The next morning the crew assembled as they prepared to take off. Though tired, Willow was looking more chipper this morning than she had the rest of the trip. Sola on the other hand yawned as he came to stand next to his captain before Keizeron addressed the crew, still tired from his inability to sleep the night before.
“I hope everyone got enough sleep last night, starting tonight we go back to a rotating night watch. It should only be two days until we reach Kriencliff, and we’re going to try to spend less time there than we did here.” Captain Keizeron informed them. The rest of the crew got to work getting ready to set sail as the sun continued to rise over the city. It wasn't as warm as it was the day before, and Keiz had the feeling this winter was going to be a cold one. Worse for them, seeing as they were going to the coldest continent for the deepest part of the season. At least with his condition he wasn't as affected by the cold as most people were, but he felt sympathy for his more susceptible crew mates.
Mea yawned as Zero showed her how to work the ropes for the sails. “We’re still over the land,” she protested. “Why can’t we sleep more?”
“Even though the queen hasn't noticed we have the rod it doesn't change the fact that we have it on board. The less time we spend in crowded areas and the less attention we draw to ourselves the better. Stopping less will also make us harder to follow, and it'll be harder yet to guess where we’re going. Once we’re over the cloud layer we won’t be able to stop until we reach Flolon, which could take over a week given how difficult the weather can be. We need to be prepared.” Keiz explained as efficiently as he could. He knew he was giving them a lot of information, but most of these first time adventurers truly didn’t understand the situation they were in.
“Oh, hate that part,” Sola muttered as Keiz talked about the cloud layer. He approached the lev stone and tapped it lightly. “All ready for lift off captain!”
Keiz gave the go ahead, and Sola activated the stone, lifting them high into the air. Their captain propelled them forward, and the crew set off into the morning light.
The day grew gradually hotter as they flew, prompting Mea to miss the days were it was raining constantly. It was slower, but at least she could spend more time practicing her magic. That was the whole point of her joining an air crew after all. Well, that and her pilgrimage to the daughters, but she would get that done in time.
The day passed quickly, the team found a good rhythm to work with that didn't rely too heavily on Keizeorn directing them much to the captain's relief. They sailed over the deep woods, the trees beneath them swaying slightly in the breeze. The wind had been steady all day, though most airships didn’t really need strong winds to travel. The ships used the air that filtered through them along with the light from the sun to help charge the various magical systems in place. Typically the only way wind could affect the direction of an airship was when a strong enough headwind could mess with their equipment. It was also possible for winds to sway a ship when it was powered down and near the ground, which is why they tied off the ships to docks or other grounding features like trees or boulders when they lowered in the wilderness at night. Only truly powerful storms could down a ship, but fortunately those sort of things were rare.
As the sun started to set, Keiz talked to Aka and Sola to make sure they were still on the right track. Their captain pulled back out his map, and Aka calculated where they were currently. They produced the rod, and with a flicker the beam came back to life, illuminating the direction they needed to go. They compared the path to their new northern location, and to the groups dismay they found their final destination was in fact the ancient city in Flolon. The mines and the city in Amon were no longer on the line, but they would still stop at Kriencliff to get supplies before taking to the cloud layer. Though he hadn’t said anything, Keiz was similarly concerned with flying over open air as Sola was.
After updating the crew on the current path and plan, Keiz sent the rest of them to bed and took the first watch. Keizeron had better night vision than most, a consequence of his unique magic, and as he stood on the helm and observed the area he watched a storm roll over the land to the south. Though it was miles away he could see the flashes of lightening every few minutes. Keizeron had always been fascinated by the senka rod and Aria’s tale, listening with wonder when his mom told him the ancient legends. As he got older he heard more versions of the story, and slowly he stopped believing in the message of the story. No one could agree on what Aria did, or what she was going to do when she came back. It was hard to have faith in something that changed every time you heard it.
