There was that fearful moment above water that all the thoughts seemed to flood into one. Rhea held the unconscious in her arms and not even with a soft shake did the woman react to her. She took no time at that moment to pull the woman to the shore once again. It was a slightly easy thing once she got the woman comfortably in her arm. She could only silent praise the water for making the girl more weightless than she would be on land. She knew the pain on carrying her would happen then. She was not a strong as she once had been when she was immortal. In a way, it caused her to lose some of the muscle she had once had before that time. She had trained some while she was gone to test her limits, but this was it all coming to action at once. In short, she was not prepared at all.

She used one hand to swim to shore as quickly as she could. The water around her shifted as she moved, her powers going crazy as she tried to use physical water to push her forwards. It was still difficult to get from one side to the other but it was enough to leave her on the shore of the lake, slightly out of breath. She let out a gasp as she tried to calm her breathing back to a normal rate. She could not help Eden if she was hyperventilating slightly herself. Once her feet could easily stand on the ground and Eden head could be above water, she shifted her into both her arms to carry her lifeless body to the shore.

Rhea could only wonder what people would say if they happened to see the two of them at this moment. She could barely imagine what they could say, but in the end, it was just her mind trying to calm itself by thinking about anything but the situation. Laying Eden down on the sandy dirt, she took a deep breath then pushed her lips against her trying to push her own air into the woman’s mouth. She was sad to find with the first breath that it was not useful that way. She could feel the air escaping out her noise and not exactly working how she wanted.

She quickly tried once more this time pressing two fingers on her nose and pushing her head back a little before blowing. There was a moment of angry as it at first seemed to do nothing as she pushed down on the woman’s chest in hopes to push the water out of her. The only other things she could do at this moment was use try to weave the water out of her, which was far from easy or safe.

"This is fate, biting you back in the ass," echoed around her. "This is your punishment for defying me. For killing me!" She wanted to scream for help, but her mouth felt full. Nothing could come out. It was as if something had taken what little of a voice she had away. But then…. she felt something getting pushed into her. Sometime was being sent down her throat before pulses were sent through her chest. It shook up what was inside her, pushing it back up her throat before soon finding it back at her mouth.

"Blach," suddenly erupted from Eden's mouth as a rush of water flooded out and up from her lips like a small geyser before rolling herself over towards Rhea. Every cough that followed came with more mouthfuls of water being forced out of her lips before finding herself panting for air, as if it was a rare delicacy. Her hands moved on front of her: One between her breasts as if she was holding her heart steady while the other clinged to the metal collar, trying to pull it away from the front of her throat to let air in while more of the shock from her owner's voice.

It… It was only a dream. There was no way her old owner had any more control on her life. She… she was free…. Right?

it was only when she stopped gasping for air and her breathing calm down did she see the pair of legs in front of her, her head and eyes following them back up to Rhea's face.  Did… did she save her? Well, she was the only one there, so she must have been. What other possibility could there have been? That meant she acted wrongly when the water moved off the surface. Oh did she ever feel like a fool. Her claws shifted back to nails as she looked back downwards, more to the earth and away. Her instinct took over and placed her in danger, when there was no threat to begin with… and in doing so, it nearly costed her won life.

She felt like such a fool…

It was the first real noise that Rhea had ever heard come out of Eden’s lips. The lovely sound of gagging on water as she rolled over slightly. It normally would be a sound that made the other person gag or felt disgusted. Rhea had never felt so alive and excited in her life. She had done a lot of exciting things in her life, many of them really stupid, but never did she feel her heart almost skipping a beat. The fear and worry seemed to wash away as Eden’s eyes opened and slowly looked up at her. If Rhea was more of an emotional person, she probably would have started crying but a couple tears sliding down her cheek was the most she would show. It was a slight glimmer of what could be behind that façade of smirks and curious gazes. It let someone see what could be deep in her heart.

The siren rested her hand on the back of Eden’s head trying to give her support to breath and relax a little more after everything that happened. She could read the emotion that was running through Eden’s mind and even as she eyes broke away, she could easily read the body posture. She was sinking away from Rhea and she knew that it occurred to her that she should have rethought her actions. Rhea did not the extent that Eden had acted because the most she saw was the moment of Eden disappearing under the water away from her. It happened incredibly quickly and, now, seemed like a blur.

