Aleria settled herself gingerly onto the proffered stool, her movements belying a hesitance born of long habit. She felt distinctly out of place amidst the warmth and casual domesticity of Haddy and Gareth's humble abode. Still, there was an undeniable appeal to the simple scene that tugged at something long-neglected in her soul.
Gareth made quick work of portioning out generous slices of the steaming meat pie, the flaky crust giving off a mouthwatering aroma. He slid one of the plates before Aleria with an encouraging nod before settling across from her, Haddy taking up the remaining seat at his side.
For a few moments, the only sounds were the contented noises of people tucking into a well-deserved meal after a long day's labour. Aleria had to admit, the first few bites were absolute bliss - the savoury filling melting on her tongue in a rich blend of flavours she'd not tasted in far too long.
She couldn't quite stifle the soft hum of appreciation that slipped unbidden past her lips. Across the table, Gareth's chest puffed out with an air of undisguised pride at her evident enjoyment of his culinary talents.
"Good, ain't it?" he said around a mouthful of pie. He swallowed thickly, chasing it with a swig from his mug before continuing. "Secret's in the herbs, y'see. Just a touch, mind - too much'll overpower the rest."
Aleria nodded, appreciating the simple pleasure of a home-cooked meal shared in pleasant company. She took another bite, savouring the interplay of flavours as Haddy picked up the conversational thread.
"So then, Mistress Aleria," the younger woman said, her tone taking on a distinctly inquisitive lilt. "It seems you and Mayor Blackfist are mighty close."
She arched an expectant brow, gaze flickering briefly to Gareth before refocusing on Aleria with open curiosity writ across her features.
"We go back quite a ways," Aleria replied after a moment's pause to gather her thoughts. She set her fork down, brushing at an errant crumb on the worn wooden tabletop as she sought the right phrasing.
"We... knew each other, during the war." Her voice was carefully neutral, giving nothing away. "Bernard and I were..." She hesitated, "Well, let's just say we saw more than our fair share of hardship through, together."
Haddy was nodding slowly, her expression one of rapt attentiveness despite the vagueness of Aleria's admission. The healer couldn't quite decipher the look in the younger woman's eyes - curiosity, certainly, but something else lurked there too. A hunger for... what, precisely, Aleria couldn't rightly say.
"You must have been just a babe in arms, if that," Haddy mused, one corner of her mouth quirking upwards in a teasing grin as she gave Aleria an appraising once-over. "Why, you've hardly more years on you than me, by my reckoning."
Despite herself, Aleria felt her cheeks flush slightly at the unexpected observation. She wasn't accustomed to having to dissemble about her age - those few who knew the truth simply accepted it without prying further. An uncomfortable lump formed in her throat as she contemplated how best to deflect the younger woman's innocent inquiry.
"And just how many summers have you seen Haddy, if you don't mind my asking?"
Haddy blinked, seeming momentarily taken aback by Aleria's response. She exchanged a brief, sidelong glance with Gareth before refocusing on the healer, giving a small shake of her head.
"Well now, let's see..." She pursed her lips in contemplation, brow furrowing slightly as she did a quick tally. "Twenty-three, I reckon - aye, that'd be about right."
Aleria winced despite her best efforts at maintaining her composure. She ducked her head, suddenly finding the remnants of her meal utterly fascinating as she sought to gather her thoughts.
"Is that so?" Her voice emerged as little more than a murmur, tinged with sheepishness. She drew in a steadying breath before raising her gaze once more to meet the couple's expectant looks.
"Well, I must admit, you've the advantage of me in that regard" Despite her discomfort, Aleria couldn't quite suppress the wry quirk of her lips as she made her admission. "I'm nearly twice your age then it seems."
The words hung in the air, seeming to reverberate in the sudden stillness that had fallen over the little cottage. Gareth and Haddy simply stared at her, identical looks of stunned disbelief writ large across their features.
For a long moment, no one spoke - the only sounds, the faint crackle of the hearth fire and the muffled bustle from outside filtering in through the shuttered windows. Aleria felt heat creeping up the back of her neck as that heavy silence stretched out, broken only by the occasional soft creak of Gareth shifting in his seat.
It was Haddy who found her voice first, the younger woman blinking owlishly as she leaned forward over the table. Her brow furrowed in consternation, lips parting to voice the obvious disbelief they both felt.
"But...that's not possible, surely?" Her gaze raked over Aleria in an assessing sweep, as if somehow, she might have overlooked some telltale sign of advanced age.
Aleria regarded the twin expressions of scepticism levelled her way, a small, rueful smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. She couldn't rightly blame them for their disbelief - to those unfamiliar with the ways of magic, such feats must seem nigh on impossible.
"I can see you find that difficult to credit," she said, keeping her tone mild and free of any reproach. "But I assure you, 'tis the simple truth of the matter."
She paused, taking a moment to gather her thoughts before continuing in that same measured cadence.
"Those of us particularly adept at the arcane arts tend to... age more slowly than most, you see." Aleria wet her lips, choosing her words with care. "Most theorise it's due to the abundant mana that flows through our bodies - the very fabric of all the world's energies. it imbues us with a sort of... resilience, if you will."
