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[center][color=659EC7][b]MENTIONS:[/b][/color] [color=DCDCDC][color=659EC7]Izayoi[/color] [[@Psyker Landshark]][/color][/center]
[color=DCDCDC]Her father always told her to expect the unexpected. 

Neve didn’t know what to expect when the skies of blue stretched over her head anew and the smell of salt tinged her nose, but it definitely wasn’t bumping into the Kirins upon the deck of a [i]ship[/i]. When she had seen the flash of sleek black fur and superbly pointed ears, she could have sworn that she had been the victim of such intense silvery eyes once before. It turned out that the familiar Mystrel was not [i]just[/i] familiar, but the very Ranbu no Izayoi that she had once traveled with. How long had it been since she had seen her? A few days? A week? More? Time moved slowly in Brightlam, due to the dense canopy of branches and the laid-back personalities of those who dwelled there. In combination with the Grovemasters’ lectures, a day almost felt like it spanned for weeks. 

Dressed in her traditional white-and-red, Neve’s glittering eyes hardly left Izayoi’s features as the woman recounted what had happened to the Kirins. Lost friends, blood spilled by enemies, the return of past shades that sought the lives of innocents. She felt like she had been gone for so long. For so, so long. A certain heaviness rapidly grew within the very recesses of her chest, spreading deep into her abdomen and all of the way to the back of her throat. The Valheimians… could it be that they had something to do with the disappearance of the Light, as suspected? What in Etro’s name did they want to do with it? They could weaken the continent, the entire planet, true. But the Light had to go somewhere. Neve’s expression hardened, then softened as Izayoi detailed the last bit of the Kirins’ tale so far. They appeared to be finished in Osprey. Next was Drana Asnaeu– where she had just come from. 

It wasn’t like the Grovemasters had given her permission to leave. Sneaking away from their lessons without attracting attention from the Kapok Sentinels and forest patrols was more difficult than she would have liked. She had to study patrol patterns, shifts, the tendencies of younger members of the patrol units, and the flaws in the greenhorns’ judgements. It had taken a while for her to garner enough bravery to actually slip away from the boundaries of the dense forests and flee into the plains. Now, she was going straight back to Drana Asnaeu– back to the surely furious Grovemasters who would likely never allow her to leave the apothecary district ever again. The pity and sadness that had once flooded the inner depths of her chest had soon soured and dampened until it hung heavy in her diaphragm. Dread had begun to take hold of her. 

Neve tore her gaze away from the foamy waves at the bow of the ship as the sea wind hung heavy between her and the Mystrel. For a moment, a distant look had washed over her gaze, deep as the ocean that laid beneath their feet. It had taken a few long moments before her pale lips quivered and she spoke towards Izayoi at last. [color=659EC7][b]”First and foremost, I would like to apologize for my sudden disappearance. I was summoned by the Grovemasters not long after we had arrived in Midgar. I… couldn’t bring myself to say farewell, not too long after we met,”[/b][/color] she explained, her voice quivering slightly as she looked down at her feet. [color=659EC7][b]”Apparently, they believed to be mistaken in sending me to aid the King. That it was foolish to send one of their chosen into such a dark, dangerous world. If they were to lose me in death, then it would nonetheless be a devastating blow to the planet. They wished to keep me in the shadow of Brightlam, so that I could focus further on my studies… but clearly, I should have been with you, and Galahad, and Arton, a-and Leifur and Eliane… I... I should have been there, should have been there to help...”[/b][/color]

Neve couldn’t take it anymore. The white mage bowed deeply and suddenly, so much so that the rough movement strained her back and caused her tears to leak onto the floor. [color=659EC7][b][i]”F-forgive me–!”[/i][/b][/color][/color]