Micali Alsara
Member
9; Catching Up, Standing Still
(6319)
(6319)
The shopping trip was going pretty well so far. So maybe they were only three steps out the door, but Micali still felt pretty confident. Dom had let Rosa leave early, as the workday inside the tavern was pretty slow. The store they were headed to was also in the industrial district, and not too far at all, only a fifteen minute walk. Micali donned her charcoal tunic - it was heavy enough to withstand the cold of the month, yet not heavy enough to slow her down if she were to run into trouble, as well as some black pants and her black boots. Rosa wore her regular long tan trench coat, with some simple black leggings and what looked like a dark blue shirt beneath - her favorite colour. Heels clicked, as well, as her boots met the pavement. They both tucked their hands into pockets to avoid the cold as Rosa struggled to keep pace with Micali’s walk, the younger woman roughly four inches shorter than her shopping partner. Whenever Micali turned to look at her, it seemed that she was struggling to catch up. It made Micali almost smile.
Neither of them made small talk. It was a quiet, peaceful walk and then Rosa announced they were at their destination. It was a general store, much like any other in the industrial district. The low din of casual conversation as others made their way through the store caught Micali’s ears, and a sterile smell hung in the air, until they reached the items they needed; they had to pick up some fruits, soaps, and spices. With no inclination toward where anything was, Micali simply trailed Rosa and carried whatever she was passed. It wasn’t a lot, in all, and the brunette was confused. “Why did you need me to come with you?”
At the exact same time, the pair passed a shelf that held about a half-dozen bouquets of flowers, and Rosa carefully selected one with a cascade of yellow, white, and indigo flowers. “Because,” the pink-skinned woman replied as she made her way to the counter near the entrance of the building for payment, “we’re going to go thank Rev for healing you, and I knew you wouldn’t do it if I hadn’t dragged you out already. ‘Not a people person,’ right?” A devilish smirk crossed the velen’s lips.
Micali inferred that Rev must be Dr. Sati, and quirked an eyebrow at the incredulity of the younger woman. “Fair enough.” Rosa was either very perceptive of the sniper’s aversion to all things social or Micali was much more of an open book than she thought. Probably the latter. She decided to let it slide that Rosa threw their previous conversation in her face, as the air had a playful spark to it.
As they set their items down on the counter, their fingers grazed lightly, and Micali actively chose to ignore the shudder she felt, unsure if it was panic at the contact or something else entirely. The clerk added up the costs, Rosa parted with her exa, and the pair left as simply as they entered, an easy thing altogether. “Rev’s place is in Fere Divi, so it’s a bit of a walk. We’ll be passing Dom’s on our way there so we’ll drop the groceries off then.”
Micali didn’t respond, an intention for her silence to be agreement, which Rosa took and understood - or, at the very least, disregarded. The walk back to Dom’s was similar to the walk out, spent entirely in a sweet silence as the sky above glowed with a brilliant gradient of pink to orange as Caesar set beyond the city’s walls. Their hands grazed together occasionally as they walked, but Micali thought nothing of it.
They entered with the turn of Rosa’s key, dropped the supplies on one of the tables, Rosa disappeared upstairs to let Dom know they’d be out a while later, and that the groceries were downstairs. She reappeared, and the pair set back out.
They had been walking for about ten minutes before Micali decided to broach a topic of conversation.
“So how do you know him anyway?” The wide road, much like all that ran through the industrial district, had a wagon approach from the opposite direction, so both shuffled off to the side and walked single file until it had passed.
“Well, we went to school together - at the arcanum. Floor sixteen of the Sapienta Coetus, to be exact. We were the only people in the class from Lucrus, so we bonded over home. I ended up dropping out, but Rev stuck with it, and graduated with flying colours for his doctorate in medical magics.” Rosa, like before, struggled to catch up to Micali’s pace as she had fallen behind.
“So you were gonna be a doctor?” She adjusted her hold on the bouquet as the evening air nipped at her fingers.
“Yep! But it wasn’t what I wanted, so I didn’t.” There was surely more to the story, but Micali didn’t press further.
“What was Terminus like?” A genuine wonder. The Insidiis kept their work to Lucrus, as that was all Editus had in mind, to her knowledge.
