Beyond The Lake

And not because Grimia usually ate a lot of it. In this case, the tome familiar had been snatched up and opened to a fresh page, information and instructions on this- "Teliann... Fletcher... at the city's administrative building... got it!" Does it need to be said that the witchling was exciting to meet them? Of course not. The guileless zeal was encompassing. And was why she ended up keeping such strange company.

"Okay. I have all my things cleaned out already so... I'll... go ahead and get started then." The next phase doesn't begin with the utmost of confidence. Some muttering to herself in thought as she scoots things around and makes sure other doors are open. Pieces of paper marked with symbols stuck in the corners and around the doorway. Nothing left inside... Grimia is clipped to her waist... and of course- From another pocket and carefully unwrapped (many many layers) is a rotted piece of something that must be The Cheese. The smell is nauseating, but the final step is moved to quickly.

The similarly runed cage is opened. And Elijah speaks... something that could be considered language of old ones, but the delivery and tone are so bright it's understood if one misses it.

"H' ah yar llll ymg' l' lllln'gha!" The cage is empty in a moment, quickly snatched up by the witchling before stepping outside. Rends in space form like tendrils, starting first at the 'cheese' before rapidly expanding outward until meeting with walls and windows. The room fills (or empties depending on perspective) with the pitch black before naught but a doorway into the hall remain.

Multiple large eyes appear. And then- open like a maw.

"Tada!!! Cozy, isn't it??" Referring of course to the cottage space within that was now revealed. Larger than the room that once was in place, but not too much so. Whatever rules this extraplanar creature operated off of, it seemed its 'host' played some part in how it manifested the space within. The window in the back still looks out onto the familiar streets below the Grand Triskelion despite the physical impossibility of its location compared to before.

They were all in luck that this was not the first of such creatures that the shop's proprietress had come into contact with, for she imagined that even for a veteran witch, the sight would be quite stomach-turning without some prior knowledge. Indeed, the eyes and mawlike opening that spread out into the room were quite reminiscent of something which she had once been intimately familiar with, the tattoo on the back of her neck a lingering marker of being hunted. A decade or so ago, that reminder would be enough for her to feel a desperate need to crush Elijah's pet to pieces.

Now, however, it was enough for the creature simply to understand its place in the shop, and not stretch beyond its means. "You should be careful about speaking that language, Elijah. You'll draw unnecessary attention from the patrons, as well as the golems." And anything that might be listening in from some faraway place, though Lilli swept the shop weekly for sensors and bugs alike. "But, beyond that, the room feels quite pleasant. I hope it's comfortable for you, and if you have any other questions, you only need to ask."

That should be easy enough, shouldn't it? Respect all the privacy and don't look and don't read and... yeah. She's got it.

"Okay! I can work with that. The city is fine. I'll see if there's somewhere there I can have it sent." Like some kind of place for post to be delivered and she could rent a space and check it once in awhile. She gets to have mail and contact with people she knew, and Lillibridge gets to keep her privacy. Sort of. Because the chances of Elijah keeping her occupation and place of work secret are ... small. Still no intentional malice!! "I don't think anyone would actually travel here. Like I said I came a long way. But. Got it. Just in case!"

Just making notes for later. Mental ones. Gods know how much she'll be writing down in her journal tonight.

...in her old bed!! On that note-

At this point it seemed they were just about done, weren't they? There was only so much left to sort out. To get a head start on things, the witchling fetches her bag, extracting from it a small cage with some kind of oozy shape inside. After setting it on the counter next to her familiar, an eye pops open, then two, then three. All looking around the room from within its magicked bars.

The last few things were pulled from their places, sorted, and then deposited as needed. How long it must have been for some of these trinkets were taken down from their shelves. "If you go to the city's administrative building -" She waved a hand dismissively. The building was always undergoing some name change or other, depending on which god had come into favor. "- you'll find a woman named Teliann Fletcher. She works for the Lord Protector, and the city. I'm sure she can tell you where to have your mail addressed."

