Through her inner debate, Arayna heard her companions response. That had not been what she meant. Even in that sense, she had also been littler until recently, and hazy memories of a time even smaller than that seemed present. Refocusing herself, she sought out to find Hed to clarify. Going so far as to raise her hand and attempt to start speaking before finding him, and realizing that he was very close. Any sound died on her lips as her throat seemed to become tight and her mouth dry. His eyes where silver too, Arayna had not known she was so partial to the color.


Licking her lips all that was able to escape was ”Uhh… leaving her mouth gaping and cheeks flaming, wide blue eyes locked onto the silver. Arayna felt dizzy and little weak. Why? She had flown fairly close to peoples faces before to get their attention or talk to them. Why was this so different? Arayna could not even tell whether or not she liked the closeness, part of her seeming to want to somehow to get closer while another demanded she run into the mud… or possibly the river.


Deciding that maybe she was just way too fond of silver, she tried to focus attention away from his eyes. Looking down at his chest she tried to force herself to admire the robes, that would be something she would be interested in she insisted to her mind. This did not prove much better. Her eyes began to sting, she felt like collapsing forward and just bury herself into his robe, crying. Everything was just so confusing, too much for her, overwhelming. How crazy was she? Had she not just been laughing a second ago.


Habitually Arayna’s hand move to grasp at one of her braids, only to find them absent. Attention moving to her own hand in shock, her mind seemed to begin sluggishly working again. That was right, she had tied them up to make sure her hair stayed out of the way. Deciding that the cake was fascinating she focused on that, absently poking at it. Was he close cause she had not been paying attention? No, she had been about to respond to him. Though, maybe he had thought she was not because she had not been looking at him, too choking on cake. Oh she had been choking, had he come over to help her. That was nice of him. That might explain while she felt a little breathless and dizzy, too.


She still found her mouth too dry to speak. Making sure to keep her attention on the platter of cake she moved it over; trading the cake for the juice, she took a sip. Arayna was not even sure what the juice tasted like. Again the fairy tested her ability to speak. “Err.. thanks,” Arayna stated voice a soft rasp. The fairies eye widened at the sound of her voice, well she had just nearly suffocated. Keeping her focus fixed on the glass as if it was the most interesting thing she continued. “I swear I have eaten before and am usually better at it, she finished weakly.


The glass giving her an idea; Arayna raised it to her lips and drained it. Then fussed with her stuff, she prepared it so she could carry it. Stepping back to move away, having decided she needed to, she felt a rip more than she heard it and a weight falling off her shoulder. Great, she had walked on and ripped her dress. Not sure whether to curse or beg forgiveness she found herself wondering just what she had done to the gods to deserve this. Sighing she reached for the back of her dress hoping the knot had just come undone, knowing the truth. It had ripped she would not be able to re-tie it somehow. 'Well at least it was ruined anyway,' she reminded herself, sighing as she shrugged the thing off.

She felt lighter now, too, but oh so exposed. Sure the beige undertunic did not have sleeves and due to her unexpected growth spurt ended right at her knee, but between it and her stockings, she was mostly covered. Why did it feel so embarrassing and vulnerable? Was it because of the obvious stains from where the mud had bled through… but she had been covered in the stuff most of the morning. Deciding she would get some use out of the thing she tore her former dress and draped the pieces over her arm. Gathering the provisions, Arayna made her way to the conjured food. At least all of this had given her an excuse to move away. Focusing on her movements her wings fluttered open, allowing the woman to stay upright against all her expectations, maybe the gods had forgiven her. Sitting the provisions down next to the conjured basket, she set part of the dress down and sat on it, using the other remnant to cover her legs, to fight off some of the exposed feelings. Slowly and carefully she refilled her glass as if that is why she needed to come over, not just needing to be further away.

