Chosen By The Lover's Constellation-Chapter 33: The Highest Bidder, Part Eight

{September 22, 239 2E}

{Lianna}

Eight days were all that remained before The Player’s Gala was set to take place. Admittedly, Lianna wasn’t sure she was ready.

She’d collected another practical Spell, recently, hoping it would come in handy at some point.

Tag - 25 MP

{Spell}

{Lesser}

{Class: Scout}

{Desc: Mark an enemy from a distance. Their position is revealed for 1 minute. This ability works through walls.}

{Note: This ability works through walls}

{Val: 50 Tokens}

It was practically a single-target version of her Reconnaissance spell, with more range.

Enverna had also been training most of the time. Pretty much every hour out of every day. She hadn’t gained any stats to show for it, but it did put her resolve on display. She was trying to make sure she was prepared for whatever would happen next week.

Indeed, both of them had been running around so frantically these days. Today, however, Lianna allowed herself to relax.

Enverna walked into the living room in blue pajamas as Lianna was sitting on the couch lazily, at 9:00 am, watching TV, wearing some fluffy white sandals and a bathrobe.

"Are you heading anywhere today?" Enverna asked.

"Nah," Lianna replied, "I think I’m just gonna chill for today. You’re welcome to join me~"

"... What exactly would ’chilling’ entail?"

"Maybe a bit of wine, a little bit of dancing, a movie, some pizza."

Enverna’s brows shot up.

"Are you trying to throw a party or something?"

"Maybe we should. It is a special occasion, after all."

"And, that is...?"

"My birthday."

Suddenly, Enverna seemed far more excited to join Lianna. She went and sat down next to her.

"Why didn’t you say so? I would have gotten you something!"

"Yeah right. You’d get lost on the way to the store."

"I’ll have you know I’ve been going to great lengths to familiarize myself with Telvan."

"But you still ask me to take you everywhere. Are you having trouble or do you just like my company that much?"

Enverna rolled her eyes.

"... It’s fine. I’ll allow the occasional annoyance, given that it’s your birthday."

"Aw, thanks, babe."

Enverna’s eyes pretty much bulged out of their sockets as she heard that last word, thrown in so casually.

"Oh, good grief, please do not call me that."

"What? Come on, that should come with my birthday privileges too! One day, for one day, I can call you baaabe, and sweetheaaart, and darliiiing~"

Taking the nearby pillow, Enverna suddenly got on top of Lianna.

[Uh...] Lianna froze, caught completely off-guard.

"Brace yourself." She held up the pillow threateningly. "I’m about to make it your last birthday."

---

"Are you certain this is going to taste good?" Enverna asked, holding up a bottle of wine as she and Lianna walked back to their dorm room.

"I haven’t bought you any drinks that haven’t tasted good, have I?"

"No... But, ’spitshine’ is not a name that inspires a lot of confidence."

"Trust me, you’re gonna love it!"

Enverna groaned.

"Ah, if my parents could see me right now..."

That nonchalant remark left Lianna wondering something similar. If she actually had a family, what would they think about her habits? Her unique tendencies?

[Maybe I would have been disowned by now... Then again, maybe I’d be a completely different person.]

As Enverna opened the door, Lianna saw a letter resting just in front of it, like it had been slipped under the entrance.

Picking it up, she opened the envelope while Enverna placed that wine in the kitchen.

What was inside was simply a handwritten note. One that read:

["Dear Lianna, after seeing your situation on the news, I figured you might need a place where you can get some quality training in private. Please, head to this address. When you speak to the A.I. at the front, tell her I sent you. With regards, Cynthia Taylor."]

"What is that?" Enverna asked.

"A letter from Miss Taylor. It says she got us someplace to train."

"What kind of place?"

"I don’t know. But... Judging by the address she gave me, it’s probably not someplace cheap," Lianna stated. "It’s in the Platinum District."

"I’m guessing this is a type of high-class area in Telvan?"

"Yeah," Lianna replied. "A part of the city where pretty much only the richest people live."

This was the one part of Telvan Lianna had never even set foot in. Just looking at it from afar always made her feel like she was not welcome.

"Have you ever been there?" Enverna asked.

"Nope."

"Hm. Perhaps this area will seem more familiar to me than it does to you, assuming both our nations view wealth the same way."

"Yeah... Sad that you won’t be getting to see my butt much, though, without me leading you everywhere."

"I could not care less about your behind, Lianna."

"That’s~ not~ what~ your~ eyes~ say~" Lianna sang as she placed the bottle she carried on the kitchen counter.

"Ugh."

Now, as the sun was just beginning to fall beyond the horizon, the girls were all set up.

Pizza, wine, and some old, rented movies. The only difference between this and Lianna’s last two birthdays was that tonight she had company.

And, honestly, she wouldn’t have it any different.

Without further ado, Lianna went and grabbed the TV, lifting it from its spot while it was still on.

"Whoa, Lianna, what are you doing?"

"What? We’re not gonna sit here," Lianna replied with a grin. "Haven’t you ever watched a movie in bed?" 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"But... We might get the sheets dirty."

"Oh, I hope we do."

"What in the world is that supposed to- whatever, whatever."

[Birthday privileges sure are nice.]

Later, the two of them found themselves in bed, an open box of pizza lying beside them, while they watched a few movies.

Lianna had mainly picked out a bunch of First Era films. The one they were watching now, while the light from the twin moons flowed in through the open windows, was a title called "Seven Healers" by a man named Kukira Arasawa.

Most of the slices of pizza remained uneaten, as, admittedly, neither Lianna nor Enverna were all that hungry. But, by now, the bottles of wine had been emptied.

Something that gave Lianna the courage necessary to say:

"Come closer."

"What?" Enverna asked, taking her eyes off the TV.

A slightly tipsy Lianna shifted up in her bed and raised her sheets, inviting the other girl in as she said:

"Let’s cuddle."

Enverna rolled her eyes but ended up nodding.

"Fine... Only for tonight, though, you damned... opportunist."

"Sure, sure," Lianna grinned. "Only for tonight."