"Ivy."
"Ivy!"
The heiress lurched, throwing out her hands as she gasped for air. She was expecting Lila to be there when she awoke. But instead, all she could see in front of her was the face of a concerned Lunae.
"Are you alright?" Lunae whispered anxiously. "I sensed you were in peril."
Ivy grimaced as she crawled out of bed. "I-it's not me, I think something's wrong with Lila. I could feel it. I was there."
"Oh no," Lunae stated with genuine concern in her voice. "Not her."
The heiress fidgeted with the frills of her skirt, her attire having changed into a less formal nightgown. She was clearly nervous about something, but lacked the courage to say it.
"If only it weren't true," Ivy muttered.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"I think I've had enough Psionic experiences for one day, I'm sorry."
"We can walk on it, silly." Lunae giggled. "Outside. No powers needed."
Ivy had never considered the possibility of having a friend to confide in. Yet that thought alone was a bit of self-admission regarding Lila. There was a keen difference in her relationships with the girls of the Aerie.
"I would...like that, yes." Ivy nodded meekly. "Lila needs her space anyway."
Lunae turned to Sonera, who was brooding silently in the corner as she observed Rena and Alia from a distance. She herself had reasons to run from her chosen companion. Recognizing her shared interests with the heiress, Lunae left without another word.
Ivy grimaced as her eyes fluttered. "Lunae, listen, I-."
"I know." Lunae was well out of earshot before continuing her next sentence. "We're not just the ladies of the group, Ivy. Sonera and Lila are human."
"We'll never be like them...will we?" The heiress looked down at her feet in shame.
Lunae led Ivy out of the building by hand, breathing in the fresh air of the Aeire's daylit courtyard. It was actually quite peaceful when unbesmerched by aliens and blood games. The moist cobblestone and rustling foliage gave off the impression of something relatable yet still fantastical and alien in an exciting sort of way.
"No." Luane sighed. "But it's not all bad. You still have yourself to figure out, Ivy. I'm afraid my fate has been settled from the start."
"Don't be ridiculous." Ivy formed a slight smirk. "We both have no idea what we are. Learn to give yourself some grace."
"And learn to take a compliment, girly," Lunae played, mimicking a bit of Lila's humor. "I can't imagine you're far off from your companion. I'm completely alien compared to Lunae."
Ivy found it hard to disagree. She had always imagined she was incubated in some sort of way, no doubt due in part to her father's classified technology. Coming out of the womb was seen as primitive and dirty on Callisto.
And an heiress of Tesselation had no business being so genetically spotty. Ivy was confident she was an organic human masterpiece. But how she was born, particularly with Psionic potential, was a bit of a mystery to her.
"Well...I am way out of her league." Ivy bragged. "Might as well be alien."
The girls relaxed their posture as they strolled along the rocky path. There was an innumerable number of directions to wander, so long as they didn't hit the wall on the distant horizon. Yrix's guards wouldn't bother them either - not that it would be an issue.
The girls were Psionic warriors now. They had a level of confidence to aspire to. If anything, they were becoming more worried about interpersonal drama over death.
"Say, now that we mention it." Ivy continued. "Lunae...what are you?"
"I'm not sure you would understand if I even told you," Lunae muttered.
The heiress jabbed Lunae playfully. "Try me. We're here to talk about things that Sonera and Lila can't hear."
"Let's resolve your item first, deal?"
"Deal."
Ivy stopped in her tracks. She wasn't actually ready to talk about Lila. But she had to.
"I think Lila is breaking. Slowly but surely. And it's my fault."
"Now you're being ridiculous, Ivy." Lunae reprimanded. "You're her beacon. Her light in the dark. You hold her together."
"That's what you want us to be. Doesn't make it real, Lunae." Ivy frowned. "We're problems for Sonera and Lila."
"Speak for yourself." Lunae scoffed. "Actually, no, speak for no one. Yrix started this. She broke them before we ever met. It's up to us to fix them."
