Pan shifted from foot to foot. She stood between Alban and Sotir, ready to greet their passengers, returned from well outside Scaldin space.

They watched through a glass wall as the little shuttle landed in the bay and the doors to the vacuum of space closed.

Uncharacteristically, Aria was the first to disembark, with Gavain. So really, Aria was tied for first.

“Here she comes. The friend of anyone’s dreams. The aura reading marvel. The…”

“Does anyone else you know get this treatment?” Alban asked.

Pan looked at Sotir, an apology in her eyes. “Not really.”

Alban gave Sotir a sidelong glance. Sotir just smiled and led them into the larger bay.

As Pan joined him, she watched Aria, on Gavain’s arm. Aria’s eyes were cast down – possibly trying not to trip. Pan felt her eyes narrow. She tried to study Aria, but Irini bounced ahead.

Irini’s coily, white hair sprang into the air and back to her shoulders. She seemed an inch or two taller. She might be a little taller than Pan. Irini had also acquired some other adult bits, though not enough to make her skipping uncomfortable.

Others followed Aria and Irini’s trail. Pan had mixed feelings about Kat and Hagen and Chara.

Wait, Chara?!

Pan didn’t know Chara would be with the party. Ever her favorite mentor, Chara seemed austere, reserved. She looked just as reluctant to see Pan as Pan was to see the lot of them.

Come to think of it, Kat wore a similar expression.

Pan didn’t even spare a glance for Hagen, but he was there.

“Welcome to the Ischyros,” Alban said. “It’s haunted by a couple of lost souls.” Alban’s eyes shifted to Pan, only his eyes. “But, you’ll only be aboard for a couple of weeks. You’ll hardly notice.”

Pan glared at Alban. She didn’t think of Sotir as lost; herself certainly, but not Sotir. Pan took a breath and sought Aria’s eyes, hoping to find annoyance mirrored there. Instead, Aria seemed a little…lost.

“I might as well feed you. Follow me,” Alban said.

The group began to walk, without further greeting.

Pan sidled close to Aria and grabbed her arm. She glanced at Gavain. “Can I borrow her?”

Gavain started. “Oh, sure.” He let go of Aria’s arm and released her to Pan.

Finally, Aria seemed to stir.

Aria had glanced quick at all the colors. She’d seen the usual on Sotir: green, blue, and even a little yellow. She’d seen the usual on Alban: blue and red. She even saw the usual on Pan: grey, blue, a touch of lavender, and a hint of red and gold.

After that quick read, Aria tried to ignore all the colors, until Pan took her arm. Aria stopped in the hall and raised her eyes to Pan’s face. She could see a look of concern beneath the aura.

Aria glanced ahead and watched as their party started to pull away. “We should catch up.”

Pan held onto Aria’s arm. “We can let them get ahead. I know my way around now. You don’t seem…like you.”

Aria grimaced. “Let’s at least walk and make it look like we aren’t hanging back on purpose.” She spoke low. “And, talk very quietly.”

Pan nodded.

Together, they turned and began to follow.

Pan waited.

Aria waited but just until the others were out of hearing. Then, she took a deep breath. “I’m infertile.”

Pan’s aura fluttered in yellow and orange. She remained quiet for a few steps. Then, she spoke, “You’ve been with Gavain one month. How can you know that?”

“I’ve been traveling with Gavain for a year, and it’s been eight months of trying. Pan, I know.” Aria couldn’t see the others anymore, but she could hear them speak.

Pan gave the statement another long moment of silence. Finally, she answered, “That’s more concerning, but you still can’t know, unless you’ve been to a doctor.”

Aria shook her head. “No, no doctor. We couldn’t do that yet, but as soon as we get back to Scaldigir, I have an appointment to be poked and prodded. Gavain too.” Aria watched the floor as they walked. Her aura was grey, just grey, no blue.

Another long pause followed.

