Rhe was still in the city. She was still very afraid for her life. She wished she could find the let-water bomb. Maybe she had to make a new one. Last she heard, the workshops were still being investigated.

She hadn’t left because she’d found that she liked being touched. She didn’t have anyone to get close to so this place had to do. She lounged on cushions and contemplated a new bomb schematic. Meanwhile women and men lay near her and stroked her arms or merely rested their heads on her. 

“You are a perfect training prop. Nothing better.”

“Mmmm.”

“You’re rather picky too. That’s improved my seducers to an unheard of level. You have odd drink requests.”

“Yeah…”

“I think I like this.”

Everyone laughed. The proprietor and the seducers lay with Rhe.

“Tell us about your next invention.”

“Yesss. Tell us how much it sucks.”

“Well, it does Not suck. It explodes. It will inspire awe.”

“Aww! I wanna - “

“Natili. Try to be more subtle. Tease the client longer.”

“We need to call them something better than clients. How about connoisseurs?”

“Can’t we share a drink with them? I flirt better when I’m under the influence of a toxic drink.”

Maybe, but it’ll come out of your paycheck.”

“Mmmm. the tips will make up for thaaaat.’

I’ll think on that idea.”

One of the women slid her hand around Rhe’s thigh. “Whoa, stop!” She stopped the hand with her own.

“Is that her safe word?” 

“Nope.” The hand went further around near her crotch. 

“Ah! Drac’t Liv’t!” 

The hand stopped. “That was her safety word. Words.”

“That's two words.”

Rhe smiled with witty pride. “Double protection.”

The Proprietor leaned over her. “That’s a Drean swear.”

Rhea was done. She was far more relaxed now. Her panic was down. She could find a way to survive. She did not know how to survive outside the city anyway. The whole region was wide empty hills with nice towns spread leagues apart. The rest was countryside - and the wilds.

Rhe went to the splinter ajia’s resting spot. She picked at the splinter until it separated from the wood and nibble-attacked her middle finger. He laughed. It tickled a bit. “I’ve got to… go to the students’ building. I can’t be away from classes this long.”

She could feel herself start to shiver again and that feeling of not being safe. Panic. “Ouh!” She couldn’t even yell ouch properly. The little creature had speared her between thumb and forefinger with a splinter. She pulled it out. Thankfully it was big enough to grab.

I wish I had my le’falyne right now. One of the sultry hosts put salt and soda on the prick that was budding with blood. “I’m going to the university again. I need to talk to Lady Drizzelda… and my roommate.”

“Maybe don’t take that knife with you. The militants are on severe alert.”

“I don’t feel safe without it.”

“We’ll meet again with the moons to light me in the night." Rhea winked at the girls. Eyyaaa! What!? What’m I Doing!?

She was suddenly elated as she passed bars and clothing shops and the park on her way to her room. Weird how everyone keeps working while people are in such danger. She was walking by the median of plants and grass and pleasantly swaying trees. 

She saw Neth sitting on a bench of his own making. She knew because this path was an open walkway with no seating or rest areas. She walked up to him. “How did you like the adji-ah!”

The bushes jumped out at her again! Her heart pounded strongly, but with heat now instead of cold fear. It was her pest. “I told you to take care of this thing.”

“Haha. I’m too busy to take care of some wild animal you’re holding captive. What does it even eat? It toured around our rooms and found them ‘not to it’s liking.’ I tried to help it, but it just pushed me down with it’s thick bark-arms. Then it came down here and stopped moving like an animal again. It seems to like being a bush more than a tree.”

“Ugh. I have to get the Dead to summon Lady Drizzelda. He’s obligated since I’m missing my host from the Isles. She’s the only one here who might do something to address the drac’tin’ murders! I don’t want to die, Neth.” 

She looked at him with pleading eyes. “I have so many ideas to share with the world before I die. I need to live as long as possible so I can spread my ideas. I will not let the world be without them!”

“I’ll shade your way again. I’ve got ideas I need to ruminate on too!” Neth was irritated.

He stayed with them until they stood at the Dean’s door. “This adjia won’t leave. I hope it doesnt distract him.” 

