Chapter 3: Where determination keeps us moving forward

--LILLIE--

“Of course, I still expect you to contribute to household obligations,” my mother declared after we had explained to her our idea about selling fish in the market—surprisingly, receiving her approval. “If you won’t return to your old job, then the least you can do is make a business-partnership with Sable since he can provide the resources.”

“Our thoughts exactly,” I said, and he nodded while standing behind me as my mother began packing a small basket, indicating that she was leaving to visit some friends.

“Now that you’ve recovered, I’m glad to see you taking on your responsibilities as a member of our society,” she said while adding a final quiche into the basket. Her eyes lifted, and she slightly tilted her head. “And, you, Sable. If you plan on staying in Cedrus City permanently, you’ll need to find proper accommodations. There are some cheap hostels you could easily afford, I’m sure.”

“He’s staying with me until further notice,” I said firmly, and my mother frowned. “There’s no reason he cannot stay here until we can make enough money to move out on our own.”

“Move out? On your own?” my mother said, then laughed as she placed her hand upon her chest. “My, you’re such a foolish child. A measly market salary isn’t enough.”

“Then, why send Sable away to a hostel if it’s not sufficient?” She clenched her jaw, then looked down at the basket as she closed it with the wicker lid. “Sable is new to the city and it’s the least we can do to help him.”

“He should have thought about that before coming to the city.”

“Marie,” Sable suddenly said with a low purr, causing my mother to lift her eyes. “I ask for your kindness once more, but I promise to do anything you need and will not neglect any responsibilities you may require while I am staying here. I just need some time before finding my own place. Please, grant me your blessing.” I held my breath as my mother lifted the basket onto her shoulder with the leather straps, and she bit her lower lip, but then rolled her eyes.

“I’ll make a long list of things you two need to do, and I expect the freshest catch each time,” she said while pointing up at Sable, who then bowed his head, sighing with relief. “And mushrooms—plenty of those. And that onion grass you never brought back.” She then dropped the basket on the table again, stating that she forgot something, and I grabbed Sable’s hand, and led him onto the balcony to speak more privately.

“Hey, where are you going to fish?” I asked while Sable leaned against the railing, causing it to creak. He turned his head, looking at me as he crossed his arms. “You can’t go back to your old hunting grounds. What if a Sage catches us again?”

“There’s a lake nestled between Hira and Chala,” he replied.

“Oh, yeah, I used to go there as a kid. It’s about a whole day’s worth of traveling by foot.”

“Not for me. And I was taught to avoid the areas around the foot of the mountains since the footpaths of the forest-dwell—er, Tamarines crossed past the lake.”

“Oh yeah, and the farmlands are even further, yeah? So, then, you can avoid being spotted by the Sage, right?”

“In theory, yes. They told me to stay away from my colony and other Teraganes. Not that I had much to do with any of them anyway.” Sable looked down while frowning, then quietly mumbled a name I had never heard before. But, then his eyes glanced over to me.

“Would you like to go now?” he asked, then looked up as he peered out over the balcony.

“Now?

“I think if you rode on my back, I could easily fly us out of here.” He leaned further, then suddenly the railing gave-way, and completely broke off the balcony, falling to the ground below with a loud crash. I gasped as Sable plummeted over, but easily caught himself mid-air, but he landed near the splinted wood, and picked up the railing as he cast a helpless expression up at me.

“What is going on out here?” my mother angrily asked while stomping outside, then shrieked as I attempted to hide the missing railing, feigning a smile, but Sable flew up with the dismantled wood in his arms, and landed next to me.

“I—uh, can fix this,” he said, his voice absolutely uncertain but determined.

“Hey! Everything okay?” a concerned voice called from below. My mother peered over, and we both looked down at our downstairs neighbor, Coral, hobbling onto the street, looking concerned at the pieces of wood on the ground.

“What happened?” a voice called from another house as more neighbors began to gather on the street, and children began running around, and picked up the pieces of wood left behind by the broken railing.

“Sable!” my mother cried. “Look what you’ve done!” I couldn’t help but laugh, feeling sorry for him as he tried placing the broken wood back onto the balcony, expecting for it to magically fix itself.

