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The wisteria lining the streets of Amaurot were in full bloom that season, framing the walkways in soothing pale mauve as well as emitting a pleasing floral scent on the wind – one that heartened the spirits of those out on their mid-morning perambulations for the day.
Indeed, on most days it would have brought a surfeit of comfort to Phylax Soter but on this occasion he walked without the customary purpose in his steps; trading in the mindfulness of his walk for trepidation. He carried a small stack of tomes with him as he walked, a task he would normally have no misgivings with entrusting to an autonomous construct or, barring that, an eager researcher already on the way to his destination, but the exercise was nice, with the fading days of spring lovely enough and besides; if he didn’t deliver these with his own two hands there was no point in providing the materials in the first place.
Research was not his forte. Far from it, in fact, but matters of course did often bring him into contact with the studious and peculiar. He was reminded of this a quarter turn of the bell later when he slowed in front of one of Amaurot’s many streetlights; turned off at the moment but decorated with the beating wings and multi-coloured streamers of someone’s messenger familiar. The arcane creature had entangled itself around the lighting fixture and now struggled vainly to get free, evidently not intelligent enough to do little more than pull and cinch its own bindings even tighter.
This was not what gave Soter reason to pause. Rather, it was the sight of a young woman trying her damndest to both scale the smooth sloping surface of the streetlamp to get at the familiar and also to hide the inevitability that performing such a task was showing off a little more leg than was tasteful in this day and age. Fortunately, it seemed like most others out and about alongside him were tactful enough to avert their eyes and display a much more vested interest in the sidewalk before them, or the buildings above.
Soter too entertained the notion of dutifully avoiding the odd theatre playing out right in front of him, but he would be a poor excuse for a phylax indeed if he did not render up aid where aid was clearly due. He dropped his books and swooped in to give the woman some additional support, namely by positing his rather tall stature up against the lamp post in order to provide her a level foothold to steady herself upon.
She placed a sandal on his shoulder once, stepped on his head twice and banged her heel into the side of his neck a couple of times before looking down to see what she was using as a stepping stool. “Ah!” She exclaimed, steadying herself on him. “Impeccable timing! Hold on, I’ve almost got them…”
He gritted his teeth and stared fixatedly ahead to weather the weight of the smallish-looking woman, but grunted in pain as she fought for a few more inches by stepping on his head again for the third time, but in this case she did not relent. Several choice words unfit for public discourse threatened to force their way past Soter’s lips locked into a grimace, but he held them back through sheer force of will.
With those extra inches the woman wound her fingers into the tangle of ribbons and loosened the snag that the familiar had pulled tight in its attempts to escape. She did what she could on the tangle remaining but sensed her living breathing scaffolding had little patience for a meticulous unwinding, so she relinquished a tiny puff of her aether and fashioned it into a pair of scissors, shearing apart the Gordian knot in one swift snip.
The moment it was free the familiar took off at a shot for the capitol building, not even pausing to acknowledge its saviour. Her task completed, the woman evaporated the cutting instrument and found herself with the freedom to lose the remainder of her balance and topple down from the light fixture and Soter’s shoulders, landing ungracefully on the side of the street. She pushed with one leg at the same time as she lost her balance and he nearly lost his footing as well but instead he tried to catch her, missed, and then found himself the main witness as she hit the stones.
The satchel she’d been carrying popped open on impact and a wrapped sandwich, a thermos of drink and a yellow-gold apple rolled away down the street. Well, the sandwich at least didn’t make it very far. The woman winced and rubbed at the back of her head as a few hushed scoffs and sighs from the definitely-not-looking-over-there public wafted over her, like a stink that preferred to cling rather than go its merry way.
Soter was privy to the side-glances they were receiving even if the woman was not. Now that the spectacle was essentially over it did occur to him that he likely could have solved the woman’s issue on his own without the public performance of impromptu acrobatics – only needing to don his work vestments – but had he done that the tutting and disapproving glares would have sought his soul instead of hers. Such a thought lit a small fire in his breast and he turned his gaze away from his fellow Amaroutines congregating on the other side of the street, kneeling to proffer the young woman his hand.
