Fallenreaper

The Hourglass Order

Roslyn

Time/Date: After the Thin Air event, Velles on Orredes the 7th.

A Little Chaos With Your Wine?

A soft breath entered Roslyn's chest, exhaling shortly after. Her mind raced through the plan as she leaned down and hoisted the small crate into her arms. The weight threatened to drag her down as she gritted her teeth. She drew in a small light from the nearby wicker lamp causing it to flicker out with a hiss. Pouring the energy into her veins, she lightened the weight of the crate while Esmii led the way.

"By the Gods, these are heavier than I expected." She huffed out.

It didn't take them long to locate the quaint house the Perrench Connection used for a base. Just outside, a blonde haired boy paced. He stopped at the end of his circling and tapped his foot. He scratched at the side of his head before he skipped up to her, taking notice of them.

Roslyn exchanged a glance with Esmii before she addressed him. Already her nerves started to flood her thoughts and they stumbled over themselves. She had never been great at deception as she inhaled, "Hello. I was hoping to find someone which I could possible trade this crate of Perrence wine in exchange for something special."

Esmii looked at Rose, she sighed and yelled "Rose it’s pronounced Perrench."

"Perrence wine?" he inquired, "or Perrench wine?" He nodded vigorously. "Those mean different things, you know." His grin was large and toothy.

Roslyn flinched, realizing her mistake. "I'm sorry that was a mistake on my part. Perrench wine. But yes, is anyone from the Perrench Connection around? I figured if anyone could appreciate it, it would be them."

"Oh, haha! Yes, we like wine, don't we!"

With that, Zarra disappeared.

Roslyn's eyes widened, her foot stepping back a moment. Immediately she stretched out her senses to locate him. Nothing. Just Esmii and her seemed to be the only mages outside. It didn't ease her paranoia. Roslyn turned with words on the tip of her tongue.

Esmii was looking around frantically, wondering how this guy suddenly disappeared.

"Show yourself, quit hiding like a rat."

Then, out of nowhere, a window explodes.

Roslyn screamed. Her form twisted and lowered, her face pressed into her shoulder. Chaos erupted onto the scene. Multiple common folk staggered out. Among their number, a bright human-shaped fireball stumbled upon the street. A man's blood curdling cries shot from it. The scent of burning flesh filled the air rapidly. Roslyn dropped the crate and rushed forward. She drew on the heat, cooling it to ice and coated the man's form with it. The flames dimmed and died gradually on contact.

After hearing the explosions and multiple people screaming, Esmii ran straight over to the people.

Not far, an older woman had crumpled. A long shard of glass stuck out from her abdomen. Her head lifted while her hand pressed her fingers pressed the wound. As Roslyn moved to her, the girl’s right hand touched the wound while the other gripped the glass. Stealing water from the air, she closed her eyes and focused on sealing flesh. She slowly tugged the shard out while the bleeding began to slow then stop.

Another cry caught her attention. A young boy, just in his teens, sat nearby. His legs bent at unnatural angles and blood gushed from the joints. White peeked out through the skin causing a fresh wave of queasiness in Roslyn's stomach. He trembled through the tears streaming down his face.

Esmii wasted no time and started healing wounds of one of the people who were caught up in the explosion, soon after they were healed the small yasoi girl moved to help the others.

Meanwhile, Zarra appeared near the crate. "Hee hee hee."

"Trust me," he advises, "they were bad people: traveler followers."

He picked up the crate of wine.

Anger filled Roslyn as she spoke, her eyes fixed on the crazed mage.

"How do you know?"

"I just know things," he said.

Like the hells you do, she spat her thoughts at him. She rose onto her feet and moved to stop him. "Hey, that's not yours to take."

"Hey, that's not yours to take!" he mimics, giggling hysterically.

With that, he disappeared. "Thanks for the wine!"

Esmii focusing on healing the wounded said to Rose "Rose you focus on that Pax sil spax (Piece of shit), I will help these three."

Roslyn started to wonder why she bothered to say anything. Her breath exited in a heavy sigh. She dreaded explaining this to her team.

Then, a moment later, Zarra came hurtling out of nowhere. His face slammed into the cobblestones. The crate flew from his hands and rushed toward the ground. He tumbled along for several feet. Behind him appeared another person, a woman with a pale face. Zeno Fades-in-Moonlight.

Roslyn reacted quickly. Her finger snapped out and her kinetic hit the crate, slowing its momentum. It gently landed on the cobble street. However, a few bottles cracked before its landing. A deep, red liquid trailed between the planks and pooled near the bottom.

"Goddammit, Zarra, you are, were, and will always be a little cowturd." Luna stalled his momentum.

"They were traveler agents!" he hollered, "honest!"

She walked up and backhanded him.

"That makes them bad!"

The Zeno grabbed him by the neck. She slammed him into the ground once, twice, three times. A sharp crack echoed in the air. His nose broke and face splintered.

"Don't worry, we can heal you." The Zeno responded firmly.

"But they're the bad guys!" He wailed. "Really, I'm sorry!"

Zarra smiled through bloodied lips and added. "It was just a bit of fun!"

His answer did little to affect Zeno. She knocked him unconscious with chemical magic.

"We should've expelled you ages ago."

Roslyn jerked and grit her teeth, unable to look away from the rough beat down.

"You two!" Luna shouted at the two girls. "You're okay, right?"

"Yes," Roslyn jumped a bit, answering impulsively.

Esmii had finished healing the people and walked back over to Rose. She watched what was happening and then stated "I'm fine and so are the two people he hurt."

The Zeno nodded. "Sorry about this. I'll deal with him."

"I seriously didn't expect him to go off like that. Is that...normal?"

She looked at Roslyn. "For him, it is." She shook her head. "but I think we've finally got enough here to get him expelled for good." On the ground was a small box from Cherune Game. "Little fucking psycho," she muttered under her breath. She reached down and picked it up. "Here, kid. Have it. You've more than earned it."

Roslyn dropped the crate as she caught the box. It landed heavily in her arms causing her to grunt and hastily balance it. "Thanks."

Before she could figure out how to carry both, Esmii took Rose by the hand and started to walk back. The Hendland girl felt too exhausted to even protest.

A Ship and Map, Spells Adventure

It was a calm day in the port of Ersand'Enise. The pier was alive with sailors and fishermen tending to their ships. Some offloaded their catch for the day while others prepared for sea. A few glanced up long enough to see a young student rushing past them. Roslyn's boots slid on the salt water soaked planks as she rounded the corner. She cursed in Hendlish, but managed to keep upright. If she was late, they would give her spot way. She put on another burst of kinetic.

"By tah Hells, watch where yor goin'!" The man shouted, jerking the box to avoid colliding with her.

Roslyn ducked underneath and skirted past him. She squeaked in her wake, but didn't stop.

"Sorry!"

With a final push, she entered into the dry dock building. A short, rounded man shook his head as he glanced down at the parchment in his hand.

"Not here, I see. Well, we nee-"

"Wait! I'm here!" Roslyn gasped.

The dock manager squinted and adjusted his spectacles, frowning at her. "Ms. Wicke, you're short on your payment by a large margin. If you don't have the rest amount due, you'll have to move this thing," His thumb jabbed at the damaged ship behind him, "immediately. Or I will have it confiscated as debt."

Roslyn tensed, her mind racing to figure things out. She cursed herself for her stupidity and trusting another student's word over prices. They claimed it costed incantors to dry dock, but it was magnus. She barely had four incantor to her name by the end of the year. How was she suppose to solve this?

"Thing is... I don't have the funds now, but I can get them."

"Unacceptable." His hand moved to scribble with his quill.

Approaching them from an angle out of sight was the sound of heeled boots clacking against the wooden docks. Approaching them was Trypano, clad in her single-leg red dress underneath a darker red coat with a split tail, her black magical bowler hat, a curious metallic cylinder slung over one shoulder and, of course, an expensive red purse slung over the other. One arm was crossed along her midsection while the other tumbled a single magus along her knuckles, rolling one to the other in a rhythmic flow.

"No need t'move the boat. I'll pay fer it as is." While neutral in tone the accent imposed by the hat gave her a more gruff, rustic impression. Hooking the magus under her thumb she popped it up, sending the coin sailing over to the dock manager who fumbled about with his clipboard in surprise as he attempted to catch it. While the man was attempting to collect himself she had already fished out the remaining magus, presenting it to the dock manager.

"Let's talk." This was directed straight at Roslyn, no longer directly heeding the dock manager himself.

The dock manager, having now received his payment, shrugged. His porky hand waved off the men about to unlock the ship.

"Leave it there for now." He walked off to attend to the rest of his duties.

Meanwhile, Roslyn blinked. Trypano?!? Her head glanced around as if she might spot the hiding place this tall, pale woman had used. No luck. She shook away the shock when Trypano made her request and nodded.

"Umm, yeah, thank you. I appreciate it." Roslyn took a breath, pushing back the unease settling in her core. She swallowed it down as she forced a polite smile.

"Is there anywhere specific you want to talk?"

"Prefer'bly away from any unnecessary eyes. I do have somethin' to show 'ya, provided 'yer interested in my proposal." She gestured over to one of the unused docks. Typically if there wasn't docking or undocking to be done workers didn't have much reason to linger where they aren't needed. They wouldn't be completely out of sight but enjoyably alone enough to talk without much traffic around.

Trypano gave an affirmative nod to Roslyn's question. It wasn't a hard guess to make after all.

"Yep. See, I got this map at the atoll of Moatu Suva, Kiluaho during The Dragon race." She gave the metal map case a pat. This wasn't the original map of course, just a copy. She'd only be taking the original for the true venture forth as it may have details or features not accounted for in the replica she created. For now though she simply carried a replica she made just in case something happens to it during their outing.

"Seeing as you've acquired yerself a ship I figured I'd make you a bargain: I help see th' ship repaired and you help get me to a specific spot on this map, one that ain't been seen on any others from what've been able to gather." Unscrewing the top of the map case she produced her copy, showing the rolled up velum to Roslyn.

"Course I ain't planning on doing th' trip lonesome. I'll be posting an invitation for other interested colleagues to join along as there's no guarantee what'll be waitin' for us there. There'll be the chance 'fer opportunity for any joining me on the ride, yerself included." With that offer she cocked her head and hips to the side, setting her free hand on her hip.

"Should 'ya accept I'll let you see what I'm talking 'bout." She let the map unfurl, revealing the routes present before taking her free hand off her hip and extending it over in an offer to shake.

"We got a deal?"

Listening to Trypano's offer, Roslyn stepped closer to examine the map. She frowned at the odd routes and continent as she weighed the risk. It was risky because if the spot was nothing, it might leave the crew and students stranded without supplies. However, her gut stirred against that notion. Her eyes glanced at the ship's poor shape and a prang of pity edged into her core. She wanted to find out more about the history of it as it must've been a pretty ship in its prime. This was the only chance for that.

"Not going to lie, my curiosity is stirred. I think you'll have one less invitation to send out." Roslyn stated, her arms loosely crossed over her chest. She still needed to find funds for supplies and a crew, but this was a start.

She inhaled softly at the growing people she was indebted to now. First Maura, now Trypano. Who was next, she wondered, but she pushed the thought away.

"I want to try and repair this old ship to its full glory. There's something... special about it. I can't explain it, but I feel sad it's been left to rot in a dry dock."

Licking her chapped lips, she continued. "So to make sure I understand the arrangement. Once the ship is repaired, we need to head to the location on your map. After that, no other conditions applied?"

Roslyn waited for anything else to pop up before asking for a physical contract. She learned a long time ago that a verbal agreement meant little to some people.

Trypano retracted her hand, instead canting the front brim of her hat up with her index finger as she looked down to the relatively shorter woman.

"Well, the folks that'll be comin' will want to come home after we get there. I help fix up 'yer ship, you use that ship to get me and th' other students comin' there 'n back. That's the deal. Anythin' else needs sorting out we can make it a separate deal."

She could see there was more on Roslyn's mind so she waited to see what she had sitting on the edge of her tongue before saying more.

"I wasn't intending on leaving anyone there. I'm not cruel." Roslyn's lips cracked into a smile then added.

"Also, can we get this in writing too? I've had a few verbal contracts abruptly change and it left a bad taste in my mouth. The dry dock fee is my most recent lesson. The trip will also need to wait until I can obtain funds for a crew and supplies. Oh and I need to finish the mana brews for Talkhan." She sighed a bit, her hand raised to rub the back of her neck.

"I hope that's all right with you?"

Trypano gave a quick nod. Considering for a moment as they stood there she then reached down towards a plank in the dock. Her fingers seemed to sink into the very wood like it were clay and with a mere tug the section of plank smoothly slid out from the remainder of the plank that was fixed like it were simply resting against itself. Straightening back up Trypano took the board and ran her fingers of the surface, the board elongating and turning paler as she converted the wood into paper. Staring at the surface for a few moments she converted elements upon the surface into ink, staining along the page in delicate patterns which perfectly mirrored elegant penmanship.

Nary but a moment later Trypano faced the page to Roslyn. It's surface was a wonderfully complex document which mirrored a formal contract. While the exact agreement itself was simple details set below outlined definitions and conditions under which the contract may be considered completed or violated. While in nature they were easy to understand if explained to a layman the exact language used was precise and densely steeped in legal terminology. Above it all sat a line, the text adjacent to it denoting what is to be written upon this line as the signature of the participant in this contract. Trypano's name was already signed a line just above the blank.

"Sign 'ere and we can talk further while we walk this down to the bank to seal in a secure deposit box. Wouldn't want anyone alterin' the terms in the contract now, would we?" She could tell what Roslyn was experiencing. The pain of giving your word only to suffer as result was something Trypano was much too familiar with. Such was why she was reluctant to promise more than she was willing to offer. Even something simple could easily result in harm. While she was quite fine with accepting verbal agreements she was also more than ready to settle things Roslyn's way.

When Trypano reached for the plank, Roslyn's eyes widened. Her hands snapped up to silence her budding screams as her foot stepped back in shock. What the hells?!?! She felt her heart jerk up into her throat and throttle her. She forced herself to exhale, her brain struggling to explain it. For several long seconds, Roslyn's horror twisted into confusion then finally realization. It was binding magic.

She scowled herself for her overreaction. Her eyes scanned the words careful as she tried to find anything that felt off. Nothing, at least within her education level, popped out. The girl hoped there was no extra clauses she didn't understand.

Roslyn hesitated a moment then took the quill and wrote her name. A swirling mix of elegant cursive and scratch danced across the line before ending in a hard tail. "There. Done."

Her attention glanced to the ship which still needed repairs. It could wait for now. Letting that thought settle, Roslyn followed Trypano's lead.

"Okay, so I figured we can do a tour of the ship. You can assess some of the damages you will be repairing and we can determine an estimate to start. I'll need funds to ensure the dry dock fee is paid," Roslyn trailed off before she spoke again.

"I do have a question. Why did you did pick my ship? It's not even seaworthy. Doesn't it cost you more to repair it than to hire out a crew with a better ship?"

As the two students began to move out of the port, a set of eyes watched them. A hooded girl, tiny and sweet by nature, perched on a small barrel. She had been busy flirting with a sailor before her eyes caught the two girls and Roslyn's ship. A smile spread across her lips before she bounced up and departed.

Trypano however was none the wiser. When one's attention is focused on the internal then external threats become cloudy.

"Why your ship?' Trypano gestured to the vessel as a whole whilst rolling up the map and placing it back into it's case.

"For much the same reason ye' find interest in where my map leads. Seeing as we both found these amidst the Dragon race I found it rather coincidental. Both a map and a ship, both with unknown origins. Ya' think so too, no?"

She left a space for her to tell her thoughts on the matter before she'd press onto more talk of logistics. Of course Roslyn was still thinking of quite pedestrian matters such as the need for food, water and lumbercraft supplies for the ship, all things a skilled binder could trivialize with ease. This was to be expected given her reaction to even simple matter rearrangement.

"The Gods have a funny way of doing things, that's for sure. Sort of glad it happen like this though." Roslyn chuckled, thinking back to her family's curse. She seemed content with Trypano's answer, finding nothing suspicious about it.

"At first I hesitated when Mr. Volta offered me the salvage rights. I thought the ship was more seaworthy than it looked, but it has a lot issue and it doesn't take a sailor to see it." She decided to move on from the topic of the ship since they would revisiting it soon enough.

"Revida was beautiful though. After you finished your leg of the race, did you decide to linger after?" Her attention turned back to Trypano.

She simply shook her head in the negative.

"The time these trials are exactin' from me are borrowed against mah research. Too often life finds ways of interruptin' my progress." Rather than linger on the subject she recalled the matter of her business with Talkhan, someone else she was planning to approach sometime.

"Speakin' of progress, you mentioned you were in the mana brew trade, yeah?" She opened, waiting to let her affirm this fact.

"All work and no play, isn't good for someone. It doesn't let your mind rest and reset." Roslyn commented with concern.

She returned to the topic at hand. "Right now, I'm just an apprentice underneath Talkhan MakAndzey. He's a bit gruff, but a fair task master." A bit of pride edged into her voice, though nothing close to arrogance.

" His clan is using my family's brewery as a base of operations for Constantia. Because of that, I'm under contract that I can't make brews without his approval. Besides that, I've started experimenting with enchanted liquors."

"Sleep fulfills that need aptly" Trypano dismissed the concern, moving on to more curious topics.

"I'm a scholar of mana in all it's forms myself. Given how it's formative of all our greatest works and history it's some surprise the magic society knows as little of it as they do." As they calmly strut along towards their destination Trypano cast her gaze back over to the young brewer.

"Here's a pop quiz for 'ya: what's the difference between mana stored in a hegelan mana colony and mana stored in the blood?" She posed Roslyn a question, something to test how much she actually knows regarding the subject of her craft. It would be a little opportunity to see just how far along her insight towards the nature of the work presently was. Someone with genuine interest in the craft might useful in field testing some more theoretical mixtures while also keeping attention away from herself while she built ever onward towards ever grander heights.

Roslyn opened her mouth to argue, but sighed instead. She knew arguing was pointless. Her hand rose and rubbed a bit at her bloodshot eye causing a bit of bruising beneath. At least most of her symptoms had become manageable now.

" See, that question is hard to answer." Roslyn began, her lips curled into a frown.

" I've never studied mana in the blood. Not unless you count what we learn in class. I have Chemistry next semester, but I'm pretty sure they don't cover that."

She took a moment to think. Talkhan's meetings, so far, had been about modifications to her brewery, funding, supplies, and more. She decided to share what little she knew about the mana pools. There was no harm in it.

"I didn't start training until about six days ago. I've only seen one pool. They are a system of animals, plants, and mana that thrive together. I was told to stay back for my own safety."

This was good information indeed. While doing it's job of letting Trypano know where Roslyn stood in terms of expertise, still mainly that of a neophyte, it affirmed a connection with something she was already aware of.

"The answer's that they're not as different as you'd think." She notified Roslyn, taking a moment to structure her brief lecture.

"Much as the ecosystem they prepare determines the qualities and health of the pool so too does the ecosystem of our flesh determine the vitality of our manas. Observe." Trypano held out her arm in Roslyn's sight, restraining herself greatly from peeling aside the skin and flesh, simply limiting it to an exercise in imagination.

"Imagine the bone as the soil of our inner forest. From them spring rivers, not of water but of blood, through the channels that're our veins and arteries. The nerves, that which gives our brain the power to command our flesh, take root in the soil of our bone, extending their branches into the foliage that is our muscles and organs. Within this forest dwell manas, creatures not unlike Mana Slimes, if you've heard of them." She moved her hand past her arm over to her stomach as she continued to speak.

"When we consume life that life is broken down, using acid to do the job of insects and reduce the dead into a fine fertilizer for our forest floor. This fertilizer is taken up by the rivers and spread throughout the forest, feeding unto the soil as well as the trees and canopy above before returning up the vein to begin it's cycle once more." She folded her arms back under her chest having covered the meat of her answer.

"'Course it ain't as simple as I make it sound. The body's a delicate ecosystem after all. Seeing as we're nearing the bank I ain't gonna bog you down in details any further for the moment." She concluded, leaving Roslyn with some food for thought.

When Trypano held out her arm, Roslyn's eyebrow rose. She tried to imagine the body as an ecosystem, but she found it difficult. Deep down, she felt there was more to it. If everyone was 'healthy' then why wasn't everyone's RAS or abilities the same? Why did some people specialize in certain schools while others generalized? More questions cropped up and increased her thirst for more answers. She shook her head to clear it.

"That sort of left me with more questions than answers, really. But I guess that makes sense. It's a lot to wrap my head around. But, I have heard of Mana Slimes. Never seen one. I think they are used in prime and mana shots." She answered, her eyes turned to the Bank as they began to climb the stairs and enter.

Once the agreement was secured in the box and any other business concluded, they began to walk back to the ship.

"Okay, all that's left is to look over the damages." She glanced over at her new investor to make sure she was still there.

"I also need to send word to my family about the ship." In her mind's eye, she watched her brother become spitting mad over the whole affair. A soft sigh escaped her lips.

"Speaking of Mana Slimes as components for mana shots, I've heard that consuming a Blue Killer Mana Slime offers significant improvements over a limited period of time upon being consumed. I'd like t' research that effect more myself but alas my time is limited. If ya'd like however I could take one of the split-offs and let you experiment on it during your brewing endeavors." She offered in response to Roslyn's mention of mana slimes.

After the agreement was sealed for safekeeping they began on their way back, Roslyn making mention of her family as they went.

"That reminds me, I should leave a copy of my map with my brother." She commented idly, not really interested in staying on the topic as it failed to stimulate her curiosity. Her brother would certainly find use in such a map given it has many routes featured which could prove potentially more efficient. Alas, they haven't spoken much since she came to Ersand-Enise. It did leave her to wonder how they've been in the year or so she's been gone? She hadn't really considered it much given how much insight has come about, radically altering her worldviews since she began.

