2nd of Fall, 513 AV
"Where does all the time go?"
Enoleus sat, his back against the wall of the White Elk stables. All was near silent, save for the steady mushing noise as Sleet - Enoleus longtime friend and companion, ate her afternoon meal. Against Enoleus' will, the day had slowly wound down to an end, and he found himself staring at an azure sky, tinted with hues of pink and orange as the sun faded into the distant horizon. His meager skills as a huntsman had accumulated him a decent amount of savings, and he had spent the day wandering the market - picking up a few items that his previous experiences in the wilderness had taught him he sorely needed.
He had also decided to purchase a Longsword. It sat sheathed across his lap, and he gripped somewhat tentatively at the hilt, drawing it slightly from its sheath to stare at the blade. The steel was keen and straight, and his own eyes peered back at him from the unused surface of the blade. It had been a very long time since he had spent any time looking at his own reflection - the stillness of his facial features, the fatigue that seemed to drag against his eyes. Silver and blue swirled around in the depths of his Iris' like a thin veil of ocean over a bounty of Silver Mizas, but the inherent awe of the vibrancy in his own eyes was somewhat sapped by the lifelessness he percieved in them. He grimaced, slowly sheathing the blade fully again, looking up as he felt a familiar warmth across is face.
Sleet had moved her attention from the hay bale she had been eagerly snacking on, breathing right on his face. As he turned his attention to her, she licked at his forehead lightly, eliciting a shocked giggle from Enoleus as he pushed her head away. "Easy there, girl. If your still hungry, I'll pick you up some berries or something." He patted her head gently as he spoke, pushing himself to a standing position as Sleet let out an indeterminate nickering noise, walking back to her foot to resume her meal. The smile faded gradually from Enoleus as he glanced back down at the Longsword -as well as the new Longbow he had decided to invest in.
"It's a feeling of unmitigated vertigo..." He closed his eyes a moment, before picking his pack up to prepare himself to leave. "When a man looks into his own reflection and doesn't recognize the person staring back at him." With his blade secured at his waist and his bow in tow, he headed out of the stables, shooting a smile back at Sleet. " I'll be back to visit tomorrow girl. We'll even go riding. I promise." Sleet was still preoccupied with her meal and paid Enoleus no mind as he left her stall, departing from the stables.
He had decided to pitch his tent close to the stables tonight, as he had been doing with increasing frequency. As such, it only took him a few painless minutes of walking to arrive at his tent, already set for the night, the chills of which were rapidly beginning to take root across the city. Enoleus sighed, grabbing the hilt of the weapon - which, he lamented that he currently had no skill in the use of - and drew it out completely, holding it with great care as he examined the blade - and, as a result, his reflection against the metal.
"These are the eyes of a coward."Enoleus froze, his pupils becoming wide with terror as he slowly turned around. There was nobody there - no one could have spoken those words. Yet the voice that spoke them seemed very, very real - and was a voice that seemed all too familiar to him. His hands were shaking slightly as he struggled to sheath his weapon again, rubbing his face to try and shake the feeling off. It was a feeling that started the day he returned to Avanthal after his escape from the slavers - all eyes rested upon him when he was in a crowd. All hushed voices residing just beyond the limits of his ability to pick them up whispered of his weakness - of his ineptitude. Each laugh was a laugh at his expense, and each smile given to him was false - and each day that passed within the city, Avanthal grew smaller and smaller, until the walls seemed to choke him in his sleep.
He lifted his face from his hands, letting out a long, controlled sigh. It was going to be a rough night.
x"Where does all the time go?"
Enoleus sat, his back against the wall of the White Elk stables. All was near silent, save for the steady mushing noise as Sleet - Enoleus longtime friend and companion, ate her afternoon meal. Against Enoleus' will, the day had slowly wound down to an end, and he found himself staring at an azure sky, tinted with hues of pink and orange as the sun faded into the distant horizon. His meager skills as a huntsman had accumulated him a decent amount of savings, and he had spent the day wandering the market - picking up a few items that his previous experiences in the wilderness had taught him he sorely needed.
He had also decided to purchase a Longsword. It sat sheathed across his lap, and he gripped somewhat tentatively at the hilt, drawing it slightly from its sheath to stare at the blade. The steel was keen and straight, and his own eyes peered back at him from the unused surface of the blade. It had been a very long time since he had spent any time looking at his own reflection - the stillness of his facial features, the fatigue that seemed to drag against his eyes. Silver and blue swirled around in the depths of his Iris' like a thin veil of ocean over a bounty of Silver Mizas, but the inherent awe of the vibrancy in his own eyes was somewhat sapped by the lifelessness he percieved in them. He grimaced, slowly sheathing the blade fully again, looking up as he felt a familiar warmth across is face.
Sleet had moved her attention from the hay bale she had been eagerly snacking on, breathing right on his face. As he turned his attention to her, she licked at his forehead lightly, eliciting a shocked giggle from Enoleus as he pushed her head away. "Easy there, girl. If your still hungry, I'll pick you up some berries or something." He patted her head gently as he spoke, pushing himself to a standing position as Sleet let out an indeterminate nickering noise, walking back to her foot to resume her meal. The smile faded gradually from Enoleus as he glanced back down at the Longsword -as well as the new Longbow he had decided to invest in.
"It's a feeling of unmitigated vertigo..." He closed his eyes a moment, before picking his pack up to prepare himself to leave. "When a man looks into his own reflection and doesn't recognize the person staring back at him." With his blade secured at his waist and his bow in tow, he headed out of the stables, shooting a smile back at Sleet. " I'll be back to visit tomorrow girl. We'll even go riding. I promise." Sleet was still preoccupied with her meal and paid Enoleus no mind as he left her stall, departing from the stables.
He had decided to pitch his tent close to the stables tonight, as he had been doing with increasing frequency. As such, it only took him a few painless minutes of walking to arrive at his tent, already set for the night, the chills of which were rapidly beginning to take root across the city. Enoleus sighed, grabbing the hilt of the weapon - which, he lamented that he currently had no skill in the use of - and drew it out completely, holding it with great care as he examined the blade - and, as a result, his reflection against the metal.
"These are the eyes of a coward."Enoleus froze, his pupils becoming wide with terror as he slowly turned around. There was nobody there - no one could have spoken those words. Yet the voice that spoke them seemed very, very real - and was a voice that seemed all too familiar to him. His hands were shaking slightly as he struggled to sheath his weapon again, rubbing his face to try and shake the feeling off. It was a feeling that started the day he returned to Avanthal after his escape from the slavers - all eyes rested upon him when he was in a crowd. All hushed voices residing just beyond the limits of his ability to pick them up whispered of his weakness - of his ineptitude. Each laugh was a laugh at his expense, and each smile given to him was false - and each day that passed within the city, Avanthal grew smaller and smaller, until the walls seemed to choke him in his sleep.
He lifted his face from his hands, letting out a long, controlled sigh. It was going to be a rough night.
