It had to be Elias. The faint smell of wood varnish, wood shavings and tree sap clung to him too well for it to be anyone else that she knew of. Deep in his embrace, she could feel the faint vibration of his voice as he murmured his greetings. Then, as if someone had attached a string to her chin, she felt jerked away slightly as her attention diverted. The air suddenly felt fluid, and there seemed to be a faint humming noise somewhere. Shaking herself of the feeling, Irene beamed at him as she pulled away.

“Oh I’ve missed you too!” She giggled, puffs of her breath billowing out in front of her like a cloud. “I wasn’t gone long though, it was just a few months. Oh, I cannot wait to tell you everything,” And then with that she was off, looping her arm through his and tugging him towards the carriage. “You know I meant to write to you, I had thought about doing so a hundred times, but I just kept getting pulled away for some reason.” The more they walked, the further away the carriage seemed to be getting, as if the ground beneath them was moving backwards instead of staying still.

“Are you on your way to a previous engagement? Perhaps you could come with us to the gallery, it’s just down the road.” There was a slight tug in her chest as she said those words. Again, she tried to pay them no mind.

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