The Ogre Strength Fairy and the Eldest 'Son'-Chapter 528 - ’Survival Of The Fittest’: Winding Social Paths
The journey to the mansion was, compared to everything that just happened in the minutes after a revisiting trio’s arrival, uneventful. The stone forest paths had been completed since Sevra’s time here... natural walkways with reactive lighting, a form of essence lantern buried between the outcroppings that would float up and illuminate when people walked close enough. At least, they shone brightly at night and were more like interesting crystalline guideposts during the day.
Intriguing and colorful blooms from the Exclave, many of which Sevra had seen in her Walk explorations, had been picked out and transplanted - or grown from seeds - over these many years to fill the chaotic soil plots. Details that hadn’t been complete while Nohre and Zyris were around. And even if they had been, a lot of the plantlife had needed replaced from being upended after the heiress’s last breakthrough.
Hanging from fiber ropes that festooned across the rock were plenty of copper windchimes. Placed far enough apart to prevent it all from being a total cacophony, with lots of Sound sigil formations that had been added in to create interesting echos and acoustic effects for listeners... somewhat always intended in her plans, but definitely moved up in the list of ’finishing touches’ thanks to Kaland’s presence.
Elua knew she had a bad habit of altering plans thanks to wanting to impress information upon others. The deep vibrations she explained in lecture and showed off to the boy underwater was a whole world of difference compared to the higher pitched things on the surface here. Causing him to spend as much time down in the lake as he did walking around and paying attention to the strange quick flows of his Element in this garden.
The dining hall was part of the central spire, one of the communal spaces that Elua had designed with potential gatherings in mind. It’s centerpiece was a giant circular table above which a model of their homeworld’s solar system acted as a chandelier, glowing orbs providing a steady ambience to the area below. Around the edges of the room were massive glass panels behind which various views of the Exclave could be seen.
Placing static versions of her cultivator tool camera on constructs that could roam and change position for new scenes whenever she wanted - and linking the visuals to this place - was one of the many luxuries she’d indulged in these final months. Defenses were all but set against her worst fears, useful areas were feature complete, and a lot of the artistic trimmings had been placed. At least the ones she felt like deciding upon herself versus waiting for the ’true owner’ to visit and give feedback.
’For instance, I am not sure about this table. I rather thought having a hole in the center for the two of us to sit on a banquette and face whoever we’d like to talk with among those surrounding us was inspired.’
The ancient artisan had even put it on a slightly raised dais that could be spun with little effort, so that they did not have to *physically* move to address the others. But they would both be the center of attention that way... in the high-backed clear Crystal shell behind their seat that would direct their voice as they wished. Whether that be total silence, a directional cone, or announcing clearly to the whole room.
Of course, El wished that it never had to be used at all. Qatrand was certainly the type that would begin to invite people even to her private sanctuary someday, even if the brunette was sure that her selfish desire to spend time alone there would be respected fora while yet, but only for *some* time. If they made it a whole decade without a party of a dozen making the journey...
"I’m surprised."
Madrigil was of course already there, despite not being directly called for. The exiled noble had a reputation among them all for avoiding social situations with excessive dedication, but the events in the sky were not something to stick his head in the sand over. However, he didn’t approach the heiress first... but her disciple.
"You still wear those."
His attention fixed on the Silver antler accessory still pinned atop her dark hair - as it had been most days since her wedding. An item he did not exactly craft, but had helped her modify away from its more intricate original design. Nohre’s hand rose unconsciously to touch the metalwork while tilting her head at him.
"I... yes?"
Detached from the details before she’d left the Exclave last time, but kept around as a memento of the ceremony their Master had officiated... at first she promised herself that it would stay on only until that person came back to a larger role in their lives. Now, she was sure she might never grow tired of it and how it distinguished her from others.
"People comment on it?"
"Sometimes. The other Society members think it’s unusual for everyday wear. But our Guild leader walks around with a set of earthen gauntlets wherever she goes. And our purpose is partially to entertain. Young kids love to talk about the deer lady passing through."
Madrigil nodded slowly at her, while flexing his wrists. The thick Silver bangles he’d crafted from a Divinity’s leftovers were still shackle-like things that served as his own complicated memento of that day. Staring at her green eyes for a brief period after that, he nodded again.
Whatever he’d wanted from the brief, awkward conversation - he seemed to have found it. The scholar moved to a spot on the table everyone was unlikely to crowd around and settled into a seat. Where he could hopefully observe without being expected to participate.
