Rhythmic crackling of an elegant brick fireplace accompanied the ambient christmas music gently emanating from the bluetooth speaker beneath the TV in Team Core's Houston apartment. The window was swung wide open, allowing the brisk December air to seep in and mix with the warm air of the fireplace, providing a gentle breeze in the large, open-aired living room. Maris and Lucerna of Team Core were hard at work preparing breakfast foods in the place of dinner. Maris' shoulder-length hair swung back and forth as she danced to Jingle Bell Rock, humming along to the tune while her much taller friend was slicing up strips of bacon.
"What do you think Aryn and Milo are up to?" Maris asked Lucerna as she placed a tray of biscuits into their double-decked oven. Her light blonde hair was resting just above her shoulders, which were adorned by a simple lavender-colored robe. "Do you think they made it to Yrhidan yet?"
Lucerna shrugged as she dumped a cup full of rice into a pot of boiling water, rolling up her three-quarter-sleeve shirt as the steam lapped up her arms. "I told you to call her if you're that worried."
"I-" a heavy knock on their door cut the blonde-haired woman off. She scrunched her face annoyedly, but made her way towards the door. "...Coming!"
She opened the door and her annoyed scowl immediately shifted to a somewhat confused smile as Guildmaster Kova and his right hand Elf, Jasper, stood before her. "Oh! Guildmaster! Jasper! Hi!"
"Good evening Ms. Marrion. Is Quint home?" Jasper asked while Kova shook her hand with a smile.
"Yes, he's taking a shower. Is something..." her eyes rose up slightly to see Milo and Aryn standing directly behind the duo. "...Aryn?"
The red-haired girl's eyes were red and puffy, but she still waved with a small smile. "Hi, Maris..."
"You're back so soon..." Maris murmured in disbelief before blinking rapidly and gesturing for them to come inside. "Please, come in!"
Lucerna looked over at the group as they entered the room, and upon noticing Aryn and Milo, she waved at them excitedly while gesturing to the pan of sizzling bacon she was stirring. "I can make more if you're hungry!"
"That would be great, thank you!" Kova replied as Maris gave Aryn and Milo hugs.
Jasper reached into his bag, pulling out his badge as he spoke. "So, Ms. Marrion-"
"Jasper, Maris is fine."
"Yes, please forgive me. Much has transpired since we've last met."
"Yes, I wasn't expecting anyone to be back for a few weeks," she replied. "So how was the expedition? You must have found what you were looking for if you're back so soon!"
"There are two sides to that coin..." Jasper began before Kova took over.
"We wanted to meet with Quint. We did find what we were looking for, but there have been some, uh... complications."
Maris' brows furrowed at the news, paying more attention to the pain in Aryn's eyes that didn't match the smile that she wore. "What kind of complications?"
Jasper looked around the room once before pressing a button on his badge and speaking into it. "Block all wireless signals."
Maris tilted her head as the badge blinked twice before replying. *All wireless signals disabled.*
Jasper placed the badge in his suit pocket unceremoniously as the music being streamed through the speaker suddenly fell silent. "Maris, your team's status on the Temporal Council is the only reason we are here. Quint specifically. The guildmaster will speak now."
YOU ARE READING
Firestorm: Origins
FantasyAryn Roarke was born with the ability to bend fire to her will. On a world parallel to Earth called Varius where every creature from different mythologies live, they called people like her gifted. Sent to Earth at a young age to escape a war-torn w...
