Date: Sun, 08 Nov 1998 02:50:13 -0500
title: waiting's end (post part 2)
authors: ian and teri

* * *
Later still...
The two had resumed the pointless, dragging waiting game, Shinji back in
his chair and Teri by the window. All was silent except for the occasional
annoyed sigh from Teri or the scraping of wood on wood as Shinji rocked
back and forth.
"You know, I've been thinking," he said suddenly, righting the chair.
Teri turned away from her post to answer.
"Oh? Trying something new I see," she replied.
"Very funny. It's about that glass ball of yours." The Jiy promptly
began hovering and bobbing in the air. Teri poked at it lightly, making the
Jiy turn from pink to yellow and back to pink again.
"Really? what about it?"
"Can you do anything else with it aside from tossing it around?" he
asked, examining the small glass globe curiously.
Teri frowned. "No, not really. Then again I really haven't had the time
to explore it's capabilities." Shinji grew thoughtful for a moment, then
resumed.
"What do you know about it?" he asked.
"Nothing really, just what Rashka told me." His silence prompted her to
continue. "They were used by wizards to channel magic, but that eventually
led to their corruption."
"The reds."
"Yep, the reds. Anyway Rashka did something to it and now it's tuned to
empathy instead of magic," she finished. "Or.. wait, she mentioned
something about it ORIGINALLY tuned to Empathy, and then tuned to Magic,
and now it's tuned back to Empathy... or something.. i think...," No matter
how many times she had read about it, having Empathy was still difficult to
accept.
"So you're telling me that this thing can channel this em...emp..."
"Empathy."
"Whatever. Is that it?" he asked, leaning across the table.
"I guess so, yeah.  Rashka didn't say much about what it did, or even what
Empathy was."
Shinji scratched the back of his head, "Yeah, i've never heard of it
before-- and we usually hear a lot of that weird magic stuff in the
monastery."
"Rashka told me to go to a place called Reiki--"
Shinji's eyes widened, "Reiki? That means we're in Tashisei for sure!"
"Tashisei?"
"The 'Western Country'.  THough it's really only west of Manchu."
"Man-shoe?"
"Where I first met you."
"Oh"
Shinji paused for more thought. "Reiki, huh?"
"You obviously know something of it-- care to share?" Teri tilted her head.
"Oh-- yeah. Reiki is one of the largest Trade centers around. Plus it's got
all sorts of weird learning places and guilds. The Healer's guild, the Mage
Academie, the--"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. So how far is it from here?" Teri had resumed
looking out the window.

"I have no idea. Didn't rashka say?"

"She said to go west. That's about it. Not too far, i think. But she said
it was.. important that i get there quickly.." Teri cradled the Jiy in her
palm, felt the warmth flow through her hand. The Jiy was getting hotter
now, every time she touched it. And it was usually colored shades of
orange, purple, or rose. Too close to red for her comfort, but she wasn't
about to say anything.

"We can leave tomorrow morning, probably," shinji offered.

"If they ever come back..." Teri said softly, and then whispered to
herself: "Where's Stana? Where's.. clip?"

Shinji stifled a yawn. "I think I'm gonna go to sleep.  They'll come back,
they're old enough to take care of themselves."

Teri nodded. "You're right... goodnight." She took one glance out the
window, and followed Shinji into the dark bedroom which had, until now,
always contained Stana, too.

It was then that Teri noticed the Bible and the stuffed animal.
Thankfully, she was behind shinji: he couldn't see her shock as he
nonchalantly climbed onto his pallet.  Teri kneeled by hers, back to the
boy, and gathered the teddy bear to her.  She squeezed her eyes against the
tears, and the Jiy nestled in her lap.

Stana's pallet was gone, and so was her bag.

Teri crawled onto her pallet.  "Shinji--" she whispered to the darkness
after clearing her throat.

"Yeah?"

"Stana's gone. Her stuff is gone.. and she left her bible and teddy-bear on
my pallet."

Teri heard rustling. "You sure? she could just be camping out or--"

"I'm sure."