“So do you intend to tell me what yesterday was about?” Onyl requested.

  Quin felt like he lost track of their conversation.

  “Huh?” he replied.

  “You were only supposed to get water. Instead, you nearly got yourself killed. Why did you wander out by yourself?”

  Quin was blindsided. Seconds ago, Onyl spoke about Comi. How the war destroyed the majority of the city and the subsequent rebuild which explained the many similarities these current buildings shared.

  Now, the conversation suddenly shifted from the distant past to recent events. He wondered if she planned it all along.

  “Well I saw the black-nailed Yerps so I followed them. I...it was just them so I didn’t think things would get so bad.”

  “We. Are. A. Team. Quin,” Onyl spelled out as she backhanded her palm. “A Tyroviv out on their own is an open target. That is why we are a team, what have I been telling you these past few days?”

  Conon had just arrived from one of the roofs. With their escortee Yerps booked into a lodge, the Tyrovivs returned to the front gate and the one adjacent tower as they waited for their Neraviv captain. Conon looked at the two with confusion.

  He pointed up at the lone structure. “Y’all couldn’t wait inside the tower?”

  “The Tyrovivs have been denied access,” Onyl responded. “Whatever discussion is occurring, it appears to be above us.”

  Conon turned around, tilted his head back and groaned in frustration.

  “Bossman could be up there forever then.” He saw Quin before he lightly shook his head then sighed through his nose.

  “Y’know I said you didn’t look the type to be ‘n trouble, but I see it now,” he said. “You get ‘n trouble a lot.”

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to put the team in a bad spot like that.”

  “It’s Bossman you gotta apologize to. He’s the one who saved yer skin. Dunno when that could be though. Could be tonight for all we know.”

  “We are more or less at our destination anyway,” Onyl mentioned. “It will not be long before we return to Sirqu.”

  “Maybe if we’re lucky, the harbor’ll open ‘n’ we make a straight shot back.”

  “Did anyone tell you why it’s closed?”

  Quin trailed off from their conversation, the knowledge that Ythan saved him took up his thoughts.

  It explained the blue cloak’s harsher than usual attitude towards him and maybe what he said to Conon earlier.

  Until he could find a way to get on the Neraviv’s good side, Quin will always appear as some outsider to the team.

  Of course, it didn’t help to have a near death experience borne out of minor disobedience. He sank his head as he mulled his predicament.

  “If there’s a different head under that white hair, this’ll be awkward,” he heard. His eyes spotted two familiar faces.

  “Tris! Mia!” Quin hurried over to the two and shook hands. “It’s good to see you again. I didn’t expect it’d be here.”

  Tris shared Quin’s excitement while Mia kept an impassive expression.

  “So I take it you guys are finally on a squad yourselves right?” Quin asked.

  “You better believe it,” Tris answered. “And it’s all thanks to you ol’ pal.”

  Mia scoffed in response. “Now you’re bringing it up to the guy himself. Just how much longer are you going to believe this fantasy?”

  “Probably the rest of my life if you want an answer. Actually...” He pulled out his small handbook and stylus. His left hand scribbled away across the page.

  “Let me write it to make sure I don’t forget. You never know.”

  “What’s going on?” Quin asked.

  “He thinks the reason why we ended up on a squad was because we gave you a simple tour. Can you even believe that?”

  “I’ve been wallowing in Sirqu for like six months waiting to be assigned a team.

  “Everyone else I went to the Pit with all went on cool adventures while I had to stay around and patrol the same district over and over.

  “Then one day, me and her were just clumped together to send you on a tour and next thing we knew, we’re chatting it up with the Aerviv and then just like that, here we are on a squad as if it was all a routine.

  He pointed to Mia. “She’ll tell you it was going to happen anyway-”

  “That’s because it was. We were due for assignment any day. It just happened to be right after the tour.”

  Tris simply nodded at Quin. “Don’t worry, I know the score. You’re a true blue lucky charm you are, and you have my undying gratitude for getting me out of there.”

  “These folks yer Pit buddies or something?” Conon asked as he and Onyl walked over.

  “If they were, they would also be in masks,” Onyl pointed out.

  Quin turned to his squad. “Oh, they’re the people I met when I got out.”

