“You have to tell us everything!” Lyra nearly screams, staring down at her younger sister struggling fruitlessly in her grasp, a downright devilish smile on her face.
Vayla eventually gives up and goes limp in the taller woman’s arms. “Fine, Anya is a girl I met at the temple. She’s really nice, we talk a lot, eat together, train together, and cuddle. One morning, I woke up in her bed, and apparently, I snuck into her bed and started cuddling her in the middle of the night. We started sleeping in the same bed after that.”
“Awe!!!!!” Lyra hugs her sister tighter. I smile at my youngest. She seems so happy when talking about Anya. I’d like to meet her one day.
“So last week, I let Anya wield me,” Vayla continued. “It was amazing, and I think she might be the one.” Her expression goes from joyful to someone kicking her puppy instantly. “Some elders got mad and started yelling. Dad, do you think it’s wrong for two living blades to be in love with each other?”.
The happy mood that had been building died in an instant. Until about 75 years ago, Living Blades were legally classified as items. Some older folk tend to hold on to these ideas in a world with multiple races that can live hundreds of years. This includes the belief that the need of an owner is either the smith or the one who wields them. Thus, in most of the world, relations between living blades are treated the same way relationships of the same gender are treated in the more restrictive nations, smoldering contempt or outright hostility. Our home nation was more passive, with no real support for either side of the issue. The princess was the main reason for that. It’s hard to be anti-gay when the beloved princess is vocal about ‘only taking suitors of a feminine persuasion.’ the problem was that the weapon masters of Everen were an ancient organization. Most of their elders were multiple hundred years old, and a few still held those old views. They were losing power, and recently, the elders began to allow living blades to train there without a wielder. Sadly, they still could expel a student if they deemed the student was detrimental to the others’ learning.
“Dad?” Lyra says, worry in her voice. I look up. Vayla looks terrified, and Lyra looks like she’s getting ready to yell at me, depending on what I say.
“Sorry, I got lost in my head for a minute there. No, there’s nothing wrong with that. Your relationship sounds lovely. I can’t wait to meet her.”
Vayla looked relieved but still worried after I gave my response.’ I wish I were better at this kind of thing. Giving relationship advice is hard when you’ve never been in one. I thought as Lyra began to speak.
“I think it sounds quite romantic, “she says with a dreamy look, “living blades in love fighting together, defending each other, traveling the world hand in hand, fighting tyranny and bigotry. It sounds wonderful, almost like a fairytale.” Lyra sighs and looks out the window with a far-off look.
“I...I think I’ll tell her,” Vayla announces, breaking the silence. “I could ask her to be my girlfriend, and then if she says yes and they decide to expel me, maybe she’ll come with me.” When she finishes, Vayla smiles at me, a fragile hope displayed on her face.
“That sounds like a lovely plan, Vayla,” I pat her head as I speak, “and if things don’t go as planned, your room will be just as you left it.”
I turn to look at Lyra, but she’s still staring out the window. I began to speak, hoping it would draw her out of her daze. “Lyra, Asra told me you had something planned for us today. Also, I believe Vayla wanted to know if she could join us.”
“Huh.. wha.. Oh yes, yes, the plans, yes.” She lets go of Vayla and begins excitedly pacing in a circle. She mumbles incoherently for a few minutes ( something about trying to get something to crack). She turns and looks me directly in the eyes. “We’re going out. You’ve spent too much time at the forge recently, and it’s not good for your health. Our first stop will be the market. I need to get a few things, and I think we should help Vayla pick out a gift for Anya.”
“Yes, please, I have no idea what I’m doing. I mean, I can kill a rampaging bear single-handedly, but somehow asking out a girl is terrifying,” Vayla says, the confusion evident in her voice.
Lyra barely suppressed a giggle, and I headed towards the door. “Alright, let’s get going then. “After opening the door, I began to walk down the path through the woods towards town.
I hear the door close after the others leave the house. “Dad! Where are you going? “I turn around to say some genius response about heading to town when I freeze at my daughter getting into a very fancy, very expensive auto-carriage. It has an obsidian black wooden body with white inlaid runes covering the surface. It floats suspended by magic, not a single horse or other animal to pull it.
“How’d you get your hands on that? It must have cost a fortune.” I said, not believing my own eyes.
“It was a gift. Now get in, and let’s go,” Lyra said in a tone that clearly stated she did not want to continue this conversation.
“wow, what is it, a gift from a princess---” I get cut off by the look she gives me. It feels like she wants to rip my tongue out. Hmm, I wonder...?
