Pink Khione

Avalia

ᴛɪᴍᴇ | Morning
ʟᴏᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ | Cabin, North Pass
ɪɴᴛᴇʀᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴꜱ | Mister Luum @FunnyGuy
ᴇQᴜɪᴘᴍᴇɴᴛ | Travel bag with essentials (money, rations, first aid, etc), sapphire pendant, twin daggers, cold ring.

---

Still perched over the dining table, Zeva’s eyes widened slightly as Mister Luum’s hands came into view, intercepting a drop of water before it could disrupt the paper map again. In a swift movement, Luum swiped the parchment away from Zeva’s view and moved it closer to himself instead.

Zeva pouted in silent rebellion against Luum’s scolding, though said nothing in return, as an act of admission of her wrongdoing. She stood up straight and began to comb her fingers through her hair, letting the remaining trickles of water spread down the ends of her hair and dampen the back of her hands. Her hands continued to fiddle with the strands, even after most of the water was whisked away, as Luum continued to speak.

On the parchment, a black smudge of ink replaced where a skull had been before, leaving only faint traces of where a pen had etched that symbol prior. Luum seemed to find this amusing, using the now blurred symbol as a means to escape Zeva’s questioning. His playful banter only made her worrying worse.

“Skull or no skull, it's an old ruin of a place that might have some clues in helping Bardulf do the big thing he's meant to do!”

Zeva tilted her head in confusion. “I don’t see how some old bricks are going to tell Bardulf what he’s supposed to do. I barely know what we’re doing now! What exactly is up there anyway? An abandoned town? A monster’s den? I guess I’ll be okay if there’s something to fight…”

“Don't worry, Ears, it'll be the North Pass finale… I think… uh, I hope. Yeah.”

Once again, Luum had used that appalling nickname, and Zeva was grateful that no one else was around to hear it. “It’s Zeva, Z-E-V-A, Zeva!!” She sighed, and continued to fidget with her hair. A few braids had already formed from the nape of her neck, and another one was in progress. “You don’t sound too sure, are you certain of what’s out there?”

Avalia

ᴛɪᴍᴇ | Morning
ʟᴏᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ | Cabin, North Pass
ɪɴᴛᴇʀᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴꜱ | Mister Luum @FunnyGuy, Bardulf @Lava Alckon, Masako @dreamingflowers, Rue @Potter, Bowyn @Helo,
ᴇQᴜɪᴘᴍᴇɴᴛ | Travel bag with essentials (money, rations, first aid, etc), sapphire pendant, twin daggers, cold resistance ring.

---

"I am...used to the cold if you'd like to have this. I am fine with my cloak, so maybe we could make a trade of sorts."

Zeva’s eyes glittered as the flash of metal in Bardulf’s hands entered her view, looking up at the generous man with a puppy-like earnestness. She slowly picked up the ring from his palms and fitted the accessory on her left index finger. The metal band adjusted to its new perch with magical precision, and soon, Zeva could feel the waves of warmth emanate from the ring and wrap around her body. She emerged from her blanket cocoon as if she’d become a new woman, and jumped into the air with excitement.

“This is AMAZING!! I can barely feel the cold anymore! Thank you so much, Bardulf!” Her now freed arms wrapped around him in a tight hug, and gladly returned his hefty coat atop his shoulders.

Without missing a beat, Zeva ran outside and dove into the closest mound of snow she could find. She marvelled at its fluffy properties, taking in the experience with a newfound appreciation. Soon, several snow angels lined the lawn in front of the cabin, dotted with snowballs here and there. Some were thrown against the wall of the cabin and decorated the damp wood with splatters of snow.

Eventually when Zeva’s burst of energy fizzled out, she returned to the cabin to see Luum hovering over a detailed map. She popped up next to him, and hovered over the map just the same. It looked well-loved, with scratchings and labels that populated the empty spaces of the document, of which there was hardly any left. The snow that lined her long, blonde hair and eyelashes began to melt with the heat of the cabin’s interior, and drops of water from her eyelashes fell onto the parchment, blurring some of the old ink. She didn’t seem to notice, and as Luum pointed to an area marked with a skull, Zeva raised an eyebrow in confusion. “Aren’t skulls, you know, usually for places where you’re not supposed to go?”

