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“Or maybe an artist just wants to create and not require the works to feed him.”
That is always an option as well. After all, I use art as an outlet myself. However, each artist is different, and I tell the Firebird so. “Well, that’s for the artist to decide. It would just be nice to express how meaningful the art is.”
The Firebird seems to look at the piece critically. “You see that much in it?”
“Well, I can’t help but notice that this piece seems to be a weapon of some kind, but one that is changed into a beacon of hope. You see how it arches there? It’s both wings of victory. It can also be a sort of like a rainbow based upon how it’s wrapped and moving. Kind of like Nike meets Iris. There’s a bittersweet feel to the movement, too, that I haven’t explored yet, but that could also just be me.”
The male seems to pale, a gray pallor muting his otherwise vibrant coloring. A sheen breaks along his brow, and a fine tremor causes his feathers to flutter. His fingers curl into fists, cracking the damaged skin around his bruised knuckles.
If I didn’t know better, he looks like he’s having a sort of panic attack. “Are you okay?”
Before I finish my sentence, a very familiar-looking dog bounds toward us, pulling along the girl, desperately trying to keep up. “Kenzan? Kenzan!”
“How do you know my dog?” The dog barrels up and puts his paws up on the Firebird.
First greeting done, Kenzan then trots over to me and sits on his hunches, offering me one of his paws. I shake it. “Look at you. You are such a good boy.”
The girl turns out to be another young faun and doubles over, winded. “I’m sorry, Lucky. He saw you and got excited.”
The Firebird is all charm to the young girl. “Don’t worry about it, Divinity. I kind of missed his company. I’ll take him from here,” he nods at the other people who have now joined a now crowded town. “Go on and have fun.“
The faun’s face breaks out into a smile and beams at both me and the Firebird whom she refers to as Lucky before trotting away.
“Your name is Lucky?”
A scowl returns to his handsome face. “Lucian, but everyone calls me Lucky.”
“Well, ‘lucky’ for you, I’ll be on my way.”
“Looking for an artist that doesn’t want to be found.”
“You speak with so much authority for someone too soulless to appreciate art let alone create it.” I wish I could say that it’s nice to meet him, but I am a horrible liar. So instead, I say my goodbyes to the dog, and melt into the crowd.
* * *
I wantedto check in on Jonah. It doesn’t help that I am essentially incommunicado because of my cell phone. I really need to understand their Wi-Fi signals or if they have replacements.
I feel like I can stay here all day, but I feel the need to check up on Jonah. My signal is basically still nonexistent, but there’s a pleasant little phone at one of the gift shops. The sales clerk says that the phone connects to the inn, so I call over there. Val answers the phone and tells me that Jonah has yet to make it out of his room. She assures me that the kitchen is on standby to provide for him whenever he wakes up.
It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell her to send for a doctor if he’s not up in a few hours, but she assures me he’s okay and she would know if he needed any more help.
I think of how the kitchen seems to take care of itself, so I leave it at that. Between magic and technology, I am 100% certain that the house itself knows what its guests need.
I think the sales clerk can leave, and I find myself at a crossroads. I could mingle among the art of the other tourists. It turns out that not everyone is here for art; some are connected to either an invited guest or a resident, and had an invitation to be out here for the festival.
I wonder how I ended up on that mailing list, anyway. The one thing I appreciate about not having any internet connection at the moment is that I won’t be stalking my emails or gallery portal to see if I had any messages about how the new Grove is doing.
Thinking about the future of my gallery depresses me, which isn’t the vibe that I wanted to bring as I walk around this art festival. I kind of want to avoid that one surly dude, and I’m kind of peopled-out at the moment. I make my way toward the boat, and I’m about to leave.
I have every intention of going back to the inn, and maybe even hanging out there to see if the kitchen can make me a pizza as my comfort food while I wait for Jonah to be up. However, when I get on the boat, I realize the boat can take me wherever I wish to go. I choose to do a lap around the lake and decide that this is the best time to do it. After all, when will Avalon Vale be this empty again?
I’m sure they will miss quiet moments like this. And I’m not sure when I’ll be able to have quiet moments like this in the future. I’ve been working every day, nonstop until this point, and see myself doing so in the foreseeable future. The work itself energizes me enough; however, it’s the uncertainty that is draining for me, especially knowing that people who are supposed to be on my team are actually working against me. I put those thoughts away, though.
The splashes ahead show that there were flickers of fins and tails that disappear as soon as I’m within sight of them. I don’t pry; instead, I just pay attention to all that’s around me and take this moment as the gift of peace it was. The video talks about different trail heads that lead from various docks; I’m able to direct the boat toward this one.
Instead of Nusku Island, this time, it states that I’m on the northwest quadrant of Avalon Vale. The video states its pre-recorded goodbye, including the reminders about trash receptacles. This seems to be the perfect place to have a little hike, and I follow the trail markers into the forest.
It’s been hours, and I’m pretty sure I just walked over the same trail. Both my phone and my watch are dead. I guess I didn’t think they would drain so quickly. I try not to freak out. The Otherkin seem to have a very close watch on the place, so I really shouldn’t have to worry. However, it is a spread out place, and there are a bunch of people on the island and a feast to set up on the main street of Avalon Vale. Maybe their normal rounds of checking up on the forest may be overlooked today.
