Where the Dark Heart Is

[Shari]

The 45th day of Winter in the 509th year AV


Home is where the heart is...

Sure, you could call it home in theory. Shari preferred to consider it a dwelling rather than a home, however. This small cottage felt more like a deserted prison than any home she was ever familiar with. The floor was covered with dust and dirt and the lonely table and chair marking the center of the single room almost repelled any sane mind from having a seat. The bed and a small chest lined the wall adjacent to the hearth which looked as if it had not been used since the place was built. Taking account of all her belongings, the door standing wide open beside her truly was the only evidence that the place was not a prison.

Shaking her head, the Myrian made a mental oath to herself to avoid spending much time here. Shari had greater plans and would only use this space as a location to sleep when other prospects fell through. Myri let me succeed, she thought as she took a breath and recollected herself from the disappointment she found herself standing in. It was all that was left after her mother passed away not long ago. Well, this old place and the beret Shari wore in her hair. Trying to weigh the worth of the cottage against that of the beret, Shari would run her fingers through her long black hair and quickly decide that the heirloom reminded her more of her mother and therefore gave the item the upper hand. Shari felt she gained strength through her mother. She smiled.

The corner of her lips pulled upwards so slightly while the lids of her eyes settled comfortably. Shari felt she was ready. Most importantly, her mother told her she was ready before dying and that was all the convincing she needed. Taloba was such a glorious city for her people and Shari wanted nothing more than to devote her life to enriching the city and delivering all her strengths to any Myrian that needed her. Though the precise direction she was going to take eluded her, the woman realized it would come to her when the gods deemed appropriate.

She turned her back on the taunting table and chair and moved into her doorway. Observing her small area of the city for however many bells may have passed, Shari could never feel more connected to her city and her race. Glancing back over her shoulder after a while, she pursed her lips and gave a slight shrug. This place may not feel like home, but the city itself would always be home to her.

Home is where the dark heart is... Yes, by Myri, she was home.

[Cayenne]

OOCPsst! We're in 509 AV.

In Taloba, families usually lived together, generations all on top of the other, and it could get crowded. And when it got crowded, and there were a lot of people with very strong personalities, tempers flared and arguments and fights broke out. Some of them were serious enough that a mother might take her children, and move them out of the family dwelling to a new one. And sometimes, people just wanted a bit of space. But for whatever reason Shari's mother had bought this place... and passed the title to her daughter.

And now, well, it was all hers. It was different from the more traditional familial houses - it was much smaller, it wasn't filled with children running in and out. But there was nothing she couldn't do to brighten it up - a thorough cleaning, some personal touches, and it might become something she wanted to stay in.

When she turned back around, she was facing a young looking female, about her own age, who was smiling brightly at her. Her belly was fat, indicating a child --or two? Goddess, she was big-- in there, and she smelled earthy, like one who worked with clay. It was a good smell. Her hair, braided from her forehead to the tips in a raised braid was a rich brown-black, although the last hand length or so was dyed blue. Dressed in a cotton shift, she was carrying a woven reed basket against one hip. Accompanying her was a pair of youngsters, a boy of perhaps eight or so, and a girl of 10 or 11. The grinning boy, dressed in a loincloth with bits of clay on his face and arms, along with numerous bruises and scrapes, was carrying another rounded basket, though oval in shape, with edges that turned up, its edges woven and hemmed with bright blue linen. The girl was more solemn, carrying a heavy clay pot, the sort you could stick in the hearth and cook in. Her right upper arm was bandaged, as was the right thigh to the knee, and her hair was braided into two plaits. Someone, apparently, had had a rough day in class. Injuries were common.

"Good afternoon," the young woman held her free hand up in a bit of a wave, and out in an offer to clasp her forearm, a common greeting. "I'm Gess of the Moonlit Waters. This is Acal," the boy waved, "and Inezi." The girl child didn't wave, holding onto that pot as she was as if her life depended on it, but she nodded as she did. "We understand you just moved in, so we thought we would come and see if we could offer a hand with it," Gess grinned at her. "It isn't every day someone moves in by themselves without their family."

