Episode 08 | Dew Breath

Windshell activates.

EXT. FIELD – NIGHT

It is night, the trio is fast asleep, their snores melt with the soft trickle of the brook and the sound of nocturnal creatures.

Lyn stirs beside Raka.

Lyn:(half asleep groan) Raakaaa…

(pause)

Raka:(drowsy, barely responsive) Hn…

Lyn:(guttural groan) turn it offfff…

Raka:(slightly annoyed, but still drowsy) Turn what off…

Lyn:The windshell… it’s annoying…

Raka:(groaning) Fine…

Windshell deactivates.

Windshell activates.

EXT. FIELD – NIGHT

Scene occurs shortly after the first, same ambience.

Lyn:(groaning sleepily) Raakaaa…

Raka:(annoyed groans)

Malaki:(muttering) Shut up, human…

Lyn:No, you shut up… Rakaaaaaaaaa

Raka:(annoyed) What?

Lyn:Turn off the windshell…

Raka:(rolls over confused) Is it on again? (lets herself roll back onto her back) Hmp-

Windshell deactivates.

Windshell activates.

EXT. FIELD – EARLY MORNING

The Trio has broken camp. It is early morning, the sun hasn’t risen yet. They’re already on the move.

Lyn:(very sleepy and cranky, calling out) It’s on again!

Raka:(calling out, impatient) Finally! Whatever it is, it must be close by.

Lyn:(calling out) Seriously, the sun isn’t even up yet. My blisters didn’t have time to heal up, either. Couldn’t we at least have breakfast before we started out?

Malaki:(annoyed) You only think about food.

Lyn:I try to.

Raka:The windshell doesn’t just act up for no reason. There’s something going on that I can’t ignore.

Lyn:Okay fine, YOU can’t ignore it, but you could’ve let US sleep!

Malaki:She seems cranky without food.

Raka:No kidding…

Malaki:There are edibles ahead.

Raka:(sighs) Were you planning to hunt?

Malaki:No. On that tree. Edible mushrooms.

Lyn:Damn, that’s a big tree!

Malaki:Trees in the Kyrja are large.

Lyn:And the shrooms are all the way up there!

Raka:(with suppressed excitement) I didn’t know there were Mushrooms in this region!

Malaki:Many. More where I come from. Just know where to look. Those on the bark are easy to find.

Raka:Can you get them?

Malaki:(sly smile) Easier with my äthwar.

Raka:Don’t even think about-

Malaki:I don’t waste runes on mushrooms. I can climb.

Malaki takes a few steps, then starts climbing up the tree.

Lyn:Oh, so now we get to take a break for mushrooms?

Raka:Finding the spirits is important, but we have to survive off the land. We can’t afford to pass by any opportunity to gather whatever we find.

Lyn:Hey, no need to justify getting food to me.

Malaki:Eat this, human.

Malaki throws her a palm-sized piece of mushroom.

Malaki:Will make you less… cranky.

Lyn:Urg… I’d rather not…

Malaki:Don’t be picky.

Raka:Let me try that.

Raka tears off a piece of the mushroom and eats it.

Raka:Mhh, delicious! Malaki, can you collect more of them for later?

Malaki:If you catch them. Catch!

Raka takes out a sack from her backpack and approaches the tree, then reaches him the bag.

Raka:Don’t throw them! Put them in here.

Lyn:Isn’t there anything else I could snack on?

Raka:Try these, they’re good!

Lyn:Look, I’m not eating raw mushrooms! I’d rather wait till we can cook them.

Raka:We’ll cook once we figure out if there are spirits nearby.

Lyn:I just wish I could have a snack, though…

Malaki:You declined the mushrooms!

Lyn:Listen, I don’t know much about survival, but I know better than eating unidentified mushrooms, especially raw.

Malaki:You BEGGED to come, yet you need to be fed! If you want to be provided with sustenance, you can’t be picky!

Lyn:Bro! You and Raka are animals! I’m a human! Our digestions are different, stuff YOU can digest might be poisonous to me! I might have an Asian’s stomach, but that doesn’t mean I can eat EVERYTHING!

