How did I get here? <open>

[Gwendolyn Zoi]

It had been a few days since her adventure in the forest. After making a new friend, at least that was what she hoped she had done, she had made her way back to the little cottage she stayed in. Closing the door behind her, she would look about the cottage, there really was nothing that was holding her here anymore. Why did she stay? Was she holding out hope that Camthalion was going to walk through the door and everything would just fall back to how it used to be. It had been years, and she had stayed, for no reason it would seem for that was no longer what she wished for, she wanted to get out, explore more, make friends.

Deciding she wanted to check out this Tel'Ranaemyn place that her friend had mentioned. Now that she had decided that there was not a point in staying in the cottage any longer, she went to the closet to grab out a single bag. She had not needed a lot living in the small village, nor had she accumulated many things. Setting the bag upon the bed, she would move to the dresser, and begin pulling out her clothing, folding each item neatly and setting it gently into the bag. Next she would move to the closet, she had a few dresses that she wouldn't want to leave behind, and those two were pulled out of the closet, the hangers removed and placed gently into the bag. She was not thinking about the journey and the wrinkles it would press into the clothing. Moving about the cottage, she would make sure that any trinkets or trifles would be packed, leaving the cottage back to how it was before she came to stay.

Slim fingers would lift the bags strap up and onto a delicate shoulder, as hazel eyes would look around the room, deciding she had everything, the other two rooms would get a quick look over, before she would step outside, slightly pointed ears twitching a bit. Pulling the door closed behind her, and using the key to lock it up, debating what to do with the key. As fate would have it the woman who brought her fresh food was walking towards her. Of course, she would of never met this woman if Cam wouldn't of introduced them. But that meant that he trusted this woman or he had, she was rather unsure of what way that went anymore. Once the lady reached her, a smile would form over her lips. "Hello! I was going to stop by the farm to see you."

The woman would look Gwendolyn over before speaking. "Are you leaving us?" Her hands would move up to her hips, as she awaited the young girls answer.

A nod would be given, though she did look a bit regretful, for she just realized how much she was going to miss these people, and the games she played with the farmers children. "It is time for me to move on. I can't just sit here in this cottage anymore."

The woman would nod hearing her words, almost a clucking coming out of her mouth. "It's about time! I was waiting for you to be leaving us! I didn't know how to tell you that Cam wasn't coming back, got married a year back. You just looked like a wounded bird for so long, and then it just slipped my mind." A huge smile broke over the older woman's face. "You take care of yourself girl, and don't you fret none about us!"

Smiling she looked to the woman, though she was a bit shocked that Cam had gotten married, though it just didn't seem so devastating to her as it might have before she planned to move on with her life. Moving her hand until the key dangles from her fingers. "Can you give this back to him? I do not have any use for it." Even if this place she was going off to did not work out, she knew she could not come back to the cottage. It was a crutch, a place to hide from the world, and that wasn't doing her any favors.

The farmers wife would give a bob of her head, "Of course dear." And then her beefy arms would wrap around Gwen in a warm hug. "If it doesn't work where ever you are going, you are always welcome at the farm. Now I ain't saying that you wouldn't have to work, but you'd have a roof over your head and food in that belly. I am betting we could fatten you up really good!"

A small laugh would escape, as the woman hugged her goodbye, though she was grateful for the offer. Filing that away in her mind though she did hope she wouldn't have to take her up on that. "Thank you for everything. I do hope that I do not have to take you up on your offer, perhaps once I get everything settled I will come and check on you and the kids."

Figuring all that needed to be said was done and said, she would begin her journey away from the only home she had known for quite a few years. Dressed in a pair of black leggings, with a emerald button up long sleeve shirt that hung just past her rear, the top two buttons unbuttoned. A pair of black sturdy boots were covering her feet. Her brown with light brown and blonde streaked hair was pulled back in a pony tail in the back of her head.

Moving towards the forest where she had met her new friend, she would move in the direction he had come from. She only hoped that she would not get lost in the forest for that would make the day a terrible one at that. Though she had never gotten lost in a forest before usually she could take clues from nature to make sure she went the right way. She would walk for what seemed like quite a long time, occasionally stopping and looking at a flower here or a leaf there, nature had such an appeal to her.

After what seemed like a very long time she would come across a clearing. Spotting buildings up ahead, she let out a small breath as she registered how much further she would have to go, until she reached her destination. Pausing just a moment before continuing on her journey. Once the buildings were closer, she would begin to look around, a look of awe and wonder upon delicate features. Not realizing that she had wandered into a garden, she would pause, unsure of what way to go next.

[Vesta Voui]

She didn't wander into any old garden, no sir, but the girl happened to wander into quiet a lovely garden filled with green trees that not only had leaves hanging from the branches, but a girl with multi-colored pastel shade hair and a squirrel. Amazing the things that grow on trees these days. First it was apples, oranges, pears, now females and squirrels. Next thing to happen is that the sky would darken and it would start raining men. Get out the umbrellas ladies!

However, that was for another time. Right now the only odd thing that would be hanging from the trees was the girl and the squirrel. The pair of them might not have been noticed at first being that they were partially hidden in the canopy of one of the larger trees. Nice and shady there and it was perfect for what they were trying to be which was . . ."Bats?"

Blink (that was the name of the squirrel) proved his namesake by giving Vesta a few blinks as his answer.

