Mainstay: (n.) a person or thing that acts as a chief support for something.
The Raposa Village was in a frenzy. Today was no ordinary day. Sure, there was business to be done, trades to be made, and other matters of the sort. But today, there was a special occasion: a wedding was taking place.
Isaac and Mya's wedding, to be exact. The two had known each since they were children, and a lot of the townsfolk had watched the two grow up together. The town had been excitedly shocked when they had announced their engagement a few months before, and eagerly chipped in to help prepare for their wedding. After many long months of preparation, the day had finally arrived. The decorations were all set up in front of the Forest Gate, and everyone in town was heading towards the setup for the wedding ceremony.
Among the Raposa were the mayor of the Raposa Village, and his five-year-old daughter, Mari. Mari was dressed in a puffy collared black dress with a purple sash across the waist. A small brooch accentuated the dress, and small wildflowers were adorned in her short, wavy hair. Her tiny hand grasped onto the mayor's as they walked towards the setup for the wedding.
"Look at the decorations, Mari. Doesn't it look just like an enchanted garden?" the mayor exclaimed to his daughter, pointing at the display in front of the Forest Gate. "Aren't you excited to throw the flower petals down the aisle?"
Mari shrugged her shoulders in response. Unlike the talkative, friendly mayor, Mari was pretty introverted and reserved. She got tired of things easily, and would rather be inside, doing activities such as reading. Well, trying to read with what words she knew, anyways.
"Can I sit down with Cookie after I throw the flower petals?" she asked. Mari was not in the mood to stand up for an hour in front of the whole town all by herself, mainly due to her fear of feeling like the center of attention. Sure, it might have seemed silly to a few, but to her, Mari just couldn't stand the feeling of everyone's eyes in her direction.
The mayor let out a small chuckle. "Sure, honey."
"You still remember what to do, right, Mari?" the mayor continued. "It's going to be just like the practice. When the music starts, walk down the aisle and throw the petals in the center, but-"
"But make it look pretty, right. I got it, Dad," Mari replied.
They soon arrived to a small tent behind the ceremony where the wedding party was huddling underneath, and the mayor left her with the group, just until the wedding started.
"Don't worry, Little Mari. You'll see me in a few minutes," the mayor assured his daughter, with a hand on her shoulder. "Just remember what you did in the rehearsal. I'll be up at the altar, and then when you're all done throwing the petals, you can go sit with Cookie, okay?" The mayor planted a kiss on the top of her head, and then he was off.
Mari was now stranded in the crowd of the wedding party, who were excitedly chattering amongst themselves, gushing about how pretty Mya's dress was, or how she and Isaac had both grown up so fast. Most of the Raposa were much older than Mari; she didn't really recognize anyone she knew. They were probably just Mya and Isaac's family and friends, she thought to herself. She maneuvered around the group, trying to spot at least one person to talk to that she knew somewhat. After bumping her way through the maze, mostly filled with strangers, apologizing after she bumped into almost everyone, she sighed. Her legs hurt, and she was beginning to grow tired. She should've just stayed at home.
"Hmm…" she thought, furrowing her brows. "Yeah… I COULD always just go home right now…"
Mari knew her way all around the village, so it wouldn't be too difficult to get home by herself. She weaved her way out of the maze of Raposa, and started to set off.
Not even five seconds had passed after she set off when she suddenly bumped into a familiar face. Mari looked up to see a cheerful Doctor Cure, or as she was known by Mari, "Miss Petra". She wore a wide-necked lavender dress, and a small arrangement of flowers was set on the top of her head.
"Well, if it isn't Little Mari!"
Mari's eyes widened. She didn't know Petra was going to be part of the wedding party. She hadn't seen her since she went off to study medicine in Watersong… Mari turned around, leaped into her arms, and gave her the biggest, tightest hug her little arms could give.
"Miss Petra! I didn't know you were coming!" Mari exclaimed, pulling away from the embrace. "You're in the wedding ceremony too?"
"Of course I am! I couldn't miss my best friends' wedding day," she replied, bending down to Mari's level. "When I was around your age, Isaac, Mya, and I all used to go on adventures around town," she reminisced. Petra let out a breathy laugh. "As you get older, it gets so weird to see all your friends grow up right in front of you."
Mari's active imagination immediately brought to her mind an image of Raposa children, growing up like beanstalks, while one Raposa child remained the same size. They seemed to tower over the smaller Raposa. "How weird, exactly?" she asked back, with a confused look on her face.
"Well, weird in a good way. It's more of an 'interesting' kind of weird. As you start to grow, everything else around you grows," Petra replied. Mari nodded in response, but didn't respond. They stood in an awkward silence for a few seconds until Petra continued the conversation.
"So, speaking of friends, have you made any yet?"
