May We Please Be Friends?
Fate, it seems, has quite an ironic sense of humor. Flung into the distant past only to meet not one, but two familiar faces. Of course to us, you were but a curiosity whose soul resembled that of a certain busybody who could never stop sticking her nose into people's business.
Yet this surprising encounter would be far from the last we were going to make...
Elpis was an amazing place. Wherever she looked, there were all sorts of exotic creatures or vegetation, some of which were quite similar in appearance to ones from her time. Was this where they all originated from? Brought to life from aether with the powers of creation the people of this time possess?
If only you could see this, Shtola, S'eni thought, eyes wide in amazement as she watched a bird strangely reminiscent of those in the Sea of Clouds pass by over her. A sigh from next to her made her look away from the creature and towards her companion to her right, who stared at her with his golden eyes. She tilted her head, brows furrowing.
"What?" she asked.
"Nothing," he said and turned his gaze forward, muttering something that sounded suspiciously like "You're sticking out like a sore thumb." Under his breath.
That she could hardly deny. Even with the robes that Hythlodaeus had fashioned for her, her ears, tail, eyes, and face markings were a dead giveaway that she was different. Never mind the fact that she was a good two heads shorter than everyone still!
Just claim to be Azem's familiar, she reminded herself. According to Hythlodaeus, that would give her the benefit of the doubt in all things strange, though all it did was make her wonder just what the woman must have done in the past to deserve that reputation. They sure made her sound like a real oddball of the likes of Hildibrand Manderville.
As she pondered the possibilities, she noticed Hythlodaeus coming to a stop from out of the corner of her eyes and, halting in her step as well, looked back forward. They had arrived at a complex that was as much a research facility as it was a garden. Scattered between marble roads and precisely crafted stone walls were trees and brushes of all shapes and sizes, giving the area a very welcoming and relaxing feel. In the center, another one of these Aetheryte-like crystals was idly spinning in the air. A small part of her wondered if she could possibly attune herself to it now that her form had been strengthened, but dismissed the thought for now when Hythlodaeus spoke up.
"This is Anagnoris. One of the most important facilities in all of Elpis, serving as both observation hub and residence," Hythlodaeus explained and did a small little flourish with his hand as a tour guide would. Emet-Selch just crossed his arms in front of his chest at his friend's antics.
"So we're going to find Hermes here?" S'eni asked.
"Indeed. Though while he is overseeing Elpis, he also conducts his own research, so he could be anywhere around here. Ah—" he pointed towards a woman standing near the entrance, seemingly observing some creatures in the distance. "—Let's ask her if she might know where he is."
They walked over to the woman who, upon noticing their approach, turned towards them. "Yes? Can I help you?" she asked and S'eni could practically envision the raised eyebrow behind the mask.
"Greetings. We wish to speak with Chief Hermes. Do you know where we might find him?" Hythlodaeus asked.
The woman shifted her head a little to briefly glance at S'eni, before ultimately coming to rest upon Emet-Selch. Or rather, what was dangling from his neck. "Your mask. You are one of the Fourteen. I wasn't aware we were awaiting such an esteemed visitor today..."
"Just between you and us, it's something of a surprise." Hythlodaeus smiled. "So your discretion would be very much appreciated."
"I see, my lips are sealed then!" the woman nodded. "The chief should be out conducting observations as usual. His focus has been on aquatic creatures as of late, so you should find him at one of the pools."
"You have my thanks, and apologies for disrupting your work."
The three of them then walked past her and onto the facility grounds. After a few paces, Emet-Selch called out, "Hythlodaeus?"
"Yes?" the other man stopped to look at his friend.
"You know Hermes pretty well. Couldn't you simply find him by his aether?"
"I could." Hythlodaeus nodded.
"Really? Just like that?" S'eni asked.
"Oh yes. Like I said earlier, Emet-Selch and I can discern the color of souls. By virtue of that, we are also able to see aether quite keenly, and at great distance," he explained.