Avalia

ᴛɪᴍᴇ | Morning
ʟᴏᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ | Cabin, North Pass
ɪɴᴛᴇʀᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴꜱ | Mister Luum @FunnyGuy, Bardulf @Lava Alckon, Masako @dreamingflowers, Rue @Potter, Bowyn @Helo,
ᴇQᴜɪᴘᴍᴇɴᴛ | Travel bag with essentials (money, rations, first aid, etc), sapphire pendant, twin daggers.

---

Zeva gratefully accepted the offer of Bardulf’s weighty outer coat, pulling the edges of the fabric closer together after he draped it across her shoulders. In addition to the duvet that she was already wrapped with, Zeva looked even more like a ball of tangled laundry than anything remotely like a living creature. Perhaps she had become a new sort of textile-based lifeform instead.

She sunk further into the crevasses of the fabrics, enjoying the sweet escape from the cold within its folds. Part of the duvet had been wrapped over her head, creating a hood that protected her ears and cheeks from the elements. Only her eyes and a peek of her nose were exposed to the outside, which allowed her to continue observing the group as they prattled on. Her attention was immediately captured by Bowyn’s idea of hunting beasts for amas; it would serve as great practice too. Zeva hesitated to say much in the moment, still paralyzed by the lingering embarrassment of her current state. A bashful smile stretched across her cheeks when Bowyn and Rue offered to find more suitable clothing for her, though the expression was barely visible past the blanket shield, save for the subtle squint of her eyes as she smiled.

“Thanks for the help, everyone. I think an enchanted ring would be super helpful! The less layers I have to wear the more I can maximize my agility, despite the cold. I still have some amas after buying my new daggers…would it be enough?” Zeva wiggled the coin pouch that had been attached to her hip out from the blankets, her hand and coin pouch draping out of the small window below her eyes. “I trust you guys to get me a good deal. As soon as I’m warm again I’ll be right back to action! I’m all for hunting some beasties!”

Avalia

ᴛɪᴍᴇ | Morning
ʟᴏᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ | Cabin, North Pass
ɪɴᴛᴇʀᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴꜱ | Mister Luum @FunnyGuy, Bardulf @Lava Alckon, Masako @dreamingflowers, Rue @Potter, Bowyn @Helo,
ᴇQᴜɪᴘᴍᴇɴᴛ | Travel bag with essentials (money, rations, first aid, etc), sapphire pendant, twin daggers.

---

Zeva was firmly planted into the seat of a wooden chair, her body tensed from the frigid climate. Despite the steady flame of the fireplace and its warmth stretching throughout the quaint cabin, Zeva could still feel the chill in her bones. Immediately after they had arrived, she had stolen a blanket from one of the few rooms and wrapped herself with it so tightly, that the only visible part of her body was her head which poked out from the ball of tufted duvet. Having originally expected a short trip to Roshmi City, Zeva was only clothed in a sleeveless top and a pair of durable shorts she was already wearing.

The morning had been tense. Like ants swarming fallen fruit, dark elf soldiers mobbed the streets on high alert. King Zanithel’s detestable face greeted their group as they disembarked the Righteous Stern, plastered on broadcasts around the seaport and town square. It was so kind of him to explain the situation right as they arrived, giving them enough of a heads up to evade the many enemy patrols. But the dark elves’ discovery of a dead human spelled an impending doom for this group and their mission; even as new to their cause as Zeva was, she felt an unease stirring within her that had not subsided since.

Zeva stretched her hand cautiously out from the safety of her blanket fortress, reaching for the warm mug of tea on the table next to her. Her fingers wrapped eagerly around the mug’s warmth. Through her struggle to ward off the cold, her envious gaze fell upon the winter fairies and the new warforged companion, who were likely unaffected, overjoyed even, by the weather. There was probably little value she could contribute to the team as incapacitated as she was right now.

“Before we divide tasks, could someone perhaps make a trip back out to town to get something warmer for me to wear…” Zeva trailed off; she felt conflicted asking for the favor when it seemed members of the group were still deciding the value or worthiness of her attendance here. It pained her to have to rely on someone else for something so simple, and doubly so to admit that she was useless in her current state. She mustered enough will to get her next words out, albeit hesitantly. “I-I don’t think…I’m n-not much use, as I a-am now…” Her head sunk deeper in the duvet’s crevasses to hide the flush of embarrassment on her cheeks. I need to train more. I can’t let some wind and snow stop me like this! The shame of her own incapableness was turning into a self-directed anger which started to fuel Zeva’s passion for fighting once more – at least, once she got longer sleeves.

