Attendance!
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Cifera POV:
Well, Master's asleep—wait no, Sane is asleep.
Yawn
I hear a yawn as Arye wakes up, her hair slightly messy, her clothes loose and wrinkled. She rubs her eyes before seemingly unwillingly getting up and moving outside.
I follow her as a cat. Genuinely, I find that being a cat is more often than not a lot more comfortable.
The grass under my paws is quite pleasant, and I follow Arye as she brushes her teeth, fixes her golden locks, goes for a swim, and dresses in comfortable clothing. Honestly, compared to when I originally saw her, she had to change clothing sizes three times.
Thankfully, though, now it seems her body has adapted to Teyvat and the elemental energy that seems to flow through her so perfectly.
It is honestly as if she isn't even there. Even the locals and Vision holders have elemental energy flowing freely through their bodies, but hers is different.
Within roughly thirty minutes, she finishes most of her morning routine and now appears to be cooking breakfast.
"Cifera, what would you like for breakfast?"
Switching to my human form, I sit down on a nearby foldable chair. Honestly, I have never seen this "plastic material," but it is quite useful, just like the "rubber" that the soles of my current shoes are made of.
These things are wonderful. My feet are practically in heaven compared to before. Running is so much more comfortable in them that I don't want to take them off.
Then there is also most of the fabrics in the clothes from their home world. Oh my, Sane, these c—
....
They are very comfortable clothes, simply put.
The designs are also very unique, but they work very well, and Master seems to like most of the tight-fitting outfits. I can tell by the look he gave me when I chose to try a few. Oh, how happy I a—
"Cifera."
"Eggs with sautéed salmon works perfectly."
Arye nods in acknowledgment.
She is a very nice woman, a very caring mother. I can barely fault her for anything other than not training much despite the danger of Teyvat.
"Could you add a little more black pepper?"
"Of course," she replies.
It seems she has a better opinion of my responsibility than of her son—
Well, I did take care of Master's chores while he was sleeping, so swe—
This really won't go away, huh.... Even the mere thought is affecting me.
I'd joke, laugh, and prank normally, but now.... due to this.... I don't want to—don't want to cause trouble for Sane, if that is even his real name.
Soon Arye has finished cooking. The food smells delicious, and we sit on the beach upon a beach towel, looking over the beautiful sight of Chenyu Vale. The green mountain tops are indeed quite the sight, to be honest.
Surprisingly, outside of what I have seen in major cities, most of Teyvat is just like Dolos. It feels like home, yet it is also fairly unsettling.
Oh, how I wish to see Aglaea, Lady Tribbie, Greye..... but not like this... not how I showed up...
"You seem sad, Cifera. Anything you would like to share?" Arye looks at me, worry showing in her face just as much as confusion.
I then realize why. Warm liquid slowly runs down my cheeks as my body trembles, my tail having fallen to the ground and my ears flat against my head.
When did I start crying?
A hand, heavy as lead, slowly moves up to my face, unconsciously wiping away the tears before I realize just how much I was crying.
"Arye... yeah, I guess I just miss my home."
My response is shaky. I try to steady myself, but I can't.... why can't I-I?
Soon Arye stands up only to come over and hug me while patting my head... how warm.
Unconsciously, I speak my thoughts.
"I remember how trouble was always following them at the time."
Softly, she asks, "Them?"
"Yeah. Greye and the Chrysos Heirs... Lady Aglaea, Lady Tribbie, Princess Homebody—"
A pause, then she asks slightly bewildered, "Princess Homebody?"
"Yeah." A small smile cuts through the gloom. "And little Hyacine."
"Sounds like there were many that cared for you, and many whom you cared for."
"I guess..."
"But the same trouble that killed me..." I start to speak, only to get interrupted.
"You... died?"
"Yeah. Honestly, it was pretty funny. I tricked that Flame Reaver guy three times until he managed to get me... with the same trick at that."
I force a smile, my eyes squinting if only to suppress the pain of the memory.
"Yeah, just thinking of the hole he made makes me feel lighter."
"...Are you okay?"
"..... Yeah... I think so—maybe. At least with him..." I pause, turning toward the tent. "I forget about him, even if not by my own will."
"Well, that's nice," she smiles, then after a pause asks, "Not by your own will?"
I open my mouth... close it—open it again, but not a sound leaves.
Then I sigh, taking a moment before speaking.
"My contract," I continue, "is by all means an enslavement contract that also alters my thoughts and feelings as time moves on."
"What?"
Softly, almost unspoken—
"Yeah."
My confirmation causes many emotions to flash across Arye's face before they settle into fury as she starts heading toward the tent.
Quickly, I manage to grab her hand.
"Stop!"
"My son should not have done this to you."
"Your son has not really 'done' anything..." My voice, at first urgent, quiets down.
"Explain."
"He isn't aware of the enslavement and mental manipulation the contract does. I've read the book he used... nowhere was this mentioned."
"What?"
"I tried to approach the subject, but every time I did, the pain—"
"Pain?"
"Yeah, pain. I couldn't speak of it without.... debilitating pain."
"Then I should tell him in your stead."
"But what if it affects me... and that might cause him too much stress?"
"..."
Silence follows.
The waves continue to lap against the shore.
Sane still sleeps peacefully in the tent.
Now that I think about it...
Were any of my feelings toward Sane genuine?
Toward Arye?
Toward Laika?
Did I truly enjoy these mornings?
The laughter?
The teasing?
Or was I simply becoming what the contract wanted me to become?
…
Then why did the thought of leaving hurt?
Slowly, the winds pick up, and a particularly strong gust causes the tent to lift off the ground for a moment.
Soon I hear Ma— Sane walking out, softly and groggily complaining about a wake-up call that showed up not even two hours after he fell asleep.
A smile spreads across my face as he realizes in confusion that he isn't tired.
He can be quite an airhead sometimes. It seems he forgot that being under the moon's light is equivalent to sleeping, even if he is awake.
It is almost like he doesn't even need to sleep.
Yawn.
I wonder how, though.
Arye gives him a conflicted look before turning to me and simply sighing.
Sane is still mentally asleep, it seems, as he doesn't even notice the silence that hangs over breakfast and persists even after we finish packing and set out.
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A/N: Sorry not sorry for the long break, my job does great at keeping me busy, I mean I once had a 13.5h day like damn. Anyway for those who do read this, thank you for staying.
Have a wonderful day/night!
Powerstones are a great help.
Maybe there will be greater motivation for chapters if 5 star or 4 star reviews suddenly appear.