| Birthday Surprises | ||
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Summary: Louis the Red Deer encounters a surprise celebration for his birthday while Lillia Amaryllis and Mogwin investigate troubling rumors of a terrible beast a continent away. Who: Amaryllis, Louis, Mogwin When: March 29th, 2022 Where: Horns Conglomerate Head Office, Senta; A Fae-Enchanted Forest, Distant Oceans   |
The room is a grand showing of party decorations filled with loyal employees both leonine and otherwise. Happy faces, every one. The young buck stops in his tracks as the surprise is revealed. He had spent the past six hours riding in a car around the local districts to handle in-person business and now this is sprung on him suddenly. Louis smiles. It's a soft gesture, yet genuine. "That's all very kind of you. That's a very nice looking salad cake." Most Herbivores from this land are unable to really digest other animal proteins. As such, even grain-heavy things like cakes and breads have to be made without eggs. Decorations and icing are usually fruit or vegetable based. It may seem odd to some, but it's very pleasing to the Herbivore palate. 'Happy Birthday to You, Louis the Red Deer' is written atop. No candles. "Hartsford, how would you like to do the honors in cutting everybody gathered a slice of cake while I go freshen up after my trip?" offers Louis. That's a polite way of insisting 'I need to pee' and the larger stag gets the message. "Absolutely, Mister Louis." Hartsford turns away. "Who wants the first corner piece?" The animals cluster and Louis excuses himself on the short trip to the bathroom. Free tags along. "I'm not going to be assaulted in the office hallway. don't tell me you're going to help me aim." The pompadour-styled lion laughs at this with a dirty sneer. "Not a chance, Louis. Just need to ask you something away from the others when you're done." Free pauses on the other side of the hallway, leans against the wall, and crosses his arms. Louis pauses in the doorway, door pushed half-open, and looks over his shoulder. "If you time me, I'm going to cut your pay." "Wouldn't dream of it, Boss." The lion watches as the door closes before his phone rings. Elsewhere, on the Eastern Continent of Distant Oceans: It's been at least a week since The Beast showed up in the nearby woods. The local village already shares whispers about the great monster that inhabits the forest now and how it chases away all of their hunters and releases caught animals from their traps. The local fae have little to say and the Guardian of the Wood, the spirit of the oldest tree, hasn't been heard from at all. The villagers are fairly poor and have little to offer outside help aside from some goods for trade, but the need for help travels nonetheless. They depend on what game they can manage from the magical forest and as long as they don't take too much, the Guardian doesn't see fit to retaliate. It's never been peaceful. There are always magical creatures that are wont to attack when encountered, but this has been too much for people to handle. Among the six major straw-roofed houses of the village, people mill around. Housewives linger near the well to gossip and the working folk do what chores they can, but everybody is worried and they don't have much food stored away after the winter. In her travels back home to the Garden of Dreaming deep within the forest, Lillia has heard of the plight of the people caused by this new beast of the forest. On one hand, she understands that the people of the village need to eat, and unlike her, they can't live on just nuts, berries, and fruit though she doesn't exactly understand the intricacies of why. On the other hand, she's been shot at before by hunters who hadn't cared or gotten a good enough look at her to realize she was more than just a common feral deer, so she felt for both sides of this conflict. She decides to visit and see if there is any way she can help resolve this situation peacefully, but isn't exactly sure who best to talk to, so she just starts questioning any villagers that will speak with her. The moogle had a surprisingly easy time adapting to this world, it was rather similar to his own home in many aspects!. Of course Mogwin decided to make his way to the village the moment he heard of the village facing such a terrible situation!, he was a hero, wanting to forge a name for himself, prove his worth!, and the fact there was little potential for a reward meant nothing for the adventurous small creature!. It might take him a bit of time to find the village, but eventually, the bat winged critter is fluttering down the streets, trying to approach calmly to the villagers, needing details about exactly what is going on!. Anyone seen the beast?, which areas were the traps tampered with!. In the midst of such questioning, he stumbles with a familiar Doe, and decides to approach her, "Hi!, we meet again!" The details are sparse. Those that talk mention tales of The Beast, but there haven't been many personal sightings. In fact, only one name seems to pop up regarding having personally seen the creature: Marcus. Marcus seems to be one of the village's best hunters and it's his traps that have been tampered with ceaselessly. Marcus, however, doesn't seem to be around. One of the womenfolk mentions to the fawn the same as a young boy tells the moogle: Marcus has a brother, Abashire, and Abashire is what passes for the village's blacksmith. He was last seen tending to one of the farmer's plowing horses after it threw a shoe. The village doesn't own many horses, so the main stable is pretty easy to find, whether by sight or smell, as a relatively young man with lots of wear on his face and hands tends to a horse's foot after some coaxing to get her to lift that leg. There's no immediate sense of hurry; it's a job that takes some time to deal with. Thankfully, unlike in some places, these people are familiar with creatures of all sorts. Neither Lillia or Mogwin attract discriminating stares, though some folks DO stare anyway even if just out of curiosity or boredom. Lillia smiles as she spots the familiar Moogle and offers a friendly wave. "Yes, hello. I assume we're here for the same reason? Why don't we split up and see if we can find out what's going on." She offers as an idea, and when eventually both are drawn to the stables, Lillia indeed had been able to smell it as soon as she entered the village, she looks to see if Mogwin has come to a similar conclusion waving him over if not. She then makes her way over to the blacksmith who is working with the horse and is too shy to interrupt as she looks at Mogwin. "Should we wait till he's done?" Mogwin flutters around casually, perhaps finding it easier than walking, or simply trying to show off a bit. He greets Lillia with a bright grin, "Kupo!, nice to see you again my dear lady." he offers politely, bowing midair, red pom bouncing lightly before he nods to her suggestion, "I admit I am not hearing much... information" he admits, "Sounds like a good plan.". Indeed, Mogwin's road also leads to the... 