Ria's Adventures
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Godslayer Lysette: Chapter 162
🕑 Added 2024-07-26 14:28:26 +0000 UTCChapter 162: Mirae's Family
Lysette and Mirae drifted down from the floating city of Domark down to the surface about a mile below. As they descended, both enjoyed the cool refreshment of a pair of clouds floating through the sky, using the cover granted as an opportunity to steal a long and passionate kiss.
An errant thought slipped through her mind as they descended down toward the surface. Clouds certainly did float high enough above the surface that they would pass over and through the sky island. And yet, in all her time there, not once had she seen so much as a cloud overhead. Down below occasionally and quite frequently near the horizons. But never above and certainly never flying through the city. Perhaps some sort of strange artifice at play? Maybe even the same one that kept the island floating, she mused.
“Hey love,” Mirae said. “If we have an opportunity, do you mind if we stop at my family home? I haven’t had a chance to see them since the semester started, and I felt like I should at least let them know that I’m okay after everything that’s happened these past couple of months.”
“I think that’s a good idea. It’s still early enough in the day that we can head down there for a couple of hours, have lunch at some point while we’re there, and then make it over to the guildhouse well before they close up for the day. I doubt they’ll have any shortage of assignments, not when war’s on our doorstep.”
“You’ve made sure of that much!” Mirae grinned.
“Oh, it’s my fault now? Didn’t Saffron herself just say it wasn’t?”
“I mean, not in the sense that you were the one responsible for everything that’s happened these past few days. But you’ve certainly proven your capabilities as a Cultivator.” Mirae kissed Lysette as they continued to drift down to the surface, wrapped in each other’s arms. “My love, my Goddess.”
“An elegant response, Mirae love. Now then, lead the way?”
They did exactly that as the two touched down in a small grassy field in the southeast quadrant of the surface portion of Domark. A few kids were playing various games, while others were frolicking about, chasing each other around the fields. As they did, both Lysette and Mirae dispelled their wings and took one another’s hand, walking past a pair of young mothers and their infant children as they made their way onto one of the side streets leading toward the outskirts.
“Have you ever considered having kids one day, Lyse?” Mirae asked.
“Before? No, I can’t say the idea was something I ever thought much about. Never really took a fancy to anyone before you, and the idea of settling down, becoming a mother, and raising a family just seemed unappealing. Even dating felt… less than enjoyable. Better just to live in my quiet house in the countryside, have a peaceful life, spend time with my sister and my aging parents, and focus on my work as an herbalist.”
“You’d consider it now?”
“Now as in this moment? Or even the next few years? No. Too many things to do, too much to think about and prepare for and take responsibility for. I think it’d be irresponsible to add a kid into the maelstrom, not until I know I can give the time and attention our would-be little rascal deserves.
“There’s also questions about who’s going to bear and nurse our child, not to mention all of the logistics of… Compatibility between us as far as childmaking is concerned. But at some point down the line, maybe.”
“It’s not like time matters much to either of us at this point.”
“True,” Lysette responded. She grew wistful, but dared not mention anything to Mirae if they hadn’t made the connection themself. The two of them were now among the ranks of the divine, functionally ageless and immortal unless acted upon by a more powerful force. But Mirae’s family— their two older brothers, their grandmother and maybe their mother— was still very much mortal. And, in the latter two cases, perhaps even nearing their ends. Assuming the worst hadn’t already come to pass.
They continued on their way until they reached a small brick house not far from the city outskirts. The structure itself was plain with little decoration, though a bit larger than the former Barenete family home. The plants outside were somewhat unkempt, sprawling native grasses breaking through the dirt path leading to the front door. Despite the signs of minor disrepair, the home still managed to exude an air of warmth and welcoming.
Mirae opened the door after a bit of jiggling inside, and Lysette followed them inside to a small sitting area, perhaps nine feet square. Mirae motioned to a chair a couple of feet away from the door, and after a bit of back and forth, Lysette accepted their offer.
