Routine
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The man in front of her sunk his boots into the mud, the cart coming to a halt. In front of him rested the beasts hauling their cargo, and behind him jumped down the fellow members of Liberata Shipping Co. First was the new kid, the Enlil’s feathers matted down from the recent rain.
The other male held his hand out to help down the final member of the trio, the Laicar woman happily taking his hand and coming to the ground more gently than the others. Her robes were already slightly damp from the rain the previous night on the road, walking in the wet ground barely phased her.
As Juvo stepped back from lending her a hand, she threw him a thankful smile. Ivan, the oldest and longest working of the three folded his arms, seemingly bored of the wait. The ride from Avelyn to Terminus was a tiring one, for certain, but Ivan tended to take things in stride, never tiring and never letting up.
Ivan strode up to a Velen woman standing there. “Ervica, how’s it been?” The two shared a short embrace.
Melodia’s mind flashed back to memories of Ivan speaking of a family of Velen. The Spurii man was a quarter Velen, if she remembered correctly. The diversity of their team was often pointed out, but despite their differences, they never viewed how opposite they were as a downfall, more so as a trust of understanding. The others still did not know of Melodia’s…History.
As the Velen seemed to be guarding the first checkpoint into the city, she allowed them passage with little hesitance.
The interior of the utopia never ceased to amaze the young blonde Laicar. The slightly overcast day was interrupted as the clouds shifted to reveal the sun down, the first blink of heat they had felt since leaving for Terminus. Reveling in the sudden warmth, Melodia haphazardly wandered forward from the group, nearly tripping over her own feet.
The caravan managed to find its destination, Cisco’s Pawn. Upon entering, Juvo and Melodia stayed silent as almost always required. Ivan knew how to make deals and he had been in and out of this city more than almost anyone else in the company.
The deeply tanned Laicar man gave a deep hearty laugh.“Ivan! Didn’t know you were due today.” His vision wandered from Ivan to Juvo, then rested on Melodia. “Brought the young’uns, did ya?” He asked with a raised brow.
“Hardy-har, Cisco. We have your shipment for the month.” Ivan held up a clipboard he had grabbed on the way in. “We just need you to sign here, here, and here.” His finger traced up and down the clipboard as Cisco raced behind it with his pen, leaving his signature.
Not much later, Juvo and Melodia were bringing in the supplies due, and Ivan checked things off on some list.
Unsure of their delivery and why, Melodia turned to him after putting down a box beside the glass counter showcasing trinkets and other bits-and-bobs.
“I think that’s all, Juvo is bringing in one last box.” With that, the door was opened, and the silent Enlil left a large box near the pile of the others.
Juvo nodded lightly to Cisco, the man nodding back lightly.
Cisco waved the three over, a customer entering the store behind them. “Here, I know those wages aren’t priced too well.” He dropped 30 exa into Ivan’s now extended hand, “Split it amongst yourselves.” He smiled genuinely.
“Thank you,” Melodia spoke up.
Juvo just nodded along again, and Ivan held the door open.
“Generous as ever, Cisco. ‘Til next time.” The cart began to depart the city yet again. They would have to make it back to Avelyn by dawn.
The cart was faster, less weight to be carried caused the pace to quicken, and the basilisks in front dragging along the cart were always compliant on the way home. As they entered a forest, the beasts became aloof, stopping and shifting uneasily. Ivan tried to mush them, but no such luck.
As if from nowhere, a large avian being with sharp talons dove down from the sky, grabbing one of the Basilisks and hauling it into the sky, the car being picked up a few feet before detaching from the beast and plummeting to earth. Ivan grasped for something in the back of the cart, before pulling forward his rifle, the beast was gone, along with their basilisk.
The three stared on in horror as it seemed to disappear into the sky, Ivan mushing for the second to go, they would easily make it back to Terminus faster than Avelyn.
Exiting the forested area, it seemed as though the large bird had not given chase, only taken the one basilisk and been on its way.
Entering the city again, the Velen woman was there yet again, and the concerned look on the Spurii’s face shocked her. “What’s wrong, Ivan?”
Her adoptive son explained the situation.
“We were meant to be back by dawn, but those birds seem to have a taste for Basilisk.” He explained, clearly frustrated, as Ervica waved a male Enlil over to take over her position so she could walk them inside. Upon re-entrance of the city of Terminus, the lights and towering architecture dazzling Melodia yet again. Ervica and Ivan continued their conversation: they needed somewhere to stay for the night, the evening sun dispelling most of the clouds in the sky. The basilisk was clearly spooked, so going back with it anytime soon was unlikely.
To her knowledge, they didn’t have any real need to go back, Melodia’s family lived in their cottage in the northern mountains, where they would not be disturbed, so it wasn’t as though she had anyone to go back to. Shrugging, the Laicar woman followed along, as Ervica offered to let them stay with her, her family had since grown and moved out, she was a single mother after a vistra claimed her husband’s life.
The three exchanged glances, and Juvo spoke up this time, his slightly deep voice taking Melodia slightly off guard. “We’d be honored.” He shook her hand, and she threw all three members of the caravan a motherly smile.
Alleys and roads away, they arrived, a small but portly house stood in front of them. They tied up the basilisk outside, and entered the home. Ivan had a smile plastered on his face, clearly glad to be in his childhood home yet again. “Thank you for this, Ervica. Really.” She smiled back. “Stay here as long as you’d like.” She replies, heading off to her bedroom, lights suddenly being dimmed as night set upon them.
Juvo and Melodia shared a room for the night, separate beds, of course, and Melodia grabbed a locket from her breast pocket. Inside was a tiny gemstone, engraved upon it was the crest of her family, a spear behind two shields overlapping each other. She gripped it tightly before closing her eyes and letting herself drift to sleep.
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