It wasn't as if Iðavöllr hadn't tried returning to her Wonder again since that first visit in early November - after all she'd promised the blue-haired ghost that she would come back and it was a promise that she had intended to keep–

She just hadn't known that returning would be quite so.. Difficult.

But Iðavöllr had tried, nonetheless, about a week and a half later but nothing had happened, to the point that she might have thought the whole thing had maybe been a dream if not for the ring that she had found - and then work had happened and then Christmas and before she knew it somehow it was January and a whole new year–

A whole new year complete with talking cat insisting that he wanted to see her Wonder again.

Which was how Iðavöllr had found herself back in the park, because despite being a short fluffy bundle of a cat - Liryn was somehow very, very persuasive–

"Does Ari.." Iðavöllr hesitated because despite everything it was still hard to associate her cute but quiet little cousin with all of this magic stuff at times, "I mean Athene even know that you're out here with me?"

Liryn looked up at the strawberry blonde-haired Page for a few moments "No" he admitted at last cheerfully "But maybe you could send him a message." Purplish eyes stared up at her hopefully.

On that note he could have easily have sent Athene a quick message himself, but if truth-be-told Liryn was curious about Iðavöllr's knight ring because he had never seen one up close before - although apparently it could be used to send messages as long as Iðavöllr kept paper, a writing implement and some ink on hand–

Well at least Iðavöllr had mentioned something that the blue-haired lady ghost who was also Iðavöllr, but Iðavöllr from before, saying that - and whilst it seemed like a kind of clunky and outdated way to communicate, and no way like on par with the senshi phone, it was still something that Liryn wanted to see in practice.

Iðavöllr sighed but dutifully pulled a sheet of paper, a green biro and the small bottle of ink that she had bought after that first visit to her Wonder out from subspace.

The message was quick and simple:

Hi Athene,
Liryn is insisting that I take him to Iðavöllr.
I’m not sure when we’ll be back, but I’ll let you know when we’re both back in DC.


For a moment she hesitated and then added:

Btw I could take you there too someday, if you want–
But you’d definitely need a coat! At the very least.


And then before she could second guess herself she folded up the piece of paper, wrote Athene’s name on it and then spilled enough ink below it for her to stamp her ring in it - kind of one of those old style letter-type things but with ink rather than wax.

She wasn’t expecting to receive a message in return however, brown eyes looking startled as she took in the message and what appeared to be…

To be some sort of blueprint.

Liryn had definitely been interested in the way that Iðavöllr’s note had upped and disappeared and a part of him had wondered if he could talk Iðavöllr into letting him borrow the ring so that he could study it further.

He had been even more interested in the blueprints, although he did also want to get to see Iðavöllr again too and so he gently nudged at her and ignored her mumblings about the magic no longer working - because whilst knight magic was not senshi magic and he was admittedly no where clear to being an expert - in this the magic seemed pretty similar–

Well at least to him.

Liryn seemed as disinclined to listen to her as he had when they had been in the park previously and so after slipping back her materials, that is the paper, biro and the now capped bottle of ink back into subspace and pulling out a pair of gloves, Iðavöllr put said gloves on and put the message and strange blueprint into subspace for good measure before sitting on the bench with Liryn so that she could try to meditating.

For all that it was only the second time, maybe she was doing something right because somehow it had seemed to come easier this time - unlike the last attempt when absolutely nothing had happened and the words of the pledge from before had come easily to her mind and on her lips–

I pledge my life and loyalty to Polaris, and to Iðavöllr…
I humbly request your aid, so that in return I may give you mine.

And like before the park had faded away leaving the snow covered landscape from before in front of her.

Iðavöllr was a lot colder than Athene, but even if he hadn’t had his winter coat Liryn didn’t think that it would have bothered him too much - not when there was so much new that was just begging for a four-pawed exploration.

Iðavöllr hadn’t been much for striking out randomly however, which was how the pair of them had ended up back at the large metal building with panels carved out of ice and what had once been four towers, but was now three with two lit with what appeared to be electricity.

A building that the Iðavöllr from before had simply called ‘The Hall’.

