Flashback My Mum Exists in Twilight III

[Lani Stranger]

67th of Fall, 509AV
Name timeline

Fall was settling into the Lhavit peaks once again, and the fourteen year old had been in Lhavit two years now. Between the ages of twelve and fourteen, a child grows more than they realize, while the world around them remains the same. Except, the world is never really stagnant, children are just egotistical and unaware. Which is exactly Leavou’s predicament.

The cottage they lived in was much larger than anything they had lived in in Alvadas. Although her mother worked on the Sartu peak, she had nested on the Sharai peak with her daughter in order to give her child some semblance of home, away from the hustle of being directly in the city. This opprutunity was not afforded to them in Alvadas, not only because her mother was trying to support two on a barmaid’s coin while focusing her time on her studies, but also because no matter where they had chosen to live in Alvadas, they would be across down within a day, through no option of their own.

Having grown up in that kind of environment during her formidable years, Leavou looked out on the sleepy fields of the Sharai peak with distaste and restlessness. Her time was usually spent in the inner peaks, and not enough time exploring the small token of cultivated land on the fifth peak. Her mother tried to encourage her to spend her free time at home, but it was nearly impossible to get the energetic teen to remain somewhere that she couldn’t find trouble in.

While R’yse focused on her work with the Towers, Leavou was focusing on pushing the boundaries set on her by age and class. Lhavit was in political turmoil. Her mother and herself had arrived long after the real leaders of the city left, supposedly to help some God, or maybe for a vacation. In the meantime the Towers had seized control, and while Leavou and R’yse were relatively guarded from the true horrors of what that meant, due to their proximity with them, Leavou was becoming more aware. She had opinions that shouldn’t be shared with anyone working for the Towers, but that her mother had heard on repeat. Still, the child had grown up to be confident and brash, with little care for what those had to say about her, much like her mother. Only since coming to Lhavit had R’yse attempted to reign in her own tongue and instill manners on her daughter. All she got was a reckless child and a lot of apologies.

”Hey ma?” Leavou called, knocking on R’yse’s study. The dusk break was about to finish, and Leavou had woken up early so that she could see if her mother would let her come to the Tower with her. R’yse was getting better in her craft, and the drama of overgiving in her first summer working for the Tower had long since passed. Tasa was an excellent teacher and had managed to reign someone as ambitious as R;yse in. She had also managed to teach R;yse precaution, something the Konti had never before exhibited, and something that Leavou wasn’t used to. It was this exact precaution that kept the half-Chaktawe from learning about Alchemy in any real sense. She did, however, though her mother, have a fairly familiar relationship with the Twilight family, specifically the two Ethaefal that worked for them as instructors. This, and some determination, was all the Leavou needed… she hoped.

”What?” Her mother shouted back, a tired sound which meant Leavou had probably just woken her form napping on her notes.

[Lani Stranger]

”Can I come in?” She asked, gripping the bowl with the fried egg and greens in one hand. R’yse only grunted in response, and LEavou tried the knob. When it opened, she found her mother running iridescent webbed fingers on her cheeks to rub the crust of her drool off. She was examining the notes which were not splotched and warped from her sleeping on them, and frowning.

”That sucks.” She commented, placing the bowl and fork down in front of her mother and dragging a stool over to perch next to her. R’yse glared at the bowl, still groggy.

”Yeah it does. I assume this sweet gesture is because you want something?” Her mother asked. Her tone was sharp at first, but sweetened with amusement as she read right through her daughter’s shenanigans.

”Yes, and because you are probably hungry.” Leavou explain, lifting her brows and widening her eyes in a mock innocence. Hermother chuckled, but did not reach for the bowl. Instead she patted her daughter’s shoulder for a quick second.

”If it isn’t too out there, I might just say yes.” R’yse complied, and Leavou read it for the thank you that it was meant to be. She grinned.

”I want to come in with you today.” She blurted out, not wanting to waste time.

”No.” The answer was too sudden. ”Try again.”

Leavou huffed. She was too old for this. But then again, she was also too old to be this rude.

”Can I come in today, please?” She rephrased, hating R’yse was treating her like a toddler.

”Ummmm…” R’yse dragged out the answer, taking a bite of her greens and tapping her finger on her chin in fake thought. Leavou waiting while she chewed, hopefully. ”Let’s see…” Her mother said once she swallowed, as if still deciding. Leavou huffed.