“I’m sorry. Maybe Sotir could look into your future and…”

“Watch me go through medical treatments? Invade my privacy in the home? I don’t think so.” Aria snapped her head up and caught Pan’s eyes. “Don’t tell him.”

Pan shook her head. “I won’t. How long do you get to spend on Scaldigir with Gavain?”

“Three months. If it’s not enough, I might be tempted to follow him around again. Did you know, Pan? That I’ve been off work for a month, just following Gavain around? The Captain of the last ship we were on asked me to read some auras, and I said yes. I hate it, but I said yes because I have nothing better to do.” Aria could hear her voice rising, but she reigned it in.

Pan stopped. Her aura moved through colors: greys and blues, no more red, but still those threads of gold. Her face, though fuzzy, showed grim, then helpless. “I don’t know what to say.”

Aria shook her head. “Just…don’t tell anyone.”

Irini waited by the door. She’d had enough of Hagen, Kat, and Chara. She’d come to better understand why Aria and Pan were so independent. Kat and Chara had an interesting method for training, and Irini would never call it nurturing.

Kat had even admitted to once leaving Pan alone in a children’s play place to talk to the ghosts there. Unfortunately, she also left Pan with a pedophile, and even that didn’t teach Kat a lesson. It was unbelievable.

If Irini could have any mentor she wanted, she wouldn’t even pick Aria or Pan. They had been brought to full-fledged arcanehood in the same questionable environment, probably with the belief that guidance and sweet ministrations ended at puberty. Irini almost pitied their future children, but she thought better of it. As soon as she turned twelve, she hated public and sometimes private affection from her parents. Aria and Pan’s kids would probably think they’d hit the jackpot. Their moms would be loving until the day they turned twelve. Then, they would be uninvolved, or maybe they wouldn’t. Maybe, Aria and Pan would do better. Irini still looked up to them.

But, if Irini could pick her mentor, she’d choose…

Irini jumped. “Sotir. You really snuck up on me.”

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He smiled. “Sorry. Did Pan and Aria fall behind?” He moved towards the door.

“Yeah, I’m waiting to say hi to them.”

Sotir nodded.

Alban began to walk their way. “Irini, come eat. Or fall asleep on one of the couches.”

Irini glanced at a couch occupied by Hagen. Hagen had his arm over his eyes and lay motionless.

“There’s a wonderful time to be had.” Sotir nodded in Hagen’s direction. “We might have to carry him to his bed.” Sotir stepped away and headed for Hagen.

Irini bit her lower lip. “So…Pan and Sotir aren’t happy here?”

Alban narrowed his eyes. “They seem happy enough. Why would you say that?”

Irini turned wide eyes to Alban. “You said that lost souls haunted this ship…”

Alban nodded in slow realization. “I meant Pan, yes. She’s not exactly unhappy, but she calls herself a ghost – ghost of a reaper, I guess. The second lost soul is me.”

Irini stared. “You?”

“I’m something of an apostasy,” Alban said.

Irini hunched by the door and crossed her arms. “What’s…that?”

“I’ll explain it by telling you what I’ve done.” Alban leaned in and spoke low, “I burned all the images of the Mother Tree that I had in my possession – just tossed them into the garbage incinerator. I got rid of all my arcane circles. My quarters are completely free of Volanter things.” He touched his uniform where the Mother Tree was embroidered. “If I could do something about this, I would.”

“Uh….” Irini didn’t know what else to say. She’d seen the Visitor too, but she didn’t feel the need to rid herself of all symbolism related to them.

Alban smiled and patted her on the shoulder before she could offer any words. He stalked away to speak to Kat and Chara.

Pan and Aria entered. Irini stepped to their sides. She was now an inch taller than Pan, still an inch shy of Aria. Irini thought it was a good place to end up.

“I missed you guys. Boy do I have questions about Kat and Chara,” Irini said.

Pan gave Irini a rueful smile. “Just wait till it’s time to learn life skills, like taxes.”

“Do we pay taxes?” Irini asked.

