{-Ouka-}

She decided she wasn’t going to test the theory of if Aravind actually intended to wait on her, and how long he’d wait if he did. There’d be time to consider the encounter later. She just focused on the moment—making sure she didn’t drop any of the reports while desperately trying to figure out what room that bird was in.

Eventually, she didn’t need his instructions in order to find it; she could simply follow the weak, sorrowful birdsong. The door she was certain the noise was coming from wasn’t locked—it wasn’t even closed all the way. It seemed, though, to be more of someone’s bedroom. Maybe the bird had simply been put with someone who offered to take care of it, as there were also signs of birdseed and perhaps even some toys. Evidently, though, the bird didn’t take well to being captive, even if the signs pointed to it being well taken care of.

Ouka etched towards the birdcage, not wanting to scare it. She put a finger up to her lips, not expecting it to do anything, but the bird actually hushed when she made the gesture. She slowly opened up the birdcage and it took all of two seconds for the bird to unquestionably flutter up to her shoulder. It let out a happy chirp.

Weird. Maybe this was some kind of domesticated bird, used to being someone’s pet; she could almost swear it understood her actions more than any normal animal would…

Just as she was considering it, though, she heard it—the sure signs that meant that Aravind had finished waiting. Ouka quickly spotted the window, not-so-gently pried it open, and slipped out with the reports in one hand and the bird resting on her shoulder.

It wasn’t hard to find where Brenan and Mazel were; they, honestly, weren’t that far from the base. As soon as Brenan—who must’ve been drawing in the dirt with a stick while he waited—saw her, he rushed up to check on her.

“Ouka! Are you okay? Did you run into any of the Ravens while you were there? No one did anything to you, right?” For someone who knew very little about the situation, Brenan was surprisingly panicked.

Maybe that was just how partners—friends—were supposed to treat each other, when one acknowledged the uncomfortable situation the other had just been placed in.

Ouka nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine. Ran into one of them, but… it wasn’t a big deal. I could talk him out of doing anything serious. Then I just got what I needed and left before—”

She was stopped when the bird let out an excited chirp, suddenly flying off from her shoulder…

And flew right towards Mazel, transforming into a kid at just the right moment to hug her.

“Mazel!” The used-to-be-bird only seemed to cling to her tighter, and it wasn’t long before most of their words were muffled by crying. “I didn’t know if you’d come! W-when Jacqueline came, she said you might not be able to do anything! I was scared I’d stay there forever and I couldn’t get out or that I was too much of a risk to get or—”

“Don’t worry,” Mazel said softly. “It’s alright now.” She gently pulled them away, mostly just to observe them. “Have you gotten hurt at all? Did they take care of you okay, at least? I’ve made some ambrosia while we were waiting—it’ll at least help you calm down a little bit. Oh, and I want you to know: you’re never going to be too much of a risk. Day never would’ve just let you stay there—one way or another, we would’ve brought you home.”

The kid just nodded, clearly fighting back tears. When Mazel handed them a jar of something, they took it and sat down nearby to eat whatever was in it.

Ouka, deciding it was probably a better time to do it, walked towards Mazel and handed her the reports. “You said, after I got them, you’d tell me why you wanted them. Can I get that explanation now?”

Mazel nodded. “I think one half, at least, is pretty self-explanatory at this point. This is one of my ‘siblings,’ Zephyr. Oh, and Zephyr, since you don’t know them, these are Ouka and Brenan—they’re who my mission is with.” The kid mumbled a quiet hello before Mazel continued addressing Ouka. “They got lost on a mission around here and ultimately got ‘taken in’ by the Ravens. It was practically impossible to send another Fos to get them, and Messengers would draw too much attention if any of the Ravens saw them, so that’s why I asked you. And on behalf of myself, my fellow Fos, and Danai, I’d like to thank you for helping them.”

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“It wasn’t that big of a deal,” Ouka muttered. Louder, she prompted, “And what about the reports? Could you not get someone to get it for the same reasons, or what?”

“I guess you could say it was something like that. I wanted the duplicates because we just need to be able to keep track of a few things. Kiri’s group does a pretty good job at collecting information—and so do the other Messengers, obviously—but they can’t get everything. There’s just… some places which are a little harder to access than others, and that’s where these reports come in. The Ravens have access to places that we don’t.”

“No other relation, though,” Zephyr chimed in. “We don’t like getting caught up in mortal affairs, especially not the ones here. They’re all about the gods and their roles in mortals’ lives… if the wrong person knew about a Messenger’s presence or involvement somewhere, we could tip the scales too much. Keep them from really making their own decisions.”

Ouka was filled with curiosity when they said that, deciding there was no harm in asking, “So… do you agree with what the Ravens are doing?” Do you agree with what Hiero did? is what she really wanted to ask, but that was too obvious. She’d never get an answer like that.

Brenan must’ve understood what she didn’t say, though, because he said—as if he truly knew the answer—“Aren’t they the bad guys? It sounds like, to me, that they’re the bad guys. And I don’t know a lot about Qizarn mythology and stuff, but I assume the Fos are the good guys, since they’re helping us and everything… I know not everything is always that simple, but this really feels like it should be…”

“You said it yourself,” Mazel said. “Nothing’s that simple. There’s Orestis’s will, of course—that’s the good, and what clearly opposes it is the bad. But there’s a lot of ambiguity in there too, which most mortals fit into. That’s where the Ravens are, doing enough good to not disrupt His plans, but doing enough bad to not fully be excusable.”

Zephyr slightly stirred from their spot to mumble, “And, well… the Ravens aren’t wrong. But we’re not supposed to talk about that part.”

“You’re right, we’re not.” Mazel gave them a stern look. “Day’s going to get in trouble if you keep trying to mention that kind of stuff. Maybe one day it won’t matter. Right now, though, is not that time. Okay?”

They nodded and mumbled mhm.

“You realize we’re still here, right?” Ouka remarked dryly. “I guess I’ve gotten as many questions answered as I’m ever going to get. Is all of this over now? Or do you still have a couple of weird things you want us to do for you?”

Mazel shook her head. “That’s everything. You’ve both faced your pasts, so now you’re ready to move on to the future. Do you have any plans for your new beginning?”

“As far as I’m concerned? Anywhere that’s away from here,” Ouka answered. “I don’t know how interested the Ravens are in finding their little intruder and I don’t think I want to find out.”

She didn’t feel any different, not really. All she’d done was get some things and face someone she didn’t even know if she could consider an old friend anymore. But… maybe she could admit that the path she and Brenan were going down wouldn’t have led to anything. At least, it wouldn’t have led to anything that would be any better than what she wanted to avoid—from the kinds of conditions she’d already grown used to.

Besides, Brenan seemed happy at the thought. And if he was happy, she was willing to take the chance of change.

“I don’t know,” he remarked. “It’s probably got to be somewhere close, though, won’t it? At least for a little while? We don’t really have the funds for long-term travel, or at least I don’t think we do…”

Mazel cheerily recommended, “How about Ilystalos? It’s a town right at the border. I think you’ll both find familiar things there—a place where you can embrace your differences, as well as your similarities.”

Slowly, Ouka nodded. “I guess that’s as good of a place as any to start, huh..?” She turned to Brenan. “Do you think you’re ready for it? No looking back now.”

“I don’t think I’m ever going to be looking back,” he responded effortlessly. Surprisingly, to Mazel, he said, “Thank you.”

Mazel smiled. “Just doing my job. I’ll be sure to check in every now and again, at least for a little while—I’m interested in seeing what you’re going to make of your new futures.”