It was a truly strange thing, not needing to breathe. The human body, at higher magical tiers, was able to sustain itself entirely on magic power, whether produced internally or absorbed from the environment. It was still mentally distressing to have one’s stomach or lungs empty for too long, though, so most higher-tier mages still ate, breathed, and even slept, even though the latter wasn’t needed either after a certain point.

These thoughts flit through Leon’s head as it hit the pillow, physical exhaustion and satisfaction slamming into him so hard that he found himself breathing quite heavily as he lay there, recovering.

His bedmate seemed almost energized by their shared experience, though, as she cleaned up in a moment with her water magic and then entangled her legs with his.

“That good, huh?” Valeria whispered as she laid her head down on his shoulder, gazing at him with her lovely sapphire eyes.

Leon smiled, chuckled, and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer, wanting nothing more in that moment than to just feel her naked body against his.

“Something different today?” she asked as a teasing smile spread across her lips. “You look about ready to die…”

“What can I say?” Leon responded as he reasserted control over his body and calmed himself back down. “You always run me ragged…”

Valeria grinned and bit her lower lip, then laid a few kisses on his collarbone. “I don’t think I’ve ever left you in this state… Are you getting out of shape? Too much sitting in thrones and not enough… rigorous activity?” She punctuated her question by playfully poking him in the ribs a few times, then running her hands along his toned abs.

Leon snorted and, with a wide smile, savagely assaulted Valeria’s sides with featherlight tickling. She yelped in surprise and squirmed away, but Leon tightened his hold on her, using his legs to pin her to the mattress and endure as best as she could as his fingers leaped from the sides of her ribs to her other ticklish places.

But she wasn’t going to just take it, and in a moment, they began wrestling, which almost ended in them going another round, even though they’d already gone a handful that night. Leon had certainly been hoping they were going in that direction and had showered Valeria with kisses as their wrestling turned more intimate, but when Valeria broke their longest lip lock and relaxed into the bed, he knew that another round wasn’t in the cards. They’d been together for nearly two decades, they could read each other’s body language with ease.

“What’s on your mind?” he asked as he fell beside her, their holds on each other loosening, though growing more loving and intimate in the process.

“That obvious?” she asked.

Leon cocked an eyebrow and smiled meaningfully at her. She lightly laughed, and Leon playfully nuzzled his nose against hers before stealing another quick kiss.

When he pulled back, however, her expression had turned far more thoughtful.

“I’m…” she hesitantly began, and when her voice broke, Leon’s whole demeanor momentarily shifted. He knew what was on her mind from her reluctance alone.

“Your father…” he said, and he felt her stiffen in his arms. “You want to bring him back to Kataigida, don’t you?” He fought to not look away, keeping himself resolute even as her eyes tentatively met his again. He could see the fear of rejection in them, tainting their clear beauty, like shade cast upon the bluest of lakes.

“I… yes, I do,” she softly, uncertainly confirmed. “I miss him.”

Leon didn’t take too long to think it over. He was tired of always walking on eggshells when it came to Justin. He simply pressed his forehead against Valeria’s, closing his eyes for just a moment. When he pulled back, he looked her in the eye and dispelled her worry.

“He can come with.”

He didn’t need her to explain any reasons why, any practical justifications for why it would be better for Justin to be with them in Stormhollow—or at least, just in Stormhollow—than for him to remain in Occulara. He was sure she had prepared plenty of reasons leading up to this.

The only one he cared about was that having her father nearby would make her happy. He may not care for Justin, but she understood that, and wouldn’t press the issue. But she wanted him close by, and he wanted her happy. There wasn’t any overlap as far as he saw it.

When she saw that he was serious, she beamed at him so brightly he thought for a moment a second sun had risen. She lavished his face with kisses before pushing him down into the mattress and straddling his hips.

“Was this your plan, you dastardly villain?” Leon asked as she tried to push herself up, her hand reaching between their legs. He locked in place with his hands upon her hips, though, his eyes narrowing in playful suspicion. “Fuck me into the ground so that I’d be more amenable to your request?”

Valeria leaned forward, her hands landing on either side of his head as she laid her generous bust on his face.

“It worked, didn’t it?” she said with a wicked smile.

“You manipulative wench,” he replied without a shred of genuine antipathy. There was no malice behind her actions, and they were done for the benefit of family. He understood and didn’t hold it against her.

Not seriously, anyway—he was more than willing to be petty, if lightheartedly so, about it.

His hands roamed her hips, finding her athletic rear, still a little red from the intensity of their previous bouts. A few well-placed slaps ensured they’d stay red a little longer, laid just hard enough to produce a delightful sound yet not hard enough to produce any real pain.

Valeria still shrieked, though, and once again, they lost themselves in each other’s bodies.

