cooperation | Glowfic Constellation

"How about it will wear off automatically in three years," says Keo, "unless I renew it, which obviously I won't be able to do if you're in some third world."

kaolinandbone

"Sounds reasonable."

Isabella sits back in her chair.

"Well then, I suppose you can go ahead and do... Whatever it is you do."

"It won't feel like anything," Keo assures her.

Time passes.

"All done." Keo smudges the chalk circle.

kaolinandbone

Isabella steps out of the circle and stretches. "Ah. That's much better. Now, I am going to go see sunlight."

Large, batlike wings flare from her back, a swirling shadow that settles into leathery skin, a broad pair of wings that scrape along the floorboards. Isabella's fangs come in as she smiles, then launches herself past Keo and out the doorway. Her considerable wingspan phases through the wall with no apparent effect, and then Isabella is flying through the hallways of the school at considerable speed, looking for an open window or door big enough to let her out into the air.

She scatters a couple of children on her way. The door at the end of the hallway turns out to lead to a windowless closet.

kaolinandbone

Feh. No fast exit this way, then. More haste, less speed, as usual.

She makes the turn - she can hover and turn on the spot if she wants, her wings are more metaphysical than actual- and goes back the other way. More slowly this time, she doesn't actually want to be rude to everyone she passes, but that is a secondary concern right now.

The door on that end says Stairwell - Do Not Enter.

kaolinandbone

Isabella is unsure why one would put a sign saying 'do not enter' on a stairwell, and these people are at least somewhat magic so this is probably not a good idea.

She sighs. Alright, this was a bad plan. Or rather, it wasn't a plan.

Keo, directions? Apologies for just flying off like that, my enthusiasm rather ran away from me.

The enclosed room on the end of the hallway on the left as you leave Korulen and Saasnil's room is the lift. Tell it "front hall" and it'll take you there.

kaolinandbone

Isabella barrels into the lift, snaps out "Front Hall" and waits impatiently for it to do whatever it does.

It trundles downward and then to the side and then down some more. It opens.

kaolinandbone

Isabella flies out, then in whatever looks to be the most daywards direction.

There's a large front door. Beyond is sunny prairie, and farther off a city with very tall buildings.

kaolinandbone

Most importantly, there is sunlight. There is sunlight and it isn't burning her and she can still fly and she isn't dreaming (she just checked by scratching her arm with her fingernails, that still hurts properly, not muted like it would be in a dream)

She takes a moment just to bask.

The sun is very baskable.

kaolinandbone

It has been far too long since she could do this. She basks some more, then leisurely wings off towards the fields so that she doesn't make too much of a spectacle of herself.

There's plenty of empty space here. The locals have not heard of the concept of "suburbs". The city ends abruptly and then it's all greenbelt, some farms with little farmhouses.

kaolinandbone

Is there a tree she can perch in somewhere? Flying isn't very tiring for her, but she would rather not have to concentrate on not falling out of the sky.

There's some trees. Not all that many, but some.

kaolinandbone

She picks one that looks substantial enough to hold her weight and sets down in the top of it, sprawling out over a branch without caring much about the state of her dress.

The tree is supportive of her plan.

kaolinandbone