Sweet spring sun

[Cleon]

66th of Spring, 522 AV

It was difficult to get anything done the couple of days it took for Faye to grow out of infancy. Earlier in the season he’d had support from friends like Oralie but as the season wore on and the curses started to wear everyone down, it felt like he was on his own. His own curse was afflicting him rather badly the later into the season they got. Most days it was all he could think about, and if he didn’t at least satisfy a couple of urges he wouldn’t be able make himself get out of bed the next day. This was one of those bad days.

He had been trying to read the same passage in his book for about a bell now while Faye took a nap in their bed. It wasn’t a particularly hard passage to understand but he kept getting distracted part of the way through reading it. His mind was prone to tangents, making links that didn’t quite line up. The passage itself was Jungle Ixam, which made him briefly wonder if the book was playing games with him at times.

[Jungle Ixam are the smallest type of Ixam and tend to roam in packs of three to four adults to avoid predation from crocodiles, big cats, and large constrictors. Because of their small size, they can afford ecologically to maintain a roughly carnivorous diet of fish, frogs, and other reptiles.

Their hunting habits reputably mimic that of wolves. Long claws, and razor sharp teeth in combination with the cooperation of the pack ensures the successful capture of prey or defense of their pack.

Compared to other Ixam, Jungle Ixam have shorter tails on average and typically have dark green skin with vibrant blue veins underneath that glow at night. They also possess long highly flexible toes that are great for gripping all sorts of surfaces which make them exceptional climbers.

A group of ixam is known as a lounge, and typically consists of 3 to 4 lizards with a mix of genders. Because of their social nature, domesticating one of these ixam is significantly easier than that of their solitary cousins, the mountain ixam.

Jungle ixam generally prefer to spend their days relaxing and soaking in the sun while their nights are spent hunting with the pack. When it comes time to breed, jungle ixam typically make their nests at the base of trees, covering them with sticks and mud before leaving the eggs to later hatch on their own.]

An below that brief passage was a sketch of what the jungle ixam looked like in a lounge, which was a sight quite familiar to him. Of course he had wondered about the creatures from time to time and their preference for sunning around the Inn. However because they had never bothered him, and he had never tried to bother them, he wasn’t exactly sure about how to feel about them. He recalled some boy playing fetch with them not so long ago, but that almost seemed a world away this morning.

Before he could get much traction to his thoughts, Faye woke up with a sudden start. Knowing exactly where this was going having done this routine a few times this season, Cleon cleared his throat as she started to make her way over to where he was sitting.

“Eh? What did we talk about earlier? You need to get dressed before we go anywhere.” He said. Because today she was six years old, Cleon didn’t have much of a choice in what he could let her wear so they’d settled on her old shirt because while it was big on her, it was less so than other clothes she had to wear for the rest of the season and it didn’t much matter if she got it dirty.

Of course he didn’t like to go out with her looking like a mess and wearing just an over sized shirt so while she complained about being hungry he worked on getting her herded in the right direction so they could go get something to eat. Closing his book with a sigh, he reached into the bag beside his chair to grab a comb which he used to try taming her unruly mass of blond bed head. Then once it looked halfway decent, he looked down at her and gave a little half smile.

“Come on. Put on your shirt and we’ll go grab something to eat.” Cleon said, holding up a finger when she tried to argue. “No. Nuh uh. None of that young lady. Get your shirt on before I get mad, and we stay in here all day.” Cleon said, and finally she did as he asked going over to pull on a shirt. It didn’t look great, that worn out old gray thing that looked like a rag, but at least it covered the important bits without falling off of her.

Gesturing her closer, he wrapped his belt around her waist and cinched it gently before standing up out of his chair. Grabbing her hand, he lead Faye to the common room where he saw more than a few people milling about. There he grabbed a couple of cold sandwiches for them before taking a seat at the end of the long table.

WC - 884

[Faye]

Faye woke up to the sound of her stomach growling, and her brother fiddling around with a book. Rolling over in the bed, she stared at her brother for a moment before she crawled out from beneath the blankets to stand beside him. Of course she ignored his first suggestion, and instead loitered around him, looking at his book until he closed it with a huff.

“I’m hungry.” She complained now that she had his full attention. Of course she wanted to go eat now, but Cleon insisted on brushing out her hair before making her get dressed in clothes that were too big for her.

“I don’t wanna.” She didn’t see why she had to wear them anyways because she saw plenty of other Sykans go without in the water so why couldn’t she in the INN. Still her brother insisted, and they compromised with an over sized shirt before finally he took her out to get some food.

