“No problem.” Paui smiled. “You’re an interesting person, Sechen. Even if you’re weaker than a newborn practitioner.”
“Oh, shut up.” Sechen sighed and shook her head. If she’d learned one thing about Paui over the last few hours, it was that she loved poking fun at people close to her. She could have easily said nothing, but the childlike grin Paui got after she got a rise out of someone was just so charming. “You know anything about Backwards Rainfall?”
That same grin had yet to fade as Paui made a noise in the back of her throat. “The… luxury water place? I haven’t been there myself, but all my friends who have have said the same thing; it’s neat, but not worth the price tag.”
“Prisoner put it on here for some reason, so we might as well check it out.” Sechen folded the map and shoved it in her bag, feeling the lighter General Temery had given her brush her knuckles as she did. She’d completely forgotten about it. “Hey Paui, can you tell me anything about this? General Temery gave it to me, but I don’t really know what to do with it.”
Paui looked at the lighter for a moment, then clicked her tongue. “It’s an Issi battery, but made to output anything as flame-tinted Issi. Why would General Temery give you that? Even I can feel that you don’t have any flame Issi in you.”
Sechen shrugged and re-bagged the lighter. “Maybe she didn’t have anything else to give away. We did come out of nowhere.”
“That doesn’t sound like Temery. I’ll make sure to ask her next time I see her, whenever that is.”
“You aren’t going right back to the glacier?”
Paui pushed open the door to Backwards Rainfall, mists spilling out into the street and over her feet as she blinked in surprise. “No, I’m not going back. I’ve got leave for a couple of… months. To get stronger. And all the good teachers are here in the Gilded Night.”
Sechen stepped into the mists, shivering at just how cool they were, even compared to the shadows of the night district. “You don’t sound too happy about that.”
Paui let out an embarrassed chuckle. “Is it that obvious?”
“I’ve known you for, what, three hours? If I could notice it, it’s pretty obvious.” Sechen looked around at the shop, which consisted of an ornate fountain in each corner of the room, all carved to look like waterfalls over rocky cliffs, and another in the center that was a rain cloud above a golden well. Mists spilled over all their edges, creating a heavy layer that obscured Sechen from the middle of her calves down. “My socks are wet.”
“I’ll let you borrow my cleaning tag after this.” Paui said, but she looked just as uncomfortable as Sechen felt. “What does your list say? Is there anything you need here?”
A quick glance told Sechen that yes, there was.
“Unfortunately, yeah. Highriver silt and memorial water.” Sechen stepped over to what must have been the counter, a simple wooden table with a touch bell on it. She rang it and waited for someone to come, but was instead greeted with something that fell down from the ceiling. “Is this a menu?”
“Looks like it.” Paui grimaced with every step she took, discomfort plain on her face as she joined Sechen. She pointed at one line of text that was followed by a symbol like a snake curled inside a triangle and a number. “Oh my. That’s expensive.”
“And would you know it, I don’t actually have any of the Gilded Night’s coins.” Sechen sighed, hands on her hips as she read through the rest of the menu. When she got to the end she noticed a small addition that she would have said was hand-written if not for the fact that the menu itself was a projection. “If you need help with your order, raise your hand in the air and call for a shop attendant. One will be with you as soon as possible. Looks like we’ll have to do that.”
Sechen turned to Paui, who was mouthing numbers as she counted triangular coins from a small wallet. “Paui?”
Hoalt’s soldier snapped her purse shut and nodded to herself. “I can pay for the memorial water.”
“Let’s see if an attendant can help us first. I don’t want you breaking the bank to help someone you just met. But thanks.” Sechen said as she raised her hand to call a shop attendant. “Shop attendant? We need help.”
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The mist slipped away from Sechen’s feet as if it were a rug that had been pulled away, moving towards a spot behind the central statue before getting sucked into what looked like a whirlpool of mist. The whirlpool soundlessly raged and shot upwards, now a tornado of mist, slowly solidifying into the form of a manifestation. As they lurched out from behind the statue, Sechen noted that their features were formed out of sand that looked like it was floating in the surf of a lake. Below their waist was nothing but a slow swirl of mist, connecting to an upper body that dripped and dissolved too quickly to form any kind of muscle structure. The sand behind a perfectly flat face twisted into a smile, eyes quickly following, and Sechen had to re-evaluate just what her socks were wet with.
