In Name and Blood

Gardrin may be both Bonnaire and botanist, but she was never enamored by her own green thumb. It wasn’t that she lacked the magic for it, like many of her cousins did; she was a natural at the plant magic, as she should be. Gardrin was far from untalented, hideously far, and she knew it. However, she was practically only a Bonnaire in name and the blood that ran with tree sap; plasma both metallic and sticky-sweet tasting as Henry, after an unfortunate and uncomfortable incident, informed her. That just marked her a botanist, though.

Bonnaire politics held little relevance to Gardrin. She didn’t have many positions that were world changing to her; at least, none of the things she fought for related to her family. She wasn’t gathering followers and partners in preparation for the battle to be the next clan head. Instead, she was planning to eliminate almost all ties to them using the upcoming strife as a distraction. Well, she was, but it looks like things may be changing.

Gardrin knew exactly how she was related to Efaira; that’s what happens when your proof of identity is where you fit on the family tree and your blood’s qualities. It’s what happens when you learn your family members in the same way you learn about historical figures. Being fifth cousins twice removed didn’t make them particularly close, but because they were only a few years apart and on the same general branch, they were practically sisters in the eyes of their family members. Gardrin had seen Efaira at all of the family events she had been required to attend; they had talked twice. Of course, Gardrin hadn’t talked to some of her sisters through anything other than cacophony trees, scrying bowls, and call root; Gardrin isn’t even sure she’d ever seen all of them face to face, so maybe Efaira was close. That didn’t mean she wanted to see Efaira.

“Gardrin, it is good to see you,” Efaira said in her rich voice, “You have bloomed beautifully.”

Gardrin hated dealing with family. She was glad when people didn’t realize she was a Bonnaire and only thought she primaried in plant magic. Gardrin didn’t look classically Bonnaire, though there was a surprising variety of appearances in her family. Efaira did. Efaira looked like a plant herself (Henry said she look similar to a mythical creature from his world: a nymph or an elf). Her skin was green, her limbs willowy, hair decorated with leaves, seeds lodged in her flesh and teeth; she was tall and smelled of flowers and nectar. Even her eyes were a leafy shade. The varying hues of viridian tulips budding on her face surely covered her body as a whole. She wasn’t only a primarily plant magician; she only did plant magic and had to be more of a botanist than anyone else on their branch. Honestly, Gardrin was surprised that Efaira wasn’t on the main named line with those looks.

Gardrin was tiny, the definition of petit. She was dark, and she was bright all at once. Her immediate family members all had darker skin, mostly ranging from bark to soil shades, but her skin was a dusty indigo, ocean like, but not quite sky. Her father once tried to assure her it was the shade of the richest dirt, but gleefully, Gardrin pointed out her skin almost looked purple compared to her siblings. He settled on comparing her to petals- she held her tongue on saying they must be bruised. The flowers on her face were red, bright, bright red to indicate her primary. Her hair was partly more orange, and the fire of one of her secondaries ranged from yellow to burgundy on her neck. She knew her eyes fit in with the pallette. The most interesting part of her appearance, in Gardrin’s opinion, was the manifestation of her other secondary. Her hands looked as though they were covered in oil or some other dark pool. Liquid magic wasn’t water or blood magic, and it was her favorite. Considering the fact that Gardrin’s magics and colors weren’t expected to be Bonnaire, neither was she. Still, Efaira knew who she was, but Gardrin was loathe to get out of this without causing her dear cousin a fuss.

Gardrin’s smile was surprisingly pleasant when compared when compared to her displeased tone, “Blooming burning, it doesn’t much matter. Fancy familiar terms don’t work as an identifier.”

“Of course, I would not try to fool you as such,” Efaira wasn’t disheartened, and if that didn’t just reaffirm the multi magical girl’s irritation, she was sure some later event in this meeting would.

