“So, uh, Laurolia,” Alexia said, taking a deep breath as she did her best to find a suitable topic. She then remembered something that the elf had muttered. “You mentioned a sister, I believe?”
“Oh… yeah,” Laurolia replied, nodding her head. That was the first time Alexia had seen her without her head tilted to the side. “Her name is… Elenori. She loved plants and… singing,” She hung her head forward, the dejection in her eyes only amplified by how lifeless they looked. “She had… the Sign of Fog… just like you.”
“And because she was an Elf she started getting treated horribly,” Alexia finished, Laurolia once again nodding. She cursed herself silently, realizing the topic she had chosen was unexpectedly heavy. “For the Council of Peace to stand by as such treatment takes place. I have to talk to Halerosh about it.”
Most races just feared the Lord of Terror, but the elves were different. It was a Lord of Terror that had put them in chains and made them slaves of the fae centuries ago. While the two technically lived side by side now, there was hate between them, and even more hate between the elves and Lord of Terror. Tales were told of how elves would end their lives as soon as the Sign of Fog appeared, wishing to not endure the hate they would receive.
“She is… no longer with… us,” Laurolia said, confirming every story that Alexia had heard. “She was kind. She was nice. She took… care of me. I miss her… deeply,” She looked to the sky. “I am here… because I… made a promise. A promise to… find the Lord… and help them.”
Laurolia then looked Alexia in the eyes, the human shuffling away as much as she could. The elves lifeless look still unnerved her, even if she was realizing that it wasn’t murderous intent that laid behind them. She would have had no problem with anyone else but this elf, Alexia couldn’t help the amount of fear she felt. Here she was, thinking of possibly making them a friend and yet the simple act of being unable to see their emotions threw her off. She had to get her act together, but no matter what she did she found it hard.
“You have the… Sign of Fog… on your hand,” Laurolia said, pointing to the hand that she had cupped earlier. Alexia flinched, grimacing as she looked down at it. “You don’t… seem happy… about that.”
“I mean, of course not,” Alexia told her. “I want to change the world, yes, but the best path for me lies not with the Lord of Terror. It lies with the Council of Peace,” She looked towards the road, not noticing at all as Laurolia’s gaze truly turned hateful. Her left arm twitched as she heard Alexia’s words. “I’m the apprentice of Halerosh Dena Arravia Cortesia, and I will one day take the place of Alabaster Wilde. From there, I shall make sure none of these problems can harm anyone again. That is my path.”
“Then you… are no friend.”
Alexia looked to Laurolia, planning to ask what she meant only to nearly gag at what she saw. The girl’s left arm appeared inhuman for a second, gaining an unnatural green coloring before turning pale again. Yet that was nowhere near as horrifying as her noticing the girl's face quiver strangely. There was no other way to describe it, Alexia more than able to notice a strange sort of divide in the girl’s face meeting at the tip of her nose. She got off the bench and reached her arm behind her back, only to remember that she didn’t have her scythe on her.
“L-Laurolia?” Alexia called out, taking a few steps back as the “elf” stood up.
“Run away,” Laurolia said, her dead eyes causing Alexia’s legs to shake. With each word the “elf” spoke, Alexia saw their face open, revealing a plant-like interior. “Tell your Council… and my enemies… I will kill them.”
Unarmed, scared, and too panicked into even thinking about using magic, Alexia decided to do the next best thing and run. She didn’t watch as Laurolia once again took on the form of an elf, not caring as her mind begged her to get away. The creature, whatever they were, in some ways felt bad for what it had done to the girl. Yet any shame went away as it remembered what the Council had caused, and that no matter whether they had the Sign of Fog or not, they were the enemy.
“If you learn… the error… of your fight,” Laurolia said, knowing well that Alexia was too far away now to hear her. “I will… spare you. Otherwise… you will die.”
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Even after she realized that Laurolia wasn’t chasing her, Alexia didn’t slow down. Her focus laid solely on what was behind her. The image of the elf, creature, whatever the girl actually was laid at the front of her mind like a traumatic memory. Even as the emotional pollution almost brought her to the verge of breaking down, it haunted her. It haunted her until, finally, she stopped and reached for her knees, breathing heavily.
What sort of creature had she just witnessed? At just a glance, the girl had taken on a more plant-like appearance. No description between both the recognized races and the so-called “lower races” matched that description. She knew that elves and fae had a special connection to nature, the former apparently able to “speak” to it while the latter could freely manipulate them. Perhaps what she had witnessed was the wild experiment of a fae, but something about that didn’t sit right with her.
No, Laurolia was likely not just some puppet; she was too real. She seemed ready to cry at the mention of her sister's death, and the hate in her eyes for the Council was true. Alexia had questions she wanted to ask, but without a way to detain the… whatever the elf was, she couldn’t. Especially since she was sure said elf would openly attack her on sight, no matter where she was or what she was doing.
