Debauchery of a Soul-Eating Wraith

That week, he was theirs.

Used to sate and temporarily keep their desires at bay.

He went back and forth between the two Estates diligently and of course, he brought the two women together and still delivered.

While he was at it, Ember was quite busy herself...

"Just take me with you!" Gryon pleaded.

When Ember returned to the Lockheart Mansion where she still housed the Crew out of hospitality and a \'natural\' unwillingness to be too far apart from each other, she could not help herself but tell them good news.

"I\'m going to be an Outpost Knight!" she said happily and the cheers began.

The others celebrated with her. Including Gillert in his own quiet and semi-stoic manner but then, once it all settled, they realized, this was it.

It was as Evian had put it after the war, The Resistance was at an end and so also was the Crew so there was no need to drag it on but none of them had spared the time to give it much thought.

Now, they had to.

And then Gryon brightened up in realization,

"Why don\'t I come along?" he asked.

"Oh," Ember said immediately thrust into an uncomfortable situation, "I- I can\'t authorize that. It\'s not my place to endorse your place."

"Oh come on, just introduce me to your Commander... I dare say I can wow her away with my mighty skills."

"Mighty, maybe but \'Skills\' I doubt," Carleine said with a bit of a snigger.

The thing was, she might have kept it well under wraps but her inclinations did not differ from Gryon\'s all that much.

Ever since the end of the war, she had found herself feeling... Underappreciated?

\'Why not me?\' she asked herself when she watched Evian seize Ember up in a passionate kiss. (This actually happened the other way around but she remembered it this way to best fit into her fascinations.)

\'I\'M pretty,\' she thought, \'Not to toot my own horn, but I\'m sexy so why not me?\'

Having had over two weeks to think on this, Carleine had gone from blaming Evian for the oversight to blaming Ember for seizing and keeping Evian\'s attention for herself leaving none left for anyone else and finally, she settled on her(Carleine) being the cause- That she had not engaged Evian and pulled him toward herself in the first place.

Whatever the true reason, she had gotten very good at pushing such thoughts aside and wondering what Life had in store for her but this news, that Evian and Ember were about to set off on a grand adventure together- That brought it all back.

\'I want to go,\' she decided resolutely but held herself from saying it out loud.

For the rest of the week, while they awaited Zayda Vi\'thar\'s return, Gryon retained his desire to join but shifted to engaging Ember by asking her to describe what Zayda looked, smelt, and felt like. It might sound creepy and sexual but he actually meant it in terms of his curiosity on what she was like as an important Knight in the Martial Temple.

There was very little to tell but Gryon did not tire of hearing repeated descriptions... He just wanted to hear.

-Stygian Estate-

-A week and two days after the departure of the Delegates-

Evian was standing in the courtyard with his hands behind his back, watching as Zayda returned in a slightly smaller and less grand Carriage. When she stepped down from the Carriage, he smiled at her,

"You\'re late."

Zayda chuckled,

"By a day," she said.

"Two..." Evian corrected and Zayda shrugged,

"Well, I\'m here now."

Zayda looked around the courtyard and raised a brow when she found it mostly empty besides the occasional Estate worker bustling about,

"No fanfare this time?"

"I asked them to keep it simple," Evian said, "I didn\'t think we needed that."

A week was more than enough time for those living in the Stygian Estate to get used to Evian being away and as much as they had grown fond of him in recent times, his looming departure certainly did not cause them to shed a tear.

The only ones who truly cared were his parents and with them, his Father was surely not going to shed a tear while his Mother consoled herself with the thought that it was only for a little while- whether or not she decided to honor Zayda\'s invitation to return to to the Temple.

Zayda shrugged. As someone of important status as she was, she could have seen the lack of welcoming fanfare as insulting but the one she was here for was apparently prepared so why bother?

Speaking of which,

"The Redhead?" Zayda asked.

"She\'s-" Evian started but paused when a second Carriage rolled into the Courtyard.

