Chapter Text
When Sei woke, she was lying on the floor of a large room, surrounded by people dressed in strange garb. It was as if she were surrounded by people who were dressed to attend a Renaissance festival. As Sei sat up she could see a group of people in tunics and robes surrounding someone on the floor. Sei stood, concerned. Just as she regained her feet the door burst open and a young man with bright red hair charged into the room.
“I hear the ritual was a success! Is she here?” He glanced around, his eye lingering on her for a moment before he sneered and turned his attention to something else, someone else. There was someone else, sitting on the floor just to the right of where Sei had landed. She was young, with short brown hair cut in a stylish bob. “You must be the saint. Please, come with me.” He kneeled on one knee and extended a hand to the girl. She trembled for a moment before reaching out and taking his hand. “Excellent.” He stood, pulling her with him, and they exited the room together, just as abruptly as he had entered.
“That was something. What's going on over there, is that man alright?” She pushed her way through the crowd of people to get a look at the person on the ground, he was in a bad way. He was half curled on his side, with his pretty face partially obscured by blood that was flowing from his nose and eyes. “Lay him flat on his back.” She stepped forward, sliding her cardigan off her shoulders. The blood would ruin it but it would do the job. “Hurry!” She kneeled at his side and gently pushed until he was lying flat. Her hand trembled as she felt for a pulse and for the tell tale puff of air to indicate he was breathing. Luckily he was, and quite deeply at that. As she wiped the blood from his features and lifted his eyelids, she felt something warm swirling through her. He seemed to regain color and was able to flinch away from her as she felt her energy be drained. “What’s hape….” The world went dark as the adrenaline faded.
When Sei woke, it took her a moment to adjust. She was laying on a large bed that had sheer curtains hanging down, partially obscuring the room. Sei sat up and scooched to the edge of the bed, moving the curtains aside. She paused to flick her hair out of her face before observing the room. It was a large room, with a seating area just to the right of the door and adjacent to the bed. Against the wall, under what appeared to be a window, was a large desk with a gold-trimmed wooden chair. From what she could see in the dim light, there were ornate patterns coated with a gold finish on the back and sides of the chair. As she stood, the room got brighter, as if someone had turned on a lamp.
“Hello?” She moved away from the bed, glancing around the room as a whole. There was no one else present. Slowly, she moved to the small seating area. There were two couches and a chair facing each other with a small table in the middle. It was clearly meant for a small gathering to sit and talk, presumably over tea or the like. She trailed a hand over the back of one of the couches, marveling at the buttery smooth feel of the leather. Soon, she stood in front of the door, staring at the curved door knob. She reached out and slowly eased the door open, glancing down the hallway. Her room was situated close to a corner, and she could see other doors down one branch of the hall. She stepped out and made her way down the other hall. Out the windows, she could see a sprawling garden, with a few gazebos dotted here and there. She could see an archway where the hall opened into a larger room. It seemed to be some sort of entrance hall, as there was a pair of double doors that were open, revealing a terrace dotted with plants and a path leading to, presumably, the garden that she saw through the windows. With only a brief glance around the room, taking in the armed guards - she could see what appeared to be swords strapped to their waist. They didn’t look at her or stop her, so Sei made her way out to the terrace, pausing to take a deep breath to the sweet, flower scented air.
“Definitely in an area with very little pollution.” She stepped onto the gravel lined pather and wandered. She paused every so often to marvel at the different flowers and herbs that were growing on the grounds. At one point, she turned to face the building she had exited, it was clearly some sort of palace or castle going off the spires and towers she could see rising from the building. “I don’t recognize the structure, and it doesn't look old or in disrepair. There is also the matter of how I came to be here.” Locating a small patch of grass surrounded on three sides by sweet smelling roses, Sei sat to think. “I know I was at home, in the entryway when I was temporarily blinded by a white and gold flash of color. I presumably fell and passed out at which point I was transported to wherever here is. There was someone else that got moved with me. The redheaded teenager called her the saint after totally dismissing me. I get that a sickly grubby looking adult doesn't match up to a well-rested and very pretty teenager, but still.” She sighed, brushing her hand through her dark hair. She used her fingers to untangle the knots that had form while she had been asleep.
“After they left I went to help the stunningly handsome man who had passed out. I do hope that he is alright. Bleeding from the nose and eyes usually indicates severe brain trauma. Given that wherever this is seems to be a bit behind the times, I’m hoping whatever happened wasn’t too serious, or he might not survive. After that, I woke up in that room, followed a hallway, and here I am.” Sei sighed and glanced at the sky, noting how the sun had started to set as hse had been contemplating everything. “I guess I’d better get back, it’s not like I have anywhere better to be. I just hope I haven't lost my job by the time I get back home.” She stood, brushing off the bottom of her khaki pants. “At least, whoever put me to bed didn’t bother to change my clothes. That's something.” Slowly, she made her way back to the door she had exited from, taking the time to admire the flowers that she hadn’t noticed on her first pass.
“There really are a wide variety of flowers and herbs in this garden. I wonder if they are just for show, or if they get used?” As she worked her way back, she noticed a lot of people in tunics and robes milling about, along with an increase of guards. She slowed to a stop and observed the group for a moment before slowly trying to edge her way around and thought the gathered people. She was able to slip inside and mostly down the hallway leading to her room before there was a call for her to wait from behind her. She pretended to not hear it and continued around the corner to her room. Well, the room that she had woke up in. She slipped inside and closed the door behind her, sighing when the thick wood muffled the shouts from the hall. “Made it. I don’t want to find out what all that hubbub was about.” She moved to sit on one of the couches, falling to the side with her eyes closed.
She promptly sat up and sprang away from the couch as her head landed on something warm and connected to something that was breathing. She backed away, to the corner of the room, keeping the three that were sitting on the couches and chair respectively in her line of vision. “I am so sorry. Who are you? No, that doesn't matter. Oh my god, I just put my head on your lap. I don’t know you, oh that is so rude.” Sei sank to the floor clutching her hair in her hands as she tried to calm her pounding heart.