pantothenic
Izurich
jasbraq
Ti
Jumbus
Fetzen
dragonpiece
NiraVaren
Lucid Dreaming
Interacting with: Jocasta @Force and Fury, Kaspar @Wolfieh, Casii @Pirouette, Vieri @jdh97, Silas @Tackytaff
Location: Tethered Refuge -> Virang -> Jurassic Park -> Zarina's Home -> Refuge
With the Vice-Wardens gone and a semblance of peace brought to the Refuge, Zarina made herself useful in the establishment of the new order. They had a good half of the day remaining and she made the best of it. Well, almost. The words uttered by Escarre concerning the Warden lingered in the Virangish’s psyche. ‘Taken care of’, a phrase someone in Zarina’s world would usually interpret as quite sinister. If only she knew the extent of it.
A day of planning and restructuring quickly passed, and with the seemingly endless days of exertion, Zarina didn’t have too much trouble finding sleep earlier than normal. It wasn’t a long sleep by any means and by the time she woke up, the hours of Ipte still hadn’t fully passed. Groggy as ever, she soldiered on– forgetting that the day prior there had been a conspicuous lack of someone close to her.
The Torragonese skies were a bit more clouded that day, which many considered a Godsend. Zarina found it concerning, given daylight took its time to arrive. Had she maybe slept so poor she had woken up in the early hours of Ipte by accident? The eventual arrival of familiar faces and trusted staff re-assured her for a time. What came with the later risers, however, was news she did not expect. News she should have been the first to know about. Not even morning coffee could keep her in place when Ysilla’s parting was made known to a few, although the concerned party was considerate enough to inform the twin before all others. The note was claimed by the next of kin and Zarina rushed over to Ysilla’s quarters.
No knocking or verbal warning, she just forced herself in. Ysilla was gone, the bed left in a semi-tidy state looking as though someone had rested on it but didn’t actually move any of the sheets. The two other puppets, as well as any potential traces of their broken forms were gone too. The second Al-Nader had left, and Zarina was none the wiser. Perhaps if she had paid more attention or just stopped the day prior, she’d have at least realised her own family had been conspicuously absent.
At first, a flood of emotions took over. A lot of uncertainty. Should she be angry? Sad? Relieved? There was an audience behind her, curious as to what actually happened and probably worried about Zarina. But like many that hardly knew Zarina– Hell even some that did know her– they were usually intimidated by her. With a swift kick of the door behind her, she’d put an end to this voyeuristic session and claim the room for herself.
”What did you do now, Ysilla?”
She smiled and chuckled. The edge of her sister’s bed looked like a comfortable spot to sit. For a solid ten minutes or so, Zarina was just there, quiet and musing. The silence was broken by the Virangish crouching by the bed and tugging an unused hookah. It was small and quite portable, enough to fit in a bag. Along with it were some dark tea leaves.
Let’s make a promise,
Zarina’s young voice of a distant time echoed in her own mind as she prepared her Shisha with the tea. Many favoured tobacco, but Zarina had an aversion for it and it seemed her sister cared enough to consider that.
if one of us gets into some shit. Or like, bites the dust? We don’t cry.
It took a moment for the contraption to be ready. Zarina lied down on the very same bed the replica of her sister had essentially shut down. One leg over the other with her dusty shoes still on. She was relaxed and alone with her thoughts. A first, given how she purposefully avoided these moments of solitude by keeping busy and exhausting herself to sleep.
Or feel sorry for ourselves. We take this time to sit down and not give a damn. Let the others feel bad for us, so we can catch a break.
Zarina took a first swig off her hookah. A nice, deep breath before exhaling the aromatic vapour. The thoughts of a simpler time made her laugh. Some outside could maybe hear it and maybe interpret it in different ways. She was counting on that. Let them think she was distraught, or angry, or devoured by anguish. She stayed true to the childhood promise she had made with her twin. The first half of her day would be some comfortable ass sitting, hookah tea smoking and recalling better times. A rare moment for this restless teen.
Enough indolence, it was the beginning of the hour of Eishiran. Siestas were done and slacking could only go so far in these times. But first, Zarina checked herself in the mirror, ensured her expression displayed the desired mopeyness she wanted and giggled at the result. And then she went out to help any way she could.
Abdel was outside, attempting to train fellow youths that weren’t as talented as he was in the Gift. With his temper and desire to cut corners before this hardship, it wasn’t going down too well. Zarina intervened, and while at first he scoffed at the notion of being helped, the fact that the help came with Zarina’s voice had him reconsider his stance very quickly.
“So, having fun, love?” she put emphasis on the last word, adding a slightly smokey tune to it, ”I-I don’t-” Zarina giggled at his shaky voice and approached him, standing tall by his side, ”Yeah, let’s make it fun, then? As a team?” she looked down at the young teen. His cheeks were read, his heart racing and his mind bringing him to overthinking far too much. Zarina clearly knew what she was doing and yet let the youth keep the spotlight in his training session, ”Okay. Drawing exercises, that’s your specialty. I’m not like you or these cuties, but I can help you guys with casting.”
The group nodded at Zarina’s proposal and Abdel felt her confidence falter very quickly when being watched by his fellow countrymen. The afternoon would go smoothly, with Abdel teaching more Tethered-specific notions to the youths while Zarina was more practical in her applications. A few self-defence moves were added to the mix. All in all, both she and Abdel made a nice team.
”Hey, Zaz.” he called out in Avincian over his mother tongue, ”Yeah, hun?” she looked over at the shorter lad, her hip pushed out and a hand over it, ”Would you like to, uh-” every nervous gesture in the book was checked by Abdel today, from scratching the back of his head to restless legs. Zarina waited patiently, ”Have a meal at the mess hall later?” his gaze stayed avoidant even as he proposed the idea of a cute date.
Zarina approached him, leaned in and gave him a light smooch on the cheek. His heart beat so fast and his body felt something he didn’t get to feel too often, ”Maybe after we finish what we started here, hmm?” a rejection for sure, but a very soft one with a little something Abdel could take with him. He nodded and smiled gingerly at her, ”I need you focused on these lot anyway. We’ll need them and youwhen the worst comes, alright?”
The day came and went quickly for Zarina. The daily rituals done and children well looked after. She had to thank her sister for such a mellow day. A day she definitely needed if she was to be fully functional when it’d matter.
On the second day, Zarina awoke in her usual early hours with the sun barely even peeking out of the horizon. Nobody to bother her, or so she thinks …
Zarina and Kaspar are on patrol duty, partially due to staff being locked up, and partially from volunteering. Yes, she probably volunteered Kaspar.
She teaches him how to ride and coaxes a few answers as to how he fights. She teased him until the bitter end with all of it.
They connect in some ways, even if both have their own shells. Kaspar learns how to horse, and Zarina learns how to Kaspar and his blood magic. And hobbies.
They’ve got a good start for the coming Trials.
The time for the siesta had passed. The sun was beginning to kiss the horizon and the sand dunes promised even more safe shading for those unfortunate to patrol. It would so happen to be Zarina’s round and she brought along Kaspar for the ride. He was one of those with restricted mobility- a burden to the group should immediate retreat be necessary. The passionate rider of the group was keen on fixing this shortcoming, especially with the potential need to evacuate should things go sour.
”So, wait, what’s the deal with him looking like you, then?” she asked, clearly talking about Felix. There was small talk and some subjects tackled, but it culminated in the inevitable doppelganger discussion. Zarina was on top of a dark brown mare with a recently brushed mane, while not-Felix was given a male horse (not stallion, yes) with a similar base colour but with some white spots around his back and abdomen. Quite the docile one– a proper steed for a beginner, ”Loosen your hold a little, he’s pacing with Fiorella here.” she gave her horse a nice tap on the neck.
Kaspar shifted in his seat, both adjusting to riding and contemplating the question before him. The boy had yet to decide what he would tell his fellow classmates about the connection between himself and Felix—he’d never wanted to usurp the other boy’s life, but upheaving it all would be… complicated.
“It’s an interesting coincidence,” he admitted, “And he’s also from Helbahn. But we’ve not found any blood relation.” None of what he said was a lie—and the boy was careful of that, given how astute he knew Zarina could be. But there were many lines to read between, and he didn’t know how to avoid those, ”Uh-huh.” she simply answered, not looking too impressed by the explanations, but also clearly out of her depth in the subject.
Watching Zarina’s actions, though, he adjusted his hands on the reins, sliding more slack from his grasp while carefully eyeing hers. He patted the horse on the neck gently. “Is this true, Apelsinfrö? Are you copying Fiorella? You should be your own horse.” He tsked, voice sounding far too serious for the joke it was.
Zarina chuckled, ”You wanna go your own way, Apels- Apel is his name now. Apel and you wanna bond a little?” and then she smirked, ”Let’s go for a little warm up trot, then, shall we?” with only a tap of her boots against the animal’s sides, the mare began to to pick up the pace and trotted about. They were essentially circling the Refuge, making sure there wasn’t anything abnormal and keeping an eye out for potential intruders, ”C’mon, keep up!”
Kaspar narrowly bit back an exclamation as Zarina spurred her mare into a trot. Beneath him, Apelsinfrö was picking up speed, though his gait had not yet changed. The noble boy had learned one valuable lesson in the horse riding days of his youth—that you could most certainly kick too hard. He tapped his heels against the horse’s flank and spurred easily into a trot. ”Good!” Zarina cheered, her head consistently oriented toward her riding partner to ensure no accident happened.
Bouncing in his saddle and trying to shift his weight downwards, Kaspar kept pace with Zarina—though he was pretty sure Apel was doing most of the work for him, thank the Pentad. “You seem to know a lot about riding,” he asked as he adjusted to the change in pace. “Does it run in your family, or is it just a personal interest?”
”Nope, not a family thing.” there was her giddy answer. The girl definitely seemed happy to be riding, ”Mother hates ‘em. Well, all animals. I’m willing to bet she thinks I’m rebelling.” she tugged on the reins a little to equalise herself with Kaspar since she had taken a slight lead, ”Think you and Apple are ready for a canter, hmm?”
There would be no galloping yet, though, as she eventually tightened her grip and brought Fiorella back into a stable pace, ”So. Now that we’re nice and comfy, away from the nosy lot,” they were indeed quite far, and behind a large dune of sand that even shielded them from the Refuge’s sights, ”it’s time I get nosy myself, little Kaspar.” her lips pushed out a toothy smirk, ”Wanna tell me how you mashed the Halassa again? I had time to think, and even Mini-Padre’s fun methods weren’t that hard to figure out.” Fiorella scooted to the side, closing the little distance between her and ‘Apple’, ”How’d you do it? Or did Ysilla cheat and steal a kill to one-up me?”
“Is a canter very different from a trot?” was Kaspar’s response as his grip tightened on the reins. He shot a look towards Zarina, clearly nervous at the idea of speeding up, but was not outright rejecting the idea. ”It’s faster. And you’ll probably eat shit if you’re not careful.” she replied with the usual shit-eating grin.
Then she slowed down, and something reminded him of that first night in the desert, when they’d talked on the way to the refuge. As she spoke of getting nosy, his posture tightened and the features of his face drifted into something neutral. He expected a deeper dig at the connection between himself and Felix—but the Virangish girl had a different thought in mind.
His expression did not mirror his surprise, though, as he chewed on the answers he could give. Finally, voice cool in the practiced way of someone trying to remain unreadable, he replied, “I think it hurt itself more hitting my barrier than I expected. Or perhaps Ysilla did steal it and I didn’t notice—maybe even Jocasta.” He knew the cool tone would not keep her from suspecting he was being untruthful, but he hoped (though a large part of him suspected it was in vain) that she would not dig any further.
”Uh-huh.” another one of those, although despite her blasé demeanour, she didn’t drop it this time, ”So what actually killed it?” she mirrored his attempt at a poker face, although her gaze was adamant in its focus toward Kaspar’s direction. She was expecting something, and that stare would remain inexorable until the Virangish wannabe-inquisitor had her answer. Unrelated to the current circumstances, Fiorella released a cute little neigh!
Kaspar met her gaze with his own, holding it steadily. He could tell she would not back down, but he’d been trained in the art of keeping shit to himself. Still, the boy didn’t want to alienate himself through obstinance; what he’d done treaded the line of acceptable, but it was possible no answer would cause more alarm than a true one.
Taking a deep breath, he asked, “Why do you want to know?” Rather than being accusatory, the question was soft—something in his voice almost asking for a reason to trust her, a feeling he’d not expected to encounter when he first came to Ersand’Enise.
The way Kaspar posed his question seemed to matter as Zarina retreated back a little, adopting a more relaxed posture on top of her saddle, looking as though she was just about ready to tip over and lie down with her eyes now toward the sky, ”Because I wanna know what you can do.” she exhaled from her nostrils and paused for a moment, ”Aaaaand, I recalled our talk– y’know, after the fact.” she reached back to give her horse a couple of taps on its rear, prompting it to suddenly enter a trot just as she straightened her posture.
Fiorella cut off Apple, causing both animals to stop in their tracks, ”So I thought: Maybe he’s actually more than just some glass-making, silent boy at the back of the classroom sort of person.” by how she gripped the reins and held herself, it was clear she knew how to herd these animals and keep them pacified. Her expression remained calm, even playful, ”So. How did the Halassa die? Because it wasn’t melted brains- I’ve seen that before, and don’t ask how- nor was it my sister.”
“No one’s taught me how to hurt or fight with The Gift,” Kaspar admitted softly, glancing away from Zarina. “But they’ve taught me how to create, and I had to figure out for myself how to help the people around me.” He exhaled through the nose, red eyes returning to Zarina and meeting her passively.
“I put a rock in its throat. Like severing it from the inside,” he admitted. “It was not the cleanest kill, but it was what I needed to do to make sure I was worthwhile.” His expression was still stoic, but something in the boy’s red eyes were almost pleading, try as he might to hide it.
When his eyes met Zarina’s, he’d see pursed lips and eyes wide, as if she was shocked! She even started to breathe a little faster, her body language looking tense like an animal having had their space invaded, ”... Oh, Blood Magic!” she blurted out in uncharacteristic giddiness, ”That’s it? Huh. That’s a smart way to handle it, actually.” she nodded, her facial expression suggested she was impressed too.
Fiorella was guided to the side and made to pace with Apple again, ”Were you worried that I would actually lose my shit?” she still had a cheeky smirk on her face, ”With all the ‘Binding Magic isn’t used offensively’” she even used a silly, low voice, ”stuff we hear back at school? Mmm yes, I’ll definitely be super concerned over Offensive Binding after seeing twenty Froabasses just warped away!” the distance between the two was enough for her to reach out and tap Kaspar’s shoulder, ”Canter?”
Kaspar stiffened at Zarina’s initial reaction, the barest hint of panic filtering into his red eyes. His grip on Apelsinfrö’s reins tightened—and then, at her casual exclamation, the boy’s hands and face both seemed to go slack. He stared near-blankly at the girl, barely registering her words, and replied a startled, “Th-thanks. Thank you.”
He glanced down at his hands, a healthy blush creeping up his neck in embarassment. “My… my tutors were very sure to make it clear that Blood Magic is forbidden—that I should never use it. They always wanted to make sure I wouldn’t hurt someone else,” he murmured softly. “And I don’t want to hurt anyone. But Binding Magic relies on controlling the nature of Blood Magic, and I don’t know how to control the nature of something I don’t understand.”
The Helbahnese boy leaned into her tap, exhaling heavily, and gave her a small smile. “Only if you promise to point out why I eat shit the first time,” he half-joked, refocusing his grip on the reins.
Zarina nodded, ”Alright, Mr. Rule breaker, Lord of Law infringing, I will be your teacher today.” the two animals parted to create more of a gap between the two, ”Now, see, there’s no forbidden stuff with horse riding … Well, apart from hurting the thing or anything that’s exceptionally stupid. So you don’t gotta worry about that.” she reached her hands to grasp some more reins, leaving little to be loose when she would begin to go faster, ”You wanna grab your reins like this– Don’t want them getting all wobbly and end up whipping you or the horse. Just don’t pull. He’ll think you wanna stop or swerve.” she kept a close eye on his posture and movements, making sure he could see what she was doing in tandem.
”We’re gonna go in a trot, and then you’re going to give a few more kicks until he goes fast, yeah?” for a moment she let go of the leather fabric she had been grasping the whole time to brush her hands over her hair. The elastic that kept it in a tail was removed and then readjusted as she anticipated a potential accident if she got a bit too quick, ”If you feel a little unsure, grab some of his mane. Again, don’t pull. Helps you keep steady and he’ll react faster if you wanna stop.”
Kaspar listened intently to the instructions, copying Zarina’s postures and movements. He leaned forward a little, grasping some of Apel’s mane between his fingers. He was careful not to pull—and honestly felt a little worried that he might hurt the animal, but trusted Zarina not to give him instructions that would do so.
“Who begins?” he asked, voice a touch nervous as he watched his classmate, waiting for the go-ahead.
”You.” her response was instant, her tone flat and her facial features consistent with her cheeky attitude. With the most minute of Kinetic casting, she caused a little whip onto Apple’s rear. The horse, surprised by the sudden strike, neighed and skipped the trotting and went to a rather speedy canter! Not quite a gallop, as Zaz quickly matched the agitated beast with Fiorella after giving a couple of calculated heel-taps, encouraging it to simply follow, ”If you fall on your ass, watch for the hooves!” she called out, loud enough to be heard through the stomping and the air passing through them.