“Ok, now we eat?” Of course he insisted she hold his hand which she didn’t mind as she skipped down the hallway, half swinging at the end of his arm as they went along. The common room had a few people that Faye didn’t quite recognize so she stuck close with Cleon as he procured them a few sandwiches before getting them a seat at the end of the table.

Faye didn’t waste much time either tucking into her sandwich, humming “Mmmm” loudly as she chewed and swung her feet together. She didn’t pay much attention to Cleon other than to notice he wasn’t eating much, and seemed to be more thirsty instead. When Cleon offered her the rest of his sandwich she took it with a giggle, happy to eat the rest of the charred pork stuck between two pieces of fresh bread.

Then when she was nice and full she started playing with the bits of crust on her plate till Cleon noticed and took their plates to get cleaned up. When she asked for her plate she handed it to him happily, then nodded vigorously about his warning for her to stay in one spot. The promise of going to the swings was a serious one and she wouldn’t do anything that might change his mind. When he returned, he picked her up which she also didn’t mind too much except when she smelled him. Crinkling her nose as she shot him a dirty look.

“You stink.” She complained, but after Cleon didn’t respond she took to watching where he was taking them and when she saw the swings in the distance she started to bounce with excitement. She nodded quickly at Cleon’s suggestion, though she hesitated when she saw a group of the other children heading over. Then Cleon set her down on the ground and grabbed her by the hand while she dragged her feet as he started to head towards the children. She wasn’t much of a fan of meeting so many strangers at once but went along with her brother anyways.

WC - 508

[Cleon]

He wasn’t feeling particularly hungry so while Faye ate, he un-stoppered his empty wine bottle and touching his charm to the top of it had it filled with the Bluevein gold it once had been. When the charm was done doing its work, he took a swig from the bottle before stoppering it. He let the wine sit on his tongue for a bit before swallowing. It had a warm, homey taste to it with a sweet aftertaste that was hard to place. Whatever all of these flavors were, they were good and he had to resist drinking down the whole bottle in one go.

Looking over at Faye he saw she was pretty content paying attention to her meal so he dared another swig before putting the bottle in his bag. He always felt self conscious about his drinking, especially during the day. He had a feeling that people were looking at him, judging him for it even though it didn’t feel like he had much of a choice. Of course when he was watching Faye around this age, he felt that the glances were so much more accusing and ended up with not much an appetite for the rest of lunch, just picking at his plate until offering it to Faye to finish off.

He wasn’t really that hungry anyways. Cleon just wanted to go off somewhere to drink in peace, preferably a place where Faye could keep herself occupied for a time while he did that. Fortunately there was such a place he had in mind, and when he finally noticed that Faye was finished with her meal he decided he would take her there.

“Alright, wait right here Faye while I wash these dishes. Don’t move, and if you are a good girl, we will go to the swings okay?” Cleon asked as he gathered up their plates. Once he got a nod from his sister, he went to go wash up and when he returned he picked Faye up, placing her on his hip as he walked out of the Inn.

He crinkled his nose right back at Faye when along the way she made a comment about his smell.

“Well you don’t smell much better yourself. Maybe if you woke up a little earlier we could have gotten washed up.” Cleon said with a slight chuckle, but as they walked he took a cautious sniff of himself. He didn’t smell like anything in particular, except for wine, and blushing he realized that must be what she was commenting on. Feeling more than a little embarrassed he tried not to think about that too keenly as they crossed the beach towards the swings where he saw a number of other children gathered. It was a familiar assortment of boys and girls there.

Senora, Brea, Kelton, and Luke. He met their gazes individually before placing Faye on the sand to stand beside him.

“Hey guys, mind if we join you?” Cleon asked rubbing the back of his neck as he noticed Faye and Brea trade a shy look. Kelton and Luke shrugged before going back to their conversation playing with sand castles. Senora pretty much pretended not to hear him other than to give him a shy glance before looking at the ground below the swing she sat in as if her feet were particularly interesting. Brea on the other hand was the only one that made prolonged eye contact with them, particularly with Faye so Cleon decided to approach her with Faye in tow.

“Hey Brea, remember me from the pool? This is my little sister Faye.” Cleon said.

“Hi Faye.” Brea said with a small wave.

When Faye didn’t respond, Cleon looked down to see her hiding herself against his leg he gave her a playful swat on the backside.

“Come on Faye. Don’t be rude. Introduce yourself.” Cleon said, and suddenly regretted that second swig as he started to slur his words a bit. Combined with the heat of the day it was starting to make his head feel a little fuzzy. Blinking several times, he smiled when Faye then finally introduced herself and went off with Brea to go enjoy the swings. Just in time too because Cleon was suddenly feeling in need of a lie down.

