Glass or Diamond: Fairy's Wish

The ‘Demon Ash Plague’ as it’s referred to in the small village high in the colossal trees of the great forest north of the desert, is a contagious disease consuming the forest slowly, but surely with a terrifying implication. Immune to elements, magic, and even attrition, the disease has no weaknesses. According to the villagers familiar with the plague, not even a fairy’s wish -the most powerful form of magic in the world- can undo it.

Though the mechanisms of the plague are widely unknown, and there is no way to stop the afflicted, save dismembering them, the village maintains a magic perimeter that can detect when the plague is approaching. Its first test came when Murtoa of Lakia’s party of monster-hunting adventurers crossed the perimeter, prompting the villagers to greet them with hostility. However, knowing that Mury has been self-containing, the villagers reluctantly allowed his friends to enter the village, and they have been replenishing supplies and gathering what little information they can to see if they can help their dear friend.

Maerin, standing on one of the shop counters as she inspects the wares, says astutely, “Fifty-five silvers.”

“One hundred.” The reply comes from the shop owner, who is curt and unmoving on his price.

Coco murmurs urgently, “This is no tick to be grifjabbin’.”

Maerin turns sharply, retorting, “This is exactly the time. The whole town thinks we’re desperate. He knows fifty five is a good deal. We can live without these parts.”

“The price is one hundred. We all have our own problems, Zaereen. Don’t like it, go back to your tribe.”

“I sound like one o’ them monster-worshipping goofballs to you?”

The man crosses his arms, retorting, “You dress like one.”

Maerin looks down at her poncho, which is, in fact, the one she received from the Zaereens when they briefly had her hostage. She retorts, “Fair enough. Fifty five.”

“One hundred.”

“Listen, you swindler, give me something. Fifty five would be over-paying, but…” Coughing comes from up above them on the second floor of the building. The mature fairy sighs. “Someone’s sick?”

The merchant is quiet, and Maerin asks, “What with? The plague we keep hearing about?”

He shakes his head, “Thankfully, no. But… It has cut our trade routes. Like I said, we’re all struggling.”

“Give me something to work with here. I might have something that could help.”

“You’re a healer?”

“No, but I have some sulfa drugs, penicillin, and an antiviral I made. Depending on what it is, it could help.”

The man sighs, asking, “And, why should I accept this sudden altruism?”

“Hey, I wasn’t ever trying to screw you. I jus’ know how our situation looks.” She digs a vial out of her bag containing tablets, holding it on offer. “Know what they smell like?”

The merchant nods cautiously, taking the vial from Maerin. He opens it briefly, smelling it. He hands it to his drakyk assistant, who also takes a smell and recoils. The assistant nods and hands it back. The merchant asks cautiously as he caps it again, “How do I know this is legitimate?”

“Because if it is, you know it’s worth a lot more than this stuff that I want to someone buying it, and very little to someone who can make it. Give me fifty five, and it’s yours as a bonus.”

The merchant hesitates for a long time. He swallows, murmuring, “I can do seventy. Please…”

Maerin nods. “Seventy. Deal.” She gestures at Coco, and the teen counts out the appropriate amount from her bag, placing them on the counter. The merchant verifies and nods, and Maerin waves Gyrryth over. He steps up and collects the building materials for Maerin’s containment box, tucking them gingerly into his bag, as well as the glass and wooden jars she chose for ingredients. She says warmly, “Pleasure doin’ business with ya!” She waves as Coco carries her out of the shop.

The teenage techromancer states a little bitterly, “‘Bando does’ne have time for this.”

“I’m doing my best, here. I’m sure you know every coin I have I’ve earned since meeting you guys, so I’m not exactly rich. And, I know none of you are, either. If we burn all our money getting ripped off, we’ll be screwed later. What if we find out who has the cure and can’t afford to buy it?”

Coco sighs, “Aye. I jus’... He’s going to be alright, i’nn’e he?”

Maerin nods, “He doesn’t have our permission to die, right?” She smiles as much as she can manage, and Coco nods, forcing a smile as well. Gyrryth says pragmatically, “The optimism is good, but we should likely pre-...”

Maerin cuts him off, hissing, “We have six more days before you’re allowed to say that. Hear me, Gyrryth?”

He hesitates, but sighs. He nods, and Maerin points, “There. That looks like a good place to get sugar and seltzer.”

