I had to admit it, even if it wasn’t my home, Shiro Sogen felt like it could be home. It wasn’t perfect, but it felt close, especially in the evening. During the day may be a different story, with the sounds of lumber being processed by the sawmill. The torturous roar of that infernal saw was far worse than the endless rumble of forges and the ringing of hammers on anvils that I had grown up with. But right now, that saw wasn’t ripping trees apart. Right now, as I soaked in an onsen pot, I knew that given just a little bit of time I could call a place like this home.
Maybe it was the look of contentment and ease that had begun to appear on my companions faces as we had drawn close. Both Thane and Kaito had visibly dropped the guard in the last mile or so as we traveled up the gentle sloping mountain road. Looks of familiarity crossed their guises as they recognized and remembered familiar landmarks.
Even the somewhat aloof Ardeni seemed more relaxed in the mountain village we found ourselves in. Perhaps that was Zhu’s doing. I wasn’t sure as I still hadn’t determined if something, anything really, was going on between the two beyond their playful banter. Regardless, Zhu knew she was home and Whiskers was feeding off her euphoria.
It wasn’t jealousy I felt as I observed the change in their attitudes, merely longing. Longing for the familiar dark volcanic slopes surrounding Kage. It didn’t hold a candle to Shiro Sogen in terms of scenery, but it did hold familiarity to me.
The familiarity was what I missed, I thought. It wasn’t Kage itself that I missed. Serving in the army of the golden dragon in Kiger was the longest I had been stationed anywhere in years, and I had only been assigned there for 18 months.
I sighed and relaxed, dipping down into the steaming water up to my chin. Petite hands readjusted to my new posture and resumed massaging my shoulders.
I looked up and admired the owner of those hands for a moment. No point in sulking, none at all, not with scenery like this.