Ravaged Bonds Chapter 2: A Good Day

"Weyard is composed of many an element: fire, water, air, earth, and others that have yet to be discovered. There are many secrets that alchemy has yet to reveal, and it is the duty of all scientists to open those secrets and unlock the truth behind human potential."

–Nathan Yenni, Chief Researcher of Tolbi

The crow of a distant rooster wafted in through the still-open window, waking Wolfe from his slumber. He had always been a very light sleeper, and even the squeaking of rodents within the second-story walls of the mansion was able to wake him in the middle of the night. He groaned, knowing that dawn was just around the corner.

He lifted himself from the bed with his hands supporting him from behind and scooted to his feet, his muscles aching from the combination of an awkward sleeping position as well as his being in yesterday's clothes without changing. He bore through this with a shrug of his shoulders and ascended anyways, glancing out of the window with a smile. The wind had always fascinated him, and who could blame such a fascination? The winds of the Isles were wild and free as well as similar to a person with a very fickle personality, ready to smash into someone at times in oceanic gales while at others caressing with soft, briny breezes. It was quiet yet teasing now, almost urging him to go outside and have a blast in the early morning air, but he knew it was impossible to do. He had morning chores to complete, and after that came the session of tutoring that he considered absolute torture.

Huffing a sigh of annoyance, Wolfe decided to disrobe and garb himself anew in fresher clothes, albeit similar to his other ones in both hue and texture. It was just another day of death threats from otherwise friendly maids, the harping on a tutor that hates not only his guts but everything about him, and rehearsing for something he did not want to do at all.

Another sigh escaped his lips as he opened the door, starting to swing the door closed again before he froze in place, a strange smile welling on his face. The wind outside of his window gusted in anew in a strange fashion, almost as if it were arguing with him and promising that today was going to be better than that.

"Who am I to argue with you?" he spoke toward it softly, gazing in as if to see the invisible force before closing the door behind him and shrugging. Perhaps today was going to be a good day after all.

"Wait a minute . . . you're saying that Old Man Rhado is sick again?" Wolfe managed to sputter, a poorly hidden grin in the corners of his mouth.

The lady of the house, Avdotya's mother, was none too pleased with his loose-lipped exclamation, a small glower inset on her countenance that caused the wrinkles on his mouth to disappear. She was not a scary individual all the time like the father figure; in fact, she was quite beautiful whenever she didn't scowl. Pure-black hair cropped to a length that spanned only down to her neck was neatly tied into a vine knot, the usual style of well-to-do women in the archipelago. Green eyes sparkled underneath bangs curling to the left side of her face, and every feature was akin to that of an angel's. An opulent light-blue nightgown flowed from her shoulders to the slippers at her feet, considering that it was still barely morning.

"That's rude, Wolfe," she replied, averting her head to look at him in the corner of her eyes; that one glare, a gesture that was simultaneously condescending and annoying, had always pestered him. "He is your teacher, and as such he is worthy of your respect. It's shameful."

"W-what?" he stuttered with an afterward rise of his eyebrow. "I never meant anything of the sort, but rather—"

"I'm sorry, but you interrupted me as I was speaking," she coolly spoke, a haughty undertone lying below her casual finesse that Wolfe was able to distinguish. " 'Old Man' indeed . . . he's still young, you know. Why, he's nearing his thirty-first birthday."

"You're kidding me . . ." he uttered in surprise, stifling a snicker.

"Hm . . ." she grunted, and Wolfe knew that wasn't a good sign. He wondered if she thought of him the same way as Av's father did the other night, still harbouring a grudge from his not showing up for the rehearsal. "Anyways," she continued, "I expect that Master Rhado will be back in a day or two. He was well enough to send out a carrier pigeon, after all. He always was quick to recover, and with the Great Healer by his side you'll get back to your classes in no time."

Without another word, she walked off into the other room, leaving Wolfe standing in the centre of the kitchen floor. He exhaled and shook his head, wondering if she really thought that he enjoyed being under Rhado's tutelage before he shrugged his shoulders. It was difficult, not having the same blood in his veins as the Avvie's parents or even Avvie herself, but he knew he had to bear with it.

