Chat please donât tell me the hype over zuko is dead already??? Posts were getting up to 20k+ like and Iâd be refreshing the tags and getting like ten new fics every secondâŚnow it feels so quietâŚ.wake up!!!
âDonât sleep on mah man I need content to fuel my own delulu fic!!
Alright alright I have been banging out the back story to my Zuko x water/energy bender fic and am now banging out the actual story hoping to finally actually write the first chapter soon
I know spirit bending and energy bending are two different types of bending but in my fic theyâre the one and the same with spirit bending being a little bit more powerful. Youâre harnessing the power of the spirit world and spirits themself to either turn them dark or bring them back to light. To me itâs the same thing with one part taking a lot more spiritual power to do. Also energy bending is also gonna have a little extra oomf added to it to do more than give or take bending, but to actually be able to do things like create jets and beams of energy like how vaatu and kuviraâs weapon did it in korra.
Thatâs one.
Two.
Iâm bouncing making this a faceless Oc (as in thereâs a first name with no description of her person and in third person) or a reader second person which Iâm not used to doing but ik yâall like reader more than Oc and I want the fandom to enjoy this.
So let me know what you think? Regular reader or faceless character you can insert yourself into?
How would you prefer to read this story?
Faceless Oc
Regular reader insert
Voting ended onApr 23
The synopsis.
After the defeat of Taga the veil between the spirit world and the mortal world has been damaged, thinned. Ripples cause by the Aangâs fight ripped open tears, allowing a darkness thatâs been sealed away since the first avatar to once more seep into the world. Dark spirits are wreaking havoc, proving to be too much for even the avatar and his friends. When Aang learnâs thereâs ways to purify these spirits, he and his friends journey back to the lion turtle islands, learning there was much more than Sonamâs staff buried in its secrets.
Meanwhile, Zuko has been dealing with unrest in his court, whispers of resistance and rebellion to the peace and unity he has ushered in has begun to reach his ears. The kingdomâs ugly and war hungry past was beginning to rear its head, exasperated when rumors of azulaâs return the fire nation began to circle.
Iâm adding a bit of K-pop demon hunters lore into this btw, just a sprinkle.
Premise for a fic I wanna write for Zuko because lawddddddddd
After the defeat of Taga, the veil between the mortal world and the spirit world was damaged, thinned. Ripples cause by their fight had been torn open, and a darkness that had been sealed away since the time of the first avatar was beginning to leak through. Corrupted spirits were wreaking havoc, proving to be too much for even the avatar and his friends. When aang learns thereâs a way to purify these spirits, he and his friends make the journey back to the Lion Turtle islands. Itâs there they learn there was much more than Sonamâs staff buried in its secrets.
Meanwhile, Zuko is dealing with unrest in his court, whispers of rebellion and resistance to the peace and unity heâs brought to his country have begun to reach his ears. The Kingdomâs war hungry past rearing its ugly head, exasperated when rumors of Azulaâs return to the Fire Nation arise.
THEY HAD NO RIGHT MAKING ZUKO THAT FINE
This will be avatar with a bit of K-pop demon hunters lore mixed in
!Adult Zuko x !spirit/energy bender AFAB reader (thereâs a name, but thatâs it)
Whaddya think fellow zuko girlies who have been taken by the throat and dragged into the building again with this new freaking movie!?
Premise for a fic I wanna write for Zuko because lawdddddddddd
After the defeat of Taga, the veil between the mortal world and the spirit world was damaged, thinned. Ripples cause by their fight had been torn open, and a darkness that had been sealed away since the time of the first avatar was beginning to leak through. Corrupted spirits were wreaking havoc, proving to be too much for even the avatar and his friends. When aang learns thereâs a way to purify these spirits, he and his friends make the journey back to the Lion Turtle islands. Itâs there they learn there was much more than Sonamâs staff buried in its secrets.
Meanwhile, Zuko is dealing with unrest in his court, whispers of rebellion and resistance to the peace and unity heâs brought to his country have begun to reach his ears. The Kingdomâs war hungry past rearing its ugly head, exasperated when rumors of Azulaâs return to the Fire Nation arise.
THEY HAD NO RIGHT MAKING ZUKO THAT FINE
This will be avatar with a bit of K-pop demon hunters lore mixed in
!Adult Zuko x !spirit/energy bender AFAB reader (thereâs a name, but thatâs it)
Whaddya think fellow zuko girlies who have been taken by the throat and dragged into the building again with this new freaking movie!?
Heyyy I had written this starting last year, kinda fell off for a bit then came at it again with the new season if anyone wants to give it a gander
So we fall a Lucifer x Oc/reader
warmings: 18+ content
all art is done by me at the end of the book
Angelica is the archangel of justice and balance who wakes up fallen and in hell with no memories as to why. After living in peace as Carmilla Carmineâs assistant, she at last meets the king of hell. Heâs intrigued, sheâs avoident, and with her past nipping at her heels she will soon be forced to face her demons head on to look to a brighter future.
The first two chapters are part of the new version Iâm swapping the old version with. But Iâm keeping the old chapters up for now until I write the new versions of them.
But if you wanna read, Iâd appreciate it! <3
first chapter is down below, almost 8,000 words :P
Angels, weâre beings of pure light, goodness. We protect souls, protect peace, we bring happiness and joy and music. We keep people happy and give them hope.
Youâd never think we could be bad, yeah?
Never think we could be any sort of bad, never do anything that could potentially jeopardize our status?
Right?
At least thatâs what I thought until I was taught about him.
Samael, LuciferâŚonce Godâs favorite and youngest son, now the eternal ruler over evil and sin. He fell from grace after opening the gateway to allow evil to take hold of earth, his Father and brother casting him out to punish him for this sin. Trapping him for eternity among the rot that now forever tainted earth.
But again, one time thing, yeah? A fluke, a whoops.
Weâd see something like that and would never dare to repeat it.
What other sin could an angel commit to warrant such a punishment?
Iâm still trying to figure that out.
Would help me figure out why the heck I just woke up in Hell.
My whole body feels heavy as I peel myself from the red tinted grass, my brain spun and pounded in my head. Nausea crawled up my throat, bile threatening to spill from my mouth. I wince, reaching up to try and soothe the pounding threatening to explode my head. Iâm confused, disoriented, and trying to wrack my brain to figure out what happened made me want to spill my stomach.
I couldnât remember.
Why canât I remember?
I know where I am, the bright pentagram assaulting my eyes told me as much.
Hell.
I was in Hell.
Why was I in Hell?
Michael told me about this place, a cesspool of misery and sin, but as my eyes adjusted to see the city that lay in the valley before meâŚit didnât look too different from home. It was just tinted in red with sharper features and darker undertones.
I try to stand, my body feeling as heavy as the armor I wore when running drills with Michael. My legs buckled, sending me back to my knees, I can hardly move them, and Iâve given up on my wings that feel like dead weight on my back.
âGah!â I groan, struggling to my feet again, using what strength I could muster to pull my wings into my back. It helpedâŚbarely.
I manage to find my way down towards the streets, stumbling and fumbling, leaning against the buildings. I watched demons that went about their days around me, like normal citizens. At least until a street a block over explodes, rocking the ground beneath my feet. It made me stumble into the glass of aâŚlingerie store, I jerked back with a wince, flinching again as I took in my haggard andâŚ.transformed reflection.
Blood ran down my face, and I figured out why my head was in so much painâŚtwo gold horns now jutted up from my black hair that was caked in the gold that ran through me. My eyes had gone from bright and golden, to yellow irises floating in pools of black, and my skin now looked sickly pale.
Nausea flipped my stomach again, and I threw myself into the alley to hurl the contents of my stomach. Tears prickled the sides of my eyes, my body shaking, violent tremors that wracked my body.
I donât understand. How did I get down here? How could I have fallen?
Iâm the fucking virtue of justice and balance, an archangel.
Iâm not supposed to fall.
I donât remember much after that, the pain had fogged everything over. I know I had managed to clean myself up. I may not have had any experience with hell, but I knew if they saw the golden blood on me it could only spell trouble. A hunt to see who could get the wings of Hellâs newest fallen angel and hang them up as a sick trophy.
I had somehow managed to wander my way to the Carmine district, and into the path of Carmilla Carmine herself. Then, either through pity or mercyâŚshe took me in, set me up, showed me how to exist down here.
Iâll forever be grateful to her.
I accepted this new reality, I rebuilt, started anewâŚaccepted my punishment even if I couldnât remember my crime.
Iâm fine. This is fine.
Until it wasnât.
âââââââââââ-
Three years later.
My eyes were going to cross if I stared at this computer any longer. My knee was bouncing incessantly, my heel rhythmically tapping against the marble floor of Carmillaâs office. Overhead Katie Killjoy was screeching whatever latest propaganda the wanna Veeâs were spewing about the failed extermination that happened a month ago. When theyâd broadcasted Adamâs death Iâll admit I laughed my ass off.
Self proclaimed âFirst dickâ getting taken out by some little woman with a dagger. I ate it up like a five star meal. Iâve had one too many encounters with the first man, he was obnoxious, rude, sexist, arrogant, and cocky.
Too much talk for a man who lost the two women made for him to the same guy. The same guy whoâs daughter; that he had with one of said women, overthrew his annual mass genocide. Which I had no idea was happening, and I hoped with everything in me neither did the other archangels. Such cruelty, such unnecessary violence, the first time I experienced it I had confused it for a search party for me. I was so happy, Iâd thought my friends had finally realized whatever I did was a mistake. Then they descended with their weapons and savagery, killing sinners who couldnât even defend themselves.
<em>And they enjoyed it.</em>
Carmilla had informed me of what it was after sheâd saved me from getting run through myself. I was inconsolable for weeks after. I couldnât believe heaven would forsake their own values like that. That we were capable of something soâŚcruel.
It also felt like an insult to me, balance, peace, justice. That was my virtueâŚthere was no balance or justice in this. None!
If they were fearful of Hell then it was my and the archangels job to ease their fears, not theirs.
Iâd felt like such a joke, and that day had begun the process of my heart hardening towards the place Iâd once called home.
Then when the first man fell at the hands of the Morningstarâs friends.
Clara and Odette had panicked from how blue in the face I was becoming as Iâd wheezed out my laughter.
Maybe the people of Hell have rubbed off on me more than I thought to find such humor in a brutal death. Either way my eyes only flitted to the news when they replayed Adam getting run through, my lips twitching just slightly.
âServes you right, you righteous C U Next Tuesday,â I murmured, my arms crossing as I scrutinized the TV. Iâm almost saddened that I wasnât the one able to do it.
âAngelica!â The TV switched off as Ms. Carmineâs large white hand grabbed the remote from my desk.
I jerked to attention, looking up at my boss. I immediately stand, smiling sheepishly, âSorry Ms. CarmineâŚbut you have to admit itâs hilarious to watch?â
Carmilla crossed her arms, her face blank, her lips dipping into a scowl. I ducked my head, toeing the carpet runner, âSorry.â
I hear her sigh, waving a hand to wave me off, âItâs fine, it is satisfying-â my lips lift again, âbut I am not paying you to watch TV. Did you finish those inventory reports I assigned you?
I looked down at my computer, leaning over to double check that I did in fact⌠âYes, finished them an hour ago was just going over everything. Everything seems normal, I didnât see any discrepancies.â
Carmilla nodded, reaching over to affectionately ruffle my hair, âGood. Have them on my desk by the morning, for now I need you to go get changed. The princessâs girlfriend has given me and the girls permission to collect the steel left over from their little war.â
My head tilted, âNow? Itâs been a month.â
âThe Princess and her bleeding heart wanted to properly bury all of the bodies of those she lost in the fight,â Carmilla sighed, âPersonally I wouldâve just burned them and been done with it.â
I donât comment, just nodding along with her in agreement, âRight, when are we heading over there?â
âNow, preferably. Weâll meet Odette and Clara over there, go change,â She points to the bathroom before she stalks off, the tapping of her angelic steel shoes the only sound I hear within the quiet office. Blowing hair from my face, I pick up my bag and head into the restroom. I donât particularly want to be near this heaven drama, Iâve left that all behind just as they left me behind.
The thought still made my skin boil, my magic rippling under my skin in response. I took a breath before I could flare up. I dragged a hand down my face, focusing myself, grounding, in and outâŚin and out. I slid my magic over my body, shifting the black romper I wore to my gear that I always wear when we go scouting for angelic steel. Similar to Carmillaâs a black body suit but with gold accents instead of silver. My hair gets tied back into sectionsâŚI took inspiration from the Princess. Otherwise Iâd be walking around with holy-father-knows-what in my hair from the ground.
Carmilla and I slip into her limo once I meet her outside, sheâs typing away on her phone, the usual displeased scowl pulling her lips down. Her red eyes were narrowed at the screen like it personally offended her.
âIs everything alright? Are the girls ok?â I ask, noticing how her face only seemed to get darker the longer she stared at her phone.
The overlord waved me off, âSĂŹ, mi Hijta. The Veeâs, always the Veeâs. Ever since the princess brought down the angelic army; Vox has been harassing me for a meeting.â
I scowled, the wanna Vees as Clara, Odette, and I refer to them asâŚposers who live online and have no personality beyond their technology. The only reason they are where they are was because of the TV demonâs freaky left eye, and the propaganda he has every news station spewing.
âEw.â
âMy thoughts exactly.â
âDid he say why he wants a meeting?â
Once more Carmilla waved a hand, âSatan knows, I am not entertaining those fools.â
Her disdain for them ran deep, especially since Velvette confronted her about the exorcist head. The disrespect that had been exhibited had pissed Carmilla off royally, but she was a level headed woman who knew retaliation was a fools game. She chose to simply ignore them, narcissists like them wanted the reaction, wanted to know they lived your head rent free. The best kind of retaliation was none at all.
Though soon after she had no choice to admit that she had killed the angel, which had shocked me to my core. I wasnât with them the day of the extermination, Carmilla had me protect her warehouses in case some idiotic sinners decided to do some looting among the chaos. When it was all said and done, and she ordered me home, she was frantic, adding to the very few times Iâd ever seen her lose her composure. She swore me and the girls to silence, though I was too shocked to say anything anyways.
I didnât know we could be killed by anyone but the divine. The invincibility I thought myself and all other angels had was shattered, it was terrifying. I felt paranoid for days after, suddenly feeling so much more vulnerable and like I was broadcasting my true nature. Even though I knew I had the power to level the entire city, knowing a sinner had even the glimmer of a fighting chance to end my existence made me feel anything but divine. If Michael knew anything of this, I knew he wouldnât hesitate to bring the archangels down here to wipe all of pride out. Giving sinners the knowledge of how to bring down an angel was extremely dangerous, unfathomably dangerous.
But now it was out there, broadcasted to all of Hell, and I was looking over my shoulder constantly.
It was such an odd feeling, fear. Never felt that when I was in Heaven, safe and tucked away in the higher realms with the others. Never even had the glimmer of what it might feel like to be afraid to die. Now I did.
I hated it.
Like a hand around my throatâŚand not in a good way.
Angels, archangels to be specific, as warriors of the Divine and the mother goddess, weâre instilled with the mentality of being ready to lay down our lives for his divinity. However the idea of death, and feeling the very real threat of it are two very different things and have made me see how arrogant and out of touch we are.
Existential crises made my head hurt.
I rubbed my temples, âCan I get something to drink when we get there? I can feel a migraine coming on.â
Carmillaâs eyes fleeted to mine for a second, simply making a noise in her throat in response. And that was that, the limo descending into silence again.
The Hazbin Hotel was a monstrosity of neon pink and red, it reminded me of those fancy mortal movies about the nineteen twenties. Dazzling and bright, with accents to represent the Morningstars, an apple tower to the left, and a shark looking tower to the right. Behind it, however, was our destination, where the princess's original hotel stood before Adam destroyed it. The rubble was gone, and from the meticulously placed stones, I could tell it was now a grave.
I sniffed, pulling myself from the limo, holding my hand out to help Carmilla. She patted my back in thanks, and before we could walk up to the revolving doors, I turned to look at my reflection. I fixed my hair, trying to make it cover more of my face. I was entering a building that held the daughter of the first fallen angel. I couldnât be sure if maybe sheâd be able to tell what I was, the last thing I needed was that. To be found out by the princess whoâŚI donât know, turn me over to her father? What would happen then? Iâd be smited? Accused of being a spy?
Would the lord of this hellish cesspool condemn me, or congratulate me on my fall?
The unknown paths of what could be made that proverbial hand around my throat tighten again. I didnât look angelic anymore, from the horns, to the way my eyes were two dots or gold against inky black, and the fangs in my mouth. I looked like the shadow of my former self. It was jarring upon my arrival, but now Iâve gotten used to it, I can look myself in the eyes in a mirror now.
âAngelica,â Carmillaâs voice pulled me from my anxiety, she beckoned me over to where she stood now with Clara and Odette. I followed obediently, choosing to keep the rear and just keep myself from attention.
My eyes squinted as the bright lights assaulted them, the lobby filled with even more pink and reds. It was so cheery and bright, and wrongâŚa place as nice as this had no business in hell. A place like this served hope in a hopeless place, even the air smelled of cheer with an undertone of desperation. Demons milled about, sitting on the couches set up, loitering by the walls and windows. It was busy, surprisingly. I didn't think any sinners might want to take a chance. Then again I didnât think angels could die, yet here we are. The only difference between this and that is that one possibility was proven trueâŚthe other?
Never.
Hell was forever. It was a sad truth, but one Michael made abundantly clear when he was training me on my duties. His fatherâs judgment was final, in life humanity had the choice to live, to do goodâŚor to do evil. The choices they made or didnât would define them in death, theyâd either get to join the silver cityâŚor be forever separated and live down here. There was no change, there was no second chance. Life was their chance, and death is their forever.
Just like being fallen is mine.
Though I suppose I can admire that somewhere in this pile of sin and pride there was at least one soul who still believed in a happily ever after. The princess was naive, and I do wish her the best..but her dream? Heaven would turn itself over before they allowed a sinner to crawl their way up to them.
My wings tuck close to my body, I shift as the uncomfortableness I feel digs a pit in my stomach. Carmillaâs talking to a demoness at the front desk, her name tag reading Vaggie. She looks humanoid like me, except her skin was grey, and there was a huge X over her left eye that was mostly covered by white hair.
âUnfortunately, Charlie canât come see you, so itâs just me. We have the weapons locked up. Didnât wanna risk sinners coming for them once everything was said and done. Iâll have Alastor take you down to storage where we put them.â Her voice was on the raspier side, low and even, almost bored sounding.
Carmilla nodded, tapping her hand on the wood of the desk, âGracias, Vaggie, Iâll make sure the steel is put to good use. Odette, ClaraâŚgo outside and prep the truck.â
She waved her daughters out the door, beckoning me over, âI want you to go with Alastor. Take inventory of the weapons theyâd collected.â
I nodded my head, âOf course, and what about you?â
âI have some people I need to get back to, you can manage without me, no?â
âIâll be fine.â
Carmilla nodded her head, walking past me as she followed her daughters out. I turned back to the front desk demon, she was using the desk telephone to call up the two demons sheâd mentioned.
âCould you please just come down here AlastorâŚI canât go Iâm managing- Damnit Alastor! Youâve been holed up in your tower, youâre supposed to be the fucking host, so come down here and help out! â She slammed the phone down onto the receiver, pinching her nose with an exasperated groan.
Her eyes then lift back to mine, narrowing for a second, and I squirm as recognition flashes in her gaze. I wait for her to say something, blurt out that she knows who and what I am, but instead she shakes her head, holding up a hand, âSorry about thatâŚour co-ownerâs being difficult, heâll be down in a second.â
I wave a hand, âItâs okâŚI mean..what demon isnât difficult?â I say with a sheepish smile. It gets a laugh out of her, and she agrees with me with an amused roll of her eye.
âTell me about it,â She hums, looking back at me, âIâm Vaggie, manager of the hotel.â
She holds out a hand to me, and I take it, giving her a firm shake, âAngelica, Iâm Ms. Carmineâs PA.â
Vaggie nods her head, âNot the worst overlord to work for, we owe her for the weapons she supplied us during the extermination.â
âYep, sheâs the moreâŚreasonable of the bunch, Iâd say,â
âYep.â
God I hate small talk, that awkward air when you donât know how to fill it with more petty talk. My eyes scan over the lobby until it lands on a bar, I point at it, âMind if IâŚ?â
âNah, go ahead, if Alastor isnât down in the next five minutes Iâll just take you myself,â she turned back to her paperwork, and I turned to grab myself something to get this headache to go away.
I smile thankfully, and walk over to the bar being tended by a cat demon, he was leaning casually against the bar, cleaning out a glass. I wave slightly to get his attention, âHey, can I get a glass of water?â
He looked up, his ear twitching, âYeah, one sec.â
âTake your time,â I hold up a hand, turning around to lean back against the bar, crossing my legs, pulling out my phone to scroll through sinsta. I wanted to go home, this was uncomfortable, being in a place so desperate to get Heavenâs attention. I wanted the opposite, for them to forget about me, I never wanted to go back. Never.
Michael would have to grab me by the hair and drag me kicking and screaming.
I shudder, shaking my head just a glass appeared on the bar top. I take it, raising it in thanks to the demon. As the liquid slid down my throat, the cold bite was welcomed. I allowed the feeling to go through me, to saturate my entire body until I could feel air fill my lungs, and my heart slowed.
âAngelica!â Vaggieâs voice calls out to me, making me lift my head, she beckons me over. I turn to give the glass back to the bartender, pushing off the bar right into someone I didnât see. Our legs get tangled, and the two of us go toppling into the floor. I grunt as my back meets the carpeted floor of the hotel. A zing going through where my wings connected to my back.
âOw, fucking-!â I growled as I sat up, my hand reaching up to rub my shoulder. I lift my head to see who it was I just knocked over, and all I see is blonde, a sweater covered hand reaching up to rub their own head. It takes a second for them to lift their head, and when they do I feel a shot of familiarity as I stare at a pale face with slitted red eyes. A familiarity that was at the top of my head but I couldnât make out. Like it was fuzzy, blurred, blocked like my memories of how I got down here. They were right <em>there</em> but something was there keeping me from fully forming them into something I could grasp.
The demon Iâd run into gave my a sheepish smirk, revealing a mouth of sharp fangs, but his voice did not match the demonic features of his face.
âWhoopsie! That was..haâŚmy fault. In a world where almost all demons are six foot or taller I tend to forget how very easily trampable I can be.â He stood up, asking the sleeve of his sweater off his hand, extending the darkened appendage to me. âAre you ok? So sorry about that.â
I raise a brow, but accept the hand, letting him pull me to my feet. I quickly come to see what he means, the demon before me is within eye line with my chest. He had to lean his head back to look up at me. I saw a look pass over his vermillion eyes, the pink marks on his cheek flushing.
He steps back, rubbing at the back of his neck, ducking his gaze, his slippered foot toeing the groundâŚit was unusual. Most demons Iâve ever walked into, nine times out of ten, tried throwing a punch. To see one duck his gaze and act almostâŚshy about it, was honestly refreshing.
âItâs fine, shouldâve looked before I walked,â My lip twitches upwards in amusement, I pat his shoulder as I move to walk past him, âNo harm, no foul. Maybe tie a balloon around your wrist so people can see you easier.â
I hear the demon bark a laugh, âMy daughter said something similar to me once, though her idea was a bell.â
I look over my shoulder at him, a snort escaping me, âThatâll work too.â
I leave the stranger after that and make my way to Vaggie who meets me in the middle, âAlastorâs not coming downâŚâ
She trails off not finishing her thoughts, her head tilting, âOne second, I have someone else who can help bring the shipments out.â
She walks past me over to the bar and up to the pale faced demon, she gently taps his shoulder, saying a few words I donât pick up. She then gestures to me, making those red eyes of his lift and meet mine again. He turns back to Vaggie, nodding his head and hopping down from the stool, following her down one of the halls, she beckons me to come too.
âWith the steel Carmine lent us along with the ones left behind from the exorcists we had gotten a pretty good haul. Six crates full, theyâre in our loading dock on the east side of the hotel,â Vaggie tells me as she looks down at her phone, leading us through the hotelâs halls. âDonât tell me what Carmine plans on doing with them, I donât want to know.â
âDidnât plan on it,â I cross my arms, âMs. Carmineâs business is private, I donât breathe a word of it unless she says so.â
âYou work for Carmilla?â The pale faced demon asked me, tilting his head up.
âIâm her assistant,â I answer as we approach an elevator.
Vaggie stops, grumbling down at her phone, "Damnit, hold on, sorry. I need to deal with something real quick, a fight broke out between two of our patrons in group therapy. He can take you down to where weâre keeping your shipment, Iâll meet you guys down there after I break this up.â
I donât get a word in before sheâs storming off, angry words in Spanish leaving her lips. I now stand alone with the pale faced demon. Itâs awkward for a moment, before he just turns to push the button to open the elevator. He allows me to walk on first, following closely behind meâŚand Iâll admit I find his short form snuggled in that comfortable looking sweater adorable. A small snicker escapes me, I cover it by clearing my throat, leaning against the back wall. Itâs quiet, the only noises coming from the machinery of the elevator as it descends.
âSo,â the pale faced demon broke the silence, âI donât think I caught your-â
An explosion rocked the elevator, the metal box shaking violently, the overhead lights flickering and the elevator shrieking to a halt.
âWhat the hell?â I say, looking up, âwhat was that?!â
âThink that fight was more than a brawl,â The pale faced demon scrunched his nose as he steadied himself, letting out a huff, sounding almost agitated, âSinners doing what sinners do best. Taking advantage of people holding out a hand to them. Typical.â
âTell me about it,â I grumbled, hitting the emergency button, but there was no responseâŚmeaning it was more than likely we were stuck in here. I pulled out my phone and thankfully there was a signal. I immediately called Carmilla, my foot tapping incessantly as anxiety crawled up my throat. Being trapped in a tiny box with a demon was just asking to get myself exposed and killed.
âWhatâs taking so long?â She says immediately upon answering, âWe have a schedule to keep, Angelica.â
âYeah, soâŚsomething exploded and Iâm now trapped in an elevator,â I grumble, continuing to incessantly press the emergency button.
âWhat?!â
I wince, pulling my phone away from my ear, the pale face demon gave me a sympathetic look.
I pinch the bridge of my nose, placing the phone back against my ear, âVaggie was taking me down to where they had your shipment, but then a fight broke out and she had to deal with it. Now Iâm guessing it was more than a fight because now Iâm trapped in an elevator.â
âAre you alone?â She asked.
I shake my head even though she canât see it, âNo, Iâm with-â
I make a gesture to the pale faced demon to tell me his name. He perks up, looking momentarily confused for a second.
My words catch in my throat, the air knocking from my lungs, my head whipping towards him, my eyes widening and my jaw dropping.
OhâŚoh. The universe as fucking cruel.
Of course!
Of course.
Of all the demons I could be trapped in a tiny box withâŚit couldnât be anyone else but the one entity Iâd hoped to never cross.
And now that blurry familiarity cleared, and I could see his face in my mind. Only he looked different, red eyes once blue, features once soft and boyish. His face full of childlike glee as he spread his joy throughout Heaven. I could see the portrait in the palace clear as day now, and I could see that young angel in the fallen standing before me. Honestly I donât know how I didnât see it, he looks just like MichaelâŚjust shorter with hair cut closer to his head.
<em>He is cruel, and disgusting. He is a splotch on the history of Heaven, the reason souls will forever be separated.</em>
Michaelâs words were clear in my ears, the disgust in his tone palpable as he spoke his disdain about his youngest brother.
I swallowed thickly, backing up against the wall farthest from him. I willed my heart to stop pounding in my chest, this is it. Heâd see right through me if he took a hard enough look, heâd see me and Iâd be done.
âAngelica? Angelica!â Carmillaâs voice broke me out of my panic, âAre you there? Are you ok!â
My mouth opens, closes, then opens again, managing to choke out, âIâmâŚIâm fine. Iâm fine and Iâm with Lucifer.â
âNot the worst company,â I hear her sigh in agitation, âHold on, my dear, let me go see what is happening.â
âWait-â
But she hung up, and my teeth gritted, my grip on my phone crushing.
