Treats, Trees, Tears

From seemingly nowhere, Bizirik appears, a lemon-lime meringue clutched in its set of smaller
forelimbs. It clumsily hands a lemon-lime meringue over to you before slinking back off.

Gurashi's melodic voice sings into your mind, "My mine-child said you were  wanting to talk to me - so have sent you a meringues."

[[briefly, at the timequake]]

Gurashi -

They are an ordinary human starlit demigod changeling. They stand several inches shy of six feet
tall with a slender build. Their arms and legs are lanky, soft hands nervously balled into fists at
their side. Their most prominent three knuckles of the same hand are faintly scarred, star-shapes
etched across their skin. Their sandy skin has been reddened from exposure to the sun, causing an
array of tawny-colored freckles to appear upon their round cheeks and thin, upturned nose. A hint of
discolored flesh can be seen near the center of their sternum, mostly obscured by their clothing. A
moderately-sized, crescent-shaped scar mars their right cheek. Perhaps the most noteworthy thing
about them is their untamed mop of fiery red hair, complete with a few strands at their part that
fail to obey the natural laws of gravity. A shock of bone-white hair has grown in along their
temple. A pair of friendly gray-blue eyes gaze out from below red bangs, their color striking
against all the surrounding warm hues. Great wings of ethereal metal emerge from their upper back,
raining motes of copper-hewn energy that dissipate with the hum of the Beckoner Beyond the Maze's
truefavour.

They are wearing:
a starry wreath of celestial light set atop their head like a halo
a pair of gardening gloves which have been worn from wear on the fingertips
a circlet of crystal thorns resting loosely atop their head
a vivid red-orange poppy tucked lovingly behind their left ear
a vibrant vermilion shirt which has been perfectly tailored for them
a well-worn apron covered in colorful pockets tied tightly behind their back
rugged tan adventuring trousers which fit their form flatteringly
mercurial Mysraian prayer beads pulled taut against their right wrist
a Glomdoring friendship bracelet which jingles softly on their left wrist
minty citrus incense beads pulled taut against their right wrist
an enormous poppy of black and gold worn delicately upon their left wrist
a driftwood ring of sea breezes fitted tightly to their left middle finger
Refined Boots of the Paladin, worn and weathered from use.

Rhalkyr -

He is an ordinary human. A truly massive figure in every respect, this hulking creature is built
from enormous slabs of dense muscle that ripple and twitch with the slightest motion, and the
barbarous mien he holds himself with fairly radiates a brutal vitality. Monstrously broad of
shoulder, with a deep, powerful chest, he nonetheless possesses a predatory fluidity that endows
bestial grace to his form. Occasional, jagged gashes of white scar tissue present a stark contrast
to the otherwise sun-bronzed hue of his skin, upon which numerous, barbed stripes have been painted
in some flaking, black substance. Darkly golden, unruly hair juts out in thick tresses and wild
tufts that falls just short of his thick shoulders. Rarely still, his eyes are a brilliant shade of
vibrant green, made almost feverish by the ferocious intensity with which he views the world.

He is wearing:
a simple gold ring
a pitch-black mask with crimson eyes
a loose pair of dancers' trousers
an autumnal leaf ring.

Gurashi glances towards you slowly, before lifting a hand and offering a silent wave of greeting.

Rolling a thickly muscled shoulder in slow revolutions, Rhalkyr glances at Gurashi and utters a grunt of greeting.

[[Later, after the timequake and other shenanigans die down, and I am not going AAAHHH at the overwhelmed-ness]]

You tell Gurashi, The Heart's Friend, "The unmistakable impression of being watched precedes the
rough, guttural sound of a voice that speaks in hitching, halting cadence. "Would speak, soon.
Alert, when available. Will be waiting.""

Gurashi's melodic voice sings into your mind, "* from across the aethers, the residual darkness
brightens with pale pastel colors, blooming like a painting as their voice response * Oh? Oh! Saw
you's in the quakes, yes...! I - uh - uhm, I am. Can also talk! * a splash of bright yellow *."

Gurashi's melodic voice sings into your mind, "Where would be bestest?"

You tell Gurashi, The Heart's Friend, "The blossoming hues draw forth from the depths of the aethers
a creeping sense of observation, a gleaming constellation of hungry eyes opening, one after the
other in an endless array of unwavering regard. "Yes. Saw you, also." A pause, and then the faint
discolouration of disdain, dripping like tar. "Not city. Somewhere-"."