“That was quite a sudden tumble. Are you alright, miss… ” He trailed off after a moment, hoping she would fill in the gap.
She craned her neck up to look at him and provided an abashed smile as she took his proffered hand, rising to her feet again. “Oh yes; Rhea. I am Rhea, and grateful for your prompt assistance.”
He stood there awkwardly and watched her turn around again to reassemble her discarded inventory, stashing the food and drink and tutting in a sad whisper at the rapidly emerging bruise on her golden apple. She kissed the faint shadow as though to mend its hurts with love and brushed the faint traces of dirt, both real and imagined from her long dark robes.
This in turn reminded Soter that he had dropped his own precious cargo down carefully in the street. Foot traffic in the area seemed to resume once the onlookers realised the show was over and the two hastily reclaimed their belongings. Once all was in order Rhea seemed to wait for Soter to hoist the stack of tomes back into his arms, a collection that, while not completely unwieldy, did seem a little large to cart about by oneself.
Soter tried to bow as well as he was able while holding the tomes to his breast. “A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Rhea. Do take care.”
Rather than cut the meeting short and take her leave Rhea instead cocked her head slightly to the side as she scrutinized him, a slight breeze ruffling her short ginger locks. “Hm. By the make of your mask you don’t seem much like a researcher. Where are you headed that you need to carry so many books with you? You could fashion an apparatus or a construct to carry them for you, you know.”
Soter’s self-consciousness returned in earnest, but it was easier to stand one’s ground when one’s hands were full, at least. Perhaps it would bolster him if he thought of the tomes as a shield. “A-An astute observation indeed. I am to deliver these collated materials to Ergastiri Hydrosis and the Chief Researcher therein.”
The young woman brightened up immediately and even the anonymizing effects of her own mask could not conceal the way her eyes shone at his words. “Ergastiri Hydrosis? What a fortuitous coincidence! Why, just now I was on my way over there for similar reasons! As you can see, my satchel gladly performs the lion’s share of my hauling task, so mayhap I could don some of the burden you carry? In gratitude for the resilience your head provided my sandals?” She giggled a little at that last bit.
Though wary of inserting himself into her quite obviously busy schedule of climbing lamp posts and showing all of Amarout her bare calves, Soter did smile slightly. “That is certainly a curious level of synchronicity. I do appreciate the offer, but I would be loath to impose my burdens upon a relative stranger.”
However by the time he was halfway through his protestation Rhea had already removed the first few books off the top of the stack, lightening his load somewhat. “I suppose I have yet to ask for your appellation despite your awareness of mine. Should you furnish me with your name and occupation my status as a ‘relative stranger’ would evaporate like so much vapor. Come along, sir. We can talk as well as we can walk, and our destination is not far away.” She chided, beckoning him to follow alongside her.
He had no choice but to follow alongside her. The alternative was to lose the books she had already taken from him, including the special leather-bound tome he had spent many an hour meandering with; the one that smelled vaguely of catharanthus blooms. Perhaps such a scent was the reason why she was holding it so carefully behind her crossed arms, right beneath her nose.
The two of them walked for the greater part of a minute together before the more reticent of the two found himself worn down by the silence. “Why were you attempting to free that familiar? I see no reason another’s faulty design for their construct would require your intervention.” He paused for a moment. “Unless the construct was yours, of course.”
Rhea smiled a bit as she walked alongside him, albeit perhaps a few steps ahead of the man. “Would that I had the presence of mind to create such a thing. Alas, ever have I been sorely lacking in the creativity department. Did you see the lovely opalescent ribbons the familiar bore, and how they were an extension of its fine silky wings?” She asked.
“Lovely, yes. Practical? Not so much. Form should never be dwelt upon to such an extent that function loses… er, function.” He replied.
“I don’t entirely agree with it but that is a logical position to take, mister…” This time she was the one who trailed off, waiting patiently for him to oblige her.
He sighed. She had made her points and he felt there was no other course than to acquiesce to them. It would be rude not to, as helpful as she was being to him. “My name is Soter.”
