Cora had been trying to listen when Malachi stuffed them on the ground and stacked them. It worked well for now; it was all they had. She curled her legs up into a ball as best she could to try hiding her limbs. She was so close to Rei that she could almost hear his heart beat. She stared with wide eyes and swallowed. The urgency and fear was palpable; part of her was trembling.

They were in a scary new world with a new threat every five minutes it seemed. She sucked in a deep breath, trying nor to be obnoxious and breathe in Rei's face: dark hair and topaz eyes. She tried to focus on it instead of her fear and anxiety. Her heart sang another story, one of distrust, panic and unsettled grief. She looked away. No matter what their situation was, it didn't give her permission to become attached to anyone. She wondered what this hellish world in store for them beyond this muddy cavern.

With a sigh, she wondered when the hell this guy would leave. She bit her lip as Terneus boasted his introduction. Cora's once impassive expression turned into a mocking grin. She bit her lip and shut her eyes and tried not to laugh. What a narcissistic piece of shit. She rested her head back on Rei's arm after lifting it to listen. Their voices were muffled but she could make it out. He reminded her of Gaia; the mere thought of her made her swell with anger and force herself not to feel anger. She didn't want to activate her flames. That would be terrible for Rei and the others as well. She took slow, deep breaths and shut her eyes. She began to practice her breathing and reliving the meditation she used to lull herself to sleep.

As Cora laid there, a sudden heaviness caused her glance over at her pockets. She moved her free arm to feel her switchblade and pepper spray were still in her pocket. Thank god, I'm going to need that in this freaking crazy place, she thought as she glanced at Rei who whispered an apology. "Me too," she whispered under her breath, hardly audible. "Hopefully it's over soon," she mouthed to him, afraid the elves might hear her.

Time: Morning
Location: Near the River Kingdom
Interactions:@princess@MissCapnCrunch@Tae


Kyran looked deeper into the cave as his eyes adjusted to the darkness, the shade of the soil and muddy water becoming more apparent. Some of the light from the outside glistened on the water. They needed to get away from the entrance. "Girls, I am gonna need you to hold hands so I can lead you through the water to the drier part of the cave." Kyran instructed them. He then grabbed Risa's hand, who had already taken Dionaea's. Elsea also joined the chain of hand-holding as they began to move deeper into the dark cave. It was silent besides the sound of the moving water and occasional dripping noise. The water gave some resistance to each movement but he tried to hasten their pace.

The water came up to Kyran's waist but he was used to being in the water. He loved being in the sea, though this was less aesthetically pleasing in more ways than one. His priority was keeping the girls safe. Those little things did not matter. He worried for Jean's safety and hoped he knew what he was doing as much as he boasted. He shared Risa's doubt nonetheless. A human simply could not predict what they were in for. The moth-fairy, he could do without. Something about the way he had tried to tell Risa kissing her cheek was a way of greeting made him feel like the fairy knew she could be gullible and took advantage of that, making Kyran severely distrust him.

The dry end of the cave was only about forty feet away. Kyran could see large formations of stalactites and stalagmites around the cave, some adorned with beautiful crystal formations. He wished the others could see them. "We can stay here for now. I know it's dark but, Elsea, if you try and focus on heat forming in the palm of your hand, maybe you can form a fireball of some sort." He suggested to Elsea then proceeded to sit down on the cave floor. "I am sure Jean and Elthrael can handle themselves." Kyran assured them. He glanced over at Risa, who looked visibly very nervous. He knew she wanted to be able to help the two of them and was probably gonna suggest it any moment. Once she had sat down, he put his arm around her to both comfort her and possibly grab her before she did anything impulsive.

Time: Morning
Location:Near River Kingdom
Interactions:@Alivefalling@Tae@MissCapnCrunch


Risa had taken Dionaea's hand and led her along, explaining the morning to her quietly: the male-fairy and human from last night had joined them and warned them of possible oncoming attackers. She told them that Jean had a plan and it included them hiding underground. Once they were in the hole, they had to hold hands under Kyran's instruction. "Hey, at least we're all getting a bath too!" She joked with a giggle as they trudged through the water. The ground was muddy and soft beneath her feet. She knew they'd probably be dirtier if anything.

They finally got out into a dry end of the cave. Risa's long, wet hair stuck to her body uncomfortably and water dripped off her like a waterfall as her feet reached the cave-floor. She looked around but couldn't make sense of her surroundings. It was all so dark. Risa found the dark scary. There was no telling what lurked within it. She fearfully sat next to Kyran, vaguely aware of him speaking. She sat down and hugged her knees, feeling Kyran's arm move around her body.

She moved closer to him and rested her head on his chest. Things were so messed up right now. If that dark elf had returned with enforcements, Jean-Luc and Elthrael would be overwhelmed. She felt in every fiber of her body that she should be there to protect them and heal them. Her heart started to race as she feared the worst, worrying over the two men as well as the friends at her side. Surely, those wolves could sniff them out! This plan was not so great the more she dissected it. Poor Elsea could lose her the companion she trusted.

Then there was Dionaea. Her mother had written that her family was in danger. She knew it would crush Dionaea to hear that, but she couldn't keep something like that from her.

Risa didn't want to make anyone else more worried, so she stifled her urge to cry and spoke to Elsea, agreeing with Kyran, "Yes! Then maybe we can see. Elsea, I know you can do it. Let your emotions aid you in creating fire then use your focus to keep it controlled."


Time: Morning
Location: Forest of the peninsula of the Sun Elf Village
Interactions:@Potter@Tae@Inertia@Dezuel


As Kenia and Terneus came into view, Malachi met Kenia's eyes with a look that said: Why have you done this?

Malachi knew he'd have to put on the act of someone too bashful to greet the governor. Kenia had placed him into the role of someone rather pathetic but he knew that was the type that soothed the ego of narcissists like this guy. He knew he was gonna get jests over this later, but perhaps they wouldn't be dead.

"You there. Traveler. I desire for you to tell me a few things."

'Oh I'll tell you something alright, you deluded... ' Malachi put a halt to his own thoughts before they began to influence his countenance. He hung his head like someone embarrassed, as if he was not worthy, as Terneus introduced himself. He looked up at him with a smile, forcing a blush, "Oh dear. I am so appalled to have you find me like this. We were quite in the hurry and needed a quick breakfast. I apologize, someone of your stature should not even have to look at something so lowly." He tossed the squirrel on to the ground as if he was changing his ways just to please him, skipping breakfast just to make him happy.