“We get paid, so we pay taxes.” Pan nudged Aria toward Gavain.

Aria went. He had food waiting for her. Irini watched them for a while. Aria took the food from Gavain, but she didn’t hurry to eat. Gavain seemed to coax her.

Irini faced Pan again. “Is Aria okay? She’s been weird for the past couple of days.”

“Adult problems.” Pan put a hand loosely to Irini’s shoulder and guided her towards food.

“This reunion is a little depressing,” Irini said. “Not like how I imagined.”

Pan sighed. “Me either. How are you at thread working?”

Irini perked up. “I’m so much better. I ask better questions especially. Kat and Chara were just talking about letting me do jobs all on my own. I’m fourteen. I don’t know how that’s going to go.”

“It’ll be fine,” Pan said. “I was twelve on my first jobs alone.”

“But, you almost got killed by a pedophile and then there was the time…”

“Irini, to be a good ghost seer, I had to be alone. Ghosts just don’t talk as much with other people around. And, when people watched me, I couldn’t ask them the questions I really wanted to. It’s better if you don’t have an audience.” Pan dropped Irini by the food table and waited. “With no one to answer to, you might like your thread even better.”

Irini looked at the food, but she didn’t really see it. She thought of the things she would do different if she was alone. Little possibilities crept into her mind’s eye, but nothing took solid form. There wasn’t really anything she wanted to ask the thread that others couldn’t know. Come to think of it, unless she lost something, there wasn’t anything she really wanted to ask the thread at all.

“Try to have some fun and try to relax,” Gavain said.

“I’m probably the problem.”

“Aria.”

Aria looked at her plate. The sad little cheese squares didn’t even have a pleasant aura. Aria wondered how Alban got the food to look so unappetizing. She saw a plate of cookies and even they had a grey aura. Irini eyed them though. She tried one and seemed the worse for it.

“Why were you out so far?” Sotir asked Gavain.

They’d been having a conversation for some time, and Aria just didn’t realize.

“The past year I’ve been taking jobs that have nothing to do with Soffigen. I needed a break. But now, I want to stay near Aria, so I might have to take Soffigen work again. Or, I might take a steady position and just bring Aria along.” Gavain looked her way.

“You might end up closer to us then.” Sotir held his staff off the ground. His aura of blue and green wrapped it, and some of his old yellow reached for Gavain and Aria. “Sorry about the food.” Sotir met Aria’s eyes. “Pan scared away the experienced cooks, and we’re still waiting to get new ones. That means the entire crew is on rotation for food preparation.”

Aria let her mouth drift open. “Oh no. What did Pan do?”

“Nothing. They just didn’t want to be aboard the same ship with a reaper.”

Aria lowered her gaze. “That must have really hurt.”

“A little. I think she’s more bothered that we can’t get decent food.” Sotir turned back to Gavain and restarted their conversation.

The grey cookies were the best that Alban could do. Either that or most of the people on his ship had never learned how to cook. Maybe, today was Alban’s rotation. Aria didn’t think he could cook. Then again, he was definitely immune to galley duty.

Pan could cook. Aria had taught her back when they shared a room together. Pan should take a rotation, but with all the new circles she had to learn, Pan was probably exempt. Besides, who would eat food cooked by a reaper?

Aria bet Pan was having a tough time too. She put her plate down and searched for Pan. Maybe, Aria could try to relax and play a game with Pan and Irini. If the handful of board game loving officers still served aboard the Ischyros, they could find something.

“Cookie for you, Kat? They taste like the best sawdust you’ve ever had.” Pan held up a cookie that could be called neither crisp nor gooey.

Kat smiled but shook her head. “I’ve got to start taking better care of myself. Getting old. Sorry, Pan.” Kat looked into space away from the cookie.

“Oh.” Pan searched for a place to stash the cookie. Her mouth would be the wrong location at the moment, assuming that Kat really was jealous.

