Connection Complete [Caroline]

Okay now that held a bit of truth. Though Lelianna had a feeling the forest might actually agreed with her for once. Maybe. Maybe that was just wishful thinking. Honestly it was hard to tell.

What wasn't hard to tell was how bashful yet happy she was to hear she was apparently a good friend. No not good- the best friend to have. Now the hermit didn't really know too much about that, but a few more embarrassed blooms popped up in her hair. But she couldn't really respond to that. There were other topics to address. One she was happy Caroline found her fitting enough to talk with about. As the cyborg gave her a little squeeze, Lelianna gave one back. Then she settled in and prepared herself to listen once again.

So let's take it from the top; government work. Caroline actually worked in some of he camps. Kept he peace, from the sounds of it. That was good, though Caroline's expression showed it wasn't all fun and games (not that the hermit really expected it to be).

When she got to the outbreaks, however, that's when things got dicey.

Lelianna herself felt tension re-enter her body. She definitely didn't have as much experience in the actual riots themselves, but still; there was a reason her parents weren't with her today. But this wasn't about her. This was about Caroline. Whom the redhead was still dutifully listening to even as her body reacted. She made it relax now and focus on holding Caroline while she talked.

Gods the fire sounded...awful. Far, far to similar to the dream one. Only this one had been real. this one had hurt Caroline. Who was breathing heavier now. Funny, the Druid didn't usually take note of the other woman's breath, but now she couldn't help it. She could notice the signs of rising panic. That and that been... a whimper? Barely audible but the hermit was right there. In this proximity it was hard not to hear everything. Either way Lelianna held Caroline close and tight as well. "It's ok: there's no fire." It was nearly inaudible itself but Lelianna felt like she ought to say something to possibly help her friend.

Whether it actually did anything or not.

So that was how Caroline looked like... Caroline. Some of the few flowers in her hair wilted a little from the description of her friend's pain. Lelianna could hardly imagine how badly that would feel, and she'd just had a dream involving fire. But to actually go through and experience it first hand... The Druid was perfectly happy to let Caroline lean on her. Meanwhile Lelianna could just hold her tight and warmly. Something was said about her mind, but that felt another personal story. Lelianna had already gotten this; she wasn't about to push. Especially not right now.

"That's.... so terrible Caroline, I-" Gods damn it, she just had to mention the head thing didn't she? Immediately that brought to mind images of their first encounter. You know, when she'd thought her bear friend had decapitated an innocent girl. Or when Stewart had dropped on her head and knocked it off. Yeah that topic still shut Lelianna up instantly. Thanks Caro. I hope you're happy.

When she recovered enough, she spoke again. "O-Oh, um, well... I-I..." Gods woman, pick up somewhere! "I-I'm glad you're here at least. I-I mean that I was able to meet you. It's... terrible what you went through Caroline. I'm...." Sorry? No, that didn't really seem fitting for this. That answer was too easy to give. This demanded something else. So the hermit just leaned into her friend and hugged her. With both arms. "... I'm just glad you're okay and you're safe now." Was all she could come up with. Lame, she knew, but she really was glad. Even with her friend reminding her about the head thing. "Thank you for... for telling me this though."

Yeah honestly intimacy be damned for this whole thing right now. Lelianna was too tired and too worried for her buddy to give much thought to the certain words of a certain feathery friend right now. Right now what she was thinking about was Caroline and making sure she was going to be ok. That was all that mattered.

Though gods only knew what might happen.

What Lelianna knew right then and there was that Caroline was returning her hug. The redhead shifted into it as best as she could so it wouldn't be so awkward. However short of sitting on the other woman's lap for hug positioning, this was probably the best they'd get.

She was relieved to hear her friend felt better now. Free now. Lighter now at least. Though she certainly felt a tad bashful hearing Caroline praise her so. Still, when Caroline rested her head into Lelianna's neck the hermit tilted her head towards her. In a gesture that was slightly reminiscent of a nuzzle. Her deer aspect may be surfacing a bit more at the moment than usual- the hermit didn't even think twice about the action. "I'm glad you're here too." The woman mumbled into purple locks, holding Caroline to her closely.

