Just over an hour passed before the three of us cleaned up and made out way back out to the deck, and when we did we were met with a wall of blushing and smirks. Mostly smirks. Honestly only Ollie and Azuriel seemed embarrassed, even Liru was grinning as she sipped her tea.

  “You three have fun with your little discussion?” Dekarru asked, clearly fighting ughter as she spoke.

  I stuck my tongue out at her as we took our seats at the table. “In fact, we did.” Tendri looked like she wanted to hide under a rock and vanish, but when I took her hand in mine and squeezed she visibly rexed.

  Henna was blushing just ever so slightly, I think the others might not even notice to be honest. Well, Carmil did, her ability to read people was even more impressive than my own skill boosted capacity. A fact that the smile on her face made clear, to me at least.

  Carmil spoke first once we were all seated again. “Not that I am compining, or judging, I am in fact quite happy with events. But why?” She asked Tendri, motioning towards both me and Henna.

  The inscriber cleared her throat. “I… had many reasons.”

  “More than just a burning desire for a group… ‘conversation’?” Carmil chuckled.

  “I, yes, more than just that.” Tendri took a breath and straightened her back, fighting and winning against the urge to try and shrink away. I felt myself smile. “I wanted to know what it was like to… share, emotionally? Sort of?” She sighed and shook her head. “Curiosity, an urge to do something crazy when I had the chance, being unbelievably turned on by Esme’s more direct nature and open desire for me. I also wanted to try and see if it felt wrong, I got the feeling it wouldn’t, but…”

  “But?” My elemental love asked with a soft voice.

  “I wanted to know as soon as possible. I wanted to know if this would be the barrier that made things not work. I can’t spend years yearning and not knowing again. I’d die inside from that.” Her eyes turned to mine and she smiled. “I needed to see if I would break, because if I was going to I wanted to get it over with so I could just go home and move on.”

  Henna’s face gave the slightest shift in mood, the tiniest sign that she wasn’t happy with the answer. Carmil, of course, caught on and acted. “But why the general specifically? Would just anyone have worked?”

  Tendri jerked in pce, panic on her features for a moment before she turned to Henna. “No! Oh gods no! Not at all! I wanted you, specifically you!” A statement which caused some giggles and additional blushing at the table. “I mean, uh, fuck. You understand. You mourned and got her back. You… You maybe, maybe wanted to grab her and do—have a conversation for some of the same reason.” She reached over and took Henna’s hand. “You wanted to hold her and make sure it was real, to drag her off to have a moment of passion because you regretted not doing more before you lost her.”

  Henna smiled, understanding and nodding before leaning over to kiss Tendri. They shared their lips tenderly, true passion tempered by a moment of raw emotional connection. When the kiss broke, the general smiled brighter. “Yeah, that’s pretty accurate. So you chose me because of our shared grief.”

  Tendri’s lips pressed together in a show of her embarrassment before she nodded. “Also you’re really sexy and I figured if I was going to do that I wanted someone I was attracted to.”

  Henna ughed. “The feeling is mutual in that respect.”

  Tendri ughed as well, her nerves pouring out with the sound. Gods I missed her. But also, I didn’t. Because really, Lietri only knew part of her. She wore blinders and only saw a fraction of the amazing woman that sat next to me. I missed the idea Lietri had of her, but I was learning so much more about her than my former life could have imagined.

  Weren grinned. “Can I be next?” She asked as she peered lustfully at Tendri.

  “Behave, twat.” Dekarru tossed a walnut at the cook.

  Tendri froze for a moment, but recovered quickly. She stared directly at Weren and said, “No, sorry, Carmil is next.” Forcing herself to not colpse into flustered stammering.

  It worked, the table gasping and grinning and Wen being stunned into silence for once. I know that little comeback took a monumental amount of effort and control from Tendri because I could read her body nguage, and she was screaming in panic on the inside.

  “I’ll have to insist on a date first,” the blood elemental interjected, a happy grin on her lips. “But I would not mind at all having a lovely day at the park with you.”

  “How long till they join the weekly orgies?” Wen said with a smirk just before getting pelted with more walnuts from all sides. “Ack! Hey!”

  “Ollie! Do you know why we’re not feeling the wind on deck?” Tendri practically yelled the question, her limit for dealing with this situation having apparently been reached.

  “Yes! Yes I do!” Ollie said, also quite loudly. The thin yer of fur she had was puffed up in embarrassment, the subject clearly a bit much for her as well. “There are a minimum of six fully independent arcanicraft mana circuits on modern airships, and any with an external deck have a seventh used to drastically lessen the effects of the wind on said decks. This doesn’t mean there is never wind, but if you’re feeling a slight breeze that means it is howling around the ship.” As she spoke her embarrassment abated and was repced by excitement, the chance to ‘nerd out’ over something she clearly loved seeming to wipe away the awkwardness of the previous conversation from her mind.

