Cerina giggled quietly as the forest bustled with life and greenery around her and Zhao Hana and Zoe Sarkiadi. The leaves crinkled under their feet in a layered mat of green that became brown and yellow before turning into a thick black soil dotted with tiny plant shoots and fungi. Animals hopped and scuttled about in many hues of grey-brown-red.
"Oo! Squirrel! Look at that one!" Cerina babbled as they walked down the path, pointing up a tree at a very fat looking grey-red specimen nibbling on a nut.
"Looks tasty," Hana said dryly while Zoe cackled. The two girls had settled into their own changes from Infusion well.
Hana's hazel eyes twinkled, and she'd become comfortable again with her newly increased height and commensurately longer limbs. Her nimble quick-fingered hands had gotten even better on the flute and other instruments, though she had no interest in Demonic Tunistry. Instead she was much more interested in and had greater compatibility with spear work and stealth arts.
Zoe's hair had continued to get whiter, her skin darkening further with bronze musculature. She'd broken the first hammer she'd used by accident, but nowadays she was making new ones that could handle her strength just fine, like the large headed one on her hip right now. She'd passed through a brief interest in Array-crafting before honing in on Armorsmithing as her particular special interest, with hammers and maces being her go to for defense.
Cerina hummed. "Yeah he does, but! My mother's stew will be even better than whatever I could scrape together, I promise," Cerina said as they passed the squirrel and his tree.
Zoe coughed a bit around a chuckle. "You've nattered on about them a little, but how like… hmm," she said, then paused.
The other two looked at her, Cerina's head just turning all the way around to look back as she kept walking forward without worry. "How like me are they?" Cerina asked in curiosity.
Zoe shook her head. "No, not that. More… what are they like towards Cultivators?" Zoe asked, tone uncertain but clearly deciding to wing it as she waved a hand loosely.
Hana and Cerina let out a nearly synchronized 'Ahhhhhh'. Hana nodded. "That makes sense. What
are they like Cerina?" Hana asked.
Cerina was already nodding along and then she shrugged. "Reverent? Hmm, no actually," she corrected, her eye rotating to look away from the other two in thought. "You have to understand we don't really get Cultivators coming out to this specific part of the woods. We're part of a network of mortal towns that raise food animals for stuff like the God-Metal Brass Shrikes, but the Shrikes are all over thataway," Cerina said and pointed towards the north west, deeper into the forest.
Zoe tilted her head. "So not much experience and not much to say?" She asked.
Cerina shook her head and continued. "They do have some, my parents particularly. Sometimes we get traders or travelers. Hmm. The best way to put it is that they like to tell stories, as do the other villagers, but they don't have a lot of experience with our problems or hardships."
Both of the other girls winced a little and nodded. Cerina shrugged again. "My parents are better about this than the others, and frankly… These people will be pretty welcoming, and probably not very afraid? Just wary and curious," she said.
"People around here know that these forests are kept safe by the Clan, and that means a lot to herdsfolk like us, especially after the Blood Mist," Cerina finished.
Zoe looked contemplative, Hana intrigued. Zoe tapped her chin, then shrugged and waved a hand. "I can work with that, and you're fine so whatever. I'm excited!" The smith apprentice exclaimed.
Hana snorted. "I can tell, with how often you keep repeating it."
"Screw you Hana," Zoe griped with a laugh and smile.
Hana scoffed, waving one hand, its nails painted red. "Not like I'm stopping your parade," she said and smiled as well. "I'm excited too!"
Cerina looked forwards again, paying the two of them little attention as they laughed and began to chat about this and that behind her. Staff thumping on the forest floor, she was stepping down memory lane it felt like, coming home like this after ten years. She'd never
been far from home, and it felt weird coming back. Like she'd just stepped out to go check on the animals or something, only for that idea to be viciously disproven by the decade of memories now crowding her skull.
She passed the time on the final leg of their journey sweeping her gaze over everything along the path. This one wasn't anything like a proper road, paved or not, more just a game path that ended up heading towards the village. The main paved road into the village was to their north east, hidden by the trees, and it led to the central plaza and front gate. It was maintained by the Xiulu family. Cerina had decided she wanted to head home directly and show off what her house looked like to her friends.
This path was surrounded by trees, peach trees mostly for the bats the village cared for, growing on the carefully terraced terrain. Rocks thrust up here and there, covered with moss and pink flowers with thin yellow runners. She could see the familiar signs of sheep grazing on the moss and grasses all around here, and dropped fruits and peach pits were everywhere, only to be reclaimed by brightly colored ants.
It might be neat to paint this honestly, she mused as they climbed up the final hill.
The lands of Three-Streams Gulch spread out all around them, a small valley depression that a community had grown up around. Large fields rolled out across the hills, a mix of trees and garden crops laid out where the land allowed. Each set of fields was presided over by a large house, or a small compound for the larger families. All of the fields were walled, for defense and property marking, and cobble footpaths and stairs led down from the hills towards the center. At the center of this collection of dwellings near the floor of the valley was a walled plaza and marketplace, which had the fortified community hall and a variety of storage buildings inside it. To the right hand side was an arched gate and guard house, where all the footpaths met the main road right outside the gate.
