Ignis76: Thank you for liking my previous chapter and asking for me. Honestly, I feel a bit bad for the slow updates and so on, but I am also happy that I got to finish this new chapter before the end of this year. Enjoy reading it!
Guest(1): Yeah, don't worry about Yunan's POV. You will be reading this story from his point of view again ;).
DeLacus: Yeah, those "dreaded exams" are long over, but here is the new chapter! And I know: Aladdin is so freaking adorable. And of course, since he is part of the series, I am writing this Fanfiction from, then he will surely come around in the future. Until then, I hope that you will like this chapter.
Guest(2): Hmm… to answer your question: "Who knows?" :). It will be a mystery for a while at least, so better stick around and continue reading this story if you want to really find out. Thank you for your comment.
xFallenDemonx: You have no idea when you say how you have noticed the change in my writing style. Even when I wrote this chapter and read the original book, I am cringing from my grammar, the way the story moved in 'Because of Fate'… I have no idea why some are happy that I didn't destroy it (you included) but thank you. It makes the old me very happy. Hope that you will continue reading this new version and come to like it even more.
When she cracks her green eyes open, the eyelids close almost immediately. Not because the room is too bright from a single candle that has flickered a small flame the very second, she stirs, but because how dry her eyes feel and how tired she still is. The rest of her body is heavy compared and Jessy lets out a quiet moan under her breath from the stiffness. Her body is wrapped around a blanket, her hands holding onto a pillow and serving as an extra cushion – they feel stiff as well.
It's warm. She buries her head deeper into the softness and stays there for what feels like an extra hour. Then, her eyes snap wide open and she looks up at the ceiling in what seems like puzzlement. What was I doing, again?
A bit grudgingly, the brunette sits up and groans as her muscles cry out in protest. She is still tired as if the hours she has spent in this bed have only been few in numbers. The movement of trying to fully wake up does nothing to make her feel better, but as usual, the scarce flock of Rukh around the room doesn't seem to care about her mood.
In fact, they are much too chirpy compared to her and the chirping becomes too obvious to young woman's ears as she continues sitting still.
Jessy looks towards the candle which is clearly influenced by magic to suddenly lift up out of nowhere. However, it is the object next to it that piques her interest. The book.
She reaches out and takes one look at it – it's the same one she had been trying to read in the small library. Her green eyes look at the Rukh and she raises an eyebrow as if asking them a question: 'did you do it?', but then shakes her head and lays the book down to her bed and stretches her arms.
It must have been Yunan.
The dryness of her eyes starts becoming too obvious and she reaches out to rub them. The reason for their condition is obvious after a while – I was crying again.
The first smell that hits her is spicy with the bitterness of alcohol. Despite it being dark and more stars than anyone could count are present in the sky with their weak lights, the whole area is bright with torches of fire and colorful paint smeared across everyone's faces. There are once again children running around the place, feathers waving in the wind on top of their heads.
Looking down at herself, Jessy can't help, but feel plain and different at the same time. The clothes that Taran had given her consists of one single piece dress that reaches her knees. There is a brownish belt braided out what seems like wheat and it clashes with the white of the fabric – very girlish. She is only glad that she got matching pants underneath and that reach her ankles.
Feeling once again a bit like a sore thumb, green eyes slide with silent desperation towards her companion. Her attention has turned on him just in time to see blue eyes squint and shadow themselves with the rim of the long hat from the flames flickering near them.
At least he is just as uncomfortable as she is.
As if sensing the awkward pair entering the village only now, Taran appears amongst the crowd of people carrying more food down to the carpets spread across the village's grounds. Her eyes lit up from spotting Jessy and Yunan.
The brunette also feels a bit relieved to see the older woman, especially when she knows nobody else from this tribe – Jessy decides to give her a small, uncomfortable smile in a welcoming manner.
"I am so happy that you two could make it! The celebration started a little while ago, but you were nowhere in sight!" The laugh out of her is loud, more like a bark. And without hesitation, she opens her arms and embraces the younger woman.
Jessy stiffens immediately, not expecting such a sudden contact. Compared to how the other Torran tribe members keep their distance, Taran has now broken all of those walls towards an outsider like her – at least the said outsider's fears, that is. Still, that does not make her feel less tense. R-right, I have to hug her back… right?
Not knowing how different the culture is, the brunette can only wrap her arms around the older woman softly. She thinks it is the right thing to do.
When Taran pulls away, her eyes immediately look at the clothes. "I must say, they look pretty good. The size isn't too small, is it?"
"No, it fits rather well," Jessy says and also let's go of the thin shoulders, surprised how natural she manages to sound. Her eyes wander around the feastings. "It's rather a big… party."
This makes the greying woman laugh again. "Isn't it? You should be around when we have others from the neighboring villages visiting us. Yunan was certainly nearly toppled over that time, I tell you!"
The blond next to Jessy let's out a strange noise in the back of his throat and rubs his head awkwardly. "P-please, don't try teasing me."
"I don't get to do this often, with how little you come and see us," Taran huffs, but then smiles again and gestures towards one of the carpets put down behind her. "Enough of this standing around. Come and join us. Oh, Jessy dear, you absolutely have to meet the rest of my family!"