  “Why so many circuits? What kinds of systems need to be separate?” Liru asked.

  “Aye, seems a bit excessive.” Brigga leaned on the table, turning to face Ollie. “The lift systems I get, they need ta be as well insuted and rugged as they can be, but what else needs that treatment?”

  Ollie perked up at the questioning, very happy to respond. “Lift, propulsion, navigation, communication, air purifying, and water processing. For the most part they don’t all need to be as durable as the lift circuit, but any of them going down can be a significant problem. Not to mention that each of these systems is power intensive enough that one failing can possibly cause a cascade failure into other systems, so its safer in general to keep them separate.”

  With the topic changed(complete with Dekarru giving Wen a silent warning to behave via gre) and embarrassment cooled, we got back to enjoying the rest of the afternoon.

  Liru Casabina proved to be a brilliant woman whose preferred field of inscription was medical. She came from a family of tattoo artists and had been researching the idea of inscribed tattoos for medical purposes. Tattoos to help alleviate chronic illness symptoms for instance. Apparently she initially turned Vei’Ryn down, but changed her mind when my own unintentional rune tattoos were discussed. I made a mental note to bring her to meet Tulip soon. Those two might change the world. As it was, she could inscribe some simple arcanicraft medical device runes that Jaina was very excited to get her hands on. Willow Creek’s medical capabilities were only considered near peer level with Uvtrayl and Pitrak because of the unusually high rate of magical healers thanks to the influence of the Green Mother and Blue Father on their people. Having some modern medical instruments would make the nurse far more comfortable. Briggavel was also excited to learn to make the devices, prompting Dekarru to roll her eyes and make an ‘official request for the blueprints for such designs from our new allies’. Or in yman's terms, she asked Henna if she could get them for us.

  Liru’s extended family was part of a small community of very traditional people, but not in the same ways as Briggavel’s. They kept up traditions of their ethnic group native to a part of what was now south-east Pitrak, taking on roles not unlike a librarian or museum curator. Just making sure that the old ways were not lost. In fact, they had recently opened a visitor’s center and were hoping to earn enough to start a real museum. She seemed to think that The Ritual’s worship would be very popur to her folks, and I had to admit it sounded like that would likely be true. When she told them she was going to be part of an envoy of peace, her family was worried but proud. She had moved to the capital to learn inscription a few years prior, but never kept out of contact with her hometown for long. So when her folks were told, she ended up receiving a deluge of messages from family and friends and old neighbors wishing her well. The quiet of the ride to Beaver Valley ended up being a blessing for her.

  Oleander Bluesnowfruit (A name that like Merryberry apparently sounded far more respectable in Breetabra, the faun nguage), was a nervous but easily excited woman. In Earth terms, I would hazard a guess that she was on the autism spectrum. In seconds, she could go from dead quiet and clearly afraid or cripplingly anxious to a ball of cheer and enthusiasm that a demon couldn’t slow down. Particurly when talking about vehicles. Not just airships it seemed. When someone mentioned the vardo, she lit up and begged to see it when we got back. Brigga was more than happy to show off her beloved rolling home so she agreed as long as there was still light and no other matters cropped up that needed them.

  One interesting detail we got from the elf-faun girl was that she was apparently not from Pitrak originally, but the continent of Cambradash, in fact she had been born in the Imperial capital of Deshan Kana. Unfortunately, it was as a very politically inconvenient bastard of a major noble with one of his maids. So she and her mother got sent as far away as they could and thus when she was seven, she arrived in Pitrak to make her new home. She said it was quite difficult at first, she was the only non-human child in her neighborhood and thus got picked on a lot.

  But, she did make friends with an arcanicraft engineer. She tried to learn the craft, having a true passion for it, but she simply didn’t have any talent for the work. At least in part because she couldn’t build enough muscle for the physically demanding work. Three broken fingers and one fractured leg in two months finally made her give that up. But, a chance encounter with an inscriber coming to check on the work of a device showed her a way she could be involved in arcanicraft after all.

  Brigga was finding herself very pleased that day, the idea of an inscriber that actually understood the mechanics of the engineering side of things well was like a birthday present to the dwarf. I got the feeling that Briggavel and Ollie were going to be fast friends. Especially as Brigga seemed to catch the sudden changes to the young woman’s moods and adjust to them quickly, keeping her comfortable even when her anxiety spiked.

