As night settled in, so did the rains. The air had been thick and humid most of the day, so although Pyxis hadn't exactly dressed for the inevitable change in weather - a long sleeved crop top and some shorts accompanying their usual thigh high boots - they had brought an umbrella, just in case. Still, as showers turned into storms, most were making the decision to take shelter under storefronts, watching as the water cascaded down from the rooftops and into growing puddles on the streets below. Even as Pyxis walked in strike in Raubahn, who to make things easier was holding up the small, white umbrella above both of them, the sides of the pair that weren't huddled together underneath it were getting soaked.
"At least we did everything on the list?" Pyxis let out a soft laugh, some guilt for the predicament they had landed them both in still gnawing in their chest as she heard Raubahn's immediate sigh in return.
"You're right," he at least submitted to the point, though as he splashed through a puddle that was deeper than expected, his shoulders slumped. "Though some of the items could have waited until tomorrow."
"I wanted to get everything done in one trip so we didn't have to go out again, though!" The Au Ra brightened somewhat, even as her lips pursed together in a mocking pout. "If the rains continue like this, then-"
"Fuck!"
Raindrops trickled down Pyxis' face as they came to an abrupt halt; the sharp curse echoed from a nearby set of steps were just the prelude to the sounds of wet thuds, before the muffling rains cleared through the air once again. Their tail lashed out behind them as their body twisted and turned, looking for a path to where the cry had come from. Raubahn had taken a few extra strides before he had chance to stop and look back at them, eyes lighting up when he spotted where the pained sounds had come from.
"Over there," Raubahn called out, having rushed back over to hand over the umbrella, giving Pyxis' back a push in towards the set of stairs. "And don't fall down yourself."
"I won't!" She nodded, fingers smoothing over the back of his hand to try and give him some comfort before taking the handle from him. Even if Raubahn had been inclined to do so, it was a fruitless endeavour to stop the healer from helping out whenever there was any sort of cry for help. It was one of the reasons it took them so long to get anything done in the first place, but it wasn't something he ever wished to change. As a hard shiver ran up his spine to induce a sneeze, perhaps he might have been persuaded to try this time.
Although they tried to take the stairs one at a time, Pyxis skips over a few here or there - some on purpose, some by accident as their footing slides on the wet stone underfoot - making their way towards the hunched over figure collapsed at the bottom. On the last set, the body seemed to be at least conscious, which hopefully ruled out the possibility of them having hit their head on the way down, and their lingering aether could still be reached out to through the raindrops.
"Are you alright?" Pyxis reached out to the drenched Xaela once finally by their side, their knee firmly planted in a gathering puddle but taking no notice. The weather-beaten figure flinched and started to try and stand up, to reject the help approaching him, but another wince of pain followed by a muttered curse trapped him in place. As he reached up to his chest, lungs still burning as air yet refused to fill them properly, the rain that had been taking no pity on his aching body suddenly stopped. Looking up to see the cause of the dry spell, his mis-matched eyes were met with the worried Raen, holding out an umbrella over him instead of themselves.
"I don't…" The words were dry on his tongue, another twinge of pain rapturing through his body - emanating from his leg as he tried to pull it closer. Bruised at best, fractured at worst. Just what he needed.
"It's okay, don't worry," Pyxis offered a comforting smile, but falls as the injured boy turned away yet again. Still, they persisted. Their eyes turn to where his other hand grabbed at his knee, noting the blood pooling on the shower-soaked scales. "I can stabilise your leg so you can stand, and then we can find-"
"I don't need help!" The boy snarled, eyes dilating as they stared up from underneath a hard-set brow, the hand that had been holding onto the injured limb sweeping up to knock away the shelter being offered out to him.
The umbrella remained in the same position. Pyxis had moved their hand back in time to dodge his swing, years of dodging instincts coming in to play. A flash of sharp white accompanied another pained growl as his lips curled, frustration mixing in with the agony rife through his body.
"Just leave me alone! I'll be fine!" The boy snarled, shuffling back towards the stone railings he had propped himself up against to try and gain as much distance from the other as possible. His tail curled up around his waist, attempting to make himself as small as possible; a stray cat fearful of others came to Pyxis' mind.
Pyxis let out a long, composing sigh. This wasn't the first, nor would it probably be the last, time that someone was stubborn enough to refuse the help that they very clearly required. Though, as they hold his contemptuous gaze with a firm one of their own, they notice more streaks of blood entwined in the boy's scales than they realised. It looked fresh, as if there were scars dug into each crevice of the Auri scales, but it didn't seem to obey gravity. There was no flow, and the shimmer across it was the same lustre as the rest of his scales, including the strands swirling around his horns. Dropping their eyes back down to his leg, there were a few bumps and scrapes from the trip down the stairs, but the highest priority was any potential broken bones.
"I don't think you'll be getting far on that." Her voice was soft, almost lost within the heavy rains that made their hair start to stick to their face and neck, swapping over which hand held their umbrella to be able to reach his leg easier. Growling continued to rumble from deep in his chest, and even if they were under a lot of pain and stress looked ready to bolt at any moment. Pyxis held out an open palm to him, a swirl of light green aether budding in the middle to sprout vine-like tendrils around their fingers. "At least allow me to ease the pain?"
