hey, say you got a long, long road you're travellin'
so just follow that track, send a postcard back
and you'll be okay
The trip was long over due, almost embarrassingly so.
How long had she back in Novus? And she was just now searching out her only friend . . . well, no, not only friend . . . . Huehuecoyotl was here too after all. But, Luvena was another story. She was familiar, her history so similar to her own. A friendship built on shared walks. They didn't have to imagine with the other, for they both understood some of where the other had been. And yet, it had taken this long for Caelum to come walking down the Markets, along back roads, a familiar path to the clinic that housed one of the few who could manage to draw slight smiles from her - real smiles.
When had it become so hard to give a real smile.
It was a fragile thing, like a new bud trying to push up through the snow, a small chance of surviving, a greater chance of disappearing. Her emotions felt like that, her smiles, her joy, her happiness. Fighting against the cold, the desolute, the nothing it was so hard . . . . so, so hard at times. Her travel was soundless, her wings fluttering, and shifting off a delicate amount of dust that settled on the ground around her, behind her, a trail of iridescence should anyone wish to follow her. Who would be interested in her though. She was a no-name here. She was a simple mare, with fairy wings. They looked at her and didn't see her. She was just another healer, another medic. No one knew the truth. She didn't tell them the truth.
She often wondered what they might do if they did know.
Know her healing came from the learning of an ancient breed of true fae steeds. That her magic would swell up soon, and that healing would heighten until she could practically counter death. She could bring new life to dead plains, she'd be able to breath and watch that breath give life to everything it touched. What would the others do if they knew the tea-master, when she would serve them in the future, was a Queen of her own nation. What would they do if she ever gave her proper titles, her proper name? She could imagine the awkwardness at the worst that would come from her muzzle if she did: Her Majesty, the Lady of the Fae, the Light of Summer, Queen Caelum Bella Knoxx, of the Royal House of Knoxx, the ruling family of Florumian Court, the Blessed Flower of Primulan City. She'd stop time if she introduced herself truthfully.
She'd be laughed out of the Night Courts.
She definitely didn't feel like a Queen. She liked being just Caelum. And that's what she was in these market streets. A few dipped their heads in greetings, others asked her how her tea shop was going. She exchanged simple pleasantries, told others that the walls were finally up, but it still wasn't near being ready to open. But she didn't stay to chat, she had a place to go. She stopped at the door, her hooves touching down, her wings folding flat, as she tossed her ivory mane from her face. A knock of her hoof on the door jam, a soft voice calling out, "Luvena? It is Caelum? I have some presents for you from my travels abroad." The pack at her side was proof of that, as she stepped more fully into the door way, "I apologize, deeply, for my tardiness to deliver these. I have been rather busy with putting up my tea shop. I do, however, bring you herbs and plants I gathered during my time away, as well as a few seeds from my homelands. Would you care to see what all I have for you?" She asked in greeting.
"Speech" Thoughts
@Luvena Notes: Swapping of Recipes and Samples! Brewing buddies man!
hey, say you got a long, long road you're travellin'
and if you feel unsure, well i been there before
and you'll be okay now
Her summer so far had been relatively quiet. Besides the storm that had swept through the night markets, one which had pushed Israfel to her door. It had been a welcome break from the hustle of winter and spring, one that had her pushing through waves of illness and exhaustion. She was finally managing to recover what little strength she had possessed to begin with. She had restocked the clinic too finally. Her shelves sitting full jars of herbs. Some dried and some fresh. Stores that had been completely depleted over the winter, save for some mint, which she never seemed to need, and yet always had far too much of.
Her clinic hadn’t changed much. A new nicer curtain was pulled back from the window, the summer light filtering in. And she had gotten a nice sign to hang out of the alley way, making it easier to find the place. There were still no candles, and as a result it was dimmer than most places around the markets, but still bright enough to see. Her little bed of moss and pelts lay nestled in the same corner it always was.
