Hit Me with Your Best Shot

One of the benefits of being a "not child" is that you can change your plans at the drop of a hat without consequence, whereas an adult—especially a human adult—any change in the scheduled programming needs to be planned out well in advance. As such, as soon as we walked out of Morning-Sun Hunter's home, we immediately began making preparations to spy on Mesa.

"Why do we need these spare masks?" Dawn turned over the generic mask I had handed her in her hands.

"Because we do not want to be identified. Our masks would be a dead giveaway."

She turned to look at me. "Indigo... you are indigo (she was referring to my color)." I just stared back at her. "Nobody else in the tribe is that color."

"...Fair point." I tugged my chin. "Maybe we should also don full cloaks as well..."

"Wouldn't that be a bit... conspicuous?"

"People wear cloaks all the time!" Well, that wasn't true, really only on formal occasions or if it was cold. Unfortunately, it was mid-summer.

"And also, you are kind of short. Wouldn't that be a giveaway as well?" What was it with Dawn being rational all of a sudden? She had completely blasted herself into geo-static orbit with this Morning-Sun Hunter infatuation, now she was all like "Let's be realistic about this."

"I got it!" I said, pounding my fist in my palm. "What if I sit on your shoulders and we throw a cloak over the both of us? That way, it will just look like one tall person!"

She crossed her arms. "Indigo, that's ridiculous. I'm not doing that."

"Hey, you are the one that was all fired up about setting up Morning-Sun Hunter! And now here you are just shooting down all my ideas! Do you want my help or not?"

"Okay—okay," she quickly responded, her haughtiness now demure. "Maybe just the masks then."

"Alright then, let's go."

The first part of stalking Mesa was finding Mesa. This was not as straightforward as it might be for a generic member of the tribe. For one, since he was handling all the Elder's work, he would be out and about, and there wouldn't be a fixed location where we could expect to find him. Second, since we were being discreet, we couldn't very well ask about his whereabouts. Dawn didn't care much for this, saying, "Where is the harm?" She clearly didn't understand clandestine operations. Perhaps I was being a bit ridiculous, but if you are going to dip your toe into absurdity, you might as well jump in.

Even still, it wasn't actually hard to find him. The thing about being out and about is that you are not hidden. Also, he stood out, leaving me to wonder how we never noticed this guy before…

"Okay Dawn, masks on." I swapped out my mask for the plain white mask I had swiped from my parents' house, and Dawn reluctantly did the same. With that, it was time to give pursuit, while maintaining a distance.

We hid behind barrels or bins whenever possible, which wasn't often as there wasn't much on these platforms—they mostly served transportation purposes. So we mostly hid behind the bend of the tree trunk, trying to look nonchalant as people walked by.

"Indigo... Lake-Side Potter is staring at us," Dawn Whispered, sounding a little uncomfortable.

"It's fine, he won't recognize us. That's what the masks are for."

"..."

Regardless of fellow tribesmen casting us strange glances, they ultimately would go on their way, allowing us to continue pursuing Mesa, who walked with purpose. He clearly had a destination in mind. Even still, he would stop briefly with passersby to exchange pleasantries and inquire about any issues that should be brought to the Elder's attention. Seemed like an upstanding guy, unlike that farcical Elder.

Eventually, he arrived at his destination and summoned a resident from his den. I couldn't tell what they were talking about, but with him stationary for a good while, I could finally get a good look at him.

Morning-Sun Hunter's description of him may have been an undersell. This guy looked like nobility, in the human sense. I was unsure where he got his clothing—I'd never seen anything like it here. He was wearing a jacket that had coattails and fine embroidery. Everyone else here looked like peasants by comparison. He wore a simple black mask with just the lightest dusting of a goldish color at the edges. It worked well with his dark rusty red hue and rusty brown hair, which he kept mostly swept back leaving just enough to spill off the side of his face. Yep, as far as appearances go, this guy was a king among beggars. The one thing I found odd though, was that he was wearing shoes. Shoes don't work well with digitigrade locomotion—undoubtedly the reason they hadn’t been adopted here. Perhaps that is why I found his movement more refined, I was using a human standard.

