Kisses Wounds hoped that this wouldn't happen. She prayed, that this wouldn't happen, but things were not to be. Synthesis was trapped, and the Salamanders were getting aggressive. She needed to deal with this, and she could not leave the girl behind. That, was not an option. That would never be an option. She immediately jumped into action, reaching out a hand and bringing it up as she summoned a wall of vines that sprung out of the ground, freezing immediately. It stopped a Salamander in its tracks, and she stepped between Synthesis and another Salamander, throwing it over her shoulder to deflect it away from Synthesis.

Even through her fur, Synthesis could see her body flexing as she worked. Vines springing out of the ground to trip, or flat out block the Salamanders, several more crawling out of their holes as the fight moved on. It was total chaos. Total, absolute chaos, and Kisses Wounds was right in the middle of it as Synthesis was trying to get the ice off her foot. It wasn't working, so with a graceful spin, Kisses brought her staff down on the girl's ice encased ankle. The strike shattered the ice, but Kisses flinched as she knew she did more. She was jumped by several more Salamanders, and by then she knew enough was enough. "That is it!" She yelled, throwing the Salmanders off, and spinning around. Then she turned, her chest welling up, just before she released a loud bark, knocking back the Salamanders. She didn't wait to see what was going on after, as the Salamanders started to crawl back into their holes. She grabbed Synthesis and started moving. Fast.

Synthesis breathed heavily in an attempt to reign in her fear and kept working on her frozen ankle. But unfortunately, the ice wasn't melting fast enough and she didn't want to risk turning the fire up any more in case she burned herself. It was just as despiration was getting the better of her that Kisses Wounds smashed her staff into the constricting solid. The younger girl screamed in pain as she both heard and felt something crack inside her ankle. She began crying uncontrollably as pain flared up her whole right leg and made her want to collapse in a ball on the floor. But she had little time to do anything else before she was being pulled along at great haste by a firm hand wrapped around her wrist. Every step was agony as they hurried on and Synthesis struggled to comprehend what had just happened.

She wished with all her might that she had given in sooner to the tempation to feed the fire more. She thought, if only she had made it a little hotter she might have avoided this. However, little did Synthesis realise but a second later and panic would have caused her toallow an explosion of flames to erupt from her palms to engulf and melt the solidified water, but basically cooking her whole leg in one go at the same time. So Kisses had essentially saved her from that fate by braking her ankle as she had.

Kisses ran, cursing each and every step she took she swore internally. She prayed. She begged the forest to forgive her for causing Synthesis so much pain. Maybe if she had slowed down? Maybe if she had taken things differently? Maybe if she hadn't expected Synthesis to do something even she was afraid of, this wouldn't have happened. It was her fault. She should have been more careful! It didn't take long for her frenzied thought to take her into a large, foyer of sorts with a hearth in the centre glowing with a blue flame. It was actually warm here, as she looked around quickly. She then immediately started looking around. She picked up Synthesis now, over the threshold style, and laid her on an old decrepit bench.

"I am so sorry!" She said, obviously panicking slightly. Kisses had never quite looked like this. She was shockingly upset. She took several deep breaths and then relaxed. "Okay… Okay… I can make this right… I can fix this," She said, looking around the room again. She quickly found a mirror, punching it, shattering it completely. "I have knowingly harmed another person, and have caused them unneeded suffering. I ask for thin forgiveness and the forgiveness of the victim to my actions. Allow me to take this opportunity to make these things right," She said in a prayer, walking over to Synthesis. 

The Druid then brought the sharp glass across her hand, blood quickly trickling down her arm. She dropped the makeshift knife, and gripped Synthesis's leg with it. HEr ankle was swollen like a tennis ball, and Kisses seemed to be focusing on it, covering the swollen joint in blood. There was… a lot of it… But Synthesis could feel exactly how much of a toll it was taking on Kisses, as her ankle flashed… And was perfectly healed. She felt amazing, actually. Kisses Wounds, on the other hand, suddenly looked her age. She looked old, worn out. Clutching her hand to her chest as she leant against the wall next to her. "I… I hope you forgive for what I did… I did not mean to cause you so much pain. I should have thought my actions through before I reacted…" She huffed, her chest rising and falling heavily. She just fought off a hoard of salamanders, dragged Synthesis through the maze, and then cured all of her ailments with what looked to be a blood sacrifice.

