Melody
Life at the Lightbringer Manor was completely different than anything she'd experienced. It was a living, breathing household where people were deferential, but also individuals. Something that had been largely frowned upon within the Church and especially the Paladins.
Wastkin had placed her under the direct supervision of a woman only known as The Matron. She was the oldest woman in the household, having nearly two decades on Celestia's mid-forties. But she was no less fierce than the headmaster and demanded nothing less than perfection from everyone, including Wastkin himself.
Lily and Reva were the only two exceptions to her firm rule. Reva was a teenager, a student, and also worked harder than anyone else in the house, so she was given a wide berth. Lily, on the other hand, rarely made mistakes to begin with and officially outranked the master of the house thanks to her adoption into the Venge family. According to Alice, The Matron valued the rule of order above all else, meaning that even though Lily didn't see herself as being above anyone, she was still to be treated as such.
Everyone was also to be addressed with honorifics at all times, even privately. Something Melody was able to adapt to quickly enough, much to the woman's delight. And though she was harsh and quick to punish any mistakes, she was patient enough to teach her newest addition thoroughly to ensure that no mistakes were made.
Melody found the woman and the work agreeable. It helped with her rehabilitation and gave purpose to her days, to the point where she was almost obsessively cleaning her own room after being released for the day. And a year later, The Matron was practically begging Wastkin to make her a permanent part of the staff. But, to Melody's confusion, the head butler wouldn't consider it.
As she became more accustomed to the workload, she found herself with more free time, which led to her finally being able to pay more attention to the goings on in the household at large. Lily, who had become an invaluable friend to her, had been inundated with requests for meetings and marriage arrangements.
Turning down suitors at the door had become a favorite pastime for both women, coming up with creative ways to turn them down politely. Lily was one of the lucky few that unless you knew, you couldn't tell that she was a halfbreed. This also led to some tense interactions, but Wastkin was always nearby to curb the worst of it. He always had a strange fire in his eyes when the bell would ring that Alice likened to her father when she started dating.
This made sense as Wastkin saw Lily as a surrogate daughter and she saw him as a surrogate father. Melody wondered if that meant that Cohle, as her adoptive brother, also saw Wastkin as a father figure. But that led her down an uncomfortable line of thinking that reminded her of her own family, so she'd given up on piecing that together and simply accepted what it was.
Along with helping Lily, she was also dragged into sparring matches with Reva. While she was still far from what she'd been, she gave it her best each time and her skill alone was the only saving grace from the monstrous way her opponent fought. This surprised her immensely as she'd only ever seen her as a victim, bullied and abused for her weakness.
But she'd won her second and third year tournaments completely without magic and without injury. However, she seemed to realize afterward that more eyes were on her for more than her skill with the sword and beyond graduate level knowledge. She was maturing and the childish face of the twelve year old sharpened into a fifteen year old of sublime beauty. Along with that, despite her active lifestyle, curves had begun forming, softening her figure.
While she hadn't been one for doing more than making herself presentable, she had adopted a more casual style that Lily teased her over. Leaving her shirt rumpled and untucked, keeping her tie loose, ditching the blazer, and wearing boots instead of loafers as well as tying her hair back and letting it grow slightly wild and unkempt. Melody thought she resembled the female version of Cohle, and suspected that that had been the reason for Lily's teasing.
~
It had been a busy two years for her, but with only a few weeks before the term began, she felt ready for a new challenge. The sparring and conditioning had done their job and she was able to keep up with both Wastkin and Reva quite easily.
"Perhaps you should register as an adventurer and take a private job." Wastkin suggested.
"I thought I needed five. Also, I'm not sure anyone would join up with someone who looks like this." She said, gesturing to her face.
He chuckled. "For official missions yes. But for private jobs, you only need be a member of the guild itself. They can usually be handled solo and all the pay goes into your pocket, since the guild doesn't take commissions from them."
"I don't know." She muttered. "Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself a little."
She hadn't left the grounds in two years and flashes of memory ran through her mind of the last time she'd been in the city proper.
"Perhaps Miss Reva would like to accompany you?" He asked, and she looked over as the teen walked onto the court, stretching her arm across her chest.
"What?" She asked.
"Miss Melody was considering registering at the guild and taking a job." He said.
"Oh." She muttered, stretching her other arm. "Nah, my class is gonna be registering this year. I'm kinda looking forward to the spectacle of it. Sorry, Mel."
