Horae Island was their miracle child, well Angela’s. She had found it and it did not go away with the changing weathers. Lily quite liked it. She walked along the golden path. Her hair and aura blending into the surrounding golds, yellows, and oranges. She was known as the Golden Angel. Her holy aura was amazing and she stood out like an angel without wings. Her hair was like fine gold spun from the sun, her skin sun-kissed from her time out in the gardens, and her eyes were radiant green.

“He’s here?” Lily walked along side Angela. 

“Yes, he should be quite useful to you. I trust him and he should be good for Echo.” Angela disappeared into the wilderness.

Lily continued walking as she peered over bushes as the Ayiato man sitting there with a silly look on his face. It was concentration as he scribbled into a journal on his lap. She tilted her head and pushed through the bushes. Her eyes settled down on him. “Naota, you are quite the talk around Arri.” She clasped her hands together and smiled at him.

“Angela is my sister, please don’t run away.” She had heard he was skiddish. “My dear, I have a job offer for you.”

It was nice to have time to himself, it gave him an opportunity to think and take a second to breathe.  He couldn’t think of a more relaxing place than in the autumn of Horae Island.  The falling leaves lulled him as did the crispness of the air.  The chill made him nostalgic for the cooler months back at home, but for now he was taking a day to simply sit amongst nature and not think about anything: not work, not enemies, fighting, family disagreements, no this was just a time to relax and refresh himself for the days ahead. 
 
Presently he was sitting with his back against a tree’s trunk, his knees up and his journal resting against them as he wrote.  It was a pastime that he’d kept up since he was young, when things started to get too confusing and always helped him sort through his thoughts.  In truth he never had any real privacy, not with Minasé with him everywhere he went, but this felt safe: it was something he could secure and control.  More than that, it made him feel more human…it was such a normal task, and while he had come to terms with the fact that he wasn’t a full human being, he still liked to feel that side of himself since the demonic showed much more frequently.
 
This particular entry luckily was about something happy, and a youthful smile stayed constant on his features as his lead scribbled across the page.  His fingertips were dusted black from how much he had written today and his wrist was starting to ache, but he continued to write.  Relief washed over him with each character traced onto the paper, and like always he was lost to his logging.  If not for the slightest crunch of leaves underfoot, his focus may not have been deterred, but his eyes lifted up over his journal immediately.
 
A woman stepped through the bushes and he held his journal against his chest protectively.  She knew his name and he instantly but gently closed and locked the book.  To say she was lovely would be an understatement: her hair was like spun gold, her skin showed the love of the sun, and her eyes gave her away as a Rosenite with their red ring and emerald iris.  At the mention of Angela’s name though he arched an eyebrow.  Another Rose, and not just any Rose: The Mother’s sister.  How on Revaliir had he had so many encounters with them?  At this point he figured it was time to stop questioning it: for some reason he seemed to be destined to always be intertwined with this family.  At least they were on much better terms now.

He chose his next words carefully, “A Rose wants me for a job…?”  It went without saying that it definitely wouldn’t be his usual line of work, so what could she possibly want from him?  What could he give? “I’m sure I wouldn’t mind helping…” His voice trailed and his eyebrows rose, hoping she’d finish his sentence with her name.

It was odd how the Roses chose this one man to trust. He seemed just fine to Lily and perhaps that was what drew them all in. Even Angela had a reason to hate this man with all of her soul. She took a giant sigh of relief when he decided to speak with her.

Moving her golden skirts she sat by him and looked up at the bright blue sky through the vibrant oranges and golds. Her eyes seemed focused as she thought of the goal in her mind. “We pay in gems of course, but I have a very special gem I would like to give you so you know I’m being serious. More on that later.”

She planted her feet to the ground and thought about Echo for a moment. “You’ve managed to charm your way into the Rose family quite well. The fact that Angela trusts you still should tell you enough, it certainly tells me enough. The women in this family, the young ones, give you their all. I can appreciate that just as much as the next person, which is why I need you for this job.”