Malaki:(strangled noises) Y-you- you humans have strange digestion!

Raka:(exasperated) There’s a berry-bush over there. We don’t need to cook those. Come, you can snack away on those.

Raka walks on ahead toward the bushes.

Lyn:Meh… I was hoping for bread or porridge or something like that…

Raka:I’m the only one who thought of bringing supplies. Neither of you did, so I decide how to ration what we have. And I say we make that last as long as we can and live on what we can gather while we’re still in more fertile regions.

Lyn:Urg, fine!

Raka:(shaking her head, muttering so only Lyn can hear) Tsk, “Sustenance”. Fiyar’ta. Where DOES he gets his vocabulary from… Sometimes he speaks like a Skur, other times as if he swallowed a dictionary.

Lyn:Have you tried asking him?

Raka:I don’t really want to give him the impression I cared. Bad enough that I have to drag him along just to keep an eye on him. Sometimes I just… wonder.

Lyn:Well, maybe you SHOULD try getting to know him better. Y’know, gain his trust, learn how he thinks and what triggers him. You won’t need to put half as much energy into keeping an eye on him if you know when he’s about to-

Raka:(slightly aggravated) I don’t really see how asking him where he got his vocabulary from has anything to do with his erratic behavior.

Lyn:You just complained that his speaking pattern is erratic. Coincidence? I think not.

Raka:(considerate) Hm. I see…
Well, we’ll have plenty of time to get to know him. Anyway, take this pouch and fill it with as many berries as you can fit in.

Lyn:… Are you even sure these are edible?

Raka:Sure. We grow these bushes around Kaerûn as well. See?

She plucks one and throws it into her mouth.

Raka:Totally edible. A bit sour, though.

Lyn:Well, they look kinda like blueberries… I like blueberries.

Raka:Snack away then.

Lyn:What about you? Will you hunt us another Turkey?

The buzzing of several dozen tiny dolphin creatures squealing rises in the background, far off mic.

Raka:Sh- Do you hear that?

Lyn:Hear what?

Raka:That sound.

Lyn:That buzzing?

Raka:Yea. Do you see any runes or spirits around?

Lyn:Uuh… No, nothing out of the ordinary.

Raka:Hm… I’ll take a look around down that way, just to make sure we don’t accidentally pass by anything significant. I’ll leave my bag and bow with you.

Lyn:Your Bow?

Raka:I can’t shoot spirits with arrows.

Lyn:But what if you see another turkey on the way?

Raka:I’m hunting spirits, not prey. Focusing on both would be distracting. Oh, and don’t think of rummaging for the flatbread, that’s for later.

Lyn:(caught red handed, sullen) Fine… Just blueberries then…

Raka leaves, passing across gravel and larger stones on a slight downhill slope.

Lyn continues collecting berries and hums to herself.

Malaki joins her down the rocky slope.

Malaki:I found roots and herbs. And grain we can grind-
(pause)
(looking around) The monohorn is not here.

Lyn:Yea about that… Don’t you mean unicorn?

Malaki:Raku.

Lyn:She went to check on a noise we were hearing.

Malaki:(awkwardly raises his voice to form a question) She… is hear noises?

Lyn:(confused) Yea?

(pause) Are you alright?

Malaki:(dismissive) Elaborate on the kind of noises she heard.

Lyn:She… didn’t know what it was, that’s why she went to check. Come on, you can help me collect these berries. This bag just isn’t filling up.

Malaki:Of course. You eat more than you put in.

Lyn:(chewing) I’m not! … Hey, Mal, can I-

Malaki:Don’t shorten my name.

Lyn:Awww, come on, i’s just a nickname!

Malaki:(scoffs) You don’t acknowledge my Ki.

Lyn:Your- Oh. The Ki thing, I remember. Alright, Malaki, fine. Anyway, can I ask you a question?

Malaki:You… ask all the time.

Lyn:How come you sometimes use words like “elaborate” or “sustenance”, and other times it feels like you forgot how to formulate a proper sentence?

