Aspen
"Now that we will be breaking the engagement agreement, we will have to sit down with the Dillard Matriarch and her circle to initiate the dissolution procedures. The procedures will take a while, so realistically, your engagement will not be officially dissolved until negotiations are completed." First, I smell the cold and over steeped scent. Then, notes of bitterness float past. At first, when we found her in the woods, her scent was non-existent, but now it is seeping out. It tells me a story of unshed tears and swallowed anger. The black tea scent clings to the back of my throat, but I continue speaking calmly.
"I promise you if we could, we would just throw a brick at their door with a note attached, letting them know the engagement is over." I hoped the humor would brighten her mood. It doesn't. She just withdraws into herself and tightens her grip on her fork.
I pray I never smell cold black tea and dry brittle sandalwood again once she is fully recovered. Her fragmented essence carries a sense of mourning and restraint that I do not understand. What happened, Nyxara? I don't blame you for shutting down. I want to protect you from everything, but politics are at play, so we have to play the game. Telling you we can't make things right for you this very moment feels like betrayal—even if it's the truth.
I watch her fall into deep thought. I can't read her mind; I'm not that kind of psychic, but I can read the essence in her aura. Reading auras is less precise knowledge and more intuition—vague impressions that only years of training can sharpen into accuracy. Everything about her thoughts has a predator vibe. A hunter willing to bide her time until she can kill her prey. We may need to add another guard or two to keep her from starting a war. She is feeling a lot like Azrail right now when he is scheming.
After confirming something to herself, she spoke softly."I'll be patient, Aspen, as long as they, Minette included, stay away from me." She sipped her tonic while gazing out the window, not making eye contact with me. The quiet hum of the machines and people's distant voices filtered in as we just sat silently absorbing what was and wasn't said just now. Yep, at least one more guard in case she tries to just gut him.
I hesitated to leave the topic there, but she must have felt something in my silence. Her cool gaze, very reminiscent of Nimra—our mother— seemed to compel me to speak without her even saying a word. "Complete avoidance will be difficult for two reasons."
If I wasn't so intrigued by how much she is channeling our parents, Azrail and Nimra, right now, I'm sure I would be terrified of my youngest sibling's chilling gaze. "Explain, Aspen."
Breaking eye contact, I do so. "The primary reason is that the Ajei and Dillard enclaves share administrative duties within Solhara— such as co-sponsoring enforcement policies, trade regulation, and ceremonial roles at the capital's major events, just to name a few responsibilities. Our two enclaves make up the Sun Court. So you will be seeing them during official events, but you shouldn't have to directly engage with them during these events most of the time." I try to emphasize the positive aspects. I waited—giving her time to speak, but she just nodded once, her lips tight with cool regard.
I'm ready to be done with this topic. I can sense she doesn't hate me, but her small feelings of betrayal are slowly eroding my own emotional and mental states. I push on, hoping to quickly get through this part so I can tell her about the fun memories of our younger days. Hopefully, those memories will help her soul-to-body sync rate increase.
"The second reason would be because you're currently enrolled at SAA, Sentinels of Accord Academy, training to be a Sentinel. The Sentinels of Accord, as you may or may not recall, are a rare breed—hybrids of legal arbitrators and field operatives tasked with investigating crimes that span civil law and magical breach. The Academy grooms you to wield both evidence and essence." Good. Very good, she is interested in her education. Positive emotions and redefining her roots will help her align with her body, which will in turn align her essence and help her heal faster.
"Koba, despite being older by 3 years, is in the same class year and SAA program as you. Both of you are in your fourth year with a mandatory final-year internship happening next year. You were top 3 your first two years. The last two, you've dropped to the bottom of the class." Eyes connected, I send impressions and feelings of ambition through our bond.
No more half-ass attempts. She must find the drive to be in the top 3 or else… "At the Academy, essence tiers matter. You have been stagnant at Ember level 3 for 3 years while your peers have ascended to Ember level 5 and Veil level 1. Being behind doesn't just mean weaker performance in combat simulations—it will mean fewer assignment options after graduation for you and political embarrassment for the enclave." I pause to let this sink in. I am pleased when I feel a spark of ambition and determination ignite inside of her. She will need that spark in more ways than she possibly understands.
Her rehabilitation over the next few months isn't going to be easy, but I believe she can rise above her previous limits and prove to anyone who considered her the weakest Ajei that she is stronger than they could possibly imagine.
"It's your choice—but I recommend taking a leave of absence. Give yourself time to heal and freshen up on any subjects you have forgotten. Start fresh next semester." Sensing her strong desire for this option, I smile as I give her a goal to work towards. "I believe in you. If you can get back on track and follow a strict regimen, you will end up ranking in the top 3 during the end-of-year finals." She gives me a look of anticipation. A small smile even makes an appearance.
In the quiet of the room, I hear the quiet hum of the monitoring machines and the muffled voices of hospital staff out in the hallway. Wordlessly, she repositions herself so she can lean back into her pillows. Her silver eyes have thawed out a bit, but the disillusionment is still visible when she returns my gaze. She has gone quiet in the bond, but I can't tell if she is truly calmer or just has figured out how to filter what I receive. Noting that she is done eating, I cleared our trays and then placed them on the small cart outside the room.
Door closed once more, I pointed at the spot next to her on the bed. She studied me for a long time before gesturing her consent for me to join her. I settled onto the bed next to her, then offered my hand for her to take. She looked down at my hand for so long I wondered if my hand even looked human to her. Finally, she slid her hand into mine. Her palm was clammy, but the grip was firm—a small pulse of warmth that traveled up my arm, crackling against my essence like static. A fragile thread of trust.
I held it like a lifeline—because maybe it was. Her trust in me remains, but it doesn't feel as openly given as before. Her trust feels more conditional now. Something in me aches for the ease we once had—the laughter, the instinctive closeness.
"Well, that about covers some relative basics. From what the link and the sensors tell me, we should stick to light topics now. We can just talk until you fall asleep." She nodded her head and sleepily snuggled further into the bed. The silence between us stretched, filled with the subtle press of hope and the faint trace of her scent—soft, but questioning.
"So let me tell you of Keir's first training session with Korran, our papa. Not only did he show up late and had to do extra laps, he arrived in nothing but a t-shirt and some boxers. He whined about how unfair …." Her sleepy smile was worth telling her stories until she fell asleep.
This time we will not fail you. We will regain our honor. For you and our enclave.