thehometree

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It's still early in the morning as the increasing winds roar outside the little fairy homes, rustling the small balconies and gusting slightly through the crack in the fourth floor wall. It's nothing but a bit of bad weather, something the week has been full of.

...that is, until a deafening crack is heard outside the tree, only to thunder into the tree itself with such force that it shakes the whole trunk.

The air is quickly filled with ash and soot, blackening everything outside.

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She's grateful that they leave her statement at that, but Orcelito's question makes her freeze for a second before she finally drops her hand to pat herself. No, it's no use anyway, she knows her gem is still tucked under her pillow, where she always keeps it at night. She left her room in such a rush that she forgot to grab it.

"... It's still in my room," she answers as her expression falls. Ideally, she would send Ninna to retrieve it, but she also shies away from fire and just the presence of smoke will startle the infant dragon. Riona certainly isn't going to ask her housemates to go back inside, either, so she appreciates the offer for support.

"Where are we going? Further up?"

"I've got mine," Kit says, fishing the crude necklace containing her gem out of one of her belt pouches. It might seem odd to the others that Kit sleeps with her belt on, but she's so used to it by now that she doesn't even notice it.

Kit shakes her head at the notion of going up, though, even as her wings reappear. "If there's smoke, we want to go down," Kit says. "Smoke rises, and the water's below us anyway."

She reaches into a belt pouch again and offers Riona a vial of the glittering golden dust. "Here," she says. "It wears off eventually, but this'll let you fly without your wings for a little while." Certainly long enough to get down to the water.

For a moment, Orcelito considers going back into the house and fetching Riona’s gem for her. Then he remembers what happened when he touched Kit’s gem, and he can almost feel his arm burning again. They'll have to find another solution.

“Kit’s right. Fire climbs, so we should stay near the ground.” Anyone who’s ever lit a torch knows that. Once again, Riona’s lack of real-world experience puzzles him. But if she’s ‘no good with fire’, he will accept that as an explanation for now.

He bursts into a relieved smile when Kit draws out the vial. He does find it peculiar that she chooses to sleep with her equipment, but he’s learned to accept such idiosyncrasies, especially when they turn out to be blessings. “Yes, that’s perfect! I’ve heard the effects last an hour. That should be enough time to reenter the house.” He hopes. To Riona, he adds, “You'll need to pour the entire vial over yourself for it to work.”

As for himself, Orcelito rolls back the cuff of his left sleeve to reveal his night gem, the bracelet turned so it doesn’t touch his skin. It’s another piece of jewelry he’s taken to wearing constantly. But he'll wait until the others are in the air before he takes off.

Is that how it works? Riona looks at Kit and Orcelito with intrigue as they explain, and then nods in understanding. As opposed as she is to fire, she should learn more about the science behind it to better protect herself in the future. Liam isn't here to take care of their problems, and she certainly wouldn't do well if something like this happened again while she was alone.

Her eyes widen slightly when Kit reveals the vial of gold dust because she recognizes it instantly. She had no idea Kit had her share of it as well. Riona's vials are also back in her room, tucked away in her burlap sack. Her surprise extends to Orcelito's words as well—it sounds like he has some of his own as well? But she can think more about that later when they're out of danger, so she reaches to take it and cautiously pop it open.

"Thank you, Kit," she says with a tight smile before turning her attention to Orcelito. Seeing that they both have their gems at the ready, she takes the initiative to do as she's told and pour the dust over herself, eyes shut as the gold shimmers around her. It isn't long before her feet lift off the ground, and Riona spends a few moments to get her bearings before taking a breath to ease her anxiousness. Her coughs aren't so bad anymore, but her throat still itches so she's eager to get to the water.

"So...downward, then. I'll follow you two." Her fists clench nervously at her sides despite her efforts to calm down, but she feels better with her company.

When one lives on the streets and all one's worldly possessions fit into a carry bag or a few belt pouches, one learns to keep them close. And being a fugitive from an evil sorcerer and his minions who might strike at any moment only reinforces it. These days, in the relative safety of the Tree, it's mostly habit, but one Kit's not inclined to break.

