July 2023 ver.

Devin bolted upright. She blinked at the darkness, but her eyes adjusted in seconds. The young woman rubbed at her face trying to drag herself the rest of the way out of her unpleasant dream. After delivering Rowan to his room, she had dragged a chair over to sit at his bedside and fallen asleep there.

He was still out. Their stray cat had wandered in, having her own methods to reach the second floor, to sleep on him curled in a tight little ball.

Devin picked up the candle dish to ignite it. With matches. She wasn’t a magical girl in the way the boys of the family were. It wasn’t really necessary for her, but her cousin was basically a regular human. At least as far as she knew.

She watched his face for a while in the flickering low light. Their family tree was so much more complicated than others. They didn’t think about it most of the time. It didn’t matter, or rather, it shouldn’t. Yet sitting and looking at him was making her think too much. She shared her grandfather’s name, but… him and Rowan had the same face. Her hand subconsciously moved over her own jawline. Her and Avery’s faces were wider, less defined features. Not only that, but their skin was a tone darker. Maybe two or three darker than their deathly pale grandfather.

Dravidant Chanoix. Rowan got the better end of the deal looking like him. Did a name really even mean that much? Whenever Rowan was gone, their grandfather could barely take care of himself. Would it be the same if it was her always leaving?

Devin hugged her legs to her chest in the chair. This was stupid. She let her attention wander trying to find something else to occupy her mind. The only thought that occurred was the fact that his room was so empty. Nothing on the walls. No furniture besides the bed and a small dresser next to it. She bet any clothes in it didn’t even fit him now.

“I feel like my body is made of iron,” he suddenly coughed next to her.

“Gee. I wonder why,” the sarcasm was thickly woven into her voice. “Gramps said you were exposed to a petrifying substance. He and Avery had to go out to look for anything else you puked up on your way here.”

Rowan focused on the ceiling instead of her, “Yeah. This village went silent. Anyone who went to check it out didn’t come back. Turns out there was this giant reptile spitting poison in people’s faces. Everyone who was still alive was slowly turning to stone. I managed to kill it, but…” He was scowling at himself so hard his eyes had closed again and his face flushed from embarrassment. “I messed up.”

“We noticed.” Her questions formed a lump and he seemed too self-conscious to say more on the subject. The silence was uncomfortable. It made her feel worse. They hadn’t seen each other for months.

“Rowan?”

“Hm?”

“Are you going to stay yet?”

“You know I can’t.”

She stood abruptly, “Yeah. Stupid of me to ask.” The feline stopped short of the door to glare at him, “It was my parents too!”

Her cousin finally sat up in order to meet her stare, “We’ll talk later. Okay? Have a family meeting?”

A typical sidestep. The girl snorted her frustration before finishing her storm out.

x x x

The night was a long one. By the time sunlight teased a sneeze out of her she’d awoken several times over. She sat up feeling of death. Her hair had a visible layer of frizz and her gown slid off one shoulder. After wiping her face, her nose set a twitch. Her family really did have some deep set patterns. She stalked down toward the smells of breakfast.

The ladder was still extended. Avery was waiting at the counter, customer-side. Two empty stools were to his right. He was bright-eyed and already dressed. Devin took the middle seat. Their grandfather was in what used to be the kitchen to supply the tavern. It was half storage space since they moved in, but plenty functional.

They could hear him clattering around. Eventually he emerged as if he were a waiter in his previous life, sliding four plates onto the counter-top. The man was actually groomed today. Which was both good to see and disheartening. The first day Rowan was back was always a good one. Their grandfather always cooked a protein heavy breakfast for his cat descended charges and cleaned up his act a little. It was hollowed by the knowledge he wouldn’t make it to the end of the week.

“Good morning, clan Chanoix!”

“Morning.” They replied in vastly different moods.

