A/N: Today's song comes from a very strange component of my musical buffet. Given its niche nature, and my desire to have people try and dig into what I might mean when I choose a particular piece, Break the Dawn is about a mechsuit-wearing alien called Commander Farsight. He comes from a fairly cosmopolitan (if worryingly authoritarian) star empire, and breaks off of that to form his own enclaves. Of note is the fact that he wields a weapon called the Dawn Blade, an ancient psychic artefact that probably drains the life from his enemies and siphons it to him, extending his existence. It also might be one of the Ninety-Nine Blades of Vaul, which totally justifies it's use: a divine sword is probably on par at least with your puny little railguns and tiny fusion cannon.
What exactly do I mean by this?
Who knows? That part's for you to figure out.
I also have a considerable desire to write another Song of Worlds Old and New. Something about Yuuna Misaki running around on Earth trying to track down someone who's gone missing.
A warrior before the rising starlight
Blade aloft, he dives right into the fight
Look to him beyond the horizon
for he shall break the dawn for us all!
Break the Dawn - Stringstorm
The sun shines brightly through the window and splashes on my face, forcing me awake. Leanna is already awake, of course, but both Amelia and Zack seem to be asleep. With Zack, of course, 'seem' is the operative word. I am somewhat pleased: my training is finally waking up in a noticeable manner.
I look outside and squint at the sky.
"What time is it? Sun looks high up."
Leanna, being awake, answers with a degree of quiet.
"It's already past noon. We slept through the entire morning."
"We did? Damn, that's going to play havoc with my schedule."
Leanna giggles at my alarm. Apparently my failings are amusing.
"Normally, that would be bad, but we'll be fine. We're almost at Bazada, and from the looks of things we'll be staying at an inn tonight."
I nod. That's good, at least.
Amelia wakes up soon after, and Zack 'wakes up' as we arrive at the station. We check to make sure that we have all our things, and prepare to leave the train. I make sure to stuff Forest in my bag and tell him to keep quiet. Hopefully he will.
Finally, the train stops and announces our arrival in Bazada. The sun gleams over a cloud as one by one we step off the train. As soon as I set foot in the city, I'm assaulted by the sound of voices. Makeshift stalls line the sides of roads and alleys as people pack the streets. Traders entice onlookers to view their wares and customers haggle in heated shouting matches. Behind and above the city, a mountain range looms tall and green, with cold, snow-capped peaks even at this time of year.
The streets are packed; sure, not nearly as much as Vancouver sidewalks, but they aren't as clearly delineated either. People mill in every direction, without being corralled in lanes like the megacities back home, and navigating such a place would be a nightmare, even with my being taller than the average Terran.
Amelia steps off the platform and turns to us.
"We have arrived in Bazada."
"So, we're close to Embermyst?"
"Very close. About a day's walking will bring us to the hidden city."
Considering how big and busy this place is, I find it a little hard to believe that a hidden city is so close. No wonder Leanna felt surprised.
Amelia reads my skeptical expression well.
"Of course, that is somewhat relative. There are several natural barriers and one less-than-natural event that we must pass through to reach Oraphros."
She points towards the south, where I can make out the tips of treetops, and then she glances up at the sky.
"Given the current time, and the fact that it is not advisable to stop on the way to our destination, it would be in our best interests to spend the evening here and depart tomorrow morning."
Okay, as anticipated.
Leanna nods.
"Good thinking. We were a bit rushed out of Illumia, so we could take the time to restock. We might even find something worth buying."
I raise an eyebrow.
"Then you have something in mind?"
"Nothing in particular, but I do want to check out the stalls. Bazada is at the logistical centre of Esaria, after all. Used to be a small hamlet, but the Crystalrails changed all that in a few decades."
"Poi!"
I glance down at my feet and watch a small blob wiggle excitedly. He casts hungry looks into the crowd.
"Is there a lot of magic here? I haven't seen Forest so excited since he first tried to eat me."
Amelia bends down and scrutinizes Forest. She pokes him with a finger and he giggles.
"Poi poi!"
Zack's eyes finally land on a particular building.