Still focused on the glass the fairy spoke "Umm.. Raya," voice still sounding foreign. "I mean, I can understand being Silly Fairy, really with everything that is probably a nicer thing you picked out to call me, certainly fits better than lady," she stated, smiling weakly. "I think I have even been called it before… but if I am supposed to have a form of address that I would want to be called, I.. ah.. think that would be Raya, if you want to use such a thing I mean " she babbled, for some reason feeling compelled to offer a name in a chance to be addressed as such by him. And if he was going to have been kind enough to help save her from herself and would still agree to travel with her; despite all this, she probably at least owed him some way to address her. Braving further humiliation Arayna took a bite of her fruit, forcing herself to focus on the process of eating, while her thoughts produced different ideas on how Hed would feel about this all; he'd have to be crazy to agree still to travel with her, wouldn't he.

Hefeydd stared blankly into the other fairy's eyes, coming to the conclusion that even if she were some evil mastermind set on defeating or capturing him, she also seemed to be under the effects of a mild curse. What else could explain the constant falling, choking and general messiness? He studied her closely, remaining exactly where he was, a breath away from her as he attempted to see the root of the curse. If he lifted it from her then she would owe him far more than she would by eating his food. Then, if he could just get the pesky fairy's name, he would own her. Then he could find out whatever he wanted about her, in his own time, too. There would be no more back and forth between them, no more circling the subject and making a mess of what could have been nice clothes at one point. They sure weren't now, though, were they?

The silly fairy's cheeks reddened as if from a fever and the way she stood there, silent and still, made him begin to suspect she might be seriously ill on top of the curse, and potential simple mindedness. Was the illness just another part of the curse, or was she just extremely unlucky? Was it worth it for him to remain around her, even? What if the curse latched itself onto him because of his proximity? He certainly didn't want to be cursed. Removing them was frustrating business. He had far more fun placing them upon people, that was true. Her eyes dropped down and his arms twitched to catch her, thinking she might be about to collapse. This was becoming bothersome! He hadn't meant to spend so much time here and yet, here he was. Maybe he could distract her and leave her behind. But no. That wouldn't work, would it. He had already offered her a service, which she had accepted. If he were to leave without taking her to the forest then he would be breaking his word. A little flame of anger sparked within him as he realized he was now, for better or worse, bound to this silly fairy unless he could trick her into releasing him. Oh, she would owe him if he followed through, that was true. A debt like that, well, could it be easily paid? He didn't think it could. He would make sure she didn't think so either. But getting her there in one piece was going to be the problem!

Finally the other fairy began moving somewhat normally again. She set aside the cake that had almost killed her, if only it had it would have solved his problems there and then, and instead took up the glass of juice and sipped at it. It seemed to help her get her thoughts back on track, which was good, and she began speaking. Her words were awkward and stumbling, still, and would cause her to be the source of ridicule in the fairy courts. If she wanted to go there then she was going to need to learn to speak and dress properly or she would quickly find herself the plaything of others. The thought caught in his mind, this silly fairy before him being tormented by other fey and little folk. It held a certain appeal, that was true and yet at the same time he felt a protectiveness. If anyone was going to torment this fairy it was going to be he, Hefeydd, the First Night. Others could have their chance when he was done with her.

The next wave of misfortune that followed the other fairy didn't surprise Hefeydd at this point. As she moved away the filthy rags she was wearing began to tear. She did the sensible thing, then, and removed it. It didn't reveal much of anything, save her arms, as she was wearing a second layer beneath the first, as well as stocking that covered her legs. It did reveal her arms though, which weren't as streaked with dirt as the rest of her had been. If anything it had been a final stroke of luck, the dress tearing and allowing her to free herself from all that residual mud. There was nothing there that held his attention, though, the thought of searching for a curse forgotten. But when her wings opened, he found himself momentarily losing his train of thought.

He shook his head and the next thing he knew she was sat upon the scraps of her filthy dress, and covering herself with the rest of them. He had to fight back the urge to release an explosive sigh of exasperation. What was it with her? Did she like being covered in mud and muddy things? What kind of fairy chose to be dirty when there was nice clean water available for her to wash up in nearby?

