Bleary eyes stared back at her in the large bathroom mirror. Gemini needed to get moving, but her brain struggled to catch up to the rest of her body waking up for the day. She was especially miserable because she'd been having a well-deserved good night's sleep when one of the servants arrived for her wake-up call. Reluctantly rubbing the last bits of sleep out of her eyes, she sluggishly brushed her teeth and sunk into the bath to wash off the previous day's grime.
She was almost dressed, wrapping her scarf around her neck, when she spotted a knife poking out of her open travel bag. Stepping closer, she plucked it out and admired the ornate carving on the handle. It was a recent acquisition-Natiqa had given it to her as a birthday present. "I know your fists and your magic are the only weapons you'll ever need, but it's good to have options," she had said before presenting Gemini with the gift. The handle and sheath were made out of lacquered redwood, the swirling carvings finished with gold leaf. Unsheathing it, the cool, dark metal appeared to shimmer faintly like a starry night sky; Natiqa even had her initials, GK, etched into the blade. She dug around in the bag for her holster and strapped it to her thigh. Despite the early hour, her lips curled up in a playful grin as she admired her legs in the mirror. I mean, I was sexy already but now I'm sexy and badass. Satisfied with her appearance, she took a deep breath and gathered the rest of her things before heading out.
The palace halls were eerily quiet as she walked to Valerius's office with heavy footsteps. Valdemar was already waiting by the door with a trunk strapped onto their back. As expected, they wore their usual uniformed getup; the only difference was they'd left off the apron. Their way of greeting was to meet her eyes at the sound of her approach, but they otherwise said nothing.
"Morning," Gemini said, voice scratchy. She cleared her throat and muttered mostly to herself, "Don't you ever wear anything else...?"
"No," came the matter-of-fact reply. She was surprised they said anything at all and counted it as a win.
A few silent moments later, Valerius sauntered leisurely around the corner with his morning wine in hand. He regarded them both with disdain-Valdemar responded with an unblinking stare and Gemini gave him a saccharine smile. After unlocking the door, he breezed into the room without a backward glance as they followed. Valdemar remained standing while Gemini took a seat across from him at the desk.
"Hey, best friend!" she chirped. Valerius frowned almost imperceptibly before rolling his eyes and taking a delicate sip of his drink.
"You will travel to Prakra by sea," he said with a bored tone. "It will be too late to continue traveling by the time you arrive, so you will rest in the port city overnight. I've already sent along word to its only inn, so your lodging is taken care of. A royal carriage will be by to fetch you in the morning." He opened a drawer and rummaged around in it before stiffly pushing a slip of paper toward her. "There." Clearly, that concluded his business with them; he shifted away to reach for some other paperwork and began skimming over its contents. Before Gemini could open her mouth to antagonize him further, Valdemar swiped the paper up from the desk. They read it carefully before their eyes rose to bore into Valerius.
"What is this?" they asked.
Valerius didn't bother looking up to reply. "Your travel arrangements."
Valdemar remained staring at him for a few moments, sharply crumpling the paper in their fist. A grin crept onto Gemini's face as her eyes flickered between the two. "No," they spit. "This is the shipping schedule for a banana merchant."
"Yes. Your ship departs in one hour-do make sure you get on it before it does."
They stepped forward, leaning over the desk menacingly. "Do I look like a banana to you?" The tension was thick in the air, but she was too busy struggling not to laugh at the absurdity of it all to notice. "I'm afraid to hear the thick-witted answer rattling around in that empty head, but I simply must know."
Finally, Valerius looked up to meet both pairs of eyes with a smarmy grin. "I don't understand what the problem is. All of the palace's vessels are occupied, so I simply made do with what was available." That was most verily a lie, and perhaps Gemini would be more upset about it if Valdemar's reaction wasn't so comical. "I told the merchants to be prepared for two..." He paused briefly to look Valdemar up and down. "...human-sized pieces of cargo. They were more than happy to oblige. Try to be a little more grateful, hm?"
