Sign of the Times

Ascending Water 4, R.Y. 768

Opal awoke into a groggy haze, risen by the sunlight pouring into the Window. It was nearly Zenith. The Grass Spider had gauzy recollections of the previous evening; empty bottles and half-snorted lines scattered about her dining table provided clues as to the direction the evening had taken. Even more telling was the small form nestled under her right arm, slumbering heavily. After blinking her eyes into focus, she carefully slipped her arm out from under Naru's unconscious form and pushed herself into a sitting position. Leaning back on her elbows, she surveyed the mess the two had made of her living quarters with a detached amusement. Apparently Naru's advances were not futile; Opal's insides still ached as she pushed the sheets aside and climbed out of bed. She stood with a monumental stretch, accompanied by a muted groan. She let her limbs hang loosely, relaxing for a moment before snatching the blue, flowered kimono that had been tossed over her nightstand. Opal wrapped the kimono around herself and walked to the fireplace, holding the back of her hand a few inches away from the tea kettle hung over the fireplace. Judging it to be sufficiently warm, she filled a mug with the hot water and tossed a handful of tea leaves in. Thinking for a moment, she repeated the process, filling a second mug. She walked back to the side of her bed quietly, placing the mug on the nightstand. She sat down on the bed, watching Naru snooze for a few seconds before leaning over and planting a soft kiss on her temple. She got up and walked outside, at first shielding her eyes from the glaring sun. It was the clearest day she'd seen in a long time.

Even in the Southeast, the colder months left a gleaming dew on the grass and a lingering chill in the air. Opal pulled her kimono a bit tighter and began to scale to the side of her house. It was almost an absurd sight - the woman was able to scale a nearly sheer surface almost effortlessly, all the while balancing a mug of hot tea in a free hand. After getting to the roof, she situated herself and sat down, looking up the eye. She was forced to squint again, still amazed by the day's clarity. It wasn't long before she was joined by Naru, whose ascent, although skilled, was not quite as effortless. She'd still managed to make it up tea-intact, having borrowed one of Opal's kimonos. She wordlessly took a seat next to Opal, the two of them punctuating the quiet with a few sips from their respective mugs before anyone spoke. It was Naru who broke the silence.

"So... I guess we aren't fighting anymore."

Opal, without looking over to Naru, gave a terser reply than her lover was hoping for, "Apparently not." After hearing Naru's sad sigh, Opal eased up a bit, recalling the warmth of the body she'd woken up next to less than hour ago. "Hey," said Opal, finally looking at Naru, "Last week... I'm sorry. That... wasn't about you. Mostly... Well, partly not about you. Look, again... Sorry." Opal decided to shut up and gave Naru a half-formed, apologetic smile. Naru stared into her tea for a moment before returning her gaze to Opal, her expression blank for a fleeting moment. From the empty canvas, Naru managed to reciprocate a smile, replying to Opal after a more relaxed sigh.

"It's okay; it was at least as much my fault as it was yours. It's not the first time it happened, and it's not the last time that's going to happen either. As long as we can learn to put this stuff behind us... You know, all's well that ends well. Although, maybe at some point, we can learn to settle our arguments without coke and sex." Naru grinned, leaning back on the roof.

Opal smirked as well, leaning over and pressing her forehead into the side of Naru's. Letting their gazes meet for a second, her grin persisted.

"Don't get ahead a'yer'self." She leaned in further, kissing Naru on the cheek before settling back into a position similar to the one assumed by her newly-reconciled lover.

The two of them watched the sky for awhile before Opal idly spoke up. She looked casually to Naru and asked, "You ever watch the sky during the day?"

Naru replied without breaking her upward gaze, "What do you mean? I'm watching the sky right now, if that's what you're asking..."

"No, like astrology. Can you figure anything out from this?" Opal gestured in an imprecise upward direction.

Naru smiled, though she tried to fight the smile becoming too large - she didn't want to risk seeming patronizing, especially considering their still-fragile truce.

"That's not exactly how astrology works. The stars are just part of the equation, I mean, there's a lot more than that going into it - you have to know what you're looking for, and if you're lucky, and observant, the stars might be able to shed some light on the matter - no pun intended." Opal, although only half-listening at first, had turned her attention fully to Naru, shifting to face her. Noticing, Naru continued, "The daylight sky... Can it tell us things? Sure, but it's not always so apparent. The stars typically aren't visible, so you have to read other clues - clouds, wind; every now and then, depending on the time of day, you can catch Luna if she isn't hiding. The daytime atmosphere reveals more about the present than the future - that's still the purview of the Maidens, and we can only read their movements at night."

Opal nodded, and although she'd formulated a question she hoped wouldn't make her seem totally ignorant of scientific matters, she was wholly distracted. As though on cue, the northern horizon was illuminated by a searing green flame, spreading east and west from a single point. After the initial green wave, another grand fireball of black Essence fanned outward, blooming to a gruesome ebony lotus miles above the mountain line. It was immeasurably distant, yet its presence was smothering - Opal could almost swear she felt the heat from the blast even from where she sat. It was eery to the both of them that if the explosion made any sound, they were too far away to hear it. To them, it was silent, and the sheer magnitude of the explosion had created a desire to hear the accompanying thunderclap. The silence they received instead created a void which left them stunned for the better part of a full minute. Opal looked to Naru quickly, wild-eyed.

"Sextes Jylis! Fuck! What the fuck was that?!"

Naru was less taken aback than Opal - perhaps it was her reliance on signs from the sky to guide her mathematical predictions, or perhaps it was her knowledge of First-Age technology and the devastation it was capable of. Either way, Naru took her time answering, recalling her childhood and her own history lessons. More had changed in the past five years than the past five-hundred - the disappearance of the Empress, the resurgence of the Solar Exalted, the appearance of the Deathlords and their Abyssal servants, the death of Atlas, the formation of the Circle with No Name, the brewing civil war in the Realm - to name a few. She smiled, still looking at the fading strands of Essence the silent blast had left behind. Slowly, she took her girlfriend's hand, gaze still held northward.

"It's a sign, Opal."

"... Of what?"

Naru finally managed to tear her gaze away, meeting eyes with Opal.

"Here, between us, within the Order, in the Scavenger Lands, in the Realm... In all of Creation - it's a sign that things are changing. Those academics at the Spiral Academy aren't just blowing hot air. The Time of Tumult is upon us."