"I'm going to the inn. I'll meet up with you guys later."
Before any of us can react, Zack slips into the crowd.
"...should we go after him?"
Amelia doesn't even blink at Zack's departure, evidently preoccupied with Forest. Leanna shakes her head.
"No, but since Zack's left, I'm going to be going too. We'll all meet back up at the inn?"
"Seems fine."
She nods and heads into the crowd. Looking down at where they were, I notice that Amelia and Forest have also vanished. Well… Anchor and Luna above. So indecisive, aren't you Alasdair?
I try to find Leanna in the crowd, but even though the average citizen of the Coalition has a few centimetres on most Terrans, finding someone based only on their hairstyle proves exceedingly challenging.
The chaotic motions of the crowd are dizzying, and I need to step out into a less-used alleyway to reorient myself. As I steel myself to reenter the currents, my ears prickle as an un-sound reaches them. Something is just on the edge of my perception, setting off one of little things placed within me by years training. Training that tells me that the little things can be just as important as the big ones. With no small amount of trepidation, I turn about and make my way towards smaller and smaller alleys, until the quiet noises become properly audible.
"Good thing… studies…"
The first voice has a sort of confident swagger to it. Either the person who is talking is always like that, or they are in a position of power. While I'm not exactly sure what he's saying, I am somehow certain that nothing good is taking place.
As I quicken my advance, another voice reaches me. It has something of an ethereal quality to it, which would sound quite nice if it weren't for the distress apparent in it.
"...shouldn't do… sn't-"
"Why don't you call for help? Oh, that's right. You can't."
My quickened pace breaks into a run when I hear that, and my sword leaps into my hands seemingly without request. Eventually, I round a corner, just in time for a thug to kick someone in the face.
"Things like you shouldn't talk up to people. That-"
He stops as he looks up at me, with the two others he's with following his gaze. They appear to be delinquents of varying ages, carrying swords of middling length. The leader might be as old as I am, but no more.
"What? Don't just stand there ominously, join in. We've got a lesson to teach."
I survey the scene. An arm lies broken near the person they are kicking, but it doesn't bleed, the stump instead fizzling slightly.
Unfortunately for the idiot, his comment galvanizes me into action.
"Leave him alone."
The figure on the ground moves, trying to turn over. He is stopped by a boot from one of the others.
"Don't move, or we'll do more than crack your vox crystal."
Then, the 'main' one addresses me directly.
"Well, what are you, then? I don't know which is worse: if you're another one of those abominations, or some idiot who thinks that his coffee cup should have rights."
I sneer.
"Coffee cups aren't alive."
"Neither is it."
"Not what I meant by alive, and you know it."
"Ooohh, I'm soooo scary with my shiny sword and 'heroic' attitude. Buddy, you aren't fooling anyone. No human would be that stupid. Not human, not intelligent. So forgive me for not being afraid of a connie who's half as strong as a real person."
"I'd really rather not hurt anyone today, but you lot are trying my patience. Leave now."
"Prove you aren't a crystalline, fatherless weakling first. Show us your talent."
I don't have a talent. I know this, so I bring up my blade and slice. The weapon cuts cleanly, a thin line across my hand. I then tip the hand over, and a single drop of blood pools out and falls to the ground.
"There's your talent. Prick me and I bleed, informing everyone around me that a human has been hurt. I have no magic to my name, and that makes me no less human, just as he has no flesh to his name without being any less a person. Now leave."
He looks at me, perhaps trying to size up whether I'm seriously considering fighting over such an obviously inferior being.
"I'll have you imprisoned for this! You can't threaten someone on a whim, let alone me!"
"Yeah, yeah, off you go, buddy."
As he and his companions run off, I wonder for a short while how it's possible for someone to become an adult without growing up. After I make certain they've left, I look down at the construct.
"You alright?"
"About as much as something without an arm can be."
I reach down and help him up, which provokes an expression of surprise when he takes my hand.
"You… you aren't one of us? I thought that you had stashed a packet of red dye under your skin for such occasions."
I raise an eyebrow.
"It's that hard to believe that a human would want to help you?"
