Chapter 65 part 4

Not that it really mattered, since it wasn't like Jenn planned on staying in this village very long. Not when she didn't want any connections to here, as if there was any traffic through the gate, especially with its proximity to Versith and the road, it would make the existence of the gate a near certainty.

"So, what next?" Embris asked as Jenn entered the shelter.

Jenn could only shake her head. She wasn't sure herself about what to expect next. All she knew was that she was rather tired and they had a place to sleep now. One where she didn't have to worry about who would be on watch or not. Though, as she thought about it, she couldn't help but wonder how much sleep she or Embris would get on their way back, since it'd only be the two of them travelling together.

However, she knew she needed to give a response to Embris. One that should be at least coherent enough to count as an actual response, rather than a combination of words that were strung together.

"Well, we could leave as early as we could in the morning, as we're going to need to make our way back without anyone else to share the watches with us. So, the sooner we get started, the more ground we'll be able to cover," Jenn mused, not sure if that would remain true for the entirety of the trip, given how she imagined Tchisa would react when Jenn didn't return with the others.

"Or we could see if one of the… uh, centaurs would be wiling to give us a ride or something," Embris said.

Jenn nodded absently. She wasn't really convinced that would be a good idea, but she couldn't discount the possibilities that it possessed. As the centaurs seemed friendly enough.

"Or we could stay here for a while," Embris added, making Jenn look at her in alarm.

"What about your siblings?" Jenn asked, unsure if Embris really was serious or not. Though, she figured she should take Embris serious until she found out otherwise. "Didn't you want to get back to them? I mean, you did learn that your other sister survived the attack on your village, right?"

Embris nodded. "Yeah, but I've gotten to know you, and you did promise that they'd be taken care of if something happened to me, regardless of what it was, right?"

Jenn nodded, not sure what that had to do with their current situation.

"Well, assuming you did tell me the truth, then they'll be in good hands no matter what, and if I'm delayed here a little longer then they'll be just as fine as if I rushed back," Embris continued, not waiting for Jenn to say anything.

"I guess that makes sense," Jenn replied, not sure if she really followed that logic or not. Though, it at least was an explanation that sounded right, especially since Jenn knew that she hadn't lied about how Embris' siblings would be taken care of. As that was something she'd made clear the others needed to guarantee, as it would at least incentivize others to join with them. Even if they later decided to do something other than being a mercenary, assuming they joined as one in the first place.

Although, she wasn't sure if Embris was truly being honest here. Her explanation might have played a part of her being willing to delay her return, but Jenn was getting the sense that there was more to her decision. Such as maybe she was more interested in learning more about centaurs, since they certainly were much different from anything she'd probably even imagined before.

"So, how long were you thinking of staying?" Jenn asked, crossing her arms over her chest. If it was a single day, then Jenn was pretty sure that she could accept that. Especially since it wasn't like it would be that much time. However, she got a feeling that Embris was thinking for a much longer term than that. Much, much longer.

Embris' shrug told Jenn all she needed to know about the other girl's intentions.

"No," Jenn said flatly as Embris opened her mouth.

"You didn't even hear what I had to say!" Embris protested.

Jenn merely shook her head, partly in exasperation. "I didn't need to," she explained, feeling a headache coming on. "You were probably going to ask for a pretty good time period, so I had to say 'no' right away."

"Come on!" Embris pleaded. "I can't understand them without you and I wanted to see what the Trial of the Hunters was. What if we could do something like that? Wouldn't your Blue Rose be interested in something like that?"

Jenn sighed. She supposed that was a hazard of keeping her identity as the Blue Rose a secret. That others would try to use her as a means of leverage. Since it would be assumed that she'd be interested in trying to curry favor with her.

"I can't because I have to give Versith's answer," Jenn said, at least thankful for an excuse that was at hand and easy to use. "Maybe if I didn't have to do that, then I could find an excuse, but I'm sure everyone's waiting for that answer."

"Oh yeah," Embris said, sounding rather disheartened.

"Well, maybe you won't be able to see it this year, but what about next year?" Jenn suggested, feeling like she should try to lift Embris' spirits, if only to so she didn't look so depressed. "Maybe in that time you could spend more time with the centaurs and learn their language yourself so you wouldn't need me to interpret for you."

"But I won't be able to see Chonyne's attempt then," Embris said, which Jenn wondered if that was the crux of the issue here, rather than what she'd been talking about before. Though, Jenn hoped that it wasn't the case, given how much of a headache that would be to try and sort out. Especially since Jenn couldn't think of what she'd be able to do to try to work with that in the first place.

