The Aftermath (Open to those in The Dead)

[Red]

One minute into the 122nd Ashan 719

The last thing she remembered coherently was Vri touching her cheek and then everything went black. True nothingness, and with there being nothing, there was nothing to remember. And Auya was there, standing a bit behind the group of five mortals who had witnessed her judgement. Her mind felt... strange. She'd woken up without having gone to sleep.

Why was she here? She'd given everything to Vri, for Varlum, for everyone. She could see the backs of those who'd witnessed her. There were two men she didn't recognize, one with long dark hair, the other just looking... strange, felt strange, at least from behind. There was Eliza's dark curls next to Hart's lighter ones. And finally, there he was. Varlum, her heart of hearts, standing before the door.

Auya looked down at herself. She was wearing the same dress she'd left her shop in. The one that had mysteriously disappeared, replaced by pajamas. She felt a weight in her pocket, and she reached in, touching the token. Her snowflake. The object that had been her heart for a while, that had allowed her to help her companions.

She looked around, seeing the door up front, hearing its words. "Hey there folks! Where would you like to go? I can send you anywhere." Was this... the Waiting Place again? She couldn't be sure, things were still... fuzzy. Her eyes drifted back to the muscular back of Varlum and her heart swelled. In that moment, she forgot everything that had happened with the mission, with the judgement. She had no idea if anything had gone well, if her efforts had bore any fruit.

And she didn't care.

Varlum was right there, and there was no damnable glass between them. Her throat tightened, her eyes filling with tears, her grin growing, as four little words muttered out of her lips.

"Hey there, Big Guy."

Note

Open to Varlum, Hart, Eliza, Kesindir, and Tio. Keep in mind, if you exit through the door, you're outta the thread and waiting on the event to finish before anything else can happen.

[Tio Silver]

Tio did not consider himself a closed minded person, yet even he considered some things impossible. He'd seen ghost pirates, monster ducks, the graves of kingdoms and the hearts of fractures. Yet he would never had believed you if you told him that he was fated to witness this...

The genesis of a god.

He had absolutely no idea how it happened, even though he'd somehow ended up taking part of it. He understood what elements had been involved: mortal intent, immortal energy, mortalborn connection and the power of love of all things, yet how they somehow meshed together to form this result was completely beyond him. And yet there was no denying what his eyes told him. Auya Trueheart had died, they'd all known it, and yet here she stood alive and well... and Immortal. Had his face not been covered by his mask Tio would have looked like quite an idiot, for his mouth was dropped wide open.

It was, quite frankly, mind-blowing! Was Auya the first ever mortal to become an Immortal, or had all the gods perhaps been regular people once? He call upon his attunement spark and focused in on the ex-aukari's frequency, just to check that he wasn't somehow mistaken, but the notes coming off of her were unlike anything he'd ever felt before. It was raw, pure power, like an ocean of gunpowder awaiting a single spark to set it off, and undeniably similar to the mortalborn note he'd heard from the other people present. This was real then?! This was actually happening?!

How fascinating!

As the reality of what he was seeing started to set in Tio's brain kicked into life, processing the truth of what he'd witnessed and their implications. This opened up so many possibilities! Raised so many questions! Did Auya have the same powers as the other Immortals? Did she have domains that she resided over?

Could anyone become a god?

The moment that thought crossed his mind something cold and hard settled in his gut. That-... he'd need to think about that later, when his head wasn't so muddled up by all the strange events that'd happened. What he needed to do now was focus on what was in front of him. An hour ago he'd known absolutely nothing about Auya Trueheart, and how he had her whole life story crammed into his head and witnessed her achieve apotheosis. This was an opportunity to learn so much about what the Immortals were, and it might never come again. He needed to make the most of this opportunity while he had it!

And yet he also knew that Auya meant a heck of a lot more to the other people here than it did to him, and he wasn't so much of a git as to start badgering her with questions when they were undoubtedly anxious to talk to their loved one. He could wait: his time to speak with her would come eventually. Tio gave Auya a little wave and then took a step to the side, guessing that the others were probably about to rush forwards to embrace her or something like that. Getting trampled by Mr Big-Scaly-and-Pining was not on his to do list right now.

"Well... I think this is the part where you guys are supposed to give her a hug or something." He said blithely to the others, tilting his head a little to the side as he looked between the lot of them. "I hope your clothes are fireproof."

[Varlum]

Hey there, Big Guy.

