dragonpiece

The Hourglass Order

Event: Primitive
People: Tku, Marci, Squatter Sandbat, Greedy Kite Tusker

---

Meanwhile, some ways away, the storm had come to Marceline and Tku, hunkering in a shelter large enough to fit everyone, but that... nobody but them had used.

"Quite a storm Marci? Are you from the desert?" Tku asked as the sandstorm finally hit the impromptu shelter.

"One could say that..."

"Maybe we can talk later, I traveled through it for a few years myself," Tku offered as he kept repairing the shelter, the storm was quite strong.

"Wunderbar. Now um... don't we have a job to do?"

Tku agreed just a hole cracked open followed by a clunky rolling sound, "Oh, I think that was a rock that just broke through."

"I always wanted a pet rock."

Tku let out a hearty laugh, "Hard to take care of I hear."

"Needy, even."

Tku had been bending the sand to repair the holes and the sand just feel odd. The sand, the storm, just small things seem off, "These seem different than normal."

"Small... and nasty."

Tku shook it off as he couldn't describe it in any actionable way, "It just feels different, I can't explain it otherwise"

"Tku! Watch out!"

A sandbat emerges from below them, hunkering inside their shelter. It hisses.

Tku dodged thinking another rock rocketed in to see a creature he never seen in Torragon, "Hmm? Ahh!!!"

"What the fuck is that thing!?"

The storm had finally passed and they were left with this odd bat creature. He looked to Marci, hoping to deal with it peacefully, "You know any chemical spells for bats?"

The sandbat hissed and Tku held his spear in case it lunged.

"Yeah, it's called killitwithfire."
Just then, however, there came a... trumpeting sound!?

"Wait hold on now, it could be entertainment," Tku took a look at it, trying to see if it picked up some injuries from the storm or them trying to build on it.

Marci and Tku emerged from the shelter, digging their way out with binding magic and, floating over the dunes on the still-strong winds was... an elephant!? A tiny....flying elephant.

"Well then," Tku tilted his head at the odd sight, "Our roommates are doubling."

The small elephant seized upon the sandbat and immediately dived in to pursue it and the chittering menace took off quickly, flapping away as the pachyderm landed and let out another snort.
Then, immediately, the tusker began digging near where the bat had been. It dug ferociously with feet and tusks, paying the two humans little mind.

Tku decided to use some binding magic to help it out, "It's the least I can do for getting rid of the squatter." He looks over at Marci to more or less let her know he didn't go insane and was just having some momentary fun with an elephant.

The little elephant flicked its ears about and let out an annoyed little trumpet, defensive over its find.
It didn't turn down the help, however, digging deeper and with increasing urgency, letting out little snuffling snorts along the way.

Then, finally, it hit pay dirt.

Digging in with its tusks, they came up covered in what looked to be blood at first, but was actually sweet melon juice.

"Oh!" Tku was surprised to find an underground melon

For the next couple of minutes, Marci and Tku would watch the Kite Tusker gorge itself on Wazingui Melon that had been buried in the storm. It it grew here, however, that must've mean that water was close by.

The rather cute, odd-looking little beast occasionally let out satisfied snuffles and grunts, glancing warily over its shoulder at them.

Finally, full to the max, it sat back and let out a long, satisfied sigh.
Plodding a little ways away, it hunkered down in the shade cast by the two humans' improvised shelter.

"Water would be nice. Shall we try to figure out where it is?" he looked at the strange pachyderm chow down.

"Would be ideal," Marci agreed, reaching out with her senses.
With the elephant having abandoned its dig, she moved over to investigate the hole, and her eyes widened.

Tku tried to peer down if any seeds or melon was left, in a pinch he could grow them.

Then, he saw it too.
Tangled among the vines was... some sort of wand.
It was not like anything they had seen before and, as Marci scanned it, she recognized those energies. They were the same ones that occasionally surrounded her brother's girlfriend, Dory.
"Sooooo...." she began, "What do we uh, do with it?"

"What in the world?" Tku went ot start freeing it with his spear. "Get it out safely for now, I'll touch it sense you can call for help better, something weird about a wand out of nowhwere."

Marci eyed the wand and eyed him. She glanced at the tusker. It seemed to be watching them idly.
"Should we?" she questioned, "on our own?"

The animal was up and moving again, and it began lumbering over to the hole it had made earlier. While it was tiny by elephant standards, it was still the size of a large dog, and its ear-wings - currently folded and resting along its back - were probably at least eight feet in span.

Tku questioned, "I mean it is odd for sure but it could just be a lost treasure of someone who failed to cross the desert." Tku was nervous with it moving over, "I should grab it before it goes back in," Tku looks at Marci like confirmation that he will do it now, giving her one last chance to say something.

Marci stepped out of the way. "Um...be careful. I think it's... a dark magic item." Better him than her, she supposed, but Tku was kind of nice. She'd rather he not die.

Tku stopped, "Dark magic?" He didn't even need to know to be worried. He attempted to lift it with some telekinesis onto a cloth instead of grabbing it now.

Then, the tusker made a final dash and grab for it.
Tku had it in his kinetic grasp.
The elephant had it in its trunk.
Its greedy little eyes glared at him.

"Oh no you don't!" Tku tried to rip it towards him, "I will make you a melon! Give it to me!! Marci can you grow these?"

The elephant pulled back obstinately, refusing to let go. It stamped and unfurled its massive ears in a threat display. They hadn't gotten a good look at the colours before. They were eyes: giant eyes, or at least mimics of those.

Then, Marci had crafted the most sickeningly sweet thing she could manage. Spratz, albeit fake spratz
a terrible knockoff of the real thing. It was enough. The tusker released the wand all at once and went charging for the fake plant. The girl happily tossed it into the air and as far as she could. Within moments, the little pest was gone, chasing after it.

That left... the wand. However, before they could do much of anything with it, Marci perked up. She pointed. "There, in the distance: it's them!"

Tku now held it in his hand, not originally wanting too but just catching it after launching it towards him, "You're a blood mage Marci?" Tku asked.

Marci nodded. The others were still a good half a kilometer away. "Don't go telling everyone though, huh?"

Indeed, there appeared to be... three or four people, two on a large horse and... was there a little juvenile horse as well?

Tku nods and remakes some of his clothes, repairing them and refills his water pouch, "Same to you," Tku smiles, "Let's great them, hopefully that means Riesco is okay."

Marci began walking. Tku began walking. They waved.

Somewhere, not too far away, the kite tusker decided to follow them.

"Do you know where the angry child went?" Tku asked remembering that Marci may not want to search for him.

The Hourglass Order

Event: Metropolis

---

Aftermath of the Fight

What a disaster, Ingrid sighed as the last of the Skugvars quills were removed. She overestimated her own ability and underestimated Abdel's skill as a tamer. Luckily they didn't do enough much harm to warrant them being put down. Either way, Ingrid's efforts bore little results. The captives were silenced, most likely temporal or a deal with some demon. The building was burned and all she had to show for this was a burnt letter confirming their intentions and giving hints that the person who fought on toe with Lu Wong was the help they asked for. Not that she could be sure. For all they know, they could have been the vanguard, making way for more.

