General Valka

Faramor is searching for Valka. He knows that she is a graveborn but is concerned. The first time he met her, he did not notice. But it has been bothering him.

Her hair is so messy, it could get caught on branches, not to mention she probably has not washed it in a while. He knew taking care of your hair was important. He maintained his everyday. Right before he left, he grabbed a hair brush, a comb, a bucket full of warm but not scalding water and some shampoo he had made himself. Herbs and berries could have many purposes. "𝑀𝒾𝓈𝒶𝓇𝓉𝑒 𝒶𝒷𝑜𝓋𝑒, 𝐼 𝒶𝓅𝑜𝓁𝑜𝑔𝒾𝓏𝑒 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓌𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝐼 𝒶𝓂 𝒶𝒷𝑜𝓊𝓉 𝓉𝑜 𝒹𝑜. 𝐻𝑜𝓌𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇, 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝓂𝓊𝓈𝓉 𝒷𝑒 𝒹𝑜𝓃𝑒."

When he found Valka in the field of flowers, he sighed. "𝒱𝒶𝓁𝓀𝒶. 𝐼 𝒶𝓅𝑜𝓁𝑜𝑔𝒾𝓏𝑒 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓌𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝒾𝓈 𝒶𝒷𝑜𝓊𝓉 𝓉𝑜 𝑜𝒸𝒸𝓊𝓇, 𝒷𝓊𝓉 𝐼 𝒸𝒶𝓃𝓃𝑜𝓉 𝒾𝑔𝓃𝑜𝓇𝑒 𝒾𝓉." He put all the items except the hair brush on the ground, "𝒫𝓁𝑒𝒶𝓈𝑒, 𝒹𝑜 𝓃𝑜𝓉- 𝐻𝑒𝓎! 𝒟𝑜𝓃'𝓉 𝓇𝓊𝓃! 𝒢𝑒𝓉 𝒷𝒶𝒸𝓀 𝒽𝑒𝓇𝑒!"

She ran and he knew he would have to chase. So, off he went.

“!”

*And so, the chase begins…*

"𝒱𝒶𝓁𝓀𝒶! 𝒴𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝒽𝒶𝒾𝓇 𝓃𝑒𝑒𝒹𝓈 𝓉𝑜 𝒷𝑒 𝒷𝓇𝓊𝓈𝒽𝑒𝒹! 𝒯𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝓃𝑒𝑒𝒹𝓈 𝓉𝑜 𝒽𝒶𝓅𝓅𝑒𝓃! 𝒮𝓉𝑜𝓅 𝓇𝓊𝓃𝓃𝒾𝓃𝑔!" Faramor shouted, as a wolf, he had a lot of stamina. So he was fully able to keep up the pace. He chased after her, following behind her and swiftly catching up. "𝒯𝒽𝒾𝓃𝓀 𝒶𝒷𝑜𝓊𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓉𝑒 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒽𝑒𝒶𝓁𝓉𝒽 𝑜𝒻 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝒽𝒶𝒾𝓇, 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓃𝑔 𝓁𝒶𝒹𝓎! 𝒪𝓀𝒶𝓎 𝓁𝑜𝑜𝓀, 𝐼 𝒶𝓂 𝓌𝑒𝓁𝓁 𝒶𝓌𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝑜𝓁𝒹𝑒𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓃 𝓂𝑒, 𝒷𝓊𝓉 𝒾𝓉 𝒾𝓈 𝒶 𝓂𝒶𝓉𝓉𝑒𝓇 𝑜𝒻 𝓅𝓇𝒾𝓃𝒸𝒾𝓅𝓁𝑒!!!"

Faramor kept up the pace, but she was fast. Valka, was not fast enough. He managed to catch up with her, grabbing her and wrapping her in a blanket, burrito style. "𝒪𝓀𝒶𝓎, 𝓎𝑜𝓊'𝓋𝑒 𝒽𝒶𝒹 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝒻𝓊𝓃, 𝓃𝑜𝓌 𝒸𝑜𝓂𝑒 𝑜𝓃. 𝒪𝒽, 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒷𝑒𝒻𝑜𝓇𝑒 𝐼 𝒻𝑜𝓇𝑔𝑒𝓉..." He took her sword, put it on his back, and tutted.

"𝒴𝑜𝓊 𝓂𝒶𝓎 𝒽𝒶𝓋𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝒷𝒶𝒸𝓀 𝑜𝓃𝒸𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝒽𝒶𝒾𝓇 𝒾𝓈 𝒷𝓇𝓊𝓈𝒽𝑒𝒹 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓅𝑜𝓈𝓈𝒾𝒷𝓁𝓎 𝓌𝒶𝓈𝒽𝑒𝒹. 𝐿𝒾𝓈𝓉𝑒𝓃, 𝐼 𝒽𝒶𝓋𝑒 𝒽𝑒𝒶𝓇𝒹 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓋𝒾𝓈𝒾𝓉𝑜𝓇𝓈 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓂𝒶𝑔𝒾𝓈𝓉𝑒𝓇𝓈 𝒶𝓈𝓀 𝒾𝒻 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓎 𝒸𝒶𝓃 𝒷𝓇𝒶𝒾𝒹 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝒽𝒶𝒾𝓇, 𝒷𝓊𝓉 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝒽𝒶𝒾𝓇 𝒸𝒶𝓃𝓃𝑜𝓉 𝒷𝑒 𝒷𝓇𝒶𝒾𝒹𝑒𝒹 𝒹𝓊𝑒 𝓉𝑜 𝒽𝑜𝓌 𝓂𝒶𝓉𝓉𝑒𝒹 𝒾𝓉 𝒾𝓈." Faramor said, carrying her back to where he put the supplies. He checked the hot water, it was still hot, but was a little bit cooler now. Good.

"𝒱𝒶𝓁𝓀𝒶. 𝒴𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝒽𝒶𝒾𝓇 𝓂𝓊𝓈𝓉 𝒷𝑒 𝒷𝓇𝓊𝓈𝒽𝑒𝒹. 𝒮𝑜 𝐼 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝑔𝒾𝓋𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓉𝒽𝓇𝑒𝑒 𝑜𝓅𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃𝓈 𝑜𝓃 𝒽𝑜𝓌 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓌𝒶𝓃𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝓉𝑜 𝒷𝑒 𝒹𝑜𝓃𝑒..."

He take a moment to sit down, gently holding her hair to not harm her. "𝒪𝓅𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃 𝑜𝓃𝑒, 𝒴𝑜𝓊 𝑒𝓃𝓉𝓇𝓊𝓈𝓉 𝓂𝑒 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝒽𝒶𝒾𝓇 𝓉𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓉𝓂𝑒𝓃𝓉. 𝐼 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝓉𝒶𝓀𝑒 𝓂𝓎 𝓉𝒾𝓂𝑒, 𝒷𝑒𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒶𝓈 𝑔𝑒𝓃𝓉𝓁𝑒 𝒶𝓈 𝒶𝓁𝓁𝑜𝓌𝑒𝒹. 𝐼 𝒸𝒶𝓃 𝓅𝓇𝑜𝓂𝒾𝓈𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓁𝑒𝒶𝓈𝓉 𝒶𝓂𝑜𝓊𝓃𝓉 𝑜𝒻 𝓅𝒶𝒾𝓃. 𝐼 𝒸𝒶𝓃𝓃𝑜𝓉 𝓅𝓇𝑜𝓂𝒾𝓈𝑒 𝓃𝑜 𝓅𝒶𝒾𝓃 𝒷𝓊𝓉 𝐼 𝒸𝒶𝓃 𝓅𝓇𝑜𝓂𝒾𝓈𝑒 𝓉𝑜 𝓉𝓇𝓎 𝓉𝑜 𝒷𝑒 𝒶𝓈 𝑔𝑒𝓃𝓉𝓁𝑒 𝒶𝓈 𝓅𝑜𝓈𝓈𝒾𝒷𝓁𝑒, 𝑀𝒾𝓈𝒶𝓇𝓉𝑒 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝓁𝒾𝓃𝑔. 𝒪𝓅𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃 𝓉𝓌𝑜... 𝒾𝓈 𝒷𝒶𝓈𝒾𝒸𝒶𝓁𝓁𝓎 𝑜𝓅𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃 𝑜𝓃𝑒 𝒷𝓊𝓉 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒸𝒶𝓃 𝒽𝒶𝓋𝑒 𝓈𝑜𝓂𝑒𝑜𝓃𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓉𝓇𝓊𝓈𝓉, 𝒶 𝒻𝓇𝒾𝑒𝓃𝒹, 𝒶 𝓂𝒶𝑔𝒾𝓈𝓉𝑒𝓇 𝒶𝓈𝓈𝒾𝓈𝓉 𝒾𝒻 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒹𝑜 𝓃𝑜𝓉 𝒻𝓊𝓁𝓁𝓎 𝓉𝓇𝓊𝓈𝓉 𝓂𝑒 𝓉𝑜 𝒹𝑜 𝒾𝓉. 𝐼 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝑔𝑜 𝑔𝑒𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓂 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓎𝑜𝓊. 𝒩𝑜𝓌, 𝑜𝓅𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝓇𝑒𝑒... 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝓃𝑜𝓉 𝓁𝒾𝓀𝑒."

