“We were not the first to travel the sands, what we are is opportunists. We offer comfort and speed, but most importantly, we offer safety.”~Kaladin Sunkissed, grand overseer of the sun-riders.
Bernin had to admit, travelling by sun-boat had something. She normally either hitched a ride out with some fellow mages, or even teleported when the option was available. Both options had such short travel time that she didn't often get to appreciate the desert. It truly was beautiful.
She sipped her drink some more, taking a deep breath after and forcibly tried to relax. She knew that usually didn't work, but that didn't matter for now. It was about taking the time and making the choice to remain calm. She already felt better about the shield, although that might mostly be the liquor infused in whatever fruity concoction she was currently drinking.
Time moved slowly. She knew intellectually that the trip would be about 4 hours, a short time considering the massive desert they were traversing, but still it felt like every hour was taking longer than the last. Even the dunes with their calm beauty had begun to lose their appeal. After you've seen 10 dunes, you've seen them all. As if reading her mind, the barman came up to her.
“Mage Bernin, we have some sleeping accommodations below deck. They are really quite comfortable and we will either wake you at arrival or earlier if you wish.”
“A very good idea. Please wake me half an hour before we arrive then.”
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“Very good, I'll get someone to escort you to your cabin. It's quite small, but comfortable.”
It took a while, but eventually sleep took her. She felt herself calm down and accepted that the next weeks would be hectic, but she would persevere. She could do this. She just hoped she wouldn’t have to take drastic measures. Fighting a councillor would truly be something else though…maybe she could ask him for a friendly spar if everything worked out. There is always something more to learn.
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Kirrin woke up. It had been a few hectic days. His clothes had quickly been replaced when his new older sisters heard that he didn’t have any others with him. He could barely remember that day. He was sure they had been to every single shop, though he couldn’t remember them all. He also had some new supplies for school. He would apparently start a general introduction session next week, depending on the results of that class he would move on to more specific lessons. They had figured out something though, apparently he was a ring caster.
It now sat on his desk, in a very nice box. It looked magnificent to him, a small band of gold wire. Intertwining on itself and looping back and forth. He spent the last few days trying to trace all the wires, but he was sure he had still missed something. Then there was the centrepiece. A gem of a blank colour, not fully transparent, but reflecting some light back at him whenever he checked. He still got lost in the colours every now and again.
The gem felt important to him. A new tool for a new life. Hearing the shouts from down below, he decided to get out of bed. Beth said she would be making pancakes today and it was best to get there early. There was always a fight over them, there was plenty of course, but that mattered little to siblings.