#OC : Aeryn Lurona

[rosesandmary]

A Step Into Demise (an old oc fic)

Cameron never considered himself a religious person. He didn’t believe in magic after-death either, despite living in Rowger all his life and spending time in the Caverns of Clyia.

Whenever he did listen to stories about the magic that ‘possessed’ a body after death, they were mostly from village elders. As a child, he was always taught to take their so-called ‘warnings’ with a grain of salt. His mother was superstitious like that.

Whatever he expected after death, it certainly wasn’t a field full of lavender. The feeling was familiar on his fingertips as he waded his way through. He picked lavender before. The smell was strong in his mind. It was one of nostalgia. He didn’t remember much of his time in the Rowger before he left. It was mundane life.

There was one thing that he didn’t know what to do with. Just a good distance away was a house. It was dark and wooden, but it was… normal. A feeling of recognition lingered in his mind. He knew he’d seen that house before, he just wasn’t sure where.

Hesitantly, he took another step towards it. It drew him in with a welcoming aura.

Step after step, Cameron found his way to the door. The scent of lavender only grew stronger as he approached the wooden cabin. From the inside, he could hear voices cheerfully conversing and the crackle of a fire.

Why would you need a fire? Cameron thought. With the sun bearing down on his back, he couldn’t fathom a need for any more heat.

It made him pause when he went to knock. If there were people inside, it would be rude to disturb them from their evening… morning? Whatever. It would just be rude to barge in.

On the other hand, there must have been a reason for them to be here in his afterlife. What was that one theatre principal Honey taught him about? Something about a gun. He couldn’t remember.

Conveniently, Cameron also didn’t care.

He raised his fist to the door and gave it three firm knocks.

The voices went silent, and he felt his anxiety grow.

He stepped back from a door, deciding that it would be better if he just went back to wandering the field of lavender, but the sound of the door actually opening stopped him. Easing back around to face the person, he began his long winded apology.

“Sorry for disturbing you. I don’t think we were meant to meet. I’ll be going now, don’t worry. Just give me enough time and I’ll be gone from your memory,” He knew his antennae were twitching rapidly with anxiety as he spoke. It was a habit he developed when he was younger.

As soon as he finished, he was ready to turn around and leave quickly. The person who opened the door grabbed his arm tightly. Immediately, his first reaction was to yank away, but their grip only got tighter. “Cam! Look at me!” They shouted.

Hold on.

Cameron knew that voice.

But… he buried her. He watched her take her last breath! There was no way she was standing there… in his afterlife. Yet her she stood in front of him, her eyes glistening with tears and a soft smile on her face. “El?” He asked, unsure of whether or not that was a question, a statement, or both.

She grinned at him, with the same teeth in the front of her mouth that were bigger than the rest. Her warm yellow eyes crinkled softly when he finally relaxed in her grip. “That’s my name. Don’t wear it out,” She said.

Another figure appeared behind Elnora, he didn’t recognize them. Not entirely. He partially recalled seeing them around Elnora’s office a couple of times when he came to pick her up for an outing. They blinked, “Elnora, who is that?”

The girl turned back on one of her hooves and looked to the elf. They were dressed in Mountainer clothes, but they seemed to lack the thick robes the elves normally wore. Cameron couldn’t blame them. The warmth seeping out of the home made his skin prickle. He didn’t do well in high temperatures, which is why his flower stall was always well shaded.

Elnora gestured to him, “This is Cam. I’m sure you remember him, Aeryn. He would sometimes come by after our appointments together.” She explained quickly, like she was introducing two good friends to each other.

Frankly, she probably was.

Cameron was sure there was something illegal about becoming friends with your clients, but if there was, he didn’t say anything about it. It didn’t matter now, they were dead.

Sometimes, that still hurt to say.

“Pleasure to meet you, Cameron,” Aeryn? Was it? Said from the front hallway.

Ah. He forgot they spoke fancy up in the mountains. “The feeling is mutual,” he greeted in return. Elnora snickered, elbowing him in the gut. He gave her a harsh glare in return. This only made her laugh more. He sighed. Sometimes, the best thing you could do with Elnora was ignore her. Even when she kept laughing at something that he didn’t think was all that funny.

“Why are you standing at the door? The kettles gone off!” A third figure approaches the door. Aeryn looks behind their shoulder, “Syb, come here. This is Cam. El’s good friend from the Rowger.”