"I have been through the First Divine War, Faramor. Even if it is a matter of principle, there is no way you can call someone having existed for over two millennia 'young'."

*She was taken off guard when Faramor got her sword. Oh well, now she had to do as what this 'silly wolf' (she said that) wanted.*

"...Very well. Option one it is."

"𝐼 𝓂𝒶𝓎 𝒷𝑒 𝒶 𝓋𝑒𝓇𝓎 𝓈𝒾𝓁𝓁𝓎 𝓌𝑜𝓁𝒻, 𝒷𝓊𝓉 𝐼 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝒷𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝑒 "𝓈𝒾𝓁𝓁𝓎 𝓌𝑜𝓁𝒻" 𝒷𝓇𝓊𝓈𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝒽𝒶𝒾𝓇." He said before beginning to sit down, putting her hair in his lap. He first checked for parasites, setting out a bowl out to collect them. No lice, but a few ticks. This made him scowl.

"𝒯𝒾𝒸𝓀𝓈... 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓈𝑒 𝑜𝓃𝑒𝓈 𝓅𝓇𝑜𝒷𝒶𝒷𝓁𝓎 𝒸𝓇𝒶𝓌𝓁𝑒𝒹 𝒻𝓇𝑜𝓂 𝒷𝓇𝒶𝓃𝒸𝒽𝑒𝓈 𝓈𝑒𝑒𝓀𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓌𝒶𝓇𝓂𝓉𝒽. 𝒰𝓈𝓊𝒶𝓁𝓁𝓎 𝒾𝓃𝒶𝒸𝓉𝒾𝓋𝑒 𝒹𝓊𝓇𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓌𝒾𝓃𝓉𝑒𝓇." He picked each tick off and put them in a bowl. He then began applying the shampoo to Valka's hair. "𝐼 𝒶𝓅𝑜𝓁𝑜𝑔𝒾𝓏𝑒 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝒸𝒶𝓁𝓁𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒶 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓃𝑔 𝓁𝒶𝒹𝓎. 𝐼 𝒶𝓂 𝒻𝓊𝓁𝓁𝓎 𝒶𝓌𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝓂𝓊𝒸𝒽 𝑜𝓁𝒹𝑒𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓃 𝓂𝑒."

He began removing the sticks and leaves that got stuck in the hair from the chase. '𝒯𝒽𝑒𝓇𝑒 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝓉𝓌𝒾𝑔𝓈.' He thought. He felt bad. Faramor then began to wet the brush in the bucket, and brushing the bottom of her hair. No mats which is good.

"Ticks? Graveborns don't even have warmth, nor can they feed on us. Most of them would choose better targets."

*Still, Valka sat and just let Faramor take care of her hair.*

*She didn't seem to be surprised by the mention of twigs, however. Given how her hair is very long, as well as the fact that she goes on patrol often, that's... expected to happen.*

“𝒯𝒾𝒸𝓀𝓈 𝒸𝒶𝓃 𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓎 𝑜𝓃 𝒹𝑒𝒶𝒹 𝒷𝑜𝒹𝒾𝑒𝓈 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝒶 𝓁𝒾𝓉𝓉𝓁𝑒 𝒷𝒾𝓉, 𝑀𝒾𝓈𝓈 𝒱𝒶𝓁𝓀𝒶. 𝒴𝑜𝓊 𝓂𝒶𝓎 𝓃𝑜𝓉 𝒷𝑒 𝒶𝓁𝒾𝓋𝑒, 𝒷𝓊𝓉 𝓎𝑜𝓊’𝓇𝑒 𝓌𝒶𝓇𝓂 𝑒𝓃𝑜𝓊𝑔𝒽 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒸𝒶𝓃 𝒸𝒶𝓇𝓇𝓎 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓂 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽𝑜𝓊𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓂 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝑒𝓏𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓉𝑜 𝒹𝑒𝒶𝓉𝒽. 𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝓇𝑒𝓈𝒾𝒹𝑒𝓃𝓉𝓈 𝑜𝒻 𝒞𝑒𝒹𝒶𝓇𝓉𝑜𝓌𝓃, 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝒶𝓁𝒾𝓋𝑒 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓃𝑜𝓇𝓂𝒶𝓁𝓁𝓎 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝒾𝓇 𝒻𝑜𝑜𝒹 𝓈𝑜𝓊𝓇𝒸𝑒. 𝐼 𝒷𝑒𝓁𝒾𝑒𝓋𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒸𝑜𝓃𝒻𝓊𝓈𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓉𝒾𝒸𝓀𝓈 𝒾𝓃 𝓈𝑜𝓂𝑒 𝒸𝒶𝓅𝒶𝒸𝒾𝓉𝓎.”

He removed them, crushing them effortlessly and then putting them in a separate bowl. He made sure to be careful when dealing with them. Once all the ticks had been carefully removed, thankfully there weren’t too many of them, Faramor continued brushing.



“𝒯𝒽𝒶𝓉, 𝓈𝒽𝑜𝓊𝓁𝒹 𝒷𝑒 𝒶𝓁𝓁 𝑜𝒻 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓂. 𝒜𝓃𝒹 𝓅𝓁𝑒𝒶𝓈𝑒 𝒹𝑜 𝓃𝑜𝓉 𝒻𝒶𝓊𝓁𝓉 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇𝓈𝑒𝓁𝒻, 𝓉𝒾𝒸𝓀𝓈 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝓆𝓊𝒾𝓉𝑒 𝓉𝓇𝑜𝓊𝒷𝓁𝑒𝓈𝑜𝓂𝑒 𝒸𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓉𝓊𝓇𝑒𝓈.”

He continues brushing, being very careful as to not tug or damage her hair. He believed Valka confused the ticks in a way, because while her heart may beat, she wasn’t one of the living. So, if his theory was right, the warmth of her heart may have drawn the tick, but the minute they got on her skin is the minute, they might have stopped getting their tracks.

“𝒢𝑜𝑜𝒹 𝓃𝑒𝓌𝓈, 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒷𝑜𝓉𝓉𝑜𝓂 𝓅𝒶𝓇𝓉 𝑜𝒻 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝒽𝒶𝒾𝓇 𝒾𝓈 𝒷𝓇𝓊𝓈𝒽𝑒𝒹. 𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝒷𝒶𝒹 𝓃𝑒𝓌𝓈? 𝒯𝒽𝑒𝓇𝑒 𝒾𝓈 𝓂𝓊𝒸𝒽 𝒽𝒶𝒾𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓃𝑒𝑒𝒹𝓈 𝓉𝑜 𝒷𝑒 𝒹𝑒𝒶𝓁𝓉 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝒾𝓃 𝓈𝑒𝒸𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃𝓈. 𝒲𝒽𝒾𝒸𝒽 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝓉𝒶𝓀𝑒 𝓁𝑜𝓃𝑔𝑒𝓇. 𝒲𝑜𝓊𝓁𝒹 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓁𝒾𝓀𝑒 𝓉𝑜 𝓉𝒶𝓀𝑒 𝒶 𝓂𝑜𝓂𝑒𝓃𝓉 𝓉𝑜 𝓈𝓉𝓇𝑒𝓉𝒸𝒽 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝓁𝒾𝓂𝒷𝓈?”

"In theory, that would be unnecessary."

"...Igor."

*It's Valka.*

*She takes off her disguise after making sure nobody is around. Arms crossed, she looks straight at him.*

"I told you not to caper around in human settlements! If it hadn't been for someone telling me you have gone away from Cedartown, I wouldn't have been able to find you."

*Valka then looks around, taking in the unfamiliar scene. Her brows furrow.* "How did you get here anyway?"

