The military man listened to her as she spoke, meandering around issues and sulking as a disciplined child. He seemed almost....satisfied with how much she shuffled and sank into herself. It was a good thing when an ass chewing came together so nicely, until it didn't. Catching that defiant tone the woman may well have seen Berry's nostrils flare in anger even as his gaze held that even, hard edge to it. "What was that?" His tone sharp as though he really was going to give her a chance to addendum that challenge though he'd explode at her before she even got the chance to speak.

"For one, I'd not never be in that forsaken land because there is no need for my expertise in a mad place like that. For two, even if I was to be sent there for some cooked up reason I would get by just fine by using my head. Do you understand that Elodie" To keep your head on a swivel" Be wary and avoid trouble?" The larger man's teeth ground as he looked two steps away from knocking her upside the head and demanding she drop and give him fifty. "Do you think I'm doing this just to make you feel bad Elodie" Well, I've got some news for you girl - grow up. You do stupid things you get disciplined for it because a pattern of such is going to get you thrown out or killed. Do you understand!?" His words had that loud and clipped staccato of a practiced drill sergeant drilling down into newbies in bootcamp, condescending and mighty in one. "You want to be treated as an equal than you act like an equal and not like some petulant child when you get your wrists smacked for doing wrong! Getting your potions stolen - wrong. Eaten by a dragon - wrong. Eaten by a mechanical snake - wrong!"

Ending with a tired sigh the man brought thick finger to pinch at the bridge of his nose to try and calm down. "Maybe it's a mistake to have someone so green in Rhy'Din..."

It may have been that satisfaction that had sparked such an interruption to his perfect ass chewing. Quiet, she was mutually satisfied by the spark of anger that she saw on his face, the way his nostrils flared, the hard edge in his eyes. When he questioned what she had said, she opened her mouth to speak.....then simply closed it when he exploded on her.

She shrank, just a touch in her seat. That residual child's instinct to pull away and withdraw when being yelled at or scolded. But it wasn't much, and soon enough his words had a scowl tugging at her features, a bubble of her own anger working its way up. "Yes. I understand that. I'm not stupid. And I did pay attention in the Academy. " And all of her scores and assessments proved so. But that was a mental addition, as she was certain that saying such would result in what ever the look on his face was promising. It was similar to the look that Wren had on his face before he normally gibbs smacked her....so she was being wary.

As for when he told her to grow up, her scowl deepened even more. "No. I don't think-" Pause. She gave a hiss of a sigh. "Yes, Sir, I understand." Mumbled as she swallowed, while hazel's moved up to find the Major's face, as he launched into list of things that she had done wrong. "Losing my belt, Yeah. My fault. Mechanical snake is my fault too." Because she snooped where she wasn't wanted, but that was all part of being a hunter, right' "But almost getting eaten by a dragon' I did absolutely nothing to provoke that.." She grumbled this softly, and shifted in her chair.

She watched as he pinched the bridge of his nose.....and spoke of it being a mistake to have someone so green in Rhy'din. She rolled her shoulders and blew out another breath. She was more than likely going to regret what she said, but she spoke anyways. "Maybe it is. Maybe sending me to that city was the worse thing someone could have done. Or it could be the best. Or something in between. But I'm there. And I'm trying Sir, goddamnit. Where's everyone else that I graduated with' Almost all of 'em are in groups. Groups. Or dead." Bluntly stated.....but it was true. "Here. I'm in a city that is alive with magic to the point that you can feel it hum in the air, the normal civilian population there is more inhuman than human. And apart from the occasional taking care of something with Wren, I'm doing it all alone. I don't have a group to keep an eye out for me. I don't have the bonus of more than one set of eyes, or ears, or someone else that may catch something I miss." She paused, and pointed. "But I've been there for three months now. And I'm still standing. Do you really think it was a mistake" If you do, go ahead. Find someone else to stick there. They can learn the city, and work to make all new connections, and maybe just like me they'll still be living in three months. Maybe not." Despite the snark those words could have held, there was none. It was just a simple statement.

Berry listened as Elodie spoke her mind, her anger spurring her recklessly forward. He could just hear the smug tone in her voice that screamed her condescension thanks to her marks in the academy. The fact that she didn't actually give words to such was very likely a wise one given that Wren's smacks were rare and never fueled by any sort of emotion while Berry's would most certainly have the weight of his rolling anger behind it. If anything her defiance only grew that fire more, spurred the grizzled veteran and his history of feeding young punks the book of military regulations with the heel of his boot.

But then the cool, blunt manner as she spoke about what she'd done....how she'd survived and did her best in spite of the handicaps placed upon her worked to quench that white knuckle anger some. The man's jaw stopped producing subtle grinding sounds as he let out a sigh, fingers returning to pinch at the bridge of his brow once more as though it could somehow help him focus his thoughts or tame what vicious things he could potentially call her out on. Having a pissing contest with the woman wasn't going to serve either of them justice and would likely just push her more towards that frame of mind he was trying to prevent her from going down.

"It is a mistake but not because you've survived, but because you've been forced to. If it were up to me I'd have never sent someone so green to such a dangerous place....but it's not my call. This was brass' decision and I'm here to try and make sure you don't end up dead because you're naivety and pride have driven you into a situation you can't handle." Letting his hand drop he gazed at the young woman before him, his frown heavy as his fingers tented upon the table.

"One in four hunters will die on their first encounter with the strange. Another will die in their first two years." It was a tired statistic that the drill instructors yelled into fresh hunter recruits heads but this was stated just as bluntly as her own observation of what she'd done rather than in the tones of trying to scare her into some sort of submission. "The first is from being in over their heads. The second is from letting down their guard because they've had some early success....in a team or without. So yeah, maybe you've done well given your circumstances....but that doesn't mean that death isn't following you. I'm sure by now you've noticed the cold calculus of those hunters who are your veterans....who have survived long enough that the game changes them, alters them. It's not something....you should have forced on you."

Even as he spoke he could see the edge of wariness that seemed to follow hunters about already marking the young huntress' eyes. It made the man bristle and depressed all in one notion though he worked to keep such from his own sharp angled features. "But it is the task before you. And while you've been doing admirably you still need to understand that your f***ups have costs and gets you attention that you do not want, even if you were doing a good job. As you may recall the last hunter out there was commended in Rhy'Din for a job well done too, a sentiment that did not translate as such back home."

No, a smack from the man fueled by anger would probably rattle her brains a little, given the physical prowess the man had despite his short stature. She could see the way he bristled though, with her anger, then seemed to, not be so ready to smack her when she kept speaking. And....something that she thought she would regret saying turned.....out to be not so much....She was quiet for a stretch of several moments, simply just watching him, as he pinched the bridge of his nose again, sighed, the resolve he settled with. And as she did, she worked out her thoughts, processed his words.

"I thought it was a joke at first. That I was being sent to Rhy'din. I mean....I had heard about it and all, but....yeah." Honestly, she wondered if there was some purpose of some kind that had landed her in Rhy'din. Other times.....she wondered if it had just been because of her pedigree, how well she had done. A soft dry laugh escaped her. "And then I was there, and it sank in, and well, yeah." She paused, Hazel's dancing up to find the Man's gaze on her. "I don't want to end up in a situation like that, yeah' I.....mh. I do try to think with a rational head." Most of the time. The hunt of Sinestra, was perhaps the only one.....and maybe the one with the metal snake....that was scouting gone wrong. Really wrong. But she wouldn't be telling the Major that. "And I don't want it to end up being a mistake that I was sent to Rhy'din." Softly spoken as her eyes dropped down to his fingers as they moved and tented atop the table.