Light spreads across Gurashi's back in numerous colours and hues, enfolding them like butterfly
wings.

Gurashi cautiously pokes their head within the doorway, then freezes as it audibly creaks open.
Their eyes fall on you, and they grimace before flashing an apologetic smile.

Rhalkyr jerks his head about at the arrival, fingers flexing and twitching into the
shape of stiffened claws.
Timidly, Gurashi, The Heart's Friend says, "Many apologies - could see were here, so thought..."

Standing up straighter, Gurashi, The Heart's Friend says, "Did not mean to startle!"

A low, shuddering rumble judders forth from Rhalkyr's massive chest, the
reverberations carrying a distinctly displeased note. Rolling his shoulders, as if to loosen them,
he utters a curt grunt. "No, matter. Speak, elsewhere. Not, here."

"Oh, not here? Uh..." Gurashi trails off again, looking around the brightly colored room before
offering a shrug. "If have a preference, can go to..." Softer they add, "unfortunately must be
outside of Glomdorings is only conditions, yes. So if have a spots..."

Gurashi steps inside fully, leaving the door open wide as they cautiously approach the other human,
leaving a person's worth of space between them. "Can follow you, yes, if would like!"

Rhalkyr flicks the fingers of his right hand in a loose, dismissive arc. "Would
not, invite, to the Glomdoring." As Gurashi approaches, he shifts subtly, adjusting the way in which
he holds himself to that of a loose, limber stance. "Have not, explored, much. Know, somewhere,
forested? Neutral."

Gurashi distractedly looks over their shoulder, teeth sinking into their lower lip. "Hmm," They turn
away from you, hands on their hips. "Know of places where are trees and flowers, yes - should not
get in troubles? Except with mosquitoes. Would that be O-K?" They look over their shoulder
curiously, planting their hands on their hips.

Tikki hugs Gurashi compassionately.

Gurashi blinks.

Gurashi reaches out, pulling Tikki into a tight embrace.

"'Lo!" Tikki quips cheerfully.

As the sun's rays begin to break over the horizon, a slender leothin's amaranthine visage begins to
fade back to a soft gray, wings dissolving like mist with the morning light.

Gurashi looks startled and confused, but returns the hug, smiling brightly at the new entrant. "Oh!
Hi, Tikki! Hello, hello...!"

Rhalkyr follows Gurashi's gaze, his own flickering towards the doorway, then to
Gurashi, and away again. A short, grinding sound, riddled with amusement, precedes, "Think, will
survive, wrathful mosquitoes." At Tikki's entrance, he flicks a glance Tikki's way, then returns to
looking elsewhere.

Tikki says, "Howdy there! I was wandering around and thought I spotted you. So I figured slipping in
for a hug was a wise course of action."

Tikki nods his head sagely.

Bizirik's head begins to droop. It opens its great maw and curls back its lips to allow its forked
tongue to unfurl as it yawns before snapping its mouth shut.

Looking over again, Gurashi, The Heart's Friend says to you, "I hope so! Hope so. They are pretty
wrath-filled, yes."

Gurashi looks at Tikki, face lighting up as they smile brightly at him.

Bright and clear, Gurashi, The Heart's Friend says to Tikki, "That is always a goodly courses of
action, yes, yes - oh here."

Gurashi gives a lemon-lime meringue to Tikki.

Tikki claps his hands together merrily.

Nodding enthusiastically, Gurashi, The Heart's Friend says to Tikki, "Have this - is leftover
birthday pies."

Tikki says, "Oh? Whose birthday did I miss this time? I'm really bad about that..."

Gurashi shakes their head.

Bright and clear, Gurashi, The Heart's Friend says, "Tridemon's - is O-K!"

Rhalkyr nods to Gurashi, but makes no further motion, evidently content to away the
exchange to play out.

Tikki says, "Aww beans. Well let him know I wish him a happy belated birthday! Though uhhh, did I
interrupt something? I'm sorry if so, I can get back on the road!"

Sniffing and snorting, Kosuke, the cloud-bound Long huffs and halts in place for a moment before
rearing their head back in a sudden sneeze, causing a peal of thunder and a misty puff of dreamlike
clouds to erupt from his snout.

Gurashi clasps their hands together, then turns towards you, making a beckoning gesture. "Was just
about to have a talks with..." They squint, carefully wording out the name, "...Rhhhaaalkyyyyyyr,
yes, because was wanting to -talk- to me." They stand up straight. "No no - well, sort of? But not
really. But would mind if found again when was all done?"