As soon as the haze of pain was lifted, Synthesis was able to think rationally again. She was still in shock and still crying more quietly than before but no matter how she resisted it, logic began steadily shedding light on all that she had done wrong. She was most ashamed to realise that she had failed in every way possible back with the salamanders and Kisses Wounds had had to clear up the mess. She began to tremble further as she realised her ankle was covered in thick, warm blood - specifically Kisses blood. She shook her head in denial. Kisses had most likely saved her life and yet still managed to feel guilty enough to give up her own well being for the girl. Indeed, the anthropomorph looked terrible, breathing heavily and leaning against a wall for support. She looked old and tired and the very picture of vulnerability.

Whiping her eyes, the newly healed girl pushed herself to sit up on the bench. She reached out to take Kisses' uninsured hand and tently pulled her, saying "Please sit down. You didn't need to do that Kisses Wounds. I'm obviously to blame for what happened back there. I should have been more resolute in keeping to your advice," She paused to look briefly around, "At least this place is warmer. We can rest without fear of not waking up."

As she spoke about resting, Synthesis thought she saw something right at the other end of the Foyer. A swift, darting movement. Then she saw it again, this time able to identify a green skinned little creature scurrying about and picking up treasure. Hopefully, if they left it alone to continue it's greedy work, it would do the same to them. Because Kisses looked like any more stress was the last thing she needed, Synthesis kept any mention of the creature to herself and continued to gently coax the other into sitting and resting against her. The younger Druid was now completely recovered physically and mostly recovered mentally and emotionally. The shock and panic had passed, only to be replaced by knawing guilt.

Kisses Wounds tended her hand, shaking her head as Synthesis was trying to take the blame. "No… I should not have hurt you such… It was against my vows. I…" She panted, before taking a deep breath. It took her a moment to relax fully, but she eventually did. She looked at her hand. The woman seemed to zone out at the sight of her blooded hand, her pupils' contracting noticeably. She closed her hand and then kissed it. Her hand seemed to heal rather quickly, and she let it drop to her side.

"Synthesis… Have you ever fought?" She asked, looking at the girl. "Have you ever been on a battlefield? Where people are everywhere? Trying for nothing more than to kill those who oppose them, seeing people dead or dying all around you?" She added, closing her eyes again.

Synthesis was very concerned at the words of the anthropomorph beside her. She was speaking so forlornly of such horrid sounding things and the young girl didn't know what she could say to make it better. Any attempt to convince her mentor that she wasn't to blame was met with complete blank denial. What's more, her eyes were so distant. She looked distracted like her mind was clouded in some unknown haze of misery. Synthesis wondered whether she was being affected by the aura of the Vault. Almost certainly it wasn't helping, even if her sadness was caused by the tangible event that had just befallen them.

"No, I have never experienced such a thing," She admitted hesitantly, "Have you?" But then she thought it would probably be best not to talk about that topic and instead resolved to try and change the subject, "But it doesn't matter. Please sit down and try to think of something better. What comes next, for instance?"

It didn't matter. Kisses pressed on without seeming to have heard Synthesis's words. "I have…" She whispered, slowly allowing herself to slide down the wall and sit on the ground. "I have been on many battlefields… Each one more horrible than the last," She sighed, opening her eyes once again. "I need you to make me a promise, Synthesis. So long as you are with me, you will not fight. Once one is hardened in the chaos of battle, they can't go back to what they were. It will change you forever…" She trailed off, seeming to be in a daze.

Synthesis didn't like this at all. Kisses Wounds was usually so strong and seeing her in such a state of weakness and woe was deeply unsettling. However, the girl was determined to be supportive and strong while the other could not be. It was what Kisses would have done for her. She moved from her bench to sit beside the wolf on the floor, wrapping her arm around her.

"You know you came through okay. I have never met anyone as wise and kind as you. I think everything you saw probably made you even more who you are today." She found herself running her fingers through the fur on Kisses' shoulders in what she hoped was a comforting gesture. Kisses semed to relax at the treatment, but only a little.

