July 2023 Ver.

She swept long straight brunette locks behind a shoulder. A pillow was raised by it’s ‘neck’ then tossed into the air. The teenage girl jumped and whipped herself full circle to connect a leg to the object. It ‘slammed’ against the far wall.

“Hmph.” She grinned at herself before strutting over to collect her pillow to return to the center of the room. She leaped again.

THUMP THUMP!

The noise caught her off guard and she landed unevenly. Her ankle twisted, followed by her hitting the floor hip first. “Ow…” Her pointed feline ears covered with brown fur twitched in annoyance. “WHAT!?” She hollered through the wood below her.

“Conclude your indoor efforts! The ruckus spooks the patrons. Come join us or re… re-,” the man chiding her fumbled over himself. “Resume!” he shouted louder when he recalled the word, “Your training outside.” Green eyes rolled their confines.

She threw off her night gown to climb her way into one of her few daily dresses. She tended to stick with square necklines. This one was a princess cut with draping half-sleeves like flower petals. The bottom ended at the top of her knee. At least in the front. The back was a few inches longer. It was a soft jade color that brought out the deeper green of her eyes and played well with the softer features of her face.

Although the other parts of her body showing weren’t so soft. For being small, her form was edging on bulky thanks to having more muscle than the rest of her family combined.

She fixed the part of her hair. It was slightly to the right and always trying to drift back to the center. Next came her boots. They were a sturdy leather with irritatingly long laces since they came up to the knee. With one last thump she bounced out of the door of her tiny room.

The hallway was equally suffocating. The young lady turned to her right, putting one of only two sources of light, otherwise known as a window, to her back. She didn’t proceed through the regular door at the far end. Instead she stopped at the little hub just before.

“Coming down!” A bang of the boot in the center threw open a hatch. She dropped onto the ladder that went with it despite it not sliding open fully. Her weight on the end took care of that.

This delivered her into their storefront below. The space would have been breath-ably open and spacious if it wasn’t crammed full with bookshelves. They lined all the walls from top to bottom. Even below the windows wasn’t safe. There were also a few aisles of them across from the bar counter. Yeah. It was easy to see it used to be a tavern with an inn, repurposed from an attic, above it.

“How amicable of you to convene with us this morning, Devin.” She heard her grandfather, but didn’t see him. Devin took a moment to fold the door back up into the ceiling. Only a conspicuous string remained.

“Morning…” Another voice groaned. Her eyes turned upon her brother at the counter.

He was over a year younger than her with a single foot firmly planted in puberty. Like her he had pointed ears atop his head and a tail hiding below. They were currently drooping. His fur and unstyled hair near touching his chin were a stark white as if to be in direct contrast to her. The boy also preferred to dress in a big baggy brown hooded robe. Like a friar’s robe if the hood portion was attached. It went well past his hands and knees. The hood could also drown his whole head if pulled up. He still wore shorts underneath regardless.

He was hunched over on a stool, with his chin on the counter by the cashier box. His irises matched and met hers from this position. The boy was clearly bored.

“Morning, Avery. No customers?”

“I sold some inkwells. Not much else.”

Just beyond him on the counter was Madeline, a small long-haired black cat. The ‘regular’ kind of cat, as humans were so helpful about pointing out. She was sprawled out sunbathing in the late morning sun. He reached up to scratch at her idly.

She took a few steps closer then noticed some more white in her peripheral. Their grandpa was staring intently at a section of his tomes. He was relatively tall and slim. The man still didn’t look close to being a grandfather either. Everyone was always surprised he wasn’t their father. Even with disheveled hair, sunken eyes, glasses, and generally unkempt attire. While he wore tan slacks with a vest and red tie, like some kind of fancy gentleman, the man had a habit of sleeping in his clothes. A habit that was obvious to everyone who looked at him.

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His hair was about the same length as Avery’s. He had the top of it pulled back today.

He had to be well into his seventies, possibly even in the eighty range, but everyone guessed he was in his early forties. Something something elf blood a couple generations back. They lived much longer lives than humans or whatever her species was called. She tended to forget the details. He was otherwise human. Inter-species relationships were a trend in the family. His mate being neither human nor elf. Every year they got older and he looked the same. It made her recall his daughter scoffing when she began to look the same age as him.

Admittedly, she didn’t simply forget the details. She didn’t care to remember them. She was sick of them being pointed out. All she needed to know was that her and Avery were the only ones in their hometown who didn’t pass for human despite being mixed themselves.

