Willful Betrayal [PRIVATE]

[Fable]

Her cerulean blue eyes fluttered open for the first time, as did the eyes of the others.  They were all laying on lush grass in what appeared to be a large and wild garden.  The new, strange, and sudden existence was confusing; all of them only seemed to be able to stand up and look around at their surroundings and each other.  She stood as well and examined herself as best as she could, admiring the texture of the simple gown she was wearing.  Her eyes ventured upward towards the sky, causing her eyes to squint as she glanced directly at the sun.  The sky was bright blue with fluffy clouds spaced out across its vastness.


There were gasps as a softly glowing form approached them.  The ethereal being smiled at them kindly and her golden eyes that sparkled with pride.


"I am Este." Hers was the first voice that any of them ever heard; their creator and mistress.  It seemed as though that very knowledge had been ingrained into their very being.  Este walked and looked over many of them seeming to be satisfied with her creations.


"I shall call you Daeva.  You shall each be given a name and two gifts; flight and an elemental affinity.  I cannot wait to see how you will affect the world.  It has been so lonely with no one to talk with."


Este wandered in no particular pattern.  She simply approached them one at a time and spoke softly to them.  She did as she promised and gave them each a name and gifts, which many were eager to experiment with.  Those that had been named were able to summon lovely wings and fly around the garden happily.  They chattered with each other as well, asking what they had been named and what element they had been gifted with.


She one of the last few that Este approached.  She couldn't help but be excited when it was her turn and nearly toppled over in her eagerness as she closed the minute distance between herself and her mistress.  Este laughed lightly, "You'll adjust to having a body quickly. Now then, what shall I name you?"


Este pondered for a long moment and circled around her, looking over her from head to toe, before stopping in front of her.  It felt like an eternity waiting for her name, but it was probably only a couple of minutes from the time that Este first approached.


"I shall name you Luella and gift you with the element of wind."  Este kissed Luella on her forehead gently which produced a tingling sensation that spread throughout her body.  With that Este continued with her task and went to the next nameless Daeva.


Luella was nervous about flying for the first time.  Her heart was pounding with anxiety and elation as she summoned her wings for the first time.  They burst forth from her back in a flurry of light grey feathers.  The only way to learn to fly was to take the risk and try, and try Luella did.  It was hard thrusting her wings with enough strength to push her upwards and harder still to stay up and not crash into someone else.  Eventually she was effortlessly gliding around with the rest of her companions.


(( @AdnarimthεDovahkiin Some of it's clunky writing, sorry. X3 ))

 

[AdnarimthεDovahkiin]

Where am I? What am I?



The ground was firm but something soft and slightly damp coated the top layer. Grass.The man clumsily stood. Confusion traversed his face. I am in a garden. Dozens of beings surrounded the man. Everyone seemed just as befuddled as he.Everything in the garden was unfamiliar to him yet he had a word for it. 



A beautiful being made her way toward the crowd. 



"I am Este"



The sound projected although it seemed intimate, as though she were talking to them individually. Joy filled the male as his creator spoke. When she explained the Daeva and the gift she would give them he smiled. I am a Daeva



He was starting to understand his purpose. This was the conception of his race. The man felt the pride and optimism in Este’s voice. He was created to do great things. That is why all his questions were answered. His mistress was providing him with everything he needed. 



"Wow!" He mumbled at his revelation. The anticipation was palpable as Este moved throughout the garden. The man's eyes widened as he watched the first of the Daeva sprout wings and take to the sky. 



Excited chatter filled the crowd as more of the Daeva were gifted. The sky was soon filled with them. They chased one another, and flew high only to let themselves fall and be righted at the last minute by their large wings. The sweet sound of laughter penetrated the quiet. By the time Este made her way to the man he was trembling. His creator smiled at him and placed her hands on either side of his face.



 The trembling subsided. Warmth spread from the origin of her touch throughout his body calming him. 



"Erikur you will command the earth."



Este stroked his cheek before letting her hands fall to her side as she sauntered away. My name is Erikur. Erikur's back throbbed as his wings grew. His large wings were white. The tips of his feathers brushed his lower back. He stumbled forward awkwardly starting to run. The man unfurled his large white wings flapping rhythmically. Erikur broke into a toothy grin as his bare feet left the ground. 


"Wooooo" 

 

[Fable]

Luella and the others frolicked and flew as Este observed them.  Some had started to use their elemental abilities; conjuring water, growing flowers, accidentally burning some of the grass, and some could even form crystals.  While it couldn't be said that their elemental affinities were unique to each Daeva, it still made Luelle feel special.  She was filled with a wondrous curiosity about the world and was excited to learn everything she could about what it meant to be a Daeva.


She decided it was time to try out her own element; wind.  It was as though she had be given inherit knowledge of how to summon her powers, though not exactly how to use them.  The first attempt caused gust of wind which made her wings falter for a moment.  It also accidentally collided with a few other flying Daeva who looked over at her with concerned expressions.  She quickly apologized and decided it was best to practice while on the ground until she had a better grasp in how summon and control the wind.


