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Kosomi~~
I feel grass beneath my toes, and I slowly open my eyes, looking around. I'm in a wide, open field, flowers growing amongst the tall grass. Next to me a small pool of water. I gaze at my reflection to see that I am wearing a long, sky-blue dress. It's beautiful–I wish I was wearing it in reality, too.
"Isn't this place peaceful?"
I turn around, expecting to see Lunee, but instead there is a woman. Her skin is dark with warm undertones, and her hair only a shade away from black, reaching down to her waist. Her outfit is a mixture of several shades of blue, and a sword rests in a hilt on her waist. I recognize her from a tapestry that used to hang in the Temple–she is Sitaara.
"So you are the one who Angel has trusted with finding my son. What is your name?" She asks, approaching me.
"I am Kosomi pur Ramabasa. I was once Queen of the Homo Aquarians, but I gave up that position. I was not suited for it." I feel as if I could tell Sitaara anything. She has a gentle, kind aura to her. "…Were you murdered? By a shifter?"
Sitaara tilts her head. "What a curious question! No, I wasn't murdered. Not at all."
That proves Angel's innocence, at least. "How did you get here? I thought only Lunee could speak to me here."
"Not quite. Anyone can visit an enchanted poolside dream if they're skilled enough. Provided there's no spells preventing them from entering, of course," Sitaara explains. "Is there anything else you need to ask me?"
"Yes, actually– Miss Lilith, she says she saw you being murdered by a shapeshifter in her dreams. Are her abilities… made-up?"
Sitaara shakes her head. "No, Lilith is truly clairvoyant. But clairvoyance is a messy thing. Sometimes dreams don't mean what they seem to–Lilith didn't witness my death. She simply saw that I was in danger."
"Ah. I suppose it's good to not listen closely to dreams, then," I say.
"I wouldn't say that," Sitaara says. "In fact, this is what I wanted to talk to you about. You have a tendency to ignore things that don't fit in with your more rational worldview."
"Isn't it better to rely on logic, though?"
"Yes. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't listen to more mystical and strange things. After all, we live in a very strange world," Sitaara replies. "I'm afraid my youngest son is far worse than you are when it comes to this sort of thing. It's unlikely he'll believe that I really wanted him to do this."
"So how are we going to convince him it's true?" I ask.
"Well, my husband's Masquerade didn't exactly go well. I'd imagine he would like to get away from his rather foolish family the first chance he got. Use that to your advantage." Sitaara's voice has taken a sour tone. I'm fairly certain the Masquerade wouldn't have happened if she'd still been around.
"Where do we find him, though? Is he still at the manor?" I ask.
Sitaara shrugs. "I genuinely don't know the answer to that, Kosomi. I would hope he's still at the manor… but as I said, the Masquerade didn't go well."
Sitaara looks up at the sky, which has taken on an orange color. "You're going to wake up soon. So I'll leave you with this final piece of advice– There's no such thing as a perfect being."
The world begins to fade, and Sitaara vanishes. The grass beneath my feet turns cold, and hard. Slowly, slowly, the real world comes back into focus– trees have been replaced by stone pillars, and the orange sky replaced by a dark ceiling.
There's a child waiting near the doors–the girl who took me here.
"Miss Lilith wants to talk to you."
And then I notice my bag, with the Power inside it, is gone.
~~~ -
Angel~~
"Ohhh, my head hurts." It's more than just hurting, though. It's an awful, excruciating pain that feels like a billion knives being repeatedly stabbed into my brain.
"Same here. Where are we?" Kit has presented an interesting question. I slowly open my eyes only to quickly slam them shut again–the blinding overhead light only makes my headache worse.
After a moment of keeping them closed, I try again, and find that it's almost bearable. Kit's on the ground next to me, slumped against a wall. Their eyes are open as well, though blinking non-stop as they adjust to the sudden brightness.
We're in an empty room. There's no beds, no fancy writing desks, no windows–the only thing that tells me it's a room and not a large wooden box is the door on the far wall.
My hands aren't bound, but there's an incredibly tight metal band around my wrist with the same engravings as the chains. So, no shifting.
Kit stands up and slowly paces around the room. They murmur something to themself, but I'm not sure what.
