Hometown
10 Kriames, 321
Fate
The afternoon sunrays peek over the Eggshell, skidding gold and orange off the white snow. Night's cloak begins its slow seep from the top of the sky, purple and blue stains dripping slowly down. The bustle (such as it is, easygoing to the point of being lethargic save the romping and playing of those who yet have energy) sends crunching footsteps from all over, made loud in the winter's silence. Listing pillars of white and gray woodsmoke spew upwards, the sweet yet robust scents settling and catching in hair and clothing and what skin is exposed to the bite of cold. Scattered also through the crisp air is the scent of apples and chestnuts and cinnamon, mingling and carrying warmth with it all the way from the brewery.
In the clearing, rifts and furrows of snow have been carved and carved again by foot and form. Snow flies with each stride and tumble. Here is a snowman being built; there is a war being waged with projectiles and tackling and wrestling. Shouts and shrieks are carried onward by breath fogging from open mouths and bared teeth. Three gather around the statues (over the slumbering gardens), drawing faces in the snow piling up on the statues even as they drop food into the bowls at their feet. The playing ranges out to even atop the frozen river.
Some stand lingering, idly watching the children at play, while others go about toting cords of wood or bundles of sticks or other goods, and yet others dig snow from their doorways. Fishers sit atop the ice, their lines dropping to hidden depths. Their stillness contrasts with the slipping and sliding occuring downriver from them.
Daina
Daina was in the brewery for a while helping with the fires and enjoying at least some of the smells. She finally gave up as she kept getting distracted hearing the other children at play. Letting the fires and the workers know she'd be back another day she tugs on her winter clothes and grabs Oogie and they head out into the snow to join in on the play.
Aaren
Aaren is rocking from foot to foot, holding the Wren's newest. Two of her voices are occupied, singing along with the fussing babe. It's nothing serious, just a bit of collic that's gone on a few days too long.
Another voice sings the song of the house, the melting trumpeting of the red sunrise on the floor lifting to the high and gentle dark blues that settle around the stove pipe.
Voice number four is chatting with Bayani about the bees, and Aaren's fifth voice breaks off (from chatting to Noi Noi, who is stirring the broth she's wants the baby to have, about the snow) to sing him their song as they rise over the flowers in the summer.
Fate
Shea speeds past Daina as she exits, pulling a sled occupied by Keera Custovic and her sister Esther, leaning deeply and shuffling forward as quickly as he can, kicking up snow left and right. Breath fogs harsh from his throat and winds whip at his coat and scarf and the fur on his cap. The girls' delighted laughter grows and fades quickly as they pass.
Inside the Wrens', Bayani goes silent to listen to the song. For a moment he is still, then he begins to nod along.
Noi-Noi placidly tastes the broth, then continues stirring.
It's not long before Bayani asks, "That part, the..." he hums an approximation of what he'd heard, "... that's the dancing, right?"
Wordlessly, Noi-Noi scoops a spoonful of broth and moves it vaguely in Aaren's direction, waiting at the edges for her to answer.
Daina
Daina laughs a little at the huffing and puffing of Shae an races to catch up, if she can she'd push the sled from behind so they can go even faster!
Aaren
Aaren answers Bayani with her fourth voice, "Yes, well, sort of—" and the voice turns completly to song again, because the dancing fades in and out like the smell of the flowers. She sings words along, to explain, "I think they dance longer then they actually move for, because—" and the words fade again into illistrative song.
With her fifth voice, she answers Noi-Noi with a smiling song, "It sounds right to me."
Fate
At the sudden slack, Shea stumbles and pitches forward, his face-first descent terminating with a PIFF! into the snow. The sled slides right over him, the runners' slide over him serving only to press him deeper. The rope whips out of his hand as the girls continue on their way, laughing harder.
Noi-Noi thinks, then takes a small pinch of herb and sprinkles it in the spoonful. He tastes it, then takes another clean spoonful and adds more herb, holding it out for Aaren's assessment.