Gurashi looks at Tikki, face lighting up as they smile brightly at him.

Bright and clear, Gurashi, The Heart's Friend says to Tikki, "I know of someone else who would
probably want a hug right now, though, yes - a good one!"

Tikki says, "It's no trouble at all! I'll be around for a little while!"

Tikki tilts his head curiously at Gurashi.

Tikki says, "I'm wagering Cheliyi!"

Gurashi grins and nods, bunching their shoulders happily. "Yes."

Tikki nods his head sagely.

Tikki says, "If I manage to spot her, many hugs shall be given."

Rhalkyr makes no comment, nor does he look at Gurashi as his name is spoken - his
attention instead flitting between Kosuke, the cloud-bound Long and Bizirik.

Kosuke, the cloud-bound Long says, "Snacks too, more than likely."

Bizirik, the leothin gives you absolutely no mind, blinking slowly and staring across the room as it
waits for Gurashi to finish speaking.

Tikki nods his head enthusiastically.

Gurashi's shoulders bunch as they let out a short giggle.

Gurashi nods their head at Tikki.

Bright and clear, Gurashi, The Heart's Friend says to Tikki, "Can find her in New Celest, yes..."

Gurashi blinks.

[[Illyria nyooms by a few times <3 ]]

Gurashi throws back their head as they laugh.

Bright and clear, Gurashi, The Heart's Friend says to Tikki, "Anyway, anyway, I do not want to be
rude, yes, to either of you's, but --."

Gurashi reaches out, pulling Tikki into a tight embrace.

Tikki says, "Gotcha! Sorry to have interrupted! You three be well!"

Bright and clear, Gurashi, The Heart's Friend says to Tikki, "Will talk to soonly? Yus."

Gurashi shakes their head.

Tikki gives Gurashi a peck on the cheek.

Bright and clear, Gurashi, The Heart's Friend says to Tikki, "Are fine! Is fine."

Rhalkyr looks up from his sporadic examination of the animals, distracted by the
passing of the faeling.

Tikki bows respectfully to you.

Tikki waves goodbye.

The ambrosial fragrance in the air becomes stale once more as Tikki strolls casually out to the
southwest, a flurry of sugar and spice kicked up behind him.
Uncoiling as he does so, Kosuke eventually leaves to the southwest.

Gurashi suddenly wheels around to face you. "Are ready? Am ready to go now!"

The suddent motion elicits a rippling series of twitches along Rhalkyr's muscles,
the massive man's form jerking with minute spasms, though he makes no overt motion. Angling his head
to look over Gurashi's shoulder, he grunts in the affirmative, jerking a hand towards the exit.

Gurashi flails, suddenly stepping away from you to wave their arms excitedly, turning. "Is this O-K
for? Should not get in troubles. Are some animals," They watch a frog hop onto their boot, then
immediately leap away again, "but they should ignore you, unless are mosquitoes..."

Rhalkyr cocks his head in a series of animalistic motions, the vibrant emerald of
his eyes darting so swiftly about the area that they seem a flickering blur - only to snap to
Gurashi at the abrupt motion, which elicits a twitching, clutching motion from his right hand.
"Will, suffice."

Gurashi looks suddenly to you, face lighting up as they smile brightly.

Rhalkyr sinks abruptly into a boneless crouch, resting upon his haunches, bare toes
digging into the cold loam. Forearms propped upon his thickly muscled thighs, he flicks a dangling
hand at Bizirik, the leothin, though he does not turn his head in the direction of the leothin.
"What is?"

Gurashi turns their attention away from their boot, focusing again on you, smiling still but a bit
of curiosity, nay, concern creeping into their features until the human addresses Bizirik. The
leothin looks up as it is addressed, eyeing your hand, then Gurashi, snorting. "...what is Bizi?
Oh."

Pointing, Gurashi, The Heart's Friend says, "That is Bizirik! Yes - my friend!"

Bizirik, the leothin sniffs you, trying to decipher just what that smell emanating from you is.

A long, drawn out silence meets the explanation, in which Rhalkyr moves not a
muscle. Eventually, with a dissatisfied grunt, he prompts, "/What/, is Biz-ir-ik?" With the same
hand as before, he sketches a flowing profile, outlining the leothin's form in the air.

