Reb
When he finished, there was a long moment of nothing.
"Well, it wasn't the flute. Maybe we're still not in the right spot," he said, turning to Annamore. He squinted. "Hang on." He tilted his head to look over her shoulder; they were not alone.
Several figures had joined them on the beach, cloaked in long robes of blue and hefting spears that looked more for ceremony than combat. Their faces were obscured, but Solus could see from the tailfeathers he'd found what he was looking for.
He ran around Annamore to greet them and discovered that the spears looked a lot less ceremonial when pointed in his face.
The guard said something; the others had come to join him, but they did not surround the golden stranger. They made a loose half circle before him, idly defending their side of the beach.
The guard repeated his statement, but Solus could only shake his head.
"I don't... I don't understand," he said slowly, his excitement fading. He looked to Annamore for help. It wasn't like any language he'd ever heard before.
Chey
Annamore had gasped in excitement when she saw the people on the sandy shore, turning to face them properly, a pleased expression on her face. She didn't even tense up at their spears, as happy as she was to see them.
She frowned at their language, looking between him and the robed guard. "I don't understand them either... Maybe they know some other languages?" She stepped forward, holding her hands out peacefully, keeping them well away from her bow. She smiled at them and, on a whim, greeted them in pheasant. Never hurt to check, after all.
Reb
They looked to the pink one and clutched their spears a little tighter. At the sound of her voice they all exchanged a confused glance.
Solus stepped forward again and greeted them in harpyish. "Friends, we come in peace," he said, "I have been searching for you. For a long time."
The group regarded him quietly for a long moment, and then reached up in unison to draw back their blue hoods, revealing the gold-faced people beneath. Solus could've cried from happiness just from that gesture: they looked like /him/.
The leader reached forward and put his hand on Solus' shoulder. Solus forced himself not to flinch from the contact and watched closely as he murmured something to the others. They nodded and another came forward to gently pry the flute from Solus' fingers. She studied the marks on the side- and somehow that settled it. The group turned and began to walk the way they'd apparently come, tugging Solus along by the hand. They chatted excitedly at them, turning to wave Annamore forward. Their words were as foreign as ever, but the meaning was clear. They wanted them to follow!
Chey
Annamore didn't need a second wave, moving up to walk beside him, actually taking his other hand while giving him a distracted, happy look. /We did it!/ She thought to herself, occasionally giving the solar guardians a shy smile as they walked.
"Moon, Solus." She murmured to him, not really having words for her feelings, but needing to say something before she exploded, "/Moon/."
Reb
The guards led them along the other cliff, opposite the waterfall. The ocean there was deceptive, seeming much deeper than it was when there was a shallow path where the beach ended. They walked single file around it as it curved sharply. The other side faced the wide, open ocean, which was impossibly blue, bluer than the sky. Jungle plants cascaded down the side and formed a natural curtain over a cave entrance. From this side they could see that the cliff got steeper and higher against the ocean, forming a natural wall between it and the jungle. Solus couldn't even see the top of the peak where it touched the horizon. The cavern itself was well-illuminated, torches blazing, mirrors and gemstones sparkling, ornate ceramics filled with glowing stones, and fire.
"Sunrock," Solus whispered to Annamore, gesturing.
They walked down, it seemed, and after a while the hall opened up with blue light. The cave walls were punctured by glass windows that showed they were well below sea level. Fish swam by, and Solus had to stop and gape for a moment.
Eventually the path turned upward again, and, again, the hall was filled with windows that overlooked the sea. They passed other people who looked at them kindly and smiled when they passed. The guard steered them past several more caverns through a bright opening. Outside of it was the jungle, but it was tamed. There was open space instead of tangled vegetation. The trees were bound and woven and carved with stone architecture. This was a village.
Chey
She found that, for a change, she didn't actually grow afraid as they moved deeper into the cavern. The people who lived here showed no fear, for one thing, and the presence of them, Solus, and the fact that it was well lit had her at ease and enjoying the walk.
Annamore's eyes widened when she saw the windows into the ocean, pausing to grin as she watched the fish that moved by them. "This is amazing..." She whispered to him as they continued on.
