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Ooc:// That's great! Happy to hear everything went so well and that you're back now.

Maiya shrieked a little when she saw the glittering blade swinging towards her. Her arms tightened around Lyllii accidentally; at this point she was probably crushing the air out of the nymph's lungs. She squeezed her eyes shut instinctively, not wanting to see death coming right at her. Unconsciously, without even knowing, she drew the water from the air around her into a tight shield, some automatic self-preservation instinct kicking in.

~~~~

Kasha's amber eyes tracked the movement of the swords. The way the Mask attacked was smooth and fluid, much like the movements of a dancer. It was a sign of a truly skilled fighter, and the anthro felt her heart speed up in the anticipation of a challenge. Her grip tightened on her staff, the pads of her paws gripping the wooden grooves securely.

She wasn't all that comfortable fighting in smaller spaces, but there was no time to lament about that. She would simply attack to the best of her ability. She saw the deadly weapon arcing towards Jason, but he seemed to handle it. Kasha's main concern was Lylli and Maiya; the sword was coming right at them at impressive speeds, and only a thin water barrier was their defense.

Kasha leapt in front of them without hesitation, grateful that she wasn't far away. If she had been on the other side of the cave, it most certainly would've been too late. With a slight whoosh sound, her staff whipped around to deflect the sword in what was clearly a practiced movement. Yelling out a wordless battle cry, she thrust the metal tip of the staff at the Mask's throat, what would surely be a crippling blow if it landed.

~~~~

Jason had intended to duck and dodge the blade completely, but was distracted by some emotion he didn't care to name at the moment. A small whine escaped him before he could regain self-control as the razor-sharp sword edge grazed his left shoulder. It wasn't serious, he could tell that much at the moment, but it certainly hurt.

The were-dingo silently berated himself for not dodging that better. He shouldn't have been hit at all! He had studied fighting ever since leaving the pathetic excuse for a father he had been cursed to have, and was quite adept at it. He was no expert, but combat was very familiar. Jason suddenly realized that he was concerned about the others; that was what that emotion was! It was distracting him, throwing him off of his game, but try as he might, he could not simply ignore it. It was like a fly buzzing around his ear.

Jason shook his head to clear it, deciding to confront this new issue at a later time. For now, he would force himself to focus on the fight at hand as best he could, because this was clearly a skilled foe. The Mask was not to be underestimated. With a growl, he quickly checked to see if Lyllii and Maiya were okay. Confirming that they were, he leapt back into the heat of battle, snarling as he attempted to bite the sensitive achilles tendon of his enemy.

Lyllii stared blankly at the approaching blade, sensitive ears ringing from the elf's shriek. Maiya's already tense grip around her ribs tightened. She craned her neck away from the elf, attempting to put as much distance between herself and the other girl's clothes as another wave of nausea wracked her frame, compelling a dry heave as her stomach attempted to empty its contents...which wouldn't be much more than churning bile. A shaky gasp escaped the nymph as she drew in another breath.

Her vision swam, the glinting silver and dark form of Mask blurring seamlessly into the golds of Jason's fur and Farren's flames. A canine whine echoed around the chamber. She blinked. A crack split the tense atmosphere of the cave, a second dark form appearing, though this one looked...tailed. A yowl-tinged war cry followed the crack.

_<^>_
Vibrations traveled through Mask's arm from the force of the cat's interception. He narrowly escaped a crushing blow to his jugular that would have promised to snap his neck, tilting his head as the staff slid further into their deadlock. The blow missed its intended target by a hairsbreadth, sleek wood creating a whoosh of air in its wake.

Barely, but not entirely. A clamped grunt escaped from Mask as the wood collided with his shoulder and collarbone with a dull and meaty thump. Black, red, and white spotted his vision. Adrenaline flowed through his veins in a rush, quickly causing him to forget the intense pain, though slight movements to his left side immediately flared sharp reminders. On reflex, Mask hopped, tucking both feet underneath him in midair; Jason's sharp teeth snapped around void air his ankles occupied barely moments before.

_<^>_
Farren, taking advantage of Mask's current lack of footing, surged forward. His burly arms wrapped around the villain's torso without a second thought, sending them both crashing to the uneven floor from the force of his tackle. A note of dread struck Farren as he realized the Mask's grip on his weapons hadn't wavered, despite Mask being the one to take the brunt of their fall.

Darkness prevailed momentarily, caused by Farren's flames being temporarily smothered underneath their dogpile. He winced as he felt their tongues wrap around his own skin before releasing his hold on them altogether, allowing them to extinguish. Farren's grip around Mask's torso and upper arms tightened in his attempt to restrain the predator. Mask body went completely ridged, and the next moment, Farren found himself sent sprawling and gasping for air from a knee to the gut.

