The Weirkey Chronicles: Chapters 14-15 + Character Art (Patreon)

Character art! Look at it! I hope you can tell exactly who each character is without labels, though this isn't necessarily how they look as of the first book. Rather, the art represents an ideal form of the characters once they acquire their main equipment and core appearance. Theo doesn't have that spiffy coat and hasn't chosen a white and black aesthetic yet, for example, and you guys don't even know why he's floating.

These three are the core series characters, though many others will also play significant roles and there are major characters who couldn't fit into the first book(s). I hope everyone enjoys both learning more about them and watching them evolve, as people and as soulcrafters.

I appreciate everyone's suggestions for different serialized fictions sites. I've decided that I don't have enough bandwidth right now, but after the release of the first book, I'll consider branching out based on your comments.

Anyway, I hope people like this pair of chapters. The pacing could always be made more breakneck, and I know some readers will get bored, but these moments of character development are important to me. Regardless, if you've been waiting for something to shake up the narrative... that's coming next chapter.

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Chapter 14

Several weeks later, Theo didn't have his Archcrafter material, but he did have a promise that Nanjuma would help him find something in time. Considering that the promise was more than he'd had before, he accepted it as good enough for the time being. Meanwhile, he spent more of his time out in Myufuru, adjusting to the city and trying to determine which parts of it might be valuable to him.

There was more to the city than he'd thought at first, especially once he got away from the circular communities mimicking villages. Young people joyriding the gondola lines, elders playing slow games of skill, an entire community brewing various kinds of sweet alcohol. He discovered more recreational drugs than he'd expected, but because this was Tatian, they seemed to have few negative consequences and leave people mostly happy and calm.

Yet he couldn't bring himself to even consider participating in any of it, not for long. Even though he'd had forty years to come to terms with the death of his old friends, their ghosts returned to him. Brigana would have convinced him to take a break, Khaluu would have proven surprisingly knowledgeable about hallucinogens, and Eratius would have resisted at first but eventually joined them.

Being back in the Nine just made the pain worse every time he stopped to let himself think. Theo vowed revenge against the man who had killed them, then focused on what he could control: sublime materials.

Once, he had used weirkeys to step between worlds and search out the perfect materials, but they were in short supply and there wasn't anyone around who could use them. With that, visiting other worlds to find materials was a naive fantasy. Instead, the most practical way of acquiring sublime materials was simple economics: a city the size of Myufuru sold a great many things.

Though they were in a backwater of Tatian without many goods from other worlds, Myufuru did gather strange materials from the more unusual corners of Tatian. Theo kept finding materials that were close to what he needed, just not quite right. Bit by bit, he came to understand that there was a restricted market. It seemed to exist just beside the warmthgiver quarter, actually less respectable than them.

Unfortunately, they wouldn't allow outsiders in, and the guards were apparently immune to bribery. Swallowing his pride as useless, Theo headed back to the school to ask Nauda for help.

"You want to access the restricted market." She regarded him so placidly that he wondered if he could bully her into cooperating, but decided to stick to his plan.

"I need different sublime materials to help Fiyu adapt to this world. I've promised to help her, and I do have a blueprint, but I haven't been able to fulfill that promise. With your help, I might be able to."

"The light does seem to pain her." Nauda lowered her gaze, then nodded. "Very well, I will acquire permission. I know you would never use this trip for untoward purposes, but we can go together to speed up the process."

Obviously he had been planning to acquire sublime materials for himself as well, but nothing shocking or illegal. He decided that was no impediment at all, since he truly did want to help Fiyu, so he agreed to the terms and they went off to collect her. Fortunately, it wasn't long until night, when she would be emerging from her quarters anyway.

He was worried at first when Fiyu wasn't in her room, but they found her in the upper courtyard, sitting with her legs dangling over a ledge. When she felt them approach, she gave a slight smile but didn't move.

"I'm surprised to see you out now," Theo said.

"It is too bright, but this is the least bright time. I do not like being inside all day either." Fiyu tilted her head back and took a deep breath, her enjoyment plain on her face. "Though the breeze is warm, it is still pleasant."

Nauda crouched on the ledge beside her, looking out. "You don't like being inside? I thought people on Ichil spent all their time in caves."

"Some do, but those are different tribes. We call them cavesteaders. My home is called the Inner Moonscape, and most caverns there are dangerous. We do have buildings, of course, but I am accustomed to sleeping beneath the clouds."