She had been busy preparing a bundle for one of her regulars -an old soldier who often had aches and pains from old battle wounds - to be picked up later that evening when she heard the knock. Pricking an ear she brightened at the familiar, yet long unheard from voice. “Caelum!” she exclaimed while pulling open the door. “Come in! It’s been so long”
Yara and Mithra weren’t far behind her, quickly winding through the other mares legs. They had never met her before, yet they were almost always eager to meet a new face. “You didn’t have to bring anything. Besides stories. I want to hear all about everything”
hey, say you got a long, long road you're travellin'
so just follow that track, send a postcard back
and you'll be okay
She smiled slightly, softly at the sound of a familiar voice greeting her name.
The door swung open and she was glad to see her friend in well health, Or, well for Luvena anyways. Caelum was aware of her ailments, and it broke the fae's heart to know she had no way of helping, assisting, properly aiding. Lu was a medic herself, she'd tried anything she might recommend. The other was quick to usher her inside, though Caelum's eyes widened as two dogs winded through her limbs, surprising her, even as she lowered her nose to delicately snuffle at the dogs. Her wings launched her through the air, limbs tucking up against her body so she could clear the dogs without any risk to their bodies from a wayward hoof (even if hers were far more delicate than the average horse her size). She landed on the other side, "Such a set of greeters you have for visitors. What are their names?" She asked curiously.
She tilted her head at her friend's next words, an eyebrow raised.
"Stories? I am sure I have a few I can share, but of course, I am going to bring you back something, amice carissime meus." She mused, shaking her head, "I will tell you of my travels in a bit, but first!" The mare pulled out four tiny glass collecting jars, carefully preserving the fresh herbs inside, "Patchouli, antibacterial and anti-fungal. There are seeds in the bottom for growing it as it will also keep insects away. It also can be used for nausea, headaches, and even colds - perfect for this coming fall! She state, pushing one of the larger bottles of rolled, broad-shaped leaves forward. Touching the next bottle, she tilted her head, "Mullein. This one was a bit harder to find, as it requires certain types of soil conditions. However, it helps greatly with issues in the lungs. Whether a cough, breathing issues, or even just soothing soreness with the breath, it works like a trick." She explained, peering down at the hairy-looking leaves carefully layered into the bottle. The next bottle was nosed, filled to the brim with small white flowers and tiny leaves, "Brahmi, it is an herb that combats many things, such as anxiety, stress, as well as a potential help for memory issues and stomach ailments, as well as helping with shakes and seizures, as well as central nervous issues." She finally motioned to the smallest jar filled with thin, fern-like leaves, as well as seeds. "Sweet Annie, often overlooked by many in our field, because this is more for us than patience. It can help with fevers, and colds, when taken as tea, or used to reduce boils and abscesses as a poultice, but its real trick is as a pesticide and insect repellent. It is another one that you can put up around gardens, and in your home." She uncorked the lid, so her friend could get a scent of the sweet, fragrant plant that her people once used to freshen up their homes, and keep out pesky biting insects, "It . . . was a favorite of my people. Everyone grew it. It keeps homes smelling nice, but the way it keeps out nasty insects is even better." She added softer, quieter.
She fell quiet, before taking out another package from her bag.
This one was carefully tied up, and as she untied it, she turned it so her friend could see the odd colored herbs, "These are seeds . . . from a few different types of vine fruit from my homelands . . . I do not dare give you the actual fruit, it is . . . not safe to eat food I give you, but seeds you can grow yourself is fine. Many have odd healing abilities, but mostly they are just delicious and something new to eat." When she looked up at Luvena, her face was ashen, her voice quieter, lower, "Lu . . . I . . . I went home . . . It was . . . It doesn't get easier, does it? Seeing it like that? But . . . I wanted to see it, I needed to check on it . . . They . . . They're calling me their Queen. Those monsters that destroyed my kingdom aren't gone either. They constantly are returning . . . Fresh bodies, of my people, and of them. It's like a wasteland that keeps getting pillaged. What kind of Queen abandons her home? What does that make me?" The words fell quietly from the fae's muzzle, words she couldn't even say to Coy, she shared with the only individual who would likely understand.