The main road extended away to the northeast from the gate, laid down with what she knew were Legion standard measures from about two hundred years ago. A few hundred meters east the road met the confluence of the Three Streams; the Cherry Reed Stream came from the north west and deeper in the Beast-Raising Forest, while the Blue Peacock Stream came from the south. They joined around a large rocky island and then headed off east and downhill as the Green Fish Stream. The road had a small bridge that went across the Cherry Reed Stream, bypassing the confluence and the island in the middle.
The three girls weren't on the highest hill in the area, the land climbed higher to the north as it went deeper into the Beast-Raising Forest. But tucked away at the base of this hill they stood on was her home. It was blocky and thick walled, with several sections joined together under a sprawling roof that was itself a garden, where grasses and a selection of small berry bushes grew. The whole thing sat contentedly in the fields and the sheep were out and about grazing for weeds in one of the fenced in and fallow fields. The backdoor was open and smoke was rising from one of the two chimneys.
Cerina tromped down the hill and then leapt over the outer field wall. The sheep looked up as she bounced towards their fenced in pasture. Many of the fluffy white critters looked at her and bleated in confusion. Old habits led her to crouching slightly and making soothing noises as she approached, staying carefully outside of their flight distance. Surprisingly her mellow presence seemed to lure them in. Like when she was a child they instantly started coming towards her, confusion becoming curiosity and a cute interest in treats.
"Hey babies, you big fuzzy dumb dumbs, I'm back!" She said as she approached the fence carefully and gently reached out to them. They stretched heads over the fence and bumped against her hand and let her pet them easily. Unlike her childhood, she was a little surprised to feel her Qi mellow out as well from its slow and constant whirl in her dantian.
Huh. Something to think about later she decided as a big ram bumped up against her and started bleating and chuffing, begging for pets and snacks. She ran her hand through his wool. This one wasn't one she recognized, and he needed to be shorn soon. Looking around, all of them seemed like they needed some shearing. Was there any she remembered?
A little flicker of sadness went through her heart as she scanned the herd but found none of the lambs she had named a decade ago. "None of y'all remember Tree-Kicker do you?" She asked the sheep, as they let her climb over the fence and join them, receiving only mumbles and bumps from them. Shrugging, she yelled towards the door, happiness and nostalgia soaring. "Mom! Dad! I'm home!"
That got an immediate reaction from the house, two muffled voices calling out from inside. From the backdoor a mortal woman emerged, wiping down her hands with a rag. She had long white-blond hair, darker than her daughter's, and they shared the colors of their eyes. Her skin was tanned dark from the sun, and she was significantly shorter than her daughter, and compact with muscles.
"Cerina!" Her mother shouted happily, tossing the rag behind her and stomping quickly across the fields towards Cerina before vaulting the fence to the sheep pasture.
"HI MOM!" Her daughter's enthusiastic yell bounced across the hills as she broke away from the ram and waded her way through the herd to grab her mother up in a hug. Cerina wrapped her arms around the smaller woman as the older woman laid her head against her daughter's stomach.
"Goodness, I guess they fed you well," her mother giggled in amusement. She poked at Cerina's abs. "Got my muscles too!"
A flutter of pride kicked through Cerina's chest as she patted her mom's head. There was a cough from one side and Cerina noticed her father, a tall and lanky figure with rugged skin and reddish hair bound in a braid. "Proud of you girl," he said as he joined the hug, reaching over his wife to hug his daughter. One of Cerina's arms came around his shoulders and held him tightly.
The sheep bleating and nudging at them were ignored until one shoved her head in between all of them. The three broke away laughing and Cerina's parents both went to address their daughter, before Cerina interrupted them by turning and shouting towards the wall. "Hey! Zoe, Hana! You can come meet everyone now!"
Hana was on top of the wall before her friend was done yelling and gave a wave to the family, then dropped down and raced across the field, followed by Zoe leaping over and trotting towards them as well. Her parents watched with interest as the two other cultivators approached.
"Hello there! I'm Zhao Hana, a friend of your wonderful daughter's," Hana said and gave a slight, neat bow to the two mortals.
Zoe stepped up beside Hana. "I am Zoe Sarkiadi, and as their friend, I keep these two safe," she said, bowing deeper than the other girl.
Cerina's parents seem bemused and shared a look of quirked eyebrows and brief smiles. They bowed to the two girls and Cerina's mother spoke. "Welcome to our lands and home, noble cultivators. I am Ceto Polya, thank you for taking care of my daughter so well," she gestured to Cerina's father. "This is my husband Yianni Polya."
"It is an honor to meet ladies my daughter can count as friends," Yianni said, bending slightly deeper as he did. Then her parents both straightened. "We were expecting your arrival from our daughter's letters. Is there anything you three need before we have dinner?"
