What is Done in Secret
Seviin would not let Xiuyang out of her sight. Was it endearing or vexing or some combination of both? Was it out of concern for the merchant girl or for the locals?
Regardless, they found themselves a little bit lost for direction: where to actually
begin?
"Maybe we can just ask around?" the yasoi posited. She had a drawing on her, and it was rather crude and basic. For all of her many talents, it was clear that art was not among them.
"What do you propose and how do we..." She glanced off to where Dory was, in the distance.
"Well, you know." "Twice they called her a hooker," Xiuyang replied.
"I'm inclined to hit up the seediest bars in town and hope to get 'lucky,' so to speak. If we show her picture and ask around and she catches wind of it, she might assume the worst and go into hiding. I know I would, especially if the Colas have been deciding that people owe them money for this and that bullshit reason." Seviin cast a glance in Dory's direction, as did Xiuyang—and suddenly, she started shouting at Seviin.
"You brought me here just to give me some long-winded lecture, didn't you?! Fuck off! It's not my fault!" Then, she took off running.
Was that her answer?
For a moment, Seviin was taken aback by the response. She blinked not once, but twice.
Okaaaayyyy then... She watched Xiuyang run. Then, she realized that it meant she would end up with Dory, which was a fate roughly equal to death, at least for most yasoi Dory seemed to encounter.
"Wait!" she called, running after the shorter girl.
"You deserve one for you are a sinner and your eternal soul is in danger, but that was not my intention, I swear it! Please!" Before long, Dory was nowhere to be seen.
Short as she was, Xiuyang was fast, and ran like her life depended on it. She kept looking over her shoulder as she turned corners, while Seviin followed. Once she sensed that the dark mage had lost interest in Seviin and her "lecture," Xiuyang abruptly stopped running.
"And it's that easy," she said as she popped the cork on her gourd.
"I was worried about letting you tag along, but your acting isn't bad, either." She took a chug, and offered the gourd to Seviin.
Seviin blinked not once, but twice.
"Ah!" she replied.
"Yes! Acting!" She blushed.
"Yours is better... and very convincing." To be honest, she was rather lost now. They were quite close to the far edge of the vast shantytown, however. Some of the newest yasoi arrivals had taken refuge at the edge of the forest, building their houses in the largest of trees.
"I doubt they'll know much," she offered.
"We're way off-course." She glanced about. There
was, however, a man handing out free buudvuud under a tree. he appeared to have a large sack as well. He spoke eloquently in yasoi and those gathered - almost all yasoi - seemed to be quite enraptured. Seviin took a couple of steps forward as well, straining to listen.
Xiuyang smiled ruefully.
"Sorry for the shock, then," she offered, in lieu of alcohol. Instead, she continued to indulge, seemingly more so than usual, even for her.
"What's the guy handing out free food talking about?" She asked curiously. She, too, had handed out food to refugees before, but they quickly lost interest in the yanii merchant once she'd run out.
Seviin swallowed. There was something...
familiar about the man. He was young, as well.
"He is telling the true story of this city..." She trailed off, listening some more.
"Ersan'Deniiz is old Mycormish. The yasoi people lived there first, for thousands of years." She shook her head.
"There's a good dose of ethnic nationalist propaganda, too." She furrowed her brow and nibbled her lower lip.
"Hmm..." She eyes the large bag he was carrying warily.
"For real? I thought Ashon was pulling my leg," Xiuyang replied, interested. She strained her ears, trying to latch on to any words she might recognize, but it was futile.
"...Seems like I've wandered somewhere I'm not welcome. Shall I go? You can talk to him if you want." She, too, was curious about the bag, however, and tried to use her beanie to peruse its contents.
Seviin shook her head.
"All who do good should be welcome anywhere." She blinked.
"You shall do good. Correct, Xiuyang?" Her face almost obnoxiously earnest.
Xiuyang blinked, not once but twice.
"But those who do good are not welcomed everywhere—especially if they seek change to the status quo. The world is full of evil, Seviin." She averted her eyes.
"I do as much good as I'm allowed." Seviin evaluated the words.
"Do you believe your words?" She tilted her head to the side momentarily, but then seemed to release the question off into the warm early Dorrad air with a sigh.
"I do as much good as I can," she declared assertively.
"The world is full of good, too, you know." She took a deep breath and released it.
"Anyhow, this seems like a distraction from our real mission." The Tarlonese shook her head.
"Perhaps we should question the people as we leave and see if we might salvage something." It was at around this point that Xiuyang was able to sense what was in the bag. It was... a whole bunch of apples, but they had a unique chemical composition: not poisonous, but certainly... exotic.
"Of course I believe what I'm saying; it's the truth," Xiuyang rebutted, arms crossed as she leaned against the wall.
"You want to make powerful enemies, try to change something for the better for those beneath you. As is taught... the good you do, do it in secret, that the gods might reward you for it. The world is a thankless place, by far more evil than good." If Seviin had been earnest in expressing her opinion, Xiuyang was almost dogmatic. If Sipenta had taught Xiuyang anything, it's that her father was right: keep a low profile and stay out of the way of those more powerful than you. She seemed to catch herself, though, and stopped just short of asking Seviin what good deeds could be done from the grave, leaving an awkward silence.
"...Are apples commonly paired with buudvuud? Any nonna would be pissed if you put them on pizza," she remarked as she continued eyeing the bag.
Xiuyang's response rebounded off of Seviin without further comment but a disagreeing twist of her lips, but then came the question hot on its heels.
"Apples?" the priestess quirked an eyebrow questioningly.
"What? In the bag?" She reached out, trying to sense anything, but there was too much interference from all of the other energies and an inert apple doesn't give off very much of any sort of signature.
With Xiuyang's affirmative, Seviin pursed her lips.
"Sometimes, when we're moving quickly through the trees, an apple or some other juicy fruit is a good refreshment and you don't have to slow down or risk spilling it." She shook her head tightly.
"This is a sitdown meal, though." She glanced at Xiuyang and then back at the man, who was talking to a few others now. He
was familiar. It frustrated her that she could not place him.
"Leave this with me, suuvii." She nodded slowly.
"I have theories, but I don't think it would do to interrupt this little gathering." There was a second quick nod: firmer.
"I think we should speak with some of these people as they filter away, however. We might be able to salvage something from this detour. Xiuyang offered only a shrug of finality. History would prove her right as it had so often proven her wrong, when she looked for reasons to be optimistic.
"They're like no apples I've ever seen at the Volta Emporium. I doubt he'd sell me any, though, if he's giving the yasoi a sermon about how much better they are than huusoi. ...Not that I entirely disagree." She slumped down and squatted low to the ground, taking another sip from her gourd. Did the girl ever stop drinking? It was around this time that Seviin realized that the colors around Xiuyang had dulled in the subtlest of illusions, making her look much more like a dirty, downtrodden peasant than a merchant from a distinguished family. It wasn't perfect, but from a distance, she surely blended in a lot more. There she sat, waiting for the yasoi picnic to reach some kind of conclusion. In the meantime, she was there, and seemingly more forthcoming than usual. Maybe it was the alcohol?
Seviin scowled.
“I do.” She shook her head.
