Chapter: 582 – Startled and Bemused

Tala had completely forgotten the coffee in her hand and was, instead, staring in non-comprehension and growing rage at the woman who sat across from her.

-Tala… calm down. Keep a clear head on your shoulders.- Alat’s voice had an edge to it, but her words were filled with careful restraint.

Tala practically snarled at her alternate interface. Alat, you heard her, right? Why are you telling me to calm down?

-There’s no way you’re killing a Reforged… not unless you approach it with a clear, level head. Focus!-

Tala felt a wave of calm sweep through her mind, clearly imposed by Alat, but she didn’t fight it. Oh… yeah, that makes sense. Thank you.

-Of course. If we do this, we do it together.-

Mistress Jenna was watching her closely, and Tala returned the stare.

Funnily enough the two women were of the same height, though Tala’s build was more slender to Mistress Jenna’s curves.

Tala thought she was physically stronger, both at a baseline muscularly, and in how her inscriptions were oriented.

Mistress Jenna had at least a few centuries of experience on her side as well as a tier of advancement.

They were also in her place of power, and as Tala looked closer at the magics around them—using her bloodstar clouds and threefold perception—she noticed that those workings were actually far more than simply privacy in nature.

They were clearly designed both for defense against outward threats and to contain anything that tried to escape from this small room.

Wait… She narrowed her eyes in sudden understanding. This was expected. The woman had prepared for potential reactions. A test? This is a rusting test?

Mistress Jenna’s stoic facade cracked slightly as she gave a little smirk, something that was not quite mirth dancing in her eyes.

And she just saw that I realized that based on the fluctuations of my soul and aura…

-Hey, I was trying to keep you level, but it’s hard when I’m rusting ready for violence myself.-

Mistress Jenna nodded. “I see. I am glad that we understand one another.”

Tala sighed, releasing a long-held breath, but not really able to fully set aside her irritation. “What was the point of that?”

The other woman shrugged. “It was an easy way to test out three things.”

Tala arched an eyebrow. “Oh? Please do tell.”

Mistress Jenna shrugged. “I don’t see any reason to keep it hidden. Sure. First, your immediate reaction showed that not only do you see her as your daughter, you are genuinely attached to her. That is critical knowledge for me in this situation.”

Tala grunted. That was… fair. The rusting woman could have just asked and watched for the truth of her answer, but Tala supposed that such wouldn’t have been quite so clear or definitive.

“Second, the fact that you were able to rein in your initial reaction, and logically assess the situation sufficiently to realize I was testing you, tells me that you aren’t under some sort of compulsion, nor are you in any sort of altered state—whether natural or artificially engendered—with regard to the defense or disposition of the girl.”

That was also irritatingly fair. Tala could see herself doing something like that. She supposed that she shouldn’t really have had such an emotional reaction. After all, it wasn’t like she—

“Thirdly, I was actually speaking the truth. The death and destruction of this new entity would simplify everything for many people.”

Tala’s eyebrow twitched. Alright, now. It’s back to killing time.

-Hold on there, Tala. Let’s hear her out… then we can strike. To do it right now would be too expected.-

Tala took a moment to consider before sighing internally. Agreed.

Mistress Jenna chuckled. “Please remember that simple doesn’t mean good, Mistress Tala. Life is simpler if you never get married, never have children, and so on. It would be simpler to die as a child and never have to face the world as an adult, but that is not better. The simplest solution to remove a given disease is to kill everyone who is infected or exposed, but that simple solution is a case of the cure being worse than the disease. Do you understand what I am saying?”

Can’t I just punch her a little?

-No… I mean, she’d probably be able to take it… but no.-

Tala sighed, pulling herself out of her inner, violent thoughts. “I hear you, yes. I’m not a fan of your methods, but I do hear you.”

“Good. Now, we need to actually discuss your daughter. She is at once a liability and an opportunity.” Mistress Jenna took a sip from her own mug of dark liquid.

Tala leaned back, finally remembering the coffee that she still held in her hand. She took a moment to marvel at the material as she’d gripped it quite hard in her emotional state, and it had endured it effortlessly.

Mistress Jenna saw her quick inspection and smiled. “It’s made from a magic-adjacent clay, made into a ceramic through mostly mundane means.”

Tala cocked an eyebrow. “Magic adjacent?”

“Magic has enhanced it, but it does not sustain it, nor is it required for the material to remain superior to the mundane varieties. It is effectively ‘Refined’ clay.”

Tala grunted. That actually made sense… possibly… in an odd sort of way. She did know of other ‘Refined’ materials, and how they could be used in various constructions and products. She just hadn’t ever considered their use in dishes. But that wasn’t really the point of their conversation. “I understand. Now, about my daughter?”

“Yes. First, I want to assure you that her life will not be on the line simply from city defenses. We do not target anything with a gated human soul, such beings are excluded from being struck down by default. Vestiges are altered sufficiently to not create issues in this regard, thankfully, else an arcane carrying a vestige would be immune to our most basic protections. We further have layered checks with regard to human souls in general so that our gateless do not get struck down by mistake. From what Master Boma has provided, her soul is not so unusual as to fall outside of our standard expected tolerances.”

She gave a slow nod, appreciating Mistress Jenna’s thoroughness with regard to her daughter’s safety.

“Now, her physical appearance is only slightly at issue. Due to her non-standard makeup. She has a skin-analog that removes any obviously non-human joints or anatomy from easy notice. Because of that, the main problem is her head, specifically the soul-medium in the back of her cranium and the lack of hair. Her makeup is otherwise human enough to fall into the appearance of extreme albinism, which is hardly a cause for alarm. Even the subtle glow in her eyes is so mild—when it is there at all—that most mundanes shouldn’t notice it during the day. Albinism is not even something that is generally corrected when it presents in the average population. Despite their resemblance to white hue-folk, laymen don’t really know of such a race, so that isn’t an issue either. Her skin looking as it does, she would get some attention, but that is all. She might want to somehow color her lips, but it wouldn’t be required. With your permission, I would like to ask that Master Boma create a layer of hair-growth medium on his improved version of the soul-medium. That would disguise the construct, itself, and provide her with a more human-like appearance as a part of her true body. Another option could be trying to craft an illusion, but that could cause issues, especially if someone thought that a member of the black legion had infiltrated our cities in disguise. You could also confine her to Audel, but that seems counter to how you’ve lived your life thus far.”

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Tala was slowly nodding. “I will want to discuss it with her, first—Rane as well—but that seems reasonable. Is there a concern that her origins will still be obvious to those capable of seeing?”

“They will be, yes, but we will circulate knowledge of her existence to those who might be able to realize her nature. That should at least give them enough pause that we will be able to avoid truly unfortunate encounters. At least for humans. You’ll need to consider the others that she might encounter as I have little insight into how they would respond.”

Tala remembered an over-eager young mage hunter’s attempt to waylay Kedva. “Yeah, that would be best. Thank you.”

Mistress Jenna set her mug aside and reached for an Archive slate. “So, I should tell him to go ahead, then?”