“You dumb ass! See, I told you. By the way, you should’ve just done that with your eyes open, it would have proven your point just fine,” I said, pulling her upright.
“Yeah, whatever, those damn sprites won’t cut me a break. I swear they keep moving everything! See, I could’ve sworn that I left this basket of tree bark back behind my desk butnow it’s on the table with the cryptids. I would never do that! I keep flammable materials away from bug parts on purpose. I’m constantly putting things back where they belong, it’s exhausting!”
“You’ve been pretty busy lately, right? With all the madness that’s going on in Moonvale?”
“Yes!!” Kizzi exclaimed, flailing her arms dramatically. “I swear everyone has needed my help! It’s a pain in the ass!” She glanced at me when I let out a quiet huff. “Not you, babycakes, you know I love helping you.” She patted me on the cheek and left behind a smear of something warm and viscous. I wiped it off as quickly as possible.
“You know I can help you, right? I’m an expert at organizing random bits and bobs. You’ve seen my shop, it’s flawless! Er, I mean–it used to be flawless!” Kizzi snorted out loud, so I amended. “Okay fine, maybe I know what you mean by that organized chaos thing. But at least when I misplace things it doesn’t matter to anyone but myself. You could really do some damage. No offense,” I said, gesturing to my colored hair.
“You look fabulous, and you know it. But you’re right, I need to get this shit under control.”
“You do. At least we’ve got each other’s backs.”
“Forever and always, bestie. Now, you know I love you, but I need you to get out of my hair so I can trip over barrels and make messes in peace. If you see any sprites on your way out, give them a one-two-punch for me.”
“Yeah, yeah, sure Kiz. I’ll beat up some tiny harmless creatures for you.” I rolled my eyes. “To the moons!”
Her voice called after me. “To the suns!”
CHAPTER 18
Fiella
After what felt like endless hours of work, the main structure of my shop had finally been repaired, and it was wonderful to feel like the walls weren’t caving in on me anymore. The claustrophobic feeling wasn’t as suffocating.
I had my arms full of devastatingly broken trinkets when my door opened with a chime of the bell. I had just installed it the day before, and it was unexpectedly comforting to hear the bright, tinkling sound again. My heart sped in my chest.
“Welcome to Fiella’s Finds! I’m Fiella! I don’t really have anything for sale right now but if you let me know what you need, I can try to find it and have it ready for you in a few weeks!” I called out to the customer. The pile in my arms was too tall to see past.
“Uh, thank you. Do you have any extremely large stone bowls?”
I knew that smooth, deep voice.
Redd. Of course. I hadn’t had any new customers sincethe incidentand I was beginning to actually hallucinate them. Of course nobody would want to shop here right now. Nobodycouldshop here right now. The place was a shit show.
Though I was disappointed, I was also strangely relieved. Redd’s presence had become somewhat of a comfort. A new routine. Something to distract me, soothing some of the sharp edges of my aching chest. My skin prickled in awareness.
“Oh. Redd. It’s you.”
“It’s me. Don’t sound so excited about it, you’ll give me a big head. Need more hands?” he asked. His voice was much closer now.
“Your head is already big enough as it is.” I stepped out of his reach. “I’ve got it, I’ve got it, go grab the next stack. We’re taking the trash out today!”
He chuckled quietly. “Yes, ma’am.” I turned in time to catch a glimpse of him as he saluted me sarcastically. Smart ass.
“Oh, shut up,” I tossed back at him. “Put those muscles to good use and grab some of the heavy stuff. Let’s go.”
We spent the next few hours hauling all the unsalvageable bits to the wheelbarrow I’d stationed out front.
It was almost pleasant, the way we worked together. Redd didn’t always talk much, but he sure did listen. And I could tell that he truly listened because every once in a while, he would toss my own words back to me.
I was surprised when he remembered the story I had told him about how my Ma had loved collecting animal figurines from different towns, and how he had recognized the broken bits of a clay horse that she would have loved.
By the end of the day, the shop had a lot more floor space available, and all the rotten lumber had been disposed of. Everything broken had been hauled away. The torn tapestries, the crushed pottery, the mangled historical books–it was all gone.
My back and shoulders were burning like the heat of the dual suns, and I was exhausted.
I was trying not to mentally calculate the value of all I had lost. It was devastating. Thousands of silvers worth of hand-selected items destroyed in one fell swoop. The items I had managed to save were not enough to cheer me up.