At any rate, we needed more than just intel on his appearance. We would need to observe him where he could not use the Whisper. Tracking him around the village, while dodging the wayward glances of passersby, we eventually caught him as he was accosted by the tykes of the Kite's Klub (TM Pending) they must have been heading off for afternoon recreation.

"Good afternoon Mesa." Lilac Governess was polite as ever.

"Why is he dressed like that?" One of the children pointed at Mesa

"Ripple, that's not polite!" She chided as she turned her head.

"Yeah, he looks really weird," Another of the children added.

"WINDY!" Came Lilac Governess's peeved reprimand—brought back fond memories. "Any more rude comments and that group will get a handicap tomorrow!" This got them to clam up. I was glad she had finally gotten a hold of the reins.

"It's okay, Lilac Governess. I am aware that my appearance is far from the norm." Mesa, to his credit, was unfazed. "My tribe has extensive dealings with humans, trade and the like, so we have adopted many things from them, including various kinds of clothing." Well, that explained it. His appearance and demeanor were in fact from human interactions.

"What are those things on your feet?" Yet another child asked. "How do you walk around in those?" I think Lilac Governess's ear twitched.

"They are worn by humans to protect their feet and as a fashion accessory."

"But isn't it hard to walk in those?" The same child followed up, innocently enough.

"It does take some time getting accustomed, but having worn them for many cycles they feel quite natural now." His response was calm and composed. Throughout the entire exchange, he never lost his poise. Personally, if a child called me out on something, I would be knocked a little off balance, but not this Chad, he navigated it with ease.

Inspiration struck some of the children and they began to walk around flat-footed, not quite understanding the heel strike and instead looking like they were doing an awkward march and stumbling into each other.

"Please watch where you are going..." That was the Lilac Governess I remembered, placing a weary hand on the face of her mask.

"Well, I suppose that is one way to do it," Mesa remarked. Lilac Governess shot him a subtle look that seemed to accuse him of further inciting this behavior.

"We should be going, sorry to take up your time. I know you must be busy." Between the embarrassment the children had inflicted upon her and the frustration that was ultimately instigated by him, she was ready to go.

Mesa sighed. "Yes, the Elder does keep me busy. I wonder how he managed before I arrived?" That S.O.B.! He didn't do jack shit before Mesa got here, now he has him running around like a chicken with its head cut off! Has he no shame!?

Mesa bowed his head, and the Kite's Klub (TM Pending) departed. So far, what I've seen of Mesa only reinforced my notion of his top-tier mate value. So if there was even a phantasmal chance for Morning-Sun Hunter, we would need to find something to leverage. To that end, we kept following him.

Mesa

Another busy day. Snowcap Elder had no end of tasks for me. I suppose it is common to put new apprentices through their paces to see if they are cut out or if they quit. I knew I was more than capable and quitting wasn't an option, so it just amounted to a lot of work. Still, it needed to get done.

I started the day by checking the progress of the new den that was being constructed. Snowcap Elder had converted one of the vacant dens into a meat-smoking room a few years back after reading a book covering the procedure. This led to a housing shortage as new adults inevitably came along. However, when a new family had been formed, the "temporary" measure of remaining in the parent's den was no longer a viable solution to the lack of unoccupied dens. Therefore, a new home had been commissioned.

Carving a hollow into a tree is a lengthy process, as you can imagine, but the Carvers tell me they can finish before the first snow falls. I offered them my appreciation for their hard work.

On a side note, I got a "not child" to bring the wood chips from the carving process to the meat-smoking room. It would be a waste to just discard them when they were perfect for this use, and it would save us from having to commit official resources to this endeavor.

After I visited with the Carvers, I went to update the new couple on the progress of their dwelling. Or I would like to say new, it seems they have been married for some time and waiting for a den to open up. They were pleased when they heard that something proactive was being done to remedy this problem. As you can imagine, they were very eager to... get to business, but when you live with your parents, that is hard to do. After I informed them that their new home was on track to be completed just before winter, they expressed their excitement by becoming amorous with each other. I took my leave, not wanting to intrude.