"The way you talk about it, it sounds beautiful." Nauda gave an odd smile. "I almost said that I'd like to see it one day, but would there be anything to see?"

"The Moonscape is not overly bright like your world, but you can still see. Some light from the moon filters through the clouds... not like the light here. It is... cool and blue."

What she didn't say was that the light in the Moonscape was a sign of danger, because certain vicious species hunted within it. Theo had seen the Outer Moonscape and did understand the beauty found in the interplay of the lights and clouds, but he had been too on edge to enjoy it back then. He was mildly irritated at himself for not considering that Fiyu might feel claustrophobic being indoors all the time.

"I want to keep my promise to help you with the light in this world," Theo said, "but to do that we need to acquire more specialized sublime materials. Could you come with us to find them?"

"Into the city?" Fiyu regarded him cautiously, her lips a thin line. "I have been preparing a chamber as you suggested, but... could I not describe what I think we need?"

"This will be for your soulhome, and you know it best."

Though she nodded, Fiyu remained seated and gave a melancholy sigh. Nauda almost reached out to touch her, then instead merely shuffled closer with a smile. "It won't be so bad, Fiyu. Couldn't exploring the city be fun?"

Fiyu instantly shrank back and pulled her hood more closely around her face, which was answer enough even before her muffled words. "No. No, I do not think that is likely."

Rather than trying to draw her out, Theo remained silent. She had grown up in an extremely dangerous environment and was used to doing things she didn't want to do, it was just a matter of giving her time to adjust to the idea. Eventually Fiyu rose to her feet and took a deep breath as if she was about to leap off the edge in front of them.

"I wish I could understand, but I don't." Nauda rose as well, shaking her head. "You've stood against demons without flinching, but going into the city bothers you so much?"

"I've had more practice with demons." Fiyu pulled her hood lower and nodded to them with grim determination. "But I will have the two of you with me, and you are no longer strangers. Let us go."

Odd as she seemed to find it, Nauda eventually inclined her head and followed along. "Very well, then. We will defend you against the trials of human interaction."

From anyone else, he would have assumed that it was a jibe, but Nauda's face had no expression whatsoever. Perhaps she really was just embracing the Tatian traditions of hospitality in a new form. Her use of "human" slowed him down only briefly, which was something he needed to work on. The people of every world tended to think of themselves as "human", even species like the Mundhin of Arbai.

The three of them headed out into the city, Nauda taking the lead. Theo was happy to let her, especially since her staff worked to part the crowds ahead of them - it didn't seem to carry any particular status, but its presence suggested that they were on official business and not to be invited to any celebration. Fiyu followed close behind Nauda but looked back toward him until he followed closer, their combined presence forming a slight protective barrier from the crowds.

It seemed Nauda knew a more efficient route, including a quick ride on one of the gondolas, because they reached the restricted market in record time. Once there, the crowds offered much more privacy, which meant that merchants typically only clasped arms instead of embracing customers. More importantly, they could finally begin searching among the sublime material merchants.

Finally he had access to materials that weren't so blandly benign. Bright leaves that burned at the touch, spikes of living stone that burrowed into flesh, fruit that could be both medicine and poison. His instinct was to grab everything that might potentially be useful, but given his lack of funds, he restricted himself to materials that would be perfect for himself or Fiyu.

They could have searched more efficiently splitting up, but that didn't seem to be an option. It took him some time to reach their first real find: a pitch black gum that the merchant said came from a distant shaded wood. Since it was less bright and life-aspected, Fiyu could use it as adhesive in her soulhome.

Their second find came from Fiyu herself, who was overjoyed to discover a fine black sand that could be melted into glass. He hadn't known that she had the technique, but that would certainly make their process easier. She eagerly ran her fingers through it, but then looked back to them.

"This would be perfect. Can we...?"

"I don't know about that." The merchant leaned forward and regarded them sternly - he was a soulcrafter himself with a polished soulhome, though not one as focused on combat. "This is an Archcrafter material, so it might be too much for soulcrafters. It certainly wouldn't be cheap."

"This is hardly Archcrafter tier." Theo sneered down at the sand, even though he judged it to be roughly on the border between the two. "Don't try to cheat us."

"Just what are you accusing me of? Do you think I don't know how to do my job?"

