Serendipity.

Ayah had spent most of the day with her younger sister Mariella, which had been rather lovely before Ella had needed to go. Then Ayah had taken it upon herself to cook some dinner before then going on an evening trip. One could argue if Ayah should go out this late, the sun was staying up so late lately, how could she not take advantage of being able to see perhaps another lovely sunset. She let out a soft sigh as she hiked up closer to the edge of a cliff to catch the best view, of course she could have used the winds to move her faster up there, but she appreciated the journey, so she didn't mind.

Reaching the cliff, she realized she wasn't the only one who had gotten the idea of this sightseeing. Stopping a bit further away, narrowing her eyes by him standing looking over at the sun setting. He was a fairy too, she could tell rather quickly by his magical aura, knowing it busted her being there as well rather fast. "I see I'm not the only one who had an idea of trying to catch the sunset," she then spoke with a soft smile playing on her lips. Maybe she should just turn around and head home, but she wanted to stay a moment longer, feeling as if she should know the person in front of her - and yet not.

He gestured her to come closer and enjoy the sunset beside him, and she took a second longer than she liked before moving one foot in front of the other and walk up beside him. She took a deeper breath in, and then exhaled looking at all the colors the night sky painted, it was magnificent to watch. It was like peace could finally wash over her for the time she stood here, and she didn't have to think to much of the things she had lost. The time she had lost. "It's breath taking," she shook her head a bit. Then tilting her head a little bit letting a softer giggle leave her lips watching some birds fly in pairs across the sky, making it look like one of these rare scenes they caught on movies, making every single second worthwhile watching. "I don't reckon I've seen you around these parts, or perhaps - I don't know, there is something strangely familiar about you," she pressed her brows a bit more thoughtful together and turned her head towards him. If it wasn't for her various of traumas and the latest events perhaps her mind could place him, but since he wasn't someone she remembered as a threat it was harder for her to recall good times or small happenings than the ones that had shaped her life.

"Oh yeah, the ring guy I remember," she chuckled a little bit, he had stood her up afterwards - or what you called, perhaps she had been a bit bitter about it back then, but it was such a long time ago. Her life had been turned upside down so many times after it had been washed away. "Ayah Minerva," she took his hand and gave his a firm shake before letting go. "Don't worry I will not have your head for not showing up, it seems like this world is incredible small and big at the same time sometimes," she pressed her brows a bit together shortly. It really was. What was the chance of meeting people whom you never thought you would see again? Ayah knew it was a dumb question, she lived the life of unexpected events and meeting people whom she thought was out of her life. "What brings you in the area, or have you been around for long and I just have completely not noticed you?"she asked curiously, not that she had returned to Athena other than a few years ago by now. And it was a huge region, not seeing each other was meant to be possible.

She nodded a bit. Her fairy village had been placed in the forest near Moonlight falls for over 700 years when her aunt and uncle had gotten through the portal from Wonderland. Had made a place of living in the forest and let so many other fairies come close and call the place home, only for the hunters wo have burned it down and killed everyone brutally last year. The reminder was like hundred stabs in her heart, remembering the screams, how the fire had tried to consume even her, still lucky to have escaped that night. "Would be a shame if I said I hadn't been busy so myself," she clicked her tongue a little bit, then turning her head towards him as he said he wanted to explain himself, making her raise her brow a little. It was far from the most people who wanted to explain their course of action, these days people just went on with their lives, not caring much about the damage they left behind. She gave him a slight nod to let him give the room to explain what had happened.

There was a sad truth to his words, sometimes you forgot to appreciate the ups in life when you focused too much on the bad. Ayah had been dancing with one of her ghosts for some time, and it wasn't really till she had found an anchor, a reason to fight once again that she had tried once again: just one more time to focus on the good things. But it was hard. However, meeting the children whom she thought she had lost, getting to know them. It was supposed to fill her with joy, and it did, but it was also a hollow sorrow from knowing for over a hundred years, someone had kept them from her. She had never seen them grow up, she had missed every single thing. That thought alone tore her heart out that someone possessed such evil to take a child from their mother, and then to it twice. Worst of it, she was alone. Not completely alone, but people had their own lives.

Ayah exhaled softly as he started to talk, she remembered he needed a ring to numb his sister's magical abilities. She had never asked what type of powers his sister possessed, Ayah rarely asked too many questions when people were brave enough to ask for help. She helped, her blessing and a curse to believe in the best of everyone, how many times it had should have taught her a lesson or two not to. "You tried to find me?" It was perhaps what surprised her the most, her lips even pulled up in a bit of a bigger smile. Then she shook her head and made a small wave like movement with her hand, "nothing I couldn't handle," she confessed. Of course there had been questions, people thinking she had helped them escape.

