalty. Did you know it was his fault that poor Uriel almost killed another noble boy in a fit of jealous rage?”
“When did this happen?” she asked in concern. She hadn’t heard any such thing.
“Well, I forget the exact timeline but it was shortly after that pretty boy dragged poor Uriel out of the safety of his room. Almost destroyed the playground because that gemite was so desperate for attention. No matter how hard High Priestess Deserin tried to raise the boy, dedicating her own personal time to the effort, he never changed for the better.”
“You do know he’s an Adventurer now, right?” Patricia asked the strange priestess.
“Probably slept with the trial assessor for that,” Yua muttered.
“Is High Priestess Deserin available to answer some questions, too?” she asked, desperately wanting a different perspective at that point. “I haven’t seen her again since she first came to the World Tree and later sent Priest Willem to see to things.”
“Ah, yes. I thought it odd that Priest Willem was sent. He normally tends to the infants here. Is one of your family members struggling with a newborn?” Then the woman gasped, leaning forward again for more gossip, “Did that seducer give one of your daughters more than what she bargained for?”
“I think we’re done here,” Patricia said with a firm glare, “I’m not sure what your issue is with him, but Dazien Wayland has never tempted any member of my family, the family he belongs to now. So if I hear any more slanderous words thrown at him without extensive proof, you will regret ever speaking again.”
Then she abruptly stood and left the priestess of the Parent, who obviously had very different ideas about parenting than she did.
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Patricia was back at the Wayland Estate, grabbing a few more things from her study before relocating most of her family to the World Tree. That location had become her new focus for both her House and her goddess, and it was slowly becoming a fortress in its own right.
The Starfall voxen had been surprisingly helpful with navigating how the advanced vessel worked, including getting its Emerald Caste force shields back online. Along with internal climate controls and its fairly robust capabilities for customizing itself –given the appropriate material requirements– it was quickly becoming a safer location for her family than the capital city.
The strange voxen members were mostly comprised of a couple of dozen Emerald Casters and double that in Sapphires, with Mint as their Ruby emissary and de facto leader. While they had been focused on the ship and adding additional exterior construction, the Fae faction had been making themselves rather comfortable within the boughs of the gigantic sapling itself, focusing on helping the area’s extensive plant life thrive.
Patricia hadn’t gotten a clear headcount, but they seemed even more numerous than the Starfall and were actually mostly combatants with a knack for gardening. They had become the default protectors of the new grove they were hoping for.
She wasn’t necessarily against having the Fae as new citizens of Tulim but there were concerns about a future clash of cultures and ideals for how the area –and people– should be governed. The Fae emissary, Acorn, hadn’t seemed particularly vocal or concerned about this factor, however. Making it clear that their main priority was simply securing a place where their species could survive.
“You asked to see me, Ambassador Wayland?” Uriel asked as he tapped on the already-opened door.
“Yes, just a few minutes of your time, hopefully,” she replied, gesturing towards the open sitting area near the bar and asking, “Would you like a drink? I have some aplet juice or manarin wine or–”
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
“No, thanks,” he interjected, nervously taking a seat.
“Is everything okay?”
“I think you’re about to answer that for me,” the cinderen replied with a raised brow.
She gave a sigh and sat in a chair across from him, “Yes, well. I just came back from a very… interesting and mildly disturbing meeting with Priestess Yavuz.”
Uriel scowled, “Let me guess, painted Dazien as a lustful degenerate who has only one thing on his mind?”
“And you as the poor boy who fell under his spell,” she added with a nod.
“Please tell me you don’t believe that nonsense.”
“No, but he is Shiny… it’ll make people wonder if Yavuz wasn’t wrong.”
“I knew Daze for years before we ever got involved like that.”
“Maybe the effects strengthen over time?”
“So what if they do?” Uriel countered, “Are you suggesting Dazien be cursed to stay alone forever because he’s too beautiful to find real love? I don’t care what others might say about us. I know how we feel, and that’s all that matters.”
“But I know you do care about what others say about Dazien,” the politician pointed out, “You care enough to hide your relationship with him from the public eye. I bet you care enough that you would leave him if it came down to it.”
Silence fell.
Uriel stared at her with a calculating and wary gaze for a long time before he finally asked, “Are you suggesting I should stop being by his side? Did… Is this because of what Paul told you about my past? About who I am?”
“Paul told me about saving you from an island of cultists. He did not tell me you earned a few titles during your time there, however. Presley was the one who recently informed me of that.”
She watched carefully as he tensed, clenched his fists tightly, and stared at the floor as if trying to mentally solve a problem.
“I haven’t told anyone else,” she admitted, “Frankly, I’m too afraid to.”
Uriel’s ember eyes glanced up at her in surprise. Then he scowled and clarified, “That’s why you would rather I leave on my own? Before it gets out or someone gets hurt?”
Patricia thought about that for a long while. She had been debating the idea since first learning about him. When it came down to it… she would always choose her family over others, but she wasn’t sure if the happiness found with a childhood sweetheart was worth the pain that would come from being socially outcast or worse.
“Yes,” she whispered sadly, “I would rather you leave than watch their futures be destroyed by you standing in their shadows.”
“Their?” he asked, almost breathless.
“Leave and break Dazien’s heart. Leave and steal away Phoenix’s friend. It will hurt both of them. But like a bee’s sting, it will heal quickly. They will move on and be safe. They both have bright futures as Adventurers and Waylands. Phoenix is blessed by many of the Delegation of Radiance, and you–”
“Are not,” he growled in response. “You’re kicking me out after Lord Wayland promised Daze–”
“I’m not kicking you out,” she corrected, “I will stand by my brother’s promise.”
