The Ogre Strength Fairy and the Eldest 'Son'
Chapter 238 - Do You Take Your Schemes With One Sugar Or Two? The… The Whole Container, Really?

Chapter 238: Chapter 238 - Do You Take Your Schemes With One Sugar Or Two? The... The Whole Container, Really?

After pouring her own tea, Elua took a sip and took a ’calming’ breath.

"Well then, I believe congratulations are in order! Aleck and Talva’s tournament performance was spectacular by any measure."

The blonde’s spirit flickered with barely contained eagerness at the cute child being so close. The Continental Army member’s fingers fidgeted with her cup as she tried to remain professional and not say anything stupid. Giving her time, the brunette’s attention shifted toward the young man.

"Your innovative approach to combat was quite impressive. Though I confess, what interests me more is how such creativity in your head might be applied elsewhere."

"That would depend on what you mean."

His cautious response drew a ’bright’ giggle from their host. His gaze darted between where the two teenagers watched the conversation with almost excessive casualness ... and the branch manager’s increasingly rigid posture. He couldn’t help but feel that it was like they had vastly different opinions of the speaker.

"Well, what I mean is that someone willing to look beyond traditional combat forms is someone that might bring fresh perspectives to other challenges. The Coiled Serpent branch could certainly benefit from such thinking."

Dima’s lips pressed into a thin line. There were so many things to poke out and feel like her finger got stabbed in the girl’s words! The seemingly casual recruitment attempt carried the familiar quality of ’already being decided’... and echoed how she’d been approached by her superiors.

’Is she saying that I’m not creative enough?’

She found herself annoyed. It wasn’t like she was looking to impress the Goltbred prodigy. But the mere insinuation of insufficiency tugged at her. The woman’s hand darted for one of the spicy biscuits and ate her complaint, literally.

Meanwhile, the meteor hammer wielder scratched at his cheek.

"I... haven’t given much thought to Guild work. My focus since I came of age has been on preparing for the war."

"A priority we all share."

Talva’s interjection carried approval... though her emotions roiled with the pure desire to contribute meaningfully to the social situation. Part of her feared getting in the way of her idol’s method of conversation. Studying reports of the heiress’s work and attitude during her training phase at her Guild was different than seeing her ’in action’.

’She looks like a big doll. With eyes carved from mint colored tourmaline. No, stop it.’

Her fingers only moved an inch from her cup, but the uniformed woman made sure to kill the idea quickly. Poking her cheek to make sure it was *actually* as soft as it looked could never end well.

"Yes. Everyone is focused on the Descent. Which is precisely why collaboration between independent cultivators, Guilds, and the Army becomes so vital."

Elua’s ’innocent’ tone as she gestured to each of them in turn made the branch manager’s eyes narrow. It was obvious that there was a greater reason for them to be brought together. However, other than the one Dima first thought up and dismissed - because why would she *ever* look favorably at a man being pushed toward her by the object of her fear - the woman just could not think of a reason.

Seeing her staring at the young man, Klaytei’s movement to refill her tea came with a barely perceptible brush of fingers against her arm. It made her turn and blink as she sought to hold the cup steady. The mortal servant looked at her with less warmth than normal.

’Is she upset that I am trying to puzzle out her employer’s intentions?’

"Speaking of that, the Army often works with independent cultivators during crises."

The attempt to contribute again drew the interest of the gathering. Her low but feminine voice was steady in public speaking - at normal times. It destabilized a bit when the brunette turned her face her way once again. She solidified it with a slight clear of her throat, assuring herself that she was just discussing ’familiar’ territory.

"That is, maintaining their independence while still coordinating with larger organizations during emergencies. Someone with your talents would be welcome in our structure during the Descent..."

Aleck’s fingers fidgeted over the indirect praise from someone who had already scored highly on a different event. The man hadn’t made the top ten in their region for the tower climb. This was part of the reason he was such an underdog with bad odds initially on the first day of fights.

’Of course, I had no money and no one to help me bet on myself. I could have been rich...’

"Thank you for the kind words. I did have a plan to work with a local friend who is part of the Army."

Across the gathering, someone who *had* bet on him to take second in their region yesterday morning sipped at her tea. It upset her a bit - just a bit - that the five instances of that use of money made her much more in profit than the three dozen bets placed on Qat taking first.

’Well, having no strong odds means that those in the know respected my beloved enough to be pretty sure she would win. In that light...’