She knocked. The echoes reverberated along with the sound of gears and whining cables. A deep “Dom…!” came from within the wall. That was her invitation to press her palm on the rune in the center of the circular door. The gears and mechanisms blocking her way jerked and rolled and slid into the walls on both sides of the doorway. Rhe walked through and stared at every part she missed the last time she got to see the marvel.

“Ah, the delinquent academic. Welcome back. I will reinstate you. Offer me a sliver or two of your time.”

“I request Lady Drizzelda of the Isles Wayward to make herself present in this room to represent me as a foreign student. I am in need.”

“Oh you are bold. That’s unnerving. Not like students or faculty to have such a dramatic shift in personality.”

Rhe ran out of confidence right then. She remained silent. 

“Lady Drizzelda, representative of her father, Exalted Ward of the Isles - and most generous of donors to the university, shall be summoned - along with your reinstatement.” 

Lady Drizzelda came with a host of companions. “I am present; Drizzelda of the Isles Wayward. Who asks for sponsorship?” A hint of recognition and familiarity reflected in her gaze at Rhe.

“I am present, Rhea Stilt’vata, academic foreign, requesting your exclusive sponsorship.”

“Rhea and Dean, before we continue, my friends will introduce themselves.”

“I am present, Jorgon.”

“I am present, Alyz.” 

“This is unprecedented, Lady Drizzelda. Why have they accompanied you here?”

“They are my friends and the only people I trust to keep me safe. There is unprecedented conflict in this city, which cannot be ignored. Yet I have remained. I do not leave my hosts worse than I found them … even when I found you in poor condition.

Rhe wanted to agree, but she was shy in the formality of this situation.

“Rhea Stilt’vata, what sponsorship do you ask? My father has already sponsored you to attend this university.”

“The same you said, my Ward. Something has to be done to stop these insane people.”

“Insane? I tried to level the gentiles to the rest of the city and the clever or ambitious of the less advantaged to mingle. Some success was achieved with the card games, but soon devolved to resentment again. How dare the gentiles resent the less advantaged. No wonder the Shivs organized out of that resentment. Maybe conflict is part of the balance. We don’t like to feel like we are part of the cycle of life. The Gyri and the Drean understand their part in nature. Or is it rather not their part, but more intrinsically simply life?”

“Drizzel.” Alyz interrupted her thought flow.

“Oh thank your shade, Alyz. About the safety of the citizens.”

_________________

Doan saw Lilly before she crashed down on the workshops. He rolled with the wave and only had bruises when the water pulled away. She glared at him. She wasn't sad or cold or stoic now. She was angry. She was in rage for every splinter that he still lived while her mama, and that whole family were dead. And others they might not know about.

She rammed a wall of water at him. He put his hands together and dove into the wall. 

“Rrr!” Somehow he was still alive. She tried to drown the killer but Le’falyne resisted her. 

Her skin was hot. She pulled Le’falyne to spear him but it was unable to freeze. Steam rose all around her. The other militants still investigating were advancing to protect Doan. He ran up a slope with thick tufts of grass growing at the top. Doan. Scrambled. The steam was not getting any thicker now. Militants grabbed her arms and one kicked the back of her knee.

She fell in the shallow steamy water. Some of the militants passed out in their uniforms. Others fled. Don’t want to hurt them. She let the water rise away from the ground and up near the slope. The ground shook. Lilly fell to her knees again. The slope ripped apart as the ground shook. Is this even possible? How is this happening!?

The slope rose with dry flakes falling and mud pulling away. Roots of the grass were visible now. Doan was a small person on a moving hill. the huge creature turned and shook. Rocks and dirt along with leaves shuffled off and rained on Lilly. What was happening!? The beast was stood over the short trees and began to walk toward the other side of the slope where Lilly could not see. Does it have legs? 

Lilly’s head was hot. It’s taking that man away from me!

“Raaaa!” She tried to force the monster to stop with her will. The monster did not respond. Lilly climbed up the now depressed section of hillside and stared at the legs - it does have legs! - that it used to walk into a forest at the back of the University. Lillian Greyvlat tried something new. She willed le’falyne to enter the monster of rock and ground and plants. This time Le’falyne happily entered the body of the monster. The amount and frequency of falling chunks and debris slowed down as Le’falyne saturated the soil and plants to hold together better. Shrug.