Was it real? It felt real. All of it felt real. But Varlum had watched her die, he'd seen her fade away behind a black screen of glass that had left him nothing but the sight of her pain. No touch, no way to hold her. Nothing he could do. He hated that feeling, powerlessness. Staring into a situation he could do nothing about, watching the one person he had vowed to protect above anything or anyone else fade into literal dust. Yet despite the fear he felt, the loss he felt when she had been gone, there she stood. His head turned behind him and right there was Auya Trueheart - his world.

"Good to see you again, girl" he shot back as he turned himself around fully, letting the tears fall. This time, though, they were gentler. Kinder. There was no pain written across his face, no sobs that he couldn't control. It was just love, as Vri had shown them all, love in it's purest and rawest form. It didn't take long for the feeling to overcome the Ithecal as he made a relatively quick approach forward to her. Right now there was only one thing he wanted to do, one feeling he wanted. Near to instantly, the distance between them was gone and his chest was back for her head to rest on. His arms held her in a way he hadn't yet. They had hugged and danced side by side, but never with the feeling he felt now. The longing that he felt for her had grown so strong and just as hope had seemed to be gone he was given a choice.

What that choice meant now, he had no idea. But he didn't care.

Varlum held her as firmly as he could without hurting her, his entire body wrapped around her however she wanted it to be. All that mattered was their reunion. She was alive, his Auya was alive. His Auya. It felt weird to think about it. Despite every trial the two had spent together growing closer he never once imagined a man like him would be with a woman like her. Strong despite the pain, a flame that could blaze in a moments notice. All she had needed was some cover from the storm, someone to take care of her and treat her like she deserved. To dance with her and to hold her when things were hard. Now, that was what Varlum could be. What he had been when he could. She didn't know the full extent of it, how many times he extended his patrol to come and make sure she was safe. How many fights he had fought in the name of the Aukari, the innocent ones. But she didn't need to know. He didn't do it for her thanks or praise, but for her safety.

"I love you" he said through a strained voice as the tears grew rougher. It was a strange mess of emotions, happiness blending with all of the pain he had tried to hide. Despite the tears he had cried there was still so much emotion left unseen, emotions that even Varlum didn't know were there until it hit. Fear. An emotion he rarely let himself feel. Fear of losing someone so dear to him. The only person that had ever been dear to him in that way. The ithecal had been fighting bigger and stronger creatures all of his life. Charging a Flameborn head-on, using powers to beat a flaming tree beast and becoming a Warden to a powerful spirit were all a part of the life he had lived. But watching helplessly as somebody that he cared about was taken from him went beyond the fear any battle could give him. It was isolation, loneliness.

"Don't die again. Not for at least twenty Arcs. You hear me, girl?"

[Eliza Soule]

One trill she was in one place, surrounded by mortals, mortalborn and Immortals; her own father among them; and in the blink of an eye, just as had happened before, Eliza was elsewhere. It was enough to make her head spin. There wasn't time to consider it, but she wasn't even sure that she'd seen a door or opening to leave through. But then her focus had been on other things. Not the least of which was arguing for Auya to at least have a favorable existence after death, if not a reversal of her death.

It was dizzying and it took a few trills to right herself. But when she did, though she was aware of the other familiar faces, it was Auya's that stood out from them all. "What?" she whispered, clearly confounded by what had happened. "How?" Auya had died. The One, and Vri, had left no doubt in their minds about that. And yet here she was in front of them, looking as right as Eliza had ever known her to be. Though in fairness the daughter of Ymiden had only met Auya a short time ago in the scheme of things.

Others with a particular knack might immediately understand the nature of what had occurred. Eliza herself didn't have it. But to see Auya there, whole, before their very eyes was enough to cause the tears to spring to her eyes again. Though this time for a different reason, and she smiled past them. "I don't know what's happened, or why. Or how for that matter," she admitted. "But I'm glad to have taken that token." The one that Vri had offered them, that was. And it was the only explanation she could think of.

As for warm, reuniting embraces, Eliza smiled when Tio mentioned it. But by then Varlum had rushed forward, just as it should be. "This one's for them," she said, and she'd wait, give them their privacy and let their loving reunion play out. As for clothes catching afire, just in case Tio knew something she didn't, what became of Varlum might make that more clear.

