"Ahhhhh..." (Alara)
Alara lets out a deep, satisfied sigh as she slips further into the hot water. She's currently enjoying herself in the hot springs. It's become a bit of a guilty pleasure of hers amidst her new duties as a noble, and more importantly, as Eden's caretaker. At least twice a week, she makes the walk up the mountain during workday hours for an inspection of the hot springs.
Naturally, these inspections involve testing the waters personally for an hour, and watching other visitors as she enjoys some tea. But it's a totally necessary use of her time! The hot springs were Eden's founding attraction, so it's of paramount importance they continue to please customers and not fall into disarray. And of course, given the totally necessary frequency of these inspections, it only makes sense that she has a jacuzzi permanently reserved for her – one that's situated in the shade of a nearby rock face and slightly distanced from other visitors.
Alara takes a small sip of her tea and chuckles contentedly.
'Fufufu...it feels great to be this dedicated...'
As she feels her muscles relaxing in the water, she begins absentmindedly going over the important matters looming in her schedule. Thanks to the unholy amount of profit pouring in from the train, the rec center, the city-run inn, and the hot springs, there's always more financial work than she knows what to do with. She's in talks with the bank manager she invited to the initial tour of Eden about opening a branch here and managing their finances, which will resolve much of those issues, but for now they're on their own.
She also has to address Nina's recent desire for Eden to have something like Wellick's Ring – a facility dedicated to training and sparring in the various arts of combat. Just the thought of how much work it'd take to build and manage such a thing gives her a headache, but she's already made up her mind to grant the request. For one, it's an Elder Dragon and Mizuki's wife asking – even if it was nothing but a waste of time and money, she owes them far too much to decline. Yet, not only can she see it being profitable and a great boon to Eden's fame, but it may also help her solve another problem...
Among her priorities right now is acquiring more combat personnel for her territory, and fulfilling Nina's request may help recruit and train people with the necessary skills to fill those roles. She's put such hirings off until now because she only has one, isolated city to protect, and it's already home to an Elder Dragon, a book-loving murder elf, and scariest of all...a Nephilim. Plus, given her own combat prowess, Alara only needed one, trustworthy person to serve as her right hand, and Zara has been filling that role marvelously.
However, she knows that her future cities, like the western port city already under development, won't be afforded the same protections. They'll need guards, especially given the increased threat from the Empire and the dangerous creatures that roam much of her underdeveloped territory. It's better to start recruiting now. Plus...
'Zara is leaving my service soon...'
Though Zara hasn't told Mizuki yet, she confided in Alara that she'd like to return to her people as soon as her presence in the group is no longer critical. So, Zara won't just be leaving her post, or Eden, she'll be leaving the kingdom entirely.
Alara's otherwise chipper mood sours significantly at the reminder.
It isn't just because she's losing a powerful guard or a trustworthy assistant. If she's honest with herself about why Zara leaving bothers her so much, it's because...she's losing a friend. Even now, she's somewhat resistant to the realization, because she's spent her whole life looking down on other races. The idea that a short-lived, primitive, brutish wolf-kin is so important to her, whose companionship feels so necessary to her...it feels like an assault on her very sense of self.
Yet, she can't deny how she feels about Zara. Somewhere along the way, sometime amidst all those countless hours they've spent together managing Eden, she's come to both respect and appreciate Zara. Not as a reliable subordinate, but as an equal. Whatever impressions she may hold about demi-humans, she can't apply them to Zara.
Sure, the girl may be a stereotypically gruff, verbally stingy, battle-obsessed wolf-kin in some ways. But she's also formidable in mind – calculating, slow to anger, perceptive, and introspective – perhaps to degrees that even Alara has found herself envying. She's gone from being surprised by Zara's insights when discussing matters of state, to expectant of them. When she has to deal with issues in Zara's absence, she's found herself wondering whether Zara would approve of her approach. Perhaps most telling is the fact that, when she receives good news, Zara is the first person she wants to share it with, and that goes double for when she has something to complain about.
Alara lets out a frustrated sigh.
'Why is this affecting me so much? I wasn't so bothered when I went through this with Mizuki...'
Of course, she knows what the difference is, she's just upset by it. As she came to respect Mizuki, to know of his power, to cherish the way he treated her like family, she also couldn't help but see him as inhuman – he wasn't human, he was a Mizuki. Finding out he grew up on an entirely different world only reinforced that impulse. But Zara...
She can't see her as anything other than a wolf-kin, because that's exactly what she is. Perhaps an exceptional wolf-kin, like Alto is an exceptional elf, but Alara can't brush her off as some kind of racial singularity like with Mizuki. And that's exactly the problem.
Her starting to care about Mizuki was an isolated incident, an anomaly, but the place Zara has started to occupy in her heart is incompatible with the prejudice she's long held against demi-humans. No, it's more than that...the juxtaposition makes her burn with shame, and now she's at a crossroads. Is she ashamed of her friendship with Zara, or is she ashamed of herself...how she's behaved?
'On top of that, there's how I reacted when she told me she was leaving. That night...what I said to her...'
As the unpleasant memories swirl in her mind, she finds herself gripping her tea cup more tightly, some of the tension that was relieved by the hot springs suddenly returning to her body. However, she's quickly shocked from the worrisome introspection by an unexpected sight...a familiar face. Her eyes widen involuntarily.
'Is that Alto? What is she doing here?'
She spots Mizuki's elven shadow near the check-in desk for the hot springs, conversing with the staff. Then, she notices the tall, lean, blonde elf standing behind her, scouring the hot springs with a curious gaze. Naturally, she recognizes Alto's companion from the many centuries she spent attending nobles' meetings as First Princess – it's Alyse Egris. Once she makes the connection, the rest of the likely context falls into place for her.
'Ah...are they looking for me? I'm supposed to meet with Alyse in like an hour or so to discuss potential jobs for her in Eden. She's a possible replacement for Zara, after all...'
The reminder of Zara's departure once again takes her down a melancholy path of reflection, leaving her conflicted about how to reconcile her feelings and her beliefs. She groans internally.
'Great...now I'm all stressed again. Can I find an excuse to inspect this place twice in one day?'
She pushes her concerns aside for the moment, instead choosing to focus on Alto's and Alyse's presence. After a few moments, she notices the hot spring staff shaking their heads regrettably at the duo, and gesturing to all the occupied jacuzzi. Alto turns to Alyse and shrugs indifferently, and Alyse's expression becomes incredibly disappointed.
Alara raises her eyebrows at the sight.
'Oh, wait...were they just going to give this place a try while touring the city?'
As she mulls over the idea, finding it likely, a small smile suddenly lights up her face.
'Fufufu...this is perfect...'
She was scheduled to meet with Alyse before too much longer anyway. If she just invites her and Alto to join her in the jacuzzi, then she can just take care of the meeting here and extend her time in the hot spring! All in the name of doing her job more efficiently, of course!
She quickly wades through the water to the edge of the jacuzzi facing Alto and Alyse, then pokes her head just outside the privacy barrier.
"Hey Alto, over here!" (Alara)