"If I hadn't trained to do this, this disguise wouldn't have lasted. Aren't you always telling me preparation is a core task for any warrior?" Chiaisei thought, communicating through their bond. Unlike that used when forming a link, this kind of magic came effortlessly when directed at the one she was bound to. Another effect was the permanent link described earlier, though it didn't necessarily mean all of their thoughts were shared. By that point, the two were constantly aware of each other's placements and superficial feelings, however. Nalfimiria likely was sensitive enough to magic to realize any activity connected to their bond with it being a product of magic, yet otherwise with this little distance between them, no concentration or life essence was needed for the chosen siblings to empower their binding. Considering Finarkzir was just in front of them, the girl figured it was possible Nalfimiria could spot their connection, though she decided that didn't necessarily hint too much in regard to the topic of their conversation.
—Indeed. It's not a type of skill I ever thought might be needed, so it might be simply that I haven't yet grown used to observing it. Were it not for our connection, your performance might have tricked me.
"This has been my first direct attempt as well, so I'm glad I seem to have hit my timing. For a matter such as this, that is likely all that it comes down to, though. They have no means of verifying the rate at which I was progressing." Nalfimiria might have been able to sense link or bond magic when near her, but the range of her high senses could not keep up with that of the girl's magic. During that exchange of thoughts, Chiaisei finished her report, alongside the organization of the notes helped by the women beside her. As a result, Fasnilthar mentioned she would be heading back first, and offered to carry most of the finished materials before the other two. That made Chiaisei happier internally, as she took the last steps of her own duties as well, all the while Nalfimiria sat nearby, both to assist with the mapping and to stay on guard.
—It seems like my predictions for this job have been accurate, thus far. Things should be simple tomorrow, but be sure to use our rest well. Your mind is supposed to be somewhat overloaded right now, right? — Nalfimiria suggested, once it was only the three of them. Some elements of her phrasing could be interpreted as a hint to knowing the truth, yet by that point reacting to it would have been the most suspicious thing of all, with how passively stated that suspicion was.
—Indeed. After the three others are done training, some relaxing time as a group might prove helpful.
—I agree. Maybe we should try performing music together again. It's a nice way to keep up the mood, and your singing was really pleasant early on.
—Thank you. Though I'm not sure if I'm quite as good at it as you.
—I wouldn't say that, necessarily. Besides, a duet is made through the combination of both voices. Which of us is necessarily better doesn't account too much towards it. Was it your mother who taught you?
"It seems she plans on pressing her charges now, then. Better be careful, even if I've already been caught." The girl's mother was a famous singer, hence why the sister's question would make more sense coming from someone who knew Chiaisei's identity. Considering the girl was equally if not more well known than that same mother, it was unlikely one would be aware of one half of the pair but not the second. "Rejecting her outright might be interpreted as too defensive an act. People without secrets don't need to act guarded. Disarming the implied subtext should still be tried, either way. Agreeing without any estrangement would imply I am not surprised my mother is someone she has heard off, after all." Most of this reasoning needed no active thinking behind it, as this type of situation was something the girl I talk about was already thoroughly acquainted with. Think of this mostly as a verbalization of the logic that led to Chiaisei's decision making, as of then.
—She did, actually. What made you guess so? Is sharing this kind of lesson a common habit in your homeland? — While deflecting the implicit accusation, Chiaisei also attempted to shift the topic as a whole. She doubted Nalfimiria would stop her line of questioning merely based on that, however replying like that was what sounded the most natural at that point in time.
—Not exactly. Your mother is a professional, isn't she? Unless I've been mistaking you for someone else.
"She is openly affirming her suspicions, then. I shouldn't confirm anything before knowing the basis for her accusation, however." Knowing her identity was far from difficult to investigate, Chiaisei had expected this discovery to come eventually. And yet, if the sister's only method of affirming the truth was through a bluff or a confession, this meant being watchful at that point still might offer the girl to keep her secret for some additional weeks. Before knowing if the sister planned on revealing her, doing any more than what was simply already being implied should come with some measure of caution.
—A professional, you say? She is quite good at it, but I wouldn't say to that extent, necessarily. You're likely mistaking me for someone else.
