Chiona allowed Alses a few moments of space to gather her thoughts. Silence enveloped the vast hall as they stood together. The concern could be felt tangibly in her aura, transparent as she was in the company of a friend.
"Let's walk and walk." She suggested, gesturing toward the stairwell. "After all, it's a long way down. Is it safe to assume you're ready to go?" This was obviously a rhetorical question. Chiona waited patiently for Alses to gather the scattered pieces of her constitution before the two of them began whispering their way back from whence they came.
The long stretch of the Twuele was maddeningly quiet. The usual bustle of its vast halls seemed to have fallen away over the course of Alses' meeting. These sort of lulls in activity however, were typical of a city with large governance but a small population. It was aptly timed, for it was obvious the news had left the otherwise unflappable Ethaefal in a rather poor frame of mind.
"I knew this would happen," Chiona whispered in quiet fury. For a woman with so many skirts, she moved with remarkable agility. "Johelm has been pressing his agenda for years and years. Father and I pulled all the strings we could, but he finally managed to leverage Aysel and Talora into compliance with these ridiculous demands." Her mouth snapped shut, pulling into a tight line.
"That myopic old fool..." She whispered acidly. Vitriol could be tasted in every syllable.
"Anyway," she finally continued, after a brief silence, "I have some heartening news for you, if you're of a mind." Light mischievously touched Chiona's eyes as it was wont to do. Her lips twitched up into a demure smile. Artfully, she shielded her aura from Alses' watchful eye and undoubtedly, this would not be lost on the Ethaefal.
"It has come to my attention that someone has bought your house." The two women continued down the seemingly endless skyglass stair, which bought Chiona plenty of time. "Who would do such a thing is beyond me. However..."
"It just so happens that I know the purchaser of Elysium Hall. I imagine I could even get you a good price. Under one condition..."
In the middle of their descent, Chiona turned to her old friend and gave her a brilliant smile, the kind she often used to stun unsuspecting victims into flushed silence. She looked akin to the cat who'd gotten into the cream, in spite of her otherwise august presence.
"You come back and work for me. For us. These students could use some solid instruction when the time comes, for these sanctions won't last forever..." She paused here, the silence laden with implication.
"I promise, I'll even sell it back to you at a bargain."
"Let's walk and walk." She suggested, gesturing toward the stairwell. "After all, it's a long way down. Is it safe to assume you're ready to go?" This was obviously a rhetorical question. Chiona waited patiently for Alses to gather the scattered pieces of her constitution before the two of them began whispering their way back from whence they came.
The long stretch of the Twuele was maddeningly quiet. The usual bustle of its vast halls seemed to have fallen away over the course of Alses' meeting. These sort of lulls in activity however, were typical of a city with large governance but a small population. It was aptly timed, for it was obvious the news had left the otherwise unflappable Ethaefal in a rather poor frame of mind.
"I knew this would happen," Chiona whispered in quiet fury. For a woman with so many skirts, she moved with remarkable agility. "Johelm has been pressing his agenda for years and years. Father and I pulled all the strings we could, but he finally managed to leverage Aysel and Talora into compliance with these ridiculous demands." Her mouth snapped shut, pulling into a tight line.
"That myopic old fool..." She whispered acidly. Vitriol could be tasted in every syllable.
"Anyway," she finally continued, after a brief silence, "I have some heartening news for you, if you're of a mind." Light mischievously touched Chiona's eyes as it was wont to do. Her lips twitched up into a demure smile. Artfully, she shielded her aura from Alses' watchful eye and undoubtedly, this would not be lost on the Ethaefal.
"It has come to my attention that someone has bought your house." The two women continued down the seemingly endless skyglass stair, which bought Chiona plenty of time. "Who would do such a thing is beyond me. However..."
"It just so happens that I know the purchaser of Elysium Hall. I imagine I could even get you a good price. Under one condition..."
In the middle of their descent, Chiona turned to her old friend and gave her a brilliant smile, the kind she often used to stun unsuspecting victims into flushed silence. She looked akin to the cat who'd gotten into the cream, in spite of her otherwise august presence.
"You come back and work for me. For us. These students could use some solid instruction when the time comes, for these sanctions won't last forever..." She paused here, the silence laden with implication.
"I promise, I'll even sell it back to you at a bargain."
Seek treasure amid ruin
