Planet Zar: Nexus

Winter chill finally began to abate on Sunfall Isle, leaving behind soggy pathways and muddy sludge. It made a right mess of Sweet Fruit Orchard, browning the leaves of Merey's precious fruit trees where frost had bitten into them. Newborn flower buds clung to life, shivering open at the warm touch of sunlight against their petals.

Merey frowned. It wouldn't be a good spring harvest this year, not after that storm, and with the colony so new Sweet Fruit couldn't afford a bad season. Her trees were still fledgling, skinny as fawns and weepy at the hint of poor weather. Some of their shoots remained baby green. Merey didn't want Sunfall relying on imported goods to get by, especially when the colony was meant to export on top of being self-sufficient, but the villagers might have to do without fresh fruit for the season. There really wouldn't be enough to spare.

A soft hand landed on Merey's shoulder as Endil leaned over her, nuzzling the top of her head. "We'll just have to plant more. We know they'll take here, the soils good, so there no sense saving all those seeds for a rainy day, right?"

"I think the ground's too hard for digging." Merey curled into her husband to hide her frown. "It'll be all ice below the surface, we'd need a proper big machine for that."

"I've got proper big muscles!" Endil chuckled and curled his arm, miming a muscle flex for biceps that were barely there. "No reason we can't give it a try, right?"

Merey smiled at him anyway and kissed his cheek. Silly man.

His optimism was infectious. They'd sprain their backs trying to dig so early in spring, but Endil was right. Having something to busy her hands with would help Merey settle her nerves while she thought of something better.

"I'll get the hoes." Merey extracted herself from Endil's arms and bounded toward the shed.

A flash of blue zipped through her periphery and she whirled around to see the familiar form of Sumisu, the town courier, hurrying toward them with an ever-present grin stretching his face.

"Hallo, Orphintons!" Sumisu shouted. "Having a bit of trouble after the storm?"

"We're planting more," Endil called back to him. "Getting ahead of next season."

"Oh, smart!"

Their conversation turned to mumbles as Merey reached the shed. When she returned, hoes in hand, Endil and Sumisu were engaged in animated debate, hands and wings flying about the place like whirligigs on a fall breeze. Merey slipped next to Endil and gently handed him one of the hoes, uncertain of how best to insert herself in the conversation. She didn't want to interrupt or shoo Sumisu away so they could work, but a lot of things needed doing if they were going to make any progress planting seeds that afternoon.

"We might not need these much longer!" Endil brandished his hoe, waggling it excitedly.

Merey's eyes widened. "What?"

"You know Icar's little dragon friend, Pennatu?" Endil continued.

Merey nodded, watching Sumisu bounce in the corner of her eye.

"Well, there's a lady from the place Pennatu's from. A sort of dragon lady. What was her name again?"

"Draca," said Sumisu. "And she's got an even bigger dragon with he, he's all sunset fiery colored. Really pretty. I'd love to paint something with those colors."

"Right, right," said Endil. "Sumisu here says he's going along with her back to Lantessama. They've got a clutch of aquatic dragons and he'd like to try his hand at bonding one."

"It'll be cool to have another friend to swim around with. Icar's neat and all, but he's not fun, y'know? And I could do parcel deliveries on the other side of the bay without needing to go all the way around. Tried swimming across it once myself but everything got all soggy and those research people got their buns in a twist."

Merey clutched her hoe tighter. "That'll help us too?"

"Not a fish-dragon." Endil shook his head. "But I thought... why don't we go? It'll be a neat new place to explore and we'll make tons of new friends. Imagine how much digging a dragon could get done... or two dragons, even? And once they got big and learned how to fly, they'd make picking fruit an absolute cinch."

Merey had met Pennatu when he arrived at Sunfall. A delightful little hatchling, very earnest and eager if a bit shy. He was nothing but a child right now, wide-eyed and fascinated with everything.

Merey wouldn't mind having some children around the farm. The very thought of it made her chest bloom with warmth. She dropped her hoe and leaped into Endil's arms, hugging him tight.

He nuzzled against her and she could feel his wide grin. "You wanna go to Lantessama with Sumisu, then?"

"I'd love to!"

Sumisu's wing-fins buzzed with excitement. "That's fantastic! Really great, actually. Draca didn't seem super impressed when I asked about swimming dragons, seems she was more looking for the flying sort like the fellow she's got. And she wasn't too keen on bringing a human along. I think she'd really like another dragon but we don't have any of those here, apart from Pennatu. I think a bilby and a toucan might turn her frown around, but who's to say?"

"When are we leaving?" Merey glanced up at her trees, their new blooms green and hungry for sunlight. There was so much work left to do...

"I don't think she was planning on staying very long," said Sumisu. "But there's no reason we can't invite her to a nice dinner at Honeydew Inn."

"I can bake her a pie!" Merey swung away from Endil, digging all but forgotten. If they only had an evening to impress Draca, she ought to get started right away. "Do you think she'd like a dragonfruit pie or is that condescending some how? I just want her to feel welcome here..."

"I bet she'd love dragonfruit," said Endil. "Why don't you get working on that and I'll dig up some nice holes for the seedlings?"

"And I'll tell Draca to stay for dinner with all of us," added Sumisu with an eager nod. "We'll make a whole evening of it!"

Merey popped up to her tiptoes and planted a kiss on Endil's cheek before taking off toward the house. So much work to do! She dearly hoped they'd impress Draca so they could earn a trip to Lantessama. Imagine, a pair of little hatchling running around the orchard. Merey couldn't wait to meet them.