"Civil unrest rocks the League! Enforcers deployed from Westwatch to quell rioters before the council meeting. Unified protest groups rail against the new set of restrictions and regulations passed down from New Berenia, claims of unfair treatment hurt the chances of a peaceful resolution. Sturmbreaker mayor Trinia Kantrel reassures the populace that nothing will immediately affect them. Helmane tribe leader argues that the League's bureaucratic processes are too slow to respond to threats should Meltonians declare a campaign of aggression. New Berenia statement to wait for talks to end before jumping to conclusions met with derision amongst concerned cohorts. "

- 'The Ascar Gazette - Front page report on ongoing League discussion about the Draceni-Melton Crisis'

She didn’t exactly know what the feeling was, but blissful exhilaration was the closest she got when she washed away the dirt and grime on her body. The arrow wound still stung despite what she presumed was Sara’s stitches, but as she splashed around inside the small stone bath the pain was nothing but an afterthought. It was, at the very least, one of the first signs of normality after a turbulent week, and though many mysteries remained unanswered she was, for now, quite clean.

But now that she was relaxed and merely resting in the water instead of being amused a strange thought intruded its way into her mind. What do I do now? Certainly she could try to make her way back to the estate, but if whoever kidnapped her caught wind of her presence wouldn’t that just mean she would be even more exposed than before? But to leave Eva behind was almost an impossibility, that meant she would have to sneak her way down to Arteria, but how?

“Soo? How’d the talk go?” Annalise’s chipper voice cut through her thoughts, “Didn’t pull anything too suspect did he?”

“No…” Sophie mumbled a reply.

“Good good, as you might’ve noticed they take things a bit more seriously than we do.”

“Mmhmm.”

A silence settled as Sophie caught the other girl looking at her, only for her to chuckle as Sophie abashedly turned away.

“W-what?”

“Man, you’re a shy one huh?”

“Ngh!”

“Ah, I don’t mean it in a bad way, it’s just we’ve been in Eichafen for so long that…well you’ll see it soon enough. Anyways scoot!”

Sophie almost yelped as the other girl plopped herself in the bath behind her, sending a tidal wave of water rushing over Sophie. Taking a small peek behind her she could see the other girl preparing something, and stiffened as the shadow of a hand loomed over her head.

“Do you mind?” Annalise asked nonchalantly, unaware or uncaring of how Sophie shrunk down.

With a frightened shrug Sophie clenched her eyes shut and waited for the inevitable prank only to feel a gentle rubbing on her scalp before a hand ran itself through her hair. This…is oddly pleasant, but so unnerving.

Annalise chuckled as if she read Sophie’s thoughts and leaned over to grab another handful of the elf’s hair, only pausing for a brief moment when her eyes settled on the pointy ears, before continuing.

“Do you remember when I said we needed reassurances since you were a relative unknown back in the forest?”

Sophie gulped and nodded, her fears realized as she noticed how escape was now very unlikely should the ranger decide that pain would be a good motivator instead of dialogue.

“Well I do believe you, that you were an actual maid and a noble’s servant, I mean, I don’t think I’ve seen someone as helpless as you just wandering the Mistveil so that checks out. But I am curious, who the saint damned hells are you and how did you get here?”

“I mean-umm well I’m Sophie and I came from House Rosengart under..”

“Yes yes I know that much,” Annalise interrupted with a hand wave, “I meant like how did you get there? A lord’s illegitimate child? How were you even allowed so close to a noble much less a Duke despite being...uhm no offense, but so helpless? Like I thought servants usually got chosen for skills or political reasons, unless…sorry.” Annalise paused as she watched the elf get noticeably more depressed.

“No! No! Nothing like that! Not that I know and…well I talked about mistress Evaline before, right?” Sophie squeaked in a panic, uncertain as to what answers the other girl sought.

“You mentioned her, yes.”

“She was…she is my best friend and protector, and I’m… I’m her best friend as well. She was the one who took me into the household when I was younger. I don’t think anyone would’ve tolerated having me around if not for her. But ever since then I’ve mostly stuck around cleaning up her messes or keeping her room tidy. That’s how I got and stayed there since really.”

“But how did you take you in? Did they just buy you from your parents?”

“No! Eva would never do that!” Sophie protested.

“Then how?”

“She...she said she found me at the side of a road, as if fate had guided her to me.”

“She found…wait what?”

“Ahh, err she said she had a feeling something was wrong and ran off to check and found me.”

“A wrong feeling?”

