[center][b]Silver & Laurien[/b][/center] [hr] It was dark. And yet, it was warm and cozy. Arms were wrapped around her and someone was running their hands through her leaves, sending chills down her spine. She felt herself smile, and even though her wide open eyes could catch nothing more than moving shadows in the darkness, she felt comfortable. This was the body that the Eternal Tree had created for her, the body that had so lovingly been accepted in the Dream. It was a beautiful life. There was a scent of roses and Silver knew who it was. A large, bulky male that had his back covered in roses was shuffling up to her under the pile of cuddling Foreas. He gently brushed away the sleeping females crowding Silver and wrapped his hand around Silver, waist, hoisting her up to his wooden, featureless face. He sniffed her and let her down. Silver’s leaves quivered as she looked up at the large shadow that was the male with a grin on her soft, autumn-orange face. After a few moments, her grin subsided and she stood up. The male, whom she’d come to think of as Rose, immediately took a step closer to her in anticipation and then Silver began walking with Rose in tow, the earth rumbling slightly with each of his steps. Eventually they had walked far enough from the Eternal Tree that its canopy didn’t hide most of the sun, and in a rather lush clearing, Silver found a large pile of leaves. She’d been visiting this place frequently over the last few weeks. It was, in a manner of speaking, her private space. A spot where she could freely experiment with her new body and abilities without other Foreas trying to cuddle her to sleep. Rose stared at Silver for a few minutes as she in turn stared at the pile of leaves, and finally decided to walk off with his leafy, flowering head rustling happily. Silver smiled and sniffed the air, taking in the scent of thirteen different flowers and the scent of the special plant fibre underneath the pile of leaves in front of her. She took a minute to brush aside the pile of leaves and under the autumnal fallen foliage, was a carefully grown, seamless, completely organic and living, [url=https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/3388a5cf-c2e7-4abb-a089-1f0887a29514/d5e7hrj-ef71932b-e292-4809-a786-03e66f014ced.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcLzMzODhhNWNmLWMyZTctNGFiYi1hMDg5LTFmMDg4N2EyOTUxNFwvZDVlN2hyai1lZjcxOTMyYi1lMjkyLTQ4MDktYTc4Ni0wM2U2NmYwMTRjZWQuanBnIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.rsJlPpRLpaSEUqozX1Xw79762Po9-RxqKKRmdvDB7B4]set of clothing.[/url] The softness of the leaves that made up the skirt, leaves even longer than the swept back bipartite growing from her head, was unrivaled by any other Foreas. The durability of the plant was incredible, to the point that it could actually stand up to textiles in its own right, and most importantly, the scent was so delicious, so calming, that she was sure nobody would be hesitant to approach her now, even the shyest of Foreas. And so she put on the prototypical attire and lied down on the grassy hill amongst the orange leaves, letting herself and her clothing soak in the sun. As time went on, her clothing began to fit better against her shape, and it secured itself in place. It was perhaps a little bit of a cuddly, clingy dress, but nothing else could be expected of a Foreas-made item. She caressed the leaves clothing her and closed her large, cloudy eyes, taking in a deep breath. She would use the time she let the clothing grow used to her to practice other abilities. A very useful one was one she called Soul Sense. This one she developed after finding a foreign energy while floating in a river and infusing that energy with her larger-than-usual soul. The ability allows her soul to expand and, that way, she could gather information about the world without actually using her senses! Silver exhaled and shivered as her spine tickled. And just like that, she could ‘see’ and ‘touch’ everything within that clearing at the same time. A furry, twitchy species of rodent was skipping along the upper branches of a tree thirty paces to her left; a buzzing insect was pollinating a uniquely large tulip thirteen paces over her head; and in the distance, Rose was warding off predators with his heavy footsteps and rustling leaves, she could even feel the spot where a particularly nasty animal had torn off some of his hardened bark, right under his right forearm. SIlver wanted to hug him. And then a familiar presence came into the perimeter of her Soul Sense. One hundred and fifty feet over her head, the tall, beautiful humanoid that had meant and still meant so much to her, had appeared. Her heart skipped a beat and she sat up, eyes wide and sparkling. Suddenly, the world went dark and she returned to seeing only shadows and shapes. She’d lost her focus, she realized, and after a deep, long breath, she could see again. Carefully, she stood up and hid behind the trees. The tall figure passed by rather quickly and Silver began tailing her. She kept her treading light, and whenever the figure looked in her direction she would blend in with the autumnal foliage. All she wanted to do was come up to her and embrace her, but… She felt different. She’d changed, just like herself. Maybe things would be better off if she just avoided meeting her, Silver thought, maybe they weren’t meant to know each other in their new forms… And yet she knew she couldn’t and wouldn’t stop herself from going