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 Posted: Thu Sep 19, 2013 6:12 pm
(Note: This takes place in the past during Biroki and Hijil's late youngling/very early prentice years and does not count for either. It serves to establish a connection between them.)
Biroki was cleaning up the hut and boy was it hard work! But Reshel said that he would let him practice magic if he got it done and Biroki really wanted to do that. Every time he practiced with Reshel, it got easier to stop the fires from starting when he didn't want them to. He didn't tell Reshel that sometimes he did want them to start, because he wasn't supposed to do it at all except when Reshel was there to put it out with water magic. But making a fire happen was so easy, much easier than starting one from scratch.
Reshel was preparing salves again. It was a long process that involved huge batches. Apparently, everybody just decided to hurt themselves this month. A lot of nasty injuries were coming in through his door, and he was dealing with them as best he could. Minor enough stuff, honestly, but it was taking a toll on his supplies.
It reminded him of Sen'oda actually. But she could go through a whole batch of this... he crinkled his nose as he stirred... awful smelling gook within a week, they way she got herself banged up. She couldn't stay out of fights and misadventures, not even for a moment. Reshel had no idea how their parents had managed to raise the two of them.
Thank Serin that Biroki was not as much a little fireball as his mother. He made fireballs, sure, but he was a fairly tame child. Reshel considered himself lucky. "You're missing all the stains, Biroki, scrub a little harder, would you?"
"Oh uh..." Biroki looked over his work again. He didn't see the stains, but if Reshel saw them, they must be there... right? "I'm s-sorry! I'll... I'll just finish this and go over it again!"
Reshel hid his smile. There were no stains, he just liked to mess with the kid a little.
"You do that."
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Posted: Sat Sep 21, 2013 6:31 am
Hijil rarely was allowed to travel into Ast, especially not alone. Her mother had said that they were nice people and mostly shifters. Her mother had emphasized the 'mostly'. She didn't like the 'filthy hybrids' that lived in Ast. She didn't want to be near them and she certainly didn't want her precious little girl anywhere near those people.
Hijil had found that her mother felt that way about a lot of things and people. Hybrids, Alkidikes, (and Especially Alkidike Hybrids,) Fishermen, same-gendered people who loved each other, and many more. Hijil knew that she had no problem with them, nor did she see why her mother had issues with them, despite the many lectures she had gotten over her lifetime about it. But her mother was her mother, so Hijil simply listened and nodded.
Today was special because Mother was making something and she wouldn't tell Hijil what. Only that she needed to pick up some things from the healer man, Reshel, and that he would know what she was there for. Reshel was the only person that Hijil had heard her mother speak only well of, aside from the father she had never known. Once, Hijil had asked if Reshel was her father. She'd gotten slapped for her innocence. She could remember the hot indignation in her mother's eyes and the fear that she would strike again, and harder than before. But her mother had then explained that her father and Reshel were two different men. Very different men. Very very very different men. She'd made sure to emphasize it, and Hijil got the point.
As she walked to Reshel's hut, she felt a little out of place among the townsfolk. Her mother and her stayed so far on the edge, that sometimes Hijil went for days without seeing another person. But here, everybody was everywhere, and they talked and laughed and were happy. She wanted to be like them. She really, really, did.
She shook her head sadly and went up to the hut and peeked her head in.
"Hello?" she asked, looking around.
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Posted: Mon Sep 23, 2013 5:13 am
Biroki looked up from his cleaning briefly, long enough to know that it was a shifter girl he didn't know. He had always been especially nervous around girls, and he felt his face flush. He quickly went back to scrubbing the floors, maybe a bit more vigorously than before.
"Hello!" Reshel greeted her, looking up from his concocting to see who it was, "Well! If it isn't little Hijil!" she wasn't so little anymore, but that wasn't the point. Normally that poor girl didn't get out from under her mother's iron thumb. "What brings you here to my humble hut?"
Biroki listened, a little confused now. He had thought he at least knew of everybody that Reshel knew, which was a lot of people to be sure. But he didn't know this girl... how didn't he know her?
Reshel frowned, a thought occurring to him suddenly. "It's your ma? Is she hurt?" he asked, moving to set the batch off of the heat in case he had to run out and save a life.
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Posted: Thu Sep 26, 2013 8:45 am
Hijil took his greeting as an invitation and walked into the hut. She watched Biroki cleaning for a moment before turning back to Reshel. Cleaning was a necessary activity, and she was used to it. It was just odd to not be doing it herself.
