For as long as Amaya could remember, the main form of communication in Samudrvila is the standard letter and mailing system to pass along information. Some high ranking officials and even nobles used teleportation spells to expedite the process, but there wasn't much change in that regard.

Nations like the Carmentia Kingdom and the Fyrenalda Empire, took a different approach to communication, as they preferred a more…'modern' and expensive form of communication.

"…Um…How do I input the number again?"

So maybe that's why she found herself at a loss when navigating how to use a holo-crystal.

The women with shoulder length hair let out an audible groan, making Amaya flinch from the women's obvious frustration. 

The holo-crystal was embedded into a rather ornate looking mirror, the sort of mirrors that would be on display in a stores that would only sell to high ranking nobles. The type of stores that only commoners would only dream of stepping into to buy something without being shoved out by the staff and owner.

"You have to touch the mirror, and flick through the options." Morgan explained as she demonstrated her instructions, this time more slowly. However there was a sense of underlying annoyance.

"Like this." She used her finger to press against the high quality crystal glass, and 'scrolled' through the options. She then landed on the 'input number' option, and selected it. Once she did, a pad with 3 rows and 4 columns with numbers appeared.

"I see, thank you for your help."

The mint haired women got up from her position and headed towards the door. She wore dark juniper green suit which was tailored to compliment her rather slim frame. The suit had also been decorated with gold embroidery which resembled gold stars. Her emerald green ascot gently swayed as she made her way over to the door.

"If you need anymore help, just ask." Morgan said in a polite yet firm manner. she peered down at the clipboard in her hands through her circular gold frame glasses, which had little stars hanging off the hinges.

"I will." Amaya stated, "Thank you again for your help."

Morgan opened the door before bowing politely and leaving the room with a huff.

Amaya could feel her face burn from the shame as she heard Morgan shut the door behind her, and turned to focus on inputting the number into the mirror. Once she did, a little loading icon resembling stars showed up.

"Amaya?"

The charcoal-blue haired woman looked at the mirror before tilting her head. It was strange, being able to see Count Hartlase's face so clearly on the holo-crystal's screen.

The man looked to be in his mid to late forties, a few white hairs poking out of his slate, almost smoky grey hair, which matched his triangle beard. His face had been tinted due to the holo-crystal's screen light, and his face looked more aged than usual. From what Amaya could see, the man wore a rather plain looking brown suit with red accents.

"Count Hartlase," Amaya kindly greeted, "I apologize for the sudden call, but I would like to inform you that Kani is with us at the Ivyrose Mage Tower."

"Count Hartlase," Amaya kindly greeted, "I apologize for the sudden call, but I would like to inform you that Kani is with us at the Ivyrose Mage Tower."

Count Hartlase was currently attending a meeting in Lonbridge, the oppulent capital of Fyrenalda Empire. He didn't give many details about what was being discussed, but Amaya assumed it had to do with the upcoming Starlight Ball.

"Is she currently with you at this moment?"

"She’s in a meeting with Orion,” Amaya explained, “I'm going to escort her back home once she’s done.”

"Then where are you right now?"

Amaya glances around the room for a moment before responding. 

"I belive I am in meeting room of the tower." Amaya explained, "One of the mages assistants allowed me to use one of the holo-crystals in the room."

"I see."

"It's rather fancy for a meeting room," Amaya mused, "It must be nice being able to work in such a place."

Count Hartlase let out a dry hum and he glanced away from the screen for a moment, before looking back at her. 

“…It looks like a standard noble meeting room to me.” Count Edward noted lamely. It looked like he was standing in a hallways of sorts. He probably left the meeting to take the call.

the conversation slowly sputtered out, leaving only the tension in the atmosphere. 

“..Um…Kani wanted to let you know she didn't mean to worry you.” Amaya said rather lamely, “...and she's going to…."

This seemed to cause Count Hartlase let out a frustrated groan.

"I don't have time to hear her excuses," He snapped harshly, "If she didn't want to worry me, she would have come home on time instead of being gods know where."

The atmosphere in the room grew tense, and Amaya couldn't find anything to say in response to his sudden outburst. What Count Hartlase is saying is correct, Kani shouldn't have left the house without informing anyone. 

Amaya couldn't help but feel there is something more then just long overdue 'teenage rebellion', that there is something more at play here. She furrowed her eyebrows in frustration, everything seems to be going wrong this week.

