Maid with Necromancy

Did she have to blow her budget on a dress for Adric? No, but she wanted to. Harmony let [Beautician] go wild, pinning the blue silk folds just right and using [Mend] to seal them in place. Her pet prince was always too pretty, and all skills begged to be challenged in complicated ways, like shaping those looks in a fascinating way.

Tasha whistled. “I’d go for you, if I didn’t know you were all man under that.”

“Wait until it's complete. I haven’t even added the padding up top; a little material manipulation and I can get the firmness and texture right.”

Alex let out a little moan, and a bit of bear got caught in his voice, but he managed not to shift partially into his golden werebear form. “Is this really the direction we have to go?”

This really was all Alex’s fault. He’d spent the last week hinting he’d have a big surprise date to the Unseen Alumnists Gala, and Harmony had warned him she’d choose to help Xera when her scary relative came. Understanding more about [Two Against the End] took priority over impressing all the folk who'd gone to Unseen Preparatory, and Aunt Cezna Chase’s early arrival this morning threw the whole schedule off. What she could provide to Alex was a fabulously looking mystery date who’d then disappear. Tasha had her own dates and wouldn’t fulfill the same social expectation Alex had built up with his bragging.

“This is probably your serendipity stat in play. I’ll say Adric, no, Adrella, looks better than I could pull off. ” Harmony answered. Her pet didn’t even need all the skills she had to pull off looking amazing; a critical mother was harmful enough to convince a runt that they needed to invest in [Poise and Bearing], [Style and Grace], [Beautician], and even [Renew Spirit]. That choice had been made in part because of how it could add a glow to you. She’d cultivated, crafted, and built who she was as much as, if not more than, what she was born with.

Alex snorted at that.

Boys would never understand all the work it took. Despite having a front-row seat to the effort she was using to make Adric look like the prettiest girl at the gala, he chose to scoff. Even if the beautiful boy might be an abomination.

Ugh, bad thoughts. The last Defense Against the Forbidden Arts class hadn’t ruled out the dark hypothesis swirling around. Flint brought out his severed head and let most students take potshots at it with their skills. Not her, though; it was like he knew she’d put it out of its misery. He assigned her a different task; she got to control the splatter and make sure no abominable material left the zone. With [Manipulate Dead] being useless, it was tricky; you had to narrow in on how unlike normal dying material it was. Something well within her frame of practice. Nothing she’d learned eliminated the possibility he was one. It wasn’t like she could ask Flint Steelheart the question in her heart about whether a unique undead, by its very nature, was excluded from also being that specific kind of being.

“Does the corset have to be so tight? I only agreed to this because I can surprise Becca afterwards, and Alex’s sad bear face was too much to turn down.”

“I didn’t ask for this.” Alex protested.

“But you accepted it, and we’re two hours into the magic. Only a few more finishing touches and you’ll have a date everyone will be jealous of.”

Tasha cackled as her friend slumped in acceptance. The redhead was dressed and ready an hour ago, having chosen pants, a silk shirt, and a jacket that, while contrary to what most of the women would be wearing for the gala, didn’t make her less feminine.

Except for that one distracting thought, this was the perfect evening of camaraderie. Xera had left after the first hour to deal with her aunt and get ready for the official visit. Tun-Knee helped procure the supplies needed for the dress, but had an evening class. The task felt right. Her new class and profession would soon quicken, and this was one of the things she wanted to feed it with. Transformation, solutions, challenges, and joy. Not all growth had to be violence, death, and destruction.

“It’s a little conservative; maybe have Adric show a little more leg. My bragging might have accentuated a certain kind of appeal.” Alex admitted, finally contributing productively.

Sickle in hand, ready to commit violent beauty, Harmony got to work trimming.

The result was dazzling, as though Princess Rosaline had a prettier older sister, one made to capture the breaths in a room and hold them hostage. Upon catching his reflection, Adric stated. “I’d romance myself.” Not that he was picky.

