Hello my peeps and welcome back to Story Day!! This is a bit of a longer snippet (sorry), but my goal is to skip some of the more boring slow bits as fast as possible and get to the meat – ’cause, y’all, this project exploded and it is going to take a WHILE to get it all posted unless I do longer snippets. XD
On another note, I’m going to try and spend the week doing a lot of revisions to the blog – including changing the theme again. I just can’t get it to work for me and while I do love the font and the clear-cut stuff, I need something different. 😉 So, if you hop on and the Penmaiden is completely different or being changed while you watch, that’s why. Thx for sticking with me!
Now, on to the story!
Recap
Lasha and Calah stop by the library and get the librarians working on rooting up records on the Children of the Forbidden and Portal Stones. There’s also a nod to Aerwiar… 😛
The Caretaker – Part 1.6
“Hm…” Lasha let the sleeve of the jacket she was inspecting dangle. “This might be harder than I thought.”
Calah nodded, rubbing her eyes and stretching. “Why do I need new clothes, anyway?”
Seriously? How much does she not know? Trying to keep her patience, Lasha gestured to herself. “Do you see me wearing a Leaper uniform?”
“No, Commander.”
“Exactly.” Lasha turned back to the rack of jackets in front of her, each a style from another world. “The problem is finding clothes that are inconspicuous enough to match with most of the worlds we’ll be going to, not to mention being comfortable and easy to work in. No dresses and high-heels here.”
Calah wiped her forehead, letting out a sigh of relief that Lasha couldn’t quite tell if it was meant as a joke or genuine.
“So wouldn’t it be helpful to know where we’re going first?” she asked. “Do you know where we’re going?”
A sigh escaped Lasha’s lips. “Throughout the InterWorld. This mission is large-scale enough I doubt we’ll be staying in any single Realm for long.”
Excitement glimmered in Calah’s eyes. “Will we visit Rendar, by any chance?”
Lasha paused in her jacket-perusal. Now she was beginning to understand a bit. Calah had been raised on Rendar, but if she was freshly graduated, she probably had no idea that the “vacations” Leapers got to supposedly “visit family and friends” were cover stories for more important missions.
She was homesick.
And she’d probably never see her family again.
“I… don’t know,” Lasha answered tersely, beginning to search again. This wasn’t a topic she wanted to cover. “Help me look, for crying out loud! I don’t know what you like.”
An hour later, they had finally gotten Calah dressed in something neutral enough to not raise suspicion – a form-fitting creamy shirt tucked into brown pants that clung to her legs and disappeared into her leather boots. After some arguing, they’d compromised on a leather jacket, much like Lasha’s, with plenty of pockets on the inside and a new smell to it. Calah looked sharp in it, but the novice badge on her shoulder completely ruined the look.
Lasha ripped it off.
“Hey!” Calah shot a confused look at her mentor. “I need that!”
“Not anymore, you don’t,” Lasha said, tossing it into a nearby wastebin. “You’re with me now. I’ll get you a badge you can sew into the inside of your jacket.”
“What does it look like?” Calah asked, a curious smile flitting across her face.
Flipping one side of her jacket inside out, Lasha traced her badge with her finger. “Like this,” she whispered.
It was in the shape of a triangle, the frame intertwining with itself to make an endless loop. Each point of the triangle sported a different world, detailed embroidery making them fairly jump off the fabric. A crimson star was situated in the middle, bright beams scattering around the worlds and the triangle itself.
Lasha’s family crest.
“Cool,” Calah breathed, running a tender finger across the badge. Her other hand almost unconsciously brushed a sparkling chain dangling from her delicate neck.
Lasha forced her sentimentality from her mind. No use gazing at a pretty picture when there was work to do. She let the lapel of her jacket close. “Are you ready to go, then?”
Calah spread her arms and rotated a full circle. “I think so.”
“C’mon.” Lasha motioned for her apprentice to follow. “We’ll drop back at the library and see if your friend found those records, then head to the Worlden to brush up on my knowledge of our worlds.”
Calah skipped after her. “Sounds good to me. How long do you think this mission will take?”
The question wasn’t one Lasha had considered. She paused. “I don’t know, rookie. I honestly don’t know.”
Wrap Up
There you have it! Congrats if you read the whole thing and didn’t skim a bit. 😉 Tell me what you thought!! 😀
And remember, take courage, pursue God, and smile while you still have teeth!
~Joelle
(P.S. I’m pleased to announce that a friend of mine is releasing a story called World of Silence on May 25th!!!!!!!!!! You can pre-order an eBook here or read the blurb here!!! Congrats Kayti!!
AND HERE IS THE COVER!!!
Isn’t it gorgeous?! Pop on over to these lovely ladies’ blog and check out more of their stories. :D)
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