Banished Pt. 14

"That would take days, huh?"

I nodded.

"We can't be away for too long, but I'm thinking maybe three or four days? We'll try to accomplish what we can then head back."

"When would we leave?" she asked, and I thought about it a bit, glancing off in the direction where Cameron and Casey headed off to.

"I'll need to check with my advisors, but if everything here seems to be in order, tomorrow at first light."

She nodded.

"Then, it's a date," she declared, shooting me a teasing smile, before returning her attention to her younger trainees.

As they got started on their training, however, I spotted Bianca, who appeared to be looking around for me, and I quickly moved towards her.

"Nate!" she called, as soon as she spotted me.

"Hey. Was just about to come get you for training."

She frowned.

"Guess it can't be helped, now that I'm the best fighter you've got!" she declared, and I rolled my eyes at her.

"What's up?" I asked, and she pulled me aside, a more serious look on her face.

"Your not-a-girlfriend-anymore just had an emotional breakdown with Cameron," she said. "She's been sulking all morning, but not really doing much."

I nodded.

If I knew Cameron, she would certainly offer Casey some comfort.

"I think you can ease up on surveilling her for now, but... before you go over for training, grab Cameron for me? After they're done talking, I mean. I need to discuss something with her."

"Gotcha," Bianca said, but as she turned to leave, I stopped her.

"Have you seen Gisela?"

"Entry hall over there," Bianca said, indicating to one of the grove trees. "Looks like they're preparing Raul for something, and he did not look happy about it."

I snickered a little, then thanked her as I headed over there, but as I got there, I noted that Raul was alone with Alva, so I hung back to observe.

"I look stupid," he complained, and Alva shook her head.

"You look beautiful," Alva countered, resting a hand against his face.

He was wearing what I could only describe as a long, flowing ceremonial dress, his head adorned with a flowery wreath.

"Beautiful isn't exactly a compliment to guys," he countered, and she frowned.

"Why not?"

"It's not very masculine," he explained, and she shrugged.

"Does your beauty need to restrict itself to some inane concept? If so, then I despise this concept. You are beautiful, and I love it," she said, and I suppressed a smirk, as she leaned in and kissed him.

Raul looked up, and as he caught sight of me, he went red.

"Get me out of this," he complained, and Alva turned to study me, a frowning look on her face.

"Why? You look majestic!" I called teasingly, and Raul scowled.

"Fine, fine. Go ahead and have your fun," he replied, but I shrugged.

"Surely a big, strong, manly man like yourself cares not for the opinions of others?" I continued mockingly, and he frowned, but Alva seemed quite pleased with my input.

"See? Your liege approves," she said, and Raul shook his head.

"He's making fun of me," he said, and Alva studied me again.

"Nonsense! What sane man could jest about such beauty?"

Alva smiled.

"I see. Your words oppose your sentiment. It is amusing," she conceded. "But please offer some conciliation. Your subject fears for his image."

I chuckled at this.

"I know. Teasing him is my way of making light of his complaint. But you," I said, turning to Raul, and resting a hand on his shoulder. "Never stop being such a beautiful man," I continued, delivering the words as if moved to tears by his very visage, and he scowled.

"I really hate you sometimes," he said, sighing, but as Alva shot him a more genuinely admiring look, he relented. "Did you set this up?" he asked, as soon as she moved away.

"The dress, or the trip?"

"The trip," he clarified, and I nodded.

"I suggested you accompany her as a guard, but the idea to doll you up was all theirs," I explained, and he sighed. "If it makes you feel any better, it's only a matter of time before they put me in one of those."

"It doesn't make me feel better," he said, and I chuckled.

"If only your grandmother could see you. She'd be so proud," I continued, as if choking up a little, and he aimed a smack at my head, which set off his paralysis, much to my delight.

Alva shot us a questioning look as she returned with their supplies, and she quickly helped Raul to his feet, before turning to address me.

"Unless there is issue, we will depart forthwith," she said, and I nodded.

"Bring him back in one piece," I said, and Alva smiled, before turning and taking Raul's hand, and leading him, with some prodding, from the entry hall.

He seemed nervous walking around in those clothes, but none of the otherworlders really paid attention to it, and the Kobalt merely regarded him with distinction.

He turned and shot me one more uncomfortable look, and I waved excitedly, much to his annoyance, as he turned and headed for the road that would take them to Palancar.

