"My favorite fruit," Aristhaeus exclaimed as he took certain fruit named rua from a bowl offered by a waiter.
Elyre accidentally saw the scene. Rua fruit was rather expensive. It was strange it was his favorite. In the whole of Wild Wood, she'd seen rua fruit only twice.
Well, at least after yesterday's evening he knew she was looking for a cure for maginopia. It was good that he was clear about that because now he couldn't say she had nothing important to do in Vahara Arta... He couldn't blame her that she was going on holiday!
Suddenly she realized she'd been staring at him when she hadn't meant to. He had also noticed her.
"Ah, hm," she said quietly.
"What? You want some rua fruit too? ...Because the waiter is gone," he was about to call the waiter back, but she stopped him.
"No, no, no..." Elyre whispered. She really didn't want to attract the attention. Somebody could recognize her... for example, that captain who had not allowed her on board!
"Why not?" the mage shrugged.
"Because of how I ended up on board..." she whispered.
He seemed to pretend to be stupid,
"I see... Miss Elyre does not like to be naughty. She is very upright." He was thoughtful. "...After what you did, you must be truly anxious. Pray tell me, did you use teleportation?" It wasn't a spell that just anybody could use. "I am worried you may be unable to sleep at night after what you did." He smirked, "Did you sleep well on that cold floor of the dressing room last night?"
She forced a tight smile,
"Don't worry so much. I forgave myself and I slept very well."
"...Ah, miss Elyre, it's not good to be so easy on yourself!"
"Yes, mister, mister..." Mister, mister... What was his name?!
"Phabian," he said.
"Yes, Mr. Phabian. I will bear that in mind."
After a little bit of bickering, it seemed he got tired so he changed the subject. He said,
"So, it turns out you really have a good reason to go to Vahara Arta. But still... I can't believe, do you really think you can find a cure for an incurable disease? I would never have supposed that you have been thinking of this."
"To tell you the truth, I wouldn't like you to speak about this so freely." She explained, "I hope to find a cure... but I wouldn't like to share this with other people for the time being... Hopes may be in vain. I only told you to convince you that I had a good reason to teleport on board without permission. Only the Princess of the Wood-Nymphs knows about this."
"I am surprised that wood-nymphs could come up with such a plan including long-distance travel. They're usually a bit backward-looking," he said.
"Backward-looking?" Elyre raised her eyebrows.
"Conservative, I mean. You can't deny they have become a bit too traditional. They don't communicate with other races."
"...Because other races are afraid to come to Wild Wood," she explained.
"…Yes, they are ...afraid," he agreed in a courteous tone. "They've heard about *certain* wood-nymphs."
"Wood-nymphs are nice, I assure you," she said.
Both of them knew what they were referring to. Some wood-nymphs often scared people to death in their forest, but to Elyre such behavior had some justification. What could somebody expect if they came into the forest only to kill animals and cut trees?
"I know just how nice they are," he stated. "I've had some work in Wild Wood recently, and they all speak this Wood-Nymphish language in front of me. I could hardly understand a thing."
"Nymphian, you mean?" She looked bewildered. It was an official language used during ceremonies, but usually not in everyday life.
"Right..." he answered absent-mindedly. "Nymphian."
"There are all kinds of wood-nymphs," she said.
If he had something against wood-nymphs, then perhaps talking about them was not the best topic. So Elyre was planning to stop discussing Wild Wood, but then... Then he said in a suspicious tone,
"...I've heard... that the inhabitants of your forest are much attached to it and they rarely ever travel away... Maybe it's easier for you because you are a firine and not a wood-nymph."
When you think about it, it was slightly strange. That night when she had seen him in the forest, he had said she would have to escape... to leave. As if he knew she was Fierce Wind?... And now his words revealed he knew she was from Wild Wood... Well, obviously, he had met her in the forest, perhaps he could have guessed... But how did he know all of this?
***
While they were talking, a group of dancers were throwing glances at them. One of them was Coralia, a young girl. She was known for her short poems and vivid imagination. She even found an opportunity to speak with Elyre when Aristhaeus was far away,
"I notice you speak often with that mage," she said.
"He... just asked me some questions."
"What do you think of him?" Coralia continued.
"He is... well-mannered…" Elyre replied. She just didn't know what to say. This question caught her by surprise.
"Well-mannered?" Coralia smiled, "Well, that's one way to describe him! I think he is quite charismatic and handsome."
"Do you?" Elyre shrugged. Why would Coralia speak to her about that anyway?
Elyre's first impressions of Aristhaeus were rather confusing.
Coralia smiled.
*And you are pretty,* Coralia thought, *Though, they say, beautiful women have tragic lives.*