"You're clueless," Quynh scoffed. "I am amazed that you scored high enough to get the financial endorsement from Golden Enterprises at all."
Vanna's heart sank. Quynh had been cold and abrasive before, but for some reason it felt like he was behaving worse than before. Not only did it feel incredibly personal, Vanna was unused to being treated so harshly. She generally stayed out of conflict and had a naturally unimposing aura to her. On top of that, she was intelligent and gifted in the arts, so having someone talk down to her in such a way was an entirely new experience.
Shizuka cleared her throat. "There's no reason to be so hostile, Quynh. It might seem obvious to us, but it's not as though she were raised in a situation where things like this were common."
"I really spent almost my whole life studying," Vanna said uncomfortably. "I guess it just didn't occur to me that such publicly visible corporations would be affiliated with the 'underworld.'"
"It is alright. There is no need to feel apologetic, Miss Vanna. Quynh is terrible with people. It is quite embarrassing, actually. I bet the gods look on in dismay when he acts like this," Liu Bai hummed, not even bothering to open his eyes. "It is only natural that you hadn't come to such a grim conclusion. In an ideal world, business and crime would have no ties to one another. Alas, corruption is the sick and unfortunate truth."
The tension between Liu Bai and Quynh was palpable. Every single word that the swordsman said was uttered derisively, without even a hint of remorse. Vanna, however, was just stunned that Liu Bai would say something so thoughtful. Although he hadn't necessarily struck her as a bad person, she most definitely didn't expect him to share words of comfort in a situation like this.
Quynh didn't grace them with a response. He turned his head away from the rest of them and acted as though there were an invisible wall between them.
"Thank you, Liu Bai," Vanna said softly. "I guess I have a lot to learn. Hopefully, I don't have to impose on the three of you for much longer."
Liu Bai's silvery white eyes fluttered open once again. He gazed at her inquisitively, his brows furrowed as though he were completely and utterly puzzled. "Where would you be going, if not with us?"
Vanna became equally as confused. "Oh. I just… thought that this was a temporary arrangement? I still need to go to school, after all. It's kind of why I was on the train in the first place…"
"...I'm afraid that isn't the case," Shizuka answered apologetically. "You will continue to share an abode with us and remain under our supervision. I'm sure that Quynh will help create some accommodations for you to still attend your classes, though."
"...You're saying that I just… live with you guys now?" It seemed that being overwhelmed was Vanna's new constant state-of-being. Just when she started to understand things, something would change or come up that rocked all of her knowledge again. "You can't be serious, right? I have a life to live, and I'm sure that all of you – Quynh especially – would rather not babysit me forever."
Quynh's harsh voice arose again, with a tone of finality, "I have to look after you. You will not be going anywhere."
Sensing that Vanna was prepared to ask a myriad of clarifying questions that would likely send Quynh off the deep end, Shizuka grabbed the girl by the shoulder and squeezed her reassuringly.
"You may not have found your artifact and fully transformed yet," Shizuka chose her words carefully, "but you still awoke the phoenix's blood in you. That is to say, well… your life is not only extended to the length of a divine guardian, but there are other beasts out there that may put that very life in danger. It is much better to remain together."
"You will soon come to realize that the world will move while you stay the same. Humans that you love will grow old and pass on before you've realized," Liu Bai added solemnly. "In such a lonely existence, the only solace is in oneself, their beliefs… and, the other beasts of legend."
"Liu Bai!" Shizuka hissed. "What's wrong with you?! You don't just say that to someone. She's barely in her twenties, the last thing she needs to think about is something as grim as that."
Suddenly, the energy in the cabin grew tense, with red sparks crackling in the air, which made Vanna, Shizuka, and Liu Bai start to sweat. The cause was none other than the furious dragon, who was glaring at them all with murderous intent.
"I am so sick of hearing you all speak that I am tempted to start a fire in this plane," Quynh fumed, "so if there is even another word from any of you, you'll be swimming the rest of the way to Astrey."
Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, the threat seemed to distract Vanna from the awful news that Liu Bai had just dropped on her. She had subconsciously decided to tuck it away and unpack it at a later time, since she was already completely overloaded with new information. The girl took a few deep breaths and glanced out the window to watch as they landed.
It was a breath-taking view from the sky, and Vanna watched as what started as small dots on the ground, turned into buildings. This was going to be her first trip to the ocean.