[center][h1][color=ebe7a3]Roslyn Wicke[/color][/h1][/center]
[center]Drowning in the Aftermath[/center]
[hider=Family Secrets][center][h3][u]Family Secrets[/u][/h3][/center][center]Act 1[/center]
Location: Wicke Estate within Arkney, Hendland
Date: Pandes, 7th of Tiptos (earlier this year)
[hr]

Garith's eyes stared through the frosted window.

Stretching for miles, Ipte bestowed her kiss upon Arkney's land. Snow nested among the hilly landscape and fields, coating everything in blinding white. The color clashed with the yellowy glow spilling from the hearth as it warmed his back. He let the heat penetrate into his bones and soul, eating away the inner chill. His bitterness still lurked underneath his surface.

He released his breath into a faint mist. Its fog spread along the surface and melted the frost away. Garith took a step away, returning to the room's center. A frustrated frown cut deep into his face's thin muscle. Illness had siphon more of his stamina over the last few months leaving him weak and struggling to stand. Even now, his right hand rested heavily upon the cane at his side.

Garith raised the letter back to his gaze, his eyes hardening at Roslyn's handwriting. A soft sigh escaped his pursed lips as he trailed back to his chair. The door creaked open, followed by a shadowy form of a man entering.

His father, Aaren Wicke.

The young man ignored the sensation of eyes following him before settling into the seat. It was about this time every day that his father entered his office causing him to speak first.

"Good evening Father. Nothing bad happened in the brewery? No accidents or busted keelers?" His eyes raised to spy the older man close the door behind him.

Casually, his father drew closer and sat across the desk.

"Everything is on schedule, including the brew Roslyn started last year. We'll be testing it tomorrow for quality."

"Good, speaking of my sister," His hand offered the paper to his father, "I received her capital and personal letter today." Garith continued as his father read it."She got accepted into a program called THESiS. It’s a large loan of sorts, allowing us to pay it back gradually even after she’s graduated. We might be able to expand some this year."

Aaren stared longer than needed before passing it back, "She's omitted the amount she's left with each month, but reading between the lines... it's not much."

"My guess is four incantors each month, if she's lucky. That includes paying off her boarding and extra expenses if she went with something reasonable.  It might be less if she didn’t."

Garith spotted his father about to open his mouth again, forcing him to interrupt."No, we can't send her more, we’re spending more than we can afford as it is. Roslyn’ll figure out how to make it work. Trust me on that."

Aaren sighed, leaning back into the chair. He shifted their conversation.

"When is your next Binder’s appointment?"

Garith didn't respond immediately. His eyes narrowed at each of the documents before brushing them aside, voicing his aloof thoughts. "I have too much to do. It will have to wait until I’m free."

"Based on the way you’re squinting, your eyesight is getting worse. Isn’t it?” The slightly graying man noted and then added,“Have you received word about the newest pair of Binders in town?"

"The Leigh siblings?"

"Yes."

Garith shook his head,"I prefer James Forrest. He treated mother until…”

A heavy stillness stretched across the room between the men.

His father broke the silence.“Rumors say he moved on to Rivers. According to the men I sent, his cottage has been empty since last year."

"Strange. He never said anything about leaving..."

Garith’s eyes finally met his father’s. 

"No, he didn't," his Aaren agreed, "Based on the neighbors’ testimonies, he simply got up and left one morning. Carried what he could and didn’t look back."

Garith frowned and sighed."I wish he would’ve said something,” his eyes checked the fire, watching its red embers still glowing among the ashes, “I'll arrange a meeting with the Leighs then. My condition worsens, I’ll make an appointment later this week. The costs of Binders are bleeding us more than Roslyn's tuition."

"It is not the first time we had to tighten our belts and it won’t be the last. Roslyn would agree with me."

Garith scoffed, "Really? I'm starting to wonder. She's been staying away from home even during the holidays."

"You both left off on a bitter foo-"

"That's not an excuse!" The young man's fist hand slammed down on the desk table causing his father to flinch. Realizing his mistake, Garith swallowed his anger down. He straightened back up and cradled his stinging hand.

"I'm sorry."

Aaren rose half way to his feet, his hand reaching out to rest on his son’s shoulder. 

“No need to apologize. Focus on getting better while I arrange the appointment with the Binders. Hopefully they are open to negotiations.” 

Garith nodded. He was too tired to deal with this. Besides, there were more pressing matters surfacing in his head.

"Thank you and we have more pressing matters to worry about. Rumors about Viscount Gould's claims are getting louder. He came to visit me last month."

Aaren's eyes darkened at the name's mention while lowering back to his seat, "That greedy windbag decided to show his face here? After all the damage he did! What has he claimed this time? The mill, the brewery again… what?"

