Calling [18+ Advisory: Psychological Manipulation]

[Reiko Souma]

All control of her body, and its movements, were at the mercy of her puppeteer. When Joseph's hand lowered repeatedly, so did Reiko's right hand. The stick she held with a grip was driven straight into the top of her left hand, impaling it. Hearing her own words being spoken back to her, she knew. She could do nothing as her skin was broken, and the crimson was not only drawn, but sprayed all over the back of her left hand and wrist. Drops of it landed on the muddy earth around her, only to be washed away by the rain. Reiko's stomach was churning in the meantime, unable to stop the vomit that hurried back up through her. In her mind, she was crying out as tears anew flooded her face. She was scared of what she was seeing, absolutely scared. This was her blood, and yet, she knew she deserved it. She was dirty, and she needed to be cleaned up, purged of the egregious sin that she'd committed against her lover.

When he drove his hand down and twisted it once more, he let his hands drop, the mist fading from the lantern and leaving her in control once more. As lightning flashed behind him, he spoke in a thunderous, booming voice. "Leave this place. Do not return."

When the stick was twisted in her left hand, she was finally able to let go. She cried out aloud, the first of the rush of vomit landing in front of her as she was sobbing once more. His words, when they registered, caused her eyes to widen like platters. Reiko, bloody left hand and all, reached out both of her hands for him. "No! Please, no! Don't do this! I've been regretting every instant of it since I realised what had happened! Joseph, please!" the woman pleaded. She moved towards him, still on her knees, and tried to grab hold of him. "Please! I'll leave them all behind! That's why I came to begin with!" Even when having injured herself whilst under his control, the sincerity was not lost with her.

When she tried to grab hold of him, he took a step back and another bolt of lightning struck right between them, causing a minor explosion that would most likely send her flying back, though Joseph was unharmed. He was shouting now. "You are not welcome here!"

GASP! One might think that Reiko had just gotten something caught in her throat with how loudly she'd just gasped. The noise escaping her mouth was certainly a new record as she was sent flying back a few feet. Her eyes could not widen any further. "Joseph! Please don't do this!!!" She reached forth her right arm. Her focus was certainly not on maintaining control of her abilities, which were emotionally-driven. Her aura, and her senses, were sure to reach outward for some distance. At the same time, she was trying to pull Joseph towards her whilst attempting to see following the flash of lightning. "Let me earn it! Don't leave me!!! Please!!!"

Two trees were both struck and fell, blocking the path between them, A branch from a tree bent around unnaturally, its heavy sharpened tip now poised against Reiko's throat. Those burning red eyes glared into hers. "You have betrayed me. You have betrayed God. You have betrayed the Children. You are no longer one of us. I cast you out!!" With that final sentence, the ground buckled and caved, sinking down in a crevice between them. A small ravine now stood between both of them, the bottom of it not visible as the whole earth seemed to shake.

"I..!" Moving would only end up getting her hurt. She was forced to shut up as she listened. And then, being forced to back up, her current state led her to rocket backwards before rising into the air. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!! JOSEPH!!!" Reiko shouted. It was the first time she's ever raised her voice so loudly in her life, even before the death of her parents. Coupled with her current emotional state, the two trees that had fallen now started to be uprooted. Whatever was within the capacity of her telekinetic ability - leaves, branches, that wouldn't exceed a total weight limit of a thousand pounds - rose from the ground around the Albino. Her telepathy reached maximum range as she, with her eyes glowing the brightest shade of pink, lost all control of her abilities.

Joseph's eyes slowly faded from red to normal, as the weather calmed. Thunder and lightning died down, and clouds parted. The rain still beat down hard and heavy as the weather normalized. He picked up the lantern, his eyes meeting hers once more, a face of defeated anger and pain and sorrow now drenched with rain and tears. He spoke softly, almost a whisper. "Goodbye, Reiko." The next time she blinked, he would be gone. No trace of him remained.

If only that was enough to calm her down. Unfortunately, seeing the look on Joseph's face as their eyes met once more wasn't enough to calm her down. Deep down, the inner child that had been locked away for so long was weeping, trying to catch up with the rest of her life. A powerful ripple of raw telekinetic energy expanded outward, resulting in confusion amongst the animals that resides in the swamp. More trees fell, already fallen trees were brushed aside with surprising ease, and a seemingly wide circle was left in its wake. Reiko's arms spread, raised to shoulder level, her hair whipping violently from the force of her energy. "I will always love you, Joseph Dawson!" was relayed telepathically, regardless of who could - or could not - hear it.

