A soft breeze danced across the surface of the clear water. Ripples flowed out as Ranie walked along the shallows, her floor-lengthed dress gathered up on her hands to keep dry.

The young Elf woman gazed dreamily at the water that surrounded her, her pale blue and silver eyes looking slightly glazed. Wisps escaped from her sheet of silver hair that cascaded down her back to cover her face from time to time, although she took no notice of it.

Seemingly oblivious to her surroundings, she walked a few feet further into the water, and stopped to look out into the center of the lake.

There was a wild beauty about this place as she pushed a hanging willow branch out of her way with her free hand. Carrying an elven crossbow in her other, she stepped carefully over fallen twigs which crackled beneath her leather boots. Ginger hair was tucked behind her softly pointed ears to keep it out of her big green eyes, but cascaded down her back freely. Keeping a careful eye to either side as she trend across new ground, Lehona could almost pass as a ranger who walked the grounds frequently if it hadn't of been for the off-white blouse with long belle sleeves and tight, tan colored leather slacks. No, the image of her spoke quite differently.

The sounds of water growing louder told her that the lake was just ahead. It seemed the plump woman she had spoke to near the Gwilikith Mountains, no matter how grouchy she had been, was kind enough to give her proper direction to Norwood Lake. Suddenly, a large, dirty looking fuzz flew past her left ear and disappeared into the canvas of green leaves in front of her. At first, Lehona did not even look to have noticed this odd sight, but after another moment's time she merely gave a heavy sigh as she rolled her eyes. Brushing aside long draping branches which swept across the forest floor, Lehona shook her head and pursed her lips as she continued, all the while the gray fuzz darting about her in every different direction.

Through the leafy branches, she could barely make out a shimmer of the lake as light played against it's rippling surface. It was at that moment that the flying fuzz nearly collided with her face but halted abruptly before making contact. As Lehona gasped in fright, it sounded as if it were gurgling happily in some sort of communication, though it did not sound like any common language. With an exasperated expression, she shooed the soft looking creature away with one hand, walking passed it and through the last bit of green curtain turning just in time to see her small companion zip off and out of sight.

"I do wish yo-" The last few words escaped her as she had turned back to the lake scene and just finally was able to see that the lake was far from empty, for a young woman was wading in the shallows. Her eyes wide with surprise as she took a step backward but did not return to behind the willowy curtain. Instead, she cleared her throat in case this woman had not already heard her and then in a kind voice, spoke again. "Very sorry to disturb you Miss, I hope you will not mind my intrusion if only for a few moments."

Ranie glanced over her shoulder, silver hair covering her eyes from the view of the other woman. Ranie's eyes darted over her, looking for any threat and taking note of the crossbow held in her hand.

"You are of no disturbance to me," she replied as she turned to face who she was speaking to, "and are you no more of an intruder than I am.. I think.." she continued, a small frown coming over her. Her dress still held, bunched in an arm, she pushed her hair over her shoulder pondering the thought that she may be trespassing.

Shrugging off the thought, she returned her attention to the woman. " So... who are you, exactly?" she asked, not intending to be as rude as she might have sounded.

"You have nothing to fear," noticing that this woman had glanced at least once at her crossbow, Lehona felt it may be a good idea to tell her now that she had no intention to harm her. Ranie appeared to be unarmed and would be of little threat to her, this was a relief to Lehona who had been on the run for nearly a week. Still, she could shake her new found sense of caution and had decided not to walk any closer. Instead, she began to slowly walk around inside of the tall willows, occasionally leaning to one side to avoid a lone branch.

"My name is Lehona Palewind, and you are?" She had stopped walking, gently twirling her long slender fingers around a small strand of hair that had slipped over her shoulder. She had turned to stare back at Ranie, with her dress held up out of the water and her silvery hair easily blown by the slight breeze. It was intended as a thought more than anything, but it still escaped her lips, "and what are you doing here exactly?"

" I have nothing to fear?" she asked, cocking her head to the side slightly, causing hair to fall into her face again. Taking note of the woman's caution, she shook her head and began walking out of the water to stand on dry ground.