Mari pursed her lips together and looked down towards her feet. "Well…"
"Come on, Mari, you have to have at least ONE friend here. Spending all day with your nose in a book won't get you any friends," Petra commented, nudging her with her elbow. Mari was about to counter her statement by saying Petra was her friend, but before she could say anything, Petra cut her off. "Uh-uh! Adults don't count for this."
Mari sighed, her head hanging down in shame. Petra felt upset for her. Pitied her, even. She knew how asocial little Mari was, and how she wanted friends who weren't just her father's acquaintances. She couldn't just hang around her father's friends for the rest of her life. She needed a friend of her own; someone around her own age, and Petra was going to help Mari find one.
Petra's eyes darted around the wedding party tent, determined to help Mari find a new friend. She squinted through the huddled group, trying to find at least ONE person who looked around Mari's age. After searching for a few seconds, Petra finally spotted someone.
He was a freckled, curly redheaded Raposa, who wore a loose violet dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows and some black slacks. His outfit was accentuated with a black bowtie. He held a small lavender pillow in one hand, and appeared to be rocking back and forth on his heels.
"How about him? He looks around your age," Petra said, pointing at him.
Mari seemed hesitant. "I dunno, I…"
Suddenly, a voice called for Petra from behind the forest. Petra turned her head towards the voice, yelled "coming!", then turned back to Mari.
"I'm sorry, Little Mari, I gotta go. I have to check on Mya. Maid of honor stuff," Petra explained to Mari. "But consider at least trying to make a friend here? For my sake, okay?"
Petra began to slightly jog away, picking up the hems of her lavender colored dress. Mari glanced back at the boy, then back towards Petra running off.
"I believe in you, Little Mari!" Petra called to her one last time before disappearing behind the trees.
Just like that, Mari was all alone again. Or, at least she thought she would be.
She glanced back at the boy again. Maybe she'd try to initiate a conversation. Mari walked back towards the tent and rejoined the wedding party huddled under the tent, making her way towards the boy holding the pillow, keeping a tight grip on her flower basket, and took a deep breath.
The boy turned his head as he noticed Mari approaching and gave her a welcoming, friendly smile as she approached him.
"Hi!" he greeted Mari. He then subtly pointed at the brooch adorning Mari's dress. "I like your dress. It's pretty!"
Mari was brought to the attention of her dress and looked down towards the brooch, slightly tugging at the fabric.
"Oh! Thank you!" she replied, still a bit shy. She smiled back. "I'm Mari, by the way. What's your name?" she asked, holding out her hand for him to shake.
"I'm Jowee!" he replied, returning the awkward handshake. He had a firm grip and shook her hand with confidence, which made Mari's limp arm feel like it was flying around. "So… are you one of the wedding people too?" he asked.
"Yeah! I'm a flower girl," Mari explained to him, proudly. "I get to throw flowers on the aisle to make it look pretty." She showed him the woven basket halfway full of lilac flower petals. He peered into the lattice basket, picked up a few of the petals, and threw them up into the air. The petals floated down and landed on their heads. Jowee laughed, picking off a few petals.
"Woah, that must be fun! I wanna be a flower girl, too," Jowee exclaimed. Mari giggled at his choice of words.
"Well, flower boy, really," he continued, shrugging his mistake off. "All I'm stuck doing is carrying rings on a pillow down the aisle." A tone of discouragement leaked out of his voice. Jowee held out the small pillow to show Mari. Two rings were tied onto the pillow with a black ribbon.
"Well, the rings ARE very important," Mari commented back. "They're important for Isaac and Mya to show that they're married."
Jowee shrugged in response. After a few seconds, Mari looked around and leaned towards Jowee, dropping her voice to a whisper. "Hey, can I tell you a secret?" Jowee nodded.
"I… don't actually wanna be a flower girl. I mean, well… Not really? Just… I'm just kind of scared to walk down there, all by myself. I don't want everyone looking at me. It feels… weird. I don't know why," Mari told him.
"Hey, if I were a flower boy, I would totally walk with you!" Jowee replied back. He thought for a few seconds. "Don't worry, I know you'll do a good job of throwing those flowers!" he encouraged.
As soon as he finished his sentence, the plucks from a mandolin tuning and the rhythmic patterns from a small canvas drum echoed from the back of the setup.
The wedding was finally about to begin. Murmurs from the crowd began to come to a hush, and the wedding party made their way at the beginning of the aisle and began to line up in formation. As soon as everyone was ready, the chorus of the song began to play from the mandolin softly. Everyone turned around to look at the wedding procession. And little Mari was the very first in line.
All eyes were on her.
Mari was terrified. Her basket shook as much as her hands did.
Jowee peeked out from the middle of the wedding procession line, and noticed her trembling in fear. His memory flashed back to what Mari said about being nervous with everyone staring at her. Without thinking, Jowee ran from out of his spot in the line and right next to Mari. She turned her head to see him standing to her right.
