Drae felt the wind whip through his hair, tossing it about his face and neck as he stood on the deck of the airship that was transporting him and others to the newly revealed Horae Island. He had heard that the island had been more or less the epicenter of the Timedeath rift, and that now that time had been joyfully stabilized, marking the new year, the island had become a place to marvel. After all, being able to see a place that featured all the seasons at once was something to behold. Surely, the world had its rotation and the seasons came and went as per normal, but an Island divided by seasonal climates that never changed? That was an arcane marvel to be sure. 

Drae looked to his side, pushing errant strands of his raven hair out of his eyes as he glanced at his air-sick companion. The wind tugged at her dress and hair as she clung to the railing of the ship, her face practically the same shade of green as her dress. Drae shook his head and moved to her side. 

"Angela, let's get you below deck," he insisted. "You should probably lay down. You look as green as fresh Terra grass," he said as he gently took the hand of Mother Earth and practically dragged her up to her feet. "It won't be much longer before we reach the port," he promised her as he pushed her hair out of her eyes. 

Oh by the graces of the World Tree by on earth didn't she just gate them to the damn island. She whimpered as she clung to the railing of the airship for dear life as she heaved over the side. Her body shook as it sought after the magnetic force of the ground that was way below them. Being so far away from it made her cry on the inside as fearful eyes looked over to Drae. "Yes that sounds good. I think I'm done getting sick." 

Not that she had a choice to get up as she clung to Drae now and snuggled into him. "I color the grass! I should not be the color of grass!" She whimpered a bit more as she continued to go with him down through the sea of people. She made it to their cabin and she laid down on the bed. "I wanted to take you on the airship so you could see the island for yourself from above but I didn't think it through what it would do to me." She chuckled.

She closed her eyes and laid her head against him as she tugged him down besides her. "I'm sorry, I should have mentioned how much I get air sick and sea sick. A goddess with such an easy weakness," she groaned as she snuggled closer to him.  "It's so beautiful down there though. My favorite is the Venti part. You'll see when you get there but you'll really appreciate the forest." She smirked as she thought about the dryads rubbing up against the handsome warlock.

Drae held her close to him, supporting much of her lithe weight as they made their way below deck to their cabin. He chuckled as she mentioned how she had wanted him to be able to see the island from the best vantage point, with little consideration as to how it would affect her. He chuckled right along with her and helped her into the bed they shared, joining her himself as she tugged him close. 

"You don't need to apologize. Many people get air and seasick. Whether you are a Goddess or not is irrelevant if you are unused to such modes of travel," he replied to her as he brushed strands of her long red hair out of her face, and cuddled close. He smiled as she gushed about how much she was sure he would like the forests in Venti. She was really quite lovely when she was all smiling and smirking as she was, despite the discolor that was her face at the moment. 

"You think so? I can hardly wait to see it for myself. Especially if you had any hand in helping it become as it is," he told her as he pressed a kiss to her forehead and then to the tip of her nose. 

"But then again, I'm just happy to be able to have quality time with you. It was an interesting experience not having you at the shrine for so long. I'd be interested in making up for lost time," he said as he ran a hand down her side to her hip. 

"I've had nearly two hundred years to get use to it and I don't ever think I will." She gave him a small chuckle. They moved on to talk about the forests of Venti and how much she thought he would love the dryads, not that he knew about it. The goddess giggled more as he kissed the tip of her nose. She moved to rub her nose against his and gave him a small smile. "I don't think it needed my help but I've offered my magic."

She stayed close to him and shook her head. "Iva told me it was exciting. Though I can only imagine what the child did to you." She laughed hard and found herself almost snorting though she caught herself and put her hand over her face. "We can make up for it on the island." She kissed him gently and held him close. "We're almost there now. I can at least stand by myself once I get my land legs back." There was another laugh that left her lips as she weaved her fingers with his.

Once they landed she took his arm and brought him down the bridge. "Welcome to Horae Island, This is Venti!" The cobblestone were different shades of tan. Her bare feet stretched and she felt at home once more. "If I didn't have an imagine to maintain I would fall to the ground and worship it." She winked as him as she lead him down the cobblestone path. "Now… about what you would like."

The curvaceous tree leaned down and flirted with him as they walked past it. Angela's mouth turned into a smirk as the womanly body caressed his face. "The trees in Venti are dryads."

"Meh, nothing much more than being exuberant and happy," Drae chuckled, regarding the time he had spent with Iva and the other girls with a hint of fondness. "I do rather like her. She is a sweet heart when she wants to be, and other times she just a riot," he said with a grin. He smirked when Angela promised they would make up for the time that she had been gone once they reached the island. The assurance that they were close to the island, he thought, was probably more for her than for him. He personally wouldn't have minded a longer trip, since it offered the potential to spend a lot of time in the bed with the beautiful Goddess. 

