Second archon war: Sapientia Oromasdis 3 (Patreon)

Sapientia Oromasdis 3: Sending out Roots

Not long after the deadly swarm of demonic butterflies took flight, cars arrived, open to the air, bearing men in red hats with sunglasses and clothing like that of hunters. By their bearing and the shadow of violence that followed them, Nahida knew them to be soldiers of some kind, though bullies would perhaps be a better description. They didn’t bear swords, axes, or spears, but instead had those same weapons that appeared to function as crossbows did, only the bolts they threw were no larger than Nahida’s thumb. Still, the bolts were fired with such force that they could easily slay.

Well, at least if you did not try to use them against a demon.

Farasha sat nearby, watching Nahida and Qiqi as they huddled together on the side of the now deserted street. The food carts had either been hauled away or abandoned, the shop door closed, the stalls shuttered and the owners vanished. With the swarm of butterflies fluttering overhead, Nahida couldn’t blame them.

“What now, Farasha?” the first soldier demanded. By the elaborate insignia and gold braiding on his uniform, Nahida guessed him to be an officer. His weapon was smaller and holstered at his side, unlike the larger weapons his men carried that were larger and more powerful looking.

“A robbery, major. Dead shopkeeper,” Farasha said, pointing to the shroud covered body and bloodstain in the shop the men had robbed. Nahida hadn’t been able to save him, despite hurrying over. The poor man’s spirit was already departed, and while she could heal nearly any wound, she couldn’t raise the dead.

“Shit,” the officer muttered as his men went over to inspect the body, casting concerned looks up at the sky, bug ignoring Farasha and the girls. He looked over at Qiqi and Nahida, then very deliberately spat to the side. “That’s Saeed’s stray brat, isn’t it? The zombie?”

“That’s Doctor Bashir’s daughter, yes,” Farasha said, her tone cheery, but her eyes sparkling ominously. “And her name is Qiqi. Not zombie.”

“Hmph. And who’s the other one?” the Captain said, going over and prodding Nahida with his boot. “Who is she?”

“I’m Nahida,” she said nervously, trying to keep away from the boot toe.

“I wasn’t speaking to you, brat,” the captain said with a sneer. He moved his leg back as if to kick Nahida, but a glance at Farasha caused him to simply set it down. There was murder in her eyes, and two butterflies slowly circling around her head.

“Manners, Waleed. Those little girls are worth ten of you, and each of them could tear you apart with their pinky fingers,” Farasha said, wiggling her little finger demonstratively.

Nahida wasn’t sure about Qiqi, though she suspected that to be true. She certainly could tear apart a man in theory, though she had never willingly used violence on any living creature. Once, about 440 years ago, the Grand Sage had attempted to “study the Archon’s combat potential.” They had brought in all sorts of dangerous creatures, from Geo Vishaps from Liyue, to Consecrated Beasts in the desert. They had all been terrifying at first, with Nahida frantically running away from them.

However, with a little time and thought, she’d managed to communicate with the monsters. With a little soothing and kindness, even the most vicious of the beasts had let Nahida pet them, and even ride them in some cases. The sages had been furious at her for ruining the experiment, though one Spantamad researcher pointed out that Nahida had demonstrated her combat ability, just in an unorthodox manner. Thankfully, they’d stopped trying to get her to do violence, though Nahida did miss having animals to play with after the sages took them away.

“Please. As if I have anything to fear from them. You’re all dogs on a leash, even if you’re a mouthy bitch,” Major Waleed said with a sneer.

His bravado rapidly evaporated when one of the butterflies circling around Farasha’s head suddenly veered toward him, slowly fluttering through the air in his direction. He swore and ducked, scrambling away as his men nervously lowered their rifles at Farasha and backed away themselves.

“Put those away, boys. I wouldn’t want you to hurt yourselves,” Farasha said with a snort. She walked over, taking Nahida and Qiqi by the hand. “Come along, ladies. I’m taking your jeep, Hasaan. You can walk. We’re going to Squad headquarters. Nahida needs to be registered.”

The Major looked like he wanted to argue, but he was still backing away from Farasha’s butterfly as fast as he could. “Fine! Get out of my sight! I’ll clean up your mess as usual.”

“Prick,” Farasha said under her breath, which probably meant that if Nahida had normal hearing she couldn’t have heard the word. Then Farasha was all smiles. “Looks like we get to go for a car ride! You like car rides, don’t you, Qiqi?”