She shook her head, a soft huff, before forcing a fake smile.
"It wasn't all bad travels, though. Some of my lands is flourishing once more. New plant life taking over the old kingdom the pa-palace . . ." She twisted her muzzle, "I picked some of the flowers for my parents graves . . . . and . . . for Convallis." She didn't know what was harder, visiting Convallis's grave, or not being able to visit a resting space for Tremaine. Both memories plagued her heart in a way she didn't like talking about, her little infant foal who barely had a chance to learn what it meant to be alive, and her other half, her dark, handsome stallion, stolen from her even when they fought so desperately together. Losing Arson was hard. Calico's death was hard, but she struggled to heal over losing Tremaine, so long ago - the only stallion so far she had found to love her so fully. Arson had been a first love, fragile and young. Calico they were more akin to partners than mates. But Tremaine had been special. He remained special just as Convallis did. Con was her firstborn, her precious son stolen too early, and like Tremaine's death, that wasn't something you forgot.
Caelum had to bury that pain again, she just didn't want to deal with it yet.
"Speech" Thoughts
@Luvena Notes: Swapping of Recipes and Samples! Brewing buddies man!
hey, say you got a long, long road you're travellin'
and if you feel unsure, well i been there before
and you'll be okay now
She couldn’t help a small laugh as she watched the fae lift herself over the unruly pair. “Yara and Mithra” she replied with a gentle smile, her voice still rougher than she’d like it. It seemed the adjustment was here to stay. “I picked them last fall as pups. They’re… pets I suppose. Not like a bonded…” she trailed off, her face falling for just a moment. Picoro had not rejoined her since the spring. She was beginning to think he never would. Quickly she picked her mood back up. “But loved all the same”
She brightened upon seeing the herbs, some of which she recognized, but hadn’t had access to in years. Others that were new to her. The scent of Patchouli warmed the whole room. She touched her nose gently to Caelum’s shoulder. “Thank you. These will all be useful come the next winter.”
She listened quietly as the woman’s tone fell, her own head falling slightly as it went on. She shook her head. “No” she murmured softly. “No it never does” She thought of Herstial often. Of how she’d failed her people, of how she’d left them with a land full of ashes, centuries of prosperity. Gone in one day, burned to the ground. Her loved ones gone with it. “You went back” she tried to comfort. “I never have… I-” she paused. “I never will. I don’t…” Luvena shook her head again “I won’t be well enough ever again to make this a round trip”
She rested her head just on Caelum’s withers as she finished. Knowing that nothing she could say in response would quell that pain. She sighed gently while Caelum mentioned her son. Thinking of her own boys. How Liatris always smelled of red sands and cardamom, after a day of being in the center of the waste with Cavalier. Or how Eremurus always had that mischievous grin on his face. How she would probably never see either of them again.
She took a step back, tilting her head for a moment. “Stay for the afternoon? I could use some help preparing a few pickup bundles”
hey, say you got a long, long road you're travellin'
so just follow that track, send a postcard back
and you'll be okay
She smiled at the canines, her expression warm, amused.
Their names were given, and she tilted her head as her friend explained where they came from, before she noticed the face fall at the mention of bonded. Cael didn't know that connection, she didn't have one herself, but she froze, her gaze moving over, noticing the lack of a certain slow-moving friend. Picoro? Her gaze softened, turning towards her friend, "They are precious . . . I have never had a bonded myself. Likely a good thing truly . . . . I am not very good luck for anything that loves me deeply, after all. Cursed, really." Her tone shifted towards the end, self-depricated, and she winced, "I apologize, I forget myself with you." Her apology was quick, as if to dismiss her words, not wanting it looked into deeply.
Not wanting her friend to try to convince her otherwise.
I am far better off alone, regardless. Friends are fine. I can keep them at some distance . . . Most of them. I have gotten complacent with Luvena, however. I should take more care in keeping a respectable distance. I cannot bear the thought of losing anyone else. It would be more beneficial for both of us, if I remember my distance. I cannot lose another loved one. She distracted herself with the herbs, smiling at her friend's expression, at her words when she touched her shoulder.
