Chapter 2: Barriers of Magic and Doubt
A deep, unnerving alarm sounded as gold-armored guards surrounded the trio with weapons both sharp and seemingly, magical. Heads still pounding with timesick, Arianna, Simon, and Chandra slowly raised their hands. To Arianna's great dismay, and Simon's suspicion, they couldn't understand a word of what the guards were saying as they bound them and took them to a cell bounded by golden energy.
Unfortunately, the women were carrying weapons; Arianna a small knife and Chandra a telescoping staff. However, Simon's array of technical tools drew deeper suspicion, and they were taken away on a cart also enclosed by yellow barriers.
The trio tried every language they knew from this world. Nothing drew any sign of recognition. Eventually their captors ran out of both interrogators and patience, and the three were taken into separate cells. Though they could see each other through the walls of light, all sound was completely cut off; and unfortunately, only Chandra knew any sign language.
The next day, no one came. From the barest corner of her cell, Arianna could see a guard on post, but she stolidly ignored every attempt by Arianna to get her attention. This continued for three more days, punctuated only by 3 meals through the long hours. Any attempt to communicate was met with frustrating silence.
They each found their own ways to combat the boredom, some more easily than others. Chandra danced, the flow of movement letting out her pent-up energy. Arianna closed her eyes and tried to remember as many long songs as she could, singing every verse. Simon paced. He sat sideways on the chair, laid on the bed, or put his legs up against the back wall as he laid on the floor, but he was never in one place long.
On the fifth day, a woman in a well-tailored silver and purple tunic entered Simon's cell. She was calm, but did not relax in her seat. Though she did ask questions, for the most part she watched. Arianna tried to motion to her friend to keep the woman talking, to give him the opportunity to learn their language, but his face was tense as he shook his head slightly at her. Soon the woman stood to leave, and as she passed by, Arianna did her best to coax her into talking with her.
The woman stopped, and watched her thoughtfully. As she turned her head to the guard, Arianna thought she might have convinced her to come in, but she simply turned on her heel and left.
The next day, she returned to watch Chandra, who smiled awkwardly as she played with her braid. She didn't stay as long this time, and didn't even look at Arianna when she left.
The next day she didn't come. Simon was getting worn down, fiddling with his fingers as he bounced from bed to walls to chair to floor. Though they still could not hear a sound from each others' cells, one could almost hear the thumps as Chandra danced more desperately than before. Arianna couldn't concentrate on her songs any more, too overwhelmed by claustrophobia.
Finally, the day after, the woman finally returned, coming into Arianna's cell this time. Though they shared not a word of language, Arianna talked as much as she could to coax speech out of her. She pretended to understand a little bit, trying to get her to repeat or rephrase her questions. After a little while, seeing that she seemed ready to leave, Arianna moved from her seat and knelt on the floor. She directed her gaze as she tried to trace invisible pictures with her finger. The woman watched for a moment, but soon stood to leave with a sigh. As she walked out, she ignored Arianna's every attempt to get her to stay.
When their dinners arrived, they were accompanied by small tablets and styluses.
Simon and Chandra could now communicate, but Arianna, unable to read, was left drawing crude pictures on hers. She had created her own symbol set that she used for writing spells, but they meant nothing to anyone else. In the end she couldn't even talk to her friends.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone