So it turns out that Satan city was actually really far away! Like it would take weeks to travel there if not for the wonderful mechanised transportation infrastructure that humans had built between their cities. It only took a few hours to get to her destination from North City. Good thing that she had woken up early this morning after a boring night and was able to catch an early trip out. Sadly not many people in the train seemed that interested in talking, apparently it was more common to just stare at your feet and try not to offend other passengers. For all the wonderful things that earth had it really could be unfathomably weird at times.
Once in Satan city it wasn’t all that hard to find a park, and not much harder to find the correct park. This city had a much warmer climate than North, the sun hit it differently and was pleasant on her shoulders.

Following the trail through the park she smiled and greeted people as they passed and eventually came round a bend in the route bringing Tomina into view. The mention of fire manipulating abilities had piqued Lambertias interest in her beyond the norm. Softly walking her way over to where she was waiting, listening to the tune being hummed for a minute before announcing herself.

“Hey firecracker!” Planting herself sideways over the same table speech that Tomina was in she’d lean in and bump shoulders with her before putting down a long hard leather case that she had been carrying. “How’s it going?”

From the look of things on the surface Tomina was in generally comfortable and in good spirits. If not for their previous meeting Lambertia might not have through twice about what the girl was saying and how she was acting. She couldn’t tell any specifics but something about her fire manipulation abilities was getting to her on some level. Reassured that reaching out had bene the right thing to do Lambertia swung a leg over the bench, one either side so she could sit facing Tomina and nodded,

“It can be a bit of a steep learning curve for some but I don’t know how I’d imagine not knowing that it was coming. That must have been rough.” After a few moments it occurred to her there was something that might be compared to Tominas experience, “It might not be the same but sometimes, not everyone grows up to have the element that they would expect.



Giving it a few moments for a response she scratched the cuff of one of her gloves, pressing the switch on a capsule she had hidden there, depositing a wrapped up tablecloth around some sort of package onto the table next to them, “Not that I didn’t bring something.” It wasn’t anything fancy, several rounds of sandwiches, bacon with chopped cherry tomatoes and pesto, cheese and tuna, a few of which had a spicy sauce added to them. Also was a thermos with two cups. “You’re welcome to some.”

Lambertia opened her mouth to respond but stalled on a detail she was ignorant on,


"Whats a Saturn?"

“There’s a planet with rings around this star! I don’t remember seeing it on the way in” They had rings? Were there prismatics on that world too on that world too? “I’ll have to try going there sometime, I’ve never heard of rings round other planets so I dunno how similar they would be.”

“Oh, no Hegemons rings aren’t habitable just, uh, up in the sky beyond the atmosphere. Kind of hanging three glowing. Most of the time they, aren’t important or even useful. Well maybe for navigation.” Much as she was keen to help Tomina learn more about Elfan, Lambertia wanted to avid mentioning the prismatics for as long as possible. There was no need to impart the cultures moronic pedestal to the girl when she was already blessed with such a unique perspective.

“Nin huh, on earth… that would be… oh wow, that would make you something like five! I think. Let me do the math…” Hegemon had more days to a year that earth and… She looked up at Tomina and smiled, “OK so on Hegemon there are seven months, one for each of the elemental and shade tribes. Each moth lasts sixty five days so a year is four hundred and fifty five days. So I guess you’d have been… around seven in Elfan years?”

“That is, pretty early Tomina. You must have been so, confused with no other Elfan around. I can’t imagine what that was like for you. Whatever happened, it wasn’t your fault.” If her voice and expression was anything to go by, it had been rather traumatic, “Would you like to talk about it?”

On hearing what had happened when Tominas fire had manifested, Lambertia felt a chill run down her. Beimei that must have been horrific to go through.
“Tomina, I can’t imagine.” She reached out and gave her a pat on the arm, “If you want to talk about it, ever, I’ll listen whenever that might be. If you want, or need.” She put emphasis on the you part, to make it clear as day that Tomina didn’t have to speak about it if it she didn’t want to.

Taking a moment to risk the next sandwich being spicy…
It was not. She munched on it a moment.

“Yea, you’re spot on right. On Hegemon the Elfan live in seven great tribes,” Lambertia lifted her hands, clapping them softly together and drawing them apart. Between them light coolest into the symbols of the tribes as she named them, “The Nuada Tribe, of the wind. The Nerthus Tribe, of the earth. The Namu Tribe, of the water. The Boreas Tribe, of the ice. The Erebos Tribe, of the dark. The Nuska Tribe, of the fire.”

“That would be the tribe you would likely be from in some way. Their city is called Enberr, A shining bastion of steel and copper in an arid but beautiful land.”

“I can tell you about them or any of the others if you like. I’ve been to all of them.”

It has been a while since Lambertia had talked at any length about the Elfan customs and culture to anyone. It was nice, refreshing even, for Tomina to be taking such a keen interest in the telling of it. As far as she had run from Hegemon, from her tribe and pack. This still did feel good. She smiled with a little sighed and nodded.

“The Nuska are, possibly the oldest tribe on Hegemon. I have been to Enbar a few times, the craftsmanship of the city is spectacular. That’s what the tribe is best known for. Their great skill and artistry with the skills of crafting, metallurgy, baking, others. Forging and reforging everything with their flames, seeking to always improve themselves and their surroundings through its use.”

There was fondness as she spoke, calling on the memories she had made in the great city of Enbar. The people she had met there, the people she had spent time with.

“Each year during the ‘Month Of Spark’, fourth month in the Hegemon calendar, they hold great contests to smith the greatest blades as proof of skills to choose the annual Monarch of Blades. There also festivals, fire dancing through the nights and oh the backing and cooking during that month… there is nothing like it on both worlds. Have you ever tried cooking with you fire Tomina? You should, you’d never find a better source of heat. Or perhaps a better way to practice with its use and control.”

She would pause a moment, to allow Tomina to speak and raise any questions before continuing.