Legend of Ransera

Unknown Timestamp

Norani was not sure how long she'd been following the roots of Agst'rasera, following the veins of the elemental planes, and the primal planes at that. Time didn't feel real in this space between worlds. She was in her Prescience state, a living vortex, racing, following the World Tree's roots that were leading her to home. Everything that whirled by were worlds seemingly made of the very energies she partnered with, and many others she'd not yet learned.

The temptation to slip into one of these worlds of earth, worlds of metal and wood and fire and shadow and light was great. She was learning so much and needed to learn so much more, but she had a responsibility that rested squarely on her tempestuous shoulders. This was her calling as Windwalker, this was why Astrid chose all those years of imprisonment and torture as a child, this why she trained so hard, why she had destroyed herself twice over and rebuilt anew.

This was why she had delayed trying to find Ye--

Norani stopped, hovering over there, between a vast ocean of water and another of blood. She had heard something. Something she recognized. She waited, silencing her own winds. A giggle. Her eyes went wide. She knew that laugh. She charged up her aether, calling out to the Wind that was laughing, for it was one of the winds she'd befriended while upon the Expedition.

Norani raced forward now, and the wind raced to meet her as well. It wrapped around her, feeling her unfamiliar but much improved form, showing its approval. Norani beckoned it in, and they embraced, before wind had to move once again, as it always does. Then it said something which stopped Norani cold.

'Yeva's back. I felt her shape.'

Norani had asked the winds, before she had decided to leave, to contact her if they felt Yeva's form ever again. And she knew that the elements were not malicious, that this was truthful and earnest. And her heart soared. Her prescience form changed, merging the Wind that was her, and the Fire that was Yeva, until Norani was the living embodiment of lightning, and she raced further and faster along the roots, the little wind laughing as it streaked to keep up.


Glade 1, 123

It was afternoon, a bit after Captain Kynne's little rhyming party and his great reveal as Vhexur. There had been clouds growing overhead all day, as the various Expedition members went about their day, pursuing new inspiration from their time with Vhexur and each other, some perhaps resting and relaxing. Everything would be settling into the new normal, whatever that might look like for each person.

The clouds grew darker and denser, spreading for miles in all directions, a charge of anticipation in the air. The ocean began to grow choppier, darker, the winds merging together in bigger gusts and breezes, creating large waves that even found their way into the protected bay chosen by the Expedition.

A storm was coming.

T I M E L E S S

South Ecith could be a good place to live.

Until now, Yeva had only ever considered it a temporary residence, one for exploration, and exploration alone, but, detached as she was with only the tether of touch to keep her grounded in this moment, she observed it as the outsider she was. Experiences were often more intense when one was fully present, but as she sat upon the sands and overlooked the churning waves, knowing that her time was limited - and wasn’t that true for mortals? - there was a peace that surpassed longing.

“It’s beautiful,” she whispered, cradling the coconut and its sweet rum-filled contents in her lap. Having partaken amply from her host’s offering, the impending smell of rain emphasized her intoxication. She looked over at the Captain, who lounged lazily against a tree, wondering if he was as laissez-faire as he presented up until now. He enjoyed games, and riddles, and had a natural penchant for both, a result of his divine origin recently revealed by the young Seer. There was more to him than he shared, she could feel it, and yet, as the events of the day slowed down, and paths were chosen, doors were opened or abandoned, Yeva found herself staring across the sea, at the purple storm clouds that churned and fattened, looming closer with every minute.

There had been a dream received, on the day the Duck’s doorway had arrived, and now, so far into the future, she tried to cling to the memory of it. Something in the water. Something secret. The back of a man, his identity hidden. Dreams were powerful omens, and she had been taking heed of them for as long as she could remember. Of course, such things were not always easy. They were fickle things, and catching them fully was to snatch at curling smoke. Her thoughts swirled, trying to connect it all together, from her knowledge from the Astral Sea, to why the Duck chose her and Norani, to what the Captain had said. Yeva leaned back with a sigh, dizzy from it all.

Behind her, the treeline stretched farther than she had dared venture, and she might have attempted such curiosities, had the demigod’s wind not swept her back in a former effort. Was this impending storm his doing also? She closed her eyes and allowed time to pass, knowing that without the sun and all the storm clouds, it would be impossible for her to fully tell how much time she had left. It was moments like this that she missed the clockwork of Zaichaer. Someone at the Gobbler would have had a watch. She would need to visit soon. Franky must have been busy. Had he managed to retire yet?

