The forest was falling asleep for the winter. She could feel the chill in the air and the trees leaves hung suspended in the air in fiery autumn colors. The trees themselves though, were not anywhere she looked. A decent amount of skeletal trees, trees long dead, were scattered about and there were many shadows from the still living trees, but when ever she tried to look at a tree, or follow the sound of a singing bird or other small creature it was simply not there. So she walked, hugging herself as she moved. For the most part she had stopped trying to use her eyes to see like she had been able to see. It was not the same…

Tears gathered in her eyes, filling the slit she was looking through to see the ground. She picked her way carefully, looking for shadows so she could avoid slipping on a root. Her sight blurred from the tears and she slowed to a stop. Her mother… her mother had cast her out because of her eyes. It was all his fault, all his… Ivory angrily whipped away her tears and took a deep breath.

What she needed now was a fresh start. She didn’t know many places around Imythess though, just Cascadea. Well, that was somewhere to start at least. Back to Cascadea it is! With a goal now in mind she continued on her way, wondering if she should try and fly there. It would be faster after all.

(( OOC: Hope I gave you enough to reply to and I hope it's not too long. >.>; I tend to post long, but don't be afraid to ask me to tone it down a bit, it's not a big deal. =) ))

The clash of metal against metal rang out through the evening air, signaling to all around them that a battle had ensued. With its purpose unknown, all it would accomplish is to disturb the woodland creatures that took upon the vacancy of the trees. Again the clash would reign supreme throughout the forest, followed by a few more clashes and then a sudden skidding noise.

With his feet shifting backwards beneath him, he felt the sheer force of the creatures strike against his blade, but waver he wouldn’t. The second his feet would grind to a halt and his legs would relax back into their stance once again, he would bring his massive blade down and sling it back over his right shoulder, “You’re a very annoying creature, y’know that?” Cocking his head off to the side slightly, a faint smile crossed his lips. It wasn’t often he enjoyed fighting, but he wasn’t always able to stand toe to toe with many others. In fact, he was more like the little kid that every picked on because he wasn’t like the rest, but what was he now…? Without a chance to find an answer, the creatures large blade came down upon him with a grave elegance.

Lifting the blade from his shoulder, his free hand would come to meet the blunt side of it in order to add extra support to it. As the blade came down to a parallel base with the ground, his frame would drop down towards a single knee and both of his arms would force themselves up and forward to bring the blade up and against the creatures. Another clang would echo, this time the vibrations from it shook the blade violently in his hands, threatening to rip it straight from his hands grip. Bit by bit the weight of the creatures blade against his would continue to force him down to a kneeling stance, but he would hold it there to simply regather himself before pushing into action again. Concentrating all of his strength into the next attack, he would force upwards and against the strength of the creature and his blade, only to press it back with his own. But he would draw his arms in towards his chest ever so slightly, only to allow the creatures blade to draw inches closer to his face, before forcing his arms forward and knocking the blade back and from his. At that exact instant, his left would glide itself along the blunt edge before meeting with his other just at the hilt. In one smooth and fluid motion the hands would join as one and turn the blade effortlessly in the other direction, before snapping it forward with all the force he could muster.

Glints of light fragmented itself off the angled surfaces of the blade from the setting sun, only to signal the blades oncoming presence to his enemy. But it was much too late, as the blade continued its outwards arc and crashed itself straight into its target, the blade. Making a rough contact at the mid-point on the creatures blade, the shear force of the blow would cause the very blade to bend and warp in its attempt to escape, but it would be at that instant in which it would snap in half and fall scattered across the ground bellow.

Following through with the motion, he would bring the blades tip down and to the ground just off to his left flank. He would turn the blade in his hands, just in case he needed to make another defensive strike, but it would rest solely upon the creatures choice at this point. His chest rose and fell in rapid succession, signaling his tiredness from the events, but by no means did it mean weakness and the one to think that would be sadly mistaken. Drawing in a deep breath, he would speak in a soft melodic tone, “I will let you leave beast, but I want you out of these forests. I find you here again and the next time will go a lot differently, understood?”

The creatures eyes narrowed at the threat, but made no motions to continue this altercation. Instead, it would simply turn and lumber off through the shadows of the forest, leaving this annoyance behind, only to begin its chaos anew somewhere else.