Maiya was dimly aware of a slight splashing sound as her subconscious released the flimsy liquid shield. Her heart pounded loudly in her ears, a fierce primal tempo that echoed the dance of battle. She cringed automatically as Lyllii gagged beside her, grip loosening slightly to allow the poor nymph some room. "I-it's ok-kay," she stuttered out, voice trembling almost as violently as her body. She wasn't even sure Lyllii could hear her, but the words were an attempt at reassuring herself as much as her friend.

~~~~

Kasha grinned in satisfaction as she landed a blow, the expression far more aggressive than cheerful, sharp teeth glinting menacingly. She lunged forward when Farren tackled the Mask, bringing them both to the ground. She placed the heavy metal tip at the base of his skull, where she could snap his neck with a well-placed thrust. "Drop your weapons, demon," she growled, "Or I'll kill you."

Using the momentum generated from kicking the bulky ginger in the abdomen, the Mask quickly flipped into a crouch. His powerful calf muscles coiled, readying to propel his body forward at any moment. Time to "slay the giant"...and then finally skin that cat, Mask thought darkly. But whatever morbid plans he might have enacted were quickly jolted to a halt. Metal-tipped wood rested warningly against the base of his scalp, right as he began to lurch forward. Inwardly, he sneered at the cat's threat, refusing to even admit the possibility to himself that he grossly underestimated his targets. He could still win this! He just simply...miscalculated.

And "surrender" was not an option; his pride and reputation would not allow it. However...the necessity for a "tactical retreat" began pressing its urgency closer to the forefront of his mind with an almost pushy insistence. This was made more relevant due to the fact that they had already managed to secure a blow, and his injury would further...complicate things, if he aggravated it further.

Time for the "grand finale".

_<^>_
Lyllii grinned weakly in response, dimly aware that the elf wouldn't see it in the cave's gloom even if her head wasn't currently turned away. "S-sorry," she muttered hoarsely as her face flushed further with embarrassment. "But, thanks." She knew what Maiya was trying to do, and though the nymph tried her best to convey that she inwardly appreciated it, she absolutely despised how weak and of little use she was in her current state, and felt obligated to return comfort -someway, somehow- to the younger girl if she could. It was the least she could do.

_<^>_
Farren shook his head slightly, eager clear his vision from the pain-spots, as he struggled to regain his breath. Each shallow inhale nearly exhaled as a choked gasp -definitely some bruised ribs along with the internal bleeding caused by Mask's kick. He quickly shoved himself back onto his knees as his heart rate quickened, and the tiny hairs along his nape and forearms stood on end. He couldn't see well enough to know exactly where each of his allies were situated besides "nearby", by the vague heat signatures their bodies released in wafts around the cave. But he could sense the distinct change in atmosphere temperature pending. And Kasha's voice indicated she had the greatest proximity to the Mask.

"Kasha! MOVE!!!"

Not even a split second later a ring of fire radiated from around Mask, rapidly surging outward towards the edges of the cave. On reflex, Farren quickly hurled himself at the ground once more as he dove for cover, silently praying to...something (he wasn't even sure what, his thoughts too fragmented), that Kasha had heard him and reacted in time, that the others took cover in time...

Gradually, his breathing slowed enough that he dared push himself back into a kneeling position. Hesitantly, he allowed a small flame pop into existence. As he began to survey the area with his feeble source of light, one thing instantly became clear: Mask was gone.

OOC: Wow...sorry about the longish wait. I had slight writer's block and tons of plot bunnies ramming against it with different ideas of how Mask should exit...rather than dragging it out further. (Though...I'm still not sure I kept him "in character" during this encounter, especially with the build-up we gave him. Eh.) Still, I think I'm fairly pleased with how this post finally turned out.

Kasha did hear the warning, the loud words battering her sensitive ears and prompting her into immediate action. She leapt away, letting out a hiss of surprise as her foe was enveloped in a bright ring of flames that shot out. That hiss turned into one of pain as some of the fire hit her a few inches above her ankle, grazing the edge of it badly enough to scorch the flesh. Though the warning had helped, she was still a second too late to dodge it completely; her reflexes weren't perfect, after all.

She landed on the ground awkwardly, her good leg collapsing under the impact without the other to support it. The anthro, wound burning as if it were still on fire, hastily rolled her now-grimy pants up away from the injury. Her pained amber eyes studied it carefully; her fur had been burned off in that area, allowing the blistered flesh to be easily seen. The skin was angry and red, a painfully dark shade of crimson especially in the middle. Luckily, none of it seemed to be blackened and dead; she would recover, but in the meantime it would definitely hurt.

~~~~

Jason, fortunately, had fallen back a few feet after missing his target. He had done so just so he could have more room to pounce using his powerful legs, but it was an action that probably saved him from some serious burns. He was far enough away that the fire did not hurt him, though he could feel the heat stinding his face.

