She went with subjects far more pressing.

  “I…messed with his water,” she began. “I’d been wondering about the composition for awhile, and everything at the Research Institute only made me more curious. It wasn’t a lot of experimenting, but I figured you might be interested. I measured it against Rain, too.”

  The way Cailin leaned forward in his seat slightly wasn’t lost on her. He was still every bit as calm. “I’m listening.”

  Azia did what she could to organize the outcomes in her head, and she kicked herself for leaving her journal buried in a bag currently next to Seleth’s legs. She couldn’t quite find the drive to bother him. “His water doesn’t mingle with esua. They stack, more or less. I didn’t try forcing any reactions, so I’m not sure if there’s more to that. On the surface, though, they don’t interact. They’re a lot more chemically different than I thought.”

  Klare scoffed, one cheek settling into her palm. “Substitute, my ass,” she mumbled.

  She’d shared the same sentiment, to be fair, although far less crass. Azia kept it to herself. Cailin never acknowledged that part, anyway. “And the Rain?” he pressed.

  For who she was dealing with, she shouldn’t have been surprised about his priorities. “I combined it with his water. It was just residue, let me clarify that up front. Still, even a little bit of it was enough to…clear it out. Whatever reaction came out of that left no Rain behind at all. The water eradicated everything.”

  Cailin paused, his eyes falling to the carpet. They were still calm all the way down. “I see,” he murmured. “All of it?”

  “All of it,” Azia repeated.

  He tangled his fingers together. “I…was already fairly certain that that was the case,” he said. “I suppose this proves it.”

  “It’s not just him. It’s water itself,” Azia went on. “As it stands, he’s the only one who’s got it, yes. It’s the compound, though. It didn’t matter that he wasn’t controlling it, or…whatever that consists of. Once it was isolated, it still had the same effect.”

  Eyes so recently discarded snapped up to her own. She refused to let them go, and she could see the exact moment that it clicked by Cailin’s face alone. For the sake of three interlopers, she offered it aloud anyway.

  “Water can destroy Rain. Water, by itself, can destroy Rain. You’re…a meteorologist. You know a lot more about that stuff than I do, and I’m not going to pretend I have the skills to dissect what all of this entails. With that being said, if most of what I understand about Precipitation is true, then…bringing the water back will get rid of the Rain. I’m sure of it.”

  Briefly, they were quiet in unison, their slow breaths lining up flawlessly. She was almost afraid to break their silence. “We really do overlap,” Azia finally stated.

  She never got Cailin’s reaction. She would’ve preferred Seleth’s, and yet he was just as quiet at her side. It was Klare, of all people, who spoke her mind. “You figured all that out from one little experiment?”

  “And the Thunderstorm,” Azia clarified, “and the sparring. It’s been a work in progress.”

  Klare took it well enough. Bread was more of a priority, apparently. She cut herself off with another bite. At the very least, she had the decency to free her words from fluff before she pried. “So, where do we go from here? Water gets rid of Rain. That’s huge, obviously, but what do we actually do with that?”

  Azia bit her lip. “That’s…also a work in progress.”

  Klare shrugged. That was enough, if additional bread meant anything. Azia was fairly certain she was going to make herself sick.

  “Was there anything else notable about the properties of his water?” Cailin tried.

  It took Azia a moment to recall. “It does evaporate, actually. I didn’t mean to let it, but it’s the same as Rain, in that sense. I probably should’ve preserved it better.”

  Teasing bubbled to her lips in the form of demands for more, by which Seleth could easily replace what was lost. She'd been considering asking as much, to be fair. Right now, it was all she could do to let awkward eyes flicker to her left. Azia hated that they were still awkward to begin with, and she was grateful that Klare hadn’t pressed her on sunny disclosure.

  Seleth caught her gaze. Azia resisted the urge to flinch the moment he did, and whatever discomfort flashed across her face was probably obvious. He echoed the same on sight. She kicked herself for it, throwing her eyes towards an astronomer alone.

  “That’s helpful, actually,” Cailin said, “even if it was an accident.”

  Seleth’s voice was surprising. For how they talked about him so freely, Azia was shocked he hadn’t chimed in sooner. “What have you been up to, by the way? I feel like I haven’t seen you much since we got here. You on to anything?”