“Then you understand I simply must demand as thourough proof as possible.Trying times like these must be faced without doubt,” her own pride at the ability to speak silken words surprised Gardrin.

“Please,” Efaira took a seat, “Demand as you will.”

Demand she would; Gardrin wasted no time in her ‘request’, “Family line, second cousins by age, and explain the Shrubbery Break in Ties.”

With little effort, Efaira completed the difficult list, and she lifted her hand to a thorn in her hair. She pierced the pad of her thumb and let a drop of blood well up before sowing a seed in the wound.

“You must understand, I’ve no choice but to seek the same assurances.”

Gardrin let out a frustrated sigh but kept up appearances, “As you declare, you will.”

Efaira’s head sunk into a nod, “Please, family line, aunts and uncles, and explain the Ashworth Treaty.”

Gardrin’s feelings about being able to recite those facts were complicated. She was good at memorization; who would dare claim she wasn’t? Still, she had spent so much time avoiding family; time enough, she perhaps hoped, that she may have forgotten.

Gardrin cut her thoughts off by splitting her thumb open with a tooth. After one drop of sap-blood was shown and laped away, she stuck the digit in a vial on her hip, sealing the wound.

The smile of Efaira’s face grew, and she pleasantly waved off a waiter. The establishment was used to Gardrin and aware of who she was. They earned her appreciation when they didn’t make a fuss at the meeting; they might not be used to this sort of thing, but they had seen her meetings with Henry and others who followed him. She would have to leave a good tip.

Efaira smoothed her skirts and left her hands on the table, wrists crossed, “Now that our identities are assured, there is business to discuss.”

“Not quite,” Gardrin tossed a flask at her cousin, who just barley caught it, “Drink.”

“Is that not excessive?”

Gardrin was going to relish finally catching Efaira off guard; in her discomfort, she had instinctively wrapped vines around the bottle.

“It’s just Kattern,” Gardrin leaned back and smirked as her voice lilted, “There is nothing wrong with making sure you tell the truth.”

“Is there honestly such a need for these measures?”

“If you want to talk to me, drink. It’s plant based, so you can speed it through your system. I’ll walk out if you don’t.”

Efaira flipped open the lid and swallowed a dose of the potion with a grimace.

“May I speak now?”

“Alright, what do you want?”

“Within the next few years, the heads of our house will be retiring from their positions.”

“What does this matter to me?”

“It will be a family affair; you are family. These events must always be relevant to you.”

“I care little for the family. So, what is it that you want from me?”

“The family is always prevalent.”

“No, it isn’t. If that’s all you want to say, I’m sure I have places to be.”

“I am in a group aiming to be the next heads.”

“Good for you.”

“We want your support.”

“Of course you do, and is it because of how much you value family, how we’re considered practically sisters, or is it some other reason?”

“You can imagine why I’m here.”

“Oh, I can imagine a whole host of possibilities. You need to specify.”

“You are the right hand of one of the other world heroes, known as the a leader of his army. You are a respected potions mistress. We would be fools not to try to recruit you.”

“I love how you only need a few dozen followers to make an army,” for a moment, the potions mage’s voice filled with laughter, but her amusement returned to being pointed, “So, you aren’t above admitting you just want my connections. My position with Henry does give me power, but the family doesn’t approve of my potions.”

“We both know you hold sway.”

“Why should I support your claim?”

“We aim to consolidate and loosen the restrictions on the family. Children will be allowed to seek outside education. More magics will be allowed. Union without approval will not be penalized. The Bonnaire family will solidify its positions of power, as well.”

“I don’t disapprove, but I don’t care. Do better if you want to convince me.”

“These matters are not enough to affect you?”

“No, they aren’t, and you aren’t doing any better.”

Efaira sighed and dispassionately said, “We can guarantee the family will not bother you unless it is an appeal to your official position or an emergency. You would still have access to our resources, but you’d have to seek them out. You could be left alone without cutting ties.”

