Paramythi I: City of Glass

“My parents own the Inn here.” Eris said as she led her small group towards the largest cabin within the foggy village.

The small houses and single tavern were all built out of wood and stood considerably sturdy for such a damp environment.

“Since my joining with the Rebellion, they have gained a considerable increase in visitors since my income would pay for their welfare in later years to come! I intend to send them everything after this first mission.”

Enzo raised a brow as they walked and crossed his arms. “I hope you didn’t join up solely for the money your parents would gain.” Despite walking a fair distance from Eris and more to the back of their group, Enzo had been paying considerable attention to her words. “The Rebellion is not a job, it’s more like…a statement.”

Eris laughed lightly and hopped up the steps to the Inn’s porch and pulled the door open to invite everyone inside to the welcoming heat and light which spewed forth from the open doorway. “Oh, have no worries, sir! I know very well about my position within the Rebellion. I wouldn’t dream of abusing such a privilege.”

“I certainly hope so,” Enzo remarked with a stern nod of his head before ducking into the Inn.

“Woah, this place looks pretty fancy!” Helios’ voice bounced off of the walls within the rather large front room filled with round tables and chairs. There were golden candle holders planted within the fine, chestnut walls around them; emanating an orange, welcoming warmth throughout the area and immediately caused anyone who stepped inside to forget about the gloomy fog hanging around in the village. “You even got red carpets and golden tassels and stuff!”

Eris stepped over the threshold with a less than pleasant look written upon her face. “…it wasn’t like this the day I left.” She whispered.

Elias had seen the look of distant wonder written across his partner’s face and could only label the expression as uneasy more than thoughtful. “Maybe they have really high hopes that your first mission will be a successful one.” Without a prepared speech in mind, Elias offered Eris a wide smile and gentle nudge. “You should be flattered.”

“I guess so…” Eris nodded and folded her hands over her stomach. “Well, I’ll get us some rooms! Please, do wait here!” The desperation in her sweet voice was not ignored as she walked behind the reception and disappeared into the back room to greet her family.

Helios and Riyo had already taken a seat at one of the nearest tables before Eris had scampered off; both seeming more than relaxed with the utter lack of strangers within the large décorated room. Psykhe soon followed their example and dropped herself down upon the comfortable wooden furniture and unhooked her scythe from its sheath and leant it against the table surface.

“She must be real happy to see her family again after so long.” Helios sighed, running the pad of his finger across the polished table top. “Man, I wonder how my uncle will react when I see him again.”

Elias slowly sank into the chair next to Helios with a longing need to relax after such a short, yet fulfilling, journey from base to ground. The flight had made him especially sleepy. “You live in Minoas, right?” He murmured, lips quivering as he attempted to hide a yawn.

Helios nodded slowly. “Just on the border.”

“Where are you from, Riyo?” Elias sat back in his chair, crossed his ankles beneath the table, and turned his eyes to the Rebel sitting across from him.

“I came from Amaltheia the day I joined the Rebellion,” Riyo said. “Kinda moved between borders until then.”

“Are there many kingdoms that allow Allawo into their walls anymore?” Elias thought aloud without really considering the harm it would do. “Ah, by that, I mean—”

“No.” Riyo cut in with a tone almost relating to boredom. “They’re not allowed in most kingdoms. Too creepy, I guess.”

“Mister and Misses Zyki is an Allawo, right? I’ve only met an Avolaki,” Helios lifted his arms, stretching with an audible pop to his shoulders and elbows. “Man, to think there’s a bunch of full breeds running around, being kicked out of kingdoms, and for what? Just ’coz they look a little creepier than others? It’s not right.”

“It really isn’t.” Agreed Elias. “And to make the situation even worse for the kingdoms, they allow Avolaki to stride right into most kingdoms without batting an eye. Allawo and Avolaki come from the same gene-pool, so it’s hardly right to split them up just like that!”

