CHAPTER 35 – COMPANION ARC: PRIYA AND RALAMARA

Current Time

"Give me a break, they're kids again?" Priya groaned as she hopped off the side of the elevator. Answering her arrival, the group snickered mischievously, then bolted all the way down the street and around a corner. "Damn, the turbulence is too thick here" she thought, stomping after them. Footsteps betrayed their movement, and she followed them until finding their hiding spot. Passing by a metal fence with a playground the scientist came to the front stair of an elementary school. Drawn by the signature of a gentle voice through the corridors, she noticed the final classroom, its door ajar. "That must be a good book if it got them to shut up" Priya commented as Ralamara animated a storybook with the buoyancy of her personality. Assembled on the floor, the elementary kids mostly picked their noses and wiggled their toes. The rocking-chair came to a halt, creaking insufferably. "Echo … is that you?" the teacher asked with a look of shy penitence plastered all over her face. Being raised by Alexa, who had an eclectic lifestyle and fierce personality, things had always been strained. Later, when she came of age Ralamara had gone her own way, leaving high echelons of fiefdom society for a quiet life. There were, of course brief moments when she had come into contact with the empress, although she had seen her on television. Enow's funeral had been the last time, when she spoke to her privately, letting her know her place in the chain. Angered by Alexa's silence, she parted ways with her mother and they had not talked since.

Priya: yeah, did you manage to capture all the patrons today? Ralamara: What are you talking about? I've been taking care of these local kids for over a year. Priya: That's what you think. Time vortexes seem to be strong in these parts. It's just a quirk. Ralamara: Uh … alright. I don't speak gibberish. Priya: Actually, can you look after them for me for a few days? I'm glad if they are safe here. I have some things I have to do. Ralamara: This is the same problem with you and mom! I haven't seen you in years, and now you're rushing out again. Are you really so important that you don't have any time at all? Guilt radiated through her heart, realizing how easy it was to lose track of the ones closest to you. "Luckily, you can pick your own mother now, Ralmara, you are a non-ancestral. Funny thing is, you could reconnect in any way" she thought privately. Priya: Sigh … okay. I was going to save the world today, but what do you want to do instead? For the first time in countless years, the teacher's plain face lighted up with mischief. An hour later the nerdy one tipped a chair against a brick wall, rubbing her forehead with a hand in dismay. "Man, I have never been in so much denial" Priya thought, realizing the ugly, forbidden truth … they sucked. Even so, she continued to bang the drums as the other wailed on the microphone in an empty warehouse. A stray cat crawled along the windowsill, looked in their direction for a moment and slinked away. Laying the sticks on the top of the drum, she stood back up. Priya: Rala, can we take a break, I'm tired. Ralamara: Sure, we've got to spend some time choosing a name anyway. Priya: That would be cool, but I can't really think of anything. Ralmara: Hmm … what about "The Deadly Hiccup" or the "Glamourous Sound-Bandits"? Priya: Those are okay, but well, I was thinking, maybe did you want to try something else besides this? Ralamara: What are you saying? Priya: Nothing, I mean there's more than one thing we can do today. Ralamara: Don't you want to do the band? Is it my singing, it's amazing, right? Priya: Look, I'm bored. Can we talk about something else? Ralamara: Answer the question, Echo. We had a plan, you on the drums and me on the mic. Priya: You made up that plan twenty minutes ago! Ralmara: So, you are too good for this? Answer the question. Priya: Okay already! You're singing is bad! It's really not amazing. I tried to tell you earlier but you were so wrapped up in it I couldn't get in two words. Ralamara: Damn you are rude! I watch you on fiefdom television all the time … if people knew what you were like, they wouldn't love you so much! Priya: Rala, stop. I was just trying to be … Ralmara: Maybe you should take a break outside. I want to think. Then we have to get back, their nap is almost over. Priya: Alright then, but I'll be back in ten minutes. don't run off like the others.