Heaving an exasperated sigh, he would rise again to an erect stance; and bring the blade to a vertical base with the ground. Tilting his head backwards, his emerald eyes would trace the evening skies, taking notice of the orange shades of the clouds and also the deep purples. It was truly a beautiful sight, especially after such a draining experience, but it wasn’t until that point that he noticed how exactly draining it really had been. Taking in another deep breath, he would rock backwards only to fall freely to the earth bellow. The thick grass seemed to cushion his fall, almost making it seem as though he were falling into a bed of pillows. Releasing a satisfied, “Ah!” he would relax his body and bring his hands up and behind his head, “Now I can finally relax…”

As she made her way through the forest, not able to see anything as she remembered seeing it, a familiar sound reached her, the sound of a metal blade. A fight? Ivory paused. She didn’t want to be involved in any sort of fight. Instead of going any closer she looked around and saw what was left of a hollowed out dead tree not far away. That looked like a good place to stay out of sight.

She made her way through the not quite unseen living forest to get to the dead tree. Once there she slipped inside it and curled up, she held her breath. She heard another sound of metal hitting something and then a voice. Ivory was too far to hear what was being said. She took a shallow breath and the sound changed. The sounds shifted, moving further away. ‘They must be leaving.’ She thought to herself and waited another moment before clamoring out of the dead tree. The elf took a moment to dust the debris off.

She turned so she wouldn’t be heading the same way the sound had gone and continued to try and find her way through the forest. There may have been an easier way then walking, but she honestly didn’t know who else was around. She couldn’t risk people seeing her wings. Perhaps she could try flying out of the forest after nightfall.

Then the forest seemed to open up and she looked around once more. A clearing revealed itself as she let her gaze skim across it. There was something there. She looked again and saw a man lying on the ground. She stiffened, thinking he was dead, but as she looked at him he faded away just as the grass around him did. She took a step back, intending to go around him, and managed to run into a tree she really couldn’t see.

(( OOC: Lol, I got caught up in the typing of this post. Hope it won't conflict with your reply. Oh and I really like the whole blind idea. =) Just thought I should say that, lol. ))

A tiny black furred rabbit cautiously hopping out from behind the sanctity of a nearby tree and then over to his Master’s slumbered looking form. Pausing just shy of his Master’s face, he would lightly nudge his nose against his ear, exhaling rapidly all the while, which caused Varonen to lightly swat at him in response, and offer a simple cut it out. The tiny rabbit would reel back from the offending hand, but heeded not to a word that his Master would say. Again he would nudge his nose against his ear in hopes of sparking some more life into him. It wasn’t like he was trying to be a pest or anything, but to merely make sure that he had been alright.

Varonen grew annoyed at the rabbits consistent badgering, but he wouldn’t get mad at him. Oh no, he would have something much better in store for the persistent rabbit. With a wicked grin, a ferocious growl would escape his throat as he sat up quickly, his hands immediately jolted out towards the rabbit. Scooping up the now petrified rabbit into his hands, he would release another growl and roll upon his back again, before rolling off in a barrel like fashion off to his left. The rabbit released a loud squeal and fought to escape the gripping hands, but it was at that instant in which Varonen would release him to hop off a good few yards away from him. A melodic laughter escaped his lips as he simply watched the distraught appearance of the rabbit staring at him, “You should’ve seen you, Geist! Now that’s what I call revenge, but I guess it was kinda mean, hm?” He paused almost as if waiting for the rabbit to respond, but nothing would come other than an unwavering stare, “Okay, okay. I’m sorry big guy, I was just having fun, and apparently you didn’t think it was so fun. You’re such a grouch.” With that said, he would push himself up to his feet and dust off his clothes out of habit. Glancing down at the rabbit again, he had noticed it made no move and still continued to stare at him, “What’s wrong?”

There would be no time to inform his Master of the creature behind him, so he had hoped that he had taken notice of the beast. But it wouldn’t appear so as the massive blade careened down towards the back of his Master’s neck. Breaking its peering gaze from the blade and to his Master’s lips, he would watch as they moved in rapid succession with no audible tone to them. And at that instant a thick layer of tan like shelling washed across his Master’s entire torso, almost as if he had embalmed himself in some sort of cocoon. When the last bit of shelling covered his Master’s torso, the blade would come into a rough contact with his neck, but the shelling would hold, only to crack partially in its effort to deflect the massive blade.