Echo came to mind but first. “I’ve sent Kirika away with her own bodyguard. She needs to learn the world but I thought you would like to know that, that is not the job I have to you but it is quite similar. My Echo-Rose, you met her on a job recently. My young and stubborn sorceress needs to leave Arri for a while. You’ve seen what her mother has done to her and our court hasn’t forgotten. They treat Echo like a monster. She won’t let me make the situation better.”

A deep breath escaped her lips, “And I can’t make her let me. What I can do is send her away with someone I trust to show her the world. Take her on jobs with you Naota so I can fix Arri so she has a home that loves her the way I do.” She reached into her pocket and took out a bright blue gemstone with gold fleck. "This is Lapis Lazuli, our most prized possession in the Desert Rose. Take this as a token of my trust." She put it in his hand and closed it. "I won't take no for an answer. I want you to see I'm serious."

He watched her as she sat, taking in how she moved and felt filthy all of a sudden from how clean she looked.  When her eyes moved up he averted his own passed the golden canopy as well.  She spoke of Angela, of trust, hate…and his heart started to beat faster.  It had been a few years since that incident and he didn’t like thinking about it.  He was urged to tighten his vest even though the empty vial was safely hidden against his chest, but his hands stayed where they were.  

Though he felt uncomfortable from her wording, even if she didn’t mean it that way he still felt guilt…he hadn’t sought out to interfere in the Rose’s lives, it just kept happening.  All of them so far had been women and if it weren’t for the family’s high female rate it would have made him even more uncomfortable to think about.  Surely there were those that thought he’d done all of this on purpose, but honestly he was just trying to leave the family be before he caused any more problems with them.

At the mention of Kirika he turned his eyes back down to her.  Why would she need a bodyguard…?  Again his heart picked up.  His meeting with her had been brief, but that melancholy look that had plagued her eyes the entire time wouldn’t leave his thoughts.  She was doing so much, trying so hard, and while he understood why there would be those that wished her harm for doing what she was doing…it was still hard to imagine.  Someone so kind, with such good intentions, shouldn’t have to worry about their own life so deeply.  It wasn’t his business though and he kept his lips shut even though he wanted to ask more.

His stomach twisted thinking about Echo.  Treated like a monster, yes…he knew what that felt like, and now his eyes met the ground.  It wasn’t something he spoke about often, actually it was something he never spoke about, but the backlash of his community finding out what he was hadn’t been without event…Fortunately he had a supportive family, even if he did wonder if they feared him no matter how slight.  

His lips parted in surprise, looking back to her face with no prepared words.  Me?!  Take someone with me on jobs and travel…?!  Thoughts of Holly flooded his mind, seeing her in her muted doll state, how she’d needed cared for…how he wasn’t strong enough emotionally, psychologically, or in his abilities to care for her and had to have her go with his sister.  That responsibility, that pressure, it was almost too much to think about.

She silenced his thoughts with the press of a smooth stone in his palm and he looked down at it as she curled his fingers around the speckled lapis lazuli.  The gravity of such a stone didn’t go unnoticed and now he was surprised for a different reason.  How could this family even trust him so much?  She was right: Angela did have every right to want him more than dead and yet she’d recommended him by name.  He wasn’t sure how to take that.  This would be different, Echo would be different.  Firstly, she wasn’t a fragile doll that had just woken from decades of slumber.  Second, she was skilled in fighting the wicked, the unholy, it would actually be beneficial to have her at his side even if it wasn’t forever.

His eyes searched hers, even if she wouldn’t accept a refusal he knew there’d be none: “I’ll take her with me…”  Rather than put the lapis in his pocket he kept it held safely in his hand, his thumb running along the smooth surface slowly growing warmer from his skin, “I’m not sure why Angela trusts me with something so important, whatever her reasons I’ll set a stronger foundation: she will be safe.  I promise you that.” 

That brought to mind another possible issue though, “I’ve only encountered her once.  What if she refuses my offer?  I can’t very well force her…”  There wasn’t enough silver, gold, or stones in the world to have him do that.  He’d have to think of something to convince her, but he barely knew her…what could he offer other than company with a light acquaintance?  Maybe he could take on a bigger job, come to her for aid, would that be enough?  Now his head with buzzing with possibilities.