She merely shook her head. "No… You are a bright girl, but in that you are wrong. We have a job to do. Come. We must purify this place… Or at least try…" She said, grabbing her staff and using it to pull herself up off the ground. She looked around the space, thinking about how she could go about it. "What do you know of purifying a location?" The druid inquired.

Synthesis frowned, "Nothing. I've never heard of doing such a thing before let alone learnt how to do it. Even now, pruifying locations sounds more like the work of a Paladin than that of a druid." Synthesis wished she could be of more use than this. However, there seemed nothing she could do, "I think now we should continue exploring. We might find something or learn a little more about this place if we do."

In the background, the little green thing continued to stop and poke its way through the thin scattering of treasure on the floor for the most sparkly, pretty or valuable looking things. It was getting closer as it did so but it still hadn't noticed them. Synthesis quietly pointed to it to draw Kisses Wounds attention to it, making the Wolf turn, before muttering, "I think it would probably benefit us to get going now before we attract any unwanted attention. I can't be sure he will be hostile but I don't think we want to be taking any chances after…" she paused, "Well, you know, all this." she gestured to their crumpled, sorry state on the floor.
Kisses looked at the creature with a sense of curiosity. She could see it picking things up that were obviously worth quite a bit of money, but she shook her head. "Neither of us have anything of any value. He has no reason to trouble us. Though, I can see how having a cursed goblin would be problematic," She said, picking up a gem off the table, holding it out to the goblin.

It didn't take her long at all to get his attention, as he started to approach, wanting the gem. "A curse…" The Wolf said softly. "By the grace of the forest, I release you of your affliction and forgive you for your sin. You are free…" She said softly as the goblin took the gem. Almost immediately he changed, looking at the Gem. Then he looked at Kisses, and back to the gem. He had a gem, so he shrugged, and started to wander off with his trove of treasures. He didn't stop picking them up, but he wasn't as fanatical about it. "We shouldn't be at risk of any trouble from him anymore." She explained, turning back to Synthesis.

"Now, while it is true that the task of a paladin would be to remove evil from an area, it is also the job of a druid to make sure that the natural world is not polluted, from human waste, from magic, from any negative force that might affect it."

Synthesis found herself mightily impressed with the way that Kisses Wounds had unbound the goblin from some unseen influence. The change in his aura and expression had been completely sudden.

One minute he was a dim and diminished, the next a brighter force could be felt from him and his eyes unclouded. He seemed to think again.

The girl then nodded in understanding at her mentor's explanation of purification. So there was something they could do. It was an encouraging thought. "That makes sense," She said thoughtfully, "I take it you know about all this then? If you tell me what to do, I will help as much as I can."

"So, would you like to work on the purification with me? Do you feel up to the task?" She asked, seeming more and more normal as the seconds passed.

"Yes! Please! I would love to!" Synthesis gushed, "But I don't know how so you will have to teach me and tell me what to do." She, too, was starting to feel more positive about their purpose.

Kisses nodded, pointing in front of the hearth. "Sit there while I prepare some things," She said, digging through her pouch and pulling out some dried, ground up herbs and leaves, a plate, and a black, ashy rock by the look of it. Then she pulled out a flint, laying the rock and the plate down on the hearth, and striking the flint aginst the rock.

Synthesis could immediately see how the rock started to crackle with sparks, but they were all very small and subdued. Then, when Kisses laid the herbs on top of the rock, smoke started coiling up, filling the room with a sweet, earthy smell. "Are you ready to begin, Synthesis?" She asked, smiling softly. The first smile she had seen since the fight previously.

Synthesis sat by the hearth as told and waited as patiently as she could. However, she couldn't stop her knee jiggling and her face from flushing with nervous excitement. She studied the assortment of objects that the anthropomorph brought forth with shining eyes. The smell they produced was heavenly to the onlooker also as the smell of the forest was a most welcome scent after the bland chilly air that had been all she could sense in her nose for so long.

When Kisses Wounds asked if she was ready, the girl nodded keenly. She was indeed ready to begin and curious to see what would happen next. Synthesis always loved to learn new things, especially if it had anything at all to do with magic and druidism. This had to do with both and would hopefully cause a noticable difference to their surroundings.

"Yes! Please, just tell me what to do!" She commanded playfully.