Cerina and her friends shared a glance and then turned to look at the elder Polyas. "No, I'm fine," Hana said. "I would love dinner!" Zoe said simultaneously.
"Alright, then!" Ceto said and gestured, leading the way into the house. Unlike other houses in the village, this one was built quite tall, such that both Yianni and Cerina did not need to duck their heads under the threshold as they entered the house through the backdoor. This led into a half circular back room, full of storage, drying foods, animal feed and a small section for a chicken coop against one wall. An ornery looking hen watched them as she sat on her nest box, the others hidden deeper in the coop. Passing through here led to the central common room and kitchen.
In the middle of the room was a sunken hearth and a counter which surrounded it with various cooking pots, pans and utensils resting on the counter. Seating cushions and thick carpets surrounded the counter and took up much of the floor space. More tall doors grew off from the room in half a dozen different directions, all leading through to a variety of other rooms. The hearth was burning, a long shank of meat cooking and various vegetables being seared on metal grills hanging over the fire.
They were guided to sit around the counter, Cerina at the head while Hana and Zoe sat across from her. Ceto sat beside her daughter's left side and Yianni set about continuing to cook. The smells filling the room captured the three hungry traveler's attention and very little was said before Cerina's father laid out the first course; a mix of vegetables in a fatty mutton broth over rice, with meat sliced from the shank to fill the rest of it out.
Everyone dug in happily after Yianni sat to Cerina's right and served himself. Cerina almost choked on giggles at Hana's extremely happy noises around her meal, while her parents seemed a bit smug.
In the pause after the first course Zoe clasped her hands and nodded respectfully. "Thank you both, that was quite good," she said.
Ceto smiled. "You're welcome, and I hope you enjoy the next two courses. How did you two meet our daughter?"
Cerina had already told her parents a bit about them, but she knew how her mother worked; she wanted it from the goat's mouth if she could get it.
Zoe answered first. "I met your daughter during Aspirant training in the Dawn Fortress under Instructors Agatha and Vasso. She's helped me quite a bit in the time since, and recommended me to several blacksmithing teachers."
Hana's own answer was more energetic. "I met your daughter in Emporikipolis, at school there. We tripped over each other in the library and since then we've stuck together."
Yianni hummed in amusement as he served everyone peach wine, while Ceto raised an eyebrow. "Hmm, I see," she said. Cerina spotted her friends exchanging a mildly worried glance.
A moment more and her mother smiled, raising the cup of peach wine she had. "This old woman is grateful you two could meet our wonderful daughter then, if you all have been so helpful to each other."
Hana and Zoe subtly relaxed as they began to sip at their own wine. Zoe blushed, while Hana responded. "Thank you madam," Hana said.
With the gate open, the atmosphere of the conversation became less formal, but still somewhat restrained as Ceto asked her next question. "You said you were interested in blacksmithing, Lady Sarkiadi?" Cerina's mother said.
The stocky girl nodded, thanking Yianni as he served Zoe her share of the next course. "I owe your daughter much and hold her in the highest regard, so I wished to help her and the Clan by bending Metal to my will. I inherited some secrets of the Art from my own grandfather, Zinon Sarkiadi and made the knife on your daughter's belt as a gift," she answered, with a quiet intensity and a warm look at Cerina.
Ceto brushed some loose hair aside as she turned to Hana, her smile now a relaxed quirk of her lips. "I have not heard what you might be interested in Lady Zhao. Do you wish to share?"
"I do!" Hana said, bursting out happily as she pulled out her flute. "I have a surpassing talent with the flute. I would happily grace your ears with my work after dinner!"
Behind her Cerina noticed Yianni subtly tapping his wife's side and Ceto nodded, seemingly in response to Hana. "That is quite an honor. My husband in particular enjoys the flute," she told the other girl.
"Great! My other passions and Immortal Arts are aligned with the Spear though, and the stealth of a scout," Hana said.
Ceto laughed. "We would love to listen to you play after dinner, my Lady. Now, the next course should be about ready. Yianni, love, if you would?" She said.
The next course was prepared by Yianni using a large butcher's cleaver to separate the ribs and giving each of them out on a bed of greens with spiced honey glaze over the whole lot. Cerina had a moment of brief disquiet when she realized her parents were dipping into an amount of wealth they didn't usually spend. She'd… have to check, make sure things were okay. She'd given them a lot of money during her time away, so she knew it was almost certainly fine but… she should check.
The second course was consumed with as much gusto as the first, conversation slowing until it was finished and they paused again. Cerina's concerns were gently swept away though as the conversation continued. Without realizing it the two visiting girls were pulled into Ceto's conversational rhythm, a careful dance of gentle formality that felt comforting as she probed them and got to know them. Cerina just listened contentedly, adding little to the conversation. Much like her father, they sometimes got more out of watching and listening to other people socialize than from interacting directly.