She was glad when they made it to the village, smiling again as she glanced at Solus, "You're /home./" She said the word quietly, but her voice was heavy with emotion as she stared up at him.
Reb
He reached for her hand and squeezed it, unable to look away from the surroundings. He didn't think he'd be able to speak if he tried.
The guard ushered them along the wide path before them and into a great clearing. The area was paved with white stone and looked to be some sort of village square, though it was shaped like a rough hexagon. Villagers began to emerge from their homes and the lead guard gestured to Solus and Annie to /wait/. They rushed off down another street.
The villagers all wore some sort of blue, draping clothes, but underneath their feathers were clearly red. Solus wandered forward as they came to greet him, eyeing the strange harpy-girl with some caution.
He shook his head, unable to understand their words, but he was smiling with such /elation/ that they didn't seem to care. They touched his shoulder and reached for his hands. Some of them reached to his neck-which did cause him to flinch back a bit-confused at his lack of hackle-feathers. Their own hackle feathers were long and elegant. Some of their tails were rather resplendant as well. Most of all they seemed fascinated by his golden plumage; not many of them sported it themselves.
The guards eventually came back to lead them forward again. Solus grabbed Annamore's hand as they were rushed forward with a much greater urgency. He barely had time to see the particular sights of the village as they swept him down several streets to a large important-seeming structure. There was a wide plate with fire on it, and three elders, two female, one male. The old man peeled away with one of the women. The remaining elder regarded him with her ancient grey eyes. She held the flute that the guards had taken earlier. With her free hand, she beckoned Solus closer.
She took his hand and smiled warmly.
"Welcome home, my son," she said, in harpyish, though her accent was very thick.
Solus gasped. He wasn't sure he could answer without choking; it was overwhelming.
"H-hello," he said quietly. "I'm... I'm Solus. My companion is Annamore." He turned to gesture to her, and the elder beckoned her forward as well.
Chey
Annamore was unconcerned with the cautious looks she was being given - she was used to weird looks, when people could see her at all. She was more than a little overawed, though, as she looked around, struggling to keep up with the longer legs of, well, almost everyone.
She gave him a sympathetic look look as they reached for him, knowing how he was. /So it's a him thing. His people obviously have my own issues with personal space... Or lack thereof./ She thought with a hint of amusement.
She looked away from him again, her feathers ruffling slightly with a sense of peace, letting out a small sigh before she found her hand grabbed by Solus, being pulled forward again. She stayed back as he moved forward to meet the woman. Her words... She didn't entirely understand them, but she managed to pick out /home/ and most importantly, /son./ She sucked in a breath of amazement, her eyes meeting his when he turned to look at her.
She had no words as she moved forward upon being beckoned, but as soon as she was next to him she slipped her hand into his, squeezing it gently, her heart pounding heavily. "H-hello." She dipped her head in greeting.
Reb
"I am the First Elder, and you may call me Tla-Ja. A warm welcome to you both," she said. She looked Annamore in the eye, and gave her a knowing grin. She could tell this one was special. She turned to address the guard briefly, and then turned back to the two before her.
Solus was crying. He was valiantly pretending not to be crying, but the tears were streaming down his face whether he liked it or not. Tla-ja looked on him kindly.
"How long have you been lost, my son?" she asked him. He sniffed, and shook his head. He couldn't answer. His hand went to cover his eyes, to give himself a moment to press his lips together and weep. He wiped at his eyes and blinked at her.
"A long time," he choked out. The elder reached for his hand and he gave it to her. She looked at his palm and a touch of sadness entered her brow, as if she could read his whole history there.
"I am very old," she said, eventually looking up again. "And you are very, very young to be so tired. You've been running for a long time, but you should rest now." She took Annamore's hand, too. "Rest now. You are home." She looked Annamore in the eye. "You are from far away. And you are far too powerful to be a harpy." She smiled. "You are welcome, too, daughter." Solus looked over to Annamore, wondering if he needed to translate.
Chey
Annamore focused intently on listening, on /understanding/ the words. She'd heard it in the harpy markets, of course, and the accent here was different. But the language, she realized, wasn't too far from some of the bird-of-prey dialects she'd learned. The warmth of the woman's voice helped, too, making her smile back happily.
