Cirice squints up at the bright sun overhead and tries to guess at the time, her new friend Zarius had mentioned a rumor he'd gotten from one of the contacts he'd been building around Starlight City and suggested that Cirice could run down the lead for him as her first step towards honor and glory. Excited, Cirice had gladly accepted, desperate to prove herself to both her goddess and her new friends. Now she waits for Zarius' contact in the shade of a silk merchant's stall, uncertain of who exactly she's looking for or if they'll recognize her. Certainly the bright yellow topaz, the same color as Zarius' eyes hanging around her neck and her nice new clothes will make her easy for this person to spot. She fidgets with her skirts nervously, causing the body chains to twinkle and chime, completely ruining the image of calm and confident that she's trying to portray. This will be her first adventure and she's excited to see what it has in store for her.

"Excuse me, miss?" a voice pulls her out of her thoughts.

"Y-yes?" she stutters, turning to look at the large man that is looming over her. "Are you Master Zarius' friend? I'm Cirice." She looks him over, he's a large man and he looks strong but he's wearing much nicer clothes than she is, all silks and leathers and soft velvet, he doesn't look like an adventurer but who is she to really know?

"What? Who?" The man looks confused. "I don't know what you're talking about but you standing there looking shifty is ruining my business. Kindly keep moving." He shoos her off with a dismissive wave. "You've been there for two hours. If you aren't buying then you need to go."

"Oh... I'm sorry. I didn't realize... I'll go then. My apologies, sir. I was awaiting for someone."

She gives him an apologetic smile and hurries away, turning down the first alley she sees and sighing. Maybe she should keep moving, Zarius said the contact would meet her in the market near the silk stall, not necessarily right next to it, perhaps her standing there just was too obvious. Perhaps she should take a nap and see if Mother Moon can give her any advice... Oh but Master Zarius and Astrid said that sleeping in the street was a bad idea. She wishes they were here too. Or Blue, he said he was a great guide and she could really use the guidance right now. Best to keep moving, she decides, then she's more visible and easier to find. She starts out of the alley and back into the market to wander around until she's approached.

---

Sol Stone Quest

“Go to Starlight City, find my contact, it’ll be easy, he says…” Iryla couldn’t help but grumble under her breath. Leave it to Zarius to send her on her way with the bare minimum of information possible. Still, she wasn’t one to complain too much about such things. Even if he had sent her on a seemingly impossible task, she was determined that she would complete it anyway. Despite his very obvious, very intentional obstacles for her.

Zarius’ contact could likely be anyone. From a teenager like her running through the streets, to one of the older and wizened men playing some kind of board game on a corner, to any of the shop keeps or common folk around. Somehow, she would have to pick out just one of them as her contact. With a casual air she walks around this bustling market, pretending to peruse the goods on display, though in truth she was studying the people around her, trying to search for any small clue as to who she might be looking for-

"Are you Master Zarius' friend? I'm Cirice."

Wait.

Huh…?

Out of the corner of her eyes, while picking up some fabric on display to seemingly study with her hands, she watches a young woman speak to a man who had approached her. There was… no way it would be this easy, was there? The person she was looking for could not be going around just asking if strangers were friends of Zarius, could they? The very idea sounded ludicrous. She must have misheard the name that girl spoke. Surely.

"Oh... I'm sorry. I didn't realize... I'll go then. My apologies, sir. I was awaiting for someone."

…

By the Gods. She was going to kill Zarius next she saw him. Or at least glare at him very strongly.

Putting the fabric down, much to the disappointment of the stall owner, Iryla tugs her hood over her head and sets off after the girl. For a while, she just follows her from behind, making sure to keep out of immediate sight. Perhaps this was some kind of test. Or perhaps she was heading somewhere more private.

Or… Or maybe she was just lost, Iryla couldn’t help but think with a sinking feeling in her stomach. She watches for a few more moments as the girl seems to just stand there and sigh to herself before heading back in the direction of the market.

Perhaps this was some kind of test, perhaps not. Either way, Iryla would gain nothing by simply standing here. So when the girl passes by the mouth of the alley, Iryla is quick to grab her arm, and then link their arms together to walk close by her side.

