Andromeda finally made it back, and her back felt like it was going to give out. She hadn’t taken into account that the last leg of the journey would be her walking uphill for five minutes. This wouldn’t have been a problem if she hadn’t spent the last fifteen minutes before that carrying a fully grown man on her shoulders.

Alice came running, and just when she got close, she staggered back and covered her nose.

“He smells like a bathroom… I think I’m gonna be sick.” Alice winced. Andromeda only nodded, staggering up the last few yards to the porch. A few steps in and she dumped Garret’s unconscious body on a couch that hadn’t been moved yet. Finally free of his dead weight, she stretched her back, and an eye watering pop echoed from her spine. She herself stumbled to a nearby chair and sat down.

Alice stood nearby looking over him, still holding her nose. “What an incorrigible man. I’ve only seen him for a few moments and I’m sick of it, I can’t imagine what Chi was going through.”

“If it was anything like what I just dealt with. That girl has the patience of a saint.” Andromeda said, she then regaled Alice with all the colorful language and complaints Garret had, along with what she hoped was a concise summary of the actual situation he dealt with. The “hope” in that sentence was due to her having to parse what were actual complaints and what was the drunken rambling of a mad man. All culminating in him breaking into a fit of sobbing and passing out.

“How is it that High Magister Ferdinand would ask this man over anyone else?” Alice asked, raising a good question.

“I don’t know, he didn’t even tell me we’d be having others along. So he must have decided it after I left. Which, and I don’t feel like should have to say this, is something he promised he’d stop doing.” Andromeda said while slumping back in the chair.

“What should we do with him the meantime, I’m kind of afraid he’ll soil himself on my new couch.” Alice said.

“Your couch?” Andromeda said playfully.

“Yes, my couch. I picked it for the fabric’s texture, and I’ll already have to scrub the smell of disappointment out of it. I’ll raise hell if I have to clean stains out of it the day I put it together.” Alice said, half joking. While they spoke, there was a loud bump up stairs. “Chi’s awake.“ Alice said, the door slammed above, and frantic steps echoed through the floor. All the while they could hear a small voice saying “nonononono” on its way to the stair well. Then worried taps down the entire flight of stairs.

The door to the stairwell slammed open and Chi burst through, “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to fall asleep! I was just-”

Andromeda put her hands up to calm the poor girl, “Whoa, slow down. You’re not in trouble.” She said. Chi almost looked relieved for a moment, then she saw what and who was sitting on the couch in front of Alice.

“Oh god, sir, what happened?” She said, not saying it loud enough to obviously try to wake him up, more like she was saying it to herself. Chi ran up and tried to shake him awake, but after a few moments realized he was out like a rock. “This is… oh this is so embarrassing.”

Andromeda stood up, popped her back, “I heard… some of the situation from him. It’s mostly what you said, just a lot more profane.” Andromeda said.

“I feel like I’m going to be sick, I couldn’t imagine that he would walk all the way back and pass out like this…” Chi said, causing Andromeda to suck air through her teeth. “What?“ She asked, only to see the tell-tale smear of grime over Andromeda’s shoulder, just like what was on Garret’s vest.

“No…” Chi said. She bent down and sat on her knees with her head buried in her hands. “I want to die. Bury me.”

“Oh for the love of- Alright, come on.” Andromeda said, grabbing Chi under the arms and lifting her back up to her feet. “Hey, look at me.” Chi uncovered her eyes and looked Andromeda in the eye.

“Do I look angry?” Andromeda said.

“No…” Chi said quietly.

“So why are you acting like you’re in trouble?” Andromeda asked. Chi was quiet, and turned away.

Andromeda snapped her fingers and brought Chi’s attention back. “Hey, I know you’ve have a rough few days. I can literally smell it on both of you, but I need you to get yourself together and act like an adult. You aren’t this man’s mother and you shouldn’t be embarrassed for him making an ass of himself. I’ll deal with him when he’s wide awake and fully capable feeling me tearing his ears off. Until then, I want you calm yourself down because I’m genuinely afraid that one more tiny little thing going wrong will make your heart explode.”

There was a heavy silence in the room, and it was only broken by Garret suddenly stuttering in his sleep. Chi solemnly nodded her head, “O-Okay… I’ll calm down…” Chi whispered.

“Good, I’m not expecting perfection, I just want your best.” Andromeda said.

Chi smiled, and Andromeda stepped back. Alice quickly took her by the shoulder and directed her out the front door, saying “We need to get whatever that is out of your hair before it leaves a mark.”, taking Chi out to the creek nearby. Andromeda looked out the windows and waited until they were both far enough that they couldn’t double back quickly. Then she turned to Garret.

