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Two weeks. That's how long Zeviana's been missing her father. It's also how many days she's been considering how utterly stupid his death was. Not something big and dramatic, he wasn't stabbed or jumped or hanged - he got sick. Then he got sicker. Then he died.
Adarin's more of a wreck than she is, he was the one that hovered, the one that bartered for various potential cures, the one that kept looking for a doctor or something to fix their father. Obsessively, without rest. Zeviana helped, too, she had a bit of money saved from fights in the ring, it was supposed to be pocket money but now it's not. She got into more fights than was probably safe - made bets on herself, won every one, and handed her brother the money. He'd go and find things to fix their father from there. It wasn't enough.
It's not fair. They tried their hardest, he should have lived. If things were fair he would have.
Neither of them wanted to stay in his house after. So they decided to leave. They're going to Casasha, where Adarin can probably find work for his abjuration thing. Zeviana doesn't need to go to a specific country, she's likely to find work everywhere. No one wants to take bets on a girl in a fighting ring, and with how she wins - well, she can make more than pocket change betting on herself, if she wants. She doesn't mind, the fights are fun, the money's nice. Maybe when she's thirty and less spry she'll need to do something else, but for now, this works.
What doesn't work is how absolutely miserable her twin is. She needs to take breaks from him, because he's just - so utterly destroyed by grief. She leaves him alone, gives him space, and when she can, she cheers him up. But not right now, right now, she's on one of those breaks. He's back at the wagon, doing - whatever. But she's in the woods, on a walk.
The trees are pretty. Zeviana's almost disappointed that they haven't met any bandits in them, but she's not disappointed by the scenery. Vaguely, she wonders if Casasha looks like this, because if it does she might have an opinion about moving there after all.
try_me
If it's Casasha, it's a pretty deserted part of Casasha -
No, there's a house, over there. A fairly large house, at that, A-frame in front and a couple stories, newer-looking, attached at the back of it. And a large garden around it sprouting all kinds of vegetables and fruits.
No, there's a house, over there. A fairly large house, at that, A-frame in front and a couple stories, newer-looking, attached at the back of it. And a large garden around it sprouting all kinds of vegetables and fruits.
try_me
Well that's interesting. Maybe they can avoid sleeping on the ground after all. There's no reason Zeviana can't investigate.
She walks up to the house, and knocks on the door.
She walks up to the house, and knocks on the door.
close_knit
A pretty blonde woman, maybe thirty, opens the door.
"Oh! Oh, hello, who are you?"
She's fidgety, hands twitching like she's petting the air.
"Oh! Oh, hello, who are you?"
She's fidgety, hands twitching like she's petting the air.
try_me
"Hi!" says Zeviana. "Sorry to be all - random person in the wilderness-like. My brother and I are heading to Casasha. I happened to walk by here - you have a pretty house!"
close_knit
"Oh it's no trouble at all - thank you! My friends and I all built it together. Why don't you come in? Is your brother with you? I don't see anyone."
try_me
"Sure," says Zeviana, stepping inside. "He's back at the wagon. You all built a house together? That's cute."
close_knit
"Well, we all helped decide what it ought to look like, but one of my friends is a building-mage and she did most of the work. Anlon! We have a guest, I'll bet you she wants tea!" she calls into the kitchen.
The house looks lived-in but tidy. Past the A-frame entrance, currently empty but for the odd box and a lot of shoes, there's a couple of people snuggled up together on a sofa off to the left, one with an embroidery sampler and one with a book; to the right is the kitchen, where a man sets about putting the kettle over the fire for tea.
"What's your name?" the blonde woman asks Zeviana.
The house looks lived-in but tidy. Past the A-frame entrance, currently empty but for the odd box and a lot of shoes, there's a couple of people snuggled up together on a sofa off to the left, one with an embroidery sampler and one with a book; to the right is the kitchen, where a man sets about putting the kettle over the fire for tea.
"What's your name?" the blonde woman asks Zeviana.
try_me
"Zeviana! Tea would be great, 'Rin's the one who's addicted to the stuff but I like it, too." She looks around. They all look so nice! Her hostess especially, it can't be safe out here to accept strangers into her home like that. She hopes that the nice woman doesn't get taken advantage of out here.
close_knit
"I'm Chelasi! And this is Anlon," Chelasi steps into the kitchen and gives him a little kiss, "and over there are Tima with the sampler and Jony with the book, Jony's the gardener here if you saw."
try_me
"It's great to meet all of you! You did some gorgeous work," says Zeviana to Jony. "Wow, I hope no one gives you any trouble out here, I mean I wouldn't mind but 'Rin's been jittery about bandits."
close_knit
"Oh, we don't have any problems with them. Jony's actually a plant mage. And Kesaven - he's up in his room now, I think - is the building mage, but you can scare off a bandit with that. We're nice and safe and snug."
try_me
"Aww! That's cute, I'm glad. If you have trouble, pretty sure I can help, and also guilt trip my brother. Adarin - sorry, forgot to tell you his name - is a shield mage, bandits haven't messed with us but we could handle them just fine."
try_me
"Eh, I can defend myself all right, too. But he probably wants tea! You won't be put out if I go get him?"
try_me
"All right, I'll go get him, then. Be back before the tea's ready."
Zeviana waves and then heads off to go retrieve said brother.
Zeviana waves and then heads off to go retrieve said brother.
try_me
That's convenient, because Zeviana returns with a confused looking brother soon after.
"They're nice, I swear!" she promises, as they arrive. "See? Lovely little house with lovely people. Hi, lovely people!"
"They're nice, I swear!" she promises, as they arrive. "See? Lovely little house with lovely people. Hi, lovely people!"
in_tatters
"Hello," says Adarin, faintly amused. "Apparently you are 'lovely people?'"
close_knit
"I'm Chelasi!" says Chelasi, waving with one hand, fidgeting with the other. "Come in, come in, the kettle's just boiled. Zeviana says you're a mage! Or a raveler, which term do you like?"
in_tatters
"Nice to meet you. Either's fine, mage feels more accurate, though. Because I don't really unravel anything, it's all - dropping blankets over people."
try_me
"Which continues to be the most hilariously cuddly description of magic ever," snorts Zeviana.
close_knit
"Aww, that does sound cuddly." Chelasi introduces her immediately obvious friends again. Anlon pours everyone tea.
in_tatters
Adarin snorts. "Apparently I am the cuddliest raveler of all. Me and my magic blankets."
Tea is drunk. "This is excellent tea."
Tea is drunk. "This is excellent tea."
close_knit
"Isn't it? Jony does the blends. We're all so lucky to have her."
Jony grins and spontaneously hugs Chelasi.
Jony grins and spontaneously hugs Chelasi.