The third course involved coals from the banked fire being swept away and a cast iron pot being retrieved from the hearth. Inside was a sweet and hearty porridge, spiced with cinnamon and apple. Ladled into bowls and served to everyone, it was consumed with an alarming alacrity. The night after that shifted as Hana pulled out her flute, the masterful sound sweet as the evening wound down into pleasant chatter and lazy dozing.
***
Late that night Cerina was still awake, absorbing the heat of the fire like a lizard as she lay sprawled out over the cushions near the hearth. She had always slept little, and cultivation had only enhanced that quality. The firelight played across her bronze skin gently, revealing rosy and golden hues in nearly uncountable shades, even for her. The scent of dinner tickled at her belly slightly, but she felt too lazy to get up and get thirds. She'd much rather lay here and listen.
Outside, she could hear the quiet whisper of the wind through the trees and over the garden roof. Inside, the sounds of her friends settling in had faded as they both fell asleep. It did not surprise her however when her mother emerged from her parents' room and approached. The older woman sat down beside her daughter and patted her lap. With some scooching and a huff, Cerina laid her head down.
"How is your painting going? You haven't sent us any in a little while," Ceto asked as she started to run her fingers through her daughter's long hair, undoing it from the braid Cerina had it in.
Cerina smiled. "Good! I've just been caught up and
busy getting all of our travel permissions sorted out," she said, looking past her mother's feet at the fire. Three Aspirants getting leave shortly after graduation had required some overachievement on their parts. She'd be paying off that debt for a few missions at least.
"Well, I like them, so don't stop. And your friends too," her mother said with a smirk and laughing poke at her daughter.
"I knew you would, mother! Stop teasing me," Cerina grumped.
"So, have you met anyone you like?" Ceto asked, relentless in her teasing.
Cerina slapped her hands over her face, bronze flushing redder than the fire as she tried to roll off her mother's lap. She groaned when her mother held her in place to continue brushing out her hair, adding in a comb from somewhere to her fingers' ministrations.
Her mother snorted, struggling against chuckles, her amusement making Cerina want to hide deeper in her hands under the weight of her embarrassment. Wrapping her arms around her head, Cerina moaned into her mother's lap. "Nooooo, not really? I know I like girls," she said.
"Not surprised," Ceto Polya said dryly.
"I like girls, there were a few like Instructor Agatha who were inspiring and I guess Zoe is cute but… No?" She said, confused and harried as she lifted her head up to look at her mother directly.
Her mother's look in response was calm, a single eyebrow raised in interest as she listened to her daughter ramble. Cerina's head thumped back into her mother's lap and she shrugged. "No. Yeah, no. I don't think there's anyone," the young woman said. Her gut churned a little. Was there supposed to be someone? She honestly had no idea how she wanted that kind of thing to go.
"Then no it is!" Ceto said, her tone gentle and reassuring as she patted her daughter's head. "You don't need to do any of that until you're ready," she finished as she prodded her daughter upright. That made Cerina feel a
little better, but her confusion still churned as her mother started pulling the comb through the rest of Cerina's hair.
"Don't I have to do
something at some point though?" Cerina asked, trying to resist turning her head so her mother's work wasn't interrupted.
"Not necessarily," Ceto said with a bit of bemusement. That caused Cerina to look over her shoulder, head spinning around on her neck. Her mother didn't mind such things any more.
Her mother smiled sardonically and shrugged. "You don't have to do anything," she leaned back a little and shrugged. "Sure, if we were a great family or one of the noble godly folk you would have such obligations. Though I'm not sure how you'd manage that with girls, magic maybe?" Ceto waved her hand, the question rhetorical. "But you are just one girl with a unique bloodline. No great family, and no great obligations," she finished.
"Wouldn't that still mean I should try to find a way to pass it on, to help the Clan?" Cerina responded, the churning taking on new shapes. The idea of carrying a child did not appeal at all and sat heavy in her guts. There probably was magic that would let her… but no.
"Only if you want to. Think about it. Your father and I are simple folk, what might that entail for your wonderful uniquenesses?" Ceto said, posing the question confidently.
Cerina sat and thought about it for a bit as her mother shifted around a little and resumed combing her hair. "Oh. There are probably other mortals with something like my bloodline in them, if its not a random mutation," she said, realizing what her mother was getting at.
Her mother nodded. That was a relief. Not entirely, but enough that she just decided to let the topic go for now.
"What do you think of my friends, mother?" Cerina asked, tone hopeful.
"It was interesting to listen to the differences in their introductions," Ceto said playfully, with a hint of seriousness. Cerina tilted her head at her mother.
"What do you mean?" She asked.
Her mother just smiled as she brushed through her daughter's hair. "I liked their confidence. But more than that, they both respect you. Zoe in particular," Ceto told her.
Cerina nodded. "Yeah, Zoe and I are close. As close as Hana and I really. I actually hunted down a Spirit Beast to help her set up her workshop in exchange for this knife," she explained to her mother.
"Oh? What kind?" Ceto asked, eyes alight with interest.
