He was a traveling merchant, and we used to go on voyages together when I was little. We'd travel all over the world and see all the famous cities, but most of the time we spent on the sea, sailing. It was fun, camping out like that, with all the stars out and everything, especially on the clear nights when us and the crew would light a bonfire and have a barbecue in the middle of the ocean.
Well, it was sorta like that; sometimes we'd be gone for months at a time, and when we got home there be tons and tons of mail to sort through. xD
I had an older brother too, but at the time, I didn't know much about him. Just that he no longer lived with us for reasons unknown. For a while I even forgot that he existed, and I went on to live life to the fullest extent of my abilities. But times change, and a few weeks after my twelfth birthday, I found an old grayscale photograph of what we used to be: a
family. With a mother, a father, and two smiling children. It was then that I started wondering about them, the two other aishas in the photo that I never knew. Everyone in that picture just looked so
happy, I started feeling jealous of them all. It was stupid, now that I think about it, getting jealous of a
picture. But that's what happened, and after a while of indecision, I went ahead to ask my father if he knew where my lost sibling was, or if we could go visit him sometime when there was no business to be done. But he just stared at me in a dazed manner, as if I was speaking another language, and answered,"No... We don't have time for that kind of nonsense. NEVER mention it again." and he went back to his study before I had time to say anything else.
From then on, everything good and honest in our lives just started falling away from us. The more I looked at the picture, the more envious I got, and the more I thought about it, the angrier I became. Our relationship grew distant and secretive. I resented my father's secrecy, so much to a point that I'd do anything I could to bring up the topic of our lost relatives, just to see him
cringe.
Finally, when I got so sick of it that I didn't even want to look at him anymore, I snuck away from the crew during a business trip and began asking around for an aisha that matched the on e in the picture, returning just before we set sail again at dusk. I didn't get much help, but I decided to try again next time. So I did. Again, and again, and again, less successful each time around, until on e day, I got careless, and completely lost track of the time. It was well past dusk, and I'd been questioning an old man that seemed to know more than he was letting on. I didn't notice the darkened silhouette stepping up behind me until my father had already grabbed my arm and begun yanking me along the steeped pathway back towards the direction of the docks.
He didn't say a word on the way back to the ship, but the rage was evident on his face, and his pupils had gone slightly wild. Then he threw me into a spare ships' cabin and slammed the door, leaving me on my own to wonder what had gone so
wrong.
---
I guess we must have headed straight back to Faerieland, because its fluffy clouds were the next thing I saw. But not for long. As the crisp evening air touched my skin, I on ce again found myself being dragged along, this time back to the place of my birth. My father's pace rose and fell unsteadily as we walked past the familiar iron gate and into the mansion. It was home, but it didn't feel like it. on ce again, I was pushed through the open door and locked in with no way out. As the gravity of the situation finally began to dawn on me, I could hear my father's muffled shout through the hard oaken door; he had forbade me from searching for my brother ever again.
There didn't seem to be anything else to do at this point, so I spent the days sitting on the steps of the spiral staircase, staring longingly at the photograph I had kept with me for so long. Weeks passed, and my father never returned to let me out. As I lost hope in being forgiven, I decided that it was time to break away from old dreams, and start over. So I broke out and escaped through a large wind*w in the attic. It was the first time I had seen the world from so high up, and the view was breathtaking.
I traveled a lot from then on, asking around for my brother here and there. on e day I came across a big harbor city where I met several pets that eventually became my genuine friends. We were a tightly-knit group, so when another war sprouted up and families were torn apart, we stuck together, and began a self-assigned mission to do our part in it. Sailing a little ship we had dubbed
The Connection, we smuggled refugees across the canal that divided the two warring states from more peaceful nations. Since I knew the most about ships and sailing, I became the on e in charge of navigation. It was a dangerous job for all of us, and oftener our escapes were too close for comfort, but it was worth everything we got in return.
Even if they weren't the happiest of times in my life, those nights were the most amazing and memorable on es I've ever had. Food, lights, dancing,
everything was there. And if I could do it all over again, I would. The war ended in victory, and we celebrated late into the night, but after a while, our friendship grew distant. Now that we had lost our common cause, there was nothing left to hold us together, and eventually we went our separate ways.
---
The months following were long and unsatisfying. I spent most of the time searching for Riav, but finally we met, here, in this city.
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c u e f l a s h b a c k ---
It was a clear Saturday evening, and as the moon rose, so did weekend festivities. The canyon city was a beautiful seaside vacation spot; its tall metal skyscrapers were modern and attractive, yet forever covered in a slight layer of old dust, a perfect blend of the classical and the technological.
Pets and owners alike crowded the streets of the urban landscape, star-watchers set up picnic blankets and expensive telescopes along the wooden boardwalk, while tourists and casual diners meandered along, drinking in the exotic view and lavish scents.
Qi walks among this third party, eyes wandering about her surroundings appreciatively. She's seen it all before, but never on such a night as this. A tap on her shoulder brings her back down to earth, and she twirls around to face a gelert slightly taller than her.
Care to dance?" he questions smilingly, offering her a fresh-picked daisy.
Qi takes the daisy into her hand and returns the smile with charm. "Awww, you're sweet. But I can't just now. Thanks for the flower, though." She spins around and begins slowly walking away, throwing a glance behind her as she does. "Later, 'kay?!" she shouts.
She walks on, spotting a girl and several pets sitting at a table under a large umbrella. She approaches them reluctantly, and the girl looks up as she does, waving her over.
Hi!" she says jovially.
Uhhh... hi," Qi replies. She raises the photograph and points to Riavinn. "Have you seen this guy here before? He's my brother. He should be about eighteen, nineteen, by now."
The girl looks surprised. "He's your... brother?" she asks, disbelief written all over her face.
Yes!" Qi replies almost immediately, eyes searching, pulse quickening to a rush. "Do you know anything about him? Like, where he is now?"
Ummm..." the girl seems indecisive, and Qi's hopes begin to fall. "...Maybe I do..." But as the aisha shakes her head and begins to turn around, she calls out, "Wait!" She hesitates."Ask that guy over there." She points to a dark-furred aisha looking out over the balcony into the ocean beyond.
Qi blinks. "Why?"
The girl just grins. "Trust me," she says confidently.
O...kay?" Qi says, raising an eyebrow. She begins to push her way towards him through the throng of pets, calling out as he begins to move away. He stops, waiting, as she nears him. A flash of recognition passes his expression, but she doesn't notice. Handing the old photograph to him, she questions, "You recognize anyone in this picture?"
...I might," he answers, smirking as she rolls her eyes in annoyance. "But you gotta give me something in return." Qi sighs as she fishes a few gold pieces out of her pocket and shoves them into his hands impatiently. He gives her a look. "S'all I'm going to give you till you say something useful," she retorts, all too familiar with con-artists.
Now it's his turn to sigh, as the coins clink in his hand. "...I'm too old for this..." is what he says as he tosses the money back toward her. "Ah!" Qi curses in surprise as the gold scatters on to the wooden boards and she bends down to chase after the escaping coins.
He watches and waits; her expression seems to be of displeasure now. There's something familiar about this guy that Qi can't quite place, and she bites her lip, determined to figure out what it was. Slowly though, the truth makes itself known, and it hits her with a jolt. Mentally, she kicks herself, but her eyes are alight, and she fixes her gaze on to him, intent on getting it out from him this time.
You're him, aren't you?!" she demands, snatching the photo from his hand. But then, her expression softens, and she smiles. "Aren't you?"
And he smiles back, because he is.
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e n d f l a s h b a c k ---