Her laugh was soft, warm, understanding.
"Please, there is no need to thank me. I am far better as a supplier than a medicine mare myself. But these will certainly aid in the winter, and we can never be certain of the severity until it hits. Far more proper to prepare for the worst now, when we might not need it." Caelum stated gently, breathing in the Patchouli herself, before her mood had to sour, she had to tell the truth, where she was.
It was so hard to remember, so hard to embrace.
The land in ruin. Buildings crumbled. Fresh signs of fighting. The painted words supporting her. She'd been frightened to go to the graves of her son, past loves, her parents - worried they'd be in disarray, and had been so thankful that this was not the case. She breathed softly though, pushing past these thoughts, past it all, trying to find a center in this world. Luvena. The dogs. Herself. Here. "It was . . . difficult. But . . . I wanted to bring something of home back with me." She mumbled quietly.
The fae looked up, smiling softly - painfully.
"I am coming into the rights of the fae, I would have needed to return regardless to pay my respects." She mumbled, remembering when she'd felt pain when she'd brushed against a bit of iron, her sudden heightened self-healing ability; proof she'd come into her immortality. Her magic would flare out eventually, even now she could feel it pulsing under her skin, waiting to be released, for her to reach that point. To be a proper fae steed of her people. She let herself focus on those thoughts, pulling away from the past.
The offer took her by surprise, but she nodded.
"Of course, I am always happy to offer my assistance, Lu. Where shall I begin?" She immediately asked, even as her wings flattened against her spine, and her hair was lifted telepathically, twining around itself, tying off with a lose lock of hair, so the long, flowing locks where tied out of her face, and out of the way.
"Speech" Thoughts
@Luvena Notes: I adore them :) Such good friends
hey, say you got a long, long road you're travellin'
and if you feel unsure, well i been there before
and you'll be okay now
She huffed softly at her friend's words. “You’ll find someone” she murmured. “Afterall, you have a thousand lifetimes to do it” She didn’t blame her though, for feeling that way. She often had the same thought. Her first love, a traitor, a tyrant, killing everything she had once loved. Cavalier, who left her without a word. And now Picoro, off somewhere, without her. That one she could feel every moment. As if a piece of her was missing. Every day she felt that loss tighten. Like a string tied to her heart, pulled a little tighter every minute. Squeezing. Soon, she felt, it would cut her heart right in two.
She didn’t know what she would do if he didn’t come back. She’d already lost him once, when Elysium fell. That had been terrible enough. And when they’d reunited… She had never felt so much joy. It would be worse this time. It would be purposeful. He had chosen this. But if he did come back… she didn’t know if she could ever forgive him. How could she forgive him?
Her ears dropped ever so slightly “You have no idea” she replied. “The last one was bad. I was out of feverfew before the first month was even up. There was nothing to spare for myself.” she paused. “And I can’t seem to shake this gods-damned rasp for the life of me” she rarely cursed in any form. But she was fed up with it. Her voice had been the one thing she’d felt was beautiful about her. Now it was as rough as her pelt.
“I know” she murmured comfortingly. She listened carefully as Caelum mentioned she was coming into the right of the fae. The other mare had never explained all of it to her, but from what she had heard, she had a vague idea of what that meant.
She slid over a messily written piece of paper, with details for each bundle she had to send. “I’m working on this first one, but I haven’t started the rest yet. Everything in here should be labelled. Packaging is too your left” she gestured. “How’s your shop coming along? I’m sorry I haven’t stopped by yet”
hey, say you got a long, long road you're travellin'
so just follow that track, send a postcard back
and you'll be okay
Caelum silently turned to stare at her friend in disbelief.
