Journal #59: The oldest sister

Promethea had already nozzled herself into Aniks lap, clucking softy while asleep. Content with her meal at this odd family dinner. Eating with The Lost One's or Celuriel wasn't that odd. To some extent neither was
Nivinle, though she kept writing down notes instead of talking. Assumingly still planning for whatever happened in that future. Those people weren't the weird ones, it was the new drow next to him. The smiling one. The one Nivinle said was her, their sister.
 
While she had been silent, for all of this fae time displacement only really sharing words with Nivinle. Aniks had caught her watching him once or twice. The two siblings were taller than this new sister; she was a shorter drow and looked nothing like their mother. It was their father she looked like. The white freckles, the lilac eyes back in the shrine he thought that drow on that screen looked familiar. Now with her in front of him, it was hard to deny the similarity between the two. She clearly wasn't that much older a decade, maybe two. To say he wasn't curious was be a lie.
 
What was her name, Daeris?
 
A good portion of the dinner was sat in silence, save for casual conversation. Again Aniks couldn't bring himself for much more than that. The future only one year without them was concerning. A fair amount of things left unattended. The Emperor in bed with that Princess after the Barkeep warned him, Canthe said he knew of Drast? The Shards moving around, both Riven and Elias. The giant scar now in that endless desert. Too many thoughts swirled around the drow's head. Gods Aniks would have to apologize to Ashlyn, she finally understood her distrust of Cyne. He couldn't just ignore it anymore just because they were friends. Then what about the Samsaran? Jinne knew they were from another time? The Divine casters working with the Dreamers. That temple, so many questions about those Dreamers. How far do those temples go back, why did she say they belong to the world. Gods, he needs a list of things he needed to research.
 
The Barkeep's eyes widen, his thoughts tossed aside from a cup being placed on his head. Tapping lightly. He had been so lost in thought, he had failed notice the freckled drow remove herself from her seat next to him. He turned his head to see Daeris pulling a cup off of his head. "Mind if I borrow you for a second."
 
She gestures just to a couple of trees fifteen or so feet away, still in clear view of everybody. If Nivinle had pulled him aside, he would be more inclined to believe she would be up to no good. Still, the sorceress in front of him followed Milani, that freedom goddess if Aniks could recall. Still, what good drow would ever willing to work with a matron? Were they working together? Unless something happened. Questions to ask. Aniks excused himself quickly, not ignoring the quick glances.
 
Aniks leaned against a tree, folding his arms. He was clearly unsure how to even look at her. He kept his face nearly neutral, with his brow slightly furrowing at the drow. She was fidgeting with a small platinum rose pendant. She had yet to replace it on her new cloak.
 
"Thanks..." the freckled drow said. Then she titled her head as Aniks raised. "For the cloak, I mean. It's really nice."
 
"Your welcome, Daeris?" She nodded as he clearly was asking if that was her name. "So, what did you need?"
 
It came out rather blunt, but Aniks siblings had been a mixed bag to being with so. The question had a reason for being that blunt. Younger siblings screwed Aniks over and left him in Castle Umbra. Nivinle and Aniks have a loose trust, and on some level, like each other. Then this drow worshiped a Good Goddess but stilled worked with Nivinle. Or at least looked like she was. That was something he would ask.
 
As her eyes widen, Aniks notice the slit-like pupils. "Oh, I wanted just wanted to talk to you!"
 
She paused, narrowing her eyes, folding her arms. Annoyed. Not at him, but more at the fact something like this happened twice within less than a decade.
 
"You're a lot harder to find that I would have liked, but that's not really your fault is it. I swear any time I go searching for people, they are always time-displaced or time locked."
 
"Does this happen often?" Aniks said a slight smirk as the drow started ranting.
 
"Gods, I hope not." she protested. "Twice is enough for one lifetime, but enough about that. To sum up, a stupidly long story, went to find out about my family, learned my father had two other kids. Ironfalls was a dead end for you, as your 'friend' said you weren't coming back." She gestured to the Celuriel. "Went to Nivinle next, then got dragged into helping her deal with Drast. I swear if he wasn't such a problem, one of us would have killed the other by now."
 
Aniks ran hands through his hair. Not exactly what he wanted to hear. "As much as I want to know…" The younger brother shook his head. "There is a lot to unpack in that, mostly that Drast is a large enough threat to get Nivinle involved. Something to note for the future I guess. That is currently besides the point, as you just wanted to talk?"
 
