Spirits

Chapter 13

As we moved through the village, the life I had previously missed became apparent. There was no glass in the apartment windows, only thin shutters that couldn't hide the voices that lived within.

The voices were warm like the first spring breeze. It dug into my muscles, loosening my tight shoulders and stiff brow.

"After getting you a change of clothes, we'll find an apartment for you." Jax held open a door in the farthest building.

It was large, stretching across the curve until it curled out of sight and aligned another building. I could have believed it was a back alley with the cobbled street and dim lighting if it wasn't for the hum in the air.

The shop we entered was bright and fragrant. The walls were hung with cloth and strings of beads. Somewhere in the deeper part of the room, the earthy fragrance of flowers and wood radiated.

The clothing Atoya and Siren had worn was hung on a long curtain rod to my left. Shades of grey and black were drowned out in lilacs, turquoise, and maroon.

"Yoki, I've brought someone here for you to help." Jax pushed aside a rack of cloth, filing through the skin suits.

There was a thunk and a woman rose from behind a workstation. Her hand was rubbing the back of her head, long black hair getting ruffled.

"You've got to knock before barging in," she said, her voice deep.

"Maura, this is Yoki. She's our resident clothing professional."

"I had to find something to fill the time," Yoki laughed. "With how much water there is, no clothing would hold up."

"You've designed everything in here? Where do you get the material?"

"With enough time and resources, I can find anything I need. I've had years to compile my stock. Jax, men out when a woman is fitting."

Jax held his hands up, backing toward the door with a grin on his face. "I know the rules. Trust what Yoki says, Maurea. She knows what she's talking about."

He disappeared out the door and Yoki started filing through the rack of tight cloth. She pulled a few off and held them up to me, her nose scrunched.

"Don't mind him. I think he's happy not being the newest Spirit. Besides, he acts like a child more often than not."

"You seem close," I prompted.

"I think we are close, but Jax is more free-spirited if you pardon my joke. He only stays in The Dark Quarter for a few months of the year. He doesn't know the other Spirits as well."

"Still, you have known each other for years. I wondered if you had taken another step." Zaya's face froze, her chin dipping. "My apologies. I shouldn't have asked such a personal question."

I was startled as Zaya startled laughing. It sounded like bells, her blue eyes watering as her body shook. "Maybe at one point we grew closer, but that was years ago. He's more like a brother than anything."

"It must be nice to know a person for so long, knowing the person as well as yourself."

"It's easier, but it lacks the mystery," Zaya whipped her eyes. "You'll learn to love mystery as you age. Too many places to see and the rest of your life to solve them. Back to clothing now. Not that I don't enjoy your questions. Have you a preference over colors?"

"None," I muttered, watching her discard a deep green dress that looked like it could have been floating in the seaweed at the bottom of the lagoon. "Do I have to wear one of these? I've managed without."