"Jowee, come back!" a few Raposa angrily whispered towards him. Jowee didn't listen.
"Oh, Creator, that rapo's going to be the death of me," a Raposa in the wedding procession commented, putting a hand to their forehead while chuckling softly.
"Mari, I can walk with you if you want," Jowee whispered. "Everyone can look at me instead of you."
"Are you sure?" Mari asked. Jowee nodded reassuringly.
"What if I mess up…?"
"You can do it!" Jowee encouraged.
Mari took a deep breath.
She took a few steps forward, with Jowee walking on her right for moral support. She took the first handful of petals from the basket, and tossed them in front of her. They fluttered down onto the ground like falling leaves. Step after step, Mari kept grabbing petals and tossing them, her nerves calming down with every time she threw a handful. As she and Jowee headed towards the front of the aisle, she realized that this wasn't too scary after all. It was… actually kind of fun. A small smile cracked on Mari's face.
As they reached the altar, Mari took one last handful of petals and chucked them towards Isaac, which fluttered down onto his shoes. A few of the wedding attendees chuckled. Mari and Jowee headed to their designated spot on the right side of the altar.
"Why'd you throw the petals at Isaac?" Jowee whispered to Mari, stifling his giggles with one hand.
"The flower girl's job is to make the aisle pretty, duh," she said back, with a big grin plastered on her face.
As the wedding party continued making its way up to the altar, the mayor caught eye contact with Mari. His look seemed to say something along the lines of "You sure you don't want to come sit with Cookie?" Mari gave him a thumbs-up to tell him that she was not leaving her spot until the ceremony was over.
The wedding party procession had eventually made its way to the sides of the altar, and after a while, Mya finally walked out from behind the forest in a crown of flowers and a flowing white dress. She was linking her arm with an older Raposa, who was most likely her father. Murmurs and gasps from the crowd echoed as she walked down the aisle. She was beaming profoundly. Mari glanced towards Isaac, and thought she saw a few tears forming his eyes. Although, she guessed that it could have just been that it was brighter out today, rather than it being dark due to the usual grey clouds covering the village.
"Can people cry because they're happy, too?" Mari thought.
The mayor led the wedding ceremony. He spouted a long yet powerful speech about how the Creator had created marriage to be a "culmination" of people coming together, not just as lovers, but also as friends, as workers, and as partners.
Mari tuned in to the speech. Her father was an excellent speaker, and even though she had grown tired of hearing him practice it over and over and over again every night before the wedding, she was still drawn in to the power he put into those words.Maybe one day she would be able to speak as influentially as he did.
While the speech was very moving, it started to seem too drawn out for Mari. She tried her best not to fidget with the basket as it might draw attention, but she was getting so bored having to listen for this long. Not only that, but it seemed like the sunlight was starting to burn up her shoulders. Mari tugged at her collar, trying to cool herself off. Cookie seemed to give her a sympathetic smile from the second row.
A few minutes passed, and after the speech had finished, it was time for Isaac and Mya to exchange vows. That was Jowee's cue to walk up to the couple and hand the mayor the pillow. Thankfully, his clumsiness didn't get to him as he went up to the altar and gave the mayor the pillow. He stood up there, holding the pillow for a few moments, as the couple untied the black ribbon holding the rings together. They reached for their rings, and began to exchange their vows, cueing Jowee to walk back to his place again.
As he walked carefully back to the side of the altar, he whispered towards Mari, "I did it! I didn't even trip this time!"
Mari recalled to the day before yesterday, when the wedding rehearsal had taken place. She remembered seeing a freckled boy enthusiastically run up to the altar to hand the pillow to the mayor, but slammed face first into the dirt and promptly dropping the pillow in the process. Many wedding party members gasped and ran up to him to see if he was okay, but he picked himself off the ground, grass stains on his clothing, with a big smile on his face. He replied with an "I'm fine!", and continued the rest of the rehearsal looking like a big, goofy mess.
"Wait, that was you?!" Mari responded, her eyes widening. Jowee's face flushed out of embarrassment.
Jowee was about to respond when cheers from the crowd began to go up into the air. They whipped their heads around to see Isaac dipping Mya for a kiss. Mari and Jowee looked a bit shocked, their faces flushing from embarrassment as they spotted the two. They'd never seen anyone kiss so lovingly and… deeply like that before. Not wanting to seem rude, they smiled and clapped along with the crowd. As Mya came back up from the dip, Mari swore she could see stars in her eyes.
The music started up again, and the newlywed couple was showered with flowers as they walked back down the aisle, beaming with pride. Mari and Jowee, walking right behind them, took the remaining flower petals and tossed them onto Isaac and Mya. Mari giggled as Jowee tossed the petals in funny ways, posing with his hands up every time he would throw a handful.
Mari was actually kind of glad she didn't go and sit down with Cookie. Or head home, for that matter. She was genuinely enjoying being part of the ceremony.
