@BreakingMe

Haven continued walking as she waited for Maddie to respond. She looked back over at the dark haired girl just in time to see her scrunch her nose and look away from Haven. Haven quirked an eyebrow and tilted her head a little as she watched her. It was amusing to watch her talk out loud with her archon.

"No. You say hi to Corvus. I'm not your messenger. How have you guys not been able to figure out a way to communicate with each other yet?" Haven suppressed a giggle, mostly because she was bickering with her archon, Eridanus. The other portion was because they had just entered the meeting room, which had a more serious atmosphere. "So this is a little weird, right? I was just minding my own business at work and this necklace was sent to me." Haven directed her attention to the necklace, coming to a stop out of the way of the door. It was huge and green. She wondered what rock was in it. The girl continued, "and the next thing I know. I'm waking up on the floor with no idea what happened. Then Eridanus starts telling me all this crazy shit about the end of everything as we know it. How crazy is that, right?" Haven let out a small scoff, laughing lightly. "Are you from, uh.....where are you from?" Maddie said, sounding wary about the answer. Haven only assumed that it was because of the appearance of everyone else in the room.

"I come from a planet called Estellos. It lies in the Vela Andromeda galaxy." She smiled at her before taking a seat close to the middle of the room. "Also, that's not that bad of a story. I was at a party when this crystal flies into my hand from a display case. I lit up the room and blacked out. I woke up in a hotel at the neighboring planet with no idea how I got there. Then Corvus began to give me a run down of everything. It's been very very crazy." Corvus chuckled in her mind, but Haven chose to ignore him. "I can give you the full story later, if you want. It was a little more insane than that." She said as she glanced around at the others in the room. She recalled each name and archon to each face, thinking about how this meeting was going to go down.

After watching both Ian and Maddie walk away, Aella sighed and walked off towards her room. She grabbed the book she had been reading in the library and then headed for the meeting room. Walking with a confident stride, she sat at one of the few empty seats, next to Jacky. She nodded to him as she sat, opening the book to where she left off. "You should be talking with them," Sagittarius said in her head and she sighed, thinking back, "I have no reason to say anything right now. Ian's got the floor as soon as he arrives."

The elven girl could feel Sagittarius roll their eyes and she slammed the book. Looking up at Jacky, who was easily over a foot taller than her, and said, "I don't believe we've actually met yet. My name is Aella, and I'm the Archon of Air." She bowed slightly from her seated position, a sign of respect for the giant man. She could actually feel a nice feeling from the room around her now, instead of earlier. Everyone was calm, or well, were perceived to be, and were all on the same page about getting to the bottom of things.

A hand wrapped around Talay-a's own, his hands rough yet gentle. "We'll move on, then." Gideon croaked, gently bumping past Talay-a by the shoulder and turning her side to walk with his. Hand in hand, the devious duo paced to the meeting room. A heartthumping screetch echoed throughout the temple (Subject 17) and it dissipated, having being overly used to the hiss of his mask up close, he could bear the higher frequencies that damage hearing. The rumble however remained. Gideon stood still, jaw slightly ajar, an eyebrow raised, and stoned as hell.

With a touch of guidance, the fish and the crock made their way to the meeting room. "That confident fellow is obnoxious." He groaned from the haze. The mask pierced back on when he entered the space of the meeting room with a hiss. And the relaxed character escorted the 'unusually chummy' Talay-a to a seat. Gideon pulled out her chair with a burly-esc disposition.

Upon her (eventual) sitting, Gideon walked to the opposite side of the table and sat down directly across from her. He nodded and smiled to her under the mask, maybe she could see the smile in his big moonish blue eyes ;P. He leaned back and folded his arms, cleaver resting by his feet- and chain in hand.

Ian walked into the meeting room and glanced around at the archons seated around the table, taking in their postures and interest in what he had to say. He took a deep breath before he began, knowing all this would be a huge shock to them. He wasn't even entirely sure they would all stay due to how serious the situation really was. "I have spent the past few hours exploring the temple and talking with lupus about the previous generations of archons and the purpose they serve." Ian went in depth, explaining the origin of the archons and the multiverse to this new generation. After that he told them about the corruption of the archon of death and the murders of the first archons that passed their powers on to their children, the second generation. The second generation of archons had been much weaker than the first and stood no chance against Thanatos due to his natural archon ability. They didn't develop their archon powers enough and relied heavily on technology from across the multiverse to fight Thanatos. In the end it was all in vain and the Second generation fell harder than the first.

