Karin closed her eyes, leaning with her back against the resting manticore as her legs lay on the ground in front of her, the woman's arms crossed as she pondered the results of the sparring match.
Only Yeshua had awoken by now, but she had been lighter on them this time, so only Eleonore was likely to need special attention, and the Gandalfr would be able to join them for dinner again once he regained consciousness.
She opened her eyes, furrowing her brow as she thought over the fight. She had broken her shell, if only for a moment, and with it her promise not to use anything but Wellspring in simple sparring matches. If she hadn't actively fought against the killer instincts beaten into her by decades of her harsh lifestyle, if she had given in to her internalized reflexes and aimed higher, then she could have actually murdered the heir to the estate, her own daughter.
She turned her gaze to her side as a breeze swirled around her, and gave a small nod to the girl who had appeared, copying the Duchess' lean on the large familiar behind her. To someone with a less discerning eye, this...child would seem relaxed, but the tension in her shoulders and curling of her fingers was obvious even with the ratty cloak covering most of her body.
"So, that is the face of the person protecting that boy." she stated. "Someone with the ability to cast magic through clones and ride on his back without being noticed. I apologize, I do not recognize you, 'Casper'. It's an oversight I with my rank can't forgive myself for."
The girl chuckled, before lacing her hands together, arching her back and stretching her arms behind her head across Ronchonner's furry haunch with a sigh before replying. "This is just another clone, and not my real appearance. I don't need someone of your caliber apologizing to me, especially not in a dirty place like this where I normally would belong. I'm a nobody, erased from history. My very existence was annulled not long ago."
The woman narrowed her eyes, debating whether to believe the surprising statement, before nodding, turning her gaze to watch the other animals wandering around the stables to feed. "Annulled...I haven't heard of such drastic measures being taken on someone, even an enemy of the Church. What crime did you commit, and why are you here now?" She sensed no hostility from this child, who looked not even of age for going to academy yet. Why had she lied about this not being her real form? Her skill certainly was far beyond her appearance, but looks could be deceiving.
When she didn't answer, Karin narrowed her eyes, and thinking the girl had fallen asleep, she moved her hand, about to tap her shoulder when she finally replied, opening her eyes and giving a wink to the woman. "How can I say what I did? It never happened. The person I was no longer exists. The family I had, the connections I held. When I lost my name, that was when I died. That me was lost to time, and now, I'm reborn as the wandering Casper, with no allegiance to this world anymore."
"Then why are you supporting the Gandalfr?" the woman asked, and blinked as she was met with a low laugh, a noise that was hollow, void of true humor.
"I may be nothing more than a phantom presence now, but I know who my allies are. That boy...No, he is an adult now and should be called as such. David did something that had far more significance to me than he realizes." Her smile dropped, and she held her hands in her lap, letting the short strands of her light blue hair fall into her face to partially hide the sad expression in her eyes. "I admit, I stretched the truth a bit. I still do care for the family I left behind. They did nothing wrong, and it was my own mistake that lead to me becoming this way. That man, who you see only as a hollow shell, ready to receive the full potential of Gandalfr, I see as the opposite of myself."
She sighed, shaking her head, and continued as Karin listened in silence. "I'm sure you noticed as soon as you saw him, and in how he acted around Louise and yourself during that meal you had together. All of us whose magic governs our lives are forced to adopt an affinity, to define our futures by one trait that we pick when we summon our familiars. Yet he possesses the attributes of all four elements, in equal part." Her eyes narrowed as her hands tightened together. "The ability of water to adapt to situations quickly. Wind's capacity to alter itself to complement vastly different styles. The emotional control needed to trust his instincts in the heat of battle, and the solid foundation of his desire to live as he pleases. To someone like me, who has collapsed beyond recognition after attempting to juggle just two affinities, to meet to some like that, who still manages to survive of his own strength, while I'm here, dependent on my magic to even survive…"
She jolted as she felt a hand on her head, looking up as she blinked away liquid that she hadn't even realized was pooling in her eyes. She had intended to just come here, say a few words, and then leave without a trace, but she'd ended up pouring her heart out to a woman who couldn't care less. "You...Why are you…"
"My Rule of Steel dictates that the weak who admit their weakness should be praised." the woman stated, her tone neutral, though her flat expression had softened somewhat, a thin smile barely visible on her lips. "This isn't just about David, isn't it? He is capable of having his own secrets and certainly knows how to lie, but when it matters, he is too honest for a deceiver like you. You've been holding a weight on your shoulders, and you trust him too much to put the burden on him. That family of yours...Something happened recently, didn't it? I noticed while we fought, but you were particularly distracted. Your distraction was why he was able to force me into using Shuffle to escape, you know."
