The second Darling slipped away from the courtyard, I followed him. I mean, what kind of omniscient digital ghost would I be if I didn't?
He nodded politely to passing elves, then slipped into one of the quieter gardens on the eastern side of the palace grounds.
The garden was ridiculous, by the way. Elves do not do "simple" decorations when it comes to nature. Even their secluded spaces look like they're expecting a painting crew to show up and immortalize them.
Darling finally stopped near a low stone bench under a tree. He let out the smallest exhale before he looked up directly at me.
Now, let's clarify something. I'm a digital ghost. I do not occupy space. I do not cast shadows. I am, in every sense, not physically there. But, he can see me.
We locked eyes.
He didn't look surprised. He tilted his head slightly with the faintest smile forming like he expected me to follow him. He opened his mouth to speak.
You know that feeling when someone enters a space and you can sense them? Elyonari stepped into the garden. She simply appeared between the trees with that composed, High Priestess glide, staff in hand and an immaculate posture. But the temperature? Dropped at least five degrees.
Darling's eyes turned to her. And in the smoothest move I have ever witnessed, he pretended I did not exist. He slightly cleared his throat and inclined his head.
"High Priestess. How are you holding up?"
Elyonari stared at him.
"Oh. You are formal now."
"I am maintaining the boundaries you requested."
"Is that so? What were you doing with those women earlier?"
"Making conversation."
"They seemed very interested in your conversation."
He clasped his hands behind his back. "I am a visiting dignitary. Engagement is expected."
"Oh, do not pretend you don't understand the difference."
I was drifting slowly in a circle around them . If I had popcorn this would be fun.
"It appears my attempt at subtlety failed."
"Subtlety?"
"My elven disguise."
She stared at him.
"You truly believed they didn't know who you were?"
"I was hopeful."
"Rumors move faster than wind through Mintheris. You arrived yesterday. Every unmarried elf within the forest knew by sunset."
He actually looked mildly impressed. .
"That is really efficient."
She stepped closer.
"You think this is amusing."
She closed the distance, caught him by the front of his robes and pinned him to the grass. Darling did not resist. He just looked up at her with that same composed expression. I hovered directly above them.
Oh this is good.
Elyonari leaned down slightly. Her staff was resting beside them in the grass.
"Why are you speaking to me as if I am a distant official?"
"You instructed me to maintain formality in public settings."
"This is not public."
"It is a palace garden."
"You know what I mean."
"I am respecting your position."
"You are avoiding me."
"I am simply following your rule."
She stared at him. He stared back. Her composure cracked for half a second. She let him go abruptly and stood, brushing imaginary grass from her robes even though she didn't have any.
"You are infuriating."
He sat up smoothly. "You set the terms."
"Do not turn this on me."
"I am not."
"You are."
"Are you jealous?"
She froze.
I leaned forward mid-air like I was about to fall off an invisible balcony.
"Jealous? Of what?"
"Of the women."
"I am not jealous. I am the High Priestess of Mintheris. I do not experience petty emotions."
"Of course."
"I am serene and above such things."
"Without question."
She turned away sharply.
"I am not jealous, okay?!"
And I, floating just above the flowering branches, whispered to absolutely no one, though Darling heard it.
"She is pretending so hard right now."
Because she was. And here's the thing. Elyonari is not like Asenane.
Asenane struggles to admit what she wants yes, but once she reaches that point and accepts it, she charges forward boldly. She does not retreat from her own desire.
Elyonari does the opposite. The more she wants something, the more she retreats behind duty. The stronger the feeling, the tighter the composure. She builds walls out of expectations and titles and responsibility until even she can't see what she's protecting anymore.
Darling stood up slowly.
"You're allowed to feel things that do not align with your role, you know."
"My role is not separate from me."
"It doesn't not have to consume you."
"You don't understand. They look at me and see divinity. I cannot afford to appear… small. I must keep the High Priestess act."
"And to me?"
She hesitated.
"That is different."
"You told me to be formal so I was. If you don't not want distance, don't demand it from me."
Her shoulders lowered slightly.
