T. A. Star
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14 - Reason Beyond the Rumors
🕑 Added 2024-03-15 00:00:04 +0000 UTC
Phoenix was clenching Paul’s arm in a death grip of anxiety as she nervously stood beside her mentor and now… father? It was both easy and difficult to think of him as such. He definitely acted like one towards her, especially after they had gotten to know each other more, but she wasn’t a child who required a parent. Despite that fact, she was glad he stood beside her now.
Paul patted her clenched hand reassuringly, “Everything will be fine, Phoenix,” he said then glanced down at her, his eyes lingered for a moment on her Soul Mark and he said with all sincerity, “I want you to know I’m proud of you for having the courage to do this… but if your only reason for doing so is out of fear of disappointing me, or my sister, then I want you to know that I won’t think less of you for admitting so. If you truly cannot endure this, just say the word and we’ll cover up your Mark and I can whisk you away as soon as they see your face.”
Even though she didn’t have much knowledge about how fathers should behave, she thought he did a pretty good job. He was continually a solid pillar of support, understanding, and acceptance. He always tried to help advise and guide her but never tried to force her to be someone she wasn’t. She knew he didn’t always tell her everything, especially with everything that happened regarding the Ruwenas, but she knew that most parents, her mom included, tried to not burden their kids with things they planned to handle.
She gave him a weak smile and shook her head, “My reason isn’t out of fear. I want to make you and her happy. I might not be comfortable with the attention but I think I can be courageous enough to last a few hours if it helps support my new family.”
His smile turned slightly sad as he said, “We often find ourselves doing things we normally wouldn’t in order to support and protect our family.”
Before she could ask what he meant exactly, she heard Patricia’s voice come from the other side of the door they were waiting behind. The nobility here seemed to have a love for theatrics but at least they wouldn’t try making her walk down a flight of stairs in heels. That was just begging to have her trip and break something, Crystal Caste reflexes or not.
“Now, without further ado, my brother, Lord Paul Wayland, will present to you his chosen heir and newest member of our family, Noble Phoenix Wayland!” the priestess said as the door opened and Paul led her out into the magical spotlight.
Phoenix heard the crowd before she managed to look up to see them. The light polite clapping had started as soon as Patricia had stopped speaking before any of their eyes ever settled upon her. The only reason she could see the people through the bright light shining upon her was due to her perception ability.
The crowd seemed mildly interested at first, a few people even seeming bored by the event. However, as she was carefully led across the room by Paul’s steady and assured pace, the clapping tapered off to be replaced by hushed whispers and sharpening gazes. She felt the brush of dozens of auras suddenly poke and prod against hers which caused a few gasps across the room as the four layers of her own aura rebuffed all but the strongest few.
Paul had been spending the weeks of training time with her, and more recently the rest of her party, in Aura Etiquette as he had called it. When they had first met he had focused on teaching her to reign in the power of the boosted aura. Then as she got better at retracting it, she began practicing controlling the direct manipulation of it; mostly in combat.
Only recently had she begun attempting to use it to push against other auras but Paul’s initial focus had been centered around the concept of performing what she equated to an “aura handshake”. Like the sense you would get from someone you just met by how firm, clammy, or long a handshake was; it was the first impression a person would get of your character.
What the crowd sensed when they prodded her aura was a smooth layered sphere that felt like a desire for family, the excitement of wanderlust, the courage of standing against any enemy, the curiosity of learning more about everything, the tenacity to not be chained down, the willingness to sacrifice all of herself for others, and in each of those feelings they sensed the touch of divinity that strengthened them all. They also confirmed the rumors that she wasn’t just an outsider but a Wayfarer and the chatter intensified with every step she took.
Lord Wayland led her to a slightly raised dais that held a table for the two of them with an extra seat to either side of their own centered seats. She had been informed that during the dinner party, people could come and sit to introduce themselves and talk for a bit before trading places with someone else.
This was the part she was most nervous about but she focused on Paul’s teachings to subdue her emotions and keep her aura steady. By the time she finally sat in her place, the room was a dull roar of chatter as people stared at her Soul Mark, prodded her aura, or debated with the people beside them. She could already sense the gossip and speculations floating around the room.
She noticed quickly that the pokes and pressure from the other auras in the room were increasing and becoming more aggressive. From what Paul and the others had shown her, she knew that it was beyond polite curiosity now and had moved on to testing and challenging her.