After the congratulations had finished, the attendees lingered near the setup as a few others went to set up the festival up north at the stage. They chatted amongst themselves how beautiful the ceremony was, and other things about the wedding. Mari and Jowee found themselves talking to each other near the tent once again.
"So, what do you like to do?" Jowee asked.
"Well, I like to read. My dad is teaching me," Mari pointed out the mayor in the crowd, who was talking to a few guests. They seemed to be complimenting him, and the mayor reacted with a sheepish shrug.
"He said my mother loved to write, so sometimes I read her books," she continued.
Jowee's eyes widened as he turned his head towards the mayor, then back to Mari. "Wait, you mean the MAYOR is your DAD?!" he exclaimed. "That's so cool!"
"Yeah! Once I get to be older, I'm going to be the mayor, like him," Mari explained. "But I feel like I might not be good. He's so good at making friends, and helping people, and talking…. Whenever I try to do that, I get all shaky," she continued with a tone of discouragement.
"Hey, we became friends today, right? You didn't get shaky when you talked to me," Jowee said.
Friends. Mari liked the sound of that. She gave Jowee a soft smile.
"I think it just takes practice to talk like that," she responded thoughtfully. "Maybe I'll ask my dad about it."
They stood in silence for a few seconds, kicking at the dirt by their feet and eavesdropping on a few of the adults talking within earshot of them. Jowee finally broke the silence.
"So are you going to the festival after they finish setting it up?" Jowee asked her, changing the topic. Mari noticed he tended to change the subject abruptly quite a bit. "My family is going to be there! You know, my mom was actually the one playing the mandolin."
Before the wedding, Mari wasn't originally planning on going to the festival. Her dad said she could head home if she got tired after the wedding. But now? Her newfound friend was inviting her, and she guessed that the festival might be kind of fun. Maybe she wouldn't get too overstimulated like other festivals she went to when she was younger.
"Yeah, I think I might!" she decided.
The sky, despite being so bright for that day, soon became dark as night approached. The Raposa headed up north to the stage where the festivities would begin. Stringed lights with small wildflowers were hung across the stage, and the scent of poached pengoon and Kori fruitcake wafted through the air. Mari and her father sat down at a table closest to the stage, decorated with a soft black tablecloth and a small wooden vase full of purple flowers. Mari had just climbed onto her seat when she heard a familiar voice come from the pathway.
"But mo-om, I was just trying to- oh look! There she is now!" Jowee exclaimed, pointing at Mari. "Can we sit with my friend? Pleeeeeeease?" Jowee looked up towards his mother with big eyes and sagged his shoulders.
His mother gave a chuckle, and gestured towards the table. "Go ahead!"
Just like that, Jowee made a beeline for the table and sprinted towards Mari. His parents called after him to slow down, in fear that he might knock something over, but he steadily slowed his speed down as he approached Mari.
"Oh, Mari, is this a friend of yours?" the mayor asked.
"Yeah, this is Jowee! When I got scared, he walked with me down the aisle while I threw the flowers," Mari explained proudly. She turned her head towards Jowee once more. "Do you want to sit with us?"
Jowee's parents finally caught up to Jowee, struggling to keep their breath.
"Jowee... you can't just… run off… like that," Jowee's father panted. "I'm so sorry, Edwin, I hope we… didn't give you… a scare."
The mayor laughed. "It's alright, Bertrand. I don't think Mari seems too phased by it." He glanced over at the kids, who were already talking up a storm. "Would you like to sit with us?" he offered.
Jowee's mother laughed. "I'm sure it'll make Jowee happy to sit here."
They pulled out two wooden chairs from underneath the table and settled down, leaning on the backs of the chairs. Jowee's father sat to the left of Mari, and he bent his head down to greet her.
"Well, hello, little lady! You must be Jowee's new friend," he said.
"Yup! My name's Mari," she answered, giving a small smile.
"Ohhhh! So this is the Little Mari I've heard so much about!" Jowee's father exclaimed, rustling her hair. A few of the flowers fell out. "I can't believe it!" he said, turning back towards the mayor.
"I'm not THAT little!" Mari countered, pouting. She smoothed out her hair.
"She definitely won't be for long," the mayor commented, turning towards the two parents. "I wouldn't be surprised if she grew to be taller than me!" He chuckled.
"Jowee's also grown so much since I've seen him… He's so talkative, too!" the mayor continued. "I can see where he gets it from," he joked towards Jowee's mother.
"Oh, shut up, Edwin," she said back sarcastically, rolling her eyes and grinning.
Jowee's mother kept playing along to the joke, turning towards Jowee. "Jowee, do I really talk as much as- Jowee?"
The three adults looked back over to where the kids were sitting, but they were nowhere in their seats. They glanced over around the stage to see that Mari and Jowee had run over to the food table, already loading their plates with food.