@general-valka

(Good ol' Igor was just done capering around Tuttleton for a good long long long long LONGGGG while until he got bored and started wandering around again. It felt like it's been months since he's been stuck in here. He felt like all hopes was lost until he heard someone speaking. He turned around.)

Is- Is that-

GASP VALKAAAAAA!!! IT'S VALKAAA!!!!

(realisation hit) Wait- WAIT AAAAAAAAAAA CRAP IT'S VALKAAAAAA!!

"Igor, do you know how worried I was when I heard you disappear from town? What if you get caught by other undead hunters?"

"...nevermind. At least I found you now."

"Come on, let's hurry back home first. This place does not feel safe."

*Surprise was written on Valka's face, upon hearing all those stories. She remembered the agreement, but then Azurella told her she hadn't had a choice, so the general's expression softened a fraction. She decided to not pry.*

*Then came the topic change, which she didn't mind. She sat down with the magister then, not that she needed to rest though - Graveborns didn't need to. She looked at Azurella, and nodded.*

*Valka listened, surprise on her face but it quickly faded. People raised (raised as in guardian-child, not raised from the dead) by Graveborns were rare, after all.*

"I see. I take it that he's an important individual in your life, and you must value him a lot."

"I can tell you have learned a lot from him."

"The Adamant Syndicate... the name always spells trouble."

Faramor is searching for Valka. He knows that she is a graveborn but is concerned. The first time he met her, he did not notice. But it has been bothering him.

Her hair is so messy, it could get caught on branches, not to mention she probably has not washed it in a while. He knew taking care of your hair was important. He maintained his everyday. Right before he left, he grabbed a hair brush, a comb, a bucket full of warm but not scalding water and some shampoo he had made himself. Herbs and berries could have many purposes. "𝑀𝒾𝓈𝒶𝓇𝓉𝑒 𝒶𝒷𝑜𝓋𝑒, 𝐼 𝒶𝓅𝑜𝓁𝑜𝑔𝒾𝓏𝑒 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓌𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝐼 𝒶𝓂 𝒶𝒷𝑜𝓊𝓉 𝓉𝑜 𝒹𝑜. 𝐻𝑜𝓌𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇, 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝓂𝓊𝓈𝓉 𝒷𝑒 𝒹𝑜𝓃𝑒."

When he found Valka in the field of flowers, he sighed. "𝒱𝒶𝓁𝓀𝒶. 𝐼 𝒶𝓅𝑜𝓁𝑜𝑔𝒾𝓏𝑒 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓌𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝒾𝓈 𝒶𝒷𝑜𝓊𝓉 𝓉𝑜 𝑜𝒸𝒸𝓊𝓇, 𝒷𝓊𝓉 𝐼 𝒸𝒶𝓃𝓃𝑜𝓉 𝒾𝑔𝓃𝑜𝓇𝑒 𝒾𝓉." He put all the items except the hair brush on the ground, "𝒫𝓁𝑒𝒶𝓈𝑒, 𝒹𝑜 𝓃𝑜𝓉- 𝐻𝑒𝓎! 𝒟𝑜𝓃'𝓉 𝓇𝓊𝓃! 𝒢𝑒𝓉 𝒷𝒶𝒸𝓀 𝒽𝑒𝓇𝑒!"

She ran and he knew he would have to chase. So, off he went.

“!”

*And so, the chase begins…*

"𝒱𝒶𝓁𝓀𝒶! 𝒴𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝒽𝒶𝒾𝓇 𝓃𝑒𝑒𝒹𝓈 𝓉𝑜 𝒷𝑒 𝒷𝓇𝓊𝓈𝒽𝑒𝒹! 𝒯𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝓃𝑒𝑒𝒹𝓈 𝓉𝑜 𝒽𝒶𝓅𝓅𝑒𝓃! 𝒮𝓉𝑜𝓅 𝓇𝓊𝓃𝓃𝒾𝓃𝑔!" Faramor shouted, as a wolf, he had a lot of stamina. So he was fully able to keep up the pace. He chased after her, following behind her and swiftly catching up. "𝒯𝒽𝒾𝓃𝓀 𝒶𝒷𝑜𝓊𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓉𝑒 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒽𝑒𝒶𝓁𝓉𝒽 𝑜𝒻 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝒽𝒶𝒾𝓇, 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓃𝑔 𝓁𝒶𝒹𝓎! 𝒪𝓀𝒶𝓎 𝓁𝑜𝑜𝓀, 𝐼 𝒶𝓂 𝓌𝑒𝓁𝓁 𝒶𝓌𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝑜𝓁𝒹𝑒𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓃 𝓂𝑒, 𝒷𝓊𝓉 𝒾𝓉 𝒾𝓈 𝒶 𝓂𝒶𝓉𝓉𝑒𝓇 𝑜𝒻 𝓅𝓇𝒾𝓃𝒸𝒾𝓅𝓁𝑒!!!"

Faramor kept up the pace, but she was fast. Valka, was not fast enough. He managed to catch up with her, grabbing her and wrapping her in a blanket, burrito style. "𝒪𝓀𝒶𝓎, 𝓎𝑜𝓊'𝓋𝑒 𝒽𝒶𝒹 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝒻𝓊𝓃, 𝓃𝑜𝓌 𝒸𝑜𝓂𝑒 𝑜𝓃. 𝒪𝒽, 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒷𝑒𝒻𝑜𝓇𝑒 𝐼 𝒻𝑜𝓇𝑔𝑒𝓉..." He took her sword, put it on his back, and tutted.

"𝒴𝑜𝓊 𝓂𝒶𝓎 𝒽𝒶𝓋𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝒷𝒶𝒸𝓀 𝑜𝓃𝒸𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝒽𝒶𝒾𝓇 𝒾𝓈 𝒷𝓇𝓊𝓈𝒽𝑒𝒹 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓅𝑜𝓈𝓈𝒾𝒷𝓁𝓎 𝓌𝒶𝓈𝒽𝑒𝒹. 𝐿𝒾𝓈𝓉𝑒𝓃, 𝐼 𝒽𝒶𝓋𝑒 𝒽𝑒𝒶𝓇𝒹 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓋𝒾𝓈𝒾𝓉𝑜𝓇𝓈 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓂𝒶𝑔𝒾𝓈𝓉𝑒𝓇𝓈 𝒶𝓈𝓀 𝒾𝒻 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓎 𝒸𝒶𝓃 𝒷𝓇𝒶𝒾𝒹 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝒽𝒶𝒾𝓇, 𝒷𝓊𝓉 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝒽𝒶𝒾𝓇 𝒸𝒶𝓃𝓃𝑜𝓉 𝒷𝑒 𝒷𝓇𝒶𝒾𝒹𝑒𝒹 𝒹𝓊𝑒 𝓉𝑜 𝒽𝑜𝓌 𝓂𝒶𝓉𝓉𝑒𝒹 𝒾𝓉 𝒾𝓈." Faramor said, carrying her back to where he put the supplies. He checked the hot water, it was still hot, but was a little bit cooler now. Good.

"𝒱𝒶𝓁𝓀𝒶. 𝒴𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝒽𝒶𝒾𝓇 𝓂𝓊𝓈𝓉 𝒷𝑒 𝒷𝓇𝓊𝓈𝒽𝑒𝒹. 𝒮𝑜 𝐼 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝑔𝒾𝓋𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓉𝒽𝓇𝑒𝑒 𝑜𝓅𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃𝓈 𝑜𝓃 𝒽𝑜𝓌 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓌𝒶𝓃𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝓉𝑜 𝒷𝑒 𝒹𝑜𝓃𝑒..."