“She was in a carriage and felt something weird so she tried to follow her gut and found me!”

“I…I get that but why were you just, you know, loitering at the side of a road? I mean it’s not unbelievable but isn’t that a little weird? Like did you get left behind?” Annalise asked incredulously.

“I don’t think so? I remember feeling loved before Eva, I mean my parents loved me, I think. As for how she found me, hmm I was…I was…I…” Sophie blanked as she struggled to remember, she could see the pendant, the tree, and what looked to be a crater? What was I doing? She could make out the vague outline of a face, only for a headache to spike her head as her brain pulsed in agony. “Ngh!” She whimpered as dark tendrils squeezed her mind, the suffocating feeling driving away all other thoughts.

Sophie curled up and balled her hands over her head as she tore at her hair to try and remove the tendrils

Annalise watched, taken-aback at the drastic change that occurred in front of her eyes. One moment the elf was, assumedly thinking and the next she was dying. She knew she had been a bit more threatening than necessary but she didn’t think she had pinched or hurt any of the girl’s nerves that badly. What the saints damned hells is this?

The half elf tried scratching at her scalp as she thrashed about in a frenzy only for her to rock backwards and fall onto Annalise who almost instinctively wrapped her arms around Sophie after the moment of shock faded.

“There, there you’re alright, just breathe, in and out, in and out. Nice and easy you can do it.”

“Nnn!”

“It’s okay, it’s okay, we’ll just leave it at that alright? Just relax, breathe, remember to breathe.”

“I…I…Ngh! I can’t remember, I can see but I can’t remember!” Sophie wailed deliriously as she clenched her eyes shut, trying to recall any image of her time before meeting Eva. Vague shapes and blurred outlines dotted her mindscape, but an echoing nothingness haunted her thoughts.

But what would you need to remember?

Her eyes bolted open at the familiar voice. No! No! Just before she burst out screaming she felt a sudden jolt as Annalise turned her around and pulled her close, squeezing her between her chest as she gently petted her head.

“Shh, shh, calm down, I’ve got you. Sorry for making you remember whatever it is, we can talk about it in the morning, just relax okay? You’re alright now, look at me, you’re alright.”

Sophie stiffened and stopped thrashing around, eerily still as her senses caught up and the oppressive feeling dissipated.

“There we go, see? It’s okay, now just breathe a little for me, in and out, that’s good.” Annalise encouraged as the shaken elf softly obeyed.

She let loose a sigh of relief as the elf seemed to return to normal, or whatever normal was for them anyways. She looked down to find the elf almost fully zoned out, her eyes trained on Annalise but stared out into the great beyond. She carefully prodded the elf with a finger and was surprisingly relieved when the girl yelped softly in surprise. Okay, back to normal.

“Let’s…let’s go to bed for now okay?” Annalise suggested shakily and Sophie responded with a quiet nod.

Without further prompting she climbed out of the bath and lifted the girl out of the bath with a solid heave, sending water splashing all across the floor as a wave of chilly air brushed over them. She shivered at the uncomfortable chill and urged the elf ahead of her into the changing room. Her eyes ran themselves over the girl as her lithe frame disappeared behind the doorway before turning themselves back over to the bath, what in the Goddess's name was that? Annalise made a mental note to tell Gil tomorrow and sighed wearily, finally moving to join the girl in the changing room.

Birds chirped loudly as friendly murmuring filled the morning air. The sun’s rays shone brilliantly over the world, the once grey foggy world filled with greens, blues, browns, and all sorts of color. Dispassionate villagers spared a glance or two before maintaining their everyday routines as stray lizard quickly scuttled across the road.

Sophie wasn’t sure why everything seemed so vibrant and full of life but it brought a smile onto her face. She had gotten so used to the drab colors of fog, blood and mud that she had practically glued herself like a bumpkin to the window of the inn. Annalise had seemed, at least momentarily, satisfied at her change in demeanor and Sophie felt a small sense of relief when she had acknowledged yesterday's events but kept it to herself. Probably also helps that I didn’t wake up with a nightmare.

Annalise had also, quite thankfully, provided her with an if not the most comfortable but certainly serviceable shirt to wear underneath her damaged uniform after they had showered. It wasn’t a perfect fit considering the other girl was larger but it was all she needed to lift her spirits even further.

