The first meal of the day arrived and she promptly inhaled it. She barely took the time to even notice what it was. Conditions were steadily growing harder as game was became scarcer in the Testing Grounds and she was a growing, thirteen year old girl. Most of the time, she was ravenous. Worse still, she was still plagued by all the moodiness and irritability that came with growing up.
Finally, she had to ask, pushing the ceramic bowl aside. ”Illia,” she frowned. ”I can’t figure out why, but I keep thinking about Annalisa Marin. You know – the one I told you about, remember?” The familiar stood in silence for a moment before it replied. ”Yes, I think I do. She was the evil one, right?” Celeste got a flash of the woman in her mind. She nodded. ”Yes, that one. But she isn’t evil so you’ve got to stop saying that.”
”Okay!” The being replied brightly, before puzzling it over. ”So – oh, so, maybe you had a dream about her? The little girl blinked, puzzling this over. Yes, it would make sense that she wouldn’t remember exactly what happened. But what did that even mean? There was a nagging something or other, picking at her. The urge to shatter the bowl in front of her suddenly welled up in her chest.
Illia sensed her frustration. ”I’m sorry,” the being said, seeming even smaller than usual. Celeste sighed. It was unfair to let her emotions bleed over to her familiar like that. And further, she had to get a grip on herself. After the ordeal with Amaryllis last season, she had to work to keep a hold on her demeanor at all times. She had to be in control, lest she make another mistake.
Take a few calming breaths, she rose and redressed, slipping off her plain outfit in favor of her arcane robe. Perhaps a walk to the Testing Grounds would help distract her. Perhaps she’d practice her tiger model, too, and use it to go hunting. Cats were very good ambush predators, after all. It was a shame that Illia wasn’t a real cat.
The familiar trotted along at her heel, having forgiven her almost immediately. It looked innocently off into the distance as they went. As annoying at the Avavali could sometimes be, she loved her just the same. Celeste shot the being a wan smile as they continued down the hallway, until she reached the exit to the Courtyard.