Bizirik, the leothin snorts, tossing its head as its being is questioned. "Uh...she is aaaaaaaa
leeeeothin, is what the persons said, but, he could have been making it up." They step up beside the
creature, patting the top of its angular head gently. "So, whatever that is! She was in the
Undervaults, so maybe lived there befores."

Bizirik, the leothin chirps happily.

Bizirik, the leothin leans on Gurashi seeking consolation.

Frowning, Gurashi, The Heart's Friend asks Bizirik, the leothin, "...what -are- you is goodly
questions. What is a leothins?"

Bizirik, the leothin lolls its head back, staring up blankly at Gurashi at the question and offering
no verbal response. Its tail slaps the grass behind it once.

Gurashi looks at Bizirik, the leothin, frowning as their expression fills with concern.
Perking up, Bizirik, the leothin begins to chitter and thrum, its tail sweeping back and forth
across the ground. It cranes its neck to gently headbutt Gurashi's side contentedly.

Bright and clear, Gurashi, The Heart's Friend says to you, "I do not know."

Rhalkyr grunts in response, though this time the ragged sound contains no note of
displeasure. Abruptly, he flows forward onto all fours, his masked head cocked at a steep, peculiar
angle. Bearing his weight upon toes and knuckles, he prowls forward at a leisurely pace, shoulders
rolling with each 'step' he takes, circling Bizirik, the leothin in a loose, elliptical path.
"Bites?"

Gurashi sinks slowly to sit upon the ground, tucking their hands into their lap, evidently
unbothered as you begins to prowl about their companion. "Does she bite? Uh, mean peoples, yes,"
They laugh, "But you can pet her if you want...? She will not bite. She never does. Right, Bizi?"

Detaching from its tree trunk, a small green frog leaps out to the south.

Bizirik, the leothin whips its head around as its name is called, then turns forward again to stare
intently at you, watching the other human with clear interest, its flat wide tail slap slap slapping
the grass behind it.

Bizirik, the leothin sniffs you, trying to decipher just what that smell emanating from you is.

Gurashi's eyes light up as they smile.

A glint of green denotes the brief weight of Rhalkyr's attention settling upon
Gurashi, before it bounds away again, flitting from the various small fauna that populate the area,
to the stirring of a leaf, then back to Bizirik, the leothin. Gradually, in a tightening spiral, he
approaches the leothin, but makes no move to touch it, maintaining a span of a man's length away.
"If, never bite. How, know, bites mean people?"

Smiling still, Gurashi, The Heart's Friend says to you, "Well, not -never-, but is so rare, yes? So
may as well be never."

Gurashi sticks out their hand, reaching for the leothin, though the creature is juuuuust out of
their grasp. "But have seen it - seen her bite peoples who try to hurt my friends! So: she only
bites mean peoples."

Gurashi hums softly to themself.

Bizirik, the leothin snorts at this, meeting your striking gaze with its own eerily blank one. Its
tail continues to slap the ground, either in agitation or delight, its devoid expression giving no
hints as to which.

Rhalkyr responds with a curt, "No." Gesturing at Gurashi with a snapping motion of
an upraised hand, the motion so swift that it does not interrupt his stalking gait whatsoever, he
elaborates, "Rare, is not never. Rare, to betray, to kill, to lie - Is not never. Yes?"

The motion of the tail snatches Rhalkyr's attention, his head jerking towards it,
then away to the small frog.

Gurashi blinks slowly. "...yeah - rare is not never, yes," They agree, voice growing a little
quieter. The leothin cranes its neck a little bit, nudging the barest tip of its snout into
Gurashi's hand, letting the human's touch linger.

Gurashi tilts their head and listens intently to you.

Hopping from tree to tree, a small green frog enters from the southwest.

Quietly, Gurashi, The Heart's Friend says to you, "Cheliyi told me that you wanted to talk to me,
yes."

Shifting his course, Rhalkyr strays from his circling path to wend his way about
Gurashi, making not so much as a sound as he passed behind the smaller demidivine. When he speaks,
his voice is close, a rough, rasping sound, oddly modulated due to the mask which covers his mouth.
"Yes. Dutiful, child. Much, like you - Yes?"

Gurashi attempts to follow your motion with their head, turning it as far as they can one way before
whipping their head the other way, looking quite dizzy after the fact. "Ah! Uh - I think so?" They
hum, removing their hand from Bizirik's snout to rub at their forehead, dazed. "Both like similarly
things and try to be nice - as muchly as any two peoples can be similars?" They smile. "Am
grateful."

