Some time before takeoff...
~
The Light Pixie came into a room where a shrine had been set up by the paladin. She stopped at the doorway a moment before looking at the object she had made under the cloth hiding it. For a second, she considered just leaving it on the floor and flying back, but then thoughts of him not noticing it and it getting lost or him stepping on it all came to her mind. Doing her best to steel herself, she took a deep breath, and slowly hovered forward.
"Um... Excuse me, M-m-mister Konstantin," she started, already feeling her voice getting wobbly.
Konstantin, who had been silently meditating in front of the Shrine, slowly turned to face the tiny voice. It was not difficult, as the makeshift chapel was silent as Christmas night.
The seven-foot-tall Cleric seemed like a
mountain from her perspective, surely. A towering height of metal and cloth, radiating holy light.
"One of the Fae?" He says in a gentle tone that belies his sheer size. "How might I help you?"
Somehow, just hearing his voice helped to calm her. She wasn't sure why, but she was sure it had to be how he was connected to light. She wasn't being weird, no matter what the others said. She was sure that if there was a water-based person around then Florian would be just as drawn to them. She winced and focused herself, holding out her gift and coming closer.
"I- I brought you this," she said, trying and failing to look directly at him while she spoke. "It's just that...I saw you w-w-were sad and I...th-thought you might... Er, it's for you... No, Ialreadysaidthat," she squeaked out.
Slowly kneeling down, he cupped his hands together and allowing her to deposit it in his mailed hands. A gift, she said. He hadn't been given a gift in a long time...
"You are too kind, giving me a gift," he said, giving her a tiny smile.
"You're, um, welcome," she responded, feeling a bit of heat on her cheeks before she pulled back the cloth to reveal an small, iridescently glowing orb. "It, uh... It glows by intent, concentration, and memory. When you think of something, it makes lights of colors connecting to your thoughts. When you remember or try to remember something, it will form shapes in familiar colors on its surface. And...if you think really hard, if you bring all of your focus onto a thought or memory, it will form it into light for you to see."
"I see..." He nodded, understanding the artifact. "May I... Hold it?" he asked. She nodded before realizing she hadn't handed it over yet. Embarrassed, she placed it in his hands and fluttered up while cupping her face, berating herself inside as she did.
Closing his eyes (though she could not tell) Konstantin focused on a particular memory, with all his heart.
...
And lo, like she said, a figure began to form. It was of a young woman with blond hair. She was smiling, twirling about among a field of flowers.
Eilonwy.
It had been so, so long since he had seen her face. All that time wandering in the dark, and he had begun to fear the memory would fade.
And, grasping the orb gently, he let it fade, before looking back at the fairy.
"...
Thank you." He says to her, voice hoarse. "This means very much to me."
Tears began to form at the edges of her eyes, threatening to pour out, but she smiled at him warmly.
"H-h-happy to..." And then she was off, speeding back the way she came, diving straight into the house tree and hiding down in its lowest parts, fearful of her crying face being seen.
"..." The Cleric watched her leave, before turning his gaze back to the orb in his hands. He cradled it like an infant, and once more, the orb began to glow as he turned back to the Shrine.
Relishing happier memories...
~