She clumsily landed for the first time, her large wings dissipating into individual feathers that then seemed to disintegrate into a glittery powder.  She looked back up at the others and smiled happily as she watched them.  Luella turned her attention back to the task of trying to keep herself from being knocked over - and knocking others over - with her wind abilities.  However, her focus was broken when Este spoke once again, summoning them all to listen to her.


"My Daeva, I am please to see you all so happy with your gifts.  However, you will need to adhere to the laws I make today lest you be punished.  There are lesser beings and creatures that exist, it is your duty to watch over them, guide them.  You are forbidden from killing.  You are to love and devote yourself only to me.  Finally, you are free to explore the world that I have created, but you must return to this garden if I summon you.  Should any of you go against my wishes, you will be punished according to your crime."


Luella's brows furrowed as she listened to Este's commands.  In an attempt to get a better view, she accidentally bumped into someone else - an unfortunate side effect of just being newly created.  She wanted to know more, but Este dismissed them saying she would greet them again tomorrow after they had more time adjusting.  The glowly figure of Este faded away leaving nothing of her presence behind.


Some of them dispersed to explore the garden - Luella was one of those - and others grouped together to socialize with each other.  She went a fair distance away to finally get in some practice.  She adjusted her stance to maintain a better balance and tried to stand firm as she summoned a gust of wind; successfully knocking her over yet again from the sudden burst of air.  She wasn't sure what exactly she was doing wrong and laid there on the grass pondering on how to proceed.

 

[AdnarimthεDovahkiin]

Erikur couldn't believe the view from the sky. It was beautiful. The garden below was boundless and colorful. A sliver of blue indicated a river on the lower part of the property. Letting out a content sigh Erikur began to let himself descend. Abruptly he lost control of his speed. Erikur shrieked before he remembered he had control of his wings. He lightly tapped his forehead after he flapped his wings a few times.


 

A group of Daeva watched him from a couple feet away. Their expressions were bemused despite him almost crashing into them. Erikur flashed them a grin. “Im so sorry” he stuttered as a blush crept up his neck. Clumsiness seemed to be more than just an after effect of his conception. He didn't seem as graceful as his counterparts.


He pondered as he watched a group of a few females chasing each other. They twirled and flipped as they adjusted to their wings. After making sure no other Daeva were in his path he slowly lowered himself the ten feet needed to reach the ground. He lunged forward a few steps after landing. The wings conformed to his back disappearing in a tuft of large white feathers.


 

Erikur turned toward the sound of Este’s voice, as did all of the other Daeva. Those in the air lowered themselves to hover around her, albeit more graceful than Erikur did. Erikur didn't have to move too close. He stood about a head taller than the other Daeva milling around him. Este’s voice also reverberated, in defiance of the open terrain. Each statement seemed reasonable to Erik.


In fact his eyes widened at the sound of the Daeva watching over another race. He felt pride at that. After her departure Erikur turned he walked away from most of the Daeva. He then sat with his legs crossed. He placed his head in his hand as he looked down. He placed his other hand flat against the ground.


 

Erikur knew the ground was stiff below the grass before, now however he could feel it morphing under his touch. He could also sense what the earth was telling him. He could feel the organisms as well as the components in the dirt just under his hand. The ground relented until his hand sunk into some muck. He excavated a hand full of the mud and squeezed as hard as he could manage.


When he opened his hand a tiny pebble rested in the center of his hand. Erikur glanced around the easy smile resting on his face. He was rolling the rock in between his forefinger and thumb when he noticed another Daeva. He didn't notice the woman before this moment. She had long silver hair. She was resting on the ground her eyes upward.


 

Erikur got to his feet as he let the pebble drop to the ground. He wiped the mud off on his white pants before he could stop himself. Unsure he shifted from one foot to another wondering if he should interrupt she looked focused after all. Erikur turned to her before he had time to change his mind. “Hey, crazy day huh?” He mumbled. The stupidity of the question caused him to chuckle.

 

[Fable]

Luella pursed her lips as she concentrated on how she could stop from being pushed back by the force of the wind she created.  Maybe she wasn't directing it properly, or perhaps she was just starting off with too much force and needed to try making a small breeze.  She was certain that it was probably best to practice away from the others since she didn't want to accidentally hurt anyone during her learning process.  She closed her eyes for a long moment to just listen to the whisper of the gentle breeze that weaved through the garden.  It carried a harmony of sounds; sighs of conversations nearby, echoes of birds, and fluttering wings.  She relaxed as she listened to the world carried on the wind.


Her blue eyes slide open to stare at the sky once more and the figures that flew and danced around each other playfully.  She had been so distracted that she didn't hear when another Daeva approached until they spoke.  It caused her to jolt upright into a sitting position and turn to look at them curiously.  He was the first who had ever spoken to her and she couldn't help but grin at his silly question.


"A strange day," she replied.


