Chapter the Fourth: So Shines Hope
I want to set this chapter on fire for all the trouble it gave me today. No, seriously. Week Two came three days early, guys. :|
Also, bird.
Chapter the Fourth: So Shines Hope
For once I want to be the car crash
Not always just the traffic jam
Hit me hard enough to wake me…
And lead me wild to your dark roads
Headlights show it all before me
So beautiful, so clear
I will reach out and take it
‘Cause I’m so tired of all this fear…
~ Snow Patrol, “Headlights on Dark Roads”
Mary’s father had a few servants and friends when he was alive, and most of them got to know and grew attached to the children, and the children grew attached to them, too. One dear friend of Mary’s in particular went by the name of Kinu. A few years ago, he explained to her that he was a being made of pure life magic called a dolly. That was why he had long, pointed ears that could move like a cat’s or a dog’s or a rabbit’s, and that was why he had wings like a bird’s and could cast all sorts of pretty magical light shows. But he, he wasn’t like all the other dollies, he said; he could live longer than the rest of them and he could live without a Master, because he had more life magic than all of the others.
When Mary asked him why he was her father’s servant when he could live without a Master, Kinu laughed and touched the top of her head, though she wasn’t much shorter than he was.
“I choose to follow and work for him,” he said, “because your father is a kind man, even if he likes to say he’s not. He isn’t my Master, but I call him Kirti anyway, which is a term you use to refer to your Master. It’s like… It’s like saying ‘sir’ or ‘ma’am,’ or ‘Mother’ or ‘Father’ -- but when you say Kirti, it’s more like… ‘Mama’ or ‘Papa,’ or… It’s more like saying ‘friend.’”
Mary was young, then, and she didn’t quite understand what he was saying, but she gathered the gist of it, and so it meant that in a way, Kinu was almost like her brother. Mary adopted him heartily into her family, and was saddened heavily when he had to leave to travel somewhere far, far away in order to “do something for himself.” He was still away when her father died, and he couldn’t make it back in time for the funeral.
.~.~.m.b.~.e.~.k.m.~.~.
Not even halfway home, Mary happened to run into Kinu at an open air market fruit stall. It was Eliazar who spotted him, and it was only because he had taken to the air in the form of a cheerful blue-whistling thrush to help Mary pick her way through the crowd. It all started with Eliazar suddenly diving down to sit on Mary‘s shoulder.
“What? What is it?” the girl asked, startled by her dæmon’s behavior. “What’s the matter?”
Elia is chittering with excitement. “Nothing’s the matter, but you won’t believe it, I just found Kinu! He’s over there, wearing the green skirt!”
“Aaa! Where, where? Ohh, this crowd!”
“This way!”
And so with a flap and a flash of bright blue wings, Eliazar took off again, this time to show her the way. Mary followed as closely as she could, keeping an eye out for the sun on his feathers if she lost him, and within a few minutes she spotted the dolly.
“Kinu! Oh, Kinu!”
One of those long, odd ears flicked, making his long earrings jingle, and then Kinu turned, blinking. “Oh!” he cried upon seeing her, “It’s Mary!” And he dropped his shopping bags to seize her in a long, fierce hug.
The excited chatter between them as they walked aimlessly around the market was hard for anyone in the vicinity to understand, but it was quite clear to the two involved, as these matters typically go.
“Hey, sweetie! How have you been?”
“All right, I guess. How did your travels go?”
“Well, you know. It went.”
“It wasn’t any fun?”
“Oh, it was, it’s just that I wasn’t traveling for fun, you know?”
“Oh…” Pause. “What were you traveling for again?”
“There was something I needed to take care of.” Kinu’s smile was wan for a moment, but then it brightened. “But I got a new boyfriend!”
Mary and Eliazar both laughed. Kinu shook his head at himself, flicking his right ear.
“Changing the subject before I get caught up talking about myself,” he said with a rueful smile. “How have things been for you and Kieran?”
“Okay.” Mary kicked at the ground. Eliazar hopped into Mary’s arms and became a pale furred miniature ragdoll cat. “We don’t really get along as well as we used to, though.”
“That’s odd. Why?”
“I’unno. He just changed after Papa died. He works a lot now, and he doesn’t play with me very often. He helps me with math and English sometimes, but…”
“Wait, why is he working?”
“Well, you know. Bills and stuff.”
“What? You’re not -- You’re not living on your own, are you?”
“… It’s just the two of us.”
“What?” Kinu stopped dead.
“… There wasn’t anyone left.” Eliazar changed again, this time into his white dragonlet form. His long neck arched up so he could nuzzle her cheek. “Mother was all ready gone when Father died, and then… Muyuki…”
“What happened to Mercer?”
“… Dunno. We haven’t heard from him since the funerals.”
Mary was staring at the ground so she missed Kinu’s expression, but Eliazar caught it, and it made him shiver inwardly. The dolly’s dark eyes were typically warm, but at that moment they made Elia think of dark storm clouds: roiling and angry and just barely managing to keep at bay the fury they contain. But this lasted for only a brief glimpse, because a mask came down over Kinu’s face, muting the emotion. Although Kinu was smiling again with both mouth and ears, Eliazar shifted in Mary’s arms.