"It's okay. It's probably a bad idea, anyway." She mumbled, feeling more self-conscious than ever.
"Hopefully Cohle'll be back, too." Reva said absently, picking up her practice swords.
Wastkin and Melody exchanged a look and a quick grin. He'd been on her mind quite a bit more over the break, but when Zeke teased her over it, it required Celestia to get the large man back on his feet.
"I'll go." Alice said, surprising them with her sudden appearance. "I don't mind. Private jobs usually only take a few hours, anyway."
"The Matron has cleared this?" Wastkin asked pointedly.
She shrugged. "She won't mind as long as my work gets done."
"Miss Melody?"
Feeling guilty as she looked at the maid, she hesitated before finally asking, "Are you sure?"
"Yeah, it'll give me a chance to breathe some air on the surface."
"If that's all settled, can we spar now?" Reva moaned.
~
Lily clapped her hands happily and beamed. "They fit!"
Meldoy stared at the boots and allowed herself a small smile. "Yeah."
"I'd tell you to be careful, but Alice is going with you and you were a Paladin. So I'm not worried at all."
"Yes you are." Melody smirked. "But so am I."
Celestia walked into the room with a knock at the door. Lily gave Melody a quick hug before leaving the room. "I thought you could use this today."
At first, she thought it was Wastkin's sword, but the hilt and guard were different. It still had the same thin blade and was lighter than what she'd been using to spar with. "Thank you, Madam."
"It should suit your style better than what you've been using."
"Yes, I was just thinking-" Celestia gave her a knowing smile and sighed in defeat. "Is it a spell?"
"Experience, dear." She said. "You'll get there."
"Then you know how nervous I am."
"I do." She said, leaving the room.
Alice was waiting for her in the entryway and checked the armored bodice with a tug before nodding her approval and pulling open the door. Zeke opened the door to the truck and let them climb in first before sliding into the driver's seat. "Guild first or supplies?"
"Guild." Alice said, smirking as his face fell.
"You're gonna make me load the supplies myself?"
"You need the exercise." She said, kicking her feet up on the dash. "Let's go."
~
Alice strode into the building with confidence while Melody hesitantly followed after her. But other than some glances at their uniforms, no eyes lingered on her as she approached the counter. A bear of a man beamed down at them. "And how can I help you two young ladies today?"
"She needs to register. We're gonna take a private job if there's any available."
He nodded and jerked his thumb toward a board. "Private jobs are all over there." She nodded and walked over to it, leaving Melody alone feeling extremely self-conscious as the man beamed down at her. "Alright, Blondie. Let's get you registered. First up, gonna need your name."
"Melody Indigo." She squeaked.
"'Melody Indigo'. Related to Derek?" She nodded shyly. "Never liked that shit. Age?"
"Nineteen." She replied. "You know my brother?"
"By reputation, mostly. Alright, you look about..." He regarded her for a few seconds. "Hundred sixty-seven centimeters, maybe fifty-five kilos."
"I don't know." She murmured. "Is that important?"
"Only initially. In case something happens. But you've got Chestnut over there, so you'll be fine." He said absently, typing in her information. "Occupation before this? So we can confirm you are who you say you are."
Her fists clenched tightly. "Um. Do I have to say?"
"It's okay. Ezael's a professional." A man said from behind her, raising a mug.
"I was a Paladin." She said quietly, then pointed to her face. "Before this."
There was a sudden tension from behind her and she slowly peeked behind her to see all eyes on her. Ezael cleared his throat loudly and the adventurers returned to their conversations as Alice walked over to the counter. "She's not at that level anymore."
"Well, that's obvious. Blood sickness ravages the body." He replied, his eyes roaming across her. "You look about A-Rank right now."
"Paladins are Azure ranked. That's a step above Triple-S." Alice explained. "And Ezael's got the best eyes for determining strength."
"I lost that much?" Melody murmured, looking down at her hands.
"Your name's still gonna pop, even if I put down Cel as your employer of record. That's not going to cause trouble for Veralys is it?" He asked.
She shook her head. "I'm no longer with the Church."
"She's got the brand to prove it." Alice added.
"Alright. Well, give me a few minutes to make your card. You find a job, Chestnut?"
She nodded. "Razor Rabbit den. Should be right at what you can handle right now, Mel."