Kat crossed her arms. “I’m hitting that age, and you know arcanes are prone to more problems than our luckier counterparts.” Kat stared away from the offensive cookie. “I’m in pretty good shape though.”

Pan held the cookie at her side. She barely wanted to touch it. She was almost jealous of Kat, who could refuse the sweet based on her age. Pan studied Kat’s face. “So, calling yourself old? Are you going to retire?”

Kat laughed. “No. I can’t retire. I’m not one hundred yet. I’d rather be starting fires.”

Pan glanced at Chara to see the healer approach.

Chara put a hand on Kat’s shoulder. “You can cheat once in a while.” Chara seemed to work her healing circle.

Pan knew there were many healing circles. Thus, why every healer was a bit different. She wondered if the type of circle offered different kinds of protections against disease and aging. If so, Chara had been served a good one. She looked the same as the day Pan had met her.

Kat remained, until Chara withdrew her healing touch. Then, Kat wandered off. “Don’t tempt me. I think I’ll go look after Hagen.” Kat left Alban’s little welcome room and stalked behind Hagen, looking less like a concerned mentor and more like the harbinger of Hagen’s doom.

Pan laughed. She faced Chara to find her old mentor giving her quite the look.

Chara said, “How is it for you? How much have you learned?”

“A fair amount. I can’t do many new things, but I’m working on it. The old things opened themselves up to me rather quickly, and by old, I mean ghosts.” Pan glanced over the food table.

A rare Liti soda fizzled in a cup, and Pan knew it would be good because no one on the Ischyros had touched it, except to pop the top.

Pan reached for the soda, but she still held the cookie. It surprised Pan, sitting in her hand as it was. She tossed it back onto the table. It met the edge and crumbled to the floor.

Pan sighed.

“Let me get it.” Chara began to bend.

Pan grabbed her shoulder. “No. No. Let me.”

Pan looked at the cookie and debated levitating it. She called the circle into existence. She gave the circle a small area of effect and lifted the cookie with all its crumbs back onto the table.

When Pan turned back to Chara, she saw her mentor watching with intent eyes.

“See. I can’t really do anything different from what I learned as a reaper. Not yet,” Pan said.

Chara gestured to the floor. “Pan this is great. If everyone could be unbound…”

“Sotir is against it, but I have plans to learn that circle. I’ve found it in the book, and someday I’ll know how to do it. Anyone under the age of forty should probably be unbound. Older than that…” Pan shrugged. “It’s a lot to learn.”

Chara nodded. “It is. But, you’re doing a good job. Starting over.”

A pause followed. Pan thought their little conversation might be over.

But, Chara had more to say. “I came to see. I’ve been wondering how you are.”

“I’m good,” Pan said, without much enthusiasm.

Chara picked up the soda and handed it to Pan. “Well, you’d be better if whoever made this meal got out of cooking duty. I’m wondering who hates Kat and I this much to put a cook like this in charge of our welcome meal.”

Pan drank her soda, and it made up for the bad food. Scaldigir did not have much in the way of junk food, aside from pastries, but the Liti had sugar down to a science. Pan drank one sip, and then, she wondered if she should maybe slow down. She thought of Kat.

The little welcome meeting didn’t last long. Everyone ate what they could; then came the time to rest. Alban had disappeared back to his bridge or office. Hagen and Kat had left halfway through. Sotir took Chara and Gavain on a short tour, as he tried to orient them to the Ischyros. That left Pan with Aria and Irini.

She wished that Sotir hadn’t left her in a situation, where Pan had nothing she could say to make things right.

Being a good friend isn’t some of the time, Pan told herself. It’s all the time. Aria knows that. She’s done that. Now, you can do your part.

Aria watched Pan, with a hint of interest. “I think we should play a game. I need some cheering up."

Pan straightened. “Alright.”

“Oooo.” Irini moved toward the door. “Let’s find one. I can just…” Irini looked at her hands.

“Not Peril,” Pan warned.

Irini nodded. “Not Peril.”