[Kesindir]

Mortal Intent. That word. Intent. It meant so much here. Wherever the hell here actually was. Sheer willpower. Intent to change. Immortal power. That bit was clear. Immortals. Lots of them. The bridge between. Mortalborns. Powers and possibilities far beyond the reach of the young Biqaj who stood surrounded by beings far more powerful than he could ever hope to be, nay even dream to be. Yet, here in this place, he played an equal part in something. Whatever that was, and if he'd ever understand it, remained to be seen. One thing was certain though. Auya had died. He'd witnessed it. When she crumbled to mere dust in that place, and then when all had went completely dark...and yet.

She stood, wholly complete, in front of the lot of them. So it seemed they had all accepted, whatever it was that had been offered and now here she stood. "Auya..." The name felt strange upon Kesindir's lips. Not because he wasn't used to saying them, but more so he was used to saying them when referring to someone who was dead, and she very clearly wasn't. Stranger things had happened, like being gifted with all of Auya's memories, and still retaining them. That was weird. So now what?

The two that needed to see each other had and were, and everyone else just seemed ... stuck. Not necessarily unable to move, just unsure of what to do. There was a door, waiting for them to make a choice. Again with the damn choices. Though this one felt ... free. Unforced. Like he was able to choose on his own what he wanted, as opposed to being forced by The One to do something They had wanted. Jesine and Kielik. The twin children of the Immortal Vri. Mortalborn, though they felt like they had way more power than those gathered here.

There were so many new things for Kesindir to understand. Immortals, mortalborn, domains, powers. Things far beyond what he understood. He had a very basic understanding of two Immortals prior to all of this. Delroth and U'frek, but those were sheer circumstance. Was it time for him to take his life, his destiny, on a new path? He approached the door, but didn't touch it, just looked at it curiously. Anywhere. He then turned back to the others. "Welcome back, Auya, I think is appropriate here." The Biqaj smiled politely and waited. Watched as the others did their thing. He felt .... connected to them but completely outside of it. The connection was purely one way in this instance, and he assumed Tio might have felt the same. Understanding exactly who and what she was to those gathered.

Kesindir's future was now in his own hands. Where he wanted to go, what he wanted to do. No longer landlocked to the shores of Scalvoris, he cold go anywhere. Be anywhere. Become whatever he wanted. This was only the beginning. For him, and for the others, though what they would do with their choices remained to be seen.

[Hart]

"Speaking in Rakahi"
"Speaking in Common"
"Speaking in Common sign"

extra line here
It was over and Hart didn't know-- what to do.

The immortals had gathered and everyone had accepted. They had accepted without knowing what it was they were giving their acceptance to. Hart had accepted in the dwindling hope that whatever it was they were doing, it was for Auya.

The snowflake in Vri's hand shattered, and Hart thought that was it. The immortals departed.

Then he heard Auya speak.

He turned and saw Varlum wrap her in his arms. Hart had felt her go, she had gone, and the glass had gone dark. But there she was. She was-- alive. She rested her head against Varlum's chest and Hart felt very wobbly of a sudden. He also felt as if he might burst into tears.

He didn't know what this was, if it was a dream, and if it would be gone when he woke.

But for now, in this moment, it was real. It was real.

You are her Hope. You will speak as her Hope. He had to have hope it was real.

Truth will find you again.

Hart looked at Eliza, at Tio, at Kesindir, and Eliza's happy tears went straight through him. It was all he could not to cry. Hart let out a breath, feeling the stinging in his eyes, and then, unable to do anything else, he gave Eliza, Tio, and Kesindir --if they would accept it-- a huge hug. He still felt all wobbly, but he thought it was the sort of wobbly that was good; relief so strong it made him weak.

After he hugged Kesindir he stood next to the door beside him, and held onto the doorframe with one hand. He was exhausted and he wouldn't be surprised if he fell hard soon, but his eyes sparkled and he just felt-- so glad. And in this moment, in this moment, he was happy. He looked at each of them and said, "Thank you." He looked at Varlum and Auya, and he said it again. "Thank you. Thank you."

Auya was here because of them.

To Auya and Varlum he asked, a little tremulously, "Is this real? You're here, you're
--the both of you-- you're alright? It's alright now?" There was something about Auya that was sort of-- too bright, too brilliant as if Hart could hardly look at her, and he didn't understand it. She felt sort of like a mortalborn to him. But more.

He wanted to ask her how it had happened. He and Eliza had seen her and she had been alive. But she hadn't been able to go through the Door. And then she had died and he didn't know why, or how. And now she was alive again.

But he didn't. He was a coward and he was trying to have hope and he was afraid of what she might say.

So he leaned against the side of the door and asked her and Varlum instead, "Where will you go?" He hesitated a moment. "Do you mind-- if I went with you? To where you are? I just--" Again he couldn't say it.

