Under the expansive canopy of the velvety night sky, Iris gently petted the alabaster kitten resting her head on her lap, enjoying the content purrs the melodious feline let out. The heavens Kia was so interested in were a tapestry of twinkling stars scattered like differently coloured gems against the inky blackness. Hanging above the bay the moon shone like a divine lantern, illuminating the dark world with a gentle steady light which painted the landscape with a faint silver hue. The usually busy city had gone quiet, a shy silence enveloping workshops, markets and streets which not that long ago crawled with activity.
The two had long ago finished eating the plates filled with delicious food and the elf had stacked everything into two neat pillars for her to pick up. The midnight seemed to pass quickly and the girl had long nestled comfortably in the elf's warmth and appeared as still as a statue but the elf knew her dear creator hadn't fallen asleep, she simply knew that the girl was awake and completely absorbed by the night sky without needing to look at her face.
"Iris, what is an academy?" Kia's curious voice rose from the statue-like being Iris was holding.
"And where did you hear that word?" The hoplite softly asked.
"I overheard it when the young humans near me were speaking," The being of unimaginable ancient power caged inside the delicate body, appearing more like a corpse on the snow than anything, asked her creation. Her hushed voice showed no more interest in the institution of all knowledge humans had managed to scrounge up in this cruel world than what a person would show when talking about a curious oddity of the most benign nature. "They said that people learn magic in there, is that true?"
"It is, although I wouldn't know much about it so I can't tell you more about it." The risen causiously answered the necromancer's question.
"Can we go and see it?" The girl turned away from the starry canvas above and looked at the elf with such an innocent and hopeful sparkle in her eyes that Iris felt her mind go blank.
"..."
The risen collected all the knowledge she could find about the Oriri mages and their grand university. It was the only non-temple institution of its kind in the entirety of Edor, meaning that people whose talents were viewed as problematic by the Courtiers or nobles unwilling to send their children to the clerical duties were sort of forced to come to Oriripol. The elf saw with her own eyes why the mages from the city were viewed in a negative light by the rest of the continent, this made her furrow her eyebrows upon picturing her kitten among those horrible people who turn people into lifeless puppets. On the other hand, she wanted to avoid accidentally cageing Kia, the city might have been vast but it would take only two or three days for them to visit everything there was to visit. Nothing was stopping them from simply leaving the city but unlike a normal person who might have to settle down as a farm hand and move on with their life, Iris had the rare misfortune of experiencing the effects of immortality. She would like to avoid having her name written down on some sort of list especially if that list was in the possession of people whose job it was to hunt down monsters. But also she didn't wanted to become like the Cyclops who caused the girl staring at her with such pure and uncorrupted intentions twinkling in her eyes to endure countless ages of isolation and boredom.
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"I will think about it" Iris informed the necromancer.
"That's not-" Kia fell silent as she turned her head to the side, following the trail of a shooting star above before looking back toward Iris. "-fair."
"You are such a cat you know that?" Iris pressed her forehead against Kia causing the cat-like undead to start pushing against the elf in some sort of competition. Of course, the mage who had been cut off from almost all of her power lost but not before the cruel elf gave her enough hope for her to believe in her chances. "I guess that's fine, you're even more adorable this way." The elf pecked the pouting kitten on the nose before returning to petting the necromancer leaving the still-annoyed feline confused.
Kia rolled over and leaned back, letting her petite body rest again on the cushioned chest of the elf, returning to staring at the stars while feeling completely safe as her creation brushed her hair in a calming hypnotic rhythm. Iris saw the moon darken before completely disappearing from the view. As she gazed upward, her eyes tracing the many constellations stuck on the heavenly canvas above her, she saw the first delicate flakes of snow flutter toward the ground. At first, they were mere whisps, tiny dancers in pure white descending from the heavens. As if on cue she felt Kia stand up, freeing herself from the warm and safe embrace and she stared at the darkness above with eyes full of curiosity, a single snowflake kissing her porcelain skin.
"Is this your first time seeing snow falling from the sky?" Iris stared at the girl as she felt the cold Kia left behind fade away.
"Yes." The girl watched dumbfounded as snowflakes gathered on her open palm. The elf didn't want to break the spell which was casted on the ancient who stared at the most mundane snow in existence as if it was some sort of miracle. Her eyes sparked with power as she inspected the snowflake with no signs of satisfying her curiosity.
The flakes increased in number, transforming the late autumn night into a winter wonderland. At first, each snowflake melted upon hitting the ground before each snowflake started to add a thin layer of enchantment to the landscape, coating the streets, roofs and everything around them in a powdery blanket. Following the moon's example, each star began to disappear as the blanket of heavy clouds began to envelop the city until everything was bathed in darkness, only pierced by the periodical burst of light coming out from the windows as people began to add wood into their mantles.
Watching Kia, the elf remembered something once told to her by her mother. The first snowfall wasn't just a simple act of nature, it was a celestial performance, a collaboration between all Aspects as they danced above the clouds, the snow being the pieces of their gem-filled clothes which were being torn asunder only to be remade anew in the spring. In the embrace of silence beneath the dark veil, Iris dared to disturb it as she stood up and walked toward her saviour.
"Can we stay?" Kia turned to the taller elf who caringly cleared the layer of snow gathered on her.
"You're going to get cold." Iris continued to carefully fix the undead's appearance straighing any folds on her otherwise perfect dress, unable to see the fastinated girl as what she was really.
"I won't." The ice-cold undead promised, her colourful eyes begging the worried elf like a puppy would.
Without speaking the elf lay down on the floor, her back against the perimeter wall inviting the snow-white girl to sit beside her. The elf massaged the kitten's scalp thinking about what the girl had asked her.
"Tomorrow we will visit the Academy." Iris said to the purring mage who nodded along. A bell hadn't even passed before Kia's eyes had shut close and clung to the warm risen greedily absorbing the hot pulses emanating through her skin.