“Nathan, Niam, you two in there?” Mirae called out.
There was no response. After another half a minute, Mirae walked down the back hallway and looked into the side rooms on either side. Lysette peeked around a bit of the house with her aurasight before thinking better of it. She was a guest, after all, and it felt more than a little impolite to peek around others’ rooms without an express invitation
Mirae returned a couple minutes later and sat down in Lysette’s lap. For a brief moment, Lysette relaxed and enjoyed the comfortable feeling of having them in her arms. But when the chair began to creak and wobble, Lysette quickly dissolved her body, allowing Mirae the seat to themself. She conjured one of her own out of solidified shadow, and after she confirmed its structural integrity, Mirae slid over and joined her.
The two kissed for a moment, only stopping when the front door creaked open. Soon after, an elderly lady with thin gray hair entered the room. She was wearing a modest dress of some sort of neutral beige, holding a pair of cloth sacks filled with various foodstuffs, and had a necklace on, around which was a pair of glasses dangling near her chest.
She turned to Lysette and Mirae and furrowed her brows. “Is that you?” she asked, mentioning a name Lysette had never heard before.
A moment later, Lysette understood and swallowed her irritation at hearing that name. She recalled what Mirae had said weeks earlier, that their grandmother had never fully accepted their identity and refused to call them the name they’d chosen. She hated hearing the name, hated knowing it, and did everything in her power to suppress that knowledge to the furthest recesses of her mind.
Her fists clenched, but Mirae shook their head and stroked their forearm as they stood up to greet their grandmother. They picked up the bags of groceries and brought them to the kitchen, then guided their grandmother to the small rocking chair on the other side of the room.
“It’s me, Mirae, Grandmother. How are you?”
“Are you okay with this, love? If you need me to step in at any point, just let me know.”
“Thanks, Lyse.”
“Ooh, it’s getting harder every year, dear. Joints don’t move like they used to. Bones are hurting, muscles aching. It’s definitely less fun than it sounds getting older. You’ll understand one day, dear.” She sat down and took a deep breath. “Could you get me a glass of water?”
Mirae nodded and walked back to the kitchen. As they did, Lysette grew wistful, watching them depart. Unlike their elderly grandmother, Mirae never would get old, never would know those feelings. She’d taken them from the natural course of their human life and plucked them from the grasp of all mortals’ inevitable fate. In doing so, she disconnected them from their family. Just as other gods had done to her before.
In that regard, Lysette really was no better than the current pantheon, as much as she wanted to. Though, she dared not show her regrets. Not now, not when she needed to maintain a fully-united front with Mirae and demonstrate their resolve and commitment with each other.
Their grandmother turned to Lysette and smiled. “And who might you be, Miss?”
“I’m Lyse,” she said. “Mirae’s friend… and girlfriend.”
“Girlfriend? Now that’s a surprise. I always thought she’d end up with a boyfriend.”
“They,” Lysette corrected.
“Oh, right, right. I keep forgetting.”
Lysette squinted slightly, wondering if she was forgetting or just ‘forgetting’. She brushed it off as her love had requested. Mirae’s grandmother continued.
“Oh, pardon my manners. I’m Jocelyn, her… their grandmother. It’s nice to meet you, Lyse.”
Mirae emerged from the kitchen with a glass of ice water and set it down on the small end table next to their grandmother’s chair. They then sat back down next to Lysette, who weaved a few shadows about to make the small shadow couch a bit larger to accommodate the both of them.
“By the way, Mirae. You look a little different. Taller, a lot more confident, happier with the way you look in a way I’ve not seen since you were a young girl. Pardon my saying this, but I dare say you look rather… handsome. Almost like your grandfather when he was young.”
Mirae blushed slightly. “Thank you, Grandmother.”
“So, do go on, tell me about the two of you! Did the two of you meet at school?”