“Soter.” Rhea paused for a moment, mulling on the name. “And you work at Hydrosis?”
“No. Well, not directly. I am a phylax; I serve the Bureau of the Interior. I am often contracted out to protect researchers in the field, such as those in Ergastiri Hydrosis. I have collaborated with them recently.” Soter looked down at the remainder of the books in his hands and cleared his throat a little. “Such is the reason why I am on my way there now.”
She seemed thoughtful, curling a finger to her lips as they drew closer to their destination. “I do recall my daughter mentioning a phylax recently, yes. She is one of the researchers there and spoke quite animatedly of; ‘a transformed sentinel head-and-shoulders above a fully-grown petalodus whose cloak can turn the claws of a beast and bears a blade the size of, well, of two of me’.”
“While true, that is-”
“She also told me that said sentinel picked flowers for her during their off-time.” She added.
Prickles of apprehensive emotion caused his cheeks to burn hot beneath his mask. “I would prefer not to speak of my trade during days of leisure.” He interjected before she could continue on much further.
Fortunately for him, Rhea picked up on the sudden waves of embarrassment coming off the man and tactfully steered the subject back to his inquiry earlier. “I understand. Such matters are of a personal nature. If you must know, I freed that familiar simply for the fact that it seemed the right thing to do at the time.”
“And showed the streets of Amaurot your,” Soter coughed for a moment “er, calves.”
Rhea scoffed at his response. “People shouldn’t be ashamed of one’s own body. They’re legs. People have legs. You have legs.”
Soter relaxed a little, smiling faintly. “How I wish that I had your confidence, Ms Rhea.”
It was faster than Soter would have liked that both he and Rhea soon found themselves upon the threshold of their destination; the chamber workshops of Ergastiri Hydrosis. The make of the edifice interfaced directly with the Anyder beneath the city, tapping into the waterways with tubes and valves of wondrous design, whose purpose was likely only known to the members of the convocation familiar with city infrastructure and the presiding heads of the complex itself.
Hydrosis was a practical place, partly unconcerned with the niceties of other public and community-oriented buildings, although it did pay minor lip service to the more modern marble and gold motifs of current art deco architecture. Rhea’s daughter had once compared the place to a scientifically-minded myrminkion nest, with much of the goings on relegated to dark chambers closer to the flow of the river, warmed by overhead artificial lighting made from their creation magicks.
For their current venture both Soter and Rhea were able to stay above the level of the river and walked through echoing halls that grew smaller the further they moved away from the public gallery. Soter had assumed that once they’d both entered the building Rhea would have broken off from keeping to his stride and disappeared to go find the object of her visitation and yet there she still was, carrying half of his books and looking like she knew exactly where she was going.
And knew she did, for she followed him all the way into the laboratory of the head researcher. Before Soter had the opportunity to knock she was already striding through the doors as though her arrival was common occurrence, causing most of the staff to turn towards her right away. One did not, however; a man kept his back to them as he remained far too preoccupied with the micro biome blooming beneath the lens of his microscope.
Right away a senior researcher bearing a sealed case of specimens unknown to them intercepted their grand entrance. “Miss Rhea! Pleased that I am to see you on such a fine day it is customary of visitors to the workshop to remain in the gallery and seek out the receptionist.” She reminded her patiently, though there seemed a tinge of exasperation on her tongue. This was not the first time she had received such a warning, Soter realised.
Rhea met the notice with a sunny smile. “Don’t worry Pasiphae, I am only going to be here for a few minutes.” She replied and then looked beyond the other woman with a smile and a wave. “Hyades! Hello! May I speak with you for a moment?”
The man still mired in his work replaced the slide of his microscope and straightened up from where he had been half-bent for the greater part of an hour, sighing a little. It was half in annoyance that he was being interrupted, but mostly because of the relieving pop of his vertebrae as he attained his full height again. Because of the nature of his task he was maskless, his visor hanging at his breast and he made no move to put it back on again; assuming that he would be returning to his study of protozoa again once the woman was done with him.
“Rhea. This is not a public space.” He told her, clearly taking the side of his colleague.