Malachi stood up at once to answer his next question, brushing himself off frantically in a manner one did if they wanted to impress someone. "I did, my Lord. I was just out there hunting those squirrels and I saw the dracolich fly overhead. It was going back north so I believe it may have found what it wanted. It must be reporting back to Aklenroth." He was quick and steady with his answer but made sure to shuffle his feet to appear a bit nervous in his presence as one would in the presence of someone they admire. It was not hard since he was indeed a bit nervous knowing that Terneus was rumored to be very old and powerful. "Being in your presence is such an honor, Lord Terneus. please let me know if I can help you further."

Time: Midnight - Dawn of the First Day
Location: In the woods near Roshmi City > Roshimi City
Interaction: @dreamingflowers

For the past seven hours or eternity, Bellona had been trudging through the forest. A random portal had opened and pulled her into this mysterious, never-ending forest. She was cursing by now both mentally and out loud, due to her stomach rumbling and her eyes fighting to stay open. She was shaking and glaring at everything in her path. Prior to her unfortunate circumstance, she had been on the couch, snuggled up with a blanket and a bowl of popcorn. Bell had been waiting for Police Sergeant Lysandra to come home and watch a Halloween movie with her. More than likely now it would never occur. Would the Sergeant think she had run away? Her heart dropped. They had finally began to trust one another a bit. Now that was gone, and she had no way of returning home. The possibilities of her existence here ran through her mind, both logical and illogical. Was this a sick joke by Sandra? Had the gang escaped and poisoned her tea with drugs?

Bell gritted her teeth and wished she knew how to hunt so she could kill one of the squirrels that kept throwing acorns at her. She turned to glare at it and brandished her gun threateningly at it. She always kept on her out of terror that Charis or Embry would find her again. The squirrel chattered and dashed off, causing her to smirk. She then turned to continue onto the wooden path she had found. To her distress, she saw nothing more but more trees. Bell let out a frustrated yell and kicked a nearby log out of her way. It flew a few feet away and landed on the ground. She had no idea why she was here or why, but whoever ran this forsaken joint would be receiving an earful from her. She glanced around at the owl hooting, the deer pacing about and the other woodland creatures surrounding her. They didn't seem to be afraid of her in any way. She found herself perplexed by their calmness.

As soon as Bellona felt as if she might give up and shoot herself, large buildings loomed into view. She let out a loud sigh of relief and glanced apologetically at the log she had displaced. She turned away from it and trudged towards the city with a scowl. Her leggings were soaked with mud and her sweatshirt was in dire shape. This did not help soothe her scowl; she was going to find a way to clean it or else she'd rip someone to shreds. It had been a gift from Lysandra and she would not let it tarnish. Bellona came to the edge of the city and stared with awe. The most psychedelic experience awaited her. Now she was sure she was on something strong or this was a screwed up dream she couldn't escape. There wasn't any logical reason that there were demi-humans here. She watched the activity with awe: they were milling around, going in and out of shops and acting as if nothing were wrong. She saw tall people with pointed ears and even a few fairies. Their clothes looked odd and were weirder than anything she had seen in her life.

What the hell is this? Where am I? she thought with a lingering groan. There didn't appear to be any humans here. She felt a chill run up her spine at the mere thought of being the only one in a miles radius. Maybe there was a reason, good or bad, she wasn't certain. Bellona pulled her hair into a messy bun and tucked the loose strands behind her ears to conceal it. To be safe, she pulled her hood up and tightened it around her head. She was going to stick out like a sore thumb with these... creatures. Bell slid her gun into her pocket and swallowed. Wherever she was, she was going to find a way to go home. Bellona stood up straight and began to walk slowly into the city; then once she gained momentum, sped up. She kept her head down so she wasn't bringing attention to herself. She kept her eyes up and desperately wished she could find a coat and food. By now, her stomach was rebelling at the lack of food. "Oh shut up, you miserable bastard," she thought to herself, "You've gone longer without a meal you spoiled bitch."

Bellona thought perhaps asking for help or directions would end up being detrimental to her situation, so she continued forward. The most strange creature crossed her path and she moved backwards to watch. There was a young man with a human face, but the body of a deer waist down. Bellona couldn't help but stare. He even had small antlers. Mesmerized, she rubbed her eyes and continued to stare until she realized how rude she was acting. Bellona tore her gaze away and knew she had to speak to someone. Oh God. Bellona glanced back at the forest: either it was solitude, or speaking to one of these... creatures. She hissed under her breath and knew she would never go back home without some help.

With a deeper sigh to release her frustration and anxiety, she pulled herself together and relaxed her body to give off a pleasant aura. Then, as if she owned the city, she strolled over to the human/deer and spoke softly, but confidently."Hello sir, how are you? I'm a bit, err, lost. Do you think you could help me please?" She smiled sweetly and folded her hands together neatly. Bellona glanced around and noticed some of these folk were beginning to stare at her. Now she felt unsure of her actions and worry was beginning to creep in. The hairs on the back of her neck were sticking up. She stuck out so much; this was a terrible plan. Bellona glanced around nervously, then stared at the deer urgently, "I think it may be best if we were to go somewhere else, too, should you be willing to help me."

---

Elsea had been more focused on trying to keep herself calm so when Kyran asked for them all to hold hands she did it without question. She couldn’t see in the cave and that bothered her, but fortunately Kyran seemed to be able to. They made their way through the water and at first it was fine, however it began to get deeper and deeper. As it hit her chest she felt a small swell of panic rising in her. If it got any deeper how was she supposed to keep hold of their hands and swim? This was the thought rushing through her mind as she also began to shiver from the chill of the water.

Thankfully the water never did get any deeper and they were soon emerging to the drier area of the cave. Her shivers began to intensify and as a reaction her body began to heat, warming her and quickly drying the water off her skin. Didn’t help much for her soaked clothes now, but at least she wasn’t freezing. This was the first time she found that she was actually thankful for her newfound magic.

Both Kyran and Risa began to urge her to try and control her magic so they could hopefully have light. She liked this plan, not being entirely fond of the dark. She began trying to focus a flame appearing over her hands and...nothing. Not even a flicker. She tried again, trying to focus the heat in her body to that spot. Nothing. She sighed in frustration. ”It’s not working.” She complained, voice full of irritation. Then something clicked in her head that Risa had said. Use her emotions to create the fire. Perhaps she could use this frustration to her advantage. She focused in on that emotion, glaring at where she knew her hands were at. Come on you stupid thing. I’m wet, I’m cold, I can’t see, people are trying to kill me, the least you can do is work. She thought angrily to herself, as if she were talking to whatever part of her held the magic.

