Welcome to Gaia! ::

Dahou would be furious if she knew what he was doing. That was probably why he had come out here to get it done, so that there was no way she could find out. He tightened his grip around the hilt of his knife and took a shaky breath. Just a couple more tries. Three at the most. Maybe five. Then he would go home and rest.

Alek dragged the blade across his palm with a wince, having done so enough times to have already lost count, then pressed his opposite palm to the wound and poured his power in. It was both easier and more difficult, and it frustrated him that he couldn't separate which parts now came with ease from the ones he was struggling to master. He opened his hand, several drops of blood dripping onto the cold, hard ground. Maybe he could take a break. If he just found a place to sit down...

"Bergchi's Grace," he whispered, looking up at the old, familiar house that had seemingly sprung up when he wasn't looking. Zuri's house. Of all the places to find. He hadn't been back here since she had gone, hadn't even known he knew the way. It looked abandoned, but he took a step closer anyway, brushing his bloody hand through some lingering snow to clean it.

It wasn't the sight of the chimney piping smoke that convinced him that someone was inside, it was the smell of crackling wood that urged him forward. Had it been any other supposedly abandoned house he would have made a note of it and moved on, but this was his sister's home that someone was squatting in. At the very least, he had to try to frighten whoever it was away. And if they attacked... well... he knew how to heal himself now.

The thought made him chuckle cynically as he tried the knob on the door, uttering a tentative, "Hello?" as it turned in his hand. Still time enough to run if whoever was inside didn't bolt first.

Alek froze, the door open mere inches in front of him. He too found the voice that responded familiar, even before he realized it had said his name. He ran down the short list of women he knew, women who would be in Zuri's house, and the only one he could come up with was Zuri herself. But she was in the south. She had a husband and children now. Why was she in Zena hiding in an abandoned building?

"Zuri?" He entered the house, hands rising to ward off possible attack when he saw she had a weapon. "Yes, it's Alek. It's just me. What are you doing here all alone?"

The prentice obliged hesitantly, carefully securing the door behind him before joining Zuri near the fire. He lowered himself to the floor, enjoying the silence for a moment before feeling the embarrassed urge to break it. He hadn't stopped by here for a friendly visit, and something was obviously wrong. It was also quite clear that his sister didn't want to talk about it.

"It is. Winter and all that." He chuckled. "I'm glad you're all right." She didn't seem all right, but it was just small talk. Meaningless.

He wasn't sure quite how to respond. She said she was "getting better" which implied she had been worse. She was all alone. Alek could only assume something awful had happened, something she had no desire to discuss. He was scared to press the issue, especially if she was on the mend, so he obliged her instead, thinking a bit before answering her question.

"I've been practicing a great deal with an old healer in town. I hope to follow in her footsteps. But I haven't told Kayin, at least not yet. I've been trying to be there for her since I ran off. Sort of a promise that I won't do it again. I just don't want her to think that because I've figured out what might be my path in life that I'm leaving her behind."

A swell of pride coaxed a smile from Alek in spite of his concern. He had plenty of misgivings regarding his path and Kayin's acceptance of it, but it was gratifying to hear that Zuri approved at least.

"I hope to tell her sooner rather than later," he agreed, recalling the discomfort his last bout of avoidance had caused. "And I hope it pushes her to make a decision as well. N... not that I want to push her," he added hastily. "I just think she'd be happier if she had a path."