Welcome to Gaia! ::

Ambrose let out a slow breath, stared up at the cloudless sky. "You were there, inside of the Lin I loved. I can understand this. But I also understand that, no matter what words you say, it was not you I held, not you I laughed with. It was...not your body. The body I held, at that time, belonged to the part of you who...who loved another, more than she loved me. I accepted that, could respect that enough to let her go. But now..." He trailed off because he wa confusing even himself, and he ran his fingers through his hair in a rare sign of agitation.

"But now it appears she took that part of her that loved me, and she made you. You are, if I am to understand, the part of my Lovely Lin that loved me, the part that paid no mind to this...Dymetri or whoever. You are her, and the one I love, yes? The one who smells of our water lilies. Ours." He sighed again, and wondered how it was that things had seemed so uncomplicated a few minutes ago.

Shaking his head, he decided that, no matter what or who she was, the Lin who stood before him was still the one who could stop his heart with a look. And that would have to be enough.

So he took her hand from his cheek, held it in his, pale skin againt deep tan, fragility againt a quiet strength.

"So tell me, Lovely...Alena. Since you and Lin are one and the same, will you do as she did? Love me, but love another more? Toss everything I ever offered you back in my face and leave me to watch you walk away with someone else?" He asked, his eyes staring into hers.

"Or," He added, running a gentle hand down her hair, "Will you love me, and me alone, and take all I have? Will I be enough for you this time around? These are the only options I will offer, and they will only be offered this once. The choice is yours, Li-...Alena."

Tears ran down Alena's cheeks as she listened to Ambrose and heard the heartbreak in his voice. She had caused that in him. She could remember those feelings she had for Dymetri, but when she emerged from the lake, they were just gone. She simply looked at Dymetri as another person, another individual that she had no feelings toward. But when she looked at Ambrose, her heart skipped and her skin would tingle where he touched her. She would never want anyone else. That thought didn't even seem plausible to her. And maybe as they went along, he would come to see how she really was Lin. She hoped that as they went along, he would forget about the bad times and only focus on the good.

Alena reached up her own hands and cupped Ambrose's face. "I only want you, Ambrose. Why do you think I wrote that letter to you? Yes, I wanted to speak with you and explain all of this, but I could have stayed around MFHS to do so. I wanted you to come here, to see my world, to hopefully join it. I want you to be here with me. My feelings are very real, very genuine. Can you accept me for who I am and accept my feelings for you?"

Ambrose, for his heart was a kind one-sighed, draping his arms loosely around Alena's waist, resting his chin on top of her head.

"I never meant to make you cry. Nor to hurt you. It's not something I plan to do again." He pressed an absent kiss to the top of her head, breathing in the smell of sunshine and water lilies.

"Alena," He said, and his tone was gentle, a southern gentleman's warm croon.

"I believe you. But if you choose another man, somewhere down the road...I believe I'll have to ask young Isadora to pick up her assassins tools, yes?" His tone was still warm, but it had hardened a bit around the edges.

Though the Rinaldi in him rarely bothered to how itself, it did so now as he stood in the pretty garden, a friendly smile on his face and his grip on his woman gentle as he talked gleefully of murder. His baby sister would be proud.

Yuri smiled, "Ah Miss Evermore, good morning I have been fine thank you." he said to the young girl. "She is wary of me to say the least, but i think she was primarily confused about how her perfect control over plants was overridden so easily. She also told me to basically watch where im poking around with my gardening... not that it matters i think if it came down to her or the headmistress id choose to face her wrath everyday of the week." he chuckled. "Enough about me how have you been?" he asked with a gentle smile.

"And now she thinks me capable of murder. It was a joke, used to prove a point. The point being, Alena..." He cupped her chin in his hand, his touch still light.

"The point being that I would not just sit idly by and let you go off with another man so easily again. I've a right to try and prove my worth. But murder, dear one, was never on the table."

He said, smiling a bit to reassure her. Then another thought hit him.

"Oh, and I wasn't speaking of Ophelia earlier. I was talking about Isadora. Most called her Danni. I know you were never fond of her, but surely you remember she exists." He said, as always patiently tolerant and ignorant by choice of the things his baby sister did with her life.

Part elf or not, she had never been able to find contentment, had always sought out the darkness and violence in the world. And both of them understood that she would never be welcome in this world of gardens and harp song. No, this was his place. And he planned to make the best of it.

Alena finally smiled and actually laughed a little. As with Lin, when Alena laughed, a faint sound could be heard, one similar to the sound of small bells tinkling in the distance.

She moved forward again and wrapped her arms around Ambrose's waist once more. She held onto him tightly and rested the side of her head against his strong chest.

"I am glad you were joking, Ambrose. In the past, I hardly ever heard you joke, so you will have to give me some time to get used to your sense of humor, to be able to know when you are joking and when you are not. I am very glad that you feel comfortable and happy enough now to make a joke, though. You already seem happier here than you were at MFHS, if feeling happy enough to joke is any indication."

"And Ambrose, I have not forgotten about your other sister. My mind simply goes to Ophelia first because I know her the best and I have spent time with her. I am sorry if it seemed as if I had forgotten your other sister, Isadora. That is most certainly not the case."

Alena turned her head and rested her chin on Ambrose's chest so that she could look up at him, a bright, blissful smile on her face. "Shall we go speak to the headmistress about your arrival here and what you could do to spend your time here, or do you think you will stay at our elven home with Father and learn from him?"

Alena smiled happily and proudly as Ambrose complimented her school, her home. She was very glad that he liked it. She wasn't surprised, but still very relieved that he liked it.

When Alena heard Ambrose say that he'd prefer to study from her father, her grin got even bigger and she grew excited.

"That is wonderful!! I know father will love to teach you. He really liked you when you came to visit. He is an excellent teacher, and I am sure he will let you have the guest house that you stayed in previously all to yourself. Also, with our pendants, we can visit each other whenever we want! We can have meals together, walk through the gardens, and I will be able to visit home much more often, using the excuse of checking on your studies and make sure you are enjoying yourself."

Alena winked up at Ambrose and then giggled. "Shall we go there now so you can get settled?"

At Ambrose's question about her father, she paused. "Well, I believe he is alright... I will have to explain the clone situation to him and Mother. I know they will understand and come to view me as another daughter since I am still their daughter. I will simply be viewed as Lin's twin, which I essentially am. I will probably talk with them tonight after everyone has gone to bed."

Geo looked over at Yuri as he asked his question. he thought for a moment before smiling and nodding.

"It shouldn't be a problem. So... sure! Why not?" he said with a wider smile and another hearty laugh, showing his pronounced canine teeth once more. Normally he tried to hide his teeth, due to the social stigma of being a werewolf, but there were time when his good nature and sense of humor would override his insecurities, causing him to inadvertently show his teeth.