Anonymous

Somewhere in the halls of the Underking:

Moving slowly through the Halls, being careful to check every aspect before moving forward and trusting the bond to carry him through, Lexen finally comes across you, his features flooding with relief.  "Brother."

Wading his way through a crowd of souls, Haven keeps his eyes cast down at the ground as he mutters quietly to himself. "Peace. Peace is all I want." The spectral version of the former Knight does not seem aware of anything. Not the souls he pushes past. Not the milky mists that seem to pervade the entire area. Not even you or the bond that guided you here.

Vibrantly flooded with vitality,Lexen pushes his way through the sea of souls as well, intentionaly imposing himself directly in front of you, his solid, vivid form standing in sharp contrast to the other spectres around him.  "Haven.  Brother.  Warden."  Lexen pleads, his hands moving to rest on your shoulders.

A surge of frost immediately rips across Haven's form upon contact with you as his eyes snap up. It was the chill of the grave that surfaced. The touch of sorrow that flared. His eyes a blood-shot red are fierce as they twinkle with confusion at the sight of you. "No... no. NOOO!" The former Knight flails wildly at you in an effort to try to escape like a child from a nightmare.

The chill slides into Lexen's core, drawing a violent shudder from his body even as he lunges forward, maintaining contact and intently wrapping his arms around your shoulders, pulling you into a fierce hug despite the violent shivering sliding through his body.

The flailing eventually comes to a stop as Haven rests within your arms. The Azudim offers little more than a terrified stare over your shoulder as he watches nothing and everything pass him by. "No... no. Peace." The words tumble out of him briskly in a nearly breathless heap as the frost continues to pile on and on with each passing moment.

"Shhhhh...." Lexen issues in a soft tone, the chills still seeping deep within his spirit.  "This is not peace, Brother.  This is torment.  Peace is the warmth of your lover.  Your family."  Gasping a few times to try and fight off the chill, he quietly says, "Demarcus joined the Luminaries to be like his father.  Come back with me.  Watch your son grow to fill your shoes."

The spectre blinks once. And then twice. It is the third blink in the space of a deep breath that Haven's expression actually seems to focus. "Peace?" He asks curiously as he presses his clawed hands to your shoulders like if he were to let go then you might evaporate. "Peace." He repeats with a fervor and certainty that might've followed a long-winded speech. "Pppeeeeeaaace!" The Azudim pleads with the frost gradually turning to heat now as his frame flickers a touch like a candle's flame before a breeze.

Lexen's brow furrows, deep concern etched across his features.  "Yes, Brother. Peace. Come with me." he states, keeping hold on your form until he's taken your hand in his own, much like a parent takes the hand of a small child.

The heat flares just as violently as the spectre's visage flickers until he's practically invisible! But his presence can still be felt burning hotly within your clutches. What may have felt like mere seconds to you felt like ages to Haven as he suddenly blinks back... looking different now. Covered in obsidian from horned crown to plated tail, the Azudim stares darkly at you as he bares his teeth and states, "They thought they could kill me, Lexen. But Amar does not sleep. Oh, no, no, no! Amar may be caged but he is ever awake!" With that said, the former Knight suddenly lunges forward to bite at your throat.

Taken off guard by the sudden change, Lexen instinctively recoils from the attack, though some subconscious part of him refuses to release his grip on your hand as he does so.  His far more solid form, however, holds true, and the steel and obsidian skin holds firm against the first attack, even as Lexen grits his teeth, expecting pain.  "Brother!  You need to come back with me.  Through the Mirror."

"No! He is mine until he is ready." The beast calls through clenched teeth clamped around your spectral flesh. "We will peel away together until we can merge again. He. Is. MINE!" The bite tightens as the beast savagely begins to whip its head back and forth in an effort to pull you down to the shrouded floor. The heat is radiant as it is smoldering while Haven remains in contact with you.

Lexen snarls against the heat, but stands his ground, his eyes narrowing as he glares at you.  "NO." he bellows, his voice carrying the weight of his conviction as his hands move to the throat of the beast.  "He has suffered enough of this," Lexen snarls, shifting his hand until the prayer beads around his wrist press against your spectral flesh.  "These sacred halls are for those facing their judgement, and your time has not come.  In His name, I banish you, Amar.  I will leave you here to rot and take my brother home."

A blood curling cry claws savagely to the surface before tearing across the void as an estranged echo. "NO!" It is some time before silence dominates the Azudim like an alpha wolf. Haven's chest heaves for a moment before flattening out as the chill resumes its rightful place over him alongside the silence. "Brother? Lexen..." His tone is wavery the first few times he calls your name but eventually he answers with a firm, "Lexen."

