It was safe to say that after almost six months of being stuck in Bellmoril, Caspian was going a bit stir crazy.
Yes, Fleur had done her utmost best to keep her anxious friend occupied with various books to read, once she knew that he’d find interesting. Unfortunately, despite all the stories of grand adventures he had read, or lessons he learned on the use of mana as a form of energy, there really was no getting over how much he missed his mentor Pachua or traveling between the Palu’au Islands.
Staring out the wood-framed window, Caspian couldn’t help but sigh at the memory of those crystal clear water or the feel of warm sand beneath his little toe beans.
It was then that Fleur walked up behind him and cleared her throat to get his attention. “Still thinking about that kittom you ran into a few weeks ago?” She asked with a raised brow. Her tone held a bit of annoyance but even if he could guess the reason, chances are he would be wrong.
“What? Me? No…” He blinked several times, confused by the sudden question.
Fleur looked at him inconvenienced then glanced down at the rag he had been using to help with dusting off the bookshelves while she tended to the books themselves.
“I’m serious.” His cheeks puffed out as he shot a rather childish grumpy look in her direction. At least he wasn’t until Fleur brought her up. “I was just looking outside, watching as the shop owner outside watered the ivy growing on the side of their building.” At first he had thought the adult Elnin was going to cut them off, which would have been a shame since the splash of green was a welcome color against the stone walls and reddish clay roofing.
“I was just wondering when the miasma was finally going to go away so I can go back home.” There was a tinge of sadness laced into that statement that Fleur couldn’t help but feel sad for him. Caspian had been staying with her for the last few months and while he had a roof over his head, she knew he didn’t really consider Il’durahn his home. Yes, there were waterfalls outside the city but they were a far cry from the ocean waters he was used to.
“I don’t know.” She admitted quietly, “I’m not sure anyone does, honestly.” This was the first time in either of their lives that they experienced the seasons changing. Miasma was no joke and as kittoms, neither of them wanted to get sick by exploring areas they otherwise shouldn't be.
Caspian picked up the rag he had been using and lazily wiped the dust and cobwebs off one of the candle holders before moving over to a shelf that had just been cleared. “I know, I just…” Again he sighed, so unenthusiastic about cleaning, it was clear he just needed to go outside and spend some time in the sun for a bit rather than this dust-filled room.
Fleur’s head was canted to the side as she watched him mope about. “How about this.” She walked over and took the rag from him. Usually, he would at this point give her a grumpy look and try to take back what was deemed to be his but today he was most definitely acting off. “Why don’t you go open the door over there, let some fresh air in while I finish dusting off this stack of books. In the meantime, you file what’s left on the cart.”
“Yeah, sure.” Caspian shrugged, not offering much of a fight and instead worked the latch and pushed the window open.
A symphony of noises could be heard. Birds chirping while Elnin worked together to clean up the stone-paved streets while others set up stalls outside with canvas sheets acting as a covered area to protect their wares. There was a chorus of voices that filled the streets conversations between neighbors who worked together to spruce up their beloved Il’durahn.
After drawing in a breath of much needed fresh air, Caspian retreated to the other side of the library and rolled the cart over to the correct area to put the returned books back in their proper place. Once done, he waited at the table for Fleur to finished.
“And done!” she finally said after some time.
When Fleur finally rounded the corner of the last bookshelf Caspian looked at her with a rather perplexed expression. “What’s in there?” He asked, narrowing his eyes skeptically at the basket she carried.
“You’ll see,” she replied with an amused look on her face. He really had been out of it, she mused, finding humor in that her friend hadn’t noticed that she had actually left the library for the last several minutes and just returned. “Come on.” Fleur motioned with her head for him to get up and follow her.
Together they walked through the bustling streets. Ivy crept and crawled up the sides of buildings and archways and between stone buildings and homes they could see the tops or sides of trees that were just barely taller than the structures they grew beside.
“Where are we going?” he asked but Fleur remained silent and for a moment Caspian thought she was intentionally ignoring him until he noticed that the green trees towards the center of the city were starting to become more abundant and soon, before he knew it, they were walking out of the southeast entrance.
The bustling noise from the intercity streets had faded into a quiet hush and in its place was the roaring sound of water as it rushed off one cliff’s edge to the next. So different than the sounds of waves crashing upon the sandy shores of Palu’au but the melody was unmistakable. While they couldn’t wander too far, this was the most free he had felt in days.
“I figured you’d enjoy a picnic out here instead of something at home.” It’s not that her cooking was bad. If anything she had quite a knack for it even if he did say some of her dishes tasted a little bland. Unfortunately, that couldn’t be helped considering he liked to eat spicy or heavily seasoned food whereas her tongue couldn’t quite take that kind of heat.
“Thank you!” Caspian smiled and for the first time in the last week, he truly looked happy.
At that moment the wind shifted and with it came a mist of cool water that made one kittom shiver while the other looked like life had just been breathed back into him. Caspians’ eyes were alight with a light not unlike pomu lantern glowing brightly at the Starfall Faire and Fleur, for a moment, couldn’t help but smile at how quickly he seemed to be becoming more like his normal carefree self.
“Any time,” she said with a genuine smile as she then turned to walk over to an open area where they could sit in the sun and enjoy the scenery without worrying about getting wet, at least until they were done eating. Then, perhaps they could find a safe area to splash around in the water where they wouldn’t have to worry about the currents snagging one of them and sending them over the edge of a cliff. Surely they could find an area where the two of them could play for a bit before it got too dark and it was time to head back.
“I brought sandwiches and juice.” Something simple since she really didn’t have much time to cook without risking Caspian finding out her plan before she could get him out of the Library or him falling asleep.
“Mmmm,” he grinned mischievously, eyeing the wicker basket at her side. His stomach growled loudly and for a moment he considered reaching over and lifting the lid but decided to be a gentleman and wait. “You’re the best Fleur!” Caspian leaned to the side, bumping his shoulder against hers and Fleur, in return, did the same thing back to him.
“It’s what friends do,” she replied before splitting the food between them evenly.
The morning had been full of a list of chores that needed to be done. But now that they were free from those obligations, at least until tomorrow, the two kittoms were free to enjoy the rest of the day in each other’s company where fits of laughter replaced the bustling sounds of a large city preparing for the start of the new season.