Malaki:I… don’t understand the reason the kind of words I use matter.

Lyn:It just- (apologetic) Well, I’ll be honest, Raka mentioned you use strange words sometimes, and now I kinda can’t unhear it. She said you speak differently than other Skur.

Malaki:She knows nothing of my Rontar. I don’t know how she could make any assessment about how Skurka speak.

Lyn:I keep hearing that word- “Rontar”. What does that mean?

Malaki:(groping for words) My-my-my people, my race, my kin!

Lyn:Oh.

Malaki slaps Lyn’s hand.

Malaki:Not that.

Lyn:Huh?

Malaki:It is a different bush. It looks similar. It’s bad.

Lyn:Poisonous?

Malaki:Gives you bad digestion.

Lyn:Pew, thanks… You saved my life. Hey, is the language we speak now the same you speak with your Rontar?

Malaki:Of course. We don’t have another. Skurka speak… different. The language is the same.

Lyn:Well you said your people live isolated on the mountain, right?

Malaki:(affirmative) Mh.

Lyn:Do you have big cities and high education up there?

Malaki:(after a short moment of bafflement he bursts out laughing)

Lyn:Wh- what? What’s so funny?

Malaki:We don’t have cities. Claiming dens in sight of each other is offensive to Skurki. And… no education.

Lyn:Wow, really? But then how DID you learn such fancy words?

Malaki:(shrugs) I found books. Read them.

Lyn:But if you don’t have an education system, how did you learn to READ them?

Malaki:(squiniting) You’re sharp.

Lyn:Hohoho, Oh stop it you~

Malaki:The books are written with something similar to runes. Similar sounds, similar words. I compared runes I see in the forest to those in the book. Until the writing made sense.

Lyn:You decoded the books from scratch?

Malaki:(thoughtful) Decoded… Yes. I have much time.

Lyn:Still seems like a lot of effort! Didn’t you say there were hundreds of runes?

Malaki:I read this… there are 200 per element and many thousand aether runes. I don’t know how to count them to confirm.

Lyn:(gasp) And you know them all?

Malaki:No… I often find ones I didn’t know.

Lyn:Well, how did you figure out what was in the books?

Malaki:Some of the runes on paper formed meanings when they appear next to each other. Sometimes they are abstract, but… I pieced it together to words.

Lyn:So you taught yourself how to read just from cross-referencing the glyphithings with the letters in the book? That’s amazing! Can you teach me some?

Malaki:I… don’t know.

Raka scrambles back up hill and joins them.

Raka:Nothing down there… Are you done with the berries?

Lyn:Yea, should be enough for a bit…

Raka:Great, then let’s move on.

Raka picks up her bag and weapon. Then they slowly start to move up a very rocky hillside.

Raka:Fiyar’ta… This buzzing is annoying!

Lyn:Now that you’re back, the sound is back too.

Malaki:Th- The buzzing- what are you- you hear?

Raka:(confused) Yea, I hear buzzing. You hear it, too?

Malaki:(scoffs) No! I can’t hear the aetherweb!

Raka:Then what were you trying to tell me?!

Lyn:Does that mean the stuff we’re hearing is on that aetherweb stuff?

Malaki:The buzzing, describe it.

Raka:(annoyed) I’m not sure, it sounds like many small creatures chattering. But I can’t locate it. It seems to come from everywhere.

Lyn:Wait, what’s that in your face?

Raka:Augmentations – I already told you!

Lyn:Not that, there’s something flying around in your face.

Raka:My face? I don’t see anything.

Lyn:Mal… aki, do you-

Malaki:(concentrated groan) I see them.

Raka:(skeptical) Are you playing a prank?

Lyn:No, there’s small fishy spirits flying around your nose and mouth.

Raka:My-

Malaki:“Liw”… They’re “Liw” Vær.

Raka:DEW spirits?

Lyn:I think he said Lew.

Raka:“Liw” means Dew.

Malaki:The-They make dew out of moist in air.

