- Details:
Conviction never shames nor condemns us.
It calls us back to who we truly are.
It calls us back to who we truly are.
“Jellisha! Grappa! Are you two ready to go?” Serilda called to the two Exceeds as she descended the stairs, making her way to the front lounge. It was early in the morning, the sun having only just broken past the horizon little more than two hours prior. The girls essentially lived with her and Mythal at this point. At first the arrangement had been a temporary solution to a sudden and unforeseen occurrence. Namely, the birth of the twins when the two god slayers stumbled upon their egg and accidentally triggered its hatching. The girls had been so new to the world with no one to help guide their way, so she and Mythal had offered to house them for a time until they could all figure out where to go from there. Except, the talk of changing the current arrangement had simply never come up. At this point, it likely never would. Mythal and Serilda had become quite attached to the twins, even thinking of them and treating them like daughters -- though that specific word was almost purposefully avoided. Not for the sake of the girls, of course, but because the two humans had never really talked about their future together, and where they wanted it to go. They’d never talked about having a family, a subject which was a bit sensitive to bring up for the both of them if for vastly different reasons. Hell, the two of them didn’t even technically live together, at least not officially. Serilda’s high class noble family loved Mythal very much, but still held certain expectations about the propriety of living with someone before being married to them. Serilda’s mother was the only one who knew that the two were sexually active, mostly because if her father found out it would cause a lot of drama. So for now they maintained having two separate residences, even though realistically they just took turns staying the night at one another’s homes. And no matter where they chose to stay for the night, Grappa and Jellisha stayed with them as well. The girls even had a room at each home, where they could spend their evenings with Mythal and Serilda like a family. Today, they were at Serilda’s house in Era. It was more of a mansion, really, albeit a small one. Her role as both the heiress of her father’s noble title and the head of the Rune Knights meant that she needed to be ready at all times to show her best, even at home. It was always possible that a member of the council or an ambassador from another country might need her to host them at her home, and she was determined to look and act the part of someone worthy of all her various titles; especially now that she was a member of the prestigious Wizard Saints. Since they joined the Rune Knights, Grappa and Jellisha had wasted no time in focusing on bettering themselves as Knights and as mages. They had quickly proven themselves capable and determined, and the time had come for Serilda to take them on an official job, something that would really test their mettle and challenge them to grow stronger. She’d received a job posting from a village in the Silent Glaciers that was seeking help putting an end to a large number of troublesome ghosts that haunted a nearby cave. After bringing the job up with the girls and gauging their interest, it was agreed that the three of them would take the trip together and see what they could do to assist the locals. Given that they were responding to this posting as Rune Knights rather than as civilians, Serilda was wearing her uniform. The black cloth was pressed and trimmed with nary a wrinkle to be found in its folds. Her cloak would be left behind, as she really only used that for formal occasions. Strapped to either side of her hips were both of her swords, Moonlight and Malice, each snug in their scabbards which hid their magical properties. Her long white hair was pulled back into its normal, severe bun that kept in place all but a gentle swath of bangs that framed one side of her face. The beautiful wolf Xiuhcoatl trotted over to her from the kitchen where she’d just finished eating her breakfast and danced eagerly beside the Voidwalker. She could feel the beast’s excitement through their empathic bond. Xiuh was always happy to go on a job, which usually was a lot more fun than sitting around in Serilda’s office all day at headquarters. The field marshal grinned down at her companion and squatted down enough to run her hands through the wolf’s coat and give her a playful pat down. “Yes, girl, we’re going to actually go do something today,” she told her, happy to encourage the animal’s joy. Thank the Maker, an old voice sounded in her head. I don’t know how you are capable of just sitting in that barren space all day doing nothing but reading reports. Serilda rolled her eyes. The Seal had yet to say anything thus far today. She’d started to hope that maybe Victoria had resigned herself to being a silent parasite, but it was not to be. I do it because it needs to be done. I would think a being that claims to be the embodiment of conquest would understand the importance of details and intelligence. Of course I understand it. But for someone who leads an army, you hardly do anything to merit the position. You’ve yet to lead your men into any actual kind of battle against your enemies, even though you know who and where they are. What’s the point in having an army if you never use it? Unlike your army, mine consists of mortals. I will not waste their lives if I don’t have to. Besides, there’s more to leading an army than being a machine of war. I have an entire political aspect to worry about. If I attack my enemies directly without proper proof and planning, I may ruin myself more than anyone else. Though Victoria currently had no physical body of her own, Serilda could practically sense the being shaking her head. Perhaps you had need of politics before, but now you have me. You don’t need to waste your time with such trivialities. As much as I’m sure you’d like to think that’s how it works, your existence doesn’t change the way things run in the world today. “Girls, it’s time to leave!” she called out again, effectively cutting off any chance for Victoria to argue the point back with her. “You don’t want to be late for our first job together, do you?” Serilda smirked a little, her voice light with teasing. |
Serilda Sinclair