But then, during his school years he had an accident. Much less an accident than a cruel prank pulled by jealous classmates, but the end result was the same. He had been left for dead by boys richer than him who couldn’t buy his innate talent. That was the first time Keizeron had heard Aria.
After he recovered Keiz changed. He never again tried to befriend or even work with his classmates. He poured himself into becoming the best captain he could, so he’d have a crew to take on the blessings run. A crew that would be worthy, so he’d be able to have the senka rod. He hadn’t planned on stealing it, that part had been an accident, but he knew he would have it. He had to bring Aria back, to ask why she had saved him; a nobody.
An hour after the storm blew itself out Keiz went to get the next crew mate to take watch. The rest of the night passed without further incident, other than Zero forgetting to wake the next person and taking on two shifts. Not that he cared, as he repeated several times to Keiz in the morning that he didn’t need sleep like the rest of them. As the sun rose the air ship took back to the skies and continued on it’s way.
((“Wow, we sure are breezing through this trip,” Lucky observed.
“Look, you guys keep rolling horrible on the encounter charts, and ‘they just sailed all day’ makes for boring podcasting,” Caine shrugged. The first episode of the podcast would be coming out in a week, and Caine was still fretting over making sure it was engaging. They spent a while with Zenith debating on what parts needed to be cut and what could be left in. The two of them just couldn’t bear to cut out any of the character moments. They had the sinking feeling it was going to be a long podcast.))
The Fortune’s favor arrived at Kriencliff just after noon, marveling at the impressive skyline it cast against the bright blue sky. With how smooth their sailing had been, Keiz was weary as he brought them down to the docks, double checking for unity ships before he hailed the dock master. While the captain fretted the rest of the crew took in the city with varying degrees of interest. Aka and Sola were seasoned travelers, this was far from the largest city either had seen. Willow and Zero on the other hand seemed fascinated.
Even from the docks they could see just how different this city was from Leuson, or even Sahale. They were far enough from the forests that the city didn’t need any sort of protective walls, and so the city’s industrialization bled out into the countryside around it. The buildings themselves were taller than any Willow had seen in her life. They reached high into the sky, which reminded her of stories she had heard before of the great wizard towers of Iwix. They must have been built using the same sort of enchantments. Willow wondered what sort of people lived there, or if there were businesses that used space high in the sky. She couldn’t imagine who would want to be up there every day, but she supposed even she was starting to get used to it.
They watched as as number of the breeze birds Aka had described flew around the buildings, bringing passengers to different floors in large metal carriers they had in their powerful claws. Though they seemed secure, Willow paled at how the cages swung in the creature’s grasp.
“I want to ride one,” Aka said as they leaned over the railing, pointing one of the closer ones out to Sola. “Can we ride one?”
“You can,” Willow replied quickly. “But I choose life.”
Only one member of the crew wasn’t looking over the city with them. Mea remained under deck in her room, feeling under the weather.
((“I think Mea is gonna stay on the boat for this one,” Ren sniffled. Caine glanced over to him sympathetically. Ren was just getting over a cold, but still wanted to come and record with them instead of having Mea sit out for the whole session. He was wearing a mask and was a bit muffled, but Caine wasn’t going to stop him if he still wanted to join. Zenith on the other hand was very concerned with his precious, and expensive, recording equipment being sneezed upon.
“I should probably stay with her, huh?” Lucky asked, absently tilting her cup while she talked. She reset it before any soda spilled, but Caine still thought it was silly Zee was worried about Ren sneezing when the rest of them were just as clumsy around his equipment. “Since I’m the cleric and all.”
“If you want to go and explore the city, don’t feel pressured to stay behind. Since no one else wants to, Keiz will remain on the ship and take care of her.” Sure it would make more sense for Willow to stay, but they weren’t just telling a story here. They were playing a game, and it mattered more to Caine that the players had a fun time and did what they wanted more than the npcs.))
