“Hero Stuff?” said Edwin.

“Hero Stuff…” said Vanessa.

Two weeks had passed since Leon Skinner and Vanessa Oedheim had, had their little heart to heart.

On the Sunday of the third week, Edwin came in with his shoulders dusted with snow. It turned out that he did indeed get permission to leave the sect for the sake of his duties, at least technically. However, he still got scolded for not telling them where he’d been going, or for how long.

The Disciplinary Division of the Radiant Orrichalcum Gardens might have had more to say, were it not for the terrifying presence of the mysterious senior at the youth’s back.

Vanessa, on the other hand, who knew that there was no mysterious senior, and only her mysterious husband, gave the young man an earful. Annoyed that he’d gone awol for so long, without discussing it first.

To which Edwin responded by taking her to the ship, and showing her a screen from which she could monitor the positions of the family and any other persons of interest that they wanted to watch. Allowing her to track of them wherever they were on Embla.

He then asked why she didn’t just call him, if she was really that concerned, since they all apparently had something called q-link antennas in their head that would let them talk to each other wherever they were in the galaxy, so long as they had energy to power up the antenna.

Which left the young woman thoughtful, slightly unnerved, but surprisingly enough mostly mollified. It was yet another uncommon thing, that her husband had made, but it would suit her purposes perfectly. And she quietly endeavoured to make use of both devices.

Now after a small argument, and a light dinner, the couple was lounging in their bedroom. Sleeping on the ship like they always did, because Edwin didn’t trust the maids the sect gave them, an odd bit of cautiousness on his part.

One that Vanessa went along with because, the man so rarely showed such concerns, and the beds on the ship were actually more comfortable than anything that could be found below. Adjusting to curves and angles of their bodies.

As they got ready for bed, the two were now idly talking about the esteemed visitor that Vanessa had played host to, two weeks ago.

“So...I’m supposed to reach the peak of my martial potential, become an immortal, figure out the secrets of the universe, master various skills, travel the world, make friends with people, make enemies with people, and defeat evil?”

Vanessa sighed, as she sat on the edge of her side of the bed, rubbing lotion onto her skin, after having taken her evening bath.

“Well...that’s what he said.”

“That’s sounds…..exhausting.” said Edwin.

Vanessa sighed again, unsure whether or not she agreed. It did sound exhausting, but that was true for all the important things in life.

“Well that’s apparently what it means to be a cultivator, according to Elder Skinner.”

Edwin sat in silence, his brow furrowed.

“I mean aren’t we already pretty much immortal?”

Van just vaguely nodded for a bit, till her brain caught up with what had just been said.

“Yeah..I...Wait, what?!”

“Yeah, I mean all our ships are pretty much an extension of us...and they come equipped with a R.E.S.P.A.W.N system. Just in case the angels go back on their word.”

Van cocked her head, and raised a brow, wondering why her husband was spelling at her.

Then again her brain caught up with her ears, and she found herself wondering why her husband would be concerned about the angels. Deciding not to touch the issue of the possibility of Embla being destroyed.

“So, how does’ that make us immortal again?” said Van.

“Okay, so, our bodies are like getting, stronger and stronger, each and every day. The elements in our blood are strong enough already, and constantly improve themselves naturally, but every few days, I think up a bunch of messed up what-ifs and make it so that we’re resistant to that stuff too… you follow.” said Edwin.

“I...follow...I think.” said Van. Lying to both her husband and herself.

“So we’re like natural body cultivators. Without even trying, we improve. We heal fast, senescence isn’t a thing for us, and we’re literally getting more and more indestructible with each passing second. We’re not unstoppable but eventually with enough time, there won’t much anyone can do, other than hurt our feelings...”

“I’m…..following.” said Van. Keeping very still, in hopes that it would keep her very calm.

Reminding herself, that all this was supposed to be a good thing, trying not to think about why her husband didn’t seem to think this as groundbreaking or dramatic a matter as she did.