"We're certain that you are a wonderful merchant." Nauda stepped in and gave him a beautifully innocent smile. "Surely a man of your skill and experience would always use that for the benefit of his customers. But perhaps you can offer a small discount for a poor traveler trying to return to her home?"

With Theo playing the gruff outsider and Nauda wheedling from the other side, they negotiated the merchant down from an exorbitant price to one that was merely painful. Fiyu seemed to grow bored and wandered to another stall, but as soon as the transaction was complete, she carried her sack of sand with a broad smile on her face. Unguarded as she seemed at times, she was capable of social deception as well. For that matter, he was surprised at how easily Nauda had lied throughout the negotiation.

They headed on, Fiyu mostly content and Theo now focusing more on his own needs. All she needed now was a sublime fabric to serve as a curtain of sorts, and he actually saw one that might work, but he kept quiet as he searched. He needed a source of fire so intense it was dangerous in order to serve as the core of his light defenses... and hopefully his offenses, in time. Even if he hoped the noonstone would work out, there was no guarantee.

Though the restricted market must sell such things, he wasn't able to find one on their path. The best he found that he could afford was a sublime material called magnigem: a plate of something that looked like quartz, but was so heavy he could barely lift it. Instead of generating cantae, it resisted the power effectively. Such a substance could have made an even better chest than the solarstone, or perhaps an altar for whatever his most dangerous sublime material was.

That took him a little away from the others, which increased Fiyu's distress. Nauda was distracted for once, staring at a panel of crystal at a nearby stall. Every time it shifted even slightly, all the fires and lanterns reflected into a kaleidoscope of color. A beautiful sight for those who were interested in that sort of thing, and Nauda clearly was.

"This is a work of raw beauty..." Nauda stared at it with undisguised awe. "I almost want to buy it just to have in my soulhome, even if it doesn't serve any purpose. Fiyu, isn't this beautiful?"

"I am not sure." Fiyu hesitantly shifted her mask up slightly, revealing a glimpse of a silvery eye before she winced and retreated back into her hood. "There are many colors, but..."

"You don't need to agree with me, everyone finds different things beautiful." Turning away from the glass, Nauda regarded Fiyu thoughtfully. "Since you use senses other than your eyes, I suppose colors wouldn't be striking to you. And I suppose paintings would just be flat, and statues just shapes. But surely you must have a sense for beauty..."

"That." Fiyu pointed to a stall two rows over, one that was difficult for them to see over the crowds. Since this was apparently their next priority, Nauda headed toward it and Theo followed along, restraining any irritation. More time to search for materials, then.

When they drew close, it was revealed to be a statuette sitting on the table, an old woman weaving at a loom. The wrinkles on her hands and face were wrought in stunning detail, but what was most striking was how natural the fabric looked, despite being made of stone. Completely useless as a sublime material, but Theo could admit that it was a work of art.

"And what do you like about it?" Nauda asked. Fiyu extended a hand without touching it, her fingers tracing the statuette's lines in the air.

"The details are even more intricate up close... and it creates the appearance of something soft out of something hard. That illusion is the most beautiful part."

"Most Ichili art is a bit more abstract, isn't it?" It wasn't really a question, but Theo decided not to sit out the entire conversation. "I remember these spheres that look smooth on the outside, but the interior is a maze of paths and shapes."

"Spheres of artistry!" Fiyu smiled as if the memory itself brought her joy. "Yes, there's so much intricacy within, and it strikes you differently from different sides. The best of them you can pore over many nights, always finding something new that escaped you before."

"They sound lovely." Nauda smiled in response, but her eyes were shifting toward him with a cooler gaze. "Exactly how have you spent so much time on Ichil, Jake?"

For some reason, in that moment the false name annoyed him. He wasn't about to reveal his previous visit, but he decided to offer some truth. So as they continued through the markets, he told them about how he had fallen through a door into a pitch black part of Ichil, studied under a traveling soulcrafter, and eventually helped save a community in one of the deep caverns of glowing mushrooms.

Both of them must have understood that he had been a soulcrafter in the past based on the gaps in his story, but they refrained from pressing him about it. That was worth something, he supposed. As frustrating as some aspects of his second life in the Nine had been, he'd come across worthwhile allies, at least for the moment.

In the end, they found the last material Fiyu needed without any more trouble and started on the return path. Just when it seemed like the entire trip might go smoothly, he heard sounds of a scuffle ahead. Nauda hurried to look, then sighed and reversed direction, pushing them back along an alternate path.