I groan, sinking to the floor, tucking my wings close, hoping to obscure myself as much as I could. Lucifer tilted his head at me, mimicking me and sitting across from me.
âPromise Iâm not as scary as everyone makes me out to be,â he snorted, âIf you asked my daughter sheâd say Iâm a duck loving softy.â
Right, his daughter, the owner of the hotel that represents the biggest fools errand ever, the one who took down Adam and the exorcists.
Oh Iâm so fucking screwed.
Lucifer picked at the hem of his sweater, âyâknow I made this,â he said, an attempt to soothe the air between us. âTook me almost a year, and so many balls of yarn. Was a total challenge, stabbed myself more than once with my knitting needles.â
I simply drew my knees up to my chest, letting him talk.
âI started small, made little sweaters for my rubber ducks, then managed to work my way up to myself and tadaa!â He held his arms out, âsleeves are too long though, but itâs fine.â
The way he waved his hands to make the extra fabric flap almost got me to smile, almost. His brows furrowed, and his cheeks puffed out as he scrutinized his sleeves. I laughed softly, hard to believe the entity before me was the Morningstar, evil incarnateâŚand every other slander Michael has thrown about him.
At my laugh, and I could see Lucifer grin, âThere we go! I saw that.â
I ignore the cheekiness, lifting my head, âDid you say rubber ducks? The devil made little sweaters for rubber ducks?â
Lucifer flushed, and now I can see the gold in his face.
God Angelica, youâd think living down here would sharpen your observational skills.
Apparently not because the demon before me being Lucifer had completely flown over my head.
âI uhâŚmay have a smallâŚ.room fullâŚcollection of them,â He rubs at his neck, leaning back on his other hand, âtheyâre cute, and smallâŚand one of the very few pure things down here, my daughter being number one. I honestly donât know how, being raised down here. Especially donât know how sheâs so good she thinks the other sinners can be good too when they do crap like this.â He gestures to the broken elevator we were trapped in.
I shrugged, âbe gratefulâŚeveryone needs someone to believe in them. A little belief can go a long way.â
He didnât look like he believed my words, and I wasnât sure I did either. I didnât think redemption was possible. Endless lessons with Michael and endless nights looking into the souls that come for judgment have reinforced that true evil was real. Humans made their choices in life, and heaven and hell were either their reward, or their eternal consequence.
âYeahâŚI believe in my daughter, andâŚI suppose itâs true. She managed to have faith she could stop the exorcist and bam! She managed to get Heaven to leave us aloneâŚfor now at least. SoâŚsuppose itâs true.â He chuckled, tilting his head at me.
He stared at meâŚand I stared back.
Lucifer tapped his fingers against the floor, chewing on the inside of his cheek, âSoâŚCarmineâs assistant, huh? How long?â
I looked up at him, raising a brow, âUhâŚThree years. Not too long after I got here.â
He nodded, pursing his lips, âSoâŚyou plan on coming out of your wings, youâre practically shoving yourself into the corner.â
I cringed,letting my wings open, âIâm not great with social situations, and Iâm trapped with the King of Hell.â
He blew a raspberry, âItâs just a title, here, why donât I tell you something about me.â
âOther than your obsession with ducks?â
âItâs not an obsession! Theyâre cute!â He pointed, a pout on his lips, âBut yes, aside from the ducksâŚletâs seeâŚâ
He tapped the sleeve of his sweater against his chin before lighting up, âI have produced a musical based on a popular mortal oneâŚthe great Quacksby! Totally brilliantâŚthough none of the sinners have the literacy to understand its greatness.â
I canât help the snort I let out, my hand smacking over my mouth, and once again the king perks up.
âSee? Not so scary. Now you.â
He sat up, waiting for me to return the favor. I wracked my brain, trying to look for something that wouldnât raise a brow. In heaven I did all sorts of things with his sisters. Played instruments, created art, sang at concerts, and a whole bunch of other heaven based activities.
âIâŚuhâŚvolunteer at a rec center in Carmineâs side of the cityâŚI teach an art class,â it was a small thing, Iâd gotten into it thanks to Carmilla, surprisingly. She says art can be therapeutic, and it did help me process my fall. Id ended up making friends with the director and she gave me a spot to teach a basic art class.
âReally? Thatâs coolâŚyâknow charlie was talking about something called art therapy,â Lucifer tilted his head thoughtfully, âGuess people draw their feelings?â
âSomething like that, and it is good, especially if youâre not good with words,â I let my legs stretch out, âIt helped me when I first got down hereâŚthe transition was hardâŚI had no idea what I did to get down here. Though Iâm sure every sinner says thatâŚbut I truly donâtâŚI was..I was goodâŚI liked to believe I was good. Mustâve not been good enough since I woke up here.â
I stared hard at the ground, reaching for those memories again, but the wall was still firm and unyielding and it drove me crazy. Why? What was I protecting myself from? What did I do?
That headache existential crises cause comes back. I groan, curling up again as I dragged my pointed nails across my scalp, âThat was likeâŚa total trauma dump huh?â
âMah, thatâs what this place is for,â Lucifer shrugged, âCharlie built it so it was a safe space, and Iâve found that when people come here theyâre compelled to share their feelings. The old girl is still working her magic, hahaâŚâ
A humorless laugh leaves me, and I desperately want the elevator to get back to working again.
âAnother fact,â I blurt, making him blink at me.
âHuh?â
âAnother fact about you,â I gesture, âGo.â
âOh!â Lucifer perks up, âRight! Ok! I have an amusement park I named after mahself.â
The devil grinned, bright and broad, showing off his fangs, âLulu world~ pride ringâs favorite spot! Ever been?â
I shake my head, âNuh uh, but Ms. Carmineâs daughters have brought it up once or twice. Maybe Iâll ask.â
âTotally should,â He nodded matter of factly, âThe Ferris wheel is the best, get a whole view of pride, very scenic.â
I smile, âIâll keep it in mind.â
He then gestured for me to go again, and I wracked my brain for another vague fact I could give.
âUhâŚone of my powers is song, and I can use it to manipulate thingsâ I offer, thatâs inconspicuous, yeah? Any demon can have a voice themed power. Though manipulating things was only a piece to the whole. With my voice I could turn the tides of war, willing armies to fight and protect. I could use it as a weapon, manipulating sound waves, objects, or I could use it to soothe, or look into a soul.
All the virtues had voice related abilities that coincided with their virtue. Michael could give orders lower tier angels couldnât refuse, Gabriel could use his to deliver messages, Azrael could call souls, Ariel could charm the earth and animals, and Uriel could use his to set off one of the many futures heâs constantly seeing. There were more, but weâd be here all day of I tried to explain.
I look at Lucifer as I offer my fact, heâs staring right back, his eyes practically staring into my soul.
âWhat?â
âNothingâŚsâjust uhâŚthat kinda reminds me of my wife,â He laughed, before his lips thinned, âLilithâŚshe could sway people with her song, was kinda likeâŚmind controlâŚbutâŚsofter. She could rally people to her, theyâd feel empowered by her singing. She always loved letting people hear her sing.â
I know.
Iâd learned about her, and I was there at the meetings about the distress the Queen was causing. Michael wanted it done and over with, to just kill her and put Hell back in its place. Her voice had demons rising to fight against HeavenâŚand then just one dayâŚitâd stopped. I never would have imagined it was because Heaven had allowed a yearly genocide to bring down the masses.
Lucifer fiddles with something on his left hand, and I see it, a gold band around his ring finger. I feel pity for the fallen, it was clear he loved herâŚclear heâd do anything for herâŚlike allow humanity to fall into this pit we both lived in. Michael thought him a fool, told us love was weak and blinding and often used Lucifer as an example that love for an archangel is the beginning of the end.
<em>âWe have too many responsibilities,â Heâd say, âToo much to focus on to be distracted by frivolous things like love. Angelica, my dear, we need you to always have a level head, guard your heart. No one is deserving.â
Iâd believed him, I still do, especially in a place like this where the only thing on anyoneâs mind is power and sex. No care for love, no care for intimacy, itâs fast paced out here, and the soft end up another body for the cannibals to devour.
Brutal.
But mostly because I could never afford that, not with the wholeâŚfallen archangel deal. A demon would sooner rip out my heart; literally, then care and be tender with it.
So Iâm fine on my own.
Itâs fine.
âWhat uhâŚwhat happened to her?â I find myself asking, âI just..I heard that she disappeared, missing.â
Lucifer shrugged, âDunno, last I saw her was when she threw my wedding ring at my headâŚIâm divorced.â
Oh.
âOh, thatâsâŚsorry.â I cringe, seriously?
But Lucifer pays it no mind, just giving me a pained smile, vermillion eyes trying so hard to keep the pain back, âItâs fine, Iâm in therapyâŚmy daughterâs recommendation. And hey! I have Charlie, my mini meâŚwell not mini sheâs a whole foot taller than me, but I have her! Thatâs all I need.â
âOf you say so, I mean you spent what like a couple dozen millennia with her..Iâd think having that all come to an end would be a little-â
âI donât want to talk about it.â His face darkened, and he clenched his left hand into a fist.
âOk, sorry.â
And just like that the awkward silence is back, making me draw my knees back to my chest.
But I look at him and he looks so sad, like this woundedâŚwellâŚduck, and I find my mouth moving again against my will.
âWhatâs Charlie like? The media doesnât really do her justice, just all propaganda,â I wave my hand.
That brings the king out of the funk, and he lights back up again as he talks about her, âYeah thatâs why I donât watch TV, screws with the head. But uh, sheâs great, a sweetie like I said before. She is everything I wanted to be at her age, Iâm so proud of her and-â
I feel relief as he fills the air. I donât like those awkward pauses, againâŚIâm not good with small talk but Iâm good at listening. So I let him talk my ear off about his daughter and another hour passed. Weâre both laying on the floor, heâs still going on, though now heâs talking about her business partner, and his lips are in a scowl.
âI mean, she has me now! She doesnât need some smiley faced, dead eyed, freaky fuck to help her out,â his sweater covered hands waved, âI can solve all her problems 500 times better than some glorified strawberry deer with a cheesy radio gimmick.â
His cheeks were puffed out, his eyes narrowed, and his lips were set in a pout. I chew on my lip sucking in air between my teeth, âYeah..but sheâs also an adult. You canât take care of everything for her, gotta let her be. Make her own choices. Free will and all that.â
Lucifer gave me a blank look, not amused by my attempt at a joke, âDonât talk to me about free will, free willâs gotten me into enough trouble.â
He dragged his hands down his face dramatically, âAnd letting Charlie be is whatâs gotten me on the outside of her life in the first place.â
âWhat do you-?â
Iâm cut off as the slights flicker back on, the elevator coming back to life and starting to go up.
âFinally! was getting claustrophobic in here,â Lucifer stood up, brushing himself off and holding out a hand to me. I take it, and with surprising strength he pulls me to my feet. I wobble, my legs having gone numb making me stumble into the shorter angel. His arm wraps around my waist, his head tilting back as my front sways into him.
âWhoa there! Donât fall for me just yet!â He laughed before sputtering as he realized what he said, âI didnât..thatâs not- Iâm not- I uhâŚâ
I laugh, holding up my hands, âItâs fine, I get what you meant, but also I donât do falling. People fall for me.â
I wink, making him sputter again. With an amused huff, I turned to the elevator doors as they finally slid open. Carmilla and Vaggie stood there, with another demon accompanying them. and I guess this is the quote unquote, âGlorified strawberry deer with a cheesy radio gimmick.â
Heâs tall, with red and tufts sticking up for his head, his focus is on the elevator panel, green magic weaving from his fingers.
âThere we are!â His voice; tinged with an old Atlantic accent, said cheerily. His red eyes moving to us, that eery smile one his face spreading,
âWhy hello there! My sincerest apologies, our patrons got a tad bit unruly,â he chuckled, a background track of laughter chuckling with him.
âA tad?â Lucifer said with a sneer, âWe were stuck in there for three hours!â
The radio demon tilted his head, âDonât you have the power to teleport? itâs not my fault you didnât have the brain cells to rub together to get yourself out of that situation.
WaitâŚwhat?
I look down at the fallen angel who now stood frozen with a (ironically) deer in headlights look.
âWe were stuck in there for three hours and you could have gotten us out at any time?!â I exclaim.
Lucifer swallowed, pulling at the collar of his sweater, âYâknow everything had just happened so fast, and I was distracted by our riveting conversations and I justâŚ. Yâknow what? I think I hear my daughter calling for me, coming Charlie!â
He darted off down the hall, almost stumbling over the striped flannels he wore.
I took a breath as agitation settled in my bones, I could feel that headache coming back. I feel Carmillaâs heavy hand grasp my shoulder, âLetâs go, weâve been here long enough, and I have a meeting with Zeezi across town Iâm late for. Youâll come back tomorrow with the girls to get my shipment.â
And that was that, Vaggie offered me an apology, but I didnât get to tell her it was fine before Carmilla was dragging me outside the hotel. We get into the limo, and I take a seat by the door while she sits across from me.
âAre you ok?â Carmilla asks me, dropping the hard mask to look me over with maternal concern. I give her my hands when she holds her out for them, she looks me over for bruises or bumps, any injury I mightâve gotten when that bomb rocked the hotel.
âIâm ok, and at least I wasnât alone,â I squeeze her hands, âI didnât think Lucifer Morningstar would beâŚâ
âA spacey and socially awkward fool?â She says it with almostâŚjoking affection, âHeâs an old friend, one of the very few reasons I helped Vaggie and the princess last month.â
I nodded, scrunching my nose, âYeah. That. He talked my ear off.â
Carmilla laughed, patting my head, âYes, he does tend to rambleâŚhim and his daughter both.â
I chuckle, âYeahâŚbut it wasnât so bad, kept my mind off being trapped in a metal coffin. SoâŚnot the worst three hours.â
âHm,â she hummed, rapping her knuckles on the divider to the front, signaling for the driver to drive, âWell itâs over now, and we still have work to be done.â
I nodded my head, leaning back, I looked back to the hotel as it disappeared into the background. I managed to not get sniffed out by Lucifer, and hopefully after I get what Carmilla needs from the hotel tomorrow Iâll never have to worry about the Morningstar again.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Hi hi! Sooooooo sorry for the delay!
It got super busy, Iâm back at college, and thatâs been hell đ
Also the chapter got deleted and I had to rewrite most of it đ
Anyway, did you miss me? I missed you! Take this new chapter as my peace offering!
âââââââââ
Vitani sat patiently as the two unfamiliar majiri checked her over, she blinked irritably as Chayne shined a light in her eye, huffing as she moved her eyes to avoid it.
âApologies, phoenix child, just double checking to make sure your head is fine,â He stepped back, giving her room as Kenyatta wrapped her ribs again. The female majiri kept eyeing her arm, a suspicious look in her eye every time the huntress caught it.
Vitani eyed her back, her eyes narrowing as their gazes met before she turned to the sage, âI understand, itâs alrightâŚam I free to go home now? I donât wish to burden Najuma and her father for much longerâŚI also have things to attend to.â
âWhile your recovery looks promising, I would recommend at least a weekâs worth of rest,â Chayne held an arm behind his back, the other moving to stroke his beard thoughtfully. âYour head is what concerns me, the wound is gone, but Iâd rather you be watched over in case something happens such as dizziness or feeling faint.â
âI feel fine,â Vitani insisted, feeling like an animal caged against its will. She understood she was injured, but she suffered worse. A bump on the head and a few broken bones were no sweat off her back. She had this week drop off to attend to, she needed to finish off gathering what Zeki had asked of her.
Chayne frowned, âThis is non-negotiable, Iâm afraid. I highly encourage you stay under watch.â
Vitani huffed, wincing as her torso throbbed as her shoulders sagged.
Chayne tapped his fingers together, seeing her surrender, âNow then-â
âWhereâre you from?â Kenyatta interrupted suddenly, making both look towards her.
âPardon?â
âKenyatta.â
But the majiri ignored her sponsee, her hands on her hips as she scrutinized Vitani, âYou didnât emerge in Kilima, I know every human thatâs come out of our shrine, Iâm the mayorâs kid. Also your arm, thatâs not human tech, you said as much when I asked if youâd emerge with it. Iâm, like..so not interested in governing, but that doesnât mean Iâm gonna let someone whoâs sketchy potentially endanger my town.â
Well that was blunt.
Vitani raised a brow while Chayne let out a sigh, placing a hand on the humanâs arm, âIâm sorry for her, she-â
âI emerged outside of the republic.â
Both majiri went silent, looking at her.
âI emerged in a shrine outside of the republic, found by the natives, and sent to the capitol.â Her eyes were blank as she spoke, silver eyes boring into the younger woman. Her head tilted, curls of night swaying with the movement, âThey gave me my arm, and let me go. There? Better?â
Kenyatta blinked, her mouth opening and closing for a moment as she tried to formulate a reply, âWhyâre you living in the elderwood?â
âI donât like people.â
A snort escaped the majiri, she still felt something off about the huntress, but pushed it aside, nodding in respect, âIsnât that a mood.â
After that, and a light scolding from Chayne, Kenyatta and him finished up their examination of Vitani, determining she should stay with the Pavels for at least a week to determine the injury to her head was truly no more than a flesh wound. Vitani was reluctant, tried to protest that she was fine to return home. The sage was having none of it, and Najuma agreed, once she was allowed back into her room, and one look at those big brown eyes had the huntressâs resolve crumbling.
Hodari was a silent fixture as all this went down, a shadow darkening the doorway to Najumaâs room. Those steel blue eyes trained on her as his daughter tried to make sure she was comfortable.
âHowâre you feeling?â Najuma asked as she sat on the bed, âWant anything? Water? Are you hungry? You have eaten at all since you woke up! Iâll go make you something!â
âYou donât-â
But the girl already darted off, disappearing out the door and towards the kitchen. Vitani sighed, leaning back against the pillow as a familiar bulk filled the doorway again. Hodai ducked in, carrying a glass of water and a sandwich in the other hand, coincidentally.
âRealized you ainât eaten since ya woke up, made you a sandwich with some cold cuts, if thatâs alright. Also, here, water,â he held the two items to her, stepping back and folding those burly forearms across his chest.
âWhatâd Chayne nâ Kenyatta say?â He asked, leaning his weight against the bedpost, his eyes were trained on his boots, occasionally flitting towards her every now and again.
âChayne wants to make sure my head injury was just surface, says I should stay under watch for a week,â she took a sip of her water, her throat was painfully dry, she just realized as the cool liquid refreshed her. She then lifted the sandwich, taking a slow bite, she tasted peki and some sauce with lettuce. Simple and hopefully wouldnât try to crawl back up her throat.
âAlright, I gotta go back to work though, sâjust gonna be you nâ âJuma till I get back at eightâŚis that alright?â His head tilted, soft looking black locks falling over his eyes until his hand ran through it. Vitaniâs eyes tracked the movement, tracking all of him for that matter. He was stiff, uncomfortable, clearly not happy with having to host a stranger for another week.
âThatâs fine,â she uttered, setting her food and drink down, âIâm sorry for the inconvenience.â
Hodari waved her off, âAinât much of a people person, but that donât mean Iâm gonâ leave someone in need flat on their ass. âSpecially if that someone is someone my daughter cares for and saved her life. I owe you, my baby wouldnât be here if it werenât for you.â
That thought made a wave of sickness curl in his gut, a life without his daughter, losing his wife was one thing, one thing he barely made it through.
But his daughter? Najuma?
He knew he wouldnât have much to stick around for if something took her from him too.
Vitani seemed to hate the thought too, her eyes darting to the wall, glaring at it like it personally offended her. She grabbed her water, taking another slow sip, âIâve grown close to her within the four months Iâve been training herâŚit would be a tragedy if something happened to her.â
Understatement of the century, Hodari thought to himself.
âMâglad sheâs got people looking out for her,â he scratched the back of his neck, âI still ainât happy she was sneaking out to those woods..butâŚsuppose I feel better knowinâ someone had her back. You almost gave up your life for herâsâŚyou have my respect nâ then some for that.â
Vitaniâs lips almost lifted, she bowed her head to him, âI wouldnât let any harm come to her or any little one who came into those woodsâŚadults on the other handâŚâ
She simply sipped her water again.
Hodari bit on his lower lip, lips daring to rise slightly in amusement, âWell either way, Vitani. Thank you. Donât know what Iâd do with myself if somethinâŚâ
He tilted his head back, taking another breath as his stomach turned over again, âWoulda been my fault.â
Vitani set her cup down again, eyeing him, running them over him. He had dark circles under his eyes, his hair looking like heâd run his fingers through it a million times over. Posture stiff, though thatâs probably because of his back, but overall the man looked absolutely beat.
âYou were a father expressing concern over a dangerous decision your daughter made. Najuma was a child expressing her want for freedom, approval, and trust. Could it had gone in a different direction? Yes. But the choices you made are your own, Najuma chose to run because she felt trapped. You chose to yell because you felt you had no choice. When an animal is cornered and sees no other way out, they snap, and bite.â
Hodari looked at her, her face was even, calculating, hand moving along the metal of her prosthetic, âHumans and majiri are no different. Both of you felt you were backed into a corner, you with Najumaâs consistent refusal to listen to you, and Najuma with your refusal to allow her the freedom she desired. You both felt trapped, and the frustration at neither of you reaching a resolution cornered you and snapped, so you bit. Itâs simply nature, and now in the past. Youâve talked now though, havenât you?â
Her head tilted at him, those silver eyes of hers staring right through him. It was a feeling he wasnât used to from any other person but Leta. That woman could see right through the grumpy mask he wore down to the vulnerable man who just wanted to keep his family safe and happy. At any cost.
He opened his mouth, not trusting his voice, he nodded, âYeahâŚgonnaâŚtry tâtalk more. Sânot easy, we both got tempers nâ heads harder than an ormuuâsâŚbut neither of us want a repeat of what happened.â
âNeither do I,â Vitani muttered, her hands reaching up to rub at her eyes, a tired yawn leaving her lips.
âI should let you rest,â Hodari muttered, reaching behind him for the door, âJust leave the plate and cup there, Iâll have Juma bring it back.â
Vitani nodded, settling back into the pillows, mindful of her back, âGood night then.â
âGood night, Vitani.â
Hodari turned off the lights, closing the door, turning around just as Najuma came back, ironically enough with a sandwich and water.
âAh, lil too late for that, babygirl, already gave her food and water, sheâs gone to bed now, you should too,â he ruffled Najumaâs hair. It was late, really late, if he went to bed now heâd only have an hour or two before he had to get up for work.
âOh,â Najuma frowned, walking back to the kitchen, putting the sandwich in the ice box, âwas she ok?â
Hodari nodded, taking a seat at the kitchen table, the wood groaning beneath his bulk, âYeah, she seemed pretty ok with evâryhthinâ happeninâ, didnât seem like much sweat off her back.â
âThat doesn't surprise me,â she bounded over to him, sitting with him at the table.
âNo?â
âNuh uh,â she shook her head, âshe always acts nonchalant about everything, sheâs kinda like you, the silent stoic type.â
Yeah he could see that, like him her face was set in a slack and bored expression. Looking like all she wanted to do was be home, and not in a situation she was clearly not comfortable in. Hodari wore that face basically all day when he was around other people, or when humans came to bother him about things that make him wonder if all that time in the pink mist wiped not only their memories, but their common sense too. He snorted, leaning back, his lips daring to twitch up into a smile.
âWell then I sâpose she anâ I will get along just fine while sheâs here,â he nodded his head.
âDefinitely, sheâs awesome, her and muujin Phantom- Phantom!â Najuma shut up from her chair, alarming Hodari.
âWhat? What is it?â
Najuma waved her hands, her eyes wide, âPhantom! Heâs her friend! Heâs her bluebristle muujin! Oh dragon! I hope heâs ok! He doesnât know where she went, I canât believe I forgot about him!â
The smaller majiri was panicked, pacing with a wild expression on her face, âWe have to go find him! What if he got hurt in the earthquake! Heâs all alone!â
âNow hold on, we just had a whole discussion about you not runninâ off tâthose woods no more, young lady. Now I donât know about this muujin. Blue bristles are dangerous, never see emâ cominâ till their teeth are in yer neck.â
âNot Phantom! Heâs nice! Heâs like an overgrown Tau..TauâŚHassian! We can ask him to track him, please dad! Iâm sure Vitani will be worried once she remembers too!â Najuma grabbed his arm, her eyes wide and pleading, her lip set in a pout.
âI wonât go, but please ask Hassian! Please!â
Hodari stared at his daughter, his heart twisting, the fear and worry in his eyes twisting the knife, and twisting his arm, âAlright, alright, in the morninâ fine, fine. Iâll ask Hassian to keep anâ eye out when he swings by to bring supplies to the humans up there. Now go to bed, âbeen a night.â
Najuma nodded, hugging him around the waist, âThanks, dad.â
Hodari pressed a hard kiss to her forehead, rubbing her back, âAnythinâ for you, darlinâ. Now off to bed, spitfire.â
Najuma nodded, squeezing him around the waist again before heading into her room, silent as could to not wake the sleeping huntress.
True to his word, when the sun rose the next day, Hodari caught Hassian before the hunter could head up to Kilima, asking him to check out the huntressâs cottage. Najuma gave him the houseâs coordinates, and told him how to approach the muujin, apparently he did not take kindly to intruders his master didnât allow on her property. Hassian simply offered him a nod, promising he would be mindful and see if he could find the beast.
Silent as could be, the hunter slunk towards the tree line to the clearing marked on the map Hodari had given him. Tau walked softly beside, nose to the ground and ears perked high to the sky, they both approached the quaint looking home settled just at the edge of the elderwood. He out onto the front yard, he saw cut logs for firewood, targets like the ones he had in his grove, arrows buried in their center, along with one robin hooded arrow. An arrow which was embedded in another, his head tilted in appreciation. Clearly this Vitani was as skilled with a bow as he was, not many can make such an expensively destructive, and rare shot.
âSee if you can pick up his scent, if the beast claims this as his territory, then he must have a perimeter he guards and circles,â his voice was low, calm, unwilling to rise in case of attracting predators. Tau gave a soft chuff, continuing to sniff, his sensitive plume hound nose searching for the distinct scent of the magic trail bluebristles leave when they go invisible. Tauâs nose eventually picked up the scent, the aura emanating from it felt like electricity lightly pricking his nose. He let out a, âBoof!â To alert his friend he found the muujinâs trail, immediately trotting off to follow it, Hassian on his heels, snatching a scarf from her laundry on the way.
The majiri and the hound crept along silently, Hassian kept an arrow notched, and his eyes to the trees. His ears twitched as he tried to listen for the beast, not wanting to be surprised if the animal chose to dive down from the trees. Head on a swivel, and weapon ready to fire in a worst case scenario, Hassian uttered the beasts name.
âPhantom!â
It was quiet, only the sounds of the birds chirping and draugr beetles skittering. At least until Hassian felt a huff of air on the back of his neck. Tau barked, his eyes trained on the tree trunk behind them. Hassian slowly turned, facing nothing but an empty ancient tree until he saw the faintest outline, like heatwaves across a paved road on a hot day. Slowly the cloak disappeared to reveal the sizable bluebristle muujin. His glowing blue eyes narrowed as he slunk down from the tree. Tau put himself between Hassian and the beast, growling in low warning.
Hassian reached down, placating the plum hound, reaching into his bag to pull out the scarf he snatched from the clothesline. He held it out to the muujin, hoping the familiar scent of his master would placate him.
Phantom leaned forward, sniffing the fabric, letting out a whine as Vitaniâs familiar woodsy smell filled his nostrils. He snatched it from Hassianâs hand, retreating back up the tree, nuzzling the fabric as he laid on a low branch.
âI know where she is,â Hassian said, the beastâs behavior reminding him of an overgrown Tau essentially, âI can take you to her.â
Phantom snorted, casting the majiri hunter a lazy look, rubbing his face against Vitaniâs scarf. Tau looked between the two, letting out a series boofs up at the bigger canine. Phantomâs head turned down to the plum hound, he chuffed, jumping down, scarf still in his mouth, waiting for them.