"Sorry, but that's all I can offer," Jenn replied, not sure why she was feeling bad about the situation. It wasn't like she could actually do anything about it. Especially since there were a lot of other things going on that she wasn't sure if she'd be able to accomplish while being present to translate for Embris.

However, at that moment, Jenn suddenly remembered something that she thought could help Embris out with her dilemma. "You know, you could ask Tchisa. She might be interested and she had magic like mine. So she should be able to act as a translator as well if she agrees to it."

"She does?" Embris asked, sounding rather dumbfounded.

Jenn nodded. "Yeah, it kind of made for an interesting first encounter," Jenn remarked, thinking back to when they both tried looking into each other's minds at the same time.

"Well, if that's the case then-" Embris started to say but stopped suddenly, drawing Jenn's attention from where she was getting some straw piled together to make a mattress for herself so she could get to sleep that much sooner when Embris was done talking about this issue.

"What is it?" Jenn asked, not sure she was interested in much else from either sleep or what they'd been talking about.

"I think we have a visitor," Embris said.

Jenn turned to look, half expecting Embris to admit it was a prank, not that she could understand why. It might have been something her friends might have done if they were here, including Beth, but she couldn't say why she thought Embris might do the same.

Yet, rather than a prank, she found the other centaur that had hugged Chonyne when Chinta had started to take Chonyne to see… whoever she was supposed to see about if she passed her test or whatever.

"I came to thank you for bringing back my Chonyne," the centaur said, her voice more musical than Jenn had expected. In the light that they had from torches just outside the shelter they had, they could see that the centaur had purple eyes that really stood out with her platinum blond hair. Though, Jenn also could see that her hair was filled with flowers, almost as if they had grown there rather than having been woven in so intricately.

"No problem," Jenn replied. "My name is Jennifer and this is Embris."

"My name is Blossom," the centaur replied. "I was born under the floral star, just as Chonyne was born under the hunter star. When we first met is when the stars made it clear that we were to be together."

Jenn blinked. She wasn't sure she really followed anything after the centaur had introduced herself. She got the feeling that the centaurs had a systems similar, if not the same, as astrology on Earth from her corner of the world. She wasn't sure, about that, because it could be something else altogether and it merely sounded like it might be the same, or very similar.

"Uh, my sign is Leo," Jenn said, not sure how else to respond.

"Sign? What're you talking about?" Embris whispered to Jenn, waiting patiently for a translation.

"I'll tell you what I'm doing when I figure out exactly what Blossom here was talking about," Jenn answered, hoping that Embris wouldn't push the issue too much.

"Is that a star?" Blossom asked, clearly not paying attention to what Jenn had been talking with Embris about. "I haven't heard of it, if so."

Jenn shook her head. "No, on my world, it's a constellation of stars. If I understand what you meant by being born 'under stars' then I think it'd be maybe the same thing," Jenn said, hoping that Blossom might actually give her an explanation about that. As it felt like she was under the illusion that everyone knew about it as much as she did.

"Then what do you mean?" Blossom asked. "Why wouldn't you know which of the stars of… Leo that you were born under? Surely you had someone by when you were born who knew how to tell, right?"

Jenn shook her head. "If there was ever anyone like that on my world, I'm sure the knowledge for that was lost long ago, so I really have no idea," Jenn replied, wondering if maybe she was mistaken about what Blossom was talking about.

"Oh," Blossom said, sounding almost sad. Like what Jenn said was a great loss for those on Earth. Not that Jenn really ever paid much attention to her zodiac sign. It was merely something she recalled coming up every so often with Cherie and her friends a few years before Jenn became friends with Beth.

Yet, while Jenn had hoped that Blossom would volunteer the information about 'being born under stars' and all that, she didn't say anything else. Which made Jenn feel like she needed to be a little more direct. As she doubted that she'd be able to find out otherwise.

"So, what does it then mean to be born under a star?'" Jenn asked, hoping that the way she phrased her question wouldn't create more of a problem for her.

Blossom looked at Jenn as if she just blasphemed. Like she said something so stupid that she should be aware of it to begin with.

"How can you ask that?" she gasped, sounding as horrified as Jenn felt at that moment, worried that she'd said something wrong. "It's only what determines our entire lives!"

So, kinda like astrology, but not quite, Jenn mused in her head as she waited for blossom to elaborate on what she was going on about.

"Not only does it determine what name we're to be known by, but also what career we're to have, as well as who we were meant to be with!" Blossom continued, her voice starting to pick up volume. Which Jenn hoped wouldn't create a problem around here.

