Today was one of those days, the kind of day that only comes once a year. And no, I don't mean Christmas, though it might have been met with similar enthusiasm, but mostly by the adults. Lilac Governess seemed gleeful in the extreme as she informed us that we were going to see a mercantile man, completely derailing our initial itinerary of going to visit Vine Processor—weird name, I know—of whom I was looking forward to meeting. What did he process? The kills the hunters brought back. I guess he butchered the animal and such. I was under the impression that he did a lot more, but what I mainly had an interest in was that he was responsible for provisioning our long-term preserves, which meant he was responsible for smoking the meat. I was quite a fan of jerky in my previous life and had been looking forward to scoring some of the smoked meat for myself. I was unsure if he would just be handing it out, but I'm sure he could be persuaded.

But now all of that was shelved due to some traveling merchant’s unanticipated arrival. Normally I would be eager for such a change in pace, but I had really been jonesing for that jerky! Perhaps it was just the call of nostalgia... When was the last time I had it? Was it while I was riding shotgun with Ripley? Now I had bummed myself out as well. Sigh.

Anyways, We made our way to the forest floor, for no merchant's cart was going to make the ascent into the village proper. There was a clamor as we arrived, it seemed like the entire town had come down to meet this guy. Everyone had a great sense of energy and enthusiasm. I get that something novel happening is bound to stir up some excitement, but this seemed more focused like there was something more than mere novelty. I couldn't make out any coherent thoughts as it was all just one jumbled mess of transmissions, but the sentiment was shared by all. This guy had something good.

As we cut our way around to get a better view of the merchant himself, as we couldn't see through the throng of people, we passed an individual that had put a noteworthy distance between the crowd and themself. From the look of things, they were keeping an eye on the gathered tribesmen, but especially the merchant. However, as we crossed their path, the gaze shifted to us. Like most of the other children, I was looking at them. Unlike most of the children, I didn't divert my eyes when they looked at us.

It wasn't intentional, but they came off as intimidating. She came off as intimidating. It dawned on me that this was a woman. I too felt the urge to look away, but I found something compelling about her. She had a different demeanor from the other women of the tribe, different from everyone for that matter. Perhaps it was how she leaned against the tree with her arms crossed as she looked on. Or Perhaps it was her garb. A white mask with white loose-fitting garments, large sleeves, and pant legs. It slightly resembled what I imagine a samurai might have worn. What really made it pop though was the red blood spattering across the mask and clothing. But no, upon closer inspection, they were actually leaves, blood-red leaves embellishing the ensemble. Still unnerving, and it didn't help that her mask somehow reminded me of a hockey mask, the kind someone might wear in a horror movie. She was also pure white, with hair coming down to mid back. All together, it would not be unreasonable to assume upon first sighting, that she was a homicidal ghost.

As this thought crossed my mind our eyes met. Well, this was too much. I barely managed a courteous nod before following suit and diverting my attention. Despite her appearance, she didn't actually give off any foreboding sensations and, as strange as it sounds, I got the sense that she knew who I was. I guess I was better known than the rest of the children, but that wasn't saying much, and I wasn't sure what to make of the fact that she might know me.

Having reached our vantage point, we had a clear view of the merchant and his cart. It seemed the villagers had left a spot for us to get a clear view. That was mighty kind of them. The cart was your standard 4 wheeled wagon with a single horse pulling it. It contained all manner of things I could not discern, as it was covered with a tarp or some other covering. The man himself looked like your standard generic merchant.

He was looking on at the crowd, a large grin on his face. Which was impressive. I personally would have looked a lot more awkward standing in front of a crowd I had no means of communicating with. However, the communication issue was to be remedied with the arrival of the elder.

The elder approached and extended his hand, which the merchant readily accepted. And then, for the first time since I found myself here, I heard an utterance. A sound had passed the elder's lips, which I couldn't understand, but clearly was spoken language. It was strange just how much joy this brought me, to think you could come to miss something as mundane as the sound of speech.

The two exchanged what I assumed were greetings, and if it was obvious that he was familiar with the man, he transmitted as well. I suppose he did this to put everyone at ease, but from what I saw, that was completely unnecessary. I guess someone might have been uneasy, but I didn't notice.

With pleasantries exchanged, they got down to business. Well, not really. It appeared they had an arrangement. The cart was uncovered, revealing various things. I could make out assorted foodstuffs that I was unfamiliar with as well as a couple books and some other strange artifacts. These artifacts particularly interested me, but I couldn't get a good look at them. They seemed to be a tool of some kind. The other stuff was in barrels or bags, and I had no way of knowing their contents. Luckily, Lilac Governess broke in and started identifying the item being removed from the cart.

