Zeph, who was ahead of the group and slightly behind Ferondir and Shia- walked through the town, nodding and saying hello to those who recognized him and wanted to say hi- He was even stopped a few times and welcomed back by several residents.
He wandered up the small hill towards his, large, regally wooden house at the top, overlooking the village.
His was the only one on the hill- his parents thought it made them look prominent.
He wandered up the large stone steps towards the double-front doors, which swung open without him even needing to touch them.
Zeph stepped inside, observing the kingly interior- which was untouched since he had seen it last.
Zephs house was a large wooden house, just short of being a mansion.
It was decorated with generous amounts of artwork, sculptures, and vases that were usually full of blooming magical plants.
Zeph wasn't overly fond of all the decorations- though he did have an eye for them.
He stood in the Foyer, observing the way the light streamed through the large windows, as dust passively floated through the various beams.
Zeph hung his cloak on a hook that was attached to one of the many wooden pillars, and slowly walked up the staircase that lead to the top floor.
The house stayed clean, considering Zeph was the only one who occupied it.
When Zephs parents passed away, they left him a rather large fortune- which usually stays unscathed.
Before he and Ferondir left on the adventure, Zeph never really had much need to spend much money unless it was for his research or repairs to the house.
Zeph enjoyed being back home, it felt relaxing.
But he also felt so very different than when he was back here last.
Lets see, I should probably go back and grab a few things before I join the others.
Zeph wandered up to the attic, which is where he did most of his experiments.
He climbed up the stairs into the attic, excited to see the changes in his experiments.
As he wandered in, purple lanterns ignited themselves on various tables- Shedding light over various scrolls, maps, and artifacts that were laid out on several different tables, circled around one center desk.
Ah, its nice to be back in here.
He said as he wandered over examining a large bio-luminescent purple/blue plant.
Folia! You've grown so big! Zeph was pleased by how well his experiments did while was gone.
He strode across the room, shoving the large curtains open- allowing bright light to stream across the room.
Zeph plucked a few items from various areas of the room.
A few books from the bookshelves, a few enchanted tools from the enchanting table, and a few other various objects from other work stations.
Once Zeph was done he headed to the library and grabbed a few more spell tomes- depositing them inside his bag.
Afterwards he went to the kitchen to grab some food. Food prepared magically tasted so much better than regular food.
Okay, I've got everything I'll need for now- I should probably go and find the others before we go to castle town.
He wandered down the halls towards the front door, as he walked through the halls past lanterns they would extinguish, knowing he was on his way out.
He never stopped being proud of that accomplishment.
Zeph stopped in front of one door in specific, one door that was different than the others.
M-my bedroom. Maybe just a quick detour.
He slowly stepped into his bedroom, looking around at the various objects and trinkets that he had collected over the years.
Drawings made by him and Ferondir as kids, his first magical tool, a tree branch, a necklace-
Wait! That necklace! That's-that's Cassie's old necklace!
He quickly ran over to the table it was sitting on and picked it up.
I can't believe I forgot about this! This could be extremely helpful! Zeph quickly put the necklace on, then tucked it under his shirt.
As he was on his way out, he looked at several paintings that hung on the walls next to the window- One was of him and his parents just before they passed away, and the other was of him, Ferondir, and Cassie.
I remember the day that was painted, my parents had the hardest time getting us to sit still long enough for the artist to get us in a good position. He chuckled at that memory.
He looked at the clock, then quickly ran down stairs and ran out the door- throwing his cloak on in the process.