Posts by Lenora

Tatiana blinked, she felt as if he was keeping something from her. Her brows furrowed, and she continued to wait until he spoke. He'd be slightly kinder to her, even if he only did it out of convenience. She felt worried, as she'd been completely honest with him from the point they'd met. Whatever the issue was, it didn't appear easy to get out of him. As soon as he spoke, she was stunned into compete silence. He knew the person potentially behind the curse, the one she'd been wondering about for weeks. "H-How long have you known about this?" She questioned, almost immediately assuming he still didn't trust her. The mention of Anastasia smoothed it over a bit.

A part of her felt irritated, wondering if he kept it from her until they arrived there. While some anger boiled within her, he didn't deserve to be shouted at over such a thing. "I suppose I can see why you didn't tell me...even if that upsets me. If it was my mother, I wouldn't know what to do." She gritted her teeth, standing up from the stone bench. "As much as I want to march back there and get answers, I know it's a moronic idea." She frowned, seeing dark clouds forming in the sky. "I think we should get going, look around the village for answers." Her voice came off as strained, as she walked up into another grove. A shrine lingered there, with a ruby red flower rested in front of it. It possessed a faint glow, and she felt an familar energy off of it. She took care to not step on it. "A willow tree used to be here. It feels extremely familiar." She was soon to recall a memory, trying to take her mind away from what Keaton told her.

The woman smiled softly at Anastasia. "You may call me Serenity, and you all are safe from my corrupted brethren." Her body dissolved into a balls of light that flew towards the towering palace off in the distance. Veris stepped out with a few belongings clenched in his hand, and raised a brow at Anastasia simply standing there. "Were you having a chat with the wind?" He stated bluntly, wondering why she was lolly gagging around the village. "If you're getting lost, then follow me. I'm likely the only thing keeping you from losing yourself in our city." He held some items clenched in his hand.

Tatiana suppressed her anger towards him, the fact he was honest proved enough to her. He didn't do it because he distrusted her, his mother could've come to harm. She likely would've done the same in his position. "It would be wrong to accuse her if she's innocent." She agreed with him, even if it pained her to do so. The flower in front of her felt eerily familar. A name was etched into the plaque next to the flower. "R-Rose Mahariel." She almost couldn't mutter out the name, as if it held so much weight to it. It was her sisters name, according to the journal. Brushing her fingers against the flowers frail petals, a memory shot through her mind. Screaming was heard as a man furiously chopped at a willow tree in this grove. Blood streamed down her sisters pale body, while Rose struggled to stop the man. She saw Tatiana running to try and help her, and she screamed for her to flee to safety. Despite her pleas, her little sister tried to use vines to pull the man away. He sliced at the vines, his cold and empty eyes meeting her own. "You little b-" He growled out, until Rose punched the back of his head. He barely felt it as he trailed towards Tatiana, slamming the axe handle at her forehead. The little girl stumbled, being forced to watch as he dug the axe into the tree again. Rose screamed in agony, tears streaming down her face. Once the tree fell, her sister collapsed. That was the last thing she remembered before she passed out.

In present time, Tatiana's eyes widened considerably. The look on her face was someone who witnessed a traumatic event. She didn't mean to break down again, but she couldn't contain her emotions. Why? Why did I have to remember that..?! Her face turned towards Keaton, tears streaming down her face. "I was forced to remember...remember how my sister was killed in front of me. The willow tree was hers...a human cut it down with Rose covered in blood." Her hands trembled, telling him some details. She knew he had one goal in mind, but she needed anyone to listen. "This flower is all that's left of her."

Veris's expression remained the same, being a tiny bit amused at her nature. "Sure, and there are fairies still in this forest." He remembered them living and visiting their people long ago. His amusement slowly faded as Anastasia mentioned speaking to a dryad. One that resembled the legends much more. The name immediately made him realize who spoke to her. "You just spoke to the last ancient dryad, the one Tatiana is descended from." He gestured to the humongous tree towering over the village, almost as if protecting it. "The city was built around the ancients." He explained, before being cut off with her blurting out something shocking. "How did you know of the fountain? You haven't been here before. Though yes, there is." He felt suspicious, yet he couldn't afford to make any assumptions. "You're also sitting on a swing I built decades ago." He told her as he lifted himself up to the place she was with vines.