”I’ll carry your satchel.” The corners of R’yse lips turned up at the offer, and she continued to pretend to be guessing. So that was what it was going to take, bribery. Fine. Leavou thought. ”And scrub the floors in the morning.” She offered her least favorite chore. It was needing to get done, and she was avoiding it.

”I’ll take both of those, but I want something else.” Leavou frowned.

”Or I will just go on my own, pur coincidence that you are there too. I’m sure Tasa will let me sit in the corner and copy her notes.” Leavou backpedaled, not wanting to give her mother too much in the negotiation, but offering something tempting to the woman. Only, she didn’t want to do all three.

”Copy my notes instead and we have a deal.” R’yse held up the slobbery page she had already been trying to copy into a more legible and organized sheet.

”Floors or notes, final offer.” Leavou said, keeping her face smooth, she did not want to scrub the floors.

”Carry my satchel and copy my notes and you can wait until the moon is new before you have to scrub the floors.” R’yse said, holding out her hand to the teen. Leavou bit her lip. It was true, she would have to do the floors anyway, but at least now her mother couldn’t yell at her for procrastinating it until after the new moon.

Leavou spit on her hand and slapped it into her mother’s palm, gripping hard and shaking.

”Ew! LEavou!” Her mother immediately let go and yanked her hand away, wiping in on her skirts, and Leavou let out a hearty laughter at her mother’s reaction, standing up and putting the stool back where she had dragged it from.

”Deal is a deal!” She reminded her mother, rushing to go wash her face and get dressed.

[Lani Stranger]

Once they took the long walk to the Twilight Tower, Leavou’s shoulder was sore from her mother’s satchel. It had a book in it, but it was mostly heavy by what her mother was bringing. A stone brick, a jar of bug wings, and two draft-sized horseshoes that were rusty. Leavou knew enough about Alchemy to know that these raw materials would have to be ground or melted and purified before they were used. Still, while her mother was packing the satchel, she was desperately trying to understand what they could all possibly be used for.

”A clear horseshoe that is heavy like a stone.” Leavou guessed as they entered the gates of the gardens before the Tower. There were guards, but R’yse and Leavou were familiar enough that they barely looked up to see them pass.

”Why on Mizahar would I be trying to make that?” R’yse asked, laughing at the absurdity.

”Horse workouts, so they can strengthen their… uh, haunches, without doing more work?” She asked, naming a random part of the horse that felt like it should be associated with legs, but that she was not entirely sure what it was. R’yse laughed again, and Leavou grinned at the absurdity too. After the scare of last summer’s migraines, it was comforting to see her mother happy and not stressed again.

”Good night, ladies.” Frost welcomed them when they stepped in with silly grins on their faces. Frost gave them a small nod, and they bowed before stepping up the staircase towards Tasa’s classroom.

Generally, Leavou was not allowed into Tasa’s classroom, at least not while anything was being taught. The only tiems she was really allowed to be around the mages was when they were having tea or studying in silence in Tasa’s or Orath’s office. Today her mother had class, which would be herself and two other students doing hands-on practice with Tasa. Although they were fairly relaxed with the child around, knowing she only had a vague grasp on what they did at most, it was too dangerous for her to be in the Lab. Which meant if she really wanted to be there, her mother was going to plug her into a corner with a stack of notes. The instructors had scribes to copy the notes for them, but her mother did not, which meant Leavou sometimes got the chance to do it for her. It was moderately tedious, because while she wanted to know what was going on, the math and lore was too thick and advanced for her to really understand them. Which, if one was simply copying, understanding the material was unnecessary.

”Night, ladies.” Tasa greeted them, as they walked in. She was setting out random items, but stopped to walk up to them, offering a friendly hug to each. As soon as she was released, Leavou sighed and lugged the satchel over to the table to place it with the other things.

”You act like a mule, not an Okomo, dear.”[/]b] R’yse commented on her display. Leavou offered a shallow smile. She was a skinny girl. Although she had been outside climbing all over as a child, she had not done much in Lhavit, and carrying the weight for an hour while walking… well, it was a task, to say the least.

[b]”Well, unfortunately we are in the lab today, which means you can’t stick around.” Tasa informed her, and Leavou pulled a quill from her mother’s satchel, showing it to the women.

