Elona Bound: Part 7
----- Homeward Bound -----
An excitement hung
in the air. Demitra's smile beamed. In these recent months, she couldn't recall
the last time she was this happy. She hurriedly
got dressed; a simple beige halter top, wrap-around indigo-colored dress with a
split up to the hip. Despite the
circumstances in which she paid for the ball and the airship, this was to be a
joyous trip saw no reason to deviate from a fun wardrobe.
Gliding above deck,
she felt relief at seeing Captain Xavier busy prepping for launch, although
that particular situation wouldn't have phased the woman's delight. Demitra glowed, not from the sun's reflection
on her bronze skin, but from the exuberance she exuded.
In contrast, further
down the bow, Ember scowled, obviously irritated at perceived delays in
take-off. Demitra tried her best
reassuring smile at the white-haired half-Elonian, who muttered something
inaudible, then returned her attention to the clouds. Demitra shrugged. Nothing could disenchant her today!
As if on que, the
first of DragonsBane arrived as two small Asura stepped onto the ship. Demitra immediately recognized one: her name
was Prymi, a rather plump little Asura with a heart of gold. She had been the first to pull Demitra into
shelter during her first few disparaging nights in Divinity's Reach. It was through her Demitra had found the
guild's hospitality and genuineness, and for that Prymi would always have a
warm spot in the Elonian's heart. Beside
Prymi stood another smaller Asura, timidly looking about.
Without hesitation,
Demitra rushed out to give Prymi a hug.
"How are you, 'Mister Prymi'?" she asked. Unaccustomed to Asura - there was only a
scarce amount of them in Vabbi - Demitra had mistakenly taken Prymi as a male
when they first met. This embarrassing
encounter led to their charmingly awkward friendship and Demitra had leaned
heavily on Prymi in the saddest moments of the recent ball.
The Asura scratched
her head. "Ah, I'm not a
mister," then paused with a sheepish expression considering, "unless
something happened last night…" She
continued in her deepest voice, "I'm fine, and ready to kick some
bottoms!"
Demitra stood, her
hand patting gently on the Asura's golden locks. "And who's your friend?"
"This one is my
sissy, Khirra!" Prymi wrapped her
arms around the smaller Asura.
"H… Hi,"
Khirra whispered quietly.
Giggling, Demitra
properly bowed and introduced herself.
Standing upright, she was surprised by two additional guest arrivals but
immediately recognized them: Orabella and Ryoichi Heiwa. They were a married couple, and while Demitra
enjoyed their company, she hadn't had much time spent with either. Still, she was excited to greet them.
"I thought
Prymi was female," Bella was saying
to Ryo.
"Might be a
joke; not sure," Ryo whispered back.
Bella nodded,
surveying the area. "Perhaps,"
she said, somewhat skeptically as she squeezed Ryo's hand. Her feelings of apprehension were instantly
felt by Demitra as she exchanged pleasantries with the couple.
Bella looked over
the Elonian, shining with excitement asking the obvious question in politeness,
"How are you?"
"Truthfully,
ecstatic!" Demitra practically
cheered.
Ryo nodded. "Excited to go home, I take it?"
"Indeed!"
she exclaimed. "And how, may I ask,
are you?" This question was
directed toward Bella.
"As ready as I
can be, especially after what transpired the last time we were
there." Bella's tone was worrisome,
but determined.
Demitra looked over
the couple's attire. Both were clad in
heavy plate armor, armaments affixed, of which she had noticed Ember's stare at
Bella's magical firey sword. She offered
a quiet smile to the high-spirited woman.
This attraction to fire would have to be explored at a later time. Returning her attention to their dress,
Demitra felt the need to inject her thoughts.
"I know there are dangers, but I expect this trip to Amnoon will be
without incident!"
Bella shook her
head, "Better to be safe than sorry."
Decidedly not
pressing any further, Demitra turned to the entirety of their party. "Thank you all for heeding the
call. Whatever reason we all go to
Elona, we do so together. I am so happy
to have met you all and I am elated we travel together! There is a cabin below where we can stay,
sleep, relax, and more importantly store our belongings safely. The,"
she paused in mid-sentence, the next word distastefully uttered, "captain, assures me it shall remain safe
there. Feel free to change below, if you
so choose, for I do expect this trip to be as pleasant as we make it!"
"Anyone else
coming, or can we finally go?"
Ember facetiously frowned, obviously anxious to get underway.
Prymi glanced
around. "This might be
everyone."
Demitra slightly
giggled at Ember's irritable demeanor.
Something about the woman's candor was oddly reassuring. "Let me speak to the captain about taking off," she said, not
meaning to emphasize the word. "I
shall return shortly. Feel free to
explore, although I would not speak to the crew hands, as they are a bit…
unpleasant to deal with."
Orabella responded,
"I can deal with unpleasant: they just need a good punch and they settle
down."
Ryo squeezed Bella's
hand. "Let's head inside," he
said quietly.
"Let's goooo
already!" Ember saw no point in
staying above, decidedly following behind Bella and Ryo as they all made their
way below deck. Prymi lingered back as
she instructed her sister where to go.
The
captain was busy tying rope when the Elonian approached. She didn't know how to
look the man in the eye - their night spent with him prevalent in her mind. She
padded heavily on the deck to make her presence known, but upon approach, the
man kept going about his business. She cleared her throat to garner his
attention. "We… We are all aboard
and ready to disembark," she stated, masking her nerves with the
statement.