Most of the party had given her polite acknowledgements when she arrived, even Thulgrim the angry dwarf gave a dissatisfied harrumph to say good morning, much to Arnold’s amusement. The Crows had, expectedly but still unnervingly eyed her with wariness and caution, their eyes watched her every movement until Markus returned to the tables with a curt nod. Yet, conversation it seemed, was to be had for later, for adventurers, the most important thing after waking up, was food.

As they tucked into a strange blend of bland porridge, eggs and some salted boar meat, a uniquely distinctive sound reverberated down the stairs as the last two joined the parties. Sara looked almost more ragged than she did yesterday but with a marginally increased sense of liveliness as she supported the auburn catkin down the stairs. She appeared mostly humanoid and the vibrant color of her fur enchanted Sophie’s eyes. But as they reached the table Sophie felt a sense of guilt welling up inside of her, her inaction had led to many deaths though she too would’ve likely died if she had just jumped in. She stiffened as she felt the two’s gazes pass around the table before settling down on her, with a brief pat inside her pocket for what little was left, a profound sense of regret followed. I’m not even worthy to be an adventurer much less be like Aurelia.

When the shame grew burning within grew unbearable she finally turned to meet the cat’s gaze only to find the cat in the middle of pouncing at her. Ahh I guess this is fair.

With a terrific thud her chair landed on the ground as she fell with it, pinned down by the cat. A surge of pain shot through her leg and abdomen as the wounds never could catch a break. Fortunately her mind found itself briefly distracted as a pleasant lavender scent wafted down to her nostrils as an almost velvety set of fuzzy arms gripped her tightly. Sophie held her eyes shut and waited for the cat’s fury only to feel dampness dripping onto her shoulder and small sniffles near her ear. She gingerly opened her eyes to see the cat had wrapped around her tightly and tried to hide the sound of sobbing.

Cries of surprise and concern echoed all around her but the only words she could make out came from the catkin wrapped around her.

“Sorry, thank you, thank you…”

But I couldn’t even save your friends. Sophie grit her teeth and listened to the cat’s pitiful wailing with a heavy heart, the moments she spent in the tree growing clearer in her mind as she remembered how the others had died. So much senseless violence and death, even the poor elven woman who saved her life, I forgot…I can’t believe I forgot… She lifted her own arms and embraced the cat in turn, gently rubbing her back as Sophie ignored the stinging pain from her own wounds.

By now both curious inn goers and other party members had gathered over them, questions and confusion filled their faces as Sophie stared back up at them. Yet no matter how much she tried to meet their gaze she had found everyone’s faces growing blurrier by the minute. As she blinked a few more times she heard the choked sob that escaped her own throat. She didn’t know what was happening around them, or why her guilt had slowly turned to sorrow. All she could do was hold her head next to the cat and ask for forgiveness, for letting her friends die and for being too afraid.

“Sorry, I’m sorry for not doing enough.” She muttered in-between her own tears, the sting of regret holding her heart hostage as she lamented her own failures.

Her chest heaved with exertion as more tears flowed freely from within her and the cat had already soaked through her sleeves with her own sorrows, muttering the names of her friends as she continued crying. Sophie felt her heart crack and sobbed even louder, their cries now drawing the attention of any who were only mildly annoyed before to observe the strange display of emotions.

For her it felt like an hour or more must have surely passed when she realized their cries had become intertwined with one another and she could no longer tell her own voice from the cat’s and giggled.

The sudden shift had startled everyone, but the cat most of all as she held back one last sob and watched the elf giggle recklessly. Was death perhaps a funny thing? Or was it sorrow? Or the ridiculous position they were in as she practically mounted the elf in public? She didn’t know but hearing the giggles tickled something fancy and she found herself joining in, bursting in a giggling fit as well.

The two laughed for what felt like minutes when Sophie finally caught her breath, the tiredness and pain going from unpleasant to more bearable as she slowly shifted the cat off of her. A small sigh of relief mixed with some light giggles all that was left and though her stomach hurt intensely, she couldn’t help but feel happy.

It was like unveiling a blanket of uneasiness into a more vibrant and cheerful being as the cat finally broke out of her own giggling fit and looked at Sophie. Taking a breath of her own as she composed herself, they stared at each other for but a moment before Sophie opened her mouth.

“Hehe…my name is Sophie, what’s yours?” She asked as she wiped away a tear.

“Riza…you can call me Riza.” Came the reply with a pained smile.

Eva, I think I know how you felt back then.

The two paused for a moment and the inn grew quiet, wondering what would happen next. As they sat up properly and looked around at all the curious faces, they looked back at each other and laughed some more.