“So...supposing something “does” somehow manage to kill us, even then, we’ve got, quantum-linked digital copies of minds, stored in the ships, and a few other places. Backups, that our essentially us, that can be reinstalled into new bodies, if the worst comes to worst. We shouldn’t die too often though, or it might have consequences for our souls, but so long as those are intact, and the backups are there, we’re fine...”

Vanessa shivered, her temper finally snapping.

“And you didn’t think you should tell me about this?!”

“Well, obviously I didn’t, had I thought I should tell you I probably would have told you already. I mean, even people down here have techniques so that strong enough cultivators can still keep on keeping on, if they bite it, so long as they’re strong enough, this basically just get’s rid of the cultivation hurdle.” said Edwin. Shrugging, sheepishly, looking like he did when Van used to scold him in her class.

She groaned, putting her face in her palms, and took a deep breath. There was too much wrong with that sentence. He was talking about functional immortality as it were just some magic trick that any idiot on the road could do.

Arguing with the man was like punching air. Someone who was foolish because they didn’t seem to know better, was harder to deal with, but apologized once they realized, than someone who was simply just a fool, stubbornly so.

“Please, dear husband, the next time something of similar significance arises, do take note that I would very much like to know about it.” she said. Wilting slightly, seeming to have aged ten years, from just think of the implications of what she’d just heard.

“Noted.” said Edwin. His expression so earnest that Vanessa couldn’t help feeling annoyed with both him and herself.

Annoyed with him for being so clueless, and annoyed with herself, for still being shocked at anything the man did. After all she’d seen, and all the things she’d witnessed, she was now well aware that his common sense and everyone else's were thoroughly incompatible.

“Okay, so that’s one down...we’re pretty much immortal already. What about the other stuff?” asked Edwin.

“What about what other stuff?” said Van. Tossing her shoulders and she climbed under the bed.

“Are those seriously things I’m expected to do? Do you want me gallivanting about, getting into fights with things, making an ass of myself, and calling myself a hero while I’m at it…”

“Pft...Why do you sound so down on heroes? Heroes get songs written about them, don’t you want songs written about you?” said Vanessa. Laughing softly, her tone teasing, as she responded to Edwin’s question.

“I’ve had songs written about me...And stories….and paintings….and dark prophecies...I’m kind of over that shit…” said Edwin. His tone dark, and somber. His eyes seeming to spark blue in the gloom.

Vanessa stared at her husband, and then after a moment, she pat him on the arm, and sighed.

Sometimes he’d say something cryptic, and vaguely nonsensical, and get upset about it and she’d feel like she was missing some very important context.

She’d ask about it, and he’d answer that it was another lifetime and that this was one thing that he didn’t want to talk about.

Edwin had very few things that he minded talking about, so she usually left it alone. But she was always left wishing that she could pry back, the young man’s brain, get a peak, just to know, why he’d look so haunted when he said these things.

“Alright, then….”

“Alright?” said Edwin. Seeming to snap back from wherever, and whenever he’d been within his thoughts, a few seconds ago.

“Alright, you don’t have to be a hero, or a villain, or anything great like that, you can just be Edwin. My Edwin.” said Van.

“Really?” said Edwin.

“Yes...but I’m pretty sure, you do need to do a little rank climbing, and maybe show the sect that their investment in you is worth it. Maybe build some achievements. Cultivators are supposed to be competitive after all.” said Van.

Edwin brightened.

“Competitive...Competitive….I-, I think I can do that.” he said.

She smiled, and pat his arm again before turning and pulling the covers up over her shoulders.

“I believe in you.” she said. Meaning it.

She opened her eyes and then sat up again…

“So...uh, I had an idea the other day, to start a small trading firm.”

“Huh?” said Edwin.

“Well, we spent the evening talking about you...I think it’s fair we talk about me a little, right?”