"Huh." That certainly explained why Emet-Selch was able to locate Y'shtola in the Lifestream so quickly.
"But I feel locating him like that would be a waste of opportunity. We're here for an assessment, after all. So by searching the ordinary way, we stand to gain insight into Elpis and the man in charge of it."
"And serve your personal amusement. But point taken," Emet-Selch said, then turned towards her. "Since you're accompanying us, you can make yourself useful and help us look for Hermes. According to his profile, he has short, dark hair."
"Can you be a little more specific?" she asked. "That's not exactly a lot to go on, you know."
"No, and just so you know, it's because we're in Elpis that we don't have our cowls up. A special exemption due to the need to be aware of dangerous creatures. Otherwise we don't exhibit our individuality. It's unseemly. Which is all common sense, by the way, something you don't seem to possess."
Narrowing her eyes, S'eni planted a hand on her hip, tail swishing in an irritated manner. "Yes, I'm sure absolutely no one has any trouble figuring out who you are by the sheer distinctiveness of your personality."
With that, she turned around on her heel and marched off, the sound of Hythlodaeus' laughter trailing after her until she was fully out of earshot. She snorted. How nice to know that he had always been this way.
Passing by multiple buildings and staff members, some of which commented on what an adorable and charming familiar she was while she inquired a little about Elpis, she eventually managed to find the area where the pools were located. Now she only had to look for a man fitting Hermes' description, such as it was. After two unsuccessful tries, she found another man with dark hair, kneeling in front of a pool while looking at a tiny group of small, frilled salamanders. Their round, almost Lalafelian faces were sticking out of the water as if to see who was bothering them during whatever it was little efts did.
"Excuse me, but would you happen to be Chief Hermes?" S'eni asked the man.
Glancing over his shoulder at her, he slowly rose to his feet and turned to fully face her. "I am, and you are...?"
But before she could even respond, something blue appeared from her left and came to an almost comical halt a few steps away from them. It was a girl, or at least it seemed to look like one. While her body was clearly that of a child, her bird-like legs, feathery tail, and tiny wings sprouting from her head made it quite obvious she wasn't a regular person. The bewinged girl's eyes, just as blue as her hair and clothes, widened and an excited grin formed on her lips.
"You are different from the others. You are...like me. Friends...I want to—" she suddenly broke off, making S'eni blink in confusion. "Wait...please...wait."
Folding her hands together into a little praying gesture, the girl closed her eyes. A few seconds passed with nothing happening until S'eni felt herself jump when she heard a voice speak directly into her mind. No...not her mind. This felt deeper.
"Greetings and salutations! Can you hear me? Please, do not be alarmed, I mean you no harm. I only wish to hear your words, share your feelings, and know your thoughts. May we please be friends?" opening her eyes once again, the girl beamed at her and said out loud, "May we please...be friends!"
"Uh..." S'eni didn't know how to respond to that one. But luckily for her, help swiftly arrived in the form of her companions.
"Ah, you found him," Hythlodaeus said as he and Emet-Selch came walking towards them.
"Hythlodaeus...it has been a while," Hermes greeted him.
"Indeed. What a world we live in where close collaborators such as us rarely see one another! But today I not only bring myself, but others who wish to speak with you."
Hermes's covered gaze immediately wandered over to Emet-Selch, lowering for a second to glance at the mask, before shifting back up. "You are one of the Fourteen..."
"Emet-Selch," the Convocation member introduced himself. "And you are Hermes, chief overseer of Elpis, correct?"
"That I am. You have journeyed a great distance from Amaurot."
"Given your facility's purpose, its remote location is something of a necessity. Though it did force me to bring a guide along." He shot Hythlodaeus a look, who simply smiled in return.
"Oh admit it, the boredom would've eaten away at you. But moving along to more agreeable company, we chanced upon this one in the Propylaion and..." Hythlodaeus paused when noticing the little girl, who had not looked away from S'eni even once while the conversation was happening. In fact, she only seemed to grow ever more delighted as time passed. Unable to help herself, S'eni smiled at her. "...Well, you certainly have her attention. Is this adorable creature one of yours, Hermes?"