  Flyt broke the subject of the three inscribers friendship, prompting the details of the three of them meeting up in a park the day after their dreams. All of them having expected that this would come to nothing and they’d feel foolish for having believed something they saw in their sleep was real. But when they encountered one another and Tendri asked if they had also had strange dreams, the dam broke and they bonded over the situation they all found themselves in quickly.

  Though the friendship only really started when they all found themselves in a caravan together for days on end with nothing to do but talk and py cards. Ollie in particur was pleased to find out that they all got along and had simir senses of humor. Humor that included pranking the more serious members of the envoy in small but constant ways. Worry struck me as I imagined the three of them and Wen without supervision.

  As the sky started to shift to the sunset's hues, the clouds painted in a soft orange glow, a young man in uniform ran over and whispered something in Henna’s ear. Her back straightened immediately and she nodded to him. As he ran full tilt back into the ship she turned to me. “I’ve been ordered back to the city.”

  “Ordered? Ah, the High Marshal is awake then.” I smiled and took a breath. “Call her and let her know we’ll be meeting her in the elder’s council chambers. Also, Dekarru, please clear us using said chambers while I call the Pitrak envoy. It’s time to go say hi.”

  We all made our necessary calls in the Thunderbane’s communications room while we took the short trip back to the waters on the edge of the floating business district. When we nded a pair of boats was already waiting for us, one to take Henna, Dekarru and I, the other for everyone else. A small reassurance that everything was fine was needed to calm Ollie and Ephi, both of whom had very active and vaguely paranoid imaginations. But they were convinced by my rexed and happy promises that this was nothing bad.

  Azuriel however, very politely demanded that I bring her along. I was still not entirely certain of her loyalties, but my gut told me that I could trust her so I agreed. The relief that struck her when I said yes was so strong I could practically taste it in the air around her. Something was bugging her and while I had an idea forming about what, I wasn’t going to make assumptions quite yet.

  One boat ride and one car ride ter, we walked into the council chambers and the three women with me all gasped. I just smiled and stepped closer to the table where Olivia and Sellian stood, talking to one another. A pair of assistants, one from each envoy, sat in chairs against the wall looking absolutely overwhelmed. It was hirious and uplifting to watch the two young men muttering to one another in commonality with the crazy situation they found themselves in. I had hope that it was a sign of future cooperation.

  Prime Minister Carvat jumped from the seat he’d been in at the table and turned to face me, his face wet with tears, a bright smile accompanying them. “Saint Dreamsinger! She-, she’s walking!”

  Sellian sighed. “Poorly, even with help. Sit down Mir.” She looked at me and chuckled. “Okay, yeah, you’re here so now I can stop fighting this,” then with a grunt and the assistance of Olivia, she lowered herself into her wheelchair which waited next to her. “Thank you dear, totally worth it to be standing when they arrived though.”

  Olivia smirked. “I certainly agree, though it was about to give your brother a heart attack.”

  Sellian and Olivia both faced us, changed. The brilliant woman from Pitrak now had the same tanned parchment skin and paper white hair as the Mentor, and her eyes were now solid pink orbs that shone as if made of crystal. She y back carefully in her chair and sighed. “Gods, I can wiggle my fucking toes again. I can move, I can stand up and even walk a few steps! My nerve damage is gone.” She ughed cheerfully and gave a warm smile to her brother who was looking happy but worried. “Though, as I expined to my worrywart sibling, I still have to build up some muscle to do more than that. Being made a Saint didn’t just automatically put me in some sort of ‘conventionally perfect’ body.”

  “Perfection is overrated, I just want happiness and safety.” Olivia spoke up. She had skin like worn steel and hair the color of charcoal, every movement of her head making it dance and seem to flow into the air like smoke. Her eyes were pitch bck and had no reflection. I would have found it disturbing if I didn’t know what she was, what it meant. “General Devatius, I hope you enjoyed yourself today.”

  Henna stepped forward, eyes wide. “Liv?” Then she cleared her throat, blushing deeply. “High Marshal Turanade, please forgive my breach of… what the fuck Liv?” Henna blurted out as the moment overwhelmed even her own sense of decorum.

  Olivia ughed. “Pretty sure I have to retire now, Anna. I’m serving a goddess, I can’t serve a country too. Not in the capacity I did anyway.” There was a small hint of sorrow in the smile she gave the general. “And it’s Saint Shieldheart now. Apparently you become a sort of family member to the god you serve when this happens, to the point that you get a new surname.”

  Sellian snorted and shook her head. “Saint Whisperquill. No idea what it means but it’s certainly memorable.”