'blacksmith' and almost bumps into his deer friend. "Might be for the best, he might be upset if we interrupt, and refuse to talk.". The little guy smiles and waves to any person staring. A rather large coarse file is used on the underside of the hoof to remove some burrs. The mare seems to be a little spooked at Mogwin and jitters a bit in place. The man complains at this. "Ahh, ye bleedin' wayward nag. Stand stih fer'I, come a'lil worth more'an'ee. I've not e'en begun," he mutters aloud with a thick accent. "Gods preserve us, May Anne, shoes may'aswell be may'o gold less iron o' steel. Not what Geoe wants sown o'er i'that crop bed o'is." With an exasperated sigh, the blacksmith is forced to let the nag put her leg down. He sits up and glances over at the strange pair. "Aye? You need something from ol' Abby. I figure you're here on account o'the Beast keeping honest folk like us from eating." The fellow pulls out a rag and begins to wipe his heavily callused hands that are decorated with a few cuts and scratches. Abashire sighs again as he looks between the fawn and moogle. "Well, I'll tell ye the same thing I done told others what came sniffing about o'er it. Me brother and two o'the sturdiest young men o'our village took up arms to go hunting it. The Beast, that is. Left early in the morn, haven'ta heard anything since. I'd go search meself, but I have too many chores to do. South, I reckon, into the wood. Follow the hunter's marks -- they be like chips in the trees, some o'the time bearing colors of red or orange -- if ye want to give chase." Abby shakes his head and looks back to the old mare. "Solid warning. That Beast be willing to attack regular folk and magical folk alike. If ye find anything, lemme know, aye?" "Thanks a lot, we'll be careful and let you know if we find anything out or course." Lillia says with a nod, then tries to be helpful and uses just a tiny bit of her dream dust magic to make the mare a touch drowsy in the hopes of making her calm enough that Abby can do his job of replacing that shoe to protect the mare's hoof. Finally, she turns back to Mogwin, looking serious. "Well, guess I should have figured this might get dangerous. We should tread carefully, but the sooner we head out the sooner we can maybe find the beast and what happened to the hunters that went after it." The moogle tries to be a polite as he can, and seeing the equine scared, flutters slowly backwards, trying to not provoke the old hag more. "I was curious, is it only traps that get... attacked?" he asks almost at hte same time as Abby, pausing to let her speak. "Don't worry, I will keep you safe." says Mogwin, grabbing his rapier and doing a quick flourish before sheathing it again. "Can you give us indications of where your brother was going?" "A few have seen it. The Beast. People are afeared'a speak about it, even by name. We don't want it coming into the village, so we tries not to bring attention to it by speaking o'it. It tried hurting me brother, says he, from the way o'he tells it. Tall as a house, even. Jagged teeth and eyes what could pierce a man's soul." The nag seems to relax, although the cause is lost upon Abashire. He simply takes up position, gives the horse's leg a pat, and goes back to lifting it once more. "Hunting grounds are south, as I says. Can't miss the path. Marcus says it weren't but a quarter roadstone deep when he first sawr it. Really hope it stays away, but we'll start starving afore long. We haves children to feed, aye?" The path south out of the village is unassuming. It's just a simple trail that leads off into the treeline of the woods, although it disappears not too far in. The lower levels of light helps to obscure much of what's within, though there's nothing that seems particularly hazardous of note if entered. There is movement to be had in the corners of vision as faeries peek before ducking into hiding before they can be fully seen. Some large insects buzz or flutter around, particularly a bit higher up, but those insects seem particularly uninterested in who wanders the wood. Lillia nods and starts heading down the trail, clutching her branch tightly. She was used to various magical creatures watching and even playing tricks on her as she moves through the enchanted forest she calls home, and the more dangerous beasts she's always been able to outrun, but this new beast might be something entirely new, so there was cause for concern. Hopefully between herself and Mogwin they'd be able to handle it, whatever it was. "Wonder if the hunting party has found the beast yet... Any ideas if we happen to stumble upon it? What can you do? I have dream magic, can put others to sleep and influence their dreams." Mogwin goes right next to Lilia, after promising the 'blacksmith' to keep an eye out for his brother. The moogle seems to be a bit cautious, one small paw on the hilt of his blade but at least doesn't charge and try to blast anything yet, trying to track down anything... unusual. Perhaps a bit hard to do since A) still new in this place, and B) not really good at tracking things!. As Lillia asks him a question, he nods and flutters a bit higher, "I'm a Red mage!, I can use elemental magic, and also am pretty good with my sword, so don't worry, I am sure we can handle this beast." A little girl can be heard crying off in the distant underbrush, but it's suddenly interrupted by a voice harshly whispering, "Shut up, it's not humies." The path is fairly distinct at first, but it soon begins to fade into the natural forest growth. It might take a careful eye to notice the notches made in trees as a means to track direction of path taken. A temporary thing, those marks heal up very quickly so they don't last for anything long term. Every now and then there is another set of footprints in the soil, but something is off. The insect noises have silenced and there are no birds talking. Suddenly, out of the blue, a young man jumps through some underbrush all scratched up and in a panic. Panting with a heave, he very nearly trips and eats the dirt, but somehow manages to keep momentum. In a blind hysteria, he mutters something about getting help, but he runs RIGHT BY the fawn and moogle without even pausing. The only help he knows must be human. From the smell of it, fear must have gotten the better of the boy. In a matter of seconds, he's already gone. At least he seems to have come from the direction the bold adventurers travel. Lillia suddenly stops as she hears the crying, and her eyes widen at the whispered words. Before she can do much to process that though the young man appears and darts past them as if running for his life. She blinks and looks to Mogwin, shrugs a bit and begins to move in the direction she heard the crying and whisper, as quietly as she can through the forest, though there still is the sound of her hooves lightly crunching against the forest floor. If only she could hover like Mogwin, but then, they're probably being watched anyway. The Moogle turns to the source of crying, tilting his head as it suddenly stops... is he narrowing his eyes?, hard to tell. In any case, his attention is torn from the rather suspicious thing by the panicked human just... running past them. He tries to take a good look at the scared person, see if he was hurt, but... seems mostly... scared. The moogle is not even trying to be stealthy, seems just used to low altitude flapping of those wings, lots of energy!. "Shouldn't we... see what scared him so badly?" he asks, watching Lillia try to sneak towards the voices. He seems torn between the two directions, but of course follows the Deer, also going quiet. Lillia frowns and ponders Mogwin's suggestion a moment. "Well, they were going pretty fast. I could probably catch up with them but what if they keep running and won't talk to me? I'm curious who the voices we heard were, seems they're magical creatures like us, maybe they have a different perspective on what's going on out here?" Mogwin tilts his head, unsure who she meant by 'they'. "If you mean that guy... he didn't seem harmed, and he is going to town, so we can find him later, but i feel we should continue towards the area he came from, perhaps the beast is there... or was there recently? maybe we can find more clues." he points towards the underbrush, where the boy came from. "At least we should start moving... this silence is making me nervous." There's a sudden scream that cuts through the misty forest air with ease. It's not a girly or effeminate yell, either. It's from a man that is more manly than most, but there is an undeniable terror