As Ril talked with Gemma, the sun had begun it’s slow descent. When the horizon turned a brilliant shade of orange, a young woman walked into the clearing. Her name was Evelynn, and she had been living with Gemma in this forest for some time now. For what reason, Ril did not know. Perhaps she was here for Gemma’s instruction. Or maybe they were related, Although Ril doubted that second point. Evelynn was young. Practically, the same age as Ril himself. Which meant that theoretically, she could have been a grand daughter or a niece to Gemma. But practically, the two were far too different to be related. While Gemma had wispy white hair, traces of gray near the roots revealed that it had once been dark in color. Evelynn on the other hand, had thick wavy hair. Strangely though, her hair was a pale blue. Close in color to the blue of shallow ocean water. Or ice. Her body as well was different. Gemma had shrunk in on herself in her chair. But even from the sitting position, Ril could tell that the old lady resembled a duck, with wide hips, and a large chest. Evelynn on the other hand was tall and lithe. She stood nearly 6 feet tall. Ril couldn’t be sure at this distance but the girl was probably taller than him.

Evelynn wore loose fitting brown leathers. Around her shoulders the fur of some sort of shaggy beast gave her frame a gravity that belied her graceful appearance. Her jacket had a hood to it, but it was currently thrown back. She wore pants which tucked into knee high boots.

She came out of the forest roughly where Ril had mere hours before. Yet unlike Ril, she entered the clearing with confidence. Striding past the tree boundary as if she ruled the clearing and all who dared to live within. On her back, a brace of rabbits dangled. Presumably the meal that Gemma had promised would be arriving.

Evelynn deftly wove in between the raised garden beds that stood watch of the forest. She paused in front of the porch when she spotted Ril sitting in the wicker chair. Belatedly, Ril realized that the wicker chair was probably where Evelynn sat in the evenings with Gemma. Suddenly uncomfortable, Ril stood up, and stiffly sidled sideways away from the chair.

“Uh. Hi.” Ril said, giving an awkward hand wave.

“Who is this Gemma?” asked Evelynn, directing her question to Gemma as she took in Ril’s ratty clothes and pack.

“Hmm?” Gemma grumbled. She seemed absorbed in knitting while she rocked back and forth furiously. “Who’s who?”.

“Who is the young man standing on--” Evelynn started, getting cross. “You know what nevermind. Hi, my name is Evelynn, who are you and how did you get here?”

Evelynn directed the last portion of that sentence towards Ril. Glad that he wasn’t being ignored, Ril stepped forwards and said. “Hi. I’m. I mean, my name is Ril. I am travelling towards Anduin from Elkshire. I stumbled across this clearing, and Gemma invited me to stay over for a few days. Nice to meet you.”

“Ahuh. Hey Gemma, can you start the fire, I am heading in to prepare the rabbits.” she said, giving Gemma a glare as she strode nimbly past them and opened the door of the cottage, disappearing inside.

Ril blinked. Standing stiffly to the left of the wicker chair he had vacated.

“Wow.” Ril murmured.

Gemma cackled. “Sorry about that. I haven’t taught that one how to be nice to people yet.”

Gemma stood up from her rocking chair and set her knitting needles down on the chair she had just vacated. She made her way over to the side of the porch. Ril noticed that a small grill was parked there. The old lady opened the lid to the grill, and with a wink at Ril, placed her hand on what remained of the coals inside.

A woosh of flame rose up. Gemma pulled her hand back from the flames that now danced merrily in the grill. With a wink at Ril she ambled back towards her rocking chair and resumed her knitting.

Ril blinked again. Trying to process how the old lady had ignited the grill by ... placing her hand on the coals? But his mind was quickly drawn back to Evelynn. Who, to be honest, had not been very welcoming. But when she looked at Ril, not once had her eyes flicked up to Ril’s mirror bright hair. The only judgement that had crossed her eyes was in regards to the dirty clothes that he wore. Now that he thought about it. Gemma hadn’t mentioned or drawn focus to his hair either. Quickly, he grabbed a strand in front of his face and double checked that it was still silver. It was.

A small smile graced Ril’s face as he sat back down next to Gemma. He felt at home.

* * *

Evelynn soon came out with the rabbit carcasses skinned and deboned in a bowl. The meat was submerged in a dark sauce, seasoned heavily with salt, pepper, and several other green leafy things that Ril didn’t recognize. The meat met the grill with a sizzle and a puff of delicious steam. Evelynn covered the grill, and disappeared back into the house. Several minutes passed, in which chopping sounds could be heard from what Ril presumed was the kitchen.

Ril wondered if he should offer to help. Gemma, after her spectacular fire starting display had returned to her chair. Completely relaxed and displaying no indication that she planned on helping Evelynn prepare dinner. Not wanting to be rude, but also wanting to fit in, Ril eventually decided that it couldn’t hurt to ask.

“Should I--” Ril started.

“No, child. Evelynn doesn’t need your help. She has perfected this routine by now, so you will probably just get in the way.” Gemma replied, calmly continuing her knitting.

And so, Ril sat back, mildly uncomfortable that a stranger was making him dinner. Not long after, Evelynn stepped back onto the porch and flipped the pieces of meat on the grill. The smell of rabbit filled the air, and Ril’s mouth began to water.

“Ready!” Came a call from inside the house. “Bring in the rabbit if you could.”

Gemma stretched. Slowly getting up from her rocking chair.

“Be a dear and get the meat,” Gemma said to Ril, as she made her way to the front door of the house.

