Amentia

Chapter 17 - How to be people

The next morning, the human village woke up to the news that the portal to Earth was closed until further notice. The Temple had sent messengers all across Amentia to deliver the news bulletin, which was just a simple sheet of paper with an official signature at the bottom. Five copies of it had been pinned on the front doors and wall of the dining hall, so people gathered around it for a moment to read the news and moved on. The girls waited their turn to read the piece of paper together. No explanations were given as to why the portal was shut down, only the fact that it was, followed by a brief apology to any Amentian who had plans to visit Earth in the near future. Nati's mind was spinning after learning that people from Amentia sometimes traveled to Earth; how the hell was it that no one had found that out?

No one in the village seemed to think twice about the news, given how pleased everyone was to live there; they didn't even stop to wonder why, just out of curiosity. But the girls thought it odd that the circumstances of the state of the portal were being kept from the public, especially since it wasn't even the whole truth of what had happened; there was no mention of the five injured people at all.

Despite knowing the real extent of the news, the girls kept the information to themselves, agreeing it really wasn't their place to say anything and that doing so would just be more trouble than it was worth, especially since they didn't really have any proof of it and telling everyone wouldn't actually do anything to change the situation. So they went about their day as everyone else, doing pretty much the exact same things they had done the day before, except this time at least they were mentally prepared for it even if not willing.

Natalia decided to make the best of the situation and at least try to learn something of actual interest to her. She was fascinated at how the circumstances had created the closest thing to peace in this village that Earth had never found. After spending the day before with Ms. Xiu, Nati knew she had to find someone else to chat with, so she went over to a nice lady named Gina, who was at least ten years younger than Xiu and much more sociable, and who had mentioned that she'd travelled a bit when she had first arrived to Amentia. So, as they watered a large area of ground and removed some weeds, Nati used her best psychologist tone to ask Gina about what it was like to live there.

Meanwhile, Meiko was still under the tutelage of Xiu, being corrected every five minutes for pouring too much water or stepping too hard on the ground. She was used to discipline, but only on activities she actually enjoyed. Farming was beyond her abilities, and she was feeling off because she hadn't slept well and hadn't had time to do her morning practices of tai chi, which was the only thing she could still keep from her precious routine. And now this grumpy old woman was pressuring her so much to already be perfect at something so new and specific, that she feared she might pass out or vomit just from the nerves; it reminded her a lot of university and it wasn't a pleasant memory. So, mid-morning, when Anna showed up at the farm asking for her, grabbing her by the arm and taking her away without asking for permission from her tutor, Meiko was relieved and able to breathe better.

As glad as Anna was to be touching Meiko's skin, she let go of her arm once she could keep up her pace; it would've been too weird otherwise. "I need you to heal these two dumbasses, if it's not too much trouble," she told her when they entered the dining hall.

"Of course," Meiko said in a serviceable manner, glad she was here to use her power and do the closest thing to her job back home. She took a moment to gather herself, slow her breathing and focus her energy.

The two men sitting next to each other at the table both presented broken noses, plus some minor cuts on their cheeks and chins, and abrasions on their knuckles. Untreated, they would have swollen lips and eyelids, and extensive black eyes in no time, but Meiko made sure it wouldn't happen. The healing itself wouldn't hurt, only tickle as far as she knew, but she had to put their noses back in place first. Both men grunted and complained the whole time while also eyeing each other, clearly ready to continue their brawl once they were left alone.