The doors opened and Ember stepped out quickly followed by the trio of Gryon, Carleine, and Gillert.

Gryon\'s eyes fell on Zayda\'s carriage first and his mouth fell open in awe as he stepped toward it,

"Wow," he let out, "Can I- Can I touch it?"

Even though he asked earnestly, he couldn\'t hold and wait for an answer as he placed a palm against the carriage and then placed another- feeling the gentle humming of Spiritual energy coursing through it and keeping it primed and ready to be driven at a moment\'s notice. m-vl|emp yr your novel source

Next, he placed his face against it, rubbing his cheek and his palms all over, not exactly sensitive enough to decipher the inner workings of the enchantments that powered such a structure but he was still able to appreciate the power and prestige it took to commandeer one.

"Who is that?" Zayda asked, her voice being the only thing to pull Gryon away.

"Oh," he said almost sounding startled, "I apologize. I\'m Gryon Meyser."

Evian raised a brow as he realized it was the first time he ever heard Gryon\'s last name. He wondered how he came by the name- Who were his parents? Who was his family as he had, many times already claimed to no longer have anyone? Evian wondered quite a bit but as the name roused no feelings of familiarity or importance in him, he thrust it all aside.

Gryon stretched out a polite hand and then flushed in

with shame that he was asking such a powerful entity for something as mundane and only semi-formal as a handshake so he fell forward in a deep bow.

"Stand straight," Zayda said and her eyes fell on the tattoos that adorned his arms in the short-sleeved shirt he had on.

Her brows were furrowed like she was trying hard to decipher the inked/branded patterns but then she looked away and to the other arrivals.

She watched Carleine cast subtle glances at Evian while stroking locks of her hair behind her ear as though to better accentuate her face to his gaze but Evian\'s eyes were on Ember who he hadn\'t seen in a week due to his rigorous farewell activities to certain Verdelen City Milfs.

"Hey," Evian told Ember with a smile as he brushed a hand through her hair and then stroked down the side of her face so he could grab her jaw and tilt it up.

"Gryon says he wants to come with us," Ember said shyly.

"Did he now?" Evian said feigning surprise like he hadn\'t deduced that much already,

"The others?" he added.

"They decided to tag along, and see how it goes."

Speaking of how it goes,

"Dame Zayda, I am here to implore you to accept me into your Command," Gryon said in a grand announcement, falling forward in yet another bow,

"Sure I am lowly, my Tattoos are my only source of pride but I assure you that I am resourceful."

"You wish to become a Member of the Martial Temple?" Zayda asked.

"It has always been my wish," Gryon said solemnly, "Ever since I knew there was more beyond this City and I could defend it as a chivalrous Knight of the Temple\'s Order, it has been my wish."

Zayda nodded, appearing impressed,

"I like people who are resolute in their goals," she said, "But my command is not the only way to join the Temple. You can enlist at any outpost of your choosing."

"But it\'s not guaranteed," Gryon said, "There are many just like me- With stories just like mine or even more heartwarming and goals objectively more lofty and the Temple, while accommodating, cannot accept us all.

This is a golden opportunity to be chosen by a... Commander herself."

Zayda heard and felt the pause and she chuckled, reading into its meaning,

"You mean it\'s a golden opportunity to be chosen by a \'noob\' Commander. One who won\'t look too deep and scrutinize you too hard."

"That\'s not- " Gryon started to say but Zayda interrupted him,

"You\'re not wrong. I am a Noob and although I am being lax, I will let you into my Command," she said.

"Oh Thank You!" Gryon said, sounding like he was in disbelief but Zayda\'s eyes and attention were already moving away from him to fall on Carleine instead.

Carleine\'s eyes had hardly left Evian and Ember since she arrived and Zayda noticed,

"What about you?" she asked.

"Me?" Carleine looked startled as she placed a hand on her chest.

Zayda nodded,

"Of course, you. Join us..." she said with a smile,

"... The More the Merrier."