"So after all it's only the title that is important and you aren't even a little attracted to my form over others?"
About a third of her 'true' self broke through, staining her face and voice with a vigorless energy. The spiritual pressure was palpable, once again. That strange sense of being eyed by a 'predator' touched more softly against the swordswoman in almost gentle, growling waves.
Or teasing touches, as intended by the 'culprit' who had heard just what her spirit felt like to the girl. Elua considered it a very mild 'punishment' - just like the time the hair on her head was tugged around. She *had* been looking for a way to pay that 'injustice' back - and now she can 'let it go'!
"Okay. I guess it is true *that* might be reasonable. We're both young. We aren't anywhere near our prime. You liking this body in the way I mean would actually be concerning."
Suddenly, there were three identical copies of the Goltbred heiress visible and mirroring the original 'center', leaving the other girl no time to even try and provide any denial to the claims. The reborn cultivator wasn't looking for anything like that in the first place. It was obvious that she was cared for, but things like being 'attractive' were probably just a little more than nebulous to the straightforward Yecine.
'Which is fine. I still need all those years for us to reach the right age. Maybe she can use them too, to start feeling… her own 'evil thoughts'.'
"I've been thinking about this for a while. How to let this body grow up. I do have my own opinions, but ultimately I've decided that I'd prefer it if *you* would help me decide some things."
Seeing all three of their mouths open for the words, despite only sound coming out of the supposably 'original' one, was somehow disquieting. Even worse when she *felt* a spirit from each of them with her limited sense. There wasn't even an actual confidence left that the one in the center was 'real'.
It was the realization that this was the kind of chaos *possible* with such an Astralism that ruffled her nerves. Qatrand couldn't imagine easily fighting with someone that could trick your senses like this. All six. Worse… she had a hunch that, despite the obvious 'frustration' of the brunette, she was being *tame* with her Aspect.
Having it aimed at her 'for real' without even realizing - that thought left a seed of existential worry. It usually did, so Elua was prepared to try and talk her through that already!
"Oh, for good measure I should add some 'references' before we start."
Another duplication of her form coalesced off to the side, standing front to front next to a copy of the Yecine girl just as she was. Even though these two were fixed and unmoving, the threat analysis of the swordswoman grew.
She was unsure of how many targets such an Astralism could manipulate at a time, but it was still an ability that might trick and sow discord in an entire army platoon before anyone questioned things if a 'superior' showed up and gave 'orders'! All it would take is *convincing* one 'top' ranked person with her ability and it could destabilize a lot…
"Well, that's us now and this… is entirely just an educated guess. Alright? I'm not saying this is my ideal of you when you grow up or anything, okay? It's just another reference. An experiment. So don't… judge me."
Three sets of facial cheeks puffed up and looked 'sternly' at the nearly overwhelmed Yecine. She had no idea what was coming, but didn't *want* to imagine it could be any stranger than the rest. It was at that moment that she realized that since meeting El, she kept coming up with things that would go in a 'do not want' list rather than a 'want'.
Not to cry. Not to tell others her secrets. Not to use her revealed ability for calamitous purposes against her fellow humans. The third one was new, but for some reason she felt it was quite important. Maybe it was the 'wolf' that kept brushing up against her spirit that was making her think so.
A woman that was a half-head taller than the younger girl formed next. She wore her uniform blazer jacket, unbuttoned, with a tight half-shirt over her firm muscled chest and with dense abdominals exposed to air. Her face was more refined and striking than the 'current' image of the Yecine, with long black hair tied up in a high tail.
"Ah, right. I made this before I was sure you liked your real hair."
The triplets waved their fingers and the color in the 'aged' Qat changed to blonde. A few more *unneeded* but very 'theatrical' gestures placed a baldric and copy of her recent gift into the illusion.
"Well, I hope to someday see an even better sword in those hands, but this 'you' looks more correct with something like that at their hip. Wouldn't you say?"
Qatrand *wanted* to say she wouldn't wear her uniform like that but held her tongue. It was obvious from all the other *bulging* details that the form was all about 'peak musculature' for the increased height of frame that the heiress… expected her fiance to have in a few years. It was honestly an impressively 'realizable' representation, if you didn't count the fashion.
The center Elua turned back around and clapped her hands together while the 'illusive copies' stared at the adultized Qat. It hardly mattered to the brunette that the only other person in the room couldn't see the kind of 'evil thoughted' looks she was making them give. It only mattered that at least *some* version of her was capable of 'getting it out of her system'.
"So, that leaves the two paths that I lean towards. I appreciate any evaluations you can provide for me."
The twinned examples gradually gained height instead of 'instantly', as if they were growing up at an accelerated rate that was visible to the eyes. The one closer to the 'adult' Qatrand stopped quickly. She gained only enough to slightly surpass the current 'proportional difference' in height that the pair of arranged fiance's already had with each other. The other was a whole head higher than the first.
In Elua's opinion, the shorter version was the height at which a hug would easily lead to a forehead pressed right into the other's bosom. Meanwhile, the taller one could easily kiss without standing on her toes - or Qat having to lean down.
