"Is Nin here?" I heard Tiyanat ask quietly in the other room. And while I showed no interest at first. It did stick in my head, the more I thought about it. So, I got up and moved to the doorway I heard them speak beyond.
"Hm?" I let out curiously, only to watch as Tiyanat flinched and looked at me agasped.
"N-Nevermind..." she muttered, full of frustration before she just went upstairs. Whatever it was, it was clearly bothering her enough to break her usual cool. I then turned to Einervaene for an idea about what it was. Yet, she had no such suggestion either.
"Give her some space, Nin." Einervaene seems to caution from experience before she goes off to do something. But, now, I couldn't help but want to look into it. She asked for me, yet, essentially ran off when she saw me? In my experience, it meant she was hiding something.
"In regards to...?" I asked myself as a strange stiffness seemed to form inside my chest. I feared it might be in relation to Lari. Had something changed about it all...? I wasn't sure if her help had arrived yet.
There was that odd magic incident the other day, but she has not spoken about it. We never investigated it but when we saw her later... There was that odd creature. We all just sort of looked at it and then got on with our day.
That, however, did not answer why soldiers were around here either. Members of staff were outraged at the trespass yet simmered down all of a sudden. So, perhaps, it would've been better to say her help had arrived...? She never once talked about a pet worm, thing...
To not draw suspicion, however, when I went upstairs, I went to my room. Far away from Tiyanat's in the building layout. She would not hear me and I her. However, her sister had taught me many skills in regards to moving about a building.
And I was quickly on the roof of our dorm. Immediately after getting my footing, I tried to envision the halls. Slow, thoughtful steps preceded me sitting down. And, I spent a few more moments wondering if this was thereabouts.
I did not really go near Tiyanat's room beyond very brief passings. So I was not sure if I was in the right spot. However, her cries of frustration helped me answer that. I was in the right area.
"If she doesn't want me to know..." I then said to myself quietly as I rubbed my claws around each other. If me knowing was clearly a bad thing, then I should back away, no? But, a need to know also compelled me to stick around. Eventually, the feeling that took me here won out and I kept my ears open for anything.
"Well? Where is my Lala?" an accented, older-sounding voice asked Tiyanat.
I could only assume he meant Lari, but, Tiyanat was crying, "Dad... Please..." she started to beg.
"What!?" he asked with a loud, clear gasp as the sound of other disturbances also made it to my ears. And, I don't know how I would describe it... But, something was starting to snap inside of me. She had mentioned her family had prepared something... I stood aside because I trusted that claim or feared where my actions would take me.
"Dad... I know it sounds impossible... But, it's true! Not even the Worm Rider could do anything!"
"A nasty predicament..." the father lets out slowly with a loud, audible tap. And that sealed it for me. Twice now someone was meant to help Lari and they failed... But if someone that powerful failed...?
"Now before you do anything!" Tiyanat suddenly and aggressively blurts, "There is one thing..."
"Did the Worm Rider at least injure this scum? Weaken him enough for another to finish it!?" the clearly enraged father asked his daughter.
"The Worm Rider said something to me in the hospital... The man who has done this to Larishazza... He wants to personally speak to a friend of ours... I don't know why, but, there seems to be a mutual interest between them..." Tiyanat explains as my body stiffens up. Oh, so he wanted to see me personally? Yet, he defeated someone so powerful that it disturbed the whole school!
As much as I hated hearing them, having been on the end of many vicious ones. I had heard very much so how it was said even Vapooliar showed concern when that power appeared. Her of all people... The great warrior who has always been so far ahead of me...
So what was I meant to do...? What was I going to do!? This man wanted to speak to me! That killer who has haunted my mind since that night was doing this because of...
Me?
Maybe I could find out if I went into that city, if I did the thing I shouldn't. But, as I stared at the city, having moved closer to it. I felt no intimidation at the sight. I felt only anger like I did during our return to Tobaballe...
There was a clear and present threat to something dear to me and I had to do something... Yet, if I did, I would die. Gunned down like the soldiers always wanted to happen to me. I could not help Larishazza if I was dead...
It frustrated me even more just knowing that. Tiyanat's help had failed, and I was left having to worry about the woman I loved. But, I could not step out of this school... I couldn't do anything...
"DAMMIT!" I ended up roaring with a sudden, violent burst of power.
"Nin!?" someone from below snapped. So, I just put on a liar's face and leaned over. If they knew that I knew about the failure of the help. I'd never hear the end of it... We would get nowhere...
"Hm?" I replied with, showing a frustrated, but rather casual expression.
"What was that about...?" Vadei asked me as she stood at the dorm entrance holding something. And, soon after Einervaene came rushing out.
"Getting frustrated at this spell..." I lie but to them, it was just a meek admission.
"Why're you practising on our roof anyway!?" Einervaene asks, clearly annoyed by what was likely a sudden tremble in the building.
"Done it up here before..." I remind her. As, thankfully, I have tried a few things up here before with her. Granted, that was a long time ago in regard to my magic education. During the worst entrance exam I ever had to take...
"Do it where you're meant to do it!"
"In the field so I can explode and reform?" I genuinely joke, even if I did not live up to how I usually did it.
"Shut up!" she snapped before she went back inside. Vadei, however, just looked up in curiosity.
"What sort of spell?" she asks as she seems to start to look around for a way to get up here.
"Something that lets me reach out further..." I lie on the spot as I was not expecting to be asked this. I have not even really considered new magic since I started learning that explosion stuff. It did not seem practical to try and learn new magic in such a gluttonous way.
"Maybe I have something that can help?" she jokes as she turns around and teases me with a few wags of her tail.
Yet, my lies had led me here, so I needed to do it or dismiss her, "Clearly, I'm struggling here..." I remind her. Technically speaking of a prior lie rather than anything real.
"And maybe you just need a goal you can actually touch?" she rhetorically asks with a wide grin as she starts to sway her hips with her tail.
"Perhaps you are right..." I quietly say to her as I stand up properly. Placing one foot on the dorm's edge before I hopped down. Breaking my fall slightly by grabbing that same ledge until I hit the ground with a thud.
"Use the spell!" she reminds me as she runs off into the distance. And, here, I decided to stop calling it a lie. Maybe practising my magic would help it stay out of my mind. Just think and do everything I can to stay true to this goal...
Yet, even then, it always came back to me... How could I use this to save Lari? That is what I kept asking myself as I went off to practise with Vadei.