“Big. Too big. Lucrus is the third largest city in Hiemis and it can’t even come close.” Yes, while Lucrus was indeed a decently large city, Hiemis had very few cities overall, as many just migrate to Terminus, the famed grand metropolis. She couldn’t recall the other one city that came second, but it didn’t matter.
It checked out with everything Micali had heard of Terminus in the past. “I’d like to go sometime, I think- once everything settles.”
Micali heard footsteps somewhere behind them as they walked. They were still a way out from their destination, or at least she guessed as they had been moving for some time now, but the buildings were still too nice to be Fere Divi. She turned to see a velen man about twenty feet behind them, his face covered with a dark scarf. His skin was a pale blue, his eyes a solid black. Their eyes met for half an instant - as far as she could tell, his pupils lost in the darkness of his irises.
When another few minutes passed and the man was still behind them, Micali felt sweat begin to form along the back of her neck. The buildings around them had begun to look less and less maintained, gone from brick to cobble and half of them collapsed. The smell changed from the crisp cold of a calm night to the thicker air of the tighter roads. They had finally reached Fere Divi, and that meant lots of crowded buildings to get lost between.
Micali made her move then, and grabbed Rosa by the elbow, and towed her off to the side into an alley, then through it.
“Wh- hey! What’s wrong?” Rosa didn’t make a move to break from the grip, but she did reach out to grab the bouquet before Micali could drop it by only holding it in one hand while she made hefty lopes through cramped alleys.
“Shush. There was a guy following us. Follow my lead for a minute.” Micali gladly allowed Rosa to take the flowers.
Rosa didn’t protest after that, instead allowed Micali’s hand to lead her between the crowded sections of the neighborhood they’d entered. They settled on an alley about a block away from the street they’d turned off of, with Rosa leaned against the alley and Micali’s hand on the wall next to her head as the brunette looked around. It seemed that a few minutes passed and they were no longer being followed. Rosa looked up at the elder woman. “Can we go?”
Micali paused for an instant, and turned to meet an inexplicable expression on Rosa’s face, a few loose black strands of hair covering her eyes. She moved her hand away from the woman, aware that she may have felt a bit blocked in, and that was likely the cause of her angst. Instead of conversing, Micali nodded resolutely. Enough time had passed that he’d have passed, or he’d be waiting for them. As they doubled back, Micali kept a hand in her back pocket.
The man was gone.
More time passed in silence until they arrived at a house in Fere Divi, remarkably well kept for...well...a house in Fere Divi. Soft light illuminated the window, and Rosa walked up, the two steps that made up a short stoop, and knocked lightly on the lofty wooden door.
A few moments passed before a man answered the door - a laicar, with brown skin, cropped dark hair, tired storm-cloud eyes, and a coat of stubble that covered his chin and jaw. A simple grey sweater and black pants adorned him. His expression lit up as he saw the girl before him. “Hey, Luna! What’re you doin’ here?” He embraced the velen before him, and Micali could swear the nickname was familiar somehow, though she couldn’t place it.
“Volo! I didn’t know you would be home, oh it’s been too long- and just Rosa, please.” The two parted and shared smiles as Rosa stepped back to introduce Micali. “This is Micali, a friend of mine. Rev treated her just a while back, and we brought-“ she held out the bouquet, “these! To thank him.”
Volo moved out of the way and welcomed them in. The building was a slight bit cramped, but in a homely sense. It was the nicest building in this third of the residential districts that Micali had ever been in, that was certain. He called out with a short “Rev, you’ve got visitors,” as he carefully positioned the bouquet on the mantle above the fireplace. Micali followed Rosa’s lead as they removed their boots, and Rosa hung up her jacket. Micali settled on unbuttoning her tunic - she didn’t want questions about her scars, and the building was a bit cold, regardless. A black shirt was below the tunic.
Sure enough, Dr. Rev Sati appeared down a hallway, brown button-up tucked into grey pants. He greeted Rosa with a tiny smile and firm hug. “Good to see you, Rosa. On…” he looked to Mical, expression free of judgment or malice, “happier terms. How’s the head feeling?”
She took it as her opportunity to speak. “I’m good, thanks. And thanks for, y’know, keeping me alive.” Micali was about to ask Rosa if she could leave now when movement caught her eye as Volo reapproached.
