[Erytheia Hellebore]

The noble warrior stood, and the people looked to her.

For she was a beacon - hope given form, yet still only human.
Within that truth there was great promise.
If one could stand against the night, then so too could anyone - everyone.

In her hand the warrior held a Rose. And her aura burned bright.

❝

Erytheia laughed, a soft sound that did not carry past the campfire, a laugh that was for Aegle's ears alone. Somehow, no matter what, it seemed that the younger girl always managed to draw that out of her, in various ways. Most people in the same situation as the other, so she felt and experienced, would have either reveled in being offered a shoulder to lean on, or expected such support as a natural part of their condition, or wallowed more in grief and self pity now that they could let themselves go with someone to catch them if they should fall further than intended. And yet, bare moments after it had been made abundantly clear that Erytheia had gotten a much better deal in life than her smaller friend, she not only recovered enough to offer gratefulness, but her own shoulder in return for the Hellebore to lean on, as burdened as it already was.

The smile she offered to Aegle Verdant now was made out of equal parts pride and happiness, one that few others had ever seen directed at them before. Time and again she had proven that Erytheia's judgment had not been wrong, that her strength of character and morality still remained as strong as the first time she had seen it. Was it any wonder, then, that she enjoyed her company so?

"You are such a sweetheart, my friend," she said softly, still wearing that smile, and gave a small pat on the hand that held hers. A small nod followed, before she got to her feet from the makeshift bench they had made for themselves and stooped slightly to give Aegle a second hug, this one briefer than the last, but just as comforting as before.

"If the time comes when I should need someone to shore myself up from crumbling - if ever I should need you more than I already rely upon you - then be assured that I know where to turn. Hopefully, I should never suffer enough grief to take you up on that offer, but you have my thanks regardless. It eases my heart to know that you have my back, Aegle. Know that, if nothing else."

Straightening up, she looked around the campsite, turning back to look at Aegle with a small smile, one that was more in line with the ones she had offered everyone else to date, though obviously more warm and wide due to their shared friendship. It had been a good few minutes now, though it had certainly felt much longer than it should have due to the heavy material being shared between the two of them. The Hellebore heiress figured she was about due to leave or risk being disqualified, as much as she wanted to stay. Perhaps if Qiu'li had not been here, she could comfortably remain in friendly company instead of venturing out into the night again, but alas - that was often how things went. It certainly wouldn't do to wake him up and send him out of his own campsite, nor would it do to selfishly ask Aegle along out of the safety of what she had now, would it?

"Unfortunately, it seems like these assessments will need to take priority for now. And seeing as you already have a partner to remain with for the duration, I cannot remain overlong, lest the both of us fail. It would be a shame after all that effort for that to happen - is that not so?"

AIRTAFAE (SEMBLANCE): [RANK E]

PRAETORIAN ET ROSA: RADIX GLORIA (DURABILITY) [RANK F]
PRAETORIAN ET ROSA: ARBOR IMPERIUM (STRENGTH) [RANK F]
PRAETORIAN ET ROSA: RAMIS MILIA (MARTIAL ARTS) [RANK F]
PRAETORIAN ET ROSA: LAMINAE CHORUS (ACROBATICS) [RANK F]

IRKALLA ARALI (WEAPON): [RANK F]

@ ● 581 words ● 5264 total words

MADE BY MIZO

[Aegle Verdant]

Aegle was not happy at even the suggestion of seeing Erytheia go. Though she'd known the two of them could not spend the rest of the trial together, that she must soon do just as Alexandros had done, she could not help but resent the imperative that should push her friend and herself apart. Especially when it seemed they had come so close. It had taken a great deal of nerve to admit all she had to Erytheia, and admit to herself that she trusted the older girl well enough to be so transparent, and it felt wrong that she should leave so soon thereafter.
'Am I disappointed?' Aegle wondered, 'Upset that, after I told her what was botherin' me, she can't share what was botherin' her...'
But had anything been bothering her, or had that just been the impression Aegle had, the one she'd inflicted upon Theia, colored by her own doubts and recent travails. Had she expected that the older girl must have some deep, dark uncertainty she was in need of getting off her chest because of some intuition, or had the thought merely been her projecting upon Theia an emotion that wasn't really there? Aegle could not say, and, though she remained sure of the vulnerability, and the hurt, and the suggestion of something else not yet shared, she was no longer sure it was the sort of perspective altering revelation she'd initially suspected.

'Y'can stay a little longer...' Aegle might have said. She might have held onto Theia and kept her from rising, might have clung onto that reassuring closeness, and that promise of continued closeness, which these past few minutes had implied. She did not know if she would be able to be so bold, nor so open again, nor when she might get another chance.
'Sixteen and five.' Came, unbidden, to the fore of her mind, and Aegle's jaw tightened. She sank back, her hold around Erytheia's hand loosening. Like a thread left hanging, like the biting the inside of her cheek, Aegle could not resist giving it another tug, could not resist poking that sore spot with her tongue.
'Twenty and one.' she saw the endpoint of this friendship, saw how it would turn out even if everything went well, or so well as it possibly could.

She saw another life, another smiling face, another worm body, and source of reassurance. Another reminder, another remainder, another friend. Another heart, which had so briefly touched her own, and been touched by it in turn. She imagined consoling Theia, giving her the comfort and the resolve she'd but recently given Aegle. She imagined being the one to reassure her, to smile, to tell her how strong she was, that everything would be alright.
'Fantasy, and a presumptuous one at that.'
One supposing everything worked out just the way Aegle wanted it to or, rather, just how she didn't. A fantasy presuming an outcome she was in no way entitled to, and one she was fighting earnestly against. And one that left out all the intermediary steps, all the isolated little moments, wherein Aegle would have to share ever more of herself, by which she would forge a bond, a connection, which she so desperately wanted and craved. All this, and more, just for that one added drop of color, that one more sensation... All this, to add another experience to the texture of her life, one drop closer to overflowing...

Aegle made herself stop. Her heart was racing in her ears, a dull roar she was never without but now risen louder, as though it too were crying out at what Aegle did next.
"Yeah," She said, smiling up at Erytheia, "Y'better get goin, I guess."
Smiling a calm, reassured smile, one all full up with the certainty and resolve that her friend had given her, one which did not so much as hint at the thoughts behind it's owner's emerald eyes.
"S'important," She agreed, managing to keep all irony out of her tone, "Gotta pass the trial. S'why we're all out here after all."

She couldn't leave it at that though. As Theia stood, Aegle gently caught her wrist, softly held her for a moment.
"You're a good friend, too. S'been a while since I had one like you." And then her smile bloomed even broader, "Y'make me almost feel like I'm worth the effort."
Aegle let go of Theia's wrist, "Take care out there, aye?"

---

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[Wolfe]

XP Distribution:

Erytheia: 52 x 200% (event bonus) = 104

240 + 104 = 344 XP new total

Aegle: 90 x 200% (event bonus) = 180

6 + 180 = 186 XP new total