[PLOT - PRP] Business is Booming (Takeko and Aquarelle)

[Irish Night Fox]

Arelle's shoulders relaxed under the teal female's hand. She was so glad the other hadn't taken her words wrong. Arelle knew she tended to use grander words and explanations than the situation called for- suppose it could make her come off as dramatic. Perhaps that was a negative effect of reading so much, either way she was so thankful the other seemed to understand and forgive her immediately.

Arelle tilted her head, so Ms. Takeko DID write! Oh man she'd love to get her hands on those documents! She hadn't done much reading up on herbal studies, but she supposed there was always a time to start learning something new. Still, those thoughts moved on as she listened curiously. Had she made a good suggestion? The other seemed to take it into consideration! That was enough to excited Arelle, she'd love to read it from another perspective!

“If you don't have time with your work.” Arelle started with a thoughtful look on her face, “I could totally be your scribe!! You can work and dictate to me and I can take it all down! We'd get your book of the beginning times down in no time!” Arelle skipped a bit at that, perhaps she was getting a bit ahead of herself, but it happened when you were passionate about something.

Takeko's explanation made a gentle smile turn up Arelle's lips. She remind silent, nodding along with her words. She waited patiently for an appropriate moment in order to give her thoughts. “I like that thought of them.” she said softly. “I mean, they gave me this amazing ability, but never really told me what to do with it. It has been fun kinda figuring that out for myself you know? I had to go through a lot of crappy times, but it really makes times like this sweeter. When I think I got some things in life figured out,” she gave a short laugh at that.

Arelle made a face at the mention of kids. She hadn't really ever thought about having a family. She was so wrapped up in her work life that the thought of finding a partner never really crossed her mind. She brushed it away again and tried to focus instead of the meaning of her words. To try and picture someone she cared for and wanting so badly to help, protect, all that sort of stuff in life. Again her head bobbed along as she listened, her eyes registering understanding every so often before drifting off into her own mind to think.

There was silence for a bit before she shook herself out of it, “Oh, no! Sorry, I have been listening and enjoying your points. I admit I am still young and trying to figure this stuff out. I mean, if I didn't believe it I wouldn't have gone through the ceremony, ya know?” she grinned before shrugging. “I just like questioning things, no matter what they are. Gets me in trouble some times though... Anyways, Did things change a lot? After it fell from the sky, I mean. If it's ok to ask.”

"OH WHOA!" she said suddenly, pointing towards the jungle. "I didn't even notice it getting closer! Look at all of this nature!" Her eyes looked to be almost as big as her head as she took in the world around them. They'd been walking for a good time now, but still things seemed to take her by surprise.

Teigra

 

[Teigra]

Pleased that the turn in conversation hadn't turned off her companion's enthusiasm, Takeko chuckled to herself at the question. "Oh yes, a great many things changed when the Isle fell..." She looked ahead to the looming jungle and nodded, switching topics just as quickly as Arelle. "Certainly plenty of nature down here, yes," she laughed, gently helping angle the cart towards the tree line. "This is where we enter, dear. You should be able to see the path as we go, but just keep an eye out for the markers." The markers being strips of cloth tied to trees wherever the jungle threatened to swallow the lightly maintained travel path that lead to and from Takeko's home. Portions of the path at least seemed well traveled by carts or maintained manually, given some of the chopped foliage lying by the wayside. Most of it was gathered for use, however, leaving only the smaller bits lying as evidence of the maintenance.

Returning to the previous question as they entered the shadow of the jungle, Takeko decided to focus on some of the more physical changes of the Isle to begin with. "Well, this was one of the big changes, actually. The Isle's weather got much warmer and more humid after the Isle dropped into the sea. And this jungle? Used to be a forest. I suppose there are still forests down here, but this one has changed dramatically. It's much thicker now, full of new creatures and plants." As they delved deeper into the jungle, Takeko paused periodically to point out a new plant, or a new fruit, or some herb she'd found a use for along the way. Going was slow with the cart, yet steady thanks to the path. It would have been impossible to get the cart through the jungle otherwise.

"Another major change, for myself at least, was my home. It was built alongside a gently flowing stream in the forest, but now..." Up ahead, the path opened up beyond a wooded home that seemed to have grown from the surrounding jungle itself. It was a large structure, and the area beyond was cleared to allow view of at least two more such, if smaller, buildings in the distance. "Well, it's more like a ravine now, with a rushing river at the bottom. I suppose it's more than just my home now as well..."