”Oh, thank the deities,” Rhea whispered out letting out a sigh of relief trying to calm herself again. ”You almost scared the spirit right out of me. I am sorry for scaring you. I had no idea you would react such a way. I am not even sure if you can even understand me right now.” Her eyes watched the other woman curiously, she was still looking away and staring at the floor. It would be no help for either of them if she shied away now. Slowly, she tilted her head to the side to shift her face more where she could look at Eden.

”Eden, right? Are you okay? Give me a nod if you are, okay?” She just hoped this time she could connect with the woman a little better. She had retracted the claws and seemed very apologetic for everything that happened but all that Rhea really cared about was the other’s safety. She just wanted to know that Eden was okay now. She hardly even remembered that they were both sitting there nude.

She felt Rhea's hand rest upon Eden's deep blue hair, which laid on the sand as a loose tangle. There was not even a single moment of effort to undo the braid she had throughout the entire encounter, letting only the water alone to try and slowly undo the twists and turns. Her body was flooded with guilt now. She had never had to deal with such comforts in the past. When she lost, she was punished. When she won, she was rewarded with bare essentials. Everything else was a comfort never experienced before.

"That's because I own you!"

Her hand at the collar soon moved to the remaining links upon the thick steel, tightening her grip on the chain to stop any ring leak out from her grasp. She may have escaped his grasp on her body, but even if death did he still hold her mind. She got away from that area to be free of him. To be free of anyone. And yet… and yet their grasp on her still choked the air from her lungs.

She had never heard a voice so soft and sincere, though. Even the nurses after the brutal combat were full and lifeless. After all, they were not mothers or babysitters. They were men paid to make sure the people they took care of were passable in their conditioning and recovery.

Eden took a moment to try and shake away those thoughts before looking back up at Rhea, giving her a small nod. She had to not submit. Not here. Not anywhere. She fought for her freedom. She earned it. All she had to do now was to accept it.

Still, her body shook from the unconscious thoughts that she tried to drive out, her body lightly curling into Rhea's, as if to seek some sort of comfort from her. Whether it was because of the concern she gave or her simply being there to comfort her, who could say.

There was denying the strange fear that was coming from Eden. Rhea’s eyes curiously watched her softly grasp at her collar. Now that she was so close she began to take notice that it oddly did not seem to have any way to remove it. She was curious why the woman had not had it removed from around her neck, but she knew well that she would not get any answers to any of her questions the way things were currently. She wanted to know of a way to work with this woman and help her. There was something obviously wrong and there was nothing that she could do. It was frustrating to Rhea.

As her companion shook, Rhea let her arms wrap more securely around her while keeping one hand still lost in the tangles of hair. She was worried about Eden but still unsure what to do to help them at this point. She was breathing normally and did not appear to be physically harmed from the drowning, but she not mentally well at the moment. Hazel eyes watch her softly and she spoke out again.

”It may be better for us to move away from the waterside. I could acquire your clothes for you. I am happy to help you.” There was a soft smile that covered her lips as she watched Eden curiously. It was then that an idea came to her mind. While the woman did not seem to speak verbally, maybe she spoke mentally. She did not know how to go about trying to use telepathy with the woman, but there was an easier method that could allow them to speak. The only problem was where they could do it because it required safety on both their parts.

”If you wish to speak to me more. I have an idea. You must trust me for it to work. I can take us someone close that will be safe. I saw a tree not far from the water that was hollow in the center. It would give us the safety of cover for now. It will be a slight squeeze, however.” Her eyes watched the woman waiting for her response. She tried to not ask too much at once to allow her to respond to movements as needed. There was no way for her to verbally answer them easily, after all.

Eden's eyes blinked at the sounds that came from Rhea's mouth, trying to take in what she had said. While she had never known what some of them were supposed to mean, some did sound familiar. Words like "help" and "safety" were ones that came to mind, but the one was much softer… She thought for a moment on where she heard them, before the image of the arena came back into mind. They were noises spoken by her enemies. Ones her owner told her to assault mercilessly, though never in the way that actually killed… In fact, he was the first one she ever did…

Her head shook a bit, as if to shake out the ideas from her head once more. Her voice was soft and comforting, offering her aid, not the rash and pleadful ones that begged for their lives. She was here to assist her. To… help… her.