The laicar man surged forward, and placed a quick kiss to Rev’s cheek. “Such a hero.” He turned to Micali and Rosa, and asked, “anything to drink? We’ve got coffee, tea or just water.”
Rosa replied with a quick bid for coffee, but Micali was in shocked silence as the realization dawned on her that Rev and Volo were together. If the rings on their hands were an indication, they were married. Same-gender marriage was legal in Lucrus, made so by some council member in the last couple centuries.
The Insidiis had a strict don’t-ask, don’t-tell policy on relationships. If it didn’t affect your missions, your work, or the Insidiis profits and deals, you were fine. If it did, you weren’t fine. Same-sex relationships were much the same, though there was little protection from discrimination within the organization. Micali never saw it first-hand, but her raisers had little love for the two male agents that would walk through the halls with their hands linked. She had never formed her own opinion, really, just knew that it was something that some people didn’t like. Not that she would judge, as she’d only ever had one actual relationship, and with how that ended up, she felt that maybe it wasn’t a bad thing to just end up alone.
The sniper was, however, curious as to her friends’ thoughts on the matter. She didn’t know if any of the young ones had any relationships, currently or otherwise, and only knew of Dom’s relationship with Perdita. Magno and Paulo both seemed too busy, and if the way Rosa blushed whenever anyone said anything nice to her was any indication, she was likely not used to affection.
Such thoughts were pointless, though. If they wanted her to know, she’d know, and if they didn’t, she wouldn’t. Although they’d all made considerable progress in getting to know one another, it wasn’t as though they were at the point of baring their souls to one another. Micali had told them about the Seven Devils and the Insidiis, yes, but mostly for their safety, rather than from a desire to share, Pari Mendax-induced answers disregarded. She realized her silence had gone on a while, and that they all watched, awaiting her answer.
“Coffee’s good.”
Volo nodded and disappeared down the hallway Rev had appeared from. The doctor seemed to notice Micali’s surprise to the ring on his finger, and gave her a hard look. “Is it gonna be a problem?”
She shook her head lightly, and Rosa seemed to clue in on what had happened. The air grew awkward, and Micali felt as though both of them expected something from her. “I just don’t know any...people like that, that’s all.”
Rosa and Rev exchanged a look which turned to some kind of silent exchange with their eyes, then soft smiles. “Actually,” Rosa said, as she turned back to Micali, “you do.”
Micali was surprised, but realized that any reaction other than positive would be incorrect. “Oh. ‘Kay.” Nailed it.
Volo reappeared with the drinks, and Micali somehow felt cornered and outnumbered as they all moved over to the couch and two seats next to the fireplace. Several books littered the coffee table, many of which seemed to cover politics and law. She eyed them up as she passed, and Rev spoke first. “Volo’s an activist for Cura.”
“Yeah, like the activist. You’ve been leading every protest for like five years now, right?” Rosa graciously accepted her blue mug of coffee with a smile that seemed to communicate her thanks in place of words.
“Yeah. It’s a lot of pressure but it’s important. I grew up in Fere Divi, and I’ve seen the bad and the good of it.” He handed Micali a white mug with a faded design upon it that contained her coffee, then set some packages of sugar and a carton of cream on the table, which he and Rosa both grabbed plenty of, while Rev had his coffee black. “If the council made the appropriate changes, we could see economic reform, and the flow of wealth would stop going inexorably and solely towards Pes Exis - then again, this assumes that the council members give a damn about the common people beyond how they can line their pockets, which we’ve seen-“
“Volo,” Rev interrupted, then turned to Micali. “Sorry, this always happens.” Rev’s eyes were apologetic, but his soft smile betrayed any genuine annoyance.
Micali shook her head, hands busied by the addition of cream to her coffee, and turned to the other laicar. “No no, I liked the passion. I don’t pay much attention politically, but I do know for a fact that the higher-ups in this city don’t give a damn beyond their profits.” She rubbed her palm, a phantom pain from the collision with Silas Obitus’s nose a kind reminder of the nature of those in power. “That new one seems okay, though.”
“Melior’s pretty great, yeah.” Volo was apparently on a first-name basis with the new councilwoman. Micali wondered if they’d ever met, and how much he’d had to contribute to Cura’s advancement since her induction.
Some silence passed as everyone took sips of their drinks.
