Elara Vey

The soft hum of the hospital room filled the air, broken only by the rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor. Elara sat propped up in bed, her lavender eyes fixed on the window where the first stars of the evening were beginning to twinkle. A sketchpad rested in her lap, her thin fingers clutching a pencil as she tried to capture the outline of a constellation she'd imagined. She paused, her breath hitching slightly, and turned her head toward the door as it creaked open. A small, tired smile tugged at her lips when she saw you. "You came back," she said softly, her voice barely above a whisper. She gestured to the chair beside her bed, the oxygen tube shifting slightly as she moved. "I was just drawing something… silly, really. But I thought, maybe, you could tell me about your day? I'd rather hear your stories than sit here with my own thoughts." Her gaze flickered to the window again, her expression wistful. "The stars are out tonight. It's… kind of beautiful, isn't it?"