She looked at the mud smeared on his white pants curiously for a moment before checking her own, noticing green grass stains from being knocked into the grass.  She sighed to herself over the fact that she had ruined the only dress she had to wear.  Since there wasn't much to be done about it at this time, Luella decided to stop focusing on that matter.  She was sure there was a way to clean the dress off, or perhaps even get another one.  She glanced back over at the dark haired Daeva and shrugged as though to say 'oh well.'


"I'm Luella, what name did Este give you?"


She moved to stand up and dusted off her dress pointlessly.  She leaned forward slightly with her hands behind her as she studied him to try and guess what element he had been gifted with.  If it was fire she would probably have to back away to a safe distance after seeing what one fire Daeva did earlier.  It did not look pleasant and her instincts alerted her to the fact that being burned by fire would be painful.  It didn't seem like it was water or wind either though.  She had witnessed a water Daeva soak themselves with their first attempt in using their gift.  Perhaps wood or crystal?  Luella at that moment realized she had been staring at him intently and blushed as she straightened.


"S-Sorry.  I was trying to guess your element."

 

[AdnarimthεDovahkiin]

Erikur tilted his head to the side. It was a strange sensation having someone to talk with. He listened to the intonation in Luella’s pitch. Her voice was pleasing. Erikur shrugged, offering a little chuckle at the answer of his question.


 

“Well Luella, that's a fine name” he quipped.


 

“My name is Erikur” he took off an imaginary top hat while comically taking a bow. After glimpsing Luella’s emerald stain. He raised an eyebrow at her. Perhaps he wasn’t as out of place as he thought. Was that the aftermath of her gift? Was her element connected with grass or maybe gardening, Erikur pondered.  


 

A female landed hurriedly as she glared up at another Daeva.


 

Erikur followed her gaze to an unfortunate Daeva attempting to harness electricity. The Daeva held his hands out allowing a flash of white to strike him. The Daeva fell a few inches patting the fire that singed his shirt. He was apparently resistant to that element as well.    


 

Erikur wondered at the amount of effort Este must have exhausted creating every Daeva. Erikur returned his focus to Luella. Startled at how intently she was looking at him, Erikur took a step back grinning. After she explained he nodded. “I control the earth, i guess it’s a great coincidence that i don't seem to mind the mess.”


Erikur flashed his palm revealing the muck. He placed his hand back at his side. Erikur than raised his foot and stomped the earth. The ground gave way to him allowing his foot to penetrate a few inches. He extracted his foot from the small hole willing the dirt to rise with it filling the hole. The brown of the freshly tilled soil contrasted the sea of green in the garden.


“What is your element?” He wondered.

 

[Fable]

Luella followed Erikur's gaze towards the Daeva up in the sky.  It was nice to know she wasn't the only one ruining their outfit trying to figure things out.  It seemed they were all a bit dangerous to each other right now.  Glancing towards a few others, they had seemed to begun separating themselves based on their elemental affinity.  She could only assume it was because they were less likely to injure each other and a way to share whatever skills they had managed to learn in these few short hours of life.  The water Daeva were spraying each other with squirts of water and chasing after each other.  There were crystal Daeva creating lovely gems of all various shapes, sizes, and colors.


Luella returned her attention to Erikur when he spoke, announcing his element and showing off what he had learned thus far.  It was impressive since he seemed to have much better control over his ability than she did.  She felt the small tremor of the earth as if shifted during the display.  He could have probably tore up the entire garden if he wanted to.  Having such power seemed to come with a heavy responsibility.  She couldn't help but wonder how long it would take for them all to master these abilities.


"Ah, that's neat.  I control wind.  It's a bit troublesome though.  I cannot get the force of the wind to go in one direction."  She crossed her arms over her chest and her expression showed slight frustration.


"I'd show you something, but I'd end up flat on my back again.  I doubt I could even group up with other wind users like myself since we'd probably just blow each other over."


She laughed lightly to herself imagining the chaos that would occur.  It was then that and brisk breeze blew past them that came from another wind Daeva in the distance.  It seemed she wasn't the only wind Daeva keeping their distance from others.  She wanted to continue talking with Erikur and see what else he could do, but at the same time she wanted to practice her own skills.  However, she was worried about his safety if she proceeded doing so with him nearby.


"I'd show you something, but I might knock them wind out of you," she warned.

 

[AdnarimthεDovahkiin]

It didn't surprise Erikur that Luella was having trouble with her element. Earth was firm but often relented. Earth was influenced daily by other elements. Water often shaped rock, and also turned dirt to malleable mud. Wind could carry sand and cause erosion. The wind element didn't seem nearly as forgiving.


 

“The wind would confuse me” Erikur scrunched his face in concentration. “It’s too” He stopped for a moment trying to find the right word “free?” he settled on.


 

Erikur noticed the factionalism beginning. The Daeva were starting to befriend those they shared powers with. Most of them were laughing or playing. Erikur looked at Luella curiously as she watched. Their elements could not have been more different. Did she want to find Daeva’s that shared her element?