“Daddy,” Qiqi said, her eyes still red and full of tears. “Want doctor daddy.”

“Later, my sweet,” Farasha promised. “If you’re good, I’ll buy you both a treat.”

Qiqi looked uncertain, but she asked, “Cocogoat?”

“I’ll buy you every coconut in the city if you want,” Farasha promised, picking Qiqi up and setting her in the back seat of the jeep, then doing the same for Nahida. Farasha climbed into the back, setting Qiqi on her lap. “Of course they took out the seat belts. Maniacs. No sense of safety.”

The driver up front was cringing, with sweat breaking out on his forehead, but he cleared his throat and asked, “Where to, Miss Farasha?”

“Headquarters. Nahida’s a new member. Say hello to Corporal Mohammad, Nahida.”

“Hello,” Nahida said, giving a nervous wave. Unlike the other soldiers who were all young men, this man was older, with grey in his beard, and no red beret. There were different logos on his uniform, which Nahida took to mean he was in a different unit, or was a servant of some kind to the soldiers.

“Hello, Nahida. Let me be the second to welcome you to the Special Action Squad,” Mohammad said, pushing some pedals with his feet, then turning the wheel on the “jeep” to put it into motion. Behind them, Major Waleed glared at them from behind his dark glasses, and the cloud of butterflies wheeled about, following them as they sped off down the road.

If Nahida hadn’t been so frightened and worried, she would have found the ride thrilling. This was much faster than a horse-drawn carriage could go, and was rather exciting and fun. Instead, she just felt sick at knowing she had seen four men die today, and that Farasha, bright, cheery Farasha, was a monster.

The city they rode through was now deserted, with frightened eyes peering at the jeep and up at the sky of butterflies from behind curtains and shutters. Cars rapidly pulled over, the drivers cowering behind the wheel and passengers hiding under their seats if they could. Nahida began to understand just what sort of city this was. One ruled through strength and terror. No wonder the dreams of the populace were so troubled.

“It’s sad, isn’t it?” Farasha said, stroking Qiqi’s head as they bounced along.

Nahida looked at Farasha, her own expression mournful. “Many things are sad. To what do you refer?”

“My butterflies.” Farasha looked up at the swarm above their heads, a bitter smile on her lips. “As a little girl, I loved butterflies. I used to collect them. Cruel, now that I think back on it, but I loved catching them in my nets, looking them up in my father’s library, and putting my best specimens on display. I did the same with other insects, but I had a special love for butterflies. We had a garden, where I would grow flowers with my mother, just to attract them.”

Nahida looked up at the swarm, the lowest butterflies trailing bright drops of red flame as they fluttered along, keeping pace with them despite how fast they were moving. “There is a certain beauty to death. It is a part of the natural cycle. But these… Do you find them natural, Farasha?”

“Natural? Nahida, we’re capes. There isn’t anything more unnatural than us,” Farasha said with a dark laugh and a shake of her head. “What we do… Well, I don’t think it’s a crime against Allah, because I don’t believe in a God that would curse anyone so, but they’re certainly a crime against nature.”

“What would Doctor Bashir think to hear you say such things, Farasha?” Corporal Muhammad said from the front seat, though he didn’t take his eyes off the road.

“He’s not here, is he? And it’s not like Qiqi will tell,” Farasha said, gently brushing a bit of hair back under Qiqi’s shawl.

“No tell,” Qiqi said softly.

Farasha looked to Nahida. “Would you tell, Nahida?”

“I would like to meet Allah,” Nahida said, looking back up at the butterflies. “And ask him… many things.”

“Wouldn’t we all, kid. Wouldn’t we all,” Farasha said with another humorless chuckle. Then she brightened as they pulled up to a gate with soldiers around it, with a tall concrete fence with cruel looking wire atop it. There was a sign with the words ‘Special Action Squad National Headquarters’ on it, and that same flag symbol that Farasha wore on a pin. “We’re here. At least we can get part of this sorted out.”

The guards at the gate hastily opened it as the jeep approached, trying to get out of their way as fast as they could as Corporal Mohammad slowed to drive over the humps in the path.

“Stop,” Farasha commanded, moving Qiqi from her lap and standing up. She glared at the soldiers, who cowered before her. “You call this doing your jobs?! You’re supposed to check our ID and confirm we belong! What if one of us was a Changer or something?”

“F-forgiveness, Lady Farasha,” one of the soldiers said, and extended a trembling hand. “Your ID cards, please.”

