The Forgotten Zodiac

"Understandable." Sylas chortled. "But then, you'd probably try to drag me along...and I'd be yelling at you to leave me behind and run." He laughed, but both of them knew that he was right.

"I wouldn't put you down, though, and you know it," L'arc said, grinning slightly. "No matter how much you whined about it."

"I know, I know." Sylas grinned, shaking his head. "On...on a more serious note, what were we going to do about Gabe? We should at least ask Eltanin if he's okay..."

((Oh man

They write, "Eltanin, is Gabe there?"

And they get the reply, "He's with his mother now"

And everyone's all sad n' stuff. xDDDD))

((Because they assume he's dead, yeah? Then he can add "I think they're both asleep in the other room.))

"Oh, yeah! I completely... forgot. Oh, that sounds terrible," L'arc said, shaking his head. He drew the enchanted parchament out of his pocket and found a writing tool. "Right, I'll just... Is Gabe there?" he asked aloud as he wrote the words, waiting for a reply.

A few moments passed before they got one. It read, "He is with his mother."

((Yeah. xDD You could actually leave out that part, and be like, "Jerod will be bringing them to you soon."

And they'll assume they have to bury the bodies and then Aries and Gabe get back and find Verolen digging holes and he just stares at them for like an hour. xDDD))

"Well." Sylas blinked, then looked down. "Well...a-at least they're together," He offered weakly, shaking his head.

"At least." Verolen sighed. "Ask if Jerod's shown up yet. I'm worried about that old man..."

((THAT IS AN AMAZING IDEA.))

L'arc seemed at a loss for words, shaking his head slowly. "R-right. I'll ask about Jerod..." he said. But before he could write anything, another reply came, answering the question before he could ask.

"Jerod will be bringing both of them to you soon."

((I KNOW, RIGHT?!))

"Right. At least Jerod is okay..." Verolen sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "Alright. Ask him...ask him about Bershee. Is she okay, too? I didn't see her before the attack...I just want to be sure. Ask him if there were any Selkie losses, too."

"What do we care if the Selkies lost people? They sold us out!" Manny frowned.

"Eltanin did what he had to. I don't like it, but I don't blame him for it. His entire village was at stake. The whole of the Selkie way of life could have been destroyed that day. Eltanin made the right choice. Make no mistake about that." Verolen frowned harshly at the mannequinn, who looked away.

"I guess...I still don't like it."

Verolen sighed, moving to a back closet. "Manny," He said, carrying over a heavy small bag that was full of black sludge. "I think this is yours."

"That's part of me! Can I have it back, please?" Manny pleaded, blinking at Verolen.

"Sure." Verolen handed the bag over, and Manny was quick to start reabsorbing the gunk.

Eve came over and sat by Manny. "Would you like me to try and do anything with that Matter, or can you reform yourself alone?" she asked.

L'arc was busy writing away his message to Eltanin. The room became quiet again as they awaited a reply.

"No selkie losses. The demons left after they got all of you. Bershee is fine. She has been tending to the wounded. A big help."

"No, I got it." Manny insisted. "You've done a lot for me before, mommy, let me do this." He smiled happily at her.

"Well...give Eltanin my regards. And make sure he knows that I forgive him." Verolen started for the door.

"Where are you going?" Sylas frowned.

"To get ready."

"For?"

"For when Aries and Gabe arrive." Verolen left in a hurry, his heavy sigh lingering in his wake.

"Ah, they're messaging at last? Good." Bershee stepped in. "About time. Just be prepared to burn the evidence, should anything come up. Dunking it in water would work, too. That ink I gave you should dissolve in water." She smiled a bit. "I...need your permission to use this." It was a little vial full of a wine-colored liquid. An extract from a very rare jellyfish. "I need it for a very potent potion. Healing potion. Two drops will regrow Aries' lost ear and fix her wounds. I should have enough for every injured selkie here, and I'll be leaving what's left with you. Just in case. May I...?"

"Do what you must," Eltanin said, rising as the replies stopped coming after a last three words. 'We forgive you.' He put the paper in his pocket. "Do you mind if I come watch you work? If you are going to be leaving the rest with me, it'd be good to know how to use it."