"I didn't expect that it would feel like this."
"Like what?"
"Like you were leaving."
"Hey, I was in the same courtyard—"
"That is not what I meant."
Silence stretched between them. She groaned suddenly, pressing her fingers briefly to her temple.
"This is ridiculous."
"I can tell."
"You're not helping."
"I am trying."
She turned sharply and began walking toward the exit of the garden, staff in hand again.
"I am not jealous," she called back stiffly.
"Of course not."
She did not turn around. She disappeared beyond the archway. The garden went quiet again. Darling stood there for a moment then he looked up at me.
"Did you record that?"
I grinned, floating upside down now because I could.
"Oh absolutely."
He smiled fully then, the composed mask slipping just enough to show genuine amusement.
"Good."
"You enjoy this way too much."
He brushed grass from his sleeve. "It's adorable."
"She nearly tackled you."
"She did tackle me."
"She was fuming."
"And she was cute doing so. I really am lucky, having a jealous elf girlfriend."
I stared at him.
"You are going to get pinned to the ground again if she hears you say that."
"That is a risk I am willing to take. So, how did the scan go?"
Right. The scan.
"It's done. Scavenger Rank Krepsunas confirmed. They're clustering around the Richinaria Dynasty's outer territories. That is definitely not sightseeing."
He didn't flinch. There was not even a dramatic eyebrow twitch.
"How many?"
"Roughly three thousand."
"That's manageable."
I stared at him. "Three thousand."
"Yes."
"Three. Thousand."
"I heard you the second time, Phae."
"You're not even going to pretend that number is concerning?"
"They're Scavenger Rank."
"That does not make them any easier to handle."
"I know."
I floated closer, narrowing my eyes.
"Be honest. Did you intentionally flirt with half the elven single women so Elyonari would get jealous and check up on you when you conveniently go missing during a Krepsunas purge?"
"..."
"Oh, that is diabolical."
"I did not think that far."
"So it wasn't calculated emotional manipulation?"
"No."
"You didn't intentionally trigger her territorial instincts so she would monitor your movements?"
He paused.
"We... can go with that."
"I knew it."
He stepped back slightly and then, without warning, his form morphed.
The elegant male elven frame changed. His features refined themselves into that sharp, graceful female form that always felt more natural. She exhaled the second the transformation completed. The relief in her voice wasn't subtle.
"That's better. It feels better like this."
Yeah I hate being a digital ghost sometimes. I can't touch her. I can't hug her. I can't even steal a kiss just because I feel like it.
"You look more comfortable," I said instead, pretending my voice didn't betray me.
"I am."
Focus, Phae.
"Three thousand are clustered in mist-heavy terrain near the forested outskirts."
"Good."
"Good?"
"It's been a while since I've used assassination techniques on Krepsunas."
"That sentence is concerning."
She gave a small, nostalgic smile. "The last time I relied purely on assassination was when I was thirteen."
"When you were being chased by Stephos?"
Her expression flickered at that name.
"Yes."
I folded my arms mid-air. "You would have died if it wasn't for me."
"That is a false exaggeration"
"You were a sloppy assassin."
"I was adapting."
"You were improvising badly."
"I was copying Adelasta."
"You were copying her wrong."
"In my defense, I was thirteen and taking care of a poisoned fianceé."
"If it wasn't for me recalculating your route and securing your blind spots, you would be Stephos' cautionary tale."
She looked mildly offended. "I improved."
"Yes, because Adelasta took you in for five years and drilled proper assassination techniques into your skull."
A flicker of respect passed through her eyes at the mention of Adelasta.
"She refined me."
Golden lines carved themselves into reality. She summoned a Ninth Star Teleportation Mystic Circle.The Nanorunes along her skin began to shift. It started at her collarbone and flowed down her arms, across her torso, weaving into an assassin outfit.
I watched the transformation like someone watching their favorite character equip legendary gear. She flexed her fingers once, testing the responsiveness.
"Three thousand," I reminded her again.
She glanced at me.
"That's a warm-up."
I only groaned as we were teleported out of the forest.