Azia had learned more in three days than she had in weeks--if not months. Whatever was to come would definitely eclipse whatever she’d found. Translating everything she’d gathered thus far onto papers more refined was agonizing, if not due to her cramping fingers alone. A lack of sleep didn’t help.

  Coffee was her only friend, at that point. She left a boy in a bubble and a lamp alight, little stars beyond her window serving as an audience to her pain. Her wording was awful--particularly regarding the excretion issue. Still, Azia did what she could to translate Seleth’s existence into humble words.

  At the very least, she wouldn’t have to be there to see Yvette second-guess her assessments, nor to question how she’d discovered half of what she had. This was the closest she’d get to being present at Dissemination, when it came. Yvette was lucky she was taking Sunday into consideration at all.

  Azia scarred two papers, actually, although one was left stuffed into an envelope. It was softer, simpler, and far less scientific. She didn’t bother putting a return date, given that she wasn’t sure how long she’d be to begin with.

  She stole what sleep she could, regretfully groggy when sunshine replaced starlight. Dawn just barely graced her, and yet she hardly had a choice. Azia stretched. She yawned. She wondered if she could pop the bubble herself. It wasn’t the best time to experiment.

  Ample zippers and sturdy oranges left her all too warm, and she lamented the additional heat so early in the day. If she asked nicely, she wondered if Seleth would be kind enough to spare his gentle mists on her behalf. She hadn’t actually tried that yet. Azia rapped one set of knuckles against his door firmly. “Seleth?”

  “Whaaaat?”

  That was a first, admittedly. Once more, his sleepy voice was just barely garbled. He was still coddled by floating blue, probably. “It’s morning. Wake up.”

  “I’m awake,” Seleth moaned through the door. “The sun’s not even up all the way yet.”

  She didn’t bother asking for his permission. It wasn’t as though he’d learned to ask for hers, yet, when applicable. Whether or not he wanted her to, she opened the door anyway. On the threshold, Azia did, in fact, catch sight of rippling crystal aloft.

  Seleth was comfortably curled at its center--if not upside-down again. She was still fairly certain he would soak the covers beneath him someday, whether in the process of escaping it or otherwise.

  One hand fell to her hip. The other rose to her mouth, and she sank her teeth into her tiny breakfast. “I wa’ah take ya somewheh,” Azia said with a mouth half-full--whether or not she should’ve.

  Inverted as he was, his head flopped backwards. Every strand of drifting hair followed along, trailing towards the ground. “Is it gonna be depressing? Can we do something fun for once?”

  Even occupied with an apple, Azia still had room to smile. “I think you’ll like this one, actually. We’re gonna be gone for a few days.”

  Seleth tilted his head. It brought the rest of him along, and he steadily drifted onto his side. “Days?”

  She bit. She nodded. “There’s only so much I can gather about you myself. I still have to mess with your actual water, granted. Aside from that, though, there’s some things I can’t do alone. I’m going to take you to the Research Institute.”

  “Research Institute,” Seleth repeated with wide eyes, comfortably prone in his little sea. “That sounds fancy. More alchemists there, I’m guessing?”

  “Researchers,” Azia explained. “The Alchemist Institute has alchemists. The Research Institute has researchers. Different ideologies, different methodologies. Same goal. We just…tackle it a little bit differently.”

  He blinked. Submerged as he was, she wondered what it felt like. “They’re tryin’ to do the water stuff, too?”

  “Yeah. Which is why I think they’d benefit from meeting you,” Azia said, gesturing towards him with a half-consumed apple. “I’d get some more eyes on you, and that would help. I’m an alchemist, not a researcher. What they’ve got to offer might be useful.”

  Seleth grinned, lazily kicking his drifting feet. “I’m happy enough with just your eyes on me, you know.”

  She found solace in what was left of her breakfast. “You know what I mean,” Azia mumbled.

  It had taken him long enough to embrace the natural world, his arms spread wide and his waters torn with grace. As he’d done twice over, he left his crystalline cocoon bursting, ruptured into soft mists and straying droplets. Only sporadic flecks of wetness sprinkled the sheets below, and his precision in dispelling the bubble was still impressive. Seleth’s angle was sloppy, by which he nearly bounced against the mattress on the way to the earth. Regardless, he landed on his feet with the same grin close behind.

