The door knocked a few minutes before ten bells. It was just what Aya had come to expect. The late breakfast brought her enough time for her morning routine of exercise, meditation and bathing. The somewhat regular schedule had helped her to find a regular footing after the move to Ul'dah.   In Gridania the mornings were cool and damp, accented by the drip of morning dew. Somehow that left her missing the sweltering heat that made the little room at the Hourglass something of a sweat-box during the later hours of a summer morning.
Aya answered the knock with her clear but light voice, "Come in!"Â
It would be the Boarding House's eponymous proprietor, Lea, with the morning's breakfast. Aya reclined elegantly upon a cushioned divan, draped in a gossamer dressing gown loosely bound about her delicate waist. A white towel wrapped its way tightly about her head, blonde hair still drying from the morning bath. Lips' already brushed with the carmine color smiled warmly upon the woman's entrance, their mark left upon the porcelain tea cup she slowly lowered to the saucer held in her other hand.
Carrying a covered dish, Lea entered the small suite that was usually quaint and lovely. Most of the furniture in the sitting room had been moved against the wall clearing a larger empty space in the center of it. The divan had been pushed against the foot of the bed, with the chambers table nearby. Lea had become used to this, her guest had rearranged the room almost the moment she had arrived. Something about wanting some "space to move around in". It was really the reams of newspaper and newsletters scattered about the room that caught her attention. There must have been copies of every publication, newsletter and flyer in the entire city from the past several weeks all scattered about with some sort of unspoken organization organization. Though, she did not make note of the hand-written sheets of collated notes neatly stacked and just recently moved away from the table to make way for the expected interruption.
Closing her eyes, Aya took in a deep savoring breath, "Oh, Madame! It must be a breakfast divine!" She grinned with closed lips, pulled back at the corners with a thrilled excitement.
"Fresh Rolandberry cake, with honey and butter. Melon and apple fruit, and links of sweet sausage."
Aya took in another breath, her heart skipping a moment as her eyes widened at the richness of the spread. Working for Master Vann certainly has its advantages! She leaned slightly forward, eyes momentarily focused on the covered dish being set carefully upon the room's small table
"Oh!" Lea added as she suddenly remembered. "Another post arrived for you this morning." The letter had been set upon the platter and was made visible as she removed the cover to reveal the morning's meal.
Aya thanked her, paying little mind to the letter as she focused instead upon breakfasting. Letters had not exactly been uncommon lately, in fact it was the presence of just one letter that may itself have been more noteworthy.
So, it was a few minutes later when she sat back, sinking into the cushions of the divan while enjoying a final few bites of the cake with one hand, her left clutching the envelope with a rather careless disregard. She closed her eyes, absolutely lost in the decadent flavor of the sweet, fruity delicacy. In the midst of a soft "mmmmmmmm" of enjoyment she opened her eyes to peer at the letter. It had clearly been posted from Ul'dah, but she quickly took note of the hand-written note upon it: "This looked important - Momodi" "Forward To-" had clearly been added, and as she flipped the letter over in a hurry she caught sight of an Ishgardian seal, a shock that cut her voice short.
With her right hand still occupied with remaining cake, she struggled to unseal the letter as quickly as possible with one hand.
The style of V'aleera's was immediately recognizable. She fell upon the contents of the letter immediately, feeling like she could not take a breath until she had finished it. She pulled herself up, leaning forward as she read it again, carefully. Examining each and every word.
Aya had left the previous note that V'al had sent unanswered. Her old friend, now a zealous dragoon had written in such a way, she thought, to try and leave her feeling nervous and guilty about not wishing to return to Ishgard. That had, after all, always seemed to be her goal: to lure Aya back to the city. For some time Aya had wondered about just what V'al's motive could be. Was she trying, earnestly, to be friendly? Was she trying to do what she thought would be best for Aya? Could she have some nefarious plot in mind for her erstwhile friend upon a return? She had never really felt certain.
No... she had always been earnest, and deep within her breast Aya's heart knew that was true.
Still, the way V'al had originally scratched out Aya's name in the first letter, and rendered the details vague enough not to alarm the censors seemed to still say enough about the city itself. Now she wrote, once more to her "friend", but this time there had been no detail spared.
Aya set the cake down, holding the letter with both hands, with fingers firm and desperate. It was the first news she had of her family in over a cycle. Â
Osvald and Enna well.
Kael in mourning.