Scoffing, Valdemar slammed the paper back onto the desk. They were apparently no longer interested in pressing the issue as they swiftly exited the room, and Gemini couldn't say she blamed them. Valerius leaned back in his chair, looking happy with himself until his eyes fell on her again. He scowled. "Run along, Sibyl," he said, hissing the title. She stood, intentionally bumping the desk as she did. Red wine sloshed out of Valerius's glass onto his paperwork. Eyes blazing, Valerius sprang out of his chair with his lips twisted into a snarl.
Her hands flew up to her mouth as she gaped at the growing stain on the documents he was just perusing. "Oh, no!" she said with feigned regret. "Please accept my apologies, Consul. Silly me, I'm such a klutz!" As quickly as she'd summoned the fake reaction, she dropped it, replacing it with a mocking grin. Don't think I forgot about your little wine "accident" when we first met. She grabbed the balled up paper and her bag before winking and taking her leave as well. After unfurling the paper and scanning the words printed on it, she balked. It really is a banana merchant. How petty can one get? Sheesh.
When she entered the hallway, her companion was nowhere to be seen. Looking around, she spotted them turning a corner all the way at the other end. "Quaestor, wait!" she yelled, hurrying to run down the hall and catch up. Even when she did, she found it difficult to match the brisk pace they set with their long strides. A frustrated huff of their name seemed to catch their attention, and they slowed once they noticed she'd been falling behind. Valdemar hailed a carriage to take to the docks, and they sat in uncomfortable silence. Rather than dwelling on it, Gemini's attention shifted to the low rumbling in her stomach that begged her to eat something.
Eventually, they arrived to see the morning activity just picking up-merchants set up shop nearby, crewmen loaded cargo onto waiting ships, and travelers began to mill about. The two of them adopted a meandering pace, Gemini scanning each of the docked vessels for a name matching the one on their merchant's schedule. They made it all the way to the end without finding it, however, and the embers of agitation ignited a slow burn within her. Travel to the capital city of Prakra took at least a day and a half, provided that the winds were good. If they had to return to the palace and delay their arrival-when the queen was expecting them-because of Valerius's strange vendetta against them, oh, she was going to let him have it. Judging from Valdemar's heavy sigh, they felt the same way. Just as she started to formulate creative ways to rip him apart verbally, a somewhat smaller ship sailed into the bay, headed for the last empty dock. Luckily for Valerius, this turned out to be the ship they were looking for.
As soon as the gangway was let down, a tall, thin man hurried off with a sealed crate in his arms. Gemini and Valdemar shared a glance before starting to board. A rotund man approached to disembark as well, but stopped and broke into a wide smile when he saw them. "'Lo!" he called, waving jovially. "Ya must be them Vesuvian court members we're takin' to Prakra!"
"Yes," Gemini said, feeling a little foolish since she only had a schedule to present him with as verification. "I can show you my seal if needed, just let me-"
She was interrupted by the man's laughter. "Bah, I don't need nothin' like that. Ya look the way the Consul described, though I have to say yer a bit better lookin' than he let on." He beamed innocently while Gemini made a note to replace Valerius's shampoo with orange hair dye when she returned. "Come on, I'll show ya 'round. Name's Murphy, by the way." Gemini introduced them both when Valdemar remained silent, after which Murphy proceeded to take them on a tour of the ship. She listened with rapt attention; it wasn't as large as the luxury ships in the Vesuvian fleet, but she could tell it would be a comfortable trip even with all the boxes of fruit. At the end of his spiel, Murphy led the two of them towards some rooms below deck. "Now, there're two cabins here, but my partner an' I share one so the two of ya will have to share the other one to relax in."
Ugh, fantastic. Gemini sighed and nodded, resigning herself to the fact that she was going to have more one-on-one time with Valdemar whether she liked it or not. No matter-she could handle them for a day. "Ah," he continued, "Willam said he still needed to straighten up the room a bit, so wait 'til he gets back to go in." It was Valdemar's turn to sigh, their annoyed expression plain as day even though half of their face was covered.
Murphy explained that they were running behind and he needed to get some supplies, so they had time if there was anything they wanted to do before they set sail. After he disappeared, Gemini announced that she was going to grab breakfast and headed back to the pier. Wandering, she let her nose guide her to a familiar scent. She smiled when she recognized Selasi's young assistant hawking baked goods, the pumpkin bread she liked particularly enticing. Warm bread in hand, she went back to the ship to find Valdemar on their way off the pier. "Where are you off to?" she asked around a mouthful of food.