Ril collected the grilled rabbit steaks, on a plate that Evelynn had left out next to the grill, and stepped into the cottage.

It was dark in the cottage. The evening light seemed to struggle to make its way through the windows. Where the walls on the exterior of the cottage were rough - and even seemed to retain some of the bark in some places - the inside of the cottage was up to the standards of any modern home. The walls were painted a pale calming green. Clearly Gemma believed there was not enough green on the outside of the home.

In front of Ril stood a large heavy-timbered table which Gemma had already found a home at the head of. The table was set for three. The plates were made of pale wood, and were polished from years of use. A metal knife sat to the right of each plate, with a fork on the left. Gemma for her part, switched the two the moment she had sat down. Ril sat and placed the meat in the center of the table. Evelynn appeared out of the kitchen and placed a bowl of steaming rice, and a salad bowl on the table.

“Let’s eat!” Evelynn said and without ceremony the three began to eat.

* * *

“Have you ever been to Anduin?” asked Evelynn.

“Nope, this is actually the first time I have ever travelled outside of the walls of Elkshire.” Ril replied around a mouthful of rabbit.

“What do you plan to do in Anduin?” Evelynn asked.

“Oh so much! First I am going to explore the city. I heard that the Silver Spires are a sight to behold. It’s said that they reach all the way to the clouds.” Ril said, putting down his fork so that he could wave his hands to illustrate his point. “I mean, it’s the capital of the kingdom there are probably so many wonderful things to see there.”

“I guess...” Evelynn trailed off.

“After that I think that I will see if I can join the academy.” Ril continued, oblivious to Evelynn’s apparent lack of enthusiasm. “Gemma says that I have relatively high warp, so they could probably help me control it.”

“The academy?” Evelynn said, giving a startled look towards Gemma. Gemma for her part just returned a shit-eating grin back towards the young woman.

“You’ve heard of it?” Ril asked exuberantly.

“Uh, yeah. I’ve been there before actually,” Evelynn distractedly said

“Really? Could you tell me about it? I have only heard stories from the people in Elkshire. Which, fun fact, haven’t been to the academy either.”

“The academy is a school. They teach some subjects like history, but most of the focus is on fighting. Those that graduate from the academy almost exclusively go east to fight near the core. The rest find a cushy job in the capital, or go dungeon delving.” Evelynn shrugged. “There is an arena where students can test their skills against each other. But other than that it’s mostly just a bunch of fields filled with training dummies.”

“Awesome.” Ril said, a smile on his face as he tried to visualize the picture Evelynn was painting. “Have you fought in the arena before?”

“Of course. Everyone enrolled in the academy has. If you are good enough they let you attend for free.” Evelynn replied. She was watching Ril with a curious expression on her face. Ril’s enthusiasm for the academy was at odds with her nonchalance. With a shrug she returned to her meal. “What do you think you will do if you manage to graduate?”

“Oh dungeon delving sounds epic! Just imagine it. A group of adventurers descending into the dark abyss. Monsters swarming from all angles. Fighting their way through, the adventurers get to the end chamber, and scoop up the chromium dust that’s collected there before rushing back out.” Ril enthused. “But I think I might actually go to the front lines. I would like to fight shoulder to shoulder with others like me, making friends, pushing back the powder beasts, and reclaiming our land. Also my mother’s hometown is in the badlands. I would like to reclaim it and maybe build a farm.”

“That is a wonderful dream.” Evelynn said. Ril nodded returning to his meal. “I am actually heading to the academy in three days. We could go together. It would be safer to travel together. Maybe I could introduce you to someone in the academy to help you get in.”

“Thank you, Evelynn. I would love to travel with you to Anduin.” Ril replied, a large genuine smile split his face.

The conversation petered off after that, as they finished eating. Dinner now concluded. The three rose from the table. Gemma gathered the dishes and brought them to the kitchen. Evelynn disappeared in the backroom for a moment and returned with sheets for Ril. Handing them over to Ril, Evelynn led him to a comfortable looking couch.

“Here you go. Sheets. Pillow. Couch.” Evelynn said. Pointing to each object as if she was checking them off of a list. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight Evelynn.” Ril responded. “Goodnight, Gemma”

“Goodnight, Ril.” Called Gemma from her place in the kitchen

* * *

Evelynn walked into the kitchen looking at the back of Gemma who was busy scrubbing dishes in the sink.

“Why is he here, Gemma?” She asked the older woman.

“Why Ril. Lovely lad isn’t he. Needs help controlling his warp. I offered to teach the boy. Can’t just let him become a monster now can we.” Gemma’s slapstick response came back.

“Yeah, but why here? Why now?” Evelynn replied, getting irritated at Gemma’s lack of solemnity. “How do we know he is not some spy?”

“The boy’s clean, Eve.” Gemma said, finally turning around to face her young charge. “Just some kid heading over to the academy to prove himself. Sure he is lucky considering he survived in the dread thicket all alone. And his warp is unusually high. But his intentions are pure. Give the boy a chance Eve. God knows you need a friend.”

“A powerful friend. Yes. Key word being powerful. Not some peasant who is one step away from becoming a powder beast.” Evelynn retorted, her voice hushed.

“The boy has a strong will. You may find him a more powerful friend than you would think.”

“Really, how?” Evelynn said, putting her hands on her hips.

“He already has two abilities that I have never heard of before today. And he has an intelligence of 17. Don’t underestimate peasants simply because they did not grow up with your education Eve. Especially not peasants with more raw talent than yourself.” Gemma said. She shooed Evelynn away. “Now off you go. To bed. Tomorrow we start bright and early.”