“Are you guys ready?” Andromeda said. Affirmative waves of emotion flooded her mind, and herself, White, and Whisper all cleared there thoughts. Andromeda focused herself, and closed her eyes.

She felt the calm fall over her, her heart slowed, her breathing smoothed out. All the sounds of the world around her heightened, but were softer and more serene. A warm feeling engulfed her body, and when she opened her eyes, she could see the faint White’s faint glow surround her body. She could also tell that something had changed in her eyes. The goal with this was not just to practice while the other’s away, she wanted to test a theory.

She walked over to Garret and made absolutely sure that he was completely passed out. Once she had that assurance, she raised her hand, and focused her mind. A red glow rimmed with white surrounded her hand, and she placed it against his chest.

The theory was this, she knew that she could heal wounds. Between her own self and Entai, she was sure of at least that. But in her mind, it made sense that things that weren’t strictly “injuries” might be fixed by the same logic. Poison, disease, infection. They all cause damage in some form, even if its not to the flesh.

There was nothing at first, and she almost thought that wouldn’t work, but then a feeling she couldn’t place passed through her mind and body. It felt as though a dial turned inside her. when this happened, Garret reacted. The flush in his cheeks vanished, and he stopped shivering. The color returned to his skin, and his muscles relaxed. His breathing, which before now was ragged and uncomfortable, evened out. She could see his eyes flutter behind his eye lids, as his body seemingly entered a deep sleep.

Andromeda decided that was enough, mostly because staying in this state for too long felt overwhelming. That, and because she didn’t want him to wake up with no hang over. He wasn’t going to be the only one without a headache tonight.

Andromeda let the serenity fall away, all that was left to do was wait. She sat back down in the chair and let her body readjust, a few minutes later Alice and Chi came back. Unfortunately, Chi seemed to be soaked to the bone.

“What happened?” Andromeda asked.

“I lost my balance and fell in the creek. I’m not really sure what do to because I don’t have a change of clothes.” Chi said.

“You didn’t even bring spare clothes? King’s Grove isn’t exactly a short drive from here. Did you guys sleep in your-” Andromeda said, but she stopped herself when she realized she already know the answer.

She rubbed her head and silently cursed Ferdinand and Garret both. “Go up to your room and I’ll bring you some spares of mine. We look about the same size, it’ll get you through the day until we can get into town again and get some of your own. Sound good?” Andromeda said. Chi nodded, and Andromeda gave her a thumbs up.

----------------------------------------

A few hours passed, and it was the middle of the evening. Everyone got tired of hearing Garret snore in the main hall, so they tossed him into one of the spare rooms up stairs and hoped he wouldn’t soil himself in the meantime. Andromeda and Alice finished assembling and moving all the furniture, getting much more done with an extra pair of hands. Without much else to do, the three of them gathered in the newly designated lounge.

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“Sorry about the tea, I only had what I could pack in a bag and hadn’t made it to town yet to get more.” Alice said, pouring some tea into the metal camping cups they had lacking better supplies.

Chi took a sip, and her face lit up, “This is delicious!” She said excitedly.

“Oh no, I could do better if I had some fresh leaves, and warm water, and maybe some extra time.” Alice said.

“Really though, its just as good as always.” Andromeda said.

“I’m glad you both think so, I’ve been a bit distracted these last few weeks and was afraid I was out of practice.” Alice said with a smile. Andromeda was happy to be sitting back and enjoying a quiet moment. She and Alice hadn’t been unoccupied for for months at this point. It made her nostalgic for Cylas.

“So, It seems like we’re going to be working together for the time being, no time like the present to get to know each other.” Andromeda said.

“Do you want me to start, or would it be better to wait?” Chi asked.

“If you wanna start, go ahead. Me and Alice already know each other.” Andromeda said.

“Oh, of course, well,” Chi started, she cleared her throat and took a deep breath. Doing a kind of meditative gesture. “My full name is Richisa Heveni Vendee. I was born in Lego Delta, and after Technical School, I was assigned as Garret’s assistant and moved to King’s Grove. I’m trained in record keeping, remote communications, and administrative work.” Chi said.

“Any hobbies?” Alice asked.

“H-Hobbies, I mean… Nothing too interesting.” Chi said, Andromeda and Alice gave her a synchronized “Uh huh” look.

“Go on.” Andromeda said.

