Back at the carriage with Kaschet and Rio, now on their way home:
Rio sat by his father as the carriage wiggled slightly along the dirt path. Glancing at the box in his hands, Rio observed it covered in green cloth tied with a ribbon. He stole a glance at his father, who sat with his eyes closed, swaying with the carriage's movement. Returning his attention to the box, Rio started to untie the wraps.
After successfully removing the cloth, Confused, Rio muttered, "This! Senny's shirt? What?" A green sleeveless shirt hung in his hands. He pondered, "Doesn't she have rags?" completely baffled.
With the box now unwrapped, Rio examined it—a simple ten by ten inches wooden box with a slit in the middle. Rio wiggled the box, trying to hear any sounds, then used his nails to open the slit.
plock
Slowly, he opened the slit, avoiding looking inside, aiming to keep the surprise intact. "Okay, now what's in here? It's covered in her shirt. Wait, does that mean inside is some sort of clothing too?" Rio covered his eyes, filled with wrong expectations. Tentatively opening one eye, he peeked inside.
To his surprise, Rio opened both eyes to find two bracelets inside—one golden bracelet shaped like vine-like stems with shiny sunflowers, and the other a silver bracelet depicting two wolves chasing each other, both biting gems. The silver wolf held an emerald, and the black wolf held an ellipse-shaped red gem.
"What did I even expect?" Rio admitted, feeling a mix of excitement and disappointment. He took both bracelets, observing their beauty. "This is really beautiful. Senny's work is amazing. If I saw this in a shop, I would buy it for sure, real or not, scam or true," Rio thought while holding both bracelets. He noticed a piece of paper in the box.
"Hey little man, I hope you like these two. Even though the gems are just crystals I shaped and polished, my heart was still poured into it. You can choose which one you like, even though I already know. Also, I couldn't find any spare rags or cloth to wrap it, so I just used my shirt. You can have that too. See you, little man." - Senny
Rio found a neatly folded green sleeveless shirt in the box—a treatment he wouldn't do to his own clothes.
At Kaschet's house:
Inside, a woman with long, neat red hair, wearing an apron with a simple housewife dress, could be seen. Youya, without a doubt, was cooking dinner. As she cooked, a noise from the living room entrance caught her attention. With a ladle in her hand, she peeked from the kitchen and saw one man and a kid inside.
"Ah, dear, Rio, it sure took you long enough," Youya smiled with her red flowery aura.
"We took a detour; I showed Rio the best spot to view the Felsokro range," Kaschet replied.
"I see, alright then. What did you guys eat for lunch?"
"Old man Belosh had a bow with him; he hunted some Ukha, and we grilled it," said Rio.
"Ohh, that old man could still stretch a bow? Good for him," Youya giggled.
Kaschet approached Youya, kissed her on the cheek, and nodded with a smile after catching a whiff of the soup Youya was cooking. She smiled back.
"Ah, Rio, you should call Sairi; she's at Tyuly's house. It's already getting late," Youya said.
Rio nodded and walked out the door. Youya's eyes followed Rio until he was gone, then she hurriedly went to find Kaschet only to find him sleeping in a chair, and she sighed in disappointment and understanding. "He's in his 30s already; how time flies," she thought nostalgically as she returned to her cooking. "Maybe I should have accepted Zebia's herbs. I'll get one next visit," she smiled as she tasted her soup. "Hmm, delicious!"
Meanwhile, at Rio:
As Rio walked down the path, the beauty of the sunset greeted him. "Maybe I should go out often," he contemplated.
(Author's note: You guys should.)
The sun's light passing through the mountains was enchanting. Still, with Rio's eyes fixed on the sun's rays, he accidentally tripped on a rock. "Wah!" he exclaimed but quickly regained his balance. "Great, it puts people in a trance too," Rio thought, finally moving on from the trancing sunset and focusing on going down the road. He started jogging his way to Zebia's house, the flower girl of Shakter—a single mother and Tyuly's mother—where Sairi was hanging out.
Now jogging down the left side of town, Rio noticed a house that barely qualified as one. The stone foundation and walls, supported by logs, were covered in moss and vines. Thorns adorned most vines except for the front entrance, giving the house a natural protection.
Walking along the unpaved path surrounded by greenery and wildflowers, the flowers grew thicker and more arranged as he approached the house. In front of the door, Rio could see brightness through the small window. Listening closely, he heard a girl squeak and giggle.
Meanwhile, inside Tyuly's house:
"Whoosh!"
Two girls were in the living room of Zebia's house—one with red hair spinning around with a sword, and a smaller black-haired girl sitting and watching. With a red rose in her mouth, Sairi swung her sword, her red hair following through. She spun and slashed, and with a final stroke, she sliced upward in a final spin.
"Clap, clap, clap."
"Hehe, that was cool, Sairi," the small girl with long black hair and green eyes spoke.
"Hehe, of course. I call that move 'Red Swan, Flower Sword Dance,'" said Sairi, pointing her wooden sword upward and posing.
"Red what? How lame!"
Both girls heard a familiar boy's voice.
"Brother? What are you doing here?" Tyuly asked, spooked, and immediately threw the wooden sword away.
With a neutral face, Rio said, "Can't you tell what time it is? It's dark outside already."
A giggle from a woman was heard behind Rio.
"I guess the girls got a little carried away, Rio. My apologies," Zebia, Tyuly's mother, spoke.
Zebia, a tall and gorgeous woman with a long french braid of gray hair, brown eyes, and an enviable figure, apologized to Rio.
"It's fine, Aunt Zebia. Sairi always tends to get carried away."
"It's just sometimes," Sairi retorted.
"Yeah, sometimes it's always," Rio replied.
"You!" Sairi was about to retort when Tyuly held her shoulder.
"Come on, Sairi. Auntie Youya must be worried by now. Let's play again tomorrow. I haven't shown you the plant I was talking about," Tyuly reassured her.
Sairi looked at Tyuly and agreed, saying, "Alright, fine."