Whispered on the wind came one last message: "As I used to."

Just how much energy did she have tucked away? It was a wonder her backpack was still on her person, as dirty as it - and she - were. This hurt her worse than anything else that she's been through in her life when it came to relationships, and the poor nature around her was paying for it for no reason.

[Reiko Souma]

*The following is a summary of a scene with Reiko and Luna due to strong content that was, in truth, much too difficult for me to properly edit and format.

Not long after Reiko's breakdown, the sound of angry cursing proceeded the wingbeats from above. Luna soon landed, her divine nature determined by the snow white wings at her back. As she landed, a plant sprouted from the ground to lead her to the source of the destruction. Small pulses of her magic automatically rejuvenated plants around her in her wake.

The source of the destruction has finally stopped, her abilities beginning to exhaust of energy. Falling back to the ground, Reiko landed on her hands and knees. She was still sobbing heavily, but no more destruction was being wreaked to the nature around her.

She looked up at the angry inquiry from the one she had never met before, but was now standing in front of her. Some things had happened, and it took a few minutes before Reiko was able to get out what exactly had happened - as well as why. In the meantime, Luna had set about to heal the worst of the injury to Reiko's hand. Even after this, the Albino was still in terrible shape.

But, she wasn't getting off Scot-free. Oh no. She was going to learn about restoring nature right now, and Luna was going to make sure of it. It came in the form of Reiko planting a tree for the first time ever.

A few minutes later, Reiko was holding onto Luna tightly as Paladin Express brought her to Luna's sanctuary.

[Reiko Souma]

Luna's feet met the earth, and she gently released the psychic. "The gardens are free to pull vegetables from, and you can use that cottage all for yourself." She pointed to a nice cottage, which overlooked a small garden of flowers that weren't native to Rhy'din; in fact, nothing in the immediate area seemed to be native to Rhydin. The woman breathed deeply, closing her eyes and taking in the smell. "Stay as long as you need. This place is heavily warded."

When Reiko was released, her muddy boot-covered landed on the ground a second later. She took a look around, taking in the sights, and deciding that this truly was a beautiful place. Such a beautiful place that the very not beautiful-feeling woman was in. "Ah...thank you...uh...is there any electricity..?" Reiko asked. She didn't bother to ask about any other technology since, if she had no signal here, then there definitely couldn't be any source of internet for her to watch YouTube videos on her phone.

"There’s one generator, but please use it sparingly," Luna answered, "this place is designed to be like my home world, so technology here is only what is required."

To this, Reiko gave a nod. "I understand..." She was still looking around. Some of the flowers were catching her attention. Fortunately for her, she saw none of the roses that were native to Terra. It would be horrible if she was to have an allergic reaction during her stay; she had her Epi-Pen on her person at all times for that reason. "...it sounds like I'll have to rely on nature when it comes to cooking meals." A recent memory flashed through her mind, causing her to shudder. "What if he comes here? I don't have a means of contacting him, and the wards should be more powerful than my abilities...what if he tries to take me from here when he's ready to take me?”

"Can he break through a god's magic? Unless he's invited here, he will not have access to this place." That was a good question. Could he?

"I...don't know..." She really didn't know, and she wasn't going to try finding out right now either. Reiko was still feeling queasy as it was, her right hand hovering in front of her stomach. Eat? That definitely was not happening right now, or for some time yet. "...please...I need to lie down. May I please be shown to the nearest bed?"

Luna nodded. "This way. There are spare sheets in the closets and a wash basin in the bathrooms. Clotheslines are rolled up in the hall closets. This isn't the most modern setup, but it is peaceful." She motioned for Reiko to come with her for the express version of the tour.

Old school. This place had a far more old school setting to it than the woman thought that she was starting to come to the realisation that the paladin wasn't kidding about the electricity. This really was a nature-heavy locale that lacked in technology. Reiko would have to rely on the music she already had downloaded onto her phone for any kind of sound entertainment. Too bad her guitar was still at home, standing up in its case in her closet. That would certainly come in handy right now.

As for everything else, she was going to have to really recall her years of military experience without any electricity or technology at her disposal. Reiko was going to need to transition back to that all over again. She followed Luna slowly nonetheless, feeling drained of her energy.