“I know, I know.” She conceded to him, perhaps beginning to realise that she was outnumbered here. “I’m just here to deliver something to Iris – she forgot her lunch again. It’s not fun to work on an empty stomach. Have you seen her recently?”
Before he could answer her again his gaze turned to the man beside and somewhat behind her, almost as a means of defence, although his height rendered that idea pretty pointless. “Oh, Soter. Why are you here? We did not call for you. No expeditions are planned until we can find more funding.” He asked, raising an eyebrow.
Soter averted his eyes the moment Hyades had focused onto him, gripping his half of the books with long slender fingers that were turning pale. He hadn’t expected Hyades to be there maskless, hadn’t anticipated seeing those dark gold eyes with their piercing quality without their usual barrier. The chief of Hydrosis was tall like him, though not quite as much, he guessed, but he was beautiful and elegant in the way he carried himself; from his rich nut-brown complexion to the long waves of his hair.
“Mn.” Soter said, flushing so hard his ears were likely darkening. “Uh. Well…”
He almost flinched when Rhea replaced the books she’d been carrying for him on the stack in his arms and patted him gently on the back. “Well I suppose I could leave the food in her workspace to find when she returns, if she’s out.” She added, muscling in on Soter’s awkwardness while opening up her satchel again.
“Iris went to run a brief errand. She shouldn’t be long.” Hyades told her. It was better she wait here where he could see her rather than have her going through one of his staff’s workspace, even if she was her mother.
“I-I… er.” Soter hefted the stack of books over to the large desk Hyades was using to conduct his research and carefully set the half dozen heavy tomes down in one of the few spots not covered by papers, scientific tools or inert concept crystals. Once relieved of his burden it became a little easier to speak, or so he hoped. Maybe it was because Hyades had turned to regard the stack rather than himself and Rhea.
“I chanced upon these during the course of my week and, er… thought you might find value in them.” He stammered, squeezing his fingers on one hand with the other as he watched Hyades pick up the book on top of the stack and run his fingertips across the leather of its cover, turning it sideways to read the title on the spine.
“The Diurnal Cycle of Monsoon Rainfall in the Southern Continents Using a Coupled Land-Cloud Model?” The chief researcher read out to everyone in the room. Off to the side, his colleague Pasiphae smiled and held a hand up to her mouth to keep it from being seen.
“I thought-” Soter began, and then stopped. It was hard to read the reception on Hyades’ face, even with his mask off. All things considered though, he had come this far. He’d met with him and handed over the goods. That had to count for something, right? “I thought you might appreciate the topic, it being related to your research. You may have already read it, but…”
“Oh, I do. Yes. How nice.” Hyades reassured him softly with a little smile, opening the book to the first page to check out the quality of the interior.
That little smile made Soter want to run out of the room. It was pathetic. It made him pathetic. Phylax Soter, whose cloak could turn the claws of a beast, skilled in the manner of the blade, veteran of a thousand battles and sentinel of the greatest city on the surface of the star, reduced to palpitations at the sight of another man’s smile.
Who had picked flowers not for a young woman’s delight but rather for the attention of her mentor, who had misunderstood.
Who likely would have lost the nerve halfway through Amaurot and turned around to go home had said young woman’s mother not flashed her calves at him.
Wait. That sounded wrong.
Well, anyway.
“I am relieved this pleases you.” He replied, covertly leaning on the table with an elbow to keep his balance but also to lean in towards him a little more. “You may have them if you like.”
Hyades snapped the book shut and chuckled. “A kind gesture, but unnecessary. I do not own a published copy, but I also do not need one.” He said.
“You don’t? Why not?”
This time it was Pasiphae who spoke for her chief’s behalf. “I take it you don’t know then?” She elucidated beside Rhea who had been looking back and forth between the two men. “Chief Hyades co-authored those particular materials. Oh yes, those tomes could not have been published without his invaluable contributions to the data!”
Soter was a little too dark-skinned to go completely pale, but he made a remarkably valiant effort at it anyway. “Wh-what? But I did not see his name on the cover…”
Said co-author folded his arms with a faint tinge of dourness. “The Et al. It feels like I am forever consigned to the Et al. But yes, I should be mentioned somewhere in the fine print, should one wish to be thorough.”