"First they want me making brews before shots. I'm not willing to break their trust by experimenting early. Once it's broken, hard to earn it back. Especially with a craftsman." Roslyn hated saying no, but she knew she had to ride this out. Else it would never happen.

"Is it okay, if I take you up on that offer when that changes?" The girl then asked timidly.

Her eyes widened in surprise when Trypano mentioned a brother. "Uh, that's something we share in common. I haven't seen mine for at least a year. Father keeps sending letters asking me to come home for holidays, but..." Her voice cracked a bit, showing regret and pain at the thought.

Trypano gave a simple nod upon hearing out Roslyn's issue regarding her tutelage.

"Ah'm not one t' impune on another's work. As a fella' craftswomen I know it's best to let one work as they deem best. I'll have more interesting things t' offer as time moves onward."

With the conversation turning back towards family she noted that Roslyn seemed to have some strife building back at her homestead. While she knew the nature of her relationship with her family was fundamentally different from theirs she could empathize with the reluctance in returning to problems best left behind.

"I get 'ya. There's nothin' simple 'bout wantin' to spend time with loved ones yet starin' down the barrel of unresolved tensions and gettin' cold feet. Least I can count myself lucky that my brother gets it. He just makes up fine excuses to cover for me so I don' hafta show." Hmm, perhaps on second thought that might not be as good a balm to Roslyn's troubles. Perhaps due to the hat's influence on her brain she reached out and set an affirming hand upon Roslyn's shoulder, something to help affirm confidence or what-not.

"Don't 'ya worry though. Ah don't know a single person who's got healthy familial relations out in this here school. If they can make it out 'ere then so can you." She tried to reassure Roslyn. It was no lie that she didn't know a single person in this school with healthy familial relations. Then again, she also didn't know many people in general. It was no surprise that the cross-sections of people with messed up family bonds and people who she knows would be a fairly tight overlap.

Roslyn's eyes narrowed a bit when Trypano's tone and mannerisms shifted. If she didn't know better, she might've thought it was her grandfather speaking to her instead. The old man had a way of telling things like it was. Her smile renewed as she listened, appreciating Trypano's hand on her shoulder.

She exhaled then poured out the family troubles.

"It is hard. I'm on good terms with my grandfather and father, but... My brother and I use to be so close. Then everything fell apart when he got sick. "

A small hint of anger edged into her voice, but it wasn't directed at Trypano.

"Now I get to watch it all over again. I can't stand it. I feel helpless and angry, but it doesn't matter. At this point, the binders are a way to ease the pain. They can't heal it." Roslyn raised her palm to brush away the hint of moisture at her eyes.

And so the nature of her woes boils forth. A brother, afflicted with a disease of the incurable variety. Not an uncommon tale for her. Too often do those with maladies that lie beyond simple measures of healing through the guidance of flesh step through the medicant's doors. With the gravity of this topic Trypano saw it fit to remove her hat, even if briefly so that she may speak clearly with her.

"I understand well your pain." Being a blood child it was common knowledge to any who knew of blood children what she meant. All blood children are born from mothers who die in child birth after all.

"I must be clear: My work, my life's goal is to heal that which other healers cannot. From the Tethering to Greyborn's curse, from cancer to necrosis, I have dedicated myself to extinguishing these blights from all who suffer. I will use my knowledge and magic to make us the masters of our flesh and blood so that we are no longer it's slaves." Though her voice was always very even, very neutral, the conviction of her cause bled through in her tone and in the steely focus of her eyes as she looked down to her business partner.

"While I would not dare insert myself into your family's lives without consent I feel it would be wrong not to offer my aid. If I may, I would accept the opportunity to go and see myself if I could discover the true nature of your brother's ailment. I cannot promise anything but I would do all in my ability to remove the cause, not just the symptoms." Perhaps she might of been too forward, offering such aid on the back of a single story. It might be off-putting to Roslyn to have a relative stranger promise hope in a painful situation such as that. She couldn't rightfully ask a stranger to place so much faith in her. Even still, this was the very thing she sought to do: To cure the incurable. To hold her tongue would be virtually a dereliction of her duty. With that she put on her hat.

Roslyn's glaze rose from the ground, once more settling on her associate. Like a lit candle blown out, the distant and controlled tone returned in Trypano's voice. It unnerved the Hendlish girl to see a person flip instantly. Pushing her surprise aside, Roslyn noticed the dedication bleed through the professionalism.

She had considered asking Esmii, but after the events with Sven... She didn't want to distract the Yasoi too much. Besides, what did she have to lose in the end? Nothing really.

"That's kind of you."

A moment of silence passed before Roslyn continued. "I see no harm in trying, but I need to talk with my family first. I don't think my grandfather or father will reject your offer. Garith... he's getting tired of being disappointed."

By now, the dry docks were easily seen. The ship was still there in all its damage glory.

With that Trypano let the hat rest back down on her head.

"My thanks fer your trust. I'll do everythin' in my power cure what th' others can't."

That being said they had finally arrived at the ship. She was already sizing up the damage, her eyes scanning along the hull, her mind tallying up how much lumber would be needed to complete it. Of course, they would need to head inside to see if more specialized parts were in need of replacement or repair. Before that though another question came to mind.

"She have a name?" In all the hectic business she hadn't learned the name of the vessel quite yet. A small detail she likely overlooked but still one worth addressing.

"You're welcome and I hope you'll find something the other binders didn't..."

Cradled in the dry-dock, a caravel ship slumbered. Heavy modifications had transformed her into a low, lean, and quicker ship years ago. Sadly time hadn't been kind to her. It peeled back the red paint and exposed the pale, grey wood underneath. Several masts decorated its deck with numerous, torn black sails. Some of her metallic accouterments had been stripped by scavengers. Two out of the six gun ports held their weapons. At the stern were large, jagged hole where the claws of a thresh had breached it.

Roslyn pulled out her salvage license then found the name.

"According to the license, she's called Nuvole Rosse. I'm not sure what that translates into."

"The Red Cloud." She answered. Approaching the vessel she ran her hand over the ends of the planks which where fractured and splintered, the spot where the thresher attack took place. Prying free a splinter she stared down at the wooden sliver between her finger tips. The layers of the splinter frittered away, absorbed into her mana until naught remained. Piece by piece her magic consumed the splinter, revealing unto her the structure of it's very being.

"Hmm... Good quality wood." She idly remarked as she continued to circle the tattered beauty. Running a finger nail over a section of the remaining paint she calmly drew along the very tip, leaving a thin line in the already marred paint cover whilst she analyzed it's composition as well.

Boarding upon the ship she strut from section to section, building a mental checklist of parts in need of repair.

"Missing a few things, cannons, metal joinings, sails and such. Some of th' ropes will need to be updated to modern standards but overall this girl is not too far gone." With her assessment concluded she turned towards Roslyn.

"I figure ah can bring around enough wood to repair the thing. I can even install 'em and perhaps even improve upon it t'some degree. I can also provide the paint though if you'd rather you can find an artist t' decorate the girl. My art style may not be... In fashion." She recommended. It wasn't that Trypano didn't have some artistry to her weird contorted soul but she doubted Roslyn would enjoy her more macabre sense of style.

As Trypano boarded the ship, Roslyn followed in her wake. While they went about their rounds of the damage, the younger girl watched the tall, white woman. Her long, spidery fingers scratched the ship's surface and drew mana in. Roslyn bit back the small irritation swelling in her chest. A warning that her chemical mood boost was about to die.

Quietly, she drew in some of the moisture in the air and touched her elbow. She inhaled than refreshed the 'blessing of joy'. Roslyn nodded at Trypano's assessment over the ship.

"At least you can paint, but yes. I have an artist in mind. Esmii introduced him to me during the society faire. I figured I can let him use the hue in his art works if he'll decorate the ship for free or cheap."

She blinked for a moment then added.

"Wait, won't installing it take more of your time? As for improvements, I think that can wait until it's back in its prime. That would require more funds anyways."

"I consider it an investment. After all, I'll be using this ship to traverse unknown territory. Wouldn't want 'er sinkin' on me, now would I?" She answered her first question, moving onto the second.

"In addition I figure since I'll be footin' the bill on keeping her docked 'till she's seaworthy I'd see to it personally that she be restocked and refitted for travel. After all, what's good f'the ship's good for us too y'know?"

"Usually, but I don't what to think. This is very generous of you, I do appreciate it." Roslyn's hand began to rub her elbow through her dress sleeve.

"Is there anything you need? I mean when it comes to the ship?" Roslyn quickly corrected herself.

"For now I think I''ll bring up some base clays tah convert into resources. The sooner I get to work the sooner this vessel will get back t' floatin'." Before heading off to acquire the clay Trypano reached out and shook Roslynd's hand once more. "Happy t' do business with 'ya. "

Just as they were about to leave Roslyn brought forth her question. It was a sound question for sure. The problem was...

"I don't know. She'd only been told of the disappearance recently. Given how little they'd spoken recently outside of time meetings there was no telling where Xiuyang went or did unless she was specifically told such.

"Problem with someone who skulks about at times is that they ain't easy to keep track of. I trust 'er competence as she's made it along this far. Only..." Right, there was also the imperial factor to consider. With close to half of the people returning from the Retanese mission as sanguinaires it wasn't impossible for her to have been entangled with their dealings over here.

"Say, Roslyn..." Trypano came over, lowering her tone as she leaned in. "Mind keeping somethin' between jus' th' two of us?".

Roslyn's heart sank when she heard Trypano's answer.

"That is true. Makes things harder to help when needed. I was hoping her missing were just rumors. My pride still hurts from the trade off, but I don't want anything bad to happen to her." It didn't matter in the end. Her right foot tapped in place as she twitched to pace. Trypano's hushed voice snagged her attention causing her eyes to darken with worry.

"Sure, some else thing wrong?" She hung on the woman's next words.

"A few weeks back me and a few other students were sent to Retan on a mission. Xiuyang along with a student I believe named Valerian joined the mission later. At the end we were forced to make a choice: The lives of our allies in Retan or the opportunity to become a sanguinaire, made such by the sanguinaire emperors of Retan itself." She had to take a deep breath. Roslyn seemed like a nice girl, someone not made to follow a rabbit hole as deep as this went. Moreso, peeling away the scabs to expose the sins of her colleagues and by flaw of duty herself.

"I rejected the offer of course. In the end however it came to a vote amongst us....

They chose sanguinism.

Roslyn bit her lip again. She knew most of this story as Vel had shared his side of things, including the flying squids. However some details were skimmed over as she shook her head. Not sure if she heard right, she broke the silence.

"All of them?"

"Not all of them. I along with one other refused it. Ahm also not sure how many of them accepted the sanguinism itself. Only two went with th' emperors after the battle, 'nd Xiuyang herself went off with 'em later still. The two who went first was a woman named Ingrid and th' aforementioned Valerian. Something did strike her a curious. Roslyn, someone shocked to see something as simple as binding, was only mildly surprised by this revelation. Could it be that she knew of it prior? It brings to mind the possibility she's spoken with someone from that mission prior.

"Tell me, see or hear 'nything about sanguinaires since your return 'ere?

"Does if it were a sang tryin' to eat 'ya." Trypano quickly answered back, setting her hands on her hips with a sigh as she continued to recount the events that took place in Retan.

"I don't think she is but nothing is a guarantee, 'specially with one as secretive as her. I do know with little doubt though that Ingrid and Valerian can be counted 'mongst them. Pretty much right after they turned they went on a bender during the emperor's little 'Game', attacking their fellow students fer goodies like rats in a dead man's boot. Both Ingrid and another guy took turns stompin' on Val though I can't be too specific since I was pretty sick of the rat race, figured i'd get some fresh air 'nd an early ticket home. She shook her head at the thought.

"Truth is I don't hate 'em 'cause their sangs now. What you are don't decide who you are after all. My issue's with their boss. I can bet my left arm that sanguinaires that've been 'round long as the emperors have didn't live that long by just letting their blood just up and walk. The emperors 'nd by extension the elder sanguinaires are settin' these kids up. No way in the five hells will any of 'em be allowed to step outta line, just pawns on somebody else's board now. With all that being said she did just admit to being midly sympathetic to sanguinaires which, depending on Roslyn's stance on the matter, could be awkward so she decided to tackle the elephant in the room before it went out of hand.

"Course I also believe that th' fact they skulk 'bout drinking people's blood is wrong. One shouldn't take another's blood without consent. Speakin' of... Trypano saw an opportunity as she fished her hand into her purse and produced a small metal vial. "In case somethin' hurts 'ya too bad for a binder to fix mind givin' a blood sample? I can fix you up, right as rain in the future with one 'o these."

Roslyn blinked at Trypano's response a bit. She didn't what else might eat her other than a monster, but she held her tongue. She didn't feel like looking foolish today. Ignoring the strain building in her neck, she kept her eye contact and let the woman continue.

The young girl remained tense throughout it all. Her fingers picked at her sleeve while her ears digested Trypano's side of the events. Upon hearing about Vel engaging not once, but twice... she frowned. He had made things sound less vicious than it seemed. She chewed her lip a bit when the pale woman turned to her opinion of Sanguinaires. Roslyn had braced for the worse, but found herself surprised.

She continued to stare at Trypano's earnest thoughts, her expression softening. A small sigh escaped her breath. Another 'small' problem to resolve, she realized. Before Roslyn got a word in, Trypano's next words stopped the girl in her tracks. Her mouth opened then shut. Her finger curled and pressed to her lips, considering the request.

Several moments passed, her mind finally putting words together.

"Uh... Can you repeat that request? Cause for a moment there, you sounded like a Sanguinaire..."

Oh dear, seems the girl was reticent to the idea. It seemed her hanging out with sanguinaires hadn't softened her up to blood work as much it appeared.

"Hmm... How t' put it... She pondered for a moment. "Y'see, when binders heal 'ya they do so by letting the blood piece together the matter that makes 'ya. Yer blood has a specific image of 'ya built in which is why whenever you get cut or somethin' you always grow back th' same way. Problem is when somethin' messes you up so badly that even yer blood's altered then not even a binder can fix 'ya. Stuff like mana infections, intense radiation exposure or even say incurable aberration madness are all things that'll mess you up beyond repair. Hence, I ask for blood samples. The blood inside my vials won't suffer and keep a perfect picture of 'ya so if you get irreparably altered I can use yer blood t' rebuild ya body back to exactly how y'are right now." Hopefully that was a suitably layman response that even someone as novice as Roslyn could wrap her head around. The process itself was not only fiendishly complex but also experimental to some degree in that she'd not yet repaired someone from blood derived from a stored vial yet. She had to give off a sigh of mild annoyance, really restraining herself from talking down in the midst of her simplified speech.

"Look, it's frustratin'. Folks take one look at me and don't trust me from the get go. Ah try to be 'Normal' but then folks like Xiuyang disappear and I can only deal with the hand I'm dealt. If she's... Unwell, there's no guarantee I can fix it." Of course by unwell she was narrowly skating past the moral quandary that is cheating death itself. Roslynd wasn't ready to approach that sort of conversation yet. "Do forgive me if her disappearance has me a little paranoid, hence the request. Ah can only work with what I got and turning the clock back is gettin' dangerous.

Once more giving Trypano the time needed to explain, Roslyn's arms crossed in front her. She listened intently. She had a basic idea of binding due to her lessons in class. To some degree it made sense and her body began to relax, but never really heard it said in that way.

"Yeah, that is sort of smart. And I'm sorry. Every thing feels like a mess now and the academy feels more dangerous by the day. I really hope she's okay."

Roslyn let out a heavy sigh. "Also... I feel like there might be more than two Sanguinaires roaming the school. However, I can't confirm it."

Her lips pressed together as she caught what was said. "Wait, you know Temporal magic?"

"Ah do. Was taught by Jocasta in exchange fer my promise to cure the Tetherin'. Still working towards it since, like too many ills, the issue's in the blood. Once ah crack the secrets of blood there are so many things I can fix. Sadly it's a gate with many doors, each one opening to many more mysteries than the last. Trypano answered Roslyn's question in arguably more words than a yes or no question really warranted.

"Well I know with roughly eighty percent certainty that Yulia is one of the sanguinaires you may be speaking of. Ah also wouldn't be surprised if the emperors or agents of the sanguinaire elders would be in place out here, keeping tabs on their new investment" With that mentioned Trypano turned to face the yellowing sky with the sun dipping closer to the great blue horizon.

"Quite frankly I don't think there's a single place in the world now that's safe. Great powers 'ave been movin' for a while, since Hugo died I reckon, perhaps earlier even. The amount of 'nomallies ain't coincidence either. Yer struggles with the sangs up north, the structural upset over in Retan, the number of deital artifacts now freely floatin' 'round, heck, even just the fact that dark magic, stuff that straight up might as well 'ave not existed before now, is suddenly poppin' up every odd corner ya' turn is all evidence that big things are in motion. Like an orchestra, we're all jus' swept up in the musical swell as this world o' ours approaches some big crescendo." Trypano waxed on regarding her theories, linking everything together like some big conspiracy. It was impossible to know what was by design and what was mere happenstance but having seen the world end her perspective has artificially grown forcibly overanalyzing the scope of everything in the hopes of finding something, anything, to piece together the truth behind this big puzzle.

Roslyn's eyes followed Trypano's, relating to the feeling of dread crawling inside of her. It felt like her whole world began changing and not in a pleasant way. A soft sigh escaped her lips.

Her left hand rolled up her right sleeve, exposing more flesh. Something pitch black lingered near her elbow before she extended her arm. Her next words resigned herself to her decision.

"Okay, don't make me regret this.... how much blood do you need? I'm assuming you need to cut me with kinetic to draw it out?"

"Please, nothin' so barbaric. Observe." Trypano took her hand in hers, holding the vial in the other. Inside Roslyn's artery a slight draw could be felt, eliminating only enough blood to fill the vial with. It was a painless procedure as blood had no nerves to feel with. Without even so much as a mark she had acquired her blood, the only evidence that it took place being the tell-tale magical signature of binding being cast, something only those who know what to look for could see.

As recompense she converted some of the air around them into blood, the wind picking up around them slightly to fill the gap as the slight amount which Roslyn had lost was reconstituted within her. With that done she released Roslyn's arm and tucked the vial away into her purse. clasping the bag closed.

"Simple an' painless. Ah can assure you, it's use will be 'xclusively to yer benefit."

Roslyn instinctively tensed when she felt the draw in her vein. Her breath stayed in her chest and burned slightly, her brain forgotten how to breathe. A sense of weakness entered her body causing her chemistry to react. Adrenaline raced into her and pushed back the unpleasant sensation. Her eyes spotted the vial as it filled up. It was morbid, yet impressive at the same time. The dizziness seemed to distract her thoughts before Trypano's magic began its work. Feeling her arm released, she cautiously pulled it back to her side and pulled down her sleeve.

"As long as I don't regret it later, I'll trust your word." Roslyn didn't really have a reason not after all.

"Let me know if you discover anything about Xiuyang. I'm going to see what I can dig up. I don't think I'll find anything, but I have to try."

As she began to walk off, she mumbled underneath her breath. "I'm losing more friends than I can keep at this rate..."

"I shall." With that they parted ways. As she stood at the prow of this vessel, her figure cut out as a silhouette by the setting sunlight, she reflected on concerns both current and future. While their parting ended not with high hopes but on the weight of their fears they parted as business partners, perhaps the closest thing she'd ever had to friends. No matter how many times she'd told herself to take this journey upon herself alone it seemed impossible to heal mankind without needing mingle with them, just as her brother had said.

One must imagine Sisyphus happy.

Mahal

Time/Date:After the Thin Air event, Velles on Orredes the 7th.

Not Bad, For Some Normies

The Nice Ones spend a bit of time cooking a very deliciously and well crafted pizza. Once finished, they head off to the Huggy Bears. They plan to offer this rather tasty treat with a side of Tku's recent humorous misadventure in Revidia for their box.

The Huggy Bears were intrigued by the normies attempting to be... funny? With unsettlingly large grins and an incomprehensible Nashibansek welcome ceremony, they ushered them in. They insisted that they kiss both sides and the lintel of the door frame, however. It was traditional in their culture.

One by one, each of them enter doing as they are told. However, Mahal hesitated. She glanced at them with a frown before Lunara coaxed her into it causing the serious woman to sigh. Tku suggested they sit and eat while he began his story. He told them the epic tale of how he risked the entire game... just to feed the nonna a PP pizza.

At the mention of the 'PP pizza', they all burst out laughing. "The PP!" more than one shouted. Punches-Kittens rolled her eyes but then smirked. Then, out of nowhere, Gives-Free-Hugs bolted forward towards Mahal, arms wide open as if to... tackle her?

When Give-Free-Hugs rushed forward, Mahal tensed and stepped back. She didn't like the idea of being tackled.

Gives-Free-Hugs paid her discomfort no heed. He wrapped his arms around her and he was small and soft. "Breathe now," he advised. "Rest now." He smiled and snuggled in a bit. "You are among friends." He looked up at her earnestly, still not letting go, "now please, tell me more of your very funny story!"

Mahal fought every impulse to instinctively lashed out. Her eyes closed and hands balled up at her side. She looked stiffer than a plank standing upright. At the mention of breathing, she forced out the air captured in her lungs. This was... weird to her.

"Soft kitty," he mumbled into her shoulder.

"Warm kitty." It was Takes-the-Piss.

"Little ball of fur," chimed in Smells-Like Breakfast.

"Happy kitty!" chirped Dances-with-Rainbows.

"Sleepy kitty," yawned Punches-Kittens.

"Purr purr purr," they all finished together, with a strange form of reverence.

"I'm not a Goma cat..." Mahal mumbled loud enough for him to hear. Though if she had ears they would be laying flat and her tail would be flicking in annoyance.

