Snippet #2631277

Haru was genuinely wanting an answer to this one: In what world did Nikita NOT think her chaperoning—her imposition on their private situation—was even a little demeaning? Since when did they need a referee? And how did Nikita even assign herself that position? Even Lillian, probably the only guardian Haru would ever take personal advice from, wasn’t poking her nose in this one. So Haru had to wonder, did she find the two guardians so brutish that they couldn’t be left to resolve their issues without violence?
Though Haru was curious to know the answer, he did not prod for one or ask upfront. He resolved to a glance in her direction, keen and even a bit threatening. And his movements matched the sharpness of his eyes as he stood up, snapping to his stance, and walked out.


The reunion of the sun people slowly but surely diluted. Tallyho was eventually released from the communal embrace and soon they moved away from her at a ceremonious pace. A path was carved for the Yagi, a petite woman with a slight frame and glowing hair. One could call her frail but her attitude and way of carrying herself didn’t match that description. While Arian men found women most attractive when looking down, Yagi walked with her face toward the sky. Her chin, which was sparsely peppered with thin white hairs was aimed at Tallyho.
When Tallyho was a girl the Yagi, who was so inaccessible, seemed so big and beyond everything. And now Tallyho, as a strong young woman and literal warrior, still felt the same way about the public figure.
Before she knew it the old woman had taken her face with a grip just firm enough. She wasn’t clutching the her head, though Tallyho wished that were the case so that she wouldn’t have the responsibility of keeping up with the older woman and what she was going to do next. Yagi, without warning, kissed both her cheeks, and Tallyho tilted her head accordingly, delayed at the first cheek, but she caught the drift when it came to the next.
She then thought to herself that old women’s kisses were soft and cold.
“We will celebrate,” she said, to Tallyho, to the crowed, and to Falke and Kyle who were tucked out of the way.
“Come to me my children,” she said to them, and the crowd parted between the old woman and the other two month warriors. And if they came she kissed them too.
Soon the crowd began to disperse. Many moved quickly, excited to set up a tent and put together last minute alcohol choices. If the sun people were good at anything it was celebrating anything.
The warriors were invited to Yagi’s tent and it was an ethereal experience for Tallyho, not just because she’d never seen the inside of her tent, but also because the old woman didn’t say anything the whole time they sat there. It was like she fell into a state of meditation, but somehow her silence was comfortable. The sun people always believed in different types of silences, one of them being the silence of healing, and the Yagi was blessing them. This was supposed to be a spiritual experience.
The rest of the night seemed to be a blur. The party truly was of a makeshift sort with mismatched lanterns, impromptu campfire songs and dance lines. Tallyho hadn’t even touched one of the few bottles of alcohol the people managed to scrape up. She felt drunk enough just being there, but she wasn’t sure if she felt the intoxication of joy or bitterness. She briefly wondered why the sun people would even think to celebrate her, because the world she was saving was a world that would continue to persecute them.

Note: My next post will more than likely be a time skip being a few months long.