As Ora felt the chill on her cheek, she contemplated his words. She wondered what it took for the forest to let someone out. Looking to Ariel again her thoughts drifted to him. "You're alive? Then how-" Irian and Tempo approached and sat. Glancing towards Irian, Ora took in her features, she was really quite beautiful. But as Irian spoke to Ariel, Tempo spoke to her. Still amazed by him after seeing him transform from a dragon to human, she responded, "Yes I'm Ora. And you're Tempo." She gave him a small smile, still remembering what the forest had warned her, keeping one eye on Ryu. She didn't mind that they had listened in to their conversation, but when Ariel became somewhat hostile she studied him, listening to his words. She felt a sadness in her heart for him and what he must have gone through. "We'll find a way out Ariel," thinking for a moment, "I promise I'll do everything I can to get you out." She was sincere. She had only been lost in this forest the day before, and had no idea what was in store for her or the group, but when she made a promise she kept it. She knew that despite Ariel's cold deemenor, he was only lonely, scorn and probably scared. She smiled at him hoping to somehow calm or reassure him as Irian spoke again. Giving Irian the chance to redeem herself in Ariel's eyes, Ora looked to Tempo again. "What makes you so sure there is a way out? Why can't you just fly us all out of here?" She waited for his response, aware that if the forest was a prison he would probably speak of a sort of barrier, or fog or something confusing.

Watching the exchanges carefully, the dragon nearly caught himself shaking his head. Sometimes humans complicated things. He was tempted to state quite directly to the elemental that Irian was attracted to him, but was sternly reprimanded. Tempo chuckled and turned to Ora. First he answered Ariel. "Life itself is an adventure. You can't very well stop that easily, can you?" To the young woman, he turned with a grin. "There's no way of knowing until we try. Would you like to?" Irian and he were partners, siblings of the air. They were bound in ways no one else ever could be but others like they... But they were still two individuals with minds of their own. So it was that the dragon found himself offering something rare to this young woman without thinking, simply because she roused his curiosity and he liked her.

Irian would tease Tempo to no end about it later, when she wasn't distracted.

((HAHAH, EVERYONE irritates Ariel. -_-'))

The elemental narrowed his eyes and tried not to look at Irian. After she spoke of why she'd listened in, Ariel couldn't help but look to her in grudging curiosity. "You've come across others, have you?" His tone was still cold, but at least he was speaking. He hesitated, his eyes searching for a flicker of dishonesty. "In the forest, perhaps?"
His pale eyes flashed as he heard Tempo speak again.
"Life itself is an adventure. You can't very well stop that easily, can you?"
"Perhaps not," Ariel hissed, his strange moment of worry slipping away with the scent of sun-warmed land.

Shaking his head, Ariel looked to where Tempo sat. The spirit looked increasingly uncomfortable with the proximity of so many people, but he made no move to randomly disappear as he had earlier.
"I promise I'll do everything I can to get you out."
Ariel had hardly realized that Ora was still listening to him speak. He looked to her in alarm as she made her promise, his silver eyes filling with something akin to warning. Ora's smile made the elemental still . . . for he hadn't seen an expression like that in years. "You don't know what you're saying," he breathed, the winds carrying the whisper to Ora as he forced his attention back to the fire. "Don't make promises you can't fulfill, girl."

