Where We Used To Be - Chapter 2

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“Your presence, ever fleeting”

Life as a driver wasn’t so different from her day to day, Aglaea realized. It had been a little over two weeks since Aglaea’s impromptu core crystal resonance incident. She had gotten a very harsh lecture from both Tribios and Cerydra about the ordeal, but thankfully since the whole thing was more of an accident than a conscious decision on Aglaea’s part she had gotten off the hook a bit easier than she probably would’ve otherwise. After that, her life had more or less resumed the same: attend lessons with her teacher, handle official duties tasked to her, and have sparring matches with Hysilens.

Yes, life as a driver wasn’t so different for Aglaea. It was Cipher herself that had changed things for Aglaea. Aglaea knew that blades, much like humans, were a unique existence. Blades had their own personalities, habits, and preferences much like normal people did, but Aglaea had not expected that Cipher would have a penchant for pilfering valuables from any unsuspecting noble that lived in Okhema. One day it could be every single gold coin swiped from the hidden vault in a mansion, other days it would be an extremely valuable, one of a kind gem plucked from some grandiose display case. And every time, Cipher would go out of her way to show Aglaea her spoils—like a cat presenting a caught mouse.

“Hey, hey, look at this—this necklace has over fifty gems embedded in it! It’s a bit too gaudy for my tastes, but I bet this thing costs a fortune!”

“Check this one out: it’s a cubic diamond! These things are rare you know, I’m a little surprised one was just lying around in some old coot’s mansion.”

“I’m sure you’ve never seen this before. Tada! It’s a sapphire, bluer than Phagousa’s eye!”

Where Cipher ended up stowing away all her treasures, Aglaea wasn’t sure. It didn’t take long for rumors to start spreading that there was a thief who was specifically terrorizing the citizens of Okhema’s upper class. What was especially awkward was when Aglaea had to sit through a regular report briefing from Okhema’s guard patrols with Cerydra and had to pull her best poker face while pretending she knew none the wiser as all of Cipher’s latest feats were recounted. While the Imperator seemed to regard every incident as too minor to take the fore front of her attention and step in personally, Aglaea had a feeling it wouldn’t reflect particularly well on her if Cerydra knew that it was her blade that was committing all the latest crimes. Aglaea had made honest attempts to broach the topic with Cipher, but it always proved to be more or less pointless.

”Sorry, princess, but stealing’s in my blood. I don’t care who or what I take from—what matters is that I get whatever catches my eye.”

It was always the same excuse, and before Aglaea could ever push further Cipher would disappear in an instant—her laugh carried by the breeze she left behind. That was another thing Aglaea did not expected of her blade: Cipher came and went whenever and wherever she pleased. She was like the wind, gone in a moment and yet everywhere all at once. It wasn’t uncommon for Aglaea to be enjoying an afternoon respite with tea and snacks in the gardens, only for the pastry pinched between her fingers to suddenly vanish into thin air. Sometimes Cipher would sit in on Aglaea’s lessons with Tribios, lounging lazily in a sunny spot on the window sill before disappearing midway after leaving a scrawled cat shape drawing on Aglaea's assignment sheet. Other days the cat-eared blade would sit in Aglaea’s office as if she owned the place, spouting off tales of her most recent adventures to Aglaea during her working hours before leaving once more when she was finished with her stories. Cipher always made a habit to come back every once an a while, but she never truly stayed.

Currently it had been the longest Aglaea has gone without seeing Cipher: three days to be exact. Aglaea had been Cipher's driver for two weeks, and yet for half of that time her blade wasn't even present. The thought nagged at Aglaea's mind as she sat in the garden beneath one of the palace's stone-cut gazebos. She was accompanied by Hysilens, who was playing a soft melody with the violin she cherished. Under normal circumstances Aglaea would have been captivated by the music, but today it was different. "Is something on your mind, little Golden Trout?"

Aglaea's head snapped up as she looked at Hysilens, who was still playing on her violin. Perhaps Aglaea wore her troubles on her face more clearly than she thought, or maybe Hysilens could just tell whenever Aglaea was feeling off. Regardless, there would be no point in trying to deny Hysilens's observation. Aglaea sighed softly and her shoulders dropped with the action. "Are all blades usually so... elusive?”

Aglaea's question caused Hysilens to pause her song. Hysilens looked over at Aglaea from where she stood, violin still perched at her neck but the sword bow lowered to her side. “Is this about the Catshark?”

Aglaea nodded her head. “Yes. I always thought that when I would become a driver myself I would have to adjust to having a blade by my side all the time. I always saw you by the Imperator's side,” she confessed. While there were times when Hysilens was not beside Cerydra, like now, it would not be an overstatement to say that the two were together nearly every waking moment. Aglaea knew part of it was because Hysilens was also Cerydra's knight and bodyguard, but Aglaea could never miss the way the two were close beyond a duty-bound reason as well. Even normal driver and blade duos were pratically tied at the hip, and yet it seemed Aglaea and Cipher were an exception.

Hysilens finally removed her violin from her shoulder and walked towards Aglaea. “Well, every blade is different, Golden Trout. If the Catshark wants to wander, then let her wander.” Hysilens then took a seat beside Aglaea on the gazebo bench, setting her violin down beside her lap. “Although, no blade can stay away from their driver for long without being worse off because of it. For blades, our closeness with our drivers makes us stronger. I imagine that’s why the Catshark still comes back to you every so often.”

Aglaea went quiet at Hysilens words before looking down at her lap. “Truthfully, I kind of assumed Cipher only came back to make sure I wasn’t going to die anytime soon,” Aglaea muttered, unable to hide the bitterness in her voice.

Hysilens sighed in response, as if burdened with the weight of the world. “See, this is why you’re still so immature, Golden Trout,” Hysilens said, exasperated. “You make things more complicated by coming up with these strange thoughts in your head. Why not just get to know the Catshark better before you assume such things?”

“I would if the blade in question wouldn't keep disappearing,” Aglaea replied with a drip of sarcasm.

The tone of Aglaea’s voice made Hysilens laugh amusedly. “Then just ask her to stay. She is your blade after all; make a request, and she won’t be inclined to refuse.”

Aglaea’s brows furrowed deeply at Hysilens suggestion. “I highly doubt that’d actually work.”

“Quitting before even trying, Golden Trout? That’s a little pathetic even for you, don’t you think?” Hysilens teased.

Aglaea huffed at Hysilens. “You haven’t seen how quickly Cipher disappears without a care,” she retorted.

“And I’ve done enough sparring with the two of you to see how quick the Catshark is to comply with you,” Hysilens fired back.

Aglaea gave Hysilens a deadpanned look. “Cipher’s only been around for two sparring lessons,” Aglaea said bluntly.

Hysilens laughed again at Aglaea as she shook her head. “Trust me, Golden Trout—that’s enough for me to understand that the Catshark takes your bond as driver and blade very seriously. My intuition as a blade myself tells me so.” Hysilens crossed her legs and leaned back on the bench. “There’s no need to be shy, Golden Trout. Just be honest, and I assure you the Catshark will respond well to your sincerity.”

Aglaea felt her cheeks warm slightly in embarrassment. “I’m not being shy.” When Hysilens simply looked at Aglaea with a raised eye brow Aglaea clicked her tongue and looked away. “Fine, I’ll ask her next time.”

“A very good idea, Golden Trout,” Hysilens said while nodding her head, a knowing smile on her face. Hysilens then stood up, grabbing her violin along the way. “Do let me know how it goes so that I can enjoy being proven right.”

Aglaea chose not to dignify Hysilens’s bait with a response of her own. Instead she mustered up the patience to keep herself seated while Hysilens prepared to resume her violin playing once more. The moment the beautiful notes filled the air, Aglaea found her troubles momentarily being washed away.

…

Just ask her to stay. How hard could it be?

The mantra repeated itself in Aglaea’s head, but even with her attempts to convince herself all would be fine Aglaea couldn’t help the slight anticipation she felt. Cipher had finally returned, having appeared before Aglaea once more in the afternoon of the following day when she had her conversation with Hysilens. Cipher had decided to barge in very unceremoniously through the window of Aglaea’s office as she was working—another one of Cipher's interesting habits that Aglaea had noticed. Cipher seemed to always be entering buildings through windows.

Apparently, Cipher’s extended absence was because the feline had heard about some ruins with a particularly plentiful haul of treasures buried in its depths. While it was located somewhere on Kephale, that was all Cipher had to go off on so she had spent the past few days racing across the Titan with her speed to find the ruins.

“Turns out it was all the way on Kephale's back! I wonder how people back in the day even managed to get there,” Cipher said. She was draped across the length of Aglaea’s desk—not directly in the way of Aglaea’s paper work but definitely stretched out enough to take up a majority of the surface, right where the sun shined brightest. If Aglaea hadn’t quickly adjusted to Cipher laying on everything as if she owned the place, regardless of how comfortable and uncomfortable it actually looked, Aglaea would have had the sense to at least be somewhat perturbed by the blade’s audacity.

Aglaea hummed in response to Cipher’s words, her composed expression betraying the tiny turmoil she was feeling inside her chest. “Even now, we don’t typically traverse to Kephale’s back because of the distance and terrain.” Aglaea’s green eyes briefly drifted from the black ink of the page in front of her and looked towards Cipher’s face. “It couldn’t have been easy, going all that way yourself.”