He needed to know if it was real. He needed to see them, to see that they were okay, outside of the dreaming world.

[Red]

Date

She heard Varlum's reply, and instantly found herself in his arms, her head against his chest. She squeezed him with all her might, which really wasn't much, but it was everything she had to give. In a bare whisper against his skin, tears of her mixed, conflicting emotions streaming down her face and onto him, "I'm sorry." There was so much guilt on her shoulders. She'd sacrificed their bond together, and would do so again for the same reasons. But still, she knew that her disappearance, her death, had hurt him. She knew the pain of seeing a loved one die. And she'd willingly inflicted on him.

Yet, she was here. Had her sacrifice been for naught? Was it futile? Not enough? She looked around, not seeing Vri, not seeing The One who judged her. Just the companions, the audience of her judgement. It was all so... strange. Why was she here?

She looked up at him, smiling through her tears, "I love you too." At his joke, she laughed, wiping away her tears, "I'm never leaving you again." She rested her head against his chest once more, enjoying his strength and warmth. Then, she remembered the others around them. She let him go, but stayed close.

She looked over at the first that spoke. Some man with a mask for a face. She had no idea who he was. But he seemed to know about her fiery powers. She reached out for her Corona ability, to jest back at him. Nothing happened. A confused look crossed her face. She held her hands up, trying to conjure a flame in her fingers, waving them all about. Nothing. Her hand went to the back of her neck. It felt... normal. Her mark to Faldrun was gone.

Her eyes grew wide at this.

She was free. Free from her mission given by the Lord of Sirothelle. Free from his grasp. What... what did that mean? What would she do now? Her surprised look softened to a smile, one painted on in the moment, for this masked man. "I seem to have lost my fire, no need to worry."

Her eyes cast toward Eliza and her smile grew more genuine. She stepped toward the woman, pulling her into a tight hug. There were no words there. Just gratitude and relief. Her companions had made it through, her sacrifice must have done something for them. They'd done it. They must have. And she couldn't have been more proud.

She let Eliza go, turning to yet another unfamiliar face. These must've been other people in the Waiting Place from the beginning. But where were all the others? And this long haired man knew her name. She smiled at him, "Thank you."

And then there was Hart.

The man who was supposedly responsible for everything that had happened. Who had caused this catastrophe on the world. Every bad thing that came from this was his fault, without a shadow of a doubt. She looked at him, her face impassive. He sounded so relieved. He was rambling. She stepped closer to him as he babbled like a fool. She looked him in the eyes, making sure that he had her full attention before she spoke.

"It's alright now. Everything is good again."

Then she broke into a grin and pulled him into a hug as well. She gave him an extra squeeze on the end of it, she knew he needed it. There was so much guilt on his shoulders as well. And she could feel... something from his heart. A pang there. That was strange. How could she feel that? How did she know that it was from his heart? She listened to it. She could hear its beating. And not just Hart's. She could hear every heart around her. And she knew whose was whose. Eliza's soft and caring, Varlum's powerful and loud, the Masked Man's whimsical and mysterious, the long haired man's calm and pensive. Every heart was heard by her. Not by her ears, but something deeper inside.

She looked at Varlum at Hart's question, "I think we'll return to Rharne. And you, all of you, are more than welcome to join us. I think we have... much to discuss." Soon, Varlum's heartbeat was beginning to drown out the others, and she walked back over to him. She touched her long fingers to his chest, just over his heart. There was... something welling up within her own heart. It yearned for his. There was... something tangible there. A physical bond she could feel between their hearts. And she could feel that bond wishing to show itself to the world.

She looked up at Varlum, and spoke on the instinct of this power welling up within her, "Varlum Onarmus. Will you accept my heart?" She didn't know why she had asked this, but she knew it felt right, felt true. And she needed him to consent. And if he did, the Trueheart mark would appear upon the skin of his chest, just over his heart, making him the first person to be marked by her.

[Varlum]

For the time of their embrace the world around faded from his mind. Nobody else existed for just a few trills as she spoke her words, held him close to herself, rested her head back on his chest like the night of the ball. It was everything he had been longing for since the moment he arrived in that classroom and heard what was said, his lover killed and on trial for it. As the moments had gone on and each had played their part all hope seemed lost. Auya had been gone, each of them had seen it. Yet the girl in his arms was her. His heart, his world - his Auya.

"You have nothing to be sorry for girl. Nothing. You're here. We're all here."

