[P] Where the river changes course

[Eik]

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I DO NOT BELIEVE THINGS ARE REBORN IN FIRE
I BELIEVE THEY'RE CONSUMED BY FIRE
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Time changes everyone. It wears us down in places, builds us up in others. As it passes the typical reaction is to be more and more aware of its loss. You learn to feel the sands of time slipping through your fingers- cup your hand and it fills, then overflows with it.

Eik is no doubt a different man since their last encounter, but we'd be hard-pressed to explain how. You could say he seems a little more at ease, and this is true in some ways, but in others- well he feels like he's bracing for a storm. He doesn't know which way it is coming from or when it will hit, but it is coming. Of course, this is nothing but a feeling. A nagging feeling but a feeling nonetheless, easy enough to stuff away with the others. And all of that is forgotten for now as a certain easygoing feeling washes over him. It is the rare comfort of good company.

"Not yet," Asterion says, and Eik's ears prick forward curiously. It is a slightly odd way to say no, and naturally the grey is intrigued. But he figures all will be revealed in good time, and if not all then at least enough. The men both have their thoughts, Asterion with his eyes closed, and when he opens them they are strong and solid, as if in those few seconds he had reached down into the earth and took a firm hold of it. Eik thinks to the night before, and his vision of being an ancient oak tree. He realizes it had scared him, being rooted. It was beautiful, so beautiful, but terrifying, too.

(and maybe it is true what they say, about the more things change, the more they stay the same)

But there is no fear in the man's eyes, and Eik is happy for his friend. "That mead... a beautiful thing but Gods, I'm paying the price for it today." He shakes his head gently as if attempting to dislodge the headache. It does not work. But he is feeling leagues better than he did this morning, and he's never been one to wallow in his pain. He smiles that small, thoughtful smile. "I'm glad to see you too. Care to show me around?" He looks up and around at the court. The walls seem similar to the day court in construction, but different in style and material. "I'll be on my way soon, but I had hoped to see you first..." He speaks absentmindedly, attention drawn to the grey stone the court is built of- locally sourced, no doubt, and seemingly hardier than the sandstone of Solterra.

He soon enough returns his attention to his friend- for Asterion is the reason he is here, not the granite walls. "How have you been?" He asks, rooting around his memories to attempt to determine just how long its been since the morning at the sea. He's never had a good sense of time, perhaps because his sense of place is so keen- it would be unbalanced, for a simple man as himself, to be gifted with both.

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AND THE FIRE HAS A LIFE OF ITS OWN
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@Asterion lol "ok"?! tis perfect :) excuse me while I floop all over the place