Chapter Text
The moon bathed the camp in its soft moonlight. Sorin was on watch duty now, but Nissa could not find it in her to sleep- the night was so beautiful, with its chirping crickets and open, star-speckled sky. Besides, the ground was hard and rocky, and it was utterly impossible to find a comfortable spot. She had no idea how Anowon and Sorin slept so soundly each night. Perhaps it was a vampire thing? She doubted they even truly required sleep, though. It was more likely the two of them just wanted a bit of rest, and who could blame them? They’d been traveling without break for weeks now, and they’d hardly made a dent in the distance they intended to span.
Speaking of vampires, she found herself growingly conflicted about Anowon with each passing day. Sorin was from another plane, and as such, she did not hold as much contempt for him as she did the blood-drinking leeches of her homeworld. Anowon, on the other hand, was an enigma. They did not hesitate to kill, to eviscerate, to indulge in the vulgar pleasures of their condition. And yet, she could not help but postulate on the morality of their situation. They hadn’t chosen this life- had they? They seemed rather… tame, compared to their kin. More of a scholar than a monster, really.
The worst thing they’d done to her personally was bore her with long, rambling lectures on linguistics. And even then, she didn’t think they really realized that they were ranting. Whatever the case, they didn’t treat her with malice, despite Sorin’s claims that they yearned for the metallic taste of her blood. He was probably just manipulating her, she reasoned.
Anowon woke up with a start as a loud scream resounded throughout their makeshift campsite. They turned to her, a grimace on their face as they covered a yawn. “Mmnngh— what was that?” they asked.
Nissa shook her head, her lip curled in disgust as she replied. “Sorin’s latest victim, I’d assume.”
They nodded, averting their eyes from her and rolling up the parchment they’d fallen asleep while poring through. “Revane, may I ask you something?”
“Yes?”
Their piercing gaze remained focused upon the scroll as they replied. “I get the impression that you still have yet to place your trust in me. Why might this be, I wonder?”
The question caught her very much off guard. She was speechless, unsure how to reply. After a moment of sullen silence, she glanced back up at them. “I don’t know the answer to that myself.”
The ruin sage nodded, and left her to her thoughts.