“Hey, Mary, you guys had to move, right?”
“Yeah…” She looked up.
“How ‘bout you show me where you guys live now? I’ll help you carry your bags back.”
“Um… Okay.”
There’s something weird going on, Eliazar whispered in Mary’s mind, almost startling her. It wasn’t often that they spoke with each other by thought.
You think so?
Yeah. You should’ve seen how mad he looked when you said Mercer left.
He’s smiling now, though.
That’s why I said it’s weird.
They paused.
He’s probably just angry about Mercer.
I know, but… Eliazar climbed to her shoulder, shrinking in size as he went so he would fit comfortably. I don’t know. It just feels weird to me.
I’ll keep an eye out. She paused. I wonder what Kieran’s going to think.
About what?
… I dunno. Kinu being home.
I dunno. It was Elia’s turn to pause. He could feel a hope kindling in her heart, but he felt hesitant. She could feel his uncertainty, so she didn’t put it to words at first.
Because… If Kinu is unhappy that we’re living alone… Maybe…
Maybe, Eliazar agreed, but he’s got his own life, remember? He said he had a new boyfriend.
It wouldn’t hurt to ask.
… No, I suppose not.
“Mary?”
She jumped, and then felt guilty. This generally tended to happen when she shared thoughts with Elia. “Sorry, we were just talking.” Even if it wasn’t the only plausible explanation, it was clear what she meant from the weight on the word we.
“Ohh, okay. Hey, which one is your house?”
“Oh, um…” She looked around them and then pointed ahead. “The blue and white one with the porch and the red flowers in the front. Um… Kinu?”
“Uh-huh?”
“Will you… Are you gonna stay with us?” The words tumbled from her inelegantly, and she blushed her apology for sounding so childish.
Kinu stopped walking and turned his head to look at her, expression at first surprised, but then unreadable. Girl and dragon dæmon stopped, too, and watched him nervously. Kinu’s eyes softened, and he smiled gently.
“I need to talk to my boyfriend because we’re living together at the moment, but… I’ll do what I can.”
In a fluid transition, Eliazar changed from dull white to shimmering gold as Mary’s heart exploded with relief and happiness. Neither of them were even aware of how bright her smile shone, or of how it melted Kinu’s heart.
He held her hand out to her and said softly, “Now, let’s get you home.”
The sky was high and clear and the weather fair until they reached the house, where the air chilled and clouds drew across the sun, but as they walked up the steps, the clouds retreated and it was spring again.
Also, bird.
Chapter the Fourth: So Shines Hope
For once I want to be the car crash
Not always just the traffic jam
Hit me hard enough to wake me…
And lead me wild to your dark roads
Headlights show it all before me
So beautiful, so clear
I will reach out and take it
‘Cause I’m so tired of all this fear…
~ Snow Patrol, “Headlights on Dark Roads”
Mary’s father had a few servants and friends when he was alive, and most of them got to know and grew attached to the children, and the children grew attached to them, too. One dear friend of Mary’s in particular went by the name of Kinu. A few years ago, he explained to her that he was a being made of pure life magic called a dolly. That was why he had long, pointed ears that could move like a cat’s or a dog’s or a rabbit’s, and that was why he had wings like a bird’s and could cast all sorts of pretty magical light shows. But he, he wasn’t like all the other dollies, he said; he could live longer than the rest of them and he could live without a Master, because he had more life magic than all of the others.
When Mary asked him why he was her father’s servant when he could live without a Master, Kinu laughed and touched the top of her head, though she wasn’t much shorter than he was.
“I choose to follow and work for him,” he said, “because your father is a kind man, even if he likes to say he’s not. He isn’t my Master, but I call him Kirti anyway, which is a term you use to refer to your Master. It’s like… It’s like saying ‘sir’ or ‘ma’am,’ or ‘Mother’ or ‘Father’ -- but when you say Kirti, it’s more like… ‘Mama’ or ‘Papa,’ or… It’s more like saying ‘friend.’”
Mary was young, then, and she didn’t quite understand what he was saying, but she gathered the gist of it, and so it meant that in a way, Kinu was almost like her brother. Mary adopted him heartily into her family, and was saddened heavily when he had to leave to travel somewhere far, far away in order to “do something for himself.” He was still away when her father died, and he couldn’t make it back in time for the funeral.
.~.~.m.b.~.e.~.k.m.~.~.
Not even halfway home, Mary happened to run into Kinu at an open air market fruit stall. It was Eliazar who spotted him, and it was only because he had taken to the air in the form of a cheerful blue-whistling thrush to help Mary pick her way through the crowd. It all started with Eliazar suddenly diving down to sit on Mary‘s shoulder.
“What? What is it?” the girl asked, startled by her dæmon’s behavior. “What’s the matter?”
Elia is chittering with excitement. “Nothing’s the matter, but you won’t believe it, I just found Kinu! He’s over there, wearing the green skirt!”
