Flashback Happy Birthday!

[Zanne]

Fall, Day 2, 504

Zane frantically ran down East Street. He had promised her that he would get her a gift. But somehow, it had slpped his mind. Some brother he was. He knew that her birthday had been coming up for many days now. Shiress had been unsubtly dropping hints that it would be arriving soon and how she would be very displeased if he forgot, again. That's not to say that Zane didn't care enough to get her a gift, after all he always made sure to make time to play with her on her birthday. But when it came to gifts, he was just never able to find something satisfactory.

Every year, he skipped his sparring lessons to go out and look for a suitable gift, but he felt that nothing was ever good enough for his little sister. And to hide his failure, he would always go out into the woods and build up a sweat. Then return home with the excuse that he had been in a fight and forgot to get her something in the excitement. Of course, this always caused his parents to take him away and punish him for his indiscretions. But when that was all said and done, Zane always returned to his sister, and told her the tale of how her brother was able to beat up some guy. Shiress seemed to prefer hearing about a brave older brother that she knew she could count on whenever there was a bully around. It was unknown if she ever knew that he was lying, Zane thought that he was pretty convincing since he would show her the bruises on his body. This was the only time of the year where he allowed his sister to see the damage that their father was capable of. If only she knew.

Zane eventually made his way out of East street. Shyke! There's nothing here worthwhile! The boy then found a building with a sign, Treasures of the Sea . He wandered inside, and it was filled with many glorious things. Some looked like really expensive objects, such as pearls and treasure chests. While others were less fascinating, such as an old map with an X on it, or dusty bones. But there was something on display that caught the boy's eye. An oddly shaped necklace. He would have bought it then and there, if he had brought the mizas with him. So, Zane had to leave the shop and head back home.

When he arrived home, Zane was careful to slip inside quietly. He didn't want to alert Shiress or his parents to what he was up to. His hand slipped into his parents bag, and pulled out a few mizas. He quickly stuffed them into his pocket and he began to tip toe out of the cottage.

Holy Petch! I can't believe I just did that! Ma' and Pa' are sure gonna be mad about this later! But, at least Shiress will have a good gift this year!

[Shiress]

"Happy birthday to me" muttered Shiress, slinging another wet shirt across the clothes line.

Like any young girl on her birthday, Shiress was excited from the time her eyes had opened early that morning. Not that she had lavish birthday gifts waiting, the girl hardly got a cake, but because it was her day, her special day, that was all her own. Her mother, however, was quick to remind her that this day was like any other, ordinary day and that chores were to be done, and, so it was, Shiress was stuck with doing laundry.

She made the best of it, though, as she always did, and quickly had the line filled and was heading back inside, when she stopped to admire her rose bush. It wasn't just any old rose bush, but one that was personally touched by the Goddess Bala. Ten years earlier, the Goddess had approached Shiress and offered the girl her mark, and in turn, breathed new life into her rose, giving it brilliant color and beautiful blooms for seasons since.

Placing the basket by her feet Shiress stooped and plucked a rose from the bush and secured it in her hair. A girl needs to look pretty on her special day. As she turned to retrieve the basket, a shadow past by the window near her. Smiling, and thinking she could spy out possible birthday preparations, Shiress slid up to the window and peered in.

"Ah" she whispered, looking disappointed "It's only Zane.." No hope of a birthday surprise from him, she knew, and the excitement written on her face faded and she began to turn away, but hesitated. "What is he..." Shiress' words trailed off with a gasp, as she watched her brother tuck stolen coins into his pocket, before he fled from the room.

"I'm so gonna get you in trouble" she said, dropping the basket and marching her way around the house. Just as she reached the front yard, the cottage door swung open. She hurried over to the porch and slid in behind the door, her hand raised for a good, hard swat at her brother's head.

CRAAACK

"Are you crazy?!" she said, stepping around and shaking the sting from her hand. "I saw what you did and I'm so gonna tell!"

[Zanne]

Zane's entire body jerked in response to being unexpectedly hit. His mind was so focused on the confusion of the matter that he was oblivious to the sound of a single gold miza falling out of his pocket and clattering onto the ground below. The situation was quickly resolved when he heard his sisters voice threatening him. Shyke! She saw me! That ruins the surprise I suppose. Though its better that it was her and not father. He struggled to bite his tongue lest the dreadful word slip out. As far as he knew, Shiress had never heard the word before and he didn't want to be the one to be punished if she repeated it.

"No wait! You wouldn't want to do that to your dear older brother now would you? And especially not after he found you the best birthday present ever!"

An uncontrolled grin took hold of his face. This year would not be a failure like the others. Zane was determined to get the necklace for her, and to finally earn her respect. No doubt their parents would question him endlessly on where he got the mizas for her gift, but Zane believed that they wouldn't dare take it back from her.

Zane grabbed Shiress hand and jerked her along as he headed back to the shop. It took considerably less time to get there now that he had a sense of where he was going. "It's right in here! After you, m'lady." He said excitedly as he held the door open as his sister passed through it. It wasn't everyday that it was her birthday, so he was trying his personal best to make this a memorable one.

While she browsed the store, he went immediately to the treasure that caught his eye once before. With the necklace in hand, he slowly approached Shiress with the intent of fastening it around her neck. In Zane's opinion, the necklace had suited her perfectly though it did little to compliment her eyes. In fact, there was little to no reason for him to suspect that she would appreciate that necklace. This was yet another example of why Zane had never been able to find a present suitable for his sister, but this was the one that he held the most confidence in.

"So, Shiress whaddya think?! Isn't it amazing or what? I'm sure everyone in Zeltiva, maybe even all of Sylira will be jealous! Though I suppose I'll have to teach ya how to defend yourself so that no one can take it from ya!"

Zane chuckled lightly at the thought of his little sister growing up in his footsteps and becoming a "fearsome female fighter." Though it wasn't an impossibility, it just didn't really seem that necessary. The only reason he decided to learn self-defense was because he was tired of suffering at his fathers hands. Even though it didn't stop the beatings, his physical training at least made them much more tolerable. Since he didn't think Shiress had ever been assaulted, he neglected to train her. And even if she were, the person who did it would be damned if Zane ever found out. Family or not.