”I can sit in the corner and copy notes.” She said, glancing around for a scribe to show that she would not be the only one. Except Tasa’s regular scribe was not there.

”No can do.” Tasa shrugged, waving her hands to gesture at the room, knowing what Leavou was looking for. ”Not even my scribes sit in on lab time, it is too dangerous.” Tasa said, and Leavou gave an exaggerate pout of her lips, which made Tasa laugh and R’yse chuckle. ”And, not even my scribes are that excited to work.”

”Don’t be a nuisance, Leavou. Can she copy my notes in the hallway?” R’yse offered, trying to appeal. Tasa shook her head.

”I doubt anyone else would approve of a kid sitting in the hallway, outside of a magic lab, copying notes. Even if I wanted to.” Tasa said, shrugging. ”Sorry hun, next time.” She said, but without much sincerity. It wasn’t really a big deal after all. But for Leavou, it almost was.

”Does Orath have a class?” She asked. Tasa blinked at her, knowing what she was about to ask.

”Well, no-”

”’Cause I can sit with him.” Leavou offered, a little too anticipatory. ”You know, quietly, just copying, like I do when ma is studying with you.” Leavou explained quickly, keeping her face blank to appear as logical as possible. Tasa grinned at her, knowing something she didn’t.

”If you can get Orath to agree to that, sure.” She grinned, looking at R’yse who had a slight lift to her lip in empathetic amusement, but clearly did not understand what Tasa knew.

”Deal.” Leavou said, digging into her mother’s satchel and grabbing the ruined parchment and the other for leaflets of jumble, quickly-written notes.

[Lani Stranger]

”You’re quite the negotiator today. We won’t start until you send back with an answer, so I know if you are going home or staying here. Right, Tasaa?” R’yse said, showing some motherly responsibility about the whereabouts of her daughter. R’yse was always more… tame in the presence of the Twilight family. But Leavou knew that her mother really just wanted to know what trick Tasa had up her sleeve. That meant a servant would have to hear the yes out of Orath’s mouth and relay it. Which meant she couldn’t lie her way in.

”Yes ma’am!” She grinned, and held the papers to her chest as she quickly walked out the door. As soon as she was clear of the door way she sprinted a little bit. The slaps of her bare feet on the tile sounding down the extravagant hallway was ringed by the curious laughter of the women in the room behind her to tell of her departure. Only she only went a few meters before stopping and catching her breathe before slowly and carefully walking back. She wanted to know what trick was up Tasa’s sleeve right now too.

She gripped the paper’s tight and stayed close to the wall to silently approach, trying to hear what Tasa was going ot say, if she was going to say anything that would give her more information.

”—Taking a nap. Normally he would say yes, but not … Be prepared for her to be grouchy when he says no.” She heard Tasa’s voice chuckling, and although she missed parts of the sentence, Leavou had more information than she did before. So that is why Tasa was amused at the thought.

”… no idea why she is so excited? I swear, that girl…” But Leavou didn’t care for her mother’s opinion, she was more concentrated on how she was going to get Orath to say yes, and if she was going to interrupt his sleeping.

When she reached the other Twilight Etheafal’s study, she found the door cracked open. Carefully she rapped on it and then poked her head in. Orath was sitting at his desk, squinting at a long scroll when his vivid Svefra eyes looked up to see her head pocked in, a waterfall of black descending from the horizontal appendage.

”Hey Orath.”

”Leavou, what brings you here today? Do the ladies need me?”

”Uh, no.” She said, feeling comfortable enough to push the door slightly wide and step in, revealing the items she was carrying. Orath examined them for a tick, before frowning. His scribe was seated at her little desk beside him, furiously copying down another parchment into a book. It looked like a list of some sort, but she looked up when Leavou entered as well.

”If they sent you with more work for me to digest, I’m just going to send you away. Tasa can work on her own projects.” He warned, and she paused, realizing that he didn’t quite realize why she was there. He was clearly sleepy and a little grouchy, and used to the child acting as an occasional messenger for the adults who didn’t want to walk through the vast halls or ring a servant to relay their messages. Or at least that is what Leavou had always thought, they actually were usually trying to dissuade her from sensitive conversations.

[Lani Stranger]

”Uhh, not quuuiiiteee.” She said, dragging out the last word as she came to a realization. If Orath was grouchy, he might not want her perched in his corner, even if she wasn’t making noise. But clearly he thought she was here on account of Tasa or her mother, not out of her own accord.