Smiling widely, Takeko stepped just forward to make a sweeping gesture with her arm. "Welcome to....well, Kane's taken to calling it 'Kekomura'. I'm still not sure how I feel about the name," she chuckled to herself, making a face.

Irish Night Fox

 

[Irish Night Fox]

Arelle tore her eyes away from the female in order to look around for these 'markers'. She wasn't sure what she had been expecting, but soon she noticed a pattern with these cloth strips hanging from a few of the trees. Seemed reasonable, but she had a sudden thought, “Are those hard to see at night? Have you thought about using brighter colors or patterns to make them easier to see?” She started to play with the idea of her colored glasses. Perhaps she could see what her powers could do, maybe she'd be able to seal in some form of illumination into the glass-

Her mind seemed to wander for a long while, but she quickly latched back onto Takeko's words. She didn't want to miss a scratch of information! It was all too juicy and real! “Wow even the wild life changed!” she exclaimed. To imagine the world around you changing like that- she wasn't sure how she would have handled it had she been there. She slowly shook her head in wonderment at the female. Here she was explaining it all like it hadn't happened to her. Of course, it had been a long while since that had happened, plenty of time to settle back down, but man! “I hope this doesn't bring up any hard memories...” Arelle said in a soft, apologetic tone.

A slow sound of awe escaped Arelle's lips as the Village almost seemed to appear before them. The way it was setup almost felt like it had grown right out of the jungle itself. Arelle would have missed it had she not been pointed towards it! “Kekomura.” she repeated still staring. Her head snapped towards Takeko, a serious look on her face, “You need to keep it! It's too perfect a name to not!” Her features then lightened up, “Oh! Excuse me, stepping into territory that isn't my place again! Seriously though, it's beautiful. The name and your place! It's...” she looked away, shaking her head. “A dream I guess? I have no better words for it.”

She shifted her grip on the cart, “Where can we set this sucker down? I'd love to unload so we can take a look around. If that's not too much to ask, of course! This is just insane! I never thought this would be me right now. From stone streets to dirt? Buildings to trees? It's so awesome!”

A blonde head popped up from a bed of dead leaves it had been snoozing a few moments in. A few stuck to the frizzy curls as dual colored eyes took in the area around him. Voices had woken its slumber, one familiar and one not, but both feminine. Slowly he drew a colored flour bag up from the bed of leaves and to his chest, his other hand bringing up a rock. He tossed it over the log to the twin on the other side of it.

“Wake up! Lady alert!” he said in a low hiss. They were far enough way to not be heard, but better to keep his voice down than to alert her. He practically jumped to his feet making his way to the outskirts of their home in order to get a look at the body attached to the voice.

Please don't be related...

Teigra

 

[Teigra]

Hmm, different colors and patterns for the markers... It wasn't something she'd thought about before, but it was a very good idea. The markers had been a quick solution to only a minor problem at the time and as the need to traverse the forest increased, a new solution hadn't really been entertained as of yet. But if others were going to be running the route aside from Takeko, then perhaps it was a good idea to make some improvements.

Her thoughts were interrupted by her companion's concern. Hard memories? Yes, it's true, there were a few related to the discussion, but they had yet to touch on any topic too sensitive as of yet. Nothing related to the Isle's fall directly at least. She turned a kind smile to Arelle and shook her head. "You're fine, dear. Don't worry so much about speaking your mind, not here. I suppose if you have another vote for the name though, it might just stick at this rate," she teased.

"Come on, we'll get that cart put away and get some help in unloading things. You can explore all you'd like then, dear. You are here for the night, after all."

*****

Lounging, somewhere between awake and asleep, Erasmus had zoned out. He'd been fiddling with some long fibers from the jungle plants, twisting them between his fingers, weaving them together, even forming something that had started looking like a small stickpae at one point when he'd started dozing. He awoke instantly, as if he'd never been asleep, when the small rock bounced off his thick, tousled curls. "Oi! What's the big--?" Rubbing his head, he rose up and trailed off at being shushed by his twin.

Lady alert?

...wait, where?!?

Fully awake now, he focused on the two feminine voices not far away. Okay, one was definitely Gramma Takeko, but the other one was completely unfamiliar. Scrambling over the log as quietly as possible, he peered over his twin's shoulder to get a look.

"Woah...she's cute! Dibs if she's not a cousin or something!"

*****

"We'll get this put away, then I can either show you where to settle in later, or you can go out and--"

"Mom!"

