Teva scratched the back of her neck, more confused than ever. "I haven't discovered any powers, either. For that matter, I'm not entirely sure how I got here. Or how to get home. Can we? Go home, I mean?" If they were connected to a portal here, wherever here was, was that how they arrived in the first place? There was so much to learn, and she hadn't even mastered her own legs yet!

She glanced curiously up at the tree as the stranger landed in its branches. Did they need assistance? Well... "We might," she amended, after Akino had answered.

"No you cant go home... Unless you have to power to." Nikk was quite annoyed at the questions. He looked up in the tree as the winged creature landed on a branch. He was about to say that they didnt need help, but of course Bia spoke for him.

"We do need help. There is an evil woman looking to kill all thoes in the realm!" She let out a squeal. Even if it was true she didnt need to make it sound so terrible. Nikk was starting to get a little frightened himself. He had been studing the portal for as long as he could remember and he was starting to think of ways that it might be possible for Farlow to do what she had said. Perhaps he did need a little help after all.

They all answered at the same time and with different answers. She understood them, but was a bit worried when one of them said a woman wanted to kill everyone in the realm. She focused on the little horned female creature, “How would someone go about killing every creature in the realm little one?” She kept her barrier up, though they wouldn’t see the barrier she felt safer with it up. Elaina wasn’t sure about the taller horned male, he had a nervous energy around him. She looked at the centaur who was a little nervous then she noticed a little pixie fluttering about. Who were these creatures and what were they up to?

She couldn't go home. The words rung in her head. She couldn't go home. She was stuck here, then, as a centaur. Teva swallowed. Nikk had very deftly dashed her hopes.

Maybe that was a good thing, though. Now, she could focus on the situation at hand, and whatever adventures there were in store. Perhaps an opportunity to go home would present itself anyway, someday, and then she could take it or not, depending on what sort of opportunity it was.

And for now, she could be useful. That much she knew. For a few days after arriving, still tottering like a newborn foal, she had come upon a small farm in need of help. The field had needed plowing, but no animal had been available to pull the implement. There had been one ox, old and feeble, and one ancient nag so awkward on her hooves as to make Teva seem graceful. There had also been a young foal, spirited but as yet untrained in pulling. The farmer and his wife had recruited her, in exchange for food, a place in the largely vacant stable, and even a longbow and quiver of arrows. It had been a strange experience, tilling the field and later pulling a cart of woolen goods to the village market. What a sight she'd made! Centaurs, apparently, rarely deigned to pull carts and plows.

She'd eventually returned to that village, exchanging services -- her own strength surprised her -- for supplies, and horseshoes from a farrier who also discussed hoof maintenance with her. From there she'd moved on to explore the forests, but until today she hadn't really faced up the fact that hoof maintenance would be a concern for the rest of her life.

But at least she could be useful. It was something to hang on to.

Nikk definetly didn't like being the center of attention. It was not where he belonged, but since he was the one that knew all the facts, it could not be helped. Nikk hovered his hands inches from his face and closed his eyes. When he opened them again he could see everyones spirit line. The one in the tree had quite a few, but he couldnt tell if she was using them or not. The centaur didnt have any so it probably meant she hadnt uncovered them. The fairy didnt have any either, but there was definetly alot of potential.

Nikk shook his head and his visions went away. Bia looked at him and knew what he had done. She had seen it a million times before. "What did you see!" Bia was once again drawing attention to him.

Elaina focused her attention on the horned male when the little female asked him what he saw. Was he their leader? She felt a lot of power flowing from him, but it wasn’t anything harmful so she relaxed a bit. Barrier still intact Elaina floated on the branch as they all deligated.

Akino looked around between all the people present. It didn't bother that she couldn't go home because she'd gotten used to being a pixie and she rather liked it. Once upon a time she'd just been plain and normal and now she was something special. or at least, she liked to think she was special!

"Are we really in need of help? Can all us people really be in danger from that bat girl. I thought she was just full of hot air!"

"Well now that i think about it." Nikk made an uneasy face. "I think we might be in a little bit of trouble." Nikk flinched just in case someone hit him. He was used to it where he came from.

Teva stared at Nikk. What had he seen, and why had he changed his mind? Then she sighed. There was so much she didn't understand about the situation. It was frustrating. She had half a mind to stay in the forest, where she did understand some things. But then, that meant wandering aimlessly again, and maybe hiring herself out as a beast of burden from time to time if she got bored. Not much of an option, when she thought about it that way.