Count Hartlase let out a pained sigh before looking up to see Amaya's tense expression, causing bit of guilt to creep under his skin.

"…I didn't mean to do that." Count Hartlase said with apologetic grumble, "This is hectic at the Capitol, and no one's seems to be getting anything done."

Amaya didn't seem to hear him, and she seemed lost in her thoughts.

“Amaya?”

Suddenly, Amaya blinked and looked at the screen. “Sorry, as you were saying?”

Count Edward furrowed his eyebrows at Amaya's strange reaction.

“...Have you been sleeping well?”

“Yes.” Amaya quickly confirmed as she relaxed her eyebrows, “Everything is fine with me.”

There was a beat of silence that formed between the two of them before the older nobleman spoke.

“...Thank you for informing me of Kani’s location.” Count Hartlase said calmly, “I shall have Oliver head over to escort you both.”

Before Amaya could respond, the door opened, and Amaya turned around to see Orion walking into the room with Kani, who was now holding a manila envelope, trailing silently behind him. 

“…Tell Count Hartlase that it isn’t needed,” he stated calmly, “It’s late, so I will simply teleport you two to the estate.”

Kani stood near the door frame, watching both Orion and Amaya talking. Her eyes flicker to the holo-crystal.

“Oh, the meeting ended?” Amaya asked, and Orion nodded as she glanced at the clock in the room; 8:04pm. 

Kani fidgeted with her feet before speaking up. “...Are you still talking to... him?”

Amaya turned her attention back to Count Hartlase, who looked strangely but equally stand-offish.

"He just got out of a meeting," She gently explained, "Would you like to say something to him before I end the call?"

Kani contemplated what to say, her eyebrows furrowing as she found herself deep in thought. Slowly, she moved away from the doorway to sit down on the couch. Amaya scooched over to let Kani sit comfortably on the plush velvet couch.

"I am safe and uninjured," Kani said calmly as she looked into the screen, before timidly adding, "…I am sorry for worrying you."

Count Hartlase's coal colored eyes met her gaze, not responding to her statement.

"I will be coming to home soon, I got everything I needed done." 

Count Hartlase to let out a huff of relief. He looked away from the screen, looking around where he stood before continuing the conversation.

"You're not supposed to break the curfew he set," Count Hartlase spoke in a firm yet hushed tone, "You're supposed to be inside by 4:30pm."

Amaya felt herself internally grimace at the curfew time, a topic that Taylor would frequently complain about whenever she visted.

They had been trying to convince Count Hartlase push it back to a more reasonable time, but not much progress had been made on that front. Unless Kani had gotten permission from "him", she could go to events later in the evening or even stay over places overnight.

Amaya still doesn't know who this "him" is.

Kani fell silent at Count Hartlase's words.

"…I know."

"Where did you even go?" He questioned, "Nora informed me that you left the estate at 12:45pm."

Amaya watched as Kani rubbed her neck, her eyes widening slightly realizing how long Kani had been outside. She glanced over to look at Orion, who seemed silently intrigued by the conversation.

"…I simply went on a walk in the woods." Kani muttered somberly, yet there was a hint of wariness Amaya couldn’t put her finger on, "Then I decided to pay a visit to Orion for something. I didn't mean to be out for so long."

Count Hartlase let out a groan, his shoulder's tense with stress. Kani looked equally as burdened, her eyes looking hazy as she pursed her lips. Amaya's eyebrows softened as she gently patted the noblewomen on the back.

"She'll be home soon," Amaya assured, "Orion is going to teleport us over in a few moments."

"Very well," Count Hartlase responded before turning to his daughter and firmly addressed her, "We will discuss this more once I come back in a few days."

"You're not going to stay for the Starlight Ball?" Amaya asked in a curious tone, too focused on the screen to notice Kani's eyes widen slightly.

Before Count Hartlase could respond, he was interrupted by a nobleman talking to him out of frame of the device. He then looked back with a huff after the nobleman leaves. "Pardon the interruption, but I am not allowed to disclose the entire reason, however a few nobles have security concerns that might push the event back."

Amaya watched as Kani's face grimaced at the mention of the event, and Amaya does her best to ignore the prick of unease in her heart.

"However since this is the first Starlight Ball after winning the war, the majoirty wishes to continue through with the event."

