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Elst drove on, silently thinking to himself, quietly wondering what could be happening. Such a miserable mess this all was… Ellandra seemed shattered to her core, here, heartbroken…Aoi had sensed a love for Faolan in her still, yet they were breaking apart. And Fao…the poor guy, from what Elst knew, he would be miserable beyond words at this, too, and Faolan had no one to run to, he’d be on his own…No ‘safe haven’ full of flowers to retreat within for him…At least he had Ziazan. And his father, from what Elst recalled, was there too. But that likely would do little to numb a broken heart…

He would need to pay Faolan a visit as soon as possible. But for now, all he could help was Ellandra, so he’d do that as best he could for the moment.

Aoi kept close to Ellandra, nodding with what Rhian was saying to her, and supplementing it with tiny bits of song, sad in their lyrics but soothing in their tone, his voice very, very quiet.

“Shattered dreams…worlds…apart, two pi-i-i-eces of one heart…one love…Theyyyy, lived, a blissful fantasy…but the nightmare came, heartbreak…reigned…the hope shall come, some day…it is not, far…away…Teeeeaaars, flowing from the soul, the soul of one true…true, ly, bro-o-o-ken…but those nearby, won’t let her die…We…will…bring, you hope…Let us mend your ailing heart, give your life a brand new start, let the hope take you in, desperation shall not win… The song faded, though, as he tried to blanket both her and Rhian in that familiar green mist, so soothing in its intent…hopefully it would help, if only a little; it was the best way he knew to help soothe those most miserable with their lives. The truck stopped.

Elst turned the vehicle off, for they had arrived in the Nursery, pulling through the side-gate into the makeshift garage; Elst’s house, warm and soothing to a broken heart, was only a short walk away. He and Aoi both got out of the car, walking to the opposite door, opening it for Ellandra, ready to help her out.

We’re here for you, Ell, we really are. A sanctuary awaits you.

In he back of his mind, thoughts of how exactly he’d explain all this to Longway skittered about, but this was one of the very few nights the love of his life had chosen not to stay over, so…he could think about that tomorrow.

As they waited for Ellandra to depart the nursery truck, the plant and the Essentic had their own thoughts to mull to and fro within their minds. Elst simply wondered; what had happened to his friend? The half-human, half-demon he had met so long ago, that wonderful afternoon in the park? What had gone wrong? He so clearly, now, remembered something he had long since forgotten, remembered many things his memory had previously failed to catalogue…The day in the park was only one. He remembered when Faolan had first revealed his newfound love, that subtle glaze to his eyes, that hopelessly enamored look he wore…How he wished to get a flower perfect for her, how he cared for every detail…He remembered the revelation that Ellandra was pregnant, having met them both at the Ball, and of their marriage…But that ribbon was now cut. The only tangible remnants of that wonderful bond they shared now were Ellandra’s misery, Fao’s too; their tattoos as well. And the two young lives growing within Ellandra’s belly.

It saddened Elst to see this tragedy unfold before him, and deep down, there was guilt. So long ago, with Faolan’s announcement of his love for her. What was Elst’s first emotion? Misery. The second? Envy. He was jealous of them, the wonderful couple, in a way hated their happiness, for he simply could never have it himself. All he thought of was himself at first, before he finally snapped out of it and forced his conflicts deep inside himself, where they could not bother his friends. Only then could he simply help Faolan with the courting of Ellandra, only then…

And now, look. They had shattered apart, and those many months ago all Elst had thought about was himself and all he felt was petty jealousy. He felt…deeply ashamed. Now, he had Longway…And never before had he felt this awful for it. He did not deserve such love, in his mind; he did not deserve happiness. Ellandra, Faolan…they deserved to be happy, yet, now they weren’t, while Elst still had Longway, there…He didn’t deserve any of this, and Ellandra didn’t deserve such heartbreak, nor did Faolan…and it happened anyway. Again, Elst found that he was thinking of himself once more; he should be the one left alone in this world, like he always had been before. He should be the one abandoned by the one he loved, the one who’s heart was torn asunder and thrown out with the garbage. Yet…he still had Longway…she had not left him. And here remained Ellandra, heartbroken without her soul mate. Fate was such a fickle thing…

But enough…selfishness; must…focus on Ellandra.

“I have a room in which you may stay as long as you wish; it is comfortable, clean, and I will gladly move any furniture in that you need. You may have all the peace I can provide.”

And without another word, he led the distraught woman through the cold, pitch-black abyss that was this moonless night; towards a single light lit above his front door; to his haven, his place of warmth. Maybe here a lost love can be rediscovered…perhaps here there was hope.

Oh, yes…Aoi was far too aware of the doubts and worries swarming the woman’s brain…and painfully aware there was little he could do to help her for now, other than spreading the mist about her figure, relaxing her in whatever ways he could, mentally reassuring her that things would be alright in the end. The mist was the only nearby source of light as their figures cut through the night; Elst walked steadily nonetheless, as if the path was illuminated by some unseen source. Aoi remained just next to Ellandra, to guide her along the way.

Elst thought for a moment, heading towards the little dot of illumination growing ever larger as they walked onwards towards the house and its light. His voice was serene as always, his tone laden with good will. “I…do not believe there is a desk there, but there’s plenty of room for one and I’ll move one from the study post-haste.” And hey, what do you know, there they were, standing before the front door. Elst searched through his many keys for barely a moment before finding the right one and unlocking the heavy oak door, opening it for Ellandra. A warm light spilled from within, and already the night seemed to lose some of its chilly bite as the fragrances of Elst’s home seeped out.

