As Bremira and Samuel arrived in the town of Granit they flew past beautiful lines of flags stretched across the deep canyons of the town, flowers were being thrown around by children and adults who were dancing and chasing each other across the skies. Laughter and joy echoed in the air, feathers floated down into the water below where parents watched their children splash around.
"To have such a beautiful festival in honor of that king being crowned is a waste, don't you think Brem? All he's ever done is sat on his ass and do jack shit." Samuel said eying the spectacle before them.
Bremira flew silently with her brow furrowed looking at the happiness on people's faces as they danced and played.
"Brem?"
"You're reaching your curse word limit for today Samuel" she murmured before she flew ahead and landed gracefully at the edge of a gaping cavern in the mountain.
"Oh come on!" He said as followed after her.
"I know you don't like him either! You're allowed to have an opinion on him. I know plenty of people who don't like him and they won't shut up about it."
As they continued to treck through the torch lit long winding cavern crowded with people Bremira remained silent.
"With what he did to your parent's I'm shocked you don't hate him as much as they do."
Bremira sighed. "I'm not going to talk about this in public with you. I suggest you start thinking about what herbs go best with a broken leg and how to make a splint because it's your turn to try this time." She turned to a circular wood door in the wall of the rocky hallway and knocked.
"Not like anyone knows what we're talking about anyways" Samuel mumbled arms crossed.
The door swung open revealing a very stressed out looking older woman.
"Oh, thank the gods." She motioned for the two to come inside hurridly before closing the door behind them. They both walked in to see a crying little girl clutching her red swollen leg.
"Holy hell, what happened?"
Bremira elbowed him and shot a glare
"Not helping."
"What!?" He whispered back in annoyance.
Mrs. Jin pulled them both off to the side "Cathey has been feeling a bit left out that her friends have started flying but she hasn't. Late bloomers run in this family, we've all been there." She said shaking her head. "So... She decided that she'd try today without any supervision which I told her not to do and she nearly broke all her bones if our neighbor Henery, bless his soul, hadn't snagged her on the way down." Mrs. Jin said tearing up as she spoke. "I could have lost my daughter today."
"But you didn't, that's what's important." Bremira said. "We can help with the wound, she's alive right now and I'm sure she's more than learned her lesson from this."
Thank you so much, the two of you! I'll make some cookies for you two to take home. She hurried off to the kitchen wiping her eyes.
"Okay, Samuel, what do you think is the best method to handle this?" Bremira knew exactly what should be used. She leaned back waiting for his answer. Samuel stood for a second thinking.
"I think we should find the fracture point on her leg than use an Aloe vera Plantain gel to sooth the area the best we can before setting up the splint."
"What else?"
"Umm..." He racked his brain thinking for what he could have been missing.
"L-e-v-a"
"Levitation! Right we levitate her leg, I swear I knew that!"
"Suuurrre ya did" Bremira teased.
"I did! I swear!"
"Alright then show me!"
They headed to Cathey who was still on the couch in pain. Bremira passed her bag to Samuel. Bremira then kneeled down to Cathey.
"Hey Cath, we are gonna help you get better but you have to promise to not rush the flying process in the future."
Cathey noded still crying. "My friends just keep making jokes about me and I just git sick of it so, I-I."
Bremira frowned "They don't sound like very good friends then, did you ask them to stop?"
"All the time"
"I think it's time to meet some better friends. I know some great kids that would love to be your friend. I can introduce you to them later if you want. "
"I've just been friends with them forever! They won't let me be friends with anyone else and it would be so hard to leave."
"I see, hmm. I understand that can be hard but sometimes you need to do what's best for yourself and stand up for yourself. You are a strong girl and I know you can do it, I know that because you jumped off that cliff knowing you might not be able to fly. That's brave to take a risk like that. You need to use that kind of strength to stand up to them."
Cathey looked determined and nodded.
"Atta girl."
"I can fight them if ya want." Samuel said smiling
"Like hell, you will." Bremira smiled
Cathey laughed.
"Now can you sit up for us? And bite down on this." Samuel handed over a thick cloth.
"Will this hurt?"
"Only for a bit."
Cathey bit down on the cloth and squeezed her eyes shut.
"Samuel, can you hand me the chamomile in there?"
Samuel handed over a jar of loose leaf chamomile.
"Got this for a bit?"
"Yeah, I got it." Samuel replied while digging through the bag of supplies.
Bremira headed to the kitchen where Mrs. Jin was baking cookies.
"How's it going?" Mrs. Jin asked anxiously when she noticed Bremira.
"Great! I think Cathey maybe with a bad group of friends, I'd keep an eye on that. Here, can you make some chamomile tea? It'll calm her down." Bremira handed over the tea.
"I've noticed the way they joke with her seem's harsh but she always tells me it's just how they joke nowadays. I knew I should have been more concerned."
"It's okay, being a mother can be hard, you are doing your best."
"Oh that's right, you've basically been parenting Samuel since he was about Cathey's age right? So then you would understand. Haha, so young to be a mother."
