Algernon Aynesworth was one of those people who needed to be out in nature every few weeks or so. Living in the capital did not help this predicament, but now that he dwelt within the walls of the university, his thirst for nature could be quenched by the tempest of gardens and parks housed in Brunnhold.

It was one of those beautiful late Hamis days. The sun shone through the clouds and it only rained in the morning. Algernon was quite pleased at the site of a bright day. Walking along a tree lined lane; he was whistling an upbeat tune, Hessean in origin. With his new change of scenery and career, the ever abundant bags under the Hessean's eyes began to fade. He started to resemble an under worked youth than an over worked adult.

Algernon strolled through the north gate of Mestigia Park, a local park in Two Falls. The park was designed by a local Hessean landscape architect. The whole of the space was designed with a Hessean theme; one of the main reasons Algernon chose his residents for Two Falls. He walked along the paved path that led to the middle of the park. There he saw his favorite part of Brunnhold, the suba statue. The marble suba stood on a pedestal above everyone else. Its stance was regal and proud; Algernon saw it as a projection of his Hessean side into a tangible form.

He stood there, in awe of the great beast.

Tibby’s day had been a satisfactory one all in all. The classes had gone without hitch for the most part, and she was heading home. It was a sad thought ,though ,to be returning from a day’s teaching to a lonely dwelling. Cleo came home later than Tibby did usually, but there would be dinner together and wine as they laughed over Cleo’s governmental gossip and some amusing answers Tibby had found while marking essay questions.

Sighing, Tibby had to face facts. She missed Cleo. Quite a lot more than she would care to admit. Felt her presence sometimes like a phantom limb, would wonder how Cleo would have liked her office, the house, the staff at Brunnhold. Missed her smell, her eyes, her touch. Ached for that touch because ,gods, it had been a while.

She lit a cigarette and tried to enjoy the scenery. Her father had taken here as a girl, he'd taken her to most of the gardens and they'd flown kites together. She smiled and tried to remember her father running like a mad man to try and get the damn thing to stay in the air. She tried to enjoy the birds seeing, as though to calm her down and soothe her, and the light glow of the sun reflected in waxy leaves of the plants, reflecting off rooftops, off statutes and Hessean heads.

They had gone to Hesse on their travels of course- it had been about as successful for Tibby has Mugroba had been for Cleo. Where Cleo found the heat of Mugroba unbearable Tibby had found Hesse dull, dull ,dull. Cleo had enjoyed being one with nature and long rambling walks but Tibby liked people and cities and culture. Far be it for Tibby to judge a single person but, well, there were an awful lot of bumpkins in Hesse. And almost no one walked around topless. A definite win for Mugroba on that part.

“Hullo,” she said, holding a hand up to Algernon never one to shy away from making new friends among the faculty be they towheaded hesseans or barebreasted mugrobans. And she needed something to take her mind off that Cleo shaped hole in her life. "Goodness me, I wouldn't like to get on the wrong side of him in the morning," she said, nodding to the Suba.

Algernon was drawn out of his world filled with awe by the smell of tobacco and perfume; and, of course, by a voice. He turned his head to see a woman standing next to him. She looked as if she was thirty, thirty five at most. Algernon didn't know what to sat at first; it took his head a moment to decipher exactly what she had said. When it finally made sense, her conversation starter pleased him.

"I believe anyone would be fearful of this beast, no matter what time of day. These magnificent beast roam the forests and plains of Hesse. They've become a national symbol, one I'm quite proud of." Algernon smiled. This woman seemed to be very friendly, a bit like Algernon himself. Alioe knew he sparked up conversations with strangers in his day.

"I'm Algernon Aynesworth. And you are?"

“Tabitha Gauchey,” said Tibby bowing, her grin wide. “New ethics teacher. I assume you’re faculty too- everyone seems to be and every day I get a hundred more new names to remember, on top of the names of my students. I forgot how much I hate being the new girl.” That blue streak she always seemed to talk was brighter then usual.

Turning back to the suba she studied it. Rather a plain, stout little thing, Tibby preferred birds of paradise with bright plumage, ostentatious feathers that sort of thing. But in its way, the Suba summed up Hesse nicely. “I can’t think of a finer national symbol,” she said sincerely, looking at it still.

