VIII. rapid developments 

  Celeste closed the door behind her, letting out a sigh of relief she didn't realise she was holding in, and locked it with a twist of her wrist. 

   Compared to her own chambers at home, the room spread in front of her was somewhat a disgrace, but it would have to do. She crossed to the long wardrobes that were embedded into the walls, pulling out a dressing gown and flinging it to the hot springs bubbling away on the other end of her room. Next to it was her writing desk made of pearl, with similarly styled stationary placed neatly on it. There was a crisp envelope sitting on the surface waiting for her, as well as a seashell traced in intricate pattern. Correspondence from her kind. 

   Next to the writing desk was her makeup table, though Celeste rarely sat there and actually did anything for her face, mainly because everyone in Gemini had seen her barefaced anyways. The mirror was starting to gather dust, and now her brushes were pushed aside for the coffee machine that dominated most of the pearl surface. 

    Come to think of it, most of her furniture was made of pearl. Perhaps it was a reminder of her days in the palace, though Celeste suspected it was because the apartment had shaped itself from her desires, and it had simply kept its current shape ever since.

  Take, for instance, the Roman-style couch dominating most of her space. She had long since grown out of that style; now she preferred the sleek Italian ones made of leather, but no matter how much she thought of it, the room remained the same as she had moved into it...well, probably centuries ago. 

    One of the few things she did not regret having in the room, however, was definitely her bed and the hot springs at the other end of the room. It served as both a sort of jacuzzi and a bath area, though she certainly used it more for relaxation rather than washing herself (an en suite bathroom served that purpose). But most importantly, it was fed from her actual home, the cove under the waters. Not only does it heal her physical strength, it also boosted her powers and sustained her life force.

     Especially when she was no longer welcome at that place...

     Celeste turned away from the memories, and was about to go and take a shower, when a strange sound alerted her; the springs were suddenly bubbling rapidly. 

        Momentarily surprised, she soon recovered and watched, as some of the water rose to form a mirror in the air. After a moment, a familiar face appeared in the middle of it, and she felt catch at the sight of a person she hadn't seen for centuries. 

      "Father..." 

   Seoah collapsed on her bed, letting her exhaustion take over as she laid on the fluffy bedspread, staring up at the constellations that she painted with fae magic on the ceiling. 

   It had been five days since she'd settled in into her Gemini room, and five days since she had been on the move. Normally she was always busy elsewhere managing Underworlder relations, especially between Gemini and the other Underworlder monarchies and leaders, but ever since Sungjong had detained her with no clear orders for allowing her to leave, Seoah had been basically sitting in her room or wandering around the Gemini buiding other than being summoned to so-called meetings. 

   Well, okay. That's not entirely true; she had been working on her fashion projects for her White side, though it was extremely boring. Turning onto her side, Seoah could see the life-size mannequins that stood in the corner, which were somehow positioned to face her. Annoyed, she flicked a finger and sent it looking the other way, allowing the moonlight to catch the glimmer of the wings attached to the model.

   Faerie wings.

   Fake, of course, because she would get into trouble harvesting her kind's wings. Somehow, they had blown up on the human social platform called...Instafame? Instagame? Instagram? Whatever it was that Minwoo introduced to her, on which she had posted a photo onto. Then one thing led to another, and now she's managing a small business under her name that focused on costumes. 

   People often said her wings had an ethereal quality to them, but of course they do. Woven with a rosewood frame, the insides of it was shaped from different branches of aspen, beech and birch, all infused with faerie magic to protect the user and to prevent them from actually taking flight. The fabric she used was a woven blend of glass and silk, techniques which were only known to fey, so it was strong enough to withstand the elements, but also glimmer like actual faeries'. Seoah often signed her work with a flourish of faerie magic, which made them rather unbreakable despite its fragile appearance. The only downside of the entire business was that she handmade every single one of them, so it cost a fortune and took a long time, but apparently, the humans didn't mind.

    So much more the better for her. 

