Tales of the Pearly City (Pearly Tales Vol.1) [Completed]

71. Sharing intel

"Fi~na."

A cold chill down Fina's spine stopped her.

"Y-yes, Clera?" Fina cowered.

Clera place a worried hand on her cheek. "Oh my. Dear, you have something on your face come over here for a moment."

Fina sighed and dragged her feet as she walked over to the bed. Everyone could see the deep bags under her eyes and the grime on her face.

When Fina had gotten close enough, Clera pulled a handkerchief out of her bouncy cleavage. She licked a corner of it and then held Fina's face as she scrubbed away the grime while Fina pouted.

As soon as Clera finished Fina tried to plead her case. "Can I go back to work now? -owowowowow!"

Clera pinched one of Fina's cheeks with a vice-like grip. And the scary smile was back, "Three day's without sleep is too long for a growing girl like yourself."

"Owowow stop treating me like a child! Just because I'm flat doesn't give you the right criticize me, tubby tits."

A vain popped on the scary smiling face and Clera used her other hand to grab the other cheek. Once again, the dark force became that much more oppressive.

"OWOWOWO! Okay! I'm sorry I'll be good, I'll be GOOD!"

Clera let go and Fina rubbed her swollen checks. "You're always so rough with me."

Clera 'placed' Fina next to her but kept her arm around Fina's dilapidated waist in case she tried to run away.

"OH really!" Sinder screamed and laughed at what Flamel whispered while Clera was distracted. "Our little Gisel is a woman now it seems."

The scary smile was now aimed at Sinder.

Sinder looked nervously to the side like she hadn't noticed. "So, uh, Fina. You seemed pretty eager about your project, I assume Calloway has you doing something big?"

Deflected like a champ.

Fina's eyes sparkled, "Ya do you want to hear about it-ugh!" She was so excited she almost jumped over Fauna. But Clera wasn't General of the City's largest force of armed elven soldiers because she had weak arms or slow reflexes. Fina was cemented to her seat by Clera's dainty feminine grip.

"Actually, we haven't gathered together like this in forever. It seems like Calloway's got big plans, I like to hear what you're all up to." Sinder, the gossip queen was prying but they were all used to it by now like it was her job.

Fina's eyes continued to sparkle, "Well I-"

She was cut off by Fauna who was not only stressed from work but she had her peace and quiet stolen, as well as each of Clera's comforting hands. She shot up to a sitting position which blocked Fina.

"I tell you what that sadist has me doing! I've running my ass off trying to follow through with an impossible list of demands along with my regular duties. Which he's only made three times harder to do, I'm so overworked I can barely stand it. And in the meantime, he's prancing around the city like nothing's wrong while causing one disturbance after the other. I don't have to deal with the public order, but the noble backlash is mind-numbingly asinine! Just the other day he threatened the entire Sedeki Noble House's extinction! I'm being pressured on every front to increase security and do investigations on whether he can do it, which of course he can, but I have to fake updates saying he's a powerful individual but not quite 'that' much of a threat. Just thinking about it again, ARGH!"

Fauna clutched both sides of her head and screamed her frustration. "And just when I thought I was going to get some peace and quiet-! Sinder, pour me a tall glass of that wine!"

"Me too." Flamel tried to order a glass but backed down after one look from Clera.

"Now let's see what's in here!" Fauna pulled the lid off the pizza box sized container of sweets. "Whoa..." Fauna was disarmed by the shining glory of various pastries and assorted piles of chocolate, the likes of which she's never seen.

All the girl's mouth's started watering at the sight, it was as if time had stopped due to beautiful deliciousness.

"Please, dig in." Clera gave them permission to touch the masterpiece. "Gisela, be a doll and grab a few for me."

They sat in a circle around the chocolates on the bed. They passed around glasses of wine, and a glass of water to Flamel.

Clera picked a chocolate out of the pile Gisela grabbed for her. "Gisela, why don't you tell us what your clan has been working on?"

"That's a good question, I don't really know." Gisela put down the pastry she was about to bite into.

"That's surprising." Clera responded. "How can that be?"

"I mean I have a good idea of what he might have in mind, but when he came to me with a map of the city there were strange lines outside the city limits he wanted me to carve and fill with water like streams. The strange thing is its both above and deep below the ground. When I asked, he said he was establishing 'Ley lines' but I don't know what that means."

"Well the streams we have in the city are for distributing an even supply of mana for all the elementals. But it swirls back from the walls so it doesnt spill out. Maybe he's fixing it so the elementals can fight outside the city when the enemy comes knocking?" Sinder guessed.

"I guess they could also be for that purpose but they seem to be centered around four circular plots of land in intervals around the city. There are even stretches where the lines don't cover in the traditional pattern and some not at all. I think the true purpose won't be revealed until after the war since they're all dry and aren't anywhere near connected to city. Today when I saw him, he altered it again but now they seem to be growing away from the city."

"I~nteresting... Sorry, Fina, I think we interrupted you when you were about to say something." Sinder sipped her wine while ignoring Flamel's pleading expression for alcohol.

"Yes I-ugh!"

Clera leaned into Fina, "remember not to say too much, especially considering the heavy amounts of secrecy around your little project."

Fina pouted, "Fiiiine. I can't tell you what or how. But we're inventing something that's never been heard of or seen before. Warships the likes that will attack the enemy in ways they've never expected. Right now, as we are working on them it seems that when they are functioning they will have a minimum of Earth Clan power behind them. In fact, they will be captained by a new Clan."

"The Lightening Clan, right?" Sinder probed.

"I can neither confirm nor deny that." Fina smiled while aggressively nodding her head until Clera applied her brand of hug almost causing Fina's soul pop out.

"I'm looking forward to their official debut, it's good to see you with so much vitality again, Clera and Dahlia are right, you need your rest. You're the brains, what is everyone going to do if you can't function properly?"

"I know, actually those Lightning morons are catching up faster than I thought they would I'm worried they're not going to need me soon. Even those two eager idiots are fixing more problems than their causing. And let me tell you, they are causing a lot of problems." Fina pouted while sipping her wine.

"Wow, even the great inventor is complementing them, they must be something special." Sinder noticed Fina's cheeks puffing even more at the light teasing. "Flamel, you've been awfully quiet. Sober?" Sinder finished of a pastry.

Flamel coughed into her water when she tried to take a sip. When she stopped coughing, she glared at Sinder. "Thank for reminding me."

Sinder smiled like she did nothing wrong. "So what has your tights in a bunch? Is it what Calloway had you do?"

Flamel sighed while looking at her water, "Actually, this is part of what I wanted to talk to Fauna about."

She proceeded to tell them everything about the Half-breeds, and the assassinations that were happening in their city.