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Issi is more impressed by the tray than anything else and doesn't even protest when Sad spirits the chocolates away. "Who made this?" She asks, tilting the item this was and that. "I could practically use it as a mirror!"
Apart from bringing the canal to the Magistrate-Mayor's attention Issi is happy to let sleeping serpentfolk lie and doesn't say or do anything that might point any more fingers in the direction of the Mayor.
Besides, much more important things are afoot, Sadiki's first GM-ing session in Tombs and Treasures, and the promise of a brand new cmapaign! Issi arrives at the character generation session very excited. Now that Ash and Tygrah have retired to enjoy their wealth and create a tribe of their own she's looking forward to coming up with someone new.
When you return to the Magaambya and relay what happened to Janatimo, he’s beyond impressed with what you did ("I set the bar high, and you soared over it!”). He also muses about what kind of a story this would be if you could tell it. He understands the magistrate-mayor’s caution and supports his request to keep Salathiss’s plot a secret.
Janatimo closely reviews Salathiss’s journals and discusses theories about the Vesicant Egg with you at length. Several points become clear.
• The egg is an artifact of unknown ability and power. Like most artifacts, it has proven impervious to damage.
• The egg plainly drew the insects, gremlins, and other pests plaguing the Magaambya in recent years. It was likely also responsible for drawing the anadis to the school, which Janatimo is quick to note as an unexpected benefit.
• Koride Ulawa kept a private laboratory in the Hababe Building, just on the other side of the solid wall of the storeroom. Janatimo believes Teacher Ulawa didn’t understand the danger the artifact posed, and she certainly wasn’t working with the serpentfolk—otherwise, Salathiss wouldn’t have had to work to keep his studies of the egg a secret.
Janatimo invites you with him when he speaks with Koride about dealing with the egg.
Janatimo knocks once on Teacher Ulawa’s office door and, after a moment, opens it. “She gets absorbed in her work,” he says with a shrug.
Teacher Ulawa’s office is brimming with curios and oddities. She sits at her desk with the Vesicant Egg in front of her, staring in wonder at the trails of acid that drip down its sides and scar a metal plate beneath it.
Janatimo clears his throat and smiles. Teacher Ulawa looks up, sees her visitors, and smiles back. “Greetings! What can I do for you, Learned One, and your... hmm... tagalongs?”
Janatimo hasn’t yet told Koride anything about the Vesicant Egg. In his usual way of seeking conversation, he first asks her thoughts about it. She quickly explains its physical basics—that it seeps acid like that created by insects, it’s invulnerable to damage, and insects act strangely in its presence—but it doesn’t seem to “do” anything and thus, she thinks, it’s something of a dud as far as artifacts go.
Janatimo encourages you to give a full accounting of what you’ve learned. Much of this is a surprise to Koride, but she nods along and expresses that it puts a lot of her conjecture into place. She says things like, “That’s... surprisingly insightful, actually,” or “I’m not one to shy away from sensible analysis, and you’re making sense.” Koride might not like you, but she’s too dedicated an academic to ignore facts and reason.
After you’ve presented their facts, Koride acknowledges that there isn’t anything to do but dispose of the Vesicant Egg. It can’t be destroyed unless dedicated research into its destruction method is performed. Koride intends to work with her colleagues to do so—even if the Vesicant Egg doesn’t need to be destroyed, understanding an artifact’s method of destruction often gives insights into how its abilities might be neutralized. But this research takes time, and in the meantime, the Vesicant Egg should be taken someplace where it can’t do any harm. Certainly, it can’t stay on campus, in Nantambu, or in any other settlement. There are distant places in the Mwangi Expanse that might suffice, or even areas in other planes. Koride will research these with her colleagues and find a solution. She promises Janatimo that she’ll do so by the end of the month and report back to him.
Once you leave Koride’s office, Janatimo turns to you with a smile. ”Good work, conversants. I will call on you in the next couple of weeks to further your education.”
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Sadly Koride doesn't get the verbal spanking that Issi was hoping for, but the prickly research does admit the usefulness and validity of the sister's work so Issi contents herself with that much. She doesn't care hugely about the egg anyway.
Besides, much more important things are afoot, Sadiki's first GM-ing session in Tombs and Treasures, and the promise of a brand new cmapaign! Issi arrives at the character generation session very excited. Now that Ash and Tygrah have retired to enjoy their wealth and create a tribe of their own she's looking forward to coming up with someone new.
Sadiki's studies are lagging behind, but she doesn't care too much because it's time for the new campaign! Sadiki sits at the head of the table, arranging her notes and dice in front of her as Chizire and Mariama take their seats beside Issi and Okoro.