    Seoah yawned, and shifted, about to burrow herself into the heap of blankets that formed her bed, when she noticed a large stack of mail on the floor. She groaned in despair; the spirits must've delivered them when she was busy, and now the pile had slowly accumulated to a mountain that was as high as her desk. Dragging herself off the blankets, Seoah trudged to the pile and sighed.

    The invisible spirits that took care of the cleaning and cooking and everything domestic that went on in the building (because apparently none of them could take care of themselves properly) were efficient, but they had a complete lack of eye for aesthetics. Take, for instance, the letters on the floor. One could've stacked them neatly and maybe, if stretching it a little bit, organise it by species so that it would make her life easier. At the very least, one certainly wouldn't have let it spill all over her carpet (which was reserved for sitting or standing and certainly not for holding Underworlder mail thank you very much). Thankfully, they had let the messy files on her desk be, otherwise she would've gone to Sungjong and said something.

    Speaking of Sungjong, the man scared Seoah sometimes. Sure, they were of the same species, but the similarity ended there. She never knew what he was thinking about, nor indeed, where he was half the time. Despite the fact that he never really left the building (Seoah knew, because the spirits tell her things), he was always somehow...never there. And he never socialised with the rest of them, besides Jineul, with whom it was obvious he had a relationship with. Just what the man was made of, she had no idea. 

    And that scared her.

    Especially more so when she was in charge of diplomatic relations. She had been briefed by Chess about the King's stance on relations, and had followed them through faithfully, but for the past seven years, it had been the same, and it irked her. Sure, seven years was a blink for her, especially since she was immortal, but she had watched human wars unfold with frightening ferocity, and even in these seven years, human governments had changed alliances to grudges, and grudges to alliances. Surely Sungjong would've been more active than remaining passive to everything? She had wanted to meet with Sungjong and ask him, but Chess always refused on the grounds that he was busy.

    It was all so mysterious. 

    She plucked one from the pile absent-mindedly, and looked at the maple leaf on her palm. Ever since the search for the objects had began, she had sent some of the friendlier fey on the lookout for the Seelie's object, which was identified as the Great Glyph of the Sidhe, a portal of sorts to the Seelie Court. It was also a protective amulet of sorts, but it was meant for the humans who desire the Seelie's help, and certainly not for the fey themselves. Why it was the Seelie's object she had absolutely no idea, but she had orders, and she was meant to carry them out.

   Seoah carefully unfolded it, and started reading the message. As she progressed down each line, her eyes started to widen, and before she knew it, she was already on her way to the door and down the corridor. 

    "Father, I - I..." Words had failed Celeste for the first time in centuries, as she stared open-mouthed at the image in front of her. The aged Mer-King stared at her sadly, though with fondness in his eyes. With difficulty, she swallowed, and tried again. "It has been a long time." 

    "Yes," The King replied. "And unfortunately, I could not stay long. The springs you have created is admirable, but alas, it is unable to sustain my force. I -" 

    As he was about to speak, there came a crash from behind the monarch, at which Celeste instinctively flinched at. With curses tumbling from his mouth, he turned to take a glance behind him, before facing his daughter again.

     "As you may have sensed," He continued as if nothing had happened. "Old sea forces are at work. Ancient forces, which were awakened by someone. His Lordship had kindly invited me out of the deep depths of the sea and to join his forces against such. I fear.." He then cleared his throat awkwardly. "I fear my father is stirring." 

      "But, I thought - " 

     "Yes, but as I have mentioned, ancient forces now wake, and we are trying to discover what was happening." A troubled look crossed his face, which quickly vanished. "Anyhow, I've come to tell you that Lord Poseidon had graciously granted you the ability to come home." 

      At the news, Celeste stared, open-mouthed, at her father, who was still clearly troubled despite his face rvealing nothing. "But...why?"

    "It is rather embarrassing," There was now a hint of a smile on his lips. "But I believe His Lordship needed all the help he can get to fight against the ancient forces. You, my eldest daughter, would certainly be an asset. And Amphi - the Lady Amphitrite - wishes for your return as well." At this, there was no doubt; her father was definitely trying his best to surpress a smile that threatened to spread over his entire face. 