Fates… She missed her friends.

She missed Norani.

Why had no one gone with her?

Yeva swallowed her questions, ever the inquisitive, if lonely Hytori, but not wishing to break the truce of silence.

The skies broke it for her.

Wind whistled louder, sweeping sand and spraying water which chilled her smooth skin, even at the distance that should have allowed refuge. The water tried to pull itself up the shore, seeking the dainty feet, half buried in the shore.

A rumble of thunder, growled and then roared. Yeva sat up in a skittish rush to withdraw closer to the canopy, brows furrowing as she touched a coconut tree. Concern of another Aether storm was her first response, but the air felt different. The clouds weren’t the same. The static of anticipation felt palpable, as real any person breathing.

She held close to the tree, half hidden now, “Something’s coming,” she muttered, not aware that her caution was well advised for anyone else but her. Not only was something coming, someone was. And they was looking for her.

A storm had rolling in for awhile now, that was of no surprise. Nature could feel it, just as she (and no doubt others) could, but there was an unpredictability to the elements. It bent to another will, eager, restless. The world responded.

At once, the dark clouds pushed and spread, covering the eclipsed moon. Satic built in the air, Yeva’s stray curls rising in defiance of gravity. There was a charge of power in the air, a shifting of… something. She shot a look at the Captain, and up the shore to see if any others were watching. Her heart pounded and she debated pulling further into her hiding place, towards the ferns. Her drink was forgotten, left in the indentation of the sand where she had once laid, now being blown away by the wind.

Lightening flashed, and then cracked.

The boom that followed made her jump, and her heart stop, but not as much as what - no, who - stood further up the beach, the waves a backdrop to their emerald skin.

“Norani?”

Yeva stared in honest shock, choking on her next breath. She blinked, the rumble of thunder faded. The world seemed to mute itself, and the elf went sprinting like a shooting star across the expanse between then.

“Norani!” she cried out, voice shrill and breaking. It was lost to the barrier of the Astral Sea, and yet if the Orkhan warrior turned, she would see the tiny footprints and kick of sand bounding towards her.

As Norani streaked along the roots, she felt an opening ahead, one whose energy matched that within her heart. It was the entrance to her home, a swirling vortex of all the elements she knew so well. She flashed bright and streaked through it, a massive thundercrack lighting up the entire sky of the Expedition's beachhead. She still wasn't quite used to the speed in which lightning moved, for she had already found herself standing upon the sand before she even felt it.

She reached out, embracing all of the elements she'd come to know around her, instantly becoming part of this world at its core. Her senses expanded, utilizing those that the elements themselves had, and she knew Yeva was there. She could feel Yeva's shape in the winds, running toward her; the gait of Yeva's run across the sands that were kicked up by her; the warmth of her breath, marrying fire, wind, and water in the world.

Norani need not see nor hear Yeva to be able to know she's there. The winds formed around her dearest friend, and they showed every detail flawlessly. Norani could not contain herself for one instant longer. Another crack of thunder, a flash of blinding light, and she was suddenly in Yeva's path, her arms spread as wide as her open heart. She caught Yeva into her chest and squeezed her tight, as the storm above split open, sunlight spilling forth, winds calming, and warmth flooding in. An Imperial Weather Forecaster might try to explain this as an eye of the storm style phenomenon, if only as a means to cover up their inability to understand.

Norani pressed her face into her dearest friend's curls that she could feel, truly feel. She wouldn't have been able to see them anyways for her eyes were squeezed shut, forcing out the tears of joy that would run down their joined skin. Around them, the world grew calm, peaceful, and warm. Norani had so much to say, so much to ask, but as her strong hands gripped against Yeva's soft back, she knew she needed no words just yet. Just knowing that Yeva was here, that she was back, that she was real, and alive, and here, was more than enough. A single gasping sob escaped through the Orkhan's tusks, sending the winds of the area gusting toward any other people that might be about.

Norani wasn't sure how long she stood there holding Yeva tight, part of her never wanted to let go, lest she disappear once more, a beautiful flower petal carried off by the winds to parts unknown. Norani shifted slightly, her lips at Yeva's ear, not willing to wait one moment more to share her heart plainly and clearly, to give credence and permanence to the story etched upon her chest and the fire within her.

"I love you, Yeva Bleu."