  Azia could’ve sworn Cailin’s smile was softer for an anomaly alone. The pattern was becoming notable. She might’ve been hallucinating it, and that would’ve been just as believable. “I’ve been wrapped up in a lot of forecasting. Getting used to the equipment here took a little while, but I think I’ve gotten a good grasp on it.”

  “I heard the alchemists really like you,” Kassy offered, kicking her feet happily over the edge of the couch.

  When Cailin passed the same smile to her, it was definitely stronger. Azia was almost sure of it. This wasn’t important right now. “It’d be nice if they did. They’ve been wonderful to work with. I’m surprised at how much they let me handle.”

  “Do not get comfortable here,” Klare scolded with one spearing finger. “You’re a researcher. You belong to the Research Institute. Remember where your loyalty lies.”

  “My God, Klare, he’s not on loan,” Azia hissed.

  Cailin laughed, regardless. “They probably like the model, more than anything. I’m satisfied with how it’s been holding up. I…hope it stays that effective.”

  Slowly but surely, his face fell. Azia didn’t enjoy it, particularly given the quiet he settled into in turn. “What’s wrong?” she tried.

  She thought he’d bring up the Thunderstorm, for a moment. Ultimately, he never went there at all. “It’s been substantial, lately. It’s Drizzled four times in the past two days. There’s supposed to be more of the same pretty frequently throughout the week, and at least three instances of Tier Two through Sunday.”

  Klare raised an eyebrow. “Did you say three?”

  He nodded. “Yes. It might be a passing system, I’m not sure. I’ve never been to this part of Tenaveris, like I said, but I wasn’t under the impression that the weather here was this active. Is that normal?”

  His attention drifted to Azia. She grimaced. “Not really, no. We’ve had our fair share of messes, but it’s typically reasonable. That’s not to say we haven’t had little bursts of Rain problems before. It’ll pass soon enough, hopefully.”

  “And they’ll set you free,” Klare concluded. “They can’t rely on you forever. Dealing with Standard that much in one week is gonna suck, though.”

  Cailin sighed. “I know. I’m sorry.”

  It was Seleth’s turn to lean forward in his seat, slightly. “I can help,” he tried. “I’m getting used to Rain, I think. I know how to deal with it now.”

  Azia hated that he was justified. It might’ve been her fault for giving him a sliver of permission. When Seleth turned towards her, she was fairly certain he was seeking the same on her face. She tensed. “I…”

  Azia never got the chance to object. Cailin took the opportunity. “Don’t feel obligated. You’ve done plenty.”

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  “He’s really good at fighting,” Kassy interrupted. “He fought during the Thunderstorm, remember? And right afterwards, too. He did both almost all by himself. I don’t think there’s anything to be scared of. He’ll be safe.”

  Her reassurance, out of everyone, was unexpected. Azia couldn’t quite find the drive to smile, and the idea of Seleth sharing a battlefield with Precipitation still made her more than uncomfortable. She was collecting discomforts, at this point.

  Undoubtedly, it showed. It showed enough that Seleth leaned in to catch her fallen gaze, nailing her with a grin she hadn’t earned in awhile. “I’ll be safe,” he repeated.

  It didn’t help as much as she wished it would’ve. At the very least, Cailin once more cut through whatever left her awkward and unsettled. “If you mean that, then I don’t think you getting more experience with dispatching Precipitation would be a bad idea. The more, the better, ideally. It would…probably be for the best.”

  Seleth cocked his head. “Wait, what would?”

  Cailin sat up straighter. “There’s somewhere I’ve been considering going. I’d like to take you all with me, if that’s alright. I feel like it would help shed a bit more light on the Precipitation situation. I’m wondering if Azia might find something there that I can’t uncover on my own--research-wise, I mean.”

  Klare tossed one arm lazily over the headrest. For once, her proximity to Kassy didn’t seem to faze her. “I’m good with a little excursion.”

  “What did you have in mind?” Azia asked.

  Again were hands so polite settled gently into his lap, as was so often the case. “Have any of you ever heard of a place called Southern Cross?”

  Klare shook her head. Seleth did the same. The name rang familiar in the slightest. Azia would be damned if she could offer anything meaningful past the moniker alone.

  “I have!”

  Her head snapped towards Kassy so quickly that it almost hurt her neck. One confident hand was thrust high into the air, paired well with a beaming smile equally as proud. She never stopped kicking her feet, her sandals shuffling against the carpet every time. Azia only stared.

