Leah woke to the glare of the morning sun streaming in through her ceiling.

She rolled over in an attempt to ignore it, but the crystalite ceiling scattered the light every damned direction and try as she might, she couldn't get away from it. As she resigned herself to getting out of bed, the reality of where she was kicked in.

She couldn't get up fast enough after that.

She scrambled for her clothes, finding most of them had been unpacked but beside a collection she didn't recognise. Wondering if there'd been a mix-up, she pulled out one of the new outfits. It looked like the same style as what the other Radiants she'd seen yesterday had been wearing.

The message was fairly clear, but Leah couldn't help glancing back at her Teridian clothes. They weren't elegant, but they got the job done and they were comfortable.

She tore her eyes away from it and set about putting on the gifted clothes, hoping she'd fit in a little better today and that she wasn't misreading the situation. She'd made an idiot of herself enough yesterday--but today was a fresh start.

Besides, it wasn't a bad look, sort of like a leotard with see-through material stretching over her limbs. The delicate cuts of shimmering fabric draped down her sleeves allowed ample light to brush her skin despite keeping the warmth trapped inside. The fabric on her legs was transparent with a flowing skirt that covered her behind.

It was the perfect balance, even if she felt a little exposed. The outfit protected from the elements Radiants were so susceptible to, yet exposed to the Light they needed to survive. Her heart and her crystal patterns were open to as much sunlight as they could absorb.

One last time, Leah glanced back at her well-worn Teridian leggings before lifting her Radiant-fabric covered-but-not leg for inspection. Illiya had been wearing this yesterday, she told herself, hand on the door. So had the other Radiants. She wasn't about to make an idiot of herself. She just had to hold her head up and pretend she had the confidence that was currently escaping her.

Leah went to push down on the handle when it opened by itself, handle shoving into her stomach.

Illiya burst inside. "What the--oh, Leah! I'm so sorry!" She rushed over, hands hovering above Leah's clutched stomach where the handle had driven into the squishy bit. "I was just coming to make sure you were awake. Asriel's been asking for you at the breakfast chamber and--oh good, you're wearing the clothes I left you! I figured we'd be about the same size, and I had enough to spare you a few before you get a chance."

Leah straightened up, sucking in a breath. "Mhm, I figured it might have been you. I didn't put it on backwards or anything, did I?"

"No, no! You look great!" Illiya straightened out one of the sleeves Leah had managed to twist. "So much better than those other clothes, if you ask me. I mean, I don't blame you, I hear the Teridian climate is more than a little harsh. But enough of that, breakfast awaits!"

Leah grabbed her notebook and darted out of the door after Illiya.

The breakfast hall was busier than dinner had been. Almost every table was full, with many of the Radiants with pureblood features gathering at those in direct sunlight. The hall was alive with conversation and vibrant with colours, and Leah drank it all in.

Illiya laughed as they brought their food back to a table where a few other purebloods were seated. "Leah, you always look like you've found the mysteries of the universe."

Leah tilted her head. "You should live in Teridia on an outskirt village for a while and see how much you appreciate it when you get back."

Another Radiant on the table leaned over, their palm extended. Leah met it. "My name's Jael. I heard they'd found a pureblood in Teridia, I still can't believe it! How'd you survive out there? How'd you cope with the frosts?"

"You're all making it sound like she lived in a hut!" said Illiya. Then she hesitated. "You didn't live in a hut, did you, Leah?"

A smile tugged at Leah's lips. "No, I didn't. My father had a house, but it was brick and stone and wood, not crystalite. And the frosts were pretty much a case of 'don't be outside when it's dark and you'll be fine'."

The questions poured in after that: Had she ever been caught in a frost? How did they live out there? Did the Teridians accept them or were they like in the stories, continually butting heads and challenging eachother for leadership?

Here she'd been, amazed by stories of the League, when here, stories of Teridia were the things everyone wanted to hear about.

"So what," said Jael after she'd finished describing a typical Teridian day. "You managed to contact the League, and they brought you here?" Leah shrugged and nodded. "That's so cool. I mean, they do bring in people from time to time, but it's pretty rare they actually go out to collect them. You must do some nice work." His eyes fell to her notebook on the table. "Is that some of it?"

"It's just some sketches, but yes."

"Can I see?"

As Leah passed over her notebook and necks were craned to try and catch glimpses of the flipping pages, she bit down on the smile threatening to rip her face apart. She took a lot of pride in her work, and to see it appreciated was... nice, to say the least. Compliments about her drawing ability abounded, her attention to detail, everything.

