“What’s your species, again?” Stride found herself giving the man another once-over, avoiding looking at the markings upon his wrist for too long. She hadn’t seen any fangs, and he didn’t seem to have an umbrella or anything on him, so that ruled out him being a vampire. Definitely wasn’t a fairy, seeing how damn tall he was...before she could put more mind to it, Zephyr mentioned her name. Casually, incredibly casually, but it was still her full and proper name.

Stride winced in spite of herself, then inhaled sharply and stepped back into her apartment. “Close the door behind ya, I guess,” she said, then walking to the kitchen, added, “and it’s Stride. None of that ‘Miss Phoebe’ bullcrap, ya hear?”

Despite what the roguish, devil-may-care attitude of the woman might have implied, the apartment (or, at the very least, the living room) was rather well-maintained. Stride’s jacket was slung over the couch, and a game controller and near-empty glass of whiskey was left lying upon the coffee table, but it made the place feel more lived in than it did sloppy.

On an end table placed in arm’s reach from the couch, there was a small, framed photograph of Stride and a pair of grinning faces. It was hard to tell, seeing as the mask was on even in picture, but she seemed happy.

After a minute or two, Stride returned to the living room, holding a pair of unopened bottles of bourbon in one hand and a dining room chair in the other. She set the chair some distance away from the couch and went to offer a bottle to Zephyr, shaking the contents about and letting them slosh. “Here,” she said. “Case ya need it as much as I do.”

With that, she plopped down onto the couch, finishing off the glass laid out on the table and deftly refilling it. Her wrist was on fire, but there would be no way that she’d get all touchy-feely with a stranger right out of the gate. She could take it.
Probably.

@Daemanis

---

“Colleges certainly don’t make things easy for their students.” Madison smiled sympathetically, the look warming a bit as Stefany moved the papers out of the way for him. “I almost failed a few of my courses, back when I was attending.” Seeing as the unnatural paleness of his skin likely marked him as a vampire, it would likely be a bit difficult to determine just how far back these courses happened to be.

“I finished my work for today, so I should be all free until something comes up.” He took another gulp from his drink, and lifted his head just in time to see Stefany wince in pain. It didn’t take rocket science to figure out what was troubling her. Placing the coffee back down, Madison absently rubbed his own wrist before reaching out to the other. “Here, ah,” he said, “if you don’t mind, I’ll just…”

He gently placed his hand upon Stefany’s forearm, held it for a moment, then released and drew back. Just as he expected, the pain fizzled out almost instantly, leaving a pleasant warmth running beneath his skin. “There we are,” he said. “I apologize for how sudden that was- you just seemed like you were in quite a bit of pain, there.”

@ineffable

“What’s your species, again?”
An angel. Zephyr would answer his business like tone remaining in effect, as if it were the most common statement in the world. His eyes would track what he could of the womans face through her mask, which admittedly wasn’t very much but he had become adept over his years of reading not only faces but body language and he would look for the tell-tale signs that this person, his soul mate, would think he was lying like so many others before her had thought.
Her recoiling at her full name was duly noted and stored with in his mind for possible later use or more correctly likely for correction to his language, after all he may have further use of this woman than just this investigation, they were to be bonded as soul mates after all.
“Close the door behind ya, I guess,”
He watched as she stepped back into her apartment, ‘well that was easier than I had anticipated.’ He thought to himself as he watched her walk down the hall towards whatever destination in the house she was destined for.
“and it’s Stride. None of that ‘Miss Phoebe’ bullcrap, ya hear?”
”That shouldn’t be too hard to remember.” he would say as he watched her disappear around a corner his minds’ eye running over the sight of her again. He had to admit, if only to himself that she was certainly pleasant to look at, even if he would never admit to that aloud. He would step through the door closing it behind him and finding himself to a well maintained living room with a slight nod of approval, He had seen some houses that seemed like a bomb had gone of in it, it would appear that this place was well maintained. He was drawn to the small photo frame it appeared to be a picture of his soul mate with two others, the tone of the picture seemed to be overall a good one which says this must have some kind of importance to her.
When she re-emerged with a dinning chair he would be slightly relieved, but then again what had he expected from a woman that seemed about as withdrawn as he is from the desire to physically contact another as he was.
“Here,”
He looked up a smile spreading across his face as she held out a bottle of bourbon to him.
“Case ya need it as much as I do.”
He would accept the bottle gratefully as she sat in the couch he would walk over grabbing the chair and spinning it around so that he could lean on the back of it and opened his bottle and taking a rather large swig, the familiar taste and burn of alcohol dancing with in his mouth and down his throat as he swallowed, a look of pensive thought spreading across his face as he did so.
He could ignore his wrist for some time though if asked he would admit that it was becoming somewhat of a bother to his normally perfect routine while investigating a situation.
He was about to say something when he heard an almost honeyed voice enter into his mind.
”Do not run away again little brother.” This was a voice he hadn’t heard in a very long time and he shook his head thinking that maybe he had misheard it. Certainly the arch angel of fate would not take time out of her day to bother with him anymore. So he would lean forward on the chair looking at Stride as if she were the most interesting thing in this world for the time being. It were as if his eyes had been opened a new.

Somewhere in the heavens sat an angel with 6 sets of wings watching, what would be considered a flat screen, however was made of water and a marble bowel. She watched the scene playing out between Stride and Zephyr tempted to use an avatar spell to stop them flirting around the edges of a carefully thought out and arranged bond. ‘such is the relationships of children’ she would think shaking her head slowly. Her own powers had been the reason for this particular bond and she would not let either of them ruin her hard work.
@EchoicChamber

Stride didn’t respond at first, lips preoccupied with gulping down whiskey as quickly as she could pour it. After taking a rather sizable chug, she leaned back into the couch, head lolling to one side. “Never heard of many angels comin’ all the way down here,” she said. “Or not havin’ wings when they do.” The matter of angels existing wasn’t something that surprised her- in a world where demons lived alongside mortals, taking up regular jobs at coffee shops and whatnot, it wasn’t hard to swallow that a few of their divine counterparts might be sauntering about.