Once out of the water she neatly arranged her dress, making sure to smooth out any wrinkles that had formed. When she finished, she looked back to Lehona. " I didn't think I had anything to fear... but, now that you mention it... " she giggled, finding something ammusing.


Shaking off the thought, " My name is Ranarei Diyoru, though 'Ranie' works just as well, " she said, dropping into a curtsy, " It is nice to meet you, Lahona. "

She stood, thinking of Lehona's last question, braiding the tips of a small handful of her hair. " I don't have a real reason for being here, I didn't know that I needed one, to be honest, " she shrugged her shoulders a little, letting the braid fall with the rest of her hair, " Do you have a reason for being here? "

Shaking her head in a way that only meant no, Lehona decided that it was safe enough to finally let her guard down. She had not passed anyone all afternoon and it was unlikely that anyone else would stumble upon them here. It was odd to her when Ranie had giggled, she had not thought anything that was said was very amusing. Lehona's mind wandered to the fact that she of course did not look that intimidating in her leather pants and nice blouse, so perhaps there was no reason at all to announce the fact that she meant this young elf no harm. It was with this thought that her creamy cheeks grew warm and she blushed with embarrassment.

"The only reason I had decided to come here was for a bit of rest and to be away from the busy of the villages." She said softly as she approached the edge of the lake near Ranie. The waters surfaced was disturbed only by the soft breeze now, but otherwise looked quite inviting. Glancing to over to her company, Lehona gave a small smile, over the last few days she had forgotten how nice it was to meet new people. "It is a pleasure to meet you Ranie, please forgive me if I came across as rude."

"You see, I have been finding it difficult to trust people these days. Not everyone here is as friendly as I would have liked to think." As the smile faded, there was a sadness in her great green eyes when they fell to the surface of the water once more. Sighing softly, she recounted waking up in the dark tunnels and the horrible things she had found out shortly afterward. And to herself, she wondered if anyone could ever understand how felt to be hunted.

Ranie listened as Lehona spoke, studying Lehona's appearance. She smiled seeing that something she had done had made Lehona blush.

Looking on the ground for a place to sit that wasn't very damp, Ranie found a spot a little farther away from the water. After making sure that the area was free of odd plants or little creatures, she sat on her knees, fanning her dress around her, and patted the grass next to her, motioning Lehona welcome to join her.

" This is a nice place, I must admit. Quiet, away from others, peaceful... " she smiled, drawing in a patch of soil with her finger. " And I didn't take you as rude, you needn't worry about that, " she told her, shaking her head, causing her hair to fall back into her eyes again. She left it where it was, taking time to study Lehona again.

" Finding someone to trust is a rare thing, I've found.. " she agreed, her pale eyes still on Lehona, " Not everyone is how thy appear to be.... So, you must choose, then. Do you become suspicious of everyone, and let fear rule you? Or do you just become a little cautious, keeping the fear, but keeping it under control? Or, do you just plain not care? " she asked, tilting her head, allowing her hair to fall aside, thinking she knew how Lehona saw the matter by the way she had acted before.

Following Ranie, she had knelt down to take the place beside her. Setting her elven crossbow down at her unoccupied side and folding her hands together so that they were nearly lost underneath the long belle sleeves of her loose-fitted blouse, Lehona tried to relax. It was only an elf that one could count on to be so knowledgeable and it was an unexpected relief to find just what she had needed here at the lake.

But, though she would not admit this openly, Lehona couldn't help but feel that if she placed too much trust in her new company, that she would be betrayed in the following days. It was her hope that soon she could slow things down a bit and finally take in the sights around her, much like she was doing now with Ranie. Hating the thought that she would be forced to move on the run yet again, she decided against opening up any further and instead attempted to shift the conversation in a new direction.

"Your hair is beautiful," Lehona started, shifting to find a more comfortable position, her legs no longer underneath her but off to the side. The toe of her boot gently rested against the shaft of the crossbow, letting her know that it was just in arms reach if need be. While her positioning had been changed, her eyes had been kept upon Ranie and a friendly smile had crept it's way back across her lips as she admired the young woman's hair.

