Forest Path
You travel across a narrow gravel path that soon turns to dirt and eventually disappears into the grass as it enters the woods. Along the path is a scattering of trees, but carefully arranged along the path are a series of flowering bushes that act like toy guards. At first, the trees are scattered, but as you approach the forest that quickly changes. The trees begin to grow closer, knitting a canopy with their leaves. The path turns and disappears into the engulfing darkness of the woods. As you follow the path you find that you are suddenly in a gentle glade where a breeze rustles the emerald canopy above you. Around you, lies a serene field bathed in scattered rays. It is crafted in a spherical shape, drawing one toward the center. Through the canopy, one single beam pierces, only slightly touched by the shelter. It falls softly on the center of the glade forming a circle, with the other scattered beams seeming to dance around it.
It is a summer midmorning.

Zenethen strides in from the Crystal Bridge.

Wintermute blinks in from ::between::!

Wintermute suddenly disappears ::between::!

a tall figure approaches from the path through the trees and slowly makes its way onto he bridge. The person looks over the edge and stares at the water. His features are hidden by a pulled cloak and raised hood, but he is walking in a veary male style..

Linora is sitting on the grass in the center of the clearing, hugging her knees to her chest and looking off into space. At the sound of footsteps, she looks up - her hopeful expression changing almost to one of disappointment before she remembers her manners. "Hey," she says, in greeting, remembering the man from the lake the other day. "Zenethen, right?" She thinks.

The man pushes back his hood and looks over at the girl he hadn't noticed. "Um... yea, greetings!" he walks closer and sits on the side of the bridge, "So what are you up to today?" he asks.

Linora shrugs. "Nothin', really..." She looks up at him. "You lost or something?"

Zenethen shakes his head. "No, ive been here too long to be lost... " he looks down at a fish swimming below the waters. "I'm just getting away from all the noise in the Hold, i couldnt sleep any more..."

Cress moves slowly in from the Crystal Bridge.

Cress comes to a halt as he sees, Lin here. He'd been following his brown lizard, who'd come to him, wanting him to come along, htough he had no idea what it was 'Mute wanted. Seeing someone else here with her, dissapointment comes across his face. "Hi, Lin," he mumbles, eyes darting from her to the other.

Linora ohs. "I didn't know it was noisy at the hold... I live at the StarCraft hall. An' it's not really noisy over there...." Rambling, but it doesn't look like the man's paying any attention anyhow, looking into the water like that. She drops her chin onto her knees and hugs them tighter... then she hears her name. And looks up with a smile in spite of herself. "Hey, Cress." Now why does he look like that? Not happy to see her? Sigh.

Zenethen looks up silently and nods a greeting to Cress.. "Hi.." he says quietly. he quietly resumes his looking out over the lake again... not saying much.. just looking.

Cress looks from Lin and back at the stranger, suddenly understanding that they're not actually here together. Since the man obviously wasn't the talkative type he walks over to sit next to Lin, gives her a genuine smile, and settles down beside her. "Y'know, it was good to see you yesterday." Even if he had been terribly distracted by that dragon.

In the water below: An orange and white coverd Gold Fish swims up to the surface and swallows a bug that had crashed in the water. Zenethen watched the fish as it swam around near the surface for a while, then dove back to the depths.

Linora looks up at Cress, forgetting all about Zenethen and his preoccupation with the water. "It was good t'see you too," she says quietly. "I missed you and stuff." She picks at the grass, not looking at him. "I thought maybe you were mad at me or something." She's been trying to figure out what she did, and why Cress was so ... different, the last couple times she'd seen him. And then why she didn't see him at all. Must be her fault, right?

Cress picks at some grass, looking down at what he's picked out off the ground. Looking back up at Lin, he smiles lopsidedly, but he can't seem to look her in the eye. "I missed ya too," he says. "But I was never mad at you. What made you think that?" Maybe that he's been avoiding her for some time. Whether it was on purpose or not, he didn't really know.

Zenethen stands up and walks a little further across the bridge, then lays down with his arm dangeling over the side. Several other fishes swim up to examine the fingers that break the smooth glass of the water. Nathen watches the fish with whirling yellow eyes, backing up as they come nearer. "Come on, Nate, they're not going to hurt you, your too big to fit in most of their mouths.. and they wouldnt want to eat you anyways." he speaks quietly, trying to reassure the tiny flit.