Garith ignored his father’s fuming form as he continued. 

"He’s given up on the brewery. Now it’s our home. Once more, he claims our deed to the land is wrong and he has the proper one. Due to his generosity, he warns that we should leave the premises within the year."

"Tch," Came the click of his father's teeth at the Viscount's boldness,"Who did he pay off to feel so confident about this?"

"No idea, but if he paid off the right people..." Neither of them needed to say more. 

"I'll put off visiting Roslyn until later this year. She has enough to worry about and needs to focus on her studies. Keep me updated. We’ll figure out a way out of this mess."

“She will find out eventually, but it won’t be from me," Garith spoke to his father's departing back, idly returning to his work.
[/hider][hider=Chamomile and Liquor for the Soul]
[center][u]Chamomile and Liquor for the Soul[/u][/center]
Featuring: Niallus [@McKennaJ71] and Roslyn [@Fallenreaper]
Place: Ersand’Enise Academy of Thaumaturgy
Time: Orredes (28th of Assani), Tinctures & First Aid class

[hr]
Roslyn often took her luncheon in the brotherhood of Brew Appreciators' beer garden. The floral decoration and calming atmosphere aided her nerves of late. However, today was different. She wasn't here just for a leisure lunch, but to procure something strong in flavor for her next class' lesson. It helped kill two birds with one stone.

Once she forced her meal down, she entered the small brewery. Pushing past the cloud of heat, she found a stool and plopped down near the fire. Her eyes studied the rich, golden liquid stewing in the copper pot. So far, each member did their part between classes to ensure nothing burnt. Now it just needed to be finished off and bottled.

Roslyn bit back a yawn.

Sensing the heat was too high, she drew it from the crackling embers. The red hot flames dimmed into glowing coals. With her other hand, the girl's finger twisted about.

[color=ebe7a3]"Liquid Telekinesis."[/color]

The beer started to churn then bubble. Roslyn reached for a clay jar, positioning it near the spout. She took a few cooled embers in her hand. Using binding, she broke them down. Transferring the mana into her kinetic magic, she resumed using her magic to pour the keeler. She felt like she hadn’t slept properly in the last few days. 

Strong scents of barley, apples, sweetgale, and cinnamon drifted into her face. Roslyn squinted her eyes through the steam as she focused on her magic's movement and its pace. Adrenaline kept her upright. She didn’t know how long it would last though. Once the jar reached its peak, Roslyn rested it back on the dim embers. She corked it then set it aside. She repeated the process with a keg next. The process was slower than it should’ve been and included putting the drained grains into a barrel. Other students would purchase it for cheap animal feed, especially for horses. 
 
Once finished, she stood up and rolled the larger offering to the storage for the society faire tomorrow. She had been ‘volunteered’ to help at the booth and that meant getting out of classes for the day. Speaking of time, her eyes shifted to the sundial nearby. The dark line edged dangerously close to the next hour and forced her to move. Carefully, she took the reminding clay jar and then headed to her Tinctures and First Aid class. She felt confident that the beer would overwhelm the bitterness.

[center]~~~~[/center]

Carefully balancing the jar in her hand, Roslyn minded her step as she entered the classroom. Her eyes shifted to the candle clock to note the small amount of wax above the next line. Good, she thought, class hasn’t started. 

A dreadful weight released itself from her chest and she drifted to her station. She lowered her jar onto the table, noticing more students filing in behind her. Her form settled into the seat nearby her partner Niallus Saberhagen. Spying Esmii a few tables down, Roslyn waved to her Yaosi friend.

Realizing she hadn’t explained the jar, Roslyn politely smiled and pointed to it.

[color=ebe7a3]“I would’ve been here sooner, but I decided to make a small stop and pick up some malt beer. It should serve as a good tincture and kill some of the bitter taste. I hope that's alright with you.”[/color] Her eyes locked with his, waiting for an answer.

Niallus sat there, taking his eyes away from its pages while she spoke. With a gentle close of the book he placed onto the desk. When looking at her eyes he could see the slight bag under them starting to form. Has she not been sleeping well, he wondered. Dismissing those thoughts for now. He greeted her with a smile.
 
He shuffled his seat along so Roslyn could have more room on the desk. His knee banged into a leg of the desk knocking some things over, notes sliding across the desk making it untidy, he ignored it for the moment to answer her.

[color=3d5a88]"Actually, you're just on time. There are a few students that still haven't turned up yet so the Zeno is giving a bit more time before we can start."[/color]

Seeing the jar in her grasp he made a little room for it on the desk, he was impressed with her planning ahead. He didn't even think of it. As he organizes the desk once with the essentials that will be needed for today's lesson.