"Okay, so this campaign is inspired by what I've read about Alkenstar. Expect lots of guns and clockworks and fun stuff like that! So make your characters and let's get going!"
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"Oooo! Exciting!" Issi says with a grin. "I'm going to play... hmm... something different. An elf I think, she suffered an accident on a trip to the Mana Wastes and she's had her memory wiped. She doesn't know who she is or where she comes from, but she's very good with a pistol!"
She gives her sister a mock glare. "I'm putting a lot of trust in you by playing an amnesiac, Sad. If you screw me around..."
It's clear the teasing is in good fun.
"I won't mess with you, but the NPCs might!" Sadiki says with a smile.
Once everybody has made their characters, Sadiki sets the scene. "Okay, you are all guards on a caravan through the Mana Wastes. Suddenly, something bursts out of the desert sands in front of you! It's... an octopus! A mutant desert octopus!"
"Heh, tentacles already," Chizire remarks.
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"Drink!" Issi and Mariama yell in chorus, toasting each other before swigging down their cups of Chizere's latest brew. A large bout of spluttering later Issi manages to lock eyes with her friend.
"Sarenrae's flaming hair Chez, what did you put in this?!"
It takes a little while longer to recover enough to actually roll the dice, and it doesn't go well for Issi's elven amnesiac, who promptly ends up ensnared in tentacles!
Sadiki perhaps spends a little too much time describing how the elf squirms in the tentacles' grasp, but fortunately Okoro's dwarf barbarian manages to cut Issi's character free in short order.
The rest of the session goes well, wrapping up after the heroes survive the horrors of the wastes and make it to the relative safety of a waystation. Once everybody else has gone back to their dorm rooms, Sadiki eagerly awaits her sister's review of her GMing skills!
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"That was really fun!" Issi declares with a grin. "I don't understand what the octopus was doing there but it was a good fight, properly challenging but not ridiculous and everyone else got a chance to shine!" She sticks her tongue out at her sister.
"Was it just me or were you having a little bit too much fun describing how poor Naomi got squeezed and groped by all those tentacles?"
Sadiki blushes. "Hee hee, maybe a little bit," she admits. "No kink shaming, right?"
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"No, but if you're trying to get revenge for what kept happening to Tygrah shouldn't you be taking that out on your boyfriend rather than me?" Issi counters. "I'm pretty sure it was his fault!"
Then, because no kink shaming doesn't preclude teasing, she continues. "So, tentacles eh? Don't go messing around magic but I hear some pretty fancy things can be done with some rope and a few knots if you're so inclined..."
Sadiki's blush deepens. "Hee hee, yeah, maybe... Maybe I'll look into it later..."
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"I can't tell if you're really embarrassed or if you've already done it and want to divert me..." Issi says with a grin. "I never knew my big sister was so... kinky!"
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Issi lets the conversation lie there, but, simply because she finds it funny, makes a point of leaving small pieces of rope in places that Sadiki will find them, tied in knots of varying quality and elaborateness. The effort it takes to learn the knot tying is time well spent given how brightly and how often her sister blushes every time she finds them.
Issi even takes to bringing string to game nights and fiddling with it, ostentatiously tying knots and making little 'bracelets' out of it whenever Sad is trying to describe something, or is attacking poor Naomi again!
Sadiki is thoroughly embarrassed by her sister's teasing! But she does take her advice to heart, casually mentioning it to Okoro... And what happens behind closed doors is only their business!
***
At the end of the semester, Janatimo calls the sisters to his office. He gestures to the comfortable seats across from his desk. “You have done excellent work as conversants. You used your abilities and knowledge to create incredible bonds with the people around you. You came to the defense of those who needed it, and you lent your power where it would do the most good. You’ve shown cleverness, resourcefulness, and resilience in troubled times. You have been impeccable conversants. But here is where we have a problem.”
Janatimo smiles. “As students, it appears we don’t have much left to teach you. Your time as conversants and as students of the Magaambya is over. You’re to graduate and become lore-speakers.”
Janatimo tells you that he’d like to put a stipulation on your advancement: that you stay at the Magaambya for a time as teachers. As teachers, you can impart your special skills and talents to others, but this also lets Janatimo and other senior faculty members help you develop a bit more. You have advanced so quickly through your talent and hard work that it’s difficult for some staff to believe that you could be ready at this point, and a probationary period will allow you to prove that graduation is both deserved and appropriate.