The monster shrugged to the right. Doan rolled off the grassy back and fell to the ground below.That could be a fatal fall. Lilly did not check. Scoop him up. The moving hill rolled as if a rocky mudslide to lift Doan up. He was dead or knocked out. With Le’falyne under her will and infused in the monster she could move its root and rock limbs. She held the limp man by one root arm. with another She rammed the body into the  cliff behind the school. The forest seemed to end here too. The cliff gave way and the monster tripped forward into a cavity in the cliff and crashed into a messy rockslide among the trees and newly formed cavern. 

Lilly rode on Le’falyne that seeped out of the monster and landed her where the punch had crushed some sort of door. Doan’s corpse lay crushed and twisted in the mechanisms of the door.

He was dead. Lillian had smashed him until there was no way he could come back to life. Doan was dead. He got what he deserved. The cycle of violence might never end, but her rage and grief and anger and hurt and disbelief were satisfied. Had she gone mad like Sui and Rhe warned? No. Had she done terrible things? Yes. She still felt like she could move on. She’d put a terrible person to rest. She did not subscribe to the notion that she would not stop. 

She went to find Sui.

_____

Sui stared at the grass. She stared at the fence. She enjoyed them, but she wanted Lilly to enjoy them with her. Lilly just thought of them as surfaces - just like a dog Sui knew. She thought about how Lilly went off again already. Sui felt light and giddy as if she needed to chase after Lilly. Somehow even though she knew it was not good for Lilly to do that, she was only elated. Was this love, or just a crush?

How had Sui drawn her attention? Sui could tell that lilly didn’t need her as a clutch at her hip, but it thrilled her that this revenge-bend girl liked her! She liked Sui enough to present her with a gift taken from a dead Shiv member. The empty knife sheath Lilly had put on her belt felt a bit heavy. She was not used to extra weight on her hips. Just touching it made her feel joy. She felt the fearies in her belly. She was like a big sky whale falling in love. She looked at the boy sitting next to her. He was a young man really. The stubble on his hair was cute but not of any interest to her. She shivered just thinking of those prickling her lips. 

“Is it like this for you, Mat’hew?

“Hah! Uh…for me I think I feel the same towards my crush for Jorgon, but Jorgon says he never got fearies in his belly.”

“Hmhmhm-hm!” Sui squirmed with glee.

“You’re really feelin’ it huh?”

“Yes!”

“She’s not even here right now.”

“I know!”

They shared a laugh.

They laughed well together. “We’re good laughers.”

Mat’hew laughed. The fits kept coming in trickles and then in bouts of laughter.

Suina was on the grass by the fence curled over with a cramp when something thumped behind her. “Ah!” Her heart palpitated. She sat up and smiled. 

Lilly had landed on the ground in front of them. She spun a dagger with both hands towards them - mimicking an airborne one in slow motion - right into Sui’s empty sheath.”

“Standard size!”

Stunned. Sui was stunned with admiration and embarrassment.

“Top notch!” Mat’hew proclaimed.

Sui had to ask. This wasn’t her lost knife. “Is…is…. Are - is he dead?”

Lilly blushed. “Yessssss.”

Sui was quiet. Mat’hew was tense and she felt sudden fear and anxiety from Lilly. Is she afraid I will hate her? “Doan, I admired him. I never thought he would do something like that. He confessed to me after you killed his friends. He expected you to find him. He knew he deserved it. Being in the Shivs after defecting from the militancy, then being accepted back must have madde them feel like poeple’s lives are arbitrary. They must have lost faith in any cause.”

Mat’hew was still tense. “Don’t these militants have families too?”

Lilly did not look at Mat’hew but seemed to turn her attention to him somehow. “That’s fine. Unaliving these terrible people will  give their families closure.”

“Closure they didn’t need before.”

“That will only close your wounds. You’re opening wounds just like yours.”

Lilly stopped debating with Mat’hew then. She looked defeated. She needed to speak her mind, so Sui would give her that chance. Sui had a plan.