Drae was pensive as he left Sapphire in the library. Being pensive lead to getting very turned around and he spent the better part of an hour or so trying to figure out where the hell he was. Angela had warned him that it would be easy to get lost. Suddenly he found himself wishing that he actually HAD tied a string to the Goddess's ankle like he had joked about doing; it seemed that it was not as silly an idea as he had originally thought. Eventually, after a little bit of wandering and finding the kitchens, the dining room, and the clergy quarters, he did manage to find Iva's room. The little girl was still entranced with her new teddy bear, Winston, and was avidly introducing him to the other stuffed animals by way of a giant tea party in the middle of her floor. 

Drae didn't interrupt, but quietly pulled his head out of the doorway so as to not interrupt, and turned back into the hallway. Now that he had his bearings, it was significantly easier to find his way back to Angela's sleeping quarters. Shockingly, Angela was not in bed as he had left her. Apparently the fatigue had worn off a lot faster than he had thought it would. That was a goddess for you though; she did have other responsibilities after all. Drae did wonder where she would have gone, and moved back down the hallway, and somehow managed to find himself back in the throne room. Angela wasn't there either. 

Feeling a little bit cooped up from being lost in the shrine, Drae huffed slightly and decided that he could do with a little bit of fresh, non-salty air, and made his way back out of the shrine. The sunshine felt wonderful on his face, and he wondered if Angela's magic kept this place sunny and summer all year round, or if it experienced the seasons like the rest of Revaliir. 

He ran his hands through his hair as he followed the path that lead around the massive tree-shrine until he found himself walking into the gardens. The cries of exotic birds and the rich powerful smells of earth and flowers assaulted his senses. He came around a massive tree and spotted the red-head he had been idly searching for, tending to the plants there in the garden. He smirked and came up beside her. 

"I see nothing keeps you down for very long," he said cheerfully.

Angela laid in her bed. Her body shook her from her dreams as she relived the one moment she did not. She bolted up and found her body covered in cold sweat and shaking. Breathing heavily she pushed her red hair back and pulled herself off the bed. Her dress changed to a more comfortable one. It wasn't at all elegant but she didn't care at the moment. She loosely pulled her hair together at the nape of her neck and tied a ribbon around it.

Making her way out to her gardens she at first sat down and listened to the nature of the shrine. "Oh you are terrible." She looked down at a flower by her feet. "I do not stink. I will have you know I took a bath earlier. You aren't the best smelling flower in the world either." She laughed a bit and listened to the flowers around her. "I see. Uh huh." She listened to them and made sure she answered them.

Standing up she started to water the plants.  "You all think you are so funny. I will have you know that I think Drae is a wonderful person." She gasped a bit. "I DO NOT have bad judgement." She took the watering can and threw water at one of her rose bushes. "You are absolutely terrible at least give him a chance."

Looking over at some buttercups she laughed a bit. "You are always sweet on the new people who come here. I think he is adorable as well." She watered them a bit extra and before long found Drae at her side. Her tired eyes deceived her as she nodded. "Nothing is allowed to keep me down."

She did not want to ruin his cheerful mood. "You should listen to these little gossipers we were just talking about you. The Rose bush isn't quite keen on new people. You know what they say about their thorns. The buttercups absolutely love you. Watch out for the Tiger Lilies they would try to steal you from me if they could."

She leaned over by him. "I want to let you into my world for a moment." She pressed her lips against his and for a moment all of the world around him came engulfed in voices. Some were tiny and some were big but all of them were yapping at them or at each other. "Listen to them Drae. Just for a moment." She moved her hand to his.

"It's not just the people I take care of. I take care of them as well. From the earth that supports the rivers to the mountains that reign the skies. I take care of it. I get tired a lot when something happens. If another god messes with the earth and I have to take extra energy to fix it, especially something large. This job is very tiresome. Not quite always rewarding. People hate you when they don't get pregnant but I can't keep track of everyone. People hate you when they do get pregnant because they don't know how to take a damn herbal medicine."

A sigh left her lips more. "People hate you if their crop doesn't turn out or if their house burns down.. If a rock breaks their leg. You never know when it is going to be your fault. It's not a job I could see just anyone taking though I suppose that's why it was given to me. I am not ungrateful to be given what I have been but sometimes I get tired and I want to take a break." She looked over to him. "Sometimes you don't get one. I want to spend time with my children more. I want to read them books and teach them what I know whenever I want."

