Rain fell on Taras; big glassy raindrops fell to the earth from the grey sky above. It wasn't the saddenning type of rain, though, not that kind that puts a frown on your face the second your eyes reach the windowpane. It was cleansing; the type of rain that makes miracles happen. A miracle that came in the form of a smile.
It was a pure smile, a blissful smile, a carless smile to light a thousand rooms, and it was spread across the face of Belladonna Elenhuine.
Bella pulled down the hood of her thick black cloak, letting her red curls bounce onto her shoulders. She tugged on her companion's hand, and let go, assuming he'd follow. She stepped from under the protective cloak of the stand they'd stood beneath and onto the cobblestone.
Her arms left her sides, outstretched to the sky and the falling rain, and she twirled beneath the falling drops of silver iridescense. Stopping, she turned to her companion. That miracle smile was still drawn across her face as she waived and cried, " Come on Fé!"
Fé hadn't slept much the night before. He was asleep, sure, but a haunting dream still lingered deep in his sleep. A nightmare of fire, chaos, and what Valdar would soon become... Fé couldn't get his beloved homeland out of his torrent little head. Half-lackadaisically, he stood out of the rain, safe from its sure cold touch on his unclothed upper half.
"I don't know, Bella. I'm not much for rain... It's cursed my land's crop season for several ages. We trade with other islands mostly, because we rarely produce enough food to sustain our own... I'm too much for rain."
He sighed softly, and brushed some of his hair behind his ear before placing his hands back at his sides, lazily. "What are we going to do all day, Bella? Is Teras much of an entertaining city? I mean, with all these big buildings, there must be something to do." He smiled softly, with a little bit of an idea.
"Tell you what, I've an idea... One I'm rather proud of, actually. We still barely know each other... Tell me, Bella, what's your favourite thing to do around Teras? I'd like to try it, get a little less wet behind the ears in this new place." Fé looked at the rain falling, and thought of the comment he just made, chuckling softly.
"My favorite thing?" Bella said, returning to Fé's side,"Well, there is one place-Kintasulea. My mother used to take me there when my father was too busy to notice. A friend of her's lives there. A planeswalker of sorts. She's retired now, and her daughter is apprentice to a healer. You'll love it there."
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Guiwen stopped. The elderly lady had been sitting on one of the stone benches that lined the walkway through the forest of Kintasulea. A shiver ran up her spine, wrinkled face distorted by a slight tint of shock. Something, rather someone, was watching her, and she knew who it was.
Turning on her heel, she came to face a black cat; a spider atop it's head. Two voices rang clear in her mind, speaking in unison, almost as though they were one being. The harmonious duet's message echoed,It's time Guiwen. Belladonna must Walk.
Guiwen understood. With a look of resolve upon her face, she sat again on the stone bench. And she waited for Bella.
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They arrived outside of Kintasulea. It had stopped raining, but the sky was still overcast. However, in the time it had taken to walk there her hair had dried, though her cloak was still a little damp.
Kintasulea itself is but a very large dome, surrounded by what appeared to be some sort of convent, though no Catholic nuns roamed it's halls. Bella and Fé stood outside the door of what seemed to be a very large cathedral. The door was large and heavy, the bulk of it seemed overwhelming at first. Bella knocked on the door, and turned to Fé. She explained," This place is a sort of...convent, or monestary. The people here, they don't pray or worship any specific god, however. Nay, they don't even worship, quite truthfully. They simply try to lead the purest life possible. Tied to chastity, hospitality, and generosity, they shun pride, gluttony, and-"
Bella stopped. A sharp pain shot through her forehead. She slackened the hand the held his and held her head with the other. She felt dizzy, and the world threatened to flip upside down. She struggled to finish her sentence, and letting go of his hand, slid down to the floor. Her eyes fluttered. They felt like lead. Somehow, she managed to keep them open and focus on Fé's face.