Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Having expected Vahn to treat her comparable to a sex slave, especially after he whisked her away in nothing but her lingerie, Patricia was marginally surprised when he provided her one of the less advanced iterations of the [REquip] system before penultimately leaving her to her own devices. He didn't even seem to mind that she was using her Lighthouses to communicate with the delegation, as, according to him, that was one of the main reasons she was there.

Though she suspected he might be up to something, Patricia's attempts to scan the interior and surroundings of Vahn's suite showed no signs of additional security or observation devices. When she later asked about his apparent disregard for security, he simply returned a smile before asking what his enemies could possibly do to him when even the Rank 7 of the Tower couldn't leave any lasting injuries on his body. This left her feeling somewhat sheepish, not because she hadn't heard about the incident on the 40th Floor, but because it emphasized the fact that she was alone with a man who could effectively erase her from existence with a casual wave of his hand.

Fortunately, even during the moments when she pushed herself to be bold and approach him, Vahn never showed any indication of dissatisfaction in regards to her behavior. Instead, he almost always had a relaxed or amused smile on his face, and, at times, he even seemed to genuinely appreciate her efforts to attack and appeal to him. This was primarily through simple words and phrases, but, every now and again, he would look at her in a way that caused her heart to palpitate like a maiden in love.

Were she to be completely transparent, Patricia would have to admit that, prior to volunteering, she never could have imagined herself in a situation quite like this one. She didn't mind dedicating her life to supporting the stability of the Tower, but, more often than not, such devotion entailed taking up an administrative or logistical position within the Empire. Instead, she found herself sauntering around the suite of a man she hardly knew, barefoot and wearing an outfit reminiscent of a leotard without the stockings. As for how she ended up in this position, it was solely due to the fact she had found the photo of Vahn to her liking...

Having learned there was no need to knock, Patricia allowed herself into Vahn's room only to find it completely empty. This made her feel a marginal amount of disappointment, but, before she could even turn to leave, her slightly chilled skin became aware of a source of warmth from behind. It was fairly cold within the suite, so, whenever Vahn was around, it was always obvious since his presence was almost identical to the sun on a cool spring day. Thus, without needing to turn around, Patricia was able to detect Vahn's presence even before he linked his muscular yet paradoxically soft arms around her body.

Preempting the green-haired girl's report, Vahn rocked her gently within his arms as he said, "We'll be leaving shortly. Don't worry. There will be plenty of opportunities in the future. This isn't the kind of thing you treat like a checklist...the more you try to rush things, the longer it will take..."

Issuing a subdued 'Nn' in response to Vahn's words, Patricia enjoyed the feeling of being rocked in his arms with a contented smile and closed eyes. She had become rather fond of his spontaneous displays of affection, and, even if his behavior was ultimately an act to fool her, she always felt safe and secure whenever he held her. Had this not been a mission, it was easy for her to imagine falling head over heels for him just for the chance of being held lovingly in his outrageously powerful yet remarkably gentle embrace...

Unfortunately, as was often the case, their exchange didn't last nearly as long as she would have liked. Vahn's warmth had a habit of disappearing as quickly as it had come, and, though it would sometimes linger for a short while, it was only a matter of time before the chill of the excessively large room became her only company. These moments allowed her to be more appreciative of the time they did spend together, but, at the same time, they left Patricia wondering whether or not he would have provided her greater warmth if their love had been genuine...

Noticing the taciturn beauty's melancholic aura, Vahn lightly ruffled her hair as he mused, "You're rather sensitive, aren't you? It hasn't even been two days and you're behaving like a puppy that just learned it was about to be abandoned. Relax a little, will you?"

Blushing in response to Vahn's words, Patricia adopted a very slight pout as she averted her eyes to the side and grumbled, "Sorry..." in a reasonably huffy tone. This earned her an amused smile from Vahn, who, after removing his hand from her head, gave her partly exposed posterior a light smack as he added, "All of your expressions are cute, but I prefer it when you smile." before punctuating his remark with a playful wink.

Unaccustomed to such 'brutishness', Patricia found herself at a loss for words as her hand naturally gravitated towards the spot where Vahn had slapped her. There, a barely visible handprint could be seen, not because Vahn had hit her particularly hard, but because her fair skin was virtually without any blemishes to speak of.

Seeing the mark more clearly using a nearby mirror, a potent blush developed across Patricia's face as she promptly concealed it using her [REquip] system to change outfits. Then, understanding that Vahn was waiting for her, she quickly arranged her slightly unkempt hair before donning her glasses and scurrying from the room...

---

Having been formed of Vahn's imminent arrival thanks to Patricia, Yvonne took a moment to adjust her glasses before directing her gaze towards a rather disgruntled-looking middle-aged man with all the obvious makings of a scholar. His expression was perpetually affixed in a sullen and grumpy look, and, rather than wearing more modern attire, he elected to garb himself in robes reminiscent of a nobleman or a court advisor. He even had the habit of carrying around a grimoire-like book that was, in actuality, the command console of his personalized Lighthouse.

