The Etra Anthology

91st of Nemulum, 336 EA

Ishikar, Athal

Belmaia pushed out from the aether and into a place that she knew all too well. She felt the presence of the lake to one side, the valley’s rise up the other, with trickling streams leading down from one to the other.

She strode towards the priory. In truth was just a home, painted green, simple in its construction but filled with all of her devotion.

In her movement she felt that some piece of the roiling fog stuck with her, even at her practiced exit. Her focus was clouded, like a dispersal of the senses. She needed to just push through. The world would not stop turning on her account, and it was her prerogative to ensure that it didn’t. 

She found Livia on the porch bench, braiding and unbraiding a length of cord. “Bel!”

“Good evening, lovey.” Belmaia hiked herself up onto the stoop with some haste. “How have you been? I feel like I haven’t seen you around, this past little bit.”

“Oh,” Livia had to follow inside to keep up, as already Belmaia was beginning to flow about the place cleaning. “I’m alright, I guess. I’ve been with Jac.”

“Of course you have.” Belmaia continued about her way into the kitchen, only vaguely patronizing. “Just wanted you to know that I’ve been missing you about the place. How is Jacinthe now? Any better?”

“She’s good and bad, it’s hard to tell sometimes. Just depends on the day.” Livia settled herself in a chair, looking slightly bedraggled, “She’ll be alright though. I was actually hoping-” 

A strange curiosity, a deviation from the way this conversation normally went, burgeoned through for Belmaia. “What does she say? Jacinthe, when you come around, does she say anything about you?”

“What?” The question seemed to stutter Livia, more than Belmaia had intended, like she was a loosely held pile and the question had pulled something out that she might have needed to keep stable. “What do you-”

“Sorry, sorry,” Belmia jumped back in, realizing her mistake. “Don’t worry about that love. Let’s get about the choring, yeah?”

“Oh,” Livia rubbed at her temples, “Al- Alright. I suppose so. But, like I was saying-”

“Right, yes, but before that-” Belmaia began to thumb through a ledger of sorts, dusting it off.

“Bel,” Livia interjected with a sleight huff, “I’m sorry but I’m trying to tell you something.”

Belmaia’s focus snapped into clarity, and in that she could see that there was sadness to her friend’s expression.

“Right, yes, of course.” She forced herself to slow her movement, pushing on to join her friend at the table. “What’s going on, how can I help?”

Livia took a heavy breath, “We were talking about Jac earlier. She’s having a hard time here.”

“Is it her health?” Belmaia knew the words to say, she had said them before.

“It is and it isn’t. I mean, the times when she’s feeling bad in that way aren’t helping. But it’s not just that. Since she’s been back, she’s been feeling this place grate on her more. She’s taken her fair share of blows here.” Livia wring her hands. “I think those memories were something she was glad to put away when she had to go back to be with her family, and now that she’s here again they’re out in full force.”

“That’s tough, really tough.” Belmaia spoke in practiced condolence. “It’s hard when the people we love are hurting. How have you been holding up, through all of this? I’m sure it takes a toll.”

“I’m doing- I’m fine enough.” Livia steeled herself, “What it comes down to, is that Jacinthe is going to leave. And I think I’m going to go with her.”

There was a moment between them, as Livia let it sink in.

“Oh,” Belmaia pushed up a smile, not wanting to add to the burden. “Well that’s great.”

Livia finally exhaled. “You mean it?”

“Of course!” Belmaia widened the smile, “I’m glad for you. If that’s what you feel like is right, then it must be Dokeoh’s will. Such is the way of the Stria. So what’s the plan, then?”

“Well, for the next little bit we’ll be in Lasa. We’ll stay with Jac’s family while she recovers. And then from there,” Livia shrugged, “It seems like we could kind of go anywhere. The faith will come with me, after all. We’ve been talking about Danai, something small in one of the more remote demiplanes. We could live our little lesbian cottage dream!”

Belmaia meant what she was about to say with all of her heart, breaking as it was. “I have full faith in you, friend.”

Livia seemed as though she might tear up. “That means a lot, friend. I was worried you’d be upset.”

“No, no.” Belmaia pushed those feelings down, wishing for the aether that they weren’t felt so acutely even after having been through this leaving so many times before, “I’m glad for you. And you should know, that if you ever were to return, you’ll always have a home here under our roof.”