"Hush now," whispered Gives-Free-Hugs, "be peaceful. We like you."

"Even if you sometimes don't like yourself," added Takes-the-Piss sagely.

"There is very much to like," agreed Dances-with-Rainbows, smiling sweetly. 

"Really, we just wanna heal the world," grumbled Punches-Kittens semi-convincingly. 

"With the power of humour and good food," added Smells-like-Breakfast. 

They all nodded earnestly.

Mahal opened her eyes and tilted her head slightly. Her form had relaxed some, though her face hadn't changed much. She seemed to digest their words and slowly her arms curled about Gives-Free-Hugs with the hesitation melting away.

He sighed delightedly. "That's how you do it. See?" With a final, big squeeze, he let his arms fall away. "Much more relaxed," agreed Takes-the-Piss. "We don't like people whoa re too serious here." He winked. "They suck."

"Now," prodded Dances-with-Rainbows, bouncing up and down on her seat and taking a moment to reposition herself cross-legged, "where were you?"

Smells-like-Breakfast nodded. "Yes, I was very much into the story before Hugs did his thing." She shot him a mock glare, but they all leaned in as one after that, almost uncanny.

Mahal continued to relax as Hugs released her, seeming pleased with her reaction. It stirred up her self awareness at how serious she looked at all times. In reality, it was a defense. One she created to survive and protect herself. As the group turned back to Tku, Mahal interrupted.

"I'll try," She didn't smile, but her tone had softened considerably. She took a seat behind the Huggy Bears as they eagerly wanted to return to the story. Tku smiled then continued until the end of his tale. Then he suggested they look closely at their pizza.

Smells-like-Breakfast grinned wickedly. She, of course, knew, but jokes were better if you were in on them and didn't give them away.

The others glances with varying degrees of interest and trepidation down at their food. "You poisoned us!" Dances-with-Rainbows wailed, utterly distraught. "And after I embraced you!" hollered Gives-Free-Hugs. "'S about time, to be honest," grumbled Punches-Kittens with a shrug. "Was a good run, I guess."

"Hee hee heeee," snickered Takes-the-Piss, eyes wide with delight. "So," he prodded, "what's on it?"

"Pineapple." Mahal announced, her lips curled into a faint smile.

Punches-Kittens spat it out immediately. "You are a disgusting human being," she growled, a small black cat of a person raising its hackles in threat display. Smells-like-Breakfast continued to chew, and even took another bite. Takes-the-Piss looked at his pizza distastefully and then grinned Mahal's and Tku's way. Gives-Free-Hugs and Dances-with-Rainbows stopped their wailing and rushing about. "Oh," said the former, "it's just... pineapple?" The latter blinked. "Oh!" she chirped. "We eat that all the time!" She clapped, quite pleased. Most of the others chuckled. "Well, it's not quite main-event level comedy," Takes-the-Piss admitted, "but hey, not bad for a bunch of normies."

"At least you tried," mouthed Punches-Kittens with almost comical hostility, glaring at them from where she was curled up. When Lunara looked over at her, she hissed.

"Here," said their informal leader, fishing a Cherune Game box from his heavily tasseled satchel. "Take this. You've earned it."

Tku gratefully caught the box as the Nice Ones bid their goodbyes and thanks before departing.

Of course, the box was imbued with a somewhat weakened version of arc lightning. "Have an enlightening experience!" chortled Hugs. Naturally, he still hugged Mahal, even though it meant his hair would stand on end for the next few minutes.

Just a Little Favor

Thin Air had just finished as Mahal and the rest of the Nice Ones approached the Covenant's base. They held a simple plan in mind. Find Sister Cadence and have Tku appeal to her in order to obtain the next box. However, the plan left a sour taste in the Palaparese girl as she noticed something eerie. Sister Cadence, sadly, was nowhere to be found. Nowhere whatsoever. In fact, not a single member of Covenant seemed to be in evidence.

Mahal frowned. This hidden event stirred her ill-temper of late, making it harder to keep a cool head. She felt the leather flap on her bag shift. A large eye peeked out and scanned the scene. Mahal's chest rose with fresh breath then exhaled. She placed her hand on her satchel causing Diyablo to recoil back inside.

She pushed out her senses in hopes to locate the box. Her senses snapped onto its location, heading right for her and quickly. She caught the sight of a human shape. Then, it was gone.

In a knee jerk reaction, Mahal uttered a spell. Her kinetic stasis pushed out in hopes to stop the target in its tracks. The rushing box and whoever's holding it busted right through her attempted attack. It stopped right in front of her to reveal itself as Brother Flint. On a balcony nearby was Cadence.

"That was kinda rude," the former grunts, "just attacking a guy outta nowhere."

"You spooked me. I wasn't going to not react." Mahal commented, her voice on edge.

"Easily spooked," he remarked, glancing up at Cadence, and she shrugged.

"My art is convincing. What can I say?" She shook her head. "But she was good enough to at least partly see through it."

That was when a third member of the group appeared. He was tall and handsome, with curtains of long white hair draped to either side of his face. "I take it you're here for this?" he proposed, kinetically yanking the box from Flint's hands.

"Considering what's been happening in the city, you can't blame me for being... overly cautious." Mahal stated, her eyes flickered to the box. She wasn't a deceptive type and her team seemed rather quiet. With a small sigh, she nodded. Better to be honest than being caught in a lie and suffering a worse consequence. That was what her childhood had taught her.

"We've got the strong silent type here," remarked the third member of Covenant, "minus the strong, maybe." He snickered.

"Ash, don't be mean," scolded Cadence.

Flint shrugged. "I say we just give it to her, to be honest."

Mahal tensed. The mockery wounded her pride, but it was the truth. It still pissed her off though as she drew in mana defensively. Seeming to sense her tension, her satchel shifted and a long red tentacle reached out to poke her fisted hand. Mahal, distracted by the touch, ceased her drawing. Her gaze turned downward to see Diyablo crawling out.

"Ahh, no. Diyablo, stay in there." She snapped then tried to gently push him back in.

Diyablo wasn't amused and resisted. His tentacles continued to entangle about her fingers. Despite her distraction, Mahal continued to address Covenant.

"Look, I do not want trouble. If you have other ideas, aside from me leaving without it, I am willing to listen."

Cadence softened even further upon sighting the little animal. "Awwwww," she cooed. "Is that a sumpfkrake?"

Flint leaned in to take a look.

Ash arched an eyebrow. "You're going to do us a favour," he announced, "and then this is yours." he tossed the box idly from hand to hand, eyes flicking in the little cephalopod's direction.

Diyablo seemed in agreement with Ash. His little tentacles wiggled as he managed to settle on Mahal's head, looking like an odd cap. This seemed to be his favorite perch as a content expression washed over the alien like face. His tentacle stretched toward the nearest Covenant member. The want to climb was clear on his intentions, a habit all octopi had.

"He is a handful at times. The coloration is called the red devil. It's taken from the local's belief that octopi of this color contain demons. It's a myth, but does not stop them from being feared or killed." Mahal's voice held a hint of sympathy for the creature.

Her hand reached out for the item and took it. "That is a strange request, but doable. Does it need to be hidden or out in the open?"

"Do try to hide it a bit," said Brother Ash, handing the device to her. "Once you have, come back here and this box is yours."

"Very well, I'll be back soon." Naturally when Diyablo spotted the man draw closer, the little creature began to slide down along her other arm.

"Diyablo!"

He gave no squirts and began to investigate this new person. Brother Ash chuckled in amusement. His hands rotated as the small red tentacles curled about the fingers and climbed all over his hands. Mahal frowned again. Diyablo was far too young to understand the danger he risked by being intrusive.

Spotting her concern, Brother Ash spoke. "He is in no danger. Now, you have a box to hide and you're wasting time."

"I'll be back for him." Mahal uttered then raced off for the Lonely Obelisk.

Her feet slapped across the stone and dirt, cutting down the distance easily. Once she arrived, her eyes glanced about for a hiding spot. It took her about two hours to finally locate a decent place for it. Satisfied by her work, Mahal raced back for Diyablo. When she entered the Covenant's base, she froze and raised an eyebrow. Brother Ash was sitting down with Diyablo lounging contently in his lap. The man's fingers tickling along the octopus' surface causing the little guy melt in place. It was clear he enjoyed the attention. As she collected her pet, Mahal thought she saw a small hint of disappointment at their departure.

Create-A-Hero: A Superhero RPG Season 3- Shattered Dimensions

The Hourglass Order

QueensGate Detour

Place: Queen’s Gate, Ersand’Enise Academy of Thaumaturgy
Time: Velles 2nd, Orrendes (Afternoon going on Evening)

Roslyn joined Niallus and his friends to discover the purpose. While more adventurous students went over the wall, Roslyn took the safer route: the Queensgate. She wasn't alone as Esmii and Sven joined her. However, traffic seemed slow in both directions. They were stuck waiting in a line that seemed to grow no shorter. In the middle of the gate was a large.... statue. It didn't seem to be natural to the road and none of them could remember it from before. A cordon had been set up around it. More than one person seemed to have been detained. There were lamplighters about, and even a Century or two.



Esmii stretched, "Well this isn't great, should we have hopped the wall. Wonder what that person did?" Then she looked at Roslyn and Sven. "I feel bad I made us come this way, sorry."

Roslyn frowned, but had let Esmii pull her along. Her eyes watched the others scale over the wall despite the Zeno catching them. She sighed, her friend was likely wiser for picking this way. A part of her doubted she would've made it after a few of them failed epically. As they waited in line, it didn't seem to move at all. Curiosity stirred, she tried to see if she could spot the reason.
"It's all right. But shit, it looks like someone got caught doing something wrong... Or something. I wonder if we can get closer."

Sven glanced about. "You had no way of knowing," he assured Esmii. He hated it when she took the blame upon herself like this. At Roslyn's words, he leaned over and peered with narrowed eyes at the statue and the couple of detained individuals. "Sho... doesh anyone think we should go ashk?" He glanced tentatively between the other two.

One of the detainees was begging for mercy, shouting that she couldn't help herself. The other was staring intently at the strange statue. As they watched, some of the lamplighters widened the cordon around it and traffic from both directions was rerouted further still. As they worked, even the loyal city guards stole glances at the statue. It appeared to be that of a beautiful young woman flying through the air. Her expression was urgent, her dress and hair swirling. She was held most delicately onto her pedestal.


Esmii looked carefully, then thought. "Maybe we could, but it looks like it has something to do with that statue." Esmii wondered to herself and standing on her tiptoes tried to see more.

Sven agreed. He nodded and reached out with his senses.

Roslyn closed her eyes and followed Sven’s lead.


Esmii looks up and asked Sven "My love, can you give me a lift, please."

While the others could sense that there was something... wrong with that statue, they struggled to determine just what it was. Esmii, meanwhile, her yasoi senses keenly tuned to such things, noticed almost immediately.

Roslyn frowned. Something was off, but she wasn't sure what it was. With a deep inhale, her eyes snapped up and she turned to the others. " There's something off with the statue, but I have no idea what it is."

Sven shook his head, only now letting Esmii down from his shoulders. "I agree. Can't shay what, though." He narrowed his eyes, feeling... hungry.

Esmii looked at the others, and gathered them in a huddle. She whispered to them both. "I can sense an aberration inside the statue, and it's pretty large, about the same size as a person." Esmii got a worried look on her face as she knew that this could be bad for her. She then wondered if Sven and Roslyn knew her problem with what's near.

Roslyn paled a bit when she caught what Esmii said. Her conversation with Vel surfaced, her eyes flickering to the statue and wondering how someone smuggled one in.

"Is that even possible?"

"I have no idea, but this isn't good for me." Esmii starts to get really worried and starts to fiddle with her dress, and look around curiously.

Sven drew back, worried, and glanced over.

It was right about then that a tall, spindly woman in ragged clothes broke from the crowd outside the gate and made a dash for the statue. One of the lamplighters barked a warning, and then three of them raced towards her, another two levelling their rifles. "STEP. BACK. NOW."

She did not. "Qitsiin!" she pleaded. "Qitsiiiiin!!! Nax wasel ap!" she hollered. Yasoi! She was yasoi. There was a massive intake of magic. "Nax jex do nain! Qitsiiiiiin!" She shoved them away like toys and reached for it, eyes sparkling with dark glee.


Her gaze was wild and desperate, her hair dishevelled. She was thin and wiry and her clothes were patched. There was a deep sort of exhaustion in the woman's face.

Esmii looks in the direction of the lady, she hears her speaking Yasoi "She is saying. Please! Please!!! I need it! I have none left! Please!. She is addicted, this is why it's bad for me to be here." Esmii is feeling very scared.

"An addict!" Sven shouted. With that, he gathered all of his immense power.

When the woman broke free and rushed for the statue, Roslyn tried to understand the language. As Emsii translated, Roslyn's eyes narrowed and gritted her teeth. "Addict? You can get addicted to these things?"

With that, it was as if she had run into a wall. Her arms and legs twitched and she screamed. The addict stumbled back. Sven's face was a mask of concentration. Sweat dripped from his brow and his outstretched hand trembled. "Shleep," he said softly, shaking his head and finally releasing a breath. He glanced back anxiously at Esmii. "Beautiful, are you okay?"

Roslyn tensed, surprised by the sudden grip on her arm. Her eyes jerked to her friend as she pursed her lips while patting her hand. "Esmii, easy with the grip. It's okay."

Esmii is scared, she has no idea what to do, she lets go of Roslyn and drops to the floor. "I'm sorry Roslyn, I'm so sorry. This is bad, really bad. No no no." Esmii wraps her arms around herself. "Think Esmii think, this can't be happening. I want it, but I don't." She keeps glancing towards it then back at the ground.

Roslyn glanced at Sven, discreetly asking for help. With a soft breath as she continued to rub Esmii's hand as her head leaned into Esmii's head. "It's all right. Focus on me."

One grabbed her by the hair and two others wound up and kicked her. "Fuckin' knife-ear junkie!" one spat. "Think it's okay to attack people for your fix!?"

She curled up into the fetal position. "I sorrii. I sorrii. You yanii no know. You have, you... moad. I have. Okay. Qitsiin! I vith!"

Roslyn tensed when she spotted the unneeded roughness. Instinctively, she pulled away Esmii and went to stop it. "Hey! No need for that! Stop it!"

"I vith!" the yasoi insisted. "I.... poca!" she cursed. "Pleass. Okay."
One of the lamplighters pulled her hair harder. "No, you fucking junkie. Not okay!"

"Yeah, we're actually gonna stop you from ruining your life even more."

They grabbed her roughly and hauled her to her feet and that was a bit too much.

All three guards spasmed and shook. Two of them dropped. The other staggered and let go of her.
Once again, she raced for the statue.

Sven looked to Esmii, eyes wide. "Babe, what do I do?"

Esmii breaths in and out slowly but still unable to stand, and looking at the woman she shouts "Qitsiin oap. Ap ya'dii duus ap!"

Roslyn clenched her teeth as she started to move to the others, moving to put herself between the woman and the statue. She didn't know what the woman was saying, but the situation was getting out of hand. Before she could do anything, the guards were swiftly disabled. With a utter of a word, she drew in the heat from about the woman's feet hoping to freeze her in place.

Esmii then looks at Sven, "I really don't know." Esmii rises from the ground and starts to walk towards the woman.

She twisted to regard her fellow yasoi. "Suunei, tuum wiip poiret! Tuum nar, tuum moad! Luum nar, luum tiin! Nax ya destuu sawii..."

For a moment, the attempt to freeze her held, but the yasoi broke free, shooting Roslyn a look. She reached out, past the human, to draw fromt he aberration. "Go! Go now!" she shouted. "PLEASS!"

"What is she shaying?" Sven asked desperately.

It was too late, however. She was already reaching out to draw and, thinking quickly, he reached out himself and the ground around her rose up in a stony prison.

Esmii tries to reach out for the woman, Saying again "Qitsiin oap. Ap ya'dii duus ap!"

But then, there it was: the aberration. She drew right through the prison, the sickeningly sweet black energy pouring into her through her eyes, mouth, nose, and ears. The stone began to shatter.

As Esmii got close, she found herself drawing despite all of her intent not to. It took hold of her in a warm, comforting embrace that smelled of sweet summer flowers in Mycormii, and felt of Sven's arms around her and the late afternoon sun in the arboretum.

Roslyn, as well, found herself caught in the middle of the stream as it poured into the yasoi. Now, it poured into her and... it wasn't bad. In fact, it was wonderful. This simple, helpless girl from a backwater who'd never had a sniff of power. Now, she felt it for real, and it inflated her, it filled her with a sense of purpose and agency. It was reassurance against her darkest fears. It was a promise of a future. It was love and respect and regard and it just. kept. coming.

Sven rushed for Esmii and placed his hands upon her shoulders. When he did, they were like ice to the touch: sharp and cold and unwelcome, trying to wrench her from a pleasant dream. "Eshmii!" he shouted. "Eshmii, wake up!”

It was too much, and Sven could see it. This thing - this vile thing - had seized his beloved and seized Roslyn too. It was only now that he understood what the yasoi had been trying to do. She'd been trying to sacrifice herself: to take it all in and save them... or maybe she was just a worthless junkie after all. He wasn't sure. Taking a deep breath, he stepped forward. He drew.

Roslyn didn't expect what happened next. She felt the black energy swept through her as the tension and resistance crumbled away. A pleasant, strong sensation flooded her system. Her racing heart began to steady out as she became swept up in the effects. She dropped to her knees, soaking into the sensation. It had been a long time since she didn't feel the pressure or pain of life crashing down around her. Her expression slacked as her head cocked to the side. Only her bones held her upright at this point while the energy kept flooding her core.

The four of them surrounded the statue and its dark secret and it poured into them: sweet and sickening and addictive and powerful.
Then, it was over. How wretched they felt without it, most of all Roslyn, as if everything it had promised, but a thread - a single dangling thread of hope - had been ripped away, leaving her cold and bare and bereft.

Esmii felt scarcely better. Sven reeled, his head pounding.

Then, there was the ragged yasoi girl, Levette. Her eyes bulged and blood poured from her every orifice. She staggered to her feet, arched her back, and let loose a shriek that ripped through the air around her from an abnormally large mouth.

A colossal wave of kinetic force flattened the ground around her and blew a crater six feet deep in the ground. People scattered and fled.

Then, it arced outward: at them.

Esmii felt strange, she felt the black energy course through her. as she inched closer she raised her right hand. She felt someone grab her shoulders but she couldn't stop herself she no longer had control of herself.

The wave of energy sent lesser mages flying, but the three biros, trained in magic, managed to hunker down and resist it.
She drew again and...barreled straight for Sven, fingers like claws.

Sven was caught totally unprepared. Only Esmii's timely intervention - a blinding flash and a tripping branch - saved him from the vicious attack.

She continued to rage.

She was fixated on Sven, even as he protested that he had done her no wrong. The yasoi woman was, sadly, beyond reason.

Roslyn exhaled. Her insides felt like they blackened and withered, her arms rose to wrap herself up tightly. Something was wrong. Her head throbbed like someone struck a hammer within her skull. As her eyes opened, shapes and colors twisted into clawed creatures. Her form crumbled to the side as her hands pressed tightly to her ears, the ringing deafening. Her form shook a bit as her middle curled.
"Make it stop... please..." The girl whimpered, unable to uncurl from her small ball.

This time, it was an arcane lance that took him clean through the shoulder and dropped him with a scream. The yasoi was shouting and raving nonsense.

Then, Sven snapped.

He stalked forward, brushing off her next attack as if it was nothing. He grabbed her arms and headbutted her. The yasoi went hurtling through the gate and down the road... at least most of her did. Sven was still holding the arms. He dropped them and charged, shouting incoherently in rage. He caught up to his half-dead quarry, grabbed her, and...His hand shot clear through her chest, ripping out her still-beating heart. He seethed and raged.

Then, before him, appeared a tall, pale figure, nearly his height, clothed in white with a red bandoleer and the most severe of bearings.

"You will sit, now."

Sven flew at him.

It was as if he'd slammed into a wall that one could not see. His nose shattered and he rebounded hard, hitting the dirt. "I do not make my requests twice."

The enormous Eskandr staggered to his feet, heat and rage boiling off of him in waves.

"Jeg vil dræbe dig, svin!!!" Sven roared.

Esmii rushed over to Roslyn to see what's wrong, she noticed that she wasn't doing well and that she could cause harm to herself and others. Because of this Esmii decided to use her quilt, she laid it on the ground, then she slid Roslyn on top of it, while she was saying strange things to her. Esmii while doing this she said to her friend "It's ok, Roslyn, I'm here, rest now. You are safe."

After she had moved Roslyn to the quilt, she wrapped it around her and used binding to make rope to secure the quilt to her friend. After this and she knew that Roslyn was safe, she carried her and made her way towards Sven and the teacher. She shouted to him "Sven stop, Please stop, he's a teacher."

He began gathering energy - atomic energy.

The newcomer crossed his arms. "Dii'pen cang, hy'lelan." he warned. "Iij nax diidoin."
She listened and stopped, but tried again to get Sven's attention. "SVEN ENOUGH, THAT'S ENOUGH, PLEASE."
He turned back to Sven, even now preparing to unleash something cataclysmic. There was a small surge of energy. Then, he was a blur.

Then, he was touching Sven on the forehead.

With that, the raging giant wavered and collapsed.

The yasoi turned to Esmii, looking down his nose. "Clean up your mess, Mycormish. I shall see to the rest." He nodded and was gone.

Esmii seeing this, she picks up Roslyn and rushes as fast as she can to Sven's side. She then places Roslyn on the ground and begins to check Sven to see where he is injured and how badly he is injured. Esmii is shaking with fear, and while crying she says to herself. "This is all my fault."

There were no words of reassurance forthcoming, only a still, bloody Sven, pieces of a dead yasoi girl, and a trembling, hallucinating Roslyn.