Ingrid felt pain prick her as she gave the interview, apparently not getting rid of all the irritant. "I followed Brother Yalen's lead on this," Ingrid told Zihan, "Our companion Abdel was in there when the inn burst into flame. I rushed in to get him out of there. In the confusion his animals must have been manipulated and attacked me and Niallus." gesturing to the needles she had removed. "I attempted to freeze the things in the building to hopefully preserve the building and put a quick end to the situation, but I failed," Ingrid sighed, "My other objective was to preserve the evidence that may lay there," Ingrid offered the burnt letter she found, "It's not much but I think person who fought the Exemplar is the help they were looking for. Other than that, their might be some ties to other groups that question the government based on the what can be read."

"Some of your peers are under the impression that this was a chance find - that we'd not have known had your leader not taken action." Zihan shook her head, not bothering to look up to meet Ingrid's eyes. "I will tell you this, though: it wasn't. It was a trap, purposely set, and one that you were led into." She accepted the paper and rolled it up, shooting a glare at the translator as the mousy girl hesitated. "This is evidence." She held it up and shook her head a second time, tightly. "The only thing you could've done differently - the only count on which you failed - was getting involved in the first place."

Now, Zihan met the much taller woman's gaze, and she did not seem small in comparison. "Our enemies are trying to use you - wildcard that you newcomers are - to foul up an investigation months in the making." She clasped her hands. "There is a vast conspiracy here and we have only probed at the very edges of it. Simply put, it is incumbent upon us to use you first and use you better, before they can." The lieutenant tucked the rolled-up paper into a satchel that she carried. "The only other option is eliminate you, and that is also something they would like, so I've no intention of doing it." Her eyes narrowed, however, and she dismissed the translator now that they were finished. She turned on a heel and made to walk away, before tapping Ingrid on the shoulder. "Ze problem is zat you has the traitor in you group," she whispered. Her Avincian was passable enough for this purpose. She pulled out a signal flare from her back. "You use zis when you to find him. Hour twenty in ze night. We work togezer and stop zis bad man. You do you's job. I do my. You get much ze good sings."

Ingrid took the flare, thinking about who the traitor could be. She had a few ideas but nothing solid enough to act on. She nodded her head.

Zihan nodded in return and offered a supportive smile. "Sank you," she whispered, and there they parted.

She returned to the inn and started with cleaning herself. Of course it was a trap, how set up could it get, Ingrid shook her head as she unwound. The Exemplar, the gray guard, the location, they wanted to show us. We intervened and it caused the carefully created facade of safety to turn into pure chaos and the government didn’t even get much out of it. I’m sure the mess will be pinned fully on us. Ingrid rolled her eyes at the thought but it was whatever at this point. She knew that any mistakes were on us. And in truth we were over zealous to help and solve this.

But now there is a supposed traitor. It made her uncomfortable to think of her teammates like that so soon but it was undeniably a chance though it seemed slim to Ingrid. I trust Niallus isn’t. He’s a bleeding heart but he wouldn’t put me in danger without some warning. Yalen feels like he could be with his condition but I can’t be sure, most likely not though. Trypano is hard, we saw the gods could change form at will, and I know the traveler can. If the offer was made to advance her studies to great heights I could see her doing it though I don’t even think the gods knew what to do with her so most likely not, Ingrid chuckled even considering her. I don’t even know if the Traveler has that level of weird tolerance.

Ingrid now started to seriously consider people. Maura. She is low RAS and disabled. Though she certainly isn’t underprivileged. She seems trusted by her family, has family and personal wealth, and has land in Retan that I’m sure she wouldn’t want to lose. But above all that, she is more than willing to partake in subterfuge and there is no one here other than Abdel she would care to lose, some she may actively want gone. Ingrid felt uncomfortable because she knew that she could be on that list if it was her and with how she acted, Ingrid felt increasingly wary. Ingrid moved on, no need to keep on it, The rest don’t seem of note. Abdel is not cowardly but I don’t think he would have worked so hard to keep people alive if it was him. Rikard is suspicious for his resemblance and how the Violet Enclave reacted to him, otherwise nothing on him. Kaureerah was the most unknown to Ingrid, she seemed friendly to Ayla so there is a real chance that she may be a sympathizer like Ayla comes off as. Apparently she ran off as well so she is very suspicious but nothing akin to real evidence. Eaiko seems to really like water, at the trials some slept in a fountain so maybe it was something like that. Ingrid wasn’t fully on board with the I just wanted water idea. She isn’t even sure anybody is a traitor and this could just get people to fight against each other. She sighed as if she was done thinking about it for now.

Unsightly Revelations

Everyone had gone off, but Ingrid decided to snoop around the inn. No one is here after all. Plus there is Yin to talk to with her magical Speaktrout. There even seems to be a little one following her. Ingrid takes the action figure just in case she needs a child distractor.

As she wound her way toward the energy figure that had to be Yin, there was the unmistakable signature of Chemical Magic being used on the child who was with her. Then, there were sonic traces - quiet, whispered ones - and the small person scampering off to another room, seeming to pause and blunder a good few times along the way. Yin rushed over to guide them momentarily before rushing back, closer to Ingrid, seeming to resume her 'normal' task of dishwashing.

Seems there was a little child running around. It was odd that chemical magic was being used. Ingrid walked up to Yin, "Hello Yin," Ingrid smiled, "Child keeping you busy?"

Yin's eyes widened and she all-but recoiled from Ingrid. "I... uh..." Her eyes went to the... talking fish!? She stared at it, unbelieving before blinking a couple of times and gathering herself. "Um, child?" she asked. "Oh, yes. You mean Yong. He is my little brother. Very small, very shy."

Ingrid can't help but giggle at Yin's reaction, "It is quite the remarkable fish. Try speaking into it, it can turn your speech into any language!" Ingrid excitedly offered. A little embarrassed that she failed to determine the size of the kid. "I'm sorry, your brother. Where I come from people get big real quick. Do you want to call him over? I'm sure he would want to see the fish," Ingrid offered, ever curious why she seemed so startled. The kid seemed to enjoy running around, not exactly shy.

Yin regarded her cautiously and took her offer of the speaktrout. "I, umm... it is well past his bedtime anyhow." The magical fish translated it all after a moment. Yin's words were Retanese to herself and their closest equivalent in... Eskandish to Ingrid. The Eskandr's Avincian, in turn, became Retanese to Yin. "This is... pretty amazing, though, if I have to be honest." An almost childish sort of curiosity came over her then. "Where did you get it?" she asked. "How does it work? Magic, right?"

Meanwhile, from behind the door, there were small footsteps: stealthy, but not as stealthy as they perhaps thought they were.

Ingrid nodded in agreed excitement, "In the magic city of Ersand'Ernise, there is an auction where items from across the world are sold! You can find anything there. For how it works!" Ingrid picks it up like she was showing it off, pressing in places, "Originally I thought it was crafted by a group of master mages, ones who had learned all the languages in the world and binded it together to make it. But I don't think that's it! If you feel around when it is speaking it is like moving internally!" Ingrid gestured for her to feel it. Maybe all this exciting talk will lure in the sneaky child. Come young one, can you resist the awesome talking fish?!

Yin was... not so excited to carefully feel over the fish, in truth, preferring to simply admire its ingenuity and perhaps speak into it. "You know, I can speak some Nikanese into it," she chirped, and it worked even for this foreign tongue and with her rather thick accent. "Hey, do you know any other languages?" Yin prodded, holding a smile at bay.

Then, came the sound of small footsteps, and she froze. "勇，该睡觉了！已经过了你的就寝时间。" The fish, however, translated it all: Yong, it's time to sleep! it's past your bedtime.

