Padma [https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AP1GczPv9Fjj-_O8KAqCwWcouVKEGovPierHLKpkaMqfaRrCm385DmyptQ71Bg95ApE5cms7SoR7wXxkdt8q1K-KRWnpaNK2K-ZwbGwXtwkIopvySj22wiotOoV_G4Rrm8ZwQm3g2KEIIu8A7ET8b0ldsthi=w639-h959-s-no-gm?authuser=0]
Uriel had been enjoying the last few days of throwing himself into cooking and being able to speak freely with Phoenix. With the weight of his secrets off his shoulders and the reassurance that, despite him being an unworthy monster, she and the others still wanted to be friends with him, he had been feeling happier than he had in a long time.
Which made him feel oddly guilty. While the city was busy mourning once again, he was happy with how things had turned out for himself and his party. Phoenix not only saved the city from complete destruction, but she had trusted him through it all.
He had been afraid that she wouldn’t feel comfortable confiding in him anymore after discovering that he was Chosen by the Destroyer, but she had been even more open with him about her fears and hopes. With the wall between them gone, he finally didn’t feel like a lying traitor every time he stood beside her. She knew every dark secret now and still looked at him as an equal. It was so much more than he deserved.
“Hey, Uriel? Could I borrow you for a few minutes?” Padma asked as she came up to him.
“Sure, just let me finish getting this pulled out of the oven,” he replied, easily grabbing the hot dish of lasagna from the embers. One of the perks of being both a cinderen and a Crystal Caster was that he didn’t have to worry about getting burnt anymore from a hot pan.
Once the large meal was set aside, he simply brushed his hands and gave Bliss a pat on the head, warning the little kitten-chimera, “No eating that; it’s for the whole group. However, there are some savory biscuits over there if you want one,” he emphasized the number by holding up a single finger.
She gave a whiny mewl, and he interjected, “Nope, I’m not giving in on this one. If you make sure nobody else touches this, though, I’ll make sure there’s plenty of dessert for you. I made a chocolate ruebean pudding.”
The newly Emerald Caste Predator Chimera gave her little one-paw salute in confirmation, and he chuckled as he turned to follow after Padma. The runeforged woman had been joining him in the kitchens more often lately, and he still wasn’t sure if it was because she enjoyed cooking or was more interested in getting closer to Dazien.
Sadly, it wouldn’t be the first time someone feigned interest in him just to get closer to the Shiny gemite, so he tried to stay on guard for the tell-tale signs. The fact that she hadn’t really asked about Dazien at all was a good start.
As Padma led him into one of the large pantry rooms that held rows of enchanted shelving and cooking ingredients, she explained, “I need your height to get the jar of manarin jam for Fen.”
While he walked down the rows he asked in confusion, “Isn’t there a ladder in here to help with that?”
She looked back and gave him a mischievous grin, “I also just wanted to talk with you alone for a little bit. The kitchen is so crowded right now with needing to feed so many people suddenly. Even with Presley’s ability to help, there’s still a lot of hungry mouths. It’s not quiet anymore like the kitchen back at home in Tulimeir.”
He slowed a bit but tried not to seem suspicious as he asked, “What exactly do you need to talk to me alone about?”
“I just wanted to ask– Well… Wanted to make sure I didn’t misunderstand your relationship with my newest cousin. Are you courting Dazien? Or is it more… casual?”
Uriel raised a brow and crossed his arms over his chest, not walking any further as he asked, “What makes you think it’s either?” he had heard that question before, and it was one of the first signs.
She turned to walk back towards him as she said, “Um, because I have eyes and see the way you look at him? I just wanted to understand how serious or open it is. I’m pretty open-minded when it comes to relationships and read that gemites aren’t really the commitment type.”
“I’m not sure where you read that, but just because a relationship might be open doesn’t mean there’s less commitment,” he tried explaining warily, turning to keep her in his line of sight as she moved beside him, “Daze might court more than one person at a time, but he’s also one of the most loyal people I’ve ever known. He’s committed to any relationship he’s in and makes his boundaries and expectations clear before ever getting involved.”
“What about you?” she surprised him by asking.
“He made them clear with me, too.”
“No, I meant, do you court more than one person at a time? What are your boundaries and expectations?” Padma clarified, and he realized that she was much closer to him now than a few moments ago as she rested a hand on his arm, “Are you open to others or just him?”
The question caught him off guard and he wasn’t sure how to answer right away. He had been so sure that with the mention of Dazien, she would have segued into asking what the best ways to get closer to the gemite might be. Now he realized that it was him she was literally getting closer to.
He tried to take a step away only to find shelving at his back and managed to say, “I’m, um… it’s, uh, complicated?”
It would be extremely difficult to try explaining that, even if he was open to it like Daze, he wouldn’t get that close to someone who didn’t know he was one of the Chosen. The fact that nobody had really approached him like this before hadn’t helped him prepare a proper excuse either.