Ora responded to Ariel sternly, "Surely you don't know everything there is to know about this place Ariel." She wasn't trying to be rude, or to offend him in any way, she just thought maybe he needed somewhat of a swift kick in that negative attitude of his. "You're right that I don't know as much as you of this forest, but when I say I'll get you out, I mean it. I have no intention of being trapped here forever, and if I'm getting out, you're coming with me, simple as that." She didn't look at him when she finished her statement, as she was afraid of the glare he was probably giving her. She liked Ariel and had a deep respect for him, but she wasn't one to be negative or give up, by any means. So his words had slightly offended her. She was though, filled with doubt about the chances of actually getting out of this forest. But something told her there was a way. Not denial, not naivety, but something else. When Tempo offered for her to see if they could fly out of this place she was on her feet in record speed, "Really!? Do you mean that!?" She was trying hard to control herself, her heart was racing from the anticipation of the coming excitement. She was refraining from jumping on the back of the man at that very moment, feeling like a child at an amusement park waiting in line for her favorite ride. Her fists were clenched and eyes wide with a large grin across her face, she was holding her breath, clearly unable to keep her cool. How could she? Before yesterday she'd thought dragons and magic and such were all stories and myths, and now she was standing before an elemental and a dragon about to fly! Well, if that didn't excite a person, they were strange to her. Hopefully they would find that the forest was easily escapable through the skies or find a path or exit of sorts. Ora should have been worried, with the magic holding the people here as prisoners, anyone would have known this would be a dangerous ride, but she wasn't thinking as rationally at this point as she had been previously.

((THANK GOD THIS IS STILL HERE. My daughter turned off my computer while i was writing this... Now my computer won't turn back on =( ))

A burst of hot wind flit around them, tugging at everyone's hair and clothing. Apparently he was still being stubborn - he didn't want to hear what Ora had to say. Instead of saying anything, Ariel watched Ora speak, his gaze unwavering. When she finally stated that they were leaving and there was no way around that, the elemental nodded slowly. "I may not know everything about this forest, but I do know that I can't fly out of it." He raised an amused eyebrow when Ora leaped to her feet in excitement.

Trying to push away his stubborn and rude behavior, Ariel's features went through a variety of emotions before settling behind a stoic mask once again. "That is one thing I have tried." As a spirit of the air, it was the first thing he'd tried upon finding himself lost in the forest. It had been a painful experience. "Though I suppose a dragon might make some difference. He isn't tightly bound to the forest." Like myself.
Sending a glance to Irian out of the corner of his eye, the lithe male sighed quietly. "I don't suppose he could carry everyone at once." There were far too many of them for that.

((OH . . . and by the way: Ariel was sacrificed by someone so they could leave the forest. I either lied about him being alive, or forgot . . . so I'm going to say that he's in denial. :yes: He thinks/wishes/believes that he's still alive, but he's a shadow/wraith/spirit of his former self. The only thing keeping him "alive" is the very fact that the forest's magic is so strong. I'll have to figure out what will happen to him once he's no longer bound to the forest. . . .))

((Well, maybe have someone offer up to be bound to him, in order to tie him to the world of the living if he wants to stick around? Irian would do so, especially since she's attracted to him. lol It seems she likes dead guys.))

After unexpectedly hearing an answer, the young woman smiled brightly. It was so very fun to have a willing audience to listen to her adventures. "Oh, in a few worlds actually. Though... Not one of them was so aware of human concerns and emotions as you are. They would never let a human approach without some kind of vouching from a being more in tune with the elements, such as a dragon." Lapsing into the silence the young woman listened with intense concentration.

So Ariel had tried to escape trough flight. It appeared like there was no true easy way out. Thinking was in order, and the comparison of notes as well. "No, he couldn't carry all of us. But, remember Ryu has draconic blood right? That might help us escape, having two dragons..." Biting her lip the young woman felt a wisp of something alien touch her mind. Immediately mental shields went up to bar the intrusion.

Seeing the excitement of his new friend made the dragon grin in a more relaxed way then previously. Even as he heard the pronouncements of the spirit, Tempo could not help but feel enthusiastic. Adventures were his life's blood. Such a small thing as being trapped in the forest temporarily did not dampen Tempo's mood. Instead it pushed the dragon to think of a solution with his partner.

Looking to the trees, it was obvious to see that the forest seemed to be watching. Luckily, that sense of unseen eyes made the dragon want to fly up and flunt the fact that the closely trust branches did nothing to stop his flight. Turning to his regular form with a though, and no regard for his clothing, the dragon reared up in front of the little group. Bending down, he extended a clawed limb to aid Ora. "I will still fly. It is much better to attempt then not do so. Do you still wish to accompany me Ora?"

