The Broken Seal (Season One)

Ve pulled the remaining cord off vis neck, too furious to wince as leather went along burned skin. "She'll pay for this."

The stranger looked around everyone and the sudden lack of fighting around what had previously been a to the death grudgematch. "Wait you're a good guy?"

Aten clasped Leigh's shoulder. "Course ve is why do you think I didn't want to kill vem?"

Leigh shook vis head, clearing the last traces of the snake out of vis mind. "That witch..."

Danny came forward and gave vem a once over. "So now can we go blast Gwen off the mountain as payback, get the alchemy stone, and go off to the next adventure now?"

Simone crossed her arms. "You said now twice."

"That means two times, right?"

Before Simone could open her mouth again, Leigh stormed past the group and deeper into the Rest. Ve knew where Gwendolyn had gone, and ve had every intention of getting to her before she realized what had happened.

Everybody else looked between each other, Danny bounding up to be in front of Leigh's path. "Hey hey hey wait a minute! You're about to go off and fight this lady on your own?"

The stranger piped up with, "And leave my handsome body behind?"

Leigh stopped and glanced back at the group. A bunch of liabilities, but also a bunch of allies. "Fine. Just don't get in my way."

Simone grinned in the background. "More blood?"

"Is that all you like?" the stranger said.

Leigh ignored them both and went deeper into the Rest, leading the group out from the courtyard and up into the tower Gwen had always preferred. The air practically buzzed with electricity to the point everybody noticed, not just the astronomers. It kept getting more intense the higher they went, peaking at the sparring room Leigh had used days ago to demonstrate vis ability to Gwendolyn. But one thing Aten and Leigh did notice was how it seemed to be strengthening along a single path, and if Leigh's senses were right...

Ve caught a bolt of lightning straight in vis palm, letting the electricity flow through vem and out through vis other hand, landing right under an astronomer dropping from the beams. That man's grin was unmistakable.

"Timothy."

He straightened from landing, arms out in a gesture of mock offence. "Timothy, Lee? Really? I thought we were past that."

Leigh heard weapons rise from vis friends, but silenced them by flinging vis staff out at chest level. Everyone backed up to avoid the swing. "He's mine." Even if ve didn't know ve could fight Timothy. The cliff flashed in vis eyes, a place ve could've taken him down and escaped had ve not given him a chance.

"Yes, please," Timothy said, stepping forward and drawing a sword in one hand, dagger in the other. "Lee and I have a few issues to resolve ourselves."

Leigh cautiously stepped forward, heart hammering in vis ears. Ve wanted him dead, but not if he was willing to back down. There was always a chance, always something Tim was hiding. He'd been a loving man, before. Maybe he still was. "What do you want?"

"You."

Leigh watched, waiting for him to elaborate. If only to give vemself a chance to breathe again. To get over the tide of emotions still unbridled. They'd been so close, before. Ve'd closed his heart to any pain Timothy might've felt, but every time ve saw him, ve knew that must've hurt. Maybe it was vem in the wrong, not Tim.

"What do you say, Lee?" Timothy came forward, blades pointed down. His stance was almost too relaxed, when a truly relaxed one would involve weapons sheathed. Yet, it was relaxed. Leigh wasn't exactly being the most welcoming person, and Tim knew it. "I convince Gwen to give your friends here the alchemy stone, and you come with me. We can leave the Rest, if you want. Find better places."

Leigh's eyes narrowed. That was too good to be true. Still, vis staff stayed by vis side. "And then?"

He smiled. That cocky, devil may care smile that he always used to wear. "You're still listening."

Vis grip tensed on the wood. "Answer the question."

"Adventure!" His voice took on a dreamy edge, the voice that had trapped vem when they first met. "We can travel, you can show me all the places you saw..."

Leigh's eyes flicked down to Timothy's chest. Tense shoulders, tendons on his wrists visible in the small sliver of skin exposed by his bracers. His downward facing blades were a ruse at best. His smile simply added to the illusion. But his eyes held something else. Something... softer.

He held out a hand, dagger still in it. "Come on, Lee. What do you say."

Ve felt like the pendant was draping around vis neck again, only this time it was images of them being together outside these walls. An opportunity to make up for three years of no contact, of a mistake that could be undone. A life with Tim, after ve'd given up any hope of seeing him again. If he was truly willing to leave the Rest, truly willing to have something together. Any hurt he felt over the lack of contact was valid, considering ve had just up and left. Despite all signs to the contrary, he could mean it. He could be ready to leave the Rest for something better.

Except.

Ve returned to the present, and the man who still hadn't put down his blades. "You just know you're surrounded."

Timothy snorted. "I want you back, Lee. Why can't you see that?"

Ve gathered lightning around vis staff, orb perched at the top. "You had your chance at the cliffs."

"You're still not moving." His words dripped with triumph. "You want me back."

Leigh set vis jaw. "Not who you are now."

The lightning exploded out, blinding everyone but vem and filling the space with purple-white light. Timothy took it on his blades, metal sparking, only for it to explode again when he caught Leigh's staff strike. This time, both were controlling it, Timothy sending it to Leigh and Leigh sending it out into the space.

This close, ve could see what could only be described as affection in his eyes. Ve hesitated, pressure easing back a hair, giving Tim the perfect opening. His boot was in vis gut and sent vem flying back on a gust of wind. Ve flipped in mid air and landed on vis feet, barely a moment to breathe before Tim went for a shoulder strike. Leigh spun and twisted vis staff, trying to connect with his side but not being fast enough.

Tim broke away and went for a stomach strike, only for lightning to explode over all metal spikes in his armour and blades. He lept back and hissed at the now hot metal, ripping off one of his bracers and revealing a burn.

Despite every intention to cut him down, get through him, Leigh couldn't move while he examined the burns. Ve still hoped beyond hope that something was controlling him, like ve'd been. But perfect storm would've hit any amulet. Yet, nothing had dissolved. Leigh flung vis staff in a semi circle and sent metal-seeking orbs at him, knocking off his broach and attacking the studding on his belt. None of it dissolved, and no ouroboros made itself known.

Timothy took the attacks, grinning once he realized what was happening. "You still love me, don't you. You think I really won't hurt you."

Another tidal wave of fury washed over vem. Hesitating would do nothing when Timothy relied on these tactics. On trying to unearth feelings long buried. Leigh flung vis whip out, saying "thunder bomb" under vis breath.

He stopped and shook his head. "I really thought you were more logical than that."

Ve grabbed vis staff again, leaping back as the words 'wind slash' formed on his lips, air already churning. Ve caught the wind with vis own gust, spinning vis staff and unleashing a wind wheel heading straight for him. Tim ducked, already short hair catching against the wheel, a few strands falling to the floor.

Ve struck vis staff down, calling a fog bank and disappearing into it. Before he could do more than half a turn looking for vem, ve was behind him, hitting his shoulder before whipping vis staff down to hit his legs. Tim had just started moving, meaning no strike broke bone. Leigh hated to admit it ve still didn't want to break any.

Before the fog lifted, ve leapt back and sent out a sigil of jupiter, trapping him in a cyclone that quickly exploded out with lightning as the thunder sigil took. The lightning imploded before bursting out, bolt heading straight for Leigh perched on a pilar. Ve flipped back, feet landing on a metal plate against the training room wall. The momentary touch sped up the lightning, sending it into the plate instead of vis feet.

Tim lost his smiling edge. His eyes were hard as rock and all traces of affection were gone. Leigh launched vemself again, hestitation gone in movement and anger boiling that ve'd even thought of falling for his age old tactics.

What I get for listening to my heart.

Ice cold determination crept in, strikes getting more precice in reply. Timothy'd switched his dagger for a focus, calling out divine insight. Leigh dropped back, blade landing a gash diagonally across vis chest. The blade was so hot from repeated lightning strikes it left more of a burn than a bloody wound. Ve kicked vis legs up and sent both feet into his stomach, forcing him back with lightning, this time.

He swore and sent another bolt of lightning at vem. Ve caught it again and redirected it at him, forcing him on the defensive and taking the lightning on already too hot blades. He switched to his cooler dagger and sent the lightning up, the boom loud enough it sounded like the mountain collapsing. Leigh ducked down on instinct, looking up in time to see him rushing forward and a second boom coming. Ve didn't even have time to bring up vis staff before the blow hit, sending vem flying again.

Before Leigh truly had vis bearings back, Timothy was coming down for an overhand chop. Leigh shoved vis staff up and over vis head, leaving a giant opening for Timothy's still armed second hand.

"Vacuum Shiv."

Leigh started moving back, only to feel the tip of the dagger pierce the skin on vis chest and leaving vem breathless. Frozen in place, ve could only watch him discard the shorter blade and pull out another syringe.

He plunged it into vis leg, sending the neutralization liquid into vis blood.

Leigh wanted to scream but didn't have the breath. The sound caught in vis throat, the absolute stillness of all air stopping overwhelming any attempt to move or think. Electric energy died and left the feeling of a numb limb in its place, starting at the injection site and spreading out. A matching pain bloomed on the side of vis chest. The air chakra shutting down.

Ve only made the smallest sound when Timothy's knee connected with vis stomach, followed by throwing vem against the wall. Ve slid down to the floor and pressed a hand against vis side, pulling it away to see blood still flowing from the vacuum shiv.

Timothy picked up his dagger and watched vem collapsed on the floor, evaluating the threat level. Leigh looked past him and saw blurs that resembled Danny holding the group back, keeping one eye on the fight. Everybody wanted to defend vem. Ve wasn't about to let that happen. Not after Timothy had done this.

He lunged, only for his blades to clatter against stone Leigh had been against. In the shocked, frozen pause, Leigh drove vis elbow straight into his chest. A moment later, ve got vis forearm against his chest and shoved him up and away. Timothy scrambled back, bent over from the connecting strike.

Ve pushed vemself up, holding back a cough. Once vis staff had served its purpose of getting vem back on vis feet, Leigh discarded it. The wood and metal hitting polished floors echoed in a now silent room.

Timothy watched, still too stunned to move. "Wha—"

Ve yanked two swords out of the rack. "You know why you could never find me, Tim?"

His paled, smart enough to realize some of the implications. Both of vis travel, and the use of his shorter name. He knew Leigh only used nicknames in two instances: when somebody was a friend, or a sworn enemy.

Leigh swung the sword, settling back into the familiar weight of a blade without any powers behind it. "I pretended to be a non bender for three years."

He took a step back, sword raised, still stunned that ve had even gotten out of the way, let alone gotten back on vis feet so quickly. Leigh steeled vemself against the pain of taking a step, sealing it away from any conscious thought. Timothy had just dug his grave, and both of them knew it.

Ve simply smirked, heart completely closed against any pleading in his eyes. Instead of answering, ve pounced.

Timothy brought up a sloppy parry, lightning forming along the edge of his blade. "Lee you can't be—"

Ve sliced him across his stomach, tip of the blade catching on his wrist as he tried to block. Pathetic.

"I know you still—"

A kick to his knee, crack of breaking bone audible. Ve ignored the flare of pain from twisting vis torso.

"Leigh!"

Ve shoved the blade forward, straight through his heart. A boot to the chest and he fell off the blade, landing in a pool of his own blood.

Leigh spat on his corpse. "Killers don't talk."

He only got my name right with his dying breath.

Ve walked away from the scene, pool of blood spreading out from the wound. Timothy gurgled once, lungs filling with what had given him life just moments ago. He'd either bleed out or drown. Leigh didn't know which one would take first. Ve didn't particularly care.

Aten came forward now that the fight was over. Concern was written all over his face, for what could be half a dozen reasons. "You okay, Leigh?"

Leigh looked back at Simone looting the corpse, then back at the group. Ve chose not to answer that question. "Let's get Gwendolyn. Now that her lacky's been dealt with."

Ve spit the words out, in the hopes of getting the taste of death out of vis mouth.

"The fourth rib is shattered." Anka pinned Leigh's wrists down to the floor as Danny shoved his hands against vis wounded, cauterized side.

"Hold."

"Holding."

"Aaaand mend!" A flash of alchemical light left Danny's eyes and hands as Leigh screamed and kicked. Under his hands, the broken rib fixated together in perfect curvature.

"You sick healing bastard we don't have time for this Gwendolyn will get away she will get away and take the stone with her we have to stop her we have to go--!!"

The handsome stranger ripped Leigh up byvis collar and slapped vem across the face. "Listen to me, Leigh! Your friends shall not betray you! We shall triumph! We shall retrieve the precious stone! We shall conquer the evils of this godforsaken temple of rotting knowledge! We shall not falter!"

Danny spat on the floor as lightning struck the side of the building. "Aten's boyfriend is right, Leigh. We've beaten down too many things today to lose to some--what was it you called Gwendolyn earlier?"

"A punk-ass book jockey!"

"A punk-ass book jockey." Danny took Leigh by the shoulders and squared vem away with vis swords and the book Simone had taken from Timothy's body. "This is about more than the alchemy stone, you know." He nodded. "We came here to see that your vengeance is wrought with the full might of our beautiful, mighty alliance."

Pilen picked Leigh's staff from the ground and conjured flames from the end. "We're going to start by setting fire to this entire building. I rigged the entire atrium with explosives while you and Tim-Tam duked it out. As soon as we strike down Gwenny, this whole tower will be rubble and ash."

Aten descended from the rafters and landed like feathers on his feet by Danny, saluting. "Gwendolyn is with her scholars in the pagoda atop the tower. They're preparing an airship, and I think we only have a few minutes until they take off."

Danny drew his greatsword and scanned his friends. "You've all fought with all you have today. Trust me as a weathered pirate - we're lucky that we're all here, still. This one last fight will take all we have left, so hold nothing back."

Danny led the charge up the stairwell breaking into the open pagoda above the tower. Stormclouds had gathered above and rain fell mightily, as if it were straining against the earth to hold it in place. Danny's sword began to emit a glow as he shouted among the thunder. "Archmage!"

The woman in her brilliant golden gown turned, a sly grin on her face. Around her neck was a goddamned ouroboros pendant. The eyes of the snake glowed as if alive, as if it knew the thoughts and feelings of the scholars it controlled. Behind her stood three scholars, all with matching pendants. Their eyes were bleak and hollow, removed from reality as if a cloud drained of all rain.

Danny's party filled out their ranks on the pagoda, Aten and Simone flanking him on each side. He could feel their energy radiating; sparks rained from Aten, tiny rolls of thunder echoing from his dark skin. The rain around simone curved, not touching her skin, but instead collecting in a whorl around her body; a shield to conduct electrical attacks. Danny could feel her bloodlust extending from her aura - a thing he'd only been told once while fighting orcs on Ero Island. The more blood shed, the more blood boiled.

"You've come to collect your petty reward for slaying my demons and besting my soldiers? Oh, darlings, I think you're overestimating my generosity." She stifled a laugh and placed a hand to her breast, revealing the alchemy stone. "Allow me to elucidate the power of the gem I hold."

She stepped forward, body radiating heat lightning. "Not only will this stone break the seal on alchemy - because of course you knew that." Gwendolyn smiled wryly and pointed to the west, where Titan's mountain had stood in the way of the sea. "There is a soul within this jewel that is connected with every other elemental stone. Not only have you surrendered to me the key to breaking one seal, but rather a compass by which I will seek out every remaining soulstone." She held out her hands as if calling down a lesser god. "You've given me so much, darlings! And how can I ever thank you?!"

Gwendolyn pointed at Leigh and pouted. "You particularly, darling." Her lip quivered. "How could a mother ever thank her child for the joys of being a mother?"

Leigh growled. "You are a sick, manipulative witch who will burn along with your life's work in this hellish refuge for like-minded sinners." With a glower in vis eyes, ve spat: "You can join Timothy there."

Her wry smile dropped. "I suppose he is dead if you're still breathing." A sigh. "I will miss him dearly, you know." She outstretched a hand; lightning struck down into her arm, forming a staff of twisted black matter, headed by the same devilish crimson jewel in the eyes of the ouroboros. "You have meddled with powers beyond your reckoning! I'm only doing my duty by putting you down."

Gwen's staff struck the pagoda's floor, sending rivulets of lightning down each crack. Anka dove in front of the group and upturned the stones in front of them, soaking the attack. As her stones fell, the others charged, Danny taking the lead. Gwen swung her staff into his sword, electrifying the length of steel, shocking his hands and his arms and shoulders -- down his entire body. He shook under the pressure, but parried off the strike away.

