WrathofaShardKitten

"The fourth ideal? That's amazing!" Evelyn had been around long enough to know that swearing an ideal was a huge accomplishment. Probably even bigger than her possible discovery. Which reminded her . . . "As for what I was looking for, I think I figured something new out with Aons! I'm trying to find something to engrave the aons on so I can test it out. Preferably metal or glass, circular, and probably about two and a half centimeters in diameter. I can probably change it to the right material if we can find something the right size and shape." Evelyn's eyes were shining with excitement, and she was talking fast. "Have you seen anything that might work?"

Evelyn cast one last look around her room, which she had already searched multiple times, looking for something that she could engrave the new aons she'd made on. Anything glass or metal should do . . . Evelyn seemed to notice the window for the first time, giving it a calculating look before shaking her head and amending that mental statement. Most metal or glass things would work. Windows should probably be off limits. But if it came down to it . . . She should probably check the rest of the house first. Evelyn hurtled down the stairs only narrowly missing James on her way down. "Hey James! Do you know where . . .?" Her question trailed off as she noticed James face. "What's up?" she asked instead. @Wyndlerunner

Kira wasn't sure that she liked that grin. "We . . . could do that? Or, if anyone has a car, then that might work instead. Or maybe if there's a bus. Or we might be able to rent bikes Or we could walk." Basically anything that wasn't helping that grin would be good with her. Kira looked hopefully at Lewis, Wita, and Quinn. "I don't suppose any of you have a car, do you?" Probably not, but it didn't hurt to ask, whereas it could possibly hurt very much not to ask.

Kira shook her head at Lewis's question, eyes growing sad. "No. I almost wish I had, though." Wita said something, and Kira turned. "Please come," Wita said. "It's a good day." Kira looked to Lewis, confused, and hoping he might have heard where exactly they were going. Marcel helped clear that up with his next words. "Should we go to his house? It seems weird he'd walk all the way from there just to be murdered." "You're investigating what happened to Christopher? I'm in." She tried to lower her voice in case those thugs from earlier were still around. They were supposed to just leave, right? Not hang around asking questions. "His house seems like a good place to start. Do you know where it is?"

That left them in a bit of an awkward spot. They had both agreed to go talk to Wita and Marcel, and yet neither of them had moved. That made it so that one of them now had to move first, after both agreeing that they should. It should probably be Kira, because she was the one who had originally asked the question, and she knew Wita and Marcel better. But if Kira started walking first, then it would seem like she wasn't interested in her conversation with Lewis. But if she didn't start walking, then it would also be weird because she had asked if they should talk to Marcel and Wita, and then didn't do anything about it! Solutions . . . solutions . . . She could start walking first, but that would be kind of awkward after just standing there for a little bit, so that wouldn't work. She could say something like, "after you," with a smile and accompanying sweeping hand motion, but that could also be done very wrong. Inspiration struck, and Kira found herself trying to keep a relieved smile from showing on her face. Kira turned, and began walking backwards towards Marcel and Wita, really hoping that Lyssa would tell her if she was about to fall. Taking a quick glance at Lyssa, it seemed unlikely, The spren was still following Kira, but she hadn't formed any of her usual figures. Kira would have asked if she was alright, but Lewis didn't seem to be able to see Lyssa, and she didn't want to start talking to the ground. That would be both weird and awkward. In other words, exactly what she had just been trying to avoid. She looked back at Lewis, vowing to herself that she would figure out what was up with her spren at the first opportunity. "What's your name? It seems impolite not to ask, since you helped us out and all. Mine's Kira."

"Perhaps, but that worked because we only had one to deal with. If you hadn't started fighting the other man, then we would have been fighting two people at once. That might not have ended so well." Kira saw Wita's wave and waved back. It looked like they were okay to go talk to them now. "It looks like they're done talking. Should we go see if we're allowed to leave yet?"

"Your welcome. Sorry I didn't help earlier. As to what that was . . ." Kira glanced away, sighing. There probably wasn't much point in trying to hide it from him, as he had already seen what she could do. "I'm an Edgedancer. I can do . . . stuff. You might want to ask that man over there," she gestured towards Marcel, "About what exactly I can do. I'm not sure how well I can explain it." She glanced back at Marcel, who seemed to be in deep conversation with Wita. She wasn't sure if she should interrupt, so she turned to Lewis with a smile. "I should probably be thanking you as well. I'm guessing it was you who kept the other men from sneaking up behind us?"