"Aw, darn, the kids took my bag," Kit eventually says. Their voice is oddly calm, considering the situation. But for Kit, I've discovered that bizarre calmness in incredibly frightening situations is a norm.
I look down to see my revolver is gone, which is…expected. "So…do you have any ideas?"
Kit looks through the keyhole on the doorknob. "Not at all. The hallway is empty, though… I wonder where Kosomi is. I hope she's okay."
I feel guilty when I realize I haven't considered Kosomi's well-being at all. I hope she's alright, though.
Before I can respond to Kit, there's the sound of distant footsteps, which begin to get louder and louder. Someone's coming.
Kit backs away from the door. "I think it's children. A couple of them. Maybe. Not sure."
The door opens a moment later, confirming Kit's theory. There're three boys and two girls–some of them are SOCS mutants and others seem to be human. Most of them hang back, but one of the girls steps into the doorway. She looks like she's partially a sea serpent–a Homo Aquarius, I think.
The five children glance uneasily between each other. Eventually, the girl speaks.
"You two are Resistance soldiers, right?" She asks.
I glance at Kit. "Not quite. They're more of just…um–well, we're medics, actually." Something tells me it might turn out better if the kids think Kit is also a Resistance member.
"The Resistance are good guys, right?" The girl continues.
"Yes, you could say that," Kit says. I decide they should probably handle the conversation–they're a much nicer person.
"Lilith says so, too… I don't like what she's making us do. It's not right," The girl explains. "But Lilith says you want to hurt people… are you good people?"
"We are," Kit says. "We're good people. We don't want to hurt anybody."
"Does that make Lilith bad?" One of the boys asks. I think yes, but thankfully Kit is much more forgiving.
"Of course not! She's just very… She wants to keep you safe. So she's being cautious. Too cautious." Kit bends down so they're level with the kids. "Lilith is just…misguided, that's all."
The children look at each other again, murmuring something.
"Okay," the girl says. "Come with us.".
I glance at Kit, who shrugs. We don't have any other options, so we follow the kids down the hall.
~~~~ -
Kosomi~~
I never knew the true meaning of dread until this moment.
It feels as if a black cloud has sunken into my bones and flesh, wrapping around my muscles and organs, pressing its pointed claws into my heart and brain. It's like a snake, coiled around every nerve in my body, hissing words into my ear.
The shadows on the walls look like monsters now.
The children guide me slowly down the hallway, and now I find myself trying to remember every detail about the manor. I might need them if I have to escape.
Just as I think my anxiety will become unbearable, we reach the study. Same one as before.
Lilith is waiting inside, with the bag. With the Power. It feels like we're playing a game of chess, but all her pieces have been replaced with queens, and the only pieces I've got left are my king and a pawn.
"Who visited you in your dream?" Lilith asks. Her voice sounds too kind.
"Sitaara visited me."
"I figured she might," Lilith says. "What with you looking for her son, and all."
There's a pause. I can feel the tension crackling in the air. Like a storm is about to hit.
"Give me back the Power, Lilith," I demand. Lilith looks unfazed.
"No," She replies. "It's mine now."
"Why?" I ask. "What do you want with it?"
"I want to serve Lunee, because I love her, and respect her. You don't. You never have. You never will," Lilith replies. "I had a dream, too. And mine told me a lot."
I swallow nervously. "Lunee chose me to protect it. You don't want to anger her, do you?"
Lilith tilts her head. "Lunee will understand that I'm more fit for this. Lunee understands everything."
"Then what do you want from me? And Angel? And Kit?"
"Angel? I want him dead. The cyborg? Perhaps they can be saved. The Nocturnal can always use more members," Lilith explains. "As for you… Well, it would be wrong of me to abandon a fellow priest. Instead, I want to save you."
"Save me? What on Kyngdom do you mean?" I ask.
Lilith smiles. "I want to help you. Just as I've been helping the children. All you have to do… is let me heal you." She reaches out her hands towards me, and I back away, hitting the door–which is locked.
This is going great.
"You're insane."
"Insane? No, Kosomi, I am kind," Lilith says. "When people's minds are clouded with fear, anger, grief, distrust… I fix them. I will make them better again."
I think of how the children follow her every command without question. I think of how their eyes seem to be without emotion, how their voices seem empty.
"You turn them into puppets!" I cry.