  “It's obvious isn’t it?” I interjected. “You were the silent leader of Pitrak, a soft word steering your nation towards academic equality and greatness.”

  “Oh.” She ughed and shook her head. “Yeah, that does make sense now that you mention it. Though for the record, I never wanted to rule. I just wanted to help my brother.”

  “And he just wanted to help you.” I smirked.

  Dekarru cleared her throat. “Can we please talk about the fact that there are now THREE fucking saints in Willow Creek’s capital, and none are of our own gods?!”

  “We are allied to your gods, rather deeply as I understand it.” Olivia spoke up. “We. Wow, that feels… weird but still right?”

  “We. Yeah, yeah it’s off but in a good way,” Sellian agreed.

  I put a hand on the oracle’s shoulder. “Look at it this way, our three nations now have an even more profound connection and a greater cause for peace.”

  Dekarru gave me a half-hearted gre. “You could have warned me.”

  “And ruin the surprise?!” Mary’s voice piped up, the fae practically dancing into the room from a shadow. “Oh this is absolutely glorious. The chaos that this is going to cause in the media alone will keep me entertained for months at least. I’m going to have to buy a radio at this rate.” She chuckled to herself, plopping down in a chair at the table and taking a long happy breath. “I’m honestly in a good fucking mood again. Finally. I don’t have to pretend.”

  “Imagine how happy you’ll be keeping tabs on this madness after we clear out those demon nests.” Olivia grinned as she took a seat, speaking to the Fae-Lord and giving a small bow of her head out of respect. “Two Saints accompanying the task force will make quite a difference.”

  “Two?” Henna asked.

  Sellian responded with a deeply amused tone, “What, you want me to get wheeled out there and talk them to death? No thank you, I’m not a fighter.”

  “That is a fair point.”

  Mary cpped and smiled brightly. “Brilliant, wonderful, amazing! Or at least I think so.” Then she suddenly twisted and stood at the same time in an impossible way that made her body look like a red spiral blur for a moment, a brief reminder of her nature. “But someone here seems to disagree.”

  I followed her gaze and looked behind me to Azuriel. The angel was backed against the wall, hands clenched tight over her chest which rose and fell rapidly. Her glowing blue eyes were wide as she flicked them between the three Saints in the room. The sheer panic I read in her made my breath falter as I turned to go to her.

  “Azuriel, hey, look at me, what’s wrong?” I spoke as I moved to block her sight, hoping that pulling her attention entirely away from the others would calm her down.

  “Too much, too many changes, all too fast.” Her words came as shallow gasps, I could barely understand her.

  I moved closer and slowly pced my hands on her shoulders, channeling Soothe into the celestial as I tried to draw her eyes to my own. “Look at me. Focus on me.”

  The blue lights under her skin that fshed from embarrassment also seemed to do so in a far faster and more chaotic manner when she was panicked. But as I grabbed her attention and the spell took hold, the lights gradually slowed, her eyes locked with mine, and she took a slow, deep breath. “I… I think I’m okay.”

  I gently pulled her into a hug, letting her rest her head on my shoulder as her arms wrapped around me as well. “Can you talk about it, or do you need time?”

  She shook her head slightly. “Forbidden.”

  “What, do you mean it's against Pure Lands ws or something like that?”

  Mary spoke, her tone quieter and more respectful than I might have expected. “She means it’s a religious taboo. There are some odd things that upset angels, deeply. But even my own exploration of the details has never managed to gain any answers as to why. Its something sacred, and something terrifying. That’s all that I have managed to figure out.” The Fae-Lord let out a small sigh. “Honestly, it can get so bad that even I feel sympathy for them. My advice is take your angel home and comfort her, Saint. I’d hate to be wrong about you and her, and I think having her break would certainly count.”

  Azuriel’s arms tightened around me and I could feel an undercurrent of fear coming from her. “Lets go home. I bet Wen will grill you up some fish if you ask nicely.” I whispered into her ear.

  With Dekarru’s help I apologized for the sudden departure and promised to meet up with them again soon. Then we got a ride back to the encve district to rex, have dinner, and get some rest. I still intended on taking the team out the next day, or just me and Azuriel if need be, to get her that st level she needed.

  But on the trip, my mind was focused on something troubling. At the height of her panic, I swore that just for the briefest moment, the blue under her skin had turned red. I wasn’t entirely certain that I had actually seen it, and I knew little enough about celestials that I had no idea what that could mean even if I had. I would ask her tomorrow, it was likely just a sign of a deeper emotional reaction that usual.

  But that red, it prodded something in my mind I couldn’t identify, something that made my stomach twist and turn. Something that terrified me.