This is a summary of Greyashe Episode 39.

OP: the dropouts.

ED: Chime.

Chapters Covered: 89- half of 91.

Greyashe. The city of snow. The capital of pure white. Some would even say that it's where the Goddess Ancasta grew up. For such a little town, it has a huge reputation. Greyashe shrugs off it's larger than life resume, and does what it does best, remain where it always has, and continuously dump snow on it's residents. To the people there however, this isn't ordinary snow, but divine precipitation from the Goddess of winter. Therefore, the people who  had the job of keeping the streets clear could be considered priests. 

Nancy Monroe. 18. Orphan. Sweeper since 12. Despite the fact that her parents had left her alone, she holds her head high, proud of her position. She and her younger friend, Nicolas Graham (16), live with Mr. Sikes, who had taken them in from winter's indiscriminate glare. Sure the people of Greyashe have gotten used to winters, but abandoned kids can only tough it out for so long without the help of a kind adult. Nancy is of average height, and has a to-shoulders haircut. Her tan hair is tucked under a winter cap, and her navy blue coat billows in the breeze. Her hands grip the handle of her shovel/broom, as she occupies herself by staring into space.

Although Nancy's not one to shirk off her work, today has her normally focused thoughts wandering in and out; an untamed house cat looking for trouble. Today was peaceful, and it's looking pretty good for tomorrow too....so why does she feel so much unease? Is it because she's just bored? Is it because it's just too peaceful? Or is it that ever since Van left, she's been able to recall her dreams in vivid detail?

Three guesses, and the first two don't count.

Van Rayleigh is--or---was her friend and fellow orphan a mere half a year ago. Six months. Six months that felt like six decades, or another amount of time that is easy enough to say, hard to consider, even harder to live. At a mere fourteen years old, Van isn't a love interest, more like a little brother. She remembers when Mr. Sikes had brought him home, when he was only four years old. She had taken an instant liking to him, because unlike Nick who could be a little hellion sometimes Van was fairly quiet, and listened to her orders without question. Being the oldest, when Mr. Sikes had to go out for business, he'd leave her in charge. Van would help her with chores, and keep the overzealous Nick out of trouble. He was -to her- the perfect example of a boy.

Though it was around the time she met him, that an innate feeling within her manifested. Although the young Rayleigh never complained about anything -even when he had full right to, she always got the impression from him that he wasn't completely happy where he was. No...that wasn't the complete truth, he was extremely happy being with Nick, Mr. Sikes and herself, but in her eyes it seemed like he was looking for more. Something was missing, and through passive-passive gestures and quiet retrospective, he yearned for it.  So it really shouldn't have come as a surprise that he would one day leave to find what it is he was looking for.

It was, but it wasn't.

The innate feeling had told her that Van would someday leave the sleepy town of Greyashe to seek himself. What was disconcerting is the fact that HE never told her that he'd leave Greyashe and seek himself. She had tried a few times to talk to the boy, to ask him what's on his mind, but he'd always politely deny anything was the matter, and excuse himself. Sometimes Nancy wanted to attribute her feelings to woman's intuition gone wrong, but these feelings could get so strong and feel so right, that she couldn't help but feel like she shouldn't at least try to dig deeper....or find a shrink.

Now Van was gone, and rather than missing him, she feels that it's good he left. Gasping aloud, she glances left and right, as if she had said out loud what she thought. With a heavy sigh, she flips the broom around idly. Maybe she should go home for the day. The hope of any work getting done had long fled with warm weather. She turns to head home, when a voice calls out to her. Nancy turns, not because she was being addressed, but because of what she sees in the person heading towards her.

This person knows, or has met Van recently.

Nancy blinks, and shakes her head. How would I know that?! She tries to understand what her mind is telling her, and make sense of this unwanted yet so desperately needed wave of happiness. For goodness sake, she has no idea who this person is!

The stranger strides up, his boots crunching the salt crystals that the sweepers use to make their job easier. He is tall and slender, and wears a gray winter coat. His long black-bluish hair is tied in a pony tail, and he wears grey army fatigue pants. Once he's standing in front of Nancy, he takes off his sunglasses to reveal friendly, but reserved blue eyes. He smiles warmly and apologies to Nancy for startling her. Nancy replies that she's not bothered, and after the schoolgirl part of her is done taking in the handsome-man part of him, she notes that he has a duffel bag hanging from his side, one that looks particularly heavy. Filing this mental note away, Nancy asks if she can help him. The man grins, and introduces himself as Reid. No last name- buisness reasons, he claims. Nancy introduces herself, and Reid takes her hand and bows. Once again, the schoolgirl threatens to take over her thinking processes, but she regains control. Reid quickly gets to the point, and tells her that he's looking for someone who apparently grew up in this town. He had to follow a few connections, but he's fairly sure he's on the right track. To be absolutely certain though, he wants to ask her a question.