"Yeah! I always grew up alone, hardly had friends never knew my family." She listed those facts on her fingers. Her face was so expressive as she spoke. It was odd to see on a drow's face Aniks thought. "The friends part changed, of course. Thorid, Spiros, Rosa, Alistair, and Lyadri. Eventually, I wanted to know about my parents. Took about a year to find anything on them. This led to me finding out about you two..."
 
Daeris looked up. She thought she was talking too much, nervous and all that but Aniks's face. He visibly flinched as hear that name, as whatever that connection was they had. That mental link, neither one was happy about that.
 
"What?"
 
Having trouble finding another person's time lock. She knew Her. She was looking for the Commander. That was the last person Aniks thought he would hear in this conversation.
"Commander Lyadri? From Galathin?"
 
Daeris paused for a moment. Tilting her head to the said. Clearly noticing the reaction of the name. Her mouth opened as if to speak, but closed it. Then looked back at the rest of the table. Furrowing eyebrow showed she obviously was 'looking' at them for the first time. Aniks turned to the rest of the table. Some of the group was different, of course. Ashlyn and Pin were gone.
 
"Yes… I was." She said paying closer attention to, he assumed the giant beaver. Her head slowly turning back "... you're that drow she was complaining about."
 
"Glad to know I made an impression," Aniks said sarcastically.
 
"Gods, that was a rant," Daeris said, rolling her eyes. "Even I couldn't get all the information out of her. She stubborn like that, but apparently you had done something to at least get remembered."
 
Aniks paused for a moment, it wasn't something he forgot. It was one of the few times he willingly channeled Pharasma's power of the Soul. That had changed recently but his first attempts with the magic had been larger than they probably should have been. Removing souls from Shardic influence, letting them free, and attempting to remove that 'things' control over the elf. Something like that wasn't easy to hide.
 
"So…" Aniks shifted his feet in the snow. He looked back at the table. Their sister was eating. "How do you get along with Nivinle?"
 
"Not well... still it's more of the lesser of two evils. And she's a champion of a demon lord, so that's saying something. I fight her on so much, especially when it comes to Drast, and it's so hard to read her. We agree to disagree on a lot. Your siblings on the other hand, the other ones Vasestra and Rizkry, rikzyr? Whatever his name was. Nearly killed him once, Nivinle didn't seem to mind. I would have gotten the other one but she stopped me. They deserved it, wouldn't stop trying to flirt with me."
 
"I like you already," Aniks said with a smirk.
 
Daeris return the same question "Do you like Nivinle? From what I have heard, you're odd."
 
Aniks was silent for a long moment. He was clearly staring at the table.
 
"We have a decent relationship, I think," Aniks said. "I spent about half my life with her. I respect her and I understand why she is the way she is. Still she is possibly one of the most dangerous people I will ever meet. So I am always wary of her. The younger ones there are terrible, and I am surprised they are even still alive."
 
She paused for a moment, either sibling clearly unsure of what to talk about.
 
"Hey, Daeris, you know you do not remember any of this right."
 
"I know…" she said a bit sad "Still, at least you'll be back in the world. Avoiding all of this. Hey, maybe I'll get to find you this time."
 
Aniks smirked, "Well then, at least tell me a little bit about your life."
 
So she did. In very Daeris fashion, she told Aniks of her times with her group of ragtag adventures about some mage that hired them, dealing with dragons, the long and difficult process of dealing with Lyadri in general. They spoke for a long time, Aniks commented every once in a while. About their gunslinger, or monk. Apparently, that group also had a strange large animal companion. Daeris seemed to brighten up at this.
Aniks looked over to the dinner table, which seemed to be ending. He was enjoying this conversation, despite how odd all this was.
 
"I hate to interrupt, but I think we might be leaving soon."
 
"Oh… well OH! I could ask you to do something! Really quick? When you're back and have the time of course. Could you write me a letter? I should already be looking for my family, so your writing might help me find you quicker." She was almost like a child as she spoke.
 
"Where would I send it?" She considered this for a moment
 
"Yeah, I travel a lot. Hmmm Lyadri? She probably would contact me, or just teleport to me."
 
Great, I have to write to the Commander of all people. Aniks thought.
 
"I will send it there unless something happens to it." Aniks finally said this does mess with time a bit, but so does Cyne's Letter to himself. Fate would probably stop it if Aniks wasn't meant to take the information of the future to the past.
 
She smiled, she smiled so much for a drow.
 
Arms wrapped around Aniks. As she hugged him.
 
"I can't wait to meet you again!" Daeris said, hugging the awkward drow. It took a couple of seconds, but he returned to hug.