“Well, I didn’t expect to see you out here all alone,” Came a smooth, posh voice from in front of her. Looking up, she grimaced as she saw the face of a helyan. It was Diada to be more specific. “You seemed desperate to get away from something. Might I assist?”
She didn’t respond at first, feeling the disgust and spite that everyone seemed to have for the man. Shaking her head, she did her best to ignore them and looked to the outstretched hand of the helyan. She swatted the hand away and stood up, not grimacing but also not smiling as she did. She refused to look Diada in the eye, staring at the crowd even as all the emotions surrounding her grated her ears.
“Nah, I’m good,” Alexia told him. “Didn’t expect to meet one of my mentor’s colleagues just wandering the streets. I wouldn’t assume you are following me, are you?”
“No, I would not dare stalk anyone,” Diada said, swooning dramatically at the human’s accusation. “Truth be told I was out to just get some breakfast. I saw you running and did the gentlemanly thing of making sure the young lady was alright,” He smirked at Alexia. “And I’m guessing, judging by the fact you are currently shedding tears, you are not.”
Alexia cursed under breath, though she couldn’t deny what the helyan was saying. She was, in fact, currently in tears, the feelings of the folks walking by them overwhelming her. She took deep breaths as she tried her best to calm herself, looking at Diada with a look that was both disain yet also acknowledgement. He was concerned for her, inside and out, and was likely the only one in around them that felt that way. It was just like with Halerosh. Though she refused to give him a pleasant expression of her own, she understood he was not the monster that all the city saw him and his kind as.
“It’s the people of the city,” Alexia said, looking to the ground. She couldn’t bring herself to look the people she talked about in the eye. “It’s all hate, resentment, and fear. That is all they are emotionally. It is as if they’ve forgotten happiness.”
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Diada looked to those around them, though he found himself unable to see their expressions. They averted their eyes, refusing to look him in the eye. He was numb to the rejection he felt by most everyone around him, but it never made it any easier to see. After all, though his skin may look like molten rock, though horns top of his head, though he had a long tail and cloven hooves, he was like any other who lived. Elf, human, dwarf, fae, orc, he was sure they would all stand equally if things had been different.
Of course, his kind wouldn’t even be here if that was the case.
“Perhaps you would like to join me for a meal then? You don't need to eat anything if you aren’t hungry,” Diada told the girl. “I’m sure it would be nice to get off these streets for a time.”
Alexia looked away as she thought, but the choice was easy. She did want to be away from all the negative emotions, away from that which pained her most. She just felt that it would look bad on her to accept someone she barely knew so quickly. Thus why she made it seem like she was considering it all for far longer than she really needed to. It all ended with her turning back to Diada and giving him a smile for the first time.
“Sure,” She said with a nod. “Where do you have in mind?”
“Oh, just a quaint little establishment run by a friend of your mentor and I,” Diada told her. “I’m sure you’ll recognize them.”
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Alexia indeed recognized the orc behind the bar counter, quite surprised to see someone as renowned as Rashi working there. She had expected the orc to be a captain of the guards or something, not a bartender. Yet, as said orc poured a mint tea for her, it became very clear that she was not seeing things. A sip of said tea told her that it was really high quality as well, though as Rashi was an Orc that shouldn’t have been expected. It was tradition for them to drink tea before a battle of any kind, as it helped them calm their nerves and better prepare their minds.
It was also rather surprising that it wasn’t busier given the Orc’s status as a member of the Council. It wasn’t empty, but Alexia believed there should have been more customers. From what she knew, Rashi was the most respected of the entire Council. Any establishment owned by her should have been packed. Yet it was quiet, comfy, and those inside were filled with happiness and joy.
It was the most happiness that Alexia had felt outside of Halerosh’s estate.
“Thank you, Miss Rashi,” Alexia said, her voice quiet. Bartender or not, the orc still intimidated her.
“None of that “miss” stuff, kid,” The orc replied, pouring a cup of black coffee for the Helyan to Alexia’s side. “You're welcome though. Nice to finally get to talk with ya. Hal keeps you holed up more than I would like.”
“It’s more so that I haven’t felt comfortable going out and about alone,” Alexia told her, leaning backwards in her seat. “I’m, uh, still not good at tal- wah!”
Having forgotten the barstool didn’t have a back to it, Alexia leaned so far back she nearly fell back first onto the floor. She was stopped by Diada, who with one hand reached behind her and brought her back into an upright position. Alexia was blushing bright red, realizing that she had just embarrassed herself in front of not just her mentor’s co-workers but also the realm's finest.
