"I'll have my usual, it's been a long day." Thorburn sighed as he flopped down on a stool next to the counter of the Copper Lotus, Windkeep Tower's tavern. This was where Thorburn liked to spend his time and money when he wasn't working. The grub was tasty and decently priced, and the company was pleasant. India and her niece, Juliette, had become good friends, and never failed to cheer him up.
Juliette smiled and poured the bogsneak a tall glass of elderflower cordial, making sure to wipe the engine grease off her hands before reaching for a cup. "Your journey can't have been that bad." She said as she slid the glass across the counter.
"Oh believe me, it was mindbogglingly dull." Thorburn sighed, leaving out his encounter with Daisy Mae.
"I don't get why you keep working for Maggie if you hate it this much." Juliette shook her head. "You know Fenn will let you make money off of pretty much anything, right? As long as it doesn't hurt anyone. And I'm sure Maggie wouldn't mind you leaving if you are this unenthusiastic about your work. It's not fair to her, you know. She's trying her best."
"That's easy for you to say, you've always known what you've wanted to do." Thorburn pointed out. "I'm still working out how to get what I want."
"You have to be willing to take risks." Juliette reminded her friend. "Go out there, follow your dreams, no matter the cost. The clan will be here to catch you if you fall. That's why we're here. That's why Fenn and Elric created this place."
"Thanks Jules." Thorburn grinned as he downed the rest of his drink. He found himself staring at the pearl ring on his finger. he had some pretty big risks ahead of him, and it was good to know his closest friend was there to support him. Of course, she didn't know what supporting him would entail, but hopefully he could do what he needed to do quickly and cleanly. "I better head to bed. Greenskeeper Gathering starts early tomorrow and Maggie will want all hands on deck. I'll hand in my notice once the celebration has wrapped up."
"Before you go." An older wildclaw walked up and put a hand on Juliette's shoulder. "There's someone who wants to talk to you." She guestured towards Querida, who was drinking what looked like a tea and was fiddling with her hands anxiously.
"Oh great." Thorburn rolled his eyes. "She won't leave me alone. Guess I better go and get this over with." As he set down his glass and wandered away, he heard India whispering something to Juliette that he couldn't make out. Juliette gave her aunt a furious look, threw down her soiled hand towel, and stormed out of the room. If he didn't have Querida to deal with, Thorburn would have gone after her to see what was wrong, but instead he was duty bound to help this stray Maggie had picked up.
"What do you want?" He grunted as he sat down across from the younger wildclaw. "And you better make this quick."
"Why are you so rude!" Querida was taken aback. "You've been nasty to me every since Maggie brought me on board. Just spit it out and say you hate me and get it over with so we can move onto what I actually want to talk about without all this nastiness!"
"Look Que-tie, we don't have to be friends-" Thorburn began.
"But we have the same book! We are both are looking for Quartz! Wouldn't it make more sense to work together?" Querida asked, growing more furious at Thorburn's nickname for her.
"Keep your voice down!" Thorburn hissed. "How many times to I have to tell you to keep Quartz quiet? And no. If you remember Quartz's letters, he said he's looking for an apprentice. Singular. We aren't friends, we're rivals. We're both after the same thing." Well, almost the same thing.
"Well, be that way. I had just hoped I had found a friend." Querida shot back, and stormed off towards the tavern stairs. India and Juliette had taken her in for the meantime, while she figured out what she wanted to do and how long she wanted to stay. She had started doing odd jobs around the clan, mostly helping prepare for the festival, to get her grip in things.
Querida had just slammed her door when there was a knock. She opened the room to see India behind her, concern in her deep violet eyes.
"Don't let Thorburn get to you. He's always been a miserable grump, and he seems to be getting worse with age." India said, giving the younger wildclaw a hug. "I do not see why Juliette bothers to give him the time of day. The sooner you leave him behind you behind you, the better."
"Thank you India, but I don't think it will be that easy." Querida said with a grimace. "We both seem to be after the same thing. Out fates are intertwined, and there's no going back."
"Just be careful, I don't want to see you getting hurt." India said. "If you're looking for a place, you are always welcome to stay around here. I know Juliette would be happy for you to stay, and I could always use an extra hand."
The offer was tempting. It was warm and cozy here, and it was nice to have a place to belong. She had family here too. Maggie had been sure to introduce her to Amberlyn, Oriel and Dremasul. But just as the thought of staying entered her mind, she saw the book peaking out from underneath her blankets and her curiosity got the better of her.
"I appreciate the offer, but I have things I need to do before I settle down." Querida said, resolve stiffened.
"Well, then I won't stop you." India said, eyes glittering with a knowing look. "But at least stay for the festival. Apparently there's a rich dragon passing through who made a very generous donation towards the Greenskeeper Gathering this year. It's sure to be a hit."
@CleverDual @Alwaid @zzzhorses @Skyeset @ScrivenerRook @Kizzan @clarax @lilastar @tigressRising @Disillusionist @Aetherstorm
So, I'm back from my trip! It was great!
My Greenskeeper Gathering update will come tomorrow, and possibly will have a second one on Saturday depending on how tomorrow's update goes. I figured today it would be better to have this little scene first before jumping into the Greenskeeper stuff, because that's big. If you'll notice though, this chapter does follow my new festival chapter naming scheme of naming them after winning skins or accents.
By the way, in case you notice the similarities between Amberlyn's family line and India, Amberlyn and Oriel are the types of dragons who accept and become family to anyone, no strings attached, because they know what it's like to be alone, whereas India cares about the wellbeing of young dragons, but she is also very quick to set them to use and give them work if they have idle hands as a way to keep them out of trouble. She's the type who will give room and board to those in need, but she'll put you to work to earn your keep. That's one of the reasons she's not keen on Thorburn. His apparent laziness and apathy disgusts her.