“Rowan still entrenched in the clutches of repose?” He peered up then proceeded to take exactly five paces down the length of the bar. A book was taken off a nearby shelf and then chucked at the ceiling. Throw. Thump. Snag. Repeat. “ROWAN!” Devin stifled a grimace at the scene.

A weak and muffled, “Okay…” came through. Chanoix slid the book back onto the shelf more worse for wear. He didn’t use to be so careless with them. She wasn’t sure when he’d stopped treating them as precious objects.

He took his seat opposite his grandchildren. They didn’t wait. Avery was already shoveling eggs off his plate and directly into his mouth. He belched and Devin rustled one up to send back. They snickered while Chanoix shook his head.

Rowan dropped down. He didn’t look well rested, but he was dressed unlike Devin. For the most part. He was wearing his usual black tunic atop blue trousers. Two low hanging necklaces tapped against his chest as he walked. One was matching fangs tied two inches apart and the other a blue crystal-like thing anchored by silver wire to a black string. However, his feet were bare. Actually it made him look kind of silly. His pant legs were huge when left to their own devices. Usually he had them tucked in and a strip of cloth binding the top of his boots to the pant legs nearly up to the knee. Without it the ends billowed about in a way that made it look more like a dress.

“Don’t trip dressed like that,” she teased.

He tossed her a grin and filled the last seat.

“Morning, Rowan. Any topic you wish to touch on?” Their guardian stared pointedly.

Rowan rubbed at the back of his neck, “Uh, yeah. Sorry for scaring everyone. It was kind of an emergency. I swear though, I was planning to stop in even if I hadn't been poisoned.”

“Pray tell when you’ll cease fraying our nerves with worry?”

“I know, I messed up. I got cocky.” It seemed like their grandfather wanted to say more. For some reason or another he held his tongue.

“Got cocky? You’ve been cocky for as long as I’ve known you. So, ya know, since I was born.” Devin’s tail curled. It tended to do that whenever she poked fun.

He clutched his chest dramatically, like she’d shot him through with an arrow.

She dug deeper with a wicked grin, “Except when you’re getting yourself slapped by a girl.”

Rowan chuckled out an, “O-ow. Really swinging for me this morning.”

Avery leaned forward so he could see their cousin around Devin, “So where did you go this time?”

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“Uuuhhh, well…” He took a few bites while he organized his thoughts, “First I went to Marion. Still one of the better places to pick up peculiar stories.” It had become a popular trade city in the last decade. A noble there wed someone of Devin and Avery’s persuasion. The wedding was a huge public spectacle and the apparent success of the marriage had resulted in a slew of positive social changes. Mostly betterment for non-human species. The influx of non-human traders followed by residents put the whole city back on the map. Figuratively speaking. Despite being the least influential, it was still one of the twelve governing sister cities and never in danger of actually being removed.

“I caught wind of a couple different stories. One was a rumor of a white haired beauty.” Their grandfather’s fork fell still. Rowan didn’t notice. He leaned in the direction of his cousins who were close enough he was able to put his arm across both sets of shoulders and drag them into a huddle. “It was said she would magically appear from waterfalls.” He painted the air with his hand like he could magic up a rainbow akin to one that would appear at such a waterfall. “But only for those whose blood touched the waters and would tend to their wounds.” Quite a tall sounding tale. Yet, also a promising lead.

“D-did you find her?” Avery was ever the inquirer as usual.

“Of course I did. Though it took a lot of waterfalls…” He released them and cupped his chin, “But I definitely found her. She was something…” The supposedly grown man started to giggle to himself. Apparently not as promising as she thought.

Devin’s face soured as his started turning red, “Uh… Rowan?”

“Heh.” He was lost to his thoughts. His way with women was another thing he had in common with their grandfather from back in the day.

“Roooowan?” She snapped fingers in front of his face.

