It was bright and early when he awoke to the chirping of birds. Eagerly, Ja'far hopped out of bed and got ready for the day. He moved silently through the halls of the Sindrian palace, but as not many others got up this early he did not spend too much effort sneaking. Arriving at his office, he heaved a relaxing sigh while sitting at his desk and tackled the pile of paperwork.
He was able to get a few hours in before a frustrated king greeted him. "Now Ja'far I thought we agreed to this…"
Reflexively, his hand clenched around his feathered pen. He had been caught. He bowed his head over the document he was going over, allowing his keffiyeh to drape around his features.
Sinbad continued, "You have been working day, night, and weekends for a long time. If I can go 30 days without alcohol, surely you can go one day without working."
Ja'far had tried to not come to work this morning. He probably lasted a whole five extra minutes in bed before he couldn't stand not working. He reasoned, "This paperwork isn't going to sign and file itself. I'd have to work extra hard when I get back."
"Leave it to the other 7 Generals. They'll all pitch in so you can rest up without any worries."
Ja'far imagined some of the more…immature Generals handling the responsibilities that were usually his. It was not a pretty picture. He would have to go over everything they had done to undo and correct mistakes. Even if they meant well, their efforts would only triple his workload upon his return.
"That's okay, Sin. I'm fine."
"Well, in that case, I'm going into town for a drink…" Sinbad turned and waved while heading out the door, only to find his arm instantly bound in a red chord.
Giving his rope darts a tug to make sure the King stayed in the castle, Ja'far glared at him, daring him to break his abstinence. "Fine. I'll take tomorrow off then."
The next morning began pretty similar as the previous one: birds chirping; sun shining. Ja'far got up and began to prepare for the day, but this time he found an extra occupant in his room! Masrur had moved his divan in front of the door and was currently sleeping on it. After overcoming the initial shock, Ja'far figured the Fanalis was in a deep slumber and even though he blocked the door, he could still use another egress. He approached the window and looked out to determine the best route to his office from there.
"And where are you going?" he heard the deep voice of Masrur behind him.
He turned to see him still lying with only one eye open and trained on him.
"Shouldn't I be asking what you are doing in my room?"
Masrur stretched and then slid into a sitting position. "Sinbad asked us to make sure you don't work." He stood and advanced towards Ja'far. "I'm first. First thing to do on a day off is sleep in." He towered over him.
"By all means, you can continue sleeping, Masrur. I'm already up though, so…"
Masrur grabbed Ja'far by the arms and stared intently at him. "You can go back to bed yourself, or I'll keep you there."
Ja'far's feet started to kick as Masrur slightly lifted him off the ground.
"Okay, okay! I'll go back to bed. You can go back to sleeping on my couch…"
"If you try to get up again…"
"I understand. I promise."
A couple of hours later, there was a knock on the door. Masrur moved the divan back and answered it. Pisti came in with a spring in her step.
"Thanks for keeping him here, Masrur! I can take over now!"
"No problem." And with that, the Fanalis left.
Pisiti turned to Ja'far who was sitting up in bed and trying to straighten the Sindrian work garb that he was forced to sleep in. "Did you have any plans for your day off?" she hummed.
"No. Not exactly…" Ja'far said while brushing a sleeve.
"Well in that case, I have just the thing for you! Shopping!" she announced.
"I'm not really in need of anything."
"Oh, sure you are! If you were planning on wearing your work clothes on your day off, lets go to the bazaar and find you some dashing outfits!"
Ja'far shrugged. "Are clothes really that necessary?"
Pisti's hands held her face as she feigned a blush. "Why Ja'far, are you suggesting we go without clothes while we're together?"
"Of course I didn't mean it like that!"
"Great! Then it's settled!" Pisti jumped over and grabbed Ja'far's wrist, dragging him along.
In town they shuffled between citizens and stalls as Pisti searched for her favorite fashion vendor. The owner greeted her profusely as a regular that seemed to buy clothes from him on a weekly basis. There, she picked out a few things she had in mind for Ja'far to try on.
What she liked, he felt awkward in. What he thought comfortable she said didn't look good. Eventually they found one that was comfortable and fashionable. He bought a couple of breathable pants and shirts and one robe. Pisti made him wear her favorite of the bunch on their way back. He still kept his keffiyeh on to protect his fair skin from the southern sun.
While walking, Ja'far stopped for a bit. When Pisti turned to see why, she decided to let him be as his face looked like he was enjoying himself. He had spotted a few kids playing between the residential homes while their mothers scrubbed clothes in wash bins and other daily chores. He enjoyed seeing the bright happy faces of Sindria's citizens, especially the young ones.
"There you guys are," a deep voice resonated, snapping Ja'far's mind to the present. It was Drakon, there to relieve Pisti. Pisti offered to take Ja'far's bags back to his quarters for him as she headed back to the castle. Drakon stood by Ja'far, smiling while watching the youth with him.
"Seeing them like this sure makes everything we've been through to get here worth it," Ja'far sighed.
"It sure does," Drakon agreed.
They continued to watch as they started to reminisce about their younger days and youthful adventures. Sure they had some traumatic experiences, but vicariously through these children they could know a more peaceful childhood.
A kid had kicked a ball that nearly hit one of the mothers in the head. It may have missed her, but it knocked some things off the windowsill. She chastised the kids to be more careful and that they shouldn't play so roughly. Ja'far approached them.
"If you don't mind, we can take the kids out to the forest where there is more room to play," Ja'far offered.
"Whoa, cool! It's the Generals!" one of the kids exclaimed.