"Jowee! Don't get too much!" Jowee's mother called out to him. It was already too late, as the piles of food on Jowee's plate grew bigger and bigger.
"I swear, that boy's giving me the run-around," she said with a laugh, as she rested her elbows on the table. "Did you see how he ran to the front of the procession at the beginning of the ceremony? I was so worried he was going to mess the whole procession or do something reckless. But when I noticed him just helping Mari, I just couldn't stop him. I mean, how sweet was that?" she commented, touching her hand to her heart.
"Mari told me she got so nervous when everyone stared at her. I mean, how could I miss it? Her basket was shaking so much, I could've sworn the flowers might have fallen out," the mayor responded, leaning in his chair towards the two.
"Honestly, I'm just so glad to see Mari making a friend her age. She's never this…open towards people," he continued, lowering his voice a bit. He looked over to see Mari and Jowee near the cake, trying to sneak a little taste of the frosting with their fingers.
Jowee's mother turned towards the mayor, dropping her voice down to a whisper. "You know, Mari has really grown from when I last saw her. I still can't believe it, Edwin. She looks just like Bea."
The mayor's expression became somber as he turned his head to look back at Mari, who was giggling at Jowee. The physical resemblance between her and her long gone mother was almost uncanny. Her hair was almost as curly and wild, and freckles were all over her arms and face, just like her mother's had been. She even had the same smile. The only characteristics the mayor had passed down to Mari, look-wise, were the hints of red in her hair.
"And look at that; she's even got Bea's earrings," she continued, pointing at the small golden hoops hanging from Mari's ears as she and Jowee walked back to the table with piles of food stacked on their plates.
"Oh, Jowee, I thought I told you not to get so much food," Jowee's mother scolded gently. "I don't want you getting a stomachache…"
Her expression lightened when Jowee set two plates in front of his parents. Mari did the same with her father. "Did… did you get us food, too?" she asked the two.
"We wanted to be nice!" Mari said, cocking her head and smiling.
The three adults stared down at their plates. Their plates were loaded with pengoon, sliced fruit, and banya bread rolls. Mari and Jowee had definitely overestimated how much adults could eat.
"Jowee, this is really kind of you, but I don't know if I can even eat all of this," Jowee's father said. He could already feel the potential stomachache he would get if he attempted to eat it all.
"Maybe you could just take it home and save it for Lizzi," Jowee suggested, picking up a piece of fruit. He then whipped his head towards Mari excitedly with wide eyes. "Oh my gosh! I never told you about Lizzi!" Jowee exclaimed. "She's my baby sister. She couldn't come to the party though, because she's too little. I'll have to show you her sometime!"
As Jowee continued to ramble on, his mother laughed at his sudden change of topics. As she did, she noticed a few Raposa out in front of the stage, ready to dance. She stood up from her chair, and stretched before bending down to her husband's chair.
"Well, I think it's time we got some music playing. Watch Jowee for me, will ya?" Jowee's mother asked, turning to Bertrand and pecking him on the cheek. "That mandolin can't play itself, you know."
"Go ahead, Inez. I can handle him," he replied, winking. Inez set off towards the stage, where her mandolin lay by a small stool. She picked it up, and double-checked the tuning on her strings before she strummed a soft melody.
The mayor turned back to Jowee's father, who had just began to eat his food. "So, Bertrand, I heard your family went to Watersong last month. How was the trip?"
"It was actually quite relaxing," Bertrand replied, swallowing a bite of pengoon. "A lot different than the more adventurous outings we go on, at least. We went to both the East and West Districts, and we got to see the famous Mayor Rose perform, as well."
"Her voice is probably the equivalent of an angel's… I don't know how she does it," he went on. "I heard she's about to have a child, too. How crazy is it that she's able to be an opera singer, a mayor of a country, AND a mother? You can tell she's really hard-working."
"Wow, that is some dedication!" the mayor responded. "Well, besides exploring the city, did you at least get your adrenaline pumping a little bit during the trip like you wanted?" he asked.
"There were actually a few exciting things that happened there, yes! Watersong actually has a lot of beautiful waterfalls and beaches in the West District. We went swimming and rock-climbing there," Bertrand explained.
"Everything there is musical, though," he continued, reminiscing in confusion. "I swear, this one waterfall we visited sounded like someone playing a xylophone."
"A xylophone? What's that?" Mari inquired. She and Jowee had been eavesdropping on the two dads' conversation.
"It's a big musical instrument made of wood. It kind of looks like a small table," Bertrand explained. "When you hit one of its bars with a mallet, it plays a music note."
"Maybe we could have the Cr…" the mayor stopped to correct himself. "I mean, maybe someone in town could build one and someone could learn to play. It's always nice to hear different music every so often," the mayor said.
