Time Flies

[Tismri]

Sakura hesitated outside the large house. The size of it reminded her of once of the student dormitories in New Doru Araeba, though really, it was a bit smaller than those. It was still a mansion compared to the small house she shared with her mother. Of course, it was an orphange, so it had to be large.
She had been making another trip to Alagaesia, and while she was here, Mother had asked her to see if she could find this place. Apparently an old acquaintance of hers owned this place, and asked Sakura to pay a visit.
As always, deep inside, Sakura felt nervous meeting new people. Wherever she went, she always felt others staring at her, especially children. She hadn't been self-conscious about it as a child, but now she was aware of how...different she was. Not just in her appearance--though violet hair and amber-orange eyes were a very odd sight indeed--but even her personality seemed ever so slightly off from the social norms. She'd overheard some back home say there was something almost draconic about her. She wasn't sure whether it was supposed to be a compliment or a matter of concern, but ever since then, she'd been overly aware of how everyone looked at her.
Stop thinking about it, she told herself. Just go in there and be yourself, and if they don't like that, you'll never have to see them again. She approached the door and knocked firmly, wondering if Elaine was home right now.

[Trinn]

The soft feather of the quill made barely a whisper of sound as Elaine twirled it around her fingers. Yet to Elaine, it sounded like a bird taking flight. Enhanced hearing was sometimes a pain, but she had become skilled at toning out most things to a drone. Throughout the house, she heard the laughter of children, as well as the occasional short sob. Children couldn't get along perfectly all the time. Fortunately, those that lived here had learned enough from her to get along without any major disturbances. A different sound reached her ears, and she paused in the twirling of the quill. Setting down the pen, Elaine stood from her seat and strode to the window. Her office was set on the top floor, near her and Dublin's bedroom. Eridor was probably resting in the bedroom. She had crafted it to be on such a scale that a dragon would fit comfortably inside. It was comparable to the dragon rider homes in Ellesmera.

Peering out the window, she quickly spotted an interesting young woman. Purple hair... how odd. Wasting no more time, Elaine hurried to greet her young guest.

Opening the door, she smiled at the girl, noticing that the young one had beautiful amber eyes. "Please, come in." She said first. Her home was open to all who needed shelter. Closing the door behind her, she then cast a curious glance over the young girl. "Who are you, stranger?" She asked. The girl was young, but not too young. This wasn't an orphan looking for a home.

[Tismri]

Sakura smiled as the woman lead her inside. The house was large, but felt comfortable. It was unlike the buildings the students lived in back home, nor like the study halls. It felt...homey. She'd never expected such a large space to feel so snug. The laughter of children completed the mood.
"Thank you," she replied after being let into the house. "My name is Sakura. I was asked by my mother Jeriah to find a woman she had been comrades with in the Varden. Would you happen to be Elaine-elda?"

[Trinn]

Elaine felt her eyebrows go up at the name of Jeriah. "Jeriah? Yes, I knew Jeriah." A sudden feeling of nostalgia welled up first in her stomach, and spread to her mind. "And you, her daughter..." Elaine smiled, happy to know that her old comrade had come to know the happiness of having a child. "Sometimes you forget how much time has passed, until it's standing right before you." she said, mostly to herself. "Sakura, I am who you seek. Please, I would like to hear more of your mother. Are you hungry? I can prepare some dinner for us in the kitchen." And without waiting for an answer, led Sakura to the room.

The kitchen was larger than most, with several hearths for cooking pots. A meaty stew simmered in one of the pots, leftover dinner. It was still warm. Elaine found two bowls and served them both healthy portions. "Here," she said, handing the bowl to Sakura. "We can eat and talk." She said with a smile, and gestured to a small table near a window.

[Tismri]

Sakura followed Elaine into the kitchen, smiling slightly. She was glad she had found the right woman. It would have been embarrassing if she had found the wrong place. She accepted the stew appreciatively, the smell of cooked beef making her stomach growl.
"Thank you," she told Elaine as she took a seat. The woman was quite hospitable, and somehow not what she had expected of a Rider and warrior. She ate a few bites of the stew for a few moments.
"Mother told me to tell you thanks for helping train her all those years ago. She wouldn't be where she is now if it were not for you."

[Trinn]

Elaine nodded her head, silently accepting the thanks that Sakura passed forth. "Jeriah was an eager student, which means she was a good student. Of course, back then, I don't think I was much of a teacher. We were all so young and inexperienced." Elaine fished her spoon through the stew, thoughtful. How young they were! How little she knew back then. And Eridor... how small he had been compared to his great size now! Though Elaine had grew up in such a war strewn time, there had still been good memories. And friends. Where many of those friends now were, she was sad to think she didn't know. She thought briefly of old faces; Same, Einar, the now deceased General Kell, Jeriah of course, and many others.

