OVERLOOKED ㅤkotlc

048

In the time it takes for us to reach the Sunroom, I realize a grand total of two things.

One, it's early. I mean, it's not that early, since it's almost eight, but no one else is wandering the halls. It's honestly for the best, though; Skylar pointing out more blue eyes mightn't end well.

And second, I don't think I'll be allowed to leap alone, after yesterday. I could do it, but Alvar and Ruy probably won't let me. And I guess... I am a little scared of fading again.

Ruy holds up his pathfinder. "Dex can go with me," he says, "and Alv—"

He sighs. "I bring Skylar with me, don't I?"

Ruy laughs, then tosses him an addler. "You can Vanish, but it might be confusing. So just use this to cover yourselves up."

Skylar raises an eyebrow. "And what's—"

"Magic cool thing," Alvar says, and it sounds like he's treating her like a nagging child.

"Alright then," she says sarcastically, "keep your secrets."

I laugh, because they're ridiculous. "Ready to go?" Ruy says, and I nod. He holds his pathfinder up to the skylight, and a beam of light pierces the air.

Skylar watches it, seeming uncomfortable. "Will this... you know, hurt him?" she asks finally, as Alvar holds his own pathfinder up.

He laughs. "Isn't that sweet of you," Alvar says; I can't tell if it's sarcastic. "No, I won't fade, because this time, you're not gonna jump me or whatever."

"How was I supposed to—" She sighs. "Whatever, do your teleportation thing."

Ruy nudges me, and when I nod, he takes us both into the light. It's somewhat comforting to have someone leap you, honestly.

It's just nice to place your trust in someone and not have to worry about fading.

We materialize at the entrance of the Wanderling Woods; Ruy reaches out to steady me, even though I'm not wobbly. "I'm okay," I tell him.

"That's good," he says, with a smile. "It wouldn't be very good if you weren't okay, now would it?"

I laugh. "It'd probably be concerning if I weren't."

Alvar and Skylar appear beside us. She immediately steps away from him, eyes wide as she stares at the trees. "This reminds me of the forest outside the other place," she says finally.

"Um... yeah. They're Wanderlings," I say, then realize she has no idea what Wanderlings are. "They're—um, they're our way of... of remembering the dead."

"So this is like a cemetery?" She hesitantly steps through the archway, as if she's not sure if she's supposed to be here. "It's... pretty. For a cemetery." A pause. "You guys turn into trees once you die?"

"Well, normally we don't die—" Ruy starts.

"So you guys are, what, immortal?"

Alvar makes a so-so motion with his hand, starting towards the pathway. She follows him, so we do too. "We're immortal, yes, but we're not invincible."

The four of us pass a couple of trees. My eyes linger on Cyrah Endal's tree, but I try not to stare.

Alvar explains the concept of Wanderlings to her (she asks if they can be used on humans, and he says he doesn't know), and then we move on to abilities.

After a good thirty minutes, Skylar knows a lot about us. Or at least, the elvin species, since we don't tell her much about the Neverseen itself.

She, of course, finds a lot of the procedures and opinions stupid (twins and triplets, the Matchmaking lists, the Talentless), but we all agree with her anyway.

"What's Pointy Ears' ability?" Skylar asks, after a while. "Can she explode things?"

"No, all elves can do that, if they wanted to," I say.

She scoffs. "I don't get your Talentless thing, then. A Talentless elf could easily blow up some talented elf."

"I guess, but elves get guilty easi—"

"Yeah, yeah, I know," she says, interrupting me. "But it's just weird, because why aren't Mesmers or, like, the voice ability people guilty? Like, they're manipulating people."

I shrug. "I dunno," I say. "I'm just Tech Guy."

"Killing's worse," Ruy says, after realizing I'm not going to be helpful. "Manipulating's bad, but elves aren't exposed to death, so it's really really bad when it does happen."

A long pause. "I dunno, I'd say murder's really bad in general." Skylar laughs. "This is some society you live in."

"Don't laugh at our suffering," Ruy says, while laughing.

Alvar grins. "Yeah, pity us and give us stuff instead."

She rudely gestures at him again. "Piss off, Alvar," Skylar says, and his name sounds so different in her human accent that I laugh too.

"Okay, piss drinker."

"I—what?"

Alvar smirks. "Piss drinker," he repeats.

She rolls her eyes. "I'm starting to wonder what you're on, dimwit."

"Drugs." Alvar stops to think, and Ruy snorts. I don't even know what those are. "That's a joke. We don't even have those."

Skylar laughs. "Of course you don't, elves are holy and whatever, aren't they."

My eyes linger on a Wanderling near us; it's feels so familiar and foreign at the same time. It looks... fragile.

"You never got to meet her, did you?" Ruy says to me, and I instinctively flinch.

He chuckles, apologetic. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. That's Jolie's Wanderling, isn't it?"

"I think," I say. Alvar and Skylar are quiet now, watching me. I avoid their gazes. "I... yeah. I never got to meet her."

"She was nice," Ruy says, his voice slow and thoughtful. "I joined when I was about thirteen, and she was starting to panic around that time."

"Panic?" I say.

Ruy nods. "I think she knew she couldn't win. But we talked a bit, we had an inside joke about applesauce."

Skylar watches this quietly, and when I don't say anything, she gestures towards Jolie's Wanderling. "Is that her?"

Alvar glances at her, his eyes softening a little. "Our spirits don't live on," he says. "Elves aren't very religious. That's... That's her Wanderling. It's made from a seed and her DNA."

"Oh." A pause. "I'm sorry for your loss," she says, and for a second, I'm surprised by how mature she sounds.

I look at her, but she's just watching Jolie's leaves sway in the wind. I wonder what she's thinking about.

"It's okay," I say, turning away. "I never really knew her anyway. Let's go back."

˚ ༘ 🌷 ── author's note!

i read a book recently and really liked the writing style, so now my writing's just in shambles :")

SORRY FOR THE INCONSISTENCY OF IT LOL <//3