LTSV - Harbingers of Change - 32 (Patreon)

Mira's heart was in her throat, not because Viola was standing in front of her in a shimmering pink mini dress and platform heels with ribbon straps up to her knees—although, yes, that was a startling and frightful fit that only an eighteen-year-old could pull off.

No, Mira had already processed all that on the way to another, more ground shattering revelation.

Samira and therefore Mira had two sisters.

She'd originally discarded the similarity between Violani and Viola's names when she first uncovered that memory. Samira, Violani, and Vestea were all the names of goddesses in this world, although not from the same cultures. While Samira was somewhat racially ambiguous, Virgil and Helena Bellamy were unquestionably white Alleghanians from a long line of equally white and privileged Alleghanians so Mira had dismissed her sisters names as thematic and suitably exotic-sounding 'V' names Helena had probably found in a book.

However, if that wasn't a coincidence then maybe…. just maybe….

'Vesper could be here too,' Mira thought helplessly.

Vesper had succeeded Bertram as Lady Warden shortly after Mira became pregnant the first time. Bertram came to the Capitol to help with her laying in period, since Vesper had no experience in that area whatsoever. They'd treated time time as a test to see if Vesper was ready for the transition of power and it turned out that she was, which freed Bertram up to chase his grandchildren around.

He technically wasn't supposed to until one of them emerged victorious as the Crown Princess and the rest were released to their natal family, but that was a rule that nobody ever enforced when it came to the grandparents.

Vesper had a long and successful career and, to everyone's shock, married Gawain Fenby of all people. They'd produced several startlingly lovely and talented children. However, she'd died in her fifties when a series of wet years led to an overgrowth in the local orc and goblin populations. She'd successfully cut their numbers back, but fell ill shortly thereafter. She'd taken a wound from a poisoned arrow and developed a fever before a healer could purge the wound.

The goblins in Avenon were a sturdier breed than the ones she'd recently encountered in the dungeon, but they were no less foul and anointed their weapons with saliva from a species of giant lizards that they kept as beasts of burden. The lizards were not unlike komodo dragons and their saliva contained calamitous levels of bacteria.

Vesper had gone septic within hours and died before the day was out.

Could it be possible? Did she dare to hope? 

One of the reasons that Mira couldn't help her attachment to Cece and the boys was because, in all her long life, they were the only thing like stability she ever had. Technology, culture, and even physics could change, but they would always be there in the world—somewhere.

Her original father's appearance wasn't a surprise, or at least not much of one. She now suspected he was as much of her original cohort as the others. He just tended to take the role of a shadow master and worked out of sight. If she hadn't seen him in that many lives, it was probably because she hadn't been looking for him.

Viola, however, was new.

When Mira had set eyes on her, she'd felt that same chord of recognition that she felt upon seeing Cece or Andrei. Did that mean the Gods had expanded the cast of this story they supposedly kept telling?

….and if they'd expanded the cast to include new enemies then did that mean that they'd also added new allies?

Viola (it was now impossible for Mira to think of her as 'Violani') startled her out of her reverie by cocking her head as she gave Mira a once over. "Did you gain weight?" she asked. Her body language was conspiratorial as she leaned over and shielded her mouth, but her volume was anything but.

Mira shook off her wonder and sighed. Right. This bitch grew up in a soap opera.

"Mmm, I know," Mira purred and gave a little turn so Viola had to take it all in. "Don't I look amazing?"

Viola's cheeks turned pink as Mira flaunted her new figure. She still had a teenager's lean body. She was lovely. There was no doubt about that, but it was a girl's beauty. Mira now had the undeniable figure of a woman. Viola's fingers tightened on the stem of her champagne glass and Mira wondered which direction this would go. Either she was about to throw that wine on Mira's dress or she was going to find an excuse to shove her into the pool.

Mira tightened her grip on Adra's arm. Her money was on the pool. White wine would do nothing to Mira's dress and there were witnesses all around. Viola might be the golden child of the Bellamy family, but Mira couldn't see her being allowed to stay at the party if she got caught starting shit with her sister.

"I'm glad that you're happy about it," was all Viola said. "Daddy says you were in one of the Dungeons too. I'm so glad the experience doesn't seem to have had an effect on you. The other hunters must have taken such good care of you."

Mira froze for a second time that night before kicking herself.

Of course, Viola got dragged into a dungeon. If she was one of the cast members then there's no way she wouldn't have been. She might have been in a lower class level than the others in Avenon, but she'd been at their same school.

"Didn't Daddy tell you?" Viola asked with a smile that told Mira she knew damn well that Virgil didn't tell his middle child shit. "This party is to celebrate my awakening!"

She spread her arms and sparkling butterflies bloomed in the air all around her.

"I awakened as an Illusionist!" she giggled. "Aren't they pretty?"

