2 Phoenix 1325

[amairylle]

Trahearne, I can’t believe you didn’t tell me how fun parties are.

I mean, yes, part of it was formal and horrid. Gixx sent all of the novices out and told us to convince people why the priory’s work is important and they should fund us. Everyone I spoke to was most interested in our archives, so I think Gixx made us talk to them to spare them from the actual archons. I saw one of the high-ranking scholars—an asura named Valda, I think—telling some Krytan noble about how many skulls she popped like rotten eggs in order to retrieve an intact set of dwarven runestones. Gixx personally pulled her away by the ear before just before the lady fainted. And that’s preferable to the scholars that stay at the priory and do research—I’ve learned that they’ll do anything for a fresh set of ears, and won’t let go once they’ve got someone. Comparatively, us novices are much safer. We haven’t gotten into anything deeply enough to frighten laypeople with it.

Speaking of the Krytan nobility, I can’t say I got a good impression of them either. Most of them were stiff and easily offended, but there was one lord who wouldn’t stop flirting with all the humans. Farnel, maybe? He dumped his drink down my robes because he assumed I was a waiter and would just take it when he stuck his arm out and walked it into me. He then noticed that I was female and got through half a pick up line before noticing I was sylvari, after which he just trailed off and walked away. It put me in such a sour mood that I decided to hide outside for the remainder of the festivities.

I’m sure I haven’t convinced you that it was fun yet. I will, I promise.

One of the scholars, a charr named Mychyte Steeltome, found me outside. She left before saying anything so I thought she was looking for someone else, but she came back with some food and some furs, and scolded me for hiding from the party somewhere that would make me sick. I told her that not all sylvari handle the cold badly. She started laughing so hard she almost dropped her plate and said that most sylvari aren’t Sieran. She also apparently caught me using my own lava fonts for warmth earlier this week. I thanked her for the furs. I thought she was going to leave after that, but she sat down on the stone next to me to talk instead. She’s from the Blood Legion homelands, but she joined the priory after most of her war band was killed in battle against the branded. I’m still not really sure what you say when someone has died, and I’m fairly certain I got it wrong, but she didn’t seem to mind. I asked her why she didn’t join the vigil, since her story reminded me of Amora Soulkeeper’s, and she said her best friend from her warband, Reeva, did just that! But Mychyte said the priory was more interesting. I’m sure she must miss Reeva terribly though. I certainly miss Arlon and Pellam, and Caithe and Tiachren, and you.

We spent a good couple hours swapping stories. She was very impressed that I’d gotten to work with you, and says she’s actually read a good bit of your writing, and has been trying to apply it to pushing back the brand. I think I was just as shocked that she’s gotten to work with Rytlock Brimstone! I still feel like I’ve barely heard of anyone, but even I know who he is. I suppose I’ve also gotten to work with a member of Destiny’s Edge, but it feels different somehow. Caithe just feels more like family and less like a heroic figure. Odd. Anyway, Mychyte was also a bit jealous that I’m training to be an explorer, as she doesn’t particularly enjoy the archival work, so I invited her to join me and Sieran sometime. I can’t say I’m in much of a position to teach, but if Sieran agrees, it’ll be nice to learn alongside her.

About halfway through the night most of of the guests filed out and took a waypoint back to Lion’s Arch. By that point I was stiff from the cold despite the furs, and would have been more than happy to go to bed, but Mychyte wouldn’t let me, pointing out the members of the Black Lion Trading Company rolling in barrels. “Most of those are expensive mead,” she said, “but at least one is fireworks.” She made me promise to stay up another hour.

I think I went to bed around dawn?

Mychyte somehow got me in the front of the line for the alcohol, but after that I lost track of her fairly quickly, because Sieran found me and pulled me into a dance circle. I’ll be honest with you, Trahearne, I’m a lousy dancer, but most of the dances were just large circles and were easy enough. Then Sieran abandoned me as soon as she felt I had the hang of it, I guess. Don’t feel bad about it— I was having fun! People were very kind when I stumbled. I assumed Sieran had someone else to dance with, but I spotted her in a corner with an archon in a headlock over his “half-baked theorem” because “ley lines don’t work like that, have you read anything written in the last ten years?” I stepped out of the dance to stop her, but when I left the crowd I found that a good half the party was brawling! Apparently academic disagreements are taken very seriously. Valda, the explorer Gixx led away before, was using earth magic to suplex a whole crowd of archons because apparently none of them knew anything about the practical applications of deldrimor runes. Next I saw her, she’d been punted into a snowdrift. Even I ran afoul of an archon named Rhenally, because she apparently felt that a sealing ritual would have been a better way to contain the Sanguinary Blade’s corruption than the original scabbard. I wasn’t sure if there was a customary form of combat, so I took Valda’s fate as an example and punted her into a snowdrift. They’re still rather plentiful, even though it’s already summer.

There must be a conspiracy to get the newest novices drunk, because I lost track of the night shortly after that. I know I spent a lot more time dancing. I almost remember some of the steps! I think I managed to stay out of most of the fighting, but I also remember some norn challenging me to a friendly duel. I think it was friendly? I’m also told that I got dared to set an Asura on fire, and he thanked me for the data afterwards. Beyond that, I couldn’t tell you what happened. I feel like it was fun, but I drank too much to be sure.

Gixx says it was a great success: we’re well-funded for the next year and the priory took a minimum of damage.

If you’re not in Orr, you should come next year.
Feorylle

P.S. Cleanup is horrible. Hangovers are equally distasteful.

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