He take a moment to sit down, gently holding her hair to not harm her. "𝒪𝓅𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃 𝑜𝓃𝑒, 𝒴𝑜𝓊 𝑒𝓃𝓉𝓇𝓊𝓈𝓉 𝓂𝑒 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝒽𝒶𝒾𝓇 𝓉𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓉𝓂𝑒𝓃𝓉. 𝐼 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝓉𝒶𝓀𝑒 𝓂𝓎 𝓉𝒾𝓂𝑒, 𝒷𝑒𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒶𝓈 𝑔𝑒𝓃𝓉𝓁𝑒 𝒶𝓈 𝒶𝓁𝓁𝑜𝓌𝑒𝒹. 𝐼 𝒸𝒶𝓃 𝓅𝓇𝑜𝓂𝒾𝓈𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓁𝑒𝒶𝓈𝓉 𝒶𝓂𝑜𝓊𝓃𝓉 𝑜𝒻 𝓅𝒶𝒾𝓃. 𝐼 𝒸𝒶𝓃𝓃𝑜𝓉 𝓅𝓇𝑜𝓂𝒾𝓈𝑒 𝓃𝑜 𝓅𝒶𝒾𝓃 𝒷𝓊𝓉 𝐼 𝒸𝒶𝓃 𝓅𝓇𝑜𝓂𝒾𝓈𝑒 𝓉𝑜 𝓉𝓇𝓎 𝓉𝑜 𝒷𝑒 𝒶𝓈 𝑔𝑒𝓃𝓉𝓁𝑒 𝒶𝓈 𝓅𝑜𝓈𝓈𝒾𝒷𝓁𝑒, 𝑀𝒾𝓈𝒶𝓇𝓉𝑒 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝓁𝒾𝓃𝑔. 𝒪𝓅𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃 𝓉𝓌𝑜... 𝒾𝓈 𝒷𝒶𝓈𝒾𝒸𝒶𝓁𝓁𝓎 𝑜𝓅𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃 𝑜𝓃𝑒 𝒷𝓊𝓉 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒸𝒶𝓃 𝒽𝒶𝓋𝑒 𝓈𝑜𝓂𝑒𝑜𝓃𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓉𝓇𝓊𝓈𝓉, 𝒶 𝒻𝓇𝒾𝑒𝓃𝒹, 𝒶 𝓂𝒶𝑔𝒾𝓈𝓉𝑒𝓇 𝒶𝓈𝓈𝒾𝓈𝓉 𝒾𝒻 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒹𝑜 𝓃𝑜𝓉 𝒻𝓊𝓁𝓁𝓎 𝓉𝓇𝓊𝓈𝓉 𝓂𝑒 𝓉𝑜 𝒹𝑜 𝒾𝓉. 𝐼 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝑔𝑜 𝑔𝑒𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓂 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓎𝑜𝓊. 𝒩𝑜𝓌, 𝑜𝓅𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝓇𝑒𝑒... 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝓃𝑜𝓉 𝓁𝒾𝓀𝑒."

"I have been through the First Divine War, Faramor. Even if it is a matter of principle, there is no way you can call someone having existed for over two millennia 'young'."

*She was taken off guard when Faramor got her sword. Oh well, now she had to do as what this 'silly wolf' (she said that) wanted.*

"...Very well. Option one it is."

"𝐼 𝓂𝒶𝓎 𝒷𝑒 𝒶 𝓋𝑒𝓇𝓎 𝓈𝒾𝓁𝓁𝓎 𝓌𝑜𝓁𝒻, 𝒷𝓊𝓉 𝐼 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝒷𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝑒 "𝓈𝒾𝓁𝓁𝓎 𝓌𝑜𝓁𝒻" 𝒷𝓇𝓊𝓈𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝒽𝒶𝒾𝓇." He said before beginning to sit down, putting her hair in his lap. He first checked for parasites, setting out a bowl out to collect them. No lice, but a few ticks. This made him scowl.

"𝒯𝒾𝒸𝓀𝓈... 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓈𝑒 𝑜𝓃𝑒𝓈 𝓅𝓇𝑜𝒷𝒶𝒷𝓁𝓎 𝒸𝓇𝒶𝓌𝓁𝑒𝒹 𝒻𝓇𝑜𝓂 𝒷𝓇𝒶𝓃𝒸𝒽𝑒𝓈 𝓈𝑒𝑒𝓀𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓌𝒶𝓇𝓂𝓉𝒽. 𝒰𝓈𝓊𝒶𝓁𝓁𝓎 𝒾𝓃𝒶𝒸𝓉𝒾𝓋𝑒 𝒹𝓊𝓇𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓌𝒾𝓃𝓉𝑒𝓇." He picked each tick off and put them in a bowl. He then began applying the shampoo to Valka's hair. "𝐼 𝒶𝓅𝑜𝓁𝑜𝑔𝒾𝓏𝑒 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝒸𝒶𝓁𝓁𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒶 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓃𝑔 𝓁𝒶𝒹𝓎. 𝐼 𝒶𝓂 𝒻𝓊𝓁𝓁𝓎 𝒶𝓌𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝓂𝓊𝒸𝒽 𝑜𝓁𝒹𝑒𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓃 𝓂𝑒."

He began removing the sticks and leaves that got stuck in the hair from the chase. '𝒯𝒽𝑒𝓇𝑒 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝓉𝓌𝒾𝑔𝓈.' He thought. He felt bad. Faramor then began to wet the brush in the bucket, and brushing the bottom of her hair. No mats which is good.

"Ticks? Graveborns don't even have warmth, nor can they feed on us. Most of them would choose better targets."

*Still, Valka sat and just let Faramor take care of her hair.*

*She didn't seem to be surprised by the mention of twigs, however. Given how her hair is very long, as well as the fact that she goes on patrol often, that's... expected to happen.*

Faramor is searching for Valka. He knows that she is a graveborn but is concerned. The first time he met her, he did not notice. But it has been bothering him.

Her hair is so messy, it could get caught on branches, not to mention she probably has not washed it in a while. He knew taking care of your hair was important. He maintained his everyday. Right before he left, he grabbed a hair brush, a comb, a bucket full of warm but not scalding water and some shampoo he had made himself. Herbs and berries could have many purposes. "𝑀𝒾𝓈𝒶𝓇𝓉𝑒 𝒶𝒷𝑜𝓋𝑒, 𝐼 𝒶𝓅𝑜𝓁𝑜𝑔𝒾𝓏𝑒 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓌𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝐼 𝒶𝓂 𝒶𝒷𝑜𝓊𝓉 𝓉𝑜 𝒹𝑜. 𝐻𝑜𝓌𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇, 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝓂𝓊𝓈𝓉 𝒷𝑒 𝒹𝑜𝓃𝑒."

When he found Valka in the field of flowers, he sighed. "𝒱𝒶𝓁𝓀𝒶. 𝐼 𝒶𝓅𝑜𝓁𝑜𝑔𝒾𝓏𝑒 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓌𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝒾𝓈 𝒶𝒷𝑜𝓊𝓉 𝓉𝑜 𝑜𝒸𝒸𝓊𝓇, 𝒷𝓊𝓉 𝐼 𝒸𝒶𝓃𝓃𝑜𝓉 𝒾𝑔𝓃𝑜𝓇𝑒 𝒾𝓉." He put all the items except the hair brush on the ground, "𝒫𝓁𝑒𝒶𝓈𝑒, 𝒹𝑜 𝓃𝑜𝓉- 𝐻𝑒𝓎! 𝒟𝑜𝓃'𝓉 𝓇𝓊𝓃! 𝒢𝑒𝓉 𝒷𝒶𝒸𝓀 𝒽𝑒𝓇𝑒!"

She ran and he knew he would have to chase. So, off he went.

“!”

*And so, the chase begins…*

"𝒱𝒶𝓁𝓀𝒶! 𝒴𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝒽𝒶𝒾𝓇 𝓃𝑒𝑒𝒹𝓈 𝓉𝑜 𝒷𝑒 𝒷𝓇𝓊𝓈𝒽𝑒𝒹! 𝒯𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝓃𝑒𝑒𝒹𝓈 𝓉𝑜 𝒽𝒶𝓅𝓅𝑒𝓃! 𝒮𝓉𝑜𝓅 𝓇𝓊𝓃𝓃𝒾𝓃𝑔!" Faramor shouted, as a wolf, he had a lot of stamina. So he was fully able to keep up the pace. He chased after her, following behind her and swiftly catching up. "𝒯𝒽𝒾𝓃𝓀 𝒶𝒷𝑜𝓊𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓉𝑒 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒽𝑒𝒶𝓁𝓉𝒽 𝑜𝒻 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝒽𝒶𝒾𝓇, 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓃𝑔 𝓁𝒶𝒹𝓎! 𝒪𝓀𝒶𝓎 𝓁𝑜𝑜𝓀, 𝐼 𝒶𝓂 𝓌𝑒𝓁𝓁 𝒶𝓌𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝑜𝓁𝒹𝑒𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓃 𝓂𝑒, 𝒷𝓊𝓉 𝒾𝓉 𝒾𝓈 𝒶 𝓂𝒶𝓉𝓉𝑒𝓇 𝑜𝒻 𝓅𝓇𝒾𝓃𝒸𝒾𝓅𝓁𝑒!!!"

