Hearing another person approach through the treeline, Rowan closed her notebook halfway through shading her sketch. It was just about done anyway and having another person there probably meant she wouldn't have the peace and quiet to finish. She was surprised to see her father addressing her. But perhaps she shouldn't have been. If anyone could find them out here, it was him. The smallest Bilica tailing behind him was more unexpected.
Ducklings? Why did her dad have to be so embarrassing? Rowan didn't see how her father spoke as much of an issue when it was just the two of them. But with Audrey around, she couldn't help but associate some of his words with a cartoon bear warning against forest fires she saw on TV as a kid. Still, Rowan gave a reluctant smile at her father's speech and went to join him on the trek back to New Hope.
As she passed, Rowan got a closer look of Isaias. He looked worse for wear, real worse for wear. She couldn't help but wonder if that bruise on his cheek as a result of getting lost or by some other means. She wasn't going to dwell on it though, and she only looked at the boy for an extended second before switching her attention back to her father.
There was a saying Rowan had and it was a rule she intended to follow.
If it's Bilica business, then it's none of hers. It was a cold statement, particularly when she looked at how the younger Bilica's often wound up. But they were bad news, the less she has to do with them the better.
"I actually like the old rituals and stories, did you know there's almost nothing written down about them in the library? It's all oral history.""Really? I always thought they were written down somewhere...""Maybe a certain library assistant could write them down sometime."Rowan continued to make small talk with her dad and Audrey on the way back.
With the sun setting and temperatures dropping, Rowan showed up to the festival in her regular coat but few other clothing changes other than that. The festival looked great as always, the awe of the town's achievements year after year hardly faded as Rowan grew older. And yet her sense of dress on the day never seemed to match. Her choice of monochromatic and muted colours ironically made her stand out more.
Rowan quickly found herself slipping away from the company she arrived with. Audrey seemed to be wandering off with Isiais, likely to the other Bilica kids, and no doubt her dad would be looking for her mum to do the regular town politics. That left Rowan somewhere between the two opposite ends of town relations, just enjoying the festival.
Rowan went about trying out some of the various games. Most were the ones present last year, but she still found them enjoyable.
Fading Memory,
Rabidporcupine,
Izurich,
Tarenoki,
dragonpiece,
Breezi,
Force and Fury,
Creative Chaos,
Fetzen,
BlackRoseSiren