“I—I’ll make it right,” he muttered as he pushed the splintered wood back onto the edge of the balcony, only to catch it as it fell over.

“Oh, stop it, it’s broken. You need to buy or make a new one,” my mother said, then smacked Sable’s arm, causing him to flinch—nearly panic. A low rumbling of curious voices came from below, and my mother frantically waved, calling for them all to go home and not to worry.

“Let’s go,” I said to Sable, whose face had drained of its warmth. “We’ll fix it later.”

“But,” he muttered.

“It’s fine,” I reassured him, and he placed the broken pieces on the ground while apologizing profusely to my angered mother. She continued to be encouraging to the nosy neighbors below, then quickly turned to face Sable with flared nostrils.

“We’re going to the lake, be back later,” I told my mother, in which she simply huffed, but demanded now for mussels, clams, or other underwater delicacies not even Masters were heard to be dining by.

I dragged Sable into the house, and we collected my wicker basket, and readied ourselves to venture out to the lake to gather fresh water specialties for our potential business and to suffice my mother, convincing her that Sable should be allowed to stay. We returned to the balcony, standing on the edge no longer protected by a railing, and I jumped onto his back and wrapped my arms around his broad shoulders, nestling my body between his wing blades. Then I felt the muscles of his wings move as he adjusted his position on the edge of the balcony. The street was filled with onlooking people where my mother had gone down to gossip about her problematic situation of her daughter’s squatting future business partner, but everyone suddenly looked up at Sable’s glorious figure.

He jumped with a powerful force, extending his wings as we entered the narrow area between towering buildings. His wings flapped with strength that pushed us upward, and he maneuvered us around the overhanging bridges that connected the higher levels. I held tightly, nearly choking him at his neck, and felt my body being dragged down by the intense weight of gravity as we climbed. Then, up ahead, I saw the large opening in the tree branches, and Sable directed us right through the clearing. As soon as we cleared the branches, the entire scene lit up, and he angled his position as he flew north over the cedar forest. The powerful movements of his wings gently bumped up against my stomach as I pulled myself closer to the back of Sable’s head.

“You actually traveled to this lake as a child?” he asked while slightly twisting his head.

“Yeah! I heard about it from some travelers, and needed to see it for myself,” I replied. “It’s quite beautiful. It took an entire day to get there and back. But, further and past the mountains is where the farmlands are located. But, I never went that far.”

“Well, maybe we can in the future. I’d like to see the farmlands—I was only taught to avoid the area. Actually, I’m excited to see more of the province. I was taught to create my own enclave, and avoid crossing paths with anyone else, especially the Tamarines—known as the savages of the forest.”

“Wow. Well, the Tamarines are pretty savage. But—when you crossed paths with me, why did you return—like, to the meadow?” Sable looked over at me again as his hair swirled with the wind, and a smirk crossed his face.

“Because I was enamored by you.” Although the rushing wind was piercing against my skin, a rush of heat filled my cheeks as I smiled, and then nuzzled my head against Sable’s back, evading his side glances that only furthered my fluttering feelings.

“I still feel guilty for being the cause of your banishment—but ever so grateful, because I really love that you are a part of my life.”

“Me too.” Sable continued to fly steadily, and the wind rustled through his hair, tickling my nose. Although his speed was casual, he made incredible distance and the mountains grew bigger in size as we slowly moved closer. I could barely believe how far of a distance he could make by flight-path, realizing how accessible the world was for the Teragane, a feat heavily desired by my yearning heart.

Yet, why did they isolate themselves so strictly? Why contain their people to specific enclaves and from interacting with others, even their own kind?

When the ridges of the mountains began to flatten out as we approached, the appearance of the lake hidden between the two mountains came to view. The sunlight shimmered on the surface, and the tranquil sight caused my heart to beat fast. Sable slowly began to make his descent, angling us slightly and his wings stopped moving, adjusting to a gliding position. I looked over at his wings, realizing how giant his wingspan was, at least two or three times his arms width. The black feathers in the shining sun showcased a stunning purple hue, shimmering like a star-filled night sky.