Lexen offers a grim nod, his shaking hand finding yours again and giving it a firm squeeze.  "Come with me, Brother.  I've come to take you home."

Haven stares at you for a long time as if a barrier were soaking up your words and distorting them significantly before reaching his ears. There is a touch of confusion and concern written across his features as he casts his head lightly towards the side. "Home?" He eventually asks as his azure eyes pass over the mark at your throat from where the beast had bitten you. The Azudim tentatively reaches out to run his clawed fingertips over the area - not to heal or for curiosity's sake as one might think. No, this touch was a mild delve onto the nefarious side as the Azudim presses into the wound as if reaching for something. Grasping for something within you. "Why?"

Lexen's form falters for a flicker of an instant as a nearly visable white hot pain flashes through his body.  With incredible difficultly, he steadies his form once more, gritting his teeth against the agony and starting to move back towards the mirror, making sure you are moving with him--his hand never releasing.  "You are loved, Haven.  Missed.  Needed.  Let me help you find your peace."

As the white hot pain intensifies, what you might not have noticed before with the bite or even Haven's current touch which would be much more noticeable now with the forceful grasping is that the Azudim appears to be reaching for -the- bond. The connection between you and him. Between you and Aren. Between the brothers. His claws dig deep and snare and claw and scratch for the bond as his limb gradually disappears beneath your spectral flash in a brilliant arc of light even as you draw you both towards the mirror. "I have found it. Here. In the end as it was in the beginning. Peace."

"You have found a distraction," Lexen insists, his pace quickening as the flaring pain threatens to unravel his nerve.  "A dream that you live over and over so that you do not search for anything more.  Lexen's free hand shakes noticably, his fingers wrapped tight around the prayerbeads snaked around his wrist, as if they were holding him at anchor with reality.  "Will you come back with me, Brother?"

"You will watch over my son, Brother. You will see that he grows into the man of strength and honor that I know him to be capable of. That I know you to be capable of." The Azudim continues reaching for the bond, grasping inside of you desparately in search of it. To have? To hold? To destroy? To remind him? Whatever be the case, the Azudim is merciless in his pursuit even as you draw him closer to the mirror.

Lexen brings you to a stop directly in front of the mirror, turning to place both hands on your shoulders and gripping tight despite the agony on his features.  "We can't do it without you, Haven."  Lexen declares before releasing his steady hold on the bond and allowing it to lunge into you.  The agony, despair and heartache of the past several months pour out of him in a relentless wave, bearing all the grief of Lexen, Aren, Roux, Demarcus, Kerryn, Jasmyn and countless others.  "We need you..." Lexen gasps, pointing firmly at the dais bearing the mirrro. "I need you. Come back until Lord Dhar releases you, brother."

The agony and despair are practically a mirrored reflection of Haven's own feelings as they come into contact with shuddering force. The mixed feelings echo throughout the spectre and his face peels away into a twisted grimace as he stares at you. "I..." The words can barely form as the Azudim stands before the mirror with the bond gripped firmly within his clutches. Haven holds it high above his head with one hand like a man might hold a trophy in triumph. Or perhaps with the way his flesh tightens around his eyes, more like a scoundrel observing new found treasure beneath a stellar light. "I cannot."

Lexen grits his teeth together in agony, as if the bond were a tangible part of him that had been torn out and manhandled, setting his body to shaking.  "You must, Haven, or you condemn us both to nothingness.  I cannot face failure again.  I WON'T go back without you.  Your boy will have no one."

If only you had known that his words were meant to answer an internal question: could he destroy the bond that which tracked him here? The Azudim gripped the bond fiercely as his expression continues to deteriorate with the relentless pulse of despair that wracks havoc across his spectral frame. "I love you, Brother. Please... Forgive me." Like a fine glass tuned just right to a piercing pitch, the Azudim explodes and shatters into thousands and thousands of tiny little shards that dance and twirl towards the imposing Soul Mirror. They surge and violently circle around the magnificent artifact before ultimately plunging into the obscure silver glass of the Soul Mirror.

You approach the Soul Mirror.

 -------- Some time later... --------

(Order): Orisae says, "Belated greetings."

(Luminaries): You say, "...Hello."

(Order): You say, "Hello Orisae."

(Order): Orisae says, "O-oh. So they were wrong.."

Aren and Roux enter from the south following Daskalos.