  His eyes chased her up and down--innocently, probably. “What are you wearing? That’s the second time I’ve seen you put that on.”

  Azia ran out of apple, and she borrowed a wastebasket that was useless for him. “It’s my gear. If it Rains, you really don’t want it touching your skin. It’s not good for you. If I’m going out for a long time, I usually throw it on, just in case.”

  “Well-prepared,” Seleth praised. “Is it supposed to Rain? That’s the gross stuff from the other day, right?”

  Azia crossed her arms, shifting her weight onto one foot. “It’s not supposed to, but I don’t like risking it. The forecasts aren’t always 100% accurate, like what happened before. It’s a flawed science.”

  Seleth’s grin settled into something smug. “All science is flawed. When are we going?”

  “Now.”

  “Now?” he repeated incredulously.

  “Now. It’s a long drive, and we’re making a…detour. I need as much daylight as I can--”

  “Are we taking the bike?” Seleth asked suddenly, his eyes more or less glittering once again.

  Azia stifled a laugh. “Yes, we’re taking the bike.”

  “Can I dr--”

  “No.”

  Watching him pout did make her laugh, actually.

  Yvette would understand. Ultimately, it was part of the same assignment--if not an elaborate solution. There was the tiniest pang of apprehension that came with uncertainty, by which Azia couldn’t predict a different set of reactions altogether. Seleth was welcomed here, at least. He was still unfathomable, and she liked to imagine they’d handle him with care.

  Azia handled a little envelope with care, too, settled gently onto the front desk of the library. Ideally, its owner would take her lengthy departure with grace. She’d be back eventually.

  “You’re sure I can’t drive?”

  “You cannot drive, Seleth,” she snapped. “Stop asking.”

  He didn’t stop asking, actually. Azia heard it no less than two more times in the process of steadying the bike alone, aimed at the blank sands beyond. Safety took priority, and she threw what focus she could into checking every little gauge and dial. “This is several hours’ worth of driving, so you’re gonna have to be patient. Alright?”

  Azia flicked what glass cradled the compass. The needle flinched, and she was satisfied. “I’ve got your company, so I’m good with that,” she heard.

  She didn’t bother suppressing a smile. “I kind of thought you’d be sick of sand by now.”

  One click in the ignition sent the machinery rumbling to life. She was just as satisfied with that. “Well, this is the first time we’re going to somewhere that’s not just sand, right?”

  “Oh, we’re going to more than that,” Azia mumbled under her breath.

  She swung her leg up and over the seat, adjusting her belongings on her back in the process. Angling the glaive was always the difficult part, and she wriggled slightly until her shoulders were comfortable. “Ready?” Azia asked, tugging at her scarf.

  “I’m good when you are.”

  She cracked her neck. “It’s a straight shot to--”

  The thump immediately behind her was enough to shake the entire vehicle. It compromised her balance, somewhat, and Azia was grateful that her foot was so firmly planted in the sand. What unhesitant hands threw themselves around her waist were jarring, as was whatever softness pressed up against her bag. It was much too close. She tensed hard enough that it hurt.

  “Absolutely not! You sat perfectly fine the other way yesterday!” Azia growled.

  “I’m not on the bike,” came Seleth’s voice instead.

  Azia blinked. It took time for her to cast her gaze over her shoulder, difficult as it was to peer beyond a spearing blade. The sunshine that snuck through the cracks was undeterred, either way, blinding from so near. She recoiled.

  “Kassy?” Azia asked in shock.

  Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

  The librarian beamed forever, in silence or otherwise.

  She raised an eyebrow. “What are you doing?”

  “I’m coming with you, silly,” Kassy said plainly.

  For a moment, Azia only stared. “No you aren't.”

  Kassy’s face fell, a brilliant smile replaced by something desperate. “Aww, come on! Please?”

  “Kassy, you can’t come!”

  “You’re going to the Research Institute, right?” she tried. “That’s what the letter said?”