“Yes, yes,” Riyo threw up their arms to drop the subject. “It’s not fair for anyone boo-hoo. But, hey, it’s not just the Allawo and Avolaki. Everyone’s got it bad!”

Enzo quickly dropped himself in a chair behind the group and leant forward, hands dropping upon Helios and Elias’ shoulders to urge them away from the topic at hand. “Hey, I never got to congratulate you guys on your hard work. You did a great job out there with warning the villagers without giving away any significant information on what we saw on the way here.”

Psykhe had been cleaning her nails with the end of her scythe and smirked. “We wouldn’t have been as welcomed if not for Eris. This is her home, after all.” Looking up to Enzo, her smile died down and she raised her chin. “In fact, she probably knew the guide.”

As if on cue, Eris appeared from the back of reception with a couple of keys in her palm. She looked happier and far more at ease when she walked over to the full table and placed the keys upon its surface. In the backdoor behind reception stood her parents. They said very little as their wide eyes watched the Rebellion members ascend from their seats and follow Eris upstairs to their rooms.

Enzo and Tovi stayed behind. As soon as Eris and the others were well out of sight and climbing up the stairs to the next floor, they moved towards reception and offered reassuring smiles to coax the couple out from their hiding spot and over to greet them.

“Hey there, thanks for letting us stay here for the night.” Enzo started and hopped up onto one of the barstools leaning against the reception desk. “Do you mind if I ask you both a couple of, well, routine questions? My partner and I would appreciate it very much if you could tell us anything.”

Misses Crysanthe had stepped up first with a wide smile on her face, most certainly a trait of which Eris had inherited. “So, you’re the ones who have been taking care of our Eris over the last year? She looks so much stronger and brighter than last we saw her, isn’t that right?” Looking towards her husband, the tall, broad Sylvannix with dark hair and twinkling eyes, the woman smiled and crossed her arms over her chest. “We wouldn’t mind answering a few questions. I mean, it’s the least we can do for everything you’ve already done for us!”

“Great!” Enzo shifted, hand dropping on his hip as Tovi took the seat beside him. “Anyways, first thing’s first, have the pair of you seen anyone out of the ordinary come this way? Maybe from Emvolo’s city? Or the walls of Minoas?”

“Well…there was someone who dropped by a couple of months ago. They were coming in and out every week or so. He stopped here once or twice. Never signed in, though.” The woman raised her head and mulled over her thoughts before adding in an almost inaudible voice. “…strange kind of man.”

“Just for the sake of asking,” Enzo propped his elbows upon the counter and upheld his casual, unsuspecting tone of voice with a soft smile. “Was this man a human, Faeman, Sylvannix like yourself, maybe?”

“Oh, well—”

“I think that’s enough for tonight.” Mister Crysanthe stepped out from the backdoor and swiftly took his wife’s spot at the desk, a frown crossing the seriousness of his features. “I’m sure these men are tired from their journey and would like to rest before continuing their mission.”

Enzo could not help the edges of his lips from quirking. The momentary flicker of expression caused his pleasant outlook to falter and he had no choice but to involuntary clear his throat to hide such a flaw as he slid away from reception and nudged Tovi – not too gently — in the shoulder to follow his lead.

“Right, we shouldn’t let our hosts wait up, either.” Delivering his words slowly, Enzo looked between Eris’ parents and nodded before taking his leave to head upstairs and search for Elias and the others.

“It’s a wonder how calm you all are,” Mister Crysanthe noted quietly. “Considering Emvolo’s law on keeping the Rebellion in the sky during nightfall.”

Enzo ceased his steps and glanced back, noting the stern jaw and avoiding eyes of Mister Crysanthe. It was a childish influence which clouded Enzo’s better judgement when he whirled on his heel and propped an elbow upon the surface of the reception desk yet again.

“Yeah, but see…Capitol ain’t got their eyes and ears everywhere. They’re not gonna know, or maybe even care, if we landed in a foggy little village like this.” Enzo remarked with a sharp scoff. “Or, you know, unless you wanna give Capitol’s Governor a quick call? Maybe go ahead and tell them your daughter’s staying here for the night against the rules, yeah?”

