Chapter 65: Day 64

Day 64,

More prepping for the floating island trip while everyone involved was in town today.  All of us – James, Cass, Lin, Vernon, and myself – gathered together in the library to go over things.  What we knew about the island, scheduling, logistics, what supplies we had, what we still needed, that sort of thing.  Also, James brought up the question of why we are going.  In response to this Vernon launched into a spiel about remembering and reclaiming a part of the Village’s history that had mostly been forgotten; a home of a once-prominent member of society and a gathering place for friends.  I’m not really doing him justice with that paraphrasing I’m afraid.  At any rate, it certainly sounded a lot better than “It’s there and it looks neat so I wanna explore.”

On the logistics side of things we agreed to start gathering everything we’d be taking with us in the entry room of the library over the next few days.  In the event that the mist night ends up being the day before docking, then we’ll be ending up with a tight window to make and so we need to be ready to start moving as quickly as possible.  By the same measure, the cart on loan to us will be getting parked outside the library a day or two before docking day and we’ll load it up the day before, mist night or no.  And even if it is a mist night, shades don’t bother things or animals, just people.  And if the mist night is the day before, we’ll all be spending the night together in the library.

This of course, brought up the sticky point about what to do if the mist night doesn’t come before docking day.  We agreed that worst-case scenario would be for them to occur on the same day, in which we would call it off.  Too much risk of falling off Siren Overlook while we try to board the island or wandering off the edge or into something dangerous in unfamiliar territory, not to mention the risk of shades showing up with us not having been in Priscilla’s house (if it’s still there) or a tent we bring long enough for it to count as “a home” and keep them out.  But even if it looks like mist night will be sometime after docking day while we’re out on the floating island, James put his foot down about Cass not going in that scenario, despite her protests.  As for the rest of us, Vernon thought it was a shame to go through the prep, call in favors, and gather up the stockpile of supplies that might not keep until the next opportunity only to call it off at the last minute.  On the other hand, he wasn’t thrilled about the prospect of a night with shades and questionable shelter, and ultimately said that he would defer to whether Lin and I were willing to take the chance.  To my own surprise, I said I was.  Lin said she was as well, seemingly having more confidence than everyone else in tents and saying that since no one’s lived there in ages, there might not even be any shades.  I wish I had so definable a reason.

Cass of course wasn’t happy at the thought we’d leave her behind, and I wound up promising her that if it came to that – and I didn’t think it would – that there would definitely be a next time, and if there is a house there that we can make some repairs to with the carpentry supplies Vernon procured, that could make it future visits safer even if there is a mist night halfway through the trip.

Other notable bits from today:

• When Lin saw my bandaged hand, she expressed surprise that I was “the careless fool who shouldn’t be allowed near sharp objects” her father stitched up the other day.  He hadn’t specified exactly who it was when telling her about his day.  She assured me that he grumbles like that about everyone he has to stitch up and doesn’t actually mean it.  I’m dubious but I held my tongue.
• I picked up the additional cloaks.  We should be good now.  I’ve left all but the largest one in the library.  That one I’ve brought back to the house to offer Maiko the next time she shows up.  Also, there goes the last of my spending money until someone wants to pay me in something other than food again.

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