Looking away from him. "You have to make decisions. Your family or your duties to the tree. Make the people hate you just a little for that tiny sliver of happiness. That little moment to read your children a bedtime story. I am not a woman who pushes her duties of motherhood off on a nanny. However, sometimes I have to."

She let those voices stop for him and she sighed as she set the bucket down. "These are my gardens. My home is what I make it. It is safe for my children and the only place I can guarantee no one will take them from. It is a place no other god can best me in. Here I can control even if I don't think I can control all the time. Even when I can't even get the nightmares to stop long enough for me to rest."

Drae had heard part of the conversation she had been having with the flowers, though he had thought she had been speaking to herself at first. He had shot a glare at the roses who apparently didn't like him too much, and regarded the buttercups with amusement. Though he found himself wondering why of all things she had decided to describe him as a wonderful person. He really was far from that, but apparently he had made some sort of a good impression. 

When he had come over and disturbed the conversation, he had half expected her to be as vibrant and lively as she had been in Wyllmochvar that morning, but instead he was met with the tired green eyes that betrayed the weight of the burdens on her shoulders. His brow furrowed as gently pushed a wisp of stray red hair from her face as she leaned in and pressed her lips to his lightly. He was about to ask her what she had meant when the sudden cacophony of voices assaulted his ears and he looked around quite dazed for a moment. Loud, soft, big, small, shrill, sing-song, however you could describe the voices of all around them, Drae could hear them all, each yapping at him, some trying to get his attention while others fought amongst themselves or called out to Angela. He looked at Angela in surprise, but listened as she had asked, a small smile coming to his lips as gently gripped her hand. 

The daisies were giggling back and forth over jokes they were telling each other, while the buttercups were sighing over how adorable they were holding hands, while the roses, scoffed at the display, and Drae was certain they would have turned up their noses if they could. He laughed outloud as the tigerlilies growled at him in a suggestive manner. 

He looked back at Angela as she began explaining her duties as Mother Earth, tending for the rocks, fixing the earth when the actions of another deity destroy something, and the ire of the people who do not get what they want the way they want it as far as having children, though never taking responsibility for their own misaction. Drae squeezed her hand reassuringly. He released her hand as she turned away and spoke about choices she had to make between family and her duties to the tree. He moved up behind her and gently put his hands on her arms and rubbed up and down. 

"Your children know you love them," he told her softly as the voices vanish. "Some of them understand more than you'd think about what you have upon your shoulders," he said. "And they love you just as much," he said, hoping that he wasn't really telling her a lie. From what he had seen of Sapphire and Iva, the two loved their mother dearly. 

The voices stopped and he let go of her as she put down the watering can down on the ground. 
"And as long as you do your best, this place will always be a haven for you and for your children," he told her as he took her hand. "What are these nightmares that plague you? Is there something I can do?"

It calmed her when he moved a stand of her red hair away just before she kissed him and let him see a glimpse of the world she was in. She smiled and took his hand as he gripped. It was entertaining to watch for the most part. The goddess was glad that he could take it in stride and not immediately run away from her because of it driving him crazy.

When she had turned away from him Angela found herself surprised when he comforted her. She leaned into him and gave him a small smile. Listening to him she felt silly for once and the look on her face said it all as she chuckled. "I suppose I've been silly thinking they don't know how hard it can be on me. I suppose that is why they are very patient with me."

Shaking her head she wasn't sure that was true. "I've seen the strongest Gods fall with the passage of time. It's just a matter of if the Tree needs you anymore though I have faith that the Voice will understand me and in turn be gentle upon my time here." She took his other hand and stood there with him as they held hands. Her thumbs rubbed his as she thought about it.

"I've had them for a long time. Since I was a child. These bizarre nightmares that I have no explanation for. I've seen myself as I am now since that time. I've lost something precious to me. I don't know what it is that I've lost but I can't find it. No matter where I look or how much I look. It's not there. For some reason it absolutely terrifies me. Maybe it's because as I've grown I've come to realize no amount of power makes me feel safe."

Locking eyes with him her lip quivered for a moment. "Can you make me feel safe? Can you make them stop so I can rest? It's been a lot worse lately and I hate to think that something is going to come true from these nightmares. I keep thinking of Iva or Sapphire… Maybe even one of the older ones." She was terrified and it showed. "And what if I can't find them? That sounds silly because I can find anyone but why wouldn't I be able to find them?" She began to panic as she became scared.

