Chapter 3
She was doing laundry the next day when Talayne came running across the clearing waving herself into a frenzy. Allen she knew was sitting in the parlor reading, the great glass windows opened directly onto the yard where she was delicately pinning up freshly washed sheets. She smiled slightly and waved with a tiny flick of her hand.
Talayne finally stopped next to where she stood and bent over breathing heavily. She ran a speculative eye over the abnormality that Talayne was. Regardless of the warm day and the running that the girl had obviously had been doing she wasn't sweating in the slightest. In fact when she straightened her hair fell right back into the same position, even when she cocked her head it retained a similar form.
"I didn't know ghosts could get tired." She whispered.
"Puffed not tired, and I'm not a ghost." Talayne corrected her as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Spirit, sorry."
Talayne watched her straighten the sheets for a while. She was still recovering from the recently ended war and had learned to cherish little things. Such as hanging up laundry, that the servants normally did, but she found a certain realness in physical work rather than the small embroidering or stitching that ladies were supposed to do.
"You're awfully quiet today, or is that normal for you?" She jumped slightly.
She shrugged quietly, not meeting the Talayne's eyes. "Perhaps you are worried what can I do to help make you feel better?"
That was right, Talayne was the ultimate spy; the only skill lacking was her ability to pick locks and get into rooms. But that didn't mean she couldn't follow someone in when the door was open and sneak peaks at what was happening.
"I want to see some of your other magic." She told the girl softly.
"Like what?"
What? What could she do? "I don't know what can you do?"
"You name it I'll tell you if I can do it."
"Wouldn't it be a lot easier if you could just tell me what you could do?"
"It's a long list."
"Start at the beginning."
"I can walk on water."
"You're a ghost-I mean spirit, that's normal."
"I can go invisible."
"As I said before, can you do anything not spirit originated?"
"Like what?"
"Can you dry sheets faster?"
"Faster than that, all you have to do is grab the corners and run and it'll dry a whole lot faster."
"No, not like that."
"Can you see other invisible things?"
"Like what?"
"Like other people, can you see other invisible people running around like you?"
"I don't know, I haven't seen any so they might but they might not as well, I've seen some invisible robots though."
"You can see invisible robots?"
"Well, not when their invisible but I've seen them turn invisible."
"Really where?"
"Oh not that far away actually, just in the hills yonder."
By the mountains! "Those ones that the sun is setting over now?"
"They're the ones, pretty sunset."
"I have to go tell Allen!" She grabbed the edge of her skirt as she ran towards the door.
"Wait! Wait wait wait wait wait! Why? You said you wouldn't!" Talayne raced after her, easily catching up and jumping in front of her arms outstretched. Her mouth was set into a hard thin line.
"Not about you, about the robots." She tried ducking left and right but Talayne easily moved in front of her. Finally she took a deep breath and leapt through, protecting her face with her arms as she jumped through Talayne.
"And how are you gonna explain how you know this huh?"
"It doesn't matter!" she threw open the door and ran down the hallway. "It's a matter of safety they're enemies!" She darted into the parlor, Allen looked up from his book.
"Well you could have told me." Talayne muttered accusingly.
"Allen there are Zaibach guymeleth's behind the north hills!"
He leapt from the chair. "What? How did that happen? Celena how do you know this?"
She kept her head up so he would believe her, she could never lie when she was facing him. "I just do, please believe me!"
He nodded, "I'll do something about it right away, I believe you. But I want an explanation when I get back." He called over his shoulder as he rushed out the door.
"I wish my brother believed me as much as yours does to you."
"You have a brother?"
"Ah, never mind." Talayne found an interest in the door. "Go finish the laundry, you shouldn't leave something unfinished like that. I'll go watch so I can tell you the details"
She was doing laundry the next day when Talayne came running across the clearing waving herself into a frenzy. Allen she knew was sitting in the parlor reading, the great glass windows opened directly onto the yard where she was delicately pinning up freshly washed sheets. She smiled slightly and waved with a tiny flick of her hand.
Talayne finally stopped next to where she stood and bent over breathing heavily. She ran a speculative eye over the abnormality that Talayne was. Regardless of the warm day and the running that the girl had obviously had been doing she wasn't sweating in the slightest. In fact when she straightened her hair fell right back into the same position, even when she cocked her head it retained a similar form.
"I didn't know ghosts could get tired." She whispered.
"Puffed not tired, and I'm not a ghost." Talayne corrected her as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Spirit, sorry."
Talayne watched her straighten the sheets for a while. She was still recovering from the recently ended war and had learned to cherish little things. Such as hanging up laundry, that the servants normally did, but she found a certain realness in physical work rather than the small embroidering or stitching that ladies were supposed to do.
"You're awfully quiet today, or is that normal for you?" She jumped slightly.
She shrugged quietly, not meeting the Talayne's eyes. "Perhaps you are worried what can I do to help make you feel better?"
That was right, Talayne was the ultimate spy; the only skill lacking was her ability to pick locks and get into rooms. But that didn't mean she couldn't follow someone in when the door was open and sneak peaks at what was happening.
"I want to see some of your other magic." She told the girl softly.
"Like what?"
What? What could she do? "I don't know what can you do?"
"You name it I'll tell you if I can do it."
"Wouldn't it be a lot easier if you could just tell me what you could do?"
"It's a long list."
"Start at the beginning."
"I can walk on water."
"You're a ghost-I mean spirit, that's normal."
"I can go invisible."
"As I said before, can you do anything not spirit originated?"
"Like what?"
"Can you dry sheets faster?"
"Faster than that, all you have to do is grab the corners and run and it'll dry a whole lot faster."
"No, not like that."
"Can you see other invisible things?"
"Like what?"
"Like other people, can you see other invisible people running around like you?"
"I don't know, I haven't seen any so they might but they might not as well, I've seen some invisible robots though."
"You can see invisible robots?"
"Well, not when their invisible but I've seen them turn invisible."
"Really where?"
"Oh not that far away actually, just in the hills yonder."
By the mountains! "Those ones that the sun is setting over now?"
"They're the ones, pretty sunset."
"I have to go tell Allen!" She grabbed the edge of her skirt as she ran towards the door.
"Wait! Wait wait wait wait wait! Why? You said you wouldn't!" Talayne raced after her, easily catching up and jumping in front of her arms outstretched. Her mouth was set into a hard thin line.
"Not about you, about the robots." She tried ducking left and right but Talayne easily moved in front of her. Finally she took a deep breath and leapt through, protecting her face with her arms as she jumped through Talayne.
"And how are you gonna explain how you know this huh?"
"It doesn't matter!" she threw open the door and ran down the hallway. "It's a matter of safety they're enemies!" She darted into the parlor, Allen looked up from his book.
"Well you could have told me." Talayne muttered accusingly.
"Allen there are Zaibach guymeleth's behind the north hills!"
He leapt from the chair. "What? How did that happen? Celena how do you know this?"
She kept her head up so he would believe her, she could never lie when she was facing him. "I just do, please believe me!"
He nodded, "I'll do something about it right away, I believe you. But I want an explanation when I get back." He called over his shoulder as he rushed out the door.
"I wish my brother believed me as much as yours does to you."
"You have a brother?"
"Ah, never mind." Talayne found an interest in the door. "Go finish the laundry, you shouldn't leave something unfinished like that. I'll go watch so I can tell you the details"