Zenethen glances up as Nathen launches to the air.

Linora chews her lip. "I kinda used t'see you more," she says to the ground. That's probably the understatement of the Turn.

Cress nods slowly. "I know, but I've been busy, I guess." Not the complete and utter thruth, but close enough. There were a lot of things going on at the moment, time had run off with him, and he hadn't really noticed how long it had been since he saw her last. "And we're senior appies now..." As if that was any excuse not to see each other.

"Yeah..." They're senior appies now. Linora doesn't see the point of that statement, but she has to agree with it. "Wanna go for a walk or something? If you're not too busy and stuff?" No point hanging around here... and she doubts Zenethen will even notice they've left. Not that she cares much, if Cress'll come with her. She fixes her eyes on his, trying not to look too hopeful but failing completely. She never was able to hide her feelings from him. Or anything, for that matter.

Cress winces slightly at the look in her eyes, then nods, "yeah, that'd be good," he mumbles, getting off the ground, then reaches his hand out to help her up as well.

Nathen watches as the fish swim around his humanpets fingers. With his tail wrapped around Zens wrist and a tight grip with his hindpaws, Nathen reaches out and tries to grab a fish with his forepaws. AS the tiny hands of the flit reach in the water and grab at the fish, it flips around quickly and splashes the lttle brown with a tiny wave, sufficient to douse him entirely. With a complaining creel he backs up Zens arm and tries to dry himself off in the shirt. Zen giggles at the little flits misfourtune. "Maybe you'll get one next time, you have to sneek up on them. You should get Mark to help you go fishing... I know hes three times your size, but he'll still help you.."

Linora takes his hand and gets to her feet, worried all over again at the sight of Cress wincing. What'd she do now? But he said it'd be good, so she tries to smile.

Crystal Bridge
Below you bubbles the slow, clear waters of Crystal River. The sound drifts up to your position upon the almost delicate appearing, yet very sturdy bridge that crosses it. With the exception of the foot boards themselves, the rest of the bridge is covered in a medium red paint. The rails are fashioned with intricate patterns, sometimes engraved, sometimes cut clear through. Over the bridge is a carefully crafted and supported cover with a rock shingling to protect the bridge. The bridge arches gracefully through the air giving you a beautiful view of all around you.
It is a summer midmorning.

Cress moves slowly in from the Forest Path.

Linora makes her way along the bridge, the fingers of one hand dragging on the railing, until she reaches the center, where she leans on the railing to look out over the river.

Cress follows slightly behind Lin, having no idea what to say at this point. He never did, did he? IN situation such as this. Instead he repeats himself. "I /did/ miss you, y'know."

Linora looks up at him, not sure what to say either. She looks for his eyes - he couldn't lie to her while he was looking into her eyes, could he? Oh, she hopes not.

Cress is caught by her eyes, and frozen in place. Can't moves his feet, can't move his eyes, just stands there pratically staring her in the eye. Almost saying those three little words, but chokes as the rules pop into his head.

Linora swallows hard, unable to figure out why Cress won't say anything. Not that she knows what to say either... She reaches for his hands, her eyes still on his.

Cress catches Lin's hand and squeeze it. Still not saying anything with words, he hopes that the look in his eyes says it all. That he misses her terribly and that it's sometimes even harder to be together than apart.

Linora keeps searching his eyes, losing herself a little more with each passing moment. "Y'know, that rule is so appies will concentrate on their studies and stuff," she whispers. "You been concentrating?"

Cress swallows hard, then shakes his head, just slightly, knowing that she'll see it. "No," he simply says. Studying had probably been the last thing on his mind this past month. "It's a stupid rule anyways."

Linora smiles a little. Just a little. "I think so, too," she whispers. She hasn't been doing much studying either. She steps just a little bit closer to him, still holding his hands in hers.

Cress nods, and then steps closer to her too, and leans in to give her a kiss. On the mouth, while releasing one of her hands and slides it behind her back, then holds her as he draws his lips away from hers. Forget the rules..