Though predictably she tensed a little on the fighting subject. It was a gut reaction she'd never quite lost. Caroline's light squeeze did wonders for her though. Again she relaxed, although in a slow gradual way to match the silent exhale leaving her. "I... do understand why they chose to fight. Why they choose to fight still. Really I do. I just... can't myself." It came out as an honest but barely audible whisper. One she chose not to dwell on for long. This was supposed to be about Caroline after all. "I'm grateful you're okay though. Really, I am." Otherwise where would her best friend be?

For a little while after that, Lelianna was fine sitting in silence just holding her friend. Though the air felt heavy from their topics. She personally wanted to chase those damn images away. So she made an offer: "Hey, would you want to go swimming or something? It's just... we've been talking about fire so much I was thinking it would be nice to... see the opposite right about now." That was an understatement. "I could show you one of the streams if you'd want. They're probably really nice right now." There was a grunt that drew her attention to a still wrapped up Skjorn. Suddenly she had an idea in her head. "Plus we could try to bath Skjorn. That's always a... Okay I'll admit you've basically got to wrestle him for it."

You know, Lelianna was still not quite used to receiving kisses. Mainly because the only one who'd used to do that- or the only two- weren't exactly around anymore. Though that meant it brought up good memories when Lelianna registered the feeling of lips on the side of her head. It was a comforting gesture as Caroline intended. One that made the redhead smile a little. Not only that but reciprocate the gesture with an affectionate nuzzle (because the deer aspect is strong with this one right now) and an appreciative kiss to Caroline's cheek.

"I know." She replied quietly. To be frank she really did. "That's why I can understand it. I really do. It's just... me, I guess." Lelianna had simply chosen differently. Neither was really right or wrong. At least she figured so. True she may be biased towards one side but, well, that was probably true for everyone. She'd chosen her path and she'd stick to it. Others would probably do the same.

The absence of contact registered fairly quickly. Guess she was getting used to being close with Caroline. Or at least right now she was. They'd definitely been more touchy-feely than usual. Or was this usual? Too much thought into that would make the magi's head hurt. Let's just go with usual for now. She must've just been more aware at the moment due to what they'd been talking about.

With a brilliant (still kinda tired though) smile the Magi nodded. "Great! Plus you'll finally get your rematch with Skjorn." She added in with a glance towards their furry companion. Had he been intentionally avoiding Caroline after that initial encounter? Oh only the gods knew. Though he was prone to pouting so Lelianna wouldn't have been surprised. Slipping out of her friend's embrace- simultaneously releasing Caroline from hers- he Magi got to her feet. She also waved a hand as the flowery tendrils holding Skjorn in place unraveled from the big guy. "Thank you." She whispered. In the whisp of mixed voices she thought she might have heard a response back to her. This was definitely going to take more practice, but she had all the time in the world to do that later. For now it was time to hang out with her other buddies.

"Well Skjorn; ready for round two? Cause you could definitely use a bath." The big bear, now free, Guenter at the hermit. Clearly he was not pleased with being trapped, and upon hearing the word bath his ears seemed to perk. He immediately slumped to the ground, like a toddler refusing to move from that spot. Which of course made the Magi roll her eyes and get behind the big beast. By pushing his rump she slowly started to move him forward. "Oh come on you big ruffled lug! You go in the water to fish anyways! How is this any different, huh?" She said, nearly falling to her face as Skjorn rolled. "You are such a cub!"

Now there was something to think about: a world without fighting. A nice idea for sure, and something to make the hermit smile a moment. Though she was well aware that kind of world was a little out of reach. For right now at least. Hey she could acknowledge reality but she could still have a little optimism, right? "Well we definitely couldn't go without bear wrangling." She joked with a laugh. Yeah she had her fair share of doing that due entirely to Skjorn's stubborn yet playful nature. But she loved the big lug, make no mistake about that.

Even when he was being a butthead like he was now.