"Now these powers have been passed on to us and it has become our war for the multiverse. Thanatos already has control of the multiverse. He isn't scared of us at all. We aren't even a threat to him. He wants the powers we now possess and they only way for him to obtain them is by killing each and every one of us. None of you have to fight in this war. But if you run. If you try to hide you will eventually be hunted down by Thanatos himself and he will get what he wants. I believe our only chance is to train our powers and fight him head on for the fate of the multiverse" He told them, finally falling silent after his long winded explanation of their current predicament. He was unsure if he got his point across and that they would fight with him. He knew he couldn't do it alone and he would need all of their help to defeat Thanatos.

"You have done all that you can, Ian. now it will be up to them to make the choice. If Thanatos gains the power of every archon he will become all powerful with the ability to destroy everything and rebuild the entirety of the multiverse at will. Everyone you ever knew and everywhere you have ever been will be wiped out in a second"

Ian took another deep breath and smiled at the rest of the archons gathered around the table. "My name is Ian Marcus and I am the archon of gravity. I will devote my life to the cause of defeating Thanatos and restoring Balance to the multiverse" He told them, standing up straighter and with more confidence as he finished. "This is the beginning of a war that we all need to fight in. Anyone that would like to fight with me please introduce yourself to the rest of us. We will need to know each other if we are to fight together"

​


Talay-a froze for a second as he engolfed her hand in his own. As most humans left on her planet were half blood, she had never encountered another being that wasn't poikilothermic. It was an odd sensation, although she figured this would be the tamest of changes to come yet. Her fingers flexed for a second, before she relaxed and she let both Gideon and Andromeda guide her to this supposed meeting room
Once she arrived and was seated, she listened to what Ian Marcus had to say. She did concede, internally of course, that he did have a few valid points. However there were also some points that she had to bring up.

"And how are we supposed to learn our Archon power? I don't know if you're aware but that same group of Archon's that failed are the same the Archon's that are in our heads. How are we supposed to learn what we need when they themselves do not know?" Talay-a asked, with a raised eyebrow. She supposed, in the end, it doesn't even matter. She wasn't one to run from a fight, not without knowing all the facts anyways.

What I lost from my old life, I gained otherwise in this one. Even though I don't have my physical body anymore, I do have knowledge that I wasn't granted before. I told you I teach you to master your powers, and I will. Andromeda shared with her and Talay-a nodded slowly, before coming to her decision.

"My name is Talay-a, and I am the Archon of Water." Talay-a introduced herself, slowly, gravely as she locked eyes with each person around the table, waiting for their own response.

Jacky took her hand, and as expected it was ice cold. It was not an unpleasant experience, more fascinating than anything else as if he held the hand of a corpse herself. She spoke with an accent unfamiliar to him, though it sounded as if it fit her unreadable personality. Her posture sat with refined grace like a noble lady of his home planet. He almost felt outclassed, perhaps he had lost his touch with how to communicate amongst higher class after his long gangster upbringing, years of hustling and intimidation tend to change a person.

"I want to hear you speak with that lovely set of manners .- gets me flustered."

The scent of her words carried the essence of peppermint, fitting for the Archon of Ice, Jacky mused. “I will try my best, Madam” Jacky responded. He detected a hint of playfulness in her voice, flirtatiousness even. Jacky cocked an eyebrow as he decided how to continue-

"I don't believe we've actually met yet. My name is Aella, and I'm the Archon of Air."

A voice from behind made him straighten like a cat, he still felt the anxiety of the chase that had preluded this whole endeavor. He turned to greet the voice, a girl with silver hair sat in the chair next to him. She gave a polite bow, and Jacky returned it, those he had personally communicated with seemed well-mannered and sensible so far. “It is nice to meet you Lady Aella, I am Jackson, the prospective Archon of Stone.” Jacky said as he took his seat in between Docia and Aella while the rest of the Archons began filing into the room. He heard a high pitched screeching noise as he sat up to look at where the noise had come from.

Ah! Sounds like my good friend Echo! Good times! Good times!

