foxen-quill

[foxen-quill]

The small room smelt of old books, dried herbs and sweet flowers. All was quiet as the morning sun began to cast its gentle glow through the opened window. Petals from the old bouquet laid littered on the window sill by the bed. All was still that early morning save for the gentle sway of the flowers in the breeze.

The lump on the bed began to move, a discontented noise coming from within the layers of blankets and pillows before settling down again.

A creak from the door broke through the silence of the dawn and a pair of bare feet padded into the room.

“Aurelia? C’mon, time to get up,” a man said with a yawn.

A pale head popped out from the confines of the heavy duvet, the girl blinking her silvery eyes in sheer contempt for the early wake up call.

“Whaztieisst?” she managed to mumble.

“It’s seven. How are you feeling?” the man asked gently, pushing her black hair back.

“Mkay”

“Are you sure?”

She nodded before planting her face back into the pillow.

“Alright- I’m making breakfast. So come down once you’re ready. And if you’re feeling well enough, could you help keep an eye on the Day Realm of the store?”

Aurelia made some sort of affirmative noise, drawing a smile from the man again, “Good,” he said before casting his eyes to the bouquet of flowers on the window sill, “I need to go get you a fresh bouquet before I go to the Night Realm today,” he said, “Anyway, come on. Time to get up,” he said again, patting her arm before leaving.

It took another five minutes of internal battling before Aurelia finally sat up, the layers of bedding falling away to reveal her skinny frame clad in an old, oversized sweater.

After a slow trip to the bathroom, the girl plodded down the narrow, rickety wooden stairs to the warm kitchen. The worn wood squeaked with each step she took.

“Cain?” she called, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

“Over here- oh that’s where my old sweater went,” Cain said, exiting the tiny pantry.

“It’s not your sweater. It’s mine now,” Aurelia said, sitting at the little dining table and drawing her knees up to hug them.

“You can’t just keep laying claim on all my things, bug,” he told her, hanging her a mug of hot tea, “Take your iron supplements.”

Aurelia obeyed washing it down with sweet, milk tea.

[foxen-quill]

“Asha- is everything alright?” the gravekeeper asked, checking on the young woman.

Asha was sweeping up the leaves on the east side of the cemetery but the broom had stopped moving and she was simply staring out into the distance.

“Oh, Kato, I’m sorry,” she said, “I was just listening. One of the souls is finally leaving and the others were bidding him farewell.”

Kato went to her and wiped the tear that was falling down her cheek, “You got him to move on then? Which soul was it?” he asked the necromancer.

“It’s the young man- the one buried over there,” Asha said, pointing to a worn tombstone.

The words on it were faded and it had been a long time since anyone had come to pay their respects. No doubt if he did have family once, they had long forgotten him. There were many others in the grave like him that the necromancer had started taking care of instead.

“What happened to him?” Kato asked, as the grave had been there long before he had taken over the cemetery.

“A construction accident. His injuries went gangrene and when he woke up- he didn’t realise he was dead. He’s been here for so long but I think I finally got through to him,” Asha said softly, sounding relieved.

Many other souls lingered on, some unable to remember just why they were staying.

All Asha could do was offer them company for the meanwhile.

“That’s a relief,” Kato said, brushing her dark hair back before he remembered why he had come looking for her, “By the way- have you given any thought to the offer the mages gave you?” he asked.

Asha looked at him in surprise before turning away quickly, “I… well- I don’t know,” she admitted, “What do you think I should do?”

“It’s your future,” Kato told her, “I have no say in it.”

“But I want you in my future!” Asha told him at once, “So just… tell me what you think I should do.”

The gravekeeper sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he leaned against his shovel.

“Asha,” he said at last, “You’re still young. And you have a whole life before you- you shouldn’t just settle here and be done with it.”

“I- but-“ Asha said, her face turning red as she gripped the broom handle tightly in her hand, “I just… don’t want to leave you,” she admitted at last in the tiniest whisper.

For a horrifying moment- Asha wondered if Kato was tired of her and wanted her gone. The very thought of it felt like she had just been plunged into the depths of an icy lake.

A strong arm wrapped itself around her waist, drawing her to Kato’s chest.

“If I could be selfish, I’d keep you right here with me,” he told her, “But you should go to the Mage University. Go on and explore the world. No matter how far you go or where you roam, I’ll be here. When you’re ready to come home, I’ll be here waiting for you,” he promised, “I love you.”

Asha screwed up her face as tears sprung to her eyes again.

“Gods, please don’t cry again.”

“How could I not cry?!” she demanded, “After you said all that?”

Kato laughed and kissed her closed eyelids, tasting her salty tears, “Cry all you like,” he told her, “And after this you can write a letter. Henry can send it off for you.”

She nodded, rubbing her face against his shoulder.

[foxen-quill]

There was a click as she slid the latch shut again, closing the small wooden gate behind her.

It was still fairly early in the morning and the narrow streets were clear. With a small hop, she crossed the street and hurried out to retrieve breakfast.

Despite the cool air of the morning, the skies were clear- warning her that the day was going to be yet another unbearably warm one. But the weather rarely deterred the tourists and whatever errands she had to run had to be done quickly.

The usual morning sights greeted her as she turned the corner to the main street.

The cafe and food stores were opening their shutters, having to start their day as early as she. The middle aged cleaning lady was back, sweeping the night market’s rubbish off the streets before the crows could get to it.

She stopped to greet her as always, exchanging short pleasantries in Malay before she had to return to her journey.

Further down the street, workers were feebly attempting to unclog the drains as they had to do every other day and for the safety of her new sneakers, she had to cross the street to move pass them.

The corner coffee shop was already open, with a number of locals seated there with their assortment of papers, smoking cigarettes and sipping their coffees. It was the lazy ambience she had grown up with- long before the tourist took over her small town.

Despite her tight schedule, she stopped to greet the fat, ginger cat that always slept in front of the antique store.

The little creature purred loudly, rolling onto his back.

She knew better than to attempt a belly rub and wished the cat a good day before trotting off once again.

The breakfast place was already a buzz of activity.

The indian owner spotted her and nodded as she held up eight fingers. He called to the cook to start preparing eight roti canai’s to takeaway. Another server wiped down a table as she sat down, leaning against the back of her chair.

She huffed a little, wiping the sweat from her brow as the humidity was already rising.

She was given her usual iced lemon juice as she waited and the tartness woke her up better than any caffeine could.

Soon, another crowd squeezed into the narrow store, bringing in the smell of perfume and cologne that mingled with the scent of incense from the altar on the wall. It was starting to make her dizzy but it would be rude for her to pinch her nose shut.

It only took ten minutes for a plastic bag of food and curry to be plopped unceremoniously in front of her by the busy server.

Thanking the higher powers for the speed of today’s food preparation, she paid her bill and hurried out of the store, taking deep breaths of fresh air.

Checking her phone, she realised she still had time and instead of taking the same way back to the hotel, she went down a narrow alley to the river.

It seemed like the gates of the river that led out to the sea, was still closed as the water was high up, lapping against the paved riverwalk. It smelt like a bathroom that hadn’t been washed for weeks and she could see a large monitor lizard cutting its way through the water with its powerful tail.

She pulled out her phone and snapped a quick picture of it before turning and heading back, the food weighing heavy in her backpack.

It was the start of the day and there was already much to do.