As he spoke statistics, she went quiet, the numbers and chances that he spoke echoed in the back of her mind every time she stepped out to investigate, or head out on a hunt. "I don't want to be another statistic. I don't want to die super young." This was admitted, simple and honest. She pulled in a deep breath and blew it out slow. "I just want....I dunno. I wanna keep people safe. And..." She trailed off, her words faltering as she realized.....that she wasn't sure what she wanted....now that she had achieved her lifelong goal of being a hunter. She cleared her throat, and waved a hand, as if dismissing such thoughts. "And Death follows all of us. Some, just more closely than others. I'm glad I've yet to meet 'em. and will continue to be." As for his comment about not having such forced on her...well, she wasn't sure what to say to that. What could she" Didn't such come with the territory of being military' Do as told. So she was silent on the subject.

When his topic shifted direction back to well....what her ass chewing was for, she snorted. "Yeah. Costs." She tapped the paper he had laid before her, marked in so much red. "I can see that. Uh....I have most of that....back in Rhy'din." She deflated a little more with that statement, while her imaginary piggy bank sobbed. "Am I going to have to have all of it before I get a new caster?" Absent thought. She would cry if yes. "I'll try a little harder to be more careful from now on, yeah' I don't want trouble. I just....want to keep going." She paused when her thoughts ticked of Mach, and how his Heroics in Rhy'din ended him in jail here....and well....yeah. "I know, Sir."

The man's expression was grim at best as he listened to what the huntress had to say, fingertips tapping lightly upon each other as his gaze bore into her. Even in these more earnest and heartfelt moments the man couldn't exactly turn off that hardened military exterior though there may also have been a lingering desire to help try to set her in her place in spite of everything. To put her on 'the right road' though, in honesty, he himself didn't know what such was. Pondering over her words as she fell nervously silent the Major finally shook his head. "No, part of being in the military is having the tools that you need to do the mission that you have been assigned. And peacekeeper cannot keep the peace without some means of enforcing the law."

Moving now he grabbed one of the other folders and pushed it forward to the woman, the words 'Requisition' printed on the manilla tab. "Before you head back you are to report to Dr. Burns for a checkup of your augmentations as well as to receive a revised set of potions and a new caster. Hopefully such will help you in your fight to remain alive." Looking at the folder for a long moment he finally lifted his gaze once more to the woman though there was something different in those depths, an almost fatherly gentleness.

"But honestly, what you probably need more now than tech or potions is direction." His tone was frank but earnest as he spoke, fingers interlacing as he studied her response to such. "Wanting to save people is noble....and a worthy cause. The ultimate duty one may have in a military....but people don't live for such stringent duty alone Elodie. You have to have something that you are fighting for....for yourself only. It doesn't have to selfish or greedy....but it has to be personal. Personal enough to drive you when nothing else will. and something that will not only make you want to live....but have to. Your father.....while distant and a terrible family man who was always looking for that thrill, always playing the odds with his own cold view of things....still held you and Molly close. You gave him an anchor....and just as such you need one too. One of the three vitals for a hunter."

There seemed to be a tension in her that eased when he assured her that she wouldn't be made to wait any longer for her caster. Because well....Taking care of Sinestra with nothing but a knife, metal pipe and lots of dragonsbane had been a little harrowing. But she had come out in the end! As was such that she clung to after the incident, up until this point. "Sweet. It's just a little scary in Rhy'din being without it." A snort followed, along with a smile that tugged the corners of her mouth upwards. "Thank you." The words were warm and genuine when spoken.

Her attention shifted as he moved, to the manilla folder that he produced for her. She pulled it close, and lifted the cover to peer inside at the top page as he spoke. Then she glanced up at him, hazels bright. "That sounds like a good deal to me. Make sure I put it all to good use, right?" Faint laughter escaped, mirth in her weird sense of humor.

As he spoke of what she needed though, she fell silent, and the mirth in her features shifted to something a little more thoughtful instead. "Direction' I- pffft." The sound was bitter. She shifted and fidgeted as he spoke of having something personal to fight for, something that would keep her going, her thoughts ticked absently to the boy of her childhood. Had events progressed differently....she was certain that he would be just that anchor he spoke of. But life had kicked her in the gut, and he was a wound that still bled, as much as she tried to hide it. "My mother." Softly.....but it was hesitant, as if she wasn't solidly sure on such. "I....I don't really have anyone but her. My dad's gone. And Z-mmh." She paused, and coughed, made like she was trying to play that off. She wasn't sure how good it would be to mention him.

"And my dad wasn't terrible when he was around. Some of the best memories. I know we kept him coming back home time and time again, alive." He had told her. So many times. As he reveled stories to her, as they cuddled, played with wild imagination and made the most out of whatever time he had home. The mention of the three essential vitals had her giving him a quiet imploring look. "What are the other two?" A brow arched.

The man simply snorted at her genuine words and how she lit up when he mentioned her getting re-outfitted for duty. "A tool is just that Elodie, a tool. And I would think that you'd be well aware of that fact by now." This was spoken in a drab manner even as he practiced a gesture that the woman was very well acquainted with as he tapped the side of his head. It was something Wren always did as he was lecturing her with that light, knowing smile of his. A tool was a tool, and a hunter was a hunter; and in the end it was the hunter and their hunger for victory that made the day. It was such a view that almost seemed to have painted the veteran hunter impressed with her feat given the dragon....almost. But then again in classic Wren fashion he had a list of problems with her execution and an even longer one of what she could have done to make the hunt easier or less costly. If the hunter were to be believed he could have taken Sinestra down with a mint toothpick...

But there was none of the Wren's glibness to Berry's words as his words and the slight smile that crossed his craggy features told of his approval and almost pride of what the woman had accomplished....as reckless and destructive as it was. Of course her faltering through that next part, the uncertainty of her answer had him frowning once more. "It's not something you have to have figured out right away....if anything it's something you come to learn about yourself with time. But it is something you should be thinking about nonetheless. You've been shoved onto a hard road Elodie....and weather it's right by you or not doesn't change the fact that you still have to rise to meet in, grow up faster as it were. Something your father never took to heart..."

The man's expression shifted some as though he were sucking on something bitter, the words at the tip of his tongue melting away with a shake of his head. There was little doubt in his mind that she would or even could see her father in the light that he saw him....not yet anyway. And it was, perhaps, the worst thought of all that at some point she may come to such conclusions all her own. But until that point he chose to be reticent on such just as she seemed to be reticent about whatever she was about to say. A fact she may have been aware of as he simply cleared his throat rather than inquire further about the left off name.

"The other two' Well, one I am sure you are reminded of often by Wren.....that you need to have a head for being a hunter. Be aware of your surroundings, of your situation, and what you have to use to turn anything to your advantage. And the other....is an almost stupid amount of tenacity and fight. To soldier on in your duty when you have nothing left....but that which drives you.....and your head. All three of those work together, function as the core of a hunter."

"Well. yeah. I am aware of that. I think fighting off a dragon with a metal pipe, a knife and a carrot was a good example of that." As she spoke, there was a bit of mirth that danced in her eyes, but she schooled her expression into something mildly serious, apart from the upturned corners of her mouth. "Though maybe I'd have had less parts of me missing if my caster hadn't gotten crunched. Maybe the carrot wouldn't have been involved." She rolled her shoulders in nonchalant shrug. "But I'm here. I know I probably could have done something to have made things go a little better..." She trailed off, then huffed. Yes, she had heard most of it all from Wren. When in the eyes of him, she always did things in a complicated way. Her counter argument always, was that she was still there. Which meant something worked. She was still learning as she went. And as much as she didn't seem to, she did listen, and take what she was told to heart. Hell she worked as a waitress at a strip club to learn how to flirt, so she wasn't so awkward should she ever have to use feminine wiles for a hunt, thanks to a suggestion from Wren. As for the hunter, the Toothpick and Sinestra....she almost wouldn't doubt it. Wren was just kinda that scary.

As for the approval, and almost pride on his face....she couldn't help but bask in it a little. Like when Hope had given her the ribbon for accomplishing what she had. It was nice to have that once in awhile, instead of disapproving looks, and lecturing words. As for when he started to speak again, she listed quietly, and at one point, her lips pursed in thought. "Mmmh." Was finally what she gave him. "I suppose it's not. And it is something that I'll have to keep in mind." There was a pause, a frown at the mention of her father. "I don't think growing up is as easy as some think. But...I'm trying." Somewhat. She wasn't being all too irresponsible at least' "Are you....saying that my father didn't really ever grow up?" There was a pause, before she fell quiet, obviously thinking about something, but she didn't look intent on speaking it.