“If on first glances I’d mistaken you for anything but a Hessean Mr Aynesworth, I certainly couldn’t now,” Tibby’s eyes danced. “I spent a season in Hesse myself, not too long ago. Very…” she struggled with the appropriate choice of words, “It’s very rural isn’t it? Lovely nature. Wonderful Flora and Fauna and the like.”

Flora and Fauna, Tibby smirked to herself as she remembered her school days- those Hessean twins. Tibby was being totally sincere when she said that Flora and Fauna were wonderful.

"Hesse, if I do say so myself, is the most beautiful kingdom on Vita. Sprawling hills, Astonishing grasslands, and thick forests. It's truly the epitome of nature." Algernon straitened his posture, trying to embody his country. His eyes brightened, he loved speaking of Hesse; it was his favorite subject.

"My last visit to Hesse was five years ago. I miss it so much." Algernon began to reminisce about his childhood on the plantation. He remembered his cousins, the Ountahis. Life seemed so simple as a child in Hesse, but his parents had other plans for him. They would rather he attend their alma mater instead the school in Mestigia.

"How long ago was your visit? I would be quite envious if it's been in the last five years." At that point Algernon faced the professor. Oh my, he thought. His face made a confused expression. The only thing he could blurt out was: "Oh, I forgot, I'm a healer." Algernon had no idea why he said such a thing. It just came out.

Rather than ignore the confused look on Algernon’s face as his eyes flickered over Tibby’s lurid red birthmark she let out a faint chuckle before giving a sly wink to the Hessean, as if to say- I don’t mind you looking. Just this once. Tibby allowed people the benefit of the doubt for a few moments, but anything over that, any kind of histrionics or calling her a poor dear was just ridiculous and would surely see anyone loose Tibby’s respect. It only a birthmark-wasn’t as though she had a foot sticking out of her face for Alioe’s sake.

“A healer? With the faculty I take it,” said Tibby cheerfully ignoring the implications of what he had said. “My last visit was….my gods…I don’t think it was five years ago,” she mentally estimated in her head, flicked back through the years seeing images frozen in her mind’s eye like spectrographs.

“It must have been seven years ago. How time passes!” said Tibby with some shock as though the years had only just escaped her and she was desperately trying to claw them back. “I was such a young thing then.” A newly wed essentially, still wearing her hair long- red curls bouncing loose around her waist, swept over her marks to commune with nature fully and clasping Cleo’s hand in her own.

“It would have been nice to see a little more of it, the cities and so on. But my travelling companion was so enamored with a little cottage we stayed in. She was very into her nature, Algernon, you would have liked her.”

Tibby did this often with the faculty, imagined what Cleo would have made of them. How they would have entertained guests at faculty dinner parties just like her parents had done a million years ago. But of course, if she still had Cleo she wouldn’t be at Brunnhold so it was rather a moot point

Elihu was not growing old. He already was old. At this point, he only grew older. Still, he had to acknowledge that he was starting to reach a certain singularity. Which was to say, he had the sneaking suspicion that his body was starting to mutiny against him.

Still one must count their blessings, even after retching on a statue in the middle of one of the university's gardens. For one, his habit of not eating anything solid meant that his bile was made up predominately of equal parts fortified wine and gastric acid. Easy enough to heave up, all things considered. Also, no blood, thank the gods. He often wondered how much of the stuff was still left in him, what with his propensity to lose it. And most importantly, his clothes were still immaculate. Staining his robes would have been inexcusable.

Taking out a handkerchief, he wiped the sides of his mouth bemusedly. If he didn't die soon by natural causes, it was going to be an interesting next few years. Even his own body was starting to think he'd been around to long. Taking a stronger grip on his cane to account for the weakness that forcing the contents of your stomach brought, he started to hobble off around the Suba statue back to his office.

It appeared though, that two figures were in his way. Two familiar figures. Their basic silhouettes were all he needed to ascertain their identities, as distinct as they were. "Ah, Miss Gauchy. And... you work with healer Ixbridge, do you not?" He peered at the larger one, ye gods he was tall. "Mmm. At any rate, you both appear to be in my way. Is this intentional, or just a coincidence of positions, which I expect."