The Mornings After

Even though the ground was hard, it was comfortable being in Rune’s arms.

His chest was pressed against her back and she could feel his warmth flooding through her, chasing away any potential morning chill.

Sleeping next to someone and waking up first used to always be such a strange feeling for her. Debating whether to get up or just pretend that she was still asleep while worrying that they knew she was just pretending. But this time it was not like that, Midori simply enjoyed the small pleasures of the morning.

The feeling of Rune’s arm draped over her, the earth and clay that they lay on, and the faint smell of popcorn from the adorable critter curled up at her feet.

It was a moment of bliss Midori hoped would last forever.

That was immediately interrupted as Sahaela appeared floating in front of her.

“Hey there, hope I’m not interrupting.”

Midori’s shriek was loud enough to wake Rune, and cause both Oda and Toma to come running thinking there was trouble.

Only to find a chuckling Rune and Midori holding the blanket around her like a dress.

“Alright, alright show is over folks. Thank you Oda, thank you Toma.” She patted them both on the back, Toma looked the most upset that there wasn’t something to fight and Oda patted him consolingly on the back.

Settling back on the bed of mostly furs she sighed and looked up at Sahaela after punching Rune in the arm while he continued to chuckle.

“Thank you for the rather jarring wake up call Sahaela. What’s up?”

“Well I don’t know if you knew this but as a ghost I don’t actually sleep. So when you are all enjoying a nice respite from the day, I am left to while away my own time for many hours. Most of the time I keep busy while doing some patrols, figured I’d make use of my lack of sleep.”

“This is going somewhere, right?”

“It is, yes,” Sahaela said with a smirk. “We’ve got-”

Rune leaped to his feet just as the tent flap was pulled open, revealing a tall smirking woman with pale lilac skin that drank in the sunlight that rose behind her.

"guests."

Her eyes were pools of gold with a pinprick of onyx for a pupil, with a single vertical scar over her left eye the only blemish on her silken looking skin; and atop her head of long silver hair were four small horns that poked through silvery-white hair, forming almost a makeshift crown, one of the horns was wrapped with golden banding.

She looked at Rune with familiarity.

“You’ll forgive the intrusion, I was not expecting you to have…company,” her eyes drifted over Midori as she spoke the last word, derision evident in her tone.

It took all the restraint she had not to square up with the woman, but she simply sat and pet Popcorn who growled quietly.

“Kalia, and here I was worrying you had gotten lost.” Though his tone had a hint of playfulness to it there was an edge to Rune’s voice.

“Mind your tone, Rune, we came to help.”

“Too little too late,” the words were out of Midori’s mouth before she could even register that she’d said them. And it was only because Rune chuckled that she did not shrink as the muscular woman glowered down at her.

“And who might you be? I’m sorry, she probably can’t even understand me.” Kalia chuckled a high, sharp laugh and it was only then Midori realized they had been speaking in a different language, a language she now understood.

“No, I can understand you.”

Rune smiled proudly at Midori before grinning at Kalia’s stunned face.

“My name is Midori, and I’m from a different world than this.”

“And I’m Sahaela! Also not from this world, crazy huh?” The ghostly visage of her descended in front of Kalia and she smiled a faux-friendly smile. “Let’s let these two get dressed, and I’ll fill you in on everything that happened here.”

Once the woman had been half shoved through the tent and they were left alone Midori looked over at Rune and asked bluntly, “who the hell is that?”

“That’s Kalia, she and I used to be…involved.” He rolled his eyes while standing up and preparing for the day ahead.

“That’s your ex!?”

-----

Midori had never met the ex of a partner before, but she suspected it couldn’t have gone much worse than that morning.

Kalia seemed like everything she was not: strong, confident, and absolutely stunning. She found it hard not to compare herself, and she found herself coming up fairly short.

She directed the unit of over forty soldiers with ease, having practically taken over the reconstruction efforts after a long and detailed interrogation of both Rune and Midori.

“A Beyonder, and a Herald. You certainly are one lucky girl,” her words were laced with a slight venom, but it was not something she wasn’t used to. Midori couldn’t help but faintly smile at the fact she reminded her of girls from high school. Fantastic creatures, magick and ghosts were foreign to her but this she was very used to.