“Huh?” That seemed to pull him back from his daydream. “Oh! Right. Where was I? It was an elf woman. Honestly, I felt kind of bad once I found her. She actually wasn’t a magic user so she came to help me with a bunch of herbs she had prepared and well… I kind of… just healed up my hand myself.” More neck rubbing. “I think I humiliated her.” The family elder had resumed eating by this point. Slowly.

“What makes you say that?” She asked the question this round.

“Well, she started cussing me out for wasting her time. But when I apologized and asked if I could help her recollect what she wasted, she just verbally assaulted me some more and then sat down in a huff next to the water.”

Devin gave him a sarcastic, “…good job.”

“A-anyway. Another one I picked up was on some of the skirmishing way out on the coast.” Rowan put his cheek in his hand, frowning, “There’s not too much to say on that one. Just regular people killing each other.” A second of pause, “But that does remind me. I got you guys something.”

“You did!?” Avery was already chomping at the bit.

Rowan dug around in his pockets, “It’s nothing big, but...” He produced what looked to be rings from where they were sitting. At least three.

Avery’s excitement visibly faltered, “Uh… not that I’m not grateful for the thought…”

“Don’t judge until I tell you what it is! Some of the fighting was over this special kind of stone among other things.” He plucked out a silver ring with a small dark gray stone. “Properly prepared: the stones can store spells. No need to concentrate or use your mana. Well, until you use it and have to replace what you stored. I tested it out just to be sure I didn’t nab you junk.” The jewelry was offered to Avery.

Chanoix finally slipped his own question into the conversation, “Exactly how did you acquire such a precious object?”

The cat boy had already accepted the ring in question and was focusing on his breathing and the stone. A mutter and it morphed to a pale green color. He whispered to himself, “Awesome!”

Meanwhile Rowan replied, “They were the ones killing people.” He shrugged it off like that was enough explanation and it wasn’t a big deal at all.

Chanoix heaved a sigh, “It sounds as if you deeply entangled yourself into a situation of no consequence to you without a thought to your own well-being and no prospect of resolution despite any action taken.” Rowan slumped. The tirade against the youngster was ended by a hand on the shoulder, “It was commendable to make the attempt, but you must evaluate risk versus reward with greater care. A ring was not worth your life.”

He went to his own defense, elaborating on the events, “It wasn’t only for a ring. I couldn’t stop the fighting, but I was able to help some relocate. On both sides actually. Maybe the next time I go through there will be a new village.”

“With a statue in your honor!” They all looked to Avery who grinned like an idiot. Like an idiot who knew he told a lame, barely-meeting-the-definition-of-a joke to cut the tension accumulating between their grandfather and cousin.

“Maybe.” Rowan tipped his head side to side, thinking on the idea. “One of them kept calling me Roane though so I’m not sure it’s going to be an accurate statue.”

Devin locked him in a confused gaze, “Why didn’t you correct them?”

He threw his hands up, “I did! Several times! It was an old woman so she just kept snapping back at me, ‘That’s what I said!’”

“Perhaps it was her hearing you should have set about mending.” All the grandkids stared at the one across the counter. “Yes? What vexes you?”

Avery fumbled first, “W-was that a joke?”

“You tell jokes, gramps?” Rowan doubled down on the jab.

“I-! Of course! What is life without humor!?”

A knock came to their door, “Oo~h, Chanoix!” A sing-songy woman’s voice. Their grandfather choked on his drink. The rest of them restrained their swelling laughter. Instead, they fashioned big smug smiles.

Rowan’s volume dipped low so the woman at the door wouldn’t hear, “Wow, you still haven’t been able to shake her, huh?”

“Quiet, all of you.” He stood, pointing menacingly at the three as he went to greet his caller. Quiet they remained, trying to eavesdrop. She stopped by all the time after realizing Chanoix was their grandfather. Being a grandmother herself, his youthful appearance, the fact he ran his own business, it made him prized second-husband material.

Yet, as they listened, he still played nice with her. Devin shook her head, “He can softly turn her down as many times as he wants, it’s not going to get the point across.”

