Ivy twitched, her body unable to remain still for a second longer. She couldn't remember the last time she blinked. For what felt like hours, her concentrated effort remained flawless.
"She's given enough, I'm unplugging her."
The heiress barely registered the voice in her head.
"Will you watch over them? I have guests to attend to."
Her eyes shifted color.
"Hm?" Ivy turned. The sight of Lila's pale face snapped her back into reality. "Oh…yes…of course."
The large hole in Sonera's chest was gone, replaced by a metallic orange vest tucked under the nightgown Yrix had slipped her into. Both Lunae and Lila were fast asleep, their shallow breathing keeping the heiress on edge.
She was the only one not utterly exhausted.
Besides Yrix, of course.
"Don't let them near her," Ivy hissed under her breath.
"What, did you expect Venrith to even fit in this room?" Yrix chortled. "Don't worry about all that."
"And the princess?"
Yrix waved her hand dismissively before leaving the room. "She may pay a visit. But I'll tell her to behave. Sonera is stable."
Ivy kept her appreciation under wraps. The sheer amount of bloodcurdling work that went into Sonera's upkeep was palpable. But she couldn't afford to thank Yrix. Not after what she had done to all of them.
The heiress kept a watchful eye on Sonera, poking into her mind for the first time since their escapades in Rena's dream. She was alarmed, however, to find nothing at all. No rolling storm or smouldering flame.
Nothing.
Lila was her usual self: timid, innocent, and just a little bit afraid of both her circumstance and the haunting threads of the Mimic. The way she buried herself in her knees was admittedly a bit cute. Ivy made sure to add a little Band-Aid to her arm along with a peck to the cheek.
Lunae, however, was visibly distraught, even with her closed expression. She didn't yet seem to be aware of Sonera's gradually improving state. Ivy felt almost excited for the moment she'd wake up and realize her partner was still alive.
Fingers crossed.
Realizing the three girls would be out for a while, she carefully covered them in fresh sheets to keep them warm. Something about that sort of busy work felt oddly satisfying. But her smile didn't last long.
"If someone wanted to strike," Ivy scanned her surroundings, as if she had eyes on the back of her head. "It would be now."
She could hear a loud voice on the other side of the wall, along with what felt like an entire wall shifting, likely to make space for Venrith to enter the living quarters. It was nightfall by then, and the quaint orange lights of Yrix's office had turned on. The tension Ivy felt in there was, in some ways, nostalgic.
Probably a memory of Lila's.
The muffled sound of a conversation told her plenty enough. Flicking her wrists in disdain, Ivy latched onto any work she could find, regardless of the tedium. Yrix had cleaned up the office well enough, scraping off the blood with her Psionic grasp and fitting the improvised bedding with new sheets. Yet there was still plenty of mess for Ivy to attend to, including the red stain on her own dress.
"Ugh," Ivy groaned. "What a mess."
There was a chair that fit her size in the corner of the room, inches away from that old trap door Lila was flung through during Imura's visit. The mere sight of the ominous entrance brought back foul memories. Yet just like with the chores, Ivy was satisfied to be of service.
She never imagined herself playing a supportive role during her time as property on Castillo. How ironic then that the Aerie could give her such fulfillment. Even after its violence revealed her true identity.
"What am I going to do with all of you?" Ivy sighed, leaning back into her chair. "My father won't ever let up, assuming we even escape this place. I'll just be putting you in danger."
A liability.
Now and forever more.
Ivy crossed her arms and began to pout like she usually did when alone with her own thoughts. But a sudden jolt from Sonera brought a swift end to her brooding. The heiress jumped into action, standing over her friend with a worried expression.
"Sonera?" She placed a finger on the assassin's neck.
Still alive.
"Can you hear me?"
Her body was still, yet a warm presence began emanating from Sonera's temple. Her consciousness was returning, almost as if she were previously trapped in a coma-like state.
"I-...Ivy…"
The heiress was already drilling into the assassin's head as gently as she could, only barely managing to scrounge up her voice. There was no detectable mindscape, nor any serious activity. All Sonera could muster was a distant thought.
"Sonera," Ivy responded in a gentle voice. "Can you hear me?"
"I can't…see anything."
"Your mind woke up before your body. It must be…you need rest." Ivy had already moved her chair over with a Psionic pull, taking a seat at Sonera's side. "Try to remain calm."
"Your voice…" Sonera's words were unusually sweet. "So…pretty…"
Ivy rolled her eyes. The last thing she needed was another girl flirting with her. The two L's were more than enough, she thought.
"You're drunk off whatever Yrix gave you."
"Calm…that's it…your voice. When it's calm, it's very pretty."