Takeko blinked, turning towards the call. Seeing Saffron approach, followed by his own son, Aster, she beamed and waved the boys over. "So sorry, dear, give me just a moment," she said to Arelle quickly. "Saffron, dear, what is it?" He seemed distracted by something, she noted.

"Mom, do you have a minute? Just a question, it'll be quick." The mixed angel approached, belatedly seeming to notice his mother's guest...and the cart. "Oh, I'm sorry. Really, it'll just be a moment," he apologized again, then turned back to the angel.

Aster trailed behind his father, letting him do the speaking, though he held a curious object in his hands. A mix of leaves and twigs, it seemed to be a toy or figure of some sort. Perhaps it was a trick of the light, but the leaves shifted, seeming to move without aid of the wind.

"We're still having trouble with the monkeys getting into the eastern fields. We can't keep an eye on them ourselves around the clock, but Aster had an idea. He's thinking if he builds a few more drones, they can keep watch on the field when we can't, like little mobile scarecrows. Shooing away anything that comes near. Of course, we'd have to test this first. That's what I wanted to ask. What you thought and if we could do a test run with one of these as a prototype? What do you think?"

Irish Night Fox

 

[Irish Night Fox]

Arelle opened her mouth to reply to the teal female when a voice pipped up. Arelle turned to look at the source and was only mildly surprised to see someone coming up to them. She wasn't all that surprised there were others, after seeing the buildings and hearing Takeko talk about the place, but what she was surprised about was how the female took charge. Arelle had supposed she was important, but this? Arelle couldn't respect her anymore than she already did!

She remained politely quite while Takeko delt with the problem, only smiling brightly and waving at the pair when they seemed to notice her. She didn't want to be rude! “Take your time, this sounds important.” she replied, waving them off. As they spoke she took another look at the...'mix breeds'? The way she had always heard it came off harsh, but she wasn't sure what else to categorize them as. There was no way in heck she was going to ask either, she'd have to read up on in when she got home instead. Either way, she was pretty jealous about some of their features-

She gasped silently to herself as something moved in his hand. She tilted her head trying to get a better look at it, losing herself in a million questions floating around in her head. “Drones?” she suddenly cut in. A look of horror and embarrassment came over her face, “Ack, sorry! That was totally rude. I didn't mean to interrupt.” her voice slowly lowered as if saying continue, forget about her. Aw, man, her curiosity was getting her in trouble again!

- - -

Amatus smirked at himself as his twin joined him at the treeline. He knew the other couldn't resist! His eyes attempted to locate the sound of the voice, his eyes landing on a curious looking female patterned with many colors. She didn't look like anyone from the family-

“What!?” Amatus practically screeched, before quickly lowering his voice so he wouldn't give himself away. “Dude, that's totally unfair! You know what Grandad said about dibs!” his words slowly turned into the biggest pout he had managed. Now that his twin had said it there was no going back, “And I totally saw her first too.” he whined mostly to himself. “I hope she's a long lost sister...”

Teigra

 

[Teigra]

Takeko stifled a chuckle at Arelle, shaking her head. Turning to Saffron and Aster, she asked, "A very good question: what sort of drones?"

The shetani stepped forward, holding out the small object in his hands as he spoke. "I call them 'drones' because, well...they're not very smart. I can make them do one thing and one thing only. But, they're like worker bees. I give them a task and they do it." The object he held out seemed like a tiny little Pae, made of flexible twigs woven around each other with vines and plant fibers holding it all together. Its leaf hair seemed to sway in the wind....which wasn't blowing. That's when they realized it was moving about just barely, shifting back and forth with regular rhythm, as if waiting for instructions.

Takeko and Saffron turned away to discuss the details of a test run with the 'drones', which Aster was content with staying out of. He'd explained his part of the plan, after all. He glanced towards the colorful teenage demon for a moment, noting her interest in his simple construct. After a moment of staring at it in his hands, he added, just in case she was still listening, "I'm working on a flying version. Just...the wings make it a lot harder to get right than just one that can walk and run."

*****

Erasmus snickered at his twin's outburst, only relaxing after making sure they hadn't been noticed. "Nuh uh, it's totally fair! You had your chance. You snooze, you looooooose!" he taunted, further tousling Amatus' hair...and dislodging a couple more leaves in the process.

"Besides," he continued with a smirk and a knowing glance towards the bag of flour, "Aren't you already spoken for? You two make such a lovely couple, you know." With a final cheeky grin, he danced back out of his twin's reach, trying to keep the other group in view while remaining unseen.