"I'll be right back," Yin promised. "Yong needs to be in bed. He has school in the morning." There was a small voice from the other side of the door, however, and the fish picked that up too. "Yin, can I come see? Pleeeease? It sounds really fun."

Ingrid lured out the kid and couldn't help but enjoy the current situation. "Alright," Ingrid initially agreed but upon hearing the little ones request, "You know Yin, this may be Yong's only chance to see it, maybe a few more minutes wouldn't be that bad." Ingrid was no mother but a few missing some sleep for a new experience seemed worth it, so she merely offered it.

Before Yin could say (yes or) no, the door opened of its own volition. A boy of perhaps eight or nine years old burst through, wearing what appeared to be some sort of festival mask, only... it looked somewhat... feminine. It took Ingrid a moment to remember the small toy she'd been sold by one of the hucksters in the market today. It was the Black Guard Lucky Dragon!

"Huah! Ha! Hand over that fish, giant lady, for I am Lucky Dragon, Black Guard, and I demand to see it!"

Yin looked at the boy, looked at Ingrid, and seemed at once relieved and absolutely horrified, somehow.

How adorable, and the Lucky Dragon mask to boot. The Giant Lady comment irked her but he's just a kid, I'm sure Yin will scold him later for that. Ingrid did a respectful, if not played up, bow to Lucky Dragon. "But of course mighty Black Guard," Ingrid handed it over to him with both hands, "With this one can speak in the tongue of Yasoi to even the great Mountain Hegelans!" Ingrid kept an eye on it after handing it over, kids were notoriously clumsy and she had felt this one pumping into all sorts of things. She gave a look to Yin that she didn't mind the little one.

Yong grabbed the speaktrout with both hands and seemed to almost... be feeling it with his fingers, investigating its shape and contours. Then, he giggled. "Ugh.... eeeewww! It's slimy!" He didn't let go, however. If anything he seemed more amused.

"Yong, you should sit!" warned Yin. "I think the fish is very valuable. Think about how it makes us hear things in languages we understand." In truth, she had noticed that it was quite indiscriminate. It had translated virtually everything within hearing range. It had even reproduced a tiny fart that the boy had let out. Regardless, its little fishy lips kept flapping and it kept speaking in the voices of the people around it. "I am a hegelan and hegelans don't sit!" retorted Yong, and Yin slapped her palm against her forehead in frustration, letting out a hissed sigh. "You know you can't see anything in that mask. You're going to drop it!"

Yong stopped then, and turned vaguely in her direction. For a moment, the air prickled with warning, but nothing happened except for the boy sitting down. "Hey miss, ready to catch a fish?" he joked. Gently but rather suddenly, he lobbed it through the air in Ingrid's direction.

Ingrid spoke in the various languages she knew and some of the phrases she had picked up from the multi-lingual hub that was Ersand'Ernise. It was overall a fun time, watching a kid play with something oh so magical. She noticed that there was some tension and was ever so curious why. Then suddenly the little rebellious boy decided to lob the fish at her! "Wha-" Ingrid face was of pure terror as she threw her hands out to clutch it with telekinesis and pull it to herself.

"Yong! Why?" Ingrid asked in a raised voice, not outwardly furious but concerned about what kind of kid just throws someone's stuff like that. Something has to be going on here.

He looked at her defiantly and then at his older sister. "I can't see anything in this mask," he growled, paraphrasing her words from moments ago, and her face turned ashen. Ingrid could sense Yin's heartrate rising. He turned to Ingrid. "Sorry for throwing your fish. It's really cool." Then, suddenly, he appeared to tense up in pain, sitting on the edge of a chair, fists clenching. Yin rushed over. "Come, Yong. We need to get you to your room. I'll give you some of the medicine." She began to usher him out before rising briefly and twisting Ingrid's way. "He will not admit it," she whispered, "and just speaking of it can make him... irritable, but Yong is quite sick these days." The issue was that the fish translated, and the fish did not know how to whisper…

Ingrid's concern seemed justified, Yong seemed increasingly upset and with Yin seeming terrified Ingrid had a few suspicions. She rose from her seat, setting the fish down, to get closer to Yong. "Please Yin, let me help. The school trained me as a healer." Ingrid seemed adamant on this. If Yin would allow, she would help them to the room and sense through his body for aliments in attempt to fix them then finally asking, "Can I remove his mask?"

Why did Yin's heart increase like that? Was it just fear or was it chemical magic? Ingrid questioned as she racked her brain for the various things she had read up on.

"Maybe we give him something else to distract him?" Yin tried, bleeding anxiety out into the room, "If you have anything else we could use?"

Then, it was too late. Yong, who had heard it all and had enough - who'd had enough of being hidden and in pain and told to lie - ripped off his mask at Ingrid's words, before his siter could stop him. There was a small surge of magic from her direction, immediately tamped down upon, but it was secondary.

The boy's eyes were closed and the lids swollen. There were stains of dried blood below them, hastily wiped clean at some recent juncture in the past. Weakly, he blinked, and his eyes were bloodshot and dark. "This is what we're hiding," he announced, voice more strident than it should have been. Then, however, it went soft and frightened. "And it hurts, too."

Ingrid initially cringed at the sight, it was grotesque and to see it on a child made it even worse. But with his age and the magic that came from his sister, she had an idea of what it was. Ingrid looked at him more softly, "It's alright Yong," Ingrid tried to reassure, "Come here so I can get a better look," Ingrid getured for him to come close.

As he got closer, she could see the eyes more clearly and it was what she thought. "He's a powergazer," Ingrid stated clearly as she cleaned and healed what she could. Ingrid looked at Yin, "Did you go to a doctor?" Ingrid asked, most likely knowing the answer with how much Yin wanted to hide it.

Yin's face fell, horrified at the suggestion. She backed away, her voice at once somehow raised and quieter. "Nooo!" she wailed. "Nononono no!" She shook her head, tears spilling down her cheeks. "Ingrid, you don't understand. I don't mean it in a bad way, but you really don't!" Her hands grabbed at her dress, balling up. "This is Retan." She shook her head some more, slumping, defeated, against a wall. "This is Retan..." She began to cry, burying her face in her hands. "I am sorry, Yong. I'm sorry your big sister can't be strong. I'm sorry things can't change."

The boy was anxious now. He stumbled towards her and wrapped her up in a hug. "Don't cwy, big sis. I know you're trying. I know you help me."

She looked up, wiping some tears from her eyes with the back of her hand. "I love you, little brother." she hugged him tightly and glanced Ingrid's way, eyes red-rimmed. "Here is the truth of this place: all of us in this family have the ability to use magic, but we did not pass the state licensing test and..." Her voice sunk. "We are not the type of people they want to have magic anyhow."

"Don't worry, Yin. I'll pass it. You'll see."

She stroked the back of her little brother's head, and then down his neck and back, patting him as much for her own comfort as his, perhaps more. "I believe in you, Yong." She gave him one last squeeze. Then, she rose and regarded Ingrid. "Yong will pass because he has no other option. People like myself and..." she paused for just a bit too long. "others who have it can hide by not using it. He can't, though. His only option is to pass or..." she trailed off, closing her eyes again, and began to cry.

Ingrid gulped as she realized she had uncovered something very uncomfortable, something wrong. They were suffering for just... existing. Retan might have their own laws on magic users and that's fine. But Yong? He was just born different. He's no more menace than any other untrained mage in her eyes yet he might be disposed of by the peace keepers.