A proud trill escaped from Cipher’s throat, her tail sweeping softly across Aglaea’s desk. A paper that had been placed to the side was pushed off the edge in the process. “Maybe not for normal folks, but this kind of stuff is child's play for a blade like me,” Cipher replied with a giggle. After the light boasting she did Cipher pushed herself up into a sitting position and swung her legs over the edge of the desk, her back now turned towards Aglaea. “Anyways, I think I’m going to go peruse around the place for a bit before I head out again—“

“Actually, Cipher,” Aglaea interjected. The normally gentle timbre of Aglaea’s voice was just a tiny bit louder than usual. It was enough to get Cipher to immediately stop in her tracks. “I… Would like it if you stayed with me. For a bit.”

Cipher threw a quick glance over her shoulder to look at Aglaea. Then she stood up, stretched her back with a mortifyingly loud crunch, and then propped her hands onto her hips as she half turned towards Aglaea. “Oh? You want me to just hang around doing nothing?”

“No, no, not nothing,” Aglaea shook her head. A blonde curl tickled her cheek as she did so, so she pushed the strand back behind her ear. “I’m just finishing up my work now, and I was thinking of going to my sewing workshop today. I’d like an additional pair of hands to help me.” Truthfully Aglaea didn’t actually need the assistance, but she hoped that the excuse would be good enough to get Cipher stick around a bit longer. Besides, having someone else to help would speed some things up, so her request to Cipher wasn’t entirely pointless.

Cipher finally fully faced Aglaea. “You sew?” Cipher’s eyebrows raised with mild curiosity. “Funny, I didn’t take you for the type." Cipher then hummed to herself as she tilted her head in thought. The anticipation twisted Aglaea's gut uncomfortably but she managed to keep her body language neutral. As time stretched on Aglaea had begun to feel foolish for going along with Hysilens's idea, but just as Aglaea was about to back peddle and retract her request Cipher finally responded. "Sure, I’ll stick around—I know my way around some thread and needles.”

A wave of relief washed over Aglaea upon Cipher’s acceptance of her invitation. In the back of her mind though, Aglaea could hear the voice of a certain siren poking fun at her with an “I told you so” snicker. Not wanting to appear annoyed in front of Cipher when it wasn’t the latter’s fault, Aglaea quickly swatted away the offending siren image in her head. “Thank you, I’m truly happy for your help, Cipher.”

Aglaea’s words seemed to have appealed to Cipher as her tail curled up and a smile tugged at her lips. Cipher threw her arms behind her head with nonchalant flair. “Sure, sure. Just hurry up so we can get going. I wanna see this workshop of yours.”

Aglaea swiped her pen across the bottom of the sheet in front of her before sliding it to the side of her desk. She then braced both of her palms flat against the wooden surface and pushed herself out of her chair. “We can head over now,” Aglaea said. Aglaea did not wait for Cipher to respond as she turned round her desk and began making her way out of her office. Cipher followed just a few paces behind her, silent aside from the quiet humming she started to do part way through their walk together.

A few minutes and they would arrive at their destination. Contrary to her current status and the wealth she had, Aglaea’s workshop was a rather modestly sized building separated from the Imperator’s palace. It was, in no exaggeration, perhaps one of the few sanctuaries that Aglaea had in Okhema. Besides her own room and private baths of the Marmoreal Palace, her workshop was the one other place she felt a true sense of peace and without the heavy weight of duty and expectations on her shoulders.

“Huh, more quaint than I expected,” Cipher commented as they approached the entryway to the building.

“Contrary to your beliefs, Cipher, I am not some princess who relishes in opulent displays of obscene wealth,” Algaea replied, taking a quick jab at the irksome nickname Cipher seemed intent to call her by. The cat blade hadn't even called Aglaea by her actual name once yet. Aglaea took out the small set of keys she kept on hand and inserted the one for her workshop to unlock the door. Once she opened the door she stepped in and held the door open, allowing Cipher to follow.

“Yeah, but you’re supposed to take over for the mighty Imperator should anything happen right? So that basically makes you a princess,” Cipher sang. When Cipher was inside she took a look around the room and whistled as Aglaea closed the door. “You’ve got a lot going on in here though. I didn’t know you were quite the seamstress.”

Aglaea’s workshop was quite a mess, so she could understand Cipher’s observation. It wasn’t as if Aglaea left the building completely trashed, just that there was a plethora of different materials, equipment, mannequins, and outfits that filled every available space there was. It was chaotic, but as long as Aglaea knew where everything was herself then it was fine (at least in her eyes). “It’s a hobby I indulge when I have the time,” Aglaea said as she walked towards the back of the room where a large desk was stationed. Beside it was a mostly bare mannequin with only the shape of her new dress idea adorning it. Aglaea used her hand to brush off the top of the stool situated in front of the desk before she sat down.

“Looks like more than just a hobby to me. You could probably make your own brand of clothing with all of this,” Cipher commented.

“I’ve personally always wanted to, but life has unfortunately been too busy for me to do so,” Aglaea replied.

“Hmm… really?” Cipher took a seat at another near by desk—a spare for Aglaea in case the other one was too cluttered for her to use. “So… what’s the plan, seamstress?”

Aglaea raised a brow at the new nickname that Cipher had landed on, but chose not to comment on it. It was certainly better than her previous nickname—less teasing and more genuine. Aglaea answered Cipher’s question, “I have some fabric that I need cut for the additional designs I want to add.” As she spoke, Aglaea picked up the materials from her desk and held them out towards Cipher. “All you’ll need to do is cut along the lines I marked. In the meantime, I’ll work on the main dress.”

“Alright, that's easy enough,” Cipher nodded her head. She then began reaching behind her back for her weapons—a set of large, dual knives—with a smug expression, “Watch, seamstress, I’ll get this done in a flash. After all, ‘Speed’ is my middle name—“

“Hold it right here,” Aglaea cut Cipher off and shot her hand out towards her. She then flicked her wrist and pointed a finger at Cipher’s weapons that were half way drawn from their sheaths. “There will be none of that here. You can do the job perfectly fine with a normal set of fabric shears.” As she spoke, Aglaea raised the scissors in her other hand, twisting it in her grip so that she could hold it out towards Cipher with the handle side first.

Cipher looked down at the scissors, to Aglaea’s face, and then back again before she visibly deflated. “Oh you’re no fun seamstress,” Cipher whined, her ears drooping. She plucked the shears out of Aglaea’s hand regardless. Cipher scrutinized the sharp edge of the shears as she opened and closed the long, pointed blades, her head tilted to the side slightly. “Not nearly as sharp as my pair of knives, but I guess it’ll make do.”

“They’re also not nearly as dangerous for this as your knives,” Aglaea noted. At the same time she began to pull the various threads she’d be needing for her part of the dress she’d be working on.

Cipher hummed in response. “I dunno seamstress, you could kill a man pretty easily with these,” Cipher mused as she playfully tapped her finger on the shear’s tip. “Ever considered swapping your sword out to brandish these instead? I bet you’d be pretty deadly with them.”

The sing song tone of Cipher’s voice and the absurdity of her suggestion was enough to pull a chuckle from Aglaea’s lips. As a gentle smile painted itself on her face she softly shook her head, “I’m afraid fabric shears would be a bit too small for me to fight with.”

At this point Cipher had turned in her seat so that she was no longer facing Aglaea but rather the other desk she had chosen to sit at. Cipher rolled out the fabric Aglaea had given her and began to lay it flat. “Then just get a bigger pair of scissors,” Cipher said nonchalantly, as if her suggestion was the most obvious and logical thing in the world. “We could slap my two knives together, add a pivot point, and bam! You got a new pair of extra large, extra deadly scissors.”

Aglaea hummed. “Now there’s some food for thought.”

By that point the conversation had stopped as the two slipped into their respective work. It was quiet, aside from the soft snipping of fabric and the occasional wisp of Cipher's tail as it brushed against the wooden floorboards. At some point Cipher had begun humming to herself the same tune she had played earlier during their walk to Aglaea’s workshop. It wasn’t any song Aglaea recognized, but she found that she quite liked the sound of it.

Aglaea wasn't sure how much time had passed by the time Cipher chirped up again. “Hey seamstress, I finished your little homework assignment you gave me.” Aglaea stopped sewing for a moment and turned to look at Cipher when the latter had called for her. The feline blade sat with her body towards Aglaea once more, leg crisscrossed a top the stool as she nonchalantly propped her elbow on the desk and held the fabric shears languidly in her other hand. “Got any other ‘foes’ that you need me to cut down in your name? Turns out I'm pretty deadly with some scissors.” On the desk were all the different cuts of cloth that Aglaea wanted neatly organized into piles of matching shapes and colors.

"I…" Aglaea's voice trailed off in realization: she didn't really have anything else for Cipher to do, thus no particular excuses that could keep her blade by her side for any longer. Aglaea hadn't even used the opportunity to get to know Cipher either, as she had been much too absorbed in her sewing work before.

You silly Golden Trout—wasn’t this whole thing supposed to be about bonding with your blade? Aglaea could already hear the mocking tone of Hysilens’s teasing in her head, and she’d be damned if she gave Hysilens something else to hold over her head the next time they talked.

Yet Aglaea proceeded to fumble anyways. “No… If you need to take your leave, that’s okay. I know you had other plans before this.” Aglaea wanted to slap herself the moment the words slipped from her lips. She cursed herself and her pathetic inability to lie between her teeth. She had effectively just blown her last chance to keep Cipher’s company for just a bit longer.