Tatiana's trembling didn't stop as he spoke, almost everything became numb to her. She felt the gentle pressure against her shoulder. He was actually attempting to comfort her. A small part of her thought he wouldn't give her the time of day. "I-I...the journal page said that? I'm sorry for asking you to translate that..." Her voice cracked, as she tried to control the flow of tears. Her feelings were chaotic, and the anger had been shoved aside for pure grief. She basically relived a memory from her past again, forced to recall every unpleasant thing that popped up. Why did I come out with amnesia? At least if I remembered everything, I wouldn't have to go through the pain again.

These thoughts raced through her mind as tears continued to dampen her face. Her gaze turned to Keaton, as she held back another sob. His subtle gesture of moving his arms caught he4 attention. Even if he barely cared for her, he offered some sort of comfort. She hesitated briefly, before going for the hug. Not rushing into it, it took her a moment to completely break down. "I-I know we need to stay on task..I'm sorry..." She still gave him some space in the hug, even if she wanted to hide her face. Gentle rain began to drizzle down, the raindrops mixing with her tears.

Veris found himself puzzled at this woman's knowledge. He couldn't possibly think of a reason as to how she knew. Perhaps Serenity gave her directions? No, that wouldn't make sense. He was deep in thought, though still gave Anastasia enough attention to hear her. "I built it for a little girl decades ago." He looked at his craftsmanship, as he admittedly lacked skills in building anything. Tatiana's brother had assisted in building the swing, for his little girl named Iris. "Right where we are, I used to take Tatiana through trips to the market." He wasn't going to reveal any memories of his family. Decades later, it still hurt to remember. He didn't trust her with such information. "Then what is it you're keeping from me?" He sighed, having expected secrecy from elementals.

His neutral face didn't change as she revealed the truth to him. "I see." His reply was simple, not too bothered by her secrecy. "I will tolerate this, but none of you should keep secrets from us. Or else I'd give up on this working out." He was being serious, though there wasn't any fury in his words. "I'm not going to rush after that woman unless I'm entirely sure." He grew tired of talking, and began making his way down the path.

Tatiana's sobs eventually lessened, as having anyone helped ease the pain. This would be looming over her for a long time, but they had a job to get to. She tried to blink the tears away, turning her head slightly to look at the flower. "I-I remember she had a son...probably corrupted like the rest." Her face shifted to frown, trying to shove these thoughts aside. As he slowly wrapped his arms around her, she felt shocked that Keaton went out of his way to comfort her. Their relationship hadn't been the best and he still only knew her for two months. Yet he showed sympathy when she least expected it.

As soons as Keaton began rubbing his thumb in circles on her shoulder, she managed to eventually calm down enough to breathe normally. "I can't afford to slow you both down further." She said in response to her taking a break, even if she deeply desired to. "My people are suffering...and if it means more pain, then so be it." She let out a deep sigh, looking up at him with a weak smile. Slowly withdrawing from the hug, she cleared her throat and rubbed her eyes. "Even if this flower is all that's left...she's still here with me." She turned away for one moment. "Also...Keaton? Thank you for listening to me." Her thanks was genuine, not having anticipated that sort of kindness from him. Voice still heavy with emotion, she suggested that they should try to group up with the other two.

The rain started to come down a bit harder, though not enough to cause them to run off. When they finally found the others, Tatiana's eyes were puffy from crying and her face was flushed red.

Veris huffed as he heard the girl come bolting after him, clearly everyone had issue over how he handled things. "I'm trying to your friend and Tatiana before we end up separated even more." He explained in a blunt tone, anger buried underneath the surface. As she began to talk more, he spun around to face her. "You shouldn't have approached that woman about us if you knew how far gone she was. You put yourself at risk and got wounded because of it." He took several paces ahead, his eyes turning to his old home. Her snapping about being allowed to be emotionally damaged almost flew over his head completely. All he could hear was the screams of his family as they were killed by the nature elementals.

