Even with the light of his torch the cavern is dark enough that the memory of previously useful spells hurts some. He knows he shouldn't go further. Tveljar has told him it was unsafe at least three turns ago, but he refuses to go home with nothing.
It's been almost six years since he promissed Azu they would bring their friends back and now knowing the impossibility of the task he hopes to at least locate their graves. Some trace of them. And if Sasha's grave is in a secret dark dangerous cave full of traps built by her own kids centures ago as an homage so be it. He is feeling better since being back in contact with the party. He can be an adventurer without magic and a scholar without the arcana! He knows it.
He is hyping himself up - and doing his best to ignore Tveljar screams for him to come back - when he sees the light. His eyes hurt for a second and there is a crack noise. He runs in it's direction without thinking.
At first he sees nothing until suddently there is a small noise, a rock moving, someone who is good at hiding making a mistake and he sees the tip of a sandal.
"Who is there?"
Silence.
"I don't want to fight but I do have a crossbow." He was never good with the crossbow but whoever is there doesn't know that. "I can see you." He blufs once more.
"Quomodo?" He does not understand the words but he can sense the confusion in the too young voice. "Quis es tu?"
Suddently there's a young girl looking directly into him, she is lanky in the way that kids in the akward phase between childhood and adolescence often are, her hair tied in long adorable braids. There is a small cut in her cheek, the flow of blood contrasting deeply with her dark skin just like the aprehension seems unfit paired with a green dress preserved with the kind of care no kid would have on their own.
"Where are you parents?" Hamid asks, his worry winning over the odity of the situation. "I can help you find them."
"Quis es tu?" She repeats in her strange language. One that Hamid realizes he vaguely remembers Bertie speaking in back in uni, bragging about it. Hamid almost wishes he had payed more attention to Bertie. Almost.
"I don't understand you." He tries pointing at his mouth and ear.
The girl frowns. Stops a second and nods, she proceds to mutter something and he feels a quick featherlike touch. He can't even see her hand before she retreats. It doesn't matter because he can feel it. Magic.
It doesn't feel quite like he remembered and is odd that in so little time he would forget something that mattered so much to him. But is magic and he has to hold himself before he breaks down, overwhelmed by the sensation, by feeling like himself in a special unique way even as he feels it fading.
"Can you understand me now?" He can. She casted a spell. He breaves in and out. Her voice is scared. There is a scared human child here and Hamid cannot fall apart yet.
"Yes, that is way better, thank you."
She smiles. She is trying so hard to seem in control that Hamid thinks if they had met early in his own journey he would believe it, could maybe even consider this strange, magical, girl a threat. But he is older now, more experient and slowly noticing he gained way more than dragon traits and magical skills. Is very clear for him that she does not trust him and even more obvious that she is afraid and maybe even more confused than him.
"You're welcome." Her voice is firm but sweet as if she is trying to make him put his guard down but not enough to think of her as a target. She is good for her age. Her voice still trembles in fear and the older brother in Hamid wants to confort her with a silly story so badly. "I think introductions are in order." She does not extend her hand nor says her name.
"I'm Hamid, here to help." He decides to start. Offering his hand seems risky but who is he if not a risk taker.
"Hamid??" Says a different voice and suddently there is a second kid surging from behind the first. He seems younger and is clearly smaller, not as short as Hamid, but still small for a human child, not much bigger than Zolf, maybe even the same height. A mop of brown hair and brown eyes that were guarded but shone with deep curiosity. A purple bruise in his arm despite the equally well cared if strange clothes. "Any chance you're a banker?" The world banker sounds different. Not translated but as if the kid had tried really hard to pronounce it right. More "bun quer" than banker. Still is promissor that they seem to know the Tahans in some level.
"That would be my sister and my father before."
That only makes the boy smile grow bigger. "Wilde! Wilde, is him!! One of the boss'es friends. The one Amidas was named after." He exclaims in joy. The girl whispers something to him and they seem to have a conversation in a different strange language for a second before she seems to agree.
"Hamid, eh? The boss talked to us about you, said you were her friend way back then and really good at magic and talking." The girl seems a bit calmer now. "She also said you were too far away for us to ever properly met... but we're here now..." She stops.
"Can you help us get back home?" The boy finishes his voice small and fast.
"Of course." Hamid promises without even thinking, those kids need help and here he is, he only hopes this time he will be abble to keep it.
"Cool, cool. I'm Azus." The boy says with a small smile. "Azus from Ava's security company slash orphanage slash training grounds. The boss is just that cool. After her I'm the best at hidding"
"My name is Wilde." The girl adds with a confidence that finally rings true, finally taking Hamid's hand. "Knife expert and actress extraordinary... I also hide better than Azus."
And is only at that moment that it hits Hamid. The letter way back at Japan. Their names, Ava, the strange clothes.
The language Bertie spoke was latin!
It was time to call his friends, something extraorinary was happening and maybe they would in fact see Sasha again.
Behind him Azus was stickin his tongue to his sister. Yeah, it would be hard. But he had two promisses to furfill.
