35th of Frost, Year 119; Late Evening
...Continued from here.
"Taelian..." Lethiril smiled softly, shaking his head as if to dismiss the Siltori's worries. He placed a hand upon Taelian's own, stroking his fingertips along the edges of his pseudo-transparent silver lines. "You're not in danger. The woman who you mentioned finding in the woods; the one who saved your life, she is the one who brought you here. She... is someone I know very well. A mage of Atinaw, like me, and a powerful one at that. I asked her if she would watch over you in the coming days. I felt... worried for you, about something like this occurring. Fortunately and unfortunately, I was right when I was."
The Elf blinked, staring into Lethiril's eyes until his gaze lost focus and his eyes darted back and forth between the bridge of his nose and the edge of his cheeks. Taelian's gaze narrowed.
"How did she... kill a Cardinal so easily?"
"She's strong, Taelian," he said. "Stronger than both of us. She's been around a lot longer, and she's originally from Daravin. That place... if it's good for nothing else, it crafts excellent magi. Masters, boundless among the Valran and Entente; she in her time was among the best of them. And now -- she... she came to me a few years ago, in Grimholdt. I've been allied to her ever since, and now Taelian, she and I reconvene every so often. Would you like to meet her, my friend? A better way than last time. She has wanted to meet you since I told her you were still alive."
The Elf frowned. "Her name?"
"Éloise," Lethiril responded. "Full name being a lot longer and more complicated. She's an Elf, like us. Half-Hytori, but she does not see it that way. She sees all of us as fundamentally from the same strand -- the same blood. Just... scattered by misfortune. The things she knows, and all that she has to say; it's quite profound. I think you ought to introduce yourself."
"Is she downstairs?" the Ebon Knight replied.
"Yes."
"Then... I'll go."
And he did. Down the steps, slowly, with a fury of dizzying sensations assaulting him. He felt he was on the verge of collapsing, midway down the stairwell, until eventually he refocused himself and took grip of the rails. Once entering the foyer proper, he turned the corner and saw the back of her head from where she was, seated in the kitchen. He stepped toward her, and the woman pulled out her seat and rose to meet him. She had caramel colored skin, with dark freckles all across her complexion. Her eyes were teal-colored, her hair long, a medium shade of brown. She was beautiful, undoubtedly, and dressed elegantly. Differently than before. She wore a long, regal dress like that of a Noble, dark blue in color with golden embroidery strewn across.
Upon the back of her hands were gold, embedded designs, natural to the Hytori... though she was only half. It explained why they were not more numerous and exuberant, though somehow the simplicity of the design did well for her.
She was a truly compelling sight to behold; a mixture of Noble, aethereal, human and yet with Elven features and grace. Taelian introduced himself with a nod, rather than with speech. She nodded in turn.