that underlines the sound. It comes from not that far away, though it might be a somewhat rough sprint or flight through the vines and brambles that seem to exist only to inhibit movement. At least there are no giant killer flytrap plants around, right? ...right? The blacksmith's brother and another one of the villages youths are still unaccounted for; could it have been them? There's more yelling, though whatever words they are tend to be muffled by the magical humidity and don't seem nearly as potent as the initial outcry. It almost sounds like there's a fight or something. Lillia gasps, her eyes growing wide with shock at the sudden scream. She looks back to Mogwin, and begins to ask. "Should we follow the scream?..." Then there is more yelling, and unless Mogwin moves to stop her she'll begin heading toward the sounds, seems like someone needs help and she doesn't want to be too late. Mogwin lets out a surprisingly girly 'Kupo!' at the loud scream, and jumps back... falls back? for a moment, but he will vehemently deny either of those things happening, if someone asks. He quickly recovers and dashes after Lillia, he has no intentions of stopping her, if anything he is trying to overtake her and head there first, ready to help as well. A distorted shadow of two figures fighting plays over the densely packed trees ahead. One falls and there is the sound of cracking branches. Sunlight streams through the solid canopy, rays focused on the sight unfolding within the small clearing revealed as a man picks up a hunk of rock and deftly throws it through the air. It sails upward in an arch before falling to the ground some meters away. Whatever he was throwing it at, it seems to have missed. A second figure leaps from behind cover at the man, somewhat smaller than the man himself, and they both disappear behind a tangle of tree roots before any detail can be revealed. There is a cry of pain from the man. Nearby, doubled-over atop a mossy stone, the other missing youth lies still while covered in red scratches. He seems to be unconscious...or worse. The moment anybody draws near, however, the second figure rises from behind cover while facing down those that approach. It is not a small figure, though. Not at all. Whatever this thing is, 'The Beast' is all too fitting of a name. It easily stands about fifteen feet tall and towers over most all nearby flora and fauna alike. Its face is leonine while a flowing lion-like mane frames its head and covers its neck. The thick hair is twisted and tangled with what appear to be leafy vines. The teeth are impossibly sharp-looking, like razor-edged daggers in their pointiness, that could no doubt easily bite even the strongest of bones in twain. The eyes are sunken and fierce, almost glowing, and their gaze is palpable. The very feel of being looked upon is more than a bit unsettling; it is stirring to the core. Deer-like antlers sprout from the monster's head while yet more vines, some leafy and some flowery, web among the deadly natural weapons that are all too ready to gore what it does not maul. The Beast has a furred body, muscled only as an apex predator might be, and its arms end in clawed hands. They may as well be talons, yet they aren't feline at all. Behind the tall monstrosity is a bristled tail, similar to a wolf's. It places its left foot upon the man. While its left leg seems to be unguligrade, the right leg seems to be a mass of branches and vines that looks more Wild Nature than anything limb-like. Suddenly, from behind, large bat-like wings unfurl and what can only be described as a wave of Pure and Utter Fear tangibly blasts outwards. The air itself shimmers through this. This must be what scared the other youth away in such blind terror. It will take great willpower to resist this immense source of intimidation to face down the creature directly. "BeGoNe!" it commands in a voice that seems to be multiple voices layered over one another, booming and diabolic. "ThIs MaN wOuLd DaRe To AtTeMpT tO mUrDeR mE aGaIn?! WrEtCh! WaStReL! CuR! YoU wErE wArNeD THREE TIMES aNd YeT yOu StIlL pErSiSt. MuRdErErS, aLl Of YoU. No ReSpEcT fOr LiFe, So I wIlL hAvE yOuRs InStEaD!!" The hunter is in no position to defend himself nor does he have the mind to manage it. He, too, is lost in the absolute horrific majesty of the The Beast. For Mogwin, there has always been conflict in Eorzea between the Fiends, the Beasts, the Beast Tribes, and the many races of Man and their allies. That this is some magical forest creature threatening reciprocal violence on a human is no new tale, though the presence of the creature has clearly caused trouble for the local village in keeping them from hunting. For Lillia, this is undoubtedly a Child of Nature. It all but drips with Nature Magic. Nature is not peaceful, though. Not at all. Aggressions against those that trespass or disrupt the natural order happen. It's all a part of balance. This 'Beast' is clearly protecting the woods from the hunters, disrupting as it may be to the village or otherwise, in a bid to prevent murderous poaching. That would explain the tampered-with traps. Whatever the moogle and fawn decide, it must be quick. A man's life hangs in the balance and time is short. Lillia gasps and comes to a stop for a moment, trembling in fear at the large and powerful beast. For a moment she isn't sure what to do, as she really doesn't know who is in the right between the people and the beast. She naturally leans toward the protection of nature herself but knows that people need to take from nature's bounty to live and as long as a balance is kept she would not see people starve to protect every living thing in the forest any sooner than she'd save a deer from a pack of hungry wolves. She decides they need time and cooler heads to figure this out, and so she will do what she does best. Quickly she moves toward her Moogle friend and whispers to him. "Mogwin, try to distract everyone. I have an idea." She then swings her branch upward as she lobs a swirlseed, a bowling-ball-sized tan sphere with a blue swirl radiating out from the center, toward the hunters, on impact it will explode releasing her dream dust. She then bounds around the beast, swinging her branch in a wide circle, spreading more of her dream dust before finally bounding away and casting Lilting Lullaby, which will spawn a purple flower bud just like the one on Lillia's head upon the head of anyone who has been afflicted with her dream dust, making them feel drowsy and hopefully fall asleep for a bit once the bud blooms into a golden yellow flower. The sight of such a huge intimidating beast causes the Moogle to instantly tense, reaching for his blade, holding his paw tightly over the hilt, tensing up. The creature looks dangerous... clearly hurt this hunter... even if it sounds like it might not be unwarranted... violence, is not sure this is going to work well as it stands. The request to cause a distraction is met with him fluttering forward, "Beast!, I understand these humans are not innocent, but I can't let you just kill them in retaliation, it will only cause things to escalate!". Even as he speaks he unsheathes his large (for his small frame) blade. "If you insist on violence, maybe you should fight someone more skilled than some hungry villager hunters!". He makes some fancy swordplay, while the blade glows and crackles with yellow light, certainly putting a show while Lillia does her thing, wings flapping as he prepares to charge and protect the deer. For an average individual, bounding quickly around through the thick underbrush of the forest, even if it seems to be a clearing compared to the surroundings, would be very difficult. Lillia has an advantage in this. However, the initial throw is slightly off mark. It's not that the aim wasn't true, but, much like the stone that the hunter