Tag: full novel

Author’s Note: Kaffi’s relationship with his older sister is a close one not out of familial duty but because of who they are; they’re both very social and enjoy taking care of others. They both also have a keen interest in tintrite culture, with Iliah’s love for culinary arts and his for craftwork. For both, it’s not just about the end results but also the process.

*

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

“Kaffi! Just the ahpadé I’ve been looking for!” Iliah sang as he entered their apartment. She sidled up next to him, smiling sweetly and fluttering her wings quickly. “You don’t have anything to do today, do you?”

“Iliah, hi,” he said, tilting his snout at her. “I’ve got plans later around six, why?”

“Great! That’s perfect. I’d like you to fly with me to the city. I have an errand to take care of, and I’d like you to tag along.”

“Eiyah, there it is!”  He snorted in amusement, fluttering his own wings in response. “You want me to carry something, don’t you?”

“Don’t be silly,” she giggled, tapping her snout on his. “I just want you to come along! An ahmané can fly with her ahpadé now and again, can’t she? I miss hanging out with you. We haven’t flown duet in ages!”

It was true, they hadn’t. When Kaffi was younger, he and Iliah would fly to various places around the bay. Sometimes they would fly to a nearby complex to visit friends, other times it would be to the meadows to the northwest in Griffin Park where they could really have fun and stretch their wings. He’d learned so much from Iliah over the years, and he enjoyed every single moment of it. He tapped her snout in return and hummed as he turned to head to his nestroom. “I’d love to, Iliah. Let me get ready.”

He grabbed his satchel harness and put it on; he always brought it along on long flights just in case he wanted to pick something up. As he fixed the buckles, his eyes landed on the folded blanket sitting high on a shelf above his desk. He smiled and hummed, long and lyrical…one of these days, when they were finally ready, he and Diwa would fly together. Hopefully soon.

They took off a few minutes later, launching from their roof and swinging north towards the city center. He lagged behind momentarily to hover above the community garden and let Diwa know he’d be back later that afternoon. Diwa gave him a thumbs-up and turned back to his garden work. He watched him for a few moments longer, humming quietly to himself. Diwa had connected with Tassh almost immediately, and the two of them were already talking and laughing and trading life stories. It was fascinating to watch, observing how different they approached that process of personal connection. It came to Diwa naturally. With one more circle, he turned north once again, by which point Iliah was already far ahead, leaving him to fly double-time to catch up.

“Hey!” he said, gasping as he finally settled into a glide next to her. “You could have waited!”

“You caught up with me, didn’t you?” she countered, flashing a grin at him.

“Yeah, but—”

“I knew you’d do that,” she said, tilting her head in his direction. “You’re so dedicated to him.”

He blushed and had no way to hide it. “So?”

“So it’s commendable,” she said. “You two are so bonded.”

He barked out a frustrated laugh. “Why does everyone say that?”

“Because it’s true?”

He let out a gruff mumble that sounded a little too much like his paddir’s annoyance and gave his wings an extra hard flap.

Iliah hummed as well, this time as consolation. “Eiyah. There’s nothing to be embarrassed about, Kaffi. I might find it adorable, but I am also impressed. I was never that dedicated at your age.”

“Except for your cooking.”

“Indeed,” she grinned. “Except for my cooking.”

“Where are we going, anyway?”

“To a few warehouse shops in the Wharf District,” she said. “I have some items on order that are ready to be picked up. We can have lunch and do a bit of shopping afterwards if you like.”

Kaffi let out a long hum of interest. He hadn’t visited the Wharf District since it had been redesigned and renovated a year and a half ago, and it was now a popular destination for both locals and tourists alike. Several piers and warehouses had been razed and rebuilt to accommodate new shops and restaurants with offices on the upper floors, many with roof landing pads for tintrite visitors. A wide pedestrian concourse stretched its length, with plenty of seating and scenic vistas, shopping and information kiosks, and even a few playgrounds for the younglings. The central warehouse shops were a favorite for the creative crowd, providing outlet stores for all kinds of crafts and tools of the trade. Kaffi found himself wondering if there was an outlet for rider saddles there…his father had a small collection of them already, but he’d love to own one that he’d bought himself.

“I’d like that,” he said.

“Thought you would.” She punctuated her comment by stretching out her wings to full extension and glided under him then back over again. Kaffi beamed and responded with the same path, looping under and over her. It was a trick they’d learned when Kaffi was still a young flier, and it was still one of his favorites. He loved the drop and lift and playing with the air currents between them.

“Tell me about your plan with Diwa,” she said.

He sniffed and did a minute dip-and-lift next to her. “It’s less of a plan and more of a see-what-happens at this point, to be honest,” he said.

“You don’t have any plans to change anything at the estate, you mean?”

“Eiyah. Only what needs changing, Iliah. Why change what is working perfectly fine?”

“Hmm. That’s a good answer. As long as you focus on what the tenants want and what they need, that’s really what matters most. And as long as they know you’re there, available for them. Like paddir does. And what about Diwa?”

“What about him?”

“Heh. So touchy. When will you be flying with him?”

“Once we’re both trained and ready,” he said after a moment.

“Which I’m sure will be quite soon, knowing the two of you.”

*

Kaffi had seen the skyline of the city center countless times over the years from a distance. His favorite view was from the campsites at the high meadows in Griffin Park, where on a clear day he could see it spreading out along the edge of the wide bay, cleaved neatly down the middle by the mouth of the Siisha River. He’d only seen it up close during the few times he was here.

They approached the Wharf District from the water. Iliah took them low where the air was less turbulent at this point in the day and led them towards a wide pier that served as a landing strip. Kaffi could already hear the bustle of the crowds ahead, full of chatter, laughter, and more. A hint of uplifting music floated nearby from unseen speakers, lightening the mood and creating a welcoming atmosphere. A few cries of upset and impatient younglings and perhaps a few arguments here and there, but these were all the sounds of a public area meant to be enjoyed and experienced fully. Kaffi loved it here already, and he hadn’t even set foot in a single store yet!

Their first visit was to a kitchenware shop in one of the larger warehouses further up the wharf. Iliah barely contained her excitement and skittered double-time down the central concourse. As they entered, Kaffi finally understood why she’d acted so; the place was enormous, filled with all kinds of things that a budding culinary artist could ever want! Her pace suddenly slowed to a crawl as she sauntered down every aisle, stopping frequently to fawn over the pans and the knives and the blenders and everything else. Iliah pointed out a few items that she’d been thinking of buying for Shahney for her upcoming birthday in a few months, and Kaffi nodded excitedly, knowing that whatever Iliah eventually chose, their manae would love it and use it in the community center kitchen along with all her other favorite pans and cooking utensils.

Iliah spent a considerably long time fawning over a large glass cabinet displaying an extensive array of high-quality knives that were specifically made by and for tintrite hands. In particular was an expensive twelve-piece set that included steak, chef and paring knives, scissors, and more, and even came with a hardwood block for storage. She pointed to each one out to Kaffi, explaining how each was used and how to properly take care of it. Eventually she tore herself away and approached the nearby customer service desk where her order was waiting. The mandossi at the desk smiled, checked off her order and handed her a small but fancy wooden box with a sliding cover. She thanked her and immediately put it in her own satchel and closed it up tight.

“I’ve finally picked up the santoku knife!” she sang, hanging on his arm. “That’ll really help when I make those thin beef strips we like. It’s taking forever to get the whole set, but I’m buying them one at a time as I need them. Come, let’s find something to eat.”

After a long and enjoyable lunch at a bayside vending truck, they stood at the edge of the pier, taking in the view. It was a blessedly clear day today so they could see the entire bay stretching out before them. To their left was the peninsula, its low mountains reaching out into the ocean. Mount Laimora was far to their left, its quiet and blessed caldera open to the skies. To their right, the coast gently curved to the south then southeast creating a wide bay, currently dotted with several sailboats. Far off to the south they could see the towers of various apartment complexes sticking up over the trees and other buildings.

“Ours is the tallest cluster to the left of those office towers,” Iliah said, pointing them out. “You can see Building C popping out from behind those hickories that line the rear parking lot.”

Kaffi smiled and thought of Diwa. There he was, miles away, getting his hands and knees dirty with the aanoupii in the community garden. An unexpected wave of contentment washed over him, and he realized it was that he was looking at his home. At the place he belonged.

“Come on,” she said, tapping him on the shoulder. “I want to buy you something.”

“Hmm?”

“You’ll see,” she smiled, and started towards one of the other warehouses. He pushed off and followed, curious about what she had in mind.

What he hadn’t expected was a textile shop. And not just a general all-purpose, multi-species store, of which there were several here, but one catering specifically to tintrite. The walls were lined with high shelving, all filled with rolled bolts of cloth of vivid and amazing colors and patterns. Kaffi’s eyes grew wide as he craned his neck to take it all in! His heart raced as he started looking around further, shifting up and down the several aisles: saddle care kits, knitting needles and skeins of yarn, sewing machines and threads, paints and pencils and art canvases of all sizes, kits for colored arm bands, beaded strings for manes, leatherwork tools…he’d never seen a textile store so complete! Eiyah, he wanted to stay in here for hours!

Iliah led him over to a work table where a small group of tintrite were crafting armbands made of thick organic thread and beads of various sizes. Iliah waved to them and told him to wait while she went to talk to the owner. He hardly noticed her stepping away; he’d been fascinated by armband craftwork for years, a fact she knew well, and this was the first time he’d seen it in action outside of craft fairs. They were professional crafters, their hands moving with amazing speed and agility, completing a pattern in minutes. They were so good at it they weren’t even paying attention to what their hands were doing, focusing on their ongoing conversations instead. He was sorely tempted to join them, but he had little to no practice. He’d be far too slow for these experts.

“Welcome, youngling!” one of the older crafters said. “Care to join us?”

Kaffi gave him a furtive, nervous smile. “O-oh, I’d love to, but…maybe in the future?”

“Come anytime!” he smiled, gesturing at the armband he was working on. “That was your ahmané, yes? Iliah? She comes in here quite often.”

“Thank you,” he said quietly, surprised by the offer. “Perhaps I will.”

“Ai!” Iliah called, returning to his side. “Here you go!” She handed him a freshly made armband.

Kaffi’s wings rippled in surprise. “…Iliah?”

“Go on, take it!” she smiled. “I had this made just for you.”

He held it in his shaking hands, stunned by her gesture. A tintrite armband…! This was not just a simple gift from an older sibling…this was a highly symbolic gesture, an offering of a talisman for good luck and unbreakable bonds. Armbands were an integral part of tintrite culture and held deep personal and emotional meaning to its wearers. Not every tintrite wore them every day – their paddir had worn them in the past but had stopped for years until picking it up again quite recently – but every tintrite knew how important they were in their lives. For someone of Kaffi’s age to wear an armband was to claim that he knew and understood what his calling was, who it might be shared with, and his level of dedication towards it.

And Iliah had just given him his first one.

“I-Iliah…” he started again, his voice catching.

She knew. She had to have known, ages ago.

It was a simple tri-color band with twin yellow strips bordering an alternating pattern of black and orange squares, but it was absolutely lovely and a perfect size for his upper arm. He almost didn’t want to put it on right away; he wanted to treasure this first by taking in its shapes and colors. And to have it gifted to him by Iliah…this was her personal wish for his future. This meant so much more than just a sibling showing her love. It meant she had complete trust and hope in his plans with Diwa.

“…maianni-naahsah, Iliah,” he whispered, tearing up. “Why…?”

She moved closer and leaned up against him, her own talons brushing across the beads and making soft clicking noises. “I wanted to give this to you now as a reminder,” she said. “You’ve been doing so much around the complex over the last month, especially with Diwa. This is to help you in your plans to inherit the position from paddir. Plus, these beads are symbolic, both in color, pattern and shape.”

She extended one finger and tapped her talon along one of the yellow strips of thicker beads. “All armbands have these border strips to hold the pattern in place, signifying stability. All young tintrite wear yellow. To some, it signifies immaturity or that their fate is still in question. To others, it merely signifies clarity of intent, despite not being bound to it.”

Kaffi hummed, brushing a talon over it as well.

Iliah moved her talon to the middle part of the band, touching the small uniform orange beads. “See how tight these are pulled together? This too has a double meaning. I’m going to say for now that this also ties in with clarity of intent – this can mean that your intent is with someone else, and you have decided to follow through with it.”

“And the other meaning?”

She smiled and waved the question away. She moved her finger to the black beads; these were of different sizes but were still in a pattern. “Again, double meaning,” she said. “Again, clarity of intent. This symbolizes that you’ve chosen this intent without outside influence. Lastly, the alternating squares are always uniform, especially when the band is tied on. Signifying balance and stability throughout.”

All at once, Kaffi understood. He gasped again, brushing a trembling hand over it. She understood his true intentions after all, and she had given him this to set him on his way. She not only accepted his thoughts and dreams of remaining with Diwa…she welcomed them with her heart.

He touched his snout over Iliah’s and hummed, long and low; humbled. “I will treasure this, ahmané. Thank you.”

“This is for you,” she said, humming herself. “Make me proud. Oh, and one last thing – these are to be tied on your own, without help – symbolizing that you are doing this of your own volition.”

He studied the ends of the untied band and noticed that there were end strings as well as small metal loops; with a bit of practice, he should be able to put this on quickly and easily. “Does it matter which arm?” he asked.

“No, but most wear them on their right arms.”

“And you…?”

She smiled briefly. “I don’t always wear mine, but yes, I have a few and I wear them on my right arm. I only wear them during important events. You may have seen manae wearing a few now and again.”

He nodded quickly. “I have. I was just thinking of buying a kit here today, come to think of it. I’d like to learn how to make them myself.”

Iliah smiled and tipped her snout at him, rippling her wings slightly. “You always surprise me, Kaffi! These take patience and dedication. Which I’m sure you have in abundance. Here – I will buy you one of those as well.”

“Iliah…!” he stuttered.

“No, this is my gift to you. For your future.”

He nuzzled his sister once more. “You are too kind to me.”

While she took a kit from the shelf and brought it to the main desk to pay for it, Kaffi gazed at his gifted armband. This was indeed a special occasion, a special item that he would treat with care. And for a moment, he thought of Diwa. He’d seen other tintrite on the estate wearing these bands. He didn’t know of any others at his school that wore them, but then again, he wasn’t one to notice such things for others his age. He’d seen many of the teachers wearing them. Diwa might find it interesting, but would he understand its meaning?

“Clarity of intent…” he said to himself.

He held it in his left hand, studying it a little more. Yes, this would be an easy decision. He wrapped it around his upper right arm and fiddled with the strings and the hooks until he understood how it all interconnected. It wasn’t too complex; it was a matter of sliding the strings through the hoops and then doing a tiny knot to hold it in place, something he could do quickly with practice. When he had it fully tied, the ends of the pattern slid together to form a seamless band.

Iliah came back just as he finished. He lifted his right arm slightly in her direction. “Does it look right?”

“Eiyah!” she beamed. “I didn’t expect you to put it on so quickly. Let me see.” She leaned in and studied his knotwork and how he’d placed it on his arm. He’d intentionally placed it higher than normal, above the bulkiest part of his muscles. “You did just fine,” she said. “That should stay on until you take it back off.”

He hummed and smiled with pleasure.

*

Glossary:
ahpadé (tintrite) — brother
maianni-naahsah (tintrite) — ‘thank you so much’, always used with deep emotion

Author’s Note: Have you ever had one of those days that starts off quietly enough but ends changing your life forever? These next five chapters take place in the course of one of those days for our two best friends. Things learned, things admitted, things accepted without fear. And life continues on.

*

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Tassh waved excitedly for Diwa to come over from his stroll across the central green. The aanoupii was standing in the middle of a freshly tilled patch of the community garden, surrounded by various tools and bags of fertilizer, ready to fill this blank canvas. His allotment was small, but he’d already broken it down into individual sectors and added narrow raised beds up against the mesh fence, each already labeled and dated. He was beaming and humming quietly to himself as if he’d been placed in the most heavenly place on earth.

“Good morning, young Diwa!” he said, showing off his large teeth in a wide smile.

“Good morning, Tassh!” he said, leaning up against the fence post. “I see that Samuel gave you a good patch to work with, and you found the leftover frames I told you about. This section was left bare for a few seasons, so you should have a lot of good luck here. What are you growing?”