Cipher didn't say anything more and instead looked at Aglaea with those big, blue captivating eyes of hers. The weight of Cipher’s gaze felt heavy on her shoulders, but Aglaea held strong while she engaged in the impromptu staring contest that Cipher had started. She prayed that Cipher didn't realize quite how panicked she was in the moment. “Hmm…” Cipher's head fell to the side, her ears flopping with the movement. Aglaea felt a drop of cold sweat drip down the back of her neck. What was that about? What could Cipher be possibly thinking right now? If only I could read minds…

Cipher was the first one to break the staring contest. “Nah, I think I’ll stick around. It’s pretty cozy here.” Cipher’s eyes did a sweep of the area and fell back onto Aglaea. “You don’t mind, right?”

“Not at all,” Aglaea answered a bit too quickly. The toothy grin Cipher gives her in response makes her feel caught, so Aglaea quickly turned her attention back to her desk. “Feel free to look around if you want.”

One of Cipher’s eyebrows raised at that. “Oh? You’re really going to invite a thief to walk around your place so freely?” Cipher raised one of her hands, claws bared, “What if I steal something from your little workshop?”

“What’s mine is yours, Cipher. We’re driver and blade after all,” Aglaea replied. Cipher hadn't responded after that, so she assumed the conversation ended. Algaea wasn't looking at Cipher anymore so she didn't know what sort of reaction Cipher had made at her words, but Aglaea was sure Cipher would have jumped at the opportunity to demand all of Aglaea’s most priceless possessions. Aglaea simply resumed her sewing, and as she did she could hear the soft clicks of Cipher’s heels as she looked around the room, the sound intermittently disrupted whenever Cipher took a moment to rustle through fabrics and decorations, or peruse through old design drafts. Occasionally Cipher would shoot a question out of nowhere about something she found, and Aglaea would respond in turn.

Aglaea hadn’t really noticed when Cipher’s questions ceased, too absorbed in her work now to notice the little things. Even when a shadow fell over her, it wasn’t until Aglaea’s vision became completely obstructed by an embroidery hoop did Aglaea’s senses come back. “Here, seamstress. A little present for you.”

Aglaea blinked once before placing her thread down and gently taking the hoop into her hands. She looked up at Cipher, who stood beside her. “You made this?”

“Uh, yeah?” Cipher gave Aglaea a slightly confused look. “I asked if I could use some of your scraps, and you gave the okay, remember?”

No, actually, Aglaea hadn’t remembered that. Perhaps she had been more absorbed in her work than she realized. Her teacher did always say that was a particularly bad habit of hers she needed to break one day. Aglaea was glad that Cipher didn’t seem offended by her lack of attention. “Ah, right…” Aglaea turned her attention back to the fabric in her hand and appraised the embroidery work that Cipher had done, and her eyes widened slightly in surprise. “…I know you said you knew a bit of sewing, but frankly I thought you were jesting,” Aglaea admitted. She carefully brushed her thumb over the raised surface of the white flower Cipher had sewn. It was clearly made with care, and matched the flowers Aglaea liked to put in her hair. “Where did you learn how to do this?”

Cipher shrugged at Aglaea’s question, although her face looked quite pleased that she managed to show off a bit. “Beats me. I just knew how to do it. Maybe it’s just a skill I was born with.” There was a pause, and Cipher’s ear flicked. “Or maybe one of my previous drivers was a seamstress like you, and I picked it up from them.”

That piqued Aglaea’s interest. “I’m surprised you’re familiar with the concept of trait inheritance in blades,” Aglaea said as she set the hoop down to the side. She’d have to find a way to store the surprise gift—perhaps in a small frame for display. “Is that something blades just know instinctively about themselves?” It hadn’t been that long since Cipher’s awakening after all. Aglaea wasn’t sure where else Cipher would have learned that information, unless it was something all blades knew implicitly.

Cipher had made her way back over to the desk she had been at and dropped into her seat. “Oh nah, I didn’t really think about it until that teacher of yours gave me a couple lessons, but when she told me about it, it instantly made sense,” Cipher explained.

That threw Aglaea off. “My teacher has been giving you lessons?” When did Tribios even manage to catch Cipher? Not only that, but keep Cipher for long enough to have lessons?

“Mhm! She knows a lot!” Cipher proclaimed, “She’s been telling me all sorts of things: what’s been discovered about blades so far, world history, all your embarrassing childhood stories, the current political state…”

Aglaea’s thoughts came to a screeching halt. “Wait—stop, what was that last part?” Aglaea felt the panic rise in her chest. Surely her teacher would never sell her out like this.

Cipher’s smile is wide enough for Aglaea to see the gleam of her canines, and her heart immediately sank. “The part about world politics?”

“No before that.”

“Oh! The stuff about world history!”

“Cipher.”

Almost immediately Cipher bursted out laughing and Aglaea felt like she wanted to die. “That’s a good look on you, seamstress! Your face is like a ruby!” Cipher continued to cackle while all Aglaea could do was sit in silence, completely shocked by the revelation of her teacher's betrayal. Eventually Cipher's laughter dwindled down to uncontrollable giggles, and then she crossed her finger across her heart, “Don’t worry, your secrets are safe with me, promise.”

Aglaea dropped her burning face into her hands and slouched over her desk. Half of Aglaea wanted to ask just what exactly Tribios had spilled, the other half is so mortified by the thought of knowing that she’d rather pretend it never happened. After taking a few deep breaths and composing herself, Aglaea decided she’d rather the latter and quickly pivoted to divert the topic subject, “A-Anyways, what else has my teacher spoken to you about?” Her flustered state aside, Aglaea felt that she presented a natural enough segue. She even picked up her discarded thread and needle to feign nonchalance (but it was really just to give her hands something to do for distraction).

Cipher tapped her chin with her finger, as if giving Aglaea’s question some serious thought. “Well, I liked the story about the time you you tried to sneak some oatmeal in the middle of the night—“

“Besides that!” Aglaea suddenly shouted, and she dropped everything in her hands once again. Cipher chortled at her reaction, this time nearly tipping over in her seat as she did so from how hard she threw her head backwards in delight. Meanwhile Aglaea had reached her limit and turned her head away with cheeks puffed and an audibly miffed huff that would have gotten even Cerydra to raise an eyebrow at her if she were here.

Cipher pressed the advantage and stepped towards Aglaea. “Hey seamstress, seeeaaaamstreeeess~!” She was a step or two behind Aglaea now, leaning over to try and get a look at her face. Aglaea, however, just kept turning her head away from Cipher. “Aw, come on I was just teasing you a little!” Aglaea’s stubbornness was in full force though, and she still refused to look in Cipher’s way. So Cipher switched tactics. “I’m sorry, forgive me?”

Aglaea wasn’t relenting. “No.”

Cipher double downed, and opted to use her speed to whip in front of Aglaea and pulled her ears flat against her head before putting on the saddest, cutest eyes she could muster. “Please? I promise not to tease you anymore.” She even clasped her hands together in front of her for added effect.

Aglaea’s lips pressed into a thin line as she stared at Cipher’s face. A beat passed and Aglaea could feel her resolve waning. Curse those big, blue eyes and that utterly pathetic look on Cipher’s face. Her ears in particular were especially egregious. “Fine. You’re forgiven.”

Cipher immediately shot up with a cheer. “My driver is a saint!” While Cipher rejoiced Aglaea released a sigh as she turned back to the sewing in front of her, this time truly intending to resume her work. Eventually Cipher had settled back down in her seat with a relaxed sigh. Silenced followed, and Aglaea had thought that perhaps Cipher would find something within the workshop to entertain herself with once more. That was, until, Cipher said something unexpected. “Your teacher offered to let me keep a diary, you know.”

Aglaea’s hand holding her needle stilled for a brief moment. “She did?”

Cipher nodded her head. “Yeah, like the one the scary fishy blade has.”

Aglaea knew what Cipher was talking about. It wasn’t often, but there were times when Aglaea would spot Hysilens having a moment to herself and writing in a deep purple diary small enough to keep on her person at all times. Tribios had explained the significance of the diary to Aglaea a long time ago when she had first came to Okhema: a way for Hysilens to recount her previous "lives" when she would inevitably return to her core crystal. A personal gift from the Imperator herself. Aglaea didn't think that Cipher would be offered to keep one at all, and by her teacher of all people.

“Well, do you want to keep one?” Aglaea asked. “I'm sure the Imperator will allow us to make arrangements so that your diary would return back to you in your subsequent awakenings.”

Cipher shook her head immediately. “Nah, not interested.” Cipher placed her elbow on the desk and propped her head up with her hand. "I think I'd be too weirded out reading my past experiences like that. Could you imagine reading everything you supposedly did in a previous life with no way to ever remember any of it?" Cipher scrunched her nose slightly at the thought, displeasure evident from her expression. She then brought her free hand up to her chest and gently touched the smooth, blue surface of the crystal embedded into her chest absentmindedly. "When we eventually both die, I wouldn't want my core crystal to be stored here just so that the diary can stay with me anyways. I'd rather let fate lead me to my next driver by chance. Just like how it led me to you.”