Avalia

ᴛɪᴍᴇ | Sunset
ʟᴏᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ | Northbound on the Eastern Sea
ɪɴᴛᴇʀᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴꜱ | Mister Luum @FunnyGuy
ᴍᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴꜱ | Bardulf @Lava Alckon, Masako @dreamingflowers
ᴇQᴜɪᴘᴍᴇɴᴛ | Travel bag with essentials (money, rations, first aid, etc), sapphire pendant, twin daggers.

---

“Umm. Start?”

He paused.

“Magic! Yes!”

Zeva’s tilted her head in subtle confusion, evident that the man was snapped out of some different train of thought or other. She couldn’t do much else but muster a defeated sigh, the high hopes she held for the man crashing as fast as they had been raised. The quickened ramblings that ensued contradicted his earlier statements. Nevertheless, Zeva resonated with parts of his seemingly random chatter – magic, for her, would better be used as a spare tool than her main weapon.

“Well, uh, thanks. Sure.” It was difficult to make her gratitude sound even half-sincere. She made a mental note to give his other tip a try later on, and collect light from her surroundings instead of generating it herself.

Eager to move on, Zeva redirected her line of sight to Bardulf and the pretty warforged, who had captured Luum’s attention so fiercely a moment ago. They were making light conversation, nothing more. Zeva’s attention hardly lasted on the pair, distracted soon after by the sounds of birds cawing as they flew overhead. Her eyes darted around the ship, finding little interesting to affix her gaze on. The deck was sparse; random barrels and crates were dispersed throughout the plank floors, and few crew members here and there minding their tasks. Aside from that, there was just an endless vast sea as far as Zeva could see.

“Any chance you know how long before we reach our destination?”

Avalia

ᴛɪᴍᴇ | Sunset
ʟᴏᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ | Northbound on the Eastern Sea
ɪɴᴛᴇʀᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴꜱ | Mister Luum @FunnyGuy
ᴍᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴꜱ | Bardulf @Lava Alckon, Masako @dreamingflowers
ᴇQᴜɪᴘᴍᴇɴᴛ | Travel bag with essentials (money, rations, first aid, etc), sapphire pendant, twin daggers.

---

“Strong… Ehhh, they did not do much to help us win the war. They were built to fight, sure but they lack things that make truly good soldiers. Hmm…”

Zeva chuckled. His mention of the war reminded her of the townsfolk and her parents back home, who spoke endlessly of it. In those brief few seconds, it seemed like Mister Luum could’ve been just another elf from her hometown, though she could hardly envision the man in such humble environments. If it weren’t for his unpredictable whimsicality, she may have warmed up to him sooner, and trusted him like the knowledgeable mentors and elders she grew up with.

Zeva motioned toward the warforged and Bardulf with a nod of her head. “Well it looks like Bardulf is already beginning recruitment of said ‘war machine’.” Her fingers curled into two air quotes at the end of the sentence – she found it hard to imagine that this particular warforged, resembling a delicate teapot better preciously stored in displays rather than used, would be any good at war. It was a stark contrast with other warforged she had the chance of meeting at the Oak Tree, typically embellished in all manner of artillery and technological components.

An abrupt tap of Luum’s wooden staff on the hand by Zeva’s side interrupted her ruminations on bipedal machines. His lecture seemed sincere – despite his usual hijinks, she felt that she could trust his magical aptitude at the very least. There weren’t many teachers back at the academy that cared to nurture the skills of a delinquent student who struggled enough already with light magic. Many of them figured Zeva would focus on swordplay instead, and thus, she never gave light magic much more thought. Mister Luum sounded so sure of her potential, and these sweet words reignited Zeva’s fervor for continually surpassing her limits.

A large grin stretched across Zeva’s face. “I hope you’re right about that. Not that I ever was any good at school – I learned most of what I know now from my parents.” She put her hands behind her back, straightened up, and faced Luum with an expectant gleam in her eyes. “So, where do I start?”

Avalia

ᴛɪᴍᴇ | Sunset
ʟᴏᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ | Northbound on the Eastern Sea
ɪɴᴛᴇʀᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴꜱ | Mister Luum @FunnyGuy
ᴍᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴꜱ | Bardulf @Lava Alckon, Masako @dreamingflowers
ᴇQᴜɪᴘᴍᴇɴᴛ | Travel bag with essentials (money, rations, first aid, etc), sapphire pendant, twin daggers.