"Can't make it too easy, eh?" Ezael said, walking over to a machine.
"There's no sense in taking a job away from some kid and she's got the skill, just needs the experience."
~
"Where you goin', demon?" The guard asked, grabbing her shoulder and pulling her away from the gate. "Especially dressed like that?"
"Hey, jackass." Alice spat, holding up her guild ID.
The guard paled instantly and let her go. Alice clicked her tongue and motioned for her to follow.
"Do you have some sort of authority over them?" She asked once they were clear of the surface gate.
Alice laughed. "You could say that. Nobody really wants to cross the Cleanup Terrors."
"The what?"
"Cleanup Terrors. After Queen's Fall and Kingsguard broke apart, she joined up with Wastkin and they went around the continent cleaning up messes. Usually it was just fighting off demons who thought they were allowed to go wild, but mostly it was crushing local lords taking advantage of the chaos." Alice explained as they walked. "Once order had been restored as much as it could be, she returned to Veralys and retook her family's estate using pretty much all the wealth she'd acquired. Turned it into the academy and bought the manor with what remained. But her school churns out the best of the best, so people pay through the nose to enroll their kids. So nobody really wants to get on her bad side and, by extension, Wastkin's."
"Is that why the whole staff are so..."
"I think it's just a byproduct. Demons are sensitive to mana, so having so many of us being as strong as we possibly can only benefits the island and the surrounding surface land. Not that she'd really need us if there were an attack." Alice said, then pointed. "We're here. We'll talk with the owner, then get started."
"Okay." She nodded, trying to swallow the anxiety building in her chest again.
Alice walked up to the door of the small house and tapped on it. A man answered, glaring at Alice first, then at her. "No demons."
"I'm not-"
"Don't wanna hear it. You're here for the job? Job didn't ask for demons. Fuck off."
"Then I'll let the guild know that you've refused help and have them pull the posting before blacklisting you from making requests." Alice said. "It's us or that. Those are your choices."
He looked like he was about to erupt in a rage, but he exhaled slowly. "Half."
"Fine. We'll let you know when it's done." She turned to Mel. "C'mon."
When they were out of earshot, she let out a breath and looked at Alice. "You didn't ask where the nest was."
"Didn't need to. Razor Rabbits are easy to find." She explained. "And don't worry about people like that. If you let one get under your skin, you'll end up kowtowing to everyone who looks at you sideways."
"I'll try."
"Don't try. Own it. You're strong enough to knock these people off their ivory towers, so do it. Make yourself heard. Master Venge doesn't give a shit and he's got far more on the line than you do."
She felt the jab through her chest and hung her head slightly, but Alice glared back at her so she straightened and set her jaw. "Y-Yes, ma'am!"
Alice rolled her eyes. "Just... Do your best."
~
"They're so easy." She muttered, sliding her sword into its scabbard.
"You were a Paladin, Melody." Alice sighed.
She shook her head. "But I haven't done anything but spar for two years. Even Razor Rabbits should've been more challenging than this."
"You've been sparring on equal terms with Wastkin and Miss Reva for months. And Wastkin's been having trouble keeping up with her. Not to mention, you've been sparring against a handful of us at a time as well. You're fine. What you lack in physical strength, you've been making up for with honing your skill and perception. In a few years, you'll be better than you ever were when you wore full plate and trained at the Church." She said, chortling and sliding off the rock, resting her hand on each of Melody's shoulders for a moment. "I hereby declare you recovered."
They walk back to the small farm where the man is working on a tractor. He scowls when he sees them and spits at Melody's feet. "Give up?"
"Job's done. Den's empty." Alice said.
"Bullshit."
"Check for yourself. It's about half a mile in that direction. We left the corpses as proof." Melody said, pointing.
"I'm not in the habit of taking demons at their word." He snarled.
Alice reached into her pocket and pulled out her card. "What about established adventurers? You think I'd get this far lying about every minor job I did?"
Melody swallowed the gasp of shock when she saw Alice's card with the Double-S emblem on it. He examined it closely and rubbed on the emblem, testing if it was fake before sighing in disgust and handing it back.
"Well?" Alice asked expectantly.
"A third. I don't pay demons."
"I'm not a demon. I had blood sickness." Melody snapped. "Not that you care. You're just looking for free labor and would've used any excuse to pay less than what was promised. Isn't that right?"