Next, I paid a visit to the Healers. This visit wasn't strictly necessary—I could offer no assistance—but I wanted to check in on the fellow, a young apprentice Hunter, who had somehow gotten his head stuck in a beehive and been repeatedly stung. His face... Well, I'll spare you the details, but the Healers assure me that he will make a full recovery and his face will return to normal. They added that he is actually making a speedy recovery thanks to an ointment they have recently been able to make thanks to a big find of a rare medicinal herb.

When midday came around, I was back with Snowcap Elder for afternoon tea and conversing in Caster. He is fond of these daily verbal conversations, and for the life of me, I can't say why. At first, I thought he merely wished to improve his speaking for pragmatic reasons. But I quickly learned that he enjoys it greatly and for no particular reason. In fact, when I first petitioned to be his apprentice, the first—and only—question he asked was whether I could speak verbally. I responded in the affirmative, and we then proceeded to have a long-spoken conversation about an irrelevant topic, after which he made accommodations for me to stay at his residence. The next day he would begin introducing me around the village as his apprentice.

From there I followed up with one of the lead Masons, who had been requesting a particular kind of stone that was good for making tools, only to find that, apparently, this issue had been resolved some time ago and they now had no shortage of any material. I had been expecting a long conversation with demands for assistance. It would seem Snowcap Elder never followed up with them all this time... Sigh, it seems I have my work cut out for me.

It was during this brief conversation with the mason, that these two "not children" began watching me intently from around the tree. I guess they felt it would be rude to be blatant, so I suppose I should applaud their attempts at discretion.

However, I found their lack of productivity wanting, as they spent the rest of the afternoon and early evening following me around. They hid in the stairwell as I encountered Lilac Governess, and under a basket as I made preparations for a role name ceremony, among others. I would have to recommend to Snowcap Elder that a program be introduced to guide wayward "not children'' to productive pursuit, lest they turn out like Sparrow Hero.

At any rate, I finished up the next few errands I had and made my way back to Snowcap Elders Residence. We would discuss official matters concerning the village in the evening, in Caster, of course.

_____________________________________________________

Our mission was a success, at least in terms of gathering intel. And that intel confirmed my initial assessment. Mesa was not only out of Morning-Sun Hunter's league, he was out of EVERYONE'S league! This guy was playing in the Majors and everyone else would be lucky to make the company softball team. However, if he wanted to become part of this tribe, he would have to find somebody. Although, with his high degree of competence, I think he would qualify for honorary membership, regardless. Anyways, was there a way to put our thumb on the scale in Morning-Sun Hunter's favor?

While it was true that it didn't appear that Mesa had a lot of suitors, that didn't mean he didn't have options. The guy looked like royalty, so it would make sense for interested parties to be timid in their methods. Apparently, Morning-Sun Hunter was too dense to sense this gap and was unphased, as evident by her brash approach. I imagined that he would be looking for a more prim and proper type and, sorry, Morning-Sun Hunter was anything but. Still, we need to at least take a swing at that 100 mph fastball. Dawn would be disappointed if I didn't try. Well, she was probably going to be disappointed regardless…

Arriving back home for dinner, my mind contemplated this problem. After much thought... Nothing. I had no idea. Even if this wasn't inherently an unsolvable problem, I wasn't exactly a dating guru back in my former life. Even the theoretical knowledge I had acquired was suspect as I had no notion of how much of it applied to this species.

"You are quiet today," father remarked. I nodded. "Something on your mind?" Was it that obvious?

"Oh, you know, just thinking about... stuff."

"Stuff, huh?" My sister began making a fuss, so he didn't pursue the dialog further. Normally, they both would have been more inquisitive during the evening meal. But my sibling had been garnering most of their energy during meal time, and otherwise.

Still, perhaps I could put upon my parents for advice in this area. After all, they both had successfully found a mate. I decided after things had calmed down with my sister, I would engage in what would almost certainly be an awkward conversation.

