Changes: Sun and Stars pt. 5
Greetings, before we get started I have once again, some house cleaning. I’m quite sorry for forgetting to post this Tuesday. I actually have a good excuse. You see I, very much unexpectedly won a writing contest.
Winning entry: A Slice of Magical Life. I’ll talk about it and my history with contests another day. And that just distracted me the entire day. That being said, the next story to be posted is going to have to be postponed. All winning entries will be published. So that means I’m off to the editing chamber…not that I haven’t been living in it for months now. However, I need to focus instead of doing what I’ve been doing. Working on too frikin much. However, I will complete this first in a time manner.
Now, I will stop rambling, enjoy the story.
Dinner was a surreal experience. Kiao never imagined her parents in town and being able to introduce them to those around them. They, of course, had to sit outside within sight of everyone who was walking to and fro in the market. Edithlyn was the first to spot her and it went downhill from there. Her parents loved it because they got to listen to everyone brag on her.
Mien sat beaming in silence, enjoying the fact that little attention was on him. Of course, that didn’t last as her father had questions for him after everything settled down. However, Mien’s nervousness showed. He didn’t reach out for the bowl of spices resting in the center of the table to cover his food. He kept lifting his cup to his lips, but never took a drink. Her parents kept him talking. It was probably the most he spoke in a single setting in a long time.
After dinner finished, they parted ways. She gave parents a warm hug. Mien got a hug from his mother. She really took to him well. Her father shook his hand so there weren’t too many bad feelings there. Mien then took her hand and the two of them walked through the back end of the market. The stalls were all shut down at that point. Merchants had their families to tend too, coin to count, and the next day to prepare for. The only life was smoke rising from one of the town's blacksmiths. It was soon joined by the ring of a hammer beating on metal.
Mien let out a long exhale. “That was fun,” he stated breathlessly.
“I warned you they are a lot,” she said.
“I know, I know,” he muttered. “I guess they like me. Or at least your mother does.”
“Pa likes you, well grudgingly.”
Mien groaned.
“Don’t mind him.”
“Seems like the opposite advice I should be taking,” he stated and took her hand so he could give it a loving squeeze. “It’s been a long day. I don’t know if I have the energy for anything else.”
“I don’t think I have the time. I need to go talk to Jaron about Brother Lorthan’s condition. I felt chills from him earlier. Not strong chills like he was going to pass soon.”
Mien blinked at that and looked at the sky. “That’s not surprising. He’s been on basically his deathbed for a long time now.” He paused for a long moment before stating, “I guess this walk is our time alone together.”
They then strolled together in silene. Kiao’s mind began to work. Changes already happened when Brother Lorthan was removed from being Arch Pirest. And his death possibly could bring more. Her place could be in danger.
“I don’t know about the future anymore,” she blurted out.
Mien broke out of his thoughts and gave her a thoughtful look. “What do you mean?
“I was trained to become the head of the infirmary and now I’ve been cut from the pass. And now, with Brother Lorthan dying, I don’t know if this will give the assembly the opportunity they need to oust me. And if I do, what will I do. What is my purpose? I barely feel I have on here now.”
“You are too valuable to oust,” said Mien. “And the Patriarch would have a fit if they did. Lord Kharis has a lot of power that he rarely throws around. When he does, he’s not gentle about it.”
Kiao knew that was true. He stepped over the Arch Monk and he would do the same to the Arch Priest.
“Fine but I feel directionless. I lost what I trained to do. What could I possibly pursue? Become the best priestess? They already think I’m a terrible one for liking a boy.”
“The want for companionship isn’t terrible. The two of us are like the sun and stars. Part of the same sky, just night and day,” he said and squeezed her hand affectonately.
“You know, a better comparison would be the sun and moon,” she said. “Anyway, that doesn’t help me.
He started at her with that “oh, she’s so cute,” expression. She ignored it and looked serious at him hoping he would stop admiring behavior.
“Well, to answer your question, maybe that’s what you need to do. Become the best priestess. Maybe Dias has something planned but you don’t know it yet.”
“That’s not a tangible goal. I want something. I’m already a cantor Everything else is just based on age.”
“Remember what Brother Oli used to say? The order was never about age. It used to be about doing. And maybe that’s what you need to remind them of. I’m going to the university to benefit the order. Maybe you should find something to do while I’m gone?”
“But what can I do? What more can I do for this order? I heal their wounds.”
Mien shrugged. “I don’t know. But I know you will find something. You are beautiful and smart. I love those things about you. In fact, I love you.”
Kiao came to a dead halt. Mien let go of her hand and stepped right in front of her. There was an amused grin plastered his face.
“You made telling you that difficult. You don’t need to return it. I just wanted to tell you that,” he said. And once again, that gentle note in his voice resonated in her mind.
“How odd,” she observed, while the girl inside of her was hyperventilating. What had she done to be loved by him?
He tilted her head at her. “Excuse me.”
“It’s nothing,” she said and then realized he would get worried if she didn’t explain it. “Well, it’s just an observation. All today, your voice sounds interesting.”
He arched a brow at her. “Interesting?”
“Yes,” she said. “I like it.”
The grin on his face renewed its brightness. “So, you’re saying my voice is remarkable?”