Irish Night Fox

 

[Irish Night Fox]

Arelle waited till they were talking again before she slowly inched her way towards Aster to get a better look at it. Her eyes widened as she saw very slow movements in the figure made of plant parts, but movement that was happening by its own doing. She looked between it and Aster as he spoke, her mouth hanging open slightly in wonderment, “It's alive!” she whispered to him in hushed tone as to not interrupt the other pair speaking. “Is that your special gift doing that!?” It was the only explanation! How in the name of the Guardians had he managed to make life!?

Then again, she played the words over in her head. It was just a drone, incapable of real life and always bent to control. She put a finger to her chin curiously, letting this all play out in her mind. She supposed it wasn't the same, but man was it a curious power! She must know more about this seemingly life giving power. Her eyes looked back at him at his words, “You're having a hard time fashioning wings or the whole piece itself has a hard time dealing with wings when animated?” She leaned in a bit closer looking it over. “I don't deal with weaving, I make glass, so I don't think I'd be of much help there if so, but I think it's a clever idea!”

- - -

Amatus shook his head furiously in an attempt to rid the rest of his hair of the leaves. He wasn't completely successful, and instead gave his curls a good reason to poof out further. He didn't notice this, of course, and instead went back to glaring at his twin, “Totally didn't think you'd go so low as making claims. It was always the best man wins! Wish Grandpa hadn't taught us that!”

He blinked at Erasmus in confusion, before glancing down at his arms. He gave off a frightened screech, letting it fall from his arms. He'd totally left it back at the house before the pair went exploring! What was it doing back in his arms! His head snapped up a little too late, with his twin dancing away out of his reach. He growled and turned his back to the flour, stalking after his brother, “It's not my fault it keeps coming back to me! It's the one that's desperate for me! You think I want girls to think I am crazy?”

He looked back over his shoulder at it, feeling a slight sense of peace when he saw it was still sitting on the ground. Ok, so he wasn't crazy thinking it had some magical teleportation abilities. Right? He stood beside his brother again to watch the group. He grinned, elbowing Erasmus in the side, “Looks like Aster is closing in on your dibs there. Guess this isn't your lucky day!”

Teigra

 

[Teigra]

Aster chuckled a bit at the enthusiastic young lady's response. He wasn't used to having anyone quite so fascinated with his hobby. Or his 'special gift' as she put it. With a shrug, he answered, "Well, it's not exactly alive. I mean...it doesn't think or eat or drink or anything. It's more like...a wind-up toy. I give it form and energy, then just...let it go. It moves around and such for a while until it runs out of energy, then it just stops." He turned the docile little figure over in his hands. "I have to use plant material to make them though. And getting the form and function of the wings correct has been the issue. I mean, I can give it wings, but...they don't always manage to fly very well. Sometimes the balance is off, sometimes they're just not strong enough to hold them up in the air. I'll keep working on it though."

Pausing his explanation, he noted what she'd just said. "Glass, huh? Ah, you must be the one who makes all those bottles and vials for Grandma!" He shuffled the little figure to one side and held out his free hand. "Sorry, didn't introduce myself. Aster."

Sparing a glance to the side, Saffron quickly turned back to Takeko to hide his smile. He couldn't recall the last time...well, ever seeing Aster quite so talkative before. For a moment, he regretted not having more time to discuss his son's automatons with him, but there was just so much to do these days...

"So, that sounds like a plan. Aster will prep one or two of his designs for a test run. We'll set them up in the herb garden and see if we can't keep the monkeys out of there. Thanks, Mom." Turning, Saffron glanced towards the pair behind. "Aster? Ready?"

Takeko smiled warmly, turning back to Aster and Arelle. To the young lady, she nodded, "Sorry for the interruption, dear. Should we continue on?" As the angel moved to rejoin her guest, she glanced back to the boys. "Saffron? Aster? We'll see you at dinner later, yes?"

*****

Erasmus snickered, shooting back at his twin, "They won't have to think that; I mean, I'm pretty sure they'll figure out you're crazy easily enough!" He shrugged nonchalantly, too amused to have been concerned about his twin's earlier screech being heard. "Besides, think of it this way. If you fail with the ladies, at least you'll always have something to fall back on so you'll never be alone."

His snickers of amusement quickly died, however, at the pointed observation. Grin swiftly turning to a frown, he returned his attention to their original quarry. "Son of a flea-bitten chimp," he cursed, peering through the bushes at his new competition. Darn it, he'd been too focused on his twin and now he had a new rival! Well, if that's how this was to be played, he'd just have to amp up his own game.