Kisses merely nodded, kneeling across from Synthesis, breathing in the incenses. "Alright, I need you to completely relax yourself. Listen to the fire… Smell the forest, and just clear your mind. Let the little thoughts that you normally ignore or suppress go free. Let your mind wander in peace as you yourself bring safety to this area, purifying it through comfort…" The dog said softly.

Synthesis did as she was asked, allowing herself to immerse in the scents of home and visualising herself there. Soon she was thinking of all the little details; the dripping of raindrops from the leaves, the smell of wet earth, the way she could watch the plants grow as the days idled by. She felt so at peace that soon she forgot where she was and what she was doing. Instead, she was just going wherever her thoughts led. Soon she was thinking about her parents. The way she had often spend happy hours outside with them. Those early memories must be why she had taken to strongly to the idea of being a druid and working with nature.

Then she thought of her decision to come here. It had been a difficult one and the goodbyes had been sad but in the end, she was glad she had done it. Her parents had worked together to open the portal that brought her to Revaliir and one day she hoped to gain the power to do the same, return with her head held high. However, right now she was content being stuck on this plain for she was meeting such wonderful and diverse people, and she was gaining new and game-changing expiriences almost every week.

Then she finally thought of more recent things, recent forests, recent comforts that she had grown accustomed to. Like being able to speak to the plants so as never to need to feel lonely again, like being able to create fire and warm herself whenever she pleased, and like Kisses Wounds and their cave. A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. Kisses would need to remind her where she was or otherwise direct her for she was almost dreaming while sitting straight upright, her mind as free as it had ever been.

Kisses was whispering quietly as Synthesis meditated. "Thine mother, grant me the blessing of light so that my student and I may be able to see those who would seek to stop us from accomplishing our task… Allow us to purify this space, and bring it back to balance. The pain and suffering of those who are trapped here need to end, and we seek to be your instrument for this cause…" She prayed, the space growing warmer and warmer.

Synthesis could feel how the room, in particular, started to lose it's dreaded feeling, being far more relaxing and welcoming. The fire felt warm and comforting, and the air no longer had the stale, cold, dead smell to it. It was a slow process, and she could feel Kisses straining to extend her reach as far as possible. Her aura, almost blinding against the background.

It was this sense of struggle that finally awoke Synthesis from her Reverie. The aura of Kisses Wounds was both vast and soothing now, but at the same time Synthesis could tell she was putting a lot of effort into pushing her magic so far outwards. She slowly blinked her eyes open and wondered uncertainly what she should do. Should she risk distracting the anthropomorph to ask how she could help again? Should she try to figure it out on her own?

In the end she went with the latter. If it didn't work, she could always go with Plan B; no harm done. However, if she distracted Kisses unnessesarily, the damage would already be done.
She reached out with her sixth, magic-sensitive sense, and began experimenting. She could feeling the life force and magical signature of her mentor easily but it was influencing it that would be the challange. She tried to extend the borders of their healing energy as far as she could. However, it took her a little while to realise that it was only while she relaxed that she succeded and prevailed. There was a reason that Kisses had asked her to meditate and that was because the potency of their cleansing was directly affected by the contentedness of their being. It didn't surprise her that the magic of the forest would work that way. It was so benign that it could only be a spell so pure and loving as this that it produced.

Kisses could feel the girl pressing in, entagling herself, but she didn't do anything to stop it. Instead, she allowed herself to… Flow through and around it, entwining herself with it and using it to extend further. The room continued to grow less and less ominous, and more and more peaceful. The crushing presence of evil losing its grip faster and faster as the two worked together in tandem.

Soon enough, the feeling was gone, at least in the immediate vecinity. Like it had been pushed out by the two of them.
Kisses Wounds eventually let out a breath she didn't realise she was holding, and started panting heavily. It sounded like she had just gone for a run, but they hadn't moved. The sheer scope of what they had done, was beyond impressive. The fire next to them, while still unnatural, hd a far more welcoming feel to it, almost as if it invited one to come and sit by it. The whole room had this feeling, but all Kisses seemed to be worried with, was lapping up water from her canteen.

"Synthesis… Could you please pull the sack I stored in your bag out? I think we should rest for a little while more than a short rest," She explained.

