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At the little bird thing's demand to see the picture, Autumn picked her phone back up, and turned the photo back to it. She offered her arm out, and zoomed in on the picture with a smile.

"So what happens is this phone takes all of the light in the area, and really quickly records it, so you have a physical memory of anywhere you've been!" It was more complicated than that, but a little birddog didn't need the details. Autumn found herself giggling a bit.

"If you hop on my shoulder, I'll take one of you, too!"

Erin's arm curled around hers caused Asiya to smile. She then turned around, tried to flash her a reassuring expression, and then murmured a quiet, "Don't worry. I'll protect you as best I can." She knew no martial arts, of course, and she had never been very athletic, but hey -- that didn't mean she couldn't try. Erin was clearly afraid of what this other Ashdown could do, and if she felt safer behind someone then Asiya would do her best to keep her that way.

Her thoughts then turned to anyone involved in other Ashdown -- Pax, Sunny, Smol, or Heliodora . She looked to them and asked, "Will more stuff be happening or can we go home soon?" It was an honest question. Not that Asiya was eager to leave; she was more so keen on getting answers or learning something else, if anything.

"My name's Sunny," says Sunny, jamming her hands in her hood pockets. "Short for Ascencion."

Heliodora looks over to Mr. Watts. "I know where they are, but I haven't seen them for a long time. Usually, Pax or Smol tells me news of them," she says, petting the bird dog's feathered head. "And no, I didn't call you. It…" She pauses, tapping her fingers on her knee. "It could've been Doe, but I don't know why she would want to send you to me."

She smiles at Detective Mercer. "Yeah," she says. "I mean, no, please keep it, I don't need it anymore--and yeah, I've been here. For a really, really long time…" She looks to Pax, who says,

The seasons

turn: you

came before I

who has seen

the winter sunrise

thirty-two thousand

times Yet I

know there are

others, still older

than you,

Our Heliodora

To Autumn, it continues,

I do not Call

I am the Peaceful One

I speak but

many do not Hear

"Well, s**t," says Sunny, "Some people think establishing a fair and even trade is open-ended! Bring them home and I'll tell you what I know; take responsibility for your actions and I'll answer three questions; bring me the cigarettes I like and I'll never lie to you. Yeah, super open ended." Leila gets a roll of violet eyes, Sunny having thought of something else. "I didn't even know Heliodora was here, I just know that--"

A warning growl from Pax.

"--Ask me later, on the other side," says Sunny.

Heliodora sighs. "I don't know. If Pax's 32,000 years old, I have been here a lot longer than he has. I have to be here because I--"

A sudden, groaning feeling of weight interrupts her; as the one hearing the words, Zac feels it, too. She clenches her hands in the moss around her, teeth gritted. "--I can't say," she says. "That's something I can't tell you."

The weight lifts. "But I can tell you that Adoelle and Michael are here, and there's a reason for all of this. You just have to find out without me helping." And finally, to Asiya, she says, "Smol can lead you home. He knows where the door is."

Chris nodded at Helidora's reply, mulling it over. The other kids were at least around and alive and well, if Heliodora knew where they were (for the most part) it seemed less of an issue for the moment. Just the knowledge that they were around was fine for Chris and the fact that it was possibly Adoelle that had called had lessened the creepiness of the voice.

But it was time to go and Chris watched Autumn leave, figuring it was safe enough.

"I'd also like to leave but before I go," He twisted his hands for a second, then asked "If I ever end up here again, is it okay to visit you Heliodora?"

Ashdown Crier

let's go!

Yes. Thirty-two thousand years.

Rabbit hung on that little tidbit himself, which was why he wasn't the first to rush the bird and get the hell out of here. It wasn't long before he forced his questions away, sure that answers would find him even if he didn't want them to, and held out his hand to hopefully catch Heliodora's attention.

"Me too. Please."

Tory blinked at Sunny's statement. If this wasn't a dream as the dark haired girl was saying, then what was it? The notion that all of this was really happening was almost too much for him to comprehend. And yet it would be so cool (in a kinda scary sort of way) if it was in fact real. Especially the presumed forest spirit Pax and the small thing Smol and the voices he'd heard when Pax had asked them to close their eyes and listen. It almost reinforced his personal beliefs in a way, that everything had a spirit. And it added the possibility that magic might be real too.

He nodded at Alexis and gave them a small, warm smile, keeping his ear on the conversations going on around them and watching as Autumn took her selfie with Pax. It sounded like Sunny had more information for them all, if she could be convinced to reveal it. Cigarettes sounded like an easy enough key to get the answers he wanted -- and there were more questions for every answer he got.

"Home?" Tory heard Autumn mention going home. He patted Rabbit's shoulder and placed his other hand reassuringly on Brie's shoulder. "We can go home if we want!" He wasn't sure he was ready to go back just yet. But there was little more information he could get here, if Pax's menacing growl was any indication.

Releasing his companions, he stepped forward. "It was nice to meet you, Pax. I hope I get to see you again someday. Heliodora, you too -- I hope you're happy here. The other kids too." He then turned to Smol. "I think I'd like to go home now."