“Nevertheless, such a kind offering should not go without proper thanks, don’t you think Hyades?” Rhea suggested, strongarming her way back into the conversation. She was no stranger to assessing distress from body language and felt that, in a place to which he had his metaphorical back to the wall Soter would appreciate having another person in his corner.
He shot her a pleading look before Hyades nodded politely. “Indeed. That you should go to such lengths on your own personal time speaks much of your considerate nature. Perhaps Iris will enjoy them instead.”
The other man’s shoulders slumped, making him both feel and seem smaller. “Of course. Yes, that might be for the best.” He sighed. “P-Please excuse me.”
Soter fled from the room. Or at least, he tried to. As soon as he tried to brush past Rhea and Pasiphae close by to get to the door he was immediately blockaded by the arrival of two more women to the workshop, one appearing significantly younger than the other.
She was half carrying, half dragging a lump of animate goo under one of the sleeves of her robe. If she held any surprise at almost bumping into Soter in the process of his egress she only showed it for a moment before fixating on Hyades, as everyone else had done.
“Boss!” She called to him, her voice young, strident and above all edged with precocious pride, “I’m back! I got the cubus! They were a bit of a handful, but I found some help! Where d’ya want me to- oh! Rhea’s here too?”
The woman beside her planted a white-gloved hand on her hip. “So she is. I suppose it isn’t a surprise to find the parent not far from her offspring.”
“Iris!” Rhea exclaimed, then in a more dour tone; “Ilithyia.”
“Rhea. Pasiphae. Hyades.” Ilithyia replied, a gentle yet pleasant smile on her dark lips. “And er… tall gentleman I do not recognise.”
Hyades nodded imperceptibly to the two additions to the room and, sensing that at this point it was unlikely he was going to return to the calming world of eukaryotes anytime soon, slipped his mask back on under his silken locks.
Pasiphae gritted her teeth in annoyance, annoyed at the increasing lack of respect for this not at all public space. “I must reiterate once again that the proper procedure for Ergastiri Hydrosis is for visitors to remain in the gallery and arrange a meeting with the on-site receptionist.”
Ilithyia waved the complaint away as if it were so much water vapour. “Oh pish posh, I simply wanted to make sure Iris made it back with her little captive. I drew her through Rhea from the aetherial sea, you know, and I had to make sure she was alright. How lucky to find her here too! You simply must visit Deipneus and I one evening, Rhea. Our Adonis will be returning from abroad very soon and he will be bringing home tales of the Traveller, along with some of his own.”
For once it was Rhea’s turn to blush bright red. “Maybe.” She mumbled.
“Bring Iris too, of course! It will be a lovely occasion.” She continued on, oblivious.
Beneath the conversation made by the older folks Iris was already eagerly and quite happily spinning the composite body and form of the cubus back into the raw aether from which it was forged. It went from a thrashing and burbling entity into fireflies of light that she absorbed at once for later use. There was already an experiment planned out later that day for aether such as these.
Soter’s internal turmoil was such that he barely noticed such things. “Ma’am, Miss Iris. If you could please…” He trailed off, his voice calm save for the slight quaver at the end. Ilithyia got the hint pretty quickly, guiding Iris off to the side with her and as soon as the way was clear he immediately bolted out of the laboratory.
“Soter!” Rhea called after him, but it did nothing to slow him down. She glanced to her daughter then her daughter’s employer, huffing and frowning a little. “Hyades, you really don’t get it, do you?” She asked.
Hyades regarded her with mild confusion. “Get what?” As far as he knew his workshop had filled up with off-the-clock contractors and busybodies, then he’d been given a useless gift.
“Ugh. Never mind. Iris, I’ll be right back!”
The youngest researcher in Hydrosis nodded with a smile. “Alright! Let me show you my latest concept when you return.”