"It seems that the Fithans are causing trouble again." Nauda gestured to the side. "They're being thrown out of the warmthgiver district, so if we step through it, we should be able to avoid them."

"They seem very argumentative," Fiyu said, craning her head to examine the conflict. Theo could see over the crowds more easily and saw that it was nothing too serious: just a few drunks bickering with one another, nothing that local Farmguards couldn't handle.

"It has been an increasing problem. Some want to remove them from the school, but I don't know if that would be an even larger problem."

"You don't understand, they're being polite." Theo glanced back one more time as they shifted onto a warmly lit street. "The standards for behavior in their home... well, Fithe is a world at war. Uh, do you even have that word? I hope it translated correctly."

Fiyu nodded quietly and said, "I know of war." Meanwhile, Nauda gave him that odd gaze he couldn't quite interpret before she spoke.

"The word doesn't exist in the local language, so what I heard was something like 'bloodargument'. But war is not not unknown on Tatian, and other languages have the word, or at least had it once. Regardless, it doesn't excuse their behavior."

"That's not what I meant," Theo said. "It's just a cultural mismatch, or at least that's what I'm guessing. On Fithe, someone who acted as warm and friendly as most do on Tatian would be mocking or insulting. Being here is probably deeply uncomfortable for them, and we should be glad that no one has gotten killed. Honor duels are commonplace in many parts of Fithe."

Nauda frowned. "That is not an argument in favor of keeping them here..." Her words trailed off as they realized there was someone standing in their path.

"So this is where you were." Trathis stood before them, glowering as if they weren't in his group. "I was looking for you, Nauda, but you were nowhere to be found. Is this how you make your money, whoring yourself in this district? Have you turned the Ichili into a whore too?"

Theo was surprised for a moment, then immediately turned to Fiyu, afraid that she would react to the insult with violence. Instead her face was utterly blank, almost as if she hadn't even heard him. Combined with the mask covering her eyes, it was unnerving, and Trathis looked away from her to turn his irritation elsewhere.

"I'm so sorry to have given you the wrong impression," Nauda's voice was downright syrupy now and she bowed low. "I am not a warmthgiver, but if your disposition has left you with a need for one, I am sure that we could find someone who would accept compensation."

The combination of the blank stare and Nauda's sickening sweetness left Trathis hesitating. His scorn for them had rolled off the cuff, but now he seemed to be realizing that he'd insulted some of the strongest people in his own group. Theo decided to finish him off.

"Aren't you going to call me a whore too? I'm feeling left out here, Trathis."

"Look, I-" His words were interrupted as Nauda stepped in, touching his shoulder... and based on his wince, squeezing harder than was necessary.

"If you have need of my soulcrafting, I would gladly tell you all I know in a conversation tomorrow, during our normal meeting. Perhaps for tonight we should allow you to pursue your own financial endeavors."

With that, she swept past him and the other two followed, leaving him shifting uncomfortably on the street. Trathis wasn't a particularly skilled soulcrafter and he'd clearly been in the wrong, but Theo still tucked away the incident in case it turned into a problem later. He wanted to ask questions, but Nauda seemed in a hurry until they returned to the school.

There, once they were alone, she let out a giggle. "Did you see his face? That was well done, Jake. I'm not sure I understand why he was so offended, but well struck."

"Different worlds have different assumptions about those things." Theo shrugged and decided he might as well ask now. "Is that even an insult here?"

"Not generally, but the way he said it, his meaning was clear." Nauda shook her head, still smiling broadly, and turned to Fiyu. "I was more impressed by your composure, Fiyu. I guessed it might be more disrespectful on Ichil... is it not, or did you just not give him the pleasure of a reaction?"

Fiyu looked between them blankly. "What is a 'sexmerchant'?"

Nauda snorted before covering her mouth to smother a laugh. Unable to prevent a smile of his own, Theo couldn't resist teasing a little. "What do you think it is, Fiyu?"

"Well... I have noticed that Tatians have sex rather frequently. Perhaps it is necessary to have merchants who specialize in the production and distribution of contraceptives, prophylactics, and sexual aids. I thought that this would be a respected profession, but perhaps it is considered lower class on Fithe?"

After a moment of silence, Nauda began laughing so hard she nearly fell over, keeping herself standing only by leaning on Theo's shoulder. The utter sincerity with which the explanation had been offered got to him too, so he struggled to contain his laughter as he saw Fiyu look between them in confusion.

