You know when I originally wrote this, I thought it would be a short one shot. Funny how some characters just grow on you more than others.
Disclaimer: The Forgotten Realms are not mine but everything else is! All mine! Go find your own!
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The next day, Teilla woke before Ricardt and went downstairs to find Gorbsen, Lannlia and her dusky husband Farnier sitting around the kitchen table. They seemed not to notice her and continued to talk together in hushed tones. As Teilla went about making herself a cup of tea, Lannlia spoke loud enough for the bard's sharp ears to pick it up, "It's not that we don't want her around… it's just that with every passing season she comes in to town less and less. And we worry about this remoteness. She needs to get over her nervousness around other elves. A bit of travel wouldn't be unwelcome, don't you think?"
"It would certainly beat the slow withdrawal she's doing now," the half drow smith added in a thoughtful voice.
Curiosity piqued, Teilla spoke up, "Who are you talking about?" Three pairs of eyes looked back at her and the red haired bard shrugged, "Sorry, I overheard. Who's nervous around elves?"
"That would be my sister Mirandaline Sparrowhawk," Farnier turned coppery eyes towards Teilla. "She's one of the best rangers in the area but very shy of other surface elves," he gave a sigh, "And she's probably starting to feel completely out of synch with everyone else here."
"Sister by blood?" Teilla asked. Ricardt walked into the kitchen and she poured him some tea before joining Gorbsen, Lannlia and Farnier at the table.
Lannlia shook her mane of golden hair, "Not that we know of, although it is possible that Mir and Farnier share a father but Farn's mother was human while Mirandaline's was a wood elf." The weaponsmith nodded his agreement.
"Odd combination," Ricardt murmured.
"Not around here," Gorbsen, Lannlia and Farnier chorused. Farnier continued, "Anyway you can see why a full elf all by her lonesome would be feeling a bit off beat around all of us."
Ricardt nodded. Without any other elves around, Farnier's sister would have a different sense of time than everyone else around her, watching those around her slowly age while she did not. The paladin did not envy the prospect. "How old is she anyway?" he asked.
Farnier shrugged, "Around seventy, give or take a few years. Same as Lannlia and me."
Ricardt considered this. For half-elves, seventy fell at around the beginning of middle age. For a full elf, seventy meant an individual looked barely adult. Farnier interrupted the paladin's line of thought, "Anyway, I bet she shows up today."
Gorbsen turned to the copper haired smith, "What makes you say that?"
Lannlia smiled at her husband and answered, "Archery contest today, right?" Farnier leaned back in his chair and nodded.
Teilla looked from her uncle to the half elven couple. "I take it that Mirandaline's a good archer?" she asked. Ricardt took in the smug looks that came back at them and shrugged, "I suppose."
"You'll see," Farnier grinned.
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