The air was fragrant, the aroma of flowers and sweetbreads wafting gently on the wind as the young mage took his first steps into Magnolia Town. It was a treat to be sure, seeing the people go about their lives with energy and joy that was almost infectious. Children ran about, each shrieking and laughing at the simple joys of their lives while their parents went about purchasing food and inspecting racks of clothing for the latest in a seemingly endless change of clothes for their children. It was almost idyllic in quality, which made the lone individual sitting at a table stick out so obviously to Ehoron.
They had an aura about them that spoke of a long life fraught with suffering and ecstatic joys. Wordlessly he slipped into a chair opposite the woman and simply stared across the river at a group of children dancing around their parents. "It wasn't always like this, you know." Lofting an eyebrow in silent questioning, Ehoron turned his attention to the woman who continued to stare out across the waters. "There was a time when Magnolia Town wasn't so peaceful; a time when Dark Guilds held the town for ransom and took everything they wanted."
There was a bitterness to her voice that spoke of some manner of personal experience in this but Ehoron opted to not inquire. "In time, there were those who drove those animals away. People forgot those hard times and learned to embrace peace and lived lives without having to worry about terrors and suffering like that." A wistful quality took to her words and a faint smile etched its way across her aged lips. "In some ways, I envy those who'll grow up without having to face that manner of trial..." Her lips turned down abruptly and she gave a weary sigh.
"It won't last though. Peace never does." She turned her attention finally to him, leveling a piercing green gaze at him with such intensity that Ehoron almost knocked his chair back. "There is a storm coming, a darkness that will stretch over these lands. This kind of living will burn as mage fights mage, and worse come to take everything that we've come to cherish." Some might have thought her senile or insane, but looking into her eyes Ehoron could see certainty and lucidity that could not be confused for anything but.
She turned away from him and seemed to deflate under the weight of her own musings. "I doubt I'll be alive when that time comes... All I can do is hope that those like yourself will be there to protect people like them." She paused for a long time, almost long enough that Ehoron thought perhaps she had said all she wanted. However, before he could excuse himself, she looked back at him with an almost pitying expression. "It is a heavy burden you walk with. I hope you make it through these coming dark times, and that perhaps you might find peace to live happily."
Unsettled, but unable to move, Ehoron found himself a touch relieved when the elderly woman stood up and gave him one last smile before walking away to fade into the crowd. He sat there for a time, turning her words over in his mind. A part of him wanted to simply dismiss her rambling as that of an insane woman, but he could not help but feel a tightening in his chest whenever his thoughts turned to the future. It was subtle, but there was a change in the air as he walked that spoke of some uncertain conflict in the near future, and he could not help but feel as though he would be involved deeply in such conflict.
WC: 623/500
They had an aura about them that spoke of a long life fraught with suffering and ecstatic joys. Wordlessly he slipped into a chair opposite the woman and simply stared across the river at a group of children dancing around their parents. "It wasn't always like this, you know." Lofting an eyebrow in silent questioning, Ehoron turned his attention to the woman who continued to stare out across the waters. "There was a time when Magnolia Town wasn't so peaceful; a time when Dark Guilds held the town for ransom and took everything they wanted."
There was a bitterness to her voice that spoke of some manner of personal experience in this but Ehoron opted to not inquire. "In time, there were those who drove those animals away. People forgot those hard times and learned to embrace peace and lived lives without having to worry about terrors and suffering like that." A wistful quality took to her words and a faint smile etched its way across her aged lips. "In some ways, I envy those who'll grow up without having to face that manner of trial..." Her lips turned down abruptly and she gave a weary sigh.
"It won't last though. Peace never does." She turned her attention finally to him, leveling a piercing green gaze at him with such intensity that Ehoron almost knocked his chair back. "There is a storm coming, a darkness that will stretch over these lands. This kind of living will burn as mage fights mage, and worse come to take everything that we've come to cherish." Some might have thought her senile or insane, but looking into her eyes Ehoron could see certainty and lucidity that could not be confused for anything but.
She turned away from him and seemed to deflate under the weight of her own musings. "I doubt I'll be alive when that time comes... All I can do is hope that those like yourself will be there to protect people like them." She paused for a long time, almost long enough that Ehoron thought perhaps she had said all she wanted. However, before he could excuse himself, she looked back at him with an almost pitying expression. "It is a heavy burden you walk with. I hope you make it through these coming dark times, and that perhaps you might find peace to live happily."
Unsettled, but unable to move, Ehoron found himself a touch relieved when the elderly woman stood up and gave him one last smile before walking away to fade into the crowd. He sat there for a time, turning her words over in his mind. A part of him wanted to simply dismiss her rambling as that of an insane woman, but he could not help but feel a tightening in his chest whenever his thoughts turned to the future. It was subtle, but there was a change in the air as he walked that spoke of some uncertain conflict in the near future, and he could not help but feel as though he would be involved deeply in such conflict.
WC: 623/500
