Glade Noktoa
Yoshi
Oftentimes she found herself too exhausted to work too. Too bored to work. Whenever she didn't have a customer to tend to, she found herself resisting the urge to prod and pick at the blue gems embedded into her fur and skin. Beryl felt that there was an irony to the situation. She worked within a small craft store, jammed between two high rises. There were so many potential crafts and activities for those damn customers to choose from. The griffin bitterly thought of how the "guests" favorite pass time though, was arguing with her about the prices of the products. Back and forth between her and a customer was common, if not between a coworker and customer the next register over. "You could save 100 percent if you didn't buy this stuff at all." Beryl often mouthed in the way a griffin could. Thankfully it only came across as barely audible clicks. Her supervisor would have none of this, however. Not as long as there was some way to milk these old, bitter cash cows of every penny they had. Guernseys had to be the worst by far.
By the time she was done with a work day of dealing with ungrateful anima, she was too exhausted to do much of anything leisurely. If she were lucky, Beryl would have the stamina to pick up a little around her apartment at the end of the day. The evening she finally got home was not going to be one of those days, however, after working a dreadful ten-hour shift. Dragging her curly-furred tail behind her as she entered her apartment, she locked the door behind her and made a beeline for her couch. She let out a heavy sigh as she turned on her television, staring blankly at the screen. She was only halfway aware of the fact that she didn't really want to watch what was currently on, but she couldn't be bothered to push the channel buttons.
She sat there for what was easily a couple of hours, entirely unmoving. Beryl lacked the energy to do anything for her living quarters or herself, yet there was a creeping thought in the back of her head that made her feel like she was forgetting something. As the night went on, the programming on the television changed to a boring, gimmicky infomercial. This was enough motivation for Beryl to finally turn the thing off. She rose, dragging her paws to her tiny bedroom down the hall, entering her bedroom and flopping onto her bed to rest for what wouldn't be nearly long enough.
Beryl was awoken once during the night. Her blurry vision read 3AM on the clock on her night stand. She knew she had the day off, but she felt her plans for relaxation crush when she tuned into the ringing of her phone. Was it her asshole of a manager calling her last minute to open the store? A heavy sigh escaped her beak as she dragged herself from her bed to fetch her phone off the desk across the room. It was a method that worked 90 percent of the time to get her out of bed, putting the phone well out of reach so that she would have to get up for it eventually. A part of her wished she had turned her phone off before going to sleep, that way her annoying boss couldn't call her in for overtime again.
After retrieving her phone from the desk, she stared blankly at the screen. The name of a friend was displayed instead, and she hesitated before answering. "Hello?" rasped from Beryl's beak when she finally bought it upon herself to answer the call.
"Hey sleepy!!" A voice chirped on the other line. "You still have off today and tomorrow, right?"
"Oh, yeah. For now at least." Beryl muttered right before a prolonged yawn. "So you made it to Rilarko already?"
"Yes, ma'am!!" The voice exclaimed. The enthusiasm that oozed through the phone was enough to push Beryl's buttons. How did this friend she met online possibly have so much energy? "We're outside, let's go now before you get called in!"
Beryl didn't respond. Instead, she hurriedly walked over to her window. Throwing the curtains open, she looked down onto the sidewalk a few stories below. Her beak shaped itself into a frown when she saw two griffins standing below, illuminated by a street lamp a few yards away. The wingless griffin holding a phone in one forepaw was balancing on her hindlegs, waving up at Beryl's window. The other griffin next to her looked far less erratic, glancing around uncomfortably.
"What are you doing?!" Beryl squawked into the phone, simultaneously pointing down to the griffins as she looked out the window. While she remembered she made plans to hang out with her friends, this wasn't what she had in mind. "I'm not even groomed-- it's three in the morning!"
The griffin she was conversating with sat herself into a more proper position. "Eh, don't worry about it." She spoke into the phone. "We're gonna take the train to Bridgelyn and go swimmin'! C'mooon!"
Beryl's eyes narrowed. Bridgelyn?! Even on the bullet train, it would take at least 12 hours to get there. Suddenly, it hit her. The nagging thought she had the evening prior to passing out the evening prior made itself known again. She was supposed to be packing in order to visit Bridgelyn for a day. "I'll... be out in a minute. Hang on." With that, Beryl hung up her phone and pulled her curtain closed. She sat on her floor, staring around her apartment.
Her options were either to bring only her carry bag which she had dropped by her door on the way in for supplies, or to call the entire thing off. Both options had their consequences. Staying behind would leave the guilt over the fact that her friends had travelled across the providence to bring her with them, and going would mean little to no time to catch up on rest. "I can sleep on the train, I guess." Beryl sighed, dragging her paws out of her room and heading towards her apartment's door.