Briefly glancing back, he caught sight of her lifting her hair up. Even though the glimpse of her ear was brief, it obviously had a point to it. He froze, abruptly turing around again. "A half dryad? How are there more of you still alive?" He sounded incredulous, as Iris was one of the few still around, having only found that out now. Taking a step towards her, the dryad already towered over Anastasia. "We'll speak more of this later, as we need to find the others." The rain was coming down harder, and they needed to take shelter.

Tatiana's body still trembled as she took steps away from the glowing flower. She wished she had Rose there with her. As the eldest out of the family, she always kept an eye out for her younger sister and brother. She'd already realized she was on her own. "Admittedly, I don't think any girl looks flattering while they cry." She wiped her eyes, as the rain began to soak them. While she didn't say anything, even she felt worried about Anastasia. Veris wasn't the most pleasant person to be around if he didn't trust you. "I know that Veris is one to linger about in one area. Though Anastasia seems much more unpredictable." She pointed out, glancing around the outside of the grove.

A nearly overgrown building lay nestled in the middle of the city, seemingly the old library. "If I can wrack my brain, I remember we had two to speak of here. One in the palace that I have access to, and the public one." Her head swiveled towards him again. "While I think the royal archives would've been protected, I'm not too sure about it." She almost continued with her sentence, until she saw Veris off in the distance. They could communicate through their emotional connection. She turned to inform Keaton of where Anastasia was. Yet they had other things to occupy their time. "I think it would be best to search the library for more books." She took several steps towards the building, her powers snapping the roots away. Pulling the large oak doors open, she almost gasped in shock. The library was completely ransacked, almost every page of literature gone from the shelves. "W-What? How is it all gone?" She gathered what few books she found, until a thought popped into her mind. "Do you have any idea how my father's journal ended up in the elemental library?" Her brows raised, now concerned and suspicious.

Veris avoided saying anything more, lest he infuriate the woman further. Her hybrid status shocked him, though he wasn't phased. "Revealing your secret to your best friend won't benefit me." He explained, obviously showing he'd keep it to himself. Barely listening to her, his eyes briefly flitted towards her as she left. This girl seemed far too emotional for the circumstances, yet he couldn't say he was any better. He still dwelled on the deaths of his family, as if it were recent. He trailed off to his childhood home, revitalizing some of the overgrown greenery.

Serenity saw the young elemental entering the palace, but chose to leave the girl be.

I guess I shouldn't worry about cluttering the thread, but I'll post something when I can come up with more for the bonds.

Tatiana grew slightly miffed with some of his comments. She was trying to remain strong, and the ransacked library hadn't helped with that. "Your sarcasm is very helpful." She muttered under breath, as she kneeled down to peruse the remaining books. Her memories were rapidly returing in the city, due to it being her place of birth. "If all the valuable literature has been stolen from here, then the only option would be to eventually head for the palace."She stated, relieved to be shielded from the rain. Finally looking at the damage to the building, it hurt to see it like that. "I think I know why this place is overgrown like it is...it was after one of our ancients were killed." She only barely clarified how important they were to the forests survival. "Many sections of the forest died off at an accelerated rate." She sat down on a wooden chair, the wood being enchanted to last. A portrait hung on the wall, showing multiple members smiling in the picture. Clearly other dryads that were important to the libraries functioning. "I-I keep feeling this strange connection to someone." She shook her head, finally turning back to him. "My people couldn't have possessed knowledge over such a thing. Though we did likely keep things in the archive." She stood up from chair, picking up what few books she found useful. "I doubt your mother would've had access, unless she went in with someone who was trusted in those halls." She said in a quiet tone, stepping outside to stare at the sprawling city. Centuries of it being full of life, now only to be dead and buried. "It's going to be strange to step foot in there again after decades." She stuttered, the image of her sister burned into her mind. Veris was soon finished with his repairs.