If she was okay, to be fair she wasn't. But she wasn't drowning in her own emptiness either. She was walking on the thin line of good and bad, where the scale was threatening every single day to skip either way. He wasn't the first person who had left her behind, and Ayah was sure he wasn't the last. That was where her kindness and trust got her most of the times. Ayah lifted her brow when he asked if she perhaps could help him find something. Now, Ayah knew the scientific terms of plants and trees, at least some of them, she had gotten very in touch with her gardening after she had been reunited with her biological mother after almost 700 years. "Oh I know that place," she hummed a little bit. Her mother had created it. Classic Juniper Avalon to create some magical like events in nature around her. "Follow me," she nodded to the side and started  to walk in the direction where she knew the sight he perhaps looked for would be.

Given her history of luck, she gave herself permission to be a little bit skeptical about his request. No one knew where she was, not because she had any doubt that she would be found if she went missing. If anything people in her life had by now that something was wrong if she didn't come home, not that she had anyone to make it home back to - or Aura had stayed at her for a couple of days now - which was really nice. Connecting with the daughter whom she thought she had lost. "I have an hour before I need to get back home," Ayah spoke, letting him know there was a time limit before she was expected somewhere else, but also that she wanted to. If anything she liked seeing the things her mother had created. And even if she had trusted him back then, it was many years ago now - a lot of things had happened, she didn't really trust that easily anymore - even so disliking herself for the distrust. "Which means if we go now, we should be able to make it in time. Come on," she took a few steps further towards the forest, well, she did know the way he didn't - at least he claimed he didn't know it.

She found it sweet how he had a habit of telling short stories about some of the plants what their names were and some information she never would have thought to look up herself. To be fair she had no real idea towards the end if they were walking the right path, but she just trusted her instincts that seemed to be carried by the energy of its creator - and that magical energy was something Ayah did know well. Her eyes grew big watching how nature tried to protect its treasures. Making her both feeling so blissful of experiencing such events, but also sad that nature felt like it had to go into such a matter of defense - or maybe it was just because she felt so connected to this vulnerable environment. Ayah could feel it in the air as she stepped closer that something was wrong the closer they came, it hang onto the wind so tightly as if even the air was sick, making her change the direction of the wind with a shift movement of her hand, making sure the toxic air wouldn't face them. "Something is... not right here," she mumbled a bit. Or maybe she was just paranoid once again?

She could see he was affected by the plants state, something was harming the nature here. Which had her worried, feeling her heart rate starting to spike up with worry. He was right, they had to get out of here. But what pulled her out of her panicked thoughts was him asking for her hand. "Yeah of course," Ayah let him place a hand on her shoulder, if anything she would rarely push anyone away that needed help. Ayah narrowed her eyes a little to look further into the forest notice how some of the plants simply seemed to rot away, die. "Hold on tight," she gestured him to hold onto her with a nod to confirm it was alright. Before she then let the fresh air grab onto them and lift them up to the tree tops, able to look over the forest seeing how some parts of it looked darker, more dead, like a virus trying to spread. She needed to get home, contact her mother, Reginald - the people whom she knew was involved with the nature. So, still having the air move them, she let the wind take them out of the forest towards the city area, not far from where she was living.

She didn't like it either, there was really nothing to like about it. Ayah knew how closely her mother was connected with nature, she knew how close Willow and Katelyn, Reginald were to the nature, and it worried her sick that something might affect them as well. Ayah took a sharper breath in, trying to mask her fear for her family. If anything, she couldn't handle losing anyone else, she was just starting to feel better, but even healing could be set back if something like losing another family member was to hit her. Ayah blinked a little bit as he thanked her, almost completely for a brief second forgotten she was standing next to him. "Yeah, you are welcome. It's not everyday the forest is infected with something like this," she took a sharper breath in. What was going on? "You need something? You look a little pale, perhaps a glass of water?" She suggested not liking just letting him go when he looked to have been affected by what was going on.

"Its not," she assured him it wasn't a big deal. He was far from the first person she had helped who needed it. Besides Aura was home, and it wasn't like she felt Jalen would just suddenly harm them. He was the injured one. "I live just around the block," she pointed in the direction before starting to walk. Then waving away his next comment, "there will be another time," she hoped. Ayah needed to reach out to her mother and hear if she was okay. But she wanted to be home first. Nature was out of balance, a rare sight, but not in any good way. Reaching the house, with a beautiful garden out front, the little house had always been rather cozy. Big rooms, simple colorful decore. Her gardens well taken care off. The door opened before Ayah could open it and Aura looked worried at them, "what happened?" She wondered and stepped aside so the two could get inside.