He swiftly ran his fingers through his hair, removing any forest debris while lightly tossing his natural curls. He looked around the jungle floor and nearby tree trunks before spotting what he was looking for. "Ah ha!" Erasmus scrambled over to a climbing vine, plucking a nice, open bloom with a short stem. That was more like it!

Irish Night Fox

 

[Irish Night Fox]

Arelle tilted her head to the other side as Aster explained it to her. She listened, wide eyed, basically looking like she was gobbling up every bit of information he was sharing with her. It was utterly fascinating! Her mind was racing with all of the things he could do with such a beautiful gift! She just had to see this for herself, no way was just hearing about it nearly as cool as getting to see it in action.

She blinked a second as his action broke her mesmerized look. “O-oh! I'm Arelle!” she finally replied, grasping his hand in both of her's and shaking it excitedly. “It's so awesome to meet you! I've heard a lot about you all, but it's always a pleasure to finally but a face to the name.”

She perked up at Saffron's suggestion as she dropped Aster's hands. “A demonstration? Would I be a distraction or hindrance if I tagged along? I'd really love to see this for myself. Or maybe some other time? If that's not too forward of myself.” she flushed at Takeko, her and her big mouth inviting herself places again. Ick.

Arelle waved at the pair before they separated from them, “It was really nice meeting you. Looking forward to talking more later.” She then turned back to Takeko. “Yeah, where would you like me to unload this stuff for you?”

His twin was really starting to boil is blood! Though he couldn't deny getting some satisfaction from the other's obvious dislike of Aster sneaking in on his girl. Ah, so there was a fine button to push. He'd have to keep that in mind, but for now he'd have to find some other way to get back at his twin.

He watched as the other took his time to primp and... Wait, was he grabbing her a flower? Oh, that's smart, but some times smart wasn't better. While Erasmus was working on that, Amatus made a bee line out of the jungle and headed his way towards the pair. That'll teach his twin to call dibs!

He didn't bother clearing the rest of the leaves from his hair or even bother with a welcoming gift. Instead, he donned the best smile he could manage and slowed his hurried gate to a strut as he made his way up to the girl and- his Grandma. Oh shoot! He had almost completely forgotten she was there! How was he suppose to woo a female with Grandma there?

His strut faltered and he thought about diving into one of the houses and out of the way, but it was already too late. The vibrantly colored demon had already locked eyes with him- he'd been spotted! His legs became goop as he slowed his pace and inched his way up to the pair, making the female tilt her head curiously at him. He paused an awkward few feet away, and lifted his hand in greeting-

“Hi...”

Monkey piddle! What a moron! Now she was covering her mouth with her hand to hide a laugh! She was laughing at him!

“Hi! That's a pretty design on your flour sack. Did you make it? Oh, and you got a little something in your hair.” Arelle motioned towards his head, her eyes dancing with glee, but somehow managing to keep herself under control.

W-what? Wait a min- He looked down at his arms.

Oh, Guardians, how'd it get there!?

Teigra

 

[Teigra]

The angel chuckled in reply, waving a hand to show there was no offense taken by the girl's forwardness. She was eager and enthusiastic; nothing wrong with that. It was amusing to note, however, that she had only just arrived to make a delivery, and already she was apparently making plans to return? For business that had nothing to do with her glass making. With a bemused smile, Takeko waved the boys on with promises to see them at dinner time, then allowed her focus to recenter on Arelle.

"We'll unload those at my house, which is over this way. Then, we can get you settled in before dinner ti--"

Erasmus turned around after making his preparations, then cursed again (something involving mangoes and fruit flies this time) upon realizing his twin had already sprinted off towards the girl. Well, he couldn't ruin his preparations by rushing off now. They would just see who had more luck: the speedy, scruffy leaf monster, or the calm, cool, flower-bearing gentleman. Ha! Yeah, he had this in the bag.

Speaking of which, he had to stifle a laugh when he arrived to note Amatus' apparent shock at finding his tag-along in his arms once more. And the cute girl seemed highly amused as well. Grinning, he swept up beside his twin, sparing a smile and a nod to their grandma as well. "Amatus! You were just going to ask about baking cookies with Grandma, right?" With a flourish, he turned and presented the flower to the demon girl. "Hello there. My name's Erasmus. Welcome to Kekomura!"