Kaspar let out an undignified yelp as Apelsinfrö took off, not expecting to start so suddenly. He hung onto the canter, albeit too tightly, for the first several seconds. But his grip on the hair in his horse’s mane was imperfect, and as he tensed he pulled—signaling Apel to stop. He was lucky enough to notice the pull a moment before the horse responded, rocking hard in the saddle as momentum tried to carry him forward. He managed not to fall, though just barely.
After a second of stillness, and with the anticipation of Zarina’s quick approach, he tapped Apel again, spurring him to walk and then into a trot—and after a second of trotting, he tapped again, gait slipping into a canter that he held onto more solidly this time, smiling slightly at his marginally better attempt.
Zarina’s lips parted more and more in anticipation of a disaster, which she would of course heroically prevent. Unfortunately, Kaspar actually managed himself just fine. A sigh of frustration escaped her, but in the end, she kept a subtle little smile on her visage when sharing gazes with her mistreated apprentice, ”Hey look, you’re not dead or in Magic Prison! So far so good.” they were going at the horse-equivalent of a jog, and hopefully the fresh learner adjusted as Zarina did not appear to have any intention of stopping.
They were a good half-mile away from the Refuge. The highest points were still visible to them over the dunes. The tethered could still sense them, some could maybe even hear them still, but such notions did not seem to perturb the Virangish rider, ”A blood mage, a super powered warper girl from a refuge, a tethered mini-priest, a puppeteer, a little lion and the prettiest girl in all of Virang gather in ass nowhere to defend the good cause.” she chuckled, looking over at the orange horizon before them. The twilight had just begun its reign, and with it came pleasant breezes, ”Sounds like a tale we can spin to look extra cool at school, eh? Or the start of a funny joke.”
“I’m not sure everyone would find it so cool,” he mused as they cantered through the dunes. “At least two of those things are probably against school rules… Though we could spin a rather good joke, I think.” He was getting the hang of this particular bit of riding, though certainly did not have the poise and experience that Zarina did.
After a brief venture through the perimeter they sought to patrol, Zarina whistled to get Kaspar’s attention, ”Alright, little break. These two deserve a little reward.” a light tug brought Fiorella to a trot, and then another with a loosened hold on the reins allowed the breast to relax until they entered a halt. Zaz hopped off the critter and reached for a small pouch attached to her saddle with a few old carrots. One was tossed over to the pale boy who hopefully got his steed to stop too, ”You know how to feed them without losing your hand, right?”
Palm flat, treat clearly presented to the animal and a good rub of the idle hand on the neck was enough to get those big lips flapping. The carrot was quickly scooped from her palm with a little bit of gooey saliva left behind, ”Now that’s a good girl. Yummy yum!” she cheered before giving the horse a light smooch on the cheek, ”So, what do you do for fun, Kaspar? Apart from conjuring rocks in other beings’ heads.”
Kaspar coaxed Apelsinfrö into a halt more gradually this time, pulling his high boots from the stirrups and swinging off the horse. He took the carrot from Zarina, watching her for a moment before offering his own horse the treat, keeping his fingers out of the way as he patted softly along the neck.
“It was in the throat,” he reminded Zarina teasingly, “Mostly, I sketch and study plants. Study other things too, when I have the opportunity,” he explained as Apelsinfrö nibbled happily on the carrot.
Zarina raised her eyebrows, ”That sounds uh-” she paused, eyes shifting side to side as if looking for a word, ”Cool?” not very convincing, and she didn’t try beyond that, ”Actually, hey, recall our last session. Gotta make it sound epic!” she cleared her throat with a balled fist before her mouth while the other caressed the animal’s neck, ”I am a scholar of the unknown! The most peculiar of plantlife intrigues me, and with knowledge of their essence, I seek to better understand the dark secrets of this world …” dramatic as always, her voice was on point with the sinister impersonation.
Kaspar chuckled at her reminder, listening to the impersonation. Adopting a similar tone, he continued, “I am a master of capturing form in ash. I duplicate plant and man alike across the continent!” Smirking towards the Virangish girl, he countered, “And what fascinating entertainment do you find, Mistress of Intrigue?”
”And man? What the fuck?” she conferred a most judgemental glare at Kaspar’s direction. A stare even more intense than her last attempt to make him uneasy. It was obviously an act, and she’d let go soon after. Fiorella was given a few scratches on her perky ears before she answered, ”Well! You’ve just experienced one of my more favoured hobbies. Doesn’t get more grand than that.” a second carrot was fed to the mare, because she was a particularly good girl, ”I otherwise get the girls to play cards. Or other games when we’re bored. Oh and work. Yeah, current work’s actually loads o’fun.” no grand display of her own hobbies, she kept it at that.
“Mostly duplicating biology studies from books—it helps me grasp it more easily. My tutors liked to make sure I knew a lot about the the body and healing,” he explained, understanding that this was not a serious gripe—though he did still shift slightly as some small part of his mind worried on instinct. “I can see why you enjoy riding. It’s fun, when you aren’t eating shit,” the noble boy admitted warmly.
”Yeah.” she responded with a somewhat smokey tone. Her attention was on her temporary steed. Gold hues in her eyes were evocative of many emotions, and it looked as though she longed for something. Like all this riding was missing a crucial element. It was a mix of serenity but also regret that her voice carried. This brief lapse of vulnerability was short lived as she shook her head and quickly hopped back onto the saddle, ”We should, y’know, patrol. Before they realize we’re slacking.”
Kaspar’s eyes watched Zarina, concerned for a moment as she seemed to have a moment to herself. He contemplated asking her about it, but decided against a direct approach—knowing the generally tough exterior she often put up. Instead, he nodded. “You're probably right, But if anyone asks… I know nothing about us slacking,” he said with a knowing grin.
”If you tattle, I’ll have your tongue, boyo.”” she drew a hunting knife from the back end of the saddle and clumsily waved it in his direction before putting it away, ”Actually, as I say this, you should probably be trained for battle, huh?” she pursed her lips at the notion. The whole Refuge was being prepared, and their own group shouldn’t be slacking either. Ayla and Yalen weren’t exactly fighters either.
As the boy mounted Apelsinfrö, the horse snorting beneath him but standing relatively still, he glanced towards his classmate. “For what it’s worth… If you find yourself wanting to ride with someone, I’d be agreeable. Or if you ever want someone to talk to,” he offered, keeping his tone light but his eyes knowing.
Zarina scoffed, albeit not in any sort of aggressive or condescending manner. It looked like a reflex to dismiss such things. The horses began to pace back toward the Refuge with the night sky slowly creeping onto the opposite end of the world, ”You’re sweet, Kaspar.” she says softly. The pale teen wouldn’t be able to see her expression from his position as she had taken a slight lead- as she usually did. ”May need to compete with Ayla for the riding, though. She does like those too.” she snapped her fingers, ”Wait. Idea. Do you think a Shetland Pony would fit her?!”
Kaspar snorted, doing a decent impression of his horse in the moment. “If you’re placing Ayla on a Shetland Pony, I would very much like to ride with you two,” he responded, trying not to sound too much like a little shit. “Though I’m more than willing to join you two regardless. I already spend plenty of time sketching with Ayla—hopefully she’s not grown weary of me.”
Zarina clicked her tongue, ”Ayla? Weary? Did the trotting shake your brain and turn it into sludge?” she turned her head with a brow raised and a grimace that confirmed her question to be genuine, ”Just ask her to hang out and she’ll just follow you. Maybe even do something cute.” and just as she said that, Fiorella found it appropriate to discharge at about this time, ”I’m pretty sure most of the group is pretty harmless. Except for that Yasoi. And I guess Jo. Hmmm.”
Kaspar hung his head in mock shame. “You’re right—I don’t think she could get tired of anyone. Almost anyone, at least,” he agreed. “Though I’m not sure I’d call you harmless,” he added, raising an eyebrow. “I saw the way that Halassa’s head exploded.” Zarina retaliated with a snap of her fingers and her index pointed at Kaspar, ”Just the brain! No way did I make that skull burst. I know my stuff!” she feigned offence, but in the end she nodded, ”Although you’re right, I’m not harmless. But I’m nice!”
“Nice—but frightening, too. A good person to be acquainted with. Enemies? Not so much,” Kaspar responded, staring down her pointing finger like the barrel of a gun. She slowly lowered her ‘weapon’ and forced a light chuckle, ”Do I actually scare you?” she tugged on the reins to have Fiorella stop so she could match Apple better and forgo her lead, ”Even more than a big, fat Wyrm?”
“More than the Wyrm? No. You haven’t tried to eat me yet,” Kaspar replied, smirking. “But you do scare me more than most of our classmates.” The boy paused for a moment, contemplating, before he added, “This is the most time I’ve spent with any classmates other than Ayla, though—so perhaps you’re not all that scary, relatively.”
Zarina squinted, ”Oh so I just LOOK intimidating?” she crossed her arms, letting the reins loose though it seemed the horse wasn’t bothered by this and kept going, ”I know you boys aren’t used to seeing a tall girl but c’moooon.” an eye roll later and she was holding onto her horse again, ”Or maybe it’s just how I bash skulls when I get pissy. Could be one or the other.” a teasing grin reigned on her expression as she looked over at him, ”Better not get me pissy, now.”
“You do look quite intimidating,” Kaspar offered, getting a good feel for the way Zarina interacted with others (or at least him) with these teasing moments. “And I watched you explode Halassa brain, which I imagine is a skill transferable to irritating humans,” at this, he sent another smirk her direction. “But you haven’t tried to kill me just yet, for which I count myself fortunate.”
The Virangish snorted, ”I don’t think I’ve tried to kill anyone in this journey, yet. Might change.” they were approaching the Refuge, and by then the sky had gotten quite dark with dusk serving as their main source of light before the light pollution cleared and let way to the stars, ”Also, if we’re worried about brain states after encounters, I’d fear Mini-Padre.”
Kaspar nodded sagely. “I think aberration-mad Halassa should fear Yalen, but I think you’re far more likely to use similar techniques against a person. Our dear priest doesn’t seem fond of violence,” he explained, ”Until he is. Until one gives the holyman a good reason.” she grimly responded to Kaspar’s observation. His moniker for the blonde was not teasing though it may sound that way. His red gaze wandered over the steadily growing walls of the Refuge, and he wondered what his classmates and his brother had done in the time they were gone.
”So, wait, what’s the deal with him looking like you, then?” she asked, clearly talking about Felix. There was small talk and some subjects tackled, but it culminated in the inevitable doppelganger discussion. Zarina was on top of a dark brown mare with a recently brushed mane, while not-Felix was given a male horse (not stallion, yes) with a similar base colour but with some white spots around his back and abdomen. Quite the docile one– a proper steed for a beginner, ”Loosen your hold a little, he’s pacing with Fiorella here.” she gave her horse a nice tap on the neck.
Kaspar shifted in his seat, both adjusting to riding and contemplating the question before him. The boy had yet to decide what he would tell his fellow classmates about the connection between himself and Felix—he’d never wanted to usurp the other boy’s life, but upheaving it all would be… complicated.
“It’s an interesting coincidence,” he admitted, “And he’s also from Helbahn. But we’ve not found any blood relation.” None of what he said was a lie—and the boy was careful of that, given how astute he knew Zarina could be. But there were many lines to read between, and he didn’t know how to avoid those, ”Uh-huh.” she simply answered, not looking too impressed by the explanations, but also clearly out of her depth in the subject.
Watching Zarina’s actions, though, he adjusted his hands on the reins, sliding more slack from his grasp while carefully eyeing hers. He patted the horse on the neck gently. “Is this true, Apelsinfrö? Are you copying Fiorella? You should be your own horse.” He tsked, voice sounding far too serious for the joke it was.
Zarina chuckled, ”You wanna go your own way, Apels- Apel is his name now. Apel and you wanna bond a little?” and then she smirked, ”Let’s go for a little warm up trot, then, shall we?” with only a tap of her boots against the animal’s sides, the mare began to to pick up the pace and trotted about. They were essentially circling the Refuge, making sure there wasn’t anything abnormal and keeping an eye out for potential intruders, ”C’mon, keep up!”
Kaspar narrowly bit back an exclamation as Zarina spurred her mare into a trot. Beneath him, Apelsinfrö was picking up speed, though his gait had not yet changed. The noble boy had learned one valuable lesson in the horse riding days of his youth—that you could most certainly kick too hard. He tapped his heels against the horse’s flank and spurred easily into a trot. ”Good!” Zarina cheered, her head consistently oriented toward her riding partner to ensure no accident happened.
Bouncing in his saddle and trying to shift his weight downwards, Kaspar kept pace with Zarina—though he was pretty sure Apel was doing most of the work for him, thank the Pentad. “You seem to know a lot about riding,” he asked as he adjusted to the change in pace. “Does it run in your family, or is it just a personal interest?”
”Nope, not a family thing.” there was her giddy answer. The girl definitely seemed happy to be riding, ”Mother hates ‘em. Well, all animals. I’m willing to bet she thinks I’m rebelling.” she tugged on the reins a little to equalise herself with Kaspar since she had taken a slight lead, ”Think you and Apple are ready for a canter, hmm?”
There would be no galloping yet, though, as she eventually tightened her grip and brought Fiorella back into a stable pace, ”So. Now that we’re nice and comfy, away from the nosy lot,” they were indeed quite far, and behind a large dune of sand that even shielded them from the Refuge’s sights, ”it’s time I get nosy myself, little Kaspar.” her lips pushed out a toothy smirk, ”Wanna tell me how you mashed the Halassa again? I had time to think, and even Mini-Padre’s fun methods weren’t that hard to figure out.” Fiorella scooted to the side, closing the little distance between her and ‘Apple’, ”How’d you do it? Or did Ysilla cheat and steal a kill to one-up me?”
“Is a canter very different from a trot?” was Kaspar’s response as his grip tightened on the reins. He shot a look towards Zarina, clearly nervous at the idea of speeding up, but was not outright rejecting the idea. ”It’s faster. And you’ll probably eat shit if you’re not careful.” she replied with the usual shit-eating grin.
Then she slowed down, and something reminded him of that first night in the desert, when they’d talked on the way to the refuge. As she spoke of getting nosy, his posture tightened and the features of his face drifted into something neutral. He expected a deeper dig at the connection between himself and Felix—but the Virangish girl had a different thought in mind.
His expression did not mirror his surprise, though, as he chewed on the answers he could give. Finally, voice cool in the practiced way of someone trying to remain unreadable, he replied, “I think it hurt itself more hitting my barrier than I expected. Or perhaps Ysilla did steal it and I didn’t notice—maybe even Jocasta.” He knew the cool tone would not keep her from suspecting he was being untruthful, but he hoped (though a large part of him suspected it was in vain) that she would not dig any further.
”Uh-huh.” another one of those, although despite her blasé demeanour, she didn’t drop it this time, ”So what actually killed it?” she mirrored his attempt at a poker face, although her gaze was adamant in its focus toward Kaspar’s direction. She was expecting something, and that stare would remain inexorable until the Virangish wannabe-inquisitor had her answer. Unrelated to the current circumstances, Fiorella released a cute little neigh!
Kaspar met her gaze with his own, holding it steadily. He could tell she would not back down, but he’d been trained in the art of keeping shit to himself. Still, the boy didn’t want to alienate himself through obstinance; what he’d done treaded the line of acceptable, but it was possible no answer would cause more alarm than a true one.
Taking a deep breath, he asked, “Why do you want to know?” Rather than being accusatory, the question was soft—something in his voice almost asking for a reason to trust her, a feeling he’d not expected to encounter when he first came to Ersand’Enise.
The way Kaspar posed his question seemed to matter as Zarina retreated back a little, adopting a more relaxed posture on top of her saddle, looking as though she was just about ready to tip over and lie down with her eyes now toward the sky, ”Because I wanna know what you can do.” she exhaled from her nostrils and paused for a moment, ”Aaaaand, I recalled our talk– y’know, after the fact.” she reached back to give her horse a couple of taps on its rear, prompting it to suddenly enter a trot just as she straightened her posture.
Fiorella cut off Apple, causing both animals to stop in their tracks, ”So I thought: Maybe he’s actually more than just some glass-making, silent boy at the back of the classroom sort of person.” by how she gripped the reins and held herself, it was clear she knew how to herd these animals and keep them pacified. Her expression remained calm, even playful, ”So. How did the Halassa die? Because it wasn’t melted brains- I’ve seen that before, and don’t ask how- nor was it my sister.”
“No one’s taught me how to hurt or fight with The Gift,” Kaspar admitted softly, glancing away from Zarina. “But they’ve taught me how to create, and I had to figure out for myself how to help the people around me.” He exhaled through the nose, red eyes returning to Zarina and meeting her passively.
“I put a rock in its throat. Like severing it from the inside,” he admitted. “It was not the cleanest kill, but it was what I needed to do to make sure I was worthwhile.” His expression was still stoic, but something in the boy’s red eyes were almost pleading, try as he might to hide it.
When his eyes met Zarina’s, he’d see pursed lips and eyes wide, as if she was shocked! She even started to breathe a little faster, her body language looking tense like an animal having had their space invaded, ”... Oh, Blood Magic!” she blurted out in uncharacteristic giddiness, ”That’s it? Huh. That’s a smart way to handle it, actually.” she nodded, her facial expression suggested she was impressed too.
Fiorella was guided to the side and made to pace with Apple again, ”Were you worried that I would actually lose my shit?” she still had a cheeky smirk on her face, ”With all the ‘Binding Magic isn’t used offensively’” she even used a silly, low voice, ”stuff we hear back at school? Mmm yes, I’ll definitely be super concerned over Offensive Binding after seeing twenty Froabasses just warped away!” the distance between the two was enough for her to reach out and tap Kaspar’s shoulder, ”Canter?”