Rosa looked at Micali expectantly, and Micali returned the look as if her eyes could communicate how hard she was trying. She fought off an urge to run out of the building screaming.
“So Micali, what do you do? Work at Dom’s?” Volo and Rev had finished whatever whispers had occurred between them, and of course she was center stage again as the former asked her a question. The urge to run out got just a teensy bit stronger.
“I’m...I hunt.” A practiced redaction of complete accuracy, but one that at least one other person in the room knew the full truth behind. It wasn’t entirely without truth, though, as she did occasionally leave the city to hunt the bountiful wildlife in the forested plains of eastern Hiemis to clear her head. She cast a dark gaze toward Rosa, hoped it would deter any kind of input from the velen as to the genuine truth, but the younger woman wasn’t paying attention, her eyes cast to the floor.
“Oh! This time of year must be rough for business, I’d presume.” Volo’s enthusiasm put Rosa’s to shame, and Micali could already feel herself beginning to be drained by the exposure to him for too long.
The ‘hunter’ chuckled at that. “You’d be surprised.” She decided to leave it at that, the memory of the velen man she’d killed only weeks prior still fresh. That, and she only associated that with later that night when the assassin entered her room, and that just bridged to a whole new set of topics she’d rather not think about.
“Hey, why don’t you guys tell Mickie that story of how you met?” Rosa chimed in, and Micali would have to thank her later for changing the subject.
The couple on the sofa looked to one another and exchanged soft smiles. Rev took over this time. “Well, when I graduated from the Sapienta and moved back home, I applied to work at the hospital in Pes Exis - it paid the best, and I was qualified. My grandmother lived here, in Fere Divi, you see, and I wanted to repay her for my education - after my grandfather passed, his life savings were tucked away, and she decided my doctorate was worth it.” He composed himself slightly with an adjustment of his glasses. “Sadly, the hospital declined. They claimed that my ‘heritage’ would prove an issue in the working environment.” It was clearly something he’d spoken of several times, his tone resigned but not defeated.
Volo cut in now, his thick eyebrows knit together in frustration. “They were bigoted. This was only about five years after Silas Obitus made it onto the council, and spurii had it hard - well, harder than now, though we’ve not improved much despite how Obitus pushes for it. Did you know that the slums are comprised of twenty-nine percent spurii?”
“Is that really so bad?” Micali felt entirely alien as six eyes fell to her at the question, and she floundered as the walls closed in. She was tempted to spout off that she had spurii friends but recalled the talk she’d received from Corruma so many years earlier about why it was a dumb thing to say. A voice in her head chided herself for allowing a happy memory of the Seven Devils to exist.
Volo and Rev exchanged some sort of look, then the former turned back to Micali. “Considering that spurii make up roughly eleven percent of Lucrus’s population? Yes. If the council implemented any kind of protection from discrimination for the spurii population, they’d be able to integrate into workplaces, helping the workflow and getting money into Fere Divi and the slums. Of course, they’d also need to implement some kind of taxation regulation where Pes Exis would pay based on percentages instead of flat rates, which we all-”
Rev placed a hand over his husband’s, then looked at him like the rest of the world had melted away. Their eyes met and Volo blushed deeply, now aware that he’d rambled for a tad too long. Micali felt almost uncomfortable - like she had intruded on an intimate moment.
Rev took over while Volo busied himself by interlacing their fingers, “so when the hospital rejected my application, I decided to join Cura. I would pay my success forward in another way - I would help those who weren’t as fortunate as I had been in life. Then I met Volo. He’d gotten injured during a protest - peaceful on his end, though the keepers didn’t care - and I stitched him up. The rest is history, I suppose.” The fondness in his eyes didn’t melt away, and Micali shifted uneasily in her seat. A look cast toward Rosa saw the younger woman looking on, and her eyes glistened with emotion as her cheeks pushed up her face and her smile was exposed to the world. For an instant, Micali was lost in that smile, and the stars in those dark eyes, but summoned herself back to the present by the sound of an empty mug hitting the table, and she saw that Rev and Volo had separated.
Volo spoke then, “Rosa, could I get a hand taking the cups back to the kitchen?”
Micali hadn’t recalled drinking all of her coffee, but surely enough her mug was empty - she had been far too immersed in the conversation, it would appear.
Rosa nodded, and the two collected all the drinks and made their way back down the hall toward what was presumably the kitchen.