Cameron came up to the entry hall, looking off after the two as she did.

"Was that Raul in a dress?"

"You mean ceremonial robes," I corrected her, and she smiled.

"Oh, please tell me you have one too!"

I shook my head at her.

"How's your advisory debut going?"

"The tasks are okay, but I'm not envying how much time you must put into managing everyone and their concerns."

"Hn~. It's not so bad if you enjoy that kind of thing."

"Enjoy it? You must be a psychopath," she teased, and I chuckled at the comment.

"Do you know if we have any scheduled engagements with Palancar? Or anyone else?"

"I think we might."

"Anything that I can miss?" I asked, and she thought about it.

"Yeah. I think Gisela can handle most of it... you planning on heading out?"

I nodded.

"Was thinking to take Francesca and do a proper scouting run."

"Oh, must be her fucking birthday, huh? How far do you wanna scout?"

"The river west of here if we can make it; the guildhall at the very least."

Cameron nodded.

"I think the guildhall might be a good move. There's something that you might need to get."

"What is it?" I asked.

"Come on. Evie will tell you more," she explained.

We headed into the grove tree, and to the rooms on the ground floor where Myrinne and the princess were being treated.

Ryker spotted us as we approached the corridor, and quickly headed off to fetch Evie.

"Hey," she said, as soon as she popped out of one of the rooms.

"Nate's planning a scouting trip," Cameron began.

"To the guildhall?" Evie asked, and I nodded.

She pursed her lip, as she cast a tentative look back to the room she'd just come from.

"How is Myrinne?" I asked, and she frowned.

"She was getting better, but I think her wounds are infected," she explained. "I'm focusing the healing when I can, and it's keeping her alive, but I think I'm fighting an uphill battle here."

"She'll need antibiotics," Cameron explained. "And I think generally, it might be best if we had some on hand for emergencies."

"Hmm."

It was one of those things that we used quite frequently, but which I had taken for granted for sure.

But were there any specific drugs listed in the catalog?

I hadn't looked for specific items, but I didn't remember seeing any particular drugs when searching for medical supplies.

"Might be useful for me to take someone along who knows a little about this stuff, huh?"

Cameron shook her head.

"That's a bit of a long trip, and if you're going with Francesca, you'll be moving pretty quickly."

I nodded in agreement.

"So, antibiotics. Is there anything else that we need urgently?"

"I think painkillers and anesthetics are at the top of the list. Maybe a blood thinner, or something to relieve inflammation," Evie offered.

"Hmm. I just remembered something. On the first day here, when I went through the catalog, I found an extensive list of seeds that were available and pretty cheap to purchase. Ginger, cinnamon, aloe vera; things like that."

"Holy shit. We could grow our own herbs!" Evie exclaimed, and I nodded in agreement.

"I just wish I knew a little more about what we'd need."

"Do you think the knowledge will magically come to you if you wear the alchemy bracer?" Evie asked, and I frowned.

"It usually doesn't come to me until I'm actually interacting with something, so whether or not that would activate through my interaction with the catalog is a little bit iffy... besides, Jordan's new nymph buddy is a natural at alchemy. We might benefit more from him developing the skill while we're away."

Cameron thought about it for a while.

"Maybe we should see if he can develop the skill without the bracer? We could test it out today; see how it works," she suggested, and I quickly nodded.

As we turned to leave, however, I felt that subtle pull that told me that Miriam was in the room to my left.

"How is the princess?" I asked, and Evie paused.

"She's stable, but still not recovering."

"Did she regain consciousness since-?"

Evie shook her head, and I frowned.

"How long will the feedback in her system last?" I asked.

"I'm not sure, but we can prolong it indefinitely I think; by pouring energy into her core."

As Evie said that, I suddenly noted the slightly uncomfortable look on her face, and I quickly recognized the expression.

"You're sick," I said, and Cameron turned to study Evie.

"How?" Cameron asked.

"She's afflicting herself to prolong the princess' feedback effects," I explained, and Evie shifted uncomfortably.

"Don't overdo it, okay?" Cameron said. "We can get someone else to do it sometimes, so it doesn't make you really sick."

Evie nodded, and I shot Cameron an appreciative smile as we headed out of the hallway.

