Epilogue 7: Auntie Makihel. |
The massive tigress raced across the clearing ahead, uncaring if a puffing Makihel could follow, or that was what an idiot would believe. In reality, the tigress was indicating it thought her a poor hunter, and had no respect for an Imperial spawn. And why shouldn’t she? She was a fifth ascension, the apex of existence. Makihel would have been more sore if she were not so much in awe.
Being friendly to a monochrome reaver opened a great many strange doors.
Another issue was that she was having to carry her own luggage, an absolutely pedestrian display, yet who among her father’s brood could claim to have crossed fifty worlds at the back of a fifth ascension? The contrast of immense privilege and barely disguised insults left her positively discombobulated. Her only succor was that this was, according to the tigress, the last stop. Another mad race through a small portal later, and she was panting inside of a metal structure of good size, obviously sealed for safety reasons.
This was it. Her destination. Finally.
Four people awaited them, all of them human. Makihel had never seen a human before, since Nezhra had never revealed that form, yet she could see now how her brother would find a partner among their numbers. They were esthetically tolerable to her sensibilities in a rugged sort of way. The swarthy man with a nature and earth ability wasn’t even too unpleasant to behold, and he had the sort of physique that made her wonder what it would feel to be held by such bear arms, not the chiseled muscles of a fast raider but the raw might of primal strength. He was just a guard though. The second person, much shorter, must be ‘Siobhan Stibbons’. A city guard member specialized in piloting mechanical birds capable of surveillance and even offense, as Makihel recalled.
Siobhan Stibbons was a woman of short stature and immense inner strength as befitted the spouse of a prince. Although she was unawakened, her spine was straight and her gaze steady in the presence of powerful beings, her apprehension only betrayed by the nervous beat of her heart. Fiery hair formed a soft halo around her sharp features. Lastly, Makihel glanced at the two remaining members of the small group, now busy peering at her companion and her from the safety of a well-crafted cart meant for children. Those two must barely be three summers old, and they were absolutely adorable with plump cheeks and roundish ears that made Makihel desperately want to lift them for a hug. Oh my.
When ‘Stibs’ walked forward, her voice didn’t quaver. She issued a greeting in a hissy tongue that made the tigress snort, then she unfolded a long piece of parchment taking great care not to look at the alien and spiky glyphs painted on its surface. The way they danced made Makihel’s mind swim.
The tigress chuffed her amusement. At the same time, monumental gates at the far end of the room opened for the fifth ascension who disappeared in a blur. Siobhan Stibbons then greeted her in her own tongue, a proper sentence tinged with capital city intonations. Makihel had to admit that her pronunciation was… passable. Certainly better than some of the Emerald Sea ruffians she’d worked with on occasion. The greeting was extremely formal, as befitted a first meeting which pleased Makihel.
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Makihel returned the bow offered to her. When she rose again, Stibs’ placid face had bloomed in an expression of pure happiness. Ah, Serethion, Serethion. How could you resist such undiluted feelings? You poor fool.
“Are you familiar with our language then?” Makihel asked, taking the initiative to close the distance between them to close the official part of the meeting, and open the intimate one. They were, after all, family. Just as her two cute nephews staring at her with those huge round eyes and how could they be so pleasantly chubby?
Stibs’ reply was slow and measured with a great attention paid to proper diction, as always, a vanishingly rare art Makihel always valued.
“I have a conversational level in the tongue. Seth and I created a dictionary as well as a basic translator, which I am using to assist me right now, but I am still missing most of the cultural context required to talk with someone of your rank. Vassily here has a translator as well so you can depend on him.”
The well-built human bowed smartly while Siobhan Stibbons continued.
“Feel free to speak to us though it might take us a while to reply.”
“I will keep metaphors and references to a minimum,” Makihel confirmed. “When my brother returns to our world, I will be sure to share the most essential books for the education of the small ones.”
Makihel had also brought books and children toys, many used to teach the basics of mana manipulation and perception. Since Siobhan Stibbons was unawakened herself, she would need assistance in this specific aspect of raising noble blood. However, it was not the time for gifts yet, and stating her lack of core would be in poor taste.
“My husband has gone raiding, unfortunately, but he will be back shortly,” Siobhan Stibbons continued. “I apologize as we didn’t exactly know the time of your arrival.”
“That is quite alright,” Makihel said, now turning towards her nephews. “There are more people I wish to be acquainted with.”
Siobhan Stibbons spoke to the children in her tongue, then repeated the same sentence in heavenly for her benefit.
“Children, this is Aunt Makihel, dad’s sister. Come on, say hi!”
But the two children hid, peering cautiously over the cart’s edge at the newcomer.
“By the Emperor they are exactly like their father when he was their age. I remember it. Always so bashful! I had to drag him everywhere, push him to greet others, and he would try to hide behind me despite his towering height.”
“Oh don’t mention it they’re already over a meter ten. At this speed I’ll have to look up to them before they hit puberty.”
“How can they be so adorable! I had no idea mixed bloods like them could even live, not to mention be this strikingly fetching! I must resist the urge to hug them until after we grow more familiar.”
It would not do to leave a bad first impression. But really, perhaps their two people should grow closer. She stole a glance towards the towering guard.
“Greetings, Your Grace,” he said with a growling accent and a devilish smile. “My name is Vassily.”
“Do not even entertain the notion.”