She gave them points for trying to hide their disgust; she blushed and swallowed the bite as they replied. "I was just going to take a stroll; the round one has returned, but the skinny one has not."
With a short nod, she gave them a one-armed shrug. "Well, don't get left," she said before moving past them to sit on the edge of the pier. Carefully, she placed her bread next to her and pulled off her over-the-knee boots. It would be annoying to put them back on, but she wanted to dip her toes in the water while enjoying her breakfast. A dull thunk startled her mid-bite; she glanced to her side to see that Valdemar had placed their trunk a few feet away from her and sat on it. They didn't pay her any attention, instead peering over her to gaze at the rising sun with a faraway look in their eyes. She'd normally try to strike up a conversation, but she figured she would leave them be this time. It was more than enough for her to eat her bread in silence that, for once, didn't seem awkward.
They stayed that way for several minutes; by the time Willam returned and called for them to get on the ship, Gemini had already polished off her food. Valdemar disappeared below deck as soon as they boarded, and she figured she wouldn't hear much from them throughout the rest of the voyage. She introduced herself to Willam, who was just as friendly as his partner, if not a little quieter and lacking his distinct accent. They got along quite well, spending a while chatting together as the ship departed from the bay. When he learned she was a practicing magician, his eyes lit up and he shared that he had been trying to grow his magical skill without luck. She was welcome to any of his magical books should she get bored on the trip, he offered; they wouldn't arrive in Prakra until well past nightfall.
She guessed that his books would be mostly entry-level concepts that she was too advanced for, but she still followed him to his and Murphy's shared cabin good-naturedly. Her assumptions proved correct as she squatted in front of their small bookcase, trailing her fingers over the familiar spines she recognized from Asra's teachings. One title did catch her eye. "'Get Familiar with Familiars: Finding Your Spiritual Connection,'" she read aloud.
Willam perked up when she turned to look at him sheepishly. "That's a great choice! Even though I'm still not great at magic, it was really helpful for me and I even have my own familiar now! His name is Rex, he's a gecko." He proudly pointed to a terrarium that, sure enough, housed a bright pink gecko.
Amazing. Even beginner-level magic users can have familiars! Her heart ached in longing. "Well, it sounds like I definitely need to read this then! Thanks for letting me borrow it." They made plans to have lunch together later before parting ways, Willam heading deeper into the ship while Gemini decided to see what Valdemar was up to in the cabin.
They were in the middle of drinking something from a small tube when she opened the door. Immediately, they froze and stared at her with what could only be described as muted panic. She didn't really care about whatever she'd caught them in the middle of, but they clearly did, so of course she had to tease them. "Whatcha got there?" she asked.
Valdemar swallowed, their face twisted in a slight grimace once they started moving again. "None of your business," they said quietly, placing the empty container into a black box and tossing it into their trunk in one fluid motion. Gemini shrugged and slid against the wall to sit cross-legged on the floor, book in hand. They moved to lie down on the bed, closing their eyes momentarily before cracking one back open to gaze at her warily. They stared at each other for a long moment, Valdemar only speaking after Gemini quirked an eyebrow. "Do you get seasick?" Ah. So it was medicine.
She thought for a moment. "Doesn't seem like it, no."
"Good." They left it at that and went back to ignoring her. She was sure they hated that she'd found out a weakness of theirs, but she ate it up like a starved procurator gone rogue at a banquet. For someone who seemed as put-together as Valdemar did, they had a surprisingly mundane trait like that. It humanized them somewhat, which Gemini found immensely satisfying. Any new knowledge about them was appealing to her; since they didn't get close with anyone, they remained largely a mystery. She supposed it was that mysteriousness that drew her to them outside of their unique physicality. It intrigued her intellectually, but she also found it attractive... just a little.