He shook his head once the flames disappeared, an image of them imprinted on the back of his eyelids, dancing in his vision whenever he closed them. Jason blinked to clear his eyes, slightly confused and relieved to see that the Mask had finally disappeared. Of course, those feelings dispersed when he noticed Kasha was injured, as was Farren, and Lyllii and Maiya were still huddled in a corner.

He transformed back into a human, wincing as it aggravated his shoulder. Without a word, he retrieved his sword and bag, rummaging around in the latter. Surely he had some bandages in here somewhere...

~~~~

Maiya, already on edge from her near-death a few moments prior, instinctively threw up the same flimsy water shield when she heard Farren shout. It was that that stopped the flames from really reaching them, extinguishing what had travelled their way before it could do more than make them hot.

The elf let out a shaky breath as she cracked open her eyes once more, breathing out a small sigh of relief when Farren's small light revealed that the Mask was gone. Her blue eyes widened in concern when she saw Kasha on the ground though, clutching her leg. Maiya squeezed Lyllii briefly before letting go, springing into action through the sheer instinct to help her friends.

She sucked in a sharp, sympathetic breath when she saw the painful looking burn on the anthro's calf; that would take a while to heal all the way. At least it wasn't life-threatening. Recognizing the fact that burns were one of the worst kinds of pain, a fire that kept on burning, she summoned what little water remained in the air to gather at her fingertips. Carefully, she allowed a film of cool water to settle over the burn, satisfied when she heard Kasha's sigh of relief as the pain lessened.

She jerked slightly in surprise when a hand touched her shoulder, though she managed not to release her hold on the water.

"Here," a voice said, and she recognized it as Jason's. "Soak these with the water and wrap them around the burns."

Maiya turned around and reached out with one hand to take the clean cloth strips he offered her, doing as he instructed. "Thanks," she murmured as a response, lost in her work. She tied off the bandages gently near the top to ensure they would stay put then shot Kasha a small smile. "There," she said, satisfied. "That should help some."

"Thank you," Kasha mumbled, clearly not used to nor comfortable with recieving help.

Maiya's smile widened slightly before concern took over again as she turned to face Jason. "You're bleeding," she noticed, fingers lightly grazing his shoulder where it had been cut with the sword.

"No big deal," he shrugged it off. "I'll bandage it later."

Maiya pursed her lips, clearly not happy about this, but conceded. She turned to glance over everyone else. "Is anyone else hurt?" she asked. She didn't think Lylli needed medical treatment, but she wasn't too sure about Farren.

Ooc:// It's fine. ^^

Lyllii stared at the flames rapidly inching closer, unable to do much of anything to prevent their advance. Her body recoiled instinctively into a protective ball around her head and torso against the ground while her arms, still intertwined around Maiya, pulled the younger girl to relative safety. Seconds later a sharp hiss, followed by a brief cloud of steam obscuring her vision, filled the air surrounding them as the flames extinguished against and evaporated the elf's water barrier.

Silence.

As if on one accord, the sound of multiple sighs exhaled from multiple points around the cavern -including Lyllii's own- ended the period of intense quiet. A small, watery flame gradually flickered into existence, casting just enough light to reveal Farren's profile as the caster, Jason's shifting form, and Kasha...Kasha was lying on the ground, one leg crumpled beneath her, the other gingerly extended.

But...he was gone. Vanished. Lyllii dimly felt that she should feel something, relief if nothing else, but found vague emptiness in "something's" place. Apprehension slowly clawed its way back around gut, seizing her heart as realization sunk in: he would be back. Now that he had found her... But they were safe. For now, her new companions were safe. They could rest, recover. Maiya lightly squeezed her before untangling herself from Lyllii and joining the others, the nymph nodding mutely in response. She still felt too shell-shocked to do much else. Better to stand aside than risk getting underfoot.

_<^>_
Farren winced in sympathy, his proximity allowing to catch sharp, pungent wafts of burnt hair and charred cloth even before he saw Maiya creep over to inspect Kasha's injuries in his peripheral. Aimlessly he trailed behind the elf before crouching down beside her, holding the flame level as to keep the light steady as she worked. His frown deepened as Jason dismissed Maiya's offer, despite the fact that the wound inflicted by Mask was deep enough to stain Jason's tunic as it continued to ooze.

"Is anyone else hurt?" Maiya asked.

Farren blinked, not quite registering that the elf had spoken to him. "Hmm? Oh...mostly some bad bruises and bruised ribs, nothing that won't heal on it's own." He cast a glance at the nymph hanging back in a parallel corner. "What about you, Lyllii?"

"I'm fine," she replied stiffly.

"Are you sure?" he pressed. "You didn't look so good earlie-"

"I said I'm fine, and I meant it!" she snapped. "Give me a night of rest, and if tomorrow's sunny I'll be good as new." She cast a glance at his hands, raising an eyebrow. "And you're sure about that? You might want to worry about yourself first."

Farren opened his mouth for a flippant retort...and quickly closed it again, quickly sucking in a breath as the last of his adrenaline rush from the previous fight faded away, leaving a sharp stinging sensation that persisted from the skin around his knuckles. Sure enough, his hands when examined under the small hovering light were revealed to be blistered an angry red, especially on his fingers. Oh...he had forgotten about burning himself when he grappled with Mask. That might complicate things...he wouldn't be able to wield his bow until they healed. "Touche," he glumly conceded.

"I'll be right back," Lyllii said after retrieving her staff.

"W-whe, and where are you going?" Farren irritably sputtered.

"Outside. Where do you think?"

"But you can hardly stand as it is!" he protested.

Lyllii, who was halfway to the entrance by now, turned and gave him an incredulous look. "Maiya needs water to heal, and you all need healing whether you'll admit to it or not," she said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "And for the last time-" she added when the human opened his mouth once again to protest, "I'm fine. My physiology will respond much better to getting wet again than any of yours will, and I'm a lot tougher than I look." With that, her staff morphed into a bucket's shape as she continued to lean against the slick limestone wall to lead herself out.

Farren snorted to himself as he glared after her receding form stumbling out of the cave. "Stronger than she looked" indeed. Though, he silently conceded, she must be feeling fractionally better if her sharp tongue was back.

_<^>_
Lyllii stepped out into the night, allowing its chill and the storm's fury refresh and cleanse her. She carefully set her improvised bucket down beside her, using her other arm to steady herself against the cave's mouth as the rain washed over her in pelting torrents. She lifted her face skyward, relishing the brief moment she allowed herself to relax before reentering the cave with her now full bucket.

_<^>_
"Lyllii."

The nymph glanced up, stiffening slightly as she turned to face Farren. She slowly placed the bucket next to Maiya before finding a mostly dry spot to settle herself back into. "Y-yes?' she said hesitantly.

"Just how do you know the Mask?"

"Are you certain you want to know?" she inquired. "You'll be far safer if we split up in the morning and you all go on with your lives forgetting this ever happened," she warned. "And...I, I wouldn't be comfortable knowing I'm the one responsible for anything more that happens to you guys by his hand. Especially now that he's found me...he won't stop hunting. Are you sure you really want that?"

"Lyllii," Farren began carefully, casting a quick glance at their companions around them, "I can't exactly speak for them, but I have no intention of leaving you to that monster's mercy...and I wouldn't be surprised if the others agree with me. But that said," he added on a gentler note, "I at least need to know what exactly we're facing."

Lyllii bit her lower lip, eyes downcast and unable to meet her companions' eyes fully. She wanted to trust them -she really did!- and although they hadn't proven themselves to be untrustworthy...this took a different level of trust than a bunch of individuals defending a complete stranger. Finally, she said, "Is this true for you all as well? Kasha, Jason...Maiya?"

"Is this true for you all as well? Kasha, Jason...Maiya?"

Maiya stared at Lyllii incredulously, as if the nymph was insane. To Maiya, the answer was painfully obvious. Friends stuck together, no matter the risk. And they were friends now, right?

"Friends don't leave each other just because things get hard," she shrugged as an answer. "I'm not going to leave, so you might as well tell me." Maiya flashed the nymph a kind smile before she continued. "You might not be comfortable with us being in danger, but I wouldn't be comfortable with abandoning you like that."