threw, it simply seems to flat out MISS the hulking monster. As such, it lands with a little distance between them. Be it through sheer terror or sleep-inducing magical dust, Abby's brother passes out (although the bloom on his head may be clue to cause). Strangely, the beast doesn't show a sign of a flower bloom or blossom amidst all the other vines winding over its form. "M- MeDlErS!" it cries out as if the dust might be having AN affect, if not entirely THE affect. "YoU wOuLd DeFeNd ThE sInS oF tHeSe MeN?" it insists of the Red Mage before roaring loudly. Yet another pulse of Soul-Drenching Fear radiates outward. The Hunter may be fast asleep, but the young man off to the side is just out of reach of the dust spread about. He whimpers, clearly still alive after all, but seems to be unable to do anything more. The Beast's left foot lifts and repositions, apparently just on the neck of the now very helpless man. While The Beast's body language shows fatigue, it only spurs on that aura of intimidation. "ThE fOrEsT hAs No NeEd Of YoU. BeGoNe; BeGoNe, I sAy! ThE mAn In ThE tReE oNlY hAs ThE sTrEnGtH lEfT tO hElP mE! OuT, oUt!" With a ripple of motion, the magical creature plucks up a length of wood before throwing it. It's not a clumsy chunk of tree; the crafted spear, though small for such a monster, is more than large enough to be dangerous to a person and it whizzes through the air with the moogle as its target. Though weakened, it seems that it's going to be a fight after all! Lillia frowns as her magic fails to put the beast to sleep, as she really didn't want to have to fight with it, but she doesn't want to see anyone murdered today either. She takes a moment to speak quickly to the beast. "I was hoping we could talk and find a peaceful resolution. These men may have done wrong, but as far as I am aware they hunt so that others may not starve. I will not stand back and allow you to slay them without first hearing what they have done to deserve such a fate." When the beast lifts a spear and tosses it at Mogwin, she quickly bounds forward and swings her branch downward, the dream-laden blossom that hangs from its end swings toward the beast and then the ground, creating an explosion of magic outward from the epicenter of the strike. Lillia isn't used to using her magic to harm, but she's been pushed to that end. "And I won't let you hurt my friend either!" She cries. Mogwin was just playing decoy, just as Lillia requested!. "I am not going to let you murder these people!" he repeats, fluttering a bit more, trying to sound menacing. "They were trying to stop their families from starving, if they attacked you is because you are making it impossible for them to feed the town.". The moogle was already prepared for battle, and as the large log is tossed his way, he 'simply', launches aside with a burst of speed, moving both down to the ground and to the left, the large wood spear grazing the pom on its head. Wasting little time, he raises his blade, holding it like a staff (so the hilt up), energy gathering at the gemstone at the tip, before launching it at the beast as a blue orb of energy. If it lands, it 'explodes' filling a small area with electricity for a moment, trying to zap the large beast. "Kupo!" The magical slam might endanger the man at The Beast's feet as much as the giant creature itself. It jumps backward in a backstep, although the landing is a bit clumsy due to its vine-bound wooded right leg. Still not so less effected from this attack, there is recoil and what sounds like a vocalization of pain. Taking a few more steps backward, the Red Mage's Verthunder II seems to hit dead on against the Beast's chest...before absolutely missing somehow and passing straight through. It does, however, impact against the tree just behind the monstrosity and the sudden shock causes the creature to convulse in place for a moment. The Beast turns away, but collapses and tumbles over a mass of roots before disappearing from view. From the sounds made through the leaf litter, it appears to be fleeing. A short fight, perhaps, and it leaves Marcus the Hunter and his remaining helper behind, but if these encounters are getting more and more deadly with each clash then the next may end in total tragedy. There's the option to give chase and prevent further problems, but it sounds to be in a hurry. Animals and beasts often return to their lairs to lick their wounds. Who's to say when it will next show itself. Lillia gives an 'Eeep!' as she realizes that in her haste she had struck with one of the men within the blast radius of her attack. It seems though that between herself and Mogwin's magic the beast is on the run. She would love nothing more than to accept that that was the end of it, but in her heart, she knows the beast will strike again if they don't fully deal with this now. But before giving chase she checks on the hunters. "Are you both ok enough to make it back to the village? I can go gather some healing herbs but I sadly can't do much for really serious injuries." The moogle considers giving chase for a moment as the beast somehow... ignored the initial part of the Verthunder, only to rush away regardless. He even begins to flap closer, only to change directions and join Lillia, trying to check on the villagers. "I can cast some healing magic to treat some of those wounds as well." then turns to Lillia, "Are we going back? or trying to follow that... creature?" Marcus fell asleep due to the magic dust used, but the force of the shock wave from that other attack woke him up again. He lies on the ground, on his back, breathing heavily. He's injured, but he's alive. The other youth is still mostly immobile. Clenching his jaw, Marcus pushes himself up until he's sitting, takes a few deep breaths, then begins to stand with a groan. "Go... Go get that Gods-damned monster. Bring me back its head an'I'll mount it on my wall in your honor." He inhales sharply through his teeth. "I can take the boy back. I've had- Nngh. ...worse." Slow steps taken, Marcus begins to walk toward the youth. "Och, round bells time o' th' leg o'tha goat god come kicking, boy. Yer mother would never forgive me if I left ye behind." Off in the wooded distance, the breakneck footsteps grow fainter. Lillia nods to Marcus, wincing a bit as she watches him push through to stand and go to the youth. "Sorry I kinda hit you a little when I was going for the beast..." She apologizes, then turns to Mogwin and nods, a serious look in her eyes. As much as Marcus wanted the beast dead, and she couldn't blame him for feeling that way, she still hoped they could resolve this without slaying the magical beast. "Somehow, we have to end this now, or it will just happen again." She states before giving chase to the fading footsteps, bounding quickly to try and catch up. The moogle tries to help Marcus, once again waving his sword as this time green light bathes the wounded man, almost instantly some of the pain and damage on his body seems to fade away, joints move easier, "That should help you, Kupo, hope you make it safely back home." he offers, turning away from the villagers to begin fluttering once again after Lillia and the beast, moving as quickly as he can, "I wonder if the villagers did something to provoke it as well..." he muses out loud, "But we have to stop it." The hunter might be briefly seen looking over the healed wounds on his hands from the encounter just before he leans over to lift the young man and put him over his shoulders for the walk home. When Lillia and Mogwin give chase, however, there seems to be a bit of zigzagging from side to side by some meters of length in each pass. This might seem like a bit of a tactic to throw off those chasing, but Lillia might suddenly find out why when a steel trap triggers from a step that is a bit too close that disturbs