It took three days before Sen was satisfied that they’d collected enough beast cores. Rather, it would have taken them a handful of hours to collect what he thought he’d need for the assault on the Twisted Blade Sect. He wanted to make sure that they’d have enough to help fend off a dedicated assault on the Academy compound while he was gone. That had eaten up most of the rest of their time. He didn’t think an attack would come while he was away this time. There was going to be too much irresistible force nearby with Master Feng and Auntie Caihong there. But a lot of things I never thought would happen had come to pass, so what the hells do I know? Better to be prepared, he thought.
Everything had changed when he’d caught the presence of something interesting flickering on the outer edges of his spiritual sense. He’d shot after that elusive feeling with Falling Leaf following on his heels. It had taken half a day to finally catch the spirit beast that Sen had sensed. The only reason that they’d been able to find it at all was because Sen and Falling Leaf had strong shadow affinities. But there it was. A shadow stag. A quick look at Falling Leaf showed a look of almost desperate need in her eyes. That answered that question. She could use the thing’s core to help her advance.
“Should we try to talk first?” asked Sen.
“Why?” asked Falling Leaf. “It’s not like it will understand us.”
“Why wouldn’t it?”
Falling Leaf spared him a look that said she thought he was being intentionally annoying. That look faded when she seemed to realize he was being serious.
“It’s not self-aware,” she said. “You can’t tell?”
“No,” said Sen in a distracted tone. “I’m surprised. I thought sapience came with advancement.”
Falling Leaf scrunched her face up in a way that reminded him a little of Ai. A thought he decided was probably best kept to himself. The ghost panther appeared to struggle to find the proper way to convey something before simply giving up on the effort.
“It does, and it doesn’t. It takes more than just growing stronger. You need the right things to happen the right way.”
“Like what?”
“If the ones who birth you are aware, you are more likely to be aware. Eating the right plants or animals at the right times can trigger it. If different for every kind of spirit beast.”
Sen nodded. He could sort of understand that. Alchemy was like that to an extent. You needed the right combination of plants and reagents to make it work. Leave something out and the process will fail.
“But how can you tell the difference?” he asked. “Between the aware and unaware.”
She shrugged and said, “You just can.”
“Maybe you just can. I can’t.”
“Try harder,” said Falling Leaf in a tone that almost made it a question.
Sen shook his head. If only that was the solution to everything. In any case, it was obvious she didn’t know or didn’t know how to explain the method for telling the difference. He looked at the shadow stag for a moment.
“Well, let’s go collect a core,” said Sen.
Unlike with the enormous stone boar, Sen wasn’t trying to test anything. The fight was over almost before it started. He was surprised when he offered the core to Falling Leaf. She shook her head.
“I can’t use it now,” she said.
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“Why would you think that?” asked Sen.
Falling Leaf seemed uncertain of how to answer the question.
“She doesn’t yell my name the way she yells Papa whenever she sees you. She always goes to you to answer questions.”
Sen thought that over for a moment before he shook his head.
“I see you’re confused. Ai loves you. She trusts you. It’s just a different relationship.”
“How do you know?”
“I know because she sits on your lap and falls asleep. Ai wouldn’t do that with anyone she didn’t trust. She's always concerned when you’re away. She asks all the time when Falling Leaf will be back. She’d be heartbroken if anything happened to you.”
“Oh,” said Falling Leaf.
Sen wasn’t sure if he’d reassured her or not, although her thoughtful look suggested he’d at least given her something to consider.
“Like I said. People are confusing.”
Falling Leaf gave that an emphatic nod. The pair started back toward the compound. Falling Leaf was quiet for most of the way. As they got close, Sen thought of an ongoing annoyance that refused to resolve itself.
“I don’t suppose those spirit beasts you made contact with have come to a decision yet?”
Falling Leaf’s expression soured.
“They are still considering your offer,” she said.
“I didn’t make an offer. I just told them how it was going to be.”
“That is what they’re considering. I think they’re trying to figure out a way to still get what they want.”
“They can’t get what they want. They must realize that.”
“They know. They just do not want to know. They are foolish. Dreaming of a world that will never be.”
“Are you going to meet with them again?”
“Once, perhaps twice more. If they cannot come to a decision by then, they never will. I refuse to waste more of my time on them if they cannot see the sun in the sky.”
Sen paused at that last turn of phrase. If they cannot see the sun in the sky. He’d never heard it before, even if the meaning was obvious enough. I might need to start using that, he thought. It’s such an interesting way to call someone an idiot.