[Shieba]

It was quite a sunny day and the sun painted beautiful spots onto the ground where it could reach it, passing the green trees of Roraldi Forest. The temperature was pleasant as well in the woods and colorful plants were everywhere. To summarize: It was completely different from the always misty, damp and creepy Whisper Forest. However, one thing remained the same: It was still a goddamn forest.

Bentner tried to suppress an annoyed sigh when Morwena, walking behind him, stumbled again. Given that she was a brilliant mage, he would have hoped that, given that they had traversed through Whisper Forest a few times now, at the mention of walking through another forest, she would wear any shoes but those blasted, ugly high heels of hers. However, once more, his hopes had been in vain. "Since you tend to care about your appearance so much, I should inform you that stumbling around like a drunk baboon does not make you more attractive", he finally stated simply when he couldn't take the idiocy of the woman anymore.

"I'm so sorry, Dear! So sorry, so sorry!" Morwena tried her best to catch up to Bentner to apologize better, but her shoes didn't really allow her. "Please punish me for being so stupid!" She only wanted him to be happier again. There was nothing worse in Morwena's world than Bentner being unhappy and especially being unhappy because of her. But she simply hadn't managed to wear anything but one of her shortest dresses and her high heels. After all, there were quite a bit away from the main paths in Roraldi, trying to find out if portals to other worlds opened here as much as they did in Whisper Forest. And being alone with the man she loved so much in a beautiful forest was quite romantic. Not that Morwena had harbored any hopes of anything sexy to happen, but she was still so very happy to have her Dear all to herself today. However, this was not how she had imagined this to go. Finally, she simply started to levitate to catch up to him. Hopefully, things could only get better from here on! After all, there were supposed to be hot springs here and her poor Dear always had back pains. Maybe he would decide to take a bath in one and Morwena could admire him a bit more...

[Elektra]

What in the world is that ridiculously pitched voice?! a young elf woman hissed, her keen, pointed ears twitching in disgust and slight discomfort.  Just a few hours before, she'd taken her bow, along with a newly refilled quiver, and set out for Roraldi.  While she didn't mind the snow up in the mountains where she was more than just a pointy eared human, the hotsprings were simply much more relaxing.  Not only that, but not many people managed to venture to this particular one, which was nestled deeper within the forest itself, making it a great place to meditate.  Or, in her case, plot.  With her mother always insisting that tutors and famous scholars be around her at all times, amking sure she was fully ready to take on the throne, it was nearly impossible to think.  Here, however, there was never any interruption.

At least, there normally wasn't.

She stood up, her brow furrowed in frustration, and quickly shook her hair out.  As much as she hated to leave the warmth of the spring, she hated whatever that noise was coming from even more.  The only problem was that she wasn't really dressed in a suitable fashion to be meeting anyone.

She had on a pair of lacy shorts which weren't really meant to be wet, and a wrap around her chests covering what was not meant to be seen by just anyone.  Other than that, she really did have a problem with all of the bare skin that was showing.  Sure, she could probably make her cloak into a decent jacket and pair of shorts if done properly, but for some reason, that ridiculous noise seemed to be getting closer.  Rolling her eyes, she dashed for the cloak, and draped it around her shoulders before backing into the nearby shrubbery.  If it was one of those annoying birds that were near the outter parts of the forest, than perhaps she could make a decent meal out of it...

[Shieba]

(Wall of text ahead! 8D)

When Bentner stopped all of sudden, Morwena almost smacked into him since she was still floating around him, apologizing profusely. She managed just to stop in time - not that she would have minded at all to have an excuse to touch her Dear, but it would also make him even more unhappy. She also needed a second to recover from the sudden shock and only then noticed that Bentner was looking into a particular direction. "Dear...?" Morwena automatically felt for any magic in the air as well. Was there something...? If anything, it was very, very faint. Definitely not a portal, but maybe a non-human being? Then again, Evelon was full of those. "I don't recognize that signature, but maybe that's because we're too far away."

