Welcome to Gaia! ::

As the woman sipped her freshly filled glass of wine, she grinned. "Anything's possible," she said simply. Her eyes continued to jump from door to door. "And I would be willing to test it."

It wouldn't save her, she knew. It wasn't about that. She knew she still had decades of lonely existence ahead of her, no matter where she traveled, but an entirely new world to explore? More places she hadn't been, away from anyone she'd known before. It was appealing. Somewhere within her there was a cry of defiance. The cry longed for companionship, for familiarity. A part of her still wanted to go home. More than anything else, she still wanted Noah.

The sorceress shut her eyes, and squashed the small voice inside of her, forcing it down into the pit of her stomach. She'd been foolish today. She knew she had to get away from Calista soon. Their conversation had been short, but the sorceress felt herself slipping. She needed to be alone. She needed to get away. She rose very suddenly, abandoning her drink and, without a word, leaving the bar and Calista, walking to a random door.

((I'm totally fine with that.))

She stopped at the door and placed her hand on the knob. She took a deep breath. What was she thinking? She didn't know what was on the other side. Then again, when had not knowing ever stopped her before? But what if it was worse? What if she couldn't get back? These were the logical, rational questions she should be asking herself. They crossed her mind, but she knew the real reason for her hesitation. Somehow she still hoped that she could live in peace, stop running. She lifted a hand from the handle and touched her face. She knew that couldn't happen. Regardless, she indulged her foolish fantasies.

She turned back to Calista and shrugged, walking back to her drink and casually sitting down. She took a sip from her wine. "Locked," she lied, sighing softly. "Oh well,"

The sorceress shrugged. "It was worth a try, wasn't it? Now I know," she said casually, as if the attempt has meant nothing. She knew that it had meant everything that she couldn't bring herself to do it. It ate at her, and though she was calm and relaxed externally, she, too, was growing restless. In a few minutes she had grown far too comfortable. As much as she knew that she needed to leave, she wasn't ready yet. The atmosphere was new, far too emotionally stimulating, but somehow the acceptance of the place was too pleasant to run away from in spite of the risk. An hour or so, she promised herself, and then she would be on the move again.

She couldn't last another hour with Calista, however. The girl brought out her inner self, and soon her innards would be on the bar for all to see. The gruesome image made the woman smile darkly. A violent death.

Prodding at her companion's unease toward her actions may prove to yield results. "You seem disapproving. Why?" The sorceress asked, turning to Calista again, her grin teasing. "Did it bother you?"

The sorceress looked away again, laughing. "'Acceptance of magic', Calista?" She shook her head. She thought she'd reigned her emotions in, but all at once the bitterness and regret stampeded through her defenses. Her expression she kept in check, a smile as false as a wooden coin. The dissonance between her smile and the dark tone of her voice created an eerie image for her unfortunate companion. "Your world is against me, too, isn't it?"

Noah must have done this to her, she decided. She didn't know how long it had been since she'd left him. Months? Years? He had left his mark on her, just as painful as her other Mark. It weakened her. She leaned on another just once, and now she was quickly losing her ability to stand on her own. It was too late, though, she knew. Her emotions were lose. At least she knew that no one in the cafe would ever see her again once she finally managed to force herself to leave.

The sorceress covered her eyes with her hand and began to laugh. It was a harsh laugh that pained her to utter. The laugh was loud, so dark as to only come from a broken soul. "Oh, our worlds sound very similar," the sorceress said as she finally finished laughing. She shook her head, pursing her lips. "Oh, I have already been hurt for my magic, Calista, I do not fear pain anymore."

She moved her hand and turned to face the girl. Her stare was intense. Her blue eyes were dark, and for once she wasn't smiling. "You seem to be doing the right thing. Keep on being careful."

"Good," said the sorceress, her grin returning. "I don't wish for you to understand me,"

She delicately sipped her wine. "I will correct one misunderstanding you seem to have, however. I was not hurt by magic," she rolled her eyes. "No, magic has never hurt me. But for magic..." She passed her hand before Calista's eyes, leaving a trail of glittering blue sparks. "For practice of magic I've been hurt more than I can say." Her smile did not leave, though she carefully watched for Calista's reaction. A small part of her dreaded it. Mostly she was excited.

The sorceress only laughed. Calista's instant hatred was liberating. The sorceress had been far too open with the woman, showed far too much of herself. Yet none of it mattered now. Calista wouldn't remember the woman for her weakness, for her vulnerability. She would remember the vile art she practiced and nothing more.

She leaned back comfortably and took another slow drink from her wine as her laughter calmed. She waved her hand to dismiss Calista's concerns. "I won't follow you, dear,"

The little building appeared out of the hazy waves lifting off the scorching sands like a mirage, but he knew it couldn't be a heat vision. He had been drinking water consistently, had gotten enough sleep, and had stayed relatively cool throughout the day. He pulled the long end of his head wrap away from his face, exposing the lower half of his face to the sun's wrath as he squinted to make out the building.

He shouldn't separate himself from the group, but he was curious. They were all mostly bedded down for the hottest part of the day and wouldn't notice if he was missing for a few minutes. Curiosity drove him.

He pushed through the front door and into the cool interior, breathing a sigh of relief as the temperature plummeted. He found himself in a cantina of sorts, with tables and chairs for easy lounging and serving staff behind a counter, appearing to perk as his entrance.

"Water," he requested, peering around curiously. Where had this place come from? How did it even exist this far outside the Erodaharad?