[hr][hr][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/8w5gQDi.png[/img][/center]
[hr][hr][center][url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAQ5tHu-uEI]♪[/url]   [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7No2jnI-gY]♪[/url][/center][hr][hr][center][sub][sup][url=https://www.deviantart.com/acidlullaby/art/Blood-and-Gold-494740574]Art by acidlullaby[/url][/sup][/sub]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/tzQrMw9.png[/img][/center][hr][center]🙨 ☊☋☊ ❀ ☋☊☋ 🕱 ☊☋☊ ❀ ☋☊☋ 🕱 ☊☋☊ ❀ ☋☊☋ 🕱 ☊☋☊ ❀ ☋☊☋ 🙨 ☊☋☊ ❀ ☋☊☋ 🕱 ☊☋☊ ❀ ☋☊☋ 🕱 ☊☋☊ ❀ ☋☊☋ 🕱 ☊☋☊ ❀ ☋☊☋ 🙨[/center][hr]
Nobody would've seen her from where they were. Marceline was behind her. The camel's head blocked the others. They would not have seen the fear that slipped through Jocasta's mask of very real exhaustion. They would not have noticed her pawing at her lower midsection with a sort of resigned desperation. She [i]was[/i], though. [color=ffdead][i]Another piece of myself,[/i][/color] she thought dully, [color=ffdead][i]lost for good.[/i][/color] The numbness had risen, another centimeter or so past her hips, and more of Jocasta or Consuela or whoever she'd been before that was gone. Why had she done it? She'd overdrawn - the worst possible thing for a Tethered - to save people she hadn't even [i]known [/i]twenty-five hours ago. She'd taken months off of her already-shortened life for them. Yet... a lot could change in a day. She knew it better than most. People who'd meant everything to you could become part of the past. People you'd never even met could become part of your future. 

Yet, now, Bitch was stealing hooded glances back at her and whispering in the ear of Ayla, foolishly unaware that a trained assassin would notice and that it was second nature for Jocasta to play harmless in whatever form was open to her. [color=ffdead][i]You, I should've let be froabas food,[/i][/color] she thought darkly. Zarina would always be an implacable enemy, she decided then and there. [color=ffdead][i]One out of five wouldn't be [b]too [/b]bad, would it?[/i][/color] Yalen, too, had said not a word, but he'd been looking. Inwardly, the Tethered shook her head. One day, it had been. She'd gotten carried away. These were not friends, and they never would be. Some were good people, she allowed, and would help in this undertaking so long as they did not truly know her, but only a fool gives of herself for others: only a fool, unless there is something in it for [i]her[/i]. There was not. This had all merely been some diverting attempt to play-act at being a 'normal' teenager. 

Jocasta took a handful of deep, steadying breaths and Marceline twisted to look at her concernedly. [color=598527][b]"Sister?"[/b][/color] she asked in a quiet voice. [color=ffdead][b]"Sister,"[/b][/color] the older girl responded.

[color=598527][b]"Are you alright?"[/b][/color]

[color=ffdead][b]"I was not,"[/b][/color] Jocasta admitted. [color=ffdead][b]"Now, I am."[/b][/color]

[color=598527][b]"That sounds... anomynous."[/b][/color]

[color=ffdead][b]"Ominous, Marci."[/b][/color]

[color=598527][b]"Ominous."[/b][/color]

[color=ffdead][b]"And it isn't,"[/b][/color] the Dorvalishwoman assured her. [color=ffdead][b]"Most of these aren't bad people. I think they'll even help us. They're..."[/b][/color] she trailed off for a moment. [color=ffdead][b]"Just not [i]friends:[/i] not people we trust with our deepest secrets, alright?"[/b][/color]

There was a bit too long of a pause. Jocasta had been deadening the air to sound, subtly enough that it would be difficult to even sense. [color=ffdead][b]"Sister, you haven't said anything about Father, right?"[/b][/color]

[color=598527][b]"Never, on my life!"[/b][/color]

[color=ffdead][b]"Shhhh, Marci."[/b][/color]

[color=598527][b]"Sorry, Sister."[/b][/color]

[color=ffdead][b]"It's alright. I'm glad I have you."[/b][/color] Jocasta leaned forward, hesitant for a moment, wondering how much she would feel the loss of a bit of core strength. She rested her chin on the teenager's shoulder and smiled. [color=ffdead][b]"Besides, they heard nothing."[/b][/color]

[hider=A shared vision?]True or not as that may have been, the group's conversation did not end there. Ayla stretches out as she provides an unamused smile, rather grumpy as she soon discovered that sleeping on a camel is near impossible feat. Not only does she feel she is going to be thrown from the humps, the coarse hair seems to stab her repeatedly like needles, and the smell... if there was an alternative reason her family raised horses and not camels, it would be this. It didn't help the regular Ptooey of the camel spitting was as unflattering as the rest of the animal. After the camel ride caused her to endure an experience of becoming far more intimate with the girl behind her that she ever planned on being, she moves her hands upon the reins. [color=7ea7d8]“Can we pull up alongside the others?”[/color], she tilts her head to look towards Zaz as she points towards the rest of the class. The ranger seems to be scouting ahead at this moment of time, would allow a good opportunity for a class reunion after the multitude of events that led them to this point.

His sense of duty was the only thing that kept Yalen from fainting on the  ride home. Kaspar appeared to have fallen asleep the moment the two of them saddled up, and was now drooling on his shoulder like a baby. This meant that despite being on the verge of collapse himself, Yalen had to control their camel. 

