Passing the Time [Open][NR]

Skipping.

Yes, that's right. The little purple haired girl was skipping her way through the many trees that the island provided. However.. she was adding to it at an increasing rate. As she skipped along nature around her bloomed and blossomed; growing quickly from almost nothing at all, if not nothing at all. Many types of flowers began to bloom, each as colorful as the next, and some with so many colors it would seem as if they came from the childs imagination - which they did.

Nature Manipulation:

Riley was in a happy mood despite the fact that she was missing her sister, her mother, and her father. She knew something somewhat bad had happened, but couldn't bring herself to dwell on it. She was just far too happy all the time to do so. She had been staying in Amaranth's lab since they left, but had figured that venturing out couldn't hurt. Things had been peaceful, after all, for a good few days - at least since Amaranth had forced everyone off of her island that shouldn't be there.

Finally, Riley paused in her skipping and stared up at a large tree with many branches all over it: it was the perfect tree for climbing. She looked from branch to branch, imagining herself climbing it for a moment as she mapped out a route up and then back down. After another moment's pause she began to climb her way up, her agile form going from one branch to the next with grace and ease.

Enhanced Condition:

Hand over hand.

Foot over foot.

Higher and higher she climbed, the top of the extremely strong and tall tree her new goal. She wanted to get to the top to see everything there was to see around the island. So, she moved in an agile way from banch to branch, careful not to startle any of the birds or other creatures currently living in the tree: though she was sure they were probably giving her some more than curious looks.

A giggle escaped her after a moment as she looked down, noticing that she was slightly more than halfway up the tree. Even as some of the branches thinned she kept going, knowing just the right place to put her hands and her feet, still continuing to move higher. As the wind caused the branches to sway she paused, or compensated by shifting her weight just right to keep herself from falling.

Enhanced Condition:

"Just a little bit higher!"

Almost to the top.

Almost there!

She wasn't going to give up until she reached her goal; she was far too determined for that. So, hand over hand she continued to go, pulling herself up higher and higher as she climbed. The top of the tree was only several feet away; or at least, the top of the tree that was actually safe for her to reach without having to worry about the tree breaking and her falling.

One final pull had her up on the branch she wanted to be; seated so that her left leg dangled down one side and her right the other, at least until she crossed them beneath the branch to help her better stay up. She took a moment, with a big grin on her face, to take in the sights. She could see almost everything from her vantage point: the beach, the resort hotels, the cherry orchard, and much more. It was incredibly wonderful from her new spot, and as she rested her back against the trunk of the tree she found herself wishing to never have to leave.

Why should she?

What was wrong with just living up here? It was quieter, the air was better, and the view was fantastic. Plus, they didn't have to worry about any random humans wandering by and bothering them, I mean, who would think to look up in a tree for someone?

She tilted her head, allowing her imagination to dwell on this exciting and awesome idea as she stared out at the constantly moving ocean: it was like a monster that never slept in her eyes, though not a scary one.

Yes, this idea of living in a tree somehow wasn't going to leave her mind anytime soon. If only her whole family was here: she'd bring the idea up to them. Every child dreamed of a tree-house of some kind but this was going to be so much more. It would smell far better, of that she was sure... and what if they made it inside of the tree?! That would be even better, even quieter.

"Hnn... come home.", she muttered softly to herself as she continued to stare out at the ocean. She was waiting to see the final of her family return home before she climbed down. Yes, that was exactly what she was going to do: she was going to sit up in this tree until one of two things happened; either she got too hungry to remain, or until she saw her father come home.

Nothing was going to get her to budge otherwise.

Nose in the air; he searched for his family. Scents traveled easily over the island air; he could find them anywhere above ground without much effort; and he was betting on that to find them now. Hmmm... differing directions. One was... and the others where... hmmm.... which to go to first.

Demi and Nanalie could wait a bit longer; Riley was alone, and he hadn't seen her in so long. He was curious as to why she was alone; when he'd left the last time she was too small to be left alone; maybe she'd hit a growth spurt while they where gone? Towards her he turned; letting the shadows of the trees hide him from view. Not that anyone was around; but still. He had no interest in anyone but his family; he wasn't going to let some nosy person stop him.

Right to a tree; one of the taller on the island; and then nothing. He circled the trunk; realizing fairly quickly that she had stopped there entirely; allowing himself to sit so that he could look upwards better; his tail beginning to wag slowly when he saw the bottoms of her feet.

"I see you there, love. Wait a moment, I shall join you."