“Mother Oirase created us with an equal capacity for good or ill, and the yasoi have done just as much as huusoi. I have lived it. We are not a thing to be idealized.” A silence built as Xiuyang squatted there, drinking. Seviin glanced down at her for just long enough to notice the illusion take hold, before turning to regard the gathering.
“We should speak with them before they disperse.” She took a couple of steps before twisting, her white robes standing out among the sea of dull reds, greens, blues, and browns.
“As one, or separate?” she asked.
Xiuyang blinked. Then, abruptly, she choked on her drink and burst out laughing, though she tried to keep quiet. Even when she was done, she was smiling, and she didn't explain why.
"If we're both asking around about a one-legged yasoi, we might as well go together. We won't be fooling anyone into thinking we're not, and it's safer anyway." Standing up, she chugged one last time from her gourd before hiding it. Rounding the corner, she took a few steps toward some yasoi that had either heard the whole story already or had lost interest, before she spoke again.
"Oirase keep you, Seviin. Live a long life." Again, Xiuyang's eyes avoided Seviin's. Again, her voice sounded like someone who was trying to be genuine, but didn't know how—and right away, she was back to acting as she approached a yasoi woman.
"Excuse me... Um, I'm looking for someone..." she began, her voice anxious and mousey.
It was a young couple, and they seemed a bit uncertain, but there
was a priestess of Oirase here, and such people were to be respected.
"Well," the woman out of the pair replied,
"I'll see if I can help." The man nodded.
Xiuyang's mouth dropped open slightly.
"...Thank you..!" she replied earnestly, as if these two were the first to offer her help all day.
"I'm trying to find a woman who helped me. I was being attacked, and in the confusion, she was blamed and fled. I didn't get a good look at her. I had blood in my eyes, but she was definitely yasoi, and... well, I know I sound absurd, but she ran away on crutches! It was incredible. I just have to meet her. I want to thank her in person. It's because of her that I lived. But, I don't know where to start looking." The couple looked at each other. The man opened his mouth to speak but paused.
"El'ya'p...?" he asked his wife or girlfriend. She pondered and then shrugged.
"Did she look like she was from the city?" "Yes," added the man.
"That and... any other distinguishing features?" "Ap hiing yax..." The woman trailed off.
"Did she have bright red hair?" She added.
Xiuyang considered. Jaxan was from a rich family, and if he was spending his money on "company," they were probably also at least
somewhat classy, if not close to home.
"...Yeah, she probably was. But I was hoping there might be somewhere she goes often, outside the walls." She tapped her index fingers together apprehensively.
"Well, I can't be sure if her hair was red. E-Everything looked bright red." A little nervous giggle accompanied her dark humor.
"Do you know of someone like that?" she asked hopefully.
The two of them looked at each other again.
"There's a girl," said the man.
"Yes, a woman from the city." "Yasoi - bright red hair." "She has the form of the fallen goddess." Both hastily made the sign of the pentad.
"She volunteers at one of the soup kitchens, and as a healer at one of the medical tents." The woman scrunched her face up, trying to remember.
"Her name, qitii, juup joi..." He bounced up on the balls of his feet.
"Ugh. It's at the tip of my mouth." "Lanta? He shook his head.
"No, it had a yan - huusoi - 'th' somewhere." They grimaced and looked at Xiuyang helplessly.
There was a mixed reaction from Xiuyang. First, she was glad to hear about the soup kitchen and medical services. By sheer luck, it seemed that she'd stumbled her way into crafting a story that seemed reasonable. Then, however, she was confused. She often did similar on the odd Victendes, and she'd never met this woman. Surely, she would remember such a meeting. The sight of any one-legged yasoi ought to be burned into her mind after everything she'd been through—but the name... perhaps her own mind was playing a trick on her, but it seemed to be on the tip of her tongue as well.
"Thank you. It's enough for a start, which is more than I had before." She smiled, and made the sign of Oraff as she bowed respectfully. Then she turned to look at Seviin and bounced on her heels eagerly.
“Well, that was a pleasant surprise,” Seviin admitted, after bowing to the pair in thanks.
“Who'd have thought we'd get further with honey than vinegar?” She took out her drawing, crouched in front of a landing, and tried to modify the hair a bit with a pencil and some chemical magic.
“Red, now,” she remarked in approval, standing and flashing the objectively terrible work at Xiuyang.
There were still some others about: a trio of preteens clustere din animated conversation as they walked, a very old man being led along by an impatient young boy, and a middle-aged human woman who seemed to be in a bit of a hurry.
Xiuyang turned away, acknowledging the patronizing words by refusing to acknowledge them.
"Why would I interrogate them? They've done nothing wrong. They're doing a good thing helping us; they deserve to know it and feel good about it, even if some details have to be skewed." She took another impatient chug as she fast-walked in the direction of the white walls, away from Seviin's judgmental gaze.
"If we just asked them where to find a one-legged yasoi woman, they might assume we're out 'collecting debt' or something and mislead us. A feel-good story puts people at ease and makes them more charitable to match. Saves us the trouble of paying bribes." Xiuyang paid little heed to the others around them beyond keeping her voice low and her senses on alert. She took a longer look at the human as if she were evaluating her, slowing her pace somewhat until she briefly stopped and checked a pocketwatch.
"Whatever Juulet told you about me is bullshit," she suddenly asserted.
"I'm not a villain and I'm certainly not stupid. I'm here to reunite a son with his father and that's it—and we're barking up the wrong tree. We have a lot of ground to cover, so let's leave." Seviin blinked twice. In fact, Juulet had told her nothing, nor would she have put much faith in it anyhow, for Juulet was a terrible person. The yasoi had been about to ask the old man and the boy, but then Xiuyang was stalking away, and so she started to follow.
She made if five steps before stopping.
"Why did you kill that boy who was pretending to be Jaxan?" she asked in what she thought was an even tone.
"How did you kill him?" Xiuyang blinked back, like she hadn't even expected the question.
"He put a blood mark on me. You were incapacitated, I was surrounded... there was nothing to do, nowhere to go. I had the money. I was their target. They tricked us at least five times. Are you saying I should have just begged for my life and trusted them to keep their word?" she responded with no small amount of skepticism.
"...I made it quick," she added with a frown and a low voice.
Seviin did not remember five tricks. In fact, she was not even sure there had been more than one.
"So he was trying to kill you," you she said, the 'luuca' at the end implied rather than spoken.
In truth, she did not trust Xiuyang, not because she was evil but because she was unstable. Seviin would not go a step further until they spoke about this: properly.
"Yes..?" Xiuyang replied, seeming genuinely confused by the question, as though the answer were obvious. Certainly, it was obvious to a cynic like her. She wasn't going to let him drain her to unconsciousness and just hope he stopped there, took the money and left without doing anything else to her. Never, not after Yarsoc.
"I daresay they were all trying to kill us. I couldn't exactly pull them all aside and ask them politely on an individual basis to make sure." There was bitterness in her voice—tempered, but still noticeable—and all the while, she kept shifting her attention between her drink and her pocketwatch.
Seviin shook her head tightly.
"Right. Okay. Well, let's get there." She walked suddenly out ahead. Some people saw not only what they were equipped to, but only what they wanted to as well. Xiuyang was one of those. It was in Father Damy's hands now.