Hermes nodded and looked down at the girl. "Her name is Meteion. It means shooting star."
"Hm." Hythlodaeus' violet eyes narrowed ever so slightly as he took a closer look at Meteion, who was entirely ignorant to the entire thing, still very much taken by the other 'different one' in the vicinity. "Her aether is terribly thin. Her entire being could collapse at any moment...And I do not recall you making a submission at the bureau. I surely would've remembered a concept such as this one."
"I'm not that far yet. She is part of a personal project that is still undergoing preliminary testing." Finally noticing that they were talking about her, the girl looked up at Hermes. He offered her a little smile, before turning his attention back to Hythlodaeus. "But do not worry, I will submit the necessary papers when it's time."
"Very well. Being an authority on flying life-forms, I appreciate that you are exacting in your work," Hythlodaeus said. "I shall look forward to your submission."
"If we are done with the chit-chat, I, too, have something to discuss with you," Emet-Selch said. "I believe you can tell the reason why I'm here."
Hermes' demeanor turned serious. "I have an inkling. We can talk more in the main building," he said and turned towards the pool behind him. "Please go ahead. I shall join you once I've returned these creatures to their...homes..."
"What's wrong, Hermes?" Meteion asked.
"An Ambystoma is missing..." the chief overseer replied and began to look around. Hearing that, S'eni too cast her gaze out in search of the little creature, but could find neither scale nor frill of it.
"I believe I've found it," Hythlodaeus suddenly said. "I sense something in that tree over there that possesses a similar aura as the rest."
"Those things are able to climb? With their sorry excuses for legs?" the incredulous tone in Emet-Selch's voice gave away his surprise.
"It's the current 'fashion' to bestow aquatic creatures with the power of flight. The Words of Mitron were the first to produce a sky-swimming fish," Hermes explained. "I began the process with the Ambystoma's as well...Yes, with effort, they might conceivably climb a tree. But whether they can come down safely...excuse me!"
With that, Hermes dashed off. Seeing her creator hurry away like that, Meteion began to follow him. "I'll come too!"
The three of them just watched the pair until Emet-Selch released a sigh.
"And what are we supposed to do with this lot?" he asked, turning his head to look at one of the small salamanders. In turn, it raised its round face out of the water just enough to produce a bubble between its lips. He cocked a brow.
"I say we split up," Hythlodaeus, who was barely able to keep himself from laughing, suggested. "S'eni, would you please go after Hermes and see if you can offer some assistance? Emet-Selch and I will keep an eye on these adorable creatures in the meantime."
"I'll see what I can do," she said and, with a shrug, headed in the direction the two had left. Traveling through time into the Ancient past, only to end up hunting after an eft that could climb trees. It certainly wasn't something she expected.
And she got the feeling it wouldn't be the last, either.
Ultimately, she found Hermes and Meteion quite quickly, with the former dangling from the tree after trying to rescue the Ambystoma, before doing a solid nosedive into the ground. Thankfully neither he, nor the little creature, were harmed and soon after, they returned back to the other two. They then left for the main building, where, much to her protest, Emet-Selch promptly tried to get rid of her, citing confidentiality as his reasoning. Hermes, though, wouldn't have any of that and allowed her to attend.
As it turned out, Emet-Selch's visit was because the current Fandaniel wished to step down and had named Hermes his successor, and he had been sent by the Convocation to impartially judge if he was truly fit for the title. A fact that Hermes was not too pleased about. Not because he wasn't honored about the prospect, but...because his predecessor would die, and of his own volition no less.
"To return to the star that gave us life is a privilege given to those who have loved and nurtured it," Hythlodaeus had said. "It is a choice embraced by those who have lived their lives to the fullest, in service to our world. And when they depart upon this journey, it is beautiful. Always."