  Azia was beginning to regret leaving one at all. “Look, we’re just gonna be gone for a few days. I didn’t want you to think that--”

  “I wanna see Klare,” Kassy whined. “Can I come? Pretty please? I promise I’ll be good.”

  Peering over her shoulder for so long was beginning to hurt Azia’s neck. She gestured vaguely to the Institute at her back. “Who’s going to watch the library?”

  “Lila will! I asked her,” Kassy said happily, swinging her feet on either side of the bike.

  “And she actually said yes?”

  She nodded, her bandana fluttering aggressively in the process. Azia sighed.

  “And the fish?”

  “She’ll feed them!”

  “Did you feed them? On the way out?”

  Again, Kassy nodded just as fervently.

  “Did you really?”

  “I did! I swear!” she insisted.

  Azia nearly glared. She couldn’t help it. When Kassy didn’t back down, she sighed yet again--if not heavier. “We’re not going straight there. I’m stopping in Raverna.”

  “That’s fine!” Kassy said, the same smile eternal.

  Azia paused. “Did you even bring anything?”

  “Uh-huh!” she affirmed, shifting her shoulders. True to her words, Kassy, too, was well-equipped with a bulging bag of her own.

  Azia’s eyes flickered down to her hip. Kassy was equipped with more than that, actually. “It’s probably not going to Rain, you know.”

  “You’ve always got your stuff, though, so I wanted to be ready, too,” she offered.

  Another thump was softer, at least--if not devoid of yet more hands around Azia’s waist. “Damn, you can fight?” she heard Seleth ask.

  Azia gripped the handles tightly. “She’s not supposed to,” she groaned. “And she knows that. Self-defense only.”

  Kassy outright burrowed her face into the rugged bag in front of her. “Azia always protects me.”

  “I’m not your bodyguard,” Azia hissed. “Are you seriously coming with us?”

  “Yes!”

  “Do you have any idea how cramped it’s going to be?”

  “That’s okay!” Kassy reassured. “I’ll just hug you reeeeally tight.”

  Opting for the term “hug” was unnecessary. So was demonstrating. Azia didn’t escape either one. Kassy ended up close enough to the blade of the glaive that the alchemist feared moving at all.

  Azia closed her eyes, throwing her head back with annoyance alone. “Fine,” she finally conceded.

  She didn’t need to see Kassy’s erupting happiness. Azia could hear it in her voice, if not feel it grow tighter against her--somehow. Breathing would be difficult, if Kassy kept this up. “Yaaay! Thank you!” Kassy cried, embracing the alchemist with excessive force.

  Seleth did nothing to help, handing Azia a chuckle alone. For once, she wasn’t sure exactly which of them she was rolling her eyes at. Who earned her smirk, too, was debatable.

  She had no less than two hours’ worth of sand to conquer. It would take longer than usual, given the company she’d keep--and the space issue. It was a miracle that her anomaly found room on the bike at all, in truth. Seleth was free to laugh at her as much as he wanted. Azia doubted he’d be laughing for long.

  She couldn’t decide whether the voyage was longer or slower, ultimately. The fact that the bike didn’t suffer under their combined weight was a relief. The two most talkative people she knew were immediately at her back, serving as her only alternative to numbing beige forever. Azia had monopolized Seleth’s time enough for the past several days. She would probably continue to do the same for the foreseeable future.

  Sharing him with Kassy felt only fair, given her interest in turn. What questions Azia had showered him with already came to pelt him again, and Seleth took each one with satisfied patience. She was beginning to suspect that he enjoyed the attention in general. If it made Kassy happy, Azia would keep her mouth shut.

  She really did get lucky with the Rain. She’d been somewhat paranoid about yet more failed forecasts since her encounter several days prior. For as much as she swore to herself that she believed in what methods had worked so far, Azia hated the doubts she had at all.

  Protecting Seleth was one thing. Kassy was another problem, and a flimsy crossbow so trusted would only get her so far. Azia had one glaive. She wasn’t fully confident that she could shield them both. She did what she could to push the concept of descending disgust out of her mind, lest she manifest it by fear alone.