Rhea already knew there’d be no chance of her catching up to Soter if she simply gave chase. For one, his legs were much longer than hers and he’d outpace her stride even at a brisk walk and another; it was exceedingly difficult to pin down a fleeing amaurotine if they desired not to be caught. She could only hope he didn’t teleport away before she could talk to him.
He was not in the hallway, nor the gallery, or the waiting area that held a good half dozen queuers waiting to be seen. She spoke with the receptionist just long enough to learn that he’d seen a man with long blue hair quickly run outside. She thanked him, made for the entrance, and then stepped back out into the streets of Amaurot alone.
During the time they’d been indoors the clouds had gathered, ushering in the first few spring rains of the season. It was not a light downpour, nor a heavy one that would make a person wish they’d brought their umbrella with them, but it was enough to clear the walkways somewhat. Nobody really liked being left out in the rain.
She found the phylax standing outside of the building, looking up at the rain. The fat little drops hit the surface of his white mask and ran in rivulets down the silver detailing, from porcelain to flesh; down his cheeks and chin. Irritated by the patter of the rain, or uncomfortable by the building wetness on his face, he removed his mask and turned to her just as soon as he heard the clack of Rhea’s sandals on the stones close by.
He smiled wanly at the young woman by the doors. “A quirk of this facility, so I am told. Localized showers are not uncommon here.” He said.
“Soter. Is aught amiss?” Rhea asked him simply, with as little as possible affixed to the query. If he was upset the last thing she wanted to do was exacerbate the situation. She would not pry about the sudden unseemliness of removing his mask in public.
He looked down to the mask in his hands, running a thumb against the smooth curve of its eye socket. Tears that were too blatant to be raindrops threatened to escape the tyranny of his pale silver eyes. “Mn. No. I’m a fool. I’m an idiot for thinking this was going to go any other way. The chief of Hydrosis would not- could not- find worth in anything that is mine. That is me.”
Rhea walked out from under the awning to approach him in the drizzle. She’d had her suspicions about his mysterious delivery as soon as she’d read his body language in the laboratory, but admittedly the moment she’d caught the floral whiff from the binding of the book she had carried for him there had been a single, ephemeral mote of suspicion.
“I am sorry for involving you in my awkwardness. You need not concern yourself with my shortcomings.” He continued. It would have been much easier if he’d come here alone. He should not have stopped to help her off the streetlight. He wouldn’t have had such a large audience. Only a fraction would have seen him embarrass himself-
He paused in his train of thought upon realising the raindrops that were hitting the tiles around him were no longer gathering and forming little reservoirs of water in the strands of his hair. He looked to the young, freckled woman who had returned to his side, fashioning a whiff of spare aether into a simple green umbrella wide enough to protect them both from the rain.
In order to wield it however, at a height high enough to cover both hers and Soter’s head Rhea was now standing on one leg, balancing on her tippy toes. Her expression was fixed in fervid concentration to keep her equilibrium. Still, she spoke. “Speaking as an outside observer, Hyades is a very… distracted man. I do not think he meant anything terrible by the austere deflection of your gift. Honestly, he may not have understood your intentions at all. Ohh, can you pleas-”
He took the umbrella from her before she could finish her plea and/or fall over, holding it a lot more comfortably above both their heads. The gentle sound of the rain pattering against the fabric felt soothing; a minor balm against inner hurts. Soter chuckled a bit at himself, looking back down the way the both of them had come earlier that day. “Iris is your daughter, yes? She is a very capable young woman.” He told her.
She tracked his gaze with her own, smiling warmly. “That she is, excepting for when she forgets to eat. Such is her hunger for life instead. She will be my greatest contribution to the betterment of this star.”
Soter glanced back to her, beholding the surfeit of pride on what was visible of her face. It warmed the heart to see such a thing, but at the same time it felt almost unbearable - a contentment he did not know and could never reach, he guessed. Like the frostbitten yearning to feel sensation in flesh lost once more.
He wiped the salty droplets of water from his face with a knuckle, still holding onto his discarded mask. “How do you- … how do people connect with one another? I have never known how such things worked. ‘Tis an enigma as complex as the highest of magicks.”
“Do you not have family? Friends?” She asked.