Back on the First, Emet-Selch had once told her that they could live for ages, but she never suspected that dying would be a conscious choice on their part. Though obviously, they had an entirely different view on the subject. It was quite fascinating...but also quite sad. Hermes seemed to be of the same opinion too.
In the end, the entire topic had made Meteion quite upset, and S'eni was asked to take her outside for a bit. While they walked, she occasionally glanced over to the girl, taking in her appearance once again. It was hard to believe that she too was a product of the Amaurotines' power over creation. If not for some of her features, S'eni would have thought her but an ordinary girl. And quite an adorable one, she should add.
"Meteion. How are you feeling now?" she asked after a few more minutes of walking.
"I'm better now," the girl replied. "Hermes...he gets sad when he thinks about death."
"And that makes you sad."
A nod. "That's how I am. How he made me."
"To pick up on other people's emotions?"
"Yes." A bright smile then formed on Meteion's lips, the earlier sadness now fully gone. "So...why did you come here?"
"I've come here to find out more about Elpis and Hermes. It's a...mission I'm on," S'eni said.
"Ooh, ooh! That means it's an important task!" Meteion said, brimming with excitement. "Let me help! I can teach you!"
With the corners of her lips curling into a smile, she tilted her head slightly. "Teach me?"
"Yes. We could take turns too! I tell you something, then you tell me something!"
She regarded Meteion with a look. Given that Hermes was most likely still in deep discussion with Emet-Selch, and the latter probably being quite happy about her not being around, this was most likely the best way to learn more about this place. With a small exhale through her nose, she nodded.
"Alright. Sounds like fun."
"It will be!" a thoughtful expression then formed on Meteion's face. "Hmm...where to start...Ah, yes! Let's talk to Memnon. I'm not good at explaining, but he is! Come, come!"
With a spring in her step, the girl began to head towards the center. Chuckling, S'eni followed her until they arrived at a man standing by one of the trees, clearly enjoying some free time. When he noticed Meteion waving her hand in the distance, he turned around to offer her a friendly smile that took on a quizzical appearance when he spotted S'eni.
"Meteion," he greeted. "And what do we have here? You look like a person, yet you have the ears and tail of a beast. I take it you are a familiar like Meteion here?"
"Yes, I'm...Azem's familiar," she lied.
"Azem? That is curious indeed..."
"Her name is S'eni," Meteion cut in. "Could you teach her about Elpis?"
"Ah, is that your task, then? Very well, I would be glad to introduce you to our fair facility," Memnon said. "As you surely know, it is our duty to make this star a better place. To that end, we employ the powers of creation to bring forth new life. However, we can't just simply release our creation upon the world. The chaos would be unimaginable."
"I take that's where Elpis comes in? To test them in some way?" S'eni asked.
"Indeed. Every candidate is subjected to extensive study, in which we identify their properties, surmise what kind of habitat might be suitable for them, and speculate what impact they might have on the local ecology. Should they be judged beneficial, they will be allowed to take their place in the world."
"And if they prove to be detrimental, or dangerous?"
"Then the concept will be discarded and the creature returned to its original aetheric form," he explained. "Though on some rare occasions, the concept proves valuable enough to be kept around for further studying. In that case, the Words of Lahabrea will take charge of them for safekeeping."
"Lahabrea..." she crossed her arms in front of her chest, having to force herself from letting a frown form on her face. Him being in charge of potentially dangerous beasts wasn't exactly something she ever wanted to hear. But she supposed that the person he was now was most likely a far cry from the Ascian she had met and whose own hubris ultimately sealed his fate. "I see. Thank you. That was quite informative."
"Of course. And never forget that both of you were created in the hope to make the star a better place as well. So heed your masters and be good, you hear?"
Well, my 'master' is apparently quite a troublemaker, S'eni thought dryly as Meteion thanked him, before walking away with her.
"You had your turn. Now I get one!" the girl said once Memnon was out of sight again. "Where are you from?"
