Embers in the Dust

Lyla found herself with a quiet sense of calm in the morning. She had made it a habit to spend breakfast with Rhokhishi after her workouts, then figured out her day. Today was different as Rhokhishi woke up sick, either from drinks or food that didn’t settle with her stomach well. Taking time to bring up a fresh pitcher of water and some bread, Lyla found herself sitting at the dining table of Lyrical Lute, the sun rising up through the front windows and casting a glow into the inn.

Myla, Leaf, and Sam had already left for their daily classes, and since there hadn’t been many other people staying at the inn, she was left alone as Sarnorin, Primhorn, and Scoria spent their morning cleaning and taking care of various tasks that had become the normal for them at the beginning of the week. It wasn’t until Mr. Muffins made his lazy walk down the steps that she realized that he was the only other still here who hadn’t started their day. She watched as he talked to the firbolg, getting an entire heated pitcher of coffee ready and ordered his food. He sat and waited, his eyes only open enough to bring his drink to his lips, as the light was too much on his sight.

“Where’s your tagalong?” He asked, his voice clearly not awake either.

“Upstairs. She must have ate something bad.”

“Well, that sucks.”

“Mhm.”

Sarnorin brought a plate of food over and placed it in front of Mr. Muffins. With a slight nod, he acknowledged the firbolg, then began to eat.

“Whatcha goin’ta do today?” He said while chewing.

“Maybe the Duodenary.”

“Ya findin’ Gods everywhere lately, and think prayin’ to ’em is good?”

“Not exactly. I think I just would like to keep my hands busy today.”

“Sounds good.”

Half an hour later, Lyla said goodbye to Mr. Muffins, who was looking over a new letter that came by his magical bag. She could see it was important, with how wide his eyes had gotten, but if it was important, she figured he would mention it later. Outside, the sky was clear and bright, and it seemed that the constant snow and cloudy weather was gone for at least one day. She kept to the sides of the street as people walked or rode through the center, checking out the carts and produce that some of the lower areas sold as their primary income. It definitely wasn’t as colorful as Moonbright, or some of the southern cities, but she assumed many of the plants were grown underground, like potatoes, onions, and garlic due to the normally freezing temperatures.

In front of the Duodenary, she could see a large group of people moving back and forth from inside the building to ten carts that sat outside. Carefully making her way up, she saw Darsi at the top of the steps with a stack of papers in her hand. Lyla stopped a few feet away and spoke to her.

“What’s all the racket today?”

“Oh! Lyla, it is nice to see you again. We, as the premier religious institute in Berkton, try our best to spend some time in the lower districts, helping those who have requested help either to us directly or to the Drakewardens.”

“That’s nice of you.”

“We do what we can. While not all Gods are dedicated towards rebuilding, we find that kindness goes a long way.”

“Anything I can do to help?”

“If you feel like volunteering some time and work, Eadal is near that cart just over there,” Darsi pointed towards one of the carts at the end of the street as she explained. “He’s breaking people into groups in a moment, and you’re more than welcome to assist.”

Lyla nodded and smiled, then made her way over to Eadal. She wasn’t sure if volunteering was for selfless reasons, but the chance to keep her hands busy today felt like the right thing. She listened as Eadal made his way through the group, explaining where each cart was going, and what they were going to do. She listened, and when she heard about the Nightingale, she took the option and stood by the cart. When ready, her group left with the others.

The Nightingale was a quaint tavern, but something she immediately noticed was the large cover on the right side of the building, where it had been torn or broken down at some time recently. An older, dwarven man stepped off the cart and spoke.

“Okay. We’re gonna try to get this done by today. The wall still has its posts, but after the Ravenglade attack recently, this wall was taken out. There’s six of us, so let’s get to it.”

Lyla nodded with the rest of them, grabbed items off the cart, and took instructions as the dwarf gave them. Quickly, with a hammer in her hands, she was working alongside them, listening as they sang together and told jokes. Within an hour, she found herself lost in her work and forgetting about the pressure she had been feeling over the past couple months. By the afternoon, she was laughing and telling jokes and stories with the rest of them. It felt good.

During the afternoon the owner, Nazira, and two others stopped at the front door. Assuming they were starting to work through the noise, Lyla paid them no mind, but noticed the beaten but polished armor on the back wall looked to be about Nazira’s size. Curiously, she got lost in curiosity, and only snapped out of it when Nazira turned to look right at her. She turned her glance quickly, getting back to her work with the volunteers. A few moments later, she heard someone talking behind her.

“You’re not from around here, are you?”

Lyla turned around as Nazira leaned over a nearby table with an apple in her hand that she casually took a bite out of.

“Not originally. I’m here with some friends. Two of them are studying at the academy.”

“Ah, a bunch of mages.”

Nazira stood and gave a lazy curtsy.

“Are you a student there too?”

“No.”

“But you’ve got magic.”

“...yes?”

Lyla took a step back, confused at how she knew this. Her abilities bordered magic, but it came from her discipline, not some cosmic force or deity.

“To each their own. I wasn’t much for school either. Honestly, it wasn’t until I started traveling that I got to understand my abilities. Anyways, which monastery?”

“What?”

“Ya know. Which monastery are you from? You don’t look like you’re from Calimshan, or even the mountains…” Nazira stated as let her voice trail off.

“What makes you think I’m from a monastery?”

“It’s the hands. You aren’t holding that hammer right, and haven’t been for a while, but it’s still knockin’ those nails just fine.”

“Oh. Um… Gildenfire.”

“From the Tall Trees!? We don’t see much of your kind around here.”

“The Pluxver Wastes get in the way of that.” Lyla added.

“Well, keep it up karate kid, and thanks for fixin’ my wall.”

Nazira pulled another apple from her pocket and tossed it to Lyla. She caught it, then looked back up and saw her walking back over to the other two at the bar. The owlin was cleaning glasses while the tiefling slowly turned a crank that mashed apples into a large clear container. Lyla looked down at the hammer in her hand and adjusted the grip, then went back to working on the wall.