It has been some time since Everett last was in contact with the paladin vampire, Sylvari. In the time between their meetings, he's been working hard on saving up funds from odd jobs around Charon with the intention of paying Sylvari back for everything she's done for him. The woman saved him from being eaten by hungry monsters on three separate occasions, and despite his ineptitude, has been nothing but supportive and kind to him. Needless to say, he both feels embarrassed and deeply indebted to the paladin.

Though some may take advantage of such feelings, Sylvari has actually made it very difficult for him to repay her in any capacity. Try as he might, she has always humbly turned down any offers of repayment other than sharing in celebratory drinks at taverns after their missions. While he can't complain about the show of camaraderie, he still feels that he owes her so much more especially when he's been a floundering fool on most of their quests. 

Feeling like a burden is awful. He can't help but resent his own weakness and shortcomings. It feels wrong. Though, he can hardly explain why.

At the very least, those feelings have driven him to do his best to practice his magic whenever he can while helping people in any way he can. The effort has paid off little by little. His magic and control of it has not only increased in potency but also in its breadth of capabilities. Each time he makes progress, it feels like a part of him has emerged back out of that fog that obscures his past and who he once was. It's not that he's learning new spells, but more that he's slowly remembering what he used to be capable of. It's both exhilarating and terrifying. Just what kind of person was he before to need such spells?

The answer to that question still isn't clear, but he's not in much of a hurry to find the answer either. The past is in the past, and he has plenty to worry about in the present. 

Specifically, treating a friend to a seaside picnic. 

The Luna Inlet is a nice secluded area with a great view of the ocean. The grassy hills rise up from the sandy beaches before scattered trees break up the scenery. The sea breezes are crisp and carry the subtlest salty tang on the wind as the sound of waves crashing against the shore ripple up the hillside. It's relatively peaceful and far less populated than the busy streets of Sol City and it's way nicer smelling than both the sewers and the swamps of the Marsh Flats. He'd be lying if he didn't choose the area because of his personal bias towards being near the ocean, and he just hopes that Sylvari doesn't mind.

It takes some time, but he manages to get everything set up just before he expects Sylvari to arrive. At least, he hopes she arrives. The whole letterdrake mail service strikes him as a bit odd and for some reason, the drakes were really skittish around him. Sending a letter was a lot harder than he expected, and there was no real guarantee that Sylvari was even able to meet up with him. She could be on the opposite side of the continent for all he knows. 

Perhaps he should have waited until he got a response. 

Dammit, was he too eager?

The anxious thoughts easily intrude in his mind. He paces back and forth next to the little campsite he's been using while in the area, worrying that he's yet again made a complete fool of himself. 

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Luna Inlet - A small inlet of water that breaches the coast and carves its way into the area. It's a nice supply of water and allows for merchants to bring small boats in land when trying to reach the local villages.

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A small sailing ship entered the harbor of the Luna Inlet. It was an otherwise unremarkable vessel, save for the unusual passengers it carried. Several nobles of Eclipse city could be seen aboard, a mundane enough event in this popular getaway destination, save perhaps for their number. There was practically a small army of them, a vessel of this size not nearly large enough to ferry them if they had their usual entourages. In fact, the lot of them had a single guard, a half-veiled woman in massive dark plate. She had been making waves in higher circles around the world, and particularly so in this corner of the world, as an emerging dignitary of note.

The justiciar stood unmoving as a sentinel statue at the vessel's prow, her imposing warhammer pressed firmly against the deck as she surveyed the scene until the little boat made its way to fully dock. Once their voyage was formerly complete, it seemed as if a spell had been broken: the knight's stern facade broke into a wide smile, wishing all under her care a safe stay as she stepped oof the boat herself when all the others had.

Sylvari always loved efficiency, so when her dear friend Everett had invited her for a friendly outing in the Luna Inlet, it gave her the perfect excuse to appease the clamoring nobles of her homeland, who wanted to get a measure of the mysterious dark paladin making waves. Glad to finally be rid of such esteemed personages, Sylvari followed the instructions in Everett's letter to a quaint little campsite, where she found her friend flitting nervously about.

