Solomon’s dreams became admittedly more peaceful ever since she stopped running from the figure. It may be more similar to how her dreams started, with the figure looking at her from a distance, but she would take this over the alternative any day.
She isn’t sure what to make of the figure reaching out for what she guesses is a handshake. The second time, it felt a lot more tempting… Maybe one time, she will return the handshake, but that isn’t happening anytime soon.
She wakes up the next day, feeling like she hasn’t slept this well in months. She wants to go out by herself, but she doesn’t think that they would take too kindly to that. She considers just leaving the building altogether for a brief moment, but quickly decides against it. If she wants her friends to be safe, she needs to stay, she needs this “System” to think that she’s on their side. Surely, they would have a way to know if she tried to leave anyway.
She finishes infusing the rest of her clothing and waits. If someone doesn’t come for her soon, she’ll just leave and deal with the consequences later.
Not even ten minutes after, there is a knock at her door. Shaquia comes in, looking tired again, or perhaps, still. She sees that Solomon is ready to start the day.
“Come. Ludwig wants to talk to you.” The cat feels a little taken aback by that information, but gets up and follows the lynx down.
About halfway to his office, a voice comes through the snow lynx’s radio.
“Shaquia, could you come to the warehouse? I could use a little help.”
She sighs and mutters something under her breath.
“You can find your way there without getting lost, right?” She asks Solomon, looking fed up with the day already.
“Yes. And don’t worry, I won’t tell him that you left me on my own.” She can see a slight smile form on Shaquia’s face.
“Thanks.” She then turns to leave.
Solomon makes her way to the wolf’s office. She is about to knock on the door when she hears one half of a conversation coming from the inside.
“How could they have killed him?” She hears the voice of Ludwig’s deep, booming voice say, likely talking on the phone. She decides to listen in on the conversation, it wouldn’t hurt to get to know a little more.
“If that truly happened as you describe it, why didn’t you inform me immediately?” He says in a mockingly condescending tone, followed by a short pause.
“Let me get this straight. You got beaten by some guy, a weirdo, and an old man?”
Solomon perks her ears, making sure not to miss a word that’s being said. “Are they talking about them? They’re definitely talking about them.”
“All three of them? Not just the cat?” Solomon grows more suspicious and worried, wondering what might have happened at Lion’s Den. She feels like she really should have gone with them, it would have been so much safer.
“Frost, electricity, and light. That explains it, one of Harper’s types was dark. Light would be his bane for certain.” Ludwig says in a low voice. That sentence confirms her suspicions. They must be talking about the Bird’s Eye employees. Not only that, but now they know that they are all Mystic Ones for certain.
“You think they’re responsible for that as well?” There is a long pause after that question. “I’ll look into it. Come back to base ASAP, I want to know everything. Goodbye.”
Solomon thinks twice about even going in. They now know that her friends have magic as well and she really doesn’t like the implications of that. Ludwig will certainly ask her about it. Having made up her mind, she knocks on the door.
“Come in.” She hears the silver wolf’s voice respond.
Solomon enters his office, Ludwig gestures to her to take a seat, which she does.
“So, Acid One…” He says, only to be met with said Acid One scowling at him. “Also known as Solomon.” He adds. It doesn’t take away the irritation from her expression, however.
“What do you want?” She asks, not even attempting to hide her irritation.
“I just wanted to ask how your first day went yesterday.” The wolf smiles at her. “Feedback is important here, you know.”
“That doesn’t seem right. After a conversation like that?”
“I’ve had worse.” She rolls her eyes. “Stefano was at least helpful, I found out that I most likely can’t fire an acid projectile.”
“And that was just your first day!” Ludwig chuckles. “Imagine what else you will learn. We will have you embrace your potential!”
Solomon shakes her head in response.
“We have a deal. I hold up my end of the bargain as long as you do the same.” The wolf’s smile becomes a cold glare.
“As I said, I’m a man of my word. I’ll give you a few days to get used to how we run things, then I will have some very important questions for you. Until then, you shall only go around the building if you are with one of my men. Understood?”
Solomon nods.
“You really don’t trust me, do you?” She asks with a displeased look.
Ludwig exhales in frustration as a result of her question.
“We can’t confirm if you’re as deceitful as the legends say.” Solomon feels terribly insulted at his statement.
“Are you sure it wasn’t just one person who wasn’t very trustworthy?” She inquires, feeling terribly tired of hearing about it.
“There are legends about more than just one, and all of them were said to be vile. We need to confirm that you aren’t.”
