Moving On (B Rank Exam/Solo)

The comely wizard sat in silence. She stared down at the dark colored wood of the guild bar while slowly spinning a card on her index finger and contemplating the task Lester had set out for her. It was no good arguing with him; despite his kind and relaxed nature she couldn't figure a way out of this.

"Make peace with a person who has bested you in the past: Life is about moving on." She muttered, trying to mimic the soft-spoken Ace of Adventurine. "What pseudo-philosophical nonsense." She thought. "Besides the only people who've bested me are dead!" Elvira said angrily, slamming her fist down on the bar before glancing over to notice the bartenders wide-eyed stare. "Okay that sounds bad. I didn't kill them, it's a coincidence." She explained to the man who only responded with a doubtful expression. "Tch, whatever." She gave the suspicious barkeep the finger and stood up, wandering over to the windows.

The clouds that drifted lazily passed were visible over the building of the sky-city; she looked past them --into one thousand yards of nothingness. It wasn't that there weren't people, there were plenty: She'd had many tutors in Minstrel she'd despised, most of whom had shown her up in some way or another --they were gone now, executed during the revolution. Billan, the neighbor boy with the crush on her who'd taught her to swim...he went into the Mist Wood and never came back, most of all there was the old lady; there were alot of things that had gone left unsaid to her but, she too was gone.

"Defto Cantus." She sighed. "He's the only one."

The next morning she sat with her feet dangling over the edge of the Crystalli, well outside the safety barrier that members of the guild were allowed to bypass. She could see the tiny specs of buildings far below: Rose Garden, or close enough. The ship wouldn't be landing this time, but it didn't really make a difference. The young wizard cast a spell and hopped over the edge of the ship and into the clouds. She always enjoyed the feeling of the wind rushing past her face, it was one of the only times she felt completely at peace. It was probably how she'd die one day she mused. She would become so wrapped up in the descent she'd forget about the landing. As the city rushed up to meet her The Cloud Shepard activated; slowing terminal velocity to a gentle glide. Her feet touched down gracefully on the peak of a slanted roof before she hopped down to the alley below.

Elvira stopped a passing man to ask for directions to the train station and set off. It wasn't long before she'd procured a ticket into the country side; leaving the city behind for the small pleasant orchards of Rose Gardens hills. She was on her way to Cantus Vineyard, a location she'd long had memorized, although she was going for a very different reason than she thought she ever would be. She leaned back quietly and let the low hills roll by as she journeyed into her past.

The train arrived at the small village station while the day was still young, so she set off straight away. Everyone seemed to know where Cantus Vineyard was, so the road was easy enough to find: The street was paved after a fashion: Cobblestones worn smooth with the passing of boar-drawn carts day in and day out for a hundred years. The surrounding countryside was a series of lush green hills that rose up and down gradually like lazy waves on a calm sea. The hills eventually gave way to hundreds of rows of stakes with thick, deep purple grapes wrapped round them; stained wooden baskets were spread liberally through the fields, it seemed the workers were finished for the day --she hadn't really noticed but the sky had turned from blue to orange at some point along the way.

The young mage approached the central residence: A rustic old house that, much like the fine wine it produced, has\d seemed to mature with age. She checked her cards and gave the door a tentative knock. Faint shuffling inside heralded the arrival of someone on the other side.

"Who is it?" A soft spoken woman asked.

"Pardon me miss." Elvira said in the most non-threatening manner she could muster. "I'm looking for Defto, I'm an old friend." That hurt to say. The door quickly unlocked and creaked open to reveal a young blonde woman around Elvira's age.

"You knew grandpa?" She murmured.

"Oh yeah, I kno..." What had she said? Oh no. "What do you mean knew?" She sighed, already knowing the answer.

"I'm sorry to tell you miss but he passed on last winter: Zerefs Disease." She said sadly.

"But that takes years..." Elvira whispered. "Had he been sick that week at the Golden Pitcher?" She wondered. "He'd was already in his 80s she'd guessed, but the way he'd avoided her that last night she'd assumed he was gonna live forever.

"A-alright, thanks." The wizard said slowly, turning to leave.

"W-would you like to see him?" Cantus' granddaughter said softly.

The last rays of sun were falling below the hills as Elvira was lead through the vineyard's back gate and down a well-trodden path that ended in a small area protected by a wrought iron gate which barely kept the wild grapevines at bay. In the middle of the enclosure sat a modest tombstone.

"He's just there." The woman said sadly. "I just wish he'd lived long enough to see the vineyard restored after he won all that money. That was all he ever wanted. How did you know him anyways?"

Elvira inhaled deeply. "Won a bunch of money huh?" She thought. She remembered the week he'd spent at her table "winning" --only at the end she realized he'd been cheating the entire time. She had tried to catch him but he'd been a fairly decent wizard in addition to a skilled vintner; he had easily given the inexperienced girl the slip.

"He was...just a friend." Elvira finally replied. "Can I stay here a while?"

"Of course." The woman replied, leaving Elvira alone with the grave. The young wizard sat down and rested her back against the stone, gazing towards the moonrise.

"You know you almost cost me my job that night you old bastard." She whispered. "You were already dying then...weren't you?" Elvira closed her eyes and tilted her head back; the stone still held it's warmth from the days sun. She never understood the fear of graves really; she liked to think she could still find the people she'd lost there. Tombstones were their own kind of magical focus to her she supposed.

It was morning when she stirred next, roused by the sound of birds chirping. She rose and let out a wide yawn, taking in the full beauty of the vineyard.

"It was worth saving wasn't it?" She said quietly, running her finger over the tombstone. "See you around Defto." Elvira tapped the peacock-colored swan on her breast and vanished.

"So..." Lester said as he carefully planted several new bulbs outside the guildhall. "Do you make peace with someone?"

Elvira sat down next to the wizard with the watermelon eyes and started helping plant the bulbs.

"Yes...I did."