Kaspar stiffened at Zarina’s initial reaction, the barest hint of panic filtering into his red eyes. His grip on Apelsinfrö’s reins tightened—and then, at her casual exclamation, the boy’s hands and face both seemed to go slack. He stared near-blankly at the girl, barely registering her words, and replied a startled, “Th-thanks. Thank you.”
He glanced down at his hands, a healthy blush creeping up his neck in embarassment. “My… my tutors were very sure to make it clear that Blood Magic is forbidden—that I should never use it. They always wanted to make sure I wouldn’t hurt someone else,” he murmured softly. “And I don’t want to hurt anyone. But Binding Magic relies on controlling the nature of Blood Magic, and I don’t know how to control the nature of something I don’t understand.”
The Helbahnese boy leaned into her tap, exhaling heavily, and gave her a small smile. “Only if you promise to point out why I eat shit the first time,” he half-joked, refocusing his grip on the reins.
Zarina nodded, ”Alright, Mr. Rule breaker, Lord of Law infringing, I will be your teacher today.” the two animals parted to create more of a gap between the two, ”Now, see, there’s no forbidden stuff with horse riding … Well, apart from hurting the thing or anything that’s exceptionally stupid. So you don’t gotta worry about that.” she reached her hands to grasp some more reins, leaving little to be loose when she would begin to go faster, ”You wanna grab your reins like this– Don’t want them getting all wobbly and end up whipping you or the horse. Just don’t pull. He’ll think you wanna stop or swerve.” she kept a close eye on his posture and movements, making sure he could see what she was doing in tandem.
”We’re gonna go in a trot, and then you’re going to give a few more kicks until he goes fast, yeah?” for a moment she let go of the leather fabric she had been grasping the whole time to brush her hands over her hair. The elastic that kept it in a tail was removed and then readjusted as she anticipated a potential accident if she got a bit too quick, ”If you feel a little unsure, grab some of his mane. Again, don’t pull. Helps you keep steady and he’ll react faster if you wanna stop.”
Kaspar listened intently to the instructions, copying Zarina’s postures and movements. He leaned forward a little, grasping some of Apel’s mane between his fingers. He was careful not to pull—and honestly felt a little worried that he might hurt the animal, but trusted Zarina not to give him instructions that would do so.
“Who begins?” he asked, voice a touch nervous as he watched his classmate, waiting for the go-ahead.
”You.” her response was instant, her tone flat and her facial features consistent with her cheeky attitude. With the most minute of Kinetic casting, she caused a little whip onto Apple’s rear. The horse, surprised by the sudden strike, neighed and skipped the trotting and went to a rather speedy canter! Not quite a gallop, as Zaz quickly matched the agitated beast with Fiorella after giving a couple of calculated heel-taps, encouraging it to simply follow, ”If you fall on your ass, watch for the hooves!” she called out, loud enough to be heard through the stomping and the air passing through them.
Kaspar let out an undignified yelp as Apelsinfrö took off, not expecting to start so suddenly. He hung onto the canter, albeit too tightly, for the first several seconds. But his grip on the hair in his horse’s mane was imperfect, and as he tensed he pulled—signaling Apel to stop. He was lucky enough to notice the pull a moment before the horse responded, rocking hard in the saddle as momentum tried to carry him forward. He managed not to fall, though just barely.
After a second of stillness, and with the anticipation of Zarina’s quick approach, he tapped Apel again, spurring him to walk and then into a trot—and after a second of trotting, he tapped again, gait slipping into a canter that he held onto more solidly this time, smiling slightly at his marginally better attempt.
Zarina’s lips parted more and more in anticipation of a disaster, which she would of course heroically prevent. Unfortunately, Kaspar actually managed himself just fine. A sigh of frustration escaped her, but in the end, she kept a subtle little smile on her visage when sharing gazes with her mistreated apprentice, ”Hey look, you’re not dead or in Magic Prison! So far so good.” they were going at the horse-equivalent of a jog, and hopefully the fresh learner adjusted as Zarina did not appear to have any intention of stopping.
They were a good half-mile away from the Refuge. The highest points were still visible to them over the dunes. The tethered could still sense them, some could maybe even hear them still, but such notions did not seem to perturb the Virangish rider, ”A blood mage, a super powered warper girl from a refuge, a tethered mini-priest, a puppeteer, a little lion and the prettiest girl in all of Virang gather in ass nowhere to defend the good cause.” she chuckled, looking over at the orange horizon before them. The twilight had just begun its reign, and with it came pleasant breezes, ”Sounds like a tale we can spin to look extra cool at school, eh? Or the start of a funny joke.”
“I’m not sure everyone would find it so cool,” he mused as they cantered through the dunes. “At least two of those things are probably against school rules… Though we could spin a rather good joke, I think.” He was getting the hang of this particular bit of riding, though certainly did not have the poise and experience that Zarina did.
After a brief venture through the perimeter they sought to patrol, Zarina whistled to get Kaspar’s attention, ”Alright, little break. These two deserve a little reward.” a light tug brought Fiorella to a trot, and then another with a loosened hold on the reins allowed the breast to relax until they entered a halt. Zaz hopped off the critter and reached for a small pouch attached to her saddle with a few old carrots. One was tossed over to the pale boy who hopefully got his steed to stop too, ”You know how to feed them without losing your hand, right?”
Palm flat, treat clearly presented to the animal and a good rub of the idle hand on the neck was enough to get those big lips flapping. The carrot was quickly scooped from her palm with a little bit of gooey saliva left behind, ”Now that’s a good girl. Yummy yum!” she cheered before giving the horse a light smooch on the cheek, ”So, what do you do for fun, Kaspar? Apart from conjuring rocks in other beings’ heads.”
Kaspar coaxed Apelsinfrö into a halt more gradually this time, pulling his high boots from the stirrups and swinging off the horse. He took the carrot from Zarina, watching her for a moment before offering his own horse the treat, keeping his fingers out of the way as he patted softly along the neck.
“It was in the throat,” he reminded Zarina teasingly, “Mostly, I sketch and study plants. Study other things too, when I have the opportunity,” he explained as Apelsinfrö nibbled happily on the carrot.
Zarina raised her eyebrows, ”That sounds uh-” she paused, eyes shifting side to side as if looking for a word, ”Cool?” not very convincing, and she didn’t try beyond that, ”Actually, hey, recall our last session. Gotta make it sound epic!” she cleared her throat with a balled fist before her mouth while the other caressed the animal’s neck, ”I am a scholar of the unknown! The most peculiar of plantlife intrigues me, and with knowledge of their essence, I seek to better understand the dark secrets of this world …” dramatic as always, her voice was on point with the sinister impersonation.
Kaspar chuckled at her reminder, listening to the impersonation. Adopting a similar tone, he continued, “I am a master of capturing form in ash. I duplicate plant and man alike across the continent!” Smirking towards the Virangish girl, he countered, “And what fascinating entertainment do you find, Mistress of Intrigue?”
”And man? What the fuck?” she conferred a most judgemental glare at Kaspar’s direction. A stare even more intense than her last attempt to make him uneasy. It was obviously an act, and she’d let go soon after. Fiorella was given a few scratches on her perky ears before she answered, ”Well! You’ve just experienced one of my more favoured hobbies. Doesn’t get more grand than that.” a second carrot was fed to the mare, because she was a particularly good girl, ”I otherwise get the girls to play cards. Or other games when we’re bored. Oh and work. Yeah, current work’s actually loads o’fun.” no grand display of her own hobbies, she kept it at that.
“Mostly duplicating biology studies from books—it helps me grasp it more easily. My tutors liked to make sure I knew a lot about the the body and healing,” he explained, understanding that this was not a serious gripe—though he did still shift slightly as some small part of his mind worried on instinct. “I can see why you enjoy riding. It’s fun, when you aren’t eating shit,” the noble boy admitted warmly.
”Yeah.” she responded with a somewhat smokey tone. Her attention was on her temporary steed. Gold hues in her eyes were evocative of many emotions, and it looked as though she longed for something. Like all this riding was missing a crucial element. It was a mix of serenity but also regret that her voice carried. This brief lapse of vulnerability was short lived as she shook her head and quickly hopped back onto the saddle, ”We should, y’know, patrol. Before they realize we’re slacking.”
Kaspar’s eyes watched Zarina, concerned for a moment as she seemed to have a moment to herself. He contemplated asking her about it, but decided against a direct approach—knowing the generally tough exterior she often put up. Instead, he nodded. “You're probably right, But if anyone asks… I know nothing about us slacking,” he said with a knowing grin.
”If you tattle, I’ll have your tongue, boyo.”” she drew a hunting knife from the back end of the saddle and clumsily waved it in his direction before putting it away, ”Actually, as I say this, you should probably be trained for battle, huh?” she pursed her lips at the notion. The whole Refuge was being prepared, and their own group shouldn’t be slacking either. Ayla and Yalen weren’t exactly fighters either.
As the boy mounted Apelsinfrö, the horse snorting beneath him but standing relatively still, he glanced towards his classmate. “For what it’s worth… If you find yourself wanting to ride with someone, I’d be agreeable. Or if you ever want someone to talk to,” he offered, keeping his tone light but his eyes knowing.
Zarina scoffed, albeit not in any sort of aggressive or condescending manner. It looked like a reflex to dismiss such things. The horses began to pace back toward the Refuge with the night sky slowly creeping onto the opposite end of the world, ”You’re sweet, Kaspar.” she says softly. The pale teen wouldn’t be able to see her expression from his position as she had taken a slight lead- as she usually did. ”May need to compete with Ayla for the riding, though. She does like those too.” she snapped her fingers, ”Wait. Idea. Do you think a Shetland Pony would fit her?!”
Kaspar snorted, doing a decent impression of his horse in the moment. “If you’re placing Ayla on a Shetland Pony, I would very much like to ride with you two,” he responded, trying not to sound too much like a little shit. “Though I’m more than willing to join you two regardless. I already spend plenty of time sketching with Ayla—hopefully she’s not grown weary of me.”
Zarina clicked her tongue, ”Ayla? Weary? Did the trotting shake your brain and turn it into sludge?” she turned her head with a brow raised and a grimace that confirmed her question to be genuine, ”Just ask her to hang out and she’ll just follow you. Maybe even do something cute.” and just as she said that, Fiorella found it appropriate to discharge at about this time, ”I’m pretty sure most of the group is pretty harmless. Except for that Yasoi. And I guess Jo. Hmmm.”
Kaspar hung his head in mock shame. “You’re right—I don’t think she could get tired of anyone. Almost anyone, at least,” he agreed. “Though I’m not sure I’d call you harmless,” he added, raising an eyebrow. “I saw the way that Halassa’s head exploded.” Zarina retaliated with a snap of her fingers and her index pointed at Kaspar, ”Just the brain! No way did I make that skull burst. I know my stuff!” she feigned offence, but in the end she nodded, ”Although you’re right, I’m not harmless. But I’m nice!”
“Nice—but frightening, too. A good person to be acquainted with. Enemies? Not so much,” Kaspar responded, staring down her pointing finger like the barrel of a gun. She slowly lowered her ‘weapon’ and forced a light chuckle, ”Do I actually scare you?” she tugged on the reins to have Fiorella stop so she could match Apple better and forgo her lead, ”Even more than a big, fat Wyrm?”
“More than the Wyrm? No. You haven’t tried to eat me yet,” Kaspar replied, smirking. “But you do scare me more than most of our classmates.” The boy paused for a moment, contemplating, before he added, “This is the most time I’ve spent with any classmates other than Ayla, though—so perhaps you’re not all that scary, relatively.”
Zarina squinted, ”Oh so I just LOOK intimidating?” she crossed her arms, letting the reins loose though it seemed the horse wasn’t bothered by this and kept going, ”I know you boys aren’t used to seeing a tall girl but c’moooon.” an eye roll later and she was holding onto her horse again, ”Or maybe it’s just how I bash skulls when I get pissy. Could be one or the other.” a teasing grin reigned on her expression as she looked over at him, ”Better not get me pissy, now.”
“You do look quite intimidating,” Kaspar offered, getting a good feel for the way Zarina interacted with others (or at least him) with these teasing moments. “And I watched you explode Halassa brain, which I imagine is a skill transferable to irritating humans,” at this, he sent another smirk her direction. “But you haven’t tried to kill me just yet, for which I count myself fortunate.”
The Virangish snorted, ”I don’t think I’ve tried to kill anyone in this journey, yet. Might change.” they were approaching the Refuge, and by then the sky had gotten quite dark with dusk serving as their main source of light before the light pollution cleared and let way to the stars, ”Also, if we’re worried about brain states after encounters, I’d fear Mini-Padre.”
Kaspar nodded sagely. “I think aberration-mad Halassa should fear Yalen, but I think you’re far more likely to use similar techniques against a person. Our dear priest doesn’t seem fond of violence,” he explained, ”Until he is. Until one gives the holyman a good reason.” she grimly responded to Kaspar’s observation. His moniker for the blonde was not teasing though it may sound that way. His red gaze wandered over the steadily growing walls of the Refuge, and he wondered what his classmates and his brother had done in the time they were gone.
Zarina consults Jocasta concerning a special request. She wants to see someone, and even bring them back here, before the big day. It’s her horse.
They go on a grand space-time adventure ALL THE WAY TO VIRANG. Many misadventures and learning occasions, including going back to the Jurassic period.
Zarina is reunited with Riesco, her Camargue Stallion, and Jocasta gets to ride Gina, the Shetland pony destined for Ayla.
All four have the sweetest moments together.
The sun had since set, the cool night breeze ventured through the open halls of the liberated Refuge and those older than twelve were allowed up a little longer than usual. Some stayed up to do the rounds, others simply enjoyed the clear skies hours before their potential end. It was a time to be with loved ones, share the bits of happiness they may have left in this world and form some final memories for the aether that was the afterlife.
The anxiety of what was to come was not lost on Zarina, and if anything it had gotten worse the longer she stayed in the Refuge. Her sister was gone and now she felt more alone than normal. She wouldn’t let the others see this, of course, but she couldn’t bottle things up when the times were this dire. There was, however, a glimmer of hope. A hope she had been cautious of for a while and now was her best hope for some mental relief.
Knock-Knockknocknock-Knock … Knock-Knock
She waited, patiently, before Jocasta’s quarters’ door. Clad in humble, beige clothing typical of the cooking staff, she clearly wasn’t there to dazzle and make a fuss.
The Jocasta who emerged was trying to look like she’d been sleeping. In truth, she’d been close. Her hair was a dishevelled mess that cascaded in tangles like some kind of blonde waterfall down her back. She wasn’t even in her wheeled-chair, floating with a groggy nonchalance as only a skyborn of considerable power could. All at once, the door swung open with a high-pitched squeal. “You ever heard of a thing called sleep?” she grumbled, gazing tiredly, but sans any legitimate hostility at Zarina.
”Only rumors.” she replied with a deadpan voice to match her flat tone to conceal the sass of her reply, ”Sorry for waking you, though, Jo.” she tightened her arms around herself and let a silence linger for a second or two, ”I- uh, kind of wanted to talk about something.” her eyes shifted about, avoiding the short blonde’s gaze, ”Something important. And yeah, it could wait. Or we could be Wyrm chow first thing tomorrow. So. Yeah.” It wasn’t common for her to have such a wobbly voice, maybe she did mean business here. Her gaze eventually locked onto Jocasta’s frame, but eye contact was still scarce.
Finally ran out of bitch fuel, Jocasta thought. Well… a part of her thought. Apparently she wasn’t out of it. Seeing the likes of Zarina show up outside her door looking like a lost puppy would’ve brought her immense satisfaction mere days ago. It still brought her a tiny twinge of schadenfreude, but the tethered tamped down on this. “Um… yeah,” she replied after a moment, not quite letting the pause stretch into awkwardness. “welcome to my humble abode.” She’d been keeping up her gravity loop almost absently, but had to adjust a bit as she started moving towards her bed. Moments later, she settled upon it. “And for what it’s worth, don’t worry. We’re not going to be wyrm chow. My people are an army, and we’re ready. Now -” she paused and sniffed. “- what was on your mind?” She patted the bed beside her and looked up in anticipation.
After the briefest of hesitations, Zarina stepped into the ‘abode’. It resembled most other quarters in the Refuge, which gave way to familiarity and thus a way to relax for Zarina, ”Not just the Wyrm that’s on my mind. But yeah, they do kick ass.” she tittered nervously. When Jocasta offered a seat, Zarina awkwardly stared at it for a moment as if unsure if she would. She capitulated and took her seat with about a foot of distance between her and the tethered powerhouse, ”I wanted to ask something, first.” again, she crossed her arms, only to unfold them a second later and nervously brush them over her legwear, ”That thing you did, back in the desert …” those first words came with the same shifty eyes she started their exchange with, but when she got to the point she landed her gaze to Jo’s and didn’t avert it anymore, ”What did you do? Did you really move them away, just like that?”
As Zarina’s last few words reached her, Jocasta was already dampening the sound in case of eavesdroppers. “I uh… wouldn’t quite call it ‘just like that’,” she amended. “That might’ve been the hardest thing I’ve ever done with the Gift.” She decided not to be a bitch and try to guilt Zarina anymore, though. “But I get your point.” she knit and unknit her fingers, pursing her lips for a moment before continuing. “We think of the five magics and howo four of them are all about energy, but hasn’t binding - really blood - always seemed like the odd one out: how it uses matter?” She didn't wait for an answer. “Well, there’s another kind - harder to grasp - that goes beyond energy, and it pulls upon space and time. That’s what I used.” Her eyes met Zarina’s, unflinching. “That’s what you want to learn,” she concluded.