Though Lilli largely stayed out of the city's affairs these days, unless they affected her and her business, she knew enough to point to reputable, helpful people. Delegation was a vital skill, after all. As well, the opportunity to go track down people who were likely to not receive a witch poorly could help Elijah gain some sort of foothold in the city, rather than be entirely on the outs about it. Given her friendly attitude and general zeal for life, Lilli imagined it was only a matter of time before a number of city-dwellers were well-acquainted with her.

Elijah thinks to herself, wouldn't Lillibridge want to do the same? Maybe her powers of knowing cancelled out that sort of natural curiosity. It definitely wasn't the case for the witchling though. So, yes, so what if she did already peek into some closets? It was simply looking and much different from opening letters!

Sending her out is a good idea. Fresh air does a girl like her wonders.

"No! Well, not the letters themselves. I definitely peeked at the senders, but-" That was different, presumably. Hopefully. A charged smile of wishful thinking sent the other's way as more work is settled. They were making good progress between them, at the least. And though Elijah's levitating was pale in comparison to the masterful dexterity of Lillibridge's mind... it helped too! Grimia didn't. They're still sleeping. For the better.

"Mm. You don't like getting sent letters? I write plenty myself, and keep all the ones that people send me. Some of them I feed to Grimia but some of them are more special than that." There's a fond moment of recollection, brown eyes falling on a window and going far past the limits of the scene on the other side of the glass.

She'd have to be more careful. It had been years since anyone else had lived here at the Triskelion. The rooms were filled with dangerous objects or secrets better left uncovered, and the last thing Elijah needed was more trouble. "It doesn't feel to my benefit to have anyone with a passing interest able to track my location, no." Letters were far from the worst of it, although she didn't quite like those either. "I'm wanted for a number of crimes in a number of cities, and though I wouldn't find it difficult to resist arrest, my work is better served without disruptions."

Some of the warrants had been torn up in recognition of her various services, but some still existed - of that, Lillibridge was sure. Certain holy knights held grudges, and Lillibridge had allowed a number of them to die through her inaction, destroying in the process the fabled Hammer of Witches. She had few allies among the gods, and fewer still among their faithful. Only those that understood the lives of thieves and vagrants seemed to give her any credit.

“I learned to use candles as catalysts outside of the coven. I guess you could call my training pretty normal, outside of that.. everything with the flowers. I’d do it more and make some of my own candles if bees were easier to keep around. The best wax species can be sensitive. And growing my own herbs was a challenge enough.” She didn’t have the greenest of thumbs after all. Chalk it up to her penchant for distraction. Just as she was by the gentle fragrance of the candle. “This one is nice. If you’d like. I can melt it down and work some things into the wax, so it burns even longer and stronger!” Modifying candles after all was well within her purview.

“Uhm.”

Uh oh. There’s something offputting about being watched now with Lillibridge’s full attention. Like now she had to keep talking or saying something or—wait, she’s not in trouble or something for distracting or putting off the work.

Another thing that she could consider for Elijah. She was here seeking help, and Lilli had intended to put her to work in exchange for it, after all. It wouldn't be beyond the bounds of acceptable work to send her off on errands. The particularly dangerous procurement tasks, that she'd sent Natari off on, would naturally be worked around, for as powerful as Elijah was, the instability of her abilities meant that risking her life, and the lives of others, with dangerous tasks wasn't something she'd do. Still, the witchling's excitable attitude and kind sensibilities meant Lillibridge imagined she'd be well-liked in town.

Well, so long as she didn't say too much about where she was living, or who she was working for to the wrong person. That thought, as well as the letters displayed, brought to her face a small frown. "No, you're right; they aren't junk." The letters had slowed down, and Lilli knew their writer hadn't died. Perhaps she'd just learned her lesson, or had other things to occupy her mind and demand her attention than writing to a witch who seldom wrote back. "I'll deal with them."