"We brought food," Inezi spoke up, hefting the pot a little higher for emphasis.

[Shari]

Shari had been lost in thought and contemplation. Recently her life had been empty and lacking in answers much the same way as this house of hers. Regardless of the condition of her new house or what life had thrown her way as of late, the Myrian certainly felt connected to Taloba more now than ever before and that feeling comforted her more than she could have anticipated. The knowledge that she now owned something in her city filled those vacancies that sat as gloomy gaping holes in her soul and encouraged her spirits to be lifted.

Likewise, the sudden arrival of a small but potentially growing family, one which seemed so completely Myrian with the homemade pots and welcoming attitude, warmed her heart. Gess immediately gave off the genuine appearance of somebody wanting to welcome a neighbor with open arms. Quite literally, her arms were open for Shari and her children's arms were encumbered with food. The image before her sent Shari's lips into a bright smile as all those feelings of emptiness shattered and she merrily replied, "Welcome! Hello, hello." Her eyes made contact with both Acal and Inezi as she greeted them. She gestured for them all to come in before her previous thoughts of how empty and confining this house made her feel came flooding back to her with such a force that Shari felt embarrassed.

Gess' statement about just moving in lessened the embarrassment and Shari hoped the feeling did not yield any outward tells. The pregnant woman seemed to understand her situation, at least on the surface, which assisted in Shari regaining her composure. With another smile to the boy after he so proudly displayed his offerings, Shari responded to them. "I'm Shari of the Poisoned Arrow. You all are so wonderful for coming here. I would hate to ask for your help when I could manage myself, but I'm so flattered by your compassion!"

Noticing how the girl's demeanor did not quite match the enthusiasm contained by that of her brother's, Shari squatted in front of her and held out her hands as her eyes quickly scanned the bandages wrapping her right side before settling calmly on those young ones before her. She continued to smile as she offered, "Here, let me take that for you, dear." It seemed as if Inezi had a bit of a rough lesson today and Shari wanted to ease the girl's mood while being careful not to take away the valuable learning points such a lesson teaches young Myrians.

[Cayenne]

"We know you could manage," Gess agreed with a broad smile, "but we thought we'd come over anyway. There's some pig stew in the pot for dinner... cooked, already, so all you have to do is heat it later when you're hungry." It was a heavy pot, too, no matter what food had been crammed into it, as Shari discovered when she took it from the girl-child. Its walls and bottom were thick, a good type for baking and cooking with, and it was loaded, which explained why Inezi, with all of her injuries no doubt mistakes made and lessons learned from class, was having some difficulties with it.

"Thank you," Inezi grinned at Shari at last, rubbing her wrists before reaching for the basket Acal carried, which, as Shari could see, was loaded with cleaning supplies. He automatically adjusted for her, and Inezi took one of the rags and a folded leg bucket from the basket, and went to go load it up, and Acal offered Gess the basket. The young woman took it, and Acal hurried to meet up with his sister at one of the many rain barrels outside. Gess set the woven basket down on the table, taking out some colourful rags. These were remnants of clothing far too tattered to be repaired. They would do for dusting and scrubbing.

"We'll get started when they get back. If you have children available, may as well use them," Gess laughed. "My youngest siblings. It's good for them. Acal is steady, especially with the clay, but Inezi, less so. No patience for it... or for anything else, as a fact, but she's learning," she shook her head. As far as Gess was concerned, Inezi could certainly stand to learn something from her brother. But while you could lead one of those Leopardbreds to the rain barrel, you couldn't make them drink. Shari, having grown up with the Myrian school of hard knocks and multiple bruises, could well guess Inezi's 'learning' of patience.

"So what do you do, Shari of the Poisoned Arrow? Do you practice a craft, too?" 'Too', naturally, assumed she had all of the skills that a Myrian needed to achieve adulthood, and military time besides. The kids were back, then, each carrying a leg bucket full of rainwater. A leg bucket was simply one of the longer legs of a Jagara or Leopardbred hide, or other such creature, tanned and smoked and stitched into a cone around a collapsible reed frame that could be shook out and filled with water. They were useful for toting. Inezi was carrying a pair of brooms, which Gess took from her, offering one to Shari before beginning an energetic sweeping herself. "The hearth, walls, table, chairs," she instructed the children, who immediately set to work on what they could reach as Gess returned her attention to Shari.

