Two opposites

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Jonathan picked up an apple from his bag. It wasn't like they had to save them now. If they decided to leave, they would probably get supplies for the journey out of the mountain. While Jonathan were suspicious of them, he still felt that they were completely trustworthy when it came to their own kind. What would happen though once they realized that Jonathan weren't exactly like them? Or worse. Leilani. While there were quite a big chance that they would accept him just as much even after having gotten to know that he was immune, there was still that small chance that they couldn't understand how, why and what he was, become scared and reject him. He had to make sure to not touch any light stones, or anything else that was magic driven. He might just stop them from working if he did.

"Charming." Jonathan mumbled slightly annoyed. He didn't particularly find anyone who patted him on the head like that charming. It wasn't like he had been acting like a child either. He had asked questions and been as much an adult as Leilani. If only he was taller.

"Yeah, I'd like some answers too. I've never seen magical stones that doesn't loose their energy at some point. Do they just replace the stones when they stop shining? And where do they find new ones? And as you said, the guards is another curious question. There is very little magic that can make people invisible for highly trained government magicians, natural magic shouldn't have a chance, and they don't have any magic of their own to work with. So where does all the power come from?" One part of the teen didn't really want to know. It felt as if it was one of those secrets best unknown, because once he knew, the paradise would be lost.

Maybe he was too paranoid. They might just have stumbled upon some great magical place that was naturally hidden. He had heard about at least one spot in which some magic couldn't work. But that had been a very small spot, not nearly as big as that cave.

"I guess it's just to stay low for a while. Before sneaking around we at least need to know the place." Too bad their tour wouldn't be before the next day. But that was probably for the best. Leilani's muscles would be much happier that way. "And who knows. Maybe they tell us willingly once they feel they can trust us with that information. What do you think?Is a fourteen year old boy more trustworthy than a eighteen year old?" Jonathan smirked. He would tell them either way though. He were not going to pretend to be a kid if he actually would stay there for the rest of his life. Even one month with all that patting on the head would drive him insane.
 
"Yeah, it's definitely a bit odd but perhaps they'll tell us soon," she said. Curious about this mysterious shield they seemed to have against the powerful search magic the guards could use but they would just have to wait for these people to trust them enough to tell them, or if they were lucky enough to find out on their own. "That Philip appeared friendly enough so maybe these people here will open up quickly to people who are like them?" Hopefully they wouldn't find out about her though, although who knew what they would think of Jonathan for that matter, maybe the subject of immunity was as foreign to them as it was to the people with magic.

"Hmm I'd say a fourteen year old would have an easier time gaining trust since people still think you're a kid but I suspect that no matter if you tell them your real age or not you might still get that treatment." Leilani chuckled as she looked back at Jonathan. "To me it seems someone's height or lack of it is a popular subject for teasing no matter someone's age." Growing up surrounded by guys had taught her a lot of that and the fact that guys could be very annoying when their teasing centred on you but quite funny if someone else was the target.

Working her way through an apple after having a try at the snake, which was a quite unique taste actually, not bad but perhaps not as good as something less exotic. "How many of those rocks do you think they have?" She asked, switching the apple to her other hand. Judging by how Philip had reacted as he held out the stone towards them earlier it had something to do with magic and if so it would be best to not get too close to them as they would probably react to her in someway. "I haven't heard of such rocks either, rocks that can detect magic, have you seen such a thing before?" It may not be so weird that Leilani hadn't encountered anything like that since her prefered field of magic lay nowhere near magic that centred on defense, localisation and such subjects. But that she hadn't even heard of them before she still found a bit odd.
 
Jonathan grunted a bit at her teasing, but tried not to comment. Better not encourage her, otherwise she might just find it funnier. But she did have a point, people would definitely point out his length a lot. That was not something he looked forward to.

Instead of focusing on that dreadful subject, Jonathan went on to the next. As Leilani had remarked, those stones were a mystery. He hadn't heard of them either. He knew about the shining stones, there was always a chance of passing them when walking in a cave. If charging them with enough light from a torch, then they could shine for days. But they did stop after some time, and they never shone when some other light source did. How they kept the lights alive in that cave was a mystery. And so was the strange magic detection stone.

"I haven't." Jonathan eventually said with a shook of his head. It did irritate him that he didn't understand it. Sure, he didn't understand personal magic much, as he rarely were around magicians enough to see their tricks, nor did he have books about it. But he had encountered some magical items, even though he couldn't touch them. His father had also told him about a few useful things that sometimes could be used. But never had he told him about something that could detect magicians. That should have been mentioned, because it could also show non magicians. "I haven't heard about such stones but... If someone had cast a magic spell on the item, then it could get that effect." He suggested. But that was ludicrous. That would mean that they had a witch or a wizard close by that helped them. Wasn't that a place free from magicians?

"But that would be impossible. They do seem pretty dead set on not being close to normal people." He then added, refusing his own idea. Considering the rumors, how he had tested if they were magical and talked about checking for intruders, it was probably fair to say that magicians weren't welcome.

"Try to be careful around Phillip. I don't trust him. He's definitely hiding something." Jonathan finished. His gut instinct was rarely wrong. That man was trouble in one way or another.
 