Almost as if in response a large flame erupted above her hands. A VERY large flame. She gasped in shock and almost lost control of it, but quickly recovered. She quickly focused, trying to gain control over it. Better, but not so giant. Come on now, calm down some. She started to coax it and sure enough it slowly shrunk down to a manageable size. She finally felt like she had a small thread of control over this and she looked to the other with a beaming smile. She was too distracted by her success to notice that the light of her fire was now dancing off of the crystals and creating quite a beautiful sight.

Time: Late morning
Location: Roshmi city infirmary
Interactions: @Potter
Ambience: Roshmi market

---

Ilan was walking aimlessly through the marketplace, wandering along the different stands. Baskets full of brightly colored flowers proved to be one of only a few things able to distract his worried mind. There were so many different kinds! Even though he preferred wild flowers, there was something special about the lovingly cultivated flowers of someone's well tended garden. The sight of them calmed his troubled soul. He checked for the price with the merchant and counted the coins in his pocket. He could afford a few. They would do nicely as a small bouquet to lift the spirits of the human he'd saved. Ilan waited patiently while the vendor busied himself with multiple customers.

"What can I do for you young faun?" The vendor was a robust demi-human with goat horns and hooved feet. He looked to be the type to tend to animals, rather than flowers. Ilan was unaware his thoughts were written all over his face. The vendor let out a hearty laugh at Ilans frown.
"Not who you were expecting huh..?"

Ilan felt his cheeks flush, realizing his rudeness and small mindedness. He fidgeted with the hem of his sleeve and looked away. Most flower stands were usually run by mothers and daughters, someone with delicate fingers and patience.

"I...I'm.." Ilan stammered.

"Not to worry young man, these flowers come from the garden of my daughter. She's expecting to birth a child any given day now. The girl can barely stand, so I'm here to keep thing running." The vendor explained sounding proud. The prospect of becoming a grandparent made him cheery all day round. At the mention of a child on the way Ilan immediately pulled himself together. He loved children!
He smiled kindly at the vendor.

"That is wonderful, I wish you all the best and may your daughter have a smooth birthing" When he was an apprentice healer at his grandmothers side he'd witnessed a few birthings. They were rather messy and not always without danger. One of many lessons came to mind and he decided to share this knowledge with the unlikely flower vendor.

"It would do her well to drink raspberry leaf tea, to ease with the birthing pains"
Ilan instructed the man. His jade eyes looked over the flower stand again. There weren't any raspberry brambles there. They didn't make the prettiest flowers and usually had thorns. The fruits were delicious and they were a garden staple for many. He hoped the daughter had some in her garden too.

"I will tell her to do so."
"Now.." The vendor said, gesturing towards the baskets of flowers with a flourish.
"Which flowers can I get you in exchange for this piece of wisdom?"

Ilan smiled and insisted on paying, but the vendor wouldn't have it. So he decided on a modest bundle of mostly white flowers, not wanting to take advantage of his kindness. He wanted to go see the human fighter, it had been a while. Hopefully he was awake. While he was on his way back to the infirmary someone walked up to him. It was a young woman, short of stature and very out of place. Her appearance alarmed him, she did not have any noticeable animal features. Could she be another human?

Other demi-humans walking past seemed to notice too, going as far as to stop and stare. Ilan was about to answer her when one of the healers of the infirmary walked up to them.
"Please come with me to the infirmary." The healer requested. The woman sounded urgent, her tone did not bode well. Ilan turned to the young woman with a small smile.

"If you come with me, I'll help you."
He couldn't hide his worried frown but tried to keep it out of his voice. There was no need to scare her.

"My friend is in there, I have to go see him."

Cade returned to the clearing where he had left Ayita, the large hare slung over his shoulder. He placed the hare underneath the tree and slung the halberd back across his back. He found Ayita in a tree with a pile of fruit beneath her, it seemed both of them had successfully managed to find food. He guessed that humans were similar to the elves and fairy’s, as they did not seem to have any animal like features like his own kinds, and preferred their meat to be cooked. While Cade would readily admit it did taste better when roasted over a fire, in a pinch he could also eat his meat raw.

“Excellent! We have breakfast.” He said looking up into the tree where Ayita was perched. Since this was the second time he’d come across he in a tree he assumed she was adapt at climbing, this was good as he could possible go to the elf village to get supplies and a weapon and trust that in the trees she’d be safe from those who would turn her into the lich. “We can build a small fire to cook the hare and regain our strength for the day. Afterwards, if you’re alright with it, I could go to get you a weapon and some supplies from the village. I think you would be safe if you stick to the trees, and I like our chances better if we are both well-armed.” Cade offered as he began to gather wood and tinder for a fire. While Cade could in theory build a fire he was by no means good at it, he tended to keep in the south where, with his fur and a halfway decent shelter, there was little need for him to build fires to keep warm and when alone he usually ate raw meat for the simplicity of it. He often struggled to get a spark with a simple fire plough.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------



Bowyn walked deep into the forest, while Boreas flew off to find something to eat, heading towards the spot where he made his camp. He made his way to a clearing where a small waterfall poured from a rocky cliff into a stream. Near the steam was his camp which consisted of an A-frame shelter, a collection of rocks forming a fire pit with a collection of firewood nearby, and his few meager possessions. First, he built a fire and collected some water from the stream to boil inside of a pot. As he waited for the water to boil he retrieved a small cup from inside the shelter, the floor of which was covered with leaves, moss, and animal furs. He rinsed out the cup out in the stream. He broke the skaula up into the cup and once the water had boiled, he poured some of it into the cup with the skaula. Once the tea had cooled off some Bowyn sipped on the mixture, which tasted like bitter dirt, and he was beginning to feel the psychedelic effects of the tea before he had finished the cup.

Bowyn felt his entire body relax, his limbs felt light but weaker as well, his heart pounded in his chest and he felt unusually warm for a winter fairy. A light smile formed on his face as he felt a semblance on peace, for Bowyn the only time he could truly relax enough to let go of his pain was with hallucinogenics. He found a sense of serenity as he stared off into the trees and watched as they began drifting. The world looked brighter and more beautiful, there was a glimmer of hope in the soft pink rays on the sun, and the warmth he felt was as if nature herself was telling him things would be alright. He used his now clumsy limbs to pull himself up from where he sat and headed towards the bank of the stream. Bowyn knelt near the cold water and began using it to form snow, which he molded with his hands into the shape of a bust. Once he got the shape right, he began turning the snow into ice, the shape shrunk as it froze and once it was solid ice, he began to shape it further. The ice changed and molded to the will transferred from his fingertips. Any tools he needed where formed from ice, his expanded mind creating them and allowing them to melt as needed.