Ingrid was nauseous from the thought of it. She tried to speak but it was obvious to Yin that her words have affected her. She didn't disagree with the Traveler's broad message but she was on the side that would loose a lot. They had attacked her and her family, destroy some of their history. But so what? I'm sure that the hundreds in debt or enslaved by her own blood would say she did the same to them.

One thing is for certain, Yong doesn't deserve a fate like this. She composed herself, "Yin, I'm not sure what to say but I at least want to help Yong," Ingrid looked earnestly at her, "I know you said there was a test, maybe I can answer questions and tutor him tonight and we can talk. Yong deserves a long life." Ingrid offered. She would push the issue later but right now she wanted to earn some trust with someone who had to open up a door they did not want to.

Ingrid's resolve to handle this quickly and cleanly was shaken. Yin obviously knows more but how could she root out what could be their only chance at a safe life for her brother? She needed to discuss this with some of the other people but who to let know.

Yin dried her tears, but she still regarded Ingrid a bit warily. "I... the best thing that you can do right now is tell nobody," she replied quickly and adamantly. "If you really want to help us, you will keep this secret."

Then, there was another sound: a door opening some ways distant within the inn.

Ingrid heard Yin's words but there wasn't time for her to consider them. As the person came in, Ingrid held up a hand and scanned whoever came in. Yin had been crying and Ingrid was sure Yong needed her at the moment.

It was four people, all of them men, and moving in a tight formation towards the courtyard. "Zhu Kai," whispered Yin, "and half of his men." Quickly, she began to usher Yong towards the door and the rear rooms beyond. "I know them by their footsteps," she clarified.

Ingrid tilted her head, Oh so wonderful that our keepers have come back and I'm literally the only one here. she waved goodbye to Yong as he was escorted away. "Should we go greet them?" Ingrid asked, offering Yin a hand towel. She didn't want to come off as suspicious to them so she trusted Yin on this one.

Yin accepted it with a small mew of 'thanks' and dabbed at her face where her makeup had run. She took a little bit longer than she perhaps strictly needed to compose herself. Then, she nodded. "We should go greet them, and... don't be angry at them, please. Kai is a good man, and so are his soldiers. They're just doing their job." She began to lead Ingrid towards the courtyard and her voice sunk into a whisper. "In fact, they must know that Yong is here. They can use their magic to sense him but, as long as they don't see anything obvious, they can pretend not to know."

The speaktrout, however, did not translate particularly quietly, and her face went ashen for at least the fourth time that night. She cursed softly beneath her breath in Retanese and, thankfully the fish didn't pick that up as well.

Ingrid went to shut off the magical trout. For all its power, it was damn annoying at times. She looked over to Yin, worried if telling Yin about what happened to them would change her acting. She weighed it and went in for a whisper to Yin, using her own retanesse, "We were attacked today, they may be less friendly." Ingrid didn't say anymore and let Yin do with that information what she saw fit but from Ingrid's experiences, friendliness ends when blood is drawn. She headed over to greet them as she normally would, walking tall and confident. "Captain Zhu," she gave a wave and then a nod to the other guards.
For what it was worth, they pulled it off. The captain held himself together well, but anyone with some abilities in Chemical magic would be able to tell that he was both exhausted and a sea of boiling emotions. "Ah, Ing-ri, Yin," he greeted them, and the two Retanese exchanged a bit of fast dialogue. "看到你漂亮的脸蛋，这糟糕的一天会好一点。" (Seeing your pretty face makes this terrible day a little better.) He turned to Ingrid and smiled... conspiratorially? "你只是像你理解的那样看着我，就在刚才。" (You looked at me like you understood, just now.) In truth, Ingrid's understanding of Retanese was far from fluent, but she could get along in it as long as people spoke clearly and no advanced vocabulary was used. "Well, maybe you know what kind of day I've had," he said, consciously trying to make things easy for her to follow. Dai, Zheng, and Zhang nodded along in agreement, each looking haggard and grateful to be alive. "I think yours was probably the same." The captain shook his head, tired, suddenly. "Don't get into any trouble, okay? Keep my job easy." He exchanged a few more words with Yin that were almost... flirtatious in tone and then the four guardians headed off towards their rooms.

"Oh wait, Caprain Zhu!" called Yin. "I haven't turned up your sheets yet. Let me just do it quickly!" She scurried after him.

Ingrid spent the rest of the night waiting for Niallus, still conflicted on the revelations that she had learned. She hoped that Niallus would give her the normal comfort she finds in him but it seemed the conflict in her couldn’t be explored with Ingrid constantly worrying about being overheard. Still him being there at the end of the night brought up its own easement for her to sleep soundly.

Ingrid awoke still wanting to talk to someone about this but had a hard time thinking who she should reach out to. Maybe she would keep open and listen to other people and try to get a feel. Everyone went out last night so I’m sure there are things to share and things said if they don’t.

Lastly she went to Yalen to try and procure some topical pain medicine for supposed aches and pains. Hopefully getting some time to speak on his perspective on all of this. Ingrid found some trust in his words since he was a man of the cloth.

The Hourglass Order

---

Event: Primitive

---

“Always the fucking exceptions.”

Just as Zarina brings a shield to a fight, her opponent happens to be an intangible force that metaphorically laughs at her grand defense. Steam nearly erupts from the openings of her helm as she points the massive maw of her shield-cannon toward the murky accumulation of mist before her. From the barrel comes a wave of flames from the energy she had already drawn prior to this ambush. Nibbler finds solace in a crevice on her armor, seemingly designed for him, while Riesco was kept outside the ruins.

“Cover your mouth,” she warns to her partner, “smoked mist probably isn’t good for your bones.” given it actively drains them by contact, it is safe to assume breathing the stuff is no good. The obliteration of the mist allows for some respite, and the flames lit up details that would be hard to notice with a murderous cloud constantly attacking. “Al’ama!” Zarina swears, as the horrid, gaseous mass begins to reform already and the leftovers of previous travelers begin to hurl themselves at the two.

Tku covers his mouth with a cloth to keep the mist from his lungs though how effective it is was to be discovered. Still Tku quickly tossed her a spare cloth he had, ”Just to be sure,” not knowing if the armour she wears protects from this godforsaken mist. The mist drains on Tku and he considers reconstructing it with blood magic but as he looks towards his companion he can’t help but feel nervous to show it off. ”We should search around for a way out of here, I’m sure there is a way,” Tku tells his companion.

After a brief moment of walking, the mist sapping their life everstill, they finally spot a person. Tku sighs in relief, ”We might be out of here soon!” Tku nudges Zarina and yells out to the man. There isn’t a reaction so he yells once more and the figure begins to rush towards them at high speed. Tku readies himself and as it draws near its obvious it is a cadaver merely hurling itself towards. Tku screams out and dodges out of the way, ”What is that!”

Keen, golden eyes focus on the shape that draws near. A human silhouette ragdolled toward them as if it had been pushed by an unseen force. Then another body, and then another. Mostly skeletal remains, some big enough to resemble camels. Zarina uses her shield to let some of them slide by her rather than dodging outright, although she does leave the pile she had accumulated with a fiery explosion, “No idea.” she answers, frustrated. And that frustration only grows as the mist not only reforms but grows in toxicity with the charred remains of the corpses.

“Can you freeze or harden it?” inquired the platinum warrior as they tried to force themselves forward. She wasn’t much for chit-chat and sought out to draw anything that wasn’t the mist, although only under the condition that Tku could do anything about it consistently siphoning them.