An epiphany struck him: no tutor meant that there was no session, which in turn meant that he was free for the rest of the day, with the exception of rehearsal, of course. He smiled and stepped towards the door, more than prepared for a day on the town. It had been a while since he had some time to himself, and heading out for some fun sounded quite appropriate.

After donning his shoes, Wolfe reached for the door handle. There were some sounds of movement coming from behind him, but he decided to ignore it for the time being.

"Good morning, Wolfe," he heard behind him.

Well, there went that idea. He turned away from the door to inspect who it was and made a simultaneous smile and frown, noticing Avdotya.

She was smiling down at him as well while she travelled down the staircase, her hand sliding along with the handrail before she reached the end. It wasn't long, though, when her expression changed into one of confusion.

"Going somewhere . . . ?" she inquired, her head tilted aside.

Wolfe inwardly cursed his luck and darted his tongue over his lips.

"Old Man Rhado called in sick again, so there are no classes today," he replied, tossing a meaningless smile in her direction.

"I know; Mother told me as she passed me by," she laughed mildly, brushing down the older blue dress she wore. "That does not answer my question, though."

Again, he cursed his luck. That was yet another gift of hers: when focused, there was little that could slip by without her noticing.

"I was thinking about heading into town. I've some errands to run, and I need to head out for some fun every now and then, right?" he queried with a grin.

"True . . . but you weren't going to ask me to come along?" she inquired, a small frown forming.

Her reply was exactly what he feared it to be, and he glanced away towards the door uncomfortably.

"You know I love having you along, Av, but . . . sometimes I have to break away from the norm of things and do stuff on my own. We can go some other time, all right?"

She frowned and sat down on the bottom step with her head on her hands gloomily. Wolfe felt slightly ashamed of himself as he looked at her, but turned to go regardless, swinging the door open.

"But why now . . . ?" she spoke up from behind him, causing him to freeze halfway through the portal.

"Why now?" he questioned in confusion, wondering what she meant.

"I'm going to be married off soon, and we won't be able to see each other again for a long time. You'll be on your own afterward . . . your own person, so shouldn't we spend our time together instead?"

Wolfe swallowed hard and turned to face her.

"Oh. . . . Sorry, Av, I—" he managed to say before getting cut off.

"You forgot again, didn't you? You never really had a good memory," she commented, eliciting a small, bittersweet smile from the both of them.

He let out a small chuckle, searching for a comeback but none came to mind. Silence flooded the main hall for a several seconds, interrupted only by the sound of the maid trotting down the west wing of the manor with a somewhat loud string of mutters. Emery was never a very quiet individual.

"Well then . . ." he managed to speak, licking his lips nervously, "would you like to come along?"

Avdotya raised her head, her eyes lighting up from their previous gloom.

"You mean it?" she uttered with a smirk.

"Of course, you twit," he answered playfully, a wide smirk on his countenance. "Besides, it's not like you would have accepted any other answer."

"True," she agreed in a nonchalant fashion, lifting herself up from the stairwell and stepping towards the door. "So what errands were you going to do, or were you simply making that up?" she queried, grinning as she pulled on her walking boots.

"My-my, aren't you full of questions, Little Sis," Wolfe replied with a wide grin of his own.

"Pfeh, Little?" she chuckled. "You know as well as I do that you're a year younger than me, so don't give me that tripe about you being older than I am!"

"Oh, of course not," he continued teasingly, giving her a slug on the shoulder before he opened the door wide. "I simply meant that you're starting to shrink in your old age."

Before she could react, Wolfe grinned like a shot fox and flew down the walkway, much to Av's displeasure.

"WOLFE! Get back here! I'm gonna wallop you!" she shouted after him, tossing the door shut as she exited.

He kept running, blazing down the road with the speed of a manticore; it was the only thing he could do. Not soon afterwards was he plastered on the side of the road with her sitting on top of him, shouting out a stream of apologies into the dirt.

"Ugh, this'll take forever to heal up . . ." groaned Wolfe, rubbing his shoulder blade in the sensitive spot where he fell on.

"It was your own fault, you know," Av spoke casually, a small grin hidden in her features.

"You really need to take a joke sometimes without blasting me into the ground like that," he continued with an afterward laugh. "I'd fear for your future husband when he comes along, the poor guy pinned to the ground after making a slightest comment about your wedding dress or when you ask if you are fat."

