As we approached the argument became clearer. It was a stardard dick measuring contest between two high society ladies.

"Shall we ignore them."

Estelle: Lady Eliza in acting as a mediator.

"I suppose we ought to save her. As soon as she catches wind of us flag her to rush over. If we are lucky they will be so absorbed in their little world they won't notice us."

Estelle: We can only hope.

Thought pixie mist I saw Estelle waving her free arm. Only there was a small change of plans.

Asteria: Stellar. You have arrived just in the nick of time.

Estelle: May I inquire as to the reason Her Highness requires our pressence?

Asteria: I am not speaking to you. A-Alex was it... Whatever, the white haired one deal with those people. I listened enough of their nonsence.

"Eliza my dear, fancy meeting you here. If you are have no urgent bussiness why don't you join us for diner?"

Eliza: I...I

Asteria: I will ask you only once.What do you think you are doing?

"Oh! If it isn't our beloved princess. I have been told the sky is beautiful today and the temperature feels quite low for the season. Perfect weather for an outing doesn't her highness agree?"

As Asteria was about to respond, a huanty laugh overshadowed her voice.

...: AWHOhoHOho. To imagine that even your fellows would not attempt to aid you and instead ignore you. I do not know if I should console you or laugh at you. AWHOhoHOho.

Speak about a strong first impression. I just met her, not even knowing her name and I'm rooting for her. I bet her and Candence would be able to develop a wierdly wholesome bond as they put down the rest of the world with their tongues. That being said I doudt she'd ever put Cadence in her eyes in the first place.

"There is nothing to imagine, it should not come as a surprise given how openly you antagonize our beloved pirncess."

...: And what does your quip imply? Or does your sorry physical state reflects your mental?

"An interesting thought to be sure. A pleasure to meet you and in a world of your vision it would be a pleasure to meet you while blind."

...: You are at least of passable intelect. Unfortunately it did not helped you in choosing your circle wisely.

"I'm quite confident that I'd recognize an important person passing by... Oh! How rude of me I am named Alexandra, who do I have the pleasure of conversing with?"

...: How cute. Please do not force me to retract my previous compliment. You are in the pressence of...

Asteria: Did the two of you forgot that you stand before me?

...: Oh dear, is it not better for you when the people around you ignore your existance?

"To be fair not everyone can make an impact with an undisarable personality, an overblown ego and a mouth that proves more annoying that both of the other two combined."

...: You did not...

I walked up to Asteria I gragged her into the inn we were staying. If we continued arguing we would be there all night long. She didn't raised any type of protest and felt rather light to the touch, as if she was just a ball of cotton swept by the wind. Quickly I led her into her room kicking the door behind us shut before sitting her down on the bed, he 'passiveness' to put it not letting down. Waiting by the door for any responce beyond it we stood in silence the princess caught me off guard.

Asteria: Do you believe it?

"Believe what? You need to be more specific."

Asteria: Don't toy with me. I am talking about what she said. Do you think that it would be better if I wasn't around?

This is a tricky conversation to be having and I believe myself to be the last person anyone should be having it with.

"Do you... think that yourself?"

Asteria:...

"No one has the right to judge whether or not we should exist... Still when one does just that it can easily get into ones head... What I mean is fuck whoever tells you what to do with your life."

Asteria: You really... Don't know what to say do you?

"I'm sorry that I have no better words to offer."

Asteria: I wasn't expecting much from the likes of you anyway. Say... I do ignore them, what then, what am I supposed to do with my life?

"Fuck whoever tells you that also. Do as you please with your life. 'Man is nothing else but that which he makes of himself'."

Asteria: I don't know. Even if you say to me to do 'as I please' I just don't know.

"Isn't that fine? You literally have the rest of your life to find out."

Asteria: What about you? Have you found it?

"Depends on ones viewpoint."

Asteria: Are you not going to tell me?

"You're too young for this conversation, come back in a decade or two."

Asteria: Too young! I am older than you.

"Well then 'older than me' how do you usually pass the time?"

Asteria: ...Reading, why?

"Have you ever thought of writing something yourself?"

Asteria: Not really. I'm good enough with just reading.

My brain gave a wicked suggestion. I wasn't sure if I should mention it or drop it... I mean what is there to lose in mentioning it.

"How does making some fran sounds to you?"

Asteria: Fran? I don't need fran, all I need is ask and I get everything I want.

"Althought I do take your word on that, I am talking about an amount of fran that will make your allowence look like breadcrumbs in comparison."

Asteria: What can I even do with that amount of fran that I can't already?

"Oh I don't know, maybe buy a nation or something."

