Adelaide gazed into her hand mirror, admiring her reflection, humming the tune of 'lets belt alcodia to the moon' irregardless of Ralai's proximity.
She was thinking, which was rare. How this seemed like the beginning of something, and about how she had gotten started..
Adelaide had been to lugging (well, her servant was lugging) a fair heavy pile of books from mage class that lightly rainy afternoon-though in Adelaide's unique mind, her memories turned the day into a raging thunderstorm. Another day of terrible, boring, terribly boring schoolwork. She skipped over puddles with dainty ease, while the poor man whose name she could not quite recall struggled through them.
She sang while she skipped, of course.
"A tisket, a tasket, loin and a rib!
Little King Garick sleeping in his crib!
Eenmie, maniay, bury the Alcodia!
Six feet, six feet, underground!"
And so on, and so on forth.
It was at this time, her poor and overworked servant caught his foot in a trash filled gutter-grate. To his credit, he went down with nary a sound of pain. But to Adelaide's reproachment (and hidden joy) all her homework flew down into one of Sondirras narrow, fortified sewer systems-never to be seen again. Oh, well.
Annoyed at being interrupted by his injury, Adelaide attempted to help the man up and get him moving-freed from her books, he could certainly carry other things of hers instead. But he couldn't move, as he patiently explained. His ankle, yes. Adelaide didn't know what to do. It was RAINING and this was a terrible bother and couldn't he just hop on one leg? She also felt a smidgen of pity. To be lying there in the rain, with a hurt foot.
She told him to stay put (ha ha) and hiked into the nearest building she recognized-a church to Mindista. Hike was the appropriate word, since those who worship Mindista build their chapels and centers of worship in high places, so as better to catch the four winds. This particular one was usual Kernician fair, a tall gilded tower, displaying the honored imperial pomposity of the passed age. Adelaide usually liked to hear the choir of elegant wind chimes-which floated over Sondirra most beautifully on gusty days, but the priests had sealed all the chimes today on account of the weather...
She found noone but a young, yet sort of cute, Priest plugging leaky holes in the roof with hay and covering drips with buckets. A passed age, indeed.
He patiently told her that he could not, in fact, operate any of the healing staves at hand-he had not yet completed his fourth year holy training, and it would be against the rules. Adelaide snagged a staff from the nearby wall despite the boys admittedly weak protests, perhaps hoping he could help once he acted suitable chastened.
Adelaide tugged her way back to her injured servant, who had disobeyed her orders and crawled under a nearby eave.
Not knowing exactly how these things worked, Adelaide merely bonked the staff to the mans knee, as she had seen Clerics do most othertimes. Nothing. She frowned.
Then, she tried again. She recalled-in both memories-of having heard once a Priest and a Mage arguing over a cup of spilled milk, each one blaming the other. The Mage had tried the logical argument, and the Priest the emotional argument-though both essentially came around to 'You're an idiot'. They had put each other unconscious shortly afterward.
So, thinking like a priest should, Adelaide concentrated on her *emotions*. Dripping, wet, and annoyed. A big put on the spot, since she didn't want the priest boy to step in and handle things. Desire to prove that she could do this. That she could do something useful for someone. Frustration as learning magic so slowly. A smidgen of guilt and pity, since the man wouldn't be lying here in pain if she hadn't needed him to carry her things, and no one really deserved to be left in the horrible cold rain...for a moment, Adelaide felt something...looking into her. It was a feeling of being seen all through, but it passed so quickly it could have been no more than a glimmer of a glance. She wouldn't even realize this feeling cognizantly, but it profoundly changed her life from that moment on.
There was a tiny flash, and a somewhat sickening pop, as the staff worked her will through it's simple plank of wood. The man's ankle was healed, and he stood up after a moment, surprised and grateful.
*Clap clap clap*
Adelaide heard applause in her own mind, and somehow in her memories it would become real.
For Adelaide, such minor adoration was exactly what she had been craving-any sort of personal validation in her own inherent worth as a person. She would later decide that this was exactly what she wanted to do with her life, and though her parents did not quite agree at first, she would tantrum and throw expensive vases until they relented.
Adelaide smiled, remembering how they applauded her when she healed her poor servant. She still couldn't quite recall the fellows name, though.
Oh well, it wasn't important anyway.
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Topic: FEF: The Lost Dragon IC Thread - C1,B1: Challengers appear! (Read 18424 times)