=Revamped: November 7, 2015= My new notes are in bold
Now onto Blueberry Festival! Some real combat-magic action will take place here, don't worry. (Actually, it takes place in Part Two.) And...I'd hate to spoil it to you, but who cares. It's just a teensy revelation.
Drizzt will meet somebody he's met years ago who may possibly hate him now. There, not too spoil-ish, isn't it?
Oh yeah, one question: How old is Drizzt as of Sojourn? Please tell me. The timelines somehow don't add up to me and some people tell me that as of there he was 182 years old...
((The Battlehammers (plus one barbarian) will come soon, not to worry. Just not this chapter.))
There is also something I've been meaning to tell you guys as well. Vietnamese words are written with accent marks which would be hard to explain in written words alone. Maybe someday I'll digress on it. But onto the more important things. My computer doesn't have the program to print the marks on the words so if you happen to encounter another word of the same spelling, I will add some footnotes explaining the difference that I couldn't put up on this fanfic. (Some song lyrics may appear with the accent marks...but that's because I've copied them from a website.) Hahahaha this is so funny now because Windows 7 actually has the Viet keyboard pre-installed, with a whole bunch of other keyboards as well. You just gotta look into the settings or whatever, and change your preferred language. This is why the names and words in the fic now have accent marks where they previously didn't, because I edited them.
I also went back and cut Xiao Long out of the fic because he was just so unnecessary. Not that he's going to be of any consequence, since he (luckily) didn't enjoy much page-time. For those of you who don't know, Xiao Long was a sixteen-year-old boy who had a crush on Ahnnie; his debut was in Chapter 8, where he works at the gas station that Ahnnie enters to get the soda. When I came back to revamp the fic he bothered me a lot, but now that I've erased him, I feel much better :).
So with a little twist on the Thistledown's blueberry-picking outing...here is chapter ten of Not-So-Journ!
The Blueberry Festival: Part 1
March XX: Saturday: Blueberry Festival!
Ahnnie pointed her finger to that particular day on her calender, an expression of excitement spread across her face. She herself personally wrote the reminder, and every one of the youngsters in the Quang house had been anticipating it all month long.
The Blueberry Festival was a holiday invented during World War II, during the great-grandparent's teenage years. The real reason for the celebration was unknown, especially since blueberries don't grow in Vietnam, but on all those days humanoids and Quang magicians of all ages have had fun. The theme for decoration was easy to grab as a concept; blueberries! So during such a festival, even the forests in Sanctuary had some sort of blueberry ornament on them, or deep-blue streamers strewn across their branches.
"Blueberry Festival!" Lillyn giggled as she whirled and twirled around the girl's head. "Come on, let's get ready for it!"
"I am, I am..." Ahnnie was busy adjusting the collar of her light green Áo Dài (ow yigh) and the clasp of a darker green cloak that was draped about her shoulders (A/N: there are no cloaks in traditional Vietnamese dress, but since this is a Forgotten Realms fanfic, I decided to add it for more...fantasy-ness).
Green was the color of their patron ancestor, and thus the symbolic shade of the entire Quang family. So regardless of whether blueberries were blue, the Quangs' formal attire in presenting themselves as a wizarding family often consisted of green shades. After making sure her bangs were brushed neatly over to the right (as they always were), Ahnnie decided that she looked nice enough and peeked through the doorway to yell out into the hallway: "Val! Kiri! You guys ready yet?"
"Hold on a sec." Valkyrie's voice came, calm and clear, from her room at the end of the hall. "But there seems to be a problem..."
"What problem could that be?"
Her cousin's head, framed by tamed black curls pulled into a mid-length ponytail at the back, poked out from the room with a worried expression planted on her beautiful face. "Kirin has a migraine."
"What?" Ahnnie couldn't even begin to comprehend that possibility. "Now? But she hasn't ever since...you know..."
"I know, but it's just happened." Valkyrie huffed a long, world-weary sigh that betrayed a worry going deeper than just stressing over a simple migraine; even if that was all that it was. "We can't let her out in that condition...There's both light and sound, and with a migraine that turns a happy daylight festival into hell."
"We can't be absent either," Ahnnie said. "You and me, I mean."
"You and I."
"What you said. So, if Huỳnh's ready, I could tell him and we could come up with something..."
"Why not tell Grandpa?"
"He's already prepared! I bet he's outside by now, and so are Ông Cố and Bà Cố (great-grandfather and great-grandmother)." Ahnnie bit her lip in some desperation. "Umm...what did you usually do, when this happened to her?"