“Master Zarius, was it? I hope I didn’t mishear.”

This could potentially become a very, very awkward situation if she had.

“Master Zarius, was it? I hope I didn’t mishear.”  says the unfamiliar girl who's suddenly grabbing Cirice's arm and walking by her side as if they were the closest of friends.

"Oh! Hi!" She's startled, but smiles warmly, "you're correct I was looking for someone he said would find me here. I guess that's you?" She looks over the new friend on her arm. "your hair is very pretty, are you from Starlight City? It's my first time here. I'm Cirice, pleasure to meet you!"

Her smile is bright and trusting, naïve to a fault. She turns that smile on Iryla, joyful at succeeding on the first task Zarius gave her. "I hope we can be friends!" She squeezes Iryla's arm gently in hers, mistaking the gesture as a friendly one and pulling the half-elven girl just the smallest bit closer so she can look at her with large, lilac eyes. "Let's get something to drink and get to know each other so we can work well together!" She starts heading towards a smaller tavern she'd seen, a hole in the wall really, without a care in the world.

Iryla blinks a bit owlishly in response to the girl’s, Cirice’s, rapid-fire chatter. It was hard to imagine someone so talkative and full of pep being a friend of that Zarius’. Then again, he did seem the type who would know just about everyone, for better or worse. Embarrassingly, her face flushes a bit at the compliment to her hair. It wasn’t often she heard compliments, okay?

But she wasn’t here to actually make friends, and neither was Cirice, though she seemed very eager to do so. There was a job they both had to look into, after all. And Iryla was nothing if not determined to do a good job, if only to prove to everyone else that she could. She had no doubt that somewhere Zarius was very amused with himself for sending her off with hardly any instructions on some strange mission that would probably be next to impossible to complete, but Iryla was going to complete it. If only to see the look on his face when she got back to Darkveil.

Drawing herself out of her thoughts and back to the situation at hand, Iryla nods faintly. “Right… A drink. I suppose we can do that.” Would they even serve her here…? Darkveil was often loose with the rules, but she had heard that other cities might be a little more strict about serving young people alcohol. Maybe they would have… juice or something. Or maybe they wouldn’t care about her age.

Her assumptions are likely half right- No one bats much of an eye about two young women entering a tavern around lunch time, but when they sit together at a table, the waitress who comes to serve them does give Iryla a bit of a look that has her sinking down in her chair.

“What can I get you ladies? Can I get you anything to drink to start off with? Maybe… some milk?”

Iryla’s face burns.

“...Water is fine for me.”

“Right. Water for you then. Can I get anything for you, Miss?”

Cirice looks at Iryla quizzically, not thinking much of her age at all and wondering why she blushed so cutely, and then looks at the waitress "Milk? Great idea! I'd like some coconut milk, please!" She smiles warmly at the waitress who nods and leaves to get their drinks. 

She watches Iryla as she sinks into her chair, clearly embarrassed but by what Cirice isn't sure. They're seemingly not that far apart in age and Iryla is obviously confident and cool. She'd taken Cirice by the arm so smoothly, like this was just another day for her, clearly she's someone to be learned from. Zarius must have really been looking out for Cirice by giving her such a wonderful guide. And it doesn't hurt that she's cute too. The waitress bringing them their drinks breaks her out of her thoughts and she straightens, trying not to seem too inexperienced in front of her new friend.

"So... Zarius said we were looking for something. Like a clue...?" She pulls off one of her long black gloves to reveal her arm covered in sigils and runes that all look quite strange. Some of the drawings are uncomfortable to look at but she seems unbothered by them as she looks at the back of her wrist as one would a watch and reads a small note written there. "I asked Mother Moon where we could find what we're looking for and she said  'a lead to power long lost lies among those long-forgotten...' I think that means a ruin. Maybe? What do you think?" She slides her glove back on and looks at her companion with eagerness.