He pointed down at his feet with his trowel. “Right here, I am about to grow inashikraw squash,” he said proudly. “It is an aanoupii specialty, and I have not had it in years! This is the perfect time of year to grow it.”

Diwa cocked his head, unfamiliar with the name. “Don’t think I’ve heard of it.”

Tassh’s stubby ears twitched excitedly, and he even let out a quick squeak of a laugh. “Oh! You’ll be in for a treat, my young friend! It’s quite sweet for some, but I love it. Once they’re ready for harvesting, they have a thick rind so you can store them away or keep them on a table for a long time and they’ll never go bad. And you can serve it with pretty much anything. I like making soups out of it myself. Best thing to serve come winter. Here, come and help.”

He looked down at his clothes and figured he would be fine in getting these dirty. He didn’t have much to do right now, it being a quiet weekend, and he wouldn’t be working with Samuel on the office cleanup until tomorrow. “Sure,” he said, and entered through the gate, rolling up his sleeves. “What do you need me to do?”

He pointed across the way with his trowel at a bag leaning up against one of the raised beds. “Fertilized soil. Inashikraw squash grows anywhere, but this helps. I need at least three trays, one for the raised beds and the other two just here at the end of the rows. And mind where you step, I just planted fresh seedlings. Though I hear you know these walking boards quite well already.”

“Word gets around,” Diwa smirked. He opened one of the soil bags – and quickly closed it again as the smell overwhelmed his senses and made him gag and tear up. “Gyaaawwh…! Eiyah, Tassh, what the heck is in this?”

Tassh snorted a laugh. “Pure kleeat manure! And a few other organics added in as well. Good nutrients for sturdy plants. Unlike the weak soil that you humans usually like to use. You don’t go far enough!”

Diwa winced, glancing worriedly at the bag. He didn’t want to be rude to Tassh and not help, but gods, did this stuff stink! He would definitely need a long, hot shower after this. Probably at least three of them to get rid of the stench! He steeled himself and tried once more, gingerly opening it back up but keeping his head as far away as he could, hooking his shirt collar over his nose, and started scooping it into one of the trays. “Human olfactory senses are a little different than yours, Tassh,” he coughed. “Just saying.”

Tassh bared his teeth, greatly amused. “I’ll grant you that.” He pointed at a bare spot at the end of one of the rows. “Right here is fine. I’ll spread it out as need be. It won’t be as condensed once I’m done with it, so it won’t smell as bad.”

Diwa spent most of the morning assisting Tassh with the gardening, and to his surprise he found it quite enjoyable and relaxing, even despite the stench. The aanoupii was quite forthcoming with the ins and outs of his planting style, giving as much detail as possible to ensure he caught it all. Diwa did the best he could to remember it, though he’d already explained that his best method of learning was through experience. Tassh seemed to genuinely appreciate that, which meant dedication in his eyes. Diwa wasn’t going to be a pro at gardening by any stretch, but that wasn’t his aim to begin with. He liked learning different things from the other tenants, whether it was a craft or an errand or anything in between. It didn’t matter if the tenans were highly active or mostly sedentary, he just wanted to be a part of their lives. Tassh had taken this to heart early on and was more than happy to let Diwa join in, especially where gardening was involved. This was going to turn out fine.

“Phew!” he heard from above, an hour or so into their garden work. “Eiyah, I can smell that from up here!”

Diwa glanced up; Kaffi was coasting high above them in a lazy figure eight pattern. “Hey Kaff,” he said.

“Dare I ask what you’ve been rolling in?”

Diwa laughed and grabbed a fistful of soil. “Want to come down and find out?”

Kaffi chittered in amusement and dipped his head at him. “Nah, I’ll pass. Are we still up for our group meet tonight?”

“Of course! I’ll text you when I’m ready, after I eat and shower.”

“Please!” Kaffi said. “You’re not going to get that stink on me.”

“I’m tempted!”

“Strong words!” Kaffi said, flapping his wings and swirling around in a quick loop. “Tonight, then!” He swung away and flew towards Building C.

Tassh watched the two of them teasing each other and smiled as he returned to work. “Kaffi is quite an excellent flier, Diwa,” he said. “I watch him when I’m out here on the green sometimes. He’s a good kid. A bit reckless and quite unlike Graymar, but he seems dedicated.”

Diwa watched Kaffi land on the roof. He had a peculiar way of doing it; unlike Graymar, who would usually just decelerate and drop down to land, Kaffi would come close to his landing spot, swoop up, then drop down. An odd but poetic affectation that he’d never seen with other tintrite.

“He is,” Diwa said, watching Tassh for a moment before getting back to digging once more. The aanoupii seemed to have taken a liking to Kaffi early on, which made him happy. “We haven’t flown yet, but we’re planning on it soon. Once we’re both properly trained. I’m looking forward to it.”

“I watch him do laps sometimes,” Tassh said, swirling his trowel back and forth in the air. “He’s born for it. He’ll take good care of you.”

Diwa blushed, though he wasn’t quite sure why. “He’s…he’s a smart flier, sure,” he said, his voice a bit small. “He does take some reckless chances, but he’s never dangerous about it.”

“Graymar is the same with Samuel, I’ve seen,” he said. “Are the two of you bonded?”

He spluttered again, his entire face hot. “N-no. Not yet anyway.” Not yet? Why did I just say that?

The look in Tassh’s eyes meant he completely understood Diwa’s mortification, and thankfully chose not to tease him further. “The two of you will bond well together,” he said instead, giving him a wide smile. “By the looks of things.”

Author’s note: If anyone ships the two mains in this novel, it’s our Annie, and she’s going to milk it as long as she can. Meanwhile, as we’ve seen earlier, she’s often very emotional and sometimes lets that get the best of her. And once again, she depends on her close friendship with Cole to rein that in. In this chapter however, she finally realizes that maybe she needs something other than that co-dependence to find inner balance and calm.

*

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Cole felt Anna-Nassi’s burst of joy and excitement from two floors down, and the pulse was strong enough it shifted him off-balance. He tripped and skidded up against the wall, apologizing as he went, hoping he wouldn’t hurt anyone. The human he’d bumped into had grunted and glared at him in response, but instead of confronting him, he picked up his fallen books and walked away. He’d see Cole was just another weird kid and forget about this incident in an hour or so. This was just another annoying side-effect of having Steiner-Hedraac Syndrome: whenever there was a strong and unexpected shift in life energies, occasionally it could take his body a few extra seconds to compensate and take it in, especially if he hadn’t been expecting it. He never blamed anyone when it happened, it was just something he had to deal with. He would never blame Annie for her own emotional reactions, nor would he ever ask her to hold back for his sake.

He rested there for a few moments, gathering his bearings and calming himself down, but he couldn’t keep from smiling and laughing quietly. Anna-Nassi had just heard the news.

He knew what her words were going to be come lunchtime: Why didn’t you tell me they were bonding for real? Why didn’t you tell me Diwa had asked Kaffi to be his ride? Ai, you need to keep me in the loop!

It was true, he knew something was up last night. He’d sensed the significant changes in Graymar and Samuel’s moods and actions when they’d returned from their trip, a renewed and strengthened bond between them, and their sons had definitely sensed it as well, in their own ways. They weren’t as clairsentient as he was, of course, but it was hard to miss all the other clues. They’d been profoundly inspired. Things were changing.

Diwa and Kaffi would reach this same point eventually, it was just a matter of time.

He felt a growing wave of irritation off to his left and scanned the hallway. He knew this sensation all too well – impatience and frustration, aimed at whoever happened to be in their way. He also knew this signature; Allen, a hedraac one year younger than him but already carrying the psychic load of an adult. They’d crossed paths in the past, and it had not ended well. Allen did not completely understand, nor care, that Cole had Steiner-Hedraac Syndrome. Allen felt that reining himself in and not letting his ego bleed out so profusely was unfair to him. Why should he have to hinder who he was for some reject?

Cole hitched his satchel closer to his shoulder and took off in the opposite direction. Better to avoid him than create more chaos.

He made his way past a group of students gathered around a bulletin board, all of them buzzing with excitement and curiosity, checking out the list of students who were graduating at the end of the semester, along with their chosen professions or places of further education, a formal announcement of their Future Calling. This was a list that grew and changed by the day, as students updated their status with college acceptances or internships. His had remained blank for most of the year, but pretty much everyone had already assumed he wouldn’t amount to much anyway, considering his disability.

He’d gotten used to that a long time ago. It no longer frustrated him. Besides, he already knew what he was going to do. He’d fill in that blank space soon enough, when he was ready for it.

He found solace in the library. Thankfully this was his free period, and it was just before lunch, so he’d be in much better spirits by the time he met up with his friends. He found a seat in a secluded corner, away from most everyone else, and took out his tablet for his reading homework. Focusing on words always helped him in this situation; it wouldn’t completely shut out all the psychic noise, but it would at least push it into the background. He knew others who had this syndrome much worse than he did and considered himself lucky that he could still adjust his lifestyle when and where possible without being completely disconnected.

In the meantime, Anna-Nassi’s excitement hadn’t lessened one bit, and he found that both amusing and comforting. He could always rely on her positive energy to keep his own in check, and borrowed ever so slightly until he was once again calm and centered. He’d have to tell her that the range of their connection was getting further and stronger. She’d like to hear that.

He thought again about what he’d sensed between Diwa and Kaffi last night. Even from the back side of Building D, their nervous joy was hard to miss. Kaffi’s was more muted, as tintrite emotions often were, but he also sensed the blissful release of a deep-seated and long-awaited euphoria. This was a tintrite making an important and deeply personal connection. It could be the start of a bonding, or it could just be a higher level of friendship, so he chose not to assume either one. With Diwa, however…

Diwa was an interesting case. Some days Cole could read him like a book just like he could most other humans, but other days he couldn’t quite figure out what his motives might be or what he was truly feeling. Humans were often like that; they were quite haphazard and contradictory with their emotions, endearingly so. They felt everything out, testing each emotion and reaction until they resonated with those that rang truest to them. There was something there, hiding well beneath Diwa’s own happiness, that felt like a blind spot. It may be concern, but it might also be fear. He was purposely avoiding this one thing in his mind that could ruin their entire plan.

Diwa and Kaffi’s relationship was so nuanced that, when they were together, Cole often found himself unexpectedly at peace. They complemented each other on multiple levels. Very much like how he felt when he was near Anna-Nassi. He decided there and then that he too wanted these two best friends to become some something so much more. They deserved it. It was up to Annie and himself to help them bring their grand plans to fruition.

He felt another quick surge of happiness from Anna-Nassi again, and this time he laughed quietly to himself.

*

As soon as Anna-Nassi saw Cole coming through the roof patio doors she dialed it back, as she didn’t want to overwhelm him. She’d already exerted most of her energy on Diwa and Kaffi earlier this morning, anyway. They were already sitting across from her in their usual spots, all too quiet for their own good but stealing furtive glances and smiles at each other when they thought she wasn’t looking. They were totally bonded for sure.

“Two floors,” Cole said, sitting down next to her. He carried a small bag with him this time, which made her happy…when he was calm, he could eat food rather than taking from someone’s energy. It meant that his Steiner-Hedraac was not flaring up. “I was on my way to the library when you found out what was going on with those two.”

“Really?” she giggled. “I must be losing my touch. People have told me they could sense me from outside on a good day.”

Cole smiled. “Give it time.”

“Still, you’d think they’d have told me sooner.”

“They were waiting for the best moment, is all. You have to be patient with them.”

“Hmm. You could be right.”

Diwa cleared his throat. “We’re sitting right here, you two.”

Anna-Nassi gasped and opened her eyes wide in response, leaning back on the knuckles of her wing and flashing her manic grin at them. “Eiyah, so you are! Come on, boys. We’re all here, all in one place, so spill! What’s the big plan, now that you two are betrothed?”

“Ai!” he blushed. “Hindi ka nakakatawa!”

“Let her have her fun, Dee,” Kaffi said, giving him a nudge. He nodded in Anna-Nassi’s direction and snorted. “Besides, it’s going to be a while before you and I will be flying together. Training and all that.”

“Ooh, that’s right,” she said. “You haven’t flown with anyone, have you?”

Diwa shook his head with a sigh. “I sense a joke setup.”

“No, I’m serious. I’ve never seen Kaffi with a saddle. I mean, I’m not built for riding flight, but I can imagine how irritating it could be.”

“It’s not as bad as it seems,” Kaffi said.

Diwa blinked and turned to him. “Really…?”

Kaffi, realizing he might have accidentally revealed something extremely personal that he hadn’t shared with anyone before, ducked his snout down and scratched the top of it with a talon. “A while back I thought I’d try it. Borrowed paddir’s saddle and blanket.”

Diwa blinked at him again. “And…?”

Despite his embarrassment, he laughed quietly and gave his wings a quick flutter. “It felt right,” he said. “It was a bit large, considering I’m much smaller than Graymar, but the…” He waved his hands in front of him, in search of the right word. “Once it’s on, it feels like it’s part of you.”

Diwa’s gaze softened, surprised by this revelation. “Interesting,” he said.

Anna-Nassi gazed at them with her big shiny eyes. “You’re so cute when you two flirt like that.”

“Oh, stop it,” Diwa laughed.

“Seriously, that’s totally awesome, Kaff! When are you going to get your own?”

He nodded. “Eventually. Paddir and I will work that out when the time comes.”

There was a furtive smile behind that, she could tell. He was still holding something back. She decided not to push this time.

Cole poked her on the arm to get her attention. She turned, expecting him to ask if he could feed again, but instead he just smiled and nodded. She cocked her head at him, wondering what the gesture was about. He wasn’t feeding, didn’t want to feed, she could sense that much. He was ever so slightly irritated, but no more than normal on any other given day. That wasn’t it. This was something different. Something about Kaffi and Diwa. Or her?

Oh, she could be so blessed dense sometimes…! He was suggesting that she make herself useful to those two lovebirds!

“You’re doing fine, Cole?” she asked quietly, barely holding back a smile.

“Just fine,” he said, nodding. “Thanks for asking.”

She pushed herself up and leaned forward, digging into her bento lunch. She pulled out a box filled with onigiri, each one containing a different filling. One of her favorite lunches. “So,” she said, after biting into one of them. “Diwa. I hear that Samuel’s going to need an offsite storage facility soon. Has he looked yet?”

“Not yet,” he said, digging into his own lunch. “Why?”

“My padda knows someone who has an opening at their facility,” she said. “It’s small, probably a five by ten at most, but probably enough to store documents.”

“I’ll let him know,” he said. “Thanks.”

She popped the rest of the onigiri into her mouth and swallowed it quickly. “How is the internship going?”

Unexpectedly, she felt a wave of fond contemplation from him. “It’s going well so far. Slow. Not all that glamorous, I’m afraid, but I’m definitely learning things.”

“Hmm.” She picked out another onigiri and was about to bite into it when a thought occurred to her. “You need to get out more,” she said.

“I’m sorry…?”

She grinned again. “Let me help with whatever you and Samuel have going. I mean, not now. You two have your sorting to do, and I know that’ll take a while. But once you’re ready to do the heavy-duty cleaning and moving and all that refiling, give me a call. I want to help. I can talk with my amma about using one of the offices in the community center, we can have a big sorting party with drinks and snacks and everything, then bring it back.”

He smiled at her, nodding quickly. “I’m sure he’d appreciate that. I’ll let him know. Thanks.”

“Doing my part,” she said, flashing her too-wide grin at them again, then tucked into her lunch.

*

Anna-Nassi strolled along the central green walkway, her wings at rest but her hands itching to have something to do. She shoved them into the pockets of her vest just to keep them calm. This was the downside to being a mandossi without having a hedraac like Cole nearby to keep her balanced…she grew impatient and distracted far too easily without him around.

And yet, she always felt guilty about using him like that. She depended on Cole for friendship, not for energy depletion! It wasn’t fair to either of them. She would resolve, then, to find other ways to calm her mind, whether he was around or not. Taking a long walk through the garden areas of the estate grounds was her amma’s idea, and given its relative quiet, it worked to some degree. These moments of solitude made her less impulsive and more introspective. And when there weren’t that many tenants around, she didn’t feel as self-conscious when she spoke with them. That new aanoupii gardener, Tassh, was so laid back and amicable that she found herself looking forward to their mundane talks about horticulture. Sometimes she would see Cole out here, or Diwa. She would also see Kaffi above, flying around as always. It made her smile to know that even when her friends were busy, she’d still see them somewhere around the estate.

