The Augustin Family
Mom gets angry a lot. It's why she left dad. It's why she left Galley Village.
Okay, I know The Librarian is usually the one explaining things, but this is my family, okay? So who better to explain than me? And don't say my sister
Hailey Agustin
by ArtbreederHi, that's me. I'm fourteen, and I live on the Bray River, upriver of Rayl, which is where my parents work and I go to school. I'm Tenganaw, like the rest of my family, so I can do magic with water and plants. Mom's been teaching me since I was little, but she always tells me I'm too young to be using it. Because people in Rayl still think the Tenganaw are just mermaids that lure sailors to their deaths, and if they find out about us, they'll want to kill us. At least it means I'm really good at science and I know a lot about the rivers and the plants around here. I can even kayak down the river to reach the town. Most people take horses, but kayaks are usually faster. And you don't have to feed them.
Tollak Augustin
Tollak is my sister. She's named after the old god of truth. My dad's really into mythology, so he came up with the name. I guess people used to think that when you named your kids after the gods, they would bless them, but I haven't noticed anything special about her.
She's twelve years older than me because mom and dad broke up and got back together between having her and having me. She lives in Rayl and works at Ashford's Antiques, which she doesn't really like all that much. Her boss is really weird and has a special case of things only he's allowed to sell. And she gets bored, so I go visit her. When my parents let me.
by Artbreeder
Renee Agustin
by ArtbreederOur mother's name is Renee, and she's the other person in the family who can do Tenganaw magic. She taught it to me and Tollak. She works at the doctor's office in Rayl and she probably knows more about medicine than he does. She grew up in Galley Village, a Tenganaw village upriver from our house. Only she calls it Gallows Village. She wanted more freedom, so she moved away. She came back to the river, but not to the village. She still doesn't like to go there if she doesn't have to, and she needs any Perfume Plants, she usually sends me to get it for her. I don't mind, but it's a little ironic that she wanted freedom, but won't give me any.
Hugo Augustin
Our father's name is Hugo, and he's one of the teachers at my school. He met mom in Kaplan after she left Galley Village. They fell in love, and Tollak was born. They were happy for a couple of years, but I guess that changed after a while because mom left him and came back to the river. Ten or so years later, they ran into one another again, and got together again. I'm the result. They don't really talk about why they split up in the first place, but it's hard to imagine them being that mad at each other. I don't think I know anyone more in love then my parents. It's kind of gross. He's not actually Tenganaw, but he's not freaked out that we do magic. He probably thought it was cool, since he likes mythology so much.
by Artbreeder
by Artbreeder
Hi, that's me. I'm fourteen, and I live on the Bray River, upriver of Rayl, which is where my parents work and I go to school. I'm Tenganaw, like the rest of my family, so I can do magic with water and plants. Mom's been teaching me since I was little, but she always tells me I'm too young to be using it. Because people in Rayl still think the Tenganaw are just mermaids that lure sailors to their deaths, and if they find out about us, they'll want to kill us. At least it means I'm really good at science and I know a lot about the rivers and the plants around here. I can even kayak down the river to reach the town. Most people take horses, but kayaks are usually faster. And you don't have to feed them.
Tollak is my sister. She's named after the old god of truth. My dad's really into mythology, so he came up with the name. I guess people used to think that when you named your kids after the gods, they would bless them, but I haven't noticed anything special about her.
She's twelve years older than me because mom and dad broke up and got back together between having her and having me. She lives in Rayl and works at Ashford's Antiques, which she doesn't really like all that much. Her boss is really weird and has a special case of things only he's allowed to sell. And she gets bored, so I go visit her. When my parents let me.
by Artbreeder
Renee Agustin
by ArtbreederOur mother's name is Renee, and she's the other person in the family who can do Tenganaw magic. She taught it to me and Tollak. She works at the doctor's office in Rayl and she probably knows more about medicine than he does. She grew up in Galley Village, a Tenganaw village upriver from our house. Only she calls it Gallows Village. She wanted more freedom, so she moved away. She came back to the river, but not to the village. She still doesn't like to go there if she doesn't have to, and she needs any Perfume Plants, she usually sends me to get it for her. I don't mind, but it's a little ironic that she wanted freedom, but won't give me any.
Hugo Augustin
Our father's name is Hugo, and he's one of the teachers at my school. He met mom in Kaplan after she left Galley Village. They fell in love, and Tollak was born. They were happy for a couple of years, but I guess that changed after a while because mom left him and came back to the river. Ten or so years later, they ran into one another again, and got together again. I'm the result. They don't really talk about why they split up in the first place, but it's hard to imagine them being that mad at each other. I don't think I know anyone more in love then my parents. It's kind of gross. He's not actually Tenganaw, but he's not freaked out that we do magic. He probably thought it was cool, since he likes mythology so much. by Artbreeder
by Artbreeder
Our mother's name is Renee, and she's the other person in the family who can do Tenganaw magic. She taught it to me and Tollak. She works at the doctor's office in Rayl and she probably knows more about medicine than he does. She grew up in Galley Village, a Tenganaw village upriver from our house. Only she calls it Gallows Village. She wanted more freedom, so she moved away. She came back to the river, but not to the village. She still doesn't like to go there if she doesn't have to, and she needs any Perfume Plants, she usually sends me to get it for her. I don't mind, but it's a little ironic that she wanted freedom, but won't give me any.
Our father's name is Hugo, and he's one of the teachers at my school. He met mom in Kaplan after she left Galley Village. They fell in love, and Tollak was born. They were happy for a couple of years, but I guess that changed after a while because mom left him and came back to the river. Ten or so years later, they ran into one another again, and got together again. I'm the result. They don't really talk about why they split up in the first place, but it's hard to imagine them being that mad at each other. I don't think I know anyone more in love then my parents. It's kind of gross. He's not actually Tenganaw, but he's not freaked out that we do magic. He probably thought it was cool, since he likes mythology so much.
by Artbreeder
by Artbreeder
The Augustin House
I live with my parents on the Bray River, upriver from Rayl and downriver from Galley Village. My mom actually built the place. Well, she had it built. I don't know how much she worked on it personally.
It's a small place, with two bedrooms--one for my parents, and one for me (Tollak and I shared as kids.) Our kitchen is filled with plants because that's how we do a lot of our magic. And it looks like a one-story house from the front, but the back sits on stilts in the river. There's a staircase that takes you right down to the water, where we dock our kayaks.
by Artbreeder
The river itself is wide, but fairly gentle--a good place to learn to kayaking. Of course, Tollak and I have been doing that since we were babies, and sometimes even handle it in a storm. My father's not quite as good as the rest of us, but I guess our Tenganaw magic helps a bit with that. We don't keep horses like the folks in Rayl. We usually just take our boats in and out of town, and we can walk once we get there. If we have to go a long way, we can borrow a horse. It may seem unusual, but plenty of folks take boats up and down the river in the summertime. We just do it all year round.
Written for the Traveler's Challenge
by Artbreeder
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