Our Tomorrow, Again

After putting her tumbler in the sink and letting it soak, Robin gathered up her notes from the previous night. She really needed to get all the info into her link codex. Like her link, it was a Mosaic brand which was highly modular and customisable. It wasn't a cheap brand, but their philosophy of modularity and interconnectivity was top notch. Nothing could beat it for her. She set up some foraging enrichment for Nawira and Khalir before leaving. She wasnotlooking forward to having to sort through the scattered, incoherent notes from the previous night. She should've had her codex on her anyway, but she often didn't when she wasn't in classes. All she'd had at her disposal last night were napkins and index cards. She should've sprung for the Mosaic Codex Pro X9, but it had been too expensive. Damn flagships being so pricey... And she would've benefitted from the Vector Pensomuch… She saw a girl taking some pictures of flowers with her link. Normally, Robin wouldn't notice such a thing, but it was modular. And not a Mosaic. She needed to get to her office to sort these notes out, but she wanted to know about the device the girl used. Modularity wasn't popular on the Ylissean continent as it made for bigger, bulkier devices. Most wanted the sleekest device possible for easy carry. Sheknewwhat Mosaics looked like at a glance and that definitely wasn't one. Maybe from Valm? Modularity and right to repair were big there. Mosaic was Valm based, another reason it hadn't made many inroads on the Ylissean continent. With a sigh. she made her way over to the girl and took out her link. "Hey, what brand is that? Never seen it before." The girl turned on her heel, red hair raising slightly with the motion. She clutched her device to her chest. "Who are you?" Some accent Robin couldn't place anywhere on Ylisse and different from Arielis'. Almost no doubt from Valm. Her fashion was Ylissean. but clothes were easy. Robin held up her link. "Just curious about your modular brand on the continent. Modularity is much more common in Valm." link. I use Mosaic and yours isn't one.It's the only The girl looked down at Robin's link, her own, then at Robin. A few long moments passed before she visibly relaxed. "Novarion. You... use modular links? That's unusual or those over here." Her accent was drop-dead [gorgeous] with how musical and lilting it sounded. She didn't look too bad herself. The shade of her hair was unusual as well. It was a coral red that contrasted with her forest green eyes. Very unusual appearance. Robin put her link away and grinned. "Never been to Valm and Mosaics are pricey but worth it in my opinion. You aren't stuck having to upgrade your whole device every few years because the battery goes down the shifter. Not to mention expanding storage, RAM, and such. I like being able to swap things as I please. And the ecosystem is unparalleled on Ylisse." She was so glad to be loyal to the Mosaic ecosystem. Steep price tag but worth it to her. The girl nodded. "What's your name? I'm Lysandra Abaroa." Robin blinked. That name... "You're related to the Saint King and Pilgrim Queen?" She knew the Vastel line retained importance in the Halidom, so she couldn't imagine a member leaving to go to another continent entirely. The Abaroa family had ruled Valm for a long time, though it had broken up thousands of years ago, similarly to the Ylissean continent. Lysandra blushed and nodded. "Your name?" Robin's own cheeks heated. "R-Right. Robin Asselin." She had so many questions. "I was heading to my office. Wanna come with?" Lysandra blinked and tilted her head. "Come...with? Sorry,I don't know what a lot of Ylissean terms mean. I can function well, but slang still catches me quite a bit. I hope you can forgive me." She offered a bow. "You do seem like you might be interesting to talk to, if you don't mind me coming along." Robin shook her head. "I offered." She smiled and Lysandra returned it. "So what brings you across the ocean all the way to the Halidom? That's quite the way just for college. Though where are you from?" She couldn't help it; as a bit of a traveler herself, she had a bunch of questions. Valm and Ylisse had been trade partners as far back as anyone could remember, but it was still a minimum of a ten-hour flight to get to the Halidom even from the easternmost point. Why go through all the trouble...? "I'm from the Holy Dominion of Mila's Grace. There are many places to study on Valm, but I needed a..." she paused, struggling for words. Then she shrugged to give up. "...to see different places. To experience different things. I wanted to learn more about Naga, not just Duma and Mila. Your accent... I haven't heard it before. Where are you from? You clearly have good command of the Halidom's tongue." Had it been someonefromthe continent, she would have been offended. But not with someone from so