“Oh no, you wouldn’t want to hear about me. I’m just-” She couldn’t even finish the sentence before Andromeda gave her a sideways look. She cracked like an egg. “I can sing…”

“You can sing?!” Alice said excitedly.

“Just a little bit, when I was young my mother would take me to classes. She said I had a strong voice, but things got tough and I wanted a stable job. So I when to technical school.” Chi said.

"Ooh, ooh, that’s so interesting! What did you sing? Opera? Classical? Or did you do something more modern?” Alice questioned.

Chi blushed and rubbed her head. “It really isn’t that impressive, it was only for a few years. I’m an amateur.” She said.

“Oh come on, why do you have to put yourself down like that? Its a hobby right? Why does it matter if you’re an amateur or not?” Andromeda chipped in.

“Exactly my thought! I’ve sung a bit in my time, but I’m by no means a master myself.” Alice said.

“And I can’t even hold a note to save my life.” Andromeda said.

Chi’s cheeks were tomato red and she buried a smile behind her hands, “You both are too kind, I’m not that special.”

“Agree to disagree, but you look like you’re about to pop, so we’ll lay off.” Andromeda said. She looked over at Alice. “So do you wanna go next. Mine is going to be a bit… well…”

Alice nodded and cleared her throat. “My name is Alice Magrisal, I was trained in the art of Divination by my Dear Teacher, a woman by the name of Rhae Vaniel. I spent some time at Clyas, but left soon after arriving. That is where I met Andromeda, and that is about the extent of my life so far.” Alice said.

“You do seem a little younger then us, but if you went to Cylas at your age, then you must have been part of the most recent class.” Chi said.

“It was only for a short time. There was a situation, and it let to a mad Medea attacking me, I left only days before the attack. But that’s a story Andromeda should tell you, not me.” Alice said.

“That’s a loaded topic, so I’ll save it for later. I don’t want to ruin the mood.” Andromeda said.

“I understand… So, what do you do in your free time Alice?” Chi said.

“Oh me? Well, a few things. I like making tea, but its only a mild passion. Honestly, socializing is one of my favorite hobbies. There are so many interesting people and interesting stories, you never know what kind of hidden complexities you might find if you look long and hard enough.” Alice said.

“You must have met a lot of interesting people then.” Chi said.

Alice smiled, but not with her eyes, “Here and there, unfortunately it was hard to form many friendships growing up. My condition made me the odd one out in many social circles.” She said.

“Condition? Do you mean your eyes?” Chi said. Alice nodded, brushed her hair out of her eye, and leaned forward. Alice’s eyes were gray and faded, they didn’t move or twitch. Like lifeless stones.

“I know that it may seem sad, but I don’t think about it that way. If it weren’t for these eyes. I’d have never met my Dear Teacher, and then I would not have been taught Divination, and without that I would never have visited Cylas. All of that led me here.”

Chi watched Andromeda turn away and cover her mouth, she had to ask. “Are you two…” She started to say, only for Alice to burst into laughter.

“I told you!” Alice laughed, and Andromeda turned red.

“Oh come on, its not my fault.” Andromeda said.

Chi couldn’t help but giggle and Andromeda’s reaction “Sorry, I didn’t mean to imply anything, you two just seem close.” Chi said, Andromeda waved her hand and shook her head.

“No no, its nothing like that. We’ve been through a lot and neither of us have a great place to be.” Andromeda said.

“It’s more like I didn’t give her a choice,” Alice laughed again, “I don’t trust she won’t do something dumb without me.” Andromeda slapped Alice’s arm. Once they calmed back down and Andromeda stopped blushing, Chi wanted to continue.

“So, we’ve heard about me, and about Alice, what about you?” She said, gesturing at Andromeda.

“There is a lot to talk about, and I don’t know how much I can talk about.” Andromeda said.

“It’s fine, I kind of figured that if the High Magister asked us to help you personally, you’d be more important then just a clerk. I don’t know what that might be, but from the way you act, and how Alice talks about you, it can’t be anything awful.” Chi said.

“You’ll have the whole picture soon, I promise, but thank you.” Andromeda said. There was a peaceful calm in the room, then Chi saw out of the corner of her eye that Alice was smiling.

“This is nice,” Alice started, but then her smiled twisted into a mischievous grin. “but I haven’t had anyone to gossip with in a long time. Did you know her favorite food is buttered bread?” Alice said, Chi was suddenly filled with faux surprise and she played along.

“No way, bread? Does she ask for water at a party too?” Chi teasted.

“You won’t believe me if I told you.” Alice giggled. The two teased and gossiped for the rest of the night, while Andromeda sat beside and took the brunt of it.