It is a bit of a relief when Cirice either does not notice, or politely does not comment, on the waitress' treatment towards Iryla. She knew that she was very young, but she was competent nonetheless, damn it! Though, taking a second look at her new companion, if Iryla had to guess, maybe they weren't that far apart in age after all..? It could be hard to tell with elves, never mind the fact that Iryla herself was half elf. The slums where she were 'raised' weren't known for having very many of the fair folk wandering around, after all. Seeing other elves was a bit of a new experience for her still. For all Iryla really knew, Cirice could be hundreds of years old. But listening to her talk, watching her mannerisms, she seemed much more childlike and curious than Iryla had ever been. 

"Mother moon...?" Was that some kind of contact of hers? Maybe she didn't need to know. Deciding not to question it too much, Iryla thinks. She leans forward and takes a sip of her water, using the closer proximity to Cirice to talk a bit more softly. "Our mutual friend didn't give me much of anything to work off of." Typical. "But 'Those long forgotten'... Hm. That could really mean anything. Could be a lost book of some kind. Could be a person. There's too many options for what that could be, but a ruin would make sense."

She takes another sip of her water and tries to recall what she saw coming into the city for the first time. It was a long, tiring journey to get here, but Iryla had been fascinated by the changing scenery nonetheless.

"...Outside of the city, about a days walk from here, I think I remember passing by some strange looking rocks." They had seemed almost man-made in appearance, but she hadn't had the time to investigate them. 

"If we were going to search for ruins, that might not be a bad place to start."

Out of the corner of her eye, she takes note of a cloaked individual that seems to be facing their direction, but upon her glance, they turn away. Well then. It wasn't like she expected this job to be very easy anyway. Where would be the fun in that if everything went according to plan?

"Miss!" She calls over the waitress from before none too quietly. "Do you know of any inns with rooms available for the night? My friend and I are in need of a place to stay."

"Well, there's a few rooms available upstairs. They're not very fancy, but the beds are clean and breakfast is included in your stay."

Iryla smiles faintly and glances at Cirice. "Perfect! We need all the rest we can get tonight, the two of us are going on a hike tomorrow morning." Or, maybe, they would leave in the dead of night, but no one else needed to know that.

"Yeah a hike! It's going to be so fun!" Cirice giggles, "We'll need a hearty breakfast as well as a good night's rest too! I'll pay for us a room!" She hands the waitress a few solars, gets the key to a room and takes Iryla's hand in hers, practically skipping upstairs with her and into the room. The room is pretty small and has two small, unkempt wooden beds sitting side-by-side with only a small table between. She drops Iryla's hand, sets her bag down on one of the beds and sits down, looking at her new friend. 

"So. Tomorrow we'll start our journey to these weird rocks and see if we can find some ruins and go from there! Sounds like a plan to me!" She grins. "In the meantime tell me about yourself! I don't even know your name... Start there maybe?"

She starts taking her boots off and undoing the laces of her corset, uncaring that Iryla is right there and not considering if she'll be uncomfortable. AS she takes off her gloves and sets them on the table neatly, her dress hanging loosely off her form she realizes her blunder. 

"...Are you alright with sleeping together? Wait no I don't mean like together-together. I-I just mean in the same room... I could have gotten you your own room if you wanted. I don't mind. I just thought since we are going to be working together and traveling together it just made more sense to share and get to know each other better. Like slumber party! I've heard thats what friends do..." She flounders and tries to make the other girl more comfortable, realizing that she's making a lot of assumptions about her new friend and not wanting to make her uncomfortable right away in her lack of experience. 

For a moment, Iryla is impressed with Cirice’s acting. She had quite a knack for selling the bright eye’d and excited adventurer to the waitress and the others who might be watching them. At least, Iryla is impressed until they get to their room for the night and she realizes that it is, in fact, not an act at all.

“I.. One thing at a time.” She holds up a hand, trying to sort through everything Cirice had said so she could respond in kind. “Zarius did not tell you my– Actually.. Nevermind. That makes sense that he wouldn’t. My name is Iryla. No last name. And why are you- What in the world is a.. Slumber party…? You do realize we aren’t actually staying here tonight, don’t you?” The last sentence is said in a slightly more hushed tone, though she was certain they could talk privately here and there was little chance they’d be spied on so soon, it didn’t hurt to be safe.

