Advent Redemption

by alamais

Service

Gideon awoke late the next morning, having only made it to sleep well into the night. While the books weren't wonderfully accurate, there were still truths to be gleaned from them, or at least hints of the truth.

He rose to find Tev the only occupant of the tower, sitting in his usual spot near the banked fire, carving at a piece of wood with a small knife.

The canid looked to him as he rose. "Human."

He nodded, "Good morning, Tev." Walking over to the supply barrels, he grabbed one of the less-shriveled apples. As he moved to sit down, he gestured at Tev's carving. "Nice bear."

The canid nodded an acknowledgment, "A hobby of mine--a way to pass the time here. As well, a retired Watch member keeps a small shop in Fillydelphia, and occasionally a figure will sell. Any little bit helps the Watch."

Gideon hummed absently, nibbling on the apple. After watching Tev carve a few more tiny slivers from the bear and flick them into the fire, he asked, "So, what do the others do to keep occupied?"

After a pause, Tev answered, "The griffon spends most of her time flying, as she is now. The brothers...they are still young, full of energy. They spend their time sparring, or off wandering around the valley. The pony...when she's not occupying herself with more than her fair share of the busywork, she spends most of her time alone. I believe she meditates, and perhaps practices her magic."

He nodded, and paused. "Is that where she is now?" He glanced upwards.

The canid shook his head, "No, she and my fellows are off gathering water. It is a task she is uniquely suited for, but a full barrel is not a burden one can bear alone."

"Hmm." Not one of them, perhaps. He recalled throwing Seekers around like ragdolls, using enormous stones, even marble columns from ancient ruins as weapons. A headache had lingered between his eyes since he'd awakened on this planet, and he'd wondered if the 'restricted spell' had been a bit much for him to cast. He'd taken it easy, waiting for the ache to fade, and it was, slowly. The few times he'd tried some small exertion of power, he'd get only so far, and a green-skinned cyborg's twisted form would flash into his mind, breaking his concentration. He just needed a little more time.

He glanced back to Tev, "Hey, um, would it be okay if I asked you a couple of questions...about yourself?"

Tev looked surprised, and stared back for a moment, then nodded, and sheathed his small carving knife.

"Okay, well." He cleared his throat. "I guess foremost I'm wondering why you're here. I talked to Trixie last night about this, so I know a little about your group, but...why are you in the Watch? Why did you choose to come here, to the middle of nowhere? ...and I suppose since they don't talk, I should ask you about the brothers as well, if they wouldn't mind you saying."

Raising his eyebrows, the canid began, "It is not that they do not talk, or cannot, but that they are as yet unused to it. I was the same when I was young, before I had spent much time with outsiders in places such as this. Our people make much more use of body language and subtle sound in our communication. You would, in fact, find that most canids are much better writers than they are speakers--we enjoy reading and passing on stories, we have our own bureaucracies, but in-person, speech is not so frequently required."

He nodded, "Okay."

Tev paused for a moment. "As for why they and I are in the Watch, and here, it is...I suppose the best way to put it is that this service is a 'cultural duty' to my people. My people now form the core of the Watch, with the ponies having...perhaps half of our numbers. Many of the canid tribes still hold to the ancient beliefs, to the ideals of your ancestors, and the hope for their return. For some, the belief is simply shallow action, but for others it is still deeply held, on a tribal level or to each individual. Some join the Watch simply due to devotion." He looked thoughtful. "It is also seen as a way to socialize those of our children who show aptitude for spoken language, and a minimum of xenophobia. Even for those who wish to go on to become merchants in the trade cities, or ambassadors, a stint in the Watch is usually a first step. A way to train up one's communicative skills, and grow more used to the company of foreigners--ah, most Watch divisions are kept mixed, as this group is. Both I and the brothers are in the Watch because we showed aptitude, and our families had not offered children up for service for some time."

Gideon looked concerned, "So, you were, what, drafted into this?"