Rev crossed his legs across the table, and met Micali’s eyes. “How’s your brain?”
She almost wanted to laugh at the pointlessness of the question. “Good, but like you said, if something were wrong, it wouldn’t really matter.”
He arched a single grey brow at that, his ashen brown skin tired below his eyes. “Is something wrong?”
Micali looked over her shoulder to where Rosa had disappeared. Indiscernible Conversation echoed from down the hall, and thus she was free to speak without fear of worrying her friend. “I’m...it hurts to read. Not really a huge hobby of mine, but if I have to read for more than like, a minute, my eyes hurt and I get a headache. But it’s like you said, it can’t be treated, so don’t make it a huge deal.”
The spurii nodded slowly at that. “Very well. You’re lucky, truly. Most I’ve seen with that kind of injury lose their ability to dress themselves, if they ever wake up.” He leaned forward as his legs uncrossed, and the muddy brown eyes behind his glasses were dark and sharp. “And if you were ever to get Rosa into danger, you wouldn’t want to wake up. Am I clear?”
Micali’s emotions bubbled up somewhere between rage and anxiety. The turn of tone was unexpected, and left her in the strange position of wanting to defend herself and also defuse the tension. She was tempted to flip the table and scream that he had no idea what he was talking about, that he could go fuck himself. Then, she realized, he was afraid. He was just as afraid as she was. Afraid that she would put everyone at Dom’s in danger, that they could get hurt, potentially die. She knew her ears burned red as her temper flared then retreated. There was clearly a lot of history between Rosa and these two; they were worried about her safety, and it was not an accusation toward Micali of anything. “I won’t let her get hurt. Or anyone, for that matter, aside from those involved.” She noted that Rev must not have communicated these matters to Volo, as he had waited for an opportunity to get Micali alone.
“Very good,” he said, and just like that his calm demeanor was reinstated, expression again inscrutable just as the two missing members of the visit reapproached.
“Hey Mickie, did you wanna head out? It’s already kinda late and I’ve kinda had a long day.” Rosa appeared as a savior sent by the Viskar themselves, here to rescue Micali from the horrid, awkward social gathering and whisk her away to the safety of home. Well, something like that.
“‘Kay. Was nice to meet you two.” Micali didn’t move to make contact with either, and Volo was about to move forward, arms outstretched, when Rosa caught him with a hand on his shoulder. He shrunk back with a blush, and the two women got ready to leave, boots now back on, and jackets back to being done-up. Micali went ahead to let the velen have a proper farewell with her friends. A minute or two passed as the chilly night nipped at Micali’s senses, the cold air nestled deep into her lungs, almost refreshing her as she stood on the bottom stair of the stoop. The door opened and closed behind her, and the sniper felt a presence at her side.
“Ready to go?” Rosa’s dark eyes sparkled beneath the sea of stars.
After an unspoken response of affirmation, the two set off.
The walk back had Micali’s head swimming, and Rosa seemed to go quiet with contentment, happy to have met with her old friends. She was learning a lot about her housemates rather quickly now, and found it all too similar to when she had gotten to know the Devils. She managed to fight back the nausea that rose from the comparison.
The time passed after what felt like days themselves, and Micali spent the last of it with her eyes open; insomnia a familiar ally after the day’s uncomfortable events. She knew that it was too late to back out now- she’d already inserted herself into everyone's lives. Flashes of moments with the Seven Devils occupied most of her night, and she cursed the nostalgic longing that accompanied them.
x------
The following eight days were much the same, time spent with the twins and Rosa. Dom came and went, busy as ever, and Micali found that each day it was easier to spend longer periods of time with the others. She got better at Pari Mendax - though not better than Paulo, and not nearly as devious as Rosa. Micali caught herself lightly laughing and smiling, and felt bubbles of self-consciousness with each moment that the others would openly stare at her almost...bright expressions. The nights, however, were always accompanied by uncomfortable comparisons to her old allies, and she pondered how the current happy memories would be tarnished by the future.