"Raya…" he repeated the name she gave, feeling out the name. "Raya." he repeated, again, this time mimicking her exact accent and tone of voice. Having someone's name gave you power over them to an extent, but being able to use it in the exact way they did strengthened that power.  He felt nothing, though, as she rambled on. That was… To be expected, he supposed. Even the simplest of fairies knew not to give out their true names to others. He had thought, though.. There was something about this one that had made him feel she would be an easy mark. His wings trembled, a very faint twitch along their length, as he watched her intently. So, she wished for him to call her Raya, and she wanted to travel to the forest. These were things he could do. He would prepare her along the way though, and find out more about her. The last thing he wanted was to find out he was being tricked by the other fairy, Raya.

"Well first, Raya, let's do something about the state you are in. Oh, we can't have you appearing before other fairies like this, can we? They'll all be calling you silly fairy then won't they? We don't want that, oh no. Even if you are a silly fairy, first impressions are very important, yes they are." the whole time he was talking he held his hands out in front of him, his fingers twitching and pulling as if at threads only he could see. His voice rose and fell as he worked, some of what he was saying obviously meant for the other fairy while some parts were just him talking to himself as he worked. He had used up a lot of magic today, that was true. He had traveled far, done a lot of mischief on the way and had barely stopped and eaten along the way. Why, he would be surprised if he had eaten half of the offerings left for him! Nobody seemed to appreciate the amount of work it took to do his job, but-

"Ah… Ha!" he cried out in triumph. From his fingers, which he raised to eye level, threads began to form in the air. They weaved together, forming patterns and growing thicker and more complex as they began to drop down from his hands. As if many invisible spiders were working together the silken threads continued falling from his hands and weaving themselves together until, finally, he was holding a dress. He had chosen blue for the color, unconsciously matching it to her eyes, but reasoning to himself that it was because it was the color of winter and the Unseelie court. If he brought her there wearing this, it would be like claiming her. He had a feeling she wasn't Unseelie, and if that were true then having her wear this would be a double victory. He grinned as he held it up and walked over towards Raya.

Arayna jolted and froze, feeling as if she had been struck by lightning. During her prattling, Hed had decided to test out the sound of her desired moniker. Her heart pounded in her chest. It had been a mistake to give it. Arayna should have just accepted and stuck with her epithet of silly fairy, which fit her better anyway. Being addressed as Raya by him was just too… familiar? Was that what this feeling was?

Arayna was shaken from her stupor at the sound of being addressed yet again. Here she had thought she would need to warn him she may not answer; just as she had done for Morty. It did not appear getting her attention would be a problem for him. At the mention of first impressions, she felt herself sigh, yes first impressions where important. Gods what a one she must have made on him. Smiling sadly she decided at least it would likely not be an encounter he would forget, possibly even if he wanted to. Hopefully, that meant she would not forget it either.

Her thoughts traveled down the well-worn path that was thinking of her memory; and her fear of forgetting what memories she did have at some point. So far it seemed she was able to retain things done after her escape, but a constant fear lingered that she would one day wake up with them having just become another hazy and broken memory; difficult to discern its order, origin or even validity. It was movement this time that drew her from her thoughts. Hed had moved closer to her, though thankfully not as close as before. He was proudly holding, something.

Focusing herself she tried to turn her attention to him; Hed looked rather proud of himself. Arayna felt her face flush, something about that expression looked… right on him, it was… endearing. Finding herself offering a small smile in return, she felt some of the weight of her previous despair lift. This confused her, was it because she was around another fairy? What would it be like when they went to a forest full of other fairies? Possibly an experiment to see if it is possible to die from embarrassment if current trends continued.

Turning her attention to Hed’s source of pride she was surprised, “A dress?” she stated dumbly. He had not been carrying that before, and if fairies had similar fashion choices as humans, would not be something he would be carrying on him by chance anyway. Did that mean he had summoned or made it just for her? Before the start of all this had she not resolved to pay more attention, here her companion had summoned a dress seemingly out of thin air without her noticing.
Everything until now seemed like maybe she would have just been an inconvenience to her companion’s normal routine. Arayna had assumed Hed was going to the forest anyway, so showing her would not have changed his plans. But this.. and looking after her, she could not understand why he was nice. Had he offered to show the forest just to help her, with no plans to go there himself? She found herself wondering why beings had been so willing to help her, and why she felt so uncomfortable with this. Though excited and grateful about the dress, Arayna also felt trapped. She had to accept the dress after he had gone through all of the trouble of acquiring it for her, that was the favor that would need to be returned. And she currently had nothing to exchange for it.