She swiftly turned towards him, eyes aflame. Wolfe issued a gulp and backed away, his hands lifted defensively in front of him.

"W-what's with that look? I never meant anything by that!"

"Uh-huh, sure you didn't," she responded, a simultaneous smirk and frown revealing themselves. "So, I'll ask again, and this time, no snide remarks . . . what kind of things were you planning on doing on this day out?"

"I had a lot of plans for today," he answered with a sharp exhale, relieving the tension in his arms. "Most of them are pretty minor, and some of them rather fun."

She nodded lightly, and both continued to walk along in silence, looking up at their surroundings. Neither had been to the heart of the town for several weeks, preferring the countryside more than anything else, but it was still a treat to be there after so long a time. The buildings on either side of the street were pleasant to look at, most of which were a blend of soft brown sandstone from the nearby quarry and wood. A few people travelled around in the streets, shifting from building to building and attempting to catch the next ferry in time. Wolfe couldn't hold back an amused smile when he saw them rush towards the small craft hurriedly, and apparently so did many of the locals.

"So what are the fun things, then?" Avvie spoke up to break the silence, glancing over at him and unknowingly missing all of the excitement.

"Well . . . I was hoping to stop by the tavern over there," he replied, pointing towards the building.

"Wolfe!" she shouted with a huff. "But you're underage!"

He shrugged his shoulders.

"I never said I was going to drink there, now did I?" he asked with a small wink.

"Then what were you going to do, pray tell?" she demanded, giving him a quizzical glance that could turn milk to curd.

"I was going to harmlessly bet a few coins in the Lucky Dice games," he responded, a small smile building up as his eyes glistened. "The odds are always high to get them back, and I will be many coins richer by the end of the—"

"You are gambling now?" she interrupted, the glare hardening.

"It's not a big deal, Avvie," he laughed. "I never bet anything big, and it is always for fun. Besides, I've always been a lucky individual."

"What else was on this list of yours, then?" she grumbled unhappily, making sure that he knew she wouldn't allow it now that she came along.

"Hmm, I was thinking about checking the market for anything that looks good, spooking some cows, pulling a fast one on Old Man McGregor over there—"he grinned and waved over to the elderly man sitting on his porch, watching the passers-by as they walked past; McGregor waved back, oblivious to what he said earlier—"and I was hoping to meet up with Isha later for some fun."

When Wolfe looked over after uttering his list, he noted Avdotya, smiling mischievously as she stared ahead. That was hardly a good sign at all.

"So what does this Isha look like? Is she pretty?" she asked as she glanced toward him, grinning agley.

He chuckled lightly and scratched the back of his head.

"Don't get any funny ideas . . . but yes, she is. She's red hair, light skin, and a smile that could draw you into smiling as well."

Av nodded and looked ahead again, her head tilted slightly to the right as if she were looking at something. Almost instantly after Wolfe realised this, she lifted her hand and pointed in front of her.

"Then is that Isha over there?"

Wolfe's eyebrows rose as he looked ahead. Sure enough, the red-head was directly in front of them, pausing at the front door of the local inn. She must have seen them, her face turning a shade more pallid, before she rushed back inside, the double doors of the establishment swinging behind her as if they were enormous shutters. Wolfe could only stare in shock, his mouth hanging open.

"W- . . . what was that?" Avvie questioned, hardly believing her eyes as she also witnessed the scene. She turned towards Wolfe in confusion. "She's not always like this . . . is she?"

He shook his head slowly.

"Av . . . if I may, I'd like to talk to her," he uttered, still staring at the doors.

"Of course, but do you mind if I t—"

"I think it would be best if you waited," he interrupted, a small frown in the corners of his mouth. "Please allow me this. . . ."

"Of . . . course . . ." she repeated, looking down at the ground dejectedly. "I'll wait on the porch then. . . ."

"Thanks, Av. I'll be back soon, I hope," he replied, stepping towards the inn doors and passing through the portal. His sister stayed behind for a time before walking to the porch and seating herself, no doubt wondering what was going on.

The door was almost effortless to go through, swinging so lightly on the hinge that Wolfe felt even the slightest breeze was enough to force it open. The interior of the inn was small and dark, merely harbouring enough place to seat a few patrons when they ate their meals or sat down for a brief drink. Grain-beer and stiff-water draughts were rare and terrible to the taste buds in those parts, but some enjoyed the aftereffects of the alcoholic liquids after a hard day's work enough to stop by on occasion.