---

Zeva tried to trace her gaze to what Luum was looking at in the horizon, finding the magnificent silhouette of Rue’s pegasus soaring across the skies. Its wings flapped in smooth curves, catching the illumination of the setting sun like a paint brush softly dipped into orange and pink pigment. She envisioned for a moment what it would be like to fly as freely as the pegasus. There would be no worry about getting to class on time, dealing with customers at the Oak Tree, evil dark elves, or political revolution – only the wind beneath her wings. But the thought was fleeting, and Zeva quickly returned her attention to Mister Luum.

As he spoke, imagery of consecutively larger beasts cycled in her mind. Zeva was growing used to being confused when Luum spoke. Regardless, she understood he was telling her the hefty weight of acquiring this information, though the elf never granted explicit details on this mentioned ‘price’.

Luum continued, a brilliant orb of light appearing in the palm of his hand; a mastery of light magic that Zeva had yet to achieve. The light stretched across the wooden deck, casting harsh contrast against the grainy details and damp algae crusted onto the ship’s planks. As marvelous as this demonstration was, it could not distract from the worry of learning that the fate of the mission rested in Bardulf’s hands. Zeva found it hard to place her trust in the novice stranger – or at least, she didn’t get the impression he was particularly strong. Train him indeed…that much is necessary. Then, the orb of light in Luum’s palms swelled until it burst into a dazzling array of stars and sparks, reflecting a galaxy in Zeva’s widened eyes. The spectacle faded, and darkness fell upon the two again.

Zeva grinned. “Well, I guess that’s all I need to know for now. Train Bardulf, huh? Definitely. Guess I’ll ask him about his weird ea-” Zeva stopped abruptly, remembering the shock of her horrid nickname from earlier, but quickly regained her composure, “-ears, later.”

She looked down at her own hand, curious, and began to collect light at her fingertips. Her rough, calloused palms faintly glowed, somewhat visible against the darkening sky. Only the edges of her fingers seemed to conjure enough energy to be truly called ‘light’. The light surged and flowed like calm waves to the ends of her hands, until a marble of luminescence finally formed above her index finger.

And with a strong shake, the light dissipated into the air. An aggravated sigh huffed out from Zeva’s chest. “I should probably train more too…ha ha.” She switched her attention to the two figures that had entered their view on the deck – Bardulf, and a peculiar warforged with intricate blue patterning interrupted with some streaks of gold. The latter’s appearance intrigued the young elf, finding a foreign kind of beauty in her craftsmanship. She turned back to Luum, “Wow, I haven’t seen a lot of warforged but this one’s so pretty! Wonder if she’s strong too…”

Avalia

ᴛɪᴍᴇ | Sunset
ʟᴏᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ | Northbound on the Eastern Sea
ɪɴᴛᴇʀᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴꜱ | Mister Luum @FunnyGuy
ᴍᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴꜱ | Bardulf @Lava Alckon
ᴇQᴜɪᴘᴍᴇɴᴛ | Travel bag with essentials (money, rations, first aid, etc), sapphire pendant, twin daggers.

---

Before Zeva knew it, she was on a ship sailing north with the strangers she had met just the days before, gazing upon the calm seas from the perimeter of the vessel’s deck. The pink sunset hues washed the boat’s exterior with a tint as warm as the gentle breeze, carrying with it the smell of salt and algae from the sea. The heavens themselves painted a serenity across the skies that seemed to only emphasize the anxiety that Zeva was feeling within.

She leaned against the wooden rail, elbows perched upon its edge. A defeated sigh escaped her lips. As the ship rushed further into the vast seas, it was finally sinking in that Zeva had really left her life behind on somewhat of a whim. Her gaze lingered on the silhouette of Roshmi City, ever diminishing into the horizon. There was no turning back now. A blizzard of thoughts swarmed in her head – would her family be worried? Did it make sense to disappear from school and work? Surely her face would be plastered around town on missing person posters until they got word of her whereabouts.

There was a glimmer of excitement past the turmoil, however. Zeva contemplated how much stronger she could get on this journey, eager to fight dark elves and monsters alike. Her hands gravitated towards the new daggers holstered on her back. With a swift motion, she unsheathed one of the blades, admiring it before her. It was a custom-made demon core dagger, costing a sizable chunk of Zeva’s savings, but it was a huge upgrade from the orc steel from her parent’s collection that she had been using prior. They were on the longer side, enough to almost be classified as swords, as Zeva preferred. An intricate pattern was carved close to the hilt of the blade that resembled wings wrapping both the blade and handle. Black leather was tightly wound around the handle for grip, and a small decorative metal feather hung at the blunt end of the weapon.