“I forgot mine,” Farasha said airly, folding her arms over her chest. “And Qiqi’s. Nahida doesn’t have one.”

“Here is mine,” Mohammad said, handing over some papers. “And Qiqi’s and Farasha’s. Nahida indeed does not yet have one.”

The soldier accepted the papers and glanced at them, then looked up nervously. “This… seems to be in order?”

“Call HQ and tell them you’re admitting an unidentified parahuman,” Farasha ordered. “That’s basic procedure! Don’t you remember?”

“Y-yes, of course, Lady Farasha, it’s just that, we recognize you, and the last time we asked for your ID-”

“Oh for—! Fine! Muhammad, just drive us to HQ. Idiots,” Farasha muttered, once more in a foul mood. The soldier handed the papers back and got out of the way as fast as he could, and Mohammad drove at a much slower pace into the base.

The buildings around them were made of the same sunbaked brick that most of the city was, with flag poles that bore giant banners hanging limply on the flagpoles. There was a large fountain that tinkled merrily, though the water didn’t look terribly clean to Nahida. Signs on the buildings labeled them as barracks, mess hall, armory, mosque, and Headquarters. The sort of places Nahida supposed you would find in a military base. She had read a few treatises on military matters over the years, but she’d never found them very interesting or important. Still, it was something to read, and in 500 years Nahida had read papers on basically every topic in the Akademiya, which was essentially everything.

There were soldiers about, some on guard, others hastily making their way between buildings. A few people not in uniform, but rather very odd looking clothes walked about as well, some of them looking up nervously at the butterfly filled sky, others studiously ignoring them. Some of these nodded or waved to Farasha, and she waved back enthusiastically, calling greetings to them.

“Vision holders,” Nahida murmured but frowned. Most of them had demons of varying levels of strength, though none were nearly as powerful as Farasha’s. But there were half a dozen vision holders as well. Two electro, and four anemo she could sense. “Is there some sort of shift schedule? Do you only have anemo and electro vision holders on duty?”

Farasha blinked at Nahida. “We do take things in shifts, but I’m not really sure what you mean. I saw Naveed and Daina, so their group is on shift, but there are only the electric and wind visions, or Electro and Anemo as Bashir calls them. Well, and I guess yours. What did you call it again?”

“Dendro,” Nahida said, frowning. She couldn’t sense any major sources of Dendro around them at all, not even in the barracks. There was plenty of anemo and electro, a lot of things seemed to run on electro including the jeep, but where were the cryo, pyro, or geo? There were plenty of natural sources, but no actual elemental energy.

“Right. Well, that one’s new. I won’t let them bug you about it too much. But we’ll need a rough description of what you can do. Maybe we’ll work that out later,” Farasha said as the jeep came to a stop in front of the largest building, the main Headquarters. She hopped out, then turned to lift Qiqi down and give Nahida a hand. “Thanks, Corporal. If Hasaan gives you shit, you let me know. Little punk.”

“Of course, ma’am. Will you be needing anything else?” the corporal asked with a gentle smile as the jeep idled, its engine rumbling softly.

“Nah. If I decide we need a ride home I’ll give a shout though. Toodaloo!” Farasha waved cheerily, taking Qiqi’s hand and waving it back and forth, while Nahida waved goodbye despite the dread in the pit of her stomach.

“Well, come on, I promise they won’t bite!” Farasha said, smiling down at Nahida and offering her a hand.

Despite her trepidation, she took Farasha’s hand. She didn’t feel evil. The stench of death on Farasha was stronger than ever, and the evil radiating from the demon attached to her soul was incredibly vile. But beneath that…she was just Farasha. A kind young woman who had a fierce independent streak and a dream of freedom and love.

Besides, Nahida had always dreamed of having someone who would unconditionally extend their hand to her. Not a mother, Nahida didn’t need mothering, but a Big Sister? She’d always wanted a big sister. And a little sister too. Nahida smiled at Qiqi, who was shivering and clinging to Farasha’s leg as she looked at the building.

“Go home. Want Daddy,” Qiqi mumbled.

“It’s OK, Qiqi,” Nahida said, letting go of Farasha’s hand and taking Qiqi’s icy fingers. “We’ll be brave together.”

Qiqi didn’t seem certain about that, but she let Farasha and Nahida lead her up the stairs into the Headquarters building.