Cleon settled for a nearby palm which he sat underneath before propping his back against it. He hadn’t meant to fall asleep, only close his eyes long enough for his head to stop swimming, but it crept up on him before he knew it as the warm spring afternoon quietly lulled him into a nap.

WC - 770

[Faye]

Avoiding the gaze of the much taller boys, she focused in on a girl who was about her height and gave a quick little smile that the other girl returned after a brief hesitation. Then Cleon had the nerve to walk her over to the girl, and introduce them. Faye had never felt so embarrassed in her life. She covered her face, burying herself against his leg as the girl named Brea tried to introduce herself.

Then she looked up at Cleon as he playfully swatted her, and then shared a shy glance with Brea.

“Hello Brea.”

“Hi Faye. Do you want to swing with me?” Brea asked, fidgeting with her hands and occasionally looking down at her feet.

“Um okay. Do you want to swing first?” Faye asked.

“No, you can.” Brea said with a smile.

“Alright.” Faye said and after looking at Cleon added. “Thanks” Faye said before following Brea to one of the swings and taking a seat. It was kind of fun swinging just above the sand in this strange wooden chair. There was a hint of a breeze and every time she went up her shirt fluttered funnily in the wind. Brea was also giggling while she pushed which helped Faye feel a lot less nervous. Occasionally she would over at Cleon for support, but she was actually kind of enjoying swinging with Brea.

“Um, Brea?” Faye asked eventually after they had been swinging for a while.

“Yes?” Brea asked, and there was a bit of hesitation to her voice as if she expected the question.

“Why do you have six arms?” Faye asked.

Brea shrugged. “I don’t know. I was just born that way. Someone said I’m a Eyphirian whatever that means.” Brea said as she pushed.

“Is it fun having six arms?” Faye asked.

“Yeah, I suppose so.” Brea said and then giggled. “I’m pretty good at pushing people on swings at least.”

Faye giggled too. They stuck to swinging quietly for a while after that, occasionally giggling as they switched places a few times. Eventually though when she started to get thirsty, Faye looked over at Cleon who appeared to be sleeping in the sand.

“Is that your brother?” Brea asked.

“Yes.” Faye said softly, suddenly a little curious.

“Is he alright?” Brea asked.

“Yeah I think so. I think he is just sleepy. He’s been sleepy a lot lately.” Faye said as Brea slowly let the swing slow down to a halt.

“Lets go check on him.” Brea suggested.

Faye nodded and together they went over to check on him, and Faye gave him a little prod with her foot.

“Wakey wakey Cleon.”

When he woke up, she frowned at him till he said something. Then with a huff, and putting her hands on her hips, she fixed him with a firm look.

“Its. Been. Bells!.” She exclaimed. “I’m thirsty!”


WC - 479

[Cleon]

Cleon opened his eyes to see Faye and Brea standing over him. Shielding himself to the sun, he blinked several times hoping that the throbbing in his head would go away. When it didn’t, he took in a deep breath and swallowed, suddenly finding his mouth very dry. How long had he been asleep?

“Whats up? You done swinging so soon?” Cleon asked as he rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand. Brea gave him a strange look as Faye sighed exasperatedly.

Cleon’s eyes widened in surprise. “Bells?” He asked, feeling like she must be exaggerating it but then he saw that the sun had gone down somewhat, and reckoned it was closer to a bell. Still, when he looked back at Faye he saw something that didn’t make him feel any better about his negligence.

On her face, arms, and on her legs from mid thigh down she had a slight red tint to her skin. She was sunburned alright, and so was he from the tightness he felt around his eyes though that was less important now. How could have he forgotten to apply her sunblock?

Shaking his head at his own stupidity he stood up and brushed the sand off, thankful for the moment that she seemed to not have noticed it much for now.

“Alright, come one. Lets go catch a seat in the shade. I know just the place.” Cleon said, trying to herd his little sister off quickly after she said her goodbyes to Brea. Then he had her hold his hand while he lead them across to the Panacea to get those burns looked at.

He regretted his decision however when he saw the look Kami gave him when he entered and she saw how red Faye was. It was at this time Faye seemed to notice as well, which of course caused her to start crying till Kami flourished a piece of dried mango before guiding her away. Part of him wanted to follow them, but after the dark look Kami had shot him, he decided it was in his best interest to wait outside of the Panacea for Faye to come out.

While he wait he touched his own tender skin regretfully, and wished he had sat more in the shade of that palm, at least so his face had been covered. As it was he had a pale stripe going down his right side while the rest of him was scarlet.

Eventually Kami walked out with a clay jar and a serious look on his face. Without saying anything the woman started aggressively applying a cool greenish gel across his burns.