Find someone? "Lu . . . I did, it did not end well. Multiple times." The fairy made a face, shaking back the ivory forelock with a huff of air, "A thousand lifetimes, or a hundred thousand lifetimes, I just do not believe I can go through that again. Fight for all you have, and still watch the one you love fade in front of you." The echo of the fearful 'Mommy' flew through her head. The image of Trey's pleading eyes as he shouted for her to run, to get to safety, as she ignored him to fight by his side. The two whose memories haunted her the most. She couldn't lose it all again, "I am perfectly fine by myself, anyway. I have you, right? Maybe your friendship is all I need!" The mare stated with a final nod as if that would answer any problem.
Perhaps she was just afraid to give her heart away again.
History had a tendency to repeat itself, and she was terrified of loving and losing for the fourth time. No, being alone was better. Easier. She didn't need some red string forcing her to settle down with someone else. She had found a love of a lifetime, and it had been stolen from her by the cruelty of another. Not even Calico had been able to heal the loss of Tremaine, even if Convallis had helped. His youthful innocence. The love in his eyes was almost instinctual for her. Losing him had destroyed her. Losing him had shattered her heart. And she couldn't find all the pieces anymore.
She tilted her head when her friend spoke.
Her muzzle twisted softly, downcast, "Well, let us keep this one from being that degree of bad. I might not treat others, but I am always happy to make sure we have all the medicinal herbs we could possibly need for Denoctians. If you start to run low on anything - you let me know as soon as possible, and I will be sure to fetch you what you need to keep your cupboards stocked, not just for the others, but for yourself as well." Her expression shifted, turning a touch more selfish, "You will have to forgive me for being unwilling to let you suffer this winter either. I am afraid I have gotten a touch possessive with the companions . . . the friends I do have."
She said this with a shrug, unapologetic.
She did eagerly turn towards the task of making bundles, reading over the paper, and forcing herself not to tut-tut at the messiness of the writing. She did move with an ease around the work room, however; gathering each item with ease, as she began to hum quietly beneath her breath, laying out packaging and carefully preparing each bundle with the proper measuring of each ingredient. "It has been coming . . . ." She replied as she worked, laughing lightly, "And I can hardly blame you for not stopping by. I have been terribly busy with getting it set up, regardless. I would have been a horrendous host. I shall be sure to send you an invitation when I am certain I am prepared to fully open my doors. I hope it will be successful, I worry how many will be interested in wandering that far out of the way for a mere cup of tea." She sighed as she wrapped up a bundle, setting it off to the side before beginning on the next.
In truth, there was also a slight fear about her shop.
Setting down roots is what this would mean. She was letting roots settle her into Denocte. And she hoped it wouldn't back fire on her next time. "I am going to need to make the acquaintance of carpenter at some point however. I have rudimentary cupboards set in place at the moment, but my vision is not nearly so plain. And I would also greatly enjoy having tables around for gathering, as well as artistically created places to sit, or lay down and read, or just to relax in the sun with a cup of tea. I am certainly not a seamstress, and should probably not be trusted to carve any sort of furniture. It is why I am opening a tea shop, not a furniture store, or textile center." She added with a slight laugh.
"Of course, if you do choose to stop by, your tea is on the owner. I hear she is very considerate like that.."
"Speech" Thoughts
@Luvena Notes: I adore them :) Such good friends
hey, say you got a long, long road you're travellin'
and if you feel unsure, well i been there before
and you'll be okay now
She shook her head softly. She understood. She did. SHe had gone through loves like one went through aging. That was to say… it happened, but you wished it didnt. “Caelum I haven’t… None of them died. But, I’ve lost my lovers too. Obyana took my parents, my home. Cavalier took my child. Rhone… Well I don’t know what happened there.” she paused. “I know it’s hard. I know you probably won’t accept it yet. But you aren’t… You aren’t spent. After Rhone I thought I was, and now…” she stopped mid sentence. Not even sure what she was saying. Her and Israfel hadn’t said anything like that to each other. “Nevermind. No matter what you think you are not undeserving of happiness. Of course you’ll have me, as long as I’m around at least, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have something else too” she finished gently.
