Shortly after Nathaniel and Amber left, there was a scream. Then came the clatter of fallen gear, the squeaks of an animal, and another frustrated scream.
"NEVILLE! FECABRE - NEVILLE COME BACK!"
On the back side of the RRET building, Chrissy Taniel was frantically waving her arms out of the window. Her giant golden fruit bat, Neville, had gotten out again. He flapped excitedly as he flew off to the other side of the building.
"NEVILLE! TODAY IS NOT THE DAY- NEVILLE!"
Chrissy ran back to her desk. She grabbed her snare hooks and leapt out the window. With one hook she latched onto a pipe. With the other, she stabilized herself and scaled the building. Chrissy pulled herself onto the roof. Neville had landed on the farther ledge, sniffing the air curiously. She put her snare hooks onto her belt and got low to the ground.
"Neville. Baby. Buddy. Boo. Please. We can't be late today. Mommy has the ecological survey today. Remember the thing? You remember the thing, don't you?"
Neville turned and tilted his head.
Squeak
"I knew you cared! So we can't afford distractions! So, let me put you in your harness and we can-"
Neville's nose twitched. His eyes dilated. He flicked his head towards the bustling city below.
"Neville - Nevy! No! No locking on! I will get you food on the way there! Do. Not. Mo-"
SQUEEEAAAAK
Neville's battle cry sealed the deal. He dove towards the street below before rising triumphantly to a nearby rooftop. With another defiant squeak, Neville flew towards The Vince.
Chrissy ran to the edge of the building. She could see Neville catch the wind and begin to glide. Just as she was about to jump down and pursue, she spotted a path that followed the rooftops. Rooftops don't carry traffic. The sun illuminated her pale green skin. The maroon pattern of dots along her neck and chin glowed warmly in the light, arranged in a decorative pattern unique to her — and matching the shade of her long, undone hair.
She smirked.
"Alright. Scenic route it is!"
Chrissy sprinted towards the side of the RRET that connected onto another building. Quick steps, precise jumps, and perfect recoveries rewarded her momentum. The dual hooks worked as the perfect pair of claws as she swung, flipped, and latched onto various ledges.
She was moving at an incredible pace as she crossed over the river that separated Jurona from The Vince. Chrissy had been gaining on her giant fruit bat pet. Neville viewed this as a regular game of chase as he did flips and glides to remain in her sight line.
He perched onto a roof, suddenly going still. From his posture Chrissy could see he had locked onto something. She observed his posture and immediately crouched as she approached him.
"Neville! No lock on! Now get over here and-"
Neville was shaking uncontrollably. Chrissy looked over and in an alleyway she saw a Zenith man standing while the pale skinned Igosi leaned against a wall.
"You don't see that every day. Neville! Come here! We don't have time for this."
She took three steps forward as she remained low to the ground. Chrissy called for him again.
"Neville! Here! Now! It's ok they're just talking!"
The Zenith man whose coat covered his left half looked up and pointed at Neville. It was not until the pale Igosi turned to look that Neville lost all composure. He screeched in terror before flying off in the direction he had come from.
"NEVY! Darn it!"
Chrissy peered over the alleyway, addressing the two men.
"Fecabre - whatever you did, thanks a lot!"
A sigh of annoyance escaped as she tracked down Neville once more. She was now taking the route in reverse, still moving with precision and grace. As Chrissy got closer she could smell the morning bakeries start to open. The smell of mangos, strawberries, and apple pastries filled the morning air. Under normal circumstances she would stop to enjoy the moment, but the task at hand demanded her persistence.
She spotted Neville stalking a pastry belonging to a Durib Peak Dulim. The man ate cheerfully around a Nadir man and a Jade Yervite woman, who had her nose deep into rev bills.
Neville was poised to strike - body weight shifted forward, wings tucked, pupils blown wide. Any sudden move from the target would set him off into the hunt. Chrissy remained low to the ground as she slowly approached.
Suddenly, a flare went off blocks away. Taking it as a divine signal, Neville moved to collect.
"NEVVY!"