Simone struck in a flurry of knife strikes, eviscerating Gwendolyn's armored gown and gouging a chunk of meat from her side. Aten rolled against the outer perimeter, firing arrows of lightning into her aura to bring down her defenses. In an instant, she teleported away, healing her flesh wounds and summoning a scholar into the fray.

Danny moved to take the woman's attention, but was quickly shoved away by a mighty gust of wind. He fell head-over-heels and tumbled to the side of the pagoda when a strong, smooth hand caught him. The stranger pulled him up and nodded as they ran back into the battle. With her attention on Aten, Danny and the Stranger brought down a dual sword attack, cleaving her body into two uneven halves with only a shriek to release her soul. Blood spattered and was quickly picked up into the defensive whorl by Simone.

Gwendolyn flashed back into the battle with a stunning attack that locked down Danny's muscles as if held by strings. She outstretched a gentle hand and something black crept down her arm and around Danny's neck, latching around his throat. Before he could reach to grasp at the chokehold, his vision clouded over and his mind went strangely quiet. In the back of his head he heard the clashing of swords, felt the sting of cuts on his body and the pressure of something restraining him--

--and in a rush, his consciousness flooded back into him, breathless, as he saw Simone above him, dagger in his throat. His eyes shook. His breath faltered. He began to fade--

--and a sear of flames brought him back from the brink of certain death. The stranger had his forge-heated hand around Danny's neck, lips around Danny's lips, breath entering Danny's lungs. The snake. The pendant. He broke to his feet as Gwen struck down Leigh with a thunderbolt.

He locked eyes with the stranger and nodded with him. Danny leaped in front of Gwen's attacks and took her attention with a swing from his sword while the stranger wrestled away her staff. She fell beneath Danny's weight and screamed, reaching after her staff--

--as the stranger brought it crashing down against the pagoda floor, shattering the gem.

Thunder rolled about the mountain. The clouds buckled, the rain halted, and suddenly there was peace.

It took all night to free the remaining scholars, and the next morning, when Gwendolyn stood in the atrium, hands-tied, and faced the judgment long-coming, she had nothing to say.

"Pilen, hold her down by the airship. We'll get her to Celtincrown after we visit my friend in the north." Danny sat down beside Leigh, who had been empty-eyed and emotionless since the fight with Gwen. "I know you don't have anything to say to me," he murmured, "but as someone who's spent his fair time in exotic prisons, I know what it's like to be without my bending." He put a hand on Leigh's shoulder and they locked eyes. "We're making a detour before going to Celtincrown - and I'm going to introduce you to the woman who got my bending back after it was sealed in Blackrend."

Leigh looked at Danny and slowly, cautiously, leaned into his body, head against his chest. "I have no choice but to trust you. Who else could I turn to?"

"Oh, I can think of someone quite capable."

The two looked up to Gwen, hands untied, hair in disarray. Beside her stood Pilen, detonator in-hand, snake around her neck.

"Really, Leigh, these plebians are so easy to take over - at least you put up a fight."

Danny stood instantly and reached out a hand. "Pilen - Pi, put down the detonator."

"Pilen, there are people inside the tower! Don't listen to her!"

"Why would I listen to anyone who would hurt Mommy?!" Pilen pouted and put her hands behind her back. "You guys are meanies, and I'm going to take Mommy far, far away so you can never hurt her again!"

"Yes, dear, let's be on our way." Gwendolyn blasted out a field of electricity, stunning the benders around the atrium. With a bow, she and Pilen boarded the airship. Before leaving, Pilen winked, thumbing the detonator. The tower exploded, knocking down the prisoners, benders, scholars alike. The airship left port. The stun broke. And Danny stood, watching the rubble of the tower burn, the smell of charred flesh drowning all other senses.

"Aten, Anka!"

"Down here, child," she chided. Danny dropped his gaze to where she was kneeling by an injured scholar. "If you stay here, you'll only see more death and decay. Your job is to get Leigh's bending back so you can seek out the remaining stones."

"But what are you--"

"--I'm going to stay where I'm desperately needed." She motioned towards the burning refuge. "I'm going to rebuild this place in both the physical and spiritual sense. You'll find Pilen if you seek out the stones." She stood and grabbed his face. "You find her and you bring her back to safety." She shook her head. "Don't you let any harm come her way."

The ship was already loaded. They just had to...set off. Danny looked at the wreckage with sad eyes, taking in what he should've prevented.

"Danny, death and carnage will follow you as long as you pursue this quest. Pain is the bargain for freedom." There was so much rubble. So many bodies. And the smell--

"You're not leaving without me, I'm afraid."

Danny turned. "Stephan--"

"Please don't try to talk me out of it, Daniel, because I'm not a man who wavers in the things he wants." He covered his eyes with his hand and turned away from the wreckage. "I am a man on fire, destined by God to join your noble cause! Yes! I will follow you to the ends of the earth and beyond! To Heaven or Hellward we fly!"

Everyone had gathered around him. He looked to Aten, who nodded, and to Simone, who looked at him with those same sad eyes. Yes, even she could feel the weight.

"Let's go, then." He covered his eyes to wipe away a tear, and pointed to the airship. "To Heaven or Hellward!"

Fi was woken by at least three elephants stomping through her house. Fi groaned and rolled over, opening a single eye to watch her teacup rattle about in its saucer. Airships. Fi sighed and checked her clock. It wasn’t time to go to David’s for dinner yet. Prying herself out of bed, Fi went to go make a cup of tea.

A knock at the door startled her. Fiona jumped and dropped her spoon. She stared bleary-eyed at the door. “Yes?”
There it was again, a rapid knock. Fi rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and reached up and touched her hair, staring at her tea wistfully. “Coming.”

“Fiona?” A mess of black hair appeared through a gap in the curtains. “Fiona? Open up! Your plants are hurting my groin!”

“Danny?” Fi shot up from her seat at the kitchen table. Unconsciously she put her hand out to steady her tea in its cup as she rushed to the door, shouting at him through the window.

“Danny! Danny you better not have messed up my rosehips and why did you never write I’ve missed you so- Oh.”

Danny engulfed her in a hug. Over his shoulder four pairs of eyes stared up at her. Well, three pairs met hers, and the fourth stared straight through her.

“Oh.” Fi repeated as danny released her, suddenly conscious again of her bedhead. “Hello!” She put a smile on. “I just boiled some water?”


----

It was crowded in Fi’s lounge, and she’d had to pull out the nice teacups to accommodate, and now one of them wasn’t even interested. Putting aside her sleepless nights, Fi steadied herself internally thrust her frustrations aside and a cup into their hands. Danny nudged the person- blonde, twitchy, and really looking like they needed something soothing- and coughed. “Leigh, you’d probably like it. Fi makes excellent tea.”

Leigh twisted their mouth and stared into the cup, not quite meeting Fi’s eyes. Fi smiled. “If you’d like any more, let me know… Misss…” Leigh’s eyes narrowed. “sssteer?”
“Just call me Leigh.” Leigh’s voice was sharp. Fi turned away slightly, widening her eyes at Danny in a silent plea for help. Danny clapped Leigh on the back and laughed. “Leigh’s an enigma wrapped in a mystery. The kind of mystery with sharp objects and ice in. Ve goes by ve, vem, vis, vemself. Just pretend you’re Dracula.”

That quip earned Danny a hard look, but Danny was too busy grinning at Fi to notice.

“Okay, well, I’m sorry for the misunderstanding Leigh.” Fi smiled. “Danny, could you introduce me to your friends?”

Danny did, pointing them out one at a time. The twitchy blonde was Simone, who grunted a hello between sips. Aten seemed more at ease, leafing through one of her books on poisonous plants. Stephan “the handsome stranger” was a man with a head full of curls, sparkling eyes and pleasantries who asked Fi far too many questions about her china. Leigh was still Leigh; Ve was a wound tighter than a spring made of cats.

“It’s so nice to meet you all! I thought Danny would never visit.” Fi mock-pouted. “After all we went through!”

“Actually, Fi, that’s kind of why we are here. You see-”

“What? Danny, why didn’t you say so!” Fi stood, pulling Danny to his feet. She pressed one hand to his forehead while she pushed her head to his chest. “Your temperature’s fine, your heart seems okay- how long has your bending been on the fritz?”

“Fi, Fi, it’s okay!” Danny calmly pushed Fi away, placing her cup back in her hand. “Relax, I’m bending stronger than ever.”

“Oh good. For a moment there I was going to have to accuse you of only showing up when you needed something.” Fi smiled to take the edge out of her words.

“It’s Leigh.” Someone blurted- possibly Simone?

“Oh?”

“Vis asshole ex-ex-boyfriend injected vim with some kind of poison crap.” Definitely Simone. She was waving her- thankfully empty- teacup around for emphasis before jamming it into her leg.

“Ex-ex…?”

“Yeah. Like, Ex-of this world ex.”

“Oh.” Fiona figuratively stumbled over her own thoughts. “I’m sorry…?” she directed at Leigh.

“Don’t be.” Leigh’s voice was clipped. “It’s Fine.”

“Hmm.” Fi mentally filed the capital-F Fine away in Things that Aren’t True before moving on. She placed a firm hand on Leigh’s shoulder. “Leigh, I think we’ll need to discuss this further. Danny, do you want to take everyone else on a tour of the Vale? I’m sure David will be pleased to see you.”

Danny’s face twisted. “He was pretty pleased to see the back of me.”

“Take him some cookies. He’s usually shooting the shit with Bart around this time, they’ll be in a better mood than otherwise.”

If it was one thing Danny hadn’t forgotten, it was Fi’s cookies. Danny collected his friend’s cups and disappeared into Fi’s kitchen. While the others packed up to leave, Leigh stirred restlessly. “Maybe I should-”

Fi’s grip tightened. “You should stay here.” Her voice was kind, but firm. Years of treating the scrapes and cuts of children gave her plenty of practise.

Simone was digging through a bowl by the door when Danny reappeared, holding a cookie jar. “Don’t worry, Leigh. Fi’s the best.”

“Thank you for your hospitality, my lady.” Stephan bowed, taking Fi’s empty hand and going to press it to his lips. Fi jerked it away. “Sorry, uh. You don’t want to do that.”

Stephan arched an eyebrow, still bent double. Fi blushed madly. “You see, the leaves I used in the tea were pleasant in the doses I measured, but I can’t be sure I don’t have residue on my hands and- well, it won’t be very pleasant. I’m sorry.”

Stephan stood up with a flourish. “No offense taken, lady-with-the-bitter-fingers. Away, friends!” He strode out the door with long, graceful strides, and Simone slinked out after, no less than six lollipops richer. Fi waved bye to Aten and turned back to Leigh. “Uh. Stay here, and I’ll go wash up. Make yourself at home.”

---

Fi was half expecting vem to be gone by the time she emerged with her hair re-plaited and skin scrubbed until it was glowing. Luckily for them both, ve was still where she left vem.

Fi sat down opposite vem and tried to catch vis attention. Leigh didn’t meet her gaze, instead staring alternatively between Fi’s clock and Fi’s door, and the threadbare carpet. Fi cleared her throat. “So. Uh. Would you like to tell me what happened?”
“I’d rather not.” Fi sat back, crossing her hands in her lap. Leigh sighed and relented. “It’s like Simone said. I can’t bend.”

Fi nodded. “I’m sorry to ask, but know I’m sworn to keep this confidential.” Fi shifted uncomfortably in her seat, taking a deep breath. “What happened? Were there pills? Drug abuse? Head trauma? Post traumatic stress?”

Leigh shifted. “He injected me in the leg with neutralization liquid, after paralyzing me with vacuum shiv. I recall it was green, a syringe about as long as my palm.” Ve held up vis palm for reference. “Some… one there said it was tailored for Astronomers.”

Fi let out her breath in a long whistle. “Oookay. This is a little different from what I’ve seen before, but” she inclined her head, “all bending-blockers follow the same kind of process.”

Leigh blinked before going back to boring vis gaze through her skull. Fi coughed, a little unsettled, before continuing. “From my studies- both scholarly and hands-on, I’ve come up with a theory. Chemicals are injected into your bloodstream- which is, incidentally, the same paths your chakra use. It basically induces trauma; you know, how if you’re emotionally out of sync your bending becomes erratic?”

Leigh stared at vis feet. Fi waited, but ve didn’t seem inclined to answer.

“Well, it does. Chakra is a delicate balance, and chemically-induced trauma has basically forced your chakra gates closed to save themselves. If that chemical had made its way into your heart-chakra, you would have become...ill.Possibly terminal.”

Fi sighed. “And that, kids, is why we don’t do drugs. Anyway, long story short- we need to purge the poison from your body. It will be an uncomfortable process. From there we can proceed as if it were an emotional balance issue, rather than a chemical one.”

Fi studied Leigh’s face. Danny was right about the enigma wrapped in ice- vis expression was cold and unreadable. “I also have multiple cauterized wounds from the fights, if that’s relevant. Danny already healed the broken rib.”

What was Danny and his friends up to? “Glad to hear Danny remembers something I taught him. Well, I should definitely check them over, as well as the injection site. I doubt the wounds will have done more damage to your chakra than the chemicals, but without a healthy chakra system, you’re going to be prone to infections.”

Ve paled further, shifting uncomfortably. In vis moment of discomfort, Leigh looked vulnerable for the first time. Ve glanced around the room, gaze lingering on the open windows. Fi glanced too, and smiled reassuringly. “Don’t worry, this is just my living room. I find the verbal parts of these things are more comfortable in a home environment. If you follow me, I’ll show you the clinic.”

Leigh visibly relaxed, if only a fraction, before standing and waiting for her to lead.

Fi escorted Leigh to her clinic- a small, very clean room to the side of her tiny house. She locked the door to the outside and drew the blinds, motioning Leigh to the sectioned-off dressing area. “If you have wounds below your collarbone and above your thigh, you need to change. Unless it’s in the… groinal region you may keep your smallclothes.” Fi blushed. “ There’s a robe in there.”

Even though Fi couldn’t see anything past the blinds, she turned her back anyway. There was rustling, at least two barely perceptible grunts of pain, and then a long period of silence.

“I assume,” Leigh started, “that to treat me you’ll probably have to turn around.”

Fi coughed, blood rushing to her face. “Uh. Of course.” She span around. “Please, take a seat.”

Leigh did, and Fi approached. Leigh was bandaged from neck to hip, if somewhat haphazardly. “I’m going to have to unwind this.”
Leigh nodded consent stiffly, and Fi went to work. Leigh’s skin was ever so slightly feverish, and Fi pulled out a pen. “Hold still.”

“Uh.”

Fi scribbled a note straight onto Leigh’s bandages. “ANTIBIOTICS.”

“Okay.” Fi placed her pen behind her ear and continued unwinding.

Leigh had more wounds than Fi was anticipating. A large gash along vis chest, a puncture through vis shoulder, and another under vis ribs. Fi reached to her shelves, pulling down an ointment without looking. Leigh hissed as she applied it, staring intensely at the ceiling.

The injection site was raised and red, an angry spot on vis thigh. Fi took a cotton ball and gently washed the site. Leigh stared a hole straight through the ceiling, vis whole being tense.

Another moment’s rummaging produced another bottle. Leigh grit vis teeth. “What’s that?”

“Water.” Fi tipped the bottle into her palm. The water never made it to the floor, instead collecting in a glowing pool in her hand. “You shouldn’t feel this.”

Fi hovered her hand over the injection site, before tipping it over completely. Leigh’s muscle tightened, but no water hit vis skin. It thrummed, almost friendly, in Fi’s hands, and she closed her eyes, concentrating on it and the wound.

The water lead Fi and her hand upwards, following the damaged flow of chakra. Its movement grew faster as she moved closer to vis chest. By the time she traced the corruption to vis center, the water was rolling in a continuous boil.

“Hmm.” Fi drew her hand away, pulling the water with her. With a flick of her wrist, she deposited the water into a bowl on the counter. “I don’t think the poison is too far advanced. The wounds, in your case, seemed to have helped- a lot of it is trapped in your clots.”

Leigh relaxed a fraction, only to stiffen as Fi continued. “However, your center is… completely unbalanced. The second phase of our treatment is likely to be more intensive than I expected.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means,” Fi stood up, handing Leigh vis shirt. She moved to her desk, unlocking a cabinet. “Oh. Leigh, turn around for me?”