She knew Caelum had had a son. Had lost him. They both shared that pain. Her own boy… part of her wondered sometimes if he were alive. If he would make his way back to her. But that couldn’t be possible. Few had made it out of Elysium. She still didn’t know how she had done it herself. And Eremurus… well… he was probably alive. But gods knew where Cavalier had gone off with him. She had no hope of ever seeing him again either.
“I will” gratitude swelled in her voice. “Thank you. The winters seem to get worse every year. I don’t know if it’s because the weather is worsening… or if I’m just losing my tolerance for it.” She usually didn’t admit these things to anyone. But Caelum had never given her that pitying look, or treated her as if she was some delicate creature to be protected.
She finished tying her parcel and moved on to the next one, sliding jars around on the shelves. “Surely it’s rewarding work though?” she asked. She perked her ears at the mention of an invitation. “I look forward to it!” Maybe she would invite Israfel…
“I don’t know about a carpenter. But the markets often have vendors selling tapestries and weavings. They would be nice decor at the very least”
hey, say you got a long, long road you're travellin'
so just follow that track, send a postcard back
and you'll be okay
There was a slight difference of opinion.
Or perhaps, rather, a difference in acceptance. Caelum let her gaze lower, let those chocolate eyes stare over the dirt floor, shuffling a lone pebble slightly as her friend spoke of having others lost, leave her. It was hard, it was unbelievably hard. It left an ache, a fear of repetition. Each time she fell in love, the sacrifice, in the end, was greater. Arson cost her her first love. She'd fallen head over hoof for the commoner colt, the two grew up together, embraced the world together. The commoner prince, they'd called him when the courts accepted their relationship. Her mother had loved Arson too. His death had been sudden, tragic, hard to take. A foolish set of scoundrels - trying to collect on the price a pair of fairy wings could fetch. He'd given his life to ensure her own escape.
She'd cried for weeks.
And then, then she'd met her beloved Tremaine. She remembered that whirlwind romance. The chaos that had come from it. They'd met so randomly, he had offered to show her around the new lands. She remembered that friendship turning into something more precious. His teasing, his attention, his love for her. He'd taken her to a carnival on that final day they had together. She remembered the laughter, the oohing, and aahing over different acrobatics. She had nibbled on a candied apple he'd bought, one of his wings wrapped around her body to keep her close, as he told some joke that had her laughing and him smirking a fangy grin to hear that laugh. The swift change that night had been sudden. The screams. The fear. His concern for her. She saw the desire to defend in his eyes, even as he ran to hide with her. She remembered those moments deep in her heart. She remembered the warped mirrors of the funhouse as they stayed in the center. She remembered the taunts as those pillagers, thieves, captors approached them. He'd kept himself in front of her, fire flaming from his limbs, a demon-horse rising up on his hind legs, ready to take them on for her.
Her dark knight.
She remembered that bloody fight, she remembered refusing to back down, she'd leaped into the fight when he'd been struck down, crashing into the stallion about to kill her Trey. He'd shouted her name, told her to escape. She'd ignored him, standing in his defense until he was able to get to his own legs. He'd accepted she was going to stay at his side by then, the two standing hip to hip, as they were surrounded, ready to stare down. The attack would then come all at once, and she'd fought hard to protect Trey's back, as he used his greater powers, his own hellfire magic to defend them both. He'd kill two of the three stallions with that very fire when he was finally struck down.
Time had stopped for her.
She remembered rushing to his side, blood spilling, his eyes going dim, his breath-stopping. She remembered shouting his name, pressing her muzzle to his side. And then she remembered a bright light, the feel of summer on her skin, and then that summer heightened, that heat grew dominant, boiling, angry, swirling chaos, and then nothing until it faded, and she was alone with the final tyrant down to the ground. She'd cried next to Trey's body until the cackling told her she wasn't really alone. And then, she'd been knocked out, awoke later in a pen, tied down by a limb, in a place for the selling of slaves. Horses meandered, laughing coldly; while others hid in the corner of their meager shelters. Trey had cost her, her soulmate, and her freedom.
She had met Calico in this land.