"You are making fun of me," she pronounced somberly.

"No... not at all..." Nauda tried and failed to get her laughter under control, so Theo took over.

"I'm afraid your guess was wrong, Fiyu. Trathis meant something more insulting, but you don't need to worry: your response was perfect for preventing him from getting any satisfaction out of it."

"Yes, we weren't mocking you at all." Nauda managed to straighten up, though she still had a broad smile on her face. "I can explain it to you, if you really want. Right now, I'm not tired at all. Would the two of you like to share a late night meal?"

Fiyu lowered her head and turned away. "I am tired now. We will meet tomorrow morning and I hope that you can help me construct a defensive chamber."

With that, she departed, despite Nauda's abortive attempt at an apology. Nauda's amusement died immediately and she turned to him, but it was clear that her offer wasn't available to him alone. Still, instead of leaving, she spoke quietly. "Did I offend her, do you think?"

"Give her time to think about it," Theo said. "She isn't accustomed to being around people this long and might have wanted to rest anyway."

"But is it insulting to imply that she's naive?"

"Don't worry about it. She asked us to help her tomorrow - she wouldn't have done that if she was really upset. For whatever it's worth, I think she enjoys your company. Just give her time."

Nauda nodded thoughtfully and left him alone. Theo returned to his room slowly, trying to think about the soulcrafting they had planned for the next day but finding his thoughts scattering over pieces of his life that had been fragments for too long.

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Chapter 15

Despite Nauda's concerns, in the morning they found Fiyu in the courtyard with a normal smile on her face. She sat in the most shaded corner, several sublime materials spread out before her. When they arrived, she gestured for both of them to sit across from her.

"Please, let us begin. I hope it will not be so miserably bright when the sun rises."

"I'm glad to be invited," Nauda said, "but am I truly necessary? I don't know anything about this defensive chamber you intend to create."

"Your presence is required. In order to give precise instructions, Theo will need to observe my soulhome more closely than he can accomplish himself. Please, perform your linking technique." With that, she extended a finger with each hand to touch their arms and closed her eyes.

Though Nauda hesitated and glanced at him, in the end she shrugged and drew them all inward. Soon they drifted within Fiyu's bleak soulhome, which had changed a little since he'd last seen it. The canvas wall had been replaced by dark stone, presumably refined from the pile remaining to the side. There wasn't much left, however, and Theo had to wonder what Fiyu would do when she ran out of sublime materials from her home.

"This will be the first time I attempt to create something that is not part of my relative's blueprint." Fiyu emerged carrying the sublime materials they had acquired the previous night... except the sand had been melted down into a sheet of dark glass. Theo was a bit disappointed that he had missed the process, since he could always use more knowledge of glass for his solar blueprint. "I will require your assistance."

"You've seemed extremely competent in all our classes," Nauda said. "You clearly understand all of the basic soulcrafter techniques and others besides. Is developing this room likely to be so difficult?"

That was a question for him, so Theo shook his head. "I don't think so. We need to start with a source of light... you mentioned that you had a fire to generate cantae, or maybe you have something different for your light bolts technique?"

Fiyu nodded and silently led them to one side of her outer wall, a blank area without adornment. She extended a single finger and tapped one of the stones, which began to slide out smoothly as if there was no mortar binding it in place. Advanced techniques like that, ones that demonstrated that soulcrafting wasn't truly just construction, were unusual for first tier soulcrafters. Even Theo hadn't attempted to redevelop any of those skills yet.

As soon as the dark stone came free, a blinding shaft of light pierced from the structure. Fiyu frowned in disapproval and stepped away, pulling up her hood. Squinting his eyes against it, Theo peered inside and saw that there was a crystal shining brilliantly, its power cascading off the walls, which seemed slightly reflective.

So this was the source of Fiyu's light. For her, this level of blinding light was no warm campfire or sign of home, it was both a threat and a stunning attack. As such, it was easy for her to channel cantae into those searing bolts of light. Like everything else about her soulhome, it was well-crafted, both in her relative's design and her execution.

"Will this be sufficient?" she asked. Theo leaned away, blinking the afterimages out of his eyes as he responded.

"Yeah, this is good. We can probably do this without using up a full chamber after all. The important thing is that you're creating a barrier between yourself and environments that are painful to you. Do you have a chamber that would be better suited for that?"