He walks over to his arm, picking it up and fixing it where it used to be, creaking it back and forth until he pauses and it shines subtly. He moves it about, but winces when the fingers spring in odd directions.
"Good enough for now, I suppose."
Then, he turns back towards me.
"Yes, it is that hard. Why?"
I thought about the full reason; that I'm used to things like him being treated well. Constructs are a different case than Earth's SOLs, but that hardly makes them unworthy of being treated well.
"Maybe different initial conditions can cause different results?"
He shrugs.
"Maybe. What's your name?"
"Alasdair. Pleased to meet you…?"
"Tavel. Thank you, but I should be going before the authorities show up. You should be too, those were Lord Hearrow's sons."
"Good luck."
He runs off, disappearing around a corner.
So. I saved a life and pissed off a local noble family. This day is getting productive already!
After enough time, I make my way back to the main square and resume my original quest. Not bumping into people is hard work, and maintaining orientation in the crowds is equally so.
Despite all the chaos, I am still able to see the market stalls over their heads, and the variety is fascinating. It leaves me thinking I'm in some kind of strip mall, what with all the variety from pottery to what looks like magic amulets of some sort.
As I'm pulled through the crowd, I see it. Straight, blond hair, held in place by a band and above well-polished silver and white armour. That must be Leanna!
Wading through the crowd, I eventually reach her. She is standing in place, looking at something.
"Hey, Leanna."
She blinks at me.
"Oh! Hey, Alasdair."
"How's the marketplace so far?"
"Really interesting. There's a lot of stuff here I've never seen before."
She seems a bit distracted, her eyes darting around the buildings.
"Do you smell that?"
I inhale deeply. The entire marketplace is awash with a melting pot of smells and together it smothers the olfactory sense.
"I probably couldn't tell you a specific smell if my life depended on it. Is there something I should be smelling in particular?"
"I think it's coming from that stall over there. Come on!"
She darts back into the crowd and I quickly follow until we stop at a stall filled with delicate glass bottles.
"Is this perfume?"
Probably in response to me, the stall's merchant speaks.
"Yes, welcome, welcome!"
A tanned man in silken robes ushers us closer to the stall. He selects a glass bottle filled with a pale pink liquid and offers it to Leanna.
"A noble scent to match a noble woman."
Leanna frowns a bit, but accepts the bottle. Her eyes widen in recognition.
"Is this spirit orchid?"
The man grins broadly and clasps his hands together.
"Yes, yes! So nice to see someone who recognizes the gifts of the Crown of the World."
"I never expected to find this again…"
I am confused.
"What is it?"
Leanna offers me the bottle and I take a tentative whiff. It smells fruity, like a cross between an apple and a pear. It doesn't have the same sort of punch that the perfumes I've experienced back home have, to the point that it seems almost mundane. However, the light touch it has is a quality I'm unfamiliar with, kindly stroking my nose with the light of spring.
"This is a flower? Would've thought it was some sort of fruit."
Leanna nods.
"The spirit orchid. It's a fairly rare plant that grows mostly at the peaks of the Crown."
"Why is it called that?"
"The plant is very translucent, so much so that the flower looks like it's floating in the air, like a spirit or ghost."
"That's kind of neat."
Also practical, if you can escape the photosynthesis problem. Maybe it metabolizes magic?
Leanna nods absentmindedly, taking the bottle back from me.
"Are you going to get it?"
She quickly shakes her head.
"Oh sorry… it just reminded me of home."
She tilts her head, looking reminiscent.
"My grandmother used to wear this perfume whenever she left the house. When I was little, that meant taking me down to the market."
She smiles fondly at the memory, but her eyes hold… something. I can't quite pin it down, but there's either a hint of sadness- or bitterness.
"I loved wandering the shops and stalls. It didn't matter if I had nothing to buy. It was a chance to leave the house and be like everyone else."
"Did you not get out often, then?"
Her face stiffens.
"It was complicated. I got to go around at other times too…" I can feel the implied 'but' at the end, but with her silence I don't press her for anything more.
