Enelya was still scared, but decided she needed this. She wiped away her tears, remembering this night as if it were yesterday... Though she watch the two intently...
"Oh, come on..." He nudged her a little bit. "You're the modest one." He gently lifted her chin in his hand. "And you're not allowed to hide your face. Remember what I said? It doesn't fit you." He winked and smiled, his eyes never stopping their glow. He hugged her close and turned his head to watch the sunset, now bathing the landscape in red.
She giggled, flowers and small plants surrounded them in a small garden, the smell of the flowers surrounding them. "I suppose your right....but I can't help it! Its not natural for one such as me to be boastful!" She grinned, returning his embrace. Then, she turned her head to look into the sunset. "This one looks rather more fierce, I remember the one from the lake being very gentle..I like this one almost a little better, it does wonders for your eyes!" She laughed and rubbed her nose against his gently in an Eskimo kiss.
Enelya laughed blubberingly, remembering the little fights they would have about her modesty. She never had been one to brag.
He smiled at the compliment and laughed a little at the Eskimo kiss. He put his forhead against hers and smiled. His smiled faded, though, and he looked down. Pulling away a couple inches, he bit his lip before saying, "Hey, Enelya..." His eyes darted away. "I'm... I'm going on a trip..." His gaze shifted again, in a different direction. "...I don't know when I'll be back..." He glanced up at her, then off to the sunset.
Though her laugh faded, as she and her past self both faded from happiness to confusion, and worry. Enelya bit her lip, and the tears started to fall again.
She was smiling, at the beautiful sunset, the Eskimo kiss, and the time she was having with Kotah. Her eyes were bright, and her smile was radiant.
"Hey, Enelya..." His eyes darted away.
She tilted her head.. curious at the new news he was apparently going to tell her.
"I'm... I'm going on a trip..." His gaze shifted again, in a different direction. "...I don't know when I'll be back..." He glanced up at her, then off to the sunset.
Her smile dissolved, and her eyes seemed to darken slightly. She nodded...also looking away. "I...guess I understand... are you going to tell me more about this trip... or are we going to leave it as a 'trip'?"
He sighted quietly. "It's just..." He glanced away. "...A trip." He frowned at himself, hating himself for leaving the academy, leaving his books, and most of all leaving Enelya. "I will be coming back... I just don't know when." He leaned back in the reddish haze of the sunset. He couldn't ask her to come with him. He just couldn't. I'd never let myself forget about it... If she got hurt, it'd be even worse.
Enelya nodded, understanding, vaugely. "I hope whatever you seek for this trip.. you find and troubles do not follow you. And... I send my love with you, maybe it will keep you warm in cold places." She looked away, "An old saying in my village. People took trips often, self-enlighting trips, and from what I can tell, similar to yours."
Small tears formed in her eyes, and one slid down her cheek. She looked at him, "Just..Come back." She scooted as close to him as possible, and layed her head on his shoulder.
He promised... She thought to herself, remembering. He promised he would come back...
He nodded softly to what she was saying. It really was self-enlightening, if incredibly dangerous. However, he couldn't stay around the Academy if he was going to practice these arts. Rather risk my life, than my life along with hundreds of students.
He stood up, brushing himself off, staring at his feet. "I have eight letters that will keep me from growing out and away from you. I'll come back... I promise."
With that, he turned around and opened the door to the decending stairs. He kept himself from looking back at Enelya, and simply shut the door behind him as he left.
She stood up with him, watching him exit through those doors. Tears, rolling down her cheeks... "I love you..." She murmured. Instantly, she grew cold, and missed his touch. She walked slowly over to the painting, and held it in her arms, staring at his face. She kissed it gently, murmuring, "I miss you already." Putting the painting back on the easel, running a finger down his painted face.
She went back over to the ledge she had been sitting on moments before, and stood on top of it, she waved an arm, a nearby tree branch growing towards her. She sat on it, slowly the branch retracted into its normal length and position, and she clutched the trunk. The tree whispered softly into her ear, an old lulleby, rocking her to sleep, as she wept. I'll come back... I promise. I'll come back... I promise. She repeated those words over, and over in her mind.
As Enelya watched her lonely self once more, she wrapped her arms around herself, and became to sob. She knew he had promised to come back... But the ever haunting gut feeling of something happening... Something terribly wrong haunted her sleep.