Especially when it proves useful. Kit smiles at Orcelito's indirect praise as she hands over the vial to Riona. "Glad I could help," she says, watching as Riona pours the glittering dust over herself. Once Riona is airborne and has gotten her bearings, Kit flutters her wings and heads for the hole that leads down to the lower levels.

"Do we want the baths or the wells clear at the bottom?", Kit asks as they begin their descent.

That is an excellent question. Orcelito stretches out his wings and gives them a heavy beat to scatter the lingering smoke while he considers.

“The baths.” He says finally. “If someone opens the entrance door to get water from the root system, I don’t want to be in the way.” He remembers Korra would pull water from the root system when she needed it. Others may do the same. Besides, the baths are a social area and others may be gathered there.

He takes off, turning a tight circle to get his bearings and then settling into a hover. The Life Stream feels positively wonderful as always; the stress and tension from the fire melt out of him, and his wings beats slow into a relaxed wave. He refocuses on Kit, then Riona. She looks tense… is it the fire or the flying without wings that bothers her?

“We’re right here if you need help, so just let us know.” He reassures. He'll stay close by during their descent in case she needs support.

She trails behind the two and lets herself get a bit distracted while they speak, her gaze flitting back and forth their surroundings to see if the fire or smoke will appear in a new direction. While that makes it easier to ignore the strange sensation of flying without wings, it doesn't ease her apprehension. They do seem relatively safer inside the tree than out, but if it was between staying in a closed space and an open one, Riona would most likely choose the latter. So she truly hopes this is the right way to go, and it's a good thing she has a fair amount of faith in her two companions.

Orcelito's voice drags her out of her thoughts and her eyes snap back at him. She blinks, then the words sink in and her body tightens up involuntarily.

"I—" She presses her lips together. 'I'm fine' is a bold-faced lie so she doesn't say it. For Kit and Orcelito to be so calm after the initial panic—she envies that. "... Thank you. Um..." What was Kit saying? Something about the baths.

"What happens when we get down there? Do we wait...?"

Kit sighs softly as they pass through the lifestream, its golden light melting the fear and tension out of her too. Maybe it's just a trick of the magic, but it still feels good. Everything will be fine, it says. You're safe. It feels good to be safe.

Kit also stays near Riona, on the opposite side from Orcelito, ready to help if its needed. She doesn't really think it will though. It's really not that far down to the baths and the magic will certainly hold til then. Plus it's easier to breathe as they move away from the smoke.

"We should probably wait a little while at least yeah," Kit says. "If we don't hear anything after a little while, one of us can go out and check what's going on, and whether it's safe to go back to the house."

As Orcelito watches Riona accustom herself to floating, he wonders why the residents of the Tree weren’t given more quantities of this dust. It looks easier than flying with wings. Wings are often bulky, disruptive, and take a great deal of coordination – floating appears effortless. Perhaps there is more significance behind the two gems on the ground floor, and the wings they give?

He nods at Kit’s suggestion. “Agreed. We’ll wait.” Since the baths are a social location, he hopes others may pass by so he can get a report on the situation.

Orcelito slows his decent as they reach the fifth floor. As he suspected, the large doors to the outside are shut tight and the animals are huddled in their pen. The tack is resting on the walls and there’s no sign of evacuation.

Where they would evacuate to is a pressing question. Would the mist let them leave if it was their only choice? He imagines so. But without knowing for sure his eyebrows draw together in a worried frown. If the Tree is in danger, they could be trapped by the very thing that should protect them. Wouldn’t that be absurd? He’d like to think whoever is in charge of this place is more intelligent than that.

Orcelito touches down on the bath floor, wings sweeping out for balance then folding neatly. Instead of heading straight to the pool to wash up, he kneels down and looks at the floors below.

He looks up to address his roommates. “I’m going check the lower floors. Stay here.”

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