Absently, Stride scratched her wrist, surprised that the skin itself wasn’t burning or anything. A part of her considered grabbing a bottle of ibuprofen from the closet to deal with it, but she eventually decided that the whiskey would be enough. With any luck, Zephyr would ask her whatever it was he had to ask, leave, and then the whole searing pain would just go away on its own.

She finished off the contents of her glass, and was pouring herself another cup when she caught sight of Zephyr staring at her. Not saying anything, not doing anything else, just...flat out staring. It was kind of uncomfortable, actually, and Stride found herself squinting at the angel in response. “The fuck’re ya lookin’ at?”

@Daemanis

---

”Well, if memory serves of places like this, we buy a drink, then the fun begins?”
Julie gave a small laugh.
"I don't think that's the best idea for you," she said with a smirk. Even though she knew it was probably not the greatest idea for Cienna to have liquor, she hadn't exactly said no to the idea.
"Find a seat or a booth. I'll grab us some drinks."
She skipped through the dance floor with ease, dancing her way over a little, and to the bar. Once she had the bartenders attention, she told him, "Jack n' Coke, times two." It was her favourite drink; always had been, and always would be. She found where Cienna was and sat with her, placing the drinks down before picking up her own again and taking a sip of it.
"It's always good," she said, more to herself than Cienna. She looked at Cienna, looking over her and watching her.
"We've only known each other for...what? A day now? I already feel like I've known you for so much longer. I guess that's the power of Soulmates," she said with a sigh that was hard to define if it was happy or fustrated.

The sun shone bright above the high trees, the light that fell between the leaves playing a glistering game on the brown dirt to her feet. It all felt so wrong. Bitterness spread in her heart, a hard expression made the young face look so much older. And somewhat wiser. But she wasn't.

"Aaliyah", a voice next to her forced her to turn her head. Her expression remained unchanged. The former queen looked down at her daughter with concern, a concern that was beyond the one of a mother only. "It's time."

But the young woman, in her all white, delicate dress that flowed around her naked feet and that newly received crown on her brunette hair which lied on her back openly with those special braids in them, shook her head. "I am the last to board." Her voice was soft and broken, as if something was missing, something great, something huge, but nevertheless it was firm.

The woman beside her, that had so much more in common with the young queen other than their undeniable relation in looks, looked at her with much more concern now than before, a heart was broken but a mother was proud. The face of the queen in white had returned to the trees that build the forest she was born in, raised in, grown up in, lived in for all her life and that she had sworn she would protect. The two women stood and looked onto the deep, green home, hundreds of people were coming out of the forest's heart, walking towards what would mean a new life. The older woman looked at her daughter once more, all the sorrow she saw behind the mask of her beloved child, and then turned to leave her alone.

As her mother returned to the ship that would lead all of them to a new safety, Aaliyah looked at the fleeing people. Her people. The crown on her head weighted heavy, but it was all out of responsibility and failure. A strong breeze of wind let her hair fly around her face and the silk dress flatter around her ankles. The feeling of warmth began to linger of her skin, faint screams could be heard, the queen stood still and waited for the wind to slow down again. But it wouldn't. Her heart told her what was happening before her eyes saw it.

The steps of people coming from the forest fastened, they started to run, some screamed, fear was sitting on their face very clearly. Aaliyah's hard expression shifted and horror danced over her face. The scene in front of her changed rapidly, the air made her folk cough, their eyes glistering with a fear in them that stopped Aaliyah's heart.

And the forest burnt.

Rapidly the fire was swallowing everything in it's reach, trees were lit up like torches, branches fell dangerously as people tried to dodge them, bushes turned into deadly traps. The queen's eyes glistered with concern, horror, worry and fear. The people ran for their lives as the ones behind were being burnt alive - screams of pain and pure horror mixed the air as the fire spread over the landscape deathly, with no mercy. Aaliyah had trouble not to throw up when the smell of burnt flesh hit her nostrils, the painful screams for help made her stomach turn. They screamed for help. Her help. But she was frozen.

The trees made cracking sounds as many of them trembled and fell. The sun shone bright as the burning leaves and wood destroyed everything she hold dear. Everything she had known and loved.

A loud, high pitched scream rang to her ears and her head moved - for the first time since the rapid death has announced itself - towards the noise of it. Another high pitched scream, full of terrifying fear. Her naked feet moved over the dirt before her mind even registered it. Her pace fastened until she was running, right into the crowd that was fleeing the other way. The people looked at her and some screamed for her to stop and turn around, many tried to grab her but she dodged them all skillfully. She pushed through.

Her skin was hurting from the heat that lingered all around in the air, she didn't slow down, a burning branch fell down from a thirty-two feet high tree and hit earth in front of her. Sparks flew through the air as she took the jump and covered her face with both arms as she flew above the burning thick, heavy branch. The tip of her dress caught a spark and fire danced on the hem around her ankles.

Her feet skillfully flew over the ground until she could see the one that had caused her to run into the deadly danger. A child that was barely five years old sat on the ground about fifty feet away from her with tears streaming down her face, dirty all over, her expression a terrifying state, she called out for her mother. A leg was trapped under a gigantic branch that had fallen down and pinned the child to the ground. The leg looked broken.

Aaliyah didn't think about it. Her feet carried her over the ground but it felt awfully slow to her, she tried to fasten her pace but it wouldn't work. She could feel the fire on her dress burn into her skin on her calf now and she knew her toes were bleeding from the stones and tiny branches that felt like spikes on the ground. No tree around them was left unharmed from the fire, it was a forest of red death.

