Eilidh stared listlessly at her bowl of ice cream, idly stirring the contents despite the fact that the frozen treat had melted a good while ago. Months have gone by and I haven't found anything. I thought that by joining a guild I'd have an easier time finding out what that man wanted with our village, and why he destroyed it. Or, if I was lucky I'd hoped to have found something about my brother... Eilidh sighed and pushed her bowl away from her as she leaned back and stared up at the umbrella that was shading her from the sunlight.
None of the villages in the cursed land know anything, none of the mages I've talked to have heard anything, I'd at least hoped to find something here in Crocus, I mean, a village getting wiped out should at least have been in the public records! But no, it's like my village never even existed, I can't even find a census record! And to make it worse the sun's shining so brightly, like it's mocking me. Eilidh gripped the arm of her chair as her frustration rose, but almost as quickly as it came her anger was replaced with melancholy as she released her grip.
At least my guild mates have a reason to have never heard of my village, as far away as they are, though that doesn't make it feel much better that they can't really help me... Eilidh shook her head, trying to dispel her sagging mood, "No, it's not their fault, and they've been perfectly welcoming to me, I wouldn't dream of holding something like that against them." In a further effort to raise her spirits Eilidh cast her mind back to her some of best memories from her new family.
When she had first arrived she had been surprised at how welcoming her reception had been. She had expected that, yes, she'd be admitted but she'd also expected to need to 'prove' herself to them before she'd really be considered a part of the guild. After all, they were all well known mages in their own rights, and she was just some interloper from a small village nobody had ever heard of with nothing to her name but her clothes and her magic. Yet what she had found was a warm welcome and people who were willing to bring her into their own family.
Even more surprising was when Leona, the Guildmaster had agreed to go with her on a mission. If she was being totally honest with herself Eilidh had to admit that she hadn't had the best opinion of the guildmistress, or of anyone like her really. The idea of an unproven, which she admittedly had no right to assume the guildmistress hadn't proven herself, leader actively angered Eilidh, but Leona had shown that not only was she willing to take on the same work that she expected her followers to, but that she was willing to let them grow and take the lead when she felt it was a good opportunity to do so. Not to mention she showed legitimate concern when Eilidh had been injured, showing that she actually cared about the well being of her people as well as being interested solely in their potential and how it might benefit the guild. Eilidh had come away from that job with a solid respect towards Leona, and a feeling of camaraderie that she hoped wasn't entirely one way.
Eilidh was jarred out of her reverie by the sound of a group of teenage girls talking far too loudly and, as unkind as it was to think, shrilly for such a public area as they sat down at one of the nearby tables. Eilidh frowned slightly as she glanced at them out of the corner of their eye, At least they're having fun I guess, but couldn't they at least try to be a little more considerate? Part of Eilidh felt bad about such ungenerous thoughts, but even with the good memories she was reliving she was still in a fairly bad mood after having been frustrated by the public record keepers, not to mention the annoyingly warm day and bright sun.
Eilidh was about to write the girls off as nothing more than just one more annoyance in an already annoying day when she happened to actually catch some of the conversation.
"Did you girls see the new recording from Caedmon?" One of the girls exclaimed at the others. "No! I thought the new one wouldn't be available for at least another two weeks! How'd you get one so soon!" "Oh well, my daddy..."
The voices of the girls faded away as Eilidh's mind's eye was filled with black smoke lit by the orange of roaring flames. She was down on her back, desperately struggling to stand back up, and above her, the flames dancing in his dead eyes replacing the light of kindness that used to glimmer in them stood her brother. As she struggled to mount any kind of defense he raised one hand, energy burning as bright as the noonday sun gathering in his palm.
In desperation Eilidh called out, "Please Caedmon! I'm you're sister, don't hurt me, please!" Caedmon didn't even blink as a blinding flash erupted from his hand, blasting a hole right next to Eilidh's head. "Leave. I won't give you another chance." Eilidh had scrambled to her feet desperately as he turned away, his form quickly vanishing within the flames.
Eilidh came back to herself just in time to see a lacrima projection of a young man performing ever more intricate feats of magic, a man that she recognized easily as her brother, a man she'd been searching for. Eilidh's chair clattered to the ground as she lurched towards the table that the girls were at, her magic acting up and covering her in scales even as her wings erupted from her back. Pushing her way in between three of them she flashed a manic grin towards all the girls.