She turned her thoughts away from them and onto the first page of Willam's book. Settling into her spot on the floor, she quickly became engrossed with it. Despite Asra telling her to be patient, she really wanted a connection of her own. Both the constant companionship and the benefit of being better able to channel her magical ability were tantalizing. She eventually slipped into a daydream where she imagined what kind of animal her familiar would be-a badger? A deer? What about a puppy? Oh, she hoped it was a puppy; she loved dogs and wanted a big, soft best friend of her own one day. Different name ideas for her familiar floated through her head before the faint ring of a bell brought her back to the present. Glancing at the clock on the nightstand, she saw it was time for lunch. She unfortunately struggled to recall what she had just read beyond the daydreams it inspired, but she nevertheless remained hopeful that it helped her in some way.
After they ate, Willam sent her back with some blankets and a pillow once she mentioned that Valdemar had taken over the bed. When she returned, she noticed that they hadn't moved at all in her absence. Their long legs just barely fit on the bed, and their chest rose and fell slowly. Are they asleep? I didn't think they slept. Stealthily, she crept closer until she stood over them and examined their peaceful expression. The abruptness with which they opened their eyes interrupted her internal debate about whether she should tickle them with something or not. Well, that answers that.
"Yes?" they asked impatiently.
Gemini coughed to hide the fact that she'd been up to no good. "You alright?"
They merely gave an annoyed shake of their head and wordlessly closed their eyes again. Shrugging, she turned away from them to kneel in her previous spot on the floor. The warm blanket proved helpful in cozying up the space for her to relax in. She briefly mused at how Portia might have compared her to Pepi with the way she stretched out languidly before curling up in her makeshift bed; the thought made her chuckle to herself quietly before she fell into a light slumber.
#
Gemini awoke to a foot gently, yet insistently, nudging her awake. She sat up, bewildered. "Get up," Valdemar said. When she blinked up at them, she noticed their hands gripping the straps of the trunk on their back. The gentle rocking of the ship was also absent. Once she looked coherent, Valdemar turned and left the room first. She hurried to follow, quickly gathering up all of her borrowed items and heading above deck. The sun was nowhere to be found, the sky instead dotted by twinkling stars. Willam held a lantern to light their path as they navigated down the gangway and stopped to stand near Murphy, who was busy securing the ship to the dock.
Willam took the bedding and the book from Gemini's arms before he explained that he and Murphy were headed to a nearby village, so this was where they parted ways. He paused to point out the inn she and Valdemar were to stay in that night as well. Murphy clapped Gemini on the back while Valdemar started walking in that direction. She shook her head and looked at him apologetically.
"Don't mind the Quaestor," she said. "They aren't really a people person."
Murphy just laughed. "Well, I figured that!" Willam came to stand next to them as he smiled at her. "Now you be careful and have safe travels Gemini, ya hear?" She nodded and thanked them for the ride, jogging to catch up with Valdemar once again. Lampposts guided their way up the steps and deeper into the sleepy town. Everyone seemed to have already gone to bed for the night if the storefronts with closed signs and darkened windows were anything to go by. Within minutes, they were opening the doors to the inn. A young woman looked up attentively as they walked in, and Valdemar wasted no time telling her they were members of the Vesuvian court with prior arrangements there. She promptly grabbed a keyring that hung on the wall and led them to their rooms, Valdemar entering theirs and closing the door without so much as a goodnight. Gemini found herself muttering another apology on their behalf, but the innkeeper waved it off.
"We've already served dinner for the evening, but there should be some leftovers if you'd like?" she offered. Gemini accepted, informing her that her companion wouldn't need any. The innkeeper showed her to a quaint dining room with a long table and accompanying chairs, telling her it would be just a few moments. Gemini's mouth was already watering at the lingering scent of spices and other rich, earthy aromas. Soon enough, the innkeeper came back with a couple of dishes she had never seen before, each of which was described to her; there was fried eggplant and curry made with mashed green banana. She sampled each one thoughtfully, more and more delighted with each new flavor. Before she could say her thanks for the meal, the innkeeper returned with a serving of lentils and another new dish, spiced potatoes cooked with chili and turmeric. As her clean dishes were whisked away, Gemini figured there was more food coming and settled in for the ride. Being a "potato gal," as she often described her food preferences, she tucked into that dish first and thought she might need to ask for the recipe, it was so good. She noticed the young woman watching her from the open window leading to the kitchen area, and she grinned at seeing the satisfied smile on her face. Once more, the innkeeper returned to replace the previous course with the next, and this looked to be the last-split green gram with fish head, she said it was. Gemini closed her eyes in bliss as she chewed, deciding that she needed to visit Prakra more often if the food was going to be that delicious. When she was offered dessert, she of course accepted; while she may have been getting full, she was no quitter. She was not disappointed when she was presented with ball-shaped dumplings, an explosion of syrupy-sweet goodness coating her tongue once she bit into them. After polishing them off, she stretched out over the table and wondered what she had done to deserve such a fantastic meal. The innkeeper patted her back with a knowing look in her eye before leaving, calling out that a bath would be waiting for her when she was ready. She spent a few heavenly minutes reveling in the feeling of being well-fed, telling herself to remember to ask about the recipe for that dessert. Only once she felt she could do so without waddling did she get up and leave the room.