Unlike Kaspar, the young monk had escaped mostly unscathed. His body was just sore and exhausted from back to back life or death scrambles. He had a few scratches here or there from falling down so many times, but nothing serious. In order to make the ride more pleasant for his friend, Yalen was using whatever energy he could spare to numb Kaspar's pain. Freecasting a simple chemical spell was not too difficult when the other person was so close to you. 

Everyone else was beaten up in some way or another, but the one that stood out the most was Jocasta. She and Marceline were riding a ways behind the boys camel, engaged in a conversation that was strangely inaudible. It was obvious to anyone who cared to notice that the tethered girl was not doing well physically. After going over events in his head, he began to fully realize what she had done and what the consequences of her actions would be. Regardless of what he suspected of her, Yalen was one of her kind. He knew more than anyone here the kind of debt they owed her. 

Spurred by these feelings of gratitude, Yalen slowed his camel's pace a bit so that he and Kaspar were alongside the two tethered girls. 

[color=fd5e53][b]"You and I share the same curse, so I know what is happening to you right now. I know what you had to sacrifice to save us. I don't even know how to begin thanking you..."[/b][/color] 

Zarina had no issues staying up. She had her little, dreamless naps before the adrenaline rush back at the canyon, and now she was diligently keeping guard at the back. The small lion rested before her had shifted a bit too much for the journey to remain comfortable for everyone, but the Virangish kept quiet. She made sure Ayla wouldn't fall over during some of Daoud's more uncertain stomps on the sand, which prompted the large saddle to move a little, [color=C78A2C]”Hmmm?”[/color] she remarked the Torragonese girl's hands springing to life and seizing the reins Zarina had been holding until now, [color=C78A2C]”Uhm.”[/color] she looked over at the group, giving particular attention to the Tethered wagon before pursing her lips, [color=C78A2C]”... Fine. But we stay behind, just a little.”[/color] the camel was steered toward the group and pace picked up with a couple of taps from Zarina's leather heels against its sides. She kept herself quiet, as Yalen began to express his gratitude.

Kaspar’s awareness was swimming in and out of the desert sands. He could feel the movements of the camel beneath him and was faintly conscious of another shape in front of him, but it took much more effort for him to focus. 

He blinked a number of times before recognizing the blonde hair before him. [i][color=#B8041A]Yalen? …Unless they’ve put me with Jocasta, but… No, not with the way she was just after,[/color][/i] he thought, words broken up in his mind. 

It seemed the priest was in the front, guiding their beast, and Kaspar felt a smooth burn of shame on his cheeks at being so incapable of caring for himself. But rather than act on the shame, he shoved it away. He’d felt enough for today—the overwhelming fear that preceded death, the near-intoxicating power of creating energy straight from the flesh of another being, and the shame that followed that as well. 

His arms twitched, and tightened a bit around Yalen’s waist. Kaspar turned his hands so they could clasp his own wrists, avoiding any contact with the other boy’s skin. It was strange, to feel the body heat of another so close, and he knew it would be alarming if he had consciousness enough to care. For now, his primary concern was staying on the camel by whatever means necessary. 

He registered when another camel came into view—had it just appeared, or had it been there the whole time?—and heard Yalen speaking softly. Talking of shared curses and… [color=B8041A][i]Jocasta? Is… does he mean the Tethering?[/i][/color] Kaspar knew little of the affliction, but Yalen seemed to believe there was some detriment in the actions Jocasta had taken. Somewhere in his fading mind, the binder made note that he would need to thank her, after they had rested.

Jocasta had made up her mind. She was ready to conk out now and recover as much as one could from overdrawing. Marci's shoulder was a nice place. 

Then, Yalen decided to be not-afraid of her and she wished he hadn't. It was easier when people were things to amuse you instead of things that you cared about. For a moment, she mulled his words over. What she had done to herself for these... borderline strangers had been... so many things, really: stupid, selfless, necessary, and utterly [i]un[/i]necessary. She looked over at him dumbly, unsure how to express all that she was feeling and all that was begging to be said. Instead, something else came to mind and she got away with saying precious little. She grinned tiredly. [color=ffdead][b]"You can start by lettin' a girl get some sleep,"[/b][/color] she chirped. [color=ffdead][b]Hmm?"[/b][/color]

Yalen smiled sadly, unsure if she really was tired or purposefully trying to distance herself.  Maybe he'd talked her head off for too long last time and annoyed her.

[color=FD5E53][b]"Sorry about that. I'll let you rest."[/b][/color] With that said, he flicked the reigns of his camel and created some more distance between them.  Without even trying to, he somehow directed the animal to pace alongside Zarina and Ayla. 

[color=FD5E53][b]"How are you two holding up? Do you have any wounds I can help with? I'm not as good as Kaspar but I do know a little binding. I can also treat your wounds the good old fashioned way."[/b][/color]

Ayla arrives up to the scene as she with a cheery [color=7ea7d8]“Hola”[/color] though quietens as she listens to the conversation already happening. She decides to share a joke to enhearten the spirits, [color=7ea7d8]“Only if the fleas allow us to sleep on these things, cannot wait for the comfort of a good bed. Perhaps a warm bath for our saviour too... might not able to send you to Varrahasta with a click of my fingers, but got my own ways to recreate that experience.”[/color], she moves her hand to tug lightly upon Jocasta's hand in an affectionate way.

She shakes her head towards Yalen, [color=7ea7d8]“Thankfully the one targeting myself is probably singing 'Green Perrence' right now.”[/color]. Her smile continues towards Jocasta as she gives a squeeze of her hand, whether she is listening or not. She does twist the air with her other finger as she causes that tell-tale echo sound. 

Ayla's voice does drop into a more quieter tone, [color=7ea7d8]“More seriously, we need to consider coming up with a plan. Don't think these events will remain quiet for long.”[/color] she indicates with her head in a certain direction as she speaks, [color=7ea7d8]“Might be worth grouping up tonight whilst we sleep. You join us as well, Marci”[/color].

