ROLEPLAY

[OOC - this is the story of a reunion between two best friends, told from the point of view of Senatrius]

The pressure left his throat in an instant. „Sena. “The sun was starting to rise. The two Homins stood there on the beach, staring at each other, unsure what to say. Thousands of words ran through their heads but somehow, they didn’t make it to their tongues. After a long while, it was Luminatrix who spoke up. „I…think I have some explaining to do. Let’s sit? “. Senatrius nodded wordlessly. There were so many things he wanted to ask her – why had she disappeared, where had she been all those years, why hadn’t she contacted him and why hadn’t she let him know she was back, for a start. „I’m not sure how much you’ve heard… “Senatrius grimaced. „I have heard a lot. Many things from many different people. Many claimed to have found your body. Many more said you had been eaten by all manner of beasts. Others insisted that you had become a bandit… “ Luminatrix smirked. „And all of them were wrong. “ Senatrius nodded once again. „Why don’t you start at the beginning? “

„Well then. I’m sure you remember the Matis I was so hear over heels in love with.“ Senatrius remembered. How could he forget? The tall, handsome man had swept his friend off her feet. She had even renounced her Tryker citizenship and became a Matis vassal because of him – a decision the Federation was not at all happy about. As much as everyone liked to pretend that the four Nations had set aside their differences in order to build a new world, old scars ran deep and the animosity between then was still very clearly there. Given the history between the Tryker and the Matis, quite a few Trykers saw Luminatrix as a traitor. The Matis, in turn, had never quite accepted her as one of their own seeing her, a member of a nation that had been enslaved for so long, as beneath them. „He turned out not to be as widowed as he had claimed. His wife had disappeared, not died. And one day, she came to Yrkanis with a group of refugees. He went back to her…and that was that. Suddenly I was seen as a vile seductress, attempting to steal an honest man from his darling wife. I was referred with utmost disdain by those I had seen as friends and shunned away from their society. To make matters worse, soon after that I found out I was carrying his child…“ she went silent for a moment looking at the ground, as if in shame. „Why didn’t you to back to lakes?“ Luminatrix sighed. „I couldn’t.“´

„Not only was I a traitor, I was also expecting but unmarried. Trykers love speaking about how accepting they are, but those are just empty words. I was scorned there just as much as in Yrkanis, if not more. The Desert and the Jungle weren’t exactly an option, as a Kami apostate I wasn’t welcome. There was nowhere to turn… And so, I left for the Roots.“ ´

„You could have let me know, Lumi. I would have helped,“ Senatrius gently admonished.

„I suppose. But you had jus met a woman, you seemed so happy together, I didn’t want to ruin that with my own problems…“

„Lumi. How long have we been friends? No matter what happens, I will always be ready to help. Always. And you know this.“

„I know,“ she admitted. „But I was hurt and scared and just not thinking right. I felt like all of Atys hated me. Like I had no choice but to leave.“

„And so, you did. “

„And so, I did. The Wastelands aren’t nearly that bad once you get used to them. The Patrols are predictable enough and can be avoided easily. Most predators can be snuck by and those who can’t…well…“¨

„Those get the axe,“ Senatrius grinned.