Phoenix frowned slightly as the sense of shoving her aura down in a vice grip from somewhere grew and she chanced a glance at Paul. A breath later, the pressure vanished as Paul’s aura spread out and pushed them back in return, making both his authority in the room and protection of her known by everyone as they reached the end of his patience. The clear message of retribution radiated throughout it and the chatter dimmed slightly.
On the other side of the room, Phoenix could have sworn she saw Patricia grinning triumphantly and she wondered what political game her new aunt had just won. She firmly pushed the thought from her mind, though, not wanting to have anything to do with it. She’d let the priestess play her games and remain content by staying on the periphery.
Gentle music began to play as food was placed on tables and the chatter increased in volume again. Nobody had stood to move and Phoenix suddenly had a new source of anxiety. What if nobody wanted to talk to her? Would that be worse than forcing herself to endure small chit-chat?
She was saved by the appearance of the Dewsong voxen. Saiya and Rayna looked splendid in their own white dresses with light blue trimmings that varied slightly in style and contrasted against the dusty colors of their hair, tails, and mahogany skin.
Paul greeted them with a slight bow of his own and slid himself over to allow the women to sit on either side of Phoenix and she beamed a bright smile of gratitude to them. There was a magical incorporeal barrier surrounding the stage area they were on which slightly distorted the sound that traveled through it and allowed them to speak without worry of being overheard though their expressions and lips could still be observed.
“I’m so glad you two are here,” she said with relief, “I thought the reaction would be awkward but I wasn’t really expecting all this.”
“Honestly, I’ve been to a couple of Noble Reveals in other cities but have never seen such a contentious display like this before,” Rayna said speculatively as she surveyed the gathering, “I’ll bet the whole city will be talking about you within a week.”
Phoenix fought back the impulse to bury her face in her arms against the table at the thought of so much attention focused on her. The upside was that, with the whole city watching her, it would be much harder for anyone to make a move against her. At least, that’s what Patricia had told her. The Wayfarer wasn’t quite sure it was worth it.
She chatted for a few minutes longer with her teammates before they took their leave and Paul moved back over to her side in the center of the four chairs as the next pair of nobles approached.
It was the head of another House that had loose ties to the Waylands. As the runeforged woman sat on Paul’s side, her son had obligingly taken the seat next to Phoenix. He was polite enough, introducing himself as Noble Byren Talvehtia. He didn’t look much older than she was but he was Sapphire Caste, like his mother, and she couldn’t sense the taint of [Monster Seeds] that many of the other nobles in the room contained.
After some polite chatting, they swapped out with another pair, then another, and the cycle continued for a solid two hours before the music grew a little louder and everyone stood to mingle more as the chairs were removed, the tables placed to the edges of the room and loaded with desserts. The large windows, which turned out to be doors, on one side of the room were opened out onto a large balcony that overlooked the city.
Paul led Phoenix from the dais before giving her an encouraging smile then left her alone to speak with his sister who was chatting with the glittering Noble Stratfured that hadn’t made their way up to the table. She glanced around at the crowd. Nobody made eye contact with her but she could feel their subversive glances and the whispers with her name.
The Wayfarer took a steadying breath then made her way to one of the tables to busy herself with grabbing what appeared to be some kind of cookie she hadn’t seen before and made her way outside, desperately in need of the fresh cool night air, where the sounds lessened and the lights no longer blazed down on her. She felt calmer as she leaned against the balcony railing and stared out into the dark night that was brightened only slightly by the lights below and the stars above.
“Your glow looks stunning in the night,” a feminine voice spoke from near her and Phoenix turned to see a beautiful cinderen woman with burning eyes, dark hair that appeared like a cloud around her face, and a dark red dress that wrapped around the neck and hugged the strong figure and almost seemed alight with veins of ruby lights that matched her own markings and played with her perception.
It took her a moment to place the familiar face until she finally remembered and stated, “You were the one that waved to me on the expedition into the Reality Rift.”
The stranger smiled just as cheerfully now as she had back when Phoenix had returned the surprising greeting, “You remember? I know that day was pretty busy, for you especially.”
Phoenix quirked an eyebrow as she leaned back against the railing and asked, “What makes you say that?”
The woman took a few steps closer as hips purposefully swayed with each step. She suddenly understood what Rayna had been talking about when the bard kept insisting Phoenix needed to learn to own her body. This woman knew exactly what she owned and how to use it in a way that Phoenix doubted she would ever be able to, “We all saw the explosion. I also heard the rumored reports. You assisted in taking down two Sapphire enemies as well as the Emerald Caster.”