Do you know Van Rayleigh?

Nancy's eye throbs, and she reaches for it. H-H-How did I know? she asks herself, bewildered. Reid notices the girl's sudden change, and asks if she's all right. He takes a look at her face, and blinks in amazement. Nancy fights down the school girl, and asks what the matter is; and Reid stares at her in shock and asks if she really doesn't know. Narrowing her eyes, the girl asks what Reid is getting at, and he gasps when he realizes she doesn't. He stands back, and after chewing on his lip for a minute decides to just tell her.

You're a farseer.

Nancy blinks and stares at Reid for a few moments, and he clarifies that she's really only half a farseer.  He asks if she's ever noticed that one of her green eyes has a slightly different tint than the other. The girl recalls many preening sessions, and realizes that she has noticed it, but never thought too much about her slightly different eye coloration. Reid rubs the back of his head sheepishly, and admits that he didn't mean to break the news to her like that. 

Nancy is already worlds away, realizing that a lot of her feelings made sense now. Especially her knowing without knowing that Van would leave. Suddenly though, she's brought back into orbit by Nick calling her name and pulling her arm. She glances around for Reid, but he's already gone. Nick asks his friend why she was spaced out in the middle of the street, and when Nancy can provide no answer, he shrugs and tells her that it's dinner time. The girl nods, and allows herself to be led away by the young man. Maybe Reid was just a figment of her imagination? But if he was real, and what he said is true, everything is begining to make sense.

As the two come in, they can hear Mr. Sikes already deep in conversation with someone. Nick noisily announces that they're home, and Nancy begins to reprimand him but then she sees who Mr. Sikes is talking to, and nearly bites her tongue. 

Mr. Sikes sits at his desk, and on the opposite end is Reid. His duffel bag leans against a wall, and his coat is hung up on a rack in the corner. Mr. Sikes glances up at his two 'kids' and smiles a greeting at them. Nick frowns, and asks who the 'pretty-boy' is, while Nancy tries to pick up her fallen jaw. Reid smiles and waves sheepishly, admitting that he had to take a leak before he exploded, and that's why he ran off earlier. Truth is, he had come to see Mr. Sikes, but he had no idea that Nancy was staying with him. That might have saved some time in running around....

The lady and gentleman sit at the dining table while Mr. Sikes observes Nick at the stove. It was his turn to cook, and unlike last time, it would be good if everyone didn't go to bed hungry, and with a bad case of diarrhea.  Reid apologies, but Nancy won't have any of it; she turns away from him, her expression sour.  Satisfied with Nick's progress, Mr. Sikes comes in and pats the girl on the back. He reminds her that Reid is a guest, and shouldn't get the cold(er) shoulder. Nancy glances at him and sighs, giving in to her foster parent's wishes. Sikes then goes on to note that Reid has told him of her discovery, and that it's good cause to celebrate.

The girl frowns, and asks Sikes if he knows anything about her heritage, and he shakes his head in the negative. She had literally wandered into his home, half dead. He had only intended to take care of her until her parents showed up, but it wasn't long until little Nancy had cleaned up his house, and organized his library in exchange for the food he had so graciously given her.  Sikes besides being a foster father is also the unofficial town historian, because of his fondness for the past and research. Being a bachelor had  been tough on him though, so little Nancy cleaning up his shelves and keeping his room tidy had been a blessing from the gods. Normally sweepers were family affairs, and passed from parent to child, but Sikes had requested Nancy be given a chance because of how much of a 'blessing' she had been to him.  The man is very well respected, so it wasn't long until Nancy, then Nick, and finally Van were dutifully employed. Unfortunately, Sikes still has no idea where she came from, or who her parents were, so he couldn't help there.

Reid taps his temple, and asks if she can remember anything about her parents? Sikes replies for her; she was almost a teenager when she became a part of his life, but oddly anything before finding him had strangely been wiped from her memory. Reid nods, and surmises that her memories may have been manipulated by someone, although he cant think of who or why.