As for Elodie's father.....She had seen the man as a hero her whole life. The tales of saving people, of always capturing the bad guy....and even with his infrequent and random breaks at home, the fact that he was most times gone than not....hadn't seemed to bother her much. At least now. But when she had been younger....she did indeed remember lots of missed school functions, important events, birthdays, and broken promises of presence. The lonely and missing him that she felt, and often distracted herself with Zayden from. At least....until he was taken away, ferried off to learn how to control and suppress the magic he had never asked for. But regardless of all that, her father was still a hero to her. Perhaps not to the extent and level of awe that it had been when she was still little, but it was still there.

When he spoke of the one that Wren often reminded her of, she snorted. "Always. That's what he lectures me most about." She couldn't help the crooked grin that formed. "I can see how they all work together....I mean....they're all kinda intertwined." Said softly as her leg absently picked up its bouncing from earlier. "Or At least I see it that way."

Berry just shook his head at the woman's question as she obviously misunderstood his meaning....not that he was over keen to clarify. But then how did one really talk bad about someone's hero, particularly if they were their father" "I....think Ezra was misguided in his priorities and what he chose to pursue in life. I suppose you could say it showed a....lack of maturity on his part, even if he was a good hunter. Thrived on being the hero." This was spoken cautiously, trying to give the young woman food for thought without shutting her down to what he was beating around the bush about.

And rather than dwell on this topic the man continued on to what was said next, a nod offered. "They are all intertwined, hence the pinnacle principles of being a hunter. Head, heart, fight " you can't survive with just one and you can't succeed with just two. Of course every hunter has their own focus on such as I'm sure you've seen with Wren. But just because he rides you about knowledge and being keen and clever doesn't mean he doesn't have a vim to fight and some reason why he continues. Just means he prides knowledge first as what will help you survive in the immediate until you figure the rest out."

Gathering up the folders once more save for that requisition packet for the woman, he gave the stack a tap to square them, bringing emphasis to them. "And it's also what makes it so you don't keep destroying U.T.R.A. property or wasting our resources." A less than subtle jab to bring things full circle once more. "Because there are those you don't want looking over your shoulder or sticking their nose in your files." That last part held a foreboding feel to it, the man's gaze almost conspiratorial though he'd clear such with a covered cough.

"Hopefully though you can continue surviving and doing good as you do such. Get better at not only hunting but utilizing your assets and tools effectively."

The huntress considered Berry when he spoke of what he felt about her father, before she gave an easy shrug, and snorted. "Apart from Wren, I've yet to see a hunter that was completely mature acting." Then, as if to emphasize her point, she flicked her tongue out at him briefly. Oh, she would be stubborn for a while about her father" Berry just needed to give her a little while longer as a hunter, a little while to learn the grit that he wanted to keep her from so much.

Then, almost as of a switch had been flipped, she grew somber, and dipped her head. "Thank you sir. You've given me food for thought." Then she offered a sheepish grin. "And I'm going to try harder on keeping my things safe. Keep out of too much trouble. Not all of it though. Don't want anyone getting too suspicious now, do we?" There was an amused look that crossed her features when she said this.

"And I'm trying to, yeah' Kinda one of those learning experience things. But I'm gonna do my best, like I always do!"

If Elodie thought she'd get a rise from the gruff, career administrator with that flick of tongue she was sorely mistaken if only because the man worked hard to keep that grim expression upon his severe features. "That's because there's something inherently wrong with hunters if hearsay is to be believed" or maybe that immaturity is a coping mechanism for the strange world you all exist in." Fiddling a little with those files in hand he considered the thin manilla folders for a long moment as though contemplating his wording. "Just so you know if you need it psychiatric services are available free of charge."

That bit of advice was casually offered without any inflection that such was some sort of order or even a thing she should do. It was merely a reminder of the services that were available to her and a hope that she wouldn't be so stubborn as to ignore her mental health until it became a problem as many hunters tended to do. Of course that cheeky to serious to glib transitioning with the punchline being her not behaving too much didn't exactly build confidence in the man regarding this. "Well make sure to chew it thoroughly. You don't want to end up like the other hunters who've been assigned to the special region of Rhy"Din?"

Eyeing her for a long moment he let those last words of parting foreboding sink in before finally he turned his attention to the task of putting away the folders, the box nudged over towards her. "Anyway, that's a good attitude to have - doing your best and always learning. Keep at it 2Lt. Spencer." Tucking the files that he kept once more under his arm he finally motioned to the evidence box. "That's yours....a keepsake of your first successful big game hunt, you've earned the pride and the scars of that."

There was almost something akin to pride in his gruff tone, the slightest upturn of lips barely flashing across his stoney features before they fell back to that well practiced frown. "And that concludes your first official debrief Second Lieutenant. Now if there isn't anything else you wished to discuss then your next mission is to go and enjoy your downtime, Major's orders. Make sure to tell Molly hi from me."

And with that the man squared up with a snap, heels clicking as he fired a sharp salute to the woman. "Good hunting 2Lt. Spencer."

She didn't intend at all to get a rise from him, as she knew she probably wouldn't! As that was just the kind of man that she figured Bacon to be. "Eh, Maybe it's a little of both somewhere in there. It could be that, right?" Her tone was light, as if such didn't bother her much at all. Though when he mentioned psychiatric services, she made a slight face. Her mother had dragged her to a head doc after her father had died" and well, opening up and bearing her soul to a complete stranger wasn't something she felt like doing anytime soon. "Yeah. Thanks for that. I'll uh, look into it at some point soon." It was probably a blatant lie" or maybe it wasn't. Sometimes it was hard to tell with the Huntress.

"Yeah. I know. Chew fully before swallowing. Goes the same way with normal food. I know. Mom reminded me of it enough.?" She kept up with her mostly chipper attitude, and snickered with those words. And well, when he gave her that next mission of hers, she couldn't help the smile that she beamed at him. She shifted to her feet then, and reached out to pull the box closer, then picked it up and tucked it under her arm. "I'll have to clear a place on one of my shelves. Display it proudly. "

Then, with the box tucked beneath her arm, she brought her hand up to return his salute. "I most definitely can get behind that mission, Sir. And I will! Have a good one!? With that chirped happily, and a smile flashed his way, she turned to twist on her heels, and head on out the door, a bounce in her steps.

Several hours later - 15:47

Breakfast had satisfied the huntress and her family, and over the next few hours of time they were lazy, poking fun and making jokes without really any intentions of doing much of anything else, except for watching T.V., but mostly it served as a background noise to their conversations. Soon enough late morning had rolled into early afternoon, and lazy conversation shifted towards stringing up decorations and the little bit of cleaning that needed done.

It was at some point that they were finishing the last little touches to the decorations and the cleaning that there was a knock on the door.

"I got it!" Was the shout from the huntress that echoed those of her childhood. She finished the last bit of pinning the streamer, before she was scrambling for the front door, so she could yank the door open.

Standing on the other side was a middle aged couple, the woman small and petite, brunette. The only family resemblance that she seemed to have with anyone in the family was the facial features, even then, those seemed to be pinched into a lasting scowl that she fixed the huntress with. The man on the other hand had head of tousled chestnut locks, and a warm and receiving smile on his face, despite the very clear "Behave." looks he kept sending his wife.

"Aunty Ethel. Uncle Benny! Good to see you both. Yeah' Come in." She nodded back, and yanked the door a little wider. "Mhhm." Her aunt sniffed at her, disdain clear on her face as she edged her way around the hunter and the door, and scampered further into the family home, bustling off to find her sister without a word spoken to the huntress. Benny on the other hand looked mildly mortified by her actions.

