Snippet #1288622

"Come on, Sam," Alys walked purposefully, but not so swiftly as to attract attention, down the busy main street of the 5th district.
She kept her eyes forward, avoiding direct eye contact with the passers-by, while Sam dawdled behind her, stopping to peruse the shabby, makeshift stalls that citizens deemed too uncivilised to enter the business district sometimes erected either side of the road. Their wares were mostly of questionable workmanship, trinkets and lucky charms and dodgy clothing made by hand with whatever sparse materials could be found. Anything sourced from the woods had to be disguised in case of random checks by the orderlies, who discouraged the stalls and lookede down on those seen buying from them.
The stallholders payed Sam no attention, calling in needy, persuasive tones to others who passed about the finesse of their crafts.
"Sam!" Alys called again, her raised voice attracting a few strange looks, and she backtracked to grab his arm, gently steering him between the people till they came to a quieter area, "Why can't you ever display just a little caution?"
"These people live the same as we do, they fear the same things, Al," Sam chided her gently, "Will you ever let go of your suspicions?"
"How can you know they can be trusted? Someone here must be the reason for..." she trailed off at the look her brother gave her. As always he was closed to any conversation surrounding that particular subject.

"Have it your way, then. Go make friends with the flipping Orderlies! Invite Sensibility for dinner, while you're at it!" She strode forward in a huff, nearing the trees that bordered the settlement. With a quick glance around herself, she made to walk into the woods, but Sam's restraining hand on her arm stopped her.
"What are you doing, my love?" he asked, "All this talk of caution and you will stride into the trees in broad daylight?"
"I don't want to wait! We do nothing but sit and wait for the right time! The right time to act was years ago, nothing happens because everybody waits for some opportune moment that will never come. If something is going to change it will be because we make it!"
"Very well," Sam nodded gravely, "Let us take precautions, though, darling."
She bobbed her head in agreement, and closed her eyes, reaching for his hand. A small gasp escaped her lips as she felt the tendrils of his mind find hers, entwine so they thought as one. It was a feeling she'd experienced many times, but the sheer openess of her mind, even to her twin, always came as a shock. In this state they could hide nothing from each other.
Together, when their minds were firmly joined, they both pushed gently outwards, sending out power in a fan around them, just the suggestion of a thought that would implant itself in the mind of anyone nearby, persuasively telling them to look away from the wood, that there was nothing there.
Slowly, keeping a tight hold on the energy she was pushing from her brain and a tighter hold on her brothers hand, they crossed the short empty space between the outermost huts and houses and the trees, dissapearing quickly through the trees. Only when the woods made a shield impenatrable enough that the dwellings faded from view did they release their hold on their power and each other, Alys sinking to her knees, panting.
"Just... a moment," she said breathily, her heart racing as it always did when she purposefully used her power.
Sam laid his hand on hers again, sitting down beside her, breathing with her till her heartbeat slowed.
"We'll sit for a moment," he said kindly, "Then we must seek out Jia."