She let those particular factoids be *known* by allowing the 'adults' to prove it through a simultaneous side hug and peck on the cheek of their 'future' husband-wife. Then they turned back around and gave waves of greeting.
"These are the two heights I can achieve around the time I am seventeen. Pick one for me."
Without an immediate answer, but feeling the lovely intensity of the swordswoman's spirit when given the 'order', the amused Goltbred started playing with her possibilities more. She could show things other than height! A copy of each copy stepped away and multiplied the options, then they did it again.
On the eight illusions, she showed off a difference in hair length and styles. Or varied their bust sizes without going over her own 'maximum' desire. Modified their outfits to better accompany their 'new' traits. After a minute or so of those sorts of changes without another 'word' from Qat, she started feeling mischievous.
The adult example of her 'fortress' moved and *helpfully* pulled off the dress of one of the shorter Elua… after the 'master' of the Astralism discreetly made sure that the undergarments of that one were no longer there. When she made Illusions, she didn't skimp on details!
The wavy brunette hair only came to the example's shoulders, so there was no chance for the locks to 'cover' anything. The scheming cultivator was rather proud of the 'shapely' perkiness… as well as the realistic 'bounce' and movement as the clothing moved things. She nodded, also appreciating her 'sculpting' work everywhere else.
"W-what…"
"Hmm?"
Glancing at the flustered teenager, she held in the *teasing* smile she could have sent her way… knowing she was about to get 'shocked' again.
"I'm just helping my wife get ready for bed. Don't make such a fuss."
A voice just a little deeper and firmer than Qatrand er Yercine held now, but clearly still her cadence and volume admonished her 'younger self'. A nightgown formed out of the air and dropped into the waiting calloused fingers that then used it to cloth the nude illusion. The strong looking blonde then turned to face the 'real' pair and held her hand relaxedly on the hilt at her side.
"Did you never think that you'd get to see something like this? You're going to be married. Your cute little idiot there would want you to do much more than change her clothes when she's at the right age. Things that take a lot damn longer and would have you examining every part of her much closer."
The 'aged' Qat clicked her tongue.
"A real old hand. She's rather disgustingly insatiable and a real pain in-"
The illusion disappeared before reappearing in an inert, 'frozen' state over where she had initially formed it. The hand and arm that the small cultivator responsible for the change held out *shook* in 'complicated' emotions.
'Right… forgot that I tuned her personality to insult me back then.'
As she wasn't maintaining some of these illusions in real time, but rather as 'constructs' encoded with sigil-like instructions, they mostly did their own thing in the way they had been 'designed'. At the time she was playing with the idea of this one, it seemed like it would be useful to experience what it might be like if her betrothed grew up to be sharp-tongued.
It wasn't a *thing* like with 'muscles', it was just a test!
"A-ah, she's not wrong. But I'm patient… and I understand that I'm young for those kinds of things. Also, I didn't even mean for her to tell you *any* of that…"
Her voice trailed off and lost power while banishing everything 'fake', before she curled down and *hugged* her knees. Even the pressure she had been relentlessly 'massaging' the Yecine with retracted tightly back into herself. She needed all of her spirit to *contain*.
The blonde took a moment for herself before forcing her unfamiliar emotions to calm down and step over to El. After not seeing her for a year, she didn't expect the evening would be so… she didn't have words!
"Are you alright? You didn't exhaust yourself doing all that, did you?"
Even though her 'eyes' were closed, the peak spiritual Primalist had felt the girl approaching. The tendrils of energy given off by Qat's instincts were a little wider and firmer than a year ago, but they still tried to encircle and 'protect'. The spirit *containing* her felt their attempt and meaning.
Just like they had been pulled with some less *clear* intent toward the possible version of her future self a bit ago. That thought… *slightly* relaxed Elua.
"I'm… fine. T-that wasn't… supposed to go like that. I do deserve it, because I started trying to… tease you first. To joke a little…"
The brunette thought it would be 'helpful' and 'funny'. She learned a small lesson… one that she probably wouldn't take to *heart* as strongly as she should - and instead proceeded to make a 'bigger deal' of it than she perhaps should.
'That wasn't funny. That FAKE QATRAND that I MADE just OUTED ME. DAMN OLD HAND!?'
Fragments of her peak Echelon spirit ruptured as she annihilated the 'heretics' she'd formed. The time she spent crafting them didn't matter, nor did the laughable 'loss' of spiritual cultivation that went into their formation.
When she first began to make them it was only with the concept of 'painting' the physical image into reality to pass the time. When she moved to embedding fake personalities, she would never think of them as real so it was *fine*. If she could honestly convince herself they were 'real', she would never have be *lonely*.
But that was the same reason she couldn't entirely embrace her 'facade' and bury her *self* entirely.
It also wasn't going to be anything close to that infuriating 'body double' that she *happily* hadn't seen since that first encounter… she had convinced herself. Except it almost exactly was! She'd 'revealed' something back then too! The Yecine family knew about her spiritual 'Enchanter' status because of an attempt to mimic the older girl.
Copies of her Qat in any form seemed to just be *trouble*. Her palms shivered as she kept herself from reaching out and *gripping* the floor.
'I haven't wanted to break something 'real' so bad in so long.'