The Edwardian says :Cassandra’s “bad luck” is sourced to a “teleportation accident” ? Any other details on that ? She obviously didn’t phase with an object (no missing bits that I can see), so I guess there was an elevation problem, and she landed on her head ?

CH015-1

That particular incident happened during a teleportation exam. She, um… used a definition of self in “teleport self” that was a bit too restrictive.

Brunhidden says :Is demon hunting still a prominent and important activity or is this a largely traditional institution ?

CH015-2

Well, to be accurate to nomenclature, “demons” are evil extraplanar creatures, who have been thankfully quite rare to break into Aeterna since the Fifth Incursion ended. Nowadays hunters seek and destroy “monsters”, creatures that were born on Aeterna and consider furrans as prey : undead, vampires, changelings, hydras, manticores, that kind of things.

They are a very important part of your society. Out of civilized areas and cities, Aeterna is a largely hostile world, where magic can cause all sorts of weird and dangerous creatures to appear in the wild. Hunters are the people who protect civilians against such threats.

Voidbane says :Your father might know something about these dreams. Shouldn’t you at least ask him ?

You’d rather not tell your Papa you have nightmares involving you and him getting horribly hurt.

Speaking of him…

Raafkauw says :Who is your dad and what does he do? It’s become clear earlier you admire him, so how come you don’t see him as often ?

CH015-3

Your Papa is a bottle maker – he makes all sorts of vials and bottles for potions and perfumes, all by himself. They are top quality products, very expensive, true works of art. Most bottle makers, including the wizard ones, can only dream of having half of your Papa’s talent. He’s a genius.

He’s also very smart, well-read, nice and funny. He’s the best Papa you could wish for.

Rick Wheeler says :Cassandra asks a fair question, actually. When WAS the last time you saw your Dad ?

CH015-4

“Why do you ask ? You know I see him every Sunday,” you retort, perhaps sounding a bit more defensive than you intended.

Cassandra looks unimpressed by your answer. “And you know I meant seeing him in person, not through the holo, A. Answer me honestly. It was last summer, isn’t it ?”

“… Yes.”

“That was six months ago, A. This is a long time to spend away from your family. You may have sent each other gifts for Winter Solstice, but you were still away from each other. You weren’t at home to share the roasted turkey with him, you weren’t there to see his reaction when he opened your gift, and you weren’t there to hug him after he did.”

CH015-5

Cassandra places her hand on your shoulder, and her voice adopts a soothing tone. “Alice, did something happen that you didn’t tell me about ? Did you two had a fight or something ?”

“No, nothing like that. We never fight. It’s just… it’s complicated. I don’t want to talk about it, and I need to go and return a book.”

Cassandra looks directly into your eyes, obviously trying to guess what you’re not telling her. After a few seconds, she gives up and shakes her head. “Fine. I need to go too, my carriage must be waiting. Just promise me it’s nothing bad, okay ? We can talk about it when I come back.”

“It’s nothing bad, I promise.”

“Okay, I trust you.”

CH015-6

Cassandra takes her bag, before walking towards the door.

“Take care of yourself while I’m away, A. And if you ever feel like telling me what’s the matter, just holo me, okay ?”

“Yes, sis.”

“That’s more like it,” she smiles. “I’ll see you in a week, or whenever you feel like calling me.”

Daremo says :How much time left before the library closes?

CH015-7

You cannot help but feel a bit relieved that Cassandra didn’t try to pry any further – you don’t have much time left before the library closes its doors. You hurriedly grab the book from your desk, before leaving your room.

Of course, you feel relieved for another reason. You couldn’t exactly tell Cassandra that you’re upset because your Papa started dating again.