—Ah, is that so? Our database must be wrong about that other girl, then. The two of you share so many similarities, I thought it might be impossible to simply be a coincidence. It's strange for us to be wrong about a child so notorious, though. — Hearing Nalfimiria, Chiaisei felt her footing in this conversation had already been completely lost.
"Seems she did her research on my person on one of her visits to the temples. I had already lost the battle before this chat even started." Chiaisei has always been a very notorious girl. Some might even say it would be impossible for someone like her to remain hidden for very long. She could have tried a more thorough disguise to mask her identity, instead of merely hiding her files and family name, yet there still remained some things that couldn't be hidden in the first place.
Finarkzir was far from a subtle clue, and though it led to the image of her mother almost instantly, Chiaisei liked the coloring of her hair too much to put paint over it or change her hairstyle too dramatically, and the same applied to her personal name. She could have tried lying about her magical focus, and placed a different form of elemental casting as her main one, yet this would have required some planning ahead of time, and might have seemed incredibly suspicious, considering her bond partner made training wind casting so much easier. She could have pretended she was a normal girl of her age, yet the idea of placing others at risk for excessive restrictions on herself felt too selfish to try justifying, regardless of how much Chiaisei might pity some aspects of her person. And in the end, if she relied on too many secrets, the odds of Finarkzir sliping up would simply be too great. As having her partner speak to others relied on the girl linking her sister to their colleagues, the discomfort Finarkzir showed towards deception would become easier to detect the more lies Chiaisei forced on her companion's wings. Regardless, any watchful coworker would end up noticing inconsistencies showing up over time, and would inevitably connect the girl in front of them to that child of whom they likely heard a lot.
—Similarities like… Your personal name, family name, age, date of birth, height, eye and hair color, hair style, figure, tone and even the magical forms you two practice, all to the exact detail. Your dispositions are also matched based on description, and both have similar fields of studies as academics, and it seems you both frequented the same school your whole lives. The strangest similarity, though, is that it seems both of you have adopted a 22 years old wind caller eagle as your elder sisters during the start of your childhood, both of which have the exact same magical affinities, trained in the same magical paths and their power lines are identical. Strangest of all, both of these eagles are called Finarkzir, and despite living in the same city never seemed to meet each other. — Chiaisei had been expecting to hear the killing blow on her farce, yet not one that was so detailed. The sister who delivered it had been incredibly thorough with her confirmation.
"Having a magical bird for an adoptive sister does make it hard to mask oneself. I really should have given you a pseudonym, Finarkzir." Accepting her loss in silence, the girl was at least glad it had been Nalfimiria, the sister in their group who had found out the truth first. There was no guarantee, yet the Path Tracer was both the coworker with the highest skill at keeping secrets and least motivation to spiel it, based on Chiaisei's estimations. Hence, she still found the joy to joke to herself while listening to the accusation, despite having lost her battle this quickly.
—I am confident it would have had no effect. There aren't many other Wind Callers inhabiting the Emperor's Lands in the first place. — Finarkzir will at times fail at identifying jokes, even if being told by one to whom her thoughts were connected.
—So? What's this about? I'm assuming my mother is not the topic of this conversation. — Chiaisei said, having dropped any illusion or intention of tricking the woman in front of her. As a result, she also relaxed on some of her usual formalities, and decided to be part of that conversation more openly. That fake, trained smile she kept up most of the time dissolved, leaving her face in what might be described by some as an expression as neutral as a human being could make. If acting wouldn't accomplish anything in a negotiation, Chiaisei felt it would be better to shut off any reaction to the conversation, and leave emotions as far away from the surface as her training allowed. Even if one were to conduct a superficial soul reading of the girl at that moment, no feelings would be noticed, other than the focus of that child on the task before her eyes.
"There seems to be a goal behind her doing this, otherwise, she wouldn't have created an excuse to be left alone with me. The first step is to drag out the objective, and work out a way to accomplish while maintaining my identity as a hidden factor to the others." Panicking over the loss wouldn't accomplish anything by that point. Keeping her name hidden temporarily already required Chiaisei to travel halfway across the globe by that point, and even in a different region the occasional risk of being publicly revealed had never left her entirely. Going through such steps only to have no preparation to confront negotiations concerning that name would have been an outstanding display of idiocy.
