Walking through the streets yet again, Tori was looking around for more work as usual. Passing by the magic shop, she saw another "Help Wanted" sign in the window, and went in to see what the old man needed help with this time. "Ah, Tori! There you are!" he exclaimed as she walked in the door. "I need a favor of you, my dear. I have an old friend who lives as a hermit deep in the East Forest. We go way back so I like to help him out by sending him a couple of packages a week that contain food and other necessities. It's a mutually beneficial relationship as he sends back packages containing herbs that he finds around the forest, even though I've told him repeatedly that it is not necessary." he explained, hoping to not have to cancel his appointment for his foot massage. As he was hoping, Tori agreed right away, not looking to turn down a paying opportunity like she knew he was willing to provide. Before leaving the shop, the old man gave Tori a tied up package with a note attached to it, as well as a map detailing the whereabouts of the hermit's house in the forest. Tori set out into the forest without a second thought, hoping to deliver her parcel and fulfill her task.

Looking at the map, she saw that she still had quite a ways to go before reaching the hermit, so she started to look around and enjoy the peace and tranquility that it provided under its canopy. The birds chirping was the very music of nature itself and Tori could not help but feel relaxed as she walked by, listening to the natural orchestra of the forest. Turning around a large tree, Tori laid eyes on something truly spectacular...a large lake in the middle of the forest surrounded by meadow. There was a large patch of direct sunlight on the shore of the lake near the house and for some reason a thought came to the ice mage. This was the perfect place for a house of her own. The meadow, the lake, the sun shining through the tree tops..it was all too perfect. Tori made a mental note of this place right then and decided that one day, this is where she would live. With any luck, this would be the location of not only her home, but the home of her future wife as well. After memorizing the path, Tori continued on in search of the hermit. Crossing thickets and fields, fallen trees and bundles of vines, Tori finally found an enormous tree with a door built into the side of it. Surely if there was anywhere that a hermit would live, this would be the place. She knocked on the door a few times before it opened, revealing a short old man, with a large cane. "Oh, hello. How can I help you?" he inquired joyfully. "I'm here to deliver a package to you, sir." she responded respectfully, handing him the package and smiling. She was under the impression that since he lived his life as a hermit, he disliked people and she wanted to give him a good first impression. This, however, could not be further from the truth. "Ah, from Khalash no doubt. Such a good friend. Please, won't you come in and have a cup of tea?" he offered, extending his hand and motioning her to come into his humble home. Tori graciously accepted as she followed the hermit into his tree house, practically gawking at how nice it was on the inside. The walls were made of the natural wood of the trees, as nothing had been added artificially. Modern furniture decorated the room and somehow the old man had even crafted a fireplace into the tree, which would stave off the cold on a winter's night. "I have to admit, I wasn't expecting all of this on the inside," she commented, wondering how it all fit. "Yes, well, most people don't. Just because I've chosen to live my life away from people, doesn't mean I dislike people. I still enjoy the simple things in life, but I want to be comfortable as well, as well as my visitors." he explained, which made a lot of sense to the young ice mage.

As they sat down and enjoyed a hot cup of tea, the old man regaled her of tales of his youth, and the reason that he lived in the forest. He explained that man made cities simply could not match the beauty of the natural world, which was quite frankly the most beautiful thing Tori had ever heard in her life. She completely agreed. She grew up on a farm, so she was no stranger to living off of the land. But this? This was something else entirely. This wasn't just living off of the land. This was living WITH the land, in perfect harmony with mother nature herself. At that moment, she decided that she would not wait until she found someone to build a home with in the forest. She would build that house by the lake, and make it a home worth inviting someone to stay in. Tori explained this to the old hermit and he jumped with joy that someone understood his fame of mind and wanted to live alongside nature as he did. He also told her to come by anything and that he would provide any help he could. After finishing her tea, Tori bid the hermit farewell before taking the winding path through the forest and back to town. Finding her way back to the magic shop, she found the old shop owner and gave him the hermit's package, as well as remarking that she made a friend of him as well. "Well, thanks for being nice to the old guy. I'm the only friend he's had in over 40 years." he commented, handing the ice mage her payment before dismissing her. "If you'll excuse me now Tori, I have an appointment I need to get to."

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