“You smell like you’ve been in a bottle all day.” Jansen said after a few chimes had passed, and Cleon immediately tensed up.

“I understand that you have your curse and all, however you know you can’t be doing that when your sister is under your care. She needs you to pay attention at this age, and if you can’t do it, then find someone who can.” Kami said tersely. Cleon couldn’t have felt more embarrassed as he looked down at his feet.

“I’m sorry.” Cleon said with a gulp, and fiddled with his fingers for a bit while he stared down at the sand. “Is Faye going to be alright?”

“Who? Oh yeah, right.” Kami said shaking her head briskly. “Your sister is fine I think. She’s with another woman right now that works with pottery. I asked her to go take Faye off your hands for a while till you sober up.” Kami said curtly, putting the lid back over the jar before fixing him with a look.

“I don’t want you drinking around her or any of the other kids. If you’ve got to do so, wait till you’ve got alone time to do so. They don’t need to be mistaking you for a responsible adult. We don’t need another Artik around here giving them the wrong ideas.” Kami said before she turned to return into the Panacea leaving him to think about what had just happened.


WC - 1,567

[Faye]

“Yes, bells!” Faye exclaimed then returned the odd look he gave her. “What?” She asked, but her brother didn’t respond directly, just told her they would need to leave soon which she accepted with a shrug. Turning back to Brea, she gave the girl a quick hug and smile.

“I hope to see you again soon! We should go swinging or maybe swimming next time.” Faye suggested.

“That would be cool. See you Faye!” Brea said as her brother grabbed her hand to pull her away. She followed along dutifully for a few chimes but eventually her curiosity got the better of her as she started to wonder where he was taking him, and if they were going to get anything to drink.

“Where are we going? I’m thirsty.” Faye said and much to her annoyance Cleon just ignored her as he dragged her across the beach to a house that was open to the air. It was one she vaguely recognized but she didn’t know from where until she saw the woman, but then she had a thought.

Why were they here?

Before she could process that question, Kami gave them a shocked look that reminded her of the cough she had earlier in the season. Suddenly very afraid, Faye started crying as the up-swell of emotion overwhelmed her. She didn’t even really feel like crying, it just suddenly came on.

Then Kami produced a piece of candied mango and a smile that made her feel like everything was all right as she leaned forward.

“Come on now. Everything is alright. Here have a bit of this while you come with me.” Kami said in a soothing voice, and nodding slightly, Faye took the woman’s hand, looking briefly back at Cleon before following Kami back into the building.

Inside there was another woman present and a blue skinned man sleeping in a chair. The woman was pretty, with short, reddish brown hair. Her left hand was bandage and when they walked in she gave Faye a warm smile.

“Who do we have here?” She asked. Kami gave her an awkward smile, and the women traded a look before having a chuckle that sounded a bit forced to Faye’s ears. Faye had a hard time keeping her eyes from darting to that bandage and wondering why Kami had been so concerned. Noticing this, the woman smiled before holding out her hand.

“Oh this? This isn’t anything to worry about dear. Just cut myself accidentally on a bit of broken pottery. It will heal up in no time with Kami and Jensen’s help. My name is Nesera by the way. What’s yours?” Nesra asked with another little smile as Kami left her side to go retrieve something off the wall.

“Faye.” She said quietly, and returned the smile with a small one of her own. “Nesra is a pretty name.”

“Why thank you, but I think Faye is prettier.” Nesra teased as she noticed Kami had returned with a jar of cream that she lathered on her arms and face.

“That tingles” Faye giggled, and Kami beamed a smile down at her.

“This will keep that sunburn of yours from getting any worse.” Kami said before she felt Kami cover her ears. She heard muffled voices then as Kami said something softly above her and Nesra nodded briefly serious then smiling back at her. Then Kami let go of the sides of her head and Faye craned her neck up to give the woman a confused look.

“Okay. What do you think about going with this lovely woman here to try out some pottery?” Kami asked in an excited voice.

Faye perked up a little, as she looked at Nesra. “Really?” She asked. When Nesra nodded, Faye’s smile brightened. “Okay!”

“Don’t worry, I already told your brother and he’s fine with it.” Kami said as she finished applying the creamy gel to her legs before handing the pot to Nesra. “Thank you.” She mouthed.

Nesra took the jar and gently placed it in her bag before turning around to grab Faye’s hand.

“Well are you ready?” Nesra asked, guiding Faye out of the back when she nodded.

WC - 696

[Cleon]

Feeling lost, Cleon found his way back to the surf shop where he spent more time getting drunk than doing any actual work. Fortunately it was a slow day so there was no one around to interrupt the downward spiral his thoughts had taken as he drank away the rest of his day in silence.

