Sword and Snow

“Alright you little monsters! It's time for lunch!” Emery said, struggling to get the words out between bouts of laughter. She was buried beneath a pile of the younger children that had managed to dog pile her while they were playing.

After torturing Stena for a bit, she had returned to the playground with the intention of breaking everything up for lunch time. It was even already a little late to be eating their midday meal, but with most of the family on the playground, basically no one had eaten yet.

The kids, with minimal whining, clambered off Emery’s body allowing her to stand again. Avuri was already nearby, giving everyone a speedy wash down. In turn, someone would step up, get quickly hosed down with a blast of water Qi, and then the water would be evaporated; the same process she had used earlier in the day.

Emery waited patiently in line for her turn in the middle of all the younger kids, as the ones already washed up began making their way to the open pavilion that was used as a mess hall. This time when Emery got her turn, Avuri gave her the same quick rinse that everyone else received. With a quick kiss and ‘Love you,’ from her wife, Emery trotted off to get lunch out to the family.

Shortly thereafter Emery reappeared from their house with a multitude of food in tow. She propped up bread baskets, meat platters, plates of cheeses and vegetables, and various condiments on floating disks made of metal which now floated along behind her.

As she made it into the dining pavilion, the metal disks each floated by to find an empty spot on a table somewhere before setting down onto it neatly. The options were divided among the different tables so whoever sat at each table could put together a nice sandwich.

“Y'all know the drill by now.” Emery said with a smile as she sat down with Avuri at one of the tables. “Go ahead and dig in. Make sure you all get at least a couple of veggies.” She glared pointedly at Fia and Lia, sisters who would often skip any sort of vegetables.

As the kids all got situated and began putting their lunch sandwiches of choice together, Emery and Avuri did the same.

“You know,” Avuri began, “We should invite your sister back here some time. We haven't seen her in a while.”

Emery’s brows crept up. “Which one?” She had a solid enough guess, but asked anyway.

“Talya.”

“Hmm. I'm not opposed to contacting her.” Emery said, as she piled her sandwich with some sliced turkey. “I don't know if she has the time to visit though. She's a big shot Array designer at that company she joined. And now that she's married, who knows what she's up to.”

Avuri gave Emery a reproachful look. “She works at the Open Hand Cultivator Company. You should know that.”

Emery rolled her eyes. She knew where her sister was, what she did, and how well she did it. But she had a terrible time remembering the name of the company she worked at.

Avuri saw the eye roll and sighed. “Come on, Merri. It's such an easy name to remember, too. They're a company that employs Cultivators to assist normal people with everyday life improvements. Plenty of companies do that, but not all of them have the ‘open’ friendliness literally right in the name.”

Emery nodded with a sigh. “Yeah, yeah, I know. But either way. She is a big shot there now so I don't know if she'll have time to come visit. And even if she did, she'll have Gray with her too. Which isn't a problem, but I don't know if he'll want to travel so far to come visit either.” Emery closed her sandwich after adding the condiments she wanted and began to eat.

Avuri also began to eat her own lunch. “That's fair, I suppose, but it's been a while since she visited - and she hasn't even met Arek and Astra yet.” Emery watched as Avuri's eyes tracked over to their youngest children who were seated across the pavilion with some of the other kids also eating and she smiled. “And she should. They're adorable.”

“Very true. You know, she's been married to Gray for a little over a year now. We haven't heard anything from her in the last couple months, but it wouldn't surprise me if she showed up pregnant.” Emery said, peeking at Avuri over her sandwich with a small smile.

Avuri chuckled. “I thought about that too. I don't think it would shock me either. If anything, it probably feels like the right time. Especially now that her job is so secure; she could easily afford to take a break for a kid.”

“True. She doesn't have a lot of competition at her level. Especially when she lives in the middle of nowhere.” Emery snickered.

“Now that's not fair. Green Vine City is lovely; you and I both know that - we loved it there.” Avuri responded indignantly.

Emery scoffed, “Sure, it's a lovely city that is absolutely surrounded hundreds of kilometers on all sides by wine country.” Emery put up a hand to stop Avuri before she could interrupt her. “I'll admit it is absolutely gorgeous and the city is very nice. But you have to admit, Ri, the city is in the middle of nowhere.”

Avuri sighed and took a bite of her sandwich. “Well, I suppose you're at least right that there's nothing really nearby. But the city is more than large enough. Hell, it's at least as big as Flowing Dragon City. Even if the walls aren't nearly as big.”

“To give credit where it's due, Flowing Dragon City went overboard with their walls.” Emery said.

“Logically, it makes sense given all of the cultivators around here. The Four Peaks are a huge draw.”