”What twisted mind came up with this?” Tku asks as he dodges them over and over, nearly evading them each time. Destroying the undead only seemed to turn the mist deadlier and he could feel his magic lessen. He got away from the burnt remains and begrudgingly said, ”I may have something better.”

Tku reaches out with his mana and when he can sense the matter he begins to draw and transform it. Some to heal him and Zarina, others just turn to small stones that fall helplessly on the floor. For the moments Tku drew the mist, they could see the attackers and could escape from that perilous situation. Tku kept drawing from the mist to provide them some brevity from it but remained silent.

With the way once again cleared by Tku’s hand this time, the armoured warrior pushes forward with the ragdolled corpses merely shoved away by the shield rather than obliterated. “A little bit further.” utters the girl under the helm, “Where we’re being guided towards.” she scoffs, “You’d almost think it’s a trap.”

For a brief moment, she stops and crouches, “If you can’t go fast on your own,” she begins while drawing any bit of heat and kinetic magic she could find. There isn’t many, but enough for her for a single burst, “grab on quick!” she warns just a mere second before she propulses herself forward toward the arrow’s direction. Quick swerves via the wings of magic spell allows for one to dodge most obstacles, though it makes her a prime target for a sucker-punch!

Tku nervousness is high having used it in front of someone, he simply prays that she will either conflate it with binding or not mention it. The idea of the arrow being a trap didn’t cross him, “Or this could be a trial to sift out the weak, either way the arrow seems to be our best bet. I pray for our friend's safety.”

Tku grabs onto her and helps with the propulsion by leveraging his spear against the floor, ”Not as fast as you!” He clears out more of the mist and extends his spear to use it as a long pokey stick to keep the corpses away.

The two are nearing the beacon that called for them. The mist is recuperating from its disrupted state and attempts to charge right at them. It’s going to be a close one! Luckily for them, they have a little Nibbler giving a final ‘push’ for an exciting escape.

The Hourglass Order

Event: Metropolis

---

Things were odd, there was no magic use and the one time she could have felt it being used, the guards ran off for quite awhile. Now they were being fed excellent food sitting in a very nice inn with beautiful views. It was wonderful and generous and if Ingrid was here as an envoy for friendly relationships, then this would make sense. But no, they were here to hunt down a traveler agent that was murdering people.

It seems her teammates also had some inkling that something was wrong. With everyone else asking Blossom questions, Ingrid played the lazy and ignorant noble who happily ate any food that was presented to her. Asking questions to Yin as she ate.

Not even the first day and there was much to speculate on. Though with Blossoms maybe intentional drinking we could get some time to discuss.

The meal concluded without too much hassle and people started to share what they knew. Yalen had gained a great deal of information from blossom. So they had a white guard and a black guard, and the black guard was hunting down the traveler and we are the convenient cover for them. Zenith Upta talked about how a connection with Rettan would be made if we pulled this off correctly. If the White guard are the elite and the Black guard are even more so, they might work with the very higher ups, possibly even the twin emperors.

Ingrid nodded to tell Yalen she understood but started to whisper to him in Perrench, a common language at the school but maybe not here at least. ”Je n’aime pas rester assis alors que nous pourrions faire les choses nous-mêmes. Et toi?” She felt Yalen wasn’t the type to sit around but maybe this could tell him she would support efforts on finding things out ourselves.

After washing up Ingrid decided to finally approach Maura after that little stunt she pulled. It didn’t really matter if they make a full of themselves now knowing that they are simply here as a convenient cover story for them. Still, Ingrid wanted to set the matter straight. She strolled over to Maura, ”Evening Maura,” Ingrid smiled. ”They sure did give a grand welcoming to us, and thank you for coming up with such respectable names for everyone,” Ingrid complimented Maura on her quick action, ”But that name you gave me was a bit much” Ingrid made no effort to hide her mild distaste for the name, ”As far as I am aware, we are not on good enough terms to be so lax with each other. Let’s try to be at least cordial in the meantime.” Ingrid yawned, ”Rest well Maura, you’ll have a lot of rolling to do tomorrow.” and headed off to her an Niallus’s room.

Once she was in her room she intended to just settle down with Niallus but her mind was caught up in all that was going on, just who could be in the Black guard and why were they using us. It sounds like they are near the level of the arch-Zeno’s at the academy so why then. Her mind couldn’t help but see them as a sacrifice for the white and black guard to remove problematic sectors. Something along the lines of, Oh the government didn’t do that, it was the nasty foreigners, this is why you can only trust the government. It’s an old trick, one that is surprisingly effective. And that didn’t sit right with her. Ingrid has done her fair share of bad things, but she would rather avoid making herself a public enemy here for any time she would want to do business in Retan.

The other thing that bothered me was if the guards came back. Even if the supposed legendary blackguards were on the case, common guards might be seen as expendable. Ingrid isn’t a traveler expert, but she has on more than one occasion dealt with them and both times their tactics were to lead their foe into an engagement where they are outnumbered. Ingrid snuck out and checked on the guards, believing herself to be stealthy with her mixture of arcane and kinetic magic. The only guard unaccounted for was the guard captain…

"What you do!?" demands a voice as she tries to slip around a corner undetected. It was Captain Zhu, Ingrid nearly had a heart attack, he snuck up on her so well and she was sensing for people as well. She quickly assessed the situation and determined that it was salvageable. She collected herself and spoke in her broken rettanese something along the lines of she was worried for his men because she had also encountered the Traveler. She tried to come off genuine but she couldn’t tell if she was really understood. At the very least Captain Zhu sent her back off to her room without any issue. Still, she was surprised how easy she was to sneak up on. Time to get some rest for tomorrow before it's too late, afterall there are no Zeno Bucks here.

The Hourglass Order

Event: Primitive

---

Tku popped through the portal fully expecting to fight the sand wyrm. Well, distract it for the most part, Dami knows that Tku had no shot at defeating such a foe. But that tension was changed into an intense curiosity as it seemed the Royal Sand Wyrm was… jovial? It was a scene like no other and whatever magic these ladies were using was past even his wildest imaginations.

Of course, our teammate Benedetto was ready to fight and was for lack of a better term, primed to try and kill it. Tku was more than ready to not fight this, but a small disturbance and disagreement had the platinum warrior flying. ”Oh shit,” Tku exclaimed from the shock of it. He was about to ask if they were okay, but they surprisingly landed and recovered with some ease. Oh this is going to be an experience, Tku thought as he adjusted his expectations. Still, he used a bit of binding on the platinum knight even if they seemed alright, just to be sure.

The wackness seemed to not reach its crescendo yet with them now suggesting to tame an Alpha Sand Wyrm. Taming any fully grown animal was difficult to impossible from what Tku had experienced but a sand wyrm? Us little people are like nothing to them, we are just small beings to them, no more significant than a puppy to us. The ideas were like they had already partaken in some of Luun’tils finest products. It almost came off as a joke but then a hallassa just appeared in front of everyone and Benny just confirmed it wasn’t anyone here. Tku just shook his head and moved onto the ranger who died. There was nothing left but Tku traveled the desert enough to know that they wanted to have something to mark the area.

He knew the stone of this area fine enough but cut a stone out of a particularly distinguished segment. Shaping the stone so that it would be visible for some time before the sand sweeps it away like everything else. Whatever he could do to help with the process he did and tried to be more of a facilitator of it and let the rangers do it as they wanted. After that was said and done, he followed Escarra’s suggestion. Where will this lead me, Tku pondered, knowing no matter where it went it would be interesting.