"No one, in their right mind, is going to believe that we're bats." No joke, this girl had her legs hooked around a branch and was hanging upside down, her hair -it wasn't terribly long - swayed back and forth while her bangles and dangles were a bang-dang-a-langing. Lucky for her she was wearing wearing checkered colored jeans with denim patches and so there was nothing to show her goods to the dismay of any around. Besides, it wasn't even the right time of day for bats?

"Okay, maybe you can trick them with all your fur and stuff but the closet thing I have to fur is my hair. And I'm talking about the hair on my head." Just to make that clear, never did know what people were thinking about these days. Never be to sure what she's thinking about some of the time.

Blink was blinking out his protest, throwing his arms in it too as if that would help to get his point across. "Okay, okay," Vesta put her hands behind her head, clenched her stomach muscels and began to swing back and forth. Upside down. Hey, what was that?

Through the canopy of the tree she saw someone, a female who was looking rather lost or maybe just confused. She would call out to her, maybe she would hear her, or maybe she would think that the trees were talking. "Don't know where to go? Great! I suggest you go to the left."

[Gwendolyn Zoi]

She was not the most observant of girls, at least, not at the moment. Her active mind had quite a work out, on the walk, that it seemed to be taking a bit of a break. A deep breath was taken as she stood looking around, still trying to figure out what way to go. Her slightly pointed ears did twitch a few times, as if she had heard something on the wind, but she just thought her mind was playing tricks with her. It would not be the first time she had heard voices that were not really there.

But then she heard the voice loud and clear this time, when it said '...I suggest you go left.' At first she did think that the trees were talking to her. But something about that did not sit right if the tree's were talking perhaps she had indeed took a wrong turn. Her head would tilt backwards, her hands lifting to frame around her forehead as she looked up in the trees. And low and behold she did spot the woman with the squirrel in the tree. Lips would move into a smile as she spoke. "Hello up there! What are you doing?" She was a tad curious. "What is to the left?"

Unsure of what was what around the place she thought that a map would of been quite handy. Instead she had to rely on those that she bumped into and hope that they knew what they were speaking of. Her right hand would slowly lower itself to adjust the strap to the bag, as the left stayed up to help keep the sun out of hazel eyes.

She had heard the old saying about not talking to strangers but what harm would a stranger in such a lovely place bring? And if she had never spoken to a stranger she would of never heard about this place to begin with!

Straightening her head, and letting the left hand fall to her side, she would turn her head to look to the left. Wondering where the girl in the tree was sending her too!

[Vesta Voui]

They were spotted! Damn the tree and it's lack of complete coverage, causing her to fail at her hide check. Though, she didn't help any by calling out like she did. Then there was the sun...its tattletale beams were always exposing something! "See that Blink? She doesn't think that we're bats at all." Of course she was talking to the hanging squirrel besides her.

The back and forth rocking motion did strange things to a person’s vision - especially if that person happened to be hanging upside down with the sun coming in and out. For Vesta, this meant that the girl she looked at was slightly blurry and with a yellow-white glow. Who knows, maybe she really did have a glow and the sun was showing her what was really there!

Now, what this person might have seen in regards to the swinging Vesta, well...that was always up for debate. Right now there were questions to answer and, with a big old Cheshire grin - one that would rival the Cheshire cat as he looked at Alice - she gave a response. "Well, if you go to the left, you're sure to come to the doors that let you into the Inn." Blink did his part by pointing in that direction. What a smart squirrel, he knew directions.

"But, you could go to the right. That would take you to doors that enter into the Inn as well." Again, Blink doing a wonderful job and pointing to that direction. Did she know what she was talking about? Of course she did! The garden of the Inn was in the middle with entrances to the main floor around the sides of it leading to different parts. The Bar, Lounge, one even lead to those rooms that were on the main level.

"So you see, doesn't really matter which way you go, as long as you start going you'll end up somewhere."

[Gwendolyn Zoi]

If the girl and the squirrel would of never spoken a word, or kept to themselves Gwendolyn would of never looked up into the tree! Okay so the squirrel did not exactly talk. Though she was glad that someone had seen her standing in the beautiful gardens that could give her a helping hand. Her left hand reached up and rubbed at the back of her neck for a brief moment. She heard something on the breeze again, and slightly pointed ears began to twitch, though she could not make out the voice or what was said.

The sun could indeed be what was producing the yellow-white glow or it could be the color of her aura at that very moment. Maybe Vesta saw something that others couldn't or did not see. Her head tilted back once more and that hand lifted up to shade her eyes. It would be at that time that the grin would form over the girl in the tree's lips. It would indeed bring to her minds eye a picture from the story of Alice and Wonderland, it happened to be one of the books that Camthalion had in the cottage she had been staying in. A girl had to do something with all that unused time and she had read quite a few books even if they had things she did not quite understand in them. Unsure weather she should trust such a grin without another moments thought she knew that she would.

And it was the Inn she wished to get to, for she really wished to have a place to set her bag down, and perhaps take a load off of her feet for a moment or five. As she was looking up she would give a nod of her head, when she was told to go lwft, and as the squirrel pointed to the left, she wanted to clap her hands with glee, though that response was held in check for now. And she had lowered her head back, and her hand dropped to her side once more, as she took a step to the right.

Pausing after that first step, at the sound of the voice from the tree lady once more, hearing her say right now. So she would look confused for a moment before she realized what she was saying! "Thank you so much!!" She felt herself smiling up to the lady of the tree, "I appreciate the help! I hope I can repay you sometime." She would begin to move towards the inn, going towards the left careful to not step on anything on her way. She could only hope that everyone was as helpful as her forest friend and the lady of the tree.

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