Zarina sucked in her lips at the mention of Jocasta’s considerable exertion and achievement. The guilting was definitely going to work, ”All of it went by so fast, heh. We do kind of owe you. A lot.” a weak attempt to humble herself, although her fidgety demeanour and obvious nervousness made it clear there was no domination to be had as she may often seek in normal interactions.
Then came some education. One on Blood, a familiar concept to Zarina, and one on notions that felt a tad farfetched. Nonetheless she remained attentive, ”I won’t lie. I can hardly visualize what space and time can even look like, let alone draw or bend it in any way.” she shook her head, and then paused for a moment, ”... Is that why you talked about the past, and maybe the future? I uhm-” she scratched her cheek, feeling a little out of her depth here, ”I just imagined it as, like, just moving things, or people, to other places aaaand- Yeah it’s simple thinking but I promise I have a good reason to about this stuff.” she stumbled in her thought process and even her words. It was hard to articulate what she really wanted, when the ideas proposed to her were oh so alien to some simple teen from Virang.
“Damn. Who switched your brain with Kaspar’s?” Jocasta teased and Zarina snorted, partly to allay some of her own discomfort at Zarina’s earnest, nervous intensity. “And it is a bit like that, but you’re not so much moving people or things through space and time as those are one big canvas and you’re grabbing onto its little threads and moving it around them and sometimes creating little gaps to slip them through somewhere else in it.” She shrugged. “Not easy to explain. Now, my turn to ask the questions, like I was - you’re right - probingly before. What’s your reason? People always have a compelling reason andiit’ll usually wreck the world or at least their lives.”
Now it was Zarina’s turn to deliver, ”That bad, huh? Good thing I have a pro to help me through.” she had regained a little bit of her spunk with a right smirk to go with her first response. She didn’t beat around the bush and properly answered right after, ”There’s -” a brief pause, she considered her wording carefully, ”someone I want to see. You know, before things may get bad. Not just the idea of dying but- like, you know, things back home may not be the same should some things go bad, y’know?” her leg was restless, even as she pressed her hand on it to try and calm it, ”It’s someone I at least owe a goodbye to- even if I don’t intend to die. No drama, I promise. Just, yeah. It’s important. Enough for me to ask for a favour,” she sighed, ”When I owe you about three of those already.”
“Ysilla?” Jocasta guessed. Zarina shook her head, ”Someone at home. Ysilla … Knows where I am, and how I feel. He hasn’t seen me in- Shit- two months?”
Oh, so not what I thought. Jocasta tilted her head in that way she often did when curious or bemused. “So, not to be a prying bitch, but I know you’re not made of papier mache,” the blonde began frankly. “Who, and why?It’s not that I don’t trust you, but…” She tucked some hair behind an ear. “You don’t mess around this stuff.”
Zarina was worried about the justification of it all. After all, in the grand scheme of things, or at least of this Refuge’s issues, this was small. She took a big breath and put on her big girl pants, ”It’s someone I’ve lived a good while with when times were the worst. I- hmm, I think it’s better you see him rather than I describe too much.” her lips curved into a subtle smile, ”I can just say he’s very trustworthy.” she even giggled at the thought of the contrary, how it’d even be possible, ”As for why- I’ve made the mistake of not reaching out, or just being there, when it mattered the most.” another deep inhale. She was gritting her teeth as she recalled, ”I don’t want to fuck this up again. That and-” she shrugged, ”He can be very helpful, if you can bring him back, somehow~” maybe she was pushing it, but her spirits were lifted a little more at such a thought.
Zarina was still playing it coy. Jo pursed her lips. Was she… embarrassed? How could she possibly be embarrassed about asking to see a person so useful and important to - Then, it hit her. “He’s a horse, isn’t he?” the tethered stated, deadpan. She remembered how Zarina’d had a way with animals, how she was always by the stables when she wasn’t doing something else. “Right?” she prodded. “I’m not shaming you, by the way,” she quickly clarified. “Animals are often waaay better than people.”
”Yes.” there was no hesitation or more games, she full-on admitted it with quite the flush on her stressed facial features, ”And they really are.” relief washed over her when Jocasta uttered feelings Zarina resonated with so much, ”But, yeah, it’s my horse. Riesco. I uh- didn’t want to bring him to school. Big boat trips, not good for the heart. And I just didn’t have accommodation.” she nervously justified herself, although in the end it was clear she’d have brought him if she could, ”I work well with him. And I miss him. It’s mostly that, really. I miss him.” she missed a few others, too. But Riesco never lied or went off on his own, ”Would you like to meet him, Jocasta?” she looked over at her blonde friend with a sly, little smile on her face, ”... Although now that I think about it, how would you even know where I live?”
“Virang, somewhere,” Jocasta replied flatly, a corner of her mouth ticking upwards in a smirk. “I’ll be honest: I’m all for it, but there is a problem…” Zarina leaned in just a little, her hopes pushed to high heavens and now ready to fall face first, ”W-what is it?”
“I’m not the Paradigm, Zaz,” admitted Jocasta, a bit ashamed. “I’ve never… teleported anything - myself included - outside of my own range.” She paused, looking pained. “I mean, in theory,” she continued, “I could,” She bit her lower lip. “I wanna try, you know. I have the capacity for it…” She blushed a bit. “Crazy idea, but maybe we could do it in stages. Virang isn’t so far from Torragon. I could try to work my way up in distance...”
A nod of premature acceptance was all Zarina could muster. At least until a new hope emerged under the form of a slightly contrived, but potentially effective solution, ”So like … We’d essentially hop over as far as you can in rapid succession.” she blinked and paused to actually process it, ”... That sounds really fucking hard.” arms crossed, she shot Jocasta a concerned look, ”Is there, like, any way I could help, then? I feel like I’m asking for a loooot.” and it made her quite nervous again.
“You are, chica.” Jocasta sat up a bit straighter and cracked her knuckles. “I’m gonna own that ass after this, comprende?” She grinned like a little fucker. “but it’s also a challenge and I’m up for a challenge. That's how we grow.” She took a deep breath. “Besides…” she leaned in. “It kinda sounds like a fun time, no? And I could stand to get away from all this grim seriousness and just zip through a dozen different random places.” She raised a finger to her lips and tapped on them pensively for a moment. “Mind you ‘rapid succession’ might be stretching things a bit. Accounting for missteps, rest time, and other breaks, we could probably get there in about two hours?”
Zarina liked this tone. From being a little shit to an upbeat go-getter, it seemed like this was going to happen after all. She refrained from commenting on rear-ownership, knowing full well how indebted she’d be, but got proactive when the time came to prepare for this otherworldly adventure. She hopped on her feet and clapped her hands together, ”Okay. How can I help?” she was very eager to do something, even if it was small, ”Oh! I know a few stops we can make on the way. Couple of not-so-shit Taverns to get a quick bite or sip for a break. I- uh, kind of rode the border a few times.”
Why am I doing this, again? Jocasta thought, rising from her bed. It was nighttime, she had a dozen more pressing things to worry about, and she had never gone such a distance before. And I’m doing it for… a horse. She raised an eyebrow in Zarina’s direction. “You be our map, then,” she allowed, shaking her head and smiling ruefully. “But, um… get out for a second. I have to change.”
Zarina nodded, ”Oh, yeah, I should get ready too.” she took a couple of steps backwards with those long legs of hers before performing a quick 180 and skedaddled out of Jocasta’s quarters. The Virangish was going to pack light: Her usual travel bag with a gourd of water, a pouch full of Asper and a few Kurush, another satchel with a handful of old carrots and her Hexaic pendant she kept in the bag rather than her neck for the coming adventure. And of course, both her Shamshirs were sheathed at her lower back for practicality. Finally, a couple of cloaks were picked up– the sort that could shield the face too in case of a sandstorm though in this case the shielding of one’s identity could be more useful.
Before Zarina left her own quarters, however, she paused and stood a good minute in doing absolutely nothing. Something was perturbing her, and when it hit her, she snapped her fingers and got to it with haste. A piece of paper from her night table was seized, and she wrote a brief message. Once the errand was complete, she waited patiently by Jocasta’s door.
The tethered emerged, like a little ghosty-thing, floating a few inches above the ground, a long hooded cloak covering her entire form, and only a smirk peeking out. Her hood shifted a little bit as she looked Zarina up and down. “Shit, Zaz, you look ready for an expedition. I brought…” Pale little hands appeared from her long sleeves and patted around. “A flask and a few Corona.” Jocasta’s grin grew. “Meals are on you!” She half turned but then thought better of it and turned back. “And drinks,” she chirped. “You know, in better times, I’d say we should turn this into a pub crawl.” The blonde giggled, gesturing for her friend to follow as they made their way down a colonnade to a remote part of the Refuge. “Imagine being too drunk to ride after all that,” she snorted. “Ipte, it’s been a while since I’ve been good and toasted.”
”Would you find it weird if I said I only got ‘good and toasted’ only once in my life?” the spare cloak was shoved into her backpack, overloading it even more than it already was but it withstood if just barely.
Jocasta’s eyebrows show up, not that Zaz could actually see it. “Uhhh, yeah. Colour me surprised. Always took you for the type to dive in headfirst, but I guess it makes sense. You’re not daft like me.”
“I don’t know about drinks, replied Zarina, but there might be something nice to munch on at home if we have time …”
“I won't’ say no to that. Viranish food is… not so different from Djamantese, just… a bit spicier.” Then, finally, they reached a little cleared space behind a supply shed. Jocasta flipped her hood back, serious again, rolled her sleeves up, and settled - cross-legged - on the dusty ground. Before beginning, she glanced up at Zarina again, furrowing her brow slightly.. “What’s your RAS again?”
”Seven point …” she paused, not to actually think about the answer but to let a little grunt out as she sat before Jocasta and mimicked her position, ”Sixty-two. And you?”
“Gods, high: like over nine, which is absurd. Truth is, I’ve never properly measured it, I don’t even know what to do with it all, and I’m a little scared of it.” She blushed. “Plus, if you’re tethered, overdrawing is… very bad, so I never draw to capacity and definitely not for some test.” She reached up and swept some hair from her face. “The reason I was asking was actually because I wanted to see if you were in the range to actually do something worthwhile with temporal magic.” It was a quick, professional smile, but bereft of warmth. “You are. Seven-six-two is nothing to sneeze at and, based on my sneaky little probing yesterday, I think I can actually trust you not to mess with the timeline.” She took two deep breaths and closed her eyes. Zarina could feel that strange sort of energy building. “If you ever want to, I can and will teach you. Magic is called ‘The Gift’ for a reason. It’s meant to be shared.” A hand flashed out in Zarina’s direction. “Take my hand! We’re going in!”
Zarina recoiled in shock. A nine? Never had a simple number been so terrifying to hear. And she fully believed it too, ”I feel like drawing at capacity would probably be distressing for not just you.” her hands got a tad clammy but she quickly adjusted her posture for the coming main event, ”To be shared to those deemed trustworthy?” she tilted her head, ”Will it be the great Jocasta that’ll determine who is and isn’t a dipshit?” she smirked and slowly reached out to her companion’s hand but stopped just shy of her digits touching, ”... After this, I’ll first repay you how I can. And then you’ll determine if I’m worthy, alright?”
“All the Great Jocasta and, for my first act, I shall ‘poof’ us to some random place due west of here. Get ready to land safely. Your butt could end up on a cactus.” She flashed her pearly whites for a moment, suppressing yet another smile.
Their hands touched, and then a flash. Not of a bright light but an instant change of air, smell, colours, everything. They were no longer on a dusty, stone surface but on top a dune of sand under the clear night skies. The desert’s cold air rushed through them under the form of sporadic gusts that brought with them small clouds of sand that would get in Zaz’s hair, ”Oh sh-” disorientated and caught off guard, she stumbled to her right and nearly ate a sandy dinner if it wasn’t for her elbow serving as quick support, ”You know, I expected, like, a portal. Like how the old beard did it.” she wasn’t being ungrateful, as she began to giggle between her words, ”This was definitely cooler.” she stood up to brush herself and took in her surroundings. The night was making it hard to actually distinguish anything, and due to elevation, the Refuge was out of sight, ”Lemme just … Figure out where West is.”
“Glad someone can,” Jocasta remarked, glancing around briefly. “Probably the stars. As for the Paradigm…” She bounced her palms off of her knees for a moment. “His way’s more advanced, actually. He’s got damned near a century on me.” She shook her head. “Remember how I said space and time were like a big sheet covering everything? Well, we move through that sheet by reeling it in and poking little holes in it to move through.” Jocasta took another steadying breath as Zarina calculated their next ‘jump’. “Thing is, those holes want to seal themselves as quickly as possible and, the further they are from where you stand in space and time, the quicker and more aggressively they wanna seal themselves.” She smirked. “I hope you’re listening,” she joked. “The Nikanese have a word: sensei, which means like ‘master’ and “teacher”. That’s me,” she chirped, leaning in with a self-satisfied grin. “Basically, a novice can do much more than take a quick peek through, while a true master like the Paradigm can open a hole anywhere, open it wide, and keep it open for a while. I’m… somewhere in-between.” She took another deep breath and closed her eyes. “Ready,” she confirmed. “Gonna go for a bit of a longer one, less guarantees here. You got us a direction?”
Zarina was in for a lesson, and as much as she liked to add something and involve herself, she humbled herself and kept quiet. Once again she seated herself before Jocasta and shifted her attention between the blonde and the stars above. Indeed, she could use what every other traveller used to find their way and as a rider she did have the experience needed to figure it out, ”Sensei. That actually rolls off the tongue, huh?” she flashed a quick smile at her friend, ”Who was your Sensei, Sensei?” a daring question, which she followed quickly with directions, ”Over there, if you can get us on top of that rocky hill in the horizon, I can probably get a good idea of where we’ll go.” she pointed at the mentioned peak, which was a good many miles away– maybe even too far for one warp, but it was something concrete rather than a vague distance.
“That’s the funny thing,” replied Jocasta quickly, “I don’t really know. There was someone who taught me: an assassin, more or less, but I already had some concept of this magic before, and I don’t know how.” She let out a small, frustrated huff. Zarina blinked and then narrowed her eyes, ”An assassin taught the novice assassin from the Refuge to bend time and space? You should write a novel, love.”
“I fear I’d not live long if I did,” she joked weakly, quickly changing the subject. “Now, this mountain. I see it.” She took her breaths and closed her eyes. “Hand.” She held it out. And Zarina reached out after taking a deep breath, ”Ready.” and then she seized the smaller limb, this time ready for the ride.
They materialized, after a moment, on a mountaintop. As one mad her way westward, these would become more common, near the headwaters of the Miharapori. This one, however, was a stray, and gave a magnificent view of much of the terrain around it. “Stay linked with me, Zaz, I can go again if you point me.”
Even in the middle of the night, Zarina could get a decent idea of where they were. The details were unimportant, but the formation of mountains were pretty clear indicators on their own. ”Same direction, try to stay on the mountains. We can probably follow the big river, until we get close enough to Gadankar. Though …” she pursed her lips, looking a tad concerned, ”You alright? This IS going to be a long ride. I haven’t been around this part of Torragon in …” she exhaled from her nose and blinked, ”Like three years.” She clenched her partner’s hand, ”Ready.”
“Right,” replied Jocasta, “First one outside of my range. We’re gonna start in the air and drop, just so we don’t risk materializing inside something else and the grisly death that goes along with it. Be ready to catch yourself.” She drew and pulled and voyaged to places that were hazy and unclear. Then, they popped out, some twenty feet up in the air. Jocasta used the gravity loop to catch herself and float. She looked over to Zarina to see if she’d managed the trick as well.
Once they manifested at their next destination, Zarina let herself fall. The energy gathered from the fall itself was used to unleash a small but strong air stream under her feet to soften the landing and keep things clean, ”... You know, we talk about cool time and space stuff, but I never got to master levitation like you do.” a hand on her hip and the other pointed her index up above, she almost seemed vexed at how impotent she was next to Jocasta, ”And I thought I was good with that school of magic too! But no, plebeian here.” she was quick to assume the position and this time she offered her hand, ”Alright, let’s do this. Maybe we can stop by the river and have a drink or something.” she paused, ”From our flasks. I’d avoid drinking the water if we have some on us.”
“I’ll teach you, Zaz. I’m this good because I’m Skyborn and I had teachers who turned me into a weapon. An absurd RAS didn’t hurt, but it’s not necessary.” Jocasta took the proffered hand and they pulled off the same feat again, and a second time, before stopping at the burgeoning river. In the distance, twinkled a handful of bright spots that signaled a town “I believe this is one of the forks of the Miharapori,” Jocasta asked, “Right?” She settled on the ground and uncorked her flask, taking a couple of greedy gulps. “Should we turn south when they converge or is it faster to head into Inipor first?” They were in the highlands now and the air was thinner and cooler.
The sound of running water and the cool air of the Miharapori were comforting to Zarina in all her wanderlust. She settled too, not too far from the edge and just stared blankly at the stars reflected on the water’s runny surface, ”Yeah. You are right.” she took too a quick sip, less so out of thirst than to get rid of the dryness in her throat after lurking in the desert for a while, ”Have you ever been to Inipor?” if the answer was no, then that’d be her answer, otherwise continuing south was likely safer, ”The Refuge turned you into a weapon. Did those that took you in do the same, Jo?” she didn’t seem in a hurry to end the break. Her face was mostly hidden by the night and the cloak she was wearing, but her tone manifested concern she seldom showed, ”Were they like- errr, a new family? Or was it more of a brother-sisterhood thing some orphans sometimes form here and there?”