Rearing to his hind legs; he dug claws into the bark of the tree and began to pull himself upwards; past lower branches too small for his bulk. Up and up and up until he was at the thick branch his daughter sat upon; crawling onto it and sitting next to her; releasing a loud, happy purr.

"Hello, Riley. You seem to have grown quite a bit while we where gone."

Her happy giggling filled the air as she caught sight of her father, and she watched and waited eagerly as he climbed up the tree to the very branch she was on. Another fit of giggles escaped her and she nodded several times in reply to his comment about her growth spurt. "I did, I did! Amaranth thought I was someone else for a moment! She woke up and found me in the kitchen and asked me who I was, till she realized it was me!" More giggling, more happiness.

"I stayed up here trying to see you come home! Then I had an idea while staying in this lovely tree!" A grin spread across her face and her eyes lit up with her happiness. "Living in a tree! Like a tree-house!" She fell silent, waiting for her father's response, a big smile on her face. While waiting she looked at the branch, to a small twig that was nothing more than a bit of wood: at least until a flower began to bloom, one after another, become a vine of them, and extremely strong, each flower colored differently, and some a mixture of all sorts of colors: nature from almost nothing.

Nature Manipulation:

What was this now? She was showing new abilities this young? Well; if she was fresh off a growth spurt; it made some sense. New abilities tended to manifest like that; in fact some abilities would force a physical growth spurt when they began to manifest. He allowed his tail to wag faster; shifting just a tad to settle more comfortably on the branch.

"You wish to live in a tree now, do you? I would not mind this at all. Did I ever tell you that I was raised in a tree? My clan once tended a forest of Ironwood trees; our home was in the largest of them all; high in the canopy and far away from the rest of the world."

It was just too bad that there where no more Ironwood trees; not old enough to live in anyway. He had a few viable seeds left; the ones he had planted when he was younger where still little more then saplings; too fragile and weak to be used for housing.

"Tell me about this new ability you have; can you do more?"

She nodded several times over, again, with that same beaming smile on her face. "I noticed it when I woke up! I was standing by the glass of Amaranth's living room and staring out at the sea when all of a sudden all kinds of flowers not meant to be underwater started to grow and bloom from nothing. Then a tree grew! A giant oak tree of all things!" She giggled softly. "I learned quickly how to reverse it too, but before I did the oak tree must've been like.... a hundred feet tall, and it didn't take long at all for it to grow!"

"I can do a whole bunch of other stuff too, like... I can make fire! And other elements too! And even more!" She giggled, overly joyed to be able to share the knowledge of her new power with her father.

"So, does this mean we can live in a tree? I'd like that a lot, and I think Nanalie would, too. Even mommy would probably find it nice! I'm sure trees smell a lot better to her than humans do, plus it would probably be less noisy!"

Interesting; she developed it nearly fully formed the first time she manifested. Talent; lots of it; and all natural. Hmmm...

"Really now? Well; we can talk to them and see if they are. I would agree that they would likely be alright with this."

He would have to hunt his seeds down; it would be wonderful if she could cause one to grow to maturity quickly. Material in abundance, something familiar for him; a way to show his daughters more of their heritage.

"Shall we find them, then?"

She nodded again. "I don't know where mommy is, but Nanalie is in the orchard with her bow.", she giggled. "I was watching her practice, but then I got bored, so I climbed this tree and wasn't going to come down till I knew you were home! Let's go find Nanalie first! She grew too!"

She glanced at the tree. She had figured her way up rather easily, and thankfully had figured her way down even before she had started climbing up. So, getting down wasn't going to be a big issue. She unhooked her legs from the way she had them on the branch so that she didn't fall and slipped herself gracefully and carefully off of the branch. She then started the climb down. It took less time than going up did, and within minutes both of her bare feet touched the soft grass covered ground. "Let's go, let's go!", she said excitedly.

Well; she definitely inherited his sense of balance. Good, good. A very, very useful ability to have; always. At his size; a leap down was next to nothing; he'd fallen farther and onto worse. A simple twist of his form and an almost liquid slip from the branch; paws down and knees ready for the impact; bending just right to have him laying down without any damage. Much faster then climbing; but not something he wanted to watch Riley ever attempt.

"Would you like a ride?"

An offer; she was free to take it or walk; he would not force. Either was fine with him.

She watched her father jump and blinked: personally thinking she would never attempt that - unless she found out how to grow wings or something equally as helpful, something her mother had told her she might be able to one day do, but hadn't figured out how to yet. At the offer for a ride she giggled happily, skipping her way over to her father, flowers growing beneath her feet as she did so.

"Yes, yes!", she said happily.