Janatimo reinforces his pride in your efforts (“I told you I would be telling your stories, and I am certainly in the process of doing that!”) and asks you to prepare for the lore-speaker ceremony in two weeks. Unlike the conversant ceremony, there is no need to invite specific friends; the whole Magaambya will be there to witness you graduate. Janatimo asks that you think about what you most need to learn about magic’s connection to the world. Now that you have learned all that the school can teach its students, what is it that you seek to learn? He asks each of you to prepare a small speech on this subject at the ceremony.
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Issi, uncharacteristically, doesn't react immediately to the news, taking the time to sit and digest it and the implications thereof before she reacts a polite "Thank you." to Janatimo.
"How long will this probationary period be?" She asks eventually. "And what classes would we teach? We're both younger than a lot of the current students and some of them are our peers. That might not come across well to some people."
"The probationary period would last for at least your first year as lore-speakers. After that, we will evaluate your progress and make a determination from there whether or not to advance you to full-fledged lore-speakers. You are free to choose what sort of classes you will teach to your students, as well."
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Issi nods slowly. "That makes sense, thank you." She says. "Will that be all?"
It's only once she's alone that she turns to her sister and grasps her hand so hard that it hurts.
"Are they serious Sad? Graduating? Already? What in the hells? I didn't think... it's too much. Too soon. I'm not ready for this!"
Sadiki wraps her arms around her sister. "Hey, hey. It's okay." She strokes Issi's fiery hair as she tries to calm her down.
"We've only been at the Magaambya for a short time, yes... Almost two years now? But we've done a lot in that short time. A lot more than most! And we're not going anywhere. We'll still be here on campus, still learning. We'll just be helping other students learn, too. We can do this. We got this."
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Issi's powerful frame eventually stops shaking and Sadiki can feel the tension slowly falling away from her.
"I'm not ready." She says again. "I'm not ready... but I will be. I will." She straightens, finally returning the hug properly and then leans in to kiss her sister's cheek.
"Thank you Sad, for believing in me."
Sadiki's head turns to reply and the kiss Issi aimed at her sister's cheek falls squarely on her lips instead. The two stay in contact, almost frozen for a moment and then Issi pulls back.
"Sorry... I didn't mean to do that..."
Sadiki's heart leaps up into her throat as Issi's lips meet her own. Her eyes widen slightly as she looks up at her taller sister. "It's okay. You... you don't have to apologize..."
She stares at Issi for a few moments. Then, with a slight feeling of delirium, she closes her eyes and pulls her sister in for another kiss...
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For a couple of seconds Issi's mind screams at her, a barrage of conflicting thoughts, feelings and responses. Then the core of who she is, someone who loves beautiful women and loves her sister, takes over and commands the rest of her mind quite firmly to 'go with it'! With that thought uppermost in her mind Issi's hands snake up Sadiki's back, her mouth opens to her sister's and she finally starts to kiss back.
A minute or so later she pulls back just far enough to be able to look into her big sister's wide brown eyes.
"Sad, what's going on?"
"I don't know," Sadiki replies in a whisper. "But... I like it. Do you?"
Sadiki bites her lip. "Yes. I am. But... That doesn't mean I can't also be with you. I have a lot of love to give, Issi. And you are the only one who really knows me. All of me."
She shakes her head. "This is crazy. But that doesn't make it wrong."
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"We should probably go." Issi says, her hand creeping into her sisters. "We need some more privacy for this."
She frowns for a moment. "We'll get our own quarters once we graduate right?"
The question isn't important right now though so she simply heads back to their shared room and shuts the door firmly behind them, before turning back to Sadiki.
"You're right." She says softly, finding herself standing close enough to her beautiful, petite sister for their breath to mingle. "This is crazy."
It doesn't make her step away though.
"Then let madness reign," Sadiki replies. She presses her body against Issi's as she kisses her once more. She lifts a leg and hooks it behind her sister, drawing her even closer.
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Issi hoists Sadiki into her arms like it is the most natural thing in the world and the sisters find that their bodies fit together as though they were made that way...
... which might actually be the case.
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A considerable time later, the sisters lie together in bed, wearing only the minimum of clothes. There has been considerable kissing, and a number of wandering hands, but nothing more. Yet.
"This won't change us right?" Issi asks softly. "You're always going to be my sister first. I don't want this if that means I might lose you one day. You're too precious to me for that Sad." You're the only person I have left. The pain of that thought is evident in her eyes, for all that it's unspoken. Their parent's rejection of Sadiki she could understand. Finding that their son had become a daughter would strain any relationship, but her parents cast her out for no more sin than being who she was, rather than who they wanted her to be.
Brash and confident though she is, Sadiki knows that that rejection has scarred Issi deeply. The darkness in her eyes reflects that, as does the possessive way her hand closes around Sadiki's own.
"Promise you'll never leave me Sad. Please. You can marry Okoro, whatever makes you happy. Just... don't leave."