Old Dunois ailing.
Father...
She leaned back into the divan. She pulled her feet up close to her. Eyes stared at the ceiling. "Father..."
Aya answered the knock with her clear but light voice, "Come in!"Â
It would be the Boarding House's eponymous proprietor, Lea, with the morning's breakfast. Aya reclined elegantly upon a cushioned divan, draped in a gossamer dressing gown loosely bound about her delicate waist. A white towel wrapped its way tightly about her head, blonde hair still drying from the morning bath. Lips' already brushed with the carmine color smiled warmly upon the woman's entrance, their mark left upon the porcelain tea cup she slowly lowered to the saucer held in her other hand.
Carrying a covered dish, Lea entered the small suite that was usually quaint and lovely. Most of the furniture in the sitting room had been moved against the wall clearing a larger empty space in the center of it. The divan had been pushed against the foot of the bed, with the chambers table nearby. Lea had become used to this, her guest had rearranged the room almost the moment she had arrived. Something about wanting some "space to move around in". It was really the reams of newspaper and newsletters scattered about the room that caught her attention. There must have been copies of every publication, newsletter and flyer in the entire city from the past several weeks all scattered about with some sort of unspoken organization organization. Though, she did not make note of the hand-written sheets of collated notes neatly stacked and just recently moved away from the table to make way for the expected interruption.
Closing her eyes, Aya took in a deep savoring breath, "Oh, Madame! It must be a breakfast divine!" She grinned with closed lips, pulled back at the corners with a thrilled excitement.
"Fresh Rolandberry cake, with honey and butter. Melon and apple fruit, and links of sweet sausage."
Aya took in another breath, her heart skipping a moment as her eyes widened at the richness of the spread. Working for Master Vann certainly has its advantages! She leaned slightly forward, eyes momentarily focused on the covered dish being set carefully upon the room's small table
"Oh!" Lea added as she suddenly remembered. "Another post arrived for you this morning." The letter had been set upon the platter and was made visible as she removed the cover to reveal the morning's meal.
Aya thanked her, paying little mind to the letter as she focused instead upon breakfasting. Letters had not exactly been uncommon lately, in fact it was the presence of just one letter that may itself have been more noteworthy.
So, it was a few minutes later when she sat back, sinking into the cushions of the divan while enjoying a final few bites of the cake with one hand, her left clutching the envelope with a rather careless disregard. She closed her eyes, absolutely lost in the decadent flavor of the sweet, fruity delicacy. In the midst of a soft "mmmmmmmm" of enjoyment she opened her eyes to peer at the letter. It had clearly been posted from Ul'dah, but she quickly took note of the hand-written note upon it: "This looked important - Momodi" "Forward To-" had clearly been added, and as she flipped the letter over in a hurry she caught sight of an Ishgardian seal, a shock that cut her voice short.
With her right hand still occupied with remaining cake, she struggled to unseal the letter as quickly as possible with one hand.
The style of V'aleera's was immediately recognizable. She fell upon the contents of the letter immediately, feeling like she could not take a breath until she had finished it. She pulled herself up, leaning forward as she read it again, carefully. Examining each and every word.
Aya had left the previous note that V'al had sent unanswered. Her old friend, now a zealous dragoon had written in such a way, she thought, to try and leave her feeling nervous and guilty about not wishing to return to Ishgard. That had, after all, always seemed to be her goal: to lure Aya back to the city. For some time Aya had wondered about just what V'al's motive could be. Was she trying, earnestly, to be friendly? Was she trying to do what she thought would be best for Aya? Could she have some nefarious plot in mind for her erstwhile friend upon a return? She had never really felt certain.
No... she had always been earnest, and deep within her breast Aya's heart knew that was true.
Still, the way V'al had originally scratched out Aya's name in the first letter, and rendered the details vague enough not to alarm the censors seemed to still say enough about the city itself. Now she wrote, once more to her "friend", but this time there had been no detail spared.
Aya set the cake down, holding the letter with both hands, with fingers firm and desperate. It was the first news she had of her family in over a cycle. Â
Osvald and Enna well.
Kael in mourning.
Old Dunois ailing.
Father...
She leaned back into the divan. She pulled her feet up close to her. Eyes stared at the ceiling. "Father..."
![[Image: 21282370099_a814a08664_o.png]](https://farm1.staticflickr.com/590/21282370099_a814a08664_o.png)