"Neither do I, but I think investiagting it might be worth it. After all, we have no set goal to walk to anyway, so if we stumble across a creature from another world, we might just solve the riddles if there are portals here." Bentner started to walk right away deeper into the forest, leaving even the last trace of what could be seen as a path. Morwena now had to choose between flying and having braches in her path and leaves stuck in her hair or losing her shoes. Both ideas weren't really to her liking. She tried to settle for flying as close to the ground as possible, which ended in her smacking her toes painfully against stones every now and then.

She was so preoccupied with dodging that she had no chance to concentrate on anything else - neither the aura of the non-human being nor where they were going to, so when the trees suddenly stopped attacking her face with their appendages, she suddenly found herself in front of a hot spring. Morwena's mood immediately increased. "Deeeear! How amazing! Look what we found!" Happily, Morwena landed and immediately went to washing her face free of every dirt the branches had pelted her with. Then, she concentrated. The being was close, but she had no chance of pinpointing the location beyond that - the aura was too faint for that. "It's still around."

Bentner looked at what was a footprint from seemingly a human in the wet earth, but that didn't mean anything - so many creatures of Evelon were shapeshifters, after all. "And now it is gone and, given the trail of water here, in a hurry. I have the suspicion that you screeching around may be the cause." Bentner was used to Morwena's voice by now, but that happy shout of hers a few seconds back had made his ears ring as well. "Since every smart being will probably stay away now as far as possible, we can assume that it will flee further from us and, seeing as it possibly knew the location of this spring, I doubt that we will catch up with someone knowing the area."

"I-I'm so sorry, Dear!" Morwena's mood fell again. "It's all my fault and I clearly deserve a lot of punishment after today!" She knew she would end up in the kitchen for a few nights again, but she really deserved it. But still, maybe a bath would cheer her Dear up again? It sure would make her happier again, too (him bathing, not her...though Morwena certainly wouldn't mind joining in, but she had never been allowed to bath with her Dear before). "Shall we wait a bit to see if it returns?" She offered Bentner a beaming smile. "Maybe a bath would help your back, too, Dear?"

Bentner gave her a deadpan glare. How in all worlds had Morwena managed to become a mage of such power when everything in her head was about sex? "I will not undress in front of you, woman. The last thing I need right now is you throwing yourself at me even more than you usually do."

"Oh...yes, Dear." Morwena sighed when she got the expected result. Still, she did only want the best for her Dear. "And what if I check the surroundings while you bath, Dear? Maybe the being that had been here has lost something in its hurry, though I doubt I would find it. But I could try? You always say that walking on uneven ground makes your back hurt, Dear. I'm only worried!"

Bentner sighed. His back did hurt, but the universe would probably collapse from all natural laws being broken the day Morwena wouldn't try to sneak a peek in such a situation. Her suggestion was smart, though, and running through the forest kneeling down to look at every little piece of trash someone might have lost would tax him even more. "...Fine, then. Go."

Morwena clearly hadn't expected that. For a second, she stared at Bentner dumbly, then she beamed. "Right away, Dear!" Happily, she made her way back into the forest and started to look around, slowly circling the area of the spring. She made sure to stay out of Bentner's eyesight, though she kept glancing back towards the hot spring. If only those stupid trees weren't in the way! She could more guess than see that Bentner was undressing, but it was pretty clear that he was and she also felt his spell to check if there was anything in the water he didn't want to encounter. Morwena knew fully well what she had promised a few minutes ago, but...

Well, there was a place a bit away where the trees weren't standing as close to each other. Conveniently, she also hadn't checked there yet and clearly had to to fulfill her Dear's order. Rushing over as fast as she could with her high heels, she managed to reach a spot where she had a rather clear view and saw just in time how Bentner carefully sat down in the spring. "Ooh, Dear~! So sexy~" Morwena immediately forgot all about her task and simply stared for a few minutes with rapt attention, wishing nothing more than being in that spring as well right now.

Then, however, something else caught her view. There was something lying half-hidden behind a bigger rock which didn't seem to be just another branch and Morwena's sudden worry about her Dear's safety made it possible that she actually moved again further around the spring to look at what it was. One second later, she managed to see that it was a bow and a quiver.