As the ship made a safe landing on the dock the crew gathered on deck to disembark. Sola and Willow lowered the gang plank and tied the ropes securely while Keiz talked to them. “I’ll keep an eye on Mea if the rest of you could pick up some things for me while you’re out,” He said, handing a list to Aka. The faun nodded and dutifully tucked the paper into their pocket. “Oh, and keep an ear out for any more info on the search for the rod.”
“I bet you that sort of sensational news will travel quickly,” Sola said as he wiped his hands and walked back on deck. “I doubt we’ll even need to seek it out.”
Keiz handed Sola an extra pouch of coins for the ships supplies, and the four of them headed down the docks. They were almost overwhelmed by the sights and sounds of the large city, but Sola had a plan. Since Mea had been unable to cook breakfast, he lead the crew to a nearby tavern to get something to eat. It was a start, and they discussed their plans for the day over smoked sausages and toasted bread.
“Who has a good fashion sense, because I apparently do not,” Sola asked, pointing a fork with a bite of sliced sausage at the group.
“I suppose mine is decent,” Aka shrugged. “Why?”
“We still need to pick up a few winter coats before we head to Flolon, and Mea is very picky about what she wants but is also not here,” Sola sighed. “When we bought the coats in Leuson she didn’t seem to like what I picked out.”
“No offense Sola, but I don’t think anyone did. But it’s not like you had a lot of options in such a small town.” Willow said, patting his arm sympathetically. “My armor is pretty warm, so I don’t need a coat, I can just add on some fur accents from the pelt you bought.”
“I do not need a warm coat, I am impervious to the cold,” Zero added, giving Sola what was probably supposed to be a reassuring look. It was hard to tell since he couldn't emote like the rest of them. Though he didn’t need to eat, he still had a plate in front of him, which he tapped occasionally with his fork. It was odd, But Sola knew he was missing some gears and just trying to fit in. He noticed some of the tavern’s other patrons looking over that them, but it could have been for any number of reasons, not just Zero being strange. They all were a little strange in their own right.
“Are you sure? Even machines can freeze,” Willow pointed out. “You wear a poncho, I could add some of the fur to the lining to make it warmer for you.”
"Clothing works by trapping body heat, Zero doesn't have any of that. Adding fur to his poncho would be pointless," Aka whispered, but low enough that only Sola could hear.
“You would?” Zero asked in awe, completely missing what Aka had said. It was for the best, he seemed very excited at the prospect.
“Of course-” Willow was taken aback by his reaction. “It wouldn’t be much harder than modifying my own clothes. Though it might not hurt to pick up some spare clothes while we’re here today, it’s so bothersome to wash my clothes every day so I’ve just been using a simple spell to keep them fresh.”
The group was quite. “You guys do wash your clothes right?” Willow said, covering her mouth to stifle a small laugh.
“It’s such a hassle,” Aka muttered, the same time Sola said “Look we don’t all have magic.”
“I do, I wash this every day,” Zero said proudly, holding his poncho out. It was a bit old, but it did look like he took great care of it. The material seemed to be high quality cotton, and it had an interesting pattern sewn onto the edges. It looked like birds flying over a wheat field, but the thread was so faded it was hard to make out anymore. It looked old, and for a fleeting moment, Sola thought it could be a baby blanket that had been modified into clothes.
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“Where did you get that?” Sola asked as Zero released the edges and let his poncho fall back around him.
“I can’t recall, I got it before my memories start unfortunately. But I think it is very important.” Zero said, looking down. “I hope I can remember some day.”
The topic of Zero’s memories, or lack thereof, had come up a few times so the rest of the crew was aware of his problem. Willow looked at him with understanding, since she was also looking for something important to her that was lost. They continued chatting as they ate, but the topic wandered as they spoke until the mood became much lighter.