One who looked around would find older lutes and other instruments, and Reiko was eventually going to start looking around; right now, however, she was in need of rest. She continued to follow Luna, her eyes still taking in her surroundings as Luna led her into a modest cabin, a clean double bed. The sheets appeared hand stitched, as she had pulled out all the stops it seemed for this sanctuary. One had to wonder what the original purpose had been.

What, indeed. Each and every feature that Reiko saw impressed her more and more. The cabin itself surprised her pleasantly, the double bed and the stitching of the sheets. As literally filthy and caked with mud that the woman was, the bed was far more appealing to her. Her legs seemed to agree, carrying her over to the bed. Letting the backpack slide from her and onto the floor, Reiko then let gravity take over from there. Plop. She lie face-first on the bed with her feet hanging off of the bed and was immediately out cold. Luna shook her head, grabbing a blanket. It could be assumed that she had gone home for these things. She tossed it over Reiko, leaving a note before heading out.

[Reiko Souma]

Wingbeats touched down at the end of the path, and the woman walked in slowly, tending to each of her plants with a loving hand. She had spent most of the day repairing damage, and now she was checking on her latest charge - and potentially, a convert - though that was less important.

Since falling asleep earlier in the afternoon, Reiko has hardly budged from where she lie. Quiet mutters had come from her as various nightmares wracked her body. The very centre of them? An entire possibility of never seeing Joseph again. Oh, how it hurt her to hear such words from him after all that they had shared! They had shared literally everything with each other.

Rolling over into her back revealled a tear-stained face as her eyes slowly slid open. The woman still had no appetite as of yet, unable to even think about eating anything. Maybe she could drink water...or tea...but nothing more. Reiko simply wanted to...what did she want? She didn't even know right now.

Luna made a light poultry broth, using freshly-caught meat of course, along with fresh vegetables harvested and cut up into it, and a cup of light tea. "Miss Reiko, you should eat and drink something."

The blanket was partly wrapped around her petite body as she lay there, staring up at the ceiling. It was as if she was observing the designs, to commit them to memory. That is, until she heard Luna's voice as food and drink were mentioned. "..." Reiko sat up some. "You eat...I can't think about food right now."

"It's wild chicken broth and tea. You need to eat." Once again, it was not a request.

She was propped up on her elbows, but she turned her head away. "I'll drink the tea..." the woman said. It was her attempt of a compromise. "...but I don't think I'll be able to keep anything else down."

"You should try the broth, or I will start spiking your tea with multi-vitamins." She was serious. She saw how the woman was pale and sick; she needed nutrients.

"Then it looks like you'll have to spike my tea with multi-vitamins, because I'm pretty sure I will puke food back up." Stubborn, stubborn, stubborn. Reiko was being stubborn in spite of everything else in her current state of tremendous vulnerability. She sat up straighter and folded her arms in front of her. "At least I'm not refusing the tea..."

Luna set the cup down. "Please try at least a few sips."

The tea, she had no issue with. She leaned forward to take the cup of tea with both hands and stared into it. The liquid was a gentle colour, one that looked like it was inviting her to drink it. As promised, she raised the cup to her lips and took a small sip. The liquid slid down, and she took another small sip. As for the soup? It really was not happening. Reiko eyed it, only to have to turn her head away quickly.

Luna sighed, sitting on the side of the bed. "You know, you are a very stubborn woman." Luna pulled out a powdered multivitamin, as she had been expecting this, before she reached over and dumped it into the tea. "Drink up. This will help you get healthy faster."

Oh, if only the paladin knew the full extent of Reiko's stubbornness...well, Luna was getting a taste of it now. The Albino's head was still turned away when her tea was given its "addition," though she had certainly heard the sound of the powder being dumped into the liquid. Help her get healthy faster? What, did she think Reiko was...oh. Luna had no idea. A sigh came from Reiko at the realisation. "I'm never going to be any shade darker than the white you see, by the way...this is how I was born. It's how I will die."

"You're sick. You've been asleep all day since I found you out in the rain. Believe it or not, I have in fact met people as pale as you." Luna could be just as stubborn; Reiko may have a run for her money with this paladin.

Not only was stubborn was as stubborn did, it did appear that the Albino had met her match in the stubborn department. Hearing that she had been found in the rain reminded her of what had transpired before then. Suddenly, Reiko felt the need to take a big drink of her tea. One big drink later, she was putting down the cup on the nightstand really quickly to cough. "..!" The flashback to her impaling her own hand with a sharp stick had never left the front of her mind.