up to her. As she stepped out of hiding, she realized they were in front of one of the many entrances to the interior of the Eternal Tree. What was [i]she[/i] doing here? Had this been her objective all along, the Tree? Had she been looking for her all this time? She wondered all these questions as her leaves quivered and rustled and her cloudy eyes stared at Laurien. The woman was surrounded by other Foreas, who all seemed to paw at the dark beauty. She wore a dark dress that seemed to flow together with her skin. and her hair twinkled with stars, as always. There was a smile upon her face, one of genuine affection as she pet the Foreas around her. Silver merely watched, and resisting her impulse to go up to Laurien, sat down and brought her knees up to her chest, resting her chin on them. The Foreas were insatiable. Everytime one received affection, two more demanded it. And for everyone that demanded affection there were two more that gave it. The air was filled with the sound of rustling leaves, and eventually two large males approached the crowd from inside the Eternal Tree, watching the foreign woman closely. [color=plum]”Oh how delightful you are.”[/color] Laurien purred, before walking over to the males with a following of restless females. She placed her hand upon the closest male, one with tulips on his back, and smiled again. [color=plum]”A desire to protect, but also to be loved. Remarkable.”[/color] she said, floating up to gently caress the wooden face. The male pawed at the ground for a bit and then lied down. Many of the smaller, humanoid females cuddled up to him as he did so, though the way they approached him was much more relaxed and composed than when they approached Laurien. After a while, most of the attention had shifted from the foreign woman and only a few females remained near her, with the others having gone into the Tree. Among those was Silver, who had not moved as she watched the scene unfold. It was then that Laurien spotted her. A curious look fell upon her face as she floated towards the small Foreas who sat alone. The Foreas looked up at her and smiled warmly, then mouthed a single word, [i]’Laurien.’[/i] The woman paused in mid air, before landing before the Foreas. She knelt down before her and asked, [color=plum]”And how do you know my name, little one?”[/color] [i]’Chickadee.’[/i] Laurien froze. Her eyes wide as she stared at Silver. [color=plum]”S-Silver?”[/color] she said slowly and unsurely. Silver nodded and stood up. She pointed at her mouth and ears and shook her head. It only took a moment before Laurien embraced her, with Silver returning the hug. The tall woman held her for a long time before pulling away and saying, [color=plum]”How?”[/color] Silver pursed her lips, and shrugged. The only reason she could hear Laurien speak was because of her Soul Sense being active, but even that wouldn’t give her speech. And how could she tell such a complex story without language? All she could do was look up at Laurien and tilt her head. Laurien touched her face, and also tilted her head. [color=plum]”A body without speech… Or hearing. Do you miss the old one?”[/color] It’s not that she didn’t miss her old body, but… She liked her new one. She loved bathing in light, and she liked her own natural scent and softness. In the end, what could she do but shrug and smile up at Laurien? Maybe a change of topic is what they needed, and so Silver took one of the long autumn colored leaves of her dress and held it out for Laurien to touch, with a proud glint in her eyes. Laurien blinked for a moment and then gently touched the dress. She rubbed it as she looked at Silver and nodded her head in approval. [color=plum]”V-Very soft.”[/color] Silver’s grin faded a little, and her leaves stopped their slight constant quivering. Laurien dropped her hand and looked down at the ground. The woman lifted her head up and asked, [color=plum]”Are you happy?”[/color] Was she happy? Silver stared at Laurien blankly, images of her past in Orvus’ farm flashing before her eyes, until she slowly began to nod. Laurien smiled and placed her hand upon Silver’s cheek again. [color=plum]”I am glad.”[/color] she finally said. They stayed like that for a few moments, until Silver pulled away and patted her leaves to settle them down. She closed her eyes and remained still. Little by little she experimented with her soul, expanding it and contracting it, stretching it, twisting it… All in an effort to somehow find a way to communicate to Laurien… She felt a shiver behind her eyes as a silver thread manifested in her mental landscape. Slowly, she stretched her arms toward it and tugged at it. Immediately the thread went taut and Silver grit her teeth. Outside her own mind and soul, Silver had been standing with her eyes closed for a minute, when suddenly she opened her eyes and looked straight at Laurien. [i]I've learned how to do the same thing Orvus could do! It's like this thread in my soul,when I grabbed it I felt a connection to you.[/i] A surprised look fell across her face as Laurien listened to Silver. She brought her into an embrace once more as she stroked the small flower’s head. [color=plum]”Your voice… Such a lovely voice.”[/color] she purred. Silver grinned and pressed her head further against Laurien’s hand, turning it side to side as her leaves rustled against and caressed the Demigoddess’ hand in turn. [i]What do I sound like? I cannot really hear myself, it’s like I’m thinking words directly into you. Also, am I as pretty as I used to be? It’s the one thing I’ve been really worried about. That maybe you wouldn’t like how I looked now...