The Hourglass Order

Into the Fire

Tku ungracefully popped out of the portal, creating a sponge beneath him to absorb the fall. "Not my finest entrance but I'm alive," he stood up and shook off the sand. The scorching sun of the Torragonese desert set in quickly. He loved the sun but being placed in it after quite literally being under a giant rock was jarring. They were not alone, it seemed, a girl Tku knew as Isabella and a boy: Yalen.

"Sand Wyrm? Is Tan-Zeno Re confronting it?" He asked. He looked around and couldn't spot it. He clicked his tongue, "Do you have a way of getting us there?" Tku asked, posing it to the rest of his compatriots.

The Hourglass Order

Ingrid Penderson

---

Event: Metropolis

---

Upon arrival, Ingrid subtly looked around to see the buildings and people. She had heard so much of it in her Retanese class and finally being there was quite the experience. However, they were not here as tourists but as hired mages to snuff out the traveler agents. They met with the officials as Ingrid expected until Maura decided to give her a name. Ingrid let off a small laugh, ”我更喜欢贵族学者英格丽," bowing and making no other note of it for now.

Wu Long intrigued Ingrid, he was the only one to break the set etiquette. Maybe it related to his title as Model of Creation and Destruction? It didn’t matter too much at the moment but he definitely made himself known with his introduction, publicly saying it was our evil that is causing them harm, and the only model to openly use magic. Strange indeed.

Soon the official left and Jiang Xiulan, their translator and guide, remained. She called over the guard captain, Zhu Kai, and some quick introductions were made. It was quite impressive that he spoke any Avincian at all. Ingrid made note of the guards that were accompanying them since Kai took the time to introduce them she gave a smile and light thanks to them.

Ingrid was originally going to address Maura during the walk about the stunt she pulled in front of the officials but resigned herself to doing it at the inn they were provided as it seemed that the locals enjoyed seeing foreigners. Instead, she waved to people and said hello back in Avincian. Taking in how the people were toward the hours of Eshiran. Keeping Niallus’s hand away until Ingrid understood Wánggǎng’s take on such matters. When Blossom brought up Retanese food Ingrid perked up, "I’ve had the luxury of trying it a few times but the chefs always told me that it would be better in Retan," she excitedly said.

The guards ran off and Ingrid wasn’t sure why at first, she wasn’t sensing anything so she must have missed it. Either way, it wasn’t something extreme Ingrid assumed. If it was, she would have sensed it without needing to actively search. Odd to say the least. Blossom’s and Kai’s attempts to reassure were not very effective for Ingrid. She has seen how the Traveler’s followers create small disturbances that lead to larger traps. One time against a century and her friend, and one time against her. Ingrid kept on edge for the time being, respecting their attempts to seem to reassure us. Looking to guard captain, "如果能从您的角度快速处理这个问题，那就太好了."

Translation Sheet

“I prefer Ingrid, the noble scholar.”

“It would be nice to have a rundown from your perspective to deal with this quickly.”

The Hourglass Order

A Day Trip to the Silk Road

Tku read the letter with some glee. Any reason to go into the Hegelan cities was good enough reason. He hung around Esmii eating a Mcboller, before having some light say in whatever that blonde boy was saying. He was harsh as hell, to say the least, to the point that he should be called a heckler instead of a noble.

Whatever the case they were soon distracted by a yellow bird and like the simple minded students they were. Following and following all led to a blank space that eventually revealed itself to be the prime example of a man who defended a woman's honor, the scary mage who was quite interesting. And finally but certainly not least, the Vossoriyan beauty. All interesting characters, all from places Tku hasn’t been. He did his utmost to help and make a good impression.

Solving the cart problem with Manfred, and explaining the block puzzle to Yuliya. All these were attempts to build some rapport. But what opened was a beautiful room with mountain tops. There were so many people in here and he frankly couldn’t pay them all mind but eventually, they all found their seats. He had hoped things to stay calm but as Silas was slightly rude, the Arch-Zeno made him disappear.

Harrachora was the one to save them from the monsters with something similar in Tku’s ignorant mind. Fear took over and he sat silently even after he let people know he was still alive. He calmed himself sketching the map he presented, hopefully adding the details to his own map. The missions were sent out but it seemed Tku and a few others had different people.

The mission seemed unreal. Prevent the death of a Tan-Zeno, world balance, Snake people possibly, and even more that could be expected. Evander was curious about how much he seemed to know. Bennedetto was worrisome, there was some evil in his heart, and might run against the goal of our mission. Harrachora wanted us to promise him some trust and Tku agreed as he was indebted to him from his night at the Swirl. With that the portal was open and Tku headed off.

The Hourglass Order

Breakfast With Upta

A normal day of training with Niallus was interrupted by a surprise letter from Zenith Upta. Upta didn't mince words and got to the point. A very different style to Hugo's delivering vague messages via crow. Though Ingrid could appreciate it as she did have a few items that she could bring.

She dressed herself up, donning her new dress and wearing some jewelry, it was a breakfast with the Zenith after all. She was a little more than just excited. Upta was a brilliant mage who rose to the title surprisingly quickly. She is beyond talented and to get on her good side would greatly benefit any developing mage.

Arriving at the Forked Tower she saw many familiar faces, some new ones, and one that she knew well but couldn’t see with all the armor she had equipped. Of course, she had some equipment of her own, some she would hope not to pull out. The most surprising person there was what looked to be a little Hugo. Looked just like him and with all the shenanigans that have happened with people hopping through time to come back as younger versions, Ingrid couldn’t help but speculate.

Things kicked off in a big way with Rikard, the Hugo look-alike, stumbling through the perimeter of the Forked Tower. He didn’t get hurt so Ingrid confidently strolled in to be zapped by the forcefield. Some healing later for her and Niallus and they could all make their way in. Quite a few of the tethered noticed that their range had been slashed. It was unnerving but with what the Forked tower is, Ingrid wasn’t surprised.

It seemed that the Zennith had a proclivity for games much like the paradigm did. Figuring out who was around you, doing math problems, and even a counting game. All of them were fun and maybe it was just a good day but Ingrid was having a surprising amount of fun and doing things well if she says so herself. She even earned a head pat for Tan-Zeno Re which Ingrid couldn’t help but be excited about.

The conversations they had over breakfast were what Ingrid expected for the most part, there were missions that needed to be done for the betterment of the school. Unlike Hugo who mainly kept us in the dark, Upta was more straightforward and appeared more genuine. Perhaps they had grown strong enough to where they could learn the hidden dealings. Ingrid’s mission they were to go to Rettan and hunt down a Traveler agent who had been messing with the government and committing crimes. Ingrid fretted that a fight in such a city could turn into a bloody mess but with her training in binding and consciousness of her actions now she should be fine.

Her team going with her was nice. She had her lover Niallus and her good friend Trypano with her there. Yalen was coming and he had her Scepter of Ahn-Shune, Ingrid was thrilled to see just what magic Yalen chose to learn with it. He was such a good soul so Ingrid was happy it went with him. Ingrid knew little of Kaureerah or Rikard. They both interested her but Rikard much more. Maura and Abdel were less fortunate picks in Ingrid’s head. Maura and Ingrid weren’t on the best terms, mostly one-sided at this point. Abdel she had no issue with but it seemed they had gotten closer so it could be a choosing-sides situation. Hopefully not but you never know.

With the mission decided and people grabbing any last items, Upta connect two spaces and sent us on our way, Ingrid walked through.