"Hello there, dear. It's been quite some time, hasn't it?"

Everett is not left alone with his anxiety for long, as the sound of metal clanking draws his attention towards the approaching justicar. Sylvari is a welcome sight as always, and her gentle smile washes his nerves away like the tide. He stops pacing and returns her welcoming smile with one of his own. 

"Yes, it has. Feels like too long if I'm being honest!" He says with a friendly chuckle. "How have you been?" 

The last time they saw each other it had been in the Marsh Flats when they were on a mission to exterminate a pair of problematic giant creepy crawlies. The paladin had saved him then too. 

Since then, Everett has traveled as far as Dragon's Cradle, and the more he's traveled, the more he's realized just how out of place he feels. There have been places he's visited that feel like he should be familiar with them, only to not recognize anything. He's passed hundreds of unfamiliar faces, and has had a hard time making connections. Some people he's met have been more than kind to him, but it's hard to relate to others when you don't really know much about yourself. He tries not to think about it too much for his own sake. 

Sylvari, at least, has been a consistent and steadfast friend to him. One he hopes he does not forget. 

"How was the trip? The weather has been pretty mild inland, but the sea can be a different story." He asks before gesturing towards the little picnic he's set up just on the crest of the hill overlooking the inlet. It's not much, but there's some food to snack on and a few bottles of the drinks Everett noticed Sylvari seemed to favor at the taverns they've visited.

His smile turns a little sheepish. "I hope this is okay."

"Oh you know me, darling, I muddle through." Sylvari flashed Everett an impish smile, able to be a bit more free with her expressions. Since Everett knew of the justiciar's curse, she was not worried about flashing her fangs a bit. "Though I must say, not many of those I meet on the road hold a candle to your pleasantness, Everett. How have you fared since our parting, my friend?"

Sylvari's smile quivered slightly as she viewed the thoughtful little picnic of snacks that Everett had arrayed for them, dreading the thought of forcing the ashy foods down her throat and then regurgitating them later. Still, she couldn't blame her friend. The vampiress had never been explicit with the details of her curse to Everett, focusing more on the existential dread con of her condition than the myriad daily difficulties. To the adventurer's credit, Sylvari noted how he had selected carefully and assortment of snacks that she had partaken in, albeit with forced cheer in their tavern visits together.

It can't be helped. I won't put a damper on Everett's kind and thoughtful efforts by worrying him over my diet. Buck up, girl, and show your devotion for your friend.

Everett's question about her journey pulled the justiciar back to the present. "The weather was fair, and only a few bouts of piracy on the waves, which were easily quelled. All in all, given my esteemed company, I was guarding a group of nobles, you see, things went better than expected. I suppose that will be to my eventual benefit, with the power behind those folks, but I much prefer informal relationships built over trust, like ours." 

Sylvari's crimson eyes gleamed like twin rubies as she removed her veil and smiled wide, beginning to force the food down her throat, drawing on all her earned acting skills to feign enjoyment, backed by a genuine sentiment of appreciation.

Everett frowns a bit. "That's unfortunate to hear. I would've hoped you found plenty of pleasant company during your travels." 

With Sylvari being such an easy person to get along with, it's hard for him to picture her receiving harsh treatment or ill comments. But then again, people can be unnecessarily cruel and quick to judge, especially when fear is involved. 

"I've been more or less alright," he shrugs as he takes a seat on the soft grass. "Mostly been doing odd jobs since our last mission."

Reaching over, he pops the cork on one of the bottles before offering it to Sylvari. He knows that her condition makes it so she doesn't gain any nutritional benefit from drinking and eating, but he doesn't really understand that it means she can't enjoy partaking at all. Ignorance on his part, and if he knew, he would feel like an inconsiderate fool for putting Sylvari in such an awkward position just to appear polite towards him. 

"Pirates, huh?" He pulls the cork off another bottle for himself. "Y'know, I met a man who claimed he was a pirate before he fell on hard times. He seemed eager to return to that line of work. I can't really imagine why, though I think his idea of that career path is a little glamourized." 