Across the deck, Zeva caught a glimpse of Mister Luum admiring the sunset, just as she had been. She sheathed her weapon and walked towards him. Many of her questions had still been left unanswered, and she gambled on the chance that the peculiar elf may be more forthcoming now.

“You almost seem like quite the reliable guy when you’re quiet like this,” Zeva teased, chuckling slightly. She took a spot on the banister next to him, leaning her back against it. Her hands found a strand of hair to twiddle with. “Anyway, can you tell me more about all of this, now that I’m here? I’m all for rebelling against Malthemoor, but there’s not much I know about what all of you are doing. And Bardulf- what, is it exactly, did he do earlier? With all the lightning and everything…never seen anything like it.”

Avalia

ᴛɪᴍᴇ | Morning
ʟᴏᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ | Roshmi City Bakery
ɪɴᴛᴇʀᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴꜱ | Mister Luum @FunnyGuy, Bardulf @Lava Alckon, Rue @Potter, Bowyn @Helo, Brigitte
ᴇQᴜɪᴘᴍᴇɴᴛ | Travel bag with essentials (money, rations, first aid, etc), sapphire pendant, twin daggers.

---

As the baker handed Zeva her items, Luum’s sudden voice boomed across the crowd, and the parcel of delicacies fell as the baker let go at the same moment Zeva darted her hands towards her ears. The parchment wrapping of the baked goods crinkled as it hit the cobblestone, but suffered less else than some bruising. Zeva stammered, “My e-ears??”

Luum’s apologetic tone and uncomfortable words of praise did little to lessen how conscious Zeva was of her ears in that moment, something she previously had barely taken attention to, though she tried not to show it. Her hands cupped the back of her ears and pressed them against the side of her head in an attempt to hide them from view. The winter fairy’s comment on the size of her ears only kindled more fire across Zeva’s cheeks, which were surely as red as apples now. Regardless, she tried to seize back control of the conversation with a confident tone, her ears reddening also the longer they were compressed by her cheeks. “Yes! That’s right. My ears are pretty great!” She promptly turned around and picked up the honey toast and bread off the floor.

At the table, there seemed to finally be a feeling of normalcy amongst the group. They seemed like a typical band of adventurers enjoying a morning breakfast together, not the secret operatives tasked with sparking rebellion like they said they were. No words interrupted the momentary peace as everyone quietly enjoyed the simple happiness provided by the sweet, filling toasts.

Of course, before long, the most rowdy and peculiar figure of the bunch, Mister Luum, took it upon himself to rob the group of that hard-sought peace. It hadn’t bothered Zeva much, but she had noticed a weariness painted on the others’ features that would have benefited with some more rest. Even so, they indulged the light elf as he rambled on with his lengthy self-introduction, littered with commentary that further emphasized his eccentricity. Zeva managed to pay enough attention to grasp that his favorite color was purple.

Bardulf took the initiative to go next. In between bites of honey toast, his mention of hunting caught Zeva’s attention. She felt a small joy finding something to relate to, even if it sounded like they hunted for different reasons. “Hunting, huh? Well, if we come across an owlbear again I would be happy to give it another go with you!” Mentioning the beast that almost killed her not too long ago was perhaps in bad taste, but Zeva found herself hilarious and chuckled.

Bowyn’s introduction left Zeva with more questions than answers. She raised an eyebrow at how the winter fae interacted with one another – did they…like each other? What was more clear was that he didn’t seem to favor Mister Luum much, or Zeva herself for that matter, with the light jab he made at her for her interaction with his pet earlier. She returned his pointed gaze by sticking her tongue out. In another life, Zeva would’ve loved his stoat friend if he hadn’t targeted her amas.

The winter fairy took on a more serious tone with the remainder of his speech, recounting his fears and goals for the future of Avalia. His words also resonated within Zeva, who had been ingrained with the same sentiments from the elders of her community. But she could not truly know their pain, raised in the relative safety of her parents’ loving arms and the walls of Aegnor Stonel. Still, she wished for change. That would be her greatest debt - to carry out vengeance for the loved ones who raised her.