The canid smiled, "Nay, nothing so extreme. I suppose if I had wished dearly to do something else, there would have been little argument from my family. But to serve in the Watch, is, for my tribe at least, an honorable position. While I may not have the fierce devotion of the griffon, I do hold to the old beliefs, and I felt this a worthwhile mission." He raised an eyebrow. "Seemingly my faith was not without grounding in reality."

Gideon looked away uncomfortably, "Mmm. We'll see how worthy I am of any part of your faith in humanity." He rubbed his chin, and was distracted by his stubble, thinking, I could use a shave. He momentarily pondered the logistics of that, but decided facial hair could only help against the cold. He

Tev watched the taciturn human for a moment, before deciding to continue. “As for why we are here, at the Halls, the brothers and I are of the tribe of canids which is most cold-hardy. Only a griffon is less affected by the cold than we. A near-arctic winter assignment such as this is the most logical one for our kind."

Gideon nodded, and remained silent for a while, then glanced up. "Okay, so...when we were talking yesterday, you said some believe that humans left because they were...chased? Is there evidence for that?"

The canid blinked at the change of topic, then gave him a strange look. "Given what you told us, I would think the actions of these 'Seekers' to be some evidence for it."

He shook his head, "No…I don't think the timeline fits. The Aurelians said the Seekers only had history stretching back a few thousand years. Even Edumean history and archeology go back further than that, and from your library I've gathered that we were missing quite a bit." He paused, his face clouding over. "There's other things too…I don't know the full truth. Heck, at this point I'm not sure I know any of the truth. But I'm pretty sure the Seekers couldn't have been a force back then."

"Hmm..." Tev pondered this for a moment before responding, "As for evidence here...some would say it is compelling. I certainly think it is a possibility. It...it is nothing large, but..." he looked down at his own hand, flexing it briefly "...it is obvious that humanity was quite meticulous. Endless attention to detail, but more than that, a..." he closed his eyes, and sighed "...we, the created, all feel within us, a certain...abiding care from our creators. We know were valued, and the tales also tell us so...valued, both as creations, and as individual people." He looked to Gideon, as if seeking an acknowledgment.

He nodded, not wanting to offend. "Alright. I can certainly agree with the attention to detail."

"Mmm, yes." Tev's look intensified. "Then, given this, there are strange lapses, near the end. An example," he gestured vaguely in the direction of the Halls of Justice, "there were once ways of instilling forces within a building, as it was constructed. These forces, connected to each other and the earth by ley lines, could then be used to sustain the very structure of the building. Any sufficiently powerful magic user who knew the way could put a bit of energy in, and the building would be renewed, its strength and resilience restored. Yet...we were not taught the ways of building these immortal structures, and we were not even given the knowledge needed to feed the leylines of existing structures. So, the venerable Halls have crumbled, as have most other ancient and revered places." A distant look came over him. "There are other things, too. Devices which ceased to work, areas which have been corrupted, merely more signs of a...a framework slowly breaking down. The humans once had as perfect a control over this world as I can believe is possible, but now it has started to return to pure wildness. All we would need to fix things is a guidebook, but they...forgot to leave one behind for us? The thought of it being a careless oversight is absurd. This is why some of us believe that the humans were short on time. They did what they could for us, but then had to depart before they could finish our teachings."

Gideon digested all of this for a while. "I suppose I can see another example in what they brought with them. I mean," he nodded at Tev's carving, "I know what a bear is, yet I've never seen a creature even remotely like Trixie, nor...well, half of Alouette...I recognize the avian part as similar to some birds of prey on Edumea. Given time and resources, I would think they'd wish to preserve as many species as possible. But what I don't understand is, why wouldn't your people have been attacked by whatever was chasing humanity?"

Tev smiled, "It is one of many flaws in the theory. We, of course, do not have enough history to know the truth of what happened."