Evelyn was in her room, using a piece of paper and pencil to draw out all of the various combinations that might have the effect she desired. And . . . talking to herself as she did so. "No, that one won't work. Nope. No . . . This one? Maybe." It seemed to have everything she needed. Evelyn looked at the paper, scanning through a mental list of requirements. No tiny lines that would become impossible to draw on a small piece, aon Ien for healing, aon Daa for power, the modifier that would cause it to draw more power from the Daa based on pain. Everything seemed to be there. She grinned, and began looking for something she could carve or engrave the aon on. She reached down to grab her book bag, which might have something in it that would work, and frowned when she didn't immediately find it. Evelyn bent down, trying to see where her bag was, and in the process of doing so, banged her head on the table. "Ouch!" She jerked her head back up reflexively, her hand going to feel the injury. It stopped halfway there. "That's it!" she exclaimed. "That's what it's missing! If I use it as it is right now, then it responds automatically to any pain, making it so that I don't feel anything. It's would seem like that was a good thing, as I want this to block pain, but it's not." She started searching for her pencil, which had been on the table just a second ago . . . "If I don't feel any pain," she continued, voice more of a mumble as she looked for the pencil, "then I don't recognize that I've been hurt. For example, if I touched a hot stove on accident as I was now, I'd feel pain and jerk my hand away, avoiding further damage. But if I did the same thing while wearing this then I wouldn't feel any pain and wouldn't move, thus causing more damage." She picked her pencil off the floor with a triumphant grin, and began her designing more aons that would counter the issue. @Lunamor

@BookishOcelot

Kira watched as Sam limped away, and then walked over to Lewis, Lyssa trailing after her. She could still feel the words, waiting to be said, but they didn't feel quite so urgent anymore. She placed her hand on the top of Lewis's head, breathed in her remaining stormlight, and healed him. It took everything she had. Taking a step back, she offered her hand to help Lewis up. "I hope, that's enough. Though, as I mentioned before, it's no bandage," she said smiling a little. @Eluvianii ... Lyssa noticed Wita and blew a kiss of her own, though she didn't go back to talk to her just yet.

Evelyn took the plate with a grateful smile and sat. Since Ben didn't seem to be up yet and she wasn't sure when he would be, Evelyn decided not to try and wait. She drew the aon she had used last night again. It had worked after all, if only temporarily. If only temporarily, Evelyn mused as she ate. What if there was a way to prolong the effects? She could change some things in the aon to try to make it last longer, but that would probably mean she would either need to stay fairly close to the spot where she'd drawn the aon, or that she'd have an Aon following her around. It seemed as thought there should be a better way . . . Back home they could engrave metal plates with aons to do different things. Like to create light or heat, or even to use aon Tia more safely. Could she try something like that? Maybe if she engraved the aon on a glass or metal disk . . . She could disguise it as a bracelet or necklace; alter the aon to give different amounts of power based on pain. It might work. She finished the last couple bites of her pancake, took care of her dishes, and then rushed upstairs to start working on her idea.

Evelyn was back on the street. She held her book in two hands, staring at it in surprise. She had just barely knocked out a voidbringer who'd been attacking Shana without her powers. With a book. A faint smile tugged at her lips. Who said reading was for nerds? She began to hear sirens behind her and turned, small pebbles grinding beneath her feet. A police car was just coming into sight, driving fast, when the world flashed red and pain exploded in her back. Her legs stopped working, and Evelyn was sent falling to the ground, vision already starting to go black. She woke with a sort of half-cry, a searing pain in her back once more. She couldn't move, couldn't think, couldn't hardly breath it hurt so badly. The pain lessened with time. Either that or she just got used to it. Eventually, she was able to stand, leaning heavily on things to stay upright. She didn't draw another aon - the last one hadn't worked after all - and she didn't even know for sure what was wrong. When she had tried twisting to look, she hadn't seen anything. So instead of trying another ineffectual aon, she went looking for Ben. Or Sawyer. Or anyone else who had the surge of progression. Evelyn headed downstairs, dressed in her normal jeans and shirt, with her maple leaf necklace hung around her neck. She had left her bag, though. Too heavy. Evelyn noticed Ashlyn by the door with Rob and gave her a quick wave before heading to the kitchen, where she could hear people cooking. "Hey, has anyone seen Ben?" she asked, arriving at the door. The kitchen had a couple of people in it, so hopefully someone would answer. They appeared to be making pancakes.

