Preparing to Embark
Koriath draws the royal roost hall’s entry drape door open with gusto, the midnight purple fabric flowing behind his raised, flapping wings. Gowned in a menagerie of natural greens, the fabric he wears is woven from plant fibers, similar to linen. Sporting a banded crop shirt, while a tan hip satchel sits over his high side slit waist robes; tactically cut for accessing his drop leg bags. Trousers of the same material flow from underneath. The sides of his hair are braided back into a half ponytail, hair pins of bone and wood keep it in place. Uninhibitedly, he dances through the doorway and into the hall.
“Alright everyone, are we almost ready to go?” Koriath almost sings.
Adumbra leans against the wall in the middle of the hall with a brown, leather satchel at her feet. Her hair this time is not in her war braid, it is tied up in a high ponytail, her beach wave hair flows from her tied ribbon. She also wears a crop shirt, but hers is a tie up halter, paired with loose fitting pants with a thick cloth belt tied at her waist. Strapped sandals on her toe-talons, which the claws are painted a glittering amethyst purple.
She looks over to Koriath “Well I am ready, just not sure about the girls, nor the Muertes family.”
The imaginary song in Koriath’s head stops playing, his dance walk gracefully brought to a close. “Oh, alright then. Wait, where is Devadas?”
“How should I know?” She folds her arms across her chest. “And why do you have so many bags? I thought we were only going to be out for two nights?”
“Adumbra, there are childlings on this trip. These are my tactical snack bags.”
“We don’t have to eat. I thought this was all about escaping the hustle and bustle and being one with nature?”
“We adults do not have to eat. The little ones are going to want treats while on vacation.”
“Koriath, what else did you pack? I know not all of those bags are snack bags. They are three childlings, not three juveniles.”
“Well this one is my liquid medicine bag.” He points to the first bag on his left leg, then unfastens it away from her and pulls out a flask. “I am not doing this holiday sober.” He raises it to his lips and takes a drink.
Adumbra rubs her eyes with one talon and grumbles. “Of course you aren’t.” Then she shifts her glance towards him. “Do you plan on sharing any liquid medicine with other adults who might need some?”
“Of course! The four of us can relax once the childlings go to bed.”
He seals up the flask and puts it back in its bag, keeping something else he packed in a hidden compartment cloaked. With a silent smile and a wave of his talons, he reveals that all of the other bags that are not filled with dried meats, fruits, and baked goods, are filled with flasks. Only arcane magic keeps the metal containers from clanking with his every movement.
Adumbra forebodingly pushes her foot on the wall off, out from a lean to standing before Koriath with her arms still folded and legs shoulder apart. Her head is tilted slightly down as she locks her eyes onto his. “So all those bags for going into uncharted wilderness on an alien planet, are only filled with snacks and alcohol?”
“Correct Captain.” Koriath grins.
Before she can say anything, the drape-door to Kurai and Phantisma’s room is pulled open from within.
“Aw’ddy! I need your help!” Phantisma cries as she runs out over to Koriath.
His heart sinks at her cry. “What is wro- Oh.” Breathing a sigh of relief when he sees the problem. Koriath squats down. “Oh Moonstone, how did you get a brush stuck in your hair?” He tries to gently sort the brush out of her pearl white ringlet curls.
“I was taking off my stupid braid.” Phantisma sobs.
Koriath is still trying to detangle the brush with his fingers, minding his claws. Then lowering from a squat to sit on the floor. “Aw’ddy made it to protect your hair, why did you take it down?”
“It started to hurt.” Phantisma cries. “And aren’t braids for warriors?”
“The warrior’s braid is made of four parts, your father made you something for your pretty princess hair.” Adumbra tries to soothe as she strolls over to them.
“I still didn’t like it, it still hurt my head.”
“We can always cut your hair Princess. Then you don’t have to worry about braids or brushes.” Adumbra jokes.
Phantisma’s cries fall silent as her face flushes completely in fear, she looks up at Adumbra with widening eyes. Phantisma throws her trembling arms around Koriath, bawling her eyes with a screech. “Aw’ddy! She is going to make me not a princess!”
“Phantisma, no one can ever take that from you.” Koriath tries to soothe her with a forehead kiss. “You are a princess regardless of your appearance.” He carefully takes his talons out of her hair and holds her while she buries her face into his shoulder.
She cannot take a joke when she is upset. Koriath’s sleepless eyelids squint as his glassy irises roll to Adumbra. The progress he made by freeing the brush handle becomes undone as Phantisma throws herself.