Their quest ended there, outside of the Queensgate, as lamplighters circled and the zeno Tarthas'talix'tuura presided.

Meeting the Sun

Place: Queen’s Gate, Ersand’Enise Academy of Thaumaturgy
Time: Velles 2nd, Orrendes (Afternoon going on Evening)

Out from the Bath House entrance, the Sun King stumbled with his mask, spear, and little more than a towel around his waist to cover him. But the situation had already been resolved.

An attendant of the bathhouse followed him closely behind with the Sun King’s robes in hand. It made for quite a comical display seeing a mythical king running practically naked through the place while the mask had stayed firmly in place.

The Sun King bowed his head in appreciation. With an ostentation wave of the hand, his robes floated up out of the attendant's hands, above the monarch, and slid down to cover him.

Now for the pants. In a far less flashy display, he simply took the pants by hand. A flash of light encompassed the Sun King. After two seconds, the towel had flown toward the attendant. With two more seconds, the light faded and the pants were on firmly. Not so much as a hint of a crease to betray his lightning-fast change. ‘That's the real magic’ he thought to himself.

“Thank you for your excellent service. You may put my visit on my acquaintance's tab, Leon Solaire. I’m sure he will be perfectly happy to pay. And get yourself a tip too.”

He preemptively answered the attendant, who did not appear to be asking a question. “Yes, yes, the incredibly talented and handsome singer. The very same. Put it on his tab as I happen to know he has some credit from his work at that place down the road. Now I really must be off.” Turning on his heel, he gave the attendant a passing smile and wink, the latter being concealed by the mask.

Seeing the corpse spattered across the road, his smile quickly faded. He looked toward the large student with blood-coated hands. He was clearly the culprit. Instead of rising to the occasion, the Sun King planted his spear into the ground and leaned on it feeling sick.

The Sun King approached the trio with a grim look on his face. He kneeled next to Roslyn and inspected for signs of aberration sickness. It didn’t take very long to reach the correct conclusion. Aberration sickness and no small amount of shock were written over her face. The scene before her wasn’t likely to ease her condition either.

His head tilted back toward Esmii. “I’m not sure exactly what's happened here. But it would be best if we got away from the smell. Do you need help lifting the big one to the authorities?”

Because Esmii was blaming herself and scared after what had happened, she didn’t hear the newcomer, she didn’t even hear him, she was too busy blaming herself for everything that had happened.

"It’s all my fault, if only i didn’t get closer, I wouldn’t have been drawn to it. You stupid girl. Why, why did you do it? You caused this, you caused your friend and boyfriend to get hurt."

Before getting an answer, he returned his attention to Roslyn again. “You are alright now. Can you hear me?” He clicked his fingers a short distance from her face to check for a response.

Roslyn barely registered Esmii wrapping the blanket about her. Her sense of awareness was lost in the whirlwind of pain and suffering. The pleasant memories vanished causing her to shiver violently. The clicking caused her to flinch as her lips curled, baring back teeth with irritation. It couldn't be helped. Her emotions were unstable.

Her eyes narrowed, responding to his moving lips. However, she couldn't hear through the ringing.

"Wh-what?" Her voice spoke louder than necessary.

The Sun King smiled. The response had been lively and not nearly as despondent as others he had seen on his travels. The girl's dour mood was understandable considering the circumstances. But she bothered to respond to the clicking, which was something to be cheerful about.

“Please, could you tell me your name?” He responded in a calming tone. This question was spoken slower, which made it easier to read his lips.

Roslyn's eye twitched while she struggled to read lips. Voice, inaudible, roared in her ears. Underneath the quilt binded about her, the girl’s hands clutched her arms. Finger nails dug into the tender flesh and drew blood. As the man smiled, white lines scratched out in an X over his eyes. Roslyn’s face drained of color as she jerked back.

The sudden motion stirred her stomach contents. She twisted onto her side and hurled. Mostly beer and chunks of bread spewed into a wet mess across the ground. Shaking from the rawness in her throat, her weak voice spoke.

" R-Rose-Roslyn." She managed to squeeze past the pain.

"Your eyes... oh the gods, what's... happening?" Her voice trembled, losing the strength she had earlier.

Esmii finally realized that someone had arrived and they had asked her something, however it took her a while to realize and respond as she was crying blaming herself for what had happened to Roslyn and Sven. She turned and looked at the newcomer, and while wiping the tears from her eyes.

"I’m sorry, I didn’t notice or hear you. Who are you and what did you say?"

The Sun King looked away from the vomiting girl. The display on the road was turning his stomach as well, and he didn't need an extra push toward emptying his stomach of lunch.

He didn't respond to the girl's question because he didn't know if there was a good answer. Nothing had happened to his eyes, but the truth was rarely needed in circumstances like this.

He simply placed a hand on the blanket and began to heat it while his attention was drawn back to the healer behind him.

"I am the Sun King. I come from the great belfry in…" He spoke the full introduction by habit but caught himself. There was no grandiosity to be found in a place like this. "I said we should make for more pleasant surroundings. Staying around won't be good for Roslyn here and while I appreciate your need to heal that man, I'm sure we can get him more considered care once he is in the hands of the authorities. Do you need a hand lifting him?"

Esmii looked up at him and nodded in agreement.

"Hello Sun King, my name Esmii and this man is Sven. I can carry Roslyn if you can carry Sven. But Where can we go? We will need somewhere that has beds or something so I can heal him, and so we can put her somewhere safe. But I don’t know if I can do much for her, I do have a sleeping position if you think that might work."

Roslyn placed her back, somehow managing to avoid the mess she made. Her back leaned into the hand against the blanket. She closed her eyes tight. White, green, and purple streaked across her vision as she pushed the blanket.

"I need... to move." Her voice was hoarse and cracking. Anxiety rose causing her to start to draw energy in for a spell.

Esmii notices that Roslyn was struggling again, she also noticed that she was trying to cast something. She moved towards her and tried to calm her down.

"Rose it’s ok, I'm here, I know you're not well, but stop, you need to rest. Are you in pain?" After this she picked up her friend and carried her.

"It is nice to meet you, Emsii." The Sun King swapped places with her, going to Sven while she took care of Roslyn. Instead of the floating he had become known for, the man walked.

"I know a place where Roslyn should be able to recover." He placed a hand on the unconscious Sven's chest, who proceeded to float upward in defiance of gravity. "But I think you misunderstand me. The blood on this one's hands is not his own. Am I correct?"

"I intend to put him in a cell," he stated matter-of-factly.

Esmii hearing what Sun King said suddenly halted, her heart sank, she started to tremble with fear, and she turned round to face him, with the look of worry on her face.

Roslyn paused in her wiggling, her eyes snapped open. She had ceased her drawing as the energy bled back out, her head pounding harder than a mallet. Her stomach curled again, but nothing came out. It was empty, much to her relief. Esmii's face became an erratic scribble causing Roslyn to turn her face into the Yasoi woman.

"No..." It was a lie, clear as day despite her efforts to hide it. Her face tensed up as more throbbing rippled through her skull. "Please, don't..." She couldn't string together a proper thought. It was difficult to tell if her last response was to Esmii or the Sun King.

"He needs to be healed, not all of the blood is from the poor woman, some of the blood is his. He needs help too, not to be locked up, we are all suffering because of the effects of big aberration, it’s messed with us, them more than me, that's what happened. Why is this happening?"

Esmii can feel her emotions building up, she doesn’t know what to do, she is angry, worried and scared, and this is all amplified. She feels like it’s all her fault, she can’t think of what she can do now. She knows what has happened, but it wasn’t Sven’s fault.

"Do you think he wanted to do this? He needs help like She needs help, I won’t let him suffer. We can’t just lock him up. It’s my fault, I got too close to the aberration, he was trying to help me, then when the aberration disappeared the Yasoi woman attacked and he defended. I’m not leaving his side."

She shouted with tears in her eyes. She then looked at Roslyn as she realized she had spoken and was moving.

The Sun King let out a drawn-out sigh. “I care little for whose fault you think this is. The artist holding the brush is responsible for their painting, regardless of their influences. I find that holds for distasteful acts as well.” A pause hung in the air.

“But you love him. And for that reason, I will hold back judgment.” He spoke with confidence on matters he couldn’t have known. “Not even a king may intervene with love. It would be unjust for me to take him away, for now.”

“We should take these two to a more private location. I doubt I am the only one looking to collect ‘Sven’.”

Esmii took a deep breath, to try and calm herself and her emotions, as she knew she was being irrational and was taking her frustration and fears out on Sun King, which wasn’t fair as she knows he is trying to help and doesn’t know the full story.

"I’m sorry. You're only trying to help, and thank you for the help and holding your judgment."

She walked over to Sun King with Roslyn in her arms, and tried to offer him a hand shake.

Roslyn tensed as Esmii tried to juggle her. The ringing became louder, her voice louder than intended, "C-careful.”

" Sorry Rose, you're ok. So where are we headed then, Sun King. And yes we should hurry as someone else could be looking for us, well me, him and her not you."

Holding back judgment. When the phrase was repeated back to him, Leon began to notice the downside of his adopted persona. He wasn’t supposed to be here, under these circumstances. The Sun King was only supposed to bring even more joy and celebration to the trials. But fate brought him other plans. Even a fabricated authority was to be an authority, and Leon did not enjoy having to play that role.

The Sun King returned Esmii’s offer of a handshake with an awkward and unpracticed movement. It was not a common action for him to do at all in comparison to less formal greetings.

“Follow me, and do so closely.”

Esmii nodded, and followed closely. "Ok."

---

The Sun King’s tavern room could best be described as ‘spare no expense’. The lavish space was just about three times the size of a standard room and had a balcony overlooking the city. A low-lying table sat in the middle with a few lounging chairs at three of the four sides. On it was a vibrant fruit bowl and a book titled ‘Belzaggic Nights: Forbidden Romance Behind the Leaves’. It was a highly regarded book in the courts of noble ladies and the Sun King had almost finished it, judging by his bookmark.

After a cover was placed on it to catch the blood, the Sun King let an unconscious Sven gently fall onto a humongous bed that measured roughly three Sven’s big. “Please, make yourselves at home. I will get the bath ready for whoever needs it first.” He left Sven’s side and walked to touch the bath, which was positioned between the bed and the lounging table. The bath then proceeded to levitate up and float back into the bathroom.

When Esmii walked into the room she was amazed, her eyes widened and mouth fell agape. She had never seen a room like this in a tavern. Then she walked over to one of the chairs and placed Roslyn down on it. She checked her over, as she moved the quilt from her face, she noticed there were some cuts, it looked like she had scratched herself. She sighed and stated.

"Sun King, Roslyn has some scratches, but that's to be expected, I can’t see any other wounds, but bathing her is going to be tricky as I think she is hallucinating."

As Esmii spoke to the Sun King, Roslyn's form slacked. Her bones felt like gelatin. A heavy, laborious breath exhaled from her chest. Again, she saw the jagged lines float in front of her vision. They scribbled then darted about, creating childish like pictures. She closed her eyes again in hopes to make it stop.

After she had checked Roslyn, she walked over to Sven to check on him. She then took her boots off so she didn’t get mud on the bed, and climbed on the bed next to Sven. She unbuttoned his shirt to check the wound on his shoulder, then she checked his broken nose. She then began to heal him again. She healed his nose first as it wasn’t too bad,, then she healed his shoulder wound, lucky because she had partially healed it before it didn't take too long.

"Ta. Sun King can I please have a wet cloth, to remove the blood."

A dampened towel flew out from the bathroom in response. Without a word spoken from the Sun King.

Esmii court the towel, "Thank you." She began to wash the blood off of Sven, from his chest, arms. After she finished she put the towel on a table then she took a deep breath, and held Sven’s hand. Then she leaned towards his ear and whispered quietly.

"Please wake up soon my love, please. I need to talk to you. It's not going to be easy, but you need to hear this, something has happened. And Roslyn is in bad shape, I think she is hallucinating. It’s all my fault. You teshcexei'bidar (stupid girl or headpain child), why do you always cause things like this, maybe my moila (brother) is right, I’m useless, all I do Is cause problems."

Esmii then sits back up, one hand still holding Svens and her other wiping her tears away, she then looks over to Roslyn, as she notices that she is quiet. She also starts to feel dizzy and drained. She may have used more magic than she meant to, she moves to sit crossed legged on the bed to be more steady and holds her head.

"Sun King, can you check on Roslyn, I’m feeling a bit dizzy and drained, I will get rid of the binding ropes that are around the quilt for you when you're close to her. I don’t think I can keep the binding rope around her much longer."

"Very well." The Sun King called from the other room. "You may release her. I doubt she can cause too much trouble. I'll be over in just a moment, after the bath is heated to my lik… until it's warm."

Esmii on hearing him, felt relieved. Just then she unfortunately released the binding ropes that were securing Roslyn in the quilt, were slowly disappearing, as she could no longer keep them there, because she had used too much magic. Also right now she knew she wasn’t well, she could see from her hand that she was pale.

"Sorry Sun King, but can you take care of her for me? I have used too much of my magic and the binding ropes are disappearing."

When Roslyn felt the ropes loosen, her eyes opened. She caught motion from the edge of her vision. Drawn to the oddity, the Hendlish girl squinted at the nearest corner in the room. She stiffened and her eyes widened. To everyone else, the corner was completely empty.

"No...no, th-this isn't..." She jerked upright. Fumbling to her feet, she began to step backwards.

The Sun King left the bathroom with a smile despite the circumstance. It was somewhat explained by the exotic aroma wafting into the main room.

But his smile was quickly replaced with an unpractised stern expression and his hands went to his hips. A murderer lay unconscious on his bed, a lady was fearfully retreating from an empty corner, and the large man's partner was trying to heal him up. The Sun King wasn't sure he would be able to win that fight if Sven came back around and still felt violence was still the best course of action.

His work was cut out for him. Curse his bleeding heart, he still had to repress a smile seeing that they were now safe.

The Sun King picked out a rose from the nightstand vase and waved his hand over the bloom. Then tossed it harmlessly toward Roslyn. The flower shone with an unnatural brightness. 'That should give her something to focus on at least' he thought. He wasn't going to close the distance yet, best to avoid unnecessary panic.

Meanwhile, Sven slept like the dead, more or less. Was there any sign of him stirring? Had he just moved?

Unaware of her companions, Roslyn continued to stare at the corner. An ice cold familiarity washed over her core. A woman swayed in the corner. Slow and steady, unaware of Roslyn's presence. A thin dress gown covered the woman's frame of bone and skin. The long braid, unkempt and loose, swung in the middle of her back.

"Mother?" Roslyn whispered, her voice cracking.

The figure stiffened at the word. The fragile hallucination turned about and looked back. Inky blotches crawled across her cheeks, draining her flesh of color. She stared out of two black holes, the dark ichor pooled and dripped from the bottom. She cocked her head to the side.

Roslyn trembled, her eyes unable to tear away. The woman smirked. Small cracks snaked their way from the corners. Her smirk twisted into a wicked grin. Flesh flaked off, crumbling from the face. Through the gaps, gray mass wiggled and writhed. She opened her mouth releasing an ear piercing screech.

Roslyn snapped her hands over her ears. Before she replied, a rose thumped near her feet. She jerked to look at it. What might've been an enchanting light for some, turned into a twisted image of faces howling at her. Roslyn turned then rushed for the balcony.

Esmii, seeing the state that her friend is in, tries to talk to her, to see if it will help to distract her from what looks to be a horrible hallucination.

"Rose you're safe now, try to listen to my voice. It’s Esmii, I'm here."

Roslyn didn't catch Esmii's voice. In fact, she could barely hear anything. Her foot stumbled, but she managed to keep herself upright. This place wasn't safe. Adrenaline overrode the nausea in her middle, allowing her to reach the railing. Her arms reached out and braced against the top. As her legs swung over, her form rose into the air and... plummeted.

“Shit!”

Esmii, seeing this, screamed out to her friend. "ROSE, NO."

She then stood up from the bed, but when she fully stood and tried to take a step, the adrenaline she was running on had finally left her. Her legs gave way and she dropped to the floor, she was trembling, her head felt like it could split, she had also landed hard enough for her to hurt her right wrist.

"Sun King, please go and find my friend, as I can’t she needs help, her hallucinations could get worse, she is a danger to herself and others right now. I will be fine, and when Sven awakes he should be back to his normal self, and I will explain to him what has happened."

Esmii looked up to see that only her and Sven remained in the room. She was talking to a faint afterglow.

Chased by the Sun

From the busy street below the tavern, passersby gawked in horror at seeing a woman plummeting from the 5th and top floor of the Duke’s Luxury tavern and accommodations. A further surprise came when an incandescent flare erupted from the roof of the building and dropped quickly to encase that woman in light as it touched the ground below.

The light dissipated to show the Sun King himself hugging Roslyn in the middle of a captivated crowd. While his embrace wasn’t constricting, it was firm. “Please, please, there is no need to admire, praise, or fawn,” he addressed the crowd with a feigned pleasantry. “Can’t you see this poor girl wishes to mourn.”

The Sun King had illusioned a funeral veil over Roslyn’s face, both to hide her identity from the crowd and to lower her visual stimulus. His heart was beating out of his chest; with any luck, they wouldn’t put together that it was his apartment a woman had jumped from.

When Roslyn released her grip on the railing, gravity sucked her downward. Air whipped up as the ground rushed to greet her. Her mind failed to realize her mistake until it was too late. Her eyes closed, bracing for the worst. Suddenly, the motion stopped. Something grasped her tightly and held her close to its chest. Her eyes cracked open, but she spotted nothing but darkness.

Her heart hammed in her chest as she tried to puzzle what happened. It didn't help that her mind still pounded. For a moment, her form seems to relax. A sensation of eyes seemed to crawl across her skin. It was uncomfortable and set her on edge.

"Please, I need to get away. I killed her. I thought she was sleeping... She's dead. I didn't mean... Please, let me go." Her form shuddered, the panic rising.

“A metaphor!” The Sun King tried to settle the growing suspicions of the crowd. “A weeping woman's tears kill any man.” The panicked prose didn’t even make sense, she wasn’t referring to a man. But now his attention seemed more focused on the crowd than Roslyn herself.

When his grip loosened, she slipped away. Once more Roslyn bolted forward. Her feet slapped across the flagstones before she shoved past the parting crowd.

“Shit!”

He was quick to give chase, not only to catch her but to maintain the funeral veil illusioned over her face as well.

‘What did she mean? Had this woman also killed someone?’ He doubted it, but it didn’t stop a growing nausea that was welling up in his gut. Leon had to get to the bottom of this.

He gave chase but didn’t manage to close the gap. “Stop, please!” The Sun King called out. Although it sounded vaguely like reciting lines of a play, trying not to lose composure. That would only serve to worry the crowd.

Roslyn's legs refused to listen. She slammed into the wall, then shot down the alley's narrow path. Her veil continued to hinder her vision as she pushed forward. At this point, she didn't even know where she was heading. She needed to escape from here. Voices once more assaulted her ears causing her to tremble.

It didn't help, she could barely see.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry..." Roslyn cried, tears welled in the corners of her eyes. Bruises had formed along her arms from where she collided with the wall. Her foot caught against a box. She staggered, but she managed to stay upright.

‘How fast is she?’ The Sun King kept the pace, but she was fast. He had hoped to be able to conserve his magical reservoirs. But the distance wasn’t being closed and she didn’t look to be running out of steam ahead. Even with the short trip.

”Rosl… Rose!” He narrowly avoided revealing her identity then jumped the box. Not without considerable effort on both accounts.

When Roslyn exited the alley, she turned right and headed east. The illusion veil stayed on well and continued to block her vision. However, she could hear the crowd become louder. She kept going, but her pace began to slow. Exhaustion weighed down her legs.

A wagon abruptly pulled into the middle of the road. Roslyn's shoulder smacked into the rear corner. She toppled to the ground, her scream stifled by the shock. A whimper escaped her lips as she curled into a ball upon the ground. The pain rippled from her bruised muscles to her brain. She couldn't move.

"I'm sorry. I thought she was sleeping... Why didn’t I check?" Roslyn asked no one in particular.

While she asked no one, it didn’t mean no one was around to hear. The Sun King had just caught up to hear the diminutive weeping. There was more than the madness tormenting this girl, but now wasn’t the time to ask.

”You have run long enough.” His tone was comforting but solemn. There was no attempt to play to the crowd as he knelt, speaking to her and her alone. His robes took a pleasant flight and fluttered up from his body. Then was brought down to blanket the sobbing woman. ”A gentle sleep calls. Allow yourself the rest.”

Roslyn didn't flinch or react, feeling the cloak hid her from sight. Her eyes remained closed and her form shuddered with her soft cries. Exhaustion numbed her limbs as she began to still. It was clear she had no energy left, not even enough to lift herself upright.

Due to the scene’s chaos, a small crowd drew close, but none dared to approach her.

The owner of the cart, a stout and short human, had halted his horse. He stepped down and rushed about the side to see the Sun King attending to the woman. He gave a breath of relief. Scratching his beard, he gruffly asked the questions on everyone's mind.

"What in the name of Oraff-Zept was she thinking? Just rushing into the wagon like that? Is she all right?"

“She is safe now. But I doubt she will be alright for some time. It has been quite the day for her.”

The Sun King rose from his reverent kneel, carrying the resting Roslyn in a princess carry.

“There is no need to worry now. Go back to to your homes. For all is protected, where the Sun King roams.”

A gentle light picked up around him until the two weren’t visible to the surrounding crowd. Then, when it faded again, the two were gone.

There was a greater magical process to it all. But none around could tell the specifics, none except Leon himself. And he wouldn’t tell a soul about the details.