"I stayed by her side, with medicine and water at the ready. What else do you think I could've done, leave her to my nasty uncle's hands?"
"I get the sarcasm! But there will be visitors too, and...you can't just stay here...so we'll have to leave her inside."
Valkyrie sighed and disappeared back into the room to grab the traditional khăn đống head-piece; when she came back, the ring-shaped piece was placed neatly on her head, her ponytail adjusted to the left side. Supported from a section of the ring, it made the wavy length of hair cascade down her left shoulder like an ebony waterfall. "You're right. Leoht will be with her but...you know who else will."
As the two teenage girls looked at each other, one name passed through their minds. Drizzt.
Not that they didn't trust him; he was a good guy! But still...something just bothered them about the prospect...Guiltily, they couldn't help but remember the events of the previous night.
After moments of what seemed an uncomfortably weighty silence, Ahnnie clapped her hands and her face brightened with a brilliant idea. "I know! How about you give Kiri the medicine first, then carry her down to the living room couch? There are all sorts of barriers there, remember?"
"As if there are none around our rooms."
"I get that, but if Kiri wakes up then she can exit to the backyard easily through the back door. She won't have to make a dizzying climb down the stairs where she might fall and hurt herself, especially since she'll still be sleepy."
Valkyrie considered that, then seeing her young cousin's logic, nodded with a slight smile. "For the first time in a long time, you've thought brilliantly."
"Hey. I already have Huỳnh at my back, and now you're against me too?"
The bespectacled girl gave a small chuckle. "Not entirely. You can go down first; I'll piggy-back her." She turned to leave, but then remembered something and stayed. "You're missing your khăn-"
"I always do that! I don't have enough soft hair like you to cushion my temples, so it hurts." Ahnnie hurried down the stairs with a "See ya!" and appeared in the living room even faster, surprising a very shocked big brother. Drizzt, sitting on the couch with Fuyumi, was not in the least bit alarmed. He had heard her thumping down the stairs as though she were running from a legion of ghosts, and if Huỳnh hadn't, it might've been because the boy was too concerned with his looks.
Huỳnh stood in an Áo Dài fitted for men and boys; though the same green as his sister's, it was of a more silky texture, with elaborate gold-thread mandalas stitched into the fabric, and less crimped at the waist. Another difference was that, instead of the white silk pants the girls wore under their traditional dress, he had on black khaki pants (a rising fashion in the Áo Dài world for men) and wore a slightly smaller khăn đống on his head. For once his hair was brushed neatly...the slick shine on it denoted the use of hair gel.
"What was that for?" the youth demanded sourly. He fumbled with his cloak clasp and succeeded after many curses, then turned angrily on his little sister. Beside him, Namiq padded patiently in a ring around his feet, fur slick and combed as well. An ornament of ice-white diamond decorated her right ear. "Were you trying to raise the dead?" he added for good measure.
Ahnnie frowned. "Well sor-ry Mr. Gaudy. I, for one, am excited about the celebrations instead of the coming of the guests. Or rather, one female guest."
Huỳnh blushed furiously. "I'm not excited about Izdihar at all..."
"Ha! You admitted it!" She pointed an accusing finger at her brother. "I didn't say anything about her, and you spilled her name! You're a sorry excuse for a...a...secret-keeper!"
"Secret-keeper?" Her brother snorted. "That all you could come up with?"
"What else? It's accurate."
"Accurate my a-"
"Huỳnh was about to cuss!" Ahnnie tattle-taled to no one in particular.
The boy turned back to the floating pocket mirror in front of him, dejected and angry. "Whatever," he muttered, "but please don't tell Mallik about..."
"Your love for his big sis?"
"Don't put it like that. But still, don't tell him." The boy re-adjusted his head piece for the hundredth time. "You two may be good buddies at school but this is a holiday for magicians where we respect one another as fellow magic-users, and treat the other as fam-"
"Yeah, yeah, whatev." Ahnnie strode over to Drake, who was in Fuyumi's arms, and picked him up with a playful swing. "You ready Draky? Ready for your first Blueberry Festival?"
The baby cooed and spit and laughed. Ahnnie took that as a yes.
Drizzt, sitting quietly near the yuki-onna, couldn't understand a single word of what they were saying. After all, it was in English. However, he knew there was something special about this day from what he observed: the children's apparel resembled the style of the dress he saw from the photograph of their grandmother, all of it green, and then of the guardians, Fuyumi was wearing an elaborate kimono (the more long-sleeved, the fancier), Namiq had jewelry in her ear, Eld was wearing silk, and only Aubaine was normal. Leoht...wait, where was the Lung Dragon?