Jonathan's answer was more troubling than it should be, even if he refused his own words a second later. A magician infusing the stones with magic could explain what they had seen so far, magic was often infused into obejcts so why not stones so they could act as a sensor for magic. But it was also a crazy idea since this city was free from magicians and the people was very intent on keeping it like that, unless of course they had gotten the stones enchanted before retreating to this mountain.

Maybe someone knew a magician who was willing to help them and took all the stones back with them. It was definitely not the best explanation and even Leilani doubted it but what else could explain it all? Maybe trusted magicians could live here, relatives or friends to some of the non magicains perhaps. Or it could just be her own hope for a place in this city making up reasons that benefitted her stay here.

They wouldn't get any definite answer for now but she was curious and it she didn't like not knowing something, or rather not being able to learn something. She was almost tempted to wander around the city before dinner and see if she could find something out on her own but she was also afraid to get too close to one of those stones and be found out so she was quite happy ignoring the mystery of the rocks and stay inside for as long as possible.

"What's wrong with Philip?" She asked, an eyebrow raised in question as Jonathan warned her. She didn't blindly trust someone she didn't even know but she wasn't as suspicious as Jonathan and had never been forced to judge people based on an instinct. She was more likely to believe a person meant well until they did otherwise, with some exceptions where even she could tell something was not right.

"He has been very kind already, even to two strangers like us so what's wrong, except that he treated you as a kid. Wait... are you jealous?" A teasing grin spread across her face as she continued speaking, she couldn't help herself from teasing Jonathan even more, it was not her fault he made it easy sometimes. "I didn't think you were the jealous type but perhaps I was wrong."
 
A blush spread over Jonathan's face. Jealous? Of course not. Just because he treated Jonathan like a child and obviously were flirting with Leilani did not mean he was jealous. "Of course not." He defended himself. Not being used to human interaction, he couldn't help but even take teasing seriously.

"He's just giving me bad vibes. I've lived out on the street over half my life, I just know when people are dangerous, okay?" The teen tried to explain, but it seemed more like a desperate attempt to an excuse. How else could he explain it? He just knew people. If he had gotten the same vibes from Leilani, then he would have been out of the shop within minutes of entering no matter the danger awaiting him out there. He trusted his instincts.

But just because he couldn't trust one person in the group didn't mean he thought the whole group was rotten. There was something strange about Phillip, but he weren't sure if the whole society had the same secrets as him, or if he shared it with some chosen few. Whatever it was the man was hiding, Jonathan didn't like it, and he was afraid the man might become dangerous in the future. Or maybe he was just extra paranoid because he wasn't used to being in such a safe place. That was the safest place on earth for him, and he was complaining? What was wrong with him?

"Either way. just keep your eyes open until we know what's going on." Jonathan then warned her, wanting to move on from the topic. "We should just rest for now until dinner, and then see how they all are." He weren't too found of going to a social gathering already, but it might be seen as weird if they stayed away from everyone. It was strange, even in that utopia created for his kind he was still plotting every step he took, making sure to survive. That shouldn't be necessary anymore, right?
 
Leilani couldn't help but laugh at Jonathan's reaction and found it a bit hard to stop but with a deep breath only a small smile lingered, maybe it was the sense of relief that they had found a safe place and didn't have to sleep on the ground or eat insects that loosened her up. "If you say so." She said before managing to turn more serious again. "But if you say something's off then I will have to trust you on that, not that we have exactly known each other for a long time but longer than Mr. Chaming for sure." She had her suspicions about how everything worked in this place but was much more willing to believe it was a minor problem that would just be explained in awhile and then it'd be proven this place was the sanctuary it seemed to be.

"Sounds like a plan," she agreed. If they would have to meet the rest of the people living here for dinner then it was a good idea to be rested and prepared for that. Living in such a small community everyone would most likely be curious about newcomers and it would probably not be a quiet meal. Even if Leilani prefered smaller crowds maybe a bigger city would have been better in this case, the more people the less likely for everyone to know everyone and everything and it would be easer to move around without notice. But then again there was probably no reason to sneak around or avoid people, it was just Jonathan's suspicions rubbing off on her.

It wasn't that long until dinner but Leilani wandered through the hut to see the layout and then settled for one of the bedrooms, she wasn't intending to sleep, not that she'd be likely to succeed even if she tried since it was a new place with new people and not to mention beneath a mountain. Although seeing as the people bulit their city here the large cavern was not likely to be destroyed within moments but it still felt a bit unsettling knowing that an entire mountain rested above their heads.

A rest worked wonders on her, making her more relaxed and ready to face an entire city, however small, for an evening meal and for a small community beneath the earth the beds weren't bad. Except for the muscle fever that after the day of walking seemed to have softened and eased up a bit but as soon as she started to push herself off the bed the pain was back. It would most likely start to ease up in a day or two but as it felt now it was like it would never end.

It was a knock on the door that brought Leilani back into the main room, pulling her hair up in a ponytail as she walked with a hair-band she had found in her jeans pocket. Which reminded her that since they now had found this city she really needed to find a way to get her clothes washed so she could take a shower. Maybe Jonathan was used to walking through the wilderness for days or weeks on end but she desperately wanted a shower.
 