Leigh raised an eyebrow, but obliged. Fi squinted at vis back. “Right, Antibiotics.” She retrieved a large bottle and a small one, tipping pills into her palm. “It means you need to take two of these daily for the next three weeks, and one of these-” she pulled down another bottle, tiny and black with a wax seal, “-before you go to sleep tonight. You’re going to want to have someone in the room with you, it’s not going to be pleasant. Purging is uncomfortable.”

“Okay, thanks doc.”

Fi raised her hand. “You’re welcome, but we’re not done.”

Leigh froze, shirt-half on. Vis face drained of color. “...what do you mean we’re not?”

Fi pulled out a small leather bag from beneath her desk, grabbing bottles out of her cabinet. “Nope. I’m going to have to come with you. Like I said, the second half of this treatment is going to take longer than I thought.”

"Ah, Aten, my delicate softshelled sandcrab, look at the stars! How they sparkle without apology!" He clutched his chest. "If only I could be so brave."

"I don't...see any stars."

Stephan shoved a finger in the air and met Aten nose-to-nose. "That's because you're looking through the wrong lens! Certainly, the sun has yet to set, but imagine what the sky will look like when it does!" He twirled. "Stars never stop shining, no matter how much they're outclassed!" He pulled a rose from his armor and held it against his cheek as they walked. "True beauty never stops! No matter if it is beaten and broken, overpowered or cleaved in two." The rose vanished into the creek. "True beauty stays glorious through conquest and famine!"

Stephan looked up, monologue over, and realized he was alone. "Aten? Aaaaaaten?"

"Shhh." Aten dropped down from the branches above, placing a finger against Stephan's lips. "You're scaring the animals away."

With a slight deflate, Stephan laughed under his breath. "Don't be silly! Animals love me."

Something else - large, imposing, and more importantly male - dropped from the branches where Aten had been perched, and Stephan gasped. "I hate people who say animals love them. I mean you're going to eat them and it's not like they haven't figured that out yet."

Aten blinked, darting from the tree to the stranger. The tree. Stranger. "Where were you hid--"

"On a hunter level you couldn't imagine."

"O mysterious tree fellow, pray tell what you were spying on whilst in the lofty branches!"

The stranger deflated. "A lady."

Stephan gasped and clutched his chest. "A lady! But ladies are to be swooned and caressed, not spied from afar atop trees!"

The stranger looked at Aten, still checking the tree for magic tricks, and asked, "Is he always like this?"

Aten, continuing his search, nodded. "As far as I can tell."

"Show me to this lady at once! It is now my obligation as a gentleman to teach you the ways to a woman's heart. A veritable side-plot for tonight's episode, wouldn't you say, Aten?"

Aten blinked. "E-episode?"

The stranger sighed and nodded. "Fine. I'll let you help, but only because I have a tried-and-true historical track record for blowing it with the ladies." He kicked some dirt. "Even Fi--"

"On our way we go!" Stephan hopped on Aten's shoulders and scrambled into the tree, using his focus hand as a jet to move him upward. Aten followed and landed beside him on a high branch. The stranger appeared above them.

He pointed. "That's her. The woman at the well." He sighed. "She comes there every night and I still don't know her na--" He blinked. "Where did your skinny friend go?"

Stephan squinted into the distance and pointed to the woman at the well.

"Bloody hell!" The stranger dropped from the tree and started charging forward. Stephan followed, flames rolling off his legs as he strode.

"Hi." Aten waved.

The woman waited for a moment before raising her hand in a gentle wave herself. "Hello. Are you lost? Have you lost your mo--"

"My new friend thinks you're really pretty but he's too shy to introduce himself so I thought I would come and introduce him but now I'm starting to have second thoughts because up close you really are pretty and well I don't personally know but I think that might intimidate some people like my friend Danny who is in love with this really rugged rogue who apparently is his mother now but like I didn't quite follow the logic because there's a whole hierarchy involved but the point is that men are intimidated when beautiful things are out of reach and I thought that if I came down here and gestured wildly at you while not taking a single breath then my friend would have no choice but to come and--"

"ATEN!" Stephan landed by the well in a pose fit for a gentleman, flames smouldering off his shoulders. His whole being seemed to radiate glory. It was a bit annoying. "Aten here was just about to leave with us, see, and he got very side-tracked." He pulled a rose from his cloak and offered it to her. "My name, young maiden, is Leigh, and I'd treasure your acquaintance." He leaned in to Aten and the stranger. "Women love fake names."

The stranger cleared his throat and struggled for a word or two. "My name is...Helios. I am the local huntmaster, and I would like to give you, um. This!" He shoved a live rabbit at her, tied at the feet with a bit of rope. "This breed is the most tender meat, but if you want they also make great pets."

The woman took her new bunny and stowed it in her cloak where it hobbled around without a leg to stand on. A small tear came to her eye and she wiped it away, springing it far off into the well. "I am not used to such kindnesses." She turned to watch the sun finally set, but came back to their attention almost immediately. "I need to leave, but." She reached out and touched Helios' hand gently. "I will be back tomorrow night. Is that alright?"

Helios furiously nodded. Stephan grabbed the ponytail in the back of his head and slowed his nodding down. "It's a free forest afterall, not like I'm gonna shoot you for it."

The woman slowly nodded. "I...right." She bowed away. "My name is Carla. It's been a pleasure to meet all of you."

Stephan drew his sword and slammed the blade into the ground, leaning dramatically on the hilt. "Helios, my good man!"

"My name is Bart."

"We will find you true love! And it will be beautious and gloriful!" He pulled a rose from his cloak and brushed it against his cheek. "The universe has placed me in your life's path for this reason!" He shoved a finger into the air. "We will teach you!"

"Where do you keep finding those roses...?"

"How to win a woman's heart!" He dropped the rose into the well, where a radiant plume of pink fire blew up behind him. "My dear Aten, be a dear Aten and find us somewhere--" he leaned in to his ear, "--private where we may work."

Aten, wobbly-kneed, saluted and ran off back towards Fiona's cottage.

"Brutus, my good man--"

"When did I tell you my real name?"

"You are in good hands!"

With the others gone - and with Danny not tagging along for their misadventures - he found himself with more alone time than he'd had in what could've easily been years. No Simone to cut eyes at him. No Anka to thwack his neck with a stick. And no Pilen to giggle at his jokes.

Danny plopped down beside a tree by the river and watched the rusty water roll over the rocks. The boughs were bent out over the water and the rocks were level-headed, placed at the perfect height so someone could walk across smoothly without getting much wet. The whole place had been designed by an alchemist - just how things worked in the Vale. Danny wondered if David had done it. Made everything look so hand-made and symmetrical. The look nearly made him sick.

He stood, slamming his boots into the mud and focusing a knot of power up through his throat and into his hands, pressing against the weight of the trees. His energy extended from his body, down through the earth, into the roots of the trees that began to shiver under their new ownership. He slowly gathered his force together before slamming his foot down with a resounding, cracked: "HYA!"

And the trees snapped to attention. The rocks trembled and split apart, destroying the walkway. Bits of stone drifted downstream, and Danny looked on his work and decided that it was good. The limbs were in disarray and the leaves fell down into the murky water. The whole place was a complete mess, and it was all natural in its chaos. Danny sat back by a tree and pulled a stone from his pocket with a small crest carved into it. With a rub from his thumb, the stone gave off a soft glow, and then projected a vision of a marble-white city. The sight moved down between buildings and to a gate where Andy stood, unarmed, as he tried to bargain with guards.

"Her Majesty will not see you."

"Aye, I hear you fellas, but I'd also like to ask if you like..." He looked to his left and right before pulling out a shining coin. "Gold."

The two guards exchanged looks before unanimously shaking their heads. "Once our shift is over we'd love to drink with you, Andy, but we just can't let anyone in." One guard lowered his voice. "It's the anniversary of the week Princess Catherynne was kidnapped by Celestan radicals, and the queen isn't allowing guests."

"Ah, screw it." Andy threw up his hands. "I'll be at the Wobbly Wolf if you want me, boys." Then he noticed the stone glowing in his pocket. He picked it up as he walked away. "Danny-boy, I've told you before, it's not polite to eavesdrop without paying." He squinted. "Are those tears? Or are you just really sweaty? I can never tell on these damned things."

"They're tears." Wipe. "But manly ones. Justified tears that should be here because I royally screwed the dog."

"The pooch." A pause. "What happened?"

Danny looked away, earning him a sigh from the other end.

"Danno, what happened to make me only brother shed tears?"

"Some bitch kidnapped Pilen. She's this crazed air-witch who's after the crystals."

"The one who kidnapped Leigh?"

"Yeah. That's her."

He whistled sadly. "You'll find a way to get her back, Danno. I know you will."

Danny nodded before fishing in his tunic for his real reason for calling Andy. "I think you'll enjoy the sight of this little beauty." He fished out the alchemy stone, which he'd affixed to a golden filigree and chain.

"Ah, she's gorgeous! And I imagine pricey."

"We basically blew up two whole mountains to get it back."

"I'd expect no less, Danno. I'd expect no less."

"This is usually the point in our conversations when something interesting would happen."

"You make it sound like we're lovers, Danno."

"You kissed me once!"

"I was sucking snake venom out of your lip."

"And it was magical." Danny winked.

"Danny."

"I was kidding! Jeez."

"No, Danny. There's someone with you."

"Then this definitely just got interesting."

"I'm going to hang up. Subdue your guest."

Danny stowed the alchemy stone and his scrying stone and stood, brushing dirt off the butt of his pants. "Alright, ninja guy. Show your face so I can kick your ass."

"That green stone you have is very magnetic."

"Oh damn. You're a woman."

"I am," called the voice from another tree. "I'd heard rumors that the alchemy stone was on the move again, but I never imagined it would end up here."

"And it's staying here," he said, pounding his chest.

Leaves fell loftily from another tree. "What would it take to make you forget about that little stone, sweetheart?" A shadow moved across the horizon. "A lady has ways of making a man forget, you know."

"Listen lady, I don't care how the rabbit comes out of the hat. I'm not letting this stone go."

A figure clad in black dropped to the ground behind him, quickly maneuvering to pull a steel wire around his neck. "That's a shame," she cut, "my rabbit's been wanting a carrot for a while."

Danny swept a leg behind him, knocking the woman off balance. The two fell to the ground where Danny sent out a thrust of energy, knocking her away with a flurry of rocks. She tumbled head over heels and landed on her feet on one of Danny's broken rocks.

"You've completely ruined the energy flow of this place," she crooned, "it was so pleasant before." She drew two daggers and took a pose Danny had never seen before.

"It was too perfect!" he barked back. "Nothing should be made to be perfect! It's not how nature works." He drew his lance from his back, took a defensive pose. "I don't want to hurt you, lady, so why not just leave me be?"

"I need that stone, sweetheart." She shook her head and held out a hand where a black transmutation circle was tattooed. "My bending was sealed when I was very young. I was kidnapped and I haven't seen my family in two decades." She put a glove over her hand. "And once I break the seal on bending, I will reclaim the power and love that was stolen from me."

Danny stood down, dropping his lance. "All you want is the same thing we want." His voice was hollow and meek. "So many people just want the stone to repair their broken lives." He slowly sighed, shaking his head. "But no one trusts that we're going to break it for them!" He glared, eyes furious clay red. "Leave me alone so I can shoulder your problems for you!"

The woman shook her head slowly, dark eyes empty and emotionless. "I'm not allowed to trust others, sweetheart. It gets you killed." And she pounced.

Danny threw up a rocky shield, but the woman cut through it in three strikes, then began slicing at his armor. He raised his arms to block the strikes but instantly felt the steel burning through his skin. He backed away, swung a wall of rocks at the woman, knocked her backed, ran for the river where his sword lay. The woman ducked and flung a fan of knives into his back, paralyzing him at the chakra wells.

She came up beside him on the river and picked up his sword, sheathed it, and turned him against the riverbank, holding him by the face. "You'll go to Fiona and get healed up, sweetheart. You know her, don't you? Just follow the river north until you reach her cabin." She yanked the alchemy stone from his neck and leaned up, kissing him on the lips, leaving a black print on his mouth. "I trust that we'll meet again."

She shoved him into the river where colors and lights began to blur and darken until there was hardly anything left but a single point of light in the center of his body. The current washed over him and pulled his body downstream and beneath the surface where his mouth and throat began to fill with water. He wondered if a black spot had appeared somewhere in the past week. Had he missed his own death warning?

Or maybe women didn't come with warni

Ve waited outside while Fiona packed the majority of her clinic and prepared for a chakra healing, not because she had thrown vem out— all she really needed for healing was water, she'd explained— but because Leigh couldn't stand the thought of facing everything again. She'd said ve'd have to, as she was packing, explaining what she'd do.

Those memories were in the past, and Leigh'd rather keep them there. But with Fiona around, ve doubted that would happen.

Ve'd hoped the river would be calming, but the wind blowing over the water was anything but. There was energy in this place and Leigh could only feel it against vis skin instead of deeper down. Ve growled and punched the earth. There was nothing there.

A moment later, ve took a deep breath and settled into the space. An empty mind had been the goal, at the Rest. Simply enjoy the moment. Trying to enjoy it without remembering everything else that went along with those lessons made it much more difficult.

"The water's beautiful, don't you think?" Fiona settled down beside vem. "I always come here to calm down, myself."

Ve didn't even look at her. "You're not going to leave me alone about this, are you?"

"Well..." She paused, apparently weighing the pros and cons of answering in some way other than a direct answer, before continuing. "No. I can't, really."

"We're going to Celtincrown, next," ve said with a shrug. "It's not like I can use bending while we're there, anyway."

She leaned foward, forearms on her thighs. "You won't get it back by then."

Vis heart sunk, the only external sign being vis lips pressing together a fraction. "No chance at all?"

She shook her head. "I doubt it. I mean, there's a chance it'll work through itself, but that generally takes time. Time heals all wounds, but from what little I can tell, this is one hell of a wound." She looked away, stirring the water with a finger. "Of course, if you'd just tell me what happened..."

Leigh watched her swirl the water and tried not to look her up and down. Old biases ve'd held came to the surface, casting doubt on her ability to heal vem let alone do it well. Chakra had never been a respected art, at the Rest. But Danny trusted her and despite all odds, Leigh somewhat trusted Danny. Still, only somewhat.

"We met my ex boyfriend in Norcaster. Caught up. He knew the Pirate Queen, I hadn't seen him in years." Ve looked down at the grass in front of vem, rolling a few blades between vis fingers. "By the end of it, he'd tried to kill me twice, kidnapped me, neutralized my bending, and I'd killed him because if I didn't, he'd try again."

"Ah." There was a long silence. Too long, almost. Most people would call it awkward. "And uh. When all this was happening... what did you feel?" She pulled her hand out of the river and folded it in her lap carefully, waiting for a reply.

Ve had been expecting more of a reaction, or at least more emotion, but her voice was surprisingly neutral. Ve guessed ve'd shocked her into silence. That was the most likely option, at least. "For the most part, nothing." Ve swallowed, looking at the river flowing along and very much avoiding her gaze. "He knew me too well for me to feel anything."

She was quiet again. Not as long, at least. "Did he manipulate you?"

The obviousness of the answer caused Leigh to let out a bark-type laugh. "He and everyone around him. They even pulled out this to get me to their side." Ve fished the formerly glittering ouroboros pendant out of vis belt purse. "I had no choice but to follow them for a few hours."

Now ve had to look at her, if only to show her the pendant and see her reaction. Her demeanour was the same as some of the most dedicated Scholars, something that ve didn't know what to think about. "What... is it?"

"Mind control." Ve looked at the melted shape, lightning and the arrow strike having turned it into a mishapen metal circle. "It was originally an ourobors, until Aten hit it with a lightning charged arrow and broke the spell."

"I'm assuming, then," she said, "that you had to fight the group."

Leigh shook vis head. "Just Aten. The rest of the group took on the rest of the Scholars." He put the pendant away, not wanting to see it much longer. "A few of Gwendolyn's lackies had mind control. Except... except him."

Her voice was still neutral, but had gained a more sympathetic edge. "Him being?"

"My ex."

Ve didn't want to dignify him by uttering his name. Other thoughts about the day threatened to bubble up past the surface, from Pie's kidnapping to Danny's scar to Anka staying behind because the destruction was too great. None of it was vis fault but all of it was, and it needed to stay down.

Fiona waited a few moments, allowing ample time for a continuation. When none came, she filled the silence. "I'm ready for a chakra healing, if you are."

Ve exhaled and pushed vemself up. "If I want my bending back, I have to, don't I?"

