Solo Bring on the Summer

[Cleon]

2nd of Summer, 522 AV

He saw her upon a blood soaked beach. Where sailors fought and died by the score, she stood in an eye of calm. He tried to run towards her, but no matter how hard he tried he didn’t feel like he was running anywhere. Then suddenly he was underwater. Amidst a tide of floating bodies, all twisting peacefully still around him like marionettes that had their strings cut. Slowly he was sinking to the bottom of the sea, and no amount of struggling could get him back to the surface that glittered darkly above him. Its was dark, darker, and darker still till he could see nothing else..

Cleon opened his eyes and he was awake, safely in his own bed. His limbs tangled up in the thin isuas sheets in such a way that it made him think he had been struggling in his dreams again. He was covered head to toe in a cold sweat that dripped down his forehead as he sat up and draped his legs off of the edge of the bed. He’d slept towards to window so he had a fine view of the golden light peeking through the shutters. It seems he had overslept because Faye was no where to be found.

Rubbing the bridge of his nose between thumb and forefinger, he squeezed his eyes shut. This was the second night in a row that he had been plagued by such an intense vision. After what happened last season, he had to assume that this was deliberate although what it all meant he had no clue. Maybe it was a side effect from surviving the curse, but he seriously doubted that would be the case. No, there had to be a cause for this that he just wasn’t seeing yet-

There was a knock on his door, a slight three taps followed by silence. “Who is it?” Cleon asked warily as he stood up.

“Its me, Lexi.” Came a familiar voice on the other side of the door. Cleon’s expression twisted into a semblance of a grin as he rolled his eyes.

“Give me a tick to get decen-” The door swung open, and Lexi barged in hauling a bundle of clothes that she deposited on his bed. Swiftly pulling on a pair of breeches, he gave her an incredulous look as he looked from her to the clothes and back again.

“What’s all this? You wanting me to do your laundry now?” Cleon asked in disbelief as he walked over to inspect the garments, bringing up one of the shirts and giving it a wary sniff. It smelled clean enough, almost like it had never been worn. The clothes were all in good condition as well, though they didn’t look like anything Lexi would wear.

Lexi shook her head, and shot him a don’t be ridiculous look before finishing with a shrug. “Dawn asked me to bring these over to you. A gift for your help last season. She hopes that she remembered your measurements right, and if not that you should come see her about alterations as soon as you can.” Lexi said as she slowly walked around the bed, trailing her hand against the edge until she was standing right beside him. Cleon slowly turned to face her, at a loss for words for a moment as he processed this magnanimous gift. Lexi placed a hand on his chest drawing him out of his contemplations as he looked over and met her eyes. She gave him a small smile back, then leaned up to plant a soft kiss on his lips.

Bringing his hands up to cradle her face, he kissed her back and then pulled her close. Resting his chin on the top of her head, he noted that her hair smelled faintly floral, which got him to wondering if she had specifically washed it before coming over here. Then he started realizing his own scent, and gently pulled away from the embrace with a chagrined look on his face.

“Sorry, I haven’t showered yet. I-”

“I don’t mind, but..” Lexi said, drawing that last word out as she bit her lower lip. “Why are you so sweaty? Have you been naughty this morning?”

“I.. What!? No.. I mean.. Its just night sweats- nothing really.” Cleon deflected as he stammered out an excuse. Lexi wasn’t about to let him go, grabbing his forearms as he tried to pull away an reeling him back in towards her.

“Y’know. I don’t have to be anywhere this morning. Maybe we could see about getting you cleaned up before you try on these clothes..” Lexi said softly against his collarbone as she planted light kisses up his neck. Putting his hands over hers, he slowly grasped them and with a significant amount of willpower, pulled them off his shoulders. Lexi’s expression changed to a vaguely disappointed one, pouting as he pulled away.

“I would love to do that. Really I would, but I kind of have a few things I need to get done today first. Later though- Yeah, later would be good.” Cleon said quickly, feeling a little guilty and embarrassed about his refusal. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to. He really, really did, but there was a secret between them that needed to be discussed first. A big one, and that discussion was too serious to get into right now.