As we descended, Sable angled himself for a smooth landing, and his wings pumped to land us directly on the ground. I released my grip, and plopped onto the ground, feeling my heart beat fast and my hair in a wind-swept mess.

“I’ve never been here before,” he said while moving close to the water. The lake lazily moved from the wind, rippling across stones near the edge. Sable looked up to the mountain to his right. “That’s Mt. Hira. That was my home.”

“Are you okay being so close?” I asked while gazing up at the ridges. The mountain was barely comprehensible while standing so close. It rose high above, almost like a hill, but at some point the clouds covered its true glorious size. Further away, like in the meadow, it was more distinguishable. At its beckoning door, impossible to understand its true size.

“Yes. No one should be able to see me from here. No Teragane comes down here. With the cloud coverage, I don’t think they would notice us down here even if they were flying above. I think everyone from my colony flies to much greater distances.”

“Well, your river is also much further from here.”

“Yes, and even that isn’t too far. I was pretty lazy as a child and didn’t want to fly too far from the mountain. I think the others claimed enclaves much further away. I remember running into—“ Sable suddenly looked down, seemingly saddened at memories of the past, and I placed my hand upon his arm. I wanted to say something encouraging, but the culture of his people, the solitary living, suddenly became more understandable to why Sable decided to abandon it all.

How horrible is it to be part of a group, only to be expected to live isolated from others.

“I think selling fish at the market is an excellent idea to make a life for ourselves,” he said while looking over at me, attempting to move through the pain of the past, and find a better future.

“It’s not as easy as that, for we will have extensive arrangements to make,” I said, realizing that the past was the least of my worries. “We will need to receive permission, we will have to pay taxes, and it will vary depending on the needs of the people, which can be hard to predict.”

“That’s only three things.” Sable smirked and then placed a hand behind my head, and allowed his fingers to drift through the rather tangled strands, but then I huffed heavily, attempting to showcase my seriousness of our predicament.

“Actually, there are more steps, but mostly I will have to do a lot of work in order to set things up correctly. Otherwise we could get in trouble. The last thing I want for us is to attract trouble from the Keepers.”

“I can gather the fish. And I will help sell in the market. I know I don’t understand the politics of the other things, but I am a quick learner and will do my best.”

“I know, but I need you to understand it’s not as simple as just showing up every day and taking money from buyers.”

“I understand.”

“Good. As long as you know it won’t be easy.” Sable nodded, then looked as if he was about to take off, but then hesitated, casting a glance over at me as his wings folded behind.

“What about—what about finding our own place? You said your father wants me to leave, now your mother as well. Can—can we find a place to live together?”

“Yeah, that one will be much harder to figure out.” I sighed heavily, realizing how much we had to work through to make a life together. “If total chaos ensues and my parents attempt to kick you out, then maybe you can stay with Jamie and Lara, maybe Thabias—hell, even Coral would take you in, and she lives just under us.”

“Should I just find my own home?” His red eyes softened as he looked at me for answers. I could not imagine what type of anxious thoughts he had behind that confused expression, but I did know that I was his only guide in this new chosen life he was attempting to create. I hardly wanted to leave Sable’s side, but couldn’t feel justified subjecting us to utter primitive living outside the city, yet I had no other family to rely on for shelter.

Most families lived with each other. When new families were made, usually they moved into a house owned or already occupied. It wasn’t often that couples were able to start on their own. However, I didn’t think my parents believed Sable and I were necessarily a couple—nor did I expect them to fully accept Sable as a life-partner, only a business-partner, but even that was hardly conceptualized while money still had yet to be made. I didn’t have aunts or uncles, nor grandparents. They had all died, and my parent’s house was all they owned after inheriting it from my father’s parents. I had nothing to my name, only the few Den left in my coin purse—unless my mother had already taken it all while I was recovering.

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“I think we should first focus on establishing our fish-trading stall,” I said while smiling.