  “These two are my teammates,” he clarified to Tris and Mia. “They’ve really helped me out this past week.”

  Conon nodded in approval. “We do what we can. That said, we can’t do it all.”

  If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  “Well it sounds like you’re already in good hands,” Tris stated. “You’re just nothing but luck. Enough to share even.”

  Quin dipped his head a little after that statement. That wasn’t always the case.

  “So yer captain’s up there too I’d take it?” Conon asked as his finger again pointed at the tower.

  “You got it. Some all hands meeting with every Neraviv and above. If I was a ghost artist, I’d turn invisible and see what’s going on up there.”

  Conon chuckled. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you brother. I saw something like that back when I was new. ‘Woe to the poor bastard’ we said after he was caught. What’s yer art?”

  “I’m just your run of the mill wind artist. Nothing quiet about that.”

  Conon’s face perked up. He and Onyl turned to each other before their heads bobbed in understanding.

  “So how proficient are your wind arts?” Onyl asked.

  Quin knew where things were headed.

  Tris closed his eyes while a slight grin appeared on his face. “Well I don’t want to showboat or anything but-”

  “I will take that as confidence. Acceptable. Our new guy here is also a wind artist. His skills however, can be lacking.”

  Quin zipped around to Onyl. “Hey! Do you have to say it like that?”

  “If it is no time for you, we would appreciate it if you gave him some pointers.”

  Tris’ chin rested on his hand. “I mean, he was assigned to a squad the same day he saw sunlight again. How lacking could he be?”

  “You would be surprised.”

  “Also, I don’t even know who you are. Don’t you think you’re being a little too forward right now?”

  Onyl looked over at Quin, her eyes swept over from him to Tris. He got the signal.

  “My wind arts could use some work, maybe a lot of work. I want it to be better and I’m willing to take lessons any way I can. So, if it’s not too much of a hassle, can you give me some assistance?”

  Tris scratched the back of his head as he turned away. “Well if you’re just going to ask anyway...Follow me.”

  Conon stayed behind near the tower as Tris led everyone else away.

  A new day always yielded new experiences. Doubly so for Quin as he’d get to potentially learn something new about wind arts and see more of a new environment.

  The group stopped at a beach littered with rocks just outside of the city.

  A lone seal laid up by the tides before the Cosondera arrived to scare them into sea. The temperature dipped as they neared the coast; the cool air refreshed Quin nicely.

  Tris walked up to the water before he looked back. “So uh,” he began. “What exactly do you need improvement on?”

  Quin’s head tilted from side to side. “Well, the thing is, I’ve never had the chance to really learn anything since I was in the Pit fo-”

  “What he means is everything went by too fast for him,” Onyl interjected. “He needs a refresher on the basics.”

  Mia raised an eyebrow. “Wow. You’re quite gung ho over your partner’s experience,” she remarked.

  “That’s how helpful my teammates have been,” Quin stated. “Anything helps.”

  Tris deliberated in his head what course to follow. “W-well, how are your wind kicks?”

  Quin shook his head in response.

  “How fast are they moving people nowadays? Well I guess we’ll start...with that.

  “So you know about how to channel aura through your arms to send out wind? Well you can do the same with your legs.” Tris stood with his feet spaced out with one leg bent in front.

  “You just guide your aura down below your waist and then...” He whipped up a kick that wobbled the rocks ahead.

  “It’s more or less the same thing. Try it.”

  Quin replicated the motions. He spaced his feet apart and took a small series of breaths as he faced the sea.

  He generated aura and the wind picked up around him. When he felt the moment, he picked up his foot and struck the air as if it were a person.

  Through his efforts, the rocks moved nowhere.

  “At least you know about [Iron wind],” Tris remarked. “But you need to push the wind out not have it surround you.”

  Quin sighed into his mask as he took off his cloak. He would have to engage in some good ol’ fashioned repetition once again.

  One kick, then another, then another, and another. Quin picked up his left foot and nothing came out. Time ticked by and only him and Tris remained on the beach. After a few more attempts, he stepped in.

  “You keep charging your aura when you’re not directing it,” he stated. His left leg parted from the ground. “Here, lift your leg like me. Try and feel your aura with just your leg.”