The Hourglass Order

Lies Hidden in the Blood

Lies Hidden in the Blood

Place: Palapar within the Agha family residence
Time: Lepdes 1st of Vardes , DZ38 ( 17 years ago)

---

The master of the house leaned against the frame of his porch door. His dark brown eyes spotted the clouds rolling in. A low warning rumble echoed across the jungles, followed by flickers of lightning. Sheets of rain poured across the land. It soaked everything it touched as it continued onward.

Ruslan pressed the pipe end to his lips and touched his wand to the silver bowl. Threads of tobacco smoldered then curled into embers. With a deep inhale, Ruslan inhaled. The warm smoke entered his body and chased away the seasons' chill. He watched two young boys try to outrun the downpour. Their hands cupped over their eyes as mud slowed their footing. Eventually, they stumbled into a thatch hut with the rest of his property. As the storm raged on, Ruslan caught the sound of footsteps behind him.

He turned to greet the source. Selim was a man three years his senior and a talented healer. In the binder's hand were a string of prayer beads which he rotated with his thumb. Ruslan frowned at the nervous tick of the man's religion. He never understood the Darhannic faith. Without a word, Selim walked over to a floor mat and crossed his legs to sit. The tension rose between them until Ruslan broke the silence.

"How is Onaona doing?"

He noticed Selim tilt his head and his gaze resting upon the floor. Ruslan increased his volume. "Speak up, Selim. Is everything all right?"

Selim calmly answered. "She's having twins."

Thunder rumbled behind Ruslan. He paused midway to the healer, his form stiffened at the word twins. His eyes examined Selim for signs of lies, but found none. Why did Onaona dare to cause him problems now? He inhaled on his pipe again. The smoke swirled in the dim light, breaking against his form. His eyes darted to the direction of his second wife's room. Weighing the dark thought in his mind, he turned to address Selim. "Is there anything you can do?"

The healer frowned. Uncertain where this line of questioning led, he aired a cautious answer. "The babies are healthy and fine. There's nothing to heal."

A cold mask of indifference fell over Ruslan's face. His thoughts raced for solutions, but only one presented itself. He doubted the binder would view his suggestion favorably. "Yes, of course. However, you can influence things in the future."

Selim's jaw tightened. "What do you mean by those words, Ruslan?"

"I ask you to favor one child's well-being over another. One child might need to be sacrificed for the other to live." With the last of his words, lightning cracked in the skies. The bright light flooded the room and the shadows deepened across Ruslan's face.

"What nonsense are you uttering? I told you that they were both heal-" Selim's eyes widened with realization. His form leaned back, but the distance mattered little between them. When their eyes locked, the healer knew how serious Ruslan was. Not a single hint of remorse shined back."Dami's judgment, you're serious. No, I refuse. Eshiran would strike me down for even considering such a sin." The binder spat back. Already his hand went to make the sign of the god across his body, praying for forgiveness. "Why would you want to do such a thing?"

Ruslan stood before Selim now, his form slightly bowed to tower over the healer. His eyes closed as he considered how much details were necessary. How much mattered in the end.

"Dalma's family still holds hope she will bear an heir. They provide funding to help support this plantation. I'm not willing to risk it with a loose end." Spotting the discomfort on Selim, Ruslan then added. "You won't need binding. I believe you're adept in chemical magic. A delayed poison targeting one and being absent would be enough."

"It's a child. The Gods would not accept this. You're damning your soul to hell." Selim shot back, pushing himself back onto his feet.

Ruslan straightened up and watched the healer step away. He took no joy in having to sacrifice one child for another, but minimizing risks were necessary. Especially when he had a business to run. The man took a sharp breath then called out to the healer's retreating back.

"Since my suggestion conflicts with your morals, I'll arrange something else. I'll send you away during that time and ask for another binder. One more agreeable to my request."

As Selim paused, but said nothing. Brushing off the comment, the healer once more started toward the door and likely to retire for the night. Ruslan returned to the doorway and casually watched the monsoon carry on. His hand raised the pipe back to his lips, releasing another puff of smoke into the air.

Society Faire Hightlight Reel

Pays to be Persistent

Place: Beer Stall, Ersand’Enise Academy of Thaumaturgy
Time: Lepdes 34th of Assani, midday of the Student Societies Faire

---

Roslyn tightened her eyes. She willed herself to focus, gritting her teeth and stretching out her arms.

"1...2...3!" Shouted one of her fellow brewers.

A spell slipped out from beneath her breath. She drained heat from the keeler's surface causing the surface to cool. The stolen energy drifted into the two boys siding the pot, empowering them. They tilted it in unison. Dark amber liquid poured from the spout into the large drum and stopped an inch from the top. Another girl stepped forward with the lid, sealing it in place. Next, Roslyn rolled it to the back of the stall and levitated it into the stillage.

The Hendlish girl just finished wiping the sweat from her brow when someone else called out. Her eyes shifted to spot a girl, Laverne, rushing over. The voice bore a heavy Perrench accent despite the words being Avinican.

"Roslyn! Your duty is done, go back to the faire! Quick before the society head changes his mind."

"Thank you, Laverne, and I will do." Roslyn shot back, her feet already quickening to the exit.

Just outside the stall, a form stepped in to intercept her. She blinked then looked up to identify the owner. Bernhart Richter flashed his brightest smile at her. With practiced politeness, Roslyn returned a modest one. She wondered if she could use her kinetic to bolt past him.

His greeting distracted her as he started an unwanted conversation.

"Hallo, Roslyn, I was wondering if you would like to join the Mage Hunter's Society this year?"

She cocked her head slightly to one side. Why in the world would he want to recruit such a shoddy shot like herself? After like six or more attempts, she had barely managed to snag a token.

"I'm not sure, Richter." Roslyn made sure to use his last name rather than his first.

"Come on Roslyn. You did... fair at the target shooting." He carefully worded his statement.

Her right eyebrow rose as she suppressed a small sigh in the back of her mind. Roslyn's right foot led the way around him and she shot past with the intention of escape. Even she could tell that was a bold face lie. He wasn't easily discouraged as he followed and swiftly fell into step with her. Roslyn silently cursed her shorter legs.

"Okay, so maybe I colored the truth a bit. But still, we can use students willing to pull the trigger. And your aim will improve with practice."

"But why?" Roslyn asked, her feet unable to increase the pace. "I wasn't even the best one."

"You weren't that horrible." Bernhart replied.

Roslyn stopped just to whirl about to face him.

"I didn't even hit the target until the sixth or seventh attempt!" She couldn't stop the squeak rising in her voice.

Not expecting her to suddenly turn on him, Bernhart nearly collided into her. His feet dug in and his arms raised to keep them in eyesight. The boy's frown cracked into a smile.

"Yet, you were still determined to get it," his arms lowered and crossed over his chest, "Don't underestimate that trait of yours."

Another sigh slipped from Roslyn's breath, her mind realizing he would hound her until she agreed. His next statement punctuated that fact.

"Just try it for a year, please?" His large hands pressed together as if praying to the Gods.

She had no choice.

"Fine... One year. If I don't get better, I'm quitting." She held up one finger to put emphasis on the number.

The grin on his face swallowed up any worry left in him. Seeing him satisfied, she then added.

"Now can I enjoy the society faire? I want to catch up with a few of my friends and hopefully get some tokens." She had heard the prizes were rather good this year.

“Uh, yeah. See you later Roslyn!” Bernhart smirked. She quickly disappeared into the crowd. His fingers ruffled his hair as he looked to Gotfrid who finally found him.

"I got her to join so I win the bet. Give it up." Berhart's palm turned upright and gestured for his prize.

Gotfrid muttered a curse in Eskand then passed over the coin. "Fine. Did you mean any of what you said?"

Bernhart glanced at the crowd, his eyes unable to pinpoint Roslyn's form, before he deposited his winnings in his pocket."Nope, but it doesn't matter. Let's go play a few of the games. I'm feeling lucky." The pair vanished toward the maze.

Brewery Team Up

Place: Ersand’Enise Academy of Thaumaturgy
Time: Lepdes 34th of Assani, Three Legged Race

---

Roslyn frowned. Her ears caught the first heat of the three-legged race end, the announcer calling for a new round. Fear edged into her core causing her heart to race. Her eyes flicked through the crowd gradually thinning. She had missed out on the first head due to her disadvantage in height. It never occurred to her how few people were her size until now.

One by one, the crowd began to thin as partners lined up to register. Swallowing down her defeat collecting in her throat. Her arms curled about her, shielding her from the disappointment. Her feet started to drag her back to the shaded benches.

A light tap on her shoulder stopped her. The brunette whirled around and came face to face with a familiar masked woman. Xiuyang. Her expression slipped into a smile at her fellow brewery member.

“Thanks," she muttered as they teamed up, the ropes handed off to tie themselves up.

As she started to strung about their legs, Xiuyang moved. She glanced up and frowned with a questioning glance. Though Xiuyang had approached her first, she seemed uncomfortable. Still, the woman kept insisting that she tied them together on her right side.

“Are you sure you still want to do this?" Her worry bled into her tone.

Xiuyang winked and patted her shoulder. She mentioned that she wanted to win something for once.

Reassured by her words, Roslyn nodded and grinned, “ "Let's do this then."

At the start of the race, they struggled with their foot work. Roslyn either lifted her leg too fast or slow for Xiuyang to match her. They swiftly fell behind as they cut into one of the positions. Around the last stretch of it, two teams collided into a pile up. Legs and arms went flying as the contestants started to add to it.

The two tripped, but managed to recover and bolted for the finishing line. Roslyn glanced back. Esmii and her partner were quickly gaining ground. With a burst of energy, her feet nearly tripping over themselves, the girls bolted past the ribbon.

It snapped as they finished the race. Roslyn's lungs tightened, her legs burned, and her form stumbled a bit. However they won! She turned a beaming grin toward Xiuyang, both girls taking their deserved tokens.

In the Light of the Moons

Place: Ersand’Enise Academy of Thaumaturgy
Time: Lepdes 34th of Assani, during the Late hours of Dami to Early Ipte.

Finding out that Roslyn was a target had really made Valerian's choices rather clear cut, and if he was being honest...it was better that way. Still, not having been able to warn her was not an ideal situation.

Glancing to Ariadne, Valerian took a breath and let his heart harden. "I'll take Roslyn, but it won't be much of a hunt." His tone was dismissive, perhaps to hide the truth of things. It seemed he was playing things close to the chest.

"Okie doke." she gave him the 'okay' sign.

Nodding, honestly rather glad to not get a significant response, Vel turned his attention to the so-called 'hunt' and set out. Rather than running, Valerian conducted himself like a proper gentleman--if one moving with purpose.

Eyes sharp as he moved through the night streets, Vel took care to use the dark to his advantage. While he'd not appear as anymore than a nobleman on the way to some important business, Vel stretched his senses out and used a bit of magic to further obscure his features.

Eventually his senses picked up on his friend, her signature rather familiar to him. Honing in on her, Vel noticed the nervousness in her gait, the way she walked and occasionally glanced around. He had to be careful, after all, she'd had her own struggles with sanguinaires and though she knew his nature that didn't mean he could just slip from the darkness and feast.

Wincing at the idea, Vel nonetheless raised a hand and hailed his friend. "You know, it's really not safe for a noblewoman to be walking about at night all alone," he called out in his familiar tone--faintly mocking, but filled with warmth. As he spoke he relaxed his drawing, allowing the light to catch his features, shifting him from stranger to friend.

Roslyn cursed her luck. Her boots stomped across the flagstone as her skirts ruffled, her legs moving quick. Already the dim light barely chased away the darkness, drawing up her anxiety. That detour with Niallus had taken far too much time, but her curiosity had gotten the better of her. Now she suffered for it.

"Fuck, fuck." The girl muttered beneath her breath in her native tongue. She paused mid-step when she caught Vel's voice. Her head turned to look for him, spotting him when he revealed himself.

"To be fair, I tend to blend into the background so I doubt anyone would care. But you're right. What are you doing out here so late?"

Valerian flashed her a smile--not a grin--and his expression shifted subtly, his eyes warning her before his features slipped into a more relaxed expression. Idly he offered her an arm as a nobleman did for a lady. "Enjoying the moonlight," he said, but his eyes told a different story, they warned her '...not here.'

Roslyn's head tilted, uncertain about Valerian's behavior. Something about his eyes didn't match his demeanor. Inexperience and innocence hurt her in this situation as she forced herself to settle down. She accepted company without question. The girl slipped into step with him and her arms wrapped about his offered one.

"I'm not going to say no to the company. I will admit, I shouldn't have lost track of time. I let my curiosity get the better of me." She answered quietly.

Chuckling, Vel nodded along, keeping his eyes ahead of them even as he turned his senses to their surroundings. While he'd claimed Roslyn as his prey that did not mean that another Sanguinaire couldn't decide to hunt her anyways. If someone did, he'd be in place to make sure that no Sanguinaire harmed her. "Ah, I'm familiar with the experience, believe me. Of course, I've the benefit of being a nobleman, rather than a lady. Still, you never know when the night's denizens might turn their gaze on you. Glad I ran into you," he finished, gently leading her towards the dorms.

While on the one hand it might have been wise to stay on the mainstreets where the lanterns cast some measure of light, Vel opted for a faster route. Casually, he cast out several small flames, lighting the area several meters around them in every direction.

"True. Best I can do is freeze or run, sadly. Neither one of those talents have come in handy yet. So... where were you heading to?" Roslyn asked, still unaware of the reason for Vel casting so much. It drew a deeper discomfort in her core, but she shrugged it off. He wouldn't hurt her.

It took her a moment to realize they had detoured from her home. She almost paused in her pace as she looked at him.

"Umm, where are we heading?" A wariness edged into Roslyn's voice.

"Ah, I thought we could do with some privacy," he said casually, "...unless you wanted to disturb your roommates with our conversation." Vel gave her a knowing grin as he glanced sidelong down at her.

That look... Roslyn's cheeks blushed a crimson red. Was he implying... no, she abruptly cut off the thought. Vel never showed any interest in her before now. What changed?

"I guess you're right, but I don't want to keep you from a good night's sleep." Her eyes lowered in a shy fashion.

Valerian blinked a moment at her response then glanced down at her even as she averted her eyes. Seeing the red on her pale cheeks in the moonlight parted his lips for a moment before he tactfully swallowed, cleared his throat and cast his gaze forwards again. Recovering almost immediately he let out a short breathy laugh. "Hmm? I'm sure I'll be fine," he said, sounding almost as if it were an afterthought. He'd decided that--after her rather adorable reaction--that he'd let her marinate in the idea awhile.

On that note--with only some idle chatter between the two--Valerian escorted the fair lady to his chambers, his actions rife with implication. Of course, his intentions--while certainly not entirely harmless--were not nearly so scandalous as Roslyn had assumed.

Opening the door for her as they arrived on his floor, Vel's well appointed dorm room lay before them. Some of his tiny wisps of flame whisked into the room ahead of her, lighting several lanterns and even stoking the fireplace to life. It created an immediate ambiance in the room, as if the fire was welcoming her in.

"Do make yourself comfortable," Valerian offered with a smile, having turned up the charm more than absolutely necessary.

Roslyn hesitated a moment when Valerian opened the door. She stood at a crossroads that easily could lead to serious consequences. Her form tensed, debating in her head over the best choice. She inhaled, silently deciding to stick struck to a conversation only. In the end, her father would arrange some one regardless and she held only a minor choice in the matter.

The girl followed him in, the decision made to stick only to conversation. Her eyes wandered idly over the dorm as she smiled at Valerian's words. Casually, she folded her skirts beneath her and settled into a chair to wait. Truth be told, she wasn't sure how to approach this type of... situation.

"Okay, what did you want to talk about?"

Noticing her hesitation--and silently stifling a chuckle--Valerian let her situate herself as he closed and quietly locked the door. As soon as the lock slid into place, a hidden tension left him.

'Safe.'

Laying his forehead against the door and not yet turning to her, Valerian let out a sigh of relief. Dropping some of the act, Vel began.

"Well, for one, ensuring your safety," he said honestly, before turning to her and offering her a small--almost apologetic--smile. "There was...um, an unexpected hunt tonight," Valerian clarified, "...and fortunately, I was there to make sure no one else drew your name."

Upon hearing the word hunt, Roslyn tensed. Her eyes widened as expected and she sucked in a sharp breath. Images of the Sanginuaire trying to tear into Esmii flickered across her mind. Her head shook the memory away, not wanting to relive it. She forced her fingers, which had clutched her skirts, to relax.

"I-I" She paused to collect her racing mind, taming it to properly form words.

"I wasn't expecting that. You mean there's more than you in the academy?" Her eyes shined with fear, despite her effort to swallow it down.

Frowning, his expression one of worry rather than discontent, Valerian let her take a breath before he gave her a somber nod. "There are. For...obvious reasons I cannot say whom. It doesn't appear there are that many and ideally they--like me--will want to lay low so as not to draw undue attention."

That said, he walked across the room, moved a chair across from her and sat facing her. "You were lucky. I was able to take your name out of the pool deliberately. Fortunately no one contested me on that, but I know that I would have fought them if they had."

He gave her a small companionable smile before pushing his hair back, composing himself. "I...won't impose, but I did have to give up an opportunity to..." he trailed off, meeting her eyes for a moment. There was something painful in his expression. He hated the moral quandary of this, of his choice, his ill-considered transformation into something other than just human.

"If I have to, I'll...take the risk, go out and find someone else, but I'd..." he gritted his teeth, a scowl coming over his features. He let out a sharp breath and brought his hands to his head, rubbing his temples. "I should have chosen better, been wiser," he mumbled, swearing briefly in Perrench, then Eskandish.

Roslyn eyed Valerian as he nodded, approaching and taking a seat in front of her. Despite knowing what he was, she wasn't scared of him specifically. Just those that showed themselves to be real monsters.

"I can understand that and I agree, but it doesn't matter now."

Roslyn eyed Valerian as he nodded, approaching and taking a seat in front of her. Despite knowing what he was, she wasn't scared of him specifically. Just those that showed themselves to be real monsters.

"My grandfather once told me, it's what you do after you fall that makes the biggest difference." An inner struggle surged as she considered what she was about to offer. She risked giving up her soul, but Vel had been her first and almost only friend in the first year.

"If you need blood, I don't mind. Take what you need, but don't take too much... okay?" She didn't know how this was done or if it would hurt, but she was willing to risk it. She wanted to think the best of him even now.

Lifting his head he met her eyes and in them he saw determination and trepidation in equal measure. Swallowing, Valerian closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. Nodding in recognition of her words, Valerian opened his eyes and stood. None of his moves were sudden, in fact it was more like every movement he made was with exceptional care. Wanting, if not to put her at ease, then to at least distract her, Valerian approached and--gently--set a hand just above her hip at her waist.

Gritting his teeth slightly as she startled slightly in surprise, Valerian managed a smile and the faintest of jokes. "Do excuse my indiscretions Lyn, I'll be careful." Then, slowly--almost teasingly, he leaned down over her, a warm pressure shifting her head aside to bare her neck, Valerian lightly nicked her pale flesh with a kinetic spell.

There would be a brief sharp pain, then warmth and a not-so-subtle flood of pleasant sensations as he used a bit of Chemical magic to distract her senses as he pressed his lips over the wound and drank.

Roslyn didn't know what to expect, but she prayed for it to be quick. She had agreed, but regret began to pool at the back of her mind. Through pure sheer will, she managed to push the screaming impulses to run down. Not an easy feat since she froze like a deer when Valerian moved in closer. Her breath stilled in her chest and eyes snapped on his advancing form.

She felt his hand rest on her hips causing her eyes to flicker down. Her throat swallowed the rising lump in her throat and exhaled. Time stretched its length as if to taunt her. Her imagination began to stir with unwanted thoughts or false horror.

A subtle flinch crossed across her surface. Of course Vel noticed. He seemed to dismiss it and gave a charming smile, joking with a given nickname. Tension evaporated from her form as she rewarded him with a timid smile. Her head tilted to feel his breath across her throat. Her fingers gripped her skirts and her eyes stared ahead, waiting with anxiety rising. This seemed more intimate than she expected.

Thoughts vanished when the soft nick of her skin caught her attention. Distracted by the sudden pain, a hazy pleasantness flooded her mind. A soft hum escaped her voice while his lips pressed to her wound and drew her life from it. Somehow, she managed to keep her hands resting in her lap.

After a brief time, Vel withdrew, catalyzing a final sharp influx of pleasure as he simultaneously sealed the wound with a bit of Arcane magic, the heat causing an incredibly narrow hot pain, before he soothed it with a cold touch. Swallowing the last dregs of the blood he'd drawn from her, Valerian couldn't help but notice Roslyn's rather indisposed state. However, rather than take it for what it was, he took a knee before her and asked her a question with a note of worry in his voice.

"Are you alright?"

For the majority of the time, Roslyn's mind had rolled in a wave of chemical complacency and faint pain. When the scent of burnt flesh mingled with the sensation, she began to pull slowly back to the present. She turned to look at him. A dizziness slammed into her head, sending her leaning back into the chair. A sharp inhale flew from her lungs.

"That was a bad idea..." She muttered.

Raising her hand to check her pulse, she took slow breaths to anchor herself. "Yeah. I'm just a bit dizzy. Might be because I'm not used to losing that much blood. I might need a drink or some water." Roslyn tried to be reassuring with a smirk.

"I'm sure it will pass with time."

“Now, to find the other little half-savage ...”

Something did pass and in little time. Valerian found Roslyn unconscious, head craned forward and safely seated. A powerful chemical magic had befallen the girl, and Ariadne was not too subtle about it.

Right beside him manifested his appointed mentor, hands on her hips as she bent over to inspect Roslyn.

“Wowie.” impressed she was, and even whistled to emphasize. “You drained her just right, got your fill AND did not cause a mess. That is so baller.” she flashed Vel a toothy grin and gave him a thumbs up. “Great work.”