After packing a few additional supplies into her carry bag and strapping it to her torso, she locked up her apartment and left the building a few minutes after her phone conversation. The cold air embraced her as she met up with her friends. Harlequin, the one who had called her, was a wingless griffin with red and black markings similar to those of a red panda. She was notably the shortest and more heavy set of the three griffins. The second griffin, Benni, looked very much like an average griffin, minus two small horns that protruded from her head. The couple often travelled, never staying in one providence for long. How the two afforded this, Beryl never bought herself to ask, nor would she admit that she was a bit envious.
Their trip to the train station was uneventful. The trio had opted to walk the mile or so to get there, rather than spending more money on a taxi. Flying wasn't an option, despite Harlequin insisting she would catch up. Once the three griffins arrived, they were quickly able to pay for round trip train tickets from Rilarko to their destination. As time went on, Beryl found herself hungry as well. She stubbornly fasted through most of the train ride, again wanting to spend as little as possible. Eventually, she had given into buying something small, a cheap bag of chips to hold her over. Cheap compared to the rest of the food served, at the very least.
They griffins finally reached Bridgelyn at three in the afternoon. After offboarding the train, they made their way towards one of the inns that was right next to the beach. A multitude of seagulls could be heard squawking in the distance, the sound in perfect harmony with the waves that lapped onto the shore. However, Beryl found herself so worn out that she barely had the strength to be happy about it. The scenery of the sun reflecting off the ocean waves was beautiful, yet Beryl's expression was neutral at best.
Beryl found herself conflicted on if she was more upset in the end due to not taking in their trip fully, or the fact that her friends went out of their way to bring her here. As her companions spoke with a clerk about temporary boarding for half a day, Beryl found herself spacing out any conversations. She knew she needed the air, and to get away from Rilarko, if only for a little while. Instead of enjoying her trip, she found herself riddled with anxiety. Would she be able to make it home in time to prepare for work in the evening the next day? Would she have to leave sooner and fly home? Maybe she should just leave now.
"Guess she doesn't wanna go on the tour, huh."
A voice finally cut through the thick fog that clouded Beryl's mind. She blinked, stunned at Harlequin's voice and confused about whatever she was talking about. "Huh?!"
"The tour!" Harlequin spoke, the lack of detail in her statement being evidence that she was now repeating herself. "We got here just in time for it, do you wanna go!? They'll take us through the town to see some local shops, then to another beach where we can get a nice big meal."
"Uh." Beryl was finding it difficult to process anything Harlequin was talking about. "I think I'll pass. I don't think I'll be able to keep up... I think I just want some air, in all honesty." She found the slightest relief when Harlequin didn't beg for her to participate, glad that she wouldn't have to tag along.
"Alrighty! What about you Benni!? Or are you going to take a nap?"
Benni remained silent as she glanced around the inn, making a decision. "I think a walk sounds nice, actually. Not the tour, though. You can go ahead, Harley. We can meet back up here later. I'll put our bags in our room."
Harlequin nodded, accepting the plans the three of them would be doing that afternoon. "See you later! Oooh, can you take pictures for me too?"
Benni let out a light chuckle. "Sure, I'll take pictures. See you later." Beryl stood still as her companions parted ways, with Harlequin bounding off towards a crowd that was beginning to gather, and Benni headed inside the inn to secure their bags. Benni had taken Beryl's satchel too on request, and Beryl found a bit of relief without having something strapped to her torso for the time being. When the second griffin returned, Beryl couldn't help but ask "Did you mean you wanted to take a walk with me?"
A simple nod was Benni's initial response. "You don't mind, do you? If you wanted to be alone, it's fine."
"Oh-- no I didn't mean to come off like that. I wouldn't mind any company." Beryl was slightly embarrassed, feeling that she may have come off as too abrasive. "You don't want to spend time with your girlfriend, though?"
Benni looked momentarily perplexed. "Well, we travel together all the time. A couple of hours apart won't hurt anything."
"Good point, that's fair enough." Beryl looked around to figure out which direction the duo should head off in. The beach was too crowded for her liking, however there was a cliffside she could see some distance away. "Let's head up there." The grey colored griffin pointed with a forepaw. "It should be a nice view from up there. And less crowded as well."
The two set out towards the cliff, having to head into dense undergrowth to get there. Although flying would have been a much easier option, the griffins decided to against it. Benni found herself enjoying the scenery, stopping to take pictures frequently with a phone. She attempted to conversate with Beryl on several occasions, but something was wrong. The most she would get as a response was an "Oh, cool.", otherwise displaying disinterest.
