"Morning..." I said quietly as I slowly shuffled into the main room of my home. Just as slowly moving down onto my rear while tightly clutching my quilt. Then, I just sort of stared at the firepit and the pot on it.
"Morning, Sleepyhead! Dinner isn't ready yet." Mom told me with a smile after she kissed my forehead.
"Dinner...?" I repeated in confusion while watching her face.
She smiled at me and giggled, "No, it's still morning, my Little Va didn't sleep in that much." Mom clarified as she came down next to me. She then gave me a big hug that pulled me in close enough to knock me down. And, when she let go, she had to push me back up as she brought me that far down.
"Where are the others?" I then asked as I looked about. I was surprised to not see Nin as I know I fell asleep on him. I intentionally did so because I did not want to be alone. So I was very confused as to why I did not sense him leave.
"They left a while ago." Mom tells me happily as she goes about doing chores of varying kinds. But, when my stomach made a booming complaint, she changed her priorities. And I was given a warm bowl of her special breakfast stew.
"Thank you." I say as I take the bowl into my hands. Letting its warmth spread through me and leaving the spoon alone as steam wafted into my face.
"Now, it doesn't have what I usually use in it, but, I hope you enjoy it either way." Mom informs me as she strokes one of my ears before she goes back to work.
"I don't think I'd notice anyway." I point out as I carefully began to eat the hot meal. Prodding the spoonful I had against my tongue and mouth just to make sure it wasn't too hot. And, when it had cooled down just enough, I scoffed what I could from my bowl before slowing down. It may have been a meal with a hot broth, but I still wanted something else to drink with it.
So I picked up the glass of creamy milk Mom had set aside on a nearby table. At first, however, I hovered my hand near the glass in question until Mom confirmed I could have it. And she did so by shaking a half-empty glass at me. I would probably have to snatch hers, though, because mine was also pretty much gone in a moment.
I missed having glasses of creamy milk in the mornings, I really did. I had tried to replicate it before at Suhurlodst, but the milk wind-people use tastes funny. It's sour and thick while this stuff was runny and warm when done right. But, having a glass of creamy milk made me curious about something.
"Is the ranch still open, then?" I asked as I wondered about its state considering recent events.
"No, none of the shops are. Barely any of the houses too. That was from our drinks cellar." Mom answered as she put a claw to her lips and pondered something.
"Wondering how no rodents got to it?" I asked while cautiously looking at what was left in my glass. Not that there was much point as any icky bits are now likely in my stomach...
"I am, in fact, I'm surprised I haven't found any little pests about the house. I guess that means someone has been looking after the place?"
"Why would they leave our house like this then?" I asked as I turned my gaze towards the broken front doors.
"Someone does not mean a person always." Mom told me with a smile as she brought a jug over and filled my glass again. Then, with a sweet smile on her face, she left a little white trail in my stew.
"Thank you." I say before eating up more of my breakfast. Looking up once again when I was nearly done as I heard someone.
"Finally awake, are we? I'd stay in bed, to be honest." Larishazza joked as she flew into the house. A loud thud also announced her arrival when her bottom hit the floor. Then, shortly after she came in, a lightning bolt turned into a woman in the distance. The smell of smoke also came over into our noses and caught Mom's attention.
"Maybe I should create a gravel patch for you if that is how you move about." Mom commented as Einervaene walked in with a growing redness in her cheeks.
"Sorry... I'm trying to be careful." she muttered as she played with her hair.
Mom, however, just giggled at it, "As long as you don't start any fires, it's fine. We have to sort our garden out at some point anyway and you're sort of helping with the grass." she says as all of us looked at the long grass in our garden. Then, we looked at a little bird as it hopped out of the grass before flying off.
"I've noticed that this morning, birds are easier to spot now." Einervaene said as she kept her gaze on the disappearing animal.
"Yeah, osibindah tend to scare off most wildlife." I explain before putting down my empty bowl. And, at first, I just stared at it before I then suddenly filled it up again. Then, I just repeated the steps I performed before I kept it flowing into my belly.
"Smells a little bland." Larishazza comments as she sniffs the big pot before me and her.