Or she could adventure. "Well, then, what do we do about it?" she replied to Nikk, idly wondering whether she should have gone with mythril shoes rather than the steel.

Nikk put the side of his hand on his forehead and started to think. What had Farlow told him and what was it that made it possible to collapse the portal. He was deep in thought as everyone stared at him. Bia knew what he was doing and it was going to take a while.

"Nikk is thinking of possibilities." She giggled and then imitated him. "He has many different looks for all different types of thinking." Bia had fun posing for the crowd in front of her. "Would you guys like to come to our house for tea? I know how to make the bestest tea in the world."

Nikk was to busy thinking to protest.

The centaur couldn't help but smile. Tea was such a mundane-sounding thing, especially after all this talk about magic and danger. Mundane sounded good. "I'm sure you make excellent tea, and I should love to try some," she replied to the enthusiastic girl. Over tea they could make plans, certainly. The group definitely needed a plan.

In the back of her mind she hoped the house was roomy. Or at least had convenient windows.

Tea? What the heck was going on? Elaina was completely lost, she didn’t understand what was going on. She decided that might be the best way to find anything out. She had nothing better to do, “What sort of tea, little one?” Elaina floated to the ground, but was at the edge of the forest so she could still see everyone.

Akino nodded when the conversation started making sense again. "Tea!" she said in her high voice. "Do you have tiny cups for pixies like me?" she asked. "I don't know about portals or evil plans, but I do love me a nice cup of tea!" With a few strokes of her glittery blue wings, she fluttered back over to Teva. "May I ride on your hand again? I can't keep up with these tiny wings of mine!"

"Yes." Said Bia. "We have cups of every size!" She was really excited so she bounded off in the forest dragging Nikk behind her. He was mumbling stuff to himself. It wouldn't be long before they got to their forest home. Bia couldn't wait to show everyone their place.

When they finnaly did arrive at the gigantic tree that held their house Bia went into Nikks pocket and got out the key to unlock the door. The house looked very small and dilapitated. It looked as if it had been built between the roots of the tree and the vines grew up over the door. The door and the chimney seemed to be the only things that had been built.

Inside the house it was much different. It was very wide with things hanging all over. There was a fire place already running so the house was nice and warm. Nikk immediatly went to one of the beds that was indented into the wall and sat down. He would be at the table once Bia got it set. "Come on in guys and make yourself at home. Just be careful on what you touch. You never know what it might do." Bia went to go get the ingredients for her tea.

Teva grinned at the pixie. Akino seemed to have accepted her own shape with an enthusiasm Teva had to envy. Perhaps it was easier to adapt to wings than to extra legs, but the centaur was suddenly glad she wasn't tiny. Even with her unpracticed gallop, she could cover great distances quickly.

"You might do better riding on my shoulder," replied Teva, laughing. "It won't move as much, and you can hang on to my hair if it does!"

Once the pixie was settled, Teva broke into a trot after the horned folk, and soon they arrived at the tree home. While the structure was large, the centaur hesitated at the door. Finally she sighed and gingerly ducked through, expecting a very cramped dwelling.

It wasn’t cramped -- in fact, there was room enough for her -- but she moved slowly inside, stopping just far enough in that she wouldn't block the door. Turning around without touching anything could be an issue, she figured, as would keeping her tail under control. This, she decided, could easily end in disaster. If she wasn't careful.

Akino flew up to Teva's shoulder and spend the short ride to the tree there, nestles in the centaur's hair.

If the tree was gigantic to normal creatures, then it was like the world to Akino. like she was an ant staring up at a human. Once inside, she fluttered off of Teva and landed on the edge of the table so she was high up enough to see things properly. the problem was, pixies really loved to touch things, so she sat with her legs dangling off the edge of the table and her hand under her legs as they swung.

Following everyone else Elaina stayed outside, she didn’t really know these creatures. She also felt it was rude to just walk into someone’s house, she was invited but still. The little horned female was extra hyper and the male was…well not. Surveying her surroundings Elaina made sure there was enough room through the treetop for her if she needed to leave, there was so she stood firmly on the ground and wrapped her wings around herself. She could sense a lot of magic coming from the house and wondered if it was the male or something else. The pixie had ridden on the centaurs shoulder and was now sitting on the table, “I wonder if she’s afraid of getting squished by accident.” Elaina thought to herself as she studied the little creature.

Bia was gathering weird ingredients from the shelves and mushing them up till they became dust. She put it in a cloth bag and tied it tight and put it in a pot that was already boiling. She went to get sugar and other things that they might want to put in themselves. "I think we need to start with introductions." Sqealed Bia. "Im guessing that were going to be seeing alot of eachother."