Aaliyah got closer to the girl, it all felt like slow-motion at this point, she extended her hand to the girl who reached out for her in hope, their fingers would touch in a second.

A male voice, deep and rough, cold and certain, teasing and knowing, that made her stomach twist and turn, making her want to throw up, cut through her mind. "Queen Aaliyah...", it whispered into her ears with nothing but the worst intent. And something behind the little girl exploded in a spark of fire, taking her body into a deadly embrace of red heat and her face lost all hope towards the queen before it was swallowed completely.

Aaliyah screamed out with her arm still extended to the girl, her whole chest filled with sorrow and pain, pure pain, as she felt two hands on her shoulders that stopped her movements and dragged her away from the scene. Everything went numb around her, she didn't feel the cuts on her feet, not the heat in the air, not the burnt flesh on her own skin. Her whole face was a screaming grimace in silence, her eyes blurry from tears that deeply cut into her cheeks, her heart felt spiked with ice and her chest felt smashed like a whole tree had hit it.

Over the half of her people... burnt alive.

A body shot up in bed. Heavy breathing, trying to get some air. Sweat all over the skin. Sticky tears on the cheeks. Yet another nightmare. The young woman tried to calm her racing heart, she still felt the tears drop down her cheeks and chin. Her hands ran over her wet with sweat hair to brush it back.

She sat like that for fifteen minutes before her body had calmed down enough for her to make a move. She climbed out of the bed and fell five feet until her weak legs hit the ground. She moved her hand over her sweaty hair yet another time. Her bed sat in the corner of her room - five feet above the ground. It was a decent bed, two people could fit in it if they tried, made out of a simple big wooden 'floor' where a big, comfortable mattress sat upon. The wooden foundation for the bed had a little railing that consisted of perfectly smooth, thick branches. Above the bed on the ceiling there was a vine entangled with a chain of tiny lights, it didn't spread further on the ceiling than the size of the bed was and went down the wall both to the right side of the bed and to the headboard side.

The woman made her way straight to the bathroom, a quick glance at a clock on the wall before, and turned on the shower, slipping in. She had slept naked. She finished her 'morning' routine quickly. It's not that she had slept all Sunday, she had been up and running, but had wanted to take a quick nap that turned out to be a three hour sleep. Now she had no time left to dawdle, she had to get to work.

Work, she called it. But technically she didn't have a job.

---

Thirty minutes later she parked her bike in front of a small, charming location called Shorty's. She hopped inside the darling little bar/café mix of a place. It was exactly that, a mix of a decent café and a tiny, delicate bar. The atmosphere was always welcoming and warm in here, which was a thing that had pulled Aaliyah to the place so often.

Her eyes wandered over the place once, behind the bar on a little TV news talked about the f5 tornado yesterday, but it was muted. She looked up to the stage where a small band played and a young woman, around the same age as she appeared to be, sang softly to the people that were gathered along the bar stools, the tables and even some hanging around at the walls. A couple of young men were playing dart in the corner.

Aaliyah walked past the stage without removing her eyes from the act, she then felt a hand on her back. Her head turned and her long open hair almost hit the man into the face as it swung around. "Oh - sorry." She smiled up at the fifty-something man who everyone called Shorty. He wasn't really short, average height actually. Aaliyah didn't know where that nickname came from. He had grey hair that didn't manage to cover his head completely, chin and cheeks that were always covered in very short grey stubble that seemed to be too resistant to get shaved properly. His stomach was round and full, his deep brown eyes full of trustworthiness and gentleness.

"Liyah, you can go right up after this, if you like", he said with a soft smile.

The woman nodded. "Thank you, Shorty, for putting up with me."

"There is always a spot here for you, Liyah." He returned to his spot behind the bar after giving her a reassuring squeeze to the shoulder.

The act on the stage got a couple of claps and Aaliyah was one of the few that made her applause rather loudly. Then she went up on stage and grabbed the guitar that stood there. She moved up to the microphone and gave a shy smile. "Hello. My name is Aaliyah and I'll be singing something for you that I've written. Here we go." She started to play. The band already knew the drill, it wasn't the first time she sang those songs here. Shorty was watching her with the eyes of a proud uncle, but she didn't notice.

As Julie headed off to get their drinks she would fan her wings wide again and would thrust the which would give her slightly more lift raising her up in the air however it would also shoot a small gust of wind around the establishment. She would feel the outline of Julie in the wind smiling to herself before she turned her attention to finding an empty booth. It wasn’t hard to do so it seemed that there weren’t as many people here as there could be meaning there were a couple open. She moved over to the booth.
"It's always good,"
She heard and a quick sniff revealed what Julie had been speaking about, the drink in front of her, had the very familiar sell of Jack Daniels and coke, her smile gracing her face again. ”It’s a close second favorite!” she would giggle taking the cool glass in her hand and taking a swallow from it. The bite of alcohol warming her mouth with a gentle sting before she swallowed, the cool liquid lighting a fire inside her.
"We've only known each other for...what? A day now? I already feel like I've known you for so much longer. I guess that's the power of Soulmates,"
She would nod at this as she thought about it, her already distant eyes would appear to grow more distant as if in thought. She had never really known much about soul mates until this but she could feel the pull on her heart to be with the duo that was Julie and Erin. Her thoughts revolved around the power that must have been involved in starting something like this, and how that she doubted even the strongest of spell weavers could have pulled something like this off if they tried.
She would speak up after she finished thinking ”I don’t know about soul bonds… she would say as her hand strayed to her wrist rubbing gently ”But I do believe in love at first… well… sight? she would giggle at her own expression before having another drink. She knew her equilibrium had shifted and she still felt in control she liked the feeling of being around Julie/Erin, it made her feel somewhat alive, the likes of which she hadn’t felt in a long time, it made her realize just how much she had hidden away from the world in recent times so she would add ”Thank you.”
So preoccupied with her soul mate was she that she hadn’t been paying attention to what the others in the bar/club were doing, nor the music for now her entire attention was on Julie.