Ivy bit her lip, realizing she had been too curt with Lila if this was the first time she had heard of her shifting cadence. It was just another thing to add to the list.
"Listen, you've been badly injured and-." Ivy squeezed Sonera's mechanical hand. "I…I understand I'm not the one you wish to be hearing from right now. Lunae is here, she's just exhausted."
"I'm glad it's you." Sonera's head shifted, her cheek pressing into the pillow Yrix had found for her. "Ivy…"
The heiress was blushing.
"Ugh."
"I feel safe around you."
"Why, because we're both monsters?"
Sonera didn't respond. A pained expression had formed over her face. Ivy took a moment to realize the discomfort was coming from the assassin's hand.
"You can feel that?" Ivy squeezed more gently. "I suppose I can as well. Only, I think I'm a bit pricier than you. No offense to Yrix."
She raised Sonera's arm by its delicate fingers, resting them just below her chin as the heiress began to shift her grip. Ivy attempted to give a massage of sorts, the kind she knew from the days when her mother would speak more softly to her. Ivy always had problems with her bony little claws, especially after practicing her instruments for an uncouth amount of time.
As per her father's standards.
If only she knew then what it was all for.
"Mmhh…" Sonera's satisfaction could be heard in her Psionic voice. "Thank you."
"Consider it my thanks for seeing that Lila wouldn't have to fight. I just wish you could have brought me along." Ivy tried not to pinch Sonera's finger.
Their claw-like shape made her feel more comfortable.
"I didn't want you to get hurt either," Sonera's eyes scrunched for a brief moment. "It was a bad trial, Ivy. Someone would have gotten hurt."
"Someone did get hurt!" Ivy nearly opened her mouth. "You!"
Sonera didn't seem to protest. Her mind was settling on Lunae once more. And in many ways, Ivy understood. She, too, was prone to disappointing her partner with acts of self-sacrifice.
"I'm sorry." Sonera's voice was already fading.
"Say it to Lunae. I'm…I'm always with you."
The heiress was staring too intently, her face ridden with shock upon feeling the cold grasp of Sonera's metal hand against her cheek.
"My love for my family," Sonera was struggling to muster the words, even in her own mind. "Know that it applies to you. Ivy."
"Yeah, yeah," the heiress rolled her eyes again. "We'll go on a double…uh…double date when we get out of here, okay?"
Sonera had already fallen into a blank state again.
"Right," Ivy scanned her surroundings once more. "Of course."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"Can I at least see what they're doing?"
"Of course. I have hidden cameras everywhere."
"A wise move."
Anya was pouting at the cafeteria table, her personal Canere having served her a cup of tea on a little ornate tablecloth. She was scratching the purple fabric nearly to shreds, annoyed by her inability to see Ivy again. But Yrix's stance was firm.
"My father won't let me stay here long." Anya flicked her braid to the other side of her shoulder, just as Yrix pulled up the camera feed from her wrist projector.
"I won't let you stay here long." Venrith barely fit into the room, even with the high ceiling. "Duty calls, and I won't be leaving without you. Especially now that I have good news for the Emperor."
Anya ignored the Numeth, squinting at the image of Ivy on the holographic display. Her interest in the heiress was palpable. But for someone like Venrith, there was no telling why Anya even cared.
"What do you see in this human brat?"
"Kinship. The kind you'd never understand. You just know how to punch things," Anya snarled. "Ivy is…I want to be her friend."
Yrix cocked her head, "I think what the princess is trying to say is that she doesn't have any friends. Ivy could be her shot at something truly rare."
Venrith merely snorted before turning to leave. "I depart at sunrise."
"I'm sure I can arrange a quick meeting before then," Yrix tried to calm the princess down.
Anya wasn't having it. "Why does Ivy even like them? She has nothing in common with those girls. But us?"
"Ivy has no idea what she is dear."
"I can help her figure it out!" Anya clenched her cup of tea with a firm grasp. "Don't you get it?"
"How about this," Yrix placed a finger on her chin. "When the students are all graduated, I'll send them over to visit you. You'll have plenty of time with Ivy then. Perhaps her father will even assign here as a bodyguard."
"She'd be so much better than those things." Anya sighed, looking up at her Canere with a soft gaze. "Mister Mittens here is all I have as far as pleasant, non-familial company is concerned."
Yrix took note of the princess's strange dialect.
"I understand," The Arch-Flayer nodded. "Do you want to talk to the other students?"
Anya shot one glance at Alia, who was glaring in return.
"No."
"Well, then-." Yrix was cut off by a notification from her wrist. "Oh, good grief," she groaned.
"What is it?"
"Why does everything happen here all at once?"
"Hm?"
"It's Lila's instructor. He's here to help her become a pilot."
"The little monkey can fly?"