After breakfast they made their way into the city, stopping whenever someone saw a shop that might have a supply they needed. Aka of course stopped in any metal working business they could find to get more scraps for their various projects. Sola once made the mistake of asking what they were working on, and they launched into almost an hour long explanation of how they were modifying their gun to add new attachments. Their descriptions were way more technical than he could understand, and Sola started to lose focus. He was pretty sure that at one point they mentioned making a bomb, but he did not want to start that conversation again. He just hoped he heard them wrong, or that they didn't blow up the ship on accident. The group also stopped in a few book stores so they could pick up a new journal as well as some extra ink and quills. The mission had changed dramatically, but Aka was still the Fortune’s Favor’s bookkeeper and had to keep a reliable record of what they did.
Zero helped to pay for some of the scraps Aka gathered, since the navigator promised to help improve his gear as well. Since Aka had fixed it’s broken gauntlet after their first night on the Fortunes Favor, Zero seemed to think Aka was his personal healer. He was later proved right when he was singed while they were escaping the temple of Aria and Aster's flames. Willow tried to use her healing magic on him, but it didn’t have the same effect. The burns he had gotten while they were running only faded slightly instead of going away altogether. He had felt a bit refreshed, but he didn’t feel whole. Instead, the next day while they were sailing Aka had replaced the burnt part. The whole affair made Zero uneasy. It wasn’t sure it would be able to keep up with the rest of the crew if it was harder to heal him than anyone else.
He quietly followed his crew mates around as they stopped in several stores. Willow brought them into a general store to get some basic supplies, while Sola took them into clothing store after clothing store to find some fashionable winter clothes. Zero absently put in his opinions as Aka and Sola tried on cold weather outfits, and eventually they settled on new gear. Even Willow picked up a spare jacket and some extra under garments. Zero was glad his friends had found what they wanted, as he was finding it harder and harder to keep focused on what they were doing.
Zero found himself missing Mea. She had a way of reading him that even he didn’t understand. He just hoped that she was feeling better by time they got back to the ship.
~*~
Keiz spent most of the morning in his office, pouring over the letters and books Aka had organized for him. Since they had left Alephia Keizeron had written to their patron several times, and had received several confused yet optimistic responses. Lady Adelaide didn’t seem at all surprised he figured out who she was, as if the deception had only been to get him to start working with her. Yet he had the feeling she was hiding behind the confusion, using it as some sort of misdirect to obscure what she was really up to. He had no proof of course, but he had always been suspicious of the motives of people in power. (("Damn, he's so relatable."))
The crew she had hand selected for him had at first appeared to be a motley bunch that left a lot to be desired, but upon interaction with them he discovered each was significantly more skilled than they appeared. What the team lacked in overall sailing experience, they more than made up for in raw talent. Mea had come off as absent minded, but had tremendous magical potential. Zero was similarly dazed, but was incredibly sturdy in battle, and had protected Aka in their fight at the temple without hesitating. Willow was clearly afraid of heights, but had a calming personality that kept the rest of the crew grounded. What Aka lacked in social skills they made up for with their attention to detail and intelligence. Keizeron had doubted them at first, but it took him very little time to realize this was the crew that was meant to reassemble the rod with him. So how did Lady Adelaide find the perfect assortment of diamonds in the rough? How could she have possibly known?
Her letters left him similarly bewildering. Before he knew who he was dealing with, Keizeron had been under the impression he was to do standard shipping missions following the blessings run. He had even confirmed an order to Iwix that had been abandoned following their fiasco that was their trip to the first temple of Aria. Yet, Adelaide had taken the change of plans in stride, as if she was expecting it.
After receiving her mysterious note the morning after he had searched his chambers, and eventually the whole ship for any traces of divination magic that could have been spying on them. There was nothing. Lady Adelaide had simply continued to keep sending payments to keep the ship and crew running, and promised larger paydays whenever they reclaimed another piece of the rod.
Keizeron had overheard the crew talking about how suspicious they were of her promises and motives, and found himself inclined to agree. If they found themselves near Iwix during the course of their missions, Keiz thought they should pay their patron a visit. But until that time came they had to accept she knew something they didn’t. While she was funding this trip that Keiz very much needed to do, he had no intention of confronting her over a letter. As much as it pained him, she was necessary to keep the ship running, and no amount of mistrust would change that. He and the crew would have to take a leap of faith with her, in order to keep chasing the goals he had harbored since childhood.