"You're a human, don't start commenting on the smells of my cooking." Mom said with a huff as she went on past us with a basket full of freshly cleaned clothes.
Larishazza then pouted, "I'm just saying..." she mumbled before giggling.
"So how are you anyway, Vadei? It's nice to see that you're eating again." Einervaene asked as she shuffled a little closer to me. Mom also stopped what she was doing to look at me as I chewed on a soggy plant in the stew. Normally I don't like the veggies in stews, but, as I was so hungry, I did not care this time around.
I stopped eating and sighed before I made any answers, "I don't know..." was all I really had to say. And it was true, I really did not know what to say about how I felt. Clearly, I felt better as I was willing to eat now. But I still did not know.
"Well, don't scare us like that again, do you hear me?" Einervaene jokingly threatened as she nudged me through the quilt that kept me warm. I would, however, snarl at her for that as she burst my bubble of warm air. The brief cold sensation I then had to put up with was very annoying.
"Oh, and when are you going to be ready to pilot the airship again?" Larishazza then asked me as she carelessly leaned over the pot. She was not even bothered by the heat as she touched it!
"Larishazza!" Einervaene snapped at her as she pulled her back.
"Sorry." Larishazza mumbled as she fell backwards onto her back. Until she began to bring herself back up onto her hands.
"But, yes, that is one thing we will have to discuss later." Einervaene sighed before she muttered something incoherent at Larishazza.
"I was piloting my airship while starving myself. I can work it at any time I want." I told them which got them eager and ready to go.
"So I can just bolt us up and get everyone off of it?"
"No." is what I told the lightning-user as I ate another spoonful.
"Why not?" she asked me back, confusion all over her face as she did so.
"Because I know what happens to my gut when I do that spell with you." I say as I protectively hold my bowl. Not that anything would happen to it, of course. It was just to give emphasis to my point, really.
"That's fair..." Einervaene says while trying to hide the slight tint in her cheeks.
"So, what'll we do until then? Sit and talk?" Larishazza asked as she began to hop between hands.
"Looking about the village will probably be best." I say as I think about the state of my home. If animals such as birds were coming back then the osibindah were gone. Be they on the move or all dead, it didn't really matter. It just meant my home was safe for now.
"Yeah, that is fine. Maybe I can find some fabric to work with." Einervaene comments which has Mom come running in.
"I do hope you have your priorities in order regarding something like that." she knowingly grins at my friend as her hands clutch a small pile of papers. Einervaene smiles and giggles a little while nodding at it as well.
"Of course, if I am able, I'll do as promised."
"What did you promise?" I ask warily as I began to grow increasingly suspicious of the two.
"I might have-" Einervaene began to mumble.
"I'm going to be playing dress-up with my Little Va again!" Mom said in a rather patronising tone as she pinched my ear gently and wiggled it. And that left me sighing and groaning as my fear had come to life. The thing I had been dreading since Mom first found those drawings on the airship...
"Don't worry, I'll let you in on it more than her." Einervaene pointlessly whispered to me from across the room. Mom made no signs of acknowledging it, however. Not that it filled me with any relief regarding it.
"Where is my jacket, though?" I then asked as I rubbed my arms from inside the quilt cloak I was wearing.
"I put it in for wash, as it was quite dirty. But, admittedly, I don't know how to wash something like that." Mom answered me with as she disappeared briefly. And then she came back with it and it was completely fine. But, that was probably because it was made up in the mountains. So its magic is probably greater than any sponge here.
"Give it." I demanded as I thrust my arm out into the biting cold of the outside. Holding my arm up with dogged determination before shooting it back into my quilt cloak when I got it back. And soon, I dropped the quilt as my fluffy captain's jacket was back on me. I was cold at first, but, it warmed me up quickly.
However, rather than going outside once I was done eating, I slowly went back to my room. Mom had put me into pyjamas at some point and I couldn't go outside like this. So I dug about for a pair of leggings and a long skirt before then getting them on. And, then I just waited until I was warm again.
Finally revealing myself again when I was no longer cold, "Alright, let's go have a look around." I yawned. Initially, I struggled to move far as I still felt quite weak. But, with the help of my friends and a conveniently placed stick, I was able to get out of the house.
