#Cordia is likely so done with them and walking away

[cadrenebula]

Vierapril Day 20 - Bunny

[chosenkeepersworld]

The Unexpected Meeting

Original Work

Word Count: 1645 words

Date Posted: June 30, 2021

Author’s Note: Wanted to write something new this month, I haven't written anything for these characters for a while and thought to give them some love. Unbeta’d but I hope you guys still like it and as always I love hearing your thoughts about my work so comments are always appreciated.

Bright green eyes blinked and the small boy pursed his lips upon landing on the docks. He took in the people walking and chatting up on the shore. He felt a hand ruffle his hair, causing him to look up and see his father grinning down at him.

“C’mon, kid. Let’s go.” the older man urged with a tilt of his head.

Jas sighed and followed. This was the agreement his parents decided on. ‘For Jas’ sake’ they had claimed. Not that they ever asked him what he wanted.

It never took long for them to reach the house where the rest of the family was waiting. It was amazing that a house of only five people could make so much noise. When they entered his father immediately called out to them. The first person to come and greet him was his cousin, Concordia.

She was the only one he actually liked being around, after all they were similar.

“Janos!” she yelled out enthusiastically as she ran to hug him.

He patted her back and shot her a grin which she returned.

His cousin began to ramble about what had been going on since he left. It had only been a year but a lot tended to happen at that time. It was the arrangement. He would visit his father’s side of the family every year, his parents would often argue that it would be good for him to spend time outside his Homeworld.

And it was only fair that he spent time with his father since it was difficult to make regular visits.

Concordia dragged him into the kitchen where the rest of the family was working on lunch. His older sisters seemed to be putting the final touches to the afternoon meal, their grandmother, however, was nowhere to be found.

“Good. Seeing the old bat makes my head hurt” the voice inside his head whispered darkly.

The young boy ignored it and gave a timid smile to his sisters when they turned to greet him. They have always been nice to him when he was around but they’ve never made any effort to do more. Not that Jas could blame them, their age difference made it difficult for them to connect.

His father sat him down at the kitchen island while his sisters and cousin finished setting the table. They then moved to the dining table, The twins and their father sat on one side of the table while Jas and Concordia sat on the other. The seat at the head of the table was empty, still waiting for the head of the family.

It didn’t take long for the Matriarch to enter the kitchen. She didn’t look like much with her short stature and thin frame but upon meeting her it was easy to feel her power. The old woman sat and motioned for them to begin.

A little while later the Matriarch finally addressed her grandson “How was your trip, Janos?”

The dark haired boy swallowed “It was fine, Grandmother. Nothing really happened.” The entire time he’d travel and stay on the island there was never anything that caught his attention. He’d spend most of the time on his own when he wasn’t at his grandmother’s house or with his cousin.

He’d tell himself he wasn’t interested in being here and he’d rather just be back home with his mother and grandfather, learning how to control his powers and have fun at home. If he tried having fun here, his grandmother wouldn’t be very happy with him.

“That’s good.” was all she responded with, she didn’t speak to him again during the meal. It was obvious who the least favorite was among her grandchildren.

He couldn’t really blame his grandmother either, he was just as disinterested in her as she was of him. There were many times throughout his parents' arrangement when his mother would rage about his grandmother, constantly angry about the old woman especially after Jas was born.

The boy was left to his own devices most of the time when he was visiting family. Once he’d helped wash the dishes, Concordia helped him bring his things to the guest room.

“Can you handle things from here?”

Jas was surprised at the question. Concordia was never obligated to help him get settled, she always voluntarily helped him, claiming that it was a bonding experience. The young boy never argued when she was so determined to be of assistance, he didn’t argue either when she wanted to help the next time he came or the time after that. It became their little ritual and he began to enjoy it too.

“Oh” was all he could say, he tried not to look disappointed but it was obvious.

“Jas I would love to help but grandmother wants me to start with afternoon training as soon as possible after lunch”

And there it was.

“It’s fine” he waved her off before turning back to his things “If she wants you down there, there isn’t really anything I can do about it” he said with a shrug.

“Cousin…”

He turned to face her again, a reassuring smile on his face “It really is all right, Cordia. I can handle it from here. We’ll have fun later, after you’re done training. I’m sure I can find something to do until then”

She smiled for a moment and reached over to hug him, her dark hair swinging above her shoulders at the movement. “I promise we’ll do something after training.”

When his cousin closed the door, the young boy collapsed on the bed. He could feel the pull of the darkness, feel the shadows inching closer from their corners, could feel the other side of him emerging…

“Quit it.” he said, brows furrowing in annoyance “We made an agreement for when you come out, remember?”

“Just for a moment. I won’t cause any trouble” he promised, but Jas could hear the smile in his voice.

“I’m not falling for that again” Jas grumbled. He could still remember the screams and shouts of angry citizens the last time Jas had let his other self free. He hadn’t heard the end of it from his mother and grandfather, scolding him for weeks.

“You’ll stay in there until the agreed upon time or unless we’re in danger and I can’t do anything. Anyway, this is the last place we want to cause chaos to”

There were brief moments where he caught glimpses of his other self, normally when he wanted to be seen. His other self was sticking his tongue out in response but otherwise left him to unpack his things.

The island was fairly large and was mostly of nature. There was only one town on the island but trees, bushes and other greenery had grown on the path between the eastern and western side of town. His father never let the child go further than the easter side, the side where their family lived on.

It was much too dangerous for a child to go off galavanting in the forest. Jas scoffed at that then headed downstairs after taking another calming breath. There was no one downstairs, but he could see his cousin and grandmother outside from the kitchen window. Considering the time, his father must have returned to work but he was unsure of where his sisters may be.

Jas made his way to the gardens. Cordia was practicing her manifestation abilities with their grandmother supervising her. The older woman paused upon seeing him then instructed the young girl to continue before walking towards him.

“Janos, is there something wrong?”

He shook his head “I was just letting you know that I’ll be going around town for a bit.”

She nodded “Very well. Make sure to be home before dinner.”

The young boy nodded, his dark hair bouncing at the movement.

“All right. Off with you then”

Without any more encouragement, Jas practically flew to the front of the house and down the steps, heading to the path to town. It was a narrow, dirt path that branched off to the woods between the east and west sides of town.

He was reaching the cross road when he heard a voice yelling...

“Hey! Get back here!”

Before something smashed into his side, causing him to fall. He vaguely heard more yelling and what sounded like squealing. Groaning, Jas rolled to his stomach with a gasp. His body hurt and so did his head, everything was blurry when he opened his eyes. In front of him was what looked like a young girl, a year or two younger than him from the looks of it.

He wasn’t sure if it was the bodily injury that caused him to see it but did she have ears on top of her head?

She turned her head to look at him when he made a noise. Her light brown eyes almost looked golden in the light, she tilted her head to one side as the ears on her head twitched.

The odd girl took one step toward him but when she did so, the animal she was chasing noticed his predator’s attention was captivated by something else. It backed away slowly then once it deemed it was far enough away, it turned tail tail and ran, squealing all the way.

That got the stranger’s attention, she turned her back to him shouting angrily as the small animal got farther and farther away. She took a step forward, ready to chase after the creature. But then her body relaxed, in an almost defeated manner. She faced Jas again, an annoyed look on her face. She quickly reached down to lift his torso, grabbing him under his arms.

“Wait a minute” Jas started to say, panic rising in him. She was bringing him into the woods.

“Where are you taking me? Hey!”

@original-writing