Username + ID#: -Everette- #928070
Kalon Link:
AsterChosen Prompt: What was it like for them growing up?
Prompt Response:
Aster was born into a modest middle-class family with a decent-sized home, a mother and parent, two brothers and a sister, and a lizard he found in his bedroom one day and kept as a pet. He was the youngest of all his siblings and cousins, and, was therefore, babied by much of the family. Aster was a happy child, always energetic, bouncing from foot to foot at all times, and he loved people. The seaside city of Carnellia was the perfect place to support a bouncing baby boy.
Carnellia was a trade center second and a tourist trap first. Carnellia rested on a beautiful landscape of honeycomb-shaped columns of glittering, multicolored stone. Volcanic basalt columns now provided a home for all number of crystals and glass, tumbled clean by the sea. Every species of intelligent life came from all over the world to stay at Carnellia and enjoy the many hot springs and comfortable hotels. One of which was owned by Aster's parents.
Aster spent much of his time as a kid traversing the twisting and tumbling streets filled with brightly colored shops and smiling faces. He loved to sneak down to the docks when his parents weren't looking to catch a glimpse of the many colored sails that identified the ships in the wharf and the countries they came from. He would love to listen to stories about the world outside of Carnellia and meet people of all different species and ethnicities. He loved getting a glimpse a world full of vibrant colors and experiences beyond his scope of understanding. He could pass entire days at the docks, ducking in and out of warehouses and pestering sailors to see their ships, if not for his parents becoming very talented at hunting him down and dragging him back to the hotel to help out.
He and his siblings' main occupation was helping their parents manage the small hotel they owned. The Glass Kettle was a small, five room hotel and tavern at the edge of the city that was sought out for its relative obscurity, homely feel, and cheap prices compared to the inns near the city center. The hotel also boasted a wide array of local teas that were cultivated and made by Aster's family thanks to the small garden of tea leaves that crowded around the hotel in every space that could conceivably fit a plant. Aster and his family were the sole maintainers of the hotel, so they were often occupied by the work to be done there. Aster's parent and eldest brother kept charge of the kitchen and tavern area as well as handing the booking of musicians when the budget allowed it. Aster's mother took care of the many tea plants on the premises and handled the finances. His sister handled booking, food ordering, room keys, and maned the counter, while Aster and the next youngest brother cleaned and set up the rooms for the next guests (with the help of the parents of course). The business ran like a well-oiled machine and there were never vacancies lasting longer than a few days, so of course Aster was often bored and snuck out or pestered the guests as often as he could. With a life full of adventure and a lizard on his shoulder, Aster couldn't have been happier, and probably will never be that happy again.
When Aster was the age of eleven, there came a shift in the atmosphere. Instead of hearing about the mighty sea beasts the sailors fended from their ships or the wonderous towns and countries each person held dear, the docks and evenings at the hotel were filled with ominous talk. Rumors of marching companies and dark armies dulled the colors around him and quieted the crowds to hushed voices. Even his home was effected. Family meals were formally overlapped by the chatter of the day's activities, hotel finances, and the children's home studies. However, now Aster's parents and the eldest brother often talked to themselves with a heavy air of gloom around them that infected the other children with worry, and as days passed on, panic. Tensions filled every aspect of Aster's life as reports of the looming shadows and shredded battle fields grew closer and closer to Carnellia. Until, all at once, the tension boiled over.
Two months after Aster's thirteenth birthday, the time had come to face the unknown enemy. Canon fire woke Aster up at first light. The small military encampment that guarded Carnellia's shores exploded with activity. Seconds after the first round of discharge, Aster's parents gathered the children up and they hid in the back storeroom for what felt like forever. At every new volley, Aster's parent clasped their hands around his ears and held him tightly while his mother and oldest brother did the same for the others. After about six hours is when the canons finally stopped and the screaming started. Aster's parent immediately bundled him up as soon as the sounds of a ground invasion reached their ever-perked ears. His parents guided them out of the storeroom with a hushed urgency, into the back yard and out through the neighborhoods that resided at the very edge of the city limits. Once they passed the stone markers at the city limit, Aster's mother handed the next youngest's hand over to her partner, kissed them and the kids goodbye, then bolted back into the city. Aster would only come to figure out years later that she was formerly in the military and held up her duties to the crown. In the moment, however, all Aster could think to do was scream after her, which his parent had to immediately stop with a hand over the mouth.
They remained out of the city for 15 or so days before the battle came to a stop and it was safe enough to reenter. Aster would never forget that day. The dark stains of blood were visible in the streets, as rain had not come those days. Bloodied weaponry and armor lied scattered over the ground, both in colors he recognized and colors he did not. Including the colors he did not know were foreign soldiers that guided the survivors back into the town. Rather than being filled with excitement by the new faces from far away lands, Aster only felt dread. He would not full understand this feeling for a long time, but it would linger over him for the rest of his life. Eventually, they made it back to their home and hotel to find it ransacked, dark, and empty. Aster's mother never made it back.
After that day, Aster's life crumbled into anxiety and despair. He had to learn how to live an occupied life. The hotel crumbled as the tourist business dried up, and his parent took on work at the docks to keep the family afloat. His oldest brother and sister were drafted into the new force's army to keep pushing the conquest forward, towards which, Aster felt betrayed. The new governor of Carnellia let the city crumble. The poor became poorer and the rich became richer and the economy and enterprise were destroyed. Thousands were out of work, and the once bustling streets became home to every manor of seedy practices to get by. His parent passed in an accident while working at the docks, his brother and sister stopped sending letters one day and never came back, and his other brother fell into the underground work of the streets to be killed in a military bust of their hideout. At the age of 18, Aster was now alone.
Token Worth: 10 points [1269 word]
Previous Responses: none ^^