“Okay,” Sable replied, then he turned to jump into the air, twirling mid-air, and then hovered over the lake. He scanned from above, then dove down to the surface, then skimmed barely above the water as he snatched up fish. I sat on the grass, looking around the area, and watched him catch fish all afternoon. I didn’t like the idea of all the work I would have to do in order to approve of our fishmonger endeavor. I knew that we would be subject to the Keepers, would have to pay taxes, and then deal with unreasonable people. I was good at maneuvering such tactics, but I did not like the strain or stress of the work.

It’s better than the mine, I guess. And, I don’t see anything else for us. It’s something tangible, and I guess I’ve just been too lazy to want to think about returning back to my old life.

Except, I wasn’t returning back to my old life. This time, I had Sable by my side, not just once a month in the meadow. However, I began to worry about our living situation, and Sable’s concern how he would integrate within the community. The old life was over, and now both he and I had a lot of new things to deal with.

The following days blurred together as I drifted from the different stall markets to track down information on how to successfully sell at the market. As usual, most sellers were quite unhelpful and refused to give information. Partially, I knew that they were only trying to keep competition at bay, but also they were just stubborn people who hated seeing others succeed in life.

Instead, I decided to visit Jadis at her shop. I had not gone to see her since the incident at the mine, nor did she ever return looking for the plants I had originally arranged to find for her. Although Jadis worked from an actual established shop within the city, she was the only one who I felt like I could trust with the delicate complexities of running a business. I went to visit her alone, as my mother demanded for Sable to fix the broken railing on the balcony. At first, he felt confident in is capabilities, but eventually my father refused to let Sable touch his tools. As my father repaired the balcony, Sable wanted to observe and learn such a skill, and so I left him behind as I ventured through the city.

“Goodness! You’re a sight for sore eyes,” Jadis greeted me as I entered her shop. “I heard about the terrible incident. I’m so thankful that you are well, for losing you would be like losing a rare gem gifted by the spirits of the earth.” She glided over to me as her shimmering shawl drifted in a dream-like state, and she embraced me, holding me tightly.

“Thanks,” I said while hugging her back. “I’m sorry I did not come see you sooner. I feel bad for—“

“Nonsense, my dearest,” she said while releasing her grip to look at my face. Her green eyes glistened and her beautiful dark gray skin shimmered with glorious undertones. I smiled as she tucked her long gray hair behind an ear, revealing her delicate piercings. “It is I who apologize for not visiting sooner. I had to seek out the moss and other ingredients on my own, mostly because of the incident. I came to your house, seeking you out, but your mother told me that you were utterly unwell, and the rumors of the mine-incident were swelling amongst all my customers. I even created tinctures for the family doctors treating someone from the Kraventree Family.”

“Ah, yes, Jamie injured his leg,” I said, feeling regretful of losing my chance of earning a rather heavy compensation with one of her wealthy benefactors.

“The city gossip also spoke a great deal about the heroic Teragane who saved you and the others from the depths. Your mother said that he is living with you?”

“Yes, his name is Sable. He is very dear to me.” I looked away, feeling even more flushed with conflicting emotions, especially on the account I had come to visit her to speak about business—not my relationship with Sable.

“Really? Please, you must tell me more. I need to hear this tale in great detail, for the Teragane are as mystic as the legends of those with white hair.” She winked as she drifted her fingers into the loose strands of my hair.

“I would love to tell you more about my dear Sable, but unfortunately I need to ask you specific questions.”

“Oh? Anything for you.”

“I don’t want to return to the mine, but I need to try and support myself and—uh, Sable also wants to stay here—with me.” My cheeks continued to rise in temperature and Jadis raised her eyebrows. She smiled inquisitively, and I continued to explain my situation, telling her about our idea of selling fish at the market so that we could support ourselves. She eagerly listened and waited until I was finished before she spoke.

“You have always been such an intriguing youngling,” she spoke with her dreamy voice. “I am so glad that you have come to visit me today. Could you help me with some plants while we continue to talk?”

“Uh—sure,” I replied, and we walked into the back room. A strong scent of lavender permeated from the middle table, and Jadis explained that she needed help separating the lavender buds. Immediately, we got to work, and the environment lifted my spirits as I remembered the early years of working with Jadis.