By the time Bowyn reached his peak he felt satisfied with the sculpture he created. It certainly wasn’t perfect, and they never would be. As he watched the icey face begin to slowly melt without his constant touch and magic, he could, in this headspace, accept that this way of remembering that which he had lost was enough. A cry of Boreas broke him from the trace he fell into as he watched the ice melting, and his avian companion returned from his hunt. He watched with enormous pupils the tracers he saw as Boreas flew around him before landed nearby on a rock. Bowyn stumbled back onto his feet and used the remaining water from the pot to put out the slowly dying fire.

“You’re a pretty bird.” Bowyn said slowly, grinning at Boreas.

“I truly am, a shame you can’t appreciate it sober.” Boreas replied before taking flight and landing comfortably on Bowyn’s shoulder. “We should go for a walk.” Boreas knew that if the fairy spent too much time watching his ice melt he would grow sad again and he had no desire to have to pull his friend back from a bad trip.

“Yeah!” Bowyn said excited to explore the forest once again. They headed off deeper into the forest, with Bowyn’s cloudy mind unable to remember all the twists and turns he was taking as he followed his whims on their walk. Boreas remained alert, looking for anything that could threaten his friend in his altered state and keeping his keen sense of direction to eventually lead the way back to the camp. The merlin did not mind his babysitting duties and was satisfied to see his friend happy and at peace for a time. Deeper into the forest Bowyn felt the merlin’s energy change, alerting him that something was off. “What is it?” He asked only half paying attention as he watched the wood of the trees around them as it moved, almost as if the forest was breathing.

“Someone else is near. Listen.” Boreas said. Bowyn tried to listen but the other sounds of the forest consumed his attention and despite Boreas’s instance that it could be danger, Bowyn continued. “There.” Boreas said turning his head in the direction of a figure that moved through the forest.

“Is that an elf?” Bowyn wondered out loud. He didn’t care for elves always thinking they were above everyone with their fancy machines. “Should we greet them?” He asked the merlin.

“I don’t know.” Boreas mused, although normally he would encourage Bowyn to interact more this creature seemed off. “She is armed.” The bird warned.

Bowyn, in his drug induced curiosity, ignored the warning and approached the strange woman. He suddenly decided he wanted to know what made her seem so strange to the merlin and he found himself drawn to the drifting patterns he was seeming in her hair. As he got closer he noticed what was so strange, her ears were rounded. He’d never seen an elf with such strange ears before and the sight of it, mixed with the euphoria from the skaula, made him laugh. “Hey your ears are round!” He said, choosing these words as he greeting.

@Dezuel

O'Ner Faister

O'Ner felt so embarrassed into being talked into disguising himself as a woman, Even though he could have disguise himself as anything in the known world. But it was paramount that he uses this disguise to gain the trust of the group he was suppose to follow, Choosing to guise of a woman peasant. Having being dropped of by Azriel far enough form the camp that to give the illusion of him running away from the wolves that are tracking them.

O'Ner who came up with the name Laura Palmer for the name of the woman he was disguising himself as, Making sure to his magic to show the effects of her dress being cut, and his human like body to be cut and bruise. Running away form the wolves that were sent out to track the group a few hours ago, As Laura he ran in any direction thinking that he would eventually run into the group. Yelling and screaming hectically waving his arms while yelling for help.

He hoped that one of the people his group was tracking would notice a badly hurt woman, Falling over slamming his face into the hard ground breaking his nose. Oh how he missed being a human and the sensation of his body and emotions, But of course this was all an act and even with his disguise he was acting. "Help, Help me someone" Using his magic to change his voice to sound more feminine, Choosing a appearance of a pale white blonde hair looking pathetic and perfect to be helped by a passerby.

Time: Morning
Location: Near the River Kingdom

He waited for awhile, reading himself for any incoming enemy to enter the area which he was now manipulating. But what came into sight was a human woman, badly hurt and bruised. "Hoh?" He said aloud.

'What's this then? Another human girl? Wounded? Much like Elsea there's no longer any time to lead her away from here, what a pity. Talk about good and bad fortune at the same time. Her ill fortune paves way for my fortune. She'll be live bait and give me time enough to withdraw from here. A true warrior does not fight battles that cannot be won, he regroups and fights another day.' The darkwinged fairy thought to himself, as he manipulated the plantlife around to create pillars of plants and roots to make the area in front of him, surrounding Jean Luc and the wounded woman. Then he pressed his legs against the ground slightly before flinging himself into the air and quickly air-dashing backwards into the forested area behind him.

The arrival of the human girl, her life would not be wasted. It would serve as bait for the incoming enemy, possibly giving the rest more time to get away, but more importantly allow him to withdraw to someplace else. There were no reason to stick around and fight in a battle seemingly lost, not to mention that none of the group seemed the obedient type which could be of use to him. He opened the palm of his left hand as he flew, releasing various pollen to mask his scent, allowing them to spread through the wind.

---

The vulpine figured to take the long way out of the city; through the marketplace. He thought it best to look through the merchant stalls and street vendors to stock up on any extra supplies he may need. As he walked down the street, kindly shaking his head at pushy vendors who tried to sell him their wares. His attention turned towards the sudden scent that had filled the air. Kuroi was sure that the other demihumans had detected it. Perhaps they didn't care enough?

Kuroi walked down the street until coming across a young faun and a girl who smelled slightly similar to Grzegorz. Raising an eyebrow, he looked at the two (and anyone else with them) from afar, making sure to keep his distance. This was very problematic. Grzegorz had arrived in Roshmi City with two of his dead companions, and now there was a younger human lass before him? Just how many humans were yanked from their dimension and dropped in Avalia!? It seems that Kuroi wouldn't be able to avoid this sudden influx of humans. Although he certainly didn't plan on turning into an assailant, he wasn't sure if he should attempt to lend a helping hand again. The girl looked quite young and helpless though...

Although, his intuition seemed to refute such thoughts, only encouraging him to be even more on edge. Blending in with the crowd, Kuroi walked up to the nearest stall that people crowded around and began to watch the human girl from afar. He needed time to think on whether or not he should get involved or merely let it go like the rest of the people around him. Kuroi let out a sigh as he turned his head down towards baskets filled with fruits and vegetables, making small talk with the vendor to blend in with the rest of the crowd (as best as he could with a mask on his face, anyway).