Zarina kept to herself, watching the others express themselves toward Jocasta. She could only watch in silence, marinating on the words she had exchanged with Ayla just moments ago. The overwhelming thoughts kept her mind occupied, to the point where she had left the planet, so to speak, until Yalen addressed both her and her travel companion, [color=C78A2C]”Oh, no. Thank you, Yalen.”[/color] she shook her head, although the thought of injuries prompted her to brush her hand over her abdomen. There would likely be some bruising there, as she had taken one of the Forabass' tails there.

[color=C78A2C]”They won't. They'll have to know about the Wyrm at some point. Preferably right as we arrive.”[/color] she tugs on the reins to slow down her steed just a tad, encouraging the others to back off a little more, away from the odd one out at the head of the troupe, [color=C78A2C]”And what about you, mini-Padre? All good? Body and soul?”[/color] she nudged her chin in the young Priest's direction, eyes trailing through his being to assess how he was, [color=C78A2C]”And you, Kaspar?”[/color]

Ayla shakes her head towards Zaz's comment, making a point of correction, [color=7ea7d8]“My concern is not for Shai-Aberração, though there is a plan for that. There are other concerns..."[/color]. She keeps it somewhat cryptic at this point as she looks towards Marci, as indicating their previous discussion in the aqueducts with current events. 

Jocasta had intended to separate herself, but it would not stick. How genuine any of this was, she could not say, and much of her training told her to either avoid or destroy sources of uncertainty. She couldn't. She was so fragile that, in one day, years worth of purpose was coming undone. [color=ffdead][b]"Normally I would make the fleas sing Green Perrence too,"[/b][/color] she laughed, [color=ffdead][b]"but I'm a bit tapped out at the moment, and I fear there are too many anyhow."[/b][/color] She turned to Yalen with a smirk. [color=ffdead][b]"Or perhaps we can get Padre here to regale them with an earnest entreaty. How would they resist?"[/b][/color] 

The blonde girl's smile was back. There was something about these people that... stabilized her. Well, most of them. [color=ffdead][b]"Kaspar!"[/b][/color] she called. [color=ffdead][b]"Yooohooo!"[/b][/color] She straightened, still feeling a bit strange and weak. [color=ffdead][b]"By Vashdal, I wish I could sleep like you, big guy, minus the drooling."[/b][/color]

Then, things became serious and Marci looked her way. Jocasta sighed. [color=ffdead][b]"We were sent out here not just to find the aberration and report back, I think. Weren't we, Marci?"[/b][/color]

The fourteen-year-old shook her head and swallowed nervously. [color=598527][b]"We were supposed to absorb it."[/b][/color] She looked pained. [color=598527][b]"That was why ten of us were sent."[/b][/color]

[color=ffdead][b]"That would've driven us mad,"[/b][/color] Jocasta replied, shaking her head. [color=ffdead][b]"We were sacrifices!"[/b][/color] Her eyes burned into Escarra's back. As if sensing them, the ranger twisted to look back at the gaggle of teens conspiring.

[color=598527][b]"I will say only this,"[/b][/color] Marci added quickly, before gesturing for Ayla to drop the sonic dampening. [color=598527][b]"Escarra is a good man, and we did not take the fastest route there."[/b][/color]

Indeed, Jocasta had not noticed those distinctive hoodoos on the way back. They had avoided the ruins too. [color=a36209][b]"Hola!"[/b][/color] the ranger called, shifting back to draw in close. His eyes told them that he knew much, but his voice did not say so. [color=a36209][b]"We are..."[/b][/color] He squinted. [color=a36209][b]"An hour and a half out. When we arrive, you let me do the talking. There will be danger. Now, I will take the rearguard. Zarina, you to the front."[/b][/color]

[color=FD5E53]"I'm doing fine surprisingly, though I'd like to avoid negotiating with fleas if at all possible. Their terms can be rather one-sided."[/color] Yalen joked, his attention divided between Zarina and Jocasta.

He was about to say something else when he felt Kaspar stir at the back of the camel.

It was Ayla's voice that shook Kaspar first, and the boy straightened as though he had flinched, mumbling, [color=#B8041A]"Don't sleep well with others,"[/color] before he even seemed to be conscious of his reaction. He blinked, bleary crimson eyes swinging to face the girl, barely registering her form before his forehead came to rest on Yalen's shoulder. His back seemed to heave as though he were inhaling deeply, and he heard other voices but his mind was processing their words slowly. 

It had all just been [i]so much[/i]. He felt like he was falling out of his own head now, mind trying to flee as though this were simply a nightmare. As though he'd been good at escaping those, too. Some part of him, a part he deemed childish and naïve, longed to bury his face in Yalen's back and just soak in the presence of another person. Not for the priest specifically, but for the comfort of physical touch. His arms tightened, ever so slight, as he let himself have this one moment of weakness. But they loosened seconds later, as Jocasta's voice registered in his mind.

He laughed something breathless and humorless. [color=#B8041A]"Not so much sleeping,"[/color] he replied, voice soft and slightly lisping around his bitten tongue. [color=#B8041A]"More like... Falling, without ever leaving your seat."[/color] He glanced to Yalen's shoulder, eyes taking in the small spot he had left there, and huffed in amusement. [color=#B8041A]"It's more blood than drool, I think,"[/color] he muttered. [color=#B8041A]"But looks like more blood than it is."[/color] His lip was split and swelling a bit, as they could likely see, but thanks to Yalen's chemical intervention, it was not causing the boy too much pain.