He nodded, "Speaking of that, I know I've only made it through a small fraction of the books up there," the gestured towards the library, "but they seem quite incomplete, inaccurately copied, and, well, fuzzy. Are those the best histories available?"

"Hmm," the canid frowned, "It is a reasonably representative selection of copies from several Watch libraries around the world. But many of those have been copied numerous times since their creation, or their original copying from the source books."

"Source books?"

"Yes. Nearly everything in the Watch libraries is a copy from originals which lie in several archives. Many of them have permanent preservation spells on them--another lost skill...the ones that do not are copied by, ah, more objective scribes than those who copy works in the Watch libraries." He nodded to the ruins again. "A small number of pertinent volumes were in the Halls, but they were claimed by the Griffon Kingdom when the buildings became untenable. There is a major archive in the Crystal Empire to the west, and another is supposedly held by the Changeling Hives, but the largest and nearest is in the ponies' capital city, Canterlot."

"Hmm..." he raised an eyebrow, "what are the chances of me getting into that archive?"

Tev smiled gently, "I do not believe the first human to grace Terra in thousands of years would be denied access to his peoples' histories."

Gideon snorted lightly, "Heh, I hope not..."

"However," the canid continued, "that will be a while in coming."

He looked askance at the canid.

"The blizzard is calming down, and it should be safe for you to go out tomorrow, with the protection of warmer garments the pony is creating for you. However, we are still in the midst of winter, surrounded by mountains, and the nearest town--wherein we could find fast transport to Canterlot--is almost fifty miles away, over some treacherous terrain."

"I see." He looked away.

"We are past the halfway point of the season, but it will not be safe to travel for quite a while. I would say we have at least a month and a half before the pass is reasonably safe."

Gideon chuckled, and rubbed his forehead, looking resigned, "Well, I guess I need to find a hobby too, then..."

Tev merely gave half a shrug of acknowledgment.

"Well," he got up, "I'll be upstairs, trying to glean a little more from what's at hand." He walked over to the stairs, and started up, then paused, "Oh, and...let me know if there's anything I can do around here to help, eh? I don't want to be a burden."

The canid nodded, and returned to his carving, as the human ascended to the library.

* * *

The door opened, Sif holding it wide, while Sef carried an obviously heavy barrel into the tower. Trixie followed behind, horn glowing softly, her magic lessening the weight of the barrel to something manageable. Sef carefully set the barrel down next to the others.

The brothers glanced at each other, then at Trixie.

She sighed, "Yes, fine, I'm done with you. Shoo."

They both bowed, then Sef snagged the bag with their rock-climbing gear from a corner, and they departed, shutting the door behind them.

She shook her head, and sat near the fire, soaking up the warmth. "I may not be a filly anymore, but I don't think I was ever so energetic as those two."

"Hmm." Tev looked skeptical. "You are still a youngling to one such as me, little mare."

Feeling herself blushing slightly, she gave him an innocent look. "Sorry, oh wise elder."

He snorted. "As for the brothers...our tribe of canid is known for being especially energetic into early adulthood…some of the other tribes even call us crazy, and only half-jokingly."

She raised her eyebrows. "Really, now. So even the venerable Tev had his overly energetic time?"

"Yes, yes." He nodded brusquely. "I spent those years in a place southeast of Seaddle. I tended to spend my energy river rafting...quite dangerous at times."

Trixie gave him an amused look. "Wild child."

He just gave a 'hmph' in return.

"So." She decided it was a good time to change the subject. "How is our guest?"

He looked back to her, "He is...curious. About us, and his ancestors." He glanced across the fire, to where Gideon had been sleeping. "Strange...like Alouette I found him rather disappointing at first...but his interest is encouraging. He seems to have quickly accepted that he is stuck on Terra, at least for the time being. Choosing to not remain ignorant of the world is a good sign, I would say."

"Yes." She nodded. "He already seems rather fed up with our books, though."

"Indeed. I told him about the Canterlot archives, and he wishes to go there." He gave her a pointed look. "I assume you would take your leave of us before then?"