Lexi sighed, rolled her eyes then walked hesitantly over to the door, pausing for a moment to look back at him and flash him a little smile. “Are you suuuurrrreee?”

Cleon slowly nodded eliciting another exasperated sigh from Lexi as she disappeared down the hallway. Meanwhile he took a moment to stand at the edge of his bed to compose himself. He had been so close to giving into that very tempting offer, but there were so many mixed emotions tied up into it that he couldn’t do so unless he was completely sure of what he was doing. Their first time together had been a fluke between two desperate people looking for a bit of comfort during an uncertain time. If there was going to be a next time, he wanted to make sure that they did so after getting to know each other a lot better. Which included telling her about his charm, and what he knew about her. He wasn’t quite ready for that conversation though, and didn’t know if he would ever be.

Gripping the edge of his bed, he stared down into the pile of clothes and smiled faintly. He would have to think of a way to properly thank Dawn for this gift. An Luke for his. There were actually quite a few people on the list, but one person at a time.

oocWardrobe Coupon Clothes:

5 pairs of undergarments (Light gray, Isuas) 1 gm, 3 sm
1 scarf (Red, Isuas) 3 sm
2 pairs of thick leather gloves 1 gm
1 cloak (Dark green, Isuas, Rainproof oil) 45 gm
1 cloak (Dark gray, Isuas, Rainproof oil) 45 gm
1 Black leather belt - 2 sm
1 Shirt (Light Blue, Isuas) - 3 sm
1 Shirt (Dark Green, Isuas) - 3 sm
1 Shirt (Light red, Isuas) - 3 sm
1 Pair of pants (Dark Gray, Isuas) - 2.4 gm
1 Pair of breeches (Cream, Isuas) - 2.4 gm
1 Pair of breeches (Light Gray, Isuas) - 2.4 gm
1 robe (Dark blue, silk) - 25 gm
1 broad brim hat (black, isuas, Rainproof (oil treatment) - 36 gm

Footwear:

1 Leather pair of boots high - 5 sm
1 pair of sandals - 2 sm
1 Pair of slippers (Fur lined common) - 1 gm


Total - 164 gm, 7 sm


WC - 1,130

[Cleon]

After his shower Cleon decided to try on the clothes that Dawn had given him and settled on a light blue shirt that went along nicely with a pair of creme colored breeches. Then he slipped on a pair of sandals before leaving his room in a rush. He hadn’t been lying earlier when he said he was in a bit of a rush this morning. There was certainly a bit of work to do this morning before he got to his actually job. For starters Randal wanted him to pick up a few supplies from the Mercantile before dropping by the forge to retrieve the tools they had sharpened or in the case of one poor hatchet, completely replaced. Then he wanted to drop by the shrine and the statue to Eywaat to pay his respects before making an offer to Laviku outside of the Surf Shop which was the last stop on his morning itinerary. All in all a fairly busy morning, but one he approached with a relish he hadn’t felt in a long time.

The Merchantile was abuzz with activity which didn’t surprise him in the slightest. After the events of last season, he suspected that Julie would be abundantly eager to embrace a sense of normalcy and was hard at work lugging supplies to the top of her shop. Looking up he could see a few faces he recognized milling about, namely Buraga and Ken Chi who seemed to be just leaving. Cleon smiled and nodded to the men as they past embroiled in a conversation of their own, then he stepped lively up the stairs that lead up into the Mercantile. Juli was just unpacking a crate as he walked up and looked up as he crested the top of the stairs.

“Hey Cleon. You hear for that order Randal put in right? Give me a tick.” Julia grunted as she hauled a thick bundle of rope out of the crate and set it to the side before taking out a few dark glass bottles that she stashed out of sight. Cleon walked amongst the rows of supplies, his eyes catching on an iron pot that reminded him of something Uta had said to him last season. He picked the pot up, turning it over in his hands a few times as he consider it. The pot would fit snugly into the bottom of his backpack, and would fit most of the supplies he would want to keep from getting wet.