“I suppose you're right. The walls have come in handy a few times in history I believe. But I don't think they've been put to use recently.”

“You say that like it's a bad thing. I'd count myself lucky no large conflict has come that close to us here." Avuri said with a smile. “We've had enough conflicts to deal with without one being at our doorstep.”

“With all of the Cultivators that come and go from this area with the Peaks…you’re right. We’ve been very lucky.” Emery nodded slowly at first, as she thought about it, then with increasing determination. “Yeah, we've been very lucky. There's no magical way to keep all of us safe. Staying away from conflict as much as possible or at least keeping the conflict as far away from the house as possible seems like the best way to ensure it will be safe.”

Avuri snickered, with a sudden impish grin splitting her face. “So! In fact what you're saying is we are the ones that live in the middle of nowhere.”

When Emery scowled, Avuri threw her head back and laughed.

“All right, you got me.” Emery said. “Like I said, I will send Talya a letter. In fact, I think Uncle Vale was planning on going to visit her soon. I bet if we asked, he'd take a letter with him for her.”

Avuri considered this, then nodded. “Yeah, that seems like a good idea.” Avuri paused for a moment and then continued, “You know, I wonder if Uncle Vale knows Talya’s pregnancy status?”

Emery shoved the last bit of her sandwich into her mouth, then licked the remnants of condiments from her lips. She tilted her head in thought. “It’s possible. He didn’t mention it, but if Talya told him to keep it quiet, he wouldn’t share it with me unless I asked.”

“I might go ask him…” Avuri said, the glint of excitement in her eyes.

“No rumor mongering, you.” Emery said with a chuckle. Then, she gathered her and Avuri’s dishes and stood. “I’m gonna get the cleaning started. You go talk to Uncle Vale if you feel like you need to.”

Avuri grinned and shot to her feet. “I will do that,” she said happily, and walked off.

The children should all have been asleep by now, with maybe the exception of Cierra and Stena. Emery and Avuri were sitting on their bed, both dressed in nothing but a simple slip. Together, they sat facing each other, eyes closed, meditating.

Their Domains were both extended. Everywhere they crossed, rather than contesting one another the way most Domains would interact, theirs blended into one seamless Domain.

With focus, both Emery and Avuri stepped into their Domain to Cultivate.

Alone, Emery's Inner Domain had the appearance of a town of blacksmiths. Open buildings with forges, smithing tools, and all the assorted gear. Throughout the buildings, weapons of all types were scattered about; hung on walls, discarded on the floor, even stuck into walls around the place.

Avuri's Domain usually had the appearance of an isolated mountain top. Snow covered the ground indefinitely in all directions. There was a small building in the center for comfort. It offered cover from the elements, but that was all. In the center of the building was a solitary cushion to sit on while meditating. Outside, a storm raged on.

While merged, their Paired Domain took on the major aspects of each. The location seemed to be the same solitary mountain peak of Avuri's, complete with a snow covered landscape and an eternal storm.

However, Emery's blacksmith buildings took over the space. They were equally covered in snow, including even the floors under the open buildings. But fires still ran hot in the forges, and weapons remained scattered about.

In the center was a structure original to their Paired Domain. A wooden house, similar in design to their mortal house, stood defiant amidst the storm. Within that house was a cozy interior, with everything from a fireplace to a bedroom and kitchen.

Similarly to their position in the mortal realm, both women were sitting on the bed facing one another. Here, they sat hand in hand. Each had a calm, warm smile on their face as they drew in Qi to Cultivate.

The Qi spun between them, entering and leaving their bodies in a circuit, moving in through their Cores and then out once more, strengthening their bodies with each pass.

Emery could feel the cold of Avuri's blizzard Qi enter her body and trace its path within their circuit, as the sensation of its cold was quite distinct. Avuri could likewise feel Emery’s sharp steel Qi flow through her own body as it neatly flowed through their combined bodies in the same circuit.

It had taken a few years of diligent practice together to be able to Cultivate this way without any discomfort. But as always, practice and perseverance won out in the end. At this point, their basic Dual Cultivation was painless. Pleasant, even. This more simple style may not be the most efficient method for growth available to them, but it was the most reliable for regular use.

And it was still exponentially better than Cultivating alone.

They continued to Cultivate together late into the night. Eventually, they emerged together from their Inner Domain. Without so much as a word between them, they both snuggled into bed, getting comfortable. After they were each in their spots, they shuffled closer to one another and coiled up against each other, each offering the other a warm, steady embrace.

After a several hour long Dual Cultivation session, retracting their Domains from one another left them both feeling intensely alone. Cuddling up close helped ease that feeling. They shared a few loving kisses before settling into one another's arms and slowly drifting into a pleasant sleep.