Inside, Nahida sensed that the building was richly appointed and full of displays of wealth, with expensive furnishing, stone floors, fancy paintings, and water-hungry plants. A male secretary was standing behind a counter, and there were guards everywhere. Some of them were soldiers, but there was also a man with a demon and a woman with an Anemo Vision. They weren’t wearing standard uniforms, but the sort of customized outfits favored of VIsion Holders.

In this case, the man wore a variety of heavy metal arm bangs and arm rings, most of them silver and gold with ornate jewels, and wore a vest that showed off his impressive musculature, along with baggy pants and pointed shoes. The Demon that Nahida sensed had something to do with metal, though she wasn’t sure how and did not like to brush up against the demons.

The woman on the other hand made Nahida gasp in delight to see her clothing. She was dressed with a pale green silk veil that hung from an elaborate crown that was inset with the green gem of her vision, while her outfit was a colorful and wonderfully embroidered dress that came down to her ankles, with golden sandals on her feet. Upon seeing Farasha and the two girls, the woman broke into a smile and hurried over, kneeling down in front of them and spreading her arms wide.

“Farasha! It’s lovely to see you again! And little Miss Qiqi! You remember me, don’t you?”

“Qiqi…forgot,” Qiqi said, half hiding behind Nahida. The woman’s face fell for a moment, but she quickly recovered, pulling both Nahida and Qiqi into a hug.

“Well, then let me remind you! I’m your Auntie Faruzan! And you’re both just absolutely adorable! What’s your name, little one?”

“I’m Nahida. I like your dress. Did you make it?” Nahida of course knew the answer: the dress did not have the feel of something made in a factory. It had been hand sewn, and by the Anemo that had gone into it, this woman had to be the one to have made it.

“Why yes I did!” Faruzan grinned, standing up and spreading her skirt, twirling to show the loving details. “ I based it off of a historic dress of Maryam, also known as Maria of Byzantine! She was the consort of Khosrow II, the greatest king of the Sassanid Empire!”

“Really?!” Nahida’s eyes lit up at the mention of ancient histories. She loved reading primary sources, especially about ancient Sumeru and the deeds of Greater Lord Rukkhadevata. Granted, Nahida was old enough that a lot of people would consider her ancient history, but she knew very little of the history of Iran. “Do you have any books with illustrations of historic fashions? Farasha wants to take me shopping, but I don’t have a solid grounding on the cultural trends that would inform modern-day clothing choices.”

At first, Faruzan looked rather startled at this flood of words coming out of what looked like a little girl, but as soon as Nahid mentioned “historic fashions” her face split into a wide grin.

“Farasha, she’s darling!” Faruzan squealed, wrapping Nahida in another hug and picking her up to grin at Farasha. “Oh, you have to let me borrow her sometime! Is she a cape!? I could design her costume! She’d look wonderful in a period costume from the Rashidun Caliphate!”

“You’ll have to talk to Saeed,” Farasha said with amusement. “He’s her guardian.”

“Oh, please Farasha?!” Nahida begged. She turned to Faruzan. “Do you have any primary sources!? No one has taken me to the library yet, and I long to get my hands on some good primary sources!”

“My darling, I have an illuminated manuscript from the court of Nusrat al-Din Ahmad that has some wonderful illustrations of period clothing in it, some of it going all the way back to the Umayyad Dynasty! I found it at this tiny little bookseller’s while doing research at the University of Cairo, where I was getting my doctorate! I got it for a song, but it’s such a treasure!”

Nahida let out a delighted gasp at this at this incredible find, balling up her fists as her mind raced. A real primary source! She could look up plenty of historic fashion trends, as well as get a feel for the dreams of this people for a thousand years! This was the best news she’d had in ages!

“Oh great, another nerd,” Farasha laughed. She bent over to loudly whisper in Qiqi’s ear, “Don’t worry, Qiqi. I won’t you turn into a dusty old maid.”

“Old maid? Old maid?!” Faruzan glared at Farasha in outrage. “Darling, I am neither old, NOR dusty! I’m not even thirty yet! You’re only a few years younger than me!”

“She doesn’t even have a boyfriend, poor thing. She spends all her time reading books,” Farasha continued, giggling as Faruzan sniffed indignantly and turned around with Nahida still in her arms.

“Don’t listen to that uncultured barbarian. I swear, you’d think Saeed would convince her to broaden her horizons. He went to Oxford, you know. Completed his residency in Family Medicine and took several courses in Parahuman Biology. He’s published papers! He’s very well respected.”