Kira jumped as the piece of metal shot from Lewis's hand, and slicked the ground beneath Sam in case he tried to retaliate. She glanced back at Lewis in case he tried anything, but he just said "I hope that means something," and slid to the ground. Okay, well now she wanted to heal him. He looked . . . not so good. Kira started to edge her way around to him, trying to look casual. Healing Lewis would probably take most, if not all, of her remaining stormlight. Maybe she could just heal him a little . . . ? He really didn't look that good, but Kira didn't want to leave the rest of them defenseless. "You never saw us," Marcel said. "Pretend like we never came here." Well, that might solve their problems? If the Anthony and Sam would let them all go, then she could heal Lewis and they could go. Sam and Anthony might not even chase them down. But then, what about Christopher? If they just walked away, then she would never know. Never know if he had a family that never heard from him again. Never know who he was or why he was killed. He would just . . . Disappear. And that felt wrong. . . . Lyssa left Wita, drawn to Kira by an invisible thread. "You're so close," she whispered.

Kira raised her hand slowly. "I could probably help. Though it's not a bandage, and I don't know why exactly I should help. For all I know, you're part of this. Part of killing him." She gestured to Christopher.

Evelyn finished her healing aon and smiled with relief as the pain in her back vanished. She hadn't been sure if it would work, since she didn't know exactly what the voidbringers had done, but the pain had vanished. Evelyn got to her feet, yawning, and followed Rob up the stairs.

Lyssa twisted up to see what Wita was doing, and frowned, shaking her head. "I can't paint," she wrote. The she brightened. "But I can draw! See?" She took the form of a vine again and blurred across the brick, creating an image of Wita's face. After she was done, Lyssa returned to her normal form of a girl and folded her arms, a proud tilt to her chin. "I call it planting." Then she seemed to glance over and see the edge of her "drawing" beginning to fade. "Oh . . ." She wilted slightly. "They don't last very long, though." She brightened again. "Maybe Kira can make you one that lasts longer! She can do planting too, but she needs seeds. I'm awesome," she wrote, appearing for a moment in between the words to toss her head, "So I can do it without seeds." ... Kira had gotten to her feet slightly shaky from the use of so much stormlight, and the . . . other factors, as well. She breathed in another small amount of stormlight to steady herself, and so she'd be ready in case Anthony tried to attack them. She'd dropped the knife, and she was glad of that. For now at least. She couldn't bring herself to pick the knife back up, and that would stop her from using it to hurt people. If only they would stop hurting themselves . . . Kira shook her head, trying to dispel the lingering thought. Lewis's loud call helped. She turned to look at the two men, one with a wound in his side, and watched carefully to see what they would do next. She'd be ready if they attacked. She wouldn't use the knife, but she had her surges.

"And the Nightwatcher won't tell you anything else about it?" Evelyn asked curiously. Her hands had stilled, so she began to trace a healing aon in the air. It should heal her back, and possibly the concussion she had been diagnosed with.

Evelyn had gone straight to her room once they got back, far too tired to do anything else. She had closed her eyes for a moment and begun to drift off to sleep when she heard the explosion downstairs. She bolted upright, shocked completely awake, and dashed downstairs, taking the steps three at a time. When she reached the bottom, she saw this casual scene: There were people sitting on the couch talking, Draug casually removing his shoes, and Rob standing next to a burning door. Evelyn's hands blurred through the air, somehow steady despite the adrenaline coursing through her blood, making the air aon. As soon as she finished the last stroke, a strong wind blew through the still-smoking doorway. Hidden embers flared momentarily brighter, and then swiftly faded as the wind stole all of the heat away. The wind vanished as the last embers died completely away. She would have done more to make sure that it was completely gone - like create a tsunami and flood the place - but her hands had started shaking to badly to be able to draw aons now. Not only that but the adrenaline rush she had received from the explosion had begun to fade, leaving her exhausted and hurt. The pain in her back from when the voidbringer had attacked her was back, and even worse due to her frantic dash downstairs. She took a few more steps into the room, sank down into a sitting position with her back against the wall, and asked, "Why was the door on fire?"