"Oh, absolutely!" It would be so neat to bring more instruments to the Raposa Village," Bertrand went on. "We only have a few musicians here, and it would be nice to have more for special occasions and such." Bertrand turned towards Jowee. "I bet Jowee could learn one! If he did, he could maybe play duets with Inez…"
The table turned their heads towards Inez, who was strumming her mandolin onstage alongside an older Raposa who was playing the drums. A few of the Raposa were dancing in front of the stage to the music, which caused a few others to go up and dance as well.
"Woah, that looks like fun!" Jowee said, observing the Raposa dancing. "We should try that!" he suggested, turning to Mari.
"But… I don't even know how to dance," Mari answered.
"Neither do I. That's why you gotta copy the adults!" Jowee grabbed her hand and pulled her out to to the center of the dance grounds. "Come on, let's try it!"
As they reached an empty section, Jowee looked over his shoulder, trying to badly do his best impression of a person sashaying forward and backward again. Mari, not wanting to draw any attention, just bended her knees to the rhythm of the song. She wasn't ready to try anything too hard yet, like whatever Jowee was doing.
The mayor chuckled at the kids' antics. "Well, they certainly are trying their best."
As the night went on, the group of dancing Raposa began to grow bigger and bigger. The music became more upbeat, and the musicians even sang for a few songs. Mari went up to Isaac and Mya and congratulated them. They asked her about how she liked being a flower girl, and she explained the whole situation at the beginning of the to them. The two looked at each other, dropping their jaws and giggling, and Mari didn't seem to understand why.
Mari wasn't sure what to do dancing-wise, but it made Jowee happy to see her hanging around him. She decided to go up to a few of the adults and at least attempt to dance with them, and some willingly taught her a few basics. Mari danced with her father for a while, too, but the whole time, she just stood on his feet as he helped her dance.
Mari even took part in a few of the wedding activities. She watched Isaac and Mya break a ceramic vase into tiny pieces, to symbolize luck and a long lasting marriage. Inside the vase, she noticed that tiny pale shells had been inside the vase. She also joined a group of women, who were mostly Mya's friends, participating in the bouquet toss, but no matter how high Mari jumped, she wasn't able to catch it. Petra ended up catching it, despite her not being as tall and… nimble.
After many hours of dancing, the night was about to come to an end. Many Raposa had grown tired of dancing and sat down, but Jowee had not once gone to sit down since he got up to dance. Surprisingly, neither did Mari. Her little legs may have gotten sore, but she was enjoying Jowee's company and decided to keep hanging out near him. Her confidence had definitely risen a bit because of Jowee.
Jowee's mother had put down her mandolin, along with the drummer, who set his canvas drums to the side, and were beginning to walk off the stage for the final dance. The final dance was a tradition for important ceremonies in the Raposa Village, as it symbolized the event the Raposa were celebrating finally coming into being. While they weren't always mandatory for everyone to participate, it showed a lot of respect for the people the important event was being held for.
A few of the Raposa went and blew out most of the lights that illuminated the stage to show that the final dance was about to start. The Raposa began to form a circle, and one after another, started to clap their hands to a steady beat. The claps eventually turned into a polyrhythmic beat, as a few people made up their own rhythms that fell in line with the main beat. Mari and Jowee seemed a bit confused at first, but caught on to the main idea and clapped along as well.
Half of the Raposa formed a circle around the other half, who kept clapping along. They joined hands and circled around and around the others. Some skipped along to the rhythm, some simply just walked. After a few times, the group's circle started closing in on them. They lifted up their arms, still holding each other's hands, to give the other group a chance of circling. Petra eyed Mari as she held up her arms for Mari to walk under.
"Your turn now, Little Mari! Good luck!"
Mari mostly followed the lead of the other adults who followed. She grabbed onto Jowee's and her father's hand, and the circle began rotating again. While it was certainly different than the dancing she had done before, she was having a lot of fun doing… whatever this was.
As she skipped around in the circle, she caught a glimpse of Isaac and Mya. They were staring at each other, beaming so brightly it was almost like a light. They seemed ecstatic just standing together.
"I hope they stay like that forever," Mari thought. "They're very lucky."
Soon, the dance started to disperse, and there was a roaring applause for the couple. Everyone began congratulating the two, and before everyone left for the night, they gave one last speech together.
"I'm really grateful for everyone coming out tonight," Isaac said, looking back towards Mya. "This has been probably the best night of my life. Mya and I, we've grown up together, a lot of you have seen us grow up together. It's still… mind-blowing that I got to marry my best friend."
"And we always will be best friends, no matter what," Mya said gently, smiling up at Isaac.
"Absolutely," Isaac responded to Mya, warm-heartedly. He turned back to the crowd. "Thanks again for joining us tonight. Today has felt… so magical. I'm really excited to see where Mya and I go next." Isaac wiped a tear from his eye, smiling.