"Everything all right?"

Thuban appeared at the door suddenly, his arms crossed. Usually, when his brother and Bershee spoke, it didn't end on the best terms. He thought it best to ask, to interrupt, before anything went really wrong. Eltanin smiled at him, and nodded.

"Is your shift on guard duty over?" he asked.

"Yeah. I think I'll turn in. There's no sign of trouble or anything. I think we're in the clear," he said.

"Good, good. Get some rest. You've been on duty for a while." Eltanin watched the younger selkie move off, then turned to Bershee. "Anyway... shall we go?"

Bershee nodded. "Certainly." She led the way to a small tent a short distance away from the rest of the Selkie huts. She had a large pot and a fire just outside; in the pot was water, boiling and frothing. Floating on the water was a much smaller pot, which was sealed tight. Bershee reached in - with bare hands - and removed the pot, opening it up and pouring the contents of the vial into the pot. She slammed it shut again as it bubbled and frothed violently.

"You'll only get about a fourth of a cup..." She murmured. "But it should be plenty for now." She smiled slightly. "How are things doing on your end, Eltanin?"

((I was gonna have her ambushed and brutalized by Selkies shortly after making the potion. 939))

"I'm doing well," he answered, a touch quickly, but it seemed that he meant it. The words leapt from his mouth so fast because he wanted to dismiss her worries as quickly as he could. "Ah, I see," he commented as Bershee mixed the potion, paying close attention.

((Eltanin will just throw the potion on her then.))

((It's not about the damage and whether or not it can be fixed. It's about the message. o3o And the Selkies are smart enough to attack while Eltanin is away.))

Bershee smiled. "I knew you wouldn't refuse, so I got the first half of the potion down. It was just courteous to ask if I could use the extract," She carefully sealed the pot again and put it back in the boiling water. This time, however, it sank to the bottom. Bershee dried her hands off and stuck them in some cooler water, to get them back to a normal temperature. "It's very convenient, being heat resistant...I was born around hydrogen vents. Much hotter than boiling."

"I didn't know that. Are they deeper in the trench?" Eltanin asked. "I've heard about them, but I try to make it a policy not to venture too far from the village. Therefore I've not seen them myself," he explained.

"Not in the trench, actually. Much further out, on the opposite side of the Oceanid territory. I'm a legal citizen of Oceanica, which I use to my advantage when it comes to purchasing food and clothing for those I take in." Bershee nodded. "Also...medical help. I very well could have died if not for help from a doctor. He had refused me once, but I brought him my papers and he was more or less forced to comply. I don't like forcing things on people, but...I wouldn't be here without that."

She retreated into her tent for a moment and emerged with a piece of paper. Not her citizenship, though. "Here," She offered it to Eltanin. "I thought you might like this. It's a list of all minors staying with me, and a list of injuries or special needs. I've already memorized it, so I've no need for it. But...I suppose you can guess from there which young I was unable to save, and which are safe and sound. I haven't offered you this list before for...security reasons. Put it somewhere safe, please."

Eltanin stared down at the list for a long moment, then looked up at her with a smile. "Don't worry. I'll take good care of it," he assured.

Bershee nodded. "I trust you with that much." Eltanin still didn't know the location of her caves, nor would he ever. Bershee didn't want him burdened with that knowledge; a lot of people wanted to know that very information. If Eltanin knew, it could put him at risk. "Now then...I just need a couple more ingredients for the potion. One of which is a dropper. Overusing the potion could waste it, and that's something no one wants. I also need some red coral, preferrably the old kind. Any suggestions on where to get some?"

Eltanin nodded to Bershee. "I can retrieve the dropper, if you like. I'm sure there's one in the medicinal tent. We may have some red coral stored in there as well. Would you like me to go check?" he offered.

Eltanin only offered her a smile and a nod. "I'll be right back," he said. He wandered off through the tents towards the medical tent, leaving Bershee alone.

Mostly alone.

"What are you trying to do, exactly?" Thuban's voice was low and dangerous as he approached Bershee.