Misses Crysanthe strode over and placed a hand upon her husband’s shoulder, gently urging him away from the reception desk. “Come on, dear. You must think about your temper.” She whispered. “Just let these gentlemen get to their rooms. We wouldn’t want Eris to be in any trouble now, would we?”

Tovi had reappeared at Enzo’s side to lead him away before any sort of ridiculous fight could commence over the counter and he snaked his arm under Enzo’s elbow and yanked him towards the stairs and up to the next floor as the tension began to reach neck-point speed.

Enzo allowed himself to be tugged up the steep flight of stairs to a certain point. “Get off me.” He grunted and yanked his arm free with a harsh motion.

Nothing akin to kindness was present in Enzo’s presence as he closed the distance between himself and the open doors at the end of the hallway and away from Tovi. Peeking into the first door, he saw Psykhe stripping away her gear and folding it neatly upon the comforts of the mattress beside her.

“No-one else in here?” Enzo muttered.

Psykhe merely rolled a shoulder and sat on the very edge of her chosen bed, hands tugging the small headband in her hair without even turning to face her superior. “They’re in the next room, arguing about who’s gonna sleep where.” She replied with the softest of sighs.

“Arguing already?” Enzo grumbled, running a hand over his face. He pushed off of the doorframe and prepared to waltz straight on into the next room to order everyone to sleep in whatever bed he decided to stick them in when another side of him, the mentor side of him, made him stay and look back into Psykhe’s room. “…you handled things well today. I wanted you to know I’m impressed.”

Psykhe, although having her back turned to the man, visibly stiffened and lowered her hands from the top of her head. “…thank you, sir.”

Enzo hovered in the doorway for a spare collection of seconds with nothing to say. He nodded, more to himself than anything, and pushed away from the doorframe with a renowned collection of composure for when he peeked into the next room and saw Elias, Eris, Helios and Riyo standing in a small circle in the centre of the room.

“I say we sleep in both rooms; boys with boys and girls with girls.” Elias suggested. “I mean, we can’t sleep with partners, because Psykhe doesn’t have one.”

“True,” Helios nodded and glanced to Eris. “Not to mention, we got the Innkeeper’s daughter sleeping among us and it won’t do well to have her sleeping with some stranger when her parents are downstairs, huh, Elias?”

Elias was taken aback, lips parting to display a comical look of shock. “Why me?! I mean, yeah, we’re partners… But I was the one who suggested to coordinate gender-wise!”

“Where would that put Riyo?” Eris said, hastily changing the subject on who would be sleeping with her and lessened the blush on Elias’ face. “Would they be with me and Psykhe, or with you guys?”

“That’s all up to Ri.” Helios shrugged and turned to his partner. “Well, where do you wanna sleep?”

“Anywhere, at this rate,” Riyo grumbled. “I couldn’t care less, Helios.”

“Then I agree with Elias!” Eris exclaimed. “Us girls will sleep in the next room and the rest of you can sleep in here.” Turning to Riyo, Eris held out a hand. “You wanna come with us, Riyo?”

Riyo tucked back the messy strands of their red hair. “Fine.” Breathing lowly, they stepped forward and strode out of the room and into the hallway without taking Eris’ offered hand. “I’ll be asleep the moment my head hits the pillow anyways.”

Eris’ big eyes followed the redhead out into the hallway and then she turned, a smile on her face, and wished Elias and Helios a good night’s rest before departing from the room and hurried into the next.

“Since this is her house… how come she isn’t sleeping in her own room?” Helios smirked and threw himself onto the nearest mattress with a content sigh, arms and legs splayed out with only one word to describe him; relaxed. “You think she likes her friends more than her family?”

Elias slumped himself down upon his own chosen bed and began to unhook the buckles of his holsters. “Why would you say that?”