Bayani, meanwhile, listens again. Once there's an opportunity (or, rather, just before there is one), Bayani interrupts, "Come springtime you should come sing with the bees again. I've never collected so much honey before." He adds with a half-smile, "I might even be able to spare you a jar or two of red-spiced blackberry honey." His tone is overly suggestive, as if he were offering an illicit bribe instead of a legitimate gift.
Daina
Daina gives a startled cry as her attempt to help has clearly gone awry! "Shae... are you alright?" letting the sled continue on till friction and the weight of the occupants stop it. She checks for like... blood is he bleeding that'd be a bad sign probably.. Shake shake.
Aaren
Aaren smiles with all her songs. "Weeeel," she sings, "I suppooooose." But it's clear she's excited by the prospect.
To Noi-Noi she sings the song of the broth, and nods, and tilts the baby over for a spoonful while it is warm.
With her sixth voice she cools the broth on the spoon to a good tempature for the little ball of flesh and poop.
Fate
Shea pops up, gloved hands over his nose, eyes wide and watering. He blinks a few times, brows crinkled, then he looks over to Daina. "Mm-hmm!" He blinks some tears out, then pulls his hands away.
Blood dribbles from his nose. He sniffs sharply (the blood retreating), swipes with the back of his glove (smearing the remaining blood over his upper lip), and then rises.
"You want a turn?" Shea offers, motioning to the retreating sled.
Inside, Bayani's half-smile becomes a grin. He tests the steaming cider on the other side of the stove with a pinky, then removes the tankards from the stove, waiting.
Noi-Noi obliges, administering the medicine to the baby, who takes it with little fuss save a wrinkling of a nose and light smacking of lip and tongue.
And then...
More crunching of snow. A loud, deep goat-bleat.
And bells. The tinkling and ringing of bells, in time with hoofsteps and footsteps and creaking wood.
It's coming from the south pass.
With it, the drifting of voices.
—
Outside the town, the man who introduced himself as Donnie Morello takes in a deep breath through his nose and smiles. He turns to Bożydar and says, "I hope you and yours like cider."
Aaren
Aaren's voices change. Two stay on the baby, helping it swallow and digest, but the others go to sing the new songs, easing in from the edges of the village. Her eyes go wide.
Slavina
Bożydar takes half a second to place the term, and then says, "Ah, to drink? I think we like anything to drink right now. But even more we like anything in the house!" He gives an exxagerated shiver to illustrate the point, sending up a musical clatter from all the small bells on his coat.
Daina
Daina grimaces a little bit at the bloody nose "Oh Good.. Sorry bout that I didn't think" she then offers him some snow and warms it up in her hand "got some stuff on your face" she glances after the sled "uh ok maybe after the others are done.. then I wanna make a den in the snow.. bet it's easier than dirt ya know.. not as heavy?" she shrugs a little and turns towards the sound.. Oh.. "Hey do you think it's Rana?" Grabs Shae "c'mon let's go see!"
Fate
"Oh." Shea rubs the snow on his face in the vague area of the unspecified "stuff", managing mosting to smear it some more. Then, as he opens his mouth to offer a response, he finds himself tugged along.
Noi-Noi looks to Aaren—his eyes flick up, then to the left, then he looks back to Aaren, nodding. He sets the spoon back into the pot and holds his arms out for the baby.
Aaren
Aaren gives him the baby and a kiss on the cheek, waves good-bye to Bayani, singing, "I'll check in tomorrow!" and bounces out the door towards the commotion.
Slavina
Out from the forest—the direction of the hunter's lodge—is Donnie. Behind Donnie are three strangers. Two of them have large round decorated gourds strapped to their waists, and are speaking quietly to each other. The third is dressed differently and lacking a gourd. He's keeping pace alongside Donnie. All three of the strangers glitter. Their coats, hats, belts, even their boots are covered in shiny bits of shell and stone, embroidered patterns, and SO MANY COLORS.
