Jerzy had done his laundry. He had even bathed in the river that morning, attempting to clean a year's worth of dust from his hair and ears. He'd stood shivering on the bank while his clothes dried, wondering if any chip was really worth this, but then he'd remember Keiyra's sweet face and he didn't really mind so much.

So it was an unusually clean Jerzy that approached her kint at five minutes past twenty-three o'clock, clearing his throat and knocking sharply at the door. It'd been a year since he'd properly courted anyone, and he'd halfway forgotten how; the last girl that he'd put any effort into had drifted, and was married to some rich Mugrobi trader now.

Maybe he hadn't knocked hard enough. He tried again, ringing the little bell outside the door and nervously shifting from foot to foot. His clean clothes itched a little; maybe he'd washed them wrong. He felt a tiny jangle at his nerves, wondering if she'd forgotten, and for once in his life he felt not entirely self-confident.

"Keiyra, you look macha, stop fussing." Delphis chided gently, watching her daughter look at herself in the small mirror by the kitchenette. She'd found her the pretty lavender top Keiyra had worn last summer, in nicer times. It was a quarter sleeve top, breezy and light, tied together lightly at the back only to keep the front on. Her heavily tattooed back was openly exposed. The pink haired witch wore her usual black leather pants and had redyed her hair so it was a fresh vibrant pink again. She wore it down, held back with a purple wrap. Picking at the top, she groaned a little.

"Daoa, I don't know. I feel strange. What am I doing? I should just..."

Knock, knock.

Her hazel eyes widened and she looked at her mother, who held back a small smile. It was sweet seeing her like this. Delphis cleared her throat.

"Are you going to answer the door bochi?" She said pointedly. Keiyra nodded, took a breath and began to move, but turned again shaking her hands in a fluster.

"Vrunta! Daoa I cant! What if..what if..." She shook her head.

Ring-a-ling

Delphis rolled her eyes and turned, muttering under her breath with a smile. Taking hold of the door, she pulled it open and smiled down at the young man before her.

"Junta Jerzy! My, don't you look benny! Keiyra won't be a moment dear, she is just putting on her shoes." She turned to smile at her daughter, who stood with her sandals already on and a thankful smile.

"Ready chip?" Keiyra nodded and walked to the door, giving her mother a kiss on the cheek, before turning to smile down at Jerzy.

"Hesta Jerz, well, you clean up boemo!" She said with a raised eyebrow, trying to cover the butterflies in her tummy.

Jerzy gave an impish grin and a lopsided salute to Delphis, but his demeanor changed considerably when Keiyra came into view. His mouth dropped open for a slight second before his debonair instincts kicked in.

"Evenin', K," he said coolly, holding out an elbow for her to take. The other arm came out from behind his back holding a brightly colored picnic basket, one of his better creations, even if it did have a few poorly woven holes in it and one handle was larger than the other.

"Don't worry," he assured her, "I didn't make the food."

Stepping down and taking his elbow, Keiyra looked at the basket with a giggle.

"Jerzy! It's macha! I didn't know you could weave too." She looked up at Delphis with a raised eyebrow. The brown haired woman chuckled to herself and gave the red haired boy a playfully stern look.

"Your full of wonderful surprises. Have her back before morning Jerzy Wira, ye chen?" The pink haired witch shot her an exasperated look, but Delphis was somewhat serious. She didn't want a repeat of what had happened with that Taegan Jank youth. This time, she would be the watchful parent. Keiyra turned back to Jerzy with a roll of the eyes.

"Epaemo." She said quietly, a little smile on her lips.

"I can't," he joked, wiggling one of his fingers in an open hole in the basket's side.



Jerzy was used to getting that sort of remark. "Ah, boemo," he said, grinning to Delphis. "I wouldn't dare cross ye, ma'am."

He turned to Keiyra, a little surprised to see that she had actually taken his arm, and even more surprised that for once, something had worked out.

"Let's...eh...let's find a spare bit of ground, oes?" he offered, suddenly wondering why he hadn't picked one out beforehand. One sprang to mind, of course, but he didn't want her to think this was too romantic, or too sappy. Still, the thought of Keiyra soaking up the sunset on his favorite spot by the cherry tree by the river brought him to distraction...he grinned widely at her.

"Nevermind, I've thought of a spot, c'mon," he said finally, tugging her gently to get her to follow him there.

Keiyra nodded, looking around. She thought of a couple of places that might be free. Opening her mouth to speak, she was cut short.



