b e y o n d `` BOUNDARIES

[NINA DAYIZ ABRAS]

[atrb=style,border: 2px solid #000000;][bg=C4C4C4][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,450,true][atrb=width,20%][atrb=vAlign,top][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,3,true][atrb=background, i56.tinypic.com/dfg9ja.jpg] And who do you think you are runnin' round leaving scars Collecting your jar of hearts words 3 7 5 tagged open muse shitty comments this post is ew. sorry. After a fairly long day of training, the young elf had found herself walking out of the depths of the forest, twoards the fringes of the trees where it was no longer considered to be part of the forest anymore. Her mind was elsewhere, and she hadn't realized where she was going until she suddenly stopped and looked at the ray of light that broke through the trees. Stopping, Nina glanced up at one of them, eying the rough bark and the branches before she sheathed her sword and jumped on the the one closest to her, pulling herself up and on to her new seat. Craning her neck, she peered at the ground where her bag was, before reaching up and pulling herself up another level, then another- scaling the tree until she was high enough to still see her bag, but now there was a break in the trees of the enchanted forest- pulling back the curtains of leaves to reveal the nice sunset in the horizon. She really loved her home, as an elf whose people had never really left the comforts of their homes unless their land was being attacked, she always found all kinds of comfort in the forest and its harmless inhabitants. It was the line that divided the boundaries of her world and the world just outside of it- the war that was taking place as she sat back and watched. While inside this special place, she felt safe, at ease. For a moment, she could understand why they wouldn't want to fight, she wouldn't have liked to leave Aherdaur to fight a war that felt like it was going on forever. She wouldn't have wanted to leave her home when it felt like neither sides were gaining grounds. Pursing her lips pensively, she ran her fingers across the uneven surface of the tree, her bright blue eyes resting on the warm horizon. Taking a deep breath, she shifted in her seat and leaned against it for support, pulling on leg up for balance as she watched the sunset quietly. There was nothing for her to do as of the moment- and so she figured maybe some time to herself would be nice. ... Or company, whatever happens, happens.

template by synchronicity of OTE

[liluth]

And through the rising and falling apart, We discover who we are

Five days. That was all the time it took for Liluth to make her way back to the fringes of the forest she called her home. It had taken her a little over a week to get to the Black Forest, but then she had dragged her feat and let herself stray from any path she might have been taking. The journey back had been full of long days, pressing well into twilight, until she could see the stars, before she stopped to rest. Now, as she came to the fringes of her familiar, warm, and most importantly green woods, she slowed to a walk, letting herself take time to see the beauty of the forest at sunset.

Her fingers brushed the trees, “I'm back, my lovelies, Liluth is home, home at last.” she gave a small laugh, brushing her dirty matted hair out of her face. “Can you recognize this dirty face? Dirt and grime everywhere.” She paused in her greetings, seeing ahead of her a bag on the ground. She went to it, crouching down to look at it, but not touching it with her filthy little fingers. A slow grin spread across her face as she recognized it. “Nina~” she whispered, looking up the tree. And sure enough, her friend was sitting high in the tree, watching the sunset.

Tired though she was, Liluth pulled herself up and started climbing, wincing at the feel of the bark against her blistered feet. The travel had been hard on them. But she pressed on until she was on a branch right next to Nina, and there she sat with a smile, and a contented sigh. “Nina~ it's been ages, hello hello.” she leaned against the tree trunk, closing her eyes for a little while. “The war still going? Thought I saw soldiers out and about, but I don't know. So hard to tell, since I've never seen them before. What do human soldiers look like?” she opened her eyes to give Nina a look filled with curiosity, and, for the first time, a bit of caution as well. It was something that had never really been in her before. The Black Forest had changed her.

NINA, 371, DIRTY ELF CLOTHES, <3

[NINA DAYIZ ABRAS]

