Bounce Back
Euriel l opened the door to the small home he had for himself in Eronia a. It was towards the southern tip of Eronia a, quite close to Eronia Minor. It was rather barren, with just the bare necessities of Euriel needed. The living room, kitchen, bedroom and latrine were all immaculate. Both because that was what Euriel liked, but because with four children running around, cleaning was just something he was used to doing.
He bought an icebox when he arrived. It was a big purchase, but for his food, it seemed like a worthwhile investment. He wouldn’t be able to cook all the time with how busy he was, so he wanted his food to last until he did find the time. He hoped to bring Keira and the rest of the children to Mythrite, once he had established himself, so he would’ve needed to buy one sooner or later.
The familiar feeling of his new home did little to lift his spirits after the day that he had. He was slacking during work. None of his peers would’ve said he wasn’t doing his job, but it felt off. Was it nerves over being in a new place, away from his family? Not that it mattered. The day had ended and Euriel had let himself down. Then he went and made a fool of himself in the tavern. One failure after another.
He heaved a heavy sigh once he closed the door behind himself and lit some candles to bring some light into the darkening living room. He brought with him a single bottle of wine from back home. Keira and Tyrell had insisted on it. Euriel was never really one to drink outside of social situations. The bottle had gone unopened until now, sitting in his icebox. Euriel cracked it open and poured himself a glass. Once he returned the bottle to the icebox, he grabbed a few letters from off of his nightstand before settling into a chair and picking up his glass of wine. He swirled it around a bit, looking at the ruby red liquid within before taking a sip. Sweet, and simple, just how he liked it. Setting down the glass he unfolded one of the letters, wondering which one happened to be at the top of the stack.
“Dad!” He read, chuckling to himself. “I hope you’re doing okay when this letter gets to you. With you gone, I’m stuck helping mom with most of the work around home. I know you told Corrin to take care of us or whatever, but he’s been so hyped up on making you proud he’s somehow doing a crappy job.
“So it falls on me, the eldest, to come to the rescue! It kind of sucks. I never would’ve thought that it would be so difficult to make sure the house doesn’t just fall apart and take care of the kids at the same time. Props to you, dad! And I’ve been complimenting mom nonstop because it wasn’t until now that I realized how much work you two put in.
“Devon and Ayla are alive and well, still. I think Ayla’s a bit confused about where you went, though, because she always asks and waits by the door for you. Those first few days she would start crying when she realized you wouldn’t be home, but she’s getting better about it. It would be great if you ever got the time to come down and visit sometime! Ayla and Devon would just love it! Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if Corrin just had a heart attack or something because of how much he misses you! But it would have to be a surprise! I’m the one bringing this up, but even I wouldn’t want to know when you’re coming!"
Euriel took another sip and smiled to himself when he reached a string of chicken scratch towards the bottom of the page before it went back to Sasha’s letter.
“That was Devon. The little gremlin came into my room while I was doing something for grandpa. But I’m too close to being done with this to scrap it all and start again, so here we are! I’ll write again if anything cool happens, and until I do, I’m going to do my best to make sure mom’s okay and doesn’t feel overwhelmed. And hope that Corrin starts realizing what it’ll actually take to do what you asked him to.
“I love you, dad!
“-Sasha”
Euriel folded the letter and set it aside. He had already read it, and read it again, but seeing how his family was doing back home helped him keep going. It might not have been new to him, but it was almost as if they were there with him, in a way. Keira was the only other one to send a letter in the first batch. It almost seemed a bit cold and overly formal, but it was also nostalgic. The way she wrote it reminded him of when they had first met, nearly 20 years ago.
“I hope this letter finds you in good health, Mr. Zander. Things are going quite nicely here in the Zander household, if I may say. Sasha has taken to helping me with much of the work around the home as young Corrin eases into his new role as man of the house. Sasha is still young, but I do appreciate her work. This is making me realize that she isn’t a little girl anymore, and instead blossoming into a lovely young woman. Even with the help she has been giving me, she still dutifully helps with the little ones, and with nary a complaint.
“I fear that Ayla is not as well off. She misses you dreadfully, often waiting by the door for you in the evening, only to retreat to her room sobbing. Devon appears to be trying to cheer her up when he sees her in a state, but to little avail.
“I, myself, am doing well. I do miss you here, by my side, but I know your departure was not without reason; purpose. I do hope that your first days in Mythrite have treated you well. Whatever may come, I hope to hear from you. There is little I can do, confined solely to the medium of letters, but whatever support I can provide, I will.”
“Lovingly,”
“Keira Zander”
Euriel polished off the rest of his glass as he finished his wife’s letter. He still had some things to get done before he went to bed, but those letters helped him to forget about the failures of the day. He might feel alone, but he was not alone. He knew why he was here, and reading the words of his wife and daughter had resparked the flame within him. He cracked his neck as he stood up, ready to tackle tomorrow with a renewed resolve. Euriel started towards the bathroom, anticipating a nice bath before bed, so that he could tackle the new day after putting this one to rest.
He bought an icebox when he arrived. It was a big purchase, but for his food, it seemed like a worthwhile investment. He wouldn’t be able to cook all the time with how busy he was, so he wanted his food to last until he did find the time. He hoped to bring Keira and the rest of the children to Mythrite, once he had established himself, so he would’ve needed to buy one sooner or later.