  What peace she’d carried with her from the Institute was fuel for her journey, and it trailed well across hours’ worth of arid sands. When Azia finally did spot the faintest trace of civilization, she smiled long before cresting buildings came into view. Speeding ever onwards as she was, distant whites and climbing stone grew yet closer. The shuffling against her back was notably uncomfortable, as was the chin that settled onto her shoulder. So near to her ear, Kassy’s elation almost hurt.

  “I see it!” she cried.

  Azia winced, resisting the urge to pull away. “Y-Yeah.”

  She had no way of telling if Seleth could catch sight of the same, reversed as he was. The slight jostling of the bike beneath her spoke to movement, at least. He probably tried. If he succeeded with what little space he had, it would’ve been impressive. “Is that the Research Institute?”

  “Not quite,” Azia called above the steady roar of the engine. “We’re gonna stop somewhere first. There’s an issue I want to take care of before we get there. We’ll probably end up staying the night here.”

  Trading unstable sands for smooth pavement was always disorienting--rare as the opportunity was. The moment it was visible, she was already struggling to remember the route. Spilling shadows were a blessing, helpful structures flooding three voyagers with beautiful shade. Gently cramped or not, Azia was grateful for the abundance of storefronts--if not for that reason alone.

  Kassy had already been to the town before, and there was no true reason for her to be as excited as she was. Azia couldn’t see Seleth’s face, although she liked to imagine that he was enjoying the view. For now, she focused on weaving between pedestrians and dodging what vehicles she was forced to share the road with. Huddled ivory was as comforting as it was constricting, each humble bakery and bustling spice stand blurring together.

  Azia eased off the throttle in the slightest, if not solely for the sake of two tourist passengers. She was used to a lively town in a dead desert. One of them wasn’t. For how much pain she’d shown him, Seleth deserved something nicer.

  She ignored whatever shouts came from whatever merchants, clamoring as they were for her business. She recognized the tailor at the corner of the street, and she turned accordingly. To be fair, if she got lost, it wasn’t as though Seleth would know.

  “Where are we going?” Kassy asked.

  It had taken her long enough. Azia gently swerved around the cracks in the asphalt. “Ginger’s place.”

  “Why?”

  “I want her to meet Seleth,” she answered.

  His name was a catalyst for his voice. That was fair. “Who’s Ginger?”

  “Remember how I said I needed more people who could help me out? People who knew how to research things I couldn’t?” Azia called, her eyes darting between every tiny establishment.

  “Yeah?”

  The plants were all she needed. She wouldn’t miss the flowers for the world, painfully colorful and spilling beyond porcelain homes in abundance. She was lucky she’d seen the little building coming at all, lest she speed past it altogether.

  Azia drew to a halt somewhat more sharply than she’d intended to, dragging her boot along the road. Kassy lurched against her, and Azia winced on her behalf. Part of her wondered if Seleth had outright fallen off of the bike.

  She silenced the endless rumble of the engine with a soft click, condemning them to only the ambience of a thriving town. So deep into civilization, Azia was largely spared of passing trucks to contend with, and she claimed what tiny segment of road could host her kickstand. She stretched, she cherished her liberated waist, and she straightened a very ruffled headscarf.

  “She’s one of them,” Azia finally concluded, hopping down into the road.

  Seleth slipped his hands into his pockets, taking tentative steps onto the sidewalk. “What is this place?”

  By no means could she blame his confusion. She was fairly certain Ginger had cultivated even more blossoms than last time, actually. It took effort not to crush creeping lavender underfoot on the way in, edging onto the sidewalk as it was. “She’s an apothecary.”

  Seleth never got to press, although the confusion on his face was more than visible. Kassy was already sparkling. “Azia, look at the pink ones! They have little buds on them!”

  Azia chuckled, pushing against shimmering glass. “I see that.”

  The softest chime of tinkling bells followed her in, and she nearly left Kassy outside altogether. Given the pots and planters nestled before every glistening window, she assumed Kassy would be just as aglow within shadier walls. Vibrant green bordered her on every side, and Azia could easily have mistaken the shop’s owner for a florist.