—It isn't. This is about Chiaisei, humanity's most recent blessed child, and the current record holder in magical affinity within her species, referred by some as the First Grace of her kind. To start off, a basic question concerning the gap in magical development between the girl you've been advertising yourself as and the real deal. You're much stronger than the already impressive display you're showing to the others, after all. Supposing an emergency happens, do you plan on showing your actual skill to this group? — The term Blessed Child normally might have caused the girl some bitterness in this context, had she not been somewhat prepared. Though she never expected to flee from her duties for long, it was still frustrating to know her burden caught up to her so quickly. Regardless of how much she moved, the renown carried with her nature within human groups made it impossible to hide away as a normal girl for very long.
—Of course. Regardless of what happens, putting my secret over the safety of other people would be far too irresponsible. My fleeting fantasies can't be worth as much as the health of another. I won't take any risks when it comes to her as well. — Despite Chiaisei's usual success in keeping her thoughts from her expression, the one to whom she referred in regards to avoiding risk typically caused a reaction, whether the girl was focused on hiding her feelings or merely faking them. The sensation she brought forth was still too unfamiliar to this girl, so Chiaisei had yet to develop proper methods of masking it, not helped by the fact she hated the idea of suppressing this type of reaction due to how novel it was within her life. Hence, knowing how little subtlety she showed when besides the one she cared for, the girl didn't even think it worth her time to attempt to hide those feelings during this discussion.
—I see. Do you already have any plans in regard to how long you will keep this secret? The others don't have my same means, but if you keep trying to hide your full name they will eventually stop hiding their suspicion.
—I wouldn't say I have plans, per se. Some of this is simply so I can avoid the pressure of my situation for some months, but objectively speaking my intent was to keep my nature hidden until my colleagues gain an objective view of me. They might not know what to expect if I introduced myself as a blessed child from the start. However, growing closer to Fasnilthar has been getting me more attached to her simpler way of viewing things. She makes being trusting sound so oddly appealing. Perhaps the group will be less in awe at the idea of the "Record Breaker" as well. This unit seems to be filled with people in unique circumstances. Though as far as the public is concerned, I want to keep "The First Grace"'s presence in Galecirnan silent for as long as possible.
Being seen as the subject of admiration or wonder has always felt strange to the girl, likely a factor rooted at how early into her life this treatment became standard when dealing with strangers or short term acquaintances. If the stories about her life were as exaggerated and common in this region as they were in her home country, she would prefer her presence not to become well known off, or at least to avoid being recognized. Be it the curiosity she noticed or the many recollections she had of the respectful caution some used to address her, at times it felt like the girl was viewed as a mythical creature by the people around her.
—Very well. When you judge the situation to be adequate, be sure to bring it up to me. Would you be willing to share with me your actual magical path as well? Just so that I can account for what you can do in an emergency, of course. I'll try to keep things from getting to that as well, of course.
—I'm surprised you haven't seen it already. For the most part, I'm simply better at the pathways I've already mentioned to be my focus. Some noteworthy qualities I've been keeping hidden include Gale Surge, or my proficiency at using Life Echo offensively. I'm much faster than I'm pretending to be as well, and my level in the World Stances is far higher than I've been letting on. The biggest difference, though, is that I already meet the magical requirements for flight. That said, I haven't yet found the time to practice it on a technical level. I would ideally need assistance to practice it safely.
—Just flight, huh? That's one hell of a card to be kept hidden. Then again, maybe it shouldn't be too surprising considering you've got an eagle in a Soul Bond. Watching someone else flying for so long probably makes the prospect more tempting. If you need anyone's help to get practice in, feel free to call me as well. That should be it for now, then.
—Alright. May I assume this means you feel no need to talk about any other issue with me at this moment? — Chiaisei asked. Seeing as Nalfimiria had waited to speak of this when they were just accompanied by Finarkzir, the girl wondered if there was anything else the sister wanted to bring up at that point.
—None. When to reveal the truth should be entirely up to you. You have your reasons to keep it quiet, and the sisterhood has already agreed to keep this matter silent for now. I may have no obligation to all of them, but I will respect the suggestion of my Path Brethren for this case. Though there is a part of the situation I find rather funny, especially while talking to you just now. — Chiaisei had no idea what she found entertaining, based on the context of their talk.
—What exactly do you mean? — And hence, she thought to clarify the sister's meaning.