"Mother, what do women do to appeal to men?" I asked after my sister had fallen asleep.

She cocked her head to the side, "Don't you mean what women find appealing in men?"

"No. I want to know what you did to appeal to Father."

"Well... I didn't really do anything special. I was just myself." Her response was slow and uncertain. Uncertain as to whether or not this was what I was asking about. It was, but it was still unhelpful.

"...That's it?"

"I supposed it helped that I was a sojourner..."

Way to drop the ball, Mom! That was of absolutely no help or insight! Well, surely my father could tell me what men wanted in women.

"Aren't you a bit young asking that question?" Father responded nonplussed, looking up from sharpening his spear at my inquiry.

"It would be helpful with a problem I'm currently having."

"...Well, I suppose I like women who are upbeat and outgoing." So basically mother. "And if they are easy on the eyes..." The vision of the female form started to transverse my consciousness. So this is what Dad liked... However, it quickly cut out. "Well... maybe we will save that for when you are older." He scratched the back of his head.

"I'm 6!" I responded as befitting someone of that maturity. This could actually be useful information.

"Hehe," Father chuckled before patting my head and going back to sharpening his spear. "Also, you are pretty young to have already set your eyes on someone. I know it's tempting, but it must be a sojourner."

"I wasn't asking on my behalf." I guess it was logical to assume I was asking for my own benefit.

"Huh?" Well, at least I had succeeded in confusing both my parents.

"Fuck it, just tell the guy straight up!" is the advice I ultimately gave Morning-Sun Hunter, though expressed more diplomatically, after Dawn dragged us both back to her den first thing in the morning. I was unable to formulate even the most dubious of stratagems. At least this way, she would have her answer one way or the other, not to imply that this wave function hadn't collapsed a long time ago. Dawn, however, did not share my outlook on the situation.

"What kind of plan is that, Indigo!?" Dawn threw her arms up.

"Well, at least the ball will be in his court. This way, she will at least have her answer." And that answer would most certainly be no, but I kept that to myself.

Dawn's disappointment was palpable, and though she didn't say it, it was clear that she had lost faith in me. Well, that was fine. She shouldn't have had faith in me in the first place. At least now I wouldn’t have to worry about unrealistic expectations in the future.

For her part, Morning-Sun Hunter just watched our exchange with all the credence one gives to a pair of quibbling children, err, "not children."

Dawn's depression went on into the day. I felt bad and tried to cheer her up, but she wasn't particularly pleased with me, so she was giving me the cold shoulder. She didn't run me off though, so I was sure she would forgive me in short order.

It was in the early evening when we were hit with a wave of elated vibrations. It was too much to ignore and both Dawn and I turned our heads to see Morning-Sun Hunter walking... or floating rather, towards us. I was sure it was a trick of the mind, but I could swear "Walking on Sunshine" was playing as she approached.

Though I was obviously perplexed, this didn't stop her from picking me up and putting me into a bone-crushing hug. "Morning-Sun Hunter... are you okay?" Fortunately, telepathy meant I didn't need to breathe to communicate.

"You know, Indigo, I was baffled when you two claimed you could assist. I certainly wasn't taking your advice seriously. But I decided to give it a shot anyway, seeing as nothing I tried worked." She released the bear hug and spun around.

"Wait, are you saying that worked??" It was Dawn’s turn to be dumbfounded.

"YES!" She responded emphatically. At my insistence, she put me down. "He had no idea that I was interested in him, and was confused by my behavior towards him. I really can't thank you enough!"

"Well... Umm... I'm glad it worked out." I was totally slack-jawed. My brain had thrown up a critical system error and needed to reboot.

After Morning-Sun Hunter danced along her very merry way, Dawn rushed up to me and took up both my hands. "You did it Indigo!" I could only stare dumbly at her. "I shouldn't have doubted the God of Clear Skies' Chosen!" Normally, I would have offered a reproachful rebuke when confronted with that title. My brain, however, was still busy rebooting into safe mode.