“How bad does it feel to have to resort to giving me exactly what I want?”

“You don’t understand. This family needs change; I believed you would see that, and I believed that need would be enough to gain your aid.”

“I’m acutely aware of the changes desperately needed by our family. I can’t say I think it’ll actually happen, though.”

“There is faith deserved by the group I am apart of.”

“So you say. I’d rather leave the family entirely than deal with changing it myself.”

“We have earned every bit of support that is given. We will bring a new era,” an angry Efaira was a rare sight; Gardrin wondered how many people she tipped her hand to and whether that effect was from herself or the potion.

“Well, you seem to be confident, dare I say arrogant,” amusement, familiar as it were, oozed from Gardrin’s voice, “But you’ve yet to sway me with your points.”

“If you are unable to see the value in our goals, then you are a fool too far gone.”

“Claiming me a fool and yet, in spite of everything, you decided you need me so much you came here.”

“We have not made that determination.”

“That’a a shame because you do. I know my position and how valuable it is. As you said, I am at Henry’s side, no other is as fully trusted by him or followed by the army. Disgrace of a Bonnaire, maybe, but I mean more when it comes to this world. I do not need the family, but I am necessary.”

Efaira was quiet. The vines curling around her limbs swayed, but they did not lash out. They handed her the vial Gardrin had yet to retrieve. Efaira held it up to the lights, noticing how she hadn’t even consumed a quarter of the potion. The vial itself controlled dosing and limited intake. As far as Efaira was aware, these had to be custom made; Efaira was right.

“You have almost as much influence on the powers of this world as the entire family as a whole, do you not?”

“I just might.”

“Then you will not be supporting us?”

“No one ever said that.”

For the first time Gardrin had ever seen, surprise bloomed across the older girl’s face, “Pardon but I feel as though you’ve lost me.”

“I can’t say you swayed me with your goals, not when I don’t expect you to accomplish them. However, I never gave a ‘no’ to your previous offer.”

“I had thought you completely rejected our group.”

“Now, why would I do that? You offered me all I wanted, and I still get access to Bonnaire resources. That’s almost too good to be true.”

“I fully mean to give you as promised.”

“Oh, I believe you. Even without the truth potion, you don’t want to deal with the consequences of cheating me.”

“I do not- I do not-”

“‘Go against your word’? Clearly you do, even if you don’t mean to. Nice to know the Kattern is working. Don’t worry; I won’t hold it against you. Everyone breaks their word occasionally.”

“I apologize for being unable to always do as I say.”

“You’re playing politics; I’d be more surprised if you did.”

“That aside, will you provide us with what I have asked.”

“You know what, sure. Your group as my official support. They can now use my name to help further your goals. I would advise you not to abuse the privilege.”

“Of course. We will do our best not to disappoint you.”

“Really? You’ll dedicate your time to not disappointing me? How kind.”

“Allow me to rephrase, we will attempt to not disappoint you in regards to your name.”

“That’s relieving. If you tried to guide the family in a way that doesn’t disappoint me, you wouldn’t be pleased with yourself.”

“I had realized, and that is why I thought it prudent to correct.”

“So, now that you have what you came for, are you going to continue speaking in circles with me or..?”

“I have business I must attend today other than this. Thank you for your agreement. Please, excuse me.”

Efaira rose from her seat and placed the potion in front of Gardrin who merely motioned to a server. She came here for a meal, not to make waves in her family’s political affairs. Before Efaira left the room, and before a server reached her table, a realization seemed to strike Gardrin, and she called out to her cousin.

"Oh, and Efaira,” the redhead's amusement now bled smug, “If you manage to speed the Kattern through your system, you’ll be able to lie again in about two hours.”

Efaira turned to nod in acknowledgement and as a farewell. She eagerly left the pub, pleased to be done with the meeting. Gardrin’s smile turned sharp, and she placed her order. She hoped what she just got into would be entertaining instead of something she’d regret.