The nymph’s head tilted slowly, eyes flickering as the lights spun like stars around them. Pinpricks of light that settled, gentle and silent like snow, on leaf and branch and bark until the whole clearing glowed. 

This human spoke as she had not known them to speak before. Trees held long memories, but few visited this place since they’d reclaimed it. Well, few of this fearful one’s kind. And never with her language. It was pleasantly surprising, as she had expected she might have to feed the earth with this one too, for making use of such chains. But she’d been so diligent in only using dead wood. And she was only one. Not so dangerous, on their own, she had learned. 

Perhaps she might reason instead.

[i]<Whyyyy… would I want when I can wish? Why would I have this tired soul leave me?>[/i] She’d seen that the human kept the other chained. And she did not approve, but it was not for her, yet, to interfere. Matiir had not asked for her help. [i]<So far from home, child of risen stone.>[/i] The rustling voice grew soft as she leaned down to run a finger down Matiir’s spine, making him stretch groggily and lift his head with a wide yawn. [i]<What binds you to this human?>[/i]

Matiir only blinked at her, settling his head back down when he saw that his chains were still in place and no one was wanting him to move. He had no answer yet beside the obvious one. The nymph’s fingers curled tighter about the chain at his silence, and she turned again to Samaire. [i]<What binds you to him?>[/i] There was surely an explanation. Somewhere.