“Maybe I was… or am… an evil fairy,” she thought passively, it had never occurred to her that before she might have been of a nature that deserved to have been bottled, tormented, and memories shattered. All of these nice things and she felt that there should be some cost. Overwhelmed, she tried to take a deep breath but could not keep herself from crying. She again found herself wishing she could just launch herself at her companion and cry, telling him everything that was on her fragmented mind and how exhausting it was to get through even a normal day; and this day had been far from normal.

Not wanting to be rude she found herself reaching out with magic willing the garment to levitate. Not desiring to touch it and soil the garment. “I do not have anything to exchange for this” she confessed to her companion, steady stream of tears running down her cheeks. Maybe she could not nonsensically babble all of her thoughts to him from the safety of his robes, but she could at least tell him this. “Even if I dressed up and tried my best, with the way things have been going I will likely still embarrass myself… and you,” she added thinking maybe that somehow taking her to the forest would have some sort of meaning she was not aware of, that would make all this worth it.

“I have already freely offered to share my food, the tea I drink is mana tea. If you want to recover and go… I cannot imagine being worth all this trouble and do not wish to cause you further. she stated glumly, deciding that if she were able to, she would run from herself, as she might be a cursed evil fairy. Maybe that is why her life had been the way it was, and that her acquaintances to date, excluding present company, had been two necromancers and a half-ogre; that did not sound like the company of a good fairy. “I will find a way to repay you for this,” she added gesturing to the dress, realizing it might seem she was trying to get it for free. If you have one in mind, do share, I can meet you at the village some time to repay the debt . Arayna could still feel tears running down her cheeks; she felt so tired and lost, this day was shaping up to be way too much for her.

The silly fairy, Raya, stared at the dressed and a a variety of emotions crossed her face, none of which held any significance for him. She was a confusing one, that was for sure, almost like she was a tiny human and not a proud fairy. If it wasn't for the way she expertly, or at least stumbled her way around his questions and offerings he would think she wasn't a fairy at all! She did have wings, though. That was true. His eyes flickered briefly back to her wings, as if to make sure they were still there. She was definitely a fairy. Just a fairy that was a little rough around the edges.

He could feel  her reaching out with magic, lifting the dress he had created from his hands. He thought about holding on to it, at least until she had cleaned herself properly but then thought better of it. If their meeting so far was anything to go by then that particular dress was going to be ruined long before they reached the forest. This made him grin even more. While yes, it was a waste of his own energy to summon dresses for her each time she destroyed one… She was talking again! His attention shot back to her, not wanting to miss any more clues that she might let slip to reveal any dark intentions she might have.

She was crying as she spoke and Hefeydd felt another twitch in his wings, but he stopped himself from letting out a frustrated groan, the grin he had previously felt all the way from the tips of his wings to the tips of his toes was now frozen in place. What was she doing now?! He had seen fairies crying before, of course. It was a common trick to make mortals think there were young mortals lost nearby. Or, when captured by the big folk he had seen fairies pretend to cry to gain pity, make the big folk lower their guard so that the fairies could strike. He tried to remember when he had ever seen a fairy cry in front of another fairy before. He needed to work out what the purpose of the tears were, first, before he could figure out how to deal with them. What had she said as she started crying? That she had nothing to exchange for the dress… Aha! The little she-witch was trying to make him feel bad. 

A cold feeling spread through him, it was comforting in it's own way. Oh, this strange fairy had no idea who she was messing with. Trying to trick and to fool him all day. Well he wasn't going to fall for it. He was no fool… She was treating him like… Like a silly fairy! She said she would find a way to repay him for the dress, despite her current trickery, and he would be sure that she would though he had no intentions of allowing her to set the terms of that repayment. A common way of dealing with debts among the fey was to repay one in excess, so the person you had once owed would then owe you. Judging by her previous attempts that would be exactly the kind of thing this fairy would do. His foot began tapping as he tried to think of what he needed from her. His plan had been to just have her continuing falling further into his debt until there was no way out but now… It needed some thought…

She had finished speaking and he didn't want to stand around in silence for too long. He cleared his throat and the grin fell from his face to be replaced with what he hoped was a more friendly expression. Was he good at those? He thought he was. "Maybe you should get cleaned up, sil- Raya, and then we can find somewhere to rest a while, yes?"

