The chirp of birds leaked through the slightly open window and the green drapes fluttered up and down like a ship in stormy waters. The windy whispers seemed to quiet down as something stirred on the bed in the center of the room.

 

An undead stirred to unlife feeling something slip from her chest as she straightened her body. Inside the wardrobe, a new yet modest uniform greeted her reigniting old habits. With smooth motion she slipped her long colourless legs from under the heavy covers, laying them down on the hard floor. With a minimum of wasted movement, the risen stood dressed in her new uniform while her supposed Lady remained curled up on the bed.

 

"Did you sleep well?" Iris asked as all the heat trapped under the heavy cover was stolen by the icy maiden causing her to stir awake.

 

"Cold, no Soft." Kia groggily began to intrude further into Iris's lesser half of the bed but before the sleepy ancient tunneled her way to the bed's edge Iris grabbed her. "Nya!"

 

Kia's body stiffened as her creation grabbed her by the nape and settled her down on her lap.

 

"You know that you are a bit of a pain to dress sometimes?" Iris commented over Kia's shoulder. "Do you Sleepyicu?"

 

"It's your fault," Kia argued. "You have to take responsibility for your actions." She said while arching her back and lazily stretching her body.

 

"Weren't you so embarrassed the first time I had to help you that your cheeks turned beetroot red ?" The smug kitten suddenly began to slide down Iris's body, quickly plummeting toward the ground without her favourite thing's support.

 

"Iris," Kia's large eyes pleaded with the elf for forgiveness as a small halo surrounded her body in an effort to stay on her throne. "At least close the window, someone will hear you!"

 

"Hmmm..." The elf's eyes sparkled like the gems they resembled as she lifted her head away from Kia. "Your shameless in your temptations undead. Offering your body for the protection of your image. Unfortunately for you, Lady Siri dar Blackworm has things to do." The taller undead's finger hooked under the girl's chin bringing Kia's face closer. "I will be waiting for you, remember." She whispered sweet words into Kia's ear before stealing a kiss for herself.

 

"Hey! That's unfair."

 

"Apologies but you are too sweet," Iris replied. "You have to take responsibility for how you taste." 

 

"Never," Kia shouted excitedly as her body leapt forward toward the risen, both of her eyes shining with a golden glint. Prior to reaching the elf, Kia's bony body swayed back averting away from her warmth like an animal afraid of a human touch. The necromancer's fair complexion turned pink while she stared into her creation eyes and with a hesitant movement as if afraid of being burned the girl kissed the taller woman. "Ummm... you're sweeter than me." She whispered as her lips separated from the elf's.

 

"Kia?" Iris wrapped her hands around the girl's waist unable to come to terms with the idea of sharing the precious kitten with anyone else.

 

"C-can you let go of me? I'm going to be feeling cold all day because of this." The delicate critter who turned her head away offered one last chance for her to be spared.

 

"Cold?" The elf obliged the ancient's sole plea, buttoning up her shirt and veiling the crystal growing inside her chest while also reusting her forehead against Kia's. "I even love how you experience things backwards." Iris pecked the doll-like girl causing her icy body to melt into the elven chest, nuzzling against her favourite thing.

 

"...Iris?"

 

"Yes, Kia?"

 

"What are you going to do while I'm with the humans?"

 

"Hmmm," The elf turned her head as she thought. "I will figure something out but before that let me finish preparing you for today." 

 

 

---

 

Sofia* POV

 

The frontier noble from the house of Junker walked through the corridors with a goblin-like grin. She unashamedly appeared to challenge anyone to try to remove her pearly smile from her face. Fortunately for the overjoyed noble few of the people she was passing by could accept her challenge and none who could bother to approach her.

 

I think I should offer the rest of this month's allowance as a thanks to the Aspects for what they have done.

 

The reason for the usually stringent Sofia, eagerness to spend Solan's money was the task she was assigned by the Master of Students. She didn't know the precise reasons behind the Academy's decision to choose her as the new guide assigned to Lady Dar Blackworm but if she had to guess it was related to the fact she avoided a murder from happening and kept the unfortunate knight alive long enough for help to arrive. It also helped that as far as she knew, she was the only person outside the girl's elven maid who had spoken to her and wasn't reduced to a whimpering ball.

 

"Lady Junker?" While the blonde woman weighed to which Aspect she should give her offering, a humbly dressed boy no older than fourteen stopped her with an emotionless question.

 

"...Yes," The noble paused her stride, examining the boy before answering him with a pitied sigh. "How can I help?"

 

"This is for you," The boy offered the noble a message. "Master said you should read it."

 

"Ehh..." Sofia hesitantly opened the paper envelope without a seal on it and looked back to the boy who had vanished like a ghost in the sunlight. "That is this?" She looked back at her hands and the open envelope finding two things, another envelope and a note.

 

For the student assigned to as a guide to Lady dar Blackworm from the Kingdom of Firmusa, the presumed heiress of the great northern House. Your task is to deliver the envelope included with this message to the Blackworm household. The envelope contains the cost the House has to pay to the Oriripol's House of Wisdom for the damages caused by Lady Siri dar Blackworm to the building. 

Failure to deliver the massage until the next week will result in immediet expulsion.

 

"Those..." Sofia stood still like a statue as the feeling of joy she felt turned into bitterness at this blatant and unashamed backstab. "Those Gors, they threw me like a lamb to a slaughter."