Arrival! The Uluru Games

by MiscellaneousMisanthropy

Summary:

The blazing torch of a fire long gone has yet again been rekindled by the sparks of memory. It's within the core of Spathodea, a deep desire and long awaited destiny. The revival of the Uluru Games!

It wasn't in the summer plan to bring back bring back a centuries old Olympics event, but anything's possible when you have the aid of your friends, the Timekeeper, and maybe help from human resources...

[Focused on the Revival! The Uluru Games event]

Notes:

The brainrot is back and this time with a summer vacation feeling! With lesser stakes and more just about friendship and teamwork, it's a nice and comfortable story to work on. Gives me a chance to have Schneider and Vertin be more tooth rottingly sweet with each other. Maybe be good mentor figures to the younger generation (ignore the fact they're barely that old coz that'll make me sad how mature they have to be)

Let's have a good time!

Chapter 1: Blazing Encounters

“We missed the right junction. The roads are different from the map Mr. Slouch hat gave us.” Vertin reassess the map in hand, comparing the landmark they see to the one on the guide. “It’s too outdated to provide any useful information.”

 

“Terrific! We’ve gone wrong again. This is like… yeah, the fourth time.” An annoyed voice bemoans next to them. They try not to outwardly flinch at the reminder of how many attempts they’ve made so far to correct their course. “Since my short life is supposed to be spent in creating huge value for all the living things in the world…”

 

Currently, Vertin stands in the streets of Melbourne, Australia. To say they’re lost is putting things lightly. Rather, they’re hopelessly lost in fact. They haven’t felt this turned around in quite some time with how well traveled they’ve become, but this new experience just shows that they’ve still have yet to see the extent of the outside world. Oh, they should be focusing on the current problem right now.

 

“The Foundation should have sent me another bodyguard–a more reliable one! And the contact here should have offered us a more reliable map!”

 

That they can agree on. Yet there’s little choice in the matter and so Vertin lets their current companion, Medicine Pocket, air out their grievances. It wasn’t the first time they’re exposed to the medical researcher’s ire and it wouldn’t be the last. For now, they can only attempt at reason.

 

“I am the one and only reliable “bodyguard” who can keep you safe among all the others in the Foundation at the time.” Madam Z has dispatched Sonetto with a portion of their team to a different mission. While Schneider… “You are of great significance to Laplace. They don’t want you to take any risks. So it’s best that I chaperon you to the designated meeting area.”

 

“Hah! You just wanted to use me as an excuse to see her.”

 

Vertin chose to ignore the statement and gave the map another look. Even if their intentions aren’t purely selfless, they know Medicine Pocket would let it slide. They both would prefer the brunette’s presence over the other if it’s an option from the start, but compromise is the key to mutual benefits.

 

“We can go back to the last juncture or keep going forward. There is a trail about 300 meters ahead, and it leads all the way to the Rolling Croc Bookstore.” They say after reassessing the outdated map and came to a sufficient conclusion by observation. “You want to check the map?”

 

“When things don’t work out one way, a researcher will find another.” Medicine Pocket brushes off their offering like it offends them and starts looking around. They spot something. “See, there comes another way!”

 

Vertin looks to where they were staring and spots a young girl approaching at a brisk jog. Her brown hair tied up in messy pigtails and loose braids while she wore a sporty attire. From their observation of her bag and a pair of what looks to be boxing gloves strung onto her meant she’s one that enjoys athletic activities. Said girl is easily flagged down by Medicine Pocket.

 

“Hey, wait!” The white haired arcanist calls out and the girl slows her pace to a halt, jogging in place. “Ms. Spa-Spathodea, right?”

 

“Umm..Hmm? Who are you?” She looks at them in confusion, baffled by them knowing her name. Well, it wasn’t hard since her bag has a badge with large bold letters spelling it out. A shot in the dark that hit its mark. “Umm, do I know you?”

 

“Excuse us, we’re looking for a bookstore.” Vertin gets to the point. The girl looks ready to sprint out of there at any moment and it’s not like they have any more time to dawdle. They’ve done plenty of that on their fourth attempt at finding the place. “It’s called the Rolling Croc, with a hand drum made of crocodile skin hanging on the signboard.”

 

“And that very store has the fragment of the fungus potion analysis report I want.” Medicine Pocket’s irritation is palpable. They’ve run out of patience. “If it weren’t for that, no one would’ve taken a walk on this ridiculously vast land, no one! Besides, there’s no Frisbee here.”

 

They try not to roll their eyes, they really did. So they fix their gaze at the girl named Spathodea; who is kind enough to think about their question seriously. While they stood around in quiet contemplation, Vertin focused their core to send out a signal in hopes their partner could find them instead. With so many people around, pinpointing her arcanum was not in their limitation. Hopefully it’s not the same for her. She always manages to find Vertin, after all.

 

“The Rolling Croc? Rolling…Oh!” Spathodea must’ve figured it out. “I pass that store every morning when I exercise!”

 

She gestures in the air as she points to a particular direction across the street. “Go straight ahead, turn to the right into the lane after passing by a cafe with an orange signboard, and there it is! But do keep your heads down, or you’ll be hit by the signboards there.”

 

Vertin checked the map to see that the specific lane she’s talking about didn’t exist. Truly the guide was outdated and they’ll have to report it to their contacts about it. It wouldn’t do for such a mistake to happen again. They wonder how Schneider managed around the country then? Mr Slouch hat is both their correspondence in Australia and if this was the kind of trouble a simple escort mission entails, then they’re worried…

 

“I can take you there if you need…Oh, shoot!” Their attention returns to the girl as her digital timer beeps to alert her. “Warm-up time is almost over. I have to go! My coach is waiting for me for the punching exercise. Sorry guys, I hope you find the store!”

 

“Thank you. Hmmm?” Vertin pauses at the light tug at their chest.

 

Could it be… 

 

But their train of thought is immediately redirected by a distant shout and a rapidly approaching blur of red. It’s heading straight for Spathodea.

 

“Wait!” They try to warn her. “Someone’s at the corner! Watch…”

 

Too little too late. The force of the collision knocked both girls onto the ground and Vertin couldn’t stop from physically flinching at the sight. They quickly went over to inspect the two’s condition, Spathodea specifically is worrying.

 

“...Fire? I’m…on fire…”

 

“Confusion and weak pulse…” They turn to Medicine Pocket behind them. “We have to take her to Laplace.”

 

“There you two are!”

 

Vertin’s heart stutters. Their focus is all over the place that day it seems, but it didn’t stop them from immediately standing up and looking for any sign of– There. Schneider came jogging towards them, her coat perfectly wrapped around her with the Foundation pin keeping it in place to signify that she’s still on the clock. Her dark brown curls mused up from running around, frantically looking for them. She’s so lovely…

 

“Took you long to find us!” Medicine Pocket waves to the brunette, looking brighter and less irritated at the other’s arrival. “I had half a mind to bolt and find the damn store myself. This one’s useless with directions.”

 

“Pookie!” Vertin’s eye twitches. “A great amount of time has passed since I’ve last seen you and you’re still a little rascal! Why the long face? Did you forget to bring treats again?”

 

“How was I supposed to know it’ll take this long? This place is shit.”

 

Schneider smiles, getting on her tiptoes to pet the researcher’s head. Medicine Pocket’s metaphorical tail practically starts wagging as they lower their head to get proper pats from her. Vertin’s eye twitches again.

 

“So patient you are.” The brunette coos, scratching Medicine Pocket just behind the ear that has their foot tapping. “Fortunately for you, I took the liberty to get the report you need before setting out in search of you two. They were selling some interesting biscuits, you know? You want one? You want a treat, you rascal?”

 

Vertin clears their throat.

 

Two pairs of eyes look directly towards them and they feel heat rushing up their face. They weren’t sulking. They’re not. And it’s not like it bothers them that their partner was paying more attention to someone else despite them not seeing each other for maybe just as long… Medicine Pocket gives them the widest shit eating grin.

 

That little…

 

“My Lord.” All the pettiness dissolves into thin air at the sheer tenderness Schneider’s smile radiates at the sight of them. Vertin’s heart won’t stop racing and only quickens when the brunette approaches to squish their face between her slender hands. “It’s so good to see you are well.”

 

Vertin lets out a quiet breath, nuzzling into the hands that hold them with care. A lot of the frustrations of the day becomes a backdrop they can brush off now that they’ve reunited. They would’ve cuddled into their partner’s loving hands more if a quiet groan hadn’t caused them to pause. Oh, right, they were supposed to be taking care of something.

 

“Oh, dear.” Schneider has also taken notice of the two figures on the floor, pulling away much to Vertin’s sadness. “What happened here?”

 

“They weren’t looking where they were running. Made head on collision with each other.” Medicine Pocket says through a mouthful of biscuits. Since when did they get those from Schneider? “One of them is coming to.”

 

As they say, the woman in a red dress and leather jacket sat up with a groan, rubbing her head. She looks up at them in confusion before spotting Spathodea’s unconscious body and begins to panic.

 

“Oh, shoot! Are you alright?!” She fumbles around, not sure what to do with her hands hovering over the girl. “Why weren’t you minding where you were at?!”

 

“Weren’t you the one that was running like a blazing devil with her panties in a twist or somethin’?”

 

Medicine Pocket’s comments go unheard as Vertin kneels down next to Schneider to reinspect the two girl’s condition. Spathodea’s state has calmed down significantly in the short time their distraction has them attending something else. Even so, it’s best to still take them in for a proper evaluation.

 

“Are you okay, Miss?” Vertin asks, getting the distressed woman’s attention. “We should get you both to Laplace to make sure neither of you are suffering from any injuries.”

 

“What? No, I’m fine! I don’t have the time to–” Her eyes shift briefly back to Spathodea. “Yeah, okay, she needs it, but I don’t! I have someplace to be right now!”

 

“Don’t we all?” Medicine Pocket snorts.

 

“Please, Miss, it is only natural to worry over such a nasty accident.” Schneider smiles, gesturing to the unconscious girl. “And even if you refuse medical care, wouldn’t it be only courtesy to aid the poor girl into getting there? You’re half responsible for this outcome, after all.”

 

“It’s not like I meant to crash into her.” The woman bites her thumb’s nail, her conscience getting the better of her. “Ugh, fine! Only because I don’t want anyone pressing charges or anything if she does come out with something serious.”

 

With a decision made, they move to get the girl lifted and back to the medical center. Only for Spathodea to shoot up from her lying position. The woman in red let out a startled cry and Vertin quickly steadied Schneider from stumbling back too far. They all blinked at the girl in bewilderment.

 

“Uhmm, huh?” Spathodea stares in a daze, shaking her head as the fog clears up in her eyes. “Ugh, what? What’s…going on?”

 

“You! Kid!” Coming out of her shock quickly, the woman in red not too gently grabs the girl by the shoulder and shakes her a little. “You alright? No head injuries? No sores? No nothing?”

 

“Huh, what?” Despite her confusion, she manages a coherent response. “I-I, no? I’m fine and–”

 

“See, all good!” She gets up and quickly dust herself off before making a mad dash away, calling out behind her. “Sorry about that! But I need to go, I’m late for a job!”

 

“She must be really late…” Schneider mumbles to herself. Vertin refocuses their attention to the equality perplexed girl.

 

“Miss Spathodea, are you sure you’re alright?” When they received a confused look from her, they elaborated. “Your vitals and state spiked alarmingly upon collision. Now it looks to have stabilized, but it’s still worrying. Would you please allow us to take you to Laplace for a medical check up?”

 

“Medical check–?! N, no! No,that’s okay!” Spathodea shakes her head, frantically waving her hands assuringly as she gets up with a bounce in her step. Lively and full of energy like nothing happened. “See, I’m fit and healthy! No injuries at all. It was just an accident, really. I don’t need to get myself checked up, okay?”

 

Vertin doesn’t buy it, but if she’s insistent that there’s no need then they won’t pursue it. Besides, they weren’t meant to get involved in such a situation that day. So they’ll gladly take the girl’s word for it.

 

“If you’re sure.” As they stood up, they went over to Medicine Pocket and rummaged through their coat pocket despite the researcher’s growling. As expected, they found the standard issue Laplace business card the Australia branch insisted they carry and gave it to Spathodea. “Just in case, if any development happens within 24 hours, please direct to the Laplace medical clinic’s address on the card.”

 

“Oh, sure, thank you!” Taking the card, she checks the time and gets startled into action. “Ah, I’m late! Thanks again, but I need to go! Sorry for the trouble!”

 

Like a whirlwind, the girl breaks into a sprint, proving her agility and athletic prowess as she vanishes into the corner in a blink of an eye. Well, that was that. Schneider stands up straight and dusts herself off, taking out a clean envelope in her jacket much to Medicine Pocket’s delight.

 

“Everyone’s running late today it seems, My Lord.” Schneider smirks, casually tossing the envelope like a frisbee. The medical arcanist instantly made a run for it. Vertin hopes they don’t try catching it with their mouth… “Speru ca nun ti mancassi troppu, cara.”

 

“Of course I will.” Vertin gently pulls her by the waist, letting the brunette tilt their hat to obscure their view of the world. Their lips touch, light and fleeting. “Always.”

 

“Can you two be gross later?” The interruption forces them to pull away from their lover, giving Medicine Pocket a leveled stare. They look unfazed with the envelope, unsurprisingly, between their teeth. At least they’re more energized and less in a foul mood now. “I wanna get back and read this report over. I give two shits whatever you guys will do after.”

 

“I will take that as permission from the head researcher to do as I please.” Her laughter is like church bells on a spring morning, her arms languidly draped over Vertin’s shoulders. “Regards, wild one.”

 

“Thank me with some samples and some observations later.” Scoffing, the white haired arcanist starts moving. “Enough standing around, let’s go already!”

 

Vertin smiles. Well, as long as they have an agreed tenderness for the brunette, they won’t mind tolerance of a higher level with them.

 

———————————————————————————————

 

Laplace medical research center is likely the closest place to a comfortable space beyond the suitcase. At least to Schneider it is. There’s just something about the research facility that has the brunette more lax than any other Foundation affiliate organization.

 

Even the one closest to the headquarters has her less tense and mindful of their closeness from what Vertin can glean on the rare instances they’re within the medical center’s halls. And they, too, find the atmosphere far less restrictive and more on the side of comfort if one overlooks the natural weight of certain aspects to Laplace’s research. Nevertheless, Vertin compromises.

 

As long as Schneider’s happy, they’re happy too.

 

One of the perks they do enjoy about being there is less about the people and more about Schneider’s willingness for public affection. All the researchers are too far gone in their inner turmoil of science to be focusing on two teens in love. Even when said two are the Timekeeper and Timewarden.

 

“How was the surveyance operation you’re tasked with?” Vertin asks as they gently hold their partner’s hand. Currently, they occupy one of the medical examination rooms in order to get Schneider’s blood drawn for ‘samples’. When the head of research comes busting into the Australian branch’s doors in full demand of it, there’s little fighting they can do. Not that Schneider fought against it to begin with. Her willingness to volunteer is one of Vertin’s inner concerns. “Our mutual correspondence, Mr. Slouch hat, gave me an outdated map which caused us to get lost in the first place. I would assume a similar situation might’ve happened to you when you first arrived a few weeks ago.”

 

“Unfortunately.” She gives them a wry smile, sliding her free hand out of her jacket sleeve before leaning back comfortably on the examination chair as Medicine Pocket preps her arm for blood extraction. Vertin squeezes her hand. She squeezes back. “Not the first time I’ve been left with misleading information, but it would’ve saved me the headache. The silver lining is that I get to explore around more freely to ‘acquaint myself with the land’ for the mission.”

 

“What’s there to look at other than dust and dirt?” Medicine Pocket grumbles, picking up the report papers to read once the blood starts drawing. “The place is vast, but there’s nothing interesting at all. It’s only good for mushroom samples.”

 

“You find more fascinating parts when you look around enough. Although with your patience, I wouldn’t put it past you to lose interest shortly after the first hour. You’re an important figure after all.” Schneider hums in amusement, quietly wiggling her fingers to the gentle rhythmic squeezing Vertin gives it occasionally. Simply watching her be content and in a good mood is something they can do for hours. “Then again, I did hear from a few locals about a lovely dog park with ample space for frisbee–”

 

“Take me there for a walk and I’ll send a request for your ‘assistance’ for as long as they,” Medicine Pocket jabs a finger Vertin’s way as if mentioning their name offends them. Geez, okay. “Remain here.”

 

The brunette lets out a peal of laughter, trying not to move too much from her seat. Her joy and happiness warms their heart, but an underlying sick ache echoes in the back at the fact that happiness is brought by someone else. Vertin is happy she’s happy.

 

“You drive a hard bargain, you rascal. It’s a deal.”

 

They couldn’t shake on it with both of Schneider’s hands occupied. So the white haired arcanist gives her a flimsy pawing on her knee, not even looking up from their reading material. Vertin’s grip on her hand instinctively tightens, but they quickly loosen it back up. Their partner’s side glances indicate her thoughts, making them blush. Since it’s just the three of them and no one would enter without Medicine Pocket’s permission…

 

Vertin chooses to be petty.

 

Moving their chair up closer allows them room to lean fully against Schneider’s shoulder with enough comfort to the both of them. They wrap themself around her slender arm, inhaling the sweet citrus scent that clings coyly against her jacket’s feathers. Schneider tilts to the side to rest her head atop theirs and that gives them a chance to look up and kiss her on the cheek. Their affections are returned with a peck on the forehead. Vertin’s heart palpitates.

 

“God, you guys are gross.”

 

They performed something they haven’t done in years. They stick their tongue out and bring a finger up to their eye, lightly pulling down their lower eyelid. A sign of childhood pettiness. Schneider bursts into laughter. The ill festering feeling is washed away by the sound alone. Medicine Pocket rolls their eyes.

 

“I’m not letting you slack off though. You’ll still have to assist me while I’m around dealing with new research findings.” The smile on their face is as dubious and sinister as ever whenever the topic of experimentation comes up. And with Schneider’s eyes narrowing, it can’t be good. “Speaking of findings. I know the perfect one you can start helping me with. Even got someone I wanna introduce to you. He’s excited to meet and ask questions on the one that petitioned the new experimental therapy training to aid arcanists.”

 

“I sent that pitch as a joke! How was I supposed to know that Junior would greenlight it?” Schneider groans, aiming her snide smirk at the head researcher. “Worst of all is that you actually approved it and brought it to the higher ups. What was that for?!”

 

“The concept and idea itself is good. With some revision, it actually came out as a somewhat passable structure for a working theorem.” That shit eating grin returns as they express no remorse for their actions. “You see how well it’s been integrated thanks to my genius, right?”

 

“You purposely waited for my lengthy absence before starting it!” Sighing, the brunette leans more of her weight onto Vertin which they happily accept. “By the time Madam Z informed me of the bill’s passing it was already in the first stage of revisionary training! How could I object to that?!”

 

“I dunno. Say no?”

 

“Spare me my dignity, you rascal!”

 

Vertin listens to the bizarre banter leisurely, fascinated by the conversation and content with their idleness. They can agree with Medicine Pocket on the decision, the conceptual application of ‘empathy’ to manage as a sub-treatment for arcanists is beneficial and Schneider should be proud to get the approval from not only the head researcher, but Mesmer Jr. as well. While many changes were made just to fit it into the standards of the Foundation, like the bill that Madam Z and many fought for to pass, it’s better to have a part of it applied than not at all. Compromise is the key to a better future. And that includes starting out as small as the theory of ‘empathy’ being just a supplementary training course they can take. Laplace members have it mandatory just as recent as a month ago from what Vertin has heard.

 

“Accept that you’ve done the world a great service.” Medicine Pocket snorts, taking out the needle and applying some health potion to close the wound. “If it were anyone else pitching the idea, it’d be rejected on the spot. But since you’re quite the research case itself, there’s more grounds to argue the effectiveness of it and we took a shot in the dark. Lucky you that it worked.”

 

“Don’t I feel special...” Schneider grumbles, placing her arm back into her jacket sleeve. Her jaw clenches while trying to stifle a yawn and Vertin knows that’s a sign to go. “I’ve had enough attempts at arguing about this. We can talk more on what you want me to assist you with tomorrow. Just see to it that the request actually makes it to Madam Z’s table, please?”

 

“Yeah, yeah, you gave me plenty of motivation for it.” They shake the sealed blood bag humorously before pointing at Vertin in an offended manner. “You. See to it my patient gets food, water, and rest. Feed her, carry her around if you have to, do fuck all. I expect her best tomorrow.”

 

Without even waiting for a response, Medicine Pocket walks out of the examination room, leaving the two alone. Well, even if no one told them to do it, Vertin would take care of Schneider no matter what. The brunette always comes out of Laplace in bright spirits, but with lesser energy. A bizarre exchange in hindsight, but a blessing all the same. Now they have time for each other.

 

“Do you want to get some rest?” Vertin asks, carefully helping their partner off the examination chair and onto her feet. She looks to be in perfect condition aside from her skin looking paler than usual and the exhaustion in her eyes. The tiredness could be a culmination of the whole day’s events rather than just the blood extraction. “We should get you something to eat first before you sleep. I’m sure Ms. Bunny bunny would be delighted to have you try the soup of the day.”

 

“Tempting. An offer I’ll accept.” Schneider leaned heavily against them and they didn’t hesitate to pick her up, keeping their hold firm against her back and legs. The brunette doesn’t fight it and allows Vertin to walk out of the room with her in their arms. She must be truly exhausted if it outweighs her self conscious nature of getting caught. Fortunately all the researchers are too busy that late in the night to be mingling in the hallway. “Has that rascal at least offered up ample housing accommodations?”

 

“Medicine Pocket said we’re free to place the suitcase in their temporary office space while they’re here.” Vertin informs her, making their way down to the wing where they’ve been instructed the office is located. Medicine Pocket is likely not there, but instead at the research wards to preserve and begin tests on the blood samples. They wouldn’t bother them for a while. “We can retire early. Everyone’s missed you just as much as I have.”

 

“So sweet, My Lord.” The gentle kiss against their cheek sets Vertin’s face ablaze again. It’s so thrilling to receive Schneider’s public affection. A rarity they yearn and treasure. “Let’s go home.”

 

And home is truly the place to be.

 

———————————————————————————————

 

“Now, let’s summarize what happened.” Vertin tries not to let the looming migraine overwhelm their thinking faculties. “You fell into a coma for 16 minutes and 30 seconds yesterday due to external impact. Then you woke up and found yourself fine.”

 

“That’s right.”

 

“On that night, you felt an “unusual burn” coming up to your throat from your stomach. At the same time, you had weird illusions…” They adjust their hat in thought. “...And at last, you vomited, a ball of fire.”

 

“Yes, that’s right, exactly!” Spathodea nods, eyes sparkling.

 

“For one last time…” Vertin states, “Are you sure no one in your family is related to the Red Dragon?”

 

“One hundred percent positive!” The young girl nods persistently, “I checked all the family photos, medical records, and even rang Mom and Dad! They denied every possibility of it!”

 

Ugh, the migraine is winning. All the clearer choices are dashed. It was such a peaceful day too.

 

“This symptom is really rare to see” Vertin doesn’t let it get to them though. It’s a pressing matter to the one affected.

 

“I know! So, don’t walk away on me!” Spathodea begged, her grip on their wrist tightening with glistening eyes casting pleading looks their way. If it were a specific pair then it would’ve worked instantly. Although it’s not like the girl has to use such a trick on Vertin for them to help. The situation itself is fascinating to them. Only because it sates their curiosity.

 

“Are you really going to buy that?”

 

Vertin turns to the other person Spathodea’s been clinging onto desperately the entire time. It’s the same woman in red from yesterday, now knowing her to be called Desert Flannel. She looks in no mood to be dealing with the young girl’s nonsense and it’s highly understandable with how the two came running into the clinic with said woman being manhandled by a little girl. Still, her attitude won’t change Vertin’s honest opinion.

 

“I don’t doubt it.” There’s always room for possibilities. No one would be so persistent and frantic over such an ordeal if there wasn’t some basis of truth to it.

 

“Then you’re a fucking doughnut. Would have lost all your clothes to any roter that comes up to you if you wandered long enough on the streets.”

 

Vertin isn’t going to deny that either. It’s happened before; several times even. It changes nothing about how they operate. While the two girls start bickering about faults and fallacies, they wonder how Schneider’s fairing on her end. Before the two came in, the whole day was spent catching up with everyone in the suitcase and by noon, Medicine Pocket came in to whisk their lover away to keep her end of the deal in “assisting” them with their research. By that they meant being taken to that dog park.