Serenity remained constantly present within the castle, yet gave the young woman space. No need to cause her more unease in the meantime. She cleared away the the trees blocking the paths, the ones she placed long ago to protect the rooms and secrets. Lin also lingered in these halls, yet hadn't emerged to notice a new presence within the desolate castle. In the room that Anastasia lingered in now, there resided an extremely large portrait still hanging from the wall.

The entire family forever plastered on the wall, Tatiana's childish nature clearly present in the pose she had. The little girls smile was wide, as her elder sister and brother were more professional and serious. The king and queen just above, almost protectively standing around their children. It was only slightly damaged despite decades of abandonment.

Once Anastasia recovered, Serenity decided to try and speak to the girl. "Young woman? Perhaps I could have the chance to speak with you?" She stated cautiously, trying not to unnerve her.

Tatiana narrowed her eyes at him, a root rising up behind him if he continued. Part of her wondered how he'd been kind enough to comfort her earlier. She held back any sarcasm before she irritated him further. "Maybe if I did get to age that far, I'm only 30." She states to negate what he said, walking down the slick stairs. Her long hair also fell in her face, not having cut it in literal decades. "It had to rain today of all times." She almost jolted as a little figure flew by her, and she raised a brow as it raced off. "I have no idea what that was."She sneezed, it caused by whatever flew by.

She heard yelling off in the distance. "I think I hear Anastasia calling for us. Coming from...the palace?" Finding herself surprised, she led Keaton through the twisting paths to reach the palace. Their small amount of temporary bickering wasn't necessary. "I think someone is keeping the corrupted dryads out of the city, as I haven't encountered any whatsoever." She suspected someone, but her memory was far too foggy to be confirmed. The rain began to pound down on them now, upon finally reaching the steps. A feeling rushed through her just taking the first step. Shaking her head again, she continued up the stairs with Keaton to reach the long bridge that connected the palace to the rest of the city.

Veris marched up the steps, the rain not appearing to bother him in the slightest. His ponytail sagged, causing him roughly jerk out the tie for his hair. His hair fell loose as he continued his longer journey. Not paying much mind to anything, Anastasia's voice once again came carried by the wind. He let out an audible sigh, wondering what one woman could get herself into.

He finally ran into her as she was racing across the bridge. "Shouting like this isn't wise." He stared down at the girl, once again desiring her to stay on track.

Serenity's eyes widened as the girl fled from her, she hadn't been used to contact with others in a long time. Lin remained her only ally, and he rarely came by and spoke. Almost completely consumed by the task of restoring sanity to the corrupted children.

Choosing to ignore the remark, she continued to trudge up towards the bridge. She couldn't blame him for his apprehension, he wasn't aware of who truly protected the village. Even she only could just barely recollect the woman's name. "I think I know the being keeping these corrupted dryads out." She tried to explain, despite the explanation being rather brief. Almost slipping on a step, she caught her balance at the last second. She panted, everything was beginning to tire her out. Even her legs ached from wandering about the viillage. Once they finally reached the top of the steps, she ran over to the bridge. The rain was getting bad enough for them to take shelter.

Veris grunted as the rain pelted down on them. "Regardless of what you need to say right now, it's not safe to go running out through this storm." His tone was stern, as he began to walk forward. "While we won't force you to speak with Serenity, you can't just go running off to some other area." He didn't care if she'd get angry, as he refused to go looking for her if she ran off. Tatiana immediately glared at him, mouthing at him to calm it down. The female dryad trailed over, the pain still obvious in her eyes. "I want us to stick together for now, it made me nervous to lose sight of both of you." She began walking towards the palace, as the winds began to blow. Hoping the others would follow, she trecked around the long bridge. Veris stalked not far behind, trying to shield his face from blistering winds. They'd clearly arrived at a horrible time of day.