—How quickly your mood changes based on whether Fasnilthar is around or not. And how easily that cold stare of yours melts everytime you bring her up. Honestly, it's incredible that the fool has yet to suspect anything.
—Indeed. Humans have never been particularly simple for me to understand, yet this one in particular is hard to grasp. Though perhaps I am merely biased, seeing as I'm personally observing how her presence affects you, my girl. — After speaking for her companion, the girl continued.
—She has her reasons, I'm sure. Besides, as strange as this side of her is, I find it rather charming. A part of me is also curious to test the limits to this. Any attempt at flirting by me so far has passed as unnoticed as the snapping of fingers done in front of an orchestra during a performance. I wonder how clear I would have to be for her to start suspecting things. — The memories brought a smile to my face, as my heart began to race merely by reminiscing of some of the last days we spent together. Suddenly, I found myself surprised by how easily this aspect of my soul revealed itself once provoked.
"I suppose I haven't really had many chances to talk about my feelings a lot up to this point. Finarkzir is far from the ideal partner for this kind of talk, isn't that right?" I made sure to express that particular thought like an attempt to poke directly at Finarkzir, while projecting my thoughts to her as blatantly as possible. Not surprisingly, raptors don't have a whole lot to talk about when it comes to matters such as this.
—And there it is. Love seems to have hit you harder than a speeding train, hasn't it? How adorable.
—I'm not certain I would use that term. I find her attractive, and she accidently stumbled through my defenses over the past couple of days. Hence, I'm not sure if I would call this much more than liking or something akin to that. — As overwhelming as those feelings felt, I had yet to reach any conclusion about how deep they truly were.
—Well, that depends on definition, doesn't it? After all, Lady Kalfisnar doesn't define love as a state necessarily, but as a process. One marked by growing affection, understanding and acceptance of someone else. Seeing as you claim this process started by her disarming your normal reactions, I would say she likely already means quite a lot to you, from what I heard. Causing someone so composed to act so transparently is no small feat either.
—Maybe so, but… Using that word still feels strange. Love feels like something you hear about in fiction or music, yet that rarely lives up to its reputation in the real world. I don't know what to call this, and I'm not sure how serious you could really call it. It doesn't feel stable by now either. By now I can manage to shower with her while only glancing at her occasionally, and I'm panicking less often at her aggressive displays of proximity. Though in the end, this sensation still seems to have growing momentum. It feels like I haven't felt this consistently joyful since I was a child. Even just talking about this feels relieving. I don't know how else to describe this state further, by this point.
I knew many languages and never lacked any confidence in how to use them, however words felt like a strangely lacking method of expressing this state. Perhaps people created such a subjective expression as "love" precisely due to how hard it was to rationalize this type of sensation, though for a mind thoroughly unaccustomed to it such as mine, "confused" would have been my favorite term for the situation. This likely was simply a symptom of the fact it took me until I was 17 to gain any sort of experience of this sort.
—I can see that. Feelings don't need a proper definition, though. Yet I wonder, do you have any plans to act on them? From a physical perspective, you seem often tempted based on the way you two at times interact.
—Of course I am! The sweet fool isn't simply unaware, it's like she has the habit of pushing closer precisely while trying to rationalize the squirming she causes. If it was simply a matter of yearning, I might have been spending more of my days touching her than of having guidance, since the point I met her. What has been keeping me so far are still the memories. — I sighed, feeling my breathing tighten.
—Even the thought of hurting her seems unbearable. Until I can say for certain I would not react like that again, I feel trying this could end up putting her at risk. Though I want to do it. Not just sex, of course. Everything else that comes with it, I want it more than I ever had to this point. I don't feel ready for this yet. However, strange as it is to say this… — I thought back to our past interactions. The moment I met her, all the talking we did during those first few days, the countless questions about my home she threw at me at some points, and how consistently yet unbelievably cheerful, honest and caring she had seemed through our days together. How she carried her own pain with such resilience, and most of all, how she shattered my every expectation when meeting someone new.
—My feelings, and how this love started, as you call it. Everything leading up to this is so strange, yet this all feels… so bizarrely normal. When I heard other students in the academy talking about these things, I never thought I would feel them. Yet, as of now, I can't help but compare myself to the things those girls and boys said to each other. I can't help but compare my own experiences with those written in stories, both the more grounded kinds and more on the fantastic side. After all of this time, it's strange to think I've finally been capable of feeling things like this.