 

They weren’t idle either as they caught up with the state of Laplace’s work force and findings that could have potential leads on the Storm. With the Australia branch being a far newer addition in comparison to other places, the staff there aren’t as well connected to the ongoing work of the main branch. Thus, has less incentive to monitor their status. The silver lining keeps showing itself around here, it’s almost alarming. Vertin won’t look the gift horse in the mouth though.

 

Perhaps that’s why it’s more reasonable to consider their current conundrum to be a form of payment to achieve the kind of leisure they’re receiving now.

 

“But there is no evidence to prove that she’s telling a lie.”

 

“Evidence?” Desert Flannel looks at them like they’re stupid. “I have more than enough evidence to prove she’s not some innocent lamb!”

 

“She climbed up the tree outside my window and was shouting and screaming there in the middle of the night. The moment I went outside, she took me here like she was carrying a bag of groceries.”

 

“...One must infer that she was shocked by the fire-vomiting and thus…” Vertin tries to reason. It wasn’t working out too well. They wish Schneider was there, she handles peacekeeping better than them. “...displayed abnormal behaviors.”

 

Vertin starts spacing out as another bout of arguing commenced between the girls. They wonder how is it that they keep getting into cases of two people arguing with each other while they sit by to witness it all in the lobby of Laplace… Well, that was only one other separate time, but it’s strange it happened twice now. 

 

Wasn’t people watching meant to be unengaging? Click once advised that to get the best photos of a scene, one mustn’t stray too close to the subject lest they incite the wrath of involvement. Have they gone so far that they’re caught in the crossfire? Was this the result of their idle desire to indulge in leisure with their beloved?

 

“So, let, me, go!”

 

“No! You must not leave!”

 

They feel the grip on their wrist jerk and the world careened to the side. It’s all Vertin could do as they’re sent toppling to the floor with the other two. Not only did both of them land on top of Vertin, an elbow promptly slammed directly on their face. Their skull rattles from the dull ache.

 

“...Uh…”

 

“Ah! Hiss… I think I just nicked you in the teeth…”

 

…This is definitely payment for wanting time off with their partner.

 

Vertin helps the two get off them and back on their seats, all the while Spathodea insists on her fears and distress to the point of tears. They truly feel for her plight. It must not be good to have her daily life upturned by a sudden revelation as drastic as spewing fire from her mouth. Change is an ever constant whirlpool of surprises and for such a young girl, she’s scared and confused. Vertin can at least understand that.

 

“Relax, the symptoms may not last. Sensing “omens” doesn’t always mean danger to arcanists.” They try to appease them again. This time, they get a better sense of what to say. “Given the complexity of the situation, I think you need a more detailed physical examination to find the crux.”

 

“We will help you and take care of you…” Vertin knows the next thing they’re about to say will throw a wrench into their plans of leisure with Schneider and there’ll be a lot of paperwork and reports to submit later on. Who knows just how long it’ll actually be until the girl recovers. But looking into the tearful expression of Spathodea, seeing the wavering hope of knowing someone is there for her during a dark time in her life, it’s all they need to know it’s the right choice to make. They know their partner would agree as well. “Until you completely recover, or say, become completely normal again.”

 

“You…” Spathodea sniffles, pulling them into a brief hug. “Thank goodness, at least I can count on you! Both my mom and dad aren’t home right now. I’m on my own. It’s all over for me if the conditions get worse–at least that’s how it goes on the TV.”

 

“Don’t jump to the worst conclusion yet.” Vertin gives an exasperated smile, getting up, their steps light as they head towards the examination ward. “Follow me.”

 

“Okay. Thank you.”

 

They didn’t get far out of the lobby before the two both turned back to look at the one still on the sofa.

 

“What? What are you staring at?” Desert Flannel squints, tossing her hair off her shoulders. “She’s having a body check-up. Do I have to tag along?”

 

“You’re going to sneak away for those “part-time jobs,” aren’t you?!” Spathodea accuses, hands on her hips.

 

“Fine, genius. You win.” The woman in red raises her hands up in defeat, getting up from her seat and begrudgingly follows them down the hall. “Oi, you with the suitcase. Do you know how I can get a job here? Looks like they pay their employees well.”

 

Vertin sighs, mentally preparing themself for another long journey. Well, they’re not one for skipping adventures. Hopefully it’s less life threatening than usual.

Chapter 2: Mushrooms & Kangaroos

Summary:

New friends, new discoveries. From a rare heritage to a nearly forgotten event, a lot is being revealed in blazing glory! Yet there's some underlying tension in the air. Will everything be okay?

Notes:

I'm glad that Chapter 5 main story revealed that Vertin has strong emotions only suppressed due to their role as Timekeeper. It makes them more three dimensional. Less a saint and more a human. There's nothing wrong with selfless people having opinions and bias as well.

Adds to the silent observer role Vertin has to uphold that it always makes you curious what they're thinking when they quietly loom in the background while everything transpires. They only get themselves involved when it's dire or related to the Storm, after all.

“Did you send her out on a task, Medicine Pocket?”

 

“If tossing her to babysit while I check out this basket case here counts as a task, sure.”

 

Vertin crosses their arms, leveling the head researcher with a stare. They were in the process of waiting for Spathodea’s physical examination when Medicine Pocket entered the room, a clear lack of the brunette’s presence with them. Not only have they whisked her away for the rest of the day, they didn’t give them the courtesy of seeing her in the evening either. What a rascal, indeed.

 

“Relax, she’s only keeping that person I mentioned occupied. He’s really persistent…” The room’s attention diverts to the clinic door opening, the Laplace member that performed the examination arriving with a file.

 

“Here is Ms. Spathodea’s physical examination.”

 

“Oh, sweet.” Medicine Pocket takes the file and shoos the worker away. There was no arguing that once the head researcher involves themself, there’s nothing that can be done. So the worker left as quickly as they arrived. “They even got you the Slavia Zopiclone patches. If the “illusions” get too real and they can’t sleep, use them.”

 

“Okay, thanks.” Spathodea says warily, lightly fidgeting on the bed. Her small flame quietly burned on the side. “But I need to ask my coach if I can use it.”

 

“Don’t worry. It’s been approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration of Campbell.” Assuring her, the medical arcanist takes off the patches and sets it on her side table. “The ingredients include salvia, mint, and a hallucination potion. They can neutralize the side effect perfectly.”

 

“Actually, you are quite the lucky one, you know. That old map shows there used to be stairs where you fell down, with 100 steps.” Medicine Pocket mentions casually, opening the file to scan the results. “Thank goodness you live in the right time; otherwise, you would have tumbled all the way down here. In that case, no one can tell what you would vomit, fire, or maybe something even worse. Hmmm?”

 

All the humor left from the researcher’s face and that has Vertin perking up. It wasn’t a bad expression, but the contemplative kind only known by Laplace’s workers to be one of intrigue. Was there something interesting about Spathodea’s medical results? Quietly picking up the remaining files from the table, Medicine Pocket makes for the door at a brisk pace.

 

“Wait here. I need to get someone. A weirdo for sure, yet the best person we can turn to for this problem.” Is all they care to explain before giving Vertin a sideway smirk at the door. “Ain’t this just your luck. You won’t have to wait till tomorrow after all.”

 

The door closes and Vertin’s left wondering what that snide remark even meant.

 

“Aaaalright. I think that’s the last thing I’d like to hear from a doctor.” Desert Flannel tsked, looking down at the girl holding her hand in a vice grip. “Would you let go of my hand, Sheila? Or the good doctor here will have to cut this hand off later because of necrosis.”

 

“I-I will! But can I hold it for another five minutes, please?” Spathodea pleads, her grip on the other’s hand starts shaking. “I’m sort of nervous.”

 

Vertin takes that time to assess the situation carefully. It’s not an uncommon occurrence for arcanists to have a sudden bout of abnormality that requires medical care, even humans get that. But judging from what they can sense from Spathodea’s arcanum flow, without any professional training in the medicinal side, they could only conclude the results of the physical examination to be the awakening of her arcane skill. It should be common around her age to start developing it and the collision could potentially be a “trigger” for it. There’s no defining research so far to explain how arcanists gain their respective arcane skill, after all.

 

Then if it’s just a case of arcane awakening, she shouldn’t be having any hallucinations nor would the results require the intervention of Medicine Pocket and a focused professional on the case. There must be something else Vertin’s missing.

 

Distant footsteps and an energetic conversation outside brings them out of their contemplation. It’s three sets of feet approaching. One particular pattern is all too familiar despite its deathly lightness to the point of near silence against tiled flooring. Their anticipation grew.

 

“I can’t believe how lucky I am.” A gentle sounding voice rang as the door opened to let the new arrivals in. “First a personal interview and now this. We haven’t seen a living case for decades!”

 

Vertin regards the person carefully after giving a brief smile towards Schneider. It seems the person Medicine Pocket wants her to meet and the one that can help Spathodea’s condition are one and the same. The person in question is a young man with blond hair set in a bob cut with stellar blue eyes. From his attire they can only assume he’s part of Laplace’s fungal research team with how he carries all his equipment with him. Even a small terrarium containing his specimens. No, that’s not right. At closer inspection, Vertin feels the pulse of arcanum not to be coming off from him, but from the equipment. It’s similar to how Schneider’s bullets are filled with arcane dust for spells.

 

It’s a Foundation issued arcane tool?

 

Then that could only mean that this person is…Now that’s piqued their interest. They give their partner a questioning gaze and their mutually in sync connection with each other proved reliable as ever. Her smile, so wry and exasperated. There’s no doubt then.

 

He’s human.

 

“This is exciting. Thank you for letting me know about this, Medicine Pocket.”

 

Schneider took advantage of the two’s negotiation talk to slip away silently to Vertin’s side. They didn’t hesitate to sneak their arm underneath the brunette’s jacket, away from prying eyes, and let their hand glide up her bare back. Fingers tenderly tracing risen skin. Her shudder is so subtle it can only be detected by touch alone as they pull her flush against their side, quietly starting their own private conversation.

 

“So that’s the person Medicine Pocket wants you to meet?”

 

“Ezra Theodore, a member from Laplace’s mushroom research division for the Australia branch.” Schneider confirms Vertin’s theory, the two watching Ezra approach Spathodea and begin the process of explaining her condition. It seems that arcane tool of his will be used for such a purpose. “Little Amanita has a deep enthusiasm for the study of arcanist care and safety. Talked my ear off with so much science jargon that I almost believed he actually didn’t have any questions about it and just wanted to gush about the theory itself. It was embarrassing.”

 

“Amanita?” Vertin smiles, their heart melting. “As in, Amanita Muscaria? The Fly Amanita?”

 

“The most appropriate distinction. You should’ve heard how many times he slipped into tangents about mushrooms. Using it as a metaphor on how to take care of arcanists in the most scientific way.” The brunette quietly chuckles, using the room’s sudden burst of chaos about Ezra being human and not even a doctor to sneak a sweet kiss on their cheek. Vertin wills themself not to make a pleased sound. “A strange one, but I can see the charm and importance of one such as him in Laplace’s workforce. Although his skills are underutilized in his division.”

 

“Will you suggest recruitment to him, then?” It’s not something openly endorsed by the Foundation in order to avoid an overflow of transfer applications to their team. If anyone outside the main branch wishes to do so, they must first be sponsored by either Vertin or Schneider to join.

 

In the case of Laplace members, Schneider’s word is the most important. They leave the temporary recruitment of powerful research figures like Medicine Pocket to her. Everyone in the medical clinic adores the brunette and they can’t blame them. But they feel like their adoration stems from a whole different reason that Vertin feels ill thinking about for too long.

 

They should always look at the silver lining amongst the dubious.

 

“I don’t recruit people as often as you, My Lord. Besides,” Schneider smirks in a playful manner, “I prefer a trial run of my members before considering their application.”

 

“You just don’t want to do the paperwork.”

 

“And you do?”

 

Dammit, she knows about their delegating of the transferral process to Sonetto.

 

“What if I told you that Sonetto willingly volunteered to do them.” The smile they received told them that she wasn’t buying it.

 

“Of course she would. The dutiful chief assistant wouldn’t decline a task offered to her, My Lord.” Well she didn’t have to put it like that. It makes them feel bad. “You should feel bad.”

 

“You should stop reading my mind.”

 

“I have no arcane skill like that.”

 

Vertin lightly bites her neck in retaliation.

 

“Are you two trying to make me vomit?”

 

Forget leveled stares, Vertin straight up starts glaring at Medicine Pocket. The white haired arcanist promptly stuck out their tongue and made a silent gagging motion. They clench their jaw to stamp down the irritation and bury their face into their partner’s feathery shoulder, only to hear an exasperated sigh from her. They started it first…

 

“Have you heard of the “reincarnators”?”

 

With their moment interrupted, they focus back on the conversation in the room. Fortunately it’s a topic they’re interested in hearing. There are many varieties of arcane lineages, some rarer than others, passed down either through bloodline or mentorship. And there are even more special cases like Spathodea’s. Reincarnators; the living embodiment of the past resurfacing onto a future self until they fully take over. At least that’s what the research findings have seen thus far. It’s not everyday that one presents itself to be observed.

 

“Medicine Pocket, could you please turn off the light for us?”

 

Under the veil of darkness, an enthralling lesson is shared through the study of fungi. Since the discovery of reincarnators, a new form of research begun using mushrooms to understand its operations formed the ground basis to what can be understood by the human thought process. The spiritual realm became a network of sorts, connecting and weaving the past and present “souls” to maybe one day reconnect. Vertin remembers reading the hypothesis Ezra’s describing from an article way back when. It went something like…

 

“And as the news story describes, a “reincarnator” is a miracle where a “soul” disappears from point A and shows up at point B without any clear reasons.”

 

“Exactly, Ms. Vertin! I’m amazed that you know so much about the “reincarnators”!”

 

If having knowledge about that one particular article is expansive enough, sure. Vertin wouldn’t have known all that much if it weren’t for their partner’s penchant for discovering various lifestyles and details about arcanists. Learning random tidbits of information is far easier to digest when her tender voice carries said facts into their head.

 

Mushroom spores float in the air, creating a faint bioluminescent glow. Like a sea of stars; it forms the metaphorical networking the theory surmised, a complex web with certain points that shine brighter than others. Through the example of Australian honey fungus, it’s explained simply as that guiding string attaching one generation of the reincarnator’s soul to another.

 

“You think it’s like that “invisible net”?”

 

“Yes.” Ezra nods, his eyes sparkling with wonder against the spore’s light. Truly he looks to be passionate about his work. “A net hiding underground, in which you see an object disappear at point A and magically emerge again at point B. The “reincarnators” are very similar to Australian honey fungus in this aspect.”

 

Vertin’s mouth twitches and they lean close to Schneider, whispering against her ear. “You weren’t kidding about the mushroom metaphors.”

 

“Hmph, I’m surprised he didn’t start off with it.” The brunette’s smirk turns into a wary one. “But a reincarnator…rather tragic don’t you think, My Lord?”

 

“Tragic?” Vertin blinks in confusion. In a sense, it could be perceived as a sad case being a rare kind of arcanist heritage. There’ll be little who can provide aid in training or mentoring, but they feel as if that wasn’t what Schneider meant. “Discovering your heritage isn’t so bad, is it?”

 

“I’m more worried about the consequences for that discovery, My Lord.” Of course she is. It isn’t about the act itself with her. It’s instead on how much someone can handle the backlash. “Reincarnators aren’t the only case in arcane lineages to have this generational effect placed on the next chosen one. It’s just…has it not occurred to anyone? How truly frightening it must be to be replaced.”

 

Replaced? It’s not so much as being replaced than–

 

“The old overwriting the new.” Vertin realizes they said it out loud and silently presses their face closer to Schneider’s. “Like the case of Dorothy of London. You think every reincarnator is doomed to have their past life’s memories and personality overshadow the present one?”

 

“Not every case is the same.” Yet Schneider’s expression tells them her concerns are exactly about that outcome. “Under special circumstances, the past and present can become one and coexist peacefully. But that chance is slim.”

 

Ah, so then her true worries are about–

 

“I wonder how that little ember is fairing with the news of her potential fate.”

 

Of course. Of course their lover is worried about that. Ever the sweetest orange blossom in the grove. The stellar gem in an ocean pearls. Ah, Vertin’s getting excited again–

 

They’re startled out of their rising emotions from a different set of crackling instability. Desert Flannel’s state started fluctuating. In fact, both hers and Spathodea’s are turning alarmingly unstable. Consequence. It’s the consequences of discovery.

 

“I don’t follow…” Ezra, ever the naive yet kind soul, tries to do his best to help in his own way. It isn’t working. “I know this is not your fault. It’s just your arcanist nature taking over. It’s very normal if you got too carried away by your emotions and became delusional and hysterical.”

 

Maybe that’s not best choice of words at the moment–

 

“Please take my hand. I was once trained to help arcanists calm down.” Vertin feels Schneider hiding her face in embarrassment. Ah, the supplementary training might need a new revision. “Now breathe with me, in…and out…”

 

“Me? I’m not hysterical!”

 

Well, she wasn’t a minute ago. Now the room has fully catalyzed in a high tension of electromagnetic waves, easy to influence others with enough exposure. At the corner of their eye, they spot the small flame flickering and pulsing, growing in intensity the more that crackling emotions rose. If they don’t defuse the situation now– Spathodea slams her fist on top the side table.

 

“Hey, what do you know about arcanists?” Her voice is laced with building anger. “You’re not even one of us!”

 

Schneider practically bristled and Vertin fully pulled her into their arms. They took off their hat and placed it on her head. No sooner did a lab coat get tossed onto the brunette, fully covering her. Vertin side eyes Medicine Pocket, the medical arcanist emitting low growls while bearing their canines defensively. They need to stop this. Now.

 

“Everyone…”

 

“Please believe me that I meant you no harm, Ms. Spathodea.” Ezra remains clueless about the atmosphere around him, further digs the pit he made himself. “I was only trying to help.”

 

“Help? How? By calling us delusional?” Spathodea points a finger accusingly at him. “There is nothing I hate more than humans like you saying that others are “over-emotional”!”

 

Schneider flinches. A deep searing heat akin to rage boils over.

 

“People. Enough! ”

 

“Ms. Vertin…?” Ezra turns to them in surprise, likely not expecting them to raise their voice like that. He opens his mouth, but freezes. “Hmmm? Do you smell something burning?”

 

Indeed there is. The flame that’s been inconspicuously “placed” on the visitor’s couch in the clinic has increased in size and its sparks caught fire on the seating. The fire roared to life, instantly spreading far and fast, engulfing the door in its blaze, retroactively sealing them in.

 

“A fire?! It’s the flame I spat out!” Spathodea panics at the sight of the raging inferno, “Wh-When did it grow so large!?”

 

“I tried to warn you.” Vertin takes a breath, carefully shifting Schneider in their arms while backing away from the encroaching fire. “It has grown larger and larger as your “lizard hypothesis” heated up. I’m sure the guards of Laplace will break in soon.”

 

Right on cue, a team of guards equipped with firefighting tools came bursting through the flaming door. They immediately are tasked to evacuate the premises and extinguish the flames.

 

“Request permission to use Kangaroo Foam Fire Extinguisher III!”

 

“Whoa! Wait wait wait! You can’t put out my flame!” Spathodea immediately jumps up, frantically blocking the guard’s path. “It’s important for me, very, very important!”

 

Her pleading gaze turns to Vertin. Their jaw clenches and their hold on Schneider tightens. “I don’t know why, but it’s importance is for sure! Those bubble kangaroos will kick its butt once they see the flames! I don’t want that!”

 

Distressed as the girl is, with the room half engulfed in fire, Vertin didn’t immediately step in. They’re selfless, but not a saint. While words were said in the heat of the moment, they won’t ignore how it affects people they care about. Duty above all else, but–

 

“...My Lord.”

 

A cold shaky hand touches theirs, comforting against the sweltering heat of the room. Breathe in, breathe out. This wasn’t the first time it happened. It won’t be the last time. They’ll curb their opinions. They already chose to take care of the girl, whether or not her views are misguided.

 

“What are you standing still for? Give her to me!” Medicine Pocket unceremoniously takes Schneider away from Vertin with surprisingly more care than they expected. The researcher didn’t hesitate to wrap the brunette more with their lab coat like a body bag and hoist her up akin to carrying a swaddled baby. “I’m getting her out of here. You take care of this!”

 

“Thank you.” Was all Vertin could say to the retreating arcanist. Right, it is their responsibility. Whatever mess the girl will cause is something they chose to take care of and so they will. They turn to Spathodea and nod. “I’ll protect it for you. Don’t worry.”

 

“I will need your assistance.” Vertin motions for Ezra. After all, he’s partially responsible for this.

 

“Of course, Ms. Vertin!” Seeing no issue with the current circumstance, the blond makes his way over to their side.

 

“Are you both crazy?! The place is burning to the ground and you’re more worried about protecting the flame that started it!” Desert Flannel groans, eyeing the Laplace guards that have finished getting the fire extinguishers out.

 

“Kangaroo Foam Fire Extinguisher III ready to be deployed! Timekeeper, we kindly ask that you and your companions step away from the source of the blaze.”

 

“I’m afraid that won’t be possible.” Vertin backs up, blocking them from having a direct line of sight to the flame. Ezra follows along, creating a small barrier. Eventually Desert Flannel makes a frustrated sound and joins them with Spathodea at her side. “Please carry on with your duty, but I will also be upholding my word to Ms. Spathodea.”

 

“Very well. Deploy the Kangaroo Foam Fire Extinguisher III, now!”

 

They could only sigh quietly and prepare for the result of their decision. Immediately, they get a face full of sudsy kangaroos.

 

It really isn’t their day…

 

———————————————————————————————

 

Completely bodied by fire extinguishing foam and smelling like a kangaroo is one thing. Getting scolded by the head nurse immediately afterward and promptly kicked out the medical center is just adding insult to injury. Well, at least Medicine Pocket assures them this won’t be reported back to Madam Z as it’s an accidental disruption caused by a number of factors. It still leaves them lacking in a sense.

 

“My Lord.” Vertin lags behind the rest who are heading to the medical clinic’s lakeside garden. Since they’re kicked out, it’s not like they have anywhere to go at such a late hour. It isn’t advised to go far either. They turn toward the brunette, who looks worse for wear but overall fine, as she cups their face and starts peppering them with kisses. Despite them smelling like they had a tussle with a mammal. In hindsight, they probably have. “You’re so good to me, My Lord. Good to people. Thank you.”

 

Vertin frowned, but didn’t pull away. The praise felt undeserved. They couldn’t find it in themself to relish in their lover’s affections when such an incident happened. Rather, they let the conversation get out of hand. Resulting in Schneider’s discomfort.

 

“Oh, My Lord, are you beating yourself up again?” Ever the one that can see through their emotionless face the best, Schneider clicks her tongue and gives them a wry smile. “Why do you insist on being mad for me?”

 

“Because I know you’d feel obligated to not be mad about it.” Her smile falters; a sign they spoke the truth.

 

It’s a delicate topic they don’t bring up often. While it’s been long resolved among the two of them, it’s an ongoing issue that even they won’t be able to fight against on their own. Still. The pain, vitriol, harsh acceptance that it’s just how things are in the world. How it’ll continue to even pass both their eras combined. It’s a gap they bridged but the world hasn’t and it’s so–

 

Annoying.

 

“They shouldn’t have said those things.” Words came out before thoughts could catch it. “They’re both in the wrong.”

 

“I’m not saying they’re not, Vertin.”

 

All the fight leaves them like a deflating balloon. Like a pavlovian effect, just Schneider saying their name alone is enough to press down the complex emotional turmoil churning in them. Vertin lets their head rest against her shoulder and let the brunette lovingly stroke their head, placing their hat back in place once she’s satisfied with brushing the foam off their hair. Oh, right. Their hat…

 

“It’s not our decision to make how someone views the world.” Schneider reminds them, wrapping her arms around their shoulders. A much needed embrace Vertin reciprocates. “And I assure you, My Lord, I’m in no way feeling obligated to not be mad. Frankly, I was just being sensitive to the phrasing used in particular.”

 

Phrasing? Oh.

 

“Come to think of it…” Vertin now starts becoming sheepish. “That argument is almost like…”

 

“Ah, now you are in the same position as me, My Lord.” She smiles, playful and light, no sign of truly being offended. Ah, they get it now. “Well, what do you think?”

 

“I suppose what you’re trying to say is that you’re not mad, but…instead you feel responsible for one party’s actions?” Vertin sure is getting that impression with the case of Spathodea. Her words were…familiar. On a too personal level. “Can I assume it’s from Ezra’s side?”

 

“Of course! He’s making me look bad.”