~~~~

Kasha wasn't one for emotional words, preferring to speak through her actions instead. It was even harder in front of people. But she still stared at Lyllii with an unwavering amber gaze. "That demon is no longer just your enemy," she answered. "He is mine as well, and I will not allow one more person to suffer by his hand. If that means putting myself in danger in order to better protect you, so be it."

It wasn't very heartfelt, but she meant it. The words she didn't say were written on her face though: Lyllii was a friend now, whether Kasha was comfortable with that or not. Kasha wasn't one to leave a friend behind. Besides...she rather liked danger.

~~~~

Jason stared at Lylli before a rare gentle smile flitted across his face for a moment. "I didn't fight the Mask just to stop now," he answered, hoping the slightly more light-hearted tone in his voice would lift the mood in the cave a little bit. "We're all with you, Lyllii."

Ooc:// Sorry it's so short! I had this long post written, but it was accidentally erased before I could finish, so I had to whip this one up instead.

OOC: It's fine, used to happen to me all the time. Needless to say, I've gotten in the habit of copy/paste several times. (paranoia much?) Ugh, stupid computers! Anyways...on with the *cough*angsty!*cough* monster of a post by me.

Lyllii slowly exhaled a shuddering breath through her nose, and brushed her sodden hair from her face. "A-alright, and, thank you," she murmured. She inhaled again, squared her shoulders, and set her stony gaze against the far wall. She could do this, she could do this...it needed to be said, they deserved to know. Still, would they continue to use the term "friend" in reference to her once they did?

"I didn't know he was 'the Mask', or had really ever heard of that character before now. But, no, I'm getting ahead of myself. Let me start at the beginning. That will be the easiest for you all to understand," she said, voice reassuming the one she used for storytelling, only this time it had a more distant and objective quality to it. "I never had parents, like I know all of you did, otherwise you wouldn't be here. Now, sometimes my kind settle down and start families, but that isn't how it was with me. My kind, nymphs, we are the second race, the ones called out of the elements. We are still called out...which is where I come in.

"I don't remember anything of my first day, but I guess that's only to be expected. Although, I later learned about a storm after snowmelt that happened around the time of what might have been my first-year. Since wood nymphs seem to normally be formed after the spilling of sap, I've always assumed that I must have formed then. Especially since I didn't see another person until much later, even though my forest wasn't very big. Most of my...childhood, let's call it that, was spent wandering around my birth-forest, observing the animals who also inhabited it. Through watching them, I learned which plants were edible, mostly because eating wasn't something that had occurred to me before, though I discovered that it did help ease the winter-pangs I felt in my belly.

"However, when I grew older, some of the animals near the edge of the forest became scared of me. This confused me, and for the first time, I began to feel lonely, especially when those animals moved their nests deeper into the forest and seemed to spread their uneasiness. A season later, when snowfall began again, I noticed more stumps...but these were near the edge, had smoother tops, and rarely had their trunk and branches lying nearby. Something else was causing it, something unnatural or something I hadn't seen yet. But one thing I did know. My forest was getting smaller."

Lyllii paused, her tongue feeling increasingly fat and clumsy from the effort of forming words as her lilt grew stronger. Her body began to tremble slightly as she clenched her arms and drew her knees into herself. Her voice wavered when she finally continued.

"An' then...one morning I woke to a dull striking sound. A heavy thud and rustling shook the ground moments later, an' the thwacking starts again. When I found what was causin' it, I saw someone who looked like me...only, with roun' ears, scruffy looking fur on th' face, an'..." here Lyllii blushed slightly and recoiled further into herself, "...mismatched skins and colored fibers. He said something to me, but I couldn't understand whatever it was he said. Though, something about him reminded me of a starving wolf an' I didn' like it. He followed me, I ran, he chased. Then...I tripped over something, he yanked on my arm, I tried to shove him off...an' then he's fallin' to the ground with his axe in his back an' his red life-sap is all over me an' th' ground' an'-"

"Lyllii!" Farren interjected, shocking the nearly hysterical nymph out of mid tangent. The nymph's breathing slowed, the wild look slowly creeping out of her eyes.

"...and I had killed him," she finished softly. "Or, I thought I had. His village, too. They eventually went looking for him, and found me later that evening. I had tried scraping his blood off me when it dried, but couldn't get it all off when it was wet and only managed to smear it further. What can I say?" she laughed bitterly. "I was a sight. And, when since all I could do was scream and wail when they shouted at me...they didn't feel to guilty about burning the monstrous witch who slaughtered their 'darling'.

"But, I somehow survived. This frightened them. Apparently there's some myth that if the 'source' is destroyed, then the being isn't too long in following. That...is a lie, as I know of a few of my kind that 'survived' this. 'Course, they didn' know that, but destroying a forest takes time. Those superstitious-" Lyllii cut herself off again, inhaling a quick breath, held it while she mentally counted, and exhaled it steadily once she felt slightly calmer.