"An Anvil-Headed Drummer Scorpion, five decades old," Cerina answered, and Ceto's eyebrow quirked at the name she recognized. If there was one piece of esoterica that Three-Streams Gulch possessed among its families, it was the names and natures of the Beasts in the Forest and the surrounding regions. The Drummer Scorpions were a man sized species of Spirit Beast long legged scorpion that scuttled across the dunes and had a taste for crushed livestock, packs of them smashing anything they could catch to paste using the anvil like horn on their heads.
"I'm proud you managed to kill it then!" Ceto exclaimed quietly as she ran her hand through Cerina's hair, fluffing it out carefully and finishing her brushing.
"Do you want me to braid this before you go to bed?" Cerina's mother asked as she let go of her daughter's white-gold hair.
Cerina shook her head and spun around so she was seated facing Ceto. She ran her hand through her hair. "I liked hunting it down, Zoe's reaction was awesome," she said. "It was tricky though since I'm only in the first Heavenstage, and this thing was in the Second, and I had to get it without all the rest getting
me."
It took her carefully sneaking up on a pack sleeping in a box canyon and dropping a boulder on one of the adults at the edge, before lighting off fireworks to scare off the rest of them. She shuddered slightly as she remembered the
titanic splatter that had shot into the air around the boulder.
Ceto looked at her daughter carefully. "I know that look. You're planning on helping her upgrade as you both get stronger?" She asked, snapping Cerina out of her mildly nauseated thoughts.
Cerina shrugged, looking a little sheepish. "Not in so many words? But, yeah, I think I will," Cerina said.
Ceto sighed and chuckled. "Do remember your boundaries, my daughter. But! The way they talked about their interests
is pretty compelling," her mother said.
Cerina nodded, pulling a knee up and resting a cheek on it as she watched Ceto. "I am actually thinking about a gift for Hana. It's been bugging me for
months since we graduated. I got her a gift yeah, a really nice spear but…," she slumped, feeling a little helpless.
Ceto looked thoughtful, blue eyes darkening as she scrunched her brow. "What other hobbies does Hana have besides flutes and spears?" She asked, clearly thinking at a
li a minute.
Cerina joined her mother in thinking, humming quietly. "Reading, poems, songs, calligraphy…," she rattled off after a half second.
"... maybe a calligraphy brush?" Cerina mused tentatively. "Or a set of them?" She asked, gaining a little more confidence.
"You've made your own paintbrushes before right?" Ceto asked her encouragingly.
Her daughter nodded, but she was still unsure. "Yeah, but aren't paint brushes different from calligraphy brushes?" She asked.
"They are," Ceto said agreeably.
"What if I mess up and she doesn't like it though?" Cerina asked, her anxiety throughout this entire topic peaking.
"Mmm, better to show you care by trying and maybe failing, than to not," Ceto said, and then presented the comb to Cerina.
Feeling unsure but with a burgeoning and hopeful warmth Cerina ceded the point and took the comb. "I think I'll try, at least," she said, voice firm and somewhat relieved. Ceto smiled proudly.
"That's my girl," she said, patting Cerina's hand. "Want to do my hair? Settle your mind while you think?" Ceto continued as she turned her back slightly.
"Sure!" Cerina answered.
***
The central market plaza of Three-Streams Gulch was busy, half a dozen small children playing around the tall form of Hana as their parents conducted 'business', really more like gossiping. No traders were expected for a month or more as of the last schedule update from the local guild in the area, so most of the gossip was about the three noble ladies who had come to the village. The sun was shining down brightly into the plaza, sun rays broken up by the trees dappling the roofs of the village as birdsong flitted distantly through the trees.
Cerina was currently wrapped up in conversation with Old Kang, the town's blacksmith as they both sat in front of his shop and watched the proceedings. The old man thwapped her on the shoulder again. "Its good to hear you're taking care of those thick-headed pests," Old Kang said happily as he ran a hand through his salt and pepper short-cropped hair, responding to her story about the Anvil-Headed Drummer Scorpions.
"Did the Legions treat you well, Little Miss?" He asked amiably, bushy grey brows bunched up on his forehead like snow covered shrubbery.
"Yep! I'm in the training cadres at the moment, but that'll change when I get a mission," she answered. She looked at this bulky old man like shoe leather, and marveled. That was probably the right word for it, given how much he and several others had changed from her memories. He'd still had black in his beard when she left, for Heaven's sake!
"Ach, shame you won't be stayin…," he murmured, waving his hand loosely. "Like, you are ours, ya know," he said, looking at her reassuringly.
Her emotions were a sticky, complicated mess in her throat right now. "I will come back if I live, old man," she said roughly.
He chuckled and turned to wag a finger at her just like she was anyone of the other children. "Don't let any of the weirdos get you!" He said with a smirk.
She sighed. "I won't Old Kang," she said, a bit discomfited.