Serenity decided to not disturb them further until the settled into the castle. If the two nature elementals decided to trust the abrasive Veris and amnesiac Tatiana. She opened the gates to the castle once Tatiana walked up the steps. Shock flowed through her upon seeing all of them.

(Hope this is fine for them to go there.)

Bump.

Once Tatiana got a clear glance at Anastasia, she clearly seemed distressed. For once, she could relate to that feeling. Her sister's death would likely continue to plague her mind, even if it had been centuries since then. Stumbling over to the fountain in the entryway, she sat down to ignore her aching legs. "If I can recall correctly, it's in the furthest section of the palace, placed away from the bedrooms and throne room. I...I think there's a ballroom? We need to pass through there." She tried to explain, and Veris found himself surprised by her remembering anything. Taking a closer look at her, he could tell she was pushing herself.

Tatiana pushed her wet hair from her face, feeling almost completely drained. She cast Anastasia a glance, having wanted to speak to her for a while. Yet this didn't seem like the appropriate time for that. "I-I can continue on, it's important we continue on." That's when Veris barged in, and forced her to sit down. He turned his head to Keaton, his expression turning stern. "If we're going to be residing within the palace for the night, then we should let them rest for the time being." He wasn't the type to budge on his options, as once he chose one, it was set in stone. Tatiana elbowed him slightly, annoyed at him changing her decisions in a whim.

Serenity watched the group, who obviously were exhausted from trampling around the city. She finally cleared her throat and walked out from one of the doors. "So you're the group that's been traveling about the area? In particular, one of you suspected me to be a threat."Her voice rung out clearly, this would be the only time she would disturb them within the palace. She kept her distance from Anastasia, who was easily unnerved by her. Her gaze turned to Keaton. "If you came here for answers, then perhaps I can give you what you need." She introduced herself, smiling fondly at Tatiana.

Tatiana's brows furrowed and she let out a huff of annoyance. Without missing a beat, she hopped up from the fountain. "Instead of all of us arguing about an ancient dryad, I'll go unlock the seal to the library. Then we can find what we're looking for. I've been overloaded with memories since I came here, but that's not important." She breathed out, starting to speed walk with the directions she gave. "Probably enough of me crying over such things as my sister's death and reliving it." She bit her lip hard, drawing blood as she directed them to the library. Serenity simply went silent, as her descendant went charging off. "Perhaps this isn't the best time, but I'll let you know who I am. Tatiana is my descendant and I'm one of the dryads that gifted our powers to your species." Her tone of voice was weak, having caused too much turmoil for the day. Only moments after, she vanished from sight.

Veris followed behind Tatiana, keeping an eye on Keaton. He had already became increasingly impatient with the dryad pair. Acknowledging the fact they needed to get a move on, he still felt concerned about Tatiana. More than just beyond his job, he protected her ever since her childhood. When he'd been much younger as well.

Once Tatiana reached the doors, she pressed her hands against the door. A bright glow came as the seal broke open. The giant doors creaked open, extremely loud due to lack of use. Tatiana didn't hesitate to go up to the fireplace first, and Veris helped her light a fire. He used some ancient logs on the fire, and it provided enough warmth to cause the shivering to cease.

Veris placed his hand on Tatiana's shoulder, giving her an unusually concerned look. She gave him a weak smile, turning to the elemental pair. "There, we should get to work on finding what can help us." She forced a cheerful attitude, as she walked over to the shelves. Her body trembled, freezing from the rain as well.

Esmeralda quickly returned from the bathroom, only to see them chuckling from her prior comment. She couldn't help but allow a small smile on her face. These people were kind enough, which she found herself grateful for. She looked to Matteo, trying to hold back her amusement with his overly dramatic nature. Giorgio cutting in on his brief monologue, almost caused her to snort. The atmosphere was much more lighthearted than at her home. She didn't trust these people yet, though they were making a good impression. Just because they were hired to protect her, didn't mean that being kind had to due with the payment. "Regardless of that, it is nice to meet you Matteo." She gave him a polite smile.