Zarina conferred a brief glance toward their head of the line, and then to the two tethered after Ayla had considered another issue at hand, [color=C78A2C]”Right.”[/color] she inhaled until her lungs were full and sighed from her nose without any sense of manners. 

Jocasta's more upbeat attitude, and the mention of the Dreamer, allowed Zarina to limit the plague of overthinking that ruled in her mind at this very moment. Perhaps she had been a bit too cautious with this one, or maybe her position was what they would need to get through this endless streak of conspiracies and secret. And now, another one of those unraveled, [color=C78A2C]”Students from Ersand'Enise are that expendable these days?”[/color] she raised an eyebrow at Marceline's observation, [color=C78A2C]”I'll fully admit to you guys, I wouldn't throw myself away over some horror in the middle of a shithole desert.”[/color] she claimed boldly.

The Virangish nodded at Escarra's order and raised her hand to manifest her okay. The fact that the Tethered vouched for him did not appear to appease the tall teen's mind. She brought her camel to the front, unhooking the supply carrier from Daoud and passing the rope over to the ranger for him to safeguard, [color=C78A2C]”Keep it South-west? I don't recall the landmarks. The Desert never was my terrain of choice.”[/color]

Escarra nodded. [color=a36209][b]"The ridge down that way."[/b][/color] He pointed. [color=a36209][b]"Stay parallel until you see the Refuge."[/b][/color] With no further words, they switched places.

Ayla couldn't hide the wry smile as Zaz mentioned about 'expendable Ersand'Enise' students.  [color=7ea7d8]Who would have thought that[/color] as she reflects upon her own story of arriving to the academy. It appears that her concerns were somewhat founded and yet at the same time dismissed as Marci vouched for Escarra's integrity, lowing the sonic dampening naturally as he approached to minimise the obviousness of her actions. She wishes to have greater opportunity to talk more, but perhaps that will come later for when they meet Amanda. Her fingers gently release from Jocasta's own as the camel is being brought forward by Zaz towards the front, taking her away from the others. Perhaps in an act of defiance, raises her voice, [color=7ea7d8]"Last one there is huevo podrido!".[/color]

[color=FD5E53][b]"All this talk of a conspiracy has me lost for words... I feel like I'm the only one here who doesn't fully understand what's going on here, and it frightens me. I hope one of you will be willing to enlighten me later."[/b][/color] Yalen commented. It didn't feel good to be so out of the loop. Perhaps he should have spent more of his free time investigating the refuge on his own.  There were so many things he wanted to talk about but didn't know where to start. Zarina and Ayla surely had more information to share with him, and Marceline and Jocasta were on an entirely different wavelength. Yalen was clueless in comparison.

He felt Kaspar's arms tighten around him some more, but not uncomfortably so. It was endearing in a way. The monk spent a lot of time entertaining kids and didn't mind the excessive physical contact. Toddlers didn't have boundaries after all. Yalen mentally resolved to have his outfit washed a second time, as it was more sweat and blood than fabric at this point.

After a few minutes of absentmindedly guiding his camel, Yalen had a bit of a eureka moment. He recalled a brief exchange between Marceline and Escarra. The ranger's first name was Manuel. He pulled out a wooden medallion he found earlier while scrambling for his cloak in the sand. 

[color=FD5E53][b]"Mister Escarra, does this belong to you?"[/b][/color] 

Marceline looked Yalen's way sympathetically. [color=598527][b]"I promise we will tell you everything, Yalen, when we sit down with m - Amanda tonight."[/b][/color] She nodded. [color=598527][b]"You deserve to know."[/b][/color] 

When he pulled close to Escarra and asked his question, the ranger went still. He reached into a small satchel and felt around for a moment. Furrowing his brows, he held a hand out in the young monk's direction. [color=a36209][b]"Thank you for finding that,"[/b][/color] he said softly. [color=a36209][b]"It has great value to me. A gift from my niece,"[/b][/color] he added after a moment.

Yalen gingerly placed the keepsake in Escarra's hand with a smile. [color=FD5E53][b]"Of course. We should thank you as well, for all you've done up until now."[/b][/color]

The funny coincidence of Marceline's Amanda and Escarra's Amanda possibly being the same person was not lost on him.[/hider]
[hr]
The remainder of the ride back was uneventful: silent and filled with anxiety. The Wyrm had swallowed the aberration and everybody knew, at least in broad strokes, what that meant. People rationed words and water alike, the sun glared at them in hues of orangish-pink, and froabases started to circle overhead as it pulled itself under a blanket of sand.

In the event, the animals did not attack. If they had, perhaps Jocasta would've seen to the tragic loss of a tall Virangish girl. [color=ffdead][i]Not truly, though,[/i][/color] she told herself, for it would hurt the others, and that was no longer something that she could bring herself to do. She sat up and made a show of rolling her neck back and forth as they neared the Refuge. Its lights burned, yellowed orange, into the burgeoning twilight: a beacon of light and warmth to those who didn't understand the poison that flowed through its halls.

The gates creaked open and men with torches and wary eyes ushered them in. The crowd was smaller than the night previous, made up less of curious children - though there were still many - than of teens and young adults 'on three' or 'on two'. There was an anxiousness. They had either sensed it or Marci had sent them a message. [color=7bcdc8][b]"Did you find it?"[/b][/color] they shouted. [color=7bcdc8][b]"Is it headed here?"[/b][/color] one pleaded. [color=7bcdc8][b]"Did you stop it?"[/b][/color] another begged. [color=ffdead][i]Yes, yes, and no,[/i][/color] Jocasta thought, as further entreaties poured in. [color=ffdead][i]And you had the gall to tell us that these people knew nothing,[/i][/color] she thought at Warden Ortega, wherever he was.

