Together Again (dead thread)

[Samantha Khione]

It had been quite sometime since Samantha had been in these parts. In truth, there wasn't really much of a reason for her to travel here at all. Save one. Unfortunately, she had been unable to tend to that one reason in the past few months. She had been busy, traveling around and helping smaller towns protect themselves from the dangers outside their walls. It was tiring work, but it was still work that needed to be done. Thankfully, her newest tome was making things that much easier. Especially the more familiar she became with it. Fimbulvetr had become her go to spell, so much so that she had gained the nickname 'The Snow Queen.' She found it ridiculous, of course, but people used it nonetheless.

Things had calmed a little, and so Sam finally made the long overdue trip to visit her best friend. She had been apart from Mila for far too long. Mila had mentioned in her letters that she was teaching at a school in Lycia now, so at least she knew where to find her. And so here she was. The school itself was interesting. Probably a place that Sam herself would have liked to attend in her younger days. Upon her arrival, she inquired upon her friend's location to a girl she had come across, someone who also appeared to work there. The woman said she could go and find Mila, and so Samantha decided to wait for her out by the training yard.

It reminded her of the days her and Mila had spent mastering spells together. Days which seemed so long ago now. Cloak wrapped around her and hood covering her face, the blue haired girl closed her eyes and began to channel from the book in her hands. A light snow began to fall in the area, which always brought a smile to her face.

[Mila]

Back again.

Again. The sage sighed. She hadn't really been herself ever since, the incident with the spiders happened. Between meeting both Nayru and Althea her whole notion of order has been kinda turned on it's head. And she was still not over all the guilt with the spiders and the town. Oh, gods the town. And Vincent, ugh, she was still kinda not sort of ready to talk to him yet. Even though the incident with the baels had been a good month or two behind her. What sucked the most is that she had to come back to the school for the sake of her job in such a crappy mood. She wanted new material for her lectures but gods above she didn't want it like that. Not at the expense of so many other lives. She learned that monsters are far older then she had ever anticipated. 

She sat outside on one of the many benches littered about the campus. The thought the fresh air would help her clear her own mind. But, she just found herself sitting there. Thinking. Thinking. and Thinking some more. She had her flora tome with her. And her pet sprite in it's bottle along side her. Her little pet in a bottle seemed to pick up on it's giant's agony, and sat there 'looking' out at the distance. Mila made the lightning spirit as a part of project for herself during her first semester teaching. At least it stopped morphing between violent sparks and inert rock whenever Mila entered it's presence. 

The sprite had come to accept Mila as it's giant. And had learned if it stood still then the giant takes it, and it's glass prison outside to watch the other giants walk around. The sprite liked that. At least that's what Mila thought, since she observed it 'waking up' and 'pressing it's face against the glass' whenever she took it outside. The sage was still not ready to let it out of it's bottle yet. But, sometimes she would take the cork out and let the little thing get some air. The sage had her head in her hands for ten minutes before she noticed the slight chill in the air. It's late summer now, slowly morphing into autumn. The leaves on the trees were starting to change and the squirrels were starting to bury their nuts. But, it was not yet time to be cold enough for flurries.

She pulled her head out of her hands and looked around. Someone, was casting from a Fimbulvetr tome. She figured it came from the hooded caster who was out in the distance in front of her. Reminds me of Sam. Those were happier times. She leaned back on the bench and just watched the hooded figure cast. 

[Samantha Khione]

A small smile grew on the mage's face as the snow began to fall. It always reminded her of home, a home she hadn't been able to return to for some time. She wanted to, but her attention had been needed here. She'd been able to write some letters to her parents, though, so that brought her some comfort. Sam knew that she'd seen them again sometime in the future, and in the meantime she knew they were safe. That's all that really mattered.

Samantha was brought back to her senses that someone was nearby. Turning her hooded head slightly to the side, she saw a familiar figure sitting nearby. She felt her heart skip a beat for just a second. It was her. Her best friend. The one person who made her feel that strange way that no one else did. Her Mila.

Turning around, the blue haired mage began to walk over to her friend, who still didn't seem to notice who was in front of her. The closer Sam got, the sharper Mila came into focus. She looked as she always did, though she did seem to be down about something. Sam hoped that life hadn't been too tough on her recently, but she feared from her look that it might have been. Coming to a stop in front of her, Samantha finally spoke. "Hello, Mila." Her voice came softly from beneath the hood. Reaching up, she pushed the hood from her head, revealing her familiar face. Her long blue hair was done up in a long braid that rested on her shoulder.

