Ezzy

[Varenna]

The sun shone.

The apprentice priestess, the young woman with the freckles, the brown hair in long curls, and the stunning lavender eyes, had sprawled sideways on the best bench in Cathedral Square. That it was the best bench was indisputable; it was next to the tallest tree, which gave the best shade, if she wanted it - which she did - and it was on the furthest edge of the Faol Fountain from the orphanage, so she didn't have to watch the constant children scurrying about the building. Bonus points.

She turned a page peacefully.

The cat slinked its way around the foot of the bench, coiled, and sprung up into her lap. She stared at it.

"Um."

It stared back.

"Mrew."

"Oh." She petted it tentatively. The cat wasn't a cat, now she looked at it. Too small. "Are you a kitten? You don't look very old."

"Mrew."

"..." Right, then. "Right, then."

It stared at her. The eyes were very blue.

"Um. My name's Ezylia. What's yours..?"

"Mrew."

[Varenna]

Scene change: The Pig and Whistle, Abel Lane, Old Town.

A bottle crashed against the wall over Ezylia's head. The glass showered down, hit the glowing energy bubble surrounding her, and bounced away. She sighed, curled tighter into her chair in the corner, and turned a page. She glanced to the clock on the wall.

11:03. One more hour.

The kitten, tucked safely in her book bag on the floor, stuck its head out and peered up at her. "Mrew."

[Varenna]

Midnight came. Then it went away again. One, two, and three in the morning followed by in agonizingly slow succession.

Alone in the dark bar, Ezylia sighed and looked around. Even the Langstons had gone to bed. She'd made Reese forget she was there so she could stay longer, but...

The kitten whined at her. She nodded reluctantly, stood, shutting her book. The priestess must have forgotten her. She turned away to pick up her bag, with kitten.

There was a sound. It went: Foomp.

Ezylia turned back, slowly, and choked down a shriek. The shadowy silhouette now lounging in the chair across from her finished solidifying, breathed in slowly, and gave her an uncomfortably warm smile.

"Freckly Girl," it said, languidly.

She ducked into a curtsey, trembling. "Priestess. I thought you weren't coming. I'm sorry."

"'s okay, sweetie. Sit back down, huh? Sorry I'm so late."

Shadows swarmed around Ezylia's feet, shoving and dumping her back into her chair. "Oof!" The bigger shadow seated across from her went on talking. Its voice echoed.

"Sorry, also, to have not been around so long. Awful rude of me, takin' you under my wing and then vanishing like that."

"It... it's okay, Pr-"

"How'd you like the book? Finished it yet?"

Ezylia faltered a little. The Book was still in her hands, the gift from the priestess. Kwazferkin's Entrapments of the Mind, part of a series. The brilliant book. Even translated from the original Gnomish, the man's genius and unfailing logic had been obvious in the words. She caressed the cracked leather lovingly.

"I'm on my third readthrough, Priestess. I love the chapters on memory manipulation. Um. I've read Snares, too, that was in the Cathedral library. I had to get someone to translate it for me. And I've got a copy of Fooleries on order, I spent a few months of allowance on that." She laughed nervously.

The shadow stared at her. "You read Snares? Unsupervised?"

She looked back, eyes widening. "Was... was that wrong? I'm sorry..."

"Girl, I'm surprised you haven't blown your own head off yet. Thank Elune you didn't have Fooleries yet, even I hafta be careful with the stuff Kwazzy wrote in that one." The shadow was up out of its chair, reaching for her. She flinched as its fingers slid over her face. They were warm, gentle; bloody creepily transparent. "Hold still."

She tried to hold still. "I have been having really bad headaches. And, and I tried out some of the sense manipulation from chapter three and the backlash had me in bed for a couple of days." She flinched as further shadows slid from the fingers, brushing against her forehead, thin as air, thinner, brushing through. She closed her eyes, opened different ones, and followed the priestess's progress through her head. "And lately I've been having a lot of trouble with some things, like- short term memory, and I've been having nightmares, and... that- that's why I wanted to see you so badly... Why are you looking at my mechanical functions?"

