ellekresnik-blog

[ellekresnik-blog]

Elle’s eyes widened in anticipation. “In that case, we need to be very very sneaky.” She turned to Rollo. “Can you be a ninja?”

The big cat chirped and led the way down the hall, slinking along the baseboard with all the dignity his bulk would allow.

Elle giggled and followed close behind.

Elle squeaked at Emily enveloped her in a hug. She hadn’t expected Emily to grab her so suddenly. The girl quickly melted into the hug.

As she stepped back, she looked Emily up and down appraisingly. She pursed her lips and put her hands on her hips in a no-nonsense stance. “Emily,” she said seriously, “Are you hungry? Because I want ice cream.”

[ellekresnik-blog]

A big grin spread across Elle’s face. She follows Ryan excitedly to the kitchen, an extra spring in her step as she anticipated the activity.

“Oh? I’ve been at school,” Elle said. “Rowan said that it was important for me to ‘develop social connections with my peers while at school.’ But now I’m back!” 

Once in the kitchen, Rollo sat in front of the closed fridge and meowed impatiently. It was all well and good that Ryan and Elle had been reunited, but this was cutting into valuable time that could be spent pouring him cream.

Um... Hello?

Elle poked her head through the door hesitantly. It had been such a long time since she had been here, the girl wasn't entirely sure what to expect.

"Um... hello?" She asked, a slight hitch in her voice. "Is anyone here?" Rollo meowed his support, butting against her ankles reassuringly.

"I know it's been a while," the girl said, "But I'm back!"

[ellekresnik-blog]

Elle squeaked at Emily enveloped her in a hug. She hadn’t expected Emily to grab her so suddenly. The girl quickly melted into the hug.

As she stepped back, she looked Emily up and down appraisingly. She pursed her lips and put her hands on her hips in a no-nonsense stance. “Emily,” she said seriously, “Are you hungry? Because I want ice cream.”

Um... Hello?

Elle poked her head through the door hesitantly. It had been such a long time since she had been here, the girl wasn't entirely sure what to expect.

"Um... hello?" She asked, a slight hitch in her voice. "Is anyone here?" Rollo meowed his support, butting against her ankles reassuringly.

"I know it's been a while," the girl said, "But I'm back!"

[ellekresnik-blog]

Um... Hello?

Elle poked her head through the door hesitantly. It had been such a long time since she had been here, the girl wasn't entirely sure what to expect.

"Um... hello?" She asked, a slight hitch in her voice. "Is anyone here?" Rollo meowed his support, butting against her ankles reassuringly.

"I know it's been a while," the girl said, "But I'm back!"

[ellekresnik-blog]

What Greek god/goddess do you reflect the most?

Hermes

Hermes is considered a god of transitions and boundaries. He is described as quick and cunning, moving freely between the worlds of the mortal and divine. He is also portrayed as an emissary and messenger of the gods; an intercessor between mortals and the divine, and conductor of souls into the afterlife. He has been viewed as the protector and patron of herdsmen, thieves, oratory and wit, literature and poetry, athletics and sports, invention and trade, roads, boundaries and travelers.

Tagged by @unborderedreflection

Tagging @emily-lutus, @channelerryan, @cherished-angel

[ellekresnik-blog]

Curried chicken. That sounded amazing, and it had been a long time since Elle had had it. She nodded, and began pulling out ingredients. 

“Go ahead and grab my stock pot. It’s on the shelf above the stove,” she said, pointing vaguely with her head in the refrigerator. She trusted that Milla would be able to find her way around the kitchen.

She set the vegetables on one counter and the chicken on the other, quietly thanking herself for purchasing the meat right before she left for Nia Kera. At the time she didn’t think that she’d get back in time to use the chicken before it went bad, but the trip didn’t take nearly as long as expected for, now obvious reasons.

Elle began preparing the vegetables. “Not too spicy, huh. I’ll have you know that I enjoy a medium spice now!” She’d never admit that a medium spice was her upper limit, though.

ellekresnik‌:

Elle laughed, her hands clasped in front of her. “To be honest, I choose my apartment based on the kitchen.” She looked at the kitchen fondly. “It needed to have good cupboards, decent counter space, and of course a gas -burner stove. I just got lucky that the rest of the apartment is nice, too.”

As for the cleaning up part, Elle was out of the apartment much of the time, and it wasn’t like she had many possessions to begin with. There usually wasn’t much to clean up in the first place!

