Drop [On hold]

Introductions

The village in question took up a large portion of the underground caverns. The ceiling was high and had vines hanging, along with rope and string. Countless lights in bottles hung from above, and it didn't stop there. The obsidian carved houses had the same colorful lights hung up by the window sills, from the fence posts. Shops that lined the walls had them wrapped around their posts. There were so many. It was unbelievable, and difficult to imagine how long it must have taken to hang them all.

The same moss clung to the walls as well. It even grew between the roads, paved with white stones that resembled large, flat pearls or teeth. Annavi found it difficult to keep up to Coco with all the people walking around. Some gave Annavi strange looks, which Annavi assumed was because of her visibly darker complexion. For the most part, though, the pale people minded their own business. There was a social buzz hanging in the air that reminded Annavi of her own village. She felt slightly homesick, but didn't have long to dwell on it. Coco made her way up a set of steps, and swung open the door to a rather small house. Annavi followed her through the door, and heard Coco shut it behind them.

There were a lot of things that caught Annavi off guard. The first thing was the noise. She could see a woman with long, teal hair tied off to the side in what appeared to be a kitchen area. She was calling over her shoulder at someone on the other side of the room as she went through a basket of strange vegetables. The man in question was over a fire, turning a bird and stirring a pot simultaneously. Annavi couldn't quite catch what the commotion was about over the sound of two young children running around. The little boy was screaming as a slightly older girl chased him.

There was also the smell. It was pleasant, and wafted around the room. The warmth was definitely pleasant too. Annavi didn't get to enjoy it to it's full extent before the little boy slammed into her legs. He looked up, red eyes wide. He didn't speak. The girl chasing him stopped as well.

The man noticed the lack of noise, and looked up from what he was doing. He tilted his head to one side, and frowned. The woman followed suit. The household was quiet, and Annavi found herself wishing she could go back out onto the streets.

The woman set her basket on the counter. "Coco, who is this?"

Coco stepped up. "I found her in the caverns. She says she came from outside."

The woman walked out of the kitchen area and took Annavi's wrist, turning her arm over. "You don't look...well." Annavi found her shyness coming back.

Coco shrugged. "I don't know much about her. She was being attacked by two phantoms. She looked pretty beat up, so I figured I may as well take her home."

The small boy teetered on his heels. His big eyes met mine. "What's your name, miss?" His voice was much sweeter when he wasn't shrieking.

Everybody waited for her to answer. It didn't look like Coco planned to explain that for her. She was walking out of the room. Annavi wanted to call her back, but felt the little girl tugging on her slightly torn cape.

"My name is Annavi." She sighed, hoping Coco would come back.

The woman let go of her arm. "My name is Perri. I'm Coco's mother." She nodded to the two children hovering near her. "Luscious and Lacey are my other children." The children waved, and Annavi wondered which name belonged to which child.

The man by the cooking food nodded in her direction. "You can call me Gareth," he said. He smiled a bit, and Annavi felt a little more welcome.

Coco returned the next minute with clothing in her arms. They were violet, and looked to be made of the same material the rest of the family wore. She set them in Annavi's arms.

"I'm going to help you get cleaned up, then we can eat. I'll try to answer any questions you have, as long as you explain yourself. Deal?"

Annavi nodded, and followed Coco into the back room.