far away. "Actually, I am from the Halidom, but I grew up on the border with East Ferox. East Feroxi is my native language, but I still spent plenty of time speaking a lot ofYlissean. When you grow up around a different accent, it's what you pick up." She chuckled. There was mingling and melding that close to the border. She also knew a creole of the two languages, but she hadn't spoken it in so long she was forgetting it... She doubted anyone else spoke it since so few from East Ferox sought higher education. "I seen. Our borders in Valm aren't as flexible as here... Have you been elsewhere? Why do you have an office? You look younger than I do." "I'm a first-year PhD student despite my age. I'm in the neuro-aetherics program. I finished my primary schooling by twelve in East Ferox and did everything else in the Eastern Free Cities. But Ylisse's neuro-aetherics program was better and I was offered full ride, food, and housing if I came here." The Eastern Free Cities had great education even for non-citizens, but the language and culture provided….barriers as well. The culture had definitely left negative impacts on her psyche that would probably last a lifetime. She wasn't sure if she'd have made the same choices now…but what was done was done. "That's impressive you're quite the genius." "Yeah, I am." No denying what was objective truth. "So are Mila and Duma still heavily worshiped on Valm?" Her knowledge on Valm was admittedly lacking; it wasn't like Ylisse got into Valmese history in Ylisse very often. Granted. history had never much interested Robin. It wasn't challenging in the same way neuro-aetherics was. History was boring. "Naga worship has become much more pronounced since the times of the Saint King and Pilgrim Queen, but yes, many people still worship our Divine Dragons devoutly. But records were destroyed when Grima rose the first time... It's been in the past couple hundred years very old copies of Mila's teachings were uncovered on what was Novis during the Pilgrim Queen's time. It led to the modern selari movement." "Oh, that is right. I think some Ylisseans use brighthearts. Plegians….are not so kind often." She cringed. The modern Plegian successor states had been forced to give rights to those who weren't in a heterosexual union and didn't identify with their birth gender. Legally, it was all on the books, but culturally, Robin knew most Plegians had issues with the community. Ylisseans still had religious issues with it due to Naga's edicts. Robin was happy to stay out of such debates. Lysandra frowned. "Unfortunately, some of the.more northern states still hold out against the selari... They say Duma's edict is that women are inferior to men and that these roles are immutable... Mila says the opposite. Though those who still follow Duma use Naga's edicts on being fruitful and multiplying as support for their backwards views." "None of that is my area to comment on." She wasn't faithful to any divinity and stayed out of religion entirely. People wanting to change their gender or love the same set hurt nobody else in the grand scheme of things. And she had seen what harm such mindsets did to harm others. Why was it so hard to leave others alone and let them mind their own business? She didn't get it at all. "That's fair, I suppose. Has Naga's Voice said anything about it?" “Dunno, don't care. I want to focus on my studies, not religion and politics." She really didn't have time to focus on culture war stuff. She wasn't devout to any deity period. She knew at least Naga existed. but that was as far as it went for her. No god was worth her time or effort. Lysandra frowned but nodded. "I see." Robin was pretty sure she'd upset her. but did it matter? Religion had just never been part of her life. Her mother was irreverent as many Feroxi were. Why were so many people offended when they learned she wasn't religious? It was so annoying. She wasn't hurting anyone by not being devout. "Are you faithful to anybody?" Lysandra seemed like religion even though Robin didn't care. It was hard to entertain topics she knew nothing about. It was one reason she'd never had many friends in the Free Cities… Lysandra nodded. "I'm a legally recognised heir of the Saint King and Pilgrim Queen. Being trained in Mila's teachings is important to the line…though some branch families have turned to Duma's teachings." She frowned. From what Lysandra had said, that wasn't great. But it also wasn’t Robin’s place to to get involved since it was Valmese politics. At least Ferox had never been institutionally sexist… Women just couldn’t build the same muscle mass as men. At least not without use of stuff like anabolic steroids. But she had never encountered instutitonal sexism like she had in the Free Cities. "What brings you all the way to Ylisse, though? It's an awful long way to come for college. I know you said you wanted to