Once Giorgio spoke up, she focused all of her attention on him. "My father left it extremely ambiguous to.me. So thank you for giving me some time frame." Her stomach growled, much to her own embarrassment. "I'll keep that in mind, it wouldn't be wise to wander out with that other mafia gang around." She tapped her nails against the chair, white her other hand fidgeted. Her eyes met Bria's, noticing that the woman kept an eye on her markings.

"I actually am hungry, though I could perhaps help in some way after I unpack?" She offered, not feeling comfortable with making strangers cook for her. Having brought about two suitcases and one bag, she didn't reject the offer of help. "I would really appreciate that. If it's not too much of a bother." Her fingers grasped the handle of one of the suitcases, and then picked the bag up with her free hand. Once she was led to the room she would be staying in, she opened the suitcase to start unpacking. Having another female around felt nice, in some sort of strange way.

Bump.

Is this still open?

Would you possibly be up to do a sci-fi or mythological rp? With a gxg pairing?

I may have a few ideas, but they're a bit older. Maybe I can talk in pm so I don't spam your thread?

Tatiana held her composure, even if it was slowly growing impossible to do so. She didn't intend for this to be a trip down memory lane, but her mind evidently had other plans. "I'll go get the catalogue that lists the books, so we won't stumble around." She calmly explained, holding back any tense remarks. Veris departed from the room, eventually bringing some blankets. He kept his distance, but offered one to Anastasia. "It wouldn't be wise to let any of us get sick." His tone was almost unemotional, but the concern seemed to genuine enough. He remembered bringing Tatiana and her childhood friend into the library decades ago. Oddly enough, the little girl bared a resemblance to Anastasia. Shaking his head, he walked away and left a few blankets next to her. She was clearly on edge, and he didn't need the hybrid girl to start panicking. Him being near her likely wouldn't improve the mood.

Serenity may have been weakened, but she possessed enough power to last for another year or two. The curse on the dryads even began to consume the forest itself. Though she only decided to speak to the group until later, preferably when Anastasia fell asleep. Tatiana strolled by Keaton, climbing up the dingy ladder. It shook under her weight, as if threatening to snap. She only ignored it, pulling several books off of the shelves. Most were history books and actual catalogued events from the dryads perspective. One book focused particularly on spells that their species could perform. Veris's gaze swapped over the library, beginning his own search as well.

Still leaning against the creaking ladder, she glanced down at the catalogue in her hands. She tossed down a copy of the list to Keaton, who she knew would complain otherwise. Glancing at Anastasia once, she gave her a weak smile. "A book of forbidden spells, it's listed on the catalogue. It should be up here." Her tone came off as puzzled, but she continued to search anyway.

Minerva's limp body swung back and forth while imprisoned in the nets. Her vision was blurry and spotted, the others figures around her remaining silent. The void threatened to overtake her, as her eyes tried to adjust to the pure darkness. Only occasional snippets of light made their way through the darkness. She tried to rub her eyes, feeling some strain in her arms from the movement. The net swayed again, causing nausea to boil up in her. Upon hearing the driver's sarcastic remarks, her face twisted into a scowl. They were being forced to transfer yet again, and this consistent pattern began to take its toll.

(Sorry it's a bit bad.)

Unlike the struggling girl in front of her, she didn't give an ounce of resistance. She hadn't been there as long as many of them, but they'd already broken the girls resolve. Even the slightest movement caused pain, her hands bound by the shackles. Her once bright green eyes had faded, leaving them full of only fear. Only briefly glancing at the other teenagers next to her, a handful shared the same expression as her. Yet the one girl in front of her caught her attention, struggling like a madman. She couldn't help but wonder how some still held onto their resolve. Still somehow holding on with even a bit of fighting spirit.

Her gaze drifted down to the floor, until the older girl spoke up. She hadn't anticipated anyone trying to speak with her. "My name is Minerva. If that's a good enough answer." Her tone of voice was shaky, not sure what information that this girl wanted to know.