He'd saved her from the life of a slave, and they'd built a new kingdom together, rescuing other slaves, providing shelter, safety, peace. Somewhere along the way they'd admitted a casual attraction that bloomed, not into a true and deep love like she had with Tremaine, but still a peaceful happiness that had warmed her heart, and soothed the pain. Her son had furthered the shielding of old wounds, his bright, innocent face. But even that wouldn't last, not when the other masters had learned where they were, had sought to fight back, to destroy what she and Calico had built. This time, that love had cost her another mate, her son, the majority of those slaves they had rescued, the safe kingdom she and Calico had built, her parents lives, the lives of Caelums People - The Summer Court Fae Steeds, and her home realm, kingdom, her birth right.
That final time had stolen everything from Caelum, leaving her alone in a cold, and empty world.
She didn't want to find out what would happen next, what she would lose the next time she gave in to that foolish emotion. She smiled softly to her friend, "Yes, you are right, I wont have accepted that yet, perhaps for not a long time. And I do know I'm not spent, truly. But . . . would it be more selfish that I deny myself love, or that I give into it, no matter the consequences in the end?" And then, she paused, "Wait, wait, what about after Rhone? What about now? Friends don't keep secrets Lu! Have you . . . . met someone?" She asked with clear excitement. Of course there was the hidden assist of this distracting from her own calamity. If she should find herself foolishly feeling those emotions again, she'd deal with it then.
She did pause when her friend spoke again, however.
She tilted her head quietly, frowning slightly, "Oh, I would never deny that I deserve happiness, but I don't need a stallion to make me happy. I have you, dear friend, and I'm to going to let you disappear any time soon. And I have my tea shop as well!" She retorted, smiling in reassurance, though the talk of how long Lu had left, always made her heart constrict. Her ears flicked, her wings trembled slightly against her spine, and so she focused on what she could do to help her friend, "You don't need to thank me, what else are friends for? You should know I will always be willing to help, even if it's as simple as helping you make up medicine for others."
She couldn't help but speak on her teashop, however.
Her eyes brightened as she smiled suddenly, "Oh, the markets would be a good idea, I might be able to find all kinds of things indeed! That would be fabulous, I must search through wares when it's time for me to head back to the shop then. I can always hope my magic will eventually awaken enough to rework plants and encourage them to form what I want on their own." She added, eyes shining with excitement, "Which means all kinds of tapestry would be all I'd need to purchase. Beautiful silks to hang from the rafters, create a warm, airy and vibrant shop!"
She chewed her tongue for a moment. Pot calling the kettle black but… “Sometimes you have to be selfish.” Really she couldn’t talk. Afterall she was the one giving her herbs away, for free half the time no less, while she needed them herself.
If she could have blushed she would have. “Oh it’s nothing. I don’t even know if s-” she cut herself off quickly., hesitant to give even a hint of who she spoke of. “If they have a hint of the same feelings” How could she afterall. Someone so unyielding, so graceful. Israfel was lovely, she was good, but she doubted she showed her the same interest. But the other night… that shared movement into one another. That had been so tangible.
“Oh but it would be nice if they did” she relented after a minute. “I just… SO quickly after Rhone. He didn’t quite break my heart… It was already broken but… Well it certainly wasn’t pleasant. And we weren’t exactly amicable and- “ She was rambling “She just feels… right” well she had let it slip that time hadn’t she.
She didn’t miss the way caelum stiffened ever so slightly, the way her wings fluttered just a touch on her back. She might not pity her. But the idea of death scared the fae. It scared Luvena too. “Watch it now,” she teased. “You’re giving me an awful lot of power over those lucrative stores of yours” there was a brief playful twinkle in her dull eyes.
“Oh I can see it now. All the flowers on the walls… you’ll come into your power soon enough” she remembered a time when that kind of power had scared her. Magic was outlawed in Herstial. Of all kinds. But in Elysium, and here, it was inescapable. SHe had abandoned that fear a long time ago. “Honestly I should get some for my own shop. And something glowing. Its so dim in there.”