[color=3d5a88]"With both of us here, now we can start."[/color]

Roslyn simply nodded in response. The back of her throat surged with another tingle and again her mouth widened into a yawn. Her right palm raised to hide it a bit too late. A sheepish and embarrassed expression crossed her face. [color=ebe7a3]“Apologies, I haven't slept well lately. I'm afraid you'll be carrying us through most of this lesson. ”[/color] Guilt seeped into her tone over the admittance.

To be honest with herself, it surprised her that she hadn't burned herself in the brewery. Pushing the thought aside, white flowers with yellow middles caught her attention and she gently grasped one. Several were clustered on one stem while she held it up for him to see. [color=ebe7a3]“I’m sure this was covered earlier, but what herb is this?”[/color]

Niallus wasn't upset with Roslyn having trouble, he was having his own problems since he broke up with Ingrid not too long ago. Trying not to think about it too much he shook his head a little and focused on what Roslyn asked him about the herb she was holding in her hand in front of him. 

[color=3d5a88]"I think it's a chamomile. It's quite a common herb that can be used in a lot of herbal remedies. There are a few herbs that look similar to it but it can be a common mistake if you don't have knowledge of herbs."[/color] he explained to her. He checked the notes he made for the assignment that they have to do. 

[color=ebe7a3]" Oh, I should've remembered that. Mother used to take some of these for fever. I am not sure it helped much."[/color] Roslyn released the stem as she set it back down. 

[color=3d5a88]"We need to cut it up finely. Once it's cut we need to add it to the liquid."[/color] placing some of the herbs in front of him, grabbing a small cutting knife, then placing another knife for Roslyn to use.

[color=3d5a88]"Here you go, try not to cut yourself."[/color] he said to her then began to start cutting up the herb.

Roslyn took the offered tool. Her hand's grip tightened as she selected a stem of flowers. With a sloppy execution, she began to scrap the flowers off and chop the white petals. At first it was a repetitive motion. Muscles moved with memory as the white petals became smaller with each slice. Her eyelids drooped a bit as she fell into the lull of the motion. A sting of pain entered her skin causing Roslyn to hiss, dropping the knife. Pulling her finger closer to her eyes, a droplet of blood swelled to the surface. 

[color=ebe7a3]“Damn it...”[/color] She muttered. 

When he heard Roslyn hiss, Niallus turned to look at Roslyn holding her finger. He placed his knife down and moved hers away. Grabbing her hand to inspect her wound, it wasn't deep, but it started to bleed a bit, blood started to touch his hand. Looking at her tired face, he wondered if she drifted off while cutting. 

[color=ebe7a3]“Ouch, easy!”[/color] She snapped a bit, feeling him pull her hand toward him. With a soft sigh, she held it there until he finished examining it.

[color=3d5a88]"It's clear that you are too tired for this. Treat this injury I'll finish up, you just sit and rest."[/color] he said to her.

[color=ebe7a3]“I did mention you might be carrying me the whole lesson.”[/color] Irritation slithered into her tone.

Roslyn plucked a few hairs from her head and rubbed them between her fingers. Focusing her binding on it, she began to break down the hairs and use them to mend her finger. She mumbled.[color=ebe7a3]“Nourishment of Oraff-Zept.”[/color]

As her finger began to stitch itself together, she crossed her forearms and settled her chin on her arms. She regretted not drinking more before bed last night. Deep down, Roslyn knew it wouldn't have mattered much.

After she started using Binding to treat her cut. Niallus took charge of the duo. Grabbing the leftovers that Roslyn had left to cut, putting her pile and his own together, with a knife in hand he started cutting and dicing the stem and petals of the flower. He kept her in his peripheral vision, to keep an eye on her. It seems that she was close to falling asleep. His cutting and dicing was complete, since the necessary amount  was almost reached before Roslyn cut herself, Niallus just finished it off. [color=3d5a88]"There we go, all done. Are you going to be ok?"[/color] he asked her. 

A half-hearted chuckle escaped Roslyn's breath, followed by another yawn. How many days had it been since the trip to Vossoryia? She had lost count thanks to the nightmares. Her gut told her it hadn't been that long though as she replied.[color=ebe7a3]“I managed to heal the cut so maybe?”[/color] She didn’t sound confident in her answer. Her head lifted long enough for her fingers to wipe away the grit in her eyes. Roslyn slowly settled back down as sleep weighed on her.

[color=3d5a88]"That's good. Let's get back to it."[/color] Niallus said to her.