One glance at Solus as tears streamed down his face opened her up to suffer from the same malady, her throat quickly tightening. One second, then two went by, then tears started slowly streaming down from her eyes too, feeling weird as they dropped down onto her feathers.
She smiled again at Tla-ja, the expression more in her eyes than on her face, "Thank you." She whispered, squeezing the elder's hand gently. She made an attempt to use the language, thinking she might be able to handle it, "Thank you," She tried again, "I am not... Normally a harpy."
Reb
Tla-ja's grey eyes twinkled at her. "I do not understand your magic, but I respect it. You are filled with light." The phrase sounded specific, as if it were a sort of saying used for meeting immortal spirits. Solus distantly wondered if that happened often, here.
The First Elder gathered the other two elders and relayed several instructions. The Elders spoke with the guard, and soon the silent room was abuzz with their strange chatter.
"You do not speak our language," Tla-ja observed, speaking again to Solus.
"I was raised by harpies," he told her. "My egg was... stolen. I don't even know what we are called." The elder smiled kindly, if not sadly, upon him.
"We are called 'Solar Guardians,' my child," she said. "We sing to the great-bird's-egg and follow the starshine's element. We watch the celestial hatchling until it returns to the place-of-a-thousand-suns." Sensing his confusion, she shook her head. "For now you must rest. Later we will feast, and celebrate, and all will be explained. But first you must rest." She clucked to someone behind them, who came forward with a slight bow. "My friend Talshi speaks much less harpy than I, but he will guide you."
Solus looked to Annamore and squeezed her hand. Talshi waited for them at the door.
"Thank you." Solus bowed to the First Elder, which she returned.
"Welcome home, Solus. I will see you later." Tla-ja did some sort of mime with her hand on her forehead that seemed culturally significant as Talshi ushered them back out into the village.
Chey
Annamore tilted her head, an odd glimmer of respect entering her eyes at the woman's phrase. /Does she mean moonlight, I wonder? How does she know?/
Her ears tilted between the people talking, but mostly she focused on the only two she could understand with comparative ease.
She wiped the tears away from her eyes, composing herself better, her heart filling with gladness when Tla-ja told him what he was. She could have done that, she realized, but she had felt like it was something he needed to hear from his own people. That was important, she thought.
Annamore bowed when he did, feeling it would be appropriate, before walking out with her hand still attached to Solus'.
She gave him a shy smile, "I like them. Your people." She had to admit, the thought of resting sounded /nice/ - they had done a /lot/ for one day.
Reb
"Me too," he whispered to her, his voice still tight with emotion. He sniffed heavily. "I like them, too."
His hand squeezed hers as their guide led them at a leisurely pace through the village. Solus was glad- he /had/ done an awful lot of running, and it gave him time to look, and see, and the people- his people- came up to them and greeted him in their native tongue. It was delightful. The daylight was just beginning to fade, not quite sunset, but the mountain cast a shadow over the village. They lit lanterns that hung in the trees, pots of sunrock in front of their homes, and strange blue glimmers of light that seemed to float like stars in the treetops. Bioluminescent flowers, Solus guessed.
Talshi led them to the edge of the village and down a path with a high wall of vegetation on either side. They came to a junction. The path split in two ways, and Talshi gestured that they should part.
"To bathe," he explained, and his accent was /thick./ "To clean. Clothes will be given." That seemed to be his extent of the harpy tongue, so Solus turned to Annamore. In truth, he was reluctant to leave her, because despite the warm welcome, she /was/ the only familiar thing there. But he supposed he did need a moment or two alone, to think, and to breathe, and to accept it all.
He pulled her into a tight embrace, wrapping his arms all the way around her and pressing his cheek against the top of her feathered head. He lingered like that for what seemed a long time before speaking.
"So. Did big bird tell you to come here, or did you ask him?" he asked with a pleased smirk.
Chey
She enjoyed the walk, falling silent and taking in everything with sparkling, curious eyes - everything seemed so /beautiful/ to her, although that could be her emotions coloring it all. There was a scent to everything - flowers, earth, and she could still smell salt from the sea. It actually reminded her of her childhood home, on an island in Greece.