She means well, but considering how everyone seems to avoid her, Jessy feels dishearten from the suggestion. And it becomes more like a reality when the old woman takes a rather firm hold on her arm and starts pulling her along – another unexpected move, but one that she has to go along with. Not knowing what else to do, though, she sends a look towards Yunan.
The blue-eyed magi gives her a smile and follows after the two with spring in his steps. Despite knowing that he is probably uncomfortable with the bright lights and so much space – this isn't a dark or cramped space we are talking about, after all – he looks the most relaxed.
The very second Taran seats them, Jessy feels how her heart is picking up its space. There are pairs of eyes staring at her now in a curious manner.
"Yunan, it has been a while," an old man nods towards the blond who sits down next to his woman companion. His thin arms are crossed over his chest, but there is a smoke pipe peeking out from his mouth – smoke rises the second he speaks. "Sure, took you lon' enough. The last time we gave you an invitation was two years ago."
"Now, Kohan," Taran's has an edge on her tone, when she sits down next to the man and wraps her arm around his, "no need to start scolding him, yet. Especially, when he has brought a guest – you don't want to leave a bad first impression, now do you?"
The man – Kohan – lets out a huff, much like the older woman had a minute ago. However, his eyes dart to Jessy who sits with lips drawn on a firm line. "So, your name is Hessy?"
The brunette's face twitches in a stupefying manner and she feels dumbfounded from hearing the ridiculous guess. Her mouth opens, but a stifled chuckle gains her attention and she glances to the side to see Yunan's lip twitching. Why you little…
Twisting her face rather forcefully into a neutral mask, Jessy takes in a deep breath. She feels irritation from so many factors that she can't believe how calmly she can sit still here. There are many people around, strangers and now she is also seated amongst them – the young woman feels stressed.
She decides to shake her head. "No, my name – "
"Her name is Jessy, dear," Taran beads her to it and once again uses that tight tone, before snatching the pipe from his mouth, "and stop smoking that thing with me near! You know how I can't stand the smell!"
"Well, excuse me, your majesty," Kohan snaps back and tries to reach out to the pipe without avail, "but the last time I looked, there are plenty of seats to go around."
The grey-haired woman's jaw drops, before clicking shut. "Why you ungrateful old – "
"I am very sorry about them," a new voice interrupts Jessy from hearing a blossoming argument forming between the elderly couple and she turns her head to see another woman – younger than Taran, but older than the brunette. "Hello, I am Hana – those two are my parents."
Jessy takes note how there seems to be something aching to an accent on her tone but ignores it. "Oh, hello. It's nice to meet you. I am Jessy."
"Yes, mother has told me about you," the corners of the Torran woman's wrinkle, giving more of Jessy's attention to her brown eyes. "Don't worry. It has been nothing bad. Mostly how shocked she was about Yunan bringing you here."
This is yet another thing that is unexpected. The green-eyed woman hadn't thought that anyone but Taran would look and talk with her like this. However, she does smile, despite the surprise.
Her silent smile does nothing to break the pleasant atmosphere and Hana actually reaches out to take a bowl of fruits from the center before holding it out to her. "Here, help yourself – oh!"
The very second Jessy has her own hands on the bowl, the other woman seems to freeze both from her visible body language and the sound of her staggered voice. Brown eyes slide from green ones down to her lap and so does Jessy's own gaze. What she sees is a child sprawled on the older woman's lap, her wide brown eyes are looking up at Hana what seems to be a praying manner.
"Kana."
The child blinks and then looks at the slightly paler woman sitting still while lost from the kid's sudden appearance. The little girl immediately looks away, when their eyes meet and then looks back up at Hana.
Kana opens her mouth, but the words flowing out of her are foreign, and spoken in a completely different language.
Jessy's eyes widen. W-what…?
When Hana lets out a sigh, she looks at the other woman but lets her jaw drop slightly when she too starts speaking in the strange language that the little girl has used. Whatever she says, it brightens the child's face and she soon is scrambling out of her lap and running off to somewhere on the side.
"That was my daughter, Kana," Hana says brightly after the girl is out of sight. "Sorry about my family, again. She just thought I was giving away her share and got a bit fuzzy… Yunan, what are you doing?"
Jessy has almost forgotten her companion's existence, but the mention of his name makes her turn around to see that he has curled up into a ball and is hiding under his huge hat. The end of his long braid is peeking out from under the shadow, but the magi's entire face is hidden away, his hands curled to his side. He doesn't even acknowledge the calling from Hana or seems to care how the two women are now openly staring at him.
Though, the youngest woman takes note how he seems to be slightly trembling. Beginning to worry, she reaches out and lets her hand hover above his shoulder unsurely. "Are you okay?"
"Don't worry about him," Taran calls out from the other end of their shared carpet. When Jessy looks at her, Kohan is gone, but the older woman is once again smiling gently. And for a second, she is the perfect image of her own daughter. "My little grandchild and her friends just scared him the last time they saw Yunan here wandering around the village. Who knew that they would be so fascinated by his hair? Haha!"
At the end of her short explanation, Yunan flinches from the sound of her laughter and peeks carefully from under the rim of his hat. He looks a bit shaken and there are tears welling up in his eyes.