Once he finished balancing the books Keiz stretched and stood up. Duchess, who had been lounging in a sun spot while he worked, mewed as he got up. She jumped nimbly onto his shoulder, and was rewarded with a tiny scratch on her chin. Keizeron walked out on the deck, blinking against the sudden harsh sunlight. He heard all the familiar noises of a port, from the shouts of sailors unloading a ship to the harsh squawks of the parrots and other dock birds that frequented the area. For a brief moment he thought of the Sahale port he hailed from, and missed the calmer days he had left behind.
Keizeron shook his head, physically trying to remove the thoughts of his past. Those days were gone and weren’t coming back, he needed to focus on where he was, and the sick crew mate who he needed to check on. He made his way below deck, adjusting faster to the gloom of the hallway than he did the sunlight on the deck. They had lights they kept on at all times, but his dark vision was just as good as his normal sight and he could swap between them faster than a normal person could. His powers were cumbersome at times, but they were not without their benefits.
Even though the Fortunes Favor had only been sailing for a week it had already seen some changes. Five of the eight rooms were taken by the new crew members, with a sixth being turned into a makeshift office for Aka. The last two rooms were currently being used for storage, though they hadn’t picked up too many extra supplies yet.
Each of the occupied rooms now sported a name plate, painted on by Willow and Mea during an afternoon off. They had wanted to paint the whole door for each crew mate, but decided not to without the resident’s input. Instead the pair had made a tiny personalized drawing by each persons name. Sola had been given a bright sun, matching the one on the bandana he wore frequently. Aka’s name had a tiny white sheep with red eyes, while Zero had a set of interlocking gears. Willow’s door was given a swirling plant, and finally Mea’s door was decorated with a colorful school of fish. Though it wouldn’t be the most professional, Keiz wanted them to paint on his door too. If only to satisfy his curiosity as to what doodle the pair of women would think most encapsulated his being.
Keizeron knocked gently on Mea’s door, waiting for her to respond before he made his way in. Inside her room had also been changed since the last time he had been down there. The back wall behind the bed now had a swirling blue pattern on it, like falling rain. There was also some netting hung strategically on the back wall and pinned to the ceiling. It didn’t look like she was done decorating, but she was clearly not in a position to enjoy her time off right now.
Mea was laying on her bed with a wet cloth on her forehead and Mittens curled up around her head, having taken on a slightly less abrasive form to look like a slender axolotl. Mittens looked up as Keiz entered the room, his bright pink fins wiggling as he squeaked. Duchess meowed back at him, a moment of understanding between the familiars. The cerade jumped from Keizeron’s shoulder onto Mea’s bed, curling up around Mea’s figure and resting her head on the aquan woman’s hip.
“How are you feeling?” Keiz asked, standing awkwardly next to the bed. Willow didn’t want to be stuck on the ship, and as captain Keizeron had agreed to check on Mea so that she could go out. However, that didn’t mean he was any good at care taking. He was a wizard for Aria's sake.
“Could you get me some water?” Mea asked in reply,her voice missing it's normal bubbly quality. She had been running a fever since the morning, and hadn’t gotten out of bed when the rest of them got up. Aquans were sensitive to changes in temperature, and were prone to drying out when it got too hot regardless of how humid their environment was. That, or the bartender in Leuson had given her some bad grass. Either way, she needed to cool down and rest for the day.
With a small golden glow Keiz produced a cup that he stole from the mess hall, and created a small amount of water inside. He normally wouldn’t be casting like this, but Mea had the towel over her eyes so he doubted she would notice he was doing something unusual. He started to hand the cup over, but paused. “Can you sit up?”
