Sticks and Stones

Celes Tomoe

Together; with my friends and family.

—

Firesand, 3915

Sacrifice. Honor. Courage. They were things that had never been more important than now. Things that I had once never held in my own palms. I made my choices.

I pray they were the right ones.

—

A solitary rock in the middle of the desert - a floating island in a sea of sand. How we'd found solace here is beyond knowledge. The other tribes and machines could smash themselves against our stone walls and we would remain resilient - resolute. I had never questioned our ways, following laws I thought were best for the tribe. I was raised to trust my elders and to obey blindly. Taught to believe our only enemies were the machines and raiders.

I can see now that I was naive. A child.

What is left when the veil of ignorance is lifted?

I intend to write my own fate - this I vow.

—

The wind took the loose wisps of cream colored hair around her face and tousled them. Celes stood as close to the edge as gravity would allow. The absolute and vast expanse of sand that laid out before her glittered as the sun began to sink into the horizon. Her taupe eyes reflecting the peach and coral sky. The clouds sparse but fluffy, blended the hues together like watercolor. The chill was creeping in and someone would be there soon to relieve her of watch duty.

There were flashes of metal reflecting in the distance, but nothing providing enough urgency for her to alert the others of an attack. The machines had been relentless in previous weeks, however nothing that proved difficult for their tribe. The Laroh people were best known for their high vitality, intense strength, and defensive magicks. A race of vivacious, pale haired steel makers. These combinations made them one of the largest colony gatherings they had ever known of.

On a solitary rock, 40 meters high, in the center of the Urenia Desert. Sitting atop an underground lake that provided sustenance for those just at its surface. The sacred lake produced a purified liquid - iridescent and creamy water that they referred to as the 'Milk of the Moon'. Steel forged with the milk were both durable and left with the same radiant glow of the liquid. When consumed, a simple drop could quench the thirst for several hours.

Tribes from all around the edge of the desert often sought after their blades, armor, arrows, and glass treated with this precious commodity. This also attracted a lot of negative attention from raiders, whose efforts to steal their secrets or weaponry were often times thwarted.

The lake was crucial to the longevity of their people and was held sacred above all else. Many protective spells and laws guarded people from getting closer than they were allowed.

The day had been long and the heat was becoming substantially more intense. Most of the tribe was currently in the deepest tunnel of the island rock they inhabited. The vents from the underground lake cooled the lower caves, and with firesand approaching so rapidly, they needed relief from the sun. This time alone was a precious commodity Celes coveted - even if she was cooking in the sun. She spent most of her days healing the elderly or wounded and doing favors for the tribes council of elders. It grew tiresome being a public servant.

She inhaled deeply - eyes closed - and then out a heavy sigh. The footsteps behind her were the signal she had been dreading since her shift started. She spun on the balls of her feet and leapt down from the ledge of natural stone. Upon her landing, she was greeted by the evening watch. Much to her surprise it was her close friend, Polimis, whose shifts were often opposite her own.

His hulking mass closed the gap and he gave her a delicate smile. His snow white hair and pale blue eyes on fire on the sunset. Celes brushed the hair from her face and greeted him with a salute. "I didn't know you were on watch for this evening," She shifted her weight and tossed her hand at him playfully. "If I had I would have switched shifts with Fariza."

He laughed lightly and shrugged at her. "I switched with someone last minute. I needed a good moon cleansing." He placed a finger on top of her head and twirled around her to get closer to the ladder leading up to the ledge of the walls. Celes swatted at his hand and stuck her tongue out, adjusting the hairs he had misplaced.

"A moon cleansing?" Her eyebrow raised at him before she laughed. "And just why would you need a moon cleanse?"

"I've just had a lot on my mind lately"

"Like what?" She leaned in, shooting him a devious grin. He put his foot onto the first rung, and let out a breathy chortle. His arm swung at his side, the breeze the only thing to fill the silence before he lifted his face to look back at her. "Will you be going to the cast off tomorrow?"

The cast off ceremony was the day when the Laroh lit sandpaper lanterns and sent them up into the heveans with their prayers to honor those that had passed over the year. Celes squinted at his subject change, but chose not to argue it. "Yes I will be attending." She tapped her chin in thought. "The children will be making some lanterns this year, so I wanted to see them send them off."

"You should come to the ledge. There is a good view of all the lights."

Celes blushed - Po took this opportunity to poke fun at her. "Did you get bitten by a snake? Why did you turn all red?" His jab only made her face flush more. He chortled and pat her head. "I just would like to talk." He quickly added. "Plus you can see all the lights instead of a small portion."

Celes hurriedly fixed her hair once more and raised and eyebrow before replying. Pos' mother had passed when he was young and he typically spend most of his sendings alone. "It's unlike you to want company for a cast off." At once she felt a sting of insensitivity. "I can be here tomorrow - for you."

The other young man on watch for the night, Iouri, was calling down from the ledge at Po - alerting him of the shift change ten minutes prior, tapping on his wrist. Polimis looked back to Celes and made a face indicating he hadn't finished his thoughts. "Let's put a pin in this and pick it up tomorrow."

He began to climb the ladder and stopped once her reached the top. His shadow blotting our the sun, he returned her salute.

"Be good, Celes."

—

They had begun lighting the torches by the time Celes had reached her home. Much like those whom lived around her, it was a cutting in the rock; a small cave with smoothed walls, and four rooms.

She pulled back the tapestry that she used as a shield from the sand and entered the small opening. She was greeted by the small pitter-patter of her pet, Goh; a one-eyed ocelot. Celes saved him from being killed when he was caught in a trap, trying to sneak bits of their crops through a hole in the stone. He'd taken a liking to her for her mercy and followed her around most of the time.

Once Goh has reached her, he rubbed against her leg and then stretched out his front legs. Celes pat his ears and asked if he'd had a good nap. He simply walked away from her, and straight to where she had fed him. She huffed a matronly scoff, and pulled some meat scraps out of a pouch tied to her leg and tossed them to him.

She filled a lot of her space with relics from the past. Fabrics - in many shapes and sizes - that were tattered but soft, eroded ceramic vases and mugs, and stones and crystals that she had found beautiful. Something that she particularly enjoyed was a small human-like figure made of strange colored plastics. It was in the shape of a man, who wore red. He had big round white eyes and held two blades made in similar fashion to those crafted in The Rock. His head sat on a rusted spring that would jiggle if you gave him a good shake.

Once Celes has settled into the small cot she'd made of fabrics, feathers, and leathers, it didn't take long for her to slip beyond consciousness. Goh found a warm spot behind her knees and curled up for the night - his tail coiled on her ankle.

—