"Of course," Synthesis reached to her bad tied at her hip and pulled out a little brown sack that Kisses Wounds had earlier entrusted to her. She didn't know what was inside it but she handed it over to the other without asking. This was because a more pressing question had dawned on her. She was sure she had remembered Kisses telling her she had taken a vow of non-violence and yet at the same time she had just witnessed a fight between her and several creatures that an experienced gladiator would have been proud of.
Kisses opened the main sack, revealing two other sacks. One, a simple hep cloth sack, the other, obviously wrapped in leather. It was wet as well. The older druid handed the younger the cloth sack, taking the leather wrapped for herself and opening it.

Just to add to the questions Synthesis had, it was revealed that Kisses had the meat of some animal, cut up into strips, raw and untouched by any seasonings and the like. Furthermore, she snapped one of the peices up quickly, jaw working much like it would if she were a normal, everyday hound trying to eat a scrap given to it.

She ate in silence, not seeming phased by the fact that what she was eating was the exact opposite of pacifism. Something had died to feed her this meal, leaving two new questions. Did Kisses kill it, and if not, who did?
Synthesis didn't touch her sack yet, while she pondered the best way to pose her quieries without causing offence. Could she just come out and say it? Kisses had always been very open and reasonable to her before. But she just couldn't bring hersefl to say it. What if she upset her mentor? She had been forced to fight by Synthesis after all, because of her neglegence. Plus, the wolf already looked worn down; fighting and then casting was bound to have taken its toll, with plenty of emotional turmoil thrown in for good measure. So instead of getting her thoughts and worries out in hte open, the younger girl simply sat and stared at her lap. If only she was braver, but she wasn't.

Kisses eventually looked at Synthesis, her eyes examining the littler girl carefully. "You can ask. I won't be offended," She said simply, eating yet another piece of the meat. "How did I kill this deer without breaking my vows? It would not be a strange question to ask."

Synthesis nodded, flushing. She had been that obvious? She was surprised that she had been that easy to read. "Yes, I was wondering… and that fight before. How does that work with her vows?" She still felt bad for asking, but it couldn't be helped.
"Her? I was not aware you knew anyone else with these vows," Kisses said playfully, shaking her head. "My vows are for unneeded and unnessisary bouts of violence, like your ankle. That was unnessisary. I could have figured something else out, and thinking about it now, there were plenty of other options I could have taken to get you safe. This deer, died so I could eat. I am a wolf, and while I can eat berries and other plants, it's tough on my body. I was made to eat this," She said simply.

Synthesis hadn't realised that she bad been murmuring out loud so that Kisses could hear. It was incredibly rude of her to speak about the other in the third person while they were present and the girl felt quite mortified. However, Kisses didn't seem too fussed about it as she quickly moved on, and so she tried to brush it off and forget that it had happened, too. She nodded sympathetically. She had known that Kisses must have a reasonable explanation becasue Kisses was just so sensible, practical and wise. At least, that was how her student had come to view her as time had gone on.
"I've come to accept that I'll never be able to convince you that it wasn't your fault but please, don't beat yourself up about it. Even if you were to blame - which you were not - I wouldn't be angry and I wouldn't wish you to be so upset about it. It's all over now and it's all okay." She smiled genuinly to show she really was fine. Kisses needed to let it go.

"It is in the past, and I will have to answer for my actions regardless when I get back to the forest. What is done is done, you are correct. As for the Salamanders. While some would say that being a pacifist often means you do not know how to fight, I do. I wish with all my heart I did not know how too fight, but I do. Though always be careful of the one who does not want to fight, as often they are the ones with the least to prove. They are the ones who likely know more than those who cry their praise to the sky. You were born with two ears and one mouth for a very good reason, and those who know how and when to use each are often the wisest," Kisses explained. "I am old, and thus I know much. I am strong, and I understand the world and how it works far better than others. I also understand how to manipulate bodies so that I am merely avoiding attacks with… Style I suppose one could say. If you were paying attention, though I would not fault you for not given your situation, you would have seen I did not strike any of the Salamanders. I merely moved out of their path, and redirected their momentum somewhere else to keep myself safe from their attacks," Kisses added, before going silent for a moment.
"There was a time though, when I was young, where I did not have such views. Remember this well Synthesis. The more devout one is too their faith, the worse the things they have done in their past. Do not praise me as one who can do no wrong. Simply learn from my own mistakes, so that you do not make them yourself," She finally finished.

