As a Cursed elf, one born with no magic, Edwyr has been forced to live among humans for over ten years. He doesn't mind his job of defending the town that he now lives in from beast attacks, and he gets along with most of the humans well enough, but...
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Everything had been going well until the storm hit. They had managed to get to Everward just before that, which was all well and good, but Edwyr couldn't help but feel frustrated that they were now stuck here. Rationally, he knew that it was unlikely that Feyrith was traveling through all of that rain and lightning, but still, simply sitting here in an unfamiliar inn was making Edwyr antsy.
And Arbane and Lanna weren't helping with their insistence on being all upbeat and jovial. Edwyr fully realized that he was in the wrong here, which was the only reason he hadn't said anything to them, but he still couldn't help but feel annoyed with them.
He wondered why, though. He didn't remember being irritated with them often, and he'd known the two for years. But then he quickly realized what was now different. They had never been together for this long. Yes, they spent a lot of time together, but they also spent a lot of time apart. Edwyr hoped that the reason for his annoyance was his frustration at not being able to continue the journey, though, and not simply being around Arbane and Lanna. He truly didn't like the latter possibility.
"Hey, come on, it will be fine," said Arbane, putting the piece of bread he'd been eating aside. Lanna nodded emphatically, likely not talking only because her mouth was full of fried meat. "We'll catch up with him. And we can't go out there right now, anyway. Just relax."
Edwyr huffed. That was easier said than done. And not helped by the fact that both of his friends seemed to have no issues at all with it, unlike him, who found simply sitting around and waiting incredibly difficult.
He looked away from them and around the room, which immediately made everyone who had been staring at him look away. Edwyr scowled. Typical. They likely expected him to solve all of their problems with magic, much like the people of Sunwood had back when he'd arrived. Edwyr remembered that well, as well as the collective disappointment when they'd found out he couldn't use magic. He wasn't planning on sticking around Everward long enough for that, though he was getting the sense some of the people here had already put together something was off about him.
At least none of them had asked him for anything yet. Still, Edwyr didn't like how many people there were in the relatively small inn due to the storm, which was still raging outside. It made him feel on edge, but he obviously couldn't simply go outside to clear his head right now.
As Edwyr's eyes scanned the crowd of faces, lit only by the candles on the tables and the simple, metal chandelier hanging from the ceiling, he noticed someone in a dark corner, watching him. That wouldn't be so odd itself, if not for the cowl the person was wearing over their head.
Edwyr narrowed his eyes, trying to get a better look, but the person was already getting up, avoiding his gaze as they walked past all of the tables and reached the back door, which Edwyr hadn't even noticed before. And just before they left, they locked eyes with him.
Edwyr continued staring at the door long after it had been closed, frowning into space as he tried to figure out what had happened. Why was he so entranced by some stranger staring at him? Without really thinking about it, he'd stood up, already about to follow behind them when Lanna's voice stopped him.