"Geez," said Jael as he got to one of her more intricately labelled diagrams and its following eight pages of notes. "I can see why they've recruited you for the expedition teams. You're perfect for it, if this is anything to go by."

An uncomfortable note wriggled its way into Leah's voice. "I think I'm going to be on the cure's research team. Emrys introduced me to the lab yesterday."

Jael raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really? I'm in the research team, and I talked to Emrys after you left yesterday. He said you were going to be assigned to an expedition team, not the lab. Maybe there's been a mix-up?"

Something sank in Leah's chest as Illiya nudged her. "Hey, with all your experience in ruins already, they probably don't want to waste your talents. If you're really worried about it, maybe you should talk to Emrys or Asriel about it?"

Leah managed a nod as her notebook was passed back. The conversation continued, carrying away from its earlier attention on her until breakfast came to a close and everyone went off to their respective assignments. A large part of the group was part of the research team, so Leah trailed along behind them with Illiya beside her.

They reached the lab. The rest of them went about donning the strange drapey uniforms, leaving Leah uncertain as to whether she was welcome to join them or not.

That doubt was answered as Asriel spotted her from the lab and descended down to meet her.

They met palms. "Welcome, Leah. I was looking for you at breakfast, but my research here pulled me away. I apologise."

Leah managed a smile. Confidence. She needed confidence. "It's all right. What did you need to see me about?"

Asriel's tongue brushed his bottom lip. "Emrys has decided that you'll be assigned to one of the expedition teams as their official documenter. You'll meet with your team for a briefing today before heading out. It's short notice, but the arrangements have been made. I know you wanted to be part of our research team here, but Emrys feels your talents would be better put to use out in the field."

And like that, Leah's dreams came crashing down.

A documenter, because she wasn't good enough for the lab.

"I see," was all she trusted herself to say.

Asriel placed a hand on her shoulder. "I know you must be disappointed, but you will still be directly helping the cause for a cure, I assure you. All the things you document come back to us for study, and the past has helped us understand interactions and draw conclusions in the past."

She just wouldn't be the one who found the cure. Just the medium for recording the information.

Leah nodded, twisting her lips into a smile. "I'm sure the expedition team will be just as exciting. Would you pass on my thanks to Emrys?"

"Of course," said Asriel. "Your new team will be meeting in twenty minutes in the southern hall. Just follow the signs, or ask for directions if you get lost. Until next we meet, farewell!"

Asriel turned, taking with him her last chance to push a position on the research team.

She let him go.

"Leah!" called Illiya from the change rooms. "Are you coming?"

Leah glanced back. "I've got to go meet my new team. Emrys assigned me to an expedition team, not the research team."

Illiya tilted her head. "But I thought you wanted to be on the research team? Did you tell them that?"

Somehow, Leah got a shrug out of her shoulders as the rest of her was crumbling with disappointment. "I don't mind. It's fine."

"I can talk to--"

"It's fine, Illiya," said Leah, stepping outside the doorway. "I'll see you later."

She didn't hear Illiya's reply as she started walking in the general direction of the southern hall. She no longer had eyes for the architecture around her or the glimmering shards in the crystalite, training her gaze long and hard into the floor.

It was a long few minutes before she had it in her to look up and face the world again.

Maybe it had been a mistake coming here, thinking she was anything special outside Teridia where even the natives thought she was too fragile to bother protecting. Back there, at least she'd known the rules, the politics. Here, she just felt like a Teridian in a puddle. Soggy and grumpy.

That analogy only worsened her mood, but she forced herself to breathe. Maybe if she worked hard enough, Emrys would change his mind. There was nothing stopping her from drawing her own conclusions from whatever they found in the ruins. Maybe he'd be impressed, decide her worth was elsewhere.

Even with the idea of redemption in Emrys' eyes strengthening her resolve, there was still a doubt lingering at the back of her mind. Part of her couldn't help but feel her Teridian blood had played a part in her assignment, that somehow, she was broken, that she wasn't good enough for the research team.

As resentment threatened to take hold, Leah pulled her mind from the subject. The Teridians hadn't cared about heritage, only the actions of the individual, and the Radiants were supposed to be a far more advanced culture. She was untested, she told herself, and she'd prove it to Emrys that she was worthy of his research team.

