Nana was mischievous and lively as a Tree Sprite. Her love of art made her naturally fond of Annan and Free City;
Iris felt the same as Nana, but she was more reserved. She knew why she was here, and her High Elf pride meant she kept her word;
Morrigan revered strength, power, and faith. She stood with Annan because the Holy Grail Knight did;
When Annan told the "Elf Mentor" the news, she looked surprised.
"It didn't go quite as I expected... but at least it worked." Annan thought for a moment. "There are more than twenty Elves in the delegation. Should I keep approaching the others?"
"They were chosen by Elder Tadel because they're already friendly toward Free City. Even if you do nothing, they'll favor it."
"Praise Tadel." Annan clasped his hands as if in Prayer.
Tadel watched Annan's antics with a faint smile.
"Irilanze, is Elder Tadel really that beautiful?" he asked quietly.
"I... don't know." Tadel could hardly praise herself, and sooner or later Annan would learn she was not the Elf Mentor. "I'm not interested in appearances."
Annan said nothing. After all, the Elf Mentor's ardent pursuit of him couldn't have been for his talent.
He bent over the nearly finished script again. Tadel sat nearby, keeping him company in silence.
Elves rarely had passionate feelings. Their emotions were as natural as a forest's—except for Irilanze.
"Whew... finished."
An hour later, Annan rubbed his aching wrist.
With the help of Memory Thread Extraction, he had finished the script for When Orcs Come Knocking in just three days.
Leaning back in his chair, Annan noticed the "Elf Mentor" sitting on the sunlit sofa.
She sat quietly, her moon-colored robe spread naturally around her like the drapery of a beautiful statue. Fine motes of dust drifted