And then she slowly dragged her face, gently, from Yeva's ear, her tusk lightly scraping over Yeva's lips, her nose a hair away from Yeva's own, and she waited there, and the winds for ten miles in all directions stopped, pausing as they matched her bated breath.

T I M E L E S S

She was held whole, complete and witnessed, if only for a moment.

Yeva had jumped into the woman’s arms, wrapping around her, first her arms and then her legs. She cried. A flicker of existence in the rush of the Astral Sea, Yeva felt anchored at last. She felt secure. Embraced faster than light, she clung to her dearest friend without question. Norani squeezed and the clouds parted. Sunlight flooded downward, illuminating the Orc, and the ghost of a woman once lost. It did not matter that the others could not see her. Norani could. Norani always had.

And for now, they were reunited.

Yeva buried her face into Norani’s neck, inhaled the electricity of her skin. Yeva was finally healing from an injury she did not know she carried. This was relief. Fleeting in its promise, but enough to give strength. Don’t let go. Don’t let go. They stood there for some time, each crying, each gloriously thankful.

The entire day had held more enjoyment than Yeva had experienced since her disappearance, but this was more. This was the chorus of a song. The opening of a window in a stale room. The crackle of fire on a dark night.

It brought with it exactly what was needed.

Norani’s hands slid over her back, the brush of her tear soaked cheek against hers as she stirred. Yeva tried to hold on even tighter, but the warrior spoke, simple words that echoed inside her being. Rich with affection, always unapologetic, ever brave, "I love you, Yeva Bleu."

Norani nudged her softly. The gentle brushing of a tusk pressed against the hallow of her ear, tracing her jaw. The world silenced and Yeva's heart beat was the only sound. The elf lifted her face to look at the woman holding her, dozens of memories rolling in her mind. She had long suspected Norani's crush, her devotion. But to see it now in her eyes, to feel it in the very winds...

She looked to her lips, whole body heating from the significance of such a confession.

Words would fail her, they would fall through the cracks. Yeva closed her eyes, pressing her forehead against Norani's, slowly tracing their noses together. First on one side, and then the other. Her mind continued to tumble, sweet and swirling as Yeva savored each second. They would not have forever, they might not even have again. Before the thought could choke her, Yeva responded.

She kissed Norani, catching the Orkhan's bottom lip between her own. She had never kissed anyone, let alone someone with tusks, and the sensation of doing so made her giddy and nervous. She giggled, cutting the sound off with another kiss, a bit more urgent than the last as she adjusted to the arrangement of mouths. She felt breathless while gauging the woman's reaction, switching to a flurry of quick kisses across Norani's face, in an effort to sear away the burning awareness of what was happening, what it could mean, and how happy she was.

Norani's eyes slid open, the deep earth loam of her home, filled with tears of joy and exasperation and relief. She couldn't see the colors of Yeva's skin, of her hair, of her eyes, but she knew them by heart, and she could feel Yeva's gaze upon her and she matched it. She could feel the racing of Yeva's heart, pressed tightly against her own that was thundering fast.

The Orkhan felt the elf lean her head forward, and she gently touched their foreheads together, a gesture they had shared many times. She felt Yeva close her eyes, and Norani joined her, and their noses touched, a slow dance, exploring and curious. This was not like the fox kisses that Yeva had first spoken of, this was something special, this was not the Sol'valen way, but the Ecithian way. This moment was theirs, and theirs alone, and theirs forever. All around them, the winds that waited were now singing and dancing, bringing no harm or fear or pain, but rather began to mix and mingle with one another, many swirling around the pair, pulling at hair and clothing playfully.

And then Yeva caught Norani off guard, the elf's lips gently finding one of her own. Norani responded, pressing forward just a bit, an upwelling of need, a desire to know more of this, as she kissed Yeva back in the northern style. She felt Yeva's chest jump slightly as she giggled, but heard no sound from her dearest love. But it was cut off as Yeva kissed her more urgently.

Norani's fingers gripped into Yeva's back, pulling their bodies closer, her lips savoring the softness of Yeva's own. She was careful, gentle, aware of her tusks in this proximity, but she held no timidness as her lips explored Yeva's own, a first for the Orkhan as well. Norani's jaw dropped in a goofy grin as Yeva now pecked kisses all upon her face, and Norani's heart soared far and wide.