Along an empty, broken street. (village of Tasur'ke.) (5322)
The stars twinkle in the clear night sky. The street veers to the west here, and in the distance, it merges into a wider road outside of the village itself , through dry plains and canyons. Puddles of slime emit a subtle stench here, and combined with a ringing silence, a clear indication that the village itse lf is dead and abandoned. The shining figure of a guardian angel floats in the air here. Preceptor Aren Yaslana, Morning Star is here. He wields a buckler in his left hand. Daskalos Qefin is here. He wields a jewel-encrusted buckler in his left hand. Zura Ani, Roux Aquila is here.
You see exits leading northeast (closed pine door), south, and west.

Haven leans against the doorway clutching his chest when he takes notice of Aren, Roux, and Daskalos. Immediately the former Knight pulls himself to his full height and raises his chin. "Comrades." He calls with a gruff and strained voice as if he hadn't used it in quite some time.

(Order): You say, "I... can only imagine what you're talking about."

Daskalos looks at both Aren and Roux with a flicker of fear and concern, before turning to regard you with his fiery eyes, speechless.

Orisae tells you, "They told me you were dead. You are not dead. They lied to me."

Aren stares at you as well, unable to move, much less talk.

Roux presses a hand to her mouth, ears pulling back so far they nearly disappear into her chaotic hair. She can't seem to get enough breath as she just stares at you through misting eyes.

A cat looks at you unimpressed and saunters out to the west.

(Order): Meltas says, "What do you know, he does wake."

You tell Orisae Adesso, "I... Well. The times have always been cruel."

Orisae tells you, "True, but that is a decidedly unkind trick to play. Could break a person down, things like that."

You tell Orisae Adesso, "You think so?"

Orisae tells you, "I know so. Don't die on me again, Locke."

You tell Orisae Adesso, "I... would like to see you."

Orisae tells you, "I don't want to interrupt you.." The thought comes with a force of certain hesitation, brief images accompanying the words. Faded, rapid ly fading, but undeniably what could only be a vision of you in your present location complete with company. "Ahm, but yes. That would be.. nice."

Orisae tells you, "In any such case, I am glad that you are back. Perhaps later, yes? Say yes."

You tell Orisae Adesso, "Yes."

Orisae tells you, "Thank you."

 ::[ Lilith ]:: <<> Dehaken Enslaver Exayne enters from the ether. <>>

 ::[ Lilith ]:: <<> Dehaken Enslaver Exayne leaves to the ether. <>>

A mire hound growls menacingly as it lopes in from the south.

Haven takes a shaky step forward and then another, each one growing in strength, as he tightens his expression.

A mire hound leaps violently upon you, knocking you to the ground with a snarl.

Haven sprawls to the floor from the assault.

Preceptor Aren Yaslana, Morning Star says, "We need to get him out of here.."

In a strangled tone, Zura Ani, Roux Aquila says, "Aye. Now."

Daskalos stands forward and offers a hand to you. "Come, Locke, we will take you... home."

Yaslana Gardens. (neighborhoods of Enorian.) (4728)
A generous bit of land has been set aside for a tranquil garden overlooking the Paladin Guildhall. Luscious grasses and ferns have taken root and spread wildly under the nearby trees, while various wild bushes dot the landscape. A large gazebo in the center of the gardens is mounted with trellis that support various roses in shades from white to red that appear to cascade downwards from the top of the gazebo. Tall hedges surround the gardens making homes for th e finches and wrens that dart between the tree branches. A swirled silk and rosewood hammock offers a comfortable place to sit here. A sturdy chair of dark walnut is here, looking worn down by time. A marble statue of Sir Cuchulainn Yaslana is here. A grand wicker armchair stands here, invitingly comfortable. Sitting low to the ground, a large table has been placed here. Resting on three legs, a wrought iron table is here. A sigil in the shape of a small, recta ngular monolith is on the ground. The shining figure of a guardian angel floats in the air here. Preceptor Aren Yaslana, Morning Star is here. He wields a buckler in his left hand. Daskalos Qefin is here. He wields a jewel-encrusted buckler in his left hand. Zura Ani, Roux Aquila is here.
You see exits leading west and in.

Aren looks you over from head to toe, frowning deeply, "Where the fuck have you been!?"

Haven seats himself on the steps of the gazebo before turning his eyes to Aren with an expression that closely resembles a wince. "I..." The words can barely form with Aren blatantly staring at him and the Azudim is forced to pull his attention elsewhere. Anywhere but at his comrades. Ah, yes , his clawed fingers should suffice. Clicking his fingertips idly against his palms, Haven continues, "I went looking for something."