Silence, I suppose my offer did got her thinking, which is good for now. I stayed with her until dinner time arrived, just shooting the crap and talking about random stuff, only to find out that most of the time we weren't quite on the same wavelenght. With Eliza replacing me, I retrieted away with Estelle to my room where, between bites, we could pick up our conversation from before without further interruptions.

Estelle: After we separated I entered the inn and begun touching everything, I believe that I understand it better now.

"Really! Can you describe it to me?"

Estelle: Every material has its own... consistency to put it. The paint that covers something feels different than what's underneath, yet I can recognize where they used the same type of stone or wood. I may say that material is distinct, only at the same time each type can be 'louder' or 'quiter' to put it in a way, no two things that I tested were quite the same.

"You describe it as 'noise', that's...something. Do tell me, after your testing what do you think of the different steels we saw?"

Estelle: Hmm... I suppose 'dirty' would be the right word. The material felt so inconsistent as I examined it. It wasn't the same type in any two parts and some of the even had those 'lumps' that completely ruined the image. At the end I picked the place that offered the most consistent type of steel, and even them despite it not having any noticable lumps it left much to be desired.

"Is that so?"

Estelle: Why are you grinning like that, what now?

"Do you know what, most likely, those 'lumps' are? It's carbon."

Estelle: Carbon! Like what we breath out?

"No that's carbon dioxide. Carbon is in the coal that we mine and burn. When it mixes with iron it produces steel, when it mixes poorly it creates weak points in the steel which you must have felt as lumps."

Estelle: Wait, if it mixes then would I be able to take iron and coal to make steel!

I couldn't help but laught. Not that I was laughting at her, on the contrary I was waiting for her to come up with this idea, only I intended to take it a step further in due time. For the first time my laughter was followed up with more laughter as Estelle joined me and for a moment we were two people revealing at pulling a fast one over authority.

"Well before you realize your ambition we should visit tommorow the worst smithy and place a large order."

Estelle: You're right. I should better practice with the imperfect ones before I try the process on my own.

I finished dinner while discussing the countless possibilities of Estelle's Alchemy with her. Truly the things she can achieve upon mastering her magic, absolute fascinating.

"Dress warm but light and sleep well."

As she was heading for the door I spoke out.

Estelle: ...Right. I haven't forgotten, I will be ready.

We had already talked about this, about everything, yet here I was repeating it like a fool. Testing her resolve yet another time. Not anymore, we were doing it. Together, there is no other way around. While contemplaiting about 'god and chance and fate' the time to act had arrived. Phasing throught the walls using my portals I woke her up and before we knew it we were out on the street. It was evident that our, almost, daily training was paying off as the strain on our bodies was reduced. The times that myself could jump through a portal had, at the very least, doubled from three to six in rapid succession, maybe a couple more if the situation demanded it. Even my control over the portals themselves had improved, as I was able to conjure them reletively faster, still it's wasn't fast enough to be used in active combat but at least I needed to stall for less time when using them.

The silence of the night was beautiful, being able to freely and without drawback walk through those roads that cuased me so much pain. Breathing in the chilly air of the night it finally dawned on me how different the capital is from Myira. Here the temperature changes were smoother and the range smaller and there was no dust to get inside your lungs when you breathed in. Honestly now who did the first Troupe managed to piss that he ended with that awful piece of land, that area between the capital up until the border is just plain old inhostitable, if it wasn't for the river running through those territories I highly doubt there'd still be human activity out there... Now that I think about it in a weird twist of roles or a cruel joke the river's actually doing a terrible job at being a natural border.

Estelle stopped, squatting down, it would appear that while I was absorbed in thought we reached our destination.

"How does it look?"

Naturally I kept my voice low, drawing closer to her. And my decision proved to be the right one when she answerd at the same decibel level.

Estelle: The place is surrounded, I didn't expected that so much security inside the capital.

"A power play my dear. That doens't change what we have to do."

Estelle: Right!

"Look around for a blind spot"

Estelle: Do you really believe they left one with that much personnel?

"Personnel placement should compliment the fortifications, look for the most impenetrable point of the wall and we will pass through there."

WIth Estelle leading the way and my magic we broke through without an issue and then did the same from the garden to the inside of the residence. This mansion was of grander stature than that bastard's, with different architecture and room layout so Estelle had to go through every room one by one while I, beforehand, checked for presences behind the closed doors using realm. It was getting exhuasting, every door she opened to peek inside bearing the possibility of us getting caught and even if we escaped it, or dealt with it, we still run the risk of compromizing the future of this operation.

Estelle: Found it!

Words never sounded sweeter to my ears.