“It seems that she also had a restless night,” he muttered to himself, wondering if she had found any peace in sleep. Despite his desire to clarify their conversation from the previous night, he knew he couldn’t wait any longer – the morning light was growing stronger and it was time for him to take his own bath. After donning a fresh tulga and enjoying a juicy Lipry fruit, Orion roused his elder sister from her slumber. She grumbled in her sleep, disbelieving his claim that it was time to wake up. But when he dragged her outside and forced her to see the stunning sunrise, she shook off her drowsiness and scrambled to get ready for work.
“I’M LEAVING TO VILLAGE CHIEF’S COMPOUND,” Orion’s voice boomed through the house as he announced his departure to attend the village chief’s compound.
“OKAY, SEE YOU LATER,” Reena, in the midst of her morning shower, acknowledged him with a reply before he shut the door behind him.
As he made his way forward, Orion passed by a small group of villagers who reciprocated his greeting with a smile. After several minutes of walking, he finally arrived at the compound, which was guarded by two unfamiliar faces for the day – a strong and muscular man and woman positioned at the gates. Their physiques were impressive, with bulging muscles in all the right places.
After presenting the guards with the wooden chip, they allowed Orion entry, and he wasted no time in heading towards the hut they had used the previous day. As he approached the entrance, he suddenly remembered that he had forgotten to bring an extra tulga. He realized that the only reason his mother had advised him to bring one yesterday was because she knew he would be working on the farm. However, by the end of the day, he wasn’t dirty enough to require a change of clothing. As such, he didn’t bother bringing another tulga since he probably wouldn’t need it again. ．
Upon opening the door and stepping inside the hut, Orion was surprised to see that Fiona was already there. He hadn’t been expecting to see anyone yet. She was diligently sweeping the floor, ensuring that every corner was free of dirt and debris. The mats were also arranged neatly, and everything appeared to be clean and tidy.
Startled by the sound of the wooden door opening, Fiona turned around to see who had entered the hut. To her surprise, it was the same boy who she had first seen in Greta’s house. He had perfectly demonstrated Kushi with her, and was even one of the boys who actively participated in the farm. If Fiona had to be honest, she would say that he had been the most outstanding pupil among the group of people awakening their gifts this year. Yet, she realized that she hadn’t gotten his name.
“Good morning, Miss Fiona,” Orion greeted respectfully. He watched as she stared at him before nodding her head in response. “Good morning,” she replied. “What is your name? I don’t believe I’ve asked you for it yet.”
“My name is Orion,” he responded. He then asked, “You are Aunt Greta’s neighbour, right?”.
Fiona nodded, finally getting the boy’s name. However, her eyebrows rose when he referred to the most respected healer in the village as ‘Aunt Greta’. Nonetheless, she responded, “Yes, I am her neighbour. But are you related to Greta? Because I don’t think she has mentioned having any siblings before,” she asked curiously.
“No, she and my mother are just very close friends, so I just call her Aunt Greta,” Orion replied.
“I see,” Fiona nodded in understanding. “Well, it’s good to finally know your name, Orion. And it’s nice to see you again.” She smiled warmly at him, appreciating his respectful demeanour.
“Very well then, Orion. Since you’re here early, you may wait on the side until I finish cleaning. We’ll begin once the others arrive,” Fiona instructed before resuming her sweeping. But then, as she bent down to continue cleaning, she suddenly remembered something and added, “Oh, I almost forgot! As the first to arrive, you’ll be given an extra point for your promptness. And who knows, if you keep it up, you might just be one of the first ones with a chance to receive a special gift from the village chief tomorrow.”
At first, Orion was surprised by Fiona’s words, but then he remembered that lateness would result in point deductions. Therefore, he wasn’t taken aback to learn that punctuality would be rewarded as well.
With nothing else to do, Orion settled onto one of the neatly arranged mats and observed Fiona as she diligently continued her cleaning. As he watched her, he couldn’t help but once more admire her stunning curvaceous figure from behind, but he knew better than to interrupt her work.
After several minutes, during which Fiona finished sweeping, several more of Orion’s mates began to arrive until the hut was filled with people, including Ursa and Sura who sat by his side. The three women who had taken their points watched from a corner once more.
This time, Fiona didn’t lecture and instead immediately called out for the other partners who hadn’t performed kushi yesterday. They came fully prepared and demonstrated what Orion and Fiona had demonstrated the previous day. However, due to certain reasons, they weren’t given any points.
As expected, Fiona also called for Orion and his partners, but he refused to perform since it wasn’t voluntary for them. Ursa and Sura were curious about his decision, so he explained that they would practice later when they were alone. They easily agreed since they had already earned their points and were looking forward to a relaxing day on the farm, without any unnecessary stress.
And so, after everything was done, Fiona took charge of assigning points to them for the labour they had done on the farm yesterday. Depending on their contributions, Fiona rewarded each person accordingly. Climbing trees and picking fruits earned a whopping three points, while other tasks only yielded two. The cumulative points of the group now stood at nine, with some close behind at eight and seven.
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