A couple hours later, inside the elven royal library...
Ilina glances at me over the makeshift Rubi-...err, Ophelle Cube, that I conjured from forcefields, a beaming smile on her face. We're currently sitting on a quiet reading couch together, nestled among the bookshelves.
An hour of practice after I taught her the simplest (but least efficient) algorithm I know, she's now solving the cube in about three minutes. All she needs to do is practice the hand movements more, and I'm sure that time will dwindle to what I promised.
Ilina giggles in delight, marveling at the completed cube for a few seconds before turning to face me.
"Hehehe...this is so much better than being interrogated! And you were right, I can really solve it now!" (Ilina)
I smile at her, glad to see her mood improving from when I first arrived at the palace, and slip my arm around her shoulder. She immediately leans in, nuzzling against my side affectionately. She lets out a deep, contented sigh.
After a few moments of silence, she speaks, her voice softer than usual.
"Hey, Mizuki...thanks for visiting me like this. It really means a lot." (Ilina)
I glance down, only to find her enchanting grey eyes studying the lines of my face expectantly, chin resting on my chest. As soon as our gazes meet, she pulls herself up slightly against my chest, pressing our lips together. The kiss is soft, lingering, and her lips taste of something sweet.
After moments I don't care to count, she reluctantly breaks the kiss, holding our faces close enough that I can still feel her breath tickling my lips. Her fingers stroke my cheek absentmindedly, a lazy smile on her face, and her eyes meet mine. I smile back, my voice turning teasing.
"Careful...incentivize me too much, and I'll make interrupting your work a habit." (Mizuki)
She grins mischievously.
"I wouldn't mind that...I can put you to work." (Ilina)
I raise my eyebrows.
"Oh yeah? Then, I take it I was helpful today?" (Mizuki)
After the gift Selection, I also helped her with the dessert Selection. Originally, I wanted to make ice cream, but apparently that wasn't going to work. When I tried to inquire about 'vanilla beans' in this world, I quickly realized that I said it in English. Ergo, either they don't exist in Azura, they exist but haven't been identified, or there's a counterpart plant dissimilar enough to be called by another name. Since I don't really know how to identify the plant other than its 'vanilla' smell, and I haven't eaten anything that tasted of it, searching felt like a fool's errand.
So, that pushed me towards my ultimate recommendation – caramel apples covered in nuts. Azura has the apples (i.e., wah'lugs), and I've seen something similar to an almond inside the kur'kes I've had here. As for making the soft, chewy variety of caramel, it's been clear from the start that the Elven Kingdom has dairy products, so I just needed sugar.
Fortunately, I recently identified some in Wellick's bakery market, thought it seems like the sucrose is extracted from a different plant than sugar cane. Unfortunately, the market for it seems relatively niche, so I'm not sure if pure sugar can be bought in the quantities needed to serve a wedding.
After some quick mental planning, though, I'm pretty sure that I can synthesize the sucrose myself. The whole molecule is a little too complicated for my standard alchemy spell. But I think I can use a series of custom chemistry spells to synthesize the individual ring substituents as nonreactive powders, solubilize and conjugate them into the final product, filter out unused reactants, then dehydrate it into familiar sugar crystals.
Anyway, after running a description of the caramel apples by Mira and the others, Ilina got their preliminary approval to use them as her dessert Selection. Of course, that's dependent on them tasting a sample production and enjoying it, so I'll need to expedite my original plans on the caramel production front.
I'm pulled from my recollection by the sound of Ilina clicking her tongue playfully, followed by a light slap on my chest.
"Since when are you the one fishing for compliments?" (Ilina)
I push my bottom lip out, sniffling theatrically.
"My lovely wife is so stingy with her praise..." (Mizuki)
Ilina smirks, a dangerous glint in her eyes. Before I can even worry, though, she wraps her warms around my neck and gracefully pulls herself into my lap, leaning forward until her chin rests on my shoulder. A sultry whisper hits my ear, sending shivers down my spine.
"Hmm, what a shame. Is that how you'd prefer I express my appreciation? Because I had...other ideas." (Ilina)
My whole body goes stiff. I glance around nervously, my voice incredulous.
"Wait, you don't mean...right here!?" (Mizuki)
She pulls away just enough to look me in the eyes. She bites her lips provocatively and shrugs, her voice turning combative.
"So what if I do? Nobody else is in here, Klaus is guarding the door, and don't you have silencing and invisibility spells? Didn't realize you were such a coward." (Ilina)
I stare at her in silence for several moments, totally bewildered, but she just looks back at me with that same challenging expression. I shake my head in exasperation.
"You're...kind of insane. You know that, right?" (Mizuki)
She doesn't respond. Instead, she just raises her eyebrows, staring at me expectantly. I let out a deep sigh.
Then, I cast a couple spells around the couch...
¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬
In the cat-kin's Temple, shortly after Mizuki's departure...
Nareen stares at the space that Mizuki was occupying just a few moments ago, a conflicted expression on his face. After a moment, he clicks his tongue disapprovingly.
'I can't decide if I'm annoyed by him ditching us, or jealous of that exit...'
He turns to the others, seated at the large table nearby, Mizuki's final telepathic message still lingering in everyone's heads. He raises his eyebrows, addressing Zara with a curious tone.
"Hey, so what he said...about casting a lethal protective spell on you...can he really do that?" (Nareen)
Zara stares back at him in silence for a moment, then looks away calmly.
