No Longer Free }{ (Ainutsa, Aedan, Open)

[Original Sin]

Aedan silently walked behind her while listening she answering his questions. When she stepped over a gnarled root, Aedan blushed without showing her. If he was in front, he was sure to fall. Thanking from his inside while being cautious about the root, Aedan listened more of her story.

It was then, when he became more interested in her past when she said she don't remember her past like him. Sharpening his eyes as another silvery breeze flew past them, Aedan smiled at her comment about his magic. Cryomaniac, yes, was a word to laugh. Aedan, as well joined her giggle as it was a word he just made up in place.

He was actually kind of happy that she found her magic and its story interesting. Because he didn't know about it too. For a moment, he felt bad that how good he can be while not knowing how he gained his powers.

Aedan's heart ached as he fell on his knees, covering his arms to himself. Breeze was now a storm that violently shake him. His heart was exploding as he wanted to yell but at the same time, couldn't. His vision blurred as he was a white haired girl walking towards him...

"Aedan?"

Ainuta's soft voice made Aedan blink a several times before he came back to sense, he looked up and was Ainutsa looking around from a branch. With a shake of head, Aedan realized it was only a day..nightmare, and decided to keep quiet about it.

When she jumped back, her head completely under his sand-colored cloak, he felt the determination without looking her face. He gave a confident smile as the words "I will save this forest." echoed inside his brain.

"These elves you speak of.... do they live here, in this forest?"

Aedan, actually was waiting for this question. It was natural for her to ask that, more if she didn't remember her past. Aedan took a deep breath as the words

"Yes. They are"

fell from his tongue, and echoed trough the forest.

"I understand you want to look for them. But I think they too realized the situation of forest. They might already moved or.. They are searching for the source. Like us."


Aedan looked down mind filled with thoughts about elves. and their place right now. He wanted to help Ainutsa as much as he could. His thought got cut off when he felt his feet wet. And looked to ground to see he was about to step in to a water way, which looked dark enough to know it was deep. He slowly raised his head to see the most beautiful place in his life.

""A majestic and twisted pine surrounded by waters of unfathomable depth, lighted only by scarce shafts of light that escaped the maze of branches above" "

(OOC: Welcome back :3 And sorry for being a little late. Math, Chemistry, English, Literature and Geography exams are about to happen. So I'm drowned in books.)

[Summerchika]

Now that was a thought that had not dawned on Ainutsa--that she was not the only one looking for the source of the forest's distress. Of course she should have considered asking the elves for assistance. It was the obvious thing to do. But Ainutsa had not encountered them before, and so she had not thought of them now, in a time of need.

She heard a splash, and looked toward the source. Aedan and herself were standing in water. Puzzled, Ainutsa glanced up, and found herself at the edge of the sacred waters.

Eyebrows shooting up in surprise, Ainutsa examined the waters surrounding the ancient pine. She had not thought that they were so close. How had they gotten here so quickly without her being aware of it? Had the trees really been dark enough for her to loose her orientation?

Narrowing her eyes in worried suspicion, she stepped into the bottomless water, her foot making little ripples on the mirrored surface. Instead of plunging into fathomless depths, her foot stayed above the surface while the water supported Ainutsa's light weight, as she had asked it to do. Instantly, as if in response to her advancement, the torrential wind they had felt earlier was back even stronger than before, whipping and tearing at the clothes they wore.

Quickly stepping backward, Ainutsa clung to Aedan, afraid that they would be blown away by the sheer force of the wind. The trees about them groaned and creaked inward, as if to capture the intruders.

"We are friends!" Ainutsa yelled at the forest, battling with the wind, but her words were easily drowned out. She yelled it once more, this time with the power of her mind behind the words. "Please, great forest, we wish to help!" The wind did not abate, but the trees no longer looked treacherous.

Knowing they had to move, Ainutsa caught Aedan's eyes, while keeping the hair from slapping into her face. Reaching to touch his mind with her own, she hoped he would allow her entrance, knowing that normal communication would be pointless. "Do you trust me?"she asked with her mind, still clinging to him as the tree closest to them gave an ominous cracking noise.

Mentally sending Aedan her intentions of walking above the water, as she had begun to before the torrent, she pleaded for the water to hold the pair's weight, if only for a few seconds, so that they could approach the sacred tree.

((OOC: Thanks! Ah, I am sorry! I wish you good luck in your studies! I hate when teachers pile everything on at the same time If I can help in anyway, please let me know!))

[Original Sin]

Aedan saw that Ainutsa was surprised when they touched the water as well, meaning she also couldn't see it.