Hells, before her return her and Old Kang had barely
had conversations. That was the other thing that got to her. Everyone treated her differently now. Old Kang had been an old bastard for as long as she remembered, allowing her to watch his animals while grumbling and scolding her harshly if she hung around too long. Now though he was much more of a gentle old bastard. Much more relaxed and he just… talked to her, instead of getting suspicious or wary of her.
She wondered if it had to do with her being a cultivator. Most people left her alone now, those in the cities staying silent or only acknowledging her status. Here, Kang was a great example. They did their best to welcome her and she didn't really know why, mind going towards darker or selfish reasons they could have.
She let out a slightly exhausted sigh as she rose. "Bye for now Little Miss!" Old Kang said behind her.
Was it worth it to hold that over this one guy and all the others?
It didn't seem worth it.
I don't have the energy to untangle this right now, she thought to herself. Her gaze moved to Hana and saw her escaping from the crowd of children as they dispersed. Cerina smiled as she saw her friend casually slipping little candies into the childrens' pockets without anyone else noticing.
Cerina walked around the plaza, stretching her legs. As she hoped, her path intersected with the path of a little boy scurrying towards the tailor's shop where his mother worked. Little Gen was a stout boy with dark hair and a bright white smile. He stopped suddenly when he realized she was in front of him, backpedaling a little. He looked at her in confusion and brief wariness before he seemed to remember his manners.
"Greetings my Lady," it came off a bit clumsily as he stumbled over the clearly unfamiliar words.
"Hello Little Gen, did you have fun with Hana?" Cerina asked, trying very hard not to smile at this charming little boy.
He straightened and nodded seriously. "Yeah!" His enthusiasm uncontainable, he smiled and started speaking very quickly. "She's really good at tag and stuff, but the stories are what I like the most, Lady Polya!" He told her.
"You heard from the best storyteller in my Legion you know, I love her stories too," Cerina said seriously.
Gen giggled. "Her voice is really nice!" He said. Cerina noted Hana slowly making her way towards the two of them so she decided to hurry.
"It is. But, did you know something?" She asked the boy.
He shook his head, tilting it in confusion.
"Check your left pocket," Cerina told him.
He did, digging a hand around in it with a look of concentration that transformed into confusion as he pulled out and saw the little candy he now had.
"What? Did you do that?" He asked, very intent and careful in his surprise.
"Nope!" Cerina said and pointed towards Hana. "It was her!" She whispered.
"Ohhhhh," a little grin of pure glee split his face and he turned to wave at Hana. "Thank you Lady Zhao!" Little Gen said. Looking between the two of them he gave a little bow and spoke again. "I have to go now, my mother needs me," he said, half-asking permission and Cerina dismissed him with a wave of her hand.
"Bye bye, Little Gen," she said.
He quickly ran into the tailor's shop, holding up the candy, and she heard his happy babble start up behind her.
"Messing with my marks now, Sheep-herd?" Hana said with a smirk as she walked up beside Cerina.
"It's adorable whenever you do that, Thief," Cerina said with a matching smirk.
Hana laughed. "I can't help it! They're way too cute! And aside from you, no one else can even notice and that's even better," she said pridefully in a quiet whisper to Cerina.
Cerina giggled quietly at her friend's enthusiasm. Dancing and athleticism went well with theft, so Hana often said that to call her passionate in one was to say she was passionate in both. Cerina started walking again and Hana followed after. They walked in companionable silence out of the gate, Cerina trading nods with the guard Liao Zhu as they walked past the guard hut.
"Have you been settling in well here?" Cerina asked her friend as they wandered onto the paths branching off from the main path, heading towards Cerina's home.
Hana nodded. "Yeah? I'll admit I'm not a village girl by nature, not like you, but this place lets me
think," she said, emphasizing her statement with a wave of her hand near her head. "In a way I haven't for a while."
"Yeah?" Cerina asked curiously. "How so?"
Hana shrugged as their path started rising. "Cities all have a bunch of different people, and I can't help paying attention to all of them. I've been catching myself trying to do it with leaves of all things and its just…
different. In a good way!" She said.
Hana glanced over at Cerina and raised a finger as she remembered something else. "Speaking of, Zoe said she was interested in exploring around the Beast-Raising Forest north of here. Know any good spots?" She asked.
Cerina paused, pace hitching. She wasn't supposed to go in there… but she was a cultivator now, and that meant she
could. She hummed in thought, brushing her long unbound hair out of her face. "Yeah, I think I'd love to! Are you interested too?" Cerina said to her friend.
The other girl laughed. "Of course!" Hana told her, smiling sharply, joy and anticipation coloring her voice.
"When did Zoe want to go?" Cerina asked.
"Tomorrow or the day after? Whenever works for you girl," Hana answered.
Cerina nodded, caught up in her own thoughts. It felt weird and a little spooky, summoning crawling tingles down her spine, to realize she could just
go into the Beast-Raising forest now with such a small group. Or even alone!
Always with the troops
Always with swords in the groups
Never forget the light
And never ever go out at night
The old rhyme was comforting, warding away the slight shivers as she pictured the old growth trees and the things within them, which were neither merciful nor discerning in their hunger. She'd have to make sure to have a sword or two, along with their other weapons. Luckily they had some talismans for light, better than any fire. Cerina shook her head. She'd think about that later.
