Chapter 170: Side Story – Caethya 2: Save the Date

Caethya squeezed Aperio's hand as the two of them appeared on the green fields just outside of Ahl Ghave, in front of the gateway that connected most of the major cities on Verenier and making it look like they stepped out of it. In the past she would have put us straight into the city.

A guard in gleaming white and green armour was quick to approach them, only to hesitate when the All-Mother glanced at him. Don't you worry, Caethya thought. She is quite nice.

"Papers, I assume?" the Demigoddess asked. After the guard gave a court nod, Caethya produced a small metal card with her family's crest on it from her [Dimensional Storage] and handed it to him. "Everything should have been cleared already."

The guard looked at the card for a moment before he placed it on a small indentation on the armour of his left forearm. A green light pulsed once before he focused on a window only he could see. And Aperio. The All-Mother tilted her head slightly as she looked at the same bit of empty space as the guard, likely reading the System notification he had received.

"That seems quite handy," she commented, causing the guard to stiffen a little. "I would love to know how it interacts with the System like that."

"A prayer to the Goddess of Magic would be a good start," the guard said, his voice surprisingly steady. He handed back the card, offering Caethya a nod before he stepped aside. "Welcome home, Lady Martinek. The Festival of Life is in full swing, I hope you enjoy your stay."

"Oh, I will," the Demigoddess replied with a small smile, lifting Aperio's hand slightly before she led the All-Mother towards the gate that connected the gateway terminal to Ahl Ghave proper.

The guard did not comment, but Caethya could sense him let out a long breath and take a seat once they stepped out of sight. Aperio had noticed too, as she let out a sigh of her own, her wings and shoulders slumping a little.

"I thought a small comment would help," she said with a slight shake of her head. "Apparently I was wrong."

"A powerful newcomer asking about one of the more closely guarded secrets of Ahl Ghave will catch most people off guard," Caethya said. "But, you are a Moon Elf, so he likely won't think too much of it."

"Ah yes," Aperio said, a small, private projection of a moon exploding appearing in front of the two of them. "Moon-destroying hermit Elf. A classic."

Caethya giggled at the All-Mother's words. Aperio's humour — if one could call it that — never failed to make the Demigoddess smile. Even with stupid stuff like that. Aperio was well aware that she looked like a Moon Elf; she had used the [Elder of the Moons] cover quite a lot, after all. Might be worth actually getting that title for her. I bet they would be honored.

"Your humour needs some work," the Demigoddess said, standing on her toes and motioning for the All-Mother to move herself a little closer. As soon as Aperio had lowered her head enough, Caethya placed a quick kiss on her check. "But I love it nonetheless."

For a brief moment Caethya thought she could see a hint of redness in Aperio's cheeks and ears, but the All-Mother wrapped her arm and wing around her and briefly obscured her vision with soft, black feathers. "I am the peak."

"Of course you are," the Demigoddess replied with a small giggle, mirroring Aperio and slinging an arm around her waist. "Such a fearsome comedian."

The gate that would usually guard the entrance to the main street of Ahl Ghave was open, adorned with flowers and various banners that proclaimed greetings to any traveller that had come for the Festival of Life.

Only a few guards stood at the sides, none of them sparing the pair more than a glance. As behaved as ever, Caethya mused. Should check up on Vylca and Kaemo when I get the chance. Both of the siblings — sister and brother respectively — had taken up duties in the guard when she had left for Vetus. Probably Captains by now.

She might be the only one in her family with a blessing of a Goddess, but that did not mean that her siblings were any less skilled or eager to prove themselves. If Caethya was honest with herself, she would probably have to say that they were a bit more diligent in their studies than she was. Magic was simply always easy.

"Making more plans?" Aperio asked, smiling at Caethya.

The Demigoddess offered a small nod at the words. "In a way, yes. I thought of visiting some of my siblings while I am already here. Haven't seen them since I left."

"If you wish," the All-Mother said, her eyes darting left to right as she looked at the mass of people that moved through the streets of Ahl Ghave.

Caethya gave Aperio's hand a small squeeze as they stepped into the crowd. While it might not make much sense, she knew that her Goddess did not truly feel comfortable with all these people around. How much of the city is she allowing herself to see?

"Full swing was an understatement," Aperio said, fixing her eyes on Caethya. "How are you supposed to get anywhere with this many people here?"

"I don't think that will be an issue for us," Caethya said, nodding towards the small path that appeared in front of the All-Mother. "Crowds have a tendency to part for you."

"And what if they do not magically make way for you?" Aperio asked, stopping Caethya as a group of children rushed through the crowd in front of them.

"We make do," the Demigoddess replied with a shrug. She tugged at Aperio's arm a little, causing the All-Mother to focus on her. "Follow me."

"Where are we going?" Aperio asked as she used her wings to move some banners that hung a little too low for her out of the way.

"A nice little place I know," Caethya replied, entering one of the many alleyways that ran through Ahl Ghave. "I think you'll like it."

"And what would that be?" Aperio asked, falling into step beside Caethya.

Aperio was not a small woman, and normally even the Demigoddess would have already had to squeeze through some of the alleyways. Not today, however. How exactly the All-Mother managed to walk right next to her in the narrow passage was not something Caethya wanted to question at the moment. Probably by breaking reality a little.

"You'll see when we get there, it's not much farther."

The All-Mother tilted her head slightly but did not ask again, likely trying to determine which of the many restaurants, bars, and cafes Caethya had meant.