It was then that Valkyrie came down, her little sister asleep on her back. The little girl was changed back into her pajamas, because there was no way she could sleep in her fancy traditional dress, and her hair was matted with sweat. Leoht trailed sadly after, sniffing his ward from time to time. When the procession reached the bottom, Valkyrie took ten more steps then laid Kirin gently onto the unoccupied side of the comfy sofa.
Huỳnh stopped his mirror-gazing and turned in alarm at the sight of the suffering girl. "What happened?" he demanded.
"Migraine," Val explained.
Drizzt, separated from the girl by Fuyumi's snowy form, bent over to take a good look. He felt a pang of sadness as he saw the expression of pain etched on her usually cheery features. "What happened to her?" the drow asked, wanting to know the reason in a language he understood.
"Migraine," Val repeated in drow. "Given the situation and importance of this festival, I'll have to leave her here with Leoht..."
"And Drizzt?" Huỳnh asked, suspicious all over again.
"He can sit in the dining room," Ahnnie suggested.
Drizzt looked from Val to Huỳnh to Ahnnie. "I will be staying inside?"
"Oh..." Ahnnie turned to look sympathetically at the drow. "Um...sorry, but...Grandpa said that you couldn't go out...because, well..." She rubbed her arm nervously. "Some people...elves, dwarves, vampires even...will...will..."
"I understand," the drow said quietly.
"And I think the Harpells are coming?" Ahnnie continued to change the subject, with more than just a little guilt.
"The Harpells?" Valkyrie echoed incredulously.
"Yeah," Huỳnh said. "Grandpa said so...last minute. Sometimes I wonder if he's going senile too."
"He's a busy man," Ahnnie objected. "Of course he forgets occasionally. You would too if you had a big family and a whole world to take care of."
"If there was ever such a thing as a grandaddy's girl, then you most certainly are one."
"Shut up!"
"SHHH!" Aubaine hissed. "You'll wake Kirin!"
That struck a chord somewhere in Valkyrie's memory, to a time when she was just a seven-year-old girl. Back to when a gentle woman cradled a newborn baby girl in her arms and told little Val to keep quiet. You must always be quiet when Kirin is asleep, my little Valkyrie. Or she will wake, and cry even more... The girl looked away sharply, surprised that such a vague memory came back to mind at a time like this.
Once she starts crying again, she'll never want to go back to sleep. That might ruin her good dreams.
Ok Mommy, I'll be quiet!
That's a good girl.
Ding-dong. The sudden mismatch of noise and voices in Val's head shook her back to reality, a reality where guests from either one of the two magician families with whom they were friends waited patiently outside their door. "I'll get it," she offered, and ran for the door. When she opened it, it was the Fudo brothers smiling at her with cheery faces.
Yuusuke and Daichi Fudo. Magicians from Japan, they were descended from a long line of onmyoji, or diviners. These two, however, were no diviners themselves. Yuusuke dealt with enchanting ordinary every-day items (even his motorcycle) to contain different magical properties, and Daichi, nicknamed D, used his magic to enhance the taste of his pastries and cakes, which he loved to bake and sell to people in his bakery. Despite that, they both had their own shikigami, or spirit servants of the onmyoji magician. Yuusuke was eighteen and in college; D was twenty-four and past college. Both lived in a house somewhere down the block.
Yuusuke, his head sporting spiked hair highlighted yellow in some places, bobbed slightly in a small but quick bow, shaking his spikes. In that moment, Ahnnie and Huỳnh herded Drizzt into the dining room, before the drow could be discovered by the sharp eyes of the Japanese brothers.
"Madmoiselle," Yuusuke purred, holding up Val's hand and kissing it. "You are very beautiful today."
"Cut it out," Valkyrie said, trying to sound disgusted.
"But I would never kiss anyone but you!" Yuusuke protested.
"Whatever." Val turned to D. She noticed that he was holding two boxes, a cake box and a thinner pastry box on top of it. Unlike his brother, D wore his hair in a neat short bob with the bangs parted down the middle. "Blueberry?" she asked of the cake.
"Of course it's blueberry. I wouldn't come to the Blueberry Festival with a cherry cake, would I?"
"Course not."
"We also send our family's greetings from Japan," D continued, indicating the smaller box. Val knew she could expect it to contain traditional Japanese goodies. "They apologize for not being able to make it this year."
