Enough time around strangers in the Reformatory had taught me a vital skill – the ability to recognize someone as a threat before they became one. That, and don’t owe criminals favors.
Her advantage in both height and muscular strength could easily be weaponized against me. She'd be an absolute terror as a roommate, as toxic as a Jatropha plant.
Everyone besides Apostates wanted to be here, but that didn't make them trustworthy. If I was going to choose a roommate, it needed to be someone who couldn't physically overpower me, at least until I could determine their trustworthiness. Unfortunately, I hadn’t manifested the ability to sniff out if someone was trustworthy or not.
The best person to have as my roommate would be someone who'd mastered the art of unspoken words. Since that was unlikely, the next best would be someone who would watch my back, in exchange for me watching theirs. To a point.
My eyes fell on my target, the same redhead Henrik had singled out for her diminutive stature. Up close, her hair wasn’t quite red. It reminded me of autumn leaves, vibrant and alive with color. She was turning this way and that, looking at everyone gathered in the courtyard with thinly veiled apprehension. She looked timid. Approachable.
“Hey,” I greeted, walking up to her and wiping down my rain-soaked hand before extending it to her. “I'm Lisia.”
“Oh uh, Sa—My name is Sarina,” she shook my hand and the chill of the rain on her pale hands spread to mine. To her credit, her hands were not shaking.
Had she only made it this far because of the help she'd gotten from others? It didn't matter. There wasn’t anything besides nervousness in her posture. The awareness that if she washed out, there would be more space for me, was an added bonus.
“I don't know much about the Voyagers, but I’m strong.” I tapped my bicep for emphasis. “And I'm good in a crisis. I snore a bit, but I'm pretty reliable. Want to try being roommates?” I pushed a wet strand of hair out of my eyes.
Sarina's mouth popped open, then shut. Her eyes narrowed as she studied me, and the stubborn tightness returned to her jaw. “Why would you wanna room with me?”
She wasn't naive, despite appearances.
My grin widened at her casual tone, showing her my palms. “Well, honestly, you don't look like a troublemaker. I want to become a Voyager.” To my amazement, I sounded genuine. “And I want a roommate who will make getting there easier, not harder.”
She gave a slow accepting nod. “I'm not very strong, but I'm quick.”
“How's your cleanliness?”
She shrugged. “Not the worst.”
“Great, mine's terrible too.” Freckled cheeks rounded with her smile.
“I suppose we could do worse for roommates,” she said.
“Agreed. Let's get out of this rain.” I collared her with my arm, steering us toward the lower level.
Chapter 6
Dark Clouds
“Being a Voyager is more than trips to the archipelago isles to retrieve Starshells, since they don’t wash up on Mesmoria,” Instructor Garcien lectured. “You’ll need rudimentary skills from every service to survive aboard an Arc. Traveling to and from the outer islands is only the minimum expectation.
“You’ll need to know how to man all the stations on an Arc, how to judge the conditions of the sea and sky to determine if traveling is safe. How to recognize the different life forms you may encounter while traveling across the miasma. How to survive on one of the outer isles. Every lesson we teach here will help you graduate, and help you after, when you are assigned to Arc operations.”
I had arrived early for this first lesson, after the rain had spent itself out. Luckily, I secured myself a bench seat. The courtyard had a limited amount of benches available, and the mossy ground was sticky from the rain. It was impractical, and others were sitting or sprawling on the ground for this lesson.
The barracks were a floor beneath us, and the rain proved they were not watertight. Sarina and I had found a room near the back of the outpost and settled into it with a great deal of chattering as we unpacked under the leaky deluge. It was freeing to have my engagement ring stashed in a drawer, no longer shackling my hand.
Sarina had always dreamed of being an adventurer, which only the Voyager service provided. Her effusive enthusiasm for having qualified was infectious.
“Starshell powder is invaluable for numerous reasons. The most precious quality of it is its ability to be used by Cultivators as fertilizer. Mesmoria's soil is infertile without it. The second most important reason is this.” Instructor Garcien pointed to the Skinscript symbols on her right arm.
“We will cover Skinscript later, but what you need to know is that each glyph enhances a different innate ability, depending on the symbol, size, and location.”
I leaned forward, along with several others. Nobody talked about Skinscript, even those with it inked onto their bodies. Papa had once told me that the Ascendancy had made it taboo to discuss. Maybe becoming a Voyager would be interesting after all.
“Today’s lesson will be the first and most vital survival skill you’ll learn. How to recognize and distinguish different clouds.”
Then again, maybe not. I fought not to lean on my hands. There was a high risk I would fall asleep if I did that, no matter how bright the sun shone.