They walked along and, before long, there was a soup kitchen within their sights, a sign hanging from a midsized building with a clear picture of what one might expect to find within. Around back and sides were a series of canvas awnings and open-sided tents with long benches. Dozens of people, from ragged to semi-respectable huddled inside, chatting and eating.
There were two large cauldrons that the approaching pair could see, gentle rolls of steam escaping them to dissipate in the warm dorrad air. Volunteers in white aprons with green pentacts on them moved between the tables, collecting the dishes that some of the patrons had forgotten to bring to a wash basin, serving the soup, topping up water barrels, and chopping up fresh ingredients to add. They all seemed rather busy at the moment, and looked like they could use a hand.
Seviin, for her part, did not hesitate one iota before arrowing straight for the overburdened washing station. There seemed to have been a bit of an incident there.
"It was a bad situation. Life is messy and its answers are unsatisfying," she concluded. Some people, like Seviin, would never truly be satisfied. They would seek to bend the very fabric of this cold, uncaring universe to their unattainable ideals, and it would snap back and break them when their strength inevitably ran out.
Yet, there was something special about Seviin. Her mindset was surely rare in the lands of Tarlon. She would be a good influence there, and the world of Sipenta was surely a slightly better place with her in it—and making the world a slightly better place was the best that most individual people could aspire to. Someday, she would stop damning every soul she met to hell to preserve her ego, but until then...
Xiuyang had dropped her illusions, and she was now recognizable. A few of the ladies did, and greeted her cheerily. There was a clear need for more hands, and though Xiuyang wasn't dressed for work, she decided that they were unlikely to talk with things being this busy.
Well, no. It wasn't that they wouldn't talk, but it would be rude. So, Xiuyang picked up a knife and began chopping some vegetables and making small talk with the woman beside her. Something... didn't feel right, though. Was the knife dull? She sharpened it a bit to be sure, but... no. It was strange. Did it always take this much force to cut through these? Wait, was this how she always held a knife?
"Xiuyang? Is something wrong? Your technique is off today, and your hands are slow."
"Uh, yeah. Sorry." She flashed an apologetic smile.
"Oh, but just look at you! Sweetie, you look deathly ill. Please, sit a spell."
"Uh... huh. Um, sure. I guess I'm in the way..." It would have been impossible to notice earlier, when the colors around Xiuyang were made dull to make her look like a peasant. Now, contrasted with her colorful clothes, she truly did look like she was going to be sick.
After a moment, all she could hear was the rhythmic sound of knives hitting cutting boards, and the persistent noise of the pocketwatch ticking away.
That "bad situation" was your fault—and so is this one. She looked around for the redheaded woman, but didn't see her—
No! It was
not her fault! She was the
only one trying to deescalate!
You weren't trying to "deescalate." You were trying to get your "plan" back on track. Who said "kill them all?" She tried to remember the name that was on the tip of her tongue—
She'd panicked, and it had been a blur. But Seviin and Ashon would never say that.
Who said it? It had two syllables—
Niallus, Lunara and Oksana wouldn't.
Who? Abdel couldn't have.
It was you. Thantra! The name was Thantra—had she overheard someone say it just now—?!
They were to die anyway! The plan was to capture them, to cut off their escape! The courts would have sentenced them! They made their appointment with Eshiran—she'd simply rescheduled it.
You made yourself judge, and worse, you made your friends executioners.
Every abomination that woman committed was on your orders. "Is she alright?"
"No, she—"
Xiuyang stumbled through the line of people standing in her way, excusing herself out the back, desperately searching for a tree or barrel or wall to lean on while she tried to soothe herself chemically—to stop herself from puking. She had only considered the optimal outcome, and not the consequence of failure, as it would be the Colas who bore it—or so she thought. She had been wrong. She had sought answers for her actions, and, like Seviin, come away unsatisfied.
Minutes passed and Xiuyang returned, the merciless pocketwatch in her hand.
"Thantra... I need to find her. Where is she..?" she rasped.
"Good gracious, Xiuyang!" Saydii came hustling around the corner and leaned over the smaller human girl. She was middle-aged and stern-faced, but always one of the first to offer help to anyone in need.
"Are you okay!?" She regarded the evidence to the contrary, but then the teen rasped her question.
Selkhan came around a moment later, soap bubbles still in his ample beard.
"Who'ssat?" he blurted in his rough hegelan mannerism. Saydii, patting Xiuyang reassuringly on the back, looked up.
"Thantra." She looked up at Selkhan and her voice was concerned. She turned back to her charge, gradually ushering the girl back around a corner to a table where she could sit and have a glass of water.
"We're all worried about 'er, lass. Ye've not seen her. 'Ave ye?" Oweyn looked up from where he was tending to a cauldron nearby.
"You know something about Thantra?" he seemed very interested.
"I didn't know you two had even met." "We thought she was at the Fascino kitchen," added Saydii,
"but they hadn't seen her there either." Seviin, over at the dishes station, looked up as if to ask if this was something she should be involved in as a handful of them gathered.
"Ih's been three days." Selkhan shook his head.
"She almost never misses one," Oweyn added.
"I'll be okay," Xiuyang told herself as much as Saydii. For the moment, she was among friends, and she allowed herself to relax somewhat as she sat at the table.
"No, we've never met, but I've heard her name before." The water was unusually refreshing, almost invigorating. Had she drank anything besides alcohol the past two days? She chugged it like she'd chug any beer, and it was gone in a flash.
"I've been trying to find someone who went missing: Jaxan, the Doridax kid. Thantra was supposed to be the last person who saw him, but if they both went missing around the same time a few days ago, then I really have to find her. When you last saw her, did she talk about him at all? Did she express any interest in new places, groups, or hobbies? Was she unusually quiet? Irritable? Sad?" the youth rattled off.
"Anything that stuck out to you, even a little bit. Please," she pleaded.
They sat there at the table. There was much to do, so they had perhaps only a minute or two. Seviin, finished with a stack of plates, came hustling over to join them, sliding in quietly and propping her elbows attentively on the tabletop.
"Jaxan'suul'doridax," snorted Saydii, and the other two nodded slowly.
"Now there's a name. He's missing?" "Aye," confirmed Selkhan.
"I've 'eard it." Oweyn shrugged, knowing nothing but not disputing either.
"She seemed on edge," he allowed,
"The last time I saw her." "Why do you think?" questioned Seviin, and he shook his head.
"Hard to say," he admitted.
"She didn't seem to wanna talk about it." "It's Tarlon, sweetie," said Saydii, patting Oweyn's hand.
"Normally, I'd have kept this in confidence -" She turned to take in all parties gathered.
"But it seems like she's gotten herself wrapped up in something bad." She swallowed.
"She mentioned that there were Tarlonese agents active, including a girl who she'd known when they were children and an 'Apple Seller'." She furrowed her brow.
"She was very specific about the last one." She glanced around.
"I'm not sure what it means." Seviin froze and her eyes widened.
"I know," she squeaked, taking a second to clear her throat. She shook her head as well.
"That's a Tarlonese recruiter. They target people to bring them into the cause: people who aren't already part of it, like Con'soi, huusoi, siisoi, and... well, defectors." She looked around at the others.