Leanna returns the bottle to its shelf, and I busily wonder if I said anything wrong. Unfortunately for me, I lack sufficient data.
I glance at her again, hoping for some new insight to help me. She looks pensively at the bottle, a small crease in her brow. Suddenly, a new scent cuts through the floral perfumes. It isn't nearly as powerful as they are, but the weakest sensations can sometimes be the most important. For a short time, the familiarity of it floats mysteriously at the edge of my perception, but I then gasp as I realize what it is.
I am in a small shop that sells pastries, and everything is much taller than it is now. My parents (though I barely remember what they looked like back then) guide me through a short line, and at the end is a glass counter I can barely see over.
A nebulous amount of time later, I was snacking on a small slice of barely remembered dessert, the vanilla and cream playing across my tongue in a spazmatic food fight that somehow made sense. Even until today, it remains the best thing I've ever eaten, though I only just remembered it.
"Hey, Leanna, do you smell that?"
My sudden question jolts her out of her reverie.
"Smell what?"
"Something over there that interests the both of us! Come with me."
Grinning, I dart back into the street, trusting her to follow me just as I did her.
"Hey, wait!"
I weave through the people before stopping in front of a stall that sells baked goods and pastries. That's good, it might be here.
I take a breath of the surrounding sweetness while I wait for her to catch up, sighing contentedly. Leanna, having reached the place I stopped, smiles
"It smells so delicious!"
"All of it does. I'm looking for something specific, though."
I peruse the rows upon rows of pastries, trusting my memories to tell me which one of these is the source. While Leanna does her own investigation, I finally find my quarry. A cake-like set of flaky matter layered with a sort of cream and who-knows-what-else. A breath through my nose confirms my proximity to the source of the smell.
"Excuse me, but do you know what these are called?"
One of the bakers is quick to answer with a smile.
"Vanilla slices. They haven't been selling too well today, which is unfortunate. In my opinion, they're some of our best work."
EXACTLY what I was looking for. Terra even has the right name.
"Thank you muchly. Leanna! I found it!"
When she makes her way over, she looks at the pastries with curiosity.
"What are they?"
"It seems we've both found a piece of the past here. These are vanilla slices: a delicious little thing I had a few times when I was a lot younger, but the shop closed before I turned fourteen. I had forgotten them."
I fish in my pocket for yesterday's winnings.
"Today's treats are on me. How much for two?"
Leanna looks amused.
"Are you sure you want to use your life savings?"
I chuckle.
"Don't be so worried. If things get bad I can pawn off curios to see me through. Besides, I did make the promise back at Meadowhill to repay you somehow for your generosity. If you're really averse to me buying you a well-earned treat, then think of it as down payment."
I shrug.
"Unless you're trying to tell me you don't want the superior dessert product after gawking at sweets? This might not be much, but it's a small token of appreciation. In my culture we graciously accept those, before marking our notepads with 'I am losing the niceness war against this person'."
Leanna smiles sweetly.
"Well, when you put it like that… thank you."
The other baker collects my payment and presents us both a slice on what looks to be a paper plate.
"Enjoy."
I raise my plate and tiny fork.
"Cheers."
I scoop off a bit of the… I don't know how to describe the vanilla slice. It has the consistency of Vanilla Slice, that's how it is. You'll see eventually.
I let out a contented sigh, and I am forced to speak with a mouth partially full.
"My memories just don't do this justice!"
Leanna laughs and lets out an equally happy sigh as she takes a forkful of her's.
"Mmm… good choice. Thank you, Alasdair."
A few bites later, she is the first to speak again.
"This is why I love markets."
Then, she frowns, looking over my shoulder.
"Why is that person with those guards pointing in our direction?"
I turn around, hoping it isn't what I think it is. Sure enough, the lead thug from earlier is guiding a pair of guardsmen through the crowds towards us.
"Oh, by the Marshals… not him again."
Leanna frowns.
"Alasdair, what did you do?"
"The guy leading them towards us had attacked someone in an alley. I intervened, turned out the downed one was a construct and the assaulter some kind of stuck-up noble-born punk."
Her eyes widen.