Laughing as she walked with him, she shook her head.

"More surprises Jerz?" She said with the last of a chuckle. Looking around at the camp as they walked, she felt happy. Giddy even. With a smile, she bumped into the wick playfully as they walked.

"What, then, were ye surprised I showed up?" he teased, leading her past the outskirts of camp and near his own. The glittering Arova river came into view through the trees, and a path appeared underfoot, leading out of the grove and up a hill. "I wouldn't miss this," he assured her, pushing back the vines and bushes to reveal the clearing.

It was a modest little hill by the river, but it had a breathtaking view. It was possible to see the Arova stretching away in the distance, disappearing into mist. The sunlight bathed the grove in gold, and there was an ancient oak tree overlooking the hill like a watchful guardian. A few starflies skirted across the water. It was an old, secret place.

"Never brought anyone here before," he confided, feeling a bit embarrassed, and mentally chiding himself for revealing too much. He began spreading out the purple-and-white checkered blanket his mum had knit for him last Clock's Eve.

Keiyra stopped, her breath catching. She let her vision sweep over the beautiful orange bathed scene, completely speechless. How could anywhere so amazing exist without being swamped by wicks. It was like they had stepped out of reality into the Gods own private shelter.

"Oh Jerzy, this is..." She shook her head, mouth slightly agape. Shaking herself mentally, she looked down to see he'd spread out a blanket. It was very well made, which indicated someone else had probably made it. Shuffling awkwardly, she wasn't sure what to do with herself as he moved.

"Ye need any help kov?"

"Ye'd better," said Jerzy seriously. "I don't know if I could handle the blanket and the basket. I'm just one kov." He grinned at her and dropped down on the ground, his recently unstickied hair flopping around on his head.

"So," he said, stretching out on the blanket and putting his arms behind his head, "do ye like it? It's a benny view, eh? Found it mant manna maw 'go when I was playin' tag. It's likely the only spot on Surwood ent been spoiled by fat wicks dancin'." He bit his lip. "Thought it might be a good spot to chat."

"Ha ha smart erse." The pink haired witch said sarcastically. Chuckling to herself, Keiyra walked over to sit beside the red head, laying back and mimicking his outstretched pose. Looking up into the tree branches overhead, she sighed. This was really nice.



The girl snorted back a laugh, before letting it out with abandon.

"You got a way with words Jerz. But ye might be right. I ent seen anything so quiet at the festival. It's almost like ye can forget your here."



The laugh died away and she smiled gently. Not looking at him, she studied the leaves.

"Chat about what kov?" She asked quietly.

"Stuff," he replied descriptively. He watched the leaves above them swaying and moving, catching the last sunlight against the darkening sky. "This bein' such a quiet place an' all. I figure, in all the noise of the festival, per'aps you ent had a chance to just talk in a whille, without...distractions."

He could have kicked himself for doing this. It could have been a perfectly normal date, with a dinner and perhaps a story or two, and maybe he would have spun her around and kissed her at the end of it, and they'd have both had a nice time. But he couldn't get away from that feeling in his stomach, the one that told him that more than ever Keiyra needed a friend - someone who'd be more than just a gentleman visitor. If she needed to talk about her daughter, he had steeled himself to listen, even if it meant sacrificing her good graces for a while.

Jerzy hoped fervently that Keiyra wouldn't be annoyed at the attempt. It wasn't what he would have been doing had she been any other girl, that was for damn sure. He chanced a smile at her, a smile that said quite plainly that if she wasn't interested, he would be more than willing to pretend it had been a joke all along and save them both the awkward moment.

Keiyra stared at the leaves for a while longer, smile faded from her lips. She didn't even know where to begin. It had been so easy to cram everything inside that talking about it was almost a sin. Catching him looking at her out of her peripheral vision, she idly played with the end of a pink lock resting by her waist.

"You know, I was way to young when I got pregnant. We both were. Taegan was just a bochi, ye chen, just turned 15. But we were in love, or we thought we were. He was the handsome human boy with all the animals, cheeky blue eyes and golden hair. Daoa sort of kept us apart, but it was too easy to find time to be alone. One thing led to another and I found I was pregnant. When I told him, the tsuter dissapeared. Up and left everything. Didn't see him again." The witch didn't know why she'd started from there, but it felt right. Taking a breath, she continued.