“How much for this?” Cleon asked, holding the pot up.

“Five silver mizas” Julia said, briefly looking up from the wooden crate she was preparing.

Cleon nodded to himself, and carried the pot under one arm while he walked over to look at something else, but really he was just browsing around until Juli caught up with whatever she was doing. When she finally finished repacking the crate with a new set of goods, he walked over to the counter and handed her the five silver mizas. Then she slid the crate his way.

“I might have to make two trips. I didn’t realize Randal had ordered so much.” Cleon said, inspecting the contents briefly before looking up at her.

“Oh this isn’t even a quarter of what he asked for. Just what we had on hand. When James comes back with the Veronica you’ll be back here for the rest of his order.” Julia joked.

Cleon sighed, and put his pot on top of the pile before picking up the crate. It was a little heavy, but evenly packed so it wasn’t too difficult to carry down the stairs. Still he took a break at the bottom, setting the crate down so he could get his iron pot packed away in his bag. Slipping out of the shoulder straps he put it on the ground next to the crate and started to carefully unpack his bag. He tried to remember what Uta had told him, carefully lining up everything in the order they would go into his pack. Although he didn’t intend on going into the jungle today, he still liked to pack like he was going to. It was a good habit to get into and one that he had found necessary over the course of the previous season when he had quite a bit of trouble keeping organized.

The first thing into his empty backpack was the iron pot that he had just purchased. In the pot he put his rope, tinder, dry rations, flint & steel, eating utensils, a flask of rust proofing oil, sunburn cream, a tin of tobacco, a pipe, a sharpening stone, and finally the essentials from his survival and preservation kits which just about filled the iron pot to the brim before he got a lid on it. Over that he wrapped his hammock and insect netting. Then he replaced his bottle of Bluevein gold across the top because he would be needing that here soon.

With his bag repacked, he slipped his arms through the straps as he stood back up.

“Wait Cleon! I forgot something.” Julie called out as she came down the stair in a rush. She was holding something small, and flat in her hand that glinted like gold in the sunshine. As she walked closer he saw what it was. A small messenger bag wrought out of gold in exquisite detail. Cleon smiled, confused.

“What’s this for?” He asked as he gingerly picked the charm out of her palm, and rolled it carefully between his fingers. The golden straps on the bag were so carefully molded that he almost felt like he could loop them over his finger tip with a little pressure but he avoided doing so. Instead he brought the charm to his wrist where he snapped on carefully.

“Uta asked me to keep an eye out for one. She told me that you would need it for a little project you are helping her with. It functions exactly like a normal messenger bag should with with a few added benefits. One being that whatever you put in there is completely protected from the elements and from theft. All you have to do to store something within it is press it against the charm. To retrieve an item, all you have to do is imagine it in your hand and it will appear there. Useful right?” Julia asked with a slight grin quirking up the corners of her mouth.

Cleon gaped at her, briefly at a loss for words as he searched for just how he should be thanking her, and Uta for that matter for this gift. “Tha-thank you.. I j- this is a surprise, a pleasant one.” Cleon mumbled, his face suddenly feeling tight as the corners of his eyes burned. He squeezed them shut briefly then chuckled to himself. “I’m sorry. Its just.. You… Everyone has been so nice to me and Faye. I… Thank you.” Cleon finally managed with a broad smile, and his extended his arms out. To his relief, Julia accepted his gesture and let him embrace her briefly.

“Its no problem.” Julia said laughing with him, hugging him tight before retracting from the embrace. “I suppose everyone is just feeling real thankful right now with the curses gone.” She said, folding her arms across her body and rubbing the side of her arm. It was a pensive look that past quickly as Julia took a quick look over her shoulder to see Nesra hauling a crate up the stairs.