"Are you likely going to be back for lunch?" Mom asked me in a tone that seemed to imply I was going around a friend's house. I did not like how it sounded, but, I missed Mom very much. So I put up with it as it had been so long since I had heard her even do stuff like that.
"Maybe." I answered back with uncertainty as I wasn't really sure what the time was anyway. Besides, I had a lot I wanted to go and see in our village's modest market square. And, before I left, I also got a hug from Mom and was waving as I slowly disappeared down the road. And I meant slowly because the other two were getting bemused at how long Mom was waving back.
"Alright, this is too slow, I'm going to carry you." Larishazza complained as she tried to weave her arms around me. Yet, all it took for her to stop was a single unamused moan.
"Larishazza, if you're bored, you can just run on ahead." Einervaene offered to our hyperactive friend. Who, did not like the suggestion at all and she became all stroppy.
"Run on ahead!? Run on ahead!? Ahead!? On my own!?" she loudly and dramatically responded with as a hand went to her near-bare chest.
"How're you not cold?" I asked as I hunched my body closer together. I even moved my tail around to my front so I could snuggle into its fur. But, that just made me realise how badly I have been looking after it because it was very prickly. It was not soft and that annoyed me as it was too bothersome to keep warm with.
"Because it is nice and bright out?" Larishazza replied back with as if I was going insane. And all I really could do was look at her in confusion.
"It is quite warm, Vadei, I think you're just a little bit ill." Einervaene then put forth as she tenderly touched my closest arm.
"Heh, a little bit." Larishazza chuckled out when she heard it.
"So... Have either of you two seen Nin today?" I asked in an effort to change the topic. And, to see why he wasn't there when I woke up.
"He's up on the airship, I took him up there last night." Einervaene answered.
"That long ago? I must've slept very heavily." I let out with some surprise as I thought I would've woken up at such a time.
"You've been in bed from the early evening to the late morning, so yes." Larishazza informed me as she skipped up onto a fence. And, seeking some entertainment, I tried to push her off of it.
"That long?" I say with more surprise.
"You've been avoiding sleep and food. I'm surprised you haven't started a famine through sheer desperate gluttony!" Einervaene said humorously as we turned a corner and made it onto the main village road. Follow it and it'll take you all the way through the village and right back out towards another one if you kept on going. Sometimes, we did that when we were younger. Just sneak off down the main road to another village or town.
Of course, Mom and Dad did not like us doing that when we were younger. And now, Mom would scream bloody murder if we went down that road. If it was the osibindah or her paranoia that would drive it more, however, was up for debate. Not that it mattered, Conquei was still on the airship and I was too weak to do much of anything.
"Hm, still quiet." Larishazza pointed out as we went past a few abandoned buildings. The temple, however, was being swarmed as it looked like a riot was going on. And, it made me upset to see it in such a state. Because it reminded me a lot of yesterday's talk with Nin...
"I can't say I'm surprised, we still have half the village on board, don't we?" Einervaene pointed out as we went by a shop that was actually open. But, I was probably stretching the definition of it being open as the place was a mess. Walls had been smashed and the shelves had been broken into dozens of smaller segments.
"I don't think all of them are from here." I said as I remembered the initial period when I saved everyone. I like to think I got familiar with quite a few people here, from the farmers to the various grocers. But, when I loaded up the airship after I broke them out, so many were unfamiliar. Some were obvious with their regional colours being different, others made it clear by the groups they made.
"So we'll have to take them home then, no?" Einervaene asked me. But, I shook my head at that as I had a plan in mind.
"No, once I'm... Never mind, forget it, I'll explain later." I started off at first before I moved on and changed the topic.
"Ah, hello, Vadei, here for some flowers?" Mrs Sweetfur greeted as we went near her shop. It wasn't her actual name, it was just a nickname we gave her because she always smelled so sweet. Not today, though, she smelled very earthy today. And I didn't need to ponder why she smelled that way.
I sniffed the air idly as my mind went blank, "Maybe another time..." I told her sadly as I looked back at the temple.
"Oh, don't worry, Dear. I'll make sure there's enough for everyone. You won't have to worry about any greed either." she told me with a smile as she tried to keep her shop tidy. So much stuff had been damaged that she was finding new things that had broken. Hangers were snapping, pots were cracking...