"They're clever," she warned,
"Cunning and subtle and strong. None of you saw who she was talking about, right?" They all shook their heads.
Xiuyang took it all in, and whistled. She gave Seviin a knowing look; the two of them had probably dodged a bullet, leaving the man with the bag alone.
"Do you think Thantra could have gotten involved with them? Or the resistance?" she asked everyone around. She didn't mention Jaxan's potential involvement in it yet, so as not to lead the witnesses, so to speak. It seemed this conflict went deeper than she realized, and was coming to a head, with every yasoi in the area being forced to choose a side. Which side would Thantra be on, then, was the question that could lead her to Jaxan.
"I know it affected her a lot," said Oweyn.
We... talked about it." "Aye. She wanted te stay neutral." Selkhan nodded along.
"She was volunteering with the Red Pentact as well," Saydii offered.
"Close to St. Vitus' and the rooming house across the street." "Addiction counseling," Seviin remarked.
"I wanted to work there too, but I sound too Tarlonese. They thought it might upset some people." "She's Tarlonese too!" Selkhan humphed.
"Yeah, but she's been living here a while," Oweyn countered.
"She doesn't really sound like it." "You know," offered Seviin,
"I heard they had an incident there the other day," She glanced about.
"Timewalker came and started generating darkling for all the addicts." She scowled.
"When?" prodded Saydii.
"Orredes." "Thah's the lass day we saw Thantra, wasn't ih?" They all nodded, eyes wide and minds racing.
"Out near St. Vitus and the rooming house?" Seviin rose quickly.
"Yes!" she exclaimed.
"From what I'd heard!" Before anyone else could react, however, there came a loud clatter from one of the tables and the sounds of arguing.
"Op!" barked Selkhan, rising quickly.
"Thah's me!" he began to hurry off. Oweyn rose too.
"I hope you find her," he assured Xiuyang and Seviin, preparing to depart as well. Work was piling up. Saydii began to rise, shooting the two a concerned look before glancing over her shoulder.
Xiuyang had refilled her glass with water and chugged it several times as the conversation continued.
"Fuck," she whispered as she rose from the table and excused herself.
"Thank you. Sorry I can't help right now," she told the others.
She gave Seviin a concerned, almost defeated look. She headed in the direction of their next destination, ensuring they were out of earshot before she continued.
"The Colas mentioned Jaxan could generate aberrations. I'd hate to assume he's responsible for what happened at the Red Pentact, but it makes sense. We should—go there—" She sounded uncertain.
"—and, ask about what they saw." Her voice was raspy, too.
Seviin nodded and squeezed her shoulder.
"We should," she replied with a supportive half-smile.
"Posthaste." The two of them rushed through the bustling streets of the city beneath the city, faces and buildings flashing past, both boosting their speed and reflexes with the Gift. As they drew close to the shelter district, Seviin held up a hand and began to slow. She took a moment to start composing herself, fixing the neckline of her dress and running fingers quickly through her long white hair.
The Red Pentact stood beside the church, with a large tent to house both additional afflicted and healers. These, in turn, just across from the notorious Warm Rest women's rooming house. Just down the street lay St. Vitus' Shelter for the Impoverished, Infirm, and Afflicted and, in the opposite direction, loomed a diagonal intersection with the Searoad and, just up a bit from there, the Seagate and white walls of Ersand'Enise, somehow casting a shadow over this place despite it being the wrong time of day.
That was not what would've caught the pair's eyes first, however. There were three young women: one human, one yasoi, and one eeaiko, talking quickly ouside of the rooming house. It was hard to miss that the first was Oksana.
Xiuyang recoiled slightly at the unexpected touch. Suddenly, Seviin's behavior had changed. Had she been watching? ...Of course she would have been. It wasn't hard to recognize that she hadn't earned Seviin's trust.
What was she feeling right now? Was it shame? What exactly was Seviin mad about, anyway? Her actions, or how she tried to justify them? It occurred to her that she hadn't asked. She shook her head as if to clear her mind of cobwebs. All of this could wait until they knew what had happened to Jaxan and Thantra. Time was precious and fleeting.
Seviin slowed to a stop, and Xiuyang followed suit. Like her companion, she groomed herself, but more out of a need to self-soothe than to look her best. She had a look at their destination, with some apprehension in her eyes. Then, those eyes caught Oksana, and hope returned.
"You found the place!" she chirped.
"Learn something?" she waited eagerly for an answer.
"We should stick together. It feels like a storm is brewing." "Oira, suunei!" Seviin waved Oksana over, hurrying up to her, and Xiuyang was full of questions as well. The yasoi nodded at her assertion and then made a point of facing Oksana as she spoke.
"We learned much. This matter is not simple. There are two people missing and I am guessing they are connected." She glanced at Xiuyang, equally eager for Oksana's response.
In the background lay the church and the Red Pentact. Though they worked with all sorts of injuries and maladies there, it appeared focused on addiction treatment. A handful of Dordian nuns hurried by, each sparing a brief but respectful nod in Seviin's direction. The priestess nodded back and made the sign of the Pentad.
Oksana waved to the pair as she joined them. She held up the crudely drawn picture, depicting a red-haired Vyshta girl and a brown-haired one.
"Two of them," she confirmed with a nod.
"Seen with Jaxan. They disappeared last night, last seen headed to the gate." She pointed towards the Seagate in the distance. In a single sentence, she distilled everything she knew.
Xiuyang also nodded towards the two nuns. If she was not one of them, she respected their work—and her work often coincided with theirs, at least. Then, there was Oksana's reply.
"Two?!" Xiuyang replied incredulously.
"You're sure?" What, was he gathering them all? She kept that particular absurdity to herself, though, and hoped to any gods that would listen that was not the case.
Here, though, she was met with a crossroads, and seemed uncertain.
"I think... should we still ask around? If Jaxan returned to Ersand'Enise, why has no one seen him? We don't know his state of mind or what he intends." She spoke while facing Oksana, but then she turned to Seviin. Xiuyang was apprehensive. Gone was the confident jokester everyone was used to. Was it because she'd ditched the mask? Did the persona follow suit?
Seviin blinked, trying to process the information. She blinked again. So there were
two one-legged women leading Jaxan into Ersand'Enise and they all disappeared last night...
She furrowed her brow.
"But we were already looking for Jaxan last night and he's been missing for at least three days." She glanced Xiuyang's way.
"And the one-legged woman we know of - Thantra - has been gone for the same amount of time." "And she had... red hair?" remarked Xiuyang with a hint of uncertainty.
Seviin nodded animatedly.
"Yes!" she exclaimed, pointing to both her and Oksana's drawings.
"Just like here!" She nibbled her lower lip and her eyes were wide with an excited sort of thinking, as if it were all coming together.
"She mentioned an 'apple seller' - a Tarlonese agent - and that's who me and you saw!" She gestured between herself and Xiuyang.
"...and a childhood friend." Seviin's eyes slid to Oksana's drawing and so did her partner's.
"Another Tarlonese woman with one leg..." The priestess shook her head.
"I don't think this is a coincidence." She turned to regard the Red Pentact.
"And there was an aberration incident here three days ago!" She regarded the other two.