“You have to tell us everything!” Lyra nearly screams, staring down at her younger sister struggling fruitlessly in her grasp, a downright devilish smile on her face.
Vayla eventually gives up and goes limp in the taller woman’s arms. “Fine, Anya is a girl I met at the temple. She’s really nice, we talk a lot, eat together, train together, and cuddle. One morning, I woke up in her bed, and apparently, I snuck into her bed and started cuddling her in the middle of the night. We started sleeping in the same bed after that.”
“Awe!!!!!” Lyra hugs her sister tighter. I smile at my youngest. She seems so happy when talking about Anya. I’d like to meet her one day.
“So last week, I let Anya wield me,” Vayla continued. “It was amazing, and I think she might be the one.” Her expression goes from joyful to someone kicking her puppy instantly. “Some elders got mad and started yelling. Dad, do you think it’s wrong for two living blades to be in love with each other?”.
The happy mood that had been building died in an instant. Until about 75 years ago, Living Blades were legally classified as items. Some older folk tend to hold on to these ideas in a world with multiple races that can live hundreds of years. This includes the belief that the need of an owner is either the smith or the one who wields them. Thus, in most of the world, relations between living blades are treated the same way relationships of the same gender are treated in the more restrictive nations, smoldering contempt or outright hostility. Our home nation was more passive, with no real support for either side of the issue. The princess was the main reason for that. It’s hard to be anti-gay when the beloved princess is vocal about ‘only taking suitors of a feminine persuasion.’ the problem was that the weapon masters of Everen were an ancient organization. Most of their elders were multiple hundred years old, and a few still held those old views. They were losing power, and recently, the elders began to allow living blades to train there without a wielder. Sadly, they still could expel a student if they deemed the student was detrimental to the others’ learning.
“Dad?” Lyra says, worry in her voice. I look up. Vayla looks terrified, and Lyra looks like she’s getting ready to yell at me, depending on what I say.
“Sorry, I got lost in my head for a minute there. No, there’s nothing wrong with that. Your relationship sounds lovely. I can’t wait to meet her.”
Vayla looked relieved but still worried after I gave my response.’ I wish I were better at this kind of thing. Giving relationship advice is hard when you’ve never been in one. I thought as Lyra began to speak.
“I think it sounds quite romantic, “she says with a dreamy look, “living blades in love fighting together, defending each other, traveling the world hand in hand, fighting tyranny and bigotry. It sounds wonderful, almost like a fairytale.” Lyra sighs and looks out the window with a far-off look.
“I...I think I’ll tell her,” Vayla announces, breaking the silence. “I could ask her to be my girlfriend, and then if she says yes and they decide to expel me, maybe she’ll come with me.” When she finishes, Vayla smiles at me, a fragile hope displayed on her face.
“That sounds like a lovely plan, Vayla,” I pat her head as I speak, “and if things don’t go as planned, your room will be just as you left it.”
I turn to look at Lyra, but she’s still staring out the window. I began to speak, hoping it would draw her out of her daze. “Lyra, Asra told me you had something planned for us today. Also, I believe Vayla wanted to know if she could join us.”
“Huh.. wha.. Oh yes, yes, the plans, yes.” She lets go of Vayla and begins excitedly pacing in a circle. She mumbles incoherently for a few minutes ( something about trying to get something to crack). She turns and looks me directly in the eyes. “We’re going out. You’ve spent too much time at the forge recently, and it’s not good for your health. Our first stop will be the market. I need to get a few things, and I think we should help Vayla pick out a gift for Anya.”
“Yes, please, I have no idea what I’m doing. I mean, I can kill a rampaging bear single-handedly, but somehow asking out a girl is terrifying,” Vayla says, the confusion evident in her voice.
Lyra barely suppressed a giggle, and I headed towards the door. “Alright, let’s get going then. “After opening the door, I began to walk down the path through the woods towards town.
I hear the door close after the others leave the house. “Dad! Where are you going? “I turn around to say some genius response about heading to town when I freeze at my daughter getting into a very fancy, very expensive auto-carriage. It has an obsidian black wooden body with white inlaid runes covering the surface. It floats suspended by magic, not a single horse or other animal to pull it.
“How’d you get your hands on that? It must have cost a fortune.” I said, not believing my own eyes.
“It was a gift. Now get in, and let’s go,” Lyra said in a tone that clearly stated she did not want to continue this conversation.
“wow, what is it, a gift from a princess---” I get cut off by the look she gives me. It feels like she wants to rip my tongue out. Hmm, I wonder...?
