Only You Can Start Forest Fires (Blue) [COMPLETE]

March 22, 222 AC

Four days.

Gabby had spent four days in this strange new city. She had found temporary shelter at a modest hotel, using money she had gained selling some of the supplies of her fallen comrades. Her most immediate needs, food, shelter, and safety, were covered. That meant she had to focus on other things.

Like whether she could get back home.

She sat in her room with a stack of recent newspapers (all dated March, 222 AC which she had learned was really March, 2167), and a stack of history books. Unfortunately, the local library had only sketchy details on anything more than a century old. Whatever this war was that had raged for so long, it had destroyed a LOT of information. She couldn't find any references to the cataclysm that SHE knew and had lived through, and could only guess that this war had started after it. The history books mostly just talked about war, war, war, and it was impossible for her to make much sense of it. Older books spoke plenty about ancient times, medieval kingdoms, the renaissance, and so forth, yet there was hardly anything to be found on the 20th and 21st century.

Gabby leaned back in her chair, rubbing her hands over her face. It had been a hard four days. Some of it spent crying, some of it spent panicking, but most of it spent studying. She was used to coping with strangeness and change; after all the catastrophes she'd been through, being transported 160 years into the future wasn't so bad, really. It wasn't as if she'd lost anyone special to her this time. She'd gotten her first and second families killed years ago, then her lover after that. She'd stopped developing close friends after Callia died, and had just thrown herself into her work. She didn't have any really good friends at the agency... just coworkers. Sure, she cared about some of them, and regretted their loss, but there had been no one left in the world that she loved. No one that she would truly miss.

Which was good, because there was no information so far on how she could get back.

"I need a break from this," she said to the empty room. She got up and dressed, putting her body armor on under her clothes where it would be hard to spot. The money she'd gotten from selling what she could spare had mostly gone to food and the room, but she'd gotten some local clothing as well. She had to blend in.

A pair of guns on her hips, a pair of daggers on her belt, and her longbow and sword strapped to her back, she headed out. Everything she owned was stuffed into her backpack; she'd never broken the habit of carrying her every possession with her everywhere she went.

Instinct drove her to seek nature, and so her feet led her to the city park. It was isolated from the magically-powered technology she kept sensing all around her. Walking around in this place was a LOT more dangerous than home. It used to be only one person in four sparked a mana surge... Here, even though there weren't any more people with powers, there was a LOT more technology with magic in it. She couldn't even walk down the street safely, since all the cars were run on some kind of mana batteries.

The park was safer. No technology around. She sought out a lone tree, and climbed up into it's branches. She leaned her face against the cool bark of the branches and sighed. At least the trees were still the same here.

Damn meetings.

Blue didn't have TIME for this shit! She was a woman with a job to do. But there were meetings every month. Sometimes twice a month. And as Lead Inventor for New Dawn she was the kind of woman that had to be there. Not because she wanted to be, but because it was required. She apparently had to keep everyone up to date, not that she cared, but some people cared, and thus if she wanted to keep her position and her job she had to make sure that she played nice from time to time.

Such was the horridness, that she always had to go on a walk afterwards. Digest the new budgets, or whatever they were asking her to build now. Most might think that Blue, the work-a-holic would be the kind of woman that would dive right back into her lab and hurridly start working. Never coming up for air. But it wasn't as if everything came to her instantly. Sometimes she went through several different prototypes before she got it all right. Not that it was ever wrong, but there were often times that she knew it could be altered, and better.

Blue walked in the park. Clearing her mind. Her mind was also going through all the different schematics for what they wanted her to create. She was dressed a bit up more so than normal. Her outfit was not exactly what most people would wear to a big company meeting, but she really didn't care. She had been there, that was all that mattered in her mind.

Blue walked, hands casually in her pocket as she moved. The park was nice. Her black hair was oddly down. Most of the time her hair was up because the long blue and black locks got in the way. But, she just hadn't put it up yet. When she got to her lab she would put it back up. But for now, she was merely enjoying her stroll on the cool morning glad that she could feel it on her skin. Her half elven nature allowed her to feel the plants and trees. Not really communicate with them, but instead, just feeling their livelihood. Feeling them there with her, around her, she could tell if they were happy or not. She brushed her fingers on the trees as she passed, giving a slight smile as she did so. It felt good. To be in touch with nature, she often lost herself in her lab and didn't get a chance to commune with nature.

She was probably more human in nature than Elven, but she still respected that side of her.

Gabby's eyes were drawn to the brunette elf that was making her way across the park. She looked like Callia, except for the hair. Gabby's heart clenched and she had to turn away. It had been two years, but sometimes the pain was still fresh.

Gabby would have been inclined to let the girl continue walking past. She wasn't looking to make friends here. Not yet... not until she was sure about whether she could get back to her own time. There was no real point in establishing connections if she ended up not being here long.

Of course, fate had another idea in mind. Fate had always been a fickle mistress, and Gabriella Guinario was definitely Fate's Bitch.

At least for once, the chaos that erupted wasn't Gabby's fault.

Blue suddenly found herself surrounded by four men. Rough looking men dressed in dark clothing, with lengths of chain wrapped around the forearms of their jackets in what looked like some kind of gang sign. One of them was smoking something foul that was definitely much harsher than nicotine. He finished one cigarette and tossed it to the ground, then lifted another to his lips. He flicked a finger out and a spark of flame erupted from it, lighting the cigarette. He then let the flame spread and dance over the backs of his fingers.

"Well, well, well," he said, the other three men laughing as they stepped in a circle around Blue. "What do we got here, boys? Looks like a tasty little piece of elf booty! Whaddya say, sugar, you want to be friends?" he asked, staring right at Blue's chest.