Jessy has seen him cry once before because of children that gave him a scare – it happened not so long ago. But seeing this pattern again, makes it seem ridiculous in her eyes. For goodness sake, he is a grown-up man! She is conflicted what to do now, there is no pity inside her chest nor does she feel sympathy. In anime or manga, Yunan has really large eyes, unnaturally so. But here, in reality, they have the shape of any normal human eye – she thinks of almond or slightly round – and crying on them looks downright pitiful. Not to mention there are people staring and chuckling under their breaths.
Sure, she has been crying as well, a lot compared to him ever since being stuck in his house. But not from any kind of minor reason. What is so scary about children, anyway?
Flushing a bit from feeling this kind of humiliation, Jessy reaches out again and pats the magi awkwardly on the shoulder.
"N-now, Yunan," she tries coaxingly, the words coming out of her mouth uncomfortable, "the little girl is gone, now."
Hana chuckles next to her. "My, my. I am sorry, Yunan if my child has left such a horrible image."
"It's fine, Hana. He needs some scare in his life, for once," Taran says with an amused smile.
At least they are having fun, the brunette lets out a quiet sigh, wondering if coming here was really such a good idea. Here she can only sit and eat and watch the blond man cover away from the kids that literally run past him and her every few minutes.
Suddenly, as if to make things worse, Kohan returns and sits rather loudly down with a gruff noise. He doesn't look any more pleased than minutes ago when Jessy last saw him arguing with his wife. The wrinkles on his face make the older man seem much greater in years compared to the woman next to him and it only adds to the roughness of his looks. Just like his wife and daughter, there are blue lines painted on his face, but they seem uneven given the rough terrain of his facial features.
Hana has definitely inherited more from her mother.
"So," the old man starts and looks at stiff Jessy for the second time tonight, "where exactly are you from?"
"Dear!" Taran looks mortified that he has even opened his mouth, to begin with. "Do not be so rude! Let the poor girl breathe. God knows she needs it after everything she has gone through."
She is glad that the brown-eyed elder is trying to defend her and distract them all from the subject, but at the same time, she lodges a knife into her chest. Taran does not know anything else, but that Jessy had been injured when Yunan found her. Not even the said long-haired man knows the details of what had happened before the discovery, and his current charge doubts explaining will make understanding much easier.
A bitter and dry taste fills Jessy's mouth. She wasn't especially hungry, to begin with, but now she definitely won't be taking a single bite from the food on the plate she has been given. How do you explain a car around here? How do you explain much of anything that has happened? She would be seen as a lunatic.
There is silence, and nobody says a thing. The only people chattering are those sitting on other areas around the mute group – there is no doubt that the statement which Taran just gave has brought this. Jessy can literally feel the stares of eyes on her and a lump appears in her throat. She just wants the earth to swallow her up or go back into the past and not let Yunan take her here.
Out of nowhere, the sound of drums – not her heartbeat – reaches the young woman's ears.
"Ah! The dancing is starting!" Taran claps her hands. "Kohan, we should go!"
The old man lets out an appealed noise. "Are you kiddin' me? With this back, there is no way."
Jessy is thinking that another argument might start, but when she hears nothing and looks up, the image she sees is completely different from what she had imagined. Taran merely mutters something under her breath face relaxed and leans into her husband. The ends of the feathers sticking out of her hair brush against the rough edge of Kohan's chin and the man merely grumbles but does not make a move to push the woman away. The scene is now so serene that the younger woman's face burns from witnessing such a thing. Compared to before, the two are acting totally opposite. She is immediately reminded of those silly and dramatic couples she saw in animes, cartoons, and movies. They would one-second fight and next be all over each other.
A hand taps lightly on her arm and the brunette turns her head to see Hana smiling at her sweetly. "Why don't you go and dance, Jessy? The music of our tribe is pretty exciting."
"What?" She can feel the color draining from her face in panic. "N-no, no, no. I do not dance – I do not know how. I am sorry."
The older woman seems a bit taken back by the rejection "Well, you certainly can't be sitting here all night. Yunan, you know the steps of the dance, right? Teach them to Jessy."
I don't like where this is going. Her palms feel sweaty all of sudden and her green eyes dart to the left to look at the blond magi. He has slowly gotten out of his fetal position and is now blinking at Hana in a dumbfounded manner. Jessy hopes that he is also feeling the urge of resistance towards this ridiculous idea because the last thing she wants is to draw attention to herself.
Snapping back from his frozen state, Yunan starts to shake his head, much like the brunette had a moment ago. "I-I couldn't possibly – "
"Then, you can help me entertain Kana?" Hana asks, and Jessy stiffens once again, but from a different reason – the older woman has a strange smile on her face. Her tone is the same, though.
From the corner of her green eye, she can see how her companion has turned into a rock. He doesn't move, and his face has been frozen into a look of horror and grimace. She has struck into his worst fear and there is a high certainty on how it's likely to hear an agreeing answer from him. This fact and realization makes Jessy's heart pick up its pace. Not good, not good at all.
"It will be fun!" Hana encourages with an even brighter smile and gestures towards where people have already gathered to. "Besides, Yunan, you can't expect her to have any fun like this."