"Sorry Elodie. I- Your aunt has somehow recently acquired a gigantic stick up her ass. I'm beginnin" to wish she would pull it out." His words were apologetic, and his smile friendly, but there still seemed to be a layer of unease somewhere there. He slipped through the door, and patted her shoulder gently.

"It really is good to see you. You're so' grown." But it sounded just like different, and somewhere inside the hunter was a quiet little shift in thought, something, that wasn't quite to her consciousness. "Yeah. You too." This was murmured softly as she moved to shut the door and follow after her uncle down the hallway. She could hear her Aunt's stiff greetings to her mother, and her father's parents as she made her way down the hall. Then she heard Benny's voice, full of a warmth that he hadn't quite used with her.

As she neared the ends of the hall that led to the living room she paused, listening quietly as her family interacted. Her aunt and uncle were acting" just like a lot of others had. Awkward, and wanting to not be around her for all to long, lest her bad fortune with things that go bump in the night may rub off on them. Her uncle spoke to them with an ease he had not used with her" and well" her aunt wouldn't even speak to her. And well" that hurt. Finally, she squared her shoulders and moved to step back into the living room. Immediately her aunt sniffed, tilted her head and upturned her nose, as if she had smelled something horrible. "I am going upstairs. To put my stuff away. Second guest bedroom, yes, Molly?" This was asked, though she didn't bother to wait for an answer. No, she just bull rushed her way up the stairs. For a moment the huntress stared after her, a tick of hurt, and a tick of confusion on her face.

"I know Zayden and me put a bunch toads in her purse that one time but she really-".....". ". There was a spanse of several uncomfortable moments that followed the mention of her childhood friend's name. He was a mage after all" a fugitive mage, wanted for" No. She wasn't going to dwell on that, just as she was certain the rest of her family was. Zayden". Well it had been nearly four years since he had disappeared. Hazels took in the expectant stares that she was getting from her family, before she waved a hand wildly at them all. "Forget I mentioned him, yeah' I'm not gonna cry again. I'm done crying over him, okay' It's been years. I'm fine now, Okay' I'm fine." The words were grumbled and with a humming bustle they were all shuffling to agree. Then Benny was making to follow after his wife upstairs.

Gaze of hazel moved to follow after her aunt and uncle, before she gave a deflated sigh, and her shoulders slumped. "Neither one of them really like me." It was said simply to her mother and grandparents.

"Benny I think is just tired. Ethel's just Ethel. She's opinionated. "

"And a bitch."

"Elodie!" Hissed, as a frown pulled at her mother's features.

"What' She wouldn't even talk to me. The minute I came in here she ran right up the stairs, she can't stand me."

"No. That's not it-"

"Like hell it isn't. That's okay. I don't wanna inconvenience anyone. Or y"know. Make them uncomfortable. They are the guests. I'm just gonna go make Mrs. Potters sweat a little more over her flower beds. I'll make sure I'm back in time for the party. Maybe we'll see how many more people seem uncomfortable around me. I'll behave though, promise." Though it wasn't her mother that she was angry with, she couldn't seem to keep a touch of venom from her voice.

And instead of saying anything else, and being venomous again, she pulled away, turned on her heel. Then before anyone could stop her or say anything else, she was bolting for the door. She didn't see the way her mother or grandparents flinched, or the daggered glare that her aunt gave her from the guest bedroom window, after she stormed out and slammed the door behind her.

She was too frustrated to care at the moment.

"When two hearts meet, after being apart for a time, the world fades away as they meet and share the purest of loves. They are invincible at that moment, and that is the magic of their love." -Unknown

Tang - Dardensrow 34th, 1738 - Late Morning - 11:55

To say that where huntress had lived and grown up was of class was quite the understatement! Brick homes with large yards, well kept hedges, and pristine lawns were the norm for this temperate suburb barely connected to the city of Aldarat. But then a hunter was rather handsomely compensated for the dangerous and often fatal work that they did and Ezra had been no different. But for most hunters that money was either wasted away on frivolities and personal hedonism or sent off to family or friends that needed it....and in the Spencer household case much of his danger pay went to the later. What he couldn't provide by being there as much as he knew he likely should have he did so by ensuring the best for his family. Comfort and safety in superfluous amounts.....but such was not a place to have adventures.

No, for adventures one had to go into the nearby woodlands of the Vajan Mountains that still to this day held secrets and wonders of civilizations lost eons ago, their structures the only things that survived the passage of time. Of course her father only encouraged such a haphazard sense.....and it was one that she passed on to those who got involved with her too...or so the man figured. At very least she was certainly who he blamed for his own sorted youth of misadventure. From the hell they raised as children to the trouble they conspired together as teens it was always with her.....that fiery woman born to a war hero who she followed like a moth after the flame.

It was that very relation that brought them together time and time again, that lead to so much more in these very woods. What secrets they held of the two youngsters so foolishly and madly in love. Letting his hand slide along the weather worn stone of that toppled pillar, the young man thought back to days of wooden sword fights and passionate tumbles which were the lure that brought him here today. An odd bit of sentimentality, stirred by the news he'd heard that his very own sunflower was returning to her roots if even just a little bit. Was it silly for him to be here" Most certainly.....but such was a far comparison to the foolish hope that maybe, just maybe, this time she'd come here. That he'd get to see her because some bit of nostalgia drew her to this playground of ruins as well. It was a daft thought but then, since his fall he had been living from one daft thought to another, always running just as much from his past as towards it.

Home. She had been home for a couple of days now, arriving in the excitement of her mother's birthday, she had been smothered in attention....both negative and positive.....but for the moment the negative was outweighing its counterpart....and well, it all weighed heavy in her thoughts, slithered through her mind like a snake in a garden that it did not belong in....And it was these exact thoughts that she had intended to push away, and out of her mind, when she finally disappeared from her's....her mother's house" She gave no word of where she was going, or what she was doing.....she just wanted out. Wanted away from the life that had been so familiar at one point, but now seemed so foreign. Almost suffocating.

Her booted feet simply wandered, and her subconscious did the guiding.....and well.....by the time she really looked at where she was.....she found that she was at the edge of the woodlands of her childhood. Nearly every waking moment of her childhood had been spent within them....when she wasn't with family, or being dragged home by her mother for dinner and bed. And almost all of those waking moments she spent in the woods had been spent with a certain boy.....her childhood friend, her first love.....her first....well just about everything. She stood there for several moments, quiet as she stared up at the trees that loomed above. They seemed smaller to her now, but the wonder of the woods had not been lost. It was that wonder that finally drove her forward into taking that first step into the woodlands.

Like muscle memory had taken over, she followed the same path that they had taken every time, though, unlike before, it was now overgrown, wild with the lack of use. She remembered so much....being back here now. The cuts and bruises, the wild adventures had, fueled by her love and adoration of her father and the monsters he hunted to keep her safe. Then later, the solace and comfort that she sought in his arms, the distraction of that first awkward kiss that blossomed into something else....The healing, the fun, and so many other things had taken place here....Her memories roamed, and her fingers danced from tree to tree as she walked, as if savoring the feel of the bark. And well, as the woods thinned a little, and the visage of old worn down ruins filled her sight, she came to a stop, lingering at the edge of the treeline, as hazels danced out across the scene before her eyes. The ruins. They held the most memories, the most trouble that they had found.....and she wasn't quite sure of she was ready to be swallowed up by those memories just yet. She was still processing the rest.

The ruins weren't anything particularly impressive with anything and everything of worth having been stripped by scavengers long, long before. Not that there was much to begin with as it had been some way temple or another of an extinct tribe of Elfkin or Illyrusian. But it was their little spot of stone, their playground, their little hideaway from the troubles of the world. The pillars, the fallen canopy that nearly buried what was left of the bulged and overgrown walkways, the cavernous and dangerous rooms of the buildings that still stood. Each stone, each crumble of rock held some importance, some meaning, some memory that the young man just bathed in, draped himself with the velvety cloak of remembrance.