Up in her tree a short distance away, Gabby was already nocking an arrow to her bow.

And then there were four.

Blue stopped in her walking. Four men watched her. Flanking her behind, and in front. She had a few things with her but she had left Albert at the lab. She normally didn't go anywhere without him. But this morning she had needed him a great deal because of all the information she had stored in him. So she had sent him back to the lab to charge up. Not that he would have been much help but she could have tapped in and at least had his camera record the transaction and even call for help.

But even still, she didn't really fear these men.

She was armed anyway. Always was. She had a gun in the back of her pants, luckily the vest hid it for the most part. She tilted her head only slightly. Most people didn't pick out her elven nature, but some had an eye for it. He lit another one of the horrible smelling cigarettes and Blue watched obviously unimpressed.

Seriously? I mean, right now? You fuckers best get out of my way I am in no mood to deal with prickless assholes.

One of the men choked. Somehow, apparently he had decided that she would cower since there were four of them. Probably even imagined her begging for mercy or something. That was not what they were going to get with Blue. She turned a bit, and tried to go past, but she had a plan because she knew it wasn't likely they were going to let her past.

She tried to push back.

~Where are you going? Missy? I think you need to give us a ittle attention. You are half Other afterall. You owe us.~

Owe.. them?

She tried not to let that sink in much as she spun and reached back pulling out her gun. It was a simple 9mm but it was totally badass because she had built it herself and it was basically a computer gun. She pointed it at one of the guys, but there were three others and that meant she could take maybe two of them out before the other two attacked her. She shot one, the bullet closed the space in a heartbeat for a leg shot, while her leg popped out at the guy that was behind her disconnecting his knee with her heeled boot. She wasn't huge on fighting but she knew a few weekspots.

~I wouldn't do that Princess.~

Said the obvious leader. He held up his hands but even still the other two were down but that didn't mean they were completely out. Blue aimed the gun at the leader.

Let me go. I didn't ask for trouble and you got more than you were bargaining for.

~Well that just makes you more desirable doesn't it?~

The man with the busted knee was definitely not out. Crying out in pain he raised his hands and brought them together in a loud CLAP. A sonic wave rushed from his hands, knocking the gun away from Blue's grip. The men that were still standing started converging on her, the leader raising flaming fists to beat her down.

It was then that an arrow came flying from the distance and took him in the shoulder.

He cried out, then grabbed the shaft and tried to burn it, but these arrows weren't made of wood. Gabby's allies back home had made them from a special alloy that was lightweight and extremely strong. A normal man couldn't break the shaft. Instead he yanked it out as hard as he could, and quickly cauterized the wound with his flames.

Another arrow flew, striking the man with the broken knee, the arrow embedding itself in his ribs. There was still no sign of the archer, for Gabby was well hidden in the tree. Try as he might, the pyro thug couldn't find her.

"Fuck!" Gabby screamed, leaping from the tree as she sensed the mana-fueled flames erupting around her. Luckily she had her power output clamped down, so the flames only got a little stronger. It was still enough of a boost to spread the flames through the whole tree, though.

Gabby ran on a wide arc away from the flaming tree, hoping there was some kind of fire department in this city. She couldn't believe how out of control things seemed to be here. It was as bad as it had been in her time. Mankind hadn't made any progress. They hadn't changed. After two centuries of war, crazy power-wielding thugs could still roam the streets with ease. It was horrible.

She nocked another arrow and took aim at the pyro. Maybe the world was full of chaos, but she could eliminate a small bit of the threat today. There would soon be four less uncontrolled empowered people to cause trouble.

The arrow flew, and this one caught the pyro in the eye. He fell, his flames extinguishing, though not before he set some if Tue nearby brush on fire in his death throes.

That still left the fourth man attacking Blue, and it was possible the one she had shot wasn't out for the count yet.

The gun flew from her hand.

Landing several feet away.

Blue didn't have any other weapons. Most of the time she had Albert with her, and most of the time she didn't go out very far. She basically lived in her lab. Ate, slept, showered, worked, all in the same large lab that she loved to call her home. So this whole being out and about and getting completely attacked was not normal for her. And she had to admit to her heart racing and her being scared a little bit.

The leader began to make his way to her, raising his fists in anger. Ready to take her down, when an arrow came out of nowhere and got him right in the shoulder. That dude was one tough fucker though, pulling it out after it wouldn't catch fire and then closing the wound with his own flames. Even Blue had to wince at that whole spectacle.

Another arrow came out right after the first and got the guy with the broken knee, Blue was grateful for the help but even she could not see who was helping her. The man with the flaming hands was shooting fire everywhere trying to figure out where her buddy was.

~Where is your little arrow bitch!?~ He cried loudly

One of the guys got a fistful of Blue's beautiful hair and wrenched her backwards against him. Which was really a bad idea. It might seem that most of the time Blue didn't give two shits about her looks, but she actually did put effort into taking care of her hair from time to time. She was proud of it, even if she rarely let it down because she was always working. She stepped into the man, to relieve the pressure on her hair and ducked quickly under his arm. As she moved she elbowed him in the ribs. When his hand dropped her hair she used every muscle she had to put him in a headlock and began to choke him.

As he turned blue, she heard a curse from above. The girl, it was she who had helped Blue had shot yet another of the four, and now Blue was dispatching the last one, who finally fell limp and to the ground. She konked him on the head good fashion with her gun when she retrieved it and did the same to all but the last one that was still very conscious.

I wouldn't fuck with people. You never know what you're going to get.