"Make her have a drink!" Kohan pipes up. "That will surely lift up the mood."
Taran smacks him on the shoulder. "Oh, shush!"
"N-now, hold o-on," Yunan is visibly sweating and raises both of his hands in defiance. "I am not sure, if – "
Hana turns, interrupting his words. "Hey, Kana! Sweetie! Come over here!"
Green and blue orbs clash, the latter showing greater distress than the first one. Jessy purses her lips, shaking her head softly, but then she pauses and glances once again towards the group of gathering and dancing Torran tribe members. Just seeing the scene makes her stomach flip with nervousness.
There is no way that I…
A hand lands on hers – the touch is startling and her gaze shoots back to Yunan. He is looking at her with a silent prayer in those blue orbs of his, hand tightening around hers. Jessy starts to sweat from the small, barely visible, movement. She knows that the Hana and others are staring at this silent exchange and that is making her brain numb from panic.
Let go. She tries to pull her hand back from instinct, but the one holding hers won't budge. In fact, the begging gaze intensifies and makes her feel even more uncomfortable.
She is not sure how she allows it to happen. But in a short moment, she and Yunan are walking towards the bonfire in the middle of the village. Her eyes are glittering with anxiety and uncertainty how she will be able to stand the humiliation of just trying to blend amongst the dancing folk.
"Did you have to go that far?"
Hana's brown eyes trail away from the two outsiders towards her father. He has his arms crossed and there seems to be a somewhat disapproving frown on his already grumpy face. It's clear that he does not fully experience the amusement she and his wife are currently sharing. Taran has a smile on her face that is stretching her cheeks far up and showing her teeth.
Straightening herself and picking up a grape, Hana merely shrugs innocently and pops the thing into her mouth.
Kohan scoffs. "I can only imagine the horror Yunan is going through, now."
Taran smiles and leans once again closer him. "You shouldn't be so hard on the girl, dear."
Kohan, like his wife and child, has brown eyes. Although they are a shade darker, when he turns to look at his wife and catches a glimpse of her irises before they hide behind her eyelids, he is positive they share the same color based on the way the shadow hit her eyes for a moment. He slowly turns his head forward and is met with the eyes of his daughter. She is not looking at them, she is looking at him with an edge in her gaze.
Slowly, the old man looks towards the bonfire. Over the years, his eyesight has blurred over due to age. The shapes of the people look more like a bundle of blurred up images – blobs of shadows moving against the bright flames that reach out higher into the sky. However, it doesn't take that long for him to distinguish two people whose moves are out of synch from the rest.
The tall hat is wobbling and the movements the two are making are both stiff and awkward.
"…You know damn well why we can't."
"Father, shut up. Don't say another word," Hana says, her voice has lost its warmth and is now firm and sharp.
Taran tenses up, but Kohan is not affected and raises his hands up in an exasperating manner. "All I am saying is what everyone else around here is. We can't be too careful with sl – "
"I said shut up," the daughter does not give him a chance to finish and stands up. There is now a frown on her face and her glare hasn't softened. "We do not have anything to worry about. This is a friend of Yunan's we are talking about."
"Hana, your father is only –"
"I do not want to hear it, mother."
Taran watches her daughter walk away from their shared "table" and towards where Kana is playing with other tribe's children. She doesn't look back, but the old woman hopes that her own flesh and blood can feel her gaze on her back. The aged mother doesn't want to watch her child and husband quarrel like this, especially during the time of celebration.
Kohan doesn't say anything to his daughter's retreating and merely picks up his smoking pipe and starts blowing grey clouds out of his mouth. His wife's face wrinkles a bit from catching the stench of bitter smoke but then relaxes as she looks towards the bonfire and a small smile spreads on her dry lips.
Her hand tightens around her husband's.
She feels more than uncomfortable and out of place, as her legs move on a much slower pace than the rest of the people who are dancing with her. The hand holding hers makes her want to pull away and never look back – her palm is sweaty, and it feels gross.
The moves of the dance are not too complicated, but Jessy is starting to doubt her own coordination skills. Calm down. Just stay calm and it will go well. She is also starting to think that these fruitless thoughts are meant to keep her in denial how much she actually sucks in this. However, she might even blame the strain she feels from the fear of attracting too much attention. These people must know that she is not from here already based on her outer appearance. They must also rather obviously recognize Yunan.
The magi has a smile on his face, as usual, but he also doesn't seem too comfortable with the dance either. He doesn't show it too bluntly, yet, she can see certain features of discomfort on his face.
"If you didn't want to dance, you could have said so," she says quietly through the music, but she doesn't doubt he is hearing it.
Her thoughts prove to be correct when he finally lets their eyes meet. He seems a bit surprised by her words. "N-no, that's not it. I am just… not very good at this."
Not very good? Jessy's face shows her disbelief immediately and she looks down at their feet pointedly. It's true that his rhythm and pace may differentiate from the others dancing, but at least he is not as bad as she is being.
"We stop, if you want, you know," she decides to say instead of commenting on his statement.
"You don't like to dance?" Yunan asks, puzzlement in his voice.
She shakes her head in an almost annoyed manner and looks back down at their legs. "I told Hana I don't know how."