One more second later, she saw someone hiding in the shrubbery only a few meters away. Panic gripped Morwena. An assassin? With a burst of wind magic, she crossed the distance, looking from slightly above at who was hiding there.

With the first glance, she realized with relief that it was someone unarmed.

With the second glance, she realized that it was a woman who was basically almost naked and very clearly in a spot chosen for watching the area since the spring was pretty much in clear view.

"Deeeeeear! There...there is a half-naked woman masturbating over your magnificient sight here!" she screeched (loud enough to probably informing everyone even in Basantha about this) and then turned her furious glare onto the other female. "You! How dare you drooling over my Dear! He's mine! All mine unless he decides otherwise! You are not worthy of this honor and so, you're going down!" Morwena got ready for combat, though she still held back to not blow up half the forest.

If Bentner had been anyone else, he, after hearing Morwena's shout, would have probably answered with 'I know very well that you are there', but so, he simply sighed, got out of the water after just sitting down a second ago and decided that going along with Morwena's ridiculous ideas was simply not worth it. Calmly, he slipped on his robes again, even though he was now soaking wet as well. But since Morwena's magic wasn't flaring wildly, there was no immediate danger - and clearly, if the universe was cruel enough to grace him with a second woman like Morwena, he didn't particulary feel like hurrying up.

[Elektra]

Arya's ears perked up when she heard that same high pitched voice, this time less joyous and easier on her ears.  She listened as the woman and an older man approached her spring and discussed something about portals, and then about humans and non-humans, which she then assumed meant her.  How had they managed to sense her though?  She wasn't the head of the secret forces for her fashion sense.  She made a note to review what might have tipped them off later, and continued listening.

As their conversation went on, she was torn between losing the small meal she'd had that morning, and slapping the woman.  From what she could tell, the man looked to be decades older than that she-devil voiced woman, and the idea that she wanted to watch him bathe was simply disgusting.

Her naseua, however, was forgotten as the other woman seemed to notice her presence even more.  It was only when her bow and quiver was found that Arya went on guard.  At first, it seemed that the other woman was simply going to stay closer to her master and nothing more, but then, all at once, she was right up close.  
Arya hadn't even had time to blink before the woman poked her head around her chosen hiding place and spotted her.  She was confused, and had no time to defend herself, both physically and against the accusations that this shrill-voiced woman suddenly began shouting at the top of her lungs.

When she seemed to be finished, Arya rolled her eyes, and rose from her hiding spot as calmly as possible, her hands at her hips.  From what she could now tell, the woman was a mage, though she hadn't ever seen one move so quickly as she.  As for the man, Arya wasn't quite sure.  What she was sure about, however, was that this woman was getting on her nerves with those accusations.

And who is she to be speaking to me as she is, seeing as she herself isn't wearing a decent amount of clothing either.  I had a reason to be wearing this kind of thing... Arya thought to herself, just itching to activate the ruins on her arms.  This woman was actually out in public wearing such revealing things...  What is she, part of his magical harem?

"I will have you know that I wouldn't dare to do such an indecent thing...  Especially in the presence of, well..." she trailed off, not wanting to anger what seemed to be an already unstable mage.  

"Look, you two interupted me.  It isn't as if I planned on having others arrive here.  After all, this area doesn't normally have many people who venture into it.  Just the ocassional idiot looking for that talking Tali boy."  She quickly grabbed her bow and quiver, a small bit of bright pink showing on her face.  She wasn't one to be embarrassed easily, if at all, but something about this situation for her was a tad bit too much.

Her eyes darted to the side of her, searching for her cloak she had arrived in.  If she could find it, she could turn it into a decent sort of dress, which she had planned to do before the two of them showed up.