Roux clasps her hands together tightly before her, as if doing anything else might make her fly apart. The wings of her cloak fall forward to cover her shoulders, and she simply watches, eyes hollowed, lips trembling.

Daskalos moves to stand next to Roux, placing a hand on her back, a touch to let her know he is there. "Did you find whatever it was?" he asks.

Aren rushes past Roux and Daskalos and grabs you roughly by the front of your shirt, yanking the Azudim's face close to his own, "Good! Good you went looking and left Lexen here to feel the guilt! Good you fucking ran off and hurt Roux and your son and...Gods damnit!"

Saybre tells you, "YOU SON OF A BITCH."

You tell Knight-Marshall, Sir Saybre Windrayn, Champion of the Rose, "...you've no idea."

Saybre tells you, "I'm gonna kill you again, myself! Then shove your head in the tear so hard!"

Saybre tells you, "Selfish prick, you know I nearly killed Lexen in the street because of you?"

Haven tries to swat Aren's hands away from his shirt but fails miserably as if he doesn't have the strength to accomplish such a feat. Instead, he mildly rests his claws atop Aren's arm as he says, "Please. Brother." The words tumble out of Haven at a whisper but gradually build in volume as he repeats himself not once but twice before adding, "I'm tired."

You tell Knight-Marshall, Sir Saybre Windrayn, Champion of the Rose, "I... have no words."

Saybre tells you, "You. You are going to get hugged."

Roux moves from Daskalos to pad forward and reach up, hand shaking at it moves to rest on Aren's shoulder. "Laen." she says softly. "... please."

Saybre tells you, "Hugged -hard-."

Saybre tells you, "And I just got Qeddwyn to upgrade my strength."

Aren gives you a rough push as he releases you, turning back to stalk towards Daskalos, jaw firmly clenched in anger.

Haven is forced back a step from Aren's shove but the effect seems profound in regards to his demeanor - from the sudden sag of his shoulders to the defeated expression that wrecks havoc across his features. "Brother..." The Azudim reaches out past Roux for Aren as he calls more forcefully, "Brother!"

::[ Lilith ]:: <<> Saybre enters from the west. <>>

Saybre strides in with determination, and throws his arms around you with some force. A grimace in the mixture of anger and relief is etched across the Idreth's face, staring intently at you.

Roux stumbles back from Saybre and you, hurt striking across her features before she quickly hides it and moves away from the both.

Daskalos watches in silence, his face carefully neutral.

"I have nothing to say to you, Locke." Aren says harshly, brushing past Daskalos on his way out.

Haven's call for Aren is immediately interrupted by Saybre's emotional embrace. The former Knight looked nothing at all like he were pleased. Not anger either but more as if he were suddenly stricken with fear. Upon realization that it's only Saybre, Haven seems to ease up. Barely. "Knight Marshall..." If Haven had more to say it is briskly cut short with Aren's latest declaration.

Saybre manages a smile, shaking his head at you as he pulls away. He gives a vigorous slap on the Azudim's back before stepping back several feet to assess you. "You look like you've been through Halls, brother."

Roux backs up until she can lean against the table, bracing her hands on it as her eyes close and she focuses on taking slow, even breaths. Her knuckles whiten as her claws dig into the wood.

Daskalos moves towards Roux, shooting a look at you. "You're back from the grave and all you can say to the woman you love is 'I need a nap?'" he asks in a harsh tone as he moves closer to Roux.

"What should I say Daskalos?!" Haven barks as he finds himself leaning over towards Saybre for support to keep himself from toppling over. "That I'm sorry? That I wish I never left? That I want to take it all back and make things better?" Baring his teeth, Haven closes his eyes and turns partially away as he darkly utters through gritted teeth, "I couldn't lie to her even if I wanted to. I only regret that I didn't find the peace I wanted."

Roux stands abruptly. "Then I will make things easier for you." she says in a low tone before leaving the garden.

Daskalos glares at you for a moment, then walks out of the room.

Saybre begins to wield an eye sigil in his left hand.

Saybre throws a sigil at the ground which bursts in a flash of light.

Phoenecia is pulled back into phase with reality!

Saybre places his hand on your shoulder to brace him, furrowing his brow in confusion as he looks over to where Daskalos and Roux had stood. He turns back to you, "I suppose I missed the fun, hmm? I'm just glad you're back, brother."