Cipher's words made something in Aglaea's chest warm. Did Cipher mean to make it sound so intimate? Like they were destined to be together? Aglaea felt her cheeks blush just ever so slightly at the thought. Cipher's sentiment reminded Aglaea of how she felt the night she had resonated with Cipher's core crystal. “I suppose such a free spirited lifestyle does suit you much better,” Aglaea replied, "You're always traveling everywhere."

Cipher stretched both her arms out in front of her, her back going convex and cracking loud enough where it was slightly concerning. After her stretch Cipher let out a satisfied sigh and this time propped both her arms on the desk to cradle her face, "Well that's cause I'm always on the look out for new sparkly things to add to my collection." A beat passed before Cipher threw Aglaea a lazy grin. "Don't worry. I won't disappear forever. I'll always come back with something new to show you."

"I'd prefer it if you didn't stay away for too long," Aglaea admitted. "What if someone made an assassination attempt on my life while you're gone? I'd probably be in some serious trouble." Aglaea had said that mostly as a joke, but it wasn't exactly untrue either. Assassination attempts were not unfamiliar to both Cerydra and Aglaea. It was simply a commonplace occurrence that came along with being the Imperator and Imperator's successor.

Cipher thought about it for a bit. "Hey seamstress, catch." Aglaea turned her head to Cipher and quickly caught whatever Cipher had tossed towards her way. When Aglaea opened her palm, she saw what looked to be a token fashioned after a black cat with a mischievous grin. It matched the one that hung from the choker around Cipher's neck.

Aglaea observed the item curiously. "What's this?"

"One of my coins," Cipher said. "If you're ever in danger and I'm not there, toss it high into the sky. I'll come running back to you."

Aglaea ran her thumb across the blue and orange crescent shapes in the center of the coin above the jagged smile. It almost looked like an eye. "Truly? How does it even work?"

"Ah ah, can't give away the magic now, can I?" Cipher tutted. "Don't worry about the specifics, seamstress."

"Then I suppose I'll just have to trust you." Aglaea looked up from the coin and back at Cipher with a gentle smile. "Thank you Cipher. I'll cherish this gift."

A pleased rumble came from Cipher's throat in response while her tail wagged gently behind her. "Good, cause I don't give those out to just anybody. You're my driver though, so you're special."

Cipher didn't say anything more after that. From then on the two simply basked in each other’s presence in the small, tucked away workshop. Cipher had eventually dozed off while splayed out on top of the desk she had been sitting at, the afternoon sunlight reaching far enough into the workshop to envelope her figure in warmth. Aglaea, meanwhile, continued to diligently work on the fabric in her hands. The two stayed together just like that—all the way until nightfall.

…

Aglaea didn’t know what to make of suddenly being called into the Imperator’s office. Even more peculiar was the fact that Cipher was also summoned by the Imperator herself to participate in this meeting. Anxiety twisted in Aglaea’s gut. Did Cerydra perhaps figure out that all the major thefts were happening by Cipher’s hands? After that day where they had spent time together in Aglaea’s workshop the two had inexplicably gotten closer, and it was thanks to that heart-to-heart that Aglaea could finally convince Cipher to at least reign in her thieving tendencies just a bit more. While Cipher ultimately complied she had definitely only begrudgingly agreed, but Aglaea had still considered it a win at the time.

“What’s going on in that pretty head of yours, seamstress?”

Aglaea raised her head and turned the moment she heard Cipher’s voice coming from her right. Aglaea had been alone just a moment before, and without so much of a breeze Cipher had popped in right beside her, seemingly out of nowhere. “I’m just wondering if we’re scheduled for some very stern talking to regarding your favorite pastime,” Aglaea admitted, unfazed by Cipher's sudden appearance.

The tip of Cipher’s ears perked up. “You think? But I only stole from one person today so far!”

“You robbed someone already today?” It was barely even past the Entry Hour.

“Yup, just came back from my little heist just now in fact!” Cipher proudly pulled out a jewel embedded bracelet which she spun around on her finger. “See?”

“You are incorrigible,” Aglaea sighed, although there wasn't really any true chastising behind her words.

Cipher put on a smug smile. “I told ya, it’s just in my blood.”

Their conversation halted as the duo appeared before the large double doors leading into Cerydra’s office. At the same time the bracelet Cipher had been flaunting magically disappeared on her person in the process, completely out of sight. Aglaea stared at the door for a moment before taking a deep breath. While Aglaea was preparing herself and steeling her nerves, she felt a firm slap on her back that nearly made her shout in alarm. “Don’t worry so much seamstress, you’ll get wrinkles on your face with all that frowning you’re doing.” Cipher propped her hands on her hips and smiled, “I’m sure we’ll be fine! Mostly. But still fine!”

Aglaea stared at Cipher for a moment as she rubbed the stinging spot on her back. She eventually let out a small, resigned breath. “You think so?”

“Not really, but hey if things get dicey just say the word: I’ll get us out in a flash,” Cipher offered.

Aglaea shook her head. “Are you seriously suggesting we run from the Imperator?”

Cipher held up her hands. “Only if things get bad! Like, really bad,” Cipher emphasized. “Besides, running is what I’m good at. I can guarantee we’d get away and no one would be able to catch us.”

Aglaea mulled over Cipher's offer, and eventually laughed softly under her breath. “That doesn't sound too bad.”

Cipher gave Aglaea a confident thumbs up in return before dropping her hands back to her side as Aglaea knocked on the door. A resounding “come in” came from the room on the other side, and Aglaea straightened her back before stepping into Cerydra’s office with an air of confidence. Inside she found the person in question sitting at a large desk stationed in front of a window that had the curtains pulled to the sides, which allowed a splendid view of Okhema and the Cloud Sea as the horizon. Hysilens was also present, and stood off just to the side of the Imperator’s seat.

“Good morning, Imperator, Hysilens,” Aglaea pulled the fabric of her dress up slightly as she did a polite curtsy towards the two in question.

Cipher meanwhile threw a wave and a nonchalant, “Hey.”

“Dux Goldweaver, Dux Celripes.” Cerydra greeted them both, unfazed by Cipher’s lack of manners as her eyes remained glued to the report in front of her. Hysilens merely bowed towards both Aglaea and Cipher in response, her hands folded neatly behind her back. Cerydra wasted no time past the introductions. “I’ll be giving you your first official assignment together.”

Cipher’s ears perked. “Wait, so this isn't about—“

Aglaea quickly cut Cipher off. “What are the details of this assignment?”

Cerydra finally looked up from the report in her hand and leaned back before propping her head on the arm rest of her chair. “An unusually powerful Titankin has been spotted in the southern outskirts of Okhema. We’ve received reports of the creature ambushing merchants on the main road as of late. Your task will be to eradicate this threat and put the citizens’ minds at ease.”

“It’s odd for an aggressive Titankin to approach so close to civilization, especially by itself. It must possess some unique trait that allows it to stand out on its own,” Aglaea deduced. “Will we be receiving any additional assistance?”

“You will have none,” Cerydra replied curtly.

“Think of this as an exam, little Golden Trout,” Hysilens finally spoke up, “To test you and the Catshark, and your capabilities as a newly established driver and blade pair.”

The tip of Cipher’s tail flicked lightly against the floor. “Kind of throwing us straight into the deep end with this one, don’t you think? You not worried that this might be too much for your precious successor here?” Cipher mused aloud. In the process she threw a pointed thumb in Aglaea's direction.

“Experience is the most valuable teacher,” Cerydra said. Her eyes then turned towards Cipher. “Besides, should anything go wrong you can just run off with Dux Goldweaver. Isn’t that right, Dux Celripes?”

Cipher visibly flinched at that and her ears fell flat. “Oh, uh, you heard all that?”

“You two were right outside my office door,” Cerydra replied flatly, causing Cipher to let out a small nervous laugh. “This task is of the upmost importance, so you are both to depart right away. Before you leave though, I would have a private word with you Dux Goldweaver.”

“Of course, Imperator,” Aglaea nodded.

Hysilens turned to Cipher. “You heard them, little Catshark. Let’s step out.”

“Huh? Together?” Cipher’s tail had fluffed up slightly in surprise.

“Indeed. Come along now,” Hysilens responded as she was already making her way towards the door. Cipher threw a quick, nervous glance in Aglaea’s direction, as if for confirmation, and Aglaea nodded her head. Cipher’s tail flicked once more before she turned on her heel and followed a pace behind Hysilens. Once the two blades had left, Aglaea questioned Cerydra.

“What would you like to discuss, Imperator?”

Cerydra didn’t respond right away. She tapped the arm rest of her seat, looked at Aglaea, and then propped both her elbows a top the desk and clasped her hands together as she leaned forward. “It’s about Dux Celripe’s thieving habit.”

Aglaea sputtered. “Y-You know about that?”

“Come now, Dux Goldweaver. You awaken a brand new blade we have no information on, and suddenly the number of thefts occurring within my city skyrockets.” Cerydra leaned back into her seat again, her legs crossed and arms folded over her chest. “It does not take a genius to connect the dots.”

Aglaea supposed that Cerydra had a point. A wave of embarrassment washed over her as she bowed her head. In front of the Imperator she felt like a child again caught with her hand deep within a cookie jar at night. “Forgive me for presuming little of you, Imperator. I didn’t mean to offend.”

“Raise your head, Dux Goldweaver. I took no offense—it’s a trivial thing after all,” Cerydra said with a flippant wave of her hand. “I wanted you to know that I don’t particularly care about Dux Celripes stealing.”