While it was Blossom who was getting louder, Jenn had a feeling that other centaurs might find it easier to blame her and Embris for this than to come down on the individual who was making a racket.

"I was named 'Blossom' because of my connection to flowers because of the floral star. I love flowers so much that I'd have been heartbroken if I'd been born under any other star! Chonyne was given that name by the hunter star and some day she'll become a great hunter, I know, and she couldn't have done that if she wasn't born under that star! We were brought together by the rabbit star, which is unusual for a hunter, but that just means she'll be shy around me and quick to run, but she'll always come back because we were meant to be together!"

Jenn felt a little surprise at the fact that when Blossom finished her rant, she wasn't frothing at the mouth, but instead looked like she'd just gone for a run and was still out of breath. Though, Jenn did feel like she did make a little more sense during her rant, especially with the detail that she gave.

Jenn merely wished that she hadn't been so been so loud with it. She still expected to see others coming out to see what the racket had been about. Though, the night still was rather peaceful and there didn't seem to be anyone else around.

Embris seemed lost next to Jenn, which Jenn found completely understandable. Jenn hadn't had a chance to translate for her just yet and she felt like it might be better to wait a little longer before she did that. If only so she could get the detail that she needed to feel like she fully understood it herself.

"What do you mean by 'rabbit star?' What would it be like if someone was born under that star?" Jenn asked, hoping that she'd be able to get an answer that didn't offend Blossom.

"What're you talking about?" she snapped, making Jenn feel like she couldn't win for trying here. "No one is ever born under the rabbit star. It's not that kind of star. It's one that brings people together or determines if an alliance is something that would be good for us or not."

Jenn nodded, like she was starting to understand, even though she still felt a little lost. "So, the floral star won't bring people together?" Jenn ventured, hoping that this would be where Blossom actually starts explaining about this whole point.

Blossom sighed, looking almost disgusted with Jenn. "The floral star isn't that kind of star. It's what tells us what to expect with the weather as well as what kind of person that is born under it. It also indicates how well a pregnancy will go when a foal is conceived under it."

Jenn felt like this was probably a subject that she probably could create a class for and teach others, if she ever understood it well enough, to know all this stuff as well. It felt so elaborate that it almost felt like if Jenn listened to all that Blossom knew about this subject, it would take years before she fully understood each nuance of it. Although, she also suspected that Blossom was more at a beginner level of this subject as well. Which meant there'd be a lot more that could be learned about it.

Which Jenn certainly didn't have the time for. Simply because she needed to get back to her people. Though, she had to admit, that she had started to get interested in what this stuff about the stars was. Even if she didn't fully believe in it.

"Chonyne was born under the hunter star, so she'll be able to be a great hunter one day, even if she doesn't seem like one now," Blossom continued, though her eyes took on a distant look and the way she talked about Chonyne was full of affection. "If she becomes a hunter this year, we'll be able to get married, even though she hasn't come of age, but that's not something she's focused on, otherwise it wouldn't have been the rabbit star that brought us together."

Jenn sighed. If she hadn't started to understand, she knew she'd have felt rather lost with Blossom's statement right then. As when it was becoming clear that when the subject was about Chonyne, Blossom was completely different that when she was talking about anything else.

"Tell me, how does the rabbit star work?" Jenn asked. "Why would Chonyne need to be the one who's shy about your relationship? Why wouldn't you be shy?"

"Because Chonyne was born under the hunter star," Blossom replied firmly, almost as if that should be enough explanation itself.

Jenn shook her head. She was going to have to chip away at this subject if she was to get any headway. Even though part of her was telling her to stop and find a way to disengage or she'll end up wanting to establish ties with the centaurs, just so she could learn more about this subject.

"Look at it this way," Jenn replied, hoping that she could get a better explanation if she was gentle with her tone and words. "I don't know anything about this, so I can't say that I understand how this works."

Blossom sighed herself. "Sorry, I'm not used to dealing with those who don't understand. As being born under the floral star, I don't do well when it comes to talking. The flowers are silent themselves, so I'm not good with words. Though, I am still gentle like the flowers." Blossom paused to sigh, looking like she wasn't saying what she wanted to say, even though she probably knew the words she wanted to say. "So, I'm the flowers and Chonyne is the rabbit because she's so much stronger than me. She'll be a huntress one day, but when it comes to me, she'll run if she thinks others are watching or if she gets spooked. As like a rabbit, it will eat flowers, but run at the slightest sound."

Jenn felt like she was starting to understand. That it was similar to astrology, in that the stars an individual was born under was an indicator of their personality, but also what stars 'brought' two together was a reflection of how their personalities would interact. Or something like that.