a beautiful surprise [open]

[SINDRI THENASTEN]

Don't stray off the path. Follow the path and you won't get lost. It had been told to many a human that ventured through this forest, and he heard it every time, as if it had been told to him. The thing was, in order to be content, in order to feel at ease, he had to go off of the path. Into the woods, where he felt most at home. At the moment, he was sitting on a collection of raised tree roots, leaning against the tree they belonged to.

He sighed and looked over at the group of nature lovers that passed by his location. Had he wanted them to, he would've revealed himself to them, but he didn't feel like being gawked at. He never really felt like being gawked at, but it wasn't always his choice. It was his appearance, he was sure. The tattoos, the dyed hair, the style in general just wasn't "normal". It was one he had chosen on his own, but sometimes he wished he could give it back, if only for a moment, just to see if he would be accepted or not.

Looking up at the tree, he then glanced down at the people walking underneath it. Smiling, he put his hand to the trunk of the tree and let a bit of his magic flow through it. Slowly, beautiful flowers dotted the branches, raining thier petals down on the hikers. They looked up in surprise and amazement as he smiled, taking his hand away from the tree. He was so busy watching thier expressions, he didn't notice someone walk up beside him from the other side.

[BILLIE JEAN "FALLON" TCHKOVSKI]

she has been staying with her hero for about two weeks now, trying to pay him back the debt as much as she could. But it was difficult to pay him back when he forbid her from doing any work. Anthonie was out getting groceries and taking care of other things, so Fallon had decided to go into the woods. Anyone aware of her situation would think her insane. She'd been a prisoner of the Atra court for months and months until she escaped and Anthonie glamoured her so the Atra fae in pursuit wouldn't find her. But she needed to come here, for a closure of some sort. She couldn't avoid forests for the rest of her life, and besides, Fallon was not a coward.

Though when she thought about it, there was a different between bravery and foolishness. What was she being right now? Tough or dumb? She shook her head, strands of pink hair flying left then right. She was already walking through the woods, there would be no going back now. A stab of guilt went through her chest however as she thought of the Atra catching her now and taking her back to the court. Anthonie's effort to rescue her would have been for nothing.

Fallon supposed she just had to hope that the Atra didn't see her. Just a few minutes in, and then she'd get back out. That's what she told herself. She heard voices nearby and nearly froze from terror, before the group of hikers came around a large tree, revealign themselves to be mortal rather than fae. She glanced up at some slight movement up on the tree they were walking under, and noted the sudden bloom of flowers. Well that was unusual, and Fallon believed that she would know fae magic when she saw it.

Her chest filled with a mix of terror and curiosity. Of course she could not see a fae, but that could be simply because of glamour. Cautiously she made her way over to the tree, smiling politely at the hickers as they gawked up at the flowers. Her hand tentatively touched the trunk, and she bit her lip, affraid that the roots of the tree would open up and she would get sucked back down into the Atra court.