Unfeathered, Unfettered – Part 1

While it is still summer, the late nights of the republic’s coastline could still at times grow somewhat chilly. Particularly on days such as these where rain poured lightly from the skies. It is on days such as these that many families find themselves gathering around their dinner tables and enjoying a warm meal. The Lemur family is no exception to this, with Laurent and his wife Arianne giving amused attention to little Isabelle’s tall tales of the adventures she and the neighborhood kids had gone on to the harbor to see the strange foreign folks between mouthfuls of the vegetable soup Mrs. Lemur had prepared. In the corner of the room, their elderly foxhound Rufus gnawed at the bone of the pig who’s meat had been added to the soup

The peaceful night would not last long, however. A sudden knock at the front door of the humble, rustic abode alerts the house’s pet that springs into action, quickly rising to its feet and rushing towards the source of the sound, barking all the while. Despite his age, old Rufus still had plenty of energy left in him. As Arianne, made to rise from her seat, Laurent rested a hand on her shoulder with a slight smile as if to tell her he had it handled. Rising to his feet, he wordlessly wandered out of the kitchen where they had sat and into the corridor. Something told him he knew exactly who to expect beyond the door. And he’d be proven right.

“Out for an evening stroll, Carla?” He greeted the soaked woman at the stairs up to his doorstep. “I seem to recall you not liking the rain, something change your mind?”

“Oh fuck you, Lu.” She gave the somewhat smug man a look, not too amused by his joke but not entirely mad either. “Got tossed from the Inn, damn owner figured he’d make a fine coin from officials paying extra for them furred foreigners.”

“And you didn’t report this to the officials because…?” For a brief moment, the two simply stared at one another before the woman relented. Laurent had always been a good read of when someone’s talking in half-truths.

“Alright fine, he was lookin’ for volunteers and compensated me. Figured I could crash here y’know, seeing as you owe me for when-” Laurent raised his had, interrupting her from saying anything he didn’t want the young girl he heard tip-toeing up behind him to hear.

“That’s quite alright. But I’ll consider that ‘debt’ repaid with this.”

“Sweet, knew I could count on ya pal!” With a wide grin she stepped forward, practically forcing the homeowner to step aside. “Now don’t mind if I- oh?”

Clara stopped just as she had passed Laurent, crouching down to eyelevel with the sneaky little girl trying to hide behind a cupboard.

“Come on, don’t be shy! You remember me, right?” She barely had time to brace herself however, before the giggling little girl rushed from her hiding spot to tackle Carla in as big of a hug as her little arms could manage

“Auntie Carla! Hi!”

“’Auntie’!? Come on, I’m not that old ya little rascal.” With a laugh, she returns the hug and picks up the child as she stood up. “But look at you! You’ve grown so big I almost can’t carry you anymore! Oh!” It would seem not only the child was excited to see her, what with Rufus nearly jumping up her leg as well.

“Mom! Auntie Carla is calling me fat!”

“Oh, I’m sure she’s just teasing.” Arianne assured her daughter, having just joined the others from the doorway into the kitchen. “Good evening, Miss Onett. Will you be joining us for dinner?”

“Oh well don’t mind if I do!” Letting down the house’s daughter to take off her jacket and shoes, Carla wandered in to join the family in its evening ritual, finding a bowl for herself with the aid of Isabelle.

“Sorry about her, are you sure we have enough?” Laurent asked quietly, joining up beside his beloved

“Oh, don’t worry. I’ll being out the potato bread to compensate if we need to.”

And so it was that dinner was resumed. Portions had to be lightened and the bread brought out to make sure there was enough to go around and for everyone to be satisfied. While a fairly simple meal, Carla couldn’t help but appreciate a homecooked meal. It might lack the charm of a meal you’ve made yourself, or the quality produce of a restaurant, but it was a hearty meal cooked with love. Something so little as the carrots in the soup having been cut into little stars for Isabelle’s amusement filled her with a sense of warmth that she hadn’t felt in a long time. The pleasant meal wouldn’t be enjoyed in silence however, the young Isabelle still had more to say.

“Hey hey! Carla! Me and my friends-!”

“’My friends and I’, you mean?” Corrected her father, receiving a pout from his daughter.

“…we went down to port earlier. There were strange people with big, fluffy tails there! Like Rufus’ but even bigger!”

“Oh, I know. I even met one briefly.” Carla met the little one’s boast with one of her own.

“REALLY!?” Isabelle shouted, looking as if she were about to jump out of her seat in excitement.

“Yeah, strange thing that. Kept brushin’ his tail against me. ‘least I think it was a he.”

“Perhaps it was his way of saying ‘thank you’?” Proposed the patriarch of the family.
“You never know with these foreigners and their strange traditions, and you did do them a favor.”

“I ‘spose that’s true. He stopped after a bit and looked… disappointed though.” That said, there was a brief lull before Isabelle broached the big question she had on her mind. Somewhat anxious, she leaned against the corner of her chair, lifting it’s hindlegs and swinging lightly on the front ones.

“Auntie Carla… can you take me to meet them?”

“Well…” She gazed over to the child’s parents. Their expressions were subtle, but telling enough that Carla knew that they were concerned about their child’s safety around this unknown. “Tell ya what kid, I can do ya one better. I’ve think I’m gonna go on a balloon trip tomorrow. You on?”

With a gasp, Isabelle’s head practically snapped towards her parents, eyes shining with excitement “Can I!?”

The two shared a look before sighing almost in tune with one another.

“Alright, but she has to be home before dark.” Arianne conceded, prompting Carla and Isabelle to highfive with glee.

With that resolved, there was one more question that remained to be answered. The house only had two bedrooms, one for the parents and one for the child. Thankfully, when asked, a certain someone was quick to raise their hand to present their solution, same as she would do in school.

“You can take my bed, and then I’ll take the couch!” Isabelle shouted excitedly, causing the older woman to chuckle.

“And what’s got ya so excited bout an ol’ couch?”

“It’s a little chilly, but you can see the stars from there! It’s really pretty some nights…”

“Okay, ya can have the couch. On one condition.”

“Con-dee-shun?”

“Yeah” Carla said, retreating momentarily into Isabelle’s room before exiting, bedclothes tucked under her arm. “You gotta keep your blanket. Ya father’d have my head if ya got cold ‘couse of ol’ me.”