"I am sorry. I should have not dragged you to this," his voice sounds sincere.
Jessy nods a bit in agreement. "Yes, you shouldn't have. N-now, everyone is… laughing at us," she finished in a much more hushed tone, eyes glancing to the side in nervousness again. Almost immediately, her green eyes dart back to her feet, face burning from witnessing laugher on the Torran tribe members' faces.
A turn comes, but she makes a mistake of using her left instead of a right leg and soon finds herself slowly tripping while clutching one of Yunan's hands in her grip. All she can feel now is the dizziness and exhaustion from even trying to copy the other dancers.
I want to go back.
However, her self-pitying thoughts are interrupted, when every muscle on her body stiffens as if an unfamiliar force has taken over it – which it has. Her feet move faster than her mind can comprehend, and she gains her balance, hand unwillingly tightening around the magi's and pushing herself into an upright position right in front of him.
Green eyes are wide open, and Jessy's mouth hangs wide open from what she had just experienced. W-what is this?
Seeing her expression, Yunan chuckles and shows her a closed-eye smile – the expression is apologetic.
"I am sorry. This method is not exactly… ideal," his voice sounds a bit pained. "But could you enjoy this for now?"
Jessy moves again. This time, she twirls at the same time the other dancers do. The order of feet which she couldn't grasp a moment ago come naturally now. Despite her hair whipping around, covering her face and vision, her body continues moving with the drums and her heartbeat rises as the sound grows louder.
Through the cracks between the strands of her brown locks, she sees sparkles, glittering with barely visible light on her arms. Magic? Despite feeling bewildered, a small smile spreads on her face, when her eyes meet with blue once again. Taking over someone's body or bending it to their will doesn't sound justified or anything anyone would prefer no matter what the situation but considering the way she has been falling until now this is an improvement.
She relaxes and is shocked by how the action has no effect on her movements. Her body is moving whether she wants it or not.
"Yunan, you son of a gun," she chuckles under her breath, trying to hold in a burst of full-blown laughter. It only intensifies, when she sees the puzzled look on his face from her words.
Their hands interlock again, this time the brunette is fully grasping Yunan's. It's warm and she doesn't care anymore if her palms are sweaty or not. Her breathing is heavy, but she continues moving nonetheless with a smile on her face.
"You know, I saw what that boy did," is what Taran says when Jessy comes back over.
She looks at the older woman in confusion, mouth opening to question her statement, but then the brunette pauses. Hana and Kohan are both gone, so it is just the two of them on a single carpet. And the Torran woman is sitting cross-legged across many bowls of both fruit and meat meals and has a small smirk decorating her aging features.
Brown eyes dart past Jessy and the young woman blinks, following her gaze to see the back of a blond man's head, adored by the same green hat she has come accustomed to. He is talking to some other tribe members and they all are smiling at him.
When she looks back to Taran, the woman has also directed her attention back to her. The smirk has widened and now there is a glint in her eyes. Does she mean…?
A small smile appears on Jessy's face once again and her cheeks flush, like a child being caught. But there is also pride. "It was fun."
"Good grief," the grey-haired woman shakes her head. "That boy always tells us that the magic is not something to trample with, yet, here he is using it to fulfill his own whims."
It's clear from the tone that Taran does not mean to insult or accuse Yunan – she sounds amused. There is even a wider smile on her lips, now, and she continues chuckling under her breath as if this is the most amusing thing in the world. But…
"He was helping me," Jessy says and looks back towards where the magi is still standing. "I suck at dancing."
A grey eyebrow is raised and for a moment she thinks Taran might agree and laugh at her, but instead the elder woman lets out another soft chuckle and shifts to sit more comfortably. "Tell me, dear, do you know why we are celebrating tonight?"
"No, I don't," she answers honestly.
Taran huffs – Jessy notices that she does that a lot – and looks up at the sky. "Long ago, our tribe was scattered around the world without a place to settle in. We all were different from others and were somewhat despised because of that. Our tribe didn't want to be part of the other countries. Despite all of that we were happy, but sometimes humans don't want to just move around. In fact, we were afraid of the other countries and their people, so we decided to look for the earth that would take care of us. And our ancestors started to rely on one little thing. Do you see that one bright star?"
Jessy immediately follows her finger towards where she is pointing – indeed, she can see one that is far brighter than the others. She isn't too sure if it is the one, but it's the one that catches her attention.
"You see, that's the star that brought our people here. They believed, and we do even now that it was a blessing from the sky when the ancestors followed it. And now, whenever it is at its highest point, we gather like this; to show how grateful we are to it this feast is brought forth by the whole village. And even those who have ventured out to the world have followed it to come back home."
Home – a word that she longs for. Green eyes keep on staring up at the small spot in the sky, before lowering themselves to the ground where the food lays. This is the point where the route ends; the stars are hovering right above this village. There is no other way to follow or to go to. This is where she should be according to that one bright spot, but it's as far away from her destination as it can be. I want to go home. Too bad there aren't any stars leading there around here, though.
Reaching out, Jessy takes a mug and fills it with juice. The drink feels heavy in her hands and she stares down at it in wonder – the weight is real and so is the object she holds. She wishes it wouldn't be real and that this all is just a dream. All the jolly she has gathered from the dancing vanishes, as soon as that thought enters her mind for a second.
