You’ve just arrived in a swampy, dim town. As you look around, your gaze is met with shacks and cabins. It smells of rotted wood and wet moss. You duck and step into a tattered tent, illuminated by a series of candles suspended in the air. At the back of the tent, an old hag raises her head, “What brings you to this dingy town? she begins, then pauses to study your face—”Ah, it’s you. I’ve been expecting you. Sit,” she gestures at a cushion, “Tell me your story.”
Asuli'nayelu slowly approached, while maintaining eye contact with the woman. She stopped in front of the cushion, glancing at its aging state and discoloration. How can such a thing be considered adequate to be used as a seat?, she thought.
Turning back to the old woman, who was smiling lightly, Asuli said "That boy should have already informed my purpose, together with my arrival".
The woman kept smiling, unfazed, and the tent remained still.
...
Some children passed by the front of the tent running and chattering, breaking the silence.
The elf stared deeply into the woman's eyes and straightened her posture, before letting out, "I am Asuli'nayelu Ithilyuln, a child of the Silver State, I've come in order to study the Athin found throughout this region, said to have consistently strong properties. I was informed you could direct me to their growing spots". The woman still did not react. Asuli showed a small frown, shifting her position slightly.
After another moment of silence, the old woman let out a short cackle, "alright, I won't tease you no more", she said as she got up, "It's a bit surprising, someone of your kind alone, needing guidance. My grandson was amused for quite a while". The old woman then begun to exit the tent.
Asuli'nayelu was reminded of the past month she spent looking for the moss in the swamps, without success, and how in the later part of it, after being followed repeatedly by a child who insisted she was lost and needed help, she was guided to this place.
She stayed silent, and quickly started following the woman while maintaining her steps as elegant as possible, staring at the horizon. The old woman smirked, suppressing a laugh.
They followed through a initially dry path, in the direction of a tall stone formation. The old woman, looked at the elf and asked, "Is there a particular reason for your interest in Athin?".
The elf quickly glanced at her, before turning her face forward, "I've recently started researching botany".
"Oh, have you been studying for a couple years?", continued the woman.
"Months", quickly replied Asuli'nayelu.
"Oh sorry, the old age, what was that?".
"It's been a couple of months".
"Huh, is it a new interest you started?"
"...", a very subtle pout formed in the elf's mouth, how bothersome, she thought.
Seeing that the other did not answer, the old woman stopped pushing the matter. She continued with small talk about facts of the region, with occasional inputs from the elf, until they arrived at the stone formation.
The stone formation was actually a single huge rock with an irregular shape, thrown in the middle of the swamp. Vegetation grew on its sides, and it was possible to see huge patches of Athin and other mosses.
The sight was unnatural and awoke Asuli'nayelu curiosity, theorizing in her head possible ways and reasons to achieve it. She turned to the old woman, but she had already gone ahead, near the lower part of the rock. There, children climbed using the plants and jumped in the muddled water, but not for long, as the old woman start berating them loudly while pulling one by the ear.
The elf became still, watching the situation unfold, as it was quite different from what she was used to. Her parents where almost 500 when she was born, making her their first and only child, raised with all the resources and attention they could provide, there was never a scene like this, of being reproached so strongly. Even this small trip would not warrant such ungraceful behavior from her parents, she thought, especially since she's already of age. It's only reasonable for mali'aheral to aim to improve themselves and our society, she concluded.
Not occupying herself with those anymore, Asuli approached the stone and start studying its composition, trying to understand what effects it could have brought to the plants, wondering if it could apply to others as well. After the kids where successfully driven away from the stone, the old woman turned to the elf, and seeing her fully focused, studying the plants and the rock, she left a helpless sight and started making her way back.
