Neverwinter Forest holding on to forever

The plan had been poorly thought out. Hearing about Lily's death from the boy had been a shock, and spurred Ibis in to action - so she'd given word to @Okeanos and headed back home for a visit. The path she took wound around the mountains and took much longer than she intended; Ibis grew lethargic as her grief took hold, lengthening the trip. When she finally arrived in one of the surrounding territories - able to see the familiar sweep of the willows, smell the floral air, she knew she couldn't go home. It was the same feeling one might experience when visiting an old school house. It was familiar, but it was also different.

Smaller.

Older.

When Ibis realized she could not imagine Elysium without the beautiful presence of Lily, she knew she had to turn back. A part of her yearned to see Seabreeze again and burrow against her mother, or commiserate with Olive, but... The last thing Ibis wanted to do was dredge up those sorrows for her beloved family. In all the time it took for her to make her way to the fringes of Elysium it was possible they had mourned and moved on - it would be unfair to pull them back in merely to satisfy Ibis' own hurts.

So, she took a few days to rest and to watch the familiar ridge leading towards Elysium; she didn't make her presence known, and when she felt ready, she turned around and left.

The return trip wasn't much easier for the girl. She knew her way. It was surprising how familiar the route felt despite her initial detachment, but she made better time than she expected. The mountains were forgiving. The smell of the distant sea clued Ibis in to the nearness of Mal's forest, and she felt her heart swell with self pride for not getting lost. As the forest came in to view before her she let out a deep sigh and began to scour the outer limits for her beloved brother, eager for a reunion and some affection to distract her from the weight in her heart.