Takeko shook her head with a knowing smile at the boys' antics. Oh dear. Clearing her throat, she attempted to come to Arelle's rescue. "Ahem, you know...we could use a couple of strong young men to help us carry all these heavy boxes into the house, couldn't we, dear? But, you boys be careful, alright? I need every one of those bottles and vials for my next order."

Move some boxes? Tedious work, but...he could totally show off how strong and awesome he was by helping out the cute girl, right? Still grinning winningly, Erasmus nodded eagerly. "Sure, Gramma, no problem! Have this cart unloaded in no time!"

Irish Night Fox

 

[Irish Night Fox]

When Amatus just stood there staring at her, Arelle couldn't hold in the laugh anymore. It bubbled up from her as she reached out to clear the leaves from his hair. He obviously wasn't going to do it himself so she had to help, right? “There you go. All better.”

The awkward, silent smile he gave her was almost too much. This poor kid.

Arelle blinked in surprise as another appeared beside the boy. “Twins!” she exclaimed excitedly for no apparent reason. She was quickly silenced when a flower appeared in front of her. She cocked an eye brow at him, looking between the two. Was this a normal greeting here? Had he brought her a flower and the other this flour bag? She wasn't sure what to make of it or them, really. They were definitely similar in looks, but not so in action. One full of grace and the other- well, she didn't know how to place the one who was still fumbling for words.

She accepted the flower with a slight nod of her head, “Very nice to meet you, Erasmus, I'm Arelle!” She began to look the flower over, looking very interested in it. She'd read up about this species before- It took her a moment before she registered the fact that Takeko was speaking to her. She perked up, nodding madly, “Yeah, that'd be great if you all could help! We could get done faster and see more of your beautiful home!” She looked like she was beaming at the prospect of doing so.

“I'm Amatus!”

Arelle had begun to turn back to the cart when the other finally spoke up. “So you found your tongue! So glad to have you join us, Amatus!” she grinned wickedly at him, before looking shocked. Wait, what if he was actually slow and this was seen as picking on him!? She clamped her mouth shut, not allowing herself to spill into an apology that could make things worse.

He wasn't sure if he should glare at her for her words. He just... he wasn't sure what she meant by that. It kind of stung, but he'd done it to himself after all. Well, maybe he didn't wanna woo someone who was so mean with their words! Or what if this was flirting? Oh, man, this girl was confusing. He'd have to just cover it up somehow. “Uh, yeah, sorry, I was uh, distracted.”

He lifted his chin finally finding confidence in himself again. Sure, having his Gramma there had tripped him up, but if his twin didn't care neither did he! He'd drop the best line she'd ever heard and she'd been swooning into his arms! What he'd do then he wasn't sure, guess he'd figure it out when he got there, “Distracted... by-” He was cut off by his twin. “Unload your cart? Oh yeah I can do that!”

He shoved the flour bag at Arelle, getting a noise of surprise from her, before looking over the cart ready to tackle it. He'd make sure he wasn't out done here! He snagged a few, starting to pile them in his arms. Slowly he took some steps back, wobbling a bit to catch his balance. “Where ya want 'em?”

Teigra

 

[Teigra]

Takeko frowned, instinctively reaching out to steady the wobbling teen and the stack of boxes before he seemed to regain control. She understood the young mindset and reaction to a pretty girl, which is why she was being patient, but she didn't want to pay for that with broken glassware. "Careful, dear. Just take them into my workshop," she instructed, indicating the small workspace that had been set aside for her business just off from the kitchen. She needed to brew certain ingredients for use, but tried to keep as much of her 'work' separate from food preparation as possible.

Leaving the cart, Takeko moved towards her home, the largest of the current structures in the village, to open the door for the others. "Lets get everything unloaded and settled, then we can talk about a tour."

Arelle. That was a pretty name. And as far as he knew, Erasmus didn't recall any relations by that name. That was a good start. And she'd smiled and accepted his flower! Success!

Wait, everyone was leaving. Hurriedly, he turned to grab a couple of crates as well, taking a moment to adjust his balance as he turned towards the house. He may or may not have been flexing a little extra as he toted boxes into the house. Maybe.

Takeko led the way through the house, making sure that doors were open and that the way was clear for those following. Though the home was large, it was simply, if comfortably furnished. There were no signs of any of the types of luxury items one might find in the city here. No glass or metal or jeweled embellishments. No, here, the luxury was found in simple comforts. Furniture that was well-cared for, if worn from frequent use over the seasons, accessorized by overstuffed pillows and soft throws draped over the back of chairs. Many friends and family had passed through here; tales were woven into every chip and groove of the wooden surfaces.