“…after you.”

Oh, Ellandra, if only you could know this really was no trouble for Elst, he was so glad to be helping you…

Yes, he felt an odd sense of extreme guilt for playing a part in what was bound to destroy Faolan inside, if only for a little while…but, for now, he’d pushed that away, crammed it deep inside his soul. He’d worry about it later, yes, but now was not the time. Ellandra needed this to be done.

As soon as he’d gotten her inside his home, his little Elysian haven, he lead her along the hallway, walls laden with their usual bounty of odd paintings, and plants in the windowsills…yes, the house was warm, with a pleasant scent; but that was not what mattered in this case. It was the warmth of having somewhere to feel safe, to feel at peace, that mattered.

At the end of the hallway, as always, was the living room, spread with plush recliners, soft carpeting, and sofas as well, with hallways leading to the kitchen, the bedrooms, amongst other places. Elst gently placed a hand on the shoulder of the distraught woman he had taken under his wing. “Perhaps the desk could wait, but I will move it anyway, so if you are struck by the need to write or anything of the sort you will have everything you need. No effort is too great to undertake for you, Ellandra. Allow me to…perhaps brew you some chamomile and peppermint tea? I’ve known it to help clear one’s mind, soothe the body. Warms you from the inside out, as well.” For now, this was all he could think to do.

Aoi simply quietly followed along, gleaning everything he could from Ellandra’s mind about why she was leaving as he could without being invasive. At mention of the tea, he simply walked off into the kitchen; soon, the sound of water pouring could be hear, followed by the clang of a metal teapot resting upon the stovetop.

Elst calmly took her hand, keeping gentle eye contact, never wavering. A small smile appeared on his face; it did not express happiness, no…This smile, this slight curve of the mouth expressed a different meaning; hope. Hope that someday, this storm would clear for the distraught Ellandra. Hope that perhaps something, maybe someone would grace the ill-fortuned woman, bring her out of this. Hope that somehow this heart wouldn’t remain broken. This hope…was a long shot, yes…but for Ellandra’s sake, for Faolan’s…it was a shot worth taking.

He felt the butterfly’s soothing effect, yes…but it did very, very little for a feeling of intense guilt. This was, he felt, much his fault, this separation…he’d allowed it to progress much faster… But enough dwelling on that.

“You are welcome beyond words, Ellandra.” was all he said, as Aoi returned from the kitchen, a tray with a kettle and several steaming mugs of tea set upon it in his arms. He set it down on a table near a sofa, and picked up one of the mugs, its relaxing scented steam billowing behind him as he brought it over to Ellandra.

“Here’s…your tea, Miss Ellandra…maybe go sit on the sofa? It’s really very comfortable…” There was sadness in his voice, yes…but something else was weighing down the Alter’s mood, something deeply bothering him farther than simple sadness. It was hardly detectable, however, buried deep in, and…what was causing it seemed all but undiscoverable.

Rhian…was working so very hard; he could feel her effort emanating from her winged form…His mist seemed to lightly envelop her, attempting to transfer some of his own energy into the Proto, trying to help however he could.

Elst and Aoi quietly sat down, on the couch, on either side of Ellandra, both wishing they could somehow help more than this, but…for now, this was all they could do. Give her a safe warm place to think, to heal, to recover. Stay close, while giving her space to breathe. Support her, and eventually help her support herself. Yes, this was all that could be done…

Aoi watched quietly as his sister worked so hard…and achieved her purpose, here, did so wonderfully…it was, awe-inducing, in a way, how potent the butterfly was when she truly concentrated…Last time he tried focusing, all he did was get himself struck by lightning…

But for now, he kept Ellandra and Rhian both bathed in the mist, trying to sooth Ell and fill Rhi with all the energy he could. Just keep it up, sis…you’re doing so well… She was Ell’s only hope in this situation, he realized.

So many things left behind…

A severed ribbon, a necklace…part of her soul…They resided within that vardo, now, together yet infinitely alone, cast away. And Faolan would soon join them, the only onlooker to the potential funeral of things gone by. But would someone, Ellandra, perhaps run back? Raise an objection to the marriage that would wed these tokens to death? Only time would tell, yes…Only time shined hope upon this desolate desperation.

Back to the tangible world, however.

Elst saw the little gesture Ellandra made; he could only assume the area she reached for was where her necklace once hung. Terrible it was…she hadn’t even a symbol of comfort the reach for…hopefully, though…She’d come to realize this home, this oasis of support, could prove to be a place for hope, to be her symbol of comfort.

Aoi looked down at his hands for a long while, simply pondering this best left unsaid. Eventually, though, he spoke up; “Miss Ellandra…maybe…maybe you should rest once you are done with your tea?” A simple suggestion, yes, but…it was all he could think of to say at the moment. Regardless of his apparent silence, however, he kept his mist flowing around the guardian angel in flutterby form; he wanted to give her as much energy as possible.

The smile that softly spread across the plant man’s face was not quite like most any other; it was still that simple upward hook of the mouth, yet…no mirth was present, no happiness. No enjoyment laced this smile, nor did it hold the slightest sliver of amusement. It somehow held such weariness, such a burden of so very many weights…it was absent of pity, yet sympathy was present; there was but one thing keeping it as a smile. Hope. Hope that one day they would all have something to smile about.

“Here, Ellandra…allow me to show you to your room…” His voice held such gentility, such compassion…but without another word, he stood, helping Ellandra to her room, and the Nursery grew quiet for the night.

Sweet dreams, Ellandra.