"It's really been more of what I imagine raising an annoying little brother would be like, nothing like raising a kid, I couldn't imagine being in your shoes Mrs. Jin" Bremira laughed leaning against the wall.
"Oh well, you've certainly done an exemplary job, he's a very intelligent boy, we all enjoy his company here in Granit."
A muffled scream came from the other room, Bremira, and Mrs. Jin rushed in the room.
"Just had to move the bone back into place, sorry Cathey, that was the worst so it's downhill from here"
Mrs. Jin sighed in relief.
The front door swung open and a gasping boy about Samuels age rushed in.
"Is Cathey alright!?" He shouted
"Yes she is and keep your voice down Ryan!" Mrs. Jin snapped.
"Sorry, mom."
"Oh hi Ms. Storm! Sam!"
"Again, just call me Rina, Ryan."
"Oh, right sorry." He looked over at Samuel who was blushing fervently while avoiding eye contact. " Sam?"
"Oh, H-hi, Ryan."
Ryan walked over and sat by Samuel and started lecturing his sister. Bremira saw Samuel grow stiff from the close contact. She smiled knowing exactly what was going on.
"Here Samuel, swap with me? Go keep Mrs. Jin Company in the kitchen."
"Excuse me" Samuel quickly rushed into the kitchen.
"Is... he alright Rina? Sick or something?" Ryan asked.
"Oh, trust me, he's just peachy Ryan. Trust me."
After another hour or so they finished up wrote some care instructions.
"Oh, you two can stay if you like! Again, I can't thank you both enough."
"Thank you, Mrs. Jin, but there are probably a lot of people who need us today since it's the busiest day of the year. We better get going."
"Well do please visit us again. We can have dinner together!"
"Absolutely! Bye Mrs. Jin, Ryan, and Cathey! Remember what we talked about." Cathey nodded
"Want to say bye to Ryan, Samuel?"Samuel who had been staring the ground flustered up until this point looked up to glare at Bremira.
"Bye, everyone!" He said before grabbing Bremira and pulling her back out into the cavern.
"Ass" Samuel breathed through clenched teeth.
Bremira tried to suppress laughter.
The day passed by slowly as they spent the day helping people with small injuries while enjoying the festivities and food. By the end of the day, the sun was just starting to set in the distance. They both headed back home.
"Sooo, that crush ya got on Ryan huh?" Bremira giggled
Samuel who had been eating one of the cookies Mrs. Jin made them choked on it at hearing this.
"Why not just tell him?"
It's- It's not that easy.
"Sure it is! I've seen him date other guys before."
"No, it's not. Maybe you think it is because you've never been in love before."
"Ohoho, the big L word huh?"
"No! I mean! I'm not in love! It's just a small crush, nothing to act on."
"From the way it looks, it doesn't look like a tiny crush. And I have been in a fair share of relationships thank you very much." Bremira scoffed.
"Bremira, you can't call those relationships they lasted like a week tops."
"One was a month."
"Not a relationship."
"That's your opinion, Samuel. At least I'm not to never be in one like you."
"You act like you even tried in those relationships. I saw the way you blew off those guys all the time. Ever wonder why you always got dumped?"
They came to a stop at one of the rocks jutting out of the water.
"What do you mean? I have a job Samuel, and it's not like taking care of you gives me a lot of free time either."
"I can take care of myself, stop making excuses, and definitely don't use me as one. You could have had normal relationships if you wanted!" Samuel's voice growled raising his voice.
Something in Bremira finally snapped from that. "No. I. can't. I'll never have a normal relationship, Samuel. I'll get fucking killed if I ever tried to have a normal relationship, my life is a lie. You get to have normality, you! but I'll never be able to hide my hair forever or my name, or the reality of how much danger I'm actually in all the time! It will only be a matter of time before the king finds out and kills me. So while you think I'm just not trying it's because I can't, even if I wanted to and I thought you would have understood that!" She yelled before flying off into the distance leaving Samuel in silence.
Bremira flew back to the house. She didn't want to be there when Samuel got back so she went to the top where her telescope was. She paced back and forth taking deep breaths to calm down. "Fuck that was childish" She mumbled. She knew she shouldn't have acted like that. The festival had been a strain on her mentally. Samuel was right, she did hate the king. Maybe voicing it would have taken some of the edge off.
When she calmed down a bit more she looked over at her telescope. It had been a while since she used it. She's been so busy with work and Samuel that she never spent much time doing things she liked anymore. She used to stare out at the sea of sand to see if there was anything out there besides the Airborn. Even the sand beast that the kingdom talked about that was said to be out there have never been seen. She always knew that she'd probably only see sand but it was nice to imagine there was more to the world than just them. The sun had almost set she'd use the rest of the little light left to give it one last try.
As Brimira looked out of the telescope she saw just what she expected to see.
"Sand, what a beautiful sight. You are still my friend right sand?" She sighed.
Just as she was about to head inside to see if Samuel made it back and apologize she spotted something else. Or rather someone else.
"Oh my god, is that a person?"
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