(Sorry for the wait, I've got an family issue that was compounded by a health issue of my own that happened just yesterday, but hopefully this is a decent post for you to reply to.  xD;)

[Shieba]

With the other woman standing up, Morwena only now noticed the pointed ears. Her eyes narrowed. In Morwena's home world, the divine dragons serving the white god were the only beings with blond hair, pointed ears and blue eyes. But surely, a divine being wouldn't be dressed like this! And now that the other female had stood up as well, Morwena could see how little she was really wearing. Together with the fact that she was a non-human, this was enough to piss Morwena off. Surely, her Dear would be interested in talking to this wannabe-harlot and Morwena certainly didn't approve of this.

"The presence of what, deary?" she sneered. Morwena narrowed her eyes. "I don't believe a single word you say! Would we truly have interrupted you, you could have climbed out of the spring and grabbed your weapons on your flight without it taking more than a second longer. Instead, you left them there on purpose." Haughtly, Morwena glared at the woman, making sure to hover high enough that she was actually looking down on her. "I rather think that you, clearly someone with magical knowledge - or you would not radiate that aura - felt the aura of my magnificient Dear and decided to make use of the situation; luring me away with your aura and your weapons to make me go look for a potential threat to my Dear so that you could then sneak up to him to swoon over him and take a bath with him, trying to seduce him with your half-naked body!"

Bentner, still a few steps away, couldn't really hear the other woman's words, but thanks to the nature of Morwena's voice, could make out what the insane woman was screeching. Taking the time to pick up the cloak that probably belonged to the other woman, he finally stepped to the two females. "You shoudn't assume that everyone is like you, Morwena." He tossed the cloak towards the unknown female. "You lack a tail, so you are not a dragon. Yet, pointed ears usually are signs of better hearing, even in other races. Surely even a deaf woman would have heard Morwena from miles away. It is hard to believe that you were too surprised to not have the time to at least grab your weapons, so I feel Morwena's claims might not be completely insane, surprisingly enough. Would you-- Morwena, what are you doing?"

"I...I'm sorry, Dear." The second Bentner had appeared next to her, Morwena had noticed just how sexily his robes now clung to his wet body and was by now almost draping herself over him. Noticing his glare, she quickly stepped away a bit. "You might get sick like this, Dear. I...I thought I could keep you warm."

Bentner sighed. He was freezing quite a bit and it was possibly very good that Morwena was distracted and not skinning the other female alive right now, but really, this was just as bad.

[Elektra]

Arya had to admit that this stranger was quite intelligent, despite his old age.  Many of the older citizens she came in contact with were worn down and losing their sanity due to overusing their magic that they thought was a simply luxury of life.  This man was quite different.  not only did he prove that he was indeed intelligent in his conclusion, but he also seemed to almost radiate a sort of authority, wisdom, dormant power.  She wasn't scared, but she also wasn't going to let her guard down until she knew much, much more about him.

As for his harlot, she had absolutely no idea how to talk about her without using some obscenities.  her claims were not without truth, however, which meant she did owe the two of them a short, curt explanation.  Just not the one where she had honestly thought that they were trackers that her mother had sent after her, and was going to ambush and kill them after observing their conversation.

Perhaps it was just that she was so tired, or that she didn't take the time to notice this once due to her cockiness, but she honestly hadn't noticed the aura that these two had.  Frowning, she wrapped the cloak around herself, and took the time to think about not only what she was supposed to tell these two strangers, but also about that odd comment the older mage had made about her lacking a tail.

"I was half asleep, and her shrieking just about deafened me.  You're right, I do have incredibly good hearing, much higher than the average human's ability.  I have no other explanation for you two, seeing as you are strangers and haven't even begun to explain yoursel-"

She cut off as she watched the woman, Morwena as the man called her, drape herself over his body.  She raised an eyebrow, trying not to laugh at the ridiculousness of the woman's logic.  Regardless, she couldnt' let herself get distracted.  Now that she had encountered these two, something, some instinct, seemed to be yelling at her to find out more, to find their weaknesses, and find a way to make them useful to her.  To do what she was best at.