He shook his head. “I was a ward of the city. It is the reason why I protect it now with the only skill I possess. Such a skill renders me unpalatable to the forging of bonds with others.”
He didn’t need to explain himself any further. Iris had already talked enough about him to Rhea. Still, it was a difficult thing to imagine a life bereft of the colours that made it shine. She reached up and touched the man gently on the elbow, in consolation. “Well, that is not true at all. For example, as I mentioned earlier in the day, Iris seemed quite fond of you. As am I. For there were none walking the streets of Amaurot who would stop and offer succour to a woman flashing her calves to the world save you.”
This time Soter’s laugh was genuine. He had to cover his face a little afterwards to hide his unconscious smile. “That is an edifying thought.” He conceded.
“I urge you not to give up on Hyades. As demure and impenetrable as he may be he might also benefit from a like-minded friend.”
“Yes. I believe I understand.” Soter paused to slip his mask back on. “Thank you, Rhea.”
He proferred the umbrella back to she who had made it, but Rhea shook her head at him instead. He could keep it; the little wisp of aether she had fashioned it from was but a droplet in her soul’s reservoir and she would get it back soon enough in time.
She stepped back under the building’s awning as Soter nodded a farewell and broke away from her side, heading down the rainy street back the way they had first came.
Once he was just another robe in the crowd Rhea turned back to Ergastiri Hydrosis in time for Iris to skid to a halt in front of her, panting a little and holding the heavy book Soter had gifted Hyades against her blue-robed breast.
“Rhea! Rhea! Mother, look! It’s Boss’s first edition of The Diurnal Cycle of Monsoon Rainfall in the Southern Continents Using a Coupled Land-Cloud Model! He said I could have it! I’ve always wanted a copy!” She exclaimed, waving the tome at her at such an excitable level Rhea hadn’t seen since Iris had been half her size.
Rhea beamed at her daughter. “Isn’t that nice? I trust you said your thanks to him?” She replied.
Iris scoffed in response, but it didn’t dampen her smile at all. “Of course I did. I can’t wait to read this later tonight! We have all of the Boss’ writings on file at the workshop and I’ve read them all, naturally, but it is an experience to have the words themselves entombed in vellum beneath the fingertips instead of in crystal.”
“If it is a first edition you should check the front matter for signage.” The elder of the two women suggested, thinking on Iris’ words. “Hyades may not have owned that copy but perhaps one of his colleagues signed the tome in his stead. It could be a collectable.”
“It’s a collectable anyway because it’s full of his knowledge.” Iris protested a-matter-of-factly but did as she was instructed anyway, running her thumb across the many pages. Her silvery eyebrows rose somewhat. “Umm, you know, this book smells a little of…”
Her curiosity got the better of her. She turned the book spine-upwards and shook the pages. Pressed flowers sourced from expeditions past fell from betwixt the paper to the wet cobbles below, lygos, daphnes, krokos blooms that left yellow smears on the whiteness of the page and, not the least, the catharanthus that Rhea had caught a whiff of earlier on. One moment preserved in perfection, the next tangled in the rain on the floor.
Iris seemed just as surprised as Rhea was. “Ah, I didn’t know-” She began.
Rhea leaned down a little and placed a calming hand on her back. “Yes, it’s alright. You didn’t know. Don’t worry about it. Let’s go back inside, I have a lunch prepared for you and you must be hungry by now. Honestly Iris, you’d forget your own mask if it wasn’t affixed to your robe.” She smiled.
Her daughter poked her tongue out at her. “You do it too! Remember when you walked halfway to the Bureau of the Architect before you realised you’d left it on the living room table? Anyway, Ilithyia wanted me to retrieve you. She wants to go over dinner plans and Pasiphae wants her to leave.”
Rhea groaned as the two of them stepped back inside the workshop. “I suppose it could be worse.”
And later that night, existing as one of the smaller thousand thousand lights that made up Amaurot’s twinkling skyline, Soter would lie awake in his small, sparsely furnished apartment and think about Hyades, and Rhea, and Iris and wonder if the morrow would be brighter than the one that had come before. If things could be better.
He hoped so.