Oh lookie a picture...! [https://pre00.deviantart.net/822f/th/pre/f/2018/266/a/b/antiques_by_emrasa-dcnkgat.jpg]
Antiques
Eighty-seven cycles have passed since the greatest calamity to have hit Rohakohou was dealt with. Ever since then, a tradition came to be held on the 128th day every new cycle. The celebrations of Martin, the legendary mage, and his fellow court-magicians' great endeavours in vanquishing the calamity.
From the ruins of abandoned villages and towns arose new, sometimes bigger, towns. One such being Terefyu, which lies some twenty miles away from Rohakohou’s capital Perefyon. The town’s location is rumoured to be where the calamity was stopped from claiming more lives. Thus, for 8 days, starting at the 128th day, Terefyu is rife with celebrations. People travel from all over to watch the daily theatrics, participate in various games, buy wares from far-off places and generally enjoy the positive mood.
When performed, the theatrical plays in Terefyu are especially popular. The plays change from day to day during the 8 days, all depicting different perspectives from the calamity. While each day gathers large audiences, the last day is always the most packed. Depicting the endeavours of Martin, from early meetings discussing the crisis, to the very end when the calamity is ended.
“We must capture it inside a crystal! Only then can we purify the corrupted mana and end this tragedy!” the actor playing Martin, here depicted as an older man with tattoos, yells within the council-scene. The audience is quiet, their gazes glued to the stage. Children especially looked at the tense scene with worry, having returned from other days where the plays ended tragically. Most adults are very familiar with the stories. Many of them have watched the eight-day plays ever since their childhood, yet they too appear just as invested.
Each counsel-member in the scene agreed to permit Martin’s request, which then led to the next scene portraying the preparations.
“The crystal we need is too big for any sort of travel…” Martin told his fellow court-magicians.
“But then… how are we to capture it? Must we wait until the calamity reaches the capital?” one of the court-magicians asked.
“No, we cannot let it take any more lives. We must make a conduit…”
“A conduit Sir!? Is that not too risky?”
“Yes, but it is our only option…”
Somewhere in the audience, two children stood up and left.
The older one, a boy with long, black, curly hair covering his eyes, seemed somewhat troubled.
“Hey Anja! The best part is next, are you sure you don’t want to stay?”
The younger one, a short girl with two purple strands randomly having grown in her long white hair, shook her head. The boy sighed and thought to himself, ‘I should be grateful she stayed for this long at least…’
Anja walked past all the celebrations and the boy anxiously followed. They entered the southernmost part of town, where celebrations are less prevalent, locally called the Old district. The boy became more relaxed when they exited the large crowds and walked up next to Anja and grabbed her hand. She looked at him but said nothing.
They reached the centre of the Old district and walked up to a store named Marvola’s Antiques. A jingle sounded from the doorbell when they entered.
A woman walked out from a room behind a counter next to the entrance.
“Welcome” she said with a smile, but her expression changed after noticing the two young customers, “Oh, is the play over already?”
The boy shook his head, “Anja decided to leave midway through…”
Anja let go of the boy’s hand and walked towards the shelves filled with trinkets and antiques. She looked at the first trinket on the shelf for a few seconds before moving on to the next and then the next one after that.
“Didn’t she already go though that shelf earlier?” the woman asked the boy, who gave her a nod.
The boy picked up a book from his satchel and sat down on a chair by the counter, “I’ll be reading here until the others are done.”
She leaned over the counter, as if to try and see what the boy was reading, “Speaking of, is miss Erica walking around the market area?”
“Yes, Symphy accompanied her while me, Kellja, Anja and Jonno stayed to watch the play.”
“Hmph… well I certainly wouldn’t have been able to leave if I had been there. You really are a good brother Tserjil” she said to the boy.
He opened his book and sat still for a moment, “It would be bad to let her go alone…”
She smiled “Indeed”, then straightened herself out, “Would the young master want a cup of tea?”
Tserjil shook his head “No, just some water.”
…
“Hmm… maybe this one?” a woman with black, curly hair pointed at large chops of meat at a stall in Terefyu’s marketplace.
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The butcher who stood behind the stall looked at the meat she pointed to, “Belanda mammoth? This meat is perfect for stews, amazingly tender if cooked right.”
The woman turned her head over to a tall maid by her side, “Let’s take that one Symphy! Humla will surely make a nice stew out of it!”
The maid nodded and turned her attention to the butcher, “How much for the mammoth-meat?” meanwhile the curly-hair woman walked off to another stall.
Once the meat had been paid for and packed into a bag, the maid carried the bag along with two others and caught up to the woman ogling a golden necklace.
“This would look good with the dress, right Symphy?” the woman asked her maid.
“I am sure it would, miss Erica.”
“Okay buy it!” she said before happily walking over to the next stall.
The two of them continued through the market like that, occasionally-…. often buying something. In the end, Symphy was carrying six bags filled with things Erica found interesting.
“Hey Symphy, do you think the play is over by now?” Erica stopped to ask the maid.
Symphy looked up at the sky, the sun could be seen just above the rooftops “I believe it might be, and if not, it should almost be over.”
Erica smiled, “Let’s go get the kids then!”
…
The town-square was not as crowded as it was during the play. Those who stayed were mostly kids who played around and acting as if they were Martin from the play, heroically saving the land. The theatre-stage was being brought down, its parts brought back into the towns storage where it will be ready for the next cycle.
Erica and Symphy arrived.