Shifting herself to her knees, she moved herself moving back onto her feet, stumbling a bit as she worked on her balance a quick moment. However, once it was gotten, she briefly brushed off the sand and dirt that had stuck to her side and butt before walking over to her items. She curled the kimono items underneath her arm while taking the handle of her weapon with the other, lifting it a bit before it impacted the ground once more. It seemed the incident still made her feel weak, allowing her to carry it for quick moments before rest. It was no matter, really. As long as she could still move it, it did not matter.

Slowly taking the sword and clothes with her, she returned back to Rhea's side, tilting her head, as if to try and signal what she wanted to do to help.

The communication remained strained between the two women. Rhea had begun to really realize how much Eden was probably not understanding. There remained a constant look of confusion with minor moments of clarity. She worried that if the dream world would help her. Could she really be able to communicate further with her if Eden did not seem to comprehend half of the language? There was a lot of doubt that was beginning to collect in the back of her mind. She just had to hope that Eden being about to respond would start a line of communication that was lost to them. The doubt etched on her nerve, however, she had always been too stubborn for her own good. She could find a way to have a real conversation with Eden.

Hazel eyes watched Eden calmly, a nearly perfect facade to the doubt she felt, as she picked up all her things and back to her. Rhea made sure to grab her own things but motioned for her companion to follow her. She could remember clearly where the tree she had seen before was. It would allow enough privacy for the two of them. She could only hope that no one would find them. She most likely would take notice if someone tried to mess with their bodies. Dream weaving functioned much like normal sleep. She would be able to feel if someone touched her like she would if she were naturally asleep. Thankfully, she was not too heavy of a sleeper. She was a very soft sleeper but would play dead awaiting the moment she had to eventually wake. Obviously, she loved napping.

The memory of where the tree rested was not wrong. It only took the siren a moment to find the hollow try to point it out to her companion. She shifted a little in her steps as she slowed to a stop in front of it. Now came the harder part, the easiest way to bring sleep to Eden was to use her voice. She hoped that she would not scare her with it. It would hard for her to break away from the voice with them so close and with Rhea in the control of the situation as it was. She let a small breath out and gave Eden a soft smile. Here went nothing.

“Now, trust me. This will not hurt you. You are safe with me” She laid her hand out to Eden, glancing down for a moment to signal she wanted her to come to her. Once Eden was close, she let her one of her hands softly touch against her cheek. It was a soft and gentle touch and when Eden did not pull away, Rhea began to sing softly. Her eyes did not alter colors, however, they remember their vibrant hazel as the siren’s song enchanted Eden’s ears. It did not take long for the control to completely take effect and Eden to fall limp in her arms. Rhea quickly cradled her, resting her down in the hollow of the tree on her lap. She would hold her close in her arms. If anyone dared to mess with either of them, she would feel it and wake.

Rhea got settled and let her mind begin to meander. It did not take long for her mind to drift and her form projected into the plane of dreams. It would only work on the dreams near her, so hopefully, there were no other willing participants outside of Eden. She also had to hope that Eden would allow her into her mind. There was a moment where the world was dark and everything felt strange but then she could feel the ground beneath her feet. It was almost as if she was standing again even though a moment before she was sitting. It was then she knew it worked and her eyes open to find herself in the land of dreams. Now, what would Eden be dreaming of?

Following Rhea, she took her steps over to where she wanted to help, telling her everything was alright before touching her cheek. Of course, her natural reaction was to take a step back, but paused before having to remind herself it was for the better, taking a moment to rest her weapon and clothes back on the floor before returning to the other's front, staying still now as she cupped her cheek again. What was it she wanted to do to help, anyways? It was not long before the other began to sing. While she did find the method odd, it was a very sweet melody. Very… relaxing… soothing…

Her stance shook a bit as she felt her knees fight to stay up. Was it… her doing? It was hard to tell… her eyes… they did not change… like before… Maybe… she was simple tired out from the… incident… She did spend… a lot… of energy… and she was… trustwor…

…

Her knees were quick to give out as her body slid forward into Rhea, her limbs loose like a doll. It was the deepest sleep she had ever fallen into, considering she often slept with her guard up, but the spell worked its magic very effectively, causing her her breathe lightly into Rhea's shoulder as she was shifted around with absolutely no fuss. After all, to her, everything had vanished into a deep black void.

