Lavandula

In the dark

The moon was smiling that night. Svetlana walked throw the main road of Oxenfurt, listened to all the happy cheers, drunk mumbling and lively music. The life was so everywhere that Svetlana got the feeling you could breathe it. After she returned from the university, into her room, she waited for the sun to go down. The night calms, listens, cools soreness.

She passed a group of young people and recognised Lothas deep dark eyes as this girl sadly smiled Svatlanas way.

As she was greeted more somehow familiar faces strong icy breeze stroke her back. Svetlana turned around just to face a dark alley, small space between two buildings, connecting the main road with the outskirts.
Suddenly the cold alley looked even more black, deeper and more distant from the lights and cheers of the main road.

Was Viola found in one of these? Unnoticed?

The cold began to crawl into her bones. The fall was coming but this feeling got nothing to do with it. She started to feel dizzy, weak in the knees.

"Aren't you brave one, Svetli. I saw Witcher at the University. It looks like someone finally put on a contract on your head." she was forced out of her own head by a voice that would be pleasant to listen to, just If the owner of the said voice would not be someone having a habit of treating her with no respect what so ever.

The ginger with no freckles stood behind her back with two friends standing next to him. Their faces were in mid-shadow but Svetlana did not need full light, to guess what they were up to.

"I am not sure if they will be able to pay him enough. I have heard that contracts on vampires are expensive ones." as the taller friend started to play along gingers lines, Svetlana registered an annoying headache, slowly increasing. She was not in a mood for this.

Their words were not hurtful, she could laugh them off without thinking, but not today. Today she felt like her defence mechanisms were just not running at the highest rate.

"I must admit, I am impressed with your strong will not let me breathe freely in your company, and also fully disappointed with your inability to come out with a new joke after 2 years knowing each other. Richard."

"You are the only one still implying it is a joke."

Richard was a nice name, had a catchy ring to it. His voice was also quite enjoyable, his looks pleasant and his personality flawed. That's why Viola's slight fascination with him was in some odd way understandable yet irrational to Svetlana.

"And here I was, thinking we are all adults here," she replied.

Viola adored his company still, she refused to let go and be just his - to his displeasure. It was a strange dynamic but also almost a natural state for Viola. She enjoyed those twists of fate, relationships with just enough drama in them as much as she loved implying them into her work.

She was light and magical as a fairy yet deadly as a dragon. Duality was in everything she did and she fancied the same in others.

All this said Richard was still just an ignorant bully in Svetlana's eyes. His behaviour without character as ever. The only difference was that now Svetlana felt actually hurt by his words and did not want to let them slide.

"You should be glad that your things did not magically destroy themselves, is that what why you don't wear just black. To not make it too obvious?" The provocation that was thrown at her by one of Richards friends felt strangely personal. What was this feeling?

"Some Nordlings like to hold grudges." Was it even a sore spot that they were hitting, or just an old scar? I am Nordling too, never stopped.

"I never understood what Viola saw in you, Richard. And now, more than ever. Is this how you mourn?" She wanted him to feel awful and devastated by Viola's murder. And maybe he was hurt, the hurt hid deep down under all those layers and dualities.

"Cat caught your tongue?" Maybe the real emotion was lost in the chaos of other feelings he did not want to reveal but he was acting like an asshole and Svetlana did not have the time nor need to dig for something that might not even be there.

"Why should I be mourning? There are hundreds of girls like her. She was not-"

"Please, stop with this. Just for tonight. Act respectfully!"

And with that Svetlana turned on her heel, not giving him any other reaction or time to come up with some comeback, leaving him in the silence of cheerful laughs, lively music and in a company of two equally silent friends.

***

Why was everything in this city so complicated. It felt like he was running into dead ends. Each one was deader than the last one. Everything was like a complicated philosophical question and he was just poor villager that is asked to explain the concept of being in the connection to the aspects of star singularities. More questions than answers. That was all he had got.

The place described by Marius was indeed a nice one. But the only things he found were two drowners and their footprints in the wet soil near the river bank. So, in conclusion, even if there were any evidence they were destroyed by those creatures. She was not killed by a drowner, yet they helped the real murderer by smashing everything around. Where to look next? He had no idea.

Eskel calmly browsed the main road of Oxenfurt and felt at least a little bit better hearing all the life this city hid. His medallion calmly slept on his neck as if it was also listening to the lively cheers.

He recognised big braid of thick black hair - Lotha. She did not spot him, he did not care. Lotha had a troubled expression and quietly talked with a girl with the same look in her eyes. Close to them stood a group of young men holding cups filled with some alcoholic beverage. One of them noticed the witcher, studying him. Eskel paid no attention to him and kept walking, passing more and more intoxicated students, lovers and even some that ended their night way early.

Eskel was making his way back to the inn to rest and fill his empty stomach. The idea of trying the meal that gave a name to his current home was tempting. How bad could that fish be?

Considering how many places claimed that they are the ones with "the best" food, there was hope for this particular trout to be more than just edible.

His surroundings started to be less crowded as he left the main area.
The music floating throw the air seemed to be far away and the night sky was filled with stars shining even stronger without all those lights on the main road.

As he turned right on one of the many turns in his way, a strange feminine figure chowed herself before him. When he walked closer, he recognised the sweet lavender scent and at the same time who this person is.

"It's not safe to wander alone throw town in the dark, Miss."