Mea sighed slightly, before pulling off the towel and pushing herself into a sitting position. “It would probably have felt just as nice if I just splashed it on my face anyway,” She smiled, but then winced. Mea took the offered cup and drained the entire thing in one gulp. He had not made enough water, but creating liquid from nothing was more her specialty than his.
“But your make up,” Keiz protested, trying to cheer her.
Mea managed a small laugh as she laid back down. “I’m just as hot without it,” she assured him.
“Do you need anything else?” Keizeron asked slowly as she took the towel and dipped it into a bowl of ice she had beside the bed. Without really paying attention she refolded the towel and put it back on her forehead. “Any more water?”
“No.” She said quietly, pressing the towel down and letting a few drops of water run over her face. Then after a moment she held her hand out towards Keizeron. “Captain, why am I here?”
(("Aw geez.")) “It’s not like you could go out while you’re sick like this-”
“No,” She waved the hand limply, and he wasn’t sure what she was reaching for. “I mean, why am I on your crew? This ship? Surely you’ve noticed by now that I’m not very good at sailing.”
She trembled slightly, and it suddenly clicked what she wanted. He really should have asked Willow to stay, but it was too late for that now. He took her hand tenderly, and was surprised at how warm she was. “No one started knowing everything Mea. I don’t know how you came to be here, but I can assure you you’ll always have a place on my crew.” Keiz informed her.
It would be a lie to tell her she was a great, or really even a good sailor. She had struggled to adjust to life on a boat as a crew mate instead of just a passenger and most of the crew had noticed with varying degrees of reaction. But Mea had a strong personality and powerful magic, she deserved to be there just as much as any of them.
“My parents didn’t think I’d ever amount to much. I didn’t develop my powers for a long time, not until my twenties which is almost twice as long as a normal aquan. My sister got her powers early, and so they feared I’d never have powers at all. But then I had a fight with my girlfriend and we broke up and it all came out at once, like a storm. My parents were so happy that they just gave me Mittens and sent me away without any training, and without any idea what I was doing.” She gritted her teeth, trying to tell him what had happened. Her voice was soft from her illness, and it was hard to understand what she was saying at times.
Keizeron furrowed his brow, trying to remember what he could about aquan culture. When he was at the academy he had had a class with an aquan boy, who he tried to befriend before he stopped interacting with his classmates. Full of curiosity, Keiz was the only one who listened when the boy explained the aquan coming of age ceremony. Aquans typically developed their powers in their early to mid teens, unlike most races that showed signs of power from the moment of birth. Once their powers manifested, they celebrated by sending the newly awakened teen on a spiritual journey, a pilgrimage called the greeting of the daughters in which they journeyed to every continent’s main water source. Something about connecting to the plane of water to give thanks for their powers, but in the years that he had last heard the story Keiz had forgotten some of the finer details. He couldn’t remember everything he found fascinating, or he’d never have time for anything else.
Regardless of the reasons, the journey usually took a year at most, and Mea was twenty eight if her papers were correct. Either she was downplaying just how late her powers developed, or she had been on her year long journey for several years now. Keiz didn’t want to make any assumptions, but it made more sense to him why she tried not to take things seriously.
“I think they were glad I left. ‘the chiefs daughter can’t even use magic and just parties all day.’ I was such an embarrassment. They hired a boat to take me to see the daughters, but I bailed as soon as I could. I’d been boat hopping for a few months before I ended up in Sahale. And I was there for a long while before I got invited to work on the Fortunes Favor. I’m trying so hard but I don’t feel like I can stay with you on such an important mission. I don’t know what im doing here,” Mea finished, the last sentence falling flat.
“I do,” Keiz said quickly. He squeezed her hand. “You’re on this crew because you need to be. You’re here because you belong.”
((Cain glanced up as he heard a sniffle. Though he was hiding it behind his mask, Ren was starting to tear up. Caine set his pencil down and stood up, surprising the rest of the group. “How about we take a ten minute bio break?” They suggested. “We’ll pick up when we get back.”
Zeinth paused the equipment while Lucky raced to the bathroom and Blair and Winter refreshed the snacks.
