For what seemed like the billionth time in the last two weeks, Jon found herself sitting and staring out the window, distracted, thinking about the situation she found herself in. She'd gone from ordinary teenage boy to wielder of an incredible power, discovered that she was but the latest in a long line of its wielders and history itself was thereby volatile, and now stood to be the center of a circle of hand-picked aides both magical and mundane...and she still didn't know what she thought about it all.
Oh, she was sure Brittany's advice was good - of the people who currently knew of the stone's existence, the Briton girl was the only one with prior experience with these matters, even if she'd never used the stone herself. And it wasn't like it was confusing or counterintuitive. It was just...what need was there? Jon already knew the stone was due to be recharged and reach another peak in its power in four and a half months...all that was really needed was to keep the stone safe until she could use it to fix the sun. Having someone with Haru's or other abilities might be useful in a theoretical "if it's ever needed" sense, but...what would it be needed for?
But then...she thought about the eclipse at lunch, and what Brittany had said. It seemed there were other forces at work here...maybe it would be better to be on the safe side. But what could she go out and find that they could use? Haru had some kind of true-sight, but what if discerning subtleties wasn't on the menu? What if it came to a fight? No disrespect to the Oriental girl, but she looked...not exactly frail, but not someone who could be all that dangerous. Even Jon, though she was a little more heavily built, knew nothing about even basic unarmed combat. Brittany had said there were people capable of handling whatever the eclipse signified already on the job...who were they? They must be in the area...it seemed like a lot of things, a lot of people, somehow happened to turn up in the area. Did the stone just draw them here?
Maybe it did. After all, Brittany was here - here, when by her own account she'd last been in Peru, where she'd left the stone, some two thousand years ago. She had thought that her existence here in this time must be a result of the task given to her by Merlin, to assist its next keeper - but then, by what she said, didn't even that power derive from the stone? Maybe this was all part of the package...maybe. Jon wasn't about to go counting on everything to neatly arrange itself for them yet.
The slug-girl wondered idly if anybody else connected with this business might turn up. What she'd give to have a previous keeper of the stone, or one of the other artifacts, to question! After all, she had at least one more wish to make, and she really didn't want to screw it up...but she couldn't just expect that to happen. She had to keep on top of things herself at least until such time as she could get further guidance...she had to keep studying the book, and talking with Brittany, and considering what to do.
Adam smiled as she finished her lunch break. The day had brought its share of challenges, but her encounter with those kids was a bit encouraging. Not that her goal in life was to be some kind of theme-park mascot, but it was nice to be reminded that there were people who thought her new form was cool, especially given some of the other looks she'd gotten during the day.
She felt a little embarassed, a little shy...this body really did draw some attention to itself, with the way her wings loomed around her, even when they were in their drawn-up "resting" position, and the vivid dark blue of her plumage...not that the average person around her was less unusual, but she'd hoped that she could just kind of keep to herself while she was getting her feet in this new form...this new life. Or did she just see herself this way because she couldn't not think of her change as a big deal? Maybe she was just one of the crowd here in the food court. She didn't know.
She sighed. All this, in two days...and she still had the prospect of life as this to look forward to. Not to mention all her questions about the air-bubble...all the details of how it worked, where it came from, what she was supposed to do with it... She held the last bite of her sandwich up with her talon and ate it, feeling a little disconcerted as she chewed. She hoped she wasn't flashing people or anything when she lifted a leg up to grab things, but what could she do? The talons were her only useful means of manipulation. At least her wings at her sides formed a nice little enclosure.
She took a long pull of her soda, thankful for the ubiquity of straws. Just get through the day, she reminded herself. One day at a time...