Terneus Andros

Time: Morning
Location: Forest of the peninsula of the Sun Elf Village

"I know every language worth speaking, Kaneya. Especially body language, he gave his own face a glance in the mirror he always carried with him." The elf said softly, as he gently caressed the top of his shirt with one hand, his two knights walking up closer to Malachi.While Terneus himself listened to Malachi, while softly fondling his own attire.

"You have certainly a way with words despite your condition, and perception and abit of common sense. Now that is a rare find indeed. Ofcourse you must be quite shocked by being in such proximity to me, fret not. I have nothing but the best intention for my people, I can assure you." He said in a smug manner as if he was midway eating chicken or some other food that was drawing parts of his concentration.

'This vagrant might still be of some use to me. But he needs to be cleaned up. He reeks. What is that smell?' Terneus looked away from Malachi and that caused the both knights to venture further into the cave alittle bit, what was causing that peculiar smell? One of his knights noticed a package of some kind on the ground, and was just about to walk over to inspect it.

"Don't touch it, -I- might catch something." Terneus said in a slightly upset manner, then motioned his knights back to him and he set his eyes at Malachi again.

"Now that you do mention it, vagrant. I do think you can be of some use to me, well and our people who are in suffering. You see, I happen to have a spot open in my Androsian knights after a little mishap with one of the newer recruits. He couldn't keep his good head on his shoulders." The elf explained, placing a hand of his at his waist as he assumed a pose almost as if expected to be made a portrait of in this very moment.

"Though we would have to get you some more suitable attire, a bath and..." Terneus pondered for a moment, causing his both knights to turn to look at him.

"Weaponry? Training my lord?" The less careful of the knights asked, not knowing what he just uttered.

"Don't interupt me! It disturbs the flow of elegance..." He walked over and grabbed one of the knights by the throat, throwing him back slightly, before backhanding him across the face. Causing the elven man to get a slight breuise and bleed slightly from his lip. "Clean yourself up." Terneus added after having delivered the backhanded slap, the knight looked disgruntled for a moment but quickly thought of what further aggrevation could lead to so he instantly stopped. Terneus then took out a napkin, and reached it over... to wipe his own hand. "Respect is of outmost importance. Without it you will not make it far. You can have his work." Terneus threw a thumb over his shoulder to the knight which had upset the silverhaired elf, his eyes fixed on Malachi.

Time: Midnight/Morning
Location: Forest outside of Domoros
Interactions: @Helo-Bowyn

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Nothing. She’d been wandering these forests for awhile now and Torvi had come across nothing. She was beginning to feel rather tired, the fight from several hours ago mixed with the loss of her sister and all the emotions she’d felt along with walking were starting to take their toll. She was doing her best to remain alert, but all she really wanted to do was sit down and rest. To lay somewhere and cry over her loss. Not only the loss of her sister, but the potential loss of her village. They had been losing even while she was there, what had become of her village?

These thoughts mixed with her exhaustion are probably why she hadn’t initially heard the approach of someone. That is until words were being spoken, words she couldn’t quite make out at the moment. Where they talking to her or someone else? There was no other voice so perhaps it was her they were speaking to? Either way her hand had instinctively gone to one of her axes as she turned towards the person. She would fight if she needed to.

”Who are you? Torvi began as she looked at the man, voice full of cautious hostility. ”What are you?...” She then asked with confusion and wonder as the sight of him caught her off guard. His hair was pure white, whiter than her own, or was it silver? Maybe even blue? Then his ears were delicately pointed, but these weren’t the strangest of his appearance. He had dark blue horns sprouting from his forehead along with wings, quite beautiful wings, emerging from his back. She cautiously stepped closer, inspecting him with curiosity now.

”Are you an...elf?” She questioned, thinking of all the stories her father had told her in her lifetime. ”No, you can’t be. Elves are beautiful, seductive women with wings. You are clearly a beautiful male.” She stated as she tried to reason things out, now having started circling him, trying to inspect him closer. Just where was she that a creature such as this existed?

She circled back round to the front of him, her mind now back to wondering where she was. This was the person she was looking for and now she wanted answers. ”Where am I? Who are you? Why was I brought here? Yes my ears are rounded, you got a problem with that?” She asked all these questions in rapid succession as she pointed her axe and the man and the bird.

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Time: Morning
Location: Cave of wonders
Interaction: @Inertia-Rei @Potter-Corvina @princess-Malachi @Dezuel-Terneus

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Kenia stood silently as she let Malachi act out his role and did so quite beautifully. She was quite impressed with how he played his part, glad he was willing to go along with it. She hated having to kiss up to Terneus, but at the moment it seemed like their best course of action. She would have to tease him later on how well he played this roll if they made it out of this, however.

As the guards began moving towards where Rei and Cora were hidden, her hand prepared to reach for one of her poisoned knives hidden at her leg. She kept the movement slow and natural, as if she were just dropping her hands to her sides. She also kept her eyes on Malachi and Terneus while watching the guards out of the corner of her eyes. Thankfully Terneus called them back to him, worried that he may catch something from it.

That was the moment that she realized they may have fucked up a bit as Terneus offered Malachi a position in his army. She stole a quick glance at Malachi and soon realized she was going to need to help out with this one. Time to spin another web of lies. She let the haughty elf finish his talking and his disciplining of his knight before she dared to speak up.

”My lord, if I may, but I don’t think that would be the best idea.” She began, speaking in a softer tone now as if to only be heard by him but also knowing Malachi would likely still hear every word she said. ”I don’t doubt your judgement by any means, but I fear there are some things you are yet aware of about my dear friend here. I don’t think he’s all right in the head and so I don’t think that he would pick up on being a guard easily, it may take twice the training as normal.” She began to explain, now it was time to make Terneus a bit fearful and disgusted. ”That and I fear he may be tainted. I’m sure by now you’ve smelt that strange scent? You see, he is sweet on some Demi-Human female and I fear that she may have passed on something to him.” She told him, making a face of disgust hoping this would cause him to want to vacate the area quickly. If it didn’t then she had half a mind to shank him right there with one of her knives.

Time: Dawn
Location: Roshmi City

On top of one of the many outlooks towering over the marketplace, a white clad dark elf had found his viewing point. There were no guards standing guard there as long as the markets were open, and it gave a fine view of the marketplace below. The dark elf's red eyes searched the various figures below, as if he was looking for something. Normally it was simple pickpockets and urchins taking food and amas from those unaware of their presence, that were the reason for most commotion in the market. Though sometimes there were others being hunted by the city guard, for various other crimes far more serious than theft.