She looked over at the girl, and then at the tree that was now truly ablaze. Blue knew nothing could be done for it. Inwardly, she moaned for the loss of the life. And she wished that she had the more elven natured powers of being able to talk to trees and plants around them. But she didn't, and she didn't have anything on her that could help. She pulled out a small tablet, and she typed in a message to be sent to a fire crew, but if they showed up, it would be a miracle. Blue ignored the lost tree and moved over towards Gabby.

Thanks, for your assistance, are you injured?

Gabby hurried over, bow drawn as she watched the men for signs of movement. The one with an arrow in his ribs still seemed to be breathing, but a quick check of his vitals showed he didn't have much time left. Knowing there was little chance a doctor could get here in time, Gabby pulled one of the daggers from her belt and shoved it into the man's neck. A quick death was more than he deserved, but Gabby wasn't cruel.

She glanced up at the girl as she addressed Gabby, and nodded. "Nothing I can't handle," she said. She had some minor burns, but her body armor had absorbed most of it. "We need to get someone here to stop that fire," she said. "Do you have any kind of power?" She hadn't seen the girl do anything magical during the fight. She briefly let her aura (while set down to a trickle) flow over the woman to get a sense of her. The woman's mana sensed similar to a few people Gabby had known in her life: the ones with tech-magic. It wasn't likely that could be useful here.

Gabby looked back at the fire and thought fast. She couldn't do much, but she did have one idea. Any help wouldn't get here until the fire had spread way too far. There was only one thing she could do, and it was risky.

"Stand back," she told the woman, and then she stepped back over to the burning tree. The longer the fire burned, the more likely it was to start spreading further. The only way to stop it from spreading was to burnt it out faster.

There was still some residual mana in the flames, and Gabby spread her aura into it. She pumped as much energy as she could into the fire, her face soon covered in sweat from both the heat and her exertion. The flames grew in size, burning in an inferno that was far beyond any earthly flames.

The fire burned so hot and so fast that the tree was soon reduced to ashes. It collapsed, and the fire was robbed of it's fuel. It sputtered out, unable to continue burning when all the wood had been turned to ash. Gabby collapsed to one knee, panting, her heart racing and her head pounding. It had been a close call. Strengthening the fire had run the risk that it would spread faster, instead of consuming the fuel and dying. It was the only thing she had been able to think of, though.

She'd sacrificed one tree to save the forest. It was no different than the times she sacrificed one life to save others. Murder for a good cause.

The girl was so non-chalant about it. But in a way, that didn't matter. The fact was, she had been there when Blue was in danger, and Blue felt slightly indebted to her. But she would not mention that just now. There would be a time, that she would be able to repay that debt and she would as soon as it came to pass. But she was not going to worry about harping on it, and merely just let things happen and flow as they did.

Blue could only shake her head at Gabby's question. Nothing that could help the tree.

Blue stood back just a little bit. Not too far from the girl, but far enough that she wouldn't get burned as the fire flared. Blue figured that it had to be the girl doing it, because Blue wasn't doing anything and nothing else but feeding it mana would make the fire arch up even higher than it was at the moment. The tree was consumed very quickly. And then there was nothing but a smidgeon of wood and mostly ash on the ground. She was shocked, how fast the whole thing went up and down in flames.

Blue felt the loss of the tree. How could she not. It was like a small dull ache inside her chest. Being that she was half eleven, she may not have forestry magic but she was still somewhat connected to the nature around her. Thus, she felt the loss of the tree. She knew that it was better to sacrifice the one, to save the many, so she worked on getting herself to remember that instead of mourning the three.

That was an amazing power. I think I should buy you some coffee or tea or something, if you're up for it. To thank you for the help, and besides, there's nothing better than a hot drink in the afternoon. Are you interested?

She would wait for the answer, and hope that Gabby would be interested in coming with her. She really wanted to get to know her little savior. And besides, she needed to calm herself and her nerves down from her altercation in the park. Still, when and if they started walking side by side, it was then that Blue would take the chance to introduce herself.

I'm Blue, by the way. Blue Tiran.

Gabby moved from man to man, rooting through their pockets and taking their wallets and any valuables they had. It might seem distasteful, but Gabby needed money right now from any source she could find. Besides, these men were criminals. It was a sort of poetic justice to take something back from them.

"Your 'Terran Guard' doesn't do a very good job keeping this city safe," she said, rising from looting the last corpse. "Someone should be responsible for making sure that magically powered criminals aren't running around loose like this..." Back where she came from, her agency had hunted demons, vampires, lycanthropes, and criminals who used their powers for no good. Why wasn't there an organization like that anymore? It seemed like the Terran Guard was more focused on possible conflicts between the humans and the other races, trying to stop war from breaking out again. They likely couldn't focus on petty crime. And the police force, such as it was, seemed to have its hands full in this post-apocolyptic nightmare Gabby had found herself in.

There had to be something she could do about it.

She looked at the woman, giving her a smile. Gabby didn't drink coffee, but accepting the woman's offer, aside from being the courteous thing to do, meant that she could get information out of her. There was only so much that Gabby could learn from history books. "I'd love some tea or something," she said, forcing a warmth into her smile that she didn't really feel. She wasn't here to be social or make friends, but she could fake it.

"I'm Gabby, by the way," she said, giving the woman a wave from a safe distance. "I'm kinda new to the city. I'd love the chance to learn more about it." Her warm smile was carefully sculpted to make her seem like a tourist or something, but really, she was trying to collect information. Information was power, and Gabby was pretty powerless right now.

Blue could only give a slight grin at the girls' thoughts on the Terran Guard. They couldn't be everywhere at once, but people thought that they should be. They wanted the government to be involved but at the same time, they didn't. It was confusing but Blue figured that most of the time she was capable of taking care of herself. And even today she felt like she would have eventually gotten control back. But, she was lucky that this girl had been in the trees. Which sparked the question.

