Chapter 14
The moment Lian woke up he could tells he was leaning against someone. But he also didn't particularly feel like moving. So he didn't. He didn't open his eyes for another twenty minutes.
When he finally did he choked. He sat up quickly and scrambled away from Jexus, "Sorry! I didn't mean to-AH!" He let out an undignified shriek as he fell off the couch.
"Lian!" Jexus jerked forward. He helped his friend to his feet.
Lian took a couple steps back once he was up, "Sorry."
Hailey ducked into the kitchen and laughed until she cried. She rested her head on Shanniah's shoulder, "He fell off the couch."
Shanniah sighed, "How many times do I have to tell you that just because you can see the red ribbons doesn't mean you need to push people into it before they're ready?"
Hailey laughed harder, "But it's so cute!"
"Dude, are you alright?" Sammy asked Lian.
"I'm fine," Lian insisted. He was tomato red but his head was lowered so his hair hid the majority of his face. "I'm gonna...go upstairs, I think," he mumbled.
"See you tomorrow then?" Jexus asked.
Lian nodded, "Yeah." He disappeared up the stairs.
"We should probably go to bed as well," Shanniah said. She glanced at the clock, "It's two in the morning."
The next morning Lian sat down excitedly at his friends' table, "Guys! I was thinking last night." He paused, waiting for them to acknowledge him.
"Yeah?" Zven asked. The others turned their attention to him as well.
"Well, Ral mentioned that he had created a pair of rocket boots that allow people to jump really high or really far or whatever," Lian continued. He bounced excitedly, "But I was thinking, rocket boots? That can get dangerous pretty quick. And Ral mentioned they had a habit of exploding after long term use."
"Uh-huh," Jexus nodded.
"So I was thinking, what if we used a levitation enchantment and pressurized air? The bottom of the boots release a high amount of air at high power," He pulled out his phone and showed them some of his basic design ideas, "And that is what gets you off the ground. Then the levitation enchantment takes over and then you can leap around to your heart's content and there's no danger of you blowing up unexpectedly."
"Whoa," Sammy breathed, "Dude, that's a sleek design."
"The rocket boots at the moment are actually pretty clunky and difficult to walk in," Jexus added, "But those look like they'd be effective as normal boots."
"Really? I've never actually seen a pair in person," Lian admitted.
"I'm sure the Boros wouldn't mind if we paid a visit," Shanniah offered.
"Really?!" Lian's eyes glowed happily.
"Of course," Hailey nodded, "Jexus and Zven hang out with them a lot."
The group scarfed down the rest of breakfast. Lian jogged up to Vala, "We're gonna see if the Boros would let us see the rocket boots."
Vala stared at him for a moment. She sighed and shook her head, "Alright. Be safe, Kids. I don't want any of you all exploding, got it?"
"Yes, Ma'am," the responded simultaneously.
Zven smirked a little bit as they walked out the door, "You can tell Vala is Azorius."
Lian cocked his head to the side, "How?"
"The Azorius are a bit more cautious than the Boros," Shanniah answered.
Lian chuckled, "Oh."
"A bit?" Sammy repeated, "If you ask me, the Boros are crazy compared to the Azorius. They go running in without thinking about what could happen."
"Well, actually," Zven corrected, "The Boros do plan. They're strategic. They're a legion. It comes with the territory."
"Either way," Shanniah interrupted quickly.
Lian laughed.
"The Boros and Azorius especially," Shanniah continued, "are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for anyone."
Lian sighs, "That's really cool. I wish I could be like that."
"It's a momentary thing," Jexus assured him, "It's not something you ever think about. It's just something that happens in a moment of crisis. Nobody thinks they can be that kind of person, no matter how much they might want to, until a situation forces them to make that choice."
Lian studied him curiously but decided it'd probably be best not to ask for any details. He paused, "Why are the rocket boots with the Boros if the Izzet designed them?"
"Because the Boros are crazy enough to use them," Shanniah answered bluntly.
"C'mon, Sister, the Izzet use them too," Jexus shoved her playfully.
"And the Izzet are crazy too," Shanniah shoved him back.
Lian laughed, "Oh. Okay."
"We can probably cap off today by stopping by the fountain and leaving some flowers for the Guildpact," Hailey suggested out of nowhere.
"We'll have to buy some," Shanniah nodded.
"But there's no reason we can't," Jexus finished.
The six of them arrived in the Boros Guildhall halfway through the day. It took some convincing but eventually they were led into an armory where the boots were stored. Lian immediately offered to get into them himself. He wasn't much fazed by the possibility of blowing up. And he wanted to know exactly what a newer design would need to change. He could tell the moment he picked them up, before he even put them on, that they had an uncomfortable amount of weight on the bottom, "God, that's annoying." He also couldn't get them on himself. He needed Zven and Shanniah's help to get them securely fastened.
