Winter 129
Serendipity Herendez is 50; Arafa Herendez is 21
Half a month to the Winter Flames festival. It was always the busiest time of year for Serendipity and Arafa - even without having to deal with holiday shopping like the city folk.
There was always sickness in the village this time of year, which meant plenty of work for the herbalists. Arafa had to do most of it this time, since Serendipity was showing symptoms herself and trying not to work too hard before she recovered.
So there were plenty of remedies to prepare, not to mention the usual daily chores like disposing of the trash
and stopping the occasional wild wolf wandering in and digging it back up again.
Usually it was the same one showing up, and for some reason Arafa and the wolf were getting on very well lately.
Maybe it was something to do with the scraps of overcooked meat she'd thrown for it a few days ago. Don't tell the elders.
Really, Arafa hadn't been feeling herself since that day. She didn't have any of the usual symptoms of winter sickness though.
In fact, she thought during one of her rare free moments, there was something else it was more likely to be.
She had to explain everything to Serendipity over one of their regular games.
"The thing is... I do want to settle down soon, but Zita just doesn't seem interested. She hasn't been the same since she came back from her road trip. And... and she was pregnant then. Being shaman and a single parent can't be easy. I can understand that now."
"Yes, but didn't you two exchange engagement gifts after she returned?"
"One piece of SimNation-made jewellery is not an engagement gift. And she's been so distant since then. So... OK, remember last summer when Shansam came home from university? And he took Nate out hunting?"
"How could I forget?" Serendipity laughed. Her son's best friend had come back to Kulo Seeri with him, gone on that one hunting expedition and fallen into a pit trap. Arafa had been the one to look after him while his broken bones healed.
"At first I thought he was a complete rock-head," Arafa went on, "but it wasn't long before I fell as hard as he did. If you know what I mean. So I think... we're about to become parents. But I really don't want to have to tell him, or Zita."
Maybe it was time to call it a night before the tiles started flying.
"Well, much as I'd love to sit here all night listening to you three argue, I'd recommend you resolve this with Arafa herself in the morning. My daughter's relationship issues are not something I can cure with comfort soup."
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VT says: Yay, a story post! I was hoping to get at least one up before Christmas, since I didn't need to rebuild after all. So here it is!
Quite a bit of drama so far - Arafa, Zita, Nathan and Shansam are actually four sides of a love pentagon, seriously. Shakespeare, eat your heart out. :P
and stopping the occasional wild wolf wandering in and digging it back up again.
Usually it was the same one showing up, and for some reason Arafa and the wolf were getting on very well lately.
Maybe it was something to do with the scraps of overcooked meat she'd thrown for it a few days ago. Don't tell the elders.
Really, Arafa hadn't been feeling herself since that day. She didn't have any of the usual symptoms of winter sickness though.
In fact, she thought during one of her rare free moments, there was something else it was more likely to be.
She had to explain everything to Serendipity over one of their regular games.
"The thing is... I do want to settle down soon, but Zita just doesn't seem interested. She hasn't been the same since she came back from her road trip. And... and she was pregnant then. Being shaman and a single parent can't be easy. I can understand that now."
"Yes, but didn't you two exchange engagement gifts after she returned?"
"One piece of SimNation-made jewellery is not an engagement gift. And she's been so distant since then. So... OK, remember last summer when Shansam came home from university? And he took Nate out hunting?"
"How could I forget?" Serendipity laughed. Her son's best friend had come back to Kulo Seeri with him, gone on that one hunting expedition and fallen into a pit trap. Arafa had been the one to look after him while his broken bones healed.
"At first I thought he was a complete rock-head," Arafa went on, "but it wasn't long before I fell as hard as he did. If you know what I mean. So I think... we're about to become parents. But I really don't want to have to tell him, or Zita."
"Hint taken. I'll talk to the pair of them later." Serendipity got up from the game table, then started coughing.
"Thanks, Mum. Uh, you want some redroot for that?"
**********
That evening, after Arafa had gone to take a nap, her mother was sat at the game table again - this time with Zita, Nate and Shansam. She'd passed on what Arafa had told her and prepared for the worst.
"OK, which of these two are you expecting to go to all the trouble of gathering a bride price at this time of year, Mum?" Shansam asked.
Serendipity didn't have an answer. When she thought of Nate, she didn't exactly think "responsible parent", but she also knew Zita barely had time for her own child since taking over as shaman.
Zita was first to respond. "Under any other circumstances I'd be the first to volunteer, but this is a 'whole different ballgame' as Nate is so fond of saying."
Nate glared at her. "Arafa was happy to keep seeing you after you had Caleb, wasn't she? So you can't just up and leave her just because this isn't your kid!"
"We don't know it's not Zita's. They've made out often enough, everyone south of the mountains knows that, and with all that mystical whatever-it-is that Zita does..."
"Shan, I'm a shaman, not a wizard."
"Well, much as I'd love to sit here all night listening to you three argue, I'd recommend you resolve this with Arafa herself in the morning. My daughter's relationship issues are not something I can cure with comfort soup."
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VT says: Yay, a story post! I was hoping to get at least one up before Christmas, since I didn't need to rebuild after all. So here it is!
Quite a bit of drama so far - Arafa, Zita, Nathan and Shansam are actually four sides of a love pentagon, seriously. Shakespeare, eat your heart out. :P
Yes, you are right about the drama! So who is Arafa's baby's other parent? And who will take responsibility? And I hope that Serendipity will be ok. The village looks great. I like the part about Arafa petting the wolf. It is hard to imagine someone in a society like that throwing out meat, though!
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