A Girl Learns of Her Best Friend
Summary:Laiari is downed by her supposed to be friends and in the mist of moping and feeling bad, a nice sylvari man comes and encourages her to exist.
Work Text:She's visibly frustrated sitting around the fountain seeing her friends all laugh and giggle about. They were all into the same things, though Laiari only started a year ago. All of the noble girls of the Reach played a special card game. Various tarot designs of famous humans, Sylvari, Asura, Charr, and Norn were decorated with special attributes about them. Sheera and Lillian would pick out a human and charr.
They have been playing for years now, ever growing a bond through their characters. Laiari figured she could introduce her card to her friends, a rather tall and scrawny sylvari male with a book in one hand and a bone minion on the right. The card had special edition in the corner, she finally had a cool card to show off.
She ran to Sheera and Lillian who were in the middle of an intense roleplay of renegades and separatists.
"You guys look, look!" She would yell and interrupt, "Can I play with you guys?! I got a special edition sylvari man look! He's pretty." Sheera and Lillian would give off a sigh and a fake giggle.
"Sylvari can't be in this game. Plus, they are only like maids and servants. Sylvari can't be leaders. It ruins the game." Sheera would scoff in disappointment. Laiari confused by the conversation felt an all too well known feeling in her chest.
"Well, maybe I can pretend to be this…," she looks up at the card and attempts to make sense of the name, "…this Treefern guy. He's like a priest of Grenth or something-" Lillian laughs at the lack of lore that Laiari fails to possess, "-hahahahaha Lai, Sylvari can't be priests of Grenth. They are tree people; they worship the white tree or whatever. The main tree of all trees on Tyria. How do you not know these things!?"
Laiari felt dumb. She never understands the lore on anything. She would sit through History classes and take her notes, but nothing ever sticks. She just wanted to play with her friends.
"Well, maybe when you guys are done playing renegade and separatists we could play something with my character? I want to roleplay too."
She was almost too ashamed that she had to ask to play with them at this point. They hastily said their sures and whatevers and went back to playing, almost too engrossed in their roleplay to even include her. Maybe this was her fault, joining something she had no connection with. She always desperately tried to fit in and every time she was shrugged off and deemed too boring to play with. She was always too boring for everyone, a last resort for someone who couldn't cared less. She should have known better. Sheera and Lillian will only come around her when they need her, not to just check on her and certainly not to be her friend.
"Well…., I'll..just be ov..over here, a…a at the fountain…then."
She dragged herself to the fountain, waiting to be visited by her mother so she can go to her afternoon piano session. She stared down at her little Sylvari tarot card, looking at the lonely faced Sylvari man holding his book, almost with a sense of worry and sadness.
"Oh Treefern, I'm sorry they don't want to play with you. I think you and your kind are wonderful additions to our world. Maybe one day humans will see that. You would make a great Priest of Grenth someday."
"Excuse me young one? Did I here you say Treefern?" A rather elegant Sylvari man appeared from behind her.
"Ack! You startled me! I..um..my apologies Ambassador. How may I help you today?" Laiari knew better than to give lip to an adult, let alone Ambassador Firstborn Dagonet who she admired so much.
"Do not worry child, I mean not to startle you." He said with a warm and inviting smile. "I was interested in that card you were holding."
She was smiling from cheek to cheek. Firstborn Dagonet of the Grove, talking to her of all people in the Reach today! "Why yes, the new Tyrian Stars game came out with a new deck and I got a special edition card. His name is Treefern and he is awesome."
Dagonet, trying not laugh in front of the child mispronouncing his brother's name tried his damnest to keep in all in. "I believe his name is Firstborn Trahearne, Necromancer, Healer of Orr, First of the Sylvari. Hopefully I said that right, the last time I had something out of order I swear a vein popped out of his head and I didn't hear the end of it! Haha."
"Tra…Trahearne? He's Real?!" Laiari could barely contain her excitement. "I thought these card games were fake for the most part seeing as they have Captain Thackeray and Queen Jennah in there."
"Haha oh no child, He is very real and very much alive."
"How do I go by meeting Trahearne, when can I see him, do I have to beg your mom Ambassador? Does he live near the rest of your people? Is he ok and happy?"
Dagonet couldn't help at this point but to laugh and smile at this adorable human child so fully interested in his people and especially his First.
"So inquisitive and enthusiastic you are! It's rare for humans to be so truly interested in Sylvari wellbeing. Well, first getting in contact with him is hard. He has a tiring task of healing ancient human lands engulfed by death itself in a very faraway place, far from the forest we grew up in and it keeps him wary but purposeful, however if I do run into him, I shall let him know that you appreciate him so much."
Dagonet has never had the time to sit and ponder a question about Trahearne's wellbeing like that in a while, not since Riannoc's death. He knows his brother is alone and lonely, though at times, he likes it better that way. They do speak in passing, simple gestures and acknowledgement is all he needs for right now. His Wyld Hunt consumes him and Dagonet understands that he has it the worst of all. There is no need to boggle down a child with sad tales. Let her believe in the happiness of others he thought to himself.
"Tell you what, one day Trahearne will need a strong and kind person to help him on his special assignment and when that day comes, be ready. Learn all you can about the world around you and outside of your comfort zone. Be fearless in your words and your feelings as they will guide you well someday. Take the initiative to go above and beyond what is needed from you on a daily basis and remember to always take care of yourself before anything. Do not let mean people take advantage of you and your kindness. Be not afraid to call someone out on their ugliness as well as be able to take criticism and learn to be better. You will never be perfect, and that is ok. You were not put on Tyria to be perfect. No one is. Not even the Asura, as much as they would like to be. You were put here to exist and run with that existence. Run as long and as far as it will take you. It doesn't matter how slow or fast you are, keep running.Those are the things you will need to help Trahearne one day, should he require the assistance. But for now, enjoy being a young child. Play your games and live. You other races are quite lucky at times. You get to be small and have your mistakes. Anyways, I ought to be going now, I'm late for a meeting with a representative out of the Black Citadel and I mustn't keep them waiting. Take care young one, may our paths meet again in the distant future. "
Laiari, filled with emotion, couldn't help but to latch onto Dagonet's leg and hug him with such a powerful force of emotion that swept over her as if he managed to unlock a small fire within her tiny body. He patted her coarse, curly locks and gave her one more loving smile before breaking away to his next appointment.
Laiari heard the sound of Sheera and Lillian yelling her name from across the fountain. She forgot they existed for that moment and wish they would have stayed nonexistent in her mind. Rather than engaging with them, she promptly ran over to her parents who luckily just so happened to walk into the park to take her to her piano lessons.
She rather not speak about talking to the Sylvari Firstborn seeing as her love for sylvari freaks her parents out. They fear that instead of marrying a wealthy noble or future minister, she might just run away with a sylvari drug lord and never return. That's too much for her father to bear right now. Little do they know in the decades to come, she plans to do just that, run away with her Sylvari warlord and never return to Kryta.