The guards ushered the crowd away much more aggressively than before and it was an effort not to say something. It was an effort, too, when they did not place her wheeled-chair beside the camel. The others dismounted easily enough, even Yalen managing after a fashion. Jocasta shot him a concerned look and a little push of Kinetic energy to free his foot brace from the stirrup as it became momentarily caught. She flashed a shy smile and, when a couple of guards approached to help her down, the twenty-year-old heaved herself to the side, gathered the gravity from her fall, and hovered in place, floating over the wheeled-chair and settling into it.

Everyone else stood around for a moment, Ysilla looking... less than right. They had spoken so little to each other and, for some reason, that set off alarm bells in Jocasta's mind. Kaspar, who had suffered the whole way through, appeared relieved. Yalen was adjusting his braces, and Zarina hovered momentarily close to Ayla. Marci was leaning against a camel, retrieving her crutches. Escarra was solemn, like he usually was. A cardinal showed up and handed him a message. [color=7bcdc8][b]"Don Escarra,"[/b][/color] she said, [color=7bcdc8][b]"Don Ortega requests your immediate presence."[/b][/color] [color=ffdead][i]But not ours,[/i][/color] Jocasta mused. With a nod and a scowl, the head ranger brushed past and stalked down the hallway, saving a brief look back for his companions. 

A trio of magpies were there too, as pigeons saw their animals off. [color=f7941d][b]"As the hour grows late,"[/b][/color] said the most senior of the three, [color=f7941d][b]"We would like to offer you a belated supper if you are hungry."[/b][/color] He bowed his head. [color=f7941d][b]"It can be delivered to your rooms, if you would like, where a warm bath is being prepared presently."[/b][/color]

Jocasta bowed her head in return. [color=ffdead][b]"That would be greatly app-appreciated, caretaker. Should the warden need anything of us, l-let him know that we eagerly await his call."[/b][/color]

[color=f7941d][b]"The warden wishes you nothing but a sound sleep. Matters of import will be discussed on the morrow, over breakfast. Now,"[/b][/color] the man in the monastic cut robe concluded, clapping his hands together in a manner reminiscent of the warden, [color=f7941d][b]"if you would be so kind as to follow us..."[/b][/color] He trailed off, gesturing in the direction of his fellow magpies.

[color=598527][b]"Caretaker Herrera,"[/b][/color] Marceline offered, [color=598527][b]"I don't mind leading them. I'm sure you have many more pressing matters to attend to."[/b][/color] 

[color=598527][b]"Thank you, Marcelina,"[/b][/color] said the caretaker in a kindly, patient voice, [color=598527][b]"but these orders come from the warden himself. He also wishes you an early and sound sleep."[/b][/color]

The look was so quick that perhaps some among the group of young people may have missed it, but Jocasta noticed. Essentially, it said, [color=598527][i]'obey... for now.'[/i][/color]

So, that was what Jocasta did, good obedient girl that she was. She returned to her room, removed the soporifics from her dinner with a bit of Chemical magic, and did the same for her peers, however secretly. The food was almost always drugged. She ate and took her bath, using the Gift to speed things up and dry her hair. Forty minutes had passed by the time that she rolled silently out into the colonnade and closed her door behind herself with a soft 'click'. She was not alone. Kaspar was there and their eyes met. They gathered the others and then Jocasta put hands to wheels and led the way almost wordlessly to the Red Tower. [color=ffdead][b]"Guards,"[/b][/color] she said, partway through their journey, ducking around a corner and pulling on the tendrils of light around her to fade into the night. She let the cardinals pass before reappearing. Up ahead, from the shadow of a pillar, emerged Marceline. Smaller and less certain than the older teens, she glanced their way as if for reassurance. 

The eldest of the group stopped in front of her, eyes darting around warily. [color=ffdead][b]"You got away clean, chiquita?"[/b][/color]

Marci nodded. [color=598527][b]"I checked. Don't worry."[/b][/color]

[color=ffdead][b]"Not even for a second."[/b][/color] Jocasta smiled. Backing up a push, she took in the others. [color=ffdead][b]"We can get there slowly,"[/b][/color] she whispered, [color=ffdead][b]"through locked gates and doors, or quickly."[/b][/color] She reached out again for the threads of time and space, hands of energy raveling and unraveling them. Hundreds of boys and girls flashed by in time's memory: a young Amanda, a little Marceline, and a nine-year-old version of herself, but many more that she did not know. The great orange tree shifted between sapling and elder. Staff changed. She gained visions of the stables, the pool, the secret training grounds, and the Warden's office. Ortega was there with Escarra. The two men looked tense. Then, her mind's eye was in the Torre de la Soledad. It flipped through a dozen dying souls and found Amanda. A tear in spacetime - not so grand and stable as the paradigm's, but just as functional - opened, and Jocasta let out a breath that she didn't realize she'd been holding. [color=ffdead][b]"'W-will you walk into my parlour?' said the s-spider to the fly,"[/b][/color] she asked, rolling through with a teasing smile and a glance back. 

There on her bed, leaning cross-legged against a corner, was the slender figure of Amanda. Her room was lit by an oil lantern and a candle. Moonlight streamed in through a small window. As Jocasta entered, a large smile creased the older woman's lips. The palms of her hands, which lay open on her lap, lit up with an arcane glow. [color=c4df9b][b]"Hello... Jocasta,"[/b][/color] she said softly, her eyes going to the others, [color=c4df9b][b]"I take it you're the friends that she mentioned."[/b][/color]

Jocasta nodded, coming to a stop. [color=ffdead][b]"I see your powers of deduction remain strong."[/b][/color]

Amanda smiled and let out a little snort. [color=c4df9b][b]"Ah!"[/b][/color] she chirped, [color=c4df9b][b]"and Marci!"[/b][/color]

[color=ffdead][b]"And Marci."[/b][/color]

[color=598527][b]"I'm not a friend?"[/b][/color] the girl protested.