"Puppets? No! I would never!" Lilith draws back, looking offended. "No, no, that is what Jaaws would do. I turn people into…saviors! Yes! Saviors who trust in Lunee, in light!"
The worst part is that I can tell Lilith truly thinks she's helping people. That by getting rid of their free will, getting rid of their very emotions–she is saving them. Cleansing them of their wrongs.
But she's really just brainwashing them.
"No," I insist. "You're evil, Lilith."
I have no other option. I draw my sword, ready for a fight.
Lilith sighs. "Oh, Kosomi… I'd truly believed you'd be able to understand."
And then she rushes at me, eyes full of fury.
~~~~ -
Kit~~
The children lead us down the hall for what seems like an impossible amount of time. I try to figure out where we are, but the manor's bizarre interior design only confuses me more. I'd love to meet the architect. They must be insane.
As we get closer and closer to the staircase, I can begin to hear noises coming from the ground floor. They're incredibly faint, but I swear I can make out yells and the clanging of metal.
The children seem uneasy.
"Do you know where Lilith put our stuff?" Angel asks one of the kids.
The girl, who's clearly the leader of their group, nods as she walks. "It's this way."
She takes us down the stairs, but we're still not in the lobby. I wonder what floor we were on. The third, I think–I wonder how many floors total there are. Probably some strange number like four and three quarters, that sounds like something this house would have.
Now that we're on the second floor, the kids take us in a different direction. The floors change from carpet to hardwood as the girl leads us into a large walk-in closet.
I can see my bag hanging on a hook on the far wall, Angel's revolver nearby. The rest of the room is filled with statues and figurines. Most of them are of Lunee, but I spot some statues of the other Powers, and even a small wooden doll that I think is supposed to be a king with a scar on his face. I realize the "king" must be Catastrophe.
"Middle-aged tyrant" seems to be a more fitting nickname than "Boy king" for him.
I grab my bag and look inside of it–everything's all there. Angel seems satisfied with the state of his revolver, too.
The sounds of fighting suddenly rise to a crescendo. Angel gives me a concerned look, and the children are clearly startled. I try my best to swallow back my fear as I go back into the hallway.
"We need to move quickly–I think Kosomi is in trouble," I tell the girl.
"Kosomi? Is she the four-armed lady?" The girl asks.
"Yes, and she's our dear friend, so we really must help her. Do you know where she is?" I say.
The girl nods. "Of course. She was with Miss Lilith." -
Kosomi~~
Lilith is a much better fighter than I anticipated. Her magic is powerful, and she has perfect control over it. I can't help but feel envy–maybe if I'd paid more attention to the priests' lessons, I'd be able to do that too.
We're in the hallway, now–dancing around each other, ducking behind chairs and bookshelves for seconds then leaping out at each other. She uses her magic, I cut it with my sword; I try to cut her and she dodges. The fight seems eternal, unending.
"You can't hurt me with that sword, Kosomi," Lilith yells. "Just give up! I won't hurt you. I only want to save you!"
"Save me? You want to brainwash me!" She's getting closer. I can hear the crackling of the darkness wrapped around her hands.
"No, no–you'd understand better if you let me help you," Lilith said. "Then you'd see! You'd see that all I do is help!"
"All you do is harm!" I swing my sword at her, and to my surprise, she grabs the blade with her hand. Her palm is wrapped in a cloak of magic, but I can still see blood trickling down her arm.
"You can't win, Kosomi. You're weak." Lilith yanks the sword from my grasp, throwing it across the room. Panic floods me–what can I do now?
"If you bleed, you can die," I snap. I step back, feeling the wall press against my back.
"Not by your hand. And especially not with Lunee protecting me." Lilith reaches her hands forwards, which now glow pale blue. "Let me save you, Kosomi. Let Lunee save you!"
There's nothing I can do to resist as Lilith grabs my wrists. Pain suddenly shoots through my body and I cry out in pain. The edges of my vision begin to blur–I think I'm going to pass out. And then there's a loud bang–and suddenly–
It stops.
I gasp in horror to see Lilith collapse onto the floor. There's a red rose blooming on her back, soaking her dress with crimson liquid. A gunshot wound.
Angel stands across the hall, still aiming the revolver at me. Kit is just behind him, as well as a small gang of kids. The children look horrified. I don't blame them.