"But you don't need to know about that," she said evenly. "You want to know about Mask. Well, now you do. He's human, or was, and wants to take my life in revenge. Not only for himself, but for his village, too. See, they...they spent so much energy trying to find my 'exact tree' that they forced the animals they hunted for food to move on. Then, when a band of bandits swept through, the village was malnourished, unable to defend itself, and, all that extra wood lying about made it easily catch fire."

_<^>_
Farren listened silently. Occasionally, he grinned as he suppressed a snort at the nymph's "adjustments" to the common language: "snowmelt", "first-day", "first-year", and use of "snowfall" instead of winter. However, his slight amusement faded once he realized her lilt and dropping of certain syllables became more pronounced...and began to resemble a child's early speech, similarly as to when she attacked him at their initial meeting. His concern grew when her vocabulary further regressed as she continued to ramble.

"Lyllii!"

The nymph slowed, taking a moment to situate herself back into reality before resuming: lilt controlled, hyper-objectivity maintained. Farren wasn't quite sure whether to be relieved or concerned as she compensated by moving to the other extreme. Still, he couldn't shake the impression that there was something the nymph wasn't telling them.

"Lyllii...none of that was your fault," Farren said gently.

"Maybe, but I know otherwise," she replied indifferently. Farren wasn't quite sure he believed her.

"Enlighten me," he invited sarcastically. He got his intended response.

"Just shut up!" she exploded, lunging from the ground towards where he was seated at the other end of the group's campfire's charred remains. He quickly caught her wrist before she could do any damage, wincing as the action aggravated his burned hand.

"No," he said firmly. "Not until you explain what you meant."

_<^>_
Lyllii stared at him incredulously, uncorked rage smoldering just under the surface and threatening to erupt. She told them about Mask, and a little extra by accident, and was now fighting to regain what little semblance of control she had left...after all on his prompting. It was his fault! What more did he want? No...no, it wasn't Farren's fault. She should know better, she did know better. It was her responsibility, her problem. She just needed to deal with it.

'You know that's not the way.'

"Fine. I tried to attack and kill them, too. I retaliated. So they chained me up, forced me to turn the machinery that ran their mill so that I was too exhausted to do anything else, throwing stones or beating me with canes when I rebelled, saying 'Forseleb' the entire time. Oh, and when I finally managed to slip the chains off and escape during the attack, I stayed behind and finished off the survivors. I proved them right! And I continued to prove them right until...until, well, a very long time afterwards. And who's to say that I won't prove them right again? I'm a murderer!" she blurted. "...I'm a murderer, and I deserve it."

Farren gazed at her silently with an expression she couldn't quite interpret, though it bordered on almost empathetic understanding, and suddenly she knew that Farren was a hypocrite for forcing her to confide and face the demons of her past in front of them. Whatever mask that might have been in place had been ripped off, by her own hand, no less, and now her scarred and ugly soul was on display for them all to see.

"Just...leave me alone," she muttered surlily.

No one dared to move for a few heavy heartbeats after Lyllii's confession. The only sound was from the nymph's uneven breaths; everyone else seemed to have forgotten to take one. The silence was as oppressive as it was unbreakable, and Maiya's face was frozen into an expression of wide-eyed shock.

Her blue eyes, reminiscient of quiet lakes and babbling brooks, stared at Lyllii uncomprehendingly. She...she was a murderer? Maiya couldn't seem to get that to click in her head. It didn't seem possible that Lyllii, the woodland nymph, her new friend, could even get close to killing someone, much less killing them purposely and for a long time.

Frankly, Maiya didn't want to believe it. Her own sense of morals and ethics kicked in, raging an internal battle inside of her against the fierce loyalty she always held towards any of her friends. Which feeling was the one she was supposed to give in to?

The elf knew Lyllii wasn't a bad person, not really. She just...knew. Maybe it was the loyalty talking, but Maiya was never one to ignore her instincts, especially when it came to a person's character. Lyllii had only done those things because she had been hurt by those people, for a very long time...right? The first kill didn't count, not in Maiya's mind; that had sounded like an accident. But all those people? That definitely counted, no matter how you looked at it.

They had done wrong to Lyllii; no one deserved to be treated as a slave, much less abused as one. It sicked Maiya just to think of that, but the elf still didn't think that warranted all of their deaths. Still, she wanted oh-so-badly to keep trusting Lyllii, and it felt almost as if her very soul was being ripped apart. She couldn't move, her expression frozen, and if she could find the words to say, she was sure they would be stuck in her throat.

How is one supposed to react when they find out their friend is apparently a murderer?

