Pyzis pondered Thymes behavior, she wasn't used to being around other people and casual touch still made her flinch. For years the only thing she had experienced had been pain. The flinch was something she wasn't sure she would ever be rid of. He spoke of something he dubbed tree running, though she had no idea what it meant. She was shocked when he mentioned having more than fifty siblings, was it possible that humans could breed that quickly? The phoenix race was a small one, not many new ones ever entered the world. Though because Phoenix's were exeeding difficult to find or kill, there weren't many who died either. The biggest problem was getting them together in oreder to breed. No master wanted to admit that their family had a Phoenix in their service, doing so could expose them to attacks for rights to the bird. 

"I have been held in prison in more than just the restriction of my physical form. I was held captive the last fifty years ago and have only been free for a year now. I apologize for flinching, the only touch I've known for so long has been one of harm and pain." She whispered, almost to herself. Thyme lead her through the maze of a temple to a chamer, large enough she didn't feel too trapped. Pyzis closed her eyes for a moment before entering, counting to herself to calm her heart rate. The Mother would not allow her to be imprisoned again and that didn't seem Thyme's motive. When he offered to let her stay with him she felt a rush of relief so strong she sat down on the bed in the room. Pyzis wouldn't be left alone, the darkness would hold no sway over her this night. 

"I thank you Thyme, I will accept your offer, though I feel awful asking you to sleep in a chair. I was also alone most of those years and being alone now still brings panic. I am also prone to getting lost seeing as I'm still adjusting to sight from the ground." she ended with a small smile. Pyzis knew enough about the culture here that his offer to let her stay in his room was not a usual one. Men and women who hardly knew each other didn't sleep in the same room. 

The simple dress she had been given was light enough to sleep in. Pyzis hadn't brought anything with her to meet the Mother, she had expected to be turned away and back at her home by now. There had been a temple entrance near Hoja Mesto. She took the cloak off and laid down on the bed feeling the exhaustion of her transformation sweep over her. The smell of the woods had left with the raiment Thyme had given her, when he was turned she grabbed it and wrapped it around herself. With a deep breath she inhaled the scent of outdoors form the cloak and promptly fell into a deep sleep. 

Thyme gave her a laugh and tilted his head. “You do realize I sleep in trees most of the time. Beds are hardly my favorite place in the world to sleep.” He gave her a wink before helping her settle in. His demeanor changed for a moment as if he knew she was hurting. “I’m not going to let anyone keep you in the dark. Nor am I going to let people keep you inside. That is what my mother has asked me to do but also something that I want to do. No one should have to be so terrified.”

As Thyme looked around his room and got them settled, he noticed that she had somehow ended up back with the cloak. It smelled like the rain forest and he wondered just a tiny bit if that had been helping her. Rubbing the back of his neck, he let the rainforest swoop in. The walls seemed to fall and they were left with a pleasant gush of sounds. Though it was night time in the rainforest, he moved his hands and touched several different points towards the bed. Faerie Fire engulfed the objects and made them make enough light for her.

By this time she had already fallen asleep but Thyme was tuned into how much sleep made her terrified even more. The way she tossed, turned, and mostly whined. His green eyes softened and he climbed into the bed and looped an arm around her. It wasn’t too tight but tight enough to give comfort to the phoenix. He was used to not sleeping and he just stared up at the canopy that his mother’s realm had made. He would stay that way until she woke up so she didn’t get the wrong idea. She was hurting and he wasn’t about to let her suffer in silence.

After a while, the door opened and his eyes drifted. “Put it on the table. Say a word and I will chase you out.” Belle was a blonde haired beauty who stared at her older brother. From the threat of his voice, their food was put on the table and the sister tilted her head in silence. The girl ran out as if to gossip and an annoyed sigh left his lips as he looked over at the phoenix next to him. Hopefully, they wouldn’t be too harsh on her.