It was crimes like those that intrigued the dark elf, as he stood and watched the busy marketplace swarming with people. There were plenty of people in Roshmi, and that also meant that there were more rebel activity. Ever since Aklenroth seized the throne, there had been rebels popping up here and there in various numbers, but all of them had been relentlessly smashed to pieces as the dark elven army had descended on them. The rebels were often too unorganized to deal with the power structure that Aklenroth had formed.

So they not only had a lich to deal with, but others aswell who in turn served Aklenroth as their master. The dark elf allowed himself to think back to the day when he was going to be drafted into the army, and what the result were at the end of that day. There were many dark elves who were thrilled in serving someone who had. Still have the ultimate power. For some it is the hatred for the rest of the world, of the other elves, of the fairies or the demi-humans. Which draws them in to forge them into terrible hounds of war, capable of unleashing dark magic on anyone daring to oppose the lich king.

This particular white-hooded dark elf was drawn out of his thoughts as some urgent plea was heard. The dark elf leaned forwards slightly to look down, where he saw a woman asking a demi-human with horns for assistance. It was not an overly uncommon sight, and the dark elf was about to lean back when he noticed the person next to the horned demi-human. Some short humanoid with strange looking clothing, of a kind he had never seen before. The dark elf concluded the humanoid was not from the city, and if it was not from the city? Then from where?

The hooded dark elf began to walk down from his vantage point, once he came to the ground he stopped, and began to watch where they were going and if anyone else had noticed the odd attire that short humanoid was wearing. Then he stepped forwards, his steps were calm and almost machinelike. A few demi-humans ended up in his path along the way, but he brushed past most of them. Some of them backed away slightly on their own on seeing the golden skull on his shoulder, their chatter going quiet until he had passed where they began to whisper among each other, throwing frightened looks in the path of the white clothed dark elf, as he was homing in on his target.

@Dezuel

O'Ner Faister

O'Ner was a bit surprised that he was surrounded by a plant like cage, He wondered if he should have changed his scent so it would seem more human. "Why are you trapping me? I'm wounded you cowardice cur" He yelled out playing the part of a quite angry wounded woman. Looking around seeing another human that was with the one that enclosed him in the plant cage. "You come here and help me out of here, I can hear the wolves coming for me" She spoke moving her hand between the vines that made the cage.

"You coward how dare you leave me and this woman to fight for ourselves" The other human spoke moving towards him cutting down the vines to free O'Ner, O'Ner was frantic looking behind him and screaming about the wolves coming form them. He was told to wait a moment as the other human finally finished cutting the vines so O'Ner would be free, "Oh thank you thank you, You're a true hero unlike your comrade. What kind of hero let's a wounded woman left alone" She spoke with the other human nodding in his head in agreement.

"Do not worry milady, I will escort you back to our camp" The human spoke with a kind smile, Oh how the poor human did not know whom he was speaking with. "Sure i would love that, What is your name?" He asked the human who gave him his name but O'Ner did not care since he would be another corpse."Please take me there i can help you, I know how to handle a weapon" She spoke as she was being helped up by the naive hero.

As the hero's back was turn O'Ner pulled out a dagger moving closer and closer, Finally stabbing the naive hero in the back. He could see the surprise on the hero's face as he was stabbed. Quickly grabbing the hero's shoulder changing his form into his true form, "I have to say i'm surprise how naive you are. But i guess you would not know who i was" He pondered looking around seeing his former ally had ran away.

"I guess while i have you here you can tell me everything you know about your allies" He spoke looking down at the dying hero. He was not told much but only the essential. "What a shame too i put some much effort into this disguise, Perhaps i can apply you this disguise to another situation" He finished off the hero by sucking his life force. Once he was finished he looked around turning back into his womanly disguise, He wondered if Aziel and Umber will join.

Bowyn observed the strange woman with utter confusion. Had she just asked if he was an elf? How ridiculous, did she not see his wings and horns? Was she mocking his words perhaps? His confusion was replaced by amusement however, when she referred to him as a beautiful male. At least this stranger had goods eyes and taste. Although Bowyn was not as vain as some of his kind it had been a long time since he was seen as something other than an outsider. It was difficult to focus on her words as the stranger’s hair transfixed him, there were shiny things that decorated it and they glistened in the sun’s rays. He liked looking at it and he raised his hand wanting to touch it but his fingers simple dangled and waved at the air. Boreas nipped at the side of his ear to draw his attention back and keep his friend from doing anything stupid.

Then she began circling him, much like a predator would, and he felt extremely uneasy. With his altered state of consciousness, he saw trails moving behind her as she walked and the ax she held seemed even more threatening than it normally would. She was asking questions too quickly for him to focus on, and waving her weapon at him as she did so. Boreas fed off Bowyn’s unease and in turn began vocalizing, making the distinctive sounds of a threatened merlin. He stretched out his wings in an attempt to make himself appear larger but didn’t reach for his own weapon, Bowyn would rather flee from this warrior than battle. “You are hostile and off-putting.” Bowyn said, irritated. “Is this how your people greet strangers? With the manners of an orc?” Bowyn asked taking an awkward step back, wanting to stay out of swiping distance from her ax.

“Careful, I don’t like this creature.” Boreas told him, his eyes never leaving the human, his form ready to take flight to defend his friend.

“What is she?” He whispered to the bird, still unsure having never seen a creature like her before.

“What do humans look like?” Asked Boreas and Bowyn thought back to the silly stories he’d heard as a child of the powerful creatures from another world. Was this why she was so strange? She did not belong here.

“Humans have round ears. They are dangerous.” He said to the bird in realization. This was the creature Aklenroth was searching for. He thought hard on the questions she had asked him but it was too difficult to remember all of them. What are you? That one, he remembered, she wanted to know what he was. “I am Bowyn, a winter fae. You…you let me go and I will not tell Aklenroth that I saw you. I have no desire to speak to the undead tyrant.” Bowyn promised his voice shaky. His dilated pupils stayed fixed on the ominous ax she held in her hand. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest and, although he tried not to think about it, he kept imagining the ax covered in his blood. Bowyn did not want to die here in the woods, he needed to stay alive so that he could keep her memory alive. Without him who would remember Aeyrn? She would be so disappointed in him if he died like this.

“I will go for her eyes and you can flee.” Boreas offered. The merlin could sense his friends fear.

“No.” Bowyn hissed, turning his gaze to the friend on his shoulder. “Not you too.” He pleaded, not ready to lose his remaining friend. His only hope now was that this creature was less violent than she seemed as he doubted his ability to take flight and make an escape in the forest with the skaula still in his system.