Annamore was as unsure about splitting off as he was. She felt /safe/ here, that was true, but she was an outsider entirely, while he belonged to them, belonged here. And she didn't really want to be alone. She pressed against him when he pulled her into a hug, burying her face against his chest.
She flushed at his question, her crest raising in embarrassment, "Oh, er..." Her voice lowered - she should have known he'd guess. "I asked him... I mean... No one should be alone, and I figured if anyone might know, it'd be him."
Reb
He sniffed and wept again in her feathers, not really caring how it might look to their guide. His fingers stroked through her crest-feathers. His heart was swollen, filled to bursting with everything he felt. Finally he calmed again, and drew back from her. He got onto his knees so he could give her a tender, lingering kiss.
"Thank you," he whispered to her lips. "Thank you, Annamore." He touched his forehead to hers once before drawing back. He slowly rose and began to walk in the other direction. The last thing he let go of was her hand.
After a few paces he stopped, and turned, and looked back at her. He blinked for a moment, confused; it had almost felt like something had tapped him on the shoulder. He shook the feeling off with a shy smile before continuing to the baths.
Chey
She held onto him as he cried, not minding it in the least - indeed, how could she ever mind that? She stroked her hand over his back comfortingly, making a sound somewhere between a laugh and a sob, almost dizzy with emotions herself.
"W-wha-?" She was startled when he got on his knees, unsure for a moment what he was going to do, but she quieted at his kiss, feeling like she was going to explode from happiness at that moment.
She couldn't even respond to his thanks - how /does/ one reply to that? This was his people, his family they were talking about. Wasn't it only natural that she'd try to help him find them, if it was in her power? That wasn't deserving of thanks - it was the right thing to do. Something she would have done anyways, even if she hadn't felt the way she did towards him.
She watched him walk away for a few seconds, and was about to turn away when she saw something... A fairy, of some kind, fly over and touch him on the shoulder, making her blink in confusion. She was about to say something when it flew off again, and he turned back to look at her. He never saw a thing, she realized. /Wait. Wait wait wait wait wait. T-that was that thing he told me about!/ She met his look, her own just as shy, and felt her cheeks /flush./ She practically flew down the path when he turned away again, fleeing so that she could /think./
Reb
Solus found the baths empty. They were clearly communal, with several pools set up for multiple people, and other more private areas further down. Solus walked to one of the smaller pools, which sported a natural-looking fountain in the center. A towel and a neat pile of clothes sat on a bench near the edge. He disrobed, gently setting his belt on the clean clothes, and piling his dirty clothes next to them.
He waded into the water, finding it pleasantly cool against the warm jungle air, and sank down so that it covered his shoulders.
He tilted his head back and watched the sky darken for a long time, until the clouds were pink with sunset. He focused on breathing evenly and smiled at all the feelings fluttering around in his chest. He took his time bathing before shaking off and clothing himself again in the long blue traditional clothing provided.
Chey
Annamore was panting when she made it to the baths, her cheeks stuff flushed brightly, practically competing with her crest, which was now raised. Unfortunately for her dignity, she wasn't alone there either. A few female Solar Guardians were already there bathing with a few younger children, and they glanced at her curiously, smiling at her as she tried to compose herself. She didn't actually mind other people being there, having grown up with public baths. And she wasn't used enough to this body to feel self conscious about it, either.
She stepped towards them and motioned questioningly, silently asking, /Can I join you?/
Reb
A few of the women eyed her cautiously, not expecting to see harpy-kind in this place. One of them saw the golden feather in her crest, however, and seemed to take it as a sign she was welcome. She waved her over to one of the pools, and the others smiled in greeting. It wasn't long before a bath attendant stepped in with a neatly-folded pile of clothing; she found Annamore and handed the pile to her before bowing and departing.
Chey
Annamore smiled, "Thank you." She tried in harpyish, wondering mildly if she was getting the accent even somewhat right, and sat the clothes on a near bench. Quickly, she stripped down and slipped into the pool, "Hello." She tried questioningly, feeling her whole body ease with the warmth of the water. "Moon above, this feels amazing."