Adumbra does not hear Koriath’s thoughts, but his stare tells her just as well. She silently gulps down her own nervousness and clears her voice. “Princess Phantisma, I didn’t mean to scare you. I’m sorry. Please forgive me?”
“Don’t be mean to my hair again Captain.” Phantisma lifts her head with her shaking voice.
Koriath takes a heavy sigh to recompose, he tries again to untangle the brush from Phantisma’s hair. “Phasi baby, you said your hair was hurting earlier. Are you getting your headache again?”
“Uh-huh. … The walls were crying again last night.”
Adumbra and Koriath both look at each other with a look of terror and sorrow.
“Again?... Can you hear what the walls are saying?” Koriath asks timidly.
“No. There are no words, it is just crying. That is what scares me.”
“You could just be hearing your Aw’ddy.” Adumbra says softly.
“I will try to cry quieter.” Koriath has most of the brush out of her hair now.
“I don’t think it is you.” Phantisma says.
“Well at least we won’t have to hear crying walls on our nice fun camping trip.” Adumbra tries to cheer them both up.
I want to cry, but I cannot. A deep emptiness seeps across Koriath’s eyes. I sometimes hear Desi’s little voice crying out to me from these walls too... I miss him so much… I wish they were all here… Maybe we would be doing something different. Maybe we would be celebrating Kormizyo’s coming of age…
“Ow! Aw’ddy!” Phantisma cries.
“Sorry Moonstone, Aw’ddy did not mean to pull your hair.” Koriath blinks his eyes to bring his mind back to the present moment of finally getting the brush out of Phantisma’s hair. “There we go princess.”
“You got it?” Phantisma brings up her talon to check her head.
“Yes, now how about we go comb out the rest of the tangles?” Koriath rises to his toelans, holding the brush in one talon, the other open for her to hold.
“Alright.” She takes his talon in hers.
He guides her to her and her sister’s room, where the girls each have a satchel for someone their size to comfortably carry packed on top of their beds.
Koriath looks about the room. “Where is your sister?”
“She is in the back room playing.” Phantisma says nonchalantly.
“We can help her clean up after we fix your hair then.” Koriath chuckles softly.
He guides her to take a seat at her vanity bench, which Phantisma does gracefully. He puts Kurai’s brush away, then takes Phantisma’s comb from the vanity, he makes his way behind her, then takes a kneel which wanes to him sitting on his calves. Koriath’s wings relax at his side as he starts gently detangling the ends of Phantisma’s hair, carefully working upwards.
After finally detangling her hair, he sits with one leg stretched out, and knee folded up, stretching his arms and wings. “Alright Moonstone, your hair is detangled. Now, how are we going to keep it like this when we go camping?”
“What do you mean? I want it down, my head hurts.” She turns around to him with a worried look.
He sits up fully in the lotus position. “My princess, it is a safety issue, even Aw’ddy’s hair is at least braided on the sides so it does not get caught in anything. If you do not want your hair up, that is alright, but for the love of the gods Moonstone, will you please at least wear a headband or allow me to wrap your hair?”
“I want to wear a tiara.” She tilts her chin up.
“You are not wearing a tiara nor a circlet.” Koriath says firmly.
“Fiiiiiiinnnnnneeeeee.” Phantisma groans as she opens a drawer on the vanity “I will wear a stupid headband. But I get to pick it.” She starts going through the drawer of multiple headbands, ribbons, and hair scarves.
“Pick one to wear right now, and then another one or two that we can put in your bag for the trip.” His tone relaxes.
She hands him a wide velvety blue band, looking at him only through the mirror with a pouty face. A ribbon and another hair scarf with a floral pattern on it in her other tiny talon. He starts to fix it for her. After a while the two are finally done, he hands her the comb.
“Thank you, put this back where it goes.” He says calmly as he starts to rise.
Phantisma puts the comb back in another drawer in the vanity, then goes back to follow him as he walks back out.
Koriath stands back over where the girls put their satchels, Phantisma looks at him nervously as she tries to grab her bag.
“What is wrong, Moonstone?” He notices her talons fidgeting.
“Nothing.” She awkwardly grabs her bag, then turns from him as she opens it to put the hair cloths up.
“Phantisma, what is in your bag?” Koriath raises an eyebrow.
“Stuff for the trip” She hurriedly tries to put the fastens back on it.
“May I see?” He smiles as he reaches out his talon.
“No.” She takes a tiny step backward.