"Er…" She was taken aback. "…I…I know I've avoided the area in the past, but…it's been six years now. And it's not like I'd be trying to put on a show. I think I would be fine to accompany you. I mean, I'd like to see where this all goes."

Tev stared at her for a moment, then nodded. "So be it. I told him it will be at least six more weeks before we can consider making the journey. He made a good point, that he will need to find ways to occupy his time. I think this especially important, if he is growing frustrated with the library. You should consider drafting him at times for help, rather than the brothers."

Standing up, she said, "Hmm. Good idea. Especially if he can put his magic to use...I'd like to see what he can do." She made her way towards the stairs, "Well, for now, I'm going to work on his new clothing, so he can go outside a bit tomorrow." She looked thoughtful. "You know, it's really a good thing we have so much extra cold-weather fabric in storage."

"Mmm...encouraging to know centuries of planning can bear some fruit." Tev gave her a sardonic look.

Trixie rolled her eyes at him, and waved a hoof, "Yes, yes, the Watch has planned for all contingencies, was there ever any doubt?" She smiled, and made her way up one flight.

This was a catch-all floor. The sanitary facilities were in a small side room. Most of the rest was dedicated to warm storage of equipment, supplies, and food that couldn't be allowed to freeze. She was mostly done with the preliminary work: sorting the good fabric from the ancient, stiffened stuff that wouldn't do, sewing together multiple layers of different fabrics, and cutting out vague forms. She finished that up in about an hour, then peeked up into the library.

Gideon was sitting on the floor, staring into the distance. He looked vaguely confounded, and didn't seem to notice her.

"Ahh, Gideon?" Her head was barely above floor level.

He blinked, and looked her way, finally spotting her, "Oh, hey Trixie. What's up?"

She took another step up, enough to turn and rest her forelegs on the floor. "Well, if you're not, uh, busy, I've been getting materials together to make you some cold-weather clothing. I'm at the point where I need to get some measurements, then I can finish things up pretty quickly."

The human just stared at her for a few moments, until she steeply raised an eyebrow at him, and he seemed to wake up, shaking his head. "Um, yeah, sure, okay. Sounds good." He got up and followed her downward. "I'd actually wondered what you were doing down here...I could hear you singing off and on."

She almost missed a step. "Wh-what? I was?"

He chuckled, "Yeah...you faded in and out, and I couldn't make out any words or anything."

She reached the floor, and turned to him, blushing, as he came down behind her, "Well, I'm sorry about that. I really never noticed, and nobody's ever said anything. Sorry to distract you."

He looked surprised, and shook his head, "No, it wasn't a real distraction or anything...I wasn't doing anything terribly productive, just trying and failing to, uh, work some magic...the singing was nice."

She felt herself blush even harder, "Ha, um, alright. Well, perhaps there's just something about sewing that causes spontaneous singing."

"Hey," he rubbed the back of his head, "sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I shouldn't have said anything."

Looking up at him, she felt the blush finally start to fade. "No, no, it's okay. Just strange to me that I didn't notice a thing. Anyway..." She shook her head, and grabbed a tape measure with her magic. "...let's see to this. I just need some basic measurements...thankfully I don't have to be painfully accurate. With this thick inner fabric, everything will be pretty amorphous. Just have to make sure there's no gaps to the outside, and that it doesn't chafe..." She started taking the measurements she needed, noting them down with a quill held by her magic, directing him to move this way or that, holding the tape with her hooves.

After a while, Gideon was staring at her left hoof with a bemused look when he asked, "So...how does that work, anyway? Holding stuff with your, uh..."

She glanced up, then followed his gaze, and smiled, "It's called a hoof." She leaned back slightly, dropping the tape, and held it out to him. "Here, feel."

After a moment's hesitation, he took it in his left hand. She felt his fingers run over the firm, fetlock-shrouded outside of her hoof. Then they touched the underside, moving from the tough edge inwards, towards the softer, more-sensitive interior parts. Soft, those hands...much more gentle than even a canid's pads.