"Are you okay?" Kit rushes towards me. My ears are ringing, and it feels almost like I'm in a dream. There's a nasty ache throughout my entire body, and I can feel the start of a migraine building in my head.
Kit's face grows concerned as I don't answer. Instead, I slump against the wall, reaching towards Lilith. With a trembling hand, I close her eyelids.
"She only wanted to help," I murmur.
Kit sits down next to me–Angel and the kids keep their distance. Kit says nothing, they simply let me stare into space for a moment.
It's Angel who breaks the silence. "We have to leave. Now."
He's right, as always. "Okay," I whisper. Kit helps me stand. I look at the children, who still seem terrified.
"…Someone has to watch the children," I say, after a moment. "They can't be alone."
There's a moment of uncomfortable silence, until the oldest girl standing behind Angel speaks up.
"It's okay," She says. "I can take care of everyone."
Angel looks down at the young Homo Aquarius, his head tilted. "And exactly how old are you?"
"Eleven," she replies.
"And you're the oldest?" Angel asks. The girl nods.
"Eleven is too young," Kit murmurs. "Children, are there any other adults you know?"
All the children shake their heads–a unison of "no".
"…Maybe someone from the Resistance can help," Angel mutters. "But we have to leave. I'm serious."
"Okay," I say, my voice weak and small. "Okay. We can do that."
Kit nods. "Yes, we'll go to the Resistance base and find help. And then we'll be right back."
"Until then, I'll be in charge?" The girl asks.
"Yes. You'll be in charge." Angel looks down at Lilith. "Kit, Kosomi, head to the Base. I'll meet you there."
~~~~ -
Angel~~
As it turns out, Kosomi and Kit had no intention of going anywhere without me. Both were waiting just outside Lilith's mansion. I didn't inquire as to why they'd chosen to wait for me. If anything, I was glad they did. I wasn't sure I wanted to face the generals alone. Or…him.
"I'm hoping you'll know a quick way to the base, so we can get there before night?" Kosomi says. I glance up at the sky–it seems to be late afternoon. Claaws, we've spent a long time in that manor.
"Obviously," I reply, leading Kit and Kosomi down the street. "It's not far."
I wish it were far, though. Anything to put off seeing him again.
The closer we got to the base, the more nervous I grew. I did my best to hide it, but Kit noticed fairly quickly. Of course Kit would notice.
"Are you…okay?" Kit asks, speeding up so they were next to me. Kosomi hung further back.
I nod. "Of course I'm fine. What makes you think otherwise?"
"You seem a little…anxious," Kit explains.
"Anxious? Please, I don't get anxious." I try to fake-laugh, but Kit seems incredibly unconvinced. Which, to be fair, I expected.
"So what's bothering you?" Kit continues.
"…It's nothing. I'm serious." It wasn't nothing, of course. It had been so long–would he think the same of me? Did he hate me? I worried he did.
A small smile is on Kit's face. "I know you're lying, but hey. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."
"…It's just been a while since I've been back at the base. I guess I'm a little nervous about seeing some of my old friends." Ha. 'Friend' didn't even come close to describing my feelings about Hiraeth.
"Makes sense. But I'm sure it'll be okay," Kit says. "I mean, what's the worst that could happen?"
I tried not to think about the worst case scenario.
—— -
Kit~~
The Resistance base looms above us, its grey walls and wire fencing a sharp change from the peaceful aura of Mer. The base itself is located a short walk outside of the city walls, hidden in a small…valley, I guess? Gentle hills block the base on both sides, shielding it from attack. The surrounding jungle helps to hide it, too.
As we get closer, I'm able to make out the shapes of several guards standing in front of the main entrance. Their greyish-green uniforms blend in perfectly with the mixture of foliage and metal. There's about six in total, each one armed to the teeth.
"I'll do the talking," Angel says. Kosomi and I wait several feet behind as he approaches one of the guards.
The guard, a large wolf anthro with vivid blue eyes, looks down at Angel. The anthro has to be at least seven feet tall–I mean, he's even taller than me, and that's saying something.
"Who are you?" He asks. His voice is strong, and powerful, but not cruel or angry.
"Colonel Angel Hildebrande. I was stationed in Paralia, prior to the attack." Angel holds out his Resistance badge. He looks hilariously short compared to the wolf anthro.
