Mevi followed Ouapi through the twisting and winding halls of Maphet and Odion’s vast facility. The tall and dutiful woman led them with a diligent purpose, ascending them higher and higher through the facility. The outside view climbed higher every time they crossed facility buildings via connecting bridges and access ways. Briefly Ouapi led Mevi and her companions into a long but short room lined with various cabinets, lockers, and discarded articles of clothing. Ouapi seemed to disapprove the strewn about clothing, but their purpose wouldn’t hold them there long.

Ouapi instructed Mevi and her retinue to change into new clothes, the tall woman personally attending to Mevi. In a flurry movement, mechanical clippers, and dexterous hands Ouapi had restored Mevi’s raiments to a glittering cleanliness. She patched holes and moved fabric in a way to cover any imperfection, while also adding beautifully sewn segments to improve the regalness of Mevi’s relatively meager study robes. While nothing compared to Mevi’s inaugural dress, it held vaguely to the standard compared to how Mevi recalled Alestair and the other officials dressed to.

When Mevi’s clothes were repaired and adjusted, she was quickly disrobed and instructed to clean herself. Being pushed quickly into an attached room, Mevi was left confused but not alone. Saerin was already in the new room, investigating and tinkering with a panel in the nearby wall; she was noticeably also disrobed. “I wasn’t sure if our warden would even allow us a moment of rest before shipping us off to a strange planet! I’m glad she seems to have some kind of heart.” Saerin said, chuckling to herself as she activated the panel.

After Saerin’s tinkering the room came to life. The walls opened to reveal faucets and a port hole opened to reveal a sort of synthesizer, the synthesizer began leaking a mist that smells faintly of citrus; a scent Mevi had only ever caught faint trails of during the most extravagant of feasts on her homeworld. Satisfied, Saerin led Mevi by the hand into a short depression in the floor which revealed to be filled with water! There was an entire section of the floor that could easily fit ten or twelve people, depressed about three feet into the floor, and it was an entire pool filled with water. Mevi had never seen the valuable resource used in such an extravagant way, and it seemed Saerin meant for them to bathe in it. After shaking off some of her amazement, Mevi replied to Saerin, “We can’t judge Ouapi too harshly, Saerin. She has done a great deal for me despite only just meeting us, especially since she would probably be serving Alestair right now if not for my ineptitude.”

“Don’t sell yourself short, my lady.” Searin quickly retorted, “You are also a Magi’s Apprentice, and to our glorious Lord Councilor Maphet no less! You technically out-rank Alestair you know.”

Mevi contemplated her words for a moment, brooding slightly, “I don't feel like I do, and I probably shouldn’t. I don’t even really know why I was given this opportunity, it feels like I stole something that doesn’t belong to me but everyone pretends it was mine the whole time. I don’t even know the first thing about the Barge but I am given, and expected to fulfill, such an incredible role as a Magi’s Apprentice?” Mevi let her voice trail off, realizing how pathetic her words were becoming.

Saerin and Mevi were standing in the water, but Saerin moved to pull Mevi onto the step leading into the pool, lowered into the water enough where they could sit with the valuable liquid up to their shoulders. Saerin held Mevi close to her as they enjoyed the warm water and pleasant mist. Saerin spoke again after letting Mevi decompress for a moment, “You know, I don’t know all that much either. You and I are alike in that way.”

“You know so much, at only a mention of Modrak you knew where to go and what to do. You expertly cared for Kalesi up until I led us on a foolhardy and uninformed mission, you always seem to have the right words for everything…” Mevi stammered.

Saerin’s laugh interrupted Mevi, “You know, when I first became an acolyte I didn’t know anything about the barge either. I was just a scrappy kid from a faraway place, but someone saw me and told the Magi ‘This kid has potential, we just need to put her in the right place!’ and for the love of the Barge the Magi listened. I was made into a medical technician and researcher, I didn’t know anything about it before I was suddenly handed a scalpel and told to start working. But look at me now, getting all these compliments from such an obviously special person like yourself. So someone must’ve been right, so I’ll bet the Magi are right about you too.”