With the way Nieven spoke, you would have thought he believed pirates were heroes or something and not just scum of the earth criminals. Then again, with what he's heard about the authorities running around these days, he can't really blame people for seeing vigilantes and criminals in a different light. Sometimes the guards act no better than the people they are supposed to be safeguarding the public from. It's a shame, really.

He gives Sylvari another thoughtful smile. "Guard work is starting to look a bit beneath you. Your accomplishments are starting to make the rounds amongst gossiping deckhands at the docks." 

It wasn't just pretty words. Rumors of Sylvari's acts were starting to circulate through taverns, passed around by bards looking to earn some coin by telling grand adventures of even the strangest folk inhabiting Charon. He'd even heard some weird stories of a literal child becoming a noble. Bards tended to exaggerate, so he really doubts the validity of that claim. But he has heard a few tales of Sylvari and her accomplishments gaining her some fame around the continent. 

It's impressive, and he is thoroughly impressed with all she's managed to do so far. Perhaps the stories would help counter the stigma against those with her condition. He can only hope so, as Sylvari has more than proven she is a good person deserving of kindness rather than suspicion and violence. 

"I imagine it is hard for you to give your trust to others given your circumstances..." he swirls the liquid in the bottle gently. "It's an honor to be one of the lucky few with it." 

Sylvari leaned back on her hands, taking the proffered bottle that Everett offered as she listened to his stories, her delight at their easy conversation almost turning the ashy drink sweet in her mouth by transitive property of the pleasant company. Almost. She still had to fight to avoid sputtering to get the vile liquid out of her mouth, but she managed admirably, an iron will keeping her hands and lips steady.

As Everett's words turned to ones of praise Sylvari sat up with an fond smile, waving away the compliments with a motion of her gauntleted hand. "Of the earthly pleasures still afforded to me by the strictures of my oath, pride is not among them. Should I ever reach a point that I think myself above the considerations of those who would beg my assistance, I would become a blight on this world, better off dead than to continue down the path of eventual wickedness. Evil is an insidious thing, my dear. Give it an inch and it will take a mile; like creeping water it will find the leaks in the dam of your willpower and press until you become a creature unrecognizable to yourself, quite without realizing. Besides, a spark of hubris might very well get me killed in my line of work. It seems Charon is only becoming more dangerous as time goes on..."

Sylvari's face drifts down into a frown, before she catches herself and forces a smile to her face once more. "But I apologize. Today is about reminiscing with dear friends, not giving lectures." The vampiress reached out to delicately take Everett's hand. "And you are a dear friend, Everett. Friends like you are more precious than gold, darling. Not everyone is so accepting of me after discovering my true nature, so from the bottom of my heart, thank you so much."

He chuckles. Sylvari is as humble as ever. Though he really does doubt the woman would slide down a slippery slope so easily even if she was to make a few wrong steps. Few paths in life are one-way, though turning back can be far more challenging than moving forward at times. 

"I don't think it's wrong to acknowledge how far you've come. Of course, you can still help people as you wish, but you are just one person. I think it's reasonable to pick and choose what you do with your time since you cannot possibly do everything."

She does have a point though. There are countless stories of those who embraced corruption and became beyond salvation. Stories of risen villains, and fallen heroes. Surely there would be countless more with time, but he really does hope that Sylvari's story would not be added to that tragic library. 

"It's alright," he takes a sip of his drink. "I don't mind talking about those sorts of things or hearing your points." 

If he was being completely honest, hearing other opinions about these things is helpful in him figuring out how he feels about those things. Sometimes it's hard for him to figure it out on his own. 

Sylvari's touch catches him a bit off guard, but he lets her take his hand after he puts down the bottle. His sapphire eyes meet her rubies as she thanks him for what really should just be common decency. It's a shame it is not. 

"I would be a real jerk to reject you based on something out of your control instead of your actions. You've saved me more than once. I think that speaks volumes in and of itself." 