Xiuyang nodded grimly.
"It was info from the Colas, but we've found no reasons to doubt it: Jaxan can probably create aberrations, and it's likely he did so in there." She regarded the building in question with the polar opposite of Seviin's enthusiastic energy.
Seviin nodded, her excitement quickly overwhelmed by the sobering realization of just what sort of incident they were talking about. She came down a bit from the eureka of her momentary high.
"Oksana, are you sure that you didn't... misinterpret?" She furrowed her brow.
"If this other Tarlonese girl disappeared just a day or two ago and she was with the apple seller..." Oksana mumbled something in Vossoriyan, clearly displeased about something. She sighed, deciding to start from the beginning as she pointed at the girl with brown hair in the drawing.
"She’s been there for week," she said, indicating the building she had come from.
"Gone for two days but still paid up. Last seen walking towards there," she continued, pointing towards the Seagate.
"She was seen talking with a nice clothes, white-haired yasoi man." She pointed at the drawing again, emphasizing,
"There are two," and then gestured between the two girls in the picture.
"...Seviin," Xiuyang began shakily.
"Jaxan had... brown hair, right? I'm sure that's what the parents told us..." "I... think so. Yes!" Seviin replied with a nod. She twisted to regard Oksana.
"This one, I think." She pointed to the brown-haired yasoi drawing.
"She was with a white-haired man and he's a Tarlonese recruiter." She pointed to the other.
"This one is Thantra. She went missing at the same time as Jaxan and she worked right here." she pointed to the Red Pentact beside them.
"He can generate aberrations - probably a timewalker - and there was an incident here just before he disappeared." She shook her head and twisted towards the Red Pentact, motioning with her chin.
"I've volunteered there." Her eyes flicked between the other two.
"Any good reason not to go in?" Xiuyang exhaled a completely silent breath of relief. The color didn't quite return to her face, though.
"...N-No. We should check it out." Her eyes evaded the two women as she reached for her gourd.
Seviin's eyes did not evade anything. They took it in, they made their judgement, and she said nothing but for,
"Then let us go." Oksana was silent, seemingly already on board with the plan. Seviin took the lead and brushed the curtains aside, walking into the makeshift receiving room of the tent. It was mere moments before a nun in the robes of a Sister of the Unconquered Sun brushed past, wheeling in a young man strapped to a stretcher and thrashing.
A Brother of the Sunset was using some rather advanced binding magic on an old human man. A
Sister of the Sunset was feeding a teenage yasoi girl who appeared utterly listless. She opened her mouth when prodded and swallowed, sitting there on a bed and staring blankly.
Others had various minor injuries, ailments, and issues, but the majority were aberration-addled. Most of them were quite ragged, as one might expect, but a surprising number looked as if they had been respectable enough folk before their recent trip here. Some were even human.
Then, there was a large East Severan woman blocking their way. She'd emerged from the doorway into the hospital proper. Her gaze flicked between the three women before falling upon Seviin.
"Sister Taxoiya." "Mother Grace." The tall yasoi bowed at the waist, her knees bending slightly too.
"Are you here to help? Are these..." She evaluated the other two before returning her gaze to Seviin.
"Volunteers?" Xiuyang took it all in, much as she tried not to—she simply couldn't tear her eyes away from all the misery. In particular, the yasoi girl who seemed completely absent of heart and mind gnawed at her. The urge to offer her comfort was painful in its futility.
Xiuyang, after her fashion, offered a bow of respect as she made the sign of Oraff.
"We are here to help, though not to volunteer—at a more opportune time, perhaps," she lied, though without malice.
"We're trying to track down someone who's gone missing, who may be responsible or have gotten tangled up in the incident that took place here. I was hoping for a... moment of your time, to... d-discuss..." Xiuyang was shaking slightly.
"T-That is, if you are amenable, as I'm sure it was quite trau— troublesome." She smiled tightly, as if to apologize for the hassle of an interview.
One aberration-addled yasoi was locked on to Xiuyang with a vacant, slack-jawed gaze, gawking at her like he'd just seen something supernatural. He was, of course, probably just coincidentally looking in her direction at something none but him could see, but Xiuyang almost seemed to be making a point of not meeting his eyes, trying to pretend he wasn't there—all the while, her breaths became subtly uneven, her pulse had quickened slightly, and the nausea began to make its foul return. She swallowed, exhaling deeply, trying her best to hide her discomfort.
This is fine, she told herself.
This is Ersand'Enise. This is a place of healing, and not... death. She tried not to dwell on how that wasn't a wholly accurate picture.
Oksana allowed the other two to do the talking with their silver tongues and keen ears as she inspected the various people present.
A thought crossed her mind: what was a life when you’re no longer truly living? She looked at some of the blank faces around her. She wondered if she would end up like that, deprived of Eshiran’s mercy and the chance to meet her ancestors in the afterlife. Back home, the responsibility fell to the family and then the tribe to make these choices—those who loved and knew the individual best.
Seviin grimaced knowingly.
"We won't take much of your time, Mother Gracie, she began,
"but my friends are correct. There was an incident. Two of the people involved have gone missing: a yasoi woman named Thantra - she had red hair and was missing a leg - and a yasoi man named Jaxan'suul'doridax. His parents are -" "Filthy rich and looking for him." The abbess shook her head and crossed her arms. Her eyes flicked between the three girls.
"Are they paying you?" Seviin did not notice it, for she was entirely focused on her conversation with Mother Gracie. The others might have, however. At least two the patients stiffened at Jaxan's name, perking up and looking their way. The spoon a nurse was holding bumped against the listless woman's closed lips.
Xiuyang pondered for a moment.
Would they get paid? After all, the ransom note had been a scam, and if this search became a criminal investigation into their son's activities, they would likely end up empty-handed.
"We were given a ransom to pay and a drop-off point, but the ransom letter was a trap. Jaxan was never there. I'm not sure if they will pay us in the end. The situation continues to get more complicated, perhaps more than they'd like." She decided to tell the woman only what she knew for certain. If that happened to be what she wanted to hear, then that was a happy coincidence.
"I'm not worried about money right now. My concern is the safety of the citizens of both Ersand'Enise and Belleville." She decided to use the polite name. The worst it would earn her is the usual favorite insults: naive, out of touch, high horse...
The nun pursed her lips. Her eyes went between Seviin and Xiuyang.
"Sister Taxoiya, do you trust this... ally of yours completely?" Seviin swallowed and her eyes went Xiuyang's way.
"Her name is Salomé, Mother Gracie." She shook her head.
"I do not trust her completely." She held up a hand to forestall further comment.
"She is emotionally unstable, prone to panicked responses, and indulges in self-destructive habits and thought patterns. However, I trust none but Mother Oirase herself wholeheartedly. I believe that Salomé holds good in her heart above self-advancement. She has come into this with genuine motivations, without political agenda, and will not betray a confidence given to her." The priestess bowed her head, her long whitish hair falling like curtains to either side of it.
"She is an imperfect being, as we all are, but she is trying to do good, even if she does not always succeed." "A simple yes or no might've sufficed," the abbess replied. She glanced over her shoulder, keeping tabs on a handful of different matters being attended to.
"Very well," she said quickly, clasping her hands together in a businesslike manner.