Resting her shoulder against a shabby, cracked wall outside, the scientist tried to clear her mind of everything. "Give me some credit, why does every relationship have to be a different puzzle?" she mused, then opened her eyes, seeing a king-sized bed resting in the middle of the street. "Very inviting, but I'll pass" she smiled, closing her eyes once again and smushing the rest of her back against the dilapidation, for a simple purpose, since it is most pleasurable for the body to recognize itself by its association with another object. At second glance the bed was now ten feet above the ground, with the top of a ladder leaning against the sheets. "Priya are you certain that's the … wait. However, that bed got here, it wasn't the turbulence. Maybe it is just ambient magic" she rationalized, not sensing any of the familiar symptoms from the furniture. Getting comfortable after climbing the ladder, the scientist pulled the thick, insulated sheets up to her chest. "Yes … I know what this is" she gulped. Simultaneously with that realization, below the king-sized bed a black frying pan materialized. Then the substance of the bed and the sleeper, Priya altered becoming butter, melting onto the frying pan until there was nothing but frothy yellow bubbles. Rotating in the air, the pan became vertical, a black, silent circle, speculating that everything that has a beginning has an end. A minute passed, then, jumping out from that nothingness Priya landed on the street and the pan circle shrunk becoming a dot that disappeared. "My gosh … I feel absolutely fantastic! This power is rushing through me, and I feel like I could reach across the galaxy and give someone a wedgie!" the patron laughed. Testing it out, a portion of her subconscious severed off and possessed a girl who did not suspect the slightest thing. During the day Mill Vun-Vun had been given the duty of manning the counter in the cafeteria, plopping scoops of mashed potatoes onto people's plates. That night as she snored in her bed the external force brought her ever so conscious as to get out from bed, put on her apron and return to the line. Half-awake and half-dreaming the girl took the metal scoop and poked it into the big fluffy mound, then released a ball onto what she must have believed was another person's plate. Beyond the borders of the SOTA an assortment of planets that had not been relocated through the re-manifestation returned to their positions. With each scoop another appeared in the empty darkness of space. "They had better not ask for pretzel flavor mashed potatoes" she mumbled as a thread of drool ran from the side of her mouth. When it was done, the fragment of subconscious retired from the body, reconnecting. "Fantastic … ah. My blood is so happy, its boiling. Huh … huh, okay, it's calming down now" she exhaled, pressing both palms against the unpleasant grimy warehouse wall and hanging her head down, "So yes, I can feel now. The dream reflection is more than a micro-RODI, it is a branch variant of the RODI, another program of the focal element that I created. The focal element must have hundreds of thousands of programs other than the RODI, interesting. Through it I can access a new school of magic, and four sub-schools, each represented by one of the letters. But what of Linden, Etab, Snow and Sortjim?. They must not even realize. If he had known, he may have bested Etheria. Caramel has passed from PTSD, and this power could cause destruction if a mere mortal like Sortjim, not knowing what is inside him, accidently wields it, so let me send out my subconscious, and place a seal on him. Haha, that's most likely why Tania was drawn to him … shit". Looking back towards the street, the ladder had become a double helix of butter that melted itself as it cycled into another frying pan that rested on the asphalt. Dust from the nearby windowsill made her nose itch, a frisky reminder that ten minutes had elapsed. Ralamara tapped her foot as the prodigal drummer returned, waiting for a good explanation, "The next words I hear had better be 'Deadly Hiccup' or 'Sound-Bandits'". Priya could hear the pounding of her chest, and knew that in the woman's transient state, everything was riding on this, "That's too much pressure. I just wanted to tell you the truth. I had to, because I like you, didn't have a choice". Melancholia dawned on Ralamara as she realized that yes, in fact they sucked at this. Sniffling, wetness formed on the tender meat of her eyes, adorned with that fragile lattice-work of red veins. Such was the normal function of a human eye, much like the regular purpose of an eye-dropper in the lab was to do much the same. Only for some reason she felt they were different, as the barrier of thought that desensitized her, made her a scientist suffered a brief fracture. Made whole by the expiration of the illusion, she smiled again, embracing her new friend, "man, was I being dumb … I'm glad you stepped in before we really embarrassed ourselves, but one of these days I'm going to find something I can be totally arrogant about, a snob". Priya nodded, "to be frank, we absolutely have no talent, but I have a really good album that I want you to