Elle made her way into the kitchen, setting a big soup pot on the stove and opened the refrigerator. “Let’s make that soup! Let’s see… I have plenty of vegetables… chicken….” The woman stuck her head above the open fridge door to glance at Milla. “What type of soup did you want to make?”

“Hmph.” Milla smirked, very slightly. “Well, the kitchen’s the only important part, after all.”

“Curried chicken,” Milla said confidently. A moment later, she quickly clarified, “But not too spicy! I’ll balance the flavors so that you can eat it just fine!”

She wanted to make the stock herself, first. Not that she doubted Elle’s stock-making abilities, but she certainly didn’t want to use that damned canned broth if Elle didn’t have any available and, besides, this was supposed to be the perfect soup for her return. She had to personally oversee everything.

[ellekresnik-blog]

(8 Years Old)

Elle stayed close to Milla the whole trip back to Trigleph. The other girl seemed scared, looking at everything with big eyes. She didn’t seem to trust anyone else, and Elle could understand that. Milla wasn’t supposed to be here, after all.

Still, despite everything the other girl must be feeling right now, Elle was happy that Milla didn’t die with the rest of her dimension. Elle was happy to have a friend her own age, and she liked Milla a lot.

Elle looked up from petting Rollo to see what Milla was pointing at. “Oh, that? That’s just a waterfall! Like the ones at Kijara Seafalls, just bigger!” She picked up Rollo around his middle and walked the fat cat over to Milla. “It isn’t going to hurt you. I mean, not unless you jump off.” Elle gave Milla what she hoped was a reassuring smile. She pushed Rollo into the girl’s arms.

“Here! Rollo will help you!” She rubbed the cat’s head affectionately. “I was really scared when I was separated from Daddy, but Rollo helped me! I bet Rollo could help you, too!”

--------------------

(12 Years Old)

“Milla!” Elle had awakened with a start, her eyes widening when she saw Milla’s bed was empty. She rushed into the living room, just in time to see the other girl creeping across the room.

“Milla!” Elle started across the room, but stopped at Milla’s wide-eyed look. She was afraid and alone. That gave Elle pause. She knew what that was like. She glanced at Ludger asleep on the couch. Thank goodness he was a heavy sleeper. Elle was fond of him, but she thought that he would make everything worse right now. 

Elle returned her gaze to Milla and sighed. “Let’s get some air.” She held her hand out to Milla. “Come on! Let’s go downstairs.”

She led Milla out of the apartment building to the small playground overlooking the city. She sat in one of the swings and gestured for Milla to take the other. She pushed herself a bit, enjoying the crisp night air. Elle leaned back slightly to look at the stars.

“You know,” she said, “I’ve gotten used to Trigeph, but I really miss the sky where Daddy and I used to live near the lake. It was so dark there! And the sky was so big! Much bigger than it is here.” 

☟

Send me ☟ for my muse to turn back into their younger self, with only the memories that lead up to that age. - FEEL FREE TO REQUEST WHICH AGE! (verse too, if you know the right ones)

(8 years old)

Milla tugged at her new-found friend’s jacket. “E-Elle… wh-where’re we going…?” She didn’t understand this city; it looked so different from her home.

All she knew was that these people had insisted she come with them after that strange feeling at the top of the Hallowmont, where her sister’d disappeared, and they’d walked all the way back to the base of the mountain, to her village, there’d been some sort of fight between these strangers and other strangers, and then they’d all been hustled a long, long way to a boat–and now they were here.

She stayed away from the older people in their group, but she could still feel them looking at her sometimes.

“Th-This… place…” It gave her the strange feeling that her sister would destroy it. “…it’s not good…” She could feel a change in the amount of mana and spirits here. The lights… the roads… No. This place wasn’t good at all.

She saw the huge cliff, with water pouring into nothing, and stopped. “Wh-What’s that?” she half-cried, half-whispered.

(12 years old)

Clutching at a too-large nightshirt, the girl stumbled out of the strange room she woke up in. No, no, no! She wasn’t supposed to be here! She was supposed to be with her… her sister. Her sister who’d just…

No, no, no…

There was an unfamiliar human on a couch here, sound asleep. She didn’t want to wake him up–what if he’d captured her? She could kill him now, but…

She couldn’t stand the idea of someone else dying.

Spotting a pair of doors, she began rushing to them before she heard someone call out her name. She turned to the voice to find a girl–the same girl she’d woken up next to–looking around the room… for her.

