It was a rainy day in Oba and Kitya was feeling a bit reminiscent. The Yaeli mage was watching a funeral procession heading outside through the streets of Sulburi, the family and friends following behind those who were carrying the bound body towards the tombs. Surely it was a wealthier family to afford such a parade but either way Kitya’s heart went out towards them. While she was still adapting to the different customs and behaviors of the Oban people, the city almost seeming to have some sort of life and system of its own even apart from other areas of Oba, the woman knew that mourning was always similar in expression. Sorrow was sorrow and would not change even with the transition between countries and beliefs. Kitya let out a soft sigh as she thought about those that she had watched pass away, the few older Yaeli that her family had interacted with whenever they went towards the nearby village or those in the city that her distant relatives had been closer with. There had even been a teen killed in an accident when she was a youngling and the pain of that scene would linger with her for years, especially when she tagged along with her father to offer their condolences to the family. Their little basket of gifts had been accepted by the mother, tears in her silvery gaze, while the father seemed to just be so numb to everything that he barely nodded his thanks before they left again. The teen had a younger sibling that constantly cried at the ceremony as they dedicated the departed’s spirit to the gods, the child nearly trying to run into the hole that was in the ground before dirt covered the wooden coffin and sealed away the deceased from their world. In Yael one could not allow the departed’s body to linger on the surface for too long for fear that an evil spirit would find its way into the body and use it for twisted pranks and dark mischievousness, evil that would harm anyone connected with the departed during their life. Kitya thankfully had not lost anyone in her immediate family but there were a couple of painful memories as older familiars passed away, her father’s keldari fading into the twilight and leaving the family hurting when they were so accustomed to seeing the dark indigo and silver keldari slithering along their home and riding on Kieran’s shoulders whenever he was with them and not traveling. Sia had been hatched from her eggs and the keldari had seemed to be a bit more reclusive whenever the older keldari passed, even they mourned Keiran had explained with a sorrowful gaze towards his daughter.

It was frustrating to be so far away from her homeland but because of her sister’s betrayal and disappearance Kitya had decided to venture away from Yael. Perhaps it was a bit selfish to blame Xenia completely, especially since Kitya had learned about her wildmagic which had also prompted her choice to travel. She had wanted to go out into the mainland, find a way to conquer her own fears and emotions so that she could control the energy swirling up inside of herself easier before she accidentally harmed anyone. It was best to learn that away from Yael, away from her family and so she had left as to not worry them. Unlike Xenia though, Kitya hadn’t simply slipped away in the middle of the night and had taken her time to say her farewells. She had even taken the time to stop by the burial grounds so that she could say her farewells to ancestors and familiars who had left them years ago. Kitya’s gaze lowered at the memory, her father’s pain obvious as he constantly talked about her grandmother who was also buried there. They would also honor that woman’s memory, even if Kitya never got to meet her the stories in the journals left behind had been enough to get a sense of the woman and the love she held for Kitya’s father. Kitya would imagine that her grandmother would have that much warmth and love towards all of them as well, the very thought twisting her heart as she wished that she could have met the older Yaeli who meant so much to her father.

“I suppose I probably should get back to work.” She finally murmured as the funeral procession disappeared further into Sulburi and Kitya found herself focusing back on the present again. It was bad getting stuck in the past because it made her think about how lonely she truly was sometimes in Sulburi. Still, Kitya was determined to continue moving on and doing what she could to keep walking on this path forward.

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