Moonlight Demon

That night, some planning took place. Having to account for Kasumi's arrival, with the help of her friends, Ash came up with some ideas. First, she wanted to finally get Keiko's potion out of the way, and once that was settled, then, she could focus on training up again. Finally, when she was done here, she'd head up to Jade and organize whatever it was that the Royal Council wanted to do with Pearl. She wasn't too interested in the prospect of taking the city back, but if she could close a couple of portals and squeeze in more EXP, she'd be happy with whatever they suggested.

The first step in all of this was a simple one, but one that Ash had hesitated to do ever since Lumina had told her that it was an option. That was, of course, collecting the dragon eye from Sinneah. 

At this moment, the group had gathered together for the first dinner that Kasumi was going to be a part of since rejoining them. They had gathered at one unique room at the Manor, where a single table stretched from one end to the other under a hanging candelabra. Here, they had an exquisite meal brought to them that consisted of some roasted chicken, bacon, and venison, along with peas, lettuce, and beans, all to be washed down with red wine. 

"On behalf of the Senate,"  one servant informed them, "to show their gratitude for helping keep the realm safe." 

Apparently, not safe enough,  Ash thought as the group began to dig into the meal. 

"Mmm!" Keiko borderline moaned. "This is amazing!" 

"Agreed," Metsumi said. "The Manor's chef sure knows what he's doing." 

"Well, we can assume he's trying to help sweeten some sort of deal," Satsuhiro muttered. 

"Hmph. No deal needs to be made in the first place," Ash replied as she took a bite out of the bacon on her plate. "I plan on minding my own business, after all." 

"I know," Satsuhiro replied. "I'm just saying." 

"I think you're forgetting I just got here," Kasumi interrupted. "What are you people talking about?" 

Ash broke the news to her then, abruptly, in between more bites. 

"The Arcane died," she stated, plainly and simply. To her right, Luvine and Opah continued eating like they hadn't heard anything too dramatic, and for a second, Ash wondered whether hearing about death had become normal to them.  Can't imagine that's healthy, but, oh well, Ash thought. 

"What?" Kasumi raised a brow. "How? When?" 

"First question, he got sick, apparently. Second question, a few days ago." 

Kasumi was certainly stunned by that bit of news, but, like everyone else in the group, it didn't seem like she cared too much. 

"What has the Council said about this?" She asked.

"Well, that's the thing," Satsuhiro stepped in. "I tried to reach out to them, but I haven't heard anything back." 

Every word they said made it more and more suspicious, but, as Ash had made clear, she had no intention of investigating this further. 

Instead, they went on with their dinner. When everyone finished up, Ash was quick to go up to Sinneah and put a hand on her wrist. The draconic woman turned toward her. 

"Hm?" She looked back at Ash. 

"Hey, can I talk to you for a second?" 

"Sure." 

As the others went someplace else, Ash and Sinneah remained at the same room they'd just had dinner in. 

Okay, fuck. Now, how do I ask her?  Ash thought as Sinneah waited. 

"So..." Ash opened, trying to sound casual. "I..." 

No, don't just say "I found some eyes in your drawers," what the fuck?  She thought. At the same time, however, she wondered how she was supposed to convey information that she'd gotten from a literal goddess to Sinneah. 

As the woman looked at her, puzzled, Ash understood she had to say something though. So, she just came out with it. 

"I know about Gurron's eyes, that you're keeping." 

As soon as Sinneah heard that, she narrowed her eyes and took a step back. 

Shit. Too threatening.

"Don't worry," she quickly brought her hands up. 

"H-How did you realize...?" Sinneah asked. 

"I saw them," Ash told her. "It was, uh, obvious." 

"..." Sinneah looked away. "Why are you asking about them?" 

Okay, she hasn't run out the door. Good. Just... Be soft about it.  She told herself. 

"I need one." 

"No." 

Fuck. 

Right then, Sinneah walked out of the room but Ash caught up to her in the hallway. 

"Wait, wait," Ash told her, and Sinneah turned back toward her. "Look... I only need one of them." 

"My father... He told me that I needed to keep them. Both of them. To use them to make a place for myself among you humans. I... I intend to try to do that." 