 

A surprised laugh was pushed out of their lungs and they couldn't help pull their lover into a deep kiss. Many wrongs and injustices happen in their line of work, but they’re lucky to have as wonderful of a partner as Schneider. Sadly, the brunette pulls back first, playfully tipping their hat down to block their view.

 

“No more. I still have to negotiate with the staff about compensation on your behalf since you’re temporarily kicked out.” Schneider chuckles, flicking their hat back up and causing a sudsy kangaroo to land on Vertin’s nose. “Oh?”

 

It punches them.

 

“...”

 

It won’t stop punching them.

 

“...Are you going to keep them there?”

 

“Frankly speaking,” Vertin says, “It’s not doing much harm.”

 

“To your nose, it surely is.” Schneider quirks an eyebrow. “My Lord…are you perhaps…punishing yourself again?”

 

“No.” Okay, maybe they responded too quickly there.

 

“Chi fazzu cu tia…” She rolls her eyes, but thankfully compromised. They receive one last kiss on the cheek before the brunette turns to head back inside. “Very well, only five minutes, My Lord. Keep that little Amanita out of trouble while I settle the papers with the Rascal. I’ll have them deliver you three some Concentration Potions. Can’t have you be a kangaroo forever”

 

“I will.” Vertin doesn’t know how they got so lucky.

 

Nevertheless, they caught up with the two by the lakeside garden, having found a bench nearby to sit on. Desert Flannel and Ezra sat a good distance apart, looking and feeling as damp as Vertin does at the moment. As they approach, bits and pieces of the conversation start forming.

 

“Is this the Laplace fashion of dealing with emergencies?” The poor woman bemoans, her futile attempts at flicking away the kangaroo suds only makes her more downtrodden. “I swear, if anyone walks past us now, schoolers or derros, I will be instantly killed by their silent judgment.”

 

“As a matter of fact, when the patient or the subject becomes unstable during contact, it is necessary to isolate them from the triggering cause immediately.” Ezra says, wiping more of the foam off himself to little results. “But, we burnt down the isolation room. No wonder Head Nurse Judith was so angry.”

 

Vertin silently takes a seat on the free space between the two, staring off into the distant waters of the lake. A great deal of financial compensation would be required to fix the damage done to the clinic, especially so since the branch is still building itself up comparatively. They have half a mind to foot the bill since they’re responsible for Spathodea now as promised, but knowing their partner, she’ll be making the appropriate dealings without sacrificing their wallets for it. That’s why they always leave the finances to her. Else Schneider would kill them for their poor expense handling. At least not after last time.

 

The kangaroo on their nose gave them a good bop, shaking them out of their reverie.

 

“...” They still have three minutes.

 

“Ms. Vertin, are you alright?” Ezra looks at them in worry. “That kangaroo is…punching your nose.”

 

“I’m fine.” An excellent observation, in fact. The kangaroo punches and smacks their nose repeatedly. Right, they should be courteous to their little assailant. “So is the kangaroo. I’m sure Medicine Pocket will bring us the Concentration Potion soon.”

 

“They’d better. We look like a bunch of kangaroos, feel like kangaroos, and even smell like kangaroos!” Desert Flannel scrubs her face in misery. Well, at least Vertin isn’t the only one having a rough day.

 

While the woman continues to sulk about her predicament, the topic of making it to the headlines pops up. Headlines? For a newspaper called the Australian Nagger, it seems. The pitch for the news’ title is just as sensationalized as it could get. Perhaps its main focus isn’t actual news, but a collection of rumors? The reputation of the paparazzi precedes them yet Vertin doesn’t see how their little accident would make it into the news at all. Ezra doesn’t understand it either.

 

“Make the headline?” The blond looks to the side thoughtfully and comes to a conclusion. “Aah, I see. Please don’t worry.”

 

It’s a valid assumption to think the reason would be because of Medicine Pocket. They’re a highly renowned figure in the line of medical research that constant interviews are inevitable after a new discovery is made. Yet the head of research doesn’t take any inquiries as often as people might assume and all press releases with them are standard directions by the Foundation. No, that can’t be it. Was there something else? Oh, the five minutes are up.

 

“I’m not worried about that guy.” Desert Flannel huffs, trying again to rid the foam kangaroos on her. “I was talking about myself. There are paparazzi following me around these days.”

 

“I didn’t know you were famous.” Vertin casual says to keep the conversation engaging. They carefully reach up and take the kangaroo off their nose, but it immediately hops back on and doubles its efforts in punching them. Ah, well, they tried. They can practically feel Schneider’s silent judgment from a distance. Fine, they’ll keep trying.

 

“I’m not. It’s just that someone wants my name spread in a bad way.” That could be classified as libel, they think. But Vertin can also argue that the kangaroo persistently clinging to their nose can be charged for assault. Does it count if they let it stay there to begin with and have gotten too comfortable? Ah, it punched near their eye that time. “Trust me, you should never piss off the paparazzi.”

 

“You should turn to the police for help.” Ezra offers. It’s not a bad suggestion, but when dealing with the media and an attack on one's reputation, it’s harder to press charges. Just like it’s hard for Vertin to get rid of the kangaroo off their face. 

 

The blond starts looking at them in concern. They’re about to start negotiating with the foamy mammal at this point. It’s way past the allotted time Schneider told them they can have it on their nose. Vertin changes their tactic and grips the small creature around its sudsy body. They tug on it gently to encourage it to let go, only to receive a punch in retaliation. They sigh and try again with a little more force. Fortunately the kangaroo loses grip on their nose. Success.

 

“Ms. Desert Flannel, watch your back!”

 

Huh?

 

Vertin turns in time to see the woman burst into flames. The source of the fire came from underneath her side of the bench, fully engulfing her. Desert Flannel shrieks, jumping out of her seat and frantically starts patting down her body to kill the fire. Yet it continues to burn.

 

“Ms. Desert Flannel, the lake is over there!” Ezra gets up and points to the water, hesitant to approach the blazing arcanist due to the heat. “Get in there!”

 

“Lake? I… I can’t swim!” Vertin also gets up to try and help, but the chaos creates restlessness and the kangaroo in their grip escapes. It finds purchase on them and kicks off from their chest, directly hitting Desert Flannel on the face. “Aaah! This stupid kangaroo kicked me in the eye, ouch! Move, move! I can’t see where the lake is!”

 

“Wait, calm down!” They finally notice the abnormal arcanum in the air and on the flames. It’s no ordinary fire. And its source connects to– “You are not in danger. She is.”

 

“Are you joking?! I was getting burned.” Her argument is cut short. She also starts noticing the strangeness of the flames on her. It burns brilliantly but makes no attempt to harm her at all. Only the kangaroo foam gets whisked away. “Emm? There’s nothing on my skin?”

 

The perpetrator approaches them with slow, uneven steps. Like a beacon, she radiates an orange glow, molten hot lava and fire blending into her being. Spathodea staggers closer, her eyes blazing unnaturally as unstable arcanum sparks around her like the wild flames that consume her. Each shaking breath has steam come out of her mouth.

 

“Race.”

 

All the fire around Desert Flannel shifts down to the ground and, like a snake, coils itself around Ezra instead. The blond is startled, watching in awe as the flames burn away the fuzz coating him, leaving no damage to his person at all.

 

“...Uh…It didn’t cause any damage on me, just burning the foam on my skin. Is that some new method developed to get rid of the potion?” Ezra turns away from his musing to focus on Spathodea. Her glowing form continues to shamble towards their group, the heat rising the closer she gets. “But what is Ms. Spathodea doing here? The head nurse shouldn’t have let an unstable patient walk around freely. Did, did she sneak out?!”

 

“Gosh! Mate, she’s on fire!” Desert Flannel points to the living ball of flames that is Spathodea, “Does she even remotely look unstable to you?”

 

The fire that passes over Vertin has the same effect as with the others. It aims to do no harm and merely erases the effects of the potion on their body. The instability of the arcanum is palpable that it has their skin tingling. They look up at the girl’s form; an amalgamation of human and fire, speaking incoherently as she charges over to Desert Flannel, clinging onto a familiar figure. She’s trying her best to keep her arcanum in check. There’s still time.

 

“Urrah!” The grip on Desert Flannel is tight, but that wasn’t her real concern. “Aah, fuck me dead! She’s as well heated as a boiling pot! We can’t let her go on like this! Her brain is going to be roasted in that little head!”

 

“Let go, Spathodea! Your temperature is dangerously high. Chill out!”

 

Vertin scans the surroundings and pinpoints the heart of her instability. At the center of the girl’s burning figure, blended in along with the flames, the fire that started it all. It’s the little fire Spathodea says is important to her; now clings to her chest and periodically sends waves of immense arcanum into her. An amount too much for a young girl with no experience controlling her arcane skill.

 

“Spathodea is suffering confusion. It’s probably the flame’s doing.” They settle on a decision. An action has to be made quickly. “We need to separate them first.”

 

“Okay…okay!” Ezra runs over, having taken out his arcane tool and set something up with shaking hands. “Ms. Vertin, please step back!”

 

No further warning was given before a blast of turquoise mist gets sprayed onto the two girls. It clung to Desert Flannel’s body and disintegrated into the flames. The fire pulses strangely. Vertin’s eyes narrowed.

 

“Oi! What are you sprayin–?!” The woman coughs, flailing her arms as the effects of the mist immediately start kicking in. “I’m still here! Hey!”

 

“This is just some spores, Ms. Desert Flannel, worry not.” While his words were meant to be assuring, Ezra’s next statement contradicts that. “They are the tranquilizer that the locals used to pacify animals and was once widely used among arcanists in early times for hunting.”

 

A sickening feeling settles in Vertin’s stomach. Overlooking the tranquilizer’s old purpose aside, if it’s really the same one applied then its effects of neutralizing arcanists into a demure and intoxicated state differs. If they remember correctly from Schneider’s bouts of learning facts, the reason that particular tranquilizer was later discourage as a means to subdue arcanists is because–

 

“As long as we calm her down, we can bring her back to…Whooaa!”

 

It has the opposite effect on highly unstable arcanists.

 

The shockwave came out intense, knocking them all back in a layer of heat. Vertin looks up from the ground at Spathodea, who is now a looming inferno. Her incoherent rambling has grown more erratic and disjointed, her flames surrounding her burning the grass. She’s completely lost control now.

 

“Did I use the wrong mushroom? Ms. Spathodea has become more restless!” Ezra sits up in alarm, looking over at Desert Flannel in concern. “What about Ms. Desert Flannel? Is she…”

 

“No, you didn’t.” Vertin gets off the floor and dusts themself off, their gaze not leaving where Spathodea is. They need to tread carefully now. “She’s behaving exactly the way you described.”

 

“Aah…Ms…Desert Flannel?” Further inspection proves the woman’s dreamy state. She’s as high as a plane with the spore’s effect.

 

“Looks like this is how she has her mental break.” They take a breath, feeling a tug on their chest. Schneider’s not far, likely having noticed the large amounts of unstable arcanum or Spathodea’s lack of presence in the clinic. From Vertin’s observation, the best course is to lower the blaze and attempt to separate the flame from her chest.

 

“I will bring her back to normal immediately. It won’t take mo-more than five minutes!” Ezra glances over to the inferno warily, his hands shaking more as he tries to set up the right potion on his dowsing rod. His anxiety is palpable. “But I think Ms. Spathodea is going to attack again! And her fire is getting stronger… Get down!”

 

They duck out of the way as a fireball flies overhead and into the water. More and more grass starts catching sparks and the suffocating smell of smoke grows alarming. Vertin sets down their suitcase next to Ezra before taking off their waistcoat, vest, and hat. The blond stares in bewilderment as they roll up their sleeves and pin them in place with their cufflinks.

 

They should’ve brought gloves for this.

 

“We’re running out of time.” Vertin takes breath, facing Spathodea and raises their arms; their fists clench. The position immediately catches the girl's attention. Like instinct, she mimics the pose. “Let’s deal with the burning issue first. Ezra, calm the flames. I’ll distract her.”

 

Ezra glances back and forth between the two, eyes widening in wonder. He takes an unsteady breath and gets up, his hold on his straps tightening. “I will, I will try my best!”

 

They shift their feet and lung towards Spathodea, making head on collision with the flames. The key is to buy time while doing as minimal damage to her as possible. Vertin decides on the defensive. A flame jab aims for their right and they swiftly block it in time. Their skin sizzles from the fire, its heat unbearable but only irritates them. They push for some distance.

 

Vertin ducks a left hook and does a quick counter uppercut. Spathodea’s flames create a barrier that absorbs the impact, knuckles burning like they shoved it directly into a fire pit. In a sense, they have. The girl steps back before agilely rushing them, putting all her weight on her hook combo.

 

Blocking each blow, Vertin grits their teeth. The fire’s beginning to burn them and they perform a cross jab followed by a left hook. But fighting a professionally trained boxer wasn’t simple. Spathodea suddenly ducks and weaves with a speed they couldn’t follow, blurring in a sea of sparks and flames. The uppercut connects with their jaw before they know it, followed by another. Vertin hisses in pain, doing a slip against the girl’s jab and countering with their own hook combo.

 

Copper and sulfur fills their senses as they continue to trade blows. Spathodea’s pattern grew more aggressive the longer she realized Vertin’s intention to stay on the defensive. They spat out a mouthful of blood after another strong hook to the face, feeling their arms steaming from the sustained burns on it. Vertin doesn’t think they can keep up for much longer.

 

“On your 9 o’ clock, Ms. Vertin!”

 

It’s time.

 

Vertin ducks and weaves, finding that opportunity to jab the girl’s side and land an uppercut to her face. She staggers back, allowing them to push for another jab. Spathodea slips to avoid it. Wrong move. The extinguishing spores makes head on collision with the raging inferno on her chest.

 

The whole area becomes engulfed in a hazy mist, completely restricting the oxygen intake of the flames. The wild fire quickly dies down and detaches itself from the girl’s chest; what once was a hazard now returns to the small ball of light from before. Right next to it, Spathodea has returned to normal and begins to wobble on her feet.

 

Vertin gasps for air, lowering their arms as sweat and blood pours down their beat up face. Finally.

 

“Ugh, where am I?” She shakes her head, looking at the scene before her in confusion. “What are you doing here, guys? I thought you were driven away?”

 

“Great,” Ezra sighs in relief, hands still shakily on his equipment. “She’s back to normal!”

 

“Oh…I remember it all now…” Was all she could muster before collapsing onto the floor.

 

“Spathodea!”

 

“My Lord!”

 

Vertin turns at the distressed sound. They didn’t hesitate to open their arms out and catch the brunette barreling towards them. She immediately pulls away to start inspecting their condition, the worry clear in her eyes. There’s no chance they look okay at all even if they say it.

 

“The Games…” They both turn to Spathodea, who’s being tended to by Ezra and the Laplace members Schneider brought along. “We must revive…the Uluru Games…Because…the rocks, rumble on the knees…”

 

Revive the Uluru games? They couldn’t think much further than that when a pair of hands gently moved their face back to focus on their lover’s concerned expression. Right, they’ll deal with that later. While the others took care of the two girls, Schneider guides Vertin back to where they left their suitcase and items before redirecting their destination to the bench.

 

They didn’t fight her and obediently sat there while the brunette took out the medical kit to apply first aid on them. The disinfectant stung, yet her movement is gentle as if they’re made of glass. Vertin remembers how she always insists on the step by step process of healing a wound instead of using a potion right away. It’s understandable and the tenderness from their lover’s care isn’t an issue either. Vertin nuzzles into those hands once they’ve been fully patched up.

 

“Thank you, darling.”

 

Far enough from earshot; it’s all they want to say to express their gratitude. Schneider sighs in exasperation, but smiles warmly either way. She pulls them into her embrace and Vertin takes a breath. It’ll be okay now.

 

“You’ve done a good job, My Lord. I’m so proud.”

 

“...Thank you.” That’s all that matters in the end.

 

Their moment together is short and fleeting like always. The Laplace members came over to inquire about the situation and Vertin gave their detailed report on the matter. After confirming all the information, they set out to carry Spathodea into the ambulance and back to the medical center. It’s a wise decision to allow them to visit her again, what with all the chaos that happened because they left her alone. She’ll need to be carefully monitored.

 

“That girl…” Schneider muses as she puts away the medical kit. “She spoke of the Uluru Games…”

 

“You know about it?” It’s surprising since the subject of the only arcanist focused sports event has nearly been forgotten by time. Yet considering the brunette’s hobby of learning anything and all arcane, it shouldn’t have been a shock.

 

“In the “past”, yes.” She smirks at them, a clear indication of her meaning. So she’s heard of it from her era. Before everything else. “News of grand events like that come in passing even in small towns like mine. It was something to keep people busy and curious.”

 

“It’s good to know that the Uluru Games had a wide reach even back then.” Vertin rests their head on Schneider's shoulder, the exhaustion creeping into their bones. “...It’s been a long day.”

 

“Bastard! Come out yourself. Don’t make me force you!”

 

“It seems this long day has yet to end, My Lord.”

 

…Fuck.

 

Vertin blanches. Watching as the mysterious paparazzi man that Desert Flannel mentioned before appears in the shadow. His name is apparently Makower and he truly does have some kind of ill intentions to smear the woman’s name to the ground. A personal vendetta it seems. It’s all Vertin could do to groan when the man just…walked away. And Desert Flannel immediately rushes to pursue him, Ezra following after in confusion.

 

“We have to stop him.”

 

The migraine from earlier that day is coming back.

 

“I’ll go with them, My Lord.” Schneider offers, getting ready to rise from her seat.

 

“No, no. You don’t have to…” A sigh leaves them as they grip the brunette’s arm. They didn’t realize how heavy their body feels and how their joints ache. With a healing potion it’ll be gone instantly, but…

 

“Enough, you need to rest. You’ve done plenty of work today.” She tenderly kissed their forehead and this time Vertin didn’t stop themselves from making a pleased sound. Schneider gives a pointed look before caressing their cheek. “It’s my turn to take care of the kids, okay? Va' a lettu, cara. Ti raggiunu cchiù tardu. ”

 

Vertin makes a non-committal noise, but it’s enough for the brunette. She pats their face lightly and gets up to run after the two. With her capabilities, she’ll catch up in no time. That’s left them with nothing else to do. They yawn. Okay, maybe one thing to do. Once they find a good place to hide the suitcase for the night, they’ll head straight to bed. There’s no way they’re walking back to Laplace just to rest. Schneider has a point.

 

They can pick up where they left off tomorrow.

Chapter 3: The Old & New

Summary:

The Revival Squad forms to locate a long lost arcane heritage and restart an equally forgotten cultural event! While finding the old, there's still room for the new as Schneider refreshes herself in her own form of rediscovery. Return the old to merge with the new.

Notes:

Have some more domestic married couple verneider and Schneider introspection! We got some real solid conversations going in this one.

Vertin wakes up early the next day. Their internal clock never fails to have them rise exactly on the dot, despite their body screaming for extra sleep. A gentle hand cards through their hair and they settle back down against a plush chest to the sound of a rhythmic heartbeat. They can’t fall back to sleep, but they can still enjoy the moment. And that starts by nibbling on their lover.

 

“So early, My Lord…” Schneider grumbles, flipping their positions to completely smother Vertin underneath her and get them to stop messing around. They don’t. In fact, they prefer this arrangement even more. “Haven’t you had enough physical activities from last night?”

 

“It wasn’t the one I prefer to partake in.” Her subtle orange scent early in the morning is a great way to slowly ease out of the grogginess. Their hands caress her skin lovingly. “...My body hurts.”

 

“You can take a potion after breakfast, cara. ” The brunette yawns before stretching like a languid cat, the press of her body against theirs is a sweet treat to Vertin. They receive a playful pat on the head for their obvious thoughts. “Release me, you scoundrel. I’ll make us something simple while you get ready. Any special requests?”

 

Begrudgingly, Vertin lets her go and pats around the bed for a familiar pillow but Schneider gets to it first and throws it over to the alcove area. Damn, guess they have to actually get up. It takes a moment for them to sit up with their sore muscles and by that time Schneider’s already dressed and ready to leave to make breakfast. Right, requests.

 

“Ravazzate.” They mumble, receiving a kiss on the forehead for their troubles. A sigh leaves them once the door closes with a soft click. Another day, another task to work on. 

 

Vertin gets ready for the day.

 

Stepping out of the room greets them with distant sounds of various activities. Checking the time says it’s half past eight in the morning, the early birds are out to play. In no condition to wrangle the high energy morning people, Vertin takes the usual back route most of the introverted arcanists use to get to the kitchen. The more their team grows, the bigger the labyrinth that is Vertin’s suitcase becomes. Yet strangely it’ll always be easy to navigate when they have a destination in mind.

 

The warm smell of bread guides them the rest of the way. Schneider just took the tray full of baked goods out of the wood fired oven, perfectly golden brown and set to cool on the countertop. Vertin nods to the rest of the cooking crew in greeting as they walk up to their lover to help her set up the small round table they use in the kitchen for quick meals together. The brunette gives them an il bacetto on both cheeks before wandering off to have her turn to freshen up.

 

“Mornin’ to ya, Ms. Vertin. Got ‘nother early start to y’alls work that you can’t sit down with everyone for breakfast?” Bunny bunny asks after returning from another round of delivering that day’s morning buffet in the lobby. “If you’re lookin’ for the drinks, Ms. Schneider placed your tea by the stove. She told me she wants that iced coffee brew thing she likes today.”

 

“Thank you, Ms. Bunny Bunny. I’ll take it from here.” Vertin says, placing the tea set onto a service trolley and rolling up their sleeves to start the process of making their partner’s drink.

 

Caffe freddo is a different prep than a standard cold brew and something Schneider immediately took a liking to when she found a cafe selling it on her first day arriving in Australia. Vertin smiles at the memory of her letter going into detail about the recipe and process with full expectation to start practice on brewing it herself. Well, that and she knew they would also begin training themselves to make it. Fortunately with enough ingredients and the patience of multiple cooks in the suitcase, even someone like Vertin can make a decent cup.

 

A fine, refreshing caffeinated beverage topped with just a hint of sweetness; perfect for a warm summer day. Even when the suitcase doesn’t conform to any scheduled seasonal climates, the sense of knowing the times is still there. Vertin sets the drink down next to the tea set and goes to grab the baked bread. It’s likely cooled down enough.

 

The rack has over a dozen pieces for the night owls that’ll wake up sometime at midday. Vertin takes two ravazzates and a plate of scones to share on the side. By the time they pushed the trolley to the table and set everything in place, Schneider had returned from freshening up. She sets a small vial full of crimson liquid and a newspaper down on Vertin’s side of the table, keeping a single pill packet for herself. Their mouth twitches.

 

“Thank you, love.”

 

“Eat first and let the food settle before taking it.” Schneider gives them a pointed look. “Nun vogghiu ca si ripeti comu l'ultima vota.”

 

“Of course, darling.”

 

They tuck into their meal peacefully. Vertin keeps an eye on the time for them. They still have an hour before visiting hours begin. The ravazzate is savory with an ample amount of well seasoned meat filling that tingles their tongue. It goes well with their drink, today’s tea is keemun, and bolsters their appetite enough to finish it. Vertin takes a scone; its buttery, flakey body cuts open nicely for a good smear of jam and clotted cream.

 

“Are we visiting exactly on the dot today?” Schneider starts a conversation while she wipes her hands and sifts through some papers she brought along. While normally they both agreed to never bring work on the dining table as it’s a time for bonding with family and loved ones, their “dine-and-dash” area in the kitchen is the only exception from that rule. They have a lot to do that day.

 

“It’s best to check up on Spathodea’s condition after last night.” Vertin smiles, offering the brunette their scone. She takes a bite, getting enough jam and cream that they help wipe off her face. “You’re coming along? Has the negotiations for compensating property damage not been settled?”

 

“It has. I need to submit the forms to the head nurse and get the necessary agreements signed by all parties.” She collects the scattered papers up and puts them back in the folder. A knowing grin graces her face, hands now nursing her cold drink casually. “Besides, completing paperwork isn’t the only reason I’m tagging along this hospital visit. You’re not the only one who unfortunately promised to take care of a young one, My Lord.”

 

Strawberry jam and clotted cream. Sweet with a hint of sour. Their smile grows a bit more prominent that it may even show on their face. “Ezra’s a kind and thoughtful person. He’s sure to want to check on Spathodea’s health and safety.”

 

“Which is exactly why we must not let those two go unsupervised.” The brunette sighs, grabbing another scone to eat. “Unless we want another repeat of last night’s incident. Frankly, there’s only so much financial compensation I’m willing to file paperwork for.”

 

“Duly noted.” The tea cools down and their food gets eaten. There’s still half an hour left before they need to go and do what’s required of them. Vertin casually plays with the small vial. “...This won’t be easy, won’t it.”

