2093 Undercover (Part 3)

Lith and Tista took a table near the glass wall looking out on the city hall and placed their order. Lith had never been to Zehnma so he picked dishes that according to Soluspedia a local would take, avoiding looking like a tourist.

"I'll take your most expensive meal course and wine." Tista said. "Today we are celebrating. We're having a baby."

The waiter congratulated them and clapped his hand, quickly followed by the rest of the room.

"So much for anonymity." Lith grumbled while looking through the menu to assess the damage. "Who's we, by the way?"

"You, Solus, Kami, and the rest of the family. We can't leave you to raise a little munchkin alone or they'll grow up grumpy and obnoxious." She said with a chuckle.

"I don't know, you seem to have turned out okay to me."

"Oh, please, you are not my father." She replied with a snort.

"Indeed, but I was the one who spent the most time with you until you recovered from the Strangler, remember?" Lith said, and this time his smile was sincere. "I still remember how happy you were when I made you the swing and when I brought you your first fur clothes.

"How during winter I kept you company whenever your illness resurfaced, telling you stories until you fell asleep."

"How could I forget?" Tista replied with a nostalgic smile. "Back then you were my hero. A kind brother who took care of me and who gave his all to make my life better."

"Back then?" Lith furrowed his brows. "What about now?"

"Now you're a patronizing jerk who doesn't give me the time of day unless it's to scold me." She pouted. "Can you believe that I had to come here to spend a few hours alone with you?"

Tista wasn't Phloria, but her words were no less true and hurt the same.

"I'm sorry. My life has been-"

"Everybody's life has been a mess since Meln's attack on Lutia." She cut him short. "But you were like this since way before that. The only moment you give any of us your attention is when we're ill, like it happened with Dad.

"Once we recover, you forget about us and go back to your latest project."

An awkward silence fell between them and they spent the time before the waiter's return staring at the window. The Eyes of Menadion scanned the magical formations surrounding the city hall, identifying the bundles of runes that acted as the bearing walls of Zehnma's defensive system.

"With the compliments and congratulations of the chef." The waiter gave Tista a bow, serving her fist and pouring her an abundant glass of fruit juice.

The wine came only with Lith's dish and the waiter had the care to put the bottle away from her to avoid any accident.

"Poetic justice." Lith smacked his lips, appreciating the rich flavor of the wine and its fruity aroma. Also, he hoped to move to a less thorny issue. "It's really worth its price. Too bad you can't enjoy it. We don't want to harm the baby."

"See what I mean? A total jerk." She sighed.

The food was excellent and the ambiance nice, but they soon became too engrossed by the study of the arrays to keep any conversation. Their silence stuck out amid the chattiness of the room and the waiter came to their table multiple times asking if everything was alright.

"Damn, the Eyes are still at 60% of the scan and we can't afford to draw any more attention." Lith said. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Wow. Would it kill you to ask me how I'm doing with Bodya or how close I am to reaching the violet? You are supposed to know about my life and care about it." She pouted.

"Fine, how close are you to reaching the violet core?"

"Are you still pet peeved by my boyfriends?" Tista said with a giggle.

"Yes. The less I know, the fewer people I have to make disappear. You know me. I'm still pissed off at Senton and the poor guy married Rena years ago. He's a good man and a better father than I'll ever be. And yet…" Lith sighed deeply.

"I disagree on both issues but I don't want to waste any more time arguing so no talking about Bodya as well." Tista leaned a bit forward, to look Lith in the eyes while also keeping watch on the arrays. "I'm slumped on the violet.

"I remember all of our talks we had back when you were looking for a solution to your bottleneck, yet after over three months since I reached the bright blue core, I feel like I didn't take a single step forward."

"Would you like a few tips?" Lith asked.

"No. The only path you can point me at is yours and I think we are too different for it to suit me as well. What I want from you is some advice about my nature." She replied.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that aside from the eyes and the Flames our alter egos have nothing in common." Tista said. "I have only one set of wings, I don't summon anything, and the more I experiment with my form the less I discover.

"What if I've already peaked? What if this is all I'll ever be capable of doing? All hail the Fairy Queen of nothing."

Lith pondered her words for a while before answering.

"I think that Nana was right about us. To discover my true potential, I really needed to become more loving and learn to forgive myself. You, instead, are still too kind for your own good."

"Tell that to the people of the Hogum household." Tista shuddered at the memory of the massacre.

"My point exactly." Lith nodded. "You only went all-out back then because you were influenced by my fury for what those bastards had done to Dad. Don't forget that Demons are half Phoenixes.

"We are creatures of emotions and so far, you are suppressing yours. My powers are fueled by my rage, hatred, and pain. They might not sound nice but without them, the souls of the dead wouldn't empathize with me nor answer my call.

"I think that you are just like me. You have fully mastered your dragon half but are too scared to let go of yourself and start using your other half." Lith said.

'I agree with him.' Solus nodded. 'Lith never had any qualms getting angry or venting his hatred on his enemies. Otherwise he would have never reached the deep violet. His problem was his inability to open up to positive emotions.

'It tainted all of his relationships and kept him from reaching the light violet'

'You, instead, are too calm and controlled under all circumstances. Even with Bodya, it looks more like a low-risk investment than a serious commitment. You need to loosen up, girl.'

Tista blushed up a bit and remained silent, knowing it was the truth. Luckily for her, the Eyes reached 100%, saving her from further embarrassment.

They had learned everything they could from the south side of the city, but it wasn't enough. To get the full picture of Zehnma's defensive arrays they needed more data which meant three more panoramic restaurants, one for each remaining side of the city.