“What did you pack?” He starts to withdraw his talon, his smile loosens.
“Stuff for the trip.” Her talons hold the bag tighter.
“And you have everything you need?”
“Yes.”
“Show me please.” He whispers somberly.
Phantisma looks down as she hands him her satchel. Koriath gently takes it from her, carefully opening it. He finds nothing in the bag except the hair accessories she just threw in, tubes of finger paints, and paper. He shuts his eyes, his left talon massages his temples.
“...My princess… where are the clothes I told you to put in your bag?”
“I put them in Rai’s bag.” She now tries to talk in a cute baby voice.
His wings arch as he clenches his jaw. “Phantisma, baby, Moonstone who I love so much, do not make your sister carry your stuff for you.”
“But she is stronger than me!” Phantisma wines.
“Then ask Aw’ddy to help you when you get tired. Right now I need you to take your clothes out of your sister's bag and pack your own weight.” This childling is going to bring my death to me one of these days. Yet, I would die for her and her sister a thousand times.
Koriath takes a slow breath to ground himself again before speaking. “I am going to go check up on your sister, and when we come back, your own clothes need to be in your own bag. Do you understand?”
“Yes” Phantisma sighs heavily.
“Good.” He smiles warmly before turning from her, then walks toward the back of their sleep room, past the spa room, to a secondary drape door.
Koriath lifts the fabric door, Kurai has her back toward him, with both of the girls’ wooden dolls arranged in a skirmish as they lay on the floor. Most of the dolls are mass produced by a union of toy-makers guilds. Five of these however, are ornate, reflecting a time predating wide availability. The ones handed down are the five dolls closest to her, separated from the battle.
Koriath silently leans in the drape-way. I remember ordering those for Nephti, two every age once they were old enough to play with toys like these. To think, after their death, I almost burned everything of theirs in my grief… Nephti would have loved their little sisters.
“Queen Darcy, we have captured the enemy Princess Lyla! What should we do my lady?” Kurai makes a voice for the warrior doll.
“Force her army to surrender, and have her executed if they don’t.” Then she uses a different voice for the one named Darcy.
Kurai puts down the Queen Darcy doll then picks up another that she had close by, she narrates. “Princess Isra, runs quickly up to them from the battle.”
“Mother let her go!” She makes a third voice for Isra.
“Isra, what is the meaning of this?” The Darcy doll asks.
Koriath watches silently, Kurai has the one named Lyla shake her head at Isra running up to her. Isra swats the two warriors holding Lyla. Isra taking Lyla in her arms, the two hold each other.
“Mother, I love her!” Isra confesses.
“And I love your daughter too, Your Majesty!” Lyra joins in the confession.
“We don’t want to fight.” Isra says.
“We want to love.” Lyra holds Isra’s wooden hand in hers.
Kurai then continues her puppetering play and makes the two dolls start kissing each other.
Koriath takes a silent step back, pulls out a flask, and takes a meditative drink before reholstering it. He knocks in the drape-way as if he has just arrived. Her down feathers fluff with surprise, her talons drop everything in her grasp.
“Aw’ddy! When did you get here?” Her skin grows pale as she asks.
He smiles warmly. “I just got here. Do you need some help cleaning up? We are leaving soon.”
Kurai looks about the play room then looks back at him, her shoulders begin to relax. “Sure.”
Koriath walks over behind her, taking a few dolls to their storage chest against the wall. Kurai follows his example and takes what she can carry to the chest as he holds it open for her. The two take turns gathering and lifting for each other. Finally when they are done, Koriath softly closes the chest.
“Good job cleaning up Nightshade.”
“Thanks.”
“By the way, you can have a girlfriend when you get your juvenile feathers.” He smirks.
“Aw’ddy!” Kurai’s baby feathers make a threatening display as her wings arch and her cheeks flush purple. “You can’t just assume that I like girls because you heard me make a story!”
“You are completely right, Nightshade. How silly of me.” Koriath sits on the floor to be at eye level with Kurai. “Allow me to rephrase that, do you like girls?”
“No I don’t, and before you talk to Phasi or Jaques, I do not have a crush on Tadaria!” She turns around with her wings arched and starts to walk away after she says this.
Koriath tries to keep his face serious, but cannot hide his smile as he rises back to his toelans. “Alright you say so, I believe you, however, if you ever want to talk about it, I can listen.”
Kurai stops dead in her tracks, then turns her head toward him right before she takes the drape in her talon. “Talk about this with anyone else and I will never talk to you about stuff like this again.”
