Submission (#1895) Approved

Quest: Resonance - Act 3 [Aspirations]
Act Type: Character
Word Count: 1368
Adult Elnin Present: Geir [ELN121]
Regional Affinity: Ealei
Claiming Regional Affinity for: Ilari [ELN154]
[Noble] Rank Unlock Mini-Requirement: N/A

Act 3: Learning Cheesy Lessons 

 

Away from the rocky outcroppings and back underneath Yggdrasil was the clear, blue waters and small towns lifted above the reach of the rising clear tide. Small houses with thatched roofs were held up by long wooden poles and connected along the side where plants grew in abundance. Further out from the shore were small mountainous islands. Ilari sat at the edge of a hut sipping at a tropical smoothie, kicking his feet over the side. Geir decided it was time to use manaberry juice to make their trip a little more interesting. The young kittom was enjoying the long legs and fingers that made things all the easier.

 

It was a leisure time between delivery routes, though not long as Geir walked up behind him. “Alright Ilari, I promised you’d have your turn, so it’s time now!” He held up a small box with a bright yellow delivery slip on top.

 

Ilari nearly choked and stared back, standing up on his legs, and he tossed the smoothie in the garbage. “You’re really doing this now?” He was torn between excitement and wanting to relax. Though the excitement won over in the end, he grabbed the brown wrapped package in both hands. “And it’s around here?” 

 

 A toothy grin moved across his face, and he folded his strong arms. “It’s the last one, but a good postnin can figure all of that out. I think a few days gloating for that mistake I made before should be met with some responsibility, right?” He winked back at him.

 

Ilari shook his head with a smile and a roll of his eyes. “Pfft.” He let out the noise and patted his shoulder. “I get you, no worries at all!” He stretched out and looked at the box, studying it in his hands. It was brown parchment paper with a clean seal. Still, the yellow delivery slip had been stamped “fragile” and instructions for a signature on the tear-away bottom portion. The contents were unlisted, but the weight made him think of something made of glass.

 

Scrawled on the side were the address and name, and he blinked hard at it. “How..?” He muttered under his breath and looked back up at the town they found themselves in. The clear waters gently lapped up warmly against the sands. Still, most of the small buildings were uniform in shape and size, while some were built on the beach itself and others half-hidden by the palm trees and waterlogged overgrowth. A few had signs hanging from doors, like the shop and the nice smoothie stand that he enjoyed.

 

Most of the town creatures used the long wooden platforms built between the huts. In contrast, others opted to use the waterfront entrances and swim along in the sun and water. That wasn’t going to be an option with a package, especially one that was appearing more like a fragile gift than anything else.

 

“Well it’s a personal address!” He said proudly, walking along with both his hands around it towards the little area of residences. Geir followed slowly, keeping his long tail close to him. As Ilari walked, his ears wiggled at every new shout, and he flinched when some Iledi children ran by, clutching the package more tightly.

 

“There’s um… there’s a lot more things that are… dangerous than I thought.” He turned back to stare at his dad again, squinting as if he’d planned it on purpose. In his single moment of distraction, however, he nearly mowed down someone with ice cream. “Ah!” He ducked away, twisting his body and clinging while the other elnin grumbled back at him.

 

“Sorry, sorry!” He called with a nervous wave, clinging to it. 

 

“Is it not so easy to maybe get something wrong then?” Geir teased gently but gave him a small tussle of his hair.

 

“Ugh, Daaaad,” Ilari whined, swatting his hand away. “I think it was fun that happened, and I’ve been waiting for this chance since we got here.” There was a strong urge to stick out his tongue, but he opted to bounce his tail in defiance instead, looking at the houses for any sort of numbers on them. Though they didn’t have them. While the little island huts’ groupings had names, they lacked any numbers, and he looked back. 

 

“The street matches this one…” He pointed at the Layaway Lane sign and walked down the way, jumping over some kittoms still in normal form. He swayed, and the package moved, nearly slipping, but he grabbed hold of it as he fell. “Woah!” 

 

 Geir stared back down at him. “Should I… be worried about you?” He’d never seen him like that before but thought maybe it was too much too soon for him. 

 

 Ilari shook his head and got up. “I think it’s just nerves. I mean, there I was relaxing… and now I’m here, delivering a package under your supervision. Sounds corny, but maybe I’m just psyching myself out. I’m not really this clumsy.” He spoke with confidence, and his tail bounced behind him as he neared the central area for the dock street’s residences. 

 

He’s taking this too seriously. Geir shook his head. “Just look at it and see what it says there. I promise it’s not a trick at all. It’s just an exercise in how to find addresses in places that don’t have a traditional system in place for that sort of thing. Like here.”

 

 His apprentice nodded, and Ilari looked back at the package where off to the side, a tiny number was written. “3R?” He spoke gently. Ilari groaned, and he walked to the third house from the right, knocking on the screen door with hard use of his knuckles. “Delivery!” He said proudly. 

 

Expectations high, he held the package out with both arms, beaming. 

 

THUNK!

 

A swing of the door hit his arms, and the package fell to the ground. The blood drained from his face as an older elnin opened the door. 

 

“Whassat?” The older elnin said, squinting up from her glasses in her bipedal form. The postnin-for-a-day froze in place. 

 

“Uh.. uh delivery…?” 

 

 “Deliver wassat now?” She grunted and poked at him with a cane, looking down. “Is this your package?!” 

 

 Ilari scrambled, grabbing at it, and he felt tears well in his eyes. “Y-yes… I am so sorry.” His throat felt dry and cracked from his embarrassment and shame. “I know it’s fragile.. I-I’ll pay for the damages!” 

 

 “Huh?” The old elnin leaned over, grabbing the package. “You have to speak up! Oranges? These can’t be oranges, I ordered cheese!” With a few quick motions, she unearthed the cheese wheel, taking in a deep whiff. “That’s the good stuff!” Grabbing at the signature, she scribbled on it and threw it back at him. 

 

 Dumbfounded, Ilari stared down at it as she ripped the package open. “Cheese?! But it’s marked as fragile.”

 

The woman elnin blinked. “Hostile? No, no! I’m happy young man. Thanks for getting this to me and in one piece. Always gotta mark things fragile or they’ll treat your deliveries like garbage.” With a pat of her hand on his cheek, she moved back. “Soup’s on!” She called into the coziness of the hut.

 

Ilari held the small yellow slip, turning with a marching twist and walking back to Geir, the same blank stare on his face. “I-“

 

Geir had a hand over his face before he blurted out another laugh that shook the clear water underneath him with the force of the chuckle. “Let’s go… take a dip in the water. That’s going to be a story, but I think I better tell you some of my first deliveries. I think you got off pretty easy!”

 

 Ilari shook his head, leaning over on him. “That scared me so bad, I thought I broke it. Screwed it all up right then and there.”

 

 “True,” said the older nin, “But you know not to stand there like a mannequin with a package out huh?” He tousled his hair. “Race you to the best dive off point!” And just like that, the older nin had become the child as Ilari watched him take off, laughing as he took off after him.