Alyse is standing at the outskirts of the city with Cara, Vito, and Lady Nedonera's party, watching the river lap against the boat at the shore of the Egris River. Five...that's how many seats she counts in the small boat. She groans internally.....she already knows what this means. As if to validate her thoughts, Cara turns to her with a polite smile.
"Alyse, thank you so much for escorting Lady Nedonera's party all this time until I could take over for you. It seems this boat only seats five, though, and there are six of us. So, it's okay to take the rest of the day for yourself – no need to help me out here anymore." (Cara)
Her sister is obviously not too surprised by this turn of events. It's almost like Cara wants her away from Nedonera and the others. Still, why didn't Cara just dismiss her after they left The Ring, instead of dragging her all the way out here? Whatever, she guesses it doesn't matter now.
She nods her begrudging acknowledgement to Cara, but someone interjects before she can speak.
"Actually, Alyse, do you mind joining us? If you'd rather get back to your life, I understand, but we've quite enjoyed your company. It'd be a shame to pass it up on this lovely boat ride. Cara, is that okay with you?" (Mizuki)
Mizuki turns to her expectantly, with his eyebrows raised. Alyse blinks repeatedly.
"Uhm...sure, I don't mind. You guys are interesting, after all." (Alyse)
Mizuki nods appreciatively at her, then turns his gaze to Cara with a questioning expression and earnest smile. Alyse watches her sister's face go stiff, but Cara just smiles politely and nods.
"Of course. Vito, I'm sorry, but do you mind waiting for me back at the house? I'm sure I'm in no danger here." (Cara)
Vito nods obediently before giving his farewells, then walks off toward the city. Alyse returns her attention to Cara. Her sister seems unbothered, but she can tell...Cara is both disappointed and unsurprised by Mizuki's request for her to accompany them.
Is that why her sister didn't dismiss her earlier, and resorted to making her exclusion seem accidental? Because Cara knew that Mizuki would oppose it? Cara's resistance to her presence isn't too surprising, but Mizuki's insistence on it is. So, it's weird that Cara could predict it would happen, but still be unwilling to circumvent his wishes directly. Why?
As the five of them climb into the boat, Alyse takes up a position at the back, the strange events of the day replaying in her mind. She moves to grab the boat's oar, intending to take over Vito's presumable job navigating the river. But Alto, sitting closest to her, stops her with a dismissive gesture and a soft smile.
"That's okay, Alyse, there's no need. I can steer the boat much more easily for us with water spells. Please just enjoy the ride. I'm sure that's what Mizuki intended, after all." (Alto)
Alyse leans back into her seat, abandoning her reach for the oar, and nods appreciatively at Alto. If she was less distracted, perhaps she would have protested, but the day's developments cloud her thoughts. Alto explains her intentions to the rest of the group, then calmly raises her hand towards the water behind the boat.
Alyse watches Alto absentmindedly as she casts her spell, taking in the focused look on her face as the setting sun illuminates her delicate features. There's no incantation or delay in her spell – the boat simply starts moving, cutting through the water effortlessly.
Witnessing her skill with the spell, Alyse can't help but be reminded how incredible Alto is, and she feels a rush of shame remembering their earlier sparring matches. The experience had left her so absolutely...humiliated. She's never felt as bitter over a fight as she did in that first match with Alto. It wasn't because she lost. In fact, she'd welcomed that possibility beforehand.
Rather, it was because of how overwhelming Alto's victory had been against her. She'd been the definition of helpless, unable to land a single attack, or even struggle against her foe. It was as though, from the minute she decided to charge Alto, she lost every semblance of control over her own body's actions. Alto had clearly predicted exactly what she was going to do, and ensured that she was completely at Alto's mercy every second after that, until defeat.
That first loss had been hard for her to even process in the moment...it was so decisive. However, even after she acknowledged it, she couldn't accept that she'd overestimated her own relative strength so egregiously. She was convinced that she only lost because of Alto's element of surprise. The complete lack of incantations or spell delays, the inexplicable forces that seemed to act on her body without warning...she was overwhelmed by the unfamiliar abilities.
However, she felt sure at the time that, since she was now aware of those facts, she wouldn't be bested again. Alto had lost her element of surprise. So, she challenged Alto to a second match. However, when Alto disappeared before her eyes in the beginning of the second match, she knew immediately that it was an invisibility spell.
The realization had shocked her to her core. She didn't know anything about the strange invisible force that Alto had used in the first match, but the invisibility left no doubt. Alto was the only known dual-class elf in existence, and her prowess otherwise as a mage was terrifying as well.
That loss had dampened Alyse's confidence, but she's ashamed to remember that she still insisted to herself that Alto only won because of another surprise attack. Fueled by that egotistical belief, she'd shamefully challenged Alto to a third match.
When she failed to charge at the start of that final match, Alto had pulled out yet another unknown spell to blind and deafen her. Then, she'd been brutally bombarded by rocks until she couldn't move. That's when she'd realized the truth – she wasn't ever going to win. She was laughably outmatched.
Even if Alto's victories stemmed from the element of surprise, what did it matter? So long as Alto could produce one unprecedented spell or strategy after another and best her, Alto was her better. Her complaining about it was only as excuse for her defeat at that point. And so, Alyse had begrudgingly accepted her third defeat at Alto's hands as her last one.
As if trying to dispel the embarrassing memories of her own arrogance, Alyse shakes her head and looks back up at Alto. As they continue drifting down the river, with Cara, Nedonera, and Mizuki talking in the front of the boat, she feels a sudden gust of wind. She watches as Alto's golden hair is blown forward, partially obscuring her piercing blue eyes.
As Alto pushes her hair back behind her ears, revealing her delicate features once more, Alyse can't help but feel a pang of disappointment. Even upon meeting, she'd thought Alto was beautiful, in a delicate way that one felt compelled to protect. But after getting to know Alto better, seeing what a kind and determined person she is, and especially after experiencing her ferocity in battle...
Alyse shakes her head disapprovingly, trying to clear her thoughts. She mutters quietly, almost admonishing herself.
"I'm entirely too old for this..." (Alyse)
Yet, she can't deny it either. She's slowly approaching the same fascination with Alto that she'd had for Queen Elira in her youth. In other words, Alyse knows she's developing a crush. Realizing that, she's flooded with jealousy towards Mizuki. Regardless of her own feelings, it's clear to her that Alto only has eyes for him. She sighs regretfully.
Alyse tears her gaze away from Alto to observe Mizuki. He's smiling earnestly, nodding along as he listens to something Cara is saying. After they initially met, all she felt was puzzled when she watched him like this. She couldn't fathom why a practical human child was so clearly cherished by Nedonera and Alto. However, she doesn't feel that confusion anymore.
She only feels fear when she looks at Mizuki now.
It's not the fear of clear and present danger, like fighting a hostile person or spotting a dangerous monster while alone and unarmed. If that were enough to scare her, she'd feel such fear towards Nedonera. Instead, it's a fear of the unknown, entwined with a sense of futility. Like trying to peer into the calm, dark waters of an ocean and understand the secrets in its depths.
After spending the entire day with Mizuki, her primary conclusion is that nothing about him can be taken at face value. At the least, she knows that he's hiding one major secret – he can use magic. When she'd realized it, her blood had run cold. She did her best to act naturally after the fact, but she knew the truth as soon as she saw that stray arrow miss Alto.
Being the diligent swordsman that she is, and thanks to techniques that her brother shared during one of his visits, she's learned how to parry arrows fired at her. The skill requires incredible sword handling, of course, but also extremely accurate predictions of arrow trajectories. That's why she knows – that arrow was going to hit Alto in the chest.