“Ah, come on…you know,” Helios stared up towards the ceiling and idly admired the carvings traced along the polished wood and beams shooting above his head to keep the whole thing upright and tidy. “Rumour says half the reason people join up to fight with the Rebellion is to make a name for themselves. It’s a great kind of weapon to use against your family, too. I mean… if you win the war, it means you’re someone and you’ve proved everyone who ever made fun of you wrong, right? Maybe it’s like that for Eris.”

Elias found himself thinking of only Maxa. Perhaps, without even considering the facts beforehand, it could apply to his own situation and it made him feel guilty. Thus, nothing further was said from Elias as he pretended to busy himself with getting ready for bed and ducked away into the joint bathroom to wash up before his much-needed rest.

Enzo had been listening to Helios and Elias’ shared conversation the whole time, albeit he had moved out of sight the moment Riyo and Eris had departed to their room and had been leaning against the wall in the hallway, head tilting to the side ever so slightly as if to listen in on the conversation being shared between the young Rebels.

A grim expression was painted on his face. Sucking in the atmosphere, Enzo swallowed down the reality to Helios’ statement with a dry grunt. He could not rightly walk in and prove the Faeman wrong for his assumptions; especially since such an argument would end with him walking out as nothing but hypercritical, leaving Helios understandably confused.

From the end of the hallway, Tovi watched as Enzo’s face reclaimed a blank expression. He passed the man, floorboards creaking under his weight as he stepped into their shared room for the night. As per usual, he said nothing and untied his quiver from his hip, laid it to rest underneath his bed along with his bow and additional defence knives.

When Enzo did walk in, he wore his usual expression and fooled everyone with his false fronts. Everyone but Tovi.

“We got a big day tomorrow, guys,” Enzo said after Elias had stepped out of the bathroom. “I wanna see top cooperation skills, just like the ones you were using today. Needless to say; I’m already impressed but there’s always room for improvement in all departments.”

Elias sank onto the softness of his mattress and climbed under the sheets. He could smell the aroma of lavender and raspberry soap fluff up into the air as he shifted upon the smooth comforter and made a small promise to himself to thank Eris’ parents for such luxurious hospitality. Everything so far had been promising, straight from the décor in the front room, the polished walls and floorboards, and even the bathroom’s top-shape appeal.

When he wondered just what the food would taste like, his stomach made an audible noise and Helios snorted from his side of the room.

“You hungry?” Chuckling was Helios’ tone. “Be sure to ask for a real big breakfast from Eris’ folks in the morning. I bet the food will taste delicious!”

Enzo cocked a wary smile. “I would be grateful for the hospitality we have for now, but don’t try and push your luck beyond the limit.” Unlacing his boots and rolling his gloves up in a small ball under his pillow, the man flopped down onto his back and tucked his hands behind his head. “If you’re still hungry by the time we get back to base, you can order a whole meal for five from our chef all to yourself.”

The choice of scene offered by the edge from one, of the many, balconies attached to the ledges and hatches from the Rebellion’s Base aircraft was the type of relaxing comfort Kane had decided to reward himself with during the quiet hours of oncoming nightfall.

He was slouched in his relaxation, arms slumped over the railings of the balcony with a bottle of something sweet and refreshing hanging loosely between the fingers of his right hand, while his left hand clutched the bulky outlines of his MDU. He took a swig from the bottle’s lips every now and then, welcoming the pleasantness of familiar sensations trickle down his throat and sending his brain a sting of comfort.

“Do you suppose they have landed by now?”

Kane merely paused in his next sip to peer over his shoulder and see Ciiria stepping out of the small hatch to join him on the windy balcony. Her hair looked especially cared for to stop it from blowing about too much out in the open, thus tugging a smile from Kane’s lips as he turned back to examine the outstretched lands below.

“They have,” Kane nodded. “Enzo just called me. They’ve already run into trouble on their way to the village.”