Walking in them was a nightmare. He had to carefully plot out each step. And he made a nearly unbearable amount of noise with each step. On the plus side though the boots were able to accurately read the power he wanted in a jump and respond accordingly. When he hopped then they only shot him up a little bit. When he leaped they launched him into the sky.
Lian screamed on his way down. He manage to right himself and took the landing into a messy, somewhat painful roll. It took him three attempts to get to his feet. When he finally managed to do it, it was awkward and difficult.
He kicked at the air and stumbled backwards, "How do they fight in these things?"
"Extensive training," Zven answered.
"Just for a pair of boots?" Lian asked.
Zven nodded, "Yeah."
Lian paused, "Wait...how extensive is extensive training?"
"Years," Shanniah said.
"Just years?" Lian asked. His eyes widened, "Oh." Then he shook his head, "Oh. Never mind. Never mind. I...forgot."
They all nodded solemnly, remembering that Lian would inevitably outlive all of them, being a god and all.
Lian cleared his throat, "Um...can I get some help getting out of these please?"
"Yeah," Shanniah walked up to him. Zven helped her get him out of the boots.
The group put them back where they found them and then left the guildhall. They thanked the guard that let them in nicely on their way out.
"Now I know what I need to do to get my boots right!" Lian declared excitedly.
"Just from that?" Hailey asked.
Lian nodded, "I already knew how I was going to design the boots. But by using those as reference then I know what things to avoid doing and I know what things I should add in."
His friends nodded.
"We can help you out if you need it," Jexus offered.
"Actually-" Lian stopped. He was going to say no. After all his friends didn't really know what went into making something like this. But he clearly remembered every single time he wished someone would let him help them just so he could have company. He smiled, "Sure! I wouldn't mind if you guys helped at all!"
"Alright!" Hailey grinned.
"It's your project, Dude," Sammy motioned to Lian, "so lead on."
"What do you need us to do?" Shanniah asked calmly.
Lian blinked in surprise. He stared at them uncertainly, "I...don't-I don't know actually."
"Here's a better question," Jexus said, "Where are we headed first?"
Lian thought for a moment, "Ral's house." He checked his phone, "I need a few things before we can really start."
They followed Lian to Ral's place. They found him doing some normal maintenance on Lavinia's android body.
"Lavinia!" Hailey grinned. She flopped down next to her, "Hey!"
Lavinia nodded to her calmly, "Hello, Hailey." She looked at all of the kids present, "You all are staying out of trouble, yes?"
Shanniah nodded, "Yes, Ma'am."
Lian watched Lavinia from where he stood just behind Jexus warily. He recognized her from the movie they'd watched. The movie did a good job of recreating her. Though her eyes were more teal in real life, as opposed to the blue they had been in the movie. It crossed his mind that her eyes looked like Storm's.
"This is Lian," Zven stepped a side so that Lavinia could see him.
Lian's jaw tightened.
She studied him silently. "Welcome to Ravnica, Lian," she nodded to him. Either she was highly disciplined and able to keep her emotions under wraps or she didn't feel them at all. Lian couldn't tell.
He nodded tensely back to her but didn't say anything.
The other kids talked to Lavinia and Ral while Ral continued working.
Lian stood off to the side with his hands clasped behind his back. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other anxiously. He was detached from the conversation, like it wasn't his to be a part of. Because he had only seen one specific section of the city, he didn't know what they were talking about. Even after Lavinia left he waited quietly for them to remember he was there.
"So," Ral put the tools he was using away, "is there any particular reason you all are here? Or are you just saying hi?"
"We're saying hi," Hailey said, "And we're here because we're helping Lian with his boots."
Ral looked them over in confusion, "What?"
"We're helping Lian with a design he had made for boots that could replace the rocket boots," Jexus explained.
"Oh." Ral looked around. When he saw Lian in the corner he cocked his head to the side, "What are you doing all the way over there, Water Boy? C'mere." He motioned for Lian to come closer.
Lian picked his way through the mess that littered Ral's floor and stopped next to them.
"What do ya got?" Ral asked.
Lian showed him everything he'd come up with regarding the idea, "I think I came up with a new way for the rocket boots to work."
Ral looked it over, obviously impressed. He sulked a little bit, "Wow. Why didn't we think of that sooner?" He got to his feet and patted Lian's head, "You're a miracle, Water Boy." He disappeared into the back of the house and came back a moment later with a barely organized bin of various supplies.
The group gathered up the supplies Lian needed and then took them back to the mansion. They left the supplies in Lian, Jexus, and Zven's room and left again to leave flowers in the ocean.