The Hourglass Order

Ingrid Timeskip

Collabs During the Timeskip

Permission

Ingrid’s dragons had hatched and she had quickly become quite a hassle to manage. She would have turned to Sven to help, but now he has a girlfriend. Would it be appropriate to hang out with just the 2 of us, Ingrid asked herself. She was unsure of how possessive Esmii was and knew Sven would respect what she wanted. Ingrid invited her to meet at a place of her choosing.

Esmii had a few mixed feelings with this, ranging from concerns to confusion. Why? She wondered to herself. Esmii knows that Sven and Ingrid were close, so it made her a bit uneasy. Wondering if she was going to ask Esmii to stop dating Sven. She had faith in Sven’s judgment, saying that Ingrid wouldn't do that. Trusting her boyfriend, she agreed to meet Ingrid at Zenobucks. With the place chosen, Esmii waited for Ingrid to turn up.

Ingrid waved at Esmii and ordered 2 large coffee with milk and spratz, absolutely addictive. Ingrid didn’t know how to expect this to go but here we go. Ingrid smiled, "Afternoon Esmii," Ingrid smiled as she set a coffee in front of her before taking a seat. "Are you doing well?"

Esmii waved back to Ingrid. She sits down at the table. Smiling at Ingrid, Esmii takes one of the coffee's "Thank you.she says while taking a sip. Once ready, Esmii answers Ingrid's question "I'm fine. How have you been?" asking politely. This was a bit nerve-wracking for Esmii but she wanted to be brave. Making small talk may help ease the tension.

Ingrid took a sip of her coffee, "Well other than being addicted to coffee," Ingrid laughed, "Other than that, I been well, maybe a little stressed." An awkward silence took hold for a moment, "So the reason I called you…" Ingrid seemed to get a little nervous and even anxious, "So, umm, are you okay with me hanging out with Sven?" Ingrid asked.

Esmii was taken back a bit by this odd question. She felt her nerves take control at first, but managed to compose herself. She wasn't sure what she was getting at. After taking a deep breath and a sip of coffee. "I don’t mind if you want to hang out with him. But Sven is his own person, I don't speak for him, so you'll need to ask him too. feeling a bit more relaxed, she continues. "Besides, I might want to get to know you more too…" she puts on a brave smile. "Honestly. I was really nervous about this. About meeting you." she admits.

Ingrid shoulders fell as she relaxed, I still get to hang out with my dragon buddy! Ingrid smiled and said, "Oh I think he will." Ingrid said. She perked up at what Esmii said, "It seems I have that effect on people." Ingrid fidgeted with as ring she was wearing, "Anyways," Ingrid moved on, "I wouldn’t mind that, you seem sweet and you seem cute." Ingrid gave a compliment. "I was nervous that you be possessive about Sven, sorry."

Esmii smiles, ”Not at all, I get that you still want him to be your friend." she takes another sip of her coffee. "I trust him and he trusts me, and besides, he told me that you and his good friend Niallus may have started dating each other. He wouldn't want to ruin his two friends being happy." she giggles a bit. "He told me that he has never seen you as happy as you are with Niallus. It seems we have the best boyfriends, no? a big smile comes across her face. "Can I ask you what Niallus is like?" she asks her.

Ingrid was basking in what turned out to be a very pleasant experience but soon her cheeks turned red as it seemed she and Niallus were found out. "Shh," Ingrid hushed. She leaned in and canceled the sound around them,”Were not public yet, and it's still new you know? Don’t want to jinx it." Ingrid dropped the bubble and smiled, "Sven is very sweet I admit," Ingrid said as she reminisced on her old crush of him. "Niallus is… attentive I would say. He pays attention to the little thing, you know?"

Esmii places her hands over her mouth. "Oh, I'm sorry I didn't know that it was a secret. Don't worry I wont tell. she places her hands back onto the table. Listening to the nice things that Ingrid said about both Sven and Niallus, she could tell that she has moved on with Niallus. She smiles at her, then leans forward a bit. "I think that you'll be alright. I mean it's written on your face how much Niallus means to you. Him being attentive is a good thing, especially if you ask him if you look nice in outfits." she whispers it, just enough so Ingrid could hear her.

Ingrid giggled and a thought popped up in her head, "So the reason I wanted to hang out is that I have 3 little dragons that all need some love, and thought Sven might want to have some fun and help out." Ingrid smiled and leaned forward, "I was just going to invite Sven but do you want to come? I think they will like you." Ingrid offered.

Esmii eyes widen with joy, "Really I can come too. Thank you. I'd love to look after your dragons." she claps her hands "If you bring Niallus, we can make it into a double date after." she whispers to her. Leaning back she smiles, she has enjoyed meeting Ingrid. It seems like she doesn't want to try anything with Sven, and just wants to stay as his friend. She wasn't going to stop her boyfriend from spending time with friends as long as he remembers to spend time with her. Now she feels herself starting to trust humans more and more. "I think we're going to be good friends."she says.

Ingrid smiles at the suggestion, "that sounds lovely, Ingrid looks down at her watch, "We should talk about it more at a later date," Ingrid gets up and gives a healthy 1 magus tip. "It was good to finally meet you Esmii," Ingrid gives her a hug and heads off.

Watching Ingrid walk away, she wonders if she's going to spend time with Niallus. Esmii smiles on that thought being the possible reason. Realizing the time herself, she's missing out on time with her own boyfriend. After getting sorted, Esmii places a magus on top of the one that Ingrid placed then she heads off to where she was supposed to meet up with Sven.

Hurdy Gurdy

Ingrid was going to the workman's quarters to buy a new instrument after she may or may not have burned, broke, and then blown up her old instrument. When she was walking, she saw the most musically talented person she knows, Ayla! Ingrid waves over to get her attention.

Ayla was busy with her own ventures, so it took a moment for her to notice Ingrid waving towards her. She smiled and waved back, noticing her approach. “Hello stranger, we haven’t seen you for some time. Are you after something?”

We? Ingrid questioned before writing it off as one of her weird speech habits. "I am actually," Ingrid said with a smile, "and I was hoping you would help me."

She giggled and nodded, unable to hide that teasing smirk. “As one has come to expect. How may this one be of service to provide assistance, Lady Penderson?”. She signed off on a document as she handed over to one of those she were working with to focus her attention upon her. Her eyes are cast upon her as examines closer, it appears Ingrid has been training in their time off as she appeared leaner in her figure and adorning fashionable dresses. “You are certainly taking good care of yourself, we enjoy your dress…”, she notices the arm of an instrument poking out of her sachet, “... are you going to put on a performance?”

Ingrid sighed, "Yeah so I may have damaged my instrument." Ingrid opens her satchel showing that below what was visible was a charred, cracked, and somehow exploded instrument. The level of damage was cartoonish. "I was actually hoping you could help me pick a new instrument…" Ingrid asked, deeply embarrassed to show what she had done to the innocent instrument.

Ayla looked over the instrument, it appeared to be an Eskandish talharpa, or what remained of one. From the inspection, the bow had attempted to saw the talharpa in half and multiple questionable burn marks upon it. Ingrid appeared to have an issue with being too passionate with her instrument. “We always say that one should always make love with their instrument, but you shouldn’t be so rough it with. You need to treat it like a lover.”

