"You've grown so much."
"Oh, please, hardly an inch."
"The sparkle in your eyes is what I refer to. Chasing after your father's curiosity is a healthy thing. Wouldn't want to get bogged down like your brother now, would we?"
Yrix spoke with a playfulness only Lila had seen. Her voice soft and sweet, harrowing back to an age the students would never witness. They could only wonder and dream of the Arch-Flayer's shrouded story.
"You say that like I didn't get profoundly bogged on the way here."
Yrix flicked at the air, "A little birdy told me you found help."
"The big birdy had me on house arrest."
"I imagine she'll be down here any minute."
"I know, I know!" Anya tossed her umbrella aside. It was for someone else to pick up. "I want to see them before she gets here and makes it all formal!"
"Very well." The Arch-Flayer extended a guiding hand. "Let's go then."
Sonera stared in disbelief as the princess skipped her way towards the group, her demeanor nothing like what she had experienced with Lunae. Though in hindsight, precedent had been set for differing behaviors when it came to royalty from another planet. Lila was the only commoner she knew in the Aerie.
"Whoa," Anya blinked. "So they really are all a bunch of humans."
"Indeed. Not so primitive after all, hmm?" Yrix nodded. "Diverse, eccentric, and exotic are words that come to mind. Your father always agreed."
The princess strutted across the lawn, mere inches away from each student as they met their gaze, one after the other. She seemed enamored by every prospect. Yet one stood out from all the others.
"You made them?" Anya paused, taking a few steps back till she suddenly stopped in her tracks, extending a frail finger that pointed towards Ivy. "Even her?"
"Trained them. Every student was plucked from their own unique home. Handpicked by me, of course."
Lila felt a wave of crippling fear crash into her legs. She shivered at the mere thought of the princess taking her partner away. And to make matters worse, Ivy wasn't exactly hiding her unique traits, the value of which could easily render her invaluable to a royal collector.
Her eyes had already changed color twice.
"Mmh." Ivy stifled an expression as she stared blankly.
Anya placed a palm under her chin. "So alien yet so...familiar."
That had to have meant more. But Lunae was the only one to take notice. Sonera was too busy fuming with silent intent, and Ivy seemed only vaguely disgusted. There was no way to unravel her words just yet.
"She was raised far away from humanity's homeworld. So were all of them, save for Lila." Yrix pointed towards the Earthling. "But each and every one of them is a Psion. I made sure of it."
Anya raised her hand, silently begging Yrix for some sort of endearment. Her efforts were cut short, however, as a loud burst of air shook the heavens above. Another ship was on the way, its descent much clumsier than the royal pearl.
"Oh...ngh." Anya bit her lip. "Great."
"Tell her off, you're the princess." Yrix shrugged.
"I don't want to argue. Not with her. Besides, father insists she's my auntie."
Yrix almost laughed, "then just play along till she gets whatever it is she's looking for. We can talk later."
Anya nodded with a smile, her delicate figure protected from a gust of wind as a large black vessel appeared beyond the clouds. Not every Consoritum vessel had the most graceful of engines, it seemed. Yrix had made sure to wrap the princess in an invisible bubble for that reason precisely.
Lila spat out the dust from her mouth, her pigtails flapping around for a moment before a Psionic barrier emerged in front of her. It appeared she was the only Psion not to think of such protection from the landing. A glance to her right confirmed the embarrassment in that regard - for every student had indeed braced themselves, leaving Ivy responsible for the Earthling.
"Well," Yrix crossed her arms playfully, as if to amuse the princess. "She does feel related sometimes."
Anya merely shook her head, causing her singular braid to thrash about in the wind. Lunae had been staring at her the whole time, unsure of what to think, though her mind wandered off now and again towards the faint notion of something sinister.
The touch of her mother.
"Who the heck is that anyway?" Lila reached out to Yrix, feeling a bit of that same warmth she had provided towards Anya.
"The Praetorian Prefect, Venrith. Second hand to the Emperor, albeit begrudgingly. She's somewhat skeptical of my operation here. Though she respects my reputation." Yrix replied.