Caroline soon joined Lelianna in pushing, and together (well okay mainly due to the cyborg being so dang strong) they managed to get Skjorn moving. Even though he was reluctant, he eventually did give in and start walking along. Lelianna took the lead then. Further and further they moved into the woods and the depths in her garden. Honestly the sheer size of it still never really registered with the hermit unless someone else commented on it. She'd lived here for so long it just felt like her garden- not some giant chunk of Arecia.

Eventually she caught the sound of running water and led Caroline and Skjorn along towards it. There were a few sections that were calmer than other areas of the streams/rivers, and that's what she was aiming for. After walking for a while she finally came to a part that as blessedly calm in relation to some of the other areas. It was essentially a large pool that had formed out of one part of the streams, making it a little less rough than others. Rocks and trees were here and there around and within the water itself. At the sight of the relatively clear liquid, the Magi felt herself relax somewhat.

Yeah this was exactly what she needed after that fiery nightmare.

"Here we are!" She announced happily, coming to stop by the shore. Already she was crouching down to undo her shoes. Heck yes she was getting in the water. She didn't even bother pulling up her pants or doing anything for the rest of her clothes: once her boots were off the redhead jumped right in with a splash. The water was refreshingly chill while she waded in a bit. Then she turned to Skjorn with a grin. "Alright big guy; get in here!"

The big grizzly took a look at the water, then the hermit, and promptly buffed. Lelianna rolled her eyes in response. Her hands went to her hips. "Skjorn! You big fuzzbutt! Get in here and take a bath! Gods know you need it." With something akin to a glower the grizzly regarded the hermit. Then granted her request.

By basically cannonballing right in front of Lelianna.

The hermit sputtered as the front of her got completely drenched in water, splattering all over her torso and face. "Ugh! Skjorn!!!" Protested the hermit as she took a few steps back and wiped the water from her eyes. Skjorn also seemed to laugh as he loped around the poor redhead like some big happy dog. Which meant she was getting even more drenched before the big bear simply tackled her into the water. The last thing Lelianna got out was "Wait Skjorn n-" before she suddenly submerged.

When she came back up she was gasping for air and partially hidden by the big bear's fur. "You jerk!" Lelianna said, splashing the fuzzy beast and squirming away from him in case he tried it again. "You are so gonna get it for that!" Oh yes indeed he would the fiend!

Arecia was full of beauty? Now there was a comment Lelianna could nod her head to. Not too enthusiastically; she was still feeling a little drowsy and dizzy from not really getting any sleep last night. Somehow she had a feeling that nodding really quickly was only going to make things worse (or even make her fall over, knowing her luck). The water helped though; nice and cool and refreshing.

Plus she was drenched in it thanks to Skjorn.

Fortunately Caroline was there to save the day! Lelianna registered the fact a big ball of fluff and muscle was pulled off of her. Meant she had to squirm less to escape his trapping weight. The redhead was just in time from wiping her eyes free of water to see Skjorn skid (or skip?) to a stop in the water a little far away. Ha! Now there was some sweet revenge! See how you like it fuzzbutt!

Skjorn stumbled back up to his feet and viciously shook the water out of her fur. Or at least out of the parts no longer submerged when he got back up. The big grizzly still wasn't used to being so easily manhandled (bearhandled?) around like that, and it probably showed. Still, there was no way he was going to go down without some kind of fight. He was a bear after all, and this was a challenge. So with a mighty roar he started charging back towards Caroline with the intent to pounce on her.

"Heads up big guy!"
However I doubt anyone was prepared for a Lelianna-sized missle to come out of nowhere and tackled the bear in the side.

Sure Lelianna wasn't as strong as Caroline, but she'd been wrestling with bears for years. You learned a few things. Like using your powers to gain an advantage in an otherwise unfair fight in terms of brawn. Which was exactly where she had done: grow out the plants near her to create something of a springboard to launch her towards the charging bear. Who she managed to actually knock over back into the water with her momentum and weight. The resulting splash was pretty big, though both figures ended up back under the water. Lelianna was the first to submerge, Skjorn next right under her as he stood. The redhead, though sputtering, laughed.