As we worked slowly, Jadis began to explain the registration process with the regime, stating that she would help me. She spoke instructively, and I listened to her words. She also offered partial work on occasion with her, allowing me to make extra income when possible, but unfortunately couldn’t offer a full time position that was sufficient to live on.

“My benefactor stated that the enhancement tincture wasn’t exactly what he was looking for,” she said while we were finishing up. “I had a lot of hope—but it seems that herbalism wasn’t the answer in which he was seeking for.”

“What kind of—uh—enhancement was he looking for, anyway?” Jadis paused, then looked at me with a dreamy smile.

“Something I am not allowed to speak of—naturally.” She drifted off, stating that we were finished separating the buds, and gave me a small sack to take home, stating that it was a relatively pleasant smell for soap making, and I bid her a farewell, promising to return the next day, for we planned to visit the regime together and prepare everything for the market.

As I walked home, I felt a warm fuzzy feeling overwhelm me. I was thankful for my younger self when I had first entered Jadis’ shop, begging for her to help me. After my visit, I knew that I had made the right choice all those years ago, and, once again, thought about the library and possibly reconnecting with Historia—another in which whom I felt indebted to as a child.

I turned down my neighborhood street, passing the blacksmith and the tool shop, and looked up at the balcony. The railing had been fixed, and I saw puffs of smoke, suddenly feeling anxious to see my father, especially knowing that he was grinding his teeth for Sable to leave our house. But, regardless of his unfulfilled threats of calling the Keepers, I walked up the cob staircase, and entered the balcony to only find my father and Thabias smoking their pipes.

“Where’s Sable?” I asked.

“Hello, to you too,” Thabias grumbled, and my father merely grunted.

“Seriously, where is he?” I asked again.

“Don’t know,” my father finally said. “He flew off somewhere. Maybe got some sense that he’s overstayed his welcome.”

As if he was ever welcomed by you.

To evade any other discomforting conversation, I entered the house, and into the kitchen where my mother had prepared dinner.

“There you are—oh you smell strong!” she shrieked. “What is this?” She snatched the sack of lavender from my hands and brought it to her nose, sniffing deeply with flickering eyes.

“I was with Jadis this afternoon,” I said while looking around the kitchen. “Where is Sable? The railing looks good.”

“Yes, your father and Sable fixed it, but I think Olga asked him to fix something of hers, and I haven’t seen him the rest of the day.”

“He didn’t return for dinner?”

“Obviously that’s what I mean when I say he hasn’t been back.”

“Alright.” I returned to the balcony, and made a point to glare at Thabias, who smugly smiled while moving the pipe from his mouth.

“What’s in your arse?” he asked menacingly, and clicked his teeth upon the wooden pipe.

“Is Sable at your house?” I asked.

“Don’t know.” I rolled my eyes, then walked down the stairs again, forgetting any help in which Thabias had given to Sable in search of my whereabouts during my near-death hours. I walked straight to Thabias’ house, where one of the children opened the door. They informed me that Sable had in fact been there, but left when another neighbor had found out he was fixing things. Suddenly, I realized, similar to my own experiences, word spread like wildfire that Sable was eager to help others, and he could be jumping from house to house for the rest of the night, helping anyone who asked him, despite his lack of useful skills—his desire to help was enough to cause others to beg him for the most mundane tasks.

I moved onto the street, looking up and around, trying to catch a glimpse of his figure, even though I knew that it was most likely a lost cause now that Sable’s sense of morality had reached the neighborhood.

“Lose something?” I heard Jamie’s voice come from behind, and I turned to see his limping figure as he still used a crutch to move around.

“Oh, word got out that Sable is a kind and helpful person, and now I don’t know what pleading soul he’s drifted off to,” I replied while still gazing around the narrow street. Jamie came to my side, then also began looking up. The area was growing dark as night approached, making it difficult to see past the second stories of buildings.

“He could be gone all night,” Jamie said with a chuckle. “Actually, you may never see him ever again.”

“I’m just surprised that he hasn’t returned for even a meal.”

“Someone probably already offered to feed him.”