Half awake, Pyzis could hear the rustling of leaves and what sounded like the soft sounds of the outdoors. It was the first time she could remember in a long time waking up feeling more relaxed than she had when she fell asleep. Her eyes stayed closed as she breathed in the scent of earth, much stronger than before. Each breath brought a sense of calm over her. She opened an inquisitors eye and saw before her the canopy of a rainforest. The rich hues of red with bright flowering bushes made her smile. Pyzis swore she had fallen asleep in a room. It took a moment for her to realize that someone was touching her, but for some reason it didn't bother her. A light arm was wrapped around her middle. It must be Thyme, she thought. He must have climbed into bed with me. 

Cautiously she rolled over, the cloak fell off of her and she looked into the unique eyes of Thyme. His blonde hair didn't seem disheveled so he must have stayed awake most of the night. He had laid there quietly, letting her sleep. Pyzis wasn't entirely sure what to make of that. Thyme was being kind to her, something that had never happened to her before. He had put her needs before him and she wasn't sure how to properly thank him. 

"Thyme, did you stay awake all night?" Pyzis asked. She didn't move from her spot, admiring the smooth planes of his face. He had the longer ears of an elf and she could see black ink peeking out of the loose shirt he wore. She was tempted to trace the lines with her fingers, but held herself back. "Thank you for this," she whispered. It meant more to her than Thyme could ever know. He had shown her that light exists in the world, that there was such a thing as a kind touch. I owe everything to The Mother Pyzis thought. 

"This place, can you change it or was it The Mother that made all of this?" she pondered. It would take time getting used to all of the wonders of this Temple if that was the case. With a sigh she sat up, breaking the spell of the moment. It was her responsibility to learn about the garden here and help to heal people in the world. She couldn't' do that from here with Thyme.

"Could I persuade you to help me find the garden again? I'd like to get aquatinted with the area so I can resupply. I don't even have my basic herbs with me. I feel a little exposed, it's strange for me to not even have basic healing poultices with me." she asked as she pulled her bedraggled hair over her shoulder and finger comes it.

Thyme chuckled as soon as she rolled over and stared at him. Her brown hair was a mess from her sleeping on it but with gentle hands, he moved his fingers to brush it out. “It’s not the first time I had to stay up all night and it won’t be the last. Hope you don’t mind, this was the only way I could comfort you while you slept.” Besides the forest of course but she didn’t need to be told that.

“Don’t worry about it. It is my job to make you happy here after all. Happy and safe.” Looking about the room he chuckled. “I can will it to change but it only changes because my mother lets it. This place has no boundaries to what it can’t do.” He untangled himself from her and hopped off the bed with ease. His bare feet felt the floor and still even though it was grass, it was cool to him.

“Well, we have one hundred and forty-three gardens to choose from. I think I know the best one for you, though.” He watched her bed head hair more and helped her comb through it just a tad more than he already had. “It is a beautiful spot I promise.” Thyme took no time parading her out and into the hallways. He knew he was being followed but paid no mind to the two blondes and the white haired girls following them. Sisters… What a pain.

Finally, he opened a set of double door to what appeared to be a step down herbal garden with lots of trees, possibly a forest around them. “You should be able to find what you need here.” A smile came to his lips as he brought her down into the room. He watched her with the herbs for a while before getting too close to the trees. “What the hell?” his reaction was priceless as branches came down and practically ripped his shirt off. The group of giggling girls behind him made him upset. “What are you three up too?”

“We’re helping!” His sisters giggled and ran out of the room leaving Thyme dumbstruck. 

“Don’t have sisters. Nothing good comes out of it.” His body was tone and covered in a lot of tattoos. They all interconnected through what appeared to be a tree on his back. Many different symbols and flowers were there. “Mostly stories about jobs.” He felt the need to explain. “Each picture is something I’ve done.”