She put the stuff down and waited for the tea to come to a boil. "I'm start! My name is Biakonarakara, but you can call me Bia. Im 10 years old and I like the color pink and I have the ability to sense where people are, but only up to 20 meters." She nooded her head and waited for the next person to go.

Elaina perked up, they didn’t know each other either? Well, then this was a new experience for her. Walking into the little house behind the centaur she decided to introduce herself, since she hadn’t before. “I’ll go next. My name is Elaina, I’m 75 years old. I’m an angel, so that means I have longevity. I’m able to live for hundreds of years, but I’m not immortal. I don’t feel comfortable discussing my powers with others though.” She said as she tightened her wings around her. She looked around at the other creatures as she leaned against the wall, and closed her eyes. She tried to feel any negativity, but the only negative energy kept coming from the male since he was in deep concentration.

Teva looked a bit over her shoulder to see the angel, and her eyes widened. It was the first time she'd really seen Elaina, and the strangely beautiful girl really didn't seem very old, much less seventy-five years. "Um, well, I am Teva," she started after an uncomfortable silence, facing the table again and pronouncing her name as 'Tay-vuh.' "I have almost thirty years, I think, and half of those with the Queen's Rangers. Back home, I mean. I patrolled the forest there, protecting wanderers and acting as a liaison between my people and the local wood elves. The last thing I remember about my forest was a... well, a standoff with a Dire Bear..." She trailed off, shaking her head. That bear had been the familiar of some mage or another, and magically gifted. Was that how she'd...?

"Anyway, I have no idea what my powers may be, if I have them." The centaur shrugged, adjusting the bow and quiver on her back, wondering who was next.

Since she was the last left, Akino then spoke. "My name is Akino! I've been a pixie for almost 2 years now, so that makes me...." She tapped her fingers on her chin as she counted. "That makes me almost 20!" She glanced over at Teva who seemed far more intune with her old life than Akino was. perhaps it was just that not being a pixie wasn't worth caring about. she liked her pretty wings and tiny cute face! "And I know about as much about my powers as Teva! pretty much zilch!"

Elaina looked at the centaur and then the pixie as they introduce themselves, Teva and Akino. Those were cute names, she wondered what the guy’s name was. Bia was a cute little ball of energy as she prepared the tea. Elaina finally let the barrier down, it would be awkward for her if Bia couldn’t get to her with the barrier still up.

Bia nudged Nikk and he 'woke up' "Oh! My name is Nikk I'm 26 years old. If you cant tell Im half ram. I have the ability to see spirit lines and construct magic. That would make me a mage..."Nikk paused for a while and looked around the room. "And I am the only guy here." He finnaly noticed.

Bia giggled. "The tea is ready!" She took out a kettle and cups of all sizes. She poured it for everyone and handed out the cups. Nikk gladly took the tea and sipped it. He was nearly done with his thinking process.

"Okay." He started. "This is what I have so far." He took a deep breath. "There are only a few people that can see spirit lines and if they can see spirit lines then they do NOT have the ability to tap into them. The ones that have the ability to tap into them cant see them, but they can feel them and that gives them the ability to predict moves and energy and stuff. What Farlow was talking about was tapping into the lines so that they can take the powers from the people. This would be impossible seeing as you need to see AND tap at the same time, but those abilities are incompatible with people so they are not born with both.

There is a possibility that Farlow is going to find a... Tapper and a seer and combine them somehow..." Nikk was silent for a while. "I dont know how you would combine the powers..." He started trailing off on something that didnt make any sence so no one paid any attention to his genetics and blood speech.

Bia looked at everyones face to see if they understood, but more importantly if they liked her tea.

Akino sipped the tea as she listened to Nikk speak. She understood him up to a point. "So what we have to do is find the people with powers like that and stop Farlow from getting them, right?!" Her face broke out in a sudden grin. "Oh! This tea is really lovely! Its seems to quaint and perfect in this tiny cup! like drinking from the cap of an acorn!"

Elaina drank her tea in one gulp then looked at Nikk, “Who’s Farlow?” It was a legitimate question, and she didn’t like the sound of this person if they wanted to take powers away from the creatures of this world. She wanted to confront this Farlow and if what they were trying to do was possible she’d stop them. She handed her tea cup back to Bia, “Thank you that was delicious.” She smiled at the little girl then looked back up at Nikk with a serious expression.