[color=c4df9b][b]"You're much better than a friend, mija. Come here and sit beside me."[/b][/color]

Marci more or less threw herself onto the bed, snuggling delicately into Amanda's side, for just a moment so utterly unlike the precocious girl they'd gotten to know to this point. [color=598527][b]"Mom,"[/b][/color] she said softly, laying her head on the older woman's shoulder. She grinned. [color=598527][b]"Hey, isn't it past your bedtime?"[/b][/color] Amanda planted a small kiss on the top of it. [color=c4df9b][b]"Isn't it past [i]yours[/i], precious little pumpkin?"[/b][/color] 

[color=598527][b]"You're laying it on really thick,"[/b][/color] Marci whined, but her mother was already looking out at the others. [color=c4df9b][b]"The expedition was a proper disaster, I trust?"[/b][/color] She raised her eyebrows expectantly. [color=c4df9b][b]"We have a giant, angry dragon headed our way?"[/b][/color] She tilted her head to the side momentarily. 

Marceline, beside her, nodded glumly. A limp-wristed hand reached up to stroke her hair. [color=c4df9b][b]"Don't worry, little pumpkin."[/b][/color] The girl flashed her a stink-eye, but Amanda was looking at the others. [color=c4df9b][b]"There is much to worry about, of course, for all of us, but I think I know how we can overcome this and, dare I say, a great many other problems."[/b][/color] She pursed her lips, and the glow in her palms lit her face from below with a certain dramatic flare as her expression morphed into an enigmatic grin. [color=c4df9b][b]"First, though, I imagine you've questions and ideas of your own and you've received precious few answers in this place. I have lived here thirty-one years and I'm an open book."[/b][/color] 

Leaning back on an ancient desk in the old Tourrare style, elbows propped against it, Jocasta pushed off. She tipped forward and her front wheels hit the round with a light 'clunk.' [color=ffdead][b]"For what it's worth,"[/b][/color] she offered, [color=ffdead][b]"so am I, and I used to live here too."[/b][/color]

[hr][hr] 
[center][sub][sup][url=https://www.artstation.com/artwork/KYZPX]Art by Anastasia Ovchinnikova[/url][/sup][/sub]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/vyW7CUa.jpg?1[/img][h2][color=a36209]_  __[u]M[/u][/color] [u]a n u e l[/u] [color=a36209][u]E[/u][/color] [u]s c a r r a[/u]__  _[/h2][/center][hr][hr]
The expedition had been a disaster. This, Manuel knew. The aberration had gone into a wyrm and it would attack the Refuge, sooner or later. If not, it would attack the town of Hosta.

He did not need Ortega's men to lead him to the Warden's chambers, but he said nothing and let them do their job. For some people, there was only duty. They left him at the door and he nodded his thanks.

[color=f26522][b]"Manuel!"[/b][/color] came a voice. [color=f26522][b]"Come in!"[/b][/color]

[color=a36209][b]"Ortega,"[/b][/color] responded the ranger, pushing the door open and standing inside of it. 

The warden's eyes went to the gap and Manuel quietly closed it behind himself. [color=f26522][b]"I take it there were complications,"[/b][/color] he stated flatly. 

[color=a36209][b]"Froabasses,"[/b][/color] the ranger replied. [color=a36209][b]"Stirred up by a wyrm trapped in the Devil's Throat."[/b][/color]

[color=f26522][b]"And that wyrm: it ate the aberration, no?"[/b][/color]

Manuel nodded. Tavio knew these things, of course, so if he was asking for them anyhow, it was not good.

The warden nodded slowly, as if processing it. [color=f26522][b]"And you lost two rangers and six camels."[/b][/color]

[color=a36209][b]"We did,"[/b][/color] the ranger confirmed. [color=a36209][b]"Eshiran have mercy."[/b][/color] 

[color=f26522][b]"Half of my camels, [i]Escarra[/i], and two of my rangers,"[/b][/color] the warden said tensely.

There it was. Escarra merely nodded. [color=a36209][b]"We did what we could with what we had."[/b][/color]

[color=f26522][b]"And now a crazed beast is out in the wastes, headed [i]here[/i]."[/b][/color]

[color=a36209][b]"Or for the town."[/b][/color]

[color=f26522][b]"You were supposed to get rid of the aberration, cabron! Get the kids to absorb it. Dios mio! You had [i]one [/i]job!"[/b][/color]

Manuel would risk his life - that was his job - but he would not risk those of children, even if they were almost grown. He shook his head. [color=a36209][b]"I judged it was too much for them. They would've gone mad."[/b][/color]

[color=f26522][b]"A tragedy, to be certain, but the sacrifice of a few for the survival of many..."[/b][/color] The warden's mouth was making sounds that Manuel Escarra did not like. [color=f26522][b]"Surely, even [i]you[/i] can see the necessity in that."[/b][/color]

[color=a36209][b]"And if they go mad, are [i]they [/i]not a danger?"[/b][/color]

[color=f26522][b]"If they glow with that much energy, the wyrm will eat them."[/b][/color]

[color=a36209][i]Simple,[/i][/color] thought Escarra. [color=a36209][i]The wyrm will eat them.[/i][/color] His expression showed only a hint of his disdain. [color=a36209][b]"I did not come here to kill children, Tavio."[/b][/color]

The warden waved his hand dismissively, stepping around his desk. [color=f26522][b]"Oh, don't act so holy, [i]Manuel,[/i] you know what we do here. You know what the duke would find if he sent his people to the Refuge to save us. Besides, we both know the only reason you're here, and that will be gone in a year, two at most."[/b][/color]

A hot surge of anger threatened to spill past the ranger's steely surface. [color=a36209][i]Amanda: my lucky Clover.[/i][/color] She was all that he had left of Armida, and she was near the end. It pained him, these days, to see her as she was. Yet, this [i]gilipollas[/i] didn't know about Marceline and the girl herself didn't know that [i]Manuel[/i] knew. He sidestepped the barb. [color=a36209][b]"Why not call the king?"[/b][/color] he advised simply.

