[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/LrvJv14.png[/img]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/5kR2yJq.png[/img]
MP : 13 | FP : 24

[h3]Taking Laurien's children to Spekatha[/h3][/center]

[i][color=6ecff6]We're almost there, little ones. How are you two holding up?[/color][/i] Arae asked the two children on her back, Andromeda and Phoset. The two did not respond, which saddened Arae, but she understood. Things were certainly confusing enough. It must have seemed like their life was suddenly spiraling out of control, with their mother gone and them being taken away by a strange entity, even if that entity was a goddess. Arae would do what she could to make them as comfortable as they could for the rest of their stay, but there was only so much she could do to aid them in their struggles. 

"...why?" Andromeda asked softly.

[i][color=6ecff6]Hmm? What was that?[/color][/i] Arae asked, turning her head back slightly to look behind her with her right eye. 

"Why did you hurt Mommy?" Andromeda asked.

Arae was silent for a time, then began to say, [i][color=6ecff6]Your mom... did a lot of bad things. She hurt her father, Orvus, and left her sister, Arya. Even after that, she didn't stop doing bad things. Your mom isn't a bad person, though. She's had a lot of bad things done to her, too, and she doesn't know what to do. It's why I did what I did to her. From this journey, I'm hoping she learns what to do from now on and becomes a better person because of it. Does that make sense?[/color][/i]

From their blank and puzzled expressions, it was clear that they didn't, but Arae let off a sad chuckle and added, [color=6ecff6][i]Well, I'm sure you'll understand in time.[/i][/color] Soon, they reached the Dragon's Crown, and Arae warned them, [color=6ecff6][i]This might be a little uncomfortable, but just hold on tight.[/i][/color] Then she dived down into the water. The two kids held on, and soon realized they didn't get wet even after hitting the water. The water split apart as Arae moved, as if a barrier was in place to prevent it from reaching the kids.

They emerged from the Pantheon lake, and landed near its edge, next to the Familial Trees. "[color=6ecff6]Here we are, little ones. Welcome to Spekatha, my Sphere of influence. It's not much, but feel free to make yourselves at home,[/color]" Arae said as the two stared in awe at the various assortment of the Godly Familial Trees. 

A serpentine dragon suddenly swooped down, landing in front of Arae. Its passenger slid down its back and bowed down respectfully. 

"[color=silver]Welcome back, Lady Arae,[/color]" Serenis said, raising an eyebrow at the sight of Andromeda and Phoset. "[color=silver]And why have you brought these two children with you?[/color]" she asked. Kree made his way over to them, sniffing them both. Then he shrunk down and brought his body underneath them, and expanded again to carry them off and walked over to lie down under Arae's Familial Tree. 

"[color=6ecff6]Well, I couldn't just leave two children in the middle of nowhere, with no one to take care of them,[/color]" Arae said, shifting into her human form. "[color=6ecff6]They need a good home, and it's up to us to find one for them.[/color]"

"[color=silver]So they won't be staying here, then?[/color]" Serenis asked.

"[color=6ecff6]Oh, goodness no. At least, not permanently,[/color]" Arae answered as she waved her hand in denial. "[color=6ecff6]Spekatha may be calm and serene, but that's all it is, and it is no place to raise children. If they stay here, they'll have all they need here and it won't teach them a thing about hard work. That is why we must find them a home they can properly grow in.[/color]

"[color=silver]Hmm... in that case, how about Arya, Lady Arae?[/color]" Serenis suggested. "[color=silver]I'm sure she'd be willing to take them in.[/color]"

"[color=6ecff6]Laurien's sister? Hmm... yes, that could work,[/color]" Arae approved, nodding. "[color=6ecff6]I'll have to ask her the next time I see her. In the meantime, let us talk about the Spiritii. I hope they haven't been any trouble to you.[/color]"

"[color=silver]It did take some time to get used to them, but they are a lot more useful than I gave them credit for,[/color]" Serenis admitted. "[color=silver]But you should already know this, watching through my eyes. Why are you asking?[/color]"

"[color=6ecff6]Because it's nice to be able to hear it from you, that's all,[/color]" Arae said, smiling sweetly at Serenis. Serenis blushed and looked away, which only caused Arae to giggle softly.

"[color=silver]They could do with a little variety, however,[/color]" Serenis added. 

