The Zodiacs

26. Fire Vs Air

"I still don't understand why we have to come all this way for duck," Lotus grumbled, following the silent Capricorn through the market street of another village. "It's not like we live across the continent in an environment unsuitable for them; it's only a thirty-minute walk."

Chione sighed, stopping at the familiar butcher shop to examine the different sizes of animal present within. "May I see your ducks?" She asked the man sitting at the entrance, smoking a long cigar that blew a grossly discolored smoke into the air above them. He nodded, not bothering to show her the way with more than a casual wave toward the back door.

Lotus dropped her head back to lazily groan, walking after the girl who paid her complaints no attention. "Can we at least stop for sugarcane juice? Or tamr hindi?" Just the image of both widely known juices triggered a strong enthusiasm in the base of her stomach. "I'm thirsty, Chione! And hungry."

"Are you unable to sit in silence for more than thirty seconds?" The older girl asked, looking over the small animals running in the enclosure in front of them. A wire fence circled all around the tall ducks, covering the top to keep them from jumping out.

"That's rude," Lotus frowned.

That was when Chione finally turned to her with a deep breath. "I apologize," she said. "If you wish to speak, you can, but do not complain because one more grumble from you and I'm quite sure my mind might just implode on itself and slither through the openings of my nose and ears."

Lotus blinked at the girl, not even relatively offended at what she'd just said. Instead, her expression mirrored more shock than anything else. "How do you manage to make say something so horrible, yet sound so flawlessly elegant. You're not a queen or something, are you?"

"Do I look like royalty?" Chione raised a nonchalant eyebrow.

"No."

"There's your answer," she turned back to the ducks, lowering herself to the ground to get a better view at all the creatures scurrying around each other inside the cage. "Here," Chione pulled two coins from her pocket and extended them toward the evidently bored Lotus. "Go get yourself some sugarcane juice while I finish here, and then I'll meet you at the village's western entrance. Satisfied?"

The younger girl immediately beamed, grabbing the two coins from Chione's hand and nodding furiously. "Yup!" She jumped, not wasting any time before racing out of the cool slaughterhouse and happily walking back up the street.

On their way here, they had passed a moderately busy juice bar positioned beneath the shade of two green umbrella-like fabrics. Her mouth already began salivating from the throat-drying parchment that would soon be washed away with the sweet freshness of her favorite drink. How long had it been since she'd had sugarcane juice? Years....

That's right, her step-mother rarely gave her the money needed to buy the drink and made Lotus's life a living hell by taking her own daughters to the bar, while leaving her at home. She'd always come up with excuses; Lotus had to study, Lotus had to clean her bed first, Lotus already cost them too much money that week, Lotus should've gotten a job instead of constantly stealing from the library. Lotus never seemed to satisfy the older lady... no matter what she did.

"One sugarcane please!" She beamed, dropping both coins onto the silver surface in front of her. The area was a little more crowded than before, but only one other girl and three men stood alongside her, meaning it wouldn't be long before Lotus got her own drink.

A skinnier boy looked back at her from across the tall counter, blinking down at the two coins she'd just placed down. His dark colored skin only drew more attention to the way he rolled her brown eyes at her. "That's not enough, one cup is three coins," he mumbled, pouring a drink for the man standing next to her.