"I wouldn't object to having to carry you at all," he told her as he gripped her hand as their fingers interlocked. He cuddled close to Angela and enjoyed the comfort of being close to her for the hour or so that they had left on the ship. He was in the process of beginning to doze when they finally made the docks, and he was jolted quite quickly from his trance. He was up quickly and was taking Angela's hand. 

They disembarked the ship and he chuckled as Angela wrapped her arm around his and clearly enjoyed the feeling of the earth again beneath her bare feet. "That would certainly be a sight to see, a Goddess worshipping that which she is worshipped for," Drae chuckled as they began walking down the tan cobblestone path, passing trees that in glancing look had quite the odd look to them. Angela motioned to the trees as they passed, and Drae looked up at one as the branched swooped down low and caressed his face. He noticed for the first time that the smooth barked oddly shaped trees were actually the curvaceous forms of women. He chuckled as her branch caressed his face and he gently reached up and took the branch and delicately kissed one of the leaves, as though kissing the back of a woman's hand. 

"Well, you certainly weren't wrong about me liking them," Drae chuckled as he walked with Angela among the dryads. "I think I like Venti quite a bit, if all the trees are like this," he said as he was constantly caressed and flirted with by the trees they passed. "Though, no offense to these fine ladies, you are by far the prettiest one here," he said as he moved along with her. 

"Now, we have many things to talk about. Tell me about what you had to do to put an end to the Timedeath?" he asked her curiously. 

The goddess's face lit up as he filled her ears with happy thoughts of her daughter. "That makes me happy to hear Drae. I just want you to be comfortable around all these children especially Iva since she is like twenty of them. I would blame the gods but then I realize I'm in charge of that portion of the divinity so it just has to be fate." She kept close to him as they laid about and thought of their life.  

A loving look went towards the man who was laying claim to parts of her heart. "You are something else Adraejen Porthyrius." She rubbed her nose against his softly before resting with him. It was much needed rest now that she thought about it. Though the jolt from Drae caused a moan to leave her mouth as she knew they had made port.

She got to the ground and laughed hard at Drae. "Hey I love Earth as much as Earth loves me." It was a balance she was all too happy keeping in her life as her feet felt the soft grass between her toes.  She chuckled as Drae finally realized what the trees were. He kissed their leaves softly and made the trees chuckle around him.

"They like you as well Drae. They are dryads. I've never seen a forest like this before." She chuckled a bit as she listened more to him. The dryads shook their leaves a bit but over all they seemed pleased by his words. "I don't think they are offended at all." She took his arm in hers as he came closer to her.

Things took a turn for the serious as she conjured up a bench for a moment. "My dear have a seat so we can talk." She swept her dress behind her for a moment to take a seat. Her eyes took a moment to watch the trees around them wiggle and move. 

"The Arriese Women moved with time as much as anyone else but we've always had the clock in Sularia. When things began to go bad a meeting was called between those who led the tribes, my grandmother, and myself. Nomad Rosenites know just about as much as we do and they can recognize when the clock itself isn't working right."

Shaking her head. "It's only been recently with the tears in the skies that things got really bad. People didn't know if a decade had passed or if fifty had. Rosenites aren't really in sink with the rest of the world. We live a long time and fifty can pass with the blink of an eye. I was brought in to be the weight for the rest of the world. As a goddess I cannot be a boulder in time I have to be fluid and answer many humans. From their perspective I could tell them the happenings."

She cleared her throat and looked at him to see if he was following. "Arriese women don't care about our standards. We don't just sit around drinking tea while our servants carry stuff. We get up and we help. My role was simple help move the largest portions that could fix the clock to the lake. Something that weighs as much as a house would take two of us to carry. Willow and I worked close to make sure things were close. I also made sure my oldest children weren't in the area. I didn't want to lose them through the tears."

"As a Rosenite it was my responsibility to help. As a court leader I have the power to muster my court in to do as much as they could. My court is filled with alchemists and healers but has strong military standings as well if needed. I was there as a voice for the hundreds so that Willow knew what they were scared of. Willow is the matron mother, the first of us all. She is my blood great great great grandmother. Probably more greats in there but you understand. We must move as one and that's what we were doing. From tribal chief to goddess to Matron Mother. Those are who we listen to. I am known as the Matron Daughter. I am the first goddess of the Rosenite bloodline. At least for the conclave I am, but here in Arri Willow is as much of a goddess as I am in the eyes of the people. I would never go against anything she said."

"I haven't seen anything like this either, but I am sure not complaining," Drae chuckled as they passed by the trees that reached out and lightly brushed him. He lightly stroked Angela's arm as she linked her arm with his and they continued walking down the stone path. He chuckled lightly as the Dryads continued to brush as his hair, up until Angela summoned up a bench from the earth and urged him to sit down with a tone of seriousness that he realized meant that she had something important to explain to him. The dryads seemed to sense this as well, and they ceased their fawning as Drae sat down upon the bench with Angela. 

