☀️ Arselia and Akonia

After the imperial villa, the royal palace, and even a simple but cozy Remian apartment, the spacious dacha provided to her was somewhat unusual for Alaria. Even a little lonely. You could easily accommodate an entire family here, if you wanted. Or invite friends to live with her, give them a place to stay overnight. But somehow, no friends showed up. One lot was empty, and the other was occupied by Raptilion Falosophichi, a gloomy and taciturn fellow—he spent his days staring out the window, lost in his own thoughts. He involuntarily evoked associations with Kurat, as if he had been morally broken and deprived of all energy. He didn't even leave the house much—only his wife ran errands to support her parasitic husband. Perhaps the house belonged to her, and he was just a freeloader, unwilling to leave her back. A sad sight, but it wasn't Alaria's business to interfere in their family life. However, after a month, things changed a bit. New residents moved into the neighboring house. And such residents that the Tanarian woman didn't even expect to see alive—Klin Chegver and Saneksa Rimm. The former looked surprisingly human, but a knowledgeable person wouldn't have much trouble noticing the Crown of Melesar. The Crown's servant still hadn't managed to break the curse placed upon him, still teetering on the brink of life and death. The former captain of the "Thunder" also looked unwell, but that wasn't surprising after being captured by her own crew. It was even strange that she survived. The only mystery was why this couple had settled here. The reason why the couple had settled here remained an open question. Didn't Klin live in Naria's villa before? Was he also released from service, as a tool that had fulfilled its purpose? Or was he moved away for good reason, so as not to disturb the servants and other guests? Crown or no crown, the Kriedean remained a death knight. It felt as if Her Majesty had decided to create an improvised rehabilitation center here for her former servants. Perhaps Raptilion was in his current state as a result of some super-secret and deadly mission that had inflicted irreparable moral damage on him? You could ask questions endlessly, but it wouldn't change the situation. Therefore, at the first opportunity, Alaria greeted her old acquaintances. After all, it was nice to know that she wasn't the only one who had survived. It was also nice to see familiar faces nearby. Someone who could help in a difficult moment. Or, conversely, someone she could help if necessary. It was hard not to feel guilty about the fate that had befallen Saneksa. If their group had been more decisive back then, perhaps the brave captain would still be sailing the seas.