  Cailin, by comparison, harbored none of her confusion--let alone that of two more baffled witnesses. He looked more satisfied than anything, and he entertained her excitement. “What do you know about it?”

  Kassy pulled her arm down from above, clasping her own hands together. “Well, it’s on the border of two deserts, and it’s known for having weird weather all of the time. It’s supposed to be kind of dangerous, so not a lot of people live there. I read that if you know how to fight, they’ll pay you really well to deal with the Rain. I don’t think there’s a lot of other reasons to stay, though. Most people just pass through as fast as they can. It’s kind of far from here, if I remember right.”

  When she was quiet once more, Seleth raised an eyebrow at an alchemist alone. The vague gesturing towards Kassy wasn’t subtle. It was the first time Azia had to battle a smirk, creeping and just barely stifled. “I mean, she is a librarian,” Azia whispered. “I’m just surprised, sometimes. That’s oddly specific.”

  It was better than researching pumpkin bread, given what that had led to. Kassy’s sunshine was contagious, and Cailin glowed in his own right. “Correct. It’s a border town that straddles Tenaveris Desert and Kovire Desert. It’s fairly distant from the Alchemist Institute, so it would take a few days and several stops to make it there. I’ve never been to it, myself, but I’ve known of it. The meteorological phenomena there is…odd. The atmospheric conditions caused by its geography lead to more intense patterns of Precipitation than in most other places. It Rains very frequently, and the forecasts are highly erratic. It can Rain anywhere from once a week to four times a day.”

  Klare outright flinched. “Four times a day?”

  “Usually a Drizzle, in that case,” he clarified. “Still, Rain is Rain. It might not come as a surprise that it was the site of the Southern Tempest, approximately 3,752 years ago. Thankfully, the town didn’t exist back then. It’s as Kassy said--it’s sparsely populated, and with good reason. It’s not much more than a stopping point for those seeking to pass between the two deserts. That’s for the best, I think.”

  Seleth crossed his legs comfortably. “And you wanna go to a place like that?”

  Cailin was undeterred. “I’ve been in touch with a meteorologist in Kovire, actually. He said Southern Cross has a solid amount of resources already accessible there from prior expeditions. They’ve set up a permanent research station near the town, supposedly. I would by no means be the first person to think about going.”

  He tossed a smile so gentle to Azia. “And I feel like my rationale is better than most.”

  She didn’t disagree. “You said Seleth should get more experience with handling Precipitation,” she began. “Do you expect us to have to fight while we’re there?”

  “If you'd like to come,” Cailin reminded. “If you do, then…more than likely, yes. Again, it’s a highly unstable place. Even I would have trouble creating a fully accurate forecast.”

  “You? Of course not,” Seleth joked.

  His arm rose only to flop half-heartedly across the headrest in turn. By the end of it, he nearly mirrored Klare. Had he not reached behind an alchemist in the process, his body language far from subtle, it would’ve been fine. Azia slapped his hand away the moment his fingers grazed her shoulder--intentional or not.

  When she turned to snap at him, Seleth only snickered. The grin he flashed her in the process was warm, if not overdue. For the first time in a while, Azia shelved lingering uncertainty in place of a smirk meant for him. It felt good.

  Either Cailin missed the gesture, or he didn’t care. “I’m not 100% sure when I’d go, if I did. Maybe in a few weeks. Finding a long-term method to harness Seleth’s water and continuously apply it to Precipitation is…going to be rough. If there’s anything I can find that might be useful for that, geographically or otherwise, it would be a solid start.”

  “So, you want to go to a Precipitation death trap, unarmed, by yourself,” Klare deadpanned, flicking a finger gun at the astronomer. Really, she might’ve stolen it from Seleth, given who it was aimed at. “You can’t fight for a damn thing, you’ve never been there, and it’s way out on the edge of Tenaveris. Obviously, we’re going with you. You don’t have to ask.”

  Fingers once so calmly tangled now fidgeted instead. “I wouldn’t want to force any of you. I’m sure you have your own research, as well. It’s alright if you can’t--”

  “It sounds fun!” Kassy interrupted, bouncing slightly atop the cushions. “I like traveling. And we’d all get to go together, too!”