Haven scowls as he merely offers Saybre a small nod. There is a chilled scowl drifting just beneath the surface of Haven's defeated expression as he hangs his head while still leaning lightly against Saybre. "I didn't want to come back. Lexen dragged me back." Eventually comes the reply before he lets go of Saybre entirely and starts towards the street at a slow and shaky pace.

Saybre creases his brow in a frown.

Phoenecia idly flicks her right antenna. "Why am I not surprised that this was Verite's doing," she notes idly.

Orisae tells you, "Nngh."

You tell Orisae Adesso, "...something wrong?"

Orisae tells you, "N-no. Nothing. It's just me, I suppose."

You tell Orisae Adesso, "I had something to tell you before."

Orisae tells you, "I know you d-did." The sound of her words is muffled and wavering, articulation lost in a flood of emotion that she struggles to conceal . "I was t-thinking about that after they told me you were walking Lord D-dhar's halls."

You slip away successfully and evade your pursuers.

A pristine beach. (Enorian.) (4611)
The bright sun shines down, blanketing you with its life-giving warmth. A bright crab with wavering antennae scuttles sideways along sand and sea. A bright -eyed missionary serenely patrols the streets of Enorian. There are 2 monolith sigils here. The glowing form of a woman with straight-backed military bearing stands here. Orisae Adesso is here. She is riding on a donkey.
You see exits leading north, southeast, and west (closed pine door).

"Haven!" Saybre calls out, jogging to keep pace with you. "You know, you -have- friends here. I am one, and I can stand with you regardless of your past. The others..they'll just take time to peel their heads from their rectums."

Haven pauses in his step and turns to look over his shoulder at Saybre, his boots sinking just slightly in the pristine sand. "All I wanted was to find peace, Knight Marshall."

Struggling to stand up from her previously collapsed position, Orisae rubs sand-covered hands over her face to clear away the kohl streaks that had clearly traveled down her face. Stray stands clinging to her damn cheeks, the harpy's expression smoothly transitions from rage to embarrassment at being discovered. As Saybre and Phoenecia are noticed, she redoubles her effort to compose herself. "Nngh."

Saybre sighs audibly at you, forcibly grabbing his arm with his gauntleted hand. "You can't find it here, with us? You never even spoke with me about being unhappy...you showed up to to surprise Phoe and me..then left. Next thing I hear, you're gone!"

Phoenecia flits out from behind Saybre, her wings buzzing softly as she hovers to his side, though she maintains her distance, her expression confused and marred by a deep frown. Once Orisae is noticed, she grimaces faintly, glancing at her with an expectant look.

Haven presses his hand to his crown as he grimaces like he were suffering from a headache. "I... You lot wouldn't understand." The Azudim turns on his heel as if to leave before he finds himself nearly tripping over Orisae.

A near panicked look is shot at Phoenecia, Orisae's reddened features, tear burned cheeks and cosmetic stains soon swallowed up out of sight as a shaman's spiritmask is hastily tugged down to cover the entirety of her face. It is at that moment that you managed to collide into the disguised Tsol'aa, his larger form practically knocking her own over if it hadn't been for the quick actions of her bracing her bared feet into the cold sand. The scales of her dress clank loudly as metal crashes into metal, louder than the sound of the surf.

Smiling wryly at the entanglement, Saybre proceeds to walk back to the boardwalk, looking thoroughly depressed. "Should you need it, brother. I am always just a whisper away," he says over his shoulder, gritting his teeth as he motions to Phoenecia.

::[ Lilith ]:: <<> Saybre leaves to the north. <>>

::[ Lilith ]:: <<> Jasmyn enters from the north, riding a donkey. <>>

Jasmyn glares angrily at you.

You tell Knight-Marshall, Sir Saybre Windrayn, Champion of the Rose, "What should my orders be?"

Jasmyn steps down off of a donkey.

Jasmyn slaps a donkey on the rump and sends it cantering off.

Saybre tells you, "To get yourself together, I need you at peak efficiency. You're no good to me lulling about, drink some kawhe, some brandy, what have you. Go hump a few Spirean whores, but I need -you- back."

"I remember you being taller." Haven says to Orisae as he reaches out to snatch her arm in an effort to steady himself and keep from falli ng from the collision. The heavy plodding of a donkey catches the Azudim's attention as he cranes his neck to look over his shoulder at Jasmyn upon her arrival. "Senator."

Preceptor Aren Yaslana, Morning Star yells, "DaipgEa *hic* n!!" (Translation: Daingean!!)

"Amar," Jasmyn hisses in reponse, her face contorting as she battles between disbelief and fury.

