Troubled Times

At her seemingly innocent question, Jace had to resist the urge to just close his eyes and pull himself free from her grasp, walking out that door. After staring into Vera's golden eyes for several seconds though, he just sighed and nodded. "Alright, but let's make this quick. I have two brats to check up on."

He regretted the sentence almost as soon as he said it, because Vera's eyes hardened in an instant and her smile took a twisted form. "Sure, this shouldn't take too long. You were always good at finishing quickly, after all."

'This fucking bitch' Jace said something highly ungentlemanly in his mind but kept his expression the same. Out of all the personalities present in Sky Cross, Vera Quadreign was one of the more famous ones. Jokingly referred to as a female Le'garde (but never to her face) she inspired equal admiration, jealously and fear. Lots and lots of fear, actually, since she had already killed multiple people in her tenure as a teacher. Not that the people didn't deserve it, but her nature was well known amongst the faculty and so most avoided her.

Once everyone else had left and the two were alone in the room, Vera crossed her arms and spoke with a frown, "We haven't been able to talk properly since the start of term. Whenever I go looking for you, someone or something comes up, or you aren't in your office. The point is, we have a lot to catch up on."

'Why yes, the reason we haven't talked yet is because I'm actively avoiding you. And what do you mean we have a lot to catch up on, didn't you say this would be quick?'

"I've done what you asked me to and kept a close eye on the Atrazark boy, but I fail to see why I need to. He isn't the first scion of a Great House to enrol and the conflict between House Atrazark and Ornstein is also old news. Why is he specifically worth special attention?"

'Well, there are multiple answers I can give you. The fact he Ascended at the mere age of four, his dual Lineages, the identity of his father, and the fact someone has tried to kill him twice already...Of course, you aren't qualified to know any of this.' 

"The conflict between the Great Houses has recently burgeoned, and the Evil Gods are stirring up waves on the Gaia Continent. You heard about the city that was destroyed a few weeks ago, right? Multiple Epics were mobilised in the largest organised strike the Blood Coven orchestrated in decades. Tens of thousands were killed overnight, and the Royal Army was dispatched. Raphaniel was worried about the kids."

At the mention of Raphaniel, Vera scowled intensely before focusing on his earlier statement. "Things got that bad? I knew multiple powerhouses were present on both sides, but to think it got that bad...what did the Cultist want to achieve?"

"Since it's the Blood Coven, they could have done it merely for the satisfaction of killing innocents. The Ark Covenant, Altar of Darkness and Wandering Circus only act when there is a decisive goal or profit to accomplish." Jace didn't mention the Marauders of Fate or Esoterics of Destiny since they barely had any presence in the world, with members usually operating alone for their own desires. 

"Anyways, things are getting heated in the political sphere, and the Royal Family is starting to consider...drastic measures to restore order. The best time to deal with an opponent is now, and both Atrazark and Ornstein are aware of this. Raphaniel is gathering all the allies she can without being too obvious, and a puppet war isn't far off. The Elders also want to deal with Ilya and their ilk for good this time. The neutrality of the Churches is also being called into question. Just look at who they sent this year!"

Vera gave Jace a deep look after he finished speaking but said nothing. As the silence began to stretch between them, he waved his hand in front of her face. "Hello? Orvonia to Quadreign? Are you still in there or have you popped an aneurysm while I wasn't looking."

As fast as lightning, Vera slapped Jace's hand away with a snort, glaring at him like he was the biggest piece of trash in the world. "Do you think such an answer will satisfy me? I know there's something deeper going on, something far closer to home than you want to admit. Le'garde has been acting strange, or stranger than usual anyways, ever since the year started. Neither the Cults nor Churches have ever elicited such a reaction from him, so I know something bigger is going on."

Jace sighed as he struggled on what to say. If it was anyone else, he would have simply walked off by now, but he couldn't do that to her. Not after everything they went through, even if most of it was unpleasant. But he couldn't tell her just how bad things were, and who the father of the siblings was. The contract he was under aside, he valued his friendship with Raphaniel too much t do so anyways. Almost like reading his mind, Vera spoke up with a growl. 

"It's something to do with that bitch, isn't it? Whenever she comes up, you always go all mysterious and tight lipped. I guess you value your relationship with her more than me?!" she shouted the last bit, snapping her mouth shut as she realised what she'd done. Jace just looked at her with tired eyes, snippets of this exact conversation in the past filling his mind. "We are no longer together, Vera" he said with a sigh. "The engagement was broken years ago, and I've long since moved on. You need to as well."

She said nothing, but tears formed in the corner of her eyes. She looked as beautiful as ever, with her long black hair and golden eyes, but Jace felt nothing as he looked at her. His heart could no longer be moved by her tears, despite her many attempts to do so. "I know you want us to get back together, but it's impossible for more reasons than one. You know how Le'garde views relationships in the workplace. Do you ant both of us to get fired?"

"Le'garde wouldn't dare to fire us" she countered fiercely. "You're Kieran's student, and I'm the most competent homeroom teacher Sky Cross has had in decades."

"That doesn't mean he will make a exception. Le'garde can stand for a lot of things, but disrespecting his school rules isn't one of them. We're all victim to this, and no one is an exception. Don't you remember what happened to Garris Fulcon?"

Her silence told him she did indeed remember the former biology teacher. They still hadn't found the other half of his body, and Jace knew they never would. The amount of people Le'garde had made "disappear" over the centuries was enough to fill a graveyard, and nearly all offenders were guilty of the same crime: blasphemy against the Headmaster. Le'garde had mellowed out in recent years for sure, but that was simply because the number of offenders had naturally died down. He was still the same man, the same Demigod, on the inside.

"If there's nothing else, I have to go now. I'll see you around, Vera."

She watched him turn and go, her golden eyes boring into his back all the way down the corridor. Her expression turned cold before reverting back to normal, a cunning glint in her eyes. Walking out the door, she made her way down a different corridor than the rest of staff and stopped before a wooden door. Swinging it open, she walked inside to see Le'garde sitting against a desk, reading a sheet of paper. He looked up at her entrance, and flashed her a smile.

"So, how did it go?"