 

Schneider rolls her eyes, huffing with a look of exasperation. “Their words trouble you still, My Lord?”

 

“It doesn’t bother you?”

 

“I never said that.” She finishes her drink and pointedly eyes the vial in their hand. “All the more to look after them, right~?”

 

“You just want to see if they’ll come to the same conclusion as us.” Vertin rolled their eyes, uncorking the vial and took it in one gulp. The stinging pain that usually came with the rapid healing process is instead a light itchy sensation over their bandaged wounds. Like always, it’s better to heal them naturally first before using regeneration enhancements to encourage quicker recovery. It still tastes awful though.

 

“I have to find my own fun in this, no?” Schneider smirks, this time being the one to offer her scone. Vertin gladly took a bite and let the sweetness cover the bitter taste. “Who knows. This could be the “trial” the little Amanita needs to prove himself to me.”

 

“They’ll surely meet your expectations. Both of them.” Vertin unwraps the bandages on their forearms, inspecting the results. Clear and unblemished skin; like nothing ever happened. They roll their sleeves back down. “But promise me if it gets too much that you take a moment to step out of the room. I’ll keep an eye on them and make sure they won’t go too far this time.”

 

“I won’t react as badly now that I know what to expect, but I’ll keep that in mind, My Lord.” Schneider finishes the last of her drink and stands up from her seat. Vertin follows after. “Let’s go clean up or we’ll be late.”

 

“How about you two dearies leave the cleanin’ to me!” Bunny Bunny chimes in, having returned from the lobby carrying stacks of used dishes over to the sink. “Can’t have you both be tardy for some important Timekeeper and Timewarden business!”

 

“Thank you, Bunny Bunny. We really appreciate it.” Vertin nods, taking their vest and coat offered by Schneider.

 

It’s time to check on the young ones.

 

———————————————————————————————

 

“Told you I’m super healthy! You should let me go now!”

 

“But you need our care, Ms. Spathodea. It’s also our responsibility to make sure that you’re safe and stable.”

 

As predicted, Ezra was waiting for visiting hours to begin by the time they got to the clinic. Vertin keeps a close eye on the two’s conversation and the state of Spathodea’s condition. While her arcanum hasn’t acted up, it hasn’t fully stabilized either which makes the blond’s concern warranted. Yet her own well being is far from the girl’s main priority.

 

“Hey, stop, stop it! I have something very important to do right now, I mean it!” Spathodea insists, “I’m not gonna waste my time here! I’m fine! There will be no more confusion, mental breakdown, hallucination, or coma!”

 

“Something important?” Vertin has a guess that it’s related to her cryptic words from last night. “What is it?”

 

The young girl stares at Ezra for a long time, doubt in her eyes. Instinctively, Vertin glances over to Schneider with slight worry. The brunette has stationed herself against the wall, closest to the door. She’s keeping their suggestion in mind, smiling at them reassuringly when their eyes meet. They’re aware that it’s not an issue for her, but being near such things is unpleasant nonetheless.

 

“My flame talked to me last night.” Spathodea finally spoke in a conspiratorial whisper, her hand gently caressing said fire like one would pet a cat. It “lays” there quietly with no signs of its chaotic energy from before. “Now, it’s asleep. I think it’s exhausted after our rampage last night.”

 

“Is the conversation about your changes?”

 

“Of course! The moment I touched it, it crawled along my arm to my mouth and went back to the stomach.” She gestures to herself and waves her hands around in an attempt to explain the experience she went through. “And-and all there’s left in front of me was a black wall.”

 

“Sorry, I’m not quite with you.” Vertin wasn’t sure if they’re following her words properly. “Perhaps you could start from what happened then.”

 

Spathodea’s explanation was still rough to decipher, but they believe they’re starting to understand. At the time of the incident, she was experiencing a form of “dual vision”. While one was foggy and barely discernible to see through, the other can only be viewed on sporadic occasions. The one with the inconsistent viewing must be her spatial awareness of the present. So the other vision must be–

 

“I believe that’s your memory as a “reincarnator”!” Ezra supplies, “Just like what’s written in the books!”

 

“Hey! Let me finish!” The girl glares at the blond. She clearly still has left over frustrations from yesterday.

 

“Ah, sorry.” But the boy wasn’t fazed by her aggression. Whether it’s because he’s oblivious or not is beyond Vertin’s understanding. “I was too excited because this is the first time I see a valid proof of “reincarnation.” Please continue.”

 

Giving him a once over, Spathodea makes sure Ezra wouldn’t interrupt her again before clearing her throat and continuing. “I think that’s my memory, as a “reincarnator.””

 

A fantastical description of thought and sensation; this is what the “awakening” of a reincarnator looks like. Despite the girl’s panic and distress of the chaotic changes happening to her, Spathodea’s desire to see to the hidden goal of her past life outweighs that looming dread of losing her current self. Grasping at the silver lining; her purpose.

 

“Like what you mentioned last night.” Vertin supplies. Yes, it could only be that. It’s a hefty enough pursuit to be worth mentioning.

 

“Yes, the Uluru Games.” Spathodea’s eyes spark anew with a burning determination. “I must revive the Uluru Games.”

 

“But, what are you going to do?” Ezra scratches his head, a thoughtful look crosses his face. “Let’s not get to the paperwork of applications, security arrangement, and permission from the local government just yet.”

 

Just the mention of government processing is giving Vertin a headache. The task of reviving such a grand sporting event for arcanists is indeed an outstanding feat in the modern era. Not to mention the amount of regulations and proceedings necessary to follow before they can even consider getting the whole thing up and running. There’s also the issue of locating the place that eludes many and the fact no human has ever set foot in there…

 

“But I can find it, because I have found my ancient self.” Spathodea throws back the covers and sits up on her bed. “I’m the only person in “this time” who has been to “that land” and my flame is my compass.”

 

Vertin glances over to their partner to get a good feel on what she thinks about the situation. The brunette has a lax smile on her face, not neutral nor bad. Looking at it objectively, it’s far too common for arcanists to go with the flow of what’s given to them. Things such as destiny and a greater purpose comes in line with their awakening of arcane skill. So maybe it’s not too out there to say that the existential dread of losing one’s self in favor of another isn’t so much as a loss but more a “return to another form” situation.

 

Vertin feels a tug on their sleeve and they’re greeted with Spathodea’s wide eyed puppy look.

 

“So, Vertin, you said you would take care of me. Would you come with me?” Ah, finally, their words have come to bite them today. “I need a Revival Squad and friends who understand and support each other, just the way the flame and I do! By then, you’ll go to the Stadium too, and we’ll run together! I promise it will be a wonderful place where you’ll never regret going. You will enjoy the Uluru Games!”

 

“...”

 

Their eyes shift back to their lover pleadingly. She tilts her head in thought, her smile grows and curves her eyes sweetly in that gorgeous way they like. It’s a mischievous smile; a cat’s grin. It’s that damn look she always makes when she has no intention of helping Vertin crawl out of the pit they made for themself.

 

Well, they can’t say they didn’t try.

 

Fortunately, their partner wasn’t indulging too much in their suffering as she tilted her head to the other side. Right for thought, left for consideration. Schneider lifts her left arm, index finger pointing upward. She makes a circular motion; clockwise. Taps her temple and gestures it outward.

 

‘Go ahead.’

 

She wants to see where this goes. They’ll proceed with this course of action together.

 

“I have seen pictures of the Uluru Games in the school library collection a long time ago.” Vertin starts, refocusing their attention on the girl clinging to them. “I was not a fan of the routine physical fitness test at school, but I don’t think any arcanist would say no to witnessing the revival of the once magnificent Games.”

 

“Oh, so?” Spathodea asks hopefully.

 

“I’m more than willing to join you in bringing back the Games.” They keep their response neutral and avoid the topic of them engaging in any physical activities. It’s a win to gain what’s lost. Just as long as they don’t need to participate completely. “It will be a wonderful new beginning.”

 

“Wow! Yes! Thank you!”

 

They sealed the deal with a handshake. Schneider’s proud smile makes Vertin want to do the same. They’re on the right track it seems.

 

“I see. You’re shouldering extremely important responsibility, Ms. Spathodea.” Ezra nods to himself, a bright twinkle in his eye. “I will apply for you to be discharged and explain all these to Judith!”

 

“Oh! And thank you Ezra” Spathodea turns to the blond, looking less on edge at the human’s presence. “I won’t forget your contribution to the revival of the Uluru Games!”

 

“I’m deeply honored to have this chance to help.” The boy smiles, taking out his journal to jot down a few notes. “Then, I will get the paperwork done and go pack.”

 

Vertin gives Schneider a subtle smile, the brunette nodding her approval. It’s a good start and great progress. Perhaps working together to locate the Stadium’s entrance can relieve the tense first impression the two have left each other last time.

 

“Hmmm?” The girl looks confused now. “What’s that for?”

 

“I need to prepare as many mushrooms as possible so that I can better assist you on the way.”

 

“You? On the way?” Spathodea points at Ezra. Her tone didn’t sound right… “You’re coming, too?”

 

“Of course. We’ve been through so many things together.” Ezra looks up from his notes curiously, “Am I not part of the team?”

 

“No, of course not! How can I take you in the Revival Squad?!”

 

The atmosphere in the room crystallizes, becoming awkward and tense. Schneider frowns.

 

“The Games is meant for arcanists. You’ve read the documents, right? Since the beginning of history, humans have made countless attempts to find the entrance to the Stadium, yet none of them made it–it’s just not for humans!”

 

Vertin felt a slow sinking feeling set in their stomach and they couldn’t help draw closer to where their partner stood. She didn’t show signs of discomfort, but her disappointment was palpable. While her statement is true that no human has been able to find the entrance naturally, that doesn’t take into account the fact they don’t have any arcanist companions with them to locate it. It’s not a case of the Stadium refusing to let in humans, but no arcanist has allowed it before.

 

“No, no, Ms. Spathodea. I’m not interested in any games. The only reason why I’m coming along is because you haven’t fully recovered and still need medical care.” Cold, clinical, and direct. Ezra’s intentions are from a good place, but lacks the passion. The foresight to see how much this goal means to others emotionally. Schneider’s frown deepens and she looks away.

 

Oh, no… 

 

“Besides, I hope to collect more information about “reincarnators” from you. I will not disturb your mission in searching for the Stadium. Please, let me come with you. It’s going to be good for both of us.”

 

“Collect information? You’re monitoring me?” Indignation slowly rises from Spathodea’s voice. “Sin-Since when did I grant you the permission to do that?! I never said yes!”

 

It’s getting out of hand again. Vertin isn’t inclined to intervene as it’s not their place to comment on the intricacies of becoming a dedicated observation subject for scientific studies due to their busy task as Timekeeper. That right to interject goes to Schneider, but she’s looking more and more in no mood to even be in the room. They hope she does step out before she reaches her limit.

 

Who knows, maybe the situation will fix itself.

 

“I will not design any tasks for you to perform, nor will I force you to take any potions. My job is to observe, record, and ensure your health and safety.

 

Like what we do with the mushrooms.”

 

Vertin covers their face in shame. It’s been 20 minutes, 23 seconds without Ezra associating arcanists with mushrooms.

 

“But I’m a living arcanist, not a mushroom! I have had enough of everyone watching!” With a cry of frustration, Spathodea tosses the covers open and wraps herself up with it like a burrito facing away from them. “I don’t wanna be the embellishment added to someone’s academic achievement or a subject of the paper that will help you switch fields.”

 

“Ah, I didn’t explain it right.”

 

Ezra’s eyebrows furrow in concern, turning to Vertin with a troubled expression. Oh, that is not their responsibility this time. Not so subtly, they side eye their partner who–fortunately–is still in the room. Getting the hint, the blond looks over to Schneider as well with the same pleading look. He must really be desperate to be seeking counsel elsewhere.

 

The brunette raises an eyebrow, red eyes making deep, meaningful conversation with Vertin’s. They tilt their head toward Ezra, imploring her to at least give a little hand. Else they’ll be having a repeat of last night. She visibly sighs and makes a simple hand motion that anyone with such knowledge can identify.

 

‘Empathy.’

 

Like a lightbulb flicking on, Ezra smiles bright with excitement. To be encouraged to use an alternative theory of connection by the person who pitched it, the feeling must be immense. The blond focuses back on the blanket burrito on the bed and tries giving it a go.

 

“Ms. Spathodea, please listen to me.” He starts simple, keeping an eye on Schneider like a child seeking guidance from his parent. The brunette nods encouragingly. “I have never changed my heart as a researcher, and I care about arcanists as much as I care about mushrooms. It was never my intention to use you as a career boost.”

 

Schneider splays her fingers out, making circular motion in front of her face, just around mouth level.

 

‘Warm.’ He’s on the right track.

 

“You are such a rare opportunity to us, because none of us know when and where the next “reincarnator” will be found. If we miss this opportunity, the academic circle may have to wait for another decade to further their research.”

 

The brunette balls her hands into fists, tucking them up to her shoulders and imitates a slight shaking motion.

 

‘Cold.’

 

“The discovery you and I made may shock many, and our names might go down in history, but most importantly, it’s going to help a lot of people!” Ezra back tracks quickly, looking slightly flustered. He searches for another way to salvage his statement and thought up something. “Uh, have you heard of Tchangues invented by Dame perotti? It was inspired by a long-legged shepherd in France, and it has helped many athletes with disabilities to walk and run again!”

 

What a nice shot. Schneider smiles with pride.

 

A muffled groan comes from within the blanket burrito, Spathodea restlessly shifting around inside. That’s got her hooked, she’s considering it now.

 

“Ms. Spadothea?” Ezra pauses from his speech with growing concern. “You look miserable in the blanket.”

 

“Keep going, Ezra.” Vertin gently nudges the boy with their words, also hopeful for his success. It’ll prove that the training is effective in its own way. “You’re very close…”

 

“Me? Close to what?” He starts to become confused, fidgeting with his gloves. “I don’t follow.”

 

Before Vertin could do any more to persuade the boy that he’s doing good, Desert Flannel walks into the room looking like she had another round with the kangaroos from last night. Despite her disheveled appearance, her energy is upbeat while she triumphantly carries a wooden box under her arm.

 

“Desert Flannel?” They blink owlishly. “Where have you been?”

 

Vertin could only helplessly watch the woman come in like a whirlwind and tear down the progress the two were making to reach a middle ground. What’s worse, she’s provided an optional choice to a pressing issue.

 

“We will bring back the Uluru Games!”

 

They could practically hear Schneider’s silent snort with how dead quiet the room became.

 

“Hey! What kind of reaction is this? Why are you quiet as stones?” Vertin didn’t think someone could not read the room as badly as Ezra up until now. “This is a great idea, and you’re giving me this?!”

 

Amongst the tense atmosphere and awkward silence, Spathodea pops her arm out of the blanket to offer out a handshake.

 

“Alright, join my Revival Squad. Handshake? Handshake.”

 

“Then I–” Ezra’s outstretched hand immediately gets slapped away.

 

“No, not you!” She quickly retreats back into the safety of her burrito. The boy smiles ruefully.

 

“Uh,” Desert Flannel looks between the Spathodea and Ezra with deep confusion. “Am I missing something here?”

 

“Just a bit of negotiation.” Schneider finally speaks up, clapping her hands. It was like the tension itself has been cut and set aside for later, her tone is casual but incites no further argument. Vertin practically felt their knees go weak. She’s so lovely. “Can I entrust you to settle the paper signing, My Lord? We’ll go and get her discharged and prepared for the journey. Come, Amanita.”

 

“Y, yes, Ms. Schneider!” He quickly follows her out of the room like a little duckling. It warms Vertin’s heart.

 

———————————————————————————————

 

Vertin steps out of the room with the signed papers in hand. It’ll give the two girls time to discuss a route to the destination that Spathodea describes to be a good lead. From the looks of it, they’ll be taking a trip far into desert areas. They’ll need proper preparations.

 

As they walk down the hall, they hear familiar voices making conversation. They peek from the corner to see Schneider and Ezra talking; the boy fidgeting around. He expresses less than calm demeanor and has a demure stance instead. It piques their interest so much that they’re pushed to eavesdrop.

 

“I’m afraid I couldn’t put that supplementary training to good use, Ms. Schneider. I’m sorry.” The blond wrings their wrists and offers a sheepish smile. “And to think I was singing you praise of its excellent theoretical structure, which I still believe to be true mind you, but I’m quite…terrible in executing it. The rare instances that I get to put it to practice haven't provided the possible results stated in the notes.”

 

“Like I said, the written results are merely a frame of reference.” Schneider brushes it off, “There is much to revise from it and the application of such “treatment” is a case by case basis… You did good on your last attempt, Amanita. You were making progress.”

 

“I, I was?” A bit of sparkle returns to his eyes, only to be dampened by reality. “I’m glad I didn’t completely misuse the training, but I’m still lacking the fundamental understanding on how to properly execute certain strategies. 

 

While you say that the “appeal to the arcanists’ passion for better communication” was working on Ms. Spathodea, I was sure that Ms. Desert Flannel was demonstrating the signs of distress found under the section for “synchronous breathing exercise” that it’s natural to apply the strategy then. Only, it made things worse.”

 

“Ah, let’s see, hmmm... Have you forgotten something?” Schneider tilts her head and taps her chin with a finger. She’s very thoughtful, calculating, logical. Human. Vertin’s heart starts racing. “There was a section there, uhmm, it was nine, yes? In the “keynotes of training, analyzing, and understanding the conceptual framework of empathy”, what was the core foundation of the theorem?”

 

“Section nine of–Oh.” Ezra blushes, looking very embarrassed. “The core foundation of “Empathy” is… “It’s a practice that is learned, not trained.””

 

“Good job.” She pats his head, much to the boy’s confusion. “You treat it objectively, critically if you must, but never so much as consider it as something to “train” yourself to understand. Like how you put your heart into learning about mushrooms and arcanists, you learn about “empathy” until it’s ingrained into your soul.”

 

“Can I truly learn it implicitly?” He asks hopefully.

 

“Yes, Amanita, I believe so. You may be one of the first that I think will get it right, actually.” The brunette smiles good-naturedly before changing the subject. “Now shouldn’t you get ready to go? Our journey with the Revival Squad will take us far.”

 

“Ah, journey with–Wait, “our”?” Looking like a kid caught sneaking out, Ezra’s slowly reddening face betrays the calm demeanor he’s trying to maintain. “W, why should we be getting ready, Ms. Schneider? I would say you should be the one preparing to go. Ms. Spathodea has already expressed her disdain towards me joining the team and–”

 

“You forget I’m well acquainted with Laplace’s head researcher.” Schneider's sly grin has Vertin acting up in all sorts of ways. Ah, they need to calm down. “If there’s anything I learned from them, it’s that you can’t easily convince a Laplace member to back down when it comes to their research.”

 

“Uhm, I wouldn’t say Medicine Pocket is the best reference to how Laplace workers operate.” Ezra stutters, “N, not that it’s an attack on their character in any way–”

 

“Are you going to trail behind them for observation or not, Amanita?”

 

“...” He sheepishly kicked the air. “Maybe.”

 

“Thank you for your honesty.” Schneider smiles, patting the blond on the shoulder before lightly nudging him towards a direction down the hall. “Prepare the essentials for the squad and then what you’ll need. I’ll meet with you at the clinic entrance five minutes after they leave.”

 

“Wait, you’re not going with them?” Ezra turns to her. “Aren’t you part of the team?”

 

“Did you see me shake hands with any of them? I made no such commitment.” Snorting, she gives him a playful flick on the forehead. The boy jolts and rubs on the spot. “But I did say I’ll join you on an observation mission and offer my pointers, didn’t I?”

 

Ezra’s eyes widened, face flushed in excitement. The boy was practically bouncing on his heels as he nodded vigorously, sprinting down the half when Schneider shoos him away to get ready once more. Vertin waited for the blond to disappear around the corner before revealing themself, no doubt having already been spotted by Schneider long ago.

 

“He really looks up to you.”

 

“Frankly, I don’t understand. I only pitched an idea.” Schneider sighs, shaking her head. “It was Junior and that Rascal that made it happen.”

 

Vertin didn’t hesitate to pull her close, pressing both their bodies until they had her pinned to the wall before leaning in for a searing kiss. Schneider hums into their lips, the vibration tickling their mouth, her gentle hand caressing their cheek. It’s with great difficulty that they pull away enough to talk.

 

“I missed you.”

 

“I was only gone but a blink, My Lord.” Sweet, gentle. Fingers played with stray locks. “Can you not bear to part with me today? Ah, but we have so much work to do~”

 

Nothing needed to be addressed as Vertin lets themself nestle against the other’s shoulder, basking in her presence as well trained fingers brushing away loose strands. It’s a delicate balance of how one can identify the brunette’s mood and disposition. In fact, no one other than Vertin has fully grasped how to tell Schneider’s current origin. Asking is also a sensitive matter.

 

Whichever way, it’s been far longer since they’ve seen that other side of their lover. Oh, how they adore all of her, but lately she’s shown less of one side in favor of another. It’s worrying, but seeing her now lessens that concern to a degree. Vertin hopes she’ll be comfortable staying this way for a while longer.

 

“Will you follow behind us?” Vertin asks instead after a moment of getting their fill of their lover, stepping back to give her space. She’s a lot more reserved in this state and they prefer to respect her boundaries.

 

“He’s capable of going on his own, but this allows me to see him in a “work” environment.” The brunette nods, giving a lopsided smile in the process. “I hope you don’t mind this stealth approach we’ll be conducting for the sake of observation. We’re hardly gaining the approval of all parties.”

 

“Spathodea only declined to allow Ezra into the Revival Squad, but she made no mention of following.” It’s a less justified loophole, but the world has many ways to make such excuses to get what they want. “If your expedition takes you to where we’re headed, then that would just mean our paths crossed in more ways than one.”

 

“I’m never far away from you if I can help it, My Lord.” Schneider gives them one more chaste kiss before pulling away completely. “Little Amanita is sure to be preparing a care kit for your journey. Do take care out there, it will get sweltering come midday.”

 

“I will. You too.”

 

———————————————————————————————

 

The warm light of the sun radiates throughout the atmosphere even when sheltered under some shade. Yet despite the heat, Schneider’s deep seated chill persists. It’s a familiar sick feeling; one not related to climate at all. It’s unease. It’s discomfort.

 

She’s forgetting herself again.

 

All it took was a starry eyed boy invested in mushrooms to realize that. Schneider would’ve felt embarrassed if she wasn’t overwhelmed with relief and dread. Her skin crawls and her veins sing with a dull ache. Her discontent is vibrating within her chest. But it’s not the place nor time to brood on it.

 

“I must say that it’s an honor to be doing this small expedition with you, Ms. Schneider.” Ezra quietly murmurs, keeping his voice low enough to not alert the group by the bus stop sign. He carefully peaks from behind their hiding spot. “Your prowess in acquiring information during solo works is well talked about in Laplace. Many of the recent research documentations filtering around wouldn’t have been possible without your acquisition skills.”

 

“Such high praise for menial work.” Schneider smiles ruefully, leaning against the large wood trunk of the tree they’re using as cover. “There are far more capable people worthy of such praise. I’m mainly doing what’s required of me and my position.”

 

“Even so, you receive some exceptionally positive opinions from figures like Medicine Pocket.” The boy takes out his journal and pen at the sight of activity over by the bus stop. She sees Vertin subtly glancing over before looking away. A periodical pattern they’ve been doing throughout their conversation with the two girls, making sure they’re following. Vertin didn’t attempt to tug on her connection. The thought makes Schneider’s skin heat up, momentarily abating the deep chill. “Your work ethics as Timewarden are something to be admired, Ms. Schneider.”

 

If that’s how the public opinion views her actions, Schneider has nothing to complain about. Better a decent working government figure than the ill rumors of the past. Whatever keeps her and Vertin together as much as possible.

 

She makes no move to respond. Fortunately, she doesn’t have to as Ezra’s attention is preoccupied by the sudden commotion on Vertin’s side. The little flame shot out like a comet, heading towards a direction at a rapid pace. It looks like they’ll be on the move.

 

“Everyone, mind your steps and keep up!”

 

Vertin gave one last glance over their direction while stating those words, their voice made loud to be heard from their position. Once the three people ran off to catch up with the flame, Ezra stands up from his crouching position, jotting down his observation quickly.

 

“Do you find Ms. Vertin’s behavior strange? She kept looking over our way and her statement felt like it’s more meant for us.” Schneider shrugs and starts moving, causing the blond to follow suit. They need to keep up if they want to not be left behind. “Do you think she knows we’re following? Did you tell her about it?”

