VINCE
Vince enjoyed the cool shade of the cliff side looming over the docks. The sun hit just the right spot to give him a long shadow to mope in after his grand adventure. Fiu had patched him up the best he could while lecturing him the entire time about the danger of hiking alone. And he was of course right, all Vince had gained from his trip was scrapes and bruises. His stomach was particularly sore.
After dealing with Vince, Fiu had returned to looking over Tama. He watched the two of them in the springs on a small dirt beach tracing letters into the sand with a long stick. He had wondered where Stein had learned to read, but now that was obvious Fiu had likely taught them all.
He watched the calm water. He could have sworn this camp was the source of the turbulence in his mind but sitting at the dock he felt at peace.
A tentative hand tapped his shoulder, Vince’s back straightened in surprise. “Vince,” Stein said. He fidget with his empty hands. It was the first time Vince had seen his face cleaned, goggles off, and eyes unfocused.
A wave of guilt hit him. He didn’t make Stein give up on his bird did he? “Stein! I- I made a-” He struggled to get the words out. What could he say to fix this? “I’m so- so-”
“I’m so sorry!” Stein blurted out, like it was easy. “I said some terrible things. Please, please forgive me.”
Stein gazed up at Vince pleadingly. His mind went blank. He stuttered out some incoherent words before settling on: “What?”
“I’m super duper sorry. I was way too harsh and I shouldn’t have said mean things,” Stein insisted.
Vince was shocked into silence. He could feel the pressure building behind his eyes. Why did it feel like an immense weight had been lifted off him? All Stein did was apologize, but it gave him so much relief. He fought back the tears that threatened to pour. “So… you forgive me?” Vince asked.
If anyone should be apologizing it should be Vince. He found it difficult to get the exact words out. ‘I’m sorry.’ He’d been taught that Girdwoods don’t apologize, they fix problems, so he usually just accepted his punishment for his mistakes.
Stein looked at him confused. “Well… yeah. It’s not like anyone got hurt.”
“But, I destroyed your bird.” Right… It wasn’t the end of the world. It was just a bird. Yet, Vince had run away like it was.
Stein shrugged it off like it was nothing. “Don’t worry about it. It was a faulty design, plus now I know what’s wrong.”
“But, I… I messed up…” Vince struggled to believe anything good had come of his mistake.
“So what? It only means I move onto MAJ 6.0. Don’tcha know mistakes make the scientist.” Stein smiled like a madman and Vince couldn’t help but chuckle.
This island sure was full of madness. He'd have to get used to it if he was going to find an ally. “Well, then I am honored to bear witness to this scientist's genius.”
Stein laughed at him, but it didn't feel ill-spirited. “You talk weird. I like it.”
Out of all the odd things on this island, this moment bewildered him the most. The fact that a simple apology could make him feel so light and happy. He wanted to work on that apologizing thing. He’d be needing it. He wanted to be able to apologize to Stein for how he’d been treating him. He was kind for forgiving Vince so easily, nothing like what Vince had been taught.
They giggled in joy at their own silliness as Fiu’s lesson got louder with his frustrations. “Buh,” Fiu said as loudly as he could while still sounding gentle. “Buh, Tama, buh. Say it with me Tama. Buhh.”
“Buhhhh!” Tama said, drawn out dramatically.
Vince laughs. Stein looks down at them too. “B says buh, like buh-ird,” Fiu explains. He attempted to draw an awkward bird with his stick. Stein laughed as he drew the exceedingly round stomach.
Vince smiled. Even Fiu had something he was bad at. He always seemed so composed. It was cute to see. “Need some help,” Vince offered.
He jumped off the side of the dock to join them on the dirt beach. Fiu begrudgingly handed Vince his branch and Vince got to work. Fiu watched him skeptically while Stein joined the lesson by taking the easier route of walking around the dock. Hot blush rose to his cheeks as he became aware that everyone was now watching him. The dampened dirt was just hard enough to make sharp lines perfect for drawing. He began drawing a bird sitting on a branch next to Fiu’s chubby bird. He tried his best to get as much detail as he could with the less than ideal medium but was satisfied to capture individual feathers on the wings and a sharp point to its beak.
Tama jumped around giddy about his drawing. “Oooo! Birdie! Make it fly,” she asked.
“Umm… Okay…” Vince said and obliged to her request. He rubbed his neck knowing the blush would soon rise up to his ears. He drew another bird, slower this time. This time the bird was in flight, flying away. He tried to focus on drawing but was overly conscious of their eyes watching him.
“So you’re teaching them how to read?” Vince asked, in an attempt to advert attention or at least to distract himself.
“Of course. If it wasn’t for me the whole island would be illiterate,” Fiu said with pride. Vince finished the second bird.
Stein leaned over Vince’s shoulder staring intently at his drawings. He wasn’t used to someone entering his personal space and tried to wiggle out of the way. Stein jumped up barely containing his excitement. He could almost see the light bulb going off in his head.
“That’s it!” He said.
“What?” Vince asked.
“The arch! I-” Stein stopped. He looked through Vince. Vince could see the gears turning in Stein’s brain. “I have to go.” He ran off to his workshop and yelled behind him, “Thanks, Vince!”
