Hushed Willows borscht

by now teya understood the tight hierarchy of the empire. she herself was too shy to do more than flit at the edges of the vale, some wary wide-eyed butterfly who comprehended little and heard less. tighter and tighter teya locked herself away, until at last she finally set foot outside the borders.
for each path away from reiko's court, there were seven others: deer-trails, the rutmarks of sheep, mysterious moonlit corridors of white stone. and so she wandered, no less leery of all but her shadow.
"teya ishtar," the muted girlish thing whispered to herself, as a downpour forced her shrinking greypumpkin self into the lee of some rock face. it had only lessened, not ended, when she found herself spent of several hours, slipping slowly down muddied scree to collapse at the edge of wild willows where she panted for breath.

The signs of a storm had passed, the storm had never come. To the borders the fae queen went to spend another hour or two, simply to get her mind off things. Her coat was damp with dew, a feeling that had become familiar given her frequent swims nowadays. She felt her body becoming stronger, her muscles growing the more she trained her endurance. It wasn't enough to fight Donovan, but it was enough to get her there on his doorstep.

It was on her patrol she spotted the collapsed body of a girl, born from rust and stormclouds. The fae hurried to her side, looking her over quickly. Had the mutt struck down another victim of the realm? Goodness, what has happened to you? She asked if the girl was responsive, caring little for her presence so close to her forest. The court was a haven and retreat, after all, it would be foolish to send the needy away.

teya would have been content to sleep here, rest a soggy slumber while the cold dripped into her bones and she stiffened in her rest. it was not to be, however; fate took the form of a moon-licked figure. swirled with silver, armed with flower-fall eyes, the apparition transfixed teya.
the murmur that came forth did not frighten the girl. uncurling her legs from where they lay bent beneath her chest, the widewater eyes found some semblance of peace in the lunar shade. "tired," the lost soul whispered, struck by the absence of terror, touched by the aura of warmth that seemed to encircle the stranger like a halo.

Tired was the answer given, one she hadn't quite expected but could understand - she herself had been broken and beaten by the length of her travels not too long ago, she knew how it sucked out the life and spirit until you could finally close your eyes and rest for a moment... But on the border was no place to sleep - she ought to offer the girl something better than a patch of damp grass and nothing but the sky as a blanket.

The wind then carried a familiar scent to her, one that belonged to Reiko and her empire in the vale. She wondered if this was a messenger then, though surely she would've said so if she was. Do you hail from the Empire? I really ought to offer an ally something better than my border, no? — I can show you to our dens if you want.

teya, as usual, only plucked a single word from those offered. yet her own lexicon had grown somewhat, and so shyly she nodded. "empire." that was her home, and she adored reiko from a distance.
but it was also silent, tense, uncomfortable beneath the beautiful elven mists. teya did not know how to fit the awkward piece of herself into the edges of the empire already polished.
a blink. the sylph seemed to be extending a grace. "rain," the little sprite remarked, glancing into the wet darkness and then her own soaked form. "teya come" came her addition, as finally she straightened into the bedraggled rawboned aspect of her standing self.

Not a very good messenger, the fae thought rudely, if she was one. But the thought was easily forgotten about and would probably never be spoken again, let alone cross her mind for a second time. The girl confirmed her suspicions, but they weren't of many words. It was as if Caw had suddenly forgotten half his vocabulary of which he already had so little, speaking now only in solo or duo words.

She watched the strange girl motion, referring apparently to the rain. The fae nodded, unsure of what to do with such a comment. Yes, it was raining, it was part of why she'd offered a place inside their forest instead of the borders. Oh well, it was no worry of hers - and she didn't mind hearing herself talk more so than the stranger. I'm Lumiya, queen of the faes that live in this forest. What may I call you?

LOL

teya was a poor messenger indeed, seemingly slow despite her own swift internal workings. lumiya. a title. a fitting name for the queen of faes. 
the shy little creature did not know what a fae was, but she did gather the clue that this woodland of hanging leaves was their residence. "teya ishtar," she offered, tail swaying a single time behind her thin hips. "lumiya. queen." she would follow.

Teya. She repeated. It's nice to meet you. She turned then, towards the forest where only the bravest little rain droplets could find their way through the domes of leafs and branches the willows created. Is there someplace you'd prefer to rest and sleep? Our dens and caves are the driest - we don't want you catching a cold after all. She asked and told rather casually as she slowly padded towards the more sheltered parts of Hushed Willows. She had asked Cassidy the same when he had first entered the faerie's domain - and he had chosen a rather unusual spot behind the waterfall.

teya blinked as the swaying leaves seemed to gently feather the rain from her coat. breathlessly she followed after lumiya, wondering if it was some magick that followed the fae-queen. while the empire remained burned into her mind as a palace of mysteries wreathed in mist.
here she felt her skin light with some unknown glimmering; her own flesh seemed to light, and she swallowed as lumiya addressed her. the suggestion was that she stay, which teya wished to question but did not. sleep. her eyes hunted around the willow-wood for a proper place, and she spied a patch of grass beneath one of the beautiful trees. "there," came her shy voice; it was secluded off their path but not so distant that she would not see the courtiers who called this place their home.

The fae was used to more chatty company, but the pitter patter of the rain was soothing and allowed for no awkward silences. The woods were quieter than usual - Lumi believed it was because of the rain and everyone seeking shelter for the time being. She didn't mind a wet coat though, nor the chill down her spine. One day she'd catch herself a cold and regret it.

The girl spoke up then, having found a place to sleep. Though she'd be happy to allow the semi-stranger into their den site, perhaps it was more comfortable for Teya to stay a little bit aways from it. Not everyone was as friendly with strangers as their benevolent queen, and she'd hate to cause the girl trouble or discomfort by insisting. Alright - would you like me to fetch anything for you? Some water, dry moss - we have some leftovers too if you're hungry. She offered. But, may I ask, what brought you here in the first place? That was what she was most curious about.

lumiya continued to be effortlessly gracious. in her warm regard, teya found an acceptance she had not yet felt within the beautiful expanse of the empire. she shook her head to the offer posed by the fae, tail swishing shyly. the widewater eyes, however, had somehow stilled in their worry; peace stole quietly and unexpectedly into teya.
she cocked her head, blinking against the rain as lumiya inquired as to her decision to be there this hour.
the ishtar could never know, only that the paleness of one eye and the lavender of another loosened some threat in her throat.
"wanted to leave empire," she whispered, ears ducking back. "storm. slipped, found here."
teya wet her lips, looked warily at lumiya. "want to stay. please."

Her ears perked upon the explanation. Wanting the leave the empire... but why? She couldn't imagine anyone wanting to leave that place, nor her own forest. She felt empathetic when the girl went on to explain how she'd found her way to the court - she was lucky not to have gotten hurt badly. The mountains were dangerous, especially when the rocks got all wet and slippery. Loinnir had had an accident there too, before the owl and his little rescuer had met.

You may stay as long as you want. She offered with a smile. There wasn't a rank for visitors and souls for nothing, after all; it would go against everything she believed in to turn Teya away.

relief welled in the girl, blood from a pinprick she did not know she had been carrying. "thank you," she whispered, tail flickering at her heels and a rare affection in her gaze when she turned it back to lumiya. the peace in the court set the girl at ease, and she scuttled into the little corner she had chosen for herself and curled there.
though lumiya had not yet taken her leave, teya felt tiredness blossom over her, and blinked slowly. gratitude continued to shimmer from her, but if the faerie queen had aught else to say, the girl would allow herself to seek slumber.