"Hello girls, why don't you tell me all about this Caedmon you're all so interested in..."
None of the villages in the cursed land know anything, none of the mages I've talked to have heard anything, I'd at least hoped to find something here in Crocus, I mean, a village getting wiped out should at least have been in the public records! But no, it's like my village never even existed, I can't even find a census record! And to make it worse the sun's shining so brightly, like it's mocking me. Eilidh gripped the arm of her chair as her frustration rose, but almost as quickly as it came her anger was replaced with melancholy as she released her grip.
At least my guild mates have a reason to have never heard of my village, as far away as they are, though that doesn't make it feel much better that they can't really help me... Eilidh shook her head, trying to dispel her sagging mood, "No, it's not their fault, and they've been perfectly welcoming to me, I wouldn't dream of holding something like that against them." In a further effort to raise her spirits Eilidh cast her mind back to her some of best memories from her new family.
When she had first arrived she had been surprised at how welcoming her reception had been. She had expected that, yes, she'd be admitted but she'd also expected to need to 'prove' herself to them before she'd really be considered a part of the guild. After all, they were all well known mages in their own rights, and she was just some interloper from a small village nobody had ever heard of with nothing to her name but her clothes and her magic. Yet what she had found was a warm welcome and people who were willing to bring her into their own family.
Even more surprising was when Leona, the Guildmaster had agreed to go with her on a mission. If she was being totally honest with herself Eilidh had to admit that she hadn't had the best opinion of the guildmistress, or of anyone like her really. The idea of an unproven, which she admittedly had no right to assume the guildmistress hadn't proven herself, leader actively angered Eilidh, but Leona had shown that not only was she willing to take on the same work that she expected her followers to, but that she was willing to let them grow and take the lead when she felt it was a good opportunity to do so. Not to mention she showed legitimate concern when Eilidh had been injured, showing that she actually cared about the well being of her people as well as being interested solely in their potential and how it might benefit the guild. Eilidh had come away from that job with a solid respect towards Leona, and a feeling of camaraderie that she hoped wasn't entirely one way.
Eilidh was jarred out of her reverie by the sound of a group of teenage girls talking far too loudly and, as unkind as it was to think, shrilly for such a public area as they sat down at one of the nearby tables. Eilidh frowned slightly as she glanced at them out of the corner of their eye, At least they're having fun I guess, but couldn't they at least try to be a little more considerate? Part of Eilidh felt bad about such ungenerous thoughts, but even with the good memories she was reliving she was still in a fairly bad mood after having been frustrated by the public record keepers, not to mention the annoyingly warm day and bright sun.
Eilidh was about to write the girls off as nothing more than just one more annoyance in an already annoying day when she happened to actually catch some of the conversation.
"Did you girls see the new recording from Caedmon?" One of the girls exclaimed at the others. "No! I thought the new one wouldn't be available for at least another two weeks! How'd you get one so soon!" "Oh well, my daddy..."
The voices of the girls faded away as Eilidh's mind's eye was filled with black smoke lit by the orange of roaring flames. She was down on her back, desperately struggling to stand back up, and above her, the flames dancing in his dead eyes replacing the light of kindness that used to glimmer in them stood her brother. As she struggled to mount any kind of defense he raised one hand, energy burning as bright as the noonday sun gathering in his palm.
In desperation Eilidh called out, "Please Caedmon! I'm you're sister, don't hurt me, please!" Caedmon didn't even blink as a blinding flash erupted from his hand, blasting a hole right next to Eilidh's head. "Leave. I won't give you another chance." Eilidh had scrambled to her feet desperately as he turned away, his form quickly vanishing within the flames.
Eilidh came back to herself just in time to see a lacrima projection of a young man performing ever more intricate feats of magic, a man that she recognized easily as her brother, a man she'd been searching for. Eilidh's chair clattered to the ground as she lurched towards the table that the girls were at, her magic acting up and covering her in scales even as her wings erupted from her back. Pushing her way in between three of them she flashed a manic grin towards all the girls.
"Hello girls, why don't you tell me all about this Caedmon you're all so interested in..."
