We Don't Talk About Naadiyo! Part I 13rd of Spring, 522 AV Secret :
Please let me know if there are chronological issues as there were many timestamp changes due to plots and misunderstandings. Changes were made after many threads were already started/finished/even graded. Originally dated for the 3rd of Spring.
As Naadiya set up the warp yarns on her loom, she looked around and sighed at the lack of space for what seemed to be the hundredth time in the last few days since the start of the season. Soon she would be getting her own place and had even planned on scouting out a spot with Artik in the coming days. Winter had met Naadiya with a much needed windfall and in a short amount of time she found herself in a position of comfort again. Well… right now things were a little cramped but other than that, she was in a much better place financially, mentally and even romantically, surprisingly enough. Though, the last was still a cause of concern for her. Artik still did not know about her little secret… or her newest of her little secrets, at least. And well… not so little as it turns out. She had no idea how he would react to something like that, she was not sure how she would even be able to approach such a topic with someone. What if this was now going to be permanent, just a new quirk like the many that came from simply aging. That’s it, she had gotten to a certain point of full sexual maturity and now the next stage of her growth would be to fluctuate back and forth between genders. There were some animals that were able to play both roles of male and female for mating so maybe that was what this was…? A new stage of her evolution? Were there others experiencing this change the way she was? Should she panic? Artik was supposed to come by later tonight so they could talk about what she was planning for her house. He had little building experience himself, but he'd told Naadiya he’d help her find a good spot in the jungle and then help negotiate a fair price with Randal for the building. She wasn’t sure if Randal would be doing any of the actual carpentry, but he was likely still the go-to guy for arranging the logistics, having done so many times before. Her yarn supplies was getting low, especially for her next project. Already, she was dreading the thought of stepping outside of the Inn. The last few days since she first experienced a… shift… Naadiya had secluded herself to the confines of the Protea and even then rarely stepped out her room. There were new guests in the inn, she knew. But she hadn’t yet had a chance to really get to know them. How would she now? Hello, my name is Naadiya, but sometimes, depending on the phase of the moon, you can call me Naadiyo. But had it been the moon that caused this? Naadiya couldn’t remember what the moon looked like the night when this had all started or even if it had truly started at night. She'd begun drinking chamomile and mint tea the last three nights to calm her nerves and had found the hot beverage had been working wonders. Naadiya had even substituted it for her usual morning beverage, but there was still a bottle of cool water by the bed. Naadiya looked at it, still full, but still opted for the tea that had prepared for her. An idea tickled at the back of mind like an itch just out of reach. How had these things gotten to her room? Surely there was somebody who had done it, but the more Naadiya tried to think of who, the more her thoughts felt vague and formless. Maybe she hadn't met the inn keeper... There was another person who I remember walking around arranging and cleaning things, Oralie, yes it must have been her who prepared this. How attentive. Naadiya'd have to thank her when she saw her. A thin slice of lemon floated on the translucent brown brew, and its citrusy scent wafted up in the air. Naadiya brought it to her nose and took a deep inhale. Maybe it was psychosomatic but even the scent was making her feel more relaxed. Naadiya put on a sleeveless white isuas dress and matching scarf over her head and tossed the ends back off her shoulders, she figured if there was an unexpected shift she could cover her face before running off trying not to encounter anyone she knew on the way back into hiding. WIth her bag on her shoulder, she made the ever so familiar trip to Juli’s shop.
Word Count: 752 |