“I’m okay with complicated,” she said with a mischievous grin, “I’m okay with just some casual fun, too, if that’s all you’re willing to commit to.”
Uriel could feel the heat rise in his cheeks as the suggestion tumbled through his mind. It wasn’t that he thought Padma wasn’t attractive, nor was he averse to being with a woman, but he had only ever been involved with Daze before.
She stepped closer, pressing herself against him as he was trapped against the shelves, and playfully teased him, “You’re blushing. Does that mean you like the idea?”
He found himself wishing for his earrings right then to help calm him as he scrambled for words, “I, um… I don’t think you know me well enough to want–”
Padma chuckled, “I definitely want. That’s why I’m trying to get to know you more. You do like women, too, right?”
Uriel had no idea why Phoenix’s face flashed in his mind when she asked that, but it made him blush even more than he already was. He dropped his arms to try and push against Padma’s waist, attempting to put more space between them, but he couldn’t budge the stronger and denser Sapphire Caster as he practically stuttered, “Y–yes. It’s not that. I just– Now’s not really the best time for–”
His words were cut off by her kiss.
----------------------------------------
Phoenix made her way towards the kitchen quickly, reassured that she was going the right way by her bracelet, which was acting as a homing beacon toward her best friend. Inside the massive area, there was a bustle of people all cooking various different things with the high-tech appliances they had been quickly learning with Presley’s assistance and alien ingredients produced by the new environment the World Tree created.
She didn’t see Uriel right away but her attention was caught by Fen standing next to a stove while speaking with a small black kitten. The unassuming wood elf was tall and slim with olive skin and short brown hair. He appeared to be making tea and she heard the tail end of what he was saying to the chimera sitting on the counter.
If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.
“–can be extremely fulfilling, I’ve found. You don’t have to worry too much about death for yourself, and you can take however long you need to reach Obsidian Caste.”
“What’s fulfilling?” she asked curiously, coming up to give Bliss some skritches behind the ear like the kitten seemed to enjoy, made apparent by the purring that promptly commenced.
“Being a Familiar,” Fen clarified, “I noticed Bliss’ bond with Chriss is very similar to the covenant made between a Familiar and Summoner. I thought she might like actually becoming one someday. If something unfortunate were to happen to Chriss, that is.”
Phoenix was surprised by that idea and asked, “Can anyone just… choose to become a Familiar?”
“Ah,” the elf hesitated, shifting his emerald green eyes away from her own, “No. Not like that on a whim. There’s… a process, and not everyone who wishes it will be chosen. However, I think Bliss would be accepted if that were a path she would wish to pursue.”
“Accepted? Is there like a council that interviews people or something?” she asked in mild confusion.
He looked nervous again, “Not exactly. I’m not sure how much I’m allowed to divulge, really,” then he got a more contemplative look on his angular face as he added, “Though, I suppose since I remember it at all, it should be okay…”
“Remember? You’re Emerald Caste; why wouldn’t you remember something like that?”
“Well, many of our memories get sealed upon accepting a Familiar or Summons contract. Depending on the reality we get sent to or the Caste tier of our Summoner, some will be available, while others might unlock over time. I believe it’s how the greater cosmos stays in balance to keep us from too heavily influencing a world,” he gave her a shy smile as he added, “Not at all like Wayfarers.”
“Yeah, I don’t think I lost any memories by coming here, and I’ve definitely influenced some things. Camilla told me I altered some of their foundational concepts for enchantments from just playing around with the alarm diagram.”
Fen chuckled, “Exactly,” he gestured towards the kitchen, “Orebela mentioned to me earlier that all of this being introduced to the world unlocked some of her own memories about the technology of her home world. While we can’t introduce new knowledge, we can adapt to it quickly if we’ve encountered it before.
“Despite both you and I being from other realities, the rules are different for us. Us Familiars are heavily regulated and bound by contracts,” he gestured towards her, “While you Wayfarers are tossed around to do the opposite. Yet we’re both connected by the being who sent us.”
Phoenix’s eyes went wide at that proclamation, “Wait, you were made a Familiar by Morgan the Night Witch?”
“That’s not how I know her. We all refer to her as the Soul Steward.”
“Oh my gods, was Rayna actually right about me being a Familiar of the world?!”
The elf laughed, “No, of course not. You’re still a Wayfarer, which has a lot more freedom than a Familiar, but unlike us, you can die naturally. Our souls return to Limina when we die or if our vessels get destroyed. From there, we can get a new contract and potentially keep progressing our Caste.”
“Potentially?”
“Well, it depends on the contracted Summoner, really. For instance, I’m Emerald now, but if I choose to accept a Familiar contract with a Crystal Caster next time, then I’ll be suppressed to a Crystal Vessel and have to work through all those tiers again. I won’t really progress more till reaching where I previously left off, which isn’t a guarantee when many Casters have a habit of dying before reaching Obsidian.”
“Sounds annoying.”
