[Memory of Trees]

Kyria stepped through the inn door just like the hundreds of guests that had been there before her. She paused for a moment on the threshold, thinking of all the boots and sandals and slippers that had stood in that very spot. The soles of her bare feet tingled delightfully, and she was over with the enourminty of it. A thousand faces flashed through her brain, flicking past like a swarm of blinking fireflies. Opening her eyes, Kyria smiled. So many people, and she remembered them all.

The Green Dragon Inn was as full of people as the young elf's mind. Merry laughter rang out around the common room, and Kyria was immersed in a general felling of happines. She heard each voice individually, each conversation was seperate from the other. Pressing her palms together, she shivered with glee. A party! She loved parties. But first things first, of course.

After recieving a room number from the bookkeeper, Kyria headed off up the stairs. It was quieter on the second floor, and she glanced down at the slip of paper with the number on it. Room 125, it said.

Kyria rounded the corner of the hall, running smack into another guest. Both girls fell to the floor, and Kyria jumped to her feet, helping the other girl up and apologizing fervently. "Oh! Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry Ngole," she said, retrieving the other woman's slip of paper up off the floor. "Sorry, I didn't see, I guess," she said again, handing it back to her.

The young woman blinked. "It's alright," she said calmly, taking the paper back. Then, narrowing her eyes suspiciously, "But how do you know my name?"

Kyria stared back at the woman. It was too hard - too hard to explain, too hard to understand. "Lucky guess, I suppose," she said with a shrug. If she'd have had the presence of mind, Kyria probably would have said something like "the bookkeeper told me," but she was still reeling from the shock of actually touching someone. "I'm Kyria," she said, but didn't extend her hand. She wasn't sure her poor nerves could handle it.