Milla stared, glancing between the girl and the doors, wondering which was a way up, but afraid the girl’s calls might wake up the man on the couch and unsure which door led out of this place.

She was trapped.

Though if everything else failed, even though she didn’t have her sword, she still had her artes.

[ellekresnik-blog]

Elle laughed, her hands clasped in front of her. “To be honest, I choose my apartment based on the kitchen.” She looked at the kitchen fondly. “It needed to have good cupboards, decent counter space, and of course a gas -burner stove. I just got lucky that the rest of the apartment is nice, too.”

As for the cleaning up part, Elle was out of the apartment much of the time, and it wasn’t like she had many possessions to begin with. There usually wasn’t much to clean up in the first place!

Elle made her way into the kitchen, setting a big soup pot on the stove and opened the refrigerator. “Let’s make that soup! Let’s see... I have plenty of vegetables... chicken....” The woman stuck her head above the open fridge door to glance at Milla. “What type of soup did you want to make?”

ellekresnik‌:

It didn’t take Elle and Milla long to traverse from the Kijara Seafalls to Trigleph. Travel between Rieze Maxia and Elympios had only increased in the past ten years, and with it the public transit systems also evolved. Despite the increase in it’s population, Trigeph hadn’t changed much. Elle supposed that the most notable difference was the presence of spyrix on the city streets. Jude’s spyrix had become common in society. Elle felt a surge of pride every time she saw one walking along with a human or completing a task. Spyrix technology had revolutionized energy usage in Elympios and, slowly, the ecosystem began to pull itself together. While Elympios still had its dusty deserts with its characteristic red soil and orange-banded rocks, a chaparral ecosystem had begun to emerge outside Trigleph along the Alest Highroad leading to Duval, and the land surrounding Drellin resembled that of an oasis than a dry desert. Slowly, mana was beginning to trickle into Elympios and with it a balance of the ecosystems to what they once where thousands of years ago had begun to assert itself.

Elle tore her eyes from the scenery and led Milla to her apartment, located on the third floor in the apartment building next to Ludger. After Ludger had disappeared, Alvin had come to live with Elle in Ludger’s old apartment. But it soon became apparent that living there wasn’t healthy for Elle, so she and Alvin moved across town. In recent years, Elle took out a lease on her current flat. It was a small two-bedroom apartment with a fully furnished guest bedroom/library. It wasn’t unusual for Elle to receive visitors, especially when she worked jobs with Elize or when Jude needed to spend more time at Helioburg. 

Elle stood awkwardly in the center of her living room. “Well,” she waved a hand ambiguously. “This is it.”

Milla couldn’t help her mouth dropping open as she stared in wide-eyed wonder at the little spirits–spyrites?!–wandering around with the humans. They looked… contented, happy to spend their mana on helping humans. And the air… she could sense the spirits living just beyond the realm, in much greater numbers than the last time she was here. She could smell the difference in every breath she took. It was… cleaner, fresher… Natural.

Milla was impressed, though, not only by how far the technology had come, but also by Elle’s apartment. It seemed rather large for one girl–she could still call her a girl! and she would!–to live in by herself, but… nice. Especially the kitchen.

“Hmph, well at least you know how to clean up! And how to choose a good kitchen!” Perhaps not the best way to say it, but what she meant was…

She was proud of Elle.

[ellekresnik-blog]

Elle beamed. Ryan’s cooking? And a new recipe? She couldn’t ask for anything more. She followed quickly after Ryan, intent on watching him cook. She loved helping and watching Ludger and her Milla cook. She learned so much!

“What are you going to make? Can I help? Ludger and Milla say I’m a big help in the kitchen!”

(channelerryan) yay!

Elle bounced on the balls of her toes as she waited inanticipation for Ryan to open his door. What was taking so long? She rang thedoorbell a whole two minutes ago (she counted), and the girl knew that he was home.

When the man finallyopened the door, he was greeted with a loud, cheerful, “Merry Christmas!” asElle pushed the messily-wrapped presented into his hands. She beamed inanticipation, her cheeks red from the cold.

“Open it! Open it!” Elle could barely wait for the two to goinside.

As Ryan opened the present, he found a box of cookies,decorated to look like fanciful animals. “They look just like those pocketmonsters you tell me about in your stories,” Elle said proudly. “I made them all myself!”

[ellekresnik-blog]

Send me ↑↓ for our Muses to switch bodies for a day

[ellekresnik-blog]

Elle frowned. She knew that Erston and Gaius were both the same person, but Gaius had told Elle that Emily didn’t know, and Gaius wanted to keep it that way. Elle understood that people treated Gaius differently when they thought he wasn’t a king, but this was Emily. Emily wouldn’t care. Gaius needed to tell her.

