Serafina Calidus
As it is, there is no one to curse the world for choosing Serafina as the representative for the Nymphs on this suicide mission. There is only the girl herself, and she is far too focused on ignoring the fact that the mission is suicide, because admitting that to be the case would result in dampened spirits or, even worse, anger. Had she continued to travel the continent with her lovely motley of colorful individuals, ones who represented all species and walks of life, then perhaps someone might have warned her against embracing the challenge. Someone might have yelled at her and called her a bloody fool for so readily accepting the call to arms.
Then again, had she remained with that group, perhaps she never would have been chosen as the young individual being sent to die. She would have been a bit harder to get a hold of, at the very least. But as it is, she had taken a break from her endless wanderings two years ago, stopping to try and lend aid to her village, probably out of some sense of guilt. She hadn’t been in the place since childhood, when she burned down part of the forests and immediately ran away for fear of repercussions. While, in hindsight, it had been an impulsive and stupid choice to make, the raven-haired nymph does not regret it. She remains an impulsive and stupid person, though the severity and sort have shifted somewhat over the years. Besides, it allowed her to branch out from the shadow of the dormant volcano to which fire nymphs flocked, and allowed her to leave the comfort of town.
That, in itself, is one of the oddities in the sequence, however. Traditionally, nymphs do not live in towns, preferring to remain more true to nature. Their gatherings are more similar to tribes, or wandering packs that are somewhat confined to a finite space. And yet, Serafina was raised in a village- one of the only villages of the Nymph people, in fact. There is one key factor that leads to the gradual formation of a village, and that, silly though it may sound to others, is men. They are something of a scarce commodity among Nymphs, given that only one in every fifty or so births results in a male Nymph. The instinctive need to reproduce, combined with the rareness of those with whom they can do so, has led to a long-standing tradition of harems of sorts. Such things cause people to gather in one place, and thus little villages, perhaps one or two per area of Nymph territory, crop up.
Naturally, not all Nymphs engage in this practice, as there are tribes all over the place, most composed entirely of women, and there are male Nymphs who choose to remain with only one partner- this is as rare as the birth of a male Nymph, however. It is in such a little village that Fina lived for a portion of her youth, while her mother was away at war. Her father has a harem of sorts in the village, though several of his wives have been lost to the war, and is considered even stranger than usual, for he has a twin brother. Their birth had given their mother a little bit of fame for a while, though that sizzled out, as most things do.
But back to Fina. When she was told of her fate, it was not some sort of grand thing, despite the stereotype of Nymphs having a penchant for theatrics--that’s really more of a fae thing, actually. Instead, approximately a week before the date, she was approached by her father, a novel thing as she had never been one of his more beloved children, and informed of the decision made by the Elders. They had a brief discussion on the matter, and Serafina accepted with little to no hesitation. It was a welcome excuse to leave the town once more, after all, and she had quickly grown bored of aiding in the reconstruction of the village. Were Fina to spend more time in her own territory, she would surely find herself far more accustomed to the lives of the more nomadic fire Nymphs. As it is, she prefers to wander the continent, and this suicide quest -she does not deny that it is a dangerous trip indeed- provides a much needed source of adventure for the young woman.
No one was told about the decision she had made, and thus there was no group of people to celebrate her sacrifice. People treated her no differently, just as Fina had desired. She only likes fanfare when she can control it completely, after all, and prefers to leave places unnoticed, slipping away like a shifting shadow. So she continued about her day after accepting the quest, all but her father ignorant to the task she had taken on.
----
”I don’t know how you manage to stay in one place for more than a month, Fina,” a squat, older man with a pointed brown beard comments smoothly, taking a long drink of potent wine from an iron chalice. While he is hardly intimidating in appearance, with streaks of grey in his hair to give away age and shoes that curl at the bottom to indicate that he is not a fighter, the man does command a certain sort of respect. He has an air about him of one who has seen a good deal and absorbed it well- the type of person who has important and thoughtful opinions, but is still able to twist them into jokes that will have the stoniest of men bursting into laughter.
”Trust me, Feradio, I ask the same thing of myself,” responds the young woman sitting on the table he is at. She has long raven hair that has the look of dark coal with hints of ember, as there are little bits of red in the sunlight, and dark eyebrows to match, giving the impression of someone having smudged ash over their eyes to make the eyebrows even darker than they normally would be. Those eyebrows are raised in an expression of perpetual amusement, pairing nicely with full lips that dance at the corners, threatening to be stretched into a smug little smirk.
Her eyes hold the twinkle of someone withholding information, and this does not go unnoted by the older gentleman. Still, the two have known each other for many years, and he knows better than to pry. One thing can be said of those who spend years traveling the continent, and that is that they learn to not care too much about the business of others, unless others are in the business of harming them. This certainly doesn’t apply to his longtime friend, the fire Nymph who is plagued with constant wanderlust.
”Then why not leave again? I’m sure the old bunch is around somewhere, no? Last I heard from Gregya, they were on their way to Centaur territory. Terribly rocky country, but you know how persuasive Jorren can be when he wants to,” his voice holds fond nostalgia, something rare in the man. While he may seem to be the sort with a quick wit and quicker tongue, he is far from a sentimental sort, and this visit with an old friend is only happening because it is of no inconvenience to him.
”Oh, I expect I’ll run into them eventually. I won’t be staying here much longer, I promise you,” Serafina responds, allowing her mouth to spread into a cheery grin now, illuminating her face. Feradio studies her carefully for a moment before giving a resigned shrug and taking another long drink from his chalice.