Why were you hiding up in the trees?

As they walked towards this great shop, passing other shops along the way, the girl mentioned that her name was Gabby. Blue nodded, it was a simple, and yet pretty name. Could be short for several variations of the same name. Blue's mind tapped into her computer and ran through the databases of all the variations of the name before she shut off her link and looked back over at Gabby.

The girl was lovely, though she could probably use a bath, a brushing, and a good meal. But she wasn't one to judge. It wasn't every day that she was put together like this. Most of the time she was in grungy clothes with grunge covering her skin, her hair pulled back into some sort of messy pony tail or bun, and up to her elbows in grease or spare parts. Cursing like a sailor at times as well, but today she had a meeting and had gotten dressed a bit for it. She didn't know that the girl thought she was attractive or that she reminded Gabby of her previous lover. She just was who she was. Blue did not change for anyone, at least, never had as of yet.

They walked past many shops, that would have done all right. But Blue had a favorite. It was this great shop, owned by an elf that her mother was friends with. Her mother had been an outcast of the Elven society for a while, until she found this city, the one where Others and Humans co-existed easily, most of the time. They had found and made their home in this city, where Blue had been lucky enough to grow up.

As they reached the place, that was more tree house than it was normal house, she took Gabby's hand and lead her up the spiral wooden staircase covered with blooming flowers until they reached the shops door and let go. Blue opened the door and they were hit with the organic scents of tea and other pastries and things that No-eim made every day from fresh ingrediants she grew herself using her magic.

Blue! How lovely to see you again! The usual? Oh! You've brought me a friend, excellent, have a seat, I will bring menus!

No-eim was a slight elf. More like a pixie. She was tiny and fragile looking but tall and willowy. She had a shock of neon pink hair, and bright purple eyes her skin was pale but covered in purple tattoos of various runes and designs. Blue motioned for Gabby to follow her to a bay window that overlooked the back garden that was covered in flowers, vegetables, and fruits that No-eim grew herself. They sat down and the pink Elf brought over a couple of menus.

Hello newcomer, I am No-eim, or you can call me Noe, most people do. Anyway, just let me know what you would like. Everything here is organic, as Blue knows, and I make everything fresh in the morning. All teas are brewed fresh while you wait, but pastries were made this morning, if you want any sort of meal, I will make that right now as well, look over the menu and let me know!

She smiled brightly as she pranced back to behind the counter and Blue shook her head. The woman was younger than her mother, and acted so as well, but she was not that much younger, though Elves lived a very long time, and her age could not really be compared to that of a human.

Sorry about her, she's a bit .. intense, but she makes the best tea and food in the city. Help yourself, my treat, for helping me out back there.

Gabby gave a shy smile when Blue asked why she was in the trees. "I wasn't hiding," she said. "I'm just more comfortable up there. I've spent a lot of time living with elves..." For a time, Gabby had almost thought of herself as an elf,she had adopted so many of their ways.

When Blue reached for her hand, Gabby pulled away from deep-rooted reflex. She gave the woman an apologetic smile and said, "My power activates on touch. Sorry..." She didn't feel like going into more detail about her ability than that. Hopefully the woman would accept that touching was off-limits.

She looked around the little shop with a smile, marveling at how different everything looked here. It was quite exotic. She ordered some fruit and muffins for her meal, and thanked the proprietor.

While she was waiting for their meal to arrive, she decided to start probing for some information in the guise of casual conversation. "You'd think that the government would crack down on crime more," she said. "But then, I don't know much about the politics here. Have you heard anything on the news about someone trying to fix things? Anyone new running for office? If they can clean up the crime around here, they'd have my vote, that's for sure." Of course, Gabby didn't even know if this was a democratic government, and she certainly couldn't vote here. But Gabby's real goal was to get a feel for the political situation here. She needed allies, and she had to know who she could seek out for help.

"Or is there anything else exciting in the news lately?"

So no touching.

That was fine with Blue. She wasn't much of a toucher anyway. As they sat down it didn't take Gabby long to figure out what she wanted. Blue ordered her favorite Rainwater Citrus tea and a small fruit salad of her own. The fact that the woman used to live with elves, was a interesting thing to learn about the girl on the way up, and she had to admit she was fascinated by that whole thing.

But she dove straight into politics and Blue's face crossed with confusion for a moment before it smoothed out. The girl seemed to want to know about the city. And she was a little pushy on it. Not that she was like 'tell me or else' rather that she just seemed to really want to know what was going on in the city. Anything exciting in the news and that sort.

Blue wondered silently if that meant she had just arrived in Librium, or if she had been gone for a while and just come back. The girl was human, that much was fairly obvious, and she had powers, that much she had told Blue. But aside from that and living with Elves she didn't know much more about the woman. Still, this was the chance to do just that.

Hmm, no one knew running for office that I know of. There are always people spouting promises. Constantly, swearing to things, so that perhaps they could be considered when the time comes. Though people do not trust them so readily, they have been burned frequently enough from these preachers of false promises.

Their food and drinks were dropped off. Blue pushed her tea to the side to let it cool and she picked up a small circular cut of mango from her salad and dropped it into the top of her tea letting the flavors meld while she picked up her small fork and took a bite of her fruit.

I guess, the biggest thing in the news right now, would be Celestis. The floating city. The Avians and several advocate groups are working in a conjoined effort to raise the fallen city to it's rightful place in the sky. Many are hopeful that it will help set the world to rights again.

She shrugged her shoulders.

So, if you do not know about all of this stuff, you must not have been from around here. But you said you have lived with elves. So now, I am curious, where you are from?

