Theodora noticed her before Lyonis - actually, she felt her before she even saw her. Cordelia was walking gracefully through the garden, her stoic face fiercely contradicting the angry aura pooling off her. The witch had plainly seen them, and as Theodora noticed her grey-green eyes settle for a moment on woman clinging to her Commander, she could only surmount what exactly Cordelia was thinking.
Lyonis's back was to Cordelia, not noticing her presence. He looked over to Theodora, who gazed back at him with a mixture of shock and horror on her face. He followed her blue eyes as she glanced behind him. Out of the corner of his eye from over his shoulder, he spotted her, slinking gracefully past the group. The grey-green eyes not bothering to meet his as if he were invisible - a mere speck of dirt on the wall. Cordelia's face seemed unaffected, she had a perfectly peaceful, stoic expression on her face, her long wavy black hair fluttering in the breeze behind her. She looked the flawless picture of calm and collected but her strong aura said otherwise. The witch of Ville Marais was mad and hurt. The moment he spotted her, he felt his skin crawl uncomfortably. A bone-chilling sensation ripped through his body from his head all the way down to his feet, and he felt his stomach drop into his feet.
He was suddenly very aware of the woman who clung with shameless desire to his arm. She had been like a fly, hovering about him all afternoon. Flirting and acting coy. He knew what her intentions were and had not planned to humor her in the slightest. In fact, he had been so lost in his own thoughts he didn't even notice her grab onto him. But he knew the sight of the dolled up lady wrapping her body around his arm was not good. Especially since he had done nothing to physically remove her from him. He had the strong impulse to shove the woman off him and chase after Cordelia, who's long legs had already carried her out of sight as she disappeared into the crowd.
Theodora was in his ear before he could even react. Whispering in their native tongue, "Commander, if you react now it will only draw attention to you and the witch. I doubt she wants her presence known to these people." She was right, of course, but it still didn't quell the frantic urge building inside him. He needed to leave, to chase after her and remedy the misunderstanding.
"Ladies... Gentleman. Thank you for the lovely evening." Lyonis spoke, the fakeness in his voice threatened to give away the panic building inside him, "It seems something urgent has come up and I must attend to it as soon as possible." The noblemen surrounding him nodded, as if understanding their lofty status meant work was never done. Lyonis tried to shrug off the woman who clung to him, her large doe eyes sparkled up at him.
"Commander.... I'd be more than happy to accompany you. Perhaps I could be of some help?" She blinked up at him with want in her eyes. He placed a hand on the arms she had wrapped around his and looked down at her, prying her greedy fingers carefully off him. Forcing a blank and calm smile, he starred down at her with anger flashing in his eyes.
"That won't be necessary." The words, while calm, respectful and charming, were polluted with annoyance and disgust. The woman cowered at the ominous aura emanating from him and took a step back while trying to remain composed.
"P-perhaps another time then... Commander." She swallowed hard as if trying to shake off the threatening atmosphere that oozed from Lyonis onto her.
Lyonis bowed his head to the group before turning to walk with urgency down the street. Theodora was right at his heels.
...
Cordelia's insides felt as if she were swarming with angry hornets. Every attempt she made to calm herself only seemed to fuel the growing flames inside her. Despite the loud joyous festivities around her, all she could hear was the vicious thumping of her heart in her ears. Her heeled boots clicked aggressively down the cobblestone street as irate thoughts raced in her head.
How could she have been so dense? So trusting? She knew better than this. A man like Lyonis? A traveler from across the sea? Not only did he seem to hide his apparent status from her - she could recognize a high-ranking military officer from a mile away in that outfit - but he shamelessly allowed noblewomen to hang all over him. Of course, he would. Why wouldn't a man like himself appreciate the attention? It was her own fault for thinking she could trust him.
But deep down, underneath all the anger and hurt, she couldn't help but remember how honest and pure the emotions felt in his mana. It had seemed like he really cherished her like he had wanted her in the same way she had wanted him. But it was obvious to her that she had only seen what she wanted to see, only felt what her own heart had desperately desired. The thought made her sick to her stomach.