Seeing this, Luna held out her hand. "Let me check your hand for lasting damage," she told the Albino.

Sure, just as soon as the woman was done coughing. She needed a moment before that part quieted once more. Turning to face Luna, Reiko put out her left hand. She'd watched Luna heal her left hand, so there couldn't be any residual holes or scars...right? Wrong. There certainly could be a scar, but that was the last thing that worried the paladin as she massaged the hand, checking for nerve and muscle damage. She knew what to look for, as she had been a fighter for a century, after all.

Reiko was also anaemic. If Luna healing her hadn't restored the blood that had been lost, then that was definitely something to be concerned about. There was, even more, some internal damage to the hand that Luna held with her own. Reiko winced some, but made no sound otherwise.

A small glow surrounded Luna's hand then, another round of healing being administered. "Don't hide your pain. Can't fix it when you do that."

"..." But, she wasn't trying to hide anything. She looked at Luna, slightly puzzled, when told not to hide the pain. "I...don't hide pain," the woman told the paladin. The wince was about the extent of her pain from being massaged. "I just need blood..." Reiko's head slumped forward.

"How do you need it, do you need to drink it like a vampire or infused like they do in hospitals?"

Her right hand moved to touch the bed as an indication that she was still there. "A transfusion...I receive a transfusion from a compatible person periodically." Now her right hand was drawing little invisible circles into the bed.

"Angel blood, think it'll be compatible?"

"Angel..?" Her head lifted and, remembering how Haru had been saved by Fauve's blood, her eyes widened some. "I don't think...it's a good idea," Reiko admitted. She'd already treated her nephew like crap over his own identity as a demon. If she was to develop any kind of traits as another being...no. Some of Joseph's words played in her mind again. Reiko started coughing again, oh how emotionally raw she was right now...

[Reiko Souma]

The concerns weren’t invalid. Reiko probably wouldn’t gain special traits like Haru. he just already had them to a lesser extent. “I understand, Miss Reiko.” Reiko definitely didn't want to gain any special traits. She already had enough "special" traits of her own as it was!
"I'm...sorry..." She coughed into her elbow a little bit more before reaching for the tea once more. Little sips were taken. "...I would need an AB-positive type, especially if I crash..." The woman lay back down.

Luna took down some notes, watching the woman drink the spiked tea. She had spent a brief time – twenty years, that is – as a medic and had her share of difficult patients. “Stop apologizing...” she said softly, moving the tea to the end table and checking for a fever, “just I typically – oh no, my blood being used in giving anyone a blood transfusion is a bad idea...” The paladin’s eyes widened as she started to realise something. “I’ll grab some from town. Vampires being around truly do have some perks, I suppose.”

At least she wasn't in a hospital. Reiko hated those. She liked that the walls weren't white, or even bright, for that matter. Regardless, Reiko could freely admit to being an incredibly difficult patient. "Vampire..? Are you f–ing serious, Luna?" She looked at the paladin. "I'm already an ex-vampire!"

Two seconds later, this was followed up with, "Can they get some without the vampire DNA in it?"

“I was referring to the fact blood bags are in abundance.” Luna was point blank as she spoke. “I am a werewolf, but I probably shouldn’t pass that on.” Luna could smell the faint traces of undeath after all, she just had chosen not to speak on it.

"Yeah..." Reiko was comfortable on the bed despite her still being covered in mud. She really should take care of that sometime soon, preferably sooner than later. "...Luna. If I didn't already say it, then thank you. For letting me come here. I..." Her mind was a storm, and she hated it. "...I can't keep falling down, unable to get back up on my own, like this..." She sat up and suddenly embraced the woman, her head resting on the paladin's left shoulder, as she started to cry. Again. Reiko was such a crybaby these days. "I really do love him so much..! I just..."

Luna hugged Reiko close gently. There was one time when she’d thought she loved someone enough to ignore the hell they put her through after all, “It’s...it’s not weak to accept or even ask for help Miss Reiko...” she said softly, “this place is meant to be a place of safety and refuge, any of those in danger or pain are welcome here.”

If that was the case, then the woman was going to be spending a long time in this place of refuge. She was so used to doing things herself, but she had also just started to be able to love another man again after a few years. Reiko had f–ed up so badly and was now paying the price for it. Think of a dish with the most sentimental value in it. Repeatedly cracked, broken, and repaired, it was as good as new once it was put back together. Only, it wasn't actually new anymore and lacked the strength that it once had when first crafted. It became more fragile each time; there were only so many times that it could be repaired before it was considered beyond use and repair.