"Colonel Hildebrande? We thought you were dead!" The anthro's eyes seem to light up. "Come on in. Hiraeth will be delighted to know you're okay."
The anthro looks up, and spots Kosomi and I. "Who are they?"
"Kosomi Ramabasa and Kit– they're also from Paralia. They helped save my life," Angel explains.
"Ah. They can come in, too. Open the gates!" The other guards scramble to open the doors as the wolf anthro guides us into the base. I wonder who 'Hiraeth' is.
There's a Dolor Felis sitting at a desk in the entrance room. She seems bored, and is sharpening a knife when we walk in. She barely even glances up at them.
"Let me guess. New recruits?" The Dolor Felis ignores Angel entirely.
The anthro shakes his head. "No. This is Colonel Hildebrande and his friends."
The Dolor Felis looks down at us. "Huh. Guess he's not dead." She goes back to sharpening her knife.
"So, let me guess, you want to know where Hiraeth is?" The anthro asks.
Angel laughs–nervously, it seems. "Ha, uh, no…actually… Er, there's something else I needed to discuss. With the medics."
The guard looks surprised for a moment, but doesn't question Angel. "Right. Of course. I'll just let him know you're alive."
"Uh, thanks." Angel watches as the guard leaves.
"So who's this 'Hiraeth'?" Kosomi asks.
"It's not important. The infirmary is this way." Angel begins to walk down a hallway on the left side of the room. Kosomi and I have no choice but to follow.
"So who do you think Hiraeth is?" Kosomi whispers to me.
I shrug. "Maybe an old friend, or something?"
We aren't able to come to any conclusion by the time we reach the infirmary. There are several medics darting from bed to bed, treating a hauntingly high number of patients. Some of them look to be civilians–refugees from Paralia, maybe.
Some of the medics see Angel, and they pause. "Colonel Hildebrande?" One asks.
"Yes, it's me," Angel replies.
"Welcome back from the land of the dead, Hildebrande," Another says. "What do you need?"
"There's a house full of orphans–the blue manor on Serpent Hill Road, in the city. They need someone to care for them," Angel explains.
"I'll do it," A medic replies. The medic is a young human man, probably only about twenty.
"Thank you," Angel says. "You can bring them into the base or let them stay at the manor–as long as they're safe, it's fine."
"Right." The medic leaves the room.
"Have you spoken to Hiraeth yet?" Another medic asks.
Angel shakes his head. "Did any of the other soldiers from Paralia make it here alive?"
"A few made it back. They were with the group of refugees led by a person named Felix," A medic explains. Oh, good. Felix survived.
Angel sighs in relief. "Oh, good."
The same medic continues to speak. "You should get some rest. Your friends too. You all look exhausted."
"Thank you. I will," Angel responds.
"Talk to Hiraeth and the generals first, though. I know Hiraeth was devastated when you didn't return," She says.
Angel swallows nervously. "Yeah. I'll…talk to him. Can you take my friends somewhere they can rest?"
~~~~-
Um hi there! I was just going to try and jump in here! You are an amazing writer!!!!
Asa's pronouns are they/them and they can be shipped with anyone. They are
~Asa
"Yes of course Hildebrande." Sacha was talking with Colonel Hildebrande. He was thought to be dead and was the subject of conversation on the base. I was tending to a patient but I was paying attention to the conversation behind me.
I stand up and turn around after I finish wrapping a bandage and take a glance at the newcomers. There was a homo aquarius and a cyborg and neither of them looked good. Colonel Hildebrande didn't look too good either but he had to meet with Hiraeth.
"Asa!" Sacha barks at me, "Tend to these newcomers and then lead them to the spare barracks."
"Yes ma'am." I say.
"Alright, this is Asa and they will take good care of you." Sacha rushes away to help another patient.
"Please follow me,". I lead them to the back of the infirmary, "You can sit there." I motion towards two benches and I turn away to gather suppplies.
"So you're Asa?" The cyborg asks.
"Yes I am. You already knew that."
"Well, I'm Kit." Kit says
"And I'm Kosomi Rambasa." The Homo Aquarius says.
I nearly stumble at that, "You're a Nobyl?"