The girl sighed. She’d keep her promise, but Gaius really needed to confide in Emily. He loved her, didn’t he?

“It’s important to talk. You and Erston should talk when he gets back. I bet that has something to do with you nightmares, even if you don’t see it.”

Elle giggled as Emily wiped off her mustache. “It’d get all over my pillows!”

“If you tell me, it’ll go away. That’s what Ludger always told me and it’s never failed me.”

The woman looked at Elle. Should she even tell her about this? It mainly had to do with the regret she felt. She sighed heavily as she looked at the girl with her cat. 

“Only if you’re prepared for me to go long winded. I guess it couldn’t hurt.” Not like they were nightmares of what exodus did to her since they didn’t do much of anything but throw her into the streets of Trigleph when they found she wasn’t going to talk anyway.

“The dream starts, with me back in my old home. There was a man with snow white hair, demanding I come with him. He wanted to take me to Gaius, to protect me. I was scared with all the commotion going on. It was just an argument at first. But, this is where it twisted. As we kept arguing, he was suddenly impaled with a sword. I screamed and tried to use my healing artes to help patch up his wound. It wasn’t working. A voice told me over and over that had I come with him, I would’ve prevented his death. He wouldn’t have died, he would’ve stayed behind…” She shook her head. The way things played out in her head was far different from what actually happened. 

“I don’t know why I feel such guilt. He died inbetween dimensions, by his own hand. It was like my mind is trying to pin the blame on Gaius but…I know that isn’t true but, I wonder if I could’ve prevented him from doing that simply by coming with him…” 

[ellekresnik-blog]

The ribbon color... that was a crucial detail for the box. Elle pursed her lips. “I’m not sure.” She wanted the color to be representative of herself. She really liked blue and pink, but she wasn’t sure that was quite right.

Suddenly her eyes widened, and she looked at Richard. “I don’t suppose they make black and teal ribbons? Like Rollo’s collar?” The fat cat was her first friend after Daddy made her run away. Rollo ultimately brought her to Ludger and Jude and the rest of her friends. That made sense her friendship box should be tied by a Rollo ribbon.

ellekresnik‌:

Elle was quiet as she carefully explored the contents of the box. Some of the items were very old, and Elle was surprised the Richard held onto them. But, in the same way, didn’t she also treasure things that reminded her of her friends?

After a moment’s consideration, the girl softly returned the items to the box, tied the purple ribbon, and handed the box to Richard. A small smile tugged at the edge of her lips. “Do you think… do you think that we could? Make a box, I mean.”

“Of course,” Richard nodded in affirmation. That had been his hope that by showing her his own box, she might consider one of her own. Perhaps it would be of a comfort to her should her nightmares return at a time he not present. 

“First we need to find a box, and then a ribbon to tie it with. That part is very important,” he adds with a wink. “What colour should your box and ribbon be?” 

[ellekresnik-blog]

Elle gasped and scampered back to the kitchen. When she returned she was carefully carrying a saucer of cream. She set the cream on the floor for Rollo before going back to her seat. “I can’t believe I almost forgot Rollo’s cream! If we get to have ice cream, then Rollo gets a treat, too!” After all, it was only fair.

The girl sipped her hot chocolate, quickly creating a hot chocolate mustache, but she didn’t seem to notice.

“Bad dreams are usually because something bad is happening in real life.” The girl’s tone was matter-of-fact. “If I can help you with your bad thing, tell me! I want to help!”

“If you tell me, it’ll go away. That’s what Ludger always told me and it’s never failed me.”

The woman looked at Elle. Should she even tell her about this? It mainly had to do with the regret she felt. She sighed heavily as she looked at the girl with her cat. 

“Only if you’re prepared for me to go long winded. I guess it couldn’t hurt.” Not like they were nightmares of what exodus did to her since they didn’t do much of anything but throw her into the streets of Trigleph when they found she wasn’t going to talk anyway.

“The dream starts, with me back in my old home. There was a man with snow white hair, demanding I come with him. He wanted to take me to Gaius, to protect me. I was scared with all the commotion going on. It was just an argument at first. But, this is where it twisted. As we kept arguing, he was suddenly impaled with a sword. I screamed and tried to use my healing artes to help patch up his wound. It wasn’t working. A voice told me over and over that had I come with him, I would’ve prevented his death. He wouldn’t have died, he would’ve stayed behind…” She shook her head. The way things played out in her head was far different from what actually happened. 