a fallen branch atop it. The branch easily splinters; that could have been her leg! ...somehow, it's likely that The Beast didn't put those there, but the monster might happen to know where they are. A hazardous chase by all accounts, yet the creature has enough of a lead that catching up could take some time. Indeed, it may then be impossible to find it before it reaches its home. That might explain why the footsteps have gone silent up ahead. Either that, or it's planning an ambush. What Mogwin and Lillia do find is the Great Tree, the largest and oldest tree in the local wood, in what can only be described as a solemn grove that brims with forest magic. It is large and gnarled and sprawling. Some of the limbs are so large and heavy that they have long since grown to rest partially on the ground. There is no sign of life, yet there is a presence. "EEEP!" Lillia cries out as the trap springs way too close for comfort, and with that, she slows down to be a bit more careful where she steps. And indeed it soon sounds like the beast has stopped running anyway. She turns slightly to look toward Mogwin, though her eyes still flick back and forth as she keeps the lookout for traps. "I'm not sure what we're going to do to fight this beast, seems like it is lying in wait for us now..., and it seems to resist our magic at least somewhat." The moogle seems safe of such traps, if only due to the fact he is not touching the ground, to a point he might have forgotten Lillia is not so lucky. Thus, he joins on a loud 'Kupo' at the steel jaws, "So many traps." he muses aloud, making sure the deer was unharmed before moving further in. "Either hiding ahead or waiting for some kind of trap or ambush... yes." he agrees, pausing for a moment. "I admit this sounds dangerous, but we have to do something." Before the two have much time to explore the Glade of the Old Tree, there is a voice that speaks. It is not the same voice as The Beast. "Have you come to wet my roots with blood, children?" It's an old voice, as if from a grandfatherly figure, and, as it would be, that's precisely what seems to step out of the side of the tree and into the open. It looks like a bearded man, although there's not enough beard to compete with Eorzea's Ramuh. Similar in style, though, this old man shares many details as The Beast. Bits of vine and flower intertwine and sprawl over the robed figure's features. If any might remember the dreadful words of The Beast, this might be the Man in the Tree spoken of. He stands there passively, watching and waiting. There is no sign of the monster that had to have come this way. As a moment of quiet falls over the forest, and there is currently no sign of the beast, Lillia has a chance to actually take in the sights around her, and she can feel the magic as well. It reminds her somewhat of her home grove, though this one seems older, with the great tree which is the oldest among the forest possibly being as old as the God Willow, were it still to stand. When it was felled a branch of it became the Dreaming Tree which ultimately spawned Lillia herself. A voice breaks her from thoughts of her own ancestry and the magic of this wood, and she blinks as she processes the words of the elder voice, only to then frown and shake her head in despair. "I had hoped to avoid any bloodshed, but I am not sure that is still an attainable goal, or who to believe at this point." Perhaps it is something about the curious... bearded man, how similar he was to the beast, and even simply the fact it emerged from the large, and clearly, powerful tree, that leads to a very easy conclusion, "So you are the man in the tree the beast mentioned... did you twist some poor forest creature into it?, or summoned from another realm?" he asks. Even as he speaks, the moogle is doing some preparations, the bat winged mage lands and stabs his blade on the ground, energy gathering on the hilt of his sword, before it flies up and 'explodes' in a small translucent shock wave, creating a short lived dome around him and Lillia, the energy lingering on the deer and himself. "We don't want bloodshed, we just want to stop this conflict, but we will defend ourselves if you decide to attack.". He resumes fluttering and glances to Lillia, "Are you ready?" he asks to his friend, before facing the bearded person. Mogwin has dropped a connection. "And how would you have me lay harm upon you? My branches are too old and stiff." The old man figure turns partially away and walks a few steps alongside one such branch that bows to the ground underneath its own weight. "At one point in time, people would come to my glade to simply relax in my presence. Some would play music for the denizens of this wood to enjoy. Some would come to ask for blessings in return for caring for the land. And you..." A gentle wind manage to angle downward from the sky within this clearing of the thick magical wood. Some of the hanging moss draped over the aged limbs of the large tree sways. It is a wind devoid of the stifling humidity of the forest. "You bring weapons." The old man inhales slowly. "I would be insulted if I didn't already know your goal." There's a brief pause. "I can smell the magical nature of each of you, both with varying degrees of connection to that which I also am through my roots. You would forsake that so easily? That which you seek is hidden by my hand and I see I will have little choice but to reveal that which you seek. You will have your blood one way or another if only because my strength wanes in keeping the Child of Nature alive." "Well?!" asks the Man in the Tree with a raised voice. "You have questions? Ask them or begin chipping away at my bark." Lillia's heart breaks at the words of the old forest spirit. "I was hoping to find a way to help both sides of this come to some sort of agreement, but maybe I am naive to have hoped for that in the first place. We came here bearing weapons because the child of nature you protect attacked us as well, but you say it is dying anyway and only your remaining strength is keeping it alive? What is really going on?" She asks, looking to Mogwin a moment, then back at the elder spirit, and lowering the branch she holds in her hands. Mogwin looks at the ancient tree, Lillia, and the old man again. He did ask some questions already, but guesses perhaps they were lost in the heat of the discussion. "Our goal is to figure out who or what is disrupting the attempts of the villagers to hunt, they are running out of food because of them, and risk starving now, and if we can, figure some way to solve this situation." he says softly. "We are not here to destroy or burn the tree, or kill anyone, the creature attacked us, after we interrupted its attempt to murder a hunter, and we defended ourselves. We still hope this can be solved without further violence, as I said." he sheathes his weapon again, and lands on the ground besides Lillia. Whispers can be heard from beyond the treeline surrounding the glade as faefolk watch and gossip freely. It would seem that the forest is truly alive and the events unfolding are the center of attention. The tree seems to groan and creak in response and the whispering quiets, at least a little. "You want a story," says the Man in the Tree after a moment to collect either his thoughts or his energy. Or both. He seems to sigh. It'll take that much more power to continue on, but the man seems to relent to this. "A Child of Nature was brought to me by the fae-blooded of this wood. Badly injured, they say it fell as if from the sky with only the embrace of a tree's branches to save it from instant death. I was able to grant it my blessing; were it a man or mundane animal, it would not have been an option. The connection with Nature allowed me to keep it alive so long as it remained within my wood. We spoke. It was confused. It