Ora heard Ariel's words of not being able to leave through flight, but seemingly ignored them. Escape or not she was getting on that dragon! When he shifted she stepped back, feeling more cautious than before. He truly was massive, and amazing. Blinking up at him she was wondering how in the world Irian managed to get onto his back all the time, but when he knelt and offered assistance she smiled again. Of course! And up she went, probably not as gracefully as Irian, but without much hassel. "Yes!" she responded to him, smiling ear to ear. Looking back to Ariel and Irian she wondered if Irian would mind them taking off like this, but Tempo was his own being, so probably not. Besides, she seemed pretty enthusiastic about her conversation with Ariel. Chuckling a little at the sight of her outgoing and smiling sitting next to Ariel, seeming as if he could dissapear at any second, she turned her attention back to the others. She hoped that little Cecilia would be safe here with Ryu, in her excitement, she'd almost forgotten about the visions she'd had. Frowning deeply she shook it off. She wasn't going to let a few hallucinations ruin what was about to be the single most epic moment of her life.

The large black dragon flexed his wings experimentally as his passenger settled herself. Mentally, it was essential for him to plan their course. With Ariel's words had arisen the chance of having to stay beneath the tree line for the flight. It would be difficult, but not impossible. The trees were strangely placed, with more room between their branches in some places then was usual. With a draconic smile, he glanced at Irian once before taking off with a powerful push of his legs.

The rush of air pulling him up made the dragon roar out. It annoyed Irian sometimes, though it might have perhaps frightened Ora. Thinking of her made Tempo slow to a more leisurely flight, though still with it's twists and turns. "Hold on tightly! All these acrobatics are the only way I can fly in this forest, beneath the treeline." Unspoken was the fact that Tempo didn't want to risk Ora's life. She was inexperienced and untrained. It was different with Irian, who had grown to love flight and adventure nearly as much as he did. Though his sister rider never counted battles and danger as adventure like he did.

Ariel fell silent, his brooding gaze following the tongues of fire as they bit at the air. It was strange to know that he was unlike other elementals - perhaps it had something to do with the ritual that had bound him to the land. He'd been human once. He quirked a pale brow when Ora took off into the night sky on Tempo's back. "Enthusiastic, isn't she?"

His words were, for once, not crushed down by his dark personality. For just a moment he looked as he might have many years prior; perhaps human-like. I'm not sure if I want to spend all eternity alone in this forest. The realization came to him suddenly. Blinking, Ariel looked back to Irian.
"Do you see other dragons often?" He was trying, really trying, to get some conversation moving. But then he thought over what she'd suggested, and his features darkened once again. The very mention of Ryu's name made the elemental's quicksilver features fill with discomfort. "Do you trust demons, woman?" Ariel met her gaze solidly. "Not many survive the ordeal when they do."

Irian watched with a smile as Tempo took off. The exhilaration of first flight was always spectacular. The young woman almost wished to have never flown, to know the feeling once more. A small longing sigh left her at the thought of it.

Turing with surprise as Ariel spoke about dragons, Irian couldn't help but smile. For a brief moment the elemental almost looked... Human. The strangeness of it brought questions to mind, which probably would never be answered. "Dragons are a dying breed in so many worlds... It's incredibly rare for me to see them, and even more so to see others like myself who are dedicated to saving their race and helping them. Rumors of a clutch brought me here." It was imperative to save as many dragons as it was possible. The measures the pair took to do so were considered extreme by some, but essential to them. The levity seemed to have disappeared from their conversation, to turn even more serious as Ariel posed his second question.

Meeting his gaze, Irian reached out to place a hand upon the elemental's arm only to stop and let it fall to her thigh. Glancing once to the subject of their conversation she sighed while returning her eyes to Ariel. "Sometimes I have trusted them when the odds were stacked in my favor, and here I am to tell the tale. " Red hair fell around Irian's shoulders as she moved uncomfortably under Ariel's gaze now. "He said his memories were the key to leaving... We may not have a choice, no matter how much we might hate the idea." To distract herself Irian extended a sun bronzed hand to the flames and coaxed a small amount of it to her hand. Falling into deep concentration the young woman sculpted a butterfly with her mind. "I never could get the wings right," muttered Irian as she regarded her lopsided creation.