learn more about Naga, but wouldn't a seminary be a better fit if it's theology you're interested in? Learning another language just to expand your theology seems…inefficient." She was trying to not be offensive. Ylisse's universities were very cheap even to non-citizens, but still. Learning another language and studying in it wasn't easy. Not to mention the cost of coming to Ylisse by airship… "I'm not interested in only Naga; in the Holy Dominion. we combine theology and agriculture. I think Ylisse could learn from our practices as well." She smiled. "I do have a teaching assistant position here for the next few years... I hope I can pass some knowledge onto the Ylissean students while I'm here. It'll be nice to know that some cultural exchange has happened. What are you planning on doing when you get your PhD?" Robin paused. "Honestly? Not sure." She really wasn't. She had only been focused on the journey, not the destination. There was a whole, wide world out there. Valm and Jugdral would be interesting places to go, though she knew getting into Jugdral was stupid hard. They really didn't like people getting in or out. But it would be cool to see the magitech there... "For me, it's been more about the learning than the degree, let alone what comes after." "I suppose that's fair." They arrived at the Miriel Rorie Magic Building. “Is this where your office is?" Robin nodded. "It's named after a great scientist who was ahead of her time two thousand years ago." For some reason, it brought to mind a woman with red hair cut sharply, glasses, and a traditional mage's hat. She really had no idea where the image came from as nobody knew what Miriam looked like. All Robin knew was that Miriam had been a great mage and scientist two thousand years ago. "I do have a bunch of notes I need to sort through..." She sighed. "Oh, don't let me stop you, then." Lysandra smiled. "Would you like my link number?" "Sure. Lysithea knows I could use more friends." They exchanged numbers and Robin headed into the building. What were the odds she'd meet two people in a row she'd exchange numbers with? She wasn't even mad; she'd been on campus for two weeks and hadn't met anybody. Two potential friends in a row? Score in her mind!

±

Chron left his last class for the day, stretching out in the warm September air. It would start to cool down soon enough. but summer still held on. But the season of Kaedros had begun after sunset on the summer solstice happened. Lysithea's season would begin the sunrise of the day after the winter solstice due to the days beginning to lengthen then. He honestly preferred winter's shorter days but summer's warmth. Fall was a pretty good in between, though. He headed for his car, keys jingling in his hand. Today was one of the day she volunteered at the DHA. It did take a lot of time, but it would look good on job applications. He would need knowledge of the sports and injuries that he would be working with. He had lost his own bright sky ball future when he'd been about twelve. He tore his ACL, damaged his meniscus, and had multiple ligament injuries in his right knee. He had mostly recovered, but he had never returned to his Striker position. He smiled as he got in the car and loaded up some tunes on his link. Thankfully, the drive to the DHA was only fifteen minutes… …or, itusuallywas. A really bad accident at a busy intersection saw him routed like halfway around town. It was horribly out of the way and put him behind by half an hour when he finally arrived. He was glad he could rely on Owen to get the kids started with practice when something like this happened. Life was full of disturbances, so he was glad he had someone he could trust the Hearth Hawks with. Chrom trotted up to Owen. "Sorry about the delay. Bad accident to the point they had to redirect traffic halfway across town." He sighed. "And the cops would've pulled me over if I messaged you." His car was an older model with only an aux cord but no Bridge. He wished he could get a newer model with it, but even used cars could be expensive." and he didn't have a jobso he could fit as many credit hours into a semester as possible. He could never seem to please his parents no matter what he did. Owen shook his head. "Nah. it's fine, Chron. Kids were a bit disappointed, but they knew ya wouldn't let them down. Figured it was something of the like. It's about time for their first break anyway." Chrom nodded and blew his whistle. The seven kids looked up and let out excited shouts. He smiled. He was young as a coach, being only eighteen, but he'd been in the position for two years. Both kids and parents loved him and how he coached. The Hearth Hawks weren't the best team, but that was okay. As long as he built their confidence and teamwork, that was what he cared about most. The team mobbed him in a giant group hug which made him chuckle and smile. "Sorry