Mama's Letter (Hugo)

---

With a few final flaps of large red wings, Hugo touched down on the cobbled street into a light jog. As his pace transitioned into a casual walk, he gave his shoulders a roll. Though he’d made the flight from Lyndon Port to Engloria many times, it never failed to leave a slight soreness in his wings and back. Maybe it was more windy today, as the ache made him curl his lip for a moment.

As if he didn’t have a care in the world, the avian ambled up the steps of the Adventurer’s Guild hall. A dramatic sigh left his lips as he looked at the doors. Hugo loved visiting the guild when he was seeking other jobs to do or a meal on one of his travels, but it was the worst place to deliver to. Job listings were easy to drop off, but people often sent personal letters to the guild with no information about whether or not the person was there. Several times he’d had to ask around for hours just to find the recipient of the mail he was carrying. With the noise he was hearing behind those doors, it seemed like another one of those days.

Pushing his way inside, Hugo pulled a handful of letters from the satchel strung around his shoulder. Flipping through them, it seemed that all but one were job listings addressed to the guild. He walked to the back of the room, having to dodge a group of adventurers on the way who didn’t seem to notice he was in their path. Usually there was a guild member at the desk at the back, but nobody was there today. With a shrug, Hugo left the guild’s mail in the center of the desk. Turning back to face the room, he read the name on the one remaining envelope: Cassidi.

“Really, no last name?” the avian groaned. That only made his job several times harder. With a defeated hunch of his shoulders, Hugo approached a group of adventurers having a heated conversation at one of the tables in the center of the hall. Clearing his throat, he held up a finger to interject. “Are any of you Cassidi?” he asked. Silence fell among the group. Hugo waited for an answer, but got nothing but annoyed glances. After an extended awkward silence, he got the hint. “Alright, alright, I get it,” he said, backing away with his hands held up defensively.

Approaching a group of younger looking adventurers squabbling over the job listing board, he tried to get their attention. “Hey, are any of you Cassidi?” he asked, but their voices drowned him out. “Do. You. Guys. Know. A. Cassidi?” he asked again, drawing his words out slower and trying to speak louder. Failure, again. With a defeated sigh, he took a seat at a nearby empty table. “I deserve some pie after this,” he grumbled to himself, putting his scruffy blond head in his hands.

Post WC: 496 ▩ Thread WC: 913 ▩ Tagged:  @Cassidi   ▩ Music: -  

---

A hesitant female voice broke Hugo from his woeful daydreams about pie. The avian whipped his head up with his eyebrows raised as the voice claimed to be Cassidi. Standing by the table was a woman with white hair, taller than he - though most people were. She seemed confused as to why he was searching for her, as well as a little nervous. All of that went right over Hugo’s head.

“Oh thank Fleuve’ir,” the young man sighed to himself. The dread of having to search for the letter’s recipient vanished at once. It was his lucky day, she had found him instead! “Hello Cassidi!” he greeted, leaping to his feet from the seat at the table. “I don’t need anything from you, quite the opposite actually. My name is Hugo, your friendly neighborhood mail deliverer!” he puffed out his chest a little while pointing a thumb at himself. A friendly grin crossed his face. He picked up the letter from the table, presenting it to the woman with a flourish. “And this is for you!”

Post WC: 177 ▩ Thread WC: 1,090 ▩ Tagged:  @Cassidi   ▩ Music: Link  

---

Hugo watched with interest as Cassidi took the letter from his hand and began to open it. Seeing people’s reactions to reading their mail was entertaining, and he made it a game for himself to guess what they were reading. He would never snoop, so he just let his imagination run wild instead. The woman’s confused expression changed to a smile, then a grin that he couldn’t help but mirror.

“No problem at all,” he replied to her gratuitous words. “I’m glad I could help it get to you.” It must have been something important if it had changed her countenance this much.

“Aw, shucks,” Hugo said as she offered him a vyldergold tip, running a hand through his scruffy hair. “Thanks.” His mom, who was also his boss, allowed deliverers to accept tips, but the young avian always felt awkward about taking people’s money. It made him feel guilty in a way. People sometimes got offended when he didn’t take the tip though, so it was an internal battle of his own feelings and wanting to make the customer happy.

An idea jumped to his mind as he accepted the money, a way to accept the money but not feel guilty about it. “Say, would you want to go get some pie with me?” asked the ever-friendly avian. “I was planning on hitting up Predigio Bakery on my way out of town anyway.” Social appearances be damned (or unknowingly ignored), he would spend time with any stranger who seemed friendly enough. Hugo was the type to love the company of anyone regardless of how well he knew them.

Post WC: 269 ▩ Thread WC: X ▩ Tagged:  @Cassidi   ▩ Music: Link  

---

“‘Course,” Hugo replied with a casual downward wave of his hand. He had no problem at all inviting strangers to hang out with him. Over time he’d found that they were more likely to open up to the idea if he took the lead and just went for it. It wasn’t in his nature to worry about what others thought about his forwardness.

“Cool beans! Let’s head there,” the avian said with a grin as she agreed. He’d half expected her to turn down his offer. Cassidi seemed rather nervous, but maybe some pie would change that! Hugo stood from his seat and gestured for her to walk with him towards the door of the guild hall.

“Hmmm,” he mused as they left the building, scratching at the faint scruff on his chin. “I like a good banana cream pie, but sometimes they have seasonal or specialty pies. Maybe they’ll have something that’s new to both of us!” The avian walked with his hands in his pockets and extended his wings out a little more than they had been while inside. The two probably looked like quite the odd pair, especially with him having such a small stature and vibrant red feathers.

“So where ya from, Cass? Can I call you Cass?” Hugo asked, looking up at her.

Post WC: 218 ▩ Thread WC: 2,151 ▩ Tagged: @Cassidi ▩ Music: Link

---

“Oh, nice,” Hugo replied casually, but internally he grew a little worried. If she was from the Outer Realm, did that mean Cassidi was an Eldritch? He didn’t hate Eldritch, but he was rather terrified of them due to some pretty awful bullying he received some years ago in school. Due to his size, he was often the prime target for jerks to pick on, and most of them had been Eldritch. The avian tried not to let his nervousness show, though. Cass seemed nice and he didn’t want to hurt her feelings.

“Yup, I’m Hugo! I’m from Avalon Islands, but I travel a lot,” he explained, suddenly missing the warm tropical heat. There was no greater feeling than an ocean breeze under his wings. “No, I am part of the AG,” he abbreviated the name like the lazy bird he was. “When I bring mail to the guild hall I look for jobs to take between deliveries. Mostly easy stuff.” He shrugged nonchalantly.

“Hey, we’re here!” They had turned onto a busier street and just down the block was Predigio Bakery. The heavenly scent of pastries wafted through the air around the building. “It’s pie time!” he cheered with a grin at Cassidi.

Post WC: 207 ▩ Thread WC: 913 ▩ Tagged: @Cassidi ▩ Music: Link