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[i]Calliope was running hard, with the bitter winds of winter burning streaks of bright red along her freckled cheeks. Her chapped lips were pressed into a thin grin across her face, and the ends of her crimson hair danced wildly in her wake. The air was crisp but barely wakened as the church bells tolled the hour. DING; Calliope did not hesitate for a moment as her long, muscular legs rotated in sync with her waist and torso to round a corner effortlessly. A small patch of snow exploded under her heel, coating Calliope's back with splashes of white. Her body, a contrasting streak of color against the snow, continued to weave through countless dilapidated structures until her heart was beating uncontrollably within her chest. DING; The girl's amber eyes shone with delight, despite the stinging sensation that overcame her throat and lungs with every intake of cold air. As the melodic sounds tickled Calliope's eardrums, an anxious memory began to surface. 

[color=goldenrod]"Come down, Kieren! We're going to be late."[/color] A much younger Calliope swung playfully from the support of an aging oak tree's extended branch. Above her, cradling her knees to her chest, was her sister, Kieren. The timid girl was nestled in the notch, hiding most of her face between her scraped and dirtied legs. Calliope rocked her body back and forth until she had enough momentum to thrust herself forward. She quickly tucked into a ball as the wind whooshed around her falling form. Kieren cried out in panic as Calliope dropped faster and faster to the ground below. At the last minute, Calliope unfolded and attempted to plant her heels into the earth. Although she partially accomplished the landing, her small frame stumbled forward, her hands unearthing clods of dirt and grass. Calliope flicked the dirt from her hands and chuckled under her breath as she turned her head towards Kieren. Except Kieren was not where Calliope had last seen her before leaping from the treetop. A helpless grunt pierced through Calliope's heart as she locked eyes with her sister's dangling body. Kieren hung precariously from the same branch Calliope had just jumped from, the girl's knuckles were white as ghosts with their effort to hold on firmly. [color=goldenrod]"Hold on, I'm coming to get you!"[/color] Calliope dashed to the trunk of the oak and began furiously climbing back towards her sister. The church bells tolled in the distance. DING; [color=powderblue]"I.... ca-"[/color] Calliope's foot slid down, removing tree bark, as she relentlessly continued upwards. [color=goldenrod]"YES YOU CAN, DON'T LET-"[/color] DING; Calliope's ears went cloudy and her heart seemed to stop its rapid beating. The autumn leaves, painted all shades of gold, red, and orange, framed Kieren's helpless, porcelain face as her widened eyes reached desperately for Calliope. Calliope couldn't hear her own screams over the bells and the breaking of bone.

Eight more chimes occurred during Calliope's daydream. She scrunched her eyelids together and shook her head fiercely from side to side. No time for pity parties, she thought as she skirted around yet another corner. This time she slowed to a swift walking pace and filled her overworked lungs with several hearty breaths of air. A large, ornate temple rose before Calliope. Its weathered pillars were expertly carved with beautiful and intricate designs. Calliope outstretched her left arm and rested her open palm on the pillar closest to her. A silver bangle on her wrist glistened in the moonlight and a sweet, soft hymn escaped through her parted lips into the dark night. Calliope's fingers pulled towards the center of her hand and back out again, the texture of the rough marble comforting to her in the eerie silence. DING, DING, midnight at last. Calliope took a step backwards, combed her fingers through her windswept hair, and curved the corners of her mouth into a hopeful smile as she stepped into the Reckoning chamber.

Four Mytics stood in a semi-circle and greeted Calliope politely with faint smiles and nods of their heads. No words were exchanged between the two parties as she ascended the stairs and gazed open-mouthed at her surroundings. Rows upon rows of goblets sparkled in the faint light on one side, while a trickling fountain rippled its rhythmic tune throughout the vast room on the other. For years Calliope had dreamt of this very moment, her Reckoning day, and had always known in her heart which Estuary she was destined and desired to serve in. She strode confidently towards the fountain, her footsteps echoing against the four walls. Midway she halted, and her cheeks flushed a deep shade of pink. Dammit, Calliope. Goblet, fountain, wait, and leave. She had recited the words in her head for as long as she could remember, and yet now she had very boldly made a mistake in front of four of the wisest and most well-known citizens of Valeriya. She pivoted gracefully on her heels, extended her arms in front of her, and flipped her body over itself in one elegant movement. She smiled innocently at the Mystics and bowed slightly, [color=goldenrod]"Figured you all could use a little entertainment this morning. First show's free!"[/color] Calliope lifted her head anxiously, not wanting to make contact with any of their eyes. She heard a very brief, muffled chortle from one of the largest men standing on the far end, and the blood immediately warmed throughout her body. As she neared the vast array of goblets her mind distracted itself with other distant hopes and wishes. She reached for a tall, slender cup whose rim was bordered with some sort of thorn pattern. The tips of each curled every so slightly to give the brass goblet a more gentle appearance. Except for this, the goblet was plain and even tarnished in multiple places. Calliope inhaled deeply through her nose and held her breath as tiny droplets of water slid off her fingertips and fell back into the pool with a tiny "plop".

Calliope rushed from the temple and immediately collided with another warm body. Both figures tumbled with satisfying crunches into the freshly fallen snow. She sat upright, resting her tailbone on her heels, and cupped her hands under the other person's armpits she had run into. [color=goldenrod]"Clumsy me, I wasn't even paying attention. I could've really hurt-"[/color] Calliope's words froze in her mouth as she stared into the tearful [color=powderblue]blue[/color] eyes of her sister, Kieren. The same color that had reflected in the water of her goblet only moments earlier.[/i]
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Calliope patted the tuft of fur between Bastian's shoulder blades and smiled weakly. Dark circles hung under her dull eyes and her hair was pulled in a knot at the back of her neck, although a few rebellious strands hung around her face. She had spent the previous night scouting with her Vein; her calloused fingers furiously sketched their surroundings and positions in relation to base camp. The morning sun peeked just above the horizon as Bastian strode with Calliope sprawled out atop him through an open expanse of meadow. Tiny pinpricks of dew clung to the lion's fore paws, and he shook them off with agitation. Bastian despised water of any kind unless it was drinking water. Calliope's body rocked peacefully from side to side with the creature's gait and as her eyes closed in sleep, she hummed a sweet, soft hymn. The same hymn that had comforted her countless times in her past wrapped its musical arms lovingly around the pair of wanderers in this moment of quiet and bliss. Moments truly cherished in these times of war and destruction. [color=goldenrod]"Ready to greet the troops with good news and a smile?"[/color] Bastian blew hot air through his nostrils gruffly. [color=goldenrod]"Hey, no news IS good news, my friend. Don't forget it."[/color] Calliope could hear the faint sounds of other's footsteps and voices in the distance, but she made no effort to sit up as Bastian lessened the distance between them and the Harbinger's tents with each and every step. [i]No news IS good news[/i], she thought one last time to herself before drifting off to sleep.[/center]