He pondered it for a second, and relaxed himself, it was a reassuring thing to have another’s thoughts among yours though also uncomfortable. For the most part he did not mind Draco’s contributions as long as they shied away from superfluous towards informative. Draco’s showmanship nature reminded him too much of the Boss and he didn't like it. Perhaps Draco had detected this.

"My pleasure," Aella smiled to Jackson, though their greeting was cut short as the meeting started.

Watching Ian as he spoke, Aella was sure she made the right decision to vote him as leader. He had all the qualities and he seemed to be in tune with the needs of the group. She listened intently to his words, however she could feel a searing headache start to turn. With a slight hiss under her breath, Sagittarius began to show her the story of how they perished. She saw the others perish, Sagittarius' friends. She saw whom she assumed was Thanatos, although confused because one of the archons, who was mysteriously missing from their group, called him something like Ragnarok? No wonder they failed. The old leader was an idiot, even though it was pretty heartbreaking to watch the other group fall.

As Ian called to fight, Aella's headache dulled and she blinked as she watched Talay-a stand first. The silver haired elf pondered on her decision. Was it worth it? Death would be her reward if they failed, but... it would also find her anyhow. It was her only fear, but...she was taught to never give in to the things that scare her. Her baba's face showed up in her mind. He surely would perish if she didn't try. 'For my family,' she thought with purpose, 'It'll be worth it.'

"Aella, the road ahead will be tough. Although you will have everyone in this room by your side, are you absolutely sure of this," She heard Sagittarius say in her head. She stood without saying a word to Sagittarius, her eyes closed in solitude.

"I am Aella, the Archon of Air. I vow to fight until my very last breath," the silver haired elf said, finally opening her bright blue eyes to look at the group.

Get up, Brynn.
Brynn opened his eyes to see everyone finally gathered in the meeting room. The man who called himself Ian was speaking about things like Thanatos and the multiverse.
Multiverse? That's just an old theory. It died down after we realized we couldn't prove it. And this war?
Brynn sat there thinking while people began to introduce themselves.
You should at least listen.
"I can hear them.", he muttered under his breath.
Brynn quietly paid attention to the first couple of introductions, though personally he didn't really care. After they finished, Brynn spoke without looking up or moving from his chair.
"The name's Breaker. I'm..the Archon of Fire. I mean, I am now."
He tightened the eye patch over his left eye. It was getting loose again.

Haven watched as the room was soon filled with chatter and an atmosphere that seemed either relaxed or cautious. She thought about talking to the others around her. The tall, masked man sat down next to her, his alarmingly threatening weapon thunking softly as it rested next to his feet. She looked it over, wondering what exactly the metal contraption did. "That's the Archon of Darkness. Gideon. Remember his little show?" Corvus said, helping her remember who he was. How could I forget it? She was about to introduce herself, but Ian had appeared and was standing at the front of the room, ready to give his speech. She turned to listen, crossing her legs uncomfortably as she pondered her uncertain destiny.

Corvus relayed his accounts of the stories, showing her visions of coming to be an Archon, meeting the others, and fighting against Thanatos. Haven sucked in a breath as she saw a vision of the fall of the Archons. Her body tensed as she saw it through the eyes of Corvus. She could feel the power that Corvus had pulsing throughout her body, and her fingers tingled as Corvus recalled the feeling of time warping due to Thanatos's power. The vision soon ended, leaving Haven's mind fuzzy and in awe of how powerful Thanatos had been. She was speechless. It was only when the feeling of time's power slowly faded that she was able to think clearly and relax. Well, relax as much as she could in the nerve wracking situation. She swallowed, taking a slow, deep breath.

Are you sure I can do this, Corvus? She thought hesitantly as she watched a few of the others stand and introduce themselves. Corvus let out a small sigh. "I know it may seem scary now, but I chose you for your heart. The team will need it in times of stress. Your light will guide them. As long as you let me help you, I will make you even more powerful than I was. You will be able to snap time in two... although I hope you won't." Haven nodded slowly, letting out the breath that she'd been holding in. She felt all of her worries and stress leave her as she did so, replaced by newfound confidence and courage. The Archon of Fire, Breaker, introduced himself, and Haven thought that it was the perfect opportunity to do the same.