"Tell me, where in fact is your mother now?"

[Tismri]

Sakura gave a slight giggle when Elaine mentioned being young back then. She knew very well how a bond to a dragon slowed the aging process, and to her Elaine didn't look much older than her mother.
"You speak as if you've lived centuries already," she stated. She reflected for a moment on some inborn instinct. "But it is wise. I sometimes already feel that way about myself whenever I think about the years past. But I think there will never be a year that I will look back and not shake my head at how childish and ill-qualified I seemed." She listened to Elaine's question.
"She went to live in New Doru Araeba once Eragon-elda founded it. She has been helping teach the new Riders for as long as I can remember." She reflected for a moment on growing up there. Very few Riders had brought children with them, so there had rarely been others her age. It didn't bother her much, though. There were plenty of young dragons she had grown close to, both wild and bonded. And when finally she reached about the average age of the newly chosen Riders, she often found it difficult to really bond with them.
"Oranthor is there, too," she said, a little quietly. "He's usually with the other eldunari, but he appreciates it when Mother or I just take him for a walk. He's a great teacher, as well."

[Trinn]

"New Doru Arabea!" Elaine repeated, leaning back in her chair and tapping her chin. She listened to the rest of Sakura's short tale, before speaking again. "I remember Oranthor too, of course. A great orange dragon. Your eyes... They are exactly the color of his scales. Hmm." She studied Sakura again, wondering at the girls rather draconic appearance. Even her purple hair had an almost scaly sheen to it. "I need to go to New Doru Arabea soon. Then your mother and I can have a nice long conversation." She sat back up and finally began to eat. After a swallow, she continued. "You said his Eldunari. His death... well, his physical death, that must have been very tough on the both of them. But thankfully we still have his mind, and that is truly a great gift."

In her mind she felt Eridor stir. Eridor had flown the skies with Oranthor. He remembered the orange dragon well. It seemed sometimes to Elaine that dragon memories were far superior to human ones. "Eridor says that you smell like Oranthor and your mother. He says that you smell like dragons." Elaine tilted her head, unable to help but stare at Sakura. "Were you born with such features, Sakura? I am only curious."

[Tismri]

Sakura quietly nodded as Elaine talked about Oranthor. She'd never known him as anything other than his Heart of Hearts, but she could tell often that the memory of his death still pained her mother. She'd often told her than he was the strongest dragon she had ever seen, having been very stout for his young age.
When Elaine mentioned her features, Sakura blushed slightly, having felt the topic might come up. Not that she was embarrassed about it at all, but it was almost inevidable that her difference would be pointed out. However, Elaine didn't seem to be judgemental about it, simply curious.
"I was born like this," she replied to the question. "Mother told me how much it surprised her when she first saw me. Oranthor said that he and my father's dragon, Zamah, and watched over me before I was born, but he hadn't expected it to happen either. Zamah was violet, like my hair." She stayed quiet for a moment or two, then laughed. "I suppose I could be considered half dragon. I tend to spend more time with them than I do with humans, too."

[Trinn]

"It's unusual, to be sure, but given the circumstances, not surprising." Elaine commented, finding the circumstance of Sakura's birth and features something of an enigma to be solved. A puzzle. "As you say, the two dragons touched your mind from before birth. Something like that is sure to have an effect. A beautiful effect, but I'm sure others might have told you differently. Young people are so hard on each other." Elaine knew it well. She had been an orphan herself once. The children hadn't been nice to her, knowing she had come from a wealthy family. It seemed the things that should make a person likeable and interesting often just made them outcast and hated. "You are a beautiful young woman, Sakura, and I think people will come to realize it once you and your peers have grown up a bit. Now, you said Zamah... Tell me, is he not the dragon bonded to the rider Lathem?"

[Tismri]

Sakura blushed slightly when Elaine told her she was beautiful, but accepted the praise graciously. It was rather unnerving talking about her, so she was glad when the topic of conversation turned.
"That's true; my father's name was Lathem. I...I don't remember him much." She frowned slightly and sighed. "He and Zamah went out to explore other lands, but promised they would be back. But they never returned; I don't know if they're alive or not. Mother tried to scry them once, but he seems to have a spell that keeps him from being seen." If Sakura had one regret in life, it was that she never knew her father or his dragon. Her mother would often praise and speak highly of them, and Sakura could tell she missed them every day.