"Sorry," she cringed now a little and laughed softly, bringing a small, delicate hand up to cover her mouth, and soon after to brush a free wisp of hair or two away from her face, "you must get that quite often. But it really is an extraordinary color. Paired with your stunning eyes, I would say you are a moon elf?" While she hoped that her forwardness would not offend Ranie, Lehona could not help the need to find out more.

Ranie's smile remained on her face, though she raised an eyebrow ever-so-slightly, hardly, if at all, noticable, at the change of topic. Ranie decided that Lehona was, as she had thought, very cautious of others. Perhaps had something to hide? Careful, at the least, keeping her weapon within reach.

" You're very kind, Lehona. Thank you for the compliments, " she replied, wondering what Lehona was trying to find out, " I am, indeed, a Moon Elf. "

Having forgotten her dirt-drawing, Ranie shifted her weight, pulling her knees infront of her, partly to see how jumpy Lehona might be, and, partly, because she didn't like to stay still for too long. She smoothed her dress over her knees again and wrapped her arms around and resting her head upon them. She pushed her hair behind her left shoulder, tucking it behind a pointed ear with her opposite hand and waited to see what else Lehona might ask, or what she might do.

Sighing softly, her eyes fell Ranie's art in the dirt. Tilting her head to one side, trying to decide what it was that she was drawing through narrowed eyes, Lehona was afraid she could not tell. Taking her eyes away from the woman's creation, she looked into her lap instead as she kept her hands busy with the fray at the end of her belt.

"My father used to tell me about all of the elves. He had never actually met other races of elf, but he had seen and been taught about them." The sadness that she felt could be seen across her face. It had been nearly a month since she had last seen her father. A quick breeze lightly fanned her hair across back, taking it up again in a small sort of dance.

"Me? I have met humans mostly. Spoken with a dwarf woman, which is how I found this place." Looking up as she said this, Lehona gestured toward the lake with one hand for a moment and then continued to toy with the fray absentmindedly. Her eyes had caught the waters surface in it's sereneness, broken only by a hungry fish as it came to the surface in a sudden splash.

A secret sort of smile came to her as she looked up thoughtfully, appearing to share a pleasant moment with herself before saying, "And there was a demon I met, who surprised me quite a bit. Have you ever met a demon, Ranie?" Sighing once more, this time in a more pleasant way than before, she continued to enjoy sight of the soft rippling of the leaves above.

Noticing Lehona looking at her drawing, Ranie gave a slight shurg, trying to indicate that it wasn't supposed to be a drawing of a physical object. She swept a hand over the ground, erasing the lines she had drawn.

She listened as Lehona told her of the races she had run across, and thought of what she had met and seen before.. She couldn't think of many, herself.

" I don't think that I've ever met a Demon.. I've heard stories told of them.. But, I tend not to believe stories. I'd rather make my own stories after meeting one, " she replied, remembering all of the stories told to children to frighten them into behaving.

" I have met very few outside of my home-village... I've only just left, but I'd like to meet others now that I'm away. I've, of course, met Elves. Rarely, a Human or Dwarf would pass through, but the children were never allowed near outsiders, " she frowned, recalling her home, " My home was very... protected... in what they allowed to pass through: people, stories, news, other such. That's why I left, I don't want to be sheltered from the rest of the world all of my life. "

Ranie looked out at the waters as Lehona was doing, " We don't have a lake like this at home, I didn't know a place so pretty could be found. I wouldn't've known if I hadn't have left. It makes me wonder... why would they want us to not know of the rest of the world? I suppose it doesn't matter now, though, because I have left to see what I am not allowed to. "

What Lehona wouldn't do to be sheltered now. Going over Ranie's words, she wondered what it might be like if she were an actual avariel, with wings and all. Would they protect her in their high fortress from the evils that wished to capture her? No one could ever tell.

"Other races can be a bit dangerous I suppose, perhaps your elders of whatever you may call them thought it best.." the half-elf let out in a sigh. It was the truth as she saw it but it was, as she had to agree, unfair to the younger generations. Shaking her head and giving a slight roll of her large green eyes, Lehona couldn't help but smile at the rebellion in this young moon elf, which seemed only natural after being shut in.