[Shieba]

"Hmm. I suppose that make sense." With a wave of his hand, Bentner summoned a warm wind to dry himself and his clothes a bit more so that Morwena could actually go back to concentrate on the talking going on. "Though I do wonder why you think we have to explain ourselves, seeing as we didn't spy on anyone and did nothing more than rest in an area we discovered unintentionally. I give you that you were too startled to pick up your weapons in your haste, maybe. That you didn't want to run away fully because both your weapons and your cloak were left behind is understandable as well. And yet you decided to hide in a spot where you could observe what was going on - making you also more likely to be found in return. Given the clothes you were wearing, or more like not-wearing, a second ago, it seems an odd choice for anyone but those wanting to spy to pick a position where one can be found rather easily. As such, I feel like we are the victims here far more than you and we surely don't have to explain anything to you."

Morwena beamed at her smart Dear. She was a bit happier, now that the other female was wearing a bit more and because Morwena's Dear wasn't all that nice to her to find out more about her. Clearly, Bentner wasn't all that happy to had gotten spied upon, too. Still, Morwena was pretty sure that Bentner wanted to know more about whatever race the woman belonged to. Because of that, Morwena threw the other female another angry glare. "See, deary, it's not as if I don't understand you. My Dear looks simply amazing and clearly, you simply couldn't look away. I fully know that feeling, believe me. But still, you had no right to do so and as such, you should really apologize instead of being so rude and demand explanations from us."

Bentner had trouble to conceal his frustration. He was pretty sure that the woman was not from Pandovia and that she didn't recognize them - but the damage had already been done; she was sure to remember them if anyone would ask her. Sure, the chances were low, but he didn't want to reveal more than he had to. Evelon was a place with magical creatures left and right; there was no need to sacrifice too much to get just one more known better. But Morwena's eccentric behavior wasn't only embarrassing - seeing as the other woman looked rather amused - but would also serve as a description rather well if someone did end up asking the woman about the two of them. Yet again, Morwena did have a point somewhere in her idiotic accusations - otherwise, Bentner would simply tell her to shut up and wait elsewhere.

[Elektra]

Arya sighed, and sat down on the large rock she'd been hiding behind minutes before.  This man certainly had his head clearly fastened on his shoulders, that was for sure.  Even being smarter than the average person, or elf, he would probably have been able to talk circles around her.  Just listening to what he'd already said was making her head hurt.

"I suppose I should apologize," she said begrudgingly, "but it isn't as if I didn't have my own reasons for staying where I was.  I looked as I was because I had ventured here to meditate.  You two startled me, and I had assumed you were, well, someone other than who you turned out to be,  If that hadn't been the case, I can say for sure that you two would probably not be here talking to me at the moment, but instead, lying on the ground, slowly bleeding out."  She didn't pause even for a second as she calmly described her plans.  If this startled or unnerved them at all, than that was simply to bad.  The older man had asked for a better excuse for her actions, and she had given him a clouded form of the truth.  She had no plans on doing him any more of a favor by divulging more information unless he planned to do the same.

On the other hand, she still couldn't get over how ridiculous Morwenna was turning out to be.  "I'll have you know that I would never dare to do such an indecent thing such as what you are implying." Arya said with venom lacing each word in an attempt to get her point across.  "In fact, I've had many suitors, all of which were like putty in my fingers.  If I had wanted to have such an ol- wise man as my own, I could have summoned one myself."

The single thing that was now nagging at Arya's mind was how frustrated the man looked to even be having this conversation.  It didn't appear that it was the content of their discussions that caused him such discomfort or frustration, rather, just the fact that they were happening.  It was as if he had a secret to keep...  A secret that Arya was not going to leave without knowing more about.

[Shieba]

"Ah, I see then. You have enemies who might be on your trail." Bentner nodded at the woman who seemed relaxed enough now. She clearly wasn't a naturally aggressive one, despite her cold words, or she would have attacked Morwena earlier and since Bentner couldn't sense anyone else around, either, he relaxed a bit as well. "Otherwise, one wouldn't take weapons to meditate in a forest known as being peaceful and with no dangerous wildlife inside - and it explains your wish to spy upon us to know what we are up to." As someone wanted dead by a whole kingdom, Bentner knew fully well what the woman talked about - he himself would have done the very same. "Your apology is accepted, then, though I actually doubt that you would have been able to take on both Morwena and me." There was the slightest, barely hearable hint of humor in his voice though it was more the humor of someone inwardly laughing at a child who claimed it could climb a mountain because it seemed so small from far away.

