As Kallo had described the machinations of alchemy, Levani had stilled, listening intently, lips parting slightly at the fantastical things that he had detailed. It sounded devastatingly unbelievable, that simple concoctions should summon fire to do the bidding of the holder. In her mind, she imagined it as another vial, similar to the one he had produced the healing oil from, but filled with hungry flames instead, and her brow drew together with incredulity. Even her own powers had been strange when she’d been gifted them, a divine creation donning human flesh, channeling the powers of nature and will and life in a way that mimicked the Watchers. It was unreal, her fascination unceasing even as she utilized them, but she was a creation of circumstance, and there were none to say if her situation had any permanence. If one were skilled in alchemy, however, it sounded as though not a gift to be taken away. It was simply exploiting the resources that the world provided. For all this, there was no small disappointment when he informed her that he’d lost his things, bringing a stroke of doubt, though she knew that he had no reason to lie.<br/><br/>The plea for him to show her such things dying in her throat, Levani turned back to her food, picking the flesh off of the skin, sating her murmuring stomach. She had still been considering the implications of alchemy - the uses, to her and the people of Asdenni - when Kallo asked her permission to return with her, when their fight had ended, as though it was hers to give. She paused, golden eyes flicking up to him, a glimmer of appreciation, of empathy, but she broke contact and her gaze swung down to her plate. It was not that she would deny him - someone like him<i> did </i>belong in Asdenni, as she had previously been thinking of, but she had not considered herself, her existence. The world after the black had been cleared.<br/><br/>Would her true form be cleared of its filth? Would she been cleansed after the god had died? If the Watchers chose to take this second form from her, one that could speak a voice with lips that Kallo could hear, would she remember her time as such? Would she remember him and watch him from afar, hunt at his side, reminisce of days that she could not have?<br/><br/>The last thought had been jarring. For all the time that she’d been alone, she had wanted for nothing. What was it, exactly, that she couldn’t have - that she didn’t have before? Were there moments, things, that she desired to share with Kallo, brought about by his sudden companionship? She certainly hadn’t wanted anything before his appearance. Hadn’t sought out one that she could identify with, hadn’t wanted for family or children or anything other than the life of a hunter, of a guardian. Could she even<i>have</i>children, she wondered, glancing down at her belly. She was, after all, created directly by the Watchers, given no other half, and this form was not truly her. Was she barren, then? Did it matter?<br/><br/>The onslaught of questions that she’d never had before disturbed Levani, and she desired to redirect the conversation in a way that she often didn’t. Never before had she felt so uncomfortable, more than anything with herself. Perhaps it was because, at the root of it, she feared that when the world was cleansed of the black, she would die with it, and<i>none</i>of those questions would be answered.<br/><br/>Slowly, Levani nodded, finishing her meal with such a somberness, that the spicy oils had fallen as ash on her tongue. “Even after the plague is gone, Asdenni will need all the help that it can get,” she agreed, remembering the days before the sickness, when humans would attempt to claim the land as their own, and she would have to teach them its untameable nature. It would need time to heal. More great beasts would need to be made - to replace the many that had died or were infected or passed on to better lands, if there were any to speak of. She placed aside her plate and swiped clean her fingers before moving closer to Kallo, casually placing her hands on his legs and peering down at him.<br/><br/>“<i>Sul’ima</i>, you must teach me alchemy while on our travels,” Levani announced, voice serious, gaze brazen and sure and capturing as she said it. “Asdenni has countless bounty to share. The properties of its treasures are innumerous on their own. What incredible things you may be able to make with them! Perhaps you can recreate the fireball that is the size of a bear. What strange things you must even require to create such. I must confess, I don’t think I could believe you until I see it for myself,” she admitted, shaking her head at the thought of it. She rose, pushing herself to her feet and taking their empty plates.<br/><br/>“I will gather some things for our travels. We should leave quickly, so we have as much daylight as possible ahead of us,” Levani decided, placing the pan and plates in a pile before descending into her home. In her burrow, she pulled an oiled, leather pack from beneath her bed. She stuffed it with severals jars from her shelf, her sewing things, some intricate rabbit snares that the tribespeople had gifted her, and few other tidbits. She folded two thin pelts and placed them on top, leaving the pack pregnant and bulky. She extracted two waterskins from her things, thanking herself for having thought to keep several extras. She strapped on the pack over her cloak and returned outside. With waterskins in tow, she took the pan and plates, and left towards the creek so that she could wash away the traces of them. Last thing that she needed were families of predators to move into her home, attracted by the smells of past food and fat more than repelled by the scent of the being that lived there. When she finished, she returned, carefully placing each thing away from where it had come, killing the flames that were left. She offered Kallo a full waterskin, after she had fastened her own at her hip, and she plucked her staff from where she had left it.<br/><br/>“Are you ready?” Levani asked, her tone grave, but prepared. She had been waiting for so long to do this - to find that which plagued her home.