As she sank into the warm bath, her thoughts landed on the day ahead of her the next morning. Although she was not looking forward to being in an enclosed space with Valdemar for an awkward half-day, it was a small comfort that she wouldn't have to be so on guard once they went their separate ways. In her mind, she should have been more worried about putting her best self forward in front of the queen; she knew she was Nadia's mother, but she'd never actually spoken to her before. Queen Nasrin was a woman whose presence was both intimidating and commanding of respect. Even with that pressure, she was practically vibrating with excitement that she was finally going to begin her investigation into the mysterious absentee magician. Speaking of mysterious...
Gemini slid down further into the tub, exhaling deeply. Valdemar lived rent-free in her mind, but she honestly couldn't help it, she reasoned with herself. How often do I have the chance to be alone with them and pick their brain? When she really considered it, she didn't know much about them. They had a penchant for death and a malicious streak when one was on the wrong side of something they wanted, and they were also the head physician at the palace during the plague. That was already most of what she knew about them. Asra had suspected they were trying to become Death, but after the Devil was sealed away she noticed Death's presence seemed as strong as the other Major Arcana when she consulted the cards. She was genuinely curious to learn more about them, even outside of her crush. Maybe if they were able to become friends-as much as Valdemar would allow something resembling friendship-her feelings would go away.
Mind made up, she finished washing and got dressed. She prepared her room for when she was ready to turn in and mustered the courage to knock on Valdemar's door. They called for her to enter, so she did; Valdemar was sitting in an armchair, jotting something down in a notebook. Briefly, they glanced up at her before returning to their work.
"Magician," they said without inflection. The switch from calling her "apprentice" didn't go unnoticed, teasing out a smile from her.
"Hey," she replied, leaning against the door frame. "What are you up to?"
"Work."
"Let's go for a walk."
At that, they stopped writing and lifted their head to look at her fully. "A walk? You and I?"
"Yeah." Gemini was rapidly losing confidence, but she was determined not to let it show, so she flashed them a friendly grin. They smiled in return and cocked their head to the side.
"Hmmm? Why?"
She shrugged. "To talk. And to get some fresh air. We were cooped up in the ship all day, after all."
They appeared not to have been convinced; they returned their attention to their notebook and resumed their scribbling. "I'm busy."
Sucking her teeth, she countered, "You don't sleep, right?"
"How observant of you. No, I don't."
"Then can't you do that later?"
"Yes." More scratching noises filled the room as they continued writing without further comment.
Sighing, she stepped inside further. "C'mon, humor me! We'll be out of each other's hair tomorrow. Don't you think you should take more of an interest in your colleagues?"
They laughed heartily, throwing their head back and placing a hand on their chest. "I am very much above being scolded by you, especially over something as ephemeral as human relationships."
Without realizing it, her lips puckered in a slight pout. "I didn't mean it like that..." she trailed off quietly.
Valdemar ceased their laughter abruptly, their eyebrows knitting and mouth frowning as they observed her for a moment. "What are you doing with your face?"
"What?"
"Stop that."
Her eyebrows shot up. "Sorry?" She was so caught off guard, she apologized without thinking. Valdemar's expression evened out again and they looked away, thinking. Gemini shifted on her feet uncomfortably while she waited for them to either press her for her reasoning or shoo her out. Their roaming eyes returning to study her face set her cheeks ablaze, and she held their gaze in an attempt to distract them from noticing should they stare a little too closely. Finally, they closed their notebook and stood.