“Never heard of many angels comin’ all the way down here,”
“Or not havin’ wings when they do.”
“The fuck’re ya lookin’ at?”
He hadn’t realized he’d been staring blankly at her until she questioned what he was looking at and a smile would cross his face. Something about this woman, he just couldn’t put his finger on it.
”Sorry, I did not mean to make you uncomfortable, I was not so much staring at you but listening. he would use the truth in a manner of speaking to cover a lie, He had actually been staring and appreciating the form of the woman before him if only on a subconscious level and not that he would ever admit to it. He would take another long swallow of his alcohol draining what remained of the bottle before he would speak again.
”While it’s true that not a lot of angels descend to this realm, I have been here since the days of Eden. I was cast out of heaven a long time ago, though I was never demonicized like the traitors.” He spoke this with a somewhat hard edge to his voice, as if simply bringing this up was a painful memory and one that he would much rather not address in the future.
”Come now brother, you can do better, don’t make me appear there” he would hear his sisters voice again chiding him for his aggressive tone. Something kept him from replying to her this time as he continued to speak to Stride.
”As to the wings” he would say standing and turning so his back faced her removing his Jacket he would reveal the long scars that ran the length of his back. ”I had them. he would replace his jacket and sit back down. The burning of his wrist being toned out now by the spreading warmth of the alcohol though still just enough to be an annoyance in it’s ever insistent demand to do something. He knew a simple hand shake would be able to surpress it from the past but why should he take the first move, after all he was the one who initiated their conversations.

@GoodLuckTuck@EchoicChamber

---

Julie too gave a chuckle at the joke that Cienna made but hadn't intended to. Her eyes wandered over to the dance floor, and she watched some of the patrons dancing.
"Thank you."
Julie now settled on Cienna's eyes. She tiled her head, confused as to why she was thanking her. "What do you mean by that?" she asked, taking another sip of the drink. It's fire ran through her, and she licked her lips after it had traveled to her stomach. "I haven't done that much. In fact, all I've done is stir up drama and such. I-I mean, you're welcome, but why?"

@EchoicChamber

Stefany looked at him curiously.
"What courses were you taking?" A paper fluttered to the floor and she bent over to pick it up.
"That's good. I would like to know you better. Do you have any place for us to go to?" Stefany was skeptical but went along with it. After all, if her family knew that she had met her soulmate and brushed him off completely (even if he was a weirdo) it would not be the best time for her.

She started when he reached across and made the pain subside from her wrist. "Thanks" She muttered.

Stride eyed Zephyr a moment longer, scanning his features for any sort of mockery or snark, before pulling her mask down a bit and taking a swig. “Well, just stop doin’ it, ya hear? It’s weird as fuck.” Mask up again, she listened as the angel gave his little tale of how he wound up stranded on earth, then, much to her surprise, casually pulled his jacket off to reveal the grisly scars running across his back.

One half of her wanted to give her sympathies, seeing as the whole situation seemed pretty god damn awful.

The other half wanted to ask him why the hell he was running around with a jacket, but effectively shirtless otherwise.

The sympathetic half won out.

“That ah,” Stride began, scratching her jaw, “that fuckin’ sucks, dude. Would’a thought that the folks up there would’a been more forgivin’ n’ shit. Less, ya know, fuckin’ brutal.” Mask down, booze in, mask up. There wasn’t much else to say on that part, seeing as there wasn’t much else Stride could say about having what amounted to a person’s limbs being torn off before they got kicked to the curb, and she had already given the guy a bottle.

But damn, was her wrist acting up. Instead of a constant, droning pain, it was more akin to a pulse. The heat came and fell in waves, leaving little time to get used to it. She rubbed her wrist, gave it a little scratch, then, grumbling, abruptly stood and stalked her way over to Zephyr’s seat. She gave the guy a hearty smack on the shoulder then went to sit back down, suppressing a relieved sigh now that the pain was numbed.

“Don’t know ‘bout you, but that was startin’ to get on my nerves,” Stride drawled.

@Daemanis

---

Madison perked up. “Quite a few, if memory serves. There was…psychology, history, various courses on mythological studies...I’ve dabbled in a few lines of studies over the years, actually. You can never learn too much, I believe.” He gave a bright, sunshine smile, then downed most of his drink in one gulp. “What classes are you taking, if I might ask?”

Stefany’s next question saw him glancing at the ceiling, tapping his lip with his free hand. “Well,” he said, eventually bringing his gaze back down, “that would depend on where you would like to go, miss Raterfell. There’s a lovely botanical garden a few blocks down, or the local park a bit further. Marvellous places if you’re looking for somewhere quiet to think, I believe.” There was also his well and proper house, but Madison thought that it would be coming on a little too strong if he invited Stefany there only minutes after meeting her. Besides, she seemed hesitant about the situation as it stood. A peaceful, muted area seemed like the best place to get to know his new partner.

@ineffable

@EchoicChamber

Stefany's eyes widened at a number of courses that this guy had taken. How old was he? He didn't have wrinkles so she supposed he wasn't a plastic surgery stuffed 50-year old picking up girls. He looked young. Almost her age. Yet, he had taken so many different courses. What was was he?
Maddie also seemed really enthusiastic, smiling and bouncing around like a stupid ray of pale sunshine (not the best comparison...eh) which Stefany tried hard not to show her displeasure at. Just sitting with a cross dressing, straight, pale skinned guy was going to earn her stares. Not counting the fact that he was her soulmate.
"I want to be a vet...so I'm taking a class in that." Stefany replied slowly and concisely, still taking in everything that had happened to her in the past few minutes.