“Aaa! Where, where? Ohh, this crowd!”
“This way!”
And so with a flap and a flash of bright blue wings, Eliazar took off again, this time to show her the way. Mary followed as closely as she could, keeping an eye out for the sun on his feathers if she lost him, and within a few minutes she spotted the dolly.
“Kinu! Oh, Kinu!”
One of those long, odd ears flicked, making his long earrings jingle, and then Kinu turned, blinking. “Oh!” he cried upon seeing her, “It’s Mary!” And he dropped his shopping bags to seize her in a long, fierce hug.
The excited chatter between them as they walked aimlessly around the market was hard for anyone in the vicinity to understand, but it was quite clear to the two involved, as these matters typically go.
“Hey, sweetie! How have you been?”
“All right, I guess. How did your travels go?”
“Well, you know. It went.”
“It wasn’t any fun?”
“Oh, it was, it’s just that I wasn’t traveling for fun, you know?”
“Oh…” Pause. “What were you traveling for again?”
“There was something I needed to take care of.” Kinu’s smile was wan for a moment, but then it brightened. “But I got a new boyfriend!”
Mary and Eliazar both laughed. Kinu shook his head at himself, flicking his right ear.
“Changing the subject before I get caught up talking about myself,” he said with a rueful smile. “How have things been for you and Kieran?”
“Okay.” Mary kicked at the ground. Eliazar hopped into Mary’s arms and became a pale furred miniature ragdoll cat. “We don’t really get along as well as we used to, though.”
“That’s odd. Why?”
“I’unno. He just changed after Papa died. He works a lot now, and he doesn’t play with me very often. He helps me with math and English sometimes, but…”
“Wait, why is he working?”
“Well, you know. Bills and stuff.”
“What? You’re not -- You’re not living on your own, are you?”
“… It’s just the two of us.”
“What?” Kinu stopped dead.
“… There wasn’t anyone left.” Eliazar changed again, this time into his white dragonlet form. His long neck arched up so he could nuzzle her cheek. “Mother was all ready gone when Father died, and then… Muyuki…”
“What happened to Mercer?”
“… Dunno. We haven’t heard from him since the funerals.”
Mary was staring at the ground so she missed Kinu’s expression, but Eliazar caught it, and it made him shiver inwardly. The dolly’s dark eyes were typically warm, but at that moment they made Elia think of dark storm clouds: roiling and angry and just barely managing to keep at bay the fury they contain. But this lasted for only a brief glimpse, because a mask came down over Kinu’s face, muting the emotion. Although Kinu was smiling again with both mouth and ears, Eliazar shifted in Mary’s arms.
“Hey, Mary, you guys had to move, right?”
“Yeah…” She looked up.
“How ‘bout you show me where you guys live now? I’ll help you carry your bags back.”
“Um… Okay.”
There’s something weird going on, Eliazar whispered in Mary’s mind, almost startling her. It wasn’t often that they spoke with each other by thought.
You think so?
Yeah. You should’ve seen how mad he looked when you said Mercer left.
He’s smiling now, though.
That’s why I said it’s weird.
They paused.
He’s probably just angry about Mercer.
I know, but… Eliazar climbed to her shoulder, shrinking in size as he went so he would fit comfortably. I don’t know. It just feels weird to me.
I’ll keep an eye out. She paused. I wonder what Kieran’s going to think.
About what?
… I dunno. Kinu being home.
I dunno. It was Elia’s turn to pause. He could feel a hope kindling in her heart, but he felt hesitant. She could feel his uncertainty, so she didn’t put it to words at first.
Because… If Kinu is unhappy that we’re living alone… Maybe…
Maybe, Eliazar agreed, but he’s got his own life, remember? He said he had a new boyfriend.
It wouldn’t hurt to ask.
… No, I suppose not.
“Mary?”
She jumped, and then felt guilty. This generally tended to happen when she shared thoughts with Elia. “Sorry, we were just talking.” Even if it wasn’t the only plausible explanation, it was clear what she meant from the weight on the word we.
“Ohh, okay. Hey, which one is your house?”
“Oh, um…” She looked around them and then pointed ahead. “The blue and white one with the porch and the red flowers in the front. Um… Kinu?”
“Uh-huh?”
“Will you… Are you gonna stay with us?” The words tumbled from her inelegantly, and she blushed her apology for sounding so childish.
Kinu stopped walking and turned his head to look at her, expression at first surprised, but then unreadable. Girl and dragon dæmon stopped, too, and watched him nervously. Kinu’s eyes softened, and he smiled gently.
“I need to talk to my boyfriend because we’re living together at the moment, but… I’ll do what I can.”
In a fluid transition, Eliazar changed from dull white to shimmering gold as Mary’s heart exploded with relief and happiness. Neither of them were even aware of how bright her smile shone, or of how it melted Kinu’s heart.
He held her hand out to her and said softly, “Now, let’s get you home.”
The sky was high and clear and the weather fair until they reached the house, where the air chilled and clouds drew across the sun, but as they walked up the steps, the clouds retreated and it was spring again.