A/N: "Saati" is trader talk for a very close friend, who is like family.
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"Briar...Briar!" Sandry gushed, "You SAVED everyone, you and Tris! I'm so PROUD of you,"she said, hugging him even tighter around the shoulders.
"You helped too Sandry," Briar whispered into her ear, "You made Tris and me...closer, you helped..." he couldn't think about that, he had found out too much while he was sharing a mind with Tris. It confused him as much as it scared him.
Sandry was down on her knees again, picking up the lap loom, which she handed over to Briar. "I want you to keep this, it must be worth millions now, you deserve it." She said, streching out her arm to him. He stared at it, and all he could see, and all that surrounded him were visions that were Tris's, visions he had seen when they were close.
"I don't think I can...just give it to Niko, he'll know what to do with it, or to Rosethorn or someone..." Briar said, voice turning into a mumble before he even finished the sentence.
The amount of love, and need, and hope for him he had sensed in Tris, when they had been one had engulfed him, his mind, his body, all his senses. He had never felt a love, or a need, or a anything that strong before. Not even in himself, at least he thought he hadn't. He turned to look at her now, her hazel eyes filled with longing, longing that probably only he could sense, and he gulped. "I thought you HATED me," Briar mind-said to her.
Tris, shocked that he had caught her staring, jumped, and then turned her head away from him. "I don't HATE you, but I'm still mad at you." she said, looking down on the floor. But Briar knew it was a lie. "You're lying." he said, voice strong, even though he barely had the stregnth in him to make it that strong, "You're lying and you know it Trisana Chandler, if you didn't have.....if you were mad at me" he said, not even looking at her anymore, "we wouldn't have been able to defeat that thing, we would've collapsed. It took more than just pure stregnth to do that spell, and to defeat the halo, so pick how you're going to explain it..."
But she didn't respond, and before he knew it, Daja was tapping him on his shoulder with her staff,
"Good work saati" she said, pulling him into a hug. "I knew you could do it." He had to smile at that...it took a lot to get a comment out of Daja.
"Now come on," she continued, "You have to get some rest," and with that, he was lead off to a resting room, where surprisingly, instantly fell asleep.
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When Briar woke up he found his bed surrounded with friends, and some people he didn't recognize. Tris was not among them, but Sandry and Daja were. Before any of the older dedicates could say anything, Daja leaned over and whispered, "She's in her own room sleeping, you're not the only one who did magic that instense, and for the record...you've been asleep for about 3 days, everyone, and i mean EVERYONE is here to see you" she said. Briar scowled, not about everyone being there, although he did dread the thought of what might come out of some of their mouths, but the fact that she had known he was thinking about Tris, "I TOLD you not to go into my mind like that!" he mind-said back, because there wasn't even enough time for a real answer, a million questions and requests flew out of the strangers' mouths, and into his ears, giving him a very bad headache.
"You MUST teach us how to do that!! Please, join our magic-community"
"Be Quiet Phidelphya!! Sotat needs him more, Sotat's temples need him! This power is more than anything I've ever seen" another stanger said.
"What did it feel like?" A woman dedicate, with red-brown, and unruly hair asked, chocolate brown eyes dancing.
All Briar could do was try to shut them out, and pinch his fingers over the bridge of his nose, to try to relieve his headache.
"SILENCE!" he heard a low voice said, and suddenly everything stopped. "Good 'ol trusty Niko" Briar thought, as he opened his eyes. Niko then started introducing the other mages, temple dedicates, and the rest of the people who wanted to meet him. But when the last person stepped out of the crowd, Briar gasped, he didn't know the man, but he looked like something out of a myth. His long silver hair was tied back with nothing at all(so so it seemed to a normal eye), his green robes illuminated the room, bringing out his ice green eyes. High cheek bones, and a defined chin gave him a sense of unapproachability, but at the same time, he looked like a very respectable man. But the thing that stood out the most, was the talisman, which hungdown to his stomach, which was made out of what looked like a dark stony material, which was a light, sandy shade. It's leaves, amber with real leaves sealed inside them made it glitter, but at the very center, was an emerald the size of half of Briar's fist.