Arayna hated that she was crying but could not seem to make herself stop. For some reason hearing her companion telling her to wash up made her cry harder despite the fact she felt relieved he was not just making a break for it, which would have likely been the smart thing. Arayna did not know what she would do if her bad luck was contagious. Forcing herself to focus on breathing, she was able to calm herself enough to just be silently tearful.

"Bathe," she repeated, her nickname was going to be downgraded if she kept up this level of conversation. Arayna looked dubiously at the river not particularly feeling like going anywhere near it. The fey could imagine all manner of disasters that could befall her while attempting to bath in it. Arayna also had a sinking suspicion even if she did have an uneventful bath; she would fall back into the mud upon completing it. That would be worse than not bathing.

Maybe she could just tell Hed that is why she wanted to go into town. He had not seemed to like that idea and she really did not want to impose on him. Where did that leave her, should she just not bathe? She could try to pull off more mud magically, but that would likely be just as embarrassing given how well it had looked before. While in her thoughts Arayna wiped away some of the tears. Maybe she could summon water and bathe that way. Arayna's gaze fell upon the basket, that was it.

Setting down her plates she stood up, going over to gather her bags. "Ok, I will bathe. You should eat while I do so, I do not think you have eaten, but weren't you the one who brought up food?" Arayna stated absently while gathering her things. Pulling out a blanket she gingerly pulled the conjured dress from the air, securing it in the blanket to protect it. Moving away from their impromptu picnic area Arayna headed towards the river, knowing it would be easier to get water the closer she was to the thing.

Having found a spot that might work, Arayna let herself cry for a minute until she could finally manage to make herself stop. It was such an exhausting day, why had she thought it was a good idea to walk in the mud. Double checking that the spot was suitable she gathered her magic, thinking up her next task. Arayna had never summoned an item before, but if Hed could summon picnic baskets and dresses, or spawn them from thin air, she felt sure she could pull this off. Concentrating she imagined her bath bowl she had hidden under one of the trees in Iria, willing it to come to the new designated spot. Arayna felt her magic flair and found herself staring at her bath bowel. It had worked! The water would be warm, with no fish, currents or mud. She could very contently take a bath, if it wasn’t for it being out in the open.

Even if Hed knew she was bathing, and therefore know to turn the other way, she had run into him out here. How close were they to the fairy forest? Arayna did not particularly like the idea of meeting any more fairies covered in mud, meeting them while being naked and trying to wash away the mud seemed so much worse. Arayna reached again for her absent braid while trying to work through her new dilemma. It had not been a problem before, she had just manipulated a tree to form around herb bowel, giving her a nice cozy place to bathe. Maybe she should have tried to go to her bowel instead of bringing it out here, how was she supposed to get it back anyway. Frowning she hated the idea of losing her bath bowel.

Maybe she could hide it in a tree again, but the area had proven sparse and it would be annoying to find a tree and move the thing. Arayna frowned at the grown, willing herself to think of something. Well Hed had said after this they would rest. Maybe this presented an opportunity to see how much stronger she had gotten since her escape. Focusing on a different item she summoned it to her hand. Arayna took three steps from the bowel and for some reason felt that number seemed right and tossed it down. Flying up she again released her magic, this time willing the seed to grow. This had been the magic that freed her, she felt a fondness for it.

Arayna was happy to feel the willow seed obey, and magically grow before her eyes. She did not need it to be too big just enough to provide cover for herself and the bowel. She wrapped some of the roots around her bowel, figuring that would keep any passersby from taking it. Though she could likely just summon it back anyway, so was it worth worrying about that? All well it was already done. Having it grow at a slant she was pleased with herself, thinking she had made quite a nice private spot. Arayna loved willow trees, their leaves were fun to play in and provided cover to a wide area.

