"You need more elixirs?"

Alex repeated. I had gone back to his home in the dwell and he practically scrambled out to see me when he got word that I wanted to talk. We hadn't seen each other since the meeting and he immediately began apologising. I had to shout over him just to get his attention.

"Are you hurt? Is everything okay?"

"I'm fine. This was all a bit of a shock at first but I've accepted the situation. I wanted some elixirs to finish my training. I can still get a fair bit stronger."

I flexed my bicep and patted it a couple of times. The muscle I had put on wasn't very showy but produced far more strength than normal. Alex flicked his eyes to the side then looked upwards at the empty sky,

"So you're okay with me? Being around me? Can we go back to normal?"

I wasn't at all okay, I hated his entire family and I couldn't trust him at all. Alex was a part of the problem, he was turning a blind eye to evil deeds to satisfy himself. I didn't think that I could ever look at him the same way.

Hate consistently was an emotion that rose above my others and drove me forwards through the worst times. Not dislike irritation, resentment, bitterness or animosity but full-blooded, rage-inducing hatred. Still, I needed to play my part if I wanted to achieve my goals. I put on the sweetest smile I could and said,

"I'd like that."

He looked back at me with glee but when our eyes met I thought I saw the barest flash of sadness deep within before he asked,

"How much will you need? Two? Three? That stuff isn't cheap but I think I could get a bit."

"I'd need a bottle every other day but I don't know how long it will take to finish my training."

He looked immediately worried,

"I– it's just, that's a lot of elixir. I know we have a small stockpile for emergencies but it wouldn't last long at that rate. I could try speaking with Father about it."

I needed to secure the potions for my growth by any means.

"If he doesn't say yes could you get me a chance to talk to him?"

"You want to see him again?"

Alex didn't seem sure about all of this but I tried to keep him calm,

"If we're going to get married at some point it makes sense for me to try to get along with everyone. Right? Which reminds me, can I speak to your mother– I mean Lady Smythe when she's free?"

Alex was somewhat reluctant but worked to get me what I wanted. He could only get a couple of bottles of elixir for me right now but said that he would arrange a meeting with his father about getting me more. His mother was a much easier person to get in contact with, she spent much of her time doing leisurely activities with the other wives. A servant led me to a room that was deep in Smythe Manor and announced my arrival. We were permitted entry and I stepped into the massive room.

The women were all busy talking away in what looked like a giant open bath. Only one of them sat by the edge in a frilly gown with only her feet in the water. She was ghostly pale and looked physically frail, she didn't seem to fit among the other women. Alex's mother hoisted herself out of the water. Like a normal public bath, the women wore nothing at all but the strange thing was how deep the bath was. It was like an indoor pond but much deeper. Lady Smythe beckoned me over to an area away from the group. I soon found out that most of the others weren't very comfortable around me. Apparently, Lord Smythe 'fixed' the issue of my confession by ordering them not to worry about it, leading all of them to create their own theories about me. The most outlandish theory they had was one where I was some sort of young assassin who hadn't gotten used to killing yet.

"So what brings you here? I heard that you wanted to speak with Alexander."

"I did. But I also wanted to get to know Alex's family a little better. I'm going to be a part of it before long."

"Excellent."

Unlike her powerful physique, her personality was like that of any other snooty noble, until the topic of Alex came up,

"My little boy was worried sick when you stopped going outside. I was hoping that he would knock down your door and whisk you away but unfortunately, he's not like his father."

I played into her doting motherly side and asked her all about Alex. What was he like as a kid? What food did he like? What were his hobbies? What were his favourite things to do? She loved talking about him and eagerly launched into long spiels until,

"Why don't you join us in the waters? They have a minor rejuvenating effect and swimming is great for building stamina."