Hassian nodded, surprised by the beastâs intelligence, usually muujin were a tadâŚempty headed, Vitani must;ve trained this one similar to how heâs trained tau. Slinging his bow back over his shoulder, and sliding his arrow back into his quiver, he waved his hand to the two animals, beginning the journey back to Bahari. The sun was starting to set, the familiar purple fog rolling back in. Hassian didnât mind as they walked, the forest was his home, nature was his sanctuary. While the elderwood was dangerous, his motherâs training taught him not to fear what nature dictates, she is an entity of her own great power. What she wants, sheâll get, respect her, and sheâll welcome you as her own. But even if nature wasnât his enemy, that did not mean there was nothing to fear within these woods.
People were just as dangerous as any animal could hope to be.
As Hassian walked, he felt as if he could hear footsteps following behind him, he felt goosebumps rise on his skin. His hand went to his hunting knife at his side as he continued to walk along, trying to act nonchalant. He did not want to alert whoever was behind him that he knew he was being trailed. The hairs on the back of his neck rose, a sinking feeling creating a pit in his stomach. His instincts screamed at him something was wrong, whatever was trailing him was..wrong. Not human, not majiri.
Tau stopped, his ears pinning back, while Phantom bared his teeth, his hackles raised. He began to back up, placing himself in front of Hassian and Tau, trying to corral them in a different direction. Hassianâs brows furrowed, trying to outmaneuver the muujin, but Phantom persisted, snarls and growls falling from his lips, making him sound rabid.
âHassian, my boy.â
Hassianâs head snapped up, jerking as fingers touched the back of his neck. He whirled around, but there was no one thereâŚbut a shadow, a shadow at the tree line, so familarâŚ.but impossible.
âMomma?â He said meekly, one step, he took one step, and phantom all but threw himself at the hunter. Hassian let out a grunt of surprise, trying to push the furry beast off him, but Phatom grabbed his arm, pulling him, like he was urging him not to fall for the forest's tricks. Tau barked, phantom snarled, and the shadow was gone. Hassianâs mind was swirling, he felt dizzy and nauseous, confusedâŚterrified. He didnât have much time to contemplate it as the muujinâs teeth pricked blood, forcing the majiri from his mind.
âAlright, yes, I agreeâŚwe must go,â he pulled his arm from Phantomâs maw, picking up his pace, not daring to look over his shoulder even as he could feel that thingâs eyes bore into him. He didnât dare, he simply listened to the survival instincts driving him right now, get the fuck out of these woods.
Once he returned to the Pavel household, Hodari could immediately tell something had rattled the stoic hunter, a surpassing sight. While Najuma was cooing over Phantom, who was happily rubbing himself all over the girl, Hodari walked over to Hassian, placing a heavy hand on his shoulder.
âWhat happened?â
Hassianâs eyes slid to his from where it was staring emptily across the yard, âI do not know what you mean.â
âDonât bullshit me now, boy. You look like you done saw a ghost, youâre so pale youâre almost light blue,â Hodari scolded, leveling Hassian with the same gaze he uses on Najuma when she tries lying to him.
Hassian shifted his weight, a huff of air leaving his nose, he shook his head, he did not want to talk about it. His mouth opened, then closed, then opened again, he snapped his jaws shut, shaking his head, âYou would not believe me if I told you, Iâm not sure if I believe myself either. Thereâs something wrong with those woods, I encourage you to continue to discourage Najumaâs curiosity about it. I now understand.â
He didnât offer room for discussion as he whistled for Tau, all but storming away back to his grove, leaving behind a confused Hodari and a perplexed Najuma.
As he walked away, the feeling of eyes burning his skull returned, it caused his head to whip back, only to see the curtain of Najumaâs room swish closed. A figure moved across the room and disappeared.
She knew. He could feel it. She knew.
That woman was no lone huntress in the woods.
He quickly shuffled off, a plan formulating in his mind to figure out exactly who he and Hodari saved that night.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
âOh.â
Vitani and Hodari stared at one another for a moment, familiarity immediately rising in his head. His body laid in her embrace while her hands ran over him, her hair surrounding him, and her eyes burning into him. They were a feature that called to him from the moment he bumped into her, and stayed with him. Now he was looking at them again, just as hypnotic as last time. They felt ghostly, almost, piercing, staring right through him behind those long eyelashes and lidded eyelids.
Vitani tilted her head curiously at him, a dark brow raising on his face, âIâm guessing Iâm a bit more brutalized then I thought to have you stare at me like that.â
She turned away from him, something he found himself disappointed by, reaching up to touch her face. He cleared his throat, shaking his head, reaching for her back again, dabbing the cloth at the various harsh wounds. It looks like someone took sand paper to her back and rubbed until she was raw.
âNah, yâjust uh- noâŚno that ainât it, but that gash on your head was pretty nasty lookin,â he cleared his throat, grunting at himself and his fumbling.
âWhat happened?â She raised her right hand to her face, hissing as she touched the bandage, âI remember walking with NajumaâŚand thenâŚnothing.â
âThere was an earthquake, opened up ground underneath yaâŚsent you nâJuma downâŚshe said yâgrabbed herâŚprotected herâŚâ he reached for the bandages, starting to apply them, âThank you.â
âMm,â is all she gave in return, âThen?â
âShe said you threw her away from ya, got pinned under a rock. Crushed three of your ribs, n fractured yer collarbone. Obviously also busted your head somethinâ fierce. You were a bloody mess when I found you both.â
Images of her limp form, her lulled back head and that nasty wound to her head flashed in his mind. He wasnât squeamish, not at all, heâs seen what mining can do to people and itâs built his tolerance for blood and gore. However didnât make it churn his gut uncomfortably any less, especially when itâs a woman..now so more than ever.
Rocks, fiery red hair, begging her to breathe.
Stop.
Breathe.
Hodari stood straight, turning his face away as clenched his eyes shut, taking a moment before clearing his throat again. He turned back to her, her eyes already on him, head tilted curiously. With a slow blink at him, Vitani turned away, letting him collect himself and finish what he was doing. He was grateful for that, didnât want a stranger prying, or for Najuma to potentially overhear.
âFun,â She said sarcastically, her hands reaching for said injuries, wincing as she prodded broken ribs and an aching collar bone.
âYeah. Real fun,â Hodari scoffed, âWe pulled you out anâ brought you to a healer. He said you were gonna be fineâŚyour magic or what have ya was helping you.â
âMm,â Vitani hummed again, âAnd you said I was out for a week?â
âYes maâam,â He answered as he cleaned up, âNajumaâs been watchinâ over you, insisted we take you in.â
âVitani,â she said, looking over her shoulder again, âAnd Iâm sorry for intruding.â
Hodari raised a brow at her, âHodari. Anâ while it ainât convenient, sânot like Iâm gonâ leave an injured person, anâ unconscious injured person, on their lonesome. Would also do anything for Najuma, youâre her friend, you kept her aliveâŚreckon I owed you oneâŚeven if I ain't happy about her runnin off to the elderwoods ta meet ya without me knowinâ, or knowinâ you.â
âSo you know? What sheâs been doing?ââ
âSomeone saw her in the woods nâ told me, she fessed up after I found her nâ you,â he eyed he, âWhatâre you doinâ takinâ a thirteen year old girl anâ letting her come into that place?â
âI told her to leave, but your daughter is a persistent little thing. She was going to venture into those woods to make her ends meet whether you or I liked it or not. Better she knew the basics of surviving those woods than letting it take her life,â Vitani rubbed her shoulder, rolling them, her neck twisting in the same way Hodari does a millions times a day.
âShe shouldnâtâ ve been there in the first place,â He huffed, not angry at her, but at himself for not noticing sheâd been up to something.
âYou know the more you tell kids no the more it serves their desire,â she shrugged her shawl back over her shoulder, now stitched up and cleaned. Najuma washed it the day after everything, she said it was Vitaniâs favorite, wore it all the time when they would be at her cabin.
âDonât I know it, I say no, all that lil girl hears is go do it,â He pinched the bridge of his nose, huffing, âHer momma, that one. One in the same with their stubbornness.â
Vitaniâs eyes glazed over, her eyes darting to the side towards the door, âWhat exactly did she tell you of her ventures into the woods?â
Hodari narrowed his gaze, âThat sheâd been followinâ you, why?â
âShe didnât tell you of her first days there?â
âNo?â
âHm.â
âWhy? What happened?â A sinking feeling settled in his gut, but the huntress didnât face him, her attention turning to digging her fingers into her aching shoulders. It made Hodari huff with irritation, just when he thought him and Najuma had cleared the air.
âShe was never in danger when she was with me,â Vitani deflected, âI was there. I was watching. I know those woods, some of the rumors Iâm sure the other humans have spread have validity. Theyâre dangerous and unforgiving and if I hadnât taken in NajumaâŚâ
She trailed off, sucking her lips in, rolling them out, âShe was fine when she was with me, thatâs all Iâll say.â
âWell forgive me for still not being thrilled my kid was sneaking off to the most dangerous parts of mountains,â Hodari picked up the tray, setting the bowl of water on it.
âI understand your concern as a parent, but teaching her was the more practical solutionâŚare you done?â Her eyes darted to what he was holding.
Hodari nodded, not bothering with the argument anymore, âYes, I need ta send a letter to our sage so he can come check you over.â
Vitani scrunched her nose, a movement that Hodari thought made her stoic looking face cute. Leta used to do something similar when she was irritated as well, her nose would scrunch, her brows would furrowâŚHodari would always say it made her look like a chapaa.
He would always almost get whacked with a wrench after, but it didnât change she still looked adorable.
Turning himself away from the intrusive memories, he headed to the door, âYou should lay back down, Chayne said your back was all sorts a messed up- shit!â
In his haste Hodariâs foot hit Najumaâs tool box, making him stumble. The tray with the bowl and bandages went toppling to the floor the miner about to follow after. Hands grabbed him, yanking him sideways onto the bed, sprawling him over the huntressâ lap. Vitaniâs eyes looked down at him, amusement dancing in their silvery depths, a slight twitch to the corner of her lips.
âYou and your daughter both have rather clumsy feet.â
The majiri grunted, his head falling back, not focusing on the jest as his back felt like every one of his muscles were being pulled taught.
âIt also seems Iâm not the only one with a messed up back.â
Hands, one metal and one flesh, carefully maneuvered Hodari to sit up. She was surprisingly strong for a short thing. Though her metal arm was probably a tribute to that. She got him up and sitting, making the miner grumble a small thanks. However it seemed she wasnât done, her hands moved down his back, causing a shiver to run down somewhere in between the pain.
âWhatâre ya-â
âYour muscles are a nightmare, howâre you up right now?â
For some reason it made Hodari let out a short laugh, hell if he knew. Years of endurance maybe, his back didnât hurt any less but years of doing what he did built up his ability to tolerate the constant ache going up and down his spine.
âMinerâs back. Yâget used to itâŚbut whatâre ya- fuck!â Hodari gasped as the fingers of her metal hand dug into the base of his spine, her other hand coming to his chest until she pushed enough to cause a loud pop!
It caused him to jerk away, his hand moving to his back, âWhaddya think youâre doinâ?!â
âHow do you feel now?â She didnât answer, laying back against Najumaâs head board.
âWhat?â
âYour back.â
âI-â
Hodari patted his back, noticing it feltâŚlighter, it still hurt, but his muscles had relaxed, not feeling like he was pulling everything all the time. It made his thick brows draw together, blue eyes narrowing on the woman.
âBetter, Iâm guessing?â
âHow did-â
âYouâre awake!!â Hodari was once more cut off as Najuma opened her door, dropping the platinum bars she was holding, rushing over to Vitani. âYou scared me when you went back to sleep! Are you feeling ok?â She stood at Vitaniâs side, her hands held out hesitantly. Vitaniâs eyes roved over Najumaâs face, taking her in, making sure she was truly ok. The girl had a few bandages on, her leg had been replaced by the new one, but overallâŚshe was ok.
She protected her.
Vitani opened her arms, allowing Najuma to hug her, she wrapped her up in her shawl, drawing her into her side. Hodari watch as Najuma burrowed into the huntress, her fingers curling into the fabric. âI really thought you were going to dieâŚIâm sorry.â
âWhat for?â She held the girl back, reaching up to tuck hair behind her ears. A gentleness that seemed uncharacteristic for the woman dressed in black, âI wasnât going to let you be hurt.â
âBut you got hurt, you were trying to help me, and you got hurt,â she leaned into the hand Vitani placed on her face. âIâm sorry, I shouldnâtâve run away.â
The huntress ran her thumb over Najumaâs cheek, before gently swatting her on the forehead. Najuma whined, rubbing the afflicted area, pouting before her face was grabbed, forcing their eyes to meet.
âI did what needed to be done so you could live. My magic allows my body to be resilient against dangers that would squash normal humans and majiri like bugs. I wouldâve been fine, you wouldâve cracked your head open had I not grabbed you.â
The thought sent a wave of nausea through Hodariâs stomach as he watched the exchange. He looked at the two, the way Najuma was comfortable enough to be affectionate with Vitani. The way she opened up in a way Hodari has been trying to get her too since the accident. Four months, it took this stranger four months to get close to his daughter in the way heâs been trying to for eight years. It irritated him, even though theyâd talked it irritated him that he and his own child still had a barrier between them.
With a voice now tinged with a slight husk, Hodari scoffed, âWouldnât say yer fine, you broke three ribs nâ fractured your collar bone, and near busted your head open.â
She waved it off like a mild inconvenience, âSome bandages and a week of rest I will be fine.â
âChayne is still gonna come check on you,â Najuma said, pulling back from her, âHeâs the village sage but also our healer, he and the healer of the human hunters in the woods said-â
Vitaniâs head snapped up, âWhat? The human hunters?â She grabbed Najumaâs shoulders with a roughness that had Hodari immediately walking over.
âHey now-â
âWhat did you tell them about me, Najuma?â Her eyes were wide with almost panic, darting back and forth between the girlâs.
âNothing! Just that you got hurt and we needed help! AndâŚwellâŚI told Chayne about your magic, but that was it! Why?â The girlâs brows drew together at her reaction.
Vitani clenched her jaw, her hands moving to rub Najumaâs arms instead, soothing the skin she mightâve squeezed too tight. The huntress was silent, breathing deeply, her head ducked as she gathered herself.
âIâm a private person, and an unregistered human, I donât need anyone knocking at my door trying to scrutinize me,â she said, her eyes darting to the wall, âEspecially with my arm, I donât know what shi- stuff I could come under because of it.â
She refrained from cursing in front of the girl, not that Najuma woulda minded with the way her fatherâs language could make a sailor blush.
âWhat do you mean unregistered?â Najumaâs head tilted, âDo humans have to register when they arrive?â The question was directed to Hodari who still hovered close, his eyes pinned to where Vitaniâs hands were still on his daughter. His lips drew into a frown, his arms crossing over his chest.
âNot necessarily, but when they get here sânatural for us to get what information we can so we can get emâ set up. Least thatâs what Ashura told me when he first asked me ta help him survey the plots we settle the new humans in.â From what he knew, after they appear under the shrine, though there hasnât been any new humans in a few days, thank Maji; they get sent down to city hall where they meet the mayor and magistrate. Theyâre then sent to Ashura who writes to Hodari and then they head to whatever empty plot to settle them in.
âSoâŚno one knows youâre here, at all?â Najuma turned back to the huntress, âI know you donât have anyoneâŚbut I figured the hunters knew you were out there.â
âNo. No one knows me and I prefer it that way,â Vitani shuffled back into the bed, falling back against the pillows. âVillage living and dealing with people is something I found myself not agreeing with. Some cities arenât asâŚagreeable with humans as others.â Hodari felt for the first part, people could be pushy and annoyingâŚespecially when itâs all to cover up them trying to hit on him, damn humans. He preferred his solitude, the quietness of the bay, just him, his home, his daughter, and his mines. Thatâs all he needed, thatâs all he thought he needed.
Looking back to the huntress she rubbed the wrist of her prosthetic arm, a far off look in her eyes, distant and numb. Silver eyes glazed over, her lips twitched, and her hand tightened around her prosthetic.
âYou mean the city you emerged in? Do they not like humans?â
Vitaniâs eyes darkened, a cue for Hodari to intervene with his daughterâs curiosity, ââJuma, now that sheâs up up, go get Chayne, take Hassian with ya.â
âI can do it by myself,â Najuma puffed out her cheeks, but the look Hodari gave her had her scrambling out towards the hunter anyways.
âSorry âbout her, she gets nosy,â he muttered, picking up everything that spilled over the floor in his tumble, huffing at the water that he now needed to mop. âKeep tellinâ her to clean up her room, damn near broke my foot..â
He heard a snort from up above, making him send the woman an unamused look, Vitani simply pretended to be oblivious.
A little while later Chayne arrived at the Pavel house stead, Kenyatta with him, and Najuma following as they entered the house. Hodari was in the kitchen, coming out to greet the sage, âAfternoon, Chayne, Kenyatta, thank you for cominâ out here. She woke up up âbout an hour or so ago, says she feels fine, just achinâ.â
Kenyatta waved a hand in acknowledgment while the other man nodded, âTo be expected, her flow accelerates her healings, she slept through the worst of it, thank Maji.â
Hodari led them to Vitaniâs room, the huntress was laid back against the pillows, eyes closed, arms crossed over her chest. Najuma walked over, gently shaking her shoulder, âVâŚV wake up, the sage is here to check on you.â
Vitaniâs eyes slowly opened, her head tilting towards the younger majiri, she raised a hand, smoothing Najumaâs hair back. Her eyes then moved to meet Chayneâs, moving to sit up.
âPlease, lay back, donât force yourself to move,â Chayne rounded the bed, coming to her side, âI am Chayne, this is my assistant Kenyatta.â He gestured to the majiri female beside him, she raised her hand with a small wave.
âHey there,â she greeted simply, Vitani nodded her head in acknowledgment.
Chayne grabbed the wrist of her flesh arm, his fingers pressing into her pulse, taking her vitals first, âWeâre glad youâre finally awake, how do you feel? Any aches or pains? Nausea? Follow my finger, you did get quite the cut to your head.â
Vitani tracked his finger as he moved it across her eyes, tracking it with no sluggishness to the movement, âMy back hurts, as does my sideâŚand my head feels as expected after almost having it bashed in.â
Her metal hand moved to where sheâd been stabbed in the side during her tumble down in the ravine, then up to the bandage on her head. She winced at the sharp pain the lightest touch caused, even after a week in a healing sleep everything still felt tender and sore.
Chayne nodded, âTo be expected, your injuries wereâŚextensive when I first surveyed you. Though I imagine they could be much worseâŚ.howeverâŚâ his eyes moved down to her prosthetic, to the flow lines and various rune work. Kenyatta leaned over from where sheâd been setting up their medical supplies.
âWhoa, Iâve never seen a prosthetic like that beforeâŚdid you emerge with that?â Her voice held amazement at the impressive machinery.
âNo.â Vitani said simply, causing the majiri to furrow her brows, as far as she knew there was nowhere in Palia that could create something like that. Her arm was intricate and sleek, the runes complex, and the flow lines masterfully done. No majiri except the order was allowed to dabble in flow and anything to do with it.
âThen how did-?â
âKenyatta, please, she just woke up, we need to make sure sheâs ok, not pry into personal mattersâ Chayne interrupted her, moving on with his examination.
âSorry,â Kenyatta muttered though she eyed the huntress as she aided Chayne. The breaks in her ribs were well on their way to being healed soon enough, the fracture in her collar bone close behind. The puncture to her side had closed, now nothing more than a sore cut that would heal by the end of the week. The various scrapes and bruises were faded or on their way to fading, and the gash on her head was now red and tender skin. Overall her magic was working overtime to heal her and return her strength.
Hodari and Najuma stood at the doorway, Najuma breathing a sigh of relief at seeing Vitaniâs recovery, while Hodari remained apprehensive. Magic, flow, all that hooeyâŚit made him uneasy, on edge. The order barred majiri from wielding it for a reason, humans wiped themselves out for reasons that were no doubt linked back to flow. He didnât like it, and he didnât want it anywhere near his familyâŚ
But he owed a debt to the woman whoâs kept his daughter safe and alive, and he was not a man to leave a debt unpaid. With a scrunch of his nose, he guided Najuma out of the room, allowing the two to tend to their guest.
Najuma dropped onto the couch, huffing out a breath of air, âIâm glad sheâs ok, I was really worried.â
âI know, you hovered over her the past week like youâre always harping on me for,â Hodari joined her, stretching out with a tired dad groan.
âYeah but she was hurt, you hover because youâre way too paranoid,â she scowled.
Hodari raised his brow, snipping slightly, âWell clearly I had reason, spitfire.â
âHmph.â
âI ainât sorry for worryinâ anâ I ainât sorry for gettinâ upset, you did put yourself in danger,â he sat up, leveling her with a look, âBut. Weâre gonna do better now, yeah? Work on us talkinâ nâ not yellinâ, yes?â
He held his pinky out, something they did a lot when she was smaller.
âDad Iâm too old for a pinky promise,â she gave him a blank look, but the slight twitch to her lips giving away her amusement.
âOh just humor me, darlinâ,you loved these when you were small,â he wiggled his pinky at her, smiling as her smaller one wrapped around his. He drew it up to his mouth, kissing it and laughing as Najuma mocked gagging.
âFine, yeah, dealâŚI donât like when we fight,â she drew her hands back to her lap, chewing on her bottom lip, âAnd it was all just because we were both being worry warts.â
âGuess weâre one in the same, huh spitfire?â
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
âHow âbout that talk, spitfire?â
Najumaâs head turned slowly towards her father, internally cringing at the thought. The last thing she wanted right now was to talk to him.
âDad, I need to make sure Vitani-â
âIs fine, darlinâ, sheâs fine and restin,â he held the door wider for her, âScoot your butt.â
Najuma huffed, gently setting Vitaniâs prosthetic back onto the bed. She shuffled past her dad, sitting on the armchair by the couch. Hodari joined her, grunting as he rested his old bones on the sofa. He rubbed the base of his spine, twisting until they crackled and popped, adjusting himself before facing his daughter.
âBeen thinkinâ about what happened just before you ran out, what you said tâme,â He started, bouncing his leg nervously, âWhy didnât you ever tell me you felt that way?â
Najuma just shrugged, her eyes downcast, her hands twisting in her lap, âI didnât want you to worry, you have enough going on.â
âJumaâŚI worry more that you have these feelings yer keepinâ bottled up anâ away from me,â He reached for her knee, âtalk tâme, whatâs been goinâ on in that head oâ yours? What is with this new obsession with the elderwood?â
Najuma looked at his hand as it squeezed her good knee. Vitaniâs harsh but necessary words to be uncomfortable and have the talk about feelings came back to her. She reached up and squeezed his hand, taking a breath as she figured out where to start.
âYouâre so tired nowadays, between the mines, the orders, the humans, I hardly see you. Then when I do see you you look dead on your feet. You think I donât notice it, but I do.â She bit her lip, rubbing at her eyes that began to water, âAnd I canât help but be scared that youâre gonna kill yourself taking on all this workâŚand then I canât help but feel like itâll be my fault. You used to share everything with mom, and she refused to ever let you take anything on your ownâŚshe was always there for youâŚbut now sheâs not.â
Her lips quivered, but she held fast, taking in another breath, holding, then releasing, just as Vitani showed her.
âSheâs not here, and sheâs not here because she saved me and got trapped in the mines. Sheâs not here, and youâre all alone, so if sheâs not here then I need to be.â
Her eyes turned to Hodari, his blue eyes boring into her brown, âBut you wonât listen to me, and you wonât let me help you. I need to help you because youâre taking on too much and Iâm scared of what itâs going to do to you.â
âNajuma, nothinâs gonna happen to me-â
âYou donât know that!â She cried, her voice shaking, âYouâre having to go deeper into the mines because theyâre drying up, but I donât want you to! I want to be down there with you because mom canât be. She canât be and thatâs my fault! Thatâs why Iâm pushing, but you wonât listen! I thought if I showed you I can go in and out of the elderwood, get platinum for my new leg and do it all on my own, youâd have to listen because nothingâs more dangerous than the woods.â
She stood up, moving from his grasp, âand if you saw that I could do that, then I could do this then youâd finally let me be there for you. Youâd let me be there, and mom wouldnât have died for nothing. She wouldnât have given her life up just for me to waste mine by not doing anything to help our family and to help you with struggles I caused by taking her away!â
Hodari was stunned, thatâs the most heâs heard from her in years, his mouth was agape, his eyes blinking at her. It took him a moment to process before he stood up, taking her by the shoulders.
âSpitfire, your mama died so you could live. You didnât take her away, she made a decision in a situation where she knew only one person was walkinâ away. She made sure it was you.â He squeezed her, sitting her back down, kneeling in front of her.
âAll these struggles, all these problems with the mines and the village, had she been here or not weâd still have emâ. Thatâs just life, it sucks. Alive or dead, shit still woulda happened. None of this is your fault, I donât know how many times I need to say that to you.â
âBut you wouldnât be alone if she was here,â Najuma muttered, sniffling softly, âYouâd have someone to share the burden with.â
Hodari pursed his lips, that wasnât something she needed to worry about. He accepted from here on out itâd be him on his own. That was fine, he didnât need anyone but Najuma anyways. So long as he had his baby girl, everything was just fine for him, he didnât need her worrying otherwise.
âThatâs not something you need to worry about, darlinâ, âsides, I ainât alone, I got you, donât I? Sâall I need,â He kissed her forehead, âJuma, I love you with all my heart, if you wanna help me and ease my worries, then for Majiâs sake, listen to me. I think you and I can both agree you not tellinâ nobody about the woods was a little stupid, yeah? If somethinâ had happened tâyou, I wouldnât know nothinâ nâ that woulda gone against your whole point, yeah?â
She nodded.
âOkâŚas a parent, donât matter what, Iâm gonna worry bout you, I canât help itâŚthough I see where I thought I was trying to protect yaâŚI mightâve been stiflinâ ya. Thatâs not what I want. I also donât want you walkinâ this path because you think you owe it to me nâ your momma. Thatâs not we want for you, and itâs not what she died for.â
He tilted her face up, cupping her cheek, âMaybe things woulda been different if she lived, but we wonât know that, and thatâs not your fault. Canât focus on that, what we can focus on is here, and now. Nâ here and now, Iâm focusinâ on what middle ground you nâ I can meet on. I still donât want you in the mines, anâ I sure as hell donât want you in those woodsâŚbut I know youâre as stubborn as your momma and you wonât stop until youâve helped me.â
Najuma nodded again, âSoâŚwhat do we do?â
âWell first, let me ask you this, considerinâ evârythinâ, is the minerâs path somethinâ you want, or somethinâ you feel the need tâdo? Because I want you to follow your heart, anâ I would love more than anythinâ for you to change the world with your inventions.â
The girl shook her head, âI want to be a miner, itâs what I love, and I love making inventions to help you down there.â
Hodari nodded, âAlright, then maybe we can start there, you wanna help? Take a load off my back? Make me something thatâll help me get those stubborn olâ mines to give me the ore I need. That way, youâre taking a chore off me without endangerinâ yourself or makinâ me worry about you beinâ down there with me.â
Najuma seemedâŚcontent with the idea, itâs not exactly what she wantedâŚbutâŚitâll have to do for now. âI can do thatâŚmâalso building a suitâŚit was gonna be for meâŚbut I can make it for you.â
âThere we go, got that brain flowin, I love it,â He smiled, nuzzling her, and pulling her into his chest, âOh baby girlâŚweâre gonna be fineâŚwe just gotta work at it.â
Najuma nodded, wrapping her arms around him in a tight grip.
Hodari tilted her head up, ruffling her fiery red hair, âBut that also means you anâ I actually gotta talk. So if you got feelings, I wanna know, anâ if mâ being a stubborn ormuu, you put me in my place, yeah? Tell me as it is, I donât want you bottlinâ up nothinâ sânot healthy.â
âCould say the same for you,â Najuma tilted her head at him.
The miner simply pushed her head back into his chest, âMâfine.â
Najuma rolled her eyes at his ever stoicness, opting to just enjoy a conversation finally ending in a resolution and not a screaming match.