Raka:Fiyar’ta. Those must be what I’ve been hearing. They must be everywhere at this time of day.

Malaki:They are. In the grasses and bushes.

Lyn:Those are the same things as the ones in her face?

Malaki:Yes. But… They shouldn’t swarm…

Raka:Why are they flying around my mouth…

Lyn:Bad breath?

Malaki:If they liked that they would go in your face.

Lyn:Hey! We just got along so well, don’t betray me!

Malaki:They’re water Vær.

Raka:I know they can get attracted to the moisture in breath, but… do you see them on your breaths?

(pause while Lyn and Malaki look at each other)

Lyn:Mal…aki doesn’t have them.

Malaki:Neither does the human. It might be your äthwar that attracts them…

Raka:Dew-Spirits aren’t drawn to water-äthwars, that’s not what they-

Malaki:We’ve seen them do this.

Lyn:(critical) “We”?

Malaki:(sheepish) I…

Raka:(mock disbelief) Really. You know someone with a water-äthwar?

Malaki:Why is- you think- is it strange?

Raka:Yes it’s strange! Was that person a Skur?

Malaki:(flustered and evasive) Doesn’t matter! We have to get the Liw out of your breath, or they will harm you.

Raka:I don’t think they’re a threat. They just collect the dew from my breath.

Lyn:Raka, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but Malaki seems concerned.

Raka:Look, they have no reason to go for my äthwar. If we were in the aetherfrays I’d believe that, but not here.

Lyn:Maybe we ARE in the aetherfrays?

Raka:Certainly not.

Lyn:Uh… well, there’s more of those Lew spirits moving your way from the brook.

Raka:(sigh) We should move away from anything that emits humidity.

Raka starts out uphill a very rocky path.

Lyn:Shouldn’t you try to get rid of them?

Raka:They will disperse when the sun comes up.

Malaki:Don’t take them too lightly, th-th-they can-

Raka:(annoyed) Look, runt. These Spirits are harmless. If they had wanted to do something to me, they could’ve done it already. They are on my BREATH after all, they could’ve gone into my lungs by now.

Malaki:(growls) They aren’t doing that yet, doesn’t mean they won’t at all!

They tediously move on in silence for a bit.

Lyn:This is so exhausting…

Raka:We only did 5 paces, are you out of breath ALREADY?

Lyn:Yes! Will you carry me?

Raka:I’ll IGNORE you.

Lyn:I meant your bickering. That’s really exhausting, especially before breakfast. But I’d still love to be carried.

Malaki:Keh- you’re lazy!

Lyn:I’m just tired and hungry and my muscles still ache from yesterdays hike.

Malaki:You should’ve stayed in the village.

Lyn:Hey, you SAID you’d rather have a third person on the trip who isn’t Raka!

Malaki:You don’t even carry your own weight.

Lyn:I’m kidding about the carrying part! I ask everyone that!

Malaki:You never said it to me.

Lyn:Did you want me to?

Malaki:NO!

Lyn:Pew, okay!

Malaki:I prefer to keep as much distance between me and your armpits as I possibly can. My fingers still stink from when I had to carry you out of the brook yesterday!

Lyn:I LIKE the smell of my armpits! It calms me down.

Malaki:(disgusted) Urg…

Lyn:Besides, I never asked you because you’re barely taller than me and only have half my weight. I wouldn’t want to put that on you.

Malaki:Very considerate…

A large swarm of buzzing dew-spirits clusters up together nearby and is slowly drifting into Raka’s general direction.

Lyn:Oh shit-

Raka:What is it?

Lyn:Do you see that?

Raka:(grolws) Fog…

Malaki:(growls) A swarm.

Lyn:Wait, fog is made out of spirits?

Raka:Fog is made out of runes. Liw runes. The Liw spirits feed on excess fog-runes, so yes, there are Liw spirits in fog.

Malaki:We must get rid of them, the-they’ll-

Raka:(stern) Leave them alone. That is JUST fog. They’re not a threat! We’re NOT in the aetherfrays, the Liw are harmless.

Malaki:(cursing) Thrausar- They’re not! A swarm like this CAN harm you!