“Oh, well it was nice seeing you Cleon. We should catch up sometime when we’re not so busy.” Julia said easily as she quickly turned around and went to help Nesra up the stairs.

“See you too.” Cleon said quietly to the departing Julia, watching as the woman hurried quickly to the base of the stairs. Of course Nesra refused the help saying something that Cleon couldn’t quite overhear but eliciting a belly laugh from both women as they walked up the stairs. Cleon nodded slightly to himself, and looked down at the new charm on his wrist, turning it over thoughtfully between his fingers. He could indeed think of quite a few uses for this that he would explore later. For now though, he still had things he needed to do.


WC - 1,390

[Cleon]

It didn’t take him very long to find the tools set aside for the surf shop, although they were kinda.. Everywhere. It took a little extra time to make sure he had gathered all of them up, and placed them in the crate with the rest of the supplies. Despite that, he was satisfied with the work that had been done with them. They looked good as new, and he suspected that had been more Antelokes doing than Artic’s. He was just glad the old smith was sleeping one off somewhere as was somewhat typical for that drunk early in the morning. Cleon didn’t much care for the man. He had spent a little under a season in the man’s shoes, only stretched to extreme exaggerations and had only started feeling better yesterday. Still there where ghosts, echoes of the compulsion left in the back of his mind, strings that still had him carrying on a few of the old habits. He would like to eventually quite those as well, but small steps.

For now, he dropped by Eywaat’s statue, and Kihala’s shrine to pay his respects, and make a quick offering of wine before he headed for Randal’s Surf Shop. Not quite ready to go inside, he left his crate on the corner of the building as he walked towards the sea. The tide was on its way out now, leaving a stretch of unmarred wet sand that captured his foot prints as he strode barefoot into the surf. When he was about ankle deep in the waters he retrieved the bottle of wine from his pack and held it out in front of him. His hand trembled slightly as the vision from this morning blossomed in his mind.


“Laviku, master of the seas and oceans and everything that dwells within, I have not forgotten you. I make this small offering now as a promise that I will never forget what you have done for me, my sister Faye, and everyone in this settlement. I am yours, body and soul, lord of the sea.” Cleon said, tilting the bottle as he finished and pouring out its contents into the water. The golden wine glittered as it disappeared into the turquoise waters of the sea, foaming briefly before even that too was washed away. Stoppering the wine bottle and replacing it in his pack, he looked out one more time upon the sea, smiling slightly to himself before he headed into the Surf Shop.

Work for the first few bells was rather mundane. First came the sorting of the supplies he had brought in, replacing the tools in their proper places before he got around to cleaning and organizing the shop. Cleaning was perhaps his least favorite duty so he liked to get it out of the way early although he knew he would have to do so again before the day ended. For the most part this consisted of polishing the surf boards on display in the main room, the counters, and really everything else a potential visitor or Randal might come across. Randal was very particular about keeping everything organized and looking good for their guests so Cleon made sure to be as through as possible, going over some areas twice just to make sure he hadn’t missed anything obvious.

After that was done, he took a smoke break on the outer stairs. Today the tobacco in the tin was extremely familiar, made with small blue flowers and had a hint of sweetness to the unique flavor it imparted when smoked. Cleon took to it readily, pleasantly surprised to find out that the tin was magical although that was kind of what he had been expecting anyways when he found it in his backpack. Having come across quite a few magical items, he liked to think he was developing a sense for it now. Compared to the tobacco the tin had held yesterday this one held a lot more punch to it, as Blue Vision often did and Cleon stopped himself from finishing the whole bowl, not wanting to make himself sick as a warm prickly sensation set in.