Rowan nodded, “He needs to just tell her she’s not his type. I mean, I suppose she is pushy enough…”

“Grandpa has a type?” Avery was noticeably uncomfortable, “Do I want to know?”

Devin glanced at Rowan then they both looked at Avery. She would put it as delicately as possible, “The last woman we saw him involved with was a blacksmith.” Rowan flexed behind her to hammer in the image.

“O-oh.” Avery blinked. He had to tilt his head at them again though, “Really?” They nodded. He murmured an addition to himself, “What did Grandma Raine look like?”

“Oh, whoops, got distracted. Devin,” her cousin offered his closed hand out to her. She cupped hers under his. Two matching rings tumbled into her palms. They were a steel color and much thicker than the one given to Avery.

“Oooo.” The design was simple. Two sharp spikes extended from the top of the rings. They looked like little ears. Little ears like her own. She slid them on, but deflated when they were too big for even her middle finger.

“Don’t sweat it. I have money to get them resized.” His palm upturned to request the items back. “I’m guessing yours will need work too, Avery?”

Her brother lifted his hand to show the ring had fit onto one of his fingers but, “Uh, well… I think I would like it better on my index finger. If that’s okay?”

Rowan hopped up, “Yup, let me go put my shoes on and you and I will head out.” He was already combing fingers through his hair. He very specifically kept it swept in a way where it all flowed out from the left arch of his hairline.

Devin’s eyebrow twitched, “Oh, I’m not invited?”

“I was hoping I could spend time with both of you one on one. Avery’s dressed so… you and I can do something this afternoon. Okay?” He moved his mostly empty plate to the floor and the family cat came running from where she had been watching and willing one of them to offer scraps. Madeline also got a good scratching between her ears.

Devin shrugged, “Fine, sounds good. I will be holding you to it.”

Rowan returned fully dressed. Not just with his boots, but with the binding he usually kept on them. A strip of the same cloth had also been wrapped around his left arm. By this time, grandpa was inching his way inside.

“Again, my sincerest apologies, the shop will open this afternoon. Family matters have taken precedence this morning.” Chanoix finally escaped from his visitor then turned around to see Avery and Rowan lingering to leave. “Oh. Departing already?” The man was crestfallen; he had missed the rest of the meal.

“We’re going to hit up a smith shop. We’ll probably take it slow, but I doubt we’ll be gone long.” They both tossed their grandfather a wave as they filed out the door.

“I’ll keep you company, gramps.” He rejoined her at the counter.

It did raise his spirits that she was still there, “I have meant to discuss a matter with you, privately. The timing has been… inopportune.” The reason why remained unspoken, but they both knew why he was choosing now to talk.

“That sounds serious. Should I be scared?” It was only partly asked in jest. He had her heart going a little.

“No! No, merely I’ve observed your mannerisms in relation to the shop. Rowan’s return also serves as a signal.” Where was he going with this? He was finishing his meal like this was a casual topic, but it didn’t feel that way. “Not all of my wits have vanished yet. You’ve become a fine young lady. I’m keenly aware the shop embodies my interests. Perhaps for Avery the fit is fine and Rowan is… Rowan. But I worry for you. I implore you to reflect on your desires in life. Find what is suitable for you. It’s not my intention to pressure you, it’s simply that I despise the idea I’m…” The air grew heavier, “…limiting your horizons. You’re a bright girl and there’s a plethora of options within reach.”

“Um, okay…” Devin started twiddling her thumbs. She had thought on it a couple times. The shop really wasn’t her forte as he had deduced. But what was? If she wasn’t here, where would she go? Did she want to jump into family life? If she did then what was all that training for in the end? Did it matter at all? Could she even bring herself to leave if only just down the street?

As her face twisted from the battle of thoughts, her grandfather sighed, “Please, Devin, do not remain out of a feeling of obligation to me or your brother. That is not your burden.”

She flinched, “Okay, grandpa.”