Despite the imposing outside, the inside had turned out to be much more welcoming, but Iðavöllr from before had been there and Iðavöllr had ended up going off somewhere with her–

He shook his head slightly for a moment - no the blue-haired lady had told them to call her Ragna - said that whilst she had once been Iðavöllr she was Iðavöllr no longer and that there could only ever be one Iðavöllr.

Not that Liryn had minded being left to his own devices because Iðavöllr had left the blueprint with him–

A very, very interesting blueprint, which Liryn thought was completely doable although it would mean that Iðavöllr would have to let him borrow her ring.

Purplish eyes gazed thoughtfully at and through the blueprint and if he could talk Iðavöllr into loaning him that ring of hers then maybe he could look at doing other things - like doing something about that paper-ink method that she had used to contact Athene.

Liryn turned his attention back to the blueprints, because he wanted to make sure that he had worked out all of its ins and outs - or at least as many as possible - once Iðavöllr came back.

Ragna had led her to an inner courtyard, that like the outside appeared to have had gardens once - gardens that were just as overgrown as the ones with flowers that Iðavöllr had privately found herself dubbing snow flowers because they made her think of frozen stars–

And whilst she didn’t consider herself much of a gardener, it seemed a shame that the gardens had fallen into such disrepair.

Iðavöllr found herself shaking her head slightly as she found herself thinking about bringing some gardening tools with her if she came again, although she didn’t quite completely dismiss the idea.

And then she found herself turning her attention fully back to Ragna as she mentioned something about an Aspect.

“An aspect of what?”

Only it turned out that Ragna really had been talking about an Aspect and it turned out that an Aspect was real actual magic - like magic magic–

And it had taken a while for her to manage to focus on what Ragna had called the call of Polaris, but finally, finally a glow had emanated from her ring and Iðavöllr had found herself in the soft hues of colours that made her think of an aurora borealis - of the Northern lights.

Ragna had taught her how to dismiss the Aspect and then bade her call on her Aspect for a second time–

And then Ragna had disappeared after she had dismissed her Aspect for the second time leaving Iðavöllr in the courtyard alone with her thoughts.

She hadn’t been sure quite what to make of the fact that her knight ‘weapon’ was something that seemed to resemble a Christmas tree ornament or what the magic that turned her into Iðavöllr was good for outside of making her look like some sort of extra out of Frozen - but the Aspect was different, was more of what she kind of pictured magic to be - just like the way that her ring could somehow send messages–

But for now maybe she should head back and find Liryn and hope that the small talking cat hadn’t managed to get himself lost or something, in one of the many rooms of the Hall.

As it happened, Liryn hadn’t gotten himself lost, well at least he hadn’t considered himself lost–

But Iðavöllr had been gone for a while and so in the end he had slipped the blueprints into his subspace pocket and gone wandering.

He had ended up in a library and whilst there was a hole in the ceiling, the books - at least for the most part - seemed to be mainly in good condition, albeit written in a language that he couldn’t understand (and he had briefly shifted into the other form and had looked at couple of them at random - and whilst at some point Liryn knew that he should probably show Iðavöllr the other form some day - today was not that day).

A glint of something metallic caught his attention, had him moving closer and reaching out almost automatically to pick it up.

It was a whistle - a small silver whistle on pretty-looking chain and–

A note suddenly appeared in front of him, from Iðavöllr:

HEY WHERE ARE YOU?!


And was that the time already? Maybe it was a hint that he should make his way back.

Iðavöllr sighed as she realised that she probably should have guessed that Athene’s talking cat would end up wandering off, although he had turned up at some point after she had sent her pointed message with what appeared to be a whistle that he had said he’d found in a library - and she’d let him keep it as he seemed pretty taken by it and she didn’t think Ragna would mind–

Well at least Iðavöllr was hoping that Ragna wouldn’t mind.

Somehow she’d also let Liryn talk her into letting him borrow her ring too - something about the blueprint being some sort of upgrade, although Iðavöllr had told him that it would have to wait until they were both back in Destiny City.

For now it was probably past time that the two of them were back.

Iðavöllr was definitely planning to come back though.

Maybe next time she’d get Liryn to show her the library that he said he’d found–

And maybe just maybe she would even try and bring some gardening tools of some sort too.

Iðavöllr -- 1100 words
Liryn -- 759 words