She followed vis lead and dusted off her pants. "Pretty much."

Leigh pushed vis shoulders back and followed her back to the house. Her clinic was packed, with shelves formerly full of various bottles and herbs now empty. A very well stocked pack lay at the door, its open flap revealing where all the medicine had gone. The only thing out was the same vial of water ve'd seen her use earlier.

She tipped the water out, pool staying in her hand like it had before. "I'll need you to meditate. However you're most comfortable."

Ve sat down in the chair ve had occupied previously, feet on the floor and hands palm up on vis lap. Calming vis mind was more difficult than normal, but eventually everything stilled. It stayed still as a water-like feeling flowed along pathways air had filled just a day before. The pathways were still raw and what felt like burns still spiderwebbed out, pain not an inch improved since the initial injection now that the wounds were being poked. Ve took a deep breath and tried to ride the feelings like ve'd done before, simply experiencing them and not reacting.

Until the water hit somewhere in the middle of vis chest.

"You're a bender, aren't you?"

Leigh kept a death grip on vis staff. Celesta wasn't supposed to be like this. "What of it?"

The man took a step forward, hand on the hilt of a blade. "You know what we do to benders?"

Ve stayed quiet. The shlink of unsheathing blades was enough of an answer.

"Now," he said, group closing in around vem. "You can leave, or we can keep the bending population down. Which one do you want?"

Ve looked back, only quickly, not wanting to take vis eyes off the blade poised to run vem through. "You've closed off the exit."

He smirked. "Funny how that works, isn't it?"

They closed in a little farther. Leigh kept looking around, but lightning crackled along vis hands. It couldn't come up it could not come up they were already going to attack.

Ve whipped vis staff out, uncontrolled lightning exploding towards every ground it could find, the combination enough to stun them and clear a space to run.

Leigh returned to consciousness, vis hand gripping Fiona's arm around vem, one of her hands rubbing vis shoulder. Ve scrunched vis eyes shut and tears rolled down in reply. Seventeen. So close after the Rest, one of the first cities ve'd ever visited.

Once vis breathing returned to normal, Fiona pulled back. "Want to... talk about that?"

Ve pulled out of her grip and leaned forward, rubbing vis face and trying to stop from shaking. Vis voice refused to answer her for moments that dragged, her standing over vem with healer's hands on vis back. She made a sound almost like a sigh, pulling away.

"Maybe."

“Love is like,” Aten drew an arrow from his quiver, waving it around the air he spoke. “Love is home, it’s comfort and ease, it’s support.” The wind whipped around the arrow, small puffs of clouds forming hearts in the air above him. “It’s relief, but it’s also a drive, a drive to be better, not because you aren’t good enough, but because you want the best for them, and that means being the best you can be.”

Stephan chuckled. “Aten, you romantic jackrabbit, don’t lose sight.” Stephan waved up and down at Bart, a slight of disappointment on his face. “This is not a simple task, a distraction is required, we need a show to woman at the well a grand display.”

“Seduce if you want, charm if you can, but at the end of the day that only opens the door. To stay there, she to trust you, you need to be the person that let’s her be herself.” Aten blew at the cloud hearts, scattering them into the wind “Not the false faces we put up for everyone else.”

Stephan waved in the air, as if pushing Aten’s words away. “We’re not here to walk them down the altar, we are here to open the door, Aten. Our problem lies with catching attention, something truly capturing.” A flame burst from his fingertips. “To ignite the passions that live under us all.”

“If you want to force your way in the door, sure, but I’m not here to trick her into giving away a key, I’m here to make her let him in. I want her to be just as happy, as willing, not shocked into an impulse.”

“That’s all--”

“Stop.” Bart glanced between the two of them, scratching at his chin with the hilt of a dagger. “I think I’m more unsure than when we started, which is kind of impressive.” Shook his head, running his hand from chin up to neck. “I just want to know my next step.”

“Connection.” Aten rolled his heads back to the clouds as Steph sighed, Bart just threw up his hands in the air.

“At least let me clean him up,” Phan-Phan insisted. “When was the last time you bathed?”

Bart frowned, his hands clawing at a patch of mud on his tunic. “This morning?.” Stephan cast a dirt look. “You try sneaking up on a feral bear while smelling like roses.”

Stephan giggled, lightly patting Bart on the shoulder, his face scrunching up on contact. “You’ll soon learn that a woman is far more challenging than any predator you’ve face before.”

-------

“Is this a pinecone?” Stephan had forced Bart into a seat, forcing a comb through the knots of his long locks. He picked up a small pallet, tossing it as far away as he could. “I don’t even want to know.” Bart was locked into eyeroll, every time he tried to defend himself cut off by another one of Stephan’s slights. “Aten, how are you doing on finding a decent outfit?”

Aten didn’t catch his name, too enthralled in Bart’s decor. The walls were covered in all sorts of trophies and souvenirs, some disordered story just waiting to be told. In one hand he traced the barbs in of a titan’s tooth, which had been patchworked into a dagger hilt. Most of one wall was some kind of weapon, a collection of knives and axes, none of them conventional. An axe made from a giant bird beak, another knife looked like the blade was a hag’s toenail, a bow strung with a lizard’s tongue, a war hammer topped with the head of an earth elemental. In the middle of them all was a golden shotgun, the end of the barrel melted off. “What’s with this?”

“Memories of an old life-oh, you mean the gun.” Bart grinned. “One of my proudest moments right there.” His eyes seemed to brighten, completely tuned out of Stephan’s complaining. “They called him Barrel, a hitman from Parix, a genius engineer, hailed as the ultimate marksman, some said the closest thing man had gotten to a Titan. Mostly a pain in the ass, though, hunted us all across Celesta, never giving us the time to breath. Long story short, I ended up having to face him, one on one, the only time I had been more afraid was when David...well, no need to make things too grim. I thought I was dead, but so were the others if he got past me,” Bart just started laughing, butting his head into Stephan’s gut as he rocked. “Cocky bastard, thought I was down for good, let his guard down, and I snapped back hard. The downside of metal, no matter how strong it is, enough heat and.” he pointed back to gun. “I think it speaks for itself.”

“You have a pension for trophies?” Stephan asked, trying to peel a blob of sap from his fingers.

Bart shook his head. “The ones around it, sure, those are victories, but that gun, that gun means more than just a win. It’s safety.”

Stephan poked his head over, sending Aten a ‘what the hell?” glance, but the astro just nodded, smiled and kept moving down the wall, tracing along the weapons.

“That’s the feeling,” Aten mused. “When you see her, remember that feeling, be that feeling, and I have no doubt in your chances.”

----
“Are you sure?” Bart asked, a literal mist surrounding his head as they walked, his sweat boiling to vapor. “What if she didn’t like the rabbit? I should have given her a boar, Fi always prefered Boar, I had a perfectly good Boar’s head in my bag.” He dug his hands into his satchel, a snout and tusk poking out the top. “Should I give it to her now? Or would that be too much, I don’t want to come off desperate.”

“As romantic as a disembodied head is, I think I have something a bit more subtle.” Stephan reached into his sleeve, pulling a rose out, as the stem left more flowers emerged, a ring of vibrant colors forming a bouquet in his palm. “Tell her you picked them yourself.”

Bart nodded, stuffing the boar back into the bag and grabbing tight to the flowers. “I tried that once with Fi, but it turned out she was allergic to the ones I picked. She looked like a pufferfish for a week.”

A coo came from above, Aten ducking his head out from one of the branches, gesturing frantically one direction. Stephan gave Bart a pat on the back and a wink for luck before ducking into the bushes nearby.

“That man, will either crash and burn, or soar mediocrity into a pitiful embrace,” Stephan whispered as Aten dropped in. “Wanna place a little bet?”

“Bart’s going to do great, as long as he keeps his cool.”

“Take it from an expert.” Stephen palmed a small flame. “That guy doesn’t have a high melting point.” Stephan killed the flame, and grabbed Aten by the shoulder. “If you’re so confident, then bet on it, I’ll make it interesting.”

Aten blinked, looking away on instinct and burying his face into the bushes.

Stephan chuckled, patting Aten once more. “If that’s all it take-”

Aten’s finger pressed hard onto Stephan lips to silence him, his other hand gesturing for Stephan to look through the bushes.

Bart waved frantically as the woman emerged from the burhs, petals falling around him from the bouquet in his hand. Stephan sighed. “Less is more,” he hissed.

Bart broke the frantic wave, and withdraw into a small raise of his hand as the Well Woman drew back his hood. “It is nice to see you again, Helios.”

Bart tilted his head, “Why--” The lie slammed back into the front of his head. “Of course you are.” He mumbled a swear at the cockiness. “I mean, its nice to see you as well.”

The Woman giggled, her hand raising to point at the flowers. “Are those-”

Bart nodded, shoving the flowers out, just short of knocking the Woman off her feet. “Sorry they’re a bit busted up.”

The woman ran her fingers over traced her fingers around a flower, filling in the missing pedals with her fingers. “It adds character to them.”

Slamming his hand into the back of his neck, Bart was fighting the urge to look away. “I hope that’s a good thing.”

Carla nodded. “A very good thing.”

Bart cracked into a massive grin, his head turning away for a moment. “I’m glad, uh, I don't know your name. Did you tell me? I am so sorry.”

“We never got past yours,” She said, her voice calming Bart’s anxiety. “My name is Carla, Helios.”

“Right,” Bart coughed. “Uh, Helios isn’t actually-see my friend, the one with the roses, he told me woman like fake names, and I sort of just went without thinking.” His face burst into red, heat radiating off his cheeks. “My name is actually Brutus, but uh, people normally just call me Bart.”

“Your friend gives odd advice.” Carla tilted her head, a tiny smile turning into a chuckle of laughter. “It’s nice to meet you, Bart.” She reached a hand out for Bart’s face, stroking the skin where his beard once was. “Did he also tell you I would like this?”

Bart rubbed a hand over the raw skin of his face. “Do you?”

“I miss it, it made you look...cuddly.” Clara said with a laugh, but Bart didn’t react. “Is there a reason you’re glaring at the bushes?”

Bart snapped back to the conversation. “Uh--unters instincts kicked in.” Bart fibbed. “Thought I heard a bear over there.”

Clara smirked. “A bear?”

“You’d be surprised at how sneaky they can be! One time I was laying down for lunch and a bear grabbed my basket without me even realizing.”

Clara squinted her eyes, taking a teasing tone. “And if it was a bear, what would you different this time?”
Bart puffed up his chest, resting his hands on the dagger hilts of his belt. “For a lady like you? I’d do whatever it took.”

Clara shook her head, turning to the ground. “You remind me so much of him.”

Bart dropped to a more stoic expression. “Who?”

“Not here.” Clara looked toward the well. “Let’s move to the well, I’d rather not have the bears in the bushes overhear us.”

Bart pressed his hands to his face. “I’m shit at subtle, aren’t I?”

“Just a bit.” Clara reached for Bart’s hand, leading over to the well. “They didn’t seem like the types that would have left you alone even if you asked, though.” Clara paused at the well, gazing down into the darkness of it.

Bart looked on, but Clara seemed to be more of a ghost in that moment, but he couldn’t tell if she was haunted or haunting. “Who was he?”

“My husband,” She said, not looking away from the well. “He was a mess, always jabbering on and never knowing when to shut up, but only because he had so many feeling bouncing around in his heart, but not enough words in his head to express them.” Drips echo’d through the well as Clara’s tears rained down. “Jordan wanted the world for me, said anything less would be a crime….”

Bart’s hand hovered over her shoulder, jittering as he kept closing in to touch before retreating. “Do you mind...what happened?”

“I fell ill a year ago, and the healer’s told me it was in the blood, that there was nothing they could do. I could purge it, prolong it, but it would be painful, or I could ease the pain, but it would only cut the time I had left.” She brought a draped hand to her face, wiping away the tears and looking back to Bart. “Jordan didn’t take the news well, said that there had to be a way, that somewhere there had to be a better healer. We went to Celtincrown, but none of the healer’s would see us, not without money.” The drips returned in the well. “When I woke up the next morning he was gone, a note telling me to wait, that he would be back. He came running back, manic, saying he had the money, but we had to be quick. Grabbed my arm and ran me the most expensive healer. Jordan sent me in, but told me he had to go, but told me to meet him back where we had slept the night before.” The drips started to pound on the water like a war drum. “The healer said the same things as the other one, and I went back to see Jordan, but-” She started to choke on her words.

Bart shifted his hands onto the well, looking down along with Clara. “Was he there?”

She nodded. “They left him the street to bleed out.” Bart grabbed her shoulder, pulling her into a tight embrace, letting her sobs soak into his jacket, as she let herself fall into his arms. “And for what?” She whispered, grit in her voice. “Nothing. I’m still just as sick-”

“Fi!” Bart exclaimed. “You have to see Fi.”

“Who is--”

“Fi, she’s the healer in our village, and one of the best in general, actually. Firsthand experience, she kept us alive during some trying times back in the day. Also we used to date, which might be weird, I mean we’re still friends, I think, but people seem to think it’s weird. That’s stupid, though, weird or not we should go, awkward beats--”

Bart was silenced as Clara placed two fingers to his lips, her other hand rested on his shoulder as she glanced into his eyes. “Thank you.” She leaned in closer, peeling away her fingers and replacing them with her lips, drawing Bart into a kiss. Bart’s fidgets calmed, almost melting into Clara for the brief moment, dazed when she pulled away. “But I can’t let you waste your time. It was a mistake, coming here, playing with your heart.”

“I’m the one that went up to you...well Aten did, but I followed him. Plus, its not like you can waste my time, I don’t have anything I’d rather be doing.” Bart clasped his hands around Clara’s. “I can’t bring Jordan back, but it doesn't sound like he would want you to give up.
Maybe this is a mistake, but it feels like a happy one, so how about we keep it going?” Bart paused, bringing her hands up to his chest. “I’m willing to take the risk.”

Fi bit her lip. The water in her hands was swirling between her fingers as she thought. Leigh... Leigh looked absolutely beat. Loose strands of hair stuck to vis forehead, vis eyes were wide and red-rimmed, and ve was breathing as if she'd made vem do laps around her cottage. Ve explained between sniffles and breaths what ve'd seen- at least, some of it, anyway. Fi couldn't quite piece together all the details, but she got the picture.
Aggressive environment. Suppression of self. Violence. She hadn't even heard about him yet.

Fi released her clamped lip and leaned against the raised bed. "Leigh, I think that's...enough of that for right now. You've done well, thank you."

Leigh visibly sagged. "Is that it?" Ve raised vis hand, staring at vis shaking fingertips. "I thought this was going to help."

"It will take some time. I hope this isn't rude but, I think we've only just scratched the surface, right?"

Leigh stared at her. Ve looked to worn out to even truly be mad at her. "So we'll do this again?"

Fi nodded. "I'm afraid so. For now, though, I want you just to lean back and relax."

"We're doing it again now?"

Vis exhasperation brought a giggle to Fi's lips. She caught it just in time, suppressing a smile. "No, of course not. I'm going to work on the more, uh, physical side of this illness now."

"Right." Ve leaned back.

"This might hurt."

A dry laugh. "More than it already has?"

"... probably not."

Leigh seemed to accept this answer, closing vis eyes again and slowing vis breath. Fi gave vem a few moments, taking the time to spin her healing water between her two outstretched palms. Peace. Health. Balance. She muttered under her breath, imagining she was spinning out the 'tainted' energy from her water. Most of her teachers and classmates would laugh at her if they'd seen. Feel-good vibes don't work, Fioooona. Use whatever water you can, Fiooona. You're so sentimental Fioooona. Just get on with it already.
Internally rolling her eyes, Fi shook off the half-remembered, half-imagined criticism. Any help now- even superstitious luck- was needed.

Once Fi was satisfied, she checked on her patient. Ve seemed deep into vis meditiation, vis muscles finally slack and free of tension.

"I'm going to start now." She said softly. "You may feel some....exploratory pressure. A little different from the first time we did this."

She placed her hands on vem, her skin on top of vis clothing, but the water sank to vis skin and her energy deeper still. "I'm told this feels a bit like icewater right in your veins." She commented, careful to keep her tone light.

A sharp intake of breath. "It feels different from the first time."