 

“My Lord has her ways of identifying people in her surroundings whether I told her about it or not.” She keeps it light, not fully getting to the key points as they take cover at the occasional rock or bush. Let’s change the subject and not reveal any conspiring plan from both sides. “What are the observation results thus far?”

 

“Oh, well, so far there’s–” Ezra checks his notes while they move along. “Having emotional turmoil, acting impulsively, feeling fanatical about the retrieved memories and…the unstoppable urge to return to the “homeland.” These all match the description in the research notes.”

 

“Good. Seems like you’re making progress.” Schneider nods in approval. The more information they can glean on a particularly lost heritage, the easier it’ll be to help others with similar dispositions. “Will the observation of one be enough of a ground basis to prove any points to the old ones? Perhaps a new revelation, different insights that have been misconstrued?”

 

“I can’t deduce more based on the data, but at the same time, the unknown can be dangerous yet exciting.” He puts the journal away, looking beyond the tree covering and over at the small group that has stopped near a cave-like entrance, eyes alight with passion. If Schneider looks carefully, she can identify odd scrawlings deeper in the cave walls. How fascinating. “It might bring about catastrophes or miracles. Just like arcanists, so charming and lively.”

 

Her chill returns full force, only momentarily forgotten by their conversation. It makes her skin crawl and nerves twitch. Her blood flows with ill feelings and discontent. She takes a breath. It’s time to rely on logic and let herself return to that place of peace. Only to see things through.

 

“Ezra Theodore, why are you so fascinated by arcanists in the first place?”

 

The boy looks at her in surprise. Be it from the question or being addressed by name is beyond her current mood to perceive someone. His momentary expression is short-lived as he returns to his natural calm state. As all humans do.

 

“My job is to help and protect them, so their burning enthusiasm will not be dampened.” His response is formal and rehearsed, but his conviction showed no hesitation. It’s a statement he upholds honestly. “Like what Mom said, this is our mission as mankind.”

 

Schneider’s first thought was a pirate’s particular phrase…the next being the actual words she spoke out.

 

“So your passion to aid arcanists is out of duty?”

 

Ezra furrows his eyebrows lightly as if confused.

 

“Yes? It’s a main driving force of many Laplace researchers to ensure the discovery of more innovative and resourceful ways to ensure the comfort of arcanists through joint scientific and arcane methods.” A sudden wave of clarity washes over him and now he’s looking at her in a way that makes Schneider sick. “Oh, please don’t misunderstand though, Ms. Schneider! My compassion and care for arcanists isn’t just out of obligation. I view arcanists to an equal regard as humans and my intention to be more clinical is out of how many factors of society creates disadvantages for their daily life.

 

If I recall, that was something Ms. Spathodea also misunderstood when I compared my study of arcanists to my work on mushrooms. They’re both living organisms with various inner workings that must be explored to ensure the best possible care for them, Ms. Schneider. An outstanding arcanist such as yourself must underst–”

 

“Spathodea? Where, where did she go?”

 

Ezra turns back towards the ruckus in the cave. Only two figures stood at the mouth of the entrance, missing an extra person plus her flame. Vanished without a trace. The situation has become dire.

 

“Relax, Desert Flannel. We’ve got help.”

 

“Ezra? Schneider too? How, how did you get here? Wait, how long have you been following us?”

 

“From the beginning, when you were at the hospital. Sorry, Ms. Desert Flannel, please let me check this first.”

 

It’s like everything is muffled, run through a filter. Schneider feels sick, feels ill. While it’s never an issue to be addressed wrongly on most occasions, there were always the exceptions. She’s been gone far too long from this part of herself that it’s become unbearable. Yet all she does is stand there, arms crossed while absentmindedly watching Ezra work to find Spathodea with his arcane tool. It’s not his intent to disturb her. There were more pressing matters to attend to.

 

It’s not about her.

 

“Hey.”

 

Her vision blurs when something–no, someone–enters her view. Icy grey eyes, almost greenish in tint, stares back at her with no expectations other than to be herself. Schneider blinks slowly and carefully watches the person raise a hand for her to see. It moves closer to her, lightly, with caution, until it’s barely a breath away from her skin. It stops there and doesn’t move any more like it’s waiting for something.

 

Waiting for permission.

 

When did her own grip on her arms feel like she’s clawing at skin, tearing at flesh. Like she wants to escape out of it or get rid of that pulsing ache in her veins. When did she start shivering? Nevertheless, Schneider leans in and lets those fingers graze her clammy skin. They’re warm and loving. It allows her to breathe again. Unevenly, through clenched teeth, but she’s breathing again. 

 

She’s alive again. She remembers herself again.

 

Like a switch being flipped, the adjustment was instantaneous. All the turmoil and chaos wiped away into a tranquil fog with only the dull ache of her veins that persisted. Schneider has more clarity and calm that reflects in her smile. Vertin retracts their hand to the mild disappointment of the brunette and offers her one of the water flasks Ezra packed for them. She eyes it curiously.

 

“I didn’t see you take it this morning.”

 

Light, quiet, their words drowned over Ezra’s meticulous and efficient work on locating their missing companions. Yet it’s as clear as day to her. Her partner’s words far exceed anyone else’s. Schneider smiles more prominently.

 

“It was strange, but now I see why. Have you adjusted enough to take it?”

 

So thoughtful. So quaint. How lucky she is to have them.

 

“I am, My Lord.” She takes the flask on one hand and retrieves the inconspicuously small pill packet in her jacket pocket with the other. Safely snuck away in between bites of breakfast to avoid notice. Her intention wasn’t to conceal it, but merely delay when it’s appropriate. “...Thank you for your patience and consideration.”

 

“No problem.” They gave a nod and their eyes linger before turning back to the blond human asking everyone to follow him. He’s found a lead. “Let’s keep up. Be prepared in case we need to fight.”

 

“Yes, My Lord.” Quick and swift, she swallows the small tablet down with a swig of water. A refreshing drink that quenches her thirst. Schneider didn’t realize how heated and wary her body became. The deep chill truly clouds her perception of her health. No more though, they’ll need more hands if they wish to locate Spathodea.

 

With Ezra as their lead, they’re guided farther from the cave toward an enclosed formation of rocks and through the cut off side leading in. The faint scent of moisture accompanies the sound of water. A hidden spring? There wasn’t much time to contemplate on the idea as the sound of growls and roars echoed in the distance. Soon, the sight of two lumbering critters pouncing around came into view. Spathodea’s form dwarfs against the massive creatures while she rolls around and narrowly avoids their claws. She’s in big trouble.

 

“Ms. Spathodea!” Ezra cries, replacing his dowsing rod with his more offensive spray rod attached to his mushroom terrarium. Schneider begins unholstering her guns.

 

“E-Ezra?! And Desert Flannel, Vertin, Schneider!” The young girl looks ready to burst into tears. “Thank goodness you found me!”

 

“These critters–” Analyzing the situation, his eyebrows furrow in concern. “They don’t look like any kind that I know of. What are they…”

 

“These critters are the guardians of the Stadium! They are…” Spathodea was cut off as a boulder came hurling towards her. She immediately rolls out of the way, hiding behind a crumbled pillar for shelter. “Ugh, I can explain it later. We have to deal with them first! Hmm? Little flame? Hey! What are you doing?!”

 

The tiny spark that accompanies her has moved away and floats steadily with a purpose. It’s making a beeline towards the area the two large critters are protecting.

 

“No time to hesitate.” Vertin says in their commanding tone. “Protect Spathodea and engage!”

 

“Yes, My Lord!”

 

Schneider takes the initiative and lunges forward, pelting the critters with her bullets. Their attention shifts with increasing anger as more rocks are hurled at them. She side steps one and ducks away from the other, taking care to aim for potential vitals to get a read of its weak spots. Its hides are tough with how they absorb the piercing effect of her bullets. The option of close combat is just as risky with their sharp teeth and claws over a lumbering form. Brute force won’t cut it.

 

“Ezra!” It seems her Lord has thought of the same. “Can you assist in subduing them?”

 

“Of course, I’ve brought a few paralyzing spores that just might work.” The blond nods, setting up the correct one. “I’ll just need to get close enough.”

 

“If you need a hand in distractions, then I got just the bird!” Desert Flannel pulls off the heart shaped device from her belt and pressed a button. Its screen flashes before a green pixelated emu emerges from geometric particles with a cry. “Help our friends out here would you, Plappy!”

 

“Schneider, get as close to the enemy as possible!” Vertin instructs, “Create an opportunity for Ezra to strike!”

 

“Will do, My Lord.” Schneider reloads her guns and moves to take the attention of one of the critters. The other is already taking notice of the emu screeching at it and flapping its wings. She rolls and dodges more rocks thrown at her, bridging the distance bit by bit until she’s just underneath the towering beast. It stands on its hind legs, preparing to bear its weight down on her with sharp claws. An opening! “Any time now, Amanita!”

 

A thick layer of amber spores quickly envelopes the area, barely giving time for Schneider to hold her breath. The effects are instantaneous as she easily dodges the critter’s collapsing body. Both guardian’s movements turn sluggish and stiff like they have trouble controlling their motor skills.

 

“The eyes, Schneider!”

 

Seeing the opportunity, the brunette climbs up the paralyzed critter and aims for the eyes. It’s a swift and merciful execution by releasing two bullets directly into the skull. The only surface fragile enough to pierce is the area they use to see. Schneider jumps off the fallen body and does the same process for the other one. It ends as quickly as it started.

 

Schneider sighs in relief, holsting her guns and rolls her shoulders with a grimace. She should’ve known to not delay her intake. It gave her less time to stretch her muscles as it slowly loosened from the stiffens of the pain. Now they’re sore for a different reason. A presence approaches her and she doesn't stop Vertin from gently working the stiffness out of her joints. She receives no scolding or reprimand from her partner and that has her rolling her eyes.

 

“I should’ve taken it during breakfast.”

 

“I’m glad you’re aware.”

 

Cheeky.

 

The ground shudders and they pull apart. Looking over at the center of the springs was a grand stone door with colorful patterns and levitating steps leading up towards it. That must be the entrance to the Uluru Stadium. Schneider has to admit, she’s impressed. Stood before it is Spathodea and her flame who now changed more into a sentient flame spirit with something similar to a humanoid figure swimming amongst its fire. The first priestess and the heart of Ulu itself. Soulmates reunited. How charming.

 

Spathodea gestures for them to enter as the doors slowly open. Vertin takes a step to follow, but instantly pauses and turns to Schneider. Her chest feels warm against that even gaze. Her Lord truly knows how to take care of her. All of her.

 

“Will you not join us?”

 

“The stadium has not welcomed a human in all its existence, My Lord.” Is what she says instead of answering. The statement is an answer enough. She moves close and adjusts the hat on their head, brushing off the stray dust and spore that clung to its leather. “Unless the priestess herself allows it, isn’t it prudent to respect the rules?”

 

“It wasn’t a rule.” Vertin’s words surprise her. Normally, they wouldn’t be so contrarian and less vocal in their opinions. Their gaze remains fixed steadily on hers. Oh, how stubborn they are. “It was only difficult to find without the owner’s permission.”

 

“And that makes it a rule, My Lord.” Poking their nose, she smiles cheekily. “You know that silly human saying? “My house, my rules”? Same principle.”

 

“It’s hot out here…” Oh, now they’re just being petulant.

 

“Who is to say it isn’t the same in there?” Rolling her eyes, she gives an encouraging nudge for them to follow. “Go. I will meet with you again. For now, we take care of our wards.”

 

“...I’m your ward. Take care of me.”

 

“I’ll take good care of you later for being well behaved.” Despite her reservations, she sneaks a light kiss on their cheek. “Now off you go.”

 

That seems to be enough to tide her lover over for now as they went to join Spathodea and Desert Flannel up the steps. Schneider walks over to Ezra, who’s engrossed in writing down his recent findings. Looking over his shoulder while the boy quietly mumbles his thoughts, she can agree on the observation he’s taken thus far. The outcome of the reincarnator line of arcane awakening has ended up with the slimmest possibility and the most ideal one; the merging of both past and future to form the present. Two different existences, yet both have enough commonalities that one doesn’t override the other and instead co-exists into one being.

 

Schneider knows that feeling too well.

 

“Ezra, Schneider!!!”

 

The two humans look up in alarm as Spathodea jogs up to them. Schneider takes a step back inconspicuously as to not disturb the two. The look in the girl’s eyes spoke of her guilt and awkwardness is more on Ezra than anything. She spies Vertin’s above the stairs, their eyes subtly curved upward. She couldn’t help smirk.

 

“What can I do for you, Ms. Spathodea?”

 

“I’m waiting for you.”

 

Schneider raises an eyebrow. Perhaps the conversation’s too personal to be so close by, but the constant shifting of Ezra’s eyes towards her has the brunette stay in place. Honestly, she shouldn’t make it a habit to chaperon people with poor social skills when she herself isn’t much of a party goer herself. Sotheby’s balls notwithstanding.

 

“Ah, I see. Sorry, I was too involved in taking notes. I will pack and return to Laplace as soon as possible.” Ezra looks momentarily confused while looking around and comes to a realization. He pats his chest confidently. “But before that, I have to clean up the spores and the mess we made in the battle first; otherwise, they may change the environment here.”

 

“I will assist in the clean up.” Schneider offers, brushing her hair back while eyeing Spathodea’s reaction. She looks frustrated somehow. It’s interesting. “It’ll be quicker with two pairs of hands.”

 

“Oh, c’mon, you weirdos!” Spathodea stomps her foot. “You’re leaving now, after all our effort? I can never understand you!”

 

‘Aren’t you the one that didn’t want Ezra joining in the first place?’ were words that Schneider kept to herself. The thought process of children gets all over the place at times. Hers did at Spathodea’s age at least.

 

“Aren’t you waiting for me to leave?” Ezra returns to being confused, his eyes looking at her pleadingly for help. She could only shrug. The mind of a young person is beyond her age.

 

“Of course not! I’m waiting for you to join us. We’ll go into the Stadium together! I…” Spathodea scuffles around, shyly kicking the dirt underneath her feet. Her statements are a workaround for an apology or maybe it wasn’t an apology at all. Schneider tilts her head in amusement, watching the two make amends for, frankly, a nonissue from one side of the party. “I think you’re right. I do need a doctor by my side!”

 

“But mankind cannot enter the Stadium.” The boy supplies the same reasoning she used on her partner. Only his words fell on deaf ears as his arm got grabbed mid sentence. “We all know thaaaaaat…!”

 

“Ugh blah blah blah! Please, the Stadium has never shown itself to any humans before!” Has never shown itself or has the current protector never allowed it? “When life gives you cake, just dig right in!”

 

“I, I think you mean when life gives you lemons, Ms. Spathodeaaa–!!” Schneider helps out by lightly pushing the boy’s back, the look he gave her was priceless. “M, Ms. Schneider?!”

 

“You heard the priestess. We have express permission to enter.” A quick look over at Vertin as they approach shows their partner’s pleased, maybe even smug, expression. Truly so petulant. “It’s rude to disregard her hospitality, Amanita.”

 

And as they enter through the gloriously bright entrance, its stone doors closing behind them, Schneider returns to her Lord’s side and allows their hands to lace with each other. Her veins thrum with echoes of old yet her heart thumps to the beat of the new. Who knew being welcomed in as a human could be so honoring. Well, technically it’s only Ezra, but the principle applies to her in spirit.

 

She looks forward to seeing this world of phenomena with her adjusted human eyes.

Chapter 4: Burning Soul

Summary:

Things are kicked into high gear and bit by bit, the Uluru Games is slowly revived! But throughout all the excitement comes carelessness and it's still dangerous to play with fire you're not familiar with. Even the flames your know can hurt you if pushed too far.

The Uluru Stadium was nothing like Vertin has ever seen. Frankly speaking, it’s not often they ever engage in activities or events that warrant a visit to a stadium, but they can assure it’s nothing like the one they're in now. Its atmosphere is warm yet calming as if imbued with ancient arcanum. It almost held a strange sense of familiarity.

 

With barely any modern innovation touching its lands save for a lawn and benches near the back. Other than that, the whole field is an expansive plateau of red, sunbaked rocks and stone structures. Vertin takes notice that while the entire stadium is well maintained, especially the leveled sporting field, there’s still signs of age from the crumbling pillars to dusty walls. A reminder that even with arcanum, nothing can be preserved perfectly forever.

 

“Strewth!” Ezra gasps in awe next to them, looking starry eyed and intrigued by the structures. “This is the Uluru Stadium?”

 

“It’s even more splendid than I thought, and…” That familiar feeling. They’ve felt it only twice so far in their travels. It’s different each time, but there’s a distinct commonality to it. Vertin doesn’t want to jump to conclusions until they’ve properly done some investigation. For now, they’ll settle with a straightforward comment. “More comfortable and pleasing.”

 

“Comfortable and pleasing?” The boy tilts his head in a way that makes them instantly know that he got the habit from Schneider. It melts their heart seeing how she influenced him in such a short amount of time. “I don’t feel the same way as you do.”

 

He walks a few paces forward, taking in the surroundings and matching the deep breaths Spathodea and Desert Flannel are doing as if that would enlighten him. Sadly, it proved ineffective.

 

“But not in the sense that this place doesn’t look beautiful to me, on the contrary, it’s stunning, but physically I don’t feel anything special.”

 

“Maybe because you’re human.” Desert Flannel says absentmindedly. She looks ready to spring into action, bouncing between her feet. It took her no time to actually do it when she saw Spathodea dash forward. “Hey, wait!”

 

Vertin watches Spathodea and Desert Flannel rush off in excitement to the concern of Ezra. Indeed the stadium appears to have a rather invigorating effect on arcanists, although results may vary to what they interpret as “invigorating” to be. Their attention shifts to their left, to the brunette who has yet to leave their side. Their laced hands held firm.

 

“What do you think, Schneider? Isn’t it a wondrous sight?”

 

“Indeed it is, My Lord.” Her smile is more lax and her complexion has regulated back to rosy than ghastly pale. They take note that her hand isn’t clammy anymore. Whether it’s because of the stadium’s regulated temperature or not is beyond them. “I’ve never been in a sports stadium before, so I have nothing to compare it with, but this is truly a magnificent land.”

 

“Have you ever wanted to go to one before?” Vertin couldn’t imagine Schneider being interested in sports. While athletic, it’s mainly a necessity rather than a personal interest. Her hobbies of tending to the suitcase gardens is proof her leisures are elsewhere.

 

“It never came to mind in the “past” nor was it a priority in the “future”, My Lord.” The brunette shrugs, noncommittal as she was to the idea. “If the opportunity presents itself, then there’s no reason to decline a chance to see something new, no? It's a marvelous first time experience.”

 

Vertin gently squeezes her hand. “I’m glad I get to share this first time experience with you, then.”

 

“Oh, My Lord.” Schneider smirks at them that sets a light warm coiling in their stomach. “Haven’t you taken enough of my first times?”

 

They quickly tilt their hat down to cover their heated face, clearing their throat. “...Perhaps.”

 

‘It would never be enough.’

 

“No, these idiots! They know nothing about the essence of arcanists’ sporting event!”

 

Both of them turn to the small group not far from them. Vertin was only half paying attention, but got the jist of the current conversation. It’s about the topic of past Uluru sports being taken off from the list under the influence of the Foundation out of safety concerns and replaced with a different one altogether. While they saw the sense as to why changing such a sport that involves a bit of danger in its element, the same understanding goes with how it’s less exciting to arcanists.

 

“Where on earth can you find an arcanist who would burn their legs on Fire Racewalking?!” Spathodea fumes, her face tells how ridiculous the idea itself is to her. “Everyone knows you’ll be fine as long as you believe the fire is harmless!”

 

Schneider leans closer, whispering into their ear. “My Lord, didn’t you try running through a bridge of fire and–”

 

“No comment.”

 

Vertin will assume that the young girl speaks of professional arcane athletes instead of all arcanists in general. Even if arcanum comes naturally, it’s still something that needs to be trained and honed to perfectly utilize it. So if they came out across that fire bridge with most of their clothes burnt and legs charcoal black, then it’s because they haven’t mastered those arts. Maybe. Surely.

 

“It’s fascinating though. Arcanist sports.” The brunette mused, looking around the field in thought. “In human sports, while they’re based on your physical strength and stamina, not everyone can easily join whichever. A professional disk toss is not the same as a 50m sprint. So you train to specialize in certain events in order to participate in it.”

 

“I believe it’s the same with most arcane sports.” Vertin nods. While they’ve never been interested in it, they’ve read much about the sports in question back in SPDM out of curiosity. “Things like Fire Racewalking, Malingee’s Harvest, and more…It’s something all arcanists can participate in, but that’s not to say there’s no advantages to those more connected to its element through Afflatus.”

 

“Oh, I see!” A twinkle of clarity and a light smile crosses her face. “Compared to human sports, the area in which competitors will stand out in certain games isn’t just based on their trained expertise in the sport, but also how in sync they are with Afflatus and its elements. For example, those with Plant Afflatus would have a larger advantage in, say, Beanstalk Climbing where being closely attune with nature is key to encouraging your surroundings to find ways to reach the top more efficiently, yes?”

 

“Precisely.” Vertin smiles, their heart racing at the look of awe and fascination in their lover’s eyes. The look of discovering a world worth exploring. To share one’s culture to someone willing to understand and appreciate it for what it is can give any arcanist a sense of euphoria.

 

“Anyway, Flammy is back!” Spathodea’s energized cry cuts through their private conversation, refocusing their attention back to her. “It’s time arcanists took back the Uluru games from the Foundation! Let’s design a new list of events that fit real arcanists!”

 

They couldn’t help frown a bit at the statement. What exactly constitutes a real arcanist for the girl, Vertin wonders. Surely she wouldn’t mean those in great physical health? It would make sense if it were; since sports games are physically taxing. Vertin can’t imagine people like Cristallo able to do Vault Jumps, but something like Carriage Races might be viable for her if she ever chose to participate.

 

Well, that issue will be tackled in the conversation of the sports list anyway.

 

“Will the Foundation agree to this?” Desert Flannel makes a very good point. “They seem difficult to deal with.”

 

“It’s hard to take it over from the Foundation,” Ezra scratches his head contemplatively. “But if we have all the security-related facilities prepared, and apply to host the event through Laplace Scientific Computing Center…”

 

“Considering Spathodea’s identity, we do stand a chance.” And with the forming suspicion Vertin has about the Stadium. If they can get a more solid confirmation about it, then they could also pitch it along with the formal request to back up their argument. “But the paperwork we are going to deal with…”

 

Reflexively, they glanced at their partner and immediately flinched. Schneider is giving them her best plastered on icy smiles with no comment whatsoever. If their lover ends up being subjected to another round of filing paperwork procedures, there’ll be a price to pay…at Vertin’s expense.

 

“Oh, c’mon! COME ON!” Spathodea stomps her foot as she raises her fist into the air. “You are not supposed to talk about paperwork in the sacred Uluru Stadium!”

 

Like the ever spontaneous fireball that she is, the young girl continues with her general belief of “act now, think about the rest later.” Truly the crowning vision of youth itself that Vertin can’t even fault her excitement to get the ball rolling. Perhaps it’s a good thing then that they offered their aid so all that menial work can be taken care of by the adults and let the children experience a fun time with no stress and worry. If it’s to have that bright joy not be dampened, then Vertin will tolerate the endless, sleepless nights mulling over documented procedures.

 

They just hope Schneider would also be willing to at least take turns…

 

The looming dread of file organization aside, the current issue Spathodea is more interested in taking care of is testing out arcanist sports and which will be added back to the list. As expected, she meant healthy, energetic arcanists when she talked about real arcanists and to get a grasp of properly adjusting the sports for modern day standards, some tests must be made.

 

But the thing is, there’s a lack of available arcanists full of energy. Unless…

 

“Well, I happen to know many arcanists who meet your need.” Vertin says, crouching down to place the suitcase on the floor and unclasp its lock. “And they happen to be here right now.”

 

“What? How come I can’t see them anywhere?” Spathodea looks around and then walks over curiously to their side. “Hmm? Why are you opening the suitcase? Are you gonna organize your stuff here?”

 

Opening the case reveals the bottomless void within. They gave a light knock on the edge to gain the attention of everyone inside. “Anyone care to have some fresh air?”

 

Vertin stood back next to Schneider and gave ample space for those in the suitcase to emerge from it. The surrounding members, save for Schneider, look on in awe and bewilderment as its structure shakes a bit before a small figure rises from its depths.

 

“The fresh smell of grass with smoked fragrance!” The toy horse on wheels neighs in delight, drifting in circles excitedly. “There is no doubt that it tastes better than gilded carrots! And, look at this army of royal guards!”