Her jaw stopped working. Her mouth snapped shut. She had enough time to whimper, and then the rest of her muscle control followed. She slumped in her chair.

The priestess let go of her, walked back to her own chair, and produced the silhouette of a cigarette. She glared at it until it lit itself.

"Thought I'd help with the holding still. You okay? Whimper some more if you're uncomfortable."

Ezylia's face was pressed flat against the table. Her eyes stared blankly at the wood. There wasn't a whimper. She couldn't work her lungs for it.

"Right. Sorry."

The priestess sat back to smoke her cigarette, not making a move to help her. Ezylia's face started reddening.

"Don't worry, we'll be done before you suffocate. You can't follow it anymore 'cause you're too busy panicking about breathing, but what I'm doing right now is examining the bits of your brain that let you interface with spiritual-type magic." Ezylia felt something twist inside her head. Tears welled in her eyes in place of a scream. The shadow sighed at her. "Mm, and you have been doing some practicing, haven't you, darlin? Goddess, you're all ragged in here. No wonder you've been having headaches."

The twisting sensation worsened. Her fingers twitched, clenched, by themselves. Tears pooled on the table. The world was going tunnel shaped, the priestess's voice drifting far away.

"I am so sorry, pet, but... Well, there's just no solution. Leaving you alone all those months, giving you so much advanced stuff to work with and hurt yourself using it without proper training. My fault."

She felt a warm hand on her cheek as everything turned black.

"If it's any consolation, pet, I didn't plan for it."


The shadow watched as Ezylia dropped unconscious. The girl's cheeks returned to their right color as she let her start breathing again. The shadow's fingers stroked her hair.

"Sucks, darlin. I'm sorry. You had so much potential. All the damage you've done to your mind, though... Never learn magic unsupervised, especially shadow magic, especially our variety. I don't think I can repair it."

Bullshit. You're hurting her for the hell of it.

The shadow ignored the other voice in her head, went on stroking Ezylia's hair, smiling. "So I'll tell you what I'll do."

Leave her alone!

She snarled. The other voice cut off. Like always. She resumed smiling. "What I'll do is, I'll burn out that part of your brain altogether. You won't be able to be a priestess anymore, 'course - you won't be able to use the magic - but you're not gonna damage something else and blow your head off, either."

She patted Ezylia on the cheek. The remaining candles in the Pig and Whistle unlit themselves.

"Doesn't that sound nice?"

There was screaming.

[Varenna]

Early morning, just past dawn.

Private Haylie Dannis, armored and in uniform with the yellow Stormwind lion on her chest, tried to ignore the clanging hangover as she made her way down Abel Lane. The Pig and Whistle came into view. She gave the sign an accusing glare. Not only was the previous night's drinking to blame for her headache and the way her mouth felt like some bastard had stuffed cotton balls in it, but she'd forgotten her hat. With luck it would still be there.

She moved inside, every clank of her plated boots like a gong struck next to her ear. She looked around from the top of the short steps leading down to the main floor. The tavern was still unoccupied. No customers about, and the Langstons were probably still in bed. And there, on the bar...

There was her hat.

She smiled and stepped forward to retrieve it, wincing as the steps jostled her. She moved to the bar. The hat was unharmed. She turned away again, hatted, then heard a sound.

"Mrew."

She turned again. The corner table under the stairs had been overturned. There was a kitten in front of it. It whined again, plaintive, and slinked behind the table. Haylie followed it, frowning.

She saw the blood, and shoved the table out of the way.

She saw the victim.

[Varenna]

Pain.

She would have expected, had she been given the opportunity, for this to be one of those times where she would wake, then, before even opening her eyes, the pain would hit her. When she practiced out of the chapter on sensory manipulation had been one of those times.

This was not one of those times. The pain came first, not second. It knifed into her dreams, which were not dreams, but nightmares, and ripped her away from them. It dragged her whimpering, and she could hear the whimpers now as she made them, into consciousness.

Ezylia opened her eyes.

The world blurred. In the center she saw a shape, strange and fractured, like someone had disassembled a hand into glass shards and put it back the wrong way. The fingers seemed to clench in a broken fist, those that weren't sticking at odd angles from the wrist and attached arm. She felt, as it touched her forehead...