Mira sensed rather than saw her party converging on her. They'd drifted over into the direction of the buffet to grab food. That had been Cece's strategy. She was going to make two plates before anyone could stop her and force one on Mira before Helena could get started with her nonsense. Mira had eaten a wrap in the van on the way over, so she was already fed. She was pretty sure this plan was just about Cece making a point now that she didn't work for the Bellamy family anymore and it seemed like a petty stunt, so Mira was happy to play along.

Adra was still channeling Mason's indifference, but she felt the shadow matter he'd stashed around her person and under her clothes tighten down in a protective squeeze.

She held out a hand to let one alight on her fingertips to see if she could feel anything. "Oh, they don't have any substance. Still, this looks very useful. We could have used this to lure enemies away from our route and avoided some fights. Were you by yourself in there?"

Viola pulled her illusion back with an expression that told Mira she was trying not to pout. "Of course not," she huffed. "I wouldn't be alive if that were the case. I don't think anyone who was alone in a gate got out by themselves."

She turned slightly to wave someone over.

Mira glanced in that direction only to get her second and third ugly shocks of the night.

Andre was on approach, looking like he knew Viola, and next to him stood none other than motherfucking Raoul.

In this life, Raoul was about Viola's age. Mira would have placed him in his last year of high school. He had shiny black hair he wore in a shaggy wolf-cut. He was dressed well in a high-fashion suit that wouldn't have looked out of place in a music video. If Andre gave the initial impression of being an affable fuckboy, Raoul was the predatory variety. Even his teeth seemed a little on the sharp side. He was tall enough that, like Will, he walked with a bit of an insouciant slouch.

He slung an arm around Viola's shoulder and pulled her close enough to let his hand rest gently on top of her head. She put her arms around his waist and chuckled.

"Raoul, this is my sister, Sammy," she chirped. "Sammy, this is my bestie, Raoul. He goes to the boys school across the lake from my school and we were on the same incoming seniors beach trip.

Andre was hanging back with a complicated expression. He had a glass in his hand, but it was empty and Mira suspected it was not his first drink of the night. He was a little red in the face and it wasn't from temper.

Adra subtly positioned himself so he was in-between Andre and Mira.

Raoul gave Mira a look. "Really?" he asked. "I don't see the resemblance."

Viola smacked him lightly in the chest. "Wait until you meet my dad. You'll see it then. We both take after him, but we got different parts."

Viola's expression shuttered as Mira felt a gentle touch at her elbow. It was Cece with that plate she'd promised, but the sudden tension in the air told Mira that she, as Samira, might have missed out on yet another dynamic in her parents' house because Viola was glaring at Cece like she was on a wanted poster.

For her part, Cece wasn't even acknowledging Viola's presence.

"Mira, try the mini-wellies. There's this ground mustard sauce in it that Bryn is going crazy trying to guess what's in it. Eat one and tell me what you think it is," she said, handing Mira a plate of miniature beef-en-croute, a fondant potato, veggie skewers, and cut fruit. She also handed Mira a highball glass of what smelled like seltzer water with mint and lime, which was doing

"What are you doing here?" Viola spat. "Nobody needs their toilet scrubbed tonight."

"Hmmm?" Cece turned like she'd just noticed that Viola existed. "Oh, Violani! I didn't see you there."

Gosh. Mira used the mocktail to hide the way her jaw dropped as Cece, Mira's very own former Saintess, cut Viola off at the knees. Her expression was mild, beatific even, but Mira knew her well enough by now to know that everything Cece was saying was intentional in the face of Viola's blatant hostility. What had happened between those two?

Raoul's hand tightened slightly on the crown of Viola's head as he too looked back and forth between the two women, trying to figure out this sudden change in Viola's bubbly and subtly-acidic demeanor.

"Cece is a member of LivingShadow," Mira intervened as she saw Viola change her grip on that champagne glass. "She was in the Dungeon with me and a few others. Obviously, she doesn't work for our family anymore and she's here as a guest. I guess Daddy wanted to get a start on helping you network with other hunters?"

"I see," Viola seethed through gritted teeth. "Excuse me."

She stomped off without bothering with an excuse and Raoul hustled after her, looking genuinely concerned.

Whew.

Mira had been genuinely afraid for a second that they were dating. They weren't biologically related in either of the lives where Mira had known them, but they'd been raised as full siblings in their previous life. It looked like that relationship had held over into their next life.

Cece also watched the two leave and caught Mira's eye. "I'll tell you later," she said quietly.

Anything else she might have to say got put on hold when Andre finally found his voice.

"Uh, hi…" he said, rubbing the back of his head. For once, he seemed to be addressing Mira directly. Upon reflection, she wasn't sure he'd done that much before now. "…didn't realize this was your dad's party."