Kosomi shakes her head, "not anymore"
I nod as I finish gathering supplies and begin the examination, "So right off the bat, does anything hurt, are you wounded, and if so where?"
"I was in an accident and lost my memory." Kit says.
I nod and walk over to them first, "Was this a recent accident?"
"No,"
I do a quick examination and nothing seemed to be wrong except for some dehydration and exhaustion. I whip up a little remedy that will help them fall asleep, "You should take that when you get to the barracks." I say as I hand them the remedy.
"So, why is Angel so concerned about seeing this Hiraeth?" Kosomi asks me in a low tone.
"Angel?" I ask confused
"Colonel Hildebrande, sorry" Kit says.
I glance at both of them "I don't think I'm authorized to share that information with you." I say quickly.
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So I was thinking that Asa is really closed off and proffesional and then them and the rest of the group keep getting into situations together and then you know…. possible shipping? I'll make a character sheet and post it.
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Thank you! I'll try to write a response soon– don't think I've abandoned the thread just because I haven't responded in a couple of days. I've been a bit busy lately, is all.
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That's totally alright! You can take your time. I have also just realized that I never described Asa.
They are human and they have short blonde hair that is growing out to their shoulders. It is typically in a bun or back with a bandanna of some sort while they are working. Usually wears the medic uniform while working. They have hazel eyes and freckles and they are about 5'4"
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Angel~~I wipe my hands on my pants as I walk down the hallway, desperately fighting off my ever-raising nerves. I both desperately want to see Hiraeth and hope that we’ll never meet again.Such is the way of love, I suppose.The halls somehow seem very long and very short at the same time. I can hear the soldiers and other Resistance members whispering to each other about me–every so often, one will glance up and say something to me. Their words pass through my mind and are forgotten before I have a chance to process them.Eventually, I reach General Mina’s office. I slowly open the door and am greeted by the pleasant voice of her current secretary– a young hyena anthro with spiky brown hair and warm brown eyes.“Hildebrande! I expected you would come here. Mina’s busy at the moment, but I’ll let her know you’ve returned. If there’s anything she needs to tell you, I’ll send out a letter,” The anthro says. “Now, is there anything else you need?”“Er, yes. Do you know where Major General de León is?”“You mean Hiraeth? Oh, sure. He’s out at the training grounds with a couple of the new recruits.”“Thank you.”“You’re welcome. Bye now,” The hyena says, his voice somehow becoming kinder.I leave the room, heading towards the halls to the training grounds. As I get closer, I can hear the vague sounds of shouts and gunshots–not chaotic like the ones that would be heard in a battle, but calm, orderly. The sounds of target practice.I push open a set of heavy metal doors and the training grounds appear in front of me. The sun beats down harshly on a wide green field, surrounded by barbed-wire fencing and the towering trees of the Mer forests. I spot Hiraeth almost instantly–he’s barking orders at a group of recruits, who look very overwhelmed.He looks as beautiful as the last time I saw him–dark hair curling around the edges of his warm, fawn-colored face, gorgeous golden-brown eyes that seem to reflect all the sun’s glory, features so perfect you’d assume he’s carved of marble. His elven ears seem to have piercings now–I wonder when he had that done.Hiraeth’s ears twitch and he glances at me, looks back at the recruits, then glances back and does a double-take. I don’t think I’ve seen him look this surprised or delighted, not even when I proposed to him.“Angel?!” He sounds like he can’t believe what he’s seeing.“That’s right,” I respond, trying to sound nonchalant.“I thought you died! What happened?!” He runs towards me, and holds my hands in his.“It’s… kind of a long story. But right now, I’m just glad to see you again.” And I am. All my nerves seem to melt away in his presence.Love never really goes away, does it?—-Kosomi~~Asa leads Kit and I down the hallways towards the barracks. I roll the small remedy they gave us between my fingers. It’s some kind of liquid, in a little glass bottle. A potion, or just medicine?The barracks they take us to are completely empty. Probably why they’re considered spares.“You take any bed you want… take the remedy when you’re ready to sleep.” Asa glances down at their watch. “It’ll probably keep you asleep for three hours, meaning you’ll wake up… right around dinner–I think.”“Are we invited to that?” Kit asks. I can’t actually tell if they’re trying to be funny or not.“I would imagine so,” Asa replies. “If you need anything, I will be in the infirmary.” With that, Asa leaves the room. I can hear the sound of their shoes clicking fade softly away.“So, what are your thoughts on the Resistance?” I ask after Asa is gone.Kit’s eyebrows knit together. “I’m not really sure. Well, that’s not really true. I know they’re the good ones, but they just seem so…” Kit waves their non-metal arm in the air, which could mean a million different things.“Unorganized?” I suggest.Kit shakes their head. “More like… young.”“That’s fair.”“What do you think about them?” Kit then asks.“About the same as you, I guess. Their leaders are smart, and they fight for a good cause, but I’m concerned about their lack of resources and experiences,” I explain.Kit doesn’t say anything for a moment. “I guess there’s not much we can do about it.”“I suppose you’re right.” The conversation ends, and we both climb into beds. I uncork the remedy bottle, and drink it. It tastes like peaches. Sleep comes much quicker than I expected, engulfing me in peaceful darkness…~~~ -
~Asa~
I close the door after me when I leave the room and sigh. Kosomi didn't seem too fond of me. And of course they would be invited to dinner? Why wouldn't they?