learned of the nearby village and it sought to make contact with those that dwell there. The Child met one of the Menfolk hunters." A hand gestures downward toward the base of the tree and there, cradled in a groove, are two halves of a man-made and expertly fletched arrow. It's stained with red. "It did not end well. Fury overtook the Child of Nature and there has been a war waged for half a moon within my borders. Each conflict brings new injury and each injury drains me more." "I do not have the strength to continue while maintaining the safety of the Others that require my protection. If you slay the Child, I only ask that you promise to make it quick. There has been enough suffering." Lillia frowns again and shakes her head. "I was warned once against going near such villages for fear that I might suffer a similar fate. I truly weep for this child of nature and can empathize with its rage at being attacked, though in the same situation I likely would have just run away and never looked back... Is there any chance of calming the child's rage and having it move deeper into the forest, away from the village? The grove I come from is such a secluded place. Though I guess, no matter where, there is always a chance they will cross paths with man at some point, and that might start the cycle of rage and violence over again..." She frowns again, perhaps slaying the magical beast was the best solution, as much as she wished there was another way. Mogwin listens to the story and lets out a soft sigh, "I'd rather not... hurt him more... that is not what we wanted." he says softly. "Perhaps we can try to talk to the village, make them understand he is not a threat?..." he glances back to Lillia, "We would tell them that we... defeated the child, and that they will be able to hunt again, so they won't come looking for him, and maybe with time forget about this conflict?" he offers helpfully, perhaps being a bit naive, before shaking his head again. "I mean... it might be impossible to avoid man but... not all of them are as violent as those hunters." "I do not believe you understand," responds the tree spirit while the two ponder and deliberate and query. "I did what I could," he adds and begins to show signs of extreme weariness. "But the strength of man and the costs of war are often too much for even Nature to overcome, even with the best of intentions. I simply do not have the strength to carry this one burden any longer. I can only do so much -- I can only know so much -- for I am just a very old tree that has seen all who dwell in this wood that came after me live and eventually die. I do not weep. Loss is natural. And yet...it still weighs heavily on my heart for I have never seen such a Child of Nature before." Leaning heavily against the large nearby branch, the old man begins to walk back toward the trunk of the tree whence he came. "Come. Come and see. Do what you will. I must rest." Back into the tree he walks, just as he emerged, but- No, if one follows, one can see that there is an opening in the wide trunk. There's a hollow within, yet the opening is not large enough for such size as The Beast to fit. Nevertheless, the two are invited to peek, to enter, while having absolutely no clue of what to expect other than The Beast- No, the Child of Nature is there and injured. Lillia nods as the tree spirit explains how they don't understand but still hopes that while this tree spirit can't bear this burden alone any longer, that maybe they can help, especially if they can bring some of their friends into trying to work out a solution, but indeed understanding the situation was necessary first, and so with a glance to Mogwin and a nod, she follows without another word. Mogwin glances back at Lillia and then follows slowly after the spirit. "Perhaps we can help, I know some healing arts of my own, and so does Lillia, so at least we can offer that." he offers quietly. It all sounds pretty serious, and certainly bad for the poor 'Child of nature' as it stands. The moogle stands by the entrance, trying to get a better look at the wounded 'Child' now that they were not in mid battle. "I am sure between teh two of us can at least heal him but... there is still the issue of the anger and... conflict..." he muses, "What do you think.... Lillia?" Lillia continues further with Mogwin and nods in agreement with his statement. "I have friends who may be able to help further, but I could try soothing the rage through dreams, though I'm still not sure how effective my magic is since this child of nature seemed to strongly resist my attempt to put it to sleep, while the still conscious hunter was immediately affected." "Perhaps my own magic might work, not the best healer... I am no white mage" he rubs the back of his head, "I mean not an expert, but I can take care of some of those wounds at least," the Moogle muses, before nodding, "That's a point... perhaps it is due to his connection to this tree spirit?, it protects the child from... that kind of things?" The truth behind resisting such magic is twofold. While the moogle's suspicions are very accurate, there is yet more to be revealed. The hollow within the tree measures a good three meters in diameter and extends much higher through the center of the tree. The tree is by no means dead just because this part of the core has long since rotted away. What it provides, however, is the closest possible and strongest connection with the tree one might manage. The magical flow in the air within the tree is immense, but not oppressive. It feels charged, but not dangerous. The lighting is dim, but venturing into the hollow enough reveals with what spilled light makes it past the duo the very creature they seek. However, they may not know it for what it is by looking at it. Collapsed on the soft wooden floor to one side is an individual smaller than the average man. Barely clothed, scraps of what might have been vestments have been used to dress and bandage wounds. Fur-covered, eyes closed, mouth hanging slack in unconsciousness, a trickle of drool seeps from the woodland face down onto a shoulder where a swath of once-white silk cloth covers the puncturing brought about by an arrow. The Child's right leg is half-missing, a bundle of sticks roughly tied together with vines functions as a replacement from the knee down, and his otherwise naked body is caked in dirt and dried blood. It's a miracle that the Child still alive from the look of it. A miracle granted, of course, by the spirit of the tree wherein the runty deer-person lies barely clinging to life. Lillia looks around for a moment in awe at the hollow in the tree, both for its size and for the magical power radiating within. But soon she takes sight of the child of nature, indeed unrecognizable from the beast they saw before, if not for the missing part of the leg being a very good clue. She finds it incredible that such a small frail and dying creature could have appeared so large and powerful just moments ago. She wanted nothing more than to take away the pain and suffering this creature was experiencing. "If there is anything at all we can do to help, we will." Mogwin is not a particularly 'nature' attuned creature, but he can feel the great power regardless. The moogle's attention quickly lands on the wounded, seemingly fainted deer person, and winces immediately at the clear damage. "Looks bad... he really needs help." he mumbles, wincing, before turning to Lillia, "I will do my best to help him." he muses, leaning a bit closer. "I can try to cast my healing magic here, not sure how much i can heal, but should at least... help?" Time itself almost feels like it is slowed, although that may be in part due to the last fading effects of the Tree's efforts to keep the injured deer person stable. That, too, is fading. The moment is shared