“And I thought I was paranoid.”
Solomon shrugs.
“So be it then, loup. I’ll wait and train, and you keep your hands away from my friends.”
The wolf pauses and nods. She feels like he isn’t very happy with the conditions she set.
“Very well. You may leave.”
She stands up and exits his office. She then hears a slam coming from inside. “He didn’t even ask about the others… How strange.”
Shaquia is nowhere to be seen, however. She was told to be in the warehouse, so Solomon guesses that she still isn’t done there. She may have just been told not to go anywhere without her, but she doesn’t have much of a choice here.
She walks to the warehouse entrance, a rhinoceros guard blocks her way in.
“ID.” Is all he says to her. She holds up her hands, showing her markings to him. His eyes go wide in a mix of surprise and fear.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were… That.” Ludwig may have told her not to be alone, but he sure didn’t tell all of his employees. “Go right in.” The guard moves out of the way.
“Merci.” She says in response and enters the warehouse. “At least these will be quite handy for getting around here.”
While the main building is impressive in terms of height, the same is true for the warehouse in terms of length and width. Large shelves with boxes and materials make what feels like a labyrinth of corridors.
“How did you even manage that?” She hears the irritated voice of the lynx and heads in its direction.
“Just help me get it unstuck!” Says another, familiar voice.
So many boxes and various items… She looks to the top of one shelf. “Why is a piano up there?” The deeper she goes, the more she finds things she’d consider to be junk. There’s even a box filled with confetti.
“Should I just bring the power cutter?” She hears the lynx ask.
She turns a corner and sees Shaquia and a short raccoon, about the same height as Solomon. In fact, it’s the same raccoon who came to help take her at the station. She also saw him in the painting. He doesn’t have his dress jacket on, the markings on his arms are prominently on display. On his right arm, there is frost. On his left, fire. They are trying to free a large, wooden box labelled “fragile” from metal wires holding it tight.
“How are you this bad at packaging?” The lynx asks, then notices that Solomon showed up. “I’m SO glad you’re here.” She says and beckons the cat to come and help. “Ludwig didn’t suspect that I wasn’t with you, right?”
“Not even a little bit.” Solomon responds as she walks over. The two stop struggling with the box.
“Solomon, this is Benedict. He’s in charge of the warehouse, unfortunately.”
“I’ve been telling Ludwig that this place is too big for one person to oversee AND for him to go out on missions in addition.” The raccoon crosses his arms and glares at the lynx. “Especially when most of the people working here have called in sick. We are so understaffed, you wouldn’t believe it.”
Come to think of it, Solomon didn’t see many other people in the warehouse, two others at most. She feels rather surprised by the lack of contingency plans when it comes to such problems.
“Anyway, mind helping with this?” Says the lynx, looking from the box to Solomon. “If you could melt those wires, that’d make our job a whole lot easier.”
The cat nods and walks over to the box. Her magic powers up, the wires melt in an instant. The box comes loose right after that.
“Not bad.” Benedict says with a nod.
Solomon powers down her magic and offers a handshake with a wink.
“Not to be rude, but I think I’ll pass on that one.” He says, taking a step back.
“Next time you pull something like this, I am NOT helping you.” Shaquia announces. “Let’s go, Solomon.”
Benedict gestures to her to stop.
“Hold on, we just met! I’d like to talk to her a little.”
“Meet me at the entrance.” The lynx shrugs and starts walking away. “Try to make it quick.”
“So, you’re Roxanne Solomon!” Benedict begins to say, apparently excited to see her. “The Acid One! Shaqie told me about you-”
“Call me that again and you’ll look like a naked mole rat by the time I’m done with you!” The lynx shouts, apparently still within earshot.
“Hah, don’t mind her.” The raccoon leans against the box, which almost falls from the piece of metal it’s balanced on. He catches it just before whatever's inside it can break. He steps back and smiles awkwardly. “How is he so high up in the ranks?”
“As I said, don’t mind her.” He gestures dismissively. “She’s always stressed. She’s in charge of the main building and the training hall.”
Solomon raises an eyebrow.
“Two of them at once?” She inquires.
“You know, we used to have someone else for the main building, but then things got messy and we haven’t found a proper replacement yet.” Benedict responds in a whisper, stepping closer to her. “But you don’t know that from me.” He says with a wink.
Solomon nods and winks back.
“So, frost and fire? How does that work?” She asks, looking at his arms.