After they broke away, Najuma immediately returned to her room to check on Vitani, the huntress was deathly still. Only the rise and fall of her chest an indication she was still Iâm the land of the living. Najuma sat at her desk, popping off her prosthetic and reaching into the cubby where she hid her platinum one. It wasnât done yet, but could be worn and modified at the same time. Securing to her stump, she stood, her face twisting as she tried to get used to the feeling.
ââJuma,â Hodari poked his head into her room, pausing when he saw the brand new leg, âThat what you been usinâ the ore for?â
She nodded, expecting his face to twist with silent disapproval. Instead he nodded, a look of pride on his face as he took in the new appendage, âMighty fine work, spitfireâŚnever cease to amaze me, baby girl.â
Najuma lit up like the Maji market, âThank you! Itâs not done yet, but when it is itâll put my other one to shameâŚthough I guess Iâll still have to try and repair it, just in case something happens to this one.â
Hodari nodded, he still didnât like how it came to be, but hopefully with their new agreement he wouldnât have to worry anymore about secret journeys to the woods. So he simply admired his daughterâs genius, praising her for her amazing work.
Mumbling from the bed caught their attention, Najuma practically raced over to Vitaniâs side.
âV?!â She said, her eyes widened, âAre you awake?!â
But the huntress settled back to silence, making Hodariâs shoulders lower from whereâd theyâd risen. He didnât quite know how he was going to handle a stranger in his house. It was struggle enough to feed and care for himself and Najuma, now add an injured human to the mixâŚ
Najumaâs shoulderâs sagged when her friend didnât rise, a frown on her lips, âWhen do you think sheâll wake up? She will wake up, right?â
âSheâll wake up, darlinâ. Chayne just said her body needed to heal a lil more, then sheâll be back,â he tried to comfort her, moving to her side, pulling her into his. His eyes finally drifted down to the woman, taking her in now that he had the chance. Wild black hair that accentuated soft and angular features, full rosy lips, high cheekbones, and milky skin that looked so soft even from where he stood. Her nose had a familiar bump, an age old sign itâd been broken a few times. His gaze traveled down to her arms that were crossed over her stomach, to the metal fused from her right shoulder down.
Black platinum with glowing lines of flow, and endless swirling runes. It was some fine craftmanship, he wondered who couldâve made such an intricate and beautiful piece.
âI miss her,â Najumaâs voice brought him back from where heâd gotten lost in studying her. He looked down, rubbing her shoulder, âSheâs right here, darlinâ.â
âYeah but sheâs not awake,â Najuma sat on her bed, âif she were awake, she and I would be making our way back to the Bahari doors by now and sheâd be whacking me with her bow because I wasnât being quiet.â
He raised a brow, âWhacking you?â
âNot like, hard, or mean, just like..correctingâŚlike-â she lightly tapped her dadâs arm, âLike that.â
Hodari grunted, not liking the thought of her being touched at all.
âSheâs blunt, and tells me when Iâm walking clumsy, says I need to move with the forest and not against it,â She looked at Vitaniâs sleeping face, âI was getting better at it.â
âWhat exactly about thâforest has she been teachinâ you?â He took a seat in the chair beside her bed, crossing his arms as he tilted his head at her curiously.
âJust how to survive, how to be quiet when Iâm walking. How to figure out where I am..she taught me that if I kept to myself and kept confident while I walked the animals would leave me aloneâŚsomething about me minding my business and theyâll mind theirs. She was teaching me not to be scared, and Iâm notâŚI actually like the forest now.â
âWell I donât, so for here on out, you ainât goinâ in thereâŚleastâŚnot without me,â He muttered, this whole meeting her on her level things was a tad hard, but clearly the stern father wasnât working.
Najuma blew hair from her face, nodding slowly. She rubbed at her eyes looking tired as tired can be. Hodari walked over to her, gently pushing her head into his side, âWhy donât we get your hammock set up in yer tower, then you can restâŚyouâve had a day, havenât ya, baby?â
Najuma nodded again, grabbing her blankets that were stored in the bottom of her dresser. She followed her dad upstairs waiting for him to set her up. Once tucked up in the comfy cocoon of plush and softness, Hodari pressed a hard kiss to her hairline, waiting for a moment to hear her breathing steady and justâŚlisten. Listen and let it relax him as the terror of today finally settled on him. Heâd almost lost her again todayâŚhad that woman not been there with Najuma, hadnât protected herâŚ
He wouldâve been truly alone, nothing left for him on this earthly plane. He took a breath, and thanked whoever was above for not taking the last good thing he had. Hodari wasnât a religious man, sure he respected Maji and what he meant to the majiriâŚ.but he was a staunch skeptic and preferred to believe with his eyes. Then with everything heâs been through itâs hard to believe someoneâs up thereâŚbecause how can they be there, but still let these things happenâŚ
Either way, he was just grateful that the universe doesnât loathe him so much, and left his daughter alone.
Listening to her breathe for a few more moments, he got up from the floor with an exaggerated dad groan as his bones protested. Nuzzling Najuma one more time he left her be, crashing on the couch and just let exhaustion have at him.
ââââââââââââ
Several days passed, both Pavels going through the motions, with Vitaniâs state staying stagnant. Chayne came to check on her, surmising she was fine, her body working to do what it needed, and her magic helping speed up the process. She was in a healing sleep, one she wouldnât wake up until her body said she could.
Najuma wouldnât leave her side, moving her outside work inside so that she can be near in case the huntress woke up. Hodari went back to his routine, though cut off his walk to Kilima to go home instead, he would eat with Najuma, help her change Vitaniâs bandages, then head on back to work. Heâd come home to find Najuma sitting beside the woman, a book in hand as she read aloud. Heâd sit with her for a few minutes before whipping up something quick and heading off to bed. He was still exhausted, but knowing his daughterâs deep rooted fear of losing him to the mines, he was trying to figure out how to lighten his workload.
He reluctantly turned to the humans in his guild, dishing out work to them but eying them like a hawk while they worked underground with him. It wasâŚbetterâŚnot doing it all on his own, heâll admit. He still didnât like asking for help though, he was stubborn and stuck in his ways. He was doing this for âJuma and her alone. She was enjoying it though, happy to see him a bit lighter on his feet, not so tired on his way back from work.
âHi, dad!â She perked up from where she was sat beside a still sleeping Vitani, itâs been almost a week now and the huntress has still yet to rise.
âHey, Spitfire, howâs it goinâ nâ here?â He walked over, taking a seat at her desk, spinning the chair around so he could straddle it.
âFine, my legâs coming along swell,â She stretched out the metal appendage, âIâm kinda taking inspiration from Vitaniâs arm, minus all the magic..obviously.â
âObviously,â he echoed, his eyes light with amusement before turning serious, âStill no change?â
Nahum looked back to her friend, shaking her head, âNoâŚand itâs starting to really worry me. What if sheâs hurt worse than we thought?â
âDarlinâ, Chayne said her bodyâs healinâ. Canât rush healinâ.â He reassured.
It caused his daughter to purse her lips, huffing, âFine, I guess.â Her stomach then let out a loud rumbled, making Hodari snicker.
âCâmon you lil soot gremlin, letâs get ya fed then I want you to wash up nâ head to bed, sâlate,â he stood up, holding the door open for her.
Najuma wrinkled her nose, the gesture making him see Leta for just a moment, âTalking about me needed to wash up, I can smell you from here.â
She gagged dramatically, pinching her nose, waving her hand, âTake a shower, old man.â
Hodari barked out a laugh, âYeah well, your room smells like dirty socks, when was the last time you did your laundry, youngin?â
Najuma gaped at him, âIt does not! And I did itâŚuhâŚrecently!â
âMhm, scoot your butt.â
He heard her grumble under her breath, trudging past him out of her room. Gently closing the door, Hodari followed after, leaving the huntress back to her rest.
While the two tended to their dinner, Vitani began to return to herself. Much like the first time she âwoke upâ, it was inky blackness of non existence then everything all at once, assaulting her senses. She winced, raising aching arms to rub her face, her eyes blinking rapidly to adjust. The first thing she registered was the fact it felt like someone beat her to a pulp. Then she felt like her spine was being ripped apart, and then trying to explode her head from the inside. She groaned, confused and severely disoriented.
Nothing was familiar as her eyes adjusted, she saw wooden beams and white walls, green furniture and a messy work place. This wasnât her house, that thought made her panic. Then it came flooding back, Najuma in her house, her tears, the earthquake, falling, protecting Najuma.
Najuma!
She sat up swiftly, her head spinning in protest, sending her back down onto the plush mattress. It caused her to sharply gasp as it made whatever was wrong with her back burn and throb.
âAh!â
Her voice was croaky, her throat dryâŚeverything was wrong. Everything was wrong and she could only remember pieces as to why and that wasnât helping.
ââJuma,â she called, her throat as dry as the desert. She forcefully swallowed, forcing her burning dry throat to call louder, âNajuma!â
She heard thundering feet, rapid footsteps approaching, the door all but being ripped open as a ball of fiery red barreled into her. Her arms immediately wrapped around the smaller majiri. Her hands began to search the girlâs being, searching for injuries, searching for anything that would tell her she failed at her job of protecting her.
âNajumaâŚNajumaâŚâ she uttered, tilting her face up. Big teary brown eyes stared up at her, the majiri girl pouting up at her.
âYouâŚok?â Vitaniâs hands cradled her face, her thumbs rubbing the tears, âIâŚsafeâŚI tried..to keep youâŚsafe.â
âIâm ok!â Najuma said, keeping Vitani upright, seeing how disoriented the huntress was. âIâm safe! You kept me safe!âŚa little scratched upâŚbut itâs all almost healed!.â
Vitaniâs brows furrowed, âWhat?â
âDarlinâ, letâs get her laid back down, sheâs still wakinâ up,â a southern drawl drew her eyes, a familiar and bulky man making his way towards her. She couldnât place him, her mind too muddled and confused to allow her to clearly remember why she knew his face. He reached for her, setting alarms in her head. Vitani gathered Najuma closer, shakily raising her metal hand, her eyes narrowing. She didnât know if he was a threat.
âMine,â she growled, her teeth bared with all the ferocity of an angry majiri, sans the fangs of course.
âItâs ok!â Najuma pulled her arm down, âItâs ok! Thatâs my dad! He got us out of the ravine we fell into! Itâs ok!â
Vitani blinked at her, her hand coming to hold her face again. The distraction allowed the male to grab her, he ignored her growl at being touched, but her body was too weak to fight him. He laid her back down, careful of her back, she whined, her hand going to her shoulder as she cringed in pain anyways.
âWhyâŚ?â
âWeâll explain evârythinâ when you wake up again,â that man said again, sounding more and more muffled as her mind slipped away. Her eyes fluttered shut again, slumping back onto the sheets, going limp in the hands that gasped her.
âDad, sheâs going unconscious again! She just woke up!â
ââJuma, her mind needs to catch up, give her a second!â
Their voices drifted away again as oblivion once again wrapped his arms around her, pulling her back to that inky nothingness.
âVitani? Vitani!â
It was a cycle of this, her eyes would flutter open, her mind coming back before slipping away again. In and outâŚin and outâŚin and out, until she forced herself to stay awake. She was laid on her side, her eyes opening to white walls and wooden beams. She felt someone touching her back, making her brows furrow, her metal hand jerked back, catching the wrist of whoever was touching her. Her head slowly turned to meet deep blue eyes, the familiar man from before, Najumaâs dad. He had a wash rag in his hand, slightly reddened from blood, thatâs what she was feeling.
âEasy, lilâ lady, just tryinâ ta change your bandages,â He said slowly, prying her hand from his wrist.
âWhatâŚhappened?â She cringed at the sound of her voice, her hand moving to her throat to massage it.
âYou been unconscious for a week, been inâ anâ out of it all day. You stayinâ awake, or goinâ back tâsleep?â He huffed, dropping the rag in bowl of water, moving for the bandages.
âAwake,â Vitani muttered, rubbing her eyes. She forced herself to sit up, her back protesting the action.
âHey now, your backâs banged up real bad, you should be layinâ dow-â Hodari cut himself off as her eyes fully opened, the bleariness leaving them. Silver as the ore he mined, those eyes of hers bore into his.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
For the first time in eight years Hodariâs sleep wasnât plagued by nightmares and the repeat of losing his Leta. For once he found himself at ease as he dreamt, found himself in the Bahari fields, laying under a tree between someoneâs legs. He felt a hand carting through his hair, a soft humming lulling him. Their touch was soothing and warm, their voice melodic and soft, everything that troubled him felt a million miles away. All he could focus on was them, he nuzzled into their touch as their other hand ran along his jaw, gently scratching along his scruff.
Were they wearing gloves? Their fingers felt almost metallic.
He managed to pry his eyes open, one hand reaching to grab the hand at his jaw, instinct making him turn to kiss their hand. He saw a rune in the center of their palm, the glove they wore black and armored. Hodari hummed, Leta didnât wear metal gloves, always the thick leather mining ones. He tilted his head back to look at the stranger whose arms lovingly held him. He expected to see tumultuous curls of fire and red, with soft brown eyes staring down at. Instead he was met with rivulets of swirling black, and pools of deep silver staring at him.
The stranger he met on his exhausted trek home from the mines. He had been stumbling tiredly, wanting nothing more than to get home to dinner and Najuma. His eyes were tunneled, only seeing the path before him and not the shorter figure walking towards him just out of view. His shoulder clipped them, their feet moving from under them. He was no ruffian to let them fall on their ass, so heâd caught them around their waist and pulled them upright. When she had managed to break through her abundance of hair, he had found eyes as silver as Luna and Ignus staring at him.
It had stunned him for a moment, he hadnât known humans could have such vibrant eyes. With other humans heâd seen various shades of brown, blue, green, and some dark, stormy gray. Even crossed a human with two colored eyes! But hers? As bright as the silver he mined.
But why was she in his dream?
He reached up to touch her face when the earth shook beneath him, everything disappearing in a puff of pink mist. The rumbling got louder and rougher and-
âHodari!â
The minerâs eyes snapped awake, the dream fleeting from his mind as the pleasant ones often do. Hassian was shaking him roughly while Tau barked in alarm.
âWake up, miner! Wake up!â
âIâm up! Iâm up! What the hell is that?â He asked, grasping Hassianâs forearm as the rumbling stopped as quickly as it came.
âAn earthquake,â The hunter answered simply, helping Hodari to his feet.
âOut here? We donât get much of those, âspecially ones that rough,â He rubbed the last of sleep from his eyes. The light from the morning sun was scarce, small beams managing to break through the lavender canopy, it added to the eeriness if the whole situation.
Hodari cracked his back, âWe need tâget movinâ now. I know what earthquakes like those can do to mines with even the strongest supports. Dragon, forbid Najuma was in one my platinum deposits when-â
A loud scream pierced through the forest, scattering birds and little bugs.
Hodariâs blood turned to ice, no doubt in his mind that was Najuma he just heard.
âLetâs go,â he took off in the direction, barely giving the hunter time to catch up. They ran through the trees, Hodariâs mind turning one track.
Find his daughter, and get the hell back home.
His vision tunneled once more as his focus became Najuma and Najuma alone. It wasnât until Hassian roughly yanked him back that he realized he almost sent himself careening into a gaping gash in the ground.
âHodari!â
Hodari stumbled back, getting his footing as his eyes surveyed the huge hole that had opened up in the ground. It stretched as far as he could see, and looked about fifteen or so feet deep. Trees were slightly sunk where the earth split, wood splintered from where some were ripped apart.
âDamn,â he muttered at the damage, turning to Hassian, âWe need to get acro-â
âVitani!â
They both froze as Najumaâs voice came screaming up at them from below. The two men got as close to the edge as they could, eyes peering down into the depths.
âVitani! Vitani!â Her voice was panicked, fear thick in her words, âVitani! Wake up! Wake up!â
ââJuma!â Hodari called down to her, his heart racing, she was down there, did she fall in? Was she hurt? Was someone with her?
âNajuma!â
It was quiet for a sec. Before he saw her step out into the beam of sun that broke through the canopy. Her face and body covered in dirt, a slight limp in her gait from where her prosthetic was damaged. Blood dripped from cuts along her clothes, but otherwise she was fine. A breathy sob of relief came from Hodari, he cupped his hands around his mouth, calling down to her;
âHang on, Darlinâ! Iâm comin!â
âDad?!â She called back up in confusion.
âIâm here Juma!â He looked to Hassian, âWe gotta get her out of there.â
âI do not have climbing gear or anything to pull her out,â the hunter returned huffing at himself, âI will need to return to camp.â
âNo need,â Hodari slipped off his pack, pulling out his gear. Rock climbing was a part of mining, he always had extra ropes and hooks in his bag in case he came across high up ore.
âDad! Help! Please!â Najuma called up at him, âMy friend! She got pinned under a rock! Sheâs bleeding bad!â
He peered back over the side, âWhat friend? You didnât bring Auni did you!?â
âNo! No! A different friend! A girl! She lives here! Sheâs been keeping me safe! Sheâs hurt! Dad, help!â Pure and raw fear was heavy in his daughterâs voice, it served he and Hassian to rush faster to get down.
âIâm comin! Are you ok!?â He said as he began to carefully maneuver down the unstable cliff face. His footing careful, testing to see which parts of the wall were firmer foot and hand holds.
âIâm fine! She protected me! But she got pinned under a rock, I canât lift it!â
Hodari looked down, he could see Najuma knelt by a heavy looking boulder, he could make out a short figure pinned underneath. He could also make out red smeared underneath. Najuma pushed helplessly, trying to get it off.
âNajuma donât! Yâcould hurt her worse! Yâdonât know where all that blood is cominâ from,â he yelled down, urging her to move away.
âBut!â
âHold on! Let me and Hassian get down there.â
It took a few minutes, but eventually the two men eventually touched down onto the dirt floor. Hodari immediately unhooked himself, rushing over to Najuma. He fell to his knees, gathering her into his arms. His arms like vice as they wrapped around her smaller and shaking form. He pressed hard kisses to her head, his body shaking as he felt her.
She was ok.
She was alive.
She was fine.
He pulled back, cupping her face, checking over the various scratches on her, âAre you ok?â
âIâm fine!â She yelled, shoving him back, moving back towards the rock, âHelp me!â
Her hands once again planted against the rock, trying to lift it, desperate noises coming from her.
âAlright, alright, stop, youâre gonna cut your hands up,â he gently pulled her back, leaning down to survey the damage. The rock had the woman pinned down on her stomach, her arms stretched out, and her head turned away from him. He could see blood pooling beneath her, which didnât give him much hope sheâd be alive when they pulled her out.
âNot again,â Najuma whimpered, pushing at the rock despite her fatherâs protest, âPlease not again!â
Again.
Her mother.
ââJuma,â he opened his mouth, but changed his mind at his daughterâs distress, beckoning Hassian over instead.
âIâm gonna lift this thing as much as I can, then you pull her out. Slow and gentle!â He grabbed Hassianâs arm, âGot it?â
Hassian nodded, kneeling beside Najuma, gently nudging her back. Hodari planted his gloved hands on the lip of the boulder, looking to Hassian, âReady?â
He nodded.
âOneâŚtwoâŚthree!â With all his strength from years of prying ore from the walls of mines, and lifting heavy ones in the degree of caveins, Hodari lifted that boulder as high as he could. His fangs bared at the exertion, his arms burning at the weight, but he lifted, and lifted, until she was free enough for Hassian to pull her out.
Once free, Hodari tossed the boulder back, his attention shifting to the unconscious woman. Tumultuous and fluffy black hair were all he could see of her for a moment as Hassian checked to see where she was bleeding so profusely from. Her back was all torn up, and there was a nasty gash on her head. Her arms and legs were surprisingly fine, though scratched all the way to hell.
âIt is a deep puncture in her back that is causing the blood, help me put pressure on it,â Hassian pulled a bandanna from his pack, pressing it firmly against her, âIâm talking to you, Najuma.â
Najuma had been staring, stunned, being shaken from her shock when Hassian shook her arm. She immediately lunged forward, pressing down on the wound, âWe need to get her out of here! Sheâs gonna bleed out.â
âMoving her could make it worse, we do not know what she could have broken,â Hassian uttered as he focused on staunching the blood flow.
âWe canât let her die!â
âI did not say that-â
âDad!â
Hodari shook his head, âIâm thinkinâ, Najuma, give me a second.â
He tried to rack his mind on the best way to get the woman out of here without aggravating her injuries or possibly worsening broken bones. Eventually he simply said; âGive her to me, Iâll carry her out of here.â
Hodari slid his jacket off himself, holding it out, âHere, wrap her up in this. Iâll come up last, you and âJuma get out of here first.â
Hassian nodded, pulling the smaller majiri to her feet, all but dragging her up and out of the ravine. Hodari hooked himself next, gathering the woman close to his chest. She was a short thing, but with a firm body, Hodari could feel toned muscles as he adjusted her to lay against his chest. Her hair fell away to show him her face, recognition flaring in him, but he couldnât place where. He shoved that thought to the side as he began to carefully climb up the wall, doing his best not to jostle her.
âCareful, dad!â Najuma said through cupped hands.
âI know, Najuma! Mâtryinâ!â
He finally managed to get out of the ravine, one arm cradling the woman tight, the other taking Hassianâs hand as he hauled him up. Najuma was immediately at his side, checking on the human in his arms.
âWe need to get her to Chayne!â
âKilima is a two hour walk from here, we will not make it in time before she bleeds out,â Hassian muttered, his tone solemn, âHer breathing has already begun to shallow. She is struggling.â
âWhat?!â Najuma cried, her eyes turning to Hodari, âDad!â
Hodari shot the hunter a look for his bluntness, looking down at the pale woman, âWhat about the hunters? The humans that camp out in the central stables? They gotta have somebody for when they get hurt out here.â
Hassian thought about it for a moment, nodding his head, âWe can try, or at the very least theyâll know how to keep her alive long enough for me to retrieve Chayne from the village. Come, letâs move.â
Luckily the walk to the stables was brief, Najuma immediately cried for help the moment they entered the cave.
âHelp! Please help! We have a wounded!â
The humans were bustling about, some tending to knocked over structures, others taking inventory to see what survived the rumble. One broke away from the group she spoke to, jogging over with two other humans.
âWhat happened?â She asked upon reaching them, her hands immediately moving to her pack.
âThe earthquake, the woman fell down an incline and was crushed under a boulder. Do you have a healer with you?â Hassian asked, gesturing to the unconscious huntress.
âMe, trained by Chayne himself. Set her over here,â she ordered the other two humans, they took the huntress away from Hodari, carrying her limp form to one of the bungalows. It had been turned into a makeshift infirmary, other hunters with other injuries laid out.
âThat damn earthquake, it came out of nowhere, it collapsed one of the gazebos up in the trees,â The human said, shaking her head as she began to strip the other of her clothes. âCaused all sorts of trouble.â
âIs she gonna be ok?â Najuma asked, trying to move closer, struggling against Hodari as he reached out and grabbed her.
âDunno, sweetie,â the healer said with a tense look, lifting Hodariâs jacket, the fabric now soaked through. âThatâs a lot of blood,â she muttered, tossing it aside, her hands roving her body.
âIâm feeling broken ribsâŚfractured collarboneâŚletâs get something on her head! And someone send for Chayne!â
It all moved in a blur, eventually Hodari, Hassian, and Najuma were ushered away while the healers worked, Chayne arriving soon enough to help. Hodari kept a tight grip on his daughter, practically feeling the want to go see her friend. He looked down at her, her eyes trained to the infirmary.
âSpitfire?â
âThis is all my fault, dad,â she looked up at him, âIf I hadnât run awayâŚI donât want it to happen again. I donât want another person to die because they saved me.â
Once more Hodari felt like a mining node cracked right in half at the fear and terror in his daughterâs eyes. He knelt down, grabbing her shoulders, âNow you listen here, what happened that dayâŚthat wasnât your fault. You didnât know the mine was gonna collapse, just like you didnât know that earthquake was gonna happen. Yâcanât think of those what ifâs.â
Though he sometimes did, like what would have happened if he had been the one to find Najuma that night and not Leta. Would she still be here? Would Najuma be happy? Or would their relationship be strained in the face of his death just like theirs was in the face of Letaâs?
âDarlinâ, I miss your mama too, I miss her so damn much. It wasnât your fault, this wasnât your fault,â He pressed a kiss to her hairline, âThis is why I have the rules that I do. To keep you safe. If anythinâ, your friend gettinâ hurt was my fault.â
âHow? I ran away, she was gonna take me home,â She blinked at the tears blurring her vision.
âShoulda been keepinâ a closer eye on you, thatâs my job as your dad,â He wiped those tears away, âWeâre gonna have a talk later.â
âBut-â
âLater,â he stood back up, tucking her into his side, âFirst I want you to tell me exactly who your friend is.â
The four months Najumaâs been coming out here itâs to meet with a person he didnât know. The fact hitting him now and tasting as sour as a lemon on his tongue. A stranger that had clearly gotten close to his daughter enough to bring her to tears at the thought of her death.
Najuma twisted her glove, âHer nameâs Vitani, sheâs a hunter, I think. She lives out here alone in the elderwood. Sheâs been teaching me about the woods. I've gotten really good at navigating this place because of her. Sheâs my friendâŚand unlike someone, she doesnât treat me like an incapable baby.â
Hodari shot her a look, âI donât treat you like a baby, I treat you as you are. Thirteen.â
âIâm a teenager, you have to let me learn about the world eventually, and she was doing just that,â Her arms crossed, âTeaching me about the world, and trusting that I could handle it.â
âNajuma-â he pinched the bridge of his nose, shaking his head, âLike I said, weâre gonna talk later. But continue.â
Najuma kicked the ground with her boot, huffing up at him, âThatâs it, sheâs my friend and sheâs been teaching me about the elderwood. Sheâs been keeping me safe and helping me get platinum. I want to build a new leg. Now I really need it because that fall cracked this one.â
Her hand reached down to run over the now broken metal, âThe ore you found, I was smelting it so I could make it.â
âYou shoulda just asked.â
âI wanted to do it for myself,â she then gave him a look, then mocked his southern drawl, âBut like you said, weâll talk later.â
Hodari simply huffed in return.
Hassian, who had been silently observing, nudged Hodari. His head tilted, signaling the miner to remember what they spoke about the night before.
âI know, I know, Iâll talk to her when this whole mess is sorted out,â he waved him off.
Chayne eventually walked over, wiping his hands on a bloody towel. Najuma moved over to him first, grabbing his arm, âIs ok is sheâŚis she dead?â
Chayne smiled softly, shaking his head, âNo, no she will be fine, the deep wound looked much worse than it actually was. However she does have a few broken and fractured bonesâŚthough, there was something peculiar Iâd like to ask about.â
âHer arm?â Najuma asked, âShe has a prosthetic..did it get damaged?â
âFrom what I could see, no, it looked in tact, in factâŚthe runes that were carved into it seemed to have kept it from taking any damageâŚwhich is what I want to ask about,â Chayne knelt before Najuma, âIs your friend a user of flow? I have seen no other human with a prosthetic like that. Her magic is also acting as a jump start to her healing, several of the more minor cuts are already almost closed.â
Relief flooded Najumaâs face, as she nodded slowly, âShe isâŚis she gonna get in trouble for that?â
Chayne shrugged, âIâm unsure, the orderâs stance on flow for majiri is clear, but for humansâŚit is unclear.â
âWait, wait!â Hodari waved his hand, âYou been runninâ around this place with not only a stranger, but a stranger with magic? You know how much trouble we could get for even associating with that, Najuma?â
His eyes narrowed, a disapproving look on his face, the irresponsibility grating his nerves.
