Mid Year 25, 4E1

(Fights-up-close): Talos Plaza District, Imperial City

I continued to lie in bed, listening for noises in the next room. It was nice to have an excuse to relax: to concentrate on something other than Goes-in-heavy's betrayal. I'd managed to convince myself that listening for Faenlian's movements was more important than thinking about Goes-in-heavy's reasons for treachery, and I was grateful for that; I could end the storm in my head. Both my mind and body were in a state of relative rest and comfort, wrapped in the softness and warmth of the covers and my thoughts mostly placid. I learned the value of relaxation through all this hardship.

I admired the beauty of the intricately carved stone as I stared at the ceiling, all the miraculous curves etched in stone right above my head. I'd been in my room for about 3 hours now, and it seemed like Faenlian might be getting up any minute. Either way, I didn't mind an excuse to wait.

Then it came. The sound of a door unlatching and footsteps out into the hall. I immediately got out of bed. A little too fast, infact, as I felt like I almost slipped out of consciousness when I stood up. My vision darkened, my head felt like it was vibrating slightly, and I felt extra drowsy, but this soon passed. I headed to the door. I jammed on my shoes, mindlessly kicking them into the wall in order to get my foot inside.

I managed to catch a brief glimpse of Faenlian, in his tattered and coarse pants and shirt, before he went through the hallway door. Seeing him in such an outfit certainly made me feel better about how I was dressed. He looked like he could have come from the Waterfront. I followed him through the door leading to the stairs, catching the door before it closed.

I knew I had to look casual while I followed him, but I couldn't lose him either. I needed to maintain a distance that didn't look suspicious. It was time to exercise my magickal skills. I purged my mind of all thought, and called for the subtle, oddly colored blobs to start forming on what already seemed to be an undefined mass of color in my thoughtless state. Faenlin's footsteps were getting farther away, though I had little concept of such a thing as I was in my thoughtless, mystic state. The bizarrely colored blob was moving towards the door. Once I heard it open, I'd make my way downstairs.

I could hear the door downstairs open, but a second before I moved down the first step, I heard the door behind me open as well. I jerked slightly, what little sleepiness had built up inside me instantly vanished. I had not heard whoever was behind me until then.

I turned around to see another High Elf, a woman though, wiping tears from her blood-shot eyes. It was sight that instantly turned my spirits down a notch. She sniffled before speaking.

"I'm sorry," she said "I don't mean to get emotional but..." She paused to wipe her eyes again. Obviously whatever was going on with Faenlian was a pretty unsavory situation was.

"I heard you following him and...I feel I can trust you. I just don't know what to do about Faenlian."

She looked down again. I wasn't exactly comfortable in this situation. I had no idea what to think of it or feel, and worse, I wasn't sure what kind of facade to put on.

"All he thinks about, all he cares about, is skooma. He's lost everything. His looks, his money...his self-respect." Any conversation that involved mentioning an illegal drug in a public place was obviously an awkward one, and I was kind of eager to get it over with. She sniffled before continuing "I followed him once, to see where he goes. He walks around the city looks for skooma" she said, her voice sounding mellow, as if in a state of tragic surrender ", then he goes to Lorkmir's house for several hours." She looked down again. My mind was already rushing with all that I had to take in. She looked up finally and put a hand gently on my shoulder, but I was so lost in thought I nearly jumped. "Thank you for listening...you're a good friend. I just hope Faenlian can clean himself up, or that awful skooma will be the death of him."

She went back into the hall way, but the conversation didn't leave me nearly as quickly as she did. It had already planted a powerful emotional seed. I remained on top of the steps, lost in thought. I already noticed I was quivering slightly. The irony that she mistook my stalking of Faenlian for curiosity regarding his problem, the pity I had to feel, and the memories of what I was here to figure out all weighed so heavily on me I could feel its significance, in an odd way, on a guttural level. I, surprisingly enough, already found myself tempted to share her tears. Already a lump in my throat was getting sharper by the minute, but I decided against it.

Just when I felt I could handle it all, something else was put on my shoulders. I felt a charge to do something, but what exactly? That was the hard decision.