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As Bronya exited the stage with her fellow, well now formerly fellow, guardsmen at her side, Seele knew that she had not expected to immediately come face to face with her newly founded friend.
Standing with her arms crossed and a slight pull to the corner of her lips, the Wildfire member spoke, "That was quite the speech, oh, Supreme Guardian." a teasing smirk spread across Seele's face as the words left her mouth, the playful tone swirling through the air like the scent of fresh baked bread. Pleasant and warm, comforting like a blanket to Bronya's guilty mind.
Seele watched as the Commander slightly pinched the bridge of her nose, choosing to ignore the slight on her newly instated title as she dismissed the guards and ran a finger over her mildly-aching temple. "Yes, thank you-" she paused, turning her head back toward the crowd she had just walked away from, "-Do you think they believed it?"
Seele shifted, swapping her weight from one leg to the other as she uncrossed her arms and shrugged, "Judging solely on the reaction they gave I would hazard they believed it wholeheartedly." Seele followed Bronya's gaze to the townsfolk, now dispersing to return to their lives in the wake of the both solemn and good news their new Guardian had delivered. "If it's any comfort, I saw it all myself and I was starting to believe you."
That brought a small, relieved, smile to the blonde's face, "It does, surprisingly."
Huffing out a laugh, Seele spun back around away from the stage and began to walk forward, "Don’t get too confident now, it could just be that pretty face distracting everyone!"
Trailing after in smooth, trained steps, Bronya’s tone fell back into that gentle teasing air, "Does that include you? Those distracted by my pretty face?"
"I've never claimed to be immune to the charms of a queen such as thee, Your Majesty." Confidently, and without hesitation, Seele spun into a dramatic bow, nearly stooping to the floor.
Bronya's regal giggle was worth the flare, and just that breathy laugh was enough to convince Seele that she wanted to hear it at every opportunity.
When Seele stood, Bronya was staring at her with a slight tilt of her head and a glow in her eyes. The gleam that hadn't appeared much in the last few hours; which, of course, is expected of a girl who had just experienced the betrayal of a lifetime.
Her own mother, corrupted by an unknown force and turned against you, tried to kill you, and then was killed herself, only for you to have to turn around and preserve her memory to the kingdom you now run. It was almost too much to bear; Seele can't imagine being in that position.
For a moment she drops her easy smile, taking seconds to mourn on behalf of her friend, and vow that she would do whatever she could to help this kind hearted woman before her move on and stand strong against whatever else may come her way. She would throw herself in the line of fire if she needed, although that was unlikely; Bornya was a trained soldier after all, and had been preparing for the position as Supreme Guardian all her life.
Still it's the thought that counts.
Instead of saying all that, Seele holds out her hand, offering it like a gift, "Come on, I told you I'd give you a proper tour of the underground. Didn't I?"
Bronya took it like a refuge, her palm a sweet cross between soft and calloused. Seele could tell she was not just a pretty face simply from her grip, the hand on her own was worn like a soldiers, yet well taken care of, as should be expected for a woman of her caliber.
Still, Seele takes quiet joy in the fact that she has the opportunity to hold her hand in any capacity, scars, calluses, soft skin and all. If that thought in itself shocks her, she doesnt let it show; simply taking the lead and dragging the woman behind her into a simple jog. The kind of half-run completely unbecoming for a Silvermane Guard, let alone the new ruler; yet perfect for the backbone of Wildfire, and perfect for the two of them as they made their way to where Seele was headed.
Eventually, they did let go of eachother, but what they lacked in physical contact the two girls made up for in step. They walk in sync; Bronya's elegant, focused heels falling in time with Seele's heavier gait. The near silent echo of their shows against the stone as they transitioned lower and lower, away from the prying eyes and ragged chatter of the overworld and descended into the darkened night time streets of the underworld.
It could've been described as eerie, if it wasn't all Seele had known her entire life, she almost found comfort in the darkness after all this time; if ever she needed to seek refuge, she knew she could slip into the shadows and hide away, disappearing into the emptiness that surrounded them.
She wondered if Bronya felt the same about the light, if the brightness she'd grown accustomed to in her adulthood provided the same shield of safety, of warmth.
Or, she pondered, if Bronya had always felt a little out of place, like that darkness had called out to her in whispers of and promises she couldn't quite hear in their muffled and suppressed air.
Bronya's steps did not falter in the inky dark of night, she noticed, and that seemed like an answer to her question all on its own.
"So," Bornya interrupted their bubble of peace, popping it like a balloon to a needle, "You say I'm getting the full tour, but have neglected to specify where that begins."