Pyzis was stunned at the boundless creation that existed within the confines of the Temple. Thyme brushed her long brown hair out gently, making Pyzis shiver. Her reactions to his simple touch were unexpected, she was used to the flinching but after her initial reaction she hadn't had that problem. Perhaps the scent of woods that clung to him made her feel safe. Pyzis followed suit and stood, feeling grass beneath her bare toes. She picked the cloak back up off of the bed, feeling unwilling to part with it, and wrapped it around her shoulders. 

When Thyme mentioned the one hundred and forty-three gardens Pyzis balked. It would take a life time to discover the potentials of one let alone over one hundred. Thankfully she was a Phoenix so her life span was a little different than average. "There are so many, how can you even remember which one is which?" she inquired as they stepped out of the room. They passed three girls, two blonde and one white haired. Thyme paid them no mind, though Pyzis would have stopped to introduce herself since she didn't recognize any of them. 

Pyzis was lead through a set of double doors into a garden with many many trees. She could name some of the plants on site,  most of them were things she had grown behind the Alchemist shop she had helped run in Hoja Mesto. This place was exactly what she needed and she went straight to work. Ash she pinched off peppermint leaves she used for a tea to cure headaches, Thyme yelled as some tree branches snapped down and ripped his shirt off. While it seemed an impossible thing for the average tree to accomplish Pyzis was reminded that she was within the Mother's realm. Thyme addressed the apparent problem which turned out to be the three girls they had passed on their way. Worried the branches may have scratched him Pyzis walked over to the now bare chested Thyme. He had intricate tattoos across his entire upper body. This time her expert healer fingers did not resist the urge to trace the black lines. She searched him for injury before stepping back to admire the entire picture. 

"I don't know how ripping your clothing is helping, but you didn't sustain an injury during the incident either. If these are all of the jobs you have done, how long have you served The Mother?" she pondered as she slowly circled around Thyme, getting a better look at all of the markings. The lines converged into a large tree on his back, the detail of the line art made Pyzis gasp in awe. "Who are the sisters that are bothering us? Also could you help me, there are so many herbs here I need and I'm not sure I can gather them all myself. How much knowledge of plants do you have?"

Thyme let out another chuckle. “I grew up here, I knew this place like the back of my hand. My mother used to let me free run in the gardens when I was a boy. I was always with her.” It also helped that he was in his fifties and that was a long time to learn a place. 

He stared at Pyzis as she checked him out. A laugh left his lips even more. “You, my dear Pyzis, are very innocent in your own way.” It was amusing to him to see someone with an innocent level such as hers. He let her trace the markings and didn’t even flinch at the touch. “They were trying to get you to admire me I think. Belle came into the bedroom last night while you were sleeping. They probably think of us like an item and are trying to figure you out.” Rosenites were such gossips.

Thinking on her second question he tilted his head and ran his fingers through his blonde locks. “I was twenty when I really started doing jobs for my mother. Until then I did chores around the temple and helped out the clergy. I’m fifty so thirty years.” 

This one had a lot of questions and as he moved to appease her and help her in the garden he answered her. “They are Belle and Fern, they are twins, and the third is Nerezza. Nerezza has a twin brother but Lucian is hardly a trouble maker like those three are. Rosenites, in general, love their gossip. I wouldn’t let it bother you too much.”

Scooping up some of the plants he made a face. “What I need to know to make basic healing salves, so I suppose I don’t know a lot. I could learn though if you would be willing to teach me Pyzis.” He wanted her to feel safe here and while he had no need to actually learn these plants he thought it would bring her joy to teach him.

Pyzis listened to Thyme speak, informing her that he had grown up here and that she was innocent. It was something she knew already, it was difficult to assimilate to the subtleties of the human race. She focused on her work, collecting some bark from a hue willow tree. It's branches hung to the ground and completely encompassed the two of them. The three girls were no where to be seen, but Pyzis didn't doubt they were close by. When he mentioned that his sisters thought they were an item she became confused.

