Elenion Aura
Two Thousand Club
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Quest #2: Starapple Orchards
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Goddess, a flu again? A wave of deja vu crashed over Zander's head as he listened to the sniffly farmer explain the mission. His ponderously long speech boiled down to two simple objectives: (1) collect the apples in the basket, and (2) don't get eaten by wolves. Just like last time. Even the baskets were the same, Zander thought to himself as he was handed the wicker creation that he might have held on that day all those long years ago. And yet, if the old man recognized the group of kids, now all grown up, from years ago doing the same work for him all over again, he made no effort to show it. Instead he simply thanked them for their troubles, and sent them off into the fields as he blustered a sneeze into a clearly overused handkerchief.
Zander walked ahead along the earthen path into the orchard, beneath the trees, wherein fickle sunlight fell between the leaves and painted his face with funny-looking shadows. Looking over his shoulder at the other three as they caught up to him, them laughing about some memory of this or that, Zander was reminded of how much had changed in only half a decade, and also how much had stayed the same. Bobbi was still as sleepy as ever, Jasmine still her old mothering self... Jensen was still an idiot. The essence of themselves they had preserved despite the hardships they'd faced.
"You guys gonna reminisce all day or can we get to work already?"
Zander smiled, a half-smile, the way he'd used to smile way back when he was a little punk. He was still that little shit, too, only bigger. A shine of red caught his eye. In the nearby tree hung a big, beautiful looking apple, the kind that looked like it belonged in the movies it was so pristine. Zander reached up, plucked it, and hovered there with apple in hand as he debated. Making his choice, he rubbed the apple up and down a few times on his shirt to clean it then took a great big bite, the juices running down the corners of his mouth. Chomp.
"Mmm. 'S good."
Before any of them could tell him how he should be collecting apples not eating them, Zander took another large bite - he'd nearly eaten half the apple already - and tossed the remains to Jens. Think fast! He chuckled. It was always fun to mess with Jensen, even after so many years of doing it. Some things just never got old.
After that, the team got to work. They picked the orchard in sections. Like locusts, they moved from one tree to the next, picking it clean of the best, most succulent looking apples. Zander ate a few more, til he felt like he might get a stomach ache from all the apples he'd eaten. But then, he ate one more anyway.
"After this, you guys wanna stop some place along the way for food?"
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