“Oh pssh, silly human girl! It’s half past the hour of the sun’s rising and here you lie in bed, being lazy as usual.” Michiko spouted back in a similar tone of voice although her eyes as well showed her humor. Placing her hands on her hips, Michiko eyed the lump under the covers that was her adopted sister Jolena, dubiously. Staring intently at the form shaking with laughter openly now, Michiko gave a soft snort of laughter, and flopped down onto the bed next to Jolena. Chuckling to herself, she stretched her arms up above her head and sighed with content. “Aye, well. I spose the sun does bring its gaze upon us too early in the day anyhow... “ she mused to herself just as Jolena’s head, her deep scarlet curls wildly disarrayed from her slumber, poked up from under the edge of the cover. “Yes, yes it does!” Jolena exclaimed victoriously before giggling to herself and climbing out from under the comfort of her covers with a brief sigh to lie beside Michiko on her small bed.
How far from all in my past this feels, Jolena thought to herself as she relaxed against her bed and placed her arms above her head in a similar fashion as Michiko had. Closing her eyes for a moment, she thought back through the last five years of her young life. Her mother had passed away when she was but seven years old and she had been left to a similar fate had it not been for the kindness of Ariond Goldenwave, a sylvan man who had found her there in that glade asleep and near death from the cold. Ariond was now her adopted father. He had consulted with his family, which included Michiko, and they had all agreed to take her into their home as their own. Jolena smiled to herself as memories of the years she had spent with her new sister Michiko flooded her mind. Memories of playing, laughing and learning how to forage in the flower-filled field beside their house in the city of Shariquen, the sylvan city in the trees that she had come to call her home.
Breaking herself from her silent thoughts, Jolena pushed away from the pillow and swiftly yanked it out from behind her back, smacking Michiko’s unsuspecting face and giggling wildly. “Well let’s go then sylph! We have things to do! Work to accomplish! And I have a butt whooping to give you as well, don’t forget!” she exclaimed to her just as Michiko was reaching for her own pillow. With a loud laugh, Jolena hopped off of the bed and dropped her pillow, turning to her nightstand to get her pants and bodice for the day. Cocking her head over her shoulder at Michiko she said “Shoo! Let me get dressed and be prepared to lose today missy!” and had to fight her grin when she saw Michiko standing there with a determined and slightly miffed expression on her slender face. “Oh I’ll be waiting, alright. Don’t think you can get over on a sylvan lass, MISSY” she mocked at Jolena before sashaying purposefully out of Jolena’s bedroom.
Exiting her room, Jolena moved down the hallway of their home to Michiko’s room with a glint in her eyes, thinking of the upcoming adventures for the day with eagerness. Michiko had been the one to teach her the majority of her lessons so far and she had grown quite close to the sylvan girl. Even though they were quite a few years apart in age, Michiko being the oldest, they had a great deal in common and shared a similar love of mischief. Jolena knocked rapidly upon Michiko’s door and with a smirk,