A hand. A normal hand. Four fingers, one thumb, arranged in an ergonomic line. All in the right places. The palm was warm on her skin. She trembled, and the hand responded by stroking into her hair.

"There, there. You're safe now, novice. You've had a bad accident."

Ezylia stared at the face, then tried to sit up. She fell flat again immediately, gasping at the feel of her skull trying to split apart in the middle. The glimpse was sufficient, though. Like the hand, everything else she could see seemed to be made of broken glass. Nothing was recognizable.

Her throat felt raw as she tried to talk, like she'd been screaming with it. She didn't remember any screaming. "Where am I? W- who are you?"

The hand paused in stroking her hair. The other voice sounded taken aback. "You're in the Cathedral infirmary, Miss deFontesque. It's Nurse Views-- you were in my basic medicines class, do you remember? ...Don't you recognize me?"

Nurse Views blinked as the young woman's hand reached toward her. She held still, letting it touch the curve of her face. The fresh white bandages scratched her cheek.

"I- I don't... everything looks strange..."

The girl swallowed a frightened sob, and Nurse Views's heart went: twist. She gathered her into a careful hug.


Later now.

Ezylia's eyes opened. The pain had been polite enough to wait until second this time. It was less intense now.

There was a fractured shape sitting by her bed again. She reached for it with a whimper.

"Misses Views...?"

Soft fingers brushed hers through the bandages, then slid along her arm. There were bandages there, too. She trembled; the touch was familiar.

"No, pet."

The voice was velvet, or maybe chocolate. Ezylia's blood went icier at the sound of it. She still wasn't sure why. "Priestess? ...Where's Misses Views?"

"She's tied up right now. She tells me you're pretty hurt, pet."

She nodded, slowly, feeling the fingers along her neck now. "Th- they think I had an accident. With my magic."

"I know." The priestess's hand cupped her cheek. "That's why they called me in. They say the burns are healing fine, but they're worried about damage inside with how you're vision's fucked. I want you to hold real still, okay? I'm gonna see how bad it is."

Ezylia nodded again. "Did we ever meet last night? I can't remember..."

"We didn't. I had to call you and cancel. Hold still, I said."

She held her breath as the shadows pierced her skull.

Pain.


A flaring match made her surface from her nightmares. The room was dark. A scream started to well.

"Hush now, Miss Ezzy. It's okay."

The scream died out. Ezylia watched the broken supernova shape of the match hover to another shape which turned out to be a candle. The infirmary was bathed in a warm glow. She looked up into the distorted face of Nurse Views, who set the candlestick down and hugged her. "Priestess Stormrunner came by to see you while you were sleeping. How are you feeling?"

"It hurts really bad. A- and I still can't see properly." She paused, clinging, then, "...Did the priestess do anything to me?"

"That's why we asked her to come. She said she tried to lessen some of the damage. You're sure you're not feeling better?"

"Maybe a little..."

She started to cry then, big, wracking sobs that took her breath away and had her shaking. Nurse Views gaped in alarm.

"What is it, what's wrong?"

"S- she must... must be so disappointed in me...!"

[Varenna]

Awake again, daylight again streaming in warm through square glass windows. Ezylia stared at the glass, quietly willing it to stop looking like someone had shattered it and put on a blindfold before pasting everything back together. It didn't work.

A shape passed in front of the light, distorting as it moved. Nurse Views again. Ezylia had learned to recognize her by colors, the blonde of her hair and the white and blue of her gown. She tried to sit up. Broken hand components blurred down to prop a pillow under her. One of them raised to stroke her hair before Nurse Views stepped away again.

"You've got a visitor today, Ezylia."

"I do?"

Nurse Views looked back to the doorway and nodded the young guard in. Ezylia watched as a new shape, blue and grey with brown hair, moved to her bed. Plate boots clanked on the stone floor.

The new voice said, "Two visitors, actually."

Haylie Dannis held the kitten out, carefully so as not to damage it. Ezylia gave it a blank stare-- it squirmed in the grey- gauntleted hand shapes, and she squeaked, shying away.

