grinning like a devil

When Evie's response to her letter had arrived, Alys had been relieved. She'd been worried that her silence might have angered the Evergreen, that she might find herself with one less friend to call her own. Thankfully, that didn't seem to be the case. Still, the seer was prepared to offer an explanation for her sudden disappearance, should she be asked. Surely Evie wouldn't hold her affection for Tal against her - even if the courier and the Warden didn't particularly get along.

Alys arrived at the Ignatius household right at the agreed-upon time, a bottle of wine tucked in the crook of an elbow as she knocked on the door. She was looking forward to spending some time with her friend, and to hearing about how life had been in the time they'd been apart. Having seen Deimos and Erebos recently, she knew some of the recent goings-on, but she'd yet to offer her congratulations to Evie, and that seemed like an oversight that she needed to remedy as soon as possible.

ALYS GLASSE

Evie

Come rest your bones next to me
And toss all your thoughts out to the sea

Evie had been quite the grudge-holder in her imperious youth, but life had beaten the pretentiousness and pretending out of her over the years quite soundly. It's a relief really - Evie has few friends as it is, she doesn't want to lose any more of them over maintaining a facade that had only ever made her lonelier in her younger years. Certainly not when she's equally as guilty for becoming so busy, consumed with a newborn, and then a newborn demigod, that time had slipped between her fingers like the soil in her greenhouse planters.

Evie jumps from the couch the moment Alys knocks, and has to titter at herself in embarrassment and make herself hesitate before she opens the door so it's not so painfully obvious she's been waiting by the entry half the afternoon. Swinging it open, she grins at Alys and beckons her in with an emphatic gesture of her arm. They're not quite to the level of immediate bear hugs, but the moment Alys has her boots off and coat hung Evie sweeps in for a swift but nevertheless firm embrace. "It's been too long! You look amazing, how have you been?" It feels like the rush of hosting all over again, though doing so in the Wordsworth manor had been a special brand of stiff hell that had dimmed that spark of genuine enjoyment. Not so today, and what a relief that is. 

Offering her hand for the wine bottle, Evie wiggles her fingers with a grin. "Wanna pop this bad boy open now, or be proper adults and get a few snacks in us first? I have plenty!" Already prettily displayed on little trays. Again, not that she'd been waiting half the afternoon for this. Gods Evie has needed girl time though.

I'll pull up each of our anchors
So we can get lost, you and me

Alys returned her friend's embrace with a smile before handing over the wine bottle. "Well, thank you. I've been traveling a lot lately; it's been so nice to get out and see more of Caido. And what about you? Tell me everything! Congratulations, by the way - I saw Deimos and Erebos recently, and Erebos is absolutely wonderful." It was so nice to chat with a girlfriend. Alys loved Tal fiercely, but it was rare that she had girl time, these days, and she welcomed it with open arms.

Seeing the snacks laid out prettily on little trays, Alys grinned. "Where's the fun in being proper adults?" she asked playfully, her eyes sparkling with a bit of mischief. "We can always drink and snack at the same time." Still, she wasn't going to be the first to reach for either the wine or the snacks; Evie could take the lead on both.

ALYS GLASSE

Evie

Come rest your bones next to me
And toss all your thoughts out to the sea

Evie beams, glad to hear it - though adventure had only called her briefly in her own life, it's not an uncommon motivator for the people of Caido. "Nothing half as interesting really," she demurs, waving a hand to swat the idea of any exciting changes away. She's not embarrassed to be content with domesticity and routine. Not yet anyway. "Erebos is nearly a year now - gods, that means Amhran is too! My other son," she clarifies, suddenly realizing she actually does have something interesting to share. "Rae entrusted a plant to me that...grew him, for lack of a better word. As an adult though - thankfully only one infant in the house." Though she wouldn't have complained in the least to have two, Amhran's unique circumstances keep her just as on her toes as a second newborn would have. 

Laughing brightly in agreement, Evie twists her fingers around the glass neck of the bottle, magic doing the rest to yank the cork out without wine openers or other graceless methods required. Ushering Alys toward the kitchen island where the overflowing charcuterie awaits, Evie pours them both glasses before hopping up to sit on the counter where she can better peruse the meats and cheeses. First some salami, then a large swig of wine - perfect. "So tell me about your traveling, any new favorite places or recommendations I should check out?"

I'll pull up each of our anchors
So we can get lost, you and me

That so much time had passed had Alys wincing internally, guilt blooming that she had been gone from her friends for so long to have not only missed Evie's pregnancy, but the huge amount of time since Erebos's birth, as well. At least he was still a child, though - unlike Evie's second child, who took Alys by surprise. "Oh, congratulations!" she said. "That sounds like it must be strange, to have a one-year-old and an adult child all at once."

Taking the glass of wine that Evie had offered, Alys took a seat nearby, where she and Evie could converse while snacking and drinking. The seer selected a piece of cheese and nibbled on it as she thought. "Hmm... well, we spent a fair bit of time in Torchline last season, somehow. I'm rather fond of the civilized areas currently - it's a bit easier to avoid the Void flora and fauna when we aren't out in the Wilds. But we did clean up the Oerwoud after the Void Guardian was slain, and I really thought the Wishtide Waterways were beautiful."

ALYS GLASSE

Evie

Come rest your bones next to me
And toss all your thoughts out to the sea

There's no guilt to be had among friends, and truthfully it hardly passes in Evie's mind with how easily she accepts the fact that Alys had simply been on a journey of her own. Given she'd disappeared into utter solitude in the wilds for many years after failing to lead the Grounds, Evie isn't exactly in a position to judge anyone for doing the same. It had certainly course-corrected her to where she needed to be.

"It is, I won't lie," she laughs, though the ease of it makes it clear the entire experience has remained positive. "He's so bright though. I doubt it will be a problem for him for long." Given how she'd tended to and literally grown him while simultaneously growing Erebos in a different way, she'd been predisposed to attachment so it's been rather smooth sailing.

Neatly stacking slices of salami and cheese while Alys shares, Evie rolls them together and shamelessly slots the entire thing into her mouth as she listens. "I've hardly been to Torchline myself," she admits with a wry grin. "Burn too easily. But I want to! Are the waterways a good alternative for swimming and sun but with a bit more shade?" The hot springs both in Halo and the Climb are lovely, but Evie had grown up with only the sad murky oasis in the Grounds, and the chill of cold water - that isn't so cold it'll kill you like Halo's ocean - is something she misses.

I'll pull up each of our anchors
So we can get lost, you and me

As the two friends snacked and chatted, Alys felt herself relaxing into Evie's presence, much as she had upon their first meeting. It had been much like she'd felt with Hotaru (albeit to a lesser degree) - an immediate connection that she hadn't known she'd been missing until she had it. Whatever she had done before finding friends with whom to share her life, she wasn't sure - but she had to have been wildly lonely.

Alys grinned at Evie's admission that the sun and her pale skin didn't really go well together. "Torchline is pretty sunny all over, I'm afraid. You might have some luck at the Miana Pool, though. I haven't been myself, but the locals seem to think it's good luck, and it's supposed to be a really beautiful little oasis." As far as swimming went, though, Alys was out of luck: she and Tal didn't spend much time in the water, since her partner didn't really enjoy it. "I'm not sure about swimming, though. Mostly I give tarot readings in the markets or spend time shopping or checking out local restaurants."

fin

ALYS GLASSE