Good meat in Enneth

Dear Diary,
These days have been so busy that I barely had time to write but this time it's not because we are attacked by no-life-no-dead people. A few days ago, we have finally arrived in Enneth. It is nice to feel safe and I cannot say I didn't miss the elvish meat. But to live with the elves is tiring. They are very very polite, so I feel bad to not do the same. And i don't really know how to do that ( you know, when you do bum bum you don't really have time to say "sorry" or "Thank you"). Nixie and the others seemed very happy to be in such a place. I am not saying that i wasn't, it's nice to meet new people sometimes. But to be honest, the life on our boat is nicer.
 
Before we got here, we saw a lot of interesting places. We even saw some old stones with drawings that were once Xixi's people's city. It was right after the usual "torture training". Of course, as always, Nixie and Eve didn't seem very happy. So I tried to tell Nixie, very nicely, that if she doesn't leave her book and comes, i will bum bum her neck. Bart seemed to like the idea of being chocked by someone, because he said something like "Sexy". Eve did seem to get mad at him though, but i didn't really understand why. After all, i am pretty sure he was thinking of doing that with her not Nixie or me.
 
Anyways, back to the "torture training", this time the subject was just reflecting on the bad things that we are thinking about this mission we had planned for ourselves. To be honest, i am just a bit afraid that we will not live up to the expectations we made for ourselves. When I was small, my dad would always tell me that he wants me to become a great fighter, but I would always lose the fights with my brothers and get scolded by my mom for being weak. But I shouldn't worry too much this time, they are right. Nobody is forcing us to do this, we are doing this because we want to. And I have a new family who will help me.
Nixie and Talion seem to be doing as fine as usual, but I was worried about Bart. He told us about how he feels tired and that he keeps being annoyed by us. I got a bit shocked because I did not know how to help him but I tried to make him feel a bit better. I used to sometimes feel that when we were at war, but i do not think it's the same thing. This time we are talking about something a lot bigger. He decided to take a day off and rest, so we let Eve take care of him. Before we left, I asked them if I could tell Xebec the truth about what was happening and they agreed. I wish I could tell all of them, but I guess Eve is right. It's not the right time.
The rest of us spent the day training. I tried to help Xixi learn some common, but it was harder than expected. Well at least we had fun. I hugged her a few times, but she doesn't seem to like it. But I will do it anyways. At some point she touched my head very easily, and i thought she is so cute. I'm very happy she came with us, she is a great friend.
 
That evening ,I decided to visit Xebec. After all, apart from training, we didn't really talk much. The plan was to go there and have a very serious conversation with him about this trip. But that didn't work out very well. No matter how tired he is, he always spends time with me, and every time he does that, i just feel like hugging him. This time, he did the same, so instead of talking my big speech about the end of this world, I ended up staying in his arms and watching the sea. I wonder if he ever notices that i blush a lot when I'm with him.
 
Of course, after a few moments of not thinking of anything, I got back to my senses and actually started the tell him what I came here for. After I was done, I was waiting to see his reaction. He didn't seem shocked at all, not even worried. I didn't know if i should hug him for being him and not get scared or if I should beat him for being so calm and not caring if he ends up dying. I do like him and I know i said that if he's going to die I'll be ready, but I secretly do not want him to. But I guess that if he's crazy enough to come on Damaschini's boat and to like someone who is fighting the end of the world, then he will be fine.
I decided i wanted to spend more time with him, so I asked him about stars and the weird shapes they make. I listened to some of the things he was telling me, but I got a bit distracted by him. At some point he noticed that I was not paying that much attention so he stopped talking and lean to kiss me. If he wanted to make me pay attention, it really didn't work. For a few seconds there, i stopped thinking about anything at all. I really need to calm down when he's around.
We then kept talking for a bit and then we both went to sleep in our own rooms. But on the way there, I met Nixie who was on her way to visit Laimon, so I joined her. I noticed that recently, Laimon started to train with Dillen. I am happy for her. The more they train, the more Dillen will get beaten. But that’s not the point. She seems to have found the motivation to fight. She reminds me sometimes of when I was a child, but she has absolutely no one. I do not pity her, but I do understand why she would the way she does. I know we keep visiting her, but I think we need more than that to convince her to show her true identity. Also, while we were talking with her, Nixie decided to make mean jokes with me for whatever reason. But that attitude doesn’t work with me, so we ended up half fighting and half talking with Laimon. I hope we didn’t scare her too much.
The next day, started as any others. I was on my way to ask Bart and Eve if they’re feeling better after the day off that they had (I decided to ask all the party everyday if they are alright). Right when I was knocking the door, Nixie came running to us saying it is an emergency. It took her a few moments to calm down and then she told us about how the Marcel boy visited Drenizek last night. Great way to start the morning, right? Since we all agreed that Marcel boy likes to see people be desperate, we decided to not panic and try to stay as calm as possible. We got together, talked and prayed for a little, until everyone calmed down. This training helped me, but I hope it helped the others too. Seems that this Marcel boy was trying to reach Nixie through Drenizek. Nice try mouthless Marcel, but it’s not going to work.
 