"What do you mean we are an item? Neither of us is a thing, we are people." she puzzled over the comment. If Belle had seen them together in the bedroom she understood what she  must have been thinking. Pyzis was aware that men and women didn't so casually touch. It would be easy for the girls to assume there was something more to the encounter.

If he had spent nearly fifty years wandering about the Temple, he would know it well. Thankfully the Mother had sent him to Pyzis to keep her from getting lost. If there were over a hundred gardens, she was sure there would be more than one instance where she would get lost. Thyme helped her collect willow bark while she snuck a few peeks at his tattoos, eventually she noticed that beneath the ink he had a muscular chest. His shoulders were broad and he had visible abs. Pyzis realized she had stopped her collecting to stare and hurridly blushed and continued her work.

"If you want to know more about alchemy I'd be more than willing to teach you. It would be nice to have someone to help get me established. It's not interesting work, but if I am to get past making my basic stores it will take a while. What type of jobs have you done for your Mother? Have you traveled much?" she asked while determined not to look at him. She let her hair fall over her shoulder to block her view while she absently picked at the bark. This place was so strange to her and the situation even stranger. Thyme was something she had never had the luxury of encountering. Already the thought of him leaving her alone made a pit in her stomach. He hadn't left her side since they had first met.

"What is it your sisters do around the Temple? Do all of the children serve jobs for Angela or do many of them move on?" Pyzis distracted herself from the half naked man at her side.

Thyme chuckled a bit and smiled towards Pyzis. “It means they think we are a couple.” He had forgotten that she was phoenix and might not know simple things that they might. Once she had finished staring and blushed the half elf just laughed. He was oddly used to the staring from going to Arri. “Oh? It might be boring it might not be. To be honest, anything done with a person who is interesting is not boring at all. Like I find you highly interesting therefore spending time with you shouldn’t be boring at all even if we are getting alchemy ingredients.”

He offered her a smile as he thought about all the jobs he’s done. “I’ve done a lot of scouting in Parvpora for my mother. Gone to the depths of Laeto for actual ingredients that she doesn’t want to grow herself. She has this obsession with the real thing, she thinks hers don’t taste as good. I’ve gone to the depths of Laeto to find my sister before. Daphne is half tree nymph you see. She grows magic oaks in a place that really shouldn’t have them at all. I fetch the wood from those trees and take them back to the people who needs them. I’ve killed people who were making light of situations.” His mood darkened a tad. “Made life better for other people once they were dead.”

Thinking on his siblings he shrugged. “There are lots of them and they do various things. Nerezza is engaged to a vampire named Kaiser. She is a psionic mage. Belle is learning alchemy with my mother. Fern is still finding her grasp in life. Aelwen transports goods and people. Basselina roams the Highlands and mostly stays away. Holly and Calanthe are both bards who travel all of Revaliir. Ash is a paladin for my mother. Lucian is a squire.  Daphne is a guardian Nymph in Laeto. I’m a ranger. Aaryona is a diplomatic leader of a vampire clan in Parvpora. We all do such different things. Most of the time we do it to help Mother, other times we realize that our weakness is her weakness and we fight to get stronger.”

He reached out and tucked her hair behind her ear. “It’s all about what you make of yourself. We’re long lived creatures. Never do we stop to wonder what we could have done to change things. Though I’m sure there are a few that do out of regret, but regret doesn’t change anything. Action does.”

Pyzis spent all of her time with Thyme, whether she was collecting herbs or sleeping she was in his presence. Over the months they got to know one another well. She learned more of his service to his mother and even witnessed some of his tree running. Their relationship was perfect, he could tree run while she soared above, watching with her keen Phoenix eyes. Thyme took her to many of the gardens and kept her company as she sketched the various plant life. Her alchemical skills excelled with the never ending supplies the temple offered. Most of the time she narrated her workings so Thyme could learn. Before long he was helping her dry the plants and keeping up her stock of basic healing salves to supply the other members of the temple staff. 