“Did you not notice the… I. No. If you wish to sleep, go ahead and do so, but be ready to head out around midnight. We won’t actually be staying here until breakfast.”

She doesn’t seem phased at all by Cirice’s state of undress, or the fact that they’d have to share a room. In fact, it doesn’t really cross her mind to be bothered by such a thing. She had slept in far worse places, with far worse company after all. Not to mention that modesty is not usually a concept taught very well on the streets.

“I may need to go out for a few hours myself, but I’ll be back before nightfall.” She had most of the supplies she would need for an overnight trip, but it wouldn’t hurt to stock up on rations and see if she could perhaps ferret out any useful information from around town before they set out. She’d have to be discrete, of course, but Iryla was good at that sort of thing.

"Oh nice to meet you Iryla! That's a lovely name. I've never heard one like it. Doesn't sound elvish. You're a moon elf too, aren't you? Wait... we're not staying...? Why?" Cirice starts chattering away excitedly but frowns at her and pauses before taking off more of her clothes. "I need to sleep to commune with Mother Moon. She might have some help or guidance for us..."

Cirice looks at the bed and back at Iryla, looking unsure of what to do. She doesn't want to be left alone or be a burden, and if the other girl decides she wants to leave then she shouldn't stop her and should be patient, right? Iryla looks as if she's frustrated suddenly, did she say something wrong?

"A slumber party is when you spend the night with someone you like and stay up talking and gossiping and bonding. I kind of hoped we could do something like that ahead of our adventure. If you want to go out though, I understand..." Her smile saddens a little, "Could I come with you or would I be a problem? I'm pretty handy."

She quickly starts putting herself back together, tying her boots even tighter and giving Iryla a determined look. 

Iryla tried not to wince when Cirice brought up the origins of her name, she really tried not to. But the expression crept up on her face anyway. Worse yet was when Cirice asked if she was also a moon elf.

Her name.

It was one of two things she had left from whoever her parents were. According to the orphanage staff when she was dumped on their doorstep, it was one of the few things she could tell them. Not where she came from. Not even a last name to go off of. Just ‘Iryla’, she had cried. Just Iryla.

She didn’t even know where it came from, or what it meant. Though according to Cyran it did mean something. What was it he had told her again..? The sharp harmony of the mists.

Sharpness. At least that seemed to fit.

“I am.. Certainly an elf.” She answered in lieu of diving deeper into the problem Cirice had unwittingly presented to her. She was just that, certainly an elf. Though what else she had no idea. She wasn’t even quite sure if she was a moon elf at all, though it seemed likely from the way other actual elves reacted to her. She had never known much about other elves, either moon or sun or something else all together. They were.. A far off kind of thing. She didn’t see many in the slums of Darkveil growing up, and as a result she…

She didn’t know anything, really. About what it meant to be an elf. Maybe that was fitting. She was more slum rat than elven or even human. Even if she had been cleaned up and put in better clothes.

Shaking off these darker thoughts and tries to focus on what Cirice is saying, only to feel a twinge in her chest at Cirice’s obvious disappointment over not having this ‘slumber party’. It wouldn’t be possible to do that in their situation, but it was obvious Cirice didn’t understand why, so with a low voice Iryla does her best to explain.

“We were being watched downstairs, and our conversation was probably heard. All of it. So we need to leave in the middle of the night to get to the ruins, because whoever was spying on us will think we are leaving in the morning.” She paused for a moment before continuing. “I don’t know who ‘mother moon’ is but if you need to sleep to.. Commune with her, you should do that now. I need to go out and just grab some supplies before we leave. Rations. Maybe a lamp. Can you see in the dark?”

She paused again and thought over her words. Then, continued a bit more hesitantly.

“You can… come with me if you want to. I’m not saying any of this because I don’t want you to come or anything like that. I’m just… trying to be efficient. I… I’m sorry if I’m coming across… a bit mean.” She muttered, turning her face away to hide her flushed cheeks.