In majestic elegance, a blade would slew itself from its sheath and bring itself out in a large arcing fashion, as its wielder would throw itself into a graceful spin. The beast would hold no chance in raising guard against such an attack and without much resistance the blade would cross across the chest of the beast, sending sprays of blood off into the air and upon the ground. Once the blade was lowered again to the angelic beings side, the beast would topple backwards with a loud thud. Straightening out his stance once again, the dignified looking angel had drawn its gaze down towards the fallen beast, but pity would partake upon his features. With a conflicted sigh, he would lightly tread his way over to the demon’s side and drop to a single knee. With a free hand, he would place it over the creature’s chest and begin uttering an incoherent incantation which would imbue his hand with a deep blue hue. Quickly the light would spread across the beast’s body, but all of its workings would focus solely upon the wound that splayed its flesh apart. Bit by bit the wound would converge itself to a near like closed state, before the light would once more fade into nothingness. Heaving a light grunt, his slouched form would rise to an erect stance, before turning its gaze off towards the tree line, having now noticed the woman who had been standing there, “I cannot grant life twice beast. You failed to heed my words before and you tasted the blade of rage. Be gone and this time do not return, you stand little chance at defeating me, even when you held the upper hand. Acknowledge your defeat and learn from it, don’t be foolish.” Parting from the creature’s side, he would begin to pace his way towards the woman, his wings settling themselves behind him once more. It had felt good to stretch them out every now and then, instead of constantly wearing them like a cloak as he had so often done.

Faltering in his steps, he would lightly toss the short sword in his hand off towards the large blade he has recently been wielding. Returning his attention back upon the woman, his voice would sound in a melodic tone, “Why hello there, I’m Varonen Skeirs and who might you be?” Emerald eyes would part from hers for a brief moment, only to cast themselves over his shoulder and towards the spot where the beast had once rested, but no longer. With a simple nod of satisfaction, his eyes would return themselves to hers, “Do not worry, that creature should be long gone by now.”

The rabbit tilted its head to the side, carefully watching as Varonen abandoned the beast and headed towards the woman. A stupid move it had been to take his eyes off such a creature, but he knew his Master was right in his choice; however foolish it may seem. After all, he had successfully defended himself in a blind instance against the thing, what more could it do to endanger Varonen? Looking back at the spot the demon had been, he would notice it would be there no longer, which was for the better…

The sounds of battle reached her again, though only for an instant. She thought she saw bits of the fight before her and simply hoped that the tree she could feel, and see just out of the corner of her eye, was thick enough to hide her from the sight. There was no problem with her hearing though, and she knew the sound of wings when she heard them.

She then heard the winged creature move closer to her, knowing it was the winged one as his wings settled into place as he came toward her. That answered her question of weather or not he could see her. Obviously he could or he wouldn't be approaching her. That was not her plan, but if he could fly perhaps...

He spoke then and she tried to focus on him. It didn't work, as he simply wasn't there and all his clothing seemed ghost-like or like it was in a mist. No doubt it was because it was so close to a living thing. Mentally cursing herself she shifted her gaze to past him. A human figure came into sight, but no details. When ever her gaze shifted to try and focus on him it did the exact opposite. Stubbornly the looked past him in order to see at least a mist covered version of the man.

"Ivory." She murmured, hoping that he had no idea who she was. She didn't want to meet anyone who would know her when she wasn't able to see like this. She had to go, had to get away from the people she had known before she became marked as tainted like her father had said she would become. She couldn't let them know, ot those who had known her before.

A slight frown of discontent would cross his countenance at her lack of words; normally people would talk his ear off, but not this woman. Was it something he said or did, or perhaps she was worried he would cause her harm…? Surely, that would be the excuse, after all most women didn’t like the sight of battle or to be partaken upon by one who had just exited such a conflict.

