|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sat Dec 20, 2014 10:06 am
Yitzah looked at each bag in turn, keeping track with her fingers. She nodded with each 'check'. Yes, Yes, Yes... she smiled, proud. She had done a good job, helping to pack everything. And she had gotten everything. She shook her head at the last question, smug. Everything was here. Everything was packed.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2015 5:34 pm
”Good...” said Dyakida, her mind distant, ”Good.” She felt around the packs for the specialty things, the commissions for specific sisters to be finished and given to them at the battleground. ”Do we have the weapons for Giya, Cuerin, and Sosieh? And... oh, who was that other sister...” it had been an Amazon, but the name eluded her, ”Do we have the commisions carefully packed away? Nothing missing? Nothing mixed up?” she asked Yitzah.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2015 5:37 pm
Yitzah touched her hand to Dyakida, a sign for 'wait, I'm checking' as she leaned over to inspect the special red-colored packages that denoted the commisions, the special weapons Dyakida was making for other Alkidikes, which they gave her money and goods for.
One day, Yitzah would have a special weapon too, made by Dyakida, but she wouldn't have to pay because she was Dyakida's special assistant, her friend. She would have a better weapon than anybody else, a bow, perfectly strung and able to kill any evil bug that dared to threaten the Artisan.
The girl smiled.
Yes. Someday, such a weapon would be hers.
She returned her head and nodded emphatically. They were all packed away, yes.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2015 5:39 pm
”Good...”
She knew she was delaying the inevitable. Packing was an interlude, a thing between deciding to go and actually going. War was good for Dyakida's business, but she didn't know if she wanted to be in the camp again.
”Yitzah, you can go practice your bow now.” she said, dismissing her assistant.
Still, she was going. She had to go. And that meant she had to make sure that Yitzah knew she wasn't going with her.
”I need to talk to you, though... after dinner, meet me. It's very important.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2015 5:41 pm
Yitzah didn't want to go practice, but she knew she had to if she wanted to be a great archer and hunt bugs. She nodded, excited. A talk?! What did that mean? Oh, it had to be good! It had to be!
She gave Dyakida a sudden hug and ran out the door. Practice she may hate, but the encouragement of a special one on one (and one sided) grown up talk with Dyakida was enough to make even that enjoyable.
~~~
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2015 5:10 am
Through the whole day, Dyakida had wondered what the girl had meant by her hug. Not having her speak was difficult enough, but having her do such a vague and sudden gesture was almost worse. What did it mean?
Either way, she knew, she had to give Yitzah a let-down talk, and she was glad she couldn't see the girl's face. She knew it would be bad.
After picking at her dinner and making sure all the packs were down on the lower level, ready to go, she went back to her workroom and waited, uneasy.
It was time.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2015 5:20 am
The other sisters had set her to chores before she could get much playing done, not that she minded. Yitzah wanted to help with the war. Well, she wanted to fight in the war, but helping was enough for now because she was a youngling.
Dinner was scarfed down as fast as she could manage it, and already she felt the consequences: a stomach ache, burning and building inside her. Even so, it was worth it! She didn't want to be late for her grown-up talk with Dyakida! She skidded into the room and gave Dyakida another hug.
Ohhh, she was so excited! She couldn't wait to hear what Dyakida had to say!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2015 5:26 am
Yitzah entered like a wadana, crashing into the room and making Dyakida flinch, instinctively, even though all valuables had been settled somewhere for safekeeping while they were off to war.
”Oof.” Yitzah's hug nearly knocked the wind out of her and she patted Yitzah's back awkwardly.
Yitzah was getting bigger, she realized, slowly growing over the time that she had known her. She was nearly a prentice, at the point where she would be trained to be a blade. It was good, then, that they were having this talk now. It was the right time.
But Dyakida had to start, and starting this talk was harder than finishing it, though both ideas tore at her heart. ”Yitzah.” she said, gently pushing the child away, ”There is something we must talk about.” she took a deep breath. ”Yitzah, you are not coming with us to the battlefield.” she said, a little hurriedly, ”You are going to your home, to Andile and the Isles, where you will be safe.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2015 5:39 am
Yitzah stared at her, stunned. Home?! To the Isles?! To Andile?! No! No no no! She stomped her feet defiantly. No! She was going with Dyakida. Did the Artisan think her useless? Had Yitzah done something wrong? Tell her! Tell her and she would fix it and everything would be okay
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2015 5:46 am
Dyakida flinched at the stomping. ”Yitzah... Yitzah, no.” she shook her head, ”You are not coming with us.”
She knelt, taking the girls vibrating shoulders into her hands. Was Yitzah crying? Dyakida realized she would rather not find out.
”Yitzah... you've helped me so much. You're an invaluable assistant, and I appreciate your help. Mother's branches, I've aprpeciated it...” Dyakida frowned, ”But you're growing up, and soon to be a Blade. It's time to start your warrior training, and stop being my assistant. It would not be right to keep you, just as it would not be right to let you come with us into the war camp. The things there... are not for the young.” she gripped Yitzah's shoulders, once, before standing up.
Carefully, Dyakida made her way over to a oilcloth-wrapped package, long and light in her hands. She carried it to Yitzah. ”Here.” she said, offering it, almost hopefully. She hoped Yitzah would like it. She hoped the girl would forgive her.
She could feel the girl's eyes burning into her, and she knew that, though she was doing everything right, she was damaging something irreparably. Something good and beautiful.
But she had no choice.
”This...” her voice cracked, ”This is your new bow. It's a practice bow, powerful and smooth. It will help you learn the bow, and maybe even be your weapon as a Blade, should you choose...” she held out her hands. ”I can... string it if you want.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2015 5:50 am
Not for the young?! What did this woman think she had seen?! What did this woman think she had nightmares of every night?!
The girl fumed, her hands balling into little fists, her eyes tracking Dyakida as she moved across the room. How dare she?! This was no talk between grownups! Dyakida still thought her a child, and was treating her like a child. Kaalnia hadn't done that – not even her. The others did, and Yitzah had thought that Dyakida was better than that, that Dyakida understood.
She grit her teeth and glared at the artisan. Apparently not!
She received the package with angry curiousity, opening it roughly to reveal... a bow. A beautiful bow indeed, though Yitzah had seen more beautiful. She wanted it, but despite that, she also wanted to throw it in Dyakida's face or whack it against her patronizing head.
But that would be a waste. Instead, she kicked at Dyakida and backed away.
”I...” her voice cracked, dry and rough with disuse, ”I...” her face was twisted in fury, her ears red with wrath.
”I hate you!” she shouted, before running away, crying, and clutching her present to her chest.
I hate you...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