As much as Benni wanted to shrug off the shorthanded responses, she couldn't help but be bothered. Neither griffins had many other friends, and Benni knew this for a fact. To see one of her friends behaving this way was a cause of concern for her. Beryl had shown disinterest in the entire trip the moment they left Rilarko. She found it odd, considering that many phone conversations ended up focusing on Bridgelyn. She didn't expect Beryl to be nearly as excitable as her girlfriend, but the lack of any emotion was beginning to bother Benni as well. Usually, it was Benni's job to be the 'calm, unresponsive one' among any group.
Within a couple of hours, Beryl and Benni finally reached the top of the cliff that they had set out for. The area was surprisingly lush and green, aside from a few feet away from the edge of the cliff. When they arrived, Benni watched Beryl walk to where the grassy patch ended, sloppily sitting herself down. Benni walked up next to her and sat too, still not speaking a word to her friend. She took more pictures with her phone, however was only half interested in her task. Whenever given the chance, she glanced at Beryl from the side of her eyes, taking in her posture expression.
Beryl was slouched over, her gaze unfocused and overall appearing bored with the entire situation. Or perhaps frustrated? Sad? Likely a mixture of both, and they were emotions Benni had seen in herself oftentimes. "Beryl? What's wrong?" Benni finally spoke, cutting through the heavy silence with what felt like a dull blade.
Beryl had a stoic expression as she turned her head towards Benni. "Nothing?" she responded, both put off and confused by the sudden question. "What makes you think something is wrong?"
"You've seemed pretty miserable since we've got here." Benni stated, looking looking back at Beryl.
"I'm fine. Just..." Beryl cut herself off. "Nevermind. Just a lot going on, is all."
Benni continued to look at Beryl, not at all satisfied with the answer that she got. "If you don't want to talk about it, it's fine." She began. "But if something's wrong, at least let one of us know. It's, honestly, pretty obvious you're not having a good time here."
Beryl's fur visibly rose at the accusations, although they were true. While it would have been nice if she had been warned of the trip ahead of time-- 'We did plan this? Remember??' Beryl thought angrily to herself. Her mind had been so murky with stress that she forgot about their plans. There was nobody to blame but herself. She opened her beak, ready to come up with an excuse regardless, but no words came out of her beak. Instead, she closed her beak and hunched her posture over even more.
"Me and Harley can both tell that you're not happy." Benny continued, stating matter of factly. "I can read it in your body language. You're constantly tired. We both know you wanted to come to Bridgelyn for years now. But ever since we got here, it seems as if you've dreaded it."
Beryl flattened her ears against her head as she heard this. The concept of being an open book made Beryl uncomfortable, although she couldn't deny anything Benni just said. "What am I supposed to do then??" she huffed out. "It's not like I can just-- up and leave. I.."
"Why can't you?" Benni pressed on. She was making Beryl uncomfortable, she knew this. However, she was also the griffin's friend and felt she needed the push.
"I have a job! And I'm renting that apartment downtown! And--"
"You're working a job that you hate, and you're paying a premium for a single bedroom apartment?" Beryl snapped her head in Benni's direction, yet she continued. "Have you asked yourself if any of that worth hanging onto?"
An uncomfortable silence fell between the two griffins. Beryl turned her head away, glaring out at the sea. The only sounds that either heard for a few minutes were the waves rolling in and retreating from the shoreline, along with the call of gulls. The occasional joyful shriek sounded from an anima as they ran along the shore line. Beryl finally stood up, refusing to look at the spotted griffin. "I'm going to go for a walk. I'll catch up to you and Harlequin later."
Benni nodded her head, standing to her feet as well. "Sure thing, see you later." The two griffins parted ways. Benni turned around and began walking the way they had come up the cliff, and Beryl opened her wings, leaping from the cliff's edge. The flaps of Beryl's wings were sporadic as she soared down towards the beach, with the air from the sea breeze keeping her afloat. When she finally decided to land, she had easily travelled a couple of miles from the cliff and the most populated areas of the beach.
It was well into the evening by this point, made apparent by the red and purple hues that were bold in the sky. The sun was distant, and the sky was the lightest around this point with colors gradually darkening. Beryl found herself staring out at this view, walking along the shore. Each step left moderately sized pawprints, brushed over and slightly distorted as her oversized tail dragged across them. The griffin found herself attempting to stop and shake the wet sand from her paws occasionally, but it became apparent that the attempts were futile. While she had been shaking her back paw, she kicked something up from the sand which made her pause.
Beryl turned around to see what the tips of her claws had struck. Something with a rounded edge peeked from beneath the sand, in which Beryl turned around to pick it up with a forepaw. It was a half of an abalone shell, with one side being rigid and pearlescent, and the other side having rippled, iridescent colors. The griffin found herself fascinated with this natural object. In a sense, it reminded her of the kitsch crafts at the store she worked at back in Rilarko, however this was much more beautiful. She turned the shell half over in her paws, suddenly deep in thought over her conversation she had with Benni.