"I like tomorrow. I'll let my parents know," Cerina answered, injecting into the silence that had descended. Hana smiled back at her, seemingly unknowing of her minor bout of worries. They walked on in pleasant silence, up the paths which turned into stairs switchbacking up a hill, until they reached the Polya house.
The front gate of the house set in the perimeter wall was a simple thing of thick wood reinforced with bronze, but it was carved with much of Yanni's work as an artist and craftsman, painted with a rendition of the sun through the trees on a hill not far from here. With the wood it created a gradient of dark reds, oranges, and yellows that eventually became whites at the peak. The faint outlines of beasts and people and trees were visible too, but the overwhelming focus was the setting Sun.
Not quite able to match it, not quite yet. But she'd get there, she was sure of that.
When they went in they found her parents were talking in the courtyard, seated on a bench as the two of them considered a piece of bone and dyes laid out on a mat between them. "Hmm, a fish? Silver and black?" Ceto mused at Yianni.
"Moon fish, or green fishes but…," Cerina's father shook his head. "No, gold and silver. Like a carp," Yianni said confidently.
Cerina walked up and leaned down slightly. "New project?" She said. The bone was a rib, probably from something like a bear, and it had already been carved all over by Ceto's scrimshaw work into a fine leatherworking punch. Now it's handle would be painted with dyes that would survive wear well by Yianni, and maybe sold, or simply exchanged with someone else in the village.
Ceto nodded absently. "Yes, little one," she answered in a warm tone that took Cerina back to her childhood.
Cerina considered the green, red, gold, and small amount of silvery dye powders on the mat. "Maybe a smudge line of red going from gold to silver," she suggested.
Yianni started nodding as she talked, then he looked up and blinked a little then laughed. He reached up and patted her head. "Yes, I think something like that would work. I'll need to do some test pieces," he said, bemused.
Ceto giggled, then she looked around and saw Hana. "Ah, dear me," she said, contrite. "Apologies Lady Zhao, we seemed to have gotten caught up in our art."
Hana nodded her head slightly. "No trouble from me, it was interesting! Are you and your family leatherworkers?" She asked Ceto.
The older woman shook her head. "Herdsfolk, like everyone else. Leatherworkers, sometimes. But mostly, artists with bone," she explained.
Hana's eyes lit up. "Okay," her eyes flicked about as she thought rapidly. "I'd like to see the finished product, whenever it is complete?" She said, tentatively.
Ceto tilted her head slightly, then nodded. "We'd love to show you," she said calmly.
Hana nodded. "Thank you. Bye for now then, I need to perform my morning meditations," she said, obviously still a bit lost in thought.
Ceto watched her go until Hana disappeared into the house. She turned to look at Cerina, Yianni looking on in silent curiosity. "She okay?" Cerina's mother asked.
Cerina waved a hand. "She's fine, mother, and I think I know what I'll make that brush out of," she answered.
Both Ceto and Yianni shared a look and then glanced at their daughter. "If you want help, just ask," Yianni said quietly, lips quirked.
Smiling, Cerina leaned down and kissed her father's temple. "I will if I need it, or just want advice, father. Love you both," she said. "We'll be going into the Forest, Zoe and Hana and I, tomorrow," she said carefully as she stood back up.
Both of them froze for a moment, then Yianni spoke up. "You remember what you need to do?" He asked, voice heavy with consideration.
"I am, and I'll make sure they know too. I don't intend to go very far. One day scouting run to start us off," she said. One day runs were barely enough to get properly into the Forest by most of the village's reckoning, and the village sent parties to do it regularly. It'd be something to test the waters and learn what had changed in a decade.
"Smart, take my sword, I'll get you our current information on beast distribution," Yianni offered and Cerina felt a surge of pride in her chest.
She looked over at her mother and her pride dimmed a little at her obvious concern. Ceto met her gaze for a moment and then with a small sigh, nodded. "Go safely Cerina, and teach them right," she said sternly.
Cerina nodded. "I will, mother," she said. With that, she stepped away from them, and followed her friend into the house.
She had some cultivation she wanted to do as well. Hana wasn't visible in the main room, having already retreated to her own room for now. Cerina headed through the house, towards the fields in the back, and the sheep. Much like when they had arrived a few days ago, the sheep were placidly chewing through the weeds in their pasture.
A lingering sadness still twinged through her mind as she looked at the sheep. Tree-Kicker and Dinner Bell and Lunch and the other lambs she'd named were gone now. There were none of the familiar faces. She could see hints of them though in their children. Hopping over the fence to walk amongst the herd, they nuzzled at her much like they had before. Each bump and bleat and huff was unique and new, and yet the feeling they created was familiar.
They'd still offer her wisdom, and they were not afraid of her.