“Oh!” He yells out, sounding excited. “These two types are normally incompatible, but since they don’t intertwine at all, it works! Fire, frost, and guess what!” He leans closer to Solomon and whispers again. “The two can even make water!”
She can practically see the stars in his eyes. If people like him can be part of this organisation, let alone be high-ranking, Solomon feels slightly less afraid of it.
“That’s… Nice?” She says, pretending like she didn’t hear about his power before.
“I partially supply the place with water. Makes the bills a bit less painful to read.”
Solomon feels a little weirded out by that statement, but she can see how useful that can be. “Magical water! Confirmed to be 100% like normal water!”
“I get it, you can conjure water. That’s great, really.” She says as she starts walking deeper into the warehouse. Benedict follows her. “Are you even allowed to talk about all this?” She asks with a sly look.
“I think boss man Ludwig is a little too paranoid.” The raccoon shrugs it off. “Like, Who could you possibly tell that information and have it damage the organisation?”
Solomon can think of a couple people who would fall into that category, but she has no intention of telling him. The organised warehouse turns into more and more of a chaotic mess the deeper they go.
“Haven’t gotten around to these parts yet.” Says Benedict, trying not to have it sound like an excuse. At the end of the corridor, something catches her eyes… It couldn’t be, could it? She squints to maybe see it better.
“I think your power is pretty cool.” Says the raccoon.
Solomon glances at him and sees that he’s smiling, apparently happy to just talk to her.
“Uhm, thanks? I wish I was more… Normal, to be honest.” She responds with a sullen look.
The closer they get, the clearer it becomes: there is an old book at the end of the corridor on a lectern. “There’s no way…” She tries to keep a conversation going until they get all the way to it.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
“So, what is your organisation about?” She asks, trying not to look in the direction of the book.
“I thought they told you already?” The raccoon says incredulously “It’s not really a secret, at least to those that are a part of it. We house and train Mystic Ones. We also help provide shelter from the outside world. I can only imagine the state the world would be in if this knowledge was public.”
Solomon feels astonished by what he just said. Not by the information itself, but more by the fact that he gave her an actual answer. Moreover, that sounds like a cause she can support. “Not the first to want to keep magic a secret. I can certainly see why.”
“If it’s no secret, then why wasn’t I told?” Solomon asks, glancing over to the book. It’s so close now…
Benedict notices the book as well.
“Oh no, no, no, why is it just out in the open?” He rushes over to the book, ignoring Solomon’s question, she follows closely behind.
It’s beyond any shadow of a doubt. This is the same book she and her colleagues found in possession of those three people who got attacked by the black kite. They must have taken it from the station along with her. The raccoon takes the book and puts it inside a nearby container that looks to be specifically for it.
“So what’s that book?” The cat asks curiously.
“Listen.” Benedict turns around to face her with a worried expression. “For the sake of us both, don’t touch that. You’ll get to see inside it someday, but that day is not today.” He says, gravely serious.
Solomon simply nods in response.
“Alright then. I won’t.” The confirmation that she’ll one day learn the secrets of the book encourages her. However, the thought that the company she works for was in possession of the book bothers her greatly. The way he phrased it, there is a way to read the book, which makes her feel like she feels like she should have tried harder to find that way.
“Benedict, please tell Solomon to go to the entrance.” Shaquia says through the radio. “If Ludwig shows up here, I’ll be in trouble.”
“You heard her.” The raccoon looks at Solomon and smiles.
The feline then turns to leave.
“Once we know we can trust you, I’ll show you around better!” He waves to her.
Solomon says goodbye and fastwalks her way out of the warehouse, concluding that the raccoon seems decidedly friendlier than the others so far.
The lynx waits for her at the warehouse entrance, just like she said she would.
“Thanks for the help back there.” She says with a smile.
Solomon waves dismissively.
“It was nothing, really. Destruction is what this was made for, right?” She holds up her hands, showing off her markings.
“Nature wanted it to be that way.” Shaquia shrugs.
Adelar told her that magic comes from nature, but what she said implies that it is a part of nature. Just how interconnected are the two?
“So, ready to go to training?” She asks, taking a tentative step towards the training hall. The cat nods with a look of confidence.
Shaquia and Solomon go to the training hall, only to discover that Stefano isn’t there. The lynx lets out a sigh of exasperation.
“He must not have finished his shift.” Solomon looks at her with a raised eyebrow.
“What shift?” She inquires.
Shaquia looks around. None of the other higher-ups are around.
“I’ll let you in on something.” She says quietly.
