Amentia

Chapter 41 - News

Everyone present in the caravan cursed loudly when the alarm in the hallway went off at 6 am, just a mere two hours after they had crawled into bed. It was even less time for those who had been busy until later. They all ignored the alarm, of course, and stayed in bed until they no longer felt like a house had fallen on top of them.

The firsts to get up were Zoe, Ruvyn and Az, who were not suffering the aftereffects of alcohol. The last to show up was Nati, who walked into the caravan with her shoes in her hand, hoping to avoid making any noise. But it seemed it hadn't been necessary, because everyone was already gathered in the living room either sitting at the table having breakfast —even though it was well into noon— or sitting on the couch resting or playing an instrument. She felt everyone's eyes on her as she walked in, but there was no judgment in any of them.

"Have fun?" Anna asked her with a half-smile and raised eyebrows as she sipped her tea.

Nati returned the smile as she dropped her shoes on the floor, went to the cupboard to grab a mug and sat at the table.

"It was... educational," she answered as she poured herself a nice hot beverage.

"Threesomes often are," replied Anna, taking a bite out of her toast, remembering Nati walking off arm in arm with two tall, olive-skinned people the night before.

"Was it Zalig and Clia?" Adam asked from the end of the table, leisurely peeling a fruit.

"I didn't get their names," said Nati a bit awkwardly.

"A pro move," commented Anna and would've patted Nati on the back if she hadn't been sitting across from her on the table.

Adam described the couple's distinctive physical traits for Nati and she confirmed it was them. Nina suddenly saw Adam in an unexpected and very interesting light.

"It couldn't have been anyone else; they're the only ones in town who like to play with humans like that," commented Maylin, who shuddered at the thought of letting a human creature into her bed. "But they are picky, so you should feel proud of yourself," she added and gave Nati her much-deserved pat on the shoulder.

What a strange thing to be proud of, Nati thought. It was also weird how natural that brief exchange had been; it wasn't common for her to discuss personal topics like that so openly. It was rather refreshing, even if a bit awkward.

Az stepped in and started the conversation about the day's chores. Evidently, they wouldn't perform that night because half the troupe and also half the town were hungover. So whoever was most lucid would help with the usual chores of laundry, cleaning, water and food, and the others would focus on recovering.

All in all, it was a day of relax. A lot of naps took place, a lot of nurturing tea was drunk and a lot of snacks were eaten. There was a lot of sitting around, both inside and outside the caravan, accompanied by the soft sound of trivial chatter about the night before and the occasional song.

Zoe wanted to put that peace and quiet to good use. So she went outside, found a good spot on the ground, and sat with her back resting against a tree, her feet sunk into the earth, her eyes closed and her hands on her knees.

Nina and Adam were cuddling somewhere nearby and eyed Zoe from time to time. Even with her eyes closed, she seemed so focused she could cut a blowing leaf in half with will power alone... not that she would ever harm any plant, of course. She sat there for three hours, almost unmoving the entire time, her feet never separating from the earth, her high knees never wavering.

During that time, Meira and Almar returned from the Market Plaza in a sullen mood, Meira especially. They were carrying the exact same bags they had left with two hours before, and Meira was openly complaining about the lack of produce variety.