Defying the Norms: Lilliana's Quest

“This is where we stand right now.”

The four of them stood in a circle, looking at the poster-map that was spread out on the table. The humans and elves of the small town they were visiting had been quite hospitable to them so far, but everything changed when they came here. This room was large, with stone walls and a vaulted ceiling. The table they stood around was made of heavy oak, polished to a shine and polished with so much care that it reflected their images like a mirror. The chairs were cushioned and comfortable, and the two humans who were standing behind the table standing beside each other looked exactly alike.

One was very old, his hair long and pure white. His face was covered in wrinkles, and his eyes were half-closed as he watched them ponder over the map. The other was younger, closer to Lilliana’s age if she had to guess, but he looked just like his father. He wore a curious expression on his face as he leaned against the wall behind him, arms crossed in front of his chest. Both of them wore robes that seemed to shimmer in the light. The elder one was dressed in pure white while the other wore blue that almost looked white. They both held staves that glowed softly in their hands, which they held loosely at their sides as they observed them without speaking a word.

The two races faced each other across the table; Chris stood to her right side while Janna stood on her left side instead of sitting down as she usually did when she needed information from someone. Both of them gazed intently at the map that took up most of the table surface, trying to make sense of what they saw written there. It was like nothing she had ever seen before and seemed similar to some things she had read about, but overall it looked different from anything she knew. She turned her head towards Janna who was studying the map intently too, wondering what she thought about what she saw there. Instead of looking at her though, Janna glanced up at Lilliana for a moment before going back to staring at the map again as well.

“I don’t get it…” Chris said after a few minutes of silence between them all as they stared at the map in front of them. “I can’t read this stuff here… It looks like letters but I can’t understand any words… and these markings here look weird too… Are those maps or something? I mean they look kinda neat but I can’t tell what they are supposed to be… I think you guys know what this is because you seem to recognize it… but this stuff here makes absolutely no sense to me! What even is this thing?!”

Lilliana looked up from studying another part of the map where some strange symbols were scattered around here and there before shaking her head slowly from side to side. “I don’t know… I feel like I should know what this is but it doesn’t look familiar so far… maybe it’s just not meant for us? Like this map isn’t meant for your kind?”

Chris groaned loudly under his breath before he folded his arms with an irritated frown on his face as he scowled at the two men standing behind the table in front of him instead now. “Well can you tell us then? If this isn’t meant for us why are we even looking at it? Just cause you gave it to us doesn’t mean we have any use for this crap! Not everyone who uses magic has a need for maps or books or whatever else you wanted us here for! We aren’t stupid humans! We know how things work better than you do! So if you want us here then talk! Otherwise we can go back home! Or do whatever else you want us doing while we wait here but don’t waste our time like this! You said you would help us! So help us already! Stop wasting our time with stupid questions we might or might not be able to answer! Everything about this place just makes me angry already so I don't want to stick around here any longer than necessary anymore than you do either! So let's just get this over with already!”

Chris slammed his fist down onto one corner of the map table next to him before stomping away angrily from it towards one wall opposite from where he had been standing earlier only moments ago. He threw himself down into one chair angrily before crossing his arms in front of him again as he sat there fuming silently while glaring at both humans with an equally angry expression on his own face now too. He didn't even glance over at Lilliana once during all of that either; instead he kept staring angrily straight ahead into space as if he hadn't even noticed that she wasn't standing next to him anymore anymore either.

She sighed quietly under her breath before she turned towards Janna again who hadn't said anything throughout all of that yet either; instead she had watched both Lilliana and Chris carefully as they went back and forth between each other until finally reaching an impasse between themselves whenever Chris lost control and shouted out loud at both humans instead instead of talking calmly like they had agreed beforehand beforehand like they always did together whenever they met new people who wanted their help with something that wasn't meant for their kind alone without even meaning too beforehand either…

But right now Chris obviously couldn't handle it anymore than she could so there wasn't much point helping him calm down again anymore today either besides acting like nothing happened right now until he cooled down on his own afterwards afterwards later afterwards instead by himself by himself by himself eventually sooner or later sooner or later sooner or later after all because neither one of them could stop him from getting angry whenever he got angry no matter how hard she tried no matter how much effort she put into calming him or keeping him calm when he got angry upset mad frustrated impatient annoyed unhappy annoyed irritated annoyed aggravated uptight fussy worried anxious nervous afraid shy hesitant scared worried irritated miffed peeved irked annoyed annoyed peeved irritated vexed crabby grumpy grouchy cross peevish bad-tempered cranky grouch sullen unhappy morose gloomy glum dour glum depressed moody sulky agitated agitated agitated agitated agitated agitated agitated agitated agitated agitated agitated agitated agitated agitated agitated agitated agitated agitated agitated agitated agitated agitated agitated angry displeased vexed aggravated irritated cross disgruntled peeved irked annoyed annoyed peeved irritated vexed crabby grumpy grouchy cross peevish bad-tempered cranky grouch sullen unhappy morose gloomy glum dour glum depressed moody sulky upset bothered discouraged flustered exasperated perturbed vexed vexed vexed vexed vexed irritable aggitated irked pissed pissed pissed off enraged incensed infuriated livid irate indignant wrathful resentful sizzling seething simmering steaming foaming furious steaming steaming hot prickly hot happy bright cheery sunny sunny cheerless dismal dull gloomy grey bleak bleak dim dark dismal dismal dreary dreary dismal dreary droopy desolate loveless joyless pensive lonely plain dull uninteresting boring uneventful uninteresting monotonous tedious torpid boring dead boring boring boring boring boring boring boring boring boring boring boring boring dull dull blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!