Elegant hands rest upon the edge of one of Dol Amroth's many fountains as she looks into the water. Save the little ripples made by the nearby swimming swans, she can see her own reflection therein, framed by the blue sky, clear of clouds but not of seagulls.
Two eyes, black as pitch stare back at her from an alabaster-pale face, framed by long black tresses that fall in waves to her waist. She frowns for a brief moment when she realizes that, despite her careful combing, it has become slightly messy again.
It has been some time since she has looked at her reflection. Some of that can account for the recent travels she has undertaken. But, Calidis has only ever considered her own features when all her long hours of quiet thinking and introspection produce more questions than answers. And, it is not as if she possesses any great measure of vanity.
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Her mother had always told her she was beautiful and she had always believed her but never took it as something to pride herself on. One could argue that all mothers think their daughters are beautiful.
In Imladris, her looks were the subject of conversation on occasion, though she was most likely never meant to hear it. She had been called an "strange beauty". Even in her solitude, she had begun to realize that, perhaps, her looks were or had become something quite out of the norm. Perhaps the years of solitude had made a mark on her in some form or fashion. Perhaps the lingering memories had casted shadows across her face. Or perhaps, with so many choosing to cross the Sea, less and less of those that looked similar to her were coming and going unseen.
Or, maybe, her mother had found beauty in her daughter in places most would not look.
Whatever the case may be, it never increased her opinion of herself. She had put such thoughts aside and counted them as irrelevant. What use could spending time contemplating her own looks be in a life devoted to her craft with long hours spent in her own company? Eventually, Calidis had taken to casting her gaze downwards, as if that could spare others around her from feeling like her presence created awkwardness that need not be there.
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But as she looks at her rippling reflection in the fountain, she cannot help but notice a difference. It starts as a mere casual observation, as one does when seeing something out of place but not regarding it as important enough to give undivided attention to. But, realizing the odd feeling that blossoms in her chest at the sight of it, she casts her dark gaze downwards once more to look a little closer.
One lock of raven hair falls forward and trails into the water but she pays it no mind. Instead, her hands grip the edge of the fountain more tightly. She notices the way her eyes do not look so dull. Indeed, they even seem to hold a bit of sparkle to them, like stars in the midnight sky. The faintest hints of healthy color can be seen in her fair cheeks and where once she saw nothing but shadows, there seems to be more light that chases some of the darkness away.
Calidis of Imladris looks into the fountain and sees something of Calidis of Eregion staring back at her.