He left Vince wondering what he had done to help. “Umm…” He said. Tama tugged at his arm.
“Lieba next?” she pleaded.
Vince rubbed the back of his neck again. “Ummm… I don’t know… I’m not very good at anatomy,” he said.
“You’re doing fine with animals,” Fiu said.
Vince sheepishly looked away from the compliment. “That’s different. Sometimes I’d take animal inspiration from my blueprints in my drafting lessons.”
He said that, but he still gave it a shot. Tama's fluffy hair bounced against his arm again excitedly as he did his best to replicate the few images he had seen of Lieba. She wasn’t a very popular goddess. He remembered mostly the colors but that wouldn’t be of much help with a stick drawing. She had skin white like the sandy beaches he had seen yesterday along the shore and long blue hair that flowed into the water beneath her. She was best known as the goddess of the seas. She ruled over travel and luck, over tranquil waters and raging storms. He did the best to capture her essence as she rose from the waves.
Tama tugged at his arm as she jumped. “Ooo! Ooo! Do Gahoren in the holy lands next,” she begged.
He started the next one. Gahoren would be more difficult because he’s seen too many images of him, there were too many interpretations to choose from. Some saw him as a kind merciful god, who protected the land and its people, while others saw him as a merciless god, who would make the land wither if he saw fit forsaking its people. Vince opted for the brighter option.
“So cool,” Tama said. She released his arm and began running around in circles along the shore.
“It’s not that cool,” Vince said. Drawing never helped him with anything before. He’d rather be good at building automations or something like Stein or anything else. “I wish I could do something more useful,” he muttered under his breath.
“Right… Useful,” Fiu said. Vince looked back to him to see him staring past him. Vince followed his gaze watching Tama dance around his drawings happily. The scene was as beautiful as a painting. Her bare feet splashed in the shallow water. Crystal clear droplets fell by her side. Her colorful patchwork shirt swayed like a dress and her smile radiated joy.
****
The sun began to set again as Vince’s second day on the island came to an uneventful end. He’d hoped by now he’d be closer to leaving but gaining allies proved to be harder than he thought. He sat awkwardly in silence next to Ayn as Fiu focused on working. He could hear the roots being grated in his bowl and a plop of something being dropped in the big pot in front of him. Vince already missed chatting with him like a normal person.
He tried to glance at Ayn without her noticing, but she was already staring at him. He gulped. She had been watching him from up in her tree all day.
“Where’d you learn how to make those pictures?” She asked.
Vince didn’t like the way she looked at him like he was being interrogated. “Pictures?”
She nodded. All attention was on Vince. “I saw them from above,” she said, as if that explained her sudden interest.
Vince laughed awkwardly. “Wow, you must have good vision,” he said. Straight forward people like Ayn were difficult for Vince to deal with. He was more used to hidden messages weaved into words by nobility, even Handi’s cryptic behavior was at least familiar for him. Handi acted like most people from the kirshe he ran into: superior and secretive.
“I’m not going to bite,” she said. Vince fiddled with his pockets. He finally looked over at Ayn directly. She sat clutching her knees to her chest. There was a tiny wooden bear in her hand. Vince had a hard time remembering that there were only children here. He was actually the oldest and most experienced on the island and it looked like Ayn had questions.
“Come on, where'd you learn it? I’m not going to wait forever.” Her expression was serious like this conversation held the weight of the world.
“A kirshe,” Vince said simply. She stared at him blankly.
“You know a blessed building for ceremonies and what not,” he continued. She nodded. Her interest relaxed him. He took his hand out of his pocket and began using them to describe the building. The scene came back to him easily like an old friend he’d visit daily. He used to wander his local kirshe’s halls whenever he felt lonely. The silence of prayer comforted him as gazed up at the majestic images of Gahoren, promising him a better future. “It has big paintings covering the walls and ceiling of the gods. Mostly Gahoren. Even the windows are stained with his image.”
Vince realized the holy book to them was just another story book, they likely didn’t realize its weight. There were a few other groups that worshiped other gods but the Gatti kirshe was the most renowned and spread. They worshiped Gahoren the god of land, fertility, and harvest. He and the kirshe blessed the lands with prosperity, his existence was crucial to societies development.
“Where can you find a kirshe?” Ayn asked. He didn’t expect her to be the most curious about the outside world.
“They’re everywhere. One in almost every town. Of course the one I went to often was much bigger. But not a lot of people were there daily. It was a very peaceful place,” Vince explained. The warm memories of his time there filled his heart. He liked to stare up at the beautiful pictures and imagine how the artists went about depicting these great gods.
“Peaceful?” She asked. “Is that why you want to get back so much?
He never thought about it. He needed to return, to fulfill the role his father wanted. What he wanted was never a part of the equation. “Well... Why do you want to stay?” Ayn’s curiosity made him certain that she did think about leaving. If anyone would be an ally in his endeavor to get home, Ayn was the most likely.
“Vince,” Fiu said in a warning tone. He had been listening to their entire conversation. Vince went silent. He’d need to talk to Ayn alone, which they made impossible for him. But, at least he was finally moving forward.
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