"Take that you big lug! Told you I'd get you back!" Skjorn only grunted in protest, yet kept going for his original target even with Lelianna on his back now: Caroline. Lelianna realized it about a beat later as the bear built up speed again. "Caroline heads up; grizzly your way!" The redhead warned, yelping as she nearly slid off. Wet bears were slippy!

Never underestimate what a hippie with plant powers can do. Especially when they were such a big dork as Lelianna.

As the bear charged forward not even Lelianna knew what to expect. Skjorn sure didn't. One moment Caroline was there, and the next she was gone. For a split second Lelianna was worried her friend had just gotten completely buried under gods-only-knew-how-many pounds of bear. But then the next second all of the sudden she and Skjorn were soaring through the air. And during the brief flight eh only thing to cross Lelianna's mind was: Oh wow that was actually really smart.

But then, you know, gravity and shit.

Lelianna and the bear came crashing back down to the water as gracefully as a cannonball. During the impact the hermit managed to get thrown off the big bear and off elsewhere in the pool. When she submerged gasping, she had to flip and move her hair out of the way so she could even see. But make no mistake the hermit was laughing heartily. "Holy cow Caroline! That was amazing!" The hermit praised with an ear to ear grin as water dropped down from her features. If even a speck of her had been dry before, it was sure soaked now.

Skjorn emerged soon enough, gasping for air and truly soaked through to the bone now too. Though he had the luck of being able to shake most of the water off. Though that meant it went flying everywhere before his fur stuck out like little spikes. It was actually hilarious to look at and Lelianna definitely laughed. "I think you met your match big guy!" The hermit teased, earning another grunt from Skjorn and a splash in the face from his big claws. Lelianna turned away sputtering, wiping her face. "Ack! Hey! Don't aim for my eyes you fuzznugget!" Luckily Skjorn was still interested in getting back at Caroline. So he did lope his way over to her in the water, but he didn't try charging her this time. No, one impromptu flight was enough. He was instead content on stopping a few feet from reaching her, rearing up to his full fuzzy height, and then basically belly flopping right before her to give the cyborg a big face full of water if she didn't turn away.

Lelianna, eyes now clear and watching the two, had to smile. Skjorn was actually playing with Caroline! Not aggressively attacking her, but actually playing! That was definitely an improvement from their previous encounters before. Though the hermit was not one to miss an opportunity. And those two were standing awfully close to each other...

Maybe she wasn't a water Magi, but there were other ways of moving water.

Like manipulating a large piece of earth to make a bowl, float it over her friends' heads, and then dump the contents unceremoniously onto the two of them. Yeah Lelianna was definitely laughing now.

Yeah Skjorn looked pretty darn pleased with himself for that one. At least he did until a spontaneous waterfall drenched both bear and purplette from above. In that moment while Lelianna laughed, there was a look in Skjorn's eyes that seemed to understand what Caroline was implying with her own look. With something akin to a tiny nod, he seemed to accept whatever plan she'd thought up. As she placed her hand on the big beast, he didn't try to shake her off or interrupt her.

Because let's be honest he was happy to see the hermit get blasted in the face with water.

Which she most certainly did. The sudden burst of high speed water going straight into her definitely caught the woman off guard. Plus sent her stumbling back into the water and disappearing beneath the frothy surface. Almost a second after that though, a large wall of stone shot up from the depths to create a barrier, while on the other side Lelianna surfaced and gasped for air. Oh those conniving jerks! Well ok the Druid had probably earned that double-team for what she'd done. Plus it meant they were getting along better so I mean it was probably a good thing, yeah? So despite getting the full brunt of that last attack, Lelianna found herself smiling.

"Yeah pretty much!" She called out past her protective barrier. Though then she paused a moment. "Well... I mean, pretty close at least. It varies." With that, Lelianna turned towards her rock wall. It had another purpose as well. Much like what Skjorn had just done. With a gesture and some focus, the stony barrier started to fall toward Caroline and Skjorn's side, kicking up a mighty wave as the large object fell into the waters and sunk to the bottom, leaving a grinning Magi standing there behind where it one had been. "But this one's definitely fun!"