"And how exactly are we doing that? By dumping our problems on them? I don't know your whole story with Sonera, but I'm a parasite in Lila's mind." Ivy ranted with frustration in her voice. "I steal her childhood whimsy, I chain her like a dog in my fantasies, and I even-."
She stopped herself short. Some part of her mind was unable to process just what had happened at the end of her dream. What she did know, however, was that Lila was harmed.
Lunae knew it too.
"I won't claim to be perfect either." The blue-haired girl whimpered, thinking of her experiences with Sonera. "But do try and keep in mind what we've done for them."
"We're selfish."
"We saved them."
"For our own gain."
"For love."
Ivy groaned. "Is that what we're calling this?"
Lunae rebuked. "Look me in the eyes and tell me Lila is just a friend to you."
Ivy hesitated. She had an answer. But it wasn't what Lunae was looking for.
"She's a pet," Ivy growled. "What's that about not being a bad person?"
"I never said we were good people."
"We need them more than they need us."
Lunae snapped. Her mind was boiling over with the intention to speak plainly. Ivy could see it coming a mile away.
"So what?" Lunae's markings flashed red. "Why can't we have them?"
The heiress's eyes similarly changed their hue, proving her relatable position. She and Lunae did indeed have something in common. And that went well beyond being the 'ladies' of the group.
"So we're being honest now?" Ivy scoffed, placing a hand on her chest. "So we can admit we see them as toys."
Lunae did the same. "Toys we love!"
"When I see Lila, I see a dog I want to adopt to make myself feel less empty."
"Sonera is a beast I have to tame to satiate my hunger."
At a certain point, honesty became a veil for the two maniacal girls. How they felt regarding their chosen companions did not change the truth. But they were both far too jaded to see past themselves.
"Well, at least we can be freaks together," Ivy growled. "Hurting everything we touch."
Lunae responded with an act that took the heiress off guard entirely. It was Ivy's assumption that her words had offended the strange girl. But instead, they seemed to comfort her.
Lunae hugged Ivy, holding her tight.
The heiress's bare shoulders jittered nervously. She barely even knew how to react once she felt Lunae's tail brush against her back.
She had a tail?
"Then we have to be better," Lunae whispered. "For them."
"What the hell are you?" Ivy hissed, not realizing she had already returned the hug with an awkward embrace of her own.
Lunae had trusted her with the revelation that she had a tail. And despite the heiress's curt words, she did appreciate the gesture. It was nice having someone be open with her.
"A monster," Lunae replied.
"Pretty dainty for a monster." Ivy joked, staring down with a jealous glare as Lunae's considerably larger chest pressed against her. "Lucky Sonera."
Lunae smiled. "You're not so bad yourself. Very soft. Good natural scent too. Lucky Lila."
"Blue hair."
"White hair."
"Markings."
"Skirt."
The pair burst into laughter. It was hard not to appreciate their common ground, despite the many differences. Moreover, it was impossible to ignore their choice of partners.
"You attract broken silent girls." Ivy joked. "Vulnerable and touch-starved."
"You attract nerdy mind-rotted tomboys." Lunae returned the favor. "Insecure and desperate."
"Hey!" The heiress frowned playfully. "Lila is not desperate!"
"She literally quakes in her shoes when you get close." Lunae nearly snorted. "And she stares at your tits."
"Well, Sonera practically falls apart around you!" Ivy retorted. "And I saw her copping a feel of your belly."
"Oh, I could practically sense what you were doing in that bathroom. Disguising your desire to get a feel of Lila's tiny breasts with a bath."
"You're the one getting climbed on top of like some feral beast!"
"Dog lover."
"Wolf breeder!"
The two girls laughed once again. It was an unexpected friendship, to be sure. But it felt natural.
"At least they do like us." Ivy sighed. "I think."
"What makes you doubt that?" Lunae tilted her head.
"Maybe they just like us for the..."
"Oh, please."
"It's not like we don't try!"
"There's more to it than that."
"Then why don't they say it?"
"We're all scared, Ivy."
"Some of us more then others."