dated to just after Exchange Student

Gemini was not the fastest way back to Ursa by any means--in fact, this detour would nearly double Jinyi's traveling time--but this was ameliorated somewhat by the magical wings upon his back. He swept into the Room of Mirrors trailing pink cosmic light behind him. Though it didn't match his colors, it did tickle his Drone-brain to see the infinite pink wings reflected back at him from the crystal mirrors everywhere.

He landed in front of the Crystal Waterfall and searched through the alcoves nearby. He knew, in theory, what he was looking for, but with the maze of reflections everywhere, it could be difficult to actually find it. A quiet constant whooshing helped lead him to one particular alcove with a shimmering rift.

Jinyi stood there and watched the lightplay across its surface for a moment, mesmerized. From what he knew, the rift was inconsistent, unpredictable, not like the perfect crystalline march of the Dontas Factory that churned out bags of chips perfectly spaced on conveyor belts at impossibly precise time intervals. Would he get lucky today...?

Jinyi was not really the gambling type, but he guessed he'd find out.

The rift hums, almost playfully casting shimmering light on the crystalline walls, but otherwise remains as it is. Today, it seems, it is quiet and inert and has nothing to offer the Drone.

@Jinyi

There would be no response from the rift this time, it seemed. Jinyi stared at its perplexing colors and swirls for a while longer, then turned. Before he took another step, Order bloomed beneath his feet, infesting the ground with its transparent gleam.

The rift was something unpredictable, unknowable. Jinyi felt a little better that something familiar and concrete had firm control of Gemini around it.

exit