Najuma looked away from him, âTechnically thereâs no law saying we could get in trouble for being friends with humans who use flow. Humans make their flow infused tools and the order hasnât come raiding Kilima to take them away.â
Chayne nodded his head in agreement, âLaws regarding humans and flow are still up in their airâŚas is the same for humans who use flow and what relationship they can establish with MajiriâŚ.Though that doesnât make it any less dangerous.â
âExactly, I donât like it, the whole reason weâre outlawed from usinâ the stuff is because sâdangerous,â Hodari leveled Najuma with a look, âCanât imagine humans who use it to be any safer.â
âVitaniâs kept me safe. Sheâs not dangerous,â Najuma argued, âYou said it yourself, Iâve been happier these past few months, yeah? Well itâs because of what sheâs been teaching me that Iâve been happier. I've finally been exploring my horizons and itâs because Iâm not coddled out here. She tells it as it is and makes me figure it out.â
âNajuma-â
The girl simply huffs and turns to Chayne, âSo sheâs gonna be ok? Her magicâs gonna heal her?â
Chayne nodded, âStill a long road to recovery, that wound to her side while not as bad as it had looked, will still take some time. It will need to be tended to, as will the bones she broke and fractured. Her back is also a mess, for lack of a better term.â
âIâll do it, Iâll take care of her,â Najuma immediately offered.
Hodari immediately protested, âNajuma-â
âDad she doesnât have anyone! She lives alone out here! And itâs my fault she got hurt!â
âI already told you it wasnât!â
âAnd I donât believe you!â She argued right back, âShe protected me, she covered me while we fell. She saved me so I want to help her!â
Hodari gritted his teeth, but inevitably fell for the pleading in her eyes. He tilted his head back, a heavy sigh leaving his lips. If that woman was the only reason the elderwoods hadnât taken Najuma from himâŚhe supposed he owed it to her. For Najuma, of course.
âFine. If you can get her to the house, âJuma and I will help her recover.â
Najuma let out a noise of relief and happiness, hugging Hodari, âThank you.â
He patted her back, squeezing her to his chest, âAnythinâ for you, spitfire.â
Chayne then drafted a letter of all the things theyâd need to take care of the injured huntress. Salves for her back, wraps for the wound to her side, sheâd have to be bedridden until her bones healed. Najuma read every one, committing it to memory, sheâd do whatever she could to help her friend get back on her feet. When Chayne was sure Vitani could be moved, they had her loaded into a wagon. Najuma sat with her, holding her prosthetic arm, she tapped her fingers in the seams just as sheâd seen Vitani do many times. She checked for stiffness, or breaks, chips in the runes, or breaks in the flow lines. If her arm had been damaged she didnât exactly know how to fix it without doing something to the flow system, but sheâd try.
Hodari watched his daughter stay near the woman, he rode up front with Hassian and Chayne. It was new, seeing her like this, she was shy, painfully so. If she wasnât comfortable with you you wouldnât get a peep from her. This woman, however? Najuma was hovering over her like he hovered over Najuma.
âWhen is she gonna wake up?â Najuma looked to Chayne, her hand running over the bandage on Vitaniâs head.
âWhenever her body feels it is ready.â
Najuma didnât like that answer, grumbling under her breath as she squeezed Vitaniâs hand. When they returned to the Pavel housestead, Hodari and Hassian carefully moved the woman into the house.
âPutâer in my room, bedâs bigger,â He muttered as he held one end of the gurney, âIâll take the couch.â
âBut dad, your back,â Najuma moved to her door, âPut her in my room, I can bunk in my tower.â
Hassianâs eyes fleeted between father and daughter as they stared each other down. Hodari eventually huffed, nodding his head. If his back was in pain now, he didnât want to imagine the agony of trying to shove his broad form on the small couch would elicit. They both carefully maneuvered into Najumaâs room, Chayne helping transfer her onto the plush surface. He checked her over one last time, nodding to himself when he determined sheâd be in good care.
âYouâll send for me if something changes,â He hummed, pulling the blanket to Vitaniâs chin, âKeep an eye on her.â
âWe will,â Najuma nodded, grabbing the paper with Vitaniâs care instructions and pinning it to her wall. âIâll make sure all this gets done.â
Chayne smiled, âI have no doubt. I best head back to the elderwood to help with the rest of the wounded. Hassian, will you escort me back?â
The silent hunter nodded his head, gesturing for the older majiri to take the lead as they left the Pavel household.
Once alone, Hodari stood silent for a moment as his daughter did her own check on her friend. He cleared his throat, everything was settled now, the chaos of the day slowly falling behind them which meant;
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Najuma ran as fast as her legs could carry her, her feet pounding against the dirt as she ran the familiar road back up to the elderwoods. She wanted to be nowhere near her dad right now, not after what just happened, not after what she just confessed. Tears kept blurring her vision as they beaded and rolled down her cheeks. She sniffled, wiping at them, theyâd never had a fight that bad, heâs never swore or gotten that angry at her before.
She kept running as fast as she could, didnât stop, didnât turn, just barreled through the doors to the woods. She didnât know where Vitani was tonight, it was Wednesday and she didnât know the huntressâs schedule on the days she wasnât mentoring her.
But she ran the path sheâd shown her to get to her cabin, finding the quaint little home even in her rush through the dark. She walked up the wooden steps, her hands searching for the spare key. Upon finding it she rushed inside, pausing when a low growl greeted her. Phantom was laid on the floor, the bluebristle muujinâs eyes glowed in the dark, narrowing on her.
âItâs me, bud, itâs me,â Najuma held out her hand, her voice soothed the beast who now crept over. He nosed her palm before brushing against it, and moving around her. Najumaâs lips quivered as she dropped to her knees, and hugged the animal. While she still did not care for muujin, especially after the rabid one almost took her throat, Phantom was the only exception. Najuma always wanted a dog of her own, and would often steal Tau from Hassian, but Hodari kept saying itâd be cute for the moment then heâd be stuck with them.
Not true, sheâd take care of them, she always takes care of her friendsâŚat least, she would.
If she had any.
Phantom nosed her cheek, his tongue flicking out to lick the salty trails. Najuma laughed softly as he was suddenly all over her, sensing her distress. She scratched by his ears and got up from the floor, allowing him to corral her to the cozy living room.
âIs Vitani here?â She asked, letting him lay his head in her lap.
The muujin simply rumbled, nuzzling into her lap. Najuma patted his head again, moving to lay down across the sofa, wrapping her arms around him. The exhaustion from the argument, and from sprinting all the way here, the majiri girl lasted all but a moment before she fell into a restless sleep.
When Vitani returned home after hunting for Zekiâs relics, she was exhausted as per usual. Her good hand rubbed her eyes, while her metal one held a basket to her chest. She reached for her keys, brows furrowing when her door was already unlocked. Her back straightened in alertness, setting the basket down, and reaching for the knife in her boot.
Had sheâd been found? Had a human stumbled across her home? Had those she made sure to leave in the past finally claw their way to her present?
The huntress quietly slipped through her foyer, her hand held poised and ready to strike. She crept quietly, her boots making only the faintest of sounds as she crept through her home.
Breathing.
Soft, steady breathing reached her ears, it came from her living room. Slinking in through the shadows, Vitani crept up behind her couch, raising the knife above her head.
Only to lower and sheathe it when she saw her little pupil and her muujin curled up along the cushions. Her brows furrowed in confusion, what was Najuma doing here? She looked exhausted, her face burrowed against Phantomâs, her arms tightly wound around his neck and;
Were those tear tracks?
Protectiveness flared in her chest, sheâd become quite close to the girl within the few months sheâs taught her. Her mind was brilliant, her personality bright once the shy exterior was chipped away. Vitani quickly found herself willing to do whatever to keep her smile wide and her eyes bright with fascination.
Her metal hand reached down, gently grasping her face and turning it. Her head tilted as the fire in her fireplace dimly lit up the tracks that ran down her soft cheeks. Her eyes narrowed, her nose scrunching.
Phantom growled slowly as he roused, not liking them either.
âMy thoughts exactly,â She uttered, letting Najuma go, instead reaching with both arms to scoop her up. The girl was by no means light, especially with her prosthetic. Thankfully the flow that ran through her body, and the strength runes carved into her own prosthetic made it far easier to maneuver her. She headed into her room, laying the girl down, she sat beside her and stared until the uncomfortableness made Najuma jerk awake. She gasped for a moment as silver shined at her in the dark, before relaxing when she realized who it was.
âHi Vitani,â she said meekly, sitting up with her eyes fallen to her lap.
âWhatâre you doing in my house? You know I donât like you here at night,â her eyes narrowed, reaching with her metal hand to lift the girlâs face, âMeet my eyes, you donât shy under anyoneâs gaze.â
She turned the girlâs face again, squishing her cheeks, running a claw over the slight roughness gently, âWho?â
âMy dad found out Iâve been coming to the elderwoodsâŚhe found the platinum Iâve been mining for my leg,â She muttered, her lip wobbling all over again, âWe had a really bad fight.â
âDid he hurt you?â
âNo! No! He would neverâŚa really bad argument, we had a really bad argument,â She pulled her face out of Vitaniâs grasp, sniffling softly. âIâŚI kinda ran away.â
Vitani tilted her head back, raising a brow, âHe found out you were sneaking away, he yelled at youâŚand your solution was to sneak away again? That seems counterproductive.â
âI didnât wanna be around himâŚhe said some things, and I confessed some things..and I knew if I went to Hassian he would make me go home. I donât want to be home. And I feel safe here.â
âYou were almost killed two times here.â
âYou saved me, and youâve been teaching me, and I really like it. You listen to me too, treat me like an adult and donât coddle me.â
Vitani flicked her, scowling, âBecause I donât need you dyingâŚand the world would be missing a very bright mind if I let the forest take you.â
âExactly! You see me! He refuses to see me!â Najuma threw her hands up into the air, âPlease? Just for tonight?â
âWhy do you think that?â
Najumaâs face turned confused, âWhat?â
Vitani stood from the bed, taking off her cloak, and undoing her boots, stepping behind her divider to change.
âYour father, why donât you think he sees you?â
âHe refuses to accept that I want to be a miner, I want to go into the mines with him. I want to help him. If you saw him, he looks so tired, and he has a really bad backâŚI wanna be useful to him, help him. Heâs my dad, as annoying and stubborn as he can be, I donât wanna lose him too.â
Najuma twisted her glove in her hand, chewing on her lip, âIâm doing this for himâŚand for me. I told you that. I want him to see me, and see that he hasnât run himself ragged for nothing, and that he doesnât have to anymore.â
Vitani stepped out, now changed into a tunic and loose sleep pants with her favorite black shawl poncho over her. She came and sat with Najuma leveling the teenager with a stare, her eyes staring right through her, âIn the past four months you have been out here with me. You have shown exceptional change, endurance, and resilience. You may be thirteen, an age I think you should be enjoying, not pushing-â
Najuma grumbled, looking down again.
Vitani grabbed her face again and lifted it, âStop,â she squeezed her, continuing, âYou are more than capable, Iâve watched you set your mind to adapting to the woods and learning its ways, and you are well on your way to that goal. You set your mind to something and you get it, you overcome everything. If your father and everyone else refuse to see who you are, that is no oneâs problem but theirs. You know who you are. You prove yourself to no one but yourself. Understand?â
Najuma nodded slowly, thankful the huntress understood.
âBut.â
Najumaâs eyes met hers again.
âFrom a parents perspective, a parent of a single child who clearly went through something,â She gestured to Najumaâs leg, âI can see where he comes from. Doesnât make it right to build a fear of the world in you, but I understand the terror of losing someone you love. Especially the last person you love. At the end of the day, Najuma, heâs your father, he loves you. I know so from the way you speak of him.â
âNever said he didnât love meâŚjust said he wants to keep me in a box,â She mumbled, her cheeks puffing out in a pout.
âAnd thatâs not right, butâŚparents never stop worrying. Never stop being scared of losing.â
Najuma nodded again, "I just want him to trust me, to let me work with him, and justâŚlet me be, see that Iâm a Pavel. Through and through.â
She swallowed thickly as forced out her last confession, âAnd show him that mom didnât die for nothing.â
Vitaniâs brows drew together at those words, she opened her mouth to ask what she meant, but Najuma just laid down, and placed her head in her lap. The woman sighed, reaching to smooth her hair from her forehead.
âIâll let you stay the night, but I am taking you home first thing in the morning, understand?â
The majiri nodded her head, âThank you for listening.â
But, she wouldnât hear Vitaniâs last words before she drifted off to sleep, just the feel of a soft kiss on her forehead.
Meanwhile in Bahari, Hodari was losing his mind, he first set out to the workshop hoping she just holed herself there. She did that sometimes when they fought, threw herself into an invention. When he didnât find her there he got his gear on to scour the mines, terrified she mightâve run away and camped out in there. When that didnât pan out either, he swallowed and prayed to Maji she didnât go back to those woods. He made the short walk to Hassianâs grove, quickly rousing the hunter.
âHassian! Hassian! Wake up, boy! I need to talk to ya!â He yelled as he approached his campsite. Tau woke with a start, his ears perking, when he recognized Hodariâs lumbering form, he darted inside to wake his friend. Hassianâs face was anything but amused as he emerged from his tent, his eyes narrowing angrily at the miner.
âWhat is it? Why are you coming to me?â His voice was rough and addled by sleep, Hodari felt guilty for disturbing the young hunter.
But this was more important than his sleep.
âNajumaâs missinâ I think she ran away to the elderwood, yâneed to help me track her, please,â Hodari clasped his hands, pleading, something he didnât do often. For his daughter though, heâd get on his knees when it came to her.
Hassianâs eyes widened, his back straightening, âWhat do you mean she is missing?â
âExactly what I said! I found out for the past four months sheâs been sneaking away to the elderwood while I was up at Kilima and at work. We argued and she up and ran,â Hodari ran his hands through his hair, his chest heaving with anxiety. âI had hoped sheâd just went to the workshop or mines to cool off. I tried tâfind her, but sheâs gone.â
Hassian nodded, he cared for the little majiri like a sister, so without hesitance, he agreed.
Hodari took a breath, relief swelling in his chest, âThank you.â
He waited for Hassian to quickly grab his bow and weapons, the two immediately heading for the elderwood doors.
âYou will stay close to me, there is danger at every turn in this place,â Hassian turned to the stubborn miner, âYou must try to calm yourself, Hodari. The energy you are putting out right now will only serve to trouble us.â
âCanât exactly do that when I know my kid is in here somewhere, I donât know if sheâs safe, or hurt or lost. I-I- fuck! I canât believe sheâd do this!â He shouted, ignoring the harsh shush the hunter sent his way.
âLike her mother, I swear! Never listens for nothinâ!â He continued though his tone did lower, âI am at my wits end. I..Iâm tryinâ evârything I can to not stifle her. I let her invent, I get her the ores she needs, and I donât even bother tryinâ anymore with her damn love for explosives. Itâs never enough, she still just wonâtâŚwonât..I donât even know, she just-â
âSettle?â Hassian offered, âYou mean she just wonât settle for quiet tinkering in your workshop where you can keep an eye on her.â
âIâm keeping her safe. Trying to do right by her. I canât let her walk down a path where I could end up losinâ her. Leta would kill me if I let her sacrifice be in vain.â Hodari clenched his jaw, taking a slow breath before he could get all worked up.
âI can understand the concern for her safety,â Hassian muttered as he kept an eye out for any sign of Najumaâs path. âButâŚby not letting her venture, you let your wifeâs death be in vain anyway. Would Leta want Najuma to change her path? Would Leta have wanted Najuma to be afraid of everything just because it could potentially hurt her? Would Leta have wanted Najuma to give up on what she was passionate about in favor of something safe?â
Hodari opened his mouth, but found no argument ready to spew.
No.
Leta would have been worried for their daughter, of course, thatâs her daughter, but she would have encouraged and supported her. She would have been there every step of the way cheering their girl on as she conquered the world. She wouldnât have tried to get her to change, tried to get her to leave her path. Leta would have told Najuma life is hard, and it can be scaryâŚbut itâs better to face it head on and live it all to the fullest.
Thatâs how she was, his Leta, full of life, and living everyday like it was her last.
Itâs why he knew she wasnât scared of dying, why he knew she wasnât scared to die to make sure Najuma lived.
Hodari stopped, tilting his head up to the lavender canopy above, âSheâd hate what Iâve becomeâŚI need to find my daughter.â
âLuckily for you, Iâve found a trail,â Hassian pointed his bow towards the broken brush, leaning forward to inspect a broken twin, âSign someone of short stature has been through here.â
âNajuma?â
âMore than likely, come, this way,â Hassian and Tau took off, their steps quick and light,while Hodari stumbled after him. His broad physique and heavy feet made him sound like a newborn sernuk trying to find their legs. Hassian glared at him over his shoulder.
âYouâll wake every animal within this forest with your clumsy feet, miner,â he huffed, crouching down into the dirt, his hand examining for tracks.
ââScuse me, but Iâm a miner, not a fancy foot hunter,â He grumbled, looking about, âAnâ I donât give a damn, I just wanna find âJuma.â
âYou will give a damn when you wake up a predator and get us killed,â Hassian glared, his eyes narrowing, âHodariâŚwe will find her. She will be fine. If she has managed to survive this place for four months. I am sure she knows what to do.â
âI donât like that thought, she shouldnât know this place at allâŚeven Leta agreed with me on that. She thought it was mighty beautiful, anâ it is, surface level, but she anâ I both knew if any of that juju crap was real, this place would be where it exists.â
Hassian made a noise of reverence, âLike Maji and Embra the forest is a deity all her own, she has a will and an old magic that no one who is undeserving may know or understand.â
Hodari merely grunted.
They walked for what felt like hours, Tau with his nose to the forest floor, and Hassian keeping his eyes peeled for fresh signs in the brush. It all came to a headway as they neared the cliffs to the deep woods. He paused, putting his hand out, âThe trail ends hereâŚIâŚdo not see anything else.â
âWhat?!â Hodari said in outrage, âThereâs gotta be something! You and Tau are the best hunterâs, you gotta be able tâfind her.â
âIt is dark, as well as late, Tau is exhausted and I can not see anything else that might point me to where Najuma went,â He turned to the miner, âHodari, I am sorry, but we must wait until daylight to pick the trail back up.â
âNo! I ainât leavinâ my daughter out here durinâ the night!â He placed his hands on his hips, âLook, if somethinâ happens to her, itâll be my fault for runninâ her offâŚI would never be able to forgive myself ifâŚâ
His throat closed up at the thought of adding her marker to the remembrance garden. He looked at the hunter, eyes wide, âPlease, Hassian.â
The hunter raised a hand, and squeezed Hodariâs broad shoulder, âWe will find her, but I can not track in the dark, we must rest. I know Najuma, I have been teaching her what I know, trust when I say she is smart, and knows how to keep herself alive in the forest.â
Hodari didnât want to, he absolutely didnât want to stop and sleep despite how his body and his back begged him to. He knew Hassian was right, theyâd probably end up getting themselves in danger, then what use would they be to Najuma. So, with all the reluctance in the world, he nodded his head.
âFine, but the second day breaks, we are goinâ back to searching for âJuma, got it?â
Hassian nodded, âI understand, there is a small camp we can set up for the night, comeâŚyou look like you are about to topple right over.â
The two men made camp, Tau keeping watch as the two laid in their cots. Hassianâs breathing evened out, the hunter quickly falling back asleep while Hodari was wide awake. His mind running back to what Najuma had confessed to him. So much of her behavior made sense, her absolute determination to get back into the mines. All this time his daughterâs been suffering from survivorâs guilt. All this time sheâd been pushing herself because she thinks everything thatâs happened is her fault.
None of this, none of this is what either he or Leta wanted for her.
Hodari covered his face with his hands, a heavy breath leading him as he tried to surmise plans to fix this. To take Hassianâs advice and meet Najuma somewhere in the middle so she can be safeâŚbut still have the dream she wants. But only because she wants it for herselfâŚand not because she thinks she owes it to him.
She was his daughter, it was his job to worry, not hers. Heâd show her heâs ok, show her these past years have all been worth it, that he was gonna be fine.
They were going to be fine.
He hoped, at least.
His stresses were his own, his own and no one elseâs, his daughter didnât have to shoulder them. She just needed to <em>live.</em>
With that in mind, Hodari forced his eyes close, praying to Maji that everything would be fine.
ââââââââââââââ-
Vitani allowed Najuma to sleep in, moving about her cabin as she prepared breakfast. The girl had an emotionally taxing evening so she allowed her the reprieve and rest before she would be sent back to her father. She could hear her steady breathing, hear her mumbling under her breath.
Vitani smiled softly, taking a peak at her one more time before finishing up her morning tasks. She tended to her crops, set meat aside for dinner, cleaned up her couch that she slept on, and poured herself a coffee to wake herself up. Then let Phantom out as he pawed to be released so he can go hunt his breakfast.
When ten rolled around she walked over to the still sleeping girl, âNajuma, wake up. We need to start heading out.â
She gently shook the girl awake, keeping on until she whined but reluctantly opened her eyes, âMorninâ.â
Vitani smoothed her hair from her face, âGood morning, wake up.â
âMâtired.â
âAnd I need to get you home before I have all of Kilima knocking my door down,â she pinched her ear, moving away before Najuma could smack her away.
âOw.â
âUp.â
Najuma grumbled, climbing off the bed and following the huntressâs sweeping shawl as they headed into the kitchen.
âHow did you sleep?â Vitani asked as she set Najumaâs plate before her, smoothing her hand over her face again. Her thumb rubbing at the crusted tear tracks, she scowled, rubbing at them until Najuma jerked her face back.
âYouâre gonna rub my skin raw,â she grumped, rubbing her now purple cheek, âAnd I slept fine, kindaâŚjust feel really bad. I know Iâm probably scaring my dad with every second Iâm gone.â
âThen finish your breakfast quickly so we can get you home,â Vitani leveled her with a stern look as she turned to clean the kitchen, âAnd I want you to tell your father how you have been feeling as of late. You wish to be treated as an adult. Adultâs talk and resolve their problems, none of this bottling up, serves no purpose.â
Najuma scrunched her nose, a pout on her lips, âWonât matter, he never listens. The second I come home heâs probably gonna yell at me even more and send me to my room for the rest of the year.â
Vitani looked at her over her shoulder, her lips pulling into frown at the hopelessness, âYou love your father?â
Najuma raised a brow, âYeah?â
âYou said yourself that you did not want to lose him to his work, that youâre concerned and scared for him,â Vitani walked around the counter, sitting on the other stool, she cupped Najumaâs face, squishing the stubborn majiri. âAnd he is equally as scared to lose you to his work as well, yes?â
She nodded her face from between her hands.
Vitani squeezed again, making Najuma pout, her hands grabbing the huntressâs wrists. She held fast, and leveled her with her silver eyes, âThen say that to one another. A parent shouldnât ignore a deep rooted fear of loss and abandonment in a child. Equally so you shouldnât ignore the same.â
She then flicked the girl, âAcknowledge it then! Speak!â
Najuma grumbled, rubbing her forehead, âHeâs like talking to an Ormuu!â
âEven Ormuuâs have to listen to their farmerâs, just takes the right tactic,â she countered, snickering when a frustrated and overly dramatic noise came from the teen.
âYou can keep dancing around it, but if either of you want to get better we need to have the uncomfortable conversation about our feelings,â Vitani tilted her head, her eyes softening, she tilted Najumaâs face up. The girlâs eyes were nervous and uncertain, before reluctantly nodding.
Vitani patted her head, satisfied, and pulled her into a hug, âYouâll be fine. Now go grab your things, weâre leaving.â
As they headed out and began the walk to the Bahari doors, Najuma was talking Vitaniâs ear off about how she should approach the conversation.
âI donât want him turning it around into an, âIâm the parent, youâre the child, let me worry and you relaxâ, cause that doesnât work,â She said as she balanced along a log, âObviously I worry! Heâs doing it all on his own, and our mines arenât producing a lot so heâs going deeper and deeper and being in there longer and longer. I also know heâs super overwhelmed with all the orders heâs been getting. Then our family is constantly sending him letters to go back home.â
She jumped down and landed beside Vitani, âI want him to listen and not try to brush me off, he still thinks Iâm too young to understand. Iâm not I see everything, kinda hard to miss, he looks like a zombie when he comes home.â
Her shoulders slumped, âWhen mom was alive they fought a lot, from what I can remember. Well not a lot a lot they had a lot of little fights about the fact my dad kinda has communication issues. My mom always hated my dad tried to shoulder everything, sheâd sit him down and go;â
She straightened trying her best to mimic her motherâs form, âHodari Pavel! You gave me this pin and this ring as a sign you wanted me to be at your side for the rest of our lives! Partners for life! Well partners share! Either tell me whatâs wrong, you stubborn old man, or Iâll drag you by the ear into the mines and keep you there until you talk!â
Najuma giggled, âShe was a no bullshit person, my dad was kinda scared of her, but her attitude always worked.â
She crossed her arms, rubbing her hands up and down her shoulders, muttering to herself, âWonder what sheâd say.â
Vitani listened to every word, offering silent support, she rubbed the girlâs back continuing to guide them along the path. A feeling was sitting in her stomach, a sense of foreboding since she woke up this morning. She simply chalked it up to her flow energy feeding off Najumaâs, feeling the girlâs anxiety and fear over what sheâd done. However as they walked farther into the woods, she couldnât help but feel the way her magic was tingling her skin almost warningly. A feeling crawled up her neck, like something was watching, waiting, a feeling of turn away now. It caused her to stop, she put her arm out, giving Najuma a silent order to be quiet.
âWhatâs wrong?â She whispered, grabbing onto her shawl.
âI donât-â
Then the ground rumbled, it caused both of them to gasp, Najuma immediately latching onto Vitani.
âWhat was that?!â She cried in alarm, yelping as the earth shook,
Then the ground sank beneath their feet, cracks spidering everywhere as the earth began to give way.
Najuma looked up at Vitani, eyes wide with fear. The huntress barely had time to move to grab her before the world opened up, and they were plummeting into her depths.
She wrapped her arms tight around the smaller majiri, her metal arm protecting her head as she curled around the rest of her, wrapping her magic around her. Vitani felt rocks pelt her from all sides as she hit the walls on their way down. She heard Najuma screaming in her ear, it only served her to tighten her grip, keeping her close. It felt like forever, but one more slam against the wall and the two were rolling onto the ground. Vitani let go of Najuma, the girl rolling away from her.
Everything ached, it felt like sheâd been ripped open. She tried to open her eyes, to see if Najuma was ok. She didnât make it very far off the ground before she was pinned beneath the earth. Her head pushed to the stone floor with a sickening crack, darkness engulfing her within a second.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
AN: ((If you see the /em codes ignore em, theyâre so they italicize on AO3))
Najuma and Vitani settled into a routine, every tuesdays and Fridays, Najuma would watch her father leave through the Kilima gate, then rush off to the elderwoods. Najuma would follow Vitani as she went about her daily tasks, gathering herbs and fauna. Hunting the animals, ogupuu quickly became the majiriâs least favorite. Their spit almost cost her her hair, Vitani had to help her scrub it out.Â
But she quickly became enamoured with the forest, it filled her mind with so many possibilities and uses for everything it had to offer. It quickly lost the eerie feeling and she instead found comfort and excitement. She began to look forward to escaping here, and spending the day with the stoic huntress. With the more time she spent here, she found it easier to navigate, she could now distinguish her direction in the forest even when all she saw were miles of blue and lavender. She no longer sounded like an ormuu busting through the brush.
Vitani will admit sheâs come to not mind her little pupil. She would watch as Najuma took in the forest with utter fascination, and gawk at the human architecture. Of course the huntress avoided the truly dangerous areas like the deep woodsâŚand the sickness thatâs been sucking the life from the forest. She navigated the majiri along her game trails, teaching her more often then not, you donât mind the animals, they donât mind you.
âIf you donât want them chasing after you while youâre trying to work, you simply just need to mind your territory. Theyâll do the same.â
As she suspected, Najuma soaked it all in like a sponge, jotting down in her notebook, and sketching the scenery.
âMy mom used to talk about how the elderwoods would inspire some of her inventionsâŚI can see why. Iâm starting to get my own ideas,â Najuma had said to Vitani while they rested from their hard day of work. Vitani was laid out on her back, trying to take a brief nap while the teen was laid against Phantom. The muujin had also taken to the girl, happy as a puppy when he saw her.
âThe forest does have a charm to it,â Vitani had agreed, opening an eye. Seeing the bright look on Najumaâs face made her own lips rise. Pride burned in her chest, perhaps this teacher thing wasnât so bad.
Days grew into weeks, weeks grew into a few months.
