IC Date: 11/25/2025

The ferry ride had been less harrowing than Ronan had feared, it was pleasant even. Gliding across the water beside those strange flying fish. Though the ominously larger shadows in the deeper water gave him some pause. He had no desire to meet whatever those were. The island was small enough that the walk from the dock to the Tower took a few minutes at the absolute most.

A hint of a smile flickered across the young man’s face as he followed Tempesti into the Tower, eyes hungrily roaming every detail, taking in every crack in every stone, each beam of colorful light spilling in from the stained glass above. “The library is a few floors up, do you want to take the lift or the stairs?” Ronan scrutinized the pale stone staircase spiraling upward before turning his attention to the cage of arcing golden metal that apparently scaled the Tower. A twinge of anxiety wobbled within his chest as he considered the possibility of finding themselves trapped in some ancient elevator. As though reading his mind Tempesti murmured, “If we get stuck somewhere, we can teleport back home. So please don’t let that freak you out.”

Ronan nodded, “I’d still rather take the stairs.” Even if it didn’t get stuck, it could fall. It could fall very easily. Who knows how old that thing is? No, he wasn’t getting in there. He would much rather deal with sore legs than whatever horrible scenarios could play out using a thousand year old elevator.

Tempesti offered him a reassuring smile, “You’re really helping me out, you know. Thank you so much for doing this.” Her gratitude didn’t come as a surprise, no doubt his expertise in the matter would be beneficial for whatever project she found herself immersed it, but the rarity, the surreality of the opportunity for him to study extraterrestrial materials were too much for him to ignore. A giddy thrill ran through him as he considered the possibilities, even as he pondered the immediate challenge of determining the materials used and how to best replicate them. He wasn’t entirely clear on how much of the language she’d mastered, if she could find books on whatever passed for library science in an ancient civilization that would make a huge difference. He made a mental note to ask her about that.

He nodded again, watching the bouncing of the strange wings sprouting from just above her skirt as they ascended the Tower. Were they part of the outfit or were they actual appendages? Why were they so far down her back? It made no sense. He contemplated asking her before deciding against it. Irrelevant to the task at hand. They probably weren’t appendages. It would be weird if they were. Maybe he should ask. No. Not relevant.

Ronan huffed slightly as he tried and failed to conceal just how winded he was by the staircase before Tempesti turned around, eliciting a startled grimace. “I have a bit of magic that can give you a boost for a little bit. If you wanted a break, I mean.” The young man nodded, even as embarrassment colored his cheeks. She’d been helpful before, and he couldn’t imagine she’d unleash lightning on him. Though that would be one way to motivate him to go faster, he supposed.

“OK, OK sure.”

“Just keep moving upward, jump when you need to, but let the harpies do the work, I’m going to put my hand on your shoulder and it’s going to feel a little bit odd. Are you ready?”

Ronan nodded again, despite his unspoken concerns about letting harpies carry him around.

“Storm Swift Flight!”

His breath caught in his throat as he felt his feet lift from the stairs, “This is. OK. OK.” With Tempesti’s encouragement he leapt upward, hearing a delighted laugh from the senshi below him and found himself unable to keep his own laughter in check as he cleared huge sections of steps with almost no effort.

“The next landing is the library, make it count!” Tempesti’s voice echoed against the walls, and Ronan took one last deep breath before alighting gracelessly on the landing, bracing himself against the wall as he stumbled forward.

OK, flying is something to check off the list.
Not quite flying, still good though.
Definitely counts.

The senshi arrived not long after he did, “Have fun?”

Ronan nodded silently, “I did. Yes.” He smiled slightly, the self-consciousness slipping for a few moments. “Well, show me these books.”