Raka:(groans in annoyance) Fine, let’s get away from them, if it’s only to calm your superstition!

Malaki:You can’t, they’re in your face!

Raka:Nothing we can do about that right now. Pick up the pace.

Raka and Lyn start to move faster.

Malaki:Thrausar liw-Vær… you should’ve stayed on your dew drops!

Raka:(scolding) Malaki!

Malaki:We can’t run from the Liw again!

Raka:Don’t you dare-

Malaki:Calvar, æria! (Earth Rune: Ground, rise)

Raka:You little-

Malaki:I’m HELPING you!

Raka:You just threatened them, that’s not helping anyone!

Malaki:I know what I’m doing!
Mar, liw’værĥ fyalia! (Earth Rune: Earth! Capture the Dew-Spirits!)

The stones around him crackle, as the earth beneath him rises to his call.

Lyn:Mal, stop!

Malaki:Genturil, val væri’vus mea!
(Earth rune: Soil, with the spirit’s water mix!)

Raka:Look, I appreciate the sentiment but you’re using too many runes!

The rocks and earth and soil that rose to his call cracks and impacts left and right, as he hauls his summoned runes into the direction of the spirits.

Raka:(infuriated) Malaki!

Malaki:Eteïe, gonuria usatar! Koshia, tuuwynia, niscaĥ vus’værïe!
(Earth runes: Stones, shape a container! Wrap, bind the water spirit!)

The earth beneath him rumbles, the stones on the ground quiver as the magic Malaki cast affects them. Individual rocks affected by his spell shoot into the air and fly around the spirits uncontrolled.

Lyn:(paniced, as she is trapped within the whirlwind of flying stones) Shit shit shit!

Raka:Lyn, get out of there!

Lyn:I’m in a stupid rocknado, I can’t-

Lyn is hit unconscious by a large rock. She goes down with a groan.

Raka:(exasperated cursing)
A’sarkra nah’flæþis- VUS CORI! (Water Rune: Water shield)

A large blob of water gathers around and shields Lyn from further harm.

Malaki:(angered) NO! Thrausar kyrjir, they were on your breath, you can’t use water runes-

Malaki’s stones are dropping out of the air, as he lets go of his spell.
The spirits rejoice and their whispers utter in unison:

Spirits:(triumphant) A Broken soul!

They surge together like a splashing wave.

Raka comes running back downhill.

Raka:(infuriated) You IMBECILE!

Malaki:You FED the water-Vær with RUNES!

Raka:You put Lyn’s life in danger with your stupid stone storm!

Malaki:She should’ve gotten out of my rune-weave!

Raka:She didn’t even know what you were DOING, how do you expect her-

Lyn groans, as she regains some consciousness.

Malaki:Be still a moment-

Raka:No, I’m NOT letting this pass! I told you to LEAVE them alone-

Malaki:The Vær are entering her breath, do something!

Raka:(incredulous) What?
(cursing) A’sarkra nah’flæþis- What can I do?

Malaki:I don’t know!

Raka:You said you’ve been in a situation like this before!

Malaki:This is different, they’re- You have a water-äthwar! Pull them out!

Lyn suddenly starts coughing. There is water in her lungs.

Lyn:Oh shi- (coughs more)

Raka:(growls)

Vus, rintasïa! (Water, dilute) Fatosþavus! (steam)

Malaki:Doesn’t work!

Raka:I see that!

Malaki:Hurry!

Raka:I’ll try something simpler-
Myr, vus, yutan fai la’esu
Wyv, wyv, feïr lærahu!
(Fire, water, boil and seathe,
wind, wind, let her breathe!)

Malaki:Still nothing!

Lyn’s coughing gets worse and more water splashes out from her.

Raka:I don’t know what else to try!

Malaki:Free our wind-äthwar!

Raka:Definitely not!

Malaki:You want her to die!

Raka:There has to be something else! What did you do when this happened before?

Malaki:Forced the water out, together with the Liw!

Raka:That will HURT her, maybe even damage her lungs!

