Long Lost Leaves

[Mari]

"Good morning, Borin!" Ellysa replied. She smiled at the dwarf. She liked him and his warm character, but she had to find Radagast now. She had seen Tabril returning from the corner of her eye, but she hadn't spotted Radagast yet.
He's probably still in the forest. Let's go before I lose my resolve.

"I need to speak with Radagast now, but I think there's still some food left. Enjoy your breakfast, Borin."

Ellysa didn't have to walk far. She found Radagast looking at something intently. Or maybe he was listening to something? She didn't know.

"Excuse me, Radagast? There is something I need to confess. Do you have time to listen?" As Radagast turned to her slightly surprised, and nodded, Ellysa sat down and stared down at the feet of the wizard.
"I, uhm, I can, well... I am cursed." Ellysa looked up at Radagast's face before hurriedly continuing: "I can see things. Not like I can see you, but I can see things that are not yet there. And sometimes I see the truth, but often what I see isn't the truth."

She expected the wizard to interrupt her at any moment now, angry at her for withholding this information. No one likes cursed people. However Radagast just stood there, listening. Better get it all out now, the whole story.

"I see scenes, often without sound, but in some cases with. And I see emotions at the same time. I got people killed or hurt with telling them what I saw for their future. My curse is a powerful one and I never know what scenes to believe. Or what the result will be if I decide to tell or not tell people about it."
She took a deep breath. It was hard to think back to all the things that her curse had put her through. The burning houses, all those deaths she caused...

She remained silent for a while and started when Radagast gently prompted her: "Go on. This is not all you wanted to tell me, is it?"

"No, no. It isn't. I just want you to understand that I am dangerous. That what I see is dangerous.
But what I wanted to tell was this: a few nights ago I saw some of us, dieing. Trapped underground, crushed to death by stones. I was a bit away from you all, I died alone. I don't know why I wasn't in the same scene with the rest. I don't even know if it is true, but it scares me. If it is the truth, then we can't go down those corridors!"

She got upset thinking back to the emotions she saw of the people dieing. They were angry, in pain and sad but there had also been a sense of betrayal. The calmth and resolve the meditating had given her now quickly gave way to panic. She had to remind herself of the necessity to breath before whispering: "I think I may have somehow caused it. I think I might betray you somehow."

Ellysa jumped up and ran. She couldn't face Radagast after confessing her future crime. He would hate her, fear her. Like everyone else.
Why oh why have I told him? I should have just left! My things. I need my pack...
As quickly and quietly as possible she entered the camp, grabbed her things and ran.

[Coffeehouse]

Hedrim coming at him with a swift cut from on high and down, Quickleaf skipped to the left and parried the blow. If there was one thing Quickleaf had learned it was the need for decent footwork during fights. He switched weight from the left to the right leg and waited keenly for the next incoming sword.
"You hit with great power!" Quickleaf exlaimed as he parried another attack that would have slashed right into his leg.
But no worries, they hit not with the edges, but with the broadsides, and neither Hedrim nor Quickleaf threw lethal blows to the other.
"This is making me very hot" Quickleaf remarked as Hedrim seemed to have given him a short breathing-space.

"A rest?" Quickleaf not so much asked, but stated, bowing to Hedrim and heading off to the camp. He went over to where his flask lay, and fell down to the ground in exhaustion and lay spread out on the grass, sucking in the air and showering his face with water.

[feawen]

After satisifing her self that Haldis was getting better and after finding her something to eat, Nami picked up her bow and headed off into the wood around the same time was Ellysa had started talking to Radagast. Nami had not been there to see Ellysa run into camp and pick her belongings up before running off into the wood.

Instead Nami stood still at the edge of a clearing, bow in hand, watching patiently, a group of young rabbits. Just the right age to make a tastie meal tonight. Nami picked her moment and let her arrow fly, it hit its mark cleanly, the remaining rabbits ran to their homes as Nami walked calmly towards the dead rabbit. Kneeling she said a small thanks to the rabbit and the earth before picking up the limp body and letting it join the other one she had earlier killed.

A noice of hurried russleing in the undergrowth to her left made Nami turn quickly to see what was coming in her direction.

[Coffeehouse]

Quickleaf lay in the grass, recovering from the sword-fight exercise he'd been having with Hedrim. Seeing Nami walk off into the forest with her bow and arrows caught his attention. Was she going off to practice? Or was there hunting involved?

He suddenly felt hungry, and was keenly aware that he'd have to go hunting sooner than later as the elven hosts could not be expected to cater for such a large and diverse crowd of creatures as their company was.. So Quickleaf leapt to his feet, grabbed his arrow and the one arrow he'd finished making and headed for the forest.
"Aiquen minaroimë?" asked Quickleaf as he passed by Hedrim and a few other elves, but none were interested in hunting at this time.