[atrb=style,border: 2px solid #000000;][bg=C4C4C4][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,450,true][atrb=width,20%][atrb=vAlign,top][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,3,true][atrb=background, i56.tinypic.com/dfg9ja.jpg] And who do you think you are runnin' round leaving scars Collecting your jar of hearts words 3 3 7 tagged liluth muse shitty comments ._. The soft shuffle below caused Nina to look down, and to her surprise, she found Liluth, her face muddy and her clothing dirty and torn, climbing her way up the tree to join her. Nina blinked in alarm and straightened, scooting closer to the trunk of the tree to allow some room for her friend to join. She hadn't seen the younger elf anywhere lately, and at first she had figured it was with her sister- they were always prone to being together and such- but in the last day the thought fluttered across her mind about her friend's whereabouts. She was silent as she listened to the other elf talk, the corners of her lips pulled into a frown, her features wrinkling in confusing. Since when did she seem to care about what happened to the world outside? Elves always kept to themselves, until lately. But Liluth was different, she never seem to care about anything but her forest and her life- no politics, nothing. With slow words, the blond elf finally replied, her voice just as cautious as the other elf's. 'A human? They usually aren't as graceful then we are... but they have a lot of energy, and they can be very strong in spirit,' she murmured, peering curiously back at her friend. She had traveled outside of the castle before, so she would know- but it was hard to explain what a human was like. She was never really good at it. 'Why is it that you ask?' she questioned. Then, then she blinked and suspicious settled into her head. 'Where have you been for the last few weeks?' she questioned, feeling a little worried. 'Where have you gone?' Nina couldn't accuse her of anything, but it wasn't all that hard to put two and two together, she was gone, returned, and started to wonder about life outside of the forest. It wasn't something that occurred over sleep, would it? 'Are you well? What has happened?' she questioned.

template by synchronicity of OTE

[liluth]

And through the rising and falling apart, We discover who we are

“Not just a human, a soldier. I think I saw one on my way back from-” Liluth bit off the rest of her reply, not sure if she should tell the older woman about just where she had been for the past few weeks. “I was just wondering what they looked like, in case one comes into the forest, I can tell them apart from a normal human.” she tried to smile and not let the guilt she felt spread across her face, but it was evident she failed as Nina began to question her more sternly.

She sat biting her lip until Nina had been silent for a while, trying to think of how exactly to tell her tale. With a sigh, she finally began, her voice hesitant and soft as she broke the silence between them. “Well, I went on an... adventure.” She didn't dare look at Nina as she spoke, instead watching leaves flutter around in the light evening breeze. “I traveled, well, a ways away. To another forest. It wasn't as pretty as ours, rather mean, in fact, so I came back, in a hurry.” It was a much edited version of the actual events, omitting most of the important details, like which forest it was she had visited, or what about it was so scary. She gave three sentences for a journey of weeks. It was painfully obvious to her that there was more of a story as to why she looked so unkempt and what she did. She wished she had sights or places to mention, but none came to mind when she was speaking, other than the Black Forest, and the face of death, Savan. But she couldn't tell Nina about that encounter, if only because she was already planning on going back, only properly prepared. The Black Forest itself would be mentioned, though Nina would have to pry it out of her. She nodded to herself, resolute in her plan of what details to give the woman she knew would freak out on her, and rightfully so.

NINA, 349, DIRTY ELF CLOTHES, <3

[NINA DAYIZ ABRAS]

[atrb=style,border: 2px solid #000000;][bg=C4C4C4][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,450,true][atrb=width,20%][atrb=vAlign,top][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,3,true][atrb=background, i56.tinypic.com/dfg9ja.jpg] And who do you think you are runnin' round leaving scars Collecting your jar of hearts words 415 tagged liluth muse shitty comments ._. Nina frowned slightly. 'It's easy to tell a guard apart, they often wear uniforms- however some soliders look like any human, dressed like famers and tradesmen,' he started slowly, pulling her lips into a slight frown. Lately, no one was taking chances, never going outside weaponless, often keeping children inside as much as possible. It was the truth, scary as it was, Nina didn't think that there was any way to tell a soilder from an innocent family just trying to get by. She crossed her arms lightly and watched the sunset before inspecting the curiously questionable look that was fluttering across the younger elf's face. Nina wasn't going to buy it- that look was too transparent, she wasn't a very good liar, but that wasn't really Nina's point of concern, she wondered what was it that she had done that would make her believe that she should lie rather then tell the truth. She sighed at the latter as she started to explain herself, in a painfully vague way. 'Liluth, where did you go? What did you see? What had happened?' she pressed, leaning a little closer to the dirty elf. 'If it's scary- you could have been killed!' she lectured, not amused by the words shew as hearing. At least she came back alive, better then not at all. 'Tell me- where did you go? We can keep this between us if you like...' she paused before shaking her head. 'I just don't want you to get hurt- you're like a younger sister that I never got to have,' she admitted. She was the only child, and lately she never got to see her parents, which is why she tried to make as many friends as possible, to fill up her time so guilt wouldn't consume her when she thought about it. She was just busy lately. 'You're not going to go back, are you?' she questioned suddenly- it was the way she looked that the question bubbled to her lips without her realizing. She looked so guilty, almost like the look that a child gives their mother before running off and making the same mistake again. The other elf was young, younger then Nina was, and young elves sometimes never held the same tradition that the elders did- they never upheld the same belief anymore, always seeking changes until they became old and realized why traditions were so valuable, passed down from the generations before them.

