A Single Ray of Light in a Sea of Darkness

A Desire to Help

Eric went into the forest, holding a basketful of sweet treats he planned to share with Ven. A plethora of baked goods were inside, ranging from strawberry tarts to cinnamon rolls to blueberry bread. Just thinking about eating all of it made his mouth water. While everything was from what he liked, he figured she'd appreciate it. After all, who wouldn't like sweets?

If he just followed the direction of the tree roots, he'd surely find her home. He knew she lived somewhere northeast, with a body of water nearby to drink from. Not to mention having leaves tacked between two trees was pretty noticeable. After spending possibly an hour more than he wanted, he finally found the telltale leaf door that held her alcove inside.

However, multiple knocks to both tree hollows made it clear she wasn't home. He decided to wait for her outside the alcove, not wanting to invade her privacy. Luckily, he didn't wait for long.

She appeared from his left with a pouch, presumably full of food, in her hand. Her hood was still up from earlier and she kept her cloak closed around her body. He didn't see her glaive on her, though it's possible it was inside the alcove.

Noticing him standing outside her home, she asked, "Are you lost again?"

"No, I, uh, actually came to see you," he replied, holding up the basket of desserts, "I got us something we could share, if you wanted?"

He couldn't see what expression she had but he had an inkling she was taken aback. She might not have ever had anyone give something to her, much less share with her. Today may as well be full of firsts for her, he thought cheerfully.

Entering the alcove, they sat down in one of the hollows with the basket in-between them. The leaf door was left open, letting in warm air and spreading the waft of the savory aroma around. Ven dropped her hood and opened her cloak up some to cool off. With spring came humidity and being in a damp place like this, it's a surprise to not see her sweating.

Taking away the cloth on top of the basket, he asked, "Which one do you want?"

Her eyes widened in almost childlike curiosity as she looked at all the different sweets. If the roles were reversed, he'd have the same reaction. She pointed towards the blueberry bread then over to the raspberry danishes before settling on the cherry strudels. He thought it to be a good pick since he loved cherry and this would be his first time eating a strudel.

Picking up one of the strudels, he held it up and asked her, "Do you want it halved or whole?"

"...Halved."

He tried his best to break the pastry down the middle and gave half of it to her. He waited for her to start eating before dining on the half he kept for himself. She sniffed it a few times then took a small bite. Once she began eating in earnest, he did the same, letting his heart melt from the sweetness.

They ate until the basket was just about halfway empty. He wondered if she developed a sweet tooth of sorts, with how quickly she ate each treat. He was having a fun time with her and he wanted to believe she was as well.

With the passage of time came dusk, the fog colored a dull orange. As much as he wanted to bring her to Brinegarde with him, the threat of another crowd overrunning them was too great to risk. His anxiety would go through the roof and he didn't want to subject her to that kind of torture. He didn't want to imagine what the townspeople would do to her if she came to town randomly. Considering their attitude towards her, the results wouldn't be good.

"Dammit..." Ven muttered under her breath.

Wondering what happened, he looked over to see her holding part of her cloak. A freshly torn hole laid in the middle and it wasn't a small hole by any means. It was clear from the patchwork tailoring wasn't a strong suit of hers and going to get it fixed professionally wasn't an option. Without any hesitation, he unstrung his cloak and presented it to her.

Her face held confusion, not understanding why he was giving her his cloak. He explained, "It's to help you.This is probably more useful to you than it ever would be to me and I can just get another one back home."

She took the cloak, albeit under great hesitancy, as if she expected him to suddenly take it back. Unstringing her own, she wrapped the black cloth around herself. It enveloped her completely, her head being the only thing visible.

"It's not too big?" he asked, seeing the bottom of the cloak touching the ground.

She shook her head, marveling at how large and possibly comfy it was. It was adorable in the way a child would receive a gift for their birthday. She looked at him with tentative eyes, wanting to say something but couldn't. Despite that, he knew what she was conveying.

"You're welcome."

Night began to creep on the horizon, making it time for Eric to be getting back to town. However, he didn't feel comfortable with leaving Ven alone for the night. It wasn't that he thought she couldn't take care of herself. He just couldn't think of what else he could do to help her.

She reminded him of how he was as a child. Sure, he had Alek for support but he doubted she had someone similar. He wanted to be a person she could trust, a person she could rely on. Moreover, he also wanted to be her friend, even if it took some time to do so. In the same way his partner helped him whenever he needed it, he wanted to help her whenever she needed it.

"Ven, how would you like it if you came back with me to Aurora Zenith?" he asked suddenly. The idea just came into his head and, while the details haven't ironed out yet, it was better than nothing.

When she didn't answer, he added, "You don't have to give me an answer right now. You can think on it until the day after tomorrow, which is when I'll be leaving."

Burying her face in her newly acquired cloak, she asked, "Is it really... okay for me to go with you?"

"Of course it is! I'm sure, once the townspeople hear me talk about you, they'll be fine with you living there!"

"I just don't want to be a bother to you... I don't want you to..."

"Ven, I'm the one who asked, okay? If anything, I'm the one who's being a bother to you. So don't worry, all right?"

Despite his reassurances, she still appeared to be troubled, which he honestly couldn't fault her for. It would be pretty hard to believe if someone you barely knew offered you a chance to get out of a place that outright despised you. She's probably never had someone give her hope for the future. As much as he wanted her to accept his offer, he knew he had to leave the decision up to her. It was her life and she had the right to choose what she wanted to do with it.

Leaving her for the night, he checked himself into the Empty Oak Inn and went to his room. It was a standard room, with two beds, an armoire, a nightstand, and a window to let in light. A wave of exhaustion swept over him as soon as he sat down on one of the beds, feeling about ready to pass out. This would be the first time he slept in an actual bed since coming here and he was gladly looking forward to it.

He took out the pendant he kept on his personage. It was a simple orb that held a shard of fluorite inside, attached to a silver chain. Although it seemed a bit silly and perhaps childish, he'd sometimes try talking to it as if it served as the only lifeline he had to his mother. Even so, it always made him feel better afterwards and assuaged his worries, if only a little.

Mother, I want to believe I'm doing the right thing by inviting Ven to stay in Aurora Zenith but I feel like it's not enough. The people here treat her so horribly when she's done nothing wrong but I can't just force her to say yes. It's her life so she has the right to decide what she wants to do with it. And yet, I can't stop thinking of what'll happen if she says no. It's just so frustrating...

Letting out a heavy sigh, he flopped down on the bed. He felt like there were so many things he could do to help Ven but he just couldn't figure out how or what. The idea he did think of gave him uncertainty. While he knew his citizens were accepting of others different from them, would they really be okay with a Vlixeox among them? If he only had a little more time...

He put the pendant on the nightstand and laid under the covers. The bed was super soft, though sleeping on the ground the night before made him a little biased. Struggling to keep his eyes open, he went to sleep.