"Maybe I should have let Casey have the babies and let you advise me-" I began, but Cameron's expression made me stop dead in my tracks, and I turned in slow motion to find an unimpressed looking Casey standing right in front of me.

"Gisela's looking for you," she said to Cameron, and before I could get a word in, she turned and left, and Cameron shot me a sympathetic smile.

"Fuck me," I breathed. "I keep making things worse, huh?"

Cameron linked her arm in mine, as she guided me to the supply carts, a playful look on her face.

"She had her own part to play in the breakdown of that relationship... and trust me when I say, she knows it."

I sighed, staring after Casey with a slightly wistful look.

Cameron was turning out to be a pretty efficient aide... but I really missed Casey.

"You don't need to worry. She's working things out," Cameron offered, and I gave her a thankful nod.

As she moved to join Gisela, I headed off to find Jordan, who to my surprise, was still over by the training groups talking to Leanna.

I sneaked up to the two just as Leanna was speaking:

"So, he's your... b-boyfriend?"

Jordan nodded, and she made a thoughtful sound.

"I didn't know that you guys, uh... I mean..."

"That black guys could be gay?"

She bit her lip nervously, nodding timidly as she did.

"Anyone can be," Jordan said, shrugging, and she shifted uncomfortably.

"I don't think I hear about many," she said, and he chuckled.

"Yeah... a lot of black communities tend to react badly to that kind of thing, so most of us keep it secret."

She nodded at this.

"I don't think I know anyone like that in my area... wait, so you're saying that they're there, but too afraid to say anything?"

Jordan nodded, and she seemed to go deep into thought, so I moved to join them.

"Getting in on the training?" I asked, as if I'd just gotten there, and Leanna shook her head sheepishly.

"I'm not sure I'd be any good," she said, and I rubbed my chin.

"You were fairly comfortable with the dagger, weren't you? Maybe you could start there? Learn how to execute a proper stab?" I suggested.

"I-I guess I could try," she offered, albeit reluctantly, and I nodded as she moved over to where Bianca and Lucia were sparring.

"You were right," Jordan said, as soon as she was out of earshot, "she's not an ill-natured person. I think her parents might be responsible for her way of thinking way more so than her psychosis though."

"That is usually the case," I admitted with a sigh. "I mean, my momma raised a psychopath, but she didn't raise no racist," I joked, and Jordan laughed.

"All my life I've held onto the belief that everything would be a lot better if people just learned not to hate everything that was different from them," he explained, and I nodded.

"You aren't wrong. Although, I will admit that a proper fear of my kind is often the better part of valor," I said, and Jordan laughed again.

Jordan suddenly went quiet, and as I took a tentative gaze over my shoulder, I spotted an annoyed looking Nolan walking over to the other grove tree.

"We're not talking right now," Jordan suddenly added, and I sighed.

"Accept my apologies. I feel somewhat responsible."

"For what? Getting together with the woman that my boyfriend's in love with? I don't even know if that's love. Cameron's happier than I've ever seen her in my life... like ever. If I cared for someone, I wouldn't be angry about that."

Jordan shook his head in response, then let out a sigh.

"Hopefully he'll come around," I said, resting a hand on his shoulder and giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"I'm not holding my breath. I have more hope for her than I do for him right now," he explained, nodding to Leanna. "She's willing to listen, learn... to develop a new understanding of things based on our talks. But Nolan is still in denial about being bi-sexual."

"Huh... wouldn't have thought that'd be hard to admit," I said, a little curious, and Jordan laughed.

"It's harder than you'd think. It's kinda like, if you're gay, people will say, 'oh, well you have no choice, I guess'; but if you're bi, and a guy, and you choose to be with a man, the very same people will kind of be like... 'why, though?' Like, why would you choose that?"

"Oh, I get it. Why choose to be deviant when you could just be 'normal'," I said, using air quotes, and Jordan nodded.

"Pretty much."

We watched as Leanna made a clumsy attempt at hitting Lucia with a wooden dagger, then squealed and dropped it as the girl made to counter attack.

She shot me a slightly embarrassed look, but I offered her an encouraging shout nonetheless.

"You're doing great!"

She smiled a little, then picked up the dagger, and got ready to try again.

"Hey, do you think your nymph buddy can locate things, like plants with antibiotic properties?" I asked.

Jordan nodded.