“Oh, yeah that would work. He never says no to food.” Jamie and I laughed, and I realized it was hopeless to find him and I would simply have to wait for him to return on his terms. I helped Jamie climb the stairs, and the smoking men greeting him with partial excitement. I stayed on the porch, telling Jamie about our plans to sell fish at the market. He listened supportively, although my father grunted with disdain.

“It won’t last long,” my father scolded. “You’re wasting your time and efforts, especially when you already have a position waiting for you in the mines.”

“It’s a great idea,” Jamie said encouragingly. “You’ve got little to no competition. People always need food, and Sable can get everything you need in less than a day’s effort. With his wings, you guys could literally do anything you wanted.”

“Pfft,” my father grunted, and stood up. “Don’t fill her silly head with such foolish thoughts. The reality of this cruel world will soon be upon them.”

“Aw, sounds like someone doesn’t have enough faith in his daughter,” Jamie joked, flashing a charming smile. My heart raced as Jamie only continued, wondering how much he realized his words meant to me in that moment. “Come on, Bene. You’re a smart man. Your daughter has secured herself with someone powerful, legendary—a Teragane. Can you not see the potential in their efforts? Can you not see what glories they will create? A forest nymph and a Teragane? Come, now Bene. You’re a smart man. Yes?”

My father grunted as he tapped his pipe, looking away as Jamie only smiled and lifted his chin, ready to continue, but my father opened the front door, and escaped the man’s words. Thabias, possibly also uncomfortable with the changes in environment, stood up and left the balcony, leaving Jamie and I alone.

“Jeesh, everyone seems so grumpy tonight,” Jamie complained as he placed the pipe into his mouth and took a long drag while leaning back against the wall of the house.

“What about you?” I asked while taking a seat next to him. “What will you do?” I knew that he had troubles with his family and went to work in the mine in order to make his own way in life. After the incident, I wondered if he also had a change of mind what he wanted to do to support himself.

“Oh, you know me. I avoid responsibilities as much as possible.”

“How long will that work?”

“Not much longer, actually. My expensive taste for life’s luxuries is hard to support without a steady income.” He let out a chuckle, then took another long drag of his pipe. He tapped one foot, and then rubbed the knee of his injured leg. “Once this is healed, I guess I should return to the mine.”

“No!” I shouted, startling Jamie who looked at me with his wide blue eyes. “I mean—“ I quickly turned away, feeling ashamed at feeling so strongly of someone else’s life decision.

“Aw, didn’t realize you cared so much,” he teased and pushed his arm against mine. “But, unfortunately, I don’t have a fishing-boyfriend with wings to help me with changing my prospects, or a knack for finding other ways to support myself.”

“I’m sure there is something else for you besides that horrible place. What about trying to actually get along with your uncle, or father, or someone else in your family?”

“Pffft. Yeah I’d rather risk my life than argue with judgmental people all day long who just want to control every aspect of my life.”

“You cannot be serious. You’d rather return to risking your life for a miserable job, than make amends with your family?”

“Okay, let’s have some perspective. Would you rather find your own way in life, like selling fish at a market, or allow yourself to be completely controlled by your parents? Hmmm?” I opened my mouth to speak, but then stopped, realizing that Jamie and I were no different in our situations. Unfortunately, for Jamie, he did not put much effort into honing skills or attributes to help further his endeavors in life. However, who was I to judge his lack of skills or motivation? I thought he was an absolute idiot at times, but he at least knew that he also did not want to conform to other people’s expectations of how he should live his life.

“Fine. I’m sorry,” I said while shifting my position as I leaned my head against the wall of the house. “You must choose your own path. I just think that you’re better off doing anything else than returning to the mine.”

“Anything else? Like what?” he asked, also leaning his head up against the wall, and lowered his pipe.

“I don’t know. What do you like to do?”

“Argue. Shop for expensive clothes in the latest fashion. Attend the theater. Make hilarious jokes. Actually, make anything into a joke.”

“All those things are just your personality.”

“Hey, I’d like to think such things as special interests.”

“Okay, but for real. What are things you are good at?”

“Arguing, shopping, making jokes—“

“Okay, you’re hopeless. I give up.” Jamie laughed loudly, but he slowly dropped his silly smile and sighed heavily.