Then Norani ducked her face gently past Yeva's, slowly, carefully, dragging a tusk a long, following instinct. The bone was held just the barest of whispers against Yeva's skin, moving down her jawline, gently clipping past Yeva's earlobe, Norani's breath heavy in her ear. Her Orkhan nose traced along behind Yeva's ear, gently kisses pressed against the skin there, as she moved up and along it, losing her face in the curls, working her way to the pointy tip, gently running over the top of it, and back down. A small gasp from Norani, one of pleasure and relief as she slowly brought her face before her friend that was invisible to the eyes of those who did not walk with the winds.

She didn't want to break the moment with the hundreds of questions racing in her mind. Instead, her hands slid up from Yeva's back, gently cupping her cheeks, holding her face up toward her own, seeing the beauty of Yeva having been carved from the winds themselves. Her mouth hung slightly open, trying to ask the questions, but she swallowed her tongue, "My heart is a flame for you."

And she touched her nose to Yeva's once more, sealing the love shared here in the way of their shared culture.

Norani felt Yeva's jaws move, but heard no words. What strange curse had befallen her beloved friend? She felt her soft skin pull, and even without needing to look, knew that Yeva ws furrowing her brow, frustration. Yes, this must be a curse, for the elf was longing to speak. Norani felt Yeva gently take her hand, bringing it to her lips, kissing her fingers softly, sending a shiver up the Orkhan's spine, eliciting a gasp from her.

Her hand was placed upon Yeva's heart, and she could feel it thundering, racing, beating for her. For her. This was how Yeva was speaking when her words could not be found, and Norani stifled back a small sob behind a bright smile. She was being overwhelmed, to know that her friend was alive, that she was here, truly here, even if cursed. And to know that the love that Norani had been carrying was requited, that it was not folly or wasted or unappreciated, but desired and wanted and returned in kind.

She felt Yeva moving, speaking silent words, and pulling her down next to her, and Norani allowed herself to follow the elf's direction. Norani felt the sands around them moving in an atypical fashion and she cast her gaze down to see words being formed there. Those words, that love carved in the sand would forever hold a dear place in her mind, her memory, her heart. There was so much weight in those words, Norani could hardly bear it.

A forearm was brought up to wipe away the free flowing tears of joy, of relief, of love and fear and excitement. And Norani needed no additional prompting from Yeva's next words, pulling Yeva in close, bringing the redhead into her lap, Yeva's legs draped over one of Norani's thighs. The Orkhan pulled Yeva's chest in close against her own, one hand around Yeva's waist along her back, the other reaching up again to caress Yeva's cheek.

She didn't know if Yeva could hear her or not, since she could not hear Yeva. So Norani reached out to the elements, asking them for their help. Water and air and fire mingled for a moment in the air near to them, and a dense cloud formed. The cloud could be drawn on, darkness forming where touched, so as to be written in as Yeva had down with the sand. And it would convey Norani's spoken words into written ones.

"I have missed you dearly, my heart has ached from the moment you disappeared." A pause, "I will always find you, I will always follow you, and I am here now too." Norani's fingers gripped tightly at Yeva's waist, pulling her ever close, the newly released desire there strong in the elementalist.

"What has happened to you? Why can I touch you but not see or hear you? Where did you go?"

There was no accusation there, just the weight of a friend who had been living in a world of worry and fear. Before giving Yeva time to answer, Norani spoke in a whisper, "I searched everywhere... the winds, the rains, the ground... none of the elements could find you. I thought you..." Her lips went thin, unable to vocalize the thought of Yeva having died. There was the lesser worry that Yeva had chosen to leave Norani behind, but that was far more preferential than the worst fear.

"I could hear you in my nightmares every single night."

Norani wiped away her tears once more, whooshing out some of the pent up stress from worry she'd been carrying now for so long, "I'm overjoyed that you are alive." She then realized she was rambling, not giving Yeva time to respond. She smiled sheepishly and gestured to the cloud so that Yeva could say her piece.

T I M E L E S S

Scooped up and held to Norani's chest, Yeva leaned against the other woman, peeking beyond dense curls at the magic that formed in the air. Norani manipulated the elements with ease, forming a personal cloud for her to write with, and witness the written word in turn. In her absence, her friend had grown in power and resolve, while she had been suspended and lost to time. A melancholic pit tossed her stomach and she turned her face to look at the ocean. Norani spoke and she listened. To the emotion, to the pain. She buried her face in shame. So excited and assured she had been in her speedy return. And so much turmoil had she caused.