This was something he never got to enjoy with his curse the previous season. With his compulsion he wasn’t able to enjoy indulging unless he pushed it to extreme excess, and even then, the pleasure was mild while the hollowness he’d felt after seemed to stretch on for quite a while. Now absent of compulsion he could feel every bit of the smoke he was inhaling, a heady almost liberating sensation the scratched a phantom itch that had been left in the wake of his curse’s sudden absence. An itch that was fading, but not fast enough for Cleon who still felt tugged in the wrong direction at times. This wasn’t one of them though. Smoking was a habit he actually thought he might keep, partially because it had kept him sane while he was fighting his curse last season. He’d leaned on it heavily like a crutch and now he was having a hard time doing away with that crutch. Besides, compared to his other compulsions, this one seemed almost lighthearted. An that tobacco tin. It just seemed like the world was conspiring to keep him smoking, and he might as well use the gift he had received although he hadn’t yet figured out how it had ended up in his possession in the first place.

“Hello there Cleon!” A man said from the beach that sprawled underneath the stairs. Cleon looked down to recognize a familiar face, although it took him a few ticks to place the face.

“Hello Zayne, how goes it?” Cleon asked with a small wave as he put aside his pipe. Turning slightly, he watched as the man walked up the stairs. Zayne wasn’t someone he’d had the chance to speak with a lot over the course of the last season, but he remembered vaguely that the man has trouble eating because of his curse. Had trouble, Cleon reminded himself. Zayne was looking a lot better now, with a healthy color to his face, and dressed in a simple dark colored pair of loose breeches.

“It goes well thank you. I haven’t felt this good in a long time actually.” Zayne said, clapping him on the shoulder as he reached the top of the stair. “How about yourself?”

“Better. I’m glad to see everyone on the mend after last season.” Cleon said, gesturing to the shop before holding the door open for Zayne. He walked in after the man, but left the door open for now to let in a gentle breeze.

“Indeed, as am I.” Zayne said, his eyes roaming over to where the surfboards hung off of the walls. Following his gaze, Cleon smiled.

“Thinking about trying out surfing or paddle boarding?” Cleon asked as he walked over with Zayne towards one of the boards on the wall. This one had a simple but elegant design painted across one of their Koa boards. The background was white while stylized waves in blue crested up from the bottom the sheath the sides of the board. Above it was an orange and black board, with flames instead of waves. There were yellows, and reds mixed in to give the flames extra dimension which was something he admired about Randal’s skill with painting the boards. He was still mastering just making one, and hadn’t yet tried his hand at painting one, although he anticipated getting to that eventually.

“Maybe a little bit of both. I actually wouldn’t mind trying one out.” Zayne said with a smile, his eyes looking briefly over Cleon’s shoulder as he heard someone coming up the inner stair.

“Zayne! So good to see you” Randal called out. Cleon turned to see Randal whom was looking normal now that his curse had passed. It was sort of strange seeing his normal features after getting used to his animal guise and habits, though he suspected he would get used to it after a while. He was just happy for Randal who had a bit of trouble speaking there towards the end of the season not to mention how strange it must have felt waking up everyday looking more like an animal.

“Randal, back to your handsome self. Its good to see you as well. I was hoping to borrow one of your boards and maybe a lesson. I’d like to commemorate the new season with a new experience.” Zayne said, and the two men shook hands as they drew closer.

“Of course, I’d be happy to assist you. Do you want a drink or would you rather go out on the water right away?” Randal asked gesturing towards the counter. Zayne shook his head slightly.

“Maybe a drink afterward, first lets try the sea before I lose my courage.” Zayne said with a laugh. Cleon watched as Randal then grabbed a pair of boards off the wall and handed one to Zayne before looking at him.

“We’ll be just outside if you need me Cleon.” Randal said briefly before he left out to outer stair door with Zayne who gave him a brief wave before departing. As he heard them walking down the stairs, Cleon walked behind the counter to take a seat. Behind it they had all the necessary supplies to fix a drink, and Cleon delighted in the fact that he didn’t feel that insistent pull. Instead he was fully capable of ignoring a drink and did so as he leaned slightly against the edge of the counter.