"The first time I was observing your chakra. The second... stimulating it. This time, I need to be in it." As she explained, she searched for the toxin. Vis chakra... Fi would describe it as a purple, from what little healthy chakra she could find. Most of it was swamped out with toxin, which felt... Fi considered. Brown? Black? Green? Something unhealthy, anyway. Fi coaxed the "purple" to the surface, filtering out as much of the toxin out as she could. The flow was weak, and even as Fi watched, it threatened to lose out completely to the tainted chakra.


Fiona closed her eyes and envisioned the flowing of a stream around the blockage of corrupted energy. There was no obvious path to create a perfect circle, no conduit of positive energy. Could she coax it out with her bending? Or rather the way it repelled her spirit water - maybe it was Leigh.

Maybe she could literally bleed it ou--

"FIONA!" BAM!

Fiona jerked to the side, energy splashing against the dam of toxin. It rebounded through her spirit water and lashed into her energy, burning her hands. With a yell from Leigh and a whimper from Fiona, she fell to the floor, hands pressed against her chest. Tears welled in her eyes and she scowled. "Quintus Brutus Manlius! I have one rule! One! And it's that I am not to be interrupted during a healing session!"

Bart pouted. "But it's a really important lady reason."

Fiona made a face. "Lady...reason?"

"Yeah," he offered, pointing behind him. "The reason is my lady." His face flushed. "I mean - she's not my lady! She's a lady! A lady who is with me! And she needs lady help! I mean your help! With her lady-blood."

"Oh." Fi took a deep breath, carefully collecting the spilled water with one hand while she nursed the other. "You have a lady friend. I could certainly see why she might need help, although why it needs to be mine I don't kn-" Fi froze. "Wait, her Lady-Blood?! Bart if I have to explain how periods work ONE MORE TIME I am going to-"

"Uh. Hi. Is this a bad time?"

"-skin you and hang you over my mantlepiece...hello?" Fi lowered her arms, settling back onto her heels. "Uh. Come in?"

The shadowy figure in the doorway stepped closer, pulling back her hood. She certainly was pretty. Her eyes were large and dark and somehow innocent, like a doe. Her lip quivered slightly and she drew her coat around herself tight. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to intrude- Helios-I mean, Bart, insisted we come."

"He's like that. Uh. Please, sit. Leigh, do you mind? You need rest anyway..."

Leigh didn't even answer. Ve simply stood up, gathered vis coat, and strode out. "Remember to take your meds!" Fi called at vis retreating back. "Do you want tea?" She directed at the Lady.

The Lady shook her head, and Fi inwardly sighed. "Well, then. I'm Fiona, but you can call me Fi. What brings you to me today-" Fi locked eyes with Bart, who was hovering awkwardly over his 'friend'. "-Bart. You KNOW you can't be here while I do doctor stuff!"

Bart whimpered, and The Lady smiled softly, placing her hand on his knee. "It's okay. I'd like it if he stayed."

Bart blushed from his knee up. His face twisted in one of his goofy smiles, and Fi barely restrained an eyeroll. "Okay. Well, again, what brings you here?"

-----------

Carla was reclining on Fi's examination table. Fi would have been in tears, except Bart was already moping around like a wounded puppy. "Well, that's uh. A very touching story." Fi swallowed hard. "And of course I can help."

Carla's doe-eyes welled up now. "Truely? You can?"

Fi blushed, chewing her lip. "Well, no guarentee- I am already tied up with one hard case but- I'm pretty knowledgeable about blood sickness."

"Oh, I wouldn't want to take up your time." Carla's eyes dropped, and she fiddled with the hem of her cloak. "If you're busy, I'm really okay, honestly-"

Bart leapt to his feet. "No! Fi is going to fix you! Isn't that right, Fi?!"

"I can't make any promises-"

"Bart it's okay, I'll be okay-"

Bart cut them both off by striding across the room. He grabbed Fi by the shoulders and gave her a light shake. "Fi, you need to fix this." His eyes were intense. They had the hardest edge she'd seen in them since back when- back when they'd adventured together. Fi swallowed a hard lump in her throat. "Okay, Bart. I'll do my best."

Bart nodded once, and let her go. "Thanks, Fi."

Fi turned away, busying herself with digging through her bags. She was reasonably sure they couldn't see the tears in her eyes.

By the time she turned back, Fi had composed herself into her normal, upbeat self. She moved across the room to lay out a variety of bottles next to Carla, loosening the cap on one of them. From this she pulled fresh water, collecting it in her hands. "Okay, Carla, this might sting a little. Please relax."

Carla....didn't relax. The opposite, in fact. She shrank away from Fi's hands as if they were covered in fire. "Carla? what's wrong?"

Bart moved behind Carla to support her, gingerly placing his hands on her shoulders. "You need to stay still for this, or Fi won't be able to concentrate."

"No, I really don't think this is neccessary- maybe we could do this in the morning? I'm so tired, Bart, please-"

"Please don't worry, Carla, it doesn't hurt that much- oh." Fi's eyebrows furrowed. All she could feel was raw power, and it certainly wasn't the girl's. "I can't even find your chakra under...what do you have in your pocket?"

"It's nothing, just a charm from my mother, please, just let me go- I'll come back first thing tomorrow."

"No, I've felt this before." Fi's voice hardened. "Brutus."

"Fiona?"

"Hold her for me."

"Fiona, I can't-"

"I'm not going to hurt her, Bart. Just..." Fi ducked under Carla's flailing arms, winding her own around Carla's waist. Bart let go of Carla, who was now struggling like a hellcat, all fingernails and teeth, to pull Fi away. "Fiona, what the hell?"

Fi shrugged Bart off. "Let go." She looked down. In her palm was something she recognised, and her heart sank like a stone. "Carla, where did you get this?"

Carla was brushing herself off, backing towards the door. "Bart did you SEE what she did your friend just assaulted me!" Tears spilled down her cheeks. "She just stole from me!"

"Carla, where did you get this?" Fi's voice was dangerously low. The water she'd collected for healing boiled around her clenched fist. "Where's Danny?"

"Bart please, I don't know what she's talking about!"

"Is Clara even your real name? Are you even sick? Tell me where Danny is!"

“No!” Stephan tried to charge through the bushes, but was held back by Aten. “Why do stop me? Aten, our Bartholomew threatens to crush the delicate flower of love!” He struggled against Aten, a futile march forward.

Aten gazed off at Bart and Carla, bodies close as they pushed through the final brush and disappeared into the woods.

“Why are they running that way?” Stephan bemoaned. “All our hard work is this way!”

“Maybe she doesn’t like antelope steak.” Aten released Stephan, and turned toward their table. “Not a problem with me.” He stabbed a fork into one end. “Simone’s cooking has her charms but…”

“No!” Stephan charged over during the pause, sizing the steak and placing it back down. Hands returning to adjust the angling and garnishes. “This is no simple dinner, my luminescent sandshrew, no.” He threw his head back, sighed, his body slumped and his head fell into his hands. “No.” Stephan jolted back up, golden locks swinging with shine as he moved into pose. “No!” One hand clutched to his heart, the other held straight out toward their table. “No…”

A small cove in the woods Bart had led them to. He said it had been the home of a woodland cabin, not touched since the owners passed away some years ago. It had been a very different scene, however. A slab of rotten wood, tangled in weeds. In Stephan’s words, it was the sacred home to “mold and fungus’ unholy chimera.” Awareness overtaken by drama, Stephan had struck the cabin down with a wild slash of his fiery blade.

Bart and Aten managed to control the flames, but Stephan’s adamant displeasure left nothing but ash. Which he had used as the first decoration. Sprinkled around the perimeter of the cover, the grey set the first tone. From the ring of ash, Stephan had set a spiral of roses, intertwined with faintly glowing strands of blue. Shreds off a gaggle of glowing mushrooms Aten had salvaged off the cabin. It accompanied the minimalist lighting above, small jars of fireflies suspended by the branches. Aten and Bart had gathered them, Stephan supervised.

A bushel of roses surrounded a stump in the center of the grove, the focus of the spiral of roses.
All ‘imperfections’, carefully scraped away by Aten, replaced with adorable stick figure depictions of woodland creatures gathered around.

“We are not keeping that,” Stephen said, a small flame snapped in his fingers. He glanced down towards Aten, and was lost. Stephan stared into Aten’s big brown eyes, weighed down by the sands of disappointment. Those flecks of electric purple dimmed, is inner light blocked, bogged down. Lips curled down, aching with thousands of sorrows--Stephan snapped back to reality. “Fine. It can stay.”

Bart had managed to pull out an old tablecloth, torn and singed, but still the closest to fancy Bart had. It had once graced the tables of the Queen’s palace in Celtincrown, where Bart and his friends had been honored guests. Bart decided to keep it as a souvenir, after they survived the assassins that crashed it. A collection of wild flowers had been woven into the holes by Aten, while Stephan tried to use his flames to create a pattern from the singes. Another pair of stumps stood at each side, taller than the table-stump, with seats carved into them by Bart. Bright tanned leathers singed into the edges for comfort.

“This is our chef-d'œuvre, Aten.” Stephan sighed with a lover’s passion. “Created by love, for love.” With each syllable his jaw clenched, as if struggling to stay steady under duress. “For us to use it for anything else would be a crime immeasurable.”

“That doesn-”

Stephan was on Aten in an instant, a finger pressed to his lips, the rest of his hand gripping his chin, their faces close enough for Aten to feel Stephan’s breath, a raw heat that felt soothing against his skin. “Ah, Aten, I do appreciate your optimistic outlook, but you cannot help me now.” Stephan dropped his hand, turning into pathetic promenade towards the dinner. “I have failed, and it’s my own fault. I should have seen he was a lost cause, but I was so wrapped up in the challenge of the moment.” He pounded a fist into the table, stew splashing onto his face. “I can’t even pound a table for dramatic effect! I feel as if...I have lost my charm.” The color drained out of his face, his body falling into a drape over the table.

Aten crouched down beside Stephan, placing a hand on his shoulder. He stayed silent for a moment, lips perched as he looked at Stephan’s sad display with confusion. “There is more than one type of love, you know.”

Stephan turned his head. “Aten, I am the ultimate lover, I think I would know-”

“Stephan, widen your eyes, the sun nears.” This time Aten placed a finger to Stephan’s lips to silence him. “The oils of your passion may spur ignition, but the truth of Bart’s dry wooden heart shall feed a greater flame.The heart demands truth over all. ”




Stephan sighed, his body deflated in Aten’s grip. His back leaned into Aten’s chest, head held back. “I only fear for Bart. Potential may be caked underneath him, but Bart is still a coal to Carla’s diamond.”

“If Carla is blind the gleam of Bart’s own jewel, it doesn't matter how much your flamboyance shines.” Aten took a seat, grabbing a fork once more. “I say we honor the covenant, Stephan, and toast to the blood. You have only been part of our journey for a short time, but the little I have glimpses, shows promise.”

“Oh, but Aten, to honor this masterpiece, our homage to love incarnate. As strong a companionship we may form, this is a shrine to romance, Aten.”

“Is there such difference?” Aten sighed. “To be a companion, to be part of a group and cause, it is to swear yourself to it. To put it before yourself, and to honor it with each action. How is that any less than the love of romance?

Stephan shivered, his head flushed. His rhythm was knocked, as if Aten had pulled the rug from underneath him. “-but pray thee, chisel-chested Aten, what if our betrothed guests return from their endeavor mysterio--”

Aten parted Stephan’s lips, the silverware dropping off a tidbit of steak. Stephan’s eyes shut tight, overwhelmed by the flavor. His mouth watered as the juices rushed over him. When his eyes fluttered open, he met Aten’s face once more, and melted into his lap.

“Parley, my dear, how did one such as yourself end up under the leadership of a marauder such as Daniel?” Stephan gaze drifted around Aten’s eyes.

“It is an odd story, one of coincidence and curiosity.” Aten’s eyes darted down. “Though I must warn you, while this dinner may celebrate our friendship, it it is not an invitation to slander my others.”

“You misread. I mean him no true insult, I can see traces of a nobleman under his thick skin of…” Stephan brought a finger to his lips to support his pout.

“As they say, hold your tongue if it is poison, it only attracts snakes.”

Stephan squinted. “Do they say?”

Aten’s lips curled with roguish glee. “It flows better in native Bonta.” His lips parted into a soft grin. “Can we quell our tongues now? I do miss more eloquent soliloquy, but these rapids exhausts me.” He paused, putting a hand to his stomach to mute the growl.

Stephan peeled himself off Aten’s chest, his hands held back, tracing up Aten’s chest. “If you insist.” When his fingers only grazed Aten he twirled, his hands held lightly against Aten’s shoulders. “I do hope you can show more endurance in the future, though.”

Stephan strode off Aten’s right side,and turned into his seat---Stephan’s strut stumbled against the chair, eyes wide. Fire gathered in his palms, but Aten scoffed, spraying meatflecks across the table.

“No need to worry. I smelt wet Danny a mile-”

Stephan’s head retched away from the edge, his hand held out to shield it.

Aten’s head whipped back in worry, catching the same sight as Stephan. In the edge of their romantic cove was a sickly figure, skin cracked under the swelled lumps scattered on his body. Blood splattered across his shredded tunic, pooled around dripping wounds. His head finally snapped through the thicket he had crashed against. Aten only got a flash of his face before was lost in the blur of the crash. Aten only ever needed a flash, though, and caught Danny’s head before it dug into the dirt.

“Aten,” groaned the ragdoll that was now Danny. “Ninja. Stole the stone. Poison. Fiona…” His lips froze closed.

“We must rush to the clinic!” Stephan shouted from across the grove.

Aten wiped the dripping steak-blood from his mouth. “Some ninja,” Aten covered his nose. “Her poison doesn’t smell, but even soaked I can smell the perfume on Danny. Should be able to track it, even smells familiar.”

“Odd. Even my untrained nostrils noticed that, it reminded me of-

“Carla.” They spoke in unison.

“Get Danny back to town.” Aten dropped his knife and grabbed his bow from his back. “I’ll follow Bart’s trail and find this ninja lady before she can hurt him.”

“Beware a woman scorned, delicate bowman! You interrupt no mere plot, but a romantic escort as well!”

Aten spat out a wad of gristle from his teeth and drew an arrow, sniffing. “If I don’t interrupt the escort, Bart could die!” He swept away beneath the canopy of trees, vanishing like wind.

Stephan hoisted Danny over his shoulder and took a firm grasp on his backside to keep him stationary. “Hmph,” he mused, walking towards the clinic’s hillside, “no complaints from me.”

Look at me, my plants are so great they attack your balls before you know what's going on. Look at me, my tea is so great. Look at me, I'm the best healer ever. I'll save Leigh in no time, you just wait. Simone spat, kicking dust around. The adoration in Danny's eyes when he saw her was nauseating. The adoration with which he had raved about her the whole way here was disgusting. She stuck a lollipop in her mouth. Goddamn. Even her lollipops were amazing.

Stephan and Aten had vanished off, too. Something about a day blessed by the goddess of love ideal for two strong bulls. There was a bit about the greenest of pastures and rainbows? Keeping up with that man was a bit like keeping up with Aten in a fight. They would be a nice pair, actually. Complementary and whatnot. God. These past few days have been bullshit, she thought. Total bullshit. So much in so little time. It wasn't like her to dwell on the past -- there was usually stabbing to do.

There was no stabbing for her now, at it was really getting on her nerves. Simone plopped herself down on a nearby bench, holding her head up with a hand. The gravel she was staring at was all scattered around in confused lines. She idly traced them with her dagger. In the past few years she'd been in more fights than the rest of her life.

Suffered more wounds, too. Simone looked at her arms and winced. Every inch of her skin was covered in tiny little cuts, she was like a cat's scratching pole. Not perfect like Miss Healer there. She felt clammy. Her clothes were sticking to her. When she closed her eyes, the world around her pulsed red and metal clanged. Aftereffects of her battle aura. She'd never pushed it to these limits.

Man. When was the last time I had a full night's sleep? Ugh. She threw her knife at a tree in front of her. It buried itself still quivering. Simone stood. What was she doing, thinking. What a low point in her adventuring career. If she was thinking, she wasn't stabbing, and if she wasn't stabbing, she was doing it wrong.

The tree in front of her looked like it wanted to pick a fight. The whorls in the wood looked like eyes, and the dagger formed something that could pass as a tongue sticking out. Maybe she had a fever. Well, fuck that tree. Simone pulled water from a nearby trough and sent it flying at the provoking vegetation. It left a very shallow cut. A horse whinnied sadly, devastated by its loss of drink.