She needed to find her own role in their plan.

“Hi!”

She twitched at the unexpected voice and looked down. A young mandossi youngling, maybe no older than three or four years, their own wings still growing and sticking out at odd angles, was looking up at her with dark blue eyes and a big toothy smile. Oh goodness, her heart just about melted at the sight! She dropped down to a crouch to face her new friend.

“Hello yourself, little one!” she sang, smiling back at her. “My name is Anna-Nassi, what’s yours?”

“Jemma-Isalli,” the little girl said. “Are you one of amma’s friends?”

Anna-Nassi had no idea who this girl’s mother was, but she’d better get this youngling back to them right away! “Not yet, Jemma-Isalli. I’m sure I’ll get to know her soon enough. It’s very nice to meet you, though! Are you here at the playground with your family?”

“My amma and ahpé are here,” she said, and took Anna-Nassi’s hand. “Come and meet them!”

She laughed, as if she had any choice in the matter! It was probably for the best that she return the girl back to her family before they notice her missing. She let the girl lead her across the green towards the edge of the playground.

“There you are!” she heard ahead. A tall and youthful mandossi elder had caught sight of them and was quickly moving in their direction. Her wings were twitching ever so slightly in exasperation. Unaware of her mother’s worry, Jemma-Isalli let go of Anna-Nassi’s hand and gleefully ran towards her into the elder’s arms.

Anna-Nassi stopped short in surprise, having suddenly recognized the elder, and stifled the urge to turn and run away in the opposite direction. This was no regular tenant she’d just run into…this was Elise-Nooviya, one of the most important tenants currently running on the estate committee! Eiyah, this was not what she expected! Where was Cole when she needed him the most?

Calm yourself, she thought, repeating the words multiple times while she got her wings under control. She’s a tenant, same as you, Annie. Calm yourself!

She exhaled, put on her best smile, and walked towards the elder.

“Mani-yandoora,” she said quietly, stopping a respectable distance, bowing her head, and holding her hands at her belly. Just as her amma had taught her ages ago. She gestured towards Jemma-Isalli. “I found this little one wandering away, so I herded her back.”

The elder relaxed visibly and sent the girl off to play with her older brother, who was currently busy on one of the large play mats, building small towers with his connector blocks. “I thank you,” she said with relief, twitching her wings once before letting them settle. “She can certainly be a handful sometimes.” The elder paused, apparently studying her. She waved her lower arms slowly in her direction, trying to make a mental connection.

Say nothing yet, she thought, and waited for the elder to speak.

“You are Anna-Nassi, yes? The daughter of Dana-Leima in Building D?”

She smiled and nodded. “I am, elder.”

The elder reached out a flat hand in greeting and she did the same. Their fingertips touched briefly, the initial personal connection now made. “I am Elise-Nooviya,” she said, bowing her head slightly. She pronounced her mandossi name slightly different from amma’s attempt at it. Noo-VEE-yah. Three syllables, accent on the second and not on the first. She kept that in mind. “I work with your amma on the estate committee sometimes,” she continued. “She says many good things about you, Anna-Nassi. It is a pleasure to finally meet you in person.”

“The same, elder,” she said, remembering her place and the proper etiquette. “My amma always speaks well of you.”

“You’ve grown much,” she said, and briefly touched Anna-Nassi’s lower arms, as an elder would to a youngling as a sign of welcome acquaintance. “And into a lovely mature mandossi. I hear that you will be interning with us on the committee soon.”

Eiyah, out of the nest and into the wild…! “Y-yes,” she said, blushing with no way to hide it. “I will be coming to the next committee meeting in a few weeks to fill out the forms and make my joining official. For now I am walking the estate and making myself available to anyone who needs assistance or wants company.”

“A fine decision,” Elise-Nooviya said, and leaned in to touch Anna-Nassi’s forehead with her own. “I wish you luck, Anna-Nassi.”

She nearly fainted from being given the highest praise from such a respected elder! She held her composure the best she could. Wait until the others heard about this! “Thank you, elder,” she said, and nodded towards the two younglings on the play mat. “And I will make sure little Jemma-Isalli stays within sight next time!”

Elise-Nooviya laughed. “Indeed!”

She said her goodbyes and strolled away from the playground, warmed by the conversation. She couldn’t believe her luck! To get such praise, so early on! She had to calm herself to keep from laughing out loud, at least until she was on her own again. Perhaps she’d been thinking too hard about this. She had nothing to prove here. She had no reason to show off. People already knew her here, either by presence or by her family. Talking with the tenants was enough.

Perhaps that’s all she really needed to learn.

*

Cole tapped the screen of his phone one last time and set it to mute. If his family needed to get a hold of him, they could leave a text. They knew where he was. They could easily sense him from here. For now, he chose to disconnect. The less distraction the better.

Bringing up the idea of joining the estate committee with them was hard enough. His mother he could handle…she was on the committee already, and she was more than willing to help him get to know more of its members. She would get overprotective and worry about his disability and literally time how long he lasted with other people, but he was used to that. It was the rest of the extended family that drove him crazy at times like this. They’d been relentless since he’d told them about Diwa and Kaffi’s plans. “We’re so proud of you!” they said. “Another proud hedraac to the team!” they said. “You’ll be following in your parents’ footsteps!” they said. “He’s grown up so much!” they said. They meant well too, but could they at least speak to him as an adult and not a fledgling fresh out of the nest? He was doing something that was important to him, and they were treating him like his fangs had just grown in for the first time. It was embarrassing and irritating.

Which was why he was out here in the orchard. He knew this ground more than most tenants, as he’d been coming out here to distance himself from his family and others on the estate to find peace since he was a youngling, when his Steiner-Hedraac had first manifested itself. The disability was not so much debilitating as it was just extremely annoying at the worst of times. His psychic sensing wasn’t stuck in the ‘on’ position – thank the gods and goddesses – but sometimes he couldn’t turn it off without help. And now that he was getting older, more symptoms would start manifesting themselves: unexpected and ravenous hunger, inability to stop feeding once he started, unstable mood swings. He’d already started seeing doctors about this, taking the medicines, and adjusting his lifestyle and his diet and everything else. He hated how much this illness interfered with his life, and how it might affect his future. It was no wonder the other students hadn’t expected him to have any Future Calling.

How wrong they were! He was committed, refusing to let any of this slow him down. He would prove to everyone that he could still be a strong member of this community. How would he be able to help Diwa, Kaffi and Anna-Nassi with this wonderful plan for the estate?

He was so wrapped up in his worries and irritations that he almost hadn’t sensed Anna-Nassi at the other end of the orchard, just as distracted by her own unorganized thoughts. She studied the overgrown apple trees, neglected for far too long. It was still early enough in the season that the fruit was still small and unripe, not yet ready for picking. She gently touched one of them with her long fingers, looking its surface, wondering how healthy it might be. Wondering why this part of the orchard had been left to grow wild, how much of it might be salvageable.  She thought about her own role in the estate plan as well. Wondering if she could ever manage it, if she could ever measure up to—

She stopped and turned in his direction.

Cole swore under his breath and disconnected immediately. He’d been tapping into her energy ever so slightly, listening to her thought waves without thinking or asking. She’d given him permission to do so a long time ago, but he still felt he was intruding. She didn’t seem to mind, as her aura suddenly brightened at his presence. She flashed her wide goofy smile, fluttered her wings, and waved at him, and all of it sent a jolt of positive energy his way, sating his hunger. She trusted him that completely.

“Hey there,” he said, walking over. “Sorry to interrupt.”

She shook her head and waved off his apology. “I know it was you. You’re the only one here, and I know your signature anywhere.” She smiled again and took his hand. “Come on, let’s walk a bit.”

He nodded and fell beside her. “You look a little…”

“Distracted,” she said. “I suppose so. I guess I’m just wondering if I’m cut out for this, neh? This…” She waved her arms, and her wings, at the estate grounds. “This is our home, Cole. But it’s Diwa’s dream. And Kaffi’s.”

“You’re not sure if it’s yours,” he ventured.

She hummed in response. “I mean, I think it’s mine, neh? Those two have such an amazing level of dedication, and I’m afraid I don’t think I can ever come close to matching it. They’re going to be the future landlords. I don’t doubt that at all. I just don’t…” She trailed off again, looking away. “What are our roles in this, Cole? I mean, I just had a lovely interaction with one of the most senior members of the tenancy committee, and I’m sure I left a positive impression, and her little nestlings are such darlings…” She rubbed at her temple and chittered her fangs. “Eiyah, Cole. I don’t know what to think right now! I was so excited about that moment and I wanted to tell you about it, and then I got flustered, then I started worrying and freaking out! What am I doing? Is this what I really want? Or am I just…you know, being a daash-paiya about my life choices again?”

Cole touched the knuckle of one of her wings and tapped it gently. It startled her, but her heart leapt at the same time. “Stop that, Annie,” he said. “You are no daash-paiya. You’re smarter and kinder than you give yourself credit for. And I’ve been thinking the same thing.”

She nodded and followed him back to towards the far end of the orchard. They walked in silence for a time, occasionally checking on the fruit still on the trees. Now that he noticed it, it bothered him as well that his parents were so eager to get the offsite farm arrangement going that they weren’t paying attention to what was literally going on in their back yard.

“We need to hire a specialist,” he said. “I’m not sure what level this orchard is at, but I know it definitely needs more work to get it back up and running at its peak.”

She hummed in agreement. “I could always bring it up at the next tenancy meeting.”

“No,” he said suddenly, looking down the length of the field. “No. I’ll do it. This will be my assignment.”

“Already making yourself busy,” she laughed lightly. “I like that in a hedraac.”

“I’m sure you do,” he grinned, and looked away.

“Seriously, though. Let me have this one. You already have the co-op farm work with your family. I’d like to take this one on myself.”

“Are you sure?”

She prodded him on the arm. “Yes! This will be worth it. I want to prove to myself that I can do this, Cole.”

“Okay,” he hummed. “It’s all yours then. Meanwhile. I’ve been thinking. About what you said. About the plan. How we fit in.” Ai, there he was, stuttering sentences again. One of his least favorite affectations when he felt nervous. He scratched at his chin to hide his blush. She was looking away as well, stuffing her hands into her vest pockets. She let her wings stretch a bit; with each extension the folds of skin between the joints made a quiet ruffling sound. She was not a flier, but she was still quite active with her wings when she was distracted.

“I think we need. To find our own path, Annie,” he said. “Separate from Diwa. And Kaffi.”

Her wings slackened a little bit. “We can’t just…”

He waved his hands quickly, realizing she’d misunderstood. “No, I mean that our fates. They’re separate. From theirs to some degree. Entwined, yes. We were woven into their fates. When we became friends with them. Years ago. Maybe we’re even linked. On a higher level now. But their fate isn’t completely ours. Related, but not the same. We have to find our own.”

Anna-Nassi thought about it for a moment, her wings still sagging. “I suppose you’re right.”

Cole reached out and tapped one of them again. It was a very personal touch for a mandossi, and rarely done, even within species. But she had let him do this early on and had never stopped him as it cheered her up. She responded with a soft hum and a reciprocal touch on his shoulder.

“We’ll figure this out,” she said.

“We will,” he said.

“You’re cute when you get flustered,” she smirked. Cole burst out laughing.

*

Glossary:
“Hindi ka nakakatawa!” — (Tagalog) “That’s not funny!”
amma — (mandossi) – mother
ahpé — (mandossi) – brother
Mani-yandoora — (mandossi) “Hello, elder.” Often used to show high respect to one’s elders.
daash-paiya — (mandossi) literally, ‘immature egg’. Often used self-deprecatingly as if to say ‘I’m an idiot’.

Author’s Note: How do you write an extremely important scene where one main character dearly wants to ask the other to make their shared long-term life goals official? By shipping it, of course. 🙂

*

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Diwa started the vidchat app with nervous amusement, feeling stupid and silly at the same time. He couldn’t wait to share what he’d learned from his father…yet he also hoped that Kaffi hadn’t logged on yet, giving him extra time to gather his senses so he wouldn’t make a fool of himself. He brought up his homework on the second screen, yet another term paper due in a few days, but he found himself unable to focus on it.

Instead he opened a browser and started looking up things about tintrite flight.

The thought of flying with Kaffi both excited and terrified him. He’d been up in air transports before, of course…the family trip up north to Carrondon Province a few years back had been one of his favorite vacations ever, and he’d begged his father for the window seat so he could look out and survey the land below. He hadn’t feared the height, considering they were in an enclosed transport, and he was enraptured by what he saw, his forehead leaning up against the plexiglass, watching the ever-changing terrain move beneath him. He loved the idea of being up in the air, feeling the wind in his face and looking at the world from a rare point of view. And yet…

…and yet, he felt a chill at the same time. It was a stupid fear, and he hated it. Mild basophobia. A fear of falling. The feeling of vertigo wasn’t even that strong, just a bit more pronounced than it might be in other people, but it made his life miserable at the most annoying times. Even if he was standing on a steady platform like a tower or a high roof, with no possible way of falling, he still felt that dizziness, the tightness in his shoulders and a pit in his stomach, almost as if his body drew itself towards the ground below. Thankfully, it only affected him when extremely high up. The fifth-floor balcony outside his apartment gave him the slightest of jitters if he leaned over the railing for too long. The roof of the school did not bother him, as their meeting spot was at its center. The roof of Building C made him a bit nervous if he stayed for more than a few minutes.

He’d never told Kaffi about it. He would understand, but…

He didn’t want something so stupid keeping them from flying.

The vidchat app bleeped once and opened up, and Kaffi’s snout came into view. “Little too close to the camera there, Kaff,” he said with a chuckle.

Kaffi harrumphed in response, his breath fogging up the lens for a second, and he leaned back onto his hinds. “Good to see you too,” he retorted. “I was readjusting it. The clamp is wearing out, so I need to order a new one. Remind me to do that tonight before we log off.” He snuffed again, this time flashing a smile at him. “What’s going on across the green?”

Diwa leaned back, scratching the back of his head. “Interesting day. Pop came back and immediately started cleaning up the back office. I don’t know what your paddir said to him, but it definitely did the trick.”

“Hmmm,” Kaffi said, bobbing his snout quickly. “I was about to say the same to you. Paddir has been in a strange mood as well. I haven’t heard him talk this much in months!”

Diwa thought about telling him what Samuel had said about bonding, but he held back for now. For some reason it just felt too early. “He and I decided a few times a week, we’ll go through a section of that back room until it’s all done. He’s digitizing a lot of it and shredding what we don’t need, and probably in the next week or so we’ll find an offsite storage facility nearby. We’re aiming for it to be clean and ready to go by summer’s end.”

“Maybe paddir will finally fit in there?”

“Maybe so,” he said, and looked away. He scratched his jaw, hoping he wasn’t blushing right now. As much as he wanted to keep talking about their fathers, it was only delaying the inevitable. He cleared his throat and turned back. Kaffi was looking at him, snout pointed slightly down, irises a little wider than usual. “Hey, um. Before we get going with anything, I was wondering. Just…had something on my mind to bring up.”

“Yeah?” Kaffi raised his brow and dipped his snout a little further.

His hands were trembling and was glad they were under the desk and out of camera shot. Eiyah, this shouldn’t be so hard! He took a quick breath and cleared his throat, hoping that he didn’t sound nearly as nervous as he felt right now. “Since we pretty much started our internships, even if it’s part time. I was thinking. Eventually we’ll be doing all the errands our paddir currently do, yeah? Document runs to Panooria, visits to the city, shopping, visits to the co-op farm? Sooner or later we’re going to be doing this thing, right?”

“Mmmm,” Kaffi said. It wasn’t a hum, or a grunt. Somewhere in between. An agreement, sprinkled with a bit of expectation.

Diwa exhaled, steeling himself for what he was about to say next. Yes, this was the right decision. No doubts. No time like the present.

“I, um. I was going to say, did you want to, you know, be my ride? As well? Make it official?”

Kaffi stared at him. Blinked twice. His wings fluttered and shivered rapidly. His irises grew wide enough his eyes were nearly all black.

Diwa held his breath and bit his lip. Had he just blown it? Had he said something wrong?

“…Kaff?” he ventured.