Once again, it was too late. The best battle cry an oversized bat could muster rang through the air. In one swoop, he had claimed his prize. The mango tart went to the clutches of the victor. Neville landed and maniacally feasted on his prey.
The mango tart never stood a chance.
Chrissy jumped down and ran to the baffled Dulim. Before he could react she slapped twenty rev into his newly vacant hand.
"Sorry! He's frisky today!"
She ran off before the Dulim could process the entire exchange. Chrissy swapped back to her hooks before latching onto the side of another building. With an elegant haste she reached the top. Neville was cleaning himself. Caught up in disposing of the evidence, he didn't notice Chrissy staring him down.
"Neville Fairfield Taniel."
The culprit froze. He looked at Chrissy with a pleading gaze.
"We are going to be late, and YOU are going to come with me so we can get ready? Litana yae vernaza?"
Neville crawled towards Chrissy with his head down.
"Nope-no! Don't try to make me feel bad. You don't get to do that. Not today."
She extended her arm. Neville climbed on and made his way to her back. With him back in his usual spot, Chrissy was reminded how heavy he had gotten. A pair of boots hit the ground behind Chrissy.
"Ma'am, I do hope you have a permit to carry that thing without a harness."
Chrissy whipped around. She was in the presence of a DLF inspector. Another Yervite, and a Pale one at that. On her back sat a claymore and on the ground next to her was an unconscious masked figure.
"Fecabre - Oh, good morning Inspector! I'm Ranger Chrissy Taniel. You've probably heard of me-"
"I have not. I was in the area apprehending a suspect before watching your pet steal a mango tart. Pointing out your ineptitude as a ranger does not help here."
"Even the most experienced of us are powerless to animal instincts, Inspector…"
"Valyn. And I will be issuing a written warning. Instincts or no, teach your animal to behave. Proca togi carafin."
Chrissy turned to Neville with a look of disbelief.
"Neville. We will talk about this later."
Valyn finished writing the ticket. Chrissy was left humiliated as Valyn gave her the notice and proceeded to drop from the roof with the masked figure in her grip.
The duo walked along the rooftops. They were making good progress towards The Vince as the sun rose higher in the sky. The skydock in The Vince was in clear view of Chrissy on top of this building. She could faintly make out the words on the side of the ship.
The Sincerity.
"Oh wow. Someone's overcompensating, eh Nevvy?"
Neville squeaked in response as he scanned their surroundings.
"If it's still here, then maybe she's still on board? It's worth an ocunara precadi"
Chrissy stuck to the rooftops as traversed, slowing in speed as she was reminded of his weight. However, Neville had his uses being mounted onto Chrissy's back. When coming across a gap that was too far to jump, she turned to Neville.
"Alright, just like we practiced. Are you ready?"
Squeak!
Neville flicked a wing as he dug his claws into Chrissy's belt. She walked to the opposite ledge of the building and exhaled. Suddenly, she took off towards the edge of the tower. Without any hesitation, she jumped.
"Nevvy, FLOAT ME!"
Neville spread his wings out in a burst of motion and caught the air. The sudden drag lifted Chrissy abruptly before steadying into a glide. Chrissy laughed as she steered over onto another building, sticking her feet out first in order to land in a jog.
"Ineptitude for a ranger. I've never seen a ranger fly on an oversized fruit bat. Have you, Nevvy?"
He squeaked in agreement. She kept rambling as she saw a Zenith woman leave the airship.
"Exactly. Proca togi carafin? We will proceed however we please!"
Once more, Neville echoed her sentiments.
"That's what I should have said! She better watch out for me in the future because- oh. Strike two for things you don't see every day."
The Nadir crew had all bowed to the Zenith woman, but what had Chrissy speechless was that the Zenith actually bowed back. To her knowledge, the Avyric caste system did not work in reverse.
"Well I'll be herrera's uncle… maybe we should play the lottery. What are the odds we see a pale Igosi and a Zenith bow to Nadir on the same day?"
Crouching low behind a rooftop, Chrissy kept stalking the Zenith woman as she glided through the crowd. Not a step was taken that was not coordinated. Even the way her dress seemed like a paid conspirator with how perfect it swayed in the wind.