"A pony's hooves have some flexibility to them, but it's augmented by a bit of natural magic that we call 'static fields'." She flexed her hoof around his hand, and grasped it, her smile shifting towards a smirk.

He blinked in surprise, then shook his hand slightly, feeling the magical grip on his hand. She concentrated, and shifted pressure points around. He looked up to her, eyebrow raised.

“It’s the same basic effect as telekinesis, but anypony can use it, even those without active magic.” She gently released her grip, letting his hand slip free, and said, "hold it out, flat, like this," while holding her hoof up, underside parallel to their line of sight. When he held his hand up in a similar position, she gently pushed the flat of her hoof against the palm of his hand--the hoof and hand stayed separated by about a millimeter. "The natural state is to repel, slightly. This helps protect the soft parts of our hooves from damage when walking, and keeps them relatively clean. Of course, it's not perfect, so most would wear shoes if living or visiting a place with lots of stone floors and roads…or boots if the weather is particularly bad."

He peered closely at the gap, and pressed a bit harder, noticing that it narrowed. "Huh. That's amazing." He dropped his hand, looking thoughtful. "When you say 'those without active magic', does that mean the other, ah, tribes? I've caught a bit about them in the histories, the pegasi and earth ponies?"

Nodding, she elaborated, "Yes, exactly. Static hoof fields are an innate magic that all ponies have. Pegasi have their own magic that focuses on their wings, weight, and inertia--it's what allows them to fly easily and perform maneuvers that would otherwise be impossible. There's another whole-body component that allows them to interact with clouds, but there's an external component to that which isn't well-understood. Earth ponies hold a certain connection to the natural world, which allows them to accomplish some amazing agricultural feats, and provides them with a sort of general physical boost--they are stronger and have a greater endurance than pegasi or unicorns, greater even than their physical forms would suggest." She glanced up towards her own horn. "Unicorns are slower and physically more fragile than others, but our direct and fine-tuned control of magic makes up for it. ...More than makes up for it, if you ask some."

She retrieved the tape, and continued with her measurements. “Our fields allow us to grip the surface we're walking on if we need to, so we can get about on three hooves if one is needed to carry something. It also allows us balance on two legs, though that's pretty tiring for a number of reasons. That sort of gripping is automatic for us by the time we reach school-age--just a part of learning to walk." She paused. "I suppose the same is true for basic tool use...I would say it gives us abilities roughly equivalent to a griffon or canid. Judging from what I've seen of your hands, most ponies are probably not up to a human level; however, with a lot of practice, we can get very fine control with it. Enough to do high-precision tasks such as, oh, fine embroidery, or lock making. Of course, unicorns with a reasonable amount of telekinetic control are likely to just use that--my own static field abilities are pretty rough...” She shrugged.

He nodded, "Thanks for explaining."

The pony just smiled, and continued to take the last few measurements. "Not a problem. Anypony who's been out in the world, anywhere there are a lot of people of other species, is used to getting some strange looks because of it."

After thinking for a few moments, he mused, "You know, Tev was right..."

"Hmm?" She glanced up to him.

Shaking his head, he mused, "we were talking earlier...and he was waxing poetic about how much care the...my ancestors put into your creation. That kind of innate magic, the balance of powers between the tribes...it is pretty amazing. I haven't seen any explicit declaration of how long your creation took, just 'many years', but it must have taken centuries of planning and refinement, especially to do it with any semblance of ethical respect for the…the subjects. And from what I understand, ethics would have been foremost in their minds."

"Hmm." She pondered that for a while before answering, "I would agree with that. Everything we know of them says they were a kind and noble race." She looked him in the eyes for a moment. "I think that's part of what Alouette finds so objectionable about you...the story you told of your people. The idea that you could be warlike, fight amongst yourselves, just as we have in the past...it is rather shocking."

