I am back from a long hiatus, and ready to write!
Hope you guys enjoy this next portion, and get ready for more!
"Jack?"
Jack stirred. "What?" he murmured. "What is it?"
"Jack?" A voice called from the distance.
He groaned and opened his eyes. Nelra stirred beside him. After their rather intense session earlier, they had taken a brief nap. If she wasn't calling him, then who was?
"Jack?" A head peeked into the stall. "Jack, it's time to-"
Sara stopped short, her eyes widening in surprise. She quickly turned away. "Oh, uh..."
Jack winced. "It's... fine. Sorry, what were you saying?"
Sara's face remained locked on the floor. "Ksfm sent me to round everyone up. We're leaving soon - apparently there's a storm or something. We couldn't find you anywhere." Her face reddened. "Probably for the best."
"We'll be right out."
Sara nodded and left briskly, her footsteps sounding in the now empty baths.
Nelra yawned and stretched her arms. Her chest hadn't yet returned to its normal size, but it was much smaller than it had been an hour or so ago. Her purple skin had returned from its reddened shade.
"What did she say?" Nelra's question broke Jack from his gaze.
Jack raised an eyebrow. "You were right here. And I thought Vagonals were good at hearing."
She folded her arms. "Not when it's in a different language. You were speaking hmn, not Vagonal."
Jack blinked. He hadn't even noticed. "She said it's time to go." He looked around the room. "Wait, where are our clothes?"
Nelra smirked. "Next to the baths, of course."
She rose to her feet but wobbled a bit. Jack steadied her. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. I just... need a minute."
He helped her as they walked from the stall. He was expecting to see their clothing strewn about where they had tossed it, but, to his surprise, it was folded neatly next to the flowing water.
Nelra, noticing his befuddlement, explained. "The women from the gtkr. I suppose they must've known it was you. Afterall," she said wryly, "Your smell probably gave you away."
As they started dressing, Jack paused. He shook out his clothing, bright yellow petals falling from the inside. "Is this their idea of a practical joke? If so, it's not very funny, and that's coming from an objective prankster."
He turned to smile at Nelra, but she looked solemn. "Leaves of the Fsps tree. Said to bring fertility and long life to those who wear them in their clothing - difficult to obtain. It is a sign of great respect for you."
Jack abruptly stopped his shaking. "Oh. Uh..." He looked at the scattered petals floating across the water. "I didn't - I mean, I wasn't -"
Nelra placed a hand on his arm. "Don't worry." She smiled. "I'm sure any who bathe here will be grateful for their influence."
Jack hesitated. "Bathing with them gives the same benefits? I guess that's settled, then." He reached in and grabbed a handful of the smooth petals and tossed them over the baths. They fluttered gracefully, before landing on the surface with the remainder of the petals.
After finishing with emptying his clothes and dressing, they were ready to go. Nelra linked her arm through his, and they walked out of the baths.
It didn't take long to find where Ksfm and the others had gathered.
Ksfm scowled as they arrived. "What took so long?"
"Well..."
"We don't have time for your explanation. We need to move quickly."
Jack cocked his head at the odd reaction. "To beat the storm?"
Ksfm nodded as he lead the way out of the palace. "Perhaps on your planet storms are merely an inconvenience. Here, they can be deadly."
The moment the doors opened for them, Jack was hit by a shrill gust of wind. The usually sunny weather had turned dark and grim, the wind howling loudly. And the temperature was cold... Jack estimated it was 10 degrees Celsius. And going down.
Ksfm hesitated for just a moment. He licked his lips. "Let's move!"
And so they did. Immediately, the Vagonal's hair collectively shrank against their heads and backs. Vilet and Lizbeth exchanged a nervous glance.
They moved as a huddle, Nelra keeping her arm firmly locked with Jack's. Occasionally, a cold gust of win would blow over the group, causing a collective shiver. They moved quickly at first, Ksfm holding the pace at a steady jog over the rocky ground. But as they went on, moving quickly became less of a priority.
As the wind picked up, the gusts became more frequent, until soon there was a steady wind. It changed somewhat, but mostly blew against the direction of home.
Jack shivered as a slice of air trickled down his back. He glanced over to see how everyone else was faring.
Howard had his jaw set and held his overcoat around him tightly. Jack absentmindedly wished he had a jacket of his own - but he never would have guessed at this weather.
Sara and Lily seemed miserable, but overall, not freezing. In any case, they were faring better than the Vagonals.
Nelra's skin had lightened almost to a blue color, and Lizbeth hardly had any tint. They were shivering terribly. Vilet had an arm around Lizbeth, trying to warm her, but with no avail.
Finally, Jack looked at Ksfm. He was bearing the brunt of the wind, and it was taking its toll. His teeth were clamped, and his pace had slowed considerably. He was trembling from cold and exhaustion.
Jack gave Nelra's hand a squeeze before he stepped forward to catch up to Ksfm. The moment he stepped away, the wind hit him full force, and he shuddered. He forced himself to move faster, catching up to Ksfm in a couple of paces.
"Kisfim!" Jack shouted over the howling wind. "Move to the back - I'll lead."
Ksfm hesitated, but ultimately conceded, falling back. The group paused in confusion.
"Vilet, stand behind me!" Jack ordered. "Lizbeth and Nelra in the middle, Sara and Lily keep them warm from the sides. Howard, help Kisfim in the back. Okay?"
A few of them nodded, and there was some murmured assent. Nelra and Lizbeth huddled together, but Jack kept moving before he could see if anyone else followed. Overall, he hoped it would help.
Their pace was much faster than before, but the winds were only getting worse. Every step felt like he was walking up a mountain at a deep slant. The wind dug into his skin, through his clothing. It didn't take long for him to go completely numb, which was a relief.
He suddenly understood what Ksfm had been fighting. The wind was buffeting, and completely merciless. Part of him felt like calling back and having Howard take the lead - just for a while.
Suddenly, he felt a hand on his back. Jack gritted his teeth. No, he could do this.
He closed his eyes and pressed forward, focusing on nothing but moving forward. They had to be at least halfway there, right? He was grateful for the lack of rain so far. The last thing he needed was to slip and fall or be soaking wet.
The temperature was hard to separate from the wind, but after a while, Jack felt certain it was dropping. A small crash of thunder sounded overhead. Back home, he had thought storms were pretty cool. Like snakes. Or frogs. Stars, why did EVERYTHING on this planet want him dead?