A thoughtful sound rattles from Rhalkyr's throat, the musing noise rendered jagged
as it tears loose. Continuing on his prowl, the hulking figure passes by close enough that the air
disturbed from his motion brushes against Gurashi's skin, though he makes no contact himself. Moving
in a loose arc around Gurashi's side, he leverages himself up onto two legs - the posture ill-
fitting upon him, bent forward and stepping with a fluid, felinesque stalking gait. Flicking a hand
at Gurashi, he observes, "Soft. Left, the Glomdoring. Hurt, the Glomdoring. Broke, strands, of Her
web. Like you, yes?"

Gurashi blinks.

Gurashi reaches up to rub the back of their neck, adjusting their collar as you stalks by again.
"...she, left, yes. Of own volitions, with own thoughts..." They pause, chewing their lower lip
thoughtfully as they furrow their brow.

Gurashi nods at last, shoulders bunching. "But. Yes. It hurt muchly - the Glomdoring - when -I-
left, so..."

With a sudden, powerful flex of his legs, Rhalkyr bursts from where he stands to
leap gracefully into the nearest tree, deftly catching a thick branch and swinging himself up and
over into the dense foliage, which trembles at the sudden weight - though far less than it should.
Silence follows this disappearance - which extends to such a length that it grows dubious as to
whether the creature is still present. A subtle motion, of black stripes and the gleam of green, so
vibrant that it stands out even within the leaves that enshroud it, betrays his presence as he asks,
tone soft as the footfalls of a hunting cat, "Why?"

Bizirik, the leothin stretches out both forelimbs, the secondary set trembling and curling before it
lays its head down upon its paws, eyes half-lidded.

Gurashi frowns, losing your gaze just as they were prepared to meet it. They look up into the trees,
scanning their darkened branches curiously, folded hands pressed together and fidgeting within their
lap. "...why, what? Why did leave? Or, why did hurt when left?"

Silence, once more. The texture of it is not one of comfort - a heavy, oppressive
feeling, as a smothering blanket, commingled with the neck-prickling sensation of being watched by
something unseen, something hungry. When Rhalkyr speaks again, the torn voice comes,
disconcertingly, from a tree on the opposite side of the glade, behind Gurashi. "Yes."

Gurashi frowns slightly, lowering their gaze from the trees to their hands. They sigh greatly,
shoulders sagging as they speak clearly, but quieter. "O-K."

"Did not want to go," Gurashi clarifies suddenly, looking back up. "Really really loved the
Glomdoring a whole lot." A pause. "STILL do, in many ways, yes." They reach out, touching the grass
before them, fingers sinking into the topmost layers of soil. "Miss the smells and sounds - peoples,
though. Mostly am missing the peoples."

 Again, the hungry silence, devouring the words as they come. When Rhalkyr speaks,
his voice is once more from a different tree. "Hurt them. Hurt, what you love, Gur-ash-i?"

Gurashi's eyes glaze over, and rather than pluck any of the flora before they, they withdraw their
hand from the soil, drawing a muddy, cartoonish heart upon the side of their boot instead. At the
playful pronunciation of their name, they look up towards the trees, frowning.

Heartbreakingly quiet, Gurashi, The Heart's Friend whispers, "Did not mean to hurt anybody, no."

A bit louder, Gurashi, The Heart's Friend says, "...but - it did."

A fleeting glimpse of teeth, painted in stark white as Rhalkyr watches Gurashi from
a new vantage point, obscured by the swaying leaves. "Explain."

Gurashi's hand closes into a fist, and they shrug, looking back into their lap. "For that will
always have regrets." The muddy finger returns, using the last of its makeshift paint to plant a
little dot nearer to their heel. "Did my very bestest, yes. Do what the Lady of Roses and the Lord
Silence asked. Be a good Wyrdenkin. Be a good son." They smile to themselves, albeit painfully. "Did
a really goodly job, because they told me so..."

Gurashi glances askance.

"How, fall from grace?" Rhalkyr asks, the question delivered in a conversational,
almost idle manner. "Much diminished, in Their eyes. In those, supposedly, beloved."

Gurashi's smile withers somewhat, and they visibly cringe. "Diminished," They repeat quietly, voice
cracking. "...do not blame them, for how muchly hurt thems, yes. So, they have all the rights to not
like me." They look up to the trees again, frowning.

