Aftermath

The storm raged on and the wind howled through the streets. The rain began to wash away the crimson stains left in their wake. The sounds of battle had died down, across all of Laotaan.

Velvet dove to the plaza on her broom, then slowed down as she approached. Once a few inches above the ground, she hopped off, dragged her coffer behind her and let the broom clatter to the floor. With hasty steps she approached the two unconscious figures. Rhys and Mira were lying on the ground, still side by side. Breathing, but barely. Velvet clicked her tongue and narrowed her eyes.

She surveyed the area, her eyes landing on the molten ground and Zev’s scorched form. A shudder ran down her spine and she bit her lip almost to the point of breaking skin.

“You’ve got to be joking…” she said with an awkward chuckle and a slight scowl. “Just how much time did you pour into your craft, little mage?” she muttered and dropped her gaze to Mira.

Velvet stepped closer and knelt between them, holding two fingers to their pulse points. First Rhys’, then Mira’s. Rhys was healing, thanks to the potion. But Mira was not. She exhaled deeply and looked at Mira. Her eyes lingered for a little longer, lost in contemplation. Then she narrowed them and sighed.

“No charity my arse…” she said, putting her coffer down. “…Tch, at least I get to repay that.” She murmured and rummaged through its contents.

From it, she pulled a flask, the one Mira sold her. She hadn’t put in the effort to empty it yet, so the Flameweed Potion was still inside. Velvet held the bottle in her hand and uncorked it. With a cautious touch, she rolled the unconscious Mira onto her back. She looked at the injured elf below, her eyes trailing the wounds.

“Guess you’re still just a normal girl, despite your show.”

She looked to her closed eyes, ears and nose. She saw the telltale signs of magical strain and scowled.

“Bit off more than you could chew, huh? A spell of that potency…” she said.

Then she lifted Mira’s head slightly, opened her mouth and let her drink the potion. Once she was sure that Mira had swallowed, Velvet laid Mira’s head back down on the pavement.

“There… That’s repaid now.” Velvet said.

She rose to her feet, producing her pipe and taking a deep drag from it. She turned away from them, one arm crossed under her chest as she watched the waves crashing against the port.

“Living in interesting times, huuuh…?” she said and puffed a large cloud of pink smoke out, then clicked her tongue. “Sounds way more fun in books than reality…”