He glared at her, his color changing from green to red. "You said what, now?"
"You heard me. We'll take your money, but don't expect to have people help you anymore if all you're going to do is use your prejudices to scam others out of what they're owed." She said. "You have until we return to the hall to deposit our money."
"There she is!" Alice cried triumphantly as Melody walked away. "Was wondering if you were ever going to dig out that Paladin swagger again!"
She held out her hand to show the maid how badly it was shaking. "I barely kept it together."
"But you did." She said, nudging her shoulder playfully. "And it'll be easier the next time and the time after that."
"As long as it doesn't turn to arrogance."
"Never happen." Alice grinned. "You're too grown up for that now. I'll have to find us a harder job next time."
Wastkin was waiting for them at the gate, his hands tucked neatly behind him and black hair still perfectly coiffed despite the wind blowing across the area. He smiled as they approached and gestured for them to go ahead of him.
"Any issues?" He asked once they were back on the island.
"Guy was a prick and only agreed to pay a third. Other than that, the job was hardly worth taking."
He nodded and opened the door to the car. "And Miss Melody? How did you fare?"
"I learned a few things today." She said, sliding in. "But Alice was right, it was too easy."
He laughed and pushed the door shut, circling around the car and entering the driver's seat. "You'll find that to be the case with any member of our staff."
"Are they all as strong as Alice?" She asked.
Alice snorted loudly and doubled over, trying and failing to stifle her laughter. Even Wastkin struggled to keep the smile off his face as they pulled away. "Miss Melody, you'll find that we don't measure individual strengths. Every member of our staff is powerful in a way unique to them."
Celestia
She knew something was up when Rys didn't return with Cohle, nor had she been able to get hold of her. Reva had been climbing the walls for nearly a week in anticipation, but as the sun set on the day, Lily retreated to her room in a nearly frantic state while Melody and Wastkin stood by to restrain the teen.
"Go get him." She said simply.
Celestia had considered it, but decided against it. "Teleportation is extremely taxing and I need to keep my strength up for the school year. We'll give Rys a few days to reach out before making any other plans of action."
"That's it? Just wait and see?"
"Either he made it out or he didn't, Miss Alabaster." She said sharply.
Reva leaned over her desk, resting her hands on it and looking the woman in the eye. "If something happened to him and your decision to wait and see costs him..."
She straightened and walked from the room, ignoring the shocked looks from Melody and Wastkin as she passed by them. Celestia would never admit it, but in that moment, she felt intimidation more acute than she'd felt from anyone in her life.
Reva had become more than her parents could've ever conceived and far more than Athena could've ever been. She traded natural gifts and talent for a work ethic and a drive for improvement beyond all expectations, and exceeded every goal she set for herself by leaps and bounds. She'd also become more outspoken, often challenging her teachers, including herself and Wastkin.
But most of all, she had developed an unshakable confidence in herself and in that moment, she knew without question that she would bring the world down if Celestia's caution was ill-advised. And that was what intimidated her.
She did want to go, every cell in her body was screaming at her to go. But if she went and found him eating dinner or sleeping off exhaustion, she'll have wasted precious energy for nothing. And that was a risk she couldn't take, not with the increase in injuries and the growing feeling of unease that took root at the start of the break.
There wasn't an explanation that made sense. Nothing was going on that was out of the ordinary, but she simply could not shake that something horrible was building, like a deep inhale before a devastating exhale.
"Madam?" Wastkin asked.
"Can't take the risk. I have to trust that it's alright and he'll be home soon." She said. "You understand, right?"
"Of course I do. But that doesn't mean I agree."
Behind him, Melody nodded. She sighed and said a silent prayer that she was wrong.
Reva
"If she thought he was in danger, she would've gone." She said, stroking Lily's fiery mane as the woman cried in her lap. "We have to trust her judgement."
"I want him home." She whimpered between sobs.
"I know you do. I want him home too." Reva said, shushing her. "But he'll be here before we know it and we'll tell him all about your many boyfriends."
Lily glared pitifully at her. "I don't have any boyfriends."
"But I'm gonna tell him you do." She smirked.
"Then I'm gonna tell him you have a crush on him!"
Reva clutched her chest in faux shock. "You wouldn't!"
"Keep being mean and I will." She pouted, sitting up and sniffing. "You think he's really okay?"
"Knowing him, he's probably beat up and sleeping it off."