Jocasta turned and grabbed Zarina’s other hand. “You’re a friend,” she said earnestly, “and I say this to you as a friend:” She worked her jaw anxiously for a moment. “This is something that you don’t want to get involved in.” She paused. “Well, maybe you do now, but you’ll regret it later. I’m into some serious shit, hun, out of my own choice. They’re… not perfect, and some are just bad, but I believe in their goals and… I owe them everything.” A dark kind of smile came over her face and there was a flash of the old Jocasta in there. “Besides, I don’t think they could stop me if they tried. Now,” she chirped, “Enough about my must-remain-a-secret-upon-pain-of-death life!” there was an ironic mirth in her words and face. “We have a place to get to. Hand!”
Zarina peered down, silently remarking that her hand was already held, ”I won’t push further. Not asking questions about big deals is common practice where I’m from. I get it.” her gold eyes were still on those hands. She nodded to herself and slowly raised her gaze back to the cloaked Jo, ”Just know you got some people that like you. And you don’t owe us anything. Nor do I think we’re the fairweather asshole types. Dunno about the Yasoi, though.” She turned her head and stared down south, ”It’s probably faster to avoid Inipor. Less chance of encountering the types that don’t sleep at night.”
Jocasta let out a snort at the part about Casii. “Thanks, Zaz.” She squeezed the slightly younger woman’s hand a bit tighter for a moment. “Not really sure what to say to nice things like that, to be honest. Now, big one. I think I’m getting the hang of this.”
The world flashed and then they were on a rooftop. It was thatched and rickety and they could feel it giving way the moment that it had to bear their weight. “Up, Zaz! Dammit!” Jocasta yelped.
”Wha-” she hadn’t quite realized her predicament until the roof began to collapse. Out of reflex, Zarina reached her other hand to Jocasta’s figure and clung onto her like a cat terrified of water, ”Up, up, Up!!” she yelled out hysterically, legs flailing under her. She could probably hop and flip her way to safety at this point, but as she calmed a thought came by her, ”Okay, bear with me. I’m gonna let go … And you catch me with your great power, yeah?” the more she explained, the wider her toothy grin got, ”And then I try to suspend myself, yeah? If I fail, I eat shit.” and so she did just that: Slowly peeled her hands and arms from her levitating friend and hoped she’d be ‘caught’ so she could begin this quick little exercise.
Jocasta’s expression turned from alarm to appreciation. Anything could be a learning experience. She felt Zarina let go and, drawing and expelling energy in equal measure, the tethered ‘caught’ her and held her up, the both of them hovering in midair. They were in a small village and it seemed to be still and quiet. “Okay,” she allowed, “I think the coast is clear.” She moved the both of them away from the rooftop, so as not to risk damaging it or disturbing anyone. “The trick here is to use the energy of gravity. Once you’re in the air, it’s a freebie. Draw it in as fast as it pulls you down and you should hit equilibrium. You’ve gotta be fast, though, and sharp. The other big trick is not to become overwhelmed. Expel the energy as telekinetic to help keep yourself up if you find yourself sinking, and to move yourself. If you have too much excess, just bleed it out or use it for other things. You’re a bit below eight, so you don’t have as much of a safety net as me, but you should be able to do it.” Jocasta looked her in the eye and grinned in nervous anticipation. “You ready?” she asked-but-not-really “Three… two… one.”
So much to take in, Zarina was visibly a little distressed! Still, her confidence wouldn’t be shaken, especially as she already grew accustomed to essentially ‘floating’ via Jocasta’s intervention. Deep breaths, she tried to visualise how she would do it. Like a woodsman readying an axe and giving a couple of swings before delivering the decisive blow, she drew and released in small bursts to practice the reflex of drawing faster than her fall. It was definitely tricky. ”So wait, I-” zero! She fell, and she caught herself mid-fall, albeit clumsily. The loop itself wasn’t difficult the moment she actually did prevent her imminent impact, now the issue was to rise back up while juggling the mana she contained for this balancing act. A couple of air propulsions under the form of air kicks were pretty quick at correcting her altitude problem, and so came the challenge of consistent levitation.
“Stop kicking!” scolded Jocasta. “Do you see me kicking in midair?” There was something deliberately impish about the comment. “Use Kinetic, use gravity. Relax.”
”Okay. I’m doing this. But I can only focus on this.” it was going to take a while before it’d become second nature, ”But it’s not too h-” she jinxed it, and one draw was a bit off and now she was playing a very clumsy game of catchup where kicking was banned. There was no relaxing, only panic-casting.
“Zaz!” Jocasta called, “Think of it like a river: the energy. You’re like a sharp bend in that river. It’s flowing into you and out of you smoothly. All that it’s doing is changing directions. That’s how you get it smooth.”
”A River?! Ahh!” all she could think about was the river they had just passed. Still, she managed to prevent the worst with her usual technique of softening the landing.
“Yes, you’re managing that river, keeping it consistent.” Jocasta watched her land safely. “Honestly, about the same as my first attempts. Just need to learn not to hammer it and overcompensate when you feel a slip. Leads to more course corrections.” She clasped her hands together and floated downwards until they were basically at eye level. “That was a good first try. Now, come on up with me.” She held out her hand again. “I need directions and we need to get moving again.”
”Wait, really? Here I thought you were just some super-genius good at everything.” she brushed herself off and welcomed her friend with her hand ready to be taken, ”Reassuring. Or maybe you’re just that good of a tea- Sensei, and you’re just telling me this for my self-esteem.” her eyebrows raised and her smile kept strong, ”Well it’s working.” her index pointed slightly south-west from their position, ”I think we can do a few jumps in quick succession, otherwise we may end up learning every school of magic before we get to Gandakar!”
Jocasta nodded. “Agreed.” she replied. “No more messing around.” and that was exactly what they did. Four more jumps of increasing length in quick succession. “You know,” the tethered said after one, “I think I’m learning just as much as you. I used to think of this as aiming for a target and the further away, the harder it was to aim properly.” They teleported again. “It’s more like pulling that fabric over to you, though, and just stepping on through.” After another twenty minutes, they were in Qamuz, in the massive estuary of the great river. “Southwest now, right?” asked Jocasta.
“So you’re telling me you’re figuring all this shit out now? Meanwhile I can barely fly. Sheesh.” they were now at their most recent destination and Zarina took this time to stretch and grab a quick drink, “West, actually. And take a sip. Don’t want you getting dizzy and end up in …” she exaggerated some shuddering, “Paggon.” she even offered her gourd to make extra sure Jocasta was well hydrated, “... You know, before we get back to the Refuge at whatever hour– and I know I said I should earn it first– But I should definitely try to jump us. Even if it’s like, five metres.” there was a child-like giddiness in her mannerisms and voice when she suggested that. Quickly, she grabbed her friend’s hand, “Onwards!”
“Walk before you can run,” Jocasta warned, but she paired her eyeroll with a smile. “But I like this ‘you’. Don’t compare yourself to me.You’re starting years later.” She reeled herself across space and time, then, a pressure building inside of her as she did so, but then Jocasta got an idea. She stopped for a moment. “Do a hover for a moment. I need some inspiration,” she teased.
“Got a big catch-up challenge ahead. No sweat.” she feigned unreasonable confidence, brushing her nose with her forearm to really sell the con, “I can even hum a little tune while doing it, I think.” she did a little hop just to get her feet off the ground and she was back to doing the exercise from before. Still clumsy, still just about ready to fall on her rear, but she was close enough to the ground to propel herself upwards the traditional way if it got too out of hand, “Mmmhmmhmm~” she hummed a little bedtime tune. A pleasant one as she had quite the pair of lungs, even if she rarely used them.
“Awesome,” Jocasta remarked. “Damn. Now I feel like I should hum too. I’m going to do something stupid.” Zarina would immediately comment, “I like the sound of that.”
“Not sure you will after I try it,” chuckled Jocasta nervously. “I’ve only messed with space up to now, even though I can see time. I’m going to try setting us back a little bit as we travel, so we have more clock to work with. You… okay with that?”
Zarina shrugged, still ‘floating’ in the air, albeit with the occasional ‘hops’ that weren’t all that elegant, “I mean, as long as we’re not changing the course of anything …” she crossed her arms and masticated somewhat nervously, “... Are there any consequences I should be made aware of? Assuming we don’t kill some Duke in the cradle for the betterment of all or anything.”
“To be honest, I’m not sure. We’ll only be going back maybe ten minutes at first, just to shave off some of our travel time. I’m honestly… not confident with any more.” With that, she closed her eyes, reeling in not only space, but time with intent. She’d peered before, fleetingly, but never gone. “This is hard,” Jocasta grunted. “It’s like two separate sheets that don’t want to be aligned and you have to…” She was straining now, “Align them.” Then, her voice rose. “I got it! Zaz, hand, quick!”
Zarina has ceased her floating when Jocasta manifested just how hard the endeavour was. The Virangish stayed quiet and near her almighty friend. Little mumbles were uttered from time to time, cheering Jocasta on in this remarkably difficult attempt at a magic that was beyond most. Then, she seized both of Jo’s hands when the time was right, “Let’s go!” she cheered with a big, fat grin, ready to tackle the unknown!
“Shit!” hissed Jocasta, as they tumbled down onto a brightly lit plain.“I flubbed it. I flubbed it horribly!” Her head turned this way and that. It was daytime. There were no dwellings in sight when they should’ve been on the outskirts of a small town. “Don’t touch anything or do anything. I… think we went much too far. You wouldn’t have happened to have been in this area before, would you? We should be just south of the foothills of the Angahar headwaters.”
Zarina froze. The light of the sun was blinding enough to get her to close her eyes for a good while. Given something had gone terribly wrong, she hesitated to even speak. It was only when she began to open her eyes that she breathed again, “... Fuck. Nevermind where. When are we?” she looked around and indeed Jocasta was correct. It looked like the beginning of the hours of Shune by the position of the sun. What day? Both seemed at a loss, “Uhm, okay. Do we just kind of go with this or are you gonna bring us back to nightfall? Worst case, we uh, walk. A long way. Well, I walk.”
Jocasta appreciated the joke at the end, but there was enough panic leaking through her features that any humour was set aside for now. She tried to remain calm. She didn’t even know if she could get them back, the air felt strangely… rich, and she sensed a series of very large, very unfamiliar creatures - reptilian - she thought, approaching. “Anywhere is better than here,” she assured Zarina, batting absently at a fly as she tried to concentrate. “Hand!” she called, and then they were on the same plain, at night. She breathed a sigh of relief. All was as they’d hoped. A small town hunkered in the distant foothills.“Thank Dami. There was still some evidence of the hole we’d left when we came. Travel back is easier if you do it quickly.” She shuddered in relief. “Okay, no more messing with time. One more leap and we’re in Gandakar. Then, we’ll have to pinpoint your home.”
Zarina could feel it too– the eyes of predators far beyond what she had ever seen, “Agreed.” she clenched Jo’s hands tightly, “Hurry, please.” the tall and confident Virangish girl whimpered. Luckily they were swiftly brought back to a more recognizable era. Zarina sighed in relief, her head falling over Jojo’s shoulder, “And here I thought we had doomed the world …” again with the jinxing, but she was blissfully unaware. After a moment to regain her senses, she adjusted her posture and held both of Jo’s hands, “Yeah, same direction, minus the time. I’ll show you my home if you can get us uhm …” she was pondering for a moment, “There’s a big plateau southeast of Gandakar, many from the city go there for hiking, or to impress someone. You can see my home from there, sort of. And we avoid the city.”
“Right,” replied Jocasta, nodding, businesslike. She closed her eyes. “Got it.” Then, they were there. A great stone citadel, covered in chaparral brush, with a chapel and a series of small structures, it loomed over the city. Vast and lush, Gandakar spread out beneath them, with its handsome gardens, grand plazas, bustling port - even at this hour, to an extent, and narrow, chaotic streets. Surrounding it lay endless green fields, terraced on the hillsides and pockmarked with dozens of little villages. At its very heart lay the enormous dome of the Silverstar Idasque: resplendent in platinum plate and one of the holiest sites of the Darhannic faith. Down a grand boulevard, it was mirrored by the six mighty towers of Sultan Osman’s palace. For a moment, Jocasta just took it all in. “Your home,” she observed, “It's… beautiful.”
Home sweet home, well almost. Zarina took in the Virangish air she had sorely lacked for at least two months. It really wasn’t any different than Torragon, or Inipor or even Ersand’Enise, but it just had this insignificant little something that brought floods of nostalgia to the native teen. The city definitely made most other places look somewhat backwards in comparison and Zarina, despite having seen these sights thousands of time, was awestruck just like her friend, “A lot of people have this mindset of ‘greener grass on the other side’ with their homes, especially young people.” she shook her head, “No such thing in Gandakar. Sucked all the green in Virang, and became the most beautiful city in the world.” she chuckled, although it almost sounded like a scoff. Her hand extended west, pointing at the south-end of the city where a few hills held large, gated homes. One of them was her’s with a few flat fields adjacent to the property, “You can get us on the big patch of grass over there. The servants should be inside or asleep.”
“That much property,” Jocasta wondered, “in the city…” Then, she nodded. “When we arrive, I’ll find a place to sit, out of the way.” She took one more deep breath, and didn’t even close her eyes. In a moment, they were there, plopping down gently on the lawn.
It was indeed a good amount of property. The field they were in was big enough to host small horse races if it were tailored for it. To the north was the family home. A three-story mansion to some, but just a relatively large house compared to the obscenely wealthy of Virang. There was little in terms of lighting beyond a few lanterns inside that illuminated the large windows surrounded by pure, white stone. Opposite of the home was the stables– a far more humble building that was well maintained with an old lantern dangling outside by the entrance. It was remarkably remote from the main home, and even further from the main exit of the property. Surrounding the property and beyond the iron fences were either stone as they were still by a hill, wild greenery of property owned by the governing bodies of the city or a neighbour’s plot of land that was carefully tended to like the Al-Nader residence.
“Come, you can sit at the stables. I’m sure you can make a friend.” she offered her hand and showed Jocasta the way. Inside the wooden animal home were two rows with give slots each. Five for horses, two for goats (there were two in each), and three were currently empty. A loud neigh could be heard the moment they stepped in and Zarina couldn’t help but grin knowingly while looking over at Jo, “Have you ever seen a Camargue horse before, Jo?”
“I… haven’t,” admitted Jocasta, floating up after Zarina. “I’ve just heard they were a Perrench breed originally, and a very ancient one. Came with the Torraro but didn’t do so well in the desert, so they sold most of their breeding stock out here.” She blinked. “I um… read a lot about animals,” she admitted. “Just don’t get o see as many as I’d like.” She paused, eyeing the horse hesitantly. “What’s his name?”
Zarina gestured for Jocasta to keep following, as the horse in question was at the very end of the row, “M’hm. Well, most animals don’t do too great in deserts if they’re gonna be there for a long time, unless bred for it.” she added, “They do just fine on sand. Given where they originally came from, beaches were part of their environment.” slowly but surely, upon passing a few other lovely equine creatures, they would meet him, a grey Camargue Stallion. The fact that he wasn’t completely white yet suggested he was still relatively young, “Hey, hey … Riesco.” the animal was agitated, he hadn’t seen his rider in a good while and now she was stopping by at irregular hours. AND with a stranger?
And yet, when she passed her hand over his snout and gently brushed upwards, he kept still. No more neighing, no more grunting, his black eyes were trained solely on his partner, “There we go.” her idle hand reached for her backpack and slid a carrot out to present to her neglected stallion as an offering. He gobbled that up instantly, “You wanna feed Riesco, Jo? I’m sure he’ll appreciate it.” another carrot was pulled from her back and offered to her instead. She then side-stepped and leaned her cheek against the big male’s neck while coiling her arms around him.
Jocasa’s eyes flicked between Riesco, Zarina, and the carrot. She accepted the third and slowly approached the first. She looked to the second for reassurance. “He’s… alright with strangers?” Zarina nodded in approval, although Riesco would grunt at Jocasta’s first approach only to mellow soon after sniffing her and her tribute.
“Aww, good boy, Riesco.” She let him vacuum up the carrot, accepting the inevitable stray slobber, and mimicked Zarina’s earlier motions, reaching out to pet him.
The animal was oh so happy to get this much positive attention. The stables were clean, the animals looked after, but the place was conspicuously distant from the main home and it was no surprise that the servants weren’t going to go beyond what was necessary. A good while was dedicated to giving Riesco the love he deserved. Some smooches there, scratches behind the ear and loads of petting. Then, she unlocked the wooden door he could only peek over, “Hold him here real quick, he tends to go for walks if unsupervised. Gonna just grab a bridle and a saddle.” she did just that, leaving the two cuties to bond. Camargue horses were known to be friendly to humans, and despite being a full-on stallion, Riesco was no exception. Except of course when in a rut or a total stranger tried to ride him.
Zarina would return, saddle and bridle in her arms, but she also came with an impish smile on her face, “Hey, Jo. Kaspar and I had this idea and … I mean, you’re gonna love this.” she’d still take the time to prep the horse, but she was eager to show her silly idea, giggling all the way. Riesco, being the horse that he is, tried to steal a couple of carrots from Zaz’s backpack. The lips were flapping fiercely.
Jocasta blinked and tilted her head. “Oh?” she chirped, “I will?” Zarina nodded and walked Riesco with her to the first slot of the horse row. There wasn’t a horse in there, but a white Shetland pony, “Meet Gina! She was our pony when we were like … Eight.” the slow but curious little animal approached the wooden gate and attempt to sniff the humans, only to raise its head and to scout out the same carrots Riesco was beaming for, “Wouldn’t this pretty girl be PERFECT for Ayla?” she couldn’t hold it and began to wheeze at the notion.