Finding a small hump in the land Cerina settled down and sat in the lotus position. Reaching into her robes she found her Spirit Stone bag. Inside were a handful of stones meant to help her maintain her 1st Heavenstage Cultivation. Or possibly accelerate her cultivation if she could figure out a trick or two according to the quartermaster who had given them to her. Each one was thumb sized and mostly clear, their insides shot through with an iridescent rainbow of colors.
Straightening her posture and settling in, Cerina pulled out one of the stones. She put the bag of remaining stones back into her robes, then grasped her chosen stone in both hands and rested them in her lap. Around her she heard the sheep bumping around, huffing and snorting, and a few nosed at her hair and face before wandering away as she did not respond. Carefully Cerina took in a breath and began to pull on the Qi within the stones as prescribed.
Immediately the twinging started, pricking and pinching all over her. She didn't wince and tense up, not like she had the first time, but it was an effort to relax. The sheep made a few curious noises nearby as they sensed her brief distress, but them nosing at her again was just another piece of sensation she folded into her train of thought. The next breath caused the pain to spike, starting with a numb vibration in her fingertips that heralded a sensation like her bones were grinding together. The numbness spread up her hands and arms, chased by the pain.
She did not flinch as she relaxed into this, bending her mind and she hoped her soul into grasping the Qi and weaving it through her breath into her dantian. Her spiritual senses were foggy and lacked precision, but she had keen enough sight to feel herself slowly growing. Drop by drop the pain and the Qi moved through her. The manuals she followed told her to work with the pain, and in her interpretation that meant accepting it and using it as framing to keep her thoughts coherent. There was a rhythm to it, which she was on the edge of grasping.
With every peak of pain and Qi tiny pieces of her dantian and spiritual anatomy were revealed with firefly sparks of illumination, piercing through the fog of her poor senses. Slowly she worked through the stone's reserves, trying to see more with every breath. She wasn't sure what was there, on the other side of the veil obscuring her inner sight. What drove her forward now was curiosity, chased and anchored by that pain. Pushing too far or too fast would force her out of this state. Each cycle thus became a step closer and closer to the revelation that was behind this fog.
In prior meditations inside the silent chambers of the Dawn Fortress she had not been able to attain the rhythm she sought, each breath a growing struggle before the pain became too much and she had to stop. Wasting a small amount of Qi in the stone, forced to let it disperse. Here, home and amongst her sheep, she found it easier.
After one hundred cycles, she managed to grasp onto the rhythm she sought. The deeper breath she took in surprise nearly disrupted it before she recovered. Like this, she expected she would be able to make use of the entire stone. As she breathed Cerina's mind slid back towards the village and the changes of the people she had noticed.
Memories of their voices from the past few days bubbled up from where they had fallen, unconsidered and set aside.
Ain't so scary…
Ours now…
Don't let the weirdos…
…you got even taller. Hah! Your parents were right!
Laughter as they watched her. Smiles that weren't there before. Juxtaposed with a faint discomfort that was nothing like the open wariness she'd experienced before. The combination of her growing to adulthood and her status as a cultivator seemed to have disconnected her from the image of her that the villagers had of her in her childhood. Yet, there were two points that stuck out to her in particular; they didn't seem to dislike that old image anymore either, and they were not surprised to find her a cultivator.
The obvious conclusion after she thought about it for a bit was that her parents had helped her while she was gone, mellowing the rest of the reclatriant villagers. But old fear didn't go away easily, she knew that much from stories and experience. The image of her as a tall, gangly and very strong child with a strange appearance had been softened by a decade. And now with her return, her status overwrote everything else.
It wasn't a great relief, leaving her feeling a mix of confused, disgusted, and happy. With each breath she let herself feel it and slowly let go of the bad stuff. They weren't hurting her anymore and she'd think of ways to get their contrition for what they had done, she decided. But, they weren't enough to supersede her actual interests.
Cerina opened her eye, having felt the sun descend beneath the canopy of the great trees. She could smell dinner cooking. Surrounding her was a field of fluff, several sheep laying down around her and she restrained a twitch when she realized all of the sheep were unnaturally silent, and watching her.
"Guys?" She asked, a bit confused.
One of the ewe's still chewing bleated and the other sheep murmured and chuffed and bleated in response. The weird moment passed and she stood. They let her through with some customary shoving and soft words, and then she was free to enter the house.
Her mind was awhirl with what her first expedition with her friends into the Beast-Raising Forest might look like. She was already earmarking creatures with good bones for a bone flute. Cerina entered the main room and found Zoe already chatting with Hana. "Welcome back!" Zoe said from her seat on some cushions by the hearth fire. Hana waved Cerina over. Stepping over the cushions, she sat with them and as they began to chatter, a part of her simply basked in the fun she was having. Regardless of what had changed so far, it seemed such changes couldn't chase her out of her home forever.
@Swordomantic
*Xiulu - Means 'road workers' or 'road repair'.
*Domestic sheep only live 10 to 12 years due to tooth decay and bodily health concerns.
[Word Count: 8443]
