Izroulia: Hunt for the Lost Pod

Chapter 61 | I'm home

It'd been so long since the siren had felt the grass of the orchids beneath their feet, and with the chill of an upcoming winter in the air they were out with their fae foster mother collecting the last of this years harvest.

Denim shorts, a white tank top and red cardigan on, their fringe that needed a trim clipped out of their eyes with a cherry hair clip, Aries managed to get a few grass stains on that outfit already. Climbing up to the tops of trees to toss down fruit and slipping as they landed into the grass a few times. They never were good at making a graceful landing.

Momo was shorter than Aries now, the siren had outgrown them. But that was expected, Momo was short in general. So she had to look up at the much taller but younger child. Well... adult now. But Aries was still her child.

"For god sakes Aries, I can fly you don't need to climb up there and get yourself hurt" she said, brushing off the grass from Aries clothes.

"I'm fine, it's not like I haven't been bruised before" Aries replied.

"Oh I know that, you always have had a habit of showing up home after playing with bruises up your legs"

Picking up the baskets of fruit, the two began to make their way back down the isles of trees and bushes, stopping when they spotted another fruit to grab. But by now most of them had fallen off and become bird food, the winter fruits would be blooming soon on the other side of the orchid.

"Last lot of mangos, gonna make sorbet with them?" Aries asked.

"Of course, I always make sorbet with the last batch. We'll be picking the oranges soon, the trees are stating to bloom" Momo relied.

"They're always a hit at the markets, you used to come back with completely empty barrels"

"I still do, those trees always make the sweetest oranges"

Upon seeing the two coming up to the back gate, the cottage hairless cat wrapped in a knitted jumper perked up from his spot on the fence. He meowed at the return of his owner and jumped down to say hello.

"Hey chicken, we're you waiting?" Aries asked, reaching down to pat the cat.

He rubbed against their legs, wanting attention as per usual. He followed the two inside and looked up at the hopefully as they began to unpack the baskets to sort all the fruits.

"You can look hopeful all you want Chicky, no fruit for cats" Momo said.

The cat just meowed back at her, not taking no for an answer. Unfortunately he'd have to just sit there and wait for dinner if he wanted food, because he wasn't having the last mangos.

There weren't many fruits this time, the harvest was mainly over. Just the last few off each bush and tree. On the kitchen counter they all lay, 16 plums, 10 mangos, a handful of strawberries, 2 papaya and one last watermelon. All of them to be washed and some kept, some out for sale. Momo was the one to wash them, since there was no way Aries could without touching water. Instead, they caved to Chickens meowing and gave him a treat, which he snatched and took up to his cat tower and chewed on it, holding the end between his paws.

"Aries, Kiddo" Momo said.

"Yeah?" Aries replied.

"Get a gift basket, and take some of the fruit over to Haru and Micha. A little treat to celebrate the engagement"

"Still on the top shelf?"

"Of course"

Aries was tall enough now to reach it on their own, no stepping stool or being lifted by Momo. So they took a hand woven basket down and divided up the fruits, placing some into said basket to take over to their friend.