The Summer night was chilly. Le’falyn was steaming in the pool where Rhe was doing her experiment. The Steam was nice but did not take away the chill, so that she felt warmth in increments.

“So, what are you making?”

Sui stood next to her and looked at Rhe asw well.

“I am generating heat! Le’falyne is generating heat actually. You see, Le’falyne can change its temperature at will yet not indefinitely. If the burden is eased, then it can generate heat  without getting tired!” 

“I don’t see, but I know it gets tired. I pushed it too far so many times, and I will again.”

“Well it knows pressure well. The Le’falyne I had was found in a deep cave- one connected to a hotspring. It was imbedded in rock that is usually found from even deeper below. That means it has experienced the pressures of rock and heat. It has been stuck there and it remembers. That might be why it hasn’t abandoned you completely yet.”

“Hmmm.” Lilly held up a playing card and looked at it while she stroked the elegant frame with her thumb.

Sui came closer and wrapped her arm over Lilly’s shoulders.

“That card game sure was a good punishment. It was so boring, and I had to meet people who wanted me to die probably. Well, even I stopped worse from happening, I know why.”

Suina was quiet and kissed Lilly’s forehead where her hair covered it near her temple. They watched the steam rise from the pool and the mechanism underwater that generated the heat and was barely discernible.

“There were a few kids there too. They were the most fun to play with. Maybe the most torture too. One of them, I killed his mama. A mama who’s brother was hurt by me and is the father of another girl I played against. I’d like to meet them again.”

“Do you remember their names? I could find out about them from Mel.”

“Hmmmm. One was Stashta. and one was Pole, or Polly.”

“I have a friend that was there too. Vallince .I think I can find them. A lot of kids go to the daycare at the publisher’s building. Older kids like you and me or even a little older work there and do small things like delivering notes from one room to another. Maybe one of them works there. Or all of them!”

Tears started leaking out of Lilly’s eyes. “I need that. I’m so lonely.” She began to shake against her will and Sui hugged her. She let herself sink into the embrace and allowed the shaking to continue.

____________

Barn shoved his curved knife into the wood of the bench. “Nothing is going to change!” The knife stuck into the wood but not far. He swayed the handle with his frustration to carve out small splinters. “We have the agreements, but only under the current instability we created. We’ve killed people now. Some of our former members are fighting us in militancy uniforms now. Some are just nowhere. Maybe back to their old lives. Why are people so stubborn? We can all see the inequality. Don’t the gentiles know that it can get worse?”

“Yes I know, we can’t keep destroying. Soon the broken parts need to be picked up and reworked.”

“Shade on you. We need to rework the city. Nathan from the Isles. Lady Drizzelda from the Isles. Rhea the artificer student is also from the Isles. I wonder what your perspectives are on this.”

“I’d like you to stop hurting people. The poor little girl Lilly too. Stop 

“You can’t leave this city anymore. You might be able to reassemble it once we’ve done our damage. I know what you did back at the Isles. You were a student of the storm right? But you put a building back together! One that was cleaved into two by and earthquake.”

“I was the one that cleaved it in two. It was easier because of the fault underneath. The students of the storm forget that they rely on the earth still to hold uptheir buildings. Building on a fault is unavoivable there, but still!” Nathan grabbed another knife stuck in the bench and wisted.That is satisfying but solves nothing. Im still too cramped here. 

“I want to be out of here! This strife is stifling. This city is stifling. Some of you have forgotten how much you hate me, but now the nice resrtraunts are sclosed longer. the schools are out of session. Im done here. You don’t need me for cleaning up. Im not staying. Figure it out. Stop fighting each other and benign so greedy.”

Nathan stabbed the bench again.

“You have no plan. You’re a wandering inventor yourself. You seem to hate cities. Why are you alwasy visiting them?”

“I hate being in solitute. CCities are terrible too. You’re right I have no plan. Im going for a hike in the terror teeth.”

“the sheer mountain range in the neartheast? Im not sure that can be hiked.”

“Hehe well. Maybe I will help. I ccan make the field an equal one for your cause. Thats what you want? to be treated fairly and have the same opportunities as the gentiles?”

“there doesnt even need to be a gentile cast. We’re all human. We should be able to do what we each desire from life.”

“With limitations.”

“yes.”

“IT will always be the same with humans.”

“Other cities do it!” 

“Droon. Dreary Droon. That’s what they call you. The sun doesn’t shine on your enough. Even Amnyl calls you that. Maybe it's not me. Maybe you hate me despite whatever I do. I will not stay. It's far too stuffy”

_______________

“Lilly!” The faint call of her name was as a wisp on the wind.

“Lillian Greyvlat!”

“Who are you?”

“Ntathan. I helped you in your house.”

“Oh yeah… why are you hiding?”

“I have an idea I need your help with.”

“Hmmmm.”

“Bring the Le’falyne with you.”

‘But Rhe needs - “

“That’s why I’m hiding. Shed never let us do this. She can have it back right after!”

___________

Barn was done. Im young and healthy still, but I feel old and worn out.This isnt the way I wanted things to be. Nathan! He’d brought down the entire building.Somehow every location with a person was protected by a shell of brick and mud. He was probabl out of the city by now. Why am I still going with this? I wanted to work inventions - learn how to operate and repair them.

‘Barn!”

Jaq’ue, his counterpart and equal walked up in winter boots. “We need more socks.htere’s a summer chill or cold snap.”

Barn signed a piece of paper and gave it to her. “We’ll need to abandon this …ruin.”

“We’ll rebuild.”

“jaq’ue, I might need to stop.”

“Good. Finally. We can go on without you.”

“No shade for me?”