Hodari was none the wiser to his daughterâs escapadesâŚor at least she thought so.
Hodari was beginning to notice a change in his daughter. It started slow, first her appetite at dinner seemed heftier than usual; something he chalked up to puberty. Then she was starting to come in to sleep earlier and earlier, starting to go to bed when he did. While he was happy his daughter seemed to no longer take after his insomniatic tendencies.
He was a bit off put.
âWhatâs all this, darlinâ?â Heâd asked one night as they ate sernuk stakes and roasted mushrooms, âGoinâ tâbed early, risinâ early. Your appetiteâs almost rivalinâ mineâŚnâ you seem moreâŚchipper than usual. Like a chappa at the Maji market, all perked up and ready to run amok.â
Najuma had shrugged, âDunno, you said Iâm going through puberty, could be that. Hormone changes, my bodyâs changingâŚyou think I should start wearing a bra?-â
And Hodari tuned right out, not because he didnât care, but because his heart twisted at the thought of his babygirl growing up. He remembered her being in Letaâs belly, tucked and safe from the world, the two were over the moon to meet her. The day he heard Najuma wail as Leta brought her into this world he knew heâd love and protect her to his bitter end.
Everytime he looked at her he saw that little bundle that was no bigger than his forearm, chubby cheeked and just perfect. This little thing he now had to take care of and adoreâŚhe couldnât believe how fast she was growing. Felt like she was growing so fast he was starting to lose sight of her. Before heâd know it sheâd be leaving home, at least he hoped she would. He didnât want her in the mines not only because how easily it could take her from himâŚbut because a brain like hers isnât meant to be underground and hidden away.
Though she very much disagreed despite his constant protests.
She wanted to be in those mines with him, nothing was turning her away from the minerâs path. He was both immensely proud and immensely frustrated by his wifeâs mini me. He couldnât deny it much longer but his babygirl was truly no longer a baby. She was a young woman now, just as fiery and just as determined as his Leta was.
It twisted his heart something fierce that he was witnessing it all alone.
He sighed, pushing the last piece of his steak around, before reluctantly bringing it to his mouth. âYâlook happy, darlinâ. Donât know what happened, but ya look happier, anâ if youâre happy, Iâm happy. Sâall I want for ya, baby.â
Najumaâs eyes softened, her head ducking as a bashful look crossed her features, âI love you.â
Hodariâs head lifted, his brows raising, when was the last time heâs heard her say that to him?
âI love ya more, darlinâ. Iâd fetch the moons for ya.â
A silence settled over the two as they finished up dinner, Najuma helped her father clean the grill and put everything away. She then surprised him by giving him a tight hug around the waist, heading over to her room. Hodari rubbed his chest, sighing as door shut with a soft click. He moved to head to bed himself, changing from his work clothes to a pair of loose sleep pants, and forgoing his shirt. He looked briefly at the family picture he had with Leta, her smiling face, her bright eyes, and her crazy red hair. He lifted his fingers to his mouth, kissing them gently, and pressing it to her face.
âYouâd be proud of her, darlinâ. Sheâs everythinâ we ever hoped for nâ more,â He whispered into the quiet room. Twisting his neck until it popped, Hodari crawled into bed, and sprawled out on his back. Sleep was elusive once more despite how ragged he ran himself, and he found himself reaching for the bottle of Tamalaâs draughts. He was becoming a bit too dependent on them, but it was either this or fall asleep while working, and only one could cost him his life.
Least with the draughts he wouldnât be sent back to the worst day of his life.
Shaking the little tablets from the bottle, Hodari popped them into his mouth, settling down for a dreamless sleep.
When Hodari made his way to Kilima the next day, his body was just as exhausted and his back was just as stiff. Ashura raised a concerned brow as his friend walked in, his back pin straight, his face as tense as his posture.
âYou donât look too well, friend,â he pulled out a chair at Hodariâs usual table, âSit.â
Hodari grunted, and stayed standing, waving off Ashuraâs fussing, âSânothinâ, mâfine. Just a bit of a stiff back, itâll go away.â
Ashura pursed his lips, the larger majiri frowning at the minerâs stubbornness, âDoesnât look like nothing. Iâve told you time and time again youâre going to work yourself into a grave. Thatâs the last thing Najuma needs.â
Hodari grunted again, âThose ores ainât gonna mine themselves. I got orders to fulfill from here, all the way to Bahari city.â
âThen have some of the humans help you out.â
âNot gonna let those clumsy bothers into my mines. Last thing I need on my hands is a lawsuit if they get hurt.â
Ashura huffed, running a hand down his face. Hodari felt a slight guilt settle in his stomach, both Ashura and Najuma were getting real tired of his workaholic ways. He knew that was part of the reason Najuma pushed so much to get him to let her back into the mines. Try as he might he knew damn good and well his babygirl was too smart, she could see how his shoulders sagged more and more, and the bags under his eyes deepened in color.
âIâll go see Tamala when I get back,â he offered, not liking when people fussed over him.
Ashura hummed, âIâd rather you go and see Chayne. I donât trust that woman.â
âChayne worries too much, Tamala donât ask questions and sends me on my way. None of this fussinâ.â
âYou mean being cared about.â
âPah.â
âHodari.â
Hodari grumbled, and waved the bigger majiri off, taking his seat and waiting for Reth to give him his food.
Ashura made a sound of frustration again, knowing the old miner was more stubborn than a tired ormuu. He left him to his lunch, returning back to his place at the innâs front desk.
With his belly full, and his back feeling a little better after relaxing for lunch, Hodari made his way back down to Bahari. He welcomed the cold reprieve of the mines, it immediately chilled his sweltering skin. He didnât have a preference for the seasons, but heâd admit he didnât mind the heat. In the winter, the mines were colder than ice. Add cold as hell mines, to even colder air outside? Hodari would take the sweltering sunlight, to the frost biting wind. Also helped him ease the ache in his spine, especially when-
<em>Swing!</em>
<em>Crack!</em>
Hodari gasped as fire lit up his spine, it made him drop his pick and stumble back into the cool wall.
âMaji damn it!â He grunted, trying to breathe through the intense pain, his entire back throbbing in time with his rapid heartbeat. He groaned again, frustration making him dig his fangs into his lips. How the hell was he going to finish his orders now if he couldnât unhunch himself?
With the greatest amount of reluctance, Hodari stumbled to the entrance to the mines. Planting his hands at the base of his spine, he tried to stretch himself out, only to hunch right back over as his muscles screamed in protest.
âShit!â
His chest heaved, and he slammed his fist against the stone wall, knowing he was in no shape to continue on with his day. So, with all the reluctance in his stubborn self, he grabbed his pick, and dragged himself back up to the house. He laid his tool in the rack outside his room, and headed for their medicine cabinet, grabbing the pain relief draughts.
âJuma!â He called out to his daughter as he downed the pills, âDarlinâ mâback!â
There was no answer from her room, making his brows furrow. Did Hassian come by and take her out? Usually the hunter would tell him if he was gonna be taking Najuma for the day.
âNajuma?â
He reached for her door when the front one opened, his daughter slipping through with a sack over her shoulder. She quietly closed the door, and just about jumped ten feet when she saw her father, âDad! What uh- whatâre you doing home so early?â
âWhereâre you cominâ from, girl?â He ignored her question, instead raising a brow at her bag, âWhatâs in the sack?â
âNever mind that,â she deflected his deflection, âAre you ok? Did something happen?â
She immediately rushed over, grabbing onto him, âDad? Are you ok? You look pale.â
Hodari grumbled, the last thing he wanted was to be fussed over, but he saw the worry in his daughterâs eyes and wrapped an arm around her comfortingly, âIâm fine, spitfire âŚjust uhâŚjust my back acting up again. Callinâ it a day so I donât make it worse.â
âYou knowing your limits and taking a break? Whoâre you?â She raised a brow in mock suspicion, âMy dad wouldâve powered through.â
âAlright alright, shush up now,â he pinched her ear, making her whine, âI donât need to mess up mâback. I mess that up then I canât mine, canât mine, canât work. Canât work canât make money. So Iâm callinâ it a day.â
Najuma gave him a thoughtful look, nodding her head, âSmart, good, you need a break, you need to slow downâŚ.if I was in the mines I could help and-â
âNajuma Pavel, we ainât havinâ this talk again,â His eyes narrowed, his lips thinning into a straight line, âYou ainât goinâ in tâ those mines.â
âUgh! This isnât even a talk, itâs you yelling the same thing; ââYou ainât going back in those mines, babygirl. Not so long as I live nâ breathe!ââ Her mimic of his accent was both spot on and dramatic, it made Hodari grunt. He never knew if he should keep on or shut his trap if he didnât want her to mock him again.
âNajuma.â
âI get it, but donât complain to me when you walk with a permanent hunch.â She held her hands up in surrender, walking back over to her bag.
âNever answered me when I asked what was in there, little girl.â
âTheyâre just parts.â
âParts for what?â
âTo finish off some designs.â
âWhereâd you get emâ?â
Najuma froze for a moment, Hodari immediately zoning in on the action, âNajuma?â
âJustâŚon the beach. Thereâs all sorts of stuff along the beach and by the light house,â she answered, though her eyes wouldnât meet his, âItâs fine.â
âI donât like you goinâ down there without me.â
âYou donât like me going anywhere, you want to keep me in a bubble,â She scoffed, heading into her room before Hodari could chide her about her tone.
Hodari sighed, a headache adding onto his already sore body. He ran his hand down his face, and hobbled over to his room. He wrote a quick letter to Tamala, asking if he could pass by to pick up something for his back. Then, letting ever elusive tiredness guide him out of his clothes and into his bed, settling down for a nap.
Thankfully his mind was too tired to conjure a dream nor a nightmare.
With the miner home early, that meant dinner was early too. A tense silence filled the room, the two avoiding eye contact. Najuma pushed her peki around her plate, her brows furrowed, her nose scrunched, and her lips settled in a frown. Hodariâs foot tapped incessantly as he tried to figure out how to talk to his daughter. A million things were running through his mind;
<em>âJuma, Iâm sorry, Iâm just trying to protect you.
I love you, but I donât want you to follow in my footsteps.
Look into selling your inventions, your mindâs too bright to be buried in some rocks.
Iâm just trying to get you to live the life your mother sacrificed herâs for.</em>
All of them ended in blow ups with Najuma telling him you donât change your path. She wants to be a miner, and sheâll do everything she can to make that happen. His shoulders sagged, leaning forward onto the table, placing his hands over his face.
âNajuma.â
âDad.â
He looked up at her, crossing his arms on the table, âDarlinâ you know I love you with all my heart, yeah?â
âYes.â
âYou know I donât want you to change, right? I love you as you are.â
âMhm.â
He groaned, hearing the sarcasm drip from her voice, âI do, Juma. I do. I love that bright mind, you get it from your momma, youâre all her down to the tips of your hair. Nâ just like her I can see that bright mind oâ yours taking you so much farther than the mines. A safer path, anâ a successful one.â
âI donât want that,â her teeth gritted, âI want to be a part of the family business.â
His fists clenched, âWell tough. You ainât goinâ in, not while youâre too young.â
âIâm thirteen! You were younger than me when grandpa let you go in!â
âThatâs âcause times were different!â He snapped back, trying to reel himself in, âIt was different. Times are different, anâ I ainât my father, anâ I ainât riskinâ you. Youâre thirteen, youâre brand spankinâ new to beinâ a teenager. Quit tryinâ to act all grown. Youâre a child, youâre my child, nâ like hell I am lettinâ you put yourself in danger!â
Najuma let out a yell of frustration, âYou never listen to me!â
âIâm your father! You listen to me!â
The two glared at each other, both their eyes dark with anger and frustration that neither was willing to change their stubborn tune.
âIâm going to bed!â Najuma threw her hands up, getting up from her chair and storming away, her door slamming hard enough to shake the frame.
Hodari gritted his teeth at himself, his head falling onto the wood of the table. Again, again he tried to talk to her and again he let it turn into a screaming match. Dragon, why couldnât he get this right? Why couldnât they talk? Why did they always end up arguing?
âLetaâŚLeta, darlinâ, what am I doin? I don't know what Iâm doinâ. How am I supposed to do this without ya?â
It was moments like these an ugly feeling of resentment would reel its head. An anger his wife left him to deal with all this on his own that burned him up. He always felt guilty after he calmed himself, itâs not like she wanted to not be here for their daughter. Itâs not like she wanted to cross the veil that nightâŚshe only did what she had to doâŚmake sure their babygirl livedâŚeven if it meant she didnât.
But now he was alone, his and Najumaâs relationship strained and not getting any better.
Deciding to give her space, rather than charge after her, and yell at her all night until she got it into her head she wouldnât be going anywhere near the mines. Hodari cleaned up in the kitchen, and retreated to his room where he curled up on his bed. He held a pillow to his chest, his eyes staring blankly at the wall until they burned with the need to blink. He turned his face into the plushness of his pillows, and ran a hand through his bangs. Trying his damndest to imagine his rough and calloused hand as smaller, more delicate, Leta.
Sheâd always give him a nice back and head rub even when sheâs had just as hard a day down in the mines. Sheâd pull him to her chest, and run her hands through his hair and over his back until he passed out with his face burrowed between her breasts. It was heaven on earth, just the two of them, soaking up each otherâs presence.
Hodari hadnât even realized heâd started crying.
He doesnât cry, heâs not a crier, thereâs only been a few occasions that have managed to prick his eyes. Like his wedding day, when he saw Leta walking towards him looking as beautiful as could be in her dress. Najumaâs birthday, when Chayne laid Najuma in Letaâs arms. She grabbed his finger so tight, and next thing he knew he was bawling likeâŚwell a baby.
Then the accident, when; after hours of meticulously trying to get through the cave in, he found her lying there. She was pale, coldâŚand no matter how much Hodari wanted to believe she was just sleepingâŚ.
The cries he let out would haunt that mineshaft for years.
And finally, after her funeral.
The actual event he forced himself to swallow those emotions, to be there for Najuma who understood..but also didnât quite grasp her mother was gone. She was only fiveâŚhow do you get a five year old to understand her mamma wasnât coming home? That sheâd now only ever exist in memories that would fade because she was so young when it happened. When he had gotten her to sleep, and he laid in his now quiet room, Letaâs things still scattered about like she was going to come join him at any momentâŚ
His cries would haunt this room too.
He reached for those damn draughts again.
It was too much for his heart right now.
When morning came, he stood outside Najumaâs door, hesitantly he raised his hand and tapped his knuckles against the wood, ââJuma, darlinâ? I uhâŚmâheadin out to workâŚbut uhâŚIâll be late getting home. Gotta head by Tamalaâs to get some medicine for mâback.â
Auni delivered his message first thing, and no sooner did he return telling him Tamala said to pass by when he got the chance. His back felt no better today, but he knew he couldnât slack no matter how miserable he knew he was gonna be.
He waited for Najuma to answer, and when she didnât, he carefully opened the door. If she didnât rise yet, he didnât want to disturb her. She was tucked in bed hugging her chapaa stuffie, but Hodari could tell by her breathing she was up.
âMâheadin out, âJuma.â
âOk.â
âLove you.â
âMhm.â
The minerâs head hung, he deserved thatâŚmaybe on his way back from Kilima heâll pass by Zekiâs. See if the grimalkin had anything he could gift to his daughter as an apology for last nightâŚnot that he was sorry about trying to get her to change her path. More so sorry for yelling at her, he was trying to get better about his temperâŚbut the both of them were fire, butting heads and clashing bright.
âIâll be late.â
âI heard you. Iâll be fine. Go to work.â
Hodari opened his mouth to say one more thing, before grumbling to himself and closing her door. Another thing to his ever growing list of worries.
As he expected, work today was exhausting and excruciating, it felt like his spine was being ripped in two. Each raise of his arms above his head felt like he was trying to pop his arms off, and each downward swing made him want to sprawl out in the dirt. He dealt with a few humans coming for advice and upgrades to their picks, he tried to keep focus, but the pain had him moving sluggishly. He got asked just about twenty times by those humans if he was alright, if he needed anything. While he supposed he appreciated the concern, the last thing he wanted was to incur a debt to them. So each time he just insisted it was nothing he couldnât handle.
He could handle it.
He didnât make it up to Kilima for lunch, the walk was not worth it today. He tried instead to eat with Najuma, but she had just made herself a sandwich and retreated to her room. Leaving him all on his own.
When his workday finally ended, he made the walk up to northern Bahari to the little cottage tucked uncomfortably close to the elderwood doors. He wasted no time rapping his fingers against Tamalaâs door, his foot tapping, and his back aching. The door opened and the woman herself greeted him with a sultry smile.
âAh, Hodari, so nice to see you again, my dear,â She gave him a once over, making the minder shift his weight uncomfortably, âLooking rugged as ever.â
âNice tâsee you too,â he gruffed, âCame for my draughts anâ somethinâ for my back.â
Tamala hummed, beckoning him in, âYes yes, I have both, just waiting for everything to finish brewing. Care for something to drink while we wait?â
âNo thank you,â He mumbled, not looking forward to having to hold a conversation with the flirtatious woman. The woman seemed to get a kick out of hitting on him and making him shift in his weight. She did it every time he came to get something from her, then sheâd laugh and say she was playing, give him his things and send him on his way. So he was very much not looking forward to having to wait.
âI can justâŚcome back later and get it when itâs done. I gotta head home to Najuma.â
Tamala hummed, âNo need, itâll only take a moment for me to jar everything. Besides Iâll be heading up to the elderwoods to make a delivery to some hunters up there, wonât be home tomorrow.â
âOh.â
âMhm! And speaking of the elderwoods, Hodari, when it came to your daughter I thought you were frustratingly stubborn in concern for her safety. I didnât think you of all people would eventually fall for those doe eyes of hers, and give in." She side eyed him, stirring whatever she was making in that cauldron of hers.
âWhaddya mean?â
She popped a hip out as she rested her weight, âForgive me, for Iâm no parent, nor do I want to beâŚbut those woods are dangerous, no place for a thirteen year old.â
His brows furrowed, yeah, he knew that, thatâs why it was a hard and forever no when she asked to see them.
âI know, she ainât allowed up there, not even with me when I need to go visit my deposits.â
âMm? Oh dear, then you havenât taken her up there?â
âNo?â
âThen it seems while youâre hard at work fulfilling all of Kilimaâs and Bahariâs calls for ore. Your impish little daughter is going adventuring without your knowledge.â
The alchemist placed her hands on her hips, leveling the miner with a look, âJust the other day while I was up there getting herbs for some potions, Iâm so very sure I saw a bundle of red hair running through the woods. I had thought sheâd managed to wear you down and let her accompany you miningâŚseems I was wrong, and you have a conversation you need to have.â
Hodariâs back straightened, his eyes widening, his whole body locking and freezing, but not in pain;
In fear.
It felt like his veins turned to ice as Tamalaâs words registered in his mind, and suddenly everything made sense.
Her change in attitude.
Her new appetite.
Why she seemed just as tired as him when he got home.
The way she jumped yesterday when she found him home early.
And finally; the way she froze when he asked her where sheâd been.
âI need to go, have Auni drop it off when ya can, here,â he shoved a coin purse at her, and rushed his way back to his side of the bay in a half hour flat.
He all but tore into the house like a raging ormuu, his boots thudding against the floor, as he all but ripped Najumaâs door open.
âNajuma Pavel!â
He froze when he saw she wasnât there, her room empty, fear gripped his chest, making his heart constrict.
âNajuma!â
He headed up into her tower, mentally noting some of the floorboard needed to be replaced. He got to the top level, but found it vacant as well, vacant, except for that sack she brought in yesterday.
Now Hodari wasnât one to invade his daughterâs privacy by going through her things. He may be overprotective, but not so much as to encroach on his daughterâs space like that.
But this was different.
He walked forward and grabbed the sernuk skin sack, pulling it open, and letting out a noise of anger as he saw platinum piled inside. His daughter was sneaking into the elderwoods while he was at work, mining his deposits and sneaking it back here before he got home.
âThat little girl-!â
He dropped the bag, his hands moving up his face and into his hair, his chest heaving with the emotion taking his breath away.
Anger that she was lying to him, going behind his back, and putting herself in danger.
Fear that she was going to get hurt, that something was going to happen and sheâd go missing just like Sifuuâs wife had.
Frustration that despite how much he was doing to keep her safe, she kept finding some way around him.
Downstairs he heard her door open, heard her humming to herself. Grabbing the bag of platinum in a death grip he took a breath, then walked down the steps. Najumaâs head jerked up when she heard his boots, her eyes widening.
âDad?! What- whatâre you going in my tower?â
âWhere were you?â He ignored her question.
âI was in the workshop, I was smelting some iron,â she lifted the bars up.
Ok, so maybe that was the truth, but yesterday she lied right to his face.
âAnd yesterday?â
âHuh?â
âWhere were you yesterday that you werenât there when I got home, and just about jumped six feet nâ thâair when you saw me. Then froze up when I asked where you were cominâ from with that sack.â
She blanched, her face paling despite how she tried to hide it. It made Hodariâs eyes narrow, she was getting too comfortable with trying to lie to him.
âIâŚI told you, I went to the beach,â her eyes darted from his, her hands fidgeting in front of her chest.
âLittle girl, youâre lyinâ to my face right now, and I donât much appreciate it,â He snipped, placing a hand on his hip, âIâm gonâ ask you again, Najuma. Where were you cominâ from yesterday, girl?â
âDad-â
He took the bag from behind his back, and dropped it at his feet, platinum rolling out across her floor, âLook what I found upstairs.â
âYou went through my room?!â She cried in outrage, her face turning purple with anger, âDad!â
âDonât you take that tone with me!â He shouted right back, âYou been lyinâ to me! You been sneakinâ out into the elderwoods tâget that, cause I sure as hell didnât go get it for you!â
âI-â
Hodari pressed the sides of his hands to his mouth, he was shaking, actually shaking, âLittle girl, I am trying my hardest to not yell until these walls shake, but you got my blood boilinâ all the way up to my ears right now. Tell me that you ainât actually been stupid enough to go into those woods on your own.â
Her head ducking and her chin wobbling, and the overall way she clamped up and went quiet were answer enough.
âAre you fucking kidding me right now, Najuma Pavel?!â He swore, heâs never swore at her, but right now everything thatâs been building up in him came crashing down.
âDad, please, let me explain!â She cried, her eyes pleading with him.
âNo! No! Absolutely not!â Hodari waved his hands, beginning to pace, âYou ask me constantly to stop babying you and treat you like youâre grown anâ responsible. Then you go and do something as stupid and idiotic as sneaking out to the elderwoods, not tellinâ nobody where you are- what if something happened to you? People have gone missinâ anâ died in those woods! If somethinâ had happened to you, I wouldnât know!â
Najumaâs face pinched up, and she exploded right back, âWell maybe if you didnât hover over me and restrict me from doing everything, I wouldnât feel the need to lie to you! I get it ok! I get Iâm the reason momâs dead, I get Iâm the reason you lost everything! Thatâs why Iâm trying to do this for you!â
She was sobbing, âI need to prove that I was worth it! That we didnât lose her for nothing! Iâm trying to do this for you, dad! But Maji! When you do stuff like this, it really makes me wish I died with her! Itâd be easier for all of us!â
Hodari froze, rooted to his place as Najumaâs words struck him right in the heart. Of all the things heâd wished had gone differently that night, Najuma going alongside Leta would never ever be one of them. So to know that his baby, his daughter, thought differently. He might as well be a node in the mine cause his chest was just cracked right open.
âNajuma-â
His daughter dodged the hand he reached out, running from her room, he heard her throw the front door open, and rush out of the house. It took Hodari a minute for his brain to catch up before he was barreling right after her. He followed her right out, his eyes frantically searching for her retreating form, but it was dark, the moon hidden away by thick clouds. Hodari could barely see two feet in front of him, with panic bleeding into his chest, he shouted into the night.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Vitani~
All Vitani wanted today was to go back home to her cabin and curl up in her bed. She was exhausted, though her day wasnât even halfway done. She was covered in dirt and grime, and ogupuu spit that desperately needed to be washed away before it crusted. The skin of her shoulder that was fused to the black platinum of her prosthetic ached and itched, and her body seemed to thrum in pain from the exertion she put it through.
The last thing she wanted to do was to put up another fight.
Which is why she is so very pissed off as she glares at the same majiri girl who nearly got herself mauled yesterday by the infected muujin sheâd been hunting.
The girlâs brown eyes lit up again as the infected essence was snuffed out, releasing the claws itâd been slowly digging into her mind. These things were a nuisance, when Vitani first came to the forest, sheâd almost been tricked by them once or twice. Then she learned the cardinal rule of living near the elderwoods.
If you saw, heard, or even smelt anythingâŚno the fuck you didnât.
And itâs saved her a lot more mishaps since then.
But these people? The other humans and curious majiri? They were like babies, making noise, didnât know what to do. Falling prey to the creatures and evils that haunted this place. Not her problem though, she just waited until they left her hunting grounds and moved on with her life. Less people encroaching on her space, less likely to come across anybody whoâll spread word of her existence.
In most cases, when these intruders got themselves into trouble, she had no issue letting them fall prey to their idiocy and lack of self awareness.
But this girl? She was a kid, a child. She wasnât heartless enough to let the woods take a kid. The majiri looked no older than thirteen or fourteen, hell she was still growing into those pointed ears and lanky limbs. She had hoped her run in with the infected beast mightâve curbed her curiosity, not many will look death in the face, walk away, and come back to try again.
Clearly she had a death wish.
Vitani had heard her crashing through the woods, crying out for her mother. She caught her just as she stumbled into the clearing where the glowing inky flame of dark magic flickered. She knew nothing of its origins, just that it ate everything it touched, anything that was alive it latched onto. Feeding off emotion and grief, weaponizing it to draw in its victims and never let them go.
Vitaniâs heart momentarily constricted at the look on the girlâs face, she couldnât imagine what she felt. The majiriâs brown eyes were dark with confusion her hand still poised to touch what Vitani snuffed.
She let go of the kidâs coat, shoving her back a step, âIt wasnât real. Your mother wasnât real.â
âI- she- I saw herâŚI heard herâŚshe-â Her face was twisted with pain, her hands reaching up to wipe away the tears that beaded at the side of her eyes. âI donât understand.â
âThatâs what this forest does, it feeds off of you, messes with your head. I told you to stay away!â Vitani said sternly, wanting to pull at her hair in time with the pulsing agitation crawling through her, stars they never learned!
âI thought itâd be different during the day!â
âDay or night, Sun or moon, this forest will sense when vulnerability is exploitable and take it,â the huntress spat, waving her metal hand, âYou couldâve been killedâŚagain!â
âIâm sorry! I just came for some platinum, I was following my map, I wasnât far from Bahari. I-â The majiri crouched low, her hands going through her ears, ââŚI saw her.â
âYou didnât,â Vitani crossed her arms, her eyes narrowing, âThe forest made you think you did so it could add you to its list of lost souls. Thank your dragon I found you before it could.â
âIt felt so real, she called me by my childhood nickname, I-â The majiri covered her mouth, her eyes clenching shut as she timed her breaths to calm her heart. âThank you for saving me again, Iâm sorry for troubling you.â
Vitani offered her good hand, letting the girl grab it so she could pull her up, âIf youâd listened, it wouldnât have happened.â
The girl winced at that, ducking her head as shame crossed her features, âI thought I could do it. Do this. I need to. He needs to know Iâm ok.â
âYour father?â
Vitani vaguely remembered the girl saying it was just her and her father, her mother gone and dead. She got that, understood thatâŚthe need to prove herself, to let otherâs know she didnât need them to burden themselves because she was more than capableâŚshe got it. It made empathy soften her features just slightly.
The majiriâs face pinched up, a scowl on her features as she threw her hands outward, âHe treats me like a baby, and refuses to acknowledge Iâve made my decision on my path. I donât need to be coddled, I want to work! I can do it, I can do it for him.â
âClearly.â
The snark, it unintentionally slipped out making the girlâs face twist in anger.
