The Gig, Sunday

[kestrelswolf.livejournal.com]

Just because it was graduation weekend didn't mean Firekeeper and Blind Seer were going to be remiss in their duties.

Especially since the horses wanted to hear all about the ceremony.

If anyone needed to talk to them, they could be found in the stables, re-enacting the fight scene for the benefit of the horses.

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[scatteredgems.livejournal.com]

As it happened, there were two such people who wanted to see them. Though they'd had time to talk yesterday following the ceremony, it had all been very... chaotic. And so Firekeeper had suggested they stop by her place of employment today, where there would not be any crowds.

"Firekeeper?" Sapphire called out as she and her sister opened the stable doors. "We're here!"

[kestrelswolf.livejournal.com]

And yes, they'd seen each other only yesterday, but it had been years before that, so both formerly-Shield sisters got tacklehugged.

"I should introduce you to horses," she said, finally letting go of Citrine. "You are so grown-up!" Which she'd also said yesterday, but it bore repeating.

[scatteredgems.livejournal.com]

"It has been a few years, you know," Citrine said with a roll of her eyes. "Young people tend to do that a lot."

[kestrelswolf.livejournal.com]

Which earned her a cuff on the shoulder and a mock glare. Hrmph. Children.

[thatsamilkshake]

Somehow Francine had known that even on graduation weekend, Firekeeper would be out here with the horses.

After all, at the brunch there was food, but there were also crowds and no dancing to make up for it.

So, much like when the slightly shorter Petersperson who'd turned up here a few weeks ago, the wolves were going to be greeted by an unavoidable hugbomb, oh yes. This one was just a little easier to identify, and shouted, "Firekeeper!" instead of just WOLVES!

[kestrelswolf.livejournal.com]

"Francine!" Firekeeper was always up for a good hugbombing. "I thought I heared you yesterday!" But then in the vicious-teddy-bear related confusion, hadn't actually been able to spot her in the crowd following.

[thatsamilkshake]

"Like I'd miss that?" How much had Fandom changed her that Francine immediately followed that up with a hugbomb to the giant wolf?

[kestrelswolf.livejournal.com]

And get treated to a rather thorough face-bath via wolf-tongue for her trouble.

Which probably made Blind Seer's feelings on the matter of Francine's visit rather obvious.

[thatsamilkshake]

"Pffth!" said Francine, helpfully. And coherently.

Then, with slightly more or the latter, "Are you, um, going home, after this?" She wasn't even sure whether Firekeeper could go home; people had come through before, and Francine knew from experience that it worked the other way too, but so far it seemed like that was only at Fandom's whim.

[kestrelswolf.livejournal.com]

"Is a good question," Firekeeper admitted with a shrug. "Sapphire and Citrine comed to watch the ceremony. But they did not come from Nexus Islands, which is where I should return." She didn't know much about whatever strange magic allowed travel between her world and Fandom's, just that it was nothing like Portalocity, where one could control their destination.

[thatsamilkshake]

Francine's expression probably made her feelings on the Nexus Islands -- or at least, their experiences there -- rather obvious. "Why do you want to go back there?"

[kestrelswolf.livejournal.com]

"It is a powerful place," Firekeeper said. "It is my thinking that those of the Old World may not be so pleased if- when- they find it is not their allies that control it anymore."

[thatsamilkshake]

Guve Francine a minute; she was slower about these things than... certain people who could still barely read after four years. Shut up.

"So you think you should be there to help keep it from getting taken over by bad guys again?"

[kestrelswolf.livejournal.com]

Firekeeper nodded. "I also," she said, somewhat hesitantly, "have been thinking much about querinalo. It is my wish to find where it came from, and it is my thinking that research could start there."

[thatsamilkshake]

Yeeeeah, double the frown, there. "You won't get sick again if you go back, will you?"

[kestrelswolf.livejournal.com]

"I do not believe so," Firekeeper confirmed. What little she did know of it was that it was a one-time-only disease. "But I want to stop others from becoming sick, if I can."

[thatsamilkshake]

"I can get behind that." English: it doesn't borrow from other languages; it follows other languages down dark alleys, knocks them over and goes through their pockets for loose and preferably difficult to understand slang. "I just worry about whether you'll be safe."

[kestrelswolf.livejournal.com]

Firekeeper grinned fiercely. "Blind Seer not like this idea much either, but he will run with me and perhaps so keep me from foolishness."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Dinah made her way to the stables after breakfast, and grinned at Firekeeper and Blind Seer over the fence. "Hey, guys."

[kestrelswolf.livejournal.com]

"Dinah!" Firekeeper waved at her to come inside.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Dinah climbed over the fence and jumped down, careful where she put her feet. "Congratulations! You made it all the way through!"

[kestrelswolf.livejournal.com]

"You did not think we would?" Firekeeper asked teasingly.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"I knew you could," Dinah said, grinning. "Wasn't sure you would. 'Cause maybe you'd want to go home sooner." She gave Firekeeper a light hug. "But I'm proud of you guys for sticking it out."

[kestrelswolf.livejournal.com]

Truthfully, they'd had very little choice in the matter. "What we want, and what Fandom let us do, is different things," Firekeeper told her with a shrug. "Only once, in the four turnings of seasons since we come, could we go back. And there Truth saw that we was to return to Fandom, so."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Do you know when you're going back there?" Dinah asked now, wondering. "And you know you can visit me any time, right?" She grinned at Blind Seer, reaching out to scritch that spot behind his ears.

[kestrelswolf.livejournal.com]

"I do not," Firekeeper admitted. "I have friends who comed for the ceremony, but when they go back, it is to a different place than we must, so I do not think there would be much point in trying to go back with them." She smiled, watching as Blind Seer's ears twitched with pleasure. "We should like to visit your world again, as well." She didn't know if that would be possible once they made it back to the Nexus Islands, but if they were in Fandom for the summer, perhaps...

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Hunh. Well, you're welcome any time, and I'll be attending for the summer fewer classes starting next month." She grinned. "We could go climbing somewhere again."