<< Brave New World - Kalandra >>
The next morning Kai rolled out of his tent, bleary-eyed and severely lacking in sufficient rest.
His mind had refused to switch off and it had taken a long time for his heart to stop racing, something that was swiftly impeded by the sight of Rameses rolling up the canvas of his own tent and bidding him good morning in a husky voice, rough from sleep, his hair dishevelled.
"Yeah...morning." Kaius mumbled back, avoiding his eyes.
'I bet he slept like a baby, the crazy, fucking pervert.' He grumbled, internally.
The three of them had a few hours longer to traverse before reaching the market town, and every step felt laboured under the bright sun that even Genevieve's constant babble of small talk was unable to distract him from.
Ahead of them, Rameses adjusted the pack on his broad shoulders and pushed his curly hair out of his eyes, the muscles in his arm rolling underneath his skin and a bead of sweat running down the back of his ne-
"Kai? Hello?" Genevieve prodded his cheek lightly, her lips in a disgruntled pout.
"Huh? What?" Kai whipped his head back to her, tearing his eyes away from him and felt his cheeks warm.
"Jeez, I said, are you going to visit the Fate soon? For help finding your Artifact?"
"Oh..." Kai trailed off before giving her a non committal response.
He was in fact planning a visit to the Fate of their region, but not for the reasons that she assumed, and certainly not now.
They required a cost for guidance. This was negated if you had just gained possession of your Artifact, as their advice was often required to fully utilise its power and the knowledge of such was seen as payment in itself.
But for other readings, unrelated to the knowledge of your Artifact, the Fates were attracted to gold.
Something that Kai was once again, severely lacking.
He could show his amulet and attempt to obtain a short reading through the small, powerless, gold piece, but then he would not be able to receive a full answer to the question that was burning in his mind: 'What should I do next? I don't want to die again.'
When they crested the next hill, Nasiru finally came into view, with its high city walls and sprawling mismatched architecture, Kaius felt his heart ache with longing.
He was almost vibrating with excitement when they finally passed through the gates, waving and bidding a cheerful greeting to the guard stationed there. He waved back, ushering them through with warm familiarity.
The moment the heavy doors parted and the trio made their way inside, the city swallowed them whole.
The wide cobblestone streets erupted into a symphony of sights and sounds; merchants hawking their wares, the rhythmic clang of a blacksmith's hammer echoing from somewhere deeper within the warren of alleys, and the deafening chatter of voices going about their day, interspersed with the persistent laughter of children.
The air itself seemed alive, thick with the mingled scents of spices, freshly baked bread and woodsmoke.
The citizens still referred to it as a market town, even though it had expanded multiple times over the years and was always under some form of extensive construction.
To their left, crumbling structures of weathered red stone bore the marks of centuries; arched doorways worn smooth by countless hands, walls decorated with vines that crawled up their facades like veins, and faded murals that told stories no one quite remembered.
But directly beside these ancient buildings rose new constructions of bright yellow brick, their sharp edges and clean lines were incongruous to the muted, organic decay of their neighbours; the contrast both jarring and strangely beautiful.
And amongst them, stalls and shopfronts stretched in every direction; their canvas awnings hanging low from building to building in a bright array of colours, from crimson red to emerald green, to a rich deep indigo.
The crowd moved with practiced chaos, bodies weaving between stalls and carts with ease. Children darted between legs with the reckless abandonment of those who knew every corner of their home with their eyes closed, chasing after the occasional kimarie; small, canine-like creatures with scaled backs and round possum eyes, who scavenged the alleys for discarded food.
Somewhere in this sprawling, contradictory place was his home. His father. And his sister, whom he hadn't laid eyes on in over a decade. The thought sent a fresh surge of nerves through him, his stomach writhing and fluttering between excitement and trepidation.
Rameses shifted beside him, and Kai felt the back of his hand brush against his fingers, whether accidental or intentional, he couldn't tell, but the contact caused his attention to waver for just a moment.
'No. Don't think about it. Just focus. Just focus on the plan. Gather the coins we need, visit the Fate and then go from there. Forget about last night for now, forget about him.'
He snatched his hand away and thrust them both into his pockets, mentally willing the heat to drain from his face before it became noticeable.
If Rameses noticed that he had withdrawn his hand it wasn't apparent by his profile as they weaved through the city streets, occasionally pausing to avoid a collision with a cart or stray child.
Kaius was struck by how quickly he was able to readapt to navigating the city streets, it was as though he had never left.
But then, all too soon, Genevieve pulled on his arm forcing him to lean down so that she could reach his cheek and plant a swift kiss. She bid them both goodbye with an exuberant wave, darting towards her house at the end of the row.
He felt his stomach twist, painfully.
Kaius was standing in front of his family home, the familiar two-story house of weathered stone with oval windows, shielded with a silvery lattice of metal, an array of herbs and flower pots lining the front wall and the long, make-shift garage connected to the side.