WC - 1,598

[Cleon]

It was getting close to lunch time when Faye started to pack a meal to bring over to Cleon. Into her bag went a loaf of bread, a couple of smoked sausages, and a mango along with a few books that Cleon had forgotten in their room. She knew how precious these books were to him so she didn’t want to leave them unattended while she was away from their room for the rest of the day. Plus she didn’t expect he would mind having something to read during his downtime at the Surf Shop.

When she had all of the materials gathered up, she shouldered her pack and started walking down the beach towards the Surf Shop. It was a beautiful summer day with the sun sparkling off the water and reminding her a bit of frolicking in the water with Oralie last season. She’d like to try her hand at swimming this season sometime though she had to admit the sea kind of scared her, remembering back to when Cleon had almost drowned. However seeing the ixam play in the surf eased some of her worries as she took a lot of amusement out of their antics around the Inn. After a full season of being around them she almost felt confident enough to approach one but backed out at the last tick when it turned its strange eyes towards her.

Fortunately it didn’t move to follow her or she might have ran screaming even though she was pretty sure they were harmless. At least she hoped Faye thought, looking over her shoulder nervously then relaxing somewhat when she realized that the ixam were not following her. She hurried across the beach, eager to reach her brother and share this meal with him before she got around to the rest of her day. It didn’t take much longer to reach the Surf Shop, and she hustled up to the top of the building to find her brother alone in the shop.

“Heyo Cleon. I brought some lunch.” She said, smiling brightly as she walked over to the counter and unslung her bag. Quickly she laid out the food she had packed before placing his books in a neat stack, and pulling up a chair so she could sit across from him. Faye giggled slightly at his joke, then accepted a bit of bread he had broken off, taking a moment to savor it before trying a cut of sausage. It was overall pleasant fare, and a light enough meal that between them they finished it rather quickly, saving the mango till the end. That was one thing she especially liked about coming here. The profusion of fresh fruit that was available. That and Tazrae’s cooking which had filled her out rather quickly over the course of last season. She felt better than she ever had back in Sunberth, and now that she wasn’t getting older everyday, she could actually fit her clothes which was a relief.

“Do what?” She asked as Cleon interrupted her thoughts with what she took to be a joke. Faye had of course seen his ‘magic trick’ before. Admittedly she had fallen for it when she was younger, but eventually she caught on that his coin trick was just a sleight of hand. Still, she was in a good mood so she humored him as he brought one of his books up to his wrist. Then her eyes went wide as it suddenly disappeared, and he did the same with the other two books, including the creepy one with teeth which she was a bit relieved to see disappear.

“How’d you do that?” Faye asked, astounded. As Cleon held out his hand, she looked at the charm bracelet on his wrist. She’d of course seen it before, but hadn’t asked him anything about it because they were both dealing with their own issues last season so this was the first time he ever let her inspect it for herself. On it were several small ornaments some of which were kind of cute, although some were kind of creepy. Like the snake fang.

“Where did you get this?” Faye asked as she turned the fang over between her fingers, inspecting it carefully. She was kind of jealous that he had received such a gift and wished she had found one herself. Maybe she should try speaking with the birds more often like Cleon had done but she wasn’t quite sure it worked that way. Perhaps the gods and goddesses didn’t bestow such gifts on children which would be a real shame she figured as she let go of Cleon’s wrist.

“What do they all do?” She asked curiously as she nibbled around a slice of mango. It helped to keep the surprise off of her face as he told her about each one and their provenance. Her brother had been having a time of it last season so she was glad to hear that at least someone was watching out for him while he went through that ordeal. All in all she was happy that her brother was starting to fit into this place, something she had yet to fully realize for herself due to the nature of her malady last season. Now that she wasn’t going to be changing all of the time though, she thought she might try to get to know some of the other children, and the people around Syka as well. Maybe even this afternoon even.

“Oh, well I was thinking about paying Nesra a visit or see what some of the other children are up to.” Faye said, still half lost in thought as she finished the last bites of mango. Some juice dribbled down her chin, and she swatted at Cleon’s hand as he cleaned it off with a rough thumb. “I can do it myself.” She protested, giggling when he reached across to pinch her side. Faye took a step back from the table and swatted at his hand again.

