A/N: No smut in this chapter. Laying the groundwork and context for more to come.
"A week-long stay in Kjerag?"
There was no hello from Enciodes Silverash. Nor was there good morning, sister, or anything of the sort. From the word go, the patriarch of the Silverash family was questioning, and it was an inquiry that would have startled Ensia if she wasn't already used to her elder brother's sudden conversational turns.
"Mm-hmm!" Her tail swayed idly behind her as she explained herself. "I miss the scenery! I want to do a bit of climbing while I visit Enya, you know? Plus, didn't they open a hot springs-type thing in the area? Been a while since we had one of those!"
"Mm." Enciodes' expression hadn't changed. "You plan to go alone?"
"Is there a problem with me going alone?" Ensia realized how callous that sounded as soon as she had spoken. She dialed it back a notch. "I mean, there shouldn't be any trouble, right? Unless… you wanted to come with me?"
"Unfortunately, I'm going to have to decline," said Enciodes, and Ensia couldn't help but roll her eyes. She already knew what he was going to say, and Enciodes knew that she knew, but he said it nonetheless. "There is business to conduct here on Rhodes Island with the Doctor and company. I can't afford to waste time back on Kjerag."
"Isn't there something you'd want to do while you're there?" Ensia held her hands together, chancing a smile. "You don't want to go mountain-climbing with me?"
"No." Enciodes' response was curt and cold.
"You don't want to pay Enya a visit…?"
"She would not want to see me."
"You don't know that…"
"Yes, I do."
Ensia sighed, and she dropped her arms to her sides.
I don't know why I even try anymore, she thought. It's like he doesn't even care…
"I'll send word that you're coming over," Enciodes told his sister. "Chester will prepare for your arrival at the family estate."
"Right…" Ensia nodded, unable to stop another sigh from passing through her lips.
"Is something wrong, Ensia?" Enciodes asked. This was just another one of his false pretenses, Ensia thought. She wouldn't bother this time.
"No, nothing," she lied. "Nothing's wrong."
"In that case, I'll be off." Enciodes merely turned, casting his younger sister one last look over his shoulder. "Make sure you've finished all of your duties before going to Kjerag. Although, I'm sure you don't need me to tell you that."
"Mm-hmm…"
And with that, SilverAsh had left. And Ensia didn't know if she was right, or wrong, to feel annoyed with him. The conversation had left her feeling bitter. In fact, most conversations with her older brother had left her feeling bitter these days.
I probably shouldn't think like that. He works hard for Kjerag and Rhodes Island. I'm just being selfish again…
With no one to confirm or deny her line of thinking, Ensia left the room.
Arrival in Kjerag was, of course, made effortless thanks to Rhodes Island. They spared no expense in getting operator Cliffheart where she needed to be. It helped that she had nothing on the agenda — no operations or tasks doled out by the higher-ups; the likes of Kal'tsit, Sharp, or even the Doctor himself.
Standing in the foyer of the Silverash family estate, Cliffheart — Ensia — let yet another sigh escape her. Every time she visited, the sliding scale of déjà vu to jamais vu crept ever closer to the latter — not so much the former. There were more irregularities these days than there were familiarities. Uncle Chester, for what it was worth, wasn't going anywhere.
The family butler brought his white-gloved hand to his chest as he took a bow, greeting Ensia in the same manner that he always had. He stood before the grand staircase in a welcoming gesture, and his smile was gentler than anything Ensia had ever seen.
"Welcome home, young Ensia." Chester raised his head. "Of course, soon enough, I won't be able to call you young anymore, hm?"
Just then, he gestured for the nearest pair of servants to fetch Ensia's bags. It was something she'd almost forgotten about. The discomfort that came with such privilege. The discomfort that she never quite got over.
"Oh, no," she shook her head softly, "I can put the bags away myself, it's alright! It's just climbing gear and snacks." A little joke to ease the tension of the helpers. "Uncle Chester, come on, you know I don't like this sorta thing…"
"Are you certain? It's really no trouble…" He further composed himself, clearing his throat as he stood up straighter. "Well, if you insist. As it stands, the president—"
Ensia cut him off immediately. "Not the president. Enciodes. My brother. You can just say his name…" Ensia mumbled that last bit, feeling more awkward with each passing moment.
"Yes, of course… Enciodes. My nephew," he added, "he's been told of your arrival, and has taken care of the necessary precautions."
"Necessary precautions?"
As if on cue, someone came down the stairs.
Step by step; she took long, confident strides on large black snow boots, and Ensia knew that strut anywhere. Almost militaristic, and thus unlike anyone else here at the Silverash estate. The woman was still something of a stranger, and yet… she was glad to see her. Elated, even.
She smiled, as if she had the entire world in the palm of her calloused hand, and she knew it. Then she spoke, calling the young maiden's name.
"Lady Ensia," she announced.
"D-Degenbrecher…!" Ensia Silverash — the aforementioned lady of the house — was suddenly keenly aware of just how unashamedly tomboyish she was. "W-what are you doing here? Aren't you with my brother? On Rhodes Island?"
"You don't know?" Degenbrecher crossed her arms, standing at the summit of the staircase.
"No one ever tells me anything."
"Enciodes has requested that I accompany you during your stay. For your protection," added the Caprinae. Ensia blinked.
"He did what?"
