Fowlhunter [GL]

Ennanis pulled on the fluorescent yellow shirt, then the matching utility trousers. Last was a white helmet and safety goggles. She looked at her reflection in their inn room’s mirror. It was a rather bizarre sight. It wasn’t every day she wore a miner’s workwear, after all.

“This is insanity,” Ying muttered from where she sat on the bed. She had taken off her wide-brimmed hat and headscarf, letting her lion-ears poke out freely. “They hired you just like that?”

“I went to the interview. They gave me a bucket of dirt to sort through under a minute and I unearthed the most gem ores they had ever seen. They accepted me.”

“They won’t let an angel investigate the mines, but they’ll let one work there?” Asha voiced.

“Didn’t tell them I was an angel,” Ennanis answered her. As she had found out from the temple back in the village of Lightwood, her records had been wiped from human recordkeeping systems of angels after her appointment to the Graveyard. As such, she could apply with her real name and appearance and not be recognised as an angel. She’d bound her wings into a big overcoat, hid her slitted eyes behind goggles, and the rest went smoothly. She didn’t know if they really would’ve barred angels from working in the mine, but she figured that it was better to withhold the information for as long as she could.

“It’s a good way to get in. Maybe we should all sign up?” Ying mused.

“I don’t think they’ll have any more vacancies,” Ennanis said regrettably. She pulled her vest on. Fortunately it was quite bulky, and her back lay flat where her wings were folded and flattened around her torso. “If it weren’t for my exceptional performance, I don’t think they would’ve taken even me.”

“Medusa damn.”

“It’s okay,” Jemi shrugged. She was crouched on the bed, playing with her scarf. “As you said earlier, we’re just gathering information. While you go in the mines, we’ll investigate the surrounding town. See if we can get any clues on subduing the Kraken.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Ennanis nodded. She began to gather her hair up, twisting it into a high ponytail. She felt violet eyes lingering on her as she did so. “Is something the matter?”

Jemi paused. Then she broke into a smirk. “Nothing,” she cupped her chin. “You just look good with your hair up.”

Ennanis cast her eyes ceilingward, then glanced away.

“Don’t get me wrong! You look sexy with your hair down too. I’m just sayin’.”

Ennanis hadn’t worn a high ponytail like this ever since she entered the Graveyard. Long, loose hair—it was her way of commemorating Amanita, who’d worn her hair the same way. But to put her hair up like this did give her a rush of nostalgia, all those years ago.

She secured the ponytail in the hardhat. She switched out her blue boots for yellow ones. They were less elegant than angel military’s standard footwear, but the design seemed far more suited for traversing the rocky terrain on foot. Ennanis stepped around in them, feeling out their weight.

Jemi whistled, arms folded behind her head. “All ready for your first day of work, Commander. Hope they pay you well so you can stop leeching off us.”

“Thank you for your boundless generosity thus far,” Ennanis droned. She straightened. “And where are you guys planning to investigate? Amethyst is a big prefecture.”

“I know some good places for information,” Asha said. “Leave it to me. You can focus on the mines.”

“If we’re splitting ways and you can’t give me an exact location, it would be better if we could keep in contact,” Ennanis said. “I can establish a communication charm with one of you. This will allow us to talk telepathically, and let me see where you are at within a certain range.”

“Eh? Communication charm? That’s a Soleki thing, isn’t it?”

“The recipient doesn’t have to wield Soleki. It can be Lunaki too,” Ennanis explained. “But anyway, that’s not a concern. You have a sunblood right there.” She looked directly at Jemi. “No,” Jemi said automatically.

“Why?”

“I’m ‘sunblooded’, yes,” Jemi’s eyelids lowered over violet irises. “But I can’t use any Soleki.”

Ennanis paused. “But that’s not possible.”

“Well, too bad. It is,” Jemi crossed her arms.

A tension hung in the air. It was obvious this wasn’t something she liked bringing up. Still, Ennanis continued to prod. “Even if your Soleki ability is very low, it will still be able to connect. I’m able to connect with even very weak cadets. The strength of the charm is dependent on the sender, not recipient.”

“Humans are different from angels, alright?” Jemi’s tone was steely. “And I know for a fact that I can’t use Soleki.” She breathed. “If the recipient can also be a Lunaki user, then just do it on them.” She gestured at the Beasts.

It didn’t make sense. Jemi wasn’t like the black-eyed Walden Vabolt. The fact that she had those sparkling, coloured eyes meant that she had to have Soleki in her blood. She could’ve been lying to hide her powers, but why would she do that? But if Jemi was so insistent, then there wasn’t anything Ennanis could do about it for now.

She pinched her fingers together. The Beasts watched, entranced by the way sunlight gathered in the air, merging into a bright spot above her palm. Even Jemi watched, tugging on her scarf solemnly.

She lanced the light forth at the little green-haired woman. Asha gave a soft ‘eep’ as the Soleki beam touched her forehead. “What am I supposed to do?” she asked.

“Accept it,” Ennanis said.

“Eeeeeh?” Asha’s eyes crossed in concentration. Then, with a pop, the beam disappeared, and Asha’s figure became encased in a glowing yellow sheen, though Ennanis was the only one in the room who could see it. “Oh! This feels weird.”

“Yeah, you got it,” Ennanis said telepathically through the charm. Asha jumped, clutching her head in surprise. “I can now talk to you through the charm without having to open my mouth, and you can do the same. It’s extraordinarily useful in many situations.”

“How do I—ohhh.” Asha was a quick learner. “That’s neat!” Then, aloud, she said, “Why doesn’t Lunaki have these things?”

“Because Lunaki is a poison,” Ennanis said.

“Oh,” Asha said, a little awkwardly. “Weeeell,” she smiled nervously, “if it’s useful, then we should connect Ying and Lochlan on it too!”

“I’m just gonna say something,” Jemi interrupted. She gazed out the window. “Once you’ve accepted a charm from someone, in future the sender can send a charm to you whenever they want. Even if you don’t accept the charm, the sender will still be able to approximate your location based on the direction the charm flies in. Basically, now that you’ve accepted Ennanis’ charm, she can now track you down whenever she wants. So think about that before you accept a Soleki charm from someone.”

“Whaaa,” Asha’s face fell. “Why didn’t you tell me? I just let you put a permanent tracker on me? That’s, like, a total privacy problem!”

Ennanis only glanced at Jemi. “I’m impressed you know so much.”

Jemi looked back at her. “I have many friends… who tell me many things.” Then she turned to Asha. “Don’t worry, you made the right decision. It’s a useful charm, if it comes with certain drawbacks. And we do need it for this mission. Of course, if there’s a way around it, I’m sure our angel will let us know.” She stared at Ennanis pointedly.

“We’re doing what’s necessary for the mission,” was all Ennanis said. She re-adjusted her hardhat, smoothened the front of her vest, and walked out the door.