That plate was Reiko. In the process of being moulded during her childhood and beyond, she's had to be repaired multiple times. The question was, could she be repaired again? Or, was this the end? No...no, there had to be more repairs to be made. She could still become stronger...couldn't she? "Embarrassing...shame. Hate...I never thought it possible for me to hate someone as much as I hate myself right now."
Part of her was screaming, " Hey, dumbass! Joseph's not faultless in this matter! He made you hurt yourself and could have very well killed you!"

[Reiko Souma]

Luna’s voice remained quiet as she continued to sit with Reiko. She truly felt for the Albino. “Love isn’t supposed to hurt, Miss Reiko. Keep that in mind, for both your sakes, you speak of punishments for what you did.” Here, the paladin gestured to the other woman’s wounded hand. “And while anger is reasonable, however you were pushed to destroy your hand, that was beyond anger.” Luna wasn’t trying to rub in what Reiko had done. She was trying to be gentle and point out that the hand wouldn’t be the last – or worst – thing to happen to Reiko if this was pursued any further, though the woman was an adult.

Truly, the question to be asked was why..? As much as it sickened her to think about it, she was now starting to think back a few nights. It was easy for anyone on Terra to laugh and joke about being in Hell, or going through it, when they were having an incredibly difficult time in life. They've never actually been to Hell and back, never mind living there. Reiko only spent one night and was now in the mess that she was in.

And yet...

...she couldn't help but think of how gentle Ryzlen had been to her, only doing as she'd asked or told him. That gentleness, she'd missed out on for so long. It was as if she'd come across a lake of the cleanest, freshest water in a desert and drank it up greedily - as though she would never be able to enjoy it again. Whilst it was reassuring and a major bunch of cinder blocks off of her shoulders to know that she wasn't at all pregnant, there was still the heavy weights of guilt in knowing that she had cheated.

"Gentleness...it felt so different...what couldn't Joseph do, though..?" Reiko pondered aloud, her face still soaked with tears. No doubt Luna's shoulder was as well-urk! Suddenly, Reiko was pulling herself away from the paladin and in her feet, running from the room in search for something to empty whatever remained of her stomach's contents in. Luna’s eyes turned to Reiko, listening to her words about gentleness. When Reiko started to run, Luna hurried to get a towel, knowing that she would have to show Reiko to the bathhouse.

I shouldn't have thought about it...or him...any of it. Reiko had absolutely no idea where she was going, only that she was running somewhere. Her boot-covered legs carried her down one hall and outside, possibly down one path that led into the next. "Ah!" came her cry when she tripped over something and fell, hitting her knees as she used her hands to try breaking the fall. She looked up to see where she was.

Around her was a gazebo of vines with an altar in the centre and offerings placed on it. Around it, musical instruments laid against the sides, strings carefully maintained, the wood polished, the drums made of hide, and bone drumsticks resting on top. The huntress believed in using everything. “This is my shrine. I am hoping that someday, there will be enough people out here so that we can have a proper hunting party and then come home after and play music, like my family used to...” Luna smiled over at Reiko. “Let’s get you cleaned up though first, alright?”

Koff koff koff koff! The woman was covering her mouth again as she coughed. If she wasn't on the verge of being ill again, then she would remark on how beautiful the shrine was and wish to play the lute that her eyes had first landed on. Luna was absolutely right, though. Reiko's been covered in all manner of dirt for hours now, not to mention the cold that she'd started to come down with. Her dress was still rather wet; no doubt the bed and blanket she'd slept on would need to be changed and cleaned as well. With a silent nod, her hand remained in front of her mouth whilst Luna held out one of her hands to help her up. She was going to get Reiko some clean clothes whilst she bathed. She also didn’t want Reiko’s cough to get any worse before it got better, so it was off to the bathhouse Reiko was led…instructions for heating the water posted just inside the door.

[Reiko Souma]

It was going to be a bit before Reiko stepped out of the water. If there were any kind of healing properties in this water, then she was feeling some of them. As it turned out, the water was fed from a mineral spring, so there certainly were healing properties, the elf herself got hurt enough it was a requirement. There was a saying that a broken heart couldn't be healed; maybe that was true. She didn't really know, in earnest, only that she tempted herself with her own thoughts on what had made her physically ill minutes ago...only to not feel the urge to vomit yet again. In stepping out, she dried herself off and found clothes in the bathhouse lobby. How earthen-toned. Brown wasn't the best colour for the walking holiday stereotype, but it was a heckuva lot better than white or yellow.