You tell Preceptor Aren Yaslana, Morning Star, "Is that it then?"

Aren tells you, "Youu wi *hic* l *hic* l explaaaIn yyourssvlf!" (Translation: You will explain yourself!)

"I..the last time you saw me like this, I was sitting." As if that made anything more clear, Orisae's voice comes out muffled from behind the thick bone plates of her mask, the words trailing off at the end with something that could have been either elation or warning of more tears. Whatever emotion was about to be expressed, the disguised Tsol'aa pulls back into herself and manages to hold back at the sound of Jasmyn hissing. Still, she does not remove her arm from you or your grasp, keeping her other hand still on the mask as if it was a lifeline, that barrier.

Aren tells you, "You! YOu."

Aren tells you, "Yoou rau awayy!" (Translation: You ran away!)

You tell Preceptor Aren Yaslana, Morning Star, "What are my orders?"

Aren tells you, "Why! cuuhy diddn't you wttn *hic* t ttto comme bact." (Translation: Why! Why didn't you want to come back?!)

It's a long while of simply staring at Jasmyn before Haven relinquishes his grip on Orisae's arm and he stands up straighter. "Should I brace myself?" He asks with a hoarse tone as if he still weren't used to actually using his voice box. There isn't a tension to the former Knight's demeanor. None physically noticeable anyway. Instead there is a grave and chilled air about the man like something were missing. Whatever it is, Haven manages the lightest of smiles he can possibly muster as he bunches his fingers together to shape fists at his sides as if he already knew the answer to his own question.

Jasmyn draws in a long, deep breath, her body seeming to expand in the process. Her neck arches, her head lowering to level with your face as smoke begins to curl from her flared nostrils. Lips draw back, revealing rows of viciously sharp fangs, and just as it seems that she might belch a bellyful of fire right into your eyes, she instead bursts into tears, throwing her arms around the Azudim, and chitters out in a single breath, "I missed you so much, you're such a bloody idiot going away like that don't you ever dare do that again I hate you!"

The moment Orisae reclaims her arm, rubbing at it as if the skin was left tingling, and takings a few quiet steps back away from you and Jasmyn. Muttering near muted apologies for undisclosed reasons and slipping a hand beneath the mask to wipe at her face, she turns on her heel and begins to leave to reclaim whatever dignity she'd lost during the encounter.

"Wait," Jasmyn rasps, her suddenly tired eyes fixing on Orisae. "He'd rather have his time with you. I'm not going to linger long. I just had to see if it was really him."

Aren tells you, "WANNA KNO *hic* W YOUR FUCKING ORDERS?" (Translation: Wanna know your fucking orders?!)

Aren tells you, "Live."

You tell Preceptor Aren Yaslana, Morning Star, "I..."

You tell Preceptor Aren Yaslana, Morning Star, "Understood."

Haven starts to slink back from the impending assault as Jasmyn draws nearer but... surprisingly it never comes. Instead the Azudim finds himself almost overwhelmed by her embrace as his back arches from the effort before he gradually allows himself to comfortably settle into the embrace. "I suppose some things never change." The words come out weakly as Haven allows a smile to surface, albeit a faint one. "I'll come find you eventually."

Jasmyn releases you, not bothering to wipe away her tears, though they seem to stop as suddenly as they started. She holds you at arm's length, her long claws pressing into your shoulders, then leans in to press her snout affectionately against your face before she lets go of you and turns so abruptly that the sand at her feet collapses and sends her sprawling. With the dignity of a wet cat, she picks herself back up and, grumbling, climbs more carefully over the beach and away.

 ::[ Lilith ]:: <<> Jasmyn leaves to the north. <>>

"N-no. I need to rest. I meant to rest. I truly have no way of not resting at this moment." Orisae calls over her shoulder, each syllable spoken more firmly than the last until she's absolute in her resolve, having talked herself into the departure. "Locke. Scoundrel. You promised me. This does not count, no. " A knuckle rasps against her mask.

Orisae notes as Jasmyn runs away, her words falling on ears already gone. "Oh."

Evenly, you say, "If you must go then go, Orisae."

Softly, Orisae Adesso says to you, "I don't want to."

Haven's chest puff out briefly as he inhales sharply before offering Orisae a light nod. In one breath, the Azudim states, "I understand. We do what we must."

Orisae closes her eyes and begins to focus.

Orisae fades away slowly as heavy gusts of wind churn around her form, the strong scent of brine lingering in the air where she once stood.