"I've yet to set foot on the Rhodes Island main landship," Degenbrecher further added, "I've been here in Kjerag, keeping watch over the estate while Enciodes and Gnosis are away. I've been circling the grounds. Keeping the riff-raff away."
"There's riff-raff?"
Degenbrecher smiled secretively. "Well, not since I'm around." Ensia groaned.
"My brother couldn't even tell me — to my face — that you're going to be following me around? Like I'm some useless kid who can't even do anything?" As she spoke, Degenbrecher descended the staircase, and by the time Ensia finished talking, the older, stronger, taller horned woman was looming over her, like a watchful guardian.
"I would gently suggest that you chin up, Lady Ensia," said Degenbrecher. "You've only just arrived. There's no need to let miscommunication put a damper on what should be a special occasion." She cocked her hip to the side, flashing Lady Ensia another charming smile. "I think you'll find this visit to be a less political and inflammatory one than the last." She paused. "Are you hungry, Lady Ensia?"
"Hungry?" Ensia frowned. "Um… A little?"
Degenbrecher reached up and snapped her fingers. "The lady of the house is hungry."
And just like that, two of the servants, who had since been stationed by the entrance, scattered off to the manor's main kitchen, and Ensia felt a pang of guilt watching them go.
Chester kept his knowing smile, and he bowed. "I shall let you unpack, Ensia. If there's anything you need — anything at all — you know you only have to ask."
He took his leave, and in no time at all, Ensia was left standing in the foyer with only Degenbrecher there to keep her company. She wrung her hands together and tried a small smile — one that the hulking Caprinae matched in kind.
The woman standing before Cliffheart was remarkably handsome. She knew Degenbrecher was somewhere in her mid-40s, but she was the strongest and most compelling woman that the Feline had ever known. She was the picture-perfect representation of someone who commanded authority, yet was nonabusive with its exemplification. From the crispness of her olive-colored uniform and the medals which sat upon it; the beastly appearance of her horns protruding from either side of her high-held head; her dandelion-colored long hair, and those sunny eyes that matched…
Cliff's heart skipped a beat.
"It's good to see you, Lady Ensia," the woman told her. "It's a pleasure, really. I think you'll bring some much-needed color to this place."
"You think so?" Ensia rubbed her arm meekly. "Every time I come back here, it's like…"
"Different, but still familiar, am I right?"
Ensia nodded. There was a sudden compulsion to stay rooted as the Caprinae came even closer than before, and yet another compulsion to let Degenbrecher do something eyebrow-raising: she took Ensia's little hand in her own monstrous one, and she raised it up to her lips in a surprisingly soft smooch.
Ensia shivered. But not from the cold.
She sank into the older woman's gaze, feeling secure in those honey-colored hues.
"Lady Ensia," Degenbrecher whispered, "I will remain by your side, but not because Enciodes wants me to. I'm doing it because I want to. Is that clear?"
"Yes." Cliffheart quickly nodded, unaware of just how much she was shaking. Like a little leaf twisting in the wind.
"Put your mind away from the Snowcap Incident. Your brother's antics were just that: antics. Far-reaching, and immediately nebulous. Relax for a while, and then tomorrow morning, we can visit the Saintess atop the mountain, just as you wish. Would you like that, Lady Ensia?"
Another quick nod from the Feline put a smile on Degenbrecher's face. The hard and intense woman looked beautiful when she smiled, as if her entire frame had somehow grown soft.
She reached out and grasped Ensia's face now, carefully, like she was handling a priceless artifact. The smaller woman stiffened, and all the air left her lungs as Degenbrecher graced her thumb along the girl's cheek.
"Atta girl," whispered the Black Knight.
The noise that escaped from Cliff's lips was pathetically small. In her bodyguard's company, however, that didn't seem so bad. Maybe it was good to be small at a time like this?
"Why don't you get yourself unpacked and change into something more comfortable? I'll bring you your meal myself," the Black Knight suggested.
"Y-yeah," Ensia stammered, "yeah, that s-sounds good to me."
"Mm. I thought so."
She only realized that Degenbrecher was still holding her face when the older woman pulled back and crossed her arms with a smirk. "Your room's tidied up, but everything's in its proper place. You still remember the way?"
Ensia found it within herself to scoff playfully. "I haven't been gone that long, Deg…"
"You were gone long enough that I…"
She stopped herself. Cliffheart perked up at that.
"Long enough that you what?" The Feline asked.
"Ah, I misspoke." Ensia's bodyguard cocked her head to the side, off toward the upstairs hallway, just beyond the staircase. The lady of the house hefted her bags up, prompting the blonde to pout. "Are you sure you don't want me to carry those for you?"
"I'm sure! I want to be a little independent, you know? No matter what my brother might think."
Degenbrecher gave Ensia a rueful smile. "In that case, I'll see you soon."
"Yeah. See you soon," Ensia mumbled, walking off towards the staircase.
You'd better, she added, in her own head.
As she walked up the stairs with her belongings, Ensia could feel Degenbrecher staring at her from behind. She didn't know just where the Black Knight was looking, though. Perhaps the Feline's tail, which Cliffheart couldn't calm down no matter how much she tried. It thrashed this way and that, bumping against the rail of the staircase while it happily swayed.
But Cliffheart didn't turn her head. She didn't see how Degenbrecher leered at her boss' younger sister. Nor did she catch how the Black Knight bit her lip as she watched her go.
Interesting times ahead for them both.