Chapter 58: A Retainer’s Service. (Part 2)

As the morning wore on, Sol grew restless. The small phoenix had hopped to the hearth’s edge, pecked at a cooling ember, startled at the heat, and retreated. She had tried to fly to the top of the table. Her wings had carried her farther than they had just yesterday. Surely Ash wasn’t just imagining that. Then, Sol had turned around, and attempted to glide back down. She had half managed, with her tiny wings flapping furiously. She had landed with a tiny thud next to Ash.

The effort left her swaying on her tiny feet afterwards. Her wings drooped, and she sat down as heavily as a tiny golden breadloaf could.

Ash leaned down. Sol pecked her leg and then she looked up with those round golden eyes. Ash held out her cupped hands and Sol hopped into them. Ash raised her slowly and set her atop her own head.

Sol settled. She really was light. The bird’s talons gripped her hair and she let out a trill that sounded content. Ash looked at Lysanthia. Lysanthia was looking at Sol. Ash should have asked first. “She seems comfortable,” Lysanthia said. Her voice was very soft.

“I thought you’d call her or me a traitor.”

Color rose in Lysanthia’s face. She looked away. “If she had gone to someone else,” she said quietly, “I would.”

If she had gone to someone else.

Ash did not have anything to say to that. Something just beneath her chest ached. She looked at Lysanthia, and the ache only grew sharper. Ash looked up instead, at Sol, who was currently fluttering her wings. “I think she just wants to move around,” Ash said. “Explore a bit. She hasn’t seen much of this place yet.”

She watched the war play out behind Lysanthia’s eyes. Ash almost thought Lysanthia would rise and stumble towards her, to be the one who did this. Ash was leaning forward to catch Lysanthia just in case. “Very well,” Lysanthia said instead. “As I am not able to, you may do it.”

“Are you sure?”

“Do not make me repeat myself.”

Ash nodded slowly. She rose, Sol balancing on her head, and moved toward the door. She looked back, and saw Lysanthia gazing towards the table. Where that journal lay. Yes, perhaps she needed this as much as Sol did.

The training yard Ash found was nearly empty. Ash only saw a handful of other students here. The grass was cool as Ash sat at the far edge and set Sol on the ground.

Sol regarded the open air, then hopped forward. She pecked at grass. She pecked at a pebble. She discovered a beetle and followed it for a full minute. The beetle escaped under a stone. Sol chirped at the stone with such volume that a bird in a nearby tree took flight. Ash leaned back on her hands.

“Oh, you gotta be kidding me.”

Ash turned. Ren stood beneath one of the stone pillars. She must have just come in. Ash hadn’t been paying too much attention, so she hadn’t noticed. Ren was staring at Sol from a few feet away. She approached. Sol didn’t even look at her, but started hopping in the opposite direction.

“This is a conspiracy,” Ren said. “Why does she hate me?!”

“She…she hates you? She’s just very fussy.” Like someone else. Ash didn’t say that part.

“She bit me Ash. Three times!”

Sol turned at the sound of Ren’s voice. Her feathers puffed. She let out a chirp that carried less greeting than warning.

Ren crossed the small distance slowly. Sol hopped backwards. Her wings fluttered as she puffed herself up. “Hey, relax. Edda told me there’s a trick.” She reached toward one of Sol’s black wings. Sol swatted her hand away with one gold wing. She turned her back on Ren and resumed pecking at the grass.

“Bullshit!” Ren threw both hands in the air. “Come on, what did I do? What is wrong with her?!” Ash laughed. Come to think of it, Lysanthia had mentioned something like this. Ash had thought it was a joke.

“Fine. Whatever. She hates me.” Ren dropped onto the grass beside Ash. “Where’s the other one?”

“She’s sore.” Ash said.

Ren looked at her. “She’s…sore? How the hell did that happen?” Ren’s face was just faintly red as she asked this.

“She pushed herself very hard. It was the conditioning class.”

“Oh.” Ren nodded slowly. “Yeah, I guess that would do it.”

They watched Sol hop after another beetle for a time. Ren shifted back and forth. Ash knew the motions well enough. Ren was preparing to ask something. Probably ask something uncomfortable, if her occasional glances were anything to go by.

“So,” Ren said. She had drawn her knees up and rested her chin on them. “Hey. Can I ask you something?”

“Go ahead. I don’t mind.”

“Okay, soooo….” Ren’s cheeks had gone a shade of pink. “So, uh, you and Lysanthia are uh….you’re together together, right?” She made a gesture with her hands. One that Ash knew very well. “What’s that like?” Ash stared at her. “Not that there’s anything wrong with it!” Ren added quickly. Ren’s face was red, but it was nothing compared to Ash’s. ” I’ve just always been kind of curious about how two girls, you know…” Her voice dropped.

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Ash was raising her hands in front of her. Maybe they’d been raised before, and she’d only just now noticed. “We’re not- Ren, we aren’t-” She hated how squeaky her own voice sounded.

“Come on.” Ren leaned in. “Sorry for being nosy and all that but…come on, I’m dying here!”

“I am telling you.” Ash said. Her voice was almost never this loud. “We aren’t together together. She is my-” What was she supposed to say? Ash didn’t know, and so she said nothing.

Ren looked at her. It seemed that something was starting to get through to the girl. “Wait,” Ren said. Ash’s stomach dropped. “Wait wait wait.” The girl’s eyes went wide. Her voice rose and rose, until she was yelling. “YOU AREN’T TOGETHER?! HOW I-“

Ash lunged. She clapped a hand over Ren’s mouth. Fast, but not fast enough. “Keep it down!“

Ren’s eyes were very wide. Ash removed her hand slowly, though she was ready to cover Ren’s mouth again if need be.

“But you-” Ren’s voice dropped to a volume that was almost normal. “I saw you! In the bed! You were all-” She laced her fingers together. “I mean come on you can’t tell-