Leon’s last remaining coherent thought before his silver-haired lover occupied the entirety of his waking mind was the hope that they could get to a point where she wouldn’t feel like sex would be needed to put him into a good enough mood to allow something like this. Any further musings on the matter, however, would have to wait, as Valeria refused to do so. She wanted another round, and he was more than happy to oblige.

---

“Leon!” the Director called out as he entered the room.

Leon smiled and waved him over, but a look of surprise crossed his face as Penelope, and then Emilie followed him in. He was happy enough to see his mother-in-law, of course, but he’d only expected the Director for this meeting, especially since, in a rare show of subservience, the Director was conferring with Leon at Leon’s home instead of in the Hexagon.

“Emilie,” Leon said in greeting as he went to briefly hug Elise’s mother.

“My boy!” Emilie warmly responded. “So wonderful to see you again! We didn’t get nearly enough time to talk back in the Bull Kingdom!”

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“We’ll have to remedy that at some point,” Leon politely replied. He then turned to Penelope and gave her a respectful nod, which she smilingly returned. With greetings out of the way, he and his guests took their seats in the private meeting room, the wards in the walls keeping their words from reaching unauthorized ears.

“So, shall we get right to business?” the Director asked the room.

“Works for me,” Leon said. Neither Penelope nor Emilie disagreed.

“Let’s start with the easy news,” the Director said as he conjured a map onto the table between them all. Leon recognized it as the western third or so of the Sunlit Empire, and the markings drawn onto it indicated roughly where the Titanstone refinery that he was hoping to find was supposed to be. “Our surveyors have successfully acquired authorization to search this area for the refinery. If it’s there, we’ll find it… given enough time.”

“My surveyors can find Titanstone buried under a dozen miles of solid granite,” Emilie said defensively. “Don’t doubt their skills.”

“I wasn’t doubting their skills, only how long this will take,” the Director replied.

Leon smiled at this news. The Sunlit Empire fortunately hadn’t descended into anarchy, with Arcaion gaining much-needed support from the Sunlit military. It seemed that with the Sunlit Emperor dead, they were perfectly happy having one of their own in charge rather than some bureaucrat. From what Leon knew, Arcaion had personally permitted Heaven’s Eye to conduct their surveys in this region, and while he was a little upset he couldn’t go exploring to find the refinery himself, he at least appreciated not having to waste his time with something that could no longer exist.

“Keep me informed of their progress,” Leon commanded. “I want to know the second they find something interesting.”

“You’ll know, Leon,” Penelope said a little chidingly. “We don’t need to be told that you’re interested in this place.”

Leon shrugged as he gave her a cheeky grin. “Doesn’t hurt to remind you, though.”

“Surveys are already fairly promising,” the Director said, clearly eager to keep the meeting moving. “While we’re not yet able to pinpoint anything, I’ve been informed that there’s definitely some amount of Titanstone in the area. Whether that’s the refinery and its stores, though, or some untapped deposit of the material will take more time to discern.”

Leon nodded.

The Director leaned back in his seat, and when no one added anything, he turned to Leon and moved on. “The Keeper reached out to me through a back channel. He wanted to express his gratitude to you for showing restraint in the Sunlit Empire, and for keeping your word in leaving the mainland in peace.”

“I don’t suppose he put any of that into writing?” Leon asked, his mood taking a bit of a turn at the mention of the Keeper.

“No,” the Director said. “I believe he might be more inclined to be surly and dismissive, especially since he knows you want access to your Clan’s old palaces in Sentinel land. He made sure to mention that such a thing is still on the table, assuming you continue keeping your word.”

“Implying he’ll take it away if he wants to,” Penelope growled.

“If he does,” Emilie stated with a dismissive wave, “then we can always just go in and look for ourselves. It’s not like he can single-handedly stop my son-in-law anymore…”

“Maybe that’s true,” Leon responded, “but I’m not so eager to start another war just yet. I’ve waited this long to explore those palaces, I can wait a little longer. I’m not going to beg this guy for anything, least of all access to those palaces. Either he gives in, or he doesn’t.”

“Is it bad of me that I almost want him to try and deny you?” Emilie asked with a mischievous smile. “I won’t shy away from admitting that I want to see his brains splattered across the floor…”

Leon stared at her with a shocked smile until he remembered how close Elise came to being killed when the Keeper attacked the very villa they all now sat in. With that context, he fully understood, and even agreed with, Emilie’s perspective. Having the Keeper try something underhanded would give him the perfect excuse to get rid of the man.

“We’re not going to try anything ourselves,” Leon said, letting his statement hang for a moment before adding with a conspiratorial grin sent Emilie’s way, “at least, not unless he tries something first.”

Emilie’s smile turned vicious before the Director hurriedly asked, “What was that about not starting another war?”

“I’m a man of peace,” Leon replied without a hint of sarcasm. “I love peace. Really do. But getting rid of the Keeper would put a smile on my face. Doesn’t mean I’ll go looking for an opportunity, just that I won’t shy away from one if presented.”