Phoenix scrunched her face and pointed out, “I had a lot of help with all of those. I’m not some overpowered superhero that can one-punch whatever formidable foe steps in front of me.”
“Yet you still placed yourself in front of those formidable foes,” the woman in red replied and the cinderen leaned against the rail beside her, “It makes perfect sense why Hero would choose you.”
Phoenix shook her head, “I’m no hero. I’m just a mildly useful pawn,” she muttered and looked the woman up and down as a thought crossed her mind, “You didn’t wave at me knowing who or what I was, though, did you?”
“No,” the stranger said in confirmation.
“Then why did you?” she asked in confusion.
A playful smile adorned the stranger’s face as those ember eyes seemed to blaze in the dark night, “Because I thought you were beautiful and wanted to know if the inside matched what was outside.”
Phoenix’s eyes went wide in surprise as she stared at the woman, her mind completely blank on how to respond. Nobody had ever complimented her like that before. Aside from her mother, she couldn’t even recall someone telling her she was beautiful. As the woman’s smile turned into a Cheshire grin, she managed to stutter, “I, um… uh, th-thank you? I guess… I’m sorry, I’m not really sure what to say.”
The cinderen laughed and shook her head of dark clouds, “You could tell me more about yourself. Here, let me start since you’ve already been introduced. I’m Polissa Teras, but you can call me Po like my friends do.”
The Wayfarer gave a shy smile and tilted her head in a small bow, “Nice to meet you, Po,” she said and was about to place a hand over her heart in the local greeting when the cinderen halted her movement by clasping it in the woman’s own.
“Please, you don’t need to be so formal,” Polissa said with a soft laugh, “I wasn’t sure if I would ever get the opportunity to see you again. Imagine my surprise to discover that not only would I be able to but that our families were allied. I must ask you to give my regards to the host for holding such a wonderful event.”
“Patricia insisted on it. Though, I still can’t fully understand why. The middle of a blood moon doesn’t seem like the best time to hold a party,” Phoenix admitted as she glanced at the hand still being held and wondered if Po was similar to Saiya in the desire for physical contact. She wasn’t getting that same vibe though, for some reason, and wondered what exactly was different about the gesture.
Polissa laughed again and Phoenix felt the heat in her cheeks rise as the woman said, “Noble Wayland was right to do so,” then Po gave a mischievous grin, “Despite the threats we face, we must continue to play the game. Especially when some Wayfarer comes along and decides to flip the board.”
The redhead flushed and looked at the ground, “I never wanted to.”
The cinderen’s expression softened and she stepped even closer, closing the little distance between them and lifting Phoenix’s chin gently to meet those fiery eyes, “What did you want? What was the reason behind becoming a Wayland? What’s the reason beyond the rumors? What is it that you want now?”
Phoenix stared at the golden eyes that burned with an emotion that she didn’t recognize at all but made her feel self-conscious for some reason that she had trouble putting into words. She cast her eyes down slightly, trying to escape the intense gaze only to see ruby lips that were so close to her own that she felt her heart skip a beat in panic.
Polissa released her and took a step back as she said, “We can talk more later if you want. You put on a good mask with your aura, but your body doesn’t seem to lie, I can tell you’re uncomfortable here. Maybe we could chat over drinks later this week?”
“Um, I’m not sure I’ll have much time for that,” she replied hesitantly. She was feeling a bit flustered by the conversation that seemed to hold undercurrents that threatened to drown her, the closeness that made her feel awkward, and the coy confidence this woman exuded.
“There's a lot of missions that we’ve been assigned to lately,” she tried to clarify.
Po's smile dropped slightly, “Perhaps, once things settle down then. There will be plenty of time after the blood moon.”
Phoenix thought about that, not sure how to decline politely without needing to explain that she might not be in the city for much longer after the blood moon if she managed to hit Sapphire and get that clue from the Scholar to progress on her divine quest.
The woman seemed to take pity on her awkward uncertainty though and said, “I’ll send a message to your House afterward and you can decide at that point,” then gave a playful wink, “I already know where your home is, after all.”
Then the strange woman surprised Phoenix again by lifting the hand still being held and kissing the back of it with perfectly bowed lips, “Good night, Starlight.”
Comments
Some BS Deity
Oh la la, I think someone has an admirer. Or it's an elaborate ploy to learn or get something. I guess one doesn't exclude the other though.
Custus
Thanks for the chapter!
