Completed Old Friends

[Dovinya]

16th of Summer

Splash.. Plop.. Plop..

Were the sounds heard, echoing in the central chamber of the temple as Dovinya went about scrubbing the floor clean of a patch of quickly drying blood. A particularly distracted worshiper had cut their palm too deep, and in their surprise left quite a mess around the central altar, which was why Dovinya found himself there that day, working at the blood caked on the floor with a plain scrap of cloth. Not that he minded too much, he was more relieved that the man hadn’t hurt himself majorly than at having to clean up after him, and it wasn’t exactly such an uncommon thing for a devout to get a little blood on the floor around the altar.

He actually relished task oriented jobs like this for they gave him reprieve from the tumultuous emotions that stirred within him. Submerging himself into his work helped him forget, at least briefly, the terrible events of the past seasons, and even allowed him to feel almost normal.

Working the caked dried blood from the floor was not terribly complicated, it separated easily from the worked stone, and from there it was simply a matter of ringing out the washcloth in the small half filled clay jar he’d brought back from the personal quarters of the temple’s attendants. Drying up the water he’d spilt across the floor proved to be more time consuming than ridding the floor of blood, though he made quick work of that as well.

“Dovinya?” He heard a familiar voice say not far off behind him.

[Dovinya]

“Selvantia!” In an instant he was standing and wrapping his arms tightly about the woman. “It has been so long, I feared you’d forgotten about me” The woman chuckled softly at that, and held him all the tighter before Dovinya decided to break the embrace in order to properly view his friend. “Never forget, just busied.. my husband prepares for harvest as you know, and my designs are just starting to garner interest with the traders. You’ve been quite busy yourself I hear, working at the temple nearly all hours” She replied with a soft chuckle, her features visibly brightening. “Indeed, the time urges great haste” Dovinya managed with a smile, even for all of the dark baggage that came with that answer. Selvantia’s smile had that affect on him, always keeping him smiling even in the direst of circumstances. It reminded him of better times.

“And to see you so healthy and energetic, this place has been good to you. Are you getting enough sleep?”


“Yes, I’ve had plenty of rest recently” A bit of derision seeped into his tone at that, but thankfully, Selvantia had the grace no to react, at least not visibly to it. “Am I interrupting something?” She still replied, perhaps changing the subject because of his apparent sensitivity. He tried not to take it to hard, but it stung all the same. Causing her discomfort was not at all what he had meant, but he couldn’t tell her that, couldn’t take back his words. “Nothing I haven't finished, what brings you hear by the way?”

“Blessings” She answered cryptically, smiling shyly the way she would when they were younger. When she wanted something, he remembered, and he arched his eyebrow amusedly. “What about them?”

“To give thanks to Viratas for them, though my mind seems a bit hazy on the ritual..”

He caught her leading easily enough, and was already well on his way to the inner chambers of the temple before she had finished.

[Dovinya]

“is that all?” She asked to his surprise, for he had expected a bit more decorum from his dear friend. At least that was how she’d been years back when they were only just finding their place in society, yet he was not troubled by it. It was simply good to see her again. The way her dark hair framed her soft features as she crouched before him reminded him of the evenings they’d spent together, and for a moment he basked in the nostalgia of the memory as he handed her a knife. “Beware not to cut too deep, try just your little finger” Edging from his contemplations when he saw her grip it awkwardly toward the lower end of her palm, and placing his hand over hers, he guided it more gently to her little finger.

With the slightest press of its edge, crimson welled atop her fair skin, and hastily Dovinya produced a piece of parchment collecting the drops till he had what he felt as a reasonable amount. “That wasn’t so bad..”

“I told you so” Dovinya chided, offering her a section of cloth to bind her finger, along with the bloodied piece of parchment, before lighting the small brazier between them. “Now simply toss the parchment in, and the rest.. the rest you know” He stood awkwardly at that, but that quickly shifted after seeing her reassuring smile, her crimson eyes meeting his own, and placing a hand on her shoulder, he added, “It was good seeing you” With that, he reluctantly left her to her own devices, dismayed that he must part with his friend, but content that he would see her again, and soon. He just knew it.