"I'm from St. Louis," she replied. "I've been away on business for awhile, so I'm a little behind on current events. But raising the sky city? Wow, that's ambitious of them." Gabby had heard about this sky city the other day. Something about it didn't sit right with her.

"How will that 'set the world right' though?" she asked. "I mean, I'm sure it'll be good for their publicity and all... but other than giving people something cheerful to distract them, is it going to actually... DO anything?" She didn't know the first thing about this sky city, other than that it had fallen during this cataclysm that apparently happened. But re-raising it sounded to Gabby like a dangerous waste of money and effort. This world was in ruins, people were struggling just to get by, and the governments were channeling all their efforts into something grandiose but seemingly useless. Sure, it'd make people happy for a short time, but then they'd have to go back to their lives with none of their problems solved.

"And how do they know it won't fall again?" she asked. "I mean, isn't that dangerous? Not only would the people living in the sky city all die, but if it crashed onto a major settlement..." She shook her head. It seemed like a big, wasteful ploy by the government to distract people with a display of power.

"It sounds like more 'preachers of false promises' if you ask me."

Blue shrugged.

Thing is, with most people, they wish for nothing more than hope. Hope gives people a reason to live for. A glimmer in the eye. Something to fight for. You may think that it gives nothing more than a city once more in the sky. But these people, humans, Others, and what have you. See this as a promise. That everyone is working together. To set the world right again. We have angered Terra, and we are repenting. Slowly, slowly we will rise up again, and we will prove ourselves worthy of our lives upon her surface. Hope, is all anyone needs to continue forward. That is what I meant.

She didn't normally say a lot. But this girl didn't seem to have a grasp on some things and Blue figured that it wasn't going to hurt to give the girl the gist of the whole situation. At least the way that Blue saw it. Which wasn't the same as everyone, but it was close enough. She figured that most people would understand. Hope was all that one needed to spur forward, to know that something good could indeed happen. Maybe to them, maybe not, but if there was good left in the world then it was worth going on. Pushing forward and finding a purpose.

The girl mentioned the city falling again and Blue shrugged.

Well I guess that depends on what it's held up by. I don't know the mechanics of it. But if it's by mana and magic, then I doubt it. It fell before, because of the Enlightenment, but, this is, different. This I think, will probably remain aloft unless there was some other revolt from Terra. Again, I'm not sure, you would have to talk to the team sending her back up. But as far as I know, it is still being created.

She looked over at the blue eyed girl who was eating her muffin and drinking her tea. It was strange. The girl mentioned she was from St Louis but Blue wasn't even sure that the city existed anymore. She didn't sound like she was from around here, and she didn't act like she was around here.

So where are you staying? You said you are from St Louis, but surely you aren't sleeping in the trees in the park.

Gabby shook her head slightly. "I'm all about giving people hope," she said. "But I think they should start by giving people the hope that there'll be food on their tables, and that they can walk down the streets safely without being attacked. Not putting a city up in the sky. People will be happy for a few days, and then go back to realizing that they have to deal with their day to day struggles."

Another thing that confused her made Gabby blurt out without thinking, "Who's Terra?" She hadn't seen anything about that name in her history research. Whoever she was, the people had... angered her? And they were repenting? She could only guess that it was a religious figure of some kind.

Then Blue mentioned 'the Enlightenment'. That word HAD come up in her research. It was what they called the cataclysm that had come ten years ago. The problem was, in just a few days of research, she hadn't been able to figure out much detail about what the Enlightenment was, nor how it happened. Most of the history books referred to it without going into detail... likely because it was the sort of thing that everyone already knew all about. That also meant she couldn't ASK about it without Blue looking at her like she was crazy... and she was already skirting that line enough as it was.

Though the girl mentioned Terra again, and said that she had revolted? Gabby frowned in confusion. Maybe Terra was the leader of the 'Terran Guard'. "Is there any reason to think Terra might revolt again?" she asked. "I mean, nobody wants another war, right?" She had the feeling she was missing some key pieces here, and sounding like an utter idiot.

"I'm staying at a hotel in the city for now," she said in reply to the woman's question. "Looking for... work. Sort of. I just... moved here recently, so I'm still getting used to life in this city."

Blue gave a slight grin.

Well, that is government for you. They don't see that as helping they see it as giving the people too much. Give them too much and what will they work for? Nothing. There is no drive. It is not my view, it is theirs.

Blue went back to her fruit salad. Pushing the fruit around finding the ones that she liked the best and bringing those on the wooden utensil back to her mouth where she would eat it and enjoy the view of the garden. Blue was half elf, and there were many times that the half elf side came out and really showed itself. Other times she felt that she was far more human than elven.

When Gabby asked who Terra was, she paused with a piece of orange halfway between her bowl and her mouth. Her blue green swirled eyes looked up at the girl for a moment. So her suspicion had been right. The girl was not from here. Not the city, that much was obvious, it was the world. But, how did she get here? Her mind began to flow with hundreds of questions one on top of the other on top of the other as they ran rampant in her mind.

She was certain to give a mind reader a headache with the way her mind worked most of the time.

Terra is the land, the planet that we live on. She is the holder of all things mana. It was she that caused the Enlightenment. Forcing the war that was marring her soil and poluting her airs to cease. You are most definatly not from here, as I suspected, where are you from?

Blue pursed her lips at Gabby's next question and leaned back further into her seat. She tilted her head to the side slightly as she took a cup of tea.

It is hard to say. The Others and the Humans tore apart the surface of Terra. Taking her and her gifts for granted. I believe, that it was a last resort. Could she? Definatly. Would she? I think it would take a lot. Or perhaps less this time now that she understands it works. I don't know, it's hard to say, however, the peace we enjoy right now, while tentative at best, is what she has sought. As long as it lasts, I think we have nothing to fear.