Wolfe took a glance around, recognising a few of the sites around him from the last time he visited and moving on to the people. The innkeeper, a weasel-like fellow with thin features, a gaunt stomach line, and wide eyes, was sitting at the corner of the room, discussing with a middle-aged lady about some trifles. A few other patrons were scattered about, some of them eating luncheons reeking of garlic and onion while others traded words with each other.

Surprise passed over his face when he thought that he didn't see Isha anywhere, but not soon afterwards he spotted her, sitting at the opposite end of the room in a corner with her back towards him. She was obviously trying to hide from him. She wanted him to leave and not talk to him at the moment. Questions flooded his mind as to why, but he beat them all down, instead swallowing his fear and stepping across the creaky floor toward her.

"I was hoping that you didn't see me, Wolfie . . . but it's too late to hope such things, huh . . . ?" Isha sighed as he approached, not needing to turn around to know he was close by.

He ceased walking, shocked, before he licked his lips, continuing along the path to the other side of the table to seat himself. The floor was slightly dingy, a definite sign of the lack of good service for the inn, but he didn't mind. Instead he looked up at her, noting her features, and lowered his gaze once more on the table's surface.

"And why exactly didn't you want me to . . . ?" Wolfe asked, keeping his voice low to match her own. She shrugged helplessly and shook her head.

"It was just that . . . you both seemed happy. I didn't want to bother you—ah! er . . . either of you—when you were having fun with each other, and . . . oh dear, I'm sorry. . . ."

"Isha . . ." he uttered, wondering what to say at a moment such as this. Her anxiety was coming back with redoubled vigor than when they were in the forest, and she hid her face behind her hands, sobbing into them. "Isha, please just stop crying . . . that is the last thing that I want to see you do."

She did not stop for some time, sobbing into her arm and wiping her eyes against her pale skin. Wolfe watched the entire time, too dumbfounded to even speak or turn his head. Everyone's eyes, including the weasel-faced innkeeper, were surely focused on them both, waiting for something to happen until they finally returned to their conversations. With a few remaining whimpers, she took her head out like a turtle from a shell, her face stained with the tears she had rubbed her face against.

"I'm sorry that . . . that you have such a weak friend such as myself . . ." she sniffled, drying her face off with the back of her hand and wiping it on the same dress as he had seen her in yesterday. "You deserve better than the likes—"

"Isha, please!" Wolfe interrupted, pounding the table with enough force to rattle the dirty cups on the table next to them. She leapt partially up in startlement and stared at him, her eyes frozen in anxiety. "Enough about your being weak! If there's anything I know, it's that you're not the least bit so!"

Isha's face was positively stiffened, frozen into a homogenous mix of fear and incredulity. Her bottom lip quivered as the rest of her shuddered minutely.

"W-Wolfie . . ." she uttered softly, uncertain of what to say other than his name.

He gulped as his eyes met hers, both finding themselves unable to break the gaze. After several seconds that felt like hours at a time, he finally did so and attempted to stand, feeling like the most idiotic person in all of Weyard.

"Wolfe, please don't . . . !" she blurted out, reaching across the table and grabbing his sleeve. "Please don't leave like this, I beg of you. . . ."

He paused for a minor amount of time before seating himself once more, Isha mirroring him. His eyes were still downcast and settled on his lap.

"Wolfe . . . I really need to know . . . do you really think that to be true? That I am not weak . . . ?" she asked lightly. "Please, look at me and tell the truth . . . the honest truth. . . ."

Again, he looked up into her eyes, the twin dark-purple pools that appeared greyer and more serious than he had ever seen them before. She did not bother to brush back her bangs, even though he could barely see her left eye.

"Of course it's the truth, Isha . . ." he uttered, trying to sound as sincere as he possibly was able to. "I have never thought that you were weak from the day we first met. Quiet, yes, and jumpy too, but never weak. I don't know what gave you such a notion as to think that."

She turned from him and closed her eyes, tears forming in between her eyelids and threatening to stream out. It was impossible to discern what was happening behind them, or even behind her stone-like features. He wondered if he said anything that made it worse, and was about to speak before something caught his eye. For the first time since yesterday, he saw her smile.

