After a week and a half after the first cooking class Dal-Yora sends out invitations for tea party.
Everyone above the age of fifty is likely going to be there as part of a complicated game of social chess. But Felix talked to his grandmother and the two can just have fun and not worry about anything. Be polite and don't respond anything with violence or hostility, but please let them know afterwards if anything bad happened.
Padrikiun shoots Parafi a surprised look.
"Hi. Come in you three," he says leading them through the threshold.
It's a very nice house. Understated, but still fancy and almost regal. Everything in white tones with intricate details that can only be picked out up close.
Surprisingly, Fernando takes them to a large balcony where various the tables have been set up.
There is a very light rain, which nonetheless leaves the place undisturbed, if someone pays attention, they can even catch the glimmer of the weather ward around them.
There is a main table for the food, but every table has (the same, identical, elaborate) two-tier serving platter.
"So, I think we might already met you or one of your brothers?" Padrikiun says, trying to make conversation.
They sure are. Though, the Vaesteri appear genuinely interested in Rydel's stories, they do spot when the Sauvesteri arrive.
Dal-Yora follows the rule of etiquette, she raises her hand, catches their attention, and signals them to approach with a flourish of the same raised. Textbook etiquette.
It would actually be impolite to not sit where their host indicates them to sit, which just happens to keep Inara next to 'Chelle and Dal-Ambre next to Dal-Yora.
"Yes, and isn't delightful when you see their own potential? Like, Inara, I was surprised when our grandsons told me she was such a vivacious young lady. But I can see who she takes after," does her eyes flicker to Aaren? Maybe it's just a trick of the light, "not that matters. I am just so glad to see them making friends."
The South Reef matriarchs both have fashionable streaks of white hair, and wear a similar fashion style, but otherwise are not very alike. Dal-Karand is bronze skinned and obviously a born sorcerer just by the way she holds herself, but also her many amulets and charms. Dal-Varja Terosteri is the very archetypical Parjen cast. Fully augmented and therefore very tall, with intensely dark skin. The later spots the three approaching and smiles. "Dal-Yora! I hope you don't want to miss out this conversation. Our dear Dal-Karand is so deeply disappointed with your grandsons' lack of fashion knowledge."
"Blame our wild war torn Earth upbringing," Teronmas says.
"Do not make excuses, young man." Dal-Karand says jovially. "Oh, who do we have here?" She says when she notices the Sauvesteri.
Dal-Varja is pleased by the curtsy, Dal-Karand appears mildly amused.
"Likewise," Dal-Karand replies smiling charmingly. "Lovely dress, maybe you can teach Dal-Yora's grandsons a thing or two about fashion. I asked if the family is going to the South Reef next season and do you know what they said? This one asked what sort of disaster relief we could expect there and the other asked about the beaches. I could hear my ancestors gasp."
"Oops," Feliaris said apologetically, but smiling.
"I'm not sure I'd call it negative," Inara comments. "After all, if we didn't have the MET gala as a standard, how would we know who was truly exquisitely dressed? Comparing good fashion to good fashion can sometimes be a chore. And very occasionally something good comes from it."
"Nothing against innovation, my dear. But too many designers compromise," Dal-Karand says the word like it's a terrible sin, "and try to be the next big thing by adding LEDs light at everything and suddenly I am having flashbacks of a hundred and seventy years ago, when everyone was using glowing glass on everything. I would leave the atelier with a tan."
"Hey, if it means you don't have to deal with the bugs at the beach."
Dal-Varja turns her gaze down at Dal-Ambre. "Forgive my memory, but I can't recall where I know you from." Which is a very meaningfully veiled way to say that she doesn't know.
"Oh, I heard of your investments," Dal-Varja comments, "I have a distant cousin that's interested in that sort of thing."
"Aw, don't sell your friendship with Dal-Tiron so short." Dal-Yora comments. "Specially, because it's so great to surround yourself with business-minded people." She smiles at Dal-Ambre.
"Indeed."
For which I am grateful. Even the Vaesteri residence is not big enough to make this conversation last for long. They reach the TV room, which the relevant device in honored display.
They have to drawn the curtains, because whoever designed the interior decorated failed to account for "light on the screen". Luckily, the place looks quite cozy this way.
Unfortunately, life happens despite everyone's plans.
Tsunami warning. A volcano has been given signs of activity lately, but nothing that could be pin-pointed enough until it actually happened.