 

Erikur opened his mouth to ask, but before he could Luella answered for him in a way. A small chuckle escaped him before he clapped his hand over his mouth. He slowly lowered it, “I'm sorry for laughing. It's just I imagined you being pushed back by the…” He trailed off realizing how rude he was being. He blushed as he lowered his eyes to the dirt.


“Your element is a hard one to master” he offered raising his eyes to meet hers once more. “The wind is fickle. I know that it is not easy to control. It can also devastate, or calm.”


 

His smile returned after she brought up practicing her element. Erikur puffed out his chest “I think I can take it” he jested. Erikur was excited at the prospect of observing her power. He closed his eyes as he mentally prepared himself for impact.


 


(Im sorry its so short. length while doing dialog is hard for me) 

 

[Fable]

( Hm, will try to TS, but it might not be very smooth.  And it's fine, that's a decent length for me.  I don't always post walls of text. :3 )


Luella laughed lightly as Erikur stated that wind was confusing and that it was 'too free.'  Wind and water were very similar, but when it came to wind, it did seem more free than water.  It wasn't restricted by gravity and could flow wherever it wished; even under water with the right circumstances.  It could move and shapes clouds, or even destroy them.  However, it wasn't as powerful against earth - the wind couldn't move mountains.  Her attention was brought back to Erikur when he laughed at imagining her being pushed back by her power, which had already happened a couple of times.


"Oh believe me.  I've fallen over a few times already.  It's fine to laugh, it is pretty silly, but I'm sure at some point you'll also do something just as equally silly.  Just don't fault me for laughing when it happens," she playfully teased.


When he spoke of being able to take on the wind, she struggled to keep composed and failed, ending up laughing at his confidence.  Not in a rude way, but just clearly amused at his excitement and eagerness to see what she could do.  She poked him since he had closed his eyes.  Did he really expect her to direct a full gust of wind right at him?  There was no way she could risk doing that and hurting him and instead moved the finger she poke him with towards the direction he was facing; away from both of them.


"I'm not going to blast you.  You can still watch without being target practice.  You obviously will not be able to see the wind, but you can see it move the flora."


She took a deep and nervous breath and tried to prepare herself for the force of the wind had had previously pushed her over.  She looked back at Erikur to see that he was watching before looking forward once more and summoning the wind to act as she willed - or at least try to.  There was a rush of air that pushed forward from her hands that tore through the area before them that sliced through the grass and flowers.  At the same time it was release, she yet again was thrown back by the force and smacked back into Erikur knocking them both down.  She rolled off of him and apologized over and over again, "Are you okay?  Lesson learned: don't let anyone stand behind me either."


She remained seated on the ground with her legs crossed and looked at the damage she had caused and cringed.  She had basically torn all of the plant-life from the ground and bits were still floating back down to the earth.  This was going to take much longer to get a grasp on than she thought.  Her head hung down slightly as she sighed to herself over her worries.  She didn't exactly regret being gifted with her affinity, but she felt like she wasn't as adept as everyone else was.  She pointed one of her index fingers towards the spot she had just ploughed through with her wind and summoned the smallest bit of wind she could to float a petal that had made it's way over to them.


"Guess I better just start with this."


Soon another Daeva approached and greeted them both.  They introduced themselves as Gideon and apparently was also a wind Daeva.  He invited her to join the others so that they could practice and learn from each other like all the other did.  Luella turned to Erikur, "It was nice to meet you.  Hopefully next time we meet I'll be able to show you something really interesting."  She have a small farewell wave and joined Gideon to greet the others.  She was sure that Erikur would also group up with those of the same affinity and do wondrous things.  That was one of the reasons Este had created them, wasn't it?

It was months later since their inception and the Daeva had become skilled with their gifts; some were more proficient than others, but they now all could control their abilities with natural ease.  However, some conflicts between the different kinds of Daeva did occur.  The wood Daeva were frustrated with the fire Daeva due to them burning down the trees and other plants.  The fire Daeva didn't care much for the water Daeva since they would extinguish their fires.  It was never anything really serious though and the conflicts never went past an argument.  Luella - being a wind Daeva - was a carefree as her element.  The wind Daeva rested in the trees grown by the wood Daeva.  They increased the flames of the fire Daeva.  They could even  - without enough force - create snow when playing with the water Daeva.  They had developed their own personal likes and dislikes.


During this time, Este had wandered among them, talked to them, watched them, and guided them.  One visit from Este was different.  She had summoned them all to gather before her.  During this gathering, Luella spotted Erikur in the crowd and glided behind him silently.  She smiled as she gave him the lightest push forward with some wind as she tried to surprise him.  "We meet again."

 

[AdnarimthεDovahkiin]

Erikur cracked open an eyelid at Luella laughter. He liked the sound, and somehow knowing he was the cause of it made it sound sweeter. He then felt her soft poke, and watched her indicate where she would aim. Erikur let out a sigh as he exaggerated running the back of his hand across his forehead. Erikur was a large Daeva, but he had no doubt that Luella’s wind could force him to the ground.