The girl looked away again, curling her legs up to bury her face in her knees. "The ability to adapt to a problematic situation...He knew instinctively to use my weakness to his advantage, even though he thought it was your mistake, not mine. As for my family…"
She shivered, wrapping her arms around her legs to pull them tighter to her body, the girl looking especially young in the vulnerable position as she allowed her tears to flow openly, her voice shaking as her volume fell to barely over a whisper.
"David saved my mother from an elven poison affecting her mind. She was recovering well, and may have soon regained her status as Duchess...But then, she was assassinated yesterday." SHe bit her lip, forcing herself to calm down as she remembered the incident. "I have a large network of clones, especially within Gallia, but they aren't infallible, and to exchange information between the rest, one has to clone herself and then dissipate. If she doesn't, either because she's not aware of a situation, or is trapped and can't move well, then the rest won't know until it's too late."
"So this clone who was protecting your mother...She went after the assassin without notifying the rest?" There were few things more unusual than the concept of a clone casting magic, much less itself producing another elemental clone, but she had seen enough strange events not to question it.
The girl nodded, before burying her face again, not wanting the stoic woman to see her expression. "I'm just a clone myself, but I would probably have done the same. I wouldn't want to worry the rest of me, and against that opponent, I was better suited than anyone else nearby. But...At the last moment, my focus wavered, and I lost my physical form just long enough for him to escape." She let out a low growl, before coughing as the sound caused her throat to close, forcing her to reach a hand to hold her neck and attempt to get rid of the lump. "I know I should be treating you as my enemy right now, to keep my weaknesses hidden so you won't expect them in battle, but...I'm being spread thin. My network is too large now, and everyone is focusing on their own branches of magic. It's overall giving me a much wider range of specialist magic than any one person can hope to learn, but at the same time…"
"It's making you incapable of actually using the magic you're learning, for fear that you won't have the brainpower to keep yourself together." At the girl's confirmation, Karin nodded, crossing her arms again and sighing as she closed her eyes. "At first, I assumed that because of your immunity to damage that you were a Sinax, migrated here from Muspelheim, but now, I see that you're a human, or at least, pass as one. And to even notice that David Wilson is an 'Empty Vessel' despite not knowing that was a concept…" She looked up at the stable ceiling, reaching to idly scratch Ronchonner's back as their conversation roused him from his slumber. "You remind me of someone I dearly loved and trusted, back when I still believed I would grow up to possess the same total lack of magic that my family have had for generations." She pressed a hand to the ground, bringing herself to a standing position and holding her hand out to calm Ronchonner, who had looked at her in confusion at the sudden change in position. "Go back to sleep, you are not needed." Turning her attention to the girl who still sat on the ground, now looking up at her again, she hummed. "As you do not exist, my Rule of Steel cannot apply to you as it does all others. A weak person who protects the strong...I hope you continue to surprise me."
Without waiting for a response, she turned to open the stable door, pausing for a moment. "I will be checking on David to determine if he's awoken yet. I shouldn't have to say this, but I prefer to keep my actions while here with Ronchonner distinct from how I am outside of here."
Casper smiled, wiping her eyes dry as she stood up, stumbling as she used her wind to right herself before nodding. "Thank you for this, it helped more than you know...And you don't need to worry. Since I don't exist, you were just talking to the breeze."