Why can't there be a star leading to my home?
She takes a huge gulp, mind-numbing from depressing thoughts, but then her entire body stiffens. Whatever has entered her mouth and throat does not taste like juice. It burns, and bitterness literally spreads across her tongue.
A loud cough escapes and whatever liquid is left is spit out.
"Jessy, are you alright?" Taran asks and shuffling of clothes is heard.
Green eyes are watery, and their vision is blurry, but Jessy can tell that the elder woman is suddenly sitting next to her. Coughing few times, the young woman covers her mouth and looks down at the mug in her hands, speaking between coughs. "W-what is t-this?"
"Let me see," the older woman takes the drink from her hands.
Is… is this alcohol!? Jessy tries to get rid of the repulsive taste but shudders when it keeps on attacking her taste buds. Her face wrinkles in disgust and horror from the strong taste. Ugh! This is horrible!
"Oh, no," Taran lets out, "this is bad. Jessy dear, how good is your alcohol tolerance?"
She coughs another time. "You kidding me? I… I can't… even," her words stumble out of her mouth as she tries to focus her thoughts while fighting an urge to scratch her tongue numb. This is so nasty!
"H-hold on! I will go and fetch some water for you," the elder woman says and soon stands up and runs off to somewhere. The haste and cracking of her voice send a chill down Jessy's spine, though.
Her green eyes trail down to look at the mug left behind on the ground and her eyebrows knit together. The appearance of mere innocent juice vanishes and her gut clenches in worry. Her eyes trail around the place, in helpless search for Taran who has already vanished into the crowd. Jessy covers her mouth and trails her eyes down to her lap. Just what kind of alcohol is this…? She starts sweating heavily and grabs a grape to somehow get rid of the lingering taste in her mouth. Also, she needs a distraction.
She rarely gets a drink for herself. Even during gatherings with friends, she has always taken either a soda or a glass of water. Jessy has no interest in becoming drunk nor suffering headaches during mornings. There is nothing to fear in these liquids, but Jessy can't stop somethings aching to concern from rooting itself into her chest – which is still burning from the remains of what she tried drinking a moment ago.
Drinking… The laughter of the people around her is loud. The sound of music consisting mostly of drums has not ceased as well. Partying… what next? She would be inside Yunan's small library by now and the thought makes her smile faintly, despite also thinking of preferring this kind of pastime to that.
Jessy looks back towards the dancing tribe members almost wistfully. They sure know how to enjoy life, while she mostly likes to keep herself in the corner. The women dancing have skirts much like hers, but when they twirl those fabrics create a greater shadow around them and for a second, they all resemble blooming flowers. She wonders if she also seemed the same way many minutes ago while dancing with Yunan and feels her cheeks heat up. Attention is not something she wants, but an emotion of pride and bashfulness of a little girl makes her feel giddy.
The rhythm of the music quickens, and the music grows louder. The Torran tribe members have started to clap with it and without much of thought the one who should be an outsider – Jessy – also starts doing so. Her body sways with the others and she starts humming the tune under her breath.
A sudden warmth touches her side and she turns her head slightly to catch a glimpse of a familiar green hat.
Yunan.
Without even much of a thought, or even flustering, Jessy leans closer and raises her voice slightly over the clapping. "It sure took you a while!"
Blue eyes meet her half-open green ones in surprise and the magi winces rather obviously – she almost forgot how great of a hearing he has. Though, she frowns a second later and crosses her arms, gaze inspecting his face – how come he isn't affected by this much music and speaking?
When he doesn't answer to her accuse, but merely blinks confusedly, it suddenly sends a wave of annoyance over her entire body. For the second time without even a single fragment of a sensible thought, Jessy grabs him by both of his shoulders and draws their faces close to each other. She watches his eyes widening further and his lower lip dropping with a scowl on her own facial features.
"Are you listening to me?" She asks with a displeased undertone, not loosening her grip.
For some strange reason, not only does she feel annoyed, but her entire face and limbs are radiating too much heat – she feels hot and it continues fueling her irritated emotions – the fuel is only added, when everything turns into an unfathomable blur right before her eyes.
Two hands land on her shoulders on a gentle grip. "J-jessy? Are you alright?"
"Huh?" She asks, only now realizing that her gaze has dropped down and her eyes shoot up to meet once again with blue ones. "Wha…?"
"You're…" he pauses and for a fraction, his hands tighten, "have you been drinking?"
The gears inside her head turn around slowly. "…Yeah."
"Do you feel alright? Just… what kind of alcohol did you drink?" He asks again, but she can barely register his words anymore.
Without even fully understanding how the gravity is taking over her, Jessy slumps down, face muffled by what feels like fabric and warmth. It's comforting, and she doesn't even care how faint every sound starts becoming or how the entire world seems to spin before her. I want to sleep.
In a second, her wish comes true.
Yunan doesn't exactly comprehend how he has ended up in this predicament – Jessy is laying on his back, her head limply resting on his shoulder and eyes closed. Her breathing is slow and steady, but her grip on his is nonexistent and he worries that she might soon fall, and he would have no time to react.