Since we were close to Enneth, the next day, Nixie decided to warn the crew about the haunted forest where the nightgaunts live. She said “do not walk, talk or breath in that direction”. Of course, Vadrek with his big boys, had something to say as always but I made sure to make him shut his mouth. Gerki tried to say something as well but I scared him with the usual warnings. I do regret it now. You see dear diary, that night, we decided to not stop so we get to Enneth faster. We were doing fine until we saw pieces of Gerki falling off from the sky. Of course, we made everyone get inside, and immediately prepared for fight. But I still felt a bit sad, when I realized that my last words to Gerki were “We still haven’t chopped that hand off”. I shouldn’t have said that, not even as a joke, I should have shut my mouth. I shouldn’t have been upset on him in the first place. It was too late now to apologies, but I read something about forgiveness in the prayer book. I will send a prayer to Gerki to forgive me and thank him for the help he had given us. I couldn’t help but feel sad for a bit. We buried him right before we arrived in Enneth, and then kept on with our journey.
 
Nixie and me talked Lafk’u for a bit. He seemed a bit sad that Gerki died, but he kept his honor and said that Gerki died “on duty”. I have thought of that and realized how much he respected both his friends and enemies. I am pretty sure a fastodan would rather fight a honorable enemy than a coward, but he would fight both of them with all he has, even though the coward would die in a second. I was very curious, but I asked him to tell me more about his fights. His stories are really fascinating. I don’t really talk with Lafk’u but I do respect him a lot.
Finally, we have arrived in Enneth. Of course, all the elves live in very beautiful cities. But to be honest, sometimes they are bit intimidating. I have lived among the elves for two years, so I know some of their polite ways to talk to each other, but I still don’t feel at home around them. Yes, they are very nice creatures, but I know that it’s not polite to overstay their invitation. They don’t show it, but they do judge you for certain things. However I felt a bit more relieved to see that the kids liked me. One of them even gave me one of his toys. They all made those funny faces and smiled, and they made me feel a bit more relaxed. Once we got there, they welcomed us and helped us with Drenizek as fast as possible. I think he wouldn’t have lasted another few hour. I never learned Elf language, so I didn’t have to talk much. After what happened with Gerki, I was also a bit scared to say anything. I maybe should learn some manners from Nixie after all.
 
The others seemed very excited about this place, especially Nixie. I can imagine that this is probably the closest thing to her home that she got ever since we left the Vaneolin elves. During those years while we were hiding, she had to learn to live a miserable life, nothing compared to what she used to have back home. I tried to make it better but I wasn’t of much help back then, but I am trying my best now. After we ate, everyone seemed in high spirits. Even I felt better after some good meat. But I saw the wine and I thought about Drenizek and I suddenly didn’t want to drink it anymore. I was pretty sure he would love it, so I kept it for him. Eve and Nixie did the same, not only once, but at every party we had in Enneth.
Then, of course, the High council of High Elves, invited us to join them for a talk.Nixie started talking, but then Bart came in to help, and we all started saying something. Apparently High councils don’t like people talking at the same time, but I do not understand why. We would make a better team if we explained together. But it wasn’t my decision after all, so we let Nixie talk alone. To be honest, she tried to explain something, but focused a lot of Xantinya. Dear diary, I know Nixie hates Xantinya, but she doesn’t need to make it so clear for others as well. Heron was kind enough to translate the main ideas. Pullius and I interfered a few times. At some point, the Elves seemed a bit annoyed with us (maybe it is not obvious for the others, but after living with Nixie for a while, it becomes obvious when she becomes angry). I wanted to add something, but I was a bit scared in the beginning. It took a few moments for me to think of how to say what I wanted. We ended the conversation soon after. I don’t know why but I felt like giving them the toy I received from the kid. Maybe I shouldn’t have done that, I don’t want to offend them or anything. Well, it was too late now.
 
Later that day, they asked each one of us individually to go visit them alone. Since the others needed some time to think, and they seemed a bit upset, I went ahead. But the council didn’t talk with me. I guess they didn’t understand me. I tried to talk with them, but my Elf language is no good, so then I tried to be polite and say hi to each one of them. I don’t remember what I did after, but nothing seemed to work, so I just sat down for a few seconds and looked at them how they look at me. I had to find a way to talk with them so I took a candle, covered it with my hands and then let the light of the candle to shine through the darkness. Then I went back to my seat. At this point they stood up and made a bow. I understood that it’s time for me to go, so I bowed back, thanked them and then went back to the others. One by one, all in the party went to them and came back. Bart mentioned something about saying that he didn’t really do much. He didn’t seem in high spirit at all, but he seemed a bit relieved. I really hope he did well, there is no way to hear Bart’s songs and not like them, and even if they didn’t understand, I am pretty sure they liked Bart. And I am also sure they liked Eve, since she was so nice that she even asked about the High Elves’ personal lives. I was sure enough that we all did a great job, including Nixie who seemed to be upset that she messed up. She is very charming when she wants.
 
