 |  |
---|
Location: The Alchemy Chamber & The Village Square |
"You really ought to take better care of yourself." Eris heard from the corner of her study, where an apparition resembling her eldest brother stood, arms folded across his chest. The brunette looked up from a journal full of scribbled notes, a brow raised.
"Oh?" She set the journal down on a desk, giving her full attention to the being that had been conjured from her own magic.
"Your dedication to your work is admirable, but it's excessive. It's pointless, you know. You should look after yourself while you still can," Her brother advised, gazing down upon her judgmentally.
"Perhaps consider finding a partner, settling down, and doing something more fulfilling with your time... This," He gestured towards her desk cluttered with books and paperwork, his brows furrowed in concern.
"isn't worth sacrificing your well-being for.""Tsk." With a swift motion, Eris swiped her hand to the left and dismissed the illusion, the visage of her brother dissipating into the darkness.
"My illusions are becoming too vivid for comfort," She mumbled to herself, glaring back down at her journal as she ruminated on what her brother's apparition had said. Though merely a product of her magic, the apparition echoed her brother's words perfectly. Summoning his likeness often annoyed her, the magic weaving its way through her memory and presenting him in the way she remembered him. However, it also brought her comfort and companionship during the times she needed it the most. She felt so displaced in Dawnhaven, and at times like a fraud, but at least she could conjure up her brother to feel at home again. It was a tether to her past, a reminder of home when she felt adrift.
Refocusing on the journal, Eris delved into the notes that Prince Flynn himself had written. He had taken it upon himself to personally interview each of the blight born that had been taken under their jurisdiction, meticulously jotting down details for her to analyze. He had done this at her request and, thankfully, he had obliged. While she found the mutated humans fascinating, she couldn't shake her underlying fear of them. The stories she'd heard back in Aurelia had been horrifying and there was no telling what they were capable of. So far things had been fairly calm surrounding the blight born in town, which made her slightly more comfortable around them, but she wasn't quite ready to conduct in-depth interviews with them by herself. Flynn's assistance had been invaluable, yet as she struggled to decipher his handwriting, she wondered if she should start doing the interviews alongside him instead.
Feeling the need to clear her mind, Eris set aside the journal and left her study.
"I'll be back later," she informed the other sages, who barely glanced up from their work in response. "Goddess be with you," they called back, their focus quickly returning to their tasks as she passed by.
Stepping out of the Alchemy Chambers, Eris was greeted by the brisk chill of the eternal night. She closed her eyes, savoring the sensation as it tingled against her Aurelian skin, unaccustomed to such temperatures. It felt oddly refreshing, and she took a moment to relish it beneath the glow of the full moon and the gentle serenade of crickets from the forest beyond the village's edge. As she opened her eyes, Eris caught a glimpse of snow flakes gently drifting down from sky. A smile graced her lips as she extended her palm, watching the delicate flakes dissolve upon touching her warm skin. This was her first time having ever seen snow at all. She wished her brother could have seen it with her.
As the gravel crunched underfoot, Eris glanced up to see a familiar figure making his way toward the tavern.
"Sunni," She called, her soft voice easily piercing the quiet of the night. She did not know the man well, but she had heard of him when they both lived in Aurelia. He had a reputation of his own, just as she did. Moreover, being the Prince's closest friend, he exuded a certain level of trustworthiness to her. Prince Flynn, from what Eris could tell, seemed to be a man of integrity, so she assumed that he would keep similar people in his inner circle.
"Any news on when that shipment of Emberbloom might arrive?" She inquired as she approached him. Two weeks prior, she had requested Emberbloom, a native flower to Aurelia that had potent healing properties that she intended to test on blighted objects.
Without thinking of her footing, Eris' foot caught underneath a tree root that protruded from the ground. With a startled squeak, Eris stumbled forward and found herself tumbling headfirst onto the gravel path in front of Sunni. Just barely managing to break her fall with her hands before her face hit the dirt, Eris took a breath to figure out what had just happened to her. Hands stinging in pain and her cheeks flush with embarrassment, Eris hopped back up onto her feet.
"Uh... Sorry about that." she laughed nervously, struggling to meet Sunni's gaze as she dusted her hands off on her dress.
Instead, her eyes darted around the village, soon finding the silhouette of a winged man sitting atop the tavern roof, outlined by the moons radiance overhead. She knew immediately that it was Pleiades, a blight born man whom she had been avoiding for some time. If he had been paying attention, he certainly would have seen her clumsy mishap. The thought only deepened her blush, causing her to promptly return her focus on Sunni.
"The Emberbloom.. it's, uh, quite important... you know," She stammered, her smile strained as she attempted to downplay the incident.
"For healing purposes... and all..."
Interactions: Sunni @The Savant
Mentions: Pleiades @The Savant