"Oh? How so?" Arae asked, tilting her head slightly.

"[color=silver]All the Fire Spiritii can do is trim and burn away the trees as necessary. However, there are currently no means for the trees to regrow after enduring hardships, Lady Arae. Without it, I believe the trees will have a difficult time maintaining themselves. I've been coming up with ideas on how to improve them, but nothing's complete yet,[/color]" Serenis mentioned. 

"[color=6ecff6]Hmm...[/color]" Arae closed her eyes, a hand on her chin as she tried to come up with a solution. Then an idea struck her, and Arae smiled as she returned her attention to Serenis. "[color=6ecff6]Well, keep at it. When your ideas are ready, please tell me as soon as you can, Serenis.[/color]"

Serenis nodded and said confidently, "[color=silver]Yes, my Lady! I won't fail you![/color]"

Meanwhile, the children were still atop Kree, who was paying them no mind as he allowed them to moving around on top of him. He wasn't sure how long they were going to stay there, but he didn't feel the need to drive them away. He would let them play around him for as long as they wanted.

[hr]
[h3][center]During/After the battle between Abraxas and the gods[/center][/h3]
The battle between Kalmar and Orvus' Avatar was intense, and things had taken a turn for the worse just before Arae and Ashalla arrived to support him. The energy discharges from the trees were incredible, and Serenis did what she could to keep them healthy, even after Kalmar's tree died in response to his own death. She was dismayed at the sight, but she couldn't let herself 

While she was doing her job, Serenis' mind raced as she tried to figure out how to actually improve the Spiritii. It was a simple matter to just create a new form from scratch, but Serenis soon learned that it was just inefficient on the use of Arae's power. Other kinds of Spiritii would be created, but it was merely a short term solution to what she saw as a long-term problem; it was too inflexible to deal with any future problems that would come up later. She had to find a solution. 

Kree and Kris were busy as well. Kree had hunted for fish in the nearby waters outside the Dragon's Crown and did his best to search for edible plants, bringing them to Kris. Arae had taught Kris to create delicious dishes, who in turn taught other Fire Spiritii to help her cook. Kris did what she could to prepare meals for Andromeda and Phoset. She cooked them in front of the kids, making a show out of the process and presenting their dishes with a flourish.  

It wasn't too long before Arae returned to Spekatha, shifting into her human form as she landed next to Serenis and looking depressed. "[color=6ecff6]I couldn't save him,[/color]" Arae whispered. That whisper suddenly turned into a frustrated yell, "[color=6ecff6]He was right there, and I COULDN'T SAVE HIM![/color]" A shockwave of energy blasted out of Arae as she reached out and gripped Serenis by the shoulders, tears streaming down her face. 

"[color=silver]Yo-you did everything you could, Lady Arae,[/color]" Serenis said, trying to console her. 

"[color=6ecff6]Did I?[/color]" Arae retorted. "[color=6ecff6]I could've done more, if I'd only been faster, been more powerful. I let myself grow complacent, foolishly believing everything would be alright just because we were divine. I can't let this happen again. I [i]can't[/i]...[/color]" Arae then began to scream as she got a splitting headache, with new images flashing through her mind. Figures she recognized as her friends and family were all around her, each one smiling as they disappeared one by one, despite her telling them not to go. Soon, she was the only one left, and dark humanoid shadows slowly filled the emptiness. They emitted a malicious aura towards Arae as she dropped to the ground, cowering in fear as the shadows grew and towered over her. They began to extend their hands towards her...

"[color=silver]...dy! Arae! Please wake up! Lady Arae![/color]" Silver's frantic yelling and shaking brought Arae back into consciousness. Looking up, Arae saw Serenis, Kree, Kris, and even Andromeda and Phoset around her, looking concerned for her. Arae pushed herself up from the ground, brushing away Serenis' hands as she gave a weak smile and said, "[color=6ecff6]I'm alright, my dears. Forgive me for worrying you.[/color]" 

"[color=silver]My lady, what happened? Why did you collapse like that? You were muttering things, too, like, 'Don't leave me' and 'Please stop',[/color]" Serenis said. Kree let out a sad grumble as he leaned in and nuzzled Arae's side. 