Kaffi suddenly let out such a loud bark of laughter it shook the camera loose again. Quickly he reached forward and readjusted the clamp again, but now Diwa could clearly see the look of sheer happiness on his face! His smile was so wide he could see every single fang! “Issthnamii!” he sang. “Diwa, my fiiri! Of course! You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for you, hoping you’d ask! Eiyah…” He scratched at his own jaw, the bridge of his snout a vivid dark green, and he couldn’t stop giggling. “Of course I will be your ride, Diwa my friend!” he said. “It may be time before we actually train together, but believe me, you shall be my first, just as I’d hoped. This makes me so happy, Diwa! I am so glad that you’ve asked me!”

Diwa was now laughing himself, happy that he’d taken that next step, but even happier that Kaffi’s reaction had been so positive. “Thanks, Kaff. Ai, I can’t believe it took me that long to ask you.”

“You are extremely lucky I am patient, then,” Kaffi bowed, having calmed down enough, though his smile remained. Diwa was utterly relieved, and he had a good feeling that Kaffi must have been relieved as well. The ice was broken. He felt a tiny pang of guilt, realizing that he still hadn’t told Kaffi about his fear, but he would tell him eventually, before it was too late. He would understand.

Author’s Note: Another entwined duo of chapters, in which our two friends learn the value of close friendship and trust from their fathers. At the same time, their fathers learn the value of patience, awareness and determination from their sons. And thus the bonds of friendship and family continue to grow.

CHAPTER TWELVE

The last thing Kaffi expected was a present from his paddir upon their return from Panooria: a brand-new handmade saddle blanket, made of cotton with a lovely blue and white landscape design. Kaffi’s eyes widened as he ran his talons over it…the bulk of the cloth was soft and smooth to ensure that it didn’t irritate the scales on his back, with the pattern hand-stitched instead of printed or dyed. This was one of a kind and had to have cost a lot, much more than Kaffi had ever thought of spending on himself. His wings shivered with both delight and awe. His own first saddle blanket…! This meant this was going to happen!

He lowered his snout, tears coming to his eyes. “Maianni-naahsah, paddir…!” he said, his voice barely a whisper.

Graymar smiled at him, lowering his own snout in response. “Once you are used to distance flight, I wish to train you on saddled flight. And after that, if you do well, then perhaps you may train with a ride.”

“It’s got to be Diwa,” he said before he could stop himself.

Graymar let out a soft laugh and let his wings flutter for a moment or so. “I said same thing when I was your age,” he said fondly. “I wanted Samuel to be my first ride. We were both so impatient to get up in the air.”

Kaffi blinked at him in surprise. He’d never seen or heard him be this emotive about Samuel. Did something happen between them during their trip? “Paddir…” he started, hoping that he could get him to tell him more. “You don’t talk about your early flights all that much.”

“Hmm. There’s not too much to say,” he said, scratching his snout just above the whiskers. For a moment his whole expression softened, his brow lifting slightly. “I was about your age, and Samuel was a few years older than Diwa. He’d been looking for flight experience but few tintrite were interested. Most of them already had rides, many already bonded.” He looked down, tapping the backs of his talons. Another smile crept across his face. “Samuel was a late starter. Most humans start riding in their teenage years, but he was closer to twenty. That was a mark against him in many tintrite eyes. Unfair, yes, but that is how it is sometimes.”

Kaffi kicked back on his own hinds, eager to know more. “You knew Samuel for a while by that time, yes?”

“Hmm. My family moved here while Daniel and Akkree were landlords. He and I crossed paths many times before then. We were classmates and became good friends.”

“How did you know, though…?” Kaffi blushed. “I mean, how did you know that Samuel would be your ride?”

Graymar’s smile widened even more, showing quite a few of his fangs. “I suppose it would be the same as the way you know Diwa will be yours, Kaffi. There is a connection between tintrite and ride that goes beyond the positions themselves. This is your first lesson, pahyoh. The connection: trust. The rider trusts the tintrite with his life, just as the tintrite rusts the rider with theirs. It never comes lightly, but you will know it instinctively, and it is something you cannot doubt. I knew I could trust Samuel, even though he’d not flown at all before then. I knew he would treat me well, and I him.”

Kaffi hummed. He took his paddir’s words to heart and thought of Diwa. Diwa had never flown, to his knowledge. He’d expressed interest many times, even though he’d never actually acted on it. He’d been at Diwa’s side for so long now that he knew he could trust him, so there was no question there. And he was certain Diwa trusted him…so it made him wonder why Diwa had not initiated any tandem training.

They would need to talk, and soon.

“Thank you again, paddir,” he said, still holding the blanket tightly to his chest. “I’m looking forward to using this.”

“I am glad,” Graymar hummed, and pushed himself up to standing height. Unexpectedly he let out a slight grunt as he stretched his wings, the right one twitching slightly. “We shall train again this weekend,” he continued. “I would like to bring you to the city and meet a few acquaintances. They are part of my system of contacts, and I would like to introduce you to them.”

Kaffi nodded, and watched his father leave his nestroom.

Alone, he looked down at the blanket, still clutched in his hands. He wanted to tell Diwa about this right away, but he held back. This was something special, something he wanted to share with him when he was here. Instead he headed to his desk and turned on the computer. He didn’t have much homework tonight, but Diwa still had a paper to write. They’d vidchat as normal, perhaps compare notes about their fathers’ trip. They’d both expressed interest in taking over that delivery someday, as ride and flight. Perhaps that would be their first official flight as co-landlords.

He folded the blanket and put it on a high shelf, just out of sight of the computer camera but in plain few by anyone who came into the room. Perhaps next time Diwa came over, he’d tell him.

*

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Diwa walked into Samuel’s office the day after he and Graymar had come back from their trip to Panooria, and much to his surprise, he found his father actively moving things around in preparation for cleaning. His desk was completely clear; in fact, he’d taken the cleaning supplies from the hall closet and given the surface a good hard and much needed scrubbing. Both his chair and the couch had been dusted and tidied up. He’d replaced the threadbare back cushions for the love seat with two giant floor pillows from storage, put an old bed comforter under the cushions to soften the seating, and thrown small colored towels over the threadbare armrests. Nothing was even close to matching, but it was finally a comfortable place to sit again.

He’d also brought in a brand-new multipage printer-scanner, which was currently running a multipage job and sending the digital images to his laptop. And just underneath the desk was a new high-volume shredder, with two already-full recycling bags next to it. Diwa felt a shimmer of hope well within him; Samuel hadn’t bought new office hardware in years! Could it be…?

“Hey, Pop,” he said, looking around the room, noting that even the rear window was open for the first time in ages, a fresh breeze flowing in. “What brought this on?”

Samuel turned and gave him a wide smile. “Oh, nothing. Just felt it was about time I cleaned this place. Would you like to help?”

Diwa didn’t need to be asked twice! “Sure, what do you need me to do?”

He pointed at two large plastic bins in the corner of the room, just behind the door. “Trash is black, recycling is blue. It’s time, Diwa. I’m going to go through every single one of these papers, one stack at a time. Any tenancy paperwork I need to keep, I’ll scan and then bring it down to the storage facility. I’ll shred the rest and throw everything else away. It’ll probably take me most of the spring and summer, but by this autumn, this will be a perfect office for co-landlords.”

Diwa blinked, the response completely unexpected. He wasn’t quite sure what to make of it at first. Something had changed his father, much for the better, during his latest trip. It made him wonder if he and Graymar had had a long and extremely overdue talk…

Samuel handed him a pile of empty folders that had seen much better days. “Recycling. Did you know lolo Daniel kept receipts of everything he bought?” He laughed quietly and shook his head as he went for another pile. “I just went through three folders of sales receipts for grocery and supply shopping. From twenty-four years ago! The ink had faded so much you could hardly read them.” He flipped through another folder as he continued to speak, placing each item he pulled out in a specific pile on the desk. “I’m quite sure most of the paperwork in this room can be destroyed, but I still need to go through it all. It’s going to be a slog, but it’ll be worth it in the end.”

“Impressive,” Diwa said, moving closer to watch what he was doing. “Seriously, though…what brought this up?”

“Oh, I…” Samuel paused briefly, dropping his chin and smiling warmly. “I just felt it was time. If Graymar and I are to hand our positions to the two of you, then I don’t want to burden you with any of this. And while we’re at it, we can create a better filing system that works for both of us.”

Diwa nodded, but there had to be more to it than that. Something must have inspired him to take this big of a step. “Makes sense,” he said. “How was your trip?”

“Much lighter on the way back!” he gushed, as he continued to sort. “The co-op farm paperwork is done and away. We did a bit of shopping while we were at it, so most of it should be in the post and getting here in the next day or so.” He pointed across the room to a gap that he’d made in the far corner, which contained three brand new cardboard file boxes. “Our copies of the co-op paperwork are in a special spot over there. Once we have more room and clear out the filing cabinets, they’ll go there.” He finished sorting, looked over the piles, and handed Diwa two of them. “This one goes to recycling, this one to trash.”

Diwa dropped them in the containers and returned to his side. “You and Graymar have a talk or something?” he ventured.

Samuel looked up at him, clearly embarrassed and not hiding it well. “Why do you say that?”

“Just wondering,” he said quickly. “You’re in a much better mood today. I’m just curious. I thought you might have cleared the air, had a man-to-tintrite talk with him.”

“Man-to-tintrite,” he echoed, smirking. “I’ll have to remember that one.”

“I’m just glad that you’re in high spirits, Pop.”

“Salamat anak,” he said, patting him on the arm. “Pinahahalagahan ko ito.”

Diwa smiled back. It wasn’t often that his father spoke Tagalog as he’d never been able to properly master it, so it made him feel even happier that he’d made the attempt anyway. Something positive had definitely taken place on that trip. He didn’t really need to know exactly what it might have been, to be honest…he just hoped that his father’s new attitude would last. He decided that he’d spend the rest of the afternoon helping Samuel clean up the room. If that’s what it took to keep him happy, then that’s what he’d do.

*

Samuel rode the elevator down to the basement carrying two beat-up cardboard file boxes, and Diwa stood beside him with the same. This was their last run for the day, having already brought down the trash and the recycling, as well as four large bags of shredded paper. They’d gotten more done than he’d expected for the first day of cleaning, which was a great start to this project. The area around his desk and the love seat was clear, giving him a much larger workspace for the first time in years. Diwa would not be so reticent to come in and work alongside him now. All he had to do was keep this up.

“I want to thank you again, anak,” he said. “I really appreciate it. We’ve made a significant dent already. It makes our goal look so much more attainable now.”

Diwa hummed in agreement. “I can vacuum the floor when we get back. It certainly needs it.”

“Don’t you worry about that,” he said. “You have homework.” The car finally stopped, and Samuel motioned for him to go first. He followed out and they both walked side by side down the wide hallway. The basement storage wasn’t exactly the most secure place for these documents to go, but they’d be safe enough until he found an offsite storage facility. At the junction of another shorter crossing hallway they turned right; their storage room was the last one on the left. This was another room that he and Diwa would have to go through at some point…family heirlooms, excess furniture, and forgotten belongings. And years of dust.

“Anywhere is fine,” he said. “I’ll be coming down here this weekend to straighten out the room a bit.”

Diwa nodded and dropped the boxes up against the wall near the door. Samuel put his on top and closed up the storage room once more. Diwa was about to head back to the elevator when he slowed to a halt.

“Pop,” he started, his brow slightly creased. “I know it might be no business of mine, but I’d like to know. What happened during your trip?”

Samuel paused again. This was the second time he’d asked that. He looked away, hands on hips, thinking of a good way to answer. This wasn’t something he could easily share, even with his family. It was too personal, and it was meant to stay that way. But Diwa was waiting on an answer, and he wouldn’t take an evasive one this time. He was in a similar position now…he was connected to a tintrite, the best of friends and planning on a long future together. He owed his son this much.

Ah, Graymar… he thought. Quite sure Kaffi’s asking you the same thing right now.

“You’re familiar with bonding?” he said plainly.

Something in Diwa’s eyes flashed like a sudden moment of clarity, and he quickly nodded in response, hoping Samuel hadn’t noticed. “Between human and tintrite,” he said. “Ride and flight.”

“Yes. Did I ever tell you how Graymar and I started out here?”

“Not sure…maybe a long time ago?”

Well. It was far past time to give him this talk, then. He took his shoulder and directed him towards the elevator. “Come on, let’s go back to the office and have a chat. I think it might mean something to you as well.”

Diwa took a seat on the couch and gingerly leaned back, still not used to the new pillow backing. Samuel sat at his desk and reclined slightly, thinking of how to begin this properly. He’d probably told his son parts of this before, out of order and never all in one go. And he’d left a lot out, things he hadn’t even shared with Dari.

“Graymar and I started out as each other’s first paired flights,” he said. “As you can imagine, Gray was intimidating, even then. One of the biggest tintrite in his class, grumpy as hell even then, and one of the best fliers. All the human rides respected him, but very few dared ask him to fly. And he always dismissed them. As for me…well, I started out late.”

“You took a few years off after school,” Diwa nodded.

“I didn’t really know what I wanted to do, to be honest,” he said. He still didn’t know to this day, but that was another conversation entirely, and one he didn’t want to get into right now. “I tried out a few positions in the city, did a few short internships, but nothing stuck. I met your ina then, of course. We were both fresh out of school and just starting our lives. Dari and I came back just before I turned twenty. I realized I’d better start my internship with Papa before I got too old. Which meant I needed to find a flight partner quick.

“Gray and I knew each other since we were kids, but we’d grown close during his last few years of school. Similar to you and Kaffi, I think. We kept in touch when I was in the city. He’d come and visit me all the time. He was still living here, and Akkree was training him for paired flight, but he hadn’t officially taken on a ride. It took me a good month or so to muster up the courage, because I had absolutely no experience. But I went ahead with it. You know what his answer was?”

Diwa shook his head.

“He said that he’d been waiting all this time for me to ask. That he’d wanted to be paired up with me from the beginning.”

Diwa shifted in his seat, not quite sure how to react. “I didn’t know that.”

Samuel masked his smile by thinking of an amusing memory. “It took us a good couple of years to get used to each other. You’ve seen him fly, so you understand he can be quite physical about it. We figured it out as we went along, just like any ride and flight would. There was a lot of trial and error, and yes, a few arguments as well. And sometimes he’d claim to forget I was there and take a dangerous turn and then laugh at me when I screamed at him.”

“I can see Kaffi doing that to me,” Diwa smirked.

“Well – point is, there’s something we call bonding. It’s a word that means many things, and it’s used in many ways…so the meaning of it in this instance often gets misconstrued. I want to set it straight here.

“A bonding between a human ride and a tintrite flight is one of the strongest and most important connections there is in this world, anak. It’s trust. It’s me trusting Graymar with my life when I climb into his saddle. It’s Graymar trusting me with his life when we’re in the air. It’s about being able to sense each other’s thoughts, actions and instincts. Knowing when he’s feeling exhausted or in pain, for instance. Or knowing when I need to land. It’s about communication in flight, about going through the pre-flight checklist thoroughly. Even when we’re not flying, it’s about that constant connection, talking and working things out, understanding Gray’s emotions just as he would understand mine. Helping him when his saddle or his satchel needs adjustment, or when he needs to stretch and clean his wings to keep them healthy.

“Or when I need to realize that I’ve been blessed with a great friend and a wonderful family, and when I need to listen to my bonded friend.”

“You had, uh…” Diwa nervously scratched the back of his head. “You had a pretty serious talk, didn’t you?”

“Graymar gave me a lot to think about the last few days. And I want to make good on that.”

“…I see,” Diwa said, and cleared his throat. “Um. Thanks, Pop. I’m glad. I really am.”

Samuel smiled and patted him on the knee. “Good. Go get cleaned up for dinner. I’m sure you’ll want to talk with Kaffi tonight.”

Diwa giggled nervously, his face going slightly red. “Maybe so,” he said. “Thanks again.”

*

Glossary:
“Maianni-naahsah, paddir…!” — (tintrite) “Thank you so much, father…!”
“Salamat anak” … “Pinahahalagahan ko ito.” — (Tagalog) “Thank you, son.” “I appreciate it.”