He wasn't surprised for some reason. Just looking at her, Aedan... No anyone could see the worry and a mins plunged deep into endless gloomy thoughts.

He wasn't alone. Aedan gave a weak smile. The situation indeed wasn't good at all. But, he couldn't hold himself. Maybe it wasn't a laughing matter, seeing someone also that thinks a lot, but he was still somehow glad he wasn't alone.

Aedan's eyes widened as he saw the elf elegantly walking on water. Her steps, walking slowly making small ripples on water, was like a graceful dance in his eyes. But it didn't take long as the slashing wind threw them back.

It took 3 seconds for Aedan's mind to process that Ainutsa was clinging to him. He, who always blushed, didn't this time as he couldn't think of anything when his mind only thought about protection.

He stood silent as Ainutsa yelled "We are friends!" and the tree cracked with a loud noise, making him remember about how he fell down a branch. His body ached,like saying "Yes I remember"

Realizing that Ainutsa wanted to walk on water he approached to the water with her. And wanted to hold her hand when she tried to walk on it.

When she touched water, Aedan saw from the corner of his eye that a big rock was flying towards him. He closed his eyes.. After nothing happened he opened his eyes to see a blue orb flying around the rock, keeping it mid air, slowly freezing it.

"Spirits... Thank you.." He thought as he gave a look to Ainutsa. "I want to try something.." he said and pointed to water. After a small moment of nothing, a blue particle shot out of his palm and splashed water.

He couldn't understand why the water wouldn't freeze. And now knew that Ainutsa's walk on water was their last choice, their last hope.

He turned back to him and nodded with a still face, to give her confidence. And he hold her hand both gently and both firm. In case something happens.

[Summerchika]

As Ainutsa advanced on top of the water, wind still tearing at the borrowed cloak, threatening to choke her, she flinched as a boulder flew toward her and Aedan. She would not be able to keep them above water and avoid the rock with magic--not without her necklace interfering, at least.

When Aedan's summoned spirits literally froze the menace in mid air, Ainutsa let out a puff of breath in relief. She watched as Aedan attempted to freeze a path for them to walk on, wondering if she could keep her balance on a frozen path with the assaulting wind vying to knock her off of her feet.

Making eye contact with Aedan as he nodded to her to continue walking though his spell had not worked, Ainutsa gave him a tense smile of gratitude anyway. She tightened her grip on his hand as she took step by precarious step on the roughening waves. Praying neither hers nor Aedan's balance would fail, she glanced up toward the tree and away from the now eery depths of the constricting water below.

What she saw ahead made her quicken her pace almost imperceptibly. An overbearing dark figure stood hunched near the gnarled tree, sending shivers down her spine that had nothing to do with the cold winds stabbing at her. Something tingled in the back of her mind at the sight, and her necklace grew warm to hot the closer she came to figure.

Half way to the relative safety of steady ground, browned pine needles joined the frenzied wind, stabbing at the pair. Ainutsa's grip tightened again on Aedan's hand as the hardened needles drew blood with every stinging touch.

Taking one last leap, pulling Aedan behind her, she landed on sacred ground with a soft thud. The wind stopped, as if it had failed its job and had been called off.

Her breath came out in soft huffs as she looked toward Aedan, making sure he had landed safely beside her.

"Are you alright?" she whispered to Aedan, trying to delay the encounter with the dark figure that was just now turning around to greet them.

Her skin burned where her necklace touched her skin, and she winced as the figure came into her field of vision. She did not know why she acted so oddly. It was as if she was paralyzed by fear. Never before had she backed down in tough situations, so why could she now not find the strength to move, or the words to speak?

"Aedan," she tried to plead, but her breath hitched in her throat as the figure began to speak.

"Ainutsa, darling. What took you so long?"

It was as if the dark voice was a slap to her face. She drew back in shock as she tried to remember where she had heard that voice....

((ooc: sorry for the random absence :/))

[Original Sin]

Aedan returned tense smile of Ainutsa with an "Eh.. Sorry" face. He felt Aniutsa tightening her grip in his hand, followed he to water, nervously. It was actually amazing for him that he was standing on water! Not allowing his mind to catch upon this joyful thoughts, he quickly remembered the situation, and took a deep drip, trying to walk on the vigorous waves which he thought it was made to make them lose balance.

Aedan tried to keep calm and follow Ainutsa's moments, not wanting to do anything wrong. Which would create a big mess that really wasn't necessary at the moment. The images of him getting down in water and Ainutsa trying to get him out was both funny and both scary, which made him give out a tense exhale.