Norani asked questions Yeva did not know how to answer succinctly and wondered if she could fingerspell the answers fast enough. It was good to know that some things stayed the same. Her finger hovered, but before she could find the right words, the Elementalist was sharing her fears. What it had been like without her - how even the natural order had not felt her presence any longer. She had vanished, from all things, from all life.

Suspended in immortality. Suspended in the history of the world. Hytori always did have a funny relationship with that sort of thing. Perhaps Yeva was more like her ancestors than she knew. Hearing of the nightmares proved difficult, as did feeling the tears that continued to fall from Norani's face. Yeva helped to wipe them away, stroking the Orkhan's face before planting a long and sorrowful kiss on the underside of her jaw. I'm sorry.

Spelling that particular message felt foolish, and some things were better expressed through touch.

She searched for signs of exhaustion, wondering if the nightmares had stopped. Norani may have struggled to sleep, and yet she had not slept at all. In patient waiting, Yeva finally smiled and reached outward to write something her grandmother had often told her growing up.

Dreams are powerful omens

The words hung suspended, before reforming into a perfect cumulous sheet,

but I am so happy that this is real.

Then, to more difficult answers.

Many things have happened. It is not done yet. Galetira has collected me to become a Seer, but I have become lost. She has not yet found me.

Yeva's fingers hesitated, feeling the tension in Norani's body, how her breathing changed, I have been cast among the stars and memories of the Astral Sea

Then, because that sounded quite cryptic, she attempted to clarify.

There was a darkness. That is why...

I am not home yet.

Having never put words to her experience, or witnessed them staring back at her, it drew a well of emotion she had been keeping under control for some time. She swallowed these feelings, not wanting to have her hand shake or for Norani to notice. This would be a good day. She would not let it slip away.

Today is a boon

I have solved a riddle and a lemur is richer because of it

She laughed once more, smiling, although it did not reach her soul. Today, not tomorrow. Out of respect for his aid and to not let Norani dwell on the details too much or risk getting caught in her worries, she wrote, Glory to the Captain

Kynne, or Vhexur, in this case, had done a great deal in softening her opinion of him, and by doing so, she respected his self-imposed secrecy. She would have liked him a lot more if he had been a bit more forthright when recruiting, although she saw no harm in his ways just yet. I will be with you in full one day soon...

How soon? Yeva chewed her lip, anxious in making any promises she could not keep.

How long has it been?

The wiping away of tears, a kiss of comfort and sorrow pressed below her jaw, and the Orkhan relaxed further. As she did, so did the winds of the area, the stressors of Norani's world fleeing along the stressors of the world around them. Soon, their beach was just as Yeva would've known it the day she arrived, calm, beautiful, exciting and new.

Norani nodded at the omens statement, having heard similar things among the lips of her own people. It was strange to see her mention that she was happy this was real. Norani's brow furrowed in confusion, what had happened? A pit was forming in Norani's stomach, knowing that a story was coming and that it would likely be one of pain, of fear, of something bad, of something terrible.

Nothing else would keep Yeva away.

Her confusion broke momentarily in elation. Galetira had chosen her! This was why Yeva had come to Ecith in the first place. She was so happy, so elated for her friend. This was everything she had wanted. Until the words showed that it was not. That it had not happened without incident.

Lost in the Astral Sea?

What... what did that mean? There were plenty of stories of how the Seers ventured into the Sea of Stars, to discern the past, the present, the future, to guide their people through, but Norani hadn't heard any that spoke of being lost in that place. And what that might mean. The pit in her stomach grew, tightened. Galetira can't find her?

A darkness?

That harkened to Norani's own quest. She too was called to contend with a darkness. Was it one in the same as this one that Yeva spoke? Is it...

"But... you're here."

Norani made an exaggeration of pulling Yeva in tighter, as though she could somehow make Yeva's words less true. But she knew her friend, her love, did not speak in falsehoods. If she said that she was not here, then this must be... something else. Something magical perhaps. Norani was only versed in one magic, and there was so much more in this world.

A sob gasped out, but she held herself in check after it, grinding her teeth, forcing the tears to stop. She didn't want to lose any more time with Yeva, even if she wasn't fully here. The confused furrow returned at the mention of the lemur, and her nose joined in, crinkling a bit at the mention of the captain.

It seemed that he'd... helped her, somehow?