That was when she heard the sound of an instrument playing, along with singing. Was someone else here, or was that Luna? Reiko hadn't seen anyone else, so she assumed it was Luna she heard. She started to follow the sound of the music and singing, walking slowly. The voice was soft, and the notes were clear, though the woman was definitely playing. Perhaps she was practising whilst she thought no one was listening? A small speaker was hooked up to her phone, so perhaps she was playing along by ear.

"How can I believe
That my heart would find someone like you
You see me, the real me
No in bewteens, I had nowhere to hide
You took away the walls around me
Made me feel safe to share my truth
I see the heavens open, a heart that once was broken
Is holding nothing back
Now that I found you
You hold me like a prayer, you touch me everywhere
A lifetime just ain't enough to love you true
Now that I found you
Now that I found you"

As Luna might learn soon enough, there was very little that Reiko couldn't hear. She'd left her very dirty dress and boots in the lobby of the bathhouse in a place that was out of the way. The boots she wore now were close enough to her shoe size, albeit slightly big, but the dress fit her perfectly. Those were good enough for her to wear as she continued to follow the sound of the playing and singing. Ah, yes...was it coming from the shrine that she had fallen in front of earlier? Curious, she made her way closer.

It was probably not the best thing to be singing, but Luna hadn't expected Reiko out of the bath this quickly.

"I do believe we're meant to be
Our chemistry will last forever
And through the years
We'll see some tears
We'll conquer fears
And together we will grow
Look through your eyes
They tell me
I no longer have to be alone
I see the heavens open, a heart that once was broken
Is holding nothing back
Now that I found you
You hold me like a prayer, you touch me everywhere
A lifetime just ain't enough to love you true
Now that I found you
Now that I found you
You see me, the real me
You believe you in me
I see the heavens open, a heart that once was broken
Is holding nothing back
Now that I found you
You hold me like a prayer, you touch me everywhere
A lifetime just ain't enough to love you true
Now that I found you
Now that I found you"

The first two lines of the song brought Reiko's movement to a stop. By then, she was standing by a tree where she could see Luna. Ouch...this was most certainly not a song that the heartbroken woman expected to hear fresh out of the bath. Don't cry don't cry don't cry don't cry, ran through her mind repeatedly. Oh, how she really was trying so hard not to cry...again...don't cry, Reiko. Instead, she took two small steps backwards.

Unlike Reiko, at the closing of the song, Luna was already crying, her thoughts confused. A hand reached out to slap the phone silent, her tears a mix of sadness and confusion, far different than the song she had been singing. The lute was set back down with care, the paladin not yet having seen the psychic. Then she pulled out a ring and set it on the altar, a hand clasping over it as Luna cried. She had fallen in love again, but she still wasn't over Aesar. He was dead though, so things would never return to how they had once been before.

Oh Luna, Reiko was practically behind her with the tears for her own reasons. She used a single finger to wipe them away as they formed and started to fall. Her feet now slowly carried her forward slowly after she watched the paladin place that ring on the altar. Slow and silent were her movements as she started to move forward instead of backwards, and her eyes landed on the lute. Reiko's never played one before, but it didn't look very different from her guitar.

A flame surrounded the paladin’s hand as she stood there, the ring turning to ash. It was a sign from her deity, a sign she should begin to let go and cherish the love she currently had. Aesar would understand, though the roar of pain from the woman as it blew away was a bestial sound, a sound many could recognize as grief. Her last connection that wasn't Kairi was now gone with the wind.

Again, Reiko came to a stop, watching now. What was happening? Still watching, she waited to see what happened next.

The flames dispersed, and Luna pulled her hand away, a choked sob leaving her. "Why..? You know that was all I had left...so why take it?"

Here, she had no words. From what she was hearing, Luna had her own pains that she was dealing with. Everybody had their own skeletons in their closet after all, sometimes filling multiple closets. Apparently, something precious to her had just been taken at the altar. But what..?

Luna turned, her eyes landing on Reiko before she brushed past with tears rolling down her face, her wings unfurling, "I'm sorry...I need to think," she said softly before vines launched her skyward into a large sycamore just outside the wards.