Mr. Charming huh. That sweet talker got to be called mister charming while Jonathan more often than not was stuck with kiddo. He wasn't jealous, of course not. Okay, maybe a little bit. But it was only because of Phillips length. If he were as Tal as a normal guy, people would see him as a teen, even if he had a baby face that couldn't grow a beard no matter what. Though he was rather glad for that. It would have been hard to shave it while traveling around as he did, and he did prefer non hairy food. Yep, a baby face was a good face after all. But his body could be longer.

During the hours that followed, Jonathan sneaked out while Leilani was resting. He just had to take a small look at the city. He tried to stay out of sight of course, which he luckily succeeded with even in such an unfamiliar place. Except for the scenery, it seemed to be your average town. Everyone greeted each other, everyone smiled, everyone went on with their day as usual. Nothing seemed suspicious about it. And still he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. How did they keep the shining stones alive for so long? And how had they obtained enchanted stones? It was too odd for a city that rejected magicians. But no matter where he went, he didn't see any harmful, sneaky or shady behavior. Everything seemed normal. Far too normal even.

When he came back to the hut he could already hear a knock on the door. He sneaked in through the window and just as his feet touched the floor he could hear Leilani stepping into the main room. He ruffled up his hair a bit and also stepped into the main room. He yawned as if just having woken up. It was bad to lie, but considering he had told her to rest she would probably not be too happy hearing about his little adventure outside all on his own.

"Good evening.. Or morning. I don't really keep track anymore." He chuckled, knowing it was quite a bad joke, if it could even be considered such. As they opened the door, as expected, Phillip was waiting.

"I hope you're both hungry, we have a feast prepared." The man grinned and once again he decided to ruffle Jonathan's hair. "A young man like you need to eat so you can grow, become strong and protect your sister, right?" Of course he meant well, but every word in that sentence hit Jonathan at some psychological level.

"She's not my sister, I stopped growing years ago, and I'm turning nineteen in a few days." He said with a threatening glare. Phillip was just about to laugh as he thought it was a joke, but the glare definitely made him realize his mistake.

"Oh... Sorry, I didn't realize... I never meant to offend." He really tried to apologize, but one could tell that his embarrassment made it hard to find the words. "So you're not related then? Are you perhaps dating?" He then asked, maybe to get away from the previous topic, maybe to see if Leilani was available or maybe just because that was the second thing one would think after having seen Jonathan being so protective of her in the cave some hours earlier. The first thing was of course siblings.
 
Leilani burst out laughing, she couldn't help it, a hand over her mouth she tried desperately to stop but for some reason the word exchange was hilarious, to her anyway. "Don't worry too much over it, I actually thought the same thing when I first met him." She said after she had stopped laughing. It wasn't her place to excuse him but he appeared embarrassed enough about the mix up so she did it anyway. "And no, we're not a couple," Leilani continued, that would be quite weird judging by the short time they'd known each other, not that Philip could know that of course. "We are just travelling together that's all," she decided to keep mostly to the truth, not all of it of course like the actual reason, but the closer you stuck to the truth the easier it was to keep up the facade.

The walk to the dining area was short and didn't offer much time for long conversations but Leilani was busy examining the cavern as they walked, engaging absently in small talk with Philip. But the bluish lights and the sheer size of the place kept her attention, at least it was large considering it was underground, it was hard to imagin ever growing used to it although after seeing it day afer day you probably grew accustomed to it.

The only thing she missed already was plants, nothing could grow naturally here since everything was made of rock so the only chance for some green would be to keep potted plants if they could survive without any natural lights. Even if she as a magician could use magic in so many ways, although she was quite terrible in some areas, she had a strong love for all sorts of plants and living where there were none seemed intolerable. But it would probably be a bad idea to use her magic to grow some flowers for the hut, better ask Philip later if there were any plants down here and hope for the best.

In no time they reached the large hut, if not long house or something was more appropriate, the long building housed only a room to eat in and maybe it was also used for meetings or similar if they didn't have a separate building or space for that. They didn't exactly need to think about the weather down here when chosing what to do or where to do it. Even if she was used to big crowds from the city Leilani still felt her stomach tie itself into a knot as they entered, Philip allowing them to enter before him. Everyone already there turned to look as the newcomers entered and even if they looked friendly and curious the nervousness didn't leave her.

Taking a seat where she was shown, thankful that she and Jonathan weren't separated, it felt better to sit by somone she knew. The realization had hit her that this reminded her about the time she changed school after the move to the mainland, nervous and excited about the new place and all the new people that all looked at the new kid. This wasn't a school but the feeling was similar.
 
Jonathan had been so surprised by the question, he hadn't been able to even muster a no. Before he got the chance Leilani was already laughing. While Jonathan certainly never had thought about dating, there wasn't really time for such things in his life, it kind of hurt to hear someone laugh at the idea. Of course he understood that she just laughed at the idea that she and Jonathan would be dating, and Jonathan didn't believe they ever would, but was the idea really so unthinkable it was laughable?

