Eve stared hard at the spoon, wobbling in her hand. She grips the spoon like a blacksmith holding onto a hammer, but with lesser strength, causing it to move around even in her hand. She gradually increases the grip on the spoon until it no longer moves, standing still like a sign that tells her it is time to put me into the bowl of gruel on the table.
Indeed, Eve is moving up in this world, as the camp director, Hansen, himself has granted the child the privilege of dining in the officer's section of the eating area. As someone of a somewhat short stature, her head is barely peeking up at the wooden bowl on top of the table. She peeks at the food within the bowl, though appetizing, the uncomfortable manner of eating that is currently being enforced upon her make eating it a chore, and a prospect that entices procrastination and sloth.
Hansen, it seems, is not letting Eve getting away with her hands no longer, as he looks steadily and calmly at young elven child in front him. He is sitting at her side, well within arm's reach to stop her from starting a motion to grab the gruel with her bare hands. The only way to eat, according to the friend of the spirits.
Eve stared out of the officer's tent, into the eating area outside, occupied with men of lower ranking. There was a sudden ruckus outside, men jeering, and whistling. Mentions of a mage being seen flows into the air inside of the tent, as the green haired elf focus her hearing to observe what was the ruckus, in an attempt to distract herself from the awkwardness of having to eat with such an odd utensil.
"O fiery mage, one smell of wine, and butter - kindly conjure us a bed - Oh! And a tavern wench too!" says a man, gaggling in turn.
Such insult is replied with a sharp chuckle, the type one hears from the more "affluent" of people. "Ah! Might I interest you in some enhancements of your intimate parts down there too? On the topic of tavern wenches, I'll be sure to kindly invite your mother - she seems quite fond of my magic last time."
Laughters roars into the air, even rushing into the tent. Even Eve finds herself giggling at such a witty response, at least witty to a child. Hansen seems to have heard it, having inhaled sharply through his nose, and quickly tapping the table, bringing Eve back to reality.
The young elf gives a subtle frown before putting her hammer-held spoon into the gruel, leaving it to splatter a bit on the wooden table. Not much of the gruel enters her mouth but, it brings her joy nonetheless despite the lesser amount, and slower pace she would be eating.
As she finishes up the remainder from the wooden bowl, Hansen bent forwards towards her. He reaches out towards her face with a handkerchief, surprising Eve who did not manage to move in time for the cloth to collide with the edges of her lips. The handkerchief removes the remnants of the gruel that manage to escape the jaws of hunger belonging to Eve.
Hansen keeps gently wiping Eve's face until he feels satisfied then, he breaches the silence, "You reminded me a lot of my boys at home. Quite rough around the edges but, you can sense a sensitive side inside of them..."
"Do you happen to know where you're from, Eve?" he changes the topic, moving to his main agenda at hand.
"... From everywhere, I guess. We never stay around too long, always moving. The elders say the spirits don't like it if you keep taking things for too long."
"Do you know anyone nearby? Any families?"
Eve shakes her head softly, "No. I don't know anyone. I came from an orphanage in the cult, but no one stayed too long... The spirits always ended up bothering them, I guess"
"I see..." Hansen said, giving out a long sigh as he pondered for a while, leaving a moment of silence between the two.
"Okay, stand up for a moment," commanded Hansen to which Eve obliges and follows Hansen to a nearby board, next to the entrance of the tent.
"Do you recognize any of the places on the map?" asks Hansen to which Eve gives a silent shake.
Just as Hansen was staring at the child, thinking of what to ask next, a young blond man, well in his twenties entered the tent. He wears a sleeveless tunic, dyed deep red in color, a pigeon insignia on his chest. Unlike other mages, he wears a belted hose, adorned with multiple tubes and carved stones. Eve can sense hums of power emanating from said stones. She felt drawn to the warmth, and heat coming from inside of the stones.
Kieren flicker from Hansen to the child, before landing on the map. He lets out a slow whistle, "So, this is the wild child I've heard so much about." His voice carries a teasing lilt, a melody very much known to the ears of the captain. "Elastra sent me, she wants a word with the stray."
"She's not a stray," Hansen growls back.
The blond man responded with a simple shrug, casually striding away to sit at a nearby chair. His eyes floated onto Eve with a glint of interest in his eyes. "Don't recognize any of those places? I guess if you're living like the wind in the leaf, there's not much places you know," he comments. "Though you seem to know what this is," he says, pulling out the rune from his belt before placing it on the wooden table.
As Eve moves her finger to touch the rune, a singular spark fly from the rune onto her hand. Kieren frowns slightly, commenting, "Oh? A reaction. Maybe Elastra was onto something". He straightens himself before looking at Hansen, "She wants the girl trained properly. An education over at the Arcanum - before you say anything, she's willing to vouch for her"
Hansen's expression darkens as his eyes seemingly stares into Kieren's very soul, "That place isn't for strays".
"You just said she isn't," Kierent commented.
Their arguments were lost to Eve, who was still fixated on the stone. It felt refined, more controlled compared to the primal creations of the cult. It felt like it was waiting. It waits for a presence to call it and unleash it onto the world. "What is it?" she mumbles.
Kieren turns his head away from Hansen, who scowls at Eve. "That's just a tool. Something that only help those who knows how to use it," he commented simply, smirk etching widely upon his face.
"Eve, put that down right now. That isn't a toy," commanded Hansen.
The young elf was still fixated on the stone, waiting for something to happen. She rubs the rune for a moment. That's when it happens again, a whisper. This time, this whisper was like a flame licking onto dry woods, like smoke curling into the open air, and like embers shifting in a dying flame. The voices flare up randomly at times, before smoldering into a soften whisper a moments later.
"Child... If you wish to use me, call my name," the mysterious stone instructs.
"And who are you?"
"Ignis... Call my name, and you shall have my blessings"
From a distant, Kieren was humored by the fascination Eve has on his runes. He hears Eve talking to himself but think nothing of it while Hansen was walking towards Eve, concern knitted in between his eyes.
"I told you," says the blond man, "You need to know how to use it before -"
Before he could finish, Eve exhaled a singular word, "Ignis".
Immediately, fire came rushing out of the rune in a violent wave, wild and hungry, curling around Eve, like a snake threatening to swallow up its prey.
Kieren reacts quickly, drawing his wand from his belt. He got one word out "Evoca -"
Then, the fire quiets down again, shrinking and shrinking it fits neatly between Eve's hands. A small firebolt dances neatly in the palms of the young elf. Silence settles over them.
"Huh..." for once, the mouthy man is speechless. He lowers his wands slightly, staring at the firebolt on her hands, surprised knitted in his eyebrows.
Eve, on the other hand, was staring at the flame in wonderment. "So cool," she mumbles to herself as the flame quietly recedes and vanishes. Kieren lets out a soft chuckle that evolves into a full-blown laughter as Hansen lets out a grumble. Outside the tent, a few men gathered to look at the chaos suddenly happening inside of the tent.
Kieren stood up swiftly, plucking his rune from the ground before ruffling Eve's hair with a smirk. "That convinced you yet?"
Eve eagerly nods her head to which Hansen replies, "Why don't you give it a bit of a thought before you make up your mind, Eve?".
"No. I wanna have those stones," the young elf replies, eyes gleaning in delight. She stares upward to look at Kieren, expectedly.
Kieren giggles, "You heard her, old man. Looks like Arcanum is gonna be in for a surprise,".