Morwena was clearly torn between beaming at her Dear, actually being understanding of the situation now because she, too, knew too well what it meant to be hunted down or snarling at the woman some more. Given the tone of voice the woman then used on Morwena, though, Morwena - naturally - opted for the latest option, especially since she very well caught that almost-slip of tongue of the other female (though she had to admit that most people simply called Morwena's Dear 'old' instead of correcting themselves). "Oh? So you deem yourself so wonderful that a man like my Dear would simply fall into your hands and become your willing plaything, then?" Morwena's voice was laced with arrogance and pride. "Then I must apologize, I suppose. You clearly are too dumb then to understand how grand my Dear really is. He is the most powerful mage of our kingdom, you must know, and he was once royal advisor."

"That will be enough, Morwena", Bentner stated. Couldn't that woman see how dumb it was to reveal such information? Well, she probably could, but Morwena was very passionate when it came to defend Bentner, no matter how bothersome it was for him. Maybe this was the final clue for him to move on? After all, who knew if not someone would attack the unknown woman in a bit. Bentner wasn't in the mood to get caught up in a battle, either.

"Of course, Dear!" Morwena's voice immediately turned to a purr and she smiled apologetically at him - before turning back towards the other female and glaring at her.

[Elektra]

Well at least she'd soothed the older man's doubts for the time being.  What Arya didn't like was the way he talked about her claim.  As if he had no doubt in her mind that it would be but child's play for him to dispatch her.  Normally she would've called for a match, however, what Morwenna had said caught her interest.  Not only was he a powerful mage in whatever country she was babbling on about, but he was also a royal adviser?  That, however, brought up another question.  What was he doing out in the middle of no where, rather than behind castle walls?

She noticed how he acted when any details about his identity was brought up, and already things were falling into place.  No one would act like he was unless they had not only something about themselves to hide, but if they themselves were hiding from someone else.  After all, she knew the feeling a tad bit to well.

She narrowed her eyes, staring at the both of them for a moment before shaking her head.  No matter how hard she tried, Arya simply couldn't place them, be it on wanted posters or a local newspaper.  It was frustrating, to say the least.  She could already tell that this man wasn't going to be giving his identity out freely, and she had no idea what she had to offer in return for that information which she now so badly wanted.

She got up quickly, walking over to her bow and quiver, picking them up, and bring them back to her previous spot before sitting back down and running her hand over the smooth, sleek weapon that she had used to bring to many men down in the past.  She slipped the quiver over her shoulder, and stared Benter right in the eyes.  

"I'm sure you are well aware that I'm looking for information about you.  Not to use against you, of course, not unless given a reason.  And I suppose that this isn't one of those situations where I can wave the royal crown and expect you to simply hand over those answers.  Which means that there must be some sort of trade off if I am to get what I want.  Perhaps I can tempt you to agree by telling you that you're wrong in assuming that they were enemies.  No, if anyone was sent to follow me, it would have been an order to guard me.  And I still would have shot them down and left them here on the forest floor."



(There we go!  Hope that's not to crazy.  xD;)

[Shieba]

Bentner allowed the woman to gather her weapon, watching her out of the corner of his eyes. He wasn't really sure what he wanted to do about her. The easiest thing would be to simply move on; however, the woman had quite a good description of them now and Bentner didn't like taking chances. However, the other people of Pandovia here were still trapped in their Fellox-forms and basically never ventured far from Whisper Forest. Maybe if he could simply find out in which region this woman lived and how far she moved, the problem would solve itself. Well, of course they could also simply get rid of her...

Well, or at least these were Bentner's thoughts until the woman had sat down again and spoke again. He raised his eyebrows, but before he could say something, Morwena pointed her finger at the woman. "Ah-ha! I knew it! You are looking for information about my Dear now and since you are obviously not from our home, this means you can't deny anymore how amazing and sexy he is!" Morwena glared at her. To her, it had to be either that - or the woman was a headhunter. Both were equally bad possibilities and Morwena just really wanted her dead by now.