This time Aglaea looked up at Cerydra with confusion. “You don’t? Won’t it reflect badly on the Chrysos Heirs since she’s my blade?”

“I figured you'd be worried about that, but it isn’t like Dux Celripes has been caught,” Cerydra explained nonchalantly, “Besides, she has a penchant for stealing from targets with dirty secrets. They can handle having a few minor inconveniences in their lives. If you're really so concerned about her stealing, then just tell her to turn her efforts to the imperial vaults instead.”

Aglaea’s mouth nearly gaped at Cerydra’s blatant disregard for Cipher's law breaking and the suggestion Cerydra so casually made, but she managed to keep her expression neutral. “I see. I shall keep that in mind then, Imperator.”

Cerydra nodded her head at Aglaea’s response. “Your blade has proven her value through her actions in a very short time, Dux Goldweaver. Even if she did not mean to do so,” Cerydra told Aglaea. “I have absolute faith that the two of you will complete this task. Do not disappoint.”

Aglaea bowed her head slightly. “We shall have this task completed as you wish.”

“Good. You are dismissed then,” Cerydra said as she waved her hand.

Aglaea did a final curtsy as a farewell to Cerydra and then turned around to leave the large office. As she approached the doors she could faintly hear muffled voices from beyond them. “…and this one has been cured with salt cultivated from the rainbow kelp found in the lakes within Kephale’s interior. Do let me know your preference for these, little Catshark.”

“Hm…” A snap broke through the air followed by loud crunches. “Now this one’s good! The salty flavor is more satisfying than the smokey after taste of the other—”

Aglaea opened the door and stepped out of the office. “What are you two doing?” Aglaea walked out to see Hysilens and Cipher hunched close: Hysilens with a small jar in each hand containing an assortment of what looked to be dried small fish, and Cipher mid chew with one of the fish snacks pinched between her fingers.

“I was merely acquiring Catshark’s opinion in her field of expertise,” Hysilens answered as she raised both her hands to motion to the dried fish in her hands.

Aglaea turned her head to Cipher next. “What, you think I’m going to turn down getting to taste my favorite snack?”

Cipher liked fish? Aglaea supposed that made sense, considering the cat features and all. She filed that information away in her head. “No, it’s just…” Aglaea placed her hand on her chin, her brows furrowed slightly as she looked at the two blades before her. “The two of you? Now of all times? In the middle of the hallway?”

Aglaea remembered how rocky of a start Cipher and Hysilens first introductions had been a few weeks ago. After Hysilens had sent a tidal wave in Cipher's direction the moment the feline got a little too close, Aglaea had thought Cipher would have been thoroughly traumatized from approaching Hysilens. After all, Cipher had lamented for quite some time to Aglaea about how terrifying the whole ordeal was afterwards. It was the day Aglaea learned that her blade had an acute fear of water.

“A moment of opportunity should never be wasted, Golden Trout. I believe I taught you that much during our lessons,” Hysilens replied simply. She then turned back to Cipher and held forward the bottle in her left hand. “Since this one is to your liking, Catshark, feel free to take it. Consider it a thank you for your time and critique.”

Cipher grinned brightly as she took the jar in her hand with glee. "Thanks big sis Hysilens!"

Aglaea's head whipped over to Cipher once more with a confused expression. Big sis? Since when were Hysilens and Cipher that close? Meanwhile Hysilens smiled at Cipher's excitement. "It's nothing. Feel free to come to me for more, should you ever run out."

Aglaea's confusion increased ten fold. First her teacher, now Hysilens? How was everyone getting closer to Cipher before herself, Cipher's own driver? After their mess of a first introduction, Aglaea assumed Cipher and Hysilens hadn't interacted that much. Their meetings really only amounted to the few combat lessons Cipher was present for, so how did the two of them get to be on friendly terms in such a short time? Was it the fish? Was dried fish truly a more powerful weapon than Aglaea had realized? Just as Aglaea was pondering where she could procure some Hysilens looked over at Aglaea, and her expression must have been truly flabbergasted if it caused Hysilens to laugh at her. "What is it, little Golden Trout? Jealous that I've gotten closer with your blade more than you have in the 3 weeks you've had her?"

Cipher picked up on Hysilens's teasing and decided she'd join in, much to Aglaea's chagrin. "Aw, don't worry seamstress! I care about you plenty too! But well, fish is kind of impossible to compete against…"

Aglaea huffed and turned away from them both. "You're both being ridiculous. Come now, Cipher. We have an assignment to complete." Aglaea began walking down the hall without waiting for a response.

"Jeez, okay, okaaaay," Cipher drawled as she followed after Aglaea. As she did so, Cipher half turned her body and threw a farewell wave to Hysilens. Hysilens waved back in return before she turned and returned to Cerydra's side.

…

“The Titankin should be in this area, so let's begin our search here,” Aglaea said as she did a quick scan of the surroundings from the hill she and Cipher had climbed. Okhema was located right at the base of Kephale’s neck on the right shoulder of the Titan, so the region around the city was rather mountainous. The main path leading to and from Okhema itself was within a deep ravine and consisted mostly of stone steps to aid in the climb up to Okhema, but Aglaea and Cipher had left out of one of the other city gates which allowed them to exit the city into the plains atop the cliffs that bordered the ravine.

The plains that bordered Okhema were expansive and teeming with all sorts of wildlife. Most of the creatures were docile, although still potentially dangerous if provoked. It was the mild temperament of the fauna and nonlethal flora that made Kephale, and by extension Okehma, an ideal habitat compared to other Titans. Titankin sightings in particular were rarer on Kephale, so it truly was odd to find one so close to Okhema.

“Let me do a quick check of the area, seamstress. I should be able to spot something quick if there’s any clues around here,” Cipher offered as she stepped up beside Aglaea. Before Aglaea could interject Cipher was already gone in a flash. Aglaea stood frozen in silence, arm still outstretched towards the spot Cipher had disappeared from. Eventually Aglaea dropped her hand back down to her side and just… looked around for a bit. Just as Aglaea was starting to feel a little foolish for basically just standing around and doing nothing, Cipher reappeared right by her side.

“Good news seamstress~ I’ve found our target," Cipher said. “It’s hiding away in a nearby cave. Seems like it drove out whatever animal was living there before and has made it its permanent residence.”

"Excellent work, Cipher," Aglaea said. "Anything else of note?"

Cipher nodded her head. "I saw the Titankin enter the cave, but I didn't follow it in so there's no telling how large or complex the cave is. The Titankin itself was huge though, and covered in scars. It was dragging a weapon with it as well. A big old slab of metal, like a claymore."

Aglaea's brows furrowed. "It sounds like a Furiae Praetor type then, but the scars are unusual. Do you have an estimate of how large it is?"

"Roughly 15 feet, give or take," Cipher answered, "It could barely fit through the cave entrance."

"That's much larger than the typical variety then as well…" Aglaea noted. "Please lead me to the cave you spotted the Titankin, Cipher."

"Sure thing, seamstress." And then all of a sudden Aglaea's whole perspective shifted as her equilibrium was thrown off balance. Aglaea gaped as she realized that Cipher had picked her up, Cipher's left arm hooked under Aglaea's knees and her right arm supporting her back.

Embarassment flushed Aglaea's body as she gave Cipher an incredulous look. "W-What are you doing?" Aglaea sputtered. While Aglaea's words stumbled a bit, she at least managed to keep her voice from squeaking.

Cipher threw Aglaea an innocent look. "Taking you to the cave?" Cipher's head tilted, "It's faster if I carry you there."

"What—" Aglaea had no time to finish her question though, as Cipher had launched off with a powerful kick of her legs. Aglaea instinctively grabbed onto Cipher's shoulders for dear life as the world flew past the two of them.Everything quite literally turned into a blur, and it was like Cipher outpaced the wind itself all while she laughed.

Soon enough it was over before Aglaea even realized it and Cipher had come to a halt. She dropped Aglaea down onto her feet while she giggled. "Was that too much for you? I will say, you wear the wind swept look pretty well, seamstress."

Aglaea blew a strand of blonde hair out of her face. She could only imagine the state her long, golden hair was left in after the stunt that Cipher had pulled. Aglaea did a once over of her appearance to make sure her hair was in order and the golden laurels she wore were still present. She was honestly impressed the flowers nor the laurel in her hair hadn't been blown off. "I'd appreciate a bit more of a warning before you decide to suddenly lift me up and run off next time, Cipher."

Cipher shrugged. "Eh, but where's the fun in that?"

Aglaea only sighed and decided to let the topic drop. She looked at her surroundings and found that Cipher had taken the two of them into a deep, crater-like formation that Aglaea hadn't seen before. In the distance she saw a cave within the cliff face. "Is that the cave you mentioned earlier?" Aglaea asked.

"Yup," Cipher confirmed with a pop. They made their way closer, and soon enough Aglaea and Cipher stood right at the mouth of the cave. "You ready to head in?"

"No time like the present, as they say," Aglaea responded. With her head held high, Aglaea stepped into the cave with Cipher following close.

Aglaea and Cipher made their way through the cave system. There weren't many diverging paths, thankfully, and when there was one it usually led to a dead end pretty quick. Occasionally they would run into a hostile creature that also made the cave its home, but it was nothing that the two of them couldn't handle with ease. Thankfully lighting wasn't an issue due to the various crystals that dotted the cave, which provided a dim blue hue bright enough to allow Aglaea and Cipher to see where they were stepping. Occasionally they'd even find some random trinket that Cipher took a particular liking too and she'd pocket the item. Eventually they made it into a large chamber, and down below Aglaea and Cipher found their target.

