{[ March 29, 102 A.A. ]}
{[ Grand Garden, The Parthenon, Aren City ]}
Irene Vistas walked the stone pavement accompanied by a difficult-to-see aura of grey smoke and fog. It clung to her cloak and churned across its surface.
The administrative officials of Aren City had gathered here for a regularly held dinner after their recent meetings and extensive discussions. Irene had been a part of it, but she was treated as the youth she was; she had power but held very little trust in her hands. The Vistas family's influence did not bear any administrative credibility given their detachment and mysteriousness.
Irene did not mind, though. She was only after the Mystic Artifact that gave her a Spirit Lotus. If she could make use of the item once more, the Spirit Lotus in her soul would fully bloom. And a blooming Spirit Lotus would bless her with an enhancement that would aid in breaking her current bottleneck.
As for the lasting effects of having a Spirit Lotus in her soul? Irene thirsted for it despite the unknowns.
"Oh!" A voice that Irene found unsettling called out to her. "Welcome back, madame Vistas. How was your walk?"
Irene faced the voice's owner and a young man entered her view. The young man's name was Ysevia, and he was a... tricky person to deal with.
Ysevia had platinum blonde hair and was around 1.78 meters in height. His blue eyes were gentle, his nose fit his face well, and his lips were stretched in a laid-back smile.
"It went well, Ysevia. How about you? How do you find the food?" Irene adorned her mask of etiquette and displayed a smile to match her words. Although speaking to Ysevia drained her of energy, it was important that she still put in the minimum effort required for her image and reputation.
"The food is satisfactory, as per usual." Ysevia chuckled softly and then continued, "The serpentine stew has truly grown on me in the past few days. I might have to cleanse my palette with something else, else I get addicted."
"I am pleased to hear that. The chef had become a friend of mine over my time here, so if you so feel like it, I could put in a word for you. He could whip up just about anything, provided he receives the ingredients." Irene replied, and then gestured vaguely after seeing Ysevia about to speak up once again, "Alas, I would have to make those introductions for you in the future. For now, I shall be heading into the Parthenon for a word with the Lord of Aren."
Ysevia snapped his fingers, "I see, then I will be in your care in the coming days, madame Vistas. The Lord of Aren should still be seated at the table as we all have yet to see him leave."
"Thank you, Ysevia." Irene nodded with a smile and began to excuse herself from the confrontation.
As she left the young man in the garden though, she heard him say, "Tell your... friend... that I would love to meet them one day."
Irene gave Ysevia a side-eye, "My friend?"
"Yes. Having a skilled appraiser by one's side will always bring about convenience." Ysevia was smiling at Irene as he said those words, but that damn smile of his could break a person's rhythm.
When it comes to conversations, Ysevia was the person Irene felt had no use for any charming abilities. His words could be silvery, and his aura could play with whoever he spoke to. Ysevia loved to glean the smallest allusions from the words of others.
It made Irene always wary of Ysevia.
But this was the one and only occasion that she could perhaps play with the young man on equal grounds, "I don't need to tell my friend anything. They already know that you want to meet them."
Irene gave Ysevia a smile that mirrored his and then turned around to walk into the Parthenon.
It left Ysevia narrowing his eyes in thought. He went through the entire conversation he had with Irene and analysed her tone, word choice, expressions, and reactions. He drew comparisons with past conversations and noticed confidence likely drawn from being in the lead.
'Her vibe, as well, felt... unearthly.' Ysevia blinked, and noticed that Irene had already escaped from his view, 'And just who could her appraiser be?'
Ysevia scanned the crowd of diners. A few had been looking in their direction, some seemed to make him the topic of their whispers and discussions, while some looked past him as if he were a ghost.
He could not see anyone that could have been Irene's spying friend.
'Is she messing with me?' Ysevia placed another piece of roast beef in his mouth, 'But that would be incredibly uncharacteristic... right?'
.
.
.
"Good evening, my Lord." Irene bowed as she entered the discussion hall of the Parthenon, "I've been able to discover something from the item we have been having difficulties with."