And today, it happened. Combination of seismic sensors and precognition gave them twenty-three minutes warning before the first wave hits. The emergency siren blast through out the city. Volunters of all stripes are called to help.
The rope grabs them back. Not very dexterously, but firm and gentle. Fernando does the part of taking them up in the air and zipping towards the Vaeteri's Daliath Temple. A light rain starts falling. "Four more volunteers!" Fernando shouts.
Suddenly, they are wearing bracelets, the kind ensued to people during disaster relief. For a moment, they might even think it was Felix, but they catch a glimpse of the speedster, and they had long black hair.
There are people shouting instructions, and they are herded to get a ward on them. Everything is moving very fast.
The van tumbles, jumps, shakes and even bumps into things (leaving no harm behind), without the occupants feeling that they are inside a washing machine going down a hill. From that they can figure out that the vehicle is likely privately owned and finely tuned to the driver. An elderly woman with a bowler hat. The custom decoration composed entirely of worn soft things adds credence to this theory. It was likely some sort of mural made of stuffed animals on the van's ceiling.
Add after a long stretch of skipping on the water like a stone, their drive shouts. "Prepare to be on the move! I will leave in three seconds with people hanging on the door or not!" Externally the movement is abrupt, but they are cushioned from any impact and the doors open automatically.
The barrier is just a house-sized construction of concrete and metal, which they are now on top of.
A plastic control screen that glows bright orange. It's very obviously newer than the rest of the structure. "Look." Says the operator. He demonstrates by pressing buttons. The one to put the dam down on the water gives a message saying that the structure is already down, then he presses the button to retract the structure back and that says that the structure is already retracted. "It won't move!"
"Okay," 'Chelle says, and rests her hands on the screen, closing her eyes.
Everything looks different when she's doing this, and it's not even really sight, more feeling. The problem is easy enough to diagnose when she's using her powers - the sensor that tells the dam where it is has been clogged, she's not sure by what, so it's reading as both up and down simultaneously. She can fix that. She overrides the reading that tells the dam it's up, and instructs it to descend.
The dam descends. Hitting the water without the sound of a splash, but instead of the resonant ting of vibrating metal. They feel the structure shaking with the stress.
Inside the hatches, the various volunteers can find runes and instructions: take turns, put your hand on them and push a bit of health and a bit of stamina. Moderate bits.
Their only view to the outside is a reinforced porthole. Though that grants the sight of the water in front of them growing still, not in the undisturbed and flat, but with the waves slowing down to the point of glassy stillness.
Then suddenly, the waves started to break, crack and raise upwards. The wall of water hits with speed and violence, the structure shakes, but holds.
For the most part.
'Chelle gets to see it. The wave hits the concrete and goes up. Higher than any building in Milirevi, apparently dispersing into harmless mist.
Further down the barrier, the ward gives in and the invisible wall breaks. The rest of the barrier holds, but there is a localized wave going through straight to the city.
She and the operator can observe as the partial wave sweeps across the city. Boats are carried over far further into shore than they were ever supposed to be. Many places have smaller versions of the barrier ward, but not all. And sometimes the different wards working separately have weird effects making the water rebound and hit again on the surrounding buildings with more force, crumbling places that survived the initial onslaught.
The Govad district where the full-augments live is the worst hit, being directly on the waves' path and being less consistently warded.
All the while dots zip about on the ground and the sky, marking the presence of people racing against the force of nature.
Racing against nature is sure a difficult task. They have been expecting for the wave to go around the barrier, hitting the city from the sides and inward. The exact opposite happened and everyone is rushing to change tactic and redirecting the bulk of search-and-rescue.
However, Felix and Parafi's primary task remain the same: find people and make sure they don't drown or die of hypothermia. But maybe Felix needs to be reminded of that.
It's not the first time Parafi's seen devestation like this, and he's handling it the same way he has before - by pushing his emotions and away - but this time, he can actually help. When he notices Felix getting overwhelmed, he touches his elbow gently, hand overly warm, but not painfully so.
Felix takes in breath, it feels like he has been holding it for far too long. His heart is pounding desperately, but he can't get distracted.
"Right. Hold on onto me." They go into the danger zone.
They are not the only ones, but even with the evacuation warning and their specialized role there is no shortage of people to help- shit, that woman is stuck between two carts with water up to her waist.