She squirmed when Maddie called her Ms. Raterfell but forced on a smile.
"The botanical gardens sounds good." Plus, it was somewhere where her "friends" would never dare to look for her at. All the better, being with this strange character.

Sara woke up slowly luxuriating in the knowing that she was as of today officially on leave from work. She had two whole weeks for herself. Not that what she did could be categorized as work as far as she was concerned.

As a samovila she needed to be close to nature and forests in particular. But with the passing of time people became more and more connected between each other and more and more disconnected from nature. Sara was forced to adapt to that way of living as she wanted to survive, but she'd learned to compromise. Since she needed work and money to survive in this modern day and age, she found work that was still close to nature. Unfortunately she could not escape the human element. And since vila's were solitary creatures by nature, socializing with people always wore her down.

Which was why she needed her downtime from work as a wilderness guide and park ranger at the Pelham Bay Park. She served mostly as a guide, but she was also officially employed as a park ranger as well.

Sara got out of her bed and slowly began going through her morning routine. The little girls room came first. Than the bathroom to wash her hands, teeth and face. Than a bowl of cereal and milk to get the metabolism working. A quick shower and than she started getting dressed for her morning run. Her running outfit consisted of a simple black sports bra, loose flannel board shorts and her Vibram fivefingers. Sure they looked goofy, but she wouldn't run in anything else on her feet. As for the shorts. Well, she never got into all this Lycra hype. Yoga pants, leggings, jeggings, spandex, blargh! No! Give me a pair of loose shorts, a tight sports bra and comfortable shoes. Why would people wear those elastic clothes is beyond me!?! They were good only for two things in her opinion. Gawking and ogling! And sure, she was guilty of both on occasion. She was only human after all! Yes, okay, maybe not human, but still she was not made of stone. And those damnable clothes did outline the human form in a rather fetching way.

Sara shook her head to clear it from those thoughts. She secured her Vibrams, tied her shorts, adjusted her sports bra, strapped her phone to her biceps and put on her wireless headphones. She never ran without music. She selected her Celtic Woman spotify playlist, pressed 'shuffle and play', grabbed her keys and a small backpack and stepped out of her apartment, located in a small condominium in the Phelam Gardens. She usually ran the one point five miles to work every day and took a longer shower at the park's Nature Center which housed the offices of the park rangers as well. The ranger facilities had small locker rooms for the men and the women with a couple of showers.

Sara put on her sun glasses, tightened the straps of her backpack and set off. She started at a slow jog, as a way of warming up. When she felt her muscles had had time to properly warm up, she increased her pace. Her Vibramed feet slapping gently against the paved sidewalk. Whit her headphones on and the angelic voices of Celtic Woman permeating her consciousness she was effectively cut off from the outside world. The only thing she knew in this moment was her slightly labored breathing and the cadence of her running steps. The rhythm of it all was calming, soothing. Second to her native Slavic music and rhythms she preferred only the Celtic music. Nothing else could put her in that almost transcendent state of mind.

Before she knew it she'd reached the rangers' station. All too soon and at the same time not soon enough. She couldn't wait to collect her gear, which she'd stowed at the station the day before, and get lost in the deeper parts of Phelam Bay Park. She needed to get away from the crowds, be one with nature for a while. Reconnect!

She greeted absentmindedly a couple of her colleagues on her way into the rangers' station. The were all used to her often vacant greetings. They knew that when the forests called to her, she had a one track mind. A tunnel vision of sorts. So they did not take offence. Sara entered the small locker room, stripped, showered good and long, then proceeded to dress in her most comfortable trekking clothes. She checked and rechecked her gear, shouldered her huge rucksack and made her way out of the station, bidding goodbye to her fellow coworkers in the same manner as she'd greeted them.

"Have a good one, Nik!" Joyce, one of Sara's closest friends on the job, yelled after the departing wilderness guide.

Sara turned and graced Joyce with a rare smile, reserved for the people from her inner circle. "Thanks, J-girl, I plan to." She winked at her friend, turned and walked away.

She heard the clapping, saw the hands coming together and some smiles on faces here and there, before she realized what was happening. On stage a whole new world opened up to her. She forgot who she was offstage, she forgot who she pretended to be, who she should have been, who she wanted to be. And she just existed for her own sake for a moment.

The clapping died down and Aaliyah smiled a little shy, but bright and thanked the people for listening as she sat down the guitar and left the little stage. She shot Shorty a look. He was wiping a glass that seemed perfectly fine and gave her a nod with twinkling eyes. She hadn't known him for too long, but Shorty had taken her into his heart like no one else before on this planet. Aaliyah was thankful for his small gestures.

She placed her butt on a stool by the bar and leaned her head on her hands. "Soooo... You still want me to come back?" She smiled at him with a thankful expression all over her face.

"You are extraordinary, Liyah." He gave her a wink and a playful side-smile before putting the perfectly fine glass down finally. "You should consider going out doing exactly this." Liyah rolled her eyes and put her head on the bar. She had heard that a couple of times before, but she hadn't taken him seriously. "You are somewhere else when you're up there. I mean, I don't know 'bout music and shit, but you sure feel whatever it is you're doing up there." He lowered his face a little to be able to look at hers. "Hey, you were fantastic once again."

"You can say that!", she mourned and lifted herself up again. "You're like.... nice and stuff." Shorty gave her a laugh at that statement. "You just can't tell people when they actually suck."

With one raised eyebrow the owner of the little place put some money on the counter and picked up the next perfectly fine glass to polish. Aaliyah smiled at him, took the money and thanked the man with a grateful look. She lifted herself off the stool and walked out of the cozy place that made her feel right at home somehow.

She didn't count the money, it went straight into her purse and she turned into the direction that her heart told her to go to. It took her a twenty minute walk to realize where she even was heading. But when it hit her, she felt like she had known it already.