Jocasta, in the middle of taking a quick sip from her flask, snorted half of it out through her nose. “Oh my Gods,” she laughed, nearly losing control of her hover. For a moment, her feet thumped against the ground. She regained the lost height and grinned. “Well, the size is about right…” She nibbled her bottom lip. “You should do it, friend.”
They had a good laugh, and Zaz would be stuck with the hiccups for a bit, “You agree? Alright, perfect.” Gina was prepared just like Riesco after being given proper carrot compensation. The saddle was older, given the residents were no longer kids, but it fit nicely, “Hey, Jo. Why don’t you give the ol’ girl a try, hmm?” she smirked a toothy one while Gina kind of just stared at the Tethered behind that long, white mane.
A little pang hit Jocasta, and she swallowed. “I would… love to. She’s such a little sweetie, but…” She stopped herself. “I’ll have to use some of The Gift to hold myself properly on. That won’t spook her or anything, will it?”
Zarina shook her head, “There are two here that won’t lose their minds with magic.” she gave her Riesco a nice pat on the neck and in turn he gave her a ‘kiss’ with his snout, “This guy, whom I’ve travelled with. And then there’s Gina,” she focused on the unassuming little thing. She hadn’t grunted a single time or protested anything when geared up for a walk she likely hadn’t done in years, “so long as you just don’t make her do effort-heavy things, she’s essentially made to deal with kids.”
“Well, that works, since I’m basically an overgrown child.”Jocasta replied. She spent the next few minutes riding a pony, eventually coming to a stop in front of the stables where Zarina was with Riesco. “So… not to throw some water on your joy,” she began, “but, uh… what’s the plan here?”
Zarina was back on the saddle, literally. With Jocasta doing her rounds, she made sure to leave the note she had written prior to leaving the Refuge onto one of the wooden beams inside the building. When asked about the plan, Zarina shrugged, “We go back? With these two lovelies. Aaaaand,” a small tap of her boots brought Riesco to a walk. After traversing the field and reaching dangerously close to the house, Zarina directed her attention to an unlocked cellar, “There are a couple of jars of Virangish peppers. Absurdly valuable. Yummy as fug. My gift, for uh …” she lowered her head and sucked in her lips, “Being so good to me. And yeah, I’ll get them.” which she did. It took ten agonizing minutes. And during this time Jocasta could very much hear movement inside the house. Zarina eventually emerged and presented the promised goods. Dried and properly sealed, they were to be carried into a bag on Riesco’s saddle, “... Just don’t eat them raw. You’ll lose your tongue.”
“Oh, hun,” Jocasta assured her, “Who says they’re for me at all?” Her smile was all teeth. “Now, this goes faster if we’re both mounted and holding hands.” In practice, it meant that Jocasta had to reach well upwards. “Fun as the journey here was, I’d rather not take thirty jumps and almost two hours on the way back so, if it’s just the same to you, I’m gonna try to accomplish this in maybe six.” She reached out, closed her eyes, and took a breath. Then, they were somewhere else.
Zarina extended her hand in full trust. They were used to this, but the horses were now put to the test. Gina was thoroughly unimpressed unless they were suspended mid-air, while Riesco got agitated and stomped the ground to gather himself. But nothing wild, they reacted just about as Zarina anticipated, “Hey, hey …” she whispered sweet nothings to his perky ear, and it was enough. After a sigh of relief, she called out to Jo, “Hey, Jo. Before we just jump again.” she gestured for the blonde to come closer, which would probably require some floating. All so she could be in Zaz’s range for a big, warm embrace.
Jocasta blinked. “What is it?” she asked, rising from the saddle for a moment. “We really don’t have -” Zaz squeezed the little lady in her arms, her chin over Jo’s shoulder and eyes blissfully closed. She kept this going for maybe half a minute without a word, until very slowly loosening her grip and letting the floaty being go, “Thank you.” she said simply, her voice almost like a whimper. It was clear she didn’t like showing this much vulnerability, but this was earned. If Jocasta paid enough attention, and she needed to with how dark it was, she’d notice the faintest blush on this Virangish’s cheeks!
After about ten seconds, Jocasta squeezed back. She could count the number of genuine embraces she’d received on one hand over the past six years. “Thank you too.” she breathed. “You, Yalen, Kaspar, and Ayla…” she sniffed. “You’ve given me just as much as ‘ve ever given you.” She buried her head in Zarina’s shoulder. “God this sounds awful, but… you’ve given me myself back.” They parted with one last squeeze and, if Zarina was blushing, Jocasta was close to tears again, for the third time in three days, after having one for years without. “Now, come on, bucko, I‘d like to get at least a wink of sleep tonight.”
She tried so hard not to cry. Zarina would end up succeeding, in the end. But it was so hard and the teeth clenching was getting painful. She had to be strong for this one, even if she had all the power in the world, she was still a person. Gentle caresses were given to Jo’s head as the embrace lasted as long as it needed to, “Feels good to be around decent folk sometimes, huh?” a sentiment Zarina shared, even if not to Jo’s extremes, “I’ll promise you something, Jo. As a friend who respects you.” they were both back on their saddles, and Zaz reached out to hold her friend’s, “I’ll still be the one to say no if something feels strange, or if I think you need some standing up against.” she spoke with a brittle voice– she hadn’t fully recovered from holding back her own reactions, “Most will either be intimidated by how strong you are, or love you too much. I won’t let shit slide just because. And only because I care.”
“Right,” said Jocasta. “Right. Thank you. I think… I need that.” She nodded. “Now, just Casii,” she laughed. “No more delays, though. Come on!” She placed a hand against Zarina’s leg and they were somewhere else, and again. A couple jumps more, and they were at the headwaters of the Miharapori. Jocasta stopped for a quick drink. This was energy-intensive. She patted Gina, who’d been solid as a rock the entire time. “One more,” she told her friend. “to take us in range of the Refuge, and then one into it. Then,” she snorted, “All we’ll have to do is explain how a random horse and a pony showed up here overnight.” Jo winked. “I won't tell if you don’t.”
A complicit smile was plastered onto Zarina’s visage, “Let’s give them mysterious eyebrow wiggles until they force us to confess.” she stuck her tongue out as they paced closer to the refuge. Whether they warped there or not didn’t quite matter at this point as they were quite close. But one thing was for certain: They couldn’t wait to sleep!
The anxiety of what was to come was not lost on Zarina, and if anything it had gotten worse the longer she stayed in the Refuge. Her sister was gone and now she felt more alone than normal. She wouldn’t let the others see this, of course, but she couldn’t bottle things up when the times were this dire. There was, however, a glimmer of hope. A hope she had been cautious of for a while and now was her best hope for some mental relief.
Knock-Knockknocknock-Knock … Knock-Knock
She waited, patiently, before Jocasta’s quarters’ door. Clad in humble, beige clothing typical of the cooking staff, she clearly wasn’t there to dazzle and make a fuss.
The Jocasta who emerged was trying to look like she’d been sleeping. In truth, she’d been close. Her hair was a dishevelled mess that cascaded in tangles like some kind of blonde waterfall down her back. She wasn’t even in her wheeled-chair, floating with a groggy nonchalance as only a skyborn of considerable power could. All at once, the door swung open with a high-pitched squeal. “You ever heard of a thing called sleep?” she grumbled, gazing tiredly, but sans any legitimate hostility at Zarina.
”Only rumors.” she replied with a deadpan voice to match her flat tone to conceal the sass of her reply, ”Sorry for waking you, though, Jo.” she tightened her arms around herself and let a silence linger for a second or two, ”I- uh, kind of wanted to talk about something.” her eyes shifted about, avoiding the short blonde’s gaze, ”Something important. And yeah, it could wait. Or we could be Wyrm chow first thing tomorrow. So. Yeah.” It wasn’t common for her to have such a wobbly voice, maybe she did mean business here. Her gaze eventually locked onto Jocasta’s frame, but eye contact was still scarce.
Finally ran out of bitch fuel, Jocasta thought. Well… a part of her thought. Apparently she wasn’t out of it. Seeing the likes of Zarina show up outside her door looking like a lost puppy would’ve brought her immense satisfaction mere days ago. It still brought her a tiny twinge of schadenfreude, but the tethered tamped down on this. “Um… yeah,” she replied after a moment, not quite letting the pause stretch into awkwardness. “welcome to my humble abode.” She’d been keeping up her gravity loop almost absently, but had to adjust a bit as she started moving towards her bed. Moments later, she settled upon it. “And for what it’s worth, don’t worry. We’re not going to be wyrm chow. My people are an army, and we’re ready. Now -” she paused and sniffed. “- what was on your mind?” She patted the bed beside her and looked up in anticipation.
After the briefest of hesitations, Zarina stepped into the ‘abode’. It resembled most other quarters in the Refuge, which gave way to familiarity and thus a way to relax for Zarina, ”Not just the Wyrm that’s on my mind. But yeah, they do kick ass.” she tittered nervously. When Jocasta offered a seat, Zarina awkwardly stared at it for a moment as if unsure if she would. She capitulated and took her seat with about a foot of distance between her and the tethered powerhouse, ”I wanted to ask something, first.” again, she crossed her arms, only to unfold them a second later and nervously brush them over her legwear, ”That thing you did, back in the desert …” those first words came with the same shifty eyes she started their exchange with, but when she got to the point she landed her gaze to Jo’s and didn’t avert it anymore, ”What did you do? Did you really move them away, just like that?”
As Zarina’s last few words reached her, Jocasta was already dampening the sound in case of eavesdroppers. “I uh… wouldn’t quite call it ‘just like that’,” she amended. “That might’ve been the hardest thing I’ve ever done with the Gift.” She decided not to be a bitch and try to guilt Zarina anymore, though. “But I get your point.” she knit and unknit her fingers, pursing her lips for a moment before continuing. “We think of the five magics and howo four of them are all about energy, but hasn’t binding - really blood - always seemed like the odd one out: how it uses matter?” She didn't wait for an answer. “Well, there’s another kind - harder to grasp - that goes beyond energy, and it pulls upon space and time. That’s what I used.” Her eyes met Zarina’s, unflinching. “That’s what you want to learn,” she concluded.
Zarina sucked in her lips at the mention of Jocasta’s considerable exertion and achievement. The guilting was definitely going to work, ”All of it went by so fast, heh. We do kind of owe you. A lot.” a weak attempt to humble herself, although her fidgety demeanour and obvious nervousness made it clear there was no domination to be had as she may often seek in normal interactions.
Then came some education. One on Blood, a familiar concept to Zarina, and one on notions that felt a tad farfetched. Nonetheless she remained attentive, ”I won’t lie. I can hardly visualize what space and time can even look like, let alone draw or bend it in any way.” she shook her head, and then paused for a moment, ”... Is that why you talked about the past, and maybe the future? I uhm-” she scratched her cheek, feeling a little out of her depth here, ”I just imagined it as, like, just moving things, or people, to other places aaaand- Yeah it’s simple thinking but I promise I have a good reason to about this stuff.” she stumbled in her thought process and even her words. It was hard to articulate what she really wanted, when the ideas proposed to her were oh so alien to some simple teen from Virang.
“Damn. Who switched your brain with Kaspar’s?” Jocasta teased and Zarina snorted, partly to allay some of her own discomfort at Zarina’s earnest, nervous intensity. “And it is a bit like that, but you’re not so much moving people or things through space and time as those are one big canvas and you’re grabbing onto its little threads and moving it around them and sometimes creating little gaps to slip them through somewhere else in it.” She shrugged. “Not easy to explain. Now, my turn to ask the questions, like I was - you’re right - probingly before. What’s your reason? People always have a compelling reason andiit’ll usually wreck the world or at least their lives.”
Now it was Zarina’s turn to deliver, ”That bad, huh? Good thing I have a pro to help me through.” she had regained a little bit of her spunk with a right smirk to go with her first response. She didn’t beat around the bush and properly answered right after, ”There’s -” a brief pause, she considered her wording carefully, ”someone I want to see. You know, before things may get bad. Not just the idea of dying but- like, you know, things back home may not be the same should some things go bad, y’know?” her leg was restless, even as she pressed her hand on it to try and calm it, ”It’s someone I at least owe a goodbye to- even if I don’t intend to die. No drama, I promise. Just, yeah. It’s important. Enough for me to ask for a favour,” she sighed, ”When I owe you about three of those already.”
“Ysilla?” Jocasta guessed. Zarina shook her head, ”Someone at home. Ysilla … Knows where I am, and how I feel. He hasn’t seen me in- Shit- two months?”
Oh, so not what I thought. Jocasta tilted her head in that way she often did when curious or bemused. “So, not to be a prying bitch, but I know you’re not made of papier mache,” the blonde began frankly. “Who, and why?It’s not that I don’t trust you, but…” She tucked some hair behind an ear. “You don’t mess around this stuff.”
Zarina was worried about the justification of it all. After all, in the grand scheme of things, or at least of this Refuge’s issues, this was small. She took a big breath and put on her big girl pants, ”It’s someone I’ve lived a good while with when times were the worst. I- hmm, I think it’s better you see him rather than I describe too much.” her lips curved into a subtle smile, ”I can just say he’s very trustworthy.” she even giggled at the thought of the contrary, how it’d even be possible, ”As for why- I’ve made the mistake of not reaching out, or just being there, when it mattered the most.” another deep inhale. She was gritting her teeth as she recalled, ”I don’t want to fuck this up again. That and-” she shrugged, ”He can be very helpful, if you can bring him back, somehow~” maybe she was pushing it, but her spirits were lifted a little more at such a thought.
Zarina was still playing it coy. Jo pursed her lips. Was she… embarrassed? How could she possibly be embarrassed about asking to see a person so useful and important to - Then, it hit her. “He’s a horse, isn’t he?” the tethered stated, deadpan. She remembered how Zarina’d had a way with animals, how she was always by the stables when she wasn’t doing something else. “Right?” she prodded. “I’m not shaming you, by the way,” she quickly clarified. “Animals are often waaay better than people.”
”Yes.” there was no hesitation or more games, she full-on admitted it with quite the flush on her stressed facial features, ”And they really are.” relief washed over her when Jocasta uttered feelings Zarina resonated with so much, ”But, yeah, it’s my horse. Riesco. I uh- didn’t want to bring him to school. Big boat trips, not good for the heart. And I just didn’t have accommodation.” she nervously justified herself, although in the end it was clear she’d have brought him if she could, ”I work well with him. And I miss him. It’s mostly that, really. I miss him.” she missed a few others, too. But Riesco never lied or went off on his own, ”Would you like to meet him, Jocasta?” she looked over at her blonde friend with a sly, little smile on her face, ”... Although now that I think about it, how would you even know where I live?”
“Virang, somewhere,” Jocasta replied flatly, a corner of her mouth ticking upwards in a smirk. “I’ll be honest: I’m all for it, but there is a problem…” Zarina leaned in just a little, her hopes pushed to high heavens and now ready to fall face first, ”W-what is it?”
“I’m not the Paradigm, Zaz,” admitted Jocasta, a bit ashamed. “I’ve never… teleported anything - myself included - outside of my own range.” She paused, looking pained. “I mean, in theory,” she continued, “I could,” She bit her lower lip. “I wanna try, you know. I have the capacity for it…” She blushed a bit. “Crazy idea, but maybe we could do it in stages. Virang isn’t so far from Torragon. I could try to work my way up in distance...”
A nod of premature acceptance was all Zarina could muster. At least until a new hope emerged under the form of a slightly contrived, but potentially effective solution, ”So like … We’d essentially hop over as far as you can in rapid succession.” she blinked and paused to actually process it, ”... That sounds really fucking hard.” arms crossed, she shot Jocasta a concerned look, ”Is there, like, any way I could help, then? I feel like I’m asking for a loooot.” and it made her quite nervous again.
“You are, chica.” Jocasta sat up a bit straighter and cracked her knuckles. “I’m gonna own that ass after this, comprende?” She grinned like a little fucker. “but it’s also a challenge and I’m up for a challenge. That's how we grow.” She took a deep breath. “Besides…” she leaned in. “It kinda sounds like a fun time, no? And I could stand to get away from all this grim seriousness and just zip through a dozen different random places.” She raised a finger to her lips and tapped on them pensively for a moment. “Mind you ‘rapid succession’ might be stretching things a bit. Accounting for missteps, rest time, and other breaks, we could probably get there in about two hours?”
Zarina liked this tone. From being a little shit to an upbeat go-getter, it seemed like this was going to happen after all. She refrained from commenting on rear-ownership, knowing full well how indebted she’d be, but got proactive when the time came to prepare for this otherworldly adventure. She hopped on her feet and clapped her hands together, ”Okay. How can I help?” she was very eager to do something, even if it was small, ”Oh! I know a few stops we can make on the way. Couple of not-so-shit Taverns to get a quick bite or sip for a break. I- uh, kind of rode the border a few times.”
Why am I doing this, again? Jocasta thought, rising from her bed. It was nighttime, she had a dozen more pressing things to worry about, and she had never gone such a distance before. And I’m doing it for… a horse. She raised an eyebrow in Zarina’s direction. “You be our map, then,” she allowed, shaking her head and smiling ruefully. “But, um… get out for a second. I have to change.”
Zarina nodded, ”Oh, yeah, I should get ready too.” she took a couple of steps backwards with those long legs of hers before performing a quick 180 and skedaddled out of Jocasta’s quarters. The Virangish was going to pack light: Her usual travel bag with a gourd of water, a pouch full of Asper and a few Kurush, another satchel with a handful of old carrots and her Hexaic pendant she kept in the bag rather than her neck for the coming adventure. And of course, both her Shamshirs were sheathed at her lower back for practicality. Finally, a couple of cloaks were picked up– the sort that could shield the face too in case of a sandstorm though in this case the shielding of one’s identity could be more useful.