As first impressions went, the Praetorian had already given Lila little room for guessing. The ship that appeared beside the royal pearl was no more than a shuttle detached from the primary cruiser, and yet even then, it was still deafening on its descent. Like most Consortium vehicles, the black ship resembled more of a blocky, brutalist symbol more than anything, its angular shape creating a sharp V-silhouette that shook the ground the moment it touched the soft soil of the Aerie.
What emerged was, in many ways, exactly what the girls were expecting. Anya could be heard grumbling in the rear as they stared in awe. The figure that stepped forward, crossing great distances with each stride, appeared to be a mixture of Daragen and Vesper. Or at least that's what Lila was imagining.
"Come on now, don't be racist," Yrix teased. "She's from a race you've never seen. The empire explicitly bans crossbreeding of any kind."
"W-what is she? And why?" Lila shook her wrists as they dangled at her waist.
The information that projected itself into the Earthling's curious mind was rather blunt. Venrith was of a sub-species native to the same planet the Daragen had originated. Growing alongside their cousins and in close proximity to the Vesper's home system, the Numeth have long been members of the Consortium. Only, they don't breed nearly as fast. So they are quite rare.
As for the buried truth behind the ban on crossbreeding, Lila seemed barred from its contents. She could only guess that something terrible had occurred in the past because of it. And only someone like the Emperor would even try to rekindle its flames.
"Stand ready for her arrival; she's far stricter." Yrix huffed, snapping at her students with a Psionic prod.
"She's gonna call us worms?" Lila joked.
"Sssh," Ivy glared. "Don't mess this up. That princess is...staring at me..."
Indeed, she was.
Like a baby hawk.
A loud horn came from the Praetorian's shuttle, her mighty footsteps resembling those of an elephant as her large tail coiled above her armored head. Lila could practically feel the beady, reptilian eyes staring at her from behind the black visor. And unlike a Vesper, this towering presence would not relinquish a single word.
"I see the Infestare presence has been dealt with. That was never in doubt," Venrith huffed like a bull, lifting her gauntlet for a quick gesture. "And it appears your...project survived."
Yrix crossed her arms, "They did more than that. Our enemy couldn't kill them even if they tried."
Anya added nothing but a tired smile, hovering around the girls like she was one of them. Venrith seemed none too impressed, scanning the girls from a distance before approaching Yrix with visible skepticism, her sense of honor allowing itself to entreat only the Arch-Flayer.
"I have not the ability to inspect their minds...yet my eye speaks plain. They seem feeble. Fleshy. Soft. Inexperienced," her eyes wandered towards Sonera. "Except maybe this one."
Sonera gazed up at the black crista on the Praetorians' helm, squinting with visible spite as she crossed her arms. She wasn't impressed either. And Venrith could tell.
"Hmmm," she growled. "I see."
"Sonera is my most promising student," Yrix explained, standing at Venrith's side. "She faced down a Broodmaster, albeit with a bit of support."
"I'll believe it when I see it. A single spiteful creature does not give me confidence for the pack." Venrith looked towards Lunae. "I'm surprised there's even this many left. You typically euthanize the weak."
Yrix cocked her head playfully, "Is that a challenge?"
Anya watched with growing interest. The other girls, however, dreaded what they believed to be an inevitable trial. Another conquest of blood to prove their right to exist. Only, it was not meant to be.
"I'll do it." Sonera stepped forward.
She had anticipated the rest of the conversation perfectly. And for that, Venrith seemed mildly impressed, crossing her scaly arms to meet Sonera. The assassin changed her pose soon after, disgusted by the notion of once again living up to the Consortium's standards.
"Oh?" Venrith snorted, steam coming out from her helmet, its visage resembling a dragon from an alien world. "Well then."
Yrix was practically beaming with pride. Everything had gone according to her plan.
"Alone," Sonera taunted. "Just me. Against your best."
The other girls couldn't refrain from expressing their reluctance.
"Sonera!" Lunae snapped.
"Holy shit what is wrong with you!?" Lila gasped.
"Sonera..." Ivy growled. "Don't do this."
Venrith released a hearty laugh. "Now that's more like it. You and your arts, versus my mountain shaper."