"Your weapon was interesting."

As he spoke, Fusand’s fingers traced shapes over his other palm held in the air. Spiritual energy took the visual shape of a chain. The rough Projection swayed and flicked in an attempt to represent the meteor hammer’s movements from memory, though the execution was imperfect.

"Oh? That’s quite interesting."

The brunette’s ’sweet’ voice despite her critical expectations of his ability drew more attention to the boy’s practice. His cheeks flushed muddy brown as he realized everyone was watching him experiment and refine his ability to convert his imagination into a mimicry of reality.

"I’ve been... studying different weapon shapes. I’d never seen yours around where we grew up."

With him taking part in the conversation and stealing the show, Klaytei witnessed the former liaison staring thoughtfully at the teenage boy with sandy hair. With a sigh, she started to roll up one of her long sleeves as a sign for help.

"Why don’t you take a break and join us? I’m sure we can manage our own tea for a while."

The servant’s nod and lack of argument against the heiress suggested this hadn’t been entirely unexpected. As she settled onto the remaining cushion between Aleck and Elua, the girl shifted to rest companionably against her shoulder. Most of the other staff at the house might smile... but-

’I feel like I just sold my soul. I’m sure it’s worth it, but what is this remorse I feel?’

"It’s so nice having everyone relaxed together, isn’t it? Almost like... family."

Her mint eyes darted provocatively over to Talva as she spoke, noting how the Army member’s spirit spiked with emotions. The illusionist hadn’t really expected ’envy’ to be that much higher than her remaining ’hesitance’ - but it felt like a good thing! Dima’s gaze also narrowed at the casual display of physical affection between master and servant.

’Is... is this normal or is that girl playing at something? No, but why would... but if it’s normal than it makes perfect sense. No wonder someone with her proclivities would be enamored with a master that shows such easy affection!’

The misunderstanding of the personal servant grew in the heart of the branch manager. It was unfortunate that her Clarity Astralism was so tainted by the mere ’idea’ of Elua. The one who had agreed to the brunette’s plan ’with conditions’ seemed like she would have a hard time of things ahead.

Dima turned her attention back to the friend of the heiress and watched the boy’s fading Projection with renewed interest. Her earlier annoyance about ’creativity’ shifted into a sort of work-life calculation.

"That’s quite a useful Aspect. Have you considered how it might be applied to architecture or design work? The ability to demonstrate concepts visually would be valuable for presenting plans to clients."

Fusand’s sandy hair fell forward as he ducked his head. He was definitely unused to such direct attention from someone in ’authority’. However, he was mostly afraid that he would not ’sell’ his response on his face. He was not supposed to talk about all the ideas his mentor had provided him about ways to potentially use the images.

"I hadn’t thought about it that way. Most people just see it as entertainment..."

Only Nohre, who knew him too well, and the Goltbred - who was an ancient actress - could tell that he was lying. Elua decided to send something good his way later for doing so well.

"The Coiled Serpent Guild often contracts independent talents for specialized projects. We also have a few sigilists with Projection. Even without formal membership, there are opportunities to contribute unique perspectives."

Her words almost echoed the earlier recruitment attempt toward Aleck, though with more specific focus. A certain ’sweet’ smile gained an edge of satisfaction as she watched her branch manager finally take initiative. The woman was actually above average at her job so far... if she could stop focusing so hard on her ’owner’.

"She’s right, it is more valuable than most might give it credit. Showing rather than explaining does make things much clearer."

The quiet comment carried weight of a different kind, because of the next speaker’s military background. Her blue eyes kept drifting to where the brunette lounged like a happy child against what seemed to be her ’favorite’ servant. Inside was a struggle between maintaining the distance she planned and yearning for similar casual intimacy.

’I want to give a cute child a lap pillow. And a piggy back ride. Maybe spin them around in circles without them screaming in fear...’

Talva er Ryleon had simple aspirations, but her prior experiences had left her traumatized. Complaints about her tough thighs, crying children scared of heights, or the speed of her twirl. She understood that the Goltbred was a bit old to call a ’child’, but she was still small and cute!

"How nice..."

After ignoring the rest of the continued conversation, the blonde whispered wistfully while watching the smiling brunette. The *real* illusionist was pacing around the group in a circle, like a game of ’Fox At The Pen’, and heard her quite clearly.

’Well, this is helping, but my powerful backup plan may be needed to finish her off.’