Up to the trees, Gurashi, The Heart's Friend says to you, "I wanted to join the Beloved, yes -
become one of the Thousandfolds. And did not want to have to leave my homes."

Gurashi returns their muddy hand to their lap, sounding tired. "So asked, yes. If it was O-K - asked
the Lady of Roses. Because it is not O-K to do something without asking."

A brief squeal precedes a tiny, muted snapping from the trees. Abruptly, a small,
furred form arcs from the leaves to Gurashi's left, thumping down beside Gurashi's boot - the
squirrel, no longer capable of skittering. The terse sound of Rhalkyr's voice follows soon after,
commanding, "Eat." Otherwise, there is silence, giving Gurashi room, and ample time, to speak.

Gurashi opens their mouth up to continue speaking, but instead catches sight of the squirrel as it
tumbles onto the ground before them. They blink, leaning forward to examine the felled critter.
"...th...ank you," They say up into the trees, eyeing but not taking the proffered snack. "Are
kindly - u-uhm, where was I...OH, yeah."
-
Gurashi huffs, puffing their cheeks.

Tossing their head back, Gurashi, The Heart's Friend says, "I asked! And She said to ask the
Glomdoring, yes. Do not think She was happy that asked," Their hand rises to their cheek, tracing
over the faint scar there, "...but She did not say no? So did not think was a no, yes."

Gurashi shakes their head, staring at the felled squirrel near their feet as Bizirik creeps over,
giving the corpse a sniff and stealing it right out from under the human's hands, swallowing it in a
single bite. "You are gross," Gurashi squints at the leothin, staring at the bit of tail hanging out
of the creature's mouth as they reach out and ruffle the creature's short crust of fur atop its
head, then looks back up to the trees. "Anyway. She said to ask the Glomdorings, and so wrote a
letters to the Shadow Courts for permissions, yes. Wrote a letter, explaining why was what wanted."

Pained but earnest, Gurashi, The Heart's Friend says, "...why felt was what was -needed-."

Bizirik, the leothin lets out a massive belch into the air.

A ragged, murring sound of no small amount of amusement vibrates from the screening
canopy. Another snapping sound, this time followed by the sick, wet, crunching sound of tiny bones
being chewed. Otherwise, Rhalkyr makes no response - though another muted crack soon follows, and
this time a small bird wings its way, gracelessly, to tumble to a halt unerringly beside Bizirik,
the leothin's head.

Bizirik, the leothin gives a short gasp of elation.

Gurashi watches Bizirik eat, following the bird's trajectory with tired curiosity. "And then I gots
a ghost. And the Shadow Courts said no."

Quietly, Gurashi, The Heart's Friend says, "And it was not just about me, anymore. She needed my
-help-, the ghostie did."

Roughly, though not ungently, you say, "Explain, ghost."

Gurashi looks up into the trees again. "After the Lady of Roses said no, and She gave me the Blade
that followed me - and... then I got a ghost!" They chime matter-of-factly. "She came to my living
room, just a ghostie! You know," They puff their cheeks. "See-throughs! She was -lost-," They lean
forward, excitedly recounting the tale. "And my dear one Tridemon said he could not understand her,
that her words were like rustling papers rather than words - but I could hear her, yes."

Gurashi touches their heart, looking down fondly. "She stepped into my heads and my hearts - lived
with me for a time, yes, while waited for the Shadow Court's response - before they said no..."

Quietly, Gurashi, The Heart's Friend says, "...she was very goodly. A very kindly ghost. Most
ghosties are scary, but she only ever said nice things to me."

Gurashi shakes their head.

You think to yourself: The words "-my dear one Tridemon-" are carefully spun into a growing web of
sharp, glinting strands.

Gurashi sighs suddenly, bringing their hand up to their face, rubbing their nose and cheeks.
"...sorry. There are so many things."

Patiently, Rhalkyr remarks, "Poor, storyteller. Leave much, vague. Unexplained.
Presume, knowledge, of audience." A beat, and then a grunt. "Will forgive, this much. Blade, first.
Then, more, of ghost."

Gurashi shakes their head.
-
Gurashi shakes their head.

-
Embarrassed, Gurashi, The Heart's Friend says, "Sorry! D-do not mean to be rude, uhm..."

Mild as a summer breeze, Rhalkyr responds, "Not, rude. Frenetic. Focus, more."