Niallus started to get back to the task. He couldn't concentrate properly, he looked back at her, she was just sitting there, she was on the verge of falling asleep once more. He thought about what to do with her. She could injure herself once more or worse since she's fatigued. Niallus stood up, grabbing his cloak that was hung up. Once in his hands he walked back to his seat, placing it around Roslyn. 

[color=3d5a88]"Why don't you go for a little nap. I'll handle the task from here."[/color]

Impulsively, Roslyn's form lifted upright to fight the sleepiness hazing over her mind. When his cloak draped over her, she snapped her head toward him. Already she felt the educator's eyes drift toward her with disapproval. [color=ebe7a3]“No, I can't. I can't afford any disciplinary marks right now. Besides, I have a spare period after this. I can nap then.”[/color] 

Roslyn had already started to reach for the bottle. The cork seemed rather stuck as she struggled to open it.

Niallus eyes drifted to where hers looked, the tutor looked ready to strike, waiting for Roslyn to fall asleep so then they could come over. She was right. She would get disciplinary marks for this, but so would he for assisting her. He thought about what to do, maybe. 

[color=3d5a88]"If you think you can hold off until then I will help you by doing most of the lesson. You just sit and watch."[/color] he instructed, cleaning his knife from the herbs that stuck to the blade. When he saw her struggling to get the cork out of a bottle, he held his hand out to her. [color=3d5a88]"Let me open it for you."[/color] he asked.

Sighing, Roslyn passed him the bottle. She bit back the urge to snap at him and instead forced herself upright the best she could. Every bit of her hated this draining sensation as she pushed her patience to its low limits. [color=ebe7a3]“ Yeah, I'm just useless right now... I just wish the nightmares would stop. I've been considering asking if I could get a blessing from the church, but I don't want to bother them."[/color]

Already the lack of sleep continued to push her downward once more.

With the bottle in hand, two fingers on the cork while Niallus' hand held the bottle. Applying little amounts of pressure on the cork, with a swift motion the cork came free from  the bottle with a satisfying pop. [color=3d5a88]"Here you go."[/color] handing back the bottle to Roslyn. He was curious about the nightmares that she was having, and wondered if was able to offer her some advice. From what he was told by Sven, the adventure was a little hectic. So it could be something that is bothering her.

[color=3d5a88]"A blessing could help. What sort of nightmares have you been having?"[/color] he asked her while looking through his notes to see what was next to do.

[color=ebe7a3]“Mostly a mixture of things. From a burnt Penny condemning me to hell to a monster exploding in front of me. Every night seems to be something different."[/color] Roslyn's head fought not to rest on her arms by this point. [color=ebe7a3]“I am scared that I'm going mad at this rate."[/color]

Niallus comforted his fellow student, understanding what she was going through was in fact, he heard that Esmii was having the same nightmares. He only heard that from Sven. It would only be natural for Roslyn to have them too, since her and Esmii were together most of the time.

[color=3d5a88]"I've had a similar trouble, my time in ReTan, wasn't the best time. It even got more troubled when I got back from Ersand'Enise."[/color] referring to him and Ingrid breaking up, seems a few of the other students already know about it already. He shakes his head, brushing his problem to deal another time. [color=3d5a88]"If you want to talk more about it another time, you can come to me, I'm currently got some rough patch at the moment. We can share it with a few drinks. moment."[/color]

Roslyn frowned. 

Her tired mind tried to search her memory over where she heard that word before. She would have to recall it later after she slept. The girl remained quiet for a moment before she finally answered.[color=ebe7a3]“Well, dealing with it on my own isn't helping me much. I have nothing to lose."[/color]

Niallus didn't know why he offered that to her, maybe so he can prove to himself that he's wanting to move on, though it'll be a bit odd having a  different girl in his room. For now he didn't want anything to happen at all between them. [color=3d5a88]"It couldn't hurt."[/color] he simply said to her.

She sighed as she forced herself upright. Her skin tingled as the instructor's eyes darted her way and then moved onto the next student. She stiffed another yawn with the back of her hand.

[color=ebe7a3]“You're right, but first I need to stay awake."[/color] Roslyn leaned in to read the notes too.

[color=ebe7a3]“We need to put the herbs in the alcohol, I think. Then let it sit for a bit."[/color] With Niallus' help, she folded the paper up and raised it near the bottle's opening. They poured it in and let the pieces fall in. She gestured for him to cork it as the teacher dismissed them. They had to wait for a day for the herbs to infuse into the liquid.

As the students were dismissed, Roslyn paused to talk with Niallus.[color=ebe7a3]“Why don't we talk about this on Victendes, around the last hour of Eshiran? Meet me at the Brotherhood of Brew Appreciators booth. I should be done by then and we can enjoy some ale in the beer garden."[/color] 

[/hider]