“How can I help you two this fine afternoon?” The manifestation asked, clasping their hands to the side of one cheek and tilting their head towards it. It was almost cute.
“We’re looking for highriver silt and memorial water. The menu has memorial water on it, but I don’t see highriver silt anywhere.” Sechen explained. “Do you sell it here?”
The apparition raised an eyebrow in surprise, their line of sand of a mouth shifting into a confused line. “Why do you need some of my silt?”
“You must be Highriver, then. Sorry, the guy who sent me on this wild goose chase didn’t tell me anything.” Sechen apologized. “Is it even possible to give up any of your silt?”
“Oh, it’s very much possible.” Highriver confirmed. “Not comfortable, certainly, but possible. It would be like you giving up parts of your fingernail; as long as the base isn’t removed, it will grow back. What is your budget for this purchase?”
“I don’t have any money, but I do have this.” Sechen pulled out Prisoner’s crystal. “Anything in there is open for trade.”
Highriver eyed the crystal with curiosity, seemingly fighting with themselves on whether they should take a look. Curiosity must have won out, as they reached out for Sechen to place the crystal in their palm. “Taking a look couldn’t hurt.”
Sechen placed the crystal in Highriver’s palm, and it was swiftly whisked up through their body to rest inside their head. The sand that made up their eyes spread out through their head, lazily spinning around the crystal as they studied what was inside. “See anything you’d trade for?”
“I see my friend’s remains.” Highriver said plainly, and the temperature of the room plummeted.
Sechen backed up until her hip struck the table, Issi filling the room in a suffocating mist as the fountains spilled over. “You don’t seem to know what you have, since you would have avoided my store if you did, so I’m going to give you one chance to explain yourself.”
Paui looked to Sechen with an expression that was new to her face; fear. Sechen couldn’t tell who it was directed to. And that hurt. “We stole everything in that crystal from Glasrime’s prize hall.”
“Glasrime.” Highriver spat. “That rat. Do you know who put this up as a prize?”
“I don’t remember. But the guy who made that crystal might.” Sechen said, reaching out and tapping on the crystal. Paui looked at her like she’d gone insane. “I can bring him around later today, or tomorrow. You can talk to him if you want.”
“You swear this to be…” Highriver’s voice cracked, and the calm facade broke for just a second. All that shone through was grief and pain. They repaired it as quickly as it had shattered. “You swear it’s true?”
“I swear, but that doesn’t mean anything.” Sechen said, pressing down on her first knuckle and summoning a ring around Highriver’s left arm. They felt the Issi surge and gasped, then looked down at Sechen like she’d gone insane. “You’ve got my Issi signature now. Report me to Hoalt if you want. But we didn’t hurt your friend.”
“I’m taking him back.” Highriver said with what Sechen assumed was meant to be authority, but it cracked with grief like a widow’s speech. “But I’m not giving you anything in trade for him. What I’m taking in trade is this sapphire and these fruits, on the condition that you come back later today or tomorrow to explain what in the hells happened to Crumb. Do you understand me?”
“I do.”
“Then take these and go. I have a… a…” Highriver let out a sob, and their facade shattered. “Just leave. Please.”
A metal canteen and a small canvas bag were thrust at Sechen along with Prisoner’s crystal, her feet moving towards the door the moment she had a grip on them. Paui followed with wide eyes locked on Highriver as they sobbed while clutching twin brown cubes that were speckled with white to their chest. Sechen grabbed the door and hurried Paui through, slamming it shut so quickly that Paui had to jump to the side to avoid getting struck.
Sechen sighed and leaned back against the door, the sounds of sobbing barely making it through the thick wood. “Glasrime’s a bigger bastard than I thought. And that’s impressive.”
“What in the hells was that?” Paui muttered, hugging herself tight as she shook. “That wasn’t normal Issi. How come you weren’t affected at all?”
Sechen raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean? It felt like normal Issi to me.”
“All that anger and sadness behind it, that’s what.” Paui shuddered. “You couldn’t feel it?”
“Oh, no, I felt it. I’m just used to anger and sadness.” Sechen pushed off the door and gestured towards what looked like a restaurant. “I’d offer to treat you to dinner, but I don’t think a restaurant would be happy bartering for a meal.”
Paui stared wide-eyed at Sechen. “No, but I think there’s something else we need to do.”