Yes. With some controlled burning, they can free the woman much more easily than doing by moving the cart. This free Felix to provide some strategic healing to deal with the worst of her injuries. Barely awake she clings to them for warmth. Felix makes sure to say tell Parafi that he is clever, though there isn't much joy in the compliment. Someone with a floating stretcher spots them and collects the woman before flying away.
They are called over to a half-destroyed building half covered in ice. Felix tries to approach and retracts back when ice starts to form in their direction. "Whoever is in there notice me coming and reacted."
"Okay. I will take you out if anything bad happens, just give me a sign."
No ice suddenly manifests on his direction. Upon coming closer, he can tell what is inside the bubble of ice, a group of Efrossians: one is wearing the rescuer uniform and has a wound to their head. The other two are children who look at Parafi with scared eyes.
For a moment the man fights back against the melting, but after a pause stops and after another pause starts helping. He is more clumsy than the kids, but it doesn't result in a disaster. Everyone is damp, but not practically encased in ice. Someone in a floating platform spots them and approaches.
Some hand twitching that's hard to read. Maybe an affirmative grunt? More importantly, there is no more ice, and they go on the platform without incident.
Felix shows up after they are gone, with the signs of emaciation typical of someone who just spent a lot of health at once. "Please, come with me." And he picks up Parafi.
...holding the hand of a unconscious man stuck inside the vehicle. His pale face might look familiar.
The Sauvesteri house is grand without being ostentatious or gaudy - it's clear they have money, but they are not exactly flaunting this.
Inara will answer the door, dressed in practical clothes, and hair bound back from her face by a bandana.
Inara seems to more need to speak than be acknowledged - there's a nervous energy to her, but she seems relieved to have something to do.
Her triage room was a large sitting room, with sheets thrown over the sofas. She directs then to one of the sofas, already doing her best to diagnose Katur before they've got him settled.
Is it important? Oh, wait, it's at his girlfriend house, right? (Why and how this stranger knows this is not immediately apparent to Parafi). Well, we are going to pick some people from there, it's probably not too much work to send Teronmas over too.
They put Teronmas on a stretcher.
At the barrier.
They didn't exactly stay twindling their thumbs, but by and large, the people at the barrier had to focus on keeping themselves from drowning rather than doing any search and rescue. And even the few that fell in the water would be rescued by a duo of telekinetic patrolling the area. It was just not worth relocating them while the city was in chaos. Not yet, at least.
But eventually they can see something crossing the water like a skipping stone. And it's resting on the concrete floor before they know it. A recognizable van is there and the doors open, revealing the recognizable driver.
"Ha! Whole city is more rattled than the fleas in a dog that just got splashed over with cold water." The driver says looking at them through the rear mirror, it has the tones of an old saying. "You lads won't be complaining about not having anything to do! Be glad if you have time to breathe before someone shouts at you to help with something."
"Hi..." A tired voice asks, another passenger. "I wanted to ask. Are you...?"
The van hits the shore and starts making his way through town. Bouncing through or over streets. Both the passenger and their driver stop for a moment while she navigates what might be the worst of the damage, she avoids colliding with buildings.
"Chacha, The Ballistic!" The driver finally says. "Yeah, I am."
"Ha! I am glad that I still have young fans! You're lucky that I was in town! They want a reshoot - sorry, a remake - of Golden Cloak, I was in the original for two scenes, but people still remember those scenes!" She turns completely to grin at them, her hands completely off the wheel.
While she is saying those words, the van is rolling sideways through a long stretch. She appears completely unbothered by this, and it's hard to tell if she is controlling the thing at all.
And then the vehicle halts suddenly in an upright position and perfectly parked.
"This is your stop!"
"If you hear that I am doing a show or something, ask for 'Kishor' at the reception area and give them your names. I will let them know you can come in."
And someone, very official looking, approaches her. "Madam, please, could you-"
She mouths a sorry and grins. And turns to hears the directions.
Well then, in that direction they will go, Teo complaining good naturedly at Alain and 'Chelle fan-girling over Chacha - although willing to admit that it was incredibly cool to meet her. His Dad was a union man, and Teo had heard stories of what Chacha had done for the unions.
They need people to take turns enchanting some minor defensive wards. Mostly stamina, with a dash of health just to keep it stable long enough to be useful. Then when they are resting from that they can do some lighter triage work. "Chelle might be called to fix some machinery or two.
Soon, enough, someone recognizes her name and points towards her dad.