Reapsday - Fruit 12, 802 AR

Jaden and I have finished guitar practice, but Elensul has not returned. So, instead of practicing my Elvish, I pen my thoughts.

It is nearly a week since we returned from the Wind Shrine. I have been restless as of late. It has finally occured to me that the city has lost it's splendor. This is not to say that Bliss is not beautiful. Nor is it that I do not enjoy being here. It is difficult to put to words.

At one time, the city, any city, was a magnificent and magical place where I could instantly feel at home. Comfortable in it's crowds. No other places in the world could offer that comfort. No place else held that magic.

No longer. Now, I can sense the pleasure and magic of the city. The throb of it's pulse is still there. Something I can dwell within if I choose. But my perspective is changed. True, the cities hold much beauty, much life. But, so do the wilds. There are mysteries beyond the city walls that I wish to explore. The beauty of the trees, the plants, rivers, lakes, snow capped mountains, foggy hillsides. I used to find these things pleasant to behold, but frightening to experience. That is no longer the case.

Ever more often I find myself wandering out of the city, as I have done today. Would Elensul be angry at me for leaving the safety of the city? I think not. I do not wander far. Even now, I sit within the same meadow where we opened the assassin's pouch. Still within comfortable view of Bliss. Still, I can see a small patch of wild mint. It's seeds drying in the autumn air. Nearby is a small rosemary bush. Common here in Bliss. I know that the mint can be used for protective rituals, and it's leaves can be rubbed on the forehead to alleviate headache. The rosemary can be used to cleanse and helps when healing is necessary. These are things I did not know before leaving Seagate. Things I have learned but recently.

My thoughts wander here in the sun, the scent of mint wafts through the air. I sit here and contemplate the changes I have experienced. Growth. My mind races and my pen sits idle. I smile as I hear the wind in the grass, the trees. The city is no longer the home it once was. True, we have a residence, of sorts, in Bliss. But a place to live does not make a home. Home is where the heart is.

I gaze down the road. Still no sign of Raven or Elensul. Perhaps later today they will return. Time to return to the city. A place where I will enjoy myself. It will do me little good to wander the wilds right now. Like the city, the wilds are not my home. So, there will be no surcease for my restlessness down that path. How can there be? My friends are still scattered about. And my heart is with my friends.