Briar almost fell out from his sitting position on his bed.
"Dedicate Gabriel, it's an honor to meet you" he whispered, bowing his head down as a sign of respect. Gabriel was the most powerful of all the plant mages anyone had ever heard of, in this lifetime, and in all the past. He was supposedly handpicked by the plant god, or so the tales said, and Briar had hoped throughout his whole training that he might achieve the smallest amount of greatness Gabriel had.
Gabriel nodded, "I'm here to offer you a job as a worker in the main Temple of the Earth, you must decide before the oak leaves fall. We'll be in contact Briar Moss." And with that he was off.
Briar decided then it was acceptible to fall back onto his bed, 'A job at the main Temple of the Earth?' he thought. It was more than he thought he would get from Gabriel. But if he took it, he'd have to move away from Winding Circle, for at least 5, to maybe 20 years. And only 3 weeks? He sighed...as Sandry came up to stand next to his bed, she was the only other person left in the room.
"It's what you've wanted forever," she said, sitting next to him, mixing up a batch of tea, which she gave to him, "It's a wonderful oportunity," she said, after he had finished the cup, "You should take it, but just remember to write" she said, still not looking into his eyes.
"Do you really mean that?" he asked, if Sandry approved it, he knew it would be a good decision, she always made sensible decisions.
"Really." she said, now looking into his eyes, her blue ones shining, she was happy for him. 'Something Tris would never be' he told himself, and for the first time in weeks, he kissed her, he started it, and he wrapped his arms around her. But suddenly he went rigid,
"Don't take the job Briar, " A grave voice said in his mind, "Whatever you do, don't take the job." Tris's voice said, urgent sounding, more than selfish. "Trust me...please, just don't take it."
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TO BE CONTINUED...
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"Briar...Briar!" Sandry gushed, "You SAVED everyone, you and Tris! I'm so PROUD of you,"she said, hugging him even tighter around the shoulders.
"You helped too Sandry," Briar whispered into her ear, "You made Tris and me...closer, you helped..." he couldn't think about that, he had found out too much while he was sharing a mind with Tris. It confused him as much as it scared him.
Sandry was down on her knees again, picking up the lap loom, which she handed over to Briar. "I want you to keep this, it must be worth millions now, you deserve it." She said, streching out her arm to him. He stared at it, and all he could see, and all that surrounded him were visions that were Tris's, visions he had seen when they were close.
"I don't think I can...just give it to Niko, he'll know what to do with it, or to Rosethorn or someone..." Briar said, voice turning into a mumble before he even finished the sentence.
The amount of love, and need, and hope for him he had sensed in Tris, when they had been one had engulfed him, his mind, his body, all his senses. He had never felt a love, or a need, or a anything that strong before. Not even in himself, at least he thought he hadn't. He turned to look at her now, her hazel eyes filled with longing, longing that probably only he could sense, and he gulped. "I thought you HATED me," Briar mind-said to her.
Tris, shocked that he had caught her staring, jumped, and then turned her head away from him. "I don't HATE you, but I'm still mad at you." she said, looking down on the floor. But Briar knew it was a lie. "You're lying." he said, voice strong, even though he barely had the stregnth in him to make it that strong, "You're lying and you know it Trisana Chandler, if you didn't have.....if you were mad at me" he said, not even looking at her anymore, "we wouldn't have been able to defeat that thing, we would've collapsed. It took more than just pure stregnth to do that spell, and to defeat the halo, so pick how you're going to explain it..."
But she didn't respond, and before he knew it, Daja was tapping him on his shoulder with her staff,
"Good work saati" she said, pulling him into a hug. "I knew you could do it." He had to smile at that...it took a lot to get a comment out of Daja.