  The scents were her one consolation, as usual. Simpler shelves and bottles beyond were far less whimsical, and Azia made for the weathered desk alone. She cupped her hands around her mouth. “Ginger?”

  “Coming!” she heard from afar.

  Her eyes fell to the right. Azia earned her apothecary by one simple call, pulled from her workspace and draped in white. Occupied as her hands were with wispy sprouts, Azia almost felt bad for disturbing her. Given who she was talking about, she’d never actually regret it.

  “How can I help…” she began, the words quickly dying on her lips.

  Azia smiled. “Hey.”

  Ginger’s eyes widened. “Azia? What the hell are you doing here?”

  “A ‘hello’ would’ve been nice, you know.”

  She smirked. In contrast to the warmth of a radiant storefront, it was as cold as Azia had remembered it being. Ginger laid the clump of severed stems on the desk delicately. “You drove here from the Institute?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Long drive,” she muttered, stuffing her hands into the pockets of her coat. She reminded Azia of Seleth, for a moment--although her smile was a different story. “You’re all dressed up and everything. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

  Azia crossed her arms. “I need you for something.”

  Ginger rolled her eyes. “What else is new?”

  Azia stifled a laugh. When the urge passed, she couldn’t cling to the smile that slowly slipped from her face. She chose her words carefully. “This…might sound insane, so I need you to keep an open mind. I met this guy in the desert who--”

  Azia’s eyes had drifted left, if not largely to illustrate the person in question. Somewhere in the process of acknowledging him, she’d lost him altogether. It took time to track Seleth down, let alone the librarian he accompanied.

  For a second time, she overheard endless glee born of pleasing scents and gorgeous colors. Clustered around rising purple as they were, what delicate lavender had caught their attention was, somehow, more important than its owner. Azia sighed.

  She pointed to him half-heartedly, occupied as he was with the planter on the table. “That’s him. There’s some things about him that are seriously…abnormal.”

  Ginger shifted her weight onto one foot. “Abnormal, huh?”

  That was putting it lightly. Kassy was prodding at the innocent flowers, now, showering them in sunshine. She wasn’t much better.

  “He’s got stuff…not necessarily wrong with him, but…different, I guess? I mean, really different. I’m studying him. We don’t understand a lot about him.”

  “This guy,” Ginger deadpanned, jabbing a lazy thumb in Seleth’s direction. “This one. You don’t understand him? ‘We?’ The alchemists, you mean?”

  Azia resisted the urge to tug at her scarf. Putting it into words was going to be a mess. She hoped Seleth wouldn’t harass the same little plants, for as much as Kassy seemed to be spurning him to do so. Her aggressive gesturing to the violet sprouts wasn’t subtle.

  “Listen,” Azia began, clapping her hands together. “He can do things he’s not supposed to be able to do. He’s an anomaly. We can’t explain him, and we can’t even figure out why he exists.”

  “That’s not very nice,” Ginger teased with yet the same smirk.

  “No, we literally can’t figure that out,” Azia clarified, exasperated. “He’s…he’s not--”

  Seleth didn’t pester the lavender with his prying touch--not physically, anyway. He opted for other means, and he opted for both hands. When his fingers crested the wavering blossoms, the dripping aquamarine that splashed into the soil was steady and gentle. Shimmering droplets snagged on sunlight all the way down, blessing plants so tiny with the purest shower of their own. Azia had never seen true, genuine rain before--poisoned as the word had become. This was the oddest possible way that she could’ve gotten the chance.

  Seleth grinned, proud eyes offered to Kassy. Kassy clapped fervently, beaming all the while. Azia only stared, and Ginger did the same.

  “Excuse me?” Ginger finally muttered, her face plagued with confusion.

  Azia grimaced. “Yeah.”

  Sharp eyes shot to her. “That’s--”

  “Yeah.”

  “He can--”

  “Yeah.”

  Ginger was quiet. Azia was the same, for a moment. “Are you starting to see why I came here, now?”

  For once, purity at point-blank got her nowhere. “Not even slightly,” Ginger said.

  Seleth was still sparkling. Kassy was still clapping, somehow. In truth, Azia was beginning to second-guess the same thing.