Soulseer ✔️ *COMPLETE*

Chapter Thirty-Nine

In the shady edge of the arena, Mohsin shifts a pile of sand from hand to hand, letting the grains flow in a stream. Watching the steady slide and shift, slide and shift, is very zen.

I briefly contemplated skipping out on today's class, but Ximena's look of scorn at the very idea was enough to get me grumbling out of bed. "You weren't actually going to pout in your room, were you?" Ximena asks out of nowhere. "Wait. Were you planning on running?"

The sand abruptly stops flowing. Mohsin's head turns towards me.

Was I?

"Hold on. What am I thinking? You can't even Enshroud yet," Ximena says, refreshingly not in a mean way, rather with a tone of relief.

Which reminds me that while we spent our entire evening talking to each other, and despite some initial slips by Ximena into Soulseeing territory, we completely avoided talking about tearing off like a wounded animal into the woods and my leap of ability in the twilight. Once we got on the topic of who we thought was doing what with whom, we gossiped the night away. It was infinitely more fun and surprisingly grounding.

"So, actually, I can."

Mohsin's sand falls to the ground in a one big spray and Ximena's head tilts in that do-not-bullshit-me way.

"I don't know what changed. Maybe it was the high pressure situation or -" I say but Ximena interrupts me.

"Less talk. More action." Ximena's words, Mohsin's expression an eerie echo.

Okey dokey. I take a deep breath and pull my focus into my soul, imagining Yoshi's training in Enshrouding as shared through Greeting. It's effortless. One moment Ximena's eyes are daring me and the next the hazy glimmer of my soul partially obscures her expression of shock and then joy.

I grin at Mohsin, who is cheering with giddy delight, before letting my soul flow back.

Ximena launches forward and embraces me roughly, the gesture so out of character that even she seems surprised, before releasing me with a sheepish expression.

But Moh steps forward, embracing us both. "This is good," he whispers in my ear. "Really good."

"Is that how low our confidence is? We're cheering the great Weaver for a basic Enshrouding? We are so fucking screwed." Trust Yasen to shift the asshole filter on high."Wonder what ridiculous excuse for a lesson we'll get today - instead of learning something useful - instead of something to help us all survive? Maybe we'll practice handshakes - like a fucking Fiver. Cause it's starting to seem like those are the only skills you have," Yasen says with a sneer that engages several of our classmates just entering the Pit.

Ximena charges up in his face, tentacles of soul surging around her menacingly. "Listen up, asswipe. SHE can Enshroud - like a dream. YOU can't do that."

A dark storm streaks Yasen's soul and his face twists up. He Shapes a tentacle to shove Ximena but she grabs it easily with her own and forces him back.

"Enshroud!? That's nothing. Think you were the only ones sneaking off to practice? Watch this!" Yasen says and whips his soul up and over his body. It's ugly and erratic. But he Enshrouds eventually.

Through his soul, I can make out his arrogant smirk and middle finger salute.

Moh and Mena and I share a look so we almost miss when the asshat one-ups himself: Yasen freaking vanishes!

He's Travelled. How the hell did he figure out how to Travel? I got to give him credit: that's impressive.

There's excited murmuring from all around. A small scrap of red fabric drifts to the ground.