~~~~

Jason understood. Honestly, he did. There were many painful nights, when the throbbing burns and stinging cuts would keep him up until the sun had risen, harsh words echoing around in his head all the while. As a young child, he would try to distract himself with thoughts of loving parents instead, but he came to realize he would never have that. Why would he? He was the imperfect child, the failure.

As he got older still, he figured out not everything his father said was actually true. That's whan the seeds of hatred were planted, sown deeply into Jason's fragmented heart. Instead of dreaming wistful fantasies and painless worlds, he would imagine escape. But when his whole body seemed to ache, when he questioned why it was so hard to get away, he thought of other ways to get out.

As much as he hated to admit it, those nights he thought about killing the man who claimed to be his father.

Jason never acted upon it. As soon as he had the chance to get out, he took it and literally ran with it. He didn't turn back once, but that was because he had experienced a type of revelation; he didn't want to be his father. Therefore, he would never do anything like kill or beat someone, because then he would be stooping to his level.

Lyllii never had the chance to think such redeeming thoughts. Her choice to stay and kill them wasn't something Jason agreed with, but it was something he still understood completely. He wanted to say something to that effect, but he was never one for talking unless words were absolutely necessary. They were probably necessary now, but before he could even begin to figure out exactly what he might say, Kasha broke the silence.

The anthro stood, using her staff to help her up. Her leg still throbbed where it had been injured, but she set the pain aside for the moment, focusing her mind on other things. "They tried to kill you and then they kept you enslaved and injured for many moons after that. You killed them. That's nothing to feel guilty about; there are times when death is inevitable, though it should be avoided. They probably would've tracked you down if you had simply run; you did what you had to, and in the process you rid the world of the disgusting type of human that would do such a thing to a living creature."