  “You’re allowed to ask for stuff,” Klare said. “We’re here for a reason. If you’ve got a lead on something, that’s worth chasing. Hell, if it’s from you, I trust it more than usual. Hard to come by creative thinkers in this place.”

  “I resent that,” Azia spat. “What the hell have you even done since you got here?”

  “Taste tested,” she shot back with a grin far too smug, her eyes flickering to what remained of a beloved bread loaf. “And I’m gonna end up fighting your Rain soon, it sounds like. You’re welcome.”

  Azia rolled her eyes. Seleth taking over was a welcome reprieve, actually. “I’ll try to get some practice in on the Rain, I guess. Whatever helps. It’d just be the five of us going?”

  “Yes.”

  “Only three of us can actually fight, though, right?” he asked, his eyes touching on three women in equal measure.

  Kassy tipped her hand back and forth. “A tiny bit. Only in emergencies,” she reminded. “Azia always protects me, so it’s okay.”

  His gaze fell to an alchemist. She didn’t have the energy for this right now. Azia resisted the urge to roll her eyes twice over. “I don’t particularly want you to mess with the Rain, but…if it was all three of us, we could probably get by as a group. As long as we’re just taking care of ourselves.”

  “Don’t they have plenty of people there?” Kassy pressed an astronomer alone. “I read that they still have their own dispatch units on top of the ones they hire.”

  Cailin nodded. “Southern Cross is well-suited to handle Precipitation, yes. They don’t have much of a choice. This is more of a worst-case scenario measure than anything.”

  His eyes, too, landed on Azia. “Again, this wouldn’t be for several weeks. There’s no rush at all, and there’s…no pressure.”

  Ideally, her smile would fill in where reassuring words would miss. “We overlap, remember? This is part of that. I’m interested.”

  Born of affirmation or something more, his beaming was nice. Long before he’d produced tangible data for her, the happiness he offered up was enough to warm Azia’s heart. She embraced what of it glowed in a little library.

  “You need help prepping anything?” Seleth tried.

  His attention was on Cailin. Hers would’ve been, too, if not for the researcher who quietly fought to catch it. It took several urgent gestures on Klare’s part to earn Azia’s gaze. She raised an eyebrow, eventually.

  Cailin shook his head. “I’m alright,” he reassured. “It’ll be a long trip when it happens, though, so be ready for that.”

  Seleth’s grin was nothing new. “I like traveling. You guys can take me wherever you want.”

  Clinging to an alchemist’s eyes, Klare’s own darted demonstratively between Azia and Seleth. What tiny motions followed the sweep of an open palm across the room were odd. It took Azia more than a moment to interpret them, and she winced when they clicked. It was her turn to shake her head, the effort just as tiny.

  “You’re not scared to go?” Kassy asked, fidgeting with the hem of her skirt.

  His grin changed targets. “Not at all. Are you?”

  “Nope,” she said plainly. “If everyone’s with me, I’m not worried.”

  The wink was new. Given where it was aimed, it was somewhat sweet. “I’ll keep you safe. I promise.”

  She beamed. He beamed back. Were Azia to cut off his satisfaction with talk of memories behind lock and key, she feared shattering what happiness he’d managed to forge.

  They were his, after all. To pry was to intrude on something private, and she might’ve done the same by simply witnessing his floral encounter. Already, Azia was running through every way she could return a different kind of missing purity. She was still processing the concept of dragging bursting nostalgia out of him in the first place. To wrap more onlookers into a whirlwind she’d hardly stilled--helpful or not--felt sacrilegious. If nothing else, he had enough to process as it was. She’d deal with it herself.

  Klare’s baffled shrug was far from muted. Azia was amazed that no one caught it, ensnared in talk of grander journeys. She sighed, and she hoped one silencing finger pressed to her own lips would suffice. It was enough for Klare to flop her head back onto the cushions in exasperation.

  It wasn’t that sensible progress born of Cailin’s whims wasn’t enough to satisfy her. So, too, did she appreciate the way terror never once again seized Seleth’s face after their detour to greenery. In a way, his vibrance eased her heart, whether or not her aimless anxiety was visible. She wondered how much of it he’d noticed. He was hard to hide from.

  He’d have trouble hiding from himself, soon enough. Azia still didn’t fully regret scolding Cailin about pain in the name of progress. Whether or not she wanted to mirror him, it was one more way they would come to overlap.