Malaki:Better than dying! Just free-

Raka:I won’t-

Malaki:(annoyed and angry) Just release our koneŋ aur äthwar for a hornblowing heartbeat, you thrausar kyrjir!

Raka:(growls) FINE! Þamratu, malakiri wyv! (unbind, Malaki’s wind)

Malaki:Wyv, senahia! (Wind rune: Wind, ascend!)

Lyn coughs up a huge splash of water and is instantly able to breathe again. She gasps for breath, then weakly coughs a few more times and breathes somewhat normal again.

Raka:Fynïr! (Fire Rune: heat)
Fatosþavus! (Water Rune: Steam)
Valþæas! (Fire Rune: Cloudmaker)

Malaki:Clouds!

Raka:They can’t get back down so easily if they’re trapped in steam and clouds.

Malaki:(snarls) Should have burnt them. Wouldn’t be able to hurt anyone then.

Raka:I’m not like you. I don’t take joy in harming spirits.
(Fire Rune) Pafyrinrir!
(Water Rune) Lynar!
(Aether Rune) Þamrïa Malakiri wyv!

Malaki:No don’t- urg…
(growls) You don’t TRUST me!

Raka:After what you just did?! Of course not. Lyn, are you alright?

Lyn:(weak groan, accusingly) I almost dieded…

Raka:You’re alive.

Lyn:Is that supposed to make me feel better? You ARGUED about his damn Edgar! (coughs)

Raka:Do you know what damage he could’ve done to your lungs with the amount of force he puts into his runes?

Lyn:(catches breath again) My LIFE was at stake, there was no room for suspicion, Raka! What took you so long to get over your (singing) FOOLISH PRIDE? (coughing again) You’re WAY too paranoid about him.

Malaki:I can CONTROL runes when I need to!

Raka:(sarcastic) Oh really. Right now it seems like you just throw them out there and let Lyn and me figure out how avoid being hit by them.

Lyn:(after another coughing fit, weakly) Well, I have to agree with that…

Malaki:You should have gotten out of my-

Lyn:Rocknado? You surrounded me with a bunch of uncontrolled swirling rocks and expected me to jump out of that?

Malaki:You should’ve gotten out BEFORE the runes started to take effect!

Lyn:(heavy sarcasm) With my catlike reflexes? Sure, no problem!

Malaki:(grumbling) The monohorn and I have to feed, protect and smell you. At least you could try not to get in the way when we DEFEND you!

Lyn:Defend me?! Well, I’m SORRY that I was standing in your way when I didn’t know what was happening! Surprise, I don’t SPEAK your funny glyphi-language, you haven’t taught me yet! You could’ve recited a poem for all I knew, I didn’t know WHAT was going to happen.

Malaki:(beaten, resigned) You are right. I apologize.

(pause)

Lyn:What?

Malaki:Skurka fight… against each other or side by side. Not one behind the other. I never fought with someone standing BEHIND me.

Lyn:Oookay… (sighs) Apology accepted. I will try to get out of your way next time… Just give me a warning.

Raka:You shouldn’t have engaged the spirits in a fight in the first place.

Malaki:I have SEEN Liw behave like this before. I didn’t want it to happen again!

Raka:But what was a STONE STORM supposed to do against a wall of fog?!

Malaki:I didn’t HAVE my wind äthwar, I needed something to stir the air with!

Raka:You used stones to create air movement?!

Malaki:Yes! Fog can be blown away with enough wind! This is what I did when I last faced a Liw swarm!

Lyn:(clearing throat) See, maybe you SHOULD get to know him better, or at the very least LISTEN to him once in a while. He’s been telling you the whole time that he has been in a similar situation!

Raka:(scoffs) Let me show you something. Take out that charm I made for you.

Lyn:The thing that’s supposed to mask my broken soul?

Raka:Yes, that.

Lyn:Uh, okay…

She fumbles her clothes and brings out the charm.

Lyn:Oh… It’s…

Raka:It broke when you were hit by the Stones. The Spirits noticed your soul and went straight for it.