"Make yourself at home, dear," she offered to Arelle, gesturing briefly to the living room area and the hall beyond. "We'll get you set up in one of the guest rooms in a moment, let me get the boys to my workshop first." She propped open the door to the kitchen, hurriedly moved one of the kitchen stools out of the way, then pushed the workshop door open. "Okay, boys, the path is clear. Just stack them up in here for now, I'll unpack and organize everything later."

Watching the girl about as carefully as he was watching his feet, Erasmus' attention seemed glued to Arelle, noting every change in expression or glance in his general direction. What did she think of the village so far? She seemed fascinated by it all, given what he'd observed earlier. That wasn't creepy or anything. Not like he was worried about what she thought of him or anything either. She still had the flower, that was something. Course, she also had the bad of flour...maybe he should suggest baking cookies again...

Under the watchful eye of Gramma Takeko, Erasmus deposited the boxes in her workshop safely on the floor, then stood, rubbing his arms (and flexing a bit more). "Well, I think that's that, ladies?"

Takeko chuckled and smiled at the twins now that the glassware was safely in her workshop. "Indeed. You were both such a great help. Couldn't have done it without you." She ruffled Erasmus' curly locks in passing, ignoring the teen's sheepish look. "Arelle, dear! Now that that's taken care of, what would you like to see first?"

Irish Night Fox

 

[Irish Night Fox]

Arelle walked around the cart after the twins in order to help unload, when she got there she was surprised to see the items were already taken care of. She peered around the cart to see the two boys wobbling after Takeko with arm fulls. Had they both really tackled all of those crates themselves? She shifted the flour bag in her arms and shrugged. She couldn't complain, she was pretty tired from the journey so a break would be appreciated.

She grabbed her pack from the cart and followed behind the procession, taking her sweet time in order to look around as they went. The structures were so unique into themselves. She'd never seen anything like them in the various books she'd visited. She took mental notes of them in order to research it further, was this something they'd come up on their own? Or did it have influences from some culture on the island? Oh, how excited she was to be having this adventure!

As she stepped inside she tucked the flower behind her ear to keep it from getting crushed under the flour sack, “Oh my!” she gasped. The moment she found a vacant space, she was setting the flour sack down in order to free her hands. She touched door frames, furniture, everything in a light, feather like softness. She was admiring it all, the comfort and the memories. You could feel it swelling up in this place. If only the City could boast such. Oh how she'd love to furnish her own place like this. Everything back home seemed so expensive. As if City dwellers had to give off this air of high worth they really didn't have.

Arelle couldn't complain. It was all a part of each group's culture and she understood this. It was just refreshing to be in the presence of something new. She was taking it all in as if her mind was starving for the knowledge. When she felt like she'd taken in enough she hurried after the group to be sure she didn't miss out on something else.

Amatus dropped his load as well, being sure to give it as much gentle attention as a teen boy could. Especially since Gram was watching. When he stood back up he rolled his eyes at his sibling. All that flexing and he'd probably pull a muscle-

“Are you alright?” Arelle asked Erasmus with sincere concern, “You seem to have been favoring that arm a few times now.”

Amatus had to cover his mouth in order to keep the laughter at bay. He wasn't sure if Arelle was teasing his sibling or literally was missing his brother's antics. Either way, it wasn't working out for his sibling. He looked to the side to see if his Gram was still watching or not then tip toed around the other side of Arelle. She'd placed the flower front and center, something that had to be 'dealt with'.

While she seemed distracted by Erasmus he came up around her other side. Slowly, with as steady of hands as he could muster he reached out to pluck it off her ear. Everything was going according to plan until his Gram spoke up and made Arelle turn towards him. Her face right up in his made his heart stop in his chest and his face burst into a deep red. He squeaked and quickly backed off, stumbling over his own feet.

“Oh! Amatus, I'm so sorry. I didn't see you there.”

How was she acting so cool and collected! S-she practically kissed him! “I- uh.” He was desperately trying to calm his breathing and regain control. “Something in your hair...” the words rushed out of his mouth, dropping the flower.

Arelle touched her hair, feeling around a moment, “Thank you, but that was the flower Erasmus gave me. You ok? Did I hurt you?”

He could only manage a shake of his head.

“Alright...” she had a look on her face. Great, she probably thought he was super weird now.