She straightened herself and passed the tips of her digits over the Enthish girl's neck, right where the blood had been sampled drained. “Surgical. You're a natural. AND you finished the job quickly. Oh my,” she raised her hand to her lips to stifle a chuckle. “You're quite the Surgical Finisher, I must say!” she snapped her fingers. “That's it! You're my Surgical Finisher now. Félicitations, jeune soldat!” clap clap.

“Anyway. It seems like you've got everything under control. I'll be tending to the other if you don't need anything else ...”

Catching her so that she didn't fall from the chair when she began to slump over, Vel would have struck if he hadn't immediately recognized Ariadne as she slipped into his awareness.

He did not like how easily she'd been able to do that, but he didn't say it, simply schooling his expression as she gave her assessment of his 'work' as it were. Nodding his thanks, Valerian then shook his head. "No, I'll be fine. Thank you for watching over us," he said, bowing his head briefly before turning his attention fully to his friend.

Satiated as he was, Valerian lifted her with his renewed strength--making sure to move slowly as he still had not entirely adjusted to the enhancements of his...condition--Vel moved her to his bed and gently wrapped the blankets around her. He knew people would talk if she spent the entire night, but there was little for it, he could hardly smack her awake. She was a lady after all.

Watching her for a moment and marveling briefly at how delicate and fragile she looked in that moment, Valerian eventually frowned slightly and turned his attention elsewhere. Giving her space such that she'd not think anything scandalous had been done to her in her sleep, Vel situated himself back at his desk and dimmed the light in his room, leaving only a small lantern lit at his desk.

For a time he'd turn to his studies, reading up further on blood types, researching what he could of anatomy, and chemistry, and physics in the interest of bettering his knowledge--and as a result his magicks.

For the first time since in what felt like ages, Roslyn slept peacefully. No flash of fangs, monk dying on his own spit, or monsters stalking her through the night. A peaceful darkness embraced her until several hours later. Time ticked away to the late hours of Ipte's grace before Roslyn stirred awake.

Her form sat up as her hand raised to touch her head. The sleepy haze began to roll back, her mind collecting itself. One moment she recalled talking to Vel and the next, her world went black. Roslyn shifted her sight to the room. Her eyes scrunched up, nothing seeming familiar. Her heart jumped when she realized she hadn't left Valerian's dorm all night. Oh, shit... what happened?!?

As Roslyn awoke, she'd find the room quiet, the drapes still drawn against the early morning light. Valerian, for his part, appeared to have found a semi-comfortable spot in his desk chair--which was at least well cushioned. The faint flames he'd been maintaining hours earlier had winked out when he'd fallen asleep and so the only light in the room was that seen through the edges of the drapes, and a faint warm glow coming from the fireplace.

Vel's sleep appeared to be...somewhat fitful as he occasionally frowned in his sleep, twitching and turning his head on occasion.

As Roslyn's racing heart began to calm, her eyes gradually adjusted to the dim light. It didn't take long for her to spot Vel in the chair. Her legs slid to the side and dangled off the edge before she pushed onto her feet. She approached the restless man. An empathetic expression crossed her face when she saw his discomfort, familiar with the effect of nightmares.

An intrusive thought entered Roslyn's mind before she shook it away. No, this wasn't the time for it. With a firm frown, the small girl approached the fireplace. She reached for the colder ash and held it in her hand. Recalling Jocasta's class, she focused inward. Images turned into reality as her binding broke the material into energy. Pushing past her caution, Roslyn moved back toward Vel and placed her hand upon his shoulder. A tingling of chemical magic flooded into his being to hopefully ease the emotions. She did this once with her horse Bay, but she wasn't sure how well it might work on him.

Blessing of Joy. She thought before breaking the silence.

"Vel? Vel, wake up. You're having a nightmare, please wake up."

Images of the Ogauraq being torn apart as he was fixed in place, not by any force, but by his own indecision, by his own foolishness. The horrors of being slowly digested by the rotting dragon. Dreams of hunger…faces flashing before him and the image of his father looming over him with a smug smile, laughter in his eyes.

Then a sense of relief washed through him even as a faint sound brought him up from the stupor of unconscious dreaming and into the waking world. Eyes opening, Valerian felt his racing heart slow. He smiled blearily at his friend before his expression turned to a lopsided grin as he remembered the night before.

“You know…the rumor mill is going to set on fire if you leave this room looking all ruffled after spending the night.”

Roslyn knew that, but there was nothing she could do about it. She chose to ignore it for now and deal with it later. She didn't move when Vel rose to his feet. Instead, her head lowered and her fingers pinched the bridge of her nose. She didn't like what she was hearing. There was a lot of risk here and she had willingly chosen this position. She could only blame herself, causing her to mentally sigh. Why in the hells, why did she care so much?!?

"Weekly doesn't sound too bad. The RAS might be an issue. Mine's nothing impressive, I'm sorry to say. Did you get full?" Her hand slipped down to her mouth, her eyes studying him. Part of her expected to see him give her a cold, hungry stare back. She shivered and pushed it away.

This was Vel, not some monster, right?

Vel rubbed the back of his neck then smoothed his hair back, the expression not quite nervous, yet not quite one of frustration either. It seemed more of a measure to calm himself than anything else. "It looks that way..." he said, responding to the first before he listened to her continue. After a moment's thought he nodded, "Yes I've heard similar, though as I understand it the practice is all but confirmed to be effective. Though...there are potential side effects, though I'm not clear on what they are."

Frowning slightly he met her gaze, "If...if those side effects are too dangerous I'd prefer you not. I can always figure something else out. I'm sure there's a way...." He trailed off though, his eyes becoming distant. It was clear that he knew the only way was to find somewhere--well... _someone_ else to feed from. He didn't like the prospect, but he knew what not feeding would do to him and as such he knew that if it came down to it he'd do what he had to in order to survive.

All the tension dropped from Roslyn. "I appreciate your concern, but we currently have an issue. From the sounds of it, I can't be a long term solution to your... hunger."

In the back of her mind, she already knew that on some level. Her form leaned into the chair, dissolving some of her prim posture. It didn't help that she felt a bit lightheaded.

"I'm trying to recall what I know of RAS. I heard rumors about some students absorbing aberrations, but we're not supposed to. According to the stories their RAS increased." She bit her lip a moment, debating with herself. "I'm not sure how true this information is or where to get aberrations."

Roslyn found herself between a rock and a hard spot. Her mind drifted back to Vorossyia, reminded of her helplessness and weakness. She wondered what might've been different if she was stronger. Her head claimed nothing, but her heart believed otherwise.

She let a soft, half-worried smile come to her lips.

"We don’t have much of a choice, Vel. You put yourself into a very bad position. The only other way is feeding off someone else, and that's dangerous. I don't need to tell you why. "

Her voice became sharper at the end. Realizing this, Roslyn sighed. She tucked a stray hair about her ear while she continued.

"I didn't mean to sound miffed, but... I don't want you or anyone to get hurt. Especially anyone I care about. At this point, I see nothing wrong with trying. The positive part is that I haven't heard of any student dying from aberrations. That means it's mostly safe, right?" Roslyn's positive expression did not quite match her eyes.

"We should talk more in depth later, I need to leave soon. The less students around means eyes to spread the gossip. But I should freshen up my hair at least." Her hands briefly examined her mussed up hair, barely held together by the gravours. Shortly after she had been able to tidy up, they bid each other farewell and he escorted her out. He casually agreed that they would talk again and then she swiftly darted back to her dorms. She silently prayed to the Gods that no one saw her.

All’s Fair in Tug O’ War

Place: Ersand’Enise Academy of Thaumaturgy
Time: Victendes 35th of Assani, Evening

---

Noticing one person sit down, looking a bit lost to her, Roslyn had started to make her way to him. However, some of his friends called out and he joined their team. She sighed, but she continued to look for a team.

Having little luck, Roslyn suspected this to happen. She was usually picked last for any strength contest and she understood why. Not spotting Niallus and Esmii, she had wandered over to take a seat for now.

Penny looked at Roslyn. "Hey buddy, wanna go get our asses kicked?"

Roslyn nodded, "Yeah... I'm glad you're okay and it seems you came back with an additional limb."

She gestured to Penny's new leg, "I have so many questions, but I'm feeling like I'm not going to get all the answers."

Penny shook her head. "In due time," she promised with a smile.

Niallus wanted to ask Sven if he wanted to be on the same team just about to go up to him. Ingrid had already asked him. Niallus didn't want to put his friend in a situation where he would have to choose between him and Ingrid, so he didn't push that, maybe next time if there's another team game he'll ask him.

Esmii walks up to Ashon happy to see a fellow Yasoi teamed up with her. Also having Roslyn and Penny too is great since she has spent time with both of them when they were all away. "This is going to be great." She said in an outburst of joy, her arms in the air. "Yay, I'm not the only Yasoi." She said to Jamboi.

He took the invitation with her arms up to pick the yasoi girl up into the air and swung her around before placing her back down , "Always wanted a semprii'hy’lelan." He lowered his head toward Penny, smiling shyly as his gaze lingered toward her in unspoken meaning.

"Looks like I am spared from hax"toil for a moment."

Penny took a moment to go over it in her head. She'd been practicing yasoi, but was not that good with it yet... Then, it hit her. She blushed and grimaced in equal measure. "Dress her up in a bonnet and giver her a sucker then, hmm?" Her expression turned into a challenging smile that was all lips. She shook her head. They had their suspicions. They'd had them for a week now. She was trying not to think about those at present.

Esmii puffed her cheeks at Jamboi's words to her. But she knew he was just joking with her and giggled about it. When Penny added to the joke Esmii had to respond in kind. "Well I have an Eskandish teddy bear I love to snuggle." She giggled a little bit, before focusing.

"Penny, how are you fairing?" She asks her friend politely.

Penny shrugged. "You know, about as well as any of us could be after... well, you know." She was perfectly polite and casual enough about it on the surface, but her tone of voice and body language tried to send the message that any further probing into the subject wasn't really something she would like. "How 'bout you?"

As Esmii and another Yasoi joined them, Roslyn heard the exchange with Penny. Her eyes glanced at Penny's reaction. It didn't take a genius to know he had said something fluttering or cringy to her. The Hendlish girl's head turned from one to the other. She recalled the mention of a boyfriend named Ashon in the blowback and she smiled. Guess she needed to learn another language now.

That was when Roslyn spotted Niallus. He looked lost in the crowd. With a deep breath, she stepped back from her friends for a moment. She drew in some of the dying light then coiled her legs underneath her. With all her might, she jumped up above the crowd.
"Niallus! Over here! We need another person!" An excited shout came from the small girl.

As she hit the ground, her balance faltered a bit. She managed to remain upright against the sloppy landing.

Esmii scanned Penny while she spoke to her, she could guess that she was putting on a brave face. So was Esmii. Her dreams filled with terrors of what happened during that time, causing her to wake through the night in sweats. Giving a little shake of her head.

"I...I'm doing ok. I'm just glad that nightmare was over." Her body tensed a little bit before she spoke.

"We could spend some time together. I'd love to know more about you." She knew there wasn't much to offer, but small gestures like these could help.

Hearing his name being shouted, looking in the direction of where it came from. When he saw Roslyn, Esmii and the others.

"Sure." He simply said walking over to them standing next to Jamboi. A person he speaks to every now and again. He hadn't teamed with him since they made that request for Jocasta in Mdara in Djament. He thanked Roslyn for the invitation to be part of the group.

"No problem. You looked as out of place as I did so I'm glad you joined us." Roslyn said, the mirth clear in her tone.

Catching the hint of building anxiety, the young girl commented in a fashion she hoped helped. "I think we all have regrets or questions we want to air. Now is likely not the time or place. We should focus on having fun and enjoying each other's company. Also," she turned to Ashon.

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Roslyn Wicke."

Before they could continue any additional conversation, their team was called up to the second heat of the event.

After introductions finished, the announcer summoned them to the platforms. Roslyn filed in between Niallus and Esmii, her short frame stuck out like an oddball. The brewery girl pushed away the uncomfortable thoughts springing to her mind. When the game started, their opponent overwhelmed them. Roslyn and Esmii dug in their heels in hopes to prevent lost ground. However, Niallus' boots slipped across the wet surface. Ashon didn't fare well either as the monkey king slid forward.

"Ashon Carry gets hauled almost halfway to the edge on the very first round! Hopefully, they can turn the page quickly!" The Announcer's voice boomed.

"Can they do more than just survive, however?"

For a bit, Roslyn's team continued to lose ground. Her best efforts seemed to do nothing, but she continued to try anyway. Suddenly everything crumbled in the last round.

Roslyn felt the rope slacken in her grip causing her to glance backwards. Penny locked lips with Ashon. Niallus had leaned too far forward causing him to topple into the water. Roslyn jerked her elbow, her face protected from the spray. Meanwhile, Esmii bolted off the platform toward Sven.

Esmii ran straight to Sven, grabbing his hand. "Come with me for a moment." She pleaded.

The large lad's grin showed he wasn't about to argue with her. He took her in his arms and kissed her. They disappeared into the trees momentarily.

With the last of her team disabled, Roslyn's feet neared the edge and she fell into the water. It slammed into her chest, driving the air from her lungs. Her legs kicked and brought her to the surface. She inhaled deeply before breaking into a cough. Roslyn drifted to the platform then spotted an outstretched hand.

"T-th-thanks," Roslyn muttered, taking Niallus' hand, the water soaking her through her dress. A blush of embarrassment rushed along her cheeks as her arms tightened about her petite frame. She shivered a bit and followed him off the platform. Her fingers wringing her skirt front to distract her flustered thoughts.

The Hourglass Order

Roslyn Wicke

Drowning in the Aftermath

Family Secrets

Family Secrets

Act 1

Location: Wicke Estate within Arkney, Hendland
Date: Pandes, 7th of Tiptos (earlier this year)

---

Garith's eyes stared through the frosted window.

Stretching for miles, Ipte bestowed her kiss upon Arkney's land. Snow nested among the hilly landscape and fields, coating everything in blinding white. The color clashed with the yellowy glow spilling from the hearth as it warmed his back. He let the heat penetrate into his bones and soul, eating away the inner chill. His bitterness still lurked underneath his surface.

He released his breath into a faint mist. Its fog spread along the surface and melted the frost away. Garith took a step away, returning to the room's center. A frustrated frown cut deep into his face's thin muscle. Illness had siphon more of his stamina over the last few months leaving him weak and struggling to stand. Even now, his right hand rested heavily upon the cane at his side.

Garith raised the letter back to his gaze, his eyes hardening at Roslyn's handwriting. A soft sigh escaped his pursed lips as he trailed back to his chair. The door creaked open, followed by a shadowy form of a man entering.

His father, Aaren Wicke.

The young man ignored the sensation of eyes following him before settling into the seat. It was about this time every day that his father entered his office causing him to speak first.

"Good evening Father. Nothing bad happened in the brewery? No accidents or busted keelers?" His eyes raised to spy the older man close the door behind him.

Casually, his father drew closer and sat across the desk.

"Everything is on schedule, including the brew Roslyn started last year. We'll be testing it tomorrow for quality."

"Good, speaking of my sister," His hand offered the paper to his father, "I received her capital and personal letter today." Garith continued as his father read it."She got accepted into a program called THESiS. It’s a large loan of sorts, allowing us to pay it back gradually even after she’s graduated. We might be able to expand some this year."

Aaren stared longer than needed before passing it back, "She's omitted the amount she's left with each month, but reading between the lines... it's not much."

"My guess is four incantors each month, if she's lucky. That includes paying off her boarding and extra expenses if she went with something reasonable. It might be less if she didn’t."

Garith spotted his father about to open his mouth again, forcing him to interrupt."No, we can't send her more, we’re spending more than we can afford as it is. Roslyn’ll figure out how to make it work. Trust me on that."

Aaren sighed, leaning back into the chair. He shifted their conversation.

"When is your next Binder’s appointment?"

Garith didn't respond immediately. His eyes narrowed at each of the documents before brushing them aside, voicing his aloof thoughts. "I have too much to do. It will have to wait until I’m free."

"Based on the way you’re squinting, your eyesight is getting worse. Isn’t it?” The slightly graying man noted and then added,“Have you received word about the newest pair of Binders in town?"

"The Leigh siblings?"

"Yes."

Garith shook his head,"I prefer James Forrest. He treated mother until…”

A heavy stillness stretched across the room between the men.

His father broke the silence.“Rumors say he moved on to Rivers. According to the men I sent, his cottage has been empty since last year."

"Strange. He never said anything about leaving..."

Garith’s eyes finally met his father’s.

"No, he didn't," his Aaren agreed, "Based on the neighbors’ testimonies, he simply got up and left one morning. Carried what he could and didn’t look back."

Garith frowned and sighed."I wish he would’ve said something,” his eyes checked the fire, watching its red embers still glowing among the ashes, “I'll arrange a meeting with the Leighs then. My condition worsens, I’ll make an appointment later this week. The costs of Binders are bleeding us more than Roslyn's tuition."

"It is not the first time we had to tighten our belts and it won’t be the last. Roslyn would agree with me."

Garith scoffed, "Really? I'm starting to wonder. She's been staying away from home even during the holidays."

"You both left off on a bitter foo-"

"That's not an excuse!" The young man's fist hand slammed down on the desk table causing his father to flinch. Realizing his mistake, Garith swallowed his anger down. He straightened back up and cradled his stinging hand.

"I'm sorry."

Aaren rose half way to his feet, his hand reaching out to rest on his son’s shoulder.

“No need to apologize. Focus on getting better while I arrange the appointment with the Binders. Hopefully they are open to negotiations.”

Garith nodded. He was too tired to deal with this. Besides, there were more pressing matters surfacing in his head.

"Thank you and we have more pressing matters to worry about. Rumors about Viscount Gould's claims are getting louder. He came to visit me last month."

Aaren's eyes darkened at the name's mention while lowering back to his seat, "That greedy windbag decided to show his face here? After all the damage he did! What has he claimed this time? The mill, the brewery again… what?"

Garith ignored his father’s fuming form as he continued.

"He’s given up on the brewery. Now it’s our home. Once more, he claims our deed to the land is wrong and he has the proper one. Due to his generosity, he warns that we should leave the premises within the year."

"Tch," Came the click of his father's teeth at the Viscount's boldness,"Who did he pay off to feel so confident about this?"

"No idea, but if he paid off the right people..." Neither of them needed to say more.

"I'll put off visiting Roslyn until later this year. She has enough to worry about and needs to focus on her studies. Keep me updated. We’ll figure out a way out of this mess."

“She will find out eventually, but it won’t be from me," Garith spoke to his father's departing back, idly returning to his work.

Chamomile and Liquor for the Soul

Chamomile and Liquor for the Soul

Featuring: Niallus @McKennaJ71 and Roslyn @Fallenreaper
Place: Ersand’Enise Academy of Thaumaturgy
Time: Orredes (28th of Assani), Tinctures & First Aid class

---

Roslyn often took her luncheon in the brotherhood of Brew Appreciators' beer garden. The floral decoration and calming atmosphere aided her nerves of late. However, today was different. She wasn't here just for a leisure lunch, but to procure something strong in flavor for her next class' lesson. It helped kill two birds with one stone.

Once she forced her meal down, she entered the small brewery. Pushing past the cloud of heat, she found a stool and plopped down near the fire. Her eyes studied the rich, golden liquid stewing in the copper pot. So far, each member did their part between classes to ensure nothing burnt. Now it just needed to be finished off and bottled.

Roslyn bit back a yawn.

Sensing the heat was too high, she drew it from the crackling embers. The red hot flames dimmed into glowing coals. With her other hand, the girl's finger twisted about.

"Liquid Telekinesis."

The beer started to churn then bubble. Roslyn reached for a clay jar, positioning it near the spout. She took a few cooled embers in her hand. Using binding, she broke them down. Transferring the mana into her kinetic magic, she resumed using her magic to pour the keeler. She felt like she hadn’t slept properly in the last few days.

Strong scents of barley, apples, sweetgale, and cinnamon drifted into her face. Roslyn squinted her eyes through the steam as she focused on her magic's movement and its pace. Adrenaline kept her upright. She didn’t know how long it would last though. Once the jar reached its peak, Roslyn rested it back on the dim embers. She corked it then set it aside. She repeated the process with a keg next. The process was slower than it should’ve been and included putting the drained grains into a barrel. Other students would purchase it for cheap animal feed, especially for horses.

