daddy didn’t love you gotta burn it all down
To say that she was slowly acclimating to the life in Terrastella, in Novus, again would have been a gross understatement. There was so much she had missed in her time away that learning everything almost felt like learning to walk, talk, or fly again. It simply felt… Odd. Off putting. Disconcerting.
Solaris spent her time cresting the skies between Novus and the tropical island getaway that she had escorted the twins to, relaying messages so that they could keep up a healthy correspondence while the two warlocks were away. Today, on this particularly cold and wintry afternoon, the Phoenix was roosting upon her usual spot nestled between Israfel’s gilded wings, eyes shut as she dozed. Her travel the evening prior had been exhausting, and the Regent had bid her companion to rest.
It was the Sun Daughter’s first trek away from Terrastella since her return late last season. To be honest, it was long overdue. ‘Duty’ and ‘obligation’ were an unpleasant taste on her tongue.
She followed the path of the river, content to simply amble without a destination in mind. There was no rush; Terrastella was not at war (that she knew of, at least), and nothing of imminent peril was happening around them. Her thoughts were heavy, yet not as cumbersome and dark as they were before her exchange with Elena. Their talk had helped, to some degree… Yet Israfel still found herself struggling to make sense of a lot of things. She hadn’t seen Charlie around. Maybe that was for the best.
The rushing waters of the Rapax eventually gave way to the calmer currents of the Amare Creek and her eyes narrowed, vermilion depths scanning the lazily drifting top player of thin ice as the river widened. The willows, their leaves and branches once full of life and greenery in the warmer months, lay barren, naked, and empty, napping until the first touches of spring.
She hated this place. It held nothing but terrible memories for her now.
Cresting a bit of a slope with the sun at her back, Israfel ducked between two sets of low branches, keeping her wings tucked close and using caution to not scrape Solaris off as the mighty Phoenix dozed. As she did so, she heard a sound like crunching snow and the faint cracking of wood, and her eyes narrowed as she peered ahead. A figure stood a few dozen yards or so ahead of her, dark and gaunt against the pristine white and lazy trek of the nearby creek. Recognition took a moment, but Isra realized she knew who this was; Luvena.
Their last meeting had been frank, a necessity more than anything. Other than shell-shocked about the entire city she found herself in, Luvena didn’t seem bad, and Israfel found she didn’t have an opinion of her one way or the other. They simply didn’t know each other well enough.
’Maybe you should change that,’ caressed Solaris’ voice in the back of her mind, and Isra had a feeling that the Phoenix had only been playing at napping during the trek. Rolling her eyes, the Sun Daughter focused on Luvena, taking note that she seemed just as thin and in need of a good meal as the first time they had met. Her vermilion eyes narrowed, glittering like a predator as she sized the other woman up, ambling even closer to lessen the distance between them.
“Luvena,” she stated with an arched brow, “I heard you moved.” This time she could swear she could feel Solaris roll her eyes. Hah. Revenge.
“How are you?”
@Luvena
