The two beings stood as if molded from the essence of an interdimensional sea. Their very presence was magical, their figures unlike anything witnessed by the attending nobles and dignitaries of the Kirat Empire. Tall, she stepped with fluidic ease, moving as if slightly floating above ground, her grace so fluid and effortless that one would have perceived her to actually float. Her long hair writhed gently, strand by strand fine as human hair but somehow drenched in the faint glow of luminescence. Her elegance was radiant, a kind of beauty almost alien and approaching divinity. Yet the shorter woman was striking in a like manner: poised, yet approachable; warm yet calculating. She carried herself with the unflinching poise of a seasoned politician: every gesture and glance meticulously designed to disarm and endear. Her hair was shorter but just as animated, shimmering faintly in the light, casting soft reflections across the awestruck faces.
Their gill-like ear structures flared a little as they took in the room, luminous eyes scanning the crowd with an intensity that made whispers cease. Finally the taller one spoke, her voice sweet and melodious yet carrying some kind of irrevocable authority.
"This is an edict", she said, her voice a bullet through the stillness. "Submit yourselves to the Sublime Auqua Project. We are House Seafoam, and you are lucky. Other houses might have first swept away half of your population."
A wave of whispers ran through the gathering, but the taller of the two spoke on without hesitation.
"Your empire, Kirat, has fallen. It will not declare to the world its defeat, but know this-you are now a servant to us. And as such, you will be compensated, for your actions will aid the Sublime Auqua."
Her words hung in the air like a sharp blade, their sweetness undercut by the weight of inevitability.
Then the one who was slightly shorter in stature with a warm voice, disarmingly persuasive, with the cadence of an accomplished orator. "You will be guided under our care and grow. This conquest is not the end of your world; it is its evolution. You will be ruled under proper Universal Laws. Count yourselves fortunate that it is House Seafoam that oversees this transition.".
The whispers spilled out into the hall like summer rain. Noble faces turned to one another, their minds racing from surmise to terror to calculations of future fortunes. Even the Governor himself appeared flabbergasted, his face set in an agonized mask of strained neutrality. He most certainly had not known about this.
Myrith Crestfoam raised a thin hand and was silent once again. "Myself, Myrith Crestfoam, Cosmic Magi of House Seafoam. Our people are arriving to secure this continent. Two or more of our kind will ensure that no disruptions arise from either your people or ours.".
Adds Lysara Tidecrest, "Myself, Lysara Tidecrest, Cosmic Magi of House Seafoam. Time will teach you what the others can do for you, but you will one day come to appreciate the fortunes that place you under our aegis.".
As her words settled over the room, Myrith's gaze drifted toward the Xiaxoans and the Duke of Bitet. Her luminous eyes lingered briefly on Larin and his companions, her tentacles writhing slightly as if considering a thought. But she said nothing, turning away with a flick of her hair.
The night resumed, though the mood had been irretrievably altered. The two Auquans threaded their way through the throng with a measured grace, the alienness of their initial appearance moderated by their practiced social skills. The guests, at first reluctant to approach, were soon put at ease by Lysara's warmth and Myrith's otherworldly allure.
"They are skilled," Tyrs murmured to Larin, who was watching the scene. "Every gesture, every word is like they weave a spell over these people."
"It's not magic," Mynta replied softly. "It's control. They do not need to force compliance; they're making it inevitable."
The Xiaxoans and the Duke of Bitet looked curiously unaffected as the night wore on. Larin could see how the two Auquans charmed their way through the crowd, leaving clusters of nobles entranced and murmuring about possibilities.
When they finally approached the Xiaxoans, their smiles were welcoming but inscrutable. Myrith's luminous eyes fixed on Larin first, then swept over Tyrs, Mynta, and Uncle Ted.
"You are different," Lysara said, her voice soft but deliberate. "Your presence is not like the others here."
Uncle Ted inclined his head politely. "We are Xiaxoans, of a land far from here."
"Far, but not forgotten," Myrith said, her words carrying a strange weight. "Your practices. your connection to your land. It resonates even now."
Larin's pulse quickened. There was something unsettling about the ease with which they seemed to pierce the layers of pretense.
"Tell me," Lysara said, her voice straight to Larin, "the technique you use. The breathing. It is ancient, yet it reaches beyond the stars. Few on this planet have retained such a bond."
Larin hesitated, unsure what to say. "It is a practice of our people," he said slowly. "Passed down through generations."
Myrith's tentacles wiggled minimally, as if barely of their own motion. "Go on practicing it. You could find that it takes you to places you think you can hardly dream of,
The group shot each other skeptical looks. There was nothing openly threatening or patronizing in the Auquans' tone, yet it seemed full of something immensity and not-knowable.
"What did they mean by that?" Larin asked, breaking the silence.
"They see potential in us," Mynta said, her voice low. "And that should terrify us."
The two approached the Duke of Bitet. Larin watched intently, curious as to what was said. The duke was a wiry man, full of nervous energy, almost paralyzed by the words of the Auquans. They spoke too quietly for Larin to hear, but the duke's expression changed from apprehension to something almost like resolve.
"What do you think they're telling him?" Larin asked.
Promises," Tyrs said. "Or threats. Maybe both."
It was late as the gathering started to break up. Larin couldn't stop thinking that the Auquans had learned more than they gave away. Almost everybody in the room had been asked their opinion on some subject and taken away unsettled or enthused.
"They are not there to make agreements," Larin said finally. "They're probing us, probing us like this.
Ted nodded, his face somber. "And they're very, very good at it."
The Xiaxoans left the Governor's manor with more questions than answers. The revelation of the Sublime Auqua Project hung heavy in their minds, its implications vast and uncertain. As they walked back to Xiaxoan Blues, Larin's thoughts raced. The world they knew was changing, and the Auquans had made one thing clear-this was only the beginning.