Then the Priestess of the Cultivator leaned forward and said sincerely, “I am asking, no, begging you to do the right thing and leave them. They are my family–”
“They’re mine too!” Uriel yelled, standing in his anger, “My party is the only family I have left!”
“Now, Uriel–”
“Piss off,” he snapped, stalking out of the study.
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“I’m sorry, young one,” Paul said, black blood spilling from his mouth as he weakly lay in her lap.
“No,” Phoenix sobbed, trying to use a sleeve to wipe the blood away.
“I’m sorry I can’t go on our adventure,” he continued, “I’m sorry I won’t be there to shield you anymore.”
“Please, no,” she begged, looking around for help but nobody was there, just an endless expanse of cold dreary snow with flakes falling from a gray sky.
“I’m sorry I hid things from you.”
“Somebody help!” she cried out, “Please save my dad!”
Paul lifted a bloody hand to her cheek, using a thumb to wipe the tears away, “I’m sorry I can’t be your father anymore.”
She sobbed, her face a mess as she watched Paul die in her arms, quickly turning into ruby ash.
“Phoenix! Sis, wake up!”
The Wayfarer blinked, trying to focus, and a flash of red curls and blue eyes set in a tan face that was so similar to the man she just watched leave her forever made her sob anew. Presley seemed to panic as the small child tried to comfort her and eventually ran from the room.
A door slammed open, and she vaguely heard Dazien yelling, “Gods! Presley?! What are you– Hey, stop! We’re not dressed! Just– One moment!”
Another moment later, Presley was practically dragging a disheveled –but luckily clothed– gemite into her room. Dazien made his way over and carefully sat on the edge of the bed as he asked in a much more subdued voice, “Nightmare again?”
She nodded, not trusting her voice.
“Miserlings?”
“Paul,” she choked out, leaning her forehead against his bicep.
He adjusted to give her a hug and whispered, “That one visits me sometimes, too.”
“Does he die in your arms, too?” she asked, rubbing at her eyes.
“Once in a while. Mostly, I’m just frozen in place, unable to do anything, much like the reality.”
“What’s wrong? Nightmares?” Uriel asked, finally joining them as the cinderen finished pulling his shirt down over the rune scars.
“Yeah, a sadder Paul ending,” Dazien answered for her, which she was grateful for at the moment. He was so much better at doing the whole talking thing than she was.
Uriel moved around to the other side of the nebula-style bed and fell into it next to her, adjusting himself to sit against the cloud-like headboard. He opened his arms for her and smirked as he said, “I’m warmer.”
He wasn’t wrong. She quickly dove for the comforting embrace and let herself cry more. Knowing now that her friends wouldn’t judge her for it.
Dazien adjusted himself on the other side of her and simply held a free hand, just letting her know she wasn’t alone in her fears.
“I felt the sad feels,” Saiya said sleepily from the doorway, padding across the room and climbing into the bed as well, letting the tranquil aura envelop all of them. The fluffy voxen clambered over Dazien’s legs to insert herself between the Wayfarer and gemite, wrapping one tail around Daze and two around Phoenix.
The Defender chuckled as he said quietly, “She might be even warmer than you, Senesh. These tails are quite soft and insulated.”
Saiya hummed happily before shushing them and saying, “Not talking time. Sleeping time now,” before snuggling closer against Phoenix’s side, the tails tangling them all together.
“I…” Phoenix wasn’t sure what to say exactly to explain that she was too afraid to sleep again so soon.
“You don’t have to sleep,” Uriel whispered beside her, “I’ll stay up with you as long as you need.”
She glanced over at the other two but Saiya and Dazien already seemed to be falling back into slumber. Looking up at Uriel she said quietly, “You can sleep too.”
“No, I know you don’t want to be alone right now.” He looked over towards the others for a moment before admitting, “I don’t want to be alone either.”
“Dazien says we’re never alone now,” she pointed out.
He gave her a sad smile, “We’re not, but it’s good to have a reminder of that fact like this every now and again.”
She nodded, resting against him and just listening to his breathing and heart beating as she tried to calm herself by matching his rhythm.
“He’s right though,” Uriel began saying softly, “I hope you know that even if I’m not literally beside you or him… I’ll always be with you, trying to do what’s best for you both. What’s best for your family.”
Phoenix squeezed him in a hug, “Same,” she yawned sleepily as calm returned to her body, her mind half gone as she murmured, “I love our family too.”
“I love us too!” Presley said happily, climbing up into the bed and pulling a Saiya by snuggling in between the women to get a fluffy tail blanket as well. “G’night!”
Phoenix snorted a laugh as Uriel chuckled, and she replied, “Sleep tight.”
“Don’t let the karsai bite,” the warm cinderen added softly.
“What’s a karsai?” she tiredly asked.
“A little bug that likes to nibble on people. Not really harmful but can be annoying.”
“Are they magic, too?”
He chuckled, “No. Just a Mundane little insect. Want to know about some magical bugs?”
She yawned, “Only if you won’t get offended when I fall asleep.”
“I’ll let you in on a little secret,” he whispered, “That’s how I got Daze to fall asleep, too, when his mind wouldn’t quiet.”
Phoenix huffed a tired laugh and was asleep before Uriel finished the first explanation about a type of magical butterfly she didn’t even catch the name of.