According to what Amaya had heard, The Starlight Ball is an event where nobles in high society would get votes to see who is that year's 'Starlight'. This postion is highly sought after by nobles for status and connections with higher ranking nobles. If one plays their cards right, they could hypothetically even secure a lucrative marriage for themselves.

Taylor asked Kani about it once, Amaya recalled, and she explained that she had a friend who had been vying for the position for a few good years now.

Amaya remembered Taylor asking if Kani ever got voted, but she only got a defeated smile as a response.

"That's a shame," Amaya lamented absentmindedly, "Apparently we were meant to get invitations."

Count Hartlase seemed silently surprised by the news, and asked in an inquisitive tone; "…None of you have received your invitations?"

Orion shook his head lightly. "We never received them."

Count Hartlase seemed to ponder on this for a moment, before he responded. "I see, I will discuss this with Duke Atlas once I get a chance, but it may take some time given how hectic everything is."

"Cordelia, get home safely," He reiterates as he starts preparing to end the call, "No extra stops, just get to the estate as soon as feasibly possible. Don't let anyone know you were out this late."

Kani nodded as she rubbed her neck, almost attempting to sooth some pain. "Ok...bye father."

He gave a curt nod, and with that, the transmission ended. The communication crystal was automatically turned off and the atmosphere of the room seemed to lessen the moment the crystal returned to its proper place.

“Well then, that went better than I thought it would,” Amaya admitted as she got up from the couch.

Amaya held out her hand for Kani to take, and helped her stand up. “Did you get everything you wanted out of the way?”

Kani solemnly nodded at Amaya as she held the manila envelope in her hands. Amaya did a once-over before grabbing the satchel bag filled with the potions next to her and slinging it over her shoulder.

"It's getting late," Orion reminded, "You two need to get going."

"Right."

Orion motioned them to follow him to the front of the room. He then held out his hand, and a small blue wisp of light floated up. Amaya watched in awe as the room slowly grew dark and runes of the floor started to glow with an ominous blue. Kani watched warily as Orion used a wisp of light to create a door.

It emanates a calm feeling, the soft blue light surrounding the door, glowing gently in the dark. Kani simply stares at it, not making any moves towards it, but doesn't outright reject it.

However Amaya recognizes the way Kani scrunches her nose at it.

"It's okay" Amaya assured Kani, "It won't hurt you."

This causes Kani to pause, before looking at the high mage himself.

"...Um…Is it safe?" Kani asked meekly.

Orion stared at her for a moment before looking back at the door.

"It is a door made of pure magic, it's simply used for transportation," Orion explained, "In the many times I have cast this spell, it has not failed me."

He looked back at Kani, who tilted her head at the explanation and seemed not entirely convinced by his explanation, but too polite to show her skepticism in her face.

"You will be fine." Orion added, "You have my word."

The tension in Kani's body didn't seem to leave, but her expression seemed a little bit calmer. In that moment, the door brightness increased, being surrounded by runes and small sparks of blue, before returning to it's original state.

“The portal door has been created.” Orion announced, “It should open directly in front of the property."

“Thanks again for the help, Orion," Amaya thanked as Kani gave a polite nod to the high-ranking mage.

Orion nodded curtly, the jewelry in his locks lightly clinking as he does. "Anytime."

"Make sure your ready for the Festival of Stars!" Amaya reminded as she walked over to reach for the door knob as Kani silently followed after her.

“I’ll try to make it.” Orion said with a huff, the light from the door gently illuminating his face as he did.

“You better, you dork," Amaya said in a joking tone as she smiled, "See you then.”

Orion stared at Amaya’s smile, before looking away bashfully for a moment, before returning it with his own  reassuring smile. 

“You coming, Kani?”

Amaya's question seemed to have snapped Kani out of her dazed thoughts. “Ye...yes!”

Kani stumbled towards the door, her thoughts causing her to falter for a moment, before letting Amaya lead her through the entranceway. As the door shut behind her, the door dissipated into a puff of dark blue shimmering smoke. 

Orion lowered his hand as the light in the room returned back to normal. There is a knock at the door, and mint green haired women open the door.

"Has everything been settled?"

Orion nods as he walks over to Morgan, who already started shuffling through the papers on her clipboard.

"Good, you have another meeting to attend." She stated as she reached the paper she was looking for, "This time with Rigel."

Orion glances at the papers in her clipboard, and then lets out a dry yet resigned sigh.