Once finished, she stood up and rolled the larger offering to the storage for the society faire tomorrow. She had been ‘volunteered’ to help at the booth and that meant getting out of classes for the day. Speaking of time, her eyes shifted to the sundial nearby. The dark line edged dangerously close to the next hour and forced her to move. Carefully, she took the reminding clay jar and then headed to her Tinctures and First Aid class. She felt confident that the beer would overwhelm the bitterness.

~~~~

Carefully balancing the jar in her hand, Roslyn minded her step as she entered the classroom. Her eyes shifted to the candle clock to note the small amount of wax above the next line. Good, she thought, class hasn’t started.

A dreadful weight released itself from her chest and she drifted to her station. She lowered her jar onto the table, noticing more students filing in behind her. Her form settled into the seat nearby her partner Niallus Saberhagen. Spying Esmii a few tables down, Roslyn waved to her Yaosi friend.

Realizing she hadn’t explained the jar, Roslyn politely smiled and pointed to it.

“I would’ve been here sooner, but I decided to make a small stop and pick up some malt beer. It should serve as a good tincture and kill some of the bitter taste. I hope that's alright with you.” Her eyes locked with his, waiting for an answer.

Niallus sat there, taking his eyes away from its pages while she spoke. With a gentle close of the book he placed onto the desk. When looking at her eyes he could see the slight bag under them starting to form. Has she not been sleeping well, he wondered. Dismissing those thoughts for now. He greeted her with a smile.

He shuffled his seat along so Roslyn could have more room on the desk. His knee banged into a leg of the desk knocking some things over, notes sliding across the desk making it untidy, he ignored it for the moment to answer her.

"Actually, you're just on time. There are a few students that still haven't turned up yet so the Zeno is giving a bit more time before we can start."

Seeing the jar in her grasp he made a little room for it on the desk, he was impressed with her planning ahead. He didn't even think of it. As he organizes the desk once with the essentials that will be needed for today's lesson.

"With both of us here, now we can start."

Roslyn simply nodded in response. The back of her throat surged with another tingle and again her mouth widened into a yawn. Her right palm raised to hide it a bit too late. A sheepish and embarrassed expression crossed her face. “Apologies, I haven't slept well lately. I'm afraid you'll be carrying us through most of this lesson. ” Guilt seeped into her tone over the admittance.

To be honest with herself, it surprised her that she hadn't burned herself in the brewery. Pushing the thought aside, white flowers with yellow middles caught her attention and she gently grasped one. Several were clustered on one stem while she held it up for him to see. “I’m sure this was covered earlier, but what herb is this?”

Niallus wasn't upset with Roslyn having trouble, he was having his own problems since he broke up with Ingrid not too long ago. Trying not to think about it too much he shook his head a little and focused on what Roslyn asked him about the herb she was holding in her hand in front of him.

"I think it's a chamomile. It's quite a common herb that can be used in a lot of herbal remedies. There are a few herbs that look similar to it but it can be a common mistake if you don't have knowledge of herbs." he explained to her. He checked the notes he made for the assignment that they have to do.

" Oh, I should've remembered that. Mother used to take some of these for fever. I am not sure it helped much." Roslyn released the stem as she set it back down.

"We need to cut it up finely. Once it's cut we need to add it to the liquid." placing some of the herbs in front of him, grabbing a small cutting knife, then placing another knife for Roslyn to use.

"Here you go, try not to cut yourself." he said to her then began to start cutting up the herb.

Roslyn took the offered tool. Her hand's grip tightened as she selected a stem of flowers. With a sloppy execution, she began to scrap the flowers off and chop the white petals. At first it was a repetitive motion. Muscles moved with memory as the white petals became smaller with each slice. Her eyelids drooped a bit as she fell into the lull of the motion. A sting of pain entered her skin causing Roslyn to hiss, dropping the knife. Pulling her finger closer to her eyes, a droplet of blood swelled to the surface.

“Damn it...” She muttered.

When he heard Roslyn hiss, Niallus turned to look at Roslyn holding her finger. He placed his knife down and moved hers away. Grabbing her hand to inspect her wound, it wasn't deep, but it started to bleed a bit, blood started to touch his hand. Looking at her tired face, he wondered if she drifted off while cutting.

“Ouch, easy!” She snapped a bit, feeling him pull her hand toward him. With a soft sigh, she held it there until he finished examining it.

"It's clear that you are too tired for this. Treat this injury I'll finish up, you just sit and rest." he said to her.

“I did mention you might be carrying me the whole lesson.” Irritation slithered into her tone.

Roslyn plucked a few hairs from her head and rubbed them between her fingers. Focusing her binding on it, she began to break down the hairs and use them to mend her finger. She mumbled.“Nourishment of Oraff-Zept.”

As her finger began to stitch itself together, she crossed her forearms and settled her chin on her arms. She regretted not drinking more before bed last night. Deep down, Roslyn knew it wouldn't have mattered much.

After she started using Binding to treat her cut. Niallus took charge of the duo. Grabbing the leftovers that Roslyn had left to cut, putting her pile and his own together, with a knife in hand he started cutting and dicing the stem and petals of the flower. He kept her in his peripheral vision, to keep an eye on her. It seems that she was close to falling asleep. His cutting and dicing was complete, since the necessary amount was almost reached before Roslyn cut herself, Niallus just finished it off. "There we go, all done. Are you going to be ok?" he asked her.

A half-hearted chuckle escaped Roslyn's breath, followed by another yawn. How many days had it been since the trip to Vossoryia? She had lost count thanks to the nightmares. Her gut told her it hadn't been that long though as she replied.“I managed to heal the cut so maybe?” She didn’t sound confident in her answer. Her head lifted long enough for her fingers to wipe away the grit in her eyes. Roslyn slowly settled back down as sleep weighed on her.

"That's good. Let's get back to it." Niallus said to her.

Niallus started to get back to the task. He couldn't concentrate properly, he looked back at her, she was just sitting there, she was on the verge of falling asleep once more. He thought about what to do with her. She could injure herself once more or worse since she's fatigued. Niallus stood up, grabbing his cloak that was hung up. Once in his hands he walked back to his seat, placing it around Roslyn.

"Why don't you go for a little nap. I'll handle the task from here."

Impulsively, Roslyn's form lifted upright to fight the sleepiness hazing over her mind. When his cloak draped over her, she snapped her head toward him. Already she felt the educator's eyes drift toward her with disapproval. “No, I can't. I can't afford any disciplinary marks right now. Besides, I have a spare period after this. I can nap then.”

Roslyn had already started to reach for the bottle. The cork seemed rather stuck as she struggled to open it.

Niallus eyes drifted to where hers looked, the tutor looked ready to strike, waiting for Roslyn to fall asleep so then they could come over. She was right. She would get disciplinary marks for this, but so would he for assisting her. He thought about what to do, maybe.

"If you think you can hold off until then I will help you by doing most of the lesson. You just sit and watch." he instructed, cleaning his knife from the herbs that stuck to the blade. When he saw her struggling to get the cork out of a bottle, he held his hand out to her. "Let me open it for you." he asked.

Sighing, Roslyn passed him the bottle. She bit back the urge to snap at him and instead forced herself upright the best she could. Every bit of her hated this draining sensation as she pushed her patience to its low limits. “ Yeah, I'm just useless right now... I just wish the nightmares would stop. I've been considering asking if I could get a blessing from the church, but I don't want to bother them."

Already the lack of sleep continued to push her downward once more.

With the bottle in hand, two fingers on the cork while Niallus' hand held the bottle. Applying little amounts of pressure on the cork, with a swift motion the cork came free from the bottle with a satisfying pop. "Here you go." handing back the bottle to Roslyn. He was curious about the nightmares that she was having, and wondered if was able to offer her some advice. From what he was told by Sven, the adventure was a little hectic. So it could be something that is bothering her.

"A blessing could help. What sort of nightmares have you been having?" he asked her while looking through his notes to see what was next to do.

“Mostly a mixture of things. From a burnt Penny condemning me to hell to a monster exploding in front of me. Every night seems to be something different." Roslyn's head fought not to rest on her arms by this point. “I am scared that I'm going mad at this rate."

Niallus comforted his fellow student, understanding what she was going through was in fact, he heard that Esmii was having the same nightmares. He only heard that from Sven. It would only be natural for Roslyn to have them too, since her and Esmii were together most of the time.

"I've had a similar trouble, my time in ReTan, wasn't the best time. It even got more troubled when I got back from Ersand'Enise." referring to him and Ingrid breaking up, seems a few of the other students already know about it already. He shakes his head, brushing his problem to deal another time. "If you want to talk more about it another time, you can come to me, I'm currently got some rough patch at the moment. We can share it with a few drinks. moment."

Roslyn frowned.

Her tired mind tried to search her memory over where she heard that word before. She would have to recall it later after she slept. The girl remained quiet for a moment before she finally answered.“Well, dealing with it on my own isn't helping me much. I have nothing to lose."

Niallus didn't know why he offered that to her, maybe so he can prove to himself that he's wanting to move on, though it'll be a bit odd having a different girl in his room. For now he didn't want anything to happen at all between them. "It couldn't hurt." he simply said to her.

She sighed as she forced herself upright. Her skin tingled as the instructor's eyes darted her way and then moved onto the next student. She stiffed another yawn with the back of her hand.

“You're right, but first I need to stay awake." Roslyn leaned in to read the notes too.

“We need to put the herbs in the alcohol, I think. Then let it sit for a bit." With Niallus' help, she folded the paper up and raised it near the bottle's opening. They poured it in and let the pieces fall in. She gestured for him to cork it as the teacher dismissed them. They had to wait for a day for the herbs to infuse into the liquid.

As the students were dismissed, Roslyn paused to talk with Niallus.“Why don't we talk about this on Victendes, around the last hour of Eshiran? Meet me at the Brotherhood of Brew Appreciators booth. I should be done by then and we can enjoy some ale in the beer garden."

The Hourglass Order

Mahal Agha

Mahal "Ceren" Agha

17 | Female | Palaparese | Noble | 7.93

P E R S O N A L I T Y

❖ [Serious]
❖ [Courageous]
❖ [Short Temper]
❖ [Hardy]
❖ [Adventurous]

Mahal learned to grow up faster than her half-sister, Lunara. Because of this reality, she has a bleaker view of the world and it shows in her serious demeanor. Humor and fun sometimes escapes her understanding causing her to stare in confusion. She doesn't enjoy idle gossip or excessive flattery either. In fact, she finds more meaning in gestures of kindness than actual conversation. When approached about her history, Mahal often refuses to answer or redirects the conversation elsewhere.

While Mahal's not afraid to push her luck and body to their limits, she isn't suicidal. There’s a difference between a death wish and taking reasonable risks. This hasn't stopped her sense of taste and mind from being open to trying new things.

Since she was young, Mahal has always struggled with her short temper. Thankfully she lashes out with words more than fists when her patience runs dry. Common sense seemed to evaporate when she uttered a rash string of words, coming to regret it later. It might explain why she rarely talks.

C H A R A C T E R A P P E A R A N C E

Eyes: Brown
Hair: Wavy Black
Skin Tone: Olive, moderate tan
Height: 5ft 6 inches
Weight: 145 lbs
Physique: Athletic, slender
Facial Features: Tends to seem always annoyed or serious, even when calm
Physical Quirks: Seems slightly thin despite her appetite
Distinctive Features: Tattoo swirls of geometric patterns forming 'waves' down her back. Upon closer inspection, the trained eye can note the irregular stripe scars underneath.

closest example, but symmetrical on both sides

Fashion

Due to the cultural differences, the local fashion scene is not a favorite of Mahal's. This hasn't prevented her from gradually incorporated it into her own daily wear.

For classes, she wears a simpler version of the regional fashion. She wears the smock, kirtle, and a simple skirt draping just above her ankles. Wrapped about her shoulders and down her waist is a sheer, flowing scarf of lighter color. For these, she has only found deep reds and browns that suit her tastes. Though she prefers barefoot, Mahal will wear shoes when needed.

Outside of classes or on casual days, she prefers a single piece dress with her scarf wrapped about her waist. Floral patterns are hand stitched into it. The colors vary based on her mood, but often she prefers bright colors of yellow, red or brown. On special occasions, she'll wear black with white stitched patterns. She will wear at least one or two of her accessories depending on her mood.

L A N G U A G E S

Name- Origins- Comprehension level- Types

Palaparense- Native- Mastery- Verbal and Written
Virangish- Native -Mastery- Verbal and Written
Inipori-Native- Mastery- Verbal and Written
Rettanese-Learned-Intermediate- Verbal mainly
Sawandish-Learned-Intermediate- Verbal mainly
Avincian-Learned-Advanced- Verbal and Written *

* Struggles with certain words and phrases/sayings, may ask for it to be repeated.

T H E G I F T

Blackblood | Glutton

Magnetic-3
Arcane-2
Binding-2
Chemical-3
Kinetic-3
Atomic-0
Blood-0
Temporal-0
Dark-0
Command-0
Primordial-0

B A C K G R O U N D

On the school records, she is known as Ceren Aghar from Palapar. Despite that little fact, she prefers Mahal and requests others use it over her Virangish one. Born as the daughter of wealthy plantation owner Ruslan Agha and his second wife, she is the half-sister of Lunara Agha. Since a young age, Mahal has been Lunara's caretaker and playmate. She gained skills in how to cook, clean, and even repair clothing. It was clear to her for years who her father favored as she felt she could do no right in his eyes.

One incident, a memory that haunts her, opened her eyes to this fact.

As children, most days they chased each other in the front garden. One day Lunara darted into the coffee fields and forced Mahal to follow. Her half-sister encountered a Thunder Tamarin which bit and shocked her. Determined to protect Lunara, Mahal tossed a kicker snail at it and then bolted off with Lunara. Instead of praise for her quick thinking, her father unleashed his wrath upon her. In later years, the scars of that day were covered in tribal tattoos to hide her shame. A few years later, Lunara received a kitten from one of their family’s prized Goma cats. A protector of sorts.

Their magic manifested around their twelfth birthday at the same time. While Mahal prepared the morning meal, her shout shattered a dish and startled her mother. At the same time, Lunara smashed a vase into a wall. It wasn't the only change that Mahal had to endure when it came to her body. It was subtle at first, but her wounds healed notably faster and she had more energy after heavy meals. Unfortunately, her appetite seems endless forcing her to adapt. Skipping meals made her irritable and weakened her focus, resulting in her being locked away in a tiny room.

Eventually Mahal resorted to drastic measures. She heavily seasoned bark or raw bone chunks, making the ususual materials easier to eat. These denser things lessen the hunger pains to tolerable levels. One of many efforts she discovered to aid her.

After their display of magic, her father summoned her. He informed them that they would attend Ersand’Enise Academy of Thaumaturgy. They had three years to prepare. Mahal's only purpose to be there was to support and keep her sister on track with her task. Any failure would result in her returning home to face the consequences.

Mahal hoped, foolishly, if she succeeded that she might finally earn his approval. A small, quieter part of her knew better.

Over the next three years, her father brought in private tutors for them both. The girls studied together while the teachers pushed Lunara's progress over hers. Naturally her sister thrived, but Mahal struggled with the Avinican language. When the day to depart Palapar finally arrived, their family came to see them off. While Lunara and her mother shared a tearful farewell, Mahal approached hers. After the pair embraced, Onaona gifted her with a small box. Within it was a small, blue kicker snail to always remind her of home. Mahal later named it Koha, or warrior.

Their first year at the academy proved to be a hard lesson in how differently their cultures worked. At first the girls struggled to fit in until they struck a balance. It was during this time, Mahal experienced true freedom. She discovered a love of combat and the adrenaline it brought. Sneaking out at night without Lunara also proved to be easier than it had been at home. For the first time, Mahal has started to wonder about her future and what it might mean.

M O T I V A T I O N

On the surface, Mahal's motivation for attending the academy was straightforward. Lunara needed a familiar face to ground her and ensure she kept on track with her goals. Nothing more or less. So far, she has had little trouble doing this.

On a deeper level, Mahal wants her father's approval. She believed by being successful , he might realize her worth and things become better. Some quiet part of her knows she's clinging too hard to this lie.

The first year of the academy filled her with new experiences, some good and bad. She had experienced a sense of freedom she never knew before. One free of her father's judgment and suffocating presence. She has a strong enjoyment of combat, both in practice and education.

I N V E N T O R Y

Money Mahal currently has about two hundred Magus to her name for personal use. However, she keeps various smaller coins on her up to the amount of two Magus at max.

Wardrobe Up to about six different dresses for various occasions and seasons, most of them picked out by Lunara. Some are even brought recently from the city, but many stem from Palapar. She also has accessories that are more tribal in nature than her half-sister. Earrings made from Goma cat teeth, one or two silver bangles, and necklaces made with decorative stones, shells, and even fur. She also has a few pairs of shoes suitable for the changing weather.

Box Koha's home is a decorative box coated with sap to preserve the walls, both inside and out. The dimensions are about ten inches wide, seventeen inches in length, and a foot deep. The contents within are as listed:
-one snail (Koha)
-two branches tilted for scaling
-one to two large rocks
-plate with any number of food ranging from worms to vegetables
-bowl of water

pet

Name: Koha
Sex: hermaphrodite
Species: Kicker Snail
Age: ~1 yrs (reaching maturity, max life in captivity 25 yrs)

Description: Koha's a pale blue snail with slightly translucent skin. The eyes upon his stalks are a dark black. Upon his back is a dark, earthy colored shell that ends in a point toward its tail. Several dots and shapes decorate the shell's surface thanks to stains of plant/mineral based dyes. Naturally, this changes based on Lunara's whims despite being Mahal's pet. Compared to others of his kind, Koha;’s size scales on the bigger side at about 5.08 cm (2 inches) in length from mouth to tail.

Character: Like many snails, Koha is slow and steady. He moves at his own pace and cares not for the world outside his own. His favorite pastime is inching along any lengthy branches, including Mahal's arm when offered. Though it will take some time. He definitely seems more animated whenever meal time comes around.

Abilities: Koha secretes a thin, transparent slime that coats its shell and body. When licked or consumed, it provides a mild hallucinate that lasts a good hour. Due to the coloring, the potency level is not toxic or lethal.

S T R E N G T H S & S K I L L S

❖ Won't shy away from new experiences
❖ Basic knowledge and skills as a caretaker
❖ Athletic and physically tougher
❖ Palapar knowledge of native flora, fauna, and culture
❖ Basic first aid
❖ Martial arts knowledge and experience (learned when able)
❖ Innate and good sense of direction
❖ Healing time is cut by 1/2 to 1/4 time based on calorie intake (more effective when in state of rest)

W E A K N E S S E S & F L A W S

❖ Takes things at full face value (Has low sense of humor)
❖ Claustrophobic
❖ Low self worth in her eyes
❖ Growing spitefulness toward Lunara’s privilege with their father
❖ Tends to have a resting bitch face (she rarely smiles)
❖ Due to her secondary mana, Mahal suffers from endless hunger pains. She is forced to eat either tougher organic materials (bark, animal teeth, etc) or up to at least twice her calorie requirements daily to function with snacks on hand. This is in the form of bark chunks, strongly seasoned, on a pouch hidden underneath her waist sash.

M I S C E L L A N E O U S

❖ Tattoos that decorate the back part of her body, from between the shoulders to her lower back, cover scars that stripe across the flesh.

Manas Y1: 123

Hexcode: #B8860B

The Hourglass Order

@Fallenreaper Mahal is approved. I imagine you'll be expanding further on just why her father is so utterly awful to her in the future and I look forward to seeing that done well. In the meantime, feel free to move her over to the character tab. Let's welcome her aboard!

@Force and Fury

Indeed, I'm going to try my best. Though I might need to figure out how to do that aside from memories. Sadly, long distance interactions don't hold as much impact as direct confrontation, so that's going to be the interesting part.

The Hourglass Order

Mahal Agha

Mahal "Ceren" Agha

17 | Female | Palaparese | Noble | 7.93

P E R S O N A L I T Y

❖ [Serious]
❖ [Courageous]
❖ [Short Temper]
❖ [Hardy]
❖ [Adventurous]

Mahal learned to grow up faster than her half-sister, Lunara. Because of this reality, she has a bleaker view of the world and it shows in her serious demeanor. Humor and fun sometimes escapes her understanding causing her to stare in confusion. She doesn't enjoy idle gossip or excessive flattery either. In fact, she finds more meaning in gestures of kindness than actual conversation. When approached about her history, Mahal often refuses to answer or redirects the conversation elsewhere.

While Mahal's not afraid to push her luck and body to their limits, she isn't suicidal. There’s a difference between a death wish and taking reasonable risks. This hasn't stopped her sense of taste and mind from being open to trying new things.

Since she was young, Mahal has always struggled with her short temper. Thankfully she lashes out with words more than fists when her patience runs dry. Common sense seemed to evaporate when she uttered a rash string of words, coming to regret it later. It might explain why she rarely talks.

C H A R A C T E R A P P E A R A N C E

Eyes: Brown
Hair: Wavy Black
Skin Tone: Olive, moderate tan
Height: 5ft 6 inches
Weight: 145 lbs
Physique: Athletic, slender
Facial Features: Tends to seem always annoyed or serious, even when calm
Physical Quirks: Seems slightly thin despite her appetite
Distinctive Features: Tattoo swirls of geometric patterns forming 'waves' down her back. Upon closer inspection, the trained eye can note the irregular stripe scars underneath.

closest example, but symmetrical on both sides

Fashion

Due to the cultural differences, the local fashion scene is not a favorite of Mahal's. This hasn't prevented her from gradually incorporated it into her own daily wear.

For classes, she wears a simpler version of the regional fashion. She wears the smock, kirtle, and a simple skirt draping just above her ankles. Wrapped about her shoulders and down her waist is a sheer, flowing scarf of lighter color. For these, she has only found deep reds and browns that suit her tastes. Though she prefers barefoot, Mahal will wear shoes when needed.

Outside of classes or on casual days, she prefers a single piece dress with her scarf wrapped about her waist. Floral patterns are hand stitched into it. The colors vary based on her mood, but often she prefers bright colors of yellow, red or brown. On special occasions, she'll wear black with white stitched patterns. She will wear at least one or two of her accessories depending on her mood.

L A N G U A G E S

Name- Origins- Comprehension level- Types

Palaparense- Native- Mastery- Verbal and Written
Inipori-Native- Mastery- Verbal and Written