To say that the Titankin was large would be an understatement. Although Aglaea knew Cipher had said the creature was about 15 feet tall, even from a distance it didn't fully prepare her to see for herself just how towering the creature was. In addition to being taller the Titankin was significantly bulkier compared to the usual form of other Furiae Praetor, and just as Cipher had described it was littered with scars presumably accumulated from countless battles that the Titankin had participated in. The creature looked to be resting in the center of the room, with various spoils it poached from traders filling the space along the walls.

"This is a dangerous creature indeed," Aglaea muttered as she and Cipher remained in their observation view point, "I can see why the Imperator wanted this to be disposed of as soon as possible." Aglaea could also imagine why Cerydra had sent her and Cipher rather than a platoon to deal with it. A Titankin of this caliber would be far too much for regular soldiers to handle without significant casualties. A driver and blade would fare much better in this fight.

The ears a top of Cipher's head fell flat against her skull. "One hit from that thing and we'd die on the spot," Cipher grimaced. She then looked over to Aglaea. "Well, what do you want to do seamstress? Any game plans?"

Aglaea thought for a moment. "We take advantage of our higher ground and take it by surprise," Aglaea started, "then attack its joints to try disarming its limbs. We focus on evading its attacks until we can immobilize it and land a killing blow."

Cipher pulled her dual knives from behind her waist. "Alright. You ready then, seamstress?"

"Yes. Let's go, Cipher."

"See ya down there!" In a flash Cipher had disappeared and already she had jumped right above where the Titankin was resting. Cipher turned her body with her knives poised in front of her and came rocketing down towards the Titankin. Yet despite the surprise attack and Cipher's speed the Titankin had managed to sense the attack and took its own weapon and swung it upwards into Cipher's descent. Cipher quickly adjusted the angle of her weapons so that her knives would slide down along the edge of the Titankin's sword in a parry before she pushed herself away landed on her feet. "Hah, the big lug's got quick reflexes!"

Cipher immediately leapt to the side to dodge the Titankin as it slammed its weapon towards her, sending rubble flying through the air. Aglaea meanwhile, had jumped down from the ledge she was on and quickly approached the Titankin's back. Just as Aglaea was closing in Cipher called out to her. "Catch seamstress!" While Cipher dodged another one of the Titankin's powerful attacks she threw her dual knives in Aglaea's direction, and Aglaea caught them with ease.

"As you know, Golden Trout, what makes a driver and blade special in combat is the unique fighting style they employ," Hysilens explained.

Aglaea looked off to the side to where Cipher was lazily stretched out. While Cipher seemed to not be listening, her ears were ever so slightly tilted in the direction of Hysilens and Aglaea. "You mean how drivers and blades share a single weapon, correct?"

Hysilens nodded. "Yes. Blades provide their weapon for their driver to use, so some drivers have had to learn to adapt to whatever weapon their blades manifest with." She then looked at the dual knives that Aglaea held in each hand, the blades just a bit longer than Aglaea's forearms. "Thankfully for you, the Catshark's weapon is already similar to what you were practicing before and is similar to my weapon as well. Imagine if the Catshark used a sledge hammer instead."

"…That would complicate things a bit," Aglaea admitted.

"Indeed." Hysilens then manifested her own weapon from a swirl of water: a pair of long swords. "Drivers and blades sharing a weapon helps to strengthen the bond and synergy between them. You'll find yourself gaining more and more of your blade's strength as a fight progresses because of it." Hysilens then pointed one of her long swords towards Aglaea. "Shall we have a practice match for you to see for yourself?"

Aglaea could feel Cipher's energy as it gave her strength through the link between her and Cipher, and dashed across the room with newfound speed she never had before. Aglaea aimed low managed to slash the dual knives at one of the Titankin's heels, however the Titankin's unusual bulk and thick muscle mass stopped her attack from properly severing the tendon. The Titankin twisted its upper body to swing its arm towards Aglaea, only for Cipher to land a powerful drop kick across its face before the creature could strike.

"Eyes on me, ugly!" Cipher shouted as she continued to zip around the Titankin to draw its attention. While the physical blows Cipher was landing on the Titankin weren't doing much to really damage the creature, it was enough to draw its ire and gave Aglaea the openings she needed. Aglaea lunged forward again and aimed to strike at the same heel she had hit before, and this time she felt the knives cut through a thick band when she hit her mark. The Titankin immediately stumbled from having the back of its heel cut, yet was able to remain standing and mostly unfazed much to Aglaea's surprise. It reared its arms back to prepare for a broad, circular swing, so before it could do that Aglaea threw the dual knives back in Cipher's direction.

Cipher caught her weapons, and while Aglaea dodged the Titankin's wide swing Cipher was already above the Titankin once more and used spun her body to add centripetal force to the swing of her knives. The attack cut deeply into the Titankin's shoulder, but while any other normal Titankin would have instantly lost the use of its arm from such an injury this Titankin was still able to function. Instead of shifting its attention to Cipher who had just heavily injured it, the Titankin remained focused on Aglaea. The Titankin swung its weapon horizontally while twisting its body to follow the line of action before it transferred all of its momentum into a full bodied over head swing aimed perfectly at the spot Aglaea had landed in after her dodge.

"Aglaea!" There was a shout and in a blink of an eye Aglaea watched as Cipher appeared before her just in time to partially deflect the Titankin's heavy attack with her knives, but not without taking a large slice across her face and through the eye in the process. The force of the strike was enough to launch Cipher backwards into Aglaea's body and the two hurtled towards the cave wall before they collided painfully with the rocky surface.

Aglaea yelled in pain from her back slamming into jagged rock followed by Cipher's body being thrown into her. The breath was knocked from her lungs and searing agony immediately spread out across her back and shoulders. When the two of them had fallen back to the floor Aglaea momentarily heaved in an attempt to catch her breath, but still managed to hastily crawl over to Cipher who landed on the floor near her. "Cipher!" Aglaea wheezed with a shout as she turned Cipher's body towards her. Panic took over as Aglaea took in the sight of Cipher's state. Blood smeared across Cipher's face and dripped in bright red splatters across the floor, and a gruesomely large gash split Cipher's face diagonally from her eye all the way to the opposite jaw line. Cipher hissed painfully as Aglaea helped to sit her up. In her panic Aglaea cupped Cipher's face within her hands in order to get a clearer assessment of the latter's injuries.

Aglaea was about to speak until she saw Cipher's wound already began to self regenerate right before her eyes. Blue particles filled the gap between Cipher's flesh and within her eye socket as her body gradually rebuilt itself, and within just a few seconds Cipher's face was reconstructed back to how it was. The only indicator that Cipher had ever been hurt was the blood that still remained on her face and neck. Aglaea opened her mouth to ask Cipher if she was okay, but the feline beat her to it. "I'm fine Aglaea, but we gotta move now!" Cipher grabbed Aglaea's wrist and pulled her up just in time to dodge a large blast attack from the Titankin, who had charged energy into its weapon above its head while Aglaea and Cipher were incapacitated. The Titankin's attack caused an energy explosion that shook the entire chamber viciously. Large chunks of stalactite fell from the ceiling, which nearly crushed Aglaea and Cipher had Cipher not been quick on her feet and dodged all of them.

While Cipher was focused on keeping herself and Aglaea safe from the falling rocks, the Titankin gathered energy into its sword once more for another attack. The Titankin completed its charge quicker this time, and it launched another high powered swing. Cipher's ears shot up in alarm and she immediately yanked Aglaea's body into her own before she threw them both towards the ground, just narrowly avoiding the explosive slash. Cipher used the speed of their fall to land with a roll, and in the process lifted Aglaea into her arms. “Cipher!?” Aglaea shouted in alarm. Meanwhile Cipher had already whipped around and raced towards the cave exit. A loud roar followed behind them as the Titankin charged after them, it's giant form easily breaking through the any obstructions that Cipher skillfully wove around.

“No time Aglaea! We can’t stay locked in close quarters with that thing!” Cipher yelled. “Just hang on tight!” Soon light filled their vision as Cipher approached the cave entrance. With one more powerful thrust of her legs Cipher shot out of the cave and into the sunlight with a leap. Cipher twisted her body and landed safely on her feet while keeping her front faced towards the cave entrance. Cipher finally let Aglaea down. “Phew, I like it out here way better,” Cipher breathed. Before Aglaea could respond the Titankin burst through the cave opening with a wide swing of its weapon, sending large chunks of rock flying. Cipher laughed, “And ugly here finally caught up!”

The Titankin raised its sword and held it up, charging it once more in preparations for a strong attack. The glow of the energy being charged into its sword seemed to be brighter compared to the previous times the Titankin had used the same move, and Cipher clicked her tongue in response. "Seems this brute wants to finish this fight with the next attack."

Aglaea blew the hair out of her face and tilted her head. "Funny. I had the same idea."

Cipher re-materialized her dual knives within her hands and this time only handed one of them off to Aglaea. The two of them stood side by side, weapon in each of their hands as the Titankin quickly began to reach the peak of its next charged attack. In that moment Aglaea noticed a white gold aura that had begun to glow around herself and Cipher. Cipher whistled. "Looks like we're finally in perfect sync, Aglaea. About time too," she grinned.