Her feet had carried her straight up to the Pelham Bay Park and her heart skipped a little. A playful tiny smile curled around her lips and her eyes brightened up just a tad bit. A deep sadness was still hidden beneath it all. In a quick movement she had taken off her shoes and socks and stuffed them - somehow - into her purse. With quick, skilled steps she fastened up her pace until she was running effortlessly into the park. The feeling of dirt and rocks and grass and sticks underneath her bare feet made her feel like she could fly any second. It almost felt like home when she closed her eyes.

A couple of moments later she had climbed up onto one of the highest, oldest, most precious and impressive trees, lying on one of their thicker branches. High enough to feel like she wasn't part of this world, but low enough for people to see her if they decided to look up at the crown. She had chosen that very branch instead of climbing to the highest point because she knew that her mother's face would be around this very area if only she was still alive... still free.

A soft smile played around her lips but it faded with every minute that she lied in the tree and looked up at the green leaves that covered the crown like beautiful hair. She didn't talk, she wouldn't have known what to say. 'Hey Mom, I gave up on saving you and all your kingdom, but I still visit your eternal prison, that's fine right?' 'Hey, Mother, awesome Queen and all that, I was a terrible Queen for ... like ... the two seconds that I was Queen. And now I am a disappointment more than ever, kinda sorry though.'

Aaliyah sighed. She felt her heart sink and suddenly her earlier feeling of being able to fly turned into a feeling of being chained to the ground. She felt heavy. She kept looking up at the crown of the tree, seeing a bit of the blue sky through some holes in the green.

She could feel a slight pulsation in her wrist. It was like a faint heartbeat, but not her heartbeat. She looked at the tattoo on her wrist that she had carried on her skin for so long and that she never knew how she actually got. But she never minded it much, it just was there. But now it was pulsating like a faint heartbeat and a very slight light shone through it. Aaliyah put her arm back down, dangling it off the branch and letting it hang in the air. Whatever happened would happen, there was no use in trying to stop that. She knew that much. Whatever she would do now - stay there, hide, run, maybe even fight - it would all lead to exactly the scene that the universe had intended to happen. It would all play out exactly how the universe wanted. And Aaliyah once more felt like she wasn't in control of her life. Was anyone really ever in control?

Sara had selected her camping spot carefully. It was deep enough in the part of the park that was an animal reserve and where humans didn't venture, unless they were part of the staff. And Sara knew how to avoid them. She'd put up a tent though she didn't really need any of her camping gear. It was more for pretense, a front for her colleagues and in case someone did stumble upon her camping sight. As a vila, she was one with the forest and any leaving creature of the forest. They would not attack her. Not even the predators. They wouldn't dare. She was far more powerful than they could ever be. Of course, she would never harm them. They were all her brothers and sisters in a way. And the trees. The trees were life! She needed their presence and their energy. Not to take. But to share, to merge.

Sara shrugged off her sweater and tank top in one movement, remaining only in her boots, pants and bra. An ethereal looking tattoo adorned her whole back. The three-tier dreamcatcher appeared to be suspended on something within the roots of the hair on her nape. Its three rings decreasing in diameter the closer they came to her lower back stood dead center on either side of Sara's spine. The delicate spiderwebs filling the circumference of the rings looked almost real, almost as if you were to touch them, theywould spring up or down depending on the pressure exerted. Falcon feathers were suspended here and there on strings, hanging from the three rings. The tattoo seemed so lifelike. And then as if actually coming to life it began to move and shift with the unleashing of Sara's true samovila form. Her wings emerged at such a speed as if they were never hidden but were always there in the open for every lining creature to admire. Sara shook them out with a soft sigh. She couldn't risk spreading them and actually taking flight. Phelam park might be the biggest park in New York, but it was still a city park. And Nik only risked flying in secluded wild forests.

She started to walk slowly between the trees, gently grazing the tips of her fingers over their rough barks. Her breath hitched at the first transfer of energy. Hers to the trees and vice versa. Her pupils dilated and her nostrils flared in pleasure. Nik continued walking slowly among the trees giving energy and taking it in. This continued for half an hour or so when a sudden feeling in her wrist distracted her from her tending to the trees. She looked at it annoyed at the offending sensation. It was like a soft throbbing that was dissonant with her heartbeat. Which is why it was so distracting. She inspected the mystical tattoo she'd woken up with one morning. Sara was still researching what it could be all about. She knew she hadn't had it done, because she was very responsible with the ink she got. Every one of her tattoos was well planned, researched and deeply personal. This... this name, stamped on her wrist was not of her doing. And now it was pulsing and glowing ever so slightly and there was a light burning sensation to boot.

Nik clenched her hand in a fist in an effort to chase away the sensation and tried to reestablish her connection with the trees. She inhaled deeply, closed her eyes, spread out her arms, her wings trembled and Sara began to sing. A wave of energy began transmitting in waves in every direction touching all living things. Trees, animals, critters. Any and all were touched by the song of the samovila!

Aaliyah rested on the thick branch for a while, enjoyed the smell of nature, the feeling of rain was still in the air for her senses. Her mind traveled to the rainy day yesterday and to the storm that she had heard about on the news. She was aware that it wasn't nature's doing. She knew the nature of earth by now. This was something that someone else had done. She didn't know how and she didn't care. She was just glad that no one got hurt and that it didn't havoc around her living area. It would have been a disaster.

A noise, sounding much like a song, appeared through the trees, danced along the tree trunks and tangled itself up to the leaves on the very top of every tree's crown. It was like a breeze that would brush by everything and everyone and it caught her attention. Her arm started to hurt from the pulsation coming from the tattoo, it had gotten stronger as she song had traveled to her ears. She sat up and let one leg hang off the branch as she looked into the ocean of trees to her left. It was hard to locate the direction the song came from and she wasn't able to do it with her ears. The melody simply started to feel like it was coming from everywhere, maybe even from the trees themselves. But she knew better. And so did her heart.