Phillip looked at ease though. Jonathan weren't sure if it was due to the fact that he now knew Leilani wasn't dating or because he believed he hadn't hurt the teen's feelings. "Well, either way, sorry about that. Better tell the others as soon as possible before there's more misunderstandings." The man said apologetically. Then he showed them to their dinning room, which was pretty much just one big building.

"This is where we eat every meal. We do have volunteers that goes with food to those who are sick and can't show up, but otherwise we tend to eat together. It's good for the neighborliness." He explained as he showed them to two seats where a third was empty in front of them. Phillip thought it best if he just sat in front of them since he was the only one they knew so far, and because then he could make eye contact when speaking to them. Like a gentleman, he pulled out the chair for Leilani and pushed it in once she sat down. Then he went around the table with hurried steps as it was rather long, and sat down in front of the two.

So far people only whispered to each other and looked towards the two newcomers, but no one dared to speak to them yet. When the last person seemed to have entered though, Phillip drew attention to himself just by standing up. Apparently that was the way they showed that they wished to speak there when everyone was gathered. Or maybe it was some kind of tradition when newcomers had their first meal. Either way, everyone became quiet instantly.

"These are our new guests. I'm expecting you to treat them as well as you've been treated during your stay here and hopefully we'll soon be able to call them part of our family." Phillip told everyone before looking down on the two travelers. "Mind giving us your names? It usually is the first step to getting to know someone." He asked them with a smile. Not even he knew yet. They had been a bit too paranoid in the cave to actually tell him, and then it hadn't come up.

"My name is Jonathan. Jonathan Carter." The light haired teen said loud enough to be heard across the room. He didn't stand up though, nor give more of an introduction. He was quite embarrassed over speaking to so many people at once actually. He had never been in a room with more than five people before, and usually he only spoke to one of them. So this was the most unusual situation for him.
 
Feeling everyone's eyes on her after Jonathan had introduced himself Leilani prefered to stay seated as well, not shy but definitely not someone who wanted to stand in the center of attention either. "My name's Leilani Kalua" She said, raising her voice so it would reach to the end of the table. Even if she found it uncomfortable to have everyone's attention like this everyone seemed nice, granted she had not spoken to anyone yet but it was more her first opinion when she looked at everyone. Then again, she thought Philip was a perfectly normal guy, both kind and polite while Jonathan apparently felt something was off about him so who was she to judge the characters of strangers really.

Leilani had hoped they could eat quietly before being bombarded by questions but unfortunately people could eat and talk without too much trouble. In their defense there probably wasn't a large stream of new people coming here so seeing new faces and hear what was going on in the world might be big news here and might break the monotony a bit. At least that was what she imagined judging by how she most likely would feel. Luckily while being seated like this at a long table only the closest people could talk with her and Jonathan, or well others could too but they'd have to raise their voices pretty high in that case.

"Where are you from then dear?" An older woman asked, she was seated next to Leilani and with her grey stained hair and kind old lady look she reminded Leilani about her boss, Mrs. Oakley, who technically wasn't her boss anymore since she was certain she was fired by now. "You do not look like you are from these northern parts." Leilani drew out her time to answer by taking a sip of water before answering. "I'm from Aluena'ai actually," she said with a polite smile, the island was big and while it lay some way off the coast it was quite popular as a vacation spot making it quite well known.

This could actually work in her favor, by mentioning her home town, without elaborating on when she actually moved from there to the mainland people would think she came from there now and not closer, if they had any clue to what happened outside the mountain then they would have a harder time connecting her to ruccus nearby. "So you two aren't related then?" A young woman sitting to the left of the old lady asked, probably seeing the differences between the two newcomers. "No, we just travel together." Although going by appearance was not always reliable, Leilani's brother for example looked very different from her since only their mother was from the island and only Leilani had inherited the looks.

"Why were you going through the mountains?" A guy asked from across the table, his tone hinting that people in the city also could be more cautious. "Obviously because its safer and better for people like us to avoid those people." A girl similar enough to him to be a relative said, rolling her eyes as she spoke, her resentment in the end clearly aimed for people with magic. Leilani only nodded in agreement, a knot starting to form in her stomach as she saw what they thought of magical people and what they would probably think of her if they found out what she was. "You are awfully far from home young lady," a middle aged man said, he too sat across the table. "How did you end up so far inland?"

She prefered to not reveal she had lived inland since she was thirteen and instead decided to keep with her plan to make the people here believe she relatively recently left the island. "I... didn't fit in you could say. I left to find a place where I could feel more at home." The answer was vague enough while still answering the question to pass as realistic in her opinion at least. While trying to finish her food before it got cold Leilani had to answer many more questions but also started to feel more at ease despite the twenty questions game that seemed to go on.
 
Phillip smiled at the two, glad over the trust they seemingly gave. Not everyone was willing to even state their name when they first arrived. It all depended on what the person had been through and if they had heard rumors about them before. "Jonathan, Leilani. You are most welcome here." He finished and raised his glass, whereupon everyone else did the same and they cheered for the newcomers arrival.