He looked at her, his brows furrowed with concern, but she didn't give him time to question before she began explaining to him what had transpired with the Timedeath. He began making mental notes about her tribe and how they were influenced by the clock in Sularia and the influence of time, and how even the nomads could tell when something was wrong. He found himself deeply interested and his body language displayed it as much as he leaned closer to Angela, his focus intently on her. 

Her explanation that her people's longevity (as was the case, he was sure, of most vampiric species) made it a little more difficult for them to perceive the fractured time, but her duty as a goddess made it necessary for her to move through time as humans did in order to help tend to their needs, and that this was instrumental in the understanding of the Timedeath to the Arriese. 

When she paused and cleared her throat, and looked at him expectantly, he nodded. "Go on," he insisted. 

He listened as she told him that Arriese women were not the kind to sit on the sidelines and sip tea when trouble struck, but were inclined to get up and help resolve the situations. She explained that she and her grandmother had been the ones to move the largest pieces of the broken clock across the lake and worked to make sure that tears closed. This also explained why she had insisted that her daughters had stayed at the shrine, to avoid losing them to the tears. 

"That makes sense," Drae nodded, indicating that he understood. 

He listened to the bloodline explanation in interest, once again, logging all that information deep into his brain for later. More importantly, he learned that Angela was subject to the wishes of the woman she called her grandmother, Willow. 

"I am learning a lot here, Love, but do explain what it is you are trying to get at. I find myself curious as to where this is all going to lead."

Angela nodded to her beloved and she reached over and held his hand. "The pieces came together and time stabilized. The tears are not so bad and are slowly stopping now that time is pieced back together. It does play a part in this place. It seems being so close to Sularia has damaged this place though it does leave charm here."

She leaned back on the bench and gave him a charming smile. "I just feel so useless. I could hardly do anything as my magic flickered at the spot." Her eyes glimmered a bit and she slowly shook her head. "Never in Canelux have I felt such a weakness. I just hope it never happens again." She gave his hand a gentle squeeze.

"I do thank you for staying with my children. Not many people can understand how much I am willing to sacrifice for them." She kissed his cheek gently and rested her forehead against his cheek. "I want to celebrate this time being over. I want everyone to take this time to take a breath and relax. The birth of Terra will be upon us in Canelux soon and with that will begin us anew." 

"I would be inclined to agree with you. It is rather amusing how sometimes in the wake of the most dangerous and trying of events, something remarkable and truly beautiful can be left behind," Drae said as he gripped her hand. He watched as she leaned back against the back of the bench she had conjured just for them and he playfully tucked a lock of her hair back behind her ear. 

"You will never be useless, Love. Even if your magic waned, you would still have your inner strength and the strength of your heritage to stand on, and that alone makes you incredibly mighty in and of itself," he reassured her as she squeezed his hand. He brought her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to the back of it as she thanked him for being willing to stay with her children at the shrine. 

"I am sure that in time they will come to understand. And they will adore you all the more for it," Drae smiled. He nuzzled her gently as she kissed his cheek and rested her forehead against his face. 

"Yes, the season of renewal. I look forward to it with great anticipation," he smiled. "And if it is a celebration that you want, then we shall definitely have one. A private little celebration, just you and me. We could even have it here, if you wanted. This island is a celebration in and of itself in a way," he pointed out with a laugh.

She was glad that he was so supportive to her. She kissed his cheek once more as she thought about life. She felt like all this time away from home had been worse for the children than herself. Especially her Iva who still needed her mother desperately in her life. "That is the beautiful of life and time." 

Her ivy eyes laid on him for a moment as she seemed taken back by his words. Here was a man who did not need to be humble to her or please her in any way being gentle. He treated her like a woman instead of a goddess and she felt like that was the best thing she had, had in a long while. "I miss being with them more than anything in the whole world. Duties will keep them safe in this terrible world and that is why I press forward."

Her eyes drifted up to the sky above the dryad's beautifully colored canopy. "I would love to celebrate Terra with you! The two of us here and maybe later we could celebrate with the little ones as well. Iva will be particularly pleased." She jumped up off the comfortable bench and pulled him up to his feet. A gentle smile was on her face as she kissed him.

"I think I know what to show you next." She spoke so quietly as their lips barely parted. It sounded more like an invitation to take her clothes off but instead she pulled him along. To the fields beyond the dryad forest. She pulled him behind a big bush as the ground shook. Three mighty roars broke the silent airwaves. She smirked at him as she parted the bush.

"They are Arriese Rose Hydras. The mightiest creatures on this island." She whispered to him as the hydra moved its root like legs around and grazed in the tall grass of the meadows. The large red rose petals around each of its head as red as her hair. "Beautiful are they not? A lot of fun if you are not scared of them killing you." There was a hidden challenge in there as she winked at her lover.