Nezora didn't bother announcing her arrival as she walked into the hut. Adaira either wouldn't hear or would choose to ignore, the latter being more plausible.
She briefly wondered where the woman in question was before her spindly ears caught a clatter from the kitchen
She walked there and poked her head in through the entry way. The house didn't have any doors apart from the front and back. Adaira said they weren't necessary.
Nezora saw her then, the youthful face that contrasted with the wisps of white hair that already looked a smoggy grey due to the steam that drifted up from the cauldron containing something that looked a dark green colour.
Nezora could only hope that wasn't their dinner.
She watched in unexpectant curiosity as Adaira sprinkled something that looked like finely cut grass into the concoction and in return, steam poofed up in a mushroom like cloud, right in Adaira's face.
Nezora shook her head,Typical, and walked into the room.
Adaira looked up from her coughing fit and cracked a smile "Ah, welcome child."
Nezora didn't bother responding, choosing to walk over to the stool in a far-off corner of the room, one thankfully safe from the steam that now looked a weird greenish-yellow colour.
"Catch anything today?" Adaira asked cheerily as she reached for another of her amber coloured jars which were lined up in a row in the shelf Nezora made a point to avoid.
"No." She replied, eyeing the woman who referred to her as 'child' even though she looked just about 2 years older.
"Oh well, there's always the sunrise." Adaira replied with a carefree laugh before proceeding to dump a handful of whatever herb in the jar into the pot, sending a loud sizzling sound throughout the room.
Nezora rolled her eyes, pulling the sharpening stone towards herself.
Adaira always said weird things like that. Nezora had long gotten used to it and never even bothered to interpret it waving it off as Adaira being,well, Adaira, therefore equating the words to crazy talk, which is exactly what she proceeded to do now.
She started to sharpen her hunting knife, small sparks from the resulting friction between the blade and stone spraying into the air before fizzling out into nothing.
"Oh Lire, do you remember that hound from last week? I was sure our week's farm produce was a goner." Adaira said with a crackle.
"I'm not Lire, I'm Nezora." Nezora clarified with a roll of her eyes although she knew the effort was in vain.
"Ooh, the girl from the castle?" Adaira asked with a pleased hum.
"No, the girl from the streets." Nezora replied again.
"Oh, one of them Mirlo's people."
Nezora didn't even correct her again. Why she was living with this woman who couldn't remember who she was for 2 full minutes, she had no idea.
Sometimes she thought that Adaira was an old woman in a young body.
She thought that again just as Adaira turned and exclaimed,"Oh Nezora! When did you get back here? I was just talking to a dear old friend of mine but she's gone now. Just like the rest of them."
Adaira muttered the last part and Nezora, although having heard that easily with her superior hearing, promptly ignored.
Adaira sometimes said things like that. Nezora didn't want to know, she already had her cross to bear. What would it do feeling pain for another person's woes at this point in life?
It was probably even better that Adaira was so forgetful, it would be easier to disappear.
"Well, since you're here, there's a question I've been meaning to ask." Adaira said slowly.
Nezora shrugged, knowing Adaira would continue even if she disagreed and readied herself for something weird.
"What's the hardest substance in the world?"
Nezora blinked, "A rock?"
"Nope, try again." Adaira hummed, having already abandoned her cooking to lean on the counter.
Nezora looked around searchingly, "If you're talking metaphorically, the answer could be the heart."
"Close but no."
Nezora frowned,this was why she hated guessing games, "Fine, I don't know. Tell me."
"It's a diamond." Adaira said with an air of bravado that made Nezora blanche.
How was a diamond and the heart close?
The thick stench of smoke cut into her thoughts and Adaira gave a cry of dismay as she ran back to her brew, the brew Nezora was seriously hoping she wouldn't be made to taste.
Adaira opened the windows as she hurried to save the brew which was already turning into a suspicious dark brown goop.
Another handful from an amber coloured jar and the places of contact burst into a deep red which spread in a web-like manner across the surface of the liquid before the brew changed into a rosy pink colour, sending a nice fragrant scent around the room.
Adaira gave a satisfied sigh and turned back to Nezora,"Like I was saying, the diamond is the hardest substance in the world. The hardest, the strongest, the most powerful. Remember child, the diamond will open doors for you, you will understand my words when my sun meets its horizon."
Nezora said nothing, already used to the weird pronouncements of the woman. At least she got something right, the diamond was important, it was enough to make her rich, naturally doors , connections would open.
Adaira began to hum an old song, one that seemed like one a grandmother would sing to her grandchildren.
Nezora shook her head.
Weirdo.
Adaira broke the silence then "The diamond holds life it is life itself but remember, a life can only be obtained from a life."
Like she said earlier, Weird.
Nezora would remember her words much later, after the days passed and a bitter taste had settled in her mouth, only then would the meaning of Adaira's words come to light.
As her story had its true beginning.