After that people started to eat. At least in between asking their questions. As one was done with their questioning either of Leilani or Jonathan, another one took over as fast as possible as if their chance would disappear completely if they did not take it immediately. It felt unnatural for the teen to answer questions about himself. Sure, he had shared some with Leilani, but these were people he'd just met. He didn't even know their names. Needles to say, he kept some information to himself. Bluntly he stated that he wouldn't answer the question if he did not feel like it.

He wished he would have had some time to help Leilani, as she seemed to struggle on her end with incoming questions just as much as he did. No one could ask them questions at the same time as they were both busy with individual questions. But in comparison to Leilani, Jonathan let food be his top priority. He ate while they asked, and if he were still chewing when they were done, then they had to wait.

"How old are you boy?" Someone asked. A woman. She definitely had the voice of a doting mother. If he weren't careful she might just start to pinch his adorable cheeks too. "I'm turning nineteen in a few days." Jonathan told her after having swallowed another chunk of food.

"Nineteen? There's not much to you are there?" Another one said, a younger man, probably around sixteen. No wonder he was so rude. "Behave yourself Kale!" The man beside him said as he hit the boy in the back of his head. Probably his father then. Or at least a fatherly figure. The teen apologized for his behavior, though he mumbled it so lowly it was barely heard.

"Have you been traveling for long?" The same man that had corrected the teen asked. Jonathan didn't hurry with his answer. "For as long as I can remember." He said eventually. He had a few memories of the time with his parents, but they felt more like dreams. He weren't sure anymore what was made up by his mind and what had truly happened. The only thing he knew he truly could remember was when they found him.

Other questions also came, like where are your parents, are you planning to stay, and if not, where are you going? To those he simply said, "I won't answer that." Jonathan didn't seek their sympathy. They could believe that his parents were alive or dead, whatever fancied them. He did not know if he would stay yet, nor did he want them to know where he would go if he left. The less people knowing of his destinations, the better.

It seemed more like an interrogation at times, but eventually it ended. A few had tried to introduce themselves, but most of them probably knew it was better to wait until the two could meet up with people individually and actually get to know them. Otherwise the names would get mixed up with the wrong faces when there were no emotional attachment.

"That was quite rough. It's like that for every newcomer, believe me. Even I have gone through it." Phillip laughed as they started to move away from the table almost empty table. There were only a few people left whom helped to take care of the dishes. Phillip had explained just minutes before that they had a schedule so that everyone helped out a bit now and then. "They get very excited when new people arrive."
 
The myriad of questions didn't seem to end, she was not as blunt as Jonathan when it came to turning down questions but some questions were more personal and something you normalyl wouldn't just blurt out to a stranger. She had to struggle to keep up with eating and answering and politely ignore or evade questions she didn't like answering. Things like what she worked with or how long she had travelled was much easier to answer than questions regarding her life. She wasn't hiding any big secrets, except her being wanted by the guards and in this place her magic, but it was not something you exactly shared with whomever asked.

As people finished eating and many had sated their initial curiosity people started to leave, alone or together, some stayed behind to clean up as explained by Philip and Leilani breathed out a sigh of relief. Afterwhat felt like a very long time of being bombarded with questions it was quite nice with some silence and less people around that would stare or throw out more questions.

"It is a bit much all at once like that but I can't blame them, newcomers aren't that common here I can imagine, this place is remote to say the least." Remote and guarded. If they didn't want to be found then Leilani doubted anyone would find them, not only did they live in a cavern below a mountain, quite a distance from any town, the closest being a two day walk from here. It was also pretty much impossible to find the way in as Philip had demonstrated earlier, so the few people without magic would have to hear rumors of this place and be driven enough to search for it and also lucky enough to stumble upon it.

Leilani looked around as they exited the building, it was an odd feeling to know that it must be early evening or late afternoon but still it was as light as the middle of the day with the rocks shining all across the ceiling. "Do you have any place with plants?" She asked Philip, wanting to take the opportunity to ask now when she had a chance. "It can't be easy finding them growing naturally down here but are there greenhouses or indoor plants here?" Even if she couldn't use her powers on them Leilani felt at ease with nature around and if they were going to stay here een for awhile she would appreciate something living that could contrast against all this stone.
 
"We actually do have a greenhouse here. We mainly use it to get medicine and food. We use another set of light stones to get the same kind of light as the sun gives off. They don't grow well with the blue stones. They are rarer though, but we've been able to collect enough over time." Phillip told her, not the least surprised over her question. A lot of people missed nature when they got there. Sadly they didn't have any flowers or grass, which was what people wanted the most. There were a few medicine flowers, but they didn't have a nice scent nor should they be touched as some could be poisonous without the right preparation. "We have to give them some help though. The artificial sun doesn't really give them everything they need, so we give them some supplements in their water. It shouldn't give any effects on humans though, so it's no problem eating them."