Simone spat out the lollipop. She summoned all the water she could sense and assumed a stance. It whirled around her. The light glinting off of it made them look like blades. She attacked the tree. It took the pruning rather well. Branches and leaves kicked up a storm, obscuring her vision. Her onslaught was relentless.

"Your form is all wrong."

Simone whirled around. A dark-haired man wearing some sort of uniform was sitting on a bench to her left, grinning widely. The water around her crashed to the ground immediately.

"I was just practicing," she stammered.

"Then allow me to rephrase," he allowed. "You're practicing all wrong."

"I wasn't doing anything much," Simone said. "Just venting." It was just a tree. This man must be crazy.

"If you keep your focus on your blades all the time, you'll have no energy left for actual Hydrology. You can't forget that it's at least half of your power."

Her face reddened. "What kind of punk-ass racist are you, calling me a hydrologist out of the blue--"

He blinked, standing and unbuttoning his coat. "You were waterbending...a little. Against the tree." He turned, folded his coat, and crossed his arms, appraising her. "You fight like an alchemist, though, so I can only assume you haven't had waterbending training."

"I was using water right there. You're right, though. There's been nobody to teach me, really. I haven't had need for it. Those daggers do just fine."

"Lady, drop the daggers and attack me like a real waterbender." He took a stance. "I'll defend with earthbending."

Simone raised her eyebrows. Drop her daggers? He must be mad. He didn't appear to be, though. On the contrary, he appeared totally relaxed. His eyes spoke of determination, though. He was waiting for her, in stance.

She tossed her weapons in a corner. It would be amusing, at any rate. Simone called back the water she was using to maul the tree. It flew at her command, hardening into countless tiny blades of ice. She never really dropped her daggers.

The storm flew towards the earthbender, like furious hornets.

"Texbook," he muttered, and threw up a large rocky bubble around him. The shards collected on the face of the shield like darts on a dart board before returning to water, returning to Simone. The earthbender countered, shoving his fists through the boulder in rapid punches, hurling jagged rocks Simone's way.

She attempted to solidify the water into a shield. It was glacial. The rocks punched through it and Simone was forced to roll to the side, pelted by gravel. Shit.

The man stopped his assault, taking a relaxed perch atop his remaining mountain, cross-legged. "When I fought the toughest enemy on my journey, I had no weapons to guide me. It was a fight of pure bending." Simone rose to her feet and gathered her ice around her. "So imagine my horror when it was a lightbender that I faced."

"What are you trying to say?" she snarled.

Earthbender smiled. "That sometimes you don't get to live in your comfort zone." He may as well have been sipping tea. Fiona's tea. Fuck her. Fuck him, too. Smartass. She didn't even know him. "Life and battle are always unpredictable. So the more you open yourself to change, the more likely you are," he grinned, "to wake up the next morning." With a flip, he hopped from his perch and slammed into the ground. The earth beneath them awakened and began jutting up in uneven platforms, creating dozens of plateaus between them.

"Lectures," she grumbled. "Did I ask for fucking lectures when I woke up this morning?" She stared up at the sky. "Did I say hey gods, you know what I want today? Fucking lectures, that's what! I'd love for some asshole to show up and start mouthing crap at me. Yeah, the icing on the fucking cake. Thanks, I don't even like sugar." She threw water at his face. It didn't even form an attack, she didn't care. "So what are you going to do about it, huh, mister guru? You don't also happen to be a waterbender, by any chance? Teach me something, instead of lecturing? Hm?"

He pointed to the highest platform on the edge of the field. The platform where her daggers were standing, stuck in the earth. "Get to your daggers and you can slice me apart. The end."

The pillar loomed up at her. The cracks and crevices in the rock formed a smug face she absolutely needed to punch. But it was just out of reach. Simone jumped. Water gathered around her fist and slammed against the rock. The face was pulverized. Simone dropped down to the ground heavily.

There was another, a foot higher. This pillar. This fucking pillar though. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw the man staring at her, head cocked. Simone turned around. She wasn't even going to look at him. Get the daggers. That was the only thing she had to do. If only to spite him.

Around her there were chunks of stone and boulders in haphazard patterns. None formed a convenient staircase for her to jump off of. She recalled what they said about the raiders of Kaldir, that they could stand atop columns of water and crush their opponents with the force of the ocean. Simone looked around herself. There were no oceans to be found. Only a trickle of dirty water.

Simone halted. Why was she trying to be tactical now, of all times? Brute force had served her well enough up until this point. She called the water around her fist. It swirled angrily. Simone punched the offending pillar. Water exploded. The pillar was only slightly dented.

Another jab. And another. The rock had a spiderweb-shaped crack in it. Simone called the exhausted water to her fingertips again and sent it hurling towards the weakest points. The rock creaked in complaint. Simone hissed. The rock shifted its position.

Simone collapsed to the ground, trying to find oxygen. Fuck this, and that rock. This wasn't going anywhere. Her knuckles bled. Her hair stuck to her in strands. Her chest was heaving. She saw a shadow cast over her, and glared at the earthbender above.

"Have you learned anything?" he asked.

"Not to take advice from strange men," Simone spat.

The earthbender sat down by her, cross-legged. "If all you practice are your knives, eventually you'll be in a situation like this: facing a rock your blades can't pierce. All you'll have left is your bending. And if you're in that situation, what are you going to do? Punch the rock?"

"Gods dammit," Simone muttered. She turned away from him. "I see your point. What would you have me do?"

The earthbender stood. In one massive bound, he grabbed her knives and landed solidly. He tossed them at the ground by Simone.

"Go to Fiona. She can help you connect with your element."

"Horaay, we can all be happy fucking hermits. Mumbling about nature and shit."

"What's your name, waterbender?"

"Simone."

"You have potential, Simone," he said. "If you match that potential with practice, you'll be unstoppable, I'm sure."

"Thanks..."

"David."

"I'll break some rocks for you once I connect with my element, David."

Fi was dully aware of pain in her right fist. Formless panic was spinning itself into tightly corded anger, strumming in her throat, her arms, her chest. The water meant for healing orbited her fist, shifting erratically between ice, liquid, and steam. Carla was edging towards the door.

It flew open and Carla leapt back like a scalded cat into a corner, where Bart stepped in front of her protectively. Fi looked up and locked eyes with Stephan.

"Fi, it's Danny. He's hurt."

A wave of relief washed over Fiona at Danny's name, but was replaced with a renewed tension when Stephan layed him on her bed and she saw how pale he was. "Thank you, Stephan."

Stephan was busy surveying the scene. "What is this? A party? Why was I not invited?"

Bart's eyes narrowed and he moved to shield Carla entirely from view. Badly, as it turned out.

"Oh, a maiden! Why do you cower so, my blossom? Wait...." Stephan's grin broadened, and he wiggled his eyebrows at Bart. "Bart, you old dog, don't tell me you woo-ed your love? Already at the protective stage? Be careful not to overshadow her delicate beauty; roses such as her need sunlight to thrive! Move aside!"

Bart shook his head. "It's not the sun I'm worried about, it's the thundercloud over there."

Stephan gasped, moving back to Fi's side. "Don't tell me you are jealous! Your beauty is as precious and delicate as the dew on a-"

Fi paused, her ear to Danny's chest to monitor his breathing. "Can it, Stephan. She" Fi jabbed a thumb over her shoulder at the couple in the corner, "did this." Fi made a sweeping motion with her fisted hand over Danny's still form.

"Lies! Fiona was supposed to help Carla but she just went crazy all of a sudden!" Bart's chest puff up. "She was always a little..." he looked around the room, trying to find the best insult. "odd."

Fi placed her fingers on Danny's throat, counting the pulses there.(one, two, three) "Then, Bart, how do you, (ten, eleven, twelve) explain this?"

She uncurled her fist. Her palm was white from the pressure, and a bright red where the stone had been touching. It shone, a glistening accusation all in the room could see.

Stephan broke the silence. "Well, I'd say that's the stone that she stole from Danny-boy after poisoning him."

"You knew? Why didn't you say something?

"Well, that wouldn't be dramatic, now would it. Incidentally, I'd check his...mouth-area."

Fi looked at Danny's waxen face. There was something on his lips. "Shit."

Carla screeched with frustration and pulled Bart's arm aside. Quick as a flash she snatched the stone out of Fi's blood-starved fingers and bolted out the door.

"Shit. Stephan, do you mind...?"

"At once, madame!" Stephan drew himself up proudly, then persued Carla out the door. Bart, his face stricken, stared at Fi for a full second before following. Fi pretended it was an apology. It probably wasn't. She leaned over and pushed Danny's fringe out of his face. "I'm sorry, Danny. This is going to be unpleasant. Just call me the Grand High Torturer by Poison Removal."

She'd barely began her work before a scream pierced the night air. Fi couldn't tell if it was Carla or Stephan from the pitch. "Shit." Shitshitshitshit. Fi forced the panic down, stilling her chakra pools as best she could. A deep pulling sensation from her gut warned her that she was running pretty low on energy to spare. A deep breath. Concentrate.

She was interrupted by her door opening yet again. "What is it?"

"Sorry, miss. It's just..."

Fi looked up. Aten was in the doorway, a few leaves in his hair. Over his shoulder was Carla, and in Carla's leg...

"She took an arrow to the knee."

Aten’s arms trembled as he kept Carla in the air, waiting for Fi to react, his curiosity too strong for him to look away from her unmoving stare, face dead from expression, sparing the small pulsating veins under her eyes.

“Is she going to talk?” Aten asked. “Also, hi Leigh.”

Leigh was still easing verself back into a comfortable sitting position, having been unable to power through ver call to action when Carla fled. “Not sure.”

“Are you alright?”

Leigh grimaced. “Not sure.”

Aten nodded, accepting the best answer he would be getting, and returned to “Fi?” Aten waved a hand.

With a twitch her eyes came back to life, going right to study the bleeding wound through Carla’s leg, the a slightly snapped arrow shaft sticking out the front, the tip of the arrow’s head peeking through the other end.

“...That’s actually great, Aten, lay her down on the couch.”

“Let go of me!” Bart burst into the house once more. ““I can hel-” Tumbling over himself as he tried to shake off a rogue Stephen from his back. Bart tried to drag his way into the home, his feet catching on the welcome mat, bringing the piggyback to a crash, Bart landing face first on the floor as Stephan rolled into a comfortable sitting position on his back.

Stephan shook his head, lips perched as he patted Bart on his consciousness-losing head. “I know it feels as if you have failed, ym deluded devoted disciple, but this is not budding love, Brutus. I should have seen the signs, I mean, look at her.” Stephan waved at Carla’s general direction, where Aten was wrapping gauze around her leg, ropes binding her to the couch.

Bart let out a caveman’s grunt.

“Right, we can’t forget your manners either, far too improper for a fair lady--” Stephan head snapped backwards as a pale blue light smacked him across the face, his face coming back up with a mask of ice muting him.

“I can’t even hear my own thoughts,” Fi muttered, flakes of snow falling from her fingers as she went back to work on Danny. “One, two, three...seven.” Fi swore under her breath. Then again in a suppressed scream.

“Fuck who with what?” Aten popped up behind Fi, peeking at Danny over her shoulder. “Oh. Yeah, fuck whoever with whatever.” Danny’s chest was a constellation of blood, small commmas of dried red advertising his wounds like Isaiah Mustafa. “Wait.” Aten pushed his way to the table, lifting up Danny’s arms, revealing another half a dozen bloody commas. “How much do you think is in his system?”

“That’s not my problem,” Fi corrected. “Look at the wounds, they’re still open, but the blood stopped, and from the stains there was very little loss.”

“Viper venom.” Aten whispered. “How solid is it? His skin is barely showing signs of the venom.”

“Enough” Fi spat. ““They’re not native, I don’t have a remedy, or anything fast enough to thin it before it’s too late.”

“Then why don’t we take her antidote?” Aten piped, pointing at the moaning Carla on the couch. “Most poisoners are pretty cautious.”

Fi paused, closing her eyes and letting huff of breath. “Why didn’t I think of that?”

“Overwhelming circumstances?” Aten seemed to chirp, before squatting down next to Carla, gently pulling the gag of gauze from her mouth.

“First off, sorry for shooting you in the knee, but in my defense you poisoned my best friend. Speaking of that, could you hand, or well tell me cause you're kind of bound, where the antidote for that is?”

Carla locked eyes with Aten. “You’re friend will live, after I walk free...with the stone.”

Aten nodded, patting Carla on the shoulder. "Sorry, this isn't a negotiation, it's an offer, and that's not ours to offer."

"Yes, and you have quite the poker-face, but only one of here is ready to let your friend die."

“No!” At the door Bart shook Stephan off him, crawling in a panic towards Carla. “Carla, you don’t want to kill Danny, I mean you did already, but you don’t have to, even though you already did, there is time to save him. And I think you want to.”

Carla ducked Bart’s gaze, lips pursed tight. “Because you know me so well?”

“Yeah.” Bart gripped one of Carla’s hands, an awkward feat with her binds, between his. “At the well, what you told me...the pain you felt, the heartache and grief. This won’t bring him back, Carla, it will only poison more….I didn't mean to make a pun, and you’re not a killer, not yet.”

Carla shut her eyes, but tears still managed to escape. “The green pouch on my belt, he needs the vial with the blue cap on it.” She rushed out before she changed her mind.

Aten snatched the vial pouch, tossing it to Fi who emptied the contents onto the table, furiously ripping the cap off the vial and dropping the contents into Danny’s mouth. Bart was crying himself, face buried into his and Carla’s hands as she stared off into space.

The door creaked again, Simone standing with David in the doorway. "Did I miss the fun?"

"Someone has a lot of explaining to do," said David, glancing at the woman and Bart's distraught face, "and I have a feeling it's not going to be our guest on the couch."

"David!" Fiona said.

"Simone," Danny said, groaning. "That chick is pretty good with knives."

"Do I need to stab a bitch?" Simone's asked, high-pitched. She moved towards the woman on the couch, but Stephan held her back. He pointed at Bart.

"Let not your fiery ways interrupt the trouble of lovers, o fierce gazelle," he said.

"I have no idea what you just said," Simone replied, "but it doesn't tell me why I shouldn't stab a bitch right now."

The woman on the couch made a little hacking laugh. "I suppose I do deserve to be stabbed right about now, don't I. I've made such a mess for everyone."

"Carla!" Exclaimed the bear of a man hunkered by the couch, who Simone hadn't met before. "We all make mistakes. You don't deserve to be stabbed."

He glared at Simone, who glared back.

"What?" She asked. "You wanna go too, big guy?"

"I think," David said, pinching the bridge of his nose, "everyone should calm down. Simone, take a seat. Maybe eat some candy. Or possibly avoid sugar just now."

To the room's visible amazement, Simone sat. Her eyes challenged anyone to make a comment.

"Good." David continued. "Now, someone. Anyone, really. What's going on? We were walking back here after a training session, and we hear all this commotion inside. We walk in, and it looks like we're holding someone hostage. Fiona seems more angry than Simone here, and Danny appears to be recovering from shock."

"He was assaulted by that woman." Fiona jerked her thumb in Carla's direction. "She wants the alchemy stone Danny had, and is prepared to kill for it."

"Only to save her husband!" Bart interrupted. "She's a good person, I swear it. Life's just been hard on her."

David was silent for a while. Then, he said: "The alchemy stone is dangerous. We cannot simply let anyone have it. You will tell me how you got it at a better time, but in the meanwhile, we must deal with the situation at hand."

He began to pace around the room, and then continued. "The fact this woman tried to kill Danny is obvious. She too is dangerous." He raised a hand, cutting off Bart. "The situation is difficult. I think we should sleep on it. We are in no rush. This will give Fiona time to make sure Danny will be alright, and time for me to understand what's going on."

"Also, Fiona, I need to ask you a favor," Simone said, standing suddenly.

"Sure," Fiona said. "You'll have to wait until I deal with all this," she waved a hand in the air, "and until I can figure out where my heart went, but after that, sure."

Simone plopped back down on the chair and yawned. "You know, I'm actually really tired. I may just go to bed."

"We have guest rooms upstairs," David said. "Make yourself at home."

"The troubled heart of lovers never sleeps," Stephan said. "We, mere admirers and devoutees of the secret goddess, cannot clearly comprehend the current happenings. Letting night's cover ease our souls would let us approach our friends' troubles more easily."

"I think he's tired too," Aten said, stretching.

"This guy, am I right," Simone said, shaking her head. She walked up the stairs, past the couch. On her way, she glared at Carla one more time, for good measure.