—You claim so, but I fail to see why it should surprise anyone. It might have come late, yet everything has its firsts. Even if you escape the norm for the beginning time for this sort of feeling, that they've grown or how hardly seems to be that peculiar. If anything, the fact you view normality as bizarre is the greatest anomaly here. Chiaisei, I don't believe the distance between you and what would be normal is quite as wide as you seem to. — Nalfimiria's voice took a far more serious tone as she responded. There weren't many cases of her attempting to offer any of us much serious advice up to that point either.
"She has likely been keeping this side of her hidden intentionally. I wouldn't have minded if it didn't take form here." It was fair to expect this type of wisdom from one who had been working in her fields for some decades, thus it hardly surprised me that it existed beneath the playful smile of that Path Tracer. Yet that confirmation didn't much change the fact I had no plans of prolonging the discussion taking place.
—I appreciate the intention, but I would prefer not to go through a lecture now. I rarely gain much comfort from similar talks, for one. If you wish to speak of this matter, at least try to speak to me honestly.
—Is my statement so strange to pass as reductive? Then tell me, what actually distinguishes you from the norm? As factually as possible, as you've so suggested. — After listening to her, I spent some moments in silence. There was a clear answer to this question, yet in a sense it didn't appear to fit the situation in its entirety. However, based on the contents of her question, it sounded obvious that the answer was what she implied, as she soon would respond.
—No answer? Let me say it, then. At the core of the situation, all that really distinguishes you from other humans is intelligence and magical affinity. To elves, this hardly seems like that big a difference, sincerely. Not enough to disqualify you from all connection to your kinds norms, at the very least. Perhaps your past might also have caused some oddities, yet by definition there is no such thing as two people who lived the same life on this globe. From that perspective, that distinction is in many ways lessened as well.
—What are you trying to tell me, sister?
—That neither your sharpness nor prior isolation makes you incapable of connecting to others in the present, obviously. Whether that had been a trend in the past or not, existence by its very essence is rooted in change. The sprouting love of yours is merely evidence that your surroundings and essence are changing in the present, as all other living beings do. Say child, do you know why the concept of Harmony is tied to the Greater Aspect that represents the magical area rooted in movement? — The question was sudden enough that it sounded as if she was trying to shift the topic.
—I heard some of the why before. The common answer is that the balance of existence remains in constant movement, I believe. — I answered, trying to recall how the topic was usually discussed within studies centered on the philosophy of each Greater One.
—Correct, even if not in full detail. The clouds, the ground, the tides, the moon, winds, the planet itself, all life within it and even the blood in our veins. Through the eyes of small creatures such isn't constantly noticeable, yet all around us, the world moves. Even the sun around which Aeyxos orbits is similarly in a constant orbit of its own. The world in which we live can only remain as such due to the delicate harmony between the movement of all of these parts. It is in this fine dance between disorder and stability that the Harmony that describes the being known as Saeynomalia lies, as both sides of this balance are necessary to maintain what we see. For this peace we observe is the result of this constant movement, as is the fact life exists as it does within Aeyxos. And in the context of life, what would movement be if not change? — As she proposed the question, I couldn't help but wonder if the entire metaphor was necessary for the coming explanation.
—Change is how we perceive the constant of movement within this small frame. Be it in the skies, ground, the people around us or our inner selves, for as long as life persists change is a constant possibility, and hence so is adapting a must for survival. Be it positive or negative, encouraging or intimidating, expansive or miniscule, no person has ever lived the same day twice, for it remains a constant in this form of existence as well. It affects all of us, and will for as long as we exist, thus forcing all to move to its pace. Do not presume your life alone might remain stagnant, or that you can manage to predict its every turn. You are barely 17 as of now, so how could you expect to know all that may yet to come? — When her core point was made, I realized she had been mounting an argument with the intent of exposing my original stance as illogical.
If the world exists in motion, and the changing aspects of life are a reflection of this, then claiming it couldn't affect me would be the same as declaring myself an oddity among all living things. Even at the worst of my position, I only saw myself as separate from my own kind, humanity. The theory itself hardly debated any topics that are particularly easy to scrutinize. Thus, that change is a constant, there was little room to debate. Yet even if the statement itself was in some ways irrefutable without testing its foundation, I felt it had been distancing itself from my original cause for surprise expressed earlier. Neither did it demonstrate any precise flaw in my perspective, outside of eliminating the malleability of my cognitive state of the discussion. Hence, I tried replying while aware her argument hadn't been finished yet. Whether to dismiss it as consolation disguised as analisis or accept the advice was to be decided only after the conclusion was delivered.
