"Gia?!"
"Oh, Yuna, you came." Gia replied, as she handed someone a glass of fruit punch.
"I had to," Mrs Zarin looked around, at the party decorations, her gaze lowered as her jaw tightened "..and why didn't you inform me it was a get-together party?"
Gia poured herself a drink, sipping it. "Mmh," she swallowed it in a rush, "Not like you'd come if I did."
Hemzt, another young woman passed them by, she was about their age too. She halted on seeing Yuna.
"Oh, Yunnie! You came!!" She turned to Gia, her lips forming a smirk. Then, whispering to Gia's hearing;
"That voice-over emergency call didn't fail us after all!" They clapped hands.
Yuna rolled her eyes.
" I can't.. believe you guys got me." She huffed, "I'll be heading out now."
"You can't just.. LEAVE? Hemzt, say something!" "This is a 'Get-Together' not a 'Show-up-and-leave trend'
"None can't do," the former shrugged, raising her hands. "If she's gonna leave, then~OK."
"But, don't run crawling when Tom starts his live show tonight." Hemzt said firmly to Yuna, she flapped her hair and walked away from them.
The silence was cold, with Gia looking away from anywhere but Yuna and practically drinking straight from the serving jug.
Yuna stared at nothing in particular as she tried to process what Hemzt had just said and the bomb spoiler she'd dropped.
She threw her gaze on Gia. "D-did she just say Tom?"
"Yh?"
"Like.. Tom? The Tommie we know-- MY Tommie?!"
"U-hun." Gia mumbled under her mouthful of fruit punch.
Yuna couldn't believe it. Tommie Tom Holwrn, her first boyfriend back in highschool. They had been tagged perfect couple of the year and their bond grew stronger over time.
She lost contact with him when she had to travel to a remote area for College due to low funds.
Then moved on and got married to an ex-convict who was in the guise of a perfect college student.
Yuna always knew something was off with him, then on the fifth year of their marriage after graduation, she cut ties with him and left with Nirit and Nula who were just toddlers.
The Jurist on their divorce case insisted Nirit's twin - Nathen stayed with his father.
Yuna had never mentioned of Nathen's existence to any of her children, but she went to visit him once in a while.
She slouched on one of the open chairs.
Gia arched an eyebrow,
"You said you were leaving~"
Yuna spared her glance.
"Well, get going."
"I think I'll stay... For Tom, I need to talk to him. Nirit is 17, she can take care of herself... Wherever she is."
---
Nirit's POV
Jentil watched Nirit, waiting for her reply. She understood that it was a lot to handle, but that was the only way to save both Realms from Quintiel.
To save Quintiel from himself.
She knew she had to break it to Nirit sooner or later and that later.. was Now.
But Nirit didn't need anymore spoilers. If she didn't absorb the feather like she was supposed to, then someone else would and the universe would twist itself to conform to that.
Two Nirits couldn't exist in one timeline.
She pressed her eyelids against eachother, then blinked them open, taking a deep breath like it was her last.
Her eyes quickly scanned the room and stopped on Cilicia's feather.
It was a few inches from where they both stood.
Glowing, waiting patiently for her and only her.
Nirit went over and picked it up. She turned to Jentil,
"I already trust you, so promise this conversation doesn't leak."
Jentil nodded.
"In order to travel across to a Realm, I must absorb a feather of one who originally dwells there.. probably.. Royalty."
The feather disintegrated. Nirit looked up at Jentil, who now knew what it meant.
"How--did you--"
"There's a lot to say, but I don't have much time.. help me get Quell's feather.. it shouldn't be that hard."
Jentil paused. "Why don't you take mine instead?"
Nirit's mind parsed back to when she used Jentil's feather to write on her novel. She'd held it for up to 30 seconds and nothing strange happened.
But Cilicia and Quell's feather took less than 5 seconds to get absorbed.
If her theory was correct, then it doesn't work for just any Osam.
" I'm sorry, Jentil. I wish it was that easy. But, only the feather of Whisper-Realm's Queen and that of your Realm's King would actually work."
"But.. Cilicia is the Princess."
Nirit muttered a reply,
" She's crowned Queen, no one beyond the palace walls is aware of it, at least not yet."
"..."
Jentil paused," Then how did you.." she scoffed on realising.
"Right.." Jentil bowed teasingly, "..Our Miss Creator-ess."
They both laughed.
"Try not to get fond of calling me that." Nirit warned admist giggles.
"Speaking of which, you should have arrived at Whisper-Realm seconds.. if not..minutes ago."
Nirit stared at her glowing hands, "That's one thing I would like to understand too. Why am I not there yet?"
" Because I'm right here."
"..." "..."