The man next to Donnie is the one who was talking and jingling. Or... jingling the most? There are a lot of jingles coming from the forest. And a lot of voices. In fact, there is a veritable crowd of colorful, musical, glittering people coming out of the forest, plus a lot of equally colorful and musical wagons and goats and even chickens.
Aaren
Aaren stops. She just stops. The world is full of new songs. She falls silent for a moment, listening.
Daina
Daina runs towards all the colors and jingling and shiney stuff excitedly already going oooo despite puffing out misty breaths as she tugs Shae along in her wake. "Look at their colors! They're like flowers or something" she enthuses with a glance over her shoulder and a big smile.
Slavina
is she close enough to be overheard?
Fate
Shea's eyes go wide. "Whoaaaaa!" For a moment he falls behind, overcome by awe, but then he picks up the pace, quickly covering the distance between them until he's slightly ahead.
Slavina
Bożydar turns his attention towards Diana and breaks into a grin. "Flowers? We are very special flowers, to blooming in snow." His voice is rich, deep and velvety, and seems to be meant just for Daina.
Aaren
Aaren walks closer, wipes some snow off a bench in the garden, and sits down with a thud. Then she starts to sing, seperating the songs, learning them, savoring the new bits and the strange twists on familiar themes.
Daina
Daina makes a face when Shae goes faster than her but then comes to a halt when addressed . She smiles happily "And big flowers too" she agrees with a friendly wave of her hand. She then lopes to catch up and draw nearer to see what's the hububbub
Slavina
Bożydar leans foreward, a graceful almost-bow. "Excuse me a moment, Dijechka. I have to tell them your compliment." He slides up from the bow and spins on a heel to face the crowd. The action sends up another chorous of jingling and a flashing swirl of colorful light as his coattails fan out around him. He pitches his voice louder so that it rolls out through the forest and cuts over the hullabaloo. "Zdravo svima! Ona kaže da su šarenim cvijećem."
Fate
Shea stares at the iridescence on display before him, mouth agape. "Like aurora flowers." He slows and carefully approaches. "Do you... do you live in the sky?" he asks of the newcomers, his voice low, the tone and pitch moving absentmindedly in time with his awed song.
A chorus of "Ahhh" and "Ohhh" come up from those so brightly arrayed. Chatter springs up from here and there, bells shaking in time with what could be gossip, so energetic is it. One of the ones in the forefront moves—no bounds, as every step were some kind of dance—towards the complimentary child, her bells shaking and the dark hair poking from under her scarf bobbing. Colors and sparkles adorn her face, and, with dark lining, makes her blue eyes nearly electric. Each stride as she draws near takes her knees bending lower and lower, until she's crouched in the snow a respectful distance from the children. A hand slides her gourd along its strap behind her as she moves.
"The thankings!" she begins. "For..." and another term falls from her tongue, utterly foreign.
With a flick of her hand comes a wilted flower as if to offer it to Daina, then, as if having seen it only just now, does a double-take just short of whiplash. Then she crinkles her brow and clicks her tongue. "No-no!"
Another flick finds the wilted flower stowed away somewhere mysterious and replaced with a glittering red-and-gold handkerchief. With deft fingers she works at it, folding and tucking and tugging until it forms the shape of a flower, and exclaims, "Ah!" Then she cups it in both hands and offers it to the small child with a broad smile framed by shining purple lips.
Daina
Daina beams and sort of sways in place a little the dance like approach very appealing. She looks at the first flower and tilts her head about to accept before it's withdrawn. She then watches enchanted as the scarf is turned into a flower. "Oooooh thank you!" she bobs her head in a bit of a bow before turning to show Shae "neat huh?!" She absently tries to pick up -something- from the language but just can't seem to get a hold on it. Maybe though she could learn, she tucks that idea away for now. "Aurora Flower people that glitter and make flowers, super cool visitors today!" she chirps happily.