Instead of going towards Jonathan's and Leilani's hut, he turned to the right and made a gesture for them to follow him. "I'll show it to you. It's truly magnificent." He smiled charmingly and Jonathan couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"As for us being remote, it would be bad if we weren't. Even with help of a shield, the guards could still find us by searching without magic. The only way to get around that is to be in a place they would never search, which is also a place few people goes too." Phillip started to explain. "It is actually quite unusual for us to get guests on our doorstep." He confessed. "We have a few people that goes to the cities, searching after people needing our help. Of course we have to watch out so we don't get too many mouths to feed. The supplies are limited here after all. But as long as we have room, we keep doing a mission every second month or so. Since we can't bring too much attention to ourselves, we can't take more than a couple at a time. If a group of ten non magic users were to be seen and then taken for questioning by the guards, it could end badly for all of us."

"I'm guessing you have a group of hunters too." Jonathan mentioned. There had been quite a lot of meat on the table, and very little of it had seemed to come from cave animals. Phillip nodded. "Of course. They put out traps during the night so that they won't be seen, and just before the sun goes up they check the traps and take in our food. We only do it ones a week, as you've probably guessed already, even out here we're pretty paranoid about getting caught."

Jonathan did want to ask about the stones, how they could work for so long without their light fading, but for now he didn't. Maybe it would reveal itself eventually. But he guessed he wouldn't get a straight or truthful answer if he asked now.

"If you like plants we can always give you a working spot in the greenhouse." Phillip suggested to Leilani. "We also have a few expeditions outdoors during the summer to get more medical plants that can't grow in here. Mainly those that can be dried and used for many years without getting bad. I can sign you up to one a couple of weeks from now if you feel like getting out. That is if you haven't decided to leave of course."
 
"Really!" Leilani's face lit up at the confirmation there was a greenhouse down here, that they even had rocks that imitated real sunlight to allow the plants to grow with only some addition of nutrients. Some might think her fascination with plants weird, in fact quite a few did but she couldn't explain it really she had always loved nature, especially working with it. When Philip didn't lead them back to their hut but intended to show them the greenhouse she returned his smile with the first honest one since they had arrived in the underground city, not noticing Jonathan's less than impressed look.

Them going out into the cities to find more people without magic would make a lot more sense than just expecting them to stumble across their home by chance. While she could understand that this place couldn't house too many people she hoped there were more places like this but that also seemed a bit unlikely, any place similar to this would need something to shield themselves with and that was not an easy thing to do. But one safe place was better than nothing and they seemed to survive quite well through the oaccasional hunting and by growing the rest they needed, it may not offer a varied diet but it was sufficient.

When the subject went back to the greenhouse Leilani was more than tempted by the offer and had she been alone here she would have instantly said yes to that, but then again if she had been alone she wouldn't be in this predicament, especially since she could use magic. But if the decision about staying didn't rely on both her and Jonathan she would have agreed instantly. "If we do decide to stay then I would gladly work in the greenhouse." She said eagerly. "I'm a florist actually, we focused a lot on medicinal plants at my old job as well so I'm afraid it would be the only job I could do well down here." Not that Philip needed to know that the reason that would be the only work she could do well was because she was so used to using magic for everything else.

Unfortunately she couldn't get rid of the annoying voice of logic in the back of her head that pointed out that she most likely could not keep hidden here forever, one day she would get too close to one of those stones that detected magic. But, her positive side countered, if she managed to stay hidden long enough maybe they would accept her despite her magic. Clearly Leilani needed to work on seeing things in a realistic light.

Having walked for awhile they finally reached the greenhouse, it was larger than she had thought considering its placement although it was nowhere near as big as some she had seen above ground. "It's amazing that you managed to build this here," she said as they reached the door. "The huts must have taken time but a greenhouse is not that easy even above ground." Inside it was warm and humid, the artificial light was softer and more like the sun than the pale blue light in the cavern and plants grew everywhere it seemed. In rows on long tables and in flowerbeds along the floor, even in pots standing or hanging. It was cramped but they had really used the space they had to the fullest.

She recognized most plants, of those she could see clearly at least, but there were actually a few that she had not seen for herself but only read about in botanical books. They must have gotten hold of seeds during their trips outside scouting for more people, she could even spot a plant or two from her home island. "This place is a wonder, don't be suprised if I spend any available free time here." She said, her words directed to both men beside her, sweeping her dark eyes across the plants. In this place with only stone and some artificial lights this place was like a miniature heaven and in her opinion should be more visited than it appeared to be right now at least.
 
Jonathan got worried as fast as she mentioned her job. It was hard for non magicians to get one with all the discrimination and many people requiring magic for the work to even be done. Everything went faster with magic after all. A witch florist could help the flowers grow much faster than a non magician could. But Phillip seemed to focus on another subject at that moment as they made their way through the greenhouse's all areas.

"I don't know exactly how they built it since I didn't come before years later. But from what I heard they did a little bit at a time. In the beginning they didn't have huts, they just slept on the ground with black sheets covering their eyes so the light wouldn't disturb them. Their priority was the greenhouse so they could grow food, beds for a bit of comfort, and fixing everything for the shield so they couldn't be found." He explained as they walked through a section of poisonous plants. They could all be used as medicine, but they were quite dangerous in their current form so warning signs was put on each and every one of them, since the greenhouse could be accessed by anyone, even those who knew nothing about plants.