[color=f26522][b]"And have us be a bother?"[/b][/color] The warden shook his head. [color=f26522][b]"We are allowed to operate only so long as we are a benefit and not a drawback for his majesty, and you may not know his misgivings like I do, but they are a growing problem. We'd best stay out of sight and mind."[/b][/color]

The Torraro, who had long ago taken this land from Manuel's people, who had made his family change their names and forget their mother tongue, were unscrupulous people, but very few more so than Tavio Ortega. Escarra scowled. [color=a36209][b]"So then we teach our people how to fight back,"[/b][/color] he said hopefully. [color=a36209][b]"They can handle it from much further than any of us."[/b][/color]

The warden merely looked at him incredulously. [color=f26522][b]"Have you truly lost your wits, man?"[/b][/color] Eyes narrowed in reproach, he shook his head. [color=f26522][b]"I know you have a sweet spot for that girl of yours, but do you have no regard for your [i]life?[/i] For that of anyone here?"[/b][/color]

[color=a36209][b]"We teach some already."[/b][/color]

[color=f26522][b]"Handpicked! Biddable, desperate, obedient!"[/b][/color]

Manuel already knew these things. He had worked here thirty-one years. Nonetheless, disgust welled up inside of him hearing them spoken aloud. [color=a36209][b]"We teach other children who are not Tethered. All temperaments."[/b][/color]

[color=f26522][b]"Eejit!"[/b][/color] the warden snarled. [color=f26522][b]"Truly, you are not here because of your smarts, but do you [i]hear [/i]yourself!?"[/b][/color] Ortega shook his head. [color=f26522][b]"[i]Those [/i]children cannot kill you in your sleep, undetectably, from miles away."[/b][/color]

Escarra blinked. [color=a36209][b]"Why would a child wish to kill you in your sleep unless you have harmed her?"[/b][/color]

[color=f26522][b]"We do what is necessary,"[/b][/color] Ortega hissed. He stabbed the air with his pointer, skewering the ranger. [color=f26522][b]"And [i]you[/i] do too. Remember Joaquin? How you kept your mouth shut? And the many, [i]many [/i]others!?"[/b][/color]

[color=a36209][b]"I did what I was told."[/b][/color]

[color=f26522][b]"Not by [i]me[/i]. I try to make these poor lost souls' lives comfortable! Sometimes, that requires sacrifices. Sometimes, it isn't beautiful and the less that they know, the better!"[/b][/color]

[color=a36209][b]"[i]Dami[/i], Tavio!"[/b][/color] Escarra let it boil forth now. [color=a36209][b]"They could be [i]people![/i] They could have [i]lives[/i] to live! Do you know how [i]sad [/i]their existence is here?"[/b][/color]

[color=f26522][b]"That is a choice their families make. I only do what I can with the cards I am given."[/b][/color]

[color=a36209][b]"Well, you don't have enough cards for the wyrm now, do you?"[/b][/color]

Ortega nodded tightly, jaw clenched, and there was a glimmer in his eye that Escarra did not like. [color=f26522][b]"The students: how many froabasses did they take on?"[/b][/color] he prodded. [color=f26522][b]"I know the Devil's Throat. When they come, they come by the [i]dozen[/i]. Those kids are [i]strong[/i]. Use them, add a few of our Afortunados... we have a chance."[/b][/color]

Manuel shook his head. [color=a36209][b]"Precious little."[/b][/color]

[color=f26522][b]"If they die, it is sad, but then the school will send a few Zenos or even an Arch if we are lucky. They are being paid, after all."[/b][/color]

[color=a36209][b]"A devil's bargain,"[/b][/color] the ranger spat, [color=a36209][b]"And an unnecessary sacrifice."[/b][/color]

[color=f26522][b]"So long as I am warden, [i]I[/i] will be the judge of that."[/b][/color]

[color=a36209][b]"A fancy hat does not make you Dami in your judgement."[/b][/color] They were standing face to face now, no more than a couple of feet apart.

[color=f26522][b]"You know,"[/b][/color] said Ortega, [color=f26522][b]"You are forgetting awful quickly all that I do for you, [i]morisco[/i]. I wonder what might happen to your Amanda if you did not work for me."[/b][/color] He loomed over the shorter man, but Manuel did not flinch. [color=f26522][b]"And her Marceline."[/b][/color] He paused. [color=f26522][b]"[i]Marcelina[/i]."[/b][/color]

It hit the ranger like a bucket of ice water. 

[color=f26522][b]"Oh, come on. You think I didn't notice how much you favour her?"[/b][/color] Ortega shook his head. [color=f26522][b]"I didn't [i]wonder [/i]why you pushed so hard for her to be chosen as Afortunado?"[/b][/color] His voice dripped with disdain: the sort that people like him had always held for people like Manuel. [color=f26522][b]"This is why [i]I[/i] do the thinking, [i]Escarra[/i]. It is why I am Ipte, Shune, Oraff, Eshiran, and fucking Dami here. Comprende?"[/b][/color]

[color=a36209][b]"You are not wiser, Ortega. You are a [i]bastard[/i], sending these kids to their deaths so you may hide your filthy secrets and continue to pad your pockets."[/b][/color]

[color=f26522][b]"Oh, no no. The money is nice, Manuel, but that is not why I do this. I am protecting these kids from the world out there and, more importantly, I am protecting the world from [i]them[/i]. You have to crack some eggs to make an omelette."[/b][/color]

The ranger stood there, glaring unflinchingly. He had never cared much for Ortega, even back before the man had become warden, when he was just a spoiled baron's son. He had not expected their meeting to go this badly, however. Amanda was in danger, and not only her. So was [i]Marci[/i].