"I am... unsure." Fiyu tilted her head to the side, regarding both of them quietly. "To be truthful, I am confused about certain aspects of soulcrafting and our classes have not been helpful. I am capable of most techniques and my relative instructed me in the proper forms, but I do not understand why. I had hoped that you could offer me an exact blueprint, because I cannot improvise."

"It's your soulhome, so it needs to be your decision." Theo stood back, rubbing his chin and trying to think about where to start. Nauda beat him to it, floating up to gesture toward the entire soulhome.

"Soulcrafting is first about intent. Beyond a few simple rules, such as larger chambers holding more cantae, everything is subjective. What is a sturdy house and what does it look like? Different villages give different answers, and none of them are wrong. What matters more than how you swing a hammer is that you craft something that you fully believe to be a firm soulhome."

"That's oversimplifying," Theo objected. "No amount of belief is going to make a weak material into a strong one. You can't lean two boards against each other and pretend it's a castle, even if you're completely deluded. That's not even getting into how important it is to select the right sublime materials."

"But what makes the right materials? You can't simplify the differences there." Nauda gestured toward the shadows all around them. "If I tried to make my soulhome like this, it would be weak and uncomfortable, because this place seems cold and intimidating to me. But I'm guessing that it isn't to Fiyu."

Fiyu rapidly shook her head. "No, I find it very peaceful. Your soulhome is... too bright for me, but I think I understand how you enjoy it. So you are both right. We all must follow logical rules to craft an environment that is right for us, but our goals will vary."

"It's more complex than that, but yes. We've brought you materials that seem to be well-suited to the task of blocking out light and noise, but maybe we should have talked to you about them first. I know you might be familiar with Ichil, Jake, but you should have spoken to Fiyu first, since her own feelings about light are most important."

Since he didn't really disagree with any of the points, Theo didn't bother arguing and just moved on. "The quality and nature of the materials is important, and we have good ones. I'm confident that Fiyu can think of a way to effectively use them, regardless of individual details."

They both turned to Fiyu and she bobbed her head with a smile. Without speaking, she carefully replaced the brick in the side of the wall and then padded around the side. She stepped into a doorway, paused, then gestured for them to follow. Most of the doorways within were clouded in darkness that prevented them from seeing anything, but the shadows cleared in a room to the left, where Fiyu knelt down on the floor.

"This chamber is for my sensory technique," she explained, running her fingers along the outer wall. "It is the room most strongly associated with interacting with the outside world, for me, and all my sensory cantae flows through it. That makes it a good choice for this technique, right?"

She looked at them expectantly, so they quickly nodded affirmation. Fiyu carefully removed several bricks from the wall, roughly in the shape of the window, and Theo realized that she did fully understand. Still, she stared at it for a time before speaking again.

"The glass reminds me of the mask that Navim crafted for me, so it will stand between me and bright lights. I will place it as a... 'seeinghole'? Window? Yes, window. I see that the adhesive will bridge the gap between the glass and the stone so that the window does not weaken my defenses. But what is the cloth for?"

"That's going to be something called a curtain." He tried to show her, but couldn't touch the fabric and had to demonstrate until she hung it over the window. "This glass is so dark it blocks out most things, but you can open and close the curtain to control the light. Not only will it muffle sound, the fact that it's flexible will allow you to control how heavily the technique is used."

While they spoke, Nauda had been examining something on the other side of the room, but that made her look up. "Is this going to leave her perception of the world dimmed and muted? That could be a disadvantage in combat."

"No, this is where your subjective element of the process comes in." Theo turned back to Fiyu, looking her in the eye as well as he could through her mask in his mental form. "This part is important. You aren't soulcrafting all this to defend against light and noise, but to control it. If you do it properly, you'll still see bright lights, but you'll perceive them intellectually instead of being blinded. Does that make sense?"

Fiyu nodded immediately, as he'd hoped. Since she was already familiar with unusual perceptions, he suspected that this one would come easily to her. She began soulcrafting cheerfully, working with the bricks to create a space exactly the size of the glass pane she'd already crafted.

Occasionally she asked one of them a question, but for the most part she seemed happy to continue working silently. Theo kept floating there to... provide moral support, he supposed. He looked over to the other side of the room and discovered a stone pedestal rising from the floor. That had been what Nauda had been looking at, or more precisely the sphere placed on the top.