"Those are words that I wanted to hear for a very long time . . . yet never thought were going to come," she stated, opening her eyes and looking at him. "I . . . I can't thank you enough for that, Wolfe. . . ."

"There's no need for thanks," he responded with a smile of his own before glancing over to the door. "I'm sorry, but Avvie is waiting for me outside and—"

"A-ah, right, I forgot about her . . ." Isha stated, cutting him off and looking down. "I'll not hold you here any longer . . . you go ahead."

"Thanks, but I'd rather not go alone," he laughed, scratching the base of his neck. "I was going to ask you later, but now's as good a time as any, since we've run into each other already. Av and I are going for a day on the town, and I was hoping you'd join us."

"M-me?" she squeaked as her eyes darted up and narrowed. "I-I don't know if I could . . . I mean, I don't want to impose and . . ."

"You're not imposing if I'm the one asking you to do it," he answered with a outwards laugh.

"W-well, yeah, but what if she doesn't want me to? You still haven't asked her yet . . . and. . . ." She cut herself off, unsure of what to say.

"I'm sure Avvie will accept. She never was good at winning arguments with me anyways." He grinned agley, rising up onto his feet once more. Her eyes followed him as made his way around the table, and then down at his hand as he extended it towards her. Blood rushed to her cheeks. "So . . . are you coming?" he continued, smiling down at her.

She even more as she accepted his hand, getting up from the table with ease as he pulled her upright.

"I'll be more than happy to . . ." she replied, her hand not leaving his for a few idle seconds.

She went first, her step lightening with each passing second as she stepped towards the door. Wolfe followed in suit, feeling the weight of what had happened earlier slip off of him as well. Today was going to be a good day, after all.

"So where did you go when you left Palmaria?" Avvie asked curiously, leaning her head to the left as the three gazed out into the abandoned farmlands once again. Isha sat cross-legged atop one of the thick posts that were outcropped on the outskirts of the land, whereas Avdotya and Wolfe were reclining against a roughly cut fence that had withstood the elements since the dismantlement of the farm.

Isha smiled lightly, looking down into her lap. Even though she was skeptical about coming at first because of Avdotya, she was undoubtedly happy that she did so, actually enjoying her company as they went everywhere in town. Wolfe took note of this as he looked over, and smiled as he waited for an answer.

"I moved from city to city with the rest of my family . . . most of the places in Angara, but several of them in Indra and Gondowan as well . . . ," she started off, her eyes shining over as she spoke. "We never stayed in place for a long period of time, but I didn't mind. I saw the world and fell in love with it . . . but nothing was even slightly similar to this place. Even though I enjoyed it, I don't think I could relax anywhere else. This isle has always been what I considered home, and I—we—came back for old times' sake."

Isha's smile dropped as she nodded her head side-to-side, much to Wolfe's confusion as he continued to look in her direction. If anything, he expected her to be happy to come back. He was about to open his mouth, but Avvie beat him to the punch.

"So why are you frowning . . . ?" she asked quizzically, speaking over a swift sea breeze that passed through the pastureland.

Isha raised her eyes before she dropped them again.

"You wanted to know where I went . . . but I said more than that when there was no need to," she explained softly, the hair in front of her eyes dancing about in the passing gust. "I don't like wasting people's time. . . ."

"Oh, rubbish," Avdotya responded with an added laugh. "There's nothing wrong with that in the least. In fact, we actually enjoyed listening, didn't we, Wolfe?"

He nodded in agreement in her direction, and as he wheeled his head around he noticed the faint shadow of a smile present on Isha's face. It was slightly forced, he knew, but she did like hearing that.

"Well, I'm sorry to say this, but we have to go soon," Av spoke with a slight grunt, pushing against the rail to ascend to her feet. "Wolfe and I have a recital to go to before the day wanes on any longer."

Wolfe's eyes widened slightly. Something was nagging at the back of his mind ever since he first arrived here, and finally he realised what it was. Isha only nodded and smiled.

"It's fine," she responded, scooting to her feet and dropping onto the ground effortlessly. "I had too much fun to complain . . . but if it isn't too much to ask, I want to speak with Wolfe privately. . . ."