template by synchronicity of OTE

[liluth]

And through the rising and falling apart, We discover who we are

Liluth brought her legs up, hugging them to her chest as she curled against the tree. Nina was the only person she'd really call a friend other than her sister, and she was like an older sister. She had to think carefully of what she was going to say to her, of how she was going to word things. She couldn't tell her all of it, Savan would have to be left out somehow. She really didn't know what to say yet, and her hands busied themselves picking at the loose threads along the hem of her skirt.

“I-I went... far away. Farther than I planned, really. I... It was the Black Forest, Nina.” the confession spoken, her eyes darted briefly to Nina before she buried her face in her knees. “I.. ran into something there. I thought I was going to die. So I ran and I ran and I ran, and somehow I made it out alive. And I made it home safe too, hiding in ditches, things like that.” She kept herself folded up, as if locking in her secrets, keeping the words safe inside her chest as they built up. “Please don't tell anyone. Mother would be angry and Lailah... I don't know what she'd do if she knew, and I want to tell her myself.” She was grateful Nina had offered to keep it a secret. She wanted to tell her sister what had happened herself. More details would be added to her story when she told it then, but now it had to stay as it was, bare bones, the minimum she felt she could say as truth.

She cringed visibly at the next question, she should have expected it. She had been, constantly, ever since his farewell. “I don't know, Nina... It frightens me, I nearly died, and I'm just a child... Barely a woman even by human standards...” her voice trailed off, the words not matching the tone she said it with. She didn't have the same conviction as she spoke and she knew then that her conflicted thoughts were conflicted no more. She would go back, and nothing short of chaining her to a tree would stop her, even if she wasn't going back now, in a month, in a year, in a decade or century, sometime she would go back to see her death once more and look into his dead eyes and smile as she welcomed his cold embrace. “I, I think I'll go back, though, Nina... Someone made a promise to me, to wait for me, and... I wouldn't have them wait forever.”

NINA, 440, DIRTY ELF CLOTHES, <3

[NINA DAYIZ ABRAS]

[atrb=style,border: 2px solid #000000;][bg=C4C4C4][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,450,true][atrb=width,20%][atrb=vAlign,top][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,3,true][atrb=background, i56.tinypic.com/dfg9ja.jpg] And who do you think you are runnin' round leaving scars Collecting your jar of hearts words 368 tagged liluth muse very shitty comments ._. Nina watched the girl through blue eyes, arching a thin brow as she saw the young elf stall for time as she tried to think of the right words to say. And Nina, naturally, wondered the worst, she hoped that Liluth didn't get herself in trouble, she hoped that she didn't do something wrong that could put her life and her family in danger, or force her into things that she wouldn't want to do. She pressed her lips together lightly, her eyes dotting with a mixture of worry and strained anticipation. SHe let out a gasp at the thought of where the young elf have ventured. The Black Forest! It was an awful place, soldiers and small armies were known to enter the forest and never return. The place wasn't an ideal place for any elf- warrior or not, experienced or not, old or not.'Why did you go to the forest?' she exclaimed, her eyes widening with curiosity and horror, but she didn't judge her for her actions, just surprised that she would do such a thing. She shuddered absently at the thought of what Liluth could have seen from the walk inside. She let out a sigh at the request, knowing fully well that she couldn't break a promise, but she didn't want Liluth to keep that information inside. Her eyes dimmed at the thought, but she finally nodded. 'I will not tell them, but you should,' she said finally, her voice thoughtful. 'And be careful, okay?' she insisted, worried about how her sister would take it. From afar, Nina did notice that Lailah wasn't the same as she always was, but it wasn't her buisness to interfere. She recoiled slightly. 'Liluth, you are young, but sometimes age doesn't determine how wise one is, sometimes it is determined by the experiences one has gone through and the actions they took to take care of it. She pursed her lips, her eyes softening slightly as she matched the girl's position. 'And you don't have to go back, you know the dangers in the forest, and what makes you smart is that you make the right decisions,' she coaxed, worried about her well-being.

template by synchronicity of OTE

[liluth]

And through the rising and falling apart, We discover who we are

Liluth gave a grateful nod, “Yes, I will tell them. I can't not tell Lailah, like I couldn't not tell Nina.” She gave a grateful smile, glad to know even though they hadn't been friends for long, she could trust her. “Always careful..” she murmured, though she wondered if it were true now, now she had plans to go back to meet her death. She was surprised at Nina's reaction, no harsh words, no asking promises not to return, no calling her stupid, or anything like that. Just a look Liluth would have sworn was morbid curiosity.

