Testing For Hope

Chapter 18 - Too Many People

Pariz was stilling down on a nearby rock and the mysterious figure was leaning against the tree they were hiding behind. Pariz just figured out that this strange person was the person she had told everything to despite never meeting, only being able to talk through letters, Hysteria.

"So what are you going to do now? I know that you now work for her, so are you going to make me come with you? I'm guessing that you know what happened." Hysteria said, her voice on the brink of breaking with each word. Pariz was sorry for her, every word she said carving her heart.

"I don't know all of it. Just the bits Sofia," Hysteria tensed more,"made seem necessary," Pariz replied with a heavy heart, "And as for your first question that was the plan, but now...."

Hysteria looked up at Pariz where she heard her stop mid-sentence. After a pause, she tried furthering the conversation with, "Now what?"

Pariz looked at her, at the flower she was mesmerised by so long ago, and then asked, "Can I see you?"

This question shocked Hysteria, but she nodded her head and stepped out of the shadows making her stand exactly where Sofia stood years ago. She had blonde hair, just as she described and her eyes were a deep purple. She was wearing an outfit made for foraging, decorated with a bunch of knick knacks and a satchel full of herbs and mushrooms.

The sight nearly made Pariz fall over the stone she was upon, but she stood her ground anyway. "I will just tell her that you are safe. Just so that you know, this is only because you seem unsteady about the idea of seeing her so soon. I will come back every so often to check up on you and when you seem ready, I will fulfil my quest and bring you to her," Pariz said as she stood up and got ready to leave by picking up her lowered dagger and 

Hysteria took all this in with a deep breath of relief and visibly untensed. "Pariz, seeing this continued.

"She does miss you, you know. She talks about you all the time." Pariz took a look around the area before looking back at Hysteria. "I will bring letters from the queen everytime I come here, but you can refuse."

Hysteria looked at her and nodded again but slower this time. "That's fine. Can you tell her something for me though?"

"Sure. What is it?"

"Tell her that I've missed her too and I want to know how she has been." Hysteria readjusted her satchel before turning and saying, "Thank you for this."

Pariz looked at her and replied with a swift "Goodbye," before turning away herself as well, towards the camp.

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A few minutes later~

Hysteria was still startling when she came across the coast not too far from where it was not too long ago. She took her satchel off and kneeled down to the water to wash her face and make sure she was still awake.

When she was done with washing her face clean, she looked up and noticed someone drying themself off across the coast from her. She grabbed her satchel and hurriedly swung it on. She looked around for the nearest escape. She couldn't bear to deal with another humanoid at the moment. She quietly started walking to the water and held her breath before lunging underneath the water. She had to get to the other side of the beach anyway.

She waited there for a little while before the person disappeared from sight. Thinking that it was safe, she swam to the coast on the other side. Suddenly she heard some movement in the water, before she saw it.

The tail designs made her stop in her tracks, then she heard it. Noticing just in time the danger she was in, she put in her special earplugs made for this situation. She squinted at the water hoping to see what it was, then she heard some sand shuffle behind her before a tap was made on her shoulder.

She turned around quickly and saw a beautiful person standing there with a robe covering most of their body. Their ears and eyes were a dead giveaway to what they were though, a siren.

"What did you try to run?"