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Two weeks. That's how long Zeviana's been missing her father. It's also how many days she's been considering how utterly stupid his death was. Not something big and dramatic, he wasn't stabbed or jumped or hanged - he got sick. Then he got sicker. Then he died.
Adarin's more of a wreck than she is, he was the one that hovered, the one that bartered for various potential cures, the one that kept looking for a doctor or something to fix their father. Obsessively, without rest. Zeviana helped, too, she had a bit of money saved from fights in the ring, it was supposed to be pocket money but now it's not. She got into more fights than was probably safe - made bets on herself, won every one, and handed her brother the money. He'd go and find things to fix their father from there. It wasn't enough.
It's not fair. They tried their hardest, he should have lived. If things were fair he would have.
Neither of them wanted to stay in his house after. So they decided to leave. They're going to Casasha, where Adarin can probably find work for his abjuration thing. Zeviana doesn't need to go to a specific country, she's likely to find work everywhere. No one wants to take bets on a girl in a fighting ring, and with how she wins - well, she can make more than pocket change betting on herself, if she wants. She doesn't mind, the fights are fun, the money's nice. Maybe when she's thirty and less spry she'll need to do something else, but for now, this works.
What doesn't work is how absolutely miserable her twin is. She needs to take breaks from him, because he's just - so utterly destroyed by grief. She leaves him alone, gives him space, and when she can, she cheers him up. But not right now, right now, she's on one of those breaks. He's back at the wagon, doing - whatever. But she's in the woods, on a walk.
The trees are pretty. Zeviana's almost disappointed that they haven't met any bandits in them, but she's not disappointed by the scenery. Vaguely, she wonders if Casasha looks like this, because if it does she might have an opinion about moving there after all.
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try_me
close_knit
"It's nice! I find cities kind of overwhelming, so I moved out here with just Anlon first and more of our friends accumulated over time."
in_tatters
Nod. "That's very kind of you, to accept people in like that. Apparently stories about bandits and ruffians were false?"
close_knit
"Oh, I won't say there are none out here in the wilds, but we were lucky to start out and now we have two ravelers living here."
in_tatters
"Two?" says Adarin, surprised. "Wow, that's - very lucky. Absurdly so. I've only met one other raveler, from home, and she was in her fifties. Were they also heading to Casasha?"
close_knit
"No, no. Jony I met in Antaurb when I was doing a bit of shopping, and was having an argument with her boyfriend at the time and decided to come stay with us to cool off - never left. And Kesaven was leaving Casasha for nowhere in particular and stopped to help us out with expanding the house in exchange for some of Jony's delicious berries -" Jony beams with pride. "And kept coming up with excuses to stay. Hasn't run out yet!"
"And we're not all ravelers," puts in Tima. "Chelasi and Anlon aren't. I'm not. Dayree and Quel and Netse aren't."
"And we're not all ravelers," puts in Tima. "Chelasi and Anlon aren't. I'm not. Dayree and Quel and Netse aren't."
try_me
"Yeah, Rin," teases Zeviana. "The world doesn't revolve around magic!"
in_tatters
"They're better about jobs for ravelers than Antaurb, and I am unemployed." He winces. "And we both wanted to move."
close_knit
"Oh, I know, I got terrible rates," Jony says. "They always wanted to pay me for time, no attention to how tired raveling makes you. Now I just let Anlon or Quel carry off a wagonload of this or that and bring back whatever the household needs and I never have to fuss about the business end."
"Kesaven still takes jobs in either country, sometimes," Tima muses. "But only one at a time and only just after snowmelt when the plants are too young to sell."
Chelasi's barely smiling. "What kind of work were you thinking you'd pick up exactly? You look so young to be worrying about it, anyway."
"Kesaven still takes jobs in either country, sometimes," Tima muses. "But only one at a time and only just after snowmelt when the plants are too young to sell."
Chelasi's barely smiling. "What kind of work were you thinking you'd pick up exactly? You look so young to be worrying about it, anyway."
in_tatters
"Probably something involving protection - bodyguard's the obvious choice. I like people being safe."
in_tatters
He laughs a little, looking embarrassed. "Thank you. But uh - no, nothing specific."
close_knit
"Casasha's farther away than Antaurb is, from here," says Tima. "And Antaurb's not close. You must've had a long trip."
"Kesaven made plenty of room when he put in the expansion," adds Chelasi. "You could stay over for a few days or so and rest up and tell us about what's new in the country."
"Kesaven made plenty of room when he put in the expansion," adds Chelasi. "You could stay over for a few days or so and rest up and tell us about what's new in the country."
try_me
"It was annoyingly long. With lots of sleeping on the ground," agrees Zeviana. "Adarin, if you turn down the offer of a free bed with nice people, I will swat you."
in_tatters
Adarin laughs a bit. "Well with that threat hanging over my head... Sure. It'd be nice to sleep in a bed, and have such lovely tea. If it wouldn't be too much trouble, anyway, I don't want to bother any of you."
close_knit
"Oh, no trouble," Anlon says.
"I do food as well as tea!" beams Jony.
"Well, she grows it. The rest of us do the cooking," says Tima, flopping her head on Jony's shoulder with an affectionate wink.
"I do food as well as tea!" beams Jony.
"Well, she grows it. The rest of us do the cooking," says Tima, flopping her head on Jony's shoulder with an affectionate wink.
try_me
"I volunteer Adarin to cook. Adarin, you get to cook if they don't want to."
in_tatters
Adarin snorts.
"If you'd like me to, I can, I like returning hospitality."
"If you'd like me to, I can, I like returning hospitality."
close_knit
"I don't know, are you any good?" giggles Tima.
"There's not really a formal chore rotation," says Chelasi. "Everything gets done. It's not a company, it's a household."
"There's not really a formal chore rotation," says Chelasi. "Everything gets done. It's not a company, it's a household."
close_knit
"Oh, well, if he's good he should totally show off," laughs Jony.
"What sort of things do you cook?" asks Tima.
"What sort of things do you cook?" asks Tima.
in_tatters
"Do you want me to tell you," teases Adarin, "or would you rather I showed you?"
close_knit
"Ooh, go ahead and show us," Tima says.
"I'll go tell everyone dinner's on the way. There's eight of us here," Chelasi says.
She gets up and turns away, making a subtle scissor motion with each hand.
"I'll go tell everyone dinner's on the way. There's eight of us here," Chelasi says.
She gets up and turns away, making a subtle scissor motion with each hand.
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