With everything gathered Tharja seems about ready to leave. Then, perhaps after a shared glance with the other, she procures funds for her current purchase. Setting out a modest stack of coins from her personal funds. Spending money was hard to come by when you're in an army. And it was something she lamented. Creativity wasn't discouraged but it fell under bombastic scrutiny and having to explain yourself to people like Frederick was agonizing.

There's an involuntary cringe just at the thought of it.

"Oh my, offering to leave the safety and sanctuary of your shop? Daring. Careful you don't get too curious. They're animals for recruiting." Tharja seems rather humored at the idea. "Well that's none of my business. Chances are if you wait it'll be some other fool coming by. Pray it isn't that ostentatious archer." One might wonder how many people in the Shepherds the dark mage actually enjoys.

There are in fact, a few she is neutral towards. And then. Of course. The tactician... but that's neither here nor there. (And the tactician at this time of day would be reading a novel in their tent after drinking tea).

"That said," she started, after the coins had been set aside and the various wares and reagents she'd displayed were back in their proper places, "in ensuring that I'm paid what I'm owed, and in learning more about these odd companions of yours, I'd say I have two such reasons." Yes, anyone who would employ the services of dark mages was someone to be curious about - both as a potential exit strategy should her business ever become untenable, as well as for knowing who not to cross.

There’s surely another story to unpack here, or at least, Elijah is trying to find things to read into with that response from Lillibridge. Underneath her subservience there does exist that desire to connect with the woman. And this was probably one of the best hooks she had to do so outside of her status and occupation. The tin top is removed, and the (aforementioned bold) scent of fruit and spice hits her nostrils dead on. An apparent veteran, however, Elijah does not even flinch.

The eager witchling looks between the other and the candle, then grins happily as she sets it up on the counter next to where she had left her familiar. Grimia is content to lay inert as business continued around it, though the eye briefly opens long enough to ascertain the candle wasn’t exactly edible. Don’t ask if Elijah has tried to eat a candle before.

"I wasn't conventionally trained, so truthfully, I seldom use them for any particular magical purposes." There were a number of odd candles she'd collected, but few that she'd ever taken great personal interest in, or found worthy of exceptional study. Being beholden to neither tradition nor coven meant that Lillibridge Kaine used the tools that she found comfortable. Though she had the appearance and demeanor of a reclusive witch, she was rather unlike any others.

"Although, a wizard I once collaborated with taught me quite an interesting spell that involved a candle as a reagent." Those candles were still burning in her basement. Lilli knew that much; she often checked. "I understand that they can be quite versatile in the more conventional witchcraft traditions." In fact, she did hold a mild curiosity as to what that spell would look like were Elijah to assist in the casting of that same spell. After thinking of it for a few moments, she decided that it would be too dangerous to try, as far as Elijah's mental state was concerned.

“Yes. So sad. Losing team and all that. I’m so grateful the victors aren’t laying waste and doing the historical pillaging. They’re angels.” Despite the bitter lacing to the words delivered as Tharja mulls her finances, there was a genuine sentiment to her position. After all, she had a family and siblings still living in that country pushing by in their own way. All practitioners of magic, and all squirreled away in a corner of the dark mage’s heart. Which did beat, despite some rumors.

“Oh good grief. Did I not say I understood? Mnnn. Fine. I’ll take them if you’re going to be sour about it. In for a penny. Or whatever the phrase is out here. A reminder. It’s not my fault you haven’t been paid for the last batch of reagents that were ordered. I’ll make sure to pull an ear once I get back. A nice bag of gold for you before our troop leaves.” She talks a game around like-minded company, but chances were Tharja would return back to the camp of unfamiliar oddballs and shrink back to her introverted ways. The true tragedy, here.