Sylvari shook her head slightly with a sad smile. "Mmm, you would be as the bulk of people in this world, fearful of what you do not know. I don't begrudge them their caution. The vast majority of my kind are treacherous villain that would as soon roast you on a spit as offer a helping hand. More than a few are so nefarious as to feign nobility until a final, brutal betrayal. In light of this, I shan't let you get away with absolving yourself of deserved praise for your openness and trust. It truly is a light to me, as a woman thrust into the world of darkness."

Sylvari grinned playfully, grabbing the bottle Everett had set down and taking a swig, before looking out to the gentle waves of the ocean cresting the shore. "But enough about such dreary ponderings, darling. Tell me about you. Anything in your travels jostle something loose in that head of yours? Have you learned about your past, or perhaps resolved yourself with growth for the future?"

Though it was clear she was listening intently for his answer, the vampiress closed her eyes, enjoying how the sea breeze tousled her platinum hair in rippling waves, as she waited for Everett's response.

"I mean..." he hums. "There is a staggering amount that I do not know. If I was constantly afraid of the unknown I wouldn't be able to sleep at night or get anything done." 

He wouldn't mention how the first few nights after he woke up with memory loss were exactly that. It would have been all too easy to slip into that pit of despair, unable to crawl his way back out. But he's been lucky to have people offer a hand to pull him up out of the mud time and time again. It'd be disrespectful of him to make a waste of their kindness and compassion. 

He can't help but snort a laugh. "I don't know how praiseworthy it is. Reckless or naive may be more accurate. I'm lucky no one has brutally betrayed me yet I suppose." 

When Sylvari snatches the bottle from him, he smiles and sits back. He joins her in looking out across the glistening waters as their conversation turns to focus on his own circumstances. 

"Nothing substantial yet, I'm afraid," he admits. "I don't know if that's a good thing or not. There's a chance that what I learn will not be good. I'm not sure what I'll do if it ends up being really bad."

That's not entirely true. If it turns out he is some sort of murderer or criminal, then of course he would turn himself in. It's the least he can do to atone for whatever misfortune and misery he's caused. Hopefully his plans would prove to be completely unnecessary. 

"I'm trying to just focus on moving forward. If my past comes back to haunt me, then I will deal with it when it surfaces." 

Sylvari smiled over at her friend impishly. "Wasn't it you who said that what counts is people's willingness to make up for the mistakes of the past? I think that's doubly true in your case, my dear. Whoever you were before you lost your memory, I'm certain that you were as noble as you are now, but even if your amnesia is hiding dark secrets, you've chosen a different path in your new lease on life. Don't doubt your heart by things that have occurred in the shadows of the past. We make the people we become everyday, and, for what it's worth, I think you're becoming someone beautiful, darling."

The vampiress smiled, bumping into Everett's shoulder softly and playfully, hoping the motion would shake him from the cloud of melancholy that had fallen over him. Despite the warm smile that graced her lips, Sylvari's thoughts were awash with worry and doubt. Who was she to be comforting Everett in his loss, when she struggled with the very same things? She could only provide the same comfort Everett had given her, those moons ago in the swamp.

Sylvari's grin is infectious and he can't help but smile back at her.

"You're right. I shouldn't dwell on it."

Like footprints left in the sand, time eventually washes everything away. So far, he's learned very little about his past, which means there just might not be anything to learn in the first place. While that might be disappointing to some, to him it's probably the best outcome he could hope for. No news is good news in this case.

Even if it turns out not to be the case, at the very least he does believe that Sylvari wouldn't turn her back on him. That thought alone is incredibly comforting. Just knowing that there's at least one person in the whole world who he could go to in his darkest times is more than enough. 

He squeezes her hand a little bit after she bumps his shoulder. 

"Thank you, and for what it's worth, I think you're pretty incredible." 

Knowing Sylvari like he does, he expects she probably will not think of herself in the same way he thinks of her. Though she's very good at hiding it and he will never confront her about it, he does have suspicions that she has a very hard time thinking kindly of herself. He understands why, it's far too easy to be one's own worst critic. He's just as guilty of it as she is. Maybe that's why they get along so well. Birds of a feather flocking together and all that.