Homecoming

Eretria returned to her makeshift campsite and settled onto her bedroll. Her body ached from the days labors. She had been assisting with the repairs in S'ren-ja, although she did not in particular know why she continued to do so. She had allowed herself to get caught up in the tragedy that had occurred when she arrived and foolishly thought that sharing in the event gave her some sort of kinship with the group. She had gone as far as to pledge herself to Ri'sari himself and his clan.

Stupid, stupid girl.

Ri'sari had no use for her. he had referred her to Qa'iit, who appeared to be forming some kind of mercenary group. She observed them for a time, but it looked too militaristic for her liking. Eretria did not like structure, she was far to independent to run drills and salute.

So she had spent time helping rebuild. She would go into the tavern and attempt to make friends, but more often than not she was forgotten or ignored. "Invisible" as she called it. So nothing had changed. She might as well be home in Skywatch, although the insults were far less here. Other than that rude werewolf creature Ali, most of the people had been cordial at best.

But she didn't feel like she belonged here. She was an outsider. She was always an outsider. A Bosmer raised by Altmer. The one who didn't belong to either race. She was not accepted in Skywatch. She had traveled to Bosmer lands looking for acceptance, and not found it. She had traveled here, nearly out of coin and with few options, looking for work. And instead of sticking to that plan, she had allowed herself to believe that she could belong in S'ren-ja.

Again, stupid, stupid girl.

Her fortunes had improved as of late.. She had found a horse in the wilds, a beautiful white horse that she had been able to tame. Then she had heard of a mercenary camp that was trying to establish itself nearby. Using her skill with a bow, she had tracked stags and other animals, selling the beasts for meat and hide. It was slow work, and she was often exhausted after spending time rebuilding and hunting, but it eventually paid off. She made a small bit of coin, not a lot, but enough to book passage on a ship. She studied several maps that she had found, and decided on a course of action. She would ride to the south and book passage on a ship back home.

She knew she would never be accepted there, but at least the land and customs were familiar. She vowed to never look for acceptance, to stop searching for the impossible. Instead, she vowed to focus on her own needs and desires. She would find a way to make a living, find somewhere to live and just be content to be by herself. That was just the way of things.

She had gathered enough supplies that she hoped would last on her journey, but could always gather or hunt for more. She thought of Auriden and smiled. It would be good to return home in some ways. She may not have found what she had hoped to on this journey, but she had found that she could accept the truth about herself and her situation. If no one wanted her, to hell with them.

Besides, she had a few friends. Thianna, Laurana, Trinket...she smiled thinking of her best friend Trinket. She was looking forward to her reaction at her trip.

Yes this was the best course of action. She felt a bit bad at lying to Lucrezia about returning, for she had no intentions of returning to this crazy little town.

Lying down, she quickly fell asleep. Tomorrow her journey home began.