Before she knew it, she had arrived at the apothecary, shot through the front door, and upstairs. As soon as she crossed the threshold of her upstairs living space, she crumbled to the floor, tossing the basket aside and burying her face in her hands. Tears fell silently down her cheeks and into the lap of her dress. Shame and bitterness filled her, and she resented herself for trying something new. It had only ended in heartbreak for her. She should have seen it coming.
Benoni appeared out of nowhere, slinking into the room from out of the shadows. She felt concern radiate off him as he rubbed up against her. He didn't need to ask. He already knew what had happened. Anger pooled in him, and he wanted to avenge her, but before he could disappear, she pulled him into her lap. "Don't leave me, Beni... I need you."
'This wasn't your fault, Cordelia... You did nothing wrong.' He tried to comfort her. But he had warned her about this potential outcome, hadn't he? In Cordelia's eyes, that made it her fault. She reaped what she sowed. The black cat purred into her lap, rubbing his soft face against hers, licking the tears from her cheeks. Cordelia felt herself dissolving as if she were losing control over herself - like ice melting in water. Her fragile mental state was at the breaking point, and she was unable to control her own mana. She felt not only the cascading emotions inside her but also the chaotic energy that had built in Ville Marais due to the festival. It was too much, like a cup that was overflowing.
Beni, recognizing her instability, tried to soothe her. He wrapped his own energy around her, trying to contain the flood. It helped, as it had in the past, and he spoke to her in the old language. A poem they spoke to each other in thier childhood. As if casting a comforting spell over her. She followed along with the words, thier internal voices melting into one. She felt herself start to relax.
He stopped suddenly, and the anger in him swelled once more. 'I'll be right back.' Cordelia felt it in him. Beni noticed Lyonis walking toward the apothecary. It only seemed to fuel the cat's rage, and he pulled away from her, his golden eyes looking into hers, asking her what she wanted him to do.
"Don't hurt him, Beni... It doesn't matter. Just send him away." There was no way she would ever allow herself to see Lyonis Tualon - the man from Gresas- ever again.
...
Lyonis tore off his military coat and sash, handing them to Theodora, who had tried and failed to reason with him. She chased after him, concern written all over her face.
"Commander. You should give her some space. I doubt she wants to see you. Please... at least let me go in your stead. As angry as she is.... I doubt she will be..." Theodora paced after him, tugging at his arm, urging him to stop. He spun around and towered over her, anger spilling from his amber eyes into her unblinking blue ones. Not budging an inch, Theodora repeated herself. "Commander. Now is not the time. If you go now, there's no telling what she might do to you out of anger."
Scoffing at her, Lyonis stomped down the street. He didn't care. He had to remedy this. Something deep inside him needed to fix this. It felt as if the seams of his soul were unraveling in alarming desperation. As if he would completely come undone the longer he waited. He ran his fingers through his hair, messing up the careful styling Theodora had done earlier.
"Commander...." Theodora sighed as she clutched his coat and sash in the crook of her arm, "Please..." Lyonis stopped and spun around to face her yet again.
"Theo. I must fix this misunderstanding. I.... I cannot... Theo..." The words tumbled from his lips, unable to form complete sentences from his jumbled thoughts. The pain and betrayal he felt coming from Cordelia felt as if it were suddenly his own. A deep, endless sadness seemed to consume him, and it frightened him.
There was no doubt in his mind the two of them were bound by fate. The way he was drawn to her, the emotions that built and spilled over from deep inside him were confusing and ran much deeper than fleeting infatuation. Thier paths connected for a reason, a deeper reason unknown to both of them. It filled him with unchecked desperation and a violent fear. As if his very being would disintegrate - as if the world itself would implode.
"Commander. What the fuck is going on between you two? She's just another woman. A stranger. Why? Why are you so being so bizarre about this? You've come unhinged! You're not yourself!" The desperation in Theo's voice was filled with concern. "Please. Let this die. Let her go!" Pausing a moment to take in her words and steady his heartbeat, Lyonis took a deep breath.
