earth and sky both

[leliana]

It is easy conversation between the three of them and Leliana finds that she falls easily into it—letting the ebb and flow rise around her, wondering at how peaceful Tephra has become even when she still bears the scars of the recent war. She looks down and sees the beginning of a tree starting to sprout from the earth and with a nudge, she lets it continue to grow—the movement subtle and yet pronounced as it curls to the sky. Her head tips back slightly to watch its growth and her smile barely curves the edges of her mouth.

When she brings her gaze back down, she catches the eye of her newest friend. “I feel like I have lived here for my entire life,” her voice is nearly wistful in its nostalgia—ageless and yet somehow stained with the years that have passed. “My twin sister and I were born on the Mountain when Beqanna shook and the lands of old disappeared.” They had been the lucky ones: their gifts so quickly returned to them. So in a breath, she had known a world stripped of magic and yet not a world where her own had been stolen.

“It did not take us long to find our way to Tephra. Magnus is a relative and he helped raise us.”

‘Uncle’ they call him, although it was never truly the correct word. It was just so much simpler than trying to navigate their twisted and storied connection—and Leliana herself barely understood it.

“Eventually, I left to follow Vulgaris to Loess, and then the Brilliant Pampas. I spent some time in the Island Resort, helping Tiphon heal the sick, but I managed to find my way back here.” She does not touch on the pain that lives within those syllables. Not the way that she lived as a vagabond near the River when Vulgaris had driven her and Adna from Loess or the fact that she had fled to Island Resort to escape his madness—only to be driven back into Loess as a captive and a prisoner. Such things are not worth mentioning, not worth dwelling upon, and she quickly brushes it aside, focusing instead on the good.

When Jakub speaks, she smiles gratefully. “We were truly lucky then that he found you.” It is true. Jakub has grown into a core member of the Tephran kingdom. Leliana could not imagine what it would be like without him—which shows in the small distress that she feels when he tries to leave. “I so want you to stay,” her voice is soft, gentle. She flicks her gaze to Rae. “I am not sure that Rae would like to fly right now, but if she does…” her voice trails off and her eyes warm. “I could always help you fly too, Jakub.”

it's only you and me there until the darkness calls
let's face the dawn together; we'll brave whatever comes

@[Rae] + @[Jakub]