"Is there perhaps a schedule for your travels or are you going 'free as the wind' as some might say?" Lehona enjoyed the light conversations, looking forward to bumping into Ranie in a village or other landscape throughout Imythess. The thought of even traveling together crossed her mind, but was quickly forced out as it would be much too dangerous to ask of anyone.

" Oh, I'm sure that the elders thought it best, " Ranie nodded her agreement, a hint of sarcasm in her voice, " But, best for whom? Perhaps they were afraid of disagreements with other races, or maybe they didn't want to give new alliances a chance to form. Old ones, I've found, don't like change. Yes, other races may be a bit dangerous. So is life. One can never know what the next day brings, no matter how nice it would be to know, " a frown crossed her face, wrinkling her brow slightly. How silly she must sound to Lehona, so openly disagreeing with those who 'knew better' than her.

Shaking her head and clearing away the thought, she addressed Lehona's other question, " I don't know exactly where I'm going... I can't plan where to go if I don't know what's out there... I'll go wherever I find I am lead. 'Free as the wind'. " To add to her point, she scooped a small handful of dirt from the ground and slowly released it, letting the slight breeze take it a little ways away.

With a genuine smile, Lehona could not help herself as she laughed lightly. Ranie's adventure sounded like a wonderful. It somehow had her feeling sad, though it did not display upon her face. It was a dangerous place out in the world without anyone to rely on and she pondered whether or not Ranie would survive it. Was she stronger than Lehona?

Falling into silence, she gazed across the lake. There was a far away look in her eyes as her mind wandered back and forth. Daydreaming about avariels and their kind protection. Remembering happy days with her mother and predicting when she would see her father again. To Lehona, it did not seem as though she was living her life anymore, it was as though she was peering into someone else's. Nothing this tragic had ever happened to her before, she had always been safe.

Perhaps that was why the elders of Ranie's home kept everyone so well protected, sheltered as Ranie had put it. Going through what she was going through no, she could understand the reasoning. It was unfair, she thought, that she was being chased by this Lord now, for answers she did not possess. Lehona could be thankful if she had a haven to slip away to, to disappear in.

Ranie sat, watching Lehona, who seemed to be lost in her head at the moment. She wondered what Lehona could be thinking about, to forget that she had been talking to someone just a moment sooner. Happy memory, sad memory, worries... So many things it could be.

Leaning forwand, her hands on the ground, Ranie stared Lehona straight in the face, a smile upon her own. " You like to think a lot, don't you? That's all good, that it is, but thinking too much when someone else is around.. Isn't talking better? I don't know you, or anyone, really... So I can't exactly be too judgmental, can I? I'd like to hear about another's life and all that.. and you're right here.. " Ranie started to giggle at her attempt at being friendly, a slight red tint colouring her cheeks.

Ranie's words had shaken her back to the present. When she turned to look back at Ranie, Lehona gave a smile but felt quite sheepish about her silence only moments ago. Then she giggled too, curious if her cheeks ever turned that shade that played so nicely against Ranie's skin.

"You are exactly right. Will you forgive me?" She did her best to look very sorry, wisps of ginger hair dancing in the soft breeze behind her. Before long, she was giggling again as she thought of how silly she must look being so dramatic.

"Another's life, let me see. Where should I start? It is not something I go around boasting, but I am half elf. My father is an avariel, but there was a tragic accident and he was forced to leave the city that he had grown up in. I grew up in a small village where my mother had lived all her life, she's was human, but her heart was made of gold."

"It wasn't really nice growing up there, a lot of times I was teased by the other children and sometimes the adults too. It was worse when my father first came along, or so mami had always said. She used to say that people would change with time, even if it took them a long time, that they would change eventually to see what she saw.."
Lehona paused there, not used to sharing so much about herself and half afraid that some sort of monster would pop out of the woods to catch her. What she was most afraid of was whether other elves would treat her the way the young human children had, but she kept those fears to herself.

Ranie's smile widened at the chance to hear about something other than what she had always known. To hear a story.. well, was it still a story if it was told by someone that had actually experianced it..? Either way, to hear the tale, to hear the truth of how things were in the vast land that they all lived, would be a joy to her. To know the truth for what it was, not what she was expected to believe was what she wanted.