”Perhaps you can take this iron trinket with you- give Kiira a nice smack over the head with it for me,” he jests, rewarded with a laugh from Serafina, but only because she is familiar with Kiira’s impish ways.
”I may do just that.”
----
Music plays at a rapid beat, produced by the voices and instruments of fire Nymphs while others dance joyously. Miniature festivals such as these are not uncommon in this little village, as many of the residents are incredibly fond of such solemnities. They have become even more crucial ever since the scare two years ago, when enemy soldiers had managed to push back to the fire territory, using Dragonkin as their vanguards. While the people had previously been protected by the intense heat of their environment, and the formidable mountains surrounding it, they met their match against the Dragonkin fighters, who are accustomed to such climates. In fact, this is what led the allies to choose fire Nymphs as the primary fighters in Dragonkin territory, for the area was impossible for any others to survive for long periods of time. Needless to say, those who are, in essence, flame have little trouble in the crumbly, fiery environment of the Dragonkin island.
Ever since the advancement, though they had managed to push out the opponents, there had been the looming threat, paired with the knowledge that the stronghold of the fire Nymphs was not as insuperable as had once been believed. And no one had been more shocked by this than the Nymphs themselves, having grown arrogant about their own security, the arrogance serving as a barrier to try and keep spirits from falling as their people died in battle for a war that no one wanted anymore. A war kept going only by the paranoia that, should one group fall out, they will be ravaged by savage enemies. No war is stronger than those which are fueled by fear of complete obliteration. These festivals helped to keep spirits high, and were a welcome distraction from the war.
Fire Nymphs are notoriously fantastic dancers, moving with the speed and passion of their element, and Serafina is no exception to this. Surrounded only by each other and a nonflammable home, all are able to maintain their natural form, looking simply like flames reaching towards the sky, twisting through the crowd, throwing back heads as they laugh. Serafina's flame burns brighter than the others, but this is likely due to the possession of knowledge that the others currently lack. The next day she will leave, after all, and will likely have to remain in her more restricted form, so as to avoid harming others with her fire. Dancing is never so glorious in a human form as it is when one is in their freest state, and Fina is very much aware of this fact.
Thus, she dances with great passion and enthusiasm, never missing the beat and seeming to contain limitless energy. Only the stars above, pinpoints of flame so bright that they can be seen from light years away, outshine the Nymph dancers. At some point in the night, Fina begins to slip away, darting between the crowds until she has made it out the other end, and has a quick path to gather her very few belongings, such as an inflammable bag made of cotton enchanted by Feradio, and a small flute, should she grow bored. Of course, there is also a dagger made of dragonglass, one of the sharpest substances known, and a single apple, which she consumes upon seeing it. The taste was simply too tempting for the young woman, despite all of her self control, to give up.
When Fina leaves the village, no one knows- they are all too occupied distracting themselves from the war around them, unaware that a daughter of their village is going out on a quest intended to stop it. An impressively foolish quest, of course, but a well-intentioned one all the same. That much must be allowed to Serafina, even if she did not agree to the journey due to any real nobility or honorable intentions. She simply wanted an escape, and it presented itself in a fashion to tantalizing and adventurous that no manner of obstacle could have stopped her from plucking the fruit.
----
When Fina sets off to go, she does not do so at a sluggish pace, nor even a leisurely one. Despite her seemingly carefree attitude towards all things, the young woman does not head towards the location in a lackadaisical manner--impatience and curiosity prevent her from taking such a course. Besides, she is fortunate enough to live near the center of the continent, though the fire Nymphs live on the furthest corner of Nymph territory, and therefore has a much shorter journey than many of the others. Lacking wings to fly, she runs. While the celestial Nymphs may be the quickest of the species, those of the fire variety come at a very close second, as fire is known for spreading quickly. So as not to leave a trail of flames in her path, Fina remains in a human form, but still her speed is quite impressive as she races through fields and forests, swerving around or jumping over obstacles when need be. Her stops are infrequent and brief, the only real obstacle to her being the river of the water Nymphs. She must stop and wander there, until reaching the strong stone bridge that reaches over the water and to the other side, providing safe entry for one who finds water to be a poisonous substance.
As she sets her pace once more, Fina finds herself not willing to resist the urge to throw in sporadic cartwheels and such, making the journey to begin the journey far more amusing for her. Only on the outskirts of the forest does she skid to a stop once more, savoring surprisingly warm grass beneath her feet, and the sounds of nature surrounding her. In another life, the young woman must have been a Land Nymph, or an Elf of some sort, for she has a great love for trees and forests. This makes it almost tragic that she must restrain herself so as not to burn down the forest with a single touch.
Deciding to announce her presence, Fina pulls out her beloved little flute and begins to play the tune to a well known song. However, halfway through the piece, an idea dawns on her that prompts a saucy smile before she bursts into song, wishing she had a string instrument of some sort to play as she sings.
"That night I rode in glorious style,
And other things besides,
And on her lily white stomach, Boys,
I had such lovely rides
But when I woke next morning, Boys,
My instrument was sore
As if I had been using it
On the keyhole in the door.
The keyhole in the door,
My boys, the keyhole in the door
As if I had been using it
On the keyhole in the door."
She only sings part of the song before arriving upon the stipulated tree, finding two to already be there- both fae, from the look of it, one with bright blue hair and lovely wings, whilst another is positively tiny and has hair the color of moonlight. Were she a touch more vain, the young woman might've sighed in envy, for pretty as raven hair may be, it lacks the brilliance of blue fire and moonlight beams.
"Well, hello, then- are you all that's arrived as of yet?" she inquires, not noticing Bailey because she has yet to have any motivation to look up into the tree.