The ninth day followed the formula, but as the store closed down, the twins reappeared from the back with a package - a tan-colored box with a white ribbon. They set it down in front of Micali, and she felt her eyebrows creep up at the realization that the fuckers had gotten her a gift. She had been trained not to accept offers or gifts from others - to take them to the Insidiis leaders, to refuse them. She liked to think that was the driving factor behind the frantic shakes of her head and the laughs that the others gave off at her refusal. They wouldn’t be dissuaded, it seemed, and she caved. The Insidiis were gone. They were gone and it was over.
The lid, similarly colored and only slightly larger so to be lifted, came up to reveal an assortment of small colored containers. She picked one up to examine it, to understand exactly what the hell they’d even-
Micali nearly dropped the pot of paint as she realized what they’d done. They used the Pari Mendax questions to get her a gift. One that she would accept, but likely never use. She was tempted to tell them to get their exa back, but the expectant, hopeful looks on their faces was enough to keep her mouth shut. “I love it. Thanks, everyone.” She could only assume that the words were convincing enough as Rosa clapped her hands rapidly and rocked onto her toes, the twins shared a happy look, and Dom moved toward the stairs, his hands extended out to usher her up.
The laicar complied, and was led up to her own room. She hadn’t been in there for the majority of the day, and the easel that now stood in the previously empty corner filled her with dread. Now she would have no excuse for not using the gift.
Micali nodded to Dom, and he retreated downstairs, likely to clean up. She simply stood there for an instant, and a knock on the doorframe showed her Paulo, hands filled by the box, which he promptly set down carefully next to her bed. He gave her a salute with two fingers, then left the room. She waited for the telltale creak of the stair before she let out the breath she hadn’t known she was holding. Micali closed her door, and leaned against it. These were the repercussions of getting to know people, she supposed. She didn’t sleep that night, time spent instead thinking of all the bad that had come to her life from paintings.
x------
More days passed, Micali much more withdrawn. The first day after the gift, the easel remained blank and the box remained full. She spent much less time with the others - most of it spent in her room, trying again and again to start books. A compilation of short stories seemed to be her best bet, but even that was difficult to get through. She was on page two when she gave up altogether on it and let it sit on her bedside table for three days.
On each of those days, the easel and box remained untouched. Micali had gotten maybe a couple of hours of sleep each night, most hours spent awake as she traced the patterns in her ceiling. The nightmares were worse than the bad thoughts, because when a negative thought popped up, she could stare at the ceiling, the swirling patterns in the wood. When she was asleep, she had no choice but to watch her daughter’s corpse burn.
A knock rapped against her door as night crept over the city, she opened it, and Rosa smiled at her. They were closed that day, which had become an unofficial implication that they would all spend some amount of time together, and Micali hadn’t left her room yet that day.
She didn’t invite Rosa in, but moved back inside her room, and sat on her bed. Micali looked like hell, to put things lightly, and for some reason that made her not want Rosa to see her.
“I told them it was a bad idea.”
Micali could only look up as Rosa fitted her with a sympathetic look - a pity-filled look, then moved towards the easel.
“They thought it was a nice gesture, but I figured it might be some kind of bad reminder - there’s a reason you stopped, so I told them it was a bad idea. They ignored me, figured I was overthinking it. I hoped so, but…” The weight next to Micali on the bed dipped. The sniper’s gaze remained fixed on the wall opposite her bed.
The book of short stories still sat on the bedside table. Rosa must have noticed that she hadn’t made much progress somehow, because the twenty-one year old picked up the book, checked the bookmarked page - the second - and turned to Micali. She rose, moved to the door, shut it, and reappeared on the bed again, though the reclusive woman couldn’t really tell how much time it took, her eyes too tired to follow the other.
Micali kept silent, unsure on how to voice that yeah, you guys kinda fucked my emotions up, unsure if it was necessary, unsure if it would hurt Rosa, or hurt the carefully cultivated friendships she’d just begun. Mostly, she just didn’t want them to pity her anymore than they already did. Didn’t like how close they’d gotten if it would just dredge up her past.
Rosa let her be silent, and the two simply existed for a while. Eventually, Rosa opened the book, and began to read it aloud.
“As it turns out, the princess had wanted to be kidnapped all along. The thieves made off, though her knight followed in tow.”
“Rosa, what’re you doing?” Micali’s eyes were downcast, tone exhausted. She was entirely embarrassed that a woman ten years younger than her was reading for her.