Now the woman was confused. Maybe she had just walked into a private moment? Either way, she was now approaching the altar carefully. When she looked, she could see the remains of something that had been reduced to ash. It had clearly been something small, and obviously something very personal to the paladin.

There was the lute, now to her left. Should she..? Oh, why not...she walked over, turning away from the altar, and picked up the lute. Such a wonderful, well-crafted design it was. Giving it a single strum, Reiko could tell that it was in tune. She started to fingerpick at the strings, playing a random tune to get a feel for it.

[Reiko Souma]

Strum

The woman's been awake for over an hour now, having just finished eating (or drinking) a small cup of soup. Her appetite was slow in recovery, as it's been a couple of days since she's been able to eat solid food. Her diet currently consisted of tea, water, and chicken soup. Yesterday? After silently strumming the lute for some time, she'd finally caved to her desire of exploring the paladin's sanctuary. Oh, the animals that she saw! Reiko could never bring herself to kill any of them for food. She loved them too much! (And this, folks, is how one progressively starves to death. Please don't actually live like this.)

This morning's endeavour brought Reiko to the same altar where the musical instruments were. Rather than stay there, she picked up the lute and carried it back to the cabin where she was currently staying. Upon arrival back into the room, which has since been settled into with her unpacking her backpack and large purse and putting them away, she sat at the foot of the bed. Then she started to play.
This time, she started to sing as well:

"Will the circle be unbroken
By and by, by and by
There's a better home a-waiting
In the sky, in the sky
"There are loved ones in the glory
Whose dear forms you often miss.
When you close your earthly story,
Will you join them in their bliss?
"Will the circle be unbroken
By and by, by and by?
Is a better home awaiting
In the sky, in the sky?
"You can picture happy gath'rings
Round the fireside long ago,
And you think of tearful partings
When they left you here below.
"Will the circle be unbroken
By and by, by and by?
Is a better home awaiting
In the sky, in the sky?
"One by one their seats were emptied.
One by one they went away.
Now the family is parted.
Will it be complete one day?
"Will the circle be unbroken
By and by, by and by?
Is a better home awaiting
In the sky, in the sky?"

Reiko looked up as she finished singing, giving the lute one final strum.

It was safe to say that, come the evening, Reiko could not look at a lantern. Not without crying. As a remedy to this, she took a candle to a holder and made her way outside, carrying the lute in her free hand. She paused about halfway down a path to look up at the night sky. There was the moon, hiding behind the clouds. Sigh... Reiko exhaled some. "What now..?" she asked.

Hearing wings was what was up. She wasn't exactly looking in the direction of where Luna had landed, but she had definitely heard it. By now, the lute was centimetres from the ground. Finally, Reiko turned. "Luna...is that you?" she asked, her voice having become delicate.

Luna nodded. "Of course it is." Her voice had a thick accent to it, as if she had been drinking.

Now Reiko was turning all the way around. She heard the accent and blinked a couple of times. "You sound different tonight...are you well?" came the query. Ha. That should be a question asked of Reiko. Was she actually well today?

The accent was heavily foreign, and Luna coughed "Apologizes, when I drink...I tend to slip into elven." Her accent was still there, but in truth it was always present, just usually thinner. "I will be fine, just dealing with the divine being a bitch."

"I see..." Reiko's left hand raised to land in front of her mouth lightly. She looked away for a moment. "...there was a time when I too drank...a lot." Lowering her hand, she started to walk towards the other. "I would drink and drink until I was blackout drunk, and then I would still drink some more. I...every time I got drunk, I'd end up having sex. A lot of it, really..." It wasn't Joseph's face going through her mind, for once, but rather two men she'd slept with before she'd even met Joseph.

Luna nodded. "I drink a lot, not usually that far, and when I did...I was with a loved one usually."

Reiko sat down on a little wall. She pulled the lute onto her lap. "Lucky you..." The woman looked away. "...how can you bring yourself to kill animals for the purpose of food? They look too precious to harm...which is probably why I've only eaten vegetables and fruits lately..." she muttered.

"The ones in here I t'pic'lly don't." Luna reached out her hand to a wolf, petting her head. "But it's the cycle of life and death, the predator eats the prey, so the prey doesn't overwhelm and outgrow the woods."

She nodded to this. The wolf had her attention. "Yup...this time, I really just might end up starving to death. Not that he would care any...who would, at this point?" Okay, Miss Fatalistic. Way to bring in the doom and gloom on a chariot of fiery gold.

"You will not die in my sanctuary." This was a fact, no argument to be made otherwise.