Another stone, a glide along the pillar he carved their name into so many years back. It all seemed as a lifetime ago, in an era that they could never go back to. With an insurmountable wall of his sin standing in the way, the tragedy that came to pass which separated the two. That had left Elodie unfettered to pursue that mad dream, chase after the man that was her father. And that had left him on the run, forever looking over one shoulder as he lived a transient life not tied down to one place or identity for long.

Crawling upon the spin of that fall rooftop, the young man walked along as though upon some daring tightrope, his gaze transfixed upon the task as he ascended along the sagging stone, upward to the roof of one of those stone storage sheds covered in barely decipherable engravings so worn by time that the words were incomprehensible. Another thing lost beyond a curtain that could never be drawn back....it almost made the young man laugh at just what kind of metaphor this wonderland had become.

But there was no laughter, there was no glib ire to be had against the stone as he saw a shuffle of shadows, a spur of movement at the trees edge which had his flattening himself into the curve of the ancient ceramic tiles. Who could have been here!" Who would dare come out to these ruins!" Was it those who tracked him' Had they caught wind of his nostalgia and followed him to this remote location so as to take him in without a fuss" His teeth ground as his panicked mind ran through his options, right hand flexing as he felt that old magic churn with his will, lethargic as a slumbering beast as he drew power to him, focused on what he'd learned during his time on the road even as he angled and shifted to try and get a better look of the intruder to his memories.

She stood there quietly, hands shoved into the pockets of her jacket, unmoving and silent as she watched the landscape, lost in the beauty of the place....A beauty that she had yet to see anywhere else, though perhaps she was a little biased when it came to this place.....And as she watched, she thought.....What she wouldn't give to be little again, to not have mountains of paperwork, standards to uphold, and rules to follow. To walk down a street again, without glancing over her shoulder every thirty seconds, paranoid that something was following her in the dark.

She wondered about how things could have gone differently, how she could have chosen some other path, married someone, run away, anything....So many options and possibilities and she went after the same one that had killed her father....Hell, her Aunt Ethel wouldn't even speak to her anymore.....But how could she have chosen anything other than what she had" Being a hunter....well it made her feel alive in ways that she hadn't since her father's death....Since the death of her first relationship. It gave her purpose, she made a difference, even if it was just a small one. So it was what she cling to in the end. Or at least that was what she told herself.

As her eyes roamed, there was a flash of something that caught her attention, a movement by a pillar....a very specific pillar if she remembered correctly. Ever curious, and always wary, her eyes studied the area surrounding the pillar....but when she saw nothing else move, she figured it was perhaps a trick of the light, or of her mind. Unaware of the other that was moving about, from the pillars to the roofs, she finally stepped away from the shade of the trees and into the sunlight that stretched across the ruins.

She stood, soaking in the warmth for a moment, before a childish glee took over, and laughter bubbled up from deep within her chest. Years had come and gone, and despite all of that, the place was still here, still itself. Perhaps changed in little ways....but then again, so was she. It was this thought which caused another rumble of laughter from her, before finally, she moved again, further away from the woods, and deeper into the ruins. It looked like her intentions were set on the pillar, though half way, she slowed, the stones beneath her feet crunching with her weight.

Then she looked up again, hazels focused on the general area of where he had flattened himself against to hide. It was almost abrupt and sudden in the manner that she had done so, as if she had felt the barest shiftings of something that made the hair on the back of her neck stand up. Silent and uneasy, her eyes didn't drift from the spot for a couple more moments. Then, as if she hadn't even paused, her feet carried her forward, and straight for the pillar. Though it could be said that she wasn't stupid, as she was constantly glancing upwards at that spot on the roof.

The young man craned as carefully as he could to try and catch a glimpse of that whom sulked along the treeline, his fingers twitching with agitation at the magic that pulsed and ebbed disturbing the serene air of those ruins. It was a dirty form of magic, inelegant and raw. A crude wielding of that primal force like a cudgel but then he had never received any formal training on the manipulation of magic, had never learned the discipline and willpower needed to truly master the very energy that sculpted the world. He was but a child with a dangerous weapon.....or that's what society would have preferred him to believe. That he was some monster simply because of what he was born as....able to use a power he never had asked for. Such that he did not ask for, but nonetheless possessed and used more and more since that incident years ago.

He had kept using it, honed it as he could while not truly understanding and chased like a vermin because of it. But he would not go down without a fight and so he focused and drew in what he could, readied himself to destroy whoever would dare seek him. And as they stepped out into the sunlight, well....this he had not expected in the least. It was a face so very much the same as he knew but different, changed and so beyond just with the passage of time. "Lodie...?" A name whispered for himself before his gaze tore about the woodlands, searching out for anybody that followed or sulked in the shadows. Surely this was some trap, right' Some play by the peacekeeper to lull him into a false sense of security so as to finally catch him and 'fix' him.

But the more he looked the less he found save the paranoia of the woman as she crossed to that pillar. And the more that this realization took hold the harder he found it to believe that she was really there. Why had she come here when for years she'd avoided this place" That for the times he knew and came here to wait for even the chance to see her she had not shown. So why now? Watching as he could his hand ceased it's twitching, ceased drawing that threads of ether to him as impulse took hold and he shifted to take to his feet. He moved, slowly, hands raised as he stood up upon that roof in a pose very much saying he was caught.....one that he was used to taking with Elodie given how devilishly good at hide and seek she was. Rather than say anything, the man that was Zayden just stood there, let the woman come to her own conclusions as he set a gentle gaze upon her.

She could feel the energy that hummed, that pulsed and ebbed around that one specific part on the rooftops. And despite every fiber in her being urging her to either investigate or run, she kept walking until she reached the pillar. A moment of hesitation passed, then she reached out, running her fingers over the smooth and worn surface of the stone, searching....looking for for a specific scar in the flesh, and indentation that she would be able to recognize by touch alone. She had traced it so many times with her fingers when he had disappeared, wishing she could bring him back with merely the power of yearning. As for her attention though, it never strayed from the rooftop, especially with the humm and thrum of energy that was rolling from it.

And then without warning.....the magic died, and faded away, the hostile intentions gone, and her own confusion replacing it.....until that figure stepped out from hiding. Though familiar in form and movements....it had been a long time since she had seen him....and it took a couple of moments for her to process, even with that gesture of surrender from their shared childhood. Perhaps it took so long....because she had believed that she would never see him again. That he was dead, and that was why he never came back....why he never risked coming to find her, to let her know that he was okay and explain just what had happened. "Zayden." His name was spoken aloud to herself, as if would make him disappear, a figment of her imagination, a cruel trick, but his image never wavered, and she knew he was real.

Set off kilter, and caught off guard by his appearance, her steps faltered, she stumbled, those fingers that searched for the carving turned to support instead, and a wide range of emotions rolled over her. Joy, elation, both in the fact that he was not dead, apprehension, sorrow, and most of all, anger. There was a lot more than she had initially realized. Her fingers clenched, wanting to hit something, while her mouth wanted to smile, and eventually, she did neither. Instead, she lifted a hand, pointer and middle finger out, thumb up, to imitate the shape of the gun. A single twitch of her hand was made to simulate firing. The response that she had always given when she saw his sign of surrender. The other half to a whole of her childhood memories.....and a way of letting him know that she was....exactly who he thought she was.

Even as she was angry at him, she couldn't help herself from wanting to memorize everything about him again, before some twist in life sent them spiraling away from each other once again. From the way that he smelled, to the curve of his jaw, the way his arms curled around her....and for a moment everything was alright. The feeling....it was savored quietly, because.....well she had a feeling that her life may just be getting a lot more complicated soon. Not that she spoke of such....No, why ruin it more than she already had with voicing her profession, and reminding them both of the whole bitter irony about the situation. And irony that was almost laughable. Almost.

When he spoke of trying to leave her a message, and trailed off, she frowned. And when she caught the fidgeting of his, her eyes narrowed on him. "But something happened?" It wasn't hard to put that much together, but there were other things on her mind to, which as evident in the way that she peered up at him when he held her back from himself just a little. "Actually. Don't tell me that yet. Or what happened just yet. I want to know everything from the beginning, but in due time." Thoughtfully said, before she offered a smile of sorts.