"I promise you, Issi," Sadiki says. "I will never leave you. We will be together forever, no matter what. The genie granted our wishes and gave us what we most desired. But we didn't need magic to be able to have each other..."
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"Good." Issi says softly, pressing a gentle kiss onto her sister's lips before turning around and snuggling backwards into Sadiki. It's clear that, for the moment at least, she wants to be held; needs the physical comfort and reassurance that Sadiki's presence provides.
And so it continues for the next week. The sisters go about their daily routines and steal precious, intimate moments where they can. Issi proves to be a talented kisser, but gently prevents her sister from going any further - true acceptance, it seems, takes time.
Sadiki cherishes the quiet times she shares with Issi as their relationship slowly begins to develop. In private, with just the two of them, she is happy. But she knows she can't keep this secret from Okoro forever. She just doesn't know how exactly to go about trying to explain it...
”He knows we are graduating. The whole school knows! Esi is planning a surprise party—but it’s supposed to be a surprise, so don’t say anything!”
Sadiki sighs and puts her head on Issi’s shoulder. ”I’ll ease into it with him, but I have to tell him the truth. It’s not fair to keep him in the dark. And it will be up to him to decide what to do with that knowledge...”
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"Yeah..." Issi says. "I need to stop worrying. What will be will be, and there's nothing we can't do." She kisses her sister firmly and steps away. "I've been letting my work sit. That's no way for a Lore-Speaker to behave. I'll see you later? Now might be a good time - it wouldn't be fair to spring it just before the ceremony."
She leaves without explaining the final comment, but Sadiki knows exactly what she's referring to none-the-less.
Sadiki sighs. No time like the present, right? She finds Okoro and says, "Hey. We need to talk."
Once the two have some privacy, the sorceress looks into her boyfriend's eyes. "So... We've been together for more than a year now. And I've been very happy being with you all of this time. But... something's happened recently that I need to tell you about.
"You know Issi and I are extremely close. We love each other more than anything. Well, that love seems to be developing in a more, hmm, romantic direction. It was not something either of us expected. It just kind of happened. But we both like it, and we both want it to continue.
"I still love you. I still want to be with you too, Okoro. But I also want to be with Issi. She does not mind if I continue to be your girlfriend. But the question is... how do you feel about this whole... situation?"
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"Umm..." Okoro says eloquently, seeming honestly shocked by the situation that Sadiki lays out for him. "I... have no idea what to say." He pauses and then shakes his head.
"I'm going to need some time to think about this. To process. I won't say anything but... I don't know Sadiki. I just don't know. You focus on your graduation and we'll discuss this afterwards."
"Okay," Sadiki says. It's probably the best she could have hoped for...
***
The graduation ceremony takes place before the massive obelisk carved with the names of the thousands of lore-speakers throughout the Magaambya’s history. The sun shines brightly on the large crowd of students, staff, and Nantambu citizens who have come to witness the ceremony. Musicians with drums and woodwinds play quick, joyful tunes to get the crowd singing and clapping. The music picks up in pace, with people singing and stomping. Janatimo steps in front of the monument and raises his hands for silence, and the music stops abruptly.
He holds a pause for a long moment. The only sounds come from a pair of thrushes perched on the monument high above. Their birdsong punctuates the silence. Finally, Janatimo speaks.
“Students, faculty, and friends of the Magaambya, it pleases me today to honor a pair of students who exemplify the heart and soul of what we teach at the Magaambya. It is easy for us to think of an institution as an entity in and of itself, something whose reputation is created by its existence. Even though we know that this is false, even though we know that an institution is only as good as the people who make it up, we often forget. Storytellers remind us of important truths, and I remind you of this.
“These students have served as constant and vigilant reminders to me that individual deeds and actions are the foundations we use to build the principles and reputation of the Magaambya.
“Those deeds and actions are not just made from what we have done; they are built from what we wish to do, who we seek to be.” Janatimo turns away from the stage.
“Conversants, who is it that you seek to be? What do you seek to learn?”
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"I seek to be better." Issi says simply. "I have learned much here but I know that there is far more to learn, both here and in the world beyond. In my time so far I have learned from the Lore-Speakers, but I have also learned from my friends, my fellow initiates, and from all the people that I have met and worked with over the last two years. In the Cascade Bearers we believe that the only limits to what we can achieve are those of our imagination and I can only imagine how much more there is for me to learn. I want, I hope, to be someone of endless curiosity, someone who continues to learn from her friends, from her teachers and from her students."
It isn't Issi's best speech, and it isn't one of the numerous drafts she laboured over and then discarded, but it is heartfelt.