That question again. And just like earlier, she could hardly go about saying that she was from a distant, distant future, though more so because Meteion would most likely not understand it. But with her innocent demeanor, she might not have to. "I'm from a place far, far away."
"Hmm. Then I probably don't know it." Meteion pursed her lips. "I don't know much about things outside of Elpis. But this place is important to you. I can feel it!"
"You do?"
"Yes. Oh, I haven't told you about my power yet. Come, let's find a creation that's not being watched, then I'll explain it!"
They wandered around for a few minutes, trying to find a creature that fit Meteion's requirements, but only encountered those that were currently being studied for their properties. S'eni was just about to suggest to maybe try looking somewhere else when she spotted it. Or rather it spotted her. Standing motionless, it stared,no, glared at her. Two twin pools of infernal darkness nestled above an enormous bill that seemed to follow her every movement.
What in the seven hells...!?
It was a shoebill. But this could hardly be the very same one that had seemingly stalked her all over Norvrandt, right? It would never be able to use the portal and travel back in time...right?
A shudder ran down her spine right to the tip of her tail.
Meteion, on the other hand, wasn't perturbed by the bird and freely approached it. "Oh! This creation is perfect!" she said and waved her over with a big grin. Her expression then turned into one of confusion when her blue eyes locked onto it. "Hmm...I don't remember seeing it before. Perhaps it's new?"
S'eni just looked warily at the bird.
"Anyway. I'll try reading its mind. That's my power." Following those words, Meteion closed her eyes. A few seconds went by, slowly bordering on a minute, when the girl's face scrunched up and her eyelids fluttered open. "...I can't read it. Or maybe...there's nothing to read?"
"Wouldn't be so sure about that," S'eni murmured and it almost seemed like its glare was intensifying.
"Wait...let me try again. With you this time..." Just like earlier, Meteion folded her hands together and closed her eyes. Shortly after, her voice echoed from deep within S'eni. "Greetings! Can you hear me?"
She sure did.
"This is my power. I can read the emotions of those around me, and project my emotions to others in return. I'm not actually speaking to you in your mind, you are converting my emotions into words and intentions," Meteion explained. "It is vital to my mission. It allows me to communicate with intelligent beings even should they use an unknown language or other means. But it's also why I'm clumsy at speaking. Despite that, Hermes wishes for me to speak as much as possible, because everyone has thoughts and feelings they may wish to hide..."
So that was why it felt so much deeper. A soft warmth bubbled forth from within and spread out through her entire being. But there was also something else...
"I harbor an affection for you. One not easily defined. Your thoughts are complex. Prismatic. They draw me in, and leave me wanting to know more. Out of respect, I will refrain from using my powers while speaking with you. Nevertheless, I want you to know that I wish to be your friend." The feeling began to subside and Meteion opened her eyes once more. "Did you...hear me?"
S'eni smiled. "I did."
"Heh heh, good! Now it's my turn again. So...what are you good at?"
"Hmm, I'm pretty good at fighting!" she said and threw a few punches and kicks at the air, making the girl clap excitingly.
"Ooh! That must mean you're strong! Hermes is strong too, but he doesn't like to fight. Even when the creations fight him." All of a sudden, the bird they were still standing next to shifted its head and began to subject Meteion with its glare. "I-I think we might be bothering it..."
"Yeah, better we just go..." As they walked away though, S'eni still shot a few suspicious glances over her shoulder. That godsdamned bird...
Once it was finally out of sight, she shook her head with an inward sigh and focused on Meteion instead. "So where to next?"
"We should go see Euanthe next. She's usually in a small building. One on the west row. Come!"
Watching as the girl immediately began to all but run towards the buildings in the west, an amused giggle made its way past her lips. A being created to communicate via emotions in the form of a child, who wished to be her friend. Meteion sure was a curious one. When S'eni made to follow, though, a thought surfaced in the back of her mind. About something she had 'said' to her with her powers.
What kind of mission could Meteion be on...?
Goddamn shoebill...