The orkhan pulled her eyes from Yeva for just a moment, casting a glance over to the tree that she knew he'd often lounged under. She knew that she'd prickled at him from the first moment, that she didn't trust him. But if he'd done something like this for Yeva, for her... She whispered two words and sent them on the winds to him, pouring just as much love into them as she did in her holding of Yeva.

"Thank you."

A chuckle returned on an answering wind and somehow that wind felt like it winked.

Yeva wrote that she would be here soon, followed by a painful question. One that Norani knew the exact answer to. She wrote it down in her journal every night. It was how she signed off each page these days, and she hated it every time. Slowly, she spoke.

"You disappeared on Ash 65." She closed her eyes, today was the first day of Glade, taking a deep breath again. "Today is Glade the first. One hundred and seventeen days." Norani's hand on Yeva's wrist slipped, balling up into a fist, as she struggled, fought, tried to keep the pain in, her nails breaking the skin of her palm. She didn't want to ruin however much time they had left with her bawling and sobbing. Her chest heaved and tightened as she kept the breaths in, her face twisted in pain and strain.

"How... how long are you here, now?"

But there was another question she wanted to ask. That she wished to ask more than any other. And yet, she couldn't, not yet. Or she mustn't. She shouldn't, and she knew it. And yet.

"How can I come to you? I will find you."

And she meant those words with her entire being. She knew them to be true even if her sense of duty did not wish for it. She knew what they meant. If there was any way for her to get to Yeva, she would give up everything, the entire quest, everything asked of her by Astrid, saving the seasons, returning the world to normal or something akin to it. She would give it all up for her friend.

And that terrified her, that she would be so selfish.

Her head hung in shame, the tears flowed heavily now, the sobs that were contained broke free. She... she just couldn't. She wanted to, but she couldn't. The entire world and all things in it were depending on her. Her mouth opened to speak, but she closed it, wiping her eyes, trying to find the words. Before she spoke again, Yeva would hear words from Vhexur, words that Norani could not. "She will not see the Door nor be able to enter it if you do not open it for her." Some might think that to be a cruel, taunting phrase, but the emotion was conveyed there. A kindness offered from him.

A choice was there, but a choice that could be made from a point of safety.

"When you disappeared, the world changed. It descended into darkness, hidden behind an eclipse in the sky. The sun is only barely returned now, a new moon is in the sky, but the world is still damaged and crying out." It was her turn, it seemed. "I... I found the World Tree, Agst'rasera. I thought it would lead me to you, but I found a different path instead."

She leaned her head to rest into Yeva's curls. "I met many elemental spirits there, and a woman too, a shaman of some sort, Astrid. She told me that while the world has been in darkness, the seasons of Spring, Summer, and Fall have been locked away, by a great Titan, Ghoron, the last of his kind." She knew it was a lot of information to take in, but she also knew that Yeva was smart, far smarter than she, and that the elf trusted her, just as she trusted Yeva.

"I... have been tasked. Chosen. Prophesied to bring the seasons back to the world, to end this eternal winter we've found ourselves locked in." She grew quieter now, "But to do that, I must face an ancient darkness of my own. One that was powerful enough to injure Ghoron. I have grown in my own power..." softer now, "But I don't know if it will be enough. And if it's not enough... I may be trapped in the Eternal Grove with the darkness, with Ghoron and the seasons, forever."

She squeezed her friend tight, so tight, "I... I want to find you, with all of my heart. I want to cast this quest off, this damned prophesy that was put upon Astrid as a child, one that cursed much of her life, so that I can come to you, to find you, to bring you home." There was desperation, there was pleading, there was fear and shame in her words.

She paused for a long moment.

"But..." Using the crook of a finger, she lifted Yeva's face towards her own. She brushed away the curls, so that the windy versions of Yeva's eyes would be looking into her own earthen ones, her hand dropping to rest upon Yeva's thigh. "I want to be able to look into your eyes and not be ashamed." A struggled smile, "I want there to be a world left to which you would return."

She gestured to the sky around them, "This is not what it is like here right now. The spirits are confused, in pain, winter is not meant to last like this." Norani let the elements return to their naturally unnatural state. The deep dark clouds rolled in, the rain began to pour, and the temperature began to plunge. "The seasons in the entire world are in disarray. I.. I don't know, I can't begin to imagine how much damage has been caused."

She squeezed Yeva's thighs, "And I might be able to fix it, if I'm strong enough." But her face dropped, her eyes closed slowly, "But to do that, I can't come for you. Time is not my friend in this."