"Simply put, I seek to be Sadiki," the sorceress says as she steps forward. "Long have I sought to become the fully realized version of myself. I feel I am closer now than I have ever been before, but there is still much more for me to learn about who I am. Magic is a part of it. Love is another. Love of self, and love of others. In teaching others, I will learn about myself. And perhaps one day, I will finally attain everything that I have hoped for and dreamed of."
Once both sisters have spoken, Janatimo steps forward again. “Thank you for your words, which I know will one day be exceeded by your deeds. I want everyone to know you have agreed to stay for a time and teach our students what you have learned.” Janatimo motions to the monument and holds out an ancient chisel.
“I have told you before, and I will tell the world: I look forward to telling your story as you go forth into the world. All that’s left for you to do now is to carve your name on this monument along with all the lore-speakers who have come before.”
The crowd’s applause rises as music begins again. Once you have carved your names, you are officially lore-speakers!
Esi throws a big party back at Spire Dormitory to celebrate your graduation and your moving out of the dorm after living there for two years. Janatimo leaves shortly after graduation for another mission for the school. He admits that staying around as long as he did is uncharacteristic for him, but your exploits were just too fascinating for him to leave.
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Buoyed by her promotion Issi throws herself into her new studies and planning her first class - Introduction to Wishcraft. By now she's exhausted almost everything the Magaambya and its archives have to offer but it forms more than enough material for an introductory. The fact that she herself would have to go out and find everything needed for an Advanced Class is actually quite exciting for Issi - the future looks bright indeed.
The sisters agree on lodgings in town - being on campus so shortly after being in the student dorms is just too awkward and living in the town is a pleasant breath of freedom for the two of them. It also affords more privacy, a commodity which the sisters enjoy for peaceful reading, quiet reflection and more intimate activities. The night that they move into their own small house, not far from Amaechi the potter's shop, the sisters progress to the next level of their relationship and awake the next morning, naked limbs tangled together in their new double bed.
"Good morning." Issi says, planting a soft kiss on Sadiki's forehead and enjoying the pleasurable shudder that runs through her sister's lushly curved form at the gesture. "Did you remember to get any food yesterday? I was thinking about... other things and forgot."
With Okoro still needing space to figure things out, Sadiki catches up on her studies, quickly getting to where she needs to be as a lore-speaker and teacher.
She celebrates the achievement with her sister that night, and as one thing leads to another, they finally explore the full range of possibilities that have been opened up to them...
Sadiki awakens to Issi's kiss. She lets out a tired moan as she rolls over, her body sliding against the other woman's. "Food? Hmm... No... When we have students, we can send them into the city to fetch breakfast for us!"
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"Umm, Sad? We live in the the town now." Issi says, smiling into her sister's hair. "Sending a student might be considered... dubious. You sleep in, I'll get breakfast."
Sadiki wakes for the second time to another kiss on the forehead and the fragrant smell of warm pastry.
"I thought we could spend today sorting the house out." Issi suggests, offering her sister breakfast in a paper bag. "We need beds for both bedrooms. My room can have a single and yours can be this one. It makes most sense if you have a boyfriend. People will expect him to stay over." She pauses. "Do you still have a boyfriend? Can you even? Are Lore-Speakers and Attendents allowed to have relationships?"
Sadiki scowls. ”There aren’t rules forbidding teacher-student relationships. And Okoro is a conversant now, so there’s that. But I don’t know if he’s my boyfriend anymore. We’ve barely spoken since graduation. I know it was a lot to drop on him, but I still would appreciate an answer. Any kind of answer instead of just being in limbo.”
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"It's not exactly a normal situation." Issi says gently. "This would be hard regardless, with you becoming a teacher now and moving into town rather than living at the school. Go and find him, he'll appreciate you making the effort. I'm going to talk to him as well - he's my friend and I don't want to lose that, regardless of... anything else."
Sadiki sighs. "Okay. Breakfast first."
After stuffing her face with pastries, the sorceress heads to the Magaambya campus to find Okoro.
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Okoro is easily found, he hasn't abandoned his usual haunts and he looks up when Sadiki approaches with his usual smile. It stiffens a little when he sees who it is but he still pushes out a chair.
"Could you explain it to me?" He says, once Sadiki has sat down. "Is this because of... who you were before? Did you ever really have feelings for me or were you just experimenting?" He holds up his hands immediately. "I'm sorry, that was rude. I'm just confused - this is, just so unexpected. I know your sister is into girls but I didn't know you were... Look, I like you Sadiki, you're smart, you're funny and you're beautiful. I'd be a fool to give you up but I don't understand what you want, what we are anymore."