Rettanese-Learned-Intermediate- Verbal mainly
Sawandish-Learned-Intermediate- Verbal mainly
Avincian-Learned-Advanced- Verbal and Written *

* Struggles with certain words and phrases/sayings, may ask for it to be repeated.

T H E G I F T

Blackblood | Glutton

Magnetic-3
Arcane-2
Binding-2
Chemical-3
Kinetic-3
Atomic-0
Blood-0
Temporal-0
Dark-0
Command-0
Primordial-0

B A C K G R O U N D

On the school records, she is known as Ceren Aghar from Palapar. Despite that little fact, she prefers Mahal and requests others use it over her Virangish one. Born as the daughter of wealthy plantation owner Ruslan Agha and his second wife, she is the half-sister of Lunara Agha. Since a young age, Mahal has been Lunara's caretaker and playmate. She gained skills in how to cook, clean, and even repair clothing. It was clear to her for years who her father favored as she felt she could do no right in his eyes.

One incident, a memory that haunts her, opened her eyes to this fact.

As children, most days they chased each other in the front garden. One day Lunara darted into the coffee fields and forced Mahal to follow. Her half-sister encountered a Thunder Tamarin which bit and shocked her. Determined to protect Lunara, Mahal tossed a kicker snail at it and then bolted off with Lunara. Instead of praise for her quick thinking, her father unleashed his wrath upon her. In later years, the scars of that day were covered in tribal tattoos to hide her shame. A few years later, Lunara received a kitten from one of their family’s prized Goma cats. A protector of sorts.

Their magic manifested around their twelfth birthday at the same time. While Mahal prepared the morning meal, her shout shattered a dish and startled her mother. At the same time, Lunara smashed a vase into a wall. It wasn't the only change that Mahal had to endure when it came to her body. It was subtle at first, but her wounds healed notably faster and she had more energy after heavy meals. Unfortunately, her appetite seems endless forcing her to adapt. Skipping meals made her irritable and weakened her focus, resulting in her being locked away in a tiny room.

Eventually Mahal resorted to drastic measures. She heavily seasoned bark or raw bone chunks, making the ususual materials easier to eat. These denser things lessen the hunger pains to tolerable levels. One of many efforts she discovered to aid her.

After their display of magic, her father summoned her. He informed them that they would attend Ersand’Enise Academy of Thaumaturgy. They had three years to prepare. Mahal's only purpose to be there was to support and keep her sister on track with her task. Any failure would result in her returning home to face the consequences.

Mahal hoped, foolishly, if she succeeded that she might finally earn his approval. A small, quieter part of her knew better.

Over the next three years, her father brought in private tutors for them both. The girls studied together while the teachers pushed Lunara's progress over hers. Naturally her sister thrived, but Mahal struggled with the Avinican language. When the day to depart Palapar finally arrived, their family came to see them off. While Lunara and her mother shared a tearful farewell, Mahal approached hers. After the pair embraced, Onaona gifted her with a small box. Within it was a small, blue kicker snail to always remind her of home. Mahal later named it Koha, or warrior.

Their first year at the academy proved to be a hard lesson in how differently their cultures worked. At first the girls struggled to fit in until they struck a balance. It was during this time, Mahal experienced true freedom. She discovered a love of combat and the adrenaline it brought. Sneaking out at night without Lunara also proved to be easier than it had been at home. For the first time, Mahal has started to wonder about her future and what it might mean.

M O T I V A T I O N

On the surface, Mahal's motivation for attending the academy was straightforward. Lunara needed a familiar face to ground her and ensure she kept on track with her goals. Nothing more or less. So far, she has had little trouble doing this.

On a deeper level, Mahal wants her father's approval. She believed by being successful , he might realize her worth and things become better. Some quiet part of her knows she's clinging too hard to this lie.

The first year of the academy filled her with new experiences, some good and bad. She had experienced a sense of freedom she never knew before. One free of her father's judgment and suffocating presence. She has a strong enjoyment of combat, both in practice and education.

I N V E N T O R Y

Money Mahal currently has about two hundred Magus to her name for personal use. However, she keeps various smaller coins on her up to the amount of two Magus at max.

Wardrobe Up to about six different dresses for various occasions and seasons, most of them picked out by Lunara. Some are even brought recently from the city, but many stem from Palapar. She also has accessories that are more tribal in nature than her half-sister. Earrings made from Goma cat teeth, one or two silver bangles, and necklaces made with decorative stones, shells, and even fur. She also has a few pairs of shoes suitable for the changing weather.

Box Koha's home is a decorative box coated with sap to preserve the walls, both inside and out. The dimensions are about ten inches wide, seventeen inches in length, and a foot deep. The contents within are as listed:
-one snail (Koha)
-two branches tilted for scaling
-one to two large rocks
-plate with any number of food ranging from worms to vegetables
-bowl of water

pet

Name: Koha
Sex: hermaphrodite
Species: Kicker Snail
Age: ~1 yrs (reaching maturity, max life in captivity 25 yrs)

Description: Koha's a pale blue snail with slightly translucent skin. The eyes upon his stalks are a dark black. Upon his back is a dark, earthy colored shell that ends in a point toward its tail. Several dots and shapes decorate the shell's surface thanks to stains of plant/mineral based dyes. Naturally, this changes based on Lunara's whims despite being Mahal's pet. Compared to others of his kind, Koha;’s size scales on the bigger side at about 5.08 cm (2 inches) in length from mouth to tail.

Character: Like many snails, Koha is slow and steady. He moves at his own pace and cares not for the world outside his own. His favorite pastime is inching along any lengthy branches, including Mahal's arm when offered. Though it will take some time. He definitely seems more animated whenever meal time comes around.

Abilities: Koha secretes a thin, transparent slime that coats its shell and body. When licked or consumed, it provides a mild hallucinate that lasts a good hour. Due to the coloring, the potency level is not toxic or lethal.

S T R E N G T H S & S K I L L S

❖ Won't shy away from new experiences
❖ Basic knowledge and skills as a caretaker
❖ Athletic and physically tougher
❖ Palapar knowledge of native flora, fauna, and culture
❖ Basic first aid
❖ Martial arts knowledge and experience (learned when able)
❖ Innate and good sense of direction
❖ Healing time is cut by 1/2 to 1/4 time based on calorie intake (more effective when in state of rest)

W E A K N E S S E S & F L A W S

❖ Takes things at full face value (Has low sense of humor)
❖ Claustrophobic
❖ Low self worth in her eyes
❖ Growing spitefulness toward Lunara’s privilege with their father
❖ Tends to have a resting bitch face (she rarely smiles)
❖ Due to her secondary mana, Mahal suffers from endless hunger pains. She is forced to eat either tougher organic materials (bark, animal teeth, etc) or up to at least twice her calorie requirements daily to function with snacks on hand. This is in the form of bark chunks, strongly seasoned, on a pouch hidden underneath her waist sash.

M I S C E L L A N E O U S

❖ Tattoos that decorate the back part of her body, from between the shoulders to her lower back, cover scars that stripe across the flesh.

The Hourglass Order

Cold Comfort: A Race Against Time

---

---

Character: Roslyn
Location: Small Island Fort

---

After surviving the last attack, Roslyn screamed. Another attack slipped past her defense. Her eyes widened as a dizziness hit her head. She fought the weakness surging into her fragile form. Her heart echoed in her head when suddenly another Volti appeared beside her. His hand reached out and touched her shoulder. From his fingertips, a frozen sensation spread down to her skin. Her flesh curled from it and blackened on the spot. She slapped it away, but the damage stayed. Her foot stepped back, knees buckling and her vision darkening. Her vision slowly faded as she was able to see the one armed illusionist take notice of her and then disappear.

Did I even make a difference? The question echoed in her head, over and over.

She laid there helpless while the scene raged on. Heavy wheezes poured from her chest, liquid collecting in the depths.The wetness of her own blood began to tingle at the back of her throat and choke her. Her dress had been torn and burned in place, the wounds stinging at the air exposure.

Lost in the darkness of a failing body, her mind reflected on her role in all of this.

The one that stuck out the strongest was during the route to the island fort. Esmii's keen eyesight saved them some trouble as she spotted a small group of Volti heading their way. With a deep breath and prayer, Roslyn ducked down the shadows of the alley. She peeked around the corner with the hand canon tightly in her hands.

None of the Volti notice her… yet.

She thought about the ethanol and how it stung. Applying her thoughts, she ignited her gifted weapon just when one of the men turned. As a thick smoke billowed out, she bolted back to the others.

She didn't dare stick around to admire the results of her work.

A tingling stretched across her skin. Wounds started to stitch together and mend, sealing the blood back. Her eyes fluttered open, but the exhaustion still pinned her down. A familiar voice spoke to her. Sven.

"Hang in there, Roshie one."

Roslyn inhaled, crusted blood at her lips. A weak smile crossed her lips as her form shivered. Words finally came to her mind, "I-I'm t-trying, but-t thi-thinking I should've stayed... fuck, at the academy..."

Sven struggled to hear her amid the crazed clash and the act of defending his life, but he can't help but agree.

From somewhere near him, another voice shouted out.

“You hang in there, you hear me!” Esmii.

"I'm t-trying, but-t..."Roslyn inhaled, her lungs seemed to inhale glass rather than air. She pulled herself half way upright, but no more, "I'm not much of a fighter. I'm sorry I let you down-"

Another thunderous explosion occurred, this time it had even shook the earth underneath them, yet what was worse was what stepped from it. A massive fireball had occurred, one that had consumed an entire building, and what stepped through was a single man holding up both of his hands.

Hard to ignore an entrance like that as Roslyn weakly turned in that direction. The Volti's arms snapped out picking two targets: Yuliya and Sven.

Dread filled Roslyn as she watched Sven's neck wrenched around. There was a great deal of pain on his face, his muscles and ligaments snapped, but his vertebrae held.

He slumped to the ground, close to unconsciousness.

She couldn't hear his words through the battle, but her eyes widened at what happened next. Sven rose, his hulking figure incandescent. Heat boiled off of him in colossal waves. His neck twisted back around, steam erupted from his nostrils. The very ground beneath him began to melt.

Like a mad beast, the once gentle Sven rushed forward. His arms reached for any nearby Volti to rend limb from limb.

Things seemed to turn until something else arrived. A wild blood. Upon its claw was a small, one legged woman. Penny. She wasn't moving as her attacker tossed the body aside. Her limp form somersaulted lazily through the air on its way towards the ground.

Then the wildblood hurtled towards Sven.

Sven dropped the mortally wounded Soldato to meet the wildblood in charge. Roslyn could barely register all the chaos around her. Allies rushed to help Penny, counter Volti, and Sven clashed with the new threat. Marz joined into the fray, the stocky man raising his hammer then connecting with the woman. He seemed to drive her back for the moment.

However, Roslyn lingered on Penny, now caught by Oksana. Guilt rolled into her heart at the sight. This was the second time she left her friend behind, but the last time she didn't go back. Why didn’t she go back? She did the first time and everything turned out right. Her breath held in her throat as she watched in fear. Oksana began to heal Penny, drawing energy and pouring into the body with binding. Suddenly Penny pulled in a deep breath and then let out a cough. She rolled onto her side, sniffing. She looked up to see Yvain and Oksana.

The woman’s lips moved before she reached up and kissed Oksana on the cheek in thanks.

All the tension in Roslyn’s form was released, thankful for her friend’s life. She made a weary note to apologize if they all managed to survive this. Right now, that didn’t look too good.

Roslyn forced herself upright and mustered the strength to reach for her med kit. She managed to slip her hand into the bag, pulling the rest of her bandages out. Tugging out the worst of the shrapnel, she pressed her hand to her mouth and muffled a scream. Her fingers then stuffed the cloth into the holes left behind. Using the adrenaline of her panic to her advantage, she continued to patch herself up.

Meanwhile the wildblood's voice rang out with fresh venom briefly catching her attention.

"For too long, we have run and hid from these monsters!" The thresher-beast proclaimed.

"For too long, they have stepped on the common people, fed upon them, and bled this land dry."

Roslyn had just finished when something caught her attention. A rapid movement as the Volti magusjaeger levitated at full speed across the river. Just when it seemed he might hit a small object...

The scene changed.

It was like she blinked and now a dark-haired Vossoriyan held the Volti by the throat, the head at an unnatural angle. The claw like fingers released the limp form causing it to fall and splash into the water below. Still floating in the air, his cold eyes sized up the fallen man's allies. He took out a pair of knives.

"You have five seconds to get out of my city."

Roslyn's skin crawled. Her breath held in her chest and her form froze in place. Something was off about this man. She couldn't explain it, but some instinctive part of her wanted to bolt. She fought the slight tremor surfacing on her form.

What now?!? She asked herself, frustrated with the reality of the worsen situation.

Hider

Item list
Active Effects
Stormin' Strawberry: just eating this will raise your mood. All weakening that you apply to enemies will be increased by two.
Heavenly Chocolate: just eating this will raise your mood. All strengthening in a scenario will be increased by two.
Glaring Vulture Jerky: Roll a d4 after each defense. If 4, gain a free counter if the defense was successful or damage reduced by two tiers if it was not.
Mana shot (given by Esmii)- Stayed down.

---

On person for the fight and between round care:
Makeshift first aid kit including
Binding bandages- x5: immediately seal and heal any wounds of minor tier or below. Are used up in the process.
Skinglue x2: from the Bleeding Pine, will instantly seal wounds if applied within one turn, reducing their tier by one.
Snowpepper sniffing powder x2: will instantly wake up any sleeping or unconscious character or beast.

The Hourglass Order

Cold Comfort

Character Development Scene

Aftermath: Pain with a Hint of Guilt.
Scene Timing: During Force’s post, when they took time to heal up.

Roslyn's ache began to numb, but her limbs were still heavy. She gritted her teeth as she fought past the sensation. She didn't even know what caused the most damage, the fight or the explosion. Not that it mattered in the end. Her hand flopped over her bag's cover and reached inside. The sound of glass clinking caught her attention.

She frowned at the odd noise, but Sven's shout caught her attention. Her eyes turned to the direction just in time to spot the man fall backwards. Upon hitting the ground, he let out a few laughs followed by crying. All of it seemingly because he was glad they had survived. Esmii, his Yasoi girlfriend, fell beside him while giving him an embrace.

A pang of longing hit Roslyn. Her expression softened and lingered on the pair.

Maybe one day I might have something like that, she thought.

Sven and Penny exchanged gestures and insults, their tone the casual play. Others swiftly joined in with their versions. The aftermath's tension lifted from the air. A question prodded her from the hidden crevices of her mind.

What about the boxes? Roslyn's frown returned, but for a different reason now.

Impulsively, her gaze studied the surroundings around her. The monastery's grounds, once plain and simple, lay in shambles. Pieces of rock buried deep in the ground while Helgeans rounded up the surviving false monks. Some broke down and others tried to flee, only for their prisoners to give chase.

Could we have... handled this better? Were we the best choice for this mission? Part of her mind whispered no, but her guilt echoed differently.

Lost in thoughts, Roslyn hadn't noticed the sound of footsteps approaching her.

While Esmii is hugging Sven and trying to find out if he is ok, she looks around to see if Roslyn was fine, worried about her new friend’s safety.
Roslyn, where are you, are you ok?

Just then, Esmii noticed Roslyn. From the expression that she had on her face, she looked very emotional or possibly hurt. Feeling a strong urge to help she tried to get to her. Esmii tried to get up off the floor, she was struggling, still feeling fatigued from the attack from that yanii assassin.

“Sven, could you help me stand please? I want to check on Roslyn.”she asked with a smile, hiding her exhaustion.

Sven wasn't sure at first, but he agreed helping his Esmii to stand up then she slowly limped. She almost slipped a few times, but regained her balance quickly and pushed forward making her way to Roslyn. As she got closer to her, she held her hands out in front of her. Upon reaching Roslyn, she sat down beside her and hugged her.

“Roslyn, is something wrong? Do you need me to heal you?”

Pulled from her daze, Roslyn's eyes widened when she felt the girl’s embrace. Her chest inhaled and her head turned to see Esmiis' worried expression. Words escaped her, unable to form the thoughts in her head properly. The most dominant sensation, numbness, washed away everything else.

"I-I'm sore. I've never been in actual combat before. Just sparred at the school..."

A shakiness edged into her voice as she closed her eyes. Roslyn let the soft breath inhale and fill her, anchoring her to the moment.

"Yeah, I think I'm okay, but I did get hurt. I have some bandages in my bag...give me a second."

Her hand reached into the bag. Something sharp sliced into her flesh causing her to jerk it back. Blood dripped down from the small cut on her finger, the pain throbbed slightly in the muscle.

"Shit, what?!?"

She glanced down and pulled open the small flap. Instantly, she spotted the shattered glass. Cautiously, her eyes traced the source to one of her bottles. The blue bottle had busted into many pieces. It rested against the inferno blanket now drenched in the strong liquid. She sighed then thumped her head against the wall's ruins.

Seeing Roslyn twitch in pain, Esmii guessed that Roslyn's hand was now cut from something in her bag. Going through her own satchel that's on the side of her waist. She pulls out a small medical kit. Placing it on her lap, begins rummaging through it, she pulls a small cloth from it. Taking Roslyn's hand she inspects the wound. Looks to be a minor cut, nothing too serious, so no magic was required. Esmii's nose twitched, an odor caught her attention, It was alcohol. Roslyn's hand smelled of it. At least the wound was disinfected. With ease, Esmii began to warp Roslyn's finger up in a bandage.

“I can smell alcohol on your hand. Did you have a bottle in your bag that broke?”

She asked Roslyn while wrapping the bandage. Once Roslyn was sorted, she went through her satchel once more, pulling another bit of cloth.

"Let's get the shards of glass out of your satchel so you don't cut yourself again."

"I don’t think just one broke... The potato vodka doesn't really have a smell, but the Blue Boomcherry Buster does. I should've known better than to bring them along, but..."

Roslyn released a breath at her idiocy. They didn’t exactly stop anywhere else before reaching the blacksmith.

Esmii took a small bit of cloth from her med pack. Using this, she tied it around on top of the bandage so the blood doesn't seep through.

“There we go. This should help. Also if you need to I can put some things in my bag.”

Esmii smiled and started to help Roslyn to empty her bag, sort out the broken bottle and pieces of glass, and helped her to sort out her things, to see if anything else was broken.

"Thanks. I didn't expect this task to turn into... well, this."

Esmii gave her a warm smile.“You're welcome, it’s no trouble.”

Roslyn cautiously dug through her bag and surveyed the damage. She gingerly plucked the shards out before passing them to Esmii. Once she took the last piece, she paused. Her eyes narrowed as she brought up an unharmed bottle of Blue Boomcherry Buster.

"Well, that's really lucky. We’re having a shot of this when we get back to the academy. Please hold that, I think the other two are just cracked."

Taking the bottle from Roslyn. She carefully places it down, not to break it.

“That's lucky a bottle survived, hopefully that is every bit that's broken.”

Once all the glass was emptied from the satchel. Esmii began folding the cloth on itself, covering the shards of glass so that no glass falls out onto the floor and causing an accident when the cloth is folded and the glass covered Esmii moves it to one side.

“So, apart from the cut on your finger, how are you feeling? You don't have to answer yet, if it is too difficult. I am here for you, whenever you need to talk.”

"Aside from a few nasty wounds, I'm okay physically. Mentally and emotionally, I'm... not sure how to explain it. Numb, maybe?"

Roslyn's voice cracked a bit before she turned to focus on the bag.

"Damn it, just like I thought. The other two bottles cracked."

She pulled each one out to show Esmii, unsure how to save the meager liquid left.

"The rest -aside from the soaked blanket- looks pretty good. Even the puffer chicken eggs."

Roslyn chuckled then pulled the makeshift first aid kit from her bag.

"I was worried this might’ve gotten soaked as well. It’s just the outside that’s damp."

She shifted it to the side while she lifted up her sleeve to reveal a shallow gnash beneath. It ran up the length of her forearm from midway to the elbow. It appeared to be fresher than others as she presented her arm to the healer.

"Ready?"

Esmii looked at Roslyn, she was angry. she asked her before, then looked at the gnash on her arm. Esmii wanted to shout at her, but refrained from doing so. Taking Roslyn's arm, placing it on her lap. She looked at the arm up and down, analyzing the wound. Bandages won't be able to heal this gash, it's going to have to be healed with Binding. She wasn't sure if she had the energy to fully heal it, but she had to try. Esmii started to draw, her hands hovering just over the wound as the cells in Roslyn's arm started to reattach themselves.

“WHY DIDN'T YOU SHOW ME THIS EARLIER.” Esmii let her emotions take over her Calm down Esmii, calm down. “Sorry I didn’t meant to shout”

When Esmii shouted, Roslyn jerked. However, her arm remained on Esmii’s leg. She stared at her friend as her words became unstuck in her throat.

"It's just a gash. I've had worse in the brewery. No point in getting worked up over it." Roslyn quietly answered.

“I got upset because it could of been worse, I'm sorry I let my emotions get the best of me”

"It's okay. And yes, it could've. But it's not. You don’t look so good yourself. I'm not really good with binding...but we can use the bandages."

Roslyn relaxed as she let the healer finish.

Slowly the gnash healed. Exhaustion was starting to set in for Esmii. But she pushed through it as she wanted to heal Roslyn properly, she didn’t want her to be in any pain or discomfort.

Come on Esmii, you can do this.

"Esmii, are you going to be alright? We can use the bandages, it's not an issue. Don't drain yourself."

Immediately, Roslyn's other hand rested on Esmii's shoulder. Her eyes narrowed in concern and pleaded for her to stop.

"It's all right. You're exhausted. I'm okay, really."

Esmii looked at Roslyn, with tears in her eyes, as she was trying to push herself.

“Ok Roslyn, I managed to stop the bleeding, but I think I'll stop and rest after I've cleaned the wound.”

Esmii started to feel really tired from her injuries, however she was starting to feel drained and if she had carried on longer she might have put herself at risk by pushing herself. She rested her head on Roslyn’s shoulder, and hugged her again.

“I'm sorry again for shouting, I'm just feeling really tired, and I think that I might have pushed myself too much.” Great now I feel like I’m hindering everyone

"Okay, just lean on me."

Roslyn gently wrapped Esmiis' arm on her shoulder. Watching her footing, she raised her right leg first and brought the taller woman up with her. The difference five inches made was ridiculous. With wide eyes and pursed lips, Roslyn managed to help Esmii to Sven who quickly aided her.

Mumbling a thanks, she released her grip. She flashed one last worried glance in her friend's direction and went to help the others.

Esmii notices that Roslyn is worried about her and feels bad.“Thank you Roslyn, I think of you as a good friend. I will be ok, I just need to rest a little.”


OOC: Omitted last bit.