Blue sat her cup down and placed her hands gently on the table. Though she seemed relaxed her eyes betrayed her eagerness for the answer to her next question.

Tell me of the world where you come from.

The way the woman looked at Gabby, she knew she had said something wrong. Some verbal equivalent of suddenly.sprouting horns. Her mind raced to review what she had just said, trying to piece together an excuse that would cover her ignorance.

As the woman explained, Gabby started to understand. Terra must have been the Elven word for EARTH. The woman was talking about the world as if it were a living, thinking thing. Just like Callia used to. The elves must have thought this cataclysm was a deliberate act, rather than a natural disaster. It was probably a religious thing for them, like they viewed Terra as a God. But as far as Gabby was concerned, that was bull shit. The world couldn't 'sense' war on its surface, or react to put an end to it. This was just a bunch of superstition to explain something beyond their understanding.

Still, no reason to insult the woman's beliefs. "I told you, I'm from St. Louis," she said, completely casual. "We just don't use the name 'Terra' there. We say 'Earth'. Regional dialect, I guess. You could say Earth, the World, Gaia, whatever. I'm just not used to hearing it called Terra." She shrugged, making it all seem like casual conversation. "How could you think I'm 'from another world?'" she asked. "Do I look like an alien?" She laughed and shook her head. Gabby was no alien, she was a time traveller. But she wasn't about to admit that.

"Where I come from," she said, "they don't teach us that the Enlightenment was a deliberate act by the world to save itself. Different beliefs, I suppose. I was only twelve when it happened, so I didn't understand as much then as I do now. But back home they say it was an Enlightenment of people's understanding. People saw the destruction, and realized how bad the war had been, and knew they had to stop it. I don't mean to insult your beliefs of course... I was just taught differently." She offered the woman a warm smile. She was, of course, making all this up as she went along, but there would be no way to tell that. It wasn't like the woman could prove what Gabby had or hadn't been raised to believe. Just like one person could tell another that their religion was 'wrong,' this woman couldn't argue against what someone else had been taught. She could disagree, sure, but that didn't mean she could puck out the lie. She would just have to accept that Gabby had been raised with different beliefs.

Cultural differences was a far more believable explanation than thinking she came from another world.

She supposed the girl could be right.

Different places taught their children differently. Perhaps, being raised half Elven had given her a far more detailed idea of what Terra was and who.. in fact Terra was. For Terra herself was the earth, the dirt, the lovely beautiful plants and trees, the sky. She was the world. She was a being to Blue and her family. Blue was not religious, she had never been. But she did believe in the way that the trees and plants spoke to her, that she felt more at peace when she was at home among plants and flowers than anywhere else. But at the same time she felt at home when she was at her lab. Those were her two happy places.

Once she spent more time at than another.

To each their own beliefs. I am sure, everyone differs, even if slightly, from what I believe. Or was taught. Being what I am, helps I am sure, because I am capable of seeing the world in varying ways. Through the trees, plants, and flowers. And through the various devices and logistics.

She looked back out at the garden, the girl seemed done, and so was Blue. Blue stood up and lay some money on the table, she didn't expect the girl to pay or pay her back. There was no reason for it. Blue made plenty of money with her job, and the girl had done her a solid when she helped save her life or at least her fortitude in the park today. Blue looked over at the girl.

Care to do into the garden. Noe, doesn't let a lot of people out there, but she always lets me, so come on, I think you will really like it. It's really lovely. She has a gift, even for an elf. Her gifts of magic with the plants is truly something amazing, she can grow anything at any time.

She didn't offer her hand this time, she had learned enough the first time, and understood Gabby didn't wish to be touched. That was fine with Blue, she was not normally a very touchy person either. So she merely used her hand to point the way to the back door with a wooden staircase that lead down into the large expansive garden. It wasn't like the nice neat organized gardens that humans built. X amount of inches away from other plants and all brown dirt and no weeds, it was more of a jungle but a organized jungle. With walkways and plants everywhere. Flowers, fruits, vegetables. The area was filled, some areas were overhanging the lovely walkways that you could walk down, others let the sun shine down on the gravel walkways.

Should not be too hard for you to find a job in the city. You mentioned you needed one. I do not really have those kinds of connections or I would help you. But Noe does, she sees a lot of people in and out, you may ask her. Though I'm not sure if she can find you what you may really want.

Blue looked over at the woman that walked beside her.

Do you have anyone back home that you have left behind?

"I learned a lot about Elven ways from my girlfriend," Gabby replied. "Before she died. So I can definitely respect the view of the world, or Terra, as something alive." Of course, she didn't really believe it, even if she respected it. When she had been living with Callia, she had embraced those beliefs, and tried to share them. After Callia's death, however, she had neri consumed with her work. She had neri trained and educated in a scientific, rather than spiritual way. She had taken to that training so much that she now no longer viewed magic and powers as anything mystical. They were simply a science of energy, which most people just didn't yet understand.

All the talk about the will of Terra and her revolting was nothing more than superstition.

She followed the woman down into the garden, though she excused herself to the restroom for a moment to get a brief break from holding her aura in. She was getting a pretty bad headache. When she returned, she sat a little bit further from Blue in the garden so she wouldn't have to hold it in as much. That way she could hold a longer conversation before she wore herself out.

She smiled and felt more relaxed in the lush garden. Even though she no longer fully embraced the Elven beliefs, one thing that had never changed was her love for nature. She always felt more relaxed among plants, and it brought back sweet yet sorrowful memories of her time with Callia in Mississippi. Part of her wished she could go back to that life.

