Jayk cringed. Run-ins. Jerica. Trouble. He tried again to mentally map out the way they might have taken. If it had driven them this deep into Swaltou, Jerica clearly thought whatever was waiting for them out there was more dangerous than the hell of these woods. "Tell me it wasn't Femola?"
"u and rina are systematically watering down the grammar of yws" - Atticus "From the fish mother to the fish death god." - lehmanf "A fish stole my identity. I blame shady" - Omni [they/he]
Jayk rubbed his face with both hands, audibly groaning. "Fuck!"
Of all of the people to figure out that she was still alive -- and the fact that they were here meant she hadn't killed him. Which made sense, he probably had an army. But that meant.
Jayk pushed himself to his feet and turned back towards the camp. Aerik needed to know about this. "Come on."
"u and rina are systematically watering down the grammar of yws" - Atticus "From the fish mother to the fish death god." - lehmanf "A fish stole my identity. I blame shady" - Omni [they/he]
Elias grimaced at the expletive. That didn't sound good. He knew that Femola was out to get Jerica, but... she didn't exactly admit this with the same fierceness. It hit different hearing a reaction from someone else.
He watched as Jayk suddenly got up in a hurry, and then quickly followed up behind him. "Where are we going?" he asked. "Is something wrong?"
"The gods be damned," Jayk growled under his breath. For all he knew, Femola had an entire army combing through the woods at this very moment. "How long ago did he see you?"
"u and rina are systematically watering down the grammar of yws" - Atticus "From the fish mother to the fish death god." - lehmanf "A fish stole my identity. I blame shady" - Omni [they/he]
The anxiety was starting to make him nervous, but he tried to keep it cool. "I'm not sure," he said as he continued to follow briskly behind. "It was towards the beginning, like our second or third day when we went into a town."
Jayk snapped at one of the boys they passed. "Paper and pencil."
He hurried to where Glynn and Jerica were still sitting. Jerica still looked a bit weak, but was in a much better state than they'd left her in. Glynn looked fatigued but okay otherwise. They stopped murmuring to one another when he approached.
"Femola?" Jayk sighed.
Jerica cringed and nodded. "It was..." She closed her eyes for a moment, worrying her brow. "Eleven." She opened her eyes again. "Days ago."
"Fuck."
Jerica nodded again. "Fuck."
"Fuck," Glynn agreed.
"u and rina are systematically watering down the grammar of yws" - Atticus "From the fish mother to the fish death god." - lehmanf "A fish stole my identity. I blame shady" - Omni [they/he]
"I'm sending a letter." Jayk glanced at him for the briefest moment before taking the pencil and paper from a boy who brought them to him. "And setting a meeting."
"With Femola?" Jerica scoffed.
Jayk was already scratching something on the paper. "No."
"Oh." Jerica hesitated. "I can't help you."
"He can." Jayk folded the paper between his fingers, then it disappeared. "Give it a minute."
"u and rina are systematically watering down the grammar of yws" - Atticus "From the fish mother to the fish death god." - lehmanf "A fish stole my identity. I blame shady" - Omni [they/he]
It took all of Elias's willpower to not blurt out, "How did you do that?" when the paper disappeared between Jayk's fingers. Something told him he was going to get ignored.
Instead he let out a frustrated breath through his nose, staring at Jerica and hoping that at least she would be able to empathize with him.
"Is someone going to tell me what the hell is going on?" he asked.
"Remember how I said it was bad Femola recognized me?" Jerica cringed and pushed herself up to her feet, staggering to the side before she caught her balance. She looked at Elias and took a deep breath. "It's still bad. We're going to... have a meeting?"
Jerica glanced over at Jayk. He was pacing, irritably drumming his hand against his thigh, but inclined his head. "He'll answer."
Jerica looked back at Elias. "It's going to suck. But we're..." Jerica glanced around, lowering her voice. "Going to see someone who can help. Someone you've already met."
"u and rina are systematically watering down the grammar of yws" - Atticus "From the fish mother to the fish death god." - lehmanf "A fish stole my identity. I blame shady" - Omni [they/he]
Elias wasn't smart, but he could sense a serious situation when he saw one. The air around them seemed tense and thin, and even Jayk looked like he was a few seconds away from having a meltdown. He had told him not to say Aerik's name, and with Jerica's lowered voice and avoidance of his name as well, apparently this was serious. Aerik was someone that could help, but not anyone he should know. Well, okay then. He just wished she had told him this earlier.
"Okay, I understand," he said, although he knew there was still a lot he didn't know. He just didn't want to add more anxiety than needed. He drew his brows together, shifting the weight on his feet. "So we're going to travel all the way back, then?" he asked slowly.
A paper materialized just in front of Jayk, and he snatched it out of the air. He read it quickly then looked up at them with a nod. "We're set."
He stepped forward swiftly and carefully wrapped his left arm around her, then grabbed the shoulder of Elias's tunic.
"Hold on, tight," Jerica instructed, reaching her left arm out to grasp Elias's hand tightly. She met his gaze for the briefest moment. "This is going to suck."
"u and rina are systematically watering down the grammar of yws" - Atticus "From the fish mother to the fish death god." - lehmanf "A fish stole my identity. I blame shady" - Omni [they/he]
Elias didn't want to cause more frustration than needed, but he really wished that someone would give him a straight answer. Luckily, in times of stress, he seemed to have an infinite supply of patience, so he simply nodded and then stared as Jayk and Jerica held on to him. He had no idea what was going on, but it felt weirdly intimate to be so close, especially since Jerica held his hand.
"Sure, okay. Although, I'm not sure what--"
He was cut off when it felt like he was torn from the fabric of reality.
It felt like he was jumping out of his own skin as gravity simultaneously felt nonexistent and much too strong. It hurt and he was just so confused.
He couldn't control himself. He screeched and then lunged forward to grab on to something that would help ground him. That something happened to be Jerica, and he wrapped his arms around her and held on to her for dear life.
Jerica understood how Elias felt. Unfortunately. Each and every time she had to be Transported, she felt like her entire life was going to end. And, she wished it would -- and quick, before she had to be Transported again.
It always felt like both an eternity and no time at all passed with a dizzying blur, before her body was thrown back together. Her legs hit the ground and buckled. She yanked herself away from both of their grasps as best as she could and turned, so that she would fall away from the huddle.
She landed on her hands and knees, though her right arm gave out, pain stabbing through the gashes still stitched shut. At least, her side didn't hurt anymore. But her gut sure did.
She vomited.
"Oh, Jer," Aerik sighed sympathetically, appearing at her shoulder as he bent down and offered her a rag, anticipating her reaction.
"u and rina are systematically watering down the grammar of yws" - Atticus "From the fish mother to the fish death god." - lehmanf "A fish stole my identity. I blame shady" - Omni [they/he]
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