Lyn:Makes sense…

Raka:THIS is why I didn’t want to take you with me!

Lyn:Well, make me a new charm that can survive being hit by a rock next time?

Raka:I could carve the runes on your chest, that way it can’t break.

Lyn:Nuh-uh. I’m not letting you carve or… or burn any runes on my skin. I don’t want a Tattoo like that.

Raka:Well a broken soul can’t be fixed. Usually people like you do get a permanent protection to make sure things like this don’t happen.

Lyn:I’m not planning on staying here forever!

Raka:(sighs) I’ll make you another charm.

Malaki:There are still plenty of Liw in the dew drops around us. We have to move.

Lyn starts coughing.

Malaki:(sighs) Wait.

Malaki takes a few steps, bends down, rustles through some tall plants, then plucks a few.

Malaki:Chew these. Good for coughing.

Coughing, Lyn takes the leafs and chews on them.

Malaki:Don’t swallow-

Lyn:(coughs even more) Why isn’t that the first thing you tell me!

Malaki:I didn’t expect you to swallow before you chew!

Lyn:(coughing) I thought you said these would help!

Malaki:Not when you swallow them!

Lyn:They taste terrible!

Malaki:Swallow spit after you chew, spit out the leaf! Draws the water from your lungs.

Lyn:Urg…

Lyn’s cough becomes wet and she starts spitting water.

Raka pulls out her waterskin and offers it to her.

Raka:Want a drink?

Lyn:Hell no, I’ll pass. I’d rather not see water for the rest of the day.

Raka:Anything to wash out the taste?

Lyn:(with a weak smile) Breakfast would be nice. And while you’re so eager to make it up to me, why don’t you carry me up the hill?

Raka:Don’t press it…

Lyn:I’m not. I just had a near-death experience from which I barely recovered, which you’re partially at fault for. I’m weak and shaky on my legs. I’m just a frail human, right?

Raka:(sighs) Fine. Just this once.

Lyn:Yay!

They shift, as Raka gets down in front of her to let her get on her back. Lyn hops on, and Raka heaves her up.

Raka:(groaning) Oh fiyar’ta- you’re heavier than you look!

Malaki:(sly) I think she looks her weight.

Lyn:Gee, thank you! You’re calling me fat again, way to cheer me up!

Raka:Here, at least hold my bag and bow.

Raka starts walking with the added weight.

Lyn:Sure. Hey, Didn’t you say they won’t be an issue when the Sun rises?

Raka:Yea?

Lyn:Well, looks like dawn is breaking-

Windshell deactivates.

Credit

INT. – AURILS STUDY – DAY

Auril:(proud) Haha, you heard that? That at the beginning? I figured out how to merge several shorter recordings on the same sphere. Now that’s going to save me a lot of spheres. And they are quite costy…
That’s about as much of my to-do list I managed to work on, since the last recording, though. Raka has only been gone for 5 days, and while that isn’t unusually long for patchers, her absence is starting to be noticeable. The Magistrate had to reassign the students from her class to other Akasars, even I got one of her students… apparently he… they have a broken soul. They’re deaf… or rather, very hard of hearing, but he- They are preparing to get a rune enchantment that will allow them to hear the things on the aetherweb. Just like Raka. Not the same thing as hearing what people say, but at least it will allow them to pursue a career as patcher, help other people like them. But… this kind of got me thinking… I had hoped the windshell would be helpful to future patchers, but now… I suppose I really need to make transcripts for these recordings, so they would be useful even to people like that. So if you’re a quick writer and interested, please get in touch with me via the established contacting methods.
Anyway, date of recording was Calvanuka (KAL-va-nook-ah) on the 99th day of Bäkkos (BEK-kos), 5th year of the Vær (Veyr) in the 101st generation.
Vocal enchantments were woven by Kessir Riliniki, Carollyn Monterola, Eyþór Viðarsson and Travis Vengroff.
Music-Shells provided by Fuimadane.
Audio-Enhancements by Sarah Buchynski.
Written and Produced by Kessir Riliniki.