"That's hardly fair. How come my clothes never do that for me?"
"Have you asked them to?"
Chrissy pulled her hooks out and pointed them to the source of the voice. A grey Nadir man in working garb stood unfazed behind her.
"And who are you? You're lucky I have such excellent control of my hooks."
"Oh, you humble me so greatly. Is there a reason you're stalking up here?"
"Ranger business. And I asked for a name."
Neville squeaked angrily as he stared at the strange man.
"Soren. I'm a crewmate on The Sincerity. And you?"
"Ranger Chrissy Taniel. How did you get behind me without a sound?"
He shrugged his shoulders as he orbited Chrissy. Even from this range his footsteps barely made no indication of his presence.
"Just a habit, I guess."
"Ficia yae sa-ne - What are you? Therian? Assassin? Spy? No one just does that."
"I do. My turn - why are you stalking that Zenith?"
"If you must know, I'm one of her escorts for the journey."
"You're one of her escorts? Oh lords above. If I snuck up on you then surely she's in danger."
"You're not the first to doubt me, you won't be the last."
With that last word Chrissy sheathed her hooks to her belt and walked away.
"Make sure she comes back in one piece."
Neville clung for life as Chrissy spun back around.
"Is she your wife or something? Girlfriend? Crush? Sister? Because for a Nadir you care an awful lot about a Zenith. I thought you guys had a caste system or something?"
"She's just a friend of the family."
"I wasn't born yesterday. You're a Nadir. The last time a Zenith got 'friendly' with a Nadir there was a massacre. The Yermolai Massacre? Ever heard of it?"
"Does it bother you that someone is looking out for others?"
"Of course not! I'm a ranger! I look out for animals all the time! I made a job out of it! I've been looking after myself for-"
Chrissy stopped herself. She dragged her fingers over the bottom part of her eyes in exasperation. With a flick of her fingers she wiped away frustration she didn't have time to unpack.
"It's just been a long morning. The last thing I need is a deep dive from a stranger."
"Alright. Good luck with… whatever issues you have going on."
Soren turned and sprung from their place on the rooftop. He covered enormous vertical distances with the grace of a bird. After a combination of such bounds he landed on the balcony from where Chrissy saw him wave to the Zenith woman.
"Neville."
He responded.
"Add a third strike to things we don't see every day. Only Therians should be able to move like that."
Neville flicked his wing in acknowledgement.. After a brief moment he nipped at her shirt.
"What? OH RIGHT! The Zenith! How far along is she?"
Neville pointed a wing at the large DLF building that stood in The Vince. Chrissy cursed as she ran off.
"We gotta beat her! It's going to look so tacky if we get there after!"
As she darted across the rooftops she frisked herself lightly. After realizing certain pockets were empty, she froze.
"Neville. Where's my ID?"
Neville squeaked a combination of sounds before Chrissy cut him off.
"What do you mean I never had them? When I jumped out the window this morning I grabbed my hooks and - fecabre!"
A wave of disbelief came over her face.
"I just grabbed the hooks."
Neville squeaked once.
"There is no, 'I told you so'! This entire excursion is your fault, Nevvy!"
Neville buried his face into her back as he whimpered softly. Chrissy took a deep breath before rolling her eyes into the back of her head. She picked up speed once more as she neared the pristine DLF building.
"Nevvy, I'm sorry for yelling, but this puts us in a bind! There's no way I can go back home in time to grab it before she gets in."
Neville chittered fervently in response.
"No, there's no way you can fly fast enough without getting distracted either."
The overgrown fruit bat huffed at the challenge.
"Oh, really. Ok then we'll do this. Heyat."
Chrissy gave the command for Neville to dismount. He stood on all fours as he got into an agile position.
"I bet I find a way inside the office - without your help - before you can go home and grab my IDs. Loser has to sing the 'I Was Wrong' song. We'll go on your mark."
Neville chirped as he poised his ears back. Chrissy gathered all the resonance in her system and focused it to her legs. The air blew lightly as the duo readied themselves for the take off. With one excited squeak Neville darted off in the direction of the office as Chrissy blasted off towards the tower.