—I can't, at all. That wasn't what I was saying, though.
—Then take a moment to question the presumptions through which you observe the people around you. Those lenses were crafted almost a decade ago, after all. Whether they are accurate or not, any tool requires maintenance to remain functional, something that also applies to the perspective through which a scholar observes reality. As an academic, the way you perceive the world and the topics of your study have likely shifted plenty since your childhood, however you still seem to perceive your personal life through the exact same methods. If you were half as persistent with your methods as a social scientist, you wouldn't have been named a
—So you claim my perspective is biased. Provide evidence, then. By the very nature of the problem you mentioned, without sufficient proof my mind should be inclined towards rejection from the start. — The human mind had innumerable holes in how it handled logical reasoning, and even the brightest still could fall for these traps. On the contrary, the confidence of a genius was said by many to carry the potential to increase the risks of some similar traps, and being known as my kind's brightest certainly didn't lessen that effect. Simply being aware of that fact wouldn't crack such an issue though, thus I expected more tools to crack down at the potential issue, at the very least.
—I can't provide it all now, yet I can give you suggestions to observe some of the core issues I've noticed. For the easy part, your growing affections. No evidence observed by past soul soothers suggest you have any sort of emotional deficit, thus assuming a particular type of it wouldn't affect you is by its roots unfounded, and we can clearly tell they were right at the present. Your main method of maintaining composure before emotion is centered on studying their effects as well, based on what I observed, so it should hardly shock you that it fails so blatantly at a first time experience. That isn't the center of this discussion though, nor what has truly made you wish to argue back. — Nalfimiria took a momentary break after saying as much, likely trying to measure my reaction. In a sense, everything that happened before might be considered the set up for this part of the conversation. Noticing as much, I grew more focused.
—Ultimately, this is about the distance you perceive between yourself and others of your kind. The excessively exceptional are incapable of belonging within the ordinary, as you might phrase it. That's why you're shocked you've managed to close that distance between yourself and Fasnilthar enough to develop feelings for her. It's also why I can't provide sufficient evidence right at this point. A lot of it would be needed to convince you to soften that stance, as we're both aware. — She appeared to have reached the root of my perspective quite easily, which made me figure the rest of the conversation should be much simpler.
—And what explanation do you have right now, sister? Be succinct, please.
—Alright. You've started loving Fasnilthar because the distinctions you use to justify the distance between you and other humans didn't manage to encapsulate her. This led to some amount of trust developing, and to the faint hope she would be willing to embrace the blessed child you kept hidden from her, this being the spark that led to your present feelings. Some of this is because of the particular type of oddity that the fool embodies, yet in some ways, Fasnilthar also exemplifies an oddity within your logic itself. Ordinary is hardly a word that a sane person would apply to that young fool, now isn't it? — The nature of her perspective became clearer within that final statement.
—So you mean to say that among oddities, a blessed child wouldn't be that out of the ordinary.
—Precisely. Any misgivings?
—Some. What makes me different isn't the same from any weirdo out there.
—Yet it remains that having your mold shattered was what enabled you to trust again. Thus I ask you to glance at the people currently surrounding you. As I belong to a different kind, focus this question on the two boys and your beloved fool mainly. They might not each fall in the same category as the fool, but plenty might differentiate from what you've come to expect. Try verifying that assumption while interacting with each of them, and based on your findings, maybe question other conclusions you reached through these lenses as well. It should make for an interesting experiment, at the very least. — The simplicity of the final thesis did disappoint me somewhat, considering how accurate her analisis had been over the development of the argument, yet based on how Nalfimiria expressed this, it looked like evaluating the evidence proposed would have been my own job.
—I suppose evidence provided by a third person would have a lessened impact on this type of circumstance. Alright, I'll play this game. Neither of the two of them appear particularly hard to comprehend, yet it's not as if the occasional interaction can even be avoided. Taking part tends to make Fasnilthar happier as well, so these terms are hardly difficult to follow. If that's all this request is about, it could have been done without the rest of the explanation.