Time: Morning
Location: Xenelith's Tent
Interactions:@FunnyGuy-Umber @Eviledd1984-O’Ner @Legion02-Xenelith

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The plan had been set and Azriel eagerly awaited what was to come next. She had to let O’Ner get enough of a head start and she slowly paced back and forth as she counted to herself. When she finished, she looked to Xenelith with a wicked grin. ”Let the hunt begin.” She said before she launched into the air and took off with silent speed. She kept pace with the wolves, using her keen eyesight to keep an eye on the female O’Ner as he ran.

She watched from above as the male fairy fled and she grinned to herself. Yes, flee. Leave your companions and flee far away, for the monsters are coming. She thought to herself gleefully as she coated her wings in mithril just to be on the safe side. She soon landed near O’Ner as she watched him finish sucking the life out of the human.

”Pity, Umber surely would have enjoyed slowly crushing his armor in on himself.” She said with a sigh as she looked down at the human for a moment. She then drew her sword and slowly hacked off his head, lifting it up by his hair once she was done. She then proceeded to tie the head to her belt by the hair. Once she was done she began to walk around. ”Now, where have the others run off too?” She questioned as she began to scan the ground, looking for footprints and moving closer to the water.

---

Time: Morning
Location: Forest outside of Domoros
Interactions: @Helo-Bowyn

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Torvi kept her focus on the winged man, still highly one edge as she watched him for any signs of hostility. It was slowly becoming clear, however, that he wasn’t any threat to her at the moment. She also glanced at the bird on his shoulder, finding him more threatening than the man. There was just something about the winged male that was off, almost as if he weren’t all there. His question about her greeting had her narrowing her eyes a bit. ”As a matter of fact yes, it is. Where I come from strangers usually try to harm and rape us. So excuse me for being cautious.” She told him as she watched him take his awkward step backwards.

She watched him start talking to the bird and this was an incredibly strange sight to her. She cocked her head to the side, now truly wondering if the man was okay. She sighed as she realized he must be under the influence of something. There was no way he would be a threat to her in this state. She’d seen several times men and women in her village drinking too much mead or ingest some sort of herbs that put them in a similar state. With this thought she decided to put her axe away, deciding she really didn’t need it.

”Bowyn, was it? I’m sorry for being so hostile, you obviously don’t mean to harm me. You must understand why I was cautious though what with that message...Aklenroth you said his name was?...that message he put out earlier.” Torvi apologized, specifically speaking a bit slower in order for him to comprehend her. So he was a winter fae? What kind of strange place was she in?

She then moved and slowly put her hands up in a nonthreatening manner. ”Look, I’m just trying to figure out where I’m at and why I’m here. So let’s start over maybe? I’m Torvi and I would really like to find somewhere safe to rest for a bit. I’ve had a…” She trailed off as her words caught in her throat, her mind going back to her sister. The pain in her chest felt immense and tears welling in her eyes once more. She swallowed hard before she found her voice again. ”I’ve had a really bad morning.” It was all she could manage to say as her voice broke and a few tears fell down her cheeks.

Bowyn gave a small shudder as the stranger who would identify herself as Torvi briefly described the cruelty faced in her homeland. He thought of his own childhood with the other winter fae, the constant threat of the Dark Elves, and the people stolen from their homes. He knew he gave off this same hostility when he sober and, in this state of mind, he wished he could overcome that, but also knew ones the drugs wore off he would slowly forget the lessons he learned high in the forest. For a moment he lost himself in second of reflection until he heard the woman say his name aloud, startling him. She spoke softer now, easier to understand, and he forced himself to focus. He relaxed slightly as she had put her weapon away, relieved that a brutal death was no longer in sight. She had been alarmed by the lich’s message earlier, of course, that made sense, he put a sizable bounty on a human head after all. He tilted his head to the side as Torvi’s voice cracked and her sadness leaked from her eyes.

“I will not harm you.” Bowyn said, and seeing another overcome by pain and grief made the familiar tightness in his own chest take hold. Lost in a forest, alone and grieving; this was all too familiar to Bowyn. Was he to be her merlin? He had gone to the forests to avoid the humans and the disaster the surely brought with them only to find himself in the situation Boreas had suggested earlier. No doubt the bird was loving the irony in this but when facing someone in similar place he had once been, he founded it harder to turn his back on them.

“We could flee now, you were right the humans are dangerous. They don’t belong here.” Boreas offered, although he wanted Bowyn to make friends he did not want them to get the fairy killed. Bowyn tried to think, he did not want to get involved with conflict against Aklenroth, he knew all too well how such things ended, but thoughts were difficult and emotion overcame him. It had been a long time since Bowyn could feel empathy for another and the thought of leaving someone hurting to die alone in the woods seemed horribly cruel.

“No, we will do what we can to help.” He said, solemnly, glancing at Boreas, then back at Torvi. He found himself wondering how long it had been since he had ingested the skaula, it’s effects were waning slightly but he knew he still had a time before they were gone completely. He would be able to think better once they had worn off but for now, he was resigned to go with it, if the skaula wanted him to feel then it had a lesson to teach him. Avalia had led him to this human for a reason and although he knew he could not offer much help, a place to rest and an explanation of this world and the dangers here were something he could provide. “There is no place truly safe for you here.” He said, telling the human the brutal truth. “Our king, Aklenroth, destroys all which threatens him, and humans are a threat to him.” He continued, and Boreas ruffled his feathers at talk of the lich. Even the beasts of this world knew the darkness the lich brought.

He glanced towards the merlin, “Lead us to camp.” he asked Boreas. “You can rest for a while at my camp, Boreas can keep watch. The lich will have forces out looking for you.”The bird took flight and headed to the makeshift home Bowyn had made for himself, stopping to perch at branches to be sure the human and the fairy were keeping up. Bowyn followed the bird trusting that the human would follow as well, and that she would not attack him while he was not looking. Every few steps though, or at the sound of leaves rustling or a stick breaking, he would turn to look and make sure that they were not being followed and that she was not waiting until his back was turned to attack him.

Time: Morning
Location: Forest of the peninsula of the Sun Elf Village
Interactions:@Potter@Tae@Inertia@Dezuel


Malachi quickly realized he may have pleased the governor too well, as Terneus was pretty much ready to hire him on the spot as a knight.
He would have to take him in the other direction. He resisted the urge to glare as he said that he needed new clothes and to bathe. What was wrong with his clothes?

He glanced down at himself, brushing his clothes off further as he became nervous about being filthy. Sadly, he recalled that he had slept on the floor last night and had been running through the woods and such. By Solaris, he's right. I do need a bath.