Now Harmony had to give up all that fantasy and fun for meeting Aunt Cezna, holder of [Two Against Consequences]. An old woman, conservative to the point that Xera recommended she wear her school uniform without the added flair she’d done to her eyebrows and nails. Cezna was an alumna of the academy, and the uniform hadn’t changed in centuries, so it should put the woman at ease.

[Poise and bearing] kept Harmony from fidgeting as she walked through the small garden up to the entrance of the Chase family house in Ricort. This felt a lot like meeting a partner’s parents for approval. Not that she’d ever actively subject anyone to Kelly White; this was a ritual she’d equally managed to avoid. Adric’s parents avoided him after his revival. Ambrosia was estranged from hers, and she’d never been in a relationship where this was required.

One knock and the door swung open as the house’s staff let her in. Three maids in their silk robes and the head butler, whom Xera addressed as the majordomo. A normal guest might not notice the little things, but Harmony had been on their side of the fence; combined with [Keen Investigative Awareness] working hard due to her anxiety, the signs of chaos were there. A sloppily wrapped sash, two hairs out of place, makeup a bit too strong on a face that, underneath it, was a tad paler than normal.

Cezna had only shown up this morning and caused a tizzy amongst the staff. Harmony was already writing stories based on her long experience about the kind of woman this aunt was. Unreasonable demands. Cornerings. Constantly shifting requests. Snide comments. But perhaps this person was so important that her presence caused anxiety? [Cold Touch] helped freeze any show of potential distaste as she tried to not have too many preconceived notions before meeting the woman.

Harmony let the frazzled staff lead the way. They opened the door to the main parlour where Harmony and the crew usually had tea while kneeling on mats.

“Xera! Your friend is here, and so tall. You didn’t tell me she was tall!” Harmony automatically reached for [Final Silence] at the assaulting noise, but stopped herself from acting. Cezna wasn’t yelling, but her voice carried and operated at a volume two notches above normal speaking tone. “Come here, Harmony! Let me take a good look at you.” Cezna continued from her chair as Xera stood nervously to the side.

That was the other thing that jolted her; the room had been changed. A large chair had been brought in; light damage was on the woven mats from where it had dragged and caught on the fibers, along with a small side table next to Cezna, one that held two empty cans, the kind that Alex used to love drinking out of.

Oh, she was this kind of guest. Harmony walked towards the gray-haired woman until she was in front of the chair and curtsied. “It’s an honor to...”

The two fingers entering Harmony’s mouth to pull her cheek aside, so the old broad could get a look at her mouth, was not expected. “Oh, my! She has good teeth! Do you know how many Chases failed to link with someone who has quality dental hygiene? People talk about the body, soul, and skills, but where magic can heal everything, teeth and their maintenance often get overlooked!”

There was an expectation to be evaluated, yes, this way; no! Good teeth? [Manipulate Dead] was excellent at keeping teeth clean and strengthening enamel. Kelly stressed dental hygiene as well, as no one wanted a smile from an actress that made them shy away in disgust. Things decayed quickly in Hazeldown, and teeth had been no exception. She could be proud of her teeth and still not like someone sticking their hand in her mouth to check on them!

Shock faded into annoyance as an outside source kept Harmony from acting even as she was being looked at more like a prized pig or pygmy dragon. She hadn’t felt this actively handled since Maekus Von Trell had frozen her in place. There was no mental influence, but her body wouldn’t act to pull back, bite the woman’s finger, or speak up. Domain, she’d entered the woman’s domain.

Harmony had been working on hers, that space around herself that she controlled, and as she grew it, active effort was needed to keep it as close as she liked, the stronger it got. Letting that go was like dropping extra weight, and Harmony felt hers expand, pushing back.

Cezna’s fingers did manage to leave her mouth before Harmony gnashed down.

“There’s the strength that Xera has been telling me about.” The old woman’s voice turned from that loud, annoying tilt to crisp, full-of-itself, and calculating. “I spent some time as su-primus during my time at The Academy, but I never had the bad luck of getting caught up in the tournament.”