“Oh? You looking to court him?” Farasha asked, her tone casual, but her body suddenly tense.

“Don’t be ridiculous. He’s too young for me,” Faruzan sniffed. Then she grinned mischievously and leaned in close to Nahida and whispered, “She’s terribly in love with him, you know. She really should just-”

“That’s enough, Faruzan,” Farasha snapped, taking Nahida away and setting her back on the ground. “We have to get Nahida registered, that's why we came.”

“Oh!” Faruzan gave Nahida a piteous look. “Poor dear. Well, new clothes always make me feel a little better…even if they won’t bring back my husband.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. I hope you dream of him often,” Nahida said, waving to Faruzan as they made their way to the front counter. Faruzan blinked away tears, and smiled at Nahida, before returning to her post.

At the counter, the man on duty gave Farasha a nervous smile. “Ah, welcome back. Are you going on duty today? We saw the butterflies…”

“No, Abbas. I’m here to register a new friend!” Farasha picked up Nahida, setting her on the counter to both her and Abbas’s shock. “Meet Nahida! Isn’t she precious?”

“Um, hello,” Nahida said, extending a hand and giving Abbas a shy smile. He looked at her hand like it was a snake, but a glance at Farasha had him gingerly take it and pump Nahida’s hand once.

“Ah, hello. Well, I suppose we can get the paperwork filled out. Normally I would need the signature of a male guardian, but, uh, I suppose we can make an exception…”

“I’m her co-guardian with Doctor Bashir Saeed,” Farasha said in chipper tones, though there was an edge and a threat to it.

“W-well, um, you’re an unattached woman, so, uh…” Abbas swallowed nervously, then hastily pulled out a paper form. “I’ll just put you down as co-guardian…”

“You’d best,” Farasha said. “I’m going to take the girls to my office for snacks. I’ll take that with me and fill it out.”

“Right. Uh, I’ll send someone to process it,” Abbas agreed hastily, looking like he wanted to be anywhere that didn’t have Farasha there.

They made their way up a flight of stairs to an office in the back corner. It should have been small and obscure, but the interior decoration was garishly lavish, and there was a window that looked out onto the courtyard below. A window that Nahida’s knowledge of architecture told her had been put as a patch over what seemed to have been a whole burned into the wall.

The desk was a carved hunk of old wood that looked like it had barely fit through the door, while rich carpets were on the floor. There was also a refrigerator in the corner, from which Farasha pulled a few containers of food, which she examined with a frown. “Huh. Guess it’s been a while since I was here. It’s all expired. Ah well, I should have some snacks in my desk.”

These turned out to be packets of sweet crunchy cookies, which Nahida found tasteless for some reason, though Qiqi munched on them happily enough. They just tasted…fake. As if they had been made by machines, not human hands, robbing them of much of the dendro energy they should have contained.

“Hmm, let’s get this filled out then. Height…”

“112.3 cm,” Nahida supplied, coming over to peer at the paper. “Weight is 17.9 kg.”

Farasha blinked, then pushed the paper and pen towards Nahida. “Can you fill this out?”

“Of course,” Nahida agreed, taking the pen and clicking it three times, just because that was rather fun. A pen that clicked! She needed a dozen of these! And paper to write on, but later. She easily filled out her basic information, though she felt very guilty writing “5” for her age. Technically, she was five. Just, five centuries.

The other questions were harder. She tapped the pen on her chin, frowning at the questions relating to her parentage, ethnicity, and political and religious allegiance.

“Just put Saeed Bashir as your guardian. Say you’re Arab. It’s easier if it’s that, even if you’re actually Turkish or Kurdish,” Farasha advised.

“I’m not, though,” Nahida said, glancing worriedly up at Farasha. “I… don’t really know how you’d categorize my ethnicity.” Mostly because she was decidedly inhuman. But “Branch of Irminsul” wasn’t something they’d be likely to recognize.

“Here, I’ll write it then,” Farasha said, and filled out that information with handwriting that was much less neat and fluid than Nahida’s, though it was far from bad. “There.”

Nahida still felt guilty, as this was basically lying on an official document, but the truth seemed a poor choice to let spill at this moment. Then it was on to her powers. She wrote down “Dendro Vision Holder”, then frowned at the paper.

“I get what a Vision is, Faruzan isn’t the only one we have, but what’s this Dendro stuff? You mentioned it being life energy or something. What’s that mean?” Farasha inquired, frowning at the paper.

