Episode 3 Sneak Peek #8

Spoilers ahead! From an Aeran friend branch. 

You approach him, bare feet treading on the stone, and he stiffens at the sound. Hastily, he grabs the robe and slips it about his shoulders, wrapping it around himself. He looks tired and worn, his sandy-brown hair tousled and tangled by a night of restless sleep. Despite the deep tan from your month at sea, his features are pale and pallid. How long has he been out here, lost in thought, brooding about Mahanin, Velantis, and everything this city represents?

“Bad night?” you ask, joining him.

He pauses. “I’m fine.”

[CHOICE] 1. “Liar.”
2. Leave him be.

Your tone is playful, a light-hearted attempt to slip into that banter that comes so easily to you. Aeran casts you a sideways looks and falls silent. You wait, wondering whether he’s going to refuse the bait. Considering how wretched he looks, you wouldn’t be surprise if he sunk further into whatever brooding thoughts he’s festering in this morning—

He laughs.

“What?” you ask, surprised.

“Can’t hide anything from you, can I?” he replies. His elbows dig into the balustrade, the sleeves of his robe fanning out across the rough stone. “Rhodarth would say that’s good for me, if he were here.”

He hasn’t mentioned the mercenary since you left Rona and you can’t help but wonder what became of him. With the Crimson Count’s death, the melusine is a free agent once more. You can’t imagine someone like him would stay in Rona for long.

“Smart man, that Rhodarth,” you say finally. “Glad someone kept you in check before I came along.”

He looks away, staring out across the grounds to the lake and the palace’s great red walls. Fog clouds the mountains above, their snow-capped summits grey in the early morning. A golden glow blooms in the east, the promise of a sun soon to rise above the peaks. Mahanin’s elaborate gardens and lustrous lawns shine with dew, shimmering in the grey light. Like the rest of the palace, they are calm and quiet, without a soul in sight. Compared to the bustling liveliness of last night, they might as well be a completely different area of the palace. The pavilions have already been dismantled and the grounds returned to a pristine condition. Considering the sun hasn’t even fully risen, the archon’s staff are considerably efficient.

You suspect Rasmira has something to do with it.

“I can’t stop thinking about what comes next, $firstname,” he says.