The mothers seemed most appreciative of the volunteer babysitters as Ja'far and Drakon led the small troupe out to one of the clearings that were ideal for training. The kids picked teams between Ja'far and Drakon and they played ball against each other until the kids started dropping from exhaustion.
On their way back, Ja'far carried the smallest child in his arms while another sat on his shoulders. Drakon carried the rest. After returning the weary children to their grateful mothers, Drakon led Ja'far down to the docks.
Hinahoho waved Ja'far over when he spotted him. The Imuchakk held a rope that was tied to a rowboat which held a basket and some fishing gear within.
"Are you getting hungry about now? I've got just the thing to relax you while getting lunch!" Hinahoho gave a laugh and ushered the smaller man into the boat and pushed off.
"Not to criticize but wouldn't fishing for our lunch take a long time and not guarantee us even catching any?"
"I know a good spot, but the fish won't be for lunch; I brought sandwiches. It's fine if we don't even catch anything. Just enjoy the warm sun, gentle seabreeze, and sound of the waves. It'll be good for you."
Ja'far ate his sandwich while waiting for a fish to bite his hook. At first it seemed like a waste of time to sit silently for something that would only accomplish so little. Then he started to focus on the sensations Hinahoho had described. Absorbing the sun's rays that he usually cursed did seem to infuse him with a feeling of happiness. The salty smell of the air was nostalgic. The rhythm of the waves was calming.
In the end, he may have caught one or two fish and his fishing mentor a few more, but his reward was more in the experience than the prize.
Returning to the dock, they found Yamraiha fidgeting until she sighted them.
"There you guys are! I was beginning to get worried!" she exclaimed.
"You two have fun now!" Hinahoho gave Ja'far a pat on the back, sending him a few steps towards Yamraiha.
Instinctively, Ja'far brought his hands together in the manner he usually held them under his sleeves until he remembered the new outfit he donned did not have the same functionality.
"I suppose you have something planned for us too?" he inquired.
Yamraiha nodded and grabbed one of his now fumbling hands and started walking back towards the castle. "My favorite thing to do on my days off!"
When they arrived at the Black Libra tower, Ja'far stopped for a bit. "Now hang on, isn't this the sort of stuff you do when you work? And here Sin was getting on my case for working while I'm off."
With a wink, Yamraiha brought a finger to her nose. "There's a difference between what I study and recreational reading!"
She took him to a section of the library that had a few short fictions he could choose from. Then she brought him to a special nook she had set up with bean bags to curl up on. He humored her by sitting in one, sinking into the oversized cushion.
After a couple of hours of losing himself in another's adventure, Spartos found them. They looked so cozy and absorbed that he hated to disturb them.
He hesitantly mentioned, "I did book something for us, but if you'd rather keep reading or had anything else you wanted to get done…"
Ja'far closed the book over his thumb and looked up with a tilted head. "Oh?"
"This isn't something I normally indulge in…but I think it would help you relax." Spartos seemed a bit flustered but announced, "I got us massages."
Ja'far's face lit up. Yamraiha smiled and handed one of her bookmarks over to him.
At the spa, Ja'far opted to keep his new outfit on, but obviously Spartos had to at least take his armor off. The session was quiet but relaxing as knots were worked on and built up toxin pushed out of their systems. The peaceful music of a harpist in the background made the experience very serene.
Ja'far thanked Spartos for arranging that as they left the spa. Mostly to himself, he pondered out loud, "I suppose I've spent time with everyone today except…"
"Hey! Are you ready to have some fun?" Sharrkan shouted as he approached them.
Ja'far covered his inward cringe with a polite smile. "Actually, I think I'm about ready to go back to my room to retire for the evening."
"Nonsense! Party time is just starting!" Sharrkan announced, throwing an arm around Ja'far's shoulders.
Despite Ja'far's protests, Sharrkan dragged him to the red light district for some food and drink. Maybe the food wasn't bad and Sharrkan insisted on sharing a drink. Eventually Ja'far obliged, justifying to himself that he was having that one for Sinbad's sake while the king was abstaining.
As it got later and the two were conversing more merrily, Sharrkan suddenly called out, "Hey, best girl in the house for my friend here! He deserves it!"
Ja'far blinked as his pale face reddened under his freckles. Immediately he shot off and dashed out of the establishment, not even noticing the approaching hostess that was summoned. Sharrkan quickly apologized to her as he ran after the other general.
Outside, he called to him and Ja'far stopped, keeping his back towards him. When Sharrkan caught up, he leaned forward and panted, "Sorry, man. I thought you'd enjoy that." He took a few deep breaths while waiting for a response but got none. He straightened up. "How 'bout we head back to the castle?"
"Yeah," Ja'far almost whispered, "Let's do that. Thanks."
They leisurely strolled back to the palace, taking in the fresh night air of Sindria. Once back, Sharrkan insisted on Ja'far checking out one more thing before returning to his own quarters. He led him to a dark room. Ja'far heightened his senses, wondering what was going on, when the lamps were lit to brighten the room, revealing Sinbad and the generals all smiling around a table with a variety of desserts.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY JA'FAR!" They all shouted in unison.
"But…today isn't my birthday..." Ja'far gasped.
Sinbad laughed, "Check again. You've been working so hard, you missed it."
Ja'far looked around to see the decorations of streamers, drapes, and other preparations the others had arranged as he pondered the day compared to the designated celebratory one. It was true that he had been working very hard. Here his friends had made sure that he'd take some time to care for himself as they each took time throughout the day to do something special with him. Taking their planning into account, Ja'far felt special.
He smiled. "Thanks, everybody."