He then goes on to reveal that he met Van in his journeys, and had come to thank him properly for saving his life. The trio listen intently as Reid explains the battle in No Heaven, and how the boy had been there. He also points out that Van too seems to be a farseer like Nancy, but a full fledged one.

Once again, the young lady is taken aback. Van? A farseer? Even more pieces of the puzzle fit into place. Could the sense of longing she felt from Van be for his people? No wonder, the boy had been torn between the family that had raised him, and the one that had created him...

Reid had no idea where to find Van after that, and as a man who doesn't overlook debts, he began searching for him. He had heard that he grew up in Greyashe, and figured this would be the best place to begin his search -or end it- since Van may have headed home already. Apparently though, the boy hadn't been here at all, so his search would have to continue. Nick is floored by the stories though, and glances at Nancy, wondering if the teenage nag could seriously be a farseer. She shoots him a look, and he is quiet. Reid then turns to the group and reveals that he has another point of info to share with everyone, in exchange for their hospitality.

During his travels to find Van, he had heard several stories in connection with farseers, and the incoming end of the world. Sikes raises an eyebrow, and remarks that he had heard that the world was in a perilous state, but 'incoming end'? That's a bit over dramatic isn't it? Nancy and Nick both glance between the two men, something between fear and anticipation waging war on their faces. Reid nods, and continues; again stating that these are just rumors he's heard. Apparently, things are a lot worse than anyone had ever thought. The scramble for the farseers had turned into a flat out frenzy, as the rumor has it that they know how to avert an apocalypse. No one has had any luck though; and that includes the goddesses. The clock is ticking, and now all sorts of people are crawling out of the woodwork, hoping to find the farseers and save their own skin.

Nancy asks what farseers could do to save or prevent the world from ending, and Reid answers with a shrug. Her guess is as good as his. They're in high demand, and as time slips by, people are willing to do anything to get their hands on them.  He had actually wanted to offer Van his help, since he's a hot commodity, but it seems like the boy is doing fine on his own. Nancy worries about Van, but Reid points out that she should worry about herself now. It's actually extremely rare to be a half-farseer, since the trait either shows up or doesn't at all. The way the world is now though, it wouldn't be a stretch of the imagination to think that someone would be more than happy to deal with half rather than none.

Sikes nods, and vows to protect Nancy with his own life. Not to be outdone, Nick does the same, and smiles at his friend, admitting that he'd miss her nagging. Nancy smiles and tells the boys that they don't have to worry about her, as she plans on keeping her discovery a secret. She then turns to Reid and thanks him, as his guidance had lead her to a few conclusions of her own.  She surmises that being around Van may have stirred her sleeping half, and his leaving woke it up. She knows she still has a lot to learn about her power, but intends to continue as she is now, a proud sweeper in Greyashe. Reid grins, and admits that it's for the best. Nick realizes that the food is burning, and everyone laughs before realizing that there won't be any food tonight unless someone heads out. Reid offers to, and Nancy tags along to show him the way.

On the way to the store, Nancy asks Reid if Van looked healthy, and he confirms that he did. Nancy breathes a sigh of relief, and smiles happily. She recalls how Van was the type of person to put everyone else before himself, and would need a push from her to eat and take a break properly. Even with that, he was a gentle spirit, and a good person to have as a friend. Reid agrees, and promises to find him, and let the boy know that no matter what happens, he has friends at home. Nancy thanks him for this, and with a smile tells him to spit out what else he knows.  Reid stands shocked, and then laughs. He just pointed out what she truly is, and she's already got that much of a grip on her powers huh?

He tells her that her memories being manipulated might be a sign that she knew something that she shouldn't have, which leads to his next thought. What if, it isn't something the farseers could do that has them in high demand, but something they know? Nancy tilts her head inquisitively, and asks Reid to clarify. He puts the facts together. The farseers had once predicted the world ending, and for the most part seem to have lived untouched all of these years. What if, what if there were some kind of knowledge that allowed them to avoid the world end calamity? If it were something only they could do, then what hope did non-farseers have to accomplish it? Knowledge however could change hands and become whatever people want.  Nancy fixes her gaze forward, and without looking at Reid adds that perhaps the farseers have a knowledge that people shouldn't have, and it is their misfortune to shoulder a fate of keeping ahead of people who chase something they don't understand.

Reid gazes at the half-farseer, and with a huff asks where they can find food that's tastes good. The unhealthier; the better.