She was actually rather glad that other people were there - it kept her from being able to over think that fairy she'd seen. Instead, her eyes trailed to peer at the young ones - one was so young she seemed to be covered in a light down rather than feathers, making Annamore grin in pleasure at the sight. She made a silly face at the girl, laughing when the girl smiled back at her.
Reb
They welcomed her easily, smiling kindly as they bathed. One of them asked her something in the native tongue, confused. Another one timidly said "Hello" back in harpyish, but from her accent it was clear she didn't understand much of the language herself.
Chey
She grinned shyly at them, her ears flicking to listen intently as they spoke in their language. Start with the easy things, she decided. She cupped her hand in the water and lifted some of it out, pouring it back in, and referring to it. One of the women seemed to understand what she was asking, and spoke a word. Annamore repeated it. She then pointed up at the slowly rising moon of their planet, glad for the light, despite the fact that it wasn't /her/ moon. Another word, another repetition. The other women seemed to get the game now, and started pointing to various things and telling her the words, almost too fast for her to keep up with.
Chey
Before long she found the pattern to the language, making her smile. She wouldn't be fluent, of course, but she'd be able to understand a little. "T-thank you." She tried in their tongue, laughing lightly.
Reb
"You are welcome, harpy," they trilled happily, pleased that they'd helped her.
Chey
She finally realized how long must have passed and gave a squeak of embarrassed startlement. She nodded to them and smiled brightly, climbing out and drying off before dressing in the flowing robes. She tugged on them slightly when done, hoping she had them on right. She waved at the women as she started to walk away, wanting to get back to Solus, "Good bye. I hope I'll see you again."
Reb
"Farewell, friend harpy!" they called, and waved to her as she left. When she had turned around, one of the younger women quickly ran up to her and tugged on her clothing. "Pardon me," she said, and adjusted Annamore's belt so that the skirt accommodated her tail more comfortably. She tied it securely and patted the small of her back. "There you go, harpy. Don't drag your sleeves!"
Reb
Solus waited on a bench near to where the entrance was. There was a small crowd surrounding him, and they were all attempting to communicate. Most of it ended in failure, which caused them all to laugh uproariously, until Solus discovered they could communicate through song. It wasn't much of a conversation, but it felt nice to add his voice to theirs. It was a great comfort to belong to something like that.
Chey
"Annie." She returned, laughing. "You can call me Annie. And thank you." She glanced at her sleeves with a grin - this was far more clothing than she was used to wearing, anymore. She wondered at the sleeves, deciding these people must not fly much. She gave a small bow and then slipped back to the entrance, eyes lighting up when she saw Solus singing, surrounded by his people. He looked so /happy./ And, he had a great singing voice, she realized with a grin. She gave a shy wave as she approached, hoping she wasn't going to interrupt them.
Reb
He caught her wave out of the corner of his eye and his smile widened as he sang. Gently he eased himself out of the song as it came to a close, the other solar guardians applauding. They dispersed and Solus rose and walked over to Annamore.
"Wow, this is an interesting look for you. I don't think I've ever seen you in /sleeves/ before," he teased, and wound his arms around her shoulders comfortably. "Blue does suit you, though," he murmured, his heart doing a little flutter.
Chey
"I could say the same for you. Your cape, yes, but sleeves?" She smirked at him, "And usually there's a bit more..." She glanced down, raising an eyebrow at him, "Leg showing." She leaned against him, feeling a lot more at ease now. Her eyes trailed to his shoulder curiously, as if expecting to see a mark.
"Been having fun?" She asked, her own arms wrapping around his waist - feeling her new shortness even more than usual. "Sorry I took so long, I was..." She furrowed her brow as she said a few words in their language, before looking back up at him, "Learning."
Reb
He blushed and snorted, and stuck a leg out to tease her. "Well now I get to have this lovely slit up the side of my dress. Sexy, no?" He reached back to smooth his tail down.
"Yeah," he chirped, dipping down to smell her head. "Yeah, this place is /amazing/. These people... they don't speak much harpy, but they're so /excited/ I'm here." He raised an eyebrow. "Wow, you catch up quick. And here I was singing this whole time." He gently moved his hands over her shoulders, unsure if he was more shocked to find her wings still missing, or to touch the silken fabric of her robes.