"It's ok. It's the thought that counts." She smiled and slid back to let the two brothers in. They politely took their shoes off and proceeded into the living room in their socks. There, they were met with happy greetings from Ahnnie and Huỳnh. But the two were dismayed when they discovered that Kirin, the object of their usual piggy-backing and spoiling, had a migraine too bad for the Festival.
The bespectacled girl smiled. "She'll probably have to join the night festival," Val explained as she closed the door and joined the brothers. "When she gets migraines like this...it takes that long for her to wake up."
"If I can be of any help..." Yuusuke trailed off, purposefully inching his hand towards hers.
"We're all good for now." Valkyrie politely hid her hand behind her back.
"Well." D cleared his throat and set the cake box down on the coffee table. "Shall we proceed into Sanctuary or...?"
"We must wait for the Rashids first!" Ahnnie protested.
The tell-tale ding dong came again, just on cue. It was Ahnnie who opened the door this time, and she was greeted with the sight of seven people; the Rashids.
The Rashids were magicians said to have been descended from Aladdin and his princess bride. They mostly dealt with djinns, better known as genies, and wish magic. Unlike the Fudos and the Quangs, who practiced forms of Buddhism, they worshiped under the Islamic religion. However, this difference in beliefs had not deterred the families from becoming staunch friends in the least.
Mallik and Izdihar Rashid, the children of the family, decked out in elaborate Arabic robes and gold jewelry, greeted their school friends with a flourish of jingling metal.
"Hey Ahnnie," Mallik said. "What's up?"
"Ahem." Ahmad Rashid, Mallik and Izdihar's father, cleared his throat most unhappily.
"I mean..." Mallik did his greeting over again. "Greetings, Quang family of magicians. Our family is here to join you in the festivities."
"Most pleased to see you again," Izdihar said beside her young brother. Her long, straight black hair framed her tanned face; she wore no hijab, as the family believed the matter of a headscarf to be optional, although the older women of their family wore them. Her face was a face of broad cheekbones, of no gentle delicacy but a beautiful bravery. It made Huỳnh blush.
The other Rashids, Fatima (the mother), Akbar (paternal grandfather), Bahiya (paternal grandmother), and Banan (the auntie, Ahmad's sister) nodded with approval at Mallik's revised greeting.
Mallik's dark eyes looked up at Ahnnie's with strain, secretly telling her that this politeness was not his thing.
Ahnnie looked back comfortingly, assuring him that they'd have time for their usual talk soon enough.
"Permission to enter?" Ahmad asked after a while.
"Of course!" Ahnnie stepped back and let the Arabians idle past. After she closed the door, the first thing she saw was grandma Bahiya holding up Drake and coddling him as though he were her own. Next, she noticed that Mallik was wearing a turban, which was quite unusual for the rowdy teen.
Lillyn fluttered in beside her to climb up her hair and thus onto her head. "When are we gonna get out? I want to see the festival!"
"The Harpells have to come first," Ahnnie said with a bit of a sigh. "I kind of wonder how Grandpa was able to contact them...or vice versa." When the fairy shrugged, the girl waved the thought away and came up to Mallik, who was having a bit of a conversation in Arabic with his sister. When the two saw her approach, they welcomed her warmly into their circle.
"I can't wait to get out there," Mallik said happily.
"Me neither," Ahnnie agreed. "But you know, the Harpells have to come first."
"The Harpells?" Izdihar's eyes went wide. "You mean...the Harpell magician family?"
"Who else?" said Ahnnie. "I hear that they're kind of eccentric, though..."
"It's basic knowledge," Mallik said with a wave of his hand. The golden jewelry jingled again.
"Rule number one in ninja training," Ahnnie decided to say. "Never attract too much flashy attention to oneself." She added the 'flashy' part, of course.
"This is decor," Mallik explained. "Of course, I'll have it off when we spar." His eyes glinted mischeivously.
"Oh no you don't," Izdihar cut in, crossing her arms angrily. "Remember the last time you two wildcats fought each other? You almost summoned the Grand Djinn! You sneaky little boy, you can make an excellent thief but never a patient summoner. No sparring for you."
"Without magic?" Mallik pleaded.
"Without magic should be fine," Ahnnie added, hoping Izdihar would allow it in some way.
"Even without magic, you might seriously wreck something." The Arabic girl huffed and turned so that her back faced the two of them. "And don't think that you, Phương Anh, have nothing to be guilty of. You almost burned down an orchard, had it not been for Huỳnh's quick thinking and control over...salt water."
Huỳnh stood tall and proud at her words, even if she put a disgusted emphasis on "salt water".
"No sparring for us this festival," Ahnnie said apologetically. "But then I'll have to do it with Huỳnh..."