"... And those are bags of salt." I was aware that we used salt in our dishes, but oddly, I never questioned where we got it. Well, unknown mystery solved. "And that is sweet, sweet..." The information she transmitted indicated that it was a liquid that pleasantly burned going down, and made one more jovial and life a lot more bearable. In other words, alcohol. She didn't try and hide the fact that this was what had gotten her so excited. And now I was wondering if this was what everyone was so keen about. Was this a tribe full of lushes?

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After the cart was cleared out, a bag was presented to the merchant who happily accepted. He opened it and inspected its contents, removing an indigo crystal with a faint purple glow. I think I had seen those crystals before, but they never seemed to be of any significance. Regardless, the merchant was pleased.

By this point, many villagers had already disappeared, following the train of goods flowing to the village proper. I could see the Lilac Governess was chomping at the bit but was restraining herself for our sake. It looked like the merchant was invited to enter the village by the elder, which he readily accepted, but not before stashing the crystals in a concealed compartment and removing a similar bag from it. Those still in attendance didn't object, so it seemed they were okay with outsiders. Once business was concluded, Lilac Governess quickly ushered us back to the village.

It wasn't even mid-day yet and Lilac Governess was already completely trashed, having procured an allotment of alcohol. Not only was this not grounds for dismissal from her position, but she was actively encouraged to take as much as she "needed." I had to wonder about these people I now found myself a part of. Still, she managed to keep an eye on us, and could even answer questions.

"Lilac Governess, What were those crystals we gave that merchant?" I had wondered about this since I saw the exchange.

"Crystal...? Oh yeah. Apparently... they are very... valuable to the humans." Her thoughts were disheveled, so it was kind of equivalent to slurring your words, and she took more time to express an idea.

"Why are they valuable?"

"Huh... I wonder..." She thought for a while. "I think... It is because we charge them with our... fox magic. They must really like that… fox magic, since they give us the crystals to... put it in."

"They give us the crystals?" When does that happen? Wait, was that what was in that bag he removed from that compartment?

"Well of course!" She threw her arms wide with the speed of the inebriated. "Where else... are we supposed to put it?" Dropping her hands on my shoulders and bringing her face uncomfortably close, she continued, "You know Indigo... You might be the God of Clear Skies' Chosen... But you still got a lot to learn." I could smell the alcohol on her breath. It wasn't particularly pleasant.

"So we are basically just selling them our magic energy?" I wasn't sure how I felt about that, knowing nothing about how it was used, or why it was so valued.

"... I don't know about this... selling our magic... But what I do know... is they give us this... tasty alcohol for those... shiny crystals." She raised the bottle containing the liquor as she praised the intoxicant and took a swig. "Dusty... What are you doing?"

It was only a matter of time before Dusty took advantage of Lilac Governess's state. He was rummaging around in the larder, not being discrete. Of course, he paid no mind to Lilac Governesses words, and continued to dig through it, looking for only the Deity knew what.

She moved over to Dusty and pulled him... into an embrace? "Dusty... Why are you always causing... so much trouble for me?" This wasn't her usual response. Even Dusty seemed confused. "Can't you see... I only want what's best for you?" She squeezed him tighter; Dusty looked increasingly uncomfortable with a chagrined expression beginning to stretch across his face. "But that's okay... I'll love you no matter what... no matter how many times you mess up." She was now affectionately stroking his head. I was stricken with a case of secondhand embarrassment, and even the unmovable Dusty was looking perturbed.

As this was going on, Dry-Wood too was exploiting Lilac Governesses state by throwing the food heating stones across the room, one of which hit something that made a loud sound. Lilac Governess turned her attention to him, and with an impressive reach, pulled him over to her with a telekinetic grasp. "You too Dry-Wood. You know you shouldn't... Throw things. You might hit somebody." She was still holding Dusty but spared an arm to pull Dry-Wood into her embrace as well. Her mask was actively rubbing against his face. "I worry about you... I want to make sure... you are ready... to be a proper member of the tribe." He was beginning to turn red, which is impressive because this race had an extra layer of fuzz to break through.

"...Do you love him too?" Asked Dusty. And the winner of the Trolling Lifetime Achievement Award is... Dusty! Only four years old and has already accomplished so much!

"Of course I love him too!" She said as she snuggled him even more aggressively. Looking around the room, I could see the usual suspects, including Gale, who I was certain were planning their next acts of mischief, begin to reconsider. Apparently, they had no stomach for this kind of alcohol-fueled affection. How ironic, I was certain that it was about to turn into a total shit show. Well, color me surprised.

On a side note, the alcohol had been completely consumed within a week. During that time, I don't think there was a single sober adult in the village. Luckily, everyone survived.