Synthesis was humbled by the words of the other. She was indeed old and as such she had seen much. The girl was tempted to try and reassure the wolf again but found herself unable. Whatever she thought of to say seemed meaningless, shallow, hollow… In the end she simply gestured for the other to come and sit beside her on the hearth. She answered simply and hoped that it would be enough to convey her gratitude. She truly felt honoured and blessed with the large amounts of knowledge that Kisses saw fit to bestow upon her. "I'll do my best to be as good a student as you are a teacher." She knew that it was important for her to remain uncouded by any sort of infactuation, even of a platonic nature, but it was difficult not to admire and idolise one so kind and generous. Nonetheless, it was her duty to take Kisses lessons seriously and to respect her wishes. Therefore she would always be on the lookout for an opportunity to point out a difference of opinion between them and to challange Kisses in the pursuit of learning, intelect and mental growth - for the both of them.
Kisses regarded the girl, snapping up the last of her meal, blinking slowly as she watched the various looks go over her face. "This answer doesn't seem to have eased your mind. What is bothering you now? What is on your mind?"

"I'm not too unhappy," Synthesis explained hesitently, "But it is very difficult not to worry sometimes, even when someone tries to assuage your fears. I worry about you because I care. I don't want you to be upset with yourself or your past. Also, I suppose I also have my own insecurities that I have to deal with. I often worry that I can't live up to the standards I set for myself. I don't want to disappoint you or anyone. But I'll always try my best so you don't need to worry."

Synthesis worried that these conversations might be negativly affecting the purification they had just done. She was no longer feeling at ease like in her meditation and she hoped feverishly that this wouldn't damage or reverse the cleansing that they had done on this place. "Sorry for being so negative." She smiled a hollow smile and unwrapped the little sack that Kisses had handed to her before. Inside she found her own lunch. Synthesis's smile became a tad more genuine at the thought of all the ways Kisses looked after her, from providing her meals and warming her with her warm furry body to teaching her and fighting off all those beings that wished to harm her.
"Worry is good, but learning to set it aside and understand that sometimes there is nothing you can do to. So, you must learn to let it go. There are many times, where I try to heal someone, but I am too late, with too little, and they die right there. I would not be able to do my task if I could not let these things go," Kisses explained.

Then she smiled. "Do not worry. This is not negativity. This is insecurity, and while it is not good, it is not bad either. You and I will have many talks in the future. Some will be pleasant, some will be grim, but that is merely life," The druid said, standing up to look about again.

Synthesis nodded. She would surely do her best and that was all anyone could ever ask for. She bit into her own small selection of foods eagerly. Now that they had had this conversation, the girl felt much more at ease and realised just how hungry she was.

Indeed, the simplistic and powerful magic that seemed to be watching over the room and its few inhabitants seemed no less clear and encouraging than before they had began to speak. The warmth of the room seemed even greater than before and the girl found herself growing drowsy. However, they had only taken a nap just before entering the Vault and as such she concluded that a brisk walk would be just as good as - if not better than - a nap. It would surely be a quicker solution. So Synthesis stood with her food in hand and looked around the Foyer. It was large.

"Kisses, I need to wake myself up a bit now so I'm just going to walk around the edges of the room. You're most welcome to join me." She pushed another morsel of bread and some seeds into her mouth when she finished speaking and made off towards the room's edge at a decent pace. Every tenth step or so she would pop a little more food between her teeth and chew it down to mush, her mind beginning to wander. When she reached it, the wall was ice cold but she trailed her fingers along it anyway.

Kisses didn't follow, seeming to be doing her own thing. The woman did give Synthesis a nod in acknowledgement, and if the girl looked over, she could see Kisses was giving her the occassional look to make sure she was alright.

