Rose from the River untwines herself from Chen, though one finger lingers on her lips a moment, a last parting gift to the Princess who deserves better than Rose. She sinks soundlessly to her knees before Yue, and takes Yue's hands in her own. Ignoring Hyra's warning growl, Rose's third hand touches Yue's flushed forehead, hot to the touch. Through her, the essence of the world resonates.

The nature of Wood is to renew and live again. It rises from the placid, still waters, unable to be contained, unable to remain stagnant. As Rose traces her fingers down Yue's tear-streaked cheeks, against the side of her throat, she unbinds what is caught fast and bleeds away what has become clogged. Her hum is the note at which she bids Yue's vital energies hold, and as she works, the sensation that fills those aching muscles and sore bruises is like the way the forest experiences ice-cold water from the mountains cutting through the earth. Drink deep, Rose's fingers urge Yue. Drink your fill.

Even the headache that one gets when one is crying melts away like fog in the light of the sun, and is no more, until Yue can look Rose from the River in the eye (though still blurred; not even Rose's art of aligning energy flows can take away tears). And Rose from the River is silent, regarding Yue carefully, evaluating her again. The silence drags on long enough to be awkward, until she finally speaks, just before someone else may have considered breaking the silence herself.

"I am sorry, Yue the Sun Farmer. I can't tell you why the Scales of Meaning told Qiu you were the most valuable possession of her kingdom. I can't tell you that you can go home yet. I can't even promise that there won't be even more princesses chasing after you for something you don't even understand. All I know is that when I opened my heart to the Way, I found myself here." She squeezes Yue's hands in what she can only hope is a gesture of comfort. "I have to believe that I will be of some help to you, even if I can't see the shape of it yet. Maybe I'm just here to tell you that you are worth more than you believe yourself to be."

And that is all she dares to say. Even that much was dangerous; what if she overwhelmed the girl? Worse, what if she enraptured her? For all her age, Rose from the River feels once again like she is trying to walk in the dark, trusting in the ribbon that she holds in her hand, trusting that she has heard the subtle call of the Way right; that it will not demand she strike down Yue the Tyrant-to-Be, that it was not pointing her to the wolf or the fox or even the flustered little princess all along, that she is not meant to learn here the limits of her own capabilities (for she has taken enough from that cup for one day, please, please).

[Rose from the River rolls a goddamn [b]4[/b] on Emotional Support, which means she is at 3 XP, but still triggers Lay on Hands: Yue's injuries are soothed and mended, and Yue can offer Rose an XP by validating her or a String by shutting her down.]