"Oh, of course. Just don't keep him for too long, or he'll be late, as per usual," Avdotya replied playfully, launching a grin at the both of them. "Be sure to catch up later, okay, Wolfe?"

"Yeah, yeah," he chuckled, pushing himself off of the fence and leaning his back against it in a smooth motion. "I'll be there before you know it."

Nodding, she headed back onto the path and started for the manor. Wolfe smiled as he watched her leave before turning to face Isha once again.

"So what was it that you wanted to speak to me about?"

"W-what? Oh . . . I . . . I wanted to thank you for inviting me to come with you . . ." she uttered, blushing and turning her head to a degree.

"Ah, well then you're quite welcome. It was a pleasure to have you come along," Wolfe replied, "but why did you want to say this privately? I'm sure Avvie would have loved to hear this as well."

"Because . . . it wasn't the only thing that I wanted to ask you," she continued. "I wanted to ask . . . what you thought about Miss Avdotya . . . if you cared about her, I mean. . . ."

Wolfe tossed a quizzical glance at her, completely surprised by the question. His mouth opened and closed wordlessly as he searched for something, anything, to say.

"Of course I care for her . . . she's the closest thing I have to family," he spoke several seconds later.

"But what about your parents and your brother . . . ? I remember that they were quite nice."

He closed his eyes, emotion flooding over his face, before he opened them again.

"My parents . . . my brother . . . they died shortly after you left . . ." he answered softly, turning around and scowling. A gasp shot through the air behind him, but he hardly heard it. "A freak storm ripped through . . . and I was the only one that made it."

"W-Wolfie . . ." was the only thing she could say, her voice filled with regret of ever saying anything about the topic. "I . . . I—"

"Don't fret about it, Isha . . . this is something that I promised myself not to look back on much. I shouldn't have told you ab—"

He didn't get much further before he felt her arms coil around his torso and pull him into a soft embrace. He struggled at first, completely taken aback by the sudden action, before he loosened up.

"I-Isha? Why did you . . . ?" he asked, droning off as he turned his head to catch sight of her, but failing to do so.

"I felt that you needed it . . ." she uttered, tightening her arms around his stomach. "I don't know what to say, but . . . I'm so sorry that it happened . . . and I'm sorry that we left before this happened. We could have taken you with us on our trip around the world . . . we could have had so much fun, and. . . ."

She sniffled and released her grip, pulling away and nearly stumbling on the grass below her. Wolfe turned around slowly, unsure of what to say, or even do, in this matter. They both appeared like marble statues, staring at each other and finding it difficult to move. Finally, he managed to break the gaze.

"Isha . . . maybe it was for the best," he uttered softly. "We may not have been the same people as we are now, and . . . I may never have met Avvie."

She nodded, though when he lifted his eyes to meet her own he detected the slightest amount of sorrow within their depths. A cool and faint breeze blew by, reminding them of Sol's lowering, and she closed her eyes to keep the bangs from striking them.

"That might be true . . . but one would never know." She paused for an instant, her mouth opening mildly before she closed it again. "I-I'll see you later then . . . maybe even tomorrow. Goodbye, Wolfe . . ." she sputtered a little later, turning to leave.

"W-wait, Isha, what were you going to say earlier?" he asked spontaneously, stopping her dead in her tracks. She turned around to face him.

"I wasn't going to say anything else. . . ."

She was lying. He was almost sure of it, but decided to let it slide.

"Well, then why did you ask about Avvie?"

"Curiosity. . . ."

He frowned as she started to leave again, but this time he was not going to stop her, instead watching her leave. The wind returned, a partially strong gust of air that again reminded him of the nearing end of the day and of the recital. He sighed lightly and knit his brow.

"I wonder if any of our conversations will end differently than this . . . ah well. I guess I shouldn't complain to you about how my day went, eh?" he chuckled lightly towards the wind, spinning around towards the road and breaking out in a brisk run to catch up with his sister.

The wind whistled in response, and good-naturedly slapped him on the back as if to urge him onward. It was right; today had been a good day after all.

Author's Note: Hello again readers, and thanks for reading. I hope this story is keeping your interest so far. Please plop a review off and tell me how I am doing. Feedback is an author's best friend, as it helps one improve and betters your reading experience overall. C'mon, don't be shy.