“I don’t know why I feel such guilt. He died inbetween dimensions, by his own hand. It was like my mind is trying to pin the blame on Gaius but…I know that isn’t true but, I wonder if I could’ve prevented him from doing that simply by coming with him…” 

[ellekresnik-blog]

“Ooooohhhh...?” Elle looked at Ryan thoughtfully. “You haven’t many friends? I know what that’s like! Before I met Ludger in Trigleph, Daddy was my only friend!” She nodded wisely. “Well, Daddy and Stubby, our cat at the time.” She pet Rollo’s head. “He was almost as soft as Rollo.” The girl shook her head. 

“But then I met so many friends! There’s Ludger and Jude and Leia and Alvin and Elize and Teepo and Rowen and Gaius and Dreselle and and and....” Elle grinned widely. “All all of Rollo’s 100 cat friends! So, don’t worry! You’ll meet a lot of friends, too!”

(channelerryan) yay!

Elle bounced on the balls of her toes as she waited inanticipation for Ryan to open his door. What was taking so long? She rang thedoorbell a whole two minutes ago (she counted), and the girl knew that he was home.

When the man finallyopened the door, he was greeted with a loud, cheerful, “Merry Christmas!” asElle pushed the messily-wrapped presented into his hands. She beamed inanticipation, her cheeks red from the cold.

“Open it! Open it!” Elle could barely wait for the two to goinside.

As Ryan opened the present, he found a box of cookies,decorated to look like fanciful animals. “They look just like those pocketmonsters you tell me about in your stories,” Elle said proudly. “I made them all myself!”

[ellekresnik-blog]

It didn’t take Elle and Milla long to traverse from the Kijara Seafalls to Trigleph. Travel between Rieze Maxia and Elympios had only increased in the past ten years, and with it the public transit systems also evolved. Despite the increase in it’s population, Trigeph hadn’t changed much. Elle supposed that the most notable difference was the presence of spyrix on the city streets. Jude’s spyrix had become common in society. Elle felt a surge of pride every time she saw one walking along with a human or completing a task. Spyrix technology had revolutionized energy usage in Elympios and, slowly, the ecosystem began to pull itself together. While Elympios still had its dusty deserts with its characteristic red soil and orange-banded rocks, a chaparral ecosystem had begun to emerge outside Trigleph along the Alest Highroad leading to Duval, and the land surrounding Drellin resembled that of an oasis than a dry desert. Slowly, mana was beginning to trickle into Elympios and with it a balance of the ecosystems to what they once where thousands of years ago had begun to assert itself.

Elle tore her eyes from the scenery and led Milla to her apartment, located on the third floor in the apartment building next to Ludger. After Ludger had disappeared, Alvin had come to live with Elle in Ludger’s old apartment. But it soon became apparent that living there wasn’t healthy for Elle, so she and Alvin moved across town. In recent years, Elle took out a lease on her current flat. It was a small two-bedroom apartment with a fully furnished guest bedroom/library. It wasn’t unusual for Elle to receive visitors, especially when she worked jobs with Elize or when Jude needed to spend more time at Helioburg. 

Elle stood awkwardly in the center of her living room. “Well,” she waved a hand ambiguously. “This is it.”

ellekresnik‌:

Elle laughed. “I think that Alvin would surprise you! He’s really matured over the years, more than anyone expected, I’d say.” Elle stretched out her arms to greet the breeze. 

“Bringing a homemade soup here sounds wonderful. There’s just something so wonderful about picnics. Especially one up here. Yeah, I’d really like that. Especially if we get to make the soup together.” Elle’s blue eyes flicked towards Milla. “That’s something that I’ve missed the most.”

Alvin? Mature? Yeah right. As if that word would ever fit him. Well, maybe if he shaved off that mop of a beard.

Milla chuckled, smirking slightly. “Well at least you won’t be too short to reach the counter anymore.” She certainly had grown. Elle could no doubt handle a kitchen all by herself now, but Milla would need to double-check that for herself. “Alright, we’ll see just how good you’ve gotten when we get back!”

[ellekresnik-blog]

Whew! Between annoying school deadlines and battling a cold, I’ve been down for the count the past few days. But I’m back on my feet, and ready to get back at it!

[ellekresnik-blog]

What does your muse think is my muse’s most attractive feature?