After the demonstration Erikur’s expression reflected one of disbelief. He hardly recognized Luella's apology, because he was so enthralled with her raw power. Foliage was ripped up revealing patches of brown. Erikur hopped to his feet. “That was amazing” he gushed. “Although  I suppose that's not what you wanted to happen” he added as he slowly got to his feet.


He never would have guessed that her element could cause this type of devastation. He inferred that a wind Daeva would cause tornadoes, or a vacuum effect. Erikur began to realize that Daeva could do more with their element than what nature did unprovoked.  


Glancing at her, he notice the downtrodden expression. “Imagine what you could do with a little practice.” Erikur took a hesitant step forward, watching the petal float through the air. He extended an arm reaching for her shoulder. He let his arm fall back to his side when another Daeva approached. Erikur nodded in greeting. “It was nice meeting you too” Erikur replied.


He was a little disappointed when he watched Luella leave. He pushed the emotion down and tried to replace it with optimism for Luella. The other wind Daeva could help her in ways he could not. Erikur casually scanned the area for any other earth Daeva. One small corner of the garden was freshly tilled, a few Daeva stood atop the dirt. Every so often the dirt under them would shift.


He made his way over. Within a few feet of the pile he realized the earth elementals were building a very large hole.

• ☆·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸¸.·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸¸.·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸¸.¤
  

After a few months, the hole transformed into a populous cave with one room. A couple of dozen makeshift beds lined the floor. A set of spiraling stairs made of dirt lead outside into the garden. The cave was a back breaking undertaking. With organization and division of work the earth elementals accomplished the feat. This shelter was crudely made but it kept them warm and comfortable at night.  


Erikur was surprised that all Daeva, despite their element, worked together to improve the garden. Erikur speculated that a lot of it was because of Este’s guidance. After all, the goddess counseled her creations on more than just their powers.


A few earth elementals had more of an affinity towards growing flowers. With the help of water and wind Daeva, the plants were kept hydrated and seeds were pollinated respectively. The flowers flourished with help, and soon the entrance to Erikur’s cave was concealed with beautiful flowers. He glanced at the flowers on his way to a special meeting with Este.


Erikur stood in this midst of the crowd. He could hear excited chatter all around him. This type of meeting did not happen frequently. The atmosphere of it all reminded Erikur of the day he was created. He felt a small gust of wind and stumbled a step forward. He turned around and smiled when he saw Luella. “Hey!” He exclaimed so loud it caused a female Daeva to his right jump. Erikur chuckled and wrapped his lanky arms around Luella. “Look at you, I've experienced your element and I'm not flat on my back.” Erikur was careful to lower his voice so he didn't startle any more innocent bystanders.

 

[Fable]

Luella laughed as she watched Erikur stumble forward.  She had learned the joy of playing tricks on people.  Of course they were done out of fun and never had an malicious intents and this was no different.  She hadn't seen Erikur in a long while and she had said she was going to show him something interesting the next time they met.  This wasn't the interesting thing she had promised, but it was enough to show she was no long a hazard to those around her.  When he wrapped his arms around her she smiled and returned the hug.  A few moments later she pulled away and blushed when she noticed they were being stared at.  Hugs weren't exactly a common thing so when they happened they tended to draw attention.


"Nope, but if you still really want me to knock you over, I can.  I can even do it without seriously injuring you."


She quirked an eyebrow as if to dare him to challenge her to do it.  Even mockingly preparing herself by giving her hands a quick shake and spacing out her feet slightly.  The joke was interrupted though as she noticed the murmuring of the others die down and Este's all familiar aura seemed to fill the area.  She put her arms on Erikur's shoulders and turned him to face the direction that Este was standing.  Este greeted a few of the Daeva by name, even coming to Erikur to personally welcome him.  Luella could say she almost felt a bit jealous of the attention he received from Este.


"My lovely ones, I'm sure you are all very curious as to why you have all been summoned.  I find myself confident in your abilities and feel that many of you are ready to take on your tasks as guardians of the humans I have created.  They are fragile creatures, but intelligent.  They may share your form, but not your gifts or longevity.  I have spread them throughout my realm and I leave it to you to protect them, guide them, and teach them.  Let them be the benefactors of your gifts."


"Those that I give this flower to shall be free to leave my garden to find a human village to watch over," Este produced a glimmering golden flower in one of her hands.


She worked her way through the Daeva handing one a flower every so often.  Este came over to where Luella and Erikur stood and produced a flower, offering it to Luella with a gentle smile.  Luella thanked her politely and accepted the flower, and Este moved on to the next Daeva who would be permitted to leave the garden.  Erikur hadn't been given a flower and Luella couldn't help but wonder why.  Earth seemed like it would be a more beneficial element than wind.  She looked at Erikur somewhat apologietically since he hadn't been selected.  Only a third of them had and none of the ones Este had greeted personal had been selected.  Luella's curious nature made her wonder why that was exactly, but shook it from her thoughts to show Erikur the flower.