Slavina
Quietly, Bożydar suggests a word to Mamochka.
"The sky?" He looks up, then down, then spreads his arms out and looks at the shimmering designs there. A warm laugh wells up, and he does a little bob of the shoulders back and forth as he kneels down to Shae's level. "I see why you think! We have been a lot of places..." Bożydar slips into a rhythmic cadence as he delivers a poem in the smooth (but accented) words of hometown: it describes a little boy who lives in the sky and rolls the moon across the sky-lights. The rhythm of the poem aligns with Shae's awe-song, syncopating and emphasizing the beat.
Aaren
Aaren's eyes are just getting wider, and a second voice quitely joins her first, this one quietly singing the the songs of the dancing flower sky people. So much color! All over the place! All over their faces!
Fate
More from the village begin to gather 'round, but shift and part slightly as one comes forth, not terribly tall but narrow enough to be mistaken for tall. Donnie cups his hands over his mouth and calls out, "Hey Vir! We got some travelers!"
"So I gathered!" the one named Vir calls back.
The one crouched before the children looks up at this exchange, and then tilts an ear Bożydar's way, nodding, and returns her attention to the children. "The thankings—and welcomes—for lovely small bee!"
Shea's eyes only get wider at Bożydar's poem. He is utterly dumbstruck, the images dancing behind his eyes.
Then, when the poem is finished, the woman waiting and listening there rises and bows. "This name..." she turns to Bożydar, does another double- take, purses her lips with disapproval too intense to be real, and with exaggerated care adjusts his hat (to a clearly unpleasant angle for him to re-adjust accordingly) and tucks his hair into place. "Bożydar." Then she turns back to the children and puts a splayed hand over her chest. "Božihosta."
Aaren
At the arrival of Vir, Aaren is shocked back into action. She slips through the crowd, still singing low and quiet bits of what she is hearing in four or five voices, to stand near Vir incase he needs something.
Daina
Daina smiles and just... takes it all in, it was so.. lively and a treat in the middle of winter, at least she thought so. She claps a little after the poem is recited and then she bows a little "I'm Daina and this is Shae" she offers trying to be welcoming to the visitors as she admires their garb and the shiney jewelry they wear. She carefully keeps the gift safe in her hands and show's it to Oogie who she then introduces as well.
Slavina
Bożydar makes a show of replacing his hat to its appropriate position (ornamental peak pointing just so) and brushing black curls out of his eyes. He opens his mouth to make a reply to Diana, but then stops. He murmurs something to Bozhihosta in thier language, and then calls out to a woman in the middle of the crowd, waving her foreward.
Quickly recovering composure, he turns back to Daina with that same glittery flourish. "Daina. Shae." Each name rolls off his tongue like a precious gem. He dips towards each of them in turn. "Will you make introduce us to to your families?" Bożydar sweeps a hand out over the crowd. He also cocks an eye at Vir, in case the kids are too overwhelmed for the task.
Aaren
Aaren has pinpointed a critical health issue. A baby, a little one, with breath that won't come evenly. Aaren sings to Vir, with a free voice and her own concered song, "One of their babies is having—" and she sings the lung problems, "I'm gonna go look at it, okay?"
Can I have a precise location on the critical baby?
Daina
Daina frowns a little bit and falls silent as she cannot of course introduce her family. She glances to Shae to see if he offers up to do the thing.
Slavina
Bożydar quietly but rapidly translates Aaren's words for the women next to him, eyes wide.
Fate
Božhosta murmurs something back to Bożydar, her eyes tracking along the various people gathering around. They settle on the... childlike person and the personlike child making a closer approach.
As Bożydar offers his question to Shea, the child just stares at Bożydar, the strains of his awe still singing strong through his bones.
