════ ★ II ★ ════
The Cleanest of Curtains
The bustle taking hold of the edifice under repairs became as immutable a part of the scenery as the crashing waves themselves: it started along the early roosters' call and stretched well into the last dying rays of sunlight. Ferry lads manned cargo loads of everything Muree wanted out of Waveguide, it felt like the lighthouse was producing more trash to make up for the refuse being towed away. She accompanied some of those trips herself to pocket a few coins; Moonglow had competent albeit overpriced hands for hire.
She scanned the faces of the men and women crowding the courtyard, the indistinct chatter of a dozen voices filling the air with busy energy. Her brother's face was not among the ones she saw, though it was hardly a disappointment at that point. However, he wasn't whom she was looking for.
"Hey, you seen my sister around?" she asked a brawny ferrier sorting sacks of mortar.
"Aye, ma'am, last I saw 'er was down by tha pier."
Muree quickly took the steps downwards two at a time. The spiral path winded and she spotted Dee's frame knelt down among sets of wet curtains laid upon the boardwalk.
"There you are," Muree said, pulling her own hair into a tight ponytail due to the scorching heat. "You doin' the curtains?"
"Yes, they're a long way until we get the pristine white again," she said, scrubbing a large section over her lap.
"Right. So, everythin's fine, then?"
"Indeed," she looked up, offering a brief smile before setting her gaze back to the curtains.
"So no problem at all, eh?" Muree insisted, crouching by Dee's side with a groan. Her sister stopped scrubbing but didn't look up. "Gonna make me say it, yeah?"
"Muree, if you wish to speak, then speak". Dee wiped wicks of blonde hair off her forehead.
"Rather not, but folks in Jhelom told me what happened," she smiled, pursing her lips as she still sought Dee's downcast eyes. "So you did some yellin' I hear. Why?"
"Nothing good would come of it, you wouldn't understand."
"I reckon it's worth a shot! I may be dumb but-"
"You are not dumb!" she glanced up at once.
"Ha! Such pretty eyes, a pity I hardly see 'em," Muree smiled and cupped Dee's chin for a moment. "I'm jestin', though you and Mander are folks for the books. Not me. And speakin' of books...?", she raised an eyebrow, expectant.
"Alright, sister," she sighed, putting the brush down to fold hands by her lap. "I might have lost my temper at Jhelom's librarians at some point yesterday."
"Hmm," Muree nodded with a half-smirk. "Might?"
"Fine! By the Virtues, I yelled at them! Do you want me to spell every letter and feel even worse?"
"No, love, just want to know the story", she reached for Dee's hair and put it behind an ear.
"It's just-well, I went to deliver some laundry to Cornelius and took the opportunity to read and avoid the storm brewing. I have yet to read books elsewhere, so I picked one of the shelves and-"
"Dee, you're stallin'," Muree arched her brow and nodded.
"And-I sat down to read a fellow worshiper of the Virtues and realized they were lying in their accounts! Whoever this Autenil person is, it's unfathomable they have knavish tales published in public places for all eyes to see! It's deceiving and immoral, I'm appalled I'm the first to ever bring the issue to light!"
"Whoa, hold on! Whaddya mean, lying?"
"What other sense for the word -is- there? Indeed, this fake pursuer of Virtues states at one point that they gave away most material possessions whist seeking the Shrine of Spirituality, and in the very next passage they were headed to the Shrine of Honor and then miraculously they fought their way through the reeds and vegetation with an infamous rusty blade!"
"Sorry, I don't see-" Muree started.
"Sister, should they have a rusty blade to wield on their person, 'tis qualified as a weapon! They falsely state in clear words that they forsook both abilities and weapons to undertake this quest and it's a blatant lie, preserved in faulty work to be passed down to generations and mislead others in a quest for guidance!"
"I got it," Muree nodded. "It could be a mistake."
"Regardless! It's a very important subject, too important to pay heed to any self-absorbed pursuer of the faith to write nonsense in the guise of enlightenment! It makes me sick to my stomach!"
Neither of them spoke for a few minutes, while curious heads peeked from time to time up the top of the stairs.
"This stuff seems important," said Muree, scratching her neck.
"However-", but the older sister raised her finger and Dee didn't pursue her sentence.
"Serious as this is, bring it to Cornelius nicely, eh? He's a good chap and his business brings bread to our table."
"I mean to. I'm just...embarrassed. Humility is often the hardest virtue to embody", she rubbed her nose.
"Dear, you're plenty humble for the whole town, I say! If only Mander had a sliver in him, it'd be so much better," she rubbed her brow. "By the way, you haven't seen 'im around, have ya?"
"Not since last week," Dee shook her head.
"Surprise, surprise," Muree smiled and kissed her sister's forehead. "Now chin up and attack those curtains! Still a lotta crap waitin' for us, but we're gettin' there!"