Taking a step backwards, he would bring his right arm out in a downward swing until it met itself just at his mid-drift, before offering a bow in her direction. Again his words would come, this time taking on a soft subtle tone, “I mean you no harm, I’m sure the fighting has you worried that I have malicious intent, but I assure you that you have nothing to worry about.” Rising back to his erect stance once more, he would offer her a coy smile, before turning his attention off to Cypher.

Cypher had been a tiny dragon, just barely larger than that of a human hand, but it was well enough to handle its own even against some of the biggest brutes. The soft patter of his wings seemed to resonate within his elven ears, but it would flitter to a sudden stop as the tiny dragon came to a rest just upon his shoulder.

Lifting a single hand up to his shoulder, he would lightly rub the top of the dragon’s head with the tip of his index finger, before moving to brush a few wayward strands of his onyx colored hair from his eyes. Bringing his full attention back to the woman before him, he would usher a hand off towards the small tiny black rabbit at his feet, “Allow me to introduce a few of my companions. There’s Geist, a rather cumbersome rabbit, but he’s always been at my side when I needed him. And….” His hand would then lift up towards the dragon on his shoulder, where he then would point to it, “This little guy here is, Cypher. He’s helped me out of a quite the few binds I’ve gotten myself in, but I’m sure I’m boring you with all of this.” A slight frown crossed his features, as he looked off into the trees that surrounded them, not looking at anything in particular before speaking again, “Besides, it looks like you have somewhere to be Ivory, and perhaps the woods aren’t such a safe place for you right now…” He had a feeling she really didn’t want to be here as it were, so it was probably best for her to leave now instead of waiting. Besides, it wasn’t like he had much luck with women as it were, most either scoffed at him or simply did their best to ignore him…

A scratch on her arm started to itch. She absently brushed it, not noticing that the shallow cut had bleed some and was attempting to scab over. The stranger tried to be disarming and hospitable, but it didn’t help her nerves any. She was unable to see the others he mentioned. Ivory was able to see his movements and could guess what he was moving by the location of the blur of motion. She closed her eyes in frustration.

“I’m sorry, I am…” She murmured, trying to listen more now that her sight seemed so helpless. “But I can’t see you, or your companions.” She tried to see him again with her fogged over eyes. Her eyes darted quickly past him and colors came to sight for a moment before being swallowed by the fog. “I can hear you well enough, but I can’t see right.”

Admitting the difficulty brought tears to her eyes. The tears didn’t fall though. Not yet at least. Instead Ivory took a deep breath and then another. There was no need to get emotional. “I’m sorry to be a burden, but could you direct me to the city of Cascadia? There were some people I knew there when I was younger that may be able to help me now. The problem is finding the place.”

Just as soon as he had disregarded her from his company, she would speak a few words that would bring his full attention to her once again. Was she actually serious? She couldn’t see either one of them, but how could she have navigated this far through the forest being in the state she claimed…? Normally the blind couldn’t guide themselves, but instead had to rely on other help, but there was one exception to that fact and that was Aiden.

What she had told him came to him as a slight shock, but during the silence between them his eyes would flitter across hers; noticing the liquid pooling within them, but shed it they would not. Upon seeing this, a faint smile would cross his lips, before speaking in a soft tone, “There’s no need to worry, Ivory. I can be your guide there if you wish it so. Just let me know, would you rather walk or did you have some other idea in mind of getting there?” As soon as he had finished speaking, his wings would stir restlessly in response to his own question, perhaps hinting that they might just be the other means of getting there, but the choice was entirely hers after all.

“A Guide?” She said. Her gaze moved to him shocked by this. He completely vanished from her sight when that happened. “But I don’t need a guide, I need to find Yul or Akilan, or perhaps their children. They’re humans so I don’t know if they will still be around, but I have to try. They are the only ones I know who might know…” She stopped talking. She didn’t want to tell this person that she thought she had been cursed some how. Her mother acted like she was something horrible now, something tainted. Her father had always said she wouldn’t be safe to keep. He had wanted her mother to abandon her. Her mother hadn’t and now there was no doubt that her mother wanted nothing to do with her.

They had lived in Cascadia then. Her mother had been her protector and her father had ignored her. Akilan had been the closest she had to a friend. She was a show off and had dragged Ivory along with her. Akilan’s cousin Yul became a friend too after a few years. They were both part of a merchant family who owned a large bit of land not far from Cascadia. Akilan’s family lived in town in a nice house with their shop next store.