Coco retorts, “Oi! No! You’re not wastin’ tocks makin’ fog juice.”

Maerin sighs, “It’s not for brewing… this time. Well, it is, but for brewing the same cleaning alcohol and vinegar I dump down the drains. It’s the most logical guess I have for what affected that thing, according to you guys.”

Coco nods, “As long as it’s for helpin’ ‘Bando, fine.”

Maerin teases, “Me being drunk helps ‘Bando…”

“No.”

Gyrryth notices an agent of the Holy Order present, and he cocks his head. “Continue on, friends. I shall speak to the Holy Order knight over there and see what the church knows.”

Coco asks softly, “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

Gyrryth nods, “If we were wanted, we likely wouldn’t have gotten this far.” He approaches the human knight in shining silver armor with golden adornments, while Coco and Maerin cautiously continue on their way.

“Brother, may the spirits provide you wisdom.”

The knight turns, surprised, and he bows his head, “Ah, Brother, thank you. May the spirits provide us all light in the darkness.”

“Indeed. If it is not improper, what might I ask is the church doing this far in the forest?”

The knight crosses his arms, replying, “We’ve heard troubling reports that there is a plague immune to magic, and its afflicted are immune to death, fatigue, injury, and the elements.”

“So, awareness of it has already reached the cities…”

“Surely, you don’t believe such superstitions, Brother. Such an apparition would be impossible.”

Gyrryth replies politely, “Normally, I would like to agree with you, but I have seen these creatures firsthand. I cannot say with full certainty that the tales are true, but my own elemental spelldusters did not faze the beasts.”

The knight puts his left hand to his chin, thinking. “Surely, it can’t be true, though. What of the light or void elements? If it is ethereal…”

“I have it on very good authority that neither of those worked either.”

“What authority?”

Gyrryth manages to come up with an excuse not to admit the full truth, saying, “A fellow caster who channelled spirit casting to attempt them. Neither had any effect.”

“I do not believe you are lying, Brother, but I find this very difficult to believe. If these villagers are telling the truth… How would we address such a plague?”

“If you reach enlightenment, please let me know.”

The knight scoffs. “Any advice you can give a junior, Brother?”

Gyrryth nods, “Trust your training, and when you hit a wall, pass it up the chain. There is no glory in a selfish death.”

The knight nods. “I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks. Be careful out there, Sir Spellshot.” The two grip each other’s forearms, and Gyrryth nods, “You as well, Sir Knight.”

Gyrryth returns to the girls as they’re finishing a trade, and Coco is packing the sugar and seltzer into her gear bag.

Maerin points at him, saying more loudly than necessary, “You! Gyrryth! Did you find anything?”

He shakes his head, “No. The Holy Order is even less knowledgeable than us, unfortunately.”

“Same here. How nobody knows nothin’?” She hiccups as Coco approaches the lizardman.

“I suspect if they did, it would be much less of a concern to them.”

The tipsy fairy grumbles, “I be’s some somebody made it. Prob-probs the goobs *hic!* from the Holder Ory. Le’s keep goin’. I need one of you to buy me some more lard and whatever food-grade oil you can find.”

Gyrryth chuckles, “Leave that to me. I can smell both nearby.”

“Probably the diner, but they might part with some.”

Coco carries Maerin and follows Gyrryth as he follows his nose. Each step raises what little hope they have of curing Mury, as each one of them feels they owe him everything.

But, hope of a cure is not a cure.

***

Lykha holds a canteen with a straw up to Mury’s helmet, urging gently, “Drink, Mury, please?” She sniffles, watching as his throat shifts. After a moment, his voice whispers, “Thanks…”

She nods, setting the drink down on the floor beside him. She hovers down to his lap and lays down on his hand, hugging his fingers. She murmurs softly, “What would you do, Mury? Is there some secret wizard, or… Maybe you have a connection in the Holy Order?” She hugs his index finger, praying for something -anything- to reveal itself.