"Theo... Not once in my entire existence... Not once have I felt a pull - a need - this powerful. It is infuriating and... I cannot fathom why! But I cannot ignore it. I won't. I need to fix this." The distress in his own voice surprised him. He had not felt this way even in the thick of war. A deep sigh left Theodora's lips, and she closed her eyes, nodding to him, knowing she could not change his mind.
"The second I see you in danger, I get you out of there, Commander. We do not know what she is capable of, and I don't intend to test that on you."
Lyonis turned and paced quickly down the cobblestone steps. Each moment seemed to stretch on indefinitely, and it felt like the closer he got to the apothecary, the further Cordelia's warmth seemed to slip from him.
...
Beni was sitting on the front step of the apothecary when they walked up. Theodora stood a safe distance away, wary of the cat-like form. Golden eyes peered at them, unblinking from under the shadow of the terrace.
Lyonis halted as he walked up as if hit by a fall of invisible energy. The cat glared at him and as if reading his mind, shook his head no, telling Lyonis silently to keep his distance.
"Benoni..." Lyonis looked up at the third story, the lights were off, and only a faint orange glow cascaded from the window. "Please let me talk to her..." He took a step forward, and the cat stood up in response. The shadow around him warped and distorted, growing in shape and size. A threatening aura radiated off him. "Please... Let me explain. It was all a misunderstanding."
But it was apparent that the cat would not let him pass. "Benoni... tell Cordelia I'm sorry... Let her know that I never... there was nothing.... that woman isn't..." He stumbled over his words. Every thought that passed through his head as he tried to explain himself sounded fake, disingenuous, and insulting. There was nothing he could say that would explain away what she had seen. He crouched down in the street, burying his head in his hands, trying to think of something that would bring her downstairs. All he needed was for her to touch him, to feel the honesty of his apology and sorrow inside him. If he could just touch her hand, she would know how he truly felt.
In that moment, it was as if everything had become crystal clear. It dawned on him that somewhere in the brief time they had known each other, the budding infatuation and small curiosity he felt for her had quickly morphed into love. Love. Without him even realizing it. Almost as if he had always felt that way for her, ever since the first time he laid eyes on her. Maybe it was even before that. Maybe he had always loved her, and only her.
He opened his eyes to see Beni standing just inches in front of him. The golden eyes flashed not a hint of emotion. The cat reached his tails toward Lyonis and touched the skin between his eyebrows. He prepared himself for the worst, but there was nothing.
Unexpectedly, as if hit by a tsunami, Lyonis felt his insides split in half. A turmoil of sadness, anger, fear, and disgust washed over him. It felt as if his heart was breaking, crushing under the weight of an entire ocean. A lump gathered in his throat, and salty tears stung his eyes. But somehow, the feelings did not feel like they came from inside him- instead, it was as if they were pouring over him like a raging waterfall.
Lyonis blinked at the cat. Was this what Cordelia was feeling? Did he really do this to her? He glanced up at the third-story balcony before turning to look at the cat. Remembering the connection Cordelia shared with her familiar, it dawned on him. Was this how he could reach her?
Focusing his thoughts, he tried to pour the love he felt for her, his apology, and his own rattled emotions back into her familiar. He could feel Benoni shift back slightly as if balking away from Lyonis's energy. Lyonis whispered, "Cordelia... I know you can feel me..." The cat's tails broke away from him instantly, breaking the connection. The onslaught of intense emotions disappeared completely as soon as the fluffy soft tails left his skin.
The front door of the apothecary swung open violently, and Cordelia stood in the doorway. Her eyes were swollen and red from crying, but she stood tall and confident even as an assault of emotions tugged at her calm and collected face.
Lyonis stood and took a step toward her. Even hidden by the dark shadow of the threshold of the door, Lyonis could see her resolve crumbling. "Cordelia... Please." He took another step.
"Don't you dare." Cordelia hissed at him, swallowing hard, taking a small step back into the building away from him. "Don't. Please.... I no longer wish to see you, Commander Tualon."