Author’s Note: This was one of the last scenes I wrote for the novel as I wanted to get it right: Dari (Diwa’s mom) chooses not to have a highly visible role at the estate like her husband, instead working behind the scenes. Her role in the family is just as important, however, as she provides emotional stability. This is also a scene with a lot of Taglish, inspired by the conversations I’d hear from my Filipina coworkers over the years; they’d slip effortlessly between English and Tagalog, often midsentence, especially when the subject was personal or emotional. Most of the time it was talk about family stuff, and I wanted to ensure that came across in this scene, that the language wasn’t there for no reason. Diwa and Maricel’s (and Aldrine’s) habit of slipping into Taglish during emotional moments comes from their mother. Again, thanks to Armie Tabios and Mike Batista for translation help!

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Something was going on between Samuel and Graymar, and Diwa couldn’t quite place what it was. His father had been in a particularly sour mood before the two headed out on their Panooria run, barely talking to his family and hiding in the back office for the entire evening on multiple days. Diwa had stopped in briefly just to check on him, and though Samuel had put on a brave face, he could tell he was hiding something. And come the morning of their trip, he’d overheard them arguing over something ridiculous and petty. Samuel and Graymar frequently and playfully bickered like old friends over the years, but this felt different. They talked quietly enough to avoid being overheard, but Diwa had heard enough to notice the tension.

His mother Dari had noticed as well, and she was clearly bothered by it. She said nothing to him or to anyone else however and distracted herself with her various ongoing projects at the community center. That had always been her outlet; she never raised her voice to anyone, she would just immerse herself in errands and baking sessions to calm herself down instead. This particular morning, Diwa had come with her; his shift at the front desk wasn’t about to start for another hour, but he was determined to make sense of all this.

He caught up with her in the large kitchen. She’d started working a large mound of dough she’d left to prove, pulling and rolling it out, kicking up clouds of dry flour. She grabbed a board scraper and chopped the elongated roll in half, and then into thirds. She said nothing, but Diwa could sense her irritation.

Diwa pulled up his sleeves and joined in the breadmaking. He hadn’t worked with her in the kitchens for quite some time, having focused mostly on estate work. In fact, he hadn’t spent all that much time with her lately, and that bothered him as well.

“Ina,” he said. “Can we talk?”

“Hmm,” she said quickly, still shaping the dough. “As long as we work at the same time. I want to get these loaves finished before the committee dinner tonight. With everything going on lately, I’d forgotten to make them the other day.”

“Certainly,” he said. He took three of the dough segments and started working them out into longer rolls. “I’m…well, I guess I’m just worried about ama.”

“Nag-aalala din ako, Diwa,” she sighed. “But he’ll get through this. He always does.”

Diwa hummed. “He’s been like this for a while now, ina. He’ll be in a fine mood for days, then something sets him off. I don’t know what it is, and he certainly won’t tell me.”

Dari slowed her movements and let out a slow breath, pushing a few stray hairs from her forehead with the back of her arm. “Ah, Diwa…nakakapagod na ito. Maaring maging malakas si Sam, pero…he keeps forgetting to let himself be weak. It comes back to him every time. The most we can do is wait for it to settle again.”

“It’s not anything to do with Graymar, is it?”

“No, no…” she said, giving him a warm smile. She continued rolling out the ropes of dough and began braiding them.  “This is all him. He’s always been like this, ever since we met. I suppose that was part of what drew me to him…he might be satisfied with his life, but he’s always worried there might be more he’s missing. That restlessness keeps him moving. Just like I’m always moving here. I’m not running the estate like him. Hindi ko kailanman ninais ang kanyang trabaho. But I’m happy enough being part of the working community. Sam? He doesn’t rest. Patuloy lang siya sa kanyang ginagawa, yeah?”

Diwa slowed to a halt. This was his father she was talking about? “What changed?”

Dari laughed quietly. “Wala, anak. Nothing at all. He’s gone through this cycle before, and I’m sure he’ll go through it again. Here – finish that bread and I’ll hand you some more. We have six more loaves to make before tonight.”

Diwa nodded and continued braiding again. “I hate to say this, ina, but sometimes it feels like he didn’t want his job in the first place. Like he took it out of necessity or something.”

“That could be,” his mother said, pulling out another mound of proven dough for dividing up. “When we met all those years ago, he was living in the city, trying to find his future. Daniel had given him two years to work it all out. At the end of those two years, he would either come back to this estate and start his internship or stay in the city to start a new career.”

Diwa had heard some of this story before. “He knew Gray by this time, right?”

“Of course. They met when Graymar’s family moved in, but they didn’t grow this close until their final school years.”

“What made him choose the estate?”

Dari laughed and waved her hands in the air, bits of flour flying everywhere. “Graymar, of course! He was interested in taking Akkree’s position, but he couldn’t really do that without being a part of Sam’s plans.”

Diwa blinked. “I never knew that.”

“Ah, well…you need to ask your ama about all that. That’s his story. But I do know that Graymar had always been drawn to Sam, just as I was. Just as you and Kaffi are. Don’t tell me otherwise, I can see the link between you, just like I saw it between them. Don’t be embarrassed about it, anak…tanggapin mo ito ng buong puso mo at kayanin mo.”

Diwa laughed, masking his own mortification by grabbing the next ropes of dough to work and braid. “I’ll try, ina,” he said. “I’ll ask Pop when he comes back. So Graymar talked him into staying…”

“…and I decided to tag along. I wasn’t much of a city girl myself and I really enjoyed talking and working with Daniel and Akkree.”

“I can’t help but wonder if he keeps questioning that decision. Maybe not regretting it, but, I don’t know…maybe he wonders if it was the right decision.”

“I’m almost certain he does,” she said. “But I will say one thing – your decision to start the internship has definitely made him feel better about it. I have no idea what set him off this time out, but I wouldn’t worry too much about it. Just keep doing what you’re doing, working with him, and learning from him. I can tell he enjoys it, and it makes him happy.”

“I will,” he said, finishing up his second loaf and starting in on a third. “And let me know when you need help too, ina, okay?”

“Of course, anak!” she laughed, giving him a warm smile. “Mahal kita, Diwa, you’re always a big help to me.”

*

Glossary:
ina — (Tagalog) mother
ama — (Tagalog) father
“Nag-aalala din ako, Diwa…” — (Tagalog) “I’m worried too, Diwa…”
“Ah, Diwa…nakakapagod na ito. Maaring maging malakas si Sam, pero…” — (Tagalog) “Ah, Diwa…it’s so exhausting. Sam can be so strong, but…”
“Hindi ko kailanman ninais ang kanyang trabaho.” — (Tagalog) “I never wanted his job at all.”
“Patuloy lang siya sa kanyang ginagawa, yeah?” — (Tagalog) “He just keeps on moving, yeah?”
“Wala, anak.” — (Tagalog) “Nothing, son.”
“Tanggapin mo ito ng buong puso mo at kayanin mo.” — (Tagalog) “Embrace it as fully as you can.”
“Mahal kita, Diwa…” — (Tagalog) “I love you, Diwa…”

Author’s Note: Life happens and affects you whether or not you’re directly involved. This is Samuel and Graymar’s story just as much as it’s Diwa and Kaffi’s, and what happens in their fathers’ lives will affect them as well.

CHAPTER TEN

Graymar’s flying felt just a little stiff today, but Samuel wasn’t about to say anything, because he knew he would never hear the end of it. The last time he’d brought it up was three months ago during their trip to Panooria, when he first noticed Gray struggling. Granted, the winds had been heavier than expected that day, which was always a struggle and a danger for any tintrite. They’d gone as far as they possibly could, but weather and exhaustion had finally claimed them both, and landed a good five miles away from their planned stop for the night. After some petty arguing whether they should find a ride or walk the remaining distance, Samuel talked him into ordering a transport to bring them the rest of the way to their overnight lodgings. Samuel hadn’t wanted to exhaust himself considering the distance and uneven terrain, but Gray had grumbled the entire time. By the time they called it a night, Graymar was noticeably grunting and moaning whenever he adjusted his wings, especially his right one. Samuel had never seen him in such a state before and asked if anything was wrong, purely out of concern and worry, and had gotten snapped at in response. Surprised by the reaction, he did not bring it up again. The next two trips to Panooria had been in much nicer weather and he hadn’t had any problems then, so Samuel let it drop.

Today he could sense the strain in Graymar’s movements again, and it was more than a little concerning.

“I know what you’re thinking, and I advise you to stop,” Graymar growled as they continued their flight towards their stopover destination.

Samuel realized he’d been holding his stomach muscles taut for the last few minutes out of tension and concern, holding his legs a bit tight against Graymar’s saddle. He untensed immediately and exhaled. “Sorry.”

Graymar grumbled and flapped a little harder in frustration. They only had about a half hour’s distance left to go, and he wasn’t about to drop down early again. He wasn’t grunting or showing any visible pain, but Samuel could tell he was straining, if only just to prove a point. The damn fool was such an obstinate tintrite sometimes and Samuel was used to it…but this wasn’t normal.

“Calm down, Gray,” he said. “We’ll get there soon enough.”

“We’d get there faster if we weren’t loaded down with all this blessed co-op paperwork!” he snapped. “We should have taken the train up. I am thrilled that this is the last of it and we no longer have to overburden ourselves after this.”

Samuel hummed in response, deciding not to argue any further.

They landed outside the small river town a little later than they’d have liked, but there was nothing to be done for it. It was a short walk down the main road to their lodgings, and Samuel made it a point to divide up their delivery to lighten Graymar’s burden. Graymar, surprisingly, kept quiet the entire time. They finally entered their room at the inn and unloaded, and Samuel headed back downstairs to order room service. He’d decided that Graymar might want a bit of time to himself to stretch out his wings and freshen up while he was out. Or complain, whichever came first.

When he returned with dinner, Graymar was already lying on his wide pallet bed, each wing spread out nearly full span. The position surprised him, as he rarely ever saw his friend letting his guard down that much. “Everything okay?” he ventured, expecting to be snapped at again.

But Graymar merely let out a long, slow sigh. “A knot in one of my wing muscles,” he said, pointing at his right wing with his snout. “It’ll go away eventually.”

Samuel put down the tray of food and joined him on the pallet. “Here, let me help with that.”

Graymar hummed, more out of embarrassment than frustration, but didn’t push him away. He winced as he stretched out the one troublesome wing to full span and nodded at the problem point. “I have ointment in the carrier bag,” he said.

“On it,” he said, and found a small container filled with a gooey substance that smelled of mint. He recognized it as a tintrite muscle salve created by Joel-Kaiané, the resident nurse at the estate’s community center. He set about rubbing and massaging Graymar’s wing, working out the knots and the sore spots and adding the ointment around the joints and muscles. The leathery folds of skin of his wing still looked healthy and there were no sores or bruises, but it still concerned him that his friend was feeling pain. Flying was part of a tintrite’s lifeblood, and to have that taken away, even temporarily, must be agonizing. Graymar, proud and stubborn as he was, had not said a thing, suffering through it until it passed. When Samuel was done, he responded to with another hum, this time of relief.

“Thank you, Samuel,” Graymar said quietly.

“You’re welcome,” he said, washing his hands and putting away the ointment. “How long has it been hurting?”

“Er…maybe four months,” he said, pointing his snout down.

Samuel recoiled, splashing water everywhere. “Four…! Eiyah, you need to get that looked at, Gray!” he said. “For both of our safety, not just yours!”

He grumbled. “You sound like Shahney.”

Four months…! He dried his hands and threw the towel over the edge of the sink, trying not to explode at him. Why didn’t he say anything? “I’m serious!” he said as calmly as he could. “If Joel-Kaiané suggests you see a doctor, you need to do so. If we can both make it to Panooria tomorrow without you having issues, fine. But when we get back, you’re going to see a doctor.”

“We need someone to keep flying,” he countered, his voice more gravelly than normal.

“We’ll worry about that later,” Samuel said. “We can find help in the meantime. I won’t have you injuring yourself in flight, Gray.”

Another grumble. “Well. Maianni-naahsah, fiiri. It feels better now.”

“Good. Dinner’s on the kotatsu. Let’s eat before it gets cold.”

*

Graymar woke up well before Samuel the next morning, and for the first time in years, he chose not to go out for a morning flight. It had nothing to do with the pinching in his right wing; in fact, the pain he’d been feeling the last few days had gone away for the time being. Samuel had massaged it well, and the ointment had numbed any lingering pain. It might be better not to push it this morning…a day off from practice wouldn’t be problematic. He’d just need to make sure to do his stretches, as Joel-Kaiané had suggested. As long as he kept it moving and didn’t overstress it, it should eventually heal on its own.

He pushed himself up onto his hinds and looked around the room. It was still semi-dark, and the sun hadn’t yet risen over the horizon. He’d always woken up around this time, but this time it felt strange not to be sneaking out of the room while Samuel still slept. He’d eventually head down to the bath house, but for now he just sat there, watching his bonded ride.

Samuel was stretched out on the wide couch on the other side of the room, shoulders hunched and burrowed under blankets. He listened to Samuel’s slow breathing and felt a small pang of jealousy. He could never dive that deep into slumber; his years of self-training had made him a light sleeper, catching the rest he needed but rarely slipping into full unconsciousness.

Samuel might have been worried about him, but he was just as worried about Samuel. He was secretly thankful that Kaffi and Diwa had come forth with their plan to start their internships. It meant that Samuel had something else to focus on, rather than worrying about his own mortality. He hadn’t said it outwardly, but Graymar knew a personal crisis when he saw one, even while ignoring his own. Every now and again Samuel would fret and worry about running the estate in his old age, even after Graymar had suggested that their boys would be in charge by then. He’d opine about too many things left undone, too many things left untried, too many things passed over. And then he’d hide in that back office of his, wishing he’d cleaned it years ago. At first Graymar had dismissed it as simple discontent or perhaps misplaced boredom, but the longer he saw Samuel fretting like this, the more he’d realized it might be something more.

They were growing old and running out of time.

Graymar quietly unfurled his wings and stretched them out to full span. He did it slowly, waiting for that pinch of nerve or the twist of muscle. He felt it again this time, same place just above the wrist, but it was a deadened pain. Just a slight twitch. He’d need to do more stretching later today, after their trip to Panooria. And most likely another massage and layer of ointment before they headed back home.

After they had both taken their turns at the bath house, they prepared themselves for breakfast and a bit of shop browsing. They had a bit of time to kill before they took flight again to reach Panooria for their afternoon appointment, and they both needed the distraction. It was a short walk from their inn to the shopping district on the main avenue. He even put his prized colored bands around his upper arms, something he rarely did anymore. Graymar rarely showed his pride, but every now and again it was worth it.

That had surprised and pleased Samuel enough that his own spirits were lifted. They’d bought those bands together on a whim in Panooria at least a decade or so ago, reasons long since forgotten. He’d worn them constantly for about six months until that bitter winter when neither of them could make this trip for weeks at a time…and after that, he only brought them out for special occasions at the estate. The only reason he had them now was that he’d found them while looking for something else entirely different for Kaffi’s training.

Now that he had them on, though, he wondered if there hadn’t been another reason he’d stopped wearing them. They felt good against his scales, and it was a reminder of who he was and what he stood for. And who he flew with.

Samuel’s mood had lifted considerably when he’d suggested that they look for saddle blankets for Kaffi. He’d need to start flight training soon, with or without Diwa, and he wanted to be prepared ahead of time. They stopped at a few textile booths, looking over the bolts of cloth. Samuel laughed and made numerous suggestions and took notes and business cards.

By the time they took to the air again and made it to their appointment at the Tenancy Bureau that afternoon, Samuel was in high spirits…the highest he’d seen in quite some time.

Graymar hummed contentedly, despite the lingering ghost of pain in his right wing. As long as Samuel was happy, he was happy as well.

Author’s Note: A lot of us knew what it was like to have those final talks with the student advisor. They were there to help you clarify your future plans and give you a bit of a roadmap to set you on your way. Some advisors were great, others not so much. Lydia Powers (partly named after my third grade teacher) is based on the kind of advisor I wish I’d had both in high school and college, who should have invested a bit more than just doing the minimum required by providing that personal connection that’s sometimes needed. In this case, Annie’s worries aren’t so much based on not getting the proper advisement though, it’s based on wanting to make a good impression, which is very much in character for her.

CHAPTER NINE

“Anna-Nassi! There you are. You’re a tough mandossi to track down.”