Aglaea immediately noticed the huge difference in her body when her affinity with Cipher had peaked. She felt stronger and lighter, like she could run across every Titan of Amphoreus and leave a chaotic tempest in her wake. It was nothing compared to the strength Aglaea had been feeling at the beginning of the fight. "After it launches a charged attack it's vulnerable for a brief second. In that moment, we strike," Aglaea explained as she poised the weapon in her hand, "and we end this." Cipher simply nodded her head in acknowledgement, and the two waited patiently for the Titankin's final attack.

Not a moment later the Titankin finished charging its weapon. The Titankin's weapon became a giant beam of energy that reached high into the sky, no longer stunted by a cave ceiling. The Titankin roared and swiftly swung its arms down with a powerful chopping motion. With a burst of speed Aglaea and Cipher shot out to the sides in opposite directions and dodged the Titankin's attack and the explosion that followed afterwards. Aglaea, now matching Cipher's super speed, raised the knife in her hand and shot past the Titankin, leaving a deep, grievous wound across the beast's waist. It was almost like Aglaea's whole body and the air around her had become a sword in itself.

Cipher immediately followed up Aglaea's attack by doing the same light-speed thrust, and added another heavy wound onto the Titankin's flesh. As soon as Cipher finished, Aglaea was already primed to strike again. The two worked together in perfect sync as they took turns piercing through the Titankin in brilliant flashes of light. With each attack the intervals between their coordinated strikes became shorter and shorter and their assault became faster and faster. Finally, with the Titankin on its last legs, Aglaea and Cipher came together once more and in one final attack crossed their blades and completely sliced through the Titankin's torso.

The Titankin immediately fell to the floor in a bisected pile, dead at their hands. While Aglaea took a moment to catch her breath from the exhilarating rush of her team up attack with Cipher, the blade in question came up to her side. "Nice moves Aglaea! Mission accomplished!" While Cipher rejoiced, clearly relishing in their overwhelming victory against such a formidable foe, Aglaea let the weapon in her hand fall as she quickly spun towards Cipher and grabbed her face firmly between her own hands. Cipher stared wide eyed in surprise as Aglaea scrutinized her face. "Uh, Aglaea?" A hint of panic tinted Cipher's voice for once. After all, she had no idea why Aglaea had such a grim expression despite the two of them completing their mission with flying colors.

After a moment of hard staring, Aglaea sighed. "You… Earlier, when you protected me. You shouldn't have acted so recklessly." Aglaea gently brushed her thumb underneath the eye that Cipher had briefly lost during the fight. "You were injured so horribly…"

Cipher's brows furrowed at Aglaea's words and she huffed. "And what, just let you get killed? Remember, seamstress, if you die then it's over for both of us. Better I take the hit than you do."

The frown on Aglaea's face became deeper. "I don't like that."

Cipher pulled her face out of Aglaea's hands and took a step back. "Listen seamstress, I'm a blade. It doesn't matter if I'm chopped up, skinned, or burned alive—I'll just regenerate back. I can't die like how you can," Cipher said as she motioned her hands towards her body for emphasis. She then crossed her arms. "You should worry more about that pretty head of yours than me, seamstress."

Aglaea's lips remained shut as she processed Cipher's words. After a moment, Aglaea finally released a breath. "But you still feel pain, though, don't you? I would rather not use you as a living meat shield. Besides…" Aglaea then raised a hand and delicately traced the path where the cut had split Cipher's face wide open earlier. Aglaea gently wiped away the blood that had remained on Cipher's face. "You have a beautiful face, Cipher, It upsets me to see it marred, even if only temporarily."

Though it was subtle, Aglaea had caught the way Cipher's eyes widened just ever so slightly and how the tips of her ears pointed just a tiny but more upwards. Even her tail, which normally swayed in gentle motions, had stilled for just a moment. Then Aglaea blinked, and suddenly Cipher was roughly pulling her face from Aglaea's hold and turning her back to her. "Tch, the way you talk all flowery is annoying, seamstress. It's not like I wanted to get mutilated protecting you, you know," Cipher spat, although there wasn't really any malice behind her words. "Forget it. Let's consider this mission done and head back already."

Aglaea's brows furrowed as she frowned at Cipher's sudden shift in behavior, but in the end she relented with a sigh beneath her breath. She could tell it would do no good to push the subject any further with her blade. "Very well. But before that…" Aglaea turned back towards the Titankin's corpse and knelt down beside it. Cipher glanced at Aglaea over her shoulder, until curiosity pulled Cipher back to Aglaea's side.

"What're you doing?"

"Obtaining proof of our accomplishment," Aglaea answered simply. Her eyes then fell on a broken off piece of the Titankin's body, which also sported one of the many scars that was on its body. Aglaea picked it up. "This should suffice." Aglaea turned towards Cipher and held the piece in her hand towards the feline, "Would you hold onto this for me, Cipher?"

Cipher scrunched up her nose slightly as her ears drooped. "Ugh, I'm not the biggest fan of stashing broken off body chunks," she complained, yet still pocketed the piece of the Titankin's remains. Once the material was safely stowed away Cipher looked back at Aglaea. "You ready to head back now? I can get us back in a flash," Cipher offered as she held out her hand.

Aglaea looked from Cipher's face down to her open palm before she dropped her own hand into it. "That would be nice. I can feel the soreness in my back beginning to settle in." As she spoke Aglaea tested her back by rolling her shoulders and grimaced as she felt a deep ache right in the center of her spine and at her shoulder blades—the tell tale signs of an oncoming bruise (and hopefully nothing worse).

Cipher giggled at Aglaea's at expression. "Want me to give you a piggy back ride instead then?"

"That's quite alright," Aglaea shot down immediately. The last time Aglaea had gotten a piggy back ride was years ago when Aglaea was still shorter than Tribios and young enough for it to be socially acceptable. Aglaea could only imagine the teasing she'd get from both her teacher and Hysilens if the two ever saw her getting a piggy back at her age.

With a knowing grin Cipher shrugged her shoulders. "Your loss then, seamstress." Cipher then gently lifted Aglaea into her arms once more while being mindful to avoid adding unnecessary pressure to the latter's back. Once Cipher was sure that Aglaea was secured she took on a running position before she flew across the grassy fields back towards home.

…

Aglaea released a pained moan as she gently dabbed the water off of her back after having finished her bath. It had been several hours since her and Cipher's arrival back in Okhema. After Aglaea had reported what had happened to Cerydra she was given Cerydra's congratulations and the remainder of the day to do as she pleased. Later that night Hysilens and Tribios had arranged for a mini banquet to be held to celebrate Aglaea's first ever successful head hunting mission as a driver—Cipher included. It would be the first time all of them dined together since Cipher's awakening, and with Cipher added to the mix their dinner had become all the more lively.

When the festivities had come to a close and it was decided that everyone would retire for the night Aglaea had made a beeline for her room to take a bath once more. As the day went on the pain in Aglaea's back had only gotten worse. Earlier when she had stripped down in preparations to cleanse herself Aglaea had checked her back in the mirror, and saw that her spine and shoulders now sported a very large, angry splotch of red. Of course she had immediately gotten it treated after finishing her report to Cerydra earlier in the day, but by now most of the pain medication had worn off and the injury had time to develop. The warm, soothing waters of the bath gave her some reprieve, but only temporarily.

After Aglaea dried off her body she quickly pressed her hair to get as much moisture out of it as possible before she wrapped the towel around her body. She then stepped out of her private bath and into her bedroom, where she was greeted by a loud clatter followed by a crash.

"Shit!"

Aglaea looked towards the noise and noticed Cipher, now on the floor by Aglaea's desk and rubbing the spot on her lower back that she had unceremoniously landed on. Aglaea noticed that the chair was toppled over, and on top of her desk the small bottle of medicinal salve passed to her from Tribios for her back was knocked on its side (thankfully it was still capped, and did not spill). "Good evening, Cipher," Aglaea greeted, not at all perturbed by her current state of undress in front of Cipher. What had surprised her more was that Cipher was in her room to begin with. "To what do I owe the pleasure for your presence tonight?"

Cipher opened her eyes, but as soon as she spotted Aglaea she quickly whipped her head away. However, it wasn't fast enough for Aglaea to not catch a glimpse of red splashed across Cipher's face. "Y-You crazy woman! Who comes out nearly completely naked from the bathroom like that!"

Aglaea raised a brow. Now that was a first: a flustered Cipher. A switch seemed to turn on in Aglaea's head. "Forgive me, Cipher, but this is my private room. I have my evening clothes laid out a top my bed to change into, so anyone could have guessed I would come out in the bare minimum," Aglaea explained. Aglaea then stepped towards Cipher, and Cipher's tail immediately shot up and puffed out in alarm. Aglaea stopped right in front of Cipher and looked down at her, "I think the better question to ask is why have you sneaked into my quarters and messed with the items on my desk while I was bathing. Now that seems more odd, doesn't it?" Aglaea then leaned down to get a closer look at Cipher, her head tilted to the side. "Could you explain yourself to me, kitty?"

Cipher's tail flicked nervously and her eyes widened. Cipher scooted back, but Aglaea simply took a step forward. "C-Could you at least put on some clothes first?" Cipher sputtered as she still avoided looking in Aglaea's direction.

Algaea put a hand on her chin, as if in deep thought. "Right in front of you? Apologies if this comes off as rude, Cipher, but I'm not sure you could quite handle that at the moment."