Her nights were spent in Thyme's arms, every time she closed her eyes the sound of the rainforest soothed her lingering traumas. Eighteen months passed and Pyzis no long flinched every time he touched her. There had been lingering kisses in the gardens, but not much more. Pyzis was opening up to Thyme and had even admitted she loved him. Because of the slower pace of their relationship, Thyme's sisters were unrelenting. Many days at least two came by, but Pyzis was used to their presence now. 

Pyzis was sleeping soundly in Thyme's arms, the warmth of his body soothed away the nightmares that used to plague her. At first what woke her was the sound, large booms echoed and the ground began to shake. She sat up braced herself on the bed until the violent tremor ended. This was something she had never experienced in the temple, the climate and atmosphere anywhere within Angela's domain was constant. 

"Thyme!" she shouted over the cacophony of booms that began again moments after the shaking ceased. "What's going on?"

"Stay here and wait for me to come back." Thyme ordered before getting out of bed himself, not bothering to cover his bare chest. 

Pyzis stood, panicking as a sinking feeling told her something was very wrong. This was a deities domain, the only thing that could influence it like this was something with the same amount of power. Thyme rose and left without another word which only added to the fear. Her hands shook as she quickly pulled on something to cover her thin night shift. The floor was cold beneath her her bare feet as she waited. In eighteen months he had only left her presence for very brief periods of time and had always explained what he was doing before hand. Pyzis paced back and forth for half an hour until another tremor knocked her onto her hands and knees. She was done waiting and ran bare foot to the throne room. 

The first thing she noticed was the gathering of people waiting in the throne room. The Mother sat on her throne and Pyzis couldn't see Thyme from here. She gently pushed her way through a group of people blocking her way to the center. The look on Angela's face was calm and knowing, but her dress was shredded. Something was wrong.

Thyme was learning a ton of things from Pyzis. While he was still learning the herbs and how to tend to them, he had only really messed up a few times. Pyzis didn’t mind and that made him feel more confident. He showed her the tree running that he so loved and he had even attempted to get her to do it as well. They enjoyed their time together and there was even a time when he had grabbed her out of the air and she transformed back so they could kiss in the trees. If there was such a thing as young love this was it.

When they were laying in bed there was no needy touching or anything of the sort. He would tease her with soft butterfly kisses on her cheek and chin before they settled in for sleep. It was enough to tickle her and it would make them both laugh. It also helped her sleep better at night the more he held onto her.

At Pyzis’s cry Thyme bolted up and told her to stay in the room. He didn’t tell her what he thought was going on because he hadn’t a clue. He was panicked as he made his way into the throne room only to find most of the clergy and his siblings in there. Angela was sitting silently in a messed up dress and she looked calm, too calm. She was keeping the realm together.

“Mother what is going on?” Thyme went up and whispered to her. It wasn’t long before he back up so  Angela could have space. When his eyes latched onto Pyzis he was quick to pull her over to him. “I thought I told you to stay put?” He was worried and it showed by his commanding voice and the way he kissed the top of her head protectively.

“Quiet down everyone!” Angela stood up and everyone fell to a hushed voice. “We’re under attack.” The voices began to rise. “SILENCE.” She commanded and everyone got even more deadly quiet. “Dalanesca lost Katja. She is blaming me for it. Until further notice, everyone is to stay within this realm. There’s no telling what she will do to you all.” Angela winced from some of the pain from her landing and she focused herself and gave everyone a smile. “It’s just shaking but the realm will be fine. I promise you that no one will get hurt here if someone does we will make it better. However, I don’t think Dalanesca can breach my walls.” There were a shake beginning and Angela whacked her arm out. The room burst into an earthly glow as her power flooded the room, it was almost hard to breathe. The power shot out and reflected the attack back.

“I’ll do that whenever I can, but we must remain calm.”