"Don't forget about me," Leigh said, from vem's corner.

"Oh, oops." Simone moved to hoist vem up by the shoulders. "Totally didn't see you there, Leigh. It's like you're critically wounded and too pained to speak."

How Leigh's eyes made a better dagger impression than Simone's own actual daggers continued to baffle her.

**

There were two guest rooms. Simone asked as to how they'd split them, but she was stopped. Stephan immediately said that a woman should have her privacy and gallant gentlemen should bow to a woman's needs. He, Aten and Leigh would not have a problem sharing a room. Leigh appeared to disagree, but said nothing.

Grinning, Simone opened the door to her room and plopped herself down on the bed. Ah, the advantages of having (clearly stated -- sorry Leigh) breasts.

The room was small but clean. No bats in the rafters, no rats in the corner, lurking under the desk. Probably no monsters in the wardrobe to her left. All in all, a more comfortable lodging than she'd had in a while.

Having a house to stay in and a village to look after must be nice, she thought, staring out the window. She'd never seriously considered settling down, though. Quaint villages presented a visible lack of fighting.

Simone hadn't really enjoyed her stay in Allons, for the first part of her life, either. The more she'd gotten to know the people around her, and understood how the streets of Parix functioned, the more she'd longed to leave. To see other things. She had that now. It came with the risk of death, true, but the world couldn't be perfect.

Maybe thinking too much on past events was a bad thing. It certainly took away from her abilities as a fighter, as David had proven to her. Now, the only thing Simone had to do was improve. Improve and meet whatever challenges the future threw at her dagger-on.

**

Simone awoke to the sound of shouting. She stumbled out of bed and went to the mirror by it. She looked awful. The shouting continued. She heard Bart's voice, and David's voice, and a woman's voice.

Simone concentrated on water. She could feel its presence in the well by the house. She tried to follow its path, down to the stream below, tranquil. She tried to follow it further, hoping to fnd a source, an answer. But there was still shouting in the house, and she was itching to go down. Maybe someone needed to be stabbed.

Her connection to the water snapped. Simone nodded and opened the door. She went down the stairs.

She saw Bart, standing protectively in front of Carla. David stood opposite him, frowning. Fiona was by Danny, who looked remarkably less dead. Stephan, Danny and Leigh were also there, watching.

"What's going on?" Simone asked.

There was silence. Everyone stared at her. As if she'd asked something weird, or something.

"He wants to send Carla away!" Bart said. "Without the stone! And he doesn't want to send me with her!"

"Carla has tried to kill someone," David said. He took advantage of the silence Simone had created to speak in a slow, measured tone. "I can't have a person like that around my village. She herself isn't from here. It'd be best for everyone if she left."

"She needs the stone to resurrect her husband!"

"The alchemy stone has many uses... most of which are terrible. Even if I did trust her -- which I don't -- it could be taken from her. In fact, the alchemy stone should stay here."

"But why not send me with her, at least?"

"I will repeat myself. You're needed here. The woods must be tended, the villagers protected, food procured for the winter."

"Bart," Carla began. It was the first time Simone had heard her speak. "Bart. You're incredibly sweet, and kind, but... he's right. I need to leave. I don't belong here. And you were right, too. I can't hurt others to bring back my husband. He wouldn't have wanted that. I'll find some other way."

"Look, Carla." Bart turned to her and clasped her hands. He then turned to David. "I've found more important woods to tend."

His face flushed. He turned back to Carla. "I mean, you. I have to protect you. When I look at you, I get that feeling. That I have to follow you. Life's put you through things no person should. I know I can't, but I want to make up for it somehow."

And then to the others. "Love is putting those others before you, right? Well, Carla went to great risks to get this stone. And you, David, you love your village, and you want to protect it. I understand. But I love Carla. If you want to send her away, then send me with her. If you won't let her have the stone, then together, we'll find a way to bring her husband back."

There was silence. Everyone looked at each other. Carla's eyes were shining. She wrapped Bart in a hug. Simone looked away. Such sights made her daggers duller, she was convinced.

"You know," she said, to nobody in particular. "We could give her the stone."

Now everyone was looking at her.

"We give her the stone and go with her. If she's telling the truth, we'll see what it can actually do, and maybe do a good deed. If she's bullshitting, I stab her."

"It's too risky to take the stone anywhere," David said.

"We were going to take it with us anyway, David", said Danny. "We have a mission of our own. It'll be safe with us."

Now it was Bart with shining eyes. "Please, David!" He exclaimed. "In the name of our past adventures. I have to do this!"

"Don't be going 'in the name of our past adventures' on me now, Bart," David said. He sighed. "Go. But Fiona goes with you. She's about the only person in this room I trust to not make a mess of everything."

"I have to continue with Leigh's healing sessions anyway," Fiona said. "My going was decided a while ago."

"Great!" Aten said, brightly. "Glad that's all sorted out. We'll meet at the airship in twenty minutes?"

"Can you imagine it?" Aten whispered, eyes closed. "Losing your one true love, but refusing to let them go into the night."

"You think this is uncommon, my western Gale?" Stephan's eyes were soft--as they were when just the two of them were alone, when there was no need for facade--and he shook his head. "If you search your heart for the memory of a lost love, then you, too, will realize that you have yet to let them fade." His eyes gazed down upon the passing trees below through the plates of glass encircling the bridge of the ship. "I have yet to believe that there is truly a way to allow any love to drift beyond our fingertips--if only their sheer gravity holds them captive."

Aten slowly nodded, but conceded his masked expression for a true wrinkle of worry and thought. "I do know that feeling." He placed a hand on the cool glass, watched a large crop of rocks pass. "Not knowing how or where my family is. Seeing Danny come to Death's face only to spit in her eyes. Week after week since I met these beautiful...idiots...I can't shake the feeling that I'm walking closer to a sort of prison."

Stephan's eyes narrowed, and he nodded. "Believe me or not, Aten, I feel the same way." His eyes cut to Danny at the helm of the ship. "But only when I'm near that stone."


Danny eased his grip on the controls of the ship and watched forward, though the medicine in his blood pulled on his mind, coaxing it ever-under into the rest that Fiona had so desperately tried to drag him into. There will be time to rest, he'd said, once we honor the dead.

Even still, he couldn't shake the imaginative thought that the alchemy stone could bring Carla's husband back to life. There were stories of this sort of thing--but all were myths. Bedtime tales from his mother when he was a kid.

"There's a storm coming, Danny."

He grimaced. "If one more person tells me that, so help me God I will shove that stone down their throat and feed them cheese until it destroys them."

An old friend put a hand on his shoulder. "You know me well enough," David said, "to know that I never speak in metaphors." He pointed ahead. "There's a storm that you're steering us into."

Danny closed his eyes and sighed, nodding. "Right. The village should actually be right under that thunderhead."

David stood beside him and crossed his arms, leaning against the glass wall. "Simone told me about Donna." His head shook. "She was one hell of a woman. And a veritable foe, too."

He smirked. "How many bounties did you miss out on because of her? Last I heard, it was nearing three dozen."

A sardonic smile played on David's lips. "She was the fortieth."

Danny loosened his grip on the helm and turned to watch David's expression. "Don't assume your hunt is over, you know." He turned back to the horizon and squinted at a rain-veiled clearing in the distance. "The pirate queen still lives, after all." He nodded his head back towards Simone near the docking bay.

David stared carefully, but grinned. "Woe be the both of us the day she steps foot on Vale shores." He raised his eyebrows in a glint of excitement. "An interesting choice in companion, Dawson. I'll allow you that. A hydrologist who fights like an alchemist." He locked his hands on his hips and looked ahead at the village as rain began pelting the roof of the airship. "Maybe Fiona will be a good influence on her."

Danny giggled in his nose and shook his head to get the silly sound off his face. "We were in Emberwood once, fetching a jewel that was worth twice its value in Lordaeron. A woman in the village tried to teach Simone a new recipe to cook 'when she decided to settle down.'" He grinned and looked at David. "So Simone bought out the nearby pharmacy, whipped up this giant pot of soup just for the woman, and filled it full of all this sick shit." He shrugged. "And then, to top it off, she just straight-up sliced her apart. To this day, I'm not really sure what all the poison was about."

David nodded. "I'll be sure to let Fi know."

He began to move away, but Danny stopped him with one hand. "You haven't told me yet," he began, eyes focused ahead, "why you came with us if you don't believe in the chance that it'll work."

David relaxed into Danny's grip and nodded. "I have to know what we're dealing with." His eyes narrowed and he stared into the space between himself and Carla. "If that woman breaks the helm of death, word will spread. There will be outcries and riots. There will be chaos."

Danny waited a moment, but growled under his breath. "There's only one way men like you believe in keeping people quiet." He released his grip on David's tunic. "If you try, I'll kill you on the spot, Sheriff."

David smirked and moved forward towards the barracks below. "I'd expect no less from a filthy orphan bandit."


When the ship landed in a clearing between ivy-gripped houses long-buckled and warped by rain and mildew, everyone filtered out into the misty wood, save for Danny and Simone.

"It's a little romantic, her resolve."

Danny shook his head. "The one time you use the word romantic, and it's complete bullshit."

There were footsteps on the metal gangplank as Aten came near.. "You think so? That it's ridiculous to want someone's strong, rough hands to hold you again? After years of being apart...after heartbreak and braving illness alone day after day. To crave those hands, the hard, stubbled kiss when you've said every nice word you know and it's not enough?"

Simone nodded. "It's bullshit, but it's nice bullshit."

Danny stared off into the rainy village ruins. "Money, what if it works?"

She locked eyes with him and bundled a knot of his cloak in her fist. "Then we'll carry the secret to our graves. Each and every one of us." Her eyes narrowed and she let him go, pressing her hand against his chest instead. "It's a nice idea, Danny." She shook her head. "But if it's real, it shouldn't be in the hands of anyone who would use it." A nod. "In our story, that unfortunate son of a bitch is you."

Fiona neared the ship, an aura of waterbending shielding her from the rain. "I hate to interrupt anything special, but if we're going to raise the dead, it may be best if we had the sacred artifact of fable and lore." She winked, and Danny began walking down into the rain, fingers begging after Simone's hand, if only for a moment.


And they gathered in the cemetary, distinguished from the forest and ivy-wretched overgrowth around them only by small, ornate pillars carved into upwards-reaching crucifixes. By the palest crucifix stood Carla and Bart. As they neared, Danny could hear her fish for breath; short, agonized gasps that betrayed the guise of strength. It occurred to him, then, that this woman was facing the molten core of her nightmares, standing at the center of her world's gravity. He realized that no matter where she went in the world, she would, forever into eternity, end up in this exact place, gasping for the same bladed breath, as still as the statues among the vines.

They came to stand behind Carla, and after a moment she inhaled deeply and folded her hands in a gesture Danny had seen in churches. She was about to pray.

"God my beloved, counselor of the hard-pressed, you have heard my anguish and met me in my breaking. You have led redemption to my shaking hands. Watch over us. Dwell in us. For your namesake, amen."

"Amen," echoed Bart and Fiona.

"Danny, if you would bring him to the surface?"

"Sure," he whispered, and then smiled, stretching. "Hey Anka, give me a hand--"

His friends looked to him with careful gazes, and he realized his mistake.

"Right. My mistake." He turned away and closed his eyes, and then sewed a seed of energy into the ground, where it branched into the rivulets of pressure between rocks, heaving the coffin to the surface. Fiona and Stephan looked away, covering their noses, as Bart and Danny lifted the simple, unhinged lid. He was dressed in a perfect tuxedo, straight bowtie and a dried bouquet of roses in his hands.

Without a word, Danny handed Carla the Alchemy Stone.

She held it between her hands, fingers soft and precise on the sphere as if attaching a fragile filigree, and she leaned in, brushing her husband's convex cheek with the back of her hand.

"My dear," she whispered, "gentle Alexander."

Behind her, Fiona, Bart, and David exchanged glances. David stood on his toes to see over the coffin, to see his face. He stood down, breath short and eyes wide.

"If there is truth in the fables, it is my most humble wish that you return to the waking world. That you return to me in my brokenness." She shook her head. "If I am refused, I do not see another day passing by which I can live this lonely path further."

Bart's gaze dropped to the grass at his feet.

Carla placed the stone at his heart and closed her eyes.

The stone began to glow. It cast a mauve shadow on Alexander's corpse. The light flickered. Shadows danced across his face. It looked as if the corpse were grinning. Carla's face, above, was ghostly. Nobody dared to speak.

The light died.

Carla opened her eyes.

Alexander's remained closed.

Something in Carla's face sagged ever so slightly. Her eyes lost a hint of light they had a moment before. Her mouth curled upwards. A smile, but there was nothing behind it.

"We tried."

Bart moved forward and put a solemn hand on her shoulder.

There was a subtle sob in her frame, but she remained stone-faced as she echoed again, again, and again: "We tried."


When everyone had reconvened at the ship; after Danny had re-buried Alexander, after David and Fiona had spoken in hushed tones about the ordeal, after Bart had given Carla his cloak to shield her from the rain that had begun pouring harder and harder, Danny took the stone from Carla's loose fingers and stowed it in his chest armor. He knelt in front of her and looked up into her eyes, which never left the ground.

"Your heart has been broken in all the fury of death a second time. You're thinking about him, about his smile and laughter and the way he was so jealous for you." Danny shook his head. "But after those thoughts go to bed, after the sun goes down and you're left alone with just your breath, I don't trust you not to surrender." His eyes narrowed. "So I'm sending Bart with you, Carla. You will move forward every day, and you will continue your life, whether it brings you back to this depressing-ass grave or if you end up in a tropical paradise, trowing knives at a fucking tree." He nodded. "Your life will have a plot, and it will matter."

David grunted. "Your speeches are worthy of being called speeches, Danny, but you neglected to ask Bart if he even wanted to spend another moment with this pitiful wreck of a cautionary tale." Hard eyes turned on David, but he didn't move. Such was his character. He turned his eyes to Bart. "I refuse to let you step into sinking ground."

Bart let go of Carla for the first time since they'd left the grave, and he swung around and clocked David square in the jaw. The sheriff took a step back and put a hand to his face. "You've made up your mind, then." He pulled his cloak up over his head and sighed. "The world is unkind to those who forsake family." His head turned to Fiona, and his lips furled. "All of them."

David threw a heel into the earth and a patch of rocks rose beneath his feet. He first waited for a response, but then surfed the ground away into the trees and rain.

Fiona held a hand to her chest, eyes soft and worried. "David..."

Bart's fists were clenched, and he shook slightly. "I will walk by Carla's side to the ends of the earth. To the frozen wastes of Kaldir, to the burning land of the Ahiri. Every last inch of the earth will be scoured and we'll come back victorious." His head dropped. "No matter what that means."

Danny turned to step onto the gangplank of the airship, then slowly exhaled to press out all the weight from his chest. "We're leaving. Bart, do what you want. The way I see it, we have a full party."

Bart nodded and took Carla's hand. "I'm sure we'll see you soon, Dawson."

Danny nodded as he stood in the airship's door. "I have a feeling you're right."



The dusk through Gabriel's window gave heavy brushes of falling night between trailing comets and cool breezes. The pages on his writing desk fluttered in the wind, but he settled them with his gentle fingers. He licked the tip of his quill and dipped the tip into his inkwell.

There is nothing more precious to humans than life--and greater still than the life of their own being is the worth of the lost breath of those they hold dear. Is it a sign of greed to seek out the power to thwart the inevitable loss? Or perhaps it is instead an indicator of a benevolent spirit. I feel that, in time, the light will bring those into my narrow path that will elucidate the true characteristics of a benevolent hero--and better still the characteristics of a benevolent villain. We are not in positions to judge right from wrong, so what, then, will become of us as we lose greater and greater wages? Life is precious: this much is known. In light of this, it is simple to believe that we are justified always in pursuit of life more abundant.

He placed the quill in the center of his leather journal and scratched the stubble on his chin curiously. "They shouldn't be long, should they?"

Further back in Gabriel's chambers sat an old friend, polishing the barrel of a pistol with oil that was reserved for the upkeep of church artifacts. "Nah," he yawned, narrowing an eye as he pointed the pistol forward. The gleam of dusk did little for his aim in close quarters. "If your dreams are on track, we have about a week. I'll fly out to meet them on Ero Island, then we'll come for you as soon as things are sorted out there."

