Dearest Sister ¬ Age of Resistance

XI.

The day broke in fine rays of sunlight and the greeting of the ocean rushing upon the shore. Soraya was up before the rest and found herself in the company of the rising sun, the warmth it spread over the horizon was something she wished to never give up. As much as she loved her home of Ha'rar, the snow which colored her cheeks flush and made her skin ashened was nothing compared to the kissing of comfort bathed in orange and yellows. "For a princess, your up quite early." Onica came to stand beside Soraya with a cup in hand filled with something warm as the steam wafted up from the inner contents. "I was never one to sleep in unlike my sister's. I could blame it on my late night's of reading but that was never true. I've seen things in my dreams over the sixty-one trines I've been alive and they scare me far more than the sights I've seen while awake." Soraya had always dealt with nightmares but some didn't quite seem as unreal as others.

"They say dreams are a window into the unconscious- do you have desires left unfulfilled?" Onica took a glance to her side, the face of the princess was serene and devoid of any emotion. "These aren't dreams, although I thought for some time they were... cruel dreams that woke me into a heaving fit and left me drained of the mind. But they weren't- they were no dreams. Nightmares is a better word for them but even those are still remnants of the active mind."

"Then what would you consider them? If they are far from some conjuring of your mind then they would be memories not-" Onica paused, her brows furrowing as she gazed down into the warm tea within her cup. "Onica- I have seen things that I cannot describe. Things that have happened and things that... I suppose haven't." Soraya turned to the slightly shorter female. "Have you told anyone?" Onica's grip on her cup tightened- it was a well known fact that the Sifa were superstitious so hearing anything that went past solidified justification was deemed a bad omen- which was why the Dousan weren't highly thought of.

"My mother knew although she never paid any mind to them. Told me that they were just 'figments' of my day's doings. But how could seeing the death of someone- someone I haven't seen in trines be that of my daily duties?" Soraya's ears flattened against her head, it was a frustrating topic that seemed to never have a definitive answer. Onica glanced over her shoulder to see Naida standing somewhat concealed by the flaps of the tipi. "I think your friends have woken... After breakfast, We will sit down and speak. I wish to hear what you've travelled all the way here for." Taking the now empty cup from Soraya, Onica returned to the tent to begin the morning meal. When Soraya turned to return back into the confinement of fabrics she noticed that Naida still stood in the entrance. The Sifan gelfling narrowed her eyes before disappearing back into the threshold. The princess pursed her lips- Tavra told her of the tragedy that the impassive gelfling faced and the hardships she dealt with after losing everything.

Soraya entered the tipi and found a very wide awake Kylan being blabbered at by Cadia about the different smells of sand, a half-awake Gurjin with the worst case of bed-head she had ever bear witness of or maybe that was just how his hair usually was and Naia who remained silent as she ate what Onica had made. Naida sat upon her round seating pillow, legs crossed and pipe in hand. Her large blue eyes stared off into nothing, as still as a statue despite the bustling of activity around her. "Was wondering where you had gone off to, princess." Naia remarked as Soraya took her spot between the twins. "Just watching a bit of the sunrise- you don't get to see much of it living in Ha'rar."

"Hmm."

Gurjin jerked his head up once it began to fall forward, startling himself enough that he choked on the snore that barely had time to make it out of his throat. Soraya patted his back and offered a cup of tea in which he guzzled down quicker than a Stonewood drunk did his alcohol. "Thank you." He uttered once his coughing fit died down, the princess nodded. Gurjin tensed- the warmth of his back seemed to seep further into his shirts till his bare skin beneath tingled. Soraya quickly noticing the way he grew stiff yanked her hand away from his back. A bit embarrassed, the princess adverted her attention to the blabbering mess of Cadia. "Was Elder Cadia always like this?" Kylan questioned, yanking his firca out of the sticky hands of the Sifan elder. "You can thank Brea for him." Soraya replied over the rim of her freshly poured tea.