“It can be,” he agreed, taking the now boiling kettle off the heat of the stove, “I’ve gotten frustrated before with it, but my time with Pualani has helped me learn to have more patience… she’s the longest and oldest Summoner I’ve ever had before. The first that will actually experience a more natural death too.”
As the elf poured two cups of a soothing-smelling tea, she asked, “Is that for you and her? I haven’t had time to check in with her in a while. How is she?”
“Weak,” he replied with blunt honesty, “Strained from trying to help too much with the refugees and trying to make sure the foundation of this new city will be a good one for her family.”
The elven Familiar gave a heavy sigh, “I believe it will be very soon now when she and I will part from this reality.”
“You said you’ll go back to Limina, which I’m just assuming is some kind of limbo alternate reality,” she reiterated, and he nodded before she asked, “But where will her soul go?”
“If I knew the answer to that at some point, it’s something that has been sealed from my memories,” Fen replied as he lifted a small tray with the herbal tea. He turned to leave but added with such a sad tone that it made her heart ache, “I only know that it’s not where I’ll be.”
Bliss gave a sad mewl in response and hopped down from the counter to follow after the elf, quickly scaling up the elf’s back to perch on his shoulder as she rubbed against him, causing the man to chuckle lightly.
Phoenix thought about following after him as well to talk more and visit her greatest aunt Pualani, but remembered that she had come to the kitchens in the first place on a mission to retrieve her friend.
She refocused on following the sense of her bracelet and found it led to one of the large pantry rooms. The door easily slid open with silent magic as she approached it and began walking down the rows of shelves, her attention being caught by all the different ingredients lining them.
Phoenix was surprised when she heard Padma’s voice saying “You do like women too, right?”
It was shortly followed by Uriel’s normally deeper bass saying an octave higher than she normally heard it, “Y–yes. It’s not that. I just– Now’s not really the best time for–”
The sentence became muffled suddenly. As she rounded the corner, her mouth dropped open in complete shock to see Uriel holding onto her cousin’s waist as Padma’s arms were wrapped around her best friend’s neck and they were kissing.
Despite the rest of her party trying to warn her, she had not been mentally prepared for the sight of those two wrapped together like that. Her mind felt both blank on how to respond and exploding with questions at the same time.
The heat in her cheeks caused her heart to race in a panic as she realized that she shouldn’t be here watching this. With weird feelings she couldn’t untangle at the moment, she moved to make her escape, but Uriel’s ember eyes caught the movement. He turned from the kiss to call out to her, “Phoenix! Wait! Don’t–”
“I’m sorry!” she yelled back in her awkward panic, “I didn’t– I just– I came to let you know that we’re eating in a private room.”
She glanced back to see Uriel giving her an odd expression, but Padma was frowning at her. She didn’t want to make her cousin upset and spoil whatever romantic moment the two were trying to have, so she quickly added, “I’m, um– I’m just going to go now. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
Uriel seemed to try extricating himself and began to walk towards her as he said, “No, Phoenix, I wasn’t–”
“It’s fine!” she squeaked out and scrunched her nose at the obvious awkwardness she was creating by her presence. She was just the worst at this sort of thing. It made her frustrated that she couldn’t just act normal right now for some reason.
“I’m sorry,” she said again as she turned and fled, her Sapphire Caste Agility making the exit from the room a trivial matter as she navigated back through the kitchens. She tried pushing what she had witnessed from her mind and focused on finding the person she knew could calm her.
When she reached the hall, she ignored the two gemites standing outside the door and hurtled herself into Saiya’s surprised arms. She was so glad she didn’t need to breathe anymore; otherwise, she was fairly certain she’d be hyperventilating from the nerves.
Should she tell the others what she saw? Wouldn’t Dazien be upset that his partner was kissing someone else? She remembered her brother talking about most gemites being polyamorous, but he hadn’t specifically said that he and Uriel were like that, had he?
Phoenix decided to try and pretend like she hadn’t seen anything. Unless Uriel told everyone that he and Padma were… dating or whatever, she would take the secret to her metaphorical grave.
“Sweet flower,” Saiya’s soft voice whispered in her ear as she wrapped her in silky tails and rubbed her back, “What happened to make you so confused?”
She shook her head, refusing to reveal it, but didn’t want them worrying, so she hedged, “I saw something I shouldn’t have. It shouldn’t be that big of a deal, but… I don’t know,” she finished lamely.
How could she explain the weird tangle of nerves in the pit of her stomach? What words could she summon to chase away the blush from her cheeks? What possible reason could she have that would explain the tremor of fear wrapping around her heart? She was confused about why she was confused and had no answer to give.
Uriel was her best friend. She should be happy for him and her cousin, right? She hadn’t felt like this when she found out about Uriel and Dazien being involved, so why was she reacting like this now?
“Do you want to go talk in your room?” Saiya asked her.
“I think,” she hesitated in her uncertainty, “I think I just want to go read in my room alone for a while,” she finally decided, getting up to do just that, “I’m not really hungry anymore.”