“This is only the first day. My hearing your voice like this is something I need to experience again and again to say if it’s remarkable. It isn’t all the time,” she said.
He laughed at her. It was musical again.
“Stop laughing at me! You know this how thing work with me,” she said, putting her hands on her hips. “I don’t even know the process you used to conclude you love me.”
“It’s something I’ve always known, Beautiful,” he said, taking her hand. “And I know you just have a process that you must follow. This,” he said, kissing her forehead. “Needs to make it logical for you to understand.”
She envied him. He was close to his feelings. She needed so much time to observe and to figure things out. He always seemed to drift into things. Especially when it came to them. It was almost like loving was so natural to him.
On arrival at the infirmary, no one greeted them. Though, the last person there had lit the light stone glowing in the sconces where a candle would be placed. There was no one resting on the beds. One of their screens was pulled out, but no one was behind it.
“We’re alone,” said Mien.
“We are,” said Kiao, tucking her gloominess in the back of her mind. It wasn’t often they were left alone and free. Mien then took her hand again and positioned her as if they were dancing. “Mien really.”
“Yes really. We’re alone and we have to take advantage of it,” he said. Danced in a tight circle with him singing in syllables rather than words. He then stopped and said. “I’ve been trying to figure out why it’s so quiet in here. Brother Lorthan is dead.”
Kiao immediately stopped dancing. “Really?”
“I wasn’t going to say anything about because I didn’t want this moment to stop, but I can’t unhear it. Though, it not like Brother Oli. His silence was louder. I think only because he was fading.”
“We probably should find Jaron.”
“I’m going to the dorm. I’m sure some kind of pray of mourning will be there tonight.”
She then did one of their replacements for a kiss and that was pressing her lips on the side of his mouth. “You know, kissing on the lips is overrated, anyway.”
“But I want to,” he said. His irises were amber. “Besides, I can’t get used to it if I don’t try.”
He leaned forward before she could protest and felt his breath on her lips. All her reasoning evaporated. She should have pulled back or stopped him with a finger on his lips. Instead, she leaned forward following impulse instead. For a brief instance, it felt as if time had stopped, and she was floating in a warm breeze. Then Mien jerked away with a gasp.
Nothing had changed.
They both knew timbre sensitivity caused issues for a chanter who had it. It all surrounded their heightened sense of hearing. Their minds were full of different channels for different timbres. Mien told her he had many. One for normal voices, for chanter voices, for natural timbres, for wards, for drass beasts, and the most demanding, for the chorus of the world. With the training he received, he could open and close them at will. Without that control, he would be bombarded by sound. And had been frequently as a boy when he come into his abilities. And that control weakened when a certain strong emotion was involved.
He didn’t look as if she had bitten him like the first time they kissed. That kiss was a lot more and the repercussion from it was worse. Now, his entire head was red. His eyes became pools of black.
“Mien,” she hissed softly, and then felt the channel between them open. She braced herself for an influx of his emotions. However, the most she felt his embarrassment pushing in the back of her mind and then nothing.
Mien tugged at the high collar of his shirt wide, revealing taunt cords in his neck. He then pulled his jerk through his waist cord and over his head as he walked over to a bed. Kiao watched helplessly because there was nothing she could do. Touching him? Absolutely not. Speaking to him? She needed to give him time. If there was something she could do was gesture and lead him to a quiet room so he could recover.
Then the door opened, who Kiao saw made her the girl in her head scream in horror. Jaron walked in wearing a white and red open vestment that flowed behind him. There was only one reason why he would be wearing such a thing. If he had been talking to the family of someone who died instead of the smocks, they wore daily.
“There you two are,” he said, looking at them. “You stayed longer— what’s wrong?”
Kiao felt the tips of her ears get warm. They had the worse timing. The girl inside her became mortified. She didn’t want to tell them what was happening. When it happened, the first time, she and Mien were alone. Now they had an audience.
Mien brought his hands to his face. “I’m fine,” he croaked.
His ears were still a bright red and maybe Jaron would’ve interpreted that as anything between embarrassment or anger. However, it was the rhythmic tremor of his body and distress written across his face that made it clear it wasn’t. Jaron took a step forward towards him.
“Just leave him alone,” she said. “I mean it. You can’t touch him right now.”
Jaron frowned with concern.
“Seriously, leave me alone,” said Mien, covering his face. “I’m fine!”
“I’m not planning on touching you,” he answered and proceeded onward. He knelled in front of Mien. He didn’t do anything other than study him. Mien pushed himself back on the bed and scooted away. “Look, I’m fine.”
The older chanter stood up. “People don’t just break out into cold sweats and are racked with chills for nothing,” he said.
Kiao stepped in because she felt Mien’s distress leaking into her mind. “Jaron, please. He just needs a moment to calm down. He’ll be better if you just give him space.”
Mien scooted to the other side of the bed. “I’m going back to my room,” he said.
“Is it quite enough there right now,” she asked.
It wouldn’t be at all. It was nearing the end of dinner and was probably the nosiest point of the day.
Mien paused. “Fine, I’m taking the room in the back. I’ll leave when I feel well enough to walk,” he told her.
Jaron watched him leave suspiciously and told her, “We need to talk,” and motioned for Kiao to follow him outside.