"You have? Well, that's the first pleasant news I've heard all night." The Lord of Aren, with his middle-aged, yet gigantic stature rubbed his beard as he spoke. "Please, sit down, little Irene."
"I thank you for your kindness, my Lord," Irene spoke as she found a seat on the long hardwood table.
"So, what have you discovered?" The Lord, with his weary eyes, sipped at the beverage he had in the midst of a pile of documents.
Irene passed on the information that the Angel had found out, and added her own conjectures. She spoke with an academic tone, with just enough emotion in her voice to sound lively yet not overly passionate.
"It could be a part of the Holy Scales of Libra," Irene boldly stated, "The indestructibility, the age that the Cosmic Interface described as 'ancient', as well as the material, draws one too many lines for it to be a simple similarity."
The Lord of Aren was tapping at the table with his finger, observing the item in question.
He opened his mouth to speak but he did not do so for two figures emerged from behind Irene. One was clad in robes of a beautiful sky blue, while another donned a dark armour that had clearly weathered many a battle.
"Oh, Master Wes and Priestess Haille... Welcome back. Little Irene here has brought us a development for that antique that had been found." The Lord of Aren smiled, giving the two a wave.
"A development?" The pair echoed out as they gave each other a glance and sat down on different chairs.
Two faint Mystic Patterns shone on the table where they both sat and after the glow died, two pieces of paper had found their way over to them.
"Here are the details," The Lord of Aren said and allowed the two newcomers to take in the new discoveries.
Priestess Haille stood up when she read the details. "This is definitely a part of Libra's scales! It cannot not be!"
"Why do you think so?" The Lord of Aren asked as an inquisitive look appeared on his face.
Irene, too, leaned forward. She wished to hear whether or not her conjectures were correct.
"Holy intuition." Priestess Haille resolutely replied. "The faint energies exuded by the Mystical Weighing Pan is of a very similar type to the ones we create during the baptism of newborn children. Perhaps if we could find the right Mystic Pattern related to Libra, we could evoke a reaction."
The Lord of Aren did not say anything and simply nodded. He then directed his gaze to the Guard Master whose brows were knitted in worry.
"What's wrong, Master Wes?" Irene asked, wondering what other perspective the Guard Master seemed to bear.
"Well..." Master Wes hesitated for a moment as he placed the document down, "To me, perhaps it is less something that was Libra's and more like an imitation."
He then pointed at the Mystical Weighing Pan and said, "My Appraisal used the phrase 'tainted object' to describe it. I sense that something might have happened to the whole that the Mystical Weighing Pan is a part of. It could have affected it negatively, and thus caused the original item's destruction."
Irene saw Priestess Haille's eyebrows rise as the blue-clad lady spoke, "What are you trying to say, Master Wes? That Libra's blessed items can be tainted by something?"
"Of course I'm not," Master Wes quickly answered, "That is why I was saying that it could be an imitation... perhaps it had been from an item derived from the original when it had existed on our mortal lands. And since it was not a true item of the Divine, it had been negatively affected and destroyed."
The discussion continued, with Irene and the Lord of Aren staying silent for the most part. It was the Guard Master and the Chruch's priestess who were having a back and forth using the knowledge that they both amassed as Purple Nebula Gem bearers.
Wes spoke as if he regarded the item as a threat, while Haille spoke thinking that this relic of the past could bring them one step closer to Libra.
Athelei, who was silently watching all of this, was enjoying the show. There was a lot of 'people in power' talk going on, with advanced topics, controversial subjects, and arguments based on certain standpoints.
He was happily jotting down notes while Irene's eyelids were growing heavier.
She wished to leave, but she could not find an opportunity to discuss the rewards for her contributions. And even if she could leave, she wouldn't. It was only a wish, and she knew that her presence there was vital because of etiquette, while also being required due to the fact that she brought the information in and even made a bold proposition.
In short, Irene could not escape the consequences of her actions.