 

What?

 

Suddenly, the ground shook under them to the vibrations of heavy foot fall. Large towering beasts with spikes came lumbering over with a hostile aura. Vertin didn’t even realize there were creatures within the Stadium!

 

“They must be here to greet the Great Darley Clatter!”

 

“Royal guards? What is he saying?” Desert Flannel looks over to the direction they all are looking at and lets out a shriek. “Aaah…no kidding, is that giant creature covered with spikes his “Royal Guard”?”

 

“That’s the thorny devils, the enormous creatures born in the burning sand of the Stadium.” Ulu supplies an explanation. So it’s the Stadium’s own making, then. “They used to be mounts for the players, but looks like they have forgotten their master after all these years of slumber.

 

Enough talk. Let’s put them back to dust and ashes.”

 

Indeed, it’s best to take care of them rather than attempt to retame such a herd. If it’s by the creation of the Stadium itself, then it’s no loss to the sport the mounts are meant for and can be easily resupplied. Spathodea steps forward before Vertin can make a general call, fists bumping together in a spark of flames.

 

“Let me handle it this time!” She declares with confidence, taking her stance as she bursts into arcane flames. Her control of her new arcane skill has massively improved upon fully regaining her past life’s memories it seems. “As the priestess, it’s only natural for me to deal with the Stadium’s inner problems.”

 

Vertin blinks, watching Spathodea dash forward excitedly and begins a blazing performance of fighting the herd of thorny devils. Ezra makes a move to help, but Schneider places a hand on his shoulder. The brunette just smiles.

 

“Let’s not get these sacred lands dirty with spores, Amanita.”

 

“Oh!” The blond briefly blushes in realization before it goes away the next moment. It’s still quite curious how fleeting those moments of expressions are on the boy’s face. On any human for that matter. “Of course. Ms. Spathodea’s plenty capable to deal with such creatures, but she’s invited me in for the sake of her health so I must look out for her.”

 

“Then doctor her after the fight is over.” Patting him on the shoulder, she continues to keep him in place as he watches on curiously. “Wouldn’t want the doctor to get caught in the crossfire. Who, then, will doctor the doctor?”

 

“You make a compelling point, Ms. Schneider…”

 

Vertin subtly covers their mouth to avoid laughing. It’s honestly sweet to see someone grow very attached to Schneider so quickly. Normally, the brunette isn’t up for taking people under her wing so easily, but Ezra is something special. Thinking about it, their partner doesn’t interact with other humans all that much as far as they remember. Is this the first time in a long while that she’s bonded with another human like this? The thought makes them frown.

 

A round of cheers cuts through their focus, the fight is over. In its wake is the aftermath of the young girl’s victory, a blazing atmosphere or scorching hot sands over fiery rocks. Well, that solves their need to set a place up for Fire Racewalking, and the commotion has drawn more arcanists out of the suitcase curiously. At the sight of it, Desert Flannel waves her hand that grasps Spathodea’s up in the air to grab everyone’s attention.

 

“Now, people…those of you who are not afraid of fire and wish to walk among the flames, please register here!”

 

Among the throng of arcanists mulling about to engage in the exciting events, they spot Schneider gently nudging Ezra towards Spathodea. He gives a nod and makes a beeline for her animatedly.

 

“Ms. Spathodea! Allow me to check on your condition, please. We’ll need to see if there’s been any fluctuations to your core from that fight.”

 

“What, seriously? I’m fine! You don’t have to fuss over me every time I get into something!”

 

“As your doctor, it’s best to monitor your status just after fully awakening as a reincarnator. I’ll have to remind you that you passed out not too long ago because of it, so better safe than sorry.”

 

“Ugh, fiiiine!”

 

The sight of several arcanists engaging in various sports, filling up the field on a warm mid afternoon gave them a glimpse into what it’d be like once the stadium’s truly full of arcanists in their element. Vertin felt the anticipation for what’s to come and the buzzing of arcanum in the air proves the same sentiments in everyone.

 

Despite that rising energy to act, they instead gravitate towards Schneider again like always. The brunette in question observing the field with her arms crossed and that unwavering smile on her face. Her gaze often landed over at the benches where Ezra is inspecting Spathodea’s condition.

 

“What do you think so far?”

 

Even without looking they can feel her eyes on them. It’s easy to tell when she’s on to them, but Vertin remains elusive about it. When a revelation about their lover comes to mind, it never leaves them until they have a proper discussion on it. Schneider’s thoughts on it are the priority.

 

“Acceptable.” Simple and to the point. The brunette brushes some hair away from her face. “Could use some improvement. Or would “worldly experience” be a more appropriate term to use?”

 

“He could get plenty of that if he ever wishes to join us in travel.” Vertin supplies as if making casual conversation about the weather. They still don’t meet her eyes.

 

“My Lord.” Her singsong tone makes their heart stutter and the cloy scent of oranges grows stronger the closer she gets. “What are you thinking?”

 

“I simply think that…” Ah, there was no use skirting around the topic. Schneider was always better at it than them. “Maybe we could benefit from having someone like him in the team.”

 

“You could say the same thing for that lil ember flame and her ward.” While there’s humor to her silent chuckle, she’s not engaging in the idea itself. She’s in no mood to entertain it. Vertin will set that conversation to the side for another time. True to their conclusion, Schneider changed the topic. “Speaking of, what say you of this place and its young priestess, My Lord? You spoke of it instilling a sense of comfort in you, yes?”

 

“Indeed. The air here has a heady quality to it. Similar to…” Vertin ponders over it more, watching everyone’s activities around the field. With so much mixed arcane energy flying around, they can’t put the sensation into proper words. It’s merely instinct. They spot Ezra approaching them before they offer more insight. Their private meeting is over for now.

 

“The people are having a good time here. They are sweaty but also delighted. I’ve never seen anything like this in Laplace.” The blond observes his surroundings with the same critical fascination as Schneider. He often takes interest in the roofing of the stadium, his eyebrows momentarily furrowing in concern when the commotion of the field sends sand and dust falling off its ledges. Vertin wonders if he’s thinking about mushroom tops when looking at them. “As Ms. Ulu said, this excitement comes from the Stadium itself. Is this a recovery arcane skill that works on arcanists? Or, a kind of cheering potion?”

 

“No, I don’t think so.” Such an impressive arcane skill would surely wear the caster down and given the place is such an ancient location, even the best incantations will slowly fade overtime of not reapplied. It’s like… “It just smells…familiar here.”

 

“Yes! Right! I totally agree with you!”

 

They all turn to Regulus, her form swaying at alarming degrees from side to side. It’s strange to witness her shambling form as not long ago she was engaging in several games in high spirits. Well, it’s not like her mood has dampened, but in fact has bolstered to the point of inebriation. Something didn’t sit right with Vertin.

 

“It smells like the, uh, the weird cave on that island…”

 

Clarity flashes in their head and now they finally understand. A second person confirmed their theory and so it wasn’t just their hopeful thinking bringing up its potential. Still, a verbal account won’t be enough and they’ll need physical evidence. They’ll need to get the kit out and ready for use.

 

“I didn’t touch a drop, but, ah, feeling dizzy!”

 

“Watch out, Regulus.” Vertin warns, walking over to help steady the rockin’ pirate. “You are falling down.”

 

Feeling the stability of someone else, Regulus instantly put all her weight onto them. They had to back up and bend their knees to keep both of them upright. Strangely enough, she’s far heavier when in such a state. That, and she squirms a lot. It’s hard to stop her from moving in their arms.

 

“Easy now. You’re in no state to be moving so much.”

 

“Oh? Are you saying that a sports game can narcotize people, too? Hmmm. I think Mr. APPLe knows it better than me. Let me check where he is.” Regulus manages to wriggle her way out of Vertin’s grasp and starts stumbling toward a direction rapidly.

 

“Mmm?!”

 

“I see him! I see a red ball.” Her voice is loud despite having made great distance between them. “Oh! That must be Mr. APPLe! But, but he seems rounder and bigger.”

 

“Regulus, wait–”

 

“I’ll get her, My Lord.” Schneider offers, jogging away to catch up to the wildly drunk-like arcanist before Vertin can make any protest to it. Their internal alarms are going off, that something isn’t right.

 

No sooner do they feel the premonition, another commotion sounds on the other side of the field. Vertin turns to see Desert Flannel and Bunny Bunny crowding around Spathodea who has collapsed. It didn’t take long for more arcanists to rush over to offer aid. Immediately, they ran to the crowd as well with Ezra hot on their heels.

 

“Spathodea!” Desert Flannel’s cries start coming in range of their hearing. “You alright? Hey…wake up! Go, get me the wet towel!”

 

Once they get close enough, Ezra politely pushes through the congregated mass to crouch down by Spathodea’s side. Vertin gives the situation a once over and tries to detect any irregularity in the girl’s arcanum. No fluctuation, no irregularities. Her core is stable, if not muddled by something eerily familiar to them. With what they’re figuring out now, then this could potentially be the stadium’s “protective measures.”

 

“Her temperature…is a bit lower than just now, but her condition is quite stable.” Vertin offers their observation. “I guess it’s not a “reincarnator” reaction, but something else.”

 

“Please don’t panic. I have not observed any signs of flames in her eyes or mouth.” Ezra announces after properly inspecting Spathodea’s condition. “She’s not ablaze again. Ms. Desert Flannel, did she have any abnormalities before she passed out?”

 

“Abnormalities? Some, I think.” She bit her thumb’s nail in worry, mulling over what she can remember before the collapse. “She waddled as if she was pissed, and talked so loudly that anyone could tell she wasn’t in a clear mind…”

 

“Drunk, clouding of consciousness…” With all signs pointing to the similar effects both in their suitcase’s lake and the island, there’s no more doubt in Vertin that the stadium is like said places. Meaning that they’re in a subdued state, but what could’ve caused it? All they’ve observed them do is engage in arcanists sports, some more than others. They thought back to Regulus’ drunken rambles about the sport events having narcotizing abilities. Wait… “No, Regulus!”

 

Vertin makes a run for it across the field, the looming premonition catalyzing into a prophecy. Each time someone falls into the will of the safe lands only leads them into something dangerous, like back in the island. If more than just Spathodea and Regulus are affected by it…Not even Schneider alone can handle the consequences.

 

As if proving their worst fears, they spot Schneider trying to hold back a very persistent Regulus from approaching a tremendous inferno that seemingly popped into existence. No, it’s not quite right. Upon closer inspection, at the heart of its blaze, Ulu cheers and rambles excitedly as if in a manic state of euphoria. She’s grown ten times her original size!

 

“Ma tu sei pazzo?! Ti vuogghiu scottari?! Comu vi pari ca 'sta cosa assomiglia a 'na mela?!!” Schneider curses, her arms firmly wrapped around the other’s waist as she dug her heels to the ground, leaving a shallow trail with each step Regulus took. “Normalmenti nun si accussì forti! Picchì ora scegli di essiri cchiù forti di mia?!!”

 

“Come! Come to me–” The drunken arcanist paid the warnings and resistance no mind with her arms spread out toward the flame. “I require the biggest huuuuug!”

 

“Regulus!” Vertin shouts, not reaching in time to stop her. 

 

The moment she makes contact with the flames, her clothes catch on fire and she screams in surprise. Her startled reaction was enough to cut off her supernatural persistence so Schneider can hoist the flailing pirate up and back up slowly from the threat.

 

“Whoa!! It’s hot! It’s burning!! It’s burning my hands!”

 

“Thank you for your outstanding observation, Captain! Now if you would just, ugh, cooperate!” The brunette grits her teeth, the flames growing bigger and bigger at an alarming rate that it’s licking at her skin in seconds. “ Cazzo! A little hand here please!”

 

“Oh, my! Ms. Regulus, Ms. Schneider! I got you!” Bunny Bunny rushes over at the sight once the rest of the group has caught up with Vertin. She easily helps the Italian lift Regulus up over her shoulder and moves farther away from the growing fire hazard.

 

“Ah, I’m so tired.” The pirate slurs her words, eventually going limp in the bunny girl’s hold. “Let me take a nap.”

 

“Regulus? Regulus! Oh dear…” She pats the girl in alarm, receiving no response. “Don’t pass out now!”

 

“Take her to My Lord, quick!” Schneider instructs, rushing back to the surrounding area of Ulu’s flames. “I will collect the others who are far gone!”

 

“Right, come on, Regulus.” Bunny Bunny lifts the unconscious blonde higher and jogs towards Vertin where the other less influenced arcanists started to gather. “I’m getting you outta here!”

 

“Another one has passed out.” Visible concern starts seeping into Ezra’s facial expression once Regulus was brought over to them. “If we let it go like this, every arcanist here would…Ms. Vertin, we have to leave at once!”

 

“But Ms. Spathodea has passed out, too!” Looking over to Desert Flannel, who is carrying the unconscious girl in question over her back, proving that point. “Who can open that door?”

 

“Bunny Bunny, take everyone back to the suitcase!” Vertin acts quick, spotting Schneider emerging from the flames lugging more unconscious arcanists with her. They’re at a critical juncture. “Don’t let anyone out before I open it again!”

 

“Alright, got it…” She takes Spathodea off of Desert Flannel’s hands and makes her way to the suitcase, nearly falling over when her foot caught on something. “Oops! I tripped by…Huh? Mr. APPLe! Why are you sleeping in the grass?”

 

“Darley is on it!” The toy horse, with Click on his back, grabs APPLe with his mouth and herbs a dizzy La Source towards the suitcase’s entrance. Schneider passes on the rest of the unconscious arcanists over until every last one is safe inside before ushering Desert Flannel to go in as well.

 

“Wait, me too?!”

 

“Someone has to look after the little ember and she trusts you the most!” Is the brunette’s quick reasoning before getting her to enter the suitcase. “We will take care of it!”

 

“Hold on! Ezra–”

 

The suitcase is promptly shut with a clang of the hinge, fully blocking the spreading fire and the stadium’s influence from a room full of arcanists. With the case’s enforced protective properties, it’ll keep them safe. That left Vertin, Schneider, and Ezra to deal with the issue.

 

“All the fun, the fun of sports! I am burning like I did a thousand years ago!” Ulur cheers, her molten core crackles and pops like fireworks, creating more living flames that run rampant. “Haha… Let’s dance hand in hand, for the respectable sunshine…and rain!”

 

“Mmm. This is too dangerous.” Ezra flinches, backing away due to the intense heat. “She may start a fire!”

 

“It’s too late for that observation now, Amanita!” Schneider walks to Vertin side, her pristine clothes now burnt and blackened in places. “I may have to retract my earlier statement about messing these grounds with your spores. It may be better than the entire place burning into a wasteland!”

 

“We have to put her out for now.” Vertin meets the blond’s eyes in mutual understanding. If it’s the same as the previous night’s hazard, then their last strategy might work. “...The good news is, we are already a skilled fire brigade.”

 

While Ezra prepares his gear, they gauge the situation more carefully. Ulu’s size is drastically increasing which also spreads the flames farther out. In the short time they’ve evacuated everyone into the suitcase, the entire circumference of the fire elemental is completely set ablaze. If Vertin were to try and go toe to toe with her…that requires firewalking.

 

Well, there is another option if it gets drastic, but that last resort is…

 

“Schneider.” Vertin glances over to the brunette. She has grabbed the emergency kit they’ve prepared this time around, taking out the augmented fireproof gloves and leg guards inside. “How well are you to “engage” if necessary?”

 

“...I will grant it if you so wish, My Lord.” Even if she didn’t grimace, the disdain is enough to bring down her smile to a smooth neutral expression. Her grip on the gloves is tight. The time is ticking.

 

“Nevermind, let’s proceed with what you’re comfortable with.”

 

“My Lord–”

 

“There are other ways to handle this; with or without your arcanum.” Vertin is firm on their decision, leveling Schneider with a rare look of finality. “That’s why Ezra’s out here with us, isn’t he?”

 

It was a split second of silence that stretched on between them; two stubborn wills clashing. Eventually the brunette huffs and smiles ruefully, tossing them the gloves and putting the leg guards on herself. Ah, so this is pay back then. “I will not have a repeat of yesterday. Leave the leg work to me, My Lord.”

 

They’ll compromise.

 

“Of course.” They nod and start taking off their hat and jacket before rolling their sleeves up to slip on the gloves. Ulu’s mania comes in sporadic bursts with a lull in between her excitement comes mild confusion before it starts back up again. They can’t keep her waiting much longer.

 

“How well informed are you about us and our duties, Amanita!” Schneider asks over her shoulder to Ezra, securing the leg guards properly.

 

“Ah, only the essentials, Ms. Schneider! Any further news that is spread about your… “case” is to be overlooked as hearsay according to the Foundation!” Ezra turns a few knobs on his terrarium and light mist starts seeping out of his dowsing rod. “To the people of Laplace, you are valuable in the scientific field of study of arcane biology!”

 

Vertin’s stomach churns at the cold, clinical objectification of their partner, but Schneider takes it in stride nonetheless, “Then consider this as one of those scientific observations. What you’ll witness is purely confidential and should not be disclosed to others, understood? You’ll be dealing with consequences otherwise!”

 

Schneider takes off her jacket.

 

The bewilderment is palpable in the way Ezra tenses up, his eyes growing wide as they focus predictably on the brunette’s back. But there’s no use dwelling on it, they’ve run out of time and Ulu has shifted back into maniacally growing in size. Vertin readjusts their gloves before setting their orders.

 

“Ezra, make a barrier to contain Ulu and her flames! Once Schneider and I are inside, I want you to start reducing the oxygen from within!”

 

“That’s extremely dangerous! You and Ms. Schneider will–”

 

“I’m not asking to cut off the air completely, only enough to put out most of the fire protecting her. We won’t be able to make contact otherwise! Rest assured, I have a plan!”

 

“Y, yes, of course, Ms. Vertin!”

 

“It’s been a while since I’ve said this, but…” They try not to blush too hard as they steal themself for what’s to come. “Schneider, carry me.”

 

Her smile is as wild and dazzling as the day Vertin first requested it. “Of course, My Lord.”

 

With no preamble, Schneider hoists them up in her arm like they’re as light as a feather, hands secured on their back and underneath their legs. Her speed is reduced from the additional weight, but she dashes forward with deftness to her steps that make up for it. The coiling heat instantly consumed them upon crossing the threshold of Ulu’s territory and Ezra wasted no time sealing off the area with his spores. A thin cyan film covers the whole area like a dome that starts sucking out the air inside like a vacuum. The field of flames withers and wanes to a scorching haze, creating a better path towards the heart of the blaze.

 

“Oh, oh, are we on to the next rousing game?” Ulu pulses with heat and energy, her body swirls around like a deadly tornado. “Yes, children, let us partake in the red soil’s festivities! Come, let’s play! Play my dearest friend’s beloved Malingee’s Harvest! With scorching stones upon your joints, go forth and catch the most brilliant of flames!”

 

“She’s on the move!” Vertin clenches their teeth as an unbearable wave of sweltering heat passes through them, Ulu laughs in glee while flying around and hurling balls of flames at them. Schneider skids and turns, narrowly avoiding collision from the projectiles as the sound of sizzling leather persists on her legs. Even with gear designed to withstand powerful arcane flames, the instability can melt it away in time. “Ezra, status!”

 

“Oxygen is reduced down to 50% of its original concentration and rapidly decreasing!” The blonde monitors the stats in alarm while keeping his dowsing rod steady in supplying spores for the barrier. “I, I can’t sustain this for too long! Ms. Ulu’s flames are burning through the spores too quickly. We have five minutes, Ms. Vertin!”

 

“Five minutes will do.” Schneider gasps, running around to keep up the chase with Ulu around the dome, her skin flushing red with sweat and burns. Most importantly the oxygen deprivation is getting to her quicker as time passes. “I’m catching up to her, My Lord!”

 

“Excellent.” Vertin feels their arcanum swell in their chest, slowly building and making its way to their arms. They ball their fists tightly. “Bring me high while you aim low!”

 

“Muvimmu comu unu, Vertin!” They were prepared when she shifts, skidding at the center of Ulu’s deathly spiral. She heaves their body and twists her waist, using the momentum to spin them around faster and faster. With well practiced timing, like a professional weight thrower, Schneider tosses Vertin vertically, sending them up high and above the blazing elemental.

 

Vertin curves their back and reorients their position midair as their gloved hands glow with harnessed energy. They met their partner’s eyes before moving in tandem. The brunette braces herself on the scorching ground and with immense force on her legs, propels herself up to aim a swift kick towards Ulu.

 

The flaming arcanist moves out of the way, but immediately gets startled by Schneider’s quick spin that turns into a back kick. Flames completely engulf her leg and make contact with the smoldering rock fragments protecting Ulu’s body, the force is enough to push her just below Vertin.

 

Now!

 

Highly concentrated arcanum bore down like lightning, adding to the momentum of Vertin’s descent. Their fist makes contact with the unstable fire and the reaction was instant. A huge shockwave erupts from the collision, shoving Schneider down to the ground with such force that it forms a light crater. Ezra stumbles back when the energy hits his barrier and starts forming cracks all over the dome’s filament. It’s so intense that it nearly sent Vertin flying before they quickly gripped onto one of Ulu’s stone pieces with their other hand for leverage. The pulsing waves match their heartbeat, rapidly increasing in speed the longer they try to push through the solid ball of lava that formed like a shell around Ulu, their gloves melting onto their skin. Their lungs start to burn from inhaling nothing by heat and carbon dioxide. If they can just make contact with her body…!

 

“Schneider!”

 

They can see Schneider claw her way out of the crater as if there’s a shift in the gravitational pull to her body. Her eyes burning with the same red blaze as the flames, gritting her teeth as she stood up on shaky legs. Vertin’s eyes widen at the faint tug in their chest. It might as well be someone grabbing their heart with a hand. The heat of the flames surrounding them was nothing compared to the intense explosion of their unchecked emotion slipping out.

 

“DO NOT!!”

 

Red eyes snap up to meet theirs with what almost look to be a trace of hurt in them before quickly replaced with alarm and clarity. Shaking her head, the brunette braces her legs, feet digging into the burnt soil before jumping high. With the speed of her ascent, she spun and landed a roundhouse kick so strong that it broke through the shell and hit Ulu on the back. Caught by the surprise attack, the elemental gets shoved closer just as Vertin rears their arm and punches through the ball as well. Their hand sunk into it like dense molten syrup, completely eviscerating the glove’s cover like it’s nothing and their hand began boiling as if it’s dipped in acid. Vertin bites their lip until it bleeds, forcing themself not to pull back as their fingers brush against Ulu’s chest.

 

“I got you!”

 

Quickly grasping onto the element, they push all the arcanum they can onto her until–

 

The barrier shatters, including the dome encasing them. All the air suddenly rushing in caused multiple chain reactions to happen all at once. Vertin only had time to fall and collide with Schneider, gripping their lover tightly before every particle around them combusts in an erratic show of fireworks.

 

A large plume of smoke rose to the sky like a deadly mushroom and soon silence returned to the stadium. Once the smoke cleared, all that’s left is a giant mess of burnt land, spores, a small barrier containing three protected occupants at the center.

 

Ezra gasped heavily. His arms violently shaking as he gripped the outstretched dowsing rod like his life depended on it. Well, the lives of three people did, had he been a millisecond slower. The moment he saw everyone safe is when he allowed himself to sink to his knees and fully collapse in relief.

 

“Oh, thank goodness…Strewth…Ugh, oh, bugger me…”

 

Vertin groans, looking at the barrier around them before down at Schneider tightly held in their arms. She quietly mumbles several strings of curses before saying something about suffocating her and moving out of their hold. Sandwiched between them is an unconscious Ulu, her flames no longer hurting them, but the heat she radiates stung against their other burns. The couple gazed into each other's eyes before they burst into laughter. Humorless, exasperated, and relieved.

 

“Good call on having Ezra stay...” Their throat feels raw from all the shouting and smoke inhalation. Black spots start forming in the corner of their vision and it wouldn’t be long until they passed out. Schneider looked not far behind either. The muffled sounds of distant shouting reminds them that even if that happens, they’re in safe hands. “That amount of arcane build up would surely…”

 

Cause arcanists a lot of damage.

 

Schneider could only offer a strained smile, the act itself too painful. She’s roasted red with bleeding burn patches all over. It makes their heart ache and Vertin can’t imagine what the state of her legs look like. Based on the horrid appearance of their arms safely wrapped around Schneider’s waist and out of view, it’s for the best. Even if they move it away, their muscles are locked in place and refuse to cooperate. So for now, they’ll cling to their lover.

 

The last thing Vertin hears is Ezra's worried cries before passing out.