With some manner of reluctance she relinquishes her own stores of money upon the counter for the shop-keep to go through. Then she takes the gloves offered and gathers the plants into a bag that might hopefully discourage those foolish enough to go through Tharja’s things a nasty pricking. For her luck, the silly animal skulls on her shelves would continue to run fitting diversion to more dangerous snooping. This scale, before it was shaved and powdered, would likely attract similar eyes.

Her work finished, Lillibridge shrugged. "One hardly knows until they try." Though Tharja was certainly quite a bit too smart for it. "Should any of those overcurious children you call companions sniff through your things and stick it in their mouths, I'm happy to sell them an anti-toxin." So long as they made it to her in time, at least. Otherwise, it would be quite an unpleasant few days, though not one that she'd have to answer for. Another benefit of doing things on her own, rather than running with some sort of group.

Most of them.

She left out a few key things after all. Ones that Elijah wouldn’t consider to be … needed. Relevant. Like how nobody forced her to take the action she had. The imbibing of the unfinished potion was her own choice. A fervent effort to appeal and show use. It resulted from a mania, she knows, but her heart… well, that didn’t matter much either at this point. Whether it was part of experimenting or foolhardy arrogance Elijah found herself in this predicament as a flawed medium to another world. With her body forced as the catalyst for unworldly possession.

“Oh, great! I’m glad that helped. Really glad. If I recall anything else important, I'll make sure to tell you. My head and memories from back then are… fuzzy. Like I was a different person then, and I can only see it through a dirty window. However many years I was underground … that’s not too surprising, right? Well. Either way. The coven is gone. I scoured it best I could for signs of who was left. I got the flower that I gave you, and everything else was burned to the ground or missing entirely. My guess is the inquisition found out what was happening. Or maybe they fought each other? Staying there felt… wrong. So I left.”

It wasn’t like there was any point to staying, either. And since then it had been what, a few years? What lovely progress she had made… no, don’t get down on yourself! You found someone willing to help and seems really smart on the subject!! A firm shake of the head, and a renewed vigor in her smile. Elijah continues in the work, pulling out a few envelopes to set for Lillibridge to look through herself.

Then she finds it. The candle. Almost forgotten. Abandoned. Left to collect dust at the back of a shelf. Pulling it out like an intrepid explorer withdraws a relic from a pedestal. There’s reverence. Awe. And without thinking past the surface (like who it would belong to) Elijah turns to look at the elder witch with eyes that sparkle like the ocean under evening rays.

“You have candles here??”

"To try and track them down at this point might be a meaningless endeavor, I agree." Even if those witches could be found, what exactly would she do about them? What had happened to Elijah was clearly not the intended outcome, and if they'd gone their separate ways, they may have taken key bits of knowledge individually with them. All there might be at that point for Lillibridge Kaine to do might be to dispose of them.

Lilli nodded to herself, sitting back for a moment, setting down the items in her hand as she looked to the younger witch. "You did well to make that decision, and to look for someone who could help." Now all that was left was for Lilli to keep up her end of the deal. "And this place should prove more comfortable for our work. There's no inquisition around here to impede in my research." There were a number of magically-inclined people in the city, and even were there not, Lillibridge Kaine was a special case. The last witch hunter who'd taken a swing at her had ended a smoldering corpse in Graceport. Not her doing, mind.

"I see," there was a tad long pause, mulling the thought over. Someone as good as her is wasted on wandering alone when her skills could be put to good use. However, her aura is one of independence. Perhaps she will decline his offer but he wouldn't know until he asks her. Honestly, they could use someone like her around. Not every day you can meet someone versatile in witchcraft, in a good sense.

For a serious topic, Chrom fixed his posture and stood straight. "Say, Lillibridge, would you consider joining us instead of going on your own? We could use someone of your skill and intelligence in the shepherds." usually, this would get some people to join, the thought of the company and not being alone is enough for them. Well, the other you gotta remind them that at the end of the day, they are getting paid for their hard work. Not that Chrom finds that a negative thing--these people have families to feed. Yes, it--the shepherds was formed as a voluntary group but if he can pay them, he will. "Wages can be negotiated with our chief tactician, Robin."