"What! Again?" Mallik looked horrified. "You two never win or lose at all! Your fights always end in a draw...why should you?"
"Is it getting boring to watch?" Ahnnie asked worriedly.
"Not really, but...when is a winner ever going to come out, you know?"
"I see..." Ahnnie pondered that for a while, then turned back to what she really wanted to ask her friend. "I forgot to ask. Mallik, today you're...hiding your hair."
He turned away disdainfully and with sadly slouched shoulders, heaved a heavy sigh. "Yeah, well..."
"Would you like to know?" Izdihar asked.
"Did he go bald?" Ahnnie asked her, wide-eyed.
"No, of course not." The Arabic girl gestured at her brother's headwrap with a flourish of her bangled hands. "But, well, he did something last night that shocked the whole family into...punishing him like this. I shall now show you."
She unwrapped his turban with more of a rough yank than a simple pull, and to Ahnnie's shock, the hair that spilled out was not Mallik's usual shoulder-length black hair, but blonde! From top to bottom!
"You dyed it?" Her voice quavered on the verge of shouting. "Why would you do that? I thought you hate using chemicals!"
"Correction: He messed with a spell." Mallik's indignant sister looked somewhat proud of herself for knowing such things, but if a stranger saw her face at that moment, the expression would have been mistaken for a look of contempt. "Irreversible until Father knows what to do."
"I kind of like it this way," Mallik protested meekly.
Izdihar frowned. "You think it's cool to be Arabic and blonde at the same time? Haven't you ever heard a 'dumb blonde' joke?"
"Blondes aren't all dumb!" he suddenly exclaimed, and spun around to face her. "You can go ahead and tell those jokes to Hitler! But if I want my hair blonde, then I will keep it blonde!"
Ahnnie looked around for the presence of stern Ahmad and his wife, Fatima. But they were nowhere to be seen; perhaps they had already joined Grandpa outside. Still, there were others of the Rashid clan inside the house. "Your grandparents and your aunt will hear you if you speak too loud," she reminded him.
"They don't really bother." Turning back to his sister, Mallik continued, "If you don't like it, then I will add red highlights to prove my point."
Izdihar made a disgusted snort and flicked the turban cloth back onto her brother's head. "Oh please. Don't bother me with that stupid teenager talk."
"Well..." Ahnnie twiddled her thumbs nervously, hoping what she said next wouldn't anger Izdihar. "Mallik...I like it too. If that's your new style, then it looks cool." As she continued, her face lit up and her confidence built with every new word. Parroting Drizzt's suitors, she said: "It contrasts perfectly with your dark skin."
"Ugh." Izdihar moved away to talk a bit with Valkyrie, who was being hit on by Yuusuke. As usual.
"Thanks," Mallik smiled. "That's the first word of appreciation I've ever heard about my new do."
"Well, those don't come cheap."
"Yeah." The boy heaved another sigh; this time, a sigh of relief. Unfortunately, he still had to wear the turban, so he re-wrapped it around his head. As he was doing so, he asked, "Anyways, where are the Harpells? They sure are keeping us tense and excited in this house..."
"I know." Ahnnie looked at the wall clock. "We should've been out the moment you came..." Her eyes narrowed angrily at her next thought. "What if they were just pranking us when they said they would come?"
"I wouldn't say that."
"Why not? Rich people are like that."
"Not all of them."
"How do you know?"
Mallik had to give out a defeated chuckle. "Ok, so I don't know. But knowing our Jap-Arab-Viet family circle and it's reputation, the Harpells would be hard pressed to explain their behavior at the next Wizard's Meet."
"They could be showing us some defiance..."
"Actually they sound like a gentle, honest, and down-to-earth family to me," Mallik admitted. "I haven't really met them, but Izdihar did. She said they were nice and wouldn't dare insult or hurt anybody. Oh, and have you ever been to their restaurant-slash-bar, the Fuzzy Quarterstaff? It's got the best food ever. You should try their newest cake, the-"
"Never been," was her final answer. "And I think a restaurant-slash-bar is more of a tavern or just...restaurant."
"Excuse me then for my poor vocabulary."
"Uh...Excused."
Valkyrie quickly interrupted them by tapping their shoulders. "Fuyumi just told me she felt some more cars coming in our direction. You better go check."
"Must be the Harpells," Mallik suggested.