“It’s the primal energy of life, produced by all living things,” Nahida said, tapping the pen on her chin. “Hmm, I can put Chlorokenisis, and soil fertilization…”

“Chloro-what?” Farasha asked, frowning as Nahida neatly wrote it out.

“I can manipulate plant life,” Nahida explained. She looked around, but there were no plants in here. However, there were those moldy bits of old snacks. She dug one cup of fruit out of the trash, placing it on the desk and earning a frown from Farasha.

“Like this,” Nahida explained, and gently, slowly, called to the embers of life within the fruit. There were some seeds there, of a type of plant she wasn’t familiar with. It was a bit of a waste to make a plant grow so rapidly, it was unnatural and would make it reliant on direct dendro infusions, but she grew a small sprout, then a shoot, and finally a branch, which produced a bright reddish fruit with a thick rind. She plunked it, then held it up to the gawking Farasha. “See?”

“Well goddamn, kid. That’s impressive.” Farasha rubbed her chin, frowning. “I dunno though. You’re pretty young. And this is the sort of thing that attracts attention.”

“Well, I can do some other things,” Nahida hedged, fidgeting in her seat, her legs kicking the air. Unlike Bashir’s chairs, these were all sized for grownups, and not for children at all.

“Like?” Farasha prompted.

“Well, I can manipulate dreams…” Nahida said.

“No,” Farasha said bluntly. “Absolutely not.”

“Is… is that bad?” Nahida asked, wilting at Farasha’s dark gaze.

Immediately, Farasha brightened and gave Nahida a gentle smile. “No, it’s just… if the Mukhabarat found out you could do that… yeah. Let’s go with chlorokinesis. And if they ask, say you can just grow flowers and fruits and stuff.”

“I can heal too,” Nahida offered.

“Perfect! Even more reason to have you with Bashir. You can heal minor wounds,” Farasha said, scribbling down Nahida’s powers with a brief description.

“Actually, I can-” Nahida began, but Farasha raised her hand.

“Minor wounds, Nahida. When you’re older, you can put out the cool powers. For now, nothing that’d get you called up to active duty or put in a warzone. Trust me. I’ve helped fill out enough of these. Qiqi, for example, can make things slightly cold. Not freeze entire buildings. Right, Qiqi?”

“Qiqi good. No cold,” Qiqi said, looking up from the bag of now mostly eaten cookies and spraying crumbs everywhere. Her entire front was coated, and her cheeks puffed out like a squirrels.

“Exactly. I had to lie my ass off to get them to believe she didn’t… never mind. Anyway, no one really cared if I said I killed another bunch of assholes, but they would have really cared if they knew Qiqi could. So you’re just a harmless little gardener who can heal cuts and scrapes,” Farasha sternly, pointing her pen at Nahida. “Got it?”

Nahida nodded, feeling both frightened and worried. “I… I would never use my powers to hurt someone else. Honest!”

“And I hope you never have to. But, we’ll do some private lessons so you learn to defend yourself. I can’t be around all the time, and, well, you’re a lot more with it than Qiqi is.” Farasha gave Qiqi a pained smile, which Qiqi was oblivious to as she examined the now-empty bag for more cookies.

“All gone.”

“It’s OK, sweetie. We’re going home after this. Bashir will be having a cow. I’m shocked he hasn’t called a thousand times when he saw the butterflies,” Farasha said with a sigh.

There was a knock at the door, then the door opened before Farasha could respond to it. Severa menl in military uniforms, subtly different from the ones Nahida had seen so far with black berets, strode into the room, frowning at everything, but especially the three women within. They were followed by an older man with dark hair and a thick mustache in a grey suit with a silk tie and expensive-looking shoes.

“Ah! My favorite parahuman! Farasha, God smiles upon you this day!” the man in a suit said, spreading his arms wide, a wide smile on his face.

Do not trust him.

The thought was instant. Nahida recognized this type of man instantly. His aura reeked of paranoia, narcissism, and violence.

“Uncle Hussein!” Farasha said, jumping up and coming over to give the man a hug. She was as bright and chipper as ever, but the scorn she hid was as plain as day to Nahida. “I have good news!  A new type of Parahuman! A Dendro Vision holder!”

“Truly?” Hussein said, turning to Nahida and smiling at her. His eyes were weighing her like she was a duck for sale at the market. “Well, what can she do?”