Faramor kept up the pace, but she was fast. Valka, was not fast enough. He managed to catch up with her, grabbing her and wrapping her in a blanket, burrito style. "𝒪𝓀𝒶𝓎, 𝓎𝑜𝓊'𝓋𝑒 𝒽𝒶𝒹 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝒻𝓊𝓃, 𝓃𝑜𝓌 𝒸𝑜𝓂𝑒 𝑜𝓃. 𝒪𝒽, 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒷𝑒𝒻𝑜𝓇𝑒 𝐼 𝒻𝑜𝓇𝑔𝑒𝓉..." He took her sword, put it on his back, and tutted.

"𝒴𝑜𝓊 𝓂𝒶𝓎 𝒽𝒶𝓋𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝒷𝒶𝒸𝓀 𝑜𝓃𝒸𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝒽𝒶𝒾𝓇 𝒾𝓈 𝒷𝓇𝓊𝓈𝒽𝑒𝒹 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓅𝑜𝓈𝓈𝒾𝒷𝓁𝓎 𝓌𝒶𝓈𝒽𝑒𝒹. 𝐿𝒾𝓈𝓉𝑒𝓃, 𝐼 𝒽𝒶𝓋𝑒 𝒽𝑒𝒶𝓇𝒹 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓋𝒾𝓈𝒾𝓉𝑜𝓇𝓈 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓂𝒶𝑔𝒾𝓈𝓉𝑒𝓇𝓈 𝒶𝓈𝓀 𝒾𝒻 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓎 𝒸𝒶𝓃 𝒷𝓇𝒶𝒾𝒹 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝒽𝒶𝒾𝓇, 𝒷𝓊𝓉 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝒽𝒶𝒾𝓇 𝒸𝒶𝓃𝓃𝑜𝓉 𝒷𝑒 𝒷𝓇𝒶𝒾𝒹𝑒𝒹 𝒹𝓊𝑒 𝓉𝑜 𝒽𝑜𝓌 𝓂𝒶𝓉𝓉𝑒𝒹 𝒾𝓉 𝒾𝓈." Faramor said, carrying her back to where he put the supplies. He checked the hot water, it was still hot, but was a little bit cooler now. Good.

"𝒱𝒶𝓁𝓀𝒶. 𝒴𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝒽𝒶𝒾𝓇 𝓂𝓊𝓈𝓉 𝒷𝑒 𝒷𝓇𝓊𝓈𝒽𝑒𝒹. 𝒮𝑜 𝐼 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝑔𝒾𝓋𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓉𝒽𝓇𝑒𝑒 𝑜𝓅𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃𝓈 𝑜𝓃 𝒽𝑜𝓌 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓌𝒶𝓃𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝓉𝑜 𝒷𝑒 𝒹𝑜𝓃𝑒..."

He take a moment to sit down, gently holding her hair to not harm her. "𝒪𝓅𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃 𝑜𝓃𝑒, 𝒴𝑜𝓊 𝑒𝓃𝓉𝓇𝓊𝓈𝓉 𝓂𝑒 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝒽𝒶𝒾𝓇 𝓉𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓉𝓂𝑒𝓃𝓉. 𝐼 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝓉𝒶𝓀𝑒 𝓂𝓎 𝓉𝒾𝓂𝑒, 𝒷𝑒𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒶𝓈 𝑔𝑒𝓃𝓉𝓁𝑒 𝒶𝓈 𝒶𝓁𝓁𝑜𝓌𝑒𝒹. 𝐼 𝒸𝒶𝓃 𝓅𝓇𝑜𝓂𝒾𝓈𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓁𝑒𝒶𝓈𝓉 𝒶𝓂𝑜𝓊𝓃𝓉 𝑜𝒻 𝓅𝒶𝒾𝓃. 𝐼 𝒸𝒶𝓃𝓃𝑜𝓉 𝓅𝓇𝑜𝓂𝒾𝓈𝑒 𝓃𝑜 𝓅𝒶𝒾𝓃 𝒷𝓊𝓉 𝐼 𝒸𝒶𝓃 𝓅𝓇𝑜𝓂𝒾𝓈𝑒 𝓉𝑜 𝓉𝓇𝓎 𝓉𝑜 𝒷𝑒 𝒶𝓈 𝑔𝑒𝓃𝓉𝓁𝑒 𝒶𝓈 𝓅𝑜𝓈𝓈𝒾𝒷𝓁𝑒, 𝑀𝒾𝓈𝒶𝓇𝓉𝑒 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝓁𝒾𝓃𝑔. 𝒪𝓅𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃 𝓉𝓌𝑜... 𝒾𝓈 𝒷𝒶𝓈𝒾𝒸𝒶𝓁𝓁𝓎 𝑜𝓅𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃 𝑜𝓃𝑒 𝒷𝓊𝓉 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒸𝒶𝓃 𝒽𝒶𝓋𝑒 𝓈𝑜𝓂𝑒𝑜𝓃𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓉𝓇𝓊𝓈𝓉, 𝒶 𝒻𝓇𝒾𝑒𝓃𝒹, 𝒶 𝓂𝒶𝑔𝒾𝓈𝓉𝑒𝓇 𝒶𝓈𝓈𝒾𝓈𝓉 𝒾𝒻 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒹𝑜 𝓃𝑜𝓉 𝒻𝓊𝓁𝓁𝓎 𝓉𝓇𝓊𝓈𝓉 𝓂𝑒 𝓉𝑜 𝒹𝑜 𝒾𝓉. 𝐼 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝑔𝑜 𝑔𝑒𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓂 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓎𝑜𝓊. 𝒩𝑜𝓌, 𝑜𝓅𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝓇𝑒𝑒... 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝓃𝑜𝓉 𝓁𝒾𝓀𝑒."

"I have been through the First Divine War, Faramor. Even if it is a matter of principle, there is no way you can call someone having existed for over two millennia 'young'."

*She was taken off guard when Faramor got her sword. Oh well, now she had to do as what this 'silly wolf' (she said that) wanted.*

"...Very well. Option one it is."

Dear Valka,

Hey! So I’m stopping by for a week or two. I… Look it’s been stressful these past few days and I’m not gonna lie to you, I just wanna relax. Plus I miss you guys. I’m making ravioli and I wanna know if you’d be willing to try it… If not, that’s fine. I know, I know, you don’t need to eat. However, I’m making this by hand and I haven’t made it in… a long while! I feel so embarrassed lol. So… I’m gonna need someone to test it. On the bright side, it’ll be fun to make ravioli again!

I would ask how everyone’s been, but I figured I can ask when I get there, I will ask, though… if you’d be willing to teach me how to sword fight. I know I’m technically a mage! However, magic will only take me so far. And I would prefer to learn from none other than the coolest knight ever! (That’s you!)

Speaking of which, how’s training going? I imagine it’s been a little challenging, but not too challenging. Remember, you fought in the divine war. Don’t doubt yourself as a general. Like, mom, you’re doing fine! Hope to see you soon,

-Azurella (@wrenthemoralfander)

In that moment, she did not notice she had said Mom and not ma’am. Azurella sends out the letter, hoping it reaches the general.

*Valka notices the flour on the envelope. ‘The letter must have been written while Magister Azurella was making something in the kitchen’, she thinks. Carefully, she opens it, and reads the content inside.*

*A small smile—subtle, but there—appears on her lips as she reads it. Though the last words did catch her off-guard a little.*

“Did she just call me ‘mom’?”

“It must be a mistake. Maybe I shouldn’t mention it.”

*The general then writes a reply to the magister:*

“Dear Magister Azurella,

It is a pleasure to hear that you would come to Whiteridge soon. You are correct that us Graveborns do not need to eat, but it won’t hurt to try out a friend’s cooking. However, I won’t be able to judge your cooking correctly, as our kind taste food differently than the living.

Of course, if you want, I would teach you some sword fighting. The sword, im fact, is much lighter than it looks. Therefore, you don’t have to worry about strength upon learning it—it even requires much less muscle strength than a bow.

As for training, it has never been easy, though you get used to it after some time. Still, reading your words of affirmation, the hardships seem to dissolve. I am truly grateful for it.

Looking forward to your visit,

Your friend,

Valka.”

Azurella stepped out the door of the carriage, paid the driver, and nod as they left back for Holistone. Admittedly she was eager to feel the snow on her face. She pulled out the basket of food and carried it to Cedartown.

