Mid Fall 514 AV
The courier awoke from his sleep soaked in sweat that evening panting and breathing heavily. Already the tender gossamer webbing of the nightmare faded and passed from his mind as the dark haired man struggled to recollect that nameless fear. Too late, the scrabbling horror smoothed itself out in his mind as Xira blinked into the darkness of his room. Deep beneath the earth in the confines of the sanctuary, that earthen womb of protective construct, nestled the guest rooms that he still dwelt in since spring. He was no longer a guest, a fixture even, if he ever stopped being so ungodly busy with his constant travelling and delivery. His thoughts meandered gently as his weariness returned and the claustrophobic panic was soothed by the gentle embracing darkness of his room and bed.
All was well. He had to keep telling himself that, Snow was above, sleeping soundly with the company of her kind. Kavala and her family was not far, slumbering, perhaps with her children in her arms in blissful sleep. Caelum was doing, of course his thing whatever that might be, most likely working his evening hours avoiding people as was his want. And he was with a haven, far from danger and distress... that he did not bring upon himself. But the words had a chord of hollowness. As if he did not believe them entirely.
He... needed to talk to somebody. Tell someone about the nameless fear and dread he felt not just this night but for the past half a score of days. Xira cupped his hands to his face and spread them across his features. Sweat and sleep pressed from his fingers as he drew them across his brow and over the top of his head. He exhaled deeply and swung his feet over the side of the bed and spread his toes over the comfortingly cool stone beneath. Mage stone. Reimancy. He felt the perfectly smooth granite like stone beneath his feet and it gave him a strength that he felt coursing through his legs. Courage perhaps? It reminded him of his bond with kavala. The perfect one to speak to about his dreams. Leader of the Cytali, marked of Nysel.
He almost drunkenly nodded to himself and drew his blanket with him. Garbed in his small clothes and swaddled in the failing warmth of the autumn night and of course his blanket he shuffled through the darkness. Navigation was made difficult without a light, and he found oil and candles a needless waste for something he was not often conscious for. So a side table, the bed and the assorted gear in his room took bites from his legs and ankles as he made his way to the door. Soft, polite curses accompanied by a yawn echoed down the corridor as he quietly shut the door behind himself. Best not to let the whole of the Sanctuary be awaken by his foolishness. Yet it did not occur to him that Kavala might favor her sleep over said foolishness. Instead he made the short walk to the konti and mistress of the Sanctuary's suite.
Xira specifically chose his room due to its proximity to the library. Something even after three seasons he had yet to really utilize more than a couple sessions. But logically, ideologically, he loved the idea. He hoped to sometime soon use the room and Kavala's amassed knowledge to help venerate one of Xira's patron deities: Eyris. But that was a task for another time. Instead he had to focus and remember. Kavala would know what to do, what these dreams meant. At least, she would know who to talk to about them. Luckily, Kavala's suites were connected directly to the library. If anything, the library was her antechamber and so his passage through the book laden room was not without reason.
He yawned again as he passed comfortable chairs, desks and looming shelves. The gloom only barely abated by the lights seeping from beneath the doors to the common area and the dim hallway behind him. He only clumsily bumped into one chair, which he absently minded told, "Excuse me" oblivious to the notion of asking pardon from comfortable furniture and its links to the inane, before reaching Kavala's room.
He paused to yawn again, his sleep addled mind growing fuzzier as the adrenaline and fear settled back down to the core of his being. This was slowly turning into a fear of closing his eyes. Sleep should be a time of respite, of gentle dreams of past and future. Not... this. The courier hesitated, unsure of the protocol to invoke for intruding his friend's respite from woes of the day. Sometimes it was paralzying, this situation. He, however, had made his choice and despite the wrenching of his gut, knocked softly upon her door.
Xira waited patiently, he drew his blanket closer across his nearly naked body. Oh, the propriety of this situation. If others saw, what would they think of a young man calling on the beautiful Kavala, mother of three, in the depths of night swathed in only a blanket and his small clothes, a step from being naked. Not that he would mind such intimacy... Kavala was achingly beautiful and her mind was so sharp. She was strong and used that strength for those that she cared for. Very attractive qualities. The courier made a decision during that wait: He would spend more time with Kavala. For everything she did for him, for what she meant to him, she deserved more of his time.
And so he waited, he was about to knock once more before...
My words
Their words