She didn't want to know just yet, she didn't want to know his sins, his transgressions, and mistakes. No, for now, she wanted to be selfish and revel in him, In being with him again after so long a time. But she still would never forget the day she came downstairs to find her mother glued to the tv, with a hand pressed firmly against her mouth as Zayden's profile rolled across the screen, the alert that silently shrieked that he was incredibly dangerous in big bold letters. The hunters that had come to her house, and twisted words that tangled her tongue, and ended with her crying, and inadvertently fleeing the questioning. She wouldn't forget it, but maybe for just now, she could push it aside.

"I can't say that it's okay....because it wasn't. I needed you and you weren't there." The words were selfish, said simply, because that was what she had felt for so long. "Not that I don't understand why. I really do....I just....I missed you. I missed you so much it was like there was this giant hole inside me. You had been my other half since....well forever. My partner in crime." A faint grin, as that was what her father had called them both on several occasions. Though just as quickly as it had come, it was gone. "And then you were just gone." Her hands moved to tighten in the printed fabric of his shirt.

"Could have, but it didn't happen that way. But everything went to shit." The laugh that followed was humorless, devoid of emotion. "But now..." She trailed off, leaving the thought trailing, with a thousand different implications about their current situation. For a moment she wondered if there was ever going to chance....a hope at repairing things, and quickly it was silenced by quiet reasoning of....where they both stood as of now. To do such would lead to nothing but pain and misery in the end, but damn she wanted to be selfish. To take everything that she could experience with him again in her time home, and run with it. To suffer the loss of him once again when she had to leave and return to Rhy'din. To go back to her hunting, which she wished now, that she was anything but a hunter....why was it that life had a way at laughing in your face"

Her head tilted back, Hazel eyes a wild mix of stormy grey and gold, moved up to find his face. "Mhhm. Like dad like daughter. Though, It's....It's more than just that." The words were a touch vague, and she didn't elaborate any more on them. Instead, she pressed her face into his hand as it traced along the planes of her face, needy, like a cat seeking attention. "Oh god. No! Hah. Could you imagine" I'd get my ass lit before I could even finish the words. And while I'm in pain, they'd stand there and cackle madly at me." His speaking of that phrase though, had her thoughts straying to her father, and the man that he was. She was quite certain....that a lot of what the man had done, how he hunted, was based on that.

The release of tension she felt in him, the way he deflated with the past tense of that word stabbed guilt at her. She didn't say much at all, until he started speaking again. "Do I really make waves" Ah, sheesh." This was grumbled softly as his forehead came to press against hers. And for a moment, her breath caught, and something in her stomach fluttered with nervous energy. "Some day, everyone is going to know me because of my name. Not just because of his." There was a sense of determination in her words. What ever else she opened her mouth to say next was silenced by that kiss that he stole. How ever chaste it was, it still set her smoldering and wanting more from him. It wasn't long before she was chasing after, just to steal her own taste, as she was selfish and indulgent.

"And It's amazingly good. Beyond good. I mean....I'm glad I got out of the house today. I never thought?" She trailed off, before she simply shook her head, and grinned. It did not matter what she never thought of. The words that followed them had her quiet again for several long moments. "No. Actually....it's not. There's so much more to it as a whole. It's more than just hunting down monsters and catching them. It's not what I believed it would be, but it's not bad either. Though, the wounds we suffered when we were younger hurt a whole hell of a lot less than the ones I deal with now." The laugh rolled from her easily after she had spoken, warm and happy. She totally sensed how awkward his movements, how uncomfortable he was....and hoped that perhaps such a laugh would help a touch in relaxing.

The man nodded softly at her inquiry. A lot had happened to him in that interim of years that had left the boy she once knew with a hard edge. There was that weariness of one that had seen or experienced too much. The sort of look that could be caught in momentary glimmering flashes in the faces of veteran hunters whenever their guards slipped. But unlike all the hunters she'd seen such an expression cross, a fickle glimpse of what could lay beneath, on Zayden such hung like a mantel of his life. He would happily hold off on the story time for the moment as it was obviously grim. Of course he couldn't help but be curious of her own sharp lines, the raggedness in her eyes of one just coming to understand the cruelty that was the world. What had happened to her" What had she experienced" There were so many questions that remained silent as he just indulged in this little peace, this victory no matter how small.

"Yeah....something happened." This was mumbled softly before he quickly followed up with a nod. "Yeah....later. We can share with each other all the stupid crap we've done since..." And with that he fell silent, his expression growing a little taught at those thoughts. Both the thought of how things had went down between them, when it happened....and the notion of 'later' when this may well be the only chance they'd have given the polar opposite of things which they now stood. She was a hunter....both a dynasty and a prodigy and he was her prey, the very thing she stood against. How could any sort of relation ever work between them"

Such was a question which was only given more weight as she spoke selfishly about how she'd missed him and needed him when he wasn't there. It made him feel all the more ashamed and guilty about everything that had happened, that had transpired to lead them down the road to where they stood now. "I-I know..." Softly spoken as he gave her a squeeze, his eyes closing against whatever emotion may well have been rising up within those pools. "I'm sorry....I'm-I'm really sorry." Each apology felt paltry, almost pointless for what they could do against the pain that had already been lived through but he couldn't think of anything better to say that didn't sound like some lame excuse.

"I missed you too....and not a day has gone by that I've not felt regret for what happened. How....how screwed up things got that took me away from my partner in crime....and in life." Lips curled in a soft smile at that thought. No one quite understood why the two kids got on so well nor were ever quite certain who the troublemaker of the pair were....no one but Ezra. The man found no limit of exasperation from the two; and no end of joy either from their antics or from giving them crap. The man was just as much a father to him as he was to Elodie and had served no small part in encouraging his feeling for the hunter's 'tomboy daughter.'

It seemed such an odd thing that a hunter like that would encourage a known mage to spend time and grow close with their child but than Ezra had always been the sort to walk to the beat of their own drum. It kind of made him wonder if the man ever thought of the potential consequences of such a decision, of what could come to....what had come to pass. Shaking away such thoughts the young man chuckled along with Elodies humor, or lack thereof, as he studied her once more, nestling in so effortlessly as though they'd been a couple but a few days prior rather than a few years. Listening to the thrum of her words, feeling the warmth of her flesh the man couldn't help the tinge of happiness that filled the cracks between his guilt, shame, and fatigue. As the conversation took a lighter turn the man could practice a bit of his own selfishness as he just soaked in that ambiance of pseudo normalcy amidst the tension and vagueness of her meanings, a chuckle rippling through him.

"Oh' But what about that special uniform we'd designed for you....with the jetpack wings and the skirt and all the straps and shoulder bits and pieces?" A wry grin pulled on him as he brought up that part of the memory, of weeks spent designing the 'costume' she'd wear when she was a hunter....and the one he'd don as her sidekick. More childish fancy but something that they truly held on to....that they'd live a life together going on grand adventures with Elodie the hero and him always there to support her. A strange role to see oneself as " the sidekick to another, but such was the way things were. He had little doubt that Elodie would make a name for herself all on her own, a name greater than the shadow cast by her father. That was just who she was " a brilliant light far greater than any mantel that could be placed on her.

Enjoying that exchange of lips, those silent words telling more truth than either could possibly actually believe to be true, the man started to pull the huntress off towards the cathedral so as they could sit, get comfortable as they both enjoyed this cardinal sin of a meeting. To her words the man chuckled, a finger poke to her forehead in that ever teasing manner of his. "Of course you make waves Lodie, always have....though I guess it is odd to hear them being good waves!" And with that he stuck his tongue out at her, his expression glib as he made fun of her and her hooligan ways. It was his own attempt to try and bright things even as the mood vacillated between somber and attempting to capture joy. "It is much more than we ever thought it was, isn't it. So much more complex and..." Not it was his turn to fall silent on his words, letting his thoughts on that burn out.