“You do not have to threaten me, Kurai. I was just asking because I was about your age when I started to like-like pretty girls. I get it.” He replies with gentle warmth then chuckles softly. “It took longer to realise that I like-like pretty boys too, though I am not saying the same will be for you.” He tries to correct himself. “Love is nothing to be ashamed of.”
Kurai rolls her eyes and sighs heavily as she lifts the drape-door, then walks through and closes it before Koriath gets to it.
“Kurai, why are you slamming the door-cloth on me?” He opens the drape and follows into their main room.
Kurai and Phantisma are both silent as they grab their satchels and put them on. Koriath senses their ice in the air, his head lowers slightly in silence as he keeps walking toward the exit. When he reaches it, he holds the drape door open for the twins as they both leave the room.
In the hall, Adumbra speaks in a hush with Amara, Jaques sits on the floor with a book. Kurai and Phantisma seem to forget about their frustration with their father as they now run to Jaques, who then puts his book down to talk with them. Koriath meekly makes his way to Adumbra and Amara.
Koriath bows his head toward Adumbra in apology for interrupting her, then lowers his head in greeting toward the advisor. “Amara, how are you feeling tonight?”
“I will talk to you later about it. Jaques seems to be in high spirits tonight. The three of them do.” Amara nods to the childlings with her head, the three childlings are visibly excited with each other.
Koriath looks back toward Adumbra. “Still no sign of Devadas?”
“Not a caw.”
As Koriath reaches for the current flask he is drinking from, the air suddenly becomes dark and misty. The scent of temple incense flowing into a foggy black morning with a vibration that is high and joyful, as if dancing until dawn.
“Ah, here he is.” Amara smiles faintly.
Devadas manifests into the room, he too in a dance-like state, however, his eyes are rested and sober. Black opals twinkling, his ethereal self skips around the hall as his body forms. His waist length hair is braided with smashed and wilted flowers in them. He wears open toelan boots, his claws are painted black with blood red and dark silver tips. His black waist robe is knee length with scarlet vertical stripes, instead of a shirt he wears a very large dark metallic, neck piece that covers his pectorals, and a black leather satchel is belted around his hips.
Koriath laughs by himself. “Well at least one of us is properly enjoying The Festival of Loving Blooms.”
“How was the soul appointment?” Adumbra teases.
“That is for me to know and you to never find out.” Devadas puts a talon on his hip.
“Ah, the dancing is masking your pain, he stood you up.” Amara giggled with a hand over her mouth.
“You wish.” Devadas lifts his chin with a smirk.
“Alright, you two have teased him enough.” Koriath crosses his arms.
“Wait, Brother Vayav, are you going to wear that for our whole trip?” Adumbra raises an eyebrow.
“Well yea, my civies are either for temple going, or nights out. Other than this, I brought a ball to inflate for the childlings to chase around, a standard emergency kit, and a flask of straight ShipFuel.”
“Oh gods not the ShipFuel, you are worse than Little Brother.” Adumbra sighs.
“What do you mean by that?” Koriath raises an eyebrow.
“Yea, what do you mean worse?” Devadas sides with Koriath.
“You’re right Devadas, you’re not worse, you actually have emergency preparedness. This man over here-” She gestures to Koriath with both talons, “-only brought snacks and drinks.”
Jaques breaks from eavesdropping on the adults and quickly turns around to Koriath “You brought us snacks Sir!?” His little iolite eyes sparkle, the girls turn and follow suit.
“Aw’ddy what did you bring us?” Phantisma chirps.
“Is it snack time yet?” Kurai peeps.
“Oh now you two will talk to me for snacks, I see how it is.” Koriath playfully crosses his arms. “And yes Jaques, however the snacks are for later.”
Phantisma runs up to Koriath while he tries to talk to Jaques, she starts patting her father’s leg. “Aw’ddy. Aw’ddy, what did you bring us?”
“I have sweets that Tadaria’s grandparents made for the entirety of the staff and their families for this holiday.”
Phantisma looks to Kurai for a moment, then upwards as she clings to Koriath’s leg. “What kind?”
“Excuse me Mr. Muertes.” Koriath turns his head from talking to Jaques toward Phantisma. “The kind that is for later.”
Kurai takes the moment of her father’s distraction to slip into shadow form and tries to sneak behind him, while Adumbra follows Kurai silently.
“Moonstone, please get off my leg.”
Adumbra catches Kurai as she manifests back into material form, with one talon upon one of Koriath’s leg bags.
