The Four Chimes

Chapter 2 - LERA

I walked into the dusty, cluttered room. "Hey, Tsano. Did you get the shipment of chaita crystals yet?"

"Not yet," said Tsano. "It's a public holiday, remember?"

"Fuck," I muttered under my breath. The chaita crystal display was supposed to be finished by tonight, but now it was going to have to wait until tomorrow. I paced around, moving around dates and deadlines in my head. If I can get the gas guy in-- No, that's never gonna-- If I could-- Don't fool yourself. He's not-- It's just-- I felt myself breathing heavier and heavier. Only ten more days until we open. Ten more days. Ten more--

I suddenly felt a rush of warmth flow over my body. Every single muscle I had, and every single muscle I didn't know I had, relaxed as if I were on one of the Outer Islands on a pristine beach. "Tsano. You don't have to do this."

"I want to do this. You've been stressed enough. I can feel it."

"It's just that if I don't--"

"Things will happen at their own pace. You just have to let them happen."

I sighed, knowing the truth in her statement. "Fine. We might as well make good use of this time."

"Agreed. We should start with all this mess."

I looked around at the room, filled with decorations and items I was able to take from the original store over at Hol. Little pieces of home. There was the hourglass every Holian owned in their home. The wall-sized canvas covered in intricate, colorful geometric patterns. The flowering cactus plant my mother had given me before going off to RAMA. I still remember the way she put a big pink cactus flower in my hair every single one of my birthdays. "You're my little flower," she would whisper to me as she tucked my hair behind my ear and placed the flower there. "You always will be."

"I think we should start with the larger display tables," said Tsano, snapping me out of my daydreaming.

"Sounds like a plan."

We took out our conduits and aimed them at a large white display table.

"Up on three?", said Tsano.

"Sure."

"One, two, three, meria," and as we raised our conduits the table rose with it. We then lowered our conduits so that the table gently landed on the floor.

After more lifting and moving and removing and, to be frank, more than a bit of dropping, the mess was finally cleared. It shocked me just to see it.

"This storefront actually looks like a storefront for the first time," I said.

"I know. It's hard to believe."

"Now I'll actually have something to show Ari if he stops by."

"Oh, yeah, speaking of Ari, how's he doing? I haven't seen him in forever."

"He's different. Like he's closed off to me for some reason and I don't know why."

"That's weird. Did you talk to him about it? Maybe something's bothering him."

"I wish he would talk to me about it. But he doesn't even want to tell me what's going on in his normal life. When I asked him, he said that he had 'been doing magic'. Well, no shit, it's not like you're a literal fucking magician."

"You didn't tell him that, did you?"

"No. But a part of me wanted to. A really big part of me."

"It's good that you didn't."

"I know."

"At least you tried to reach out to him."

"Yeah. I guess."

"And who knows, maybe he'll stop by later."

"I sure hope he will."

"I do, too."

I stared at the floor, and saw my reflection in it. "We really did a good job with this cleaning."

"We did."

"I just can't believe the store is opening so soon. All this time working at my parents' shop, and yet when it comes time to open my own, it feels like it's my first time ever working. What if I screw it all up?"

"I know you'll do great."

I sighed. "Thanks, Tsano."

"Anytime, Lera."