"I don't have anyone left back home," she said. "I lost them all to tragedy years ago. I'm all alone..." She couldn't go into detail, since her story might not entirely fit in this time. Not that she liked talking about the loss of her family, anyway. Four years later, the memories still stung.

She tried to think what other useful information she could get out of Blue. Politics and government didn't seem to be anything the woman knew anything about. But she had a lot to say about this Enlightenment. Gabby knew very little of it, despite the story she had just spun to cover up her ignorance. If most people here viewed it the same way Blue did, then learning more about it could be crucial. She decided to continue her charade of 'having been taught differently,' in order to learn more.

"I'm curious," she said, "about what you've been taught about the Enlightenment. I always respect and want to learn more about other people's beliefs. Maybe some of what I was taught was wrong. And I was so young when it happened... Could you tell me more about how you view it? Or your experiences when it happened?"

Terra was alive.

And those that did not understand or believe that were of their own thought process. Blue did not believe them stupid or wrong, but merely the way that most would view it. That it was something each person saw differently. That was the kind of thing that each had to hold to their own view on it. Still, Blue didn't correct the woman, nor would she force her thoughts on the girl. That wasn't who she was. She knew that Gabby would find her own way at some point. Each had to come to their own Enlightenment on their own.

Gabby excused herself and as she did Blue took a seat on one of the many wooden benches that were out in the garden. She leaned back and closed her eyes. Breathing in and out. Each breath brought a fresh breeze of the plants and surrounding soil. The scents of flowers and blossoms. The fruits and vegetables. Everything. It was as if it filled her soul, and she breathed it out letting her aura meld with that of the Earth around her. She did not have what most would call 'elven' magic. She was however, still elven and she was able to get in touch with nature in a way that no human could.

Her returning footsteps brought Blue's eyes to open. She pulled her aura back inside her body, from years of meditation she was able to control it better than most, and it was more that she let it free than she really melded with the nature around her. When Gabby sat back down she asked about the Enlightenment and Blue's brows rose. Then fell as she thought about how to explain it. She had a feeling Gabby thought she was already a bit eccentric.

But then, she was.

She laughed when she was asked about her own experiences.

Well I was only like.. fifteen, but I can tell you what I have been taught and what I remember. The world was split into two. There were the humans, living as they did. Scarring the world, taking her materials for granted. Taking what she herself had given us for granted. And there were, the Others. People like myself and other races that lived in harmony with Terra. With magic as well. When the humans realized that the Others existed there was a war. The war raged for years, years and years. Damaging Terra, and all that she was. The earth was torn, sent assunder, and she revolted. Putting a stop to this war. Earthquakes. Terrible storms, she raged on and on and then she ceased. But we had gotten the message, we could not abuse the Earth, not any longer. Terra had spoken and if we wanted to continue our lives we would listen. The treaty was struck, and we have lived in tenative peace since. What about yourself? What was it like for you? What do you know of it?

Gabby listened, and added what the woman said to what she had read in the history books. Some of the pieces were making more sense now. After centuries of war... a war she assumed must have started not long after she left her own time, a cataclysm had come and people had taken it as a sign. They thought the world had literally acted out to stop the war. It was just superstitious nonsense to Gabby, but if that was what most people believed, she would need to understand it in order to blend in.

When the woman asked Gabby's side, she decided to keep her story as simple as possible to avoid saying anything that could be proven false. "No one in my family actually fought in the war," she said. "But I knew people in our home city who got shipped off to fight. But since I was so young, I never really learned much about what was going on. My Dad would just tell me 'We're fighting to protect our way of life,' and that was that. So, I wasn't really taught to hate Others, the way some people were. But, I know my Dad was protecting me. He was trying to stop me from having to really experience all the violence and hatred that was out there."

"All I remember of the Enlightenment was being scared," she continued. "And hiding. And coming out after to find out how so many people were dead. Then we heard that the war stopped, and I thought that was a good thing. But I wasn't taught that the world revolted to make the war stop. I guess I just always thought the Enlightenment caused so much pain and destruction, that people lost their will to fight." She shrugged, leaving it at that.

She thought of what else she could learn from this woman. It was certainly more effective than reading through the history books. She still had to be careful what questions she asked, and how she asked them. But Blue didn't seem to be much involved with politics or law, which were the main questions Gabby needed answers to.

Blue was Elven, though, and maybe Gabby could get some information from her about the Elven lands. "I'm curious," she said. "I've never actually visited the lands of the Others. All I ever hear about them are rumors and stories. That's not the same as actually going there... have you ever been there? I figure that's where you're from, right? What can you tell me about them?" Here, her ignorance on the subject was perfectly understandable. Most humans probably didn't know much about the Others' lands.

The girl was very vague when it came to giving information on her life. Blue was normally that way, but she didn't really care today. Perhaps she had a soft spot for the girl because she had helped save her life. Or perhaps it was because she had been so friendly and so curious. Blue appreciated more than anything, someone that craved knowledge and wasn't afraid to ask questions that someone else might think was stupid. Because you never knew what you were going to find. A little tidbit of information here or there could go a long way.

When she asked about being Elven and what the cities were like Blue gave a slight smile. Blue had been to Elyria several times, but in the same breath she wasn't from there. She didn't mind the Elven cities and what not but they were just as harsh to half elves as the humans were that were Anti-Other. It seemed that no where you went were people willing to really accept who was what they were. Elven, half, part, whatever. She was proud of her parents.

In her own way, their love was the kind of love she wouldn't mind finding herself one day. One that didn't care of race or anything. It was all just about their love. They took that, and created something truly beautiful. Giving birth to three half and half children, one of which had died, the other became a werewolf, and Blue was just Blue.. the outcast techie freak of the elven clan.

