THE FORTUNIST

16. Leurayssa

“Zia's Spring is the cryfix of House Zia."

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Leurayssa knew very little of her childhood but that has never bothered her the way it does now. She know that as long as she has Anarella, she is safe. Anarella had always been there for her since their parents died.

Anarella's apathy towards Albeny's politics might have rubbed off on Leurayssa more than she had realized. As she stands on the stronghold of Albenarum now, she is made even more aware of her ignorance.

Thankfully, she had acquired some useful nitbits along the way of her seven day journey to the center of the country where Albenarum is situated.

The crowd mill about with an air of belonging that Leurayssa cannot claim for herself. Youths with luggages and aloof gazes and adults, difficult to spot but there nevertheless.

"You here for the final test?" She hears the question asked and frowns. Final test? She knows the clamour for admission into Albenarum is always competitive but she is determined not to make that her problem. Regardless, she tries to appear as busy as she can while standing on a spot trying to glean the gossip.

"I'm so excited," comes the indeed excited reply from a female, "I know I'll definitely get in."

"As long as we have our tokens, we'll all definitely get in," chirps in another more logical voice. "The final test is just a formality."

"Don't you really want to know the extent of your affinity?"

"I can control grasses," the logical voice quips, "that's all I need to know."

"True though. As long as we have manifested slight cryfix affinity, we are all sure to pass the final test. It's not like anyone would apply to Albenarum without first being decently sure that they possess cryfix affinity."

"Pure foolishness if you ask me."

Leurayssa winces. The discussion moves away and she is once again left to her thoughts. She reminds herself of the reason she is here. It absolutely has nothing to do with listening to entitled kids yammering about what even Anarella would not give a hoot about.

Nobody is willing to come to Leurayssa's aid. They are all more concerned about themselves and Leurayssa is not surprised for it. In many more ways than one, Anarella might have prepared her for this moment, the snobbish ways of highborns.

"Are you looking for someone?"

Leurayssa turns to see the utterer of the magic words. She sees no one. Could her frustration have caused her to imagine things she really wanted— needed to hear?

"I'm down here."

Leurayssa looks down. "Oh," a weak exclamation leaves her lips. Whatever she has expected is not this, a little girl. Seven or eight or nine or ten who only reaches her waist.

The girl seems condescending yet meek at the same time, with dark brown hair and eyes. She is pretty unremarkable, donned in a blue faded cotton dress that stops just below her knees. She, like Leurayssa, contrasts the people in the background. Leurayssa can barely keep the thought 'commoner' to herself.

"Are you looking for someone?" The little girl asks again.

"I wish my problems were on that smaller scale but I believe myself to be hopelessly lost."

"You have wandered through the gates of Albenarum."

A sting on Leurayssa's dignity she nearly winces. The little girl has just indirectly proven that Leurayssa obviously did not belong here carrying a sack of luggage and being 'hopelessly lost'.