The other woman, who has not spoken yet, also widens her eyes. Božihosta, on the other hand, pauses a bit before flourishing a curtsey and tilt to the newly introduced Oogie.
Vir looks to Aaren, then looks to Donnie, Emilija, and back to Aaren. "Let me ask them if it's okay first." Vir then moves to the obvious spokesperson and nods in greeting. "I'll be happy to introduce you. But first... the winter is unkind to travelers. May we see to the health of you and yours?"
Daina
Daina is quite chuffed to see Oogie get his greeting as well and then she tries to mimic the flourishing curtsey.. it's like.. if a bow and a dance had kids!
Slavina
Bożydar clears his throat in what is totally a preparation to say something appreciative and definitely not because the cold air is bothering his lungs. "Yes. Yes, please. Our... ah... grandmother and grandfather would be so happy for you to do this favor to us."
After the acceptance, he says something in a low voice to the as-yet-silent gourd woman. Then after clearing his throat again he calls something out to the group.
Bożydar turns his attention back to Diana. He smiles again and does the same flourishing bow, but slower and more exaggerated this time so she can follow all the movements. He ends it in a crouch, one knee on the ground, and flips his sleeve out of the way to extend a hand towards Diana in encouragement.
Daina
Daina watches caaaarefully and then once more attempts to mimic it, her shawl maybe helping to disguise and flubs, if there are any! She glances to Shae and elbows him a bit like 'try this new thing with me'
Fate
The gourd woman nods back.
Vir nods to Aaren, then, when Bożydar's attention has clearly returned, says, "This is Aaren, from the family Arechavaleta. She's quite experienced with health problems—as is her mother, who..." Vir turns around briefly to look at the crowd, "... will be retrieved." Then he looks to Shea and Daina. "Can one or both of you go get Jerri, please?"
Shea does not seem budged, by Vir's request. Daina's elbow gets his wide eyes flicking to her, but he gives her a rather lost, uncomprehending look.
That's okay, though, because another voice calls out over the silence of the snow: "Gimme a minute, Vir!"
Eventually shouldering her way through the crowd is a massive muscle of a woman, dark roufus brown hair pushed to one side, revealing a burn scar that travels up one side of her face to her temple. She smells of fire, metal filings, and sweat (which is quickly drying from her brow). The upper part of her apron is undone and folded down at her waist—and her fingers are currently doing up the laces at her blouse, under her hastily thrown-on coat. As she does this she eyes the crowd. "We're getting them inside, right?" she asks of Vir.
"Yes, working on it," replies Vir, then adds helpfully, "Aaren's got the one baby." He then briefly introduces Jerri to Bozhydar. Jerri offers only a nod, not waiting for a reply before going on her way to help out the next immediate health issue.
Aaren
Aaren attends to the conversation between Vir and the new people. The moment she gets the nod, she pushes through the crowd, toward one of the half a dozen incredibly strange magipie-nest carts.
Slavina
Bozydar bows his way out of the gathering to accompany the song-child. "You are looking for the sick baby?" he asks her.
Aaren
"Yeah, the one with the lung problems." Aaren sings, to the tune of the baby's song. Then with a different voice, in a different tune. "Not the one with the infection. Mom's gonna take care of that one." She reaches the cart with the sick baby's song in it and then hesitates. There are a lot of bells, but also a lot of very painted door. "Is this a ring the bell house, or a knock house?"
Slavina
"Wait, please." Bozydar holds up a hand for her, and raps his hand against the side of the cart, making it jingle softly. He speaks with the people inside for a moment, through the door, then turns back to Aaren. "Go inside. I will wait here, and tell them what you are saying." As he talks, his speech takes on the rhythm of the song Aaren was singing.
Aaren
Aaren nods, and pauses before she goes through the door. "Sing this song . The baby needs to eat." She sings a song that is very similar to the one she'd been singing. She uses just one voice. The others fall silent.
Then she knocks and steps inside.