Murtoa of Lakia is not an optimist, though. He’s pragmatic about all lives, especially his own. He coughs suddenly, stirring briefly. He whispers, the full extent of effort he seems able to muster, “Lykha… you should… probably minimize contact…”

She squeezes his gloved hand, murmuring with hurt in her voice, “I don’t care. I’m not going anywhere. We need to solve this.” She sniffles, fighting back new tears. “We have to solve this…”

His hand shifts, gently wrapping around her shoulders. “That’s why… you can’t…”

She chokes, burying her face in his palm. “Don’t say that… I… I’m not experienced like you or Gyrryth… I don’t have any talents… l-like Coco or Maerin…”

“Don’t be ridiculous…” murmurs Mury, before he coughs hoarsely.

She braces against him, losing her battle not to fall into crying again. She chokes out, “I still remember the first time you told me that… When I was stuck in a… jar…” Lykha’s eyes widen. “We don’t need a doctor. We need a mage, but an old one. One like the bailiff of that town.” She stands up suddenly, wiping her eyes and nose clear. “Mury! I’m going to find a sage or wiseman or… just whoever!”

“Good luck…”

She points at him, choking out as sternly as she can, “Don’t do anything stupid, M-Mury. I’m going to save you. We’re all going to save you. I promise.”

His helmet tips slightly in a nod, and she darts into the air. “Be here when I get back.”

“Be safe.”

She smiles, “I will.” She zips out of the trunk winder, scanning the area briefly. She flies towards the village, ignoring the gate and the normal entrance. She couldn’t care less about their village security. In fact, she has half a mind to steal Mury’s samples and drop them into the village’s…

Lykha shakes her head clear of the dark thought. She does feel hurt and betrayed that they were so reluctant to help Mury, but she’s not a wicked person. She’s just angry, and she doesn’t know what to do to make the hurt go away.

But, she focuses on her task, scanning the crowds of people milling around the village as she flies overhead. She’s seen two individuals of the mysterious androgynous race that she suspects isn’t human, but she doesn’t know what they are.

As for the village, she scans the structures for signs, though most of the buildings are unlabeled. The diner is obvious enough, given the food smells, but only the sheriff's office has an obvious sign on it denoting what it is. In Lykha’s travels outside of the fairy village, where such professions weren’t needed, she has learned that bailiffs and sheriffs tend to be at least somewhat reliable sources of information, at least for the local area. She hovers down to the office, passing through the doorway, which is thankfully propped open currently. She finds the sheriff, who, perhaps unsurprisingly, is the same leader of the group that confronted them.

“U-Um… Sh-Sheriff?”

He looks at her, sizing her up briefly before sighing. “Yeah. What do you want?”

Lykha fidgets with her hands, asking, “Um, is… Is there a sage here? Someone who specializes in magic?”

“We have a handful of mages in town. A few travellers as well.”

“I’m… hoping for someone with lots of experience… M-Maybe someone really old…”

The deputies in the room chuckle, and one of them states dryly, “A little odd way to ask.”

The sheriff sighs, asking, “I’m telling you, magic doesn’t work. Please don’t make me repeat my suggestion.”

Lykha fidgets, shaking her head. “I know… I just… Please?”

He rolls his eyes walking away from her towards his desk. “Oldest mage in town is a fairy. Couldn’t tell you where she is.”

“She’s lost?” asks Lykha nervously.

“No, she’s free. I don’t track my villagers. I track visitors.”

The female drakyk deputy suggests, “You could try talking to Two-leaf. She seems to be full of rumors.”

The other deputies snicker, and the sheriff takes a seat. He says dryly, “Probably just as reliable as Yanari. Two-leaf hangs out at the fountain.”

The female human deputy teases, “I thought you don’t track villagers, Boss.”

He scoffs. “Two’s pretty reliably consistent.”

Lykha asks gently, “Why is she called ‘Two-leaf’?”

The entire office chuckles together, and the sheriff replies, “You’re a sharp one. You’ll figure it out.”

Lykha pouts, but she doesn’t have time to waste, so she decides it’s better to find this Two-leaf while she’s easy to find. She bows politely, “Thank you for the help.” She starts to hover towards the door, but the sheriff says a little sharply, “Fairy…”

She hesitates, looking over her shoulder. He says as he holds his glass of water towards her, “If you do find a cure, you’ll be a very wealthy fairy.”

Lykha hugs her chest, murmuring, “I don’t care that you don’t think I’ll succeed. I just want Mury to be okay.”

The sheriff murmurs, “I hope you do succeed.”

Lykha hovers out of the building, steadying herself.

I will save him. I have to. I’ll never forgive myself if I don’t.