—I'm not so sure of that. This experiment requires a certain amount of authenticity you are currently showing rarely. How they react to your presence plays a role in the conclusion, especially once your status has been made public knowledge. I won't interfere much further with how you'll run that query, though. Consider my instigation merely as a starting contribution to this thesis as of now. — As she declared as such, it felt as if our discussion had reached its conclusion. Besides the topic of the conversation itself, with the end of it, the girl had a considerable shift in how she viewed the sister she spoke with, Nalfimiria.
"Either the seriousness she showed now is merely reserved to when pragmatic needs call for it, or the playful and supportive guardian we've been knowing up until now is a completely forged social mask. Regardless, her usual behavior and this discussion do not seem like mutually compatible characteristics if viewed as completely sincere. Most likely, it is simply that both carry some truth that have separately been emphasized based on circumstantial necessities." As their walk continued again within a normal pace, Chiaisei reached the mentioned analisis. Yet a silent observer to that conversation still was reaching her own conclusions regarding it. Having listened quietly for some time, the observer sought to reach her own conclusions, before deciding to state them.
—Chiaisei. A moment? — The thoughts of Finarkzir took shape as a message within the mind of Chiaisei once again. It hadn't been that surprising for the eagle to remain passive over that chat, so in a sense, her need to express herself carried some sense of surprise.
"Of course. Is there something you would like to add?"
—Yes. I've pondered for some time… At many points in the past, you've dismissed my own opinions regarding others, due to my lack of direct experience with people. Yet since the discussion that took place concerned your own inaccuracies, may I request to be heard more frequently over this experiment as well? — The appeal caused me to flinch for a moment. The words in it felt like shards of glass that I had long since grown used to stepping over, yet in a more vulnerable moment like the one of that reflection, the pain they brought resurfaced to memory.
Finarkzir had always been somewhat awkward when handling advice, or attempting to provide personal support over my life. This was hardly a thing for which I blamed her either. She was born and raised in the wild world, after all. Communication is always handled directly and with no tact. Hardly a shock, given most of it was directed at a goal and happening through thought. Thus, it hardly surprised me when she failed to understand subcontext or the subtleties that existed when social beings spoke. Hence, most of her advice concerning other people I heard over my life could be considered unhinged, if not potentially criminal in some cases*. I took the habit of dismissing her over time, as a result. But even if I felt it would have been unfair to expect her to be reliable in this front, Finarkzir still was hurt by those occasional failures, often in ways I failed to immediately perceive. Those wounds accumulated, and by the time I realized what I had been doing it felt as if the resulting scars had already formed. Recognizing that mistake became a source of pain to both of us, then, and seeing this, Finarkzir tried avoiding bringing up the issue, though at that point she deemed the breach necessary.
(*Magical beasts tend to have very few reservations towards sudden displays of violence.)
—I understand how you perceive these things, and have had a lot of time to learn these matters over the years. And if you have also been inaccurate, in your own ways, I would like a chance to reinstate some of my views over this process. Would you mind? — That last request surprised me somewhat, yet in that case the response felt clear.
"Speak as you like. I'll consider what to do once I hear from you. Just don't go confessing things I'm trying to keep quiet without warning, alright?" Knowing the cause for this fracture, I at the very least felt an obligation of hearing her. That in itself wouldn't bring any problems, and generally Finarkzir had grown far better at handling this type of task around that point. I no longer felt uncomfortable connecting her to others without offering any interventions, at the very least, even if some habits still made their occasional showing.
After this much was passed on, both in thought and in voice, the remainder of that walk was a quiet one. Nothing but the sounds of our steps as we passed through the corridor inside that field, occasionally joined by the sounds of the sheep, as they grazed the pasture beneath them. With this scene surrounding us and little to no more being said, the remainder of the walk barely appeared to last a tenth of the time we had spent talking. Thus, before long the stay in which that unit would be spending the night grew visible, and in a yard within it the figures of Fasnilthar and the two others could be viewed practicing, seemingly evasive training. In other words, she convinced them to act like moving targets for her. Pondering what the discussion that led to this choice might have been like brought a smile to Chiaisei's face, yet what follows will not be the product of my own writing, as of now. Thus, I leave you with my momentary farewell, reader.