But unlike in herself, where it made her take a few more dangerous steps, Nina was older, or wiser, or a combination of both. Liluth could see it in her face, she backed away from that curiosity, she didn't run to it with open arms. “If wisdom comes with experiences, I could be wise, but I don't think I am, not yet. Not like you.” there was an almost sad tone to her voice, she was speaking of a choice she wouldn't live out for who knows how long, yet it was so solid in her mind, she couldn't take it back. “I don't have to, true, but... Nina, have you ever had something, someone you couldn't refuse? No matter how much you wanted to? Where you might know it could kill you, you had to do it? It's like that.. I know I don't have to choose to go back, but at the same time...”

She looked out over the trees with a sigh. She was too young to be contemplating this, going back. It was, suicide, plain and simple. And she couldn't tell anyone that. When she next left, she wouldn't be coming back home. And no one, no one would know what happened to her. It was a thought that fascinated her. A very morbid part of her wondered if she could come back, just her spirit once she was dead, to see how people took her disappearance, how long it would take before they declared her dead.

NINA, 352, DIRTY ELF CLOTHES, <3

[NINA DAYIZ ABRAS]

[atrb=style,border: 2px solid #000000;][bg=C4C4C4][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,450,true][atrb=width,20%][atrb=vAlign,top][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,3,true][atrb=background, i56.tinypic.com/dfg9ja.jpg] And who do you think you are runnin' round leaving scars Collecting your jar of hearts words 376 tagged liluth muse idk. comments ._. Nina gave the younger elf a light smile, glad that Liluth was taking her advice on thing. She liked to have friends who talked to her, someone who wouldn't hide things behind her, though, in life people are bound to run into bad people, she liked the friends who were loyal and trusts her, just like she trusted them. 'I'm glad you will, and I'm sure your sister will understand,' she uttered, tucking a traing of blonde hair beheind her ears lightly. Her fingers moved to the bark, running over the rough surface affectinately as she spoke, her eyes lowered to the brown colors. She looked up at the younger elf, a frown on her face as she watched the girl. She shook her head. 'I'm a young elf compared to the others, Liluth, but that doesn't mean I'm not as wise as the others- sometimes the answers aren't as complex and people are just overthinking it,' she answered, shrugging lightly. 'The thing with a want is, you know, deep down what the right thing to do it- is that not strength? The power to say no because you know it's wrong, no matter how much it tempts you? The strength to do the right thing?' she questioned softly. Nina wasn't about to turn into a mother, she didn't have the right to say what the other elf could or couldn't do, but she had to tell her of the consequences of her actions, and since she didn't know what actually happened, at least she hoped Liluth was really doing what she wanted to do, not because someone told her she had come back. She was in control of her actions, whoever this person was, they didn't. She spoke up in a last resort. 'What about your family, Liluth? What if you came back tot he forest and something horrible happened? What would your mother and father say? What if your sister needs you now more then ever, and you're not there? What would happen to her?' Twins, she had heard, were special, they had a unique bond unlike any other between siblings, she had seen one twin unable to live without another, what would Lailah think if Liluth was suddenly gone?

template by synchronicity of OTE

[liluth]

And through the rising and falling apart, We discover who we are

Liluth looked down at the forest floor below as Nina spoke. She was speaking truth, wisdom, the right thing to do. But the right thing, the good thing, the smart thing, whatever you called it, she wasn't going to do that. For once, she was making plans to be bad. She hadn't meant to go so far in the Black Forest before. It had been a stupid thing to do, but she hadn't meant it to be. Going back would be stupid, more than that, deadly.

Finally, slipping off her perch to stand on a branch in the coming darkness, she looked back up to Nina, knowing full well Nina would be able to see the guilt and determination on her face. It had taken her a while to figure out what to say, sitting in silence, and she was prepared to run as soon as the words left her mouth. “If Lailah asked me to let her kill me, I would. I would be dead, but if it meant she was happy, I couldn't see anything so terrible in that. Some things matter more than right or wrong, dead or alive. At least to me. And yes, going back may be weak, it may give in to so-called carnal desires or something, but who's to say right or wrong? Are you to tell me I can't run free in the world, because I'm an elf, and elves are supposed to stay in the forest, living forever, loving our gardens and staying apart from the world? Humans have garden's too, plants grow outside the boundaries of these trees.”