The sun was setting in the skies and the air had definitely become cooler, making it a comfortable temperature for hunting. All along the forest floor the grass was being substituded for bushes and smaller plants. Flowery plants stood neck in neck around the trees and leaves had begun covering the ground.
Quickleaf slowed his pace and looked attentively around, seeking out signs of any game, rabbits, large birds and deer. Approaching a fickle stream, the hunting elf spotted a family of rabbits drinking down by the waterline.

Quickleaf knelt down on one knee, steadied his bow and aimed.
Resting on the bow the arrow was gaining momentum as Quickleaf pulled it back. The point of the arrow aimed directly at the neck of the doomed rabbit, sitting several feet away.

The arrow made flight and the sound of 'swish!' made the rabbits leap off. Miss!
"Menelmara! Come on!" Quickleaf cursed, annoyed that he had missed his target. It seemed like the arrow was not proper straight.. and he could forget about finding those rabbits whom would be long-gone down some hole in the ground.

Instead Quickleaf decided to walk back to the camp in case Radaghast was meaning to make an appearance.
Perhaps he could get others to join him later and hunt larger game, like a deer.

[Acalewia]

Aelfwine had awoken with the sounds of the arguement between Haldis and Tabrîl and had watched in silence and surprise. Not surprise that Tabrîl tried to cut down Haldis, but surprise that her blow didn't touch the woman. She was afraid that the argument would cause the others to begin to fight among themselves. She was glad for Radagast's appearence to end it.

Later, as she watched Quickleaf and Hedrim parry, she noticed Ellysa grab her pack and run into the woods. Glancing around she saw no one else had noticed and picking up her bow, slipped away from the group and ran after her.
"Ellysa!"

[Curufin]

Abasi simply nodded at her decision. He would not have thought bad of her either way - it was her decision to make. She was the one who would have to bear the consequences, and so she must be the one to choose how she would react. He found himnself glad, however, at a personal and selfish level, that she had chosen the path she had. She had become a companion to him in the last days, someone with whom he could relate on a far better level than any of the others who accompanied them on this quest.

'Do you wish to play, perhaps? Or we could simply speak a while.'

[Mari]

Ellysa heard someone call her name. Oh no! Are they after me already? She sped up. She needed to get away. Why did I ever tell? No more meditation with herbs for me, ever! Frustrated and scared she wiped away some tears that at some point had started to flow while she kept running.

Ellysa evaded trees and bushes, running towards who knew where. Suddenly she stumbled over a fallen branch and nearly fell down. She managed to stay upright however and ran on, breathing loud.

[Coffeehouse]

As Quickleaf was wandering through forest, cursing himself for missing his target, he saw a creature moving behind the oak trees a bit further down the track, down the hillside.
"Ellysa?", Quickleaf muttered to himself, "Pusta Ellysa!, stop!"
Quickleaf shouted, fastened his bow and started pacing up, running at full speed after her. Quickleaf's mind went racing as he ducked beneath branches and skipped over rocks and bush, dead branches and rabbitholes. Why was she running, whom was she running from? Quickleaf turned his head slightly but could not spot any pursuer, so he upped his pace and ran faster and faster, gaining on her by the feet.
"Stop Ellysa! Iqista. Please" he exhaled, "What's the matter?"

[Amael]

2 minutes prior...

A'mael heard something not more than half a league away. It's probably nothing, she thought to herself. Probably a heavy wind, the winds have not been calm lately, but wind doesn't sound like a thump on the ground.. She looked at Ingwionis and the others to see if any of them had heard the noise. "I hear it too." Ingwionis pulled out his blade.

"Stay your steel!" A'mael signaled to Ingwionis. "Not until we know it's a threat, if it is. It sounded like someone or something stumbled. I'm pretty sure it's probably just a racoon or something like that."

A'mael gave it a second thought. I have a bad feeling about this.

As she thought of this, some of the others in the group including Quickleaf and left and she went after them, Ingwionis following. As she ran ahead, Quickleaf went to the left while A'mael kept going straight, then turning around and following once again. A'mael looked over to Ingwioni and he looked back to her, jokingly saying "is this some kind of marathon or drill?" "There's no time for jokes." A'mael was not amused with her husband's joke during this troubling time. "Oh" Ingwionis said as he now understood. "What's going on!?" A'mael shouted.