"Must be," Ahnnie agreed, then went to look through the window. Circling the cul-de-sac were three...no...four brightly colored limos that silently parked against the curb once they found their places. The doors swung open and about ten or twelve fancily-dressed people stepped out from the elongated cars. Ahnnie hoped with all her heart that the concealment spell placed on the cul-de-sac before the guests arrived made these people invisible to the neighbors, especially Mr. McGristle. If he ever saw a bunch of people dressed as though for the red carpet heading into their house...
Ding dong.
Ahnnie slid away from the window, her face stunned with amazement. "They brought so many," she breathed.
"The whole clan?" Valkyrie asked, hoping against the odds.
"No...I don't think so...but still..." Ahnnie looked uncertainly in the direction of the front door. "They might stampede the place. And Kirin..."
"I'll move her to the den," Mallik volunteered. At Valkyrie's approving nod, the boy heaved the little girl into his arms in a princess lift, then left for the said destination. While he was there, Izdihar moved to open the door, Huỳnh right behind her. The smiling face of the celebrity wizard Harkle Harpell greeted their eyes; so did his bright blue tuxedo. Huỳnh and Izdihar then realized that the entire Harpell group wore blue...and only blue...
"Someone's sure excited about the blueberries," Izdihar remarked.
"Of course we are!" Harkle exclaimed, throwing his arms wide in greeting. "Allow me to introduce myself! I am Harkle Harpell of the Ivy Mansion, and-" He stopped when he saw Izdihar. "Ishtar, is that you? Long time no see!"
"Izdihar," she corrected irritably. "And no need to continue! We know who you are." She looked back and saw that Yuusuke, D, Bahiya, Akbar, Banan, and Ahnnie had their eyes all trained on the Harpells. "You are also attracting some attention to yourselves. As well known as you are, though, it is not in my power to let you inside." Izdihar stepped back into the space of the living room, leaving Huỳnh to face the Harpells on his own.
Not that he was the least bit frightened. "You can step in," Huỳnh told them. "Grandpa said you were coming anyway..."
Before he could finish, the Harpells all flooded into the house, muttering softly in excited tones. They looked at the living room space curiously, as though wondering how anyone could live in such a small space compared to their humongous mansion. The way they came in reminded the others of bright blue ocean waves. With some wearing dazzling jewels in their dresses, it looked as though this wave sparkled in the sun.
Mallik came back soon after and almost jumped when he saw the number of people in the room. "It sure is getting crowded," he remarked to Ahnnie as he idled past them.
"We'd better go outside," she agreed. "Now." So saying, she sent a secret look at her brother and a brief nod in the direction of the dining room.
Make sure Drizzt doesn't get discovered! was the unspoken, yet understood, command.
Huỳnh nodded a bit sullenly and moved off.
"Oh it's very nice to meet you," Harkle interrupted Ahnnie's thoughts by shaking her hand fervently. "Phương Anh, I presume?"
"You got me," she said, smiling.
"And I'm Valkyrie," Val introduced herself. "May we have all your names?"
Harkle straightened and adjusted his glasses. "Why of course! But I can't possibly explain all of them here right now! There's a festival to catch."
"Right," Ahnnie agreed.
"However, I will introduce you to some." The Harpell turned and beckoned forth a serious looking old man with peppery hair. "This is Malchor Harpell! He-"
"-lives in a tower that can disappear and is not as clumsy as the rest of you?" Huỳnh finished when he returned.
Ahnnie gasped. "Huỳnh!" she scolded and elbowed him at the same time.
Harkle, instead of taking offense, laughed heartily. "Yes, truly he is! I do wish I had his competence."
"Hn," Malchor grunted, then moved away.
"This is my fiancee," Harkle continued, and as if on cue, a tall, blonde woman moved next to him. She was not very beautiful; plain, really; but something in her gray eyes bespoke danger and hostility.
"I'm Sydney," the woman said, "apprentice of Dendybar the Mottled, of the Hosttower of the Arcane." Her hand was outstretched for a shake, her tight lips curved in a smile.
The three Quang teenagers looked at it with some contemplation. Hosttower of the Arcane? Last time they checked, their family wasn't exactly in good standing with the wizards of the Hosttower, although they did not yet understand why nor see much of this conflict in action. It was mostly their grandfather who had any interaction with them, and maybe before that their parents.
Sydney withdrew her hand in some dejection when no one moved to shake it. "Well? Cat all got your tongues?"
"Oh." Valkyrie regained her composure first. "Sorry." She held up her own hand for a shake. "We were just...overwhelmed that there would be someone from the Hosttower attending the Festival." She gave her best charming smile. "We are very honored by the celebrated personages here today."
Sydney accepted Val's hand with a small shake. "Likewise."