A strong sense of Eredh was in the air. Her heartbeat quickened, she could feel it inside her chest. What was this song? Before she knew it she had slipped off the branch, fallen a couple of feet deep and landed on hands and feet with no further sound. A human would have had at least a broken ankle if not worse. She stood up and looked into the direction that her Eredh-senses were pointing her to.

"Can you feel this?", she asked seemingly talking to herself, but then her head turned towards the tree indicating that she actually talked to her imprisoned mother. She looked back into the direction the song was coming from. "This is stronger than anything I have ever felt on earth. It's beyond what earth has to offer." It reminds me of home. What if one of her people had gotten free somehow? What if this was one of her folk?!

As quick as her feet would carry her she started to run. Twenty feet later she decided that at least making an attempt to hide would be smarter and climbed back up into the crowns of the trees, jumping from one to the other as she raced through nature. Her wrist was a constant reminder that she was getting closer and it only excited the woman more. If her soulmate was actually one of her people that had gotten free...

But as she reached the destination, stopped in the crowns and slowly, carefully went closer to the ground by climbing on lower branches, she had to realize that it wasn't one of her people. The sense of Eredh in this person was strong, undeniably, and it only fascinated Aaliyah more. Who are you? The pain on her wrist was slowly getting unbearable, but she refused to show herself to the person. Of course... if the person knew how to work her Eredh she would feel Aaliyah's presence just as undeniably as she felt hers. And of course... if she looked up Aaliyah would be very much not hidden. She squatted on her feet and hands on a thick enough branch that sat 17 feet above the ground, though not as thick as the one she earlier relaxed on, and looked down onto the creature with pure fascination.

The woman was singing. And her Eredh was flowing through all of nature close by. It was something that Aaliyah had never seen on earth before. Was she from earth or did she come here like Aaliyah had?

Staring down on her, Aaliyah didn't even consider that this could be a potential dangerous situation. She was still the queen and the one who had done this to her people was still out there, fully aware that Aaliyah would run towards a strong sense of Eredh any time. But all this vanished into the back of her head as she listened to the woman sing her melody. All while her wrist felt like it would cut itself open, such strong pain was emitting from it.

An apologetic smile lit Madison’s features in response to Stefany’s shock. It wasn’t too surprising- after all, if you were of the belief you were talking to an everyday (if not a bit odd) human, you wouldn’t expect them to have done more than their lifetime would usually allow. After a moment of consideration, he opened his mouth a bit, allowing Stefany to see inside.

Only a few seconds after, his fangs slipped into view.

“Vampire,” he said, with the same air of casualness as if he was bringing up his research. “I hope that doesn’t bother you too badly, miss Raterfell.” Even in this day and age, it wasn’t uncommon to find people who were strongly anti-vampire. Anti-supernatural, even. Madison pursed his lips a moment, then released, running a thumb along the rim of his cup.

“Veterinarians are a very respectable profession. Do you happen to have any pets yourself?” He paused upon noticing Stefany’s discomfort.

“Ah, my apologies. Would you rather I call you Stefany instead?”

@ineffable

Sara walked slowly, singing her song to the forest. She already felt rejuvenated, the often drab sensation of being among humans for extended periods of time was dulled to a bearable minimum. Not that Nik hated humans. Not any more, at least. There was a time, the samovila remembered, but that time had gone and she'd learned to distinguish between the humans deserving of her friendship and grace, and those that were not. Sara loved her human friends. Like Joyce. Humans were fascinating, intricate creatures that more often than not didn't know themselves very well. Which was why, in Nik's opinion, they fought amongst each other so much.

Of course self-improvement and soul-searching was something that even vilas did. Otherwise Nik would still be in the throes of blind rage, directed at the humans who butchered the forests and killed trees indiscriminately. Sara always tried to search within herself first for answers and solutions to problems. Immortal as she was she knew that personal growth was indispensable, if she were to survive eternity with her mind intact.

As Sara was walking and singing, tending to the forest's needs, she felt a strong pull towards something. Or maybe someone. She wasn't sure. But she felt helpless to obey the urge and answered the call. Slowly she followed the strand of essence she felt drawn to. She was so in tune with nature, the forest and its inhabitants, her voice soring high and far, that she didn't even register the increased pain and burning in her wrist.

Nik kept following the mysterious call, her pulse quickening and her heart beginning to hammer excitedly in her chest. Her nostrils flared and her song became slow, husky and almost sensual. She didn't notice the change, nor did she pay any mind to her now throbbing and aching wrist. She was so focused on the ethereal presence that was like nothing she'd ever felt in any of the planet's forests, that she'd tuned out almost everything else.

Suddenly she stopped, eyes wild, chest rising fast in labored breaths, and her singing came to a gradual whispering stop. The sensations in her wrist made themselves known with a vengeance. Sara raised it and stared at the tattoo, glowing wildly and pulsing with a constant, almost crippling pain. Nik had no idea what it meant. It had never done this before, and nothing in her research explained these sensations. She looked at the appendage as if it was not hers, but a foreign entity. And then she felt it again. The presence. Dizzyingly stronger than before. She felt lightheaded, stumbled a bit and stretched out a hand to the nearest tree for support.

As soon as her palm made contact with the bark of the tree her being was filled with it. The elusive, mysterious presence. She gasped, or moaned, or both. She placed her other palm on the tree and this time did moan. I've never felt a connection like that with a tree before. It's almost as if it's... Nik looked slowly up, eyes searching for something that should not have been there. When her gaze fell on the woman, tucked between the branches of the tree, she inhaled sharply.

"Who..." She stumbled back, unable to finish her question. The situation so surreal even her supernatural brain had problems dealing with it.

