“…Mind if I move off my feet?” she asked properly.
“By all means. You may lay down on your back if you see fit,” Nanao replied serenely.
Valois shifted her weight off her lower legs, relaxing on the cloth, her eyes drifting to the clear skies above. While her mind was preoccupied with ritual, she hadn’t noticed how freeing that sight was—and before she knew it, she was speaking to that.
“…Is thiiis what you meant…?” Valois wondered.
“Oh, is that an epiphany?”
“…Loosely, yes? I thiiink I see the concept of your tea party. The tension’s draining from my shoulders… I don’t care about the fuss over there anymore. Even this wind…at this time of year, it’s just pleasant. Aaand…the sunlight and grass…the smell of the soil…”
She closed her eyes, soaking it in.
Once, she’d been confined to a basement room. Cornered while she went half mad, swearing to take her little friend out of there—a goal that was not meant to be. That had stolen a piece of her heart away, but now even that gap felt comfortable.
Nanao finished preparing her own tea last and sat sipping on it, gazing at Valois’s face. She’d caught glimpses of Valois’s history on that blood-soaked stage, and now as Valois relaxed, defenseless, Nanao perceived it once again.
“There is sadness in your eyes. I thought as much. I ventured you would prefer this to the confines of a tearoom,” said Nanao. “…I feel as if I have been away from this too long. Below the heavens, my own feet upon the ground—a fundamental delight allowed to all those who live.”
As Valois’s heart thawed, her painful past came into view. Her gaze left the sky, dancing back to Nanao’s face—and a tear ran down her cheek.
“Covell.”
Nanao smoothly drew her wand, drawing a blackout veil between Valois and the other guests. A gesture of kindness—and Valois wiped the tumbling tears with her sleeve, her voice trembling.
“…Howww could you tell?” she asked.
“We have fought in earnest once. You may shed as many tears as you see fit. I imagine you have been storing them for quite a while.”
Nanao dropped her gaze to her tea, taking a sip.
Across the veil, all that could be seen of their exchange was a hazy silhouette. But the glimpse they’d caught before it was drawn had been enough for both Barthés to glean their mistress’s state.
“…Can’t believe it,” Gui muttered. “Did you see—?”
“Keep your voice down, fool,” Lélia hissed. “Do not disturb them with needless commotion. This a vital moment for Lady Ursule.”
She looked grateful—but also repentant.
“Would that Hibiya mentor me? Our minds are linked directly, yet she is closer to Lady Ursule’s heart than we have ever been. No, perhaps it’s the other way around. Why can we not do the same? That is our shame.”
“Don’t overthink it,” Guy said, munching on a kintsuba in his bare hand. “I’ve seen with my own eyes how unique she is. Ain’t something you can just imitate. You’ll just have to slowly work on getting closer. Not by force like that link between minds—just the way everyone else does.”
He took a gulp of tea to wash the sweet down and turned to face the twins.
“I ain’t one to reap all the benefits, so lemme give some advice. You two spending any time with Valois? Since you got back to campus, you seem…stabler…”
Aware of the delicate situation, he prodded that issue carefully. But Lélia caught the nuance beneath his words. Her cheeks stiffened, and she gave her brother a look.
“Gui…”
“Sorry, I told him. I was pretty, uh, far gone at the time.”
Lélia buried her face in her hands.
“Huh? What’re we talking about?” Mackley asked, lost.
Not about to explain the whole thing over again, Lélia paid her no attention.
“…Much as I’d love to dig a hole and crawl into it,” she managed, “I guess we’re past carrying about appearances. And Guy—we owe you a lot, so if you’re offering, I’ll swallow my shame and take you up on it. You’re right, we’re better. Lady Ursule’s not distancing herself from us anymore. She’s making a point of keeping us around. And we’re grateful for it.”
“If you choke up there, we won’t get anywhere, Lélia. What we gotta talk about is what’s next,” Gui said, one hand on his sister’s quivering shoulders.
“Uh, don’t overthink things, either,” Guy added. “If going with the flow takes you places, that’s totally fine. Just… I got thoughts on what you shared before. Like—I got options, and you kinda don’t.”
“Seriously, someone clue me in,” said Mackley.
“Yeah, but that’s a servant’s lot in life. Might be hard for you to wrap your head around, but from the moment we were born, we were meant to serve her. When that relationship was on the rocks, it was a living hell, but thanks to you, we’re back to normal—and frankly, far better than before. I’m not about to call that good enough, but for now—no need to worry. And I got my dumbass little brother with me.”
“Yep, yep, with you to the end, O wise sister. See? She’s kinda cute when she’s down, but the second she perks up, she’s gotta lord it over everyone. Even though we’re twins and the age difference is negligible.”
“That negligible difference set our fates in stone. Wallow in regret, Little Brother. Repent being too lazy to race me out the womb.”
The more they talked, the more Lélia got her groove back; she and her brother were trading barbs. Guy was relieved to see it, but Mackley just smiled brightly and drew her wand.
“…Frag—”
“Don’t, Mackley! Sorry we left you hanging! Put the wand away!”
“Hear me out! I’ll ignore whoever I want, but if you ignore me—well, I’d rather be surrounded by slugs. Try it again, and I’ll blow you all up and fuck off home.”
Mackley was so pissed, her voice had gone flat, and everyone rushed to placate her.
Sensing the commotion across the blackout veil, Valois was still shedding tears; Nanao was preparing a second cup of tea for her. By the time she finished it, she’d likely work things out. The sky above would never change, and even now, she was still free to run about the land beneath it.
“Mm, a fine day,” Nanao whispered, satisfied.
She stayed seated beside a wounded heart, offering comfort as the tea party continued on.