[/i] [color=plum]”No no no, don’t think such thinks my love!”[/color] Laurien exclaimed quickly. [color=plum]”You’re as beautiful as you always were, no matter what form you take, or how you sound. You are what they call a Foreas, Silver. A plant being. They are all so simplistically beautiful, it only seems right for you to join them.”[/color] she said softly. Silver tilted her head at Laurien after pulling away from the embrace. This time, she turned around and shook her body a little before wrapping her arms around herself. [i]You know, when Li’Kalla allowed me limited control of the body, I… I-I saw bits and pieces, of her conversations with you. You’ve had children, Laurien?[/i] [color=plum]”Silver… I… Yes. I did have children. You were… You were long dead my love, I never thought you would come back to me. H-How was I going to know?”[/color] she said, her voice forlorn. The Autumnal Foreas deflated a little and tilted her head back to look up at a sky she couldn’t see. [i]Can I meet them? How old are they?[/i] [color=plum]”I… Don’t know where they are. Arae took them from me when she cursed me, Silver.”[/color] Laurien said tearfully. Silver’s leaves fell flat against her head, with her longer bipartite leaves going limp. A breeze whistled past the treeline surrounding the entrance to the Eternal Tree and caressed the bodies of the two females, one a plant and the other a mammal. Slowly Silver let her arms fall to her sides, and she turned her body slightly to cast Laurien a side glance through her eyes, which were welled up with thick tears. Laurien outstretched a hand towards her, but paused mid way. [color=plum]”W-What’s wrong?”[/color] she asked, and Silver’s mouth fell slightly agape. [i]Someone took your children, your babies… And they cursed you… Why would someone do something so evil?[/i] [color=plum]”Because she thought I needed to be punished for what I did. Yet, if she had truly cared to begin with, she would have tried to help before… Before it happened.”[/color] Laurien whispered. Silver turned around and stared at Laurien, wiping her silent tears. Some other Foreas peeked out from inside the Tree and looked at the curious two. [i]... What did you do, Laurie?[/i] She tilted her head and blinked at Silver. [Color=plum]"I tried to avenge you my love. Orvus killed you, so I stabbed him but before I could kill him, an avatar was born. An evil thing but since the meteors have stopped falling… I think he met his fate. But now you're here and alive, and it's wonderful. All my prayers have been answered."[/color] Laurien said. [i]You… Stabbed him? But, he was my friend, and your father. You tried to ‘avenge’ me, even though I was happy he offered me such a peaceful way out. Laurien… What happened to you?[/i] Silver’s leaves prickled up a little and she shook her head slowly, her expression turning neutral. Laurien narrowed her eyebrows. [color=plum]”Why are you shaking your head?”[/color] she asked suddenly. Silver turned her face away and closed her eyes. [i]Because you told me you stabbed my friend, the man who gave me the body you enjoyed so much. The body that I lived in for months, waiting for your return after you left without saying goodbye! You tried to kill my best friend. And you didn’t do it to avenge me, because you KNOW his death wouldn’t have honored me in the slightest.[/i] A shocked look fell upon her face and she said nothing for several moments. [color=plum]”I did say goodbye… You were asleep and you looked so peaceful…”[/color] she began before Silver interjected. [i]You should’ve woken me up. I would’ve gone with you, I would’ve protected you from whoever did this to you. I would’ve died to safeguard the Laurien I know, the one who actually feels and gives [b]love[/b].[/i] Laurien recoiled. She then spoke, her voice slowly growing angrier. [color=plum]”That Laurien died when her father told her that he killed her only friend. That Laurien died when she realized her entire life she was nothing but an errand girl for a god who was too afraid to seek the one he wanted most. That Laurien died… That Laurien died when she realized her life was meaningless. You have no idea what I went through all those YEARS Silver! For decades I lived with people who only saw me as the sister to the one they truly loved. I had no one, but you. And you were dead! DEAD!”[/color] she said standing up. [color=plum]”And now you’ve been given another chance, one with me, and you berate me for the actions I took… How could you?”[/color] Silver emulated a sigh, but of course she couldn’t inhale or exhale so it was completely silent. After that, she walked up to Laurien and wrapped both her hands around one of her lover’s. [i]And what did you expect? For me to praise you for trying to kill the one who gave me the life and body that allowed me to meet you? For me to bend down and kiss the ground you walk on? Laurien, we’re lovers, aren’t we? And… Lovers want to help their other half be a better version of themselves each day, don’t they?[/i] [color=plum]”You… You want to help me?”[/color] she said shakely, her voice reminiscent of a scared child. Silver’s leaves rustled and she smiled reassuringly, [i]Yes! You’ve been alone for so long! That would make anyone go insane. I know that, I understand, because I was trapped in darkness for a lifetime as well and the only thing that kept me sane was company. I know the cure to your predicament, you know.