"No. Ma's fine." she said, studying him. She didn't often get a good look at Reshel. When Ma talked to him, she was always at a distance doing things like chopping herbs or sorting or, that one time, cooking. Chores. Important stuff like that. So it was interesting to see the somewhat wide shifter up close and actually talk to him directly.
"She wanted me to pick something up for her." she looked around, trying to see if she could figure out what her mother wanted. Was it that package there? Or that basket of jars? "She said you'd know...?"
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Posted: Sat Sep 28, 2013 11:48 am
Reshel frowned, thinking. "So yer mother didn't say what she wanted or what she needed it for?" he thought for a moment, setting the salve aside to cool and be ladled into jars, "Hmmm.." and then it hit him.
That had to be what she meant! That was right! How could he have forgotten?
"I know what she wants, then." he said, grinning, "My Nephew will help you with it. Say hi, Biroki. This is Hijil."
"Hi..." said Biroki, looking up shyly from his cleaning. Reshel needed him to do something...? but he was already busy!
"Biroki, I need you to help her carry some things to the edge of Ast. Can you do that for me?" he winked at the boy, "If you do, I'll give you all the training you want for today."
Biroki's eyes lit up and he grinned before trying to hide it. He scrambled to his feet. "Okay! Wh-what should I take?"
Reshel pointed to an unidentifiable sack and a bundle of twigs. "These. One of you to each, that should work."
Biroki secured the bundle to his back- it was heavier than he had thought it would be, but he could handle it.
"C-can I help you with... with the sack?" he asked Hijil haltingly, trying to pick up the sack and hold it out.
It was even heavier, and he almost tripped and fell because of it. "It... it's really heavy!
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Posted: Wed Oct 09, 2013 2:12 pm
Strange how mother never mentioned the man's nephew. Not surprising, though. Her mother could have tunnel vision where people were concerned.
She quickly took the sack from the bottom before the boy fell over or something. She looked at him a moment before shaking her head.
"No." she said, changing her grip on the sack to heft it over her shoulder. It was heavy, but she could handle it. She nodded to Reshel and started to the door.
"Thank you."
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Posted: Wed Oct 09, 2013 2:16 pm
"Yer welcome, kiddo. Stop by anytime, you hear?" Reshel called after her, smiling. He felt sorry for that girl, with Sara to deal with, but he could tell she was a good kid. She was going to grow up well, no question. He went back to work, smiling.
How could she move with all that weight? And so fast? and so abruptly? Biroki stumbled and flailed to catch up to her.
"W-wait up!" he yelped, scrambling to keep up, "I have to follow you, remember?!" he didn't know where he was taking anything, only that her ma wanted them. He didn't even know her ma!
"Whats in these, anyway?" he asked, tugging at the staps securing the bundle to him, "T-they're really heavy!"
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Posted: Tue Oct 15, 2013 8:22 pm
Hijil paused long enough to frown solemnly at the boy before continuing on, her pace significantly slower. She hefted her burden experimentally, and shrugged.
"Don't know." she said, pausing a moment to wait for him to keep up, before continuing onwards along the familiar path to her isolated home.
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Posted: Sun Nov 03, 2013 10:42 am
Biroki was more frustrated then nervous now. Why wasn't she talking to him?
"Do you... um... not like me?" he blurted out into the jungle-strewn silence, before bowing his head in embarassment. Of course that wasn't it- she didn't even know him. Clearly, she was just quiet and didn't want to talk. He was rude for not realizing that.
"S-sorry..." he said, wanting to hide.
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Posted: Tue Nov 05, 2013 1:13 pm
Hijil was quiet, ignoring his babble or his apology. She took no offense, and didn't entirely like him or not. He was just another person.
She did remember to pause to allow him to catch up, and when she turned to check on him, she realized something. He was upset! Her neutral face became slightly sympathetic and, as he caught up, she put a hand on his shoulder, where it wouldn't interfere with his load.
"Sorry." she said, giving him a quiet smile. She looked at him again, "Just quiet." she managed, in an attempt to clarify. It was more than she would have said, but she didn't want the poor boy to be upset. She didn't really feel like saying much more, though. She started walking again.
It was a few minutes more before she stopped again, waiting for him to catch up.
"Almost there." she said, nodding. It WAS quite heavy, and she was willing to try and take the burden from him if he needed it. Poor scrawny kid...