Mya laughed sympathetically. "Aww, Isaac, don't cry! You're making me cry, too!" she said, as she pulled him in an embrace, tears forming in both of their eyes. The crowd awwed and chuckled in response. As they pulled away, they wiped the wetness away from their eyes, still beaming at each other.
"Well, unfortunately, the wedding has to end somewhere. We'll be cleaning up for a while, so if you'd like to help, we'll be out here for about another hour," Mya continued.
"No need to," the mayor spoke up, walking toward the front of the crowd. "We actually planned a team of a few people beforehand to help with that, so you two can head back home," he explained. A few Raposa stepped up behind him, while a few others waved from the crowd.
"R-Really?!" Isaac exclaimed. The mayor nodded back. "You've put so much work into this ceremony, Edwin. Thank you so, so much."
"Go run along and get some rest, you've got a big trip ahead of you in the morning," Edwin replied. "I can handle the rest of it."
The couple smiled, and began to head home. Other Raposa began to do the same, and the group in front of the stage soon began to scatter once again. Mari got a bit nervous, though. She didn't want to stay and clean up with her father, as it was getting late, and she was getting tired. She went up to her dad, who was taking the decorative lights off the front of the stage.
"Dad, am I going to have to clean this up too? I'm so tiiiiiiired," she whined.
"I asked Jowee's parents to take you home tonight. They should still be here, go find them. I'll only be here for an hour," Edwin responded to Mari. "See them over by the pathway?" He pointed to Jowee and his family. Jowee looked like he was about to fall asleep. "Better hurry!" the mayor continued.
Mari jogged sleepily across the stage grounds towards Jowee and his parents, struggling to keep her eyes open. She stumbled on a rock as she approached them, and that made her just a bit more alert.
"My dad said… you're taking me home, right?" Mari asked, yawning in between words.
"Of course! We'll walk you home," Jowee's mother said. "You don't need any help getting ready for bed, do you?"
"I dunno… I'll try my best to, I guess…" Mari groggily answered.
"Well, we better get you home before both you AND Jowee fall asleep on us," his mother said, chuckling at the two. Jowee had nodded off, but he snapped his head up as soon as his eyelids shut and he tipped over. "Come along, now."
The four made their way along the western pathway. They seemed to have houses in the same centralized district of town, so it saved them a lot less running around town. It was a quiet walk, with no sounds except for the gravel crunching under their feet and the distant boisterous chatter from other wedding attendees. Everyone's legs started to feel weak, which caused the walk to be much slower than it would have been if everyone were more awake.
They finally had reached Mari's house, right in the center of town. They family went under the main awning to help her inside. Once they all got inside, Jowee's father lit a small, dim lamp and set it on a small table near the door, while Jowee's mother helped take the remaining flowers out of Mari's hair.
"Are you sure you don't need any more help?" Jowee's mother asked her, as she finished combing the tangles from Mari's auburn hair. The flowers from her hair were stacked on a pile on Mari's nightstand. Mari shook her head to say no.
Mari let out a big yawn. "Thank you for taking me home, Jowee's mom."
Jowee's mother laughed. "You can call me Inez if you'd like, Mari."
"Thank you, Inez," Mari repeated.
The family started to head out the doorway, leaving Mari standing a few feet behind the door in her house.
"Jowee, say good-night to Mari," Jowee's father said in a singing tone.
Despite Jowee being so sleepy, he ran towards Mari for a hug, sinking his head into her shoulder.
"Good night, Mari…" he mumbled. "Thanks for being my best friend today. I had a lot of fun."
"I did too," Mari whispered back, equally as sleepy as Jowee was. "See you next time, Jowee."
Jowee's father laughed. "Alright Jowee, let go of Mari. You need to go to bed, too."
Jowee slowly released the embrace, and sleepily walked towards the door. Mari waved at his family as they began to set off. They shut Mari's door, and they were once more off on the trail, this time to their house. Mari watched them from the window as she climbed under the quilt that lined her bed, still wearing her flower girl dress. She was too tired to change out of it. Her eyes began to flutter as soon as she hit the pillow, and within a few minutes, she was sound asleep.
Once Jowee and his family reached their house, just next-door to Mari's, Inez and Bertrand gave a few coins to a man who was watching over Lizzi. She was a tiny Raposa with curly brown locks no older than the age of two, and was sound asleep in Jowee's bed. As soon as the man exited, Inez promptly cleaned Jowee up and put him into his pajamas, which were just a grey soft long-sleeved shirt and sweatpants.
"I think Mari is my best friend now," he mumbled to his parents. "She's really nice, and she likes to listen to me talk." He paused to yawn.
"Is that so?" his mother asked, brushing out his ginger locks with a wooden comb.
"Yeah," he responded sleepily. "Did you know she also knows how to read, too?"
"Well, her father is very well educated," Inez informed, "so I wouldn't be so surprised to hear that little Mari's reading already."
"She's not THAT little!"
Inez laughed. "All right, Jowee. I'm sorry. Now get to bed. It's very late."