"W- what is it...?"

Haylie blinked. She looked to Nurse Views, who shook her head, then back to Ezylia. "It's your kitten, ma'am. I took care of her while you were under."

"Kitty?" gasped Ezylia.

The fuzzy blurred shape of the kitten mrewed at her, and she reached for it. She missed; tried again, biting her lip. Missed again. Finally Haylie leaned and put it in her hands.

"...She... really loves to eat, miss. Going to be a large cat, I bet."

"Oh-- oh thank you! Thank you so much, I was so worried about him..."

The cat squawked a bit as she squeezed it with a hug.

"He was sitting there on you when I discovered you. Figured it had to be yours." The shape stared down at her a moment before speaking again. "I uh... Is there any possible chance, when you're feeling better, that I could take a statement?"

"Statement? I- I don't understand." She looked up from the kitten, automatically. It made no difference in how well she could see Haylie. "You're the one who found me?"

"Yes, ma'am. I'm a city patroller. Private Dannis. We met the night of your attack, I was at the table with some of the Riders."

Ezylia seemed surprised. "Attack...?"

"Yes ma'am." Haylie arranged her sword out of the way and sat in the chair next to Ezylia's bed. "I came into the Pig the next morning. You were on the ground, and your table was nearly turned over on you. You weren't drinking the night before, so I assume you were attacked?"

"They told me I had an accident..."

Haylie paused while she fought back some guilt. Questioning traumatized victims was not strictly her job.

"Do you remember anything at all of the night before?"

"I remember meeting some of the Riders." Ezylia tried to smile as the kitten tugged on her bandages. "And I thought your hat was pretty."

Haylie gave her a smile in return, which faded as the unfocused look in the girl's eyes reminded her it was having no effect. "Thank you. Your dress was quite attractive as well. You mentioned you were there to meet a priestess, I believe?"

"Priestess Stormrunner..." Ezylia's expression blanked. "She called me on the box. She said she had to cancel our meeting." The kitten batted her thumb and she blinked. "I... I don't remember anything after that, I'm sorry."

The guardsman nodded, taking notes on a pad.

"Is there anyone we can contact to inform of your whereabouts? Friends or family?"

"Misses Views said they sent a message to my parents already. She said they were going to come see me."

"Good, good." Haylie flipped closed the notebook. She watched the girl in the bed a long moment. "I'm going to do some investigating, just to make sure it was only an accident. If you don't mind, I'll gladly visit you more and keep you informed, Miss duFontisque."

Ezylia winced. Haylie blinked.

"...Is that a bad thing?"

"deFontesque," corrected Ezylia, mildly, the Gilnean syllables coming off her tongue completely differently.

"Oh. Sorry, ma'am. I had a cousin, she married into a family by the name of von Meisenschnick. Never could get that one right either."

Ezylia smiled a little. It didn't make it all the way up her face. "...Misses Views said you stayed a long time after you brought me."

"I did." Ezylia watched the blur as the armored shape nodded. "Was very worried about you. Was probably wrong to leave you alone in that place in the first place."

"You're very kind. Thank you..." Ezylia bit her lip. "W-was it- Haylie?"

"Yes'm. Haylie Dannis."

Ezylia nodded and said nothing. The kitten mrewed as Haylie leaned in to pet it.

"Would you be okay with me coming back to visit? I'd like to do what I can to help."

"You don't have to..." waffled Ezylia.

"I didn't mean it as an obligation, ma'am. It's personal interest."

"Oh."

The girl in the bed wobbled suddenly. She fumbled feebly with her pillow until Haylie adjusted it for her, then she fell back against it. She hugged the kitten as it curled up on her chest, and looked up. "I'll see you later then...?"

"Yes'm. I'll hopefully be back later tonight."

Ezylia's eyes drooped closed. Haylie watched her, then glanced up at the nearing figure of Nurse Views and clanked quietly to her feet. The nurse spared no time leading her away, but the look she gave was a warm one.

"First I've seen her smile the last few days."

"I met her just before the accident. Really good girl..." Haylie looked back, and her eyes narrowed. "I have some investigating to do."