'I hate Rilarko' she bitterly mused to herself, her grip tightening on the shell she picked up. She had been so absorbed in returning to Rilarko, that she hadn't taken in much of Bridgelyn at all. The scenery, the anima, everything was so different and breathtaking compared to what she was used to. The thought of leaving Bridgelyn now made Beryl upset. So much so that her vision blurred, and soon enough tears rolled down her face and the sides of her beak. It felt like she was living in either a soul crushing dream, or a tragedy film. As beautiful as things looked now, she knew what the ending would be. Within a couple of hours, she would be back on the train to Rilarko, have a restless sleep, and once again feel trapped within a craft store in the middle of the providence. She could visualize the events step by step, and yet this did nothing to soothe the pain she felt herself overwhelmed with. Another thought entered Beryl's mind at this point. It was so small that Beryl was prepared to shrug it off in that instant, but instead the thought made itself louder. It grew into an idea, a crazy one, but then manifested into a plan.
'Stay here.'
A voice sounded from somewhere in the distance, quickly growing louder by the second. Someone was shouting her name. Beryl briskly rubbed her face on her foreleg, fear of being caught experiencing a breakdown. When she turned towards the source of the sound, she saw a red and black wingless griffin bounding towards her from the direction Beryl had come from. It was the ever cheerful Harlequin, who's gait was awkward due to two satchels loosely strapped to either side of her torso.
"There you are!!" Harlequin squawked out when she finally caught up to Beryl. As she gasped for air, she slid off one of the satchels she had been carrying it. Once off, she held it in her forepaws as she perched herself on her back legs. "Benni said you'd meet us, but it's been hours!"
A frown made its way onto Beryl's beak. She looked around, taking a moment to glance out towards the ocean. While it did indeed appear that the sun had set more, Beryl had a slight suspicion it hadn't been hours. She did know Harlequin to be one to exaggerate often. She figured it was best to go along with it, rather than argue with the other griffin. The last thing she needed was more upset. "Thanks for bringing me my bag." Beryl spoke, reaching out towards Harlequin who quickly handed over the satchel. Beryl strapped the bag around her torso, placing the abalone seashell she picked up earlier inside of it. "Sorry for taking so long. I was meaning to meet back up with you and Benni, but I got a bit sidetracked..."
"Hey, no biggie!!" Harlequin happily chirped, seemingly endless in energy. "Ready to go eat? Once we do we can get you back to Rilarko!"
"Actually..." Beryl averted her gaze, looking off to the side. "I think I'll stay here."
"Huh? But don't you have to work?" Harlequin tilted her head to the side.
Beryl started to nod in response, however stopped herself. She briskly shook her head instead. "I hate it in Rilarko." Beryl firmly spoke, voicing her thoughts from earlier. "Living there has made miserable for years. I don't think I can go back there. I can't go back. Tell Benni that I said thank you, she helped me to finally accept that I don't need to trap myself there. I hope she doesn't feel like she's made me upset. She's pretty good in knowing that babying me gets nowhere..." After a brief pause, she turned her head towards Harlequin. "Thank you too, Harlequin. I know you went out of your way to bring me here, and I appreciate it."
As Harlequin listened, her tail lightly swayed behind her the entire time. She knew this to be unusual of Beryl, as far as any sort of impulsive decision. She couldn't help but wonder what her girlfriend had said to Beryl to spark this sudden change in demeanor. "You sure you don't want to travel around Genobia with us!?" She finally spoke. "It'll be fun!"
For the first time in what felt like ages, a small smile spread across Beryl's beak. Leave it to Harlequin to outdo anyone in outlandishness. "I think that would be pushing things, but thanks. I'll reach out to you though, if I think I'm stuck. Come back and visit sometime though? We can all go on that tour you went on earlier, if you wanted to."
At this, Harlequin eagerly nodded her head. "Sounds good!!" She stopped wiggling about momentarily to look straight on at Beryl. It was now her turn to show a bout of unusual behavior, as far as being serious went. "Don't know what you have planned, but take care of yourself, okay?"
"I'll try." Beryl responded, nodding her head as well. At this, Harlequin returned to her loose, upbeat gait. Without another word, Harlequin began running back in the direction she had come from. Beryl watched her run off, seeing her figure become smaller and more distant until she could no longer see her friend. Alone once again, she let out a long sigh before beginning to head back herself. She figured at the very least, she could stay at the inn for a couple of days.
Beryl's trip would have been significantly quicker if she had flown, however she wanted to allow herself to take in the changing scenery as the night gradually took over. Hearing nothing but waves, her thoughts from earlier gradually became louder in her mind.
'I'll stay here and start over.'
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