A few weeks ago, I did a writing analysis exercise and discovered that I needed to practice writing organic, unstructured, or chaotic conversations—especially when it's a group of people that are emotionally charged. When I had to pick a scene to update, I thought of chapter 3 immediately.
I hope this gives you a small taste of who Iris' friends are.
As they approached, Iris could see Reed quickly run a hand through his perpetually disheveled blonde hair, while Fern stood quietly beside him, her dark eyes bright with anticipation. Briar practically bounced on his feet.
“I’ve got the best idea for us to do for the seasonal celebration.” He raised his hands, fingers splayed. “There’s five of us, right?” He looked at each of his friends, lingering on each one for a moment. “And there’s five schools of harmony, right?”
He smiled broadly and waited. Seeing the blank look on Iris’ face, his shoulders sagged and his smile faded. “I say we all learn a simple harmony from each Arbory and find a way to perform them together. No one’s ever done that before.”
Laurel and Iris looked at each other for several heartbeats while the Resonance Fountain hummed warmly, filling the silence.
Laurel spoke first. “Um… I’m not sure—”
“I’ve been practicing the Light of Stoneleaf all week.” Reed glanced at Briar. “Jasper at the Arbory of Fir helped me get started.”
Briar’s smile warmed again. “Exactly! I’m thinking Laurel, you can learn Birch, Fern can do an Oak one…”
As he continued to rattle off his brilliant idea, Fern crossed her arms and turned her head to Iris. Their eyes briefly met and Fern rolled her eyes and shook her head.
Iris’ lips pressed together with a suppressed smile.
“…and if we all pick one that deals with the same harmonic concept, then I think we can create—”
Laurel held up her hands and said, “Wait a minute. Just wait. How could we possibly know they share harmonic concepts?”
“Well, so Reed is learning Light of Stoneleaf which illuminates. Someone else could learn the Ash song of Thread Sight which shows luminous threads to appear between connections. We all learn something that deals with light, then I bet they could build on each other and—”
“That’s not how Harmony works, Briar.” Fern’s hands clenched beneath her crossed arms.
Briar blinked at her. Behind them, the fountain’s cascade sharpened — a brief vibrato threading through the elm wood harmonics before settling.
“Says who?”
“Everyone.” Fern waved her arms around at no one in particular.
Briar turned his gaze on Iris, and her eyes widened. “What do you think, Iris? You’re the smart one, even if—” Now his eyes widened.
“I mean, you’re the one who could help us pull this off”. Looking sideways at Fern, he ran a hand across the back of his neck.
All eyes turned to Iris, except Laurel who suddenly found an empty bench fascinating.
Iris cleared her throat and breathed in. “I’m not going to the celebration.”
Briar opened his mouth, but no words came out.
Reed took a step, as if he’d been pushed.
Fern uncrossed her arms, and the frown that had been directed at Briar until now disappeared.
Watching their faces fall, Iris couldn’t speak immediately. “I have to leave the Arbory in the morning to—”
Reed’s eyes flared. “They’ve dismissed you from the Arbory?” His voice lowered further. “On what grounds?”
Iris raised her hand and said, “No, it’s not that.”
Absorbing the news, no one spoke while drops of water in the fountain created short, sharp notes.
Fern raised her eyebrow. “Sorrel Evershade, hm? I’ve heard of her before.”
Wheeling around to face her, Iris asked, “What? How?”
“When my mother was younger, she was part of a Birch expedition to Salthaven in the eastern fjords. The group spent days there listening to a woman ask the townsfolk the strangest questions and exploring the rocky shoreline, even though nothing was there. It was Sorrel.”
Iris stared at her.
“Apparently she was quite famous in our parents’ days at the Arbories—in an unsavory way.”