Seele hummed, "The whole tour won't be tonight, it's late and we have had such a long day. I think we rival the height of your mothers evil alter ego." She winced as the words left her mouth, a bad taste on her tongue, for a moment forgetting that her hatred for the previous Guardian shouldn't extend to her daughter, "I'm sorry, that was uncalled for."
Even with the uneven gloss that had appeared over her eyes, Bronya stayed perfectly presentable, sucking a breath through her teeth, "It's alright; I've heard humor is one of the best medicines for an ache such as mine."
There was still an easy smile on the blonde's face, so Seele considered herself forgiven and chose to answer the question instead of dragging out the apology, "Right, yes. Anyways, it is far too late to take you through the entire city, there are way too many backstreets," She gestures around herself, where even the path they were walking along now sprint into about a thousand different side roads, all leading to different houses and closed stands. "But, I thought it would be nice to stop at the orphanage, considering your recently rediscovered heritage there?"
Bronya glanced away, clearly thinking about something, her mind drifting to some far off place as she zoned out into the distance for only a moment or two before she snapped back into reality.
"Yes," she said hesitantly, merely a whisper but loud in the otherwise quiet street, "That sounds nice."
Worried that the hesitation was reluctance, Seele quickly attempted to remedy the tenseness in the air, "We don't have to if you aren't comfortable. Like i said, it's been a long day, if it's too much tha-"
"No, no," Bronya interrupted, swaying her hands in front of herself in a placating manner, "It's alright, I was just- I don't remember much from before. I'm hoping you're not expecting me to suddenly have an epiphany of sorts." There was a mildly forced laugh at the end of the sentence, but it sounded mostly sincere.
Seele nodded, "I see, well I can assure you, I'm not taking you back to relive the glory days. I just thought the best place to reintroduce you to the area would be the place you yourself started out at, the place most familiar, however little that familiarity lies."
The tone of caring laced into her own words shocked even her, not expecting the lightness or truthfulness that poured out of her voice like fine wine. It was so different from her usual speaking habits that Seele almost laughed at herself, but she refrained. Instead choosing to admire the easy expression that the woman next to her was gazing at her with.
They'd stopped in the middle of the darkened walkway now, barely lit by a lamp several feet ahead, yet the moment was anything but uncomfortable. Just a few seconds of staring at each other with that loose, almost wistful look.
"Thank you, again, for all of this," Bronya's smooth voice is again the one to break the ice, and Seele finds herself enchanted, just a little.
It's bewildering, how a change of perspective can allow you to look at someone so differently. To go from enemies to this. To share a lamplit walk in the dark of a brickstone road, to hold a comfortable silence as they walked to their shared beginning.
The two women were more alike than Seele could've ever imagined being with an overworlder, it was uncanny. How prejudice, however rightful, could taint something as simple as a mindset. How coming at something like an enemy from a different angle could turn you around and leave you with a friend.
Or maybe that secret third option. But neither were quite ready to confront that.
Seele pulled herself out of her daze, "Of course, what am I if not a helper."
And with that she continued walking, once more taking the lead as she led them down the winding roads and staircases to where the orphanage stood in all its massive glory. Bronya followed without complaint, which sprung more questions to swirl around Seele's head.
Bronya had been so prepped for leadership her entire life, the Silvermane Guard commander, and now the Supreme Guardian; did she ever have a moment to sit back and let someone else take the wheel? to release some of that tension from her neck, or drop some of that weight off her shoulders?
Seele too had fallen into a form of leadership, what with the Wildfire gang. But that was hardly a comparison to an entire army, let alone a kingdom. No, Seele was used to working alone, to leading mostly just herself through the trials of life.
Maybe that's how she could help her friend, by letting her take a few moments to breathe, she could lead the tour of the underworld, just as she could lead the conversation, or simply lead their walks.
It was a small step, a simple thing; somehow she knew it would do wonders, to allow Bronya just a few moments at a time where the world does not balance on her head, where she can just walk for the sake of walking. Not into battle, or the next meeting. Like the old saying: It's not the destination, but the journey.
They made it to the steps at the bottom of the orphanage, steps that Seele had known since she was old enough to climb them. Steps she’d toddled along as a child and stepped up and down a million times over the years.
The same steps that the woman behind her was studying with the eye and focus of a scholar.
"Are you alright, Bronya?"
"Yes, I'm simply-" She paused looking around and at the city below, "-reminiscing."
"Well," Seele's hand stuck out unconsciously, one more time she'd make that offering of peace, "Come on, and reminisce up here. The view’s better."
Bronya touched her fingertips to the latent palm and climbed up the rest of the steps in Seele's tow, "I believe that you're right, the view is better."
Selle stared at Bronya and agreed.