Chey
She started laughing when he stuck his leg out, to the point of tears rolling down her face. "That's great. That's perfect. Maybe I'll even let you carry me again later so you can make use of that lovely dress slit."
Annamore barely noticed that his tail flared slightly. "I've had to learn a lot of languages in my life." She explained, smiling happily at him. "Some are easier for me to pick up than others are."
She shivered slightly as his hands moved over her shoulders - she wasn't used to anything being there besides her wings, so having those gone, feathers instead, and now clothing over that, was a bit overwhelming. Not bad, thought.
"They are very kind. Have you seen the /kids/ yet? They are adorable!" She informed him, "All downy! Well, I guess you knew that because you are one, but for me it's amazing! And really cute." She babbled at him, "I think I want ten of them if they are all like that." /Shit, I just said that out loud didn't I?/ She felt her cheeks burn slightly.
Reb
"Hey, I won't complain. I mean, I sort of owe you now, don't I?" he laughed, his tone teasing.
"Well now you might have to translate for me. This is utterly foreign to me, sadly enough."
He cocked his head when she shivered, but didn't say anything.
"Yes, yes I've seen the kids," he grinned. "They /are/ darling. Harpy chicks are rarely that fluffy and cute." He choked. "/TEN?/ Wait, what?" He blushed furiously and struggled to recover, smoothing down his flared crest and tamping his tail down in the back. "Oh, stop it," he muttered to said tail. "I mean, uh... Yeah, they are pretty cute!"
Talshi wandered over to interrupt them.
"Feast now," the man said, eagerly pointing them in the direction of the village square. "Dancing later!"
He ushered them back to the square, where a burning plate of sunrock blazed warmly in the center of the wide space. A hundred dishes of food were laid out around the circle, where families sat and chattered to themselves. There was a space at the top of the square where the guard stood; it looked like the elders were supposed to sit there.
Chey
"Hey, I could always just climb on your back and steal them if you didn't." Her eyes sparkled at him as she teased.
"You'll learn." She assured him confidently, "I'm sure there is someone here who'd be willing to give lessons, but I'll try. It's iffy at best, though."
Her crest flared up when he choked, making her face burn harder, "I j-just meant... You know..." She was nearly ecstatic when they were interrupted by Talshi.
"Dancing?" She felt her feathers fluff further at that thought. "That sounds /fun/. Can you dance, Solus?" She caught his hand as they walked, swinging it childishly between them, looking out over the square, wondering where they were meant to sit.
Reb
He hummed happily. "Yeah, I can dance. Can you?"
Talshi led them to the far side, where the elders were coming in. Several other people trailed behind them.
The First Elder nodded to them and then addressed the village.
"Good people of the celestial guardians," Tla-ja said. "Tonight the stars have smiled upon us in fortune. Not only do we celebrate the third song-of-the-egg on this summer's eve, but we also welcome home one who has been lost. Brothers, sisters, sing merrily tonight, for the stars have added more voices to our harmony." The crowd began chirping and cheering; Solus took that as a good sign, looking to Annamore in amusement.
"Get any of that?" he whispered.
"Solus," Tla-ja interrupted in harpyish. She reached for his hand. "I am very old, and my memory is very long. While you rested, I remembered your face, for I have seen it before." She smiled brightly, her old eyes crinkling at the edges, and tugged him closer as she stepped aside. The people who had been standing behind her rushed forward, and before Solus knew what was happening, there were two children clinging to his legs and one in his arms.
"I found the ones who lost you, my son," the First Elder said, and then she winked at Annamore.
Two people stepped forward, a man and a woman, and Solus' breath hitched because her feathers were gold and his eyes were blue and, yes, the man's face did look an awful lot like an older version of himself.
They approached him timidly, the woman exchanging a glance between her husband and Solus. He looked down at his blue-eyed siblings and trembled, as his parents reached for him and pulled him into a warm embrace. The man was crying. The woman was whispering something into his ear. Solus didn't understand and he didn't care. He shook with emotion as his arms reached around them all to hug them back.
"There, little not-harpy," Tla-ja said to Annamore. "All is repaired. I hope you'll enjoy the feast!" She leaned in conspiratorially. "We're having fish, you know."