The magi lets out a quiet sigh, his ears able to hear how the partying of the Torran tribe is still continuing. He recalls the worried look on Taran's face when she noticed how the brunette had lost consciousness and even Hana had been fussing over the sleeping woman the second, she had found out what happened. Needless to say, he got his share of scolding as well.
How was I supposed to know of her alcohol consumption? He lets out a sigh, tightening his hold on Jessy for a moment before continuing forward. It's dark, but the Rukh radiate light and show him the path to walk on – they are now close to the edge of the Great Rift judging by how the road keeps on narrowing.
The woman on his back lets out a groan and Yunan stiffens for a second. He could use magic to float her back to his house, but considering what happened last time when he tried, the option is dismissed. Still, he is not sure what he could think about carrying a drunk, unconscious person – a small chuckle makes its way out of his mouth. I guess there is a first time for anything.
Suddenly, he freezes on the spot and twists his neck to look over his shoulder at Jessy. Half-open, dazed green orbs meet his blue ones and he slowly smiles at her confused expression. "You are awake."
"…What happened?" She asks softly, looking around in a sleep-like daze. "Where… a'e we?"
He takes note of the slur in her voice and his smile weakens. "You are still a bit drunk it seems."
Jessy moves her head to the side, to his other shoulder with her chin placed on it. Even from this angle, the flush on her face is visible. "Drunk? I ain't no drunk – you 're the one who is drunk."
He doesn't say anything to that and merely chuckles again before continuing his walk. Surprisingly, Jessy doesn't complain and instead continues laying still almost limply. Although, the tightening of her arms around him is a sure sign that she is still conscious to some degree and is aware of certain things happening around her.
At least, Yunan starts thinking absentmindedly, she isn't trying to strangle me again. He probably must not tell her during a much sober state of mind how strong grip she could have. And still, despite that, he doesn't think that during their time together he has seen her like that. Honestly, he had been a bit frightened for a second back in the village, when she had grabbed him out of nowhere. Not to mention how she had hollered into his ear and surely made him deaf for a second there.
A frown knits his eyebrows together when he starts thinking what his companion consumed back in the village. The alcohol she drank was definitely strong, he had smelled it on her breath almost immediately. The bitter drink was handmade like every other food and drink, but this one had been a bit different.
As if knowing where his thoughts are headed, Jessy tugs on his loose collar. "Yuuunaaan, what… did I take?"
"'Demon's Blood' is what the drink is called," he says back, trying to ignore the fact that she does not stop tugging on his clothes. He continues explaining. "It is traditional alcohol, which is only for those who can… hold their liquor – ow!"
She pulls on his braid harshly the very second the words slip out of his mouth. Her fingers dig into the mass of hair without mercy and cause her carrier nearly to topple over from both pain and shock. Despite the obvious waver with his hold on her, Jessy's doesn't stop and continues pulling angrily on the roots.
"Take that back! I can hold my liquor!" She growls and starts kicking her legs around.
Cold sweat makes it to the back of Yunan's neck. He is not sure how to calm her down or even stop the antics – he merely continues yelping every time there is a pull on his hair. "Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow! J-jessy! That h-hurts! Please, s-stop!"
"…Oh. Sorry."
Blue eyes blink in shock when the pain fades and the fingers digging into his skull retreat. And instead, they start petting the area that they had harmed – compared to what happened a second ago, this touch is gentle and feather-like. It is as if Jessy has started petting a cat and he does not know once again how to react to her sudden change of mood. One second ago she had been passive, then violent from a simple comment and the next calm as the sea.
And so, he does not move until her hand retreats fully and falls limply down against his shoulder. Letting out yet another sigh, the magi starts walking forward once again, but this time it is completely silent around them. Nothing else but the sound of night creatures moving amongst the trees reach his sharp ears. And as for the sounds coming from the village, they have started calming down and are now fainter. The air is cool, and he can almost see the small puffs of white clouds coming out of his mouth due to the change in temperature.
Despite still being warmed by the alcohol remaining in her system persistently, Jessy shudders against his back and snuggles closer. And as if resorting to last means, she grabs a hold on the large green hat covering two heads and pulls the edges closer into a "blanket".
Once again, a small smile spreads on Yunan's face and he flicks his finger before muttering few times under his breath.
Warm glow – other than the one coming from the Rukh – surrounds the two of them. Steam rises from the air; the temperature starts to warm up only around the two figures. The coolness of the air can now barely touch Yunan and he knows that the same can be said about the woman on his back.
Jessy shifts, a small and happy hum leaving from her mouth. "Warm… Yunan is warm."
He could sigh in exasperation but instead continues smiling in fondness. He does not mind the way her arms tighten or how she remains snuggled up close to him. The scent of the alcohol on her breath is tolerable and he listens and feels the soft sound of her heartbeat against his back – she is slowly falling asleep again.
His hold tightens around her legs and he looks ahead to see the vast sky opening before them and millions of stars twinkling.
During the party, it had been obvious how the brunette had been fascinated by those small pieces. Her eyes had almost constantly trailed up to the heavens and even when at some point her gaze took a sad turn there had definitely been a spark there.
