Wamillust

  Isran rubbed her thumb as she waited for her turn. Her partners were sitting with her, hands on her to offer support.

  Morgana had expined that it was very much just a formality hearing. She would be reprimanded by a judge and given a fine. It still made Isran nervous… she had never been to court before.

  “Isran?”

  Isran looked up to see a gnome woman looking up at her. Even while she was sitting, gnomes were especially short.

  “Yeah.” Isran remembered to say.

  The gnome stood aside and motioned her into the room where the proceedings would take pce.

  To Isran’s surprise it was not much of a court room as she had expected. It appeared more like an office, though it was quite long and had several chairs.

  Guards lined the walls, and an elf with faded gray hair sat behind the desk. It was the first time Isran had seen an elf with hair that was not vibrant. The age lines on his obsidian face made her understand why.

  “Hello Isran… smuggling report charge I see.”

  Isran felt like she was back in high school as she stood awkwardly beside the elf’s desk, fidgeting with her hands.

  “Oh dear I have forgotten my manners, please sit.”

  Isran cleared her throat and sat down, her companions sitting down with her.

  The elf scribbled somethings down and shuffled a few papers before clearing his throat and speaking again.

  “You are quite the popur young adventurer Isran, how are you feeling?”

  Isran was a bit confused about why he was asking her that but she wasn’t going to upset the man seeing over her case.

  “Uh… good.”

  He smiled broadly. Then turned to look at Calliope. “And you miss Calliope… how are you doing?”

  The mousegirl smiled up at the elf. “Very good.”

  A small chuckle escaped his lips. “Well isn’t that splendid to hear.” He wrote a few things down again.

  “There are several respected witness testimonies that make me draw the conclusion that you keeping the nature of your meeting secret was not of ill intent… however we do have ws young adventurer.”

  Isran nodded stiffly… nervous.

  “A fine of two acorns will be just enough to remind you of such ws… I advise you pick an adventuring w book while you’re at it.”

  Isran defted in relief, her tense muscles rexing. “That—that’s it?”

  The elf nodded, his smile still there. “You seem of good intent, and miss Calliope seems rather happy in your company. There are no compulsion spells or any malicious spells influencing her… and having spoken to you I think it was just an honest mistake.”

  Isran blinked and swallowed thickly, the relief felt good.

  The elf stood and motioned for her to stand before taking her hand. “You are a good one for saving her, but remember this warning, good ones don’t survive in the world of politics and w.” Then he tapped her hand gently and handed her a sheet of paper. “Remember to pay on time.”

  When they left the kind elf Elysi took the paper and walked up to the receptionist to pay of the dept immediately. Morgana had estimated five acorns, it seemed the judge liked Isran enough to have her pay less.

  After the payment was sorted out and their receipt was given to them they all left but split to finish their duties of the day.

  During the time Isran was out of commission Calliope had tried to be more social, the mouse girl had found a group of bard friends she hung out with every now and then and it made Isran smile.

  Elysi had promised to help Adrianna with moving since apparently the old whore house was closing down. The owner had sold it to a merchant.

  That left Phaedra and Isran who were headed to the library.

  It was a long walk, but Isran didn’t mind. Their hands were csped, and their bodies pressed together in a way that would make it still possible to walk.

  Isran noticed a few people recognizing her and pointing though none approached. That was until the arrived at the library.

  A small human child with blonde hair and golden eyes ran up to her, a beaming smile on her face. Isran blinked at how much they resembled each other.

  “Hi!” The child was practically vibrating with excitement.

  “Hello.” Isran said in the warmest tone she could muster. She wasn’t the most experienced with children. That thought made her mind float to Vycor and Sephia’s request… to reproduce.

  “I watched you at the games! You were so cool! And we look just like each other.”

  Isran smiled at the kid. “ Yeah we do look just like each other.”

  The child’s rge smile got impossibly rger. “Is this your girlfriend?”

  Isran gnced at Phaedra to see her darker skinned lover looking a bit bashful.

  “Yes she is.”

  The child—still smiling—opened her mouth to say something when a soft voice called out. “Miyan!”

  “Mama!.”

  Isran blinked at the woman that came to stand behind the child. Her heart nearly stopped in her chest. The resembnce had to be a coincidence.