The next thing she knew, the sounds of chains echoed through the entire field as sand brushed against her spin. "Hryaaah!" she bellowed as if on auto-pilot, the peaceful waterfalls now replaced with a desert Colosseum, the Tigerkin pitted against another man that had no face upon him. In fact, attached to the walls were more humanoid beings of varying genders and races all sharing the faceless trait, along with shackles upon their necks, wrists, and ankles holding them onto the wall. These items were also attached to the two fighters inside as they clashed, but their attachments were much different. Instead, they were chains raising into the sky before linking them to marionette control bars, guided by a massive figure looming over them: a massive orc within a suit, even though half of head head was missing.

The figure grinned as he played the two like toys, having the two fight each other senselessly before controlling Eden to perform the finishing blow, knocking the other off his shackles, the body now laying like a motionless doll. However, before she could even get a breath in, the massive figure moved the control bar to another person on the wall, linking them together before pulling it off, saying, "Round 12," before chuckling and forcing the two to fight more.

It was Eden's nightmare: the thought of being controlled by this figure still lingering even from beyond the grave…

There was only so much that Rhea could do when she was in a dream. She had forgotten how different it was to walk a dream as a mortal. Everything functioned differently when you no longer had the power behind it that a deity did. At least there was one normal position, she was an outsider of the dream no matter her power. It was always a strange feeling but this time it was even stranger. The world filled in around her. The once silence was replaced with a screaming crowd. The beautiful forest was no more but she was in a place that made her want to sweat.

All around her was faceless creatures cheering at something that was happening down below. From what she could figure, which some of it was pretty obvious, she was in a colosseum watching a fight down below. From where she stood she could barely see what was happening in the circle below. She could only pray Eden was not down there, however she knew her luck well and assumed that was exactly where she was. She still did not know a lot about Eden but she was beginning to start to pick up on pieces of it. The collar was beginning to make sense now that she was seeing this strange dream.

She pushes through the crowd until she was able to get herself to the lower levels of the Colosseum and she finally was able to catch sight of the people fighting below. It was the moment she had been regretting the whole way down. It was just as she had feared, Eden was in the arena fighting. She had just finished killing the person but another round began right after. Rhea was unsure what to do. This was the first real fight she had encountered since everything that happened. She could feel her body shake as she watched the scene take place. What the hell could she do?

"Eden! I am here." She yelled out and without thinking she pushed herself over the small barrier and dropped to the sand below. It was Eden, some weird being, and herself. "I already regret jumping down here." Rhea sighed loudly and gave a big smile to Eden, "Hello!"

There was a small pulse that went over Eden when the voice had called out to her. An… abnormality to the dream. Her eyes shined to life hearing it and seeing a familiar figure run towards her in such a dangerous ground! "Rhea!" She found herself calling out, her voice masked by the echoes of screams, yells, and snarls she had used herself along with Orcish tones to try and connect the pieces together. However, before she even had a chance to react, the chains rattled as her collar rose, catching the tiger-kin off guard as the massive figure above moved the puppeteering tool to choke her.

"NOW, NOW," the Orcish voice boomed from above, "I THOUGHT WE HAD A TALK ABOUT THIS. NO TALKING ALLOWED!" As if punishment, he moved the other humanoid puppet to strike the defenseless Eden, lowering the tool enough to let her fall into the dirt and curl in pain. "YOU HAVE NO NEED FOR A VOICE! ALL YOU NEED IS TO FIGHT. FIGHT AND WIN FOR ME! OR DO YOU WANT TO BE DRILLED IN ANOTHER WAY?" His laughter echoed through the dream realm, enough so that it became contagious to the crowd. However, Eden did not understand the joke nor the implication. All she thought was that it was a face worse than this, and thus got back up, the light from her eyes dulled again once more as a doll before being brought to fight off the figure once more.

However, it more or less seemed that Rhea was still unrecognized from this sudden action. It was not like she was a ghost, as she could not pass through anything. It was more like she was not being recognized by the rest of the figmented figures that she was even there.