"Isn't it pretty?  Don't worry about me leaving just yet.  I still have to show you what I've learned to do."


Este bid them farewell, stating that in another month, more would be selected to venture out of the garden and to have patience until that time.  The Daeva began to disperse, some of those with flowers eagerly leaving the safety of their 'nest.'  Gideon and another wind Daeva approached to congratulate Luella on being selected, as well as making her promise to come back and tell them all about the humans.  After saying she would come back and share what she learned they left her alone with Erikur.

 

[AdnarimthεDovahkiin]

Erikur offered a smug smirk when Luella told him she could knock him on his back. He was confident that she could do it now that she had such a handle on her powers. “Try me small stuff.” He murmured as he planted his feet shoulder length apart with his arms outstretched. He then felt the mood change. Everyone around him immediately stopped talking. Erikur also felt something internally give him pause. After being whirled around he noticed Este. He let his hands fall to his side.


When Este approached him his eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. He could not believe the goddess was addressing him by name. His mouth felt dry so he responded with a nod and easy smile before she moved on.


Once Este began to speak Erikur hung onto every word. The Daeva were given a purpose. They were to watch after the humans. Erikur bounced on the balls of his feet anxious to finally leave the garden. He learned so much about life, and what it means to have a purpose enhancing Este’s vision. Erikur wanted to share all he has learned with the humans. He also wanted to help protect those fledgling creatures.


Erikur’s eyes followed Este hungrily when she explained the flowers. He hoped that his special greeting would  mean that he was one of the chosen few. Slowly, the flowers in her hand began to dwindle. Este than approached him and handed a flower to Luella. Erikur looked from Luella to the flower clutched in her hands and then back to Este. He felt his heart drop when Este moved on. He felt a blush creep up his neck. Erikur lowered his eyes and focused on the earth below him.


Erikur began practicing a mantra he developed a few weeks ago. “Grass, dirt, subsoil,” he felt the embarrassment subside. He was like the earth, he was stable, steady, supportive. Erikur smiled at Luella. “It is beautiful” He said as he admired the hue. He gently touched a petal. Things from Este always seemed more vibrant. When Luella’s companions left them he turned to her. He stared down at her feet. “I am jealous of you” Erikur admitted “but i am also so excited for you.” When he met her eyes he was smiling.



“Come on show me what you’ve got” he challenged.

 

[Fable]

Luella tilted her head to one side as she noticed Erikur's downcast expression.  She worried that he was upset that she had been given a flower and he hadn't.  She didn't want to leave Erikur disappointed, but she also didn't know how to cheer him up.  She wasn't sure she could give him the flower either since it had been given to her directly by Este with the mission to help the humans.  She remained silent as she watched him and after a moment he smiled at her and though he had never been upset at all.  Luella sighed a bit out of relief.


The flower disintegrated into a glittery shimmer that absorbed into Luella's hands, leaving nothing of it's presence behind.  "It was.  I guess they as a tool to imbue us with something," she pondered out loud.  She directed her attention back towards Erikur and gave him a beaming smile.  "I'd probably feel jealous too if someone near me had gotten a flower and I didn't.  But you forget that Este greeted you by your name, perhaps that makes you special in a different way.  Maybe she has some other plans for you, only she knows."


Este was an ever mysterious figure in their lives.  It seemed impossible to anticipate what she would ask of them, when she would visit, or anything else regarding her plans.  It set Luella's curiosity aflame not knowing so much, but she never openly questioned anything.  She felt that perhaps since they were still so young that Este just wanted to protect them or give them more time in experience life.  But still, there were burning questions about the purpose of pain, why did Este create humans when she already had the Daeva, and many other things.


Luelle was pulled from her thoughts at Erikur's challenge and a devious smile spread.  She grabbed his hand and pulled him towards where the other wind Daeve usually were.  The wind and wood Daeva were fairly friendly with each other.  The wood Daeva had created a lovely temple out of a variety of trees as well as homes for the wind Daeva and themselves.  There was a large open field just a bit beyond their little area where the wind Daeva could use theirs gifts without restraint or damage.  This was where she led Erikur.


There were a couple of wind Daeva seated on the grassy meadow chatting to each other.  She shouted out to them that she was 'it' and the two looked at her, laughed, and then fled to the skies eagerly.  Luella turned to Erikur and giggled before dashing away from him and towards the others.  As soon as she was certain of her distance from Erikur, she launched herself into the air with her wings using her gift of wind; much faster than possible for other Daeva's with a different affinity.  She pursued her friends, expertly flying through the air with them and their increased speed due to taking advantage of the winds.  Eventually Luella tagged one of the other Daeva and darted away towards Erikur.  She landed in front of him in a flurry of feathers.


"You'd never be able to beat me in a race," she teased.