Slowly, Haven stood to her feet, putting on a small smile in hopes of encouraging the nervous ones into speaking as well. "My name is Haven. I possess the Archon of Time. Corvus says his salutations to all." She didn't feel quite right ending it there, and her smile slowly faded. She felt the familiar movement of the watch her mother gave her on her wrist and knew exactly what to say. "I would rather die than let my family, or anyone else's family, suffer from Thanatos's wrath," she said, looking around the room. "I hope that you all will help us. We'll need everyone." She looked at Ian and gave a small smile before returning to her seat, looking down at her watch and running her fingers around the edge of it. God, she missed her family. This was all for them.

A bead of sweat dripped from Gideon's brow, merely pondering and tempting the idea of throwing away his life for-..
Nah.

Gideon folded his arms, "We'll see." He spoke gravely, simultaneous with Eredos the Shadow. His eyes grazed down to the table rather than the faces around him. Smoke from his mask trailed upwards, and his body slouched under. "I'll tag along."
In his mind a series of colourful silloettes danced around him, except they emitted no light. There was only darkness in his mind. The absence of light. The solitude of shadows. The push and pull motion of the black void.

"I'm Gideon." He lazily raised a hand, and lowered it as quickly back to its folded position. The moderate cleaver beside him shined like iron, and jingled softly like chains.

---

One by one, the group went around and introduced themselves. It was an oddly familiar feeling to Maddie, as if she had been here and done this before. "That's because you have. Well, we have. The Archon Guides." Eridanus said. He sounded reserved. She instinctively felt the disparity he held on to. His past was painful and hollow. Maddie shook it off and turned back to the others at the table. There was a slightly awkward silence after Gideon spoke. His presence seemed to hang heavy in the room. Leave it to Maddie, however, to lighten to air.

"Well, as you all heard from my little rant before, I'm Maddie Tyler. I'm the Archon of Earth and Eridanus will be tagging along with me. I already told Ian but I'll tell all of you now. Even though I still have no idea what's really happening here, you all have my support. I mean, it's not like I can go back to a 9 to 5 life after this anyway." She gestured around the room absently. "So, yeah, I'm on board." She finished, dropping her hands into her lap.

“Well since we’re making introductions here my name is Vanth, the Archon of Lightning, and this is 17, the Archon of Sound. My understanding of my power is that I can manipulate electricity and similar forms of energy in the various forms that they are used. I’m not so sure how 17 here uses his power, but I’d imagine it’s a blast. Also recently he discovered that another one of our peers- an archon of crystal- is in need of aid from the archons of sound, time, and gravity specifically,” he indicated to each Archon as he mentioned their title.

As he went on, Vanth could hear slight whispers of 17’s thoughts slipping through his head as the gears slowly spun and ticked. The proximity of the headphones must be establishing a weak connection between the two. Some thoughts were seemingly random, others whispered appraisals of those who had spoken, while a majority span around his own self-consciousness, fears, and insecurities. If it weren’t for the headphones, he hid his discomfort surprisingly well. Vanth couldn’t help but notice a few thoughts were about himself. 17’s unfiltered mind had criticisms of Vanth himself which made him slightly uncomfortable, however it wasn’t anywhere near as bad as the human traffickers back at home who would coo over him every time he passed by. He shrugged it off and finished their brief introduction, looking around at everyone.

“Although we have this great destiny before us, I think we should get this archon of crystal out first... Oh, and although Virgo is kinda bubbling in my head right now, I'm sure he'd say hi as well.”

The people gathered, just as what was said was expected. Ian's stating he's not leader, but its certainly leaning that way. The entire time she sat still amongst them, retaining faces. Open seating was abundant but in her mind she was alone. With a coy glance to any of the men on occasion, she heard others speak.

"My name is Talay-a, and I am the Archon of Water."
'Nod.'


"I am Aella, the Archon of Air. I vow to fight until my very last breath." She seemed nice.
'Nod. Bite lip.'
...
"The name's Breaker. I'm..the Archon of Fire. I mean, I am now.". He seemed unusual.
'Nod. Smile.'
...
"My name is Haven. I possess the Archon of Time. Corvus says his salutations to all. I would rather die than let my family, or anyone else's family, suffer from Thanatos's wrath. I hope that you all will help us. We'll need everyone."
'Okay. Nod firmly.'