"Sister Taxoiya and I do not share the same beliefs, but she is ever an honest soul. If she will vouch for you, Salomé, then you have my trust in this matter." She nodded and a sonic bubble dropped over them.
"Thantra'luuren'woi'etaar is well, though quite distressed. She was volunteering with us last Orredes, when we received word of an aberration outbreak close to here. As you do, Seviin, she struggles with the actions of her country and is ever wishing to make up for this original sin that is not hers to account for." Mother Gracie shook her head.
"Given how prodigiously strong she is in the Gift, she volunteered to handle the problem. It was, in short, Jaxan once more." She nibbled her lower lip and her eyes flashed about for a moment.
"Once... more?" Seviin questioned.
The abbess nodded.
"Just so," she sighed.
"He is wealthy and his heart is not bad, but much troubles him: many feelings of inadequacy and guilt - a desire to be appreciated that his parents either cannot or will not satisfy, a sense that he has escaped only because of his name while others suffer. He creates aberrations for these and numbs himself with them too." She gestured with her chin at some of the aberration-addled figures being tended to.
Xiuyang lowered her gaze as soon as the woman asked. She knew what Seviin thought of her... or, she thought she did. Unstable emotions, self-destructive thoughts... Had she been told something like that before?
The Soiree had left Cal feeling merry. He’d conversed with more people than he’d anticipated, including his Tarlonese brethren, but there was one he’d yet to speak to, as they were otherwise engaged throughout the entire affair. A strange girl that’d become the topic of much controversy during the trials, and a victim at the hands of Juulet. Still, her interest in the Yasoi had not dwindled and he had to ask - why? After suffering at the hands of the crazed mad avatar, why did her positions not change? It was a worthy question - Tku held simple curiosity toward the world as a whole but Xiuyang had been particularly taken from what he’d seen - she’d even had feelings towards Jamboi - which was another burning question for him.
He’d thought she might have wanted to converse during the party, but other affairs had stood in the way of that, and so, it was on the walk back that he found her. He was always careful not to approach people from behind, or with pace. Intimidation was a useful social tactic, but that was not a smart move to probe for honest answers to his curiosity. Still, it was hard to register that someone who had suffered so much recently would ever be alone, though he supposed company didn’t matter much in the presence of a monster like that girl.
“I’m surprised you’d walk alone after the incident. Would you like an escort?” he asked politely, moving to walk in stride with her.
”Oh, Cal. I knew I was forgetting someone.” Xiuyang smiled up at him sheepishly, instinctively slowing down to allow him to follow, before remembering that he was probably the tallest man on campus and such consideration was hardly necessary for him to keep up.
“I’m not going far. It’s just getting a little crowded, you know?” She jerked her head over her shoulder at the guards gathered by the front door.
“I don’t mind the company, though. I’d been meaning to talk to you about that Blue Ice you gave me.” ”Glowing reviews, I hope.” he smiled with a jokey tone and offered his arm for her to take. A bit of an awkward position given the difference in height, but it was still the gentlemanly thing to do, even if she happened to have a partner.
”I think we made good timing, considering the circumstances. Seems like there’s some nasty business afoot, would you happen to know something about that” he asked with genuine curiosity. Many rumors circulated around the girl, and he found that those who managed to keep their secrets often kept other peoples. He doubted this presence was a noise complaint - and he figured she might have a clue as to what it is.
Xiuyang nodded.
”It kept me calm and focused while I pieced together how Shadow Wizards were cheating. Though I’m sure it didn’t look like it—I was pissed,” she admitted.
”A bit strong for someone my size, though,” she japed, politely declining his arm. She turned back to look at Zarina’s front door again, hastening her steps just slightly.
”Hopefully it’s nothing more than another reminder that there is to be no fun allowed until further notice, on account of some rowdy Perrench. I’m not taking my chances, though. Anything more than that would be a shit show.” Privately, she wondered if they were here for her, to find some excuse to have her expelled. How long would it be until she became the next student to be punished to appease the mob?
Cal smoothly pulled his arm away. A foolish gesture to a woman in a relationship, but one he’d have offered regardless on a night time walk. It piqued his interest though with just how politicized this girl had become. Still, her comments were useful. Less purity perhaps? Or a dosage tailored to the individual? Alas, the second half interested him more. Was it recent experiences that had galvanized her? And if so, why did she not hold the same hatred towards his people? She’d been maimed and left to die by Juulet, but a few jeers of nationalists and she’d turned face heel remarkably fast. Was it right to comment?
“I see recent events have changed your perceptions of a rather large portion of our student body. Pardon me if it’s still a fresh wound, but do you feel the same way about us?” there was a look of genuine curiosity on the Yasoi’s face in regards to this matter. Just how much damage had she done to their reputation.
Xiuyang returned Cal a strange look.
”I’ve always thought that kind of tribalist nonsense was stupid,” she replied, bemused.
”It just wasn’t a problem that needed to be taken seriously until recently, I suppose.” Finding an appropriate bench to sit on—neither too close nor too far away from Zarina’s place—she decided to rest her legs a bit.
“Only history can judge if the ideals a country is built upon were good or not, or better than this or that country’s. If they aren’t, it will become corrupt and crumble from within just fine with no need for war to prove anything. People who are alive and in the present should just shut the fuck up, put their flags down and cooperate for mutual gain, if you ask me—but here I am, the quarter-Rettanese, quarter-Torragonese, half-Revidian, so of course I would say that tying your identity to a flag is useless.” She sighed, slouching in her seat as she gazed up at the moons.
”I asked her multiple times if she just hates Yanii, or if she did what she did to somehow ‘prove’ that I’m not sincere. I’m not sure I believe her, but it hardly matters. She’s just a psycho bitch and those are cross-cultural. Her actions don’t shape me,” she asserted—but Juulet
did change her. The Yasoi were not just another race of humans, they were their own species—she knew this, but she still couldn’t help but see them as human, and deserving of human empathy. The ones who were taken away by aberrations, however… she nervously rubbed at the hem of her dress as she recalled those
eyes, and the way they looked at her like she was just a piece of meat. Those eyes were devoid of empathy, human or otherwise.
”But they do color the perceptions of others. You can’t imagine how much finger-wagging I had to endure from my father, or how much convincing it took for my mother to stop demanding that I try another school. Then there’s all the people I thought were cool coming out of the woodwork to congratulate me on finally getting a boyfriend. ‘Oh, wow! You’re dating a human after all!’ Like they’re congratulating me on getting over some kind of mental disease!” she fumed.
”Obviously, if the tree-rider isn’t dating a Yasoi, you know they’re no good, right? Hey, did you know? Among humans, the ‘tree-rider’ label comes with a bonus label of ‘loose woman.’ I still get a couple booty calls a month from boys I’ve never even talked to before. Yeah, nobody warned me about that when I signed up.” She ranted and raved, but then she laughed.
”Like it’s a school club, the Tree-Riders’ Committee..!” she wheezed and coughed as she caught her breath.
”I might’ve drank a bit,” she confessed in a low voice, nonchalantly.