Anthony fell with a scream, and Kira froze. What should she do? She hadn't meant to hit Anthony again; it had just happened. Kira could feel herself beginning to slide. Brain shutting down. Body refusing to move. She was going into shock. Something hit her foot, and Kira glanced down automatically. A drop of blood had slid from the knife she held, falling onto her shoe. Another drop fell from the knife, and Kira's hand moved lethargically to the side and dropped the knife. It fell with a clatter on the stone ground. Then Wita was there. She pushed her way between Kira and Anthony, and Kira stumbled back. Wita was saying something. Something about pain? Kira's gaze had fallen back onto the knife she had dropped. It lay there in a pool of blood, still gleaming in places, fallen next to Anthony as he lay on the ground. Memories began to surface, and the sounds seemed to fade away along with the color, leaving only grayness and the sensation of falling. She began to remember another night. another time . . . Lyssa's voice. It was soft. A whisper that should have been drowned out as the other sounds were, and yet it managed to penetrate. "He was trying to run." Then another voice. Wita's. "Please," she said. The voices, Lyssa's and Wita's, were like a lifeline to Kira. Things to tie her to the present. She took a sharp breath as she surfaced from the memories, and more stormlight poured in, clearing her brain and letting her move once more. The sudden flood of stormlight did something else as well. It reminded her that she wasn't helpless anymore. She was a radiant. An Edgedancer. She could heal. Kira took a single step forwards and dropped to her knees next to Anthony, reaching out her hand to touch him. She could heal him. @Sorana @I think I am here. @Dr. Dapper

Kira's eyes widened in shock and horror as the blade penetrated Anthony's side and he screamed. For a moment, Kira felt utterly frozen. Unable to move. And then Anthony moved, trying to pull away. Her instincts - and quite probably stormlight - kicked in, and Kira slicked her blade, pulling it easily from Anthony's flesh and instantly driving it down towards his leg.

Kira turned towards Wita. "No, he -" she had begun to say when she caught a flash of motion from the thief. She heard a gasp from Lyssa and acted without thinking, drawing in a sharp breath of stormlight and turning, stepping automatically towards Anthony, her knife already flashing towards him. Unless the man moved, the knife would connect.

Lyssa smiled and shook her head. "They can't hurt me," she wrote, "and I need to help you and Kira, and . . . what did you say his name was? Marcel. Him too." ... Kira nodded, tightening her grip on the knife. Fear was twisting at her insides, and she found herself longing for stormlight, to breath it in and feel that strength. She had some with her. Infused gems carried in a dark bag that would stop anyone from seeing the glow. Kira bit her lip, trying to pull her attention away from the stormlight. Only a few of the gems were totally full, and she couldn't waste the stormlight. Not only that, but using it would tip the robbers off to the fact that they weren't quite normal. And so she waited, tense and ready to attack as soon as the robber made his move.

Kira spun at the sound, falling into a low crouch, her knife suddenly appearing in her hand. She paused when she saw the man walking down the alley towards them. He looked kind of scruffy, and she didn't immediately see a weapon. Why would he be attacking them? There were three of them -- four if you counted Lyssa -- and only one robber. Not only that, but she didn't see any weapons on him. Maybe he had a gun, but if he did and he fired it, then all of the people nearby would come running. Then a thought occurred to Kira. The man had said "Give us your money." Us. Not "me," but us. There was more than one. This man was probably the distraction, trying to pull their attention to him while others sneaked up behind them. Kira narrowed her eyes, and said to the others in a voice too quiet for the robbers to hear, "There are more. Look out behind you."

"More fairies . . ." Lyssa assumed a thinking position, her chin resting on her hand. "Hm . . . Yep!" she wrote. "There's lots! But they don't look exactly like me. Some of them look really different. But most of them are harder to find." Lyssa remembered the other question. "Yes! I would love to come dance! But Kira would need to come, too." ... "Christopher Hartly," Kira repeated, focusing on what Marcel said, committing it to memory. She would remember. And she'd try to find the people who knew him, his family and friends, and tell them what happened. For now, however . . . "Should we call the police?" A thought occurred to her. "In fact, why aren't they here already? He -- Christopher, I mean -- has been here for a long time, right? So why hasn't anyone else found him and called the police?"