”They need me to copy these notes, because they are a little behind, but I can’t be in the lab, so they said you would let me do it here.”

”Why don’t they send a scribe to do it in the library?” He asked.

”Well, they are my mother’s notes. She doesn’t get scribes.” Leavou appealed, and Orath nodded, knowing the truth in her words. Assistants were just that, assistants, it would be redundant for them to have their own assistants. But Leavou was eager to help and while it may not be completely true that the notes needed to be urgently copied, she knew that stretching the truth just a little bit would help her case. Orath didn’t answer her. Instead he turned to his scribe, grabbing her attention with her name.

”Tell my love that I will watch Leavou while they work. Oh, and grab the girl some materials, please, it looks like she only brought a quill.” Orath eyed the contents of her hand suspiciously. Leavou grinned at him, surprised her little truth-stretching had worked. The scribe finished writing the word she had paused at when Leavou walked in and nodded. She stood up, gave a quick bow to Orath and a nod to Leavou and disappeared out the door.

”Thank you!” Leavou called as she swept passed the child. Then she turned to Orath, loosening her grip on her materials now that she was sure to stay. There was a slight relief in her voice as she realized she was now allowed to stay. ”Thanks, Orath.”

”In the future, don’t lie to me. You know I wouldn’t mind you sitting in the corner and helping your mother out.” He sighed, not impatient, but a little tired. Orath was usually so friendly and good with kids that Leavou suddenly felt a little back for her white lie, that she was so proud of moments before.

”I’m sorry, Orath.”

”Mhmm. You’re mother and Tasa are working on creating a glass like metal that can be chipped at like stone, it’s not that important.” He informed her, a sly glint in his eye as he revealed how he knew. ”Also, you’re bad at lying.” He full on grinned now, and although she was still a little embarrassed, she gave a light smile back.

”I, uh, didn’t lie… completely.” She tried to defend herself, hanging her head. Orath just laughed.

”Yeah, okay, sure.” He pointed to the couch in the corner of his office, and the coffee table in front of it. ”If you would like to work over there you can. Are you still taking classes at the Academy?”

”No, not this season. I’m supposed to be focusing on finding an apprenticeship.” She answer, easily falling into casual conversation with one of her mother’s bosses.

”Any bites?” He asked, setting his scroll down and smoothing his brow from the stress of his work.

”Mrs. Rimes said to come back when I was fifteen, but I think she is already considering this other girl She is older than me.”

”But is she smarter?” Leavou set her items down on the coffee table, smoothing out the feathers of her quill before answering.

”I mean, probably.” She shrugged, and looked at Orath. He wasn’t entirely sure what to do with the self-depreciation from such a young kid, and so he pointed to the items on the coffee table.

”You keep that up, and you may just be able to become a scribe here.” Leavou’s eyes lit up at the idea. The Towers were pretty strict with who they let study from and work for them. Her mother had spent years getting the spot, and Leavou hoped her connections would make it easier for herself.

”You think?”

”Just a guess I-“ He was about to continue when his scribe walked back in, sooner than expected.

”They were surprised, they thought you were sleeping.” She grinned at Orath, and he rolled his eyes, sighing.

”I wish I was, I wish I was.” He mutter, picking up his scroll again before remembering he was walking to Leavou.

”Well, keep up the work, Leavou.” He said, and Leavou’s shoulders shrank just a little. It wasn’t an answer, but it was probably a no. She was too young, again. Still, Leavou had to remind herself, that as it stands, she doesn’t have a job as a scribe anywhere. She is copying her mother’s notes to stay around the Twilight Tower and maybe get lessons, that hasn’t changed. Determined, Leavou plopped down on the billowy couch, and leaned forward to uncap the inkwell that the scribe had brought her, licking her finger and picking up a fresh sheet of parchment. As it stands, she had a job to do, and she had been excited for it, so she might as well enjoy it.

It wasn’t until she started reading the first sentence of jumble jargon, spelling errors, and scratched out mistakes, that she remembered why she had volunteered. It wasn’t because it was exactly fun, but rather that she got to be in the Tower, surrounded by these people, albeit not that anyone paid much attention to her. And that, was a step in the right direction, as far as she was concerned.