Mika leaned back into the grass, folding her hands behind her head and one leg over the other. The night was a warmer one, as far as they went, and the moon was almost full, granting them plenty of illumination. It was one of her few days off, today, and so as usual, she was spending it with Haruka, since her father was still on duty. She was fortunate that sheâd already known the kind of hours that were required of a guard when sheâd signed on for the trainingâa lot of the noblemenâs sons who took up the job didnât realize that their shifts were rarely shorter than a full twelve hours if they were working personal security. Worse if you happened to be guarding someone as important as the Prince. It wasnât uncommon for her shifts to be sixteen or even eighteen hours long. She just⊠followed him around, lived out the day as he did, albeit with less talking and more guarding.
So the occasional off day, something her father had mandated for everyone but himselfânaturallyâwas something to be savored. Not because she disliked what she did, but because she rarely had any time for herself. Her off hours were a mix of training and resting, and Mika knew she was lucky that four hours of sleep a day was plenty for her. She was also lucky that the sun didnât hurt her any; it was one of the requisites for guarding anyone pureblooded, because their business could and did sometimes extend into the daylight hours. In most cases, it wouldnât be an issue, just because of the protection the Castle-City offered from the sun, but if someone had a meeting in the gardens, for example, well, the extra protection a noble would have needed was not permitted to a guard.
She and Haruka had trained a bit, and now they were just sitting in the grass and enjoying one anotherâs company, or at least they had been, until Mika scented someone else approaching. Roses and honeyâshe had to admit, it was a very potent smell. She knew just enough to understand who it belonged to, as well. Sitting up, Mika peered down the garden pathway. A head of pinkish hair confirmed her hypothesis, and she blinked dark eyes as the girl approached. She could smell something else tooâcookies?
âHello,â Aurelia said cheerfully, nodding to both Mika and Haruka. âI had leftovers from my visit with Miss Rhi today, so I thought the two of you might like some? Vasilâs not around, and I donât want to accidentally eat all of them myself.â Mika blinked again, this time in mild surprise, before turning to her friend, as if to ask if this was an ordinary occurrence.
Haruka was still unused to feeling the way she did, as if she were impenetrable, invincible. It was foreign to her, and she wasn't entirely sure if she would get used to it. She wasn't even sure if she had made the right decision, to give up her soul for something such as power. What was a soul when power was given in return? She was no fool, she knew she wasn't invincible, and neither was her father, however; the feeling, she didn't like it. Instead, she had spent most of her time training either in solitude, with Mika, or occasionally her familiar. Bibi wasn't a creature, oddly, of violence nor combat, but he was still his master's creation. He could be what she needed him to be. It was a way to work out the knots that seemed to form as well as an opportunity to test out her new limits.
She would never do that with Mika though. If she couldn't control her gift, she didn't want to be responsible for hurting her friend. And she didn't want that on her conscience either. She and Mika currently sat in the gardens, enjoying the silence between them when a familiar scent captured Haruka's attention. It seemed to do the same to Mika, as the dhampir sat up and turned towards the spot where a tuff of pink hair could be vaguely seen. A small, half smile crossed Haruka's lips as she too, rose from her spot, watching the human girl with a bit of curiousness. The smile blossomed on Haruka's face when Aurelia spoke, and raised a brow in slight amusement.
"Good evening, Lia. And you speak of it as if it is a bad thing to eat it all yourself," Haruka replied, her smile faltering mildly into a light smirk. "Though, I will say, if you cannot find Val, he will be missing out," she added, shrugging her shoulders while rolling her eyes. She had honestly began to fancy Aurelia's cooking, and could see why Nero had enjoyed it (even if he rarely showed it). It was something she had come to appreciate about the human girl whom she shared a home with. "What have you brought us today?"
Lia grinned. âVal? Iâd pay to see his face when you call him that.â The question recalled her attention to the basket in her arms, however, and she glanced down at it. âLetâs see⊠thereâs cookies, and raspberry strudel, and⊠oh! Blueberry muffins.â Setting the basket down, she knelt beside it and started rummaging through, pulling out plates of the aforementioned items and laying them out on a short patch of grass.
âDid you make anything that wasnât a sweet?â Mika asked, slightly disbelieving at the variety of confections the girl was producing from the basket. She made all of these to visit one person? No wonder there were leftovers. At that, Lia looked up and smiled sheepishly, shrugging as if to say she wasnât all that sure. She appeared to remember something, though, and stuck her hand out.
