The first person that Vye saw wasnÆt Neveah but Randidly Ghosthound bent over a hot stove with a dirty apron wrapped around his athletic limbs He looked up at her and smiled earning another affirmative pulse from her Skill Heya stranger Could you sense that I was here Oh and look isnÆt that Delilah Wow youÆve grown quite a bit since IÆve seen you last huh
Delilah froze and gulped very audibly Randidly seemed puzzled by the reaction but Vye just rolled her eyes Sometimes it was easy to forget that Randidly didnÆt seem to understand the effect he had on people Vye was quite positive that Delilah remained scarred from playing hide and seek with Randidly years ago
But before the conversation could continue further several shouts drew their attention out of the food stand
Oh my god A womanÆs loud voice cut through the excited mutterings Is that Raina
Chapter 1787
Through the thick crowd the womanÆs hysterical voice was clear in ClaudetteÆs ear as though she was flailing directly behind her Oh my god Is that Raina
Claudette was in the middle of passing a shy young man a cup of chicken and rice soup but his head whipped around so fast that it dragged his hand a small distance to the left when Claudette let go of the soup his hand was not in place to catch his food There was a brief moment where Claudette was seized by the horrible fear that the dropped pottery would shatter on the ground and Neveah would be so disappointed in her but then her hand moved so fast that it left afterimages She plucked the handmade piece out of the air earning only a ripple from the soup
Sir Claudette began but her voice was drowned out by another scream of pleasure from this mystery woman who had ensorcelled the surroundings Suddenly the crowd was rustling and shifting pulled inexorably to follow the shouts The young man hurried away without a word leaving both his soup and his money on the counter Most of those that had been waiting and enjoying their soup nearby availed themselves to the sudden current of bodies unwilling to be left out The excitement on their rushing faces was weirdly uniform
Meanwhile ClaudetteÆs eyes locked onto a figure moving against the flow of bodies weaving a path through them and approaching their stand despite the stampede in the opposite direction The air around the figure rippled and blurred she was using an illusion based Skill to hide her presence As the figure neared she suddenly noticed ClaudetteÆs observation
The womanÆs strong features went briefly blank then she flashed Claudette a rueful smile There was something instantly intimate about that smile like the two of them shared all of their most precious secrets with each other in a single exchange of expressions Like Claudette could trust this person The illusioned woman had shoulder length blonde hair with pink highlights and wore brightly colored makeup around her eyes that made her resemble a mythical fire bird
Claudette pressed her lips together despite the warm butterflies in her stomach There wasnÆt the slightest hint of a Skill activation in that implied connection between them but she had spent far too long with her father to miss that this was just a person who had grown so capable with her own charisma that she didnÆt need to use a Skill or an image to make you like her
And compared to her father this individual was slightly lacking in execution
The figure had to step to the side to avoid a stream of teenage girls whistling like overdue tea kettles in a mad dash toward the churning source of the disturbance and mimed that she wished to go back to the kitchen Unsure of how else to respond Claudette gave her a tight nod
I know this is their home planet but Randidly and Neveah are surprisingly popular To her own surprise Claudette felt a weird flash of jealousy as she glanced over her shoulder Then she straightened and looked down at the cooling chicken and rice soup in her hand So many men approached me to flirt and get closer to my father but when it comes to people who actually wished to know me
She didnÆt allow herself to finish the thought The illusioned charmer slipped unnoticed into the stand leaving Claudette to look helplessly at the bodies in front of her Most of the soup line had shifted dragged along with the movement of people even if they didnÆt originally intend to be So Claudette could only put a lid on the cup of chicken and rice soup and neatly stack the money for when the young man returned
Honestly it was a welcome distraction when two men stepped forward to the front of the counter pushing their way through the people rushing away to see this RainaÆ even as the rush cooled Customers gave her purpose let her fulfill the task that she had been given It allowed her to forget about the strange pulses of her newly stabilized image
Claudette greeted them with her most dazzling smile Welcome what can I get for the two of you
We would like The tan sharp featured man began
How do you know Raina The other snarled at the same time The two turned to look at each other the former reproachful the latter hostile Visitt for the latest updates
Suddenly it was all too much for Claudette She raised both of her hands and released the barest pulse of her image the pressure in her body forcing a hint of ClarentÆs power into the air At the very least it got both of the menÆs attention Let me be clear You will not be heading to the back of the stall
Suddenly IzzieÆs expression twisted into something ugly He eyed Claudette again his focus lingering on her curves underneath her uniform a smirk twisting his face Do you think someone like you can stop me
I will not allow you to harm her Pan interjected before Claudette even had a chance to respond And somehow he found time to flash her a white toothed smile as he leaned between them
Izzie shrugged at Pan ignoring her entirely Do you think anythingÆs changed in the last few hours mister fourth runner up
I saw no need to go all out against you before Pan countered He raised his hand and clenched it into a fist Now that IÆve met this vision of loveliness
The counter including the carefully stacked money and waiting chicken and rice soup were flash frozen as ClaudetteÆs control shattered A howling gust of wind knocked the two men sprawling They probably would have smashed and rolled across the ground had they not run into some of the other spectators The crowd hastily backed up pushed away by the rapid drop in temperatures
Claudette hopped over the counter and brushed off her uniform Ice condensed into tinkling diamonds across her head ears and neck She waved a hand and the crooning and desolate blade Clarent manifested in her hand Fine then Do you want to play Let me entertain you in RainaÆs stead
Within the back kitchen area Raina made an apologetic expression at Neveah and Randidly seemingly unsure of who she should be addressing IÆm really sorry about this
Randidly continued to check the oven monitoring the biscuits within In the far corner Delilah meekly mixed more flour for the next batch DÆmin stood rigidly by the door watching the action develop and Vye sat and happily tucked into her soup the two were a study in contrasting reactions
Neveah brought Raina a cup of her favorite seafood stew and patted her shoulders Oh donÆt worry about it SheÆs needed to blow off some steam for some time This saves Randidly the trouble of serving as a punching bag
Ugh I wish someone would come to challenge me to a fight Randidly thought wistfully and shook his head In a way that was so intimate and didnÆt emotionally destroy him he missed Helen and her constant desire to challenge him He looked back at the oven and sighed Today was a day of biscuits
He pushed his Hierarchy of Burden up another few layers but resigned himself to remaining in the kitchen all day The burning light radiation at least allowed him to feel something other than envy
Biscuits Randidly sighed again
Chapter 1788
The Patron of the Sun stood on the summit of one of the low hills to DonnytonÆs North carefully sensing the image reverberations from the city He tilted YnÆulkÆs head to the side and slowly unveiled a smile toward the waiting city Truly what a strange intersection of images The Nether in this isolated space isnÆt restricted to levels that prevent significance mutation which has allowed them to form composite images But sloppy accidental ones Why isnÆt the Nexus monitoring this Surely that tyrant wouldnÆt allow this to continue if he knew