“Do you see them anywhere Symphy?” Erica asked while trying to look around the area herself.
The maid gave her glasses a push then glanced around for a bit, “I can see young miss Kellja and Jonno over by the fountain.”
Slight concern grew in Erica, “Are Tserjil and Anja not there with them?” Symphy shook her head and Erica scratched hers, “Let’s hope they haven’t gone back to Salsana’s…”
They approached the two kids sitting by the fountain. The first one to notice them was a boy with blonde hair and freckled cheeks. He stood up and lightly kicked the curly, black haired girl next to him.
“Ouch! What was that for Jonno!?” the young girl looked at the boy with anger.
He pointed towards Erica and Symphy who were quickly approaching them, “Our moms are back, weakling…”
The girl hit Jonno in the arm. He moved back and held his aching arm for a moment before letting it be, “I barely even felt that! Weakling!”
“Jonno!” Symphy, having walked up to the kids with a fast pace, said the boy’s name with a heavy tone.
He met with Symphy’s stern gaze, then the girl’s, “Sorry Kellja…”
“You better be, freckles…“ Kellja said with a grin. The boy frowned.
Erica reached them and walked up to Kellja, “Now, do not be mean sweetie!“
Kellja glared at her mother, then said with a monotone voice “… Hey mom, Anja left midway through the play. Tserjil went with her to that store she’s obsessed with.”
Erica starred blankly for a moment, processing the information her daughter just shared, then sighed “Every time we’re in town…”
The young girl crossed her arms, “Can we just leave those two and go home, please?”
Erica ignored Kellja and looked towards her maid, “Symphy, you can go and prepare the carriage home. I will go pick up Tserjil and Anja…”
“I will go and handle that now then, miss Erica” Symphy bowed, “Young miss Kellja, Jonno, come with me.”
Kellja smiled, “Thank Tahwoi I won’t have to go back to that store again!” and followed Symphy.
In but a moment after the girl had spoken, the atmosphere around the trio turned cold when Symphy grabbed the girl’s shoulder, “We do not say those names in public, young miss.”
Kellja’s eyes went wide and quickly pointed at the boy who had absentmindedly followed his mother, “Say that to freckles too!”
He turned to look at the accuser, then Symphy, “I never say that! Kellja is lying!“
Symphy looked into the boy’s eyes, “We will speak of this later…”
“But momma…”
“No buts’, we will not speak of this now” Symphy said with a strict tone before walking off towards the west part of town. Kellja’s and Jonno’s eyes met and the young girl stuck her tongue out. The boy didn’t bother trying to get back at her, instead just following his mother.
Erica had yet to leave the square, having witnessed the two kids quarrel while considering if she should intervene. While she watched, the petty accusation Kellja made got Erica to think, ‘Is she blaming Jonno for the one time I slipped and said those names? I should probably speak to her about it.’
When the group of three finally disappeared from her view, she managed to slip out from the strange petrification that had come over her then slowly turned to walk in the direction towards the Old district.
…
Erica stood before the door to Marvola’s Antiques, considering if it is okay to enter or more appropriate to knock.
‘What would Symphy do?’
Having pondered on that question to herself for but a moment, she opened the door and entered. The store-owner, Salsana Marvola, stood behind the counter and read a notebook. She looked up when the bell jingled and met Erica’s worried expression.
“Ah- welcome miss Erica!” Salsana straightened herself up and bowed.
Erica was about to talk when she spotted Tserjil on a chair next to the counter who stood up, put the book he read back into his satchel, then walked towards the far end of the store. She watched him walk off without a word.
Her attention returned to the owner, “Th- thank you for taking care of those two, Salsana. I hope they haven’t caused you any trouble like that…”
Salsana interrupted, “No there has not been any trouble here at all, there is no need for you to worry!”
Erica sighed and seemed to calm down, “That is good to hear.“
Tserjil reached the far back of the store, where he found Anja. She held a small statue in her hands, turning it around, inspecting every detail. The statue was then lightly put back on the shelf when Anja deemed it uninteresting.
“Anja…” Tserjil said her name quietly. She looked up at him, much to his surprise. He continued, “Mom is here now, so we have to go.”
She pouted but took his hand and followed him back to the store entrance.
Erica saw the two kids appear from behind the shelves, “There you are Anja! I was so worried when we couldn’t find you back by the square!” she said while opening her arms for a hug. The young girls annoyed face changed into a smile. She let go of Tserjil’s hand and happily jumped into Erica’s embrace.
Salsana leaned over the counter, “Did you find anything interesting back there Anja?” she asked. Erica ended the hug, curious to know the girl’s answer. Anja looked at Erica, then up at the clerk and shook her head.
“That’s a bummer…” Salsana said while looking away, her expression almost breaking into a satiric smile from the sheer amount of times this has happened. The repetition of this very situation always has Erica worried. Whatever it is that Anja is looking for, they can not even really try to help her find it. Erica wants to help but communication has not been the young girl’s strong-suit, rendering everyone in the dark for what is going through her mind.
Erica sighed, “We should go now, the others are waiting by the carriage” Anja looked at her as she stood up and started jumping while holding her arms up, “I am not strong enough to carry you sweetie…”. Erica held out her hand for the young girl to grab instead. Anja took her hand with a smile.
Erica put her other hand to heart, “Thank you once again Salsana” she said with a small nod.
The clerk smiled, “You and your family are always welcome here, miss Erica.”
With a jingle from the doorbell, the three left Marvola’s Antiques.