I shake my head and walk back to the infirmary. There Sacha is waiting for me.
"My little deer!" She calls
I smile and head over to her, "hi Sacha" I reply
"soo, did you get our guests settled in?" She pulls me into a hug.
"Yes I did. I don't think the one is quite fond of me though"
"That's all right, I'm sure they'll be out of here quick enough." She goes and begins cleaning up.
I nod.
"But while they are here I think you should talk to them." Sacha says turing back towards me.
"talk to them? why? " I ask. They were probably going to leave soon. There was no point in doing that. I take my hair down and redo the bun it was in.
"They're adventurers. who knows, they might have a few good stories." Sacha says as she walks away to tend to a patient.
"Sacha.." I begin but it's no use. She's already busy and I know better than to interrupt her. Another patient just walked in and I immeatietly went to help them.
"Hey Asa," they said.
"Rami, what are you doing here?" I said as I assessed his situation. He was holding his wrist and was walking with a limp.
"I got into an accident?"
"mhm, what does that mean?" I grab bandages and ointments.
"I made someone mad?" Rami says sheepeshly
"On accident or on purpose?"
He says nothing
"Rami," I sigh "You really need to stop this." I begin to wrap his wrist and I put a brace over it.
"Wait wait wait, why the brace?" He says and tries to pull his arm away.
"You are getting the brace because you keep spraining this wrist and it needs to heal properly. which means no moving it." I say yanking his arm back into place.
"Asaaaaa" he whines
"Oh shut it" I roll my eyes, "there you go" I finish wrapping his arm and focus on his leg.
"So that one is just a bruise"
"You are so dramatic," I say as I gather ingredients for a remedy.
"I am not!"
I chuckle and give him the remedy, "It will knock you out for a couple hours. You'll wake up for dinner and you will defenitly be hungry."
"What does this one taste like?" He asks with childhood wonder in his eyes.
"I guess you'll have to find out."
He frowns "whenever you say that, that means that it isn't good,"
I shrug my shoulders and shoo him out, "please actually drink it, Rami. It will help you get better."
"fiiiiine" He says walking out.
"The kid is fond of you, little deer,"
"Ah! Sacha stop doing that," I jump. She's right behind me. Like right there.
"no can do, but you have time off. You should probably go and get washed up. Dinner is supposed to be nicer today since Hildebrande is back."
"Alright Sacha, I'll see you later."
"Don't forget to talk to the guests!" She calls after me.
I shake my head and chuckle.