Listening intently to Lehona as she spoke, Ranie rested her head upon a hand. " You're truly part Avariel? And part Human? Wow... that's unheard of back home... Everyone there is a full-blooded Moon Elf... " As she spoke, her pale eyes looked over Lehona's face, trying to distingish traits from either side of her ancestry. " Your father went to the Human village and met your mother? The Elders didn't shoo him away? " she asked, finding the thought hard to believe, coming from her home atleast.

Ranie wondered how foolish she looked, so interested in Lehona's backround. She hadn't noticed Lahona to be half-blooded. But, then again, she had never noticed any of the travels passing though the village to be so different, either... She was never able to speak to any of them, to know they were, in some way, different from her and the rest of the village.

"Silly, there are no Elders really in a human village." Lehona could not help herself from softly laughing. Bringing a small hand up to cover her mouth and nose in an attempt to hide her laughter, a few strands of ginger hair fell over her shoulder. Immediately after the giggles had subsided, Lehona stroked and twisted her hair without realizing it. While she found it amusing that Ranie was not that knowledgeable about humans and their ways, she felt quite sad for her and wondered what else she had missed out on.

"Well, when he arrived, they were not pleased. Back then, the humans were quite intolerable. They feared anyone that did not look like them. They then took that fear and turned it into hate. Mami said that they felt threatened by things they did not understand." Still twisting the thin strands of hair, Lehona's nose cringed as she spoke. Her voice was soft but she had told the with an emotion that was quite uncommon of her.

Shaking her head, forcing her to let go of the hair that she had been idly toying with. Her beautiful features twisted into an expression of distaste and her nose wrinkled up once again. It was really unfair of the village to treat her father the way they had, but she also knew that humans had a great, warm love in them as well.

"Not all humans are like this, I will admit. My mother had been human, but she was understanding, considerate and loving. Nothing like the others.." It was still difficult for Lehona to speak about her mother as she did now. The memories she had were wonderful, but it was still sad to reminisce of such a great woman. Just knowing that she would never share a beautiful day like this with her mother again caused tears to burn her eyes. Feeling uncomfortable having Ranie watch her cry, Lehona forced herself to look away and hide the tears that threatened to fall.

"Even though I am half a human, I cannot understand their sometimes cruel ways and yet at the same time I wish to know all that I can about their kinder, softer, more loving ways. They are both fascinating and frustrating at the same time. Have you ever known something or someone to be that way?"

(( Sorry for such a late reply ;.; I blame school.. And, I've lost my thought for this.. this post will be a little shorter than the others.. Next one will be better, I promise! ))

" No Elders..?" Ranie frowned at this idea, but didn't ask about who made the decisions, blushing as Lehona giggled at her. She brushed her hair over her face in an atempt to hide the blush, smiling at her.

" Humans.. they sound like the people from my village.. Not liking others because of their differences.. " Ranie said quietly, a frown crossing her still pink face at seeing Lehona become upset.

Maybe she shouldn't ask anymore about Humans, from Lehona.. It didn't seem to be a good topic for her... She didn't answer Lehona's question, only being able to think of the creatures that lived in the forests surrounding her village. Comparing Humans to the forest animals didn't seem a good idea either.

Instead, Ranie scooted close to Lehona and gave her a tiny hug before retreating away again, hoping that she hadn't crossed over her boundries too far.

Moving her small hand to meet Ranie's, Lehona silently comforted her new companion and also to let her know that she appreciated the small hug. It had not been her intention to discourage conversation as she now felt that she had done. So, while wiping her eyes, Lehona forced herself to smile once again.

"Do forgive me, I do not wish to turn you completely off to the idea of humans or say that they are all as mean. My mother died a few months back and it is still a bit difficult for me to speak of her with others." Her eyes were apologetic as she spoke, but she attempted to keep the smile going with much success. Wiping a wisp of ginger out of her eyes she sighed softly.

"It would appear that all races have their similarities to others and no one can be absolutely right." She laughed and no longer had to force herself to keep the smile on. For the first time since she had come to the lake, she did not think of her crossbow or the Lord that had been chasing her. Lehona was here, in this moment. Enjoying the company of a Moon Elf.