"Fine. Let's go." Their expression was neutral, so she wasn't really sure if she should be excited or not but decided to celebrate internally anyway. Gemini let the innkeeper know they would be back soon as she led the way outside, heart beating a mile a minute. They fell into step beside each other at an easy pace, at first saying nothing. She slid her hands into her pockets, sneaking glances at them; Valdemar held theirs behind their back and walked with their chin slightly upturned, looking the opposite direction towards the sea.
Okay, I didn't think I would get this far. Now what?
She thought for a moment; one other thing she did know about them by now was that they loathed small talk. Given that, she figured the straightforward approach would be best.
"I'll be honest," she said. "I'm curious about you, Quaestor." At that, they did turn to look at her with interest but didn't say anything. "I feel like I have a pretty good understanding of the other courtiers, but you remain a mystery."
Valdemar chuckled. "Have you considered that this is intentional?"
"Maybe so, but I'm not deterred." They made a thoughtful sound and fell silent again. "I want to get to know you better."
"And tell me, magician, how do you plan to do that?"
Challenges generally seemed to work with them, so she tried it. "If I ask you questions, will you answer?"
They hummed, giving her a sidelong glance that sent shivers down her spine. "Why don't you ask and find out?"
Gemini let out a short laugh, turning away to give herself a chance to refocus. Stupid sexy Quaestor. Their response was mostly innocent and she knew it, but her attraction to them was undermining her attempts to keep cool and making her overreact to every little thing they did. She both hated and liked it.
"Okay," she replied. "I can ask anything?"
"You most certainly can."
Knowing she was unlikely to get a meaningful response, she decided to go deep out of the gate just to see what they'd say. "Tell me about your dreams and aspirations."
To her delight, they looked astounded for a short moment, apparently not anticipating that. Too quickly for her tastes, they returned to their typical emotionless expression. "That was not a question."
Gemini bit her lip to keep from laughing at them. "What are your dreams and aspirations?"
"A bit personal, isn't it?"
"Will you continue to answer my questions with more questions?"
"Can't I? It's my right."
"It certainly is." It was too fun, so she threw out a couple more questions of increasing levels of intimacy while being mindful not to cross the line. They volleyed back with more evasive questions, obviously not intending to participate seriously. The last few questions seemed to strike a nerve, though. She learned that probing questions about their humanity-or lack thereof-were most off-limits.
She eventually relented. "Alright, I get it. Answer me this, then; what have you really been up to since Lucio died for good?"
They stroked their chin in contemplation before answering. "What I have been 'up to,' hm? Nothing in particular."
Waiting a moment for more information yielded no results; that was really their full response. "That's all?"
"Well, I must admit that I'm quite bored with no plague. I have to occupy myself somehow."
"Which is...?"
They stopped walking, stepping in front of her to halt her steps as well. "Do you really want to know?"
Her response was immediate. "Yes."
Valdemar tilted their head to the side as they examined her. Slowly, they returned to their original spot by her side and continued walking, Gemini trailing behind. "I will say this. Research is a critical part of my work these days, so I have been branching out into some medical areas I have yet to study. It was only recently that I got into medicine." Their sharp teeth glinted in the moonlight as they elaborated. "Well, recent for me. Most of this was not even a thought at that time." They gestured at the land around them to illustrate their point.
Gemini was pleasantly surprised that they volunteered this new information. From her perspective, she was allowed to be a little easy to please given how tight-lipped they were about themselves. They seemed to realize this as well; immediately, they clammed up again even though it seemed they had more to say. She took the furrow in their brow to mean that somehow, someway, she was starting to wear them down. Valdemar began guiding their stroll back in the direction of the inn, and she let them as she weighed her next question. It was risky, but she wanted to know.
"Next question-"
"Are you not bored yet, magician?" She could hear the exasperation in their voice.
"Nope. But this one's easy, I promise." Raised eyebrows told her they had doubts. "What do you think of me?"
That seemed to cheer them up. "I don't." She tsked. She was indeed expecting an answer like that, but she didn't have to be happy about it. Their next sentence had her ears perking up. "Oh, but that body of yours is a different story. You know how I feel about it."