Ahnnie and Huỳnh breathed mental sighs of reliefs, glad that their calm cousin was able to brush things over smoothly without much effort on their parts.
"Ah, yes, I had almost forgotten." Harkle turned around and pushed forth two teenagers around Ahnnie's age, both the same height as the other and sporting neatly combed orange hair; one boy, one girl. "The youngest of the gathering here! They are Simon and Mermaia (mer-may-uh) Harpell."
"Hello," Simon said shyly.
"Nice to meet you," Mermaia curtseyed.
"Xin chào (hello; sin chow)," Ahnnie and Huỳnh said in unison. It took Valkyrie a few minutes of scrutiny before she said the same.
"As-Salaam-Alaikum (peace be unto you)," Izdihar said with a nod.
"Ooh! I know this one!" Harkle said proudly. "Wa-Alaikum Salaam (and unto you peace)."
"Glad you know it," the Arabic girl said disinterestedly. "To the festival?"
"To the festival!" Harkle said proudly, now arm-in-arm with Sydney.
After the numerous party left the house for the backyard, Drizzt dared to peek out of the dining room. When he found out that he was truly alone, he shuffled slowly out to the living room area, where he saw Leoht tending to Kirin on the couch with breaths of soft Lung-flame. In the confusion of the group, Val had the young girl carried back out to the security of the living room and its barriers. Drizzt was reminded painfully of those invisible walls, often erected and taken down at random times, when he tried to get close and bumped his head; hard.
Leoht spun around at the sudden noise and seeing Drizzt, bared his teeth at the drow. He snarled for several seconds before turning back to cleanse Kirin again in the healing flames of his breath.
"I mean no harm," Drizzt promised, but he might as well have tried to talk reason with a rabid animal. He received another snarl, plus one throaty growl, and with a huff decided to content himself with a stool perched conveniently near the counter of the kitchen. As he sat, he silently watched the little girl sleep, her face illuminated occasionally by her guardian's colorful fires. How innocent she seemed then, so soft and vulnerable. A slight expression of pain and struggle crossed her features, the only thing denoting the headache she was suffering. That only made her seem even more vulnerable.
Was there a time when I was that small? Drizzt wondered. Of course there was, but...he couldn't imagine it. Especially because he wasn't lucky enough to have had a family as loving as the one Kirin possessed. What if I could have lived like her?
The drow snapped straight at that thought. Indeed...what if he had a childhood just as happy as Kirin's? That way, Zaknafein wouldn't have died. Briza, Vierna, and Maya would have brought him up with sisterly joy and love. Nalfein wouldn't have been killed by Dinin either; they could have been friends. And Matron Malice, well, wouldn't be 'Matron'. She'd be...'Mother'. And Drizzt? He wouldn't have to face the abuse and torture his years living underground showed him. Even if the family was poor, he would've enjoyed every minute of it.
What a wonderful picture his mind's eye had painted. But, of course, it was only wishful thinking. Nothing more.
"Happy Blueberry Fest!"
"You too!"
Such were the greetings exchanged between every citizen in Sanctuary that day. As the four magician families strode in, the greetings were increased hundredfold and many moved over to shake hands or interact.
The families had already passed through the dorms area, which was empty anyway, and entered into a large town square where a tall fountain spouted blueberry juice. There was no need for formalities that day; everyone was equal now in these times of merrymaking, and everyone was welcome. Except maybe Mr. McGristle, but who would've wanted to invite him?
"What should we do first?" Ahnnie wondered to her big brother. Lillyn, still perched on her head, was also pondering that question.
The girl was surprised when a green hand touched her shoulder. "How about we participate in a race?"
She spun around and faced Eld. "Oh, Eld, it was just you..."
"Just me?" The imp sounded offended. "Just me! My word, I might as well be a stranger to you, for all you care."
"I didn't mean..."
"Just kidding." He smiled. "Want to race?"
"Not now." Her eyes caught Huỳnh's. "Wanna spar?"
"You're on."
"Uh-uh!" Eld separated the both of them from staring each other down. "No fighting right away! We should do something interactive first. Meet some friends, make new ones, et cetera..." His green eyes stopped at the sight of the blue-clad Harpells. "Who are they?"
"The Harpell family," Huỳnh said. "Special guests." He huffed and wandered off elsewhere, Namiq padding softly at his heels.
"Hey!" Ahnnie rushed after him, her green cloak billowing after her. She hastily grabbed at her brother's shoulder. "Don't you want to spar with me?"