Her voice dropped to the barest of whispers, "I just hope you can forgive me." And love me.

She heaved another breath in, dispelling the weather, giving the spirits some reprieve, a semblance of what they yearned for. "Please.. hold on. Fight with everything you have, escape if you can. If you can return to here, the winds will let me know, wherever I am." She swallowed hard, "And if I can survive this, I'm coming for you, wherever you are. I will find you and we will return home, together."

She raised her head, the ferocity in her eyes shining through the tears, her taking one of Yeva's hands and placing it on her own heart, so she could hear how heavy and rapid it beat with love, "You are strong, Yeva Bleu. Fight for everything you hold dear."

And I will do the same.

T I M E L E S S

One hundred and seventy days.

Yeva's heart sank at the news and she felt herself retreating into herself. Her shoulders dropped, and her hands fell. Norani's muscles tightened beneath her and she looked down to see the Ork using every ounce of resolve to not continue her weeping. Her fingernails dug into clenched palms and although they still embraced, there was a world separating them.

"Norani-" Yeva said, touching the Ork's shoulder, "I am here now, do not cry.. I know that's easier said than done... but..."

"How... how long are you here, now?"

The question was so similar, Yeva hesitated, briefly hopeful the Captain had slipped in a surprise, that maybe she could be heard after all. But the idea was soon dashed and she twisted to better look at the woman that held her. Norani's cheeks were streaked with tears, each rivet creating a dark and glossy path that ran past her tusks, her jaw, and began to trickle down her neck. Yeva used a single finger to catch the droplet of sorrow and crushed it beneath her fingertip. Silence lingered, Norani sitting in expectation, when slow and sweet writing curved into the gifted cloud to dissipate in a way that made its meaning linger,

I am here
Until the sun sets
and the stars tire of my absence

It would not be long enough.

"How can I come to you? I will find you."

Yeva did not know how to tell Norani of all that was happening; she hardly knew anything concrete herself. The Astral Sea was dangerous, and unpredictable. Her one lesson had been cut short, and she had no mentor to guide her. Her knowledge was limited and she shook her head. It was too dangerous. Norani might have been an experienced mage now, but this was not a fate she would wish on anyone, and she did not feel it would be a safe journey for either of them. If something went wrong, then they would surely never see each other again.

"She will not see the Door nor be able to enter it if you do not open it for her," a male voice interjected. Vhexur, the Captain himself, was a further up the beach, and Yeva had begun to forget he might still be lurking. She hadn’t expected to be able to hear him from such a distance and it took her a beat to respond.

"You know I cannot do that. It is safer this way… This is how it must be." Safer was not a word she imagined he took much stock in, but Yeva was not a goddess of gambling. She was a student of Destiny and Fate, and the thought of Norani caught endlessly in a loop of this half-life was enough to break her heart.

Tell me all that has happened.

Yeva patted Norani’s knee, like her grandmother used to do with her when trying to lighten her burden. After awhile, her friend spoke, the story far more than anything she had imagined. The sun had gone and was barely there now, a new moon had carved its place into the heavens. How any of it was possible confounded her.

Norani spoke of a tree, the World Tree.

“Agst'rasera ?” she muttered. Her friend had searched for her and found a secret, a natural wonder, instead.

More talk of seasons, and a Titan named Ghoron. Yeva knew nothing of Titans.

As the story continued, Norani grew less confident in the tale, her eyes faltering. The warrior did not wish to be ashamed. The orc sought forgiveness, needed more time. She begged to be held, and so Yeva complied, but her words soon filled the space between them,

“You are strong enough.”

The words were swept away, “This path is mine, I chose it. Do not take this burden.”

Time has been the enemy of many; Hytori know this. I know this. I am sorry I have been gone for so long.

She touched the hand that laid across her thigh. Not once had she blamed or been angry at Norani for not finding her. She had believed that one day she might, but she thought the same thing of Galetira. There was, a small fear of being left behind, of Norani getting trapped like her, and the two forever separated, This is only temporary.... Never be afraid of what I will think. She would fight and they would be reunited, as friends, or…

Yeva leaned forward again, brushing her lips against the orcs tusk is gentle coaxing. Her tears had stopped and she placed one hand atop Norani's heard, where the lotus burned, and gave slow, deliberate kisses along the woman's neck.

I love you.