Slavina
Bozydar translates these instructions to the women in the cart, who take up the song. With a high harmony and counterpoint tenor. The inside of the cart is a plenty roomy for its six occupants provided no one wants to stand up. The interior is warm, unlighted, and lined all over with upholstered pillows and bundles of herbs, cloth, food, and sundries. A net is strung from the ceiling to store more of the same. Three grown women are seated opposite the door, two of them with babies in fur bundles tied to their backs. The other three people in the cart are clearly children of varying age—the oldest about ten.
Fate
At seeing Bozydar following the child, Kenna sends a trepidatious look Božihosta's way. Božihosta circles her head and then tilts it off in a direction, a vaguely sling-like motion which sets the bells on her hat a-tinkle. At that, Kenna's bells shake and jangle as her stride lengthens to catch up to the others.
Vir follows after the young fellow who clearly can speak the language, holding onto the silence while the two of them converse. In the first available space, Vir asks Bozydar, "Do you and yours speak Chlovak?"
Jerri tilts her head as if listening, then takes a look at her hands. She looks to Daina and Shea. "Shea, get some towels. Daina, heat up the sauna. Please."
The command, tied as it is to his name, reaches down within Shea and scatters the waking dreams painted so vividly for him. (For the time being.) "Okay!" He looks to Daina.
Božihosta glances quickly between the large woman and the children and, sussing that she's not needed, moves to fetch the Baba and the Deda.
Kenna catches up and pokes over to see past those standing outside the cart, clothing sending up a trill as she does so.
Daina
Daian nods her head some and smiles a little at Shea 'waking up' "C'mon let's go do the things!" Running off at top little girl speed. She'd stoke the fire and add water to get the sauna steamy, then go to find Shae and question if he thinks they should try and heat the towels.
Aaren
Aaren steps into the cart and grins as the women start helping. "Thank you!" She says, but once she realizes that they've had a lot of practice, she sets about giving them new singing tasks. Aaren also asks the children in the cart to sing along.
As soon as they are singing the most complicated version of the lung-sick-baby's hungry-and-awake song she can manage, she sets about singing its lungs healthy— and waiting for it to wake up.
Slavina
Bozydar addresses Vir as he would someone in Domochlovek. "Yes, we do. Although Kenna," he indicates the woman who just caught up, "Is still learning it." The answer is a little fragmented though, because he keeps stopping to relay instructions to the women in the cart. As he talks, Bozydar takes up clapping in time to the song inside, swaying back and forth to the music in a way that adds rhythmic jingles to it.
Fate
Shea thinks for a moment, pulling up short with his armful of towels. "Hey, that's a good idea!" He holds the towels out to Daina, serious, waiting.
Meanwhile, back amongst the crowd, another steps forward. "Anything we can do to help, Jerri?" he offers, motioning vaguely to the people behind him.
"I'll let you know, Jav," she says. She starts off and then pulls up. "Actually, heat up your sauna too. We may need it."
He nods and starts off himself. Wasting no more time, Jerri goes to the cart which has become even more musical, the songs drifting into the town square. She peeks in briefly, then moves in. (The cart responds to her entry, dipping slightly.)
Within the cart, the baby's face scrunches as if attempting to press out the unpleasantness. As this doesn't work, however, it begins fussing weakly, half-heartedly almost, its breathing audibly raspy and difficult.
Vir draws back slightly at the torrent of Chlovak, but waits for it to end before turning and calling to the crowd, "Someone get Mom, please!" Then they turn back to Bozydar. "Pardon—I intend arrange lodgings. Who should I coordinate with?"
Daina
Daina Hmmms softly nods her head ... "fabric is flammy though.. uhhh Oh oh ok ok I got it.. know you can put pancakes on a stone to cook up near a fire right? so .. let's go find a flat rock right.. and put the towels on it and then I'll heat up the rock.. .. yeah" she nods and then tries to think of where she can find a flat rock like that.