 

[AdnarimthεDovahkiin]

Erikur watched curiously as the golden flower dissipated into Luella’s hand. He offered a smile when she reassured him. “You are right, but I can’t help but question our creator. Why would she only give some of us such a heavy responsibility?” The question Erikur asked was directed more at himself than at Luella. Does Este not trust me? He wondered. He shoved down his insecurities when Luella pulled him forward. The easy smile returned to his face.


Erikur followed Luella towards a grouping of trees. He saw the beautiful structure.The trees were so intricately woven, it was hard for him to tell which limbs belonged to which tree. Some of the trees were entangled into homes. Erikur was taken aback by the sight. They continued on towards a clearing where two Daeva sat.


Erikur watched Luella chase the duo. When she took to the sky she blasted upwards at a speed that Erikur had never seen. He chuckled when the other Daeva used the wind surrounding them to propel through the air. It was hard for him to keep sight of the Daeva. Their laughter fluttered down to him. They looked so comfortable in the sky. Although all Daeva had the ability to fly, most looked like large awkward birds when in flight. The three of them looked so graceful, they made flying look effortless and Luella seemed more skilled than even other wind Daeva. Erikur applauded when Luella landed. “Nicely done” He said. He smirked at her,


“No i probably couldn’t beat you in a race.... but that doesn’t mean I'm not stubborn enough to try.”   


Erikur ran feeling his wings unfurl on his back. When he flapped into the sky he felt clumsy and slow compared to what he witnessed.

 

[Fable]

She smirked at Erikur as he challenged her to race against him; even when he knew he wouldn't win.  She could practically fly circles around him.  If she did that fast enough she'd create a vortex that would spin him so fast he'd get super dizzy.  She wouldn't do that to him though.  The last time a wind Daeva had done that during a game someone was almost hurt when they started to fall and couldn't fly straight enough to land safely without assistance.  That didn't meant she was going to take it easy on him either.  She summoned the wind and pushed off the ground in a quick burst and easily caught up to Erikur with little effort.


"You know stubbornness will get you in trouble some day.  Though perhaps because your aligned with earth that your temperament is that way.  But you're in my territory now," she laughed.  She moved to fly directly underneath him with her back towards the ground and face towards the sky.  She shot a gust of wind under Erikur meaning to shoot him further up into the air like and updraft.  This caused her to move in the opposite direction.  When she had been practicing this, she had many close calls in colliding into the ground.  However, now she managed to gracefully maneuver as if it had been nothing and circled to fly next to him.


"Do you really wonder what Este's plans are?  You'd be the only other one besides myself.  Anytime I ever asked a friend they just said that they felt they didn't need to know or that we could never possibly understand Este."

 

[AdnarimthεDovahkiin]

Erikur smiled at Luella when she reached him.  He hovered a few feet away from her his wings rhythmically flapping. Meanwhile Luella floated through the air like she was swimming. It took so much concentration for him to just hover in place. Of every element Erikur has encountered wind was the hardest for him to grasp. 


Erikur floated upwards a few feet after Luella caused a small gust of wind to fill his wings. He beamed over at her and crossed his legs in the sky. He then placed a hand under his chin and stroked it humorously. 


"Yeah all the time. I always assumed a lot of people wondered that" Erikur answered his hand falling away from his chin after he gave her question serious thought. "But I am unsure, the earth Daeva I've encountered can be pretty intense. They never seemed to ask anything philosophical. I always assumed it was because we rarely have our heads in the clouds." 


Erikur snorted a little at his joke before the tips of his ears turned red.


He paused for a few minutes as he looked around the garden. Some Daeva on the ground were returning to their homes joking or playing with their elements. A few scattered the sky's fluttering in groups talking excitedly about seeing Este. Most of them didn't seem distressed.


"I am constantly questioning my purpose and when I find out information like my name it feels like I have another piece to the puzzle. I need to understand why Este made us if she's so powerful. Is it disobedient of question our mistress?"

 

[Fable]

Luella laughed lightly at Erikur's antics and enjoyed his playful nature.  She casually glided next to him almost effortlessly.  She could glide for long periods of time since she could create updrafts to keep herself in the air all on her own.  This meant that she could go farther than other Daeva when she decided to leave the garden.  She wanted to explore as much of Este's world as possible.


"It doesn't seem like many are bothered with such thoughts.  And I'm sure that your fellow Earth Daeva aren't that... well, actually, maybe they are a bit dense," she teased.  She couldn't resist the pun either.  She smirked as she noticed Erikur's ears become slightly red.  It was fun to joke and tease with him.  Her face went serious for a moment when she began to realize that once she left she might not be back for a long while, which meant she'd not be able to talk with Erikur.  That and would she even be around other Daeva or would she just be with the humans?  She started to lag behind him slightly.


"I'm sure that we'll understand things better eventually.  I might even one day work up the courage to directly seek her out to ask her my questions.  Surely she wouldn't be upset, would she?  Though just thinking about being so brazen is a bit scary."

