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had spent a very good portion of her life  avoiding  interactions with others. How was she supposed to tell Varra that she was dragging her friend into something that may very well end in his death?
    She didn't care, she reminded herself, taking a deep breath. She didn't care about these people. This meant nothing to her. She was not getting attached.
    She felt her concerns start to fade away somewhat as she consciously kept them at bay, her expression growing colder.
    "…Cathel said you knew how to prepare for a long trip?" she asked.
    Varra slowly set down her work and turned around to face her. "Yes," she said. "Why?"
    It was like removing a Band-Aid. The best thing to do was to get the pain over with as fast as possible. Rae took a deep breath, forcing herself to meet Varra's eyes. "…He's supposed to come with me to look for Kaeltharin. Into something called the Edgelands."
    The look of disbelief and sudden horror on Varra's face was almost heart rending. Rae forced herself to look and not turn away. It would be easier for her to remain unattached by looking away from Varra, but this was her fault, and she deserved to see the consequences of her actions.
    "What?" asked Varra. "Wh-Why? That's insane! Who ordered something like this?"
    "Someone named Alyan," said Rae. "One of the masters."
    "…Alyan…" muttered Varra under her breath. A look of comprehension dawned on her face, and she looked away, breaking eye contact.
    Rae was relieved. She didn't know how long she could have stood it without allowing herself to feel some sort of sympathy. If the Reaper saw her now, she didn't doubt that he would target Varra just to spite her, but Varra was safe. From what Rae understood, the Reaper couldn't come into the Twilight Realm, and wouldn't be able to for the next year.
    It made her slightly angry, to know that her suffering had been caused because this world couldn't take care of its own.
    "Is Cathel seriously going to go?" asked Varra, looking up at Rae.
    "Think so," said Rae, walking over to the other girl. She kept her eyes on the alchemy supplies in front of her, not making eye contact again.
    "I see…" said Varra. She sighed heavily. "Well, if anyone can survive in the Edgelands, it's probably Cathel, I guess…" She shook her head. "Still, this is crazy. No one's ever been able to find Kaeltharin…and not many who left have come back alive."
    "…I have to," said Rae, studying the small knife in front of her so that she wouldn't have to look at Varra. "I'm sorry. I'd rather not involve Cathel, but I have to go. You can ask him for the details if you like."
    "…No, I believe you," said Varra, shaking her head. "You wouldn't be here from the Daylight Realm if you didn't have some task to accomplish…" With a wave of her hand, the pot of water at her side stopped boiling. "…That man," she muttered under her breath. "He's being stupid and reckless again…"
    Rae took a deep breath, watching as Varra turned her eyes away. Her words were angry, but she could see the pain in them, the way Varra clenched her fist and kept her hands close to herself. Oh, this was even worse. They were close. Very close. For all she knew, Varra could be in love with him...Rae hesitated, then took a deep breath, resting her fingers lightly on the corner of the board.
    "Varra…" she said. "…I can…ask him to stay…He doesn't need to go with me."
    She shook her head. "He's not going to agree to that," she said. "If Alyan said that, then I'm sure Cathel would rather go to the Edgelands and die than spend another day in this Tower."
    She said it with such certainty that Rae didn't need to ask her how she knew. She just took her word for it. "…Something happened between them in the past?" she asked.
    "What didn't happen between them?" asked Varra, shaking her head. "There was a day when Cathel would have given anything in the world to study under Master Alyan. But that's old news, and it's his story to tell.” She sighed, slowly