Kasha kept her steady amber gaze on Lyllii, making sure she kept the nymph's attention. "Besides, they constantly told you that's what you were. It's their fault that's what you became. You were trying to end your pain, pain that someone else caused. You can't blame yourself for that." She paused a moment more, grip tightening around the sturdy wood of her weapon. "And you don't seem like a murderer anymore. You stopped killing people, and that's all the matters."

Lyllii struggled against the urge to either laugh bitterly or unleash a beast's bellow. She knew she was already feral. The look on Maiya's face...the girl was too innocent for her own good. What did she know of the world? And Jason? Why didn't he say anything? Why wouldn't just say it and outright condemn her!

'I don't condemn you, either.'

But she knew that they did. Maiya's struggle was as plain as the cold horror written across her face. And how dare Kasha try to rationalize something like this? There was no reasoning. It was all madness, one she didn't want them to ever have to understand, but so desperately felt herself seeking companionship regardless. She wanted to mentally scream for that voice to shut up, to silence it for good, but fear stayed such thoughts. Those memories were all she possessed.

"...And who is the judge of that?" Lyllii spat caustically. "You don't get it, do you? By your reasoning, you just should execute me here and now. Don't you remember? I tried to kill Farren this morning. Oh, so I was recovering from a nightmare, and you now know why. What if I experience another one? What will you do then? News flash! I most certainly will, and I may not regain control next time. You're not safe with me!"

"Then I'll risk that," Farren interjected firmly. "If for nothing else, then as a safe guard to protect you from yourself. You're not the only one with demons. Seems to me that you're farther along than most. Give yourself some credit."

The nymph slowly shook her head, the last remaining barricades around her heart collapsing under their own weight. She felt more vulnerable and older, weariness shrouding her entire being. "Not on my own," she murmured, her emerging sorrow too deep to be expressed with tears, especially since she'd shed so many that day. "Without him, I wouldn't even bother trying."

Wordlessly, Farren slid the bucket of rainwater closer to Lyllii, careful to use his wrists and the heals of his hands. Maiya wasn't using it right now anyways. The nymph startled at the sudden grating sound of wood against limestone, but relaxed once she realized the source. Gratefully, the nymph cupped several mouthfuls into her hands.

OOC: So, so sorry about making your wait so long! I thought about making the post longer, but...eh.

Kasha shrugged off that her words hadn't helped Lyllii in the slightest; it didn't really surprise her. She was never one for words in the first place; the fact that she had been able to say that much was pretty impressive by the anthro's standards. Maiya would probably be more suitable for this type of thing, but the elf was still frozen, face confused.

Her store of reassurances had been depleted; Lyllii was beyond words anyway. She doubted anything anyone said would truly help the nymph. There were times when guilt could not ever be truly swept away, and Kasha wasn't about to push things. So she simply sat back down, leg twinging from the pressure she had put on it, slipping her staff back into the sheath she had on her back.

~~~~

Jason knew he needed to say something. He knew it. Why was it so hard to speak then? The words seemed to get lodged in his throat, stuck there like something hard and unpleasant, leaving a bitter taste behind. He didn't like feeling vulnerable, just sharing his secrets with everybody...it wasn't comfortable for him, not in the slightest.

Then again, Lyllii had done it. Surely, if she could confess to being enslaved and killing many people, he could bring himself to share one measely backstory. Plenty of people had it harder than him anyway. Jason frowned, opening his mouth only to close it again. The words just simply wouldn't come out.

Luckily, he was saved by yet another person breaking the silence.

It was Maiya this time. The elf looked up from where she had been staring fiercely at the floor, blue eyes focusing firmly on Lyllii. "Do you regret it?" she asked, voice much quieter than she had expected. She cleared her throat and tried again. "Do you regret killing those people, I mean."

OOC: Heh. I originally had about two pages worth (single spaced), but decided to shorten it to this. "Chatty Lyllii" and "Mr. Therapist Farren" just don't fit the context or mood. There's a lot more I wanted to squeeze in though, but intuition says leave it to this for now. It'll probably come out after Sespyn joins the group after this "arch". If you'd like, I'll PM you a rough idea of what I'm thinking (not quite sure I want to post it to our discussion thread yet).

Lyllii glanced up, surprised. She hadn't expected the elf to speak at all, or at least not to her. It was a simple enough question, so why did it seem like an answer was so hard to give?

"No," she finally said. "Or, at least I didn't. I still hate them, and if they were still alive I'd probably do it again. Kasha's right about one thing, though. They probably would have done all those things if I hadn't, but I can't say that's what fueled what I did. It would now, though. I'm not proud of it, but do I regret it? I...I just don't know anymore."

"You still didn't kill me, though," Farren interjected, arms folded. "Why?"

"I...I don't know. I just know that Teacher wouldn't approve," she supplied lamely. "And he was convinced that I wasn't a beast. He even gave me a name, taught me how to speak. He hated killing, and he helped me regain my mind. He'd call me back each time. Something about it echoed like the Echo of Awakening from my first-day, and my mind instinctively responded to it. When I asked Teacher why, he looked very grave and told me the Story of Origins...I owe him that much, not killing. But it's still a line I've crossed, and it's hard not crossing it again even when I'm in my right mind. But it would make him sad."

"I think you do regret it," he stated bluntly. "Otherwise, you wouldn't care what he thought."

Ooc:// I'd love that. ^^ Really interested to hear what you think about where this is going.

Maiya's thin shoulders slumped fractionally, the briefest flashes of relief coursing through her. "I agree with Farren," she said firmly, crossing her arms and lifting her chin slightly. "Even you said you weren't proud of it, and that's good enough for me. Lyllii, you're not the person you were back then, even if you don't seem to realize that yet. I trust you, okay? It doesn't matter what you did in the past, 'cause we're not there anymore. We're here, and everything I've seen so far doesn't scream 'murderer' at all."

She stared at Lyllii with determined blue eyes. She had felt torn before, but seeing that Lyllii was too, at least a little bit, gave Maiya the push she needed. This was her friend, a friend who had been through horrible things and had even done horrible things in response. But the fact that she was haunted by those horrible things spoke volumes. Maiya had always been a fairly good judge of character, and to her, it was obvious the nymph was no cold-hearted killer. She was simply Lyllii, and Maiya was okay with that.