He did a fair bit of smoking as well till he achieved a sort of stupor where he could barely move out of his chair. The pleasant feeling this provoked was fleeting, the warm floating sensation followed by a sinking one as he fell into continually relieving his worst moments including the ones today.

It was almost as if he was detached from the person he was and yet truly feeling the weight of his responsibility now that he had failed Faye yet again. The sensation that followed that abrupt pang of disgust made him double over out of the chair as he sicked up all over the floor. Then covered in a sheen of sweat, prone on the floor with the world spinning out of control, Cleon passed out.

WC - 185

[Faye]

Back at the community kiln, Faye was sat back watching intently as Nesra spun a bit of wet clay in front of her. She had been furnished with a small plate of assorted fruit slices that she was currently enjoying while she watched the woman work. Thanks to the cream she felt a bit tingly all over but she didn’t mind because it helped with the ambient heat she felt rising off of her skin. Nesra had mentioned that she would take her back to the Panacea in the morning so Kami could heal her burn, and Faye was holding onto the jar of gel that Kami had given her to use if she started to feel it wearing off again.

Of course she had wondered why it was being given to her to hold until Nesra had broken the first jar on the way back. Then they had to go and fetch some more of the salve that Faye now kept on the sand beside her while she ate the fruit slices. It was pretty yummy, and watching Nesra work was entertaining enough that she did feel the need about asking after Cleon often. She’d been told he was sick, and that she would see him in the morning which suited her just fine for the moment. CLeon wasn’t much fun today anyways and would probably keep her cooped up in the Inn if she returned to him now so she was alright with milking her experience here for the sense of freedom.

“Do you want to try?” Nesra asked with a smile, and nodding, Faye set aside her plate before hastily brushing her hands dry on her shirt. Then scooting forward, she knelt before the spinning clay with her hands out but hesitated.

“Its moving so fast!” Faye exclaimed.

“That’s alright. Just extend your hands here, yes that’s right to either side of that. See! Feel that? It doesn’t feel so bad does it? Kind of fun right?” Nesra asked as she guided Faye’s hands gently around the clay. Faye giggled. It felt kind of funny touching the wet clay. Then something creaked, cracked and Nesra swore under her breath before forcing on a smile.

“Is it something I did? I’m sorry!” Faye said, eyes wide as she looked at the wheel and back up at Nesra whom was already shaking her head.

“No, its this curse of mine. It causes things to break around me. I’m sorry. Its a bit easier when stuff like this doesn’t happen all the time.” Nesra sighed and then pulled back up a tired smile.

“How about I tell you a story? Do you like stories?” Nesra asked standing up and helping Faye up before guiding her over to a basin of water where she helped her wash her hands.

“Yes, I like stories.” Faye said as the woman helped get all the wet clay off before drying her fingers and guiding her from the kiln to a little open air house with a hammock strung across the inside of it. Then she seemed to think better of the idea and instead guided them over to a palm that she sat under and guided Faye to sit beside her.

“Well I guess I’ll tell you a little story about when I was about your age. I lived with my family in the wilderness in a small hut. There my father would go out during the day to hunt while my mother stayed home to cook and take care of me, and my siblings.”

Nesra paused for a moment to stroke her hair.

“One day I went out to help my mother to forage for some mushrooms. Only the forest is a big place and I ended up getting lost. I was scared and so very lonely but a large crow found me and kept me company as the night passed over the forest. He brought me food and told me about what it was like to live as a crow. The crow couldn’t understand why I couldn’t grow wings because that would make it easy to find my way back home but eventually I got him to understand as the night wore on.”

“As I started to grow sleepy, I asked the crow if he would stay the night to watch over me and keep me warm, and he promised he would. Yet when I woke up in the morning he was gone. However all over the ground were these small golden beads leaving a little trail that wound its way through the forest. Of course curious I collected these beads and so followed the trail that went on for what felt like many bells.”

“I lost track of the time but eventually I was very hungry and growing worried again but the large crow came back crowing over head and when I looked up I saw my house again. An better than that, I saw my worried parents who hugged me tight the moment they saw me. When I told them what I had found and the large crow I had met, they weren’t mad at me anymore. They were actually very happy because with the gold beads they were able to buy a new place closer to the city.”

“After that day my family left a gift for the crow every season, and occasionally he even visits me to take me on another adventure. We even-” But Faye was getting drowsy from the combination of the heat and a full belly. Her head propped against Nesra’s shoulder, Faye drifted off to sleep without even noticing it.

WC - 936