A dying breed. Ariel nodded, looking to the treetops where Ora and Tempo disappeared. Dragons were rare. It was sad to see them disappearing . . . though Ariel himself had only seen one other than Tempo himself. His "master" had an egg at one point, but he'd used it in his demonic summoning. The end result had bound Ariel to the forest.
Ariel heard the sigh of longing on Irian's part . . . and he knew that she was reliving some memory of flying. It truly was amazing to first take to the sky: the elemental still recalled those human moments of excitement. Now his flight only showed how un-human he was. Still . . . he raised an eyebrow as he thought of flitting with the winds as though called by music only he could hear.

"Perhaps." Ariel turned his dark expression from the fire to Ryu, and then shook it away. "I pray that things change. Relying on . . . demons . . . isn't right."

He glanced down when he saw Irian reach for his arm, and sudden pang of longing flit over his features. It was beyond agony to know that he couldn't feel another's touch. A kiss, a hug, even just a handshake . . . he'd never realized how those simple physical actions made him feel.
Ariel tried to touch Irian's hand as she formed a butterfly out of the flames. He had done this repeatedly, wishing that just once it would work. Just once. The spirit didn't pass through the woman, but his touch didn't feel solid. It was more like how the brush of a leaf might feel if it fell from the trees: and it was cold.
With an amused expression on his features, the pale youth leaned toward the flaming butterfly. Letting out a soft breath, sparks were coaxed from the critter's depths . . . and the wings evened out a bit. For a few seconds it looked like a swirling creature of flame - absolutely gorgeous.

The exercise had always frustrated, never quite living up to expectations. So immersed in this was the young woman that Ariel's words flitted around her nearly unheard. It was only when a feather soft, cold, wind brushed against her hand that Irian looked up. Her brown eyes widened a little, as a small smile flitted across her features. It was difficult to tell whether the expression was a happy one, or something more akin to sadness. The longing on Ariel's face, nothing but a glimpse of it, brought to the forefront the dragon rider's need to help.

If she could do nothing else there in that forest, Irian wanted to help him. As all these thoughts crowded trough her mind, the red head followed Ariel's movements with her eyes. A loud gasp of delight escaped her. The flickering red glow of orange flames haloed the hand holding the butterfly. Wings fluttered a little, come to life at last now that they had been formed the right way. "Thank you! I've never been able to do that, though I've tried hundreds of times. Now... Would you like to see if it can fly?" Gratitude infused her words as she spoke with an unmistakable joy. Irian's eyes were glued to Ariel, and grudgingly she admitted that Tempo had been right.

"It won't-" Ariel had been about to deny that the butterfly could even leave Irian's hand, but something made him bite his tongue. Perhaps it was the very fact that the woman was so excited: her joy for the small flaming creature was visable in every breath she took. He wouldn't crush that happiness so readily. "Shall we?" His demeanor was still a bit cold, but chivalrous. For a moment he cradled the butterfly - and Irian's hand. A warm breeze teased over their clothing and brought a few leaves down about them, but when Ariel pulled away his silver eyes were sparkling with laughter.
His winds would guide the butterfly. The elemental let a playful wind flit about them, carrying the flaming creature from Irian's reach. He let it go on its own . . . and used his own "touch" to guide it away from trees and branches that might catch flame. "It's beautiful." Though he hadn't even moved his lips, the winds whispered for him. Ariel cast a quick glance to Irian before focusing on the butterfly once again.
The woman's features were illuminated by the glow from the fire. It made her fiery hair look even more vivid, and her features bright. The beginnings of a smile teased Ariel's lips as he stood, his constant winds flowing about him. As the butterfly looped around and darted through the air, it kept returning to circle Irian's illuminated features. "Someone has taken a liking to you." Ariel spoke for both the butterfly and himself. Something drew him to this girl - granted, he'd been drawn to just about every woman he'd met that day. Cecilia, Ora and Irian; something was different about them.