~~~~

Jason let out a nearly silent sigh before glancing up. His dark eyes burned with heavy secrets as he stared at Lyllii, empathizing with her, at least just a little. "It is hard, isn't it?" he asked rhetorically, finally mustering the will to pitch into the conversation. "Not to kill someone when it just...seems so easy..."

He swallowed, throat dry and rough all of the sudden. The were-creature resisted the urge to worry his lips between his teeth, a bad nervous tic, instead drumming his fingers against his leg. "All it takes is one simple move, huh? And then you don't have to worry about them every again..." Okay, he really needed to get to the point here, because this whole conversation was simply painful. "But you try not to anymore, and that's what counts, right?"

He felt a little self-conscious after all of that; Jason wasn't one for words, especially not when they made him feel vulnerable or involved the vulnerability of others. It made him want to build up his walls even more, but he couldn't right now, because he cared. He cared and he was going to have to deal with it, because he couldn't just ignore it now and hope the problem would fix itself. It was hard though, actually having someone to care about.

He hadn't had someone like that for years, not since his mother died, a mother he didn't remember clearly anymore, and he was just left with the man who was supposed to be his father. It was strange, to feel that way about people again, but Jason decided he didn't really mind the way that each person seemed to carve their own little niche in his heart. It was a small niche, but it was a start.

Jason hoped this whole caring thing would be worth it. Last time it just seemed to end in pain, but who knew? Maybe this time would be different. One could hope.

OOC: Short, short, really really short. But hey, I posted!

Lyllii glanced up. Maiya still trusted her? Why? She did nothing to deserve or earn that trust...quite the opposite, actually. But the elf said that she trusted her anyways, and for whatever reason Maiya meant what she said. Bewilderment widened her dark eyes as her brow furrowed, but the nymph didn't bother to contradict again. She was exhausted, and she doubted anything she said at this point would make any difference. They already knew the worst, after all.

"T-thank you," she numbly acknowledged, the words feeling foreign. After all, what else was there to say? She cocked her head quizzically when Jason finally decided to speak. What was he getting at? Obviously he knew enough of something to empathize, but quickly decided against acting on her curiosity. He seemed distressed enough already, and she sensed he might close himself off altogether if she pressed him.

"Hey Jason?" she called softly. "...thanks. And I'm really sorry about snapping at you earlier, Kasha. You too, Farren...though you're still a jerk."

Farren smiled wryly at Lyllii's "backhanded apology" towards him, though he probably deserved it. "Well if that's it, then we could all do with some rest. Any volunteers for first watch?"

"I can," Lyllii offered softly.

"Don't you dare," he replied sternly. "You're in no condition for that tonight. Kasha, same for you with that leg."

"...says the human with with bruised ribs and burned hands," Lyllii muttered.

"I've fought battles with worse injuries before," Kasha scowled. She was not some young kitten to be watched over and cared for. And it was true; she was a warrior at heart and she refused to be treated as anything less, even if she did have one measly cut. "I'll-"

Jason decided to cut her off before anything close to an argument could break out. "I'll do it," he offered quickly, shooting Kasha a look. He really did need the time to clear his head anyway; he doubted he'd be able to fall asleep at all. His mind was a tangled mess of memories and half-buried emotions that he was still struggling to lock back away. "I don't mind."