He sat down next to her and listened intently. For all she played the mysterious rumor-gathering woman, she’d come completely undone in recent times, and was very much an open book with just a touch of questioning. Then, when she finished speaking, he smiled and turned to her,
”Some people say alcohol makes you tell the truth, but it doesn’t. It simply lowers inhibition. The thoughts inside our head that we’d usually keep private come pouring out, and the desire to stop having another drink slips away from us.” he tapped the top of his head, and continued.
“But you lied to yourself there. Juulet isn’t a psycho. She’s an addict. She’s a person, like you or me.” he paused, raising a finger.
“We can’t un-personify her because she’s a failure, even if she disgusts us.” his tone lowered.
“...She certainly didn’t offer much consideration for my own ‘personhood,’” Xiuyang replied bitterly, gazing off into the distance with unfocused eyes.
“There’s more going on in there than a lack of inhibitions.” Cal pinched his brow, and his face shifted to one of solemn disappointment.
“I’m probably the foremost practitioner of chemical magic in the school, and one thing that still evades my understanding is aberrations. It’s easy to understand alcohol, or the substances I gave out during the trials, but the curse of the darkmen does not fall under the same set of rules.” he leant his chin on his hand, looking at Xiuyang more inquisitively. She may have said that Juulet did not change her, but she bore her face more openly in public now. She’d acquired a relationship, changed her stance on many issues and the readings he got from her mind suggested a good deal of trauma.
“I take it you saw, right? The way it affects the Consoi? The things they’d do for another fix?” he asked, before shaking his head.
“...Yeah,” she replied simply, digging her nails into her thigh uncomfortably. It still didn’t quite feel real. She was going to die, and then Eshiran answered her call. Then she was going to die in the desert, and the gods seemed to have abandoned her, and then Tyrel and the others came, and Ciro was there, and then she was in the arms of her mother with most of the damage done to her body undone, but the secret still had to come out to her family—would she now go back to her student life as if none of it happened? It was all entirely too surreal and too much to process all at once. The one thing that stuck in her mind above all was the trauma of being hunted for nearly two days, and seeing what that first addict who approached her intended to do before she’d proven herself a threat—
”Apologies, I didn’t mean to bring up such a nasty subject.” his face returned to that smile, and his tone picked up, but it was slightly unnerving in how quick and unnatural it was..
”Do you care about what they think?” it was a sincere question, and a rather all encompassing one, but there was genuine curiosity there.
”About me? Not really. I care that they hate the yasoi,” Xiuyang replied.
”and that they lie and try to hide it because they don’t want to lose me as a contact.” She frowned.
”I don’t want Ciro to face scrutiny because of me, either. He’s a good man. He deserves better than to be known as ‘the one dating the slut.’” ’And why are we so important to you, that you care about what they think about us but not about yourself?’ he thought to himself, letting her finish the point. He stood up from the bench and stretched his arms out.
”Xiuyang, not to claim to understand you or belittle your thoughts and feelings, but it sounds like you’re confused.” he spoke softly, turning back to meet her gaze.
“It’s paradoxical to claim you don’t care what they say or think about you, and then care that Ciro might face scrutiny because of it.” there was a brief pause before he continued, trying to gauge her reaction further.
”I can choose to not feel hurt by what they say, but not everyone is like that,” she replied.
”It’s embarrassing to spell it out, but isn’t thinking of others before yourself supposed to be a virtue?” ”I don’t think that’s a good way to live, Xiuyang. If you’re going to tether your self worth to another person, then what happens if they stop being a part of your life?” he asked, his voice filled with sympathy. It was… almost condescending, but there was genuine curiosity there as well.
”You’re a lady of three nations, and you’ve already stated that tying yourself to a flag is foolishness, but isn’t the idea the same?” ”I don’t think it’s the same. A country will never see you as more than a tool, to be discarded when you no longer serve their interests. Love is different. We both support each other.” She leaned back in her seat a bit.
”If I start acting more like a proper lady, it won’t be because some rabble gave me a hard time.” Her mind drifted back to just a moment ago, when she’d slapped Raffaella across the face for insulting Ciro.
”Xiuyang…it’s exactly the same.” he disagreed with her, shaking his head.
”Both types of relationships are mutually beneficial, but they’re based on the same individual desire: To not be alone, to feel supported.” He paced slightly, looking toward the Soiree and then to her.
”To help others, you must first help yourself. And if you can’t do that, then aren’t you just a burden to the thing that you love? Making them bear the weight of your sins? Having them suffer as a result of your reputation?” he paused in place, meeting her gaze again. This time, he would not look away.
Xiuyang shrugged nonchalantly.
”Maybe yasoi countries are different. Ours are self-serving. Always have been,” she asserted.
”You want to be in a mutually beneficial relationship with a government, you have to have something to offer. I’m just a third daughter; I don’t have that kind of influence.” She met his eyes, as though they were a challenge.
”I know how the world works. When I help others, I am helping myself. When I help myself, I am helping others. Always. If it’s not always obvious, that’s by design. Don’t they say, ‘the good you do, do it in secret, that the gods might reward you?’” She swatted a mosquito that landed on her wrist.
”I’ve done nothing to deserve the heat I’m getting, aside from keeping to myself and doing what’s right when some others think it’s wrong. Maybe I took an interest in the yasoi because Ashon became my friend when no one else volunteered themselves. Maybe it’s because my father told me to stay away, and I thought that was a crock of shit. Who can say? Why does it matter? Is it not right to offer aid to those scorned by ‘polite society?’” She eyed Cal with a calculating look. She couldn’t quite decipher the purpose of this conversation, but it almost certainly wasn’t out of concern for her well-being. The two barely knew each other. Was he, like Tyrel, looking for some nefarious ulterior motive? Was he trying to express his disapproval over something he couldn’t speak openly about?
Cal met her gaze, and simply smiled at her, in that same blank way as before. There was a long pause, and a moment of contemplation for the man. This girl was wrong. Maybe not in her intention, or her inner thoughts, whatever they were, but fundamentally, he felt as if he couldn’t disagree with her more. It irked him as to what he felt, whether it was hatred, discontent in her ideals, or whether what she was was a reflection of himself in some strange way.
”I can see why Ashon is your friend. You’re very much alike, you know?” he chuckled softly to himself, keeping the ambiguity in his words.
”Perhaps that was why I was so taken with this conversation. I apologize if I overstepped.” he bowed his head slightly, before turning away from the girl and looking up at the night sky.
"Okayy..?" Xiuyang found Cal's reaction confusing.
"Now what does that mean?" She was nothing like Ashon, outside the surface personality. At least, she thought so... but she found herself reminded of the time she called herself a "sidekick" in front of him, and he'd seemed pretty unhappy about that. He'd challenged her notions of roles in life, and the one she was destined to play. No matter how hard she tried, though, Xiuyang just couldn't see herself as some kind of hero.
"Ah, I get it. Neither of us takes ourselves too seriously," she decided.
She had. She remembered. This was the third time a yasoi had challenged her way of thinking, and Yarsoc had been fresh on her mind the last time, too. Ashon, Cal, Seviin... were they right? The priestess continued speaking, and not one word of a lie was spoken, not one hunch or rumor or biased preconception had a place in her judgment. Where had she even
heard the name Salome before? Her chest tightened as she tried not to choke up. For the first time since she met Ciro, she felt like someone truly understood her.