Six jumps. It took Chrissy six jumps to travel the majority of the distance from the skydock to the DLF. She stuck the last landing and raised her arms in triumph.
The hooks on her belt were readied as she walked towards the tower, preparing to scramble it.
"Another easy win for Miss Taniel! I knew those classes weren't a waste of rev! Now-"
Her right leg gave out just then, she groaned in pain after slamming her chest on the roof. She rolled to her back to see her right leg steaming.
"No. No- no! Not now!"
She rolled back onto her stomach and used her hooks to help stabilize herself as she stood.
"There! Graceful as a Shatter Crane! Graceful as a Shatter Crane!"
Chrissy hopped over to the wall and latched onto it. She began to rotate around the building, praying that her left leg would hold enough strength for her to win. Her prayers turned out to be in vain as she lost all control of the other leg.
"Ohhhh my goooooooods. Oh my gods. Upper body strength. Need it now, let's go!"
With nothing but the strength in her arms, Chrissy struggled on her path around the building. Slowly, painstakingly, and carefully she peered into windows as she scouted for Nathaniel Bosh.
"Bosh…Boshy…Bosh! Nathan! Where are you sitting, damn it!"
The next window proved to be her salvation. As she pulled herself up she could see Nathaniel Bosh and an Igosi man in a room.
"Bosh- BOSH! HA! And now I do a little breaking and entering!"
With her remaining strength she focused all her resonance into her arms. After bracing for impact, she launched herself through the window. Luckily, the force at which she threw herself sent all the glass flying into the far wall.
"Finally! I'm in! Don't start the meeting! I'm here!"
She dragged herself with her hooks in between the two men.
"Bosh! Good to see you! And an Igosi! Man, this is going to be really interesting!"
Bosh turned away, opting to scribble on his maps.
"Good to see you too, Boshy."
She looked over to the Igosi man who had not taken his eyes off her.
"The meeting didn't start yet, did it?"
"No."
"Oh. In that case, let me tell you about the morning I had!"
"Later. You need attention to your injuries."
"What? No. I'm fine! I'm just a little sore from the climbing - AHH!!!!"
The Igosi man reeled back in terror before trying to help.
"IT'S A CRAMP! CRAMP! FECABRE! IT'S BAD! AHH!"
Nathaniel simply looked at her with disdain as Travlack massaged her legs dutifully.
"Lay still! And be quiet!"
Chrissy buried her face in the floor as she grunted in pain. The Igosi man was doing all he could between getting kicked in the face between the spasms of her cramps.
"- it is my pleasure to introduce to you Head Rover Nathaniel Bosh, Ranger Chrissy Taniel, and Inspector Travlack."
The door had opened. Standing there was Head Coordinator Cooper, an airship captain, and the woman who Chrissy saw before. All of them froze in place as each one processed the moment they were in.
A faint screech could be heard increasing in volume - then the skylight broke open. Carrying Chrissy's bag full of her gear was Neville, who shot straight into the chest of Nathaniel Bosh. The bat stood up and spread his wings triumphantly before seeing Chrissy on the floor. He had realized he had lost the bet, and huffed before crawling into a corner, hiding his face.
"Neville?", said Chrissy with a stony face.
A squeak from the corner was heard.
"I'll take my song later."
___
Language Translations:
Kutaxia (Yervites):
Fecabre! = Shit!
Litana yae vernaza? = You read my words? (Do you understand me?)
When addressing someone directly in Kutaxia, the personal noun is dropped. It is assumed the speaker is the owner of the statement.
Litana = Read
vernaza = Words
Proga togi carafin = Proceed with caution
Proga = Proceed
Togi = With
Carafin = Caution
Ocunara precadi = Eye closer (Closer look)
Ocunara = Eye
Precadi = Closer
Ficia yae sa-ne! = Liar, that you are!
Ficia = Liar
Sa-ne = Are
Akin to Spanish, pronouns followed by "are" have unique follow ups.
Heyat = Down