"We'll see. I'll tag along. I'm Gideon." How menacing.
Docia nodded nervously, adjusting her hands in her lap.
...
"Well, as you all heard from my little rant before, I'm Maddie Tyler. I'm the Archon of Earth and Eridanus will be tagging along with me. I already told Ian but I'll tell all of you now. Even though I still have no idea what's really happening here, you all have my support. I mean, it's not like I can go back to a 9 to 5 life after this anyway. So, yeah, I'm on board."
'Nod.'

Then the other two went on, and Docia patiently listened. Casually following along. Each nod made the bun she put her dark hair up in bounce with health.
Her turn came and she spoke with her thickest greek accent, "I am Docia. I am the new Archon of Ice. I'll do my best to help end this." She spoke seriously, and then she ended on a pause. Then a giggle and a hand to her face before hastily putting her hands back onto her lap.

Ian looked at each person as they spoke, nodding to each in turn. When Vanth mentioned the archon of crystal Ian couldn't help but pause and think about the situation, A thoughtful expression crossed his face and he nodded slightly. "I'm glad everyone has decided to be a part of this. We need to discuss our next step before going any further. According to Lupus we will need to train and hone our abilities if we are to have any chance against Thanatos. I think that is a good place for us to start. For tonight we will explore the rest of the temple and find this Archon of crystal that 17 and Vanth have heard from. If one of our own needs our help than we should find him and do what we can to help him. Do you have any idea where he may be?" He asked, looking between 17 and Vanth.

---

As each one of the Archons went around and introduced themselves, Maddie yawned. Between the lack of proper sleep she had...how many days before? She wasn't even sure what day it was. Between the lack of sleep, the portal jumping, and the influx of information, she was exhausted. Her eyes were dropping shut when she heard Ian speak again. He said something about training again but her focus was lost behind her need to sleep. She heard his ask something about the Crystal Archon. Before Vanth or 17 had a chance to answer, Maddie stood up. "Sorry to interrupt but I'm exhausted. I understand training and this Crystal kid are important but I need to get some sleep if I'm going to be worth anything to you guys. I'm sure some of you humans can understand." Her eyes skimmed over everyone, still unsure of who qualified as human. "Someone is welcomed to come get me if the world depends on me." She turned and walked out to the hallway.

"Maddie, you really should stay and help," Eridanus chastised. She rolled her eyes and headed toward the room that was designated for her.

"They'll be fine. Besides, it doesn't sound like we can do much without this Crystal Archon and it's not like I know who they are or where they are. What good am I?" She asked.

"You need to knock that mindset, honey. It'll get you killed." He replied. Maddie reached the inside of her bedroom and laid flat out on her bed without bothering to take off her shoes or get under the blankets. The warm breeze she could feel and the smell of the forest began to lull her.

"Lack of sleep will get me killed," she mumbled. Eridanus replied but she had drifted off enough that she didn't hear him.

Watching as each of the archons went around in turn, Aella smiled and looked at Ian. She knew she would need to train harder than she ever had trained before. However, she also had an idea. "I don't know who will want to," she heard Sagittarius whisper in her mind, "But, all things aside, I think you have a good idea, Aella." Waiting for Maddie to leave the room, the elf cleared her voice and said, "I know that you three are needed for this last Archon, but might I suggest the rest of us spend some time in meditation. I can walk everyone through some techniques since I grew up in a temple based around the belief in the original Archons that created the uni- well- multiverse. I believe it will help us connect with our guides more and maybe give us insight into our powers."

Pausing to take a small breath, Aella turned to Ian, 17 and Vanth, saying, "You might even find a hint to the whereabouts of this last Archon. I don't know how you even know about them, but that might help." She bit her lip and blushed a bit, "Or it might not, but it sounded like a good idea in my head." She sat back in her seat, looking at the others to see what they would say.