Jaq’ue smirked. “You find your open shade, Barn.” She folded the note - folded! - and slipped it into a shirt pocket.She hopped over bricks and mortar rubble to walk away. 

Barn played with the tips of rolled notes in an empty glass candle holder and watched her across the rubble. Normally he would have forgotten about her while she was out of sight in a nother room or hallway, but there were no walls or doors standing anymore. Everyone was exposed. Event he small protective shells had broken down already, even though that surprise had occurred only this sunrise.

Shouts rang called and fell flat but Barn knew what they meant. The militants were here. They were exposed so they would be instantly found out. Despite many losses and terrible organization, the Militancy here still stood. The Shivs stood around the foundation of the building facing militants in all directions. None had plasma rods - except for a couple here and there with the personal version that barely singed the skin. Still hurt like a bad sunburn though. Mostly it was bare hands or daggers, knives, shivs, and shortswords that bared their teeth to one another. 

Barn did not like this. He stood up. Some of the Shivs glanced at him a split second while also trying to keep an eye on the closest militant. The militants never acted first - except to intimidate and provoke violence. Then they cried foul. A thought occured to him then. I’ll give them fowl.

He walked to where the Shivs and militants were unconsciously gathering the most. at the edge of the foundation -outside of it - where it his presence made both parties the most nervous and therefore unbalanced and unsure of themselves, he whistled. No response. Non of them had ever heard him do this before. Apparently Shlwathzanscrawv had forgotten the whistle too. This, because I didn't want to get the ravens involved. Barn breathed in slowly… and steady. All the people around watched, their curiosity taking over all of their other impulses for this rare moment. He breathed out steadily. He did this several times until he sensed that other people thought he had nothing up his sleeve.

Well I don’t really. They;ve been in plain sight this whole time, unnoticed except as pests and nuisances. Wth his lungs stretched and built up - filled with air he cawed. He was a pro at this. His caw was indiscernible from a raven’s. “Uaaah!!! Ah!” That was all. As loud and distinct as possible. Shlwathzanscrawv’s wings could be heard as the bird twice as large as Barn’s own head flapped to aim its talons towards his upraised arm. Barn wore no leather or protection on his arm save for his long-sleeved shirt tied at the wrist. Shlwathzanscrawv was able to grip without digging its talons in. She… “Craw!”

Barn’s mind was impressed upon. His will too. “Ah yes, She.” Only then did she land fully onto his forearm. The entire time she’d been shedding black ash from her winds and chest and leag and tail feathers. This ash was different than ash from a forest or a building fire. This was featherash. A darkness clung to is as if the dark wisdom of the ravens were still within. Sometimes feathers would follow and create a romantic but solemn scene on the ground. This was why they were considered pests. How strange that they honor shade, scorn the sun, yet show disgust at the ravens for this.

He could feel the seething suspicion of both sides as they thinned their eyes at the raven and by extension, Barn. Raven’dreth. He could hear it in their minds - not in truth, that was impossible - but he imagined it. Raven filth. That’s what they called people who grew familiar with these particular fowl animals. Fowl Fouls. Barn chuckled. He was pleased at their discomfort and amused. Instantly their energy changed to one of embarrassment, and Barn felt like an adult amongst children. 

“Know that I am done. There need not - “

“caaaw!”

“-be naydeath today. Please do not die this day. We are all from Droon. Anyone who has move here is Droon. I don’t care if you are elf, or gryri, dread, or human.”

They all laughed at that and Shivs looked nervously at militants who in turn looked nervously at them. Suddenly Barn felt how absurd all the fighting was.Still inntellecually I know how the complaints still stand. 

“We all need to eat. I’m done withi this. I only wanted things to get better. I’llbe having a meal with the Dean this evening before sunfall.” Join me at te most romantic hour and let us be joined in the pleasantries we’ve all come to appreciate from Droon - where you can find nowhere else on the continent.”

“Aw!”

“Heya!”

Cheers rose out. Some glared but they were in the minority. Barn walked between two militants. Shlwathzanscrawv pecked at one to loosen their grip and grabbed his personal plasma rod in its - her - beek. He then held the trinket as she impressed in him she thought of it in her talons. She held onto his shoulder with one leg while peering at the runes on the pistol.  “raaaah!” All wrong. Runes all wrong. How he knew what she was sying was more of an impression of her will on him than verbal communication. It was not mindreading.

I’ll have to ask her what she means about the runes being wrong sometime soon. For now his stomach growled and he wa looking forward to his feast with the Dean. They’d prepared this for a week now since the card games fell apart again. The Dean always somehow procured the most delicious grapes. Grapes and cheese. Oh. My. He was salivating all over. 

Food-oriented idiot. 

“Shlwathzanscrawv. You’re my favorite.” He pet the bird whose feathers were sublimely soft from constant shedding and new growth. Neither looked back, and honestly both were thinking about food already. Hypocrite. Barn knew she was thinking about food because she was pecking repeatedly at the side of the personal plasma rod. She only did that when she was, well, peckish.

_________________________

Lilly slid down and sunk into the water. She hated chilly summers. They were common in Droon when autumn was near. She felt so warm in the steamy Le’falyne. She’d promised Nathan he’d have his loan. First she needed this. She daydreamed. Since she could still breath air in here she had no fear of drowning if she fell unconscious. 

Her mother preserved. Floating in Le’falyne. The water spilled and her mama lay there. Is it you that doesn’t want this , or … is it her?

They were just….talking. Sitting like anyone would and having a chat. The normalcy ... .The apartment was normalcy. Now she never went back there. Not since the worst day.

She left. She couldn’t do anything when they were acting like people. 

“I can be your mother.”

She held Lilly in a big long hug. “I’ll never be your mama, but I can be your mother.”