[Shari]

Shari hardly had the opportunity to comprehend everything that the wonderful trio was doing for her before she had a broom in her hand and was helping sweep out the old place. The young ones were scrubbing and washing the furniture and anything else they could reach while also manned with a broom, and admittedly working much harder than Shari was so far, was their apparent older sister. Seeing the little girl smile made Shari feel so wonderful and allowed her to remember when she was that small. At that age, everything that did not go her way seemed like the end of all life as she knew it but it inevitably took only the smallest act of kindness to turn everything around. Of course anything her brother could do would only make the situation worse, but that is only the natural response for siblings of that age.

As the young ones worked, the boy with his original enthusiasm and the girl with a renewed desire to help, Gess asked Shari about what she did. The question was only a natural one for Myrians unfamiliar with each other in Taloba. Everyone did their part in society and no job went unnoticed or unappreciated. Though Shari grew up in this community, she felt that lately her life had sort of left a void in that space in which an occupation would typically fill. She had participated in the community where she could, but she had not put forth an honest effort yet to pursue the crafts she wanted to eventually master and put to good use for her fellow Myrians.

In response to the question posed, Shari said, "I will be honing my tracking and hunting skills but in combination with the art of poison. I feel that I can put that combination to good use for us," she caught the other woman's eye and gave a wink before pushing a growing cluster of dirt and dust out the open door. She moved back to the opposite corner of the room and helped the young girl's reach by taking her cloth and wiping down a ledge slightly too high and out of reach. With a smile, she handed the cloth back and asked Gess, "How about you? What is it that you do or what are your aspirations, other than being an incredibly kind neighbor?" Shari gave a warm smile as she continued her small part in cleaning her own home.

[Cayenne]

"Absolutely," Gess smiled at Shari. "I should have known, with you being of the Poisoned Arrows. I work with the clay. Pots, plates, jars, beads," she explained. "I've learned from your Alyke." Alyke of the Poisoned Arrow. Shari would recognize the name - while some Myrian families were properly enormous, those who excelled became commonplace names. Alyke was an expert craftswoman, shaping, carving, sculpting the clay into whatever she wanted to make. Her ability to make sculptures and totems was particularly well-noted. Some said she was blessed by Semele, that the earth talked to her... and when she spoke, it listened.

"The Moonlit Waters doesn't really specialize like some families do. Not like the Jagged Blades, or the Tiger Eyed... those started long ago by Myri's daughters because of their own skills and abilities. You know what I mean," Gess shrugged slightly. The Jagged Blades were combat fanatics, whereas the Tiger Eyed tended to excel at scouting and hunting. It wasn't that any particular path was forced on them... it just seemed to be the way they ended out. The Poisoned Arrows tended to be masters of archery and of mixing poisons and herbal solutions. But not all of them followed that path - Alyke was a prime example. While she was perfectly adept at them, her own life had given her another path - she had followed the earth and sought the clays and dyes. Gess attacked a corner with the broom, getting at some stubborn bits of dust and cobwebs that rather liked themselves where they were. "With the waters... one sees only the top, which could be perfectly still. But underneath, who knows? Who sees it?" the pregnant woman smiled at Shari. "I'd like to get better at it... but practice makes perfect, neh?"

The children were keeping their mouths shut during this exchange, although Inezi had stopped scrubbing so hard to listen to her elder sister and their new neighbour. "Do you have a dog?" the girl interrupted, looking over her shoulder from where she was on her knees working on the legs of the table with the cloth. "Or any animals at all?" Acal looked up too, curious as well. They liked dogs. Everyone who went hunting did well to take a tiger or a dog with them. Some even kept panthers for hunting partners. Gess smiled at Inezi's question, shaking her head, only to continue to move the pile of dust and remnants towards the center of the room.