between the three there, even if one is not awake to experience it. The old man, at least in appearance, disappeared the moment it reentered the tree itself. Whatever the two wandering adventurers aim to do, it is purely their choice, although the time to do so is rapidly slipping away like sand through an hourglass. The strong feeling filling the air is already waning, returning quickly to the same normal feel of the rest of the glade. Lillia doesn't have any healing powers, and she travels pretty light so she isn't carrying around an assortment of healing herbs or even a waterskin to help clean the deer-person's wounds. So she would leave the attempts at healing to Mogwin for now. Instead, she moves to lay down next to him and uses her magic to try and see if he is in the middle of a dream, or even a nightmare that she could manipulate, if not, she will attempt to conjure a soothing dream for him to keep him calm while Mogwin works to heal his external wounds. Mogwin slowly walks near the wounded deer, taking a better look at him for a moment. The moogle's paws hold onto his blade once again, holding it upside down like a staff. While Lillia tries to examine the deer's dreams, he focuses energy on the gemstone of the blade again, bright blue, and then reaches to lightly tap one shoulder of the 'child'. A burst of bluish green energy engulfs him, as a moderate healing spell takes place, instantly closing and treating some of the wounds. It is not a high level healing magic, but it should help. As the spell ends, Mogwin begins casting it again. The time at hand is purely Lillia's and Mogwin's to use. For Mogwin, the concentration and focus to heal is limited to his ability to repeat the spell again. And again. And again. It is not an instant process. Whatever lead this individual to take the brunt of such punishment is unknowable and yet it's amazing, even without the Tree's help, that something -- somebody -- so frail has been able to hang on for so long. The outside wounds heal easy enough, even though the dried blood remains, leaving a mess of whatever happened inside over the past two weeks of conflict with the village hunter. For Lillia, the affair is no less personal or straining. There are no stable dreams to be found. There is only erratic glimpses of fleeting thought, perhaps memory, that flash. They are ill-defined, a murmur, blurred by pain and injury. With some effort on her behalf, they may be refined, made clearer, but the instances are still brief. It's like watching water leak from cupped hands. No matter how much you try to fill them, the stream only leaks faster the more effort is put in. One image seems to repeat more than most, although it is barely a face, one detail being the clearest a pair of spectacles, although the details of the face seem to waver back and forth from one partial image to another. Time and effort are needed. Still, the helpful sustaining presence of the tree fades completely and the life before the pair is completely in their care for whatever they seek to do with it afterward. Things may seem to stabilize, with Mogwin's constant care, and Lillia's efforts are awarded with a name hanging in the air that she would not recognize. The name exists as a concept, a feeling, with no letters to pen. Though, just as the name becomes nearly clear enough to speak, the deer exhales deeply and begins to go limp... The name. A breath. A name spoken twice now through similar consequence. A feeling of sorrow colors the room within the tree. There is another name. A glimpse of a broken body in a bed. A glimpse of a body crumpled forward in a car. Tragic visuals, yet, behind it all, a deep love that can never be broken. Lillia has never encountered a person whose thoughts are so fragmented and fleeting, as even when she tries to form a dream within his mind it is so unstable that she isn't able to enter that dream and stay long enough to examine his inner psyche, at least not long enough for things to make much sense. She does get glimpses of the tumultuous life this creature has had recently, and she also gets the feeling of a name which she slowly pieces together, though it means nothing to her without context as she knows no one by the name Ibuki, nor can she be completely sure the name isn't a scrambled form of something else. Feeling she can do little to help in the traditional dream therapy she specializes in through her magic, instead she continues to urge the cervine child into a deep, restful slumber. After a few more moments she stands again and moves back towards Mogwin, looking the Moogle in the eyes. "Does the name Ibuki mean anything to you?" Mogwin is not really used to receive any kind of feedback while doing that, but by now most of the wounds of the deer might be slowly healing properly. He tilts his head and pauses, trying to make sense of the name and the things happening in his head. Finally, he stops casting and begins to stand up, "I need some time to recover." he mumbles, before hearing Lillian, "You saw something too?" he asks, before shaking his head, "No... I don't think it does, what about Oguma?" he asks. The moogle needs rest and it's purely understandable. It gives a very good understanding of how much magical power it took on the behalf of a tree just to keep the deer person alive; at a distance, no less! Not longer after the moogle breaks his exercise in restorative magic, the fawn soon finds that the images and dreams quickly fade. For a few moments, there is nothing. The tree seems to sighs in creaks all around the three. ...what was the point? ...did any of this matter? The world will go on. The villagers will be able to hunt once more. The wood will have a new tale and the Tree will know yet another as nothing more than a memory. There is a jolt of energy through the air, like a silent crack of thunder that rolls and reverberates with startling force! A breeze curls around the trunk of the tree and a gust of fresh air puffs into the hollow just as the deer person gasps hungrily in need of breath. Arms move and hands grasp aiming to latch onto anything they can find in a blind frenzy before the antlered Child of Nature can even open their eyes. "Ibuki! Father!" Open they do, though they are not well adapted for the dim light inside the tree. Wide-eyed, the individual peers around almost in a panic. The moogle is mostly safe from this sudden thrashing, but Lillia rests right beside this...person. Likely clinging to one of the fawn's forelimbs, a foggy mind searches for the Named Ones...but instead finds a different face. "...Lillia?!" the voice croaks from so much fatigue and strain. "My father- My friend! They were here, did you see them? Where are they? I can't see well." The deer stills. His eyes silently and near-blindly search the tree's cavity. No. That can't be right. Ibuki and Oguma are dead. Lillia shakes her head at Mogwin. "They both do sound like names that I'd hear on an island I recently have visited a few times, an island with animals who speak and walk on two legs... just like this one... Oh... oh my..." She blinks in realization as she turns back to the deer just in time for him to grasp her leg and cry out for father and friend. She frowns and shakes her head. "I wish I had been able to see them. It is just me and my friend Mogwin here with you now. You're safe with us though, just rest." Mogwin nods slowly at the answer, taking a deep breath as he tries to recover, but pauses, "What is it?" he asks, glancing back at the 'child' as he seems to wake up in a very understandable panic. "Calm down... you were injured and... in a very bad state, so you might be confused." he says softly. "It's just us... I am Mogwin..." he offers. "I... somehow heard one of those names... sensed?" he says softly, "While trying to tend to your wounds..." there is a moment as he