The
man nonchalantly turned to face her. “Excellent,” murmured. “I imagine our
previous arrangement is still intact then?”
Demitra
flustered, clearly not expecting the arrow to hit the target directly.
"Our... previous arrangement?" she stammered. "Was this not
concluded?" She was confused;
thought the transaction had been conducted, finalized in a rather pleasant
ending.
Xavier
shook his head. “In order to pay the crew’s wages and the cost of the ship,
I’ll need some goods and obviously coin from your camp; I am running a business
here after all.” He spoke matter-of-factly, as if it made perfect sense. “Last
night was wonderful and I do hope you do not take offense. The crew would think little of me if I did
not think of them,” he explained as he worked another rope.
Words
were lost on the woman. She grew angry
at the man's presumptuousness and casual attitude, then realized she had only
herself to blame: She hadn't thought it was any more than the one night,
neglected to put writing to what she thought was a transaction. Fuming, she turned on her heal. "Just get us there; you'll get your
gold," she said storming off.
With
a sigh and a shrug, he finished his work on the deck and made his way to the
helm as Demitra headed the opposite direction.
"Do secure yourselves below deck soon; we shove off shortly,"
he called out to her.
Demitra
fumed, then took a few moments to inhale sharply and exhale deeply, a breathing
technique she found centered her. After
a moment, and to her surprise, she found she wasn't alone: Prymi sidled up
beside the woman. Standing no more than
a few feet from the ground, Prymi stood at the woman's thigh, Prymi was a
charming little Asura, light grey skin with a bit of tint to her cheeks. She wore her hair in three golden braids
which hand down the middle back of her neck, and on the sides of her face,
respectively. In all the moments in
which they had spoken, Demitra always seemed to be at her most vulnerable, thus
she took comfort in the heartwarming little friend's presence.
"I think we're
both looking forward to this trip, eh?" Prymi began, still looking at the
distant city.
The Elonian nodded
slowly, her cheek shined in the sun from a wiped tear. Prymi saw this and immediately wrapped her
arms around Demitra's leg, who smiled, placed her hand on the Asura's head and
sighed again.
"It seems as
though I run into you when I am in pain, doesn't it?" she considered.
Prymi smiled up at
her. "We should fix that; maybe we
can run into each other when we're happy instead?" she asked with
insightfulness that made Demitra giggle.
"You are indeed
wise, my small friend. Such a thing
would be a wonderful change, yeah?"
"Completely! I shall be up for adventure as soon as my
toes touch that burning sand!" Prymi joked.
Demitra squeezed the
Asura. "Oh, the sand is lovely; you
shush! Just wait until you see our
accommodations. The haven is a place to behold,
indeed!"
Prymi nodded. "I can't wait to see it… Me and
Sissy. I hope we get the answers we're
after."
"As much as
obligations dictate, I shall assist you in your endeavors, Prymi. I know familial matters are
important." She broke away from
Prymi's embrace, once more to the rippling waters and the skyline of Lion's
Arch. "I often wish my destiny
would allow me such luxuries: having a family, falling in love, settling
down. You ever wish for such a simple
thing?"
Placing a hand on
the back of her leg, Prymi approached the railing, barely able to see over
it. "I understand. With all that is going on in my family, I
haven't had much time to think of the future, but… Yeah, I would like to live a
simpler life, sure."
Demitra kneeled down
to her friend, again embracing her.
"Such is the life of those that heed the calling, yeah?"
"The Eternal
Alchemy, fait… It can just be… well, it can just be mean!"
The two stood on the
bow a bit longer. Demitra took in the
view, the copious amount of water, and the impressive sea-themed city. She ignored another call from the captain to
return below deck, but decidedly did so when the vessels engines and magical
energies began to hum. She walked past
the man, saying nothing, her face as cold and expressionless as she could
purposely make it. Upon reaching the
cabin, she explained they were about to take off, then noticed Ember's glowing
eyes in the corner.
She approached the
woman, softly inquired. "Ember, is
everything alright?"
"I'm
fine!" Ember scowled, spitting out a puff of smoke.
Realizing the
explanation would be all she would receive, Demitra ventured over to the
opposite corner - noting the parties seemingly purposeful separation.
Bella was speaking
to Ryo, "Maybe I should have stayed home."
"We can always
leave if you wish," Ryo offered.
"We told the
others we were going to meet them. So
I'm going." she huffed.
Demitra approached
the couple. While attempting to keep
their conversation private, they had inadvertently raised their voices over the
hum of the ship. The Elonian heard their
words, worried issues already presented themselves before they'd even left
Tyria. "Is everything alright you
two?" she asked sincerely.
Orabella looked up
at Demitra, her brow furrowed.
"Just fine!"
Her empathic
abilities kicked in and she felt a wave of anger from Orabella. Demitra raised an eyebrow. She had felt such anxiousness and anger from
Ember, but never from Bella. She
attempted to speak without infusing it with the emotion. "Yes, well, the captain says we must
remain below deck while we disembark."
"Alright,"
Bella nodded. She took in a deep breath,
her fist still clinched.
Demitra noticed, but
said nothing more. She was uncertain
what transpired while away, but thought it best not to dwell on it. A glance back washed away some of the
apprehension, seeing Prymi and Ember converse.
Perhaps this trip wasn't doomed, after all!
At least… not yet.
To Be Continued...