"Now come on," she continued, "You have to get some rest," and with that, he was lead off to a resting room, where surprisingly, instantly fell asleep.
________
When Briar woke up he found his bed surrounded with friends, and some people he didn't recognize. Tris was not among them, but Sandry and Daja were. Before any of the older dedicates could say anything, Daja leaned over and whispered, "She's in her own room sleeping, you're not the only one who did magic that instense, and for the record...you've been asleep for about 3 days, everyone, and i mean EVERYONE is here to see you" she said. Briar scowled, not about everyone being there, although he did dread the thought of what might come out of some of their mouths, but the fact that she had known he was thinking about Tris, "I TOLD you not to go into my mind like that!" he mind-said back, because there wasn't even enough time for a real answer, a million questions and requests flew out of the strangers' mouths, and into his ears, giving him a very bad headache.
"You MUST teach us how to do that!! Please, join our magic-community"
"Be Quiet Phidelphya!! Sotat needs him more, Sotat's temples need him! This power is more than anything I've ever seen" another stanger said.
"What did it feel like?" A woman dedicate, with red-brown, and unruly hair asked, chocolate brown eyes dancing.
All Briar could do was try to shut them out, and pinch his fingers over the bridge of his nose, to try to relieve his headache.
"SILENCE!" he heard a low voice said, and suddenly everything stopped. "Good 'ol trusty Niko" Briar thought, as he opened his eyes. Niko then started introducing the other mages, temple dedicates, and the rest of the people who wanted to meet him. But when the last person stepped out of the crowd, Briar gasped, he didn't know the man, but he looked like something out of a myth. His long silver hair was tied back with nothing at all(so so it seemed to a normal eye), his green robes illuminated the room, bringing out his ice green eyes. High cheek bones, and a defined chin gave him a sense of unapproachability, but at the same time, he looked like a very respectable man. But the thing that stood out the most, was the talisman, which hungdown to his stomach, which was made out of what looked like a dark stony material, which was a light, sandy shade. It's leaves, amber with real leaves sealed inside them made it glitter, but at the very center, was an emerald the size of half of Briar's fist.
Briar almost fell out from his sitting position on his bed.
"Dedicate Gabriel, it's an honor to meet you" he whispered, bowing his head down as a sign of respect. Gabriel was the most powerful of all the plant mages anyone had ever heard of, in this lifetime, and in all the past. He was supposedly handpicked by the plant god, or so the tales said, and Briar had hoped throughout his whole training that he might achieve the smallest amount of greatness Gabriel had.
Gabriel nodded, "I'm here to offer you a job as a worker in the main Temple of the Earth, you must decide before the oak leaves fall. We'll be in contact Briar Moss." And with that he was off.
Briar decided then it was acceptible to fall back onto his bed, 'A job at the main Temple of the Earth?' he thought. It was more than he thought he would get from Gabriel. But if he took it, he'd have to move away from Winding Circle, for at least 5, to maybe 20 years. And only 3 weeks? He sighed...as Sandry came up to stand next to his bed, she was the only other person left in the room.
"It's what you've wanted forever," she said, sitting next to him, mixing up a batch of tea, which she gave to him, "It's a wonderful oportunity," she said, after he had finished the cup, "You should take it, but just remember to write" she said, still not looking into his eyes.
"Do you really mean that?" he asked, if Sandry approved it, he knew it would be a good decision, she always made sensible decisions.
"Really." she said, now looking into his eyes, her blue ones shining, she was happy for him. 'Something Tris would never be' he told himself, and for the first time in weeks, he kissed her, he started it, and he wrapped his arms around her. But suddenly he went rigid,
"Don't take the job Briar, " A grave voice said in his mind, "Whatever you do, don't take the job." Tris's voice said, urgent sounding, more than selfish. "Trust me...please, just don't take it."
_____
TO BE CONTINUED...