"I don't doubt it," came a tepid reply from the witch. "There aren't many with my unique abilities, and the others are overwhelmingly in service to the Fell Dragon." Perhaps she might know some weaknesses, or observing her fight could lead to more information about their capabilities. Any tactician would see as much. "But for what purpose? Under what circumstances does your little war band organize? I expect to be paid, yes, but I won't work in service of an end I don't agree with."

"Mnnhh.." She grumbles, but part of her mood is at least assuaged by the camaraderie of technical empathy from the other. It was never her intention to unload on the other, or put weight on their business relationship, but there's something to be said about the therapeutic affect of someone enabling you. Even if the grasp of your situation is at best, it's own form of bizarre.

"I had two options, as I saw it, when I joined with the Shepherds. I could die very unheroically for a country I could care less about that was filled with loons using their powers for frivolous idiocy. Or I could throw my own in with an even crazier man who wanted people to stop fighting by fighting them. One of those options had the possibility of creating quiet. I can't be blamed for the choice. But I will blame several of the people he considers companions for being... stupid."

So poignant. So mean.

Her eyes drift to the houndstongue.

As Tharja's gaze settled on the flowers, Lilli's followed - the third one in particular a grim reminder of what Plegia, and the Grimleal in specific, had done to her. "Push off old reagents," she repeated with a frown. "That's how you're going to frame a friendly donation born from camaraderie and a sense of scholarly intrigue?" Ah, to ascribe to Lillibridge Kaine the worst of intentions was common enough, even though in this instance, she imagined Tharja to be joking.

"Then be careful not to touch your eyes or mouth with your hands." Her amulet hung low on its chain, nearly touching the top of the counter as the witch shrugged. There were all manner of suggestions she could offer, but acquiring one of these was, unfortunately, not among them, being a particularly rare apothecary's trinket that, in Lilli's case, was something of a family heirloom. For those who worked with dangerous tools, it benefited one to ensure a resistance to them.

At least there was some work getting done? She's often quick to catch herself mid-thought, going back and forth between her tome and jotting things down as an inventory of sorts is drawn up in the endless pages of that strange book. She's about to explode with excitement about finding a candle after pulling a canister out of the back of a shelf when Lillibridge makes a subtle suggestion of sharing more of Elijah's history. It takes some wind out of her sails. But not her lungs.

"Oh. There've been... a lot. Of experiences I mean. I don't think there's any reason to go into more detail over what comes out of me when I lose control. You experienced first hand how it happens. There's been a few other times. With other things coming out too. I've felt the bear and the apple before, that you told me about. But there are others that seem to try and talk to me. A lost girl. A fairy. A swarm. Other... things I don't even like to think about."

There's a brief moment, as the witchling's gaze wanders as she starts going into a writing desk next to the cabinets. Realizing she was about to make several more tangents, she stops herself. A quick papping of the cheeks.

"A-anyway! ...my coven, my old coven, wanted to find a way to connect ourselves to the collective consciousness of humanity. Another world made up of dreams and legends. Real or just... made up. The kind of power that would stop them- stop us- from being persecuted. It'd be a way to help a lot of people, maybe just get stronger. They had stories they told of people outside. I'm not sure what's real. What's not... when it comes to all that anymore."

It's hard for her to be fondly recollecting much of this. For all her efforts to be helpful and useful, it hadn't added up to much. Cast aside as she was left to die. Painful realization of what she had always been worth to them. Any ideals they held may have only gone so deep or been so benevolent.

"The potion was meant to make someone a medium, but only temporarily. Act as a gate to allow something to come through by using our mind as a passage- a gate, you know? And then after that being was extracted the witches would use a containment spell. And that... I guess... was the next step of research?"

Elijah stops, looking nervously towards Lillibridge.