“Sorry you had to stop recording for me,” Ren sniffled, rubbing his eyes as Caine approached him. He laughed, trying to hide the crack in his voice and failing pretty badly.
“That’s not why I stopped,” Caine shrugged. “Come out onto the balcony with me for a sec?”
“I am instantly nervous, but sure,” Ren replied. He stood up and followed Caine onto their tiny apartment balcony.
Zenith and Caine lived on a third story, and they had a nice view of the lake behind their complex. It had gotten to be quite late while they were recording, and they could see the stars reflecting on the gently rippling surface of the water. The balcony itself was sparsely decorated compared to the rest of the apartment. All around them were a number of plants in various stages of growth and some that were a bit wilted. An apartment couldn’t get sun all the time, but the succulents were doing great in the current dry spell! The herbs on the other hand were not. Other than the plants and plant stands the balcony only had a small statue of a dog that the couple had picked up at an estate sale. They had no chairs, so Caine leaned against the railing, looking out at the night sky.
“Do you mind if I smoke?” Ren asked, producing a vape pen from his pocket they hadn’t noticed before.
“You have a cold?” Caine replied, raising an eyebrow as they looked at him.
“That’s not what I asked.”
Caine rolled their eyes. “Yeah, sure I don’t mind.”
Ren clicked the pen on and took a deep breath, exhaling a puff of smoke over the balcony edge. He leaned against the railing too, looking significantly more relaxed than he had inside. “You know, I kinda made Annie Mea as a joke character.”
“Oh really?” Caine ribbed sarcastically. “The big titty stoner fish girl named anime was a joke character?”
“Yeah. I’d never played a role playing game before, I just wanted to make you guys laugh. But after seeing how much care everyone else put into their back stories and characters I realized maybe I did put more thought into it than I originally planned. She’s a lot like me. Overshadowed by my older brother, not really understood by my parents. I don’t know if Winter ever talked to you about it, but I went through a pretty bad break up last year. I caught my girl friend cheating, but the worst part was all our friends took her side. Told me to man up and get over it.” He took another long hit of the pen.
“That’s fucked dude,” Caine said bluntly.
Ren managed a wry smile. “Glad someone agrees. Obviously I stopped hanging out with all of them, but for a little while Winter was my only friend. But don’t get me wrong! Winter is great, she was really supportive when all this happened and I’m super lucky to have her, but. Well. I guess the whole thing just really sucked, and I was at a pretty low point. But then Winter invited me to come be on the podcast with you guys. I wasn’t sure if I would fit in, but everyone has been so cool to me and Mea. So I guess, what I’m trying to say is thank you. Thanks for making me feel so welcome.” He finished with a shrug, wiping his eyes again.
“We’re glad to have you,” Caine said quickly. They had been hesitant to let someone on the podcast they hadn’t met before, but Winter vouched for him and Caine could easily see why.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to use your time for a therapy session,” He joked, clicking the pen off and putting it away.
“It’s fine, I’m pretty sure its a right of passage to use role playing games as a way to work through things. Besides, gotta use my psych degree somehow.”
“And does Keizeron also have a psych degree? Wait, I thought you got your degree in-”
“Nope! My boy is just extremely empathetic and you all are so lucky to have his love and support.”
“I thought you said he was aromantic?”
“No, I said he was asexual, that doesn’t mean he can’t love you. He considers the crew to be his wiley and unpredictable kids. Except for Sola, who he thinks of as an old drinking buddy. Even though neither of them drink. Look, he was raised exclusively by his mom and grandma, Keiz drinks his respect women juice, he’s going to be nice to Mea.”
Ren laughed loudly, “Need more of that in the world.” He looked up and saw that the rest of the group was once again sitting around the table. “Oh, looks like times up,” he added as he made eye contact with Winter. She smiled, waving at him to rejoin them. Ren waved back, looking a bit flustered.
Caine smiled. “Let’s get back to it then.”))