“Hmm. Right,” the Director responded. “I just hope you keep in mind the many thousands of people who would die in such a clash between you if an opportunity does present itself.”

Leon leaned back in his seat and grinned at the Director, but he didn’t argue the point. He didn’t need to be lectured about his duty to his people.

“Why don’t we keep going?” Penelope prodded.

“Indeed,” the Director responded, though not without throwing one more cautious look Leon’s way. “Leon, I was hoping to get to work setting up a Tower in Stormhollow. A center for Heaven’s Eye to operate from within your—excuse me, the Thunder Kingdom, wasn’t it?”

Leon nodded.

“Within the Thunder Kingdom. We don’t know how long it may be before the option to leave this plane presents itself, and working to establish a good supply chain between the mainland and Kataigida will only serve to benefit us. It may even aid us in the acquisition of needed materials for transport arks.”

Leon frowned lightly. “That… might take some doing. There is still quite a bit of mistrust between my people and those from the mainland, though… it may work if the right person is put in charge. Have anyone in mind to be the Tower Lord?”

His attention was drawn by Emilie softly chuckling. “That would be me, my boy!” she exclaimed. “I would be the Tower Lord in Stormhollow!”

Leon stared at her in shock. “Really? Wouldn’t that be a demotion?”

“Fuck the position, really,” Emilie candidly replied. “All paperwork, not enough time with my men. And especially not enough time with my baby girl, and her man.” Her expression eased from the relative vitriol she just expressed. “I’ll take this ‘demotion’ to spend more time with my daughter. Besides, she’s your Queen, so I’ll have a better ability to establish Heaven’s Eye in your Kingdom than anyone else. Promoting trade between your island and the mainland will only promote peace, won’t it?”

“You make a good case,” Leon said. “We’ll be happy to have you join us in Stormhollow. How long would it take a Tower to be established?”

“That depends on a lot,” the Director said. “It’ll be a massive logistical hurdle to move goods across the Argonaut Sea, and then through your island’s misty veil. It’ll be easier to justify if you allow your people to trade with us, allowing us to bring goods back.”

“Easy enough to authorize,” Leon replied. Since Heaven’s Eye was essentially his vassal, he didn’t see the problem with giving them some amount of privilege in his Kingdom—especially since they’d be enriching his people, too. Heaven’s Eye tended to employ locally whenever possible, to help keep their claimed neutrality in political matters. “Strategic items and goods, like thunder wood or arks, will be heavily restricted, but less crucial goods can be easily traded.”

The Director nodded in agreement.

“There’s another reason we want to trade with you, Leon,” Penelope said, drawing a look of caution from the Director and a shrug from Emilie.

“Do tell,” Leon replied with a tightening smile.

‘There’s always some catch, isn’t there?’

“My father wouldn’t mind easier access to Hesperidic Apples,” she admitted.

To his credit, the Director didn’t deny it, and neither did Leon blame him for it. Hesperidic Apples were spectacularly powerful, especially since Tikos and its tree sprites had so increased the tress’ yield.

“That… can be arranged,” Leon responded. “Such strategic goods would come with heavy restrictions, though…”

“We’re not looking to trade them,” the Director stated.

“I wouldn’t have allowed that anyway,” Leon riposted. “If people want to buy them, they can treat with the people of the Menomonee Valley. How long does it take for them to harvest their apples? A decade? A century?”

“Either one is too long,” Emilie stated.

Leon sighed. “I can have some apples handed over. We’ve been having large harvests recently, and Exotikos is working on growing the grove. Maybe in ten years, we’ll have harvests of fifty at a time? In half a century, maybe harvests will be measured in the hundreds. Until then, though, we’re still working with a very limited supply.”

“We’re nothing if not patient, dear,” Emilie said with a motherly smile. “Given what we’re asking, how can we demand anything at all?”

Leon felt like he could respond to that in any number of ways, but he decided not to make a big deal out of the request. Besides, having the Director grow stronger would only strengthen their relationship, and doing the same for Emilie would make Elise happy, so Leon was more than willing to allow it.

There wasn’t much more business to discuss, aside from Leon and Emilie arranging for her move own to Kataigida. She and the Director had been planning for this for some time, as it turned out, as Emilie revealed that she was ready to go whenever he was. She’d be leaving most of her household behind and only taking who she absolutely needed to start setting up a new Heaven’s Eye branch, but Leon still couldn’t help but cringe at the thought of just how many people they were bringing back to Stormhollow, and how little space that would leave everyone on the arks they had access to.

But they’d make it work. Getting the ball rolling for all of this before the Grave Warden showed up was, as far as he was concerned, the better option, even if it meant a few days more of discomfort in the cramped arks.

And with that, their meeting ended, and with its end, any business keeping Leon in Occulara ended with it. He and his people would begin their return to Kataigida the following day.