Chey
"Yeah, I can. But the one who taught me learned from spiders." She replied, as if that was entirely normal.
Her ears fixed intently on Tla-ja as she spoke, trying to understand what she was saying. "There is to be... Singing tonight, because of the egg and you?" Her lips twitched into a smile again as the older woman approached them again, and pulled Solus away. She followed shyly, keeping a respectful distance. Something important was about to happen, she could tell.
Annamore's hand went to cover her mouth, her lips trembling as she realized what was going. His family. His /real/ family. She cried quietly, not caring how she looked, as she watched. This, /this/, made everything worth it. It made her feel whole, in more ways than one. /Repaired/ was an understatement to her. She felt a flicker of what it would be like if she saw her own family again, feeling as if they were smiling down on her right now, blessing this moment.
She still couldn't help but laugh at Tla-ja's comment, "F-fish? That's my favorite, you know..."
Reb
Tla-ja's eyes twinkled at her. "Is it, now? Well, isn't that lucky?" The old woman whistled to herself as she hobbled off to make her rounds, greeting everyone present at the feast.
Eventually Solus' family drew back from him, each, in turn, kissing him on the forehead. His father ruffled his hair fondly. Solus smiled and leaned against his mother's shoulder, relishing in the sensation of actually /having/ a mother. His siblings giggled and tugged on his robes and his tail, giddy for this new relative they'd never met.
They bid Solus a temporary farewell as Tla-ja came back to sit and enjoy the feast. Solus wandered back to Annamore, smiling and wiping his eyes.
"Man, I keep crying," he chuckled. He reached for her hand again and squeezed it. Tla-ja motioned for them to sit with her as a tray of food was presented to them.
"You will see them again," she promised him with a smile, and helped herself to fish, fruit, some sort of rice dish. Solus followed her lead and threw Annamore a smile. /Thank you,/ he mouthed to her.
Chey
She watched him with his family almost longingly, still leaking a few tears, although she was working on getting it under control. When he returned she took her sleeve and reached up, dabbing the few tears he missed gently. "I'd be worried if you didn't, love." She whispered to him, before wiping at her own again, for all the good it would do. She had a feeling she was going to be misty eyed a /lot/ tonight, but she wasn't complaining in the least.
She sat down and was more than happy to eat - the food smelled amazing to her, making her sigh in satisfaction as she took a bite. She caught the words he mouthed and flushed again, finally thinking of the words to answer that. /It is my joy./
Reb
Solus' eyes twinkled at her response.
As they ate, Tla-ja talked.
"Solar guardians protect the ancient eggs of the celestial birds, buried here milennia ago from the star-gods that flew here from the warmth of distant suns," she said. She grinned, knowing how oblivious that sounded. "It is our gods-given duty to protect these eggs as they awaken. We sing them the lullaby of the stars as they grow. When they hatch, we sing to them the song of the sunlight, until their wings are strong enough to fly. When they fly, they leave, and return to the stars." She looked upward and hummed a note, as if those very birds were speaking to her now. "And then we move on to the next egg." She lifted the flute from a pocket in her robe. "We left this behind. As a culture, we keep to ourselves, but sometimes there are those who have need of us. I'm told you played it quite beautifully." Solus smiled and nodded humbly. "But should you travel back that way, I'm going to have to ask you to return this." She pressed the flute into his hands. "It is important that it stays, even if our writings are wiped from the walls." Solus took the flute back and nodded seriously.
"I understand," he responded. Tla-ja smiled.
"Now enough talk of those who dwell in the skies. Eat, and enjoy, and then you must dance. Tonight is a festival, you know."
Chey
Annamore listened intently as she ate, intrigued by the talk. /Stars and sunlight. Celestial birds. Are they sort of spirits, like me? From space... Almost like some of the guardians, or the moon itself./ She reminded herself that this was a different world, with different magic and rules.
"What kind of festival?" She asked curiously, leaning forward slightly.
She was enjoying the food, certainly - it was simple, but the flavors were perfect, even if the fish was a kind she'd never had before. She couldn't help but smile at the thought of dancing, especially with Solus. Her eyes flicked to his, giving him a wink, her voice lightly teasing, "I'll try not to step on your feet... Not that you'd feel it anyways."