Edwin thought about and then he nodded smiling.

“Alright, shoot. What’s on your mind, wife of mine?”

Van rolled her eyes, stunned as always at how quickly the man’s moods could turn.

“... I spend my days most home alone, sitting on my hands... not doing much...so I figured I should start my own thing, and work on something, instead of just growing roots, because honestly we’ve got the leeway now, and I’ve got the cash...I need some agency of my own, right? Something of my own that I do. I’m not a teacher any more but, I figured there’s got be something I can do, and the first idea that came to mind, was starting a business.”

“A business doing what?” asked Edwin.

“I figured I’d sell some of that tea I was working for, maybe I’d figure something else out from looking out those...what did you call them? Wikis? I don’t really know right now, I’ll probably tall to Wallace, he’s usually good at coming up with schemes...maybe I’ll crib one of his ideas and expand on it.”

“Cool, that’s a great idea. I’ll back you a hundred and ten percent, hon.” said Edwin.

He remembered when they were children, and Wallace and Egon would make little games, and Vanessa would turn them into huge events.

She was an administrator before she was teacher, and she’d excelled in both position when they were back in Otmar. The woman’s talents lay in taking things to their full potential and beyond. She was the type who could make fire without tinder, even if she wasn’t great at finding that initial spark on her own.

Vanessa nodded, and was surprised to feel a small bubble of warmth inside her. She realized that she’d been worried about how the man would respond, and chided herself for it. Well aware that she should have known that Edwin would support her plan.

“Thanks….I also thought I might, maybe visit mom and dad more often, but I know there’s rules about people leaving the sect so if you could maybe see about that for me?”

Edwin nodded.

“Consider it done. I’ll ask in the morning. Or rather, you know you could have just taken the ship, right? Flown home and then flown back without anyone noticing?”

Van startled, and was glad that the lights were already off, so that young man wouldn’t be able to see her blush. Conveniently forgetting that the two of them had night vision so acute that things like internal lighting hadn’t really been an issue for them, in quite a while.

She shot back with it a…

“I’m surprised you didn’t mention the wooing beautiful ladies stuff…” said Van.

“Huh? Why would I? Aren’t already married to a beautiful woman?” said Edwin.

Van froze, not knowing how to respond to that.

“Y-, yeah...that doesn’t mean you can’t woo more. Or rather, eventually our little family will need to grow larger.”

“Really? I know monogamy’s not really common, but, to tell you the truth, I’m not sure I’m all that great a husband, and that’s while I only have one wife to answer to, heaven only knows how I’d handle two or three.”

Van rolled her eyes. Laughing lightly.

“Silly man, you’re perfectly okay for just starting out...Plus, that’s not really up to you now is it?...The head of household is just supposed to be the head of the household. You know, the big strong central support and provider or whatever. The first spouse is the one who actually builds the family. You know how it is…One builds one’s house according to its foundations. Strong foundations means a bigger house. And our foundation’s aren’t weak at all so….eventually.”

“Eh?! Really, can’t we just stick with you and me? Plus, Dad, only ever had Mom as a wife.”

“Well, back then, dad...er father-in law was hurt, so our family’s foundations weren’t all that strong, and mom didn’t want to take over as head of the household, because then her stupid family would have been on her, trying to get her to take on a few extra husbands.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I heard them talking about it sometimes.” said Van.

“Okay, if you say we have to….I guess we have to...but can we push that off into like, way, way, way, far-away. I haven’t even worked up the nerve to properly kiss you yet.” said Edwin.

After touching the ring he’d given her, stroking its smooth surface of metal and crystal, Van sat up, and leaned in towards his direction.

Her lips pressing against his, as she breathed him in surprised to find, the scent pleasant in an odd antiseptic sort of a way. Like newly forged metal and soap.

“See, there...Now we’re kissing. N-, no big deal.” said Van. Flopping back into bed, and pulling the cover over her head to hide how red her face was.