The man's true colors surely came out as he grabbed one of his knights by the throat then backhanded him all over the poor man interrupting. For a man worried about elegance, he sure could be uncivilized. The man wiped his own hand after, not offering to aid the bleeding elf. Malachi duly noted that the knights probably did not swear their loyalty to him out of anything other than self-preservation. Lord Terneus was extremely unlikeable. He seemed to want Malachi to replace the elf immediately.

Coming up with the correct response to this situation was like walking on thin ice. If the elf was willing to backhand and fire his knight over simply joining the conversation, they'd all be in for it if he figured out what was going on here. He made eye contact for a split-second with Kenia and soon she was butting in. She was talking softer but he could catch on to her words. Now he was to be out of his mind and diseased. Kenia, I'm not an actor. He thought in exasperation. It was probably clever to now disgust Terneus a bit but now he'd have to change his tune as well. Malachi hoped he could pull it off. Being that he was probably not best fit to look the man in the eye and believably pass this off after acting relatively normal, he elected to act like a complete imbecile.

Malachi pretended as if he didn't hear anything and began pacing around the cave as if dazed. He glanced around until a squirrel climbing down a tree trunk caught his eye. Lord Terneus sure did not enjoy squirrels. You all owe me. Malachi thought in annoyance. He couldn't believe he was going to do this. When the squirrel passed by, he suddenly got on to all fours energetically, chasing the squirrel without another word to the two. He looked like a dim-witted dog chasing after prey without any tact to actually catch it.

---

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Somewhere in Daka Island, Sakura stood standing against the edge of a portion a forest. Given that all the forests within the island were considerably dark, this was the only one that's heavily shrouded by fog. Usually one could hear the chirp of demonic birds or at least the screeches of a howling owl, but the forest got quieter the more she got closer to the fog. Just by bringing her hand against it, she could tell it was made with magic. She pointed her umbrella towards the fog, where a pink blot of energy formed at its tip. She waved her umbrella against the fog to disperse it, only for the fog to materialize again. She tried to use her shikigami to go through the fog so she could see it on the inside, but it's as if the fog got even thicker around the shikigami, making it more confused as it forced the creature to run back towards Sakura.

The demoness's usual friendly smile was replaced with an annoyed frown. She couldn't believe Aklenroth didn't tell anything about this place to her. Being raised under the wings of the king, she knew the fog was of her father's doing. What could he be hiding behind the fog that he wouldn't want anyone to know, even including his daughter?

She was risking so much just by being in this place. It took her decades upon decades of going behind her father's back to do her own digging. She wanted to know about her old clan, her own kindred, but she couldn't find anything through the castle's expansive library. Sakura didn't want to risk about having Aklenroth knowing about her wanting to investigate her past so asking any demon and dark elf was out of the question. She couldn't help but feel like she's literally stumbling through the dark with no clear direction at all.

Now that she felt she was so close on uncovering the truth, she couldn't back down now. On the other hand, she literally disappeared from Aklenroth's sights; she even ditched that demon general O'Ner. She's risking so much just so she could be here and she felt so angry that the only thing keeping her from moving forward was this stupid magical fog. Her grip on her umbrella handle tightened, and she exhaled after a few seconds. It's no use; she didn't think this far. Sakura will find a way to get through this fog. In the meantime, she will have to go back and resume her mission.

A mass of shadow shifted against a dead tree, but Sakura didn't react. She can sense if there were any living beings nearby through their chi, and she recognized her own instead as her shadow shikigami emerged from the darkness. It looked like a large, long worm made of pure darkness. A paper talisman imbued with her own chi was on its head, and hiding behind it was a large eye she got from the corpse of a hawk demihuman. There were many more like it scattered among the dark corners of Avalia, serving as her eyes to spy upon the other races. The only bad thing was they can only manifest in dark places and can be easily destroyed when a light shines on them.

It crawled towards Sakura and bowed its head with respect. It shifted its form once again to go in front of Sakura, its shadow body forming a pool that surrounds the eye. Within the pool, the shikigami showed the events it had witnessed to Sakura, like a black-and-white movie. It made no sound, but Sakura got the general gist of things just by observing the people's facial expressions and movements.

She raised her head to find out several more of her shadow shikigami have emerged from the shadows. The demoness sighed; it looked like she had a lot of catching up to do.

At the entrance of the cave, Dionaea still felt rushed and confused. Her body felt heavier than usual, still wanting to rest her weary bones. She knew this wasn't a moment of play and laughter, and that if it was under any other circumstances they would have let her rest, if only for a few more minutes. Risa's fingers interlaced with her's under the incoming pool of water, she explained the ongoings of this morning while she was asleep. A shiver ran up her spine as the chilly water went well above her petite waist, if it got any deeper it would be over her head. Risa made light of the situation, and Dionaea laughed for the first time in what seemed like ages. "Some of us need it more than others." she cooed, a smirk forming on her pink lips as she squeezed both Risa's hand (in front of her) as well as the hand of the sweet one, who she learned was named Elsea.

Reaching dryer land, Dia outstretched her wings and fluttered them slightly to shake off some of the dew. Water was not the best thing for wings, and a heavy enough downpour could leave them even tattered. Darkness was surrounding them in a tight hug. The young fairy did not mind the dark, as night time usually came with many unique and interesting animals of Avalia.

_{"What are they doing here?"
"They are so big, are they giants?"
"Do not speak so loud, be quiet, stay still!"}

The small voices of a family of arachnocampa in their larva stage talked to one another as they glistened from the ceilings along with their brethren of many other voices. Dionaea tuned them out, putting her hand out in front of her, she could not see her own flesh in the darkness of the cave but slightly, from the glow of the worms that hung like string above them. Sitting down, she folded her hands gently into her lap, running along the fabric of her dress and squeezing out some of the excess water.

The others encouraged Elsea to create a flame, and Dionaea put in her encouragement as well, "Emotions will always take toll on magic. Sometimes when I am angry or upset the voices of animals are just noise, you have to take a breath and just let it flow through you Elsea." she said, nodding. Elsea complained, it wasn't working.

Dionaea wondered if all humans were a bit dysfunctional.

Suddenly a sudden burst of light and heat lit up the dark cave. The gasp startled Dia more than the flame as she returned a small gasp, pulling her legs up quickly to her body. The warmth had felt amazing for the brief moment, and the light was a nice change of tune. The sweet one tried again, this time a small and more manageable light but still illuminating the cave and the group. "You did it Elsea!" Dionaea cheered, taking a moment to admire the breathtaking light show that danced along the walls.

_{"HEY! Turn that bright light out!"}

The young fairy laughed out loud, giving a toothy grin. It was moments like this in life that made the bad times worth it.