She wipes her eyes and steels herself, flying up the lane of the town, which is towards the end of the gigantic limb of the tree, where she can see a small fountain.

Fortunately, a person stands out from the crowd; a particularly animated young woman who seems to be telling a story as she prances around.

And, instead of clothes, she’s wearing what appears to be a single-piece outfit made of two large leaves, which cover her chest and lower region in a v-shape.

The young fairy stares at the young woman for a moment, certain instantly that this MUST be ‘Two-leaf’, but also stunned that the woman seems to be completely insane.

On top of that, she bears a rather striking resemblance to Coco, but possibly only due to the messy hair and the two short, curled horns coming from her head. Unlike Coco’s though, one of Two-leaf’s horns is broken to about half its length with worn down points.

“The trees are too tall and the monsters are too big! But, where do they come from!? The sky? The ground? The castle? Yes! The castle in the sky! The glass castle looking down at us all!” She laughs as she takes a seat on the fountain edge, kicking her feet playfully as everyone, excluding Lykha, ignores her.

Okay… I’m having second thoughts…

“OOO! Fairy! Hi! Hi fairy! Hi!” The young woman starts waving at Lykha, and she glances around. Sure enough, she’s the only fairy in the immediate area. Two-leaf adds, “Yes! Hi!”

The young fairy sighs, hovering towards the young woman. Two-leaf asks excitedly, “Wanna hear the secrets of the world!? Fairies always do! You’d think you all live in a sealed box!” She snickers, but Lykha can’t particularly refute the notion. Fairies are reclusive in general, up until a naive young fairy decides to leave the village thinking she’ll see the world and all of the scary stories they’re told their entire lives are untrue. In fairness, though, Lykha now knows that the stories are exaggerated, but no less cautionary tales of the risks a fairy faces in the rest of the world inhabited by non-fairies.

And, surprising no one more than Lykha, Two-leaf says instantly when the fairy is near, “In exchange, you’ll grant my wish, won’t you!?”

Lykha recoils, stunned by the question and starting to worry. She nervously hesitates, though the young woman, now sitting cross-legged on the fountain’s edge, says as she ponders, “I wish for… mmm… OOO! I wish for bread!” She points, and the surprise deepens for Lykha. She glances in the direction the girl points, where a baker is displaying several styles of baked goods while he continues to make more.

Skeptical and still surprised, Lykha asks, “Wait… You’ll tell me what I want to know… for-... If I grant your wish for bread?”

Two-leaf nods eagerly, and Lykha looks around, still skeptical. She spots Coco, Maerin, and Gyrryth, though, and she says quickly, “Deal. I’ll be right back.”

The young fairy zips towards her companions, saying, “Coco! Coco, can I borrow a few silver coins?”

The teen, surprised to see her, asks,”Wha-!? Is ‘Bando okay?”

“He’s hanging in there. I’m trying to find some different information. I had an epiphany.”

Maerin retorts dryly, “Care to share with us?”

Lykha frowns when she smells the alcohol, as Maerin’s positive change was short-lived. But, she answers, “When Mury and I met, I was in a special fairy imprisonment jar, and he found someone who could break the spell without being the caster.”

Maerin and Gyrryth both nod as if it were common knowledge, but Coco asks, “How’s that matter?”

“W-well, I figured, maybe there was someone like that here that can help us. Mury said that ‘unbreakable curses’ aren’t that reliable. O-Or something like that. S-So an incurable sickness shouldn’t be either.”

Gyrryth replies pragmatically, “I agree on principle, but in this case, it is a matter of time, of which is against us.”

Lykha nods. “I know. Which is why I’m not trying to suck you onto my path yet. Have you found anything?”

Coco shakes her head, “None o’ the gab we got spilled the trick.”

Lykha nods, “I’m hoping that girl over there knows a rumor or something. She’s supposedly the resident rumor mill.”

Gyrryth studies Two-leaf briefly, replying quietly, “She has been raving the entire time we’ve been gathering materials. I believe I heard her mention the castle in the sky more than once. Hadn’t heard that conspiracy in over a decade.”

“I don’t care how it sounds right now. I’ll take crazy if crazy helps Mury. Please, Coco?”

The teen hands over a few coins with surprisingly little objection. She does warn, though, “That Machen does’ne have a solid brain.”