“You sound serious.” Ciiria noted with a soft tone and strode over to the man, hip brushing the railings of the balcony as she joined his side, head tilting with a keen inspection of her captain’s muddled features. “Surely it’s not as horrible as a mission I would send you on?”

“Do dead bodies count as bad omens?” Kane muttered and raised his bottle to his lips, swigging down hefty gulps to outweigh the unease from Ciiria’s gaze. He wiped his mouth dry with the hem of his sleeve after pulling the drink away and sighed, head dipping. “We should have given them a different mission. One closer to the city…”

Ciiria’s eyes remained balanced and her red lips neither quivered nor shook as they parted. She said, “Kane, they are part of the Rebellion now. Keeping them from evil realities is how we treat the rest of the world, but not our own. I know this must sound cruel to your ears, but it is the truth.”

Kane said nothing. He simply raised his bottle and took another long gulp and kept his blue eyes set on the horizon stretching out in front of him.

“…Unless, you’re worried about someone else?” Ciiria said and watched the man’s face for a hint to confirm such a thought. When Kane’s eyebrow twitched and his lips pulled back into a stiff line, Ciiria rolled her eyes and turned, stomach pressing itself against the railings to look down and over the complicated structure of her base and the world beneath them. “You don’t know if they’re even in Emvolo. It was nine months ago. They could be anywhere right now, and we both know they can take care of themselves.”

“I’m not worried about Twyla,” Kane spoke through gritted teeth. He pushed away from the edge and hunched back his shoulders, hand slipping his MDU back into his pocket. “I’m just concerned about our new recruits. I’m thankful Tovi and Enzo are with them, at least.”

Ciiria pressed her elbows against the balcony railings, voluntarily slouching with a comfort she would only ever present within Kane’s presence, and kept her back on the man in hopes to lessen his annoyance with her constant staring. “Dead bodies are not unheard of outside the city. I’m sure Capitol will be hurriedly updated on the matter within the next few hours before we could even begin to piece the puzzle together. Outside these walls and Minoas, there is a battle of its own forming. Ourselves and Capitol can be blamed for such neutral perspectives being shattered…”

“Exactly,” Kane grunted lowly. “It’s a shared fault in ourselves and Capitol.”

“Whatever happens will happen.” Ciiria made a small motion with her hand in the cool air and sighed, fingers flowing over the small patch of foggy grounds below where Eirini rested. “It’s our job to ensure such progression is for our benefit. Enzo is no fool. If he suspects danger around the corner, he will take action for the sake of our new recruits. There is a lot of you in our crew, so don’t go doubting them now.”

Kane visibly tensed. His words died down and stuck to his throat when Ciiria surpassed his train of thought. She was, of course, right and he had no place in spouting out nonsense in regards to Enzo’s skills or even Quincy’s decisions to assign their new Rebels to such a task. Information seeking was all they would scavenge far below on the ground. Thinking closely about it now, Kane could quite easily imagine Enzo boasting about how easy the whole thing was.

“Ciiria, I—” Kane, readied with his apologies, was taken aback when Reidonn’s visage in the small framework on the balcony’s entrance. “Reidonn, I didn’t see you there.”

“Apologies, Captain,” Reidonn said with a stiff nod. She turned her attention towards Ciiria, a serious onset of emotion crossing the dark features of her face as she called out for the woman. “Ma’am, Governor Phobos is on the line. She wishes to speak with you immediately.”

Ciiria shook her head with a dreary sound of sighs and stood up straight. “Thank you, Reidonn.” Uttering her gratitude into the windy air, the woman turned on her heel and waltzed past Kane. “Do remind yourself of what I told you, Ruskin.” Commented Ciiria as her shoulder brushed Kane’s. “Our comrades are not fools in the face of destruction.”

Kane’s previous relaxation had all but died and his posture was stiff and fixated on Ciiria as she stepped inside the base with Reidonn. The joyous feeling of drowning himself in the luxuries of sweet drinks and warm horizons had left him, which led him to do very little other than mumble into the rising winds.

“Yes, Ma’am…”