Gabriel stood and peered out his window. His long, golden hair flowed in the breeze and he grinned, resting his head on his cheek. "It'll be so wonderful to go on an adventure, Casius!"

"Yes, it will."

"And you know," he continued, "whenever I dream about these guys, I can feel my dad closer and closer!"

Casius placed a large, rough hand on the young boy's shoulder, pointing towards his bed. "Get some rest, Gabriel. I will return for you before you fill up that journal."

Gabriel yawned and stretched. "But I have only ninety pages remaining!"

Casius grinned. "All the more reason to believe me. It'll be no time at all."

Gabriel nodded. "No time at all. I will hold you to that!"

Casius stood by his gryphon as night fell, peering through binoculars into the distance for storm clouds. He roused his mount and stroked the gryphon's mane. "Ero island before dawn. Is that understood?"

The gryphon yawned and growled, and Casius mounted. Things were about to get fun.

The sheer force of Danny’s punch hit Aten as a gust, grazing his face before he dropped to the ground for a sweep. Danny’s held his footing, releasing his free leg to stomp at Aten, who had already begun to vault up into the air, using Danny’s firm stance to springboard away. Stopping to grasp a breath, Aten watched as Danny slowly turned to face Aten, the wood splintering as he planted himself into stance. Aten buzzed as he shook his muscles loose, blasting into a sprint towards Danny. Keeping a strong pokerface, Danny raised his arms up to guard. Aten launched into a sting of a feint, Danny’s brief blindspot being assaulted by a flashing roundhouse. Danny wavered, but pushed back into the force, knocking Aten is spiraling up into the air. Without hesitation Danny went in for a lunge, driving his elbow into Aten’s back, sending Aten crashing into the ship's deck.

Danny ran in for his combo, but Aten had already pushed himself into the air, Danny charging right under Aten’s shadow. Aten spun into stance mid air, shifting into a dive towards the stumbling to a stop Danny. Aten landed, but didn’t strike, instead planting himself behind Danny like a shadow. As Danny swerved, Aten moved with him, dancing around him as he reached around like a wild dog chasing his tail. Aten ushered the confusion into his favor, taking control of the tango and leading Danny into a gut slam on the airships fence. Aten swung under the fence, kicking Danny’s legs apart and rolling onto Danny’s back. Aten shuffled on Danny's shoulders as he regained his composer/ Danny swatted at him like a fly, Aten swapping out the shuffle for a tap dance atop Danny’s fingers.

Aten let himself fall, kicking off Danny’s chest into a spiral, turning back into another dive. Danny dug into a lowered stance, waiting till the winds of Aten’s dive brushed his face to move in for an elbow jab. Aten went rolling across the deck, clawing at the wood to stop before slamming into the fence.

Shaky breath and aching muscles accompanied Aten’s rise, meeting eyes with a smirking Danny as he rolled his shoulders back.

“First point goes to Danny!” Leigh announced, finally having a moment to talk between their moves.

Aten flopped a hunch, groaning. “What? I landed at least three solid hits out there!”

“It’s not based on hits, it's based on time kept down,” Leigh asserted.

“Aw, come on.” Danny smirk dropped into puppy pout. “That’s no fair to Aten, how’s he supposed to get me on the ground?”

“Oh!” Aten jolted back into proper posture. “Now you’ve got yourself a real opponent, dear Danny.”

“I think I’ll manage!” Danny shouted, grin wide as he moved to a less damaged patch of the deck, Aten taking a pause to stretch across from him.

Aten moved into a run, circling Danny at high speed, the alchemist standing firm in the center, arms held against his chest in a cross. After a few laps he swung in for a blow, Danny prepped for a piston like jab, but his arm only hit the air, Aten having paused just out of arm’s length. Exposed, Aten grabbed onto Danny’s arm, twisting it into the air as he grappled his legs around Danny’s neck, his calves trapping Danny’s other arm.

“You think I’m stupid enough to fall on my own weight?” Danny said between laughs, his arms already powering through Aten’s hold. The arms rose into a V, Aten beginning to cramp inside, the arms like walls primed to compact him as soon as he gave out.

“No, I would never insult you like that,” Aten said, released the grip of his legs, penduluming himself to a hang under Danny’s neck, his hands sliding out from the vice grip.

Danny’s own strength sprung his arm together like dueling catapults, slamming each other with a meaty pound before falling limp at Danny’s side. Aten grasped onto Danny’s head, releasing his legs from Danny’s neck and pressing them down onto his gut, Danny’s body already in motion to crumble forward with Aten on under the sheer bulk of Danny Andrew Dawson.

“Checkmate.”

Aten grinned, pulling Danny’s head in and pushing his legs into an upsurge on Danny’s gut. With his center caved, Danny’s legs flailed backwards, his chest caving forward, slamming into the deck’s floor like a plank, knocking the wind out of himself.

Aten stood over him, wiping his hands on his shendyt “You’re really sweaty.” Aten paused, his brain shifting out of battle mode. “Point please!” Aten said, holding eye contact with Danny as he kept a smug grin.

Danny pushed himself into a pretzel seat, shallow in thought as Aten backed up to the starting positions for the next round.

“So,” Aten turned to Leigh, bouncing about as he spoke. “How we doin, teach?”

“You adapted well, your hits don’t have enough force to tickle Danny, so your feinting and tricks were meaningless, and needlessly wasteful in the effort.”

“It’s far more fun that way, though!” Aten said, swaying on his toes.

Leigh eyes dilated slightly, glancing behind Aten, vis lips breaking into a barely visible smile. “And Danny, you did everything right the first time, but you played right into Aten’s hand-”
Aten turned to look at Danny, rapidly blinking when his eyes landed on empty air. “Wait where’d Danny go-”

“-the second time by underestimating him.”

“Not this time!” For the first time Danny struck first, slamming a hit into Aten from behind while he was turned toward Leigh, whose grin was now a bit more visible as Danny landed his hit, sending Aten sliding across the deck.

“I guess old habits die hard, Danny?” Leigh quipped.

“What? When’s a real enemy gonna stop fighting so I can converse?”

“You used the word of a day calendar I got you!” Aten exclaimed, having managed to turn as he slide, now facing Danny, bolting out of the slide into a beeline for the enemy.

Danny took no stance, instead casually pocketing his hands in the tattered blue trousers he was sporting. Punch readied, Aten leaped toward Danny, his aim straight--Aten’s vision blurred, a burning in his eyes distracting his balance, his hit barreling into an empty patch of deck beside Danny. Eyes shut tight, Aten rolled into a hop, retreating into the nearest fence corner.
“What did you do?” Aten sputtered, his eyes swelling with tears.

“Pocket sand!” Danny whispered from behind Aten.

Danny pounded into Aten’s backside with his fist, Aten’s legs buckling in the same moment, sending Aten crashing to the ground, while Danny’s loss of balance sent him tumbling over the fence, his fall cushioned by Aten.

Aten scurred out from under Danny, taking a defensive stance as he waited for his vision to return and Danny rose to his feet. Danny went straight for a lunge, Aten grasping desperately outward, his hand brushing up against the attack. One hand managed to clamp on, but Aten missed the second grip as he swung under it to dodge, giving Danny the opening to shake him off in a violent thrash. Bashed into the ground, Aten tried to muster a leap, but Danny pounced him, pinning him to the planks.

“Point Danny.”

Danny got up, reaching out to give Aten a hand to rise back.

Aten whined. “But Danny was totally chea--”

“He was acting like a real enemy,” Leigh jabbed dryly.

Aten pouted, glaring at Danny. “That pocket sand? You ought to call it demon sand.” Aten began to murmur. “Every time I felt it leave my eyes, it seemed to just crawl back in through the tears.

“Weird…” Danny trailed off, taking an abrupt turn away from Aten and into his starting position.

Aten went on offense, charging at Danny while he was walking away, slamming a kick into the side of his face, sending him stumbling towards the ground. Danny twisted around, his hands flashing out of his pockets, another burning wave hitting Aten’s eyes. Backing up a few steps, Aten didn't try and force sight, instead he waited to hear Danny’s heavy steps start to stampede toward him.

Being downwind made it easy for Aten to sense Danny’s rising and position, the wind giving him a distorted, fuzzy idea of Danny charging at him. Aten could feel the build up for Danny;s uppercut, Aten slid back as it roared up along his chest, his hands clamping onto it as it rose, using it to flip into the air above Danny. A fluid twirl, arcing Aten right--his stopped in the air, ripped back down toward the ground, suspended in the air as Danny held him by the ankles, his arms raking against the deck as he swung uncomfortably.

A panting Danny broke into a giggle as Aten fell limp, his eyes rolled back into his head. “Oh come on, wake up!” Danny raised aten up a bit, shaking him about. “It’s no fun if you get hurt in a boring way.”

Danny felt the tickle on his chest as the sparks gathered, a full taser shocking his chest as Aten groped around Danny's chest, clutching tight to his boob. The grip on Aten;s legs broke, his body flipping in the short fall so he landed in a crouch, sweeping Danny as he rose back to standing.

“Point from Aten!”

“What did I do?” Aten gasped, like a shamed puppy.

“For one you boosted your speed with a pouf of air. For two, you zapped Danny into paralysis.”

Cut to the ground, where Danny is lying unmoving, sporadic twitches going through his body.

“I barely tased him, and those are such fake twitches, and I can see his eyes open while he thinks we’re not looking.”

“No I’m not!” Danny shouted. “I mean, agh! I can barely feel my legs! THE PAIN!”

“Plus, he started the bending it with the pocket sand.”

Not sure if he was accusing or asking Danny replied. “How do you know that?” Danny exclaimed, before, magically cured, jumping back to his feet.

“It’s still hovering around my head!”

“Two point from Danny.” Leigh added, carelessly removing the two ribbons from the board.

“You dirty snitch!” Danny charged at Aten, tackling him to the ground, wrestling Aten like a wild child, teeth dug into the back of Aten’s shoulder.

On the sidelines Stephan watched on with shock. Behind him Simonne announced her presence with a loud crunching chew, patting Stephan on the back, sending him hopping in distress. He glanced down at her hands, seeing her grasping his, favorite, satin coin purse, now filled with a collection of grease covered chips, and a sauce he knew he had marked with his name.

“Didn’t realize you were so soft,” Simone said in a laugh, spewing crumbs onto Stephan’s shirt.

“It’s not that,” Stephan said, taking a step back as Simone continued to chew mouth agap. “I’m just surprised by how…” he gazed around.

At Simone, who was stuffing her face as she hollered at the battle. Danny and Aten’s fight continued on, Danny having pinned Aten to the ground with his ass, who responded with a zap to Danny’s sensitive parts to send him wheeling.

“I never realized how...brutish you all were.” Stephan said, frowning as he watched Aten grab Danny by the bandanna and hair to pull him down, jabbing him in the eyes with his fingers.

Simone piked Stephan with her greasy finger tip. “You did know we were a group of outlaws and bandits, right?”

"In a way, but you hadn't seemed so....common until now."

“I guess we have been pretty noble lately," Simone said, belching with an astonishing amount of moisture. "Come one!" She closed in again, patting Stephan on the back with her sauced covered fingers, really rubbing the sauce into the fabric.“Think of this as your initiation to the group.”

Stephan shook Simone off him, turning back to the stairs into the main ship. “I’m going to see if Fiona needs any help”

Through munches of chips Simone laughed. “What’s the guy doin’ here in the first place?” Then she reached for her pockets, filled with the gold from her new snack bag’s past life, and decided to ignore that question.


Aten squirmed underneath Danny, his movements stiffening as the planks started to crawl around his limbs, Danny pulling his own arms off Aten and sitting back casually.

“Try and one up me here, Aten boooooeeeeeeee-” Danny’s body fell limp, chest collapsing backwards as he thrashed in shock.

Aten sent a bolt of lightning down his arms, slicing the roots and vaulting himself through the crumbling wood. He reached to brush the blood and sand off his chest, snatched up into Danny’s uppercut while his head was down. Aten’s was stopped by the stairwell door for a moment, Danny wasting no time tackling him through it, the two of them plunging down the stairs in a jittery slide.

Danny rolled straight into the wall, the metal denting under him, Aten using a gust of wind to stop his own collision course. The metal groaned as Danny sat up, who snapped into focus on sight of Aten, scrambling into a tackle while Aten was still pulling himself together. His vision blurred as he ran forward, his ears ringing, unable to decipher what Aten was saying before his arm swept him into the attack, Danny’s balance failing as they collided, his momentum ripping through the metal sheets of the stairwell, Aten dragging behind him, as he fell into Fiona's study.

“I see there is no escape on this rude ship,” Stephan bemoaned, flipped over the book Fi was showing him, sending it flying into Danny’s arms.

“Hey Fi?” Danny held the book in his hand, scratching his head at the pages. “Why’re you reading up on cha-kray?”

Fi was taken aback by the question, catching a proud smile from Aten in the corner of her eye, before understanding the how. “It’s for Leigh, it’s part of ver treatment.”

“It’s chak-ra, by the way,” Aten piped in. “But that’s a tricky word, but the a is weird.”

“Oh.” Danny pouted a bit, shutting the book and placing it down

“We can go over some of odder words next time,” Aten said. “You’re making good progress.”

“Yeah.” Danny marched to the door, his normal roguish grin back. “Fi, I’m going to my room to catch a nap. I’m pretty sure I have a cun-cushion, so swing by when you can.” The door shut behind him

“Wait!” Fi chased after Danny. “That’s not-” The door shut behind her, leaving Aten and Stephan alone.

“That was an intense fight!” Aten chirped, hopping onto Fi’s bed and flipping open one of her medical books.

“Aten, if you're going to pretend to read, at least pick a better cover” Pointing at the odd scribblings on the cover. “Old Nordean isn’t ver-.”

“Fuair ​​teideal " Thin Áiteanna " na groves foraoise is eol do chumhacht an nasc idir an comhlacht agus eilimintí nádúr.” Aten read off. “Dubbed "Thin Places" these forest groves are known for the enhanced bond between the body and nature's elements.” He paused. “I mean give or take. Don’t look so surprised, it’s really not that hard, just focus on the roots."

Stephan shook his head. “Aten, you skirmishing scholar, are a wonderful enigma.” He took a seat beside Aten on the bed.

"Watch your words, I wouldn't like you start steaming up as well."

"Not yet, at least," Stephan added, laying his head onto Aten's shoulder. "And do you mean to call me a hypocrite?"

"Stephan, I only mean," Aten took a pause, trying to stay focused as he felt Stephan's breathe beating down his neck. "You still haven't told me why you were at Dreamer's Rest that day, or why you risked your life to save me."

"Well, that was simple," Stephan shifted onto Aten's lap, placing his fingers gently over Aten's chin. "Who wouldn't risk life and limb for this face?"

A few rooms down the hall, Fi sat wrapping a bandage around Danny's head. It was a pointless process, Danny just refused to believe he was being healed unless he left with something wrapped in gauges. He thought it was like medicine. He had not been concussed, a testament to his bullheadedness, and Fi was about to slip a few Dreamy Drops into his drink for a good rest, before she saw the first tower.

Through the window she could make out the tip of Celtincrown breaking the clouds, meaning they would be arriving at the outer-port any minute. The shear mass of Celtincrown was not something that could be described, only felt from within the walls, but Fi could already feel the weight as memories of her past journeys flashed before her. Their first night on their adventure. How David, Bart and she had dragged the grumpy guard Helios own to the cheapest bar they could find, and spent the night singing to their great destinies going forward. To the life they would lead together....

Danny reached his hand out to grab Fi's, he looked into her eyes like she was everything in that moment, before turning back to the window. "We don't always get the futures we want," he announced. "But if we keep trying, we can make the one we deserve."

Fi stood up, patting him on the shoulder. "You should still try and get some rest, it'll take sometime before customs lets us off the ship."

She left back to her room, walking in and around, unphased by the scene on her bed, only sighing before moving over to her healing station. Stephan, kneeling on Aten's lap, wrapped his arms behind the Aten's bare back, as Aten's own head laid back, eyes shut facing the air. "Stephan, please, can we actually-"

A splash of water splashed against them, knocking Stephan off of Aten. Fi stood over the bed with a half filled tub of water, hissing at them. "Get out!"

The two of them scrambled out, the Fi slamming the door behind them. "I just steam-cleaned these sheets."

"You can literally make steam at any time," Stephan called back, fleeing when he heard the door to Fi's room creak open, stopping to give Aten a quick wink. "We can talk later, Aten."