Setting out her belongings around the tree’s roots, she magically pulled water from the river into the bowel. Task complete she caught her reflection and was met with a grimace. She did not look well, or much like herself. The crying had just made her eyes puffy and muddy streaks on her face and her hair looked more of a brown than the blonde she had become familiar with. She was still so scrawny, maybe she should eat more after this. Wait, what fresh hell was this. Arayna was used to judging herself on her clothing but could not recall judging her physic. Why was she suddenly so worried if she lacked womanly features? Though she identified as being a female, she was a fairy, so was not even technically a woman!

Giving her reflection a look that showed her utter exacerbation with herself and the day, she giggled when she got one back. Yeah, that as definitely how she felt. Removing her muddy, and ruined socks, she sighed. Hopefully, she would not ruin her new garment. Realizing she might be taking too long, she became worried that Hed might have decided to wander off… or come to check if she drowned. Arayna was not sure which of those scenarios was worse. Maybe she should go tell him it took her a few minutes to figure out a plan, so she had not started bathing yet. Hopefully, she could leave the part out about crying more or having been distracted by making faces at her reflection. Hed did not really need any more evidence of her being a silly fairy.

His words seemed to fall on deaf ears, as the other fairy remained where she was, continuing to shed tears. Or, actually, she did seem to have heard him and his words, frustratingly, were just making her cry even harder. Was this her plan, then? He discovers what she is plotting and attempts to stop it and she just lays it on even thicker? Well that just wasn't going to fly with him, oh no it wasn't! He opened his mouth to say something but her sobs became silent and he closed his mouth with a snap. So, she had noticed he wasn't falling for her tricks. That was good. Perhaps in the future she wouldn't try her little tricks on him so often!

The silly fairy seemed to be working through calming herself down after getting herself caught up in her plan to attempt to trick him. She wiped at her eyes, smudging the remnants of the dirt that had mixed with her tears and become mud again across her face. Setting down the plates, she gathered up her own belongings and looked set to go to the river and clean herself off. If she was quick about it then they could still make some good time today. Wasn't there a fairy glade around here they could rest in, away from those noisy mortals? If there were other fairies there, they might even recognize this sneaky, simple fairy. Could someone be sneaky and simple at the same time? If anyone could, a fairy could. His chest puffed up with pride in his own people. Yes, a fairy definitely could be both simple and sneaky. Here was one right now, proving the point for him!

As she wandered away, belongings in her arms, Hefeydd found his eyes following her wings. He stood in place, her parting words washing over him. "Maybe I should eat something…" he mumbled quietly to himself, his eyes still stuck on the other fairy's wings. He took a step as if to follow her, but snapped himself out of it. That wasn't where the food was, it was right here! He shook his head and looked around. While the food he had created looked delicious, far more appealing then the other fairy's simple offerings, the fact was it was almost empty to the person who had conjured it. It would fill him, but it wouldn't replenish the magic he had expended to create it. So he found himself prodding the simple fare Raya had provided, instead. He wanted to eat some of it but was mindful of what the other fairy had consumed. She had picked at the food he had provided, almost choking as she did so. Maybe that had been a ruse to hide the fact she wasn't eating much of it… Yes, that made sense. She had also spilled the juice he had brought her… Again, hiding how much of it she had consumed. She was a crafty one. Had she eaten any of the food she had produced? He couldn't remember. If she hadn't, it could be because she had poisoned it. He wished he could remember exactly what she had eaten… But he couldn't. He did know something for sure, though. She had drunk the tea. He looked around and found it, the same cup she had been drinking from, too. He nodded to himself, wandering over and scooping it up. There was still some left. He lifted the cup to his lips and drained it, immediately feeling a flow of magic washing through him. His whole body tingled and he found himself floating into the air, wings fluttering.