The human voice to her left startled her so much she yipped and skittered to a halt in the middle of the hallway, nearly spilling all her books to the floor. Another mandossi student right behind her chirped in surprise and almost plowed into her, turning to avoid her at the last moment with a flustered grunt.

“Eiyah,” she groaned, as she turned her head towards the office she’d been trying to avoid for the last month and a half.

“Annie, can you please come in so we can talk?”

Lydia Powers, the school’s student advisor, stood in the doorway with her arms crossed and a lopsided grin on her face. Ria Lydia had been trying to corner her for ages to discuss her Future Calling, and Anna-Nassi had made it a point to avoid this certain hallway as much as she could. She’d been lucky and seen the door closed when she had to sneak by. But today she’d completely forgotten to be as vigilant. She’d been too distracted by Diwa and Kaffi’s estate plans, and it had slipped her mind.

“A-ai,” Anna-Nassi muttered. “I, uh, need to get to class, ria.” She pointed blindly down the hallway. In all truth, this was her free period, and she was heading up to the roof for a little peace and quiet and perhaps the possibility of meeting up with Cole. It was a flimsy excuse and even she didn’t believe it.

“You’ll get there with time to spare,” Lydia said with a smile and waved her in, stepping aside. “Come on, let’s get this over with. I promise, I won’t bite.”

Anna-Nassi twitched her wings. She could make a run for it (ria Lydia might be short for a human but she had been known to keep a frighteningly close pace with several species), claim she had to meet with another teacher (who would march her right back to ria’s office), say she was heading to the nurse’s office (which was in the exact opposite direction) …and realized she’d been beaten. She’d finally been cornered. She nodded slowly, and followed her in.

“Really, Annie,” Lydia said, laughing kindly. “I’m harmless despite all the rumors, and yes, I have heard them all. But I need to do my job here. The more you run and hide, the more strategy I’ll need to find you. And I will eventually find you. I’ve been at this school too long, and I know all the good hiding spots. I use some of them myself.”

“Yes, ria,” she said, and sank down on one of the low benches next to her desk.

Lydia sat next to her, took out her notebook and started writing. “You know, Annie…every year I get the same bunch of students,” she said. “They’re afraid of me, though I do not understand why. I mean I do, to an extent. Many of you probably have no idea what you want to do for your future. You have enough on your plate right now, why should you stress about your future on top of all that? You’re led to believe that your Future Calling must be set in stone, which could not be further from the truth. For some students, they already know what they want, and they come to me with confidence. Others would rather keep their options open and provide me with the vaguest of answers. And that’s fine too! My job is not to wrestle a concrete answer out of you, or to assign you to something you’ll hate when you don’t give me an answer. What my job is…” She reached out and patted her on a lower arm. “…is to listen and hear what you have to say and provide you with the resources to help you reach whatever goals you might have. And you can say anything you like. No barriers, no right or wrong answers. Go with what’s truest in your heart and in your mind. That’s all.”

Anna-Nassi felt her face heat up. “There’s not much to share, to be honest,” she said.

“A vague idea is better than none,” she said, and started writing again. “I know you’ve been close friends with Diwa, Kaffi and Cole for years. I spoke with Kaffi last week, and he was rather excited about his plans with Diwa. They’ve recently committed to their apprenticeship at your estate. He also tells me that you and Cole have chosen to be a part of this plan.”

She felt a warm flutter in her heart, and a smile started to creep across her face that she couldn’t stop. “Eiyah, they’ve got their future planned a lot more than I do, you know? They’re the best friends a mandossi could ever have. I feel so proud of them, but it makes me feel…I don’t know. Inadequate. Incomplete.”

“How so?”

Her wings twitched again. “I guess I’m not sure what I want to do, neh? I mean, I sort of know, but I’m not sure if it’s right. For me. My entire family is connected to estates in one way or another. Both amma and padda are key members of the tenancy committee. My two ahmé are already top members at their own estates. I feel like I’m expected to follow suit.”

“It’s normal to feel that way,” Lydia said quietly. “You’d be surprised how many students tell me that, almost verbatim. When you end up following in your elders’ footsteps, it’s easy for people to assume it’s done out of expectation rather than inspiration. What you need to ask then, is this: what is it that you, Anna-Nassi sho Leima er Fieya, want to do with your life?”

“Believe me,” Anna-Nassi snorted. “I’ve been asking myself that for ages. When I finally have an answer that I’m happy with, I will let you know.”

Lydia grinned, laughing quietly. “I hear that a lot as well. You should never expect to feel bliss every time you think about your future, Annie…that’s impossible for anyone. You just need to feel confident that you can make it your own. Listen – I want you to think about it for now. Remember, you never need to give me any solid answers. Sometimes what you want is not a goal. Sometimes your goal is already there, and you just need to come to terms with it or figure out ways to approach it. I know you’re interested in estate work; you’ve told me as much in the past. There’s nothing wrong with that. Just…listen to what your heart sings to you, okay?”

Anna-Nassi sighed. “Okay.”

She patted her on the arm once more. “I’ll set you free for now, Annie. My door is always open for you and your friends.”

Anna-Nassi stood up and bowed slightly. “Thank you, ria Powers,” she said. “I think I really do need to do a bit of thinking.”

“Good. See you around.”

She left ria Lydia’s office and headed towards the roof patio. She wasn’t angry or mortified, but there was something there now that she couldn’t quite put a name to. A feeling of confusion, perhaps, but it felt more like an unexpected clarity. Like she knew the answer to ria’s question was right there in front of her…but she wasn’t sure if she was ready to accept it just yet.

*

Glossary:
ria – (mandossi) – feminine honorific (Ms, Miss, Mrs, etc)
amma – (mandossi) – mother
padda – (mandossi) – father
ahmé – (mandossi) (ah-mey) – sister(s)
Annie’s full name translates to “Anna-Nassi of Leima and Fieya” (no set order of gender, though in this case it’s mother and father, and only the mandossi side of the given name is used).

Author’s note: Another double chapter entry, as these too are also entwined. One takes place in a small garden allotment with few characters, the other takes place at a community farm with several people around. One focuses on peaceful movement, the other on busy movement. Yet they are both the same: understanding by observance and learning by taking part. This is the whole heart of the novel.

CHAPTER SEVEN

As far as first jobs at the estate were concerned, desk duty at the community center wasn’t bad at all. Diwa and Kaffi had traded notes on their way to the light rail station the morning after talking with their fathers; while he spent most of the day here, Kaffi would be helping Graymar complete the documentation runs for the co-op farm during the afternoons. This was the first weekend where they’d begin pulling full-day shifts, and as fate would have it, their paths would not cross for nearly the entire day. This meant the only time they’d be able to talk outside of school was during their vidchat sessions. It felt strange being out of contact with Kaffi for that long.

On the plus side, Diwa met and talked to a lot more of the tenants than he had in the past just by sitting here, available to everyone. They would all come through to the community center at some point during the day, stopping by to check their mailboxes, put in a maintenance request, use the shared library and internet access, or meet up with friends. He helped those who needed helping and talked with those who just wanted to talk. It might not have been all that exciting, but it was certainly a great way to get to know everyone better.

He didn’t personally know the aanoupii that had just entered the lobby, though he did recognize him as a new tenant Samuel and Graymar had interviewed a few weeks ago via vidchat, which Diwa had sat in on for the experience. He was from a small family; two brothers, a wife, and a youngling. They’d moved into the empty corner apartment in the sub-basement of Building D. The two brothers were cousins of Porro, the construction worker he’d always see coming home late in the afternoon. Porro had given them a positive reference and a spot on the waiting list, and they’d been cleared just last week.

Diwa glanced upwards at the towering aanoupii, with his large tusks and impressive horns and bulky frame. Diwa wasn’t short, but they had at least a foot or so on him. Despite his build, however, the aanoupii fretted and shuffled nervously, utterly unsure of himself and wanting to make the best first impression.

Diwa gave him a reassuring smile and nod. “Good afternoon,” he said. “Can I help you?”

“Uh, yes…hi?” the aanoupii responded with a scratchy voice that had an unexpectedly high pitch and a slight lisp. “You’re Diwa, yeah? I recognize you from our interview.”

He nodded again. Time to turn on the customer service…after all, this was why he was here, right? “Yes, I am Diwa. How can I help you today?”

“We…um. I…” He tapped the backs of his claws together. “My name is Tassh. We moved in a few weeks ago. To Building D. M-my brother and his wife and me. And their child. Samuel, um. He said he had a few forms that needed filling out. I just got off work, and thought I’d stop by to pick them up. If they’re available.”

“Oh! Certainly!” Diwa said with a quick nod, already picking up the phone. “I can definitely help you with that. Let me call my Pop, see if he has them available for you.”

Samuel answered after the fourth ring – he must have been distracted by the back room again – and paused for much too long before offering an embarrassed apology, admitting he didn’t have the forms easily on hand. They were somewhere in the back office and he’d need to look for them and he wasn’t sure how long it would take. Diwa forced back a groan and disconnected. Not a great way to make a first impression at all. What was he doing in there if he couldn’t be bothered to find important documents, let alone file them correctly?

“I’m so sorry, Tassh,” he said, rubbing at his temple. “Samuel was…he was in the middle of something and couldn’t get to them right away.”

Tassh nodded with grace. “That’s quite all right,” he said, and started towards the front doors. “I’ll be in all day if he’s able to speak to me then.”

Diwa huffed, shaking his head. He couldn’t let this situation end this way. He didn’t want Tassh to be waiting all day long, not knowing when or if Samuel would get back to him in a timely manner. What should he do? How could he fix this quickly?

He would get the paperwork himself, even if it meant upending that entire back room.

“Tassh, wait!” he blurted a little too loudly.

Tassh halted midstride, his eyes wide. “I’m…sorry?”

“I mean…” Diwa bit back an apology and stood up. “I’ll be taking a break in a half hour. I don’t want to keep you waiting all day long, so I’ll head up there myself and bring them over to your apartment. It’s D005, yes? Back corner near the orchard path?”

“Y-yes, that’s right.” Tassh stuttered, clearly surprised by Diwa’s memory. “That’s it exactly.”

Diwa put on his best smile again and nodded. “Great! I’ll have the paperwork over to you as soon as I can. Sounds good?”

Tassh beamed, showing not only his tusks but his frighteningly large incisors. “Marra apanna, my friend,” he said in thanks, and left the lobby, humming with pleasure.

*

“Pop?”

“Hmm.” A distracted hum from the area near Samuel’s desk.

Diwa moved towards him, trying to keep his annoyance in check. “Do you have that paperwork I asked for? It’s for the aanoupii family in D005. You told them you need to have them finish it up.”

Samuel’s head popped up from behind a filing cabinet. What was he doing back there…? He was clearly distracted, and heavily so. Was he hiding? He blinked in confusion, slowly scanning the office, until his mind finally made a connection. “Yes! Yes…the aanoupii family, you said? I just had it the other day. Let’s see…” He clambered out from his hiding spot. “The others still need to sign the rest of the rental agreement,” he said, and began to search the multiple piles of folders laid out on one of the long tables. Some files he casually glanced at or touched with his fingertips, others he flipped quickly through. Diwa was surprised that he could recognize specific items by folder alone…perhaps lolo Daniel’s personal filing system, erratic as it was, made sense in its own strange way after all? “The main pages are done, this is the…oh, where is it?”

Diwa raised an impatient eyebrow at him and tentatively leaned closer to the desk. “Can I help you find it?”

“No, no…” his father said a little too quickly. “I just had it the other day, just give me a moment to – Ah! That’s right, it’s over here.” He deftly yanked a folder from near the bottom of a perilous-looking tower of paperwork, which wobbled ever so slightly in response. Both he and Diwa backed away in case it started to go. “Here you go,” he said, pushing the folder into his hands. “We need signatures for all three adults. So far, we only have Moffer’s. The other two were still in transit when it was originally signed.”

“Moffer’s the older brother, right? The plumber?”

“Yes.”

“I thought so. That was Tassh that stopped by. So – just Tassh and Kantah then.”

“Can you get it back to me by tonight? I need to send a scan of it to the Tenancy Association and I’d like to get it done as soon as I can.”

Diwa nodded. “Sure thing. Anything else you need while I’m out?”

Samuel glanced around the office as if it held an answer for him. “No, anak, I’m fine. Thank you.”

Diwa turned to leave, nearly knocking over another tower of nearby folders, and stopped short. He held back a frustrated sigh…why was his father so distracted by this room? Was he actually doing anything in here, or was he just using it as a hideout from his family and the rest of the world?

He wondered if he should ask again if he needed help clearing this mess, but he held back. Now wasn’t the time.

*

Diwa strolled along the outside walkway towards the central stairwell of his building, taking in the expanse of the estate. Their space had a perfect and mostly unimpeded view of the five other towers across the way, the rows of bungalows lining each side, and the community center near the main driveway. He never tired of the view, even when he felt that slight pang in his stomach every time he lingered near the railing for too long.

Their complex resembled an opened hand from this vantage point. His building was a wide curved tower, its concave side facing the main green. The other towers across the way were taller and thinner and facing perpendicular to his, like fingers pointing upwards, and the short bungalows bracketed each side like a hand’s edges. The main drive circled the main green, with an exit curving past the community center and out onto the main thoroughfare to his left like a thumb. The gentle curve of his own building resembled the base of the palm, thus the origin of its name.

Samuel said it had been built that way on purpose, to evoke a ‘giving hand’ to anyone who wished to live there. It was a micro-community, with all kinds of humans, aliens and numerous other beings living alongside one another in relative peace and harmony. Anyone was welcome here. That had been one of the most important stipulations in the original deed written up by his distant elders, some five or six generations ago, and handed down to each successive proprietor.

He understood this kind of living environment was a lot more complex than it seemed. It wasn’t enough to just hold out that giving hand; it was also about using that hand to keep the complex alive and thriving. This meant caring for the property itself, but it also meant caring for – and listening and connecting with – every tenant that lived there. This was to be his future, and he had no doubts about following through with it. He understood that learning Samuel’s job was not going to be easy, yet he still believed he could do it. With Kaffi, with Anna-Nassi and Cole, and everyone else, he could do it.

He walked across the wide central green, humming to himself. It was late morning and many of the retired elders would be heading out for their daily errands. He recognized a few of the tenants here and there as he crossed. The chatty elderly mandossi couple from Building B were sitting at a picnic table with one of their cousins who lived in one of the bungalows, and they were deeply involved with the latest gossip. Satoshi and Sakura, the human newlywed couple that recently moved into a unit on one of the lower floors of Palm, were heading out on foot to do some shopping on the main street, and the seemed a bit more sure of their surroundings now. A daycare group was gathered in the sprawling playground in the shadow of Building C. The youngest of the kids were hooting and screaming and having the time of their young lives. Maricel was over at the far edge of the playground, playing a game of catch with one of her hedraac school friends. The chaperones and parents were off to one side, chatting and occasionally reprimanding a youngling. His mother stood outside the community center with the mandossi Elise-Nooviya, having quite an animated conversation about an upcoming tenant meeting. All their voices echoed between the buildings; the layout had been such that there would never be complete silence.

Graymar was once again up on the roof of Building C, observing it all. He and Kaffi would soon be departing for the co-op farm to deliver the last batch of paperwork that needed completing. Diwa waved at the tintrite, not expecting him to respond, but Graymar nodded and waved back, his wings fluttering slightly. Diwa smiled and went on his way.

He met up with the furtive aanoupii at his apartment moments later. Tassh grinned and let him in. “I apologize, I should have been more formal,” he said, and held out a rough palm. “Tasshigatri, Moffer’s younger brother. Welcome to our home.”

Diwa bowed slightly in response and placed his tiny palm in Tassh’s enormous one. A slight lift and dip; it was the local handshake for those who could not quite manage the human version. “Glad to meet you, Tassh,” he said, and pulled out the paperwork from his satchel. “Thank you for waiting. I should apologize myself; our office is currently…” he paused, trying to find the right words that wouldn’t embarrass him or his father. “It’s getting an overdue sprucing up,” he finished.

Tassh hummed, his lower tusks rising and falling in appreciation. “That’s fine. Your father is a good man, Diwa. I’d like to thank him again for letting us live here on the estate. There was a worry that we might not have been accepted. As tenants, we mean.” Tassh blushed, dark blue splotches appearing on his grayish cheeks, after realizing that his words could have been taken entirely the wrong way. “We heard there are many wishing to live here, that is.”