Bowyn’s new nickname for Zeva caught her completely off guard, causing her to choke on her last bite of honey toast. She hit her fist against her chest a few times to knock the lodged piece of toast down her throat while letting out panicked coughs. Regaining her ability to breathe but not yet her composure, Zeva stumbled through her next words. “M-m-my, e-ea-, m-, what?!” A feeling of doom nestled down to her bones at the thought of ears becoming the moniker these people would label her with. She coughed one last time to reset her speech.

“W-well, that was my original plan. My boss at the Oak Tree gave me a week off when I said I wanted to come here to upgrade my daggers. As for the academy… well, what’s a few more absences, right?” Her lips tugged upward with a glint of arrogance. “Anyway, I’ll tell you all a little more about myself! My favorite color is also purple, more like lavender. My second is sapphire blue.” Her mind wandered to the sapphire pendant that she kept by her side at all times – her mother told her it was the last family heirloom they managed to keep from before the dark elves’ invasion. Zeva used to stare into the pendant often, admiring its shifting deep blues, the way it caught the light and reflected onto different surfaces. “As for religion… Hmm, they tell us about Solaris in school. He’s cool, but I don’t really care what the gods are up to. I keep myself busy with training and combat practice! My specialty is dual wield daggers, and while I’d say I’m plenty skilled with them I’m always striving to get stronger. I like weapons in general, I think it would be cool to try more and learn how to use them too. My parents taught me a good deal – daggers, swords, bow and arrow, to name a few...” Her voice trailed off, a bittersweet warmth spreading within her as Zeva reminisced on the time she spent with her mom and dad during these lessons. Her heart ached thinking of home, of her parents who would be worried sick not knowing where their daughter would be or what she would be up to for the indefinite future.

Zeva’s eyes narrowed as she tried to recall other parts to talk about, trying to avoid certain topics she knew she did not want to speak about. Her eyes caught the movement of Bowyn’s stoat scurrying around for food. A sheepish grin grew on Zeva’s face, “I…like…small animals too…” Her expression changed to a childish pout, “-not ones that steal, though.”

Avalia

ᴛɪᴍᴇ | Late Morning
ʟᴏᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ | Roshmi City Bakery
ɪɴᴛᴇʀᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴꜱ | Mister Luum @FunnyGuy, Bardulf @Lava Alckon, Rue @Potter, Bowyn @Helo, Brigitte
ᴇQᴜɪᴘᴍᴇɴᴛ | Travel bag with essentials (money, rations, first aid, etc), sapphire pendant, twin daggers.

---

Zeva enthusiastically skipped towards the bakery, relieved that the group were beginning to follow. Between the group’s worries and idle chatter, they had been dilly-dallying by the city gates for too long, and Zeva’s hunger only made her more impatient. Above all, sitting down and eating something would be a good mental break from the absurdity of the morning and the peculiar company she found herself in. She would have never imagined that her errand in Roshmi City would lead her on a quest to save the world with a ragtag team of strangers with weird magic who have alluded to killing her on numerous occasions. After all, everyone appeared to be maintaining a cautious distance from her still, with only a few of them making official introductions.

The end of her thoughts were concluded with a sigh, and she found other things to focus her attention on. There was some chatter amongst the group on their short walk to the bakery, but Zeva paid it no mind, only making a conscious effort to stay away from Bowyn and his fur-coated friend, lest risk losing another ama. She practiced some footwork, retracing steps she had learned in training, while weaving through the crowd towards the baked goods. Before long, they were at the front of the queue, close enough to the delectable scent of honey toast she could almost sense its sweetness on her taste buds.

The dark haired man was the first to order, speaking no more than necessary. He seemed equally interested in the honey toast that the faeries had mentioned, and Rue ordered a whopping four at her turn at the till, alongside other goods. Zeva was crouched down, pressed against the display as the shopkeeper packaged the previous orders, bread and cookies crinkling between layers of thin parchment paper. She was deep in thought, carefully analyzing the inventory to determine the tastiest looking treats. The sugar glazes atop the custards and apples sparkled in the morning sun, the fluffy breads and buns bounced as they were loaded into their respective containers. “Maybe I’ll have an alaberry custard… or no, perhaps a blas bun…”

Zeva shuffled back and forth across the display a few times, examining each item with unnecessary scrutiny, before finally flagging down one of the shop workers to put in her order. “I’d like… one honey toast and I’ll take an order of the long loaf and cinnamon hot bread for the road!” She carefully dug out 9 amas from her bag, placed the coins on the counter, and took extra precaution to seal her ama pouch tight after the payment was done.