Fortuna Verto

39-Resulting Growth

The two girls promptly decided that they had wasted enough time pooling thoughts, and that it would be much better looking into what else could be done. Their gear was in bad condition, after all, there were plenty of other things to look into.

Lyun was off on the job in a hurry, leaving Axln to try and direct her own attention to anything practical beyond what had just happened. Axln knew she was the more analytical one, and even that had proven a lot to wrap her head around. It was like they were comparing their group to the influences around them, disappointed by their own inability.. and then they turned on.. each other? Does that mean all of the compliments about herself, all the complaints about Lyun or Rosa.. those were Lyun's feelings on the matter? Even as Lyun left, turning back to a quick glance at Axln being troubled as their eyes met, it was clear they had both caught on to that detail at least. But then they had both moved on silently, recalling what happened after that. Those weren't the thoughts of either of them, and such an intrusion was leaving them feeling very uncomfortable.

Axln thus went to the surface and simply directed her thoughts at the things around her. Typically, while Lyun was working on instrumentation, Axln should have been investing her efforts into learning more about the way things worked around here. She hardly knew how elements even really worked.. and yet there was that part about having an instrumental prowess or something, just by making stuff work. Such distracting thoughts.. there was no way she could have properly studied even if she was up to it. At the time, she wasn't actually wearing her special gear, the only instrument she carried was her cell. She turned her hand upside down and watched as sand poured from it like an hourglass turned upside down, the effect fading quickly as her focus faltered. She knew at least enough that such a fumble was because her mind was really that troubled right now, but even so, calling upon the gift like that really had come to her so.. naturally. As a person, she was still mostly unadjusted to much of the world, but her body couldn't have caught on any better, she was almost protege level expertise.

Axln knew there remained a distinction between wisdom and intelligence, and in a world like this, even her skilled intellect should have been impaired by her stunted wisdom. However, it was like her body itself just knew such wisdom, had such experience. Rosa.. probably was the same way. For either of them as people, it still felt like they hadn't been here for more than a lunar cycle.. or a month, depending on which world.. planet. Wow, she was even starting to consider stuff from a Ruixsi perspective as Axln. In all accounts, back at Mheridz's outpost, she had even spoken in such a gathering without even a trace of an accent.. and she only just then realized it. Rosa too had been the same way with Velvet. It lent a lot of strength that, as she was right there, she wasn't Kori at all, only Axln. This in turn was confusing, as she only had one physical presence. If she got hurt as Axln, Kori was then also hurt in the exact same way. However, it wasn't as if she had a conduit's blood pumping through her, nor did Kori have any access to the gift. Both were distinct, with their own distinct potentials. In that light, she really needed to actually find a way to properly make use of her potential, instead of just wandering around like this.

"My, you can be difficult to find." "Mheridz! How did you get here?" "I walked from the transit center. If you mean how come no one has questioned the strange cloaked woman yet, it helps having a student card as proof, even if it's just a fabrication from my own memories. Most people just think I'm an alumni though, not recognizing the design. I haven't given them enough opportunity to figure out that the design won't be valid for a good many solar cycles." "So you used to be a student here then?" "Actually, I guess I might be a bit of an alumni at that. The place certainly doesn't seem to change too much in the next several solar cycles. Even that one shop at the market is still around this long ago. Anyway, I trust your three days of rest has brought you two back to your feet?" "Wait, what? Three whole days?" "Okay, more like two and a half, considering it's only late dusk right now. I suspect Lyun is already hard at work, like she always does after being unproductive for too long. Here, these should make her work a bit easier." Mheridz handed Axln a small sealed box she was carrying, the whole thing pulled from a pocket of her cloak. Axln peeked inside, finding the thing full of ebony shards, kyuemu shards.