“It doesn’t exactly feel like luck,” she responded while pulling open her shirt to reveal the visible and rather nasty looking wound in her chest.

“I suppose not.”

There was a long and pregnant pause in the air before Kalia simply leaned forward, resting her elbow on her knee and asking with stern eyes.

“What are your intentions.”

Taken aback Midori could only blink rapidly before saying, “what?”

“You are a potential time bomb, Midori. I ask in order to protect these lands that I love but also…” Her words faltered and Midori caught the woman’s eyes dart slightly over to where Rune stood by watching the interrogation from afar.

“Oh…oh!…Oh…”

Was all she could say in the moment.

“My intentions are to find my friends…Sara and Aki. They were brought with me, and I need to know they are safe.” Midori hesitated as her eyes flickered to Rune, she could no longer deny her feelings and what was now a growing desire to stay, but she refused to admit that to this random woman.

“You mentioned another, this…Evan you said. He was transported as well but has sworn allegiance to Luvall? What will you do if the same is true of them?”

The question made her chest tighten and she shook her head, “I…I want to believe that wouldn’t happen, but if it does I won’t let them hurt innocent people.”

Kalia smiled slightly, reassured by the statement.

“I can see why he likes you. You have a kind heart.”

Midori wasn't entirely sure if the woman meant the comment genuinely or not, either way it unsettled her stomach and she made sure to keep an eye out in future.

-----

It was another two days before they left what remained of Nythe, but in that time the reconstruction efforts had begun in earnest.

Both Roy and Gray threw themselves into it with their entire souls, with Oda and Toma doing the same.

Midori helped with the translation efforts, and after some back and forth a plan was put in place. Nythe would become a new city, blending architectural styles of both Moana Mau’u and the ones from Luvall that the deserters were familiar with.

“This will be enough for now, but we need room for potential growth,” Gray seemed quite more familiar with the construction of cities than Midori had initially thought. She wondered if he had done construction before enlisting, and what that was like in a world of magick.

He sketched out the designs for a settlement that would grow with its citizens, with a large amphitheatre-like structure in the centre meant to emphasize the communal nature of the lands he now called home.

“This is good, but Nythe provides food for much of Moana Mau’u. Fishery needs to be much bigger, more ships.” Oda was also in possession of similar skills which had seeded the beginning of a potential friendship or rivalry, Midori could not be sure which.

“We should probably double the size of the curing shed then, to make sure we account for the additional hauls. And we should probably allow enough space for future expansion of the shipyard.”

Rune watched and listened intently, taking note of the way they looked to him for confirmation of things. It was hard for Midori to not look at him already as if he were Khan.

And she suddenly had an idea.

She had Gray make a copy of the architectural plans for Nythe, making sure that it was signed by each of the villagers and deserters. And once that was done she handed it to Rune.

“I thought this might serve as a potential token for you. Proof of how you helped save people, unite others, and started rebuilding Nythe for a new future.”

Rune seemed hesitant to accept it at first before taking it with a warm smile. With it he felt slightly less guilty leaving Nythe and heading back to Yanara.

And before they left they were seen off by the quartet of individuals who had taken charge in the reconstruction: Roy, Gray, Oda and Toma.

“I want to thank you Rune, not just for your help in the cave but also for welcoming us and…for honouring Beau the way you did the others, it means a lot to us.”

“He was a good kid, I hope that you both will build that place he longed for.” Rune shook Roy’s hand while making eye contact with a smiling Gray.

“Oh yes, I plan to open the Love Shack in his honour. I hope that you and Lady Midori will come by when it is built.”

“I look forward to it Gray,” Midori answered with a bright smile.

“A kind gesture Midori, and to add to it’s validity I shall accompany you both on your journey to Kulnera and attest to your actions here in Nythe.”

Kalia had poked her head in at some point during the meeting and was now smiling at them all; she reminded Midori of a cat Sara had had that always wanted to be around even if nothing interesting was going on.

“Wait, you’re what?” Rune’s eyes widened in horror.

“I’m coming with you.”