Crystal? Another one?
Another one.
Brynn sighed and closed his eyes.
Damn, there's more of these weirdos?
You're one to talk.
"Knock it off," he said out loud. It was almost instinct. Having some kind of retort to Cale. Though he didn't want to seem as insane as he thought he was to these strangers. Speaking to no one didn't help at all.
You can't be an ass to them. Well, you can. But you have to work with them. I would've been able to instead of you but, I'm dead.
"You don't have to bring that up every day." Brynn was muttering under his breath. He was trying to be more careful with his words. These people barely even seemed human.
Aella. What is she, an elf? No one is that pale. And that hair. Too white. Its unnatural.
So's yours Mister Silver-head.
Jackson; frail. Thin and tall. He acts proper. I don't like it. He's hiding something. Do you have to be mistrusting of everyone? I'm not just being paranoid about it.
Maddie; she seems lost. I'm sure we all do. But she's just going with the flow for now.
Docia is...strange. She acts happy all the time. Polite. Only person to say "Hi" to you. Maybe you can make a friend for once. ...
Vanth. He's just a kid. You look barely older. Friendly with "17". What is he? A human? Something else? I've seen him. He might be the same 17 I'm hunting. He hides his face constantly. Something he doesn't want them to see. Just like my eye, no? You're more like these people than you think.
Haven; weird name. Derived from a safe place. People with those kinds of names are usually the opposite of what the symbolize.
Talayai? Talya? Whatever. She barely looks human. Her hands are weird. Like some kind of duck maybe. Duck-billed platypus! Those are extinct, stupid.
Ian. Seems smart. Maybe knows a bit more about this than he lets on. But, I trust him more than the rest of this lot.
And then there's him. Brynn narrowed his eye towards the man who introduced himself as Gideon. He feels off. Just darkness around him. "What the hell is going on?" he wondered out loud. Still, Brynn didn't like it. His demeanor, his look. Covered in dust always, too.
Will you stop making these stupid jokes and references? Its slowly killing me.
Seasons don't fear the reaper; nor do the wind or the sun or the rain. So why do you?
"...Seriously?"

Gideon smiled under his mask at Breaker when he spoke aloud. Insanity was entertaining.
"Training first then, with your spirit lesson to those that desire." Gideon spoke, making eye contact with Aella. He leaned forward, "We have to get stronger." He spoke to the group gravely, and then puff. A trail of smoke lifted from his respirator, and he spoke simultaneous with Eredos' hiss in his ear to the group. "Thanatos is upon us."

After a quick glance to Talay-a, he stood. His leather boots cracked, and he leaned down to grip the chain to his dangling weapon. He looked up and looked at Ian before quickly breaking from the group and walking with purpose. "Peculiar.." Eredos wondered. "Quiet." Gideon responded embarrassingly and with agitation.

The shadows began to dance through the hall Gideon was walking through. With vigor in his belly and a heart of pent-up aggression he felt prepared. However, he felt no desire to get closer to his Archon spirit at the moment. Eredos made Gideon anxious, uncomfortable, and powerful at the same time. Eredos was also quick to disdain, which Gideon was not excited about.

​


Once Talay-a had declared her alligence, she was bored. Others declared their alligence, most sounded more sincere than her, at least to her own ears. Perhaps it was just because she knew of her own insincerity, or perhaps she honestly was surrounded with the most sincere people in the multiverse.

We did try...perhaps you should go join them? As Talay-a watched others leave, Gideon among them, she too walked away from the meeting room, once it seemed like she was no longer needed

"No, I have no need for it. It'll just be awkward and we're pretty damn close. Closer than I'd like to be, at least." Talay-a finally answered Andromeda's question as she wondered through the corridors. Eventually she ran back into Gideon, stopping silently as she observed him. He was...annoyed, perhaps or just frustrated. She could understand that, as she had her own feelings about the situation.

"Gideon." Talay-a called his attention but she didn't know what to say after that. Gideon was unlike anyone she had ever known, he intrigued her in the best way possible from his personna to his powers. Speaking of his powers, she didn't quite know how they worked.
"You mentioned wanting to train, and neither I nor Andromeda honestly have any idea how your power works. If you doin't mind, would you like to show me?" Talay-a asked with a curious look as she glanced up at him.

A set of bright blue eyes set agaze on Aella. Docia's eyebrow raised when it came to meditation, curious as to her process. She fidgeted once in her seat and leaned back with her milky white hands in her lap. With a glance to Jacky, she responded to Aella as the others left. In her experience with the powers of the Archon, she has yet to find peaceful meditation with Taurus the Silent.

"parakaló pigaínete sto-" She paused, and took a shallow breath before resetting, "Please go on. I'll join." Docia spoke with mellowness. "What steps do we take?". The Ta in take was heavily pronounced, as per her accent. She felt self conscious about the accent, knowing full well she spoke with such clumsiness.

Her gaze shifted to the leaving members who were uninterested in meditation, and she tried to remember the way they walked. With haste, she returned to a soft and easy eye contact with Aella. √