"Oh no. Did you at least know what the penalties for insulting a noble family were before getting involved?"
"Does it involve a death sentence?"
"What? No, we aren't savages! You'll be spending years in prison if they decide to arrest you!"
"Then it's worth it. I'd've made the same decision regardless."
She blinks, seemingly surprised at my words. I walk towards the guards after making it clear that I've spotted them. Running away won't help my case: my best armour is truth, my best offense the conviction that what I did wasn't wrong in the slightest.
"Greetings, officers. What seems to be the problem?"
The lead guard gestures to the nobleman's son.
"This is Titus Hearrow, son of Orebon Hearrow. He has some rather serious accusations towards you."
"Does he now? Let's hear them."
I turn my gaze to him, and he gives me a familiar look: the self-satisfied playground bully look I haven't seen in ages.
"You attacked me in an alley and stole my coin-purse."
Oh, marshals. He's going for that angle.
"How patently false. I encountered him and two others attacking an injured construct in the alley, and threatened violence if they did not leave it alone. He left, apparently to needlessly involve you two."
By now, the crowd had parted a bit to allow for either a safe zone or easy viewing. The forward guard spoke.
"I'm afraid we can't just take you at your word. Do you have any proof?"
Not good. I look around for something, anything to help me. Looking around, my eyes fall on the blade at his hip.
"Say there, Titus-"
"That's First Hearrow to you, commoner."
I fight off the urge to roll my eyes, focusing instead on the task at hand.
"Well, First Hearrow, is that sword for show, or have you been training with it?"
He adopts a cocky smile.
"Of course! My skill with a blade doubtlessly outclasses that of a mere brigand like yourself."
I smile.
"Then, tell me. How exactly did an inferior swordsman like myself manage to rob you without leaving any evidence that a duel had taken place, let alone leave your sword in your possession? Especially with your brothers present."
His face falls.
"You ambushed us!"
"So it's us now? I don't remember anyone but you and I in your original story."
The guards look suspiciously at Titus.
"We'll need another witness to confirm. You said you saved some construct?"
I nod.
"Did it tell you its name or designation?"
"He told me his name was Tavel."
There is an air of shock about the crowd. The guards grip their weapons, and Titus squeaks.
"That was Tavel?"
"Is something wrong?" I ask, confused.
The front guard speaks while his partner eyes the crowd.
"Tavel Armand is wanted by the crown for treason, and is to be decommissioned on sight. Were you aware of this?"
"No-"
"YES!" Titus screamed over me, "Of course this traitorous swine would've known. He got in the way of lawful decommissioning!"
My gaze migrates over to him.
"I thought you said I robbed you."
"I never said that!"
"It is said that 'the past changes for no man, least of all those who would will it.' You are not exempt."
"BE QUIET WHEN I'M TALKIN-"
The back guard elbows him in the stomach.
"Don't make our job harder, First."
He turns towards me.
"Tavel likely isn't going to give himself up, so we won't have any witnesses. We'll be taking both of you in to assess who's version of events is accurate."
I then hear the clearing of a throat behind me.
"I've seen enough."
The guardsmen blink.
"Commissioned Ylsmaran Knight of Havengarde Leanna Dawn. This man has my trust, and unlike certain other parties, his story hasn't changed."
"How dare you be so impertinent! You, a lady, talking down to me? I'll have you all hanged!"
Leanna's expression curdles.
"Take a moment to remember who you are talking to, and then a few more to think about how much damage you are single handedly doing to your family name. I imagine Orebon will have some choice words for you after this is over."
Titus opens his mouth to reply, and then closes it. The first guard clears his throat.
"If the three of you would come with us, we will be needing as much information about this sighting of Tavel as we can get. This way, please."
At first, I despair. But then I realize something: they didn't ask for my weapon. They don't think I'm guilty of anything punishable.
We walk through the crowds, presumably towards the guard station. As we walk, I decide to have a bit of fun.
Screw you, Titus! Your precious nobility is DUUUMB!
The little bastard jumps as my thoughts reach him.
"He's a telepath! He's messing with your thoughts, turning you against me!"
The lead guard sighs ever so slightly.