Your Smile is all I Need
Shadowlotus fluff, specifically between Ren and Cyaia. takes place during the time skip while Ren is training and continues the trend of them writing letters to each other while he travels
Four months into the training, but it had been so much longer for him. Ren had been in the zone of compressed time for such a short time but to him it had nearly been a year. The purpose of the setup was to give him the necessary time to develop his Bringer powers that he wouldn’t be allowed in the outside world. He’d been thankful to Milena and Milon for giving him the needed tools and worked tirelessly with his brother to deepen their bond. Be that as it may, it had been slow going and they were just barely getting the hang of the basics. Milena gave them a strict time limit of two years in this realm to learn and at this rate they’d never reach that goal.
Their current session had ended hours ago with the bare minimum of progress. They had mastered shadow molding a while prior and so Flare had suggested that they attempt assimilation so that he could store more items on his person in a non-cumbersome way. While they had been practiced for weeks, Ren just couldn’t seem to put the concepts into practice. Today’s session had also ended in failure and Flare decided to cut it short early in order to spare his brother the fatigue due to magic overuse.
As the boy relaxed next to the lake by his makeshift home, he heard the telltale sound of the spatial distortion marking entry into the world.
“Hey there Lulu~”
He sat up to see Milena casually stroll in with Zephyr the hawk perched on her shoulder. Ren readily accepted the bird as it perched on his outstretched arm and praised the bird for her dedicated work.
“Thanks Milena,” Ren said, “I really appreciate you making sure I get Cyaia’s letters.”
“Think nothing of it! I know how it is being away from your beloved for ages at a time.”
“Oh right, you and Auntie Mina are married. I always forget that because you’re never at the compound.” Ren pouted a bit at the thought. “Isn’t it hard being away for such long stretches of time? Don’t you get lonely?”
Milena looked at her godson and heaved a bemused sigh. “Of course I do. I adore that woman, I love everything about her. It’s only natural that I would get lonely. But we make it work. Just like you two, we keep in touch and I make to visit her whenever I get the chance.”
Ren removed the letter from the carrier harness and sent Zephyr back to his godmother. Taking her words to heart, he saw the two of them out before he returned to his position on the lakeside. He unfurled the parchments and began to read.
Dear Ren,
How are you now? is your training going well? I hope it is. Your last letter made it sound as if things weren’t going too well and I was worried. But I’m confident that you can push through any problems you might have with ease. I mean, it’s you and all, you’re great!
Oh, but you must be concerned about things on my end as well. Fret not, my princess! Everything is going quite swimmingly. Why just the other day I was at a dinner ball with my family--some grand gala that was more or less a pretense for renegotiating trade treaties-- and I was approached by so many suitors. It was a real rush to use some of the tricks and sayings you recommended, modified obviously so as not to offend, and to see the looks on their faces when they found themselves outclassed by what they assumed to be an easy to persuade girl. If there weren’t rumors about me shutting down foolish boors before, there certainly will be now!
Ren laughed at the last comment. He recalled the letter in question where he sent those “suggestions” and shook his head in disbelief that she’d actually taken them to heart. It touched him in a way.
On top of that I’ve been making more trips into town and down to the castle stables. My favorite baker always has those fresh rolls we like waiting for me if he ever sees me walk by the shop. I really appreciate it and can’t wait til we can visit him together again. The tarts he makes lately are also just divine! The strawberry ones and the cherry ones the softest, flakiest crust and the filling is blended and seasoned so well that it’s like magic when it melts in your mouth. Just, so good...
Ehehehe, um, anyways, so the stable thing. Well, the new horses and other animals brought in lately were being a little too rowdy for even the more seasoned handlers so they called me in. Still don’t really understand how I do it, but I managed to get them calm enough that they would allow the handlers to bond with them, so... yeah. Go me?
Ren chuckled at the thought of some of the groundsmen and handlers struggling with fussy animals only to be shown up by their petite princess. Seems like it would make you question your line of profession.
Um, I miss you. I really do. I know dad doesn’t like the prospect of us being a couple given his history with your parents... And with what happened at the festival... But I really do care for you! I do. I know I’ve said it before, but even though I’m a romantic, I’m not hopeless about it! To be frank, I never considered romance until I met you. That time in the forest, when you held me in your arms after rescuing me, was one of the happiest moments of my life. You looked so handsome in the sunlight filtered through the trees; a kind of silent beauty, filled with some profound depth or darkness but still radiant. And when you smiled? I fell for you hard and fast in that instant, and to this day I don’t regret following my heart. I guess I’m just trying to say that... I love you. Truly, truly, truly, do I love you, and I will cherish every interaction we have. I hope that you’ll come back to me when this is all over.
P.S.-- The next two pages are also for you, but the others are addressed for Raven, Liz, and Akira. Please make sure they get them as soon as possible. Love ya, Princess, say hi to Flare for me, ok?
Ren shuffled through the parchments and set aside the papers that weren’t for him. His face lit up upon reading the contents of the other two pages, but with happiness and with blush. Before long he was meditating under the tree where he and Flare had agreed to meet. It didn’t take long for his brother to manifest his corporeal form.
“What is it Ren?” Flare inquired
“Cyaia send her regards.”
“Was that all?”
“Actually... I want to give assimilation another try. I can’t just slack off when she’s trying her hardest as well. So, once more, if you will?” Ren requested
He stared down his partner whom returned his gaze in turn. Wordlessly, Flare dropped an assortment of weapons and items into the grass at his side with a wave of his arm. They were all normal items, things that were not made of shadow or that hadn’t been previously assimilated by Ren prior to beginning his training.
“Once again, visualize your shadow as a pool, a reservoir, and imagine that you can reach into it...”
And thus the two resumed their training.