 

———————————————————————————————

 

The suitcase was in chaos once everyone was inside to rest and be tended to. Vertin has to admire Ezra’s resilience in the whole ordeal. The boy wasted no time in stationing himself as head medic and requesting any able bodied arcanist for assistance on treating the injured and looking after the fainted.

 

Having another level headed person be a pillar for the people of the suitcase is immensely helpful when both Vertin and Schneider are in no shape to calm their worries. While the human mind is far more logical and uninfluenced by emotions, Vertin could still see the subtle shaking of Ezra’s hands whenever there’s no task being done. Humans value logic over instinct, but they’re not soulless. This affects everyone terribly.

 

After getting the more serious wounds treated, the two of them retreat to their room to take care of the minor ones themselves. Vertin knows their burns are even worse compared to last night’s and from the scathing look Schneider sent them, there was no way they’re going to accept the health potion despite Ezra’s confusion. He fortunately didn’t dwell on it with how there’s many others that need his care and so they’re left within the privacy of their room.

 

Learning to bandage each other’s wounds was one of the first real bonding routines that formed between Vertin and Schneider. The longer their duties went, the more they got into encounters involving one or both of them injured. The brunette fusses over proper medical care and learning the balance between rapid regeneration and natural healing. Something she no doubt picked up during her time…

 

The disinfectant stung painfully that it cuts through their thoughts. Schneider’s hands move with a gentleness only reserved for them and family. The burn cream is cool in contrast as their arms are once again wrapped in gauze. Vertin counts themself lucky compared to their lover. She’s practically a mummy with her body nearly covered completely in bandages. There were hardly any “minor” injuries for them to take care of. Only major ones.

 

Well, there was a major injury only Vertin can heal.

 

Once Schneider packs up the first aid kit, they take it from her to set on their night stand. They couldn’t feel anything in their hands due to the cream’s numbing effect, but they know the warmth of her face as they cup it between them. Her eyes glisten like precious rubies, wet with tears but in no threat of falling nor overflowing. Vertin kisses her tenderly.

 

They slowly guided her further onto their bed and she showed no resistance, settling in a rare position of her in their arms. In moments like these is when Schneider feels the smallest, the bravest, and the most fragile. She’s not one to crumple so easily, not because she’s afraid of showing weakness to Vertin. They’ve long crossed that burning bridge. The brunette only caves when it’s truly something she can’t bear on her own. Vertin doesn’t want her to bear it on her own anymore.

 

They’re in it together.

 

“I’m sorry for shouting at you.” They’re the first to break the silence. When one makes a mistake, they must own up to it. “I shouldn’t have gotten mad.”

 

“...You were only worried, I understand.” Her tone is even, neutral even. Their heart clenched as they gently squeezed her in comfort. Schneider buries her face against their chest. “I’m sorry too. I trust your judgment, but I couldn’t help but think–It looked so dire that I–”

 

Vertin lets her speak until her words taper off, having no end to its sentence. They take a breath and close their eyes.

 

“We’re off duty. What we’re doing is outside of what’s expected of us.” They gently remind her, deftly carding their fingers through curled locks. “You weren’t obligated to do more than you’re comfortable with.

 

It’s okay to be human.”

 

The first sob was like tearing into their heart, followed by another more guttural one. Bit by bit, it clawed into them. Her tears soaked their shirt, hand tightly grasping the fabric until it wrinkle and tore. But nothing was more terrifying than their lover breaking down.

 

“Mi fa mali…” Schneider gasps for breath, her voice shakes from the overwhelming despair she’s trying to process. “Mi passa pi li vena e mi fa mali.”

 

Vertin says nothing. All they could do is hold her close and not let go. In a while, they’ll steep some lemon balm brew–both safe for human and arcanist use–that Tooth Fairy supplied to counteract some of the nerve pain. In a while, they’ll help her clean up and redress her burns. And in a while, they’ll go out and check on everyone.

 

But that’s in a while.

 

Right now, they’ll take care of their lover.

Chapter 5: A Test In Patience

Summary:

All the exciting parts have given way to more pressing matters. Paperwork.

Notes:

Getting all these paperwork talk out of the way and even more Ezra-Schneider interactions. The way I see it, Ezra has a small "idol" crush on Schneider where all he's heard are good things her "contributions" have done for Laplace and research on arcanists that he's a little star-struck to consider how she feels about it. He'll grow out of it as he matures, don't worry.

Also even more domestic married couple verneider. They do a lot more kissing here.

Schneider’s episode is far worse than they thought. Vertin just got done cleaning themself up and enters the master bedroom, eyes instantly going to the lump on the bed. She hasn’t moved an inch since they left her to rest two hours ago. Normally, they would find the brunette’s prone position humorous with how her face is deeply embedded into the pillow; it’s the reason they got her one specially made with a hole in the center so she won’t suffocate.

 

But today just wasn’t those days.

 

Making their way over, they sat on the edge of the bed and gently brushed their hand over her back to smooth down the pain patches. She’s been stripped bare with only their thinnest blanket to keep her modest. When the flair up is at its highest, even fabric is irritating on her skin.

 

The worst of it is mostly on her back. 

 

Vertin knows that taking more than her regulated medication wouldn’t help since the trigger for the episode was an outside force caused by the violent arcane clash with Ulu. It hurts them to see her suffering from the archaic imbalance, but all they can do is wait it out, hoping the tea and patches help block out most of the pain.

 

“I’ll be going out to check on the status of everyone.”

 

Schneider made a faint noncommittal grunt, muffled by the ring cushion framing her face. They gave a light kiss atop her head before heading out of their room and toward the guest wing. It’s a sparse hall lined with doors on both sides with the plaques all blanked out. One of the many strange areas in the suitcase that formed a long time ago when they and Schneider built their “home” together.

 

They spot Bunny Bunny coming out from one of the doors carrying a medical kit with Desert Flannel in tow. The woman in red looks no worse for wear than when she was a few hours ago and Vertin’s relieved to see her in good health.

 

“Ms. Vertin, you’re up!” The arcanist dressed as a bunny girl came over in concern. “Are you and Ms. Schneider doing okay? You both looked pretty banged up after coming back. Do you need any more medical care?”

 

“I’m fine, thank you.” Vertin nods, “How is everyone’s condition?”

 

“Ezra’s something else, that one. Practically took care of everyone so quickly that Bunny and I barely lifted a finger.” Desert Flannel shook her head in amazement, “We just came out of the room where Spathodea’s in. It was for the best that we kept her and Ulu separate for now just in case. Ezra’s also in there if you’re looking to learn the details. I need to go make a few work calls so I’ll be back in a bit.”

 

“I got to deliver some medicine to the others, but I won’t be long.” Bunny Bunny pipes up, adjusting the medical box in her hands. “Be back in a jiffy!”

 

They watch the two wander down the corridor before walking into the room. Like all the guest rooms, it’s simple in its furnishing meant to reflect a hotel room with all the basic essentials inside. Ezra’s over by the study desk rummaging through his extensive medical case full of what Vertin identifies as Laplace’s toolkit. On the bed itself is Spathodea. The girl lays there unconscious, but no longer looking feverish or pale.

 

“Oh, Ms. Vertin, you’re here.” Taking notice of them, the blond boy approaches while appraising Vertin from head to toe. “Are your wounds not healing quick enough? No matter, I have some eucalyptus cold jelly for faster regeneration on arcane burns if you’d like.”

 

“Desert Flannel’s dizziness is in remission.” Vertin deftly evades the offer. “She’s already well enough to deal with her business on the fax machine. Will it do harm to her physical condition?”

 

“Ms. Desert Flannel is only experiencing a very mild reaction.” Fortunately Ezra took the bait and focused on the question. When mushrooms and health are concerned, the boy will immediately turn to it. “She can move around freely, and it is recommended for her to do so. Ms. Spathodea, on the contrary…”

 

They look at the unconscious girl on the bed. “She’s not awake.”

 

“No.” A look of concern crosses his face before changing into a calm, reassuring smile. “But her body temperature and her arcanum level are getting stable now. She should wake up in any minute.”

 

“Is it because she took part in too many events in the Stadium?” Vertin asks. While they still have to do some field tests on the place itself, getting confirmation on the effects it has on arcanists would help avoid any more incidents.

 

“That’s right. She has to stay in bed for the next three days.” Ezra turns back to the desk and grabs a clipboard, flipping through its pages. “As well as Ms. Regulus and Mr. APPLe. I have asked Ms. Bunny to send them the medicine. If everything went well, they should have woken up by now…”

 

“Dr. Ezra, I’m back!” Bunny Bunny opens the door enough to squeeze through, quietly closing it behind her. “Regulus are awake now, so I gave them some medicine! But…Ms. Ulu is still in a coma…”

 

“Don’t worry, Ms. Ulu is different to the other unconscious arcanists. She was weakened by the long sleep, while the other arcanists lost consciousness because of external factors.” He walks over and passes the clipboard to Vertin. A detailed report on his observation for each arcanist affected and what their symptoms are were listed cleanly; easy to understand. “Look, this is their physiological data in the last three hours.”

 

A quick scan of the data proved many more of Vertin’s conjectures and cleared up some undefined ones. In comparison to other “defense ritual” surrounding a safe land, the Stadium’s unique wherein it doesn’t protect the land itself but the use of its ability. The area has already proven to enhance an arcanist’s physical ability and energy as if invigorating them, but the caveat being participating in too many events for an extended period of time will slowly cause the arcanist to display the drunk and delusional symptoms that being exposed to the suitcase’s lake fog does.

 

“And these symptoms were relieved soon after they left the Stadium.” The results in the report alludes to this as a fact. For the mildly affected like Desert Flannel, almost all of the ill effects went away while the worse cases still need medical care.

 

“Ah, you mean…people are in oblivion because of that…Stadium?” The bunny girl arcanist tries to wrap her head around the idea, “If that place is so dangerous, is it possible to hold the Games again?”

 

“I think this is why in the past, athletes were only allowed to compete in three different sports.” Ezra tilts his head and Vertin spaces out at the sight, their thoughts wander to their lover. “As long as we stick with the same rule, the safety of our athletes shouldn’t be problematic.”

 

“Oh, I got it! So this place is just as safe as the club I work in! As long as we ain’t breaking the rules, nothing will happen!” Bunny Bunny nods to herself sagely. While the comparison is abstract, if it helps her understand better then it’s good. “Like how the bodyguards and I take care of our club, the rule and special medicine made by Ms. Ezra will protect the Uluru Stadium!”

 

Vertin immediately suppresses a laugh.

 

“...”

 

Ezra pauses.

 

“Ms.?”

 

“Oh?” The poor girl looks between them in confusion. “What’s wrong, Ms. Ezra?”

 

“Ms. Bunny, but you see…” Ezra smiles despite his own confused state. “I’m not a Ms.”

 

“Huh?” There’s a contemplative silence in the room before Bunny Bunny chuckles. “You are funny, Ms. Ezra. Please stop teasing me. What else can you be except a lady? A gentleman?”

 

Vertin decides to lend the poor Laplace boy some aid. “Ezra is indeed a he.”

 

“...Huh?” The bunny girl’s voice starts to sound hesitant.

 

“A-A HE?!”

 

Everyone stops as Spathodea shoots up from her lying position at an alarming speed. Her eyes narrowed in a wide mix of shock, horror, confusion, and denial. It’s an interesting sight to witness.

 

“Aah! Ms. Spathodea, you’re awake!” Grabbing some items on the desk, Ezra walks to the bed with his offerings. He’s completely brushed off the odd conversation in favor of performing medical care as usual. “Here, take this water and the nutrition supplement capsule.”

 

“No no no no, NOOOO…” The young girl pushes the water and pills away with shaky hands while her gaze remains firmly on him. “You-You’re a boy? When…did you turn into a boy?”

 

“Yes, I’m a boy.” Ezra nods, not seeing the issue and continues to grow confused. “I was a boy when I was born, and I have been that way since.”

 

“What? Wait…Wh-What?” Spathodea grabs the blond by his checkered shawl, shaking him a little in the process. “Why did you lie to me?! Why did you say you were a…Wait, you never said you were a girl…”

 

“Wait, Ms. Spathodea, please don’t grab me so tightly.”

 

Vertin watches the room devolve into a mess of confusion with Spathodea looking like her soul is about to leave her body, Ezra becoming overwhelmed by the revelation that he’s been mistaken as a girl by several people in what might be the first time in his life, and Bunny Bunny off to side as she tries to wrap her head around this new information.

 

They cover their mouth again to suppress a laugh. While it’s rude to find the other’s situation humorous, they can’t say they don’t understand what it’s like. In Vertin’s travels, many have mistaken them for all sorts of genders and even a critter once. Everyone in the suitcase has their own special way of referring to them; be it Miss or Sir. Even Schneider plays around with what to call them in her mother tongue for fun.

 

Although they don’t pay it much thought, it reminds Vertin how loose and unconforming most arcanists are in terms of such things like male and female identity–what with certain arcanists being sentient objects. Perhaps it’s different for humans. That sticking to the length of a binary system in biology is what makes sense to them. Scientifically speaking, it’s important to make that distinction, but they wonder if it’s just as crucial on a personal level.

 

It was never an issue with Schneider. But frankly, many things were not an issue for her until Vertin asked or mentioned it. She always chooses to withhold information until prompted to provide it. In a sense, it’s her only form of telling lies; by not telling it at all.

 

Vertin frowns.

 

They should talk about it with her at a later date.

 

“Hey ya, I’m back…Emm? What happened?”

 

They turn to the door as Desert Flannel enters the room, clueless of the chaotic misconception she’s brought upon the young. Yet all that was the least of their interest since she didn’t come back alone.

 

Vertin instantly makes a beeline for Schneider.

 

“You should be resting.”

 

“I could say the same thing for you, My Lord.” Her smile doesn’t hide the exhaustion and strain, but it’s less than before. At least it’s enough that she can tolerate clothes. They hesitantly offered their hand and she willingly took it. Physical touches are okay too. Good. “I’m only here to check on you and everyone, then I’ll rest more. Oh, and our kind correspondence left a letter for you, My Lord.”

 

“Thank you for getting it for me.” 

 

Vertin sneaks a kiss on the brunette’s cheek–which she allows–before taking the letter to skim through. The emergency express mail was fortunately quick to deliver their message after the whole ordeal. It was imperative that they need to inform Madam Z and the Foundation of their findings before they could proceed any further into whatever Spathodea wants to do with the games. They request for Slouch Hat’s assistance in compiling the report and get it processed as soon as possible so the application request for the Uluru Games will go through smoothly.

 

“No! Ms. Spathodea! You haven’t fully recovered. You need to rest!”

 

Speaking of…

 

The couple looks on as Spathodea and Ezra bicker over the girl’s well being. Like before, she’s careless as most arcanists tend to be about their health due to the pre-existing belief of their recovery rate while the human Laplace member stands firm that proper rest and recovery is essential. Vertin is starting to get nostalgic watching them.

 

“I’m your doctor, and I’m responsible for your health! I can’t let you leave my sight.”

 

“Your sight…Your sight…Oh! Got it!” Spathodea starts pulling at the boy’s arm, dragging him along excitedly towards the door. “You can come with me! C’mon, c’mon! Time waits for no man. Our Summer Games are about to start!”

 

“Wa-Wait… Whaaaah!”

 

“OK, since the doctor and the patient are both happy, I, the event assistance producer, am also hitting the road!” Desert Flannel declares, waving to them as she walks off. “Wait for our good news!”

 

That left the room less crowded with only Vertin, Schneider, and Bunny Bunny inside. Though from the audible resigned sigh the brunette just let out, that number will be lessened soon.

 

“You don’t have to go.” Vertin reminds her. Desert Flannel is surely enough to chaperon the two and since Ezra’s with them, any problem with paperwork can be dealt without issue.

 

“A promise is a promise, My Lord. One of us must at least be there just in case. It’s only a trip to City Hall, yes? No problem.” Schneider brushes her hair away, the action itself is executed in a slow and stiff way. She doesn’t entertain the concern Vertin is expressing in favor of nestling into their arms and whispering into their ear. “This will give you some time.”

 

Vertin pauses. Of course their lover would know what they’re thinking about with the Stadium. The suitcase is still within its field and having the small group away allows them to investigate and run some tests. It’s a perfect opportunity and likely their only chance to be subtle about it.

 

Still…

 

“If you’re worried about Ms. Schneider, I can come along to keep watch too.” Bunny Bunny pipes up. Ah, they’ve forgotten that she’s in the room. Fortunately the bunny girl's already used to their private relationship like everyone in the suitcase. “That way, if there’s any problem, I can bring everyone back lickety-split!”

 

Weighing the options, it’s a good compromise. Schneider will remain restless either way. As long as she’s not doing anything physically taxing, then Vertin would be less anxious allowing their partner out of their sight during her flare up. They trust their family to take good care of her.

 

“Alright.” They relent, “Ms. Bunny Bunny, please inform Spathodea and the others to wait a moment before departing. Make sure to prepare the essentials.”

 

“Will do, Ms. Vertin!”

 

Vertin waits for her to leave before carefully holding Schneider’s face, tenderly kissing her lips. They can feel the tingle of arcanum and the taste of rust on her tongue. Her muscles briefly stiffen before relaxing, but still tense. They push down their worries for now. They have tasks to do.

 

“Be careful.”

 

“Always, My Lord.”

 

———————————————————————————————

 

Nobody likes filing paperwork. At its core, this is the absolute truth. Even with the rare few like the Old Woman, a larger amount of the populace can agree to this fact. Paperwork is a boring, painful process that no one would wish upon their enemies.

 

Fortunately, Schneider’s not doing said paperwork.

 

But it’s still painful to watch the three girls struggle to assemble and fill in the applications properly for the–Schneider stopped counting after the fifth attempt–umpteenth time. She does feel bad for Bunny Bunny though. Poor girl only offered to help in her stead as paperwork counted under the list of “strenuous activities” she’s not allowed to partake in if it wasn’t urgent.

 

“Ms. Spathodea, does the Stadium have a fire escape?”

 

“...Not in Flammy’s memory. Let me check Spathodea’s…Alright, I have no idea at all. The sports are all I care about…”

 

“Well… I’m just gonna write down an “unknown” here…”

 

“...You…”

 

She gives a side glance to her fellow observer sitting beside her. Schneider wondered when Ezra’s resilience would start to crack after the first hour. His initial look of horror on the first attempt was proof enough that he wouldn’t last in the long run; not with his soft, kind hearted nature. It’s a good quality to have as long as he’s with the right people.

 

“How are ya, my grumpy little friend?” Desert Flannel sneers, her sass given an edge from her frustration. “Finally made up your mind to help?”

 

Ezra opens his mouth to retort, but quickly shuts it with a firm shake of his head.

 

“No…I have no desire to help a patient who doesn’t care about her own health.” He remains stubborn and if he chose to pout in that moment, Schneider would think he’s finally acting his age. “You are on your own.”

 

The girl in red shrugs, grabbing the stack to go for another attempt at submitting it over at the reception desk with Spathodea. Bunny Bunny looks up at the clock provided by the place and turns to Schneider.

 

“Would you like me to get you somethin’ to eat, Ms. Schneider? You can’t take your medicine on an empty stomach.”

 

“Hm.” It’s been that long already? She does feel herself slipping in and out of focus to ignore the searing buzz of her veins occasionally. It’d be nice to take another, but that would be going over her recommended routine. Well, she’ll discuss it with Medicine Pocket since they’ll be here in the long run now that the Stadium’s importance is Storm related. She’ll bite the bullet today and just go without it for tomorrow. “That would be lovely, Bunbun, thank you. Get something that doesn’t make a mess, if you please. This is no place for food, but it’s for medical reasons, they’ll let it slide.”

 

Once Bunny Bunny wanders off, Schneider leans against the bench more. Her joints are stiff and she’s constantly battling against the muscle spasms, but it’s bearable for an extra three hours once medicated. She spots Ezra glancing her way and offers a light smile. He jumps a bit at being caught staring.

 

“I hope you don’t disdain me as well for being out of bedrest, Amanita.” The boy has a good heart for worrying over the well being of many. Albeit his understanding of situations adding in factors as to why they can’t properly take care of themselves are lacking at times. “I gave my word to take care of you, after all.”

 

Ezra blinked owlishly. He turns a light shade of pink before clearing his throat, immediately calming down. Schneider raises an eyebrow. Nothing that she said would warrant that response, but who knows what the blond is thinking at the moment.

 

“Oh, I would never think so, Ms. Schneider! My frustration lies in Ms. Spathodea’s repeated offense rather than the act itself. It’s like she hasn’t learned from all her black outs within the past 48 hours…” He shakes his head, setting those personal thoughts aside to return Schneider’s smile. “Nevertheless, a good amount of Laplace members are aware of your case study and as Timewarden, it’s understandable for your health to fluctuate in between duties. It’s admirable how you set an example to consistently apply good medical practice despite the circumstances.”

 

That piqued her curiosity. Schneider doesn’t mind her medical records of the past being used as research in Laplace–she signed off on it after all–but never paid close attention to how it’s being applied all these years. She wonders the most as to why Ezra has a fascination–bordering idolization–of the minimal contributing achievements she has to Laplace research. Is it another one of those “fascination on arcanists” that drives him to respect her?

 

“You know my case.” She dares point it out. “So you must know that, objectively, it shouldn’t warrant such high praise. Tell me, what makes you so excited like a duckling waddling after its mother?”

 

“Excited…Duckling?” Ezra’s boggled expression doesn’t convince Schneider in his confidence about knowing exactly what she’s asking. Could it honestly be an unfiltered and genuine sense of respect towards her that there’s no underlying reason? While it’s possible, it’s not like it’s common for humans to be so open and understanding of their own feelings. Schneider understands. She’s human after all. “What do you mean by that?”

 

Schneider couldn’t respond as Spathodea and Desert Flannel came back looking utterly defeated. The two collapse on the opposite bench and proceed to cry on each other’s shoulder. Ezra cringes next to her, doing his best to not appear worried for the two. It makes her smile. While she isn’t familiar with the boy, the past few days showed improvement in his path to learning the value of empathy. There’s hope yet.

 

“Ms. Schneider, I bought everyone meat pies from a stall across the street, let’s have a break!” Bunny Bunny pauses seeing the two girls crying and Ezra’s scrunched up face. “Uh, is everything alright?”

 

“Just everyone needing that break, Bunbun. Thank you.”

 

———————————————————————————————

 

Schneider made a good choice taking another dose.

 

While it wouldn’t have been necessary had they finished within 3 hours, there’s always room for the unexpected. Now here, 5 hours in, and several bouts of crying from both her group’s side and the receptionist’s side, progress has been made with the first successful application filled. It would’ve been a cause for celebration had it not been for the state of everyone right now.

 

Desert Flannel has melted into her seat, curled up with her hands on her face while Bunny Bunny is less boisterous than usual–all that critical thinking took the last of her mental faculties for the day. Schneider can feel the agitation radiating off of her bench mate and rather than acknowledging it, she watches Spathodea deliver the forms from afar. She’s having trouble reaching the countertop, having to hop just to be seen. Frankly speaking, it’s a really high countertop. If she were to stand in front of it, only the top of her head would be seen.

 

The government member took pity on Spathodea and got her a stool to stand on. It’s only a brief moment before the girl cheers loudly for everyone in the building to hear. A huge success it seems. But the celebration was cut short when her demeanor instantly deflated from something the staff said which was followed by…Even more stacks of paperwork. Ah, that must be for the arcane sports that weren't on the approval list almost a century ago.

 

“Ugh, I can’t take this anymore!”

 

Ezra abruptly stood up and marched over to the counter to intervene. Schneider smiles in amusement as the blond also starts hopping just to be seen. Spathodea cheered, giving the surprised boy a grateful hug. She finds it comedic how often the girl swaps between liking and disliking him. Spontaneous and volatile as the flames in her soul. Truly the picture of youth.

 

She wonders if that’s what Vertin would’ve been like had it not been…

 

‘No, she wouldn’t have been as explosive. Maybe mischievous.’

 

There was no use dwelling in possibilities when the future can be shaped in the now. Schneider stood up slowly, stretching her sore muscles and feeling the dull ache of her veins. Since Ezra’s offering his service, it’d be rude if she doesn’t do the same now of all times. If they both work on it together, the faster they’ll be done and have enough time to converse with the construction team before city hall closes.

 

She approaches the reception table and as expected she can’t see above the counter. Spathodea and Ezra look down at her curiously and Schneider weighs her options. Either she can alert the staff by raising her hand or–

 

She's not fooling anyone, not even herself.

 

“Excuse me–”

 

Jump.

 

“I would like–”

 

Jump.

 

“–to help–”

 

Jump.