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Mevi let the compliment sink in, and she moved closer to Saerin wanting to disappear into the bliss of the warmth from the water and her friend’s care. Suddenly the door shunted open, Ouapi breaching the gap with her bare blue-tinted skin. She sniffed at the air and grimaced as she squinted through the thick mist, then she looked down at the two of them. Entering into the watery bath herself, Ouapi said, “My lady, I encourage you to enjoy this and clean yourself as best you can. Lord Alestair advised us to clean and repair our garments and give you a moment to rest. While I think you are fit to continue immediately, I obey. But we are due to leave in approximately thirty minutes. I have begun the cleaning cycle on everyone’s robes and issued them formal masks to suit.”

Mevi straightened in her seat, but still held Saerin’s hand, “Ouapi, would I need to wear a mask as well?”

“While it is tradition, and seen as proper, you are of high enough rank to forgo a mask. In many diplomatic missions, a Magi’s followers equip masks as it is deemed necessary. The more alien and strange servants wear them, or if a newly encountered people has an alien appearance we wear them to not seem too different from them. It will be up to your own judgment, I have a mask prepared for you and you may adjust it to personal preference if you wish.”

“I think you look beautiful enough any society would crumble from just your smile, my lady!” Saerin poked at Mevi’s shoulder as she teased her.

“That simply wouldn’t do, Saerin. We cannot allow the society to crumble, or else they couldn’t give proper tribute to our Lords Magi.” Ouapi refuted.

Mevi and Searin quit their teasing and looked at Ouapi, and the normally strict and dutiful woman stared back with bewilderment. Searin laughed which caused Mevi to giggle slightly. Ouapi, even more confused, asked, “What? What did I say?”

“That was almost a joke O’pi!” Saerin said between giggles.

“O’pi? My name is Ouapi, O-e-pi.”

“That’s too much to say! O’pi is like a nickname!”

The two bickered, but in an almost sisterly way. Mevi watched and swore she almost saw a brief smile peak out of Ouapi’s stern expression. Mevi wondered if Alestair had meant for this kind of ‘rest’, but didn’t think too long about it. Ouapi and Saerin showed Mevi how to use the strange bathing apparatus along the walls: a device to scrub yourself, a dispenser of strange goo which turned to suds and bubbles, and finally an omni-directional blower that dried each of them to a crisp. Saerin and mevi’s hair became fuzzy and required grooming, but Ouapi was revealed to have short-cut and perfectly straight blue-ish hair that resisted the frizz. Mevi hadn’t noticed in the heavy mist of the bathing room, and Ouapi had never taken down her hood until now, but it was remarkably sparkly and beautiful.

Mevi and her two companions exited the bath followed by giggles, finding their clean clothes laid out diligently just in front of the bath door. After dressing and reentering the main room Hellion and Zelkan waited patiently in silence. They both stood awkwardly by themselves and the teasing from Saerin and accompanying giggling broke the silence. Hellion’s face erupted to a grin and he began to speak, “Lil’ lady! You wouldn’t believe, what-”

He was suddenly cut off by Zelkan’s stern voice, “Silence! Not a word.”

Backing off and holding his arms up in surrender, Hellion quieted, “Not a word. Gotcha.” But his poorly suppressed smile still escaped.

Mevi wondered what had happened between the two of them, but didn’t want to pry. Yet now with the group of them cleaned and dressed in more formal attire, they all began down the hall again. Once more following Ouapi upwards. They climbed the spires of the facility until they exited onto a short platform. A hovering transport awaited them, and after Mevi’s questions if this was what would take them to the surface, it was revealed they would first need to travel to a place called, ‘The Royal Docks’. After being transported there, they would board a shuttle outfitted to service all the needs of her task, but also was where her Sentinel awaited them. With that final piece of news Mevi was all the more eager to race to her task. Entering into the small transport, all of them flew at a remarkable speed through the City of Light. Their spirits and bodies ever so slightly recuperated and rejuvenated for the upcoming task.