It brought to Lilli the thought that, had they succeeded, and had the timelines lined up, there was every chance she would have needed to approach the issue from a very different starting point. "I don't believe anyone intends to become stronger for entirely altruistic reasons." It was a nonjudgmental thought. After all, Lillibridge Kaine had benefited greatly from her transformation from petty thief and fence to all-encompassing psychic witch. That she'd kept up with it, and her advanced her abilities, was for her own ends, nothing self-sacrificing or with eyes upon broader aims.

"Which is to say, I don't regard this former coven of yours highly, Elijah." Whether Elijah had taken the potion of her own volition, or been coerced, it seemed irresponsibility to let someone so young and comparably inexperienced be in such a position. "You were done a disservice by older, more experienced people, and I am sorry to hear that." And yet it was always her that was being accused of swallowing children whole, or sacrificing others for her power.

After another round of sorting, she looked up to Elijah. "I can't claim to be an expert in the realm of dreams, Elijah, but I understand the important things." Lillibridge nodded to herself, recalling what she could. "But what I do know a great deal about is the magic of the mind, and inviting anything at all to pass through it, especially anything of power, is an extreme risk." Summoning of all kinds carried a risk, but using a living being as a conduit was a recipe for disaster.

“Call it an experiment in longevity. Wyrmscales are lovely for that. The man in question will be a perfect test subject for the use of the reagent. He’s willing to carry a charm and—yes, I am saying he is aware of his predicament, and I’ve come to believe that it is a genuine situation. As though he can’t help it. Imagine if the rest of us could be so lucky. Like you say I am. As it is he is simply terrifying with his lack of presence despite lugging around all that armor.”

"Perhaps he's already been hexed," she mused as she scooped up a small cluster of long-stalked flowers with small purple buds from a sealed bottle, causing the amulet at her neck to glow faintly in green. "That could explain a near-supernatural lack of presence. Though, I doubt you've overlooked such a possibility." Tharja was thorough enough, but Lillibridge's standards, and had quite the repository of knowledge herself.

Holding the flowers close to inhale the toxic fragrance, once again prompting a hum of her amulet, Lilli turned the scent over in her mind before nodding to herself. In short order, the flowers were bagged up tightly and set upon the counter next to the other witch. "I consider you a great many things, Tharja, but crazy would not be among them. Though, I do wonder what so draws the attention that you do cavort with those types of your own volition."

Her attention goes to the bottle, another smile passed its way. A fleeting glance towards Lillibridge before a tongue peeks past the lips. She wouldn’t have told her how it worked if she didn’t want the witchling to try, right? Wishful thinking of course but- ahh! If Lillibridge was watching that endless curiosity and guileless passion only seemed to bubble up more.

“Okay, then… can you turn into… a spatula?” She gives the cap a twist and sure enough, the bottle responds. Pluming outward like a magician’s bouquet of flowers does indeed manifest the cooking tool. Elijah gives a small grin, knowing the intended uses were much grander. “Maybe not something to cook with. But that’s so interesting! I’ll put you over here for now—” She untwists the cap, and sets the bottle off to the side so that she can return to work. “Sorry, teacher. I’ll stay focused.”

"What use is a store that no one can find," Lilli mused as she continued sifting through her things. "I've encountered a few strange vendors who require a great deal of effort to even learn of them, let alone arrive on their doorsteps looking for something to buy. It seems to me poor business sense." She made quite the premium on rare reagents and exceptional potions, but the day-to-day operations at the Grand Triskelion were no different from any other apothecary's shop - headache tonics, small healing draughts for hunters and soldiers, and the like.

A few overripe or wilted ingredients joined the rod in the box. "And being located in a city has its benefits. I've saved the lives of most people who live here at least once. If they've found that service unsatisfying..." Lillibridge flicked her wrist dismissively. "I'm not against reversing it." Let the idle have their rumors. So long as it didn't disrupt her work, she wouldn't care if word across the bridge was that she devoured children or stole souls to keep herself powerful.