"Just why do you know a technique like this?" Nauda asked him. "Unless one of the Nine Worlds is far brighter than Tatian, you've never been in a place that was blinding to you."

"This is a specific version of a broader technique, one that I learned from veteran world travelers." Theo tried to rest back against the wall, but in this form he was never exactly comfortable or uncomfortable, just suspended. "Some of them have an entire chamber devoted to adapting to different environments. If they develop it enough, they could step into any world without the local conditions overwhelming them."

"Hmm. That's a useful technique. Probably not worth an entire chamber on the first floor, but perhaps later..."

"Right. That's why I'm glad that Fiyu could adapt it into a window so easily."

Still working but clearly listening, Fiyu bobbed her head in agreement. She had fitted the window properly, but applying the adhesive took more focused work. Leaving blobs of it off the side might be irrelevant in a real window, but within her soulhome, such minor flaws would only weaken the technique.

After a period of silence, Nauda bent down beside the sphere again. "Fiyu, this is one of those spheres of artistry you mentioned, isn't it? I wish I could feel the inside for myself, but... anyway, this is the heart of your sensory room, right? How does it actually work? What sense are you using instead of sight?"

"Nauda!" Fiyu turned to her with a gasp, mouth hanging open for a moment before it pressed thin. "I... why would you ask that question?"

"Is that offensive?" Nauda looked at her in dismay, then toward him. Theo regretted putting himself in the position of cultural translator, but since Fiyu was too shocked to answer, he didn't have a choice.

"Asking someone about what exact sensory techniques they use is an extremely personal question on Ichil. Think about how vulnerable it could make a person. There's one common technique that involves releasing and listening to sounds..." He chose that one because he was fairly certain Fiyu didn't use it. "If an enemy knew that, they could release counter-sounds and leave a person completely blind."

"I understand that it's a personal question, but..." Nauda floated beside the Ichili woman and reached out, trying to brush her arm. "I thought that we were friends."

Fiyu gasped and flinched away, just slightly. It was a barely perceptible movement, but Nauda saw it and her face fell. She receded so quickly that Theo was afraid they'd all be thrown out of the soulhome, but instead she just floated gloomily in the corner of the room.

Even though it should have been annoying to him, Theo just found himself wishing that he had a way of mending the disagreement. He thought the two of them would get along, it was just difficult to pick worlds more socially different than Ichil and Tatian. Before he could think of anything to say, Fiyu turned around and sat formally.

"I think we will become friends, Nauda. But please be patient with me. From what I have seen of your world, you use that word very easily, as if a person can have dozens of friends." Fiyu shook her head at the absurd thought. "In all my life, I have only held one friend close to me. Touching is also... not commonly done, even among relatives. I recognize that you mean no harm, but I still find it alarming."

"I understand, Fiyu." The relief was obvious on Nauda's face, even in her hazy form. She moved closer, but before she could say more, Fiyu continued speaking.

"Both of you may become my friends one day. Until then, I... do not wish to offend you." Fiyu reached out and took Nauda's hands, though her own trembled as she did so. "I do not want you to think that I dislike you, or dislike people. Your communities here are very warm and loyal. But I... being in them for too long, or even being with you, I quickly grow weary. Last night I was merely tired, not upset with you."

"No, I really understand." Nauda wiped the corners of her eyes, clearly wanting to embrace the other woman and restraining herself. "Please just be patient with me too. You don't need to keep... pouring your heart out like this."

"Thank you." Fiyu rapidly withdrew her hands, but she was smiling again. Unfortunately, both of them then turned toward him, the somber atmosphere tightening around them.

"I don't want you to misunderstand either, Nauda, and get the impression that I dislike people." Theo knelt down and looked her directly in the eyes. "I hate people. People are the worst. They should die in a fire." He relaxed back and grinned. "But you two are okay."

Their laughter was brief but genuine. They sat in silence for a time, and it might have been awkward, but then Fiyu returned to her work. "Nauda, can you maintain open doors between us? Could we all soulcraft together and visit from time to time?"

Wiping her eyes again, Nauda slowly nodded. "I can't create doors like that, but you can tap me in the real world, or I can teach you to knock. It's actually pretty easy, here..."

As she went on to explain the exact technique, the heavy atmosphere finally lifted. Still, when Theo drifted back to his own soulhome, he found himself smiling.