"I'm not- look," Ash got closer to her. "Listen, listen... Keiko is pregnant." 

"What does that mean?" Sinneah asked. 

"I-It means, fucking hell, it means that there is a human that's going to grow inside of her, understand?" 

Sinneah gave her a horrified look when she heard that. 

"Now, there's a way to stop that from happening, but in order to do it, I need one of those eyes. Just one, Sin. Just one," Ash told her. 

Sinneah didn't look too convinced, and Ash persisted. 

"If this goes through, Sin, Keiko is going to go through a lot of pain, a-and, her whole life is going to be fucked up. You can understand that much, right?" 

Thankfully, it looked like she could. Sinneah took that information in and looked a little more understanding, but she wasn't saying anything. So, the half-demon threw one last thing in. 

"I'm guessing Gurron wanted you to sell those eyes off," Ash told her. "I have money, already. I can give it to you, help you with the whole... make a place for yourself shit. I just... I need one of them. Not for me, for Keiko." 

"..." Sinneah paused. "Give me time. I would like to think about this." 

Okay, Ash nodded.  I guess that's better than a flat-out no...

"Alright, take your time." 

With that conversation done, they went back to the group. The others were spread out, around the garden. Luvine and Opah were running around the whole Manor. Kasumi was standing by the doorway, looking back at Ash and Sinneah as they approached. Satsuhiro and Metsumi were sitting at a bench while Keiko was looking out at the landscape, by the railing. Yumi was holding Keiko's sword, taking swings in the air, and Sinneah quickly walked over to her, stepping past Kasumi. 

Ash stopped by the redhead's side as Sinneah went directly over to Yumi, and the two shared a few words before they got into fighting stances. 

As they started practicing, Kasumi spoke up. 

"So, what are you going to do tomorrow?" 

"Not too sure, just figuring things out. Why?" Ash asked. 

"... I suppose I was wondering if you could show me around," Kasumi told her. Ash raised a brow at the woman. 

"Yeah?" 

"Yes. I don't know either of those two," she gestured at Sinneah and Yumi, "I know Keiko, but I haven't spoken to her much at all. Metsumi would just talk me right out of the city and I don't think Satsuhiro cares to play tour guide. So, yes, that leaves you." 

"You make it sound like you're pretty disappointed about that." 

"I didn't mean it like that," Kasumi rolled her eyes. "Actually, I tolerate you more than anyone else around here." 

"Aw, what a compliment. Shit, I might blush." 

"You should, I don't give those often." 

"Gotcha," Ash replied with a smirk. "Well... I'll let you know tomorrow, once I get shit sorted out. I'm not too sure where I'm headed." 

"That's fine. I've got nothing but time," Kasumi shrugged. "It... It feels really strange." 

"What does?" 

"Moving around. Not being completely miserable for more than an hour at a time." 

Of course, as Ash knew why this was often the case for her, she felt a little for her. 

"Good to hear that." 

"... But, I might not be miserable, but I am definitely tired though. I'm heading back to my room, see you." 

Just like that, she walked away.

"Yeah, see you tomorrow." 

As Ash was left alone, she watched Yumi and Sinneah fight for a little bit. Sinneah, in particular, looked like she was barely focusing on the punches she was throwing, which Ash could certainly guess why that was. Eventually, she saw that Keiko was still alone, by the railing, and she walked over to her. 

She stood right next to her, looking out as well. Keiko turned toward her, and she gave Ash an easy smile. 

"I'm glad to see Kasumi's been doing well," Keiko stated. "Though, seeing her did make me think of others." 

"Who?" Ash asked. 

"My old teacher," Keiko quickly answered. "General Ioko. I was wondering what they would say if they could see me today. Well... If I wasn't like this, and they saw me today, I suppose." 

Those words pierced Ash's heart. 

"You won't be for much longer," Ash promised. She'd all but packed up those strange feelings by now. Or, maybe, she'd gotten better at not focusing on them. Keiko nodded, and then, randomly, she hugged Ash. 

The girl's warm arms wrapped around her, and Ash just about melted into the embrace.

"Thank you," Keiko said. 

"Yeah... Don't mention it."