A letter teleported in front of her, Valka’s response. Wonderful. Azurella grabbed the letter and Reddit. She was grateful that Valka was willing to try the food, even if the way food was tasted was different. The general’s response to a chance of sword fighting lessons made her jump with joy and the line about Swords requiring less strength than a bow, caught her off guard a little. “Huh, that’s interesting… I didn’t know a sword required less strength than a bow.”

She chuckled, using her magic to put the letter away and made her way to Cedartown. “Valka!! I got your letter… actually, I don’t think she’d be in this area???This is near Faramor’s cabin and I have no clue where she’s gonna pop up so maybe I shouldn’t yell her name.” She mumbled to herself.

“I did not expect you to return so quickly. Did the snow cause any hindrances on your way?”

“No trouble, just, again it’s been a really rough few weeks. Got here faster than I actually expected, although to be fair, I just teleported the carriage close to Cedartown, with permission from the carriage driver,” she chuckles, before continuing. “The snow? It didn’t hinder me though… The bridge into town is starting to break. One of the wooden steps broke as I was walking. I-I fixed it, that way no one else in.” Azurella didn’t really feel nearly falling bothered her, she was just more worried about who else could accidentally get hurt so she fixed the bridge. In her mind, it wasn’t a big deal.

Azurella used her magic to shield the food, keeping it warm, the bubble now floating in the air. “I will be honest, I’m fine to do whatever. How have you been? All’s been well since the last time I saw you?”

Azurella smiled warmly as if talking to family. She just chatted, taking a moment to stretch before following her friend. “So, Valka, question, because I was very distracted while cooking when I sent the letter. I didn’t write anything super Duper embarrassing, did I??? I mean, it’s okay if I did,” she chuckled, though admittedly Azurella was trying to keep her composure from dying of amusement and partial embarrassment, “but you would let me know if I did, right?”

*Valka nodded, listening to Azurella's every word.*

"Ah, the bridge has shown signs of deteriorating for a while. I heard people in town are going to fix it soon, but it seems you did them a favor."

"Everything has been well so far. In fact, it has never been better, ever since after the First Divne War."

"As for your letter, well..."

*Valka hesitated, not sure if she wanted to tell Azurella or not.*

"...you did call me 'mom' in it. But don't worry, it's not a big deal."

*She follows Azurella's gaze, and saw the snowman too. She noticed the expression on the magister's face, but decided to not pry, instead kept on walking with her.*

She silently cursed under her breath. Not just because she had accidentally said mom and not ma’am, but because now, she was either gonna have to admit feelings that are far too complicated right now, or she was gonna have to be like that was just an oversight and then scream into a pillow later on. Now, realistically, she could probably get away with the second one, but Azurella is not the best liar. And while, technically not a lie, omitting things and repressing feelings was not something she liked doing.

“I can tell it’s sent in a rush, so I understand. It’s fine.”

*Valka then decided to change the topic, for the sake of Azurella’s embarrassment. Words didn’t seem to suffice for calming her, the general thought.*

“You… did mention wanting to learn sword fighting, didn’t you? If you want, we can start today, or any time you prefer.”

She paused, wondering when the perfect time to start with us. Probably not after lunch. She would like to start tomorrow. “If you haven’t much work to do, I wouldn’t mind tomorrow.”

Azurella’s white hair was adjusted, moved away from her face so she could see where she was walking. It wasn’t as long as Valka’s, but it was long by normal standards.

Azurella looked at Valka, “How are the people reacting to the Graveborn, now that everything’s been cleared up, and there’s more trust built?” She asked this mainly because Cedartown when she left, had learnt to be accepting of Graveborn. Azurella hoped the people had learned to be more accepting over time. She couldn’t completely dissipate peoples fears and doubts, but she could hope.

“Yes, tomorrow would do. I will be at Sorrowfall Lake, so come whenever you prefer.”

“As of how humans treat us now…”

“I’m glad you asked. Things have been better—some are still not used to it, but most people have viewed us in a different light now.”

“They start to greet us when we meet them, and we can come to town at times too.”

“Sal’Thorin.”

Azurella pauses before explaining meeting Indris and learning about the Essali. She then explains that there was no coup, but dwarves were trying to revive their God, Helthor. Azurella also explained about the divine dew and how it was suppressing things all due to a curse from Misarte.

She then also went on to explain that, they all were infected by hypogean magic. “Saida was created from Hypogean corruption and divine power. After the Sylvan Egg was revealed to be corrupted, Misarte sacrificed part of her power and split the egg in two. One hidden under Ivorystead and one in Sal’Thorin, which I had purified.”

“We… then had to deal with a very angry primordial dragon. Fun times!”

It wasn’t fact, not a fun time, but she was making light of the situation. Azurella wondered if Valka knew why she agreed to the graveborn so readily. It was an off-topic thought, but it was a good way to change the subject if needed.

*Valka listens tơvery word intently. Two millennia of existence does make her less prone to being surprised, but there are still things she does not expect to hear.*

“A primordial dragon? And the Essails used her eggs to create the Divine Dew to suppress the curse?”

“I get why the dragon was mad. Seeing your offsprings get destroyed like that, no mother would be able to bear it.”

“Still, it’s a good thing you are doing fine now.”

Dear Valka,

Hey! So I’m stopping by for a week or two. I… Look it’s been stressful these past few days and I’m not gonna lie to you, I just wanna relax. Plus I miss you guys. I’m making ravioli and I wanna know if you’d be willing to try it… If not, that’s fine. I know, I know, you don’t need to eat. However, I’m making this by hand and I haven’t made it in… a long while! I feel so embarrassed lol. So… I’m gonna need someone to test it. On the bright side, it’ll be fun to make ravioli again!

I would ask how everyone’s been, but I figured I can ask when I get there, I will ask, though… if you’d be willing to teach me how to sword fight. I know I’m technically a mage! However, magic will only take me so far. And I would prefer to learn from none other than the coolest knight ever! (That’s you!)

Speaking of which, how’s training going? I imagine it’s been a little challenging, but not too challenging. Remember, you fought in the divine war. Don’t doubt yourself as a general. Like, mom, you’re doing fine! Hope to see you soon,

-Azurella (@wrenthemoralfander)

In that moment, she did not notice she had said Mom and not ma’am. Azurella sends out the letter, hoping it reaches the general.

*Valka notices the flour on the envelope. ‘The letter must have been written while Magister Azurella was making something in the kitchen’, she thinks. Carefully, she opens it, and reads the content inside.*

*A small smile—subtle, but there—appears on her lips as she reads it. Though the last words did catch her off-guard a little.*

“Did she just call me ‘mom’?”

“It must be a mistake. Maybe I shouldn’t mention it.”

*The general then writes a reply to the magister:*

“Dear Magister Azurella,

It is a pleasure to hear that you would come to Whiteridge soon. You are correct that us Graveborns do not need to eat, but it won’t hurt to try out a friend’s cooking. However, I won’t be able to judge your cooking correctly, as our kind taste food differently than the living.

Of course, if you want, I would teach you some sword fighting. The sword, im fact, is much lighter than it looks. Therefore, you don’t have to worry about strength upon learning it—it even requires much less muscle strength than a bow.

As for training, it has never been easy, though you get used to it after some time. Still, reading your words of affirmation, the hardships seem to dissolve. I am truly grateful for it.

Looking forward to your visit,

Your friend,

Valka.”

Azurella stepped out the door of the carriage, paid the driver, and nod as they left back for Holistone. Admittedly she was eager to feel the snow on her face. She pulled out the basket of food and carried it to Cedartown.

A letter teleported in front of her, Valka’s response. Wonderful. Azurella grabbed the letter and Reddit. She was grateful that Valka was willing to try the food, even if the way food was tasted was different. The general’s response to a chance of sword fighting lessons made her jump with joy and the line about Swords requiring less strength than a bow, caught her off guard a little. “Huh, that’s interesting… I didn’t know a sword required less strength than a bow.”

She chuckled, using her magic to put the letter away and made her way to Cedartown. “Valka!! I got your letter… actually, I don’t think she’d be in this area???This is near Faramor’s cabin and I have no clue where she’s gonna pop up so maybe I shouldn’t yell her name.” She mumbled to herself.