âYou must be Mika! Iâm Aurelia, but please feel free to call me Lia. Lots of people do.â Mika looked down at the girlâs hand for just a moment, somewhat surprised. It was not just anyone who would voluntarily spend time with a dhampir, let alone two. People tended to view them as abominations on both sides. Apparently, this young woman meant what she said in the Council meetings, about everyone being of equal worth. It managed to startle her more cynical side, and she cautiously reached to shake the proffered hand. Lai didnât seem to notice her hesitation, and simply smiled all the brighter.
âIâm glad I ran across you thoughâI was looking, but I donât have a very good nose or anything like that.â She tapped hers as if to emphasize the point, rolling golden eyes at herself. She really did have an unusual coloration, this girl. It bordered on unnatural. The strangest vampires ever got was the trademark blue hair of the Blake family, but even they had normal enough eye color. Sheâd never seen pink hair before. âI was hoping I might be able to ask a favor of you, Haruka. If you donât mind, that is.â
Haruka laughed in amusement as she watched Aurelia and Mika interact. Haruka was used to it by now, having lived with the girl for a few months now, she couldn't keep track of time really, and she had never been one to care to begin with. People were free to think what they wanted of her, so long as they didn't actually bother her. She usually would let people say what they will, however; that didn't always mean she held her tongue back if they said something a little...uncalled for. Haruka raised a curious brow at Aurelia's next statement though.
"A favor? Of me?" what could Aurelia possibly need her for? It was a little odd, and caught Haruka completely off guard. She remained quiet, rolling the inquery around a few times before blinking slowly. "What assistance can I be of?" she finally stated. She wasn't entirely sure she could assist Aurelia in anything really, but if the pink-haired girl needed her help, then she would give it. "I do not guarantee, however, that I will be successful in helping you," she added, as an after thought. If Aurelia still wanted her assistance, who was she to say no?
âActuallyâŠâ Aurelia fidgeted a bit nervously, chewing on her lower lip. How was she supposed to explain this? It seemed to be against her very nature, but she was swiftly realizing that she was going to need the help, or else she might not last long enough to do what she was supposed to accomplish with this life. This one chance, however short, she had to make things better. âI was hoping that you could teach me how to fight.â A pause. âIâve seen you practicing with your tessen. I might not be a fighter myself, but I know what it looks likeâthatâs not just dancing. I know it would be really obvious if I started wearing a sword or something. But a fan? Nobody would know, and⊠Iâd feel a little safer.â
Maybe it was something about the fact that even Einar had been injured in the work that they did that led her to believe she would need to know. She knew sheâd never be strong or fast compared to a vampire or a dhampir like Haruka, but she didn't have to be the strongest or the fastest. She just had to know enough to give her a fighting chance at getting away of the worst happened. She knew that Nero protected her, but she didnât want to make that any harder for him than it had to be, and even he couldnât be everywhere at the same time. She wouldnât want him to be, eitherâhe deserved to live his life the way he pleased, and not have to chase after her every time she was at risk for a mishap.
Fight? She wanted to learn how to fight? Haruka allowed the genuine look of surprise to cross her features, and she didn't bother to cover it up. Why would she want to learn how to fight? She was protected by Nero, regardless of what she did. Or at least she was certain that no harm would befall Aurelia unless someone wanted to deal with Nero. She blinked slowly, allowing the rest of the information to settle in before she glanced towards Mika. The only reason Haruka knew how to fight was because of Mika and Rikichi. They had both taught her, though she wasn't much younger than Mika. Still, that did not change the fact that Aurelia wanted to learn to at least protect herself, something Haruka could respect. Standing from her spot, she dusted her clothes off before turning towards the pink-haired girl.
"You are correct that no one would assume a fan could be a weapon," she stated, bringing forth her own tessen and tossing it towards Aurelia. "Dancing and fighting are one and the same. If you can dance, you can fight," she continued, ushering for the girl to stand. She then glanced towards Mika. "Care to help in this process?" she asked, grinning at her friend. It would, perhaps, be better if there were two people to show Aurelia rather than one to try and teach. Learning was not something that could be done overnight, and without doubt, Haruka knew it would take some time, however; Aurelia was bright. She would catch on quickly.