Another turn brought the two divines back onto a main road filled with mortals wandering every which way. It did not compare to the main street, but the presence of hundreds of people walking along the cobblestone roads still made for an impressive sound. One that Aperio still did not seem to be quite comfortable around.

"Still too loud?" Caethya asked, placing her hand on her Goddess' shoulder as best she could. "I thought it was fine when you did not react to the crowd on the main street."

"It's fine," Aperio replied as she carefully observed the crowd of people moving around them. "It's just some comments about us that stood out."

"Oh? What do they say?"

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"Most are trying to figure out what kind of Elf I am," the All-Mother said, taking Caethya's hand into her own and looking at her expectantly.

The Demigoddess caught on fairly quickly and started walking towards a rather unassuming building that housed a small restaurant and bar she used to frequent while she still lived in Ahl Ghave. "What do they think you are? It's pretty obvious you are a Moon Elf."

Aperio just raised a brow as she looked at Caethya. "Well yes, but they do have a point. Normally we come without wings," she said, spreading her feathered limbs a little.

And don't loom over everyone, the Demigoddess added in her mind. While Aperio was not actually a Moon Elf, she mostly looked and behaved like one. As far as she knows, she was one after all…

"True," she replied to her Goddess, "but it's not a given that you won't have them." As if reality itself wanted to emphasize her point, a pair of Beastkin was conveniently near, both of whom sported a pair of wings on their own. She tilted her head in their general direction. "Just rare," she added.

The All-Mother only offered a shrug. "Still stands out. More than I would without them, anyway."

Caethya held up her hand to stop Aperio, as simply halting in her tracks was not an option with the All-Mother. "We are here!"

"This?" Aperio asked, eyeing the rather unassuming facade of the stone building they had stopped in front of. "Why would a Wood Elf live in the city? In a house completely made from stone, too?"

"You found Enjeria, then," Caethya said with a giggle. "He doesn't like trees, the forest, or anything else that gave the Wood Elves that name." She pushed open the door, waving at the waiter who turned to face them at the sound of a little bell. Caethya looked over her shoulder, tugging at the All-Mother's arm as she attempted to step further inside. "Come in!"

Aperio obliged, ducking through the doorway and closing the door behind her with a touch of magic. "Cosy," she said, looking around a little before her eyes settled on the hearth. "Who enchanted that?"

"I did," the voice of Enjeria sounded from behind the bar. "Just because I don't hug trees doesn't mean I eschew all of our traditions. The magic of the hearth is important to me as any other Wood Elf."

"Just without the respect," the waiter said. He offered a nod to Aperio and a small smile to Caethya before snapping his fingers. In response to his action, the table shifted a little, growing slightly taller so it could better accommodate Aperio's stature. "Please, have a seat. I will be with you shortly."

The All-Mother eyed the wooden chair for a moment before sitting down. "Don't trust his magic?" Caethya asked with a small smile. She could feel Aperio's mana flowing through the wood of the chair and even the stone floor.

"He underestimated my weight," she replied, picking up the menu that had appeared on the table. "Maybe I should take that as a compliment."

"Perhaps," Caethya replied, wondering if she should inquire exactly how heavy Aperio was. In the end, she decided against it. While she could not pick the All-Mother up, she was not in danger of being squished when they cuddled and that was all that mattered. "Gonna actually eat something today?"

"If I knew what any of this was supposed to be, maybe." Aperio looked up from the menu. "I did come to spend the day with you, however. Like I said before, what we do doesn't really matter as long as I can do it with you."

"May I order for you then?" the Demigoddess asked, a sly smile gracing her lips.

"Sure."

Almost as soon as Aperio had answered the waiter appeared again. He took the menu the All-Mother offered him and looked expectantly at Caethya. "May I have your order?"

"I think you already know," she replied, handing over her own menu.

"Pormenión it is," the waiter said with a slight bow. "You are lucky that Enjeria bought all he needs for it today. Almost as if he knew you were coming."

The Demigoddess did not reply, only offering a slightly wider smile to the waiter.

"I assume you know these two?" Aperio asked, brushing a few errant strands of hair out of her face.

"I do," Caethya replied. " I met Enjeria and Gustavo through the Adventurers Guild and they have always been good friends since then. They just got a little old and decided to retire from adventuring," Noting that the All-Mother had placed her hands onto the table, seemingly unsure where to put them, she reached out and took one of those elegant hands into her own.

"One thirty isn't old!" the voice of Enjeria called from the kitchen, his words underlined with the sharp sizzling of meat as he prepared the dinner they had ordered. "It's like the new forty," he said as he poked his head through the window that connected the bar to the kitchen. His eyes flicked to Aperio. "You'll get it when you are older."

"I know nothing about that," Aperio replied, glancing at the Wood Elf. "I don't even know how old I am."

"Old enough?" Caethya guessed with a small wink, giving Aperio's hand a gentle squeeze. The All-Mother gave a small laugh at her tease, the fire in the hearth growing just a little warmer at the ethereal sound.

"When you find the right one," Enjeria began as he retreated back into the kitchen. "You just start to long for a slower life."

"I always wanted a simple life," the All-Mother said, shifting her gaze back to Caethya. "Maybe I can finally have one."

"Maybe," the Demigoddess replied, moving just a little bit closer, "you can."

Aperio mirrored her motion, freeing one of her hands and carefully holding it against Caethya's cheek as their lips briefly touched.

"I hope I can have one with you," Aperio said, an all-too-rare smile gracing her lips.

GamingWolf

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