Before Zarina left her own quarters, however, she paused and stood a good minute in doing absolutely nothing. Something was perturbing her, and when it hit her, she snapped her fingers and got to it with haste. A piece of paper from her night table was seized, and she wrote a brief message. Once the errand was complete, she waited patiently by Jocasta’s door.
The tethered emerged, like a little ghosty-thing, floating a few inches above the ground, a long hooded cloak covering her entire form, and only a smirk peeking out. Her hood shifted a little bit as she looked Zarina up and down. “Shit, Zaz, you look ready for an expedition. I brought…” Pale little hands appeared from her long sleeves and patted around. “A flask and a few Corona.” Jocasta’s grin grew. “Meals are on you!” She half turned but then thought better of it and turned back. “And drinks,” she chirped. “You know, in better times, I’d say we should turn this into a pub crawl.” The blonde giggled, gesturing for her friend to follow as they made their way down a colonnade to a remote part of the Refuge. “Imagine being too drunk to ride after all that,” she snorted. “Ipte, it’s been a while since I’ve been good and toasted.”
”Would you find it weird if I said I only got ‘good and toasted’ only once in my life?” the spare cloak was shoved into her backpack, overloading it even more than it already was but it withstood if just barely.
Jocasta’s eyebrows show up, not that Zaz could actually see it. “Uhhh, yeah. Colour me surprised. Always took you for the type to dive in headfirst, but I guess it makes sense. You’re not daft like me.”
“I don’t know about drinks, replied Zarina, but there might be something nice to munch on at home if we have time …”
“I won't’ say no to that. Viranish food is… not so different from Djamantese, just… a bit spicier.” Then, finally, they reached a little cleared space behind a supply shed. Jocasta flipped her hood back, serious again, rolled her sleeves up, and settled - cross-legged - on the dusty ground. Before beginning, she glanced up at Zarina again, furrowing her brow slightly.. “What’s your RAS again?”
”Seven point …” she paused, not to actually think about the answer but to let a little grunt out as she sat before Jocasta and mimicked her position, ”Sixty-two. And you?”
“Gods, high: like over nine, which is absurd. Truth is, I’ve never properly measured it, I don’t even know what to do with it all, and I’m a little scared of it.” She blushed. “Plus, if you’re tethered, overdrawing is… very bad, so I never draw to capacity and definitely not for some test.” She reached up and swept some hair from her face. “The reason I was asking was actually because I wanted to see if you were in the range to actually do something worthwhile with temporal magic.” It was a quick, professional smile, but bereft of warmth. “You are. Seven-six-two is nothing to sneeze at and, based on my sneaky little probing yesterday, I think I can actually trust you not to mess with the timeline.” She took two deep breaths and closed her eyes. Zarina could feel that strange sort of energy building. “If you ever want to, I can and will teach you. Magic is called ‘The Gift’ for a reason. It’s meant to be shared.” A hand flashed out in Zarina’s direction. “Take my hand! We’re going in!”
Zarina recoiled in shock. A nine? Never had a simple number been so terrifying to hear. And she fully believed it too, ”I feel like drawing at capacity would probably be distressing for not just you.” her hands got a tad clammy but she quickly adjusted her posture for the coming main event, ”To be shared to those deemed trustworthy?” she tilted her head, ”Will it be the great Jocasta that’ll determine who is and isn’t a dipshit?” she smirked and slowly reached out to her companion’s hand but stopped just shy of her digits touching, ”... After this, I’ll first repay you how I can. And then you’ll determine if I’m worthy, alright?”
“All the Great Jocasta and, for my first act, I shall ‘poof’ us to some random place due west of here. Get ready to land safely. Your butt could end up on a cactus.” She flashed her pearly whites for a moment, suppressing yet another smile.
Their hands touched, and then a flash. Not of a bright light but an instant change of air, smell, colours, everything. They were no longer on a dusty, stone surface but on top a dune of sand under the clear night skies. The desert’s cold air rushed through them under the form of sporadic gusts that brought with them small clouds of sand that would get in Zaz’s hair, ”Oh sh-” disorientated and caught off guard, she stumbled to her right and nearly ate a sandy dinner if it wasn’t for her elbow serving as quick support, ”You know, I expected, like, a portal. Like how the old beard did it.” she wasn’t being ungrateful, as she began to giggle between her words, ”This was definitely cooler.” she stood up to brush herself and took in her surroundings. The night was making it hard to actually distinguish anything, and due to elevation, the Refuge was out of sight, ”Lemme just … Figure out where West is.”
“Glad someone can,” Jocasta remarked, glancing around briefly. “Probably the stars. As for the Paradigm…” She bounced her palms off of her knees for a moment. “His way’s more advanced, actually. He’s got damned near a century on me.” She shook her head. “Remember how I said space and time were like a big sheet covering everything? Well, we move through that sheet by reeling it in and poking little holes in it to move through.” Jocasta took another steadying breath as Zarina calculated their next ‘jump’. “Thing is, those holes want to seal themselves as quickly as possible and, the further they are from where you stand in space and time, the quicker and more aggressively they wanna seal themselves.” She smirked. “I hope you’re listening,” she joked. “The Nikanese have a word: sensei, which means like ‘master’ and “teacher”. That’s me,” she chirped, leaning in with a self-satisfied grin. “Basically, a novice can do much more than take a quick peek through, while a true master like the Paradigm can open a hole anywhere, open it wide, and keep it open for a while. I’m… somewhere in-between.” She took another deep breath and closed her eyes. “Ready,” she confirmed. “Gonna go for a bit of a longer one, less guarantees here. You got us a direction?”
Zarina was in for a lesson, and as much as she liked to add something and involve herself, she humbled herself and kept quiet. Once again she seated herself before Jocasta and shifted her attention between the blonde and the stars above. Indeed, she could use what every other traveller used to find their way and as a rider she did have the experience needed to figure it out, ”Sensei. That actually rolls off the tongue, huh?” she flashed a quick smile at her friend, ”Who was your Sensei, Sensei?” a daring question, which she followed quickly with directions, ”Over there, if you can get us on top of that rocky hill in the horizon, I can probably get a good idea of where we’ll go.” she pointed at the mentioned peak, which was a good many miles away– maybe even too far for one warp, but it was something concrete rather than a vague distance.
“That’s the funny thing,” replied Jocasta quickly, “I don’t really know. There was someone who taught me: an assassin, more or less, but I already had some concept of this magic before, and I don’t know how.” She let out a small, frustrated huff. Zarina blinked and then narrowed her eyes, ”An assassin taught the novice assassin from the Refuge to bend time and space? You should write a novel, love.”
“I fear I’d not live long if I did,” she joked weakly, quickly changing the subject. “Now, this mountain. I see it.” She took her breaths and closed her eyes. “Hand.” She held it out. And Zarina reached out after taking a deep breath, ”Ready.” and then she seized the smaller limb, this time ready for the ride.
They materialized, after a moment, on a mountaintop. As one mad her way westward, these would become more common, near the headwaters of the Miharapori. This one, however, was a stray, and gave a magnificent view of much of the terrain around it. “Stay linked with me, Zaz, I can go again if you point me.”
Even in the middle of the night, Zarina could get a decent idea of where they were. The details were unimportant, but the formation of mountains were pretty clear indicators on their own. ”Same direction, try to stay on the mountains. We can probably follow the big river, until we get close enough to Gadankar. Though …” she pursed her lips, looking a tad concerned, ”You alright? This IS going to be a long ride. I haven’t been around this part of Torragon in …” she exhaled from her nose and blinked, ”Like three years.” She clenched her partner’s hand, ”Ready.”
“Right,” replied Jocasta, “First one outside of my range. We’re gonna start in the air and drop, just so we don’t risk materializing inside something else and the grisly death that goes along with it. Be ready to catch yourself.” She drew and pulled and voyaged to places that were hazy and unclear. Then, they popped out, some twenty feet up in the air. Jocasta used the gravity loop to catch herself and float. She looked over to Zarina to see if she’d managed the trick as well.
Once they manifested at their next destination, Zarina let herself fall. The energy gathered from the fall itself was used to unleash a small but strong air stream under her feet to soften the landing and keep things clean, ”... You know, we talk about cool time and space stuff, but I never got to master levitation like you do.” a hand on her hip and the other pointed her index up above, she almost seemed vexed at how impotent she was next to Jocasta, ”And I thought I was good with that school of magic too! But no, plebeian here.” she was quick to assume the position and this time she offered her hand, ”Alright, let’s do this. Maybe we can stop by the river and have a drink or something.” she paused, ”From our flasks. I’d avoid drinking the water if we have some on us.”
“I’ll teach you, Zaz. I’m this good because I’m Skyborn and I had teachers who turned me into a weapon. An absurd RAS didn’t hurt, but it’s not necessary.” Jocasta took the proffered hand and they pulled off the same feat again, and a second time, before stopping at the burgeoning river. In the distance, twinkled a handful of bright spots that signaled a town “I believe this is one of the forks of the Miharapori,” Jocasta asked, “Right?” She settled on the ground and uncorked her flask, taking a couple of greedy gulps. “Should we turn south when they converge or is it faster to head into Inipor first?” They were in the highlands now and the air was thinner and cooler.
The sound of running water and the cool air of the Miharapori were comforting to Zarina in all her wanderlust. She settled too, not too far from the edge and just stared blankly at the stars reflected on the water’s runny surface, ”Yeah. You are right.” she took too a quick sip, less so out of thirst than to get rid of the dryness in her throat after lurking in the desert for a while, ”Have you ever been to Inipor?” if the answer was no, then that’d be her answer, otherwise continuing south was likely safer, ”The Refuge turned you into a weapon. Did those that took you in do the same, Jo?” she didn’t seem in a hurry to end the break. Her face was mostly hidden by the night and the cloak she was wearing, but her tone manifested concern she seldom showed, ”Were they like- errr, a new family? Or was it more of a brother-sisterhood thing some orphans sometimes form here and there?”
Jocasta turned and grabbed Zarina’s other hand. “You’re a friend,” she said earnestly, “and I say this to you as a friend:” She worked her jaw anxiously for a moment. “This is something that you don’t want to get involved in.” She paused. “Well, maybe you do now, but you’ll regret it later. I’m into some serious shit, hun, out of my own choice. They’re… not perfect, and some are just bad, but I believe in their goals and… I owe them everything.” A dark kind of smile came over her face and there was a flash of the old Jocasta in there. “Besides, I don’t think they could stop me if they tried. Now,” she chirped, “Enough about my must-remain-a-secret-upon-pain-of-death life!” there was an ironic mirth in her words and face. “We have a place to get to. Hand!”
Zarina peered down, silently remarking that her hand was already held, ”I won’t push further. Not asking questions about big deals is common practice where I’m from. I get it.” her gold eyes were still on those hands. She nodded to herself and slowly raised her gaze back to the cloaked Jo, ”Just know you got some people that like you. And you don’t owe us anything. Nor do I think we’re the fairweather asshole types. Dunno about the Yasoi, though.” She turned her head and stared down south, ”It’s probably faster to avoid Inipor. Less chance of encountering the types that don’t sleep at night.”
Jocasta let out a snort at the part about Casii. “Thanks, Zaz.” She squeezed the slightly younger woman’s hand a bit tighter for a moment. “Not really sure what to say to nice things like that, to be honest. Now, big one. I think I’m getting the hang of this.”
The world flashed and then they were on a rooftop. It was thatched and rickety and they could feel it giving way the moment that it had to bear their weight. “Up, Zaz! Dammit!” Jocasta yelped.
”Wha-” she hadn’t quite realized her predicament until the roof began to collapse. Out of reflex, Zarina reached her other hand to Jocasta’s figure and clung onto her like a cat terrified of water, ”Up, up, Up!!” she yelled out hysterically, legs flailing under her. She could probably hop and flip her way to safety at this point, but as she calmed a thought came by her, ”Okay, bear with me. I’m gonna let go … And you catch me with your great power, yeah?” the more she explained, the wider her toothy grin got, ”And then I try to suspend myself, yeah? If I fail, I eat shit.” and so she did just that: Slowly peeled her hands and arms from her levitating friend and hoped she’d be ‘caught’ so she could begin this quick little exercise.
Jocasta’s expression turned from alarm to appreciation. Anything could be a learning experience. She felt Zarina let go and, drawing and expelling energy in equal measure, the tethered ‘caught’ her and held her up, the both of them hovering in midair. They were in a small village and it seemed to be still and quiet. “Okay,” she allowed, “I think the coast is clear.” She moved the both of them away from the rooftop, so as not to risk damaging it or disturbing anyone. “The trick here is to use the energy of gravity. Once you’re in the air, it’s a freebie. Draw it in as fast as it pulls you down and you should hit equilibrium. You’ve gotta be fast, though, and sharp. The other big trick is not to become overwhelmed. Expel the energy as telekinetic to help keep yourself up if you find yourself sinking, and to move yourself. If you have too much excess, just bleed it out or use it for other things. You’re a bit below eight, so you don’t have as much of a safety net as me, but you should be able to do it.” Jocasta looked her in the eye and grinned in nervous anticipation. “You ready?” she asked-but-not-really “Three… two… one.”
So much to take in, Zarina was visibly a little distressed! Still, her confidence wouldn’t be shaken, especially as she already grew accustomed to essentially ‘floating’ via Jocasta’s intervention. Deep breaths, she tried to visualise how she would do it. Like a woodsman readying an axe and giving a couple of swings before delivering the decisive blow, she drew and released in small bursts to practice the reflex of drawing faster than her fall. It was definitely tricky. ”So wait, I-” zero! She fell, and she caught herself mid-fall, albeit clumsily. The loop itself wasn’t difficult the moment she actually did prevent her imminent impact, now the issue was to rise back up while juggling the mana she contained for this balancing act. A couple of air propulsions under the form of air kicks were pretty quick at correcting her altitude problem, and so came the challenge of consistent levitation.
“Stop kicking!” scolded Jocasta. “Do you see me kicking in midair?” There was something deliberately impish about the comment. “Use Kinetic, use gravity. Relax.”
”Okay. I’m doing this. But I can only focus on this.” it was going to take a while before it’d become second nature, ”But it’s not too h-” she jinxed it, and one draw was a bit off and now she was playing a very clumsy game of catchup where kicking was banned. There was no relaxing, only panic-casting.
“Zaz!” Jocasta called, “Think of it like a river: the energy. You’re like a sharp bend in that river. It’s flowing into you and out of you smoothly. All that it’s doing is changing directions. That’s how you get it smooth.”
”A River?! Ahh!” all she could think about was the river they had just passed. Still, she managed to prevent the worst with her usual technique of softening the landing.
“Yes, you’re managing that river, keeping it consistent.” Jocasta watched her land safely. “Honestly, about the same as my first attempts. Just need to learn not to hammer it and overcompensate when you feel a slip. Leads to more course corrections.” She clasped her hands together and floated downwards until they were basically at eye level. “That was a good first try. Now, come on up with me.” She held out her hand again. “I need directions and we need to get moving again.”
”Wait, really? Here I thought you were just some super-genius good at everything.” she brushed herself off and welcomed her friend with her hand ready to be taken, ”Reassuring. Or maybe you’re just that good of a tea- Sensei, and you’re just telling me this for my self-esteem.” her eyebrows raised and her smile kept strong, ”Well it’s working.” her index pointed slightly south-west from their position, ”I think we can do a few jumps in quick succession, otherwise we may end up learning every school of magic before we get to Gandakar!”
Jocasta nodded. “Agreed.” she replied. “No more messing around.” and that was exactly what they did. Four more jumps of increasing length in quick succession. “You know,” the tethered said after one, “I think I’m learning just as much as you. I used to think of this as aiming for a target and the further away, the harder it was to aim properly.” They teleported again. “It’s more like pulling that fabric over to you, though, and just stepping on through.” After another twenty minutes, they were in Qamuz, in the massive estuary of the great river. “Southwest now, right?” asked Jocasta.
“So you’re telling me you’re figuring all this shit out now? Meanwhile I can barely fly. Sheesh.” they were now at their most recent destination and Zarina took this time to stretch and grab a quick drink, “West, actually. And take a sip. Don’t want you getting dizzy and end up in …” she exaggerated some shuddering, “Paggon.” she even offered her gourd to make extra sure Jocasta was well hydrated, “... You know, before we get back to the Refuge at whatever hour– and I know I said I should earn it first– But I should definitely try to jump us. Even if it’s like, five metres.” there was a child-like giddiness in her mannerisms and voice when she suggested that. Quickly, she grabbed her friend’s hand, “Onwards!”
“Walk before you can run,” Jocasta warned, but she paired her eyeroll with a smile. “But I like this ‘you’. Don’t compare yourself to me.You’re starting years later.” She reeled herself across space and time, then, a pressure building inside of her as she did so, but then Jocasta got an idea. She stopped for a moment. “Do a hover for a moment. I need some inspiration,” she teased.
“Got a big catch-up challenge ahead. No sweat.” she feigned unreasonable confidence, brushing her nose with her forearm to really sell the con, “I can even hum a little tune while doing it, I think.” she did a little hop just to get her feet off the ground and she was back to doing the exercise from before. Still clumsy, still just about ready to fall on her rear, but she was close enough to the ground to propel herself upwards the traditional way if it got too out of hand, “Mmmhmmhmm~” she hummed a little bedtime tune. A pleasant one as she had quite the pair of lungs, even if she rarely used them.
“Awesome,” Jocasta remarked. “Damn. Now I feel like I should hum too. I’m going to do something stupid.” Zarina would immediately comment, “I like the sound of that.”