Solomon’s ears perk up when she hears that.
“There is a reason why Ludwig calls this org The System. Most Mystic Ones serve a purpose here. Stefano is an Electric One, so he helps power the facility along with others. We don’t force it on anyone, they help willingly.”
Solomon smiles in adoration at first, then questions this practice.
“For how long do they do this?” She asks, already thinking of ways certain types could be used.
“Most do it for as long as two hours twice each day. That’s the upper limit for continuous electricity channelling before having to take a break. It doesn’t account for everything, but it helps with the bills immensely.”
That’s the second time Solomon hears someone mention the bills. If they do this with every service, the cost of running the place could be much lower than she expected.
“He always overdoes it though, despite our wishes.” Shaquia looks around the room rather conspicuously, no one seems to take notice of their conversation. She checks her radio, making sure that it’s not picking up anything.
“I can tell you’re not getting used to this. To be honest, I don’t approve of his secrecy with you.” Says the lynx.
Solomon snaps her head at her with a look of disbelief. “Did I hear that right?”
“He wants us to make you trust us. His methods are not the way to do it.” She glances at the cat with a gloomy expression. “Your face says it all, really. If we don’t tell you anything until your initiation, there’s not a chance you’ll trust us.”
Solomon looks down and fiddles with her scarf.
“There’s so much I want to know. Ever since this all started…” She pauses for a moment, then looks at the snow lynx with a frown. “Then why’d you have to kidnap me in the first place?”
“That wasn’t our plan.” Shaquia scoffs. “We were there to have a look around. Then Benedict pointed out that you're an Acid One. When Ludwig learned that, he wanted you here immediately after, no questions asked. We had no way to tell you wouldn’t just… You know.”
Solomon looks ahead as the lynx tells her what happened. “That’s when they took the book…”
“We normally ask about this first, but you’re quite the exception to that.” Shaquia looks to the entrance of the training hall.
“Stefano’s coming.” She informs her. “We’ll return to this later.”
Solomon still has so many questions left, but that’s a start. They can normally remove magic from people, she guesses that since they never had an Acid One before, they would have wanted to experiment with that. “That clearly went well.”
The otter walks over to the two and greets them, which they return.
“Today, we’ll try a different approach.” Shefano begins. “Some Frost Ones can form icicles to then throw. There’s a slim chance of that being your case, but we have to try.”
Solomon salutes and stands up.
“You don’t have to do that.” The otter adds with an awkward smile, causing the cat to feel just a little embarrassed.
“Shaquia, you’re needed on the third.” Andreas says through the radio. “Sal made some new… Machine, and needs you to help test it, sire.”
The lynx sighs and begins making her way there.
“Be there in a minute.” She responds to the crow. “I swear, if it’s just some new gizmo again and not something actually useful…” She says loud enough for Solomon to hear and leaves the training hall.
“Sal! That’s the one I talked to yesterday!” Solomon wonders what his part in The System could be.
“Ready to begin?” Stefano asks. The cat responds enthusiastically, feeling glad that not everyone in the organisation is like Ludwig. In fact, the other higher-ups she met don’t seem to be that way.
Solomon spends her day following Stefano’s instructions as well as taking much needed breaks. She attempted what the otter told her, trying to form the acid into a vaguely spherical shape, all she achieved was getting the harmless, black remains of her acid all over a wall, much like she did the previous day. She then returns to trying to channel the acid into certain parts of her hands. There’s no progress this day either, but she’s patient. It may take time, but once she masters her power, she can take care of the cult and go back to freedom, to her friends. “However long that’ll take…”
Solomon feels exhausted from the training. She didn’t think producing acid would be so tiresome, but to try and control it as well...
“Solomon.” Says a sleepy-looking Shaquia as she enters the hall. The cat is sitting by a table with various tools and materials on it for testing, having taken off her dress jacket. “I see you’re done for the day.” She says with a slight smile.
Solomon finds the lynx more and more agreeable every time she sees her. “And just a day ago, I would have done anything to get out of here… Which I still would, but I’d be less open about it.”
Stefano makes his report to the lynx. There isn’t much to report on due to the lack of progress, but he apparently expected that to be the case. “Patience, Solomon. It’s only just begun.”
Shaquia then beckons the cat to leave, which they do. Solomon waves goodbye to Stefano.
“I really need a break after today…” The lynx says with a yawn.
“Tell me about it.” Solomon says in response, having worked on what feels like nothing all day. “Just the beginning…” She reminds herself.