Mika raised an eyebrow as Aurelia hurried to stand, gripping the tessen all wrong. Bright she may be, but it was till going to take some work to train her. âI suppose it wouldnât hurt,â she said mildly. âSomeone has to stop you from teaching her all your bad habits, after all.â the oldest of the women smiled slyly, only teasing her friend, and withdrew a similar object from her own sleeve.
âLetâs get started.â
So the occasional off day, something her father had mandated for everyone but himselfânaturallyâwas something to be savored. Not because she disliked what she did, but because she rarely had any time for herself. Her off hours were a mix of training and resting, and Mika knew she was lucky that four hours of sleep a day was plenty for her. She was also lucky that the sun didnât hurt her any; it was one of the requisites for guarding anyone pureblooded, because their business could and did sometimes extend into the daylight hours. In most cases, it wouldnât be an issue, just because of the protection the Castle-City offered from the sun, but if someone had a meeting in the gardens, for example, well, the extra protection a noble would have needed was not permitted to a guard.
She and Haruka had trained a bit, and now they were just sitting in the grass and enjoying one anotherâs company, or at least they had been, until Mika scented someone else approaching. Roses and honeyâshe had to admit, it was a very potent smell. She knew just enough to understand who it belonged to, as well. Sitting up, Mika peered down the garden pathway. A head of pinkish hair confirmed her hypothesis, and she blinked dark eyes as the girl approached. She could smell something else tooâcookies?
âHello,â Aurelia said cheerfully, nodding to both Mika and Haruka. âI had leftovers from my visit with Miss Rhi today, so I thought the two of you might like some? Vasilâs not around, and I donât want to accidentally eat all of them myself.â Mika blinked again, this time in mild surprise, before turning to her friend, as if to ask if this was an ordinary occurrence.
Haruka was still unused to feeling the way she did, as if she were impenetrable, invincible. It was foreign to her, and she wasn't entirely sure if she would get used to it. She wasn't even sure if she had made the right decision, to give up her soul for something such as power. What was a soul when power was given in return? She was no fool, she knew she wasn't invincible, and neither was her father, however; the feeling, she didn't like it. Instead, she had spent most of her time training either in solitude, with Mika, or occasionally her familiar. Bibi wasn't a creature, oddly, of violence nor combat, but he was still his master's creation. He could be what she needed him to be. It was a way to work out the knots that seemed to form as well as an opportunity to test out her new limits.
She would never do that with Mika though. If she couldn't control her gift, she didn't want to be responsible for hurting her friend. And she didn't want that on her conscience either. She and Mika currently sat in the gardens, enjoying the silence between them when a familiar scent captured Haruka's attention. It seemed to do the same to Mika, as the dhampir sat up and turned towards the spot where a tuff of pink hair could be vaguely seen. A small, half smile crossed Haruka's lips as she too, rose from her spot, watching the human girl with a bit of curiousness. The smile blossomed on Haruka's face when Aurelia spoke, and raised a brow in slight amusement.
"Good evening, Lia. And you speak of it as if it is a bad thing to eat it all yourself," Haruka replied, her smile faltering mildly into a light smirk. "Though, I will say, if you cannot find Val, he will be missing out," she added, shrugging her shoulders while rolling her eyes. She had honestly began to fancy Aurelia's cooking, and could see why Nero had enjoyed it (even if he rarely showed it). It was something she had come to appreciate about the human girl whom she shared a home with. "What have you brought us today?"
Lia grinned. âVal? Iâd pay to see his face when you call him that.â The question recalled her attention to the basket in her arms, however, and she glanced down at it. âLetâs see⊠thereâs cookies, and raspberry strudel, and⊠oh! Blueberry muffins.â Setting the basket down, she knelt beside it and started rummaging through, pulling out plates of the aforementioned items and laying them out on a short patch of grass.
âDid you make anything that wasnât a sweet?â Mika asked, slightly disbelieving at the variety of confections the girl was producing from the basket. She made all of these to visit one person? No wonder there were leftovers. At that, Lia looked up and smiled sheepishly, shrugging as if to say she wasnât all that sure. She appeared to remember something, though, and stuck her hand out.