“Not sure you will after I try it,” chuckled Jocasta nervously. “I’ve only messed with space up to now, even though I can see time. I’m going to try setting us back a little bit as we travel, so we have more clock to work with. You… okay with that?”
Zarina shrugged, still ‘floating’ in the air, albeit with the occasional ‘hops’ that weren’t all that elegant, “I mean, as long as we’re not changing the course of anything …” she crossed her arms and masticated somewhat nervously, “... Are there any consequences I should be made aware of? Assuming we don’t kill some Duke in the cradle for the betterment of all or anything.”
“To be honest, I’m not sure. We’ll only be going back maybe ten minutes at first, just to shave off some of our travel time. I’m honestly… not confident with any more.” With that, she closed her eyes, reeling in not only space, but time with intent. She’d peered before, fleetingly, but never gone. “This is hard,” Jocasta grunted. “It’s like two separate sheets that don’t want to be aligned and you have to…” She was straining now, “Align them.” Then, her voice rose. “I got it! Zaz, hand, quick!”
Zarina has ceased her floating when Jocasta manifested just how hard the endeavour was. The Virangish stayed quiet and near her almighty friend. Little mumbles were uttered from time to time, cheering Jocasta on in this remarkably difficult attempt at a magic that was beyond most. Then, she seized both of Jo’s hands when the time was right, “Let’s go!” she cheered with a big, fat grin, ready to tackle the unknown!
“Shit!” hissed Jocasta, as they tumbled down onto a brightly lit plain.“I flubbed it. I flubbed it horribly!” Her head turned this way and that. It was daytime. There were no dwellings in sight when they should’ve been on the outskirts of a small town. “Don’t touch anything or do anything. I… think we went much too far. You wouldn’t have happened to have been in this area before, would you? We should be just south of the foothills of the Angahar headwaters.”
Zarina froze. The light of the sun was blinding enough to get her to close her eyes for a good while. Given something had gone terribly wrong, she hesitated to even speak. It was only when she began to open her eyes that she breathed again, “... Fuck. Nevermind where. When are we?” she looked around and indeed Jocasta was correct. It looked like the beginning of the hours of Shune by the position of the sun. What day? Both seemed at a loss, “Uhm, okay. Do we just kind of go with this or are you gonna bring us back to nightfall? Worst case, we uh, walk. A long way. Well, I walk.”
Jocasta appreciated the joke at the end, but there was enough panic leaking through her features that any humour was set aside for now. She tried to remain calm. She didn’t even know if she could get them back, the air felt strangely… rich, and she sensed a series of very large, very unfamiliar creatures - reptilian - she thought, approaching. “Anywhere is better than here,” she assured Zarina, batting absently at a fly as she tried to concentrate. “Hand!” she called, and then they were on the same plain, at night. She breathed a sigh of relief. All was as they’d hoped. A small town hunkered in the distant foothills.“Thank Dami. There was still some evidence of the hole we’d left when we came. Travel back is easier if you do it quickly.” She shuddered in relief. “Okay, no more messing with time. One more leap and we’re in Gandakar. Then, we’ll have to pinpoint your home.”
Zarina could feel it too– the eyes of predators far beyond what she had ever seen, “Agreed.” she clenched Jo’s hands tightly, “Hurry, please.” the tall and confident Virangish girl whimpered. Luckily they were swiftly brought back to a more recognizable era. Zarina sighed in relief, her head falling over Jojo’s shoulder, “And here I thought we had doomed the world …” again with the jinxing, but she was blissfully unaware. After a moment to regain her senses, she adjusted her posture and held both of Jo’s hands, “Yeah, same direction, minus the time. I’ll show you my home if you can get us uhm …” she was pondering for a moment, “There’s a big plateau southeast of Gandakar, many from the city go there for hiking, or to impress someone. You can see my home from there, sort of. And we avoid the city.”
“Right,” replied Jocasta, nodding, businesslike. She closed her eyes. “Got it.” Then, they were there. A great stone citadel, covered in chaparral brush, with a chapel and a series of small structures, it loomed over the city. Vast and lush, Gandakar spread out beneath them, with its handsome gardens, grand plazas, bustling port - even at this hour, to an extent, and narrow, chaotic streets. Surrounding it lay endless green fields, terraced on the hillsides and pockmarked with dozens of little villages. At its very heart lay the enormous dome of the Silverstar Idasque: resplendent in platinum plate and one of the holiest sites of the Darhannic faith. Down a grand boulevard, it was mirrored by the six mighty towers of Sultan Osman’s palace. For a moment, Jocasta just took it all in. “Your home,” she observed, “It's… beautiful.”
Home sweet home, well almost. Zarina took in the Virangish air she had sorely lacked for at least two months. It really wasn’t any different than Torragon, or Inipor or even Ersand’Enise, but it just had this insignificant little something that brought floods of nostalgia to the native teen. The city definitely made most other places look somewhat backwards in comparison and Zarina, despite having seen these sights thousands of time, was awestruck just like her friend, “A lot of people have this mindset of ‘greener grass on the other side’ with their homes, especially young people.” she shook her head, “No such thing in Gandakar. Sucked all the green in Virang, and became the most beautiful city in the world.” she chuckled, although it almost sounded like a scoff. Her hand extended west, pointing at the south-end of the city where a few hills held large, gated homes. One of them was her’s with a few flat fields adjacent to the property, “You can get us on the big patch of grass over there. The servants should be inside or asleep.”
“That much property,” Jocasta wondered, “in the city…” Then, she nodded. “When we arrive, I’ll find a place to sit, out of the way.” She took one more deep breath, and didn’t even close her eyes. In a moment, they were there, plopping down gently on the lawn.
It was indeed a good amount of property. The field they were in was big enough to host small horse races if it were tailored for it. To the north was the family home. A three-story mansion to some, but just a relatively large house compared to the obscenely wealthy of Virang. There was little in terms of lighting beyond a few lanterns inside that illuminated the large windows surrounded by pure, white stone. Opposite of the home was the stables– a far more humble building that was well maintained with an old lantern dangling outside by the entrance. It was remarkably remote from the main home, and even further from the main exit of the property. Surrounding the property and beyond the iron fences were either stone as they were still by a hill, wild greenery of property owned by the governing bodies of the city or a neighbour’s plot of land that was carefully tended to like the Al-Nader residence.
“Come, you can sit at the stables. I’m sure you can make a friend.” she offered her hand and showed Jocasta the way. Inside the wooden animal home were two rows with give slots each. Five for horses, two for goats (there were two in each), and three were currently empty. A loud neigh could be heard the moment they stepped in and Zarina couldn’t help but grin knowingly while looking over at Jo, “Have you ever seen a Camargue horse before, Jo?”
“I… haven’t,” admitted Jocasta, floating up after Zarina. “I’ve just heard they were a Perrench breed originally, and a very ancient one. Came with the Torraro but didn’t do so well in the desert, so they sold most of their breeding stock out here.” She blinked. “I um… read a lot about animals,” she admitted. “Just don’t get o see as many as I’d like.” She paused, eyeing the horse hesitantly. “What’s his name?”
Zarina gestured for Jocasta to keep following, as the horse in question was at the very end of the row, “M’hm. Well, most animals don’t do too great in deserts if they’re gonna be there for a long time, unless bred for it.” she added, “They do just fine on sand. Given where they originally came from, beaches were part of their environment.” slowly but surely, upon passing a few other lovely equine creatures, they would meet him, a grey Camargue Stallion. The fact that he wasn’t completely white yet suggested he was still relatively young, “Hey, hey … Riesco.” the animal was agitated, he hadn’t seen his rider in a good while and now she was stopping by at irregular hours. AND with a stranger?
And yet, when she passed her hand over his snout and gently brushed upwards, he kept still. No more neighing, no more grunting, his black eyes were trained solely on his partner, “There we go.” her idle hand reached for her backpack and slid a carrot out to present to her neglected stallion as an offering. He gobbled that up instantly, “You wanna feed Riesco, Jo? I’m sure he’ll appreciate it.” another carrot was pulled from her back and offered to her instead. She then side-stepped and leaned her cheek against the big male’s neck while coiling her arms around him.
Jocasa’s eyes flicked between Riesco, Zarina, and the carrot. She accepted the third and slowly approached the first. She looked to the second for reassurance. “He’s… alright with strangers?” Zarina nodded in approval, although Riesco would grunt at Jocasta’s first approach only to mellow soon after sniffing her and her tribute.
“Aww, good boy, Riesco.” She let him vacuum up the carrot, accepting the inevitable stray slobber, and mimicked Zarina’s earlier motions, reaching out to pet him.
The animal was oh so happy to get this much positive attention. The stables were clean, the animals looked after, but the place was conspicuously distant from the main home and it was no surprise that the servants weren’t going to go beyond what was necessary. A good while was dedicated to giving Riesco the love he deserved. Some smooches there, scratches behind the ear and loads of petting. Then, she unlocked the wooden door he could only peek over, “Hold him here real quick, he tends to go for walks if unsupervised. Gonna just grab a bridle and a saddle.” she did just that, leaving the two cuties to bond. Camargue horses were known to be friendly to humans, and despite being a full-on stallion, Riesco was no exception. Except of course when in a rut or a total stranger tried to ride him.
Zarina would return, saddle and bridle in her arms, but she also came with an impish smile on her face, “Hey, Jo. Kaspar and I had this idea and … I mean, you’re gonna love this.” she’d still take the time to prep the horse, but she was eager to show her silly idea, giggling all the way. Riesco, being the horse that he is, tried to steal a couple of carrots from Zaz’s backpack. The lips were flapping fiercely.
Jocasta blinked and tilted her head. “Oh?” she chirped, “I will?” Zarina nodded and walked Riesco with her to the first slot of the horse row. There wasn’t a horse in there, but a white Shetland pony, “Meet Gina! She was our pony when we were like … Eight.” the slow but curious little animal approached the wooden gate and attempt to sniff the humans, only to raise its head and to scout out the same carrots Riesco was beaming for, “Wouldn’t this pretty girl be PERFECT for Ayla?” she couldn’t hold it and began to wheeze at the notion.
Jocasta, in the middle of taking a quick sip from her flask, snorted half of it out through her nose. “Oh my Gods,” she laughed, nearly losing control of her hover. For a moment, her feet thumped against the ground. She regained the lost height and grinned. “Well, the size is about right…” She nibbled her bottom lip. “You should do it, friend.”
They had a good laugh, and Zaz would be stuck with the hiccups for a bit, “You agree? Alright, perfect.” Gina was prepared just like Riesco after being given proper carrot compensation. The saddle was older, given the residents were no longer kids, but it fit nicely, “Hey, Jo. Why don’t you give the ol’ girl a try, hmm?” she smirked a toothy one while Gina kind of just stared at the Tethered behind that long, white mane.
A little pang hit Jocasta, and she swallowed. “I would… love to. She’s such a little sweetie, but…” She stopped herself. “I’ll have to use some of The Gift to hold myself properly on. That won’t spook her or anything, will it?”
Zarina shook her head, “There are two here that won’t lose their minds with magic.” she gave her Riesco a nice pat on the neck and in turn he gave her a ‘kiss’ with his snout, “This guy, whom I’ve travelled with. And then there’s Gina,” she focused on the unassuming little thing. She hadn’t grunted a single time or protested anything when geared up for a walk she likely hadn’t done in years, “so long as you just don’t make her do effort-heavy things, she’s essentially made to deal with kids.”
“Well, that works, since I’m basically an overgrown child.”Jocasta replied. She spent the next few minutes riding a pony, eventually coming to a stop in front of the stables where Zarina was with Riesco. “So… not to throw some water on your joy,” she began, “but, uh… what’s the plan here?”
Zarina was back on the saddle, literally. With Jocasta doing her rounds, she made sure to leave the note she had written prior to leaving the Refuge onto one of the wooden beams inside the building. When asked about the plan, Zarina shrugged, “We go back? With these two lovelies. Aaaaand,” a small tap of her boots brought Riesco to a walk. After traversing the field and reaching dangerously close to the house, Zarina directed her attention to an unlocked cellar, “There are a couple of jars of Virangish peppers. Absurdly valuable. Yummy as fug. My gift, for uh …” she lowered her head and sucked in her lips, “Being so good to me. And yeah, I’ll get them.” which she did. It took ten agonizing minutes. And during this time Jocasta could very much hear movement inside the house. Zarina eventually emerged and presented the promised goods. Dried and properly sealed, they were to be carried into a bag on Riesco’s saddle, “... Just don’t eat them raw. You’ll lose your tongue.”
“Oh, hun,” Jocasta assured her, “Who says they’re for me at all?” Her smile was all teeth. “Now, this goes faster if we’re both mounted and holding hands.” In practice, it meant that Jocasta had to reach well upwards. “Fun as the journey here was, I’d rather not take thirty jumps and almost two hours on the way back so, if it’s just the same to you, I’m gonna try to accomplish this in maybe six.” She reached out, closed her eyes, and took a breath. Then, they were somewhere else.
Zarina extended her hand in full trust. They were used to this, but the horses were now put to the test. Gina was thoroughly unimpressed unless they were suspended mid-air, while Riesco got agitated and stomped the ground to gather himself. But nothing wild, they reacted just about as Zarina anticipated, “Hey, hey …” she whispered sweet nothings to his perky ear, and it was enough. After a sigh of relief, she called out to Jo, “Hey, Jo. Before we just jump again.” she gestured for the blonde to come closer, which would probably require some floating. All so she could be in Zaz’s range for a big, warm embrace.
Jocasta blinked. “What is it?” she asked, rising from the saddle for a moment. “We really don’t have -” Zaz squeezed the little lady in her arms, her chin over Jo’s shoulder and eyes blissfully closed. She kept this going for maybe half a minute without a word, until very slowly loosening her grip and letting the floaty being go, “Thank you.” she said simply, her voice almost like a whimper. It was clear she didn’t like showing this much vulnerability, but this was earned. If Jocasta paid enough attention, and she needed to with how dark it was, she’d notice the faintest blush on this Virangish’s cheeks!
After about ten seconds, Jocasta squeezed back. She could count the number of genuine embraces she’d received on one hand over the past six years. “Thank you too.” she breathed. “You, Yalen, Kaspar, and Ayla…” she sniffed. “You’ve given me just as much as ‘ve ever given you.” She buried her head in Zarina’s shoulder. “God this sounds awful, but… you’ve given me myself back.” They parted with one last squeeze and, if Zarina was blushing, Jocasta was close to tears again, for the third time in three days, after having one for years without. “Now, come on, bucko, I‘d like to get at least a wink of sleep tonight.”
She tried so hard not to cry. Zarina would end up succeeding, in the end. But it was so hard and the teeth clenching was getting painful. She had to be strong for this one, even if she had all the power in the world, she was still a person. Gentle caresses were given to Jo’s head as the embrace lasted as long as it needed to, “Feels good to be around decent folk sometimes, huh?” a sentiment Zarina shared, even if not to Jo’s extremes, “I’ll promise you something, Jo. As a friend who respects you.” they were both back on their saddles, and Zaz reached out to hold her friend’s, “I’ll still be the one to say no if something feels strange, or if I think you need some standing up against.” she spoke with a brittle voice– she hadn’t fully recovered from holding back her own reactions, “Most will either be intimidated by how strong you are, or love you too much. I won’t let shit slide just because. And only because I care.”
“Right,” said Jocasta. “Right. Thank you. I think… I need that.” She nodded. “Now, just Casii,” she laughed. “No more delays, though. Come on!” She placed a hand against Zarina’s leg and they were somewhere else, and again. A couple jumps more, and they were at the headwaters of the Miharapori. Jocasta stopped for a quick drink. This was energy-intensive. She patted Gina, who’d been solid as a rock the entire time. “One more,” she told her friend. “to take us in range of the Refuge, and then one into it. Then,” she snorted, “All we’ll have to do is explain how a random horse and a pony showed up here overnight.” Jo winked. “I won't tell if you don’t.”
A complicit smile was plastered onto Zarina’s visage, “Let’s give them mysterious eyebrow wiggles until they force us to confess.” she stuck her tongue out as they paced closer to the refuge. Whether they warped there or not didn’t quite matter at this point as they were quite close. But one thing was for certain: They couldn’t wait to sleep!
For the first time in two years, Zarina had slept a full NINE hours! Which is to say she slept normally without the need to exhaust herself. The last night was something, even if it didn’t usher in any dreams, still. In no way could her mood be ruined by anything. A panicking Laelle seeking her out as she did the others? No issue. Zarina even stopped by the mess hall to get herself a little snack before joining the others at the patio.
“Guu Morning.” she spoke with her mouth full of churros. Upon noticing Ayla, Zaz clearly knew what the priority was here, “Hey, Kitty cat. I got a present for you, actually. I’ll show you later.” she winked at the shorter girl before orienting her attention toward Jocasta. Never has this Virangish giant been this fresh and jolly in the morning before. Hopefully the good vibes would bleed onto the others before tragedy inevitably struck the Refuge.
“So. Plans? Or do I need to drag out the mouthy Vice? She mentioned having a connection to the Patron guy.”
Coming Soon, half the post is a tl;dr.
Zarina and Jocasta return to a Refuge full of hostile Sirrahi. They nobly fight with their steeds until the bitter end, and for many years.
Upon killing that one fly 120 million years ago, Jocasta has irreversibly damaged the timeline by causing a butterfly effect.
The Sirrahi have grown tired of humanity's abuse of the world and have emerged from their hideouts to eliminate the problem.
The Gift is no more. Humanity hides in hidden enclaves around the world. Everything is snake.
Legends of the two riders from beyond time resonate throughout the timelines.
!!!Ending Unlocked!!!