Swimming? I never tried to swim before, it wasn't something that interested me all that much, especially since shallow rivers and ponds were all that I knew. I heard of oceans before, bodies of water that stretched farther than the eye could see and deeper than you could ever swim. It was hard to imagine that much water in one place. She didn't wait for my response, Lady Smythe led me over to a smaller heated bath to clean myself off. I undressed and I could see the grimace she made at the large scar that ran down the centre of my body. I didn't want to talk about it and she didn't ask so I continued. I had forgotten how good the baths at Fleur were until I lowered myself into the heated waters. Access to baths like these made one yearn to soak forever, the bathhouse in Crakston was lukewarm at best and sometimes so crowded that I'd rather be covered in dirt than squeeze into the group. After I had finished scrubbing, I was almost sand-free, something I hadn't felt since entering the desert. I combed some of the scented cleaning soap through my hair and finished by gently rinsing them out.

"It's odd for someone like you to have such a rigorous bathing routine."

I had forgotten that I was with Lady Smythe, her voice made me jump.

"Oh, Hann sometimes buys special soaps and–"

I tried to explain my way out but I was interrupted,

"No need to explain, it is a good thing that you don't need instruction on such simple matters. You've some degree of familiarity with people of higher standing. I could tell from the first time we met. It put me at ease knowing Alexander had some taste. Honestly, he could do with a little more decorum himself. You'll be a fine example for him with a bit more instruction."

I thought that I would need to put more effort into winning her over but it seemed like Alex's mother was more fond of me than expected. As soon as an opportunity to ask about singing help popped up I would take it. I planned to start by asking for a singing tutor and then work my way through seeing different types of people to boost my creativity. 'Crafting unique lyrics for songs requires life experience that I do not have.' I felt like that was a good enough excuse to eventually see a tender. She grabbed my hand to drag me to the others and looked puzzled after lifting my arm. Whatever it was didn't seem to matter as she led me to the waters, sat on the edge and slipped in. I dipped my feet in first, it was pretty cold, even if I hadn't had a hot bath this water felt like rain in winter. I hesitated a little before copying her movements but instead of floating, I plunged straight down like a rock.

I caught a breath of icy water in surprise and my lungs burned. Instinctively I panicked and thrashed about but I couldn't get any closer to the calm surface. On a full breath, I could sing five full songs before needing to breathe but in this situation, I could rapidly feel myself growing weaker. The darkness started creeping into the edge of my vision again but just before I fully blacked out my body felt like it was being melted and twisted and I was back on solid ground. I gasped and spluttered on the cold tile floor as my body tried to expel the water. There was a lot of commotion but eventually, I got back to breathing normally.

I was too heavy to swim, it was something I was glad to learn while in a big bath surrounded by people capable of manifesting. I didn't know exactly what happened but I was back on solid ground in an instant. Once everything had calmed down I was sat next to the pale woman and given a towel to dry off. The other women left me to calm down as they went back to their conversations. Up close I could see how beautiful and fragile the pale woman looked. Blonde hair, almost white skin and eyes that were giant and blue. Small, tiny, petite these were words that described almost every feature of her body but her height was about average. She spoke with long and drawn out sentences, pronouncing every word precisely,

"We have something in common. I am unable to swim also but I do enjoy the waters."

She flicked her feet about in the water sending little ripples about but her focus was on my neck. She was outwardly nice but something about her felt off, I couldn't place the feeling but she gave off an aura that felt somewhat familiar. The sensation was unnerving but I tried to remain polite,

"Yeah, it feels nice."

"Indeed… Curiosity gnaws at me, might I confirm something with you?"

"Sure?"

She raised her hand and waved it about in front of my face until I focussed on it. She then held up one finger and in a flash traced a fluid path in the air without moving any other part of her hand. It was almost too fast to register but the lines her finger made burned themselves into my vision. I jumped backwards and my hand sprung to my neck. The other women didn't seem to notice but the pale one did. She cracked a tiny smile and said,

"I thought so. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

She whispered almost inaudibly before raising a finger to her lips in a shushing gesture. She went back to gently kicking the water as if nothing was wrong. I was still reeling from the sensation, for a fraction of an instant, I felt the same unyielding dread from the slave collar. It was the same feeling that gripped me any time something reached towards my neck. She didn't do anything to me, my body just reacted with a primal instinct to the symbol she drew.

"Won't tell anyone what? What are you?"

"To answer your questions in order."

She mouthed the word 'Bladeless' and my blood turned to ice,

"and they don't have a name for what I am, Half-breed, Demi-Human, abomination. At the end of the day, words are words, they hold no power."