Bentner sighed. While Morwena continued to be ridiculous, he could see that she had indeed also gotten the headhunter-conclusion, but had, for once, been smart enough and not said it out loud, which would have finally outed them as wanted criminals. "I must disappoint you, lady, I was until right now not aware that you are looking for information about me", he then stated bluntly. "And, in hopes that Morwena's ridiculous claims are wrong, I also wonder why you would." He was absolutely sure that the woman wasn't from Pandovia and that she hadn't recognized them. The information she had dropped, though, was interesting. "As for waving royal crowns, it depends on which royal crown we are talking about here. After all, Evelon is a world connected to many other worlds. I doubt your home and ours have any relations with each other, which again makes me wonder why you want information about me." He remained silent about that other information about people sent after her to guard her - even if she turned out to be some rebelling princess running away from home, it was hardly his problem.

[Elektra]

Arya had just about had it at that point.  She wanted to know more about why this man was acting so mysterious, but she really had to question if hearing this woman talking was worth the answers.

She was about to launch herself at Morwenna when her ears twitched, and then again, and again.  There was someone close by, and they were trying their hardest to conceal themselves.  In fact, they would've been successful had they not been trying to hunt an elf.

Arya stood in place, frozen, until she heard a slight rustle.  In an instant, she had her bow in hands, and without a second thought, she knocked and shot an arrow straight into a tall patch of green.  A low groan was heard, and a man slightly taller than her staggered out, an arrow in his stomach.

"Princess, you are ordered to return..." he managed to say as he grimaced.  Reaching down, he grasped the arrow tightly, and pulled it out, instantly covering the wound with his other hand and muttering some sort of spell.

Arya didn't seem to care about his attempts to heal himself as she set down her bow calmly and bit her thumb hard enough to draw a droplet of blood.  She smeared it across the back of her hand, and it started to glow, an icy blue light filling up along the runes that were barely noticeable on her skin before.  It traveled from her hand up her arm, over her upper back, and down the other arm.  Though the cloak hid it, the runes continued down from the small of her back, around her hips, and down her legs.  Before long, her skin seemed to be glowing in a gentle blue light.  

"Ono weohnata deyja medh onr celöbra.  Thrysta du rakr unin du hvass oro abr hjalmstallr breoal!" she said with venom, and small droplets of water began to form in the air around her.  Soon, they started to flow together, into multiple arrows.  They froze as she made a fist, and as she lifted her head, they shot forward, ready to pursue their target no matter how far they might go.


(Kinda funny post on my part, but I hope it's okay.  First sentence means "You will die here with your honor."  The second sentence was the spell, which meant "Condense the water into the sharpest arrows, and at the command of the royal family, let them fly.")

[Shieba]

Both Bentner and Morwena had been focused on the talking and had therefore only noticed the newcomer - or more his presence in the ether - when the other woman had made a pause in her talking. Morwena immediately stepped between Bentner and the man and both raised magical shields, but their new acquaintance was already handling the situation before any of them needed to do anything.

They watched how the man got shot and then started to cast a healing spell. For once, Bentner was more interested in his words than his magic, though. So the woman was really some runaway princess? Wonderful. The last thing he needed was to be dragged into a political mess caused by some spoiled brat. He would have to be careful; if the man thought he and Morwena would be allies of the woman, it would be too much trouble.

Then again, it didn't look like it would. Interested, but otherwise passive, both Bentner and Morwena watched Arya cast her spell. "Showoff", Morwena commented from the sideline, trying to sound as bored as possible, as the woman's skin started to glow. "And so rude, being a princess and still not having given us even as much as her name."