She finished her measurements. "Okay, all done. It'll probably take another hour for me to finish these, up, then you can try them on."

Gideon smiled at her. "Thanks a lot, Trixie. I feel kind of bad adding all this work to your day, and, uh, if there's ever anything I can help with, I'd be happy to contribute."

"Yes, Tev said you'd be looking for things to occupy your time...I'm sure I'll find things for you to do, once we can get you out into the cold." Giving him a serious look, she continued, "and don't feel bad, or like a burden or anything. Frankly, most of my time here is pretty boring, it's nice having someone new around...and especially someone talkative." She returned his smile.

* * *

A while later, she had finished piecing together the insulating suit, and called Gideon back down. "Alrighty. I know it doesn't look like much, but the underlayer is magically woven to trap warm air, and the outside can deflect wind quite effectively." She proffered a pile of folded fabrics.

"Ahh, hey, Trixie..." He scratched his head.

"Hmm?"

He looked at her dubiously. "What's the situation for, ah, getting clean around here? It's been a few days, and I could use a bath."

"Ahh...hmm. I hadn't noticed, but I'm sure you know yourself." She thought for a bit. "I'm probably the closest to you in that regard. The canids don't sweat, so they stay pretty clean. I'm actually not sure what Alouette does, but she takes care of herself." She looked up at him. "I'm guessing you've figured out that an actual bath isn't feasible here?"

He nodded.

"Well, I have a spell I use on myself when I feel the need..." She bit her lip before continuing, "you said you're having trouble with your magic, so if you're not up to learning it yet, I could cast it on you, but it might be a little, ehh...rough. It works based on your body's ideal of what it means to be clean. On myself I can adjust by how it feels, on you, I'll just be eyeballing."

He nodded again. "I'm sure it'll be fine, thanks."

"Okay then," she said, as she turned to set the new clothing down, "just take your clothes off. I can give those a quick clean too while we're at it--I'm sure you won't want to wear this heavy stuff all the time in here." When she turned back, Gideon was just standing there, looking a bit flustered, and...blushing? She raised her eyebrows. "What's wrong?"

"Ehh..." He glanced at her, and looked abashed. "Humans...we have a bit of a thing about getting naked in front of others. It's kind of a taboo, except for, ah, special moments."

"Wha...oh." She blinked. "Okay. I guess I can understand that. The Saddle Arabians are pretty uptight about clothes as well." She smiled, unsure. "I...if it's a modesty thing, I assure you I wouldn't be, ah, judging, or anything. I mean, you're the first of your species I've ever seen, I'd have no basis for comparison."

He stared at her for a few moments, his face growing a bit redder, then slowly cooling. "Ah, no, no. It's fine, really. Just a silly hangup. Not just being naked, but getting undressed," he paused to bow slightly, "and in front of a pretty lady, too."

She felt herself color slightly. "Well, if it would help, I could close my eyes for that part," she did so as she said it, "but I will have to look to cast the spell."

"Ah, yeah, I guess that helps." She heard the sound of cloth moving, and waited patiently. "Okay."

Upon opening her eyes, she found him standing with his arms lightly crossed. She fixed her gaze on his torso to keep from questing downward and embarrassing him further, but that hope was dashed when she actually took in what she was seeing, and couldn't suppress a slight gasp. "Your scars..."

He looked briefly surprised, and glanced down at his own chest. "Mmm, yeah, I guess I forget about them." His hand moved--seemingly of its own accord--to rub a particularly large one near the bottom of his ribcage, on the left side. "This is the oldest...from the rebellion. Heh, run through by a random chunk of space debris that had been floating around for who knows how long. Didn't even make it to that fight, or the next two. Typical..." He kept on lightly rubbing the scar, lost in thought.

Trixie shook her head, "I'm sorry. Sorry to bring up bad memories. I've just never seen so many scars. You talked about how much fighting you've seen, but I guess it didn't really register." She looked determined. "Here, just relax, and I'll cast the spell."

