Chapter 3: Parents
"Sister?" Lucille acted stunned.
"Don't pretend, when we were on the brink of death, you did something that linked us, something that complete strangers can't do, unless there's some other path connecting them." she paused for a moment, "And it's creepy, almost like another me who chose a different way of life. However, I've always wanted a sister." She looked her sister over, "How are you feeling?"
"A lot more alive."
"Great! I can show you the clan then!"
Before following her new-found family, Lucille smiled to herself, "I've always wanted a sister too." After rolling out from under the skins she discovered someone had changed her into red separates, loincloth, finger-less gauntlets, and foot wraps. She heaved a sigh at the realization that her robes were most likely completely red now.
Outside, a suspicious mithra in a black hooded cloak stood beside the door. The mithra held a pale hand in front of her chin and bowed.
"Were you the one caring for me?" She nodded, and Lucille mimicked her gesture, "Thank you."
Xynari had just finished assigning orders to two red-headed mithra when Lucille joined her. The two grinned, nodded to their chieftainess, and took off toward the large fire pit that seemed to be the center of the tightly knit community. The sisters watched as one twisted a twig on a log while the other added dried grass to the mix and blew gently.
"That's where we cook the clan meals and perform ceremonies." Lucille allowed her eyes to wander. The village was much smaller than she expected. Only about a dozen or so huts of roughly the same size, besides one, circled the clearing between the mountain walls. About half the amount of mithra milled about with their daily tasks at hand."I live in the one closest to the bonfire, the one with the odd windows is the bath house, and that's the infirmary over there." Xynari pointed to the larger one, near where Lucille had awoken.
"Infirmary? For battle wounds? The way you spoke, I thought the Skysinger was a healer."
The chieftainess shook her head, "A skilled apothecary and spiritually enlightened, but she has no experience with magic. No one does."
"No magic, but why? Modern medicine has become quite advanced, but magic has far surpassed it in efficiency with battle wounds."
"While I have dabbled in magic myself; the entire clan has some aversion to using it themselves. We've been here since mithra migrated to the area, magic seems abnormal, and on top of that no one born here has a natural aptitude for it."
"Without a teacher that would make learning its use quite difficult." Both were awkwardly quiet a moment, not really knowing what to do with their newly discovered relationship.
"What do you think of the clan?" Xynari looked to her.
When Lucille returned the attention, her eyebrows raised a little, "I was expecting there to be more…"
"Once upon a time there was," she sighed, "Every year the clan becomes smaller. Clanmates grow old, fall in love, die, or choose a different path in life. There has only ever been one male born into the clan and very few men found are qualified to join us here. When mother was chieftainess we still-"
"Mother?" She grabbed her sister's arm, "You knew her? Please, you have to tell me!" Lucille was begging with tears in her eyes. A second later she let go, covering her mouth with both hands, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt." Came the whisper.
"Don't worry about it. C'mon let's go find somewhere more private."
Xynari had relinquished her headdress once again. They crossed their legs as they settled themselves at the source of the Zanbibi river, East Sarutabaruta's northernmost point. Fish wove their way through the water with shimmering scales.
Focusing on the water, Xynari asked, "I'm guessing you never met our mother."
"I don't even know her name."
"Renha Thunderfang, the fifty-second chieftainess of the clan. She was a great leader, if I could just be half of what she was…" The feline trailed off for a moment but then recollected herself, "And she was flawless in battle, no one matched her skills with a great katana. Her intelligence and foresight was beyond my comprehension and she was so beautiful." Xynari locked eyes with Lucille, "Ya know, you look like her. Well," a fang glinted from her grin, "I do too, but you have her icy eyes. I have our father's eyes," her ears drooped and her gaze drifted back to the river, "at least that's what I was told." The mithra's attention snapped back to her sister suddenly as it hit her, "Wait, did you know him?"
She didn't want to say it, but she wasn't going to start this relationship with a lie, "I'm sorry, there's not much I can tell you."
"Oh," Xynari tried to stay cheery, "That's okay."
Before her sister drew dreary again, Lucille continued, "I do know a few things, just promise me you won't be too disappointed."
"Promise." Her ears pricked a little more than normal.
"You said your last name is Chanoix; that used to be my name too, back when father used to take care of me. I didn't live with him. I lived with his close friends in San d'Oria, but he would always visit for a whole month in the summer and he constantly sent money to pay for anything I needed. Everytime he visited he would tell me how when I was eight, and knew a thing or two about self defense, he would take me home with him. But then," she paused, "the letters and money stopped coming, and when summer came, he didn't come with it. The last time I ever saw him I was six; I've forgotten what he looks like and who he was as a person." Her expression had changed to a heart wrenched sorrow as she told the story. Lucille smiled though, when she closed her eyes, with her face to the sky, "But I do remember his smile; it was warm, caring, and patient. The kind of smile a parent gives their child when they truly love them more than anything else in the world."
When she opened her eyes again, Xynari was gazing at her with sparkling eyes while she clutched her knees, "I remember mom having that same smile. Thank you for telling me."
"I'm sorry I don't have more to tell you and I don't really know what happened to the letters he sent me."
She shook her head, "It's more than I ever thought I would know about him. It's enough to know he cared about us, even if we weren't one big happy family." She nibbled on her bottom lip a little as she thought.
The action made Lucille ask, "Is something bothering you?"
"Huh?" Xynari had been so lost, she heard but couldn't process what had been said.
"I chew on my lip like that when I can't get something out of my head. Sorry, I just assumed it was the same for you."
"Oh," she appeared a little surprised by their similarities beyond appearance, "You're right actually. I was just trying to figure out why… well, why everything. I was never told I had a sister, and mother always seemed so sad when I asked about father; they must have been in love, so why be so far apart?" She shook her head as if trying to dismiss the thoughts, "Well, its not like we'll ever know."
"Probably not, but I'm sure it was important. I can feel it."
"Me too," Xynari cracked another smile and nudged Lucille's shoulder with a 'soft' punch, "We better start talking about ourselves or we'll never make up for the last seventeen years, so Lucille Beiremie, what brought you to Tahrongi?"
It was Lucille's turn to droop her ears, "I was on assignment with some of my fellow linkshell members…" she opened a pouch on her belt to pull out a small blue pearl, "but we were caught by some returning templars, the blood on them was still fresh, and it didn't end very well."
She found her sister to be listening to her story very intently; she seemed to be sneering at the very thought of a yagudo, "I think we might just have a common enemy. They were most likely the same ones who ambushed my clan in the canyon the same day. Are your linkmates okay?"
"I used myself to save them, and they were able to flee. That's why I was in such a horrible condition when you found me. Wherever they are, I'm sure they're fine."
"That's good, so, what's the name? I'm sure they're worried sick about you. We should probably get you back as soon as you're ready."
Lucille held out her hand with the pearl sitting in her palm and her knees to her chest, "It doesn't matter, it's not my linkshell anymore." Light compressed the pearl on all sides, crushing it into dust. A few tears began to escape from her as she tipped her hand to pour the blue dust beside the river bank, "They left me there to die all alone," her tears turned into ungracious sobs, "...I thought they were my friends."
"Lucille…" it was like she could feel her pain. Xynari hesitated a moment with her hand midway between herself and Lucille before hugging her.