"Sanria? Sanria, wake up."
Sanria sat up, realizing the daylight was streaming through the windows of her office. She had fallen asleep hunched over her desk, her face smashed on the pages of her herbal guide. She sat up and looked into the eyes of Enmach, who stared back with a raised eyebrow, waiting for some good reason. "I... just got busy..."
"I know better. Listen, I know you've had a lot going on and with your picnic being a failure-"
"Enmach, it was business, not a... picnic. So it wasn't a failure. Not only that, I'm still married to Colin, so it is officially classified as business. Nothing more."
"As you wish," Enmach answered cooly.
"Please, don't do that."
"Why were you reading the herbal?" Enmach asked, moving on.
"I was thinking of making myself some teas but I don't have everything."
"Perfect. I'll keep Nioma, you go out and do gathering."
Sanria found herself in the Elven Valley, lost in thought, until a man ran into her, nearly knocking her over and knocking himself down in the process. After profuse apologies, she discovered the man was himself searching for herbs. Desperately so. She looked at the drawings and smiled. At last, something she knew completely. "Ah, those are simple to find. The dandelion root can be fresh, as the chamomile. Rose hips are a little more difficult to come by, but I carry some on me at all times."
"You're perfect!"
"I'm sorry?"
"Why didn't I think of it! You can help me!"
"I... wh... well what did you need help with?" Sanria asked.
"A friend of mine is injured and needs some help. That is what the items are for."
After agreeing to help, Sanria found herself barely able to keep pace with the shadowy figure. Though being in Westbridge made her uncomfortable, she kept up until they reached a large home. "I found them!" the man crowed. "Ok, maybe I didn't find the herbs... but I found her..."
The man moved out of the way. There, in the same room, was a woman who appeared to be a priest, and on the floor being ministered, was Ror.
Sanria found herself staring at the elf, her mind uncomprehending. She did not know how, but after she had decided to avoid all further contact, here they were... albeit only one of the conscious. "Apparently earth magic rebounded on him. I've asked Alsin to get some herbs, but perhaps you have a better idea?" The voice of the woman brought her from her stupor.
"He offered to help cleanse a room of mine of a deathly aura," Alsin said.
"He was mid incantation when he collapsed."
"I was on the right track then perhaps," the woman said.
The only thing Sanria then found going through her mind was the audacity of a sage to attempt to remove an evil entity. Wizards work. Sorcerer's work, in fact. "You called on a sage to incant for you? How foolish could you be?!"
"I didn't ask him to do it, he just up and offered and off he went..."
"So foolish, Ror," Sanria sighed quietly.
Knowing that no others had been able to revive Ror, Sanria set to work making a tea from the herbs in her pack. She made introductions while she worked, learning Alsin's name as well as Casandra's. Once the tea had been made (amongst discussions on the nature of the problem when one tries to hire the wrong person for the job), Sanria held Ror's head in her lap. Carefully, she poured the tea down his throat while Casandra incanted a healing spell. It wasn't long before the entity Ror had swallowed forced its way out, leaving the elf vomiting and the room darkening. Quickly, Casandra cast a protection spell on the entire group. "Alsin, how long has this been in your home?" Casandra asked. "Ummm... maybe a century or two... I don't remember a time in this house when I didn't feel that aura in that room."
"Oooo.... did anyone get the number of that donkey cart?" Ror moaned.
"So you set him to work on a centuries old entity?" Sanria asked Alsin. It was infuriating to consider. "I didn't exactly set him to it," Alsin answered. "I told him not to try, I had wizards and other try their hand at it before. He insisted and as I said.....just started off on his own."
"Hey... is it Thursday already?"
Sanria looked at Ror with a smirk. "If you wanted to see me before Thursday, you should have just sent me a card, Ror."
"So you know him?" Alsin asked, and Sanria merely nodded. Why it seemed there was a collusion to have her and Ror meet, Sanria couldn't figure out. But after another several moments spent admonishing the elf, she left the house, whisking herself back to the castle. She would have to be more careful.
She had no sooner plopped down at her desk, when the hulking form of Fenlauch peered into her office. "Sanria, may I speak with you?"