 

“–as well–”

 

“Stool. We have more stools, just, take one. Please .”

 

———————————————————————————————

 

“The Games and Flammy woke me up when I was still a small flame a millennia ago. They made me fanatic and crazy.” Ulu’s tone is contemplative with a hint of nostalgia. “How amazing, my young friend. I’m just like the present me when I talk to you.”

 

“What do you mean “the present me”?”

 

Vertin and Ulu stood outside the Stadium’s territory, inspecting the large entrance and the spring around it. While the Revival Squad were away to deal with the necessary paperwork, they wasted no time exploring the place in and out to conduct the experiments for proof. In that timeframe given, Vertin finished investigating the Stadium before Ulu eventually woke up, yet no sign of their return was there. So they saw fit to get some fresh air away from the Stadium’s influence and also to check the state of the water surrounding the entrance. It came up with no contamination nor arcane properties; it’s just a regular spring.

 

“An old flame that has been burning for over a thousand years.” The flaming arcanist explains, “You are smart, and your ideas are fun. I’ve been paying attention to you when I was still a small flame. Looks like you have a lot of expectations for the Uluru Games.

 

Sometimes I feel like…you care about the Games even more than Flammy does.”

 

Vertin isn’t quite sure what to make of the statement. Was she implying that talking to them makes her feel old or grounded onto the earth? It better be the latter. Nevertheless, they ponder over her other words. While they have no personal passion for sports, the idea of reviving a long lost event could be beneficial for arcanists in the long run. Spathodea’s drive is on the fact that the Uluru Games is a sporting event made by arcanists for arcanists, but she’s still young to fully pay attention to the political side of things. If they can get such a beloved piece of arcane culture back up and evolving along with the rest of the world, then the permanence it’ll have in life will surely help many. A symbol of hope.

 

It’s only natural to be truthful of their intent to this extent.

 

“I do have hopes for it. My wish to revive the Games is stronger than Ezra’s, and my expectations for it is higher than Spathodea’s.” They’re brief with their explanation, finding no need to delve into its details. What they seek in the Uluru Games will show itself in time. “After all, we’re in a different age now, which means we can achieve much more than a sports game.”

 

Yes, plenty more than just hosting a sports event. In the time up to the turn of the new millenia there’s been changes good and bad. The public opinion on arcanists and arcanum is still surrounded with controversy, but it’s no longer as clean cut as in the past. Many have fought, are fighting for change and the opportunity to get along. For a better tomorrow. For freedom.

 

And it starts with these sacrifices and changes. The risk people take in trusting others to bridge that gap together rather than sabotage each other. A lesson Vertin won’t easily forget.

 

“But to be honest, I’m impressed by Ms. Spathodea’s energy and passion for all these. She’s…Huh?” Vertin pauses, feeling the approaching presence before seeing them. At the mouth of the concave rocks surrounding the spring, the girl in question walks up followed by more than just the group she left with. “Who are those people by her side?”

 

Spathodea waves at them excitedly before turning to the group of what Vertin understands as construction workers, giving them instructions here and there. When they come closer it’s easier to catch the tail end of the conversation.

 

“And you will see the architectural drawing tomorrow morning.”

 

“Spathodea, who are they?”

 

“They are engineers of Laplace!” Ah, that explains why their glossy chrome uniforms seem familiar. “Our buildings don’t meet the government’s requirements, so we have to repair them. Ezra called them from Alice Springs, and Laplace seems very supportive. They took the fastest ride and got here in less than an hour!”

 

“Repair?” Ulu floats over curiously, “Will they change the internal structure of the Stadium?”

 

“Of course not! There’s no way I’d let them do that!”

 

Vertin observes the crowd of Laplace members already working on inspecting the surrounding area, marking down spots for potential change or construction with Ezra guiding them on the specifics. Desert Flannel is off to the side looking curiously dejected for some reason–maybe she’s just tired–right next to Bunny Bunny who’s comforting her. Schneider on the other hand is…

 

Looking at something in the corner.

 

They also take notice.

 

“Wait.”

 

It slithers out of the rocky crevices. 

 

“Hmmm? I think I heard something…” Spathodea perks up.

 

“I heard it too…” Ulu agrees, “It’s…”

 

Schneider didn’t hesitate to pull out her guns and fire out warning shots at the targets. They immediately scatter like pests, escaping with their slippery bodies like sleek oils. One even manages to drop whatever it’s carrying on its mouth. It somehow felt intentional…

 

“The Bunyips! And those Thorny Devils! They must have snuck out from the Stadium!” Spathodea jumps in alarm, watching them flee from the shots taken at them. “Ugh, darn those tabloids! We’re at the center of the storm now! These things just won’t let us go, like some cockroaches attracted to an open jar of jam!”

 

“There are scraps of paper sticking to the corner of their mouths. Is that a newspaper?”

 

Bunyips, creatures that feed off of gossip, rumors, and chaos. Whenever they’re present then it can’t be good. Vertin looked down at the abandoned newspaper piece on the ground and felt their blood run cold. A rising rage simmers in their core at the sight of a familiar figure caught in the front page’s photo. Her back is to the camera, but it’s distinct enough to tell their partner’s figure sitting on a bench while the rest of the Revival Squad worked on papers. Vertin wills themself to calm down and read the headline.

 

MAYHEM! REVIVAL SQUAD OF ULURU GAMES IN THE CITY HALL WITH BUNNY GIRL?! MENTAL BREAKDOWN OF RECEPTIONIST! Exclusive on Australian Nagger…

 

That bastard.

 

“Gosh, children…” Ulu gasps, covering her mouth in horror. “What have you done out there?!”

 

They’ll need a game plan.

 

———————————————————————————————

 

“We lay low and avoid being seen in public. Only the suitcase, the Stadium, and its entrance are we able to wander around freely in the meantime. Ezra can help stay in touch with Laplace and the engineers set to work on the construction in the morning. For now, we focus on being discreet in our plans for the Games.”

 

This is the conversation they’ve settled on completing that night. The Revival Squad sat around the long table in deep discussion after a quick dinner and all was quiet. Everyone in the suitcase was still recovering from the Stadium incident earlier that day, so meals were taken to their rooms rather than the usual large family get togethers. Honestly speaking, the situation warrants no time for it either. Vertin is now taking this seriously as whatever nefarious intention the paparazzi has could jeopardize the recent discovery of the Stadium’s status as a safe zone.

 

The less publicity it has before the Foundation can set up protection around it, the better.

 

“This is the set schedule you want the event to happen, correct?” Vertin sifts through the documents and picks up the itinerary for the event. It’s a week-long schedule with the first day being the torch lighting ceremony at midnight that follows sports demonstrations and the registration period. Just thinking about all the protocols for approving athlete registry is giving them a headache. “You want it to happen during the middle of summer.”

 

“Yes, it's the best time for everyone to join!” Spathodea nods enthusiastically, “Right now there’s a bunch of local sports events happening in the first month of summer. We’ll be overshadowing those events if we set it any earlier and it’d be unfair to the people that planned them for so long. And setting the Games too late in the summer would be bad for those that need to catch up on their summer homework and wouldn't be able to join!”

 

“Shouldn’t you do those at the start of summer break…” Ezra mumbles in concern.

 

“Then we’re on a tight schedule it seems.” Schneider hums, scanning the papers and planner that the boy brought back from city hall. Indeed there’s so much to do in just under a month’s time, but with Laplace's resources, they’ll be able to cut it close.

 

“We’ll need all hands on deck for this.” Vertin decided, splitting the workload to each member of the squad to look through. “Focus on completing these tasks and avoid the public eye as much as possible. The only ones we’ll meet are people from Laplace and other professionals that we may need assistance in this process after some proper vetting.

 

Are we all in agreement?”

 

Everyone nods without much preamble. They checked the time and saw it’s quarter to midnight. It’s been a long three days with more on the horizon. Vertin will be expecting a reply on their report in a day’s time, then this little vacation wouldn’t be much of a vacation anymore. For the umpteenth time, they stomp down the disappointment in their chest. There are more important things to focus on and they’re running out of time. It’s a blessing to have found another place like the Stadium.

 

They have to act quickly.

 

“That should be all for now.” Vertin collects the documents to be set aside for the evening. “We’ll convene in the morning after breakfast. Don’t stay up too late looking through your tasks and if there’s other business you need doing we have a fax machine at your disposal.”

 

“Right, I should let mom and dad know about this.” Spathodea realizes, “They’ll be worried sick if I don’t answer their calls at home. And I’ll also need to inform my coach…”

 

“I can’t just bail on all my clients this month, they’ll never be willing to hire me again!” Desert Flannel groans, scrubbing her exhausted face. “Ugh, but this isn’t an easy opportunity to pass up on either…”

 

“Don’t worry, Ms. Desert Flannel, I can talk with Laplace to see if they have any odd jobs you can take in place of the ones you had.” Ezra offers, ever the good natured boy. “I understand this situation will inconvenience everyone’s daily routine and it’s best to find a work around as compensation for taking the time to dedicate yourselves to this restoration.”

 

“Oh, Ezra, you really are such a darling angel, aren’t you!”

 

Vertin smiles fondly. They’re full of energy even after such a long day. It’s a contrast to their lover gently dozing off in her seat, head propped up by her hand. Carefully taking the documents out from under her, they quietly got up from their chair and tried to figure out how to carry her back to their room. They eye the group warrily until they spot Ulu looking directly at them.

 

Vertin froze.

 

The fire arcanist’s smile is akin to an elder catching two children sneaking out in the middle of the night, her eyes gleaming knowingly. They’re grateful that the dim light of the evening hides their blush well.

 

“Go rest, child. I’ll make sure they go to bed too.” Ulu whispers quietly, being discreet with her words. “You both deserve a good sleep after all you’re doing for Flammy and the Games.”

 

Without being said she knew to keep secrets. For that, Vertin is deeply grateful. Nodding, they carefully scoop Schneider up into their arms, the brunette instinctively snuggling close to their chest. There was no fighting the heat rising up their face when Ulu softly laughed. Giving the flaming arcanist one more respectful bow, they depart from the lobby as inconspicuous as possible without alerting anyone else to their absence. The walk back to their room is silent and peaceful. Yet Vertin’s mind continues to run through all the things that need to be done, need to be taken care of. They didn’t even notice when they reached their bedroom and started helping Schneider off her clothes. A nightly routine done countless times and they will continue to do for the foreseeable future.

 

Despite her medicated state, Schneider remains a light sleeper and it didn't take long for her to wake up once Vertin got the last of her clothes off. She didn’t bother to open her eyes as she blindly pats around until she found their arm, gently tugging on its sleeve. Knowing their partner’s silent request, they slip out of their outer layers and take off their brooch, unbuttoning the top part of their shirt in the process. The brunette immediately crawled on top of them the moment they slipped into the covers with her, securing her place against them.

 

“Can’t sleep?” They ask her, finding her orange scent growing strong the more she scoots up their body. Like a lazy caterpillar, she wiggles inch by inch until her face is pressed against theirs without lifting a finger.

 

“No.” Schneider’s voice is heavy with sleep, bordering on incoherent. Their wiggly lover worms herself across their cheek and plants her face against theirs; mouth to mouth, nose to nose. Vertin snorted, returning the kiss while she spoke. “Making sure you do.”

 

Their body shudders. Arms tenderly wrap around her waist, holding the limp body close to them. Her weight felt good against their own like a blanket keeping them grounded and preventing their thoughts from floating away. Vertin takes care of everything, angling their head to draw her into a proper kiss.

 

Schneider sighs into it, letting herself be led along without any resistance. Their hands trace every curve, every raised skin across her body. Like artwork to be appreciated and adored–only Vertin has the privilege to indulge in. They kiss slow and steady, parting briefly only to meld together again seamlessly. Slowly entangling with each other more and more.

 

“You need rest.” They finally pull away long enough to clear the heady fog in their mind. She’s still recovering and putting more strain on her body wouldn’t help the healing process. Thinking about it more, Schneider’s assigned to vet the quality of the event proceedings with Ezra which will take a lot of physical activities. Vertin should’ve taken note of that sooner instead of weighing who might work together better. They’ll have to rearrange the task distribution–

 

Schneider playfully bites their lip and their mind goes blank.

 

“Enough thinking. You will be doing all of that come sunrise.” Her scent intoxicates them, her fingers gently picking at their shirt buttons leave tracing heat against their skin. The sweltering build up in their chest came back at full force and Vertin quietly hummed at the pressure. Schneider’s tired smile is all the answer they need to know what she’s doing is intentional. “Work hours don’t start until after breakfast is over. The night is ours to have and… I miss you terribly, Vertin.”

 

Fuck it.

 

Vertin pulls their mischievous lover closer, carefully rolling them over and caging her into a loving embrace. Their moments together will always be cut short. So little time to ever focus on each other and on their loved ones. To never live life in the present out of concern for the future. But Schneider always kept them from losing sight of why they’re hellbent on it in the first place. And if they don’t cherish the now, then they won’t ever respect the future.

 

For tonight. The evening will belong to them.

 

———————————————————————————————

 

Shame.

 

Vertin is experiencing burning hot shame and embarrassment–with a bit of pride–internally despite their stoic expression firmly in place. As long as they don’t look to their left, they won’t have to see Ulu’s bright teasing grin. Why are the elderly so interested in gossip so early in the morning?

 

That morning is a normal family breakfast. Most of the arcanists who are heavily affected by the Stadium incident have fully recovered and are their energetic selves again, which means they can have a proper family get together at the long table. The fact itself made Schneider very happy.

 

Speaking of the brunette, she sat comfortably by Vertin’s right. Everyone in the suitcase swarmed them both with their concerned words and statements at the sight of their bandages, but everything was cleared up just as the food was brought in. Today was Satsuki’s turn to make the breakfast menu and they get to enjoy a tasteful assortment of Japanese dishes she’s learned working at the teahouse. Vertin made a special request to prepare some eggs, sausages, and toast in case Spathodea and the others aren’t accustomed to the different cuisine.

 

It was a good choice seeing both Desert Flannel and Spathodea go for the safe options while Ulu and Ezra willingly tried some of the food curiously to taste. The table is teeming with life and everyone is vying for Vertin and Schneider’s attention, trying to catch up with everything that’s happened the past months. The domestic atmosphere brings a soothing comfort in Vertin’s active thoughts about the Stadium and restoration plans ahead of them.

 

“Are you feeling cold today, Ms. Schneider? Do you require some Hot N Heady heating pads to regulate your body temperature?”

 

The shame and embarrassment came back in full force. Vertin forces themself not to visibly choke on their tea at Ezra’s innocuous question. Ulu’s granny grin is growing every second while Schneider just smiles brightly, her complexion looking refreshed and spirited. That fact alone has Vertin’s face burning hot and they cover it with their bowl of miso soup.

 

“Oh, that?” Regulus spoke up through a mouthful of food, glancing at Schneider’s closed up jacket. “Don’t worry about that. It’s just her “On Foundation Duty” look. It’s one way to get those stuck up prissy members off her back about dress codes.”

 

Vertin has never been more grateful for their lover’s proclivity for separating her ‘work attire’ and ‘casual attire’ than they do now. While concealer would normally do the job, the things they did–They quickly shook the thought away. They decide to continue quietly eating their food and let others answer the questions. The time to clock back in is close. They want to relish their time with family a little bit longer.

 

After cleaning up, the Revival Squad came out of the suitcase to greet the engineers who brought along a few blueprint plans to choose from. They all took the time to pour into each design carefully, weighing the pros and cons as well as where it’ll be positioned around the rocky outcrops that frame the Stadium’s entrance. Vertin and the rest only provided opinions and suggestions while leaving the final decision between Ulu and Spathodea. Once the final design was chosen, the Laplace engineers promised to return with the equipment and start the construction that week.

 

All that’s left to do is their individual tasks.

 

“Schneider, Ezra.” Vertin stops the two before they could go any further. “About the task distribution I’ve assigned to both of you. It’s my fault for not considering Schneider's condition before giving the task of overseeing the event listing to you both. If it’s more comfortable to have you do something else, I’ll–”

 

“It’s fine, My Lord.” Schneider saved them from rambling too much. “If there’s any legwork to be done, then I can rely on our little Amanita over here to support me, yes?”

 

Ezra perks up at his assistance being needed and unconsciously puffs up his chest like a proud chick. “Of course! I’ll provide all the assistance you require, Ms. Schneider!”

 

“See? All good.” She smiles reassuringly, walking up to them and quietly whispers her words. “Our time together is always a gift, My Lord. I hope you don’t miss me too much at work~”

 

The brunette gives them a quick il bacetto on both cheeks before walking off towards the Stadium doors with Ezra in tow. Vertin huffs, a hint of a smile gracing their face. She’ll never give them the opportunity to worry if she has any say in it. No matter. They trust her skills and abilities. Time to get some work done without any more concerns.

 

———————————————————————————————

 

“Uh, Ms. Schneider, is this…appropriate?”

 

Schneider looks up from the list of events and gives the blond a once over. Ezra shifts around awkwardly while glancing about as if being caught wearing the Uluru Games uniform is a crime. It’s impressive how the Stadium also provides the garments without a hint of age to it other than its outdated fashion sense. Nevertheless, they’ll make do. It suits him well either way.

 

“I don’t see why it shouldn’t.” She sets the documents aside, crossing her legs as she sits comfortably on the shady part of the bench. “It only makes sense to wear the proper attire before engaging in all these sports activities, yes?”

 

“But aren’t all the ones on the list…for arcanists?” His face scrunch up a little before turning neutral again as if hiding his personal opinions. “I’m far from qualified to judge the efficacy of each event. Much less partake in them.”

 

“Which is why you have me here to vet the results.” She is in no condition to be doing multiple of the activities–especially not after last night–tasked onto them, but she knows why her Lord has assigned them both for it. After all, this is something only the humans can accomplish. “Yesterday’s incident proves that we can’t have arcanists participate in multiple games at a time. So having to go through all these events would risk asking many of them to test a set amount and be subjected to the effects only after recently recovering from it. You wouldn’t want that now, would you, Amanita?”

 

“No, absolutely not!” Ezra shook his head resolutely. As expected, the health and well being of others is a top priority for him. “While I understand the complications of having to redo all the tests of each game, wouldn’t it still be better for the arcanists to run through the events? I don’t see how me trying them would provide any substantial results.”

 

“Well, it’s based on what results we’re seeking out of this hypothesis, Amanita.” Schneider claps her hands, standing up to approach the blond over at the start of the track and field. “Tell me, how do you determine if an athlete is eligible to participate in a sport event?”

 

“Oh, well it would be up to the event’s host to set the rules for the registry, but in terms of physical qualifications…” Ezra scratches the side of his head in thought. “Then it’s a matter of a drug test, screening of your medical record for any illnesses or past injury, and their training history to verify that they’re under the amateur rank for that particular sport.”

 

“Correct.” Schneider smirks, poking him on the nose. “If you’re registering for a human sport. What about an arcanist sport?”

 

“I, uh–” He blinked owlishly, going cross eyed when looking at the finger on his nose. “Back when the Foundation had control over the event hosting, the same screening process was applied. Many arcanists with no particular sports record were barred from participating at the risk of independent outliers. In those days, the amount of arcanists registering drastically declined which revealed that a good 50% of arcanist participants weren’t even professional athletes.”

 

“And why should they be?”

 

“P, Pardon?”

 

“Human sports require dedication of training your body, stamina, and skill in order to perform well. Many, if not all human sports, need this as one misstep can lead to permanently lasting injuries.” Schneider walks further up the starting line, tapping her foot against the white line. It looks like any ordinary track and field. And Wind Dashing is similar to it in a sense. With an arcane twist, of course. “But arcane sports are different, Amanita. What they require to participate isn’t physical strength, but arcane strength. The prowess gifted to them upon conception. They need not train to consistently keep the skill, only to enhance their knowledge of it. This is what we’re testing today!”

 

Ezra stares. It’s the look Schneider knows well as someone trying to process the logic of something illogical. He’s blanking out and needs something easier to associate what she’s talking about with. The brunette tilts her head in thought before clapping her hands. Got it.

 

“Amanita, do all mushrooms produce spores?”

 

“Nearly all of them do! Save for a few variants, but those have dormant pockets which contain them.” He instantly came back to life, engaged with newfound energy by a topic he loves. “Spores are a natural way for fungi to reproduce or defend themselves. And while certain genus are designed at birth with the function to spread spores at far ranges, others hold them until a trigger or threat initiates with it for the pockets to burst, thus spreading them–”

 

“That! It’s exactly like that!”

 

Ezra pauses. “Arcane sports…Are like how mushrooms spread their spores?”

 

Appeal to their passion for better communication.

 

“Arcanists are built with a different method and strength to release arcanum similar to mushrooms and their spores.” Schneider gestures around the Stadium. “And like how one researches the feats and limitations of their range to spread the spores, how we will develop the Games’ vetting process is to set that ‘limitation’ for each event the arcanist registers in rather than based on their “athlete” records. Understand?”

 

“Of course…Of course!” Sparkling eyes turn to her and Schneider stiffens. It’s the same look of admiration he always wears when mentioning her “achievements” and she wonders if this ties into that. “So what we’re doing is providing a “baseline” for each game. We can’t control the screening of arcane skills as naturally as looking into their records, so the best way to mitigate the imbalance is to create that frame of reference like one would have a control group when conducting a research, correct?”

 

“Good, good, you’re keeping up.” Nodding in approval, she walks back to the bench and picks up the list. Aside from the events for each day, all the observed data from the other day has been properly documented. All games an arcanist took past the third one were crossed out as inconclusive due to the Stadium’s influence. What they’re left is– “To create that, we will use the data gathered the previous day and mark the best record as the “top quality” specifications for an arcanist. If we want to find that “baseline”, we must have the “low quality” specifications for an arcanist. And what better reference that would be than–”

 

“For a human to run through them.”

 

Schneider smirks.

 

“Finalmente l'hai capito, Amanita.”

 

It’s something Vertin discussed with Ulu the yesterday while they were at city hall. Schneider agrees that whatever decision the priestess and fire spirit deems is for the betterment of the Uluru Games should be followed, but there’s no harm to offer their counsel when prompted like Vertin did upon Ulu’s request. New age comes with new circumstances. Traditions can stay, but they must adapt in order to uphold their rituals and practices properly. Things are far too different a thousand–hell, even a hundred–years ago. To keep something precious alive, changes must be made. She’s glad Ulu understands that.

 

And that includes the reformation of a screening system for registry.

 

“Strewth! I’ve never considered it that way before.” Ezra mumbles, glancing around the field with a thoughtful look in his eyes. Schneider hopes that he’s seeing a different side to the picture more clearly now. “And with your expertise in various forms of arcane knowledge, to quantify the results of this vetting process will surely be no issue!”

 

Schneider blinks.

 

“Strange.” She smiles to hide the ambiguous feeling she got from his words. “Whatever made you think I’m an expert in various arcane facts?”

 

He froze like a deer in the headlights, face turning a bright shade of red. The brunette raises an eyebrow curiously as he progressively grows more bashful by the second. She’s also come to realize how more expressive Ezra becomes around her and that’s extra curious. Openness doesn’t come naturally to critical thinkers.

 

“Forgive me if my words have made you uncomfortable, Ms. Schneider. I was simply excited to have the opportunity to observe your forte on arcanist research in action.” The blond smiles sheepishly, nervously adjusting his gloves. He insisted on keeping them on. “I’ve only ever heard good things about your worth ethic from others like Medicine Pocket and Mesmer Jr. Even X has a couple of things to say about you. Mostly about your extensive interest in learning any and all arcane.”

 

Of course it’s from them. Schneider sighs, the tension in her shoulder dissipating. She wouldn’t say she’s a private person to want her personal interests only be told to close confidants–certain information being the exception–but to not know who is disclosing the information has her on edge. While Ezra’s a well intended boy with no malice in his heart, his upbringing thus remains tainted in societal norm and Foundation prejudice. Meaning he values research over the personal privacy of others despite his caring nature. He’s someone she considers good to have quiet intellectual conversations with over lunch.

 

But not someone you’d want to tell your secrets.

 

“Let’s set that aside, Amanita, we have tasks needed to be done.” Schneider decides to focus on the more important things. They’re on duty. Professionalism is key. “Now that you understand our purpose here, are you ready to engage in all these events? As a human, you won’t be affected by the Stadium’s control and would only require several breaks in between. We’ve stocked up on energy elixirs as well as regular hydration drinks and food for lunch.

 

We have all day to get through a set bracket of events. Take your time and do your best, Amanita.”

 

“Yes, Ms. Schneider!”

 

They have a lot to prepare for.

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 4 of Our Time In The Rubble