The large building that they moved to was done up in weathered stone, carved with long eroded runes and script and peppered with stained glass windows were but a few had survived the passage of time. They had assumed it was a cathedral given the remnants of benches that sat in rows leading to the front, an altar there that played part to a myriad of imagined rituals each more outlandish than the last. Leading her in he'd guide her over to one of the more intact benches of stone so as they could sit. "I'm glad you decided to come out too." His smile was soft as he spoke on such, a warmth to his tone even though he could hear that discordance in her words and tone that spoke volumes of something happening that drove her from home....drove her to seek the comforts of the past.

Rather than ask about such he instead drew her into him, cradling her in that basal comfort of touch and closeness as he listened to her speak of wounds both new and old. "You've been wounded?" This had a touch of concern creeping into his voice, his brow scrunching some as he looked her over for any obvious signs of injury. "I mean....I know what you do is dangerous....but you look okay....beautiful even." A touch of a heat rose upon his cheeks as he tried his hand at that flirty comment though he was sure it went over about as well as such sounded smooth....and he knew he didn't sound smooth in the slightest! Upon his inspection his fingers came to stop upon that shard of black that hung around her neck, his hand impulsively drawing away from the memento as he felt the lingering danger of it. "Is that a dragon's scale?" His tone incredulous as he sought the woman's gaze. Dragons, even nowadays, were a dangerous monster to have to face.

She could see that hard edge that lingered on his face. Because it was the same one on her father's face when he thought no one had been looking. The look on Mach's face when she saw him in the hospital. The one that she sometimes saw reflected back in the mirror from time to time now. And she could only imagine what could have caused such a look to come across his face. But just as he kept his questions to himself, she kept hers to herself as well, hesitant now. Yes, it seemed like hardly no time at all had passed, to a point. But she knew what she heard. And it simply wasn't enough. For now though, as she had said, those were words and discussions for later, when they were, or even were not ready to confide in such things, and by the look on her face when he agreed, he could tell she was relieved. "Yeah. I think lots of things have happened." She gave him a playful little nudge. "Awh, Man, Zay, I've got some wild stories for you." She paused, the absent thought of how much it sucked that he hadn't been there right by her side. Like he should have been.

And well....even though there wasn't much chance of a relation of any kind between then now, she wanted to be selfish....would be selfish for the time being. If even for a little bit. At least that was what she would keep telling herself. Over and over like a mantra that one repeated to get through tough times. Perhaps even such times as the ones she found herself in as she repeated how sorry he was to her. She waited until he looked like he was about to mutter it again, before she leaned forward to press her lips against his again, this time a lot firmer than just the peck he had given her before. Selfish. All she was doing was making it worse on herself in the end. "Stop apologizing. I know you're sorry now. That's all I need right now. Okay?" The words were spoken softly as her hand came up to snake between them and press against his cheek.

His next words to follow made her fill with....with a quiet happiness that she had not felt in a long time, and for a moment she was quiet, before the smile on her face turned to something warm and fond. "I am glad to hear it." Softly said as the hand against his cheek moved, traveling along the planes of his face. His brow, his cheekbones, the dip of his chin. "Really. Partner in everything. My second half." The words were said softly. They too, had been words spoken by her father. Little seeds so planted as to encourage whatever it was between the two of them to take root and blossom.

Elodie herself, had no real idea of how much her father had played into their relationship. How much of it was allowed to go on, simply because he encouraged her mother to let it happen. The long nights and arguments the two had over such a friendship, before Molly herself conceded, and threw her hands up in the air. The quiet frustration from the woman in the following months that finally became a gracious acceptance....as she couldn't deny that there was some kind of bond, of deep connection between the two of them.

As for the mention of that horrible uniform they had spent weeks crafting, she guffawed. "Oh hell no. That thing was a horrible monstrosity. My little kid brain did not see all the things that uniform had that could be turned against me. I wouldn't have lasted a day. Though the rockets would still be pretty cool. Though, could you really see yourself now in those tights" And those bright blue boots?" Her face lit up as she razzed him about his end of the uniform deal. As for making a name for herself....It could be said that she was doing just that. Though not in the greatest of ways, just yet. Between her caster getting chomped in two and her belt and potions being lifted.....Though catching a dragon was a step in a good direction.

As he started to lead her off towards the cathedral, she stepped with him, her feet still remembering the rhythm of the ground here. Of how it rolled and warbled, and was marred and broken up by large pieces of crumbling stone and rocks. She moved with an ease, and kept up with him with very little effort. There was a smile that cracked across her face when he spoke on the waves that followed her and how they were good for once. "I know. It's a shock, isn't it' So used to hearing 'That darned Spencer girl, always causing trouble with that boy, blowin' up my flower beds.' " She paused long enough to make an ungraceful snorting sound. That was one heck of a day. She had been grounded for nearly a month. "I still got blamed with coming up with that idea. Ms. Potters never let me near her yard again." There was another bubble of laughter that escaped her.

Though when he spoke of it not being like they thought it would be she grew somber and shook her head, sending those golden locks of hers astray with the movement. "So so much more. The levels of complexity sometimes hurt my brain to think about. Training in the academy doesn't even really compare to what?s out there. What's waiting in the dark at night, or stalking you. Everything in general is so much more than I expected, y'know?" She fell silent though, as they came within the cathedral, hazels moving first to the few stained glass windows that still stood to the bits of colored glass that littered the ground. The same bits that they salvaged the pieces that their set of rings were set with. It was almost funny how everything seemed to keep tieing right back into this place. She followed his lead, all the way up to when they actually approached a bench that was still intact, and dropped down onto it. "Best decision made so far with being home. Everyone's different." It was somewhat cryptic, but in the same sense it was not.

When he too was seated, and wordlessly drew her in, she complied without resistance, folding and pressing into him, fitting in a way that she had yet to fit with anyone else. "Yeah. Quite a few times. Just don't let my mother know. She'd freak. Insist I quit and come home. " She blinked twice at him, slow and owlishly as he checked her over for any injuries....and the most obvious one was the three jagged lines along the left side of her head, where hair was just beginning to grow back. The rest was barely visible scars hidden underneath clothing. His mention of her being beautiful had her ducking her head again, her face flushing red, as a storm of butterflies came awake in her stomach, as if they were back in the awkward early stages of their flourishing romance. "I-. Mh." She gave a soft grunt, and nosed along the hollow of his throat. "You're the only one that can make me feel like awkward teen again." It was mused simply.

As for when his fingers found the dragon scale that hung from her neck, and he recoiled just a touch from her, her eyes danced up to his face, while his question caused a small spark of glee in those hazel eyes of hers. "Yes. It is a dragon scale. That was my first big catch. She was a great big black dragon that tried to eat me. Like, legit eat me." She paused long enough to tug her shirt off her shoulder so as to show him the shade or two darker semi circle of a scar that rested there. "She took a whole bunch of pieces of me. But in the end I won, because I'm not in her stomach, and she's sitting in a jail cell back in Rhy'din. Just....yeah. Remember that being snacked on like that is not a blast of any kind."

Every motion she made to snuggle in closer was welcomed and accommodated for. It was as though he were trying to make up for lost time, for years of missed out touches and sharing in each other's warmth. They really had been inseparable when they were young and now, now it felt as though finally for once in a long time he was whole, complete" and it was because he had her once again. He gently feathered her with kisses as she spoke, his hands running gently upon her as though to read her with his fingertips, memorize her all over again. It may have seemed he wasn't listening but such couldn't have been further from the truth as he hung on her every word.

"Yes, amazing. You always have been, even when we were screwing things up?" A wry little smirk though it paled again at the mention of the other hunter. "Yeah' I wish Ezra was around too for you?" A somber moment of contemplation at the man that had treated him more like a son than his own flesh and blood father. Even when it became known that he was arcane touched and he had to go away for temperance education and training when he came back Ezra not only accepted him back into his family's life as though nothing had changed, but welcomed the young and confused mage. It was likely a far cry from the viewpoints he was sure someone like the Mad Monk Wren held and spoke in depth to her given their apparent situation.