Synthesis was fine. She was content, not too hot and not too cold. Also, she realised as she looked around that she was surrounded by many beautiful things. There were piles and piles of gold coins scattering the floor, some of them reletively recent currency and some of them looking exteamly ancient. But they all shone in the light. Synthesis found heself thinking. She could buy many comfortable clothes, warm meals, rooms in taverns, comfortable transport… the list went on. She bent down and quickly scooped a couple handfuls of gold up. She watched, mesmirised as she allowed them to trickle through her fingers into her bag. She wasn't sure why she felt so guilty doing this. This treasure didn't belong to anyone and she only wanted it for practical purposes.

As she moved on, she thought perhaps another handful wouldn't hurt and it would helo her immensly on her travels… But then she caught sight of some absolutely gorgeous jewels glinting and sparkling. She simply had to have one of them as a souvenir… But then a necklace of moonpearls. Wouldn't it look so pretty wrapped around her neck. Maybe she wouldn't be so plain if she wore it. She moved with a strange sense of urgency to pick them up, pushing the jewel into her bag and fiddling with the clasp of the necklace.

Suddenly she had a thought and she snapped up her head to look over at Kisses Wounds. The anthropomorph wouldn't like her wearing jewels and having coins. In fact, the Anthro was staring right at her as she was picking these things. Examining her as if waiting to see what she would do.

Synthesis felt defensive at being watched. She simply needed these coins and jewels. They would see to it that she was comfortable and beautiful and respected and she needed them. No one was going to take them away from her, not even Kisses. Kisses was probably just jealous and would have to deal with it.

She moved more quickly now away from her mentor and towards a set of stairs leading down from the Foyer. There were even more jewels down there, she could feel it. And no more prying eyes on her and her pretty, shiny things. She wanted to be alone with them. She wanted to have more and sit and admire and count them. Was that so wrong? Soon she had come to the stairs and looked back with accusing, paranoid eyes before beginning to decend.

Once she was out of sight of Kisses, she could see that there really was far more people here than she expected, all trying to get at the various piles of gold and valuables. They didn't pay her much mind as they were piling gold into whatever they could use to carry it. They all had their heads down, failing to notice the sheer awe-inspiring magnitude of the caverns within which they plundered. Unfortunately Synthesis was the same, completely unable to appreciate any of the natural beauty of her environment as she normally would have. Instead she bean to crawl on the banks of the underground river and pluck anything that looked promising out of the dirt. And as time went on, she became less and less diserning over what she deemed worthy enough to take. She wanted it all!

Little did she know she was getting dangerously close to the river's edge. Any minute now and she would fall into it's freezing waters in her distraction. She didn't, a strong, furred grip taking a hold of her shoulder.

"Synthesis… I do not believe wandering away in this is going to be benefitial to either of us…" Kisses said, looking her in the eye. She was the only thing between Synthesis and an icebath.

Synthesis looked up at Kisses with a scowl. Why had she followed her? She wanted to be alone. Why couldn't the other take a hint? She ignored the other's words and went back to trying to search the thin mud for more beautiful riches.

She didn't get much of a chance, as Kisses sighed. "If you wish to keep going, then I will let you go," She said, releasing her grip, letting the girl splash into the freezing water. Synthesis gasped and splashed frantically at the cold jarred her from her state of obsession. Kisses kneeled down, looking the girl over, grabbing her tightly and hauling her out of the water.

"Did you enjoy your bath?" Kisses asked, smiling a little at the shocked girl. "Cold?" She added, chuckling.

"Are you insane!?" Synthesis screeched, still breathing at tripple her usual rate and shivering intensely, "I could have drowned! I could have died of the cold!" Her eyes met her mentor's with a slightly crazed look. She was both angry and confused, not a pleasant combination. She still did not comprehend what she had done to warrent that treatment. She now viewed Kisses as more of an ally gone astray to do something stupid rather than the enemy and threat she had seen before.For the most part, the cursed energy had released it's hold upon her.

"Well, I figured the easily 50 lbs of gold and treasure that is currently straining your pack, might be indicating you were not all there. You tried to pull away from me to keep looking, so I let you go," Kisses shrugged. "Come on, you need to get moving. Let's get back up to the foyer and I will warm you up, alright?" She offered, holding out her hand for the girl to take.

Still slightly confused but recognising that there was indeed a lot of things on her back, she allowed herself to drop everything but the initial coins and jewel in her bag, as well as the necklace of pearls around her neck. She allowed herself to be led up the staircase, for the first time admiring her surrounding as she went.