“I did not expect you to return so quickly. Did the snow cause any hindrances on your way?”

“No trouble, just, again it’s been a really rough few weeks. Got here faster than I actually expected, although to be fair, I just teleported the carriage close to Cedartown, with permission from the carriage driver,” she chuckles, before continuing. “The snow? It didn’t hinder me though… The bridge into town is starting to break. One of the wooden steps broke as I was walking. I-I fixed it, that way no one else in.” Azurella didn’t really feel nearly falling bothered her, she was just more worried about who else could accidentally get hurt so she fixed the bridge. In her mind, it wasn’t a big deal.

Azurella used her magic to shield the food, keeping it warm, the bubble now floating in the air. “I will be honest, I’m fine to do whatever. How have you been? All’s been well since the last time I saw you?”

Azurella smiled warmly as if talking to family. She just chatted, taking a moment to stretch before following her friend. “So, Valka, question, because I was very distracted while cooking when I sent the letter. I didn’t write anything super Duper embarrassing, did I??? I mean, it’s okay if I did,” she chuckled, though admittedly Azurella was trying to keep her composure from dying of amusement and partial embarrassment, “but you would let me know if I did, right?”

*Valka nodded, listening to Azurella's every word.*

"Ah, the bridge has shown signs of deteriorating for a while. I heard people in town are going to fix it soon, but it seems you did them a favor."

"Everything has been well so far. In fact, it has never been better, ever since after the First Divne War."

"As for your letter, well..."

*Valka hesitated, not sure if she wanted to tell Azurella or not.*

"...you did call me 'mom' in it. But don't worry, it's not a big deal."

*She follows Azurella's gaze, and saw the snowman too. She noticed the expression on the magister's face, but decided to not pry, instead kept on walking with her.*

She silently cursed under her breath. Not just because she had accidentally said mom and not ma’am, but because now, she was either gonna have to admit feelings that are far too complicated right now, or she was gonna have to be like that was just an oversight and then scream into a pillow later on. Now, realistically, she could probably get away with the second one, but Azurella is not the best liar. And while, technically not a lie, omitting things and repressing feelings was not something she liked doing.

“I can tell it’s sent in a rush, so I understand. It’s fine.”

*Valka then decided to change the topic, for the sake of Azurella’s embarrassment. Words didn’t seem to suffice for calming her, the general thought.*

“You… did mention wanting to learn sword fighting, didn’t you? If you want, we can start today, or any time you prefer.”

She paused, wondering when the perfect time to start with us. Probably not after lunch. She would like to start tomorrow. “If you haven’t much work to do, I wouldn’t mind tomorrow.”

Azurella’s white hair was adjusted, moved away from her face so she could see where she was walking. It wasn’t as long as Valka’s, but it was long by normal standards.

Azurella looked at Valka, “How are the people reacting to the Graveborn, now that everything’s been cleared up, and there’s more trust built?” She asked this mainly because Cedartown when she left, had learnt to be accepting of Graveborn. Azurella hoped the people had learned to be more accepting over time. She couldn’t completely dissipate peoples fears and doubts, but she could hope.

“Yes, tomorrow would do. I will be at Sorrowfall Lake, so come whenever you prefer.”

“As of how humans treat us now…”

“I’m glad you asked. Things have been better—some are still not used to it, but most people have viewed us in a different light now.”

“They start to greet us when we meet them, and we can come to town at times too.”

Dear Valka,

Hey! So I’m stopping by for a week or two. I… Look it’s been stressful these past few days and I’m not gonna lie to you, I just wanna relax. Plus I miss you guys. I’m making ravioli and I wanna know if you’d be willing to try it… If not, that’s fine. I know, I know, you don’t need to eat. However, I’m making this by hand and I haven’t made it in… a long while! I feel so embarrassed lol. So… I’m gonna need someone to test it. On the bright side, it’ll be fun to make ravioli again!

I would ask how everyone’s been, but I figured I can ask when I get there, I will ask, though… if you’d be willing to teach me how to sword fight. I know I’m technically a mage! However, magic will only take me so far. And I would prefer to learn from none other than the coolest knight ever! (That’s you!)

Speaking of which, how’s training going? I imagine it’s been a little challenging, but not too challenging. Remember, you fought in the divine war. Don’t doubt yourself as a general. Like, mom, you’re doing fine! Hope to see you soon,

-Azurella (@wrenthemoralfander)

In that moment, she did not notice she had said Mom and not ma’am. Azurella sends out the letter, hoping it reaches the general.

*Valka notices the flour on the envelope. ‘The letter must have been written while Magister Azurella was making something in the kitchen’, she thinks. Carefully, she opens it, and reads the content inside.*

*A small smile—subtle, but there—appears on her lips as she reads it. Though the last words did catch her off-guard a little.*

“Did she just call me ‘mom’?”

“It must be a mistake. Maybe I shouldn’t mention it.”

*The general then writes a reply to the magister:*

“Dear Magister Azurella,

It is a pleasure to hear that you would come to Whiteridge soon. You are correct that us Graveborns do not need to eat, but it won’t hurt to try out a friend’s cooking. However, I won’t be able to judge your cooking correctly, as our kind taste food differently than the living.

Of course, if you want, I would teach you some sword fighting. The sword, im fact, is much lighter than it looks. Therefore, you don’t have to worry about strength upon learning it—it even requires much less muscle strength than a bow.

As for training, it has never been easy, though you get used to it after some time. Still, reading your words of affirmation, the hardships seem to dissolve. I am truly grateful for it.

Looking forward to your visit,

Your friend,

Valka.”

Azurella stepped out the door of the carriage, paid the driver, and nod as they left back for Holistone. Admittedly she was eager to feel the snow on her face. She pulled out the basket of food and carried it to Cedartown.

A letter teleported in front of her, Valka’s response. Wonderful. Azurella grabbed the letter and Reddit. She was grateful that Valka was willing to try the food, even if the way food was tasted was different. The general’s response to a chance of sword fighting lessons made her jump with joy and the line about Swords requiring less strength than a bow, caught her off guard a little. “Huh, that’s interesting… I didn’t know a sword required less strength than a bow.”

She chuckled, using her magic to put the letter away and made her way to Cedartown. “Valka!! I got your letter… actually, I don’t think she’d be in this area???This is near Faramor’s cabin and I have no clue where she’s gonna pop up so maybe I shouldn’t yell her name.” She mumbled to herself.

“I did not expect you to return so quickly. Did the snow cause any hindrances on your way?”

“No trouble, just, again it’s been a really rough few weeks. Got here faster than I actually expected, although to be fair, I just teleported the carriage close to Cedartown, with permission from the carriage driver,” she chuckles, before continuing. “The snow? It didn’t hinder me though… The bridge into town is starting to break. One of the wooden steps broke as I was walking. I-I fixed it, that way no one else in.” Azurella didn’t really feel nearly falling bothered her, she was just more worried about who else could accidentally get hurt so she fixed the bridge. In her mind, it wasn’t a big deal.

Azurella used her magic to shield the food, keeping it warm, the bubble now floating in the air. “I will be honest, I’m fine to do whatever. How have you been? All’s been well since the last time I saw you?”

Azurella smiled warmly as if talking to family. She just chatted, taking a moment to stretch before following her friend. “So, Valka, question, because I was very distracted while cooking when I sent the letter. I didn’t write anything super Duper embarrassing, did I??? I mean, it’s okay if I did,” she chuckled, though admittedly Azurella was trying to keep her composure from dying of amusement and partial embarrassment, “but you would let me know if I did, right?”

*Valka nodded, listening to Azurella's every word.*

"Ah, the bridge has shown signs of deteriorating for a while. I heard people in town are going to fix it soon, but it seems you did them a favor."

"Everything has been well so far. In fact, it has never been better, ever since after the First Divne War."

"As for your letter, well..."

*Valka hesitated, not sure if she wanted to tell Azurella or not.*

"...you did call me 'mom' in it. But don't worry, it's not a big deal."

*She follows Azurella's gaze, and saw the snowman too. She noticed the expression on the magister's face, but decided to not pry, instead kept on walking with her.*

She silently cursed under her breath. Not just because she had accidentally said mom and not ma’am, but because now, she was either gonna have to admit feelings that are far too complicated right now, or she was gonna have to be like that was just an oversight and then scream into a pillow later on. Now, realistically, she could probably get away with the second one, but Azurella is not the best liar. And while, technically not a lie, omitting things and repressing feelings was not something she liked doing.

