Concerning Lia

[Nightbreeze]

((Saraswati's 'journals' rarely address the events of her life, but do so in brief notes crammed as an afterthought among the patterns, blueprints, and arcane symbols that make up the majority of the volumes. This workaholic provides the only written account of Lia Nightbreeze's life before now.))

What a mess: i.e. Val's adopted elf girl. Came by today - said she'd been travelling since his death. Washed; gave her new clothes - considerable sum of gold. Invited her to stay.
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Love this bright girl woman.
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She talks to our flowers; transplants weeds we pull.
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Talented, but needs practice, discipline.
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Lia drank all my wine… Heartwood vintage missing. Need to talk-
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It's been two weeks - last seen chasing butterflies.
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(Shaky handwriting)
Hi!!!! I found your book <3<3<3<3 You weren't around, so I left you some hides to work with.
Love,
-Lia
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STOP SNOOPING
-Sara
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((A rude drawing))
-Lia
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That's… actually really good! I can see the veins and everything! You should start a sketchbook.

[Nightbreeze]

((Lia's fledgling sketchbook is filled with drawings of animals, flowers, shrines, and people - the lines are uneven and there are a lot of corrections - her first proper journal entry follows))

I'm all flustered! What an eventful evening!

Lia - bonafide wandering forest goblin - now has one whole friend and an upcoming initiation with a virtuous knighthood.

I gave Kalanna a small care package when we were catching up last night. She appreciated it (thank the gods) and more or less over the course of the evening indicated that she appreciated me too. She's such a beautiful person! I hope to see her again soon. I wonder if… nah.

On a more rueful note, there was much that was said that reminded me of father. My talk with Haxley (regarding his knowledge of law, the executions, and his hope for stability in Trinsic). reminded me of how father would always say "the virtues aren't laws for a reason" (or for that matter "good lawyers make bad neighbors," which I'm hoping doesn't apply to Haxley because we're kinda neighbors now and I rather like him.) Also he talked a lot about healing, which helps me understand better what Kalanna is going through. We even passed by the Shrine of Spirituality where we used to spend so much time.

I asked John - as elegantly as a strangled goose - if I could join the Holy Fist. His first question in turn was: "Can you obey?" and I about died to death of death-dying. I was raised to believe that no one should have power or value over anyone else - especially meee… I gulped, obviously surprised by the predicament I'd put myself in and told him (and Piper), with all sincerity, "Yes. I trust you."
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Other thoughts:
I'm worried about Aila. People's concern for her is touching.
People really liked Lyra Darkstar and I wish I could have met her.
Mongbats are cute but they keep pulling up all the parsley in the yard.
I want to get to know Okami, but he always seems preoccupied.
I still can't remember everyone's names. :C

[Nightbreeze]

((Roughly rendered details of flowers and a broken antler adorn this page))

My heart is on fire! Was it a dream? It seems so unreal; the cherry blossoms, roaring waterfall, marble arches; her embrace, her voice, her lips. Like a dream, it is all fading and I grasp at smoke trying to keep the memories close and… and real. I commit it to paper. May I always remember.
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RELTHOR >:P
((Written large above a caricature of a wizard with a flacid penis for a head. A speech bubble contains the following:))
"I'm mean and stupid and the worst!"
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Don't mix too much wine with that dreaming tincture… foggy memories of embarrassing behavior.

[Nightbreeze]

((A bit of introspection and a self portrait disrupts page after page of sketches of bugs, birds, leaves, bones, and stones. Tears have smeared the ink in places. It reads:))

"I forgot that humans are so short lived, so urgent, so… troubled?? My travels and revelry were lovely and always she was on my mind, but I failed Kalanna. She seemed so grave and distant on my return and couldn't reflect my enthusiasm in the slightest. She said lots of things. Another romance, her daughter, more rituals, more battles, more losses, and loneliness… I could have helped with any of this and I did not.

She couldn't believe her eyes even - she, in her heart of hearts, thought I was gone for good. I loved her and remembered her and dedicated every gesture to our love and she couldn't feel it. The sun and stars, the moon, the trees all know of my love for her, but she does not. Because I wasn't there when she wanted me. My absence, my silence was the perfect place for her fear and isolation to thrive.

Never Again."