She paused, a hand going to the tree to steady herself. “Lailah, I'd never do anything to hurt her, but when she's gone, Nina, I will follow soon after. Maybe not to where she goes, but when I know she's gone from these trees, nothing will hold me back. Not you, not mother or father, no one. I'll be going to a place I belong.” -even if it's only in death. The last part of the sentence she couldn't say out loud, she couldn't let Nina know that much about what she was planning, her contingency plan for if and when Lailah left. She could wait at least that long. But longer than that, and her last real tie to the forest would be gone. And if her sister left without her, she wouldn't be following, because Lailah leaving her behind would be a sign, a sign that she wasn't needed anymore, and a sign that it would be time to search out and face her own fate.

NINA, 438, DIRTY ELF CLOTHES, <3

[NINA DAYIZ ABRAS]

[atrb=style,border: 2px solid #000000;][bg=C4C4C4][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,450,true][atrb=width,20%][atrb=vAlign,top][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,3,true][atrb=background, i56.tinypic.com/dfg9ja.jpg] And who do you think you are runnin' round leaving scars Collecting your jar of hearts words 300 something tagged liluth muse idk. comments ._. Nina looked at the younger elf and let out sigh before nodding. 'If that is what you really want, Liluth, you can do it. I have no right to say what is right or wrong, no right to tell you what to do, and no right to control what you want; I only want you to know what you are getting into before you do it, I want you to look inside and be sure, without a doubt that it's what you want to do, not because someone is waiting for you- an elf could be waiting for you to fall in love with him so you two could wed, but that doesn't mean you have the right to turn him down,' she uttered, following her move and also standing him. 'I want you to be happy, Liluth, happy and nothing but that, because you're my friend, and I care for you,' she informed the girl, looking at her in the eye, her tone firm and confident. It's not what Nina would have wanted her to do, but she couldn't say she can't do it. She jumped over to the branch Liluth was on and wrapped her arms around her in a hug. 'If you really belong there then go, but please, be sure that you want to be there, not because someone else said so- it's your life, you control it. If you play a game, you have to know the rules and conditions, if you leave, you have to know where you are going and what it is like there, I don't want you to be hurt,' she said, giving the elf a squeeze before letting go and stepping away. She smiled slightly. 'The world out there can be beautiful, I've seen it with my own eyes- but at the same time, it can be dangerous and scary; our lives mostly are lived out here, but I know some who left and regret nothing- but you have to be prepared, there are things that you leave behind here that can hurt others, and there are things you will give up outside no matter how much you love it and hesitate to let it go,' she looked down at the ground, her blue eyes running over the satchel. 'I live here, I work as an adviser, I have friends- there's nothing out there that has to offer me something better, but if you think there is, then go find it-' she waved her with a flourish of her hand. 'May the stars watch over you,' she nodded before jumping down below to the ground, landing on all fours like a cat. She straightened and picked up her bag and weapon before she readied to leave.

template by synchronicity of OTE

[liluth]

And through the rising and falling apart, We discover who we are

Hesitantly. Liluth returned the hug. She could tell that Nina was only trying to be helpful, and give her advice from a slightly older point of view. It wasn't that what she was saying was wrong, it was just the way she was feeling right now, it made those words hard to hear. They were things that had been running around her mind for days, things that she felt deeply herself, and was looking at abandoning.

Did she belong dead in his arms? How could she say yes to that? And yet, here she was, planning on making it a reality. She knew exactly what she was going to get herself into, she knew it to the depths of her soul. And it didn't change a thing about whether or not she would go, someday. She couldn't bring herself to say anything as she fought back the tears that threatened to come. What a beautiful world she'd leave behind. What an amazing home she'd never return to. But not many would miss her when she left, not many would even know she was gone.

“May the stars watch over you, as well.” she replied softly. Watching as Nina gracefully jumped to the forest floor. The stars. They would be the only thing in her world that perhaps would be there at her end. They shone around the world, even in a forest as black as night. At least she would have that much, she thought as she sat once more on her branch, getting comfortable against the trunk. It was late, and the darkness wasn't as complete as she once thought it was. She wasn't in a hurry to get home, though. And night travel was something she didn't fancy doing anymore. Shadows looked more sinister, even here in her home, after her trek to that terribly dark wood.

NINA, 310, DIRTY ELF CLOTHES, <3