Aeryn, you're going to be late. The voice in her head had her bolting into a sitting position in her bed.
Aeryn breathed in the thick air of her attic bedroom, which was hot with moisture because of how close to the sun she was. The house was built around a tall oak tree, the tips of its upper most branches sprouting just on the other side of her ceiling, above the roof. Other branches, along with ivy climbed her walls and framed her windows, looking for any scrap of sunshine they could find.
Sorry, bad dream. She thought back as she pulled herself up and took a step onto the wooden floor boards. The house was an extension of the tree itself, alive and brimming with the magic of who it belonged to.
She walked along the floor, knowledge making her able to maneuver over the boards that squeaked, and made her way over to her right wall. Three shelves were hooked securely to the side of the wall, one under the other, and on them were piles of neatly stacked clothes, or, at least as neat as she could get them. There was only one article of clothing that had been isolated from the rest. It was a dark blue, so deep it resembled the sky when night was taking over, and when she pulled it down from its perch it fell to its actual length. It was short, and would end at her hips seductively, just the way she wanted it too.
The festival that they would be celebrating was called Shican, a week long holiday that celebrated the beauty of woman, during which every girl who attended showed how pretty they could be. There was also a competition that the girls could compete in to find out who was the prettiest. Even though she wasn't going to enter she was always excited to watch. The girls were usually supposed to show some kind of talent and that was her favorite part. She stared at her dress in silence for a moment, remembering how much work she had to do around the village to earn enough money for the fabric.
Shaking her head she smiled, it had been worth it, and stepped through her door. On the other side were only stairs that lead down to the rest of the house, and she followed them to the second floor. Walking along the narrow hallway she turned sharply to the right and entered the small bathroom that she shared with Isla. After her quick bath she slipped herself into the dress and smirked at how well it fit before fixing her dark hair up into a high ponytail at the top of her head that made her face more visible, her hair so long that her soft curls were still able to tumble down her back and reach her waist.
When she finished she smiled at the change before heading to the lowest story of the house. Upon entering the kitchen the smell of freshly picked cocoa beans crashed over her, making her pause in the doorway and take a deep breath of it. The kitchen overflowed with the ingredients that Isla used for her medicines and potions. From the colorful plants that grew on almost every surface that patches of sun could reach, to pickled animal parts that were lined along multiple shelves neatly. There were even various vials, all different shapes and sizes, that were filled with things that were a mystery even to her.
When she entered the rest of the kitchen that Isla used as her laboratory, she found the small woman bent over a pot, a small wisp of smoke wafted up from the interior and curled into curvy shapes before disappearing altogether. Aeryn walked over to her slowly and peered over the side of the pot curiously just as a spoon collided with her forehead.
"Mind your own business!" Isla, a short, petite woman narrowed her eyes up at her. She was beautiful in that ancient way, and the only thing that gave away the fact that she was probably a few years over a hundred was the head of white hair that she braided to keep tidy.
Aeryn rubbed her forehead with a scowl. "Was that a spoon?"
"It's going to be something a lot bigger next time if you don't keep that nose of yours to yourself." Isla threatened as she covered the pot with a top.