“I just need to know how to get there from here. Just…” She took a breath before insisting, “I can get there on my own. I’ve gotten this far and I don’t want to be a burden.”

A soft laughter resonated forth from the depths of his larynx at the sheer thought of her being able to guide herself, should he tell her the direction. He knew it was a foolish choice to make and wanted no part in sending her on her way and end up getting hurt or killed because of it. The woods were dangerous and if she really couldn’t see him, how could she manage to see whatever would be out there to cause her harm? A guide would be much better for her, someone to keep an eye out for her even when she couldn’t do so herself. But he knew she wouldn’t listen to reason, most never did.

Lifting his right arm off to a parallel base with the ground, a lone digit would stretch and point in the direction Cascadia had been. It was a jerk thing to do, seeing as she couldn’t see him, but he would have to be a bit crude in order to prove his point to her, “The place you want is in that direction, but I don’t see how you expect to find someone in a city full of people when you can’t even see them yourself. It really makes no sense, but whatever you choose, m’lady. Just remember, these woods are more dangerous than they seem and without a guide, you won’t know what’s out there until it hits. But again, this is your choice; I wish you the best of luck.”

To add to his act, he would rock back and flop, bum first upon the ground before crossing his legs and resting his hands within his lap. Shooting her a glance for a brief instance, a slight grin would cross his lips, “I offered myself as a guide, a person to escort. You never asked for that, but I had offered it. You refused to take the offer, so you’re on your own, since you think you’re so independent. I’m not trying to be mean, I’m trying to prove a point.” He had no intentions of releasing her to the wild whims of the woodlands alone. Even if she did trek off on her own and didn’t take his offer, he would still follow her even if she didn’t like it.

She stood frozen for a moment. He had pointed. She had heard it and from his words she knew that was what he had done. He pointed. She wanted to cry, to scream at him, to break something. She didn't do any of that. Instead Ivory took a deep breath and untangled herself from the tree that had caught her up. "Thank you." She said. Her voice tight. She moved into the clearing, making a wide circle around him.

Ivory didn't dare look back at him. She didn't want to let him know how his words had hurt her. She knew he would see her next move, but now she didn't care. She really didn't. Ivory bent her knees slightly and spread her wings. The action caused them to appear. In the next moment she threw herself into the sky. She flew up quickly, flapping as hard as she could. She flew higher then the trees and anything else. She rose high enough that it would be hard to tell what she was. It was then that she leveled out and saw the world below her.

Her hand went to her mouth. It looked as if the world below was dead. It looked like there had been a war and nothing had survived.

(( OOC: It's a cruddy, hurried post. But I ran out of time, if you want you can start a thread in Cascadia if you wish to continue this, if not we'll say they just departed from each other upon reaching Cascadia, entirely up to you. ))

Watchful eyes traced her every moment as she moved around to the backside of him. Turning his torso, he would continue to watch her intently, at least until a pair of wings emerged into his view and with that she was gone to the sky. Heaving an annoyed sigh, he would push himself up to an erect stance, before turning fully towards the direction she had taken off into the sky from. Peering up through the slits of the thick foliage above, his eyes would find her, barely visible through it all. Was she really intending to fly to Cascadia….?

This would simply not do, was the only thought that came to mind. Perhaps he was a little too rough on her, but usually when he was being foolish like that, that sort of thing worked on him. Then again, he was much different than her. Releasing another sigh, he would bend down and pick up Geist and place him within the safety of his armor, before heading off to the clearing. Spanning his wings outwards, his knees would bend and then force him up into the air, as his wings would come down in a powerful stroke. After a mere moment, he was airborne and on his ascent up towards her. But he wouldn’t advance much closer than a few yards from her, wanting to keep just enough distance as to where she could at least still hear him, “Look, I’m sorry. I didn’t want to seem like a jerk, but I guess that’s the way it came out. It wasn’t my intentions, so again I’m sorry. But you wanted to get to Cascadia, right? I won’t escort you or guide you, but if you happen to want to follow me, I won’t argue. I have to go there anyway, there’s some people I’ve been avoiding to visit there, but I suppose now is just as best time as any.”