âYou must be Mika! Iâm Aurelia, but please feel free to call me Lia. Lots of people do.â Mika looked down at the girlâs hand for just a moment, somewhat surprised. It was not just anyone who would voluntarily spend time with a dhampir, let alone two. People tended to view them as abominations on both sides. Apparently, this young woman meant what she said in the Council meetings, about everyone being of equal worth. It managed to startle her more cynical side, and she cautiously reached to shake the proffered hand. Lai didnât seem to notice her hesitation, and simply smiled all the brighter.
âIâm glad I ran across you thoughâI was looking, but I donât have a very good nose or anything like that.â She tapped hers as if to emphasize the point, rolling golden eyes at herself. She really did have an unusual coloration, this girl. It bordered on unnatural. The strangest vampires ever got was the trademark blue hair of the Blake family, but even they had normal enough eye color. Sheâd never seen pink hair before. âI was hoping I might be able to ask a favor of you, Haruka. If you donât mind, that is.â
Haruka laughed in amusement as she watched Aurelia and Mika interact. Haruka was used to it by now, having lived with the girl for a few months now, she couldn't keep track of time really, and she had never been one to care to begin with. People were free to think what they wanted of her, so long as they didn't actually bother her. She usually would let people say what they will, however; that didn't always mean she held her tongue back if they said something a little...uncalled for. Haruka raised a curious brow at Aurelia's next statement though.
"A favor? Of me?" what could Aurelia possibly need her for? It was a little odd, and caught Haruka completely off guard. She remained quiet, rolling the inquery around a few times before blinking slowly. "What assistance can I be of?" she finally stated. She wasn't entirely sure she could assist Aurelia in anything really, but if the pink-haired girl needed her help, then she would give it. "I do not guarantee, however, that I will be successful in helping you," she added, as an after thought. If Aurelia still wanted her assistance, who was she to say no?
âActuallyâŠâ Aurelia fidgeted a bit nervously, chewing on her lower lip. How was she supposed to explain this? It seemed to be against her very nature, but she was swiftly realizing that she was going to need the help, or else she might not last long enough to do what she was supposed to accomplish with this life. This one chance, however short, she had to make things better. âI was hoping that you could teach me how to fight.â A pause. âIâve seen you practicing with your tessen. I might not be a fighter myself, but I know what it looks likeâthatâs not just dancing. I know it would be really obvious if I started wearing a sword or something. But a fan? Nobody would know, and⊠Iâd feel a little safer.â
Maybe it was something about the fact that even Einar had been injured in the work that they did that led her to believe she would need to know. She knew sheâd never be strong or fast compared to a vampire or a dhampir like Haruka, but she didn't have to be the strongest or the fastest. She just had to know enough to give her a fighting chance at getting away of the worst happened. She knew that Nero protected her, but she didnât want to make that any harder for him than it had to be, and even he couldnât be everywhere at the same time. She wouldnât want him to be, eitherâhe deserved to live his life the way he pleased, and not have to chase after her every time she was at risk for a mishap.
Fight? She wanted to learn how to fight? Haruka allowed the genuine look of surprise to cross her features, and she didn't bother to cover it up. Why would she want to learn how to fight? She was protected by Nero, regardless of what she did. Or at least she was certain that no harm would befall Aurelia unless someone wanted to deal with Nero. She blinked slowly, allowing the rest of the information to settle in before she glanced towards Mika. The only reason Haruka knew how to fight was because of Mika and Rikichi. They had both taught her, though she wasn't much younger than Mika. Still, that did not change the fact that Aurelia wanted to learn to at least protect herself, something Haruka could respect. Standing from her spot, she dusted her clothes off before turning towards the pink-haired girl.
"You are correct that no one would assume a fan could be a weapon," she stated, bringing forth her own tessen and tossing it towards Aurelia. "Dancing and fighting are one and the same. If you can dance, you can fight," she continued, ushering for the girl to stand. She then glanced towards Mika. "Care to help in this process?" she asked, grinning at her friend. It would, perhaps, be better if there were two people to show Aurelia rather than one to try and teach. Learning was not something that could be done overnight, and without doubt, Haruka knew it would take some time, however; Aurelia was bright. She would catch on quickly.
Mika raised an eyebrow as Aurelia hurried to stand, gripping the tessen all wrong. Bright she may be, but it was till going to take some work to train her. âI suppose it wouldnât hurt,â she said mildly. âSomeone has to stop you from teaching her all your bad habits, after all.â the oldest of the women smiled slyly, only teasing her friend, and withdrew a similar object from her own sleeve.
âLetâs get started.â