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Posted: Tue Nov 05, 2013 2:42 pm
He smiled back at her with relief. "Oh, uh, okay" he said. So she was just quiet... okay, yeah, okay, It was nice to know that he wasn't hated or anything! Though, he wasn't sure if she wanted him to be quiet, or if she just was quiet or what.
He decided, since she had a nice face and seemed nice enough, that he would believe that she was just a quiet person who had meant nothing by it.
"W-we are?" he panted from the effort of carrying all the weight. It was so heavy! He was sweating and gasping and, while he was still managing, he might not be able to for much longer.
"How... how far?" he asked, stopping by her side and taking the oppurtunity to gasp at air.
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Posted: Thu Nov 07, 2013 7:27 am
"Here." she said, pointing to a hut before walking briskly towards it. "Come." she hoped the poor boy could get a rest when he was inside. She walked up to the door.
"MA!" she called, "I'M BACK"
Sara looked up warily, but it was only her daughter. Being a good girl... such a good girl.
"Hijil!" she said, looking her over- and the pack. Her face creased. The thing that Hijil carried was too small for what Sara was expecting, she gave Hijil a strange look. "is that... all?" she asked.
Hijil knew that look was dangerous and unpredictable. When her mom had that look, Hijil didn't know what she would do. But her own expression did not change.
"No ma." she said, walking into the hut and putting down the bag, "Theres more."
"More?" Sara watched her daughter like some strange skittish radaku waiting to pounce, "More... where?" Outside, perhaps? Had Hijil carried it here and brought in one thing at a time? Such a good girl. Sara looked outside, and her face froze into something stiff and terrible.
"HIJIL!" she cried, whirling to face her daughter, "Who... IS THAT?!" she squalled, pointing to Biroki.
Hijil braced herself, then forced herself to relax. "A boy." she said simply, watching her mother warily. "He came with me."
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Posted: Sat Nov 09, 2013 9:52 pm
Biroki lugged his own burden, and was just climbing the overgrown steps to the door when he was startled by the most horrible, chilling face he had ever seen. When she began to yell at Hijil, he froze, confused and scared.
"H-h-hi!" he managed to squeak, trying not to panic or stammer too much. Both were losing battles, but as long as he tried things turned out... okay. Usually.
"I-I'm Biroki and I'm... um... Uh..." he swallowed. He knew he was shaking and he couldn't stop the stammering. The woman was scary, and he didn't know what to do.
"R-r-reshel sent me with this!" he said quickly. He wanted to put it down, very badly too. It was so heavy.
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Posted: Mon Nov 11, 2013 11:56 am
Hijil felt her heart rate rise. Her mother hit her sometimes, and didn't always mean things. Hijil could handle it, but she knew that others could not. Especially not this shy boy.
She didn't want to think about her mom hurting him, or... anything of the sort.
"Ma..." she started, keeping her voice calm. It wasn't hard, emotion rarely leaked into it ever. It did, however, have the tone that someone might take when coaxing a wild animal to calm down and not attack. "It's all right Ma" she said again, putting a hand on her mother's shoulder.
Sara stared at her daughter's hand like it was some sort of poisonous snake, then looked at her daughter. She didn't see Hijil, but, for a moment, she saw her husband. Then her vision cleared, and he was lost to her again. She shook off her daughter's hand.
She looked back at Biroki, thinking. Yes, she knew who he was. He was Reshel's nephew. Reshel, her only friend. But Biroki had been the son of two mothers, exactly what she despised.
But.
He was Reshel's nephew, and Reshel had sent him. She did not trust the boy, but her girl didn't lie. Hijil was a good girl. A good girl.
"Fine." she growled grudgingly, turning away in a huff, "Bring it in, boy."
Hijil sighed inwardly in relief, walking outside to help the boy with his burden.
She gave him an apologetic look and a light pat on the back, but said nothing. Ma was in a strange mood, and she could only hope it would get a bit better from there.
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Posted: Thu Nov 28, 2013 7:30 pm
Biroki decided to trust the girl. The pat on the back made him flinch a little- so nervous was he- but he did feel better. For all her aloofness, she made him feel safe now, like a barrier against this strange lady.
Biroki had never met Sara before. He had had the good luck to be away on errands for Reshel, or just plain out, when Sara came calling at his uncle's door.
He lugged his burden in with Hijils help, setting it down next to hers.
"Sh-should I open it for you, ma'am?" he asked, haltingly and nervously. It seemed like the polite thing to do...
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