Ikana
“How has everything been?” Ikana asks as they lean closer to the receiver of the phone. It’s so odd using one, pressing a piece to their ear and speaking into the receiver. Can they really be heard so many miles away? “Nothing’s broken? Flooded? Burned?”
“No, nothing’s been broken or flooded,” Mizyuki replies (and Ikana hears them! over the phone!), “or burned…badly.”
Ikana’s face immediately gets tight. “What happened?”
“Nothing happened! I just cooked the salmon a little too much. Relax, we handled it. I learned to cook before you did, you know.”
“Yes, and it’s because of your cooking that I learned to cook.” Ikana sighs as they drop their head into their hand. “I knew it. I shouldn’t have left.”
“Ika, relax,” Mizyuki tells them. “Everything’s jake. You can’t worry about us your entire life.”
“You severely underestimate my ability to worry.”
“Hey, what’s that? Oh, look! It’s a subject change! How’s school going?”
Ikana rolls their eyes, but they can’t fight the smile on their face.
“It’s fine,” they say. “Got my team for the year.”
“Ooh, who’s on it? Anyone interesting?”
“Everyone’s interesting.”
“Yeah, okay, but anyone worth talking about?”
“I mean, I don’t know. There’s a boy who reads a lot and a girl who talks a lot. I don’t really know much about them yet.”
“Good. Go get to know them and stop worrying about us.”
“I guess I do have that quest with them today.”
“What quest?”
“It’s just looking for a flute. So simple. It’ll be like looking for Ori’s yoyo.”
“What are you doing talking to me, then? Go on your quest!”
“Yeah, okay. The other two were getting their stuff together, but I guess they may be done now. I just wanted to check on you folks. Please be careful, and don’t cook anything anymore.”
“Hey, practice makes perfect, right?”
“Practice also makes accidents and accidents makes dead people. Do. Not. Cook. Just eat cereal everyday or something.”
“Yes. We will definitely be doing that. Absolutely.”
There’s a knock on the phone booth door. Ikana turns to see Taxson and Millicente waiting for them.
“Oh, gotta go. My team’s ready. Love you.”
“Yeah, right back atcha.”
Ikana hangs up the phone and exits the booth, looking among their teammates with a semi-forced smile on their face.
“Okay!” they say as they clap their hands together. “Ready to go?”
“Yep, super ready, let’s go find that flute thing, c’mon,” Millicente says, talking a mile a minute and rushing off in the direction of the Ruby District.
“Yes, because the girl who was late should be the one rushing us,” Taxson mutters, before turning to Ikana. “You ready?”
“Um…” No. They never were. They came to this school on a whim and they’ve regretted it ever since. They miss their siblings and their home. But everyone will be so disappointed if they turn back now.
“Yeah, let’s go,” Ikana smiles.
The Ruby District is as fascinating as it is overwhelming.
They all could hear it before they even entered. The singing, the dancing, the laughing, the juggling, the stand-up comedy, the magic shows. It’s as if everything is happening here, and it’s all happening at once.
Ever since entering the Ruby District, Millicente has been pointing to any and every building they pass, saying “What about that one? It could be in that one? Oh, it’s absolutely in this one!”
To which Taxson has to tell her, “No, it won’t be in there. I don’t think our first assignment is to break into someone’s house. Miss Hart, that’s literally an outhouse.”
Ikana doesn’t have much to add to the conversation, and they suspect they won’t have much to add to the mission as well. Sure, their time with their siblings tells them that Ms. Yael most likely hid the flute among other instruments, doing the “hiding in plain sight” trick. But even if that’s the case, with it being in the Ruby District, the district of entertainment and chaos, that can be absolutely anywhere.
A green tiefling sits on a bench, watching the trio pass by. He glances around half-heartedly, his tail swishing lazily and his finger writing nonsense in the air.
A little halfling girl approaches him and gives him a coin.
“Will I be able to see the Chaimase and Bennet play that’s coming out?” she asks.
The tiefling takes the coin and hums as he leans forward.
“Well,” he starts. “Signs point to yes, but it will take a while. Be nice to your mother. She’s working hard to get you a ticket.”
The girl beams as she rushes off, passing Ikana who had stopped to watch. After a moment, they tap on Taxson’s shoulder.
“Maybe we should try him?” Ikana asks as they nod to the tiefling, who is telling another person their future.
Taxson frowns. “Do we really want to rely on divination? I get the feeling that could count as cheating. Besides, we don’t even know if he can really tell the future. There are so many shams nowadays.”
“Well, according to you, we should just stand around and do nothing,” Millicente argues. “We don’t have any other clues. Wouldn’t hurt to ask.”
Taxson sighs for probably the twentieth time that day, all of those sighs because of Millicente.
“Do what you want,” he finally says.
The three of them approach the green tiefling man, who grins up at them.
“About time you came over,” he says.
“How much for a fortune?” Ikana asks.
“Only a silver. But more money results in better fortunes.”
Does better mean more accuracy or higher result of good fortunes? Not that it matters. Ikana only has gold pieces on them anyhow. They take out a coin and hand it to the tiefling, who takes it gingerly.
“We’re looking for a flute,” Ikana says. “Made of ivory and in the shape of a serpent. We want to know where we can find it.”
“Hm…” The tiefling leans back and closes his eyes, lifting his hand to write in the air. “Ah, yes…the Queen’s Tongue. That’s been given away recently.”
“To who?” Millicente asks, to which the tiefling raises his other hand, telling her to wait.
“The imagery’s awfully blurry,” the tiefling continues. “Someone doesn’t want me giving away this information. Their of the taller sort, like you and me, but I couldn’t tell you if they’re a human or an orc. They seem to be at a party of sorts. A celebration. I could push harder, but it’s awfully tiring. For a little more of a payment, however…”
“We’re fine, thank you,” Taxson quickly cuts in. “That’s all we need.”
They beckon for the others to join them and walk off. Millicente quickly follows, but Ikana takes out another gold piece.
“Here,” they say. “Not for a better fortune. Just for your kindness.”
“Thank you,” the tiefling smiles. “It’s harder than you think, telling fortunes. Nowadays, everyone thinks we’re a sham.”
“Well, at least you’ve given us somewhere to look,” Ikana says. “What’s your name?”
“Merrill, The Future’s Penpal. It’s my title, anyhow.”
“You write to the future?”
“Yes, and they write back, if they’re able. Sometimes, if you ask about an event one doesn’t want to be known, it’s a little quieter. They’re loyal to secrets, but they’re easy to goad for a little gossip as well.”
“Ikana!”
Ikana jumps and turns to see Taxson and Millicente about thirty feet away and impatiently waiting for them.
“Oh, drat,” Ikana mildly curses to themself before giving a bow to Merrill. “Thank you so much for your time. It was a pleasure meeting you.”
“The pleasure’s mine,” Merrill grins as Ikana rushes quickly to her party.
Thank you for reading! Thank goodness the OGL is being left as is! Now I can write this without any worries X3
I don’t work on Fetherbane as much as I would like to. I’m so interested in the setting that’s less medieval fantasy. Nothing against it! I just wish there were more fantasy settings in the Victorian and Roaring 20s period. But that’s just more reason for me to work on this, right? The more I write them, the more others may be inspired to write things like it too!