#agnes 01

It was an unusual hour to hear the back door of the Stumble Inn bounce shut as someone retreated from the music and din of the tavern on the main floor to the quiet retreat of the grounds in the rear of the inn. Despite the fact that flora required the sun to thrive, Juneau had found she much preferred to work on the restoration of the garden by the light of the moon and a small handful of torches around the greenery. No one came out at this hour, not until now. Juneau couldn't think of a single reason why someone would--except for one. Logically, she knew she couldn't sense Alder's presence, but still something came alight within her; a naive flicker of hope that it might be him sent her running around the corner of the garden wall only to be throttled by disappointment. The small blonde practically skidded to a stop on the dirt bath as she took in the sight of a dark haired women, one who was vaguely familiar but who hadn't garnered much of Juneau's attention before. Surely her little outburst hadn't gone unnoticed by the woman and it was all Juneau could do not to pout or cry out of disappointment as she crossed her arms as if they were her own personal suit of armor and ask, "Who the hell are you?"

Freydis was grateful to have company on the ride home from the Feywilds. If she hadn’t, she was vulnerable to steering her horse right off a cliff without noticing it given how deep in introspection and shell shocked she was. During the first few hours of their journey Agnes may have said a hundred sensational things and Freydis would have barely responded with as much as a gentle grunt. She knew she was being poor company, but the shock was only barely subsiding when they drew close to the forest's edge that would lead her to the cabin in the Wildlands. It would be dark too soon for Agnes to continue to the outer limits of Haven safely on her own, and in the back of Freydis’ mind her protective nature nagged at her to invite Agnes to stay with her for the evening, perhaps for both of their sakes.

The veil maiden gently tugged the reigns of her own horse just enough for the steed to come to a halt a handful of yards from the treeline. She enjoyed the wildlands, its sylvan landscape and lush green color palette soothed her much more than the city of Eterna ever had. But the Feywilds? The path they had tread in their most recent adventure? The recollection of those ethereal landscapes did much to soothe Freydis’ racing mind and as she thought of them in this more familiar setting she could not help but think aloud, “I haven’t seen much of the world, but I have encountered fey before.” Obviously. She turned her head slightly to look at the genasi on horseback to her side. “I expected the Feywilds to be frightening, twisted…. Dark. They were beautiful.” Despite the trickery and mind games of fey-kind, she knew would go back if given half a reason. 

A moment later, she refocused her thoughts and craned her neck to look at the pastel colors of the sunset above the tree line. “It will be dark soon.” she thought aloud. “I hear the conflict near Haven is tempering, but you never know when a darkspawn might have strayed from the horde. Soon it won’t be as safe as it will be in the morning in the cover of daylight.” She looked at Agnes hoping she wouldn’t insist on making the full journey that night. “My cabin is a forty-minute right from here, maybe a bit less. If you’d feel safer waiting out the night I have the space for you. Plenty to eat, too.”

dalisayy

   "IfyouvalueyourlifeIwouldreccomendyounotmoveasinglemuscle."

   The cold, familiar voice would sound from right behind the young woman's ear as the touch of cold steel pressed itself against her neck. From out of the shadows, a figure with long brown hair and dull, violet eyes had emerged, slunk up behind Agnes, and quickly apprehended her by pulling her into a side street. The woman's body was unfamiliar...but its owner had no doubt the Wind Vestal would at least remember her voice.

   The ninja, Konoe Kikyo, was not a person who would easily be forgotten after having been met, after all.

Pressure thickened the overall atmosphere, crafting a tense, suffocating aura as the dubious enchanter strutted confidently. Bloodshot pupils gleamed with purpose at the sight of a lone individual whose presence caused the life flow within Judar's realm - Rukh - to act erratically. A fellow Magi? Stopping before the woman, slight disappointment  

"Weird. The Rukh . . . it led me here. But . . . you? Of all people, it's reacting to a feeble little girl? Hmph!