[feawen]

Nami expecting to find an animal come out of the tree's and into her little hunting clearing was suprised to see Ellysa run out of the tree little as its a pack of orcs where behind her. For a second Nami simply watch the scared girl, then reaching out to Ellysa she called firmly,
"Ellysa, stop! What troubles you so?"

[Aikanáro]

'A little conversation would be welcome,' Tabrîl told Abasi. 'Though if it is agreeable to you, we shall play again in the morning?' She would make it a regular occurrence, if she could, so long as the two of them travelled together. It would not do, to let her ability slip simply because of the circumstances in which she found herself. To play again at this time though, she felt, might not have been wise, not at the level at which she and Abasi played. The day's events had wearied her, more than they ought to have, she felt, and she could not tell why.

It was difficult, to know what she might speak with Abasi about. Tabrîl's conversation was usually limited to discussing the events within her tribe, and matters that were part of m'haid-lore. Anything more personal she would mention only to those who were closest to her.

'It is a fine situation we have found ourselves in,' she said then, not with bitterness but with a hint of dark humor. 'If I get home I do not think I shall ever again complain that watching the borders is too dull.'

[Coffeehouse]

Through the woods they were running, and the sunlight kept sprinkling through the treetops, playing tricks on the mind of Quickleaf as shadow and light camouflaged, and then glowed, upon Ellysa's fleeing body.

Yet ahead of him Quickleaf watched as Nami suddenly appeared from among the trees, bading Ellysa to stop. It seemed to work, and as he got closer Nami was reaching her hand out to Ellysa, asking her of her troubles.

Watching Ellysa breathing heavily, scratched and bruised from running through half of Greenwood, Quickleaf asked
"Manenna Ellysa? How are you? What's the matter?".

[Mari]

More voices calling her name. They sounded worried, but once they knew they would hate her. She liked them. She didn't want to see their faces contorted with fear and hate.
She ran on, her thoughts a mess.

Suddenly Ellysa broke through the bushes and stumbled onto a clearing. She thought she heard Nami, but she had to look up and see before the knowledge that it was indeed Nami filtered through to her confused brain.
"Nami, I... I'm so sorry!"
She broke down and started crying, still trying to get away from everyone and not even noticing that Quickleaf had caught and asked her a question.

[Coffeehouse]

Catching up, and watching Ellysa shed tears, Quickleaf laid his hand on her shoulder and spoke to her softly in elventongue, not realising she may not understand.
"Arwenamin, esta sinome" "My lady, rest here..", pointing to the mossy rock behind Ellysa. "Manke naa lle autien Ellysa? "Where were you going Ellysa?"

[feawen]

Nami had no idea what was going on and was even more confussed when Quickleaf suddenly came into the clearing too. All questions left Nami as she saw Ellysa start to cry. Concern for her friend over came her desire to know more.
As Ellysa still tried to get away Nami layed gentle hands on her shoulders so that Ellysa and her stand face to face, Nami shook her head and asked in a gentle voice, "What have you to be sorry to me for my dear young friend?"

Nami cast concerning eyes up at Quickleaf, "Whats happened?"

[Mari]

Ellysa registered Quickleaf talking to her in a gentle manner and heard Nami's words.
Still convinced they all knew about it, she couldn't understand this behaviour, but her strength had left her.
Crying, Ellysa collapsed and muttered. "I lied to you, I'm so sorry... I shouldn't have come."

[feawen]

Catching Ellysa as she collapsed Nami looked up worried at Quickleaf and back to Ellysa.
Now kneeling infront of the fightened girl Nami spoke,

"What are you talking about? When did you lie? I am sure you had god reason too?"

[Coffeehouse]

Looking back at Nami, Quickleaf shook his head confusingly, "I don't know."
"Amin dele ten' he" I am worried about her Quickleaf confided, continuing in elventongue.
"Amin n'rangwa edanea" I don't understand these humans.. "Ask her, what she is sorry for. You understand better than me."
Quickleaf turned to Ellysa, "I will fetch you some water. Arwenamin, tell Nami your troubles." and he went off with his flask to a stream nearby.

[Mari]

"I am cursed. I see death and pain. It's all my fault!" Ellysa stammered, not realizing that Nami didn't know her history or what she was talking about.
"I didn't tell you, I lied! I shouldn't have come. But I did and I liked you all and you are all so kind, but I couldn't tell and now you will hate me and I'm so sorry! Please just let me be. Please don't hurt me!"
Ellysa refused to look up when she blurted that all out. Instead she stayed in a submissive position as if making herself smaller would make people forget she was there, what she'd done.

[feawen]

Nami was even more confussed.

"What is it you think you have done? Cursed? Why would you think i want to hurt you?"