Bentner shut her up with a quick glare. If this so-called princess didn't manage to get rid of the man, he would probably have to do it himself to avoid complications. This magic looked fascinating, though too flashy for his taste and magic based on blood was usually never something he liked in the first place, but he could probably learn for his tastes by examining a dead body. Then again, there was always the big chance that this man hadn't come alone - especially not if this princess was known to be trouble. "Be on your guard, Morwena. I want to make sure that these people know we are not the allies of this woman, but in case they refuse to listen, we might have to fight our way out of here." How bothersome.

"I will kill all who dare to annoy you, Dear", Morwena hissed and fully meant it. Maybe that would include this dumb princess, too, who brought this mess upon Morwena's wonderful Dear in the first place. The fact that she could have had a wonderful afternoon with her Dear in the hot spring and now had to deal with this pissed Morwena off big time, after all.

[Elektra]

"Her name is Arya, Princess Arya, the first born daughter of Queen Izlandi." said a deeper voice.  From behind a large tree stepped a young man that bared some resemblance to Arya, and if someone were to take a moment, they would have been able to see the same pale runes running along his body, much like Arya's.

The princess in question swiveled around, already having activated her power again, and with a blink of an eye she sent a small, contained hail-storm toward the newcomer.

From such a close range, it should've been impossible for a human to dodge an attack such as that one, but the man quickly flipped out of the way, a smile on his face.  And as he landed on his feat, his hair flew up and about, revealing the same long, pointed ears that were on Arya as well.

"Reed, you shouldn't be here.  I don't mind dispatching any of mother's cute little pups, but you would take a lot more effort to kill.  Not to mention all the explaining I'd have to do..." Arya said with a sigh and roll of her eyes.  She let her body relax, but her eyes never left Reed.

"Ah, now now baby sis.  There's no need to get in a fit about this.  Just come home.  Father's been in and out of conciousness as his condition appears to be worsening, and mother's holed up again.  You'll have free reign.  What's so much better about this place than the castle and kingdom?" he asked.

Without taking his eyes off of Arya, Reed held up a hand as he overheard Bentner.

"No worries there, sir.  I can assure you, we never attack without a reason, and even then, we tend to listen to an explanation.  At least, most of us do." he said with a polite smile.  

"Yeah, the one's that don't have a back bone." Arya snarled.  "You really shouldn't be here.  I'm serious, Reed, you need to leave.  I'm in no mood to be bothered with, and this isn't the time nor the place to be testing our seals against each other."

There was silence after her warning, and Reed even seemed to be considering her suggestion.  The only thing that was causing him to consider staying was the fact that unlike all the other times, Arya wasn't alone.

[Shieba]

Bentner and Morwena silently watched the exchange of the two siblings while also still keeping track on the other man that had attacked Arya. Morwena really wanted to make some snide comments, but she knew that her Dear probably just really wanted to get out of this situation and that he probably also already had a plan how to do so (because he was awesome like that. Morwena really wanted these two idiots to leave so that her Dear could relax in the hot spring again. Surely, he was annoyed by now!)

Bentner immediately decided that the man was seemingly far more approachable than his sister and that he could hopefully clear the situation up quickly. Morwena also seemed smart enough for a second to keep her mouth shut, which was good as well. "I am glad, then, to speak to a considerate man", he adressed Reed. "I do not know of your queen or your kingdom or even if it lies within Evelon or another world. Let me assure you that we have neither intention nor interest to get involved in whatever conflict you have - quite the contrary, actually."

"Your darling sister, however, stated that she is interested in my wonderful Dear", Morwena then couldn't hold back. "While I understand that, it is highly suspicious."

Bentner nodded. "Yes, indeed. She was - maybe - about to explain what she meant with that statement when your man attacked her, so right now, I just want this resolved and then move on. There is no reason for further interaction. I am too old to get caught up into such internal quarrels from kingdoms that are not mine." Hell, he had enough work with the quarrels of Pandovia, he didn't need to get involved into something else. He just had to make sure that Arya really had no deeper interest - for whatever reason - in him that would cause her to seek information and Reed seemed, for now, like someone who had at least some control over her. Not as much as Bentner would have liked, though. He really was interested in their magic, but he had decided for sure now that at least Arya was more trouble than she was worth.