For the first time in many years Ariel felt something shift inside his heart. Touching the flowing gray silk that covered his chest, the elemental frowned. Hope.

The young woman glanced up at the so suddenly cut off sentence, only to be entranced by the butterfly again. It flew! Amazement filled her. This flight was pushed by something other then herself. Winds flew around them, a reminder of the company and of flight. Delight filled the young woman as she watched the butterfly dance. Each graceful movement seemed choreographed. Swirls and arabesques were performed by that graceful magical creation under the careful guidance of the wind. The shapeless winds whispered words of the beauty of the little creature, and the wind was Ariel.

Turning to him as the butterfly flew around her, Irian smiled and waved her hand in a slightly nervous gesture. Pink rose upon her cheeks without any conscious though, and would not disappear easily or soon. "I'm flattered, though I wish I knew who that someone was so I could thank him." Laughing a little, she stopped as she caught the frown upon her companion's face. Standing, Irian made as if to go to him, but stopped. Uncertainty flitted trough her for a few moments, shattering her control over the magic used to create the butterfly. Sighing, she regarded the thing with sad eyes after running her gaze over the clearing. Dust, and nothing else remained of the little creature.

"That's too bad," Ariel whispered, blinking away his discomfort. "He danced beautifully." The elemental lifted the ash and dust from the butterfly's remains and swirled them in the air before him before letting them scatter. If he noticed Irian's hesitation in approaching, the tall man didn't show it. His features were stoic once again as he looked over to the dragon rider. "I'm sure that he would have loved to know you while he still lived."
A slight ironic smile spread over the elemental's face. How true his words were. Instead of speaking, he simply disappeared. Slowly, at first, he began to fade. Then the wind picked up and Ariel seemed to melt into its embrace like tendrils of smoke. Within seconds he was nowhere to be seen.

((:XD Does she know Ariel's name? I'm having a memory blip. . . .))

The butterfly had danced it's last. Quite beautiful, though it's life had been shorter then even it's truly living brethren. Turning to Ariel at his words, the young woman wore a confused expression. Elementals were always alive, always had been. They were simply born of the forces of nature, they only died when their domains did. The thoughts occupied her until the moment when Ariel disappeared. Closing her eyes briefly, Irian tried to calm her troubled mind so as not to bother Tempo's flight. The whole conversation hadn't taken very long though it seemed like that. "Ariel, where'd you go..." Irian trailed off, knowing quite well that winds went were they wanted. They were also quite invisible.

((She knows his name because she was eavesdropping on his conversation with Ora))

((That's right! Hehe, I knew that. :oops:
You might get a bit of whiplash from his sudden mood changes, but it just shows how "old" he is! :lol: Moody little elemental/spirit!))

A whisper tickled Irian's ear. "I'm still here." A few silvery wisps glittered in the darkness, but Ariel didn't materialize. He didn't want to hope; to think that he might be free as he'd done so many times before. This was . . . torture of a special sort. ((Stubborn denial!))
After a few minutes, Ariel couldn't help but tease the woman's red hair. It seemed a fascination of his. A cool breeze tickled over her features as he seemed to inspect her very being. "Has the world changed much, Irian?" Curiousity came with the gentle scent of citrus and a pang of freshly grown grass. "How do you see it, dragon rider? It must be different from when I last saw it."