for being late, Hawks. Traffic caught me. Did you circle today?" Mia shook her head. "Coach Owen says it's your gig." Chrom chuckled again. "And it's not a real practice without circle, is it?" A chorus of agreement erupted. “What's our first goal today?" "Everybody learns!"" "And our second?" "Everybody has fun!" "And our third?" "Win if we can!" Chron laughed and the kids—tweens,really—let out a loud roar. Honestly, it was good to see these kids playing sky ball. It was a sport with hundreds of years of history. Even if they didn't go pro (which was unlikely in the first place), he hoped they would forge friendships that lasted a lifetime. He was still good friends with a couple of pre-accident teammates. The Hawks did have a high turnover rate, but he didn't mind. As long as games were clean and the kids had fun. that was what mattered most of all.. He let the team get their mandated break before he sat down and started running through the last game with them. They had played two days ago and lost, but he wasn't mad. While he did critique them, he kept it gentle. He focused on the good things they did while giving soft criticism. Sera and June had earned their first game. Honestly, they had played horribly, but he wasn't going to undermine their confidence. It was their first game and they had only been playing a few weeks; why be harsh on them? Mia was shaping up to be a great captain, but she would be aging out of the Hawks once this season wrapped up. She would be a fantastic player if she stuck with it. She was quiet but knew how to lead and keep morale high. He would miss her a lot, but he hoped she would take the lessons she had learned here forward in life. Maybe she would volunteer with sky ball kids in the future. His own promising career had been derailed, but he could still give to the next generation. Chrom forgot all about the accident as he focused on the kids. The next few hours flew by as he and Owen coached on the bright souls in front of him. Sera and June struggled the most, but he kept up the praise as best he could. June was clearly struggling the most, but he really was trying. It was going to take some time to build his confidence. A month in a sport was nothing, especially since Chrom himself had started at five… Eventually, eight hit and the kids started to leave. He offered each a fist bump and some parting praise. Owen stood next to him. "Some of 'em have come a long way since starting," Owen said. Chrom nodded. "It'll be sad to lose Mia, but I think she'll go far. The leadership skills she's learned here will hopefully serve her well." He smiled as the last kid climbed into their car. "Yeah, she has a good head on her shoulders." Owen was quiet for a moment before speaking again. "You're probably going to struggle with coaching due to your workload, huh?" Chiron sighed. "Yeah. Three practices a week plus games every other Saturday on top of coursework... but I can't let these kids down." It would be far worse if his parents cut his school funding, but letting these kids down... He would never let himself live it down if he gave up on these kids. He knew some didn't have great home lives and depended on the bonds here for levity and escape. It would help if they had one more person to help out… He blinked. "Robin." "What's a bird got to do with this?" "Not a bird—a girl I met yesterday. Like incomprehensibly smart." He fumbled with his link and dialed her number. One ring… Two rings… Thr— "Hello?" Robin's thick accent slurred. "Chron, it's— Fuck, I missed dinner. Guess I'll eat some ramen. Do you care if I eat while we talk?" He chuckled. "Not at all. Hey, I was wondering what you knew about sky ball." "It's a sport? Sports have never been anything I've cared about. Do Iseemlike the type to be interested in physical pursuits?" He could hear water running in the background. "No, I guess not. But how about coaching as a break from school? I help with a team called the local DHA." "DHA? Not familiar with it." "Dragon's Hearth Association. Did you not go to one as a kid?" He thought pretty much every Ylissean kid did at least one year of some sort activity through them... Then again, with her having grown up with strong ties to East Ferox… "No-puh." She popped the P. "Chrom, I'm running sixteen credit hours. You think I have time to spend watching a bunch of brats run around a field chasing a ball?" Chrom bristled. "Brats?! They're good kids, Robin. Maybe look into something before jumping to conclusions! You could probably stand to get out more!" How could someone so smart be so closed minded? It didn't make sense! She was silent for a few moments. "Actually, you're right. I don't get out enough. Send me the info and I'll look into it." She yawned, then he heard slurping. "Tomorrow." "All right. Talk to ya later?" "Yup." The call clicked off and he sighed. She really was something else…