Rezzue’s late entrance was considerably more dramatic, if only because seven months of gestation made every appearance in a room draw notice. Strained waddles, supported by the two Yecine boys helping her settle into a special cushioned chair kept positioned specifically in the room for her comfort. The builder and maintainer of it all had done all she could to make the woman feel completely ’at home’.
"You made a new sun out there today."
"Technically it was just compressed plasma, not a true sustained fusion reaction."
"It was very bright regardless. I think you overloaded the monitoring construct closest to the light it put off. The fourth display in the dome only shows white now. We’re also growing low on acetone and your chromatography plates."
...And the cousin-in-law had done all she could to become the realm’s highly effective research assistant. Many of the visitors had gotten used to the different advanced, novel technologies available here - but the red-haired woman was the only one who really embraced them. Unlike the other scholar in the room who often examined the sigilry and then moved on, preferring to make his own Metal tools if needed.
"Yes, I figured that might have happened. But there was very little time to do much more than deal with the situation as it presented itself. I’ll fix it tomorrow. Perhaps. And check on the production cycles for everything you need. Depending on what they have come here for..."
Trailing off not because she was hoping for an answer, but because all three women had crossed toward the talkative Rezzue even as Elua spoke to her. One was drawn by the same instinct that made healers gravitate toward pregnant women everywhere, one by a person who had loved being a mother and was hoping to be one again *before* she had grandchildren, and the other... the brunette had no idea, actually!
’I guess she is getting to the age a lot of lone cultivators begin to think about it more sincerely. Has she actually met anyone, though?’
"May I?"
"Please. They often kick this time of day, you might get to feel it."
Nohre’s hands pressed gently against the offered stomach, feeling for any movement within. She’d checked on numerous mortals throughout her self-study while living with the Talcres, working with healers and learning the expected basics outside of what the heiress had taught her. Her spiritual sense gave her an awareness that went beyond simple touch - and a focus on her Mend Physique had given her a firm handle on identifying physical energy and its quirks inside of others.
She could sense the three distinct child spirits and their healthy development. As well as the way their mother shielded them from the mutagenic effects of that great density of life energy in her cultivator body. A technique which the young healer was finding more and more reminded her of something else, just a bit.
The ancient cultivator had explained to her long ago the Primalist technique of Reactive Hydrostasis, which primarily involved cycling energy inside the major organs in such a way that it created a system capable of balancing sudden external forces against internal pressures. Because this was done by essentially creating ’shells’ of energy around this places, Nohre could only see the tactic of keeping energy from entering the womb as the inverse of this process.
"All three of them have strong heartbeats."
"They’d better. My children will need very strong hearts to be part of their father’s family."
"Children are a blessing, no matter their potential. If you need me to arrange anything when we return, just let me know."
Zyris spoke while catching an elbow inside Rezzue on one palm and having the other placed on her daughter-in-law’s back. They’d been spending more time apart with the Guild formation than expected, but still were quite close-knit for people that only met about five years before. A bit of a scheme which Elua was still proud of, as accomplishing multiple ’fixes’ at once to the social fabric of people around her made everything smoother and much less ’noisy’.
"I think the Goltbred household will be spearheading this one. That behind us is the face of someone who does not want her things messed with."
Sevra spoke next, with one hand waiting to feel the next possible kick. Using all her time these years chasing down thin leads over the Ouras cult had left her without a lot of personal rest and relaxation. Her brother had also sent letters quite recently about getting a woman pregnant - someone he met while taking their elder back home to be buried. The years after the Descent were quite common for this to happen, she knew... but it didn’t make her feel any less lonely knowing Tarem might not come back to the continent.
Confused by the emotions she was reading in the woman, Elua decided to hound her about the specifics later. The reincarnator was sure that no one should feel sad while touching an expected mother’s stomach unless there was a story behind it.
"You are not even looking at me, how do you know what sort of face I am making?"
"I don’t, but I went with something I knew you would always feel just to be safe. Are you telling me I am wrong? Were you not intending on protecting the children of someone who lived under your care? Do I need to tell Qatrand this when I return?"
"Jumping to conclusion after conclusion. You sound like you need to go for a little trip into the sky with me, my dear friend. I am certain you will find a wonderful conclusion there."
"She means to dump you into the lake."
Cutting her best ’stay out of this’ look the exiled noble’s way, he merely returned it with a flat stare before picking up and cracking what seemed to be a black rock on the table. Which released the fragrant smell of baked tuber steaming into the hall, drawing looks from the three who had only known the untasty local plants and bark sludge from their time visiting.
’I swear it is hard to believe he came from a noble family at all. No manners... starting to eat before the guests even sit. Or before I can even brag about Rezzue’s ideas on how to prepare food in this place!’