“Okay, okay.. Well I’m going to go now, you enjoy the rest of your day. Are you going to be back at the inn for dinner?” Faye asked as she packed her things, and dusted off her skinny dress. “Alright, I’ll see you then.” She said with a small wave before leaving the surf shop.

WC - 1,058

[Cleon]

Cleon heard someone coming up the outer stair and smiled with surprise when Faye walked through the door with lunch. He had just been thinking about making a run to the inn whenever Randal got back with Zayne but this was even better.

“Thanks Faye, I was about to eat one of the surfboards I was getting so hungry.” Cleon said, patting his stomach and chuckling at the way Faye laughed. It was a good sound to hear after the season they’d just had and he took a small about of delight in the fact that like yesterday she hadn’t aged significantly overnight. Everything almost felt normal but Cleon still felt like they were walking on eggshells. Like at any moment that the curses could come back. He kept his smile up despite that thought however as Faye sat across from him and unloaded everything she had brought with her.

He was mildly surprised to find that she had brought his books along as well, figured he ought to try out his messenger charm after they’d had a chance to eat. Taking the loaf of bread, he broke of the heel for her, and a smaller piece for himself before he set about cutting the sausage into smaller pieces with his eating knife. Skewering a piece of sausage with the tip of his knife, he took a bite as he watched Faye munch away seemingly lost in thought. It was nice to see her like this, even though it was something he might have scolded her about back in Sunberth. Here though, he didn’t feel the need to nag her so much, and he felt after what she had been through during the Spring, she could use a little bit of a break. He was all for her doing whatever she wanted to this season, and he would do his part to facilitate that if need be.

“Hey Faye, you want to see a magic trick?” Cleon chided when he’d had his fill of bread and sausage, dusting his fingers lightly across his shirt before picking up the Guide Book and holding it hesitantly in his hands. Just in case there was a problem with what he was about to attempt, he decided to go for his personal journal instead to do the first test. He pressed the book to his wrist, then looking at Faye to make sure she was paying attention, he gave her a little wink as he touched the journal to his charm. It winked out of existence much to Faye surprise.

Remembering what Uta had said earlier, he held out his hand and summoned the journal back in his hand by thinking about it before quickly replacing it back into his charm followed by the other two books much to Faye’s amusement.

“I told ya. Magic. Uta gave a charm that lets me store books and such within it.” Cleon explained, holding out his wrist and pointing to the small golden satchel dangling off his wrist. Of course he had a great many more charms to look at besides just that, and Faye pointedly grasped his wrist to take a better look at all of them.

“Well they’re a little all over the place as far as I can tell. The wine bottle generates wine and other drinks as you might expect. The leaf I haven’t quite figured out yet, nor the fang for that matter. That gold cross will help me if I am feeling very fatigued, and the head with the crown, well that kind of just helps me focus.” He said, keeping his answers vague and not really sure if he wanted to explain all of the charms to his little sister. Truth was he knew for a fact that the fang poisoned objects, and that the head allowed him to read surface level thoughts however that was a bit too deep of a conversation to get into with Faye over a light lunch. Besides it would cause more questions that he really didn’t have an answer for right now. Not wanting the conversation to linger on the subject, he decided to change it quickly.

“What are you going to do after this?” Cleon asked as he watched her messily finish off a slice of mango and then reached across the counter to clean her chin with a swipe of his thumb. Of course she tried to protest which only encouraged him further to sneak a pinch in before she danced out of his reach. Sitting back in his chair he chuckled as she came back to the counter to quickly gather her things before getting out of his reach again.

He smiled and nodded. “Yes, I’ll be there. See you then Faye, and have fun!” He called out as she left the room. The rest of the day went along rather quickly with Cleon spending most of the day clerking in the shop until Randal released him from his duties around mid afternoon. Before he went back to the inn however, he decided to linger outside of the surf shop for a while and take care of a few things.


WC - 859