A Star Removed from the Sky

Dreams are the Window to the Soul

"Welcome, now stay at the door and be patient while we pack up what little we have." Jamie told Lucy as they walked through a grove of weeping willows.

The long leaves of the trees covered the entrance to the grove, making it look like something out of a fairy tale. The house it hid was actually a hole within a giant oak tree, with a door made by carving wood from nearby trees. The handle looked to be made from the leather strap of a bag, and the windows were other holes in the sides of the tree. It was a big tree, but not big enough that the inside could have more than a few pieces of furniture.

Jess skipped over to the door of the tree and pulled the leather handle carefully to open the door, turning it in place just enough to squeeze in. It didn't have hinges, so opening it required caution. Jamie sighed and just pulled it out completely, letting it fall face down on the ground. "Yeah, it's never really worked that well." Jamie commented when Lucy looked surprised.

"Ah, I see." Lucy stepped over it to stand in the doorway and look at the interior of their home, just out of curiosity.

Inside there were two makeshift beds, made up of blankets and over-sized clothes that had been piled together, right next to each other. They looked quite comfy, with pillows that had been stuffed with extra cloth in order to make them fluffier. There was enough cushioning on the ground that it looked like a blanket nest. There were articles of clothing that had been sewn together to make a carpet to cover the dirt ground; this "carpet" was made only from the brightest garments, filling the room with brilliant color that suited the home's owners perfectly. It was clearly Jess's work, Lucy deduced, as she watched Jess pull out a sewing kit and start patching up her sleeve that had been torn. The sewing kit had been sitting atop a wooden vanity, carved similarly to the door. The vanity even had a square mirror that was leaning against the wall. It was chipped around the edges and rather dirty, but it added that extra touch of 'home' to the vanity. On the surface of the vanity were two hairbrushes, a tube of lip gloss and toothpaste, and a dingy glass that had two toothbrushes in it.

Jamie handed Jess a backpack that was leaned up against the wall and then grabbed one for herself. The backpacks already had their clothes in them because they used them as dressers of sorts. In the corner closest to the door was a pile of clothes, bags, blankets, and other miscellaneous objects, clearly their latest bounty from scaring away travelers. Finally, there was a small, magic cooler with a small microwave on top of it. Lucy was a little surprised to see appliances in a tree, and Jamie noticed her staring. "We got those little babies from a very lost delivery guy. They're magic so they run on their own power and are spacious enough you can put basically anything in them. I'd love to bring them with us, but we just don't have room."

"Yeah, I wouldn't worry about it, my friend Antonio is an excellent cook. He can take a simple snack and make it into a delicious meal. He also has foreign food and drinks with flavor that you can't get in Fiore. The spices are so unique, adding to the flavor spectacularly." Lucy said proudly. "Once you try it, nothing ever tastes the same."

"Sounds nice, anyways, we can meet up with your friends and exchange stories later. For now, we need to concentrate on what we're taking and then... say goodbye to our little home. I know it doesn't look like much, but it's meant a lot to use for a while now." Jamie said with a look around the tree.

"Ah yes... of course, I'll just be quiet for now." Lucy took a step back to let them sort through their stuff.

Jess started gathering her personal items off the vanity, cringing a little when she realized she'd have to place her toothbrush randomly in her bag. Jamie picked up her own toothbrush and sighed. Lucy bit her lip for a moment and then blurted out, "Um I have a separate bag for all my toiletries and if you don't mind, you could put your toothbrushes in my bag, so they don't get dirty. It's magic and separates everything in it."