Xiuyang felt her assessment of Seviin vindicated. Like her, she wrestled with conflicting feelings about the agenda of Tarlon. As their elder continued speaking, she learned that this was not the first time Jaxan had done this, but she also got more than she bargained for. It seemed he also struggled with feelings of inadequacy and guilt regarding his privilege.
Get lost, rich girl! Go play with your 'real' friends!
Yeah, go be fat and lazy somewhere else!
Yeah, what she said!
I'm the third daughter of Cosimo Solari! I'll play where I please!
Ooh, third daughter. So important.
Who's gonna want you?
Yeah, who are you gonna marry, the postman?
Not a chance! I'll marry a gentleman. I'll do great things! The kind of things you'd read about, if you could read!
She couldn't be sure why she remembered the absurd insults of those children just now. A memory she had held on to from childhood that no longer carried any hurt, but proved a point: she had spent her entire life trying to justify her own existence.
It was at this point that Xiuyang noticed she had been crying without realizing it. Somehow, it seemed as if Seviin had lifted an agonizing weight off of her very soul.
By insulting me, she noticed, absurdly.
Xiuyang pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to disguise her attempt to sweep away the tears with the Gift. This was not an appropriate time or place to let her emotions show. Seviin had just mentioned them, too.
"...Can you tell me where he went?" She looked back at the woman.
"If Thantra is with you, I'd rather leave her in your care and not disturb her. Jaxan... I'd like to talk to him. I won't force him to go home, but I think there are some things he needs to hear." The yasoi that had been staring snored loudly, causing Xiuyang to jolt slightly and glance in his direction. She quickly looked back at the woman who had chosen to have faith in Seviin's judgment of her and forced her composure.
"Please. As a... a former runaway, I know how it affected my parents." She rubbed the neck of her gourd anxiously. It was cool to the touch.
Seviin regarded Xiuyang steadily. Then she turned to face the abbess once more.
"I would ask this as well, humbly, mother superior." Mother Gracie blinked.
"My dear girl. How I wish I could help, but she is not here and I cannot say for certain." The nun shook her head.
"After the incident, they both disappeared."
As Oksana observed the others, she noticed how they perked up as something drew their attention. She looked around, questioning if someone had rung a dinner bell to cause such a response. Then it happened again, causing them to be alert like salivating dogs. She realized they were likely overhearing the conversation about Jaxan.
She approached as a nurse had difficulty feeding a listless woman, the broth just sitting in the woman’s mouth and drooling out a little. Oksana moved forward, tipped the woman's head back slightly, and stimulated her throat to encourage swallowing. The woman swallowed gently, downing the broth. Oksana encouraged the nurse to step aside and indicated for her to take over.
Once settled with the woman, Oksana continued to feed her as she began to ask a question.
“Jack-son?” she queried, though the response was muted. She attempted again to pronounce,
“Jax-” and already there was a response.
"That's Maribet. She'd not talk since the incident," said a hegelan volunteer, mixing up her tenses like most of them did. She shook her head.
"He stab 'er throated and it's heal, but the damage is deeper, methinks." She tapped her temple.
The yasoi girl was looking at Oksana, though, and the Vossoriyan tried again.
"Jax-" Maribet blinked. She reached out, seized the newcomer's hand, and there were thoughts by the dozens flashing through her large golden-brown eyes. Her lips quivered and she looked pained.
"Jaxan," she interrupted, her voice barely a squeak. She rose, pulling Oksana with her, and began moving. Her eyes were wide and bugged out and she looked like a mess. She glanced back beseechingly at Oksana and coughed, reaching up to massage her throat as if it hurt - as if its very abilities were unexpected and confusing. She breathed a few times.
"Mother Gracie!" shouted the hegelan, her bright blond hair bouncing in curls as she hurried off.
"Maribet's just talk!" "It... still do not feel... right." she coughed again. She pressed a hand to her upper chest.
"He take it." Oksana could feel her trembling.
"Follow. I know where he be."
"And the trail goes cold?" Seviin asked, though it was more of a bitter pilled statement than a question.
"Not entirely," Mother Gracie allowed.
"Yesterday, I received a letter from a young boy - a little hegelan boy - written in her hand." She shook her head again.
"I've since burned it, but she told me where she was and she assured me that she was safe... for the time being." Her fingers untwined themselves and she raised a hand to bring pause.
"Before you ask, I don't know the specifics, but she said that she was in a row house on Corner Street in Miller's Hook." She regarded both of the young women who stood before her, laying a hand on Xiuyang's shoulder and giving it a squeeze. Her eyes flicked briefly in Oksana's direction, but the girl appeared quite occupied in her own right.
"Good fortune," said the abbess, decoupling from them as she took stock of what others outside of their bubble were doing. Presently, the sonic barrier began to lift.
"May Shune and Reshta be with you." "Thank you," Xiuyang replied, nodding her respect and gratitude.
"Oraff keep you." She left, with enough haste to seem urgent but not enough to be rude. Being outside gave her visible relief—perhaps the other two as well, as though some invisible tension in the air had gone away.
"Should we try to find any of the others, or just go?" She chugged again while she waited for Seviin's opinion.
Oksana was not strictly with them. One of the patients had her by the hand - had it been that girl who looked listless? - and was leading her out onto the street. Seviin's eyes followed.
"I... don't think we've been given a choice!" Xiuyang looked back at the commotion, completely baffled. A girl who had just a moment ago been unable to so much as feed herself had been allowed to leave the care of others, and was now talking, and walking, no,
running away with her classmate. Instinctively, she drew in energy, but then she hesitated. Instead of using that energy to stop the girl, she used it to give pursuit. She seemed to have decided that Oksana was not in any real danger.
Two separate leads, both pointing in the same direction. What had come unraveled before - what had tossed them separately to the four winds - was now bringing them back together. If Dorothea had lost the trail, all three seemed to agree that they were well rid of her. If Lunara was with her, then perhaps the fiery Palaparese might be the only one among them able to exercise something like a restraining influence.
The boys were about somewhere as well but, if this was the lead that would bring the investigators, finally, to Jaxan and Thantra, then they had either fallen off of the pace or would come upon it separately, of their own volition.
Yet, Maribet, who had come back to the world as suddenly as she had left it after three listless days, who had departed with such haste and insistence that the nurses had been unable to muster anyone to stop her, continued in that vein. It was clear that, if the trio did not match her urgency, they would lose her trail.
"I shall look after her!" Seviin shouted back at the sisters of the Red Pentact.
"We shall return her safely!" They did not have so very far to go. Cutting across the Searoad with its bustling commerce and vigilant guards, and skirting the northern edge of Fascino, they found themselves in Miller's Hook. They found themselves at the townhomes. Maribet, momentarily confused, searched about. Reflexively, she reached up and stroked her throat. She shook her head as if to clear it.
"This!" She pointed to the house at the very end of the row and began walking toward it.
Seviin's arm shot out to bar the girl from going any further. She reached out with her senses and, inside, were a one-legged woman and an unconscious man... but there were two others. She was so focused, however, that she did not notice the third, as the crowd swirled and parted, Oksana and Xiuyang beheld two hulking skuggvars, and Abdel.
