[Haven] A Nel for Your Thoughts...

[Elisabeth Black]

Arc 721, 30 Ymiden

Sitting on the beach, Elisabeth watched the waves. Doing that allowed her to find a certain sort of peace - something that had eluded her of late. Sleep was also difficult to manage, although now, different nightmares stalked her.

Since arriving back to Faldrass after the events of the previous season, she had dealt with memory loss, Balthazar’s death and resurrection, her promotion to settlement lead, Balthazar’s return to the Elements and all manner of other various things. If felt very much like the moment she was on the verge of dealing with one thing, another would pop up, and no time to reconcile anything to completion.

The young woman couldn’t seem to find the time to put the settlement aside and deal with her issues. There was always something to do and she felt selfish if she wasn’t putting all her effort into helping Haven be what she knew it could. The past thirty trials had all been about Haven for her - building relationship and trust. It wasn't as though she hadn't been trusted before Kura's decision, but being part of a settlement as opposed to leading it were two completely different matters.

Sighing softly, her eyes followed the water, taking a few moments out of her trial to simply let her mind rest and go where it would. And where it went, was to Balthazar. She missed him.

Yes, they communicated by echo scroll. Yes, he came home when he could, but that didn’t help the fact that she missed him when he wasn’t there. The feeling was a persistent, nagging in the back of her heart, knowing a piece of her was missing. Also present was knowing that things could be so much worse, so in essence, it gave her hope that they were both doing what was needed of them at the time. And hopefully, eventually, they would get some time just for them.

"Meow?" Ever present, was Storm. The kitten, her constant companion, eyed her from his nest in the warm sand next to her. Oddly enough, the animal seemed, to her, to stick closer than normal when Balthazar was away, although she wasn't sure if that was really the case or just that she tended to notice him more during those times.

Reaching over, Elisabeth gently scratched his head, letting her mind wander and enjoying the company.

[Praetorum]

Stepping through the banners into Haven, Prae stretched his arms and tail, careful not to hit the ceiling of the hut. Glancing around, he saw that Clarissa was out, probably back in Almund enjoying herself. She spent much less time in Haven than even Prae did, busy as he was back in Rharne.

Shaking his head, Prae patted his domain bag, checking that he had what he needed in there, and made his way out into the sunlight, ducking his head to get through the doorway.

Haven was a bustle of activity, as it often was—the people here were trying to build a home that would last. He nodded to a few he recognized, but continued to search for Elisabeth—he hadn’t seen her in some trials, too preoccupied with setting up the Skydas company. Bringing Elisabeth the tools he’d made for the village was really just an excuse to see her again, and just talk, as was so easy to do with the young human.

He didn’t see her in the village proper—but he had a feeling he knew where she would be.

“For a fire kin,” Prae said teasingly as he approached, floating over the sand, “you spend an awful lot of time around the water.” A gust of his own kin rushed forwards to greet Elisabeth, tendrils of wind dancing around her playfully.

“It’s been a while,” Prae said with a smile, before his eye was drawn to a small tuft of fur in the sand. “Who’s this little one, then?”

[Elisabeth Black]

Arc 721, 30 Ymiden

The gust of wind could only announce the arrival of one special being – one of her favorites, in fact. As the wind rushed forward, dancing happily around her, Elisabeth closed her eyes to enjoy the sensation of the element surrounding her. It was the special way the Ithecal always greeted her and she cherished it, just as she cherished him and his friendship.

This time, however, she returned the favor in kind – something she had never done before. He might have been floating, yes, but following her wishes, a gust of air hurried to greet him, gracefully enveloping him, hoping to gift him with the same joy he gave her.

His comment caused a soft laugh to slip free as she rose from the sand. “Well, I live on a volcano so I’m pretty sure fire is taken care of. Too much of a good thing and all that.” Releasing the air from its greeting, Elisabeth gently moved to embrace her friend, happy to see him once again.

Haven had been a bit lonely with Balthazar traveling and while the settlers were good people and quickly becoming family to her, there were times she longed for someone that knew her as just Elisabeth. Not settlement leader Elisabeth, or Balthazar’s significant other Elisabeth...

Just Elisabeth.

The inquisitive girl from Rharne that generally managed to stumble herself into all sorts of trouble without even trying. There were very few people that knew that Elisabeth, and Prae was one of them.

His comment produced a small lance of pain. It had been a while, and she was acutely aware of it. Just because she understood responsibilities and such, didn’t mean that it wasn’t impactful when they left, or when they returned. “I’m just happy you are back, and I’ll enjoy it for however long you decide to grace Haven with your presence this time.”