Within a mere second, he was off again, this time in the direction of Cascadia, but maintaining a decent speed to ensure she could gather his direction, before he would venture too far for her follow. Shooting a quick glance behind him, he would make sure that both Cypher and her had been following him, before picking up his speed on his way to Cascadia.

((OOC: I wasn’t planning on having her fly there at all. The curse is new to her and she doesn’t know how to handle it.))

Ivory didn’t see him follow her. When his voice reached her, she knew. It didn’t surprise her and she was instantly grateful. The sound seemed to bring her back to reality. It was good to know someone was there even if she couldn’t really see him. She stopped mid-air and hovered a bit. She was loosing some height doing that. It was sort of the idea. She didn’t try to follow him when he flew away from her. Below her the view never changed. It was dead. All of it was dead. A sob would escape her then. The enormity of the fact she could no longer see living things now lay before her in a vast wasteland covered in a strange mist that parted when she looked at it. The mist revealed only death. If he hadn’t joined her in the sky she had no idea what she would have done.

“Varonen, I can’t. I need… I need to walk.” She said, hoping he was close enough to hear her. She closed her eyes. She felt ill. The lush forest was gone to her sight. At least on the ground she could feel the trees she couldn’t see. She could hear the animals too. To see it all gone like that. Everything, gone. She couldn’t fly with that below her. It would have to be at night. She would have to fly only at night. Either that or she needed a blindfold. If she did that she would need a guide.

She kept her eyes closed tight and reached her arms out blindly. She didn’t want to be alone right now. She had never felt so alone as she had when she first looked down and saw that.

(( OOC: Yea, I was hurried and didn't have much time to think on anything. I probably had like maybe a minute to post up the reply, lol. So it was really rushed and I couldn't spend my normal time thinking on it like usual. ))

Noticing that she hadn’t even begun to follow him and instead remained stationary in her current position, his wings would force themselves sharply towards the direction he was heading, only to cancel out his current speed and bring him to a dead standstill. Turning slightly, his eyes would focus upon her as the words still had trailed their way to his ears. After all, his hearing had been much more advanced than that of normal humans.

Lifting a lone hand to his face, he would idly tap a single finger against his temple, contemplating to himself for a few moments. Any normal person probably would have left her to fend for herself, so why hadn’t he…? It wouldn’t be that hard, after all she couldn’t see; but he wasn’t any normal person either, he had a moral code and that was not to leave anyone that needed assistance alone, regardless if they wanted it or not. She herself wasn’t like anyone he had ever met and had helped. First she wanted it, but then she didn’t and now she did again. She was like a jigsaw puzzle that just couldn’t be solved, but he wasn’t much for puzzles either. Perhaps he would give it one more shot and if she didn’t like it, then she would have to fend for herself. At least if he could get her out of this forest, then maybe things would be much easier for her and he wouldn’t have to worry about helping her so much.

As much as he had loved the forests, there were stories that groups of bandits would use it as a cover to rob the unsuspecting and to him, she would fit the description better than most. Perhaps, that was what worried him so much, but then again… A light growl escaped his throat as the thoughts in his head continued to jumble over the other, and ultimately made no sense in the end. Shaking his head slowly, he would make his way back to Ivory, before taking her hand up within his, “I’m sorry, I guess I’m not so good at this…I’m trying…I really am, just bear with me okay?” He gave her hand a light squeeze, hoping to somewhat comfort her and let her know that he was going to help her.

Again he would speak, but this time in a soft comforting tone, “Now, we’re going to need to get back to the ground. I’m not too sure you’re familiar with this or not, but on the count of three, I want you to let the air out of your wings and I will let you know again when I want you to flap them again to soften the landing, think you can handle that? If not, we can glide down nice and easy if you wish.” He made no further motions, until she was ready to follow through with them.

She felt his hand touch her and his voice reached her. She closed her fingers around his hand and kept her eyes closed. "No, I should apologize. I can see, just not... just not living things. Everything is dead. There's nothing there to see. I'm probably trying too hard. I'm not used to seeing like this. I don't know what's wrong. So, I'm sorry."