Haddy was watching her raptly, her initial scepticism slowly giving way to dawning comprehension mingled with a childlike sense of wonder. Gareth, for his part, simply listened in silence - his open features betraying a struggle to fully grasp the implications of what Aleria described.
Aleria lifted one hand, letting it hover palm-up before her as she continued.
"In my case, I've been doubly blessed." A soft emerald glow bloomed to life in her upturned palm, the verdant radiance casting dancing shadows across the rough-hewn beams overhead. "You see, my particular affinity lies with the powers of restoration and renewal. Healing magics, if you prefer."
She turned her hand slowly, allowing that soft verdant light to play across the simple furnishings and the enraptured faces of her hosts. Though the illumination was gentle, it carried with it a sense of warmth and vitality that seemed to suffuse the very air around them.
"The energies I channel are, at their core, the selfsame forces that govern life itself," Aleria went on, her voice taking on a hushed, reverent quality as she spoke. "To wield them is to bask in the primal spark that fuels all living things - the endless cycle of growth, of rejuvenation."
She closed her fingers, letting the soft green glow sputter and die as she lowered her hand once more to the battered tabletop. Haddy seemed to startle slightly at the abrupt extinguishing of that verdant radiance, her eyes wide and shining in the dimness that followed.
"So, you see," Aleria concluded with a faint, enigmatic smile, "While the march of years may etch their toll upon most, I am... inured, in a sense. Cradled in that which imbues all living things with vigour."
Gareth and Haddy simply stared at her, identical expressions of rapt wonderment plain on their open features.
Finally, it was the baker who found his voice first - the words emerging in a hushed rasp of pure awe.
"Well, I'll be..." He trailed off, seemingly at a loss for how to adequately sum up his amazement. Instead, he simply shook his head slowly, eyes wide and shining in the firelight as he regarded Aleria with open reverence.
"Beggin' your pardon Mistress Aleria, but... a power like yours must've been a right blessin' to have on the back lines durin' the war." He grimaced slightly, as if realising the potential insensitivity of his words. "Not that I mean to dredge up any bad memories, mind."
Aleria felt a familiar tightness constrict her chest at the baker's innocent remark. If only he knew... But no, those were secrets best left buried, horrors she had no desire to speak out loud.
"It was... a challenging time for all of us," she said carefully, sidestepping the unspoken implications of Gareth's words. "I simply did what I could, where I could."
It wasn't quite a lie - more an omission of certain unpleasant truths. In reality, Aleria had spent precious little time tending to the wounded behind the front lines. No, her place had been in the thick of the fighting, wielding her powers in ways that perverted her craft.
Mercifully, Haddy seemed to sense the shift in her demeanour. The younger woman laid a gentle hand atop Aleria's, her touch startlingly intimate yet not unwelcome. When Aleria met her gaze, Haddy's eyes shone with a sort of tender understanding.
"Enough of such grim talk for one evening, hmm?" She gave Aleria's hand a reassuring squeeze before pulling back, the weight of her palm's absence leaving the healer's skin tingling strangely. "I've a fancy for something sweet after all that savoury richness. What say you, Gareth?"
The baker started slightly at being addressed, his ruddy features clouding briefly with chagrin.
"Oh aye, 'course love," he said hastily, pushing back from the table and lurching to his feet with surprising agility for one of his bulk. "Near forgot myself for a moment there. Can't rightly have our guest leaving without sampling the best this humble baker's got to offer, now can we?"
He winked at Aleria, the sombre pall that had momentarily settled over the room banished as quickly as it had manifested. With a reassuring grin and a subtle nod towards his wife, Gareth turned and bustled off towards the small kitchen alcove, leaving the two women alone at the battered table.
Haddy watched him go with a look of unabashed fondness, her gaze tracking the sway of his broad shoulders and the slight hitch to his gait. When she turned back to face Aleria, her expression was warm and open, devoid of even the faintest trace of pity.
"He means well, that one," she said with an affectionate roll of her eyes. "But sometimes his curiosity gets the better of him, bless his heart."
Haddy leaned in conspiratorially, as if sharing some great secret between just the two of them.
"I'll let you in on a little something about my Gareth, though - the man's got a tongue for tales like you wouldn't believe." She tapped the side of her nose knowingly, eyes twinkling with mirth. "If you've a mind for it, you'll not find a finer bard this side of the Red Mountains for regaling us with a few stories of his own. Might be just the thing to take our minds off... well, unpleasantries best left undisturbed, eh?"
With those words, some of the lingering tension seemed to bleed out of Aleria's shoulders. She found herself offering up a small, grateful smile in response to the younger woman's understanding.
Perhaps in this simple home, surrounded by the warmth of newfound friends and the simple pleasures of good food and good company, she might find some small measure of solace from the shadows that lingered at the edges of her mind. The offer of an evening of harmless tales and frivolity was one she found herself surprisingly keen to accept.
"I think..." Aleria paused, wetting her lips as she carefully chose her words. "I think I should very much like that, Haddy."
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