“I have an idea.” Shaquia says as they enter a lift. “I’ll show the old man that I’m right.” She then presses the button that will take them to the fourth floor.
“Old man?” Solomon asks.
“I’ll get back to you on that one later.” Says the lynx. “Have you ever been to a sauna?” Solomon looks at Shaquia questioningly.
“I have not, but I wouldn’t be opposed.” She says with a hint of excitement in her voice.
“It’s settled then.” She then presses the button to the sixth floor.
There, the two get out of the lift. There are noticeably less people on this floor than on the others.
“I’m going to take a break. If anyone wants something, tell them I’m not available.” Shaquia speaks into the radio.
“Aren’t you supposed to be with the cat?” Ludwig’s voice comes through.
“I’m taking her with me.” She responds matter-of-factly.
“WHAT-” Ludwig begins, but she turns off the radio.
“Aren’t you afraid of getting fired for that?” Solomon asks nervously.
“He knows better than to do that. It’s hard enough to find proper replacements as it is, let alone ones who are willing to put up with overseeing two sections.” She states, not a trace of worry in her voice. “As well as going out on missions when needed.” She adds.
Shaquia goes to what Solomon figures to be her room and comes out with two bathrobes.
“You’ll need one of these.” She hands one to the cat. From the feel, she guesses that it’s made out of cotton.
Shaquia then leads Solomon to a door with an orange and a grey symbol on it. They resemble fire and wind respectively. On the way, a younger feline even salutes the lynx. Or maybe Solomon, she can’t really tell.
Inside, there are two small dressing cabins, blocked off by curtains. There’s also another door between the cabins.
“Take your time.” Says the lynx and goes inside one of them. Feeling a little apprehensive, Solomon goes into the other cabin and changes into the robe. It isn’t her size at all, but it would fit Shaquia perfectly. “Probably because it’s hers, huh…”
When she exits, she sees the lynx waiting for her wearing the other
robe. She goes to the other door and puts her hand on the handle.
“And this, Solomon, is my happy place.” She opens the door, on the inside, the walls, floor and benches are all made of wood. They go in, the lynx closes the door and sits down on the left side. Upon seeing that, so does Solomon on her opposite, feeling curious.
“This is what made working for that promotion worth it.” Shaquia sticks her hands to the sides, her sleeves roll back down to her elbow. Her markings light up and warm steam comes out of her palms, making the same noise a cracked pipe leaking steam would, which Solomon secretly finds ferociously hilarious. The room is soon filled with steam, making the air feel hot and humid.
“And the best thing about it: it’s free!” With the steam covering most of them, Shaquia disrobes. Solomon does the same a few moments later, somewhat relaxed. Or at least more relaxed than she ever was since being taken to the edifice.
Now, she really sees just how much of the lynx’s body is covered in markings. Streaks of fire and wind winding across her arms, shoulders, and even a part of her upper body. Solomon guesses that she must be strong, based on that. “Steam… What a power.”
“Feels great, doesn’t it?” The snow lynx asks. Solomon has to admit, it may be her first time, but the warmth of the air makes her feel rather calm. “I bet the others would enjoy this too. Maybe not Father, he’s a little too old for it?” She would rather not have the air be so humid, but she can’t complain too much.
“Yeah.” She leans back against the wall. She closes her eyes for a few moments before opening them suddenly. “No one else is coming in, right?” She asks, slightly concerned.
“I usually come here alone.” Shaquia calmly tells her. “And people know not to come in when I’m in. Let me tell you, a blast of steam to the face is quite unpleasant.”
Solomon relaxes upon hearing that.
“Good. That makes me feel better…” She lets herself enjoy the warmth. Shaquia is making sure that the room stays warm by releasing more steam from her palms at certain intervals. Every time she does, the orange and grey glow of her markings reflect off of the steam slightly, which Solomon finds pretty.
“Mind if I ask you to tell me more about your power?” Solomon asks after a few minutes.
“Not at all.” The lynx says with a smile. “Fire with wind. It makes steam, as we’ve found out. There’s really nothing else to it. It has some surprising range though, about ten metres if I really try. I can control the force and temperature of it, which is quite handy for both combat and…” She sighs in comfort. “This. The reason why I specifically wanted wind to go with my fire. I love a good sauna.”
Solomon fans at her face, the air starting to get a little too humid for her. Strangely enough, she doesn’t feel hot.
“So… How was today?” She asks, hoping to make the lynx lower her guard for other questions.
Shaquia scoffs.