She mulled with the options, changing to a larger instrument could help with the endurance, but given how powerful the Eskandish girl is, it wouldn’t last for much longer. Perhaps, finding something that allows her to express herself more freely would do the trick. “If you are open to Drudgunzean instruments, Maura was trying to coax Dory into one which could be better suited for yourself.” She inspected Ingrid, using her hands upon the other girl's hips as she swayed them side to side. “It would allow you to be far more passion in expressing yourself, and though with how you play it, it should avoid the fate of the talharpa. Have you come across the Hurdy Gurdy before?”

Ingrid felt awkward about how Ayla was describing the talharpa’s demise but she shrugged it off as she was the one asking for help, "I could try being a bit gentler with my things." Ingrid was frankly lost on why Ayla took her by the hips but hey, dancing was always fun. Ingrid wrapped her arms around Ayla and followed the rhythm, odd but fun to say the least. "I’ve never played it but it could be fun to learn it. It also has quite the name." Ingrid was starting to feel the rhythm and her more physical side wanted to dance a bit more so she started to take steps. "What does the Hurdy Gurdy sound like?"

“It is a string instrument, so it sounds similar to using a bow, except it doesn’t use a bow at all. Instead of running your bow across the strings, you use your wrist to crank the wheel which spins around.” Ayla mimics the action with his hand, rotating it circularly. “You hold the string down against the wheel, which produces the note. Switching strings or pressing down multiple for chords. It relies a lot more on your fingering technique rather than the sawing motion.” She held her hands out as if holding upon a partner at waist level, doing the crank motion and pressing with her fingers as she played an ‘air’ Hurdy Gurdy. “Now you wear it around you with a belt, then you can dance whilst you play. Great for use in a tavern or a beer hall, and places full of excitement.”

Ingrid mused the idea of her dancing with the Hurdy Gurdy, sound decent enough. "I think that can work. Thank you for the suggestion Ayla," Ingrid smiled.

Ayla nodded, and waved Ingrid off as the Eskandish girl as headed off to the music shop. “Don’t forget, keep your hips loose when moving, there is a lot of wrist action involved with the crank, and remember to do plenty of practice with your fingering on the strings! You are bound to enjoy yourself.”

Tku Timeskip

Collabs over timeskip

Pretty Subject

Tku was doing some homework in the arboretum, and he was struggling with it. This wasn’t natural for him. He traveled when he wanted and he worked when he needed. Some subjects were magical with how they could grab him and keep him intrigued for days. Others not so much. And this was one of them. I need something to take my mind off this drab subject.

And then by Ipte’s heaven, a distraction was sent! Tku spotted Esmii walking by, ”Esmii,” Tku chipperly called out, ”What are you doing right now?” he asked.

Esmii notices her friend calling her name. "Oh, hello Tku." she says, waving at him with a smile."I'm not doing much, just have a little walk around. What about yourself?" she asks him.

Tku hastily tossed the homework into his bag with a pinch of kinetic magic, ”Oh nothing but I do have something I would like to ask you if you don’t mind?” Tku excitedly gestured for her to take a seat.

Esmii nods and sits down near Tku. "Of course, is there something that you need my friend?" she asks him. Wondering what he wants to ask her, she's known Tku for a while now. It must be something, to help him relax. She is willing, to help her friend.

Tku smiled, “I think you have a certain quality to you. I paint as a passion and would love you to be a model for a quick piece.” Tku pulled out a sketchbook and a few pieces of charcoal, ”I’m not the richest but I can give 2 Incantor and you can keep it what I make at the end,” Tku offered. ”Plus we can chat as we go,” Tku smiled back.

Esmii brings a hand to her mouth, He wants to draw me. I have a certain quality she thinks to herself. Just being asked causes her to go red in the face a bit. She smiles and nods "I'd be honored. Do you want me to strike a pose, or just sit normally." she asks, letting out a giggle from excitement. But she was going to let him decide on how he wanted to draw her.

Tku lets out a hearty laugh, ”You can pose if you like, just remember that you will have to stay that way until the rough sketch is done,” Tku gives a light warning. ”Painting is like any other skill, you practice it to get better, there are fundamentals that can always be approved on,” Tku explains as he started to sketch her how she naturally was. Doing his best to capture the small differences between the petite Yasoi to what would be a slightly tall human woman. Esmii has such expressive reactions, I can’t wait to try to capture them, Tku thought. ”Though in any case, sketching someone blessed by Ipte certainly has its own charms,” Tku gave a joking wink

From the moment he started to sketch her, Esmii sat up straight, with a gentle smile on her face. The sheer focus that he had while sketching, was the same focus anyone has for their passions. No doubt Esmii shows the same focus when she's using healing magic. It was fairly easy for her to sit still, she thought about asking him to draw either Sage or Newt but those two wouldn't stay still long enough, Newt especially. After some time passes "How's it going? she asks him.

The sketch was about done, ”Done enough if you want to come over to take a look at the sketch,” Tku said as he finished the last details, ”It’s only the sketch but it should be ready for me to start painting, What do you think?”

Esmii relaxes herself, then goes to look over his shoulder to see the picture of her. It looked perfect, every little detail of her face was spot on Esmii didn't actually believe that the picture of this pretty thing that Tku has drawn was actually her. "Oh Wow. That's amazing Tku. Is that really me?" she smiles, watching him work on the fine details that he has left to do on the portrait.

The compliment had him grinning, ”Alright! Let’s get to the paint, I’m aiming for some realism but still capturing those reactions of yours.” He could give it a lot of attention and paint the finest details of her face but this was an exercise and was focused on her overall expression. It was a fun activity and Tku spoke freely with Esmii while he spent the better part of an hour on the painting. Reaching into his bag from time to time to “grab” different paint.

Esmii and Tku just spoke about simple things, like how they arrived to Ersand'Enise since they arrived roughly the same time. Reminisced about time they had at Vermillion Swirl. She offered to help put some of the paints he wasn’t using anymore back into his bag. The painting itself was coming along really nicely, they both couldn't wait for the end result.

Tku had hundreds of stories and loved to exchange them with anyone. Esmii was quite unique. He hadn’t the pleasure of getting to know any Constantian Yasoi. When she offered to put the paint in his bag, he laughed it off that his bag was peculiar, and even the soundest minds will go mad if they see how he organizes it, though he appreciates the offer. Tku looks at the picture a few more times, trying to see if he is missing anything. ”I think it is done,” Tku binded the page out to give it to her. The general character was there, colors were muted as they were in real life but Esmii’s colorful hair and her brilliant eyes shined through the muted parts. On top of that, Tku felt he did an okay job capturing the excited embarrassment she had when he asked her to model for him.

Esmii stares at this lovely sketch of herself. Her face filled with pure glee, she tries to hold her expression of excitement. Unfortunately she couldn't hold it so she jumped for joy. "Thank you, Thank you so much Tku." She says eagerly. Giving him a big hug, after the hug she goes back to looking at the sketch. She still couldn't believe how pretty she actually looks.
Tku just smiled at her excitement, ”Well thank you for being my model for the day,” He started to stand, ”It brings me joy that you like it so much. And thank you for distracting me for a while. Now I have to get to my homework.” Tku started to head back to his dorm, ”Would you like me to walk you to your dorm?” Tku offered before he would head off.

Esmii rolls up the sketch, carefully placing it in her pocket, "Sure, I need to get back to my dorm, to see what I need to buy. Since it's my turn." she smiles, a quick double check to see if the sketch is stored properly. She looks back to Tku "I'm ready when you are."

Tku smiled and walked Esmii back to her dorm. As he waved her off, Tku dreaded having to finish his homework.