"She is eating, right?" I asked worriedly as I knelt opposite Vadei's Mother. And, despite me just being around to talk with her, I couldn't help but glance towards Vadei's room. Since the funeral, she's been only in there and no one has been able to get her out.
Wastla sighs before answering, "Thankfully, yes, she's just..." she began to say before she frowned. Her gaze then took on a reluctant aspect which made me confused. Did she not trust me enough to open up about it...? I could not see why not, it was only a funeral, right?
"Is something wrong?" I asked her with uncertainty spreading across my face.
"No... I'm just worried you might call me crazy..." she sheepishly admits which makes my brow rise into an arch.
"I've seen a lot in my time from home, I doubt whatever it is will make me think you are deluded or something like that." I admit to her as I started to think of examples. I wasn't going to explain it, but, it was assuring to be reminded of such things. I had seen my homeland from an outside perspective, a hulking collection of metal islands held aloft by golden bolts. I stood in awe before the Thunder God's anvil on the way to Nin's home!
I've seen enough to know that what she had was not going to bother me, "The God of Death... Undwote... He, let us spend one final day with our recently lost family member... My husband, their father." she tells me as her eyes water while a smile grew on her face. She seemed to be happy that it happened, but, was still despairing over its end either way.
"Nin's done stuff with him too." I comment before taking a sip from my drink.
She then laughs very briefly, "I suppose that helps explain his unique circumstances."
"It is a reason, I believe, he was, after all, human once." I say before cautiously looking behind my back to make sure he hadn't heard that. I did not want him to get touchy over it.
"But, yes, Vadei is fine. She's just been inactive." Wastla says, bringing the discussion back to her daughter. I was fine with that, as maybe she just needed someone to talk to in order to reassure herself about them.
"I guess, so long as she is not acting like she was before, it should be fine..." I say with uncertainty as I was not really sure what to offer up. I've never felt what she has. I might, at some point, but, not now.
"If you want to try talking to her, go ahead. I've learned well that she might need consoling from one of you three." Wastla says as her head gestures towards Vadei's room.
And, happy about such words, I bowed slightly, "Thank you for your trust, Wastla." I try to say as humbly as possible while hiding my smile.
"Go on and get my daughter out of her room." she demands with a smile as she ushers me away from the table. And, when I got to her room, I knocked on the door.
"Come in." Vadei said in what seemed to be a fine tone. But, when you entered the room, it became a completely different story as she looked awful. Her hair was a mess and she was building up quite the stink. Not enough to encourage her sister to find another place to sleep, however.
"How are you feeling?" I asked first, and, with immediate hindsight... It was a stupid thing to ask.
"Awful." she laconically answered before she place a fancy letter by her pillow. But, something was off about that letter, as it was brimming with an impossible amount of magic. So much, in fact, I dropped it in shock after I picked it up to inspect it.
"W-Where did you get this!?" I asked her with wide eyes as I froze up by the fallen letter. I was not comfortable touching such a disproportionately powerful thing, yet, she was. And she quickly put it back on her bed before she looked at me with a blank stare.
"In exchange for Undwote letting me spend one final day with Dad... He wanted a favour from me." she rather easily admits compared to her mother when our discussion lead to it.
"I see..." I say with uncertainty before I sat down next to her. I was not sure if I could or was allowed to pass a comment on this. This was, after all, the action of a god. One of the most well-known ones, in fact. Would something bad happen to me if I said something unfavourable?
I mean, it might as unlikely as it sounded...
"I... I don't really know, Einervaene. I saw Dad again, but, it only made me want him back once again. And, I don't know if I can be angry at him. I was actually given a chance to see him again... The grumpy man who moved into a single room house... He lost his family to the osibindah and has been miserable ever since. He never got to see them again, as they once were... But, I did..." she lets out while staring at the letter.
"I think you should just feel about it however you want." I try to comfort her with before she shakes her head in frustration.
"No... I was given a special opportunity no one else here got. I saw Dad again... I saw him in a strange sense, alive! Yet, here I am, miserable and wasting away because I can't let go of the fact it was all because he wanted something from me..." she cried out with no tears, only anger.
"And what did he want from you, if you don't mind me asking?" leaning in closer just in case she wanted to whisper it as surely this was an important letter? It was from a god after all!
"Nin he said. Give it to him. I don't know what it says as it only opens for him." she says as she hands it over to me. Likely to see me fail in an effort to open it. But, I was going to believe her, that magic in such a simple thing was strong, absurdly strong. I don't think even a version of me at their strongest could even cut through it!
"Would you like me to get Nin, then?" I offered, just in case that might help. Maybe she just needed the offending item gone and she would slowly go back to normal? I really could not tell with circumstances like this.
"N-No... I'll give it to him... When I feel like I can. I just don't know if I can give Nin this letter." she admits with a sigh before she stands up and moves to the door.
"Would you like me to leave?" I presumptuously asked her. I had not really spoken to her enough to convince her to leave. So I could only guess she wanted to be on her own again.
"No, but you can wait. I'm going to go clean myself up and then we can go do something, I don't know." she explains to me which leaves me smiling as it meant I had, in fact, succeded! And, when I stepped out into the hallway, I smiled at Wastla whose ears had perked up.
"Thank you." she quietly says to me with a cupped mouth. I only smiled in response and moved outside so I could wait for her to be ready. Which, given her state and my knowledge of how careful we women are... Might be a while. So, knowing that, I went back inside to speak to Wastla some more.