Ridding himself of the thought he nuzzled into the woman, breathing in her scent a moment before pausing as she spoke of the land apart. It truly did sound as some paradise compared to the conditions here. Though as with any road to such an oasis the journey was often long and fraught with peril where one wrong move resulted in falling into the hell that was the mage reeducation and reintegration system. "Sounds like an amazing place, and a grand playground for you to make a name for yourself with your adventures." A sly nudge at that reminder of their past, of how she used to say she would surpass her father and become a greater hero than he. It was the fancy of youth though nowadays Zayden found such a notion more than a little frightening given that Ezra's last act of heroism saw him a martyr. "I think it would be a great place to go." His smile was warm but thin as they likely both knew the dangerous that such a notion hinted at.

Of course as he spoke of others and trying to move on the man himself grew tense and awkward as she. "Ahh' yeah' it can be?" Shuffled words in his own embarrassment of such an admission. It had, after all, been four years since they'd been together and times had been rough and lonesome. He too had found and even sought comfort in the arms of others throughout that time, but then he never did give up on this" right here and now. And as she spoke he realized that perhaps she felt the exact same as his fingers laced with hers, as her words were spoken soft and with no small amount of uncertainty. But then how could they not be given how things stood, given how very much this moment was stolen and taboo all in one.

Damn it. Damn it! He'd always dreamed of seeing her again, of hearing those words and he thought he could be sated with such. But now that he was faced with the reality he found himself full of avarice, of wants and desires to have all that he knew he could not. And try as he might when he heard those words she spoke he found his will draining away, felt that selfishness welling. "I love you too Lodie" always have, always will."



His voice was soft, barely a whisper in that cathedral and yet they resonated with such power. "There hasn't been a day that's gone by that I didn't think of you, that something didn't remind me of you? of us. I thought with enough time I could" I could let you go' so you could be happy and I could be happy for you but?" His head shook softly, brow pressed to hers. "Here, now, I know that was just a pipedream. I haven't felt this complete, this content in years" like the best part of me that I've been searching for has finally returned. Damn it' I" I?"

His head shook again against that apology, against the taunting howls of fate that put them on this knife's edge of a situation. Tension thrummed along his muscles as he clutched her to him, daring the world to take her from him and yet uncertain whether he should push her away, run before he screwed everything over. But he wouldn't' he couldn't, not when he finally had her again. And so the next words he spoke had no sound as his lips found hers, as he poured all the things he could not think of how to say with any eloquence into that kiss. His uncertainties, his wants, his fears, his love, his desires" all of it was laid bare in that intimate contact. A silent prayer in that long abandoned cathedral, a wish for them to be together against all the odds.

Shakily he'd let that kiss break but for a moment to gasp in breath even as he laid her down upon that ancient stone bench, gazing at her. "I love you Lodie....I want us to be us again?"

Zayden was not alone in that feeling of finally being" complete, after feeling not, for so long. It felt as if every step since his disappearance had been unsteady, crooked, like she's been stumbling through life drunk and unclear on where she was going. Now there was clarity. A path before her that she wants more than anything else in her life, that walks a fine line, and can end with her losing everything. A dangerous game, one, with every touch and caress and kiss from him, she was more and more willing to play. She responded in kind, with kisses against his jaw, trailing fingers along his arms as he spoke, and she listened, content to hear him talk.

"Always. But trouble always knew us as a pair, so." She flashed him a grin. There had been many a time that the both of them had ended up so grounded it hadn't been funny. It sucked even more when they were stuck during break for school. When he wished that her dad was still around for her, she grew quiet, and blew out a huff that ruffled her bangs. "Yeah. I wish he was still here too. I miss him. It sucks when someone's just gone like that.." Her fingers twisted absently at the edge of that printed shirt he wore. She remembered that day still. When instead of dad coming home from a hunt with cheering smiles, and pretty little trinkets or toys, it was somber faced Military officials. The breaking news that came up on the channel mom always watched when he was gone. She remembered shouting in denial, in a way only a kid could. Instead of letting her mother comfort her, she ran. Straight to Zayden. Everything always seemed to lead back to him. He was ingrained in everything.

When he nuzzled, she only seemed to melt more than she already had against him, if even such was possible by now. She was so at ease with him. Always. "Haaah. Maybe. But' from what I understand, things seen as heroic in Rhy'din don't much translate as such here." Simply, before she shook her head to ward off whatever questions he may feel compelled to ask with that. It didn't matter right now. It was worries for another day. "It is. I think you'd like it. Y"know" Open minded people. No one acts funny cuz" you can use magic or fire a gun that does weird things. None of the narrow mindedness that's here." And she knew every dangerous notion that could be involved. They've been looming over her since the day he disappeared.

She felt his awkwardness as much as she felt hers. It took a moment, before she breathed deep, and relaxed when she exhaled. "Things got lonely. Sometimes it's just nice." She pauses, brings their interlaced fingers up so she can press a kiss to the back of his hand. "This right here though. Nothing compares to what we have here. Me and you, Zay. There's always kinda been that magic there. Can't deny it." It's faint, but there's a mischievous smirk tugging at her lips.

When he admitted that he still loved her as well, there was a line of tension that faded away, as if she were concerned that at some point it could have changed. She closed her eyes, and nuzzled him gently, even as his voice whispered those words, and more. Words that echoed so much how she had felt. Except she never let anyone truly get close. "I feel the same. Complete. That's the best way to put it, Zay. So complete. It's such a beautiful feeling." And it would be gone again. Until they found one another once more.

It was the kiss that he gave her that silenced words she had been floundering for to fill the small spanse of silence. A kiss that spoke of so much more. She could feel, taste everything that he poured into it. He didn't have to use words, and neither did she. Every worry, and tear and sleepless night. Everything she felt for him that hummed through her. A silent prayer to be offered, perhaps just as they had when they were younger. Just perhaps in different ways. Or maybe circumstance just made them different. It was a plausible thing. She responded in kind. Everything she was feeling was returned in that kiss, and left her gasping by the time he broke away.

What ever resolve she had in not being selfish crumbled when he repeated his love for her, ever so gently shifted her so that instead of being nestled up against him, she was laid back against the stone bench beneath him. His fingers guided, and she was pliant. Pliant in every way except for the one that had her crushing her mouth against his, fingers fisting in that printed t-shirt so as to make it easier to pull him down with her. She wanted him. Or needed him, in more ways than just skin against skin, and she had been starved for nearly four years.

She was being selfish. She would take every moment, touch, word or kiss for herself. She would soak up every precious moment of time she had to simply drown herself in him. No one could take this from her. When she pulled away from the kiss she had initiated, her cheeks were flushed, those hazels a wild mix of amber and green, and fixated on him. Her breath comes in pants as a hand drifts up to cup his cheek. When she speaks again, the words are a breathless whisper.

"Let's be us again."

The aged stone erected by a civilization come and gone, a monument to gods whose names were lost in the annuls of time....it was an odd place for love to bloom and yet it had always been their sanctuary, a place for all their firsts. Their first fort, their first hideout, their first hangout, where they shared their first kiss, where they first consummated their journey to adulthood; a place outside of time, outside the worries and concerns of yesterday, today, or tomorrow. Here he was not some fugitive mage nor she a hunter trained to subjugate those as he; no, here they were just two people falling back into love in spite of the fates and stars that conspired against such. It was a dangerous game to play, especially given that the magic of this special place would wear off the second they departed the warmth of their arms, untangled their bodies to return to the respective lives they had to live.

But until then he would have this moment with her, and she would have hers with him as they both gave in to their selfish desires that saw the day passing till the sun sat fat upon the far horizon. He held a sheepish grin as he walked hand in hand with her to the end of the dilapidated stone columns that circled the structure, one that was shared by the huntress in turn as they promised to see one another again, sealing such with one last lingering kiss before he sulked off to be the fugitive once more and Elodie, she squared herself with that warmth in her heart and readied to go to battle against the prejudices of family once again.