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It was a fine spring day in Oba, he had volunteered to make the journey to the obscure Oban town to get spices that his family were obsessed with due to his Mother's upbringing, it was also easier to get the other specialty spices here than in other places. Better for example than trekking all the way up to Zena for that special ice pepper. Oban markets had everything, sometimes at a premium but one could shop around usually and if not it sure beat the long walk to the nether regions of tendaji. He wasn't sure where he would settle one day, maybe Jauhar he liked the trees there, Matori was great but he was admittedly bit with the ever present travel bug that most of his family were infected by at some point. After all his Dad had come down from Jauhar to Matori. His mother had come from Oba to Matori and the family still spilt their time between the two regions. Mom preferred Oba and Dad preferred Matori but they always made it work. He saw beauty in both places but he wanted to see Yael and as far into Jauhar as he could poke his snoot, maybe in his wildest dreams the kahi islands.


The point being that someday soon he would be striking out on his own and exploring the gifts and wonders that tendaji had to offer. His heart filled with joy as he thought about it. Somewhere new, somewhere fresh, somewhere free. Somewhere he wasn't nagged up and down by family all of the time. It was hard being one of the younger kids, somehow you ended up doing the things that the older kids just didn't want to do. The simple, boring tasks. He thought there was more out there for him than just doing the dishes and taking out the compost.

Thus he started to take larger and larger chores that came up that were not instantly pounced on by his siblings. Like finding the right spices in an obscure town in Oba. It was a long walk here, but they were in Oba for a quick visit with Mom's family. It was already hotter than Matori got at this time with significantly less wind. But a cool breeze with the scent of wetness made him pause and look up to see the sun swallowed by a swollen teakettle belly cloud.

How about that, sudden rain in the desert, an auspicious occassion. He looked about wondering about the fate that awaited him. Zasha, his older sister had always maintained that things like this happening were a sign of fate coming your way. He kept his head on the swivel and was eventually driven to a flower vendor stand with a cover for the cut flowers and herbs underneath. He was huddled next to a wind and fire girl who smiled at him with dark red eyes that his skin tone was more likely to carry than the silver orbs he posessed. He grinned, aye... fate.

"Hello there," He wanted to say cutie as that was what she was. Dark hair red eyes and warm wind skin and those terra cotta crystals that were all the rage right now in Sauti. Girl could have been on one of the magazine covers if she had wanted to be. For a moment he just basked in her presence, she looked sulkily out at the rain.

"The sun will be back in a moment, these summer storms never last long." He hoped he was very wrong. She was preferable company compared the the dried up old bat of a woman who ran the flower stall. The girl looked well off. "My name is Rathian."

"Cleetha." She smiled shortly back at him but something about him drew her eyes back. "You are different like me, not a pure blood."

He looked down at himself and gasped. "Well look at that, I am not." He winked brightly at her. "What brings you here?"

She hung her head. "Just buying flowers." He sensed a strange sadness about her and he realized now might not be the best time for cheerful conversations. "I see, I'm sorry for your loss."

There they stood silently by the flowers, he musing and she wreathed in greif. He hoped that one day they might be caught by a similar storm and he might get to learn more of Cleetha's story.
"Come back tomorrow okay?" He said before he moved out into the downpour as hard as it was it was better than staying to hear her denial, she would have to make an appearance now.
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