☀️ Arselia and Akonia

- You're probably right. It's easy to make acquaintances here, but not friends who are ready to support you in difficult times. Although, hmm... Are you familiar with Richard Goodville? He's the founder of a clinic called "Everything Will Be Alright," and he's a psychiatrist by profession. Once, I happened to bring up this topic with him, well, it wasn't during a session, so don't get the wrong idea. Anyway, he suggested that if a person doesn't have friends, the problem lies within them. The same goes for a man who can't find a girlfriend, and vice versa. I don't know why I remembered this, but you can't control random associations in your head.

—Goodville? No, I haven't heard of him. I can understand his argument from a purely scientific point of view. And yet... life isn't as straightforward as we sometimes would like it to be. If magic didn't exist in our world, and the strength of convictions didn't give people new, unique abilities, and everything could simply be explained by the biochemical processes taking place in our bodies, then yes... But as it is, blaming the person themselves isn't always appropriate. As our village elder used to say: "It's not the curse that's bad, it's the setting that sucks," whatever that means.

He, by the way, was also killed, and there are rumors that it was because he was looking for information about some sinister organization. - Saneksa sighed. - And why is it that only I have negative thoughts? Thank you for this invitation, Klin... Now, please don't forget it, because I accept it! This is a promise.

—It's not your fault. Since my return, I sometimes don't even recognize Margel; so much has changed in such a short time due to various sinister circumstances. I recently came across a very interesting city guide dated June, written by an unknown professional journalist, and I sadly realized how many things in it are hopelessly outdated. I hope the author will one day be able to update this interesting work.
Klin remembers Victor Loss, the closed shops and stores, the hanged vulture, and much more, but he doesn't say anything out loud for the umpteenth time that day.

—Then it's a deal. —Klin briefly places his palm on Saneksa's hand. —Sorry, instead of warming warmth, I will seal our promise with icy cold.

- I can promise that too. But it's better not to let it come to that. - She smiled and blushed slightly. - I still want to learn a lot about you, but not through stories, but in everyday life...

—I'm very glad to hear that. But learn about me? —Klin, unlike Saneksa, couldn't blush due to his condition. —I'm just a simple person with simple beliefs, who happened to stumble upon a not-so-simple curse, that's all. But... if that's really what you want, then, as I said, I will try to help you achieve it...