[/i] [color=plum]”W-What’s that?”[/color] she said, a tinge of desperation in her voice. [i]The ultimate bandage to any broken relationship. Apologize. Apologize to anyone you wronged, even if you don’t mean it. Even if they don’t accept your apology, the relationship will be in a better spot than before and you can rest easy knowing you did all you had to do.[/i] Her face went blank and she said nothing for a long time. Eventually, Laurien let her hand drop from Silver’s. She looked away and said, [color=plum]”I… I can’t.”[/color] Silver’s smile vanished and she let her arms drop as well. [i]... Why?[/i] [color=plum]Why should I apologize… When they were the ones who wronged me?”[/color] she said, looking at Silver misty eyed. [i]Because...[/i] Silver pursed her lips, [i]Because they think the same thing. No one wants to trample over their own pride, Laurien. Someone has to take the first step.[/i] She sighed. [color=plum]”For the last few years I've felt lost… I questioned everything about myself and I realized something… I was afraid. I always thought… Doing what I did was the right thing… Perhaps I still believe it. He always loved Arya more, so much so he created me just to go look for her. I shouldn't blame her… I shouldn't… But I see her face anymore and I get irrationally angry. I stuck by her side for years with the Dreamers and I could tell they only let me stay because of her. They didn't love me like they loved her. And then Li'Kalla came to the Eye and it brought up old feelings and I thought she would love me but she couldn't… Perhaps she does now, but then I was lost in dark thoughts… But now, they feel so normal."[/color] Laurien breathed. [Color=plum]"I've become a Demigod, did you know that? My powers are of desire and I can see yours and all of theirs…"[/color] she waved her hand at the Foreas. [Color=plum]"You should pursue them with passion my love, but I fear I cannot join you, no matter how much either of us want. I'm sorry."[/color] Silver took a step back, her heart suddenly burning and aching. She struggled to stay on her feet, and in a moment she lost control of her Soul Sense and watched as Laurien’s form became a blurry shadow. At that moment, she wished for nothing more than to be able to breathe so she could be breathless, she wished for a voice so she could be speechless. As it stood, her vision wasn’t even clouded up when tears began to flow. And despite her heart having just been ripped out, as her tears became like rivers down her pale cheeks and nose, a shaky smile graced her face. [i]Demigoddess, huh? I understand… I understand, Laurien, we should walk our own paths. I do. I do, and yet it hurts so much...[/i] Silver shut her eyes tightly and doubled over with a hand grasping the organic attire covering her chest. Laurien quickly fell to her knees before Silver, catching the small foreas in her arms. [color=plum]”I’m sorry… I’m sorry I hurt you.”[/color] she took a ragged breath. Silver just shivered and twitched in Laurien’s embrace, resting her face against the demigoddess’ shoulder. She lost grasp of the thread connecting her to Laurien and went mute. After a few moments, another breeze blew past them and the earth rumbled with the gentle, rhythmic steps of a great hulking male. Roses on his back, he made his way to the weeping Silver and nudged the two smaller being with its featureless face. As Silver pulled away from Laurien’s grasp, Rose softly grabbed her by the waist and hoisted her up onto his neck, and then he walked into the Eternal Tree, past a few curious Foreas peeking out from behind bushes and trees. Laurien watched Silver go, a single tear falling down her cheek. She then blinked, and collected herself before standing up. [color=plum]”Goodbye… Silver…”[/color] she whispered, knowing her words to be final. She then floated up, far up to hover over the tree. It was were Aaldir waited for her. A constant reminder, but at least he wouldn’t leave her, not yet anyways… [hider=Summary] Post starts with Silver waking up and making her way to her favorite clearing in the Eternal Forest, where she finally puts on the result of a few weeks of experimenting--A completely organic, living dress made up of plants. It quickly grows to fit her form and attach itself to her. Afterward, Silver tests her new ability, Soul Sense, an ability that is the result of imbuing traces of mana into her divine Soul and expanding such a soul over a radius of a few dozen meters. Testing the ability confirms to her that by using that, she can ‘see’ and ‘hear’, by receiving direct raw information about the world and letting her brain translate it automatically. Then she sees the last person she expected, Laurien. The now demigoddess makes her way to one of the Eternal Tree’s entrances and deals with a few Foreas while Silver sneaks out of a bush and sit down to watch her. After a while Laurien get curious and check up on her, then learns she’s Silver. Using a combination of Soul Sense and divine telepathy, Silver manages to recover most of the senses and communication capabilities that she had as a human, and is able to maintain a conversation with Laurien. The conversation goes through a few of their feelings about each other and themselves and ends up with Laurien breaking up with Silver. The end [/hider] [hider=Might Summary] nothing used by anyone [/hider]