Upon Vestia: Chapter Seventeen

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Kay always tried so hard to be sensible and pragmatic. Asher had always loved that about him, and he loved it just as much now. He smiled softly. "No, you're definitely not alone in this."
He wasn't going to leave Kay to look after this little dragon alone. He'd gotten the guy into this situation, so now it was his job to do everything he could to help. Did that make him the other father here? Maybe. This was thoroughly confusing and he was going to need to think it over at some point. "If it wasn't already obvious, I'm here for you. Both of you," he said.

~~
Tala snorted weakly. "I do not like that butterfly well." She let Shane help her.

Esk clipped the shackles back to his belt. "Don't worry, these are just for protection. " Mostly against people like Merith who in his mind didn't deserve to be trusted or to walk around without wearing these damn things.

Rigel nodded and rubbed his head. "Yeah, just bad memories." He said then looked to Dawn "Something I don't want Dawn to have a bad memory of"

Esk shook his head. "She got cuffed too back there." He didn't really get Rigel, at all. he was almost as baffling as his niece.

"She is of the tribe. She wished not to leave when last I asked," Tala said, "and if she did wish so, she would have much difficulty finding a ship off our homeworld. She has not many of the riches the city dwellers take."

~~
Asher gently patted Kay's shoulder. "It's a lot, but we're not alone." He hoped Starr would come back soon. Kay could use some advice from a dragon right now.

"And we got free again." Rigel countered and looked at Esk. "It wasn't permanent or for months."

~~~
Shane frowned a little at that and came over to hand her the water. "There's nothing you can do about her not wanting to leave, but we can send a message and have a way prepared if she chooses to leave now?"

"Perhaps," Tala's ears twitched. She took the water and drank it in one large gulp. "Contacting my tribe is not simple. They only occasionally visit the villages of the southern people."

"Hm, just gotta make things even harder, huh?" Shane joked and took the glass to refill it. "That doesn't stop us from sending the message though."

Esk nodded. "So let her learn to fight, so it never happens again."

---

Kay reached up his free hand to touch the hand Asher rested on his shoulder. He looked up gratefully.

Tala nodded. "We shall contact them," she said, mind beginning to settle at the idea of a plan. If it wasn't already too late. Another surge of hopelessness went through her, which she tried to suppress. "It is sensible."

Rigel frowned and looked to Esk then over to Dawn before shaking his head and sighing. "I can't stop you."

Shane brought her the water and handed it over. "Yeah, we will contact them and find out what can be done. You can't let thoughts of the bad that could happen stop you from doing what you can."

"You are a sensible young man," Tala told Shane. "If only all the youth were as you are."

Esk watched Rigel, trying to work out why he was so against this. He wanted Dawn safe right? So... teaching her to fire a gun would help her defend herself, wasn't that what he wanted?
Pandorians and their suppressed emotions were so damn confusing.

"What are you so scared of Rigel?" He asked.

Shane smiled at that then shrugged "I am still learning." He said sensibly.

~~
Rigel sighed and moved to one of the empty stations to lean against the table. "We have to use our powers and keep them under control..."

"I have mine under control." Dawn interrupted only to get a 'hush' look from Rigel

"If we don't use them, they...build up for lack of a better phrase. If it does that for too long then you lose control and use the power without intent or your will behind it. The power goes crazy." Rigel said.

"How long does that take?" Esk asked. Hey it was worth knowing if these guys were ticking time bombs or something.

"Every known case has been a different time frame, though the shortest was two years of not using the magic." Rigel answered

Dawn was silent, this was something even she hadn't heard of.

Esk shrugged. "no reason you can't still use your power while learning other things though. She's pretty handy with the tiny tornados." He nodded toward Dawn. Man Pandorians had a lot to worry about didn't they? Diseases that killed their powers, problems controlling their powers, problems if they didn't use their powers. Yeesh.

"You never told me that" Dawn said with a frown "No one did."

Rigel dipped his head and sighed. "It is not something that we want to scare kids with. Most kids already use their powers too much." He said then glanced to Esk "learning that will make you think to use it and might make you not use your power."

"not in my experience." Esk pointed out. "i know how shoot multiple firearms and how to sword fight, but sometimes it's easier to just grab someone. You have ranged attacks, which means that it's a first instinct. The enemy's approaching, it's easier to use magic than reach for a gun at your belt. But there's always gonna be the chance the people you're up against have a way to cripple your magic. You wanna be helpless, or do you want a backup?"

Starrnico wrote:Shane smiled at that then shrugged "I am still learning." He said sensibly.

Tala wiggled her ears. "You are too modest, most do not even try."

Rigel frowned and looked down at the floor. "I didn't think of it that way."

~~~
Shane smiled then shrugged. "I do not mind being modest, it's usually safer and kinder."

Tala slapped Shane's shoulder heartily. She was recovering her spirit by now and was pleased by this guy. They'd never really talked before, such a shame. He was such a nice young man. "You will come and help me write a letter to my mate!" She declared.

Shane chuckled and rubbed his shoulder then shrugged. "Sure, I don't really have anything else to do anyway. I'd like to help you."

Tala lead the way out of her room, having regained her ability to walk in a straight line now. She headed for the library where the computers were. "I do assume you can spell and read?" She asked. Things she had started taking for granted out here. She had to remind herself that not everyone was able to achieve literacy.

Esk shrugged. "Wanna learn to shoot too?" He asked.

Shane nodded and smiled "Yes, I can." He was kind of proud of that, even if he had learned just to help his boss. "I can write and read quite a few languages."

~~~
Rigel looked up at Esk again then shrugged.

"Multiple languages? I cannot imagine learning to read one, much less more than one," Tala said, "You are perfect to help me."
They went into the library. Ethan looked up and facepalmed at the sight of Tala, then pretended to not notice the two.
Tala went to a computer and opened a browser, laboriously logging into her mail account.

"Hey you don't have to." Esk shrugged and straightened up.