“I’m… not used to doing this all without Hal around,” She admitted, unable to look both Diada or Rashi in the eyes. “With him around I feel confident, like I could take on anything. I try and act tough without him, but I’ve never spoken with anyone without her around.”
“Damn. He wasn’t wrong about you being cute when flustered,” Rashi replied, not bothering to keep quiet and causing the human girl to cover her face in embarrassment. The Orc put a hand on Alexia’s shoulder. “Hey, it’s okay to not be good at talking with others. What matters is your effort.”
Alexia moved her hands away from her eyes, still covering her mouth, nose and cheeks as she looked at the Orc. All the stories she had heard told of how much of a demon Rashi was on the battlefield, of the Orc who fought fifteen of the toughest warriors her people had and survived with only her left arm touched by their weapons. It was hard to believe that someone so kind could also be so ruthless.
“It doesn’t make it any less embarrassing,” Alexia stated, hands falling to her lap. “I’m supposed to be the replacement of Alabaster, the one who created the Council and a former Lord of Terror,” She gripped her skirt tightly. “How am I going to live up to that if I’m like this without Hal around?”
“Alexia, I don’t think you have any need to worry about that,” Diada told her. The girl tilted her head in confusion as she looked at the Helyan. “Tell me, what made you think that man can socialize?”
“As I said, he is a former Lord of Terror,” Alexia replied, looking at Diada. “Not just any, but the one that united the four countries of our continent and ended the war with your people. A man like him who has kept our world stable for so long has to be a good speaker.”
Her words were at first met with silence, but it was quickly broken by Rashi snorting before breaking into laughter. Diada did much the same, though his laugh was far quieter than that of the Orc. Alexia looked between the two, not sure why they were laughing at her response. She yelped as Rashi slammed her right hand down on the counter, some tea getting on Alexia’s top because of it.
“Girl, if that man was perfect at everything he wouldn’t need Horn Head and I,” Rashi told her as she tried to control her. “Since you are one of us basically, let me tell you a little secret: Alabaster has stage fright.”
Alexia blinked three times in rapid succession. “Wait, really?”
“It’s true,” Diada said. “Man is an absolute beast in battle, but when the peace treaty between Evra and my kind was signed it was done in private. I was the only one that actually saw him sign it.”
Alexia’s eyes widened as she heard this, mouth hanging just in case her eyes didn’t sell her shock. It was crazy, but considering she was talking to two of the people that knew him best, she had no reason to not believe it. In an attempt to calm herself, she shook her head and took a sip of the tea made for her.
“The point is this, Alexia,” Rashi said, grabbing the girl's attention again. “You don’t need to worry about being perfect at everything. Do what you are best at and let the rest of us make up for your weaknesses. Got it?”
Alexia nodded, though in truth she wasn’t sure how much she believed that. Alabaster was a legend after all, and no matter what the truth was he was seen as infallible by all around. It wasn’t good enough for Alexia to just be a suitable replacement; she had to match his legendary status. If she didn’t, then she would be remembered as a failure.
“Oh, that reminds me, Hal came by earlier today,” Rashi told them both. “Says he is looking to maybe put together a little get together of some kind. Maybe a night of drinks here,” Diada gave a smug smile as he heard that. Alexia just gave a “hm” in response. “You two gonna be there?”
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Diada replied. “Been a while since all of us have gotten together. Besides, you and I still need our round two after the last one.”
He locked eyes with Rashi, the Orc doing the same and matching his smug look in the process. That quickly fell away when they heard Alexia’s feet hit the ground, the two turning to see her off the barstool. She looked at them both with a faux smile, both seeing through it clearly.
“I appreciate the invitation but… I won’t be there,” Alexia told them both. “I’d be out of place, and the last thing I should be doing is drinking,” She bowed to them both. “Thank you two for the company, but I should be heading out though. Hal is no doubt worried about my whereabouts.”
With that, she turned around and walked towards the door. As she entered onto the streets, the negative emotions of all who walked passed once again started to pour into her mind. Alexia quickly found herself tearing up. She couldn’t tell if it was because she was out of place next to Diada and Rashi or the emotional pollution in the city. Either way, she didn’t have the willpower to hold it back anymore. She didn’t notice both the Helyan and Orc watching from inside the cafe as she walked off.
“Halerosh made a big mistake, putting such expectations on her,” Rashi said, her voice unusually subdued as Alexia disappeared from view. “Honestly, what was the dude thinking? Forcing someone so young into taking that kind of responsibility.”
“You know he had no choice. None of us did,” Diada said. He took a sip of his coffee, but it tasted even more bitter than he liked it all of a sudden. “How much longer till she says “fuck it”? How much longer will she resist the ache of the Sign of Fog?”
“I don’t know, but if I was to guess…” Rashi closed her eyes as she spoke. “It will be far sooner than any one of us could guess.”