Leah stopped, only to realise that she had zero idea where she currently was. There were stairwells that descended into the ground, but no signs that pointed to anything she recognised.

Cursing in more than one dialect, Leah glanced around for the signs Asriel had mentioned and found nothing. She'd been walking, completely lost in her thoughts yet again. Daydreaming, her father had said, was a dangerous habit, and she was starting to regret not putting more stock in his words.

After searching several of the empty halls for a direction or sign of life and finding nothing, Leah looked to the ceiling. The sun was nearly directly above the spire, but off-centre enough that it could still help her. If it'd been slightly off to the left and was drifting right--she found the daylight's moon and quickly figured out which way was south from its craters.

That at least got her back in the right area where she recognised the signs. After navigating her way to the dining hall and catching a startled Radiant on her way out, Leah got directions to the southern hall and, well aware that twenty minutes were long since gone, took off at a run.

It took another five minutes to reach the southern hall, and as she stood

"Please don't notice that I was gone," she muttered to herself, and pushed the door open.

The quiet buzz of conversation died as she stepped into the room.

"Oh," said a horribly familiar, dry voice. "I'm glad you decided to finally join us."

Leah lifted her gaze to find Kieran standing at the head of the room.

"Leah, wasn't it?" said Kieran. He waved his hand across the group of ten or so sitting infront of him. "Please. Take a seat. Any one you wish. At this point dawdling can't really waste more of our time."

Leah rushed forward and sat down in a free chair at the back of the group, well aware of how out of place her Radiant clothes looked. No one else had the flowy, elegant robes on. They were covered, and their clothing was practical.

"Now that our new documenter has deemed us worthy of her presence," said Kieran, pushing off the wall. "I'll be going through the briefing rather quickly in the hopes of making up time. Questions will have to be saved for tonight, so unless it's urgent, it'll have to wait."

Leah sank deeper into her chair as Kieran walked them through the briefing, often referring to the map on the wall behind him.

They were going to newly discovered section of Radiant ruins east of the Human's capital, Hulari. The group had been to these ruins before, but due to cave-ins and other obstructions, had been forced to return until the excavators completed their task. This time, they'd be exploring a different wing of the ruins, one that seemed fairly untouched.

It was to be a four day expedition, with the first day--today--as set up and organisation. Displacer to the nearby Spire, complete expedition, and Displacer back to the League with their findings. Depending on how it went, another expedition later in the week back to the ruins could occur.

"Everyone have the basics clear?" asked Kieran. "If so, collect a bag, gather your things, and meet by the Spire in twenty minutes."

Leah followed the group as they migrated to the front and collected up a tough-looking bag. Leah waited until the others had theirs to pick up her own, peeking inside to find what looked like a map, a journal and several other instruments she didn't recognise.

"I wouldn't waste any more time if I were you," said Kieran. "Get to your room. Change. Pack. I'm guessing you haven't done any of the necessary preparation."

"Um," was all Leah managed. Her insides hurt. Even the sunlight on her skin was starting to irritate her. "I--I'm not really sure what preparations I need."

Kieran rolled his eyes. "And you want to be on an expedition team. I'll be telling Emrys I want Terrell back after this expedition, so don't get too comfortable. You need the basics--clothes preferably not of the ridiculous kind, whatever medium you like to record your findings, and since I know what you purebloods are like in the dark, you may aswell pack a torch. If you have a weapon you prefer, bring it or you'll be issued with something standard when we're there. Food and other expenses will be covered, but once you're there, you don't come back unless it's day four and the team is ready to leave."

Leah committed it to memory. Clothes. Paper. Her usual drawing kit. Her Hilt. She slipped her notebook inside her bag, annoyance rising as the strap caught on her sleeve. "Okay. I think I've got it. Thank you."

Kieran headed for the door as she struggled with it. To her surprise, he held it open until she snuck through, darting to the signpost, cheeks burning as she tried to make out the letters through blurry eyes.

"Dorms are this way," said Kieran. "Considering we only have ten minutes, I'll even escort you the entire way to make sure you don't waste any more of the team's time."

He didn't wait for her to reply before he started walking.

It was all Leah could to do follow him and try to keep up with his long, swift strides and keep the embarrassed tears from falling.

*+*+*+*

A/N - Are we seeing the differences between Leah and Athira yet? Because writing them feels like night and day xD 

Guess who's back on track with her NaNo ^_^

Wordcount: 16,607