"Why do you sound so uncertain...?" Cirice tilts her head to the side when Iryla gives the non-committal answer. Iryla appears to be at least part elf, her ears and features tending that way, and her her hair makes her think she might be a moon elf like Cirice herself. She's cute but she seems... unsure of herself? Is that it? But as Iryla starts explaining why they need to leave in the middle of the night and what she's intending to do Cirice can't help but think she's clearly experienced in this sort of thing. But then she's confused again as Iryla apologizes, she wasn't sounding mean, if anything her explanation really showed Cirice how far apart they are in skills and experience.



"You didn't sound mean, Iryla. I appreciate you explaining this to me." She looks to the bed bashfully, "As I'm sure you can tell I'm really new to this all... This is my first adventure. I don't want to be a nuisance or hold you back. I want to prove myself. To you. To Zarius. To Mother Moon. To everyone. So please have patience with me. I promise I'll do my best to learn as much as I can from you. I didn't even realize we should be careful about talking loudly or someone might be or was watching us... I'm sorry."



She tucks her hair behind her ears and takes a deep breath, steeling her resolve and trying her best to explain. "Mother Moon is Lunala, that's what she told me to call her. I hear her, in my dreams. She directs my path and gives me help and advice on what to do. Its usually pretty cryptic. That's why I thought sleeping and communing with her would be a good idea, I hoped she might be able to give more clues to help us. I'll stay here if you think that's best, but I can see in the dark. I can help others to see in the dark as well. Its a blessing Mother Moon bestowed upon me."



Iryla isn't facing her, she's turned away and she can't read her expression. What if she's already decided Cirice will be in the way?

"Just tell me what you think is best and I will follow you. Can we be friends? Please?"

"Why do you sound so uncertain...?"

Iryla winced again and rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly. Usually this was the point in the conversation where people would drop this line of questioning, but it seemed Cirice would not. Maybe it was because she wasn’t from Darkveil, and wasn’t so used to the sight of orphans of unknown, miscellaneous background lingering on every street corner and every covered alley.

“I don’t… Know exactly what I am. I know I’m partially elven. That’s about it.” She says as casually as she can, throwing in a bit of a shrug for good measure. “Most people seem to take me as a moon elf, so sure, let's go with that.”

She is a bit relieved when Cirice accepts her explanation of the plan easily, and nods with a bit more understanding when Cirice explains herself. Though the mention of ‘Lunala’ does catch her a little off guard. Iryla didn’t know much of religion, knowing how to pray wouldn’t fill your stomach or line your pocket. But she knew the names of the gods at the very least. She didn’t think that any of them speaking with someone like that was a normal occurrence. But… Maybe she was just wrong about that?

“...Stay here. Get some sleep- And I’m not- I’m not saying that because I think you’ll be in the way. But if you really can commune with a higher power, that could be extremely useful.” She’d take anything Cirice heard in her dream with a grain of salt. She could just be a very vivid dreamer after all, or maybe a bit insane. But information was information. And Iryla would take all the information she could get.

“Anything we can use before going into an unknown situation will be useful. So sleep. And- We can.. We can talk about being friends after getting through this in one piece, yeah?” It wasn’t a no, but Iryla was far too awkward and already far too embarrassed to directly say something as cheesy as ‘Sure, lets be friends!’

"Oh, I'm sorry I didn't realize... I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable... It seems I can't help but do that... Well I think you're amazing and I hope I can earn your friendship." She rubs her arm, a bit dejected and sits back on the bed. "I will commune with Mother Moon and pray for her guidance. I'm sure she'll give us something to help." She gives Iryla a muted smile, trying not to look hurt. 

She starts taking off her gloves and pauses, "I don't suppose you need any help seeing in the dark, do you? I can bless you with dark vision if you want. Mother Moon has granted me some modicum of her power and she promised as I grow as an adventurer and gain glory and power in her name she'll grant me more. I can also heal if you get hurt. And I've never used them but I have a couple damaging spells as well." The runes on her hands glow violet and shadowy claws extend from her fingertips. looking viscous and sharp. She flexes her fingers and the claws rake at the air before disappearing. "Oh and I can create moonlight, or make something glow with it if we need that. I promise I'm not useless."