She felt defeated. It was like she had failed somehow. It just meant she would need to be able to accept help when it was offered. It had been a mistake to refuse his help. Ivory was just glad he was still going to help her get where she needed to be.

"I think I can go ahead and try the first way. It sounds familiar. Though gliding down would get us further before walking. I just can't fly with the world looking like that. I can't fly over a world with nothing alive in it. What ever you want to do is fine. I just... can't..." She squeezed her eyes tight, afraid of seeing it again. She still had the image in her mind though. The entire world looked dead! It was as far as she could see! No. No. No! The entire world was not like that!

Ivory realized that she was starting to panic. She took a deep breath and held it for a moment. Then she breathed out slowly. "I'm sorry." She said again, feeling horrible and still a bit ill.

Debating for a moment upon what she said, an odd look would cross his visage. She was an odd one; a person who could not see living, but instead dead. Though now was not the time to think on it, it was probably wise to get her to the ground before she would freak herself out and ultimately turns things from bad to worse. While gliding would be probably much easier for her, it probably wasn’t the best option to choose right now, because the longer she was up there more she could freak out, so speed would play a better part in this.

Clearing his throat, he would offer her a few words of comfort, “Don’t apologize, I understand why you’re not so trusting. And it’s best that you don’t trust people, but you can trust me. Now…shall we? On the count of three, we will drop and I will give you the word the second I want you to cancel out our free fall. Okay…one…two…three.” It was on that cue when he would release the air from his wings by simply shifting their positioning and launch himself into a free fall, making sure to time it with hers exactly so there would be no means of separating the two of them. When they began approaching the ground though, he would speak up in a sharp loud tone, “Annnnnnd, now!” In a rush his wings would bend and lurch forward to bring a sharp gust of air out and down to cancel his free fall, hoping she would do the same.

Drifting slowly to the ground, his feet would touch gracefully upon the ground almost as if he had practiced doing that his entire life. Gripping her hand still, he would smile at her briefly, “That wasn’t so bad was it…?” Taking his eyes from her for a moment, they would scan across his surroundings, before focusing upon a certain direction, which would rest directly off to his right, “Well, from what I measure, we’re not too far off from Cascadia, we should make it there before nightfall. Shall we?” Again he would wait, resting upon her word of approval, just in case she wanted to take some time to calm down from the experience she just had.

She listened carefully to him. On his cue she folded her wings. The rush of air felt better. Ivory couldn't help opening her eyes just a bit to see how far the ground was. Just after she did Varonen called for her to open her wings again to catch the air once more. Her feet touched the ground and she opened her eyes again. In the corner of her eye she saw trees. He was talking again. How was she supposed to see who was talking to her?

Deciding to deal with one problem at a time, Ivory nodded. She smiled slightly. It was not a happy smile but one to show gratitude. She didn't know if he could tell the difference. "Thank you. We can go now."

Then there was a problem. Part of her didn't want to let go of his hand. It was a connection with the living she could no longer see. On the other side of it she felt like she was holding him back somehow. She would be able to follow him if she tried listening more and didn't look right at him. She decided to leave that decision to him. She owed him that much for turning his help down. He could help her how ever he wanted to. Within reason at least. She hated feeling that weak and incapable. She hated not seeing like she had before. It had to be a curse or something.

(( OOC: I really apologize if this is cruddy, but I figure it will be this post, then yours and I will finish it up then. And we'll start a new in Cascadia if you so wish. ))

Settling his gaze back down up her, and then to the hand that bound the two of them together, a faint shade of red gathered across his cheeks. Never had he really been this close to a woman, or even held their hand, because most of the time it was either rapping him in the side of the head or cuffing him across the face. In false attempts he would make an attempt to settle his nerves, but the thought of them holding hands seemed to override all thoughts of reasoning and assurance. Deciding to spend no further time thinking about it, he would turn towards the direction of Cascadia, his hand gripping hers firmly, but yet gentle enough not to cause her discomfort, “I really hope you don’t think ill of me….” His voice would trail off into the nothingness around them for a brief moment, “I just didn’t want you to venture off alone and get hurt or worse…” His voice grew grim and then quickly died off as a frown crossed his features, “Never mind…I sound foolish, lets go.”