"Yes, but you aren't just a Goddess, my dear," Drae told her softly as he held her to him. "You are one of the Three, of the Triune. You are the Earth Mother. The Tree would not have picked you if it knew that you would falter," he told her. 

Drae listened quietly to the fears that kept her from sleeping soundly for any amount of time, of the horrors of being powerless to find what she felt she had lost in these dreams. He felt a sudden surge of familiarity with her recollections and he swallowed hard, the muscle in his jaw tensing as he held her close. He pressed his nose into her hair and inhaled deeply of her scent before he kissed the top of her head. As she turned to look at her, he saw the fear inside her. He ran his thumb over her bottom lip as it quivered. 

Could he make her feel safe? Could he do all that she begged? 

He swallowed hard as memories came screaming back to mind. He had promised someone he would keep them safe before. And he had failed. That failure had kept him from making such foolish promises for the past decade or so. He sighed softly. 

"I can't make you any promises," he told her honestly, which was new for him. "I am not a safe person, I told you this earlier today," he reminded her. "But… I will do what I can," he said as he caressed her cheek. "I am not a miracle worker, but if my staying nearby can help alleviate your suffering, then I will be at your beck and call," he told her. 

"And if you do lose one of your children, you can bet that I will use what I have at my disposal to help you find them and get them back," Drae told her. He grabbed her shoulders as the panic began to set in. 

"Angela! Nothing has happened to your children. Right now, they are all safe," he told her. "You cannot let the panic of possibly losing one cripple you right now!" he urged her. "If such a thing ever happens, you will face it, brave and strong, like the Rosenite you are," he told her flatly. "And even if I have to sniff the child out, they will be returned to you!"

Angela felt the kiss atop her head and when she turned his thumb was smooth across her quivering lips.  "That's all I want Drae." She snuggled her face into his hand. "I'm a miracle worker and I still cannot fix this by myself but I think you can." 

She held back her tears as she listened to him speak. It was rather unusual for her to be losing herself like she was. He took hold of her and he yelled at her telling her exactly what she needed to hear. Sniffling and trying to pull herself together she snuggled herself into him and hide her face in his chest.

"Thank you for caring about us so much." She wrapped her arms around him. "For so long it's just been me taking care of everyone. I try my best to keep everyone safe." Her green eyes looked up and they were bloodshot. "What I really want is someone to be there with me to shoulder everything. I am strong and a lot of the times I am brave, but even the strongest and bravest people need someone they can lean on once in a while."

She put her head back on his chest. "I'm so tired Drae. Can we go lay down? Maybe for a little bit.. We can talk there?" She snuggled her head into him move and moved them to the room almost instantly. She had them on the bed and she closed her eyes. "Did you get lost? Or maybe Iva showed you around? Tell me about it." She gripped his side and kissed his cheek softly.

Drae sighed and wrapped his arms around Angela as she buried her face into his chest. Apparently he had said something right. Truthfully, he had yelled at her because he was getting a little frustrated with her sudden show of helplessness. He was beginning to fear that the woman he had met this morning was merely a temporary facade; he hadn't exactly planned on being 'tethered' to a whiny prima donna. 

He winced slightly when she thanked him for caring, and he was grateful that her face was still in his chest. It wasn't that he cared so much, after all, he barely knew her or her children. But he did have a knack for knowing what people wanted and or needed to hear, and apparently having someone who at the very least appeared to care was what she needed. The wince disappeared and his face softened quickly as she looked up at him. The bloodshot to her eyes made the green stand out almost too much and he swallowed softly. 

He honestly couldn't believe the words that came out of his mouth next.

"Of course. And I will be here to be that person," he heard himself say. Honestly, the last thing he needed was to suddenly be the crying post her. Then he recalled that morning and reminded himself that there would be perks for doing such a thing. He swallowed softly and rested his cheek on her head as she put her head back on his chest. 

"Of course we can," he replied to her request. Cuddling was something he definitely knew how to do very well. The garden vanished and suddenly they were laying down on her bed. He chuckled softly and kicked off his boots quickly before he pulled her close as she asked about his movements around the temple. 

"Not so much lost before I found the library. I had an interesting conversation with Sapphire there. Then I wandered around a bit, got a little turned around before I ended up at Iva's room. I couldn't interrupt her. She was quite busy introducing Winston to her other animals. There was tea and cake involved too. Then I wandered a bit until I found you in the garden," he explained. "Not too exciting, though I must admit, this place is amazing," he smirked as she kissed his cheek. 

He ran his fingers though her hair softly and pressed a kiss to her forehead. 