"How bad did it get after the slavers came?" I then decided to ask her as I looked at how some of the buildings weren't broken into. They were just genuinely abandoned. Boards and all.
"About as bad as you'd think it would get, really. Children lost their parents and vice versa. Workers were gone, some shops were completely gone and the same with entire households. After that, many just moved on elsewhere. So, if you were to go down the main road when it is safe again, you'd probably find some old neighbours if you're lucky."
"So are we not likely to recover now that the osibindah have been by?" I asked the older woman. Frowning as she sighed and held onto her face.
"I don't think anyone could really answer that. I'd like to say we're a stubborn town, but, so many have been broken this past year. The sudden shock of those slavers coming by, then, the stay in that hole in the ground. Push comes to shove one more time and this village just won't be a thing anymore." she explains as her eyes get a little watery.
"Is there nothing that can be done to help out?" Larishazza asked as she slowly moved closer. And, she managed to surprise Mrs Sweetfur by doing so.
"Oh! I'm sorry! I wasn't expecting our saviours to still be here. I was under the impression you two would've gone off."
Larishazza smiled, "Did we not say that we'd stay and look after you?"
"Again, sorry... I've been a bit preoccupied." she said just as something fell down and smashed from within the shop. And just like that, her smile was gone and she collapsed against the wall and started to sob. Then, before I could do anything, she went inside and closed the door. That decorative sign that so welcomingly said 'Open' got switched around as well.
"Einervaene, I want to go back to the airship now." I then told my friend after I finished looking at the state of my home. I did not want to see my home fall apart. It deserved some happiness to be brought to it now...
"Are you sure? It hasn't been that long since you ate." she asked me as she gripped my hand softly.
"I can always eat more later." I said to her, trying to sound brave about it but still dreading the pain I would feel. And the moment I rematerialised, I felt that pain and I was forced to see my desperately needed food before me.
"You alright?" my friend asked me as she rubbed my back as I finished vomiting what I had so recently eaten.
"Where's Larishazza?" I asked before I spat out some of the bitter bile left in my mouth.
"Hold on!" Einervaene let out quickly as she quickly disappeared and reappeared.
"Water please." I asked the moaning water user as she managed to keep her stomach contents inside.
"Sure..." she said with an out of it tone as she held a hand near my mouth. At first, I only used it to swish my mouth clean before I spat it out as I had with the bile. The next lot, however, I swallowed just so I could fill out my stomach some.
"Thank you." I mumbled in appreciation as I started to move towards my chair. Slowly, I sat down in it and looked at Nin as he relaxed in front of me with that red friend of his. He gave me a wave before he was then forced to keep his attention on that red creature he found.
"So you're going to bring us down?" Nin then asked as he kept the body on top of him still with gentle affection.
"Yeah... You two!" I answered Nin before calling out to my other friends.
"What is up, Captain?" Larishazza asked in a peculiar tone as she swaggered on over before she leaned on my equipment. Einervaene had to pull her off, but, so long as those three were all here.
"I'm going to reiterate myself just so we're all clear... Once we land this airship, it'll be the last time I ever fly it. I'm staying here from now on. I've done what I need to do." I start to say as some tears come to my eyes. But, I couldn't say why they had come...
"Don't worry about it! We'll just come and visit when we can!" Larishazza says to me as she reassures me with a soothing arm rub.
"I'll remove any locks I put on, so you idiots should be able to figure out how to go about it... You can all go back to Suhurlodst then and finish your magic education." I said to them with a sniffle.
"That'll be good, I can finally do more with this thing." a voice said from Nin's direction.
"Liadanann, quiet." Nin said as he moved her off of him and moved closer to me. He then smiled and kneeled before me.
"I mean it... You lot can go whenever you want..." I told them as tears went down my cheeks. Tears I tried to hide with my tail that Nin would not let cover my face.
"We know, but we want to stay a little. Make sure our friend is alright." he tells me as his hand goes on top of mine. The other two even moved in closer and tried to get in their own gestures of affection.
"Okay..." was all I could really let out before I sobbed some more.