“Do you think I could do something else?” he asked, his blue eyes softening as he looked for support. I slightly moved my head to look into his eyes.

“I think you short-sell yourself too much,” I replied, lowering my voice. I moved my head, looking at the wooden railing. I thought about Sable and how he was determined to learn how to fix the railing after he had broke it. Initially, he looked like a helpless child as my mother yelled at him. Then, over the following days, he made his observations, studied the wood intently, and asked questions. Finally, by that morning, he was determined to fix it—with the help of my stubborn father of course.

I knew that Jamie was different than Sable, but I realized that even for someone who was completely ignorant of how things worked—like Sable—as long as a person had determination, they could find a way to make things work for themselves in order to meet their goals. Suddenly, I realized, I was exactly the same. I was constantly seeking for answers, and finding ways to make my goals work. Sable and I were different, but nearly identical in our motivations to reach our goals. I turned to look at Jamie, once again, realizing that he could also do the same.

“I think you are so much more than just a jester,” I said, and Jamie’s eyes lowered, although, obviously he was listening intently. “You hide behind your sarcasm to cover the difficulties you must face on a daily basis. It’s okay, and I truly mean not to be judgmental. But it’s holding you back. You hold yourself back a lot because you don’t believe you can do anything else. You truly believe disappointing your family is your destiny. However, I believe that when someone chooses to live according to the negative destiny, then you will never achieve anything outside of that. In contrast, you can achieve so much more if you allow yourself to break free from such expectations of yourself. I think starting with asking yourself what you truly want in life could help you focus more on discovering more about yourself.”

Jamie stayed quiet as my words filled the night air. He stopped fidgeting his depleted pipe, and stayed paralyzed with my words, until a familiar flapping sound came from above, and Sable landed with a loud thud on the balcony. Jamie and I looked up to Sable’s dark figure. His hair was plastered against his face that was covered in dirt and sweat, and I jolted to my feet and ran to greet him.

“There you are!” I shouted, and attempted to swing my arms around him, but realized how filthy he was. “Ew, why are you so dirty?” I removed a cobweb from his hair, flicking it away.

“Sorry, I was just helping people,” he said shyly while scratching at his messy hair. “How did things go with your old mentor?”

“Really good, it’s going to work out well,” I said excitedly. Sable peered over my shoulder, eyeing Jamie’s silent figure behind me.

“That’s good news. Hey, Jamie.” Sable moved pass me to approach Jamie, who quickly then snapped out of his deep thoughts.

“Well, well, well yaddi daddi do—it’s the hero of Cedrus City—what else can I do,” Jamie said while he carefully stood up. “Looks like you’re keeping that title for awhile.” Sable quickly grabbed Jamie’s crutch and gave it to him, causing Jamie to only huff further in annoyance.

“Yeah, a lot of people needed help today,” Sable said with a grin. “I’m only happy to help others.”

“Good, the world needs more people like you to help their every whim,” Jamie joked while slowly moving to the stairs. “Anyway, I’m going home. Let me know when you need my help, dear master.”

“Should I fly you home?” Sable asked while holding his hand under Jamie’s arm. Jamie twisted his neck and a sly smirk crossed his face. But then he looked at me and his smile disappeared as he moved his arm away from Sable’s helpful gesture.

“Your boyfriend is rather gullible and naive, too easily persuaded, and too easily taken for granted,” Jamie said, his eyes narrowed upon me, causing Sable to withdraw his helpful hand. “Perhaps you can sweep me away another time, my dear master, for your girlfriend has been anticipating your return for awhile, and I’d hate to get in the way of penetrating affairs. Goodnight, sleep well you two. Make sure you use precaution—not ready for anything too serious yet, I’m sure, especially since you still live with your parents and have yet to even announce your relationship status.”

“Jamie,” I groaned, and he simply smirked as he then hobbled down the stairs, but Sable twisted his neck, looking utterly innocent at me, as he didn’t get a single subtlety in which Jamie spoke of.

“I’m sorry to keep you waiting,” Sable said. “I’ll get cleaned up and we can talk. By the way, you smell amazing.”