It'd been so long, so very long since he was able to finally let go. He wanted nothing more than to forget that there was a world around him, that existence still haunted followed him as precisely as a shadow. For the first time in his life he felt tired, but not the sleepy tired, the full body refusing to work tired. He took his last couple of steps before falling to his hands and knees. The shirtless Elf stretched his wings, trying to have them lead him back to a standing position but it was no use, he was drained. It didn't matter now though, he was in a sanctuary of his own, Richimon Lake. He inhaled deeply and exhaled everything that troubled him, the death of loved ones, the loss of Lilith, the scars that plagued his dreams, and his best friend in all of Imythess, Meera, was no where to be found, her temple destroyed.

Astalder struggled, but managed to make it to his feet, he was finally in nirvana, he was invincible as far as he was concerned. Nothing could touch him, he was at peace for the few brief moments he could spend here. He slowly walked towards the lake in a trance like state. His foot dipped into the water and an invigorating sensation ran up his spine. The water was not cold nor hot, rather it felt no different than as if it was a cloudless spring day and a breeze that held no temperature continuously passed over him. With each step Astalder sank deeper and deeper into the lake, embracing it's mystical power of peace and bliss.

Astalder lay face up in the water, his wings acting as a floatation raft for him. He looked up at the star speckled sky. It was a beautiful night, so beautiful it looked as if the trees themselves seemed to be reaching up, trying to touch just one star from his perspective. Astalder picked his head up slightly to make certain his belongings were still safe. He saw his quiver, bow, tunic, and one of his belts resting by a tall looming tree. He smiled and rested his head back in the pool, his hair branching out away from his head in wild shapes and forms.

Mar Thysi, his Fae horse, circled around his head before diving into the calm waters, creating an adorably miniature splash. Thysi continued his journey, swimming around the perimeter of Astalder's body, occasionally swimming up and licking his ear to make sure his master wasn't dead. A chuckle and a gentle brush was enough to get the Fae swimming again. Astalder brought his blade with him in case something went wrong, which something almost always went wrong when it came to Astalder. He made sure he hide it behind him though, under the water so that if any attacker should show up, it would seem Astalder was unarmed. He gathered some water and spit it into the air and began backstroking laps about 20 feet away from the edge of the lake.

Meera's steps fell lightly across one of the lesser traveled paths to Richimon lake. The few plants that she stepped on, lifted back up as her weight passed elseware leaving no traces that anyone had even passed by this direction. A half-elf by nature, old habbits died hard. But unlike normal, Meera's head hung low. She wore her amber hair up like she usually did for trapsing through the woods, but the strands that had escaped and hung down by her cheekbones, she didn't even bother to push back behind her slightly pointed ears. Her golden emerald eyes had a dull look to them, unlike the normal amused glinting gaze. It had been a hard year for Meera, and she had yet to make an actual appearence in Imythess for a long time. Still not ready to face any villagers after having lost her deity powers, Meera decided that she would rather stick to the woods and the landscapes that she was more comfortable in. Lately, she had been revisiting all of her old haunts that she hadn't had time to go to during her goddess period. Next on her list was Richimon Lake. She could see it glinting in the bright sunlight up ahead. A light smile graced her lips for the first time in ages. This had been one of the most calming places that she had, and being back helped to soothe her aching soul. Before Meera reached the actual lake though, she turned into the rough part of the woods. This area looked like it led no where, but Meera had been here before. Her favorite part of the lake was not easily accessible, offered some cover, but yet gave her a view of the entire area.

The moment that her boots sunk into the sandy banks, Meera set her stuff down and began to take off a few articles of clothing. She slipped off her boots, her belt, her vest, her pants, and her quiver, leaving her safely in her long tunic. She was not someone who stripped down to nothing. Meera was well aware that this lake was not private and the chances that someone else was going to join her was very likely. She was not stupid. Her excitement at reaching the lake, and eagerness for entering it had stopped her from looking around to see if anyone else was here already, but once she had neatly folded all her belongings, she lifted her head to do a quick scan. Almost immedietely, she did spy a floating figure. It was definitely a man, but he was too far away for her to identify who it was. Not so eager to talk to people, Meera was just about to pay him no mind and slip into the water herself when his position shifted the slightest bit and she was able to see his wings. She narrowed her eyes for a more precise look and took in a sharp breath. She had to be wrong. Stealing a glance at her own wings, Meera spread them out and shifted her fingers through the feathers wondering if there was the chance that she was wrong. There was no way... A long time ago, Meera had attained these winter wings. There were only a few other people who had them. The faint silvery blue sheen in stripes on them stood them apart from simple white wings. That was not the curious part though. She could have been wrong, but one of the other people who received these wings was her friend Astalder. But she hadn't seen him in so long. There was no way that they were in this completely random place at the very same time. Her heart beat picking up, Meera knew there was only one way to find out. She was going to have to approach him.

This would be the first person Meera had spoken to in a good long time. She could only hope that she didn't make a fool of herself. Lightly slipping into the water, Meera began the powerful strokes that would take her over to the man. As she got close enough for him to hear, Meera realized that startling him, if it indeed was Astalder, would not be the best course of action. A startled warrior's first instinct would be battle, and that was really not what Meera wanted. So to warn him of her approach, Meera gently sent a wave of water to crash over his face and let him know that someone else was in the water with him. She continued to near, but stopped when she was about three yards away. The sunlight was in her eyes, so she could not see his face clearly, but still she tread and waited patiently for him to turn and look. She chewed gently on her bottom lip and readied a few defensive spells in her head just in case she were to cause any trouble. Was it Astalder? Would he even remember her?

((OOC: My post was at night time XP I have an interesting twist for this however =D))

Astalder's eyes shot wide open, yet his body remained still as a corpse. The sun was up now and a few birds chirped over head, playing a quick game of chase. Dammit I fell asleep?... he wondered but that didn't matter to him now. He water gently splashing as if someone was trying to sneak over. Mar Thysi was gone, he could not feel the small Fae on his body, creating a current, or flying about. Must be looking for food... he thought.

Astalder's heart rate picked up as he heard the swimming getting closer, but he couldn't let the intruder know he knew for he enjoyed the element of surprise as well. Then something off happened. He felt an obvious wave of water fall over his head, as if the person was warning him that they were there. Why would they be doing this? Everything seemed to be happening so fast now. He spat out water and turned his head towards the source of it all. The sun catching his peripherals and the dizziness he felt from waking up was enough to smudge the newcomer's face.

Acting fast the Elf sat up and flapped his wings to get him into the air. He looked down at the tiny head that was no bigger than a bead in his hair and readied himself. He shot back down to the lake using the powerful wings, his arms outstretched. The head became bigger and bigger until... "GAH!" he managed before losing his balance and tumbling to the lake. He hit the water just behind the woman with a large splash. "Impossible..." he exclaimed although it sounded more like "Gurgle gurg..." considering he was underwater. He stayed sitting at the bottom for a moment going over what he'd just seen. Could it be?...

Astalder swam a little further way from the floating figure and broke the surface a few yards away. He cupped a hand over the right side of his eye to block the sun from impairing his vision. He floated there for a second just studying the woman. She had long amber hair that radiated off of her white... no, winter wings. It had to be her, but how? He stared at the woman, his whole body shaking a bit before a tear slid down his cheek. He made his way over to Meera and locked her in an embrace he thought he'd never be able to savor again...

((OOC: Sorry for the shortness and lack of creativity I thought I had something lol))