“A colleague really drove me up the wall today.”
Solomon guesses that she’s talking about Sal.
“He needed steam to power… Something. He always makes these machines that are supposed to benefit us, but they never do.” She rubs her temples with one hand and pauses for a second. “It worked, alright, whatever it was supposed to do. But when I left the room, I heard a bang. I went back and sure enough, it blew up.” The lynx leans forward, looking at Solomon, irritated just by thinking about the incident. “How do you blow up a steam powered… Thing, that doesn’t even have a boiler!?” She asks in astonishment before calming down.
“Anyway, he’s in a medical room now with Bright Ones taking care of him.”
Solomon listens, fanning her face a little faster. “I guess that’s what he does here. I don’t expect to see him tonight then.” She smiles and thinks about what she could ask. She got on the lynx’s good side, she’d prefer to stay on it.
“He seems quite whimsical.” She remarks.
“You have no idea.” Shaquia concurs with a soft chuckle.
There are so many things Solomon wants to know… One at a time, she hopes to find out.
“Do you work for the government?” She asks, already having a good guess on that, but still wanting to confirm it.
Shaquia laughs a cynical laugh.
“I can safely tell you, we don’t. We’ll do anything to keep the Mystic Ones far away from the government’s clutches. The things that would happen if we didn’t…” She looks on, almost as if expecting Solomon to ask more.
“You called Ludwig an old man. He doesn’t look that old to me though?”
“Hmm…” Shaquia says, as if to consider how much she should share with the cat. “Let’s just say that he’s in good shape for his age. We’ll leave it at that for now.”
Solomon wonders what she could possibly mean, feeling that it’s getting slightly harder to breathe.
“Good thing Harper isn’t stationed here. When he works together with Ludwig, you can expect some archaic ideas.” Shaquia adds.
“So… How long have you been a part of this… System?” She asks, fanning her face more, her tail slowly swaying from one side to the other.
“About twelve years, I’d say?” Says the lynx, causing Solomon to pause.
“Just how long has it been around?” She can’t help but ask.
“That, I honestly don’t know. But I get paid, and it sure beats working for some schmuck who disrespects you.”
Solomon sees a parallel forming in her mind between Bird’s Eye and The System. She doesn’t like it at all. “I don’t know, Ludwig doesn’t seem that respectful either.”
“How come you’re not afraid of me like… Most have been so far?” Solomon asks. It’s something that has been on her mind ever since she first met Shaquia.
“It’s simple, really.” Says the Lynx. “I don’t believe in legends.”
Solomon smiles at her remark, relieved to hear that. “Finally, someone who understands…”
“Ludwig’s methods are old. He insists we use them, but most of us know better. That one incident sure left a sour taste in people’s mouths.” Her markings light up as more steam releases from her palms. “We need you on our side, as a person, as one of us, not just someone who happens to have such power.” Shaquia states, causing Solomon to grin with happiness.
“You know, that does make me feel better.” Solomon can’t help but have some doubts about what the lynx is saying, but it’s a start.
She can feel herself start heaving from the humidity. “Not yet…”
“Who is Rufina?” She asks bluntly, causing Shaquia to pause.
“I really can’t tell you about that. Sorry.” She notices that the cat seems to be feeling unwell. “I think you had enough, Solomon. Don’t want you to get a heat stroke.” The lynx says as she stands up and puts her robe back on. As much as she doesn’t want to, Solomon stands up and follows her outside. Just the other side of the door feels so much colder. The two dry themselves and change once again, Solomon goes to open the door, now having a slight headache.
“Hold on.” Says Shaquia, causing the cat to stop. She then fills the room with steam and opens the door. As they walk outside, steam flows through the open door.
“What was that for?” Solomon asks in a whisper.
“Dramatic effect.” The lynx says with a wink.
Solomon smiles slightly. “This is so much better than standard procedure.”
She then goes to take a quick shower, escorted to the bathroom by Shaquia, before going back to her room.
“Let’s do that again another time.” She says to the lynx, who shoots her a smile.
“That can be arranged.”
Solomon wishes her a good night and goes to sleep soon after.
Today, she felt much more like she isn’t here against her will, like she really is only here to get proper training and get to know more Mystic Ones. Maybe if they asked her before, she would have come willingly. Slowly, she could get used to this, as long as she lets her friends know that she’s alive and mostly well. Even then, she may have just made some new friends here. Maybe she’s getting comfortable with this too fast, maybe that’s what they want. And maybe, just maybe, things will go more easily from now on…