"Luckily I came after that, so there were already comfortable huts for us. We didn't have a dinning room at that point though, just a long table out in the open. It was first after a voting three years ago that we started to build the current dinning hut." Phillip told them. That hadn't been long after his arrival. Only two years earlier had he been picked up on the street.

"You must be very lucky though, to even having gotten a job." Phillip then said, quite confused over the matter. Most people wouldn't give jobs to a non magician after all. That was what Jonathan had feared. Sure, he had gotten some jobs, but what Leilani was talking about wasn't a job you could just jump into and work a few days before moving on. It was the kind of job you actually stayed at for long periods of time if you didn't jumped in for someone else. "Did you have some high family connections or something?" He followed up just before Jonathan had thought about trying to get away from the topic before he started to ask questions. Now it would just be weird if he suddenly interrupted. But a family connection would be a smart way of making it more believable. Even though people disliked non magicians, there were instances when family members employed their siblings or children since they knew that they wouldn't find job elsewhere. Others just threw them out of their home, but not everyone were like that. Hopefully Leilani would follow up on that. If he continued to ask why she then were out there, then it was always to lie and say that her family either died, though she might have told them already that they were alive during the dinner, he weren't sure, or that they had finally gotten to much backlash from everyone for their non magic daughter and thrown her out. He did hope Leilani did have some sense of spontaneous lies.
 
While listening to Philip she was once more reminded about the strange shield that protected this place, it was one of the first things they set up but how did it work, that was what she wanted to know. It mut be one hell of a shield since no guard had been able to get past it, not even the specially trained guards who focused on localisation. They would probably learn eventually what powered it, perhps not at the tour but after staying for awhile, but not unlike an impatient child she wanted to learn the secret at once.

Even Leilani could sense the difference after her words, she hadn't remembered that non magicians had a hard time finding jobs and that she was posing as a non magician, it was this tendency to speak without thinking that even got her into this mess. She really need to start working on that, especially now where the revelation about her could end badly depending on what these people thought of a lone magician. "Yes, that's right." She answered, faster than she would have thought since she wasn't the best at lying or thinking out a plan on the spot but Philip had provided her with a perfect story.

"My parents owned the shop and since I couldn't get a job anywhere else and they didn't want to throw me out with nothing they let me work there." Leilani continued, a story that contained enough truth to make it easy for her to lie was beginning to form in her head. "My parents got a divorce however and in the end they couldn't keep the store so I decided to leave the island since there were more opportunities for some extra work on the mainland than on an island, even if it's a big island." Thankfully Philip hadn't known her nearly long enough to be able to notice her tendency to be less expressive and that she basically stood still when she lied.
 
Phillip did find her behavior slightly odd at first, but then shrugged it off. It wasn't like he knew her very well, and he wouldn't accuse someone for lying simply because he got an odd feeling. Some people were just a bit nervous over certain topics, especially around strangers. Maybe that was the reason.

"What about you Jonathan? Had any luck with work?" He asked instead of lingering on his gut feeling.

"Sometimes." Jonathan replied in a mumble. He still weren't very fond of Phillip, nor did he trust the guy completely. How come the guy explained so much about the stones and everything else, but still hadn't mentioned how the shield was made? Was it some kind of secret?

As they past the last medicine plant, it started to change color to red when Phillip went by it, but suddenly changed back to it's original green when Jonathan reached it just seconds later. The older male saw it in the corner of his eyes and turned around to see if he actually had seen correctly. Jonathan hadn't really payed attention to the flowers and hadn't noticed the sudden change in color. If he had he might have stayed away from it.

"No no no no, don't die." Phillip mumbled quite scared that they had lost a rare sample. But as he stepped close to it, it once again lit up in red. Confused he first looked at the flower which reacted completely as it should all of a sudden, and then back to Jonathan. He had certainly walked close enough for the plant to notice him, the magic in it reacted to danger, and all living creatures was seen as a threat. But.. It didn't seem like the plant had seen the teen.

"That's strange." He said looking back and forth between the plant and Jonathan. Now Jonathan became nervous. If they found out and didn't accept him, then it might be hard to just leave if they wouldn't let him. After all, they were a closed off community, everyone knew everyone. If someone shouted to catch a running person, then people would most likely oblige and ask questions later. If they got the whole town running after them, then they would get caught easily.

"Not really.. It happens all the time." Jonathan said, not bothering coming up with a lie. It would most likely only backfire later.

"What are you talking about?" Phillip asked, wondering if the boy also had knowledge with plants. At the moment he had a hard time putting two and two together it seemed.

"The plant has a small amount of magic in it, right? That's how it can change color so fast. It just doesn't work on me." He shrugged his shoulders. It was no big deal to him. But would it be to them?

Phillip stared at the boy for an uncomfortable amount of time. Not smiling, not seeming angry, just staring a blank stare as if the words couldn't be processed properly. But then a small smile appeared, and it only grew. "You mean, magic can't touch you? Or notice you?" He asked just to clarify. Jonathan nodded. "That's amazing. If everyone was that lucky we wouldn't have any problems with guards or magicians overall. You're gifted Jonathan. It's a true blessing from God." The man seemed quite excited over the discovery. It certainly seemed like he had not met anyone like Jonathan before. Which meant there probably weren't people like him down there either.
 
