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[Hikaru]

Hikari blinked. "But where would it go?" She asked Leirra as she took the chair offered to her. While her words were to Leirra, however, her attention was upon the creature lifting the tea set, her eyes fixed in a cross-eyed stare to try to get a better look at it while Fido barked at the movement of the creature.

[Nisorin]

Leirra smiles as she follows Hikari's gaze. "You've never met one of the Good Neighbors, Hikari? I suppose they have made themselves scarce in the larger dimensions as of late. This is Rhial, an old friend of mine who makes the most wonderful teas. She's a type of Faerie who's existence is partly founded in elemental air." Rhial gives Hikari a mischievous, though not malevolent, grin before disappearing into a gust of wind.

"This place is my, home away from home, so to speak. I suppose the simplest way to describe it would be a... Portable apartment? I thought you would find yourself fairly comfortable here. I'm afraid my actual home is much less, orderly, than you are probably used to."

[Hikaru]

"Air Faerie..." Hikari scrunched her eyes closed, looking as if she was thinking for a moment, "Like a sylph?" She asked, sounding in awe. While her mother had never really cared for her or been nice to her, she had done one thing. She'd taught her magic, about magical creatures, and everything to do with mages and sages. It was the only times she actually seemed like she cared for that one year at all... Well, cared about the magic, not Hikari herself. But still, Hikari had picked up quite a bit, and could do some impressive spellwork because of it, if only she didn't have the lack of confidence.

 

 

[Nisorin]

Leirra smiles more and nods. "You're very right, though Rhial is a closely related subspecies.your mother taught you of them? I did not realize Hikaru had much interest in the fair folk." She says, thinking that over. "You must be pretty skilled as a mage. I'll bet she'd be proud, with as much as she's grown lately. Even if she's not ready to admit such things yet."

[Hikaru]

"She didn't really go into detail on them..." Hikari quickly added. "Just what they were, along with the other elementals. Golems for Earth, Undine for Water, and Salamanders for Fire," she named them off as she recalled the lessons on magic she had learned. "She wasn't very fond of the elemental for fire though, she aid they were inferior to Phoenixes and ended the lesson that lesson there, never going back to it... " Hikari pet Fido, who had sat next to her and laid his head in her lap as she chatted to Leirra.

 

"What do you mean?" She looked back up at Leirra at the mention of her mother being proud.

[Nisorin]

Leirra smiles to her. "While I haven't seen your magic skills, I think she'd be proud of you remembering your lessons so well. I just don't think she'd publicly admit being proud. She's, very stubborn in that way. At least in my dealings with her." Leirra explains, taking a sip of her tea. She smiles as she magically lifts a book from a shelf and sets it on the table. It was a very old book, though clearly well cared for. "You can borrow this if you like, it's a primer on the most common of the fair folk. Not incredibly detailed, but a very good starting place. If we do get to be good friends you'll likely encounter them more and more. But either way, do you mind if I ask a personal question, Ms. Tyris?"

[Hikaru]

Hikari couldn't help but stare at Leirra with her first statement. Her mother ... proud... of her? Leirra had to be mistaken. The only person her mother was ever proud of, was herself. Even her apprentices never recieved praise from her, as Hikari had heard Miss Inari mention (and somewhat sulk about) several times before. Could her mother have really grown as  Leirra had said, did it somehow have something to do with the flood of memories she had received or was Leirra just trying to make her feel better with white lies?

 

Unsure of the answer, Hikari said nothing but quietly accepted the book, only finally speaking up in answer to Leirra's last question,

 

"What is it..?" She asked.

[Nisorin]

Leirra looks to her, thinking this matter over as she sips. "If it's not too much distress, Hikari, would you mind if I asked how you passed? It's a very personal question and I don't expect you to be ready to answer already. But it might help me understand your fear of your mother. It might even help me help her overcome her own troubles." She explains, her smile replaced by a calm look of sorrow.

[Hikaru]

"How I... passed?" Hikari just stared for a moment, then it hit her. "Oh! My death! Ummm..." She started to circle her left index finger with her right index finger as she held her hands in her lap, her gaze slowly drifting down to her hands as she spoke. "She-... She wasn't very happy with me.. She..--"

"You are wasting my time! Why is this so difficult for you?!"

Hikaru's voice had rang loud and clear in Hikari's head before she could properly answer Leirra, the words holding the same sting that they did the day it had happened. It was a memory, and yet it was so vivid.. so real... "I-I'm sorry mother I---" Hikari immediately stopped herself from answering the memory out of habit, her face going red by the mistake. "I couldn't help her kill her brothers, and so she found me..."

"Useless! Completely and utterly worthless!"

"Not to her liking.."

[Nisorin]

As she watches, Leirra sighs in concern. By then end, she's shaking her head and looking almost angry. "How dare she? Just because you weren't strong enough to kill two of the strongest mages out there, she kills you? That's not how a parent acts. A real parent would have helped you get stronger, or accepted you couldn't answer helped you find something else you can do." She says, looking out the window. "That's what my sister and I did, all those eons ago. I'm sorry, Hikari, for bringing up bad memories."

[Hikaru]

"It's not that I couldn't, although I definitely know I couldn't!" Hikari was quick to respond before her words were misinterpreted. "But I also .. just...  didn't want to.." The young girl sounded unsure of herself as she explained further. "I made a mistake.. and questioned her ...reasoning. ... Brought up that they were family..and that's when she..." Hikari paused for a moment. "Well, after that I found myself in the spirit realm, and then sent here. Where I have Lord Eli." Her face brightened up as she forced a smile. "He has been oh so wonderful!"

[Nisorin]

Leirra sighs and nods. "She has always been very, ambitious... But that wasn't a mistake. Anyone would be concerned about their family getting hurt. After all, being her clone they are your family too." She says, looking out the window. "How is Eli? It's been such a long time since he's come for tea. Does he still like that oolong with a hint of cinnamon?"

[Hikaru]

Hikari's expression that had just brightened up a few moments before, now fought itself from turning into a frown. "Lord Eli is great!" She struggled with the words, "Wonderful, everything in North is wonderful! On that note, ...maybe we should ... get back?"  Hikari looked down to Fido who she had nearly forgotten was still sleeping with his head in her lap, and gave him a gentle nudge to wake up.

[Nisorin]

Leirra sets her cup down and sighs a bit. "I'm not asking for no reason, Hikari. I know something has happened to him. But he's long been masking himself from us so I couldn't tell what happened. I've known him since his-well... A very, very long time indeed. I believe he's still alive, otherwise Creation would have passed to a successor like Hikaru's husband's domain did." She explains, looking to Hikari with concern. "And yes, I can feel that what happened to him has saddened you greatly."