“Um, I can grow fruit,” Nahida said, pointing to the cup with the small tree sprouting from it.

“Oh? Show me,” the man demanded, coming over and putting a possessive hand on Nahida’s shoulder, squeezing it tightly.

Nahida felt tears come into her eyes, and she looked desperately to Farasha, who nodded and smiled encouragingly. “Go on, Nahida. Show Uncle Saddam how wonderful you are.”

Reaching out, Nahida touched the plant, funneling more Dendor into it. It grew even taller, which made Nahida want to weep even more as she doomed it: this much forced growth would kill it in less than ten years, when it should have lived for centuries. A flower budded then produced a fruit after only a minute, and Nahida hastily plucked it, offering it to Hussein.

“Hmm. Can she do it on a large scale?” Hussein asked, his eyes cold, calculating.

Do not tell him. His greed will destroy.

Thankfully, Farasha answered breezily, “She’s too young, this probably exhausted her, look at how she’s trembling.. She runs out of juice too fast. She can do some neat party tricks, but not too quickly in succession. It’s pretty neat though, right? And she’s the first Dendro Vision Holder! Quite the feather in your cap!”

“Ah, a pity. But, yes. Something new, you say? We’ll do a news piece on her. Make sure she’s dressed properly for it. Tomorrow,” Hussein ordered.

“Of course, uncle! Maybe she can grow some flowers,” Farasha said with a dazzling smile and nod.

“Good. Now, we must talk. Ali! Get the children out of here,” Hussein barked.

Faruzan appeared in the doorway, flushed and breathless. “Your Excellency! I will gladly take the girls!”

“Who said you could speak, woman?” one of the bodyguards barked, glaring at Faruzan, who shrank back.

“It’s fine; it’s woman’s work, and Faruzan is a loyal servant of Iraq, are you not?” Hussein said, not even turning around to look at her.

“Of course, thank you, sir!” Faruzan said, desperately making motions to Nahida and Qiqi. Nahida grabbed Qiqi’s hand, and hastily dragged her from the room, leaving a trail of crumbs. The door was slammed shut behind them, making Nahida squeak in shock.

“Hurry, little ones,” Faruzan whispered, shepherding them rapidly down the hall. “You don’t want to attract the President’s attention.”

They ended up in a scrambled little cubicle, where Nahida had a wonderful time as Faruzan shared a biography of Ibn Malik she was working on. It was stored in this wondrous box powered by electro, and connected to a network much like the Akasha, but Nahida absolutely devoured the writings, asking eager questions about the places and people mentioned in it, which Faruzan happily answered.

For her part, Qiqi curled up in Faruzan’s lap and went to sleep, sucking her thumb as she snored. Nahida soothed away Qiqi’s nightmares absently, warding her dreams from the demon. It was simple enough to do that and read and chat at the same time, Nahida standing up in the chair as she read, so excited was she at the new knowledge.

She had read only for about half an hour before a stormy Farasha swept in, glancing at Qiqi as Faruzan stroked her hair. “Well, I kept him happy for now. Come on, you two. Time to go home. I think that’s enough adventures for today.”

“Does that mean we won’t go to the library today?” Nahida asked in disappointment.

“Later, kiddo. Not today,” Farasha said, looking and sounding exhausted, but giving Nahida a smile regardless. “Come on. Muhammad will drive us home.”

Qiqi woke up before they got to the jeep, blinking owlishly, then simply snuggling up to Farasha as she was carried down to the jeep. “Qiqi daddy now?”

“Daddy now,” Farasha agreed. “Come on.”

It wasn’t long to get home, though there was more traffic now. The swarm of butterflies had vanished from overhead, something Nahida was very grateful for. They went back into the clinic, where Bashir hastily finished up with his patient, a husband and his pregnant wife. They gave Farasha nervous glances, but she just smiled at the couple. “Congratulations! Boy or girl?”

“Girl,” the husband said curtly, and the wife looked away, pain on her face. “Come.”

Farasha smiled until they left, then turned to Bashir as he hurried over. She gasped in shock as he took her face in his hands. “Are you well? What happened? I saw, I was worried, but I knew you had it. I just… are you alright?”

“Fine. I took more damage seeing Our Glorious Leader than I did fighting off those poor saps,” Farasha said, giving Bashir a cheeky smile. “Nahida’s all registered now.”