The Goddess stayed close to him as his warmth kept her afloat. She knew that as a mortal he would have a difficult time perhaps understanding the weight she had above her. No one really understood until they had to take it all themselves.

Once they were in bed she had snuggled herself quite closely to him. "Oh? I am sure she was. She has a habit of doing that when no one is paying attention to her. I try to bring her home something new whenever I can. She does fancy tiny things as well. Especially things from the beach." She smiled as he kissed her forehead but it didn't last long.

"To be honest I have a request to make. I want you to stay here for a while. I don't know how long but I can't guarantee your safety if you leave." There was something dark in her eyes. "The powers of the world are shifting Drae. Time is fractured and now the real trouble begins. If we do not come up with a solution the world will most likely crumble. The clock in Sularia is broken and it must be repaired. When I spoke of losing my children I was also talking of this event. There is a large chance if something were to collapse this world I could just drift to another. Without everyone."

She gripped his shirt. "That's the truth of it. When I was on the field during the Godslayer war here I watched many of my people fall. My clergy rushed out to heal and I had to stand there and watch as Time was killed. And all I could think was that we had done something terrible. That was decades ago and now today we deal with the aftermath of all that. The tears in the skies and even the possibility of the world crumbling."

She yawned and snuggled into him. "You would think mortals would have learned not to mess with things they hardly know about after the mess that happened in Parvpora. However, it doesn't surprise me how long it takes them to figure it out."

"I'll remember that for the next time I get to town. I know where to find all sorts of tiny treasures," Drae smirked. He nuzzled her slightly and settled in, making himself comfortable as she began to make a request of him

Stay for a while. He raised an eyebrow at her. They had discussed his autonomy when they made the agreement that he would come to the shrine at all. He was about to voice this concern when he realized she was explaining why. She wanted to keep him safe. This took him back for a moment as she told him about time being fractured and the powers of the world being all messed up. Her fears were suddenly making sense to him, and he briefly regretted the thoughts of her being whiny. He sighed. 

"Fine, I'll stay for a while, to please you," he told her. "At the very least it will give me a chance to get to know the girls better," he admitted. He chuckled. "We mortals tend to be stupid beings. Without the benefit of long life, we tend to take a very short view on the consequences of our actions, since half the time the consequences come long after many of our normal lifespans have passed on," he replied as she cuddled close to him. He began stroking her hair to help sooth her. 

Pleased with his words she nodded and kissed his cheek. "That's a good way to win her over. She will be swooning over you in no time."

Time. That led into where else she was going with this conversation. She was even more pleased when he gave into her little desire. Glad she reached over and took his hand squeezing it. "That will give Melina a break. She normally watches them but Sapphire in particular has gotten good at sneaking out of the temple." She narrowed her eyes. "And she is not to go to Sularia what so ever. I know I normally let them go but right now it's not a safe place."

She bit her lip a bit. "I can't find the others though I've felt a bit of energy from Holly over on Parvpora. Basselina was spotted in Adeluna a few days ago. The twins come and go especially Belle. Fern stays around to learn whatever it is she is doing in her life at that moment. Then there are the children I had in DaeLuin." She winced a bit as she felt a sort of heart sting from just mentioning it. That was new.

"The tears did more to Revaliir then you can imagine." She made two large gems out of thin air. One was a sapphire and one a ruby. She floated them up in the sky with her magic so he could see. "The blue one is a realm known as DaeLuin. It was wrecked by something I only known as the void. When the void happened there Time was killed here in the red one." She moved the gems closer. "Some of us had doppelgangers. While others are falling through the portals some of us fused together with our counterparts." She fused the gem and it became a beautiful amethyst. "I am two Angelas. I am more so still the me from here but I gained several traits from her. I also happened to inherit her five children. Who  are here for the most part. One requested that she find her own path. I am their mother and yet not their mother. It is very hard for me to understand and yet slowly I am trying to unravel her many unpleasant memories."

Her eyes grew darker still as she caught the amethyst. "For example, here I married Wyatt and we had our daughter. There she was sent away to war and when she came back she found him skinned alive for trying to plan their escape together. She has had a much harder existence than I ever thought I could. It made her cruel in ways I am not but also she was loving to her children all the same. I understand her yet I do not condone some of the things she has done."

Closing her eyes she put the amethyst over onto a nightstand and snuggled back up to him. "My mind feels like its unraveling because of that. This Timedeath as we're calling it has done a number to the Triune. However, we are fighting our way through."