He nodded, and waited, as she stared in his general direction. He noted that her eyes had gone a bit unfocused, and he felt a slight tingle along his skin.

"Huh...strange." She paused. "Your aura, have you...?" Her head shook slightly. "Nevermind. Here goes."

The tingling built steadily for a moment, coursing over his body, and he felt his own magical sense stirring wildly as it peaked. The sensation of the spell taking effect was like being nibbled to death by a swarm of tiny flies.

Every pore on his skin was cleansed at once, the spell somehow knowing what to leave and what to obliterate. Dead skin was purged, contaminants were cleansed, and microbes destroyed--though only detrimental ones.

A moment later it was over, and he felt like he'd been through a meat tenderizer. A weak groan was the only noise he found himself able to make.

Trixie focused on him, and noted the bleary look in his eyes. "Um...you okay?" She began to get a little worried when he didn't respond, but finally his eyes moved and he returned her gaze.

"Ehm...ahh...yeah." He gave her a weak smile. "I think so. That was…" his smile took on a gritted look "…intense."

She nodded. "I did warn you. The spell uses your aura's own idea of what clean is, so it doesn't remove things like beneficial bacteria. Without your mind's own guidance, however, it can be a bit aggressive about oils, pores, and dead skin cells." She bit her lip, holding back a smile. "I hope it wasn't too rough."

He chuckled. "No, nowhere near the worst thing I've been through. Thanks. I certainly feel clean now."

"No problem." She levitated his discarded clothes into a small pile to her side, and then transported the new ones to him. "Here, try them on. I'll clean the old ones."

He nodded, and she turned away and spent a bit more power getting his old, strange clothing clean. She noticed a few holes and tears in them, and picked a needle and thread back up. "These have some...battle damage, perhaps? I think I can mend them pretty easily."

"I won't object, since you told me not to." She smiled as she patched and mended. As she worked, she wondered, as she often did, how non-unicorns--even humans--could ever deal with the fumbling, shaky nature of claws, hands, and hooves when doing such delicate work. She was halfway finished when Gideon spoke up.

"They seem pretty good."

She glanced over to find him shifting around in the new gear. "Move around a bit. Walk, so I can see how it clings." He obeyed, walking to and fro a few times, and she noticed a few spots that needed work. "Okay, come here." She pinched and pulled at the fabric a bit, gaging what needed to be done. "Fine, fine...okay, take them off and I can make a few adjustments. I'll have your old clothes mended in a few moments."

She heard him removing the new items, as she continued working on the old. "Since you're looking to help, you can come with Tev and I tomorrow. We're getting pretty low on kindling for the fire, so we've got to look around for some new fallen branches. It's not much, but it will get you out, and we can make sure the new things are warm enough and fit right for real activity."

"Sounds good. I'd also like to see the ruins a bit, some time soon." He set the pile of new clothes on the table beside her.

"Of course." She gestured at his old things, as she finished patching the last hole in his shirt: a particularly nasty-looking cut, which had been quite blood-fringed before she cleaned it. "There's not a whole lot to see, though. The buildings are pretty far gone at this point, and even the floors and foundations are pretty damaged."

He took the shirt when she was done, and slipped it on. "Maybe. I don't know. I have this vague hope that I'll stand in the right place, and the wisdom of my ancestors will come to me, and I'll figure out what all of this means…what I'm supposed to do." He chuckled. "Silly fantasy, I guess."

She smiled at him. "We all wish for a little divine guidance now and then. Some are even lucky enough to get it." Turning to finish adjusting her work, she said, "I'll let you get back to your reading…and I'll call you for dinner this time, if you wish."

"Okay, yeah. Thanks, Trixie"

Comments

[1n6jx]

it lives

[alamais]

3717529
I know, right? I'll be trying for at least one update a month, but in any case I won't sit on stuff like I have been. That's just counterproductive. I want to finish this story.