“Am I passing your test?” Harmony asked coldly.

Cezna huffed. “You’re older than you look, and let a baby link to you, so that has yet to be decided.”

“Auntie!” Xera protested at being called a baby.

“The patriarch babied your desires, allowing you to progress so quickly. So I feel fair to call you that. Genius or no. I’m wondering why this woman allowed someone so young to link with them for life!”

Having not yet reigned in her domain, because of the cushion it provided against Cezna, the few feet of space around Harmony turned cold to the point where all the moisture in the air froze, and frost sat motionless as crystals in the air. “You told me the link can be removed.” Harmony addressed Xera. Her sickle itched to be in her hand, but remained in her room.

She hadn’t signed up for another Hyacinth, Adric, or Maxwell.

“I-I mean. It can be. There are st-tories. When I die or if you lose the skills that I’ve linked with. The changes it causes are one-sided, so nothing about it will harm you,” Xera answered.

Xera was linked with every skill except her problematic [Eternal Fable’s Heart]! She’d encouraged the connections to every skill she had and allowed [Two Against the End] to go deeper into her soul. All while the girl bled into a bowl as she worked whatever the silly ritual was. And Harmony’s benefits were a danger sense that allowed her to judge threats and a minor boost to skills that worked kind of situationally, like [Mana Rotation] or a surge of stamina.

“So the truth is out,” Cezna announced.

Harmony gave the woman a deep bow. “My apologies for unknowingly making such a choice. While I was misled, I should have verified more. I fear my academic advisor, Maekus Von Trell, insisted I take the link. I’d witnessed some of his quirks but didn’t believe he was quite so untrustworthy.” That bumped him up a few rungs on her list of people to kick in the ass if the opportunity showed up.

“Yes, I’d heard that old meddler was here. Xera could have done worse than you. Rumors are you’re a cast-off from one of the great powers? Our family has done contract work for a few of them. They wouldn’t abandon you without binding family secrets, so I won’t pry there. What I want is answers to the nonsense letters Xera has been sending. Immune to danger, yet clearly the girl is going through drastic changes.”

Getting out of her chair, Cezna walked over to her niece and poked the pink patch of hair on her temple, causing Xera to flinch.

“I have a skill that allows me to divert risk when used properly. I’ve slowed down using it in training.”

“Rising action, why?” Cezna asked, surprised.

“Didn’t Xera express discomfort about the rate of her changes?”

Cezna grabbed Xera’s ear and dragged her over, the defender was helpless against her aunt’s domain, unable to even speak. “This child is now your responsibility. You need to force her to get stronger until she can no longer grow. This is what I mean by her being spoiled; she should be begging you to have her body and soul strengthened. Colored hair, sparkly skin, tattoos, needing to buy new clothes due to growth spurts- those are nothing but inconveniences.”

No respect for boundaries. One of the worst kinds of people to serve. Bossing people around. Thinking they’re right. Harmony still had the aftertaste of Cezna’s hand, and Xera’s ear had to hurt. This was the problem with a society based on levels, power, and evolution. Some people assumed that might made right, rather than that power only allowed them to get away with more. People like Cezna reacted terribly to rejection and refusal.

The truth of Xera’s link stung enough that Harmony weighed leaving the girl to the ministrations of her aunt. No more girls under heels they couldn’t get off their backs. Kelly had done much of the same to her. The servants' struggle made more sense now. There was a solution. [Recall] worked with [Keen Investigative Awareness] to pull up her history. Experience didn’t only come from age; before she was an eraser, before she was raised to be an aristocrat, she was a maid. The memories were there, and reaching down into that spot in her soul that brought Lord Tyler his meals, bowed and scraped to Lady Coodly, and knew the power of being useful, Royal Eraser Harmony White grasped the essence of being a servant, understanding how it could solve problems conflict couldn’t.

Harmony gave a deep bow. “How may I please you in this regard, Cezna Chase?“