Leilani was almost afraid that Philip would not believe her and call her out on it after serving her lie, she was definitely not the best liar in the world but it seemed that she wasn't terrible at least since he left the subject. She didn't like to lie, neither was she any good at fabricating stories out of the blue, if she could weave in some truth of any kind it became easier but if they really needed to fool someone then Jonathan definitely be their best bet.

While talking they had almost passed through the greenhouse and while Jonathan didn't seem to notice the plant Leilani did, she knew the plant and why it reacted to herself and Philip and also why it stopped reacting when Jonathan walked past it. The magic that the plant had learned to use so to speak allowed it to change colour to try and warn off threats, magic that became nullified near Jonathan like all other magic.

She was more optimistic about the question whether the people here would accept his immunity or not but that didn't mean she wasn't nervous when it actually was revealed. Leilani wasn't so sure the people here would harm them but what did she know, it all depended on how much they wanted to protect their home, their one safe place, and judging by the state of the world the people here were probably quite protective of their home. And getting out of here might be difficult, especially as the way out might be as hard to spot as the way in.

But of course it wasn't even certain that it would lead to that, and after many minutes of nervous waiting Philip finally seemed to have processed the fact that immunity did exist and wasn't a rumor. His reaction was a source of relief, even more so for Jonathan she imagined, having been hunted for so long he had a place that welcomed him despite knowing what he was. This was also more proof that immunes were very rare, the people living here must come from many differet places and yet this was the first they had heard of immunity, she wasn't entirely certain if it was a good or a bad thing.

Sure, being an immune was a liability and you couldn't lead a normal life although the government had no control over you, they couldn't force anything on you by using magic. Whether it was good or bad in the end it still wasn't a gift from the gods in her eyes, nothing about being on the run your entire life and being under constant threat seemed equal to a blessing. If more people could be immune then it might be more of a blessing but it was so rare it was more like a curse.
 
Jonathan felt a bit uncomfortable being praised as one of God's masterpieces. He weren't even sure a God existed, non had ever seemed to aid him in any way, but if one truly did exist, why would that God bless him with something most people would hate him for? But of course it was a subjective matter. His power was a threat to magicians, thus for them it was a curse. For non magicians it might seem like a blessing because they all wished they had that power. Many magicians had probably used magic against them just for fun. It was a way of spitting on the homeless. So of course they would love a way to not be affected by that.

"I guess." Jonathan replied. He doubted Phillip would want a discussion on if it truly was a blessing or curse, right now he was far too excited for that it seemed.

Phillip did continue to show them around in the town. He did bring up Jonathan's amazing skill a bit now and then. How long had he had it, where did it come from, did he know anyone else like him, and other questions like that came up. Most of them was just answered with a no or a I don't know. He might have lived with it all his life, but he knew no more of it than anyone else. Actually he thought the government knew more about his ability than he did. There must be some reason they were collecting people like him without killing them. Experimenting on them didn't seem like a too far-fetched idea.

Eventually though they were left off at their hut, which finally gave Jonathan some air to breath. All the questions made him loose half his mind. He weren't used to all that attention, and that was from only one person. "I think I preferred it when it was you he flirted with." Jonathan said exhausted after the door was closed. Of course he didn't believe Phillip was flirting with him, but one could almost believe he had fallen in love with his ability.

"How long do you think it will take before the whole town knows about it?" He asked. He guessed a few days considering how tight they were. He did not look forward to it. If the rest of them had the same reaction, he might not survive the upcoming week.
 
During the rest of the way around the small city Leilani stayed mostly silent as Philip bombarded Jonathan with questions when he wasn't busy pointing out things or places of importance. She commented on a few things during their early tour but as said she kept mostly quiet and watched as the other two talked, or Philip talked and Jonathan gave a short answer, the most common one being no.

Finally back inside the hut and alone Leilani breathed out in relief, she had no problems with crowds but this dinner with so many questions and new people all at once had been a little over bearing and while the grenhouse had been relaxing, except the part she had almost given herself away it hadn't been enough. "You think he flirted with me?" Leilani asked, turning to look at Jonathan. "I thought he was just being nice." Even a girl almost half Leilani's age could probably see things more clearly than she did, born naturally dense when it came to herself and a tendency to get lost in her work were strong reasons for that little trait.

That aside it was certainly true that Philip was a lot more interested in Jonathan now, and since his questions mainly focused on the immunity it was quite clear what had caused the sudden interest. He would definitely have an exhausting week if everyone reacted like Philip had done.

"Hmm, if you're lucky maybe a day or two," Leilani replied with a grin. "See it like a crash course in getting used to a lot of people, but as soon as their initial excitement dials down then they will most likely only bother you every other day or so." Even when people here got used to the whole immunity thing they would probably not stop being awed by it, considering that everyone of them probably would do anything for that ability. "But even so you are accepted here, you don't have to run all the time anymore, except maybe from your new fanclub." She added with a chuckle.
 
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