Lykha smiles. She doesn’t tease Coco’s similarities to the strange young woman, since the techromancer is in a fairly serious and determined mood herself. Lykha simply says warmly, “Thank you Coco. If you guys hear anything, let me know.”

Maerin replies sternly, “You shoul’n’t be wan’ering around by yerself, Lykha. Peoples can always more than usual tell a fairy with her… thing… Wha’s it called again?”

Coco covers the mature fairy’s mouth to faint objections, but the teen says surprisingly astutely, “No’ somethin’ to loudgab, ya soggy bae.”

Gyrryth nods, “If you’d like one of us…”

“No. Don’t worry, I’m much more cautious now than I used to be. Plus, in addition to my magic, I can scream really loud. I won’t get stuffed into a jar so easily this time. Thanks!” She darts to the baker’s shop, requesting and purchasing a loaf of the tastiest smelling sourdough bread she finds, and she takes it to Two-Leaf. “I hope this will suffice.”

“OOOooohhhh!” The girl takes the bread, inhaling its scent deeply. She hums, “Mmmmm! Yeeeessss! That’s the good stuff! Wow! You’re the best wish granter I’ve ever met!”

“R-... Really?”

“Mm-hmm! Thanks!” She tears off a piece of the bread and throws it into the fountain, and Lykha can only watch. She has no idea what to say, though it definitely wasn’t what she expected. There don’t appear to be any fish in the fountain.

Still, the strange young woman seems ready to honor the deal, asking, “So, what secret do ya wanna know, huh!? What the biggest colossus is? How fast the snail named Salta moves? Ooooo, or, do you want to know where all of the male fairies are?”

Lykha is disarmed once more by the strange line of questioning. They are things she never wondered, but would also be surprised there is an answer, let alone a strange girl preaching her ‘secrets’ like a mad prophet.

But, Lykha doesn’t have time to have all of her curiosities sated. She asks, “No. I’m told you might be able to help me find someone who knows how to cure the plague going around; the one that turns things into monsters.” She does her best to keep her mind off of Murtoa for the moment, lest she lose her composure once more.

Two-leaf takes a rather graceless bite of the bread, munching on it noisily as she stares at the fairy, and Lykha floats patiently. Two-leaf finally says, “Nope. But, let’s consult the bread.” She suddenly whirls, wading through the fountain water to the bread she discarded before, leaning way over to stare at it. Confused, and losing faith in this plan, Lykha hovers over her shoulder, looking at the soggy piece of bread floating in the water as some of it falls away.

Two-leaf hums and nods in approval as she studies the bread, leaning multiple ways to look at it from different angles. “Yes, yes, I see… Mm-hmm…” She takes another bite of the loaf still in her hand, and Lykha asks nervously, “What do you see?” Two-leaf hushes her with a mouthful of bread, “SHHHH!” She notices people whispering to each other in the crowd, looking at the two and snickering. She’s beginning to become certain that the girl is probably dancing and preaching on a fountain in the middle of nowhere because she’s insane. If she had all the secrets of the world, she’d probably be quite wealthy.

“Oh… I had no idea…”

Lykha sighs. She says softly, “You know what, nevermind. I hope you enjoy the bread, Miss.” She starts to hover away, but the teen’s voice says softly, “You have enough time.”

These words are far more serious, and Lykha halts as her heart tightens. Just before she can snap, Two-leaf adds softly, “I envy the love you feel for him… Truly… He must be very special.” Lykha turns and says softly, “Yes…”

Two-leaf looks at the soggy bread again, saying, “I can’t tell you who it is, because it must not be a secret… But, there is someone.”

“I don’t understand…” Lykha hovers cautiously closer. Two-leaf looks at her, and her expression seems distant. “Someone… created it…”

Lykha gasps, asking, “How could you possibly know that?”

“Because it’s secret…”

“What?”

Lykha watches in real time as the shred of normalcy in the girl’s eyes seems to dissolve into a flicker of fire. Her goofy smile returns, and she says in her more prophetic tone, “The plague is but a means to an end! Chaos out of control is destruction! Chaos for greed self-contains!” Lykha watches the show skeptically, and she starts to again lose what little belief in the strange girl she has.

“But, who could concoct something so foul and sinister!? Fairies! That’s who! Fairies made the plague! That’s right!”