  Quin tried once more with the added instructions Tris gave him. He started to get a better handle on his aura but every time he tried to kick, he would lose his balance and in turn, lose his hold.

  More time went by. With every failed attempt, Quin’s motions became more erratic.

  Tris soon took notice. Rested on a boulder, he rose to his feet.

  “Don’t lose your cool, it’ll affect your breathing,” he raised. “It has to feel natural.”

  “What?” asked Quin. “It’s supposed to feel natural? That’s not what I feel at all. It really feels like something’s off. I’m kinda getting the hang of directing my aura, but maybe I need to have the wind circle m-”

  He noticed his cloak as the breeze nearly lifted it in the air and toward the water. He ran a few steps before he sprang several feet to reach it.

  The distance between him and Tris expanded but thankfully, he never had to run. Or maybe he should, he thought.

  Quin hopped back near Tris when he asked, “Would it still work if I had a running start?”

  Tris looked into his head as he rested back. “Hmm. I don’t see why not. Go for it.”

  He kept Quin’s cloak secured while the new Tyroviv stood up to the coast again. The natural wind shifted to blow at his back. He felt like it gave him support.

  He controlled his breaths as he guided his aura down to his lower body. When ready, he planted his foot and ran for the sea.

  By no means a Sentar’i pace, Quin trotted toward the coast until he had some momentum.

  Just as he started with the motions, Quin felt that unbalance with his body again. He intended to stop but the wind pushed him forward some more.

  He planted his left foot down then had to quickly shift to his right foot. Suddenly, everything felt stable.

  Quin’s mind told him to pivot, his body complied. He twirled around on his left foot instead and with a back spin, thrust his right foot forward.

  Out came a strong blast.

  Quin produced enough force to shove several stones away from him simultaneously. It caught him off guard as he fell on his backside.

  The rocks scattered so abruptly, it seemed as if they too were surprised by the sudden burst.

  “Whooa!” Tris cheered as he jolted up from his boulder seat. “Those rocks disrespected you or something? They’ll probably think twice after that, I know I am.” He picked up his book and jotted whatever.

  Quin looked at the path he created to the coast. His hands felt through the pebbles and sand before he sat up to wipe it off. He then noticed a particular detail with Tris’ writing.

  “You’re left-handed?” he asked.

  “Hmm? Oh yeah.” He placed his book away as he approached his cloaked colleague. “I can use my right since I was forced to, but one day I kind of just…instinctively went left and haven’t gone back since.”

  Tris stuck out his left hand before he lifted Quin from the dirt.

  “Is it just with writing or with everything else?” Quin asked.

  “Probably everything. Never really thought about it. Anyway, I think you’ve got an idea on how wind kicks work. Actually, that was more like the [Swirl Kick] so good on you.”

  It all added up for Quin. The unbalance. The feeling of something off. He simply had to shift to his strong side.

  He palmed his mask and shook his head. How could it take so long to realize something so obvious he yelled internally.

  “I’m not really sure what you’re teammate’s on about with your skill set,” Tris said. “Your wind arts seem pretty damned good as is. Maybe she’s giving you a hard time since you’re new to the group.

  “We have a new person on our squad too. Her heart’s in the right place, but her moves can be...anomalous to put it lightly.”

  “Oh, yeah. Yeah,” Quin uttered before he turned away.

  “Don’t worry, just keep your chin up. Every team can be wary of new Tyrovivs (certainly the case with our team) but unless you seriously screw up, they’ll value your company.

  “Besides, you’re a lucky charm. Has it been that bad for your team since you joined?”

  Until recently, Quin could have answered no. If he really had the type of luck Tris claimed, then he hoped it would help him out of his current situation. Unless his luck ran out.

  He shuddered at the thought.

  Out of the corner of his eye, he saw someone approach them. He soon realized it was Onyl who bounced from roof to roof to rock before she landed on the gravelly sand.

  “The meeting just concluded,” she announced. “Ner. Fyful demands your presence right away.”

  Tris’ face winced. “Oh, that’s right. You have him as your captain. On second thought, luck might not be enough. You have my best wishes.”

  “Thanks,” Quin replied with a deadpan tone.

  No longer concerned if his luck disappeared. Now he wondered if his luck had gone bad.