Prove it, she wanted to retort with. A sigh parted her lips instead. "Tell my therapist that..." Reiko muttered.
"I got word she's looking for you, actually. I'm gonna go get her."

"What?" She looked surprised, and her slightly wide eyes showed it best. "Arla...she's really..?" Reiko looked down quickly.

"Of f–ing course she is, she's your friend."

"Better not keep her waiting, then..." Secretly, Reiko was hoping that Arla had some food with her. She needed something that was, dare she say it, already dead and prepped to cook.

Luna pointed to a soup pot. "Eat before I get back. It's already warm."

Her head raised to look up. There was the soup pot, sitting there and waiting. "Fine..." Reiko said, standing to walk over to the soup pot.

[Reiko Souma]

A swirly-eyed Arla soon found herself in a place that looked like it belonged in a nature-based magazine. She couldn't get over how gorgeous it was! Given a moment to clear her head of the flight (and fix her messy hair), Arla was now looking around. One moment, she had been shopping for groceries to somehow bring to her bubblegum pink-haired best friend. The next, she had been whisked away by the paladin whilst carrying a large shopping bag of red meat and a couple of other food types. "Whoa...where am I..?" she asked, also looking around for Reiko.

The Albino in question? She was fast asleep in the cabin. The woman was still having an incredibly difficult time with her headspace.

Arla looked to the left first, and then to the right. Finally, she looked at Luna, still holding the plastic bag of red meat and food in her hand. Beautiful that this place was, where exactly were they?

"Welcome to my hiding place, designed like my home world and a royal pain in the ass to set up." Luna pointed to Reiko's cabin. "That one. You can use the one next door."

"Thank you." Arla followed Luna's pointing with her blue eyes. The hiding place reminded her of a form of campground, only...with cabins. Which meant to the magician-for-a-therapist, there couldn't be much in the way of electricity - if any at all. That also meant to her, she shouldn't expect to find a refrigerator either.

But wait, Luna had said hiding place. "Hiding place...that means you don't want anyone to know about this place that you don't want knowing about it. Am I wrong?" She furrowed a brow. "Before I go see Reiko, there's a name I need to give you. Joseph Dawson. Can it be assured that he comes nowhere near here, especially because Reiko is here?"

Magic suddenly crackled up the wards around the area. The woman looked scared and stiffened. Hearing the crackling noise, Arla looked up and then to her left and right. That sound had apparently been made after the mere mention of Joseph's name. I knew it. There's something to that man that's been prolonging a setback in our treatment plan. Seeing the shift in Luna's body language, the woman lightly touched her shoulder. "I apologise for that. Whatever that noise was, it told me everything that I needed to know," she said.

“Only those who are invited by those already within or myself may enter.” She looked to Arla. “This place is a home to me. I will not have it tarnished by violence. If it is for Miss Reiko’s own good, he will not be welcome.” She then inhaled. “Speaking of, I healed the physical wounds, but it would seem she stabbed herself in the hand repeatedly before I found her. That’s why I dragged her here.” This was explained to Arla as they walked towards the cabin that Reiko was in. “I understand nature therapy.”

"Please, don't worry. I have no intention of letting him come near her - especially not right now." That, Arla was absolutely serious about. Then she listened. The concern deepened, becoming more visible on her face. Arla sighed. "That's not something she would actually do under her own control...she's proven to be above that.." she thought aloud to herself. This was worse than the purple-haired woman thought. "...thank you for bringing her here, Lady Luna, and for allowing me to come here to tend to her." Arla looked towards the cabin. "I really should go see her...has she been eating much?"

Luna looked up, Garm stepping up beside her and nuzzling her hand. “She hasn’t, no. Please make sure she does...” At that, the winged woman leaned down to hug her wolf tightly. “Hey buddy, you ready to go see Gideon?”

Arla nodded to this. "I understand." Seeing the black wolf, she smiled. "Hello, Mr Garm." She reached out her hand for him to sniff whilst looking up. "Well, that's certainly concerning...now you know why I insisted on bringing the red meat with me. Reiko will never kill an animal for the purpose of eating...I'd better not waste anymore time." Arla started for the cottage-like cabin that Luna had indicated where Reiko was staying. "Thank you again, Lady Luna!" She picked up her pace, her walk now a jog. Behind her were the sounds of Luna’s bones breaking and reforming as she shifted into a large white dire wolf. Then she and Garm moved to run off back to town.