((I'm going to throw a little danger in there, you can decide if it separates them from the group or not Papillon :)))

As they took off Ora couldn't help but let out a small yelp of excitement. She held on tightly as the dragon had instructed as they flew through the trees, turning and ducking and dodging here and there. A large smile plastered to her face she enjoyed every second of the wind on her face and through her long pale hair. Squinting through the wind and the darkness, her smile began to fade. Was the forest tricking her again? She saw what appeared to be trees, moving before them as if to block their path, ensuring they wouldn't try to fly above the tree line in an attempt to escape. Tempo easily avoided them. Did he notice that? Or was she seeing things in this darkness? Then without warning a large branch seemed to take a swing at them, and then another. Ora let out a scared yell and ducked down clinging tightly to Tempo. The possibilities of this forest being truely alive were becoming more of a reality to her as she realized it must have heard every word of their plan to see if they could escape this place through flight. Another large branch came down on them almost knocking Ora right off of Tempo, the forest was trying to take them down.

Ryu hadn't been paying too much attention to the others. Or he would have done something, anything to stop Tempo from trying to fly out, above the tree line. He hadn't realized until the dragon had already gone, and with the girl, Ora on his back. At first he scanned the area around them, before he looked up to see if the dragon had really tried to fly off. Ryu gripped Seiri tightly for a moment. "It won't let them do that. Doing something like that, is dangerous." A slight whimpered left his throat, but what could he do to protect them from the forest? What could he do for any of his new friends? He shook his head hard. The forest wasn't speaking to him at the moment, he had no idea what it would do to keep Tempo and Ora from leaving. He shivered. Nothing good would come of this. "We are in a prison and the key is lost." He whispered the words very softly.

Seiri shook his head when Ryu had gripped him tighter and started to speak. He had shamefully been gone into his memories again, he had glanced over to Cecilia and been lost to his memories of his own child. She'd only lived to her sixth summer before the Warriors had cruelly beat her then killed her later. He sighed, glancing at Ariel and Irian forlornly. He did still miss his wife and daughter, but it wouldn't due for him to be stuck in the past. He was already starting to build a new future anyway, a new future with lovely Cecilia and interesting Ryu.

(I'm waking up Cilia now...I got to missing her...Hehe)

The tiny form shifted in its sleep, a slight whimper and the dislodging of the blanket that had been delicately wrapped around her frame were but the prelude before a gentle glow covered the toddler's shape. Seeming to "grow", once the glow died away, the angel was back to normal. Humming softly as her deep sleep breathing altered to the incoming wakefulness. Long lashes fluttered before doe brown eyes opened, clear still from the evening sky, and the young woman sat up slowly, noting that she was back at the camp, and that there were new people too. She yawned and stretched, her arms extending about her head before she lowered them to look around for certain people, a small smile blooming across her face.

Soft pink lips curved up in a smile as the winds returned. Tilting her head to the side the young woman tried to figure out where Ariel was, but gave up soon enough. As the scent of fresh things filled the air and the question came, there was also a sense of urgency and danger. "The world has changed and advanced, my own that is. I come from a different worl you see, so I couldn't possibly tell you... I wish I could." Irian was disappointed she couldn't tell Ariel what he wanted. Studying worlds did have it's uses, and this only brought it home.

Suddenly, a cry of surprised pain left the young woman. Hurriedly she sat down so she could concentrate on what Tempo was going trough. Every scratch found an echo in Irian, formins hurts invisble but still there. Her brown eyes lost focus, until she knew her dragon was safe. Sighing Irian shook her head and regarded her pale hands. Testing the link between them, it was easy to feel that the forest had somehow hidden it.. Or used it to confuse her. Irian could feel Tempo in all directions, and knew only one of them was the right one unless there was something very complicated going on within the trees.

Tempo veered off to the side as the branches began flying his way like claws. A roar left the dragon, so loud that it seemed to make every fiber of his being shake. Tremendous gouts of flames issued from the fanged mouth as it opened and yet the trees seemed unharmd. In reality it was worse then that, it seemed as if they fed on the magical flames. Tempo dared not fly above the treeline, and now landing was impossible.

As the htoughts crossed his mind, the dragon felt something grab his hind legs. Instinctivley Tempo made Ora fall, only to twist around and envelope her in his powerful wings. The cracking of branches filled the air. It seemed like brute force was the only way to get trough the forest, and then only an exceptional amount. "Ora, are you alright?" As the dragon lay upon the ground with various surprising scratches, he tilted his massive head to regard his friend with concern. All the while, he informed Irian of what had happened, and the fact that the two appeared to be lost.