âI was just fine! I was just about to leave when my stupid compass stopped working! I had what I needed and I was on my way out!â
âJust like last time? Where you were almost mauled by a muujin?â
The majiri threw her arms up, walking away from Vitani, slinging the sack she'd been carrying. She heard the girl grunt under its weight as she settled it on her back. She had barely taken a step when the seam ripped and everything fell out. Platinum fell to the ground, rolling to a stop at Vitaniâs feet.
The huntress looked down, kneeling to grab one of the light greenish rocks. She turned it over in her metal hand, feeling its weight before raising a brow at the majiri. The girlâs face was now dark magenta, she let out a frustrated and angry yell, stomping her foot. Then, as quickly as the anger covered her face, it fell into sadness, frustrationâŚ.maybe a bit of loathing.
Vitani shifted uncomfortably, her face twisting at the display of emotions. Tilting her head up to the canopy of trees, she let out a sigh, and turned back to the girl. She walked over, kneeling in front of her. She lifted her metal hand, and tilted the young girlâs face up.
âListen. Whatever youâre trying to proveâŚyou canât do it by making immature decisions like running into the most dangerous woods in the Pailian republic. You canât prove to your father whatever youâre trying to prove by always doing the opposite of what he says like a petulant child.â
The majiri scrunched her nose, grumbling to herself, âItâs not just him, itâs the whole town. They all look at me, look at what happened to my legâŚIâm not useless, Iâm not fragile. If anything Iâm stronger than all of them. I can be a miner just like him. Me being down a limb doesnât mean anything.â
Vitani pursed her lip, now that was a frustration she knew good and well. So, keeping her eye on the teen, she pulled the armor she had protecting her right arm, and let her see the metal that was fused from just under her arm pit down.
âNo it does not.â
The girlâs eyes widened at the sight, a soft gasp escaping her lips as she studied the platinum limb. There were runes and pink lines of flow swirling all the way down to her fingertips. Some of those marking Vitani casted, others were there when she got this limb. It allowed her to keep using her magic, and to strengthen and boost at the same time.
âYouâre armâŚâ The majiri stared in astonishment, hands reaching to grasp it. Curiosity and fascination lit up her face, her fingers tracing the swirling patterns with a delicacy. Like she was afraid she might break the thick platinum it was made of, âItâs infused with flow⌠are these runes? Did you make this? Thatâs amazing!â
Her rapid fire questions made Vitani gently pull back. The girl sputtered an apology, her hands tucking close to her chest sheepishly. The huntress simply waved her off, âNo, I didnât make it, it was given to me not long after I lost my arm.â
The memories of how she lost it never ceased in making a fire of deep rage swirl in her heart.
But that was neither here nor there right now.
âBut that doesnât matter, I know what it feels like. To feel defined by what happened. I felt barely human after it happened to me, every setback I had with this arm. I hated it too. Made me feel useless, made me question how I was going to be able to do anything with this contraption. But you learn to accept and move on, now itâs one of my greatest prides.â
She rapped her knuckles against it, while its origins would forever be tainted by betrayal. She took what they did to her, and used it against them to claw her way to freedom.
The majiri eyed her arm, her head nodding in understanding, âI think thatâŚIâm trying to show him that. Iâm proud of my leg, I made it myself, smelted every ore, and made every part myself.â She tapped the metal appendage, beaming at her creation.
âButâŚitâs starting to get oldâŚI can only make so many more modificationsâŚsâwhy I came for the platinum.â She pointed to the now scattered rocks, âIâm going to build a new leg. A better one. Show my dad I can handle this, handle myself. I need to do this.â
âYouâre going to get yourself killed,â Vitani said bluntly, âThe tenacity is noble, your causeâŚyour heartâs in the right space, but your mind is going about this wrong. You want to be an adult? Being an adult is knowing your limits, knowing if you canât swim, you need to master the shallow end of the pool before diving into the deep.â
She poked the girl between her eyes with the claws of her metal hand, âYouâll drown yourself trying to prove he can throw you into the deep end of the pool.â
âThen what should I do? I donât know what to do!â Her voice was full of frustration, exhaustion from being kept on a leash with no room to move. She rubbed her eyes, shaking her head to herself, âMy mom wouldâve known what to do.â
Vitani twisted her neck until she felt it pop, letting out a sigh as she questioned why she just made the decision she did.
âYou want to master the elderwoods to prove to your father youâre growing up? That you can share his burdens?â
âYes.â
The huntress ran her hand down her face, pinching the bridge of her nose, âTwice a week, same time as today. Iâll retrieve you from the doors to Bahari.â
Confusion lit up the majiriâs features, âWhat?â
âIâll teach you to navigate the elderwoods,â she explained, pulling off her hood, pinning the girl under a steely silver gaze, âYou want to know this forest? To help yourself and your father? Retrieve more ore for your leg? Iâll help you.â
âReallyâŚ? Why?â
Why indeed? Was it the reflection of herself she saw in the girl? The way she heard her desperately calling for her mother as the infected essence drew her in? The helplessness and fear in her voice as she chased something she wanted to believe whole heartedly was true?
âCall it morbid curiosity or the wonder if you can learn to assimilate with the wildness of the elderwoods,â Vitani offered instead, âYou people clomp through these woods, making noise, donât know what to do. Coming in here as bright eyed and bushied tail as a chapaa. Only to run out after the forest kicks your ass.â
The girl frowned, but it only main Vitani laughâŚthe expressionâŚit did make her look like a chapaa.
âLetâs see if you can be taught. Something tells me that brain of yours will be like a sponge. Eagerly soaking up what I have to offer,â She crossed her arms, popping her hip out as she relaxed her weight, âSo Iâll help, but only on two conditions.â
Excitement had the girl bouncing on her feet, her expression shifting once more, âWhat? Anything! You name it.â
Vitani walked back over until she was in the teenâs face, she lifted one finger on her metal hand, âYouâll only come in here when I can escort you. Youâll do as I say exactly as I say it. Deal?â
She held the appendage out, the lines of flow seeming to glow brighter as it swirled down to the rune carved in the palm.
Without hesitation, the majiri took her hand, shaking it eagerly, âDeal!â
Vitani retracted her hand, standing to her full height which was no more than a head and a half taller than the girl. âYour name?â She asked coolly, holding out her metal hand again, but not to shake. The runes lit up, the lines of flow growing brightly, momentarily stunning the teen as the huntress used her abilities to make the platinum ore float from where it was scattered. She clenched her metal hand into a fist, clumping the rocks together, setting it into a skin she had for her own finds.
When the girl failed to shake herself from her astonishment, Vitani cleared her throat loudly, nudging her with the sack of ore.
The majiri jumped, ripping her eyes from Vitaniâs prosthesis, âNajuma! Najuma Pavel! Y-yours?â
Vitani handed her the bag, standing back and pulling her mask off the lower half of her face, allowing Najuma to get a full look at her.
The two discussed their meeting time, after her father would head out to Kilima every Tuesdays and Fridays, sheâd meet Vitani at the doors to the woods. There they would begin their lessons to teach Najuma how to navigate and move through the woods without alerting any creatures, or falling prey to any magic. In turn for going through these lessons with no hesitation or questions, Vitani would help her gather the platinum for her leg.
So, bright and early, at ten am sharp, the second her father left through the gate to Kilima, Najuma grabbed her bag, and her pick, and headed out for northern Bahari. The morning sun was rising, casting a soft glow through the breaks in the lavender canopy. Najuma walked all the way up to Mitana grove, admiring the Umbraan architecture that was spread out. She found Vitani waiting by the waterfall that fell from an ancient looking human fortress. The huntress leaned against the railing. She was inspecting her arm, running her fingers over the metal, tapping it in some areas then shaking her wrist out. Najumaâs boots thumped as she stepped onto the deck, drawing silver eyes to meet her brown.
âGood, you arrived on time,â she stood, adjusting her clothes. Black fabric draped over her shoulders and tucked into a wraparound belt of a sleeveless black shirt with a high neckline. Black leggings and thigh high boots with a sharp looking heel, and black armour on her good arm.
Najuma nodded her head, kicking her book against the wicker beneath her, âYep, I need to be back before eight, thatâs when my dad comes home from the mines.â
Vitani nodded, patting her head as she walked past her, âWeâll see how today goes.â
Najuma scowled, fixing her goggles and trailing after her, âWhere are we going?â
Vitani didnât say anything at first, simply moving past her, âPhantom.â
âWhat?â
Najuma heard a low rumbling, then all but leapt to the side as a huge bluebristle muujin jumped down from the tree beside the deck. He meandered up to the huntress, brushing up against her side. With her metal hand, Vitani scratched under the beastâs neck, making him chuff happily.
âThis is Phantom,â Vitani turned to the majiri, âHeâll be keeping an eye on us.â
Najuma tilted her head, âWhy? Whatâre we doing?â
Once more the huntress didnât answer, just beckoned her with a wave of her hand. The muujin circled back towards the majiri, and remembering the rabid one she encountered, she took a slight step away.
Phantom chuffed, like he was annoyed with the action. He closed the distance, moving her along with a nudge of his big head. Najuma hesitantly patted him, laughing softly as another rumble sounded from him.
âYouâre like Tau, supposed to be a ferocious creatureâŚuntil youâre given pats, eh?â
Phantom simply chuffed again.
âLetâs go, I have things to do today!â Vitani called over her shoulder.
âComing!â
As they walked, Vitani kept trying to direct Najuma on the correct way to walk through the forest. Pointing her to find the softer parts of the ground, to be light on her feet. The younger girl tried her best, trying to mimic the huntressâs smooth gait. She was almost dancing through it, her feet moving quick and light, using what was around her to get through the path quicker.
âNajuma, pick up your feet,â She lightly scolded as the girl broke another branch beneath her foot.
âIâm trying!â Najuma said petulantly, huffing in frustration, even with Hassian she found herself unable to copy his fluid movements. He would tell her she had her fatherâs heavy gait, his lead footedness. It made Najuma make a noise of frustration as agitation settled in her bones, lighting her nerves on fire.
âBreathe,â Vitani placed her hand on her chest, pulling her from her anger, âI know. When I was being taught, I had problems too, could never figure out where to place my feet. You get frustrated and angry because you want to get it, but that only weighs your gait more. Breathe.â
Her silver eyes bore in Najumaâs, she shifted her breathing, her hand tapping Najumaâs chest, âMatch me, breathe slow.â
Vitani inhaled, held for three seconds, then exhaled for another, âGo ahead.â
Najuma nodded, taking in a breathe, holding, releasing.
In-out, in-out, in-out.
She did this until she felt herself simmer, when the beat of her heart wasnât thrumming in her pointed ears.
âGood,â Vitani encouraged, âcalm down. Just like yesterday, the forest will sense your vulnerability and take advantage of it. Clear your head, youâre overthinking it. Just feel and move.â
Najuma pricked her ears, keeping up her breathing as she let herself feel everything around her. Everything reached her at once, from the slightly musty smell from the moist air, to the sound of the bugs flying about. She tried to clear her head, to not overthink it, and just move. It wasnât as quiet as she would have liked it to be, she still misstepped every now and then, but it was significantly more quiet. Her movements were a little more fluid, and a little more calculated.
Soon they arrived at a sprawling waterfall, it was quiet save for the sound of crashing water. Vitani shrugged off the fabric over her shoulders, letting it hang around her waist. She turned to the majiri and nodded, âThat was better, a lot better. When those human hunters come in here, they reek of arrogance. They donât respect the forest, they come in here with gold coins in their eyes. Sâwhy the forest manages to toss them on their asses, she doesnât like it.â
Vitani crossed her arms over her chest, popping out a hip as she rested her weight, âWhen thereâs no respect for nature thereâs no honor in the hunt. You canât take and take without acknowledging what youâre taking.â
Hassian has said similar things to Najuma, how hunters need to have respect for nature and its creatures. If thereâs no respect, just cold arrogance, then thereâs no honor.
âWhat does that have to do with me trying to get platinum?â She understood it from a hunterâs perspectiveâŚ.kindaâŚ.she just wanted the ore though. She had no problems with the woods, save for the creatures trying to eat her though.
Vitani sat in the grass, gesturing for her to do the same. Phantom moved to settle behind Najuma as she crossed her legs, laying his fluffy head in her lap. The majiri smiled slightly, her hands moving to absentmindedly scratch his ears.
âI know it may not seem like thereâs a correlation, but even the rocks are a part of the balance of the forest. Mining itself takes from the earth, you take her ores and her rocks, and you strip her ground away to get to what you need.â
Vitani raised her metal arm, pointing a little ways down to their right, showing Najuma the very deposit she was at last night. She hadnât recognized this was where they were heading, everything looked the same to her here. She peered at the gaping tunnel her father had carved out of the cliff. Loose rocks tumbled from up above, crashing down with a noisy crackle.
âMining weakens the ground, you hollow out the earth, and it leaves less for the planet to pull from to replenish her surface,â Vitani said coolly, folding her hands back in her lap, tilting her head. âThe ruins that the humans left behind, you see them everywhere. You also see how the earth reclaimed them for her own. Humans took and they took, and they tried to control her, and look what happened.â
âOh,â Najuma muttered, beginning to see what the woman was getting at, âThatâs what Hassian rambled about when he talks about the balance of nature.â
Vitani nodded, âMhm, mining is just the same, taking from the ground itself. You must be mindful, take what you need, let nature keep the rest.â
Najuma nodded her head in understanding, maybe thatâs why her dad was having rough luck with the mines. The others that came before him took too much, now there was nothing else for the earth to give.
âOkâŚ.ok, I think I get itâŚwhat do we do now?â
A smirk that crawled up the huntressâs lips was her only answer.
Vitani watched the majiri girl throw herself onto the floor of her cabin, she snickered as her chest heaved in exhaustion. Theyâd been running around the woods all day, teaching her everything about its balance, how to navigate respectfully, and how to go about taking resources within moderation. The girl was thoroughly exhausted, and just about downed the water she offered her.
âItâŚit is too hot to do all of that again,â Najuma whined, holding up her cup for a refill, âMore please.â
Vitani shook her head, and poured more for her, she found it amusing her exasperation. She remembered a younger version of herself doing the same thing. Exasperated as her mentors trained her to come into herself and her abilities. The nostalgia was both amusing and annoying.
âWell, get used to it, there will be more of this in the coming weeks.â
The majiri girl only groaned. Her brown eyes then flitted past Vitani to the window, her eyes widening at the position of the sun in the sky.
âI need to go! Itâs almost time for my dad to start heading back from the mines. I need to get home before him!â
Vitani nodded, setting her own cup down, she guided the girl outside of her cabin. She raised her metal arm, focusing intently on the image of Bahari. The runes along the inside of her prosthetic began to glow, waves of flow begging to float around her arm. She snapped her fingers, and a flow gate ripped itself right open. The use caused her head to ache, making her grunt in pain.
âWhoa!â Najuma gasped, âYou just opened a flow gate!â
âI donât like to do it, it hurts my head, I need to create a clear picture so I can connect my flow to it.â
Najuma winced, âOof, uhâŚIâm sorry.â
âFor what? If I sent you off into the forest, only the stars know what would happen to you this time.â
âHey!â
âGo home.â
Najuma puffed out her cheeks, rolling her eyes before making sure she had everything. They stood for an awkward moment, before the majiri girl moved forward and hugged Vitani, shocking the huntress.
âThank youâŚfor doing this. I think youâre one of the very few people who think Iâm capable.â
âYou show promise, and an annoying amount of stubbornness and determination,â Vitani awkwardly patted her back, âThat and I donât need a childâs death on my hands.â
Najuma scowled, âIâm not a child.â
âYouâre thirteen, stop trying to grow up so fast.â
Najuma opened her mouth to retort, but a metal hand grabbing her face, and gently peeling her off stopped her.
âNow go home, I donât want you here at night.â
The majiri grumbled, but waved to the already retreating huntress. She patted Phantomâs head, and slipped through the flow gate.
When Vitani felt her leave, she turned over her shoulder, letting out a sigh. She wanted to go to bed already, end her day.
But she had one more stop.
She patted phantomâs head, âGo ahead and patrol around, I have to make this weekâs delivery.â
The muujin chuffed, his power engulfing him in blue sparks, his form disappearing in front of her very eyes.
Walking into her cabin, she grabbed the crate of relics and artifacts sheâd found while scrounging around in the human ruins. She heaved it up with her prosthetic, and opened another flow gate, grumbling at the zing of pain that burned the back of her eyes. The loud air and the musky alcohol tinted scent of the underground assaulted her the moment she stepped through. Humans milled about, going to the various stands and shops selling everything and anything magic.
Vitani walked through the market to Zekiâs shop, finding the tenacious grimalkin smiling charmingly at a doe eyed human.
âIâm telling you, sweetheart, this little charm will have your man falling right head over heels for you. Ten thousand gold, and itâs all yours~â
âHeâs lying, itâs just a garnet on a silver chain,â Vitani interrupted, nudging the girl aside, dropping the crate onto the register, âDelivery.â
Zekiâs ears lowered, his gaze unamused, âVitani, love to see you, kid, I really do, but can you not? Iâm running a business here and I donât need you running away good business.â
âOne, I supply most of your product, and two, good business? Or easy suckers?â She tilted her head, raising a brow.
Zeki laughed, wiping a fake, âAh do I love your humor and dead eyed look. You always see right through me with those creepy ghost looking eyes.â
Vitani simply held out her hand, âMy gold, you overgrown palcat.â
Once more, zekiâs ears pressed to his head, âAh ah! You know I need to inspect. My back room, hon, if you would.â He gestured a hand, placing a sign that told the customers in line heâd be back in ten.
Vitani sighed, grabbing the crate again and following him into his store room, she set the crate down on his desk, helping herself to a seat.
âEverything you asked for, plus some,â she pointed with her prosthetic, âI found runes, some were cosmetic, others granted temporary abilities, and I think one was a booby trap.â
Zekiâs ear flicked as he rummaged through her finds, using the goggle he had over his right eye to inspect the flow coming off the ancient objects. He nodded approvingly, a smirk on his furry face, âWonderful, I have a lot of people knocking down my door for this stuff. I owe you, girl.â
Vitani simply held out her metal hand, waggling the claws, her brow raised expectantly.
Zeki snorted, âStraight to the point, thatâs what I love.â
He opened one of the draws, pulling out the familiar coin purse, âA hundred thousand gold, plus fifty more for the add ons. Youâre always shaking me down, youâre lucky I like you.â
Vitani offered him a slow blink of boredom, taking the purse as he dropped it into her hands, she counted every coin, making sure he didnât short her. Eyeing him as she finished, she tied it back up, dropping it into the bag strapped to her thigh.
âIâll be back Sunday for the next collection list.â
âSame time as usual, Iâll have it,â Zeki nodded, before eyeing her haggard appearance, âYou getting enough rest? You look like shit.â
She groaned, tired from her day with the little majiri girl, âFine, just a busy week.â
Zekiâs ear flicked, his nose wiggling, âTake it easy, I need you.â
Vitani simply waved him off, leaving his storeroom. She didnât have the energy to try and summon a flow gate, so she bore the walk through Kilima all the way to Bahari. She kept her hood up, and her head low, her pace was sluggish, her feet all but dragging. Feeling the need to stretch, Vitani reached her arms high into the sky, back arching, neck straining back. Her vision was blocked for just a moment, a perfect moment for a stranger who was equally as tired from his own long day at work to crash into the woman.
The two stumbled, Vitani being sent to the side by the broad shoulder that clipped her. She sucked in a breath as her feet were no longer under her, the ground coming up to meet her. A strong and sturdy arm slipped around her waist, yanking her back onto her feet before her ass could hit the ground. She grumbled, as she was pulled into a strong side, her hood falling over her eyes.
âBegginâ your pardon, maâam, sâmy fault,â a thick drawl apologized, heavy laden with tiredness and a low sleepy rumble.
Vitani pushed up her hood, pushing her hair from her face. First she saw scarred purple skin with a dusting of black hair, two thick corded arms. One was wrapped around her waist, holding her steady, the other held her good arm, a gloved hand wrapped around her wrist. Her gaze traveled up a broad chest clad in coveralls, and a jacket. Goggles hung around a thick neck that led to a handsome stranger with sharp features. A square jaw, a nose with a slight hook, an indication he mightâve broken it once or twice, light scruff, and eyes a deep deep blue.
He was frowning as he looked down at her, he had a half a foot on her. Vitani cleared her throat as she got her bearings, her head stopped spinning, and she took a step from his arms, noting the way her skin seemed alight where he touched her.
âSâmy fault, I wasnât looking where I was going,â She said softly, straightening herself out, and making sure the almost fall didnât knock anything loose. When she looked back up, the majiri man was still staring at her, blue eyes boring into her silver.
âAre you ok?â Her head tilted curiously, black curls falling back into place after theyâd been whipped when he grabbed her.
âYâgot pretty eyes,â He blurted out, before wincing, seemed he meant to keep that thought inside, âSorry.â
Vitani tilted her head the other way, sheâs gotten a lot of comments about her eyes. Silvery and milky, they looked like they almost blended in with the whites of her eyes. Those from before thought it mightâve been connected to her flow, or maybe a mutation in her DNA, who knew. Not her, she didnât know anything about anything from before she woke up.
But thatâs neither here nor there.
âThank you,â she said when she saw the stranger shift his weight uncomfortably, âYour eyes are very blue.â
The stranger grunted, âGot them from my maâŚâ it was quiet for a beat, âNâit was my bad, so tired I can barely see straight. Donât usually go mowinâ over humans.â
Vitani shrugged, âI know the feeling, Iâm mostly relying on muscle memory to get me homeâŚ.have a good night. Sorry again.â
âWas my bad, againâŚbut you too.â
And that was it, they both moved on, strangers bumping in the night, sharing brief apologies and blurted compliments.
Through the night, Najuma stayed up, ignoring the way her eyes burned for sleep, her pencil furiously sketching out a leg made from pure platinum. Itâd be strong, durable, and put her old one to shame.
She glanced over at said mechanical appendage, pursing her lip. Sheâd made that one years ago, adjusting it every now and again with each growth spurt she had. Adding more to the joints as her legs seemed to grow longer and lankier.
Her dad would always joke she was gonna be taller than him.
âYer growinâ like a knapweed, spitfire! Gonna be looking up at you one oâ these days, Maji! I remember when you were so tiny, I could practically fit you in my hands. You used to be so itty bitty.âÂ
His drawl would be thick with amusement and laughter, playfully ruffling her hair as heâd push her goggles down, making her groan in annoyance.
She was not itty bitty anymore, she was not a child he needed to coddle, and sheâd do whatever she could to prove it. Tucking the blueprint away for safe keeping, she looked up at her wall clock to see it was almost sunrise. She rubbed her eyes tiredly with a yawn, about to turn away and crawl into her bed when the familiar rapping of her fatherâs knuckles sounded at the door.
âYou awake, âJuma? Headinâ out to work, breakfast sâon the stove for ya, darlinâ,â Hodari said as he opened the door, peering into the preteenâs room.
Najuma pouted, âOk, dad. Thank you. Iâll eat it when Iâm ready,â she mumbled, crawling into bed, flopping down onto her mattress.
The wood of her door groaned as Hodari opened it further, leveling his daughter with a raised eyebrow, âYou just going to sleep now, baby girl? âJuma, weâve talked about this, ya gotta start going tâ bed sooner. Youâre a growinâ girl, darlinâ. Canât be stayinâ up this late.â
âI had an idea for a new invention, didnât wanna let it get away,â she mumbled, hugging her stuffed chappa to her chest, âIâll go to sleep early tonight to make up for it.âÂ
Hodari made a face, she was thirteen and yet she was pushing that brain further then heâd like. Trying to force herself to grow up and take care of him when she didnât need to. He was her dad, he was her provider, caretaker, and mentorâŚshe was not supposed to be running herself ragged.
That was his job.
âMaybe itâs âbout time I enforced a curfew, young lady,â his strong arms crossed over his broad chest, a frown pulling his lips down.
Najuma scoffed, and rolled over, âDragon, can you get any more overprotective?!â
âNajuma-â
âIâm trying to sleep! Get out!â
Hodari bit his tongue until the tang of copper hit his taste buds.
 âThat damn little girl,â he thought as he closed the door, his hands clenching the copper knob in death grip, âSheâs your daughter for sure, Leta, down to the fire nâher eyes anâ hair.âÂ
Hodari dragged his other hand down his face, if he had had a son would it be this difficult? Least with a boy heâd know what to do.
He had no idea what to do.
Itâs been years since the mines took his Leta, and heâs been doing whatever he could to be enough for their daughter. Playing both mother and father, trying to make up for what happened, assuring her it wasnât her fault, she had nothing to prove.
But no matter how long, or what he did, he never could get through to her.
It was in one ear and out the other with that kid.
Her motherâs temper, and his stubbornness, Najuma was a force made from parts that always had him and Leta butting heads.Â
âLet it go, Hodari, sheâs a teenager, sâall a part of that puberty crap. Your sisters were no better,â he uttered to himself as he grabbed his gear and his pick, walking down the path to the mines. Each step was a killer on his back, and the stress of his daughter was no help whatsoever.Â
âNeed to stop by Tamala again, damn back wonât stop aching,â he grunted upon entering the damp and cool caves he carved out of the mountains. The dim lights of the lanterns guided him down to the latest vein heâd been working at. He lowered his goggles, raised his arms above his head, and figured heâd distract himself for the next several hours.
The swing of his pick was familiar, unchanging, unyielding. Pick it up, swing it down, pick it up, swing it down. Over and over and over.Â
It never changes, always stagnant, unlike everything else in his life, a never ending whirl of change and turmoil.
Even his day was no longer predictable with the return of humans over the past handful of years. His days were once a loop of the same old activities, get up, go to work, head to Kilima for lunch, come back to work, make âJuma dinner, then go to sleep, or at least try too.Â
Now with humans?
Clumsy humans, appearing outta pink mist, and making him now dedicate another chunk of his life training them, and making sure they had homes?
The stress that was keeping him up at night was now louder than ever in his mind.Â
His head loud, his bed lonely, no Leta to talk his ear off and distract himâŚitâs been so long, butâŚthe coldness of her absence just grew icier and icier with each passing year. Itâs funny, on her headstone in the Remembrance garden, he had it inscribed; Your warmth still lingers.Â
But Hodari hasnât felt the warmth his wife left in his heart since the moment he found her dead and gone in those mines.Â
Gods he missed her.
His Leta, his fierce, intelligent, and beautiful darlinâ.Â
Hodari lowered his arms, leaning against his pick as his lungs burned from exertion, heaving to take in lungfuls of air.Â
âDamn it,â he cursed, dropping his pick, and leaning into the biting cold of the stone walls. Letting the chill bite his skin, focusing on that than the anxiety attack trying to sneak up on him. He could do this, he was a damn man. He could handle all this crap, could handle his daughter and her fiery than ever attitude that seemed to get worse now that she was a teenager. Could handle his mines which seemed to be dryer than the desert. Could handle the orders he couldnât fulfill right now because said mines havenât produced a damn useful thing in days.Â
Could handle the humans that bombarded him daily with endless questions and unwanted advances.
Hot-Dari, Ho-daddy.
Yeah, he knew what they said about him, could hear them whispering and staring whenever he walked by.
The poor handsome widower with the disabled daughter.Â
Hodari ran a hand down his face, pinching the bridge of his nose, his chest felt heavy, his shoulder felt heavy. Felt like all the weight was on him right now, and no matter how physically strong he may be, he wasnât sure his mind and heart had the same sturdiness. He was doing it all on his own, no one to shoulder this with, which brought him right back to the crushing grief of no longer having the love of his life there to be with him in everything heâs been taking on.
He missed it, missed her more than anything.
He reached up to his neck, feeling for the familiar coolness of his ring. No one except Najuma and Ashura knew he still wore his wedding ring around his neck on a silver chain he made. He couldnât wear it on his finger when mining or working, so he had compromised with keeping it around his neck. Leta did the same, kept her ring around her neck, and when she passed onâŚhe couldnât bring himself to take it off. Heâd stored their pins safely in his room, and heâd given Najuma the necklace with Letaâs ring.Â
But he couldnât seem to find the strength to take his ring off, even though itâs been eight years since he put her headstone in the garden.
In his heart and in his head, he was a married man, and he would be till the day he finally crossed over the veil back home to her.