“Praise be to Allah,” Bashir sighed, and this time, he sounded like he meant it. He knelt, giving Qiqi a hug, which was returned with some fervor, prompting a start from him. “Qiqi? Are you alright?”

“Daddy,” Qiqi said happily.

Bashir started, then his eyes misted over. “Yes. Daddy. Very good, Qiqi.”

“Qiqi hungry. Cocogoat?”

“Oof, sorry kid. I’ll get you a coconut tomorrow,” Farasha promised, wincing slightly.

“Cocogoat,” Qiqi said mournfully.

Then Bashir turned to Nahida. “And you? Are you well?”

“Oh yes. I met Faruzan! She showed me the biography she’s working on. I need to study Arabic grammar more, it’s quite fascinating!” Nahida said excitedly.

That earned her a start from Bashir, then a chuckle. “Well, aren’t you the little sage?”

Nahida flinched at the world, but tried to hide it. That wasn’t a word that conjured pleasant memories for her.

“Why don’t you and Qiqi go play,” Bashir urged, and Nahida took Qiqi’s hand to lead her outside.

As she did so though, she listened into the conversation behind her. Her hearing was magnitudes better than human normal, plus she could simply sense the minds and spirits and listen in on those even more easily.

“They met the President? Did he-”

“Doesn’t suspect a thing. Thinks Nahida can do party tricks, and Qiqi can make ice cubes. He was just pissed I scared everyone by mercing those assholes that shot up a shop.”

“Farasha…”

“Don’t start. I’m not in the mood.”

“It’s just, I worry about you. Not your strength, just… I know the toll your powers take on you.”

“Yeah. Sure.”

“Will you stay for dinner? At least let me cook for you.”

“Oh, your parents would love that. Their son, cooking for a woman.”

“They don’t have to know. Will you?”

“If you let me spend the night.”

“You know I can’t do that. Not unless you agree to my proposal.”

“No. Not happening. You know that.”

“You don’t need to-”

“No, Saeed! I’ll spend the night. It’d be good for both of us. But not that. Don’t ask me for that.”

“I can’t, Farasha.”

“Why not!? I could use a good-”

Nahida stopped listening then, even as she kicked a ball to Qiqi, who let it bounce off her foot.

So, Farasha was in love with Bashir, and he with her. He seemed to wish to marry her, while she, ah, well, wished to be close to him, but not marry him. Strange. Most humans in love with one another would wed. They were clearly fond of one another and wanted to spend time together, and Nahida thought they would be a wonderful couple. But something deeper was going on.

Adult relationships were complex, and it was one aspect of life Nahida had no experience nor understanding of. She got the basics, but as both a god and a child-like one at that, she had no capacity for romance at all. Still, she did yearn for companionship, and more than that, a family.

“Will you be my friend, Qiqi?” Nahida asked, picking up the ball and smiling hesitantly at Qiqi.

Qiqi blinked at her in response.

Nahida sighed. “I suppose it’s too much to ask for a sister, much less a friend…it’s just playing house for me, anyway.”

“Sister,” Qiqi echoed. “Qiqi…sister?”

Nahida’s heart skipped a beat, and she grinned. “Yes! Come on, we can play house together! I’ve always wanted to play house with a sister!”

Farasha left not long after, waving goodbye to the girls cheerily despite the anguish in her heart. Nahida gave her a hug, but couldn’t bring herself to do more. After that, playing house felt like a sham, but Qiqi needed to be properly socialized, so Nahida went along with it. It was kind of fun, even with the dark cloud over her head.

Dinner was a quiet affair, with Bashir serving up a tasty enough meal, but seeming worried and withdrawn. Nahida made a little small talk, but she wasn’t sure how to handle this situation, and lapsed into simply enjoying food.

That night, Nahida slept in Qiqi’s bed again, the two of them embracing one another as they dreamed together of a house, where they were the two sisters, Bashir was the papa, Farasha was the mama, and Faruzan was the grandma.

And from those dreams, a seed sprouted. As the night went on, a small shoot grew, then took shape. With the sound of tinkling bells, a small plant drew itself up out of Nahida’s dream. It gazed down at her, then at its little hands.

“Dreams,” the little plant said. “Good dreams, for good nara.”

Then the plant bowed to Nahida, and with a jingling sound, walked to the edge of the bed to hop off. It made its way down the hall, then out into the garden, where it planted itself in the rich soil.

And the first of the Aranara took root on the banks of the Tigris River.

PHILO: The Seeds Take Root. DUNDUNDUN!