And there, they landed. His eyes quickly caught a dark figure in this beautiful and pure looking place, as now the blade-like wind was stopped.

Aedan exhaled, as he was now relieved. But sadly, nothing was over yet.

Aedan wanted to look better at this dark figure stood there. Maybe, it was one of the elves, also came to stop this draining of the forest? He wanted to talk, yell "Hey" or something. But decided it was best to keep quiet as Ainutsa was whispering instead of talking.

"Yes. I'm alright. You?" He said also whispering.

He watched as Ainutsa was getting more and more tense. Was that because of the figure? Was the figure the reason of the current situation of the forest? It was best to watch Ainutsa's actions he thought. But there she was, standing with a fearful look on her face, not saying a word, looking to this dark figure. Aedan felt a little more nervous. What was going on?

He took a small step back as the figure moved toward them. He heard Ainutsa made a sound like hiccuping, but there was no time to ask what it was, as the figure talked to Ainutsa with most eerie and calm voice Aedan ever heard.


"Ainutsa, darling. What took you so long?"

"Dar-Darling?" Aedan thought. He gave a confused look to Ainutsa, only to see that her face was more confused and shocked. "Someone you know?" Aedan asked looking at the old woman they were speaking to. But he felt she also had something he was searching for. But it was best to keep quiet about it. He put his hand on Ainutsa's shoulder while taking his book out just in case something happens.

"Ainutsa. Who is she?"

(( OOT: No problem. I was absent too actually ))

[Summerchika]

Ainusts heard Aedan's words, and she tried to respond, but her own words failed her.

The cloaked figure turned a blank stare on Aedan as if just realizing his presence. "Hm?" The old woman blinked and smiled in understanding. "That's right, I had forgotten. A friend, Ainutsa?" As the woman turned back to Ainutsa by the end of her speech, the woman's image flickered twice and then steadied out again. With each flicker, Ainutsa's necklace pulsed red hot, making her wince and jerk forward to swing her necklace away from her bare skin.

Too familiar hands supported Ainutsa. Raising her head, she gazed into cocoa brown eyes--kind eyes that had anchored her during the hardest times of her past.

"Grandmother?" Her question came out in a sob, and she flung herself into the comforting embrace, her arms hanging around the wrinkled neck. She squeezed her eyes shut, tears of disbelief leaking out the corners of her eyes.

"There, there."

A piercing cry came from above, startling Ainutsa's eyes open. Ciar flew above, crying a loud and urgent warning. She had only heard this tone once--right before his nestmate had been caught and inevitably killed in the talons of a higher predatory bird. Ainutsa's alarmed eyes locked with Ciar's; they could not yet communicate as they usually did--that magic remained cut off.

So, reduced to mundane communication, she searched his identical eyes for the meaning behind his distress. While studying his eyes Ainutsa could all too well see the reflection in them, and what she saw snagged her attention. Aedan still knelt behind the embracing couple, but who she was hugging was no longer her late old grandmother. Long, golden hair fell in unruly curls down the stranger's back that Ainutsa was now embracing. She looked down in alarm, and to her astonishment, she held in her fists the gorgeous hair she had seen in the reflection.

Making her own sound of distress, Ainutsa flung herself away from the stranger-turned-grandmother. She landed on her rear--her mad scramble had unbalanced her--and she looked up with wide, horrified eyes.

Once again, she was looking at her late grandmother, who looked confused and worried. But as Ainutsa's necklace pulsed hotter, the image flickered again. Quickly blinking her still watery eyes, she saw the person for what he really was. A tall, fine-featured man stood before her and Aedan. His hair easily fell to his waist, and his eyes were the deep golden green of Ainutsa's own eyes.

"Oh, dear. The boss did say that your necklace might intervene with the enchantment. Ah, well. It was worth the try, yes?" the long-haired man smiled a wide smile followed by a deep chuckle.

"Aedan," her voice went up a pitch higher than normal, "run." Ainutsa grabbed for Aedan's hand as she scrambled to her feet as quickly as elvishly possible. She turned to run, but stopped almost as quickly as she had gotten to her feet. Where to run?

Trying to recall her real grandmother's guidance on fleeing, she bit her lip in thought. *"Avoid running in straight lines, Ainutsa darling. A straight line is the shortest distance between two parties. Now, are you ready to put it to the test?" Before heeding the advice as best she could on a cramped island, she turned to Aedan for a split second, hoping he was ready to go. She then ducked and ran behind the large and sacred pine, pulling Aedan along behind her.

The stranger's gregarious laughter followed their retreat.

((OOC: *name that TV show ))