But until then, heâd work to take care of Najuma, his family, his friends, and his town.Â
He could do this, he had to do this.Â
And if he has to do it alone, then Maji bless him, he will.
The weight in his shoulder only seemed to worsen with that thought.
The walk up to Kilima later that day was tiring and exhausting, the sun was blaring down on him, his body felt alight and on fire under his mining gear. He swiped his hand across his forehead, his hands having been ripped of their gloves about ten minutes into his walk. It felt like the leather was suffocating his fingers, a gross pool of warmth in his palm. He shucked off his jacket immediately upon entering the cool inn, waving a hand to Reth and taking his seat at his usual table just right of the entrance.
âHodari, good afternoon,â the baritone voice of his old friend partner spoke from his place at the check in counter. Ashuraâs friendly face smiled at him, âA hot one today.â
âYou ainât kiddinâ,â the miner gruffed, âFeels so hot, mâworried sâgonna melt my damn boots.â
Ashura laughed softly, momentarily leaving his station to join his friend, âThen take a load off in here, old boy. Howâs your babygirl?â
âShe ainât a baby no more, looks more nâ more like Leta with evâry day,â Hodari smiled, pride in his chest. Then his shoulders slumped as the ache returned to his heart at the thought, running a calloused hand down his face, âI should go to the garden, sâbeen too long.â
Between his schedule, NajumaâŚand just the ache in his heart that pulls him to his knees every time he sees her marker. Hodari hasnât been able to find it in himself to go see Leta, he knew sheâs probably cursing his name all to hell, maybe she thought he forgot about her. Like he could ever forget about her when her mini me was making silvers start to appear at his temples.
It was just too much, the grief could choke him sometimes.
Ashura laid a heavy hand on his broad shoulder, grabbing it firmly as offered silent comfort, âYouâll do what you need to when you are ready. Not a second before. Sheâd understand.â
Hodari lifted his own hand, patting Ashuraâs as Reth set his food before him.
âOn the house, big guyâŚyou uhâŚlook like youâre having a rough day,â the younger man looked uncomfortable, so Hodari spared him from words and simply gave him a nod of thanks.
Maji, he hated pity.
âIâll leave you to lunch, but if you ever want to talk, you can always come to me, old friend. Bring the little one too. We miss her up here.â
As Hodari lifted his head to respond, a group of human hunters noisily clambered into the tavern.
âGuys I am telling you I saw something! I know I did!â
âAnd weâre telling you you didnât, Lani. Ghosts arenât real. Yeah, the elderwoods are creepy as hell, especially with whatever that guck is thatâs all over the place. Making the animals go crazy, but there are no ghosts!â
âI saw it! Itâs eyes were huge and silver! It had the muujin running!â
Four of them, one girl, three men, they looked tired, and were covered in whatever crap they were after in those old and ancient woods. They headed over to the bar, the girl huffing as she sat down, flicking her blonde hair off her shoulder.
âIâm telling you! I know what I saw, it was a black figure stalking us, it had silver eyes that glowed! You guys are really gonna tell me this stuff isnât real when we all popped out of pink must after being though dead for millions of years? Magic literally exists here! Timo! Back me up, you saw it!â
The human man, Timo, shifted uncomfortably as eyes turned to him, âThere was something, but I think it was just another hunter, they looked human. I dunno.â
âNot with eyes like that! Human eyes donât glow in the dark!â
âActually, I have been hearing lately from other hunters that something has been interrupting their hunts. A shadow creature thatâs been running them back to the central stables,âÂ
âHa! Told you!âÂ
Hodari tuned them and the rest of the noise as the place began to fill for lunch hour. Ever since the elderwoods opened back up, all sorts of stories were coming from the humans. Ghosts, monsters, a beast or something or other. All kinds of crap that got back to Najuma whoâs been hassling him about the elderwoods.Â
Heâll be dead three times over before she ever steps foot in that place. All those ghost stories may be hooey, but not the danger. That was real. He himself hated going in there for platinum and palium, he limited his excavations there to once a month, getting enough to smelt, then not going back unless he absolutely had to. Now that Najuma was apprenticing for him; despite his constant protests, heâd be limiting those trips to once a year if he could help it. His babygirl was not ever going to risk herself to that place.
Never.
With that in mind, a welcomed distraction from what heâd been feeling before, and the knowledge his babygirl was safe at home. Hodari continued to retreat into his mind, and just ate his soup. It was hot out, he would regret eating something equally as hot, but the growl in his stomach told him it didnât care.Â
The second she watched her dad slip through the gates to Kilima, she hauled her backpack, grabbed her mothers pickaxe, and grabbed her dadâs map of the platinum deposits. Now she was walking the path her father carefully laid out until she found it. It was close to the central stables, so maybe this time sheâd have a bit more luck than last time, and wonât get mauled by a muujin.Â
She traced her hand along the wall, brushing away dust and girts until she saw and felt the different texture and color of the rock.
âOk, I can do thisâŚI can do this,â She muttered, lifting her motherâs pick above her head, swinging it down. The iron created a loud crack that rung out through the forest, sending smaller animals scattering in fright. Najuma held her breath for a moment, waiting.
For what?
She didnât know.
Her dad to suddenly come out of nowhere and give her a lecture to last through the year?
Maybe.
She knew she was being a tad immature, constantly doing what everyone kept warning her not to do. Sheâs had it drilled into her head about how dangerous this place was, from her dad, to Hassian, Sifuu, even Tamala when she brought her dadâs draughts.
 âYou mustnât dwell on that place, pet. Itâll eat little girls like you right up. Better listen to your dad. Even I donât like going there.âÂ
But more often than not, you tell her not to do somethingâŚ.she wanted to do it.
Her dad said she got that from her mom, Leta pavel was as orumuu headed as Hodari. Nothing could get the woman down or to let go of something once she latched on.
Najuma wanted so badly to be like both of them, and she wanted so badly to show her dad she could do this, and she could help. He didnât think she saw it, the way his shoulders slumped more and more each time he came home. How the skin under his eyes was now a deep purple rather than mauve like the rest of him.
That she didnât hear him occasionally cry out for her and her mom in his sleep.Â
She lost her mom, she didnât want to lose her dad too, he was going to put himself in an early grave if he kept doing it alone.
âŚShe wouldnât let him.
He was all she had.
Najuma kept swinging her pick until her arms ached, her hands blistered, her lungs burned from exertion, and sweat was starting to drip from her brow. However, she was determined not to give up, the sight of her dad all battered down by life had her swinging the pick more forcefully. A crack shot out through the woods, before the platinum deposit finally fell away from the wall.
âYes!â She whooped, it was a sizable one too, perfect to start the base.
For the next few hours Najuma chipped away as much of the deposit as she could, wrapping it all up into a sack and hauled it over her shoulder.
âWhoa!â She tipped in surprise as the weight almost sent her tumbling. The majiri girl quickly gained her footing, did another happy wiggle, and started her trek back home.
She kept her wits about her this time, her bow in her hands, an arrow notched. She did not want to almost end up in the mouth of another muujin, or cross that hunter again with the silvery eyes. She wondered if she was a part of the guild that the humans formed to hunt the game and old human and Umbraan relics. The way she had moved through the woods was just like the way Hassian did. Like she knew it as well as Najuma knew her and her fatherâs workshop. Her movements were fluid and precise, while Najuma had stumbled through like a newborn sernuk. She didnât recognize her though, and she knew just about all the humans in Kilima, they all came to her at one point for a glider.
But those eyes, she wouldnât forget a pair of eyes like those, like Ignus and Luna staring right at her.
Well, either way, if she met her once or twice and didnât remember, she knew now she didnât wanna run into her again.
So she ran into a wall instead.
âCrap!â Najuma cried, reaching up to rub her nose, grumbling under her breath. She looked up to see a tall cliff wall, reaching far into the sky. Her brows furrowed, and she reached down to grab her fatherâs map and her compass.
âThis should be the path back to the doors,â She mumbled, holding the parchment, looking at the small device in her hand. A sinking feeling settled in Najumaâs gut, the hands were spinning rapidly in circles, refusing to stay in one place.
Najuma frantically smacked the glass surface, trying to get it to stop, âNo! No! Come on!â
She shook it rapidly like that would get whatever was interfering with it to cease. The majiri girl moved in a slow circle, trying to figure out where she had wandered, at what point did she turn wrong.
âDonât panic,â She mumbled, âDonât panic, Hassian says to never panic if I get lost in the woods, thatâs how you die.âÂ
The hunterâs words had been blunt and brutal, but a valuable lesson. If you get lost, donât panic. Panic only sends you further away from where you need to be, keeps you from thinking logically, and with a clear head.
Najuma pulled out her map again, looking for any land mark, but everything looked the same, and the map was of no help. The sun was moving further along in the sky, getting dimmer and dimmer behind the lavender of the forest. Najuma looked down, hoping to use maybe her own footprints to trace back her steps, but that somehow only looped her back to where she began.
She reached for her hunting whistle, lifting it to her lips to call out her distress.
 There are far worse things than an infected muujin that will come running if they hear this.Â
The mysterious huntressâ words rang in her mind, making her lower the whistle in defeat. She backed up against the cliff wall, slumping to the blue tinted grass beneath her.
Someone would find her, right? The second her father noticed her gone, noticed her pick and his map missing with her, heâd figure it out. Sheâd be in for the yelling of a lifetime, but at least sheâd be home, and safe, and with him.Â
âJust stay here, âJumaâŚa night in the elderwoodsâŚwe always did want something like thatâŚright?â
The girl tucked further into a ball.
 âNajuma.âÂ
Najumaâs head jerked up as a soft voice she hadnât heard in years whispered to her.
 âNajuma, my heart.âÂ
âMom?â The girl stood slowly, her hand moving to Hassianâs knife. That was her voice, that was unmistakenly Leta Pavelâs voice. She could remember it as clear as dayâŚeven if it has been eight years since she last heard it.
 âThis way,â Her mother said wistfully. A cool breeze drew over Najumaâs back, an eerie calmness washing over the girlâs mind, compelling her to follow. She could swear she could see her motherâs bright red hair moving through the trees, leading her towards the glow.Â
There were legends about the elderwoods.
Legends how the pure and wild flow allowed for the veil to be so close to the mortal realm, that it allowed lost majiri to return back for just a moment. Was that what was happening? Did her mother come back to once again save the day. If she did, if she was hereâŚNajuma wanted so desperately to keep her from going backâŚeven for just a little bit.
âMom!â She called, quickening her pace, the platinum in the sack jostling her with each step.
âMomma!â
 âThis way, Junebug, this way.âÂ
âIâm coming! Slow down!â
 âThis way, hurry.âÂ
Najuma was gaining ground, she could see her mom, she was so so close. She reached out her hand to grab her. Her mother quickly darted to the left, making Najuma gasp at the swiftness, but also as her foot got caught, sending her tumbling through the trees and into a clearing.Â
âFuck!â She cursed as her hands scraped against the dirt, her pants tearing at the knee, and her prosthetic making an awful grinding noise as she hit the ground.Â
Najuma shook her head, quickly getting to her feet, checking her leg to make sure it didnât break. It was scuffed, and the piece that covered where the joint bent was cracked, but overall still fine. She looked around the clearing, straining her eyes to see her motherâs red hair.
âMom?âŚ.mom!â
 âNajuma.âÂ
It came from behind her, but sounded a lot less real and a lot more static. Najuma slowly turned, and found the source that was glowing through the trees. An inky ball floated a few feet in front of her. It flickered like a flame, and once more Najuma felt her frustration be washed away by a settling calm.
 âNajuma.âÂ
This time it wasnât her motherâs voice at all, but a warped and distorted version, but still it beckoned her closer. Her body moved not of her own will, its light hypnotizing and it continued to call for her. Closer and closer, until it was inches away. Najuma raised her hand to touch it;
Before armoured hands clamped over it, extinguishing it, and knocking Najuma back into herself.
The majiri girl gasped as her senses returned to her, making her stumble over herself again. Those hands grabbed her by the front of her coat, righting her on her feet. The figureâs head ducked down, and silver filled Najumaâs vision just as it had done the day before. Except now they were darker and angry. The lower half of her face was covered by a mask, but Najuma could hear the sneer and practically see the scowl all the same.
âYou.â
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
i got a Hodari story if anyone wants to read. Itâs criminal how thereâs barely any fics for him đ
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
the chapter starts with Najuma, youâll meet our main girl fully soon.
pairings: Hodori X fem! Oc
characters: Hodari, Najuma, Oc
word count: 3k+
Najuma Pavel checked for the sixth time that her father had gone to sleep, pressing her pointed ear to his door, she could hear his steady breathing behind the wood. She took a breath and reached down for her pack.
âOk, âJumaâŚweâll go, follow the path we planned, find the plant that produces the oil we need, and be back before dad wakes up,â she uttered to herself for the fiftieth time that day. She was going to the elderwoods, sheâs been planning this out since one of the humans brought her a elderwood flower. The oil it secretes worked wonders for her leg, and the parts for her machine, she needed moreâŚbut she didnât want anyone to risk themselves for her. She believed none of the ghost stories the humans told, the spooky stories theyâd share at the bonfires about the things they saw, but she knew that while there may not be ghosts, there were still animals and dangerous terrain.Â
Sheâd mapped out a route, a hunting path that would lead her right to the grove the humans said the flower grew in. Sheâd simply get enough oil to last, and then worry about getting more when she was low. Her dad would be none the wiser!Â
She hopedâŚ.
Hodari Pavel may be a redneck from a long line of miners, but he wasnât stupid. He knew good and well she had her momâs mischievous streak, and somehow always knew when she was putting herself in trouble.
Ok so she might totally end up grounded for the next century, but she was tired of him refusing to let her grow and go out!Â
She grabbed the bow Hassian had given her, her quiver and looked over her shoulder. Her ears pricked for any movement from her bear of a fatherâŚand when she continued to hear nothing but his snoring, she let out a breath, and slipped out the front door. She turned the lamp she strapped to her belt on, and trekked down the path, through the mines, and out into the flooded fortress. Climbing the hill and soon finding herself in front of the cracked and broken stone door to the elderwoods.
âOk, Najuma,â she said to herself, pulling out her map, âWe head north east to the bog, and then come right back. If we head through the stables itâll cut the time in halfâŚand if I do get in troubleâŚthe humans had said they blew three sharp whistles to let others know they were in trouble.âÂ
She could do this, she was almost fifteenâŚher dad was younger when he started in the mines, and if he could face that danger, she could face this.
With baited breaths, the girl slid through the door.
It was like entering a whole new world.
A canopy of lavender and blue, an eerie mist laying thick and low to the ground, luminescence from the trees and plants, her only lighting aside from the moonlight barely breaking through. She looked on in awe, a smile breaking out on her face as she did a giddy little dance, her giggles tumbling from her until she heard something spitter away.Â
Najuma almost jumped before composing herself, she grabbed the knife she had in her pocket and headed down the path. Eerie noises of the bugs buzzing, muujins howling, and frogs cricking were the only sound she could hear other than her feet crunching the gravel beneath her boots, and the whiling of the machinery in her prosthetic.Â
She felt like she kept seeing things, but her dad always said that silence and darkness could always play tricks on you. Granted he mostly said that whenever she tried to convince him thereâs definitely something in the mines.
But thatâs different! That ghost is real and Maji could never convince her otherwise.Â
But monsters and inky shadows that eat disobedient girls alive like Hassian tells her, definitely not!
She crept as quietly but quickly as she could, Hassian has been teaching her how to watch her footing when hunting. Her dad couldnât sling an arrow for the life of him, but Najuma found she had a small talent for it. Though Hassian still feared sheâd end up shooting someone by accident on account of how many times sheâs fumbled other thingsâŚlike her explosives.
Small miscalculations! Every inventor has them, this was different, look and shoot, how do you mess that up?Â
Najuma remembered the stoic hunterâs words, moving her feet carefully, not wanting to attract predators. She could occasionally hear the laughter of muujin as they scampered past. It would make her jump every now and again, making her keep her grip on her knife.Â
Not long did Najuma arrive at her destination, and she quietly cheered for herself when she saw that not only was she ahead of schedule, she didnât get herself lost.
Patting herself on the back, the majiri teen set about looking through the swampy terrain for the flower. The human that gave it to her said it grew by the old stone walls the humans built centuries ago. Najuma ran her hand along them, marveling at the architecture of the ancient civilizations. She wanted to know more, mostly about their technology and use of flow, but the dangers she grew up being told made her hesitant, tat and jail did not sound all that fun.Â
And imagine if her dad found her messing with flow, then she really would never see the light of day again!
Finally, she saw the flower she needed, the luminescence making it glow dim within the fog that stuck to the ground. Najuma went to step off from the mossy rock into the shallow bank before thinking better of it when she saw the moss floating on the surface.
âI donât need this gunking up my leg,â She muttered, trying to look for a different way towards her goal. Luckily enough she saw a path of rocks leading to another mossy platform. Swiftly as she could she leapt across, leaning down to cut the thick stem of the flower and carefully tuck it away in the jar she brought along.
âHaha! My machines are gonna be smooth moving for now on,â she grinned as she held the jar in front of her. Pride for not only her successful hunt, but successful trek filled her chest.Â
âAnd dad said the elderwoods were dangerous!â She snorted, âDangerous where? Sâjust a buncha old trees.â Â
Grabbing a few more she scoured around for, she managed her way back, a few jars filled with flowers clanking in her pack.Â
She began to turn back, looking to the two moons above her to gauge how long sheâd been out here, âHour an a half, which means itâs only oneâŚstill have three more hours before dad gets upâŚIâll make it in an hour and half.âÂ
Najuma gave herself a confident nod, picking up her pace back through the caves, the stables, and out into the woods. She panted her lungs burning for air as she rushed herself.
âAlmost there! Almost thereâŚâ she said to herself as she began her ascent up the hills to the doors, when her mechanical leg suddenly locked up, sending her to the ground with a gasp.
âAh!âÂ
She swiftly caught herself, grumbling as she sat and leaned over, that was the fourth time this week her legâs malfunctioned! The first happened by the pond, nearly sending her in if her dad hadnât grabbed her in time. She almost gave him a heart attack, and she inwardly groaned as she had accidentally given him another reason to hover. The second while with Hassian, she had to lean on Tau as she stumbled back home. The third was yesterday in her room after she woke up, she stood up, and promptly fell back overâŚonce again scaring her dad.
âDamn it! I donât want to have to take you apart to figure out whatâs wrong with you!â she growled as she tried to carefully get the limb to move, âCome on! Come on! If you make me walk on you like a damn peg leg, Iâm not gonna get home on time! ugh!â
Her noises of distress and frustration rung out through the otherwise quiet forestâŚquietâŚwait, no. It was filled with noises of animals and bugs when she passed before.
Hassian taught her what that meant, when the buzzing of wildlife suddenly went dead.
There was a predator nearby.Â
Najuma immediately fumbled for her bow, ripping it off her body and notching an arrow. She tried to calm her heart, prick her ears to hear where it was, and rely on her body telling her where the danger lurked.
âCâmon, Hassian prepped you for something like this,â She mumbled.
She heard the sound of paws running up on her from behind, in a panic she turned, and let the arrow fly. It whistled as it ripped through the air, burying itself in a tree, making whatever was coming at her yip and change direction.Â
âHa! Take tha-âÂ
She felt a puff of air behind her, making her slowly face forward, a muujin standing barely a foot away.Â
Najuma recoiled at its appearance, it was like nothing sheâd seen before. Its eyes were glazed over, inky goo clung to its fur and dripped from its mouth, particles floating off it in waves. It snarled, its lips pulled back to reveal a flooded mouth of the gross substance. Spit flew from it as it growled, making Najuma gasp in fear and immediately try to scramble back, using her good leg to drag her prosthetic.Â
The muujin lunged, biting at her machinery, yanking her back, making the girl scream.
âNo! Leave me alone!â She cried desperately, lifting her good leg to give it a harsh kick, notching another arrow trying to hit it. The panic, and the fear, and her stupid friggen leg had her in a tizzy, making her aim to high and miss, sending the muujin charging for her.
Another shout of fear escaped the majiri girl, she held up her arms like that would protect her from the rabid animal.Â
<em>Dad was right! I shouldnât have come! Heâs gonna be so heartbroken and mad at me!</em> she thought as the beast lunged for her.
<em>Mom! Please be there when I cross the veil!</em>
She waited for the feeling of teeth to rip into her, waited to feel claws ripping her apart, her eyes were clenched shut, her heart pounding in her ears;
But the pain never came.
Najuma slowly opened her eyes and yelped again to see the feral muujin inches from her throat. She gasped, scrambling back further, her hand flying to protect her jugular, and felt metal brush against her hand.
Thatâs right!
The hunting whistle!
She went to blow into, but a voice tinged with a bit of a growl stopped her.
âDonât do it. Youâll attract the rest of the pack. The hunters will not be able to get here in time.â
It was then Najuma realized what kept the muujin from ripping out her throat. Hands clad in black armor were clamped around the beast's muzzle. A figure draped in black gear with a broad sword and a bow strapped to their back stood, her hands were tight around the thrashing beast's mouth.Â
With a warning rumble, she threw the goo covered animal away, making it yip. The hunter came to stand between it and Najuma, taking the bow from their back, notching an arrow and firing it.
Her manor didnât miss, and the muujin yipped as the arrow sunk into it with a burst of pink. Najuma immediately recognized the color of flow, she sees it constantly in the grove trees those humans are always hollering in the dead of night about.
The muujin hissed, more inky darkness falling from its lips as it stumbled back.
The hunter fired another arrow, letting out a cry as she bucked at the animal, making it snarl but scamper off, leaving a trail of inky blood behind it.
âIâll deal with that later,â their voice whispered to themself before turning on Najuma, making the majiri jump.
She couldnât see their face, the hood they had pulled over their head, and the lack of light kept them obscured from view.
âUhm- I- t-thanks.â Najuma said hesitantly, she didnât know if this person was a friend, a foe, or a member of the human hunting guilds that would come in here. She scooted back again as the hunter approached her, swallowing nervously, afraid she just teased one beast for another.
The hunter knelt, and held out a hand, âDid it touch you? Can you stand?â
OkâŚokâŚmaybe a friend.
âNoâŚno I donât think so, and no, I canât, my leg,â she looked down to her prosthetic, moving it, and making a noise of frustration as it finally decided to stop its fit, and bend.
A hand clamped under her arm, momentarily startling her, until she was pulled to her feet. It made Najuma stumble for a moment before she got her bearings and brushed herself off, checking to see if she dropped anything when she fell.
âThis yours?â
The hunter held out her bow and the arrows she fired off.
Najuma reached for it, and took it back, âYeah, thank youâŚandâŚthank you for saving me..w-who are you?â
Her eyes powered, trying to see anything about the person standing before her, but the dark made it hard to see anything other than the fact she was a woman.
âYou shouldnât be out here, how did you even get here? Where are your parents?â She deflected instead, her voice hard and agitated.
Najuma rolled her eyes, âTheyâreâŚaround. I was on my way back to them, actually!â
The hooded woman ducked, and Najuma saw silver eyes glowing under her hood as a sliver of light from the dim glowing plants lit up her features slightly.
âYouâre lying.â
It was a statement, a cold hard fact.
Najuma shifted, she hated being scolded and being made to feel like a naive kid more than anything, âI am on my way back, was about to leave when that crazy muujin attacked meâŚwhat was that stuff on it? Like itâŚwas covered in shadow.â
âThat is why these woods are no longer habitable, and why curious people who lack training walk in here but donât walk out,â She snapped, grabbing najuma by the arm, beginning to drag her towards the doors to the bay.
âHey! Hey! Let go!!â She cried, trying to pull her arm out of the hunterâs grasp, she reached for her hunting whistle again before it was roughly yanked from her neck.Â
And suddenly silver was all she could see as the hunter got in her face, âYouâll get us both killed if you blow this right now. There are far more dangerous creatures than an infected muujin thatâll come running if they hear this.âÂ
âInfected?â
âYouâre leaving, Iâm taking you home.â
Once more with the deflection Najuma found herself being dragged down the rest of the path to the doors to the bay. Grumbling to herself, the only consultation to this mess was that, while she was no longer ahead of schedule, she was still <em>on</em> schedule. The attack pushing her right to when she planned to be back on her way homeâŚher dad should still be asleepâŚwaitâŚ
âYou donât have to take me all the way home!â
She cried, trying to break out of the hunterâs grip, âIâll leave, Iâll go! Iâm not a baby, I'm thirteen! I can find my way back.â
If she got dragged all the way back to her house, sheâd have to wake up her dad, and then sheâd have to explain what happened.
And fuck she would never be granted freedom again!
Her dad would probably either lock her in her room, make Tau or Hassian follow her everywhere, or drag her along everywhere he went.
Granted that did mean she could go back into the minesâŚ.
No! Not worth it!
The hunter turned her eyes cloudy and dark, âYour parents should know their thirteen year old is slinking out into the night to the most dangerous woods within the Kilima mountains.â
âParent! Itâs just me and my dad!âÂ
She didnât know why she corrected her, she justâŚeveryone knew it was <em>parent</em>.
Just her dad.
Her overprotective dad who couldnât stop coddling her.
The hunter stopped turning to look down at her, her eyes narrowing, âYour mother?â
âDead.â
âSorry.â
âYou and everyone else.â
The brisk pace they walked got them bay to the doors rather quickly, and the hunter all but shoved Najuma out. The majiri girl squeaked and stumbled to catch her footing, she huffed, righting her clothes, âYou didnât have to shove!â
âBetter way to get my point across. Go home. Before you give your poor father a heart attack.â With the moon more aglow out here, she could see the hunterâs face better as she peered out. Definitely a human with angular features, pale skin, and curls upon curls of black hair barely contained in her hood. They kinda reminded her of her moms, Leta Pavel had the curliest hair ever, and Najuma remembered loving playing with it when she was small.Â
Najumaâs blue eyes narrowed, and she puffed out her cheeks, âI just needed a stupid flower, sânot like I intended to almost get mauled by a muujin.âÂ
Her boot kicked the path beneath her, a dejected feeling in her chest, she hated being treated like a child. She may be thirteen but she was light years ahead of other kids, if she did say so herself.Â
And she hated when people (her dad) underestimated that.
The hunter rolled her eyes, âNo, maybe not, little one, but that doesnât negate the fact the forest does not care what you âjust wanted.â What it wants is to feed, to take, and to kill.â
The hunter leaned in further, âGo home. Do not let me catch you in here again.â
Najuma didnât get to say her retort, because the hunter slunk back into the shadows of the elderwoods. Her form moving through the darkness until she was gone from her view.
With tired eyes, a sluggish pace, and the hunterâs words in her mind, Najuma managed to get back to her house by three in the morning, an hour before her dad had to get up. She opened the front door, her ears listening for any indication of her dad potentially up and about early. When her sensitive majiri hearing picked up nothing, she swiftly darted towards her room. She dropped her pack and opened her pack, thanking Maji the jar with the oil flower didnât break and ruin her stuff.
She set it on her work desk, changing out of her outfit and into her pajamas, taking off her prosthetic and laying it against her wall. Sheâd have to take it apart tomorrow to see why it keeps locking up.Â
As she laid there, waiting for sleep to find her she kept thinking what the hunter had said to her;
<em>âThe forest does not care what you âjust wanted.â What it wants is to feed, to take, and to kill.â</em>
And after tonight she knew that was true, and that everyoneâs warnings werenât just them underestimating herâŚ.but honestlyâŚ
It just made her want to go back again!
Everything had been amazing to see, from the ancient human walls, to the things the Umbrianâs left behind, and the fauna and animals.
Plus all the palium and platinum she could ever need!Â
The forest had a serenity to it, a calmness, a quiet to it that Najuma enjoyed while she was walking through. If she had the time she probably woulda tried to find someplace to sit and enjoy. Who knew what new things the forest could inspire in her.
Who knew how much it could change her life, and maybe it could be her ticket to her dad finally letting her leash go. If he saw she could handle the elderwoods of all places, the minesâll seem like kidâs play.
Najuma smirked, sitting up, casting a glance at her leg.
Screw sleep, she knew exactly what she was going to do for the rest of the night.
