Agni, a loud and sarcastic astronomy student from the University of Chicago, is suddenly transported to another world filled with mythical creatures. Unfortunately, fulfilling the role she's brought there for is difficult in ways she never expected...
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"Alright, let's go over this again." My 100th sigh of the day escapes as I rub my temples, "You had some weird dreamy thingy brought to you by, who you assume to be, the goddess of dreams. In this dream she told you to bring someone here to read the stars, because apparently you need to outsource to earth. You did some illegal, portal opening, magic mumbo jumbo, and decided that was me. Now, you expect me, a 22 year old astronomy student from earth, where there's no magic, to help you save the world from some unknown power turning people against the gods?"
"Are you incapable of listening, because that's precisely what I've been saying for the past two hours."
"I'm telling you, you have the wrong person. I can't help you. All I want is to go home to my lack luster apartment and copious amounts of student loan debt." Well, actually, when I think of it that way... No, no. Focus Agni. "I have a family. I have friends! They're going to be worried sick and my mom is going to think I got kidnapped or something... which I guess I kind of did, but she'll assume I was sold into sex trafficking, not mapping stars for some loony elf."
"This may be overwhelming for you, but I simply don't care. I'm not going to send you back, I can't send you back. Accept it, Earthling."
How sturdy is this table? I wonder how well it will hold up once I start banging my head against it. "Agni, my name is Agni. My friends call me Ni."
She nods, "I'll call you Agni then. We need to complete it by the time our tattoos reach one."
"And what exactly is this thing we need to finish?"
"I don't know, I'm hoping that you being here will kick start the next set of 'instructions'," she says in air quotations. "Maybe once we go to sleep, I'll be sent another dream."
"Before we do any sleeping, can I have some food? I'm starving." The unimpressed look she throws my way doesn't bode well. "Nothing crazy, just something I can throw in the microwave."
"Microwave?"
I groan in frustration when I look around the room and notice the startling lack of electronic devices. "For magical beings, your technology is really lacking."
"I didn't realize that having an earthling would be so inconvenient." She's really one to be talking about inconveniences right now. I have half a mind to tell her so, then remember she's getting me food and I should probably play nice until I get something to eat.
While she rummages around in her kitchen, I take time to thoroughly observe her home. The walls inside are a light blue, which would make it feel more homey if they weren't so bare, but I get the vibe that the owner of the house isn't that homey herself. The kitchen is small with a sturdy four-person table in the middle, which surprises me because with her attitude, I doubt she has company. The wood-burning stove takes up the corner of the room, still giving off heat from when she put the kettle on for tea. I hear rummaging behind the door Alvina went through and assume it is a pantry.