Rosa didn’t turn to look at her, only paused long enough to let Micali talk. “Their airship then crashed in an evil forest and the princess went missing. The head of the thief group, the princess’s knight, and a mage who happened to be on the ship as it departed all teamed up to look for her.”
Micali looked at Rosa now, whose gaze was fixed upon the book.
“They find her being guarded by a fearsome monster, and vanquish it. With its death, though, came the destruction of the forest from the inside-out. The group ran as fast as they could as the forest itself seemed to attempt to thwart their escape. Another member of the thieves appeared in time to help the group out, but was left behind as the forest turned to stone.”
A hand found Micali’s shoulder, and rubbed reassuring patterns into it. She melted into the touch, now fully aware of Rosa’s intention. If the gift from before had been sullied by bad memories, they’d have to make new ones. Good ones. Her eyes welled with tears, and for once she didn’t feel shame. The tears weren’t caused by the memories of her daughter’s death, nor the need to avenge it. As the fingers danced along the skin of her shoulder, Micali felt her chest loosen, a tightness that had long coiled now paused to stretch and breathe.
“The group mourned for a moment, then continued their quest onward. Their adventure then found them in a cavern that had been frozen over for centuries.”
Micali’s head found Rosa’s lap, and a pink hand absentmindedly stroked along brown hair as the story continued. Time seemed to pass all at once yet not at all. They didn’t have time to finish the tale before the combination of the soft, flowery tones of Rosa’s voice and the gentle fingers that carded through Micali’s hair set her into a calm and even sleep.
When Micali woke up, Rosa was gone, and blankets had found their way over her body. Her mouth was dry, and her throat begged for water in the stuffiness of the room. With a short stretch and eyes cast toward the window, she realized it was dusk. She would accept the short hours of sleep if they were always to be that peaceful. The walk downstairs was a simple one in the rehearsed layout of the house. She made sure to step over the last stair, eager to avoid accidentally waking her housemates.
The brunette found her way into the kitchen easily, and a glass of water was like rain after a heatwave. She took two more full glasses down her throat before she realized she could probably try to sleep again, the allure of the peaceful rest not yet gone. She made her way out of the kitchen and was about to round the bar counter when she heard the all-too-familiar sound of the creak on the stairs, though much lighter than usual. Her eyes shot immediately toward it, and through the dim light cast into the windows from the streetlights outside, she saw a figure rush upward and out of sight, footfalls silent.
She immediately brandished her knife from her back pocket, and sped up behind the figure. The step was skipped by Micali, mostly by habit, then she continued upward. As she reached the top of the stairs, she looked down the hall to see the nearest four doors shut. The farthest door - the one that led into Cora’s room - swung lightly as though someone had just moved through.
All Micali could hear were the almost-silent falls of her steps and the blood that rushed through her veins, the heartbeat in her ears. Slowly, ever-so-damned slowly, she made her way down the hall. In each room, she counted the snores and breaths. All four were accounted for, and she thanked whatever luck she had that they were unharmed by whatever kind of intruder they had this time.
The door moved lightly behind her fingertips, and she pushed it just enough to give her full view of the room. It was too dark to see much, the moonlight an illumination of only select slivers of the layout. Micali listened for any other breaths, any shuffling of steps, any slight movements of fabric on fabric. There was silence. She waited for another minute, or so. Still only silence remained.
She fumbled in the dark for only a moment, if the lamp was still where it was meant to be- she turned the lamp on.
The room was familiar in its desertion. There was nobody in the room aside from her, and the dust that coated most of the objects was much the same as it had been for the last three years. The large black rectangular case that sat on the bed was different, though. Before she could be tempted, Micali dropped to the floor and checked beneath the bed. Nothing. Nothing in the closet, behind the curtains, behind the open door. The window was shut firmly.
A deep breath entered through Micali’s nose and exited through her mouth as she flipped the latches on the case. It was heavy, whatever it was. She took another few breaths before she lifted the lid.
Inside was a magnificently solid black auritium sniper rifle, a folded up sheet of paper, and an all-too-familiar gemstone. She was unsure, at first, what to grab, but knew deep down what the proper order was.
The gem fit in her ear just as easily as it had all those years ago, even with her finger pressed to it. “...Hello?”
“Hello, Micali. It’s been a long time,” came the voice that rang back through. A distinctly calm voice, and all too familiar.
“Talrigori?”