Storm, having been disturbed by the gust of wind, blinked his eyes slowly at the Ithecal, rising and stretching as he considered his response, eyeing Praetorum curiously. The young woman smiled, offering proper introductions. “Prae, this is Storm. He is actually from the Stormlands in Rharne. Long story but he’s seen fit to adopt me as his, so I fear I’m stuck."

Picking up the kitten, Elisabeth petted his head gently and brought him over to her friend. “Storm, this is Praetorum. He’s part of our family.” Furrowing his eyes as she spoke, the feline glanced to the Ithecal and moved quickly, jumping out of Elisabeth’s arms and up to Prae’s shoulder, rubbing himself against his head gently, purring. Arching an eyebrow gently, she gave Prae a warm smile. “Well, alright then. I guess you have been approved to remain in our family. I should warn you that he likes affection and is very insistent about being given fish bites. If you don’t pet him often and well, dead rats will most likely begin to appear in the oddest of places around you.”

Sighing softly, she pushed the conversation forward. “Not that I’m not happy to see you, because you know better, but is there a reason? Is everything alright?” Elisabeth liked knowing everyone she cared for was alright, and as such, had a nasty habit of worrying when something seemed out of sorts.

[Praetorum]

The wind always danced around him, but this trial, there was a shift in their movements, a deliberateness that meant another defier was controlling them. Smiling, Prae landed on the sandy beach, letting the wind, and Elisabeth, envelop him in a light embrace.

Squeezing her shoulder lightly, Praetorum nodded. “I’m happy to be back. After how busy I’ve been this past ten trials, it’s a relief to be here again.” It wasn’t that there wasn’t work to be done in Haven, of course. But there was a huge difference between training troops and organizing papers and opening bank accounts, and helping to build a community here.

Prae’s smile faded every so slightly as Elisabeth introduced him to the kitten, though he did his very best to hide it. Family… It seemed like such an easy word for Elisabeth to say. He wondered if he would ever be able to think it again without fear.

“Don’t listen to her,” he told Storm conspiratorially, gently running the back of one blunt claw through his fur. “I’m technically from the Eternal Empire, you know.” He glanced at Elisabeth with an amused smile. “I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned that to you before. I take it my accent didn’t give it away?“

“Everything’s alright for me. I’m busy, certainly, but nothing’s wrong. It’s just—” he reached for his domain bag, and pulled it as wide open as he could manage “—you’ve mentioned Haven needing tools before, yes? Well, I’ve had a little bit of time in between setting up the company, so, here.”

He pulled out a canvas bag first, filled up with nails. “I had them in a box, and then realized I wouldn’t be able to fit that in a domain bag, so here. Hold this,” he said, handing it to Elisabeth.

Then, he pulled out a pair of shovels, and then finally, maneuvered a small, single headed iron axe out of the relatively small domain bag.

“I figured Haven could always use some more tools, so I made these when I had the time. I’m not going to be able to be around as often as I’d like—so I hope these will help instead.”

[Elisabeth Black]

Arc 721, 30 Ymiden

Smiling softly as she watched Prae and Storm interact, a gentle laugh issued forth. “Remember, I’m not very knowledgeable about such things as the Eternal Empire. You and Varlum were the first Ithecals I ever interacted with on a regular basis, so in many ways, I’m still learning.” It was a burden at times, coming from such a sheltered past, but Elisabeth made the most of it, learning as she went.

She watched as he pulled out the large canvas bag of nails, and then some tools. Always thinking about others, he was. One of the many reasons she cared about him so much was that he looked beyond the fact that she was, in a very real way, his student. Perhaps not formally, but he was every ounce the mentor to her that Balthazar was and in some ways more.

Nodding her head back towards Haven House, she invited him to walk with her so they could deposit the things he had brought for them. “Thank you, for all of this. We will put it all to good use, I’m sure. I’m, of course, sad that you won’t be around much. You always have a home here with us. Just know that.”

Sighing a bit, she glanced over at the Ithecal, biting her bottom lip a bit as she began to ask a question that was on her mind. “Have you…remembered anything? From those ten trials?” Prae had fallen victim to the same memory loss that she had, which in a way comforted her. She knew Doran, Darius, and Arlo had similar issues, so it appeared that a large number of people she knew had been involved in something.

“Vega says not to worry about it. Said it usually means the people involved we off doing something important and will remember when the time is right, but I….I don’t know. Part of me wants to know, and the part thinks maybe it’s best I don’t. What do you think?”

Praetorum was not only her mentor, but her friend. They had grown close and were able to talk on many subjects. Elisabeth simply hoped he had some words to ease her mind.

[Praetorum]

Prae grinned softly as Elisabeth spoke of her unfamiliarity with his homeland. “Fair enough. Not many ithecal go to Viden—far too cold for most of us.”