"Oh." Gears have turned in the sorceress's head, frustration parting like clouds and memories returning of prior orders that had been made. And not yet been paid. Or picked up for that matter. One can also tell by how Tharja's expression shifts and frustrates that she's not quite equipped to settle that bill just now. Settling orders of that scale required fingers in the company coffers and she's here purely for... personal pursuits. "Great."

"Always something impeding my efforts whether it's animal welfare or balanced books. Though I don't see the harm in pulling one scale off the beast. The sheds won't work. And the reptile is so well maintained I don't think a single plate has dropped off during any battles."

Because Tharja may or may not have paid attention to this. For present reasons. Imagine the efficacy of that beast's scales as a result, though. Oh well. The specimen on the table would do well enough. the Grand Triskelion had never let her down before.

"Yes, it is so difficult to be you, isn't it?" Sarcastic, of course, but without any real bite behind her words. In fact, there was the faintest hint of a dry smile on the face of the witch behind the counter. "Steady work with such a high-profile figure as that prince, convenient access to a shop that assists with acquiring even the most suspect of reagents, and, I imagine, no shortage of targets and subjects for testing things out."

It seemed to Lilli quite the charmed life, at least as far as any dour practitioner of dark magic was concerned. Then again, perhaps not, given that she wouldn't have pursued it. Working at her shop was quite enough for her without getting tangled up in warfare or delusions of heroism. "I see," she murmured, carefully wrapping the scale in protective cloth. "I wouldn't likely have considered such a usage." Tharja's ideas were always so novel. If nothing else, her presence always gave Lillibridge Kaine something to think about.

“Nope, I got everything done on my schedule yesterday. So I’m free! I’m also pretty strong, but… if there’s anything too big I’ll make sure to ask, teacher!” She was able to do some similar physical telekinesis too, but it was more like brief magicking for something to please move. Such magic had less efficacy on larger objects. Ellie imagined Lillibridge could do a lot more by comparison.

“I’ll start here then, best get everything out in the open so we know what we’re dealing with, right? But… hmm.” It’s surprise more than it is confusion, born from the variety of things the pair revealed as the organizing continued. Elijah wants to jump to a few conclusions, but reminds herself (before she looks foolish) that this was a guest room and not a storage room… or maybe it was one and became the other, from the looks of it.

“So how long has it been since someone’s stayed in this room? Some of these things I’m surprised are still here. I mean. Look at these cute kid clothes!” She announces with a giggle. Holding up and wiggling a small shirt that would fit a toddler, or perhaps a stage older before setting it aside in its proper place along with the rest. There’s quite the stock of things for a child, isn’t there? A small sparkle dances in front of brown eyes as she sets them carefully in their pile.

Then, going to another door Elijah comes across something different entirely. A bottle, but the neck of it looked more like a handle. And there was also an eye inside of it! Looking at her! Another sparkle in the eyes!! Horror or aversion? Absolutely not. Compared to the nonsense that plays itself and knocks at the door inside her mind this small, trapped creature could only be seen as cute.

"How long indeed," Lilli murmured, thinking of it. Aisling's most recent stay had been over a year ago, but since she'd truly lived here? "Three or four years, I think." Somewhere around there. Her reclusive tendencies made the time blur together. When truly by herself, Lilli marked the passage of time not in days or weeks, but rather the ways in which the seasons and supply chains made it easier or more difficult to acquire strange reagents.

She nodded towards the clothing that Elijah had held up. "Those are quite a bit older than that, though." How old had she been when she'd come to stay? Six? Seven? Around that age, but remarkably slight of frame, her illness having ravaged her body since shortly after her birth, as Lilli understood it. "I've had this house for some time, though." Fifteen years? Twenty? The receipts for all her materials payments were catalogued in her files. The dates would be there, if she cared to find them. "I'm not surprised that there are such old things still around."

"Take this. Happy Valentine's Day."