Diwa completely understood. Getting a unit here was a lesson in patience, but the only reason for it was that the average tenancy was measured not in years but in decades, and the turnover was slow in response. The estate was considered a long-term home for many. “He says he’s glad to have you here,” he said, and handed Tassh the folder. “Here you go. He needs Kantah and yourself to complete the paperwork, just to finalize it. Would you be able to return it to us by the end of the day? Samuel needs to prep it and get it off to the Tenancy Board in Panooria soon. You can leave it at the front desk at the community center, and he’ll pick it up tonight.”

Tassh nodded again, and Diwa was once again taken in by the aanoupii’s large horns budding off his temples, mottled black and white like granite, much larger than the usual aanoupii horns he was used to. Tassh noted his curiosity and gave them a hard, loud knock. “Pride of our clan, these!” he said, flashing his equally large tusks and teeth. “Strongest in the area. Moffer’s are even bigger. Our entire family works in construction and renovation, so these things come in handy.”

Diwa laughed at his obvious pride. “Good to know! I heard that Building C might be slated for updating work next year. If you or your brother want to put in a bid as a construction associate, just let Samuel know; he could look into the legalese and logistics. Oh – and I’ve heard you’re into gardening, yes? We’ve got plot openings on the central garden out front, as well as near the south end of the orchard. Come and let us know if you’re interested and we can have one set up for you.”

Tassh leaned back and barked out a laugh, all signs of his previous timidity gone. “Of course I shall!” He tapped Diwa’s hand once more. “Tell your father we wish him well, and we will get the documents back to him later tonight.”

“I will,” Diwa said, and saw himself out. He found himself grinning despite the mundanity of the entire conversation. He was going to enjoy talking with that aanoupii.

On the way back to his apartment, he caught a glimpse of Kaffi and Graymar heading out for the co-op farm. The idea of Kaffi flying deliveries fascinated him; he’d seen his friend fly for years, but never burdened with delivery satchels, or even a ride for that matter. He realized he missed the tintrite, even though it had only been less than a day. He was so used to being with him that his absence touched him more than he’d expected.

He stopped in the center of the green once more on his way back. It was slightly quieter; the chaperones having taken the daycare children back to the community center for a late morning snack. He could hear the chattering of the elder mandossi this time, talking in their own language. He also saw Anna-Nassi and Cole off in the distance, having a quiet conversation near the path to the gardens. Some tenants had left the green, while others continued to pass through or stopped for a brief time.

He exhaled, looking up at Palm. His apartment was at the center of that curve, halfway up, near the central stairway. And Samuel was there on the balcony, leaning against the railing, looking back down at him. He waved at his father, and his father waved back.

*

CHAPTER EIGHT

The flight to the co-op farm was a bit further than Kaffi had expected, but he had no complaints about the distance. The longer he stayed up in the air, the happier he was. The flight itself was relatively easy and enjoyable, heading southwest for a dozen or so miles over a succession of flat valleys, light forests and farmland. Having an extra twenty pounds worth of paperwork and other documentation secured to his underside, on the other hand, felt incredibly awkward. The satchels were tight against his belly and shifted his center of balance, causing his back end to lift slightly to make up for it. He’d been assured he’d get used to it eventually, but right now it made flight rather uncomfortable.

Graymar flew beside him to his right, his own satchels bound to him and his body stretched out and even with the flow of air. He made it look so easy and effortless! No strain at all. He glided on the wind, pumping his wings only when needed. It made Kaffi realize he still had a long way to go when it came to flying…but he was happy to be learning from the best.

“How much further?” he asked.

“Mile or so,” Graymar said, gesturing into the distance with his snout. “Those orchards on the incline just ahead of us. The office is at the head of the fields just below them.”

Kaffi hummed in response. He’d been paying attention to Graymar’s chosen route, picking up the scents and sounds and visual points of reference, as well as the way the wind felt as they flew. They were flying against the air flow so they would tire easily on the way to the farm, but it would be a quicker and smoother ride on the way back.

Graymar often talked about how flying to Panooria was a two-day event, but the flight back was an almost effortless single day trip because of the wind currents. Panooria was a good seventy miles north of the city and on the other side of a range of high hills. He’d been there a long time ago via transport, but it had changed significantly over the years, becoming an extremely important political and economic hub. He’d heard so many wonderful and fascinating things about it that it was a trip he looked forward to when he got older. Perhaps with Diwa.

But for now, heading out to the co-op farm was good practice.

They began their slow descent, gliding over roads and fields, until Graymar directed him towards the large landing pad just outside the co-op offices. “With the extra weight, it’s going to be a harder landing than you’re used to,” he said. “Use your wings to slow up, then drop down. Try to drop as erect as possible, use your heels and knees to cushion the touchdown. Expect a faster pulldown.”

He knew this instinctively, but he took his father’s guidance to heart when it came to flight. Thing was, he’d never flown with this much weight strapped to him, and he was afraid he’d do it wrong and damage the satchels or hurt himself in the process. There’s always a first time, he reminded himself. I can do this. But as he approached the landing pad, instinct and habit kicked in, already maneuvering into his swoop-and-drop landing. He tried to stop himself, but it was too late, flapping his wings more furiously than he’d meant to, and misjudged the height. He was at least six feet higher than he’d planned. He growled in frustration and let his wings slow up, letting gravity take over. Landing hard, the angle of his body and the weight of the satchel suddenly pulled him forward, and both his arms shot out to keep from crashing down face first.

Graymar dropped down quietly and gracefully beside him a moment later with a two-step landing just as he picked himself up and brushed himself off. Eiyah, what must his paddir think of him right now?

“That could have gone better,” Kaffi grumbled.

Graymar hummed lightly and flashed his fangs at him. “I’ve done much worse in my time, Kaffi,” he said. “As long as you are fine, and the package is undamaged.”

“I’m fine,” he said, and patted the satchels. “No damage. Just my pride.”

Graymar nodded and led the way towards the main offices of the co-op farm, a low boxy building with numerous doors and truck bays, and quite a lot more workers and visitors than Kaffi had expected. The main doors opened to a wide lobby with several low benches, tables, and vending machines. Warehouse employees were everywhere, heading from one department to another or heading out to the fields or taking a break in the cafeteria. It was much noisier than he’d expected; there were so many conversations going on that he could barely parse any of them.

His paddir led him away from the lobby and entered a long hallway. Away from most other people, he could now pick up the scents of all the produce grown here, and it made his stomach growl. He hadn’t had that much to eat before they flew – he’d been too nervous – and now he was starving. His stomach gurgled once more, and he cleared his throat to mask it. His father looked at him over his shoulder, grinning. “This place does the same to me,” he said. “We can eat after we’re done here. The office we need is just down the hall.”

Kaffi nodded but said nothing.

Graymar tipped his head, showing a soft and unexpected grin. “You’re doing well, Kaffi,” he said softly, patting him on the arm. “Don’t be nervous.”

Kaffi felt the bridge of his snout heating up. “Y-yes, paddir,” he said.

He followed him into a large office and motioned for him to take a seat at one of the low benches lining the wall while he talked with the person at the front desk. The satchel was still secured to his underside, making sitting down even more awkward, but he didn’t want to take them off just yet. He wanted to follow protocol, even if he hadn’t been told what it was. His father was still wearing his and hadn’t motioned for him to do anything else with them. Better to follow his lead than make himself look foolish.

But gods, it felt good to rest! He let his wings ruffle just a tiny bit as he stretched his back. Long distance flight was always hard work, but it was enjoyable work, he’d already decided. He’d just need to get used to the additional weight.

Which made him think about Diwa again, and that he’d be flying with him soon enough when they were both ready. He was just as curious about it all as Diwa must be. He had no idea what it felt like to have a ride. What was his weight, anyway? He laughed quietly to himself…how would he even ask such a question without flying away in embarrassment?

“Kaffi…?”

He lifted his snout and turned towards the other tintrite that had just entered the room, a young adult female with a slightly smaller frame and sleeker shape than his. A longish mane dyed a vivid dark crimson, and dark eyes with golden irises. A snout more pointed, with the left nostril pierced.

Kaffi’s eyes widened and his heart raced, finally recognizing her. “Lieysha? Eiyah, is that you?”

“I thought that was you! You’ve grown so much!” She grinned and waved him over. “Come, give me a hug already!”

Lieysha was a dear tintrite friend from school who’d graduated a few years previous and had been a mentor outside of his family and circle of friends. She’d watched over him during his awkward teen years and been the close and often physical connection of his own kind that he’d needed at the time. She’d also taught him several tricky flight patterns that his paddir would never have shown him, including the sideways turn and glide that had recently impressed both him and Diwa. They’d fallen out of touch some time ago, though he still thought of her occasionally. He leaped up and pulled her into a warm embrace, both humming joyously, high and melodic. “It’s so good to see you!” he sang. “I haven’t seen you in so long, I’ve missed you! What brings you here?”

“No longer the youngling, I see,” she said, tapping her snout against his and motioning to his satchel. “My manae works here as a transport coordinator, and I work here part time while I study for college. I’ve seen Graymar here a few times over the last few weeks. I hear your estate is signing up for the co-op?”

Kaffi nodded with a wide smile. “Everything should be official within a few weeks. I’m assisting my paddir this summer for the experience. Part of the internship.”

Lieysha hummed, long and lyrical; impressed. “Still going for the position?” she said, tapping a talon against his forearm. “Good for you. I always knew you’d follow through with that dream. I’m assuming you’re still hanging out with Diwa? It was impossible to separate the two of you.”

He hummed quickly in response, feeling the bridge of his own snout warming up. “We’re still together, of course. He’s working with his paddir at the estate for his half of the internship. It’s going to be a busy summer for both of us.”

“That’s great. I’m happy for you, Kaffi,” she said, and leaned forward to touch her snout with his again. She was always such a tactile tintrite, and he missed that the most. It made him feel happy and connected. “Listen to me, leinah,” she said quietly. “I’ve always believed you were able to do whatever you set out to do. You were always a wonderful flier, and Diwa will be a fine ride for you. Just…don’t make do, okay? If there’s ever a higher calling, I don’t want you ignoring it.”

Kaffi opened his mouth but couldn’t quite find the right words to respond to that. He’d have expected that from his manae or his paddir…but one of his tintrite friends?

“I…I won’t,” he said, and tapped his snout against hers once more before moving away. “I’ve always trusted myself to do the right thing,” he said. Pithy as it sounded, it was true. “I go with what my soul says,” he added, tapping his chest. “Always have.”

“Eiyah,” Lieysha laughed. “Very true.” She waved and turned away to head into one of the inner offices. “I need to rejoin my manae before she wonders where I am. I shall see you here again, yeah? We should get together again! And tell your family I said hello. Tell Diwa I said hello!”

“I will.”

He watched her leave the room, but now his mind was running far too fast. He completely understood the intent behind her parting words; she’d watched over him when he was teaching himself more complex flying methods, bonded with him as a close friend when he needed someone of his own kind. She would never try to talk him out of learning Graymar’s job, but she must be concerned by what that entailed and what he would be giving up, staying at the estate for the rest of his life. She understood his conviction…but she also understood his passion for flying.

“Kaffi?” Graymar grumbled from across the room.

He shook himself out his reverie and turned to his father, who was beckoning him over. He’d finally taken off his satchels and was holding them by the straps. Kaffi nodded and joined him, secretly relieved that he could finally take his own satchels off.

“Who was that?” Graymar said, nodding towards the closed door across the room.

“My school friend Lieysha,” he said, undoing the straps of the bag and gathering them up to carry it by hand. “Remember her from a few years ago?”

Graymar hummed. “Ah yes. I thought that might have been her. I’ve met with her manae Soriah here a few times. I’m glad you met one of your friends here! Come – we must make this delivery, then we can have our lunch and rest. Then we can fly back with the last run of documentation.”

Kaffi nodded, smiling as he fell in step behind his father.

*

Glossary:
aanoupii – (ah-noo-pee) very large bovine-like creatures similar to minotaurs, extremely friendly

Author’s Note: This will be a long entry as both these chapters are tied together, not only in plot but in character, and thus should be read together. Choices are made. Destinies are put into motion. And most of all, Diwa and Kaffi’s world begins to expand.

CHAPTER FIVE

Diwa paused at the door and exhaled, preparing himself. Now or never.

He pushed it open and stepped inside.

“Pop?”

Samuel lifted his head, startled by his voice disrupting the silence of his office in the rear of the apartment. His father was half-sunken in the desk chair, holding an open manila folder in his hands, but his eyes and mind were focused elsewhere. Diwa held back a sigh of frustration, always finding him like this. Over the last couple of years, Samuel had started retreating from the family more frequently to hide back here among the books and mountains of paperwork left by multiple generations of landlords, almost none of it in any semblance of order. He’d always say he had big plans for the room, but he never seemed to get anywhere with them. He would spend a few hours puttering around, making half-hearted attempts to go through some of this detritus and moving things from one pile to another. Most of the time he’d sit here at his cluttered desk, staring at paperwork but never quite focusing on it.

Diwa visited the room as little as possible, mainly because the overwhelming dust and mildew made him sneeze, but also because it was unbearably depressing. If Diwa was going to take over his father’s job, completely clearing this place out would be his first project.

“Diwa,” Samuel said with forced surprise. “I didn’t hear you come in.”

Here we go… Diwa cleared his voice and began. “Pop, are you busy?”

Samuel recovered from his slouch and made a show of looking around his immediate area. “I’m free,” he said. “Something on your mind?”

Diwa ventured deeper into the room, his nose already starting to itch. He navigated around stacks of file boxes and rolled-up documents and made his way to the ancient lumpy couch next to Samuel’s desk. He sat down gingerly, and the cushions gave way far too easily in response. The back of the seat had lost most of its padding over time and the wooden frame underneath dug into his back. Wincing, he felt a wave of embarrassment and leaned forward instead, perching on the edge. He amended his first project; he’d also replace all the furniture in here with something from this century while he was at it.

“Graymar and I were watching that game of yours the other day,” Samuel said in an attempt at small talk. “That was one hell of a catch.”

Diwa forced a smile and reflexively balled his hands into fists, remembering the sting on his skin. “Thanks,” he said. “It was a wild throw, so I’m surprised I even caught it in the first place. I’m glad it missed the tenants. Kaffi felt bad about that.”

Samuel nodded and once more there was an awkward silence. Diwa hated when they ended up like this, too embarrassed and self-conscious to say or do anything, to make the first move. This had been happening since Diwa started high school, and it would always fall to Diwa to break that silence and get him talking again. Maricel was right, he’d been closing himself off far too often. He knew it wasn’t the stress of the job, or his friendship with Graymar…both were strong and stable as ever. It had to be something else, something more personal.

He cleared his throat and started again. “Pop…Kaffi and I have been talking the last few days. We’ll both be graduating in a couple of months. We’re both of age to start the apprenticeship.”

Samuel’s eyes brightened. “Mangyari pa, Diwa! You’ve been speaking of it for years! And you’ve shown an increasing interest in the last few months,” he said. Finally, an honest smile crossed his face. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed, and I’m glad you want to take that path. What would you like to know?”

Diwa nervously scratched behind his ear, hiding a frown. “I want to make it official, Pop. I’d like to officially accept the inheritance when you retire. Teach me all that you know. Let’s start this.”

Samuel nearly fell off his chair with delight. It was the most animated he’d ever seen his father in years! “Diwa! Ah, ang sayá-sayá ko! I’m so glad you asked!”

Diwa nodded, trying to keep the conversation going…and down to earth. “Kaffi and I felt it was time to make it official,” he said. “He’s talking with Graymar tonight.”

Samuel calmed himself down and leaned back in his chair. He was obviously excited, but Diwa couldn’t help but feel there was something else. Relief…?

“I’d like to start as soon as possible, Pop,” he continued. “We can get the paperwork started tonight. You can have us run errands and odd jobs, that’s fine. And I’d like to be more active in the tenancy committee meetings as well.”

Samuel’s smile faded just a little bit. “You’re sure about this?”

Diwa saw that question coming – he always did – and answered it quickly. “I’ve been watching you do your job since I was a kid. So has Kaffi, with Graymar. We understand what to expect.”

Samuel sat in silence for a few moments longer, taking it all in. It made Diwa nervous because it always made him second-guess himself. “Why do you want this, Diwa?” he asked.