Arelle gave Amatus one last look before turning back to Takeko. They were really sweet boys, but just so strange. She hoped it wasn't her doing. She knew that some times having strangers in your home could put someone off, but she was trying really hard to be kind she thought. It couldn't be her could it?

“Your home is absolutely darling. I've never been somewhere so welcoming and comforting! I think this was the best start. I'd love if we could walk around and if you'd clue me in to what the rest of the buildings are for? They're very uniquely designed!”

Teigra

I did a thing >3>

 

[Teigra]

For the first time, Erasmus' confident air faltered and he looked sheepish as he finished rubbing his arms and glanced away from Arelle. "Uh, nah, I'm good. 'S all good." Dumb twin looked like he was gonna bust a gut trying not to laugh at his misfortune. Great, now the cutie thought he was weak or hurt himself with such a simple task. Good job, Erasmus. Maybe a little less flexing next time.

To make matters worse, he witnessed a near disaster and his own heart seemed to stop for a fraction of a second. His twin almost got the first kiss! Even by accident, that wouldn't do at all! Fortunately, it had been only a near miss and Erasmus felt his breathing resume as Amatus stumbled backward from Arelle. Hmmph, that wouldn't do at all. It's like dibs didn't even matter anymore. What kind of world was this? Somewhat grumpy by the whole situation, he took special joy in the fact that Arelle was still wearing his flower in her hair, despite his twin's failed attempt to usurp that (which he'd totally seen). As soon as Arelle's attention was turned back to Gramma, Erasmus stuck out his tongue at his twin. Ha, the game was still on.


Having transferred the fish and shrimp to the ice box with the remainder of the ice, Takeko set the basket away on top of the cabinet. It was time to focus on her guest now. And speaking of that, though she understood the reasoning behind their antics, she thought that perhaps her guest could use a bit of a break from the twins as well. "Boys? Could you let your mother and grandfather know about dinner tonight? We'll have dinner at the usual time, out on the Commons, hmm? We have company visiting, but let them know everyone is welcome. Now, shoo shoo, we'll see you then," she said with a dismissing waving gesture and a chuckle. "She'll still be here, I promise."

Takeko reached out to take Arelle by the shoulder and gently guide her towards the door. As she did so, she shot a look at the boys that only a grandma could manage, telling them to get to what she'd asked of them, then sweetly returned to her guest. "Just leave your bag here, dear, and you can finish settling in after the tour."

Outside, the angel continued speaking. "For many years, it was just my home here. My family have lived here for a long time, at first just myself and my mate, then Kane joined us, then another son, then we had our own children...before long, well, we'd have run out of room if they hadn't gone out to find their own way. Funny how life goes sometimes, but many of them have wound up back here again. So, to make room, they built their own homes nearby. Since then, we've had others move in for trade or other reasons, so there's a few extra homes these days. Many of the buildings you see are homes, but there are a couple of storage buildings for farming tools and harvested crops and prepping for preservation."

"The jungle is generous if you're careful in what you take. We take only what we need, and do our best to give back in return. Our homes are all built into the land, using the trees and fibers we've found here. For any that were taken to build our homes, we've replanted more elsewhere, as well as importing a few crops that came from elsewhere on the isle and have thrived here. A lot of what we do here is agriculture, or related, such as my potions and salves business. We have smaller, more specialty crops, not like some of the larger farms out on the plains that work with massive fields of wheat or corn. Herbs, flowers, spices...we even have a young lady who focuses on orchids and vanilla beans. Kane and some of his family also hunt, providing meat and furs for trade. It's not a main line business, but it certainly helps out on the side."

Takeko kept pointing out various homes as they walked, with the odd storage building from time to time. Near the center of the gathering of structures lay a vastly open area. A pit lay in the direct center with telltale remains of old bonfires within. "And this is what we call the Commons. Sometimes we have bonfires and tell stories, everyone is invited to come take part, with food and tales to share." Takeko pointed to a series of heavy wooden tables and benches nearby, set up in rows and beneath a pavilion of sorts, seemingly to protect from rain in case of inclement weather. "While we don't have any sort of celebration per say planned for tonight, we'll have dinner out here in case anyone else feels like joining us. A bit more room out here than in my house," Takeko laughed.

"I suppose it's a bit much to take in compared to the City," she admitted, giving Arelle a warm smile of understanding. "If you have any questions, please, don't hesitate to ask. I'm happy to answer, at least, if I can."

Irish Night Fox