"You…" The boy hissed, but pursed his lips together as just being near the healing glow had made breathing just that little bit easier. The tip of his tail flickered around his midriff before curling back around himself once more, but the hands that were up high slowly dropped to his lap; fingers dug deep into his scuffed palms, still ready to lash out if there were any tricks involved.
"My name's Pyxis," they introduced themselves with a smile, their hand gently resting against the scales on his knee - it twitched, but he didn't hiss or growl or move away - to allow the healing magics to start taking effect. "What's yours?"
His lips remained sealed, the fierce gaze dropping down to watch over the healers actions instead. Checking from different angles to make sure there weren't any hidden tricks or weapons or if the aether turned a different colour or type or… But there were none. This random Au Ra had come running at the sound of pain, in the middle of whatever godsforsaken land he had smuggled himself into, where everyone else had whispered behind his back or given him a wide berth. Where no-one would have ever, or should have ever, given him the time of day to have such attention… and she was there. Though the umbrella still covered him from the subsiding rains, a stray warm drop glided down his cheek.
"Antlia. That's… that's my name," he finally replied, pulling the healed leg close to his chest once more; this time there were no growls or wincing involved, but pain still registered in his expression. To be greeted with a look of surprise, followed by a stifled laugh, was not what he had expected.
"Sorry, I'm not-" Pyxis started, a slight laugh still winding its way into her words. They clear their throat and check for any other major scrapes that they may have missed. "I have a chocobo companion that shares that name. It suits you," they look up to greet the confused face with a smile before getting back to their feet. The boot that had been knee deep in the puddle had a darker wet stain, but otherwise the healer had become soaked from tip to tail. Still holding the umbrella over Antlia, they offered out a hand. "Looks like the rain's starting to clear up a little at least!"
"Yeah," a grunt of a reply fell from his lips as he refused the hand, taking the time to use the guardrails to pull himself up instead. As the umbrella could no longer reach his full height, Pyxis repositioned it back over themselves briefly, before realising that with how wet they were it didn't make much of a difference any more. Folding it back down and securing with the strap, they watch over Antlia as he tested out putting more pressure on the limb.
"I'd ideally like for you to have a chirurgeon take a look at it more," they sighed as he still let out a muted hiss when trying to take a step away, stopping him in his tracks. "But… if there's somewhere you need to go, then I hope our paths cross again sometime soon. Although I guess we're not going to be in Kugane for much longer-"
"Why did you help me?" Antlia interrupted, shifting his weight onto the luckily unscathed leg and facing the flowing river below. The back of his hand rubbed across his face, pushing away the still warm tear mixed with the cold rains. His breathing shook again, mind running amok with every possible scam or trick answer he could get in return.
"This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image reveals the vibrant core of the galaxy NGC 3125. Discovered by John Herschel in 1835, NGC 3125 is a great example of a starburst galaxy — a galaxy in which unusually high numbers of new stars are forming, springing to life within intensely hot clouds of gas. Located approximately 50 million light-years away in the constellation of Antlia (The Air Pump), NGC 3125 is similar to, but unfathomably brighter and more energetic than, one of the Magellanic Clouds. Spanning 15,000 light-years, the galaxy displays massive and violent bursts of star formation, as shown by the hot, young, and blue stars scattered throughout the galaxy’s rose-tinted core. Some of these clumps of stars are notable — one of the most extreme Wolf–Rayet star clusters in the local Universe, NGC 3125-A1, resides within NGC 3125. Despite their appearance, the fuzzy white blobs dotted around the edge of this galaxy are not stars, but globular clusters. Found within a galaxy’s halo, globular clusters are ancient collections of hundreds of thousands of stars. They orbit around galactic centers like satellites — the Milky Way, for example, hosts over 150 of them. Image credit: ESA/Hubble; NASA, Acknowledgement: Judy Schmidt"
Antlia is one of several constellations in the sky that memorializes scientific instruments used throughout history. Antlia translates to “air pump,” used to create a vacuum, as well as atmospheres of high air-pressure depending on its settings.
When this card is upright, it is easy for one to adopt a breezy outlook. When not under pressure, they are more accepting of what may drift their way, and may consider taking advantage of unexpected opportunities. One may be looking for a “breath of fresh air” amongst daily routine and now is a great time to take advantage of it.
When this card is reversed, the pressure may be mounting and one’s airy-imbalance may manifest itself through the way they communicate with others. There are plenty of air-centric phrases used for describing people that are behaving unfavorably due to their personal stress. The phrases “Air-headed,” “Full of hot air,” a “Blow hard,” or a “Wind bag” describe an over-abundance of air. Emotionally, one turns to phrases that describe the lack of air: when feeling as if one were “living in a vacuum,” when something “knocks the wind out of you,” or “takes the wind out of your sails,” and when things just down-right “suck.” Luckily it is easy to gain a second wind by centering one’s self, taking a deep breath, and continuing to look for the opportunity to acclimate to stressful situations with patience and persistence.