In the Foyer she felt much better straight away, the warm and the slightly purer energy serving to further relx her body and clear her mind. Soon they were back by the fire and their things which had been left behind. She was still far too cold, however, and despite feeling a little embarrased, she sidled over to the wolf and murmured quietly.

"Can I warm up? I mean… can you help me warm up? It's cold and…" She sniffed, "…and I don't know what just happened!" Her voice went a bit squeaky with emotion then and she abolutely refused to look the other in the eye.

Kisses just chuckled. "Of course, otherwise I would have left you to fend for yourself," She said, shaking her head. "But you need to get out of your soaked outfit, and suffer for a minute or two while I set it to dry. Keep a mind about you. This place likes to play games with your head. I would not want to throw you for a bath again. Or worst, next time I may not be able to find you, to save you. Remember that," Kisses said, waving her hands in a circular fashion to hurry the girl up. "Now get out of those soaked clothes!"

Synthesis blushed and turned slightly before pulling off her tunic. Underneath, her chest was wrapped in cloth and she made no move to remove this. She even paused before pushing down her trousers and stepping from them. Then she picked up these garments and looked around to see where she could lay them, but Kisses just snatched them out of her hands, crossing her arms like an expectant mother. "Synthesis? You can't very well warm up if you are covered in soaking wet cloth. Would it help if I removed mine? Nothing to be ashamed of," She said, looking down to the "Outfit" that consttuted of a couple loose scraps of cloth more or less.

Synthesis blinked at the scolding tone of Kisses. Was it really that unreasonable to not want to be naked in front of someone. There was barely anything left for her to take off anyway. However, she scrunched her eyes closed in shame as she began to peel the wet cloth from her person and wrapped it nervously around her fingers. Finally, she stepped out of her pants and picked them up. She moved awkwardly closer to the wolf then, thinking that if they were near enough together, the wolf wouldn't be able to see her body.

"Right, let me just lay these down," She said, taking the rest of her clothes and laying them near enough to the hearth to get warm, but not so close they would burn. Then, she turned and pointed at the couch like bench Synthesis had been sitting on before. "Lay on that. The cloth and padding will keep your back, or belly, warm. Whichever you prefer," She ordered kindly.

Synthesis did as she was asked, laying on her side and curling into a ball to protect her modesty. Kisses followed, placing herself on the couch and laying down so that the small girl was between her and the cushions. Her fur was warm, really warm actually, as the older woman wrappd Synthesis in a hug and pulled her in closer. "Better?" She asked, making sure her legs covered Synthesis's legs as best they could.

The girl did feel immediatly better. She stopped shivering and even forgot for a moment what a compromising position she was currently in, instead relaxing into Kisses' fur like it was a soft warm bed. She slowly unfurled like a furn in spring-time as Kisses tended to her like a plant and was soon lying normally with her arms wrapped around the other… and this time she really did feel herself slipping into sleep.

Kisses let the girl hug her, and let her snuggle into her body with not a single complint to be heard. If anything, she encouraged her to get comfortble, running her hand up and down her students back, placing Synthesis' head under her jaw. "I will keep watch Synthesis, but do not expect your jewels and coins to be here when you wake up. I will not be protecting them," She said simply, placing a comforting kiss on her head. "Sleep while you can. I will wake you when it is time for us to leave."

Synthesis found she wasn't concerned about the treasure any more. She was just happy to be safe and warm and alive. She drifted off quickly and soon found herself dreaming equally pleasant things that she would never remember in the morning.

Synthesis slept long and deep on the couch with Kisses. She had endured quite some cold and strain falling into the icy underground flow earlier and her body clearly needed the respite. When she finally did wake, she was still warm and enclosed in the firm warmth of Kisses' strong arms. She was hesitent to move at all but in the end had to wriggle free when she realised she was still unclothed. She wanted to be dressed again before Kisses woke. The only problem was that she might wake the anthropomorph in the process of breaking free. It was a gamble she was willing to take, however, and proceded to crawl over to her clothes to check if they were dry. Her undergarments were dry enough and she slipped them on, as was her tunic but her trousers were still quite damp so she made her way back over to the wolf to curl up next to her again - for warmth of course, not for comfort or further relaxing napping.