“Oh! The one who supplied us with all the flowers?” Yet a third figure took up the doorframe, pushing their way past Aeryn and Elnora. They were much shorter, a bit stockier too, but they didn’t seem any less fashionable than the others. They wore the same Mountainer’s clothing Aeryn did, but thicker and more robe-like.

“May the Gods bless you, dear friend.” Sticking their hand out towards Cameron, they grinned like they hadn’t ever bared the sadness or pain of death. “My name’s Sybil,” She said enthusiastically as she shook Cameron’s hand with an energy and gusto that left him tired.

Elnora pushed Sybil and Aeryn back with a hand. “Guys, don’t overwhelm him.” She smiled softly, looking up to him with kind eyes that he remembered only being tired for the last years of his life. “It’s…. so nice to see you again. I wish it had been under any different circumstance.”

“What do you mean?” Cameron raised an eyebrow, he tilted his head to the side. Elnora smiled at the subtle movement, and Cameron decided he would decode that later. For now, something clicked about her words. “Ah. Right. I’ve… died.” He awkwardly dropped his hands to his side.

Elnora snickered, “Sorry. I shouldn’t be laughing. You’re right though. This is… well… we don’t know what this really is. We’ve been calling Whatever Came Next for a while now.” She said, awkwardly looking to the other two.

“We… didn’t expect you to be here so soon.” She muttered, clenching her fists and wiping what he presumed to be tears away from her eyes. “I was hoping that you’d never show up because you were safe, but also I was pleading with the Gods for any form of closure.”

Cameron stepped forward, taking one of Elnora’s hands in his. “We evacuated correctly. All according to the plans you gave me. We got out. That’s all that matters now. We met up with some other groups and eventually found newer lands.”

He pulled her in for a tight hug, and she didn’t resist. “Our works weren’t for nothing. We did what we could. It’s behind us now.”

Elnora buried her head into Cameron’s shoulder. He felt himself crying too. He didn’t care. There was no reason to. No cares to be had for past burdens or pains.

They left those behind. Cameron shed his worries the moment he opened his eyes in the lilac field. He didn’t have to care about the evacuee groups arriving in their small settlement, or taking tally of who had lived and who died in the End of Days. Not anymore.

“Listen… uh… We’ve got tea… inside. If you’d like a cup. I was never good at brewing it, but I picked up a couple of things from your shop. You’re the flower expert though, I’ll let you judge. If you’d like that is.” Elnora said, stepping away from the tight embrace. She didn’t let go of his hands though.

Cameron took a moment to rub his cheeks on the sleeve of his sweater. “Yeah, I’d like that.” He said, absentmindedly swaying back on forth on his feet.

“I can’t guarantee the water will be warm anymore! I had to turn off the kettle when you called me over. Burning water is real, and I’m not taking that risk!” Sybil exclaimed, pulling Aeryn back inside. She continued talking even when Cameron and Elnora lingered behind.

“They’re… full of energy.” Cameron noted, stepping into the doorway of the home beside Elnora. He took a moment to trace his fingers on the doorway with one hand, the other still tightly grasping onto Elnora’s.

“I wish you could’ve met them when we were still alive. Aeryn used to talk a lot more.” Elnora sighed, looking away from Cameron.

“Death is a ruthless thing like that. Either way, it doesn’t matter now. I’d get to know you all over again if that’s what it took for us to be here.” He smiled, and Elnora sniffled.

Punching his shoulder softly, she started forward through the home. “C’mon you sap. I’m actually almost worried that they might burn the water without our supervision.”

[rosesandmary]

hello meet aeryn from when i first got into empires around December i am a whole season late to this trend but i just got around to properly drawing it. they travel the lands and work to keep the morale of rivendell up when scott dipped.

[Image Description: A digital drawing of Aeryn Lurona. They are an elf with blue hair that hangs over their left eye. It's other eye is green and it is looking off to the side with a small smile. They are wearing one blue and yellow scarf with another one on top of it. They are holding the straps of their cross body satchel. It's wings are white with light blue specks and a dark teal cover. They are wearing white pants tucked into brown boots with a gold wrap over the top. In the top left there is a light blue box with dark blue text that reads "Aeryn Lurona. 20 Years old. They/It. Rivendell. Flute guy" on the de saturated blue background. The artist's signature is next to Aeryn's leg and reads "Liv" in a bright magenta. End ID]