Without wasting another moment, he would begin off in the direction of Cascadia, making sure to keep a speed at which she could easily keep pace at. Weaving this way and that, his arm would sling itself behind him, moving in the directions his body did as it avoided trees, hoping she would catch onto the directions she should follow by the movement of his arm. So while he would barely skim the trees, she should be able to miss them by a good few inches if she would follow in the manner he would instruct. After a while of walking, the silence began to get slightly annoying and there had been a question burning at the tip of his tongue that he just had to ask her, “You said you were going to Cascadia, to see some people. How are you so sure that they can help you or that they even know what’s wrong with you…? But if it’s none of my business, please ignore me then. I probably shouldn’t be asking anyway.” Why did he always do that…? Releasing a soft inaudible sigh, his attention would return fully to the woods before him, “I hope I’m not being a pain, it’s just I’m not all too comfortable around women…” Again the red tint gathered across his cheeks, at least until he had thought of his Sister. She had been a woman, but he was never uncomfortable around her, but was that really one in the same? After all, it had been his sister and not a complete stranger like Ivory had been.

((OOC: That sound good. I do have a topic in Cascadia already. I guess, if you want a topic there it can be before that one. Or something like that.))

Ivory almost insisted that it was fine for him to be her guide. Then he said never mind. She decided it would be best to stay silent after that. It wasn’t as if she had anything else to say. He started off after he finished talking. She was glad he kept hold of her hand. There was no way she would have been able to keep up with him without it. Her pace before had been hard and slow. There were also many unseen trees in the way that she had to find by hand. Now she needn’t worry.

After a short time she began to worry anyways, but not about trees. Had she made him angry some how? Was he only helping her out of pity? She was a burden then, a cursed elf lost in the woods? His voice reached her then and she tried to look his way. In doing so she found a startling discovery. She could make most of him out by looking past him! She saw his wings and a head of black hair. His arm and her own were a bit blurred, but there as long as she didn’t look right at them.

“It’s not a problem. Really.” She replied quickly. He was a worrier too then. Her mother had always done that. She worried too and was glad that seemed to be the cause of the silence. “They should be able to help me, I think. They are humans and humans live fast and learn quickly. They have to with such short lives. Yul was going off the Academy of Magic when I left there 38 years ago. He had a rather uncanny knack for making any spell he cast nearly twice as powerful as it should be. I’m sure he’s an Archmage or something by now. Akilan was a merchant’s daughter and loved to hear all sorts of stories. She can also sing like a bird. If she’s still in the area she might be in charge of her family’s business. Though I suspect she had gone off to see the world. I don’t really think either of them can help me solve this, but they might know who can.” She fell silent for a breath. “It’s a place to start. That’s all. I don’t know too many other people.”

She didn’t want to go into the teasing she had gotten from the other human children. She had grown so slowly compared to them. With her wings and white skin they always made her the ‘angel’ and tried to make her play games where they would capture her. She didn’t like those games. Not when they forgot to let her go. Or when they got bigger then her and decided they could play without asking her to. That was when she had learned to just fly away. She shivered slightly. Those were not good memories. Her fingers tightened around his a bit.

(( OOC: Sounds fine, I can start it since I'm leading her there. ))

Human…The word didn’t often cross his mind, but he really didn’t care one race from the other. Nor did he really take much notice in which races had what traits, because it really held no concern to him. He would live his life the way he would want and die when the time would come and there would be nothing that could argue it. Although, he did remember his Mentor mentioning something about extended life being a trait of Varonen’s, which had been true. While he had appeared to be fairly young in age, he really was much older than he had appeared, but that was the quirk of his race.

Listening to her words only brought on more questions that jumbled through the idle thoughts in his head, but he would do his best to quell them for the time being. After all their main focus had been Cascadia and Cascadia alone. Having promised her they would be there before nightfall, he would have to hold true to his word and would utter nothing more than a simple, “It’s better to have hopes than to drown with none.” And at that, he would simply cast a quick glance back to her before offering a brief smile. He knew she couldn’t see it, but he didn’t want to feel as though he was treating her any differently than anyone else, after all. She could handle herself well enough without him, within time. Feeling her hand gripping tighter to his, a faint smile would grace his lips as they continued on their path to Cascadia….