Every Little Memory

Entry #34: Granny Smith Apple

I enter the memory to hear someone knocking on the front door to Kaiya and Fuchsia’s room. Kaiya’s roommate is already awake, dressed, and in the process of making her bed when she hears their visitor calling. She quickly pats down the blankets and sets her pillow in place before hurrying to get the door.

Kaiya, on the other hand, is still sleeping like a log. Her flaxen hair is messy and sticking up at odd angles. It’s easy to see since she is lying face down on the pillow. Half of her body hangs over the edge of the bed, threatening to fall on the floor. She’s not used to sleeping in a bed; in fact, has she ever slept in one? From what I gathered, she lived in that cave for all of her life, sleeping on the floor in a bedroll. As soon as the knock echoes through the room, an aggravated moan can be heard from her side of the room.

Fuchsia ignores it and opens the door to reveal a very cheerful man. He’s still fairly young, about as old as Fuchsia and Kaiya. The curly ginger hair atop his head looks like a messy, untamable mop that he didn’t even bother to comb. Blue, feline eyes shimmer at Fuchsia along with pearly white fangs. In one hand he holds an open scroll rolled up across his arm. In the other is a basket filled with a bunch of clothes and a pair of leather shoes. A large mailbag is strapped to his back, filled with scrolls and letters.

“G’morning, Fuchsia!” he spouts out with much enthusiasm.

“Hello Kren. How are you?” she replies with a gentle smile.

“Oh you know, the same old, same old. I have a delivery for….uh…a Miss Kaiya?” he says, having to look at the scroll to make sure he doesn’t get her name wrong.

“What about me?” the sleepy lupine mumbles from inside the house, finally rolling herself out of bed. A huge yawn forms on her mouth, showing off her large canines. Kren’s face pales for a moment, and I start to laugh, thinking of the rivalry between cats and dogs. Er…well, cats and wolves, in this case…

“Yes, these are hers. Thank you Kren,” Fuchsia says, accepting the clothes from the feline demon and setting them on top of Kaiya’s footlocker.

“Oh, I also have your duties for the week!” He pulls a folded up paper out of his mailbag, having to rummage through it for a moment before he finds the note. When he does, he places it in Fuchsia’s hand with an over-dramatic flourish, making the woman giggle.

“Is that all?”

“Yep. See ya at breakfast! Nice meetin’ you, Miss Kaiya!” he calls before trotting off to the next wooden house with a spring in his step. Goodness, he’s got an awful lot of pep in him. I wonder what fuels all that raw energy?

“Um…Who was that? And what’s all this stuff?” Kaiya says as she pokes the pile of clothes with her index finger. I laugh as she curiously sniffs the pair of shoes as if they held some sort of disease.

“That stuff is your clothes, silly! And that was Kren. He’s the Hold’s messenger.” A look of disgust forms on the wolf’s face as she unfolds one of the dresses. It has a long skirt, a roughly sewn corset, and long sleeves.

“I’m supposed to wear this? This isn’t a dress, it’s a blanket!” she exclaims as she holds out the long skirt. Right, she wears short skirts to allow movement. This kind of outfit is foreign to her.

“Yes, you wear it. Now go get changed! Don’t you want breakfast!?” Fuchsia responds in a lighthearted tone. I think it’s impossible for this woman to get angry.

With a hmph Kaiya draws the curtain on her side of the room. Wait, was that always there? I guess I never noticed it. It hides her portion of the room from view. The sound of rustling cloth means she is getting changed. She takes a little while, probably trying to figure out how to put the darn thing on.

When the curtain shoots back open, she is clad in her new clothing, looking very unhappy. It fits her pretty well, although the skirt may be a bit too long. “How do you walk without tripping?” she moans, holding up the skirt with her hands.

Before Fuchsia can answer the bell outside tolls eight times, the loud sound rumbling through the entire house. A frown crosses her face. “Come on, brush your hair and put your shoes on! They’re serving the food now!”

The lupine scrambles around the room in haste. She snatches her mother’s necklace and puts it on around her neck. Fuchsia tosses her a brush. The wood almost slips through her fingers and falls onto the floor, but she manages to grip it clumsily. She runs it through her blonde mane twice, making it look a bit smoother but still wild.

Fuchsia holds out the leather shoes for her to put on. Kaiya hesitates, saying, “I don’t….wear...those things…”

“Well here, you do. Let’s go!”

Kaiya has little trouble getting them on, as they are simple black flats that most peasant women wear. She doesn’t complain this time, though I can tell she is annoyed.

Fuchsia ushers her out the door and shuts it behind them. The world outside is bright and sunny, illuminating the enormous courtyard. Demons walk to and fro minding their own business. The once empty fountain square is now filled with people surrounding a series of food stands. Unlike merchant stalls in Tayri or any other city, they don’t have anyone manning them.

As the two girls get closer to the stalls, I can make out large quantities of apples, oranges, peaches, various kinds of bread, and several wheels of cheese. They didn’t lie; Kain does take good care of his servants by giving them plenty of food. The lupine forces her way through the crowd, ignoring the shouts of more patient demons, ready to dig in. Her excitement soon turns to disappointment though.

“What’s wrong?” Fuchsia asks as she snags several pieces of bread.

“There no meat. I’m a carnivore. I eat meat.”

“Relax, Kaiya. This is just breakfast. You’ll get some for lunch. Here, have this!” she says, handing her a fresh green apple.

Kaiya fingers the smooth skin of the fruit, running a claw down the side of it. It doesn’t slice open that easily, leaving a jagged, unclean gash in the side. Juice dribbles along the sides and drips onto the ground. She sniffs it once and takes a tentative bite.

“It’s okay. What is it?”

Fuchsia gives her a look that says, “Are you serious?” The wolf just stares back at her innocently and takes another bite. Well, at least she likes it.

“Kaiya, it’s an apple. Please tell me—“

“I’ve never had one of these apples . The farmer by our forest only grew apricots."

Fuchsia doesn’t respond to that comment and whatever she is thinking, she keeps to herself. Kaiya grabs two more of the fruit, along with a large chunk of bread. Satisfied, they return to their house and sit on the doorstep. Kaiya bites into her apple, savoring the flavor while Fuchsia unfolds the letter Kren gave her.

“What’s it say?” Kaiya asks between bites.

“They’re having me wash clothes again today. But you---“At that moment, a shadow in the shape of a person covers the area where they are sitting. This serious, commanding presence can only be attributed to Iza. Indeed, the woman is standing before Fuchsia and Kaiya, staring blankly at them.

“Allow me to finish. You are to report to me as soon as you have finished your breakfast.” She gives Kaiya a once over before adding, “And after you’ve cleaned yourself up. Be quick about it; this task must be done soon.”

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A/N: Ugh...this chapter....Please forgive the suckiness of it. This theme was reaaaallllly hard. Ugh. *dies*