The Sentinels fairy blue, it is only for you that i would crush the stars

for @Dalia but open to anyone with the mayfair-cairn group <3

she could have avoided the ruined forest. she could have passed it by, let this one piece of ruin slip from her grasp — just this one. but she does not. perhaps she is drawn to destruction because she was born to it, molded from it; and where it cannot be found, she creates it herself. maybe it's better to seek such things than bring them. maybe that's why she hasn't turned back yet.
light steps carry her carefully through the ruins, gaze searching; there's little to do but watch and think in a place like this. she's careful to keep her movements as silent and unintrusive as she can, wary of disturbing the spirits that must lurk under the ashen debris. she thinks she can feel them moving around her, if she focuses hard enough, but she's not entirely sure. she'd never had much of a gift for sensing things, and all those she might ask are dead now. rotting into the ground their ancestors had walked for generations. pfft. all their grand legacy and all their carefully-practiced magicks and prayers had not saved them from death, in the end — maybe she's best off putting their teachings out of her mind. the tribes had never given her anything but fuel for her shame and self-loathing anyway.

while another walks through, uncertain of the spirits and magicks that the forest holds, dalia does the same. but she does so confidently. 

dalia had never been taught of a magick before, and though ford might have mentioned it, she'd never put much thought into it. to the sweet pearl, this was just a charred forest-- holding much beneath it's surface than ash and dust. it was growing, slowly, one day it would be at it's former glory. ford claimed they would not be alive to see it, but dalia hoped one day her children would see it. or her grand-children. the forest was a sign of hope to dalia, somehow, so she walked through it quite proudly.

she spots the pale sylph not too far off. like herself, she is easy to spot amongst the dark forest. her seafoam eyes light up, tail waving. she'd not met anyone unkind in these parts just yet, naively, she assumed this conversation would be no different. 

"hello?" she called out, pale crown dipping to one side.

she hears, faintly, movement within the forest, yet dismisses it as ghosts of the terrible tragedy that had taken this place — until she hears someone call out. she freezes and turns slowly. but it's only another girl — a very pretty girl, pale with eyes two rather different shades of blue. her posture loosens immediately, relief washing over her; surely such a beautiful girl could not be a demon or a killer or — or someone from the tribe, sent to take her back.
hi, she takes a few steps closer, ears pulling forward slightly. okay, maybe it's a little weird that a girl as pretty as her is in an awful place like this. but that could mean anything, right? maybe she has some connection to the ruins. do you know what this place is?

the girl relaxed immediately, which only aided dalia's case that this was another friendly stranger. she asked about the forest, and dalia nodded. "this is the sentential forest," she replied calmly, taking a careful step towards the other girl, her paw raised to her chest as her nose stretched forward to sniff the other. her head returned to normal posture. "at least, it was." before it burned down. the assumption was there.

"my name is dalia," she introduced, offering the other girl a small, polite smile, her tail still waving slowly at her hocks.

the pretty girl is friendly, forthcoming — it's odd to ashari, but she doesn't bother to question it. she is a stranger to such extroversion herself, but soaks it up as eagerly as an addict fiending for the next fix. a smile graces her own features at the introduction. dalia, she repeats — what a pretty name! it's nice to meet you. i'm ashari — but, um, most people just call me ash. she pauses, glancing out to the forest again and then back to the girl; she still can't imagine why she would be in such a place. so, is the forest...  special, or something? to you?

ash. a soft giggle fell from dalia's lips, her ears pressing forwards and her head tilting in a girlish manner. something was funny, but not that funny. the ocean pearl sent a smile the other girls way, her tail wagging. "ash among the ash," she commented idly, like it was some brave comedic attempt. it was subpar, at best-- but dalia still wondered what velen or saucy might think of her comment.

and then ash gestured to the forest around them, and dalia's gaze circled around briefly as she took in her surroundings. and then it fell back upon the ashen-- oh we're just getting a kick out of this word-- girl before her. "oh, not really," she replied with a gentle flick of her ears back, "i live in the territory just north of this one, but i think this forest it nice. it has charm." which was true, dalia felt very strongly about this. something was in this forest that appealed to her.

dalia's comment draws a slightly bemused smile to her face; it's not really funny enough to laugh at, but it's... amusing, and maybe kind of cute. her response is less than satisfying, though — until she gets to the part about living nearby. she's immediately intrigued, ears perking a little as she considers the girl's words. north of here — by the ocean? she asks, not bothering to hide her interest. she can't be certain yet, but the thought of meeting wolves who might share her interest in the ocean isn't an unpleasant one, though it prickles at her in an odd way.

dalia nods. "yes! stavenger bay-- i'm following a man named ford, and his family," she shared willingly, her tail waving at the idea of the whole thing. oh -- she was so excited! she really did care for ford and his family-- and for saucy. this was going to be a wonderful thing, this whole pack, she was certain of it.

she hoped one day she could go home and tell her mother and father of all her adventures. they would be so proud-- she was sure of it-- to see that their daughter had grown into a real woman.