I had left the main square.

Minutes later, I brush up against Tejani's back as he leads me away. The roughness of his plating, still wasn't what I was used to. Most of the city guards wore the outdated plating of their fathers. Even so, I wished Tejani wasn't covered in thick metal. At least then, he would feel what I was saying with my hands when I touched his back. I had a lot on my mind. The Ryoken tribes knew each touch. Usually it added emphasis, but sometimes it had meaning on its own. The pressure of each finger had its own set of rules and connotations.

“Tejani?”

I frantically look back, very aware we had some unwanted followers. I hoped the tribal loyalties of Tejani's tribe would deter a fight. Caleni was well known and had blood pacts connected to it. If someone attacked either one of us, they wouldn't be fighting me alone. They would be confronting his entire tribe in the future.

“What, Lani?”

Despite being many years older than me, Tejani was my closest friend, ever since I arrived in Lapona. I took refuge in his home. He was my first home on my journey to become a messenger.

“Is it always like that? At the stages, I mean,” I ask.

Tejani smiles from behind his bandanna. “No…. It used to be that the dances were sacred, Lani. No one ever killed or hurt a messenger.”

I grip my arm. “Mmm, oh…”

The streets outside the main square were packed. However, as we passed through the buildings there was more time to breathe. Stares continue to follow me, until Tejani leads me far enough away from the stages for my dance to have no influence.

Tejani heightens his stance at several strangers, lurking in the side streets.

His eyes stare boldly at their foreign face - ones known as Caparans. To us, who lived in the Ryoken lands, they were nothing more than dancer killers and worthless mercenaries. They raided our lands every so often to choose their new king.

“Stay away from those foreigners, Lani. Those vermin will skin you alive once they’ve had their way with you. That’s all they know.”

I narrows my eyes at several figures in the distance. Black jet-packs covered their backs. If not for their heavy armor, they would have been without balance. They walked a bit clumsily with their added weight. They didn't have the finesse of our dancers.

As we move passed the foreigners I stare at them. They intimidated me. They were untamed and a reputation for thirsting over blood and gold.

“What are they doing here in Lapona?” I nudge silently at Tejani.

I huddle closer to Tejani. He pushes my hand off his neck. He knew what I was saying.

“I don’t know, Lani. But I think it has something to do with The Far Away Dream.”

Tejani takes us to an open plaza, wedged between the homes. He pulls me aside and plants his shield on the ground to rest. I look up at the two animals, who were like playful foxes, on his bandanna.

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“Lani. The Far Away Dream is a picture and a myth. All this technology they claim the Neandelerians steal from it, it's not true. What Lam Lathi wants is to kill the Neandelerians and defeat their invasion of our lands. That's all. That's why you danced.”

The plaza comes to an end. A single fountain roars around us.

“But, what if it's true?” I say.

I hesitate and look at Tejnai. I cup my hands near the fountain's edge. Splashes trickle down my face and soak the edges of my hair. The chill revitalizes me and I wipe my face with my scarf.

Tejani undoes his bandanna. He lets it hang to the side and takes off his helm. After, he takes a seat next to me.

As a city guard, Tejani watched over Lapona. He had seen every tribe among the Ryoken come and go and he always admired their once sacred cause. However, times were changing and the empire Lam Lathi was putting an end to the old days that Tejani grew up in. More and more the stages were filled with propaganda and political messages, depleting the soul and noble influence the dancers were supposed to have on the people. It was because of this, that I believed Tejani let me stay in his home. I thought he wanted to change things, starting with me. In Tejani's mind, the best way to return the days of old was with understanding Lam Lathi. He knew it was the Lam Lathi messengers that held the reigns of the empire’s will.

Tejani stares at me, latching his shield onto his back. He glances at the thick belt worn around my midsection, before dipping his hands in the fountain as well. He gives me a few playful splashes and then moves to wash his face. Tejani quickly wipes his face dry, holding the hand sign for ‘finesse’ in mockery of the stage dances. He didn’t like them anymore and, at the same time, he felt them course through his blood. Suddenly, Tejani splashes some more water to his side and he waits for my response.

“Stop.”

I wipes the water from my face, unable to hide my smile behind gesture for ‘annoyance.' with my leg. I give Tejani a dirty look before speaking.

“Don't get too friendly. No one likes Lam Lathi here.” I say.

Tejani smiles.

“I lived here all my life, Lani. I think I’ve earned the right to play with the dancers. Let me enjoy your first dance . Besides, it’s better to be a friend of Lam Lathi than an enemy. Who knows, maybe they’ll actually succeed. Maybe the empire Lam Lathi will really steal The Far Away Dream.”

Tejani reties his bandanna and hops down. I knew he was being sarcastic with me.

“You know what they say, Lani? They say whoever controls The Far Away Dream has unlimited creative power. They have all the technology. They have the ability to unleash a magical place upon the world. They say the beings trapped within The Far Away Dream can create a land with no suffering and place where everybody is beautiful – a place where people never reject each other and love is easy.”

The fountain water soaks into my miniskirt and I prop myself upright. I look at Tejani and frown.

“Lam Lathi's intentions are always hidden.” I reply.

I wipe the hair from my mouth and eyes. I speak again.

“I like our world. We have our problems – but isn’t that what makes it real? The imperfections and not getting what we want. It brings us closer, even if we don't understand. The suffering makes us need each other.”

“Don't worry, Lani. The Far Away Dream is just a myth. I was mocking Lam Lathi. Not you.”

I feel Tejani pat my index finger. I understood.

“Everything seems safe now. I’ll see you later.”

Tejani jogs off to rejoin his group at Lapona's main square. He turns and gives me a final goodbye. I hear him laugh.

“Farewell to Lapona, Lani. If you knew anything about politics I’d say you killed us all today.”

I try to avoid anymore eye contact. I get up and move away from the running water. I could rest now. The next few days were sure to bring turmoil and it was best I stayed away from the radicals and those who resisted my influence. Most of the radicals were Lapona natives who dipped the edges of their hair in purple dye. They opposed any tribe trying to control their native stages.

Tejani's house was just a few blocks away.

I tighten my boots and laugh.

Even if Lam Lathi fervently tried to protect their messengers, it was my room in Tejani's house that gave me the feeling of sanctuary.