“I’ve always wanted this,” he started. “I thought you’d be—”

Samuel quickly held up a hand to stop him. “Don’t think about me, son,” he said, maybe a little more forcefully than necessary. “This isn’t my life we’re talking about. It’s yours.”

Diwa stared at him, unsure how to respond.

*

Gods…am I ever going to turn this place around?

Samuel was simultaneously drawn to and repelled by this room every time he walked into it. He had no idea how many years’ worth of documents was stored here, and no idea how he was going to sort through it all. It felt like such an impossible task. His father Daniel had let it get this way, frequently disorganized as he often was, and had never let Samuel touch any of it. “I know where everything is! There’s a method to it!” he’d say. Samuel knew that was a lie, but he never called him on it.

And now, decades later, the room smelled of mold, mildew, and years of dust. No wonder Diwa spent as little time in here as possible. It was a losing battle, and he didn’t know how to turn it around. He’d meant to straighten it out years ago when he took over as co-landlord, but that never happened. He just kept putting it off. He’d always said that one of these days he’d clear it all out, give it a good cleaning and renovation, and his first guest in the new, clean room would be Graymar.  The temptation to just shred it all and start over was immensely strong.

For now, though, he’d settle for having his family come visit him now and again. In fact, he’d truly been surprised when Diwa walked in. The poor boy had been all kinds of distracted lately. Perhaps he was here to talk it out.

To be brutally honest, his proclamation that he was taking the inheritance seriously, starting tonight, had surprised him. In fact, he’d been just as surprised at his own reaction: he was immensely proud of his son at that moment…but he also felt a profound sense of relief. A strange, giddy relief in the revelation that he wasn’t going to be stuck in this position forever.

And that both fascinated and terrified him.

“You’re sure about this?” he’d asked. He had to make sure Diwa wasn’t just rolling with his emotions. That had sometimes been his downfall, and this was a serious undertaking.

But Diwa knew how to answer. “I’ve been watching you do your job since I was a kid,” he said with determination. And he certainly had! “So has Kaffi, with Graymar,” he added, just to underscore his point. “We understand what to expect.”

A serious undertaking indeed. One he would never force upon his son if he didn’t truly want it. He knew that feeling all too well. He didn’t want Diwa to get to his age, still wondering if he’d made the right decision.

“Why do you want this, Diwa?” he asked.

The boy faltered. “I’ve always wanted this. I thought you’d be—”

There it was. A vague feeling of self-doubt, and he saw it clearly. This was the same conversation he’d had with his father years ago, and he had to diverge from it before it was too late. He held up a hand between them. “Don’t think about me, son,” he said. “This isn’t my life we’re talking about. It’s yours.”

Okay, that didn’t quite come out the way he’d wanted, but he’d certainly gotten the boy’s attention, so that was a start. “Being a landlord here at our estate is not about having power, Diwa,” he continued. “It never has been, and never will be. Nor has it ever been solely about making a profit. Look around our apartment. Or this room, for starters! We’re comfortable, but we’re not exactly drowning in opulence here. I have never held any power over our tenants, because they don’t need it, nor do they deserve it.”

He paused again, judging Diwa’s response. He was surprised, maybe a little afraid he’d gotten him on a tear, but that was a good thing. He had to understand what this position truly entailed as early as he could. “That’s why the estate has their monthly tenancy committee meetings,” he said. “We’re here as anchor and caretaker, Graymar and I. We help the tenants feel welcome, safe, and cared for, like they are truly at home. This is precisely why he and I are as visible as we are. That’s why you see us on the balcony or on the roof or walking the grounds or up in the air most days. We watch, but we also participate. It makes us all feel safe, but more importantly, it makes us feel connected. Do you understand?”

He exhaled, as surprised at himself for saying such things as Diwa was for hearing them.

Diwa lowered his head and looked away, looking a little defeated. “I understand.”

He didn’t believe that for one minute. He understood alright, but now it sounded like an impossible goal. He knew Diwa believed in it despite the odds, but he didn’t yet believe he could reach it himself. The last thing Diwa needed right now was to fall into a terrible habit of always second-guessing himself. He’d fallen prey to that himself far too many times, and he did not want Diwa to suffer the same insecurity. Time to change tack here a little bit. He rolled his chair over and took Diwa’s face in his hands.

“Diwa…” he said softly. “Look at me. I know you understand what I’m saying. But it’s one thing to say and another to do. My father and my grandfather both drilled that into me at an early age when I put myself in line for this inheritance, and I need to drill that into you, right this moment. I believe in your conviction, Diwa. I always have. I know you can do this. I believe in you and Kaffi. But what you need to understand is that conviction and belief isn’t enough. You need to do. You need to prove to me and Graymar, and the rest of the estate, that you’re willing to dedicate your life to it.”

He saw it just then – a spark of hope in the boy’s eyes. He let go and leaned back in his chair once more, already convinced. “If you and Kaffi are as committed to this as the two of you say you are, then this will be easy for everyone. We’ll take it day by day. Errand by errand. Project by project. We don’t need to fill out the paperwork until you’re out of school anyway, so we don’t have to worry about it unless you feel it’s necessary. Does that sound fair?”

That spark of hope began to grow, showing in Diwa’s lopsided smile. “Yes,” he said, and straightened his shoulders. “Tell me what I need to do, and I’ll do it. And I’ll do my best to learn from it. We’ll make it official when we both agree it’s time to do so.”

“There will be a hell of a lot of work to do, a lot to learn.”

“I’ve seen you work, Pop. Like I said.”

“It takes dedication.”

“I’ll try my best.”

He tried not to laugh, as that would send the wrong message, but he couldn’t help remembering this same conversation he’d had with his father, so many years ago. “Good,” he said. “See me after school tomorrow and we’ll start lining up things for you to do.”

Diwa bowed deeply. “I will,” he said, and gave him a hug. “Marami pong salamat, ama. This means so much.”

“You’re welcome. Now go do your homework. And tell Kaffi I said hello.”

Diwa laughed and nodded. “I will.” He got up and left the room a lot less gingerly than he’d entered it, radiating with excitement.

As soon as his son had closed the door, he exhaled, feeling that unexpected relief once more. He’ll be a fine landlord, he thought, turning back to the folder of documents that he hadn’t been reading. A better one than I could ever be.

*

CHAPTER SIX

Kaffi circled above the estate, studying its size and location in relation to the other nearby estates. It was of medium size with six towers, two rows of bungalows, a large community center complex, and the long thin strip of orchard and garden in the rear. Many of his classmates lived in much bigger and busier estates nearer the city, and some lived in smaller ones closer to the countryside. This one was right in the middle and that was just fine by him. It was the only one he’d known his entire life, and he had no plans on moving elsewhere.

And now he’d agreed to partner up with Diwa and plan out their inheritances as co-landlords, to live here for the rest of their lives. Why had he agreed to that? A very good question indeed because it was not a decision he would ever take lightly. He’d talked about being this estate’s landlord for ages, just as frequently and as obsessively as Diwa had. The tenants were already expecting them to be next in line.

But Diwa had been so persuasive in his new plans today that it made him rethink everything. Did he really want the inheritance? Did he genuinely want Graymar’s position? Did he want to dedicate his future to this kind of career, staying here in this suburb and seeing the same people day in and day out? He wanted to fly! He loved being up here, cheating gravity, witnessing a much wider expanse of the world than most ever saw. It was the way of all tintrite, to fly distances and experience life from above. That was why he’d been so tentative on the train ride home. What if this all came to nothing, could he handle having wasted all that time and energy?

And yet…it all came down to Diwa. He was his best friend, and he’d offered him a solid, stable future. He could just as easily get a job in transportation or delivery. He could go to the city and be a part of the constant movement there. That was Iliah’s intent once she finished her own food service internship. That was the intent of Aldrine, Diwa’s elder ahpadé, as well; he’d gone to the city to work in corporate banking. And so many of his classmates were itching to leave their own estates and enjoy the great expanse of world and sky.

But it had come down to one thing: Diwa had asked him to be at his side. And that had moved and excited him deeply, more than he’d ever expected.

He wasn’t entirely sure how to process that.

Well – no reason to keep wasting time obsessing over it. It was nearly dinner time back home and he’d need to flag down his own paddir and have the talk. It could end up being a frustrating butting of snouts, but it would be worth it. He dropped down in a lazy dive towards the roof of Building C, ready to face whatever was coming to him.

*

Graymar growled as he puttered through the apartment, listlessly shuffling from one room to another, though Kaffi wasn’t entirely sure why he was irritable tonight. Oddly it reminded him of one of their pettiest arguments from just a few years ago. His paddir preferred walking on his hinds and straight vertical whenever possible, though it tended to slow him down to compensate for the balance, and while that was common among most tintrite, he would sometimes criticize Kaffi if he didn’t do the same. Kaffi found it so much easier to lean slightly forward when he walked on his hinds, keeping his center of balance low. Graymar felt he was too old to be walking so deferentially. In a fit of annoyance and lack of patience, he’d once responded that he would walk on his wings if he so chose, and that particularly sarcastic comment had resulted in an explosion of tintrite cursing followed by three days of silence. They’d eventually made peace, though, and it was agreed that they would simply put up with each other’s irritating habits.

Tonight, though, Kaffi was on his best behavior. Standing tall, wings resting against his back, snout pointed down. Even Iliah and their amma were surprised by his deference.

Graymar, of course, understood it to mean that Kaffi was about to ask for a favor.

He was, after all. No question about that. He waited until after dinner, when Graymar made his customary walk up to the roof for a final scan of the main green. When Kaffi asked if he could tag along, Graymar paused briefly, locking eyes with him. His paddir certainly knew what he was up to, and he steeled himself for a gruff response with an added hint of withering patience, but surprisingly it never came. Instead, Graymar gave him a quick and amiable smile and hummed in agreement.

One hurdle cleared, Kaffi allowed himself one quick ruffle of wings and a quiet hum of excitement and followed him out of the apartment.

They said nothing as they rode the elevators up to the top floor and remained silent until they reached the roof access door. He shivered and yipped once as the door opened, the sudden cold breeze unexpected, and Graymar hummed in agreement, muttering that he hadn’t expected the temperature to drop so soon. Together they walked to the edge of the roof, resting up against the railing, looking out over the estate grounds. He’d seen his paddir up here countless times, had even been up here with him now and again, but this was the first time he stood next to him as an equal, as a tintrite with a similar goal.

This was going to be tough.

Graymar closed his eyes and took a deep breath, two of them, before opening them again, and turned to his pahyoh. “That game you play with Diwa,” he said in a surprisingly soft tone. “Your invention?”

Kaffi kept his nerves in check and hummed in response. “Both of ours. It evolved from a regular game of catch, to keep it entertaining.” He paused, grinning slightly. “And Diwa’s aim is absolutely horrendous.”

“Hmm,” Graymar said quietly, though Kaffi noticed a slight flutter of wing tips, a sign of amusement.

“Paddir…” he said, pausing again to gather his courage. He let his own wings flutter briefly before he continued. “Can I ask you something?”

Graymar dipped his snout at him. “Of course,” he said kindly.

Here we go… Kaffi thought, surprised by his paddir’s uncharacteristic calm, and started in. “Diwa and I have been talking more seriously about the estate. About the inheritances. We’d like to shadow you and Samuel, learn the job. Maybe start the internship—”

“Stop a moment,” Graymar said, holding up a paw, a single talon lifted into the air. “Kaffi, I’d like you to listen to something first before we continue. Indulge me for a few moments.”

Kaffi blinked at him. “O-okay?”

Graymar slowly lowered his hand until it came to rest on his belly and shifted his attention toward the center green below. His eyes moved slowly from the grass to the people to the buildings, seemingly at random. His long, pointed ears had pricked up and began turning slightly in different directions. He’d slowed his own breathing enough that Kaffi couldn’t hear it. He’d seen his father do this countless times and from many angles. It was part of his nightly ritual. His father would often stand up here, remaining still and majestic and…

No, he wasn’t posturing. That wasn’t like him at all.

Graymar was listening to the estate.

As quietly as he could, Kaffi turned to the center green and listened as well.

*

 Graymar gave Kaffi a few minutes to acclimate. He must be patient for his son right now. Kaffi wished to hear what was to be heard, and it was up to him to teach his pahyoh. This would be the moment he matured in his eyes. No longer a youngling.

Kaffi listened, just as he would.

He listened to the chatter of the older mandossi couple on the balcony across the way at Building B. The fiery and always cheerful Diana-Sessteen and the quiet and reserved Becca-Nossiami, two of the longest-staying tenants here. They were talking about the upcoming gardening season and the hopes that their small allotment behind the bungalows would be fruitful. One had heard the news about the co-op farm and was eagerly awaiting the next meeting to sign up for it. The other showed interest but not investment, choosing instead to remain with their small lot on the estate.

He listened to the soft trudge and the rumbly yawn of an aanoupii coming home from a long day on the job. Porro, who lived in one of the bungalows to his left, another long-term tenant. He worked for a construction company a few miles away and always took the light rail to and from the office. He had a slightly later shift than most tenants, and he was almost always alone when he returned to the estate, but he was never lonely. He was humming to himself as he scuffled across the pavement towards his home.

He listened to a few human younglings laughing and talking loudly and ignoring most of the others around them. Leo and Gavin’s boys, Terry and Bradley. They were fine and respectful kids, he knew. They were at that age when they were too self-conscious about some things and utterly oblivious about other things, still learning about life. They were leaving the community center to his right, heading back to their apartment.

He listened to the gentle hiss of the wind through the branches of the trees that lined the green. A cool spring breeze that gave some tenants a shiver, but others – like Kaffi – a twitch of excitement. Wind meant convection, and convection meant flying.

“Do you hear the estate, Kaffi?” Graymar said, his voice quiet.

Kaffi hummed nervously in response, his wings twitching slightly.

He understood. Graymar gave him a smile. His pahyoh was indeed attentive and eager to learn. “That is the sound of an estate at rest, Kaffi,” he said. “And yet if you come up here during the day, when you are usually at school, you will hear completely different sounds. You might hear the day care children, the chaperones, the retirees. You will hear those who work from home, coming out for a stretch or for fresh air or maybe even for an errand across the main street at the market. You may even hear Samuel on his balcony, blathering on about whatever might be on his mind. Do you understand?”

Kaffi turned to him, eyes dark and wide. “I could use some context,” he admitted.

Yes, he was indeed eager to learn. He nodded and turned back to the green. “The sounds of the estate are what lets me know that all is well, that the community is alive. I hear its pulse. There will always be a sound, somewhere. We tintrite have better hearing than most beings here at the estate, I’m sure you know. You will always hear the sounds. If you hear it, it means the estate is a living, breathing entity. And with that, you will also know when something is wrong.”

“When a sound is missing,” Kaffi ventured. “Or out of place.”

“Indeed, Kaffi,” he said. “This is why you see me up here on this roof at various points in the day. The green is shaped like an amphitheater, in a way. Sounds bounce off Palm Building and I am able to hear all the different levels. The bungalows and the other buildings on each side of us act as baffles. The same as with Samuel’s perch on his fifth-floor balcony across the way.”

Kaffi’s eyes narrowed, trying to find exactly where Diwa’s apartment was. “His is near the middle, to the right of the central stairwell,” Graymar said. “Look for the light over the door that has more of a whiter hue than the others.”

“I see it,” Kaffi said, grinning.

Graymar snuffed out a breath and ruffled his wings. It was time. “In answer to your yet-asked question, Kaffi: Yes, I shall let you shadow me. I am aware that Diwa also shows interest in Samuel’s position. The two of you have been talking about inheritance for quite some time now. The two of you may indeed become future landlords. Is that what you wish to do?”

Kaffi nodded and hummed, barely containing his excitement. “Very much so, paddir,” he said.

Graymar hummed once more in response, looking back out on the green. “We shall start tomorrow,” he said.

“Thank you, paddir,” he responded. And for the first time, he joined him there at the roof, listening.

*

Glossary:
(Note: Samuel’s Tagalog is supposed to sound a bit awkward. He can speak it, just not very well.)
Mangyari pa, Diwa! – (Tagalog) Of course, Diwa!
ang sayá-sayá ko! – (Tagalog) I’m extremely happy!
ahpadé – (tintrite) brother