That night, the elves organized another one of their dinners for us. We were sitting at a table and they to the other one. Of course, I was trying to be as polite as possible, but I might have been a bit noisy. I really need to be careful how I act with the elves. Once in Vaneolin an elf saw me eat a snake, looked at me and ran. At some point we went to toast with the elves, and they politely accepted, but then they went back to having their conversations. I felt again that I might have done something wrong, so I went back to our table and continued what we were doing.
 
While I was saving the wine for Drenizek, I realized that I had another glass left from earlier. And I thought that maybe Xebec would want it. You see, I am not the biggest fan of alcohol, but I know he likes it a lot more than I do, so maybe, since it was such a good wine, he wanted to have more. I offered him the wine, and instead of taking it, he said we should have a toast. Then, he suggested that we should finish the rest of the wine, while having a little walk. Of course, I can’t say no to good wine and good company, so I accepted. We walked and talked for a bit, and then he asked me if I wanted to see how he can move the boat with only two people. I was curious if he really could do that and I was happy to spend some time with him, so I went to let Nixie know that we will be going on the ship for a bit. I actually thought if I should tell her or not, because I would give anything to see our captain Nixie’s face, when her ship was going to leave without her, but then I remembered that we would have problems with the elves, and the last thing I wanted were some arrows in my head when I’m finally having some fun. I told Nixie, and her reaction was to start making shady “have fun” face. It took me a second to realize why…It was just me and Xebec on the boat. (we don’t include Xixi because she was sleeping). Did he maybe asked me to go there with other intention? I was pretty sure that he didn’t want that, but now I was thinking about it for a bit. Not that I mind, but I was suddenly blushing too much. I hope Heron or Nixie didn’t see that. Both of the options sounded fun, so I just went back to Xebec and then we went on the ship. And I was right! I had a lot of fun. I bet he only could move that boat because I am a very fast helper who managed to move the sheets that catch the wind in time for him to move the boat. But he clearly loves sailing. I can always see him smile when we talk about the sea. But anyways, at some point, he slowed down the ship and came to stay with me. We talked for a little while again about the Elvish clothes, about Nixie and Dillen, and other stuff. I love spending time with him because in all this journey, especially now, he makes me feel a lot more free. I can just make jokes, and dance and do whatever, and he would happily join. And I know that even though he is shy, he does care a lot, not only about me, but in general. After our small conversations, I got a bit closer to him, and we cuddled and looked at the stars again. (Yes, dear diary, of course I would do that, it’s very comfortable and nice). Then, we returned to the party, where the others were almost done with the party. I wasn’t really in the mood to sleep in the Elf house, so I asked Xebec if he wants to join me to sleep on the ship. It is more comfortable than those fluffy beds.
 
The next morning, we were having breakfast, when we were called by the The High Council of High Elves for another talk. They were as serious as ever, so I didn’t really know what they were thinking. They gave a a great news, Drenizek was healed and was recovering so we could visit him after. Then, they told us that they would not help us with our journey. I mean they did already things for us so I understood why they wouldn’t want to give more. But what they said next, made absolutely no sense. They wanted us to give them Xixi in exchange for our help. First of all, how do they imagine we would give up one of us like she’s some kind of object. Second of all, since when do elves ask so straight forwardly and aggressively for something in return for their help. Of course, I looked around, nobody was even willing to accept. They even made the soldiers aim at us with the arrows. I had to be careful, you never know when one of them shoots an arrow by mistake. But suddenly, the High Council of High Elves, calmed down and said that they are going to help us. Then they looked at me and Bart and asked Nixie to translate us that we have their respect. I don’t like staying with elves that much, but I am sure of one thing. The High Elves are nicer that the old magic men in Ionolia (except the one that helped us), and smarter.
 
Later that day, we were doing our trainings. Since Nixie is always alone when we train, I asked her to join me and Xebec this time. While we were fighting, she did some earth magic. At some point, she put me and Xebec in a cage “by mistake” as she said. I am sure Nixie knows I know her better than that. Dear diary, if I wanted to end up locked somewhere with Xebec, it wouldn’t be in a cage in the middle of a field, and I would do it myself. But thanks to Nixie, I wasn’t able to concentrate anymore for the training. But it was fun making her run.
When Drenizek woke up, we hurried to visit him. We all jumped and hugged him and talked with him. The medical elves didn’t let him drink the alcohol, but I am sure the wine will not go bad. He seemed to be happy to see us and to be alive. He thanked all of us, especially Nixie, and then he gave her some kind of medicine. I don’t know about the others, but I also felt very relieved, and somehow at the same time, I felt at peace for some reason. The rest of the week we spent training as much as we could. Nixie left to go in the Galaston forest. I do remember her saying “do not walk, talk or breath in that direction”, so I did listen to her advice. I mean if she can make a cage from the ground, she can lock herself in there and protect herself from nightgaunts, right?
 
I am worried about her but I know she is not alone so she should be fine.
 
Thank you,The Almighty, for helping us in our journey, and saving Drenizek. Please, take care of Gerki.