@KahleenCuthald

@EchoicChamber

Vampire? VAMPIRE? VAMPIRE?!
Her soulmate was a blood sucking straight dude dressed in girl's clothing.
She knew her parents would accept him of course, but the problem was her

She listened to everything he said numbly after that, nodding every few moments.
The world turned blurry in front of her eyes. She'd been studying too much again. Plus all of this shock.
Was she going to pass out?
Please don't pass out. She muttered to herself, eyes scrambling to find something concrete to focus on.

She passed out.

It was as if a wave of rough pleasure hit her when the women beneath her touched the tree. She hadn't even noticed what was going on. She hadn't processed what it would mean if the woman got closer to the tree or even touched it. She hadn't considered that she would look upwards, spot Aaliyah. She had been too deep in her mind, staring.

The wave went up her arm and through her body, she felt it in her veins, her tattoo burnt on her skin, it could of very well left a burnt-flesh mark on her body, that's how it felt. But something distracted her from all of that. It was the sounds coming from the woman, who either felt pleasure or pain - Aaliyah wasn't too sure. She didn't know what to make of the sounds and actions that were happening. But she knew her fascination with the woman was deeper than simple curiosity. It was much more than that.

The woman once more wondered if this woman was aware of her Eredh. Where did she come from? Was she the last rest of Eredh this earth once had? Maybe... Aaliyah wanted to find out. She felt a hard drive to get to know all the secrets this creature carried within her.

And then she looked up and spotted her. Aaliyah's heart should have frozen, her facade should have dropped in shock. But she felt weirdly calm. She knew it was only because A) she sat in a tree, her territory and B) the fact that she simply had way too many questions about the woman and this whole situation to feel frightened or intimidated right now. Those feelings would probably hit her later on.

She looked down at the woman with curious brown eyes. "Hello", Aaliyah said gently. "Did you just feel that?" She didn't even consider the question weird or personal. She thought they had shared a strange experience and was rather eager to find out what it meant. She expected the stranger to feel the same way about dealing with the situation. How else would one approach something like this?

She lowered herself a little more to get a closer look at the woman but she stayed on the branch, in safe distance. Then she decided to sit on it, legs hanging from each side and her back leaning against the tree trunk.

"That was strange, huh?" Her voice showed enthusiasm, as if this encounter with whatever just happened was just a strange tv show mystery to be solved. Her lips were curled into a bright smile.

_{[Very sorry for bad reply. I'm sick times two and it was written on my phone (phone written replies always suck when fron me), so don't rip my head off please, @ihinka.]}

Nik stumbled back, her wings vanishing into nothingness. Had the woman seen them? Had she exposed herself to a stranger? The situation was so absurd it was almost laughable. Her wrist was burning like a bitch, the pulse there pounding a mile a minute so dissonant to her own and yet, somehow in harmony with it, in sync. The woman was speaking to her, sitting in the tree. In this day and age the situation was ludicrous. But Sara was transported back to the old days when samovilas frolicked in the woods, sitting among the branches, singing and laughing, combing their long hair.

This woman was not a vila! Of that Nik was positive. She'd never felt such connection to a vila. And Sara knew the presence she'd felt drawn to and that had exploded in her essence when she'd touched the tree was this woman with brown eyes, sitting in the tree, looking down at her with curiosity, talking to her. Talking! Shit! Answer her, you dolt!

"I..." Nik stammered bewildered her voice wasn't obeying her command. She cleared her throat, stepped closer to the tree and looked up at the woman. "Hello. What... I mean... Yeah... Did you...?" Jesus, you sound like a stammering schoolgirl. Try making complete sentences so you don't chase her off. "Sorry, I'm sorry, it's just so... strange, yes. I... I'm Kosara Nikolov, I work as a ranger in the park. I was..." Her voice fell through. "Camping." She finished lamely. After what had happened both women knew well enough she wasn't simply camping. She approached the tree even more and placed her palm there, this time expecting the connection and prepared for the transfer of essences. Still she had to breath in sharply. The sensation was as dizzying as before. More so even! "I won't harm you if you wanted to get down from there, but if it makes you feel safe I understand." Her blue eyes locking with the stranger's brown ones. Almost pleading.

She stepped back. One. Two steps and sat on the ground Turkish style. A soft smile graced her lips. "This is so crazy. I'm not sure what's happening right now, but I don't feel threatened or weird. I feel... " She paused, pondering. "Right." She finished, her smile widening, igniting her blue eyes. "Will you tell me your name?" She asked almost shyly.

Aaliyah didn't let anything on her facial expression show if she haf seen these wings before the woman haf hid them from her or not. She didn't think it was important. Instead she listened to her cute stuttering with curious eyes and a soft smile on her lips.

She found it incredibly adorable that it took her a while to form a real sentence. Now that was something she hadn't been familiar with. She stuttered a while and then told her her name. Kosara.... She hadn't heard that name before. Which was strange since she thought she had heard about any name by now.

The woman decided to touch the tree again and the sensation was just as strong. She felt it on her skin as intense tingles and in her veins as a pleasuring fire. Her arm felt like hot steel was being pressed against it and she hissed in pain. Her vision blurred for a second.

Then the stranger moved back, sat down and asked her if she would come down from her tree's position. She knew better thank to believe that a sweet, stuttering voice meant peace or weakness. She knew that this woman was powerful. She had felt it. Powerful enough to take her down if she wasn't careful. Nevertheless she found her body moving without consent of her mind. And a second later she had dropped off the branch and landed on her feet smoothly on the floor.

"I'm down", she said. "I'm Aaliyah." She wasn't sure how much she could really trust this woman, but she knew that her body had already decided that she would have to trust her. No consent of her mind being asked. Aaliyah hadn't ever felt like her body was a force on its own, not caring for her mind's decisions and danger warnings.

This woman had already made so much different, and she had only just met her. Aaliyah wasn't sure yet if she liked the way it made her act.