"[color=6ecff6]It's nothing to worry about,[/color]" Arae dismissed Serenis' concerns. Getting back up and forcing herself to stay composed, she decided to change the subject and ordered, "[color=6ecff6]Kree, please take the kids elsewhere.[/color]" As Kree gently nudged them away with his snout, Arae turned to Serenis and asked, "[color=6ecff6]So, how much progress have you made with the Spiritii?[/color]"

Serenis pursed her lips in disappointment, but there was little she could do if Arae wasn't willing to share her thoughts. Instead, she reported, "[color=silver]I feel as if I'm close, but I'm not sure how to finalize it. I've been studying the Istalri, trying to see how it forms the Fire Spiritii. The one important thing I've learned from it is that it gathers Soul Ash, then the soul forms and it is birthed into a Fire Spiritus. I was hoping to use that process to create other kinds of Spiritii, but I don't know what the final step should be.[/color]"

Arae turned to look at the little campfire, giving it a curious look, then motioned for Serenis to follow her. "[color=6ecff6]Come with me,[/color]" Arae said, the two making their way over to the Istalri. Extending a hand towards it, Arae fired off a pulse of energy into it. The flames flickered for a second before settling back to normal. Arae nodded, saying, "[color=6ecff6]There.[/color]" Serenis, confused, saw nothing different about the Istalri. "[color=silver]My Lady, what did you-[/color]" Serenis was about to say before she was cut short by the sudden appearance of a Spiritus. Unlike the Fire Spiritii that normally populate Spekatha, however, this one was comprised of wind, twisting around and forming tornadoes. Two bright spots appeared as its eyes, blinking twice. 

"[color=6ecff6]That was a rather simple thing to do,[/color]" Arae remarked. "[color=6ecff6]The reason Spiritii were always born with fire is because their souls were always surrounded by fire. Now, their souls is protected from the flames and given a chance to emerge, and it will take in the element it is surrounded with.[/color]"

Serenis' eyes widened with amazement. She had been agonizing over this problem, yet Arae had been able to come up with the solution in mere moments. It was yet another reminder that she still had much to learn.

"I'll leave it to you to learn how to properly manage them. In the meantime, I have business to take care of," Arae said, walking over to Phoset and Andromeda. It was time to send them to Arya. Soon, they were off, flying out of the Dragon's Crown and towards what would be their new home. 

[hider=Summary]
Arae takes Laurien's kids, Andromeda and Phoset, to Spekatha. Serenis and Kree come to greet Arae as she arrives. The kids go off to play on the dragon while Serenis discusses a few things with Arae. Serenis mentions that Arya might be a suitable guardian for the kids, on account of her being Laurien's sister, and Arae agrees to ask her about the matter when she gets the chance. Serenis also mentions that the Spiritii need to be improved to better manage Spekatha, and Arae leaves her the task of finalizing the details on how to accomplish it.

Timeskip to the events of the fight with Abraxas and Kalmar's death. It is revealed that Arae had taught Kris and the Fire Spiritii how to cook in order to feed the kids, using ingredients Kree has managed to hunt and forage for. Meanwhile, Serenis keeps up her duties while still brainstorming about the Spiritii. Arae finally returns to Spekatha after the vicious battle with Abraxas, more distraught than ever over Kalmar's death. While she regrets her shortcomings, another memory painfully resurfaces in her mind, literally and figuratively. It is revealed that in her previous world, all her friends and family had died or gone missing, leaving her as the final deity, while the ones who killed them manage to locate her. Before anything else is revealed, she is awakened and sees everyone around her looking concerned. Arae dismisses them and forcefully changes the subject to the Spiritii, revealing the main problem Serenis is having. Arae makes a quick fix to how the Spiritii are made, and different forms of Spiritii are soon born. With that done, Arae then takes Andromeda and Phoset and leave for wherever Arya is.
[/hider]

[hider=Might Usage (+ progress for portfolios)]
-1 FP spent to teach Kris the Istal, as well as the Fire Spiritii, basic cooking techniques.
-1 MP spent to protect the souls of the Spiritii when they first form in the Istalri, allowing them to form as something other than Fire Spiritii.
[b]Might:[/b] 12
[b]FP:[/b] 23

[b]Portfolios:[/b]
Cooking: (0.5/5)
Protection: (4/5)
Healing: (1/5)
[/hider]