listen to later, I'll bring it the next time I see you". Kicking the mic onto the not-so lovely warehouse filth-floor, Ralamara took her arm, "Fair enough, let's go back and see how the kids are doing". Following the path back to the elementary, the patron felt relieved, recognizing how benign the focal element was being. "Look, they're already having recess" spotted Ralamara, grabbing onto the metal fencepost like prison-bars. Indeed, the little tikes ran about on the colorful jungle gym, bounding from level to level, chasing each other down the slide and through the obstacles, most likely forgetting that a classroom or a Mrs. Ralamara ever existed. Mockingly, Priya threw up a first, shaking it in contempt, "Are they allowed to have this much fun? Well … unfortunately I'm going to have to bring them back …" she began. Defying the will of that sentence, the jungle gym, as they watched from behind the metal fence expanded, accepting quanta of lifeforce into its inanimate core, until it grew uncontested, becoming a high tree of classical grace and significance. "Ah! What are we going to do now, the kids are playing up there in the branches! Priya, get them down with your powers" Ralamara cried excitedly. Giving it ten or so tries, even with the increase granted by her new abilities … she did not even manage to rattle a single leaf. "This is another mirage of the cosmic tree, grown in the epicenter of the maelstrom" Priya realized. A look of cunning, of restless Robinson Crusoe fortitude chiseled itself across her brow. Shedding the nerdy persona, the lab-girl handed her lab coat over to the school-teacher and rolled up her sleeves "Going to have to do this the old-fashioned way", then climbed up over the metal fence to the other side. "Wait, let me come!" Ralamara implored, reaching her hands through the bars. Priya turned back, regarding the pacifist, "Don't' worry, this is the one thing I don't suck at".

Berserk-ing through the canopy, Priya stopped to catch her breath, looking back to see the town below was lost from sight. Fumbling her hand through a cluster of leaves, she picked one, put it in her pocket, then retrieved it, the process changing the item into a compass, but even by then it's needle, hearing only silence from the local magnetic fields, did not even register a humble tick. A cat, perhaps the one that had slinked across the warehouse window sat father up on the branch near the trunk. He grabbed from a Tupperware container a chicken leg, chowing down on it until the only thing left was a bone, which transformed into a white key that the cat used to unlock a door in the trunk, escaping into an apartment room. Hearing the proof of scampering climbers, with bellies full of laughter she continued onwards until reaching a height of the tree where the branches where large enough to walk along like paths. "Guess I'll make home camp here" Priya declared, seeing an abandoned tree-house tucked in a nook of the trunk. Airing out the interior, she lit a lantern. Numbering among the furnishings were a bunk-bed with a white pillow and sheets on the east side, an empty treasure chest laying against the west, and finally … a vending machine with soda cans occupying the north. "Yes, this treasure chest will make a grand storing place for them, so I can carry it down" she acknowledged, modifying it into a treasure-chest rocking crib so they would sleep soundly inside and not stir. From there she ventured out onto the branch-paths, chasing after rowdy tots. Yet three long weeks passed with no success, after which Priya rolled over on the floor, and opened a bloodshot eye. Twisting an arm around, the mound of empty soda can bottles pushed itself slightly to the left. No longer even considering the bunk-bed, the scientist came home every night after another fruitless hunt, plopping down onto the floor with the sheet and pillow. More of the soda cans had accumulated around her as she had become addicted, guzzling them frequently. Slapping the tab for another can, it clanged down into the receptacle below and she grabbed it. Adjusting her eyes to the morning light, the title of the mocking flavor was plainly visible, When-You-Try-Really-Hard-But-It-Doesn't-Matter Cola. Snapping the tab back, Priya quaffed the fizzy antidote. "Is that the actual flavor or am I fucking crazy?" she wondered. Yawning with more gusto than a lion, she dragger herself back out of the tree-house for the day's chase, that would by nightfall leave her with nothing, being unavailing, a fool's errand. Traps had been set everywhere, but they had never even caught one of them. Spying TAP scooting along the branch three levels up from her home, she pursued, until that limb tapered off, forcing both of them to crawl on their hands and knees. This high up on the tree, her powers were bereft of usefulness. Ignoring gravity, TAP continued to crawl across the branch, then along the underside, then continued to cycle around. Priya wasn't quick enough and just sort of gave up, hugging the branch and letting her arms droop on either side. In primal anger she tore out a chunk of bark with her teeth and spat it out, down to the world below. "Like … what is my