Mirae nodded. “The two of us met about six weeks ago. Hit it off pretty soon after that. It’s definitely been a rollercoaster of a time. And a lot’s happened since then. But I’m happier now, more content with who I am and what I want to do with my life. And I want to continue to stay by her side for as long as she’ll have me.”
“Well, I can’t say it’s what I’d expected, but if it makes you two happy, then I’ll wish you all the best. Will you be staying long? If you want, Lyse, I’ll tell you stories of when Mirae was young. I’ve got dozens of them!”
“Are you okay, love?” Lysette asked. “Need me to change the subject?”
“I appreciate it, Lysette. I’ll tell you some of those stories later. But I’ll take care of it.”
“By the way,” Mirae interjected, “where are my brothers? Out working?”
“As far as I know they’re out at their new job. Niam got a new position working for a bakery about a mile to the north just after you left to head back to school. And Nathan took up a seasonal job helping with the harvest on a farm a little south of Domark. He’s been living up there most of the harvest season, only coming back one week each month to tend to the house and manage any major family affairs.”
“Ah, I see.” Mirae looked crestfallen. “I’m guessing you haven’t seen Mom since the last time I saw her either.”
“I’m afraid not, N– Mirae. I haven’t seen her in nearly six months now.”
Mirae closed their eyes and leaned on Lysette’s shoulder. “I see.”
“Unfortunately, I can’t sense her with my abilities,” Mirae added. “I thought it was because she wasn’t a Cultivator and therefore I couldn’t get a good read on her presence. But now, I– I fear that the worst may have come to pass.”
“I’m sorry, love. Is there anything I can do for you right now?”
Mirae’s hand slid into Lysette’s. “You already are, love. You’re here, with me, standing up for me, standing beside me, a shoulder to lean on, someone I can depend upon. That's all I can ask of anyone.”
Mirae stood up, pulled a few platinum coins out of their pocket and placed them on the end table next to her grandmother’s glass of water. “I know it’s not much, and I know money won’t buy many of the most important things in this world. I have to go soon, and the two of us may be gone for a while.”
They struggled to hold back tears. Lysette manipulated a few more shadows and cloaked Mirae within them, then constricted the shadows until Mirae was held snug within her umbral embrace.
“I know how much time and effort and energy you spent raising me and my brothers. And Lyse and I are making some good money as Cultivators. So please, I want you to take this and do something just for yourself. Whether that be a special meal or to go see a show or head up to the floating island and see the sights or anything else. It’s not much, certainly not enough to thank you for helping raise me, but I– I think it’s best if I offer you some small gift for my appreciation for everything you’ve done these last nearly twenty years.”
Mirae’s grandmother smiled, tears in her eyes to match those of her grandchild’s. She stood up and, after a bit of jostling around, the two shared a long hug. Lysette smiled and watched, contentment in her heart. Although she was a little wistful thinking about how she’d never get to see her own family again.
But even though her birth family was gone, she still had Mirae, still had the love they shared, still had a lot of friends, followers, and others. It would never be enough to fully replace the hole that remained in her heart, the hole which demanded her Reciprocity paid in full. But it was the beginnings of what, in time, could form a new family. One though, different in many ways, could be just as loving and fulfilling as the one stolen from her. And Lysette again smiled.
Chapter 161: https://www.patreon.com/posts/108863677
Table of Contents: https://www.patreon.com/posts/table-of-101896170
Chapter 163: https://www.patreon.com/posts/108863689
Comments
Ria Corvidiva
Yeah, really wanted to convey 'Mirae's grandmother has a little trouble with the whole transition thing, but she still means well and cares for her grandchild as best she knows how.'
Bielna
Akward, but still warm conversation. Mirae's grandmother kinda reminds me of my own, this makes me nostalgic.
Ria Corvidiva
Content warning for this chapter: some misgendering, reference to deadnaming, and family that just doesn't quite 'get' trans issues.