"I'm not sure, but...probably." (Zara)
Nareen shakes his head in amazement, turning to face his parents, who are still wearing horrified expressions. However, he doesn't get the chance to say anything, before...
BANG!
Teyla slams her fists on the table, staring towards Mizuki's former location with an enraged expression.
"That bastard really just ditched me-...I mean us! What the hell!?" (Teyla)
She turns towards Zara, clearly expecting similar outrage, but Zara is unbothered. She raises her eyebrows at Teyla.
"It was unexpected, but...I see no reason for alarm. His presence isn't needed at this stage, and it's reasonable for him to assume we'd want more time for diplomatic discussions." (Zara)
Teyla's expression twists in disbelief, while Zara unhurriedly moves her gaze to the King and Queen.
"I know we'd mostly finished discussing subjects of importance, but might we impose on you a bit longer, until Mizuki returns? It should be a few hours at most." (Zara)
Lyra and Mufaza glance at one another briefly before nodding at Zara.
"Of course, consider our home open to you for the afternoon." (Mufaza)
Lyra's gaze drifts from Zara and Teyla to Nareen, and something about the way she looks at him fills him with a sense of dread.
"Why don't we all head somewhere more comfortable, and I'll have the servants prepare us food? Perhaps while we wait, Nareen can regale us with a recounting of his time with your mysterious friend Mizuki." (Lyra)
Nareen watches everyone's eyes drift to him, and he stiffens. Zara hums thoughtfully.
"Thank you, Queen Lyra, that sounds appealing. I'm also a bit curious about what Mizuki and Nareen discussed alone." (Zara)
Nareen smiles nervously under their curious and expectant gazes.
'Great...sounds fun...'
¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬
"...aaannnnd that's about it! It's like...NOM NOM...I told you, he was...SLURRRP...pretty easygoing." (Nareen)
Paying no mind to the incredulous gazes of his family, Zara, and Teyla, Nareen wipes his mouth and leans back into the couch contentedly, admiring the pile of empty plates on the table in front of him.
As his mother suggested before, the group made their way into a separate, more comfortable room while the servants prepared a feast for everyone. After that, and at everyone's behest, he was forced to narrate his entire time alone with Mizuki in painful detail – between generous helpings of food and drink, of course.
His father looks between him on one couch, and Zara and Teyla on another, an incredulous expression on his face.
"So...he's not an Elder Dragon or one of the other races we suspected, but instead one of these...Nephilim?" (Mufaza)
Nareen just nods, assuming he doesn't need to repeat something so basic. His mother speaks next, her expression thoughtful.
"So, not only is he truly associated with the elves, but he's effectively their Prince. Plus, one wife that's a high elf princess, and another that's an Elder Dragon...that's unexpected." (Lyra)
She turns her attention to Zara and Teyla, her tone curious.
"Then...does he intend to take you two as wives as well?" (Lyra)
Teyla partially spits up the tea she was in the middle of drinking, spiraling into a coughing fit, while Zara just shakes her head as though it's a perfectly normal question.
"No, my relationship with him is more like an older brother or mentor. As for Teyla, she's only known him a couple of days – their dynamic is also platonic, regardless of how much she may appear to flirt with him." (Zara)
Still choking on her tea, Teyla casts an aggrieved look at Zara, which Zara ignores. Lyra raises her eyebrows.
"I see..." (Lyra)
However, Nareen can't help but stare at the two women in surprise. He interjects, his voice bewildered.
"Wait...then no offense, but why is he hanging out with you?" (Nareen)
Realizing how what he just said could be interpreted, he freezes, subtly glancing at his mother for her reaction. However, Lyra is watching Zara expectantly, as though she also wants to know the answer.
Zara frowns at the question, but doesn't voice any dissatisfaction.
"Because he wants to...I'm past thinking there needs to be more of a reason than that." (Zara)
Nareen gives her a dubious look, while Lyra's eyes narrow, sensing something quite relevant about the answer.
"Meaning?" (Lyra)
Zara shrugs.
"If I understand your son, he's wondering what value I have to someone like Mizuki. Much like how Elder Dragons don't associate with weaker creatures, perhaps he assumes Mizuki is the same. But if that were true, who would Mizuki associate with at all? What would possibly interest him?
"I've known him long enough to know his power. He could kill an Elder Dragon as easily as a bug, and there's almost nothing anyone in this world has to offer him. On a very basic level, the rest of us simply can't relate to his situation, so isn't interpreting his actions in terms of my own experiences foolish?" (Zara)
Lyra's eyes widen, and Mufaza is quick to interject, his voice distinctly unsettled.
"K-Killing Elder Dragons? Are...Nephilim really that dangerous?" (Mufaza)
Nareen can't blame his father for the obvious question...he feels the same degree of shock.
'Is she for real!? The guy said he was "pretty powerful" – what a damn joke!'
Zara raises her eyebrows at Mufaza incredulously, the first trace of emotion breaking through her stoic demeanor.
"Dangerous? After everything you've seen and heard today, surely you're joking..." (Zara)
Mufaza opens his mouth, then closes it, and the room descends into silence. Just when Nareen is thinking of saying something himself, he sees Mizuki appear directly in his field of vision. Absent one second, eerily present the next.
Mizuki glances around the room of now stunned faces and smiles playfully.
"Soooo...how's everything going? All good?" (Mizuki)
Nareen can't help but give the guy a deadpan glare.
'There's no way his timing is this good...he's got to be intentionally making dramatic entrances.'