Hefting the three tools he’d brought, Prae followed Elisabeth back to Haven House, keeping his stride slow as he padded across the island at her side. “I know,” he said softly. “And I’m glad to do anything I can to help here. I wish I could stay more, I do, but Rharne… well. I have work to do there. Satisfying work, to be sure, but…” he shook his head. “There aren’t enough breaks in a trial to do everything I want, or need to.“

Then Elisabeth spoke again, somewhat more hesitantly, and Prae frowned ever so slightly. “No,” he admitted. “I haven’t remembered anything. I take it you haven’t either, or anyone you’ve spoken to?”

He considered her question, mulling over his own experiences. “To be honest,” he said, “I think Vega has the right of it. I don’t believe I’ve ever lost time like that before, but I have woken up one trial to memories that I didn’t have when going to sleep, and becoming… changed. I gained my attunement spark in that… dream, let’s call it, as well as…”

He trailed off, realizing he’d never mentioned Sap or Luther to her before. “Well, it’s a long story. But the point is, sometimes these things happen. Some people, it seems, attract these sorts of strange happenings. I find it best to simply go along with it. Since it happened to so many of us at once, I expect we will all find out at the same time as well. There’s little to be done but wait for our memories to return, I think. So we may as well not concern ourselves with it. If this amnesia lasts too long… then maybe we should worry. But for now, I think it’s fine.”

[Elisabeth Black]

Arc 721, 30 Ymiden

Arching a mischievous eyebrow at Prae, the young woman smiled at the comment about Viden. "Don't underestimate me. I'll manage to drag you to Viden sometrial." It was hard to deny that Elisabeth was passionate about Viden, but as time went on, some of the emotion she felt for Viden waned, as the realization came that she harbored genuine affection for Faldrass and Haven as well.

As he spoke about being busy and wishing he could visit more, Elisabeth turned to him, shaking her head. “Prae, you have a life out there to live. I know that. I just want you to understand that whenever you have time to escape, Haven is here. And if you need help with anything, please – Balthazar and I are here and willing to help. He’s just an echo scroll away if his not ‘in settlement’.”

Elisabeth shook her head again as he inquired to what information she might have heard from others. The affliction they were both suffering from wasn’t limited to just them, but she had nothing good to report. “No, but it’s more widespread than we thought. I know of at least three others on Faldrass that are suffering the same memory loss. I had hoped by now, we would know something.”

Sighing softly, she continued. “Balthazar says that there is nothing we can do about it, so focus on the fact that I got home in one piece. I know he’s trying to be reassuring, but I also know he’s worried too. He just doesn’t want me to know he’s worried.”

Praetorum thought Vega was right, and Elisabeth did too. It was just hard to accept that they had to sit and wait for the memories to return, and she said as much. “Oh, I know she’s right. I guess maybe this being my first time dealing with something like this, it’s frustrating. Part of me feels like I can’t move on until I know, but I also know that’s silly. It’s like this little block in my mind, keeps circling back.”

Having reached the house, Elisabeth slipped the bag of nails down outside the front door. “Just put those down anywhere here – no one will touch them. Let’s go for a walk on the beach. Or, you know, if you are going to tease me more about being fire kin that is always near water, we could go visit the volcano?” Grinning, she led him, and Storm, who apparently was going to continue happily riding on the Ithecal’s shoulder, back down to the sand.

Truth be told, it was just easier to talk on the beach. Controlling the spread of information – any information – was something Elisabeth was always concerned with. While she didn’t lie or hold information back from her settlers, there were personal things that she wished not to burden them with.

Watching the waves, Elisabeth waved her hand gracefully, flicking her wrist, guiding a small amount of sand to circle into a bit of a cyclone, allowing her mind to center and settle once again, giving him a laugh when he mentioned the idea that certain people attract strange happenings. "Oh, so I should expect this to happen on a regular basis? Good to know. I have to admit, I was beginning to suspect that Balthazar and I won't ever have 'normal' lives." No matter which way she looked at it, the conclusion she drew was always the same - weird things happened around them.

“Enough about me. Tell me what’s keeping you away from us in Rharne.” It wasn’t that the young mage was avoiding discussing how she felt about things in greater detail, but she equally wished to know what the Ithecal was up to.

[Praetorum]

Prae laughed slight. “Alright, alright. I haven’t been to Viden in a long time, and I wasn’t in a state of mind to appreciate it then. Someday you’ll have to show me around the place properly.”

At her reassurance of his place in Haven, he smiled. “I know,” he said softly. “And thank you. Truly.”

