"This... this is my Falna? I have a Magic and three Skills?"
Laurier held the parchment in trembling hands, her face blank with shock. Her mind had gone completely white.
What she didn't know was that Leon had quietly omitted Beloved's Crest from the transcription.
Too early for her to learn about that particular skill. When she eventually noticed her growth rate defying all reason, he could explain then. No rush.
"Laurier," he said, "I think it's safe to say your future just got a whole lot brighter."
Jeanne leaned in close, warm and familiar. "Congratulations, Laurier."
"Thank you..." The girl's cheeks flushed pink, and she ducked her head, barely whispering.
She was new to Orario. The city's inner workings were still a mystery to her. But she was still an elf, heir to generations of accumulated knowledge, and she understood the fundamentals of the Falna well enough.
Which meant she understood exactly what it meant to awaken with a Magic and three Skills right from the start.
The future's looking good, she thought, a warm glow spreading through her chest.
"Mm..."
Perhaps the three of them had been talking too loudly. On the other bed, the white-haired elf stirred, consciousness clawing its way up from the dark.
An unfamiliar ceiling. The soft glow of a magic stone lamp. Sheets that smelled of sunlight.
Aura's expression drifted from confusion to a hollow stare, her pale violet eyes unfocused and distant.
"Where... am I?" Her lips were cracked from dehydration, her voice raw.
Jeanne crossed the room in quick strides and knelt by the bedside. "Aura? Hello. I'm Jeanne d'Arc. Just Jeanne is fine."
"You're safe. This is our Familia's home."
Meanwhile, Laurier, still riding the high of her own Falna results, spotted her companion awake and lit up instantly.
"Aura! You're finally up! I was worried sick!" She threw off her covers, ignoring the protests of her battered body, tumbled out of bed, and flung herself into Aura's arms, nuzzling against her cheek.
Leon watched the scene with a quiet smile, read the room, and slipped out without a word. The girls needed their space.
He glanced through the window at the rain hammering down without any sign of letting up, and his mood lifted even higher.
"I love rainy days."
He lingered under the eaves for a while, watching the downpour, then figured enough time had passed and headed for the kitchen to start breakfast.
As always when mealtime approached, Leon found himself facing the same eternal question that had plagued his people since time immemorial: What do I even make?
"Breakfast for four, and two of them are elves... hm. I don't actually know much about elven food preferences."
He frowned for a moment, then shrugged.
"Can't go wrong with something light. Elves... right, a fruit salad should work."
Down in the cellar cold storage beside the kitchen, he surveyed the well-stocked shelves of ingredients and snapped his fingers.
"Tacos for the main. Fried eggs and a corn chowder on the side. Perfect. If anyone's not feeling it, I'll slice up some toast with butter. And for Jeanne... coffee, milk, and jam. Can't forget those."
"Let's see... cherry tomatoes, onion, parsley. Everything I need for salsa."
"Oh, and two avocados. Red, yellow, orange, green bell peppers, all good. Bless the harvest goddesses."
He tied on an apron, lit the stove, and set a pot of water to boil. While he waited, he took up a knife and began prepping ingredients with practiced efficiency.
...
Back in the guest room.
The whiplash of the past day had drained Aura completely. Her stamina had never been her strong suit to begin with. That was precisely why she'd collapsed mid-escape.
Now Jeanne eased her upright, propping her against a pillow, and handed her a cup of warm water.
"Drink first. Everything else can wait."
"Thank you..."
Aura wet her cracked lips, reached out with a weak hand, and took the cup. Her fingertips brushed against Jeanne's.
My body... didn't recoil from her?
The realization hit a beat late. She stared at the beautiful human woman before her, stunned.
She knew her own spiritual sensitivity far exceeded Laurier's. Physical contact with other races should have triggered an instinctive revulsion. And yet nothing came.
Jeanne noticed the surprise in her eyes and simply offered a gentle smile.
"Jeanne d'Arc. Just Jeanne is fine."
"Thank you, Miss d'Arc."
Aura kept her composure cool, acknowledging the kindness with a slight nod.
Laurier, who knew Aura's temperament inside and out, muttered under her breath: "So stiff."
Then her eyes lit up with mischief. She leaned in with a sly grin. "Hey, Aura. Weird, right?"
Aura looked at her. Said nothing.
"Okay, I don't actually know why either! But isn't it strange? Around Jeanne, that instinctive disgust just... isn't there. Wild, right?" Laurier beamed as she said it.
Aura: "..."
The brief tangent about elven sensitivity passed quickly, swept along by Laurier's relentless energy. Without waiting for Aura to ask, she launched into a full account of everything that had happened since Aura lost consciousness.
...
"So that's what happened..." Fear crept across Aura's face, the delayed kind, the sort that only hits once you understand how close you came.
She looked at Jeanne again, and this time her eyes brimmed with gratitude.
The full picture settled over her, and with it came a wave of relief so powerful it almost hurt.
If Leon and Jeanne hadn't appeared when they did, the slavers would have recaptured them both. What would have followed... she couldn't bring herself to imagine.
"Laurier has surely mentioned my name, but allow me to introduce myself properly." She set down the cup and straightened, composing herself with the formal grace of elven custom. "I am Aura. Aura Moriel."
"My deepest thanks to you and to Sir Leon for your rescue, Miss d'Arc. I will never forget this debt. You have the word of an elf."
Compared to Laurier's easygoing warmth, Aura ran traditional. Every gesture, every phrase carried the meticulous formality people associated with elves. Proper to a fault.
Jeanne didn't mind in the slightest.
Her personality let her get along with just about anyone. That was the whole reason her preternatural warmth worked the way it did. The title of Holy Maiden wasn't just for show.
Once Aura had finished, Jeanne smiled.
"Aura, Laurier has already joined our Familia. What about you? Would you like to join as well? We're still small, I won't pretend otherwise. But the future holds promise. And you've seen how well Laurier fits in. The atmosphere here... I'd like to think it's not bad. What do you say?"
"Join your Familia..."
Aura fell quiet. Her gaze moved between the two of them, lingering on Jeanne for just a moment longer, and then she made her decision.
"If I refused, Laurier would never let me hear the end of it." A faint, resigned smile crossed her lips. Answer enough.
She knew her best friend's personality far too well. But that wasn't the real reason.
What truly made up her mind was simpler than that. The people here, the feeling of this place... it suited her.
"Welcome to the family, Aura!"
=-=-=-=
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