The garage had been split into two, with a smaller workshop to the left and a larger, covered structure that had been improved and built upon over time to the right; the place where Rameses slept.
Kai eyed the structure with a dark expression and all thoughts of the warmth of his hand and the tingling sensation of his lips pressed against his own swiftly disappeared.
"I'm tired. I'm going to rest for a while." He declared, staring straight ahead without looking at him, but from the corner of his eyes he saw his head turn in his direction.
"Ok...so I'll see you later then?" Rameses suggested, hopefully.
"No, it'll be late. Dad will need to rest before his shift at the treasury tomorrow and I'm dropping Aida off at school early." Kai replied, quickly sifting through his memories to recall their usual routine.
"Oh, right. Tomorrow then? Want some help with the bike?" He asked, the hopeful edge gradually fading at the cold, hard tone to Kai's voice.
Kai's eyes shifted to the workshop, flashing with longing for just a moment. He loved his bike.
At this point in time it wasn't quite finished, still missing a few vital pieces, an array of second hand parts littering the garage floor, the smell of metal and transmission fluid both warm and familiar.
But Kai shook his head, he knew it would be finished one day soon, he could wait a little longer.
"No. Not tomorrow. I'm actually taking up some odd jobs around the city, so I'll be busy for a while." He responded bluntly, already moving towards the door.
Rameses stared after him, he could feel those eyes boring through his back once again, "So, when?"
"I don't know, Rami. Why don't you go fuck around with Gen for a while instead, I'm sure you'd love that." Kai replied bitterly, without turning back.
"What? Kai! What do - "
Before he could hear the rest of his response, Kai slammed the door shut behind him and leant against it heavily, 'Crap. I shouldn't have reacted like that...that was suspicious, right?'
But the words had spilled out of him before he could stop them, the anger, the hatred and something else that he couldn't place, had slid through his veins like poison.
'I can't behave like that again, at least not yet. I can make some small changes but if I change too much, too fast, then knowing the future will become meaningless. My one advantage will be gone.'
He lightly slapped the side of his face and squared his shoulders. What was he even fixating on right now? Hadn't he made a beeline for his house for a wholly different reason?
A wide grin spread across his face when the smell of questionable food wafted into the entrance through the open kitchen door, the sound of clattering pans and then his father's deep voice, cursing softly under his breath after a particularly loud clash.
Kai moved just a little faster than he intended to, rushing through the open door and freezing in his tracks when he spied his father standing by the sink with his hand under a cold tap, a small red burn already appearing on his skin.
He tilted his head back to beam at Kai in the doorway, "Oh, you're home soon! Did you have a good trip?" He asked, switching off the tap and turning around to face him.
Without answering, Kai stumbled forwards and wrapped his arms around his middle, squeezing harder than he meant to and breathing in the smell of spices and something herbal. He'd been experimenting with food again and Kai let out a strangled laugh at the thought.
He'd tried so hard since their mother died to be everything to them; their provider, their father, their mother, a cook, a cleaner, but he always got these things just a little wrong. And Kai loved him for it. He tried so very hard.
His father, after a moment's hesitation hugged him back with a warm smile, "Hey now, what's all this? You haven't hugged me since you were eleven." He chuckled, his gravelly voice rumbling in his chest.
Kai stayed silent, not trusting that his own voice wouldn't shake and worked desperately to keep tears from springing into his eyes.
He took a deep breath and forced himself to smile back brightly, releasing his father and pushing him jokingly against the shoulder, "Well, you know, you're getting on a bit old man. I was just thinking I might have to start looking after you soon instead."
There was no need to lace his tone with sarcasm, his parents had been young when Kai was born, so his father was only in his late thirties with a youthful face and, despite the administration job he had taken with the city guild upon his mother's death, he still held onto the physique of a Demon Hunter.
"Wow, what did I do to deserve that one? I don't even have any grey hairs yet. Wait, do I?" He picked up a copper pan in distress and attempted to peer at his reflection in the faded metal, running his fingers anxiously through his thick, dark hair.
With the exception of his height and sturdy frame, Kai had taken much of his appearance from his mother, with gold blonde hair, lightly bronzed skin and round hazel eyes, framed by thick dark lashes.
"Where's Aida?" Kai asked, still grinning ear to ear, the happiness bubbling in his chest and washing away every bitter remnant of the night before.
"She's doing some planting for me in the back garden, for some reason she didn't want to keep being my taster." He frowned down at the pot of questionable stew before suddenly grabbing a spoonful and holding it out for Kai to taste, "You'll try it right? She said it was good and I swear I didn't undercook the meat this time."
Kai took it from him wordlessly, chewing for a long moment before ducking his head and swallowing hard.
"Well? Is it good?" His father pressed, anxiously.
He turned his back and wiped his eyes covertly with the edge of his sleeve, 'Gods...I missed them so much.'
"It's so gross, dad. She definitely lied to you." He laughed, warmth spreading through his chest.
**