You want to get your hands on it? She really, really wanted to see their reaction if she said that, but she thought it best not to press her luck. "It's attractive?" she questioned instead.
Their eyebrows twitched, which she enjoyed. "Your wording is dubious, but yes, scientifically speaking."
As the inn came back in sight, embarrassment washed over her at her slight disappointment. All she wanted to do was flirt with them a little more, but she knew it was a hopeless endeavor. "Answer me one last thing."
They looked down at her, tired. "You don't know when to quit, do you? What a bothersome quirk."
Unfazed, she tapped her lips. "You're not wearing your mask. Why? I thought you couldn't handle the air aboveground."
They relaxed a bit, grinning. "It is not that I 'can't handle it,' magician, I just abhor how it smells. Humans are so filthy, they find a way to stink up everything. However..." They paused to take a deep breath, closing their eyes and exhaling in contentment. "Prakra is different."
Different how? When they looked back down at her puzzled expression with a surprisingly mischievous grin, she realized she'd said that aloud. "Now, that is all you will be getting from me, little magician," they added. "I hope you are satisfied." She wasn't, but she could live with what little crumbs of information she did get from them. If given more time, she wondered, would they be able to grow any closer...?
Gemini bit the inside of her cheek. No, it was best to return to normal once they were back in Vesuvia. To go back to only interacting when necessary; her schoolgirl crush would fade with time. All the same, she was glad she got to talk to them more that evening even if it ended up being mostly inconsequential.
She was so lost in her thoughts, she didn't even notice what was happening when Valdemar's weight on her side had her veering off the path to the inn's front steps. They had already pushed her against the side of the building by the time she snapped out of it. She stood pinned between their hands planted against the wall on either side of her head, face blank as she looked up at them in shock.
"A little comfortable with me, are we?" said Valdemar, their voice adopting the icy tone that rooted her in place each time she heard it. They lifted a single digit to trail down her jawline with a featherlight touch before spreading their fingers to rest around her throat. No pressure was applied, but Gemini understood the intended threat. "A word of advice: you should take care to be more mindful of whom you concern yourself with."
She asked herself what it said about her that she found her current position more thrilling than dangerous; the question remained unanswered. Not one to be intimidated, she held firm in staring right back at them. "It seems like you're the one who's comfortable with me." That last word was punctuated by her pointing a finger in their chest, taking advantage of their incredulity to advance on them and push them back. "I'm not scared of you, Quaestor Valdemar. You and I both know you were weakened by the Devil being taken out of the picture."
"You think you're special, having done that?" It looked like they didn't intend to back down, either. "I could have done the same myself. I was using him-it was a mutually beneficial arrangement, don't misunderstand." They batted her hand away but smiled widely. "Though, I will admit it was impressive for you, a lowly human. That only proves my point."
"Don't you think that if I was able to beat him, then I could just as well beat you? Despite your original plans, you don't have the power of a Major Arcana." It was they who shouldn't misunderstand; she may have been attracted to them, but she wouldn't hesitate to protect herself if she felt the slightest bit threatened. Whether she rationally should have felt that way by now or not was another discussion, but the point still stood in her mind.
Their smile wavered only momentarily before they barked out a laugh, backing away from her. "Do not say such dangerous things, magician. It would be unwise of you to challenge me any further than you already have." With that, they walked away and entered the inn, the door swinging shut behind them.
As they left, they took her adrenaline with them-it came out all at once as she exhaled and sagged against the wall. For the second time within the span of a couple days, Valdemar left her truly stumped by their actions. They could press her as much as they liked, she really wasn't afraid of them. The only thing that would make her withdraw was her actual fear, represented by the fierce pace they managed to work her heart into every time they got close like that. She pressed her hand to her chest, screwing her eyes shut to calm down. I need to pump the fucking brakes... This is all moot, anyway. With the next day came the promise of the two of them splitting to do their respective jobs; as much as she was drawn in deeper the more she spent time with them, it was for the best to just let things be. She wouldn't be able to help herself if this continued, so she willed herself to be grateful that wasn't in the cards for them. When she was certain she would be steady on her feet, she pushed off the wall and headed inside to get ready for bed.