-
Kit~~The dusty wooden panels of the bunk above me slowly fade into clarity as I awaken, shaking off the thin brown blankets. Kosomi is already awake, yawning and stretching. Her cloak rests on the floor beside the bed and I see that her four arms have fins on them. After another yawn, she looks up at the clock, then turns to me.“It’s six now–do you think dinner is ready?”“Maybe,” I reply. “…Asa never told us where the cafeteria is, did they?”“Well, it can’t possibly be that hard to find, can it? Come on, we’d better hurry.” With that, Kosomi stands and throws her cloak back over her shoulders. I stand up quickly, not wanting to be left behind.She steps into the hall and looks around. “I can hear a lot of people talking not far from here. We’ve just got to follow the noise.”I can just barely hear the sounds of voices in the distance. “Maybe we could ask someone where the cafeteria is?”Kosomi waves her hand dismissively. “No, no, we’ll find it on our own.”“If you’re sure…” Kosomi begins to walk down the hallway, and against my better judgement, I follow her. After several minutes of walking in circles, it becomes apparent she doesn’t actually know where she’s going.“Are we lost?” I ask. I look around the corridors– there is nobody around to ask for help, and no signs to tell us what direction to go.“Of course not! I was just… getting my bearings,” Kosomi says with a light laugh. “Let’s go… this way!”She picks an entirely random hallway and begins to march down it, bizarrely determined. Thankfully, though, the sounds of talking and the clinking of plates and glasses seem to be growing louder. Finally, we reach the cafeteria.It’s huge. And loud. And absolutely packed.And very, very overwhelming.“Oh.” The word escapes my lips unintentionally.“I don’t see Angel anywhere,” Kosomi mutters. She’s scanning over the crowd, and I join her.“There he is!” I tap Kosomi on the shoulder and point at him. He’s with a group of soldiers, drink in hand, seemingly laughing. An elf with warm, brown skin and curly, dark hair has his arm wrapped around him.“Who’s he with?” Kosomi seems surprised that Angel could know people other than us.“I don’t know, let’s ask him,” I suggest. I begin to weave through the crowd, Kosomi at my back. People give us looks, but I mostly ignore them.Angel soon spots us and lets out a delighted laugh. “Kosomi, Kit! Come here, I have someone I want you to meet!”The group of soldiers–medics, I now realize– make room for us to join them at their table. They all seem reasonably friendly, and greet us warmly. I notice Asa sits at the table as well– I guess the medics all like to stick together, or something.“Hiraeth, meet Kosomi–she’s the Homo Aquarius– and Kit, they’re the cyborg. Kosomi, Kit, meet Hiraeth–my husband,” Angel says. He sounds proud, and happy. And in love.“So these are your friends?” Hiraeth, the elf, looks down at us. “How nice to meet you two. Angel has already told me lots about you.”“It’s nice to meet you too,” Kosomi says, shaking his hand, ever so formal.“Hi, Hiraeth. Good to meet you,” I say. “Hi, Asa. Thanks for taking care of us.” Asa’s head lifts up in surprise.“Oh. You’re welcome,” they say, before turning back to their food.Something about this conversation feels nice. Like for once, I’m welcome to speak. I have a feeling this is what I used to be like, before the accident–more open, talkative, charismatic. I’m glad that part of me is returning.“So, Kosomi, Kit, what did you do before you met Hildebrande?” one of the medics, a gruff-looking human with silver eyes and long brown hair asks.“I was the ruler of the Homo Aquarians for a short time, after we escaped the labs. That honor now goes to Aerwyna Nicchio–well, pur Nicchio, now, I guess,” Kosomi explains.“Oh, you’re the Ramabasa girl, then? I’d heard about you abdicating your throne. Why’d you do it?”“Aerwyna was a better leader than me. She deserved to be queen far more,” Kosomi says.“What about you, Kit?” a different medic, a youthful wood elf, asks.I swallow nervously. “Uh, good question.” There's a chorus of laughter.“Seriously, what did you do?” Hiraeth asks. Several of the other medics repeat this question.“Er, well, about two months ago… I was in an accident. I lost my memory,” I explain.“What kind of accident?” the long-haired human asks.“It was a fight. With… a gang member,” I reply. “Worked for a guy named Ron–he’s a big name in the Kyngdom black market, I think. But from what I remember before… I think I always travelled. Guess it’s just in my nature.”“Ah, yeah, we’ve had our own share of problems with Ron. Guy’s a real maniac,” a medic says. “He’s got a deal with the Black Skull, we suspect. He had his goons hunting down our soldiers for a while, stealing our weapons and ammo to sell them.”“Did you stop him?” I ask.The medic nods. “Yeah. An assassin we sent out about two weeks ago finally put a bullet in his head.”“Oh, good. Wish I’d been the assassin, though,” I remark. Once again, my comment garners laughter. Wow. I guess I’m… not bad at this talking thing.Kosomi looks rather uncomfortable, though.~~~
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