Weakly, Gurashi, The Heart's Friend says to you, "It is just - is one of those stories, that... is
full of things. Could start anywheres. Do not know." They fold their arms over their chest, laughing
nervously. "Am mostly a singing bard, not a story-y bard... uhm.. what was say... yes...."
-
Gurashi clears their throat.

Bright and clear, Gurashi, The Heart's Friend says to you, "It was just... like... Her Scythe..."
They make a twirling motion around their head. "Followed me. A mark that She was not happy."
-
Gurashi glances askance.

Gurashi stares at you, gaze softening and frowning at you as their expression fills with concern.

Once more from a different location, Rhalkyr says, "Have not, seen Her. Nor,
Scythe. Did not, think, Blade, hanging over head, to be dissuasion?" A sliver of irony enters the
ragged voice as he remarks, a touch dryly, "Optimistic. Continue."

Gurashi smiles sadly at you, sympathy shining in their eyes.

Gurashi frowns at your comment, stopping in their recounting of the tale. "...Xenthos said similar
things," Murmurs more softly, looking down.

Quietly, Gurashi, The Heart's Friend says, "Just because was not a verbal 'no' - maybe just
willfully misunderstoods."

A flash of black-striped bronze as Rhalkyr bounds from one tree to another, with
less stealth than before. "Eyes, closed. Did not, want, to see." The leaves of the walnut tree
settle into their prior languor, the shivering at Rhalkyr's intrusion diminished. "Xenthos.
Relationship?"

Gurashi grows quieter, the knuckles of their right hand white, clenched tightly until they allow it
to release, fingers unfolding. "...do not know if is very obvious, but, am not very smart," They
pipe up. "Am easy to misunderstand peoples's words and intentions. Have to do things many times to
get them rights the first time." At this, their jaw clenches. "Yeah - even though was scared of Her
blade, just..." They laugh, the sound birdlike, soft.

Tears brimming visibly in their eyes, Gurashi, The Heart's Friend says to you, "Is my dad." A
swallow. "Was my dad."

More firmly, though their expression is at odds with their tone, Gurashi, The Heart's Friend says,
"...-is- my dad..."

Gurashi looks up towards the trees again, frowning.

"Is obvious." Rhalkyr replies with a casualness that borders on cruelty. "Actions,
of stupid child. Wilful, disregard, for lessons given." A short, staccato series of wooden 'tak-
tak's, as a knuckle rapping upon a branch. When he speaks again, his voice is quieter, gentle as the
caress of a claw brushing across the throat, as he gives the single word emphasis. "Was."

Continuing, speaking this time as he is in motion, his location glimpsed only very
occasionally in snatches of gleaming green or phantom teeth, Rhalkyr says, "Xenthos, will not,
speak, of you. Refuses. Wounded him, very deeply. Ripped out, something, precious. Yes?"

Gurashi swallows hard at this, their expression briefly haunted before they look towards Bizirik,
the leothin, the tears brimming in their eyes now sliding down their cheeks. The leothin lets out a
faint whine, canting its head towards its human companion. "...is why am still trying to not be an
enemy, anymore." They warble quietly. "Maybe if Lady of Roses says is O-K... if prove to Her that do
not want any badly things to happen to the Glomdoring - even though was stupids, and selfish, and
not a good Wyrdenkins at -all- - am hoping he might want to talk to me again."

Gurashi quickly reaches up, wiping their eyes with the back of their arm hurriedly, though fresh
tears spring anew. "Is more selfishness, yes."

"No." The word is delivered as brutally as a kick to the throat, forgoing any
attempt at ameliorating the painful message it conveys. Without any overt malice, nonetheless,
Rhalkyr continues, "Will not, speak, again. Not, to traitor." The next words are spoken with a
peculiar rhythm, almost chanting in their guttural deliverance. "Self-ish, child-ish, fool-ish."

Gurashi thinks to themself: * like a jagged knife cutting through their chest, twisting,
then diving deep, staying there, nailing their heart to their spine - heavy *

Curiously, you ask, "How, intend, to fix?"

Gurashi does not answer, blinking back a new bout of tears that they do not bother trying to remove
with their sleeve. "She gave me a task," They murmur, "to bring peoples to the Glomdoring for Her.
Just two. To proves that am not an enemy. That mean well." They say waveringly, "...but...am not
very goodly at it." They bunch their shoulders again, blinking loose more tears.

Gurashi glances suddenly over their shoulder, hiccuping at the sound of a snapping stick before
returning their attention to you among the trees.