She finishes her little show and starts undressing again, this time more thoughtfully, starting with her boots and socks and then her corset. She lays down and closes her eyes, pulling the thread-bare blanket over herself and trying not to peek at Iryla from under her eyelids. Please Mother Moon, give me something to help us on our way, She prays silently.

“You… Think I’m amazing?” There’s an odd, strained sort of hitch to her voice. She… wasn’t expecting that. “But we hardly know each other…” There’s a doubtful tone to that last part, a sort of confusion she can’t quite place. Why in the world was Cirice so insistent on being so kind to her? So flattering? It was hard to tell if this was some kind of trick or not, but for now she’d simply take it at face value.

She shakes her head to Cirice’s question, trying to get her mind back on track. “No, I’m able to see in the dark on my own. But magic in general will be very useful, all I’m able to do is use my knives.” Having a mage on the journey will be a huge boon, she’s sure of that. The ability to heal and hurt in the same breath without having to get close to an enemy could be the difference between life and death in certain situations.

“Stay here and do your communing, I’ll be back soon and we’ll head out after dark.” Getting ready to go, she pulls her cloak over her head and goes over to the window of their room, intending to slip away without hopefully without being seen leaving their room. With one last glance over her shoulder, Iryla feels a twinge of guilt at the forlorn expression on the other girl’s face. So she hesitantly, awkwardly, tries to offer her a smile.

“We’ll do fine. Just get some rest. I’ll wake you when I’m back.”

And with that, she slips from the window and to the ground bellow, tumbling as she lands and then disappearing from the alley and into the busy city streets.

A few hours later, just after sunset, Iryla slips back into their shared room with a pack of fresh equipment over her shoulder. She shakes Cirice’s shoulder and shushes her quickly before she can make a noise.

“We should leave soon.” She whispers. “I got some supplies for us. I also found the back door to this place and a way out of the city, so we’ll sneak out that way whenever you’re ready. How did your… communing go?”

The hitch in Iryla's voice hurts Cirice's heart. What could have happened to this girl to make her so unused to compliments? How bereft of kindness does a life need to be for one to be so uncertain when faced with it? As Cirice starts to drift off to sleep she pledges that she will not only learn from Iryla all she has to teach, but she'll also teach her the value of friendship. 

Laying back and focusing on falling asleep, Cirice finds herself in the familiar deep, gloomy darkness that makes up her dreams. "A shining light that seeks an owner, a power to be claimed. In ancient ruin find the ledger, the path ahead contained," the voice speaks, like a distant rumbling from the corners of the darkness. Cirice opens her mouth to ask a question but she's jerked awake by Iryla shaking her shoulder. She looks up at Iryla with jet-black eyes for a moment before the blackness recedes and they're back to their normal lilac.

"Oh good, you're back..." She smiles sleepily and stretches a little, a soft yawn escaping her lips, "Sounds like you were successful. Mother Moon told me the ruins were right, theres a ledger there that can tell us more, I think." She gets up and starts getting dressed again.

"Lead the way, I'll try to be as quiet as possible." She gives Iryla a determined look as she settles her backpack back onto her shoulders and the tattoos on her face start to glow softly with violet light. The body chains she wears make little tinkling sounds and she quickly removes them, giving Iryla an apologetic look. "Okay, NOW I'm ready!"

Opening the door and peeking around to see if anyone is outside the girls sneak out of the room and quietly down the stairs. Iryla is stealth and shadow, a natural at being unseen and inconspicuous, and Cirice... plonks along as quietly as she can behind her, sticking to the shadows as much possible, the glow of her tattoos making it harder for her to be stealthy. They manage to get out of the tavern seemingly without being seen and start heading towards the back exit of the city. Its a dark night, the new moon robbing the sky of most of its light. The City is fairly quiet but it never truly sleeps. They pass plenty of people moving quickly, burning the midnight oil as much as they are. As they near the exit Iryla found it appears they are being followed at a distance.

"Iryla..." She whispers, grabbing her hand gently, "I think I saw someone behind us..."