TIMESTAMP: 5th of Winter, 524 A.V.
Shadekas had tossed and turned all night. And as the morning light kissed the tops of the palms in the western part of the jungle, Shade finally woke with a start from those disturbing dreams. He glanced around for a moment as if he didn't know where he was before he realized the breeze was all the pure green of Syka and not the hot temperate air of Nyka. He was a man grown and not a boy.
With the turning of the season and the coming of winter, Shade had felt a deep restlessness that seemed to infuse his soul. He'd been in Syka such a short time, yet everything here was different. It felt so wrong that bitter ice-laden winds hadn't descended on the settlement and frosted everything white.
Instead, the sun was still bright, the sand and water were warm, and there was no sign of the season of death descending. His dreams were filled with his childhood, where he'd daily worked in a stone quarry in Nyka breaking up rocks to get to the ore inside. It had given him a strong body, though food had been scarce. He often woke hungry, afraid of that his next meal wouldn't manifest itself. He was covered with sweat, breathing rapidly, and his mind wondering for that liminal moment between asleep and waking which refuse pile might yield enough food to keep a little boy alive.
Then the moment passed and he'd realize he was a man grown, and far away from that stone city with its poisoned soul. Swinging out of his hammock, Shade slid his bare feet onto the sanded wood of his deck and stretched. Bones cracked and muscles protested but then gave up their protest as the warm onshore flow of the wind ruffled his overlong hair. He reached up to push the rogue locks out of his eyes, then took the stairs down from the living quarters above Bangles and Blooms. Padding past the shop, Shade headed down the beach for a quick morning swim. He liked that about Syka. There was always fresh water, either from the roof cistern for a shower, or at the beach for a swim.
After he swam out in the calm water and returned to the sand in a quarter-hour, Shade wandered up the beach to utilize the shower to rinse the salt off his skin. Then he raided his pantry for fruit to break his fast. Then, Shade packed his bag for a quick trip around the settlement to gather some fresh flowers. His current assortment was drooping and he needed to remake some of the available arrangements. Checking his to-do list for the day, he saw that Stu over at the Tidepool also wanted a few smaller arrangements for the tables at his bar. That would require even more flowers.
Since Shade had opened for business, some of the locals had started supporting him in subtle ways by ordering weekly deliveries that at least kept him afloat. He sold table arrangements to the Tidepool. The Protea Inn ordered lavish bouquets for their upper crust rooms and smaller cheerful modest arrangements for their downstairs more cheaper accommodations.
The Founders also now gave out coupons to people who rented out the Cabanas so they could drop by and get a welcome bouquet from the shop as well. Shade realized, looking at the list, that he'd need quite a few flowers for today.
Shouldering his pack, after dressing in his snake boots and long sleeves, he headed out to explore the settlement and see who might be out and about. Gathering flowers took time, and since he needed so many, he grabbed one of his wooden buckets and stopped at the nearest stream to fill it with water. He'd pack it with him for the fresh cut flowers to keep them hydrated and healthy for the trip back to the shop.
He checked the Commons first, half to see what was growing wild on the fringe, but also to see if there were any new faces. Then his wandering feet would spiral him out further afield to find useful colorful blooms.
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