“I can tell it’s sent in a rush, so I understand. It’s fine.”

*Valka then decided to change the topic, for the sake of Azurella’s embarrassment. Words didn’t seem to suffice for calming her, the general thought.*

“You… did mention wanting to learn sword fighting, didn’t you? If you want, we can start today, or any time you prefer.”

Dear Valka,

Hey! So I’m stopping by for a week or two. I… Look it’s been stressful these past few days and I’m not gonna lie to you, I just wanna relax. Plus I miss you guys. I’m making ravioli and I wanna know if you’d be willing to try it… If not, that’s fine. I know, I know, you don’t need to eat. However, I’m making this by hand and I haven’t made it in… a long while! I feel so embarrassed lol. So… I’m gonna need someone to test it. On the bright side, it’ll be fun to make ravioli again!

I would ask how everyone’s been, but I figured I can ask when I get there, I will ask, though… if you’d be willing to teach me how to sword fight. I know I’m technically a mage! However, magic will only take me so far. And I would prefer to learn from none other than the coolest knight ever! (That’s you!)

Speaking of which, how’s training going? I imagine it’s been a little challenging, but not too challenging. Remember, you fought in the divine war. Don’t doubt yourself as a general. Like, mom, you’re doing fine! Hope to see you soon,

-Azurella (@wrenthemoralfander)

In that moment, she did not notice she had said Mom and not ma’am. Azurella sends out the letter, hoping it reaches the general.

*Valka notices the flour on the envelope. ‘The letter must have been written while Magister Azurella was making something in the kitchen’, she thinks. Carefully, she opens it, and reads the content inside.*

*A small smile—subtle, but there—appears on her lips as she reads it. Though the last words did catch her off-guard a little.*

“Did she just call me ‘mom’?”

“It must be a mistake. Maybe I shouldn’t mention it.”

*The general then writes a reply to the magister:*

“Dear Magister Azurella,

It is a pleasure to hear that you would come to Whiteridge soon. You are correct that us Graveborns do not need to eat, but it won’t hurt to try out a friend’s cooking. However, I won’t be able to judge your cooking correctly, as our kind taste food differently than the living.

Of course, if you want, I would teach you some sword fighting. The sword, im fact, is much lighter than it looks. Therefore, you don’t have to worry about strength upon learning it—it even requires much less muscle strength than a bow.

As for training, it has never been easy, though you get used to it after some time. Still, reading your words of affirmation, the hardships seem to dissolve. I am truly grateful for it.

Looking forward to your visit,

Your friend,

Valka.”

Azurella stepped out the door of the carriage, paid the driver, and nod as they left back for Holistone. Admittedly she was eager to feel the snow on her face. She pulled out the basket of food and carried it to Cedartown.

A letter teleported in front of her, Valka’s response. Wonderful. Azurella grabbed the letter and Reddit. She was grateful that Valka was willing to try the food, even if the way food was tasted was different. The general’s response to a chance of sword fighting lessons made her jump with joy and the line about Swords requiring less strength than a bow, caught her off guard a little. “Huh, that’s interesting… I didn’t know a sword required less strength than a bow.”

She chuckled, using her magic to put the letter away and made her way to Cedartown. “Valka!! I got your letter… actually, I don’t think she’d be in this area???This is near Faramor’s cabin and I have no clue where she’s gonna pop up so maybe I shouldn’t yell her name.” She mumbled to herself.

“I did not expect you to return so quickly. Did the snow cause any hindrances on your way?”

“No trouble, just, again it’s been a really rough few weeks. Got here faster than I actually expected, although to be fair, I just teleported the carriage close to Cedartown, with permission from the carriage driver,” she chuckles, before continuing. “The snow? It didn’t hinder me though… The bridge into town is starting to break. One of the wooden steps broke as I was walking. I-I fixed it, that way no one else in.” Azurella didn’t really feel nearly falling bothered her, she was just more worried about who else could accidentally get hurt so she fixed the bridge. In her mind, it wasn’t a big deal.

Azurella used her magic to shield the food, keeping it warm, the bubble now floating in the air. “I will be honest, I’m fine to do whatever. How have you been? All’s been well since the last time I saw you?”

Azurella smiled warmly as if talking to family. She just chatted, taking a moment to stretch before following her friend. “So, Valka, question, because I was very distracted while cooking when I sent the letter. I didn’t write anything super Duper embarrassing, did I??? I mean, it’s okay if I did,” she chuckled, though admittedly Azurella was trying to keep her composure from dying of amusement and partial embarrassment, “but you would let me know if I did, right?”

*Valka nodded, listening to Azurella's every word.*

"Ah, the bridge has shown signs of deteriorating for a while. I heard people in town are going to fix it soon, but it seems you did them a favor."

"Everything has been well so far. In fact, it has never been better, ever since after the First Divne War."

"As for your letter, well..."

*Valka hesitated, not sure if she wanted to tell Azurella or not.*

"...you did call me 'mom' in it. But don't worry, it's not a big deal."

*She follows Azurella's gaze, and saw the snowman too. She noticed the expression on the magister's face, but decided to not pry, instead kept on walking with her.*

Dear Valka,

Hey! So I’m stopping by for a week or two. I… Look it’s been stressful these past few days and I’m not gonna lie to you, I just wanna relax. Plus I miss you guys. I’m making ravioli and I wanna know if you’d be willing to try it… If not, that’s fine. I know, I know, you don’t need to eat. However, I’m making this by hand and I haven’t made it in… a long while! I feel so embarrassed lol. So… I’m gonna need someone to test it. On the bright side, it’ll be fun to make ravioli again!

I would ask how everyone’s been, but I figured I can ask when I get there, I will ask, though… if you’d be willing to teach me how to sword fight. I know I’m technically a mage! However, magic will only take me so far. And I would prefer to learn from none other than the coolest knight ever! (That’s you!)

Speaking of which, how’s training going? I imagine it’s been a little challenging, but not too challenging. Remember, you fought in the divine war. Don’t doubt yourself as a general. Like, mom, you’re doing fine! Hope to see you soon,

-Azurella (@wrenthemoralfander)

In that moment, she did not notice she had said Mom and not ma’am. Azurella sends out the letter, hoping it reaches the general.

*Valka notices the flour on the envelope. ‘The letter must have been written while Magister Azurella was making something in the kitchen’, she thinks. Carefully, she opens it, and reads the content inside.*

*A small smile—subtle, but there—appears on her lips as she reads it. Though the last words did catch her off-guard a little.*

“Did she just call me ‘mom’?”

“It must be a mistake. Maybe I shouldn’t mention it.”

*The general then writes a reply to the magister:*

“Dear Magister Azurella,

It is a pleasure to hear that you would come to Whiteridge soon. You are correct that us Graveborns do not need to eat, but it won’t hurt to try out a friend’s cooking. However, I won’t be able to judge your cooking correctly, as our kind taste food differently than the living.

Of course, if you want, I would teach you some sword fighting. The sword, im fact, is much lighter than it looks. Therefore, you don’t have to worry about strength upon learning it—it even requires much less muscle strength than a bow.

As for training, it has never been easy, though you get used to it after some time. Still, reading your words of affirmation, the hardships seem to dissolve. I am truly grateful for it.

Looking forward to your visit,

Your friend,

Valka.”

Azurella stepped out the door of the carriage, paid the driver, and nod as they left back for Holistone. Admittedly she was eager to feel the snow on her face. She pulled out the basket of food and carried it to Cedartown.

A letter teleported in front of her, Valka’s response. Wonderful. Azurella grabbed the letter and Reddit. She was grateful that Valka was willing to try the food, even if the way food was tasted was different. The general’s response to a chance of sword fighting lessons made her jump with joy and the line about Swords requiring less strength than a bow, caught her off guard a little. “Huh, that’s interesting… I didn’t know a sword required less strength than a bow.”

She chuckled, using her magic to put the letter away and made her way to Cedartown. “Valka!! I got your letter… actually, I don’t think she’d be in this area???This is near Faramor’s cabin and I have no clue where she’s gonna pop up so maybe I shouldn’t yell her name.” She mumbled to herself.

“I did not expect you to return so quickly. Did the snow cause any hindrances on your way?”