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.

YELLS

ibis is back -- he smells her before he sees her, that familiar, sea-salt and soft grass scent amongst the trees, and barrels in that direction immediately. "ibis!" okeanos cries, relieved and overjoyed. he knew she'd come back to him eventually, but that did not lessen the pain of her absence. it is hard to be one of two slowly orbiting in a big lonely forest, though he cares for mal deeply, more than would be honorable to admit.

he comes to her and wraps her in his warm fur best as he can, burying his face, briefly, against her neck to reassure himself she is well and present. "i missed you," he admits, pulling back, "but -- how was it? how are our moms doing with everything?" part of him still feels guilty for not going along to check in; elysium remains too sore a spot for him right now, though he does miss his mothers and his baby siblings. soon, some day, when everything is not so fresh and raw.

He comes bursting from the heart of the forest, aiming his thunderous voice in her direction. Ibis cannot help the smile that fills her face; the crease at the corner of her eyes, the warmth in her cheeks. For a moment she forgets her worries and closes the gap between them. The familiar scent of her brother fills the air and she burrows against his plush, dark coat. I missed you.

When Okeanos brings up the topic of home Ibis falters for a second. She doesn't want to admit that she'd lost the nerve to visit, and that the trip had been mostly in vain. But she also doesn't want to lie, and teeters on the edge of indecision. Her smile falters for a second and she feels flush, but tries to meet expectations as best she can without deceit.

It felt... Weird to go home, she admits slowly.

Everything seemed so small. I missed you too - and Mal, and the forest. How are things? Maybe if she can redirect the conversation to Neverwinter and the home they are all trying to build, things will be easier.

guilessly he accepts her answer, having no reason to suspect otherwise. "i hope you told them hi for me," he says, teasing a little, to try and win back her smile. when she redirects, his eyes flash guiltily and lower. ah, yes, things with mal. "ah, um. i told him about his dad," okeanos admits, "and i kind of wish--i don't know. do you think i shouldn't have?" he asks earnestly, watching for her reaction. since their conversation, things have been... awkward, at least. he can't help but feel he set them back.

"and cam's gone, too... we need to try and find more wolves, if we want to be able to stay like this," he adds gloomily, the residual cheer at ibis' return fading from his expression. no, things have not been great, though he hopes his sister's reappearance will help perk both of them back up.

She avoided his eyes and pressed in for a hug again, fighting the urge to come clean - no, I didn't say hi for you, or for me, or for anyone! I'm terrible and you should hate me for it! - but then froze when her brother went on to explain some things. Noteably, Mal's father; she couldn't remember who that was, and hadn't made any connection to Ariel, since that sounded like a girl's name and - well - Ibis was pretty vapid to begin with, although it wasn't a purposefully malicious ignorance. When Okeanos came to the subject of Cam being missing, Ibis withdrew her affection and gasped in shock.

What do you mean he's gone? Weren't you watching him? Her voice went a little shrill; having lost someone important like Lily would take time for Ibis to handle, and to be set upon by similar feelings of absence, loss, confusing sorrow, all for the child she'd tried to rescue - well, she was a mess. A reactive, emotional mess. The girl went tight-lipped after that, almost brooding, her face creasing in a frown.

rather than answer his question about mal, she latches onto cam's absence. he winces away from her shrill tone; he hadn't thought she'd be so upset by the news. cam is young, sure, but not so young he can't fend for himself, right?

sheepishly he tries to explain. "not closely," he says, "he's -- you know, i don't think he wanted a keeper, or anything." and also i was busy, um, mostly playing at flirting with pretty silver-furred girls and trying to figure out what to do about mal, he adds quietly. his face pinches in concern at her expression, reaching out to try and press a reassuring touch to her cheek. "it wasn't my place to interfere with him," okeanos says softly, "if he didn't want to stay, i couldn't have been the one to make him."

She knew it was wrong to raise her voice almost as soon as she'd done it, but Ibis was a creature of emotions and she couldn't always contain herself. The look on his face pained her more than anything, knowing she'd caused some discomfort with her commentary; and on some level she knew Okeanos was right, the boy wasn't their concern and he was fully capable of caring for himself. It didn't feel right to her though, especially in knowing that Cam was from Elysium and the child of one of their mentors. She ached in thinking about it, and with a deep breath tried to steady herself before she said something more.

The girl nodded, taking a few seconds to breathe and try to relax. It would suit her better in thinking Cam was older and more capable than he was, although in her mind he was a sorrowful child that needed a big sister - or an adult, or home, and she could relate to all of that. At least she had Okeanos; who did Cam have, now?

I know, you're right... You're right. I'm sorry for yelling. Her ears twisted like little horns from either side of her head as Ibis looked down at the dirt, feeling sheepish in her own right, before reaching to groom at her brother's shoulder. I guess I thought he would stay with us, and... I don't like losing people.

his expression pulls tight in sympathy. he doesn't know if he's right, but ibis' trust -- her unwavering faith -- is an incredibly sacred gift to him. "you don't have to apologise," okeanos tells her quietly, returning her affection with tender ministrations of her own. it only makes sense, and ibis is so sweet, so sensitive. "i know," he says, "i don't think you're wrong for worrying." he sighs, pulling back a little to regard her fondly. 

"maybe we'll find him again some day," he offers, drawing, as always, on olive and seabreeze, their strength found in patience and the assurance of fate, binding them all together. "and if nothing else, we helped him--i'm sure whatever happens is what's meant to happen." (this is as much for him as for her: holding onto what's meant to be, will be also eases the grief of lily and ariel's loss, okeanos' own guilt over staying far away from elysium...)

Ibis felt like she could understand her parents now, at least a little bit. She wasn't a mother herself (and hadn't thought about becoming one beyond the game of it, as a child) so her own experience was limited to being a sitter for the kids of the Hollow, and now this. But she felt it still, this gut-twisting sensation that she'd missed out on something, that she wasn't living up to the standards of her own mothers - of their mothers, she thought swiftly. Her mind was a jumble of things all at once; but Okeanos spoke plainly and gave her something to focus on. It wasn't her duty to look out for Cam. He was his own person, and he would be fine. She had to have faith in that.

Whatever happens is what's meant to happen. It sounded good enough for her. 

She sighs, presses against her brother one last moment, and then draws back from him. Do you think we made the right choice? Ibis asks, veering the conversation sharply away from one subject and on to another. You leaving Elysium, collecting me from the Hollow - do you think...? Maybe I should've stayed there with dad. Oh, but she had made such a mess of that! Plus now, she had Okeanos back with her. Another sigh pulls from her and she shakes her head - Nevermind, I don't know what I'm talking about, I'm... I think I'm just tired. Too much loss in so few days would do that.

They lingered together a bit longer, but then began to mosey, and quietly resumed a patrol of the area. Soon enough though Ibis was too tired to continue even that, and went off on her own for a little nap.