(A longer-term serial I'm doing. Aiming for weekly updates coinciding with the event this is for, life permitting. Each week is based off a prompt keyword. This week's prompt is "Journal.")
Chapter 1: Time of Departure
Lory swore he spent more time squeezing the small journal in his pocket than actually writing in it.
The little booklet’s thickness allowed him to get a satisfying grip on it without taking up too much space, and right now, he welcomed any method to keep anxiety at bay. He understood why his mother wanted to meet him and his sister Lani in the food court of an interastral transport station (accessible location, casual atmosphere), but that didn’t change the fact that he wasn’t keen on weaving through noisy crowds.
He thought he’d managed to blank his mind into a mental bubble of security around the table, but Lani’s cheery voice popped that shield with zero chance of resistance. “Lor, we’re back! And we got nuggies!”
Sure enough, their mother strode to the table, placing a tray loaded with chicken nuggets and fries. When he looked from her to Lani, he could see the parts of her his sister had inherited. The red streaks in her black hair tinted Lani’s coloration, and her one blue eye spread to two of her daughter’s. It made him conscious of the blue streaks she had given him, and the two red eyes from her one, to the point where he had begun fidgeting with the end of his braid. His mother’s name was Rhei, and sometimes he wondered if she had chosen her name like she had theirs.
“Lory, I hope this is alright. You said you weren’t feeling picky, so…” Rhei pulled out her chair before sitting down, taking care not to scrape it along the ground.
Lani took no such cautions, and the resulting noise reverberated inside his head and made him wince. His mother’s similar expression reassured him that he wasn’t alone in despising that noise. “Nuggets! Trust me, these are the crunchy ones. And these fries are classic.”
“Thanks,” Lory murmured, taking his servings and hoping he could be heard over the din around them. He hoped he wouldn’t be left staring at his food and pondering if he had the gumption to eat it for too long.
Fortunately, Mama Rhei spoke up. “So, have either of you decided your first stops on your journeys yet?”
“Yup!” As usual, Lani didn’t hesitate. “I talked it over with Tali and Wynn, and we found a place that looked like it could use some helping hands. There’s even going to be a tournament there!”
“What kind of tournament?” Rhei’s eyes narrowed.
“A… sparring tournament,” Lani admitted with a nervous giggle.
With a sigh characteristic of a mother who saw trouble coming, Rhei muttered, “Please don’t forget to put me down as your emergency contact.”
“Of course! Who else would I put?”
“What about you, Lory?” Rhei’s eyes went to him, and Lani’s eyes followed.
“Um.” Even if he knew that there was never any real judgment behind either of their eyes, he struggled to chase away the thought that his plans met neither of their expectations. “There’s a town holding a bicentennial festival. I’ve decided to stay there to see how it goes.”
“Bicentennial… 200 years? Not bad!” Lani tapped her cheek in thought. “Festivals always have good local food, right? You’ll have to tell me about what you find!”
“I will.” Despite his nerves, Lory smiled at Lani’s enthusiasm. “Please keep me updated, too.”
“I will!”
“That sounds like a good place for you,” Rhei said. “Learning about the culture and people of a place is an opportunity to understand yourself and others, you know.”
“Mm-hm.” He knew these words weren’t lip service. Neither his mother nor his sister were the type to hold back their opinions, yet Lani’s dedication to “doing things” always made him feel small by comparison.
The rest of the meeting trailed off into small talk and confirmations of preparedness. In between checklist steps and Lani committing the dubious sin of dipping her fries in her milkshake, Lory found himself reaching for the journal in his pocket. He wasn’t planning to write in it, but the texture of the cover and its mere presence was enough to keep him settled for the time being.
A twist of fate resulted in the siblings’ astral trains departing near the same time. Lani plucked her last chicken nugget, bid her family farewell, and bounced off to her gateway. Lory, meanwhile, stalled when shoving the food he’d barely touched into a to-go bag.
“Lory, you know those don’t heat up well,” Rhei said, jarring her son into nearly dropping his bag. Reaching up to ruffle his hair, she added, “Please make sure to take care of yourself, okay? That means eating, sleeping, keeping yourself comfortable… you can always call me, but you know how NexusNet reception can be sometimes.”
“Y-yes, Mom.” Lory wished he could bottle the feeling his mother’s touch gave him, that sense of reassurance and security that seemed to bubble within without becoming too forceful.
“Good. At the very least I’m going to make sure you’ve eaten sometime tonight.” With a final squeeze and a pat on the head, Rhei let go. “Enjoy your trip. I know you’ll find something for yourself out there.”
“I’ll try.” Remembering one last thing, Lory said, “Say hi to Dan for me.”
Rhei giggled at the namedrop. “It tickles me that you think of him. Most people roll their eyes at the idea of ‘their mother’s boyfriend-’ But I will, of course.” She gave Lory one last nudge. “Now go on.”
With a glance at the time on his phone, Lory waved goodbye and trudged to his gateway, all while trying to convince himself that destiny wasn’t that heavy.
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