 

[AdnarimthεDovahkiin]

Erikur listened intently. He nodded periodically at Luella. He was not accustomed to agreeing with someone so whole-heartily. His jest about the other earth Daeva was only partially a joke. He noticed that most of the Daeva emulated their element. His cohorts had traits like: strength, forgiveness, stability. The Earth Daeva were also often stubborn. They did not question the way things were, they just accepted it. Erikur did not agree with that. He could not even fathom how the others liked being so ignorant. Erikur chuckled at her joke, "you have no idea" Erikur added.


He twirled around when he noticed that Luella was no longer beside him.


Erikur's eyebrows raised while he waited for her to catch up. "Este seems reasonable" he started "I hope she would not be upset. After all she created us so she allowed us to be curious". After a few moments Erikur continued.  "The strange thing is after I was created, everything I needed was given to me. Does Este think we don't need to know this? If she believes that we don't need to know will she ever tell us?" Erikur pondered this. If Este would not give him the answer to this he was not above finding the answer on his own, and apparently neither was Luella.


He stared at Luella with brand new eyes, despite their differences in elements they seemed to think the same way. Erikur was sure he would miss conversations like this when she left the garden.     

 

[Fable]

Luella listened to Erikur as she moved to catch up to him.  She didn't know why, but there was a small feeling of shame in her questioning of Este.  Erikur has a point when he stated that it would be unreasonable of Este to be upset since she created them with this curiosity.  Why would she had made them this way if they were never intended to benefit or use every aspect of themselves.  But yet again, that was another question that seemed to have no answer and just went back into the circular questioning that Luella couldn't escape from.  She wasn't sure how to answer her own questions, so with Erikur's she could only give him a sympathetic shrug.  "There always seem to be more questions than answers."


Deciding that she didn't want to continue such a serious topic, she thought of something else to discuss.  "So, where do you live?  I stay near the temple in one of the tree houses that the wood Daeva made.  I have to admit I have a bit of jealously with being able to create things like that.  You're able to create things too though, right?  Oh!  I saw an earth Daeva and a fire Daeva make magma once!  Good thing the fire Daeva was burn proof otherwise he might have been incinerated.  I accidentally made snow once with a water Daeva myself.  I created such a chilly gust of wind that is froze the rain that one of them was making.  I'm not sure what wind and earth would create; a dust storm?"


She was back to her normal self now - distracted by the many thoughts of experimenting different combinations between their affinities.  Earth and water would create mud.  There was quite a few possibilities with the earth affinity, not so much as with wind.  "Oh sorry, I was rambling wasn't I?"

 

[AdnarimthεDovahkiin]

Erikur watched her from the corner of his eye whimsically. She tended to babble on like, like he did, when she got excited. It was endearing. For a few seconds Erikur silently drifted beside her, nodding when appropriate. Erikur began to wonder what earth and wind could create. "Us Daeva will be here for a long time, so long we will be masters of our elements. I can only assume that eventually I will have control over more of this earth than just mud" Erikur laughed. "Perhaps I could make more stable caves with stone, or maybe we could make mountains. You, you could pick up things, like sand and shape the earth. " He looked at her his eyes filled with wonder.


Erikur loved to think about the future. In his opinion, that was one of the only things he had control of in this world. Erikur turned slowly marveling at the garden below. How would it look in one hundred years after they have all advanced their powers. The collaboration between all the factions. It would be a paradise. Erikur was not sure when Este gave him the images he was thinking of now. Erikur's smile faltered as he remembered that some Daeva would not have to stay. Luella was leaving. Erikur forced himself to think of other things. Erikur saw a small hole in the distance, it was the entrance to his home.  "A tree house sounds interesting. I live in a makeshift cave." He gestured down to where he was looking.


"Would you like to see it," He asked. 

 

[Fable]

Luella listened as Erikur spoke, she tended to interrupt people sometimes when thoughts crossed her mind.  She was never trying to be rude, she just blurted out her thoughts at times in that exact moment.  "Well, you are right, we will be here for a long time yet.  We have an seemingly endless amount of time to perfect our skills.  And hey, nothing is wrong with being able to create mud; though it can be super messy.  I'm certain you could create impressive caverns or even mountains if you really tried to do so.  Just.. make sure you do wreck anyone's homes when you do it," she teased.


"As for me making sand.  It doesn't seem nearly as impressive as magma.  I don't don't how much I'd be able to use wind to lift something with too.  I can use drafts to help me and other glide, but picking them up?  They'd have to be pretty brave and indestructible to let me experiment on them."


Luella closed her eyes for a moment to enjoy the feeling of the wind; breezing through her wings, caressing her skin, tangling her hair.  It felt like a pure form of freedom.  The only thing missing was the weightless feeling one obtained while floating in water.  If flying could create that sensation than Luella might not ever want to touch her feet upon the ground ever again.  She was going to miss this place and it's comforting familiarity.  Going outside of the garden to meet Este's other creations made her nervous since she didn't know how she was even going to introduce herself.


When Erikur asked her if she wanted to see his cave, she opened her eyes and grinned.  "Of course!  I've not been in a cave yet."