Well, I am not from Elyria, as you might have thought. I am from here, in Librium. I am not full elf, but half. My father is human. We live here because it is one of the few places in the world we can live in peace. The elves do not care for half breeds and neither do the humans.

Blue shrugged softly and then she went on.

Well, Elyria is a forested area. But it is still a very young forest. There are very few that are large and tall. The Enlightement took out a great deal of the forestry, and the Elves there are working hard day in and out to rebuild the city. Growing trees, crops, flowers, and everything. Ten years have passed, some trees are big enough to shade the ground now, but not yet large enough for the elves to build their true homes among their branches.

She looked off, her eyes fading out into a space like stare as she thought about all the plants and trees. She had been to Elyria a few times, and tended to play up the elven side of her. But, they knew, usually, if they got close enough there were subtle clues and the fact that she had the occupation that she did, spoke volumes.

They are often very self righteous. Believing that they were the ones that took care of Terra before the humans had killed her. But in truth the fault lies on both sides. But some are too self righteous to see it.

She regained the focus in her eyes as her gaze shifted back to Gabby. What about you? You said you lived with Elves. What were they like?

Gabby touched her lips with a thoughtful look when Blue started talking about regrowing a forest. Without stopping to think if she was giving too much information, she said, "I helped grow a forest in a day, once. A city that had been devastated and left in ruins... with my ability boosting the strength of an elf with the magic to grow plants, we were able to terraform the whole area in no time..." She wondered if that was a possible route to power... if she offered her services to the elves, and helped them regrow this forest faster, she might be able to gain some political influence in return.

When Blue asked about her prior experience with elves, Gabby stared off into space. Memories of her time with Callia surged forth, and brought tears to her eyes. "I lost my family to... an accident, a few years ago," she said. "I was lost and alone, and ran off away from my home. I didn't want to be around it anymore. Too many bad memories..."

"I met a tribe of nomadic elves. They took me in, and I lived with them for awhile. Until they got wiped out by..." she shook her head, not wanting to go into that story. "By a tragedy. I was one of the only survivors, along with the leader of the tribe, Callia. Not long after that, we became lovers. We lived together for a little less than a year, before she... was murdered."

She wiped her eyes dry, and shook her head. "It's not something I like talking about. Sorry..."

Blue could not help but be interested when Gabby mentioned that she had helped once grow a forest in a day with her powers. She had never heard of anyone with that kind of power, of course she had no idea what Gabby's power actually was. But it didn't matter. Gabby even told her that she had helped Terraform an entire area before because of her powers before. She bit her lower lip and looked at the girl that sat there. Brown hair, blue eyes, pale skin, and a distinct mix of self consciousness and confidence that was unlike anything Blue had ever seen.

I think the Elves would appreciate your help. Being that you're human though, you would probably need some sort of Elven ambassador. Someone that could help you get in so that the Elves would at least listen to you. The ones in Elyria tend to be very self righteous.

The girl went on to explain a bit more about herself. How everyone she had known before had died, through some sort of tragedy. And then she met with the elves and then found herself living with the elves who again were wiped out by some sort of tragedy. Blue got the gut feeling that tragedy followed this girl where ever she went. She couldn't explain the feeling other than the whole gut feeling thing.

I understand, but I am sorry for your loss.

Blue rose and motioned for Gabby to do the same. The girl needed cheering up and Blue knew of a place that she hoped Gabby would like. It was somewhat next door, but really at the end of the garden. As they walked quietly through the pathways, she found herself silently musing about her companion for the day. Gabby was a strange one, different than anyone she had ever met. She supposed that was how life mostly was. But then again, Blue didn't make a huge habit of meeting or getting to know anyone. She tended to just sit in her lab most of the time.

Okay, I hope I'm not wrong with this. But, I have a feeling that you might like this place.

They opened a glass door and inside was a butterfly room. Bright colorful butterflies moved from brightly colored flower to brightly colored flower. Flying and fluttering in the air, moving around at their fluttering pace. Some of them alighted on Gabby and Blue as they walked in the large glass dome. Blue hoped she wasn't wrong, this place wasn't magical it was just beautiful.

"You wouldn't happen to know an Elven ambassador, would you?" Gabby asked. The very question put a foul taste in her mouth. An Elven ambassador had been the one who got the tribe killed. That incident had stripped Callia away from her for months, while her lover was locked away in an Elven prison because of the ambassador's death. That incident had branded Gabby an enemy of the Elven state. The idea of talking to another Elven ambassador didn't sit well with her, but if she could gain political clout through it, it might be worth it.

Gabby followed the woman back into the other room, having no idea what to expect on the other side of the door. What she saw, however, made her heart sing. She stepped in and laughed, holding up her hands so the butterflies could land on her fingers. It was so overwhelming, the sights so beautiful, that for a moment she lost control of her aura. It spread around the room and Blue got a brief but intense surge of Mana, before Gabby recovered herself and pulled it back in. "Sorry," she said, hoping she hadn't hurt the girl too much. She knew how bad the pain could get from the feedback.

She walked among the butterflies and felt tears come to her eyes. She wanted to just let go... it would feel so good right now to just let it all out and cry to her heart's content. The peace and beauty here were reminding her so much of her lost love. Callia would have been in heaven in a place like this. She couldn't let herself cry though. Releasing the tears would mean releasing her aura, and that much emotion would overload Blue far too much. So she wiped the tears away, and forced her emotions back down. The strain of holding her aura in started to negate the peacefulness of the place she was in, and the burden settled around her shoulders once more.