468 Harvest Fair part two (1/2)

”Nix?” A dark woman holding a spear peeked around the corner of the stable. Her black hair was cut short and she held an ornate helm under one arm. A bright smile formed on her face when she saw him, he was hard at work, mucking out a stall. ”Don't your ranchhands do that?”

”Hey!” Nix felt the same warm feelings he always had in Sharl's presence. ”Haven't seen you in a while. Did Floyd come?”

Sharl shook her head slightly and lay her equipment on a bin before wrapping up the Inferno leader in a hug. Her normal reservations always faded around him. ”Did you miss me?”

”Yep,” he admitted. ”Did you just get here?”

”Stopped by the temple first to talk to your dad.” Sharl stepped to one side when he grabbed the handles of a wheelbarrow and started heading toward the gate. The large pile of manure on the other side caused her to decide not to follow. ”I'll just wait here.”

Nix chuckled while tipping the cart over. ”Everyone says that. Let's head up to the house, I need to get cleaned up.”

Sharl smiled and waited while he put his tools away. She stowed her spear and helm and then fell in step with him. ”Ronnie's been helping me at the hive. I'm going to head over there after saying hi to everyone.”

Nix didn't comment, she'd been gone a long time. Helping Floyd had been her choice but one that Nix believed was the right one. The Serpent Clan and Floyd's personal growth had grown substantially through her efforts. This left her place in Haven deserted, her younger sister had been taking care of things while she was gone. ”Ronnie has many talents.”

Sharl's full lips showed the beginning of a smile. The Inferno leader would never say anything bad about her sister. Instead of being jealous, she was thankful. That steadfast backing caused Ronnie to become more reliable. ”I hear you kicked Khione's ass.”

Nix shrugged, he didn't remember large portions of it. The Dread Beast form came with a lot of drawbacks. ”We discovered she uses Avatars. If we want to kill her, we'll need to draw the real Khione out.”

Sharl nodded. She had heard about the fight from Pon. If her Avatars were that strong, then how stronger was the real thing? ”How's Shae?”

”Busy...” Nix shook his head slightly. The salamander was helping all three dragons in their Nurseries. ”She should charge them day-care rates.”

/Inferno: Nix: One extra for lunch, Hyai.

/Inferno: Hyai: Okay Hun.

/Inferno: Chiba: Me too!

/Inferno: Pon: I could eat.

/Inferno: Nix: Denied.

Sharl stepped into the house when Nix held the door for her, two women were sitting together at the kitchen island. Ronnie had already told her that Raine had somehow managed to get a pass into Haven. Sharl smiled fondly at Hyai and waved from the entryway. ”Thanks for having me.”

Nix waved to Raine who had remained seated. ”What's for lunch?” Whatever it was smelled good, there was a large pot on the stove and from his vantage point, he could tell that the oven was on.

”Roasted Chicken and wild rice soup.” Hyai gestured for Sharl to take a seat. ”Donri brought a bunch of chickens from Colonial. Looks like he finally going to settle in Haven.”

Nix didn't comment, he hadn't heard the official reason for why Donri left his Seneschal position, but he had the feeling there was some scandal involved. After the battle for the Cai'Song artifact, Donri claimed a large plot of land in Haven but had left it undeveloped. ”He going to take up farming? We could use more farms.”

Hyai nodded in agreement. ”Looks like it.”

”Do I have time to clean up before lunch?” Sharl noticed that Nix was already moving toward the downstairs shower.

Hyai pointed her up the stairs. ”Use the upstairs bathroom, Hun. Lunch won't be ready for at least an hour.”

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