"I forgot, I have to play the accompaniment at Val's zither performance first," he said, and when Ahnnie and Lillyn saw Izdihar standing at a platform near Valkyrie and her instrument, both of them saw why he suddenly "remembered". "It's just for several songs."
"Suit yourself," Lillyn huffed and fluttered off to land on a particular elf's bluish-black head.
"Ellifain!" Eld and Ahnnie exclaimed in unison.
"Hello," the elf girl said pleasantly. Her deep azure eyes sparkling with gold caught the sunlight and twinkled like exotic gems. It was hard to believe that such a peaceful person could have faced something as horrible as a drow raid many decades before. Much more surprising was the fact that she survived when all the elves in her clan had died; and that, according to her, the drow that held her life in his hands chose not to take it that day. Not many would call it being 'saved' when they knew how vicious drow elves were, so 'spared' was the commonly used term for it. Sometimes, 'forsaken'; the lucky kind.
Seeing the beautifully innocent face glowing with a smile in the sun and thinking of what it went through, Ahnnie couldn't help but wonder if, that night, Drizzt had been there. Then her face fell when it led to another possibility...He might have helped kill the others.
Ellifain pulled her out of those chilled thoughts by offering to have an archery match, with Kellindil present.
"Master Kellindil is here?" Ahnnie asked excitedly.
"Of course," the elf-girl replied cheerily. "He wouldn't miss this for nothing, you know. But right now he is doing some blueberry wine tasting. So is Pharaoh."
"Let's go see them," Ahnnie suggested. Catching sight of Mallik at the fountain, she gestured for him to come. "Come on Mallik, let's go!"
Mallik walked forward a bit uncertainly and scratched an itch at the back of his head, which was rather futile because of the turban covering it. "Where?"
"The wine tasting booths!"
"Are you crazy?" he yelled, especially alarmed because his religion forbade alcohol and he and Ahnnie were still minors, but there was no time to say anything else when she pulled him alongside Eld, Lillyn, and Ellifain to the alcoholic destination. They charged like wild bulls and scattered many crowds of Dwarves, Halflings, Hobbits, Kender, and Gnomes (Why are we only charging at little people? Mallik wondered).
When they reached the wine-tasting booth, they saw Kellindil the Archer and a Pharaoh bedecked in Egyptian grandeur sipping at some samples of blueberry wine, whiskey, moonshine, vodka, you name it. The strange multi-racial group of two humans, one elf, one imp, and one fairy stared at the archer and Pharaoh as if they had never seen them before, because the two of them were having a drinking contest.
Kellindil appeared to have just noticed them when he downed what seemed like his umpteenth shot of blueberry whatever-it-was. "Oh, there you are, kids..."
"I'm not a kid," Eld replied in English; there was no need to speak to Kellindil in Elven because the learned elf knew many languages.
"There you are, my loyal subjects!" The Pharaoh roared happily, even though he had unwittingly turned himself into a kind of djinn on his twenty-fifth birthday thousands of years ago, and thus was not a sovereign of anything anymore.
"We're not you're subjects!" Lillyn retorted. "One, because we're not Egyptian..."
"Explain him then," the Pharaoh pointed out Mallik stubbornly.
But Lillyn ignored that. Everyone knew Mallik wasn't Egyptian. "...and two, because this is a country where no one's bound to anybody!"
"Enough political talk," Kellindil stated impatiently. "But if I may put in one point...no one's bound to anybody, hic, not even by law, because what is law, hic, in the face of morals and true freedom of spiiiiirit?" He hiccuped a bit uncertainly afterward, and the others could swear that his face was turning reddish-pink.
"Excellent speech," Ellifain applauded, "but can we go do something that doesn't involve alcohol?"
The Pharaoh, ignoring her plea, pat Kellindil heartily on the back. "My good friend, there is no way your stomach can hold as much alcohol as mine! See, I drank even more than you and I'm not the least bit red!"
"Atum-Ra...you..." Kellindil stumbled slightly, and was caught by Ahnnie, who, being much lighter and shorter than him, held him up with quivering arms until it seemed that they would burst.
"That's Pharaoh Atum-Ra to you," the Egyptian replied indignantly.
"A little help here?" Ahnnie groaned underneath Kellindil's weight.
Intermission; Please Look Forward to Part Two
Sorry folks, but Part 1 has to end at a part that makes no sense at all. No dramatic effect...
Anways, the reason is because this chapter became too lengthy when I thought of it, and I have other stuff to do. I don't want to leave this chapter unpublished and thus wear down my good conscience so I will publish this much of it for now. But Part 2 will have more!