"When Lillah came I thought that nothing could be more perfect, and I was right. She was a beautiful baby and a beautiful child. Full of love and caring. So smart too! I think she could have been a dancer, all tall and skinny. She had his blue eyes and golden hair. I ent never seen a child so angelic." Her eyes were slightly moist, but she was smiling. Taking a shuddering breath, she pushed on.

"We were camping outside of Vienda when the Riot happened. Daoa stayed in the kint, but I took Lillah into the city. She liked the market there with all the sights and sounds. We were walking back across the way when the fighting broke out. People running all around, punching each other. Gollies firing into the crowd. I lost her..." Her voice cracked and for a moment, she had to settle herself.

"I lost her in the crowd. Running around, I looked all over. But I couldn't see her. Then the magma showered down and I heard her screaming. Oh Jerzy, her scream. I punched people and threw them out of the way, and she was there. And she was covered in that hot rock. Her face, her chest, it was everywhere. I grabbed her and ran to the river. Threw her in, but she wasn't screaming anymore." The witch was crying openly now, reaching up to wipe away the tears.

"Daoa saw us, and she came. We took her to that doctor in the dives, everyone was going there. She was alive. But...she lasted a few days and then, one night, she was just gone." Covering her face with one hand, Keiyra sobbed.

Jerzy listened to her story with a stony face, pausing now and then to nod. When she'd finished, he scrunched his mouth up to one side, wondering what to say. Then she started to cry.

He didn't have many instincts to deal with this sort of thing; suggesting that he had a sensitive side was like saying a pyramid had a pointy side. But he put his arm around her and patted her shoulder, all the while hating the galdori more and more. Even if the wicks had begun the riot, the galdori had made it immeasurably worse. He almost trembled with disgust for them, throwing magic around like it was a weapon, killing indiscriminately and blaming it all on the wicks.

Still, he felt for her, and he tried to articulate that without sounding like a ponce.

"I ent got a clue how to help," he said cautiously, "but I'm here, ye know?" He bit his lip again. "So hard to feel safe in this world. Makes a body angry and sad and lonesome. I'm grievin' alongside ye, K, no mistake about that."

The witch took a moment or so to cry, before wiping her cheeks with a sniff and a little noise of disgust.

"Vrunta Jerz, see why I don't like to talk. I turn into a waterfall. Gods, epaemo." A little half laugh escaped her lips as she fought to control the last of the hitching sound in her breath. Giving the redhead a scowl, she shook a finger.

"Don't do that again. I ent really fond of crying like a bochi." Taking a few deep breaths, she lay quietly for a bit. Finally she spoke again.

"Mujo ma kov." She said softly. Looking over at him, she frowned.

"Ye think it'll ever be better? The whole gollies thing?"

Jerzy nodded firmly.

"Me brunno, Alec, he drifted to help with the effort," he said, using the word the wicks tended to use to refer to the resistance. He looked off across the water. "Things are tough, an' no mistake. But the days are always darkest before dawn, ye chen? If Alec an' all them other brave souls is workin' so hard to fix things up, I don't think it'll be long until we're all walkin' free as birds through the streets. Maybe not tomorrow, but some day."

He was an optimist, like many Laughing Skies, but he sounded quite sure about this theory.

"To be honest, I feel like a right ol' sap, stayin' with the tribe when I should probably be helpin' him."

Keiyra made a small sound of disagreement, shaking her head firmly.

"Ne Jerzy. Ye did the right thing. If ye went and joined the...effort...then who would we have to make all those benny flutes..er...pipes?" Smiling, she sighed.

"Darkest before the dawn? I ent sure I can handle it any darker kov."

((SFSR))

He smiled too, but it looked a little forced. "Yeah, I'm really needed back here," he joked, sounding slightly bitter underneath the jovial nature of his voice.

"But listen...this isn't quite how I pictured this," he admitted, flipping open the picnic basket with his foot. "Plenty o' good things to think about, too. Like the tribes gettin' back together. I heard that Yellow Eye n' Red Crow are on the verge of a treaty. An' I got a bottle o' sake to celebrate, 'cause Alioe knows there ent enough to celebrate these days." He grinned and waggled his eyebrows, holding up a twisty, dusty bottle of rice wine. "It's all the way from Dutaaaaaim," he said, drawing out his voice invitingly.

"Oes I heard about this treaty. 'Bout clockin' time! Ent never seen the reason for the fighting anyway. Never did any good."