"Small, task." Rhalkyr observes, some amusement threading through his torn chords.
"How, does progress?"

Gurashi glances askance.

Gurashi shrugs helplessly.

Quietly, Gurashi, The Heart's Friend says, "Miss Aknarin said for some reasons she would say I
convinced her, but I -did not-, so do not know why would..." They frown deeper. "And Cheliyi
left..."

Quietly, voice barely audible over the gentle susurration of the leaves as they
stir in the breeze, Rhalkyr says, "Weak. No passion, to spark fire, in others. Fire, of zeal, ashen.
Empty. Dead." A the mention of Gurashi's daughter, a shuddering rumble emanates from the canopy.
"Cheliyi. Hurting. Angry. Bitter."

Gurashi nods their head emphatically.

Gurashi blinks.

Voice cracking, Gurashi, The Heart's Friend says, "...wanted her to find own paths... did not want
her to be like me."

Looking down again, Gurashi, The Heart's Friend says, "...she was very unhappy, yes. Is unhappy
about many things. Bitterness is a painful seeds."

A flicker of carved teeth, a flash of white amidst the benign, verdant green.
Rhalkyr states, "Followed, broken trail, you made. Good daughter, yes? Loves you, /very/ much."
Eerily, the voice that follows this statement is uncannily a match to Cheliyi's, not a trace of the
grinding bass of Rhalkyr's natural speech, nor his unusual cadence present. "They are named Gurashi.
And I would do anything, for them."

Gurashi looks down to their lap again, sniffling once.

Once again in his natural voice, you say, "Hurt, father. Hurt, daughter. Hurt, Glomdoring. Hurt,
beloved Divine. Very skilled, Gurashi, at hurting."

Gurashi suddenly shuts their eyes at this, nodding once very slowly, very solemnly.

Almost inaudible, Gurashi, The Heart's Friend whispers, "...pain is prices that pay for loves."

Eyes opening, face tired, Gurashi, The Heart's Friend whispers, "...still love them all... -so-
muchly, yes."

Matching Gurashi's tone unerringly, Rhalkyr whispers, "Very steep, price paid, for
loving you."

Gurashi opens their eyes again to stare down at their lap, studying their hands, limp and slightly
muddy. "Yes," They say at last, not disagreeing.

Gurashi looks back towards the trees, frowning. "Does not make any less sorry," They swallow - then,
smile, lip twitching. They reach up to wipe their eyes again, then their nose, sniffing several
times. "Ouwgh."

Bizirik, the leothin lays its head back upon its paws, gazing at Gurashi placidly, tail slapping the
ground once.

Abruptly, a small, brown shape whistles out from a tree, hurtling towards the
ground just before Gurashi, where it impacts with a dull 'thunk' - a walnut. A distraction. Even as
the shell shatters upon the earth, Rhalkyr springs from the branches in a blur of bronze and black,
trailing loose leaves in his wake as he lands with perfect silence just behind Gurashi, crouching.
Leaning forward so that his masked face rests almost upon Gurashi's shoulder, the ragged bass of his
voice so close, so low as to vibrate Gurashi's ear, he murmurs, "Xenthos. Cheliyi. Glomdoring.
Viravain. Nocht. Many wounds. How long, Gurashi, before wounds, become too much?" Reaching a huge
hand around Gurashi, he extends a thick, calloused finger and, with a slow, deliberate motion, draws
it down Gurashi's boot, bisecting the cartoonish heart neatly. "Tridemon."

Great waves crash over one another as they pour in from the south, finally swirling together before
solidifying into Tridemon.

Gurashi stares at their boot in silence, eyes widening at the drawn line.

Tridemon hugs Gurashi compassionately.

Gurashi is gazing towards you, eyes widening and glazing over with fresh tears before they are aware
of the sudden sound of crashing waves, turning just in time to be enveloped in a hug they did not
see coming. "Ah--!"

At Tridemon's entrance, Rhalkyr begins to emit a long, slow series of throbbing,
pulsating rumbles, each spaced broadly apart, in a beast's equivalent of laughter - cruel and slow
as poisoned honey. With a gentle tap upon the ruined, muddy heart, he straightens, cocking his
masked head at Tridemon, vibrantly green eyes feverishly bright as he stares, unwaveringly. He says
not a word, but he lifts a hand, gradually, to tap, feather-light, upon his own throat, just over
his pulse - and then bounds off in a sudden leap.