"Curses…" he managed to avoid shouting this, instead keeping his voice low. She had been drinking mana infused tea the whole time! Making herself stronger while he had been wasting his own magic on silly things! He reconsidered the silly fairy, thinking about which one of them truly was the silly fairy now. Oh, she had been so clever about it, too. Pretending like it had been simple tea. He looked over at the river, but he couldn't see her. Wasn't she meant to be washing? Shouldn't she be done by now? Or was she hiding somewhere, waiting to see if he would eat her food. Or, had she run off, trying to escape from her debts to him? If she knew anything, then she would know that wouldn't work. Though he supposed he might forgive her debt if it meant being free of her finally. He bit his bottom lip, wondering what he should do now. His foot began tapping, but hovering above the ground as he was it was just tapping thin air. He supposed he should make an effort to find her, at least. If he didn't find her right away, well, who would blame him for leaving and not taking her to the fairy forest? Not Hefeydd, that was for sure!

Flying up higher, he began circling through the air, robes flapping in the little bit of wind while he hummed to himself. He smiled to himself as he saw that he couldn't see her anywhere! Perhaps the silly fairy had been washed away by the river? Or maybe she was eaten by a fish. Yes, that might have happened. He would mourn her passing, he thought, a big grin spreading across his face as he flew lower. There was a willow, a small one, that he hadn't noticed before. From beneath it he could hear sounds. His spirit drooping, he sighed and began to descend, hoping that his suspicions weren't going to be found to be right.

He landed on a branch, gently, quietly, in time to see the silly fairy making silly faces at her own reflection in the water. Or… Was it a reflection? Perhaps she had been scrying. Contacting the other sneaky fairies that she knew, bragging about her attempts to trick him. He glared down into the water, barely making out his own reflection, wondering if she had been too focused on her own image to notice him there. She stripped off her stocking, leaving her legs bare and instead of finally bathing she turned around. Why was she taking so long?! Did she not realize he was an important and busy fairy and he had other things that needed to be taken care of? Here she was, standing around in a scrap of cloth that was barely covering any part of her and yet still she wasn't cleaning herself off and getting dressed! With an overly dramatic sigh he dropped down from the branch, floating down to land behind her, balancing gracefully on the edge of the bowl. He leaned over and cleared his throat.

"Silly fair-Raya! Why are you not dressed yet?! It's been an age since you came out here to clean off and still here you stand, covered in mud! Do you need help, is that what is taking so long?" he attempted to glare at her but his eyes flickered from her mud streaked face to her wings and then back, settling on her eyes which were now close to his own.

Arayna’s eyes widened and she let out a startled gasp as Hed seemingly appeared in front of her. Had she not gotten back hold of her magic and somehow summoned him? Was that why he was mad at her. Why was he close again? Or was the question why that makes it so hard for her to think.

“I… uh… sorry” the fey managed to stammer out after her lecture. It was a good thing Hed was not hostile, she would have been dead several times over. A part of her wondered if she would have somehow done herself in if she had not run into him. Did that make the day she was having lucky or unlucky?
Finding herself anxious she habitually reached for her braids, remembered where they were and moved her hand as if she had meant to unfasten her hair. Using the activity to look down she turned her gaze away from him. Arayna could feel her heart pounding as she tried to work out the new situation. What was an age? Arayna was not familiar with that unit of time. She knew it might have been a while but that was only because she wasn’t sure how long she had given in to self-pity or gotten lost in her own thoughts about her reflection.

Part of her bristled at the insulation that she would need help bathing. However, Arayna could not find herself to be angry with the assumption. Sighing she decided she could not blame him for the thought; if she looked at herself in the context of what he had witnessed. Even knowing what she had been up to before this strange day made the idea that she could take care of herself dubious. It would be nice to learn something positive about herself, she decided not sure how many more truths she could handle.

“I got distracted and it took me a bit to get set up… you cannot blame me for not wanting to go into the river with the luck I have been having today,” she tried, finding herself pouting as she freed and unbraided her hair. Had she really been that long. Risking a glance at him, she never met his eyes, once again getting distracted by her reflection. “I have spots,” Arayna declared taken aback. The areas of her hair had been covered in the braids shown the familiar blonde, but the areas that had not been where caked in mud. Making the fey appear as if she had spots running through her hair. The dried mud also made her hair stick out at weird angles. The fey never would have guessed her hair could look worse than just being covered in mud. “Shoo, so I can despot myself,” Arayna muttered while glaring at her reflection.