"I can offer her access to my memories by thinking about things and sending them to her, so I've been going through things like that, and she's pretty sure that the equivalent of some of those things are findable in the forest. But it's difficult to tell without actually going out and hunting down the plants, and she doesn't even know what they look like."

"Hmm. I guess trees don't really have eyes, huh?"

He nodded.

"She knows them by how they feel, but it's gonna take some time to work out how to transmit that information to me in a manner that I can use."

"Might be best to just get you a team; whoever amongst the Kobalt is most knowledgeable about that kind of stuff, and let you go out and learn what you can."

"I don't mind doing that," Jordan answered. "Maybe I could even take the little critter along."

"Where is he?" I asked, looking around, and Jordan nodded to a nearby tree, where the creature was perched on one of the lower branches, and climbing about.

"Hnn~. He looks happy up there. Aren't you worried that he'll run off?"

Jordan shook his head.

"As soon as either me or Leanna starts to move, he runs right down to meet us."

I chuckled a little at that.

"Maybe you two should decide on a name," I added.

We chatted for a bit, and as I brought up the matter of the alchemy bracer, Jordan assured me that Nymphadora's knowledge was at least as useful as what the item provided, so it would be no problem for me to take the item on our trip.

"How long do you think you'll be gone?"

"Three days, maybe four tops? I wouldn't wanna miss the princess' coronation ceremony."

Or the birth of my child, I thought.

"You being gone for that long terrifies the fuck out of me," Jordan suddenly admitted, and I tilted my head at him.

"I think everyone has things under control now," I said, and he laughed a bit.

"Sometimes I think 'we've got this', and sometimes it just feels like we're on the brink of absolute chaos... but the latter is way more pronounced every time you step foot from our group. Your leadership makes more of a difference than I think you realize."

I thought about it for a while.

"Do you think I need to officially deputize someone in my absence?"

"Depends on who the someone is. I know you like the way Casey handles things, but maybe you should consider Cameron instead; you know, someone whose loyalty to you is unquestionable."

I sighed.

"I opted for Casey because I thought she'd keep me honest, but I guess I never really expected her to act that way against me."

Jordan nodded, glancing over at Leanna.

"Honestly, I was afraid of her too... and she was becoming a danger; but we were the ones who were isolating her, making her feel alone and threatened. Any of us could become dangerous if we felt like that. But look at her now. Just a little bit of conversation, attention; and I can't see her hurting a fly."

I nodded in agreement, as I studied Leanna in action.

"Don't get me wrong," he continued, "I still think maybe Casey had our best interests at heart; but I'd rather follow someone who would temper my worst instincts, than someone who would foster them."

"So... Cameron, huh?"

Jordon nodded.

"She's always been someone dependable to me, but lately, she's been emulating you, and it's really bringing out the best in her."

I smiled a little at the comment, then nodded; but as I looked back towards the supply carts, I caught sight of Casey standing there, a slightly lost expression on her face as she stood off to herself.

Maybe isolating her might be a pretty bad idea too.

I felt the urge to settle things with her before leaving on the trip, but... I knew that any such move would have to be initiated by her, as it would be far from productive for me to press her, especially after offering to give her the time and space needed to figure out her own things.

Maybe I could convince Cameron to spend some time with her whenever she could?

To keep her from falling into too much of a reclusive state?

I resolved to talk to her about it sometime before the day was over.

As the training session came to an end, I decided to help out as everyone who needed core training depleted their cores, but I quickly realized it was problematic getting them all to their respective rooms.

"We need a core-depleted nap zone somewhere on the ground floor," I complained, after carrying Bianca up to her room, and Francesca giggled at me in response, as she took Lucia over to Cameron's.

"Do you think we can risk depleting mine?" she asked, and I shook my head.

"I'd rather not risk anything right now. Especially not with Raul out of the cluster."

She frowned.

"Guess I could probably spend some time working on my energy manipulation skill, until the next training session at least."

I nodded, turning back to Bianca's room as Francesca headed down.

As I stepped inside and made my way to the bed where she was lying, basically unconscious, I withdrew the core that Astrid had entrusted to me, and began to examine it.

Touch the memories, wasn't it?

I held the thing up, then tried to gaze into it, and my mind reeled for a moment, as I immediately found myself thrust into a massive, seemingly never-ending ocean of raw, unfiltered energy.