tries to process things, "We were quite... lucky to find you when we did.". The deer listens for a moment to what all is said while remaining quiet. Only one of his ears makes any real movement -- small flicks -- other than his breathing. There's a moment of realization. "Lillia, I need to make a phone call," he says resolutely while suddenly pushing up to a sitting position. While his wounds may be eased, his body is still low on energy and it shows. Of course, phone calls will be a problem in this part of the world. "Mogwin. My memory is hazy, but I recall hearing about a village nearby." Unless anybody wants to try holding the deer guy down, he seems quite intent on crawling toward the exit and out into the open so he can try to stand. His replacement prosthetic has loosened, though, and he begins to immediately fall over. Lillia blinks as the deer continues to speak using her name as if they've met, then he asks if he can make a phone call. "Uh, this is Distant Oceans, going to have as much luck making a call with a phone as you would on a rock. You were also nearly dead a few moments ago so I don't think wandering down to the village is such a great idea right now. Who are you trying to talk to? Maybe one of us can find them and bring them to meet you." The red deer shakes his head as he sits on the ground once more and begins retying the vines in place around the small stump of his right leg's below-knee. "That's not good enough. I must have been missing for a long enough time for a full-scale search. I need to contact my company and my wife immediately." There's another groan as Louis once again rises to his feet. The vines dig into his pelt and hurt, but he puts on a stone-faced expression and begins to walk. "Actually," comes a voice from the treeline. An ambiguous shape floats there, although it seems to have wings it doesn't need to use in order to hover in place. "There might be a way. Hurry, follow me!" It disappears beyond, though there's at least a sense that the fae creature is waiting. The deer regards the two that have come to save him. Perhaps the memory of the recent conflict is too hazy to fully recall under the influence of the Tree's magic. "I despise the notion of asking, but it might be best if you two accompany me." The trip through the woods isn't easy for Louis, but it's uneventful other than the stares from other forest folk and creatures. For some reason the forest seems to be very enthralled by his presence. He doesn't look like much outwardly. He's dirty, caked with blood, sagging from fatigue, and near completely naked. It must be for some other reason. "Why are you helping me?" he voices to the floating guide just far enough away that it's hard to make out details. "Any friend of Seanathair is a friend of ours. He really likes you. I don't think I've seen him that sad in a while." "That's the name of the tree?" "Close enough." "So, where are we going?" It's not easy for him in the state he's in, but he doesn't want to sound whiny in complaining. "To the Scrying Stone! Well, it does more than that, but you'll see!" The stone in question isn't too much further. It's hard to tell if the twelve foot tall boulder is naturally shaped the way it is or if something had carved it to be so. Almost like a funneling slide, the tall leaning stone collects the dewy drips of the large leafy plants above where they gather in a puddle in a bowl-like indentation closer to the base where somebody can easily stand. The water is clear and, suddenly, Louis realizes just how thirsty he is. Inspections complete, the buck looks to the faerie and asks with a dry mouth, "What do I do?" "Oh. I thought you knew. Um, well, you need to lean over the water and stare into it, focus your magic into it, and think really hard about a person or place. You should be able to see it, and, uh... If you use enough magic you can probably talk to them, too, but it can be a little strange in how that works. If it's too far away, though, it might not work." Funnily enough, that makes perfect sense with how Synthatek is. Louis places hands upon the cold stone on either side of the bowl and leans in over it. Magic? He'd never consider himself magic by any means. There are some deep-seeded spiritual things regarding his people, the Nature Animals, but those things hardly ever come up in normal life. After a few moments of blankly staring and forced concentration and absolutely nothing happening, probably with mixed responses of thought from his two companions that can both use differing forms of magic, the floating fae thing offers consolation. "I can help. But just this once, and this only works once a day, so don't screw it up! Hee hee." There's a gesture and the water ripples. Louis fixates upon it and the reflection of his face and thinks so terribly hard about where he works. Only one shot at this... When a shimmer of an image of his office appears he almost pulls away in surprise, but he buckles down hard and doubles his efforts. Teeth clenching, the picture of a lion comes into view. Hey, that's- "Free! Free, can you hear me?" The lion doesn't seem to respond in any way other than passing a glance down a hallway to where people are gathered. "Free, damn it, I swear if you don't pay attention to me I'm going to suspend you from work for a whole month!" Free pulls out his phone and peers at the garbled number before answering. His voice is audible, yet warbly and distant. "Who is this? The fuck you want?" Astounding! It would seem the magic is affecting some sort of broadcast that allows some communication through a mix of magic and technology that one would only experience in Senta. "Free, it's me, Louis! You've got some nerve addressing me that way." The reflection of the lion in the water looks uncertain. "Boss? You sound like you're calling from the moon instead of the bathroom. What happened, did you fall in?" "Fall in? Is that supposed to be funny? Of course I fell in! There was some sort of hole in the bathroom floor and I fell from the sky into some forest in the middle of nowhere, but I'm safe now. Call off the search and I'll try to find a way home soon." Free laughs. He laughs! "Okay, sure, boss. I'll get right on that," he jokes with clear sarcasm as he cradles the phone between his head and shoulder while leaning back against the wall behind him and starts to file his nails. ...! "Free, leave your damn claws alone and contact the Board and my wife to let them know I'm safe. I'm not risking a stocks drop just because you're being lazy and rude." Well, that gets Free's attention. He straightens up and looks around in confusion. "You can see me? You peeking through the door somehow?" The lion approaches the bathroom door and opens it and steps inside to look around. "WHAT? It's empty!" "Of course it's empty. Did you think I'd be stuck in a bathroom for two weeks?!" "Two weeks? That's silly, Louis. I watched you just walk in." Louis goes silent, jaw hanging open. That's impossible. Isn't it? The image starts to fade and it becomes harder to hear the lion. Free even glances at the phone face to make sure the connection is still holding. "Boss?" "I'll be home soon, Free. No missing animal reports, no news! Cover for me. Let Azuki know I'm safe. She'll worry about the company image. Don't tell anybody there what happened. Tell them it was an emergency business trip. Keep smiling and- And..." The image is completely gone. For a good long while Louis just stares into the now murky water with a million questions in mind. At length, he turns and looks to the fawn and moogle -- the faerie is no longer visually around -- and his tiredness really starts to show. "Is it really March the Twenty-Ninth again? Still? Or was what I just saw, talked to, from the past? I- I need to get home. Please...I could use the help. I don't know where I am." | |