The familiar feeling of his new home did little to lift his spirits after the day that he had. He was slacking during work. None of his peers would’ve said he wasn’t doing his job, but it felt off. Was it nerves over being in a new place, away from his family? Not that it mattered. The day had ended and Euriel had let himself down. Then he went and made a fool of himself in the tavern. One failure after another.
He heaved a heavy sigh once he closed the door behind himself and lit some candles to bring some light into the darkening living room. He brought with him a single bottle of wine from back home. Keira and Tyrell had insisted on it. Euriel was never really one to drink outside of social situations. The bottle had gone unopened until now, sitting in his icebox. Euriel cracked it open and poured himself a glass. Once he returned the bottle to the icebox, he grabbed a few letters from off of his nightstand before settling into a chair and picking up his glass of wine. He swirled it around a bit, looking at the ruby red liquid within before taking a sip. Sweet, and simple, just how he liked it. Setting down the glass he unfolded one of the letters, wondering which one happened to be at the top of the stack.
“Dad!” He read, chuckling to himself. “I hope you’re doing okay when this letter gets to you. With you gone, I’m stuck helping mom with most of the work around home. I know you told Corrin to take care of us or whatever, but he’s been so hyped up on making you proud he’s somehow doing a crappy job.
“So it falls on me, the eldest, to come to the rescue! It kind of sucks. I never would’ve thought that it would be so difficult to make sure the house doesn’t just fall apart and take care of the kids at the same time. Props to you, dad! And I’ve been complimenting mom nonstop because it wasn’t until now that I realized how much work you two put in.
“Devon and Ayla are alive and well, still. I think Ayla’s a bit confused about where you went, though, because she always asks and waits by the door for you. Those first few days she would start crying when she realized you wouldn’t be home, but she’s getting better about it. It would be great if you ever got the time to come down and visit sometime! Ayla and Devon would just love it! Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if Corrin just had a heart attack or something because of how much he misses you! But it would have to be a surprise! I’m the one bringing this up, but even I wouldn’t want to know when you’re coming!"
Euriel took another sip and smiled to himself when he reached a string of chicken scratch towards the bottom of the page before it went back to Sasha’s letter.
“That was Devon. The little gremlin came into my room while I was doing something for grandpa. But I’m too close to being done with this to scrap it all and start again, so here we are! I’ll write again if anything cool happens, and until I do, I’m going to do my best to make sure mom’s okay and doesn’t feel overwhelmed. And hope that Corrin starts realizing what it’ll actually take to do what you asked him to.
“I love you, dad!
“-Sasha”
Euriel folded the letter and set it aside. He had already read it, and read it again, but seeing how his family was doing back home helped him keep going. It might not have been new to him, but it was almost as if they were there with him, in a way. Keira was the only other one to send a letter in the first batch. It almost seemed a bit cold and overly formal, but it was also nostalgic. The way she wrote it reminded him of when they had first met, nearly 20 years ago.
“I hope this letter finds you in good health, Mr. Zander. Things are going quite nicely here in the Zander household, if I may say. Sasha has taken to helping me with much of the work around the home as young Corrin eases into his new role as man of the house. Sasha is still young, but I do appreciate her work. This is making me realize that she isn’t a little girl anymore, and instead blossoming into a lovely young woman. Even with the help she has been giving me, she still dutifully helps with the little ones, and with nary a complaint.
“I fear that Ayla is not as well off. She misses you dreadfully, often waiting by the door for you in the evening, only to retreat to her room sobbing. Devon appears to be trying to cheer her up when he sees her in a state, but to little avail.
“I, myself, am doing well. I do miss you here, by my side, but I know your departure was not without reason; purpose. I do hope that your first days in Mythrite have treated you well. Whatever may come, I hope to hear from you. There is little I can do, confined solely to the medium of letters, but whatever support I can provide, I will.”
“Lovingly,”
“Keira Zander”
Euriel polished off the rest of his glass as he finished his wife’s letter. He still had some things to get done before he went to bed, but those letters helped him to forget about the failures of the day. He might feel alone, but he was not alone. He knew why he was here, and reading the words of his wife and daughter had resparked the flame within him. He cracked his neck as he stood up, ready to tackle tomorrow with a renewed resolve. Euriel started towards the bathroom, anticipating a nice bath before bed, so that he could tackle the new day after putting this one to rest.
So the letters are cool, but it kinda breaks it a bit. Like it's the equivalent of having 3 people in a room talking, but two of them just monologue for 5 min and then don't talk again. I think it's a novel idea and might work better if like the second letter was him writing a response to send back. I really like how you tied it all back to the previous week, and I think the letters themselves are pretty interesting and tie to characters outside of Mythrite and how they still influence him. It was a bit confusing though, as I don't exactly know who was who and there were a lot of names being thrown around without much context as to who they were and why they were significant. Some of them are more clear via little context clues like Sasha and the kids, but I really don't get there till the second letter for people like Corrin, who I thought might be a neighborhood boy who helps out. Calling him Mr. Zander in the second letter also gave me an air of authority over them, so I began to think more akin to like a housemaid watching over them rather than his wife. Which I only realized at the signature. Also, you mention how similar it was to her writings from 20 years ago, so I immediately assumed that the next letter would have been that letter from 20 years ago, that is until it started talking about the kids as growing and taking on new roles in his absence.