Lykha gasps, and she glances around nervously. However, like anything else the girl says, nobody seems to be paying any attention.

Lykha whispers, “You can’t say that. People will get the wrong idea.”

“I’ll have you know, I have never told a lie in my life! Fairies are who made the whole world possible in its current form! Who else could!? And, the only reason THEY came is because eyes that cannot see have no use in this world!” The girl is pointing accusingly at a Holy Order knight, who seems to be minding his own business eating at the diner.

Lykha sighs. “Thank you for the information Miss… uh… Two-leaf.” She hands the young woman the remaining coin she borrowed from Coco, and she starts to hover away once more. She turns briefly, “By chance… can you tell me where Yanari is?”

Two-leaf, who inspects the coin with a confused look, bites it. She asks as her gaze studies the coin intensely, “Nana fairy? Aye! She’s in her usual spot, meditating.” She points to the end of the limb they’re on, which is a rather long walk away, though the structures thin the further out the giant branch extends. Lykha nods, “Thank you again. Take care.”

As she flies, she can hear Two-leaf preach, “Beware the grotto of dreams! All your thoughts laid bare!” Lykha ignores her, flying quickly down the branch and staying above people’s heads as Two-leaf continues preaching her strange stories.

Lykha thankfully doesn’t have to search long to find the obvious fairy. A figure of small stature is sitting at the very end of the limb, where even the smallest branches taper to an end, circled by a small clear spot of the small branches and leaves, from which are hanging trinkets and small ember-sticks. Lykha recognizes the ember sticks because the elder of her village used them when meditating. There are six such ember sticks arranged at even spaces, and only now does Lykha see. Or, she thinks she does, at least.

However, the peculiarities don’t end there. This fairy, equally old to Grandmother Galla, of Lykha’s village, is not alone in her floating. A ring of stones floats lazily around the elder fairy, levitating by magic, while leaves float in place around her, spinning lightly on invisible strings. Her hair also seems to be drifting, as if she’s submerged under water, and the glow from her wish never being spent illuminates her like the gentle light of the moon, standing out more than any fairy Lykha has ever seen. Her wings still shimmer, though they have a sort of silvery-greyness to them that comes with age. She seems otherworldly -spiritual, even-, and her presence seems to give off an aura of mystery and wonder.

Is… it because she became stronger in magic? Grandmother Galla was stern that fairies should avoid using their magic at all.

“Come closer, child.”

Lykha squeaks in surprise, “Eep!” But, the senior fairy doesn’t move. Lykha asks sheepishly, “Y-You knew I was here?”

The elder smirks over her shoulder, replying with a cryptic curve to her lips, “Actually, I say that every few minutes, just to impress younglings like you.”

Lykha stares at her. The woman’s expression gives the young fairy nothing. There is no indication of whether she’s being sarcastic or not.

The elder’s smile warms up, and she gestures next to her. “Join me, Child. We have much to discuss.”

“M-My friend…”

“I know. But, if you have no time to listen, you have no time to save your friend.”

Lykha hesitates, scrunching her face in confusion and frustration. “That’s literally the opposite of true.”

“Is it?” asks the sage. She simply chuckles, turning back around without another word.

Lykha huffs, torn between snapping angrily and simply leaving.

Mury doesn’t have…

“...Time for games. He’s going to die if I keep chasing my tail.”

Lykha gasps, once more caught word for word of what she’s thinking. The sage gestures to her left once more, adding, “You could search the rest of your life for a cure, and you would run out of time before you ever found it. You can humor an old woman and perhaps you’ll know where it is before the day is over.”

Lykha narrows her eyes skeptically. Something feels very off, though she may have just taken Two-leaf’s words more seriously than they merited.

Lykha reluctantly sighs, hovering to the gestured spot and assuming the same meditating position the sage has. Lykha asks softly, “And, what if I don’t know by the end of the day?”

“I suppose I won’t be out much but some time.”

Lykha frowns at the elderly fairy as the sage sits in midair with her eyes closed, resuming her apparent meditations.

Is everyone in this town crazy?

Lykha fidgets nervously as she bides her time. Grandmother Galla was fickle and cryptically slow about answering questions as well.

And, though she doesn’t like it, Mury’s life is Lykha’s weakness. Yanari has all of the leverage right now, and Lykha has to weigh patience against the chance she’ll find another answer.

And, she does have a little time…

***