In which pathways dare to intersect. . .

[divinestrike]

— for oakdaddy — [What am I doing. Perhaps the more appropriate question was why she had waited so long to do it. Except she knew well the answer to that. She'd had no shortage of time to think and reflect over each little thing that she endured. That the others endured. Of the numerous innocent lives that were touched and affected by the events that came to pass. She had never imagined leaving the clergy to redefine her faith would have resulted the way it did, a mess of tadpoles and mind flayers and misadventure. It was, in so many ways, amazing to be alive. For a period of time, she wasn't sure that would even happen. Nepione had resigned herself to a worst-case scenario. Had resigned herself that if she ever had to choose the others over herself, she would have. Without a breath's hesitance. Where they had come together for the sake of a common cause, she had found in them family. She had felt bonded to them. Connected to them in a way that she had never anticipated. She'd never found her blood family as she thought she might, but the others... were just as good. It had come as no surprise that she had, with a very brave front, bid the others bittersweet goodbyes, hiding all of the ache in her heart as it shattered into pieces. So in silence, she suffered, though reconstructive efforts for the grand city had demanded her attention and offered adequate distraction. For a time. From a heroic role that she'd never wanted to the day in which she was able to look at it from a distance and breathe a moment's relief. Would she miss Baldur's Gate? Perhaps a little. Only a little. I should have written him first. Yes. She should have. Would have been the proper way to handle that. She'd wanted to write to him sooner, but every time she'd sat down to do so, her courage folded. Saying goodbye to Halsin had been hardest. Although she'd never been able to outright say it, she was the sort to form attachments. In the face of a man who needed and yearned for freedom, there was never a situation in which she could have told him. No binding. No restriction. Halsin had to be as free as the forest that seemed to embody his very being. And she had to respect that. So why was she just now deciding to see him? What if he doesn't want to see me? Or worse. What if he's not even thought about me? What if everything that they'd had was only something that existed in her head? She could play that game with herself the entire tenday plus it would take to reach the lands that had once been embraced by darkness, but that seemed counterproductive. The tiefling knew herself. If she got too carried away, she'd simply surrender, turn back, and go return to the city. For some moments, she paused in her footing, taking a moment to eye the sky. How many days had it been already? She counted through it with some consideration. No, she was nearly there. No sense in fleeing now. If she did, she'd never know the truth. Besides, she was perfectly capable of saying nothing at all about the recent past or how it left its marks on her. She could pretend, if she had to, that there had never been anything there. Adjusting the way her garb sat on her, she set down her small pack of necessities, stretched her arms above her head, stifled a yawn, and decided to continue. She couldn't wait to rest. She heard the hustle and bustle of bodies and voices before she spied an entry point, which wasn't particularly surprising. Halsin's heart being so open surely allowed him to make the locale a welcoming place for so many who needed one to thrive in the world that they worked to rebuild and restore. Things would never be the same, but they didn't have to be. Not if people like them made it a better world to live in. The thought itself, despite all of Nepione's personal, emotional selfishness, swelled with something that seemed an awful lot like pride. She couldn't have picked better people to put her faith in. At its entrance, she hesitated and lifted a hand to wave in a wordless greeting, one or two posted at entry that she thought she recognised. Or perhaps they recognised her, for it didn't take them long to grant her entry. One more sharp intake of breath and she forced herself to move. Definitely couldn't turn back now. She hadn't really known what to expect when it came to the place Halsin and Thaniel would make. She sometimes only remembered the curse-touched grounds and how lifeless it had seemed. Now, it seemed an entirely different place. Abundant. Saturated. Vibrant. Very beautiful to behold. In its welcoming interior, she could confirm there were faces she'd seen before, even if only momentarily, though it seemed like her reputation was more well known than the woman beneath it. In most ways, she didn't look different. Not terribly, anyway. She wore her hair a little different. Even cut it a fair amount. Let it sit more free than in the braid she'd grown so accustomed to. She looked more put together. From a garb perspective. Soft leathers. Feminine. Well-tailored. Probably more expensive than she needed to wear, though they were more a gift than something she readily purchased. No, she suspected aside from initial impressions of her person, the changes were more interior. She had been inevitably touched by her experiences, and though she had continued to employ the power and passion of the heart, she had felt considerably more jaded. Better that no one here knew that. It would have been an unfair expectation to expect any of them to be all right after all of that. The silence in her head, after having the Emperor in it for so long, sometimes felt maddening. She wondered if the others ever experienced the same. One day, she would have to ask. She greeted many along the way, politely explaining that she was on visit and to keep her presence somewhat quiet. Unkind, perhaps, to surprise the former archdruid. He'd been a forgiving sort when it came to her, however. Forgiving her once more would be within his realm of capacity. With some guidance from the locals, she was directed to where it seemed obvious she'd want to go to announce herself, which was wherever Halsin had gotten to. The most she'd been given was the advice to follow the voices of the children, for certainly wherever they were was where he would be as well. As she wandered, she ignored the weight that grew with each step and only began to slow when she was able to pick up on conversation. Children.] Daddy Halsin, I can't reach that apple! Noooo! It's my turn. He said I could have a piggyback ride! No, no! Daddy Halsin's going to do my hair just like his! [She smiled then, pausing just a breath more before she pushed herself forward. Her footfalls were quiet, nigh imperceptible, she thought, as it came into view. From where she stood, she could see it fairly plainly. A very tall wood-elf with chestnut brown hair that gave way to flicks of red and gold beneath sunlight, surrounded by children. Of all sizes. Colours. Races. How warm her heart was at the sight. Daddy Halsin, indeed. He looked perfect for the role. Perhaps more at peace then than she'd ever seen him in their travels.] I'm next! I've been waiting foreeeveeeer.