     "Father, I - " She looked at the King's face, which was radiant with happiness despite his background clearly illustrating a battle going on. Celeste could see him wanting her to return, despite it being a sudden announcement. As if he had read her mind, the Mer-King said, "No need to make up your mind right now, my dear. Just know that you are welcome to go home now." 

      Home. To her father's court which she hadn't been in for...at least a millenium. And now this sudden offer to return... "No, it's fine." She swallowed, preparing herself for her father's potential rage. "Father, I'll stay for the moment. I...I still have some affairs to attend to in the human realm." 

    "Ah." The King's shoulders sagged. "I figured as much. You must be still attached to the...Upperworld. It's understandable. Just...just know that you would be able to come back if you want." 

    "Yes, of course, father. I...I would return shortly." 

    "Speaking of the Upperworld." The Mer-King straightened, suddenly all business. "Tell your King that, if he does not mend the rift between the merpeople and his kind soon, do not expect any help from our kind in his search. He would not be granted it, even if his agents were to plead, or implore." 

     "His search? Wait, father, you know about the - " 

     "Farewell, my dear. Until i hear from you next...hopefully soon. Send a message to your brother if you need anything." 

      Before Celeste could get another word in, her father had vanished, leaving no trace of the message that was sent. As the last traces of the mirror disappeared, she collapsed onto the floor, her knees giving out under her as she tried to absorb the news. 

        As she buried her head into her hands, there was a knock at the door.

      Seoah stumbled from the hem of her dress, cursing the fact that she had a liking for long dresses, before continuing to run down the corridor, looking for Jaebin's door. She thought she had known the layout of the building inside and out, but she had also heard about the fact that it had a heart of its own, and grow with its own will. 

         Turning a corner, she suddenly burst into a corridor with walls resembling that of a cave, and the smell of nature invaded her nostrils. Vines s across the walls, with bizarre and rare fruits growing on them. She recognized one that she had seen only in the Seelie Court. 

      The faerie stopped. To her right she saw the normal chrome corridors lined with carpet that was signature of the King's bad taste, while the road in front of her clearly indicated a path to one of the Seelie Realms. But why now? She clearly hadn't summoned that particular path.

       Music suddenly floated from the tunnel, and she stared, wondering where it had came from. As far as her eyes could see, it led to nowhere except further into a dark cave, yet clearly, there was music coming from it; unworldly music that left her in a trance.

        Wake up. This is obviously faerie magic. 

     But her thoughts seemed to be detached from her head. Unconsciously, her feet started moving, as if they have a will of their own. She barely took a step forward, however, when she heard her name being called. 'Juniel...Juni!' 

       At the call of her faerie name, Seoah blinked, and the tunnel instantly vanished. It was as if it had never been there, and she stood, in front of an ornate mirror instead. As she was feeling very stupid about herself, Jaebin came running out of another corridor.

      "There you are, I've been looking for you. Where were you going?" 

      "I - I was looking for you!" She said, suddenly feeling defensive for some incomprehensible reason.

       The vampire frowned. "Looking for me? But you know my room was in the other side of the building, right?" 

      "I got lost." The faerie, feeling even more defensive, drew herself to her full height, which was still shorter than the other, and stared at him. "What about you, then?" 

     "I was looking for you," Jaebin replied, exasperated. "But never mind, you're obviously here. Anyways, come on, let's go." 

     "Where?"

     "To the lounge. Chess is back, and she has news to share." 

Okay so somehow this became pretty far-fetched and long-winded; it probably also escalated the action pretty quickly which is a good thing :') 

This is sort of detached from the normal format of a lot of people which is characteristic of Gemini chapters, but I suddenly have loads of ideas for Celeste's background which I had to get out. As for Seoah, she hadn't been explicity introduced properly either, so here's half a chapter dedicated to her. 

You might've also noticed the references to Greek mythology here *wink* and don't worry it's going to be a common feature hehe