  The woman lifted her head and Isran noted the ck of any form of recognition in her eyes.

  “Oh I’m so sorry, I hope she wasn’t bothering you.”

  Phaedra shook her head with a smile. “Of course not.”

  “Mama look its the champion of the games!”

  The woman looked up at Isran fully and gave a friendly but distant smile. It hurt Isran to look at. “It’s nice to meet you champion of the games.”

  Isran chuckled nervously. “Please, call me Isran, and I didn’t win the games.”

  The woman nodded. “I apologize again if she was a bother of any kind.”

  “Oh no she wasn’t, I enjoyed speaking to her.”

  Miyan nodded with a proud smile on her pale face. Isran swallowed thickly.

  “Well, we’ll leave you two to your errands then.”

  Isran nodded and as Miyan and her mother left she waved back to the happy child.

  “Have you met them before?”

  Isran blinked down to Phaedra and shook her head gently.

  “She reminded me of someone… from my past life.”

  Phaedra nodded and didn’t ask anymore questions. Isran appreciated that.

  Finding two books on adventurer w was easy enough and after Phaedra had added a few books she wanted to read for herself Isran picked up some more books on dungeon monsters and a theoretical book on god blessed csses.

  She was surprised to see Miyan standing outside the library when they exited.

  “Isran!”

  Isran blinked at the excited kid as she skipped to stand in front of her.

  “Hello again… where is your mother?”

  “She forgot some books… very forgetful.”

  Isran nodded and decided to stand with the child till her mother returned.

  Phaedra removed a warm pastry from the basket holding their books and handed it to the child.

  Isran briefly thought about stranger danger.

  “Thanks ms blue hair.”

  A small surprised ugh escaped Phaedra. “Call me Phaedra.”

  “An—mm—cal—ghmm—me Miyan!” The child smiled back eating the blue muffin.

  “Oh dear gods.”

  Isran looked up to see Miyan’s mother rushing towards them with a guard following close behind, Isran was surprised to see Morgana as well.

  “I am so sorry. I don’t know when she ran off.”

  “Its alright.” Isran answered immediately.

  “How was the hearing?” Morgana asked as she drew closer to Isran.

  “Very good.” Isran answered back.

  Miyan’s mother looked between the two. “Oh you know each other?”

  Morgana nodded once. “She is my student, hello Phaedra.”

  Phaedra offered a small smile at the acknowledgment.

  “Oh have you invited her to dinner already?”

  Isran lifted an eyebrow at the question and side eyed Morgana.

  The pink haired woman shook her head. “I was going to do that this evening but since we are all here perhaps introductions are in order.”

  Isran watched Miyan discretely accept another muffin from Phaedra as they spoke.

  “Isran this is Leonor Ketsin, daughter of the current governor of Kestin.”

  Isran blinked in surprise at the introduction. Leonor continued. “It is a pleasure to meet you, I did not watch the games since I was out of town but I have heard wonderful things about your performance.”

  The earnesty in which she used to address Isran made her heart flutter, she hoped her blush wasn’t present on her face.

  “Thank you.”

  Morgana continued. “There is a dinner in two days for the finalists of the games. Awards are still meant to be given and you have been ranked based on your performance in previous parts of the competition.”

  “And food!” Miyan decred happily.

  Morgana smiled down at the blonde child. “And food.” Morgana then paused and looked between Miyan and Isran a few times.

  “I never noticed it before.” She mumbled under her breath, almost inaudibly.

  “Is it an exclusive invite?” Phaedra asked quietly.

  Leonor shook her head. “Oh not at all, companions are welcome… of course don’t over do it.” She smiled.

  Isran’s heart clenched. It had to be some cruel trick from the gods, to wave such a gem from her past before her. She even had a child that resembled Isran almost uncannily.

  Isran paused at that thought. Was the resembnce from Miyan’s father? That thought made her unexpectedly upset. She didn’t have that right though. Leonor was not hers, all she had was the face of the first woman Isran had fallen in love with.

  “Promise me you will live for me!”

  Isran breathed out a sigh as discretely as she could.

  “I will take you to a tailor to get you some fitted clothes.” Morgana mumbled as she continued to stare at Miyan and gnce up at Isran.

  Soon they were splitting and Isran and Phaedra were walking quietly back to their home.