He crawled under the quilts on his bed, being careful not to wake up his little sister. "Can Lizzi sleep in my bed again?"
"Buddy, you sleep like a starfish. I don't want you waking her up by shoving her to the floor again," Inez told him. A memory of Inez's popped into her brain and reminded her of one night where she woke up to a loud thump and Lizzi crying as she lay on the wooden floor. Jowee was stretched out asleep across the bed, and had accidentally shoved his sister off the bed.
"Good night, mama," Jowee murmured as his eyes fluttered shut, his head snuggled to his pillow.
"Good night, little adventurer," his mother whispered to him as she kissed his forehead. She picked Lizzi out of his bed, who was still fast asleep. She backed up away from Jowee's bed and quietly across the room to her and Bertrand's bed on left side of the house, opposed to Jowee's bed underneath the stairs. Lizzi was carefully set down right next to Bertrand, who was looking at a small map of Watersong.
"It's so nice Jowee has finally found a friend his age, isn't it?" Inez said, climbing into the bed.
"I suppose it is…" Jowee's father replied, checking off places on the map with a small piece of charcoal. "It's good he's socializing with kids. But… I'm worried he might get too… attached."
Inez's content countenance suddenly changed as her jaw dropped and she furrowed her brow. "Your son makes a friend his age and you're worried he'll get clingy?! Are you serious, Bertrand?!"
"No, no, I didn't mean it like that," Bertrand stuttered. "I meant like… what if we… you know… go on adventures? Or… or have to leave town for good eventually? How do you think he'll feel?"
"Leave town for good?!" Inez sputtered, eyes growing wide in shock. "Are you kidding me?! Where did you get this outlandish idea?!"
"Well, you remember what happened with… with Wilfre. With the Book of Life torn up, who knows what state the town is going to be in soon," he whispered. "The Eternal Flame gets smaller and smaller every day. And the clouds… they get so big and dark. I've seen them starting to cover some of the houses in town. We might need a fresh start soon, Inez. It might not be as safe as we used to think."
Inez sighed. She had finally settled down in a nice town, made a few friends, and even had a few kids. She had never felt so welcomed in a town like this one in her life. After Wilfre had ripped up the Book of Life, however, Bertrand had been planning a lot of trips around the world, almost as if he was trying to avoid the town. While Inez dearly enjoyed adventuring with her family, she wanted at least to stay around for a while longer, at least until things went extremely downhill for the village.
"Can you give it at least a little time?" Inez whispered, still a bit frustrated. "I want the kids to have somewhat of a normal childhood. Traveling around constantly won't give them that. They need a place to call home, and people to call friends. Going on adventures are fun, yes, but they're kids, and they need to experience that as well."
Bertrand's heart sunk as he looked at Inez's heartbroken face. He was quiet for a moment, trying to find the right words to say.
"I'll give it a bit more time, okay?" he said. "I'm sorry I brought this up. You're right; we need to give the kids some growing room. It… it could just be the sleep getting to my brain." Bertrand yawned, and laid down on his pillow.
Inez, still not fully convinced, sighed in response. "Mmm… okay. Please, at least give me a chance." Inez blew out the oil lamp on the nightstand and lay back down. "Good night."
Meanwhile, while Mari was asleep in bed, strange images had popped into her dreams that night.
She envisioned a bright room, furnished with a white bed and a bright, bright window that would blind someone if they even tried to look out of it. Something was in the bed in a white gown, and in their arms laid a small creature, similar to a Raposa in proportion, swaddled in blue and white striped cloths. Except… where were its ears?
The creature also appeared to have no fur on its body at all, the only exception being the soft fuzz on top of its head. It was a strange color. Was it yellow? White? A mixture of both?
It cried out loudly, and the arms holding it gently swayed the creature back and forth.
"There, there, Michael…" a motherly voice said, coming from the… thing holding the small creature was. Was the small creature's name Michael?
The creature gradually stopped crying, and closed its eyes. "See? Everything's alright." The creature with the motherly smiled, and upon closer inspection, her face looked fatigued. But yet, she was bursting with happiness.
A deeper voice spoke out from the left of her. "Just wait until we introduce you to your big sister! She's going to be so excited to see you," the voice said in a soft tone.
"I just know you're going to love H…"
The voices slowly faded and faded until their words were unintelligible. Mari could only hear a few of the sounds coming from them, but nothing specific. Although, she could've sworn she heard one of them say the word "feather", but it could have just been how muted everything was getting. The window from the room suddenly became brighter and brighter, until everything in the room went white. The white soon faded to black, and that was the end of it.
Mari tossed and turned under the quilt, tensing up. While the strange dream had finally ended, it was only the beginning of a long series of nightmares that would start to appear for a long, long, while.
Who was Michael? And why did the dream feel so… hyperrealistic?
More importantly, where were his ears?
