• Title: Life’s just a picnic (1)
    Author: Joanna
    Subject: Living and loving life
    Date: 38.12.09
    Location: Thread’s End Hold. (TEH)
    Attn: anyone.
    Weather: Partly cloudy all day.
    Thread: 38.12.10 (E4/W4 mid-afternoon)
    NPCs: --
    Mentioned: --
    Notes: This is my first post, so comments are welcome, but please bear with me.
    Rerleased: 5/7/09 mentor approved Seelie, apprrentice herder, TEH istari9@hughes.net
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    ~~ Hunger!!!! ~~

    Crying out, Rialia tumbled off the bed in a tangle of arms, legs, and blanket. An inquisitive chirp greeted the silence following the ungraceful fall. “Scampy!” The young woodcarver groaned, opening bleary mouse-brown eyes and glaring at the brown firelizard through strands of chin-length black hair. “You don’t have to _scare_ me out of bed! I’m perfectly able to-”

    The mischievous firelizard made an indignant squawk. ~~ Impatience. Hunger!!! ~~

    “Shells!” Rialia swore, springing to her feet. “Is it _really_ that late?” She scrambled into her leggings and shirt with no regard for her hair for now. “I’m sorry!” she told the ravenous firelizard, hopping to the kitchen while pulling on her boots. ** Shards, I should be opening soon! ** After almost a full Turn of managing her late father’s woodcarver store _and_ Scampy, she shouldn’t be running late, period. Plopping meat scraps from the night before into a bowl, she left Scampy to gorge himself while she raced to the shop. She had no desire to eat first thing when she woke; she loved waking up on her own time.

    The air inside the small shop was musty from being shut all night. When Rialia opened the windows, the patchy sunshine lit up spots of dust and wooden figurines, statues, carved plaques, chairs, and works in progress. It had been Rialia’s and her father’s haven ever since she could remember and now it was hers alone to keep. The smell of wood shavings calmed her frazzled nerves a little as she neatened the place up. Last night had been stressful and she hadn’t even cleaned up before falling asleep, despite Scampy’s help. A smile broke out on her face. As far as firelizards went, Scampy was definitely one of the more intelligent, but she was biased anyways. The little brown, besides being a great help in attracting customers and helping with odd chores, was often the subject of many of Rialia’s own carvings.

    Sunshine streaming through the opened front of the shop was blocked and Rialia looked up from uncovering one of her father’s statues; a customer already? “Can I help you?”

    The person, silhouetted by the brief emergence of the sun, laughed hysterically. “You just got up, didn’t you Ria?” the speaker teased and stepped all the way inside. Sepia, Rialia’s neighbor on the shop row and Rialia’s friend since they were both eight Turns, had two cups of klah in with her, their aroma making Rialia’s mouth water. “Honestly, you have far too much time on your hands.”

    Rialia smiled and rolled her eyes, accepting the hot drink gratefully. “I use them wisely, you know I do, Sepia. It gives me more time to carve more. Didn’t you say you wanted me to make something for your mother?” Scampy appeared and he flew about the shop before settling on Rialia’s shoulder. “Besides, how else am I to keep this little greedy gut fed?” She reached up and scratched his eye ridges with a free hand.

    “Isn’t he finished growing yet?” Sepia asked incredulously, her blue eyes wide and obviously avoiding Rialia’s first question.

    “I think so,” Rialia replied, shaking her head. “Of course, he may just be greedy.” She kissed Scampy’s head and went to go hang a hand-carved open sign in the front. She was lucky that she lived in the back of the shop; many things in were too valuable figuratively and literally to be trusted with anyone else. “Where is everyone, anyway?”

    Sepia, the only girl Rialia knew of who was just as anti-dresses as she was, brightened up. “Tobar and Marchel said last night that they’d be coming over to keep you company. We thought you’d have more customers today considering there’s Thread tomorrow.”

    “Sepia, that’s not even close to here.”

    “So? I’ve noticed that people get skittish anyway, so you’ll be getting more people that don’t want to come over tomorrow. Well, more than the usual five,” she teased. Sepia blew blonde curls out of her way. “Don’t tell me you don’t need company.”

    Rialia sighed and gave in as Scampy took off into an aerial display to attract customers. “Fine. By the first Egg, I can’t keep you guys away.” Inwardly, she was glad that her friends were going to stay with her. She’d been feeling depressed lately due to the fact that the anniversary of her father’s death was in a few days.

    “Great!” Sepia crowed and began to leave. “I’ll be over soon! Let's just hope the guys don't talk about being missed for Search _again_.”

    Shaking her head again, Rialia sat down and began working on the eye of the dragon she was carving. ** Why do I think I’m going to regret inviting Tobar and Marchel along? **


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    Rialia
    Unranked Woodcarver