Lunae's parosal disappeared as she stepped into the Aerie, shaking her hair out as the heiress walked past. The girls then made quick work of whatever distance remained between them and their companions. And at the very moment they entered the cafeteria, they were greeted by two innocent smiles.
It was nice to know that they were missed.
"Lila." Ivy motioned, her words edged with worry as she scurried over to the Earthling.
Sonera and Lunae greeted each other silently, taking a seat together before sharing what Yrix had made. Lunae had never tried coffee before and was visibly taken aback by it. Sonera understood, however, and simply stared in response. At such a point, she was used to her companion's inexperience with human customs.
"Hey, Ivy." Lila smiled in the meantime as the heiress took a seat next to her. "Sorry about earlier I-."
"No need to explain." Ivy lectured her. "I understand. I'm just glad you're alright."
The Earthling reached for another cookie before replying. "Really?"
"I uh..." The heiress paused, realizing she had revealed a bit too much. "Yes, I feel a sense of responsibility for you."
"Why?"
"It would be unbecoming of my character to dispose of someone I've spent time with." Ivy lied. "Besides, we need our team at full strength."
Lila smiled with a cheek full of cookie. To be considered an aspect of combat strength, especially by Ivy, was a dream come true for her. It actually made Lila feel like she had grown during her time in the Aerie.
"Want a cookie?" Lila changed the subject, offering Ivy a piece before she ate them all. "It's a real tasty."
The heiress squinted, folding her arms. "Oh, I need to watch my sugar intake. But thanks."
"Sugar intake?" Lila almost laughed. "Girl, we both know you have a crazy metabolism. Ain't no eugenisist gonna have a daughter who gets fat easily."
"Well, excuse me!" Ivy fumed, reaching for a cookie as if to avoid denying Lila's statement.
The heiress took a bite, staring enviously at the cookie, and then at Lila. She wanted to appreciate its childish appeal in the same way Lila did. But after one look at the girl's stretched freckles, as well as the excitement in her eyes, she began to understand some aspect of it all.
"Hm." Ivy's frown faded. "Glad you like them."
"I knew it was worth it. Never giving up on you." Lila stated plainly, reaching for a mug of coffee as she spoke. "Remember when you wanted to smack me?"
"I-..." The heiress hesitated, trying to avoid the topic of apologizing. "I hadn't yet been given the proper time to soak in the circumstances."
To Ivy, it was imperative that she not stray onto the unwanted road of her feelings. Speaking too much on that matter would allow even someone as dense as Lila to figure things out. She wasn't sorry, yet she still wanted Lila.
What did she want from her exactly? The affection of a pet. Yet still, some brighter part of her conscience knew that idea was incomplete, and wanted more.
Ivy refused to fall for a primitive. Yet still she battled herself. Such a struggle even led to the entrapment of Lila inside her far less gentle dreamscape.
They both had that same vision when Lila was unconscious. They both remembered it. But one of them was naive enough to think it was a byproduct of Yrix's mania-inducing schemes.
Lila replied in a muffled tone. "You mean being a Psion."
"Being stuck with you." Ivy huffed with a bit more honesty.
Fortunately for the heiress, Lila had her own uncertainties to sort through. Not only was she severely distracted by her own inadequacies in the face of Yrix's cruelty, but she hadn't yet even begun to comprehend the possibilities of falling for a beautiful ice princess like Ivy. It was a possible future that Lila simply didn't think she deserved.
Not to mention Ivy was a girl. Yuck.
Still, the tension was growing undeniable. Gone were the days of only bickering and arguing. Now there was a bit of friendship and attachment behind it all.
Sonera and Lunae seemed to be getting on much more smoothly. In fact, the only thing that seemed to be able to tear them apart was the unknowable mysteries of coffee.
"Why does it taste like that?" Lunae complained, setting the mug down. "I understood cookies. They are sweets. But this?"
"It's...an acquired taste." Sonera shrugged.
She was the worst person to explain that sort of thing.
"What's it all for?"
"Energy."
"How?"
"Some kind of drug."
Lunae squinted with suspicion. She wasn't buying it. But to be fair, Sonera wasn't exactly selling the idea with enthusiasm.
A sudden rumble shook the Aerie as thunder boomed in the distance. Lila jumped, instinctively squeezing Ivy's hand. The heiress struggled not to smile.
But her own pleasure was turned to ash as she felt a presence enter the room. Her psionic gaze, blotted out and smothered, became a source of indescribable fear. She was not prepared for what came next.
A figure strolled past the girls, ignoring their fellowship as she strode along like a weighted spirit. It was Imura. And she was a dreadful thing to behold.
Even Sonera was a bit phased, staring hopelessly at the Psion's sharp black heels and pointed helm. Her long, spindly claws clung tightly to her trident, and her eye, cold and dark as the void, told horrible tales. Her mere presence exuded fear.
"Uh-." Lila shivered alongside Lunae. "I-it's her."
Ivy had no response. She was lost in her own thoughts. Lost in the realization that she was too much of a coward to comfort Lila.
"Who?" Sonera asked desperately, with a tinge of hate in her voice.
She could sense that Imura was a friend of Yrix.
"Omizen spoke of her. A Flayer. Imura." Lila finished.
The title of Flayer was previously obscured to the girls, all thanks to Yrix's profound restraint. Only then did they realize what kind of presence was radiating from the Psion.
She was terror incarnate.