Ora was holding onto Tempo tightly with her eyes closed when she felt a sudden jerk and then she was falling towards the forest floor from high in the air. She only fell for seconds, although it felt like an eternity, when she felt Tempo's massive wings around her. She heard loud cracking of branches as her stomach felt like it was doing flips before they hit the ground. The wind was knocked from her in a way that made her chest and back ache, she had cuts and scapes about her and a not too serious gash above her left eyebrow. Feeling disoriented she rubbed her head as she caught her breath and sat up. Her head was spinning and she had to think hard for a moment to recall what had happened. When the dragon spoke she answered almost reluctantly, not knowing for sure at this moment if she was telling the truth or not, "I'm ok Tempo. Are you hurt?" she asked him.

Ryu smiled at Cecilia once he saw her up and about, though his smile quickly fell to a frown. The dragon had flown out of sight, and he wasn't quite sure which direction it had gone in with Ora on it's back. He shook his head slightly, gripping Seiri's arm tightly for a few moments. His eyes sweeping over the others for a moment, Irian was undoubtedly connected to Tempo, of that he was certain, but could their connection bring them back to each other? Ryu wasn't so sure of that. His eyes narrowed. A dragon. He too was a dragon..of sorts, but, he was useless. So very useless. He had power and magic and no idea of how to use it. He could, he was certain, make this forest bend to his will, but he had no idea of how to go about that either. The forest had been silent to him for some time, ever since the dragon had tried to escape it.

Seiri blinked, but grinned as he turned to see what Ryu had smiled at and saw that Cecilia was awake. She'd probably be disoriented but it didn't really matter as long as she was ok. Frowning mildly as he went to look for the other dragon and the girl, Ora. "Where'd those two run off?" He felt bad for not paying attention, that his memories had cause a lapse in his awareness, and the embarrassed blush stained his cheeks.

Cecilia stood, mostly leaning against the tree for support, one hand coming away to wave at Ryu and Seiri, not that the raven really saw. She nibbled her bottom lip but shook of the confusion of why her friend would be distracted. Deciding to ignore it for now, she choose to look for her other new friend, the windy Ariel.

A growl rippled past her lips as she woke slowly to the feel of more people inside her forest, well she felt it was her forest. Of course there was one aura that was painfully familiar to her and rage filled her lavender eyes, darkening to almost purple. Snapping the feeble chains that went from the silver bracers one her wrists to the wall high above her head, she stood gracefully. So long, it had been so long since she had been free. Pupils slit like a cats took in her surroundings, sneering in disdain at the unkempt condition. Obviously they probably felt that with her asleep, they didn't need to keep watch of her and the spells keeping her chained. Throwing her hand out, the stone door blasted outwards, allowing her a first breath of fresh air. Stepping out of the tomb-like building, she sighed in pleasure, relishing the cool night breeze as it played with her long blonde hair and the sheer deep purple cloak and dress. Lost in her happiness over freedom, she remained standing in the clearing for a few moments. Eyes snapping open, she grinned as she heard the whispering of the forest, its previous master was no longer in control. Giggling slowly turned into outright laughter that had her holding her stomach and doubling over. She couldn't wait to meet her once-tormenter now. Collecting power as she raised a hand, Asphodel disappeared from the tomb with a snap, soundlessly popping 5 yards away from the little camp, well outside the fire's light.

Ryu watched Seiri for a few moments, shaking his head slightly. "They tried to leave, now they're probably lost, or worse." The dragon demon gave a sad little sigh and shrugged. It was possible that they would not see Tempo or Ora again. A shiver raced down his spine as he thought he sensed something, but he wasn't sure what. It was probably just the forest being it's usual self. Still, he glanced around with his mismatched eyes. He felt like he was being watched, but then, didn't he always feel like that, ever since he had woken in this place? The forest always watched.