The pink haired witch grinned and moved so she could sit up, legs tucked to the side. She made a face of appreciation when she saw the bottle and raised an eyebrow. Dutaim? That was something! He might not be the most adept at the crafts and voodundun, but somehow he managed to find the rare needle in the proverbial haystack almost everytime.

"Cor Jerz, you really go all out for a chip! I hope ye take me up on that tattoo offer soon kov, to pay for this." Looking at the sky, she inclined her head.

"I hope ye packed somethin' to see with Jerzy, that sun ent gonna last."

Jerzy grinned nervously at the mention of the tattoo.

"Er...yeah, didn't I tell ye? I have fantastic night vision," he said, making goggles with his fingers and tilting his head. "Me da was part osta. Never ye fear, I'll lead us home right as rain." He had forgotten the lamp, why had he forgotten the lamp? Oh, he'd remembered the wine all right, but not the bloody lamp? He prayed she wasn't too fussy about taking walks in the dark.

"Besides, that's what the moon's for," he said. "Everlasting light for mungos who forget to bring the lamp."

He poured them two cups of sake and handed one to Keiyra.

The witch laughed, taking the cup from him with a little nod of her head. Well, he'd remembered the blanket and the sake, and the company. He couldn't be expected to remember the lamp too.

"It's a good thing the moon ent hiding tonight." Looking down at the little cup, she raised and eyebrow.

"A toast, to good company?"

"To good company, an' the start of better days ahead," Jerzy added, clinking his ceramic cup against hers. His finger brushed up against the back of her hand.

"Never seen you at night before," he commented, taking a sip and making a face. Sake was not his cup of tea. Tea was. But tea was a horrible thing to drink on a romantic picnic. Realizing he'd just said something odd, he added, "I don't rightly know why I said that just then. Guess it seemed...noteworthy."

Great, that was really poetic, he thought to himself, with the most sarcastic voice his inner monologue could muster. Stop talking! You're going to ruin it!

Keiyra sipped the warm ricewine, enjoying the biting bitter flavor. It was definitely a good batch. She cocked her head slightly at Jerzy, waiting for some punch-line. It seemed like he was going to follow up with something witty or amusing.



The pink haired witch grinned, sipping the clear fluid again. Regarding the red haired wick for a moment, she wondered why he bothered with her. It wasn't like she was the best company, she was quite mean and closed off before. Glutton for punishment? Looking up at the dark sky, she shrugged.

"I ent any different at night kov. Just...harder to see." She chuckled into the ceramic cup. Pulling it away, she pulled her legs up, wrapping her arms around her knees, leaning her cheek on them to look at Jerzy.

"What are ye doing after the festival Jerz? Plans? Places?"

His face went a little tight. His worries and self-doubts had compounded for weeks, and the decision he had made only a few nights before hadn't been shared with anyone yet.

"I'm leavin' the tribe," he said, trying to sound casual, but the emotional weight of those words and the shame they carried with them were betrayed by a slight wobble. "Not driftin', but just...goin' off on my own for a bit. I ent any use to any of 'em, an' since Brakai was killed me beata hasn't wanted me around. I think I'll travel for a while, see the sights, y'know."

He grinned disarmingly, but she could see that he was taking this very seriously.

"I got to get some experience. Bein' with the tribe...it's like living under a big rock, sometimes. Guess there's somethin' wrong with me, but I never did feel like it was enough. If we ent got long for this world, I wanna at least see it for what it is."

Keiyra's face fell somewhat, but she covered it with a sip of the warm sake.

"Your leaving? Oh.." Her voice trailed off for a moment and she stared into the darkness. Clearing her throat, she looked back at him.

"Where are you gonna go kov? Ent no point trying for Vienda, don't think ye'd want to either. Muffey? Knowles? Dorhaven?" She tried to talk off the little twist of disappointment in her stomach. If he was in the Laughing Sky, she could find him easily enough by finding the tribe. But if he was traveling, alone...

"Are ye taking a kint or just a travel roll?"

"Probably just takin' my kint and going wherever the road takes me," he said seriously. "I know enough to get by. Hunting, and whatnot."

Jerzy hesitated. He reached behind his head and scratched his neck, something he did whenever he felt like he was about to get laughed at. "I had this odd dream," he confessed. "Dreamed some great hill was talking to me. An' there were two sets of trees, one on either side of this great big...statue thing." Lifting his hands, he made a vague shape in the air to illustrate his point. "It was strange. I got this feeling it wanted me to come towards it. Problem is, I don't know where it might be. I just know it was the strongest thing I've ever felt."