He wasn’t shocked that she didn’t know much, but he was surprised that there were so many others. Whatever had happened, it must have been big. Again, Prae was reminded of a dream he’d once had…

“That’s Balthazar for you, I suppose,” he laughed softly. “And Vega too.”

Setting down the shovels and axe, Prae followed Elisabeth back down to the beach. “No,” Prae said softly. “No, I don’t think you ever will, either of you.”

When she asked about what he was doing in Rharne, Prae couldn’t help but smile. “I was a mercenary in Yaralon, for a time. After these arcs of wandering, I thought it time I ran a company of my own. We’ve just started recruiting, but it seems I have enough of a reputation in Rharne that I’ll have no difficulty with that.”

He tapped his muzzle. “We’ve set up shop across the river from Zynyx Market, and it’s been… it’s been busy. There’s logistics I’ve never had to think about before, feeding and clothing my mercs. In comparison, I think training them has been almost easy. I joined the merchant’s guild too, so I’ve been getting contracts from other members, protecting shipments and such.”

Prae smiled slightly. “It’s good to work again, to be honest. I’ve been somewhat… adrift for sometime, and it’s good to put down roots.”

[Elisabeth Black]

Arc 721, 30 Ymiden

Elisabeth knew of Prae’s troubled past, never pushing the matter but always lending a ear should he need it. The Ithecal had begun the process of letting her into his past, sharing with her some of his traumatic experiences. It was a humbling experience, knowing he trusted her enough to lay bare experiences that had shaken him to the core, and she felt the same about him. He was not only a mentor and friend – he was part of her family. It was an odd little family she had created for herself, but the young mage was fiercely protective of it.

His reply to her comment about Balthazar and her life never being boring brough a sad smile to her face. He knew, just as she did, that none of them were destined for normal lives. For a season or so, she had known the truth of the matter. It was just a matter of time before she and/or Balthazar were called to something, so Elisabeth was learning to appreciate the quiet moments between.

Arching an eyebrow gently as he told her what he was up to in Rharne, Elisabeth couldn’t help but smile as he spoke of the company. His excitement about the prospect was infectious, and it made her happy to see him happy.

“Well, I’m very happy for you. I know that Balthazar would like to go back to Rharne and I still have the house there, so I’m sure we will come visiting eventually. As for being adrift, I know what that’s like. Perhaps not to the degree you are talking about, but still…”

Sighing softly, Elisabeth led him back to the beach, walking slowly beside him. “Sometrials, I feel like I’m still scrambling from the time Balthazar and I were held, before his trial. There was that, and then the rough entry for us into Haven. Then the mysterious memory vanishing time. It just keeps going. Balthazar adjusts more quickly than I do, at least I think he does. And then when I finally think we have a handle on things, things get flipped upside down again with this settlement leader decision.”

Stopping for a moment, she glanced up at Prae. “I understand why it happened, I do. The settlers are the most important part of the equation, and they have to be taken care of, but…” Trailing off, Elisabeth groped for the right words. “I feel guilty even thinking it, but did anyone consider how hard that decision was on Balthazar and myself? I suppose I can’t speak for him, but….”

Biting her lip gently, the young mage began walking again. “I just want us to be able to stop the world for a moment and be able to catch up. Well, there’s lots of things I want, really, but that one would be nice.”

[Praetorum]

One day, Prae thought. One day, he’d tell her what had happened, what he’d done. But not today. Not for a long time, most likely. Even now, Arcs on, the wound of it was still barely scabbed over, only recently starting to heal with his encounter with the Empress.

For now though, he was content just telling her what he’d been up to more recently with the Skydas company. “Well, whenever you want to come visit, I’ll be there,” he said with a smile.

As Elisabeth spoke of her own experience feeling… unmoored, Prae nodded softly, unconsciously making his own comparisons. Sometimes there were whole seasons where things just… kept happening, and life didn’t allow for a chance to just sit back and breath.

“You’re not wrong to feel upset about how difficult it is for you two,” Prae said gently. “How you feel is always important. But you know how it is. The best decision is the one that has to be made. And I think it is for the best that you take on leadership of the settlement. It won’t be easy at first, but I have faith in you. And if you struggle with it, you have everyone around you to help take on the load. You have the settlers, you have Balthazar, you have me.”

He patted her on the back, wind rustling through her hair. “Ralaith stops for no mortal, I’m afraid. If you want my advice… try and find a way to find peace and relaxation in mundane tasks, like with meditation. And take a few moments every once in a while to just breath.”

Prae smiled wryly. “I say that, but I’m afraid I’m almost as busy as you are now. I should go; but if you need a moment away from everything, send me a message.”

He smiled. “I’ll take you flying with Sivan. There’s nothing like flying to put ones mind at ease.”