When Auya promised to never leave he gave a warm smile and wiped his tears, breaking their embrace so that she could speak to the others around. Varlum stuck near to her, of course he did, but he was always one person behind. Once she was done talking to them he would have a moment. First was Tio, who had jested about Auya's clothes burning those around before she claimed her fire was gone. He had mentioned something of her attempt to destroy Rharne, working for Faldrun and bearing his mark. Was it that same fire that she had lost? That was a conversation to be had some day, between the two of them. But that day wasn't now. Instead, Varlum offered a hand forward to Tio and let him take it if he so desired. There was little to say to the masked man, but at the very least a sign of friendship was a start.

Whether Tio took his hand or not, Varlum would give him a small nod before glancing to Eliza. Another Mortalborn, from what he had understood of the events prior. At least that was what had been implied. Like Hart and Varlum were, too. At least it seemed that way. Hart had said clearly that Auya was of his domains, and Edasha had appeared and addressed him as Ymiden had Eliza. Faldrun, fortunately, could not have the same said back. Addressing Varlum was the last thing on his to-do list, thankfully for all parties involved. Everything had worked out so perfectly that swinging for the Immortal of Turmoil would have ended badly. "Thank you, for all of this" he spoke simply before offering her a hug. Short, but warm. She had played a part in keeping him calm - and bringing back Auya.

Kesindir was next, offered a handshake forward from the Ithecal. "Thank you" he said with a small grin on his face. It always felt strange, towering over people in the way he did while trying to hold some kind of formal relationship. Being the height he was before made that hard enough, yet now he towered over most at twice their height if not more. It would be likely that he would need a new alternative sooner than later, for his necks sake if anything. Then again, kneeling every time he wanted to talk to people would be both insulting and painful.

Then came the man he had wanted to talk to. Hart, a man that had stood by him from the beginning, played a caring and passionate part in the care of Auya and even now wanted to stay with them. When Auya hugged him Varlum stayed quiet and waited before his moment to speak. "Rharne it is, aye. As said, all of you can come with us if you so desire" he spoke, yet his eyes focused on Hart solely for a moment. Varlum let himself rest down on one knee so that he could maintain eye contact with the man. "And yes, boy. I'm alright. We're alright - and you're alright. Whatever happened there is over now and every single one of us stands. Thanks to everyone here, including you. So breathe easy, come with us to Rharne and perhaps we can find a tavern I fit in to talk."

Varlum offered a hug to the man, one firmer than any bar Auya had been given. Should Hart take it, Varlum would lightly pat on his shoulder before removing himself from the embrace to look at Auya. Slowly, she moved over to him and placed her hand over his chest, before asking a question. It wasn't one he understood, nor did he understand what was happening as she asked it. A power of kinds, flowing between them both as his mind had already answered the question as soon as she asked it. "I will, Auya Trueheart. Always" he replied, feeling that same power grow as the mark began to appear on his chest for a moment before the beating of his heart returned to normal.

Varlum Trueheart Onarmus born.

[Tio Silver]

It was maybe a tad awkward standing around like a lemon while Vega and Varlum hugged like attention starved bears, but Tio waited it out patiently, resisting the urge to make a joke and spoil the moment somehow. He nodded sagely when Eliza commented about it being their moment, then looked over to the mortalborn with a teasing glint in his eye. "Aye, it is. Maybe we should hug too, just to pass the time?"

Finally the hug came to an end, and Auya turned to him. Although she drew a smile onto her face as she spoke about having lost her fire, she wasn't a good enough liar to pull the wool over his eye. She was, on some level, upset at having lost her flames. That was understandable he supposed: he knew all too well what it was like to no longer have such incredible powers at your beck and call. What was more curious though was the look of surprise that had been on her face before. Did she not know what it was she had become? Did none of the others? He'd only figured it out thanks to his attunement powers, but now that he considered it she must just seem to be pretty much human to them. If that was the case then should he reveal it?

He thought about it for a while, then began to chuckle ever so gently. He shook his head, and looked directly into Auya's eyes with absolute seriousness. "No Auya Trueheart. Faldrun's flames are gone, but yours have only just awakened. You will see what I mean... in time."

He would not tell her what she was. Not yet anyway. If she became too confused or was led into danger then he would step in and tell her the truth, but otherwise he would let her discover it for herself. He needed her to test her new powers and limits, and curiousity would serve as an excellent motivator. Besides, a realization she earned through her own merit might help to better shape her into the kind of Immortal who would aid humanity, not work against it.