“I got her.” Adumbra pries off Kurai.
Phantisma lets go of Koriath’s leg. “Rai, you weren’t supposed to get caught.”
“Aw Little Brother, they were practicing team tactics on you.” Adumbra chuckles.
“No snacks for Adumbra, Phantisma, and Kurai.” Koriath shakes his head with a gentle half smile.
“Wait, I saved you from being flanked, why are you throwing me in with them?”
“You know what you did.” Devadas adds in.
Amara gently claps her talons. “Focus please, we are behind schedule to embark.”
Koriath nods a thank you to Lady Amara, then clears his deep voice to gather their attention. “Please listen everyone, before we leave, I do need to cover some ground rules for safety.”
“Aw’ddy, I thought you and Lt. Vayav already checked to see if the planet we are going to is safe.” Phantisma interrupts.
“We did a rough check.” Devadas amends.
“That is why I want to go over this. Childlings, you three are not allowed to go anywhere without an adult who is combat capable. Now, what do I mean by that?”
“That we can’t run off to play by ourselves?” Kurai chimes.
“So close Nightshade, but you are not wrong.” Koriath sees Jaques waving his tiny arm excitedly, his downy wings flapping to match. “Yes Jaques?”
“That my mom does not count as an adult, because she cannot fight.”
Amara gives Jaques a stern look as Koriath interjects. “Jaques, your mother knows how to defend herself, she can fight. Anyone can put up basic defenses, she just is not combatively trained nor able to use her magic for the time being. Lady Amara is very much an adult, and just because we are on vacation, does not give you an excuse to be rude to your mother.”
“Sorry mother.” Jaques’s wings droop.
“Apology accepted son.” Amara smiles warmly at him before she turns her eyes to Koriath. “Would you like to continue?”
He nods to her. “Captain Ossifragus, Lieutenant Vayav, and myself are the three combat capable adults. If we are to be split for whatever reason, then at least one of us per two. For example, if you three want to play somewhere, you need two out of the three of us.” His talons motion as he speaks.
“So say the little ones want to play, Ossifragus and Vayav go with them and you are at camp with me?” Amara asks him.
“We can send Koriath and Devadas on babysitting duty if you want, I will keep camp with you.” Adumbra cheers.
“It might be best to avoid splitting up as much as possible though, and if we do split, it needs to be communicated with the rest of us.” Devadas has his hand on his chin as he speaks.
“That is what I was going to say next.” Koriath rubs his eyes. “Does anyone have any more questions?”
Phantisma raises a wing.
“Yes Moonstone?”
“Where are we going again?”
“We are going to an unnamed, uncharted planet that is tidally locked, which means a little less than half the planet is in eternal night, just like our homeworld. We will be close to the center section, which holds eternal dusk and dawn, before it transitions into an eternal day. None of us are going into the eternal daylight, we keep to night and shadows. Any other questions?”
Jaques raises one of his talons.
“Yes Jaques?”
“Tidally locked means the planet doesn’t spin right? How does life happen on a planet with no movement?”
Koriath smiles at him warmly and looks him in the eyes. “It is a rare oasis of a planet that dances in loving harmony with all six elements to the alchemical tune of life.”
“The emperor means that it has the right type of star, and good oceans.” Amara tries to help her confused childling understand.
“I meant exactly what I said.” Koriath reaches back for his flask and takes a drink as he looks back to Amara.
He tucks his flask back into his bag then looks to each of the childlings. “Science, magic, and alchemy are one in the same, tools of the elemental forces that become hollow when practiced without love.”
The girls stare blankly at him, yet Jaques nods his head, quietly soaking it all in.
“I assume there are no more questions?” Koriath’s smile returns.
No one else has any more questions and everyone in the group agrees that they are ready. Koriath looks to the Umbral Guards to step into position. Adumbra lifts her bag, Devadas walks forward, they both silently take their posts. The three of them form a triangle with the other four between them.
“Kurai, Phantisma, one of you, take my left talon, the other the right.” The girls do so, Phantisma between Adumbra and Koriath, Kurai between him and Devadas.
Amara gently takes Jaques’s talon as they step together between Adumbra’s and Devadas’s free talons. “Remember what I told you son.”
“It’s ok to be scared, but don’t let the fear get to me.” He looks up to her.
She smiles back with the soft warmth of a candle as they each take a guard’s talon. The seven of them unite, with Koriath, Adumbra, and Devadas imbuing the shape with night magic, they guide the group to take into dark mist forms.