Cipher panicked. "No, that's not what I—" More heat traveled up Cipher's neck. Unlike the aggressive shade of red Aglaea's bruise had taken, she had found that the particular shade that blossomed on Cipher's skin to be much more pleasant to look at. "Titans, Aglaea, I just wanted to make sure your back was okay!" Cipher finally confessed.

For a moment Aglaea was at a loss for words. Had that been the reason why Cipher was looking at the medicine on her desk? Of all things, she hadn't expected Cipher to visit her tonight, and out of concern of all reasons. She thought Cipher would be half way across Kephale once more, pilfering every jewel she came across. The thought that Cipher was worried for her spread a warm feeling across Aglaea's chest. "That's very kind of you, Cipher. Thank you for coming to see me." Aglaea then stood back up and turned towards her bed. "Give me a moment to get decent." Aglaea picked up her evening clothes and stepped behind the privacy screen set up in the corner of her room, and quickly threw on her clothing.

When Aglaea stepped out, now dressed in a night gown and robe, Cipher had gotten up from the floor and was turned towards the corner of her room. "Cipher? I'm dressed now," Aglaea said as she approached her once more. Cipher, however, still did not turn around to face her. "Cipher?"

"No. I'm ignoring you for the next 30 seconds," Cipher explained.

Aglaea blinked. "Cipher, are you perhaps upset with me?" No answer. A new realization came into Aglaea's mind: Cipher was pouting. Aglaea had to hold in her smile at the discovery, lest Cipher notice and scorn her even more. So instead Aglaea kept a straight face and walked towards her bed before she sat down on the edge, all while counting the seconds in her head. After enough time had passed Aglaea spoke again. "I believe your 30 seconds are up."

Cipher didn't turn around right away. Eventually though Cipher resigned to her fate and finally faced Aglaea once more. By now Cipher's cheeks had dwindled down to a cute, rosy pink. "You count too fast in your head," Cipher grumbled with her ears flopped downwards. It was rather pathetic sounding, really, and that was because both of them knew Aglaea had counted the seconds perfectly.

Aglaea went along with it anyways. "My apologies, Cipher. I wanted you to stop ignoring me as soon as possible."

"Yeah whatever," Cipher replied dismissively. Cipher then brought her eyes up from the floor and to Aglaea's face, and just like that her shoulders went slack as the apprehension seemed to leave her body. "How's your back?"

With all the amusement that had just happened Aglaea had momentarily forgotten the intense pain she was feeling from the center of her back and on her shoulder blades. Aglaea reached over her shoulder to tenderly press on the bruising area to gauge the pain, and winced slightly. Aglaea would have to sleep on her stomach for a few days until the pain in her back subsided. "Admittedly, not well. The pain medication has worn off."

"Figures. You hit against the wall really hard earlier during the fight with that Titankin." Cipher's eyes drifted to the bottle on Aglaea's desk before she picked it up. "You want me to help you put some medicine back on for you?"

"That would be very helpful, yes," Aglaea agreed. As Cipher came over Aglaea shifted herself so that she sat on the bed with her back facing Cipher. Aglaea pulled her long hair in front of her body and shrugged the robe and sleeves of her gown off her shoulders while making sure to keep her front covered. This time Cipher didn't seem to mind Aglaea's exposure, and simply opened the bottle before pouring some of the thick liquid onto her fingers.

Cipher placed her index and middle finger on Aglaea's bruising with a bit of force and Aglaea flinched in pain. "Shit, sorry," Cipher said. Soon after Cipher's fingers pressed against Aglaea's skin again, albeit this time much gentler than before. Now Aglaea only really had to deal with the slightly uncomfortable feeling of the cold, wet substance smearing across her skin. "This'll probably turn into a pretty ugly shade of blue tomorrow," Cipher said in the middle of treating Aglaea.

Aglaea hummed in agreement. "I'll have to avoid wearing any backless dresses for a while."

"Eh, it'll be alright," Cipher said nonchalantly. "You'll still look good anyways."

Aglaea smiled. "Oh? Are you saying that you find me attractive, Cipher?"

Cipher sputtered as she nearly choked on her own spit at Aglaea's words, and Aglaea had to stifle a laugh that threatened to bubble out her throat at her reaction. Maybe this was why Hysilens enjoyed making fun of Aglaea so much; Cipher's reactions whenever she was on the receiving end of teasing was delightful. "Oh, shut up! It's cause everyone's always talking about how 'beautiful' the 'illustrious successor' to the Imperator is no matter where I go." Cipher's tail thumped audibly on Aglaea's bed, irritated.

So even when Cipher was away from Aglaea, she had been hearing of her? The knowledge pleased Aglaea, knowing that even while they were separated her blade would still be thinking of her in some way. "I see that my fame has spread quite far then."

"More like infamy," Cipher grumbled, still disgruntled.

Cipher continued to apply the medicine on Aglaea's back in silence. Aglaea could feel Cipher's fingers move from her right shoulder blade to her left now. Her touch was so light it almost tickled Aglaea. Suddenly Cipher spoke up again out of the blue. "I'm sorry." Despite the liveliness in her voice earlier, Cipher's voice sounded uncharacteristically strained. "For not getting to you fast enough during the fight earlier today. I talked big about being quick on my feet, but I couldn't even get you away from being hurt in time."

Aglaea hadn't expected to receive an apology. "It isn't your fault, Cipher," Aglaea retorted, "It's like you said before. If not for you, I would be dead."

"Still, being in pain sucks. Even more so for you humans." Cipher's fingers moved down to the center of Aglaea's back now. The spots she had medicated now had a strange hot-cold sensation as it took affect, but the soreness was at least beginning to fade. "You should take it easy for a while. Ask that Imperator of yours to give you a vacation for the good work you did."

Aglaea chuckled at Cipher's suggestion. "Unfortunately I believe the break that I got in the latter half of the day was already my vacation, Cipher."

Cipher clicked her tongue. "Well ask for an extension then. It's not like Okhema's going to fall apart without you working at a desk for a few days." It was then that Aglaea felt Cipher's hand pull away from her back. "Anyways, the medicine's all on now."

Aglaea began slipping her clothing back onto her shoulders at Cipher's words. Already the flexing of her back muscles weren't nearly as agonizing as before, as the medicine had now induced a cool numbing sensation on her skin. "Thank you, Cipher. I greatly appreciate your help," Aglaea said. Cipher didn't move from her spot behind Aglaea. Instead she simply continued to watch as Aglaea pulled her robe back on before she swept her long hair out from under the fabric.

"Cifera."

Aglaea's hands paused for a brief moment. "What was that?"

"Call me Cifera. It's my actual name." It was then that Cipher decided to get up and walk back over to Aglaea's desk. The whole time she made sure to keep her back to the other woman.

Aglaea remembered back when she had first awakened Cipher that the blade had mentioned that once. "But don't you prefer the name Cipher?" Aglaea asked.

Cipher placed the medicine bottle back on top of Aglaea's desk. She still hadn't turned back around to face her. "I think that's just what I've always had other people call me. But you can call me Cifera."

Aglaea's stared at the back of Cipher's head. "Only if you call me Aglaea," she said as her hands dropped into her lap. "No more 'princess' or 'seamstress'. Just my name."

That got Cipher to turn around, her brows pinched while a cute frown settled on her lips. "Oh come on, I already stopped calling you 'princess' a while back." Aglaea simply continued to stare at Cipher, letting the silence speak for itself. When Aglaea wouldn't budge on her stance, Cipher gave an exaggerated sigh. "Oh fine, Aglaea. Happy?"

Aglaea nodded her head, "Very much so, Cifera."

Cipher's ears did a quick wiggle as her tail fluffed slightly when she heard Aglaea call her by her name. Cipher quickly turned away as she threw her arms across her chest. "I can't believe you bartered with me while I was trying to be nice," Cipher muttered. She then started marking her way towards the window.

"Are you leaving now?"

Cipher stopped when she stood right in front of Aglaea's bedroom window. "Yup," Cipher said as she pulled aside the drapes, "I just wanted to check on you is all. You should get some rest now."

"Will you be gone for a while again?" Aglaea clasped her hands together. Then she ran the pad of her thumb over the smooth, painted surface of one of her finger nails. A subtle nervous habit she had yet to break.

Cipher stood silent. She then brought her hands up to unlock the latch on Aglaea's window. "Nah. Just gonna call it for the night." When the window was unlocked Cipher pushed on the glass, and cold air filled Aglaea's bedroom. Cipher threw a look over her shoulder towards Aglaea. The moonlight behind her shadowed Cipher's face, and yet her blue eyes seemed brighter than ever the way the reflective glow of the moon highlighted her irises. It was captivating.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Aglaea." Before Aglaea had a chance to respond Cipher was already half way crawled out the window before she leapt off into the darkness, leaving Aglaea on her own once more.

Aglaea didn't move after Cipher left. Instead she stared at the spot her blade had once stood and listened to the night time air. It wasn't until her room sufficiently chilled that Aglaea finally got up from her spot and made her way towards her window. Aglaea reached out and gently pulled the window closed shut, her finger hooked under the latch before she put the lock back in place. She took a moment to gaze out the window, that maybe if she stared hard enough she could catch a glimpse of shimmering silver hair and a curled tail dancing in the breeze. She didn't.

"See you tomorrow, Cifera."

---

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