He took Varlum's offered hand and shook it firmly, wincing a little at how strong the enormous ithecal's grip was. Damn this bloke packed a lot of muscle! "Yikes! Remind me never to challenge you to a fistfight." He joked, ever so slightly flexing his fingers as he withdrew his hand. He then stepped back and again let the others have their moments undisturbed, content to watch and listen how the mortalborns and new Immortal acted.

Yet it wasn't long before Auya and Varlum shared a rather intimate moment: one that ended in something absolutely extraordinary. Once more Tio found himself thankful for the mask affixed to his face, for his mouth hung wide open with astonishment again as a fiery snowflake blazed itself into existence on Varlum's chest, right above his heart! Was that Auya's Immortal mark?! Had a brand new blessing been created?! Unconsciously Tio's hand reached out to trace it, but he caught himself when he remember that it was right on Varlum's muscular peck and that stroking that part of him right in front of his god-girlfriend was probably a bad idea.

"How incredible! A brand new power!" He whispered with bated breath. Oh how eager he was to see what abilities it possessed! How much he wanted to find out what domain they controlled! But rushing this would not help. He needed to be patient and wait; an opportunity would come in time.

"A party sounds like fun! Hope you don't mind if I tag along." He said merrily, trying to hide his urge to poke at the newly granted mark. "I hope there's good rum in Rharne."

[Eliza Soule]

There were more arrivals after her. After Varlum and Tio, and Eliza wasn't exactly clear on how any of them had gotten there. There were a number of things she couldn't quite figure out just yet, if she ever would. Auya had died. The daughter of Ymiden knew that. She hadn't exactly seen her die, but Vri himself had confirmed it. And yet here she was, looking different than Eliza had known her to look before.

She didn't have Tio's knack for sensing things about others, in the way that he did; even had Eliza known of it. The only thing that seemed to matter however, was that here was Auya standing among them again. Certainly it had to do with the crystal they'd all accepted. Immortal, mortalborn, even mortal hearts all beating as one, somehow, had appeared to bring Auya back to them. She was changed, clearly, and no longer dead. Eliza too felt changed somehow, though she couldn't grasp the extent of it. Marked. She had a sense of it, and not just by one Immortal, but two. Or...three, depending on how one wanted to view it.

Of course without a mirror to look in, she wouldn't have noticed the tiny, glowing tattoo on her forehead. But she sensed the change, and something of what came with it. Her father's mark was more obvious to her, and when Eliza twisted a strand of her ordinarily dark hair round her finger, she smiled. Strands of hair, a great many of them in fact, that were the color of sunshine streaking the dark. From the first pastels of sunrise, to the brighter white of mid-afternoon, to the dusky golden shades of late afternoon and evening. Her father's touch, Eliza realized, and if this kept up she'd go blonde and be the spitting image of her mother, judging by the small portrait that she kept in a locket.

She'd ponder that later. In the meantime, Kesindir and Hart had arrived. He was the first to reach out and hug her, and she him, and it appeared to be contagious. It felt as if, in part, they were holding each other upright. And maybe that was in part what they'd done. All of them. She wrapped her arms around Auya, reassuring herself that the other woman was truly there and not just a vision or a figment of their imagination. "I don't know how it happened exactly," she said. "But I'm very happy it did."

Then came Varlum, and with her short and slight, and him quite the opposite, Eliza realized how easily he could crush someone smaller, was he to have the inclination. But he had a light touch, and Eliza smiled as the embrace ended. "It was your love that got her though. I'm only happy I was able to play a small part." She quirked a brow at Tio then, such a strange looking individual, but then smiled and shrugged. "Why not? It appears to be the thing to do." She hugged him too then, brief but sincere...for he'd played as much a part as the rest of them. And then not one to leave anyone out who wanted in, she hugged Kesindir as well.

The surprises weren't over yet, considering what suddenly came over Varlum and the appearance of the mark. Eliza's eyes widened as she truly began to realize what had happened. Auya had been more than brought back. She had been transformed in the most miraculous of ways. If that was what had happened, then what they'd all just witnessed together was the birth of a new Immortal. How many mortals or mortalborn could say the same, she wondered? Possibly, none, apart from those gathered here.

As for Rharne, for Eliza, no matter how they were to get there, it would be a visit back home for her. Her little house was in Caervalle Town of course, but in the scheme of things, Rharne was as much home as any other she'd been. "Good rum, great wine," she told Tio when he wondered, and then nodded. "There's lots of taverns to choose from in Rharne. I'm game," she said.