[Mila]

Almost as if the god of miracles themselves had heard her thoughts, Sam appeared before her. Oh right, she had forgotten she was supposed to meet her out here in the grounds to begin with. She looked up at her blue haired compatriot and mustered a small smile. The sage got up and hugged her immediately. She planted her forehead somewhere in the crook of her arm and shoulder. Sam was taller then her after all. Mila deduced it had something to do with most Illians. Perun was a massive man of a man and he too came from the frozen north. She let her face linger there for a moment. Quietly, registering Sam's smell, and trying really hard not to melt into a pile of emotional goo. She pulled away from the mage after a moment. She glossed over Sam with her misty eyes and took a deep breath in then out. 

"It's good to see you Sam. Like.. really.. really.. good." She spoke. Then offered Sam a seat on the bench. The little critter in it's bottle 'looked' up in wonderment at the sudden appearance of another giant.

"Meet my little elemental.  It took me weeks to make and several failed attempts." As Mila turned to pick up the bottle off the bench. The little elemental sparked madly and reverted into it's pyrite form. It wasn't asleep. The shiny flecks of the stone shimmered in a pale light. Signalling to Mila that it was awake but merely hiding.

"Or not." Mila put the jar down on the ground by her feet and took a seat on the bench. She sighed softly.

"Girl, your not gonna believe all the crap I've gone through."

[Samantha Khione]

When Mila hugged her, Sam lightly wrapped her arms around her friend. There was a lot of emotion in the hug, she mage could tell that much. Several things that passed unsaid between the two of them. She had regretted having to leave Mila when she did, but there were other matters that required her attention more. Just as Mila had her own obligations. But now, she was back. Her hand lightly ran through Mila's hair as they held each other. It felt just like it used to, which was pretty much perfect.

"It's great to see you as well, Mila. You look as lovely as always." Samantha said with a warm smile as she followed Mila's lead and took a seat with her on the bench. She looked down at the bottle of sparks and give it a little smile as well. It seemed almost scared of her, and she couldn't really blame it. There was quite the size difference between them. "It's alright. Hello, little one." She said softly towards the bottle. "I'm Samantha. It's a pleasure to meet you."

The smile quickly left her face at Mila's next words, however, and was replaced with a look of concern. She reached over and lightly rested her hand on her best friend's shoulder. "I'm sorry I haven't been around to help you, though I can assure you you've been in my thoughts. Tell me, what's happened?" Sam lightly rubbed at Mila's shoulder as she looked at her friend with concern. It pained her to think so someone so special going through so much.

[Mila]

"Huh." After Sam gave the elemental her greeting, Mila picked up the bottle and put it close to her face. The little elemental merely continued to glow softly and pretend the giants outside it's glass prison did not exisit. Mila shrugged and put the bottle down onto the grass. The sage smiled softly at Sam's affectionate gesture. She took a deep breath in and let it out softly through her nose. She needed to compose her thoughts. A whole f*ck ton of stuff did happen to her in the last few months. And it was a literal cascade of things, various monsters, failed attempts, and all around feeling really crappy. She tried to focus on the positives that did happen. The people that she met. The.. people she was supposed to protect. The people she kinda sorta maybe emotionally betrayed. Granted she wasn't sure if she did betray anything but that didn't stop the emotion from being there.

"It.. all started when I went back to Eturia." Mila pouted.

"It.. difficult coming back home after a while. And I mean a really long while. The war and Eturia's religious fascism.. they've made things incredibly difficult. I didn't go all the way home though. I was called to help solve a mini mystery on one of Etruria's coastal regions. I ended up rowing to an island that.. well.. had a cyclops. I met a ship Captian from the Isles and another monster hunter on the island. And we.. slayed it. Then I had get on a boat. And I hate boats. And I was sick from.. everything." Mila did not mention any names. She knew Gar and Nayru would want to keep their identities secret. She did not know what enemies they may have had in the world. 

"Rested in a town in the Isles. Then made my way inland. Got me back into Lycia somehow. Reunited with an old friend. Met a new one. And together we tried our best to save a town that was beset by baels. And I.. don't.. think i'm fully feeling like myself.. after that." She looked down somberly at that last bit.