With Isla and Scorpio trashing our plans to have Ayiana become Isla's partner, we hatched an idea to test if their friendship and partnership could truly be real, after all, we couldn't quite believe that Scorpio would even humour someone being her partner for very long, but little did we know that again they would beat us to it. Our idea was simple enough, insisting that both experienced each others vastly different worlds to understand what they were really letting themselves in for. While deep down we hoped that maybe the ferocious heat and savage violence of the desert would be enough to encourage Isla to think again or maybe the frozen wasteland, filled with mysterious creatures and permanently suspended in a state of deep freeze would encourage the Scorpio to rethink having Isla as her partner. It seemed like the perfect plan to force the situation, the only minor problem was that Isla had the exact same idea. Isla came bundling in searching for Scorpio with an enchanted grin on her face, as almost hyperventilating she beamed at Scorpio "Will you show me your world?" Scorpio squinted at her questioning her with a single raised eyebrow as Isla grew evermore excited by the prospect of tasting the arid desert air. Scorpio seemed to think to herself as she stroked her finger tip across the blade of her dagger and tutted "Why would you want to see the desert?" her eyes squinting as she awaited Isla's reply. "I want to understand everything that makes you who you are" Isla smiled sheepishly and looked into Scorpio's eyes, "I want to see the Red Desert" Isla's voice grew longing as her face grew calmer "And see the Temple". "And get burned by the sun?" Scorpio tutted as she watched Isla daydreaming and smiled gently to herself with a smirk growing on her lips "Or get killed by a Larahchan soldier" her voice both foreboding and sternly cold, yet somehow it felt as if Scorpio was more concerned for Isla's safety than not truly wanting to show her the desert she called home as a sullen look of defeat fell upon Isla's brow. Scorpio looked over at her now downtrodden and silenced friend while fettling her daggers tip on the wooden floor when a wry smile fell upon her lips as she glanced at Isla and uttered "Unless someone could protect you from the dangers of the desert". Isla suddenly perked up as Scorpio added "A warrior" her voice oddly soft as Isla's eye lit up "A guardian" Isla rose to her feet all but bursting with excitement as she blurted out "My partner!" and rushed to Scorpio's side and grabbed her tightly. Both me and mum winced in anticipation as Isla grabbed Scorpio but we were to be surprised yet again as Scorpio almost seemed to enjoy it as Isla hugged her so tightly as Scorpio uttered "It will be hot" she paused and shrugged "The desert sun is merciless" Isla didn't even blink before she replied "We could swap clothes?" Scorpio looked at her bemused as Isla explained "You could wear mine and I could wear yours?" she seemed shy in adding "Then I could understand what you world is truly like for you?" Scorpio gently replied "And I would understand what my world feels like for you?" Isla grinned innocently at her chosen partner as they vanished briefly to swap clothes while me and mum sat in disbelief at what we were truly witnessing. Soon enough both returned, Scorpio now dinned in Isla's heavy woolen clothing and boots with the belt tightened around her waist just enough to hold Isla's wool trouser up, it was a strange visual reminder of just how small Scorpio truly is. While Isla looked so strange in Scorpio's black skirt and top, her pale milky looking flesh exposed to sunlight possibly for the first time ever, yet if she felt nervous or uneasy, her eyes told a vastly different story as they glowed with such a deep blue. They walked towards Scorpio's doorway, the entrance to the furnace of the Red Desert, a doorway which none of us had even dared open let alone think of walking through. "Should you need it" Scorpio uttered softly as she offered her small dagger to Isla as they paused at the doorway, the mysterious stone glowing deep purple as Isla warily placed her fingers on a blade she knew full well had taken light many times in Scorpio's hands. Without a further word being spoken both ventured through the doorway and out into the desert while me and mum sat awaiting their return, hoping that both came back alive while also hoping maybe the desert would change Isla's mind. Hours past before even a single hint of movement came from that doorway as Isla rushed back in, panting nervously with her skin glowing red where the sun had burned that milky flesh and shaking like a leaf. While Scorpio returned unnervingly composed and with her blade dripping with blood freshly drawn from beneath the skin of another. Neither uttered a word about what happened in the dunes of the Red Desert and in truth we didn't dare to ask, yet no sooner had we settled in hope, Isla lead Scorpio to her doorway to complete her side of their bargain. Scorpio fell still beside her as Isla glanced down and said "It's going to be cold" with a gentle smile as she lifted the hood of her cloak over Scorpio's head "This will help to keep you warm" Scorpio smiled gently upon her friend as Isla's staff began to glow and she pushed her door open with the butt of her staff, welcoming a blast of freezing air that flooded the house with a blanket of frost. Scorpio didn't flinch as the frozen air passed her by and she uttered gently to Isla "You don't have to do this" her voice bathed in concern as goosebumps rose on Isla's skin. Isla's eyes glowed as she looked upon her friend and gently teased her chin with her staff until their eyes met and she softly whispered "Yes I do" a deep smile rose upon her face as she smiled "Because you are my partner" Scorpio smiled sublimely in reply as Isla wrapped her arm over her shoulder and led Scorpio out into the frown wastelands she called home. Towering trees covered in snow, ground that had never thawed and vast towing mountains shrouded in frozen fogs hiding monsters or worse, yet we were both envious of them and wished we could see what lay buried in those freezing fogs. Me and mum watched in utter awe as they ventured out into a frozen abyss, partners firmly cemented and while we should have been annoyed that our plans were failing so spectacularly, there was no more befitting way for them to fail as we had both witnessed the dawn of our future, a future without us in it. When they eventually returned they did so in silence and spent the night sharing a blanket in front of the fire, neither speaking or doing anything but sharing warmth, yet they were so content. Without a word spoken the bond was cemented and the future sewn, our future, a future which now lay firmly in the hands of Isla and Scorpio and yet me and mum knew that there were no hands safer for it to be in.