[center][h3]Meidra’s Grove[/h3]
[b]Word Count: 1323 (+3) [/b] [/center]

Atop a tall, relatively narrow plateau in the bamboo canyon, an ethereal copse of weeping willow trees gently rustled in the temperate breeze. Its huge canopy of soft, leafy fronds glowed even as a vibrant orange dusk gathered on the horizon, that deep blue an enticingly unusual sight. Getting up there wasn’t exactly easy, but a skilled climber could find sufficient handholds and footholds on the rock, ascending one ledge at a time until she finally reached the elusive, ghostly glade.

Yayama wouldn’t have called herself an expert climber by any means; she largely avoided the issue for the most part via finding forms of transportation that could fly. However, as many of Etheirys’s more well-traveled residents had, she’d taken the challenge of climbing Kugane Tower. Her progress up the cliff was slow and profanity-riddled, but eventually she pulled herself to the top, dusting herself off after she ascended the final step.

No sooner had Yayama entered the grove than she found herself greeted by a languid, wispy specter. Unlike the curtain of willow leaves draped around her like a soothsayer’s tent, which leaned more toward the purple end of the color blue, her smoky, somewhat feminine form sported a greener hue that rendered her almost teal, especially the eyes that shone beneath Galeem’s sunset-red film. With a sleepy sigh, she floated downward. [i]“Mmmmm, what summons me from my ethereal wanderings?”[/i] she asked, her voice noticeable for its ghostly reverb and moderate Irish accent.

Her eyes widened suddenly as she laid them on Yayama. “Moo-ZAHR!” she exclaimed, her curiosity aroused. “What manner of beast is this?”

Said “beast” raised an eyebrow, such that it was hardly visible under her hat. “A Lalafellin dark knight,” she answered, eyeing the odd spirit with her own interest. “Yayama of the Stalwart Sword, they call me. And you?”

“Mmmm…” Yayama’s new friend floated around her, examining her from all sides. “I, Meidra, seek the knowing. The truth of nature held within your arc.” She withdrew slightly and tented her hand. “I have questions, sweet beast. Answer them true, and your arc may be known, your eye, opened. And do choose wisely!” she added, a teasing look dawning over her spectral features. “Answer from your heart.”

The dark knight shrugged, falling into an idle pose with a hand on one hip. “Sounds easy enough.” Her heart was in conflict, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t answer a few questions. “Ask away, Meidra, and I’ll do my best to answer.”

“A powerful and determined warlord is about to set fire to a crowded ziggurat,” Meidra began. “You have his eldest son in your custody. You could stop the warlord by hurting his son, breaking his arm and threatening to do worse unless the warlord relents and gives himself up. Do your torture your hostage or trust the crowd to fend for itself in the fire?”

Yayama frowned, thinking on the question for a few moments. “In a situation like this, normally I would try to stop him by my own hand, or facilitate the evacuation. Failing that, I might try to deceive him into thinking I’d harmed his son. But, if I must choose. . . tormenting one person is worth saving many lives.” She nodded. “If it must be done, it must be done.”

Meidra seemed pleased. “Now, let me think…oh yes! Imagine your are the immortal empress, but the secret of your immortality, and that of all who pledge fealty to you, is gone. The Thaen is dead, and soon, all who are immortal will become mortal again. If you reveal this, you risk the loss of all your power. Do you tell your people the truth, or do you try to find another way?”

“I choose truth, obviously.” Her answer came quickly. “A ruler’s duty is to ensure the safety and happiness of her people, personal power and the nobility be damned. And I say this as someone who is, technically, in line for the throne.” Not that she ever had any intention of claiming that birthright. [i]Not that it actually belongs to you, either.[/i] 

Nodding sagaciously, the specter continued. “You preside over the trial of an innocent. Enemies of the accused have kidnapped your child and hold her hostage, saying that if you convict the accused, they will let your daughter go free. Do you convict the innocent or save your daughter’s life?”

Her mouth twisted. Unintentionally, the inquisitive spirit had slid a knife into a particularly soft spot in Yayama’s mind. “. . . I believe in justice. It’s wrong to allow an innocent to suffer on behalf of another. I’d do everything in my power to ensure that I righted my wrong. . . but I don’t think I could sacrifice my own child like that. I’m not strong enough.” She took a deep breath to steady herself in preparation for the next question.

“Interesting…” After another moment, Meidra posed another hypothetical. “Say your daughter was killed. The murderer is arrested, and after many years, they are sentenced to death. Before the sentence is carried out, they come to you and explain that they are truly sorry and ask for your forgiveness. Nothing you say will change their sentence or bring your daughter back. Do you forgive them?”

Yayama looked at the ground. “As much as I would want to strike them down. . . yes. I’ve seen firsthand -” [i]Secondhand, actually[/i] “- what holding onto grudges does to a person. We have to let the past be the past.”

“Alright, one more!” Meidra seemed excited. “Two clans have warred for generations. Your matriarch calls for a battle of champions to bring a final end to the bloodshed, and you are chosen to fight. Your opponent is the eldest but weakest son of your enemy. He offers you no threat, and you best him easily, but you must slay him to end the war. Do you spare the scion of your family foe or kill him to end the war?”
She paused to think, but only briefly. “I spare him. If I killed him, it would only lay the foundation for a future, bloodier war, but showing compassion might mend the gap between the two clans for good.” Yayama nodded again, satisfied with her own response.

The reply intrigued her interviewer. “You’d be surprised how little I hear that choice!” Meidra clapped her hands together, delighted by her new friend’s participation. “Very well, sweet beast, you’ve chosen your path!” As her ethereal body shone, the glow of the weeping willow fronds seemed to swell as well, with some sort of vital energy flowing out from the tree and toward Yayama. It felt oddly soothing, fortifying, like a solitary soak in a natural-formed hot spring. “Your heart is true,” Meidra reported. “May the power of the Doe’s eye free you from your incarnate shackles.”

[center][hider=New Skill][b]Barkskin[/b]
Reduces all incoming damage by 1% * Yayama’s level. Slightly increases her natural affinity for animals and plants, making it less likely to be considered a threat, and making her more comfortable in natural environments, slightly increasing healing and MP regeneration speed[/hider][/center]

She wasn’t sure how to feel about that precise benediction - it sounded a bit like the kind of thing a certain shadowy organization of ancients might endorse - but Yayama elected to take it at face value. As far as she could tell, the spirit was harmless, and even helpful, judging by her newfound sense of vitality. “Thank you, Meidra.” She offered her an approximation of a curtsy (the gesture wasn’t really made for plate) in gratitude. “Was there anything else I could help you with?”

“Oh, you’ve done plenty!” The playful spirit turned and floated upside-down. “Go out into the world, experience new things, and make difficult decisions!”

She let out a small laugh. “That much, I can do.” Yayama turned back the way she’d come with a short wave of farewell. “Farewell, then.”