Hefeydd remained rooted in spot, unblinking as the other fairy began fidgeting with her hair and apologizing. Something about the way she was doing it seemed calculated, as if she was trying to distract him from the fact he had caught her doing something suspicious. Had she really been scrying in the bowl he was perched on? He was beginning to think she had, but he dared not tear his eyes away from her to scan the area for any possible ambush. What if that was exactly what she was waiting for? If he looked away now then she might strike! Oh, she wasn't going to get him that easily. Unless… What if this was her plan? Keep him distracted so that he can't see anyone sneaking up on him from behind? In which case, he was falling for her plan! Oh, she was a sneaky one, that was true!

Her next words did nothing to ease his suspicions. It took her a bit to get set up? How long did it take to prepare for a bath?! Not long at all, that was for sure. How long did it take to set up a scrying bowl, though? Well, he didn't know the answer to that one but he assumed it would take some time. Exactly like she said…  She let her hair down and Hefeydd couldn't but shake his head at the state of it, distracted from his previous thoughts by the amount of mud that was stuck in her hair. He reached out a hand, planning on using magic to bring the water up to give her a hand with cleaning her hair when she shooed him.

She shooed him! Hefeydd, First Night of the Fairies being shooed by some sneaky little mud monster! He gasped, shooting upwards and back away from her so he was standing tall, looking down at her. He clutched at his chest, hands over is heart as his jaw hung open. Here he was, trying to help this strange little fairy, and she was shooing him away! "Shoo?" he fell backwards with the word, as if to fall into the bowl full of water. A little magic kept him from hitting the surface, keeping him hovering in place just above the water. He floated, slowly, across and over the lip of the bowl on the other side from the silly fairy. "Dismissing me… When all I wanted was to… I was…" he paused, hovering in place as he considered this. "She shooed me away!"

Arayna watched as her companion first stood then fell back as if injured while repeating the word shoo. The fairy’s face reddened, she’d shooed him! It was an absent-minded thing, it is how she spoke to the different animals she encountered. The fairy was also confused when she did not hear a splash, looking over the bowl watching the man hover across the bowel, over the lip and fall to the ground.

Rushing around the bowl she found her companion, floating above the ground. Talking to someone about being shooed. Confused Arayna looked around thinking to see some animal or gods another fairy, only to find no one. He was talking to himself. This pulled a giggle from Arayna’s lips, it was fascinating to see him being somewhat compromised. Feeling the need to cover this she smiled “If I knew how to do that I would not need a bath she stated brightly.

Sorry about the shoo, I was distracted by being spotted. I am not used to talking to other fey, or people. It is usually just animals she stated smile turning to a frown as she began twirling a strand of her absently. I would like to apologize for the indignation I have caused you First Knight Hed, and would really appreciate you granting me some additional time and privacy to despot myself. I will try to hurry she said trying to apologize formally.

Internally she sighed, she felt so out of her depth. Was she really ready to meet other fairies, she was floundering so much with just Hed. Her eyes clouded as she found herself thinking about the possibility of being turned away for being disruptive and simple. Remembering she had promised to try to hurry she tried to shake herself from her thoughts, and focus herself on the task. She needed to bathe.

At the sound of the other fairy laughing at him, Hefeydd's tiny heart froze in his chest, the feeling of tendrils of ice spreading through his chest took his breath away. Who was she to be laughing at him in his moment of pain? This was obviously what she had wanted all along! He glared at her from the corner of his eye, not moving a muscle and giving away his frustration. 

She tried to apologize to him, to cover up what she had just done but he wasn't falling for it, oh no, not him. He continued to float away, but in a fit of spite he stole the warmth from the water inside the bowl as he left. Until he was safely out of sight of the troublesome fairy he continued floating along the ground on his back. He had no fear of running into anything, the thought actually never crossed his mind. When he finally felt that he was far enough away he took a deep breath and swung himself up into a sitting position, only to see that he had traveled but a few of what the big mortals called feet away from the other fairy's bathing area.

He huffed out a heavy sigh and shouted back at her. "Are you done yet?!"

[upgraded the colour of speech to a more suitable choice]