[color=f26522][b]"What are you going to do, huh?"[/b][/color] the noble mocked. [color=f26522][b]"The answer is nothing, [i]dog[/i]. Now go. Run along to you little kennel. I will call you tomorrow, when I need you."[/b][/color]

Escarra bit his tongue, willing himself to say nothing. He began to turn.

[color=f26522][b]"Oh, and if you even [i]think[/i] of doing anything to betray me,"[/b][/color] Ortega added. [color=f26522][b]"I want you to consider your family first, hmm?"[/b][/color]

The ranger's hand settled on the hilt of his sword. In one smooth motion, he drew it, whirled, and sunk it into Tavio Ortega's chest. The warden's eyes widened, flicking in pain and disbelief from Manuel's to the sword and back. Escarra had never had much of the Gift, but he had enough to sense the Kinetic shove coming and brace himself. Weak and desperate, it sent him sprawling across the floor, but he landed as if he were a man twenty years younger. Ortega fell to his knees, opening his mouth to scream, and Manuel scrambled to stop him, clasping a hand over the lower half of the man's face and holding it there while he struggled ineffectually. The ranger's head pounded and his vision blurred and he knew it for Chemical magic, but then it eased off and the warden ceased struggling. 

Manuel's pulse thundered in his eardrums. This was not something that could be undone. He had killed Tavio Ortega. He had done it because he judged the threat to his family, the people of this Refuge, and a half-dozen near-strangers too great had the warden remained alive.

[color=a36209][i]Gods forgive me,[/i][/color] he thought, pulling the sword from his master's body. Already, the blood was spreading. He rushed to a linen cabinet for the servants and tossed the extra tablecloths on the floor to soak everything up. The body, he dragged from the office to the dressing room and then through to the bedchamber, where he dumped it unceremoniously. Checking himself in the mirror, Manuel rolled up his sleeves to cover the bloodstains. He dabbed at the blood, stuffed a thick kerchief where it had stained his shirt, and adjusted his jacket so that it would not show. 

This was it, then. It was now or never for the crazy idea that Amanda had put to him. Manuel composed himself and stepped out of the warden's office. He strode down the hall, like he had a hundred times before, stopping before the stairs where a servant waited. [color=a36209][b]"Don Ortega has retired to his chambers for the night,"[/b][/color] he advised, [color=a36209][b]"and does not wish to be disturbed until he calls for someone."[/b][/color]

The servant - Zavada - nodded and bowed slightly. [color=7bcdc8][b]"As you command, Don Escarra."[/b][/color]

Manuel nodded in return, already making haste down the stairs and the hallway. He burst out into the cool night air, accompanied by the chirp of crickets and the ping and pop of crane flies diving at torches and oil lamps. His eyes seized upon a distinctive red-walled tower and his feet carried him in that direction.
[hr][hr]
[hider=Summary]1. The group continued their flight from the desert, many of them in rough shape, but they found time both for camaraderie and conspiracy. Jocasta's low spirits were lifted by the others, Marceline revealed the true purpose of their journey, and Escarra was described as a potential ally.

2. Upon arrival, it seemed that many of the residents had figured out what was going on and were desperate for answers. The crowd was rather roughly broken up and Escarra was pulled away to meet urgently with the warden.

3. After a brief (optional) bath and dinner, which included soporifics thoughtfully removed by Jocasta, the students reconvened, met up with Marci, and made for Amanda's room in the red tower.

4. It was revealed that Amanda is actually Marceline's mother. She and Jocasta promised that they had a plan to extricate everybody from the looming threat and also to be open books in terms of whatever people wanted to know.

5. Meanwhile, the head ranger, Manuel Escarra, got into an increasingly heated discussion with the Warden, Tavio Ortega, in which they disagreed profoundly about the purpose of the students from Ersand'Enise, the treatment of the patients at the Refuge, and how the wyrm situation shouldl be approached.

6. It was revealed that Escarra has a connection to Amanda and, through, her, Marceline, and was responsible for both being trained. When Ortega threatened his family, the ranger murdered him and hid the body. He is currently headed for the red tower and will arrive about fifteen minutes after the students.[/hider]
[hider=Action Opportunities]1. Feel free to have your character notice or do anything on the return voyage that hasn't already been covered. I feel like it's been covered a [i]lot[/i], though.

2. Maybe you see a familiar face in the crowd when you arrive, or in the stables?

3. Do you take the bath and dinner or no? Do you maybe notice the soporifics before Jocasta neutralizes them?

4. Any reactions to Amanda, Marci, and the reveal.

5. Here's the big one: it's time for all of your questions and to air out your plans. Feel free to arrange any collabs as needed or to play this out in #on-campus on discord.

6. Some characters have their own internal struggles going on. Ysilla is becoming unbound from... Ysilla. Kaspar is dealing with some quasi-existential doubts. Zarina is onto Jocasta to an extent, and Yalen is too, in addition to what appeared to be a dream encounter with the Traveler. Ayla is nice.

7. You may find the 'secret' meeting joined by some people you've encountered before but really haven't gotten to know very well yet.

Happy posting![/hider]