So, despite everything, it is clear that she had had some fun tonight. The smiles she had on during the dancing were enough of a proof for him.
Rest for now.
The morning sun shines its first lights after the cold night as it rises from behind the mountains. The dark sky that has been full of stars is being pushed away by the bright colors of orange and yellow, while the clouds have the hue of pink on their soft looking edges. The mist starts to be pushed away from on top of the forest to reveals pure green grass, wet with drops of water that cover most of the visible plants. Everything seems to be peaceful, if the wretched stench of smoke and a scream of a helpless deer wouldn't destroy it.
An arrow, long with a sharp stone edge, is buried deep into the side of a poor mammal, who keeps on letting out helpless cries as dark shadows approached it from behind the trees. The flowers, branches and grass are all stomped down by large, dirty feet that are all covered in leaves. Their owners wear sickly satisfied grins, while watching the deer struggling in getting away, only to be kept down by the pain, its voice escaping loudly from its mouth and trying to call help.
The sharp end has been lodged deep into the muscle, through the fur covered surface and flesh. Trails of blood cover the twitching leg almost entirely and the brown tips of fur are matted down by the thick liquid.
Suddenly, the animal – the one that had tried to struggle with its life – goes deadly still, as a long knife drags itself across the slender neck and the deer's head falls limply to the side with a 'thud'.
Smaller creatures have already escaped from the scene, because they can sense and know what fate would've awaited them, if they had stayed. The deer is dead, and the forest becomes eerily silent, but that doesn't stop the human men from starting to skin the poor creatures and chop off its limbs.
More blood is splattered on the ground and the sound of the bones being broken and crushed mutes the faraway noise of the birds.
"We sure got lucky." One of the men says easily as he tears off a leg. Blood floods near his legs and on top of the grass, red mixing with the clear morning dew. "I thought we would only eat rabbits today."
"And not to mention this is Torran peoples' hunting area." Another one moves his knife across the stomach of the deer, one splatter of blood already on his tanned cheek – he has been the one to end its life in the first place. "Do you think that they had noticed us last night?"
A pair of eyes look amused and they are sharply directed towards the lasting smoke from the distance. One man's clothes are more finely made than his companions, especially the top of his outfit, with dark blouse that has yellow golden patterns near the sleeves and under it a simple white shirt with equally golden colored buttons. "No, I don't think so. The guy from the town that we paid for said that they would party during this time of the year. They're probably just going to rest."
"Boss, do you still think that there are any more of those red heads left around here?" A gruff man asks, scars decorating most of his sand colored skin.
"So, what if there aren't? There are still those wild people over there. Or we can go back to the town and grab some younger folk."
The eyes that had been staring at the sky, turn towards the others and a cold smile spreads on the male's lips. Eyes are blank from any emotion and for a moment, every member of the slave traders' group shiver from both fright and excitement.
"B-but we have heard that..." the man that has started to speak falls silent for. He looks uneasily at other who does the same.
The leader raises an eyebrow, clearly annoyed, suddenly. "What is it? Speak."
The man flinches a bit from the sharpness of his voice. "Y-yes, sir! The town's people have just been telling stories that the Torran people are merciless towards outsider, especially slavers."
"Ha! And since when have we cared what others may think of our life style? I didn't know you all have gone soft," with crossed arms, the leader speaks confidently again.
Nobody dares to speak, until one steps forward, his white pants covered in spots of red blood. "There are stories that they will kill the intruders and we are obviously outnumbered."
A blood curling silence spread like a disease between every man around the dead deer, like it isn't just a new lunch, but rather an eerily similar example of what their fate would be, if they were to cross the borders of the village. Even the leader of this specific slavers' group can see the possibilities of that fact, but his stubborn side makes his fists clench into fists and his teeth grit together in irritation.
Honestly, he doesn't have any desire to go back to the town down by the river. Its population is only filled with elder people or those with too weak bodies or problems on them. Though, there are few young and healthy girls and boys in there, there is a great doubt that they would be able to have a good price in the markets with just them. They are all just ordinary poor people from dry farms, nothing special, but even someone from the village like Torran has some value.
Though, the leader can't deny the fact that he has also heard the wild stories.
He glances back towards his men and a frown appears between his brows. They all look uneasy and that isn't a good sign. If the men are uneasy, then the mission wouldn't go as smoothly as on other times. This area is also unknown to all of them and if they were be ambushed or attacked, then there would be no escape. It would so be wiser to return to the bank of the river where they had left the boats and return, but even though the leader knows this his pride once again forms his hands into clenched fists. He is not pleased with the new plan, even if it could guarantee their lives.
"Pack up the animal and let's return," the words come out with a hard voice that hints how displeased he is, but the others look almost relieved to hear this.
The deer is now being torn apart more harshly and the sound of bone breaking, and muscles being torn apart from it echoes around the place. The crimson stains are splattered all over once again on the clean grass and the stench of it keeps all the other animals away.
And if they were to return, they wouldn't stay around for a long time.
The only thing that is still standing near, behind a bush, is a small baby deer, who is too afraid to approach his mother. Body shaking, it bolts towards the safe shadows of the forest, but it wouldn't survive for long, for its mother is dead and it is all alone till the end.