motivation here? A bunch of kids climbed up a tree and I have to rescue them? Is it that simple?" she thought. Peering towards the horizon she could see one of the afternoon suns, then a three-hole punch approach it, pressing holes into the celestial body. Little sun three-hole-punch circles fluttered down to where an upside-down hat hovered, capturing the stray pieces. "After dad died … I gave up on love. In the realm I abandoned the echo generation, representing that. But I fixed everything, it should be done. Am I having to capture them for that reason?" the climber pondered. Bracing for the riddle to unravel itself, she pushed back up off the branch. "Nice try …" her instinct whispered as a blur skipped around the curve of the trunk. For a time, he gave good chase, even pouncing onto different heights. But Priya, galvanized by the clue of what her aim was meant to be, grabbed onto the back of his sweater, "Got you Catcher! Now I know what you went through you little firefly" she grinned, patting herself on the back. Bringing the little tyke back to the tree-house, she set him to rest in the treasure-chest crib and went out again for more. Another three days was all it took until the last of them surrendered the arduous, grueling game of hide and seek. Her feet sore from running, Priya placed Snow down into the chest, snapping the lock shut, and fell back in exhaustion onto the pile of soda-cans, passing out. When she turned over, rattling the collection, slices of dawn pried through the window, highlighting blemishes on the texture of the wood all around. Retrieving a bowl from under the bunk bed, she lifted up a pillow-case by its ends and shook it, as it still had some leftover cereal in it, and acquired some milk by tearing off another piece of the bed-sheet, one of the last scraps, and filled a glass with orange juice by breaking off one of the tabs from a soda-bottle and attaching it to the wooden board on the wall, then pressing it back opening up a hole from which the juice flowed into the cup that she held beneath it. "My eyes aren't so tired now, that was a good rest" she thought, pushing open the door after breakfast and walking out onto the canopy. Unhooking her jaw for the most part, Priya let go a prodigious yawn, then watched the upside-down hat released its collection of three-hole punch circles across the sky, until they found their own places amongst the currents of air, growing into new suns. "Huh, who is that coming up here?" the patron discerned, stepping away from the edge. With ten fence post for fingers on their hands, Glug and Blibber easily climbed up the trunk of the tree and stood there, in the little depression that harbored the tree-house. For more than a hundred years they had rested underneath the university grounds, feeding on solar energy quite like an ordinary plant, but through wood-posts, so it took longer, "don't worry lady, we will carry this big tree-house down for you". Glug went to one side and Blibber to the other, in one feat of strength tugging the box out of its place, then started the trek downwards. She followed suit, finding the easiest path through the canopy until close enough to leap onto the grass of the playground. Her two friends lay the house on the ground, and as soon as the three of them were clear the tree resumed its prior form as the jungle gym. Ralamara, who had waited for more than fifteen minutes jumped up and down in excitement. Glug went to where she was and with a finger underneath the metal fence, bent it upwards for her to walk through. Dragging the treasure-chest from the tree-house, the climber unlocked it, letting the rascals free, drowsy from pretending to be treasure. "Oh my gosh. I can't believe how brave you are. Come here and give me a hug … full acceptance" Ralamara cried, gripping her tight. Seeing them embrace, Blibber chuckled heartily. Ralamara was not even concerned by the two big fat ugly troll looking things. Deep in the cave of silence, the words "FULL ACCEPTANCE!" heaved in dominant, ancient reverberations that only she could hear. Priya stepped back, and felt her power rise to a level even beyond that of the dream reflection that had been loosed an hour prior. Mirror blood swelled in jubilation through the labyrinth of the fiefdom and her veins. "Amazing … now anyone can opt in or out … of being real or imaginary when their will demands it by accepting this liquid" Priya realized. "Ralamara, let me hold your hands for a moment" she requested, and with one hand let the mirror blood pass through the palm of one hand and into her soul-body, fomenting the transition, they drawing it out through the barrier of the other palm, realizing the body was not ready. "Gah! Do you always have to be right! These kids were the patrons the whole time!" she exclaimed as Dazin and the rest of the echo line sprouted. He was gruff and handsome from so much rest. "Can you forgive me now, old-timer?" she asked, leaning in. Priya closed her eyes, preparing for the wet, incredible pressure. As if to answer, he graced her mouth with a clean kiss, the pleasant, bland, inoffensive sort that a wife gets when company is over for dinner or a get-together.