Earning the man's attention, Yvonne performed a polite bow as she explained, "Our guest will be arriving shortly. Lord Perdue, if you would be so kind as to produce the Sky Pearl, I would be most grateful."

Though he couldn't help scowling in response to Yvonne's words, the aged Perdue still opened his book to retrieve the Sky Pearl, his hand sinking into the glistening pages for a brief moment before producing a softball-sized orb. He might be the Ruler of an entire Floor, but, despite his incredible seniority, he was actually quite a bit weaker than Yvonne, his younger sister. She was also acting on behalf of their father, so, while he was more than a little annoyed by the fact he was being asked to hand over his treasure, he would not allow his personal feelings to get in the way of his duty.

Accepting the pearl with both hands, Yvonne was marginally surprised by its weight, as, unlike the Suspendium in which it was often compared to, its density was several orders of magnitude greater than its counterpart. As a result, it actually weighed more than a thousand kilograms despite being small enough to rest comfortably in the palm of one's hand.

Feeling the incredible power within the relatively unassuming orb, an intrigued smile spread across Yvonne's face. She was actually quite interested in artifacts such as the Sky Pearl, and, should the opportunity present itself, she was intending to ask Vahn if her team could work in conjunction with his own. She never would have considered such an arrangement under normal conditions, but, after reading Patricia's reports, Yvonne was starting to believe that Vahn could be remarkably reasonable so long as you presented your intentions honestly. Inversely, if you attempted to use unscrupulous or secretive means against him, he could be surprisingly petty...

Recalling the moment when the 'sample' she had painstakingly acquired simply dissolved into thin air, Yvonne had to forcibly suppress a series of sighs as she directed her team to prepare for Vahn's arrival. At this point, their group had grown from the original six to a total of thirteen members. This included representatives from the Po Bidau, Arie, Ari, Ha, Khun, and Eurasia Families.

The articles of their agreement with Vahn hadn't restricted the participation of other Families, so, with the hope of fostering positive rapport between the Aldrnari Empire and the Ten Great Families, the Leader of the Tu Perie Family had forged an agreement with the other Family Leaders to include members of their respective delegations as part of the research team. This was bound to result in a few problems later down the line, but, based on Vahn's previous behavior, Yvonne was confident he wouldn't mind. She was slowly establishing a profile regarding his character, and, while there were bound to be flaws in her analysis, the one thing she was absolutely certain of was the fact that Vahn didn't really want to fight. There was a substantial amount of evidence showing his willingness to spare his enemies, and, while this could be attributed to the 'magnanimity of the strong', the efforts he had put into helping random Regulars alluded to an inherently kind nature...

Though it wasn't even in the top half of the Ten Great Families in regards to strength, the Tu Perie Family was, in many ways, the backbone of the Empire. They held the vast majority of administrative and logistical positions within the Tower, and, due to their views regarding peace and stability, they were often called upon to mediate and resolve conflicts between various factions, including the Ten Great Families. This afforded them the most political power among the Ten, and, as a result of their unflinching convictions and tireless efforts to promote peaceful coexistence, they were inarguably the most well-respected Family within the Tower.

Realizing the threat Vahn posed to the peace and stability of the Tower, the Leader of the Tu Perie Family directly petitioned Jahad to allow his family to investigate and resolve any potential disputes. It was this decision that had resulted in the selection of Yvonne and her team as delegates, and, if it meant mitigating future disasters, they were willing to do whatever it took to make Vahn feel like an authentic resident of the Tower. This required understanding his character, and, most importantly, ascertaining the circumstances in which he resorted to the extreme actions he had proven himself to be capable of.

As one of the most promising members of the Tu Perie Family in the last thousand years, Yvonne, after volunteering herself, had been the one tasked with studying and analyzing Vahn's character and ecology. The better they understood him, the easier it would be to prevent him from going on a rampage, so, even if she had to dedicate the remaining years of her life to studying him, she was fully prepared to do so. This was a sentiment shared by most of her original team, so, while she was willing to work directly with other representatives, her most important duty was assuring that Vahn wasn't upset by their efforts.

With this in mind, Yvonne had spent the last two days briefing the other representatives on how they should behave in Vahn's presence. This caused some to jokingly ask if Vahn was some kind of wild animal they needed to be wary of, and, while it might be a little rude to the subject in question, Yvonne had immediately affirmed this was the case. Rather than saying he was wild, however, she argued that, from the perspective of an ancient and powerful dragon, they might very well be the wild animals. Most of the times he had resorted to taking extreme action were in direct response to flaws in their behavior, so, more than anything else, Yvonne warned them against looking down on him or acting with political-minded intentions. After all, if they did manage to offend him, there was a very real chance their entire Family would be responsible for the debt their actions had accrued...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Vahn be like, "Drama queen..."','Yvonne over here trying to become the foremost expert on Dragon Ecology...','Simply put, "Don't fuck up."')

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