She tucked her wings in slightly picking up speed as her house came into view, descending low enough to trail her fingers through the treetops before diving into a gap between the trees. Then, flaring her wings out again to slow her decent and stop the dive, she made a graceful arc, fluttering her wings at the top of it, her bare toes touching the sun warmed stones of their front walk lightly as she landed. She ran up the walk and charged thru the front door, hardly pausing on her way through the house as she raced up the steps to her room.
"Good gracious child!" she heard Myrma exclaim as she ran past, "like to give an old woman a heart attack busting in the door like that!"
"Sorry Myrma," she yelled back, "I'm going to go get cleaned up for lunch then ill be right down."
She felt a bit bad for startling her like that and could still hear her shuffling around and muttering softly in annoyance as she finished preparing the meal. Pulling open her dresser drawer, she pulled out an outfit almost identical to the one she was already wearing that served as her day to day wear in the hot and often humid climate and tossed it onto the bed. She reached behind her back and undid the simple clasp on the back of her top, then dropped her shoulders and let the silky rose colored garment hit the floor, pulling the matching bottoms down and wiggling out of them as she grabbed the wash basin and pitcher. As she set the basin down and filled it, she noticed her reflection for the first time in the mirror that was attached to the back of the dresser, and what a sight she was. She was glad suddenly that Myrma had not seen her. Her hair was tousled and her normally fair colored cheeks were bright pink , and her lips were also a darker pink and slightly puffy, making her look almost like she was wearing make-up.
Upon further inspection she had a slightly pink spot on her neck and another on her shoulder that she trailed her fingers over, finding they were only a bit tender, but causing a wave of heat to go through her at the memory of how they got there. She trailed her fingers lightly over the leather cord around her neck and across the shiny black claw, wondering if her guardian would have any insight into the sudden predicament she found herself in. She grabbed a wash rag and a bottle of soap perfumed with demonic rose oils, and started cleaning herself up, pulling the basin to the floor and standing in it using what was left in the pitcher to rinse off with, washing everything but her hair. Then after using one of the hand towels to dry off, she redressed, gathering up the dirty garments, the cloth she used to wash with and the towel, she made her way back downstairs, handing her laundry to one of the stuffed dolls Myrma had sewn and then infused with magic for tending laundry.
Renna could remember playing with the stuffed cloth house servants when she was younger and trying to disrupt them from their appointed tasks and getting scolded repeatedly for succeeding. She grinned to herself over how funny the little laundry dolls had looked trying to wash her clothes while they were dressed in them, and how proud she had been once she was finally strong enough to wrestle them down and accomplish the prank. Myrma herself had even laughed over that one, but still chided her and chased her up to her room while she convinced the sopping wet dolls to get out of the washtub and stop trying to scrub each other. She watched the doll efficiently sort her garments into one washtub and the towel into the other, then turned and made her way into the kitchen, stepping around a different doll that was setting the table to see if Myrma wanted her to lend a hand with anything.
The Sadi woman was just in the process of putting the top layer of bread on the sandwiches she was making from what was left of the roasted gobball from the night before. She had added fresh sliced tomatoes to each plate and handed one to Renna without looking up at her, adjusting the last slice of bread and cutting her own sandwich neatly in half before following the now fully grown Eniripsa she had raised from a baby into the dining room to sit at the table. Renna was finishing off the tomato wedges as Myrma sat down and could feel the older woman eyeing her curiously. She shifted nervously in her seat and waited for the question Myrma had asked her every time she went anywhere and came back since her wings had grown in.
"So...did you meet anyone new today? Anything interesting happen?"
Renna peered at her guardian through the dark fringe of her lashes and wondered if it was her imagination making her hear an expectant note in Myrma's voice, and exactly how much she should tell her. She drew in a deep breath, nodding and was reassured by the knowing smile and nod the woman gave her in return as she picked up the cup of lemongrass tea and took a sip.
"Well are you gonna sit there nodding all day like a mad doll while I sit here in suspense, or you gonna out with it and tell me about him?"
Renna's eyes got big for a moment and she couldn't help but grin as she relayed the story of the events of the morning and the dark winged, dark haired Eniripsa boy she had met out in the plains. She didn't go into a lot of detail, but told her about everything including the odd instructions regarding the dreg claw necklace and his promise that she would see him again tonight. Myrma listened quietly till she finished speaking, nodding every so often and taking a sip of her tea. As Renna finished her story, the woman sat forward and lifted the claw from its resting place against Renna's chest and put her spectacles on for a better look. The question she asked next made Renna pause for a moment.
"Have you tried using it yet?"
Renna opened her mouth and was about to voice her fears and hesitations about not wanting to see him again, but stopped before she said a single word because she realized she actually DID, and simply shook her head.
Myrma chuckled softly at her and shook her head gently, "Poor child, i really haven't given you a proper upbringing. You know so little of you own kind. Eniripsa followers are among the gentlest in our lands. You say this one was alone?" when Renna nodded, she gave another knowing smile and a nod of her own, "You will likely meet the others tonight when he comes to see you again. To my understanding Eniripsa are in the habit of travelling in tight knit groups." She paused to take another drink of her tea, "They are not casual creatures as they may seem. As Lily explained it to me once, once courtship has ended, though each may have more than one mate, they are mated for life," at this, Renna bit her lower lip suddenly wondering if she had made such a large decision by accepting the advances of the dark winged stranger.
"Mated for life...Do you think...?" her fingers trailed across the black claw as her voice trailed off and Myrma started laughing out loud.
"Gracious no child, but I think its safe to say you've made it into the courtship stage," Myrma smiled then, her eyes fairly twinkling while Renna's face burned pinkly, remembering what courtship entailed, "But first and foremost i think you should try using that claw he gave you and talking to him again."
Renna nodded and murmured her agreement. They both finished their sandwiches and Myrma called the kitchen dolls to come clear the dishes and wash them. As the dolls set about their tasks, Renna walked over to Myrma and crawled up in her lap as she had done so many times before as a child, wrapping her slender arms around woman's shoulders in an affectionate hug, which the Sadi woman returned, smoothing her hair from her face.