Her grandfather lifted a book slowly, delicately aiming at a spot he had made on the shelf for it. His hand lurched to and fro until a second clung on as well. About at the same speed he lifted it, he slid it onto the shelf. Devin sighed.

The teen collected the stack on the ground in front of her elder to tuck under an arm, “Why don’t you let me do that, gramps?”

“H-huh?” The older man’s inhumanly dark red eyes came to her. Even though he had just called her down and greeted her, it seemed she caught him unawares. “O-oh, y-yes.” He cleared his throat, “I have duties at the front to tend.” Her grandfather went to walk around her, but accidentally caught a shoulder on her. It nearly sent him to the ground and he had to clutch onto her momentarily. Steadied this way, he worked his way around, “Apologies, Devin.” Her nose recoiled at his breath. He left her with a couple pats on the shoulder and a smile.

She set to work. No matter where she went in the store she could hear him shuffling papers. Occasionally her brother would ask a question. The man also had a habit of darting between different unrelated activities these days. His focus wasn’t what it used to be. One question would be about managing expenses while the next was on some new ridiculous spell he was cooking. Avery was always fascinated with whatever he was doing.

The days were all like this. Unless she wanted to go practice her fighting. Alone. Her existence was a constant choice between boredom or loneliness. How pleasant.

“GRAMPS!”

The new voice raised in panicpiercedher heart.Books clattered to the floor as she darted out of the stacks.

An even taller brown-haired human male slumped against the frame of their doorway, “I… overdid it.” He shuffled forward a couple steps. His knees struck the floor as he lost his footing. The jolt was the straw that broke the horse’s back as he puked up a putrid black substance in the middle of the store. He had to brace himself before he fell over into it. The sound of his hand meeting the floor was… wrong.

There was no time to dwell. Her grandfather flung himself around the counter like he hadn’t been barely able to stand mere seconds ago. He slid the last few feet on his knees, almost colliding with the ailing individual. Avery had jumped up, standing on a rung of his stool to see them on the floor. She had rushed over as well, but retreated a step. This wasn’t in her skill set. All she could do was hover in worry.

Her grandfather turned the younger man onto his back, leaning him against his chest, “Rowan! What did-?” His gaze was drawn away by little bits of stone peppering the floor next to where he had vomited. He lifted the other’s hand to examine it. The limb had changed to an unnatural gray and seemed to be hardening. Some of the fingers of his left had snapped off from the impact.

“Devin! I require my potions kit!”

“Y-yes!” The girl turned on a heel. At least there was something she could do.

Their caretaker launched into a mixture of questions and scoldings, “You’re fortuitous beyond logic! Most would have expired ages ago! What cataclysmic event did you endeavor against this time!? Or are we simply swilling down poisons for amusement now? By what means did you even journey home in such a condition?”

The last she heard was Rowan giving an exasperated sigh before being out of earshot. Their grandfather also tended to speak in paragraphs. Apparently, being at death’s door still wasn’t enough to make him falter on that front.

While this was the first time the situation had been this dire, it wasn’t an uncommon occurrence for him to have to bumble together a concoction to fix their bumbling. If pure magic couldn’t do the trick. So it took her mere seconds to locate the kit. She delivered it anxiously and quickly.

Speaking of magic, the fingers Rowan had snapped off from his fall had been reattached. Both Avery and grandpa were checking for more damages when she returned. Her racing heart finally quelled not long after as a cure was mixed and administered.

The young man sighed in relief, glancing at his wiggle-able, firmly connected fingers, “Sorry, everyone, and thanks for the help. Don’t… don’t panic…” He blinked slower and slower, “I’m… I’m gonna take a quick nap… okay? Only a day or two…” The last bit was almost incomprehensible as he passed out right there.

And there they were with their fur still on end, trying to smooth themselves flat, while Rowan snoozed peacefully like he hadn’t just struck terror into them.

Their grandfather sat a while longer with his eldest still draped on him, scowling, “Progressing toward an untimely grave.” He rubbed over the bridge of his nose, misaligning his glasses in the process. More of his remaining cure was poured onto the black ooze that had been spat up. “Devin, assist him to his room, please.” There wasn’t much to say to that so she simply nodded.

She crouched and he was slumped onto her back. The sixteen year-old proceeded to hoist her adult, twenty-two year-old cousin up without much help. “C’mon, idiot…” Unfortunately the ladder wasn’t an option with such a load so she exited the shop entrance to circle around to the back alley for the stairs.

“Avery, would you fetch the… uh… mop? Yes, mop.”