She climbed carefully and gently onto her father's back, and then held on gentle, but firmly enough not to have to worry about slipping off; even if it was a short trip to where her sister was.

"Let's go find Nanalie and see if she wants to live in a tree!"

Nanalie's target was a well used, or at least well used now, tree. It was an older one, but thick enough for the job. Before she had started practicing hours earlier the tree had had notches cut cleaning in it, a makeshift bulls eye: though smaller and more detailed, to give herself somewhat more of a challenge than a standard bulls eye would.

However, now it filled with various holes and marks from arrow after arrow being fired into it before it was retrieved, most situated about the center of the bulls eye, and more actually in the bulls eye.

She had picked this location compared to the area Amaranth had set up for the humans as one of the islands attractions because it was far quieter, that and she wouldn't have to worry about drawing attention to herself with her intense practicing, let alone the outfit (the one in her picture), that she had chose to wear, since most humans found any old thing perfect for shooting in: not her, this was.. comfortable, and it felt right.

Again the twang of the string marked the release of another arrow, which shot forth through the air and hit the bulls eye dead center with a soft thud as it pierced the wood slightly. Nanalie stared for a moment at the arrow, keeping the same stance she had had almost the entire time: well balanced as she was. She was contemplating something, though what was left to be seen.

He waited for her to settle before rising; she weighed next to nothing on his back so his movements where unhindered in anyway. Through the trees he went; he could track the others simply enough. Nanalie was close by; or closer then her mother; he would go to her first then.

Weaving between the tree trunks; tail flicking and ears up; nose raised slightly to the wind to check for any possible dangers. He expected none; the island was quiet; the island was safe. Soon enough; the sound of a bow and impacts; familiar and comforting and something he never tired of. "Ahh... there she is."

A moment later and they where in the little clearing; walking up beside her and remaining silent. He would wait for her to finish; although if Riley wanted to bother her she was free to. He was just happy to see her safe.

Oh, so she'd had a spurt too then? Strange for them to both have one at almost the same time. Not a bad thing; just odd. Must be their mother's influence.

A fit of silent giggles caused her form to shake slightly as she watched her sister: she was so graceful, and with a very good aim. Where as Riley, well.. she was a little ball of chaos when fighting: such complete opposites, but yet a perfect balance when training together. She slipped free from her father's back, and while her sister was in between shots she reached around her middle and hugged her, giggling audible.

"Nana, Nana! If I grow a really big tree for all of us to live in would you like that?"

Riley never was one to beat around the bush or tread lightly into things: she always liked the dive head first approach and hope everything worked out in the end: so it was no wonder she was so out there with her idea. Besides, it excited her greatly. She released her hold on her sister as she waited for a response, practically bouncing in place with her abundance of energy as she waited for a response, and hoped it was a yes.

"It'll be quieter! And... smell better! And...", she paused, trying to think of what sort of other perks came from her idea. "And safer!", she added after a short moment of thinking.

Nanalie was about to turn, to acknowledge her father and sister's arrival when she was suddenly being hugged from behind by said sister; it was better than being tackled as it were. So much better. And tackling never seemed to be something her sister tired of: unless this random growth spurt she had also hit had cured her of the desire to constantly be rough housing in some fashion; but she wouldn't bet on it.

She turned when she was released, and blinked at her sisters question before an eyebrow rose. She glanced over to her father and than back to her sister, wondering if this was some sort of a joke: at least until her sister began to explain in greater detail how much nicer it was going to be. She assumed Riley would make this somehow possible by her new nature manipulating abilities... but Nanalie had questions first: she didn't dive into things head first like her sister, she liked to take this cautiously and slow.

"That sounds like a lovely idea... but don't trees easily catch on fire? I've seen you light more than one thing on fire in just the time we've been back, Riley. Wood, or most wood, burns... what sort of tree would you want to live in?", a reasonable question, or so she thought, and about the only concern she really had. Her sister was hyper, somewhat wild, and could very easily lose control and accidentally burn something down, and the last thing any of them needed was to be inside their tree home when her sister did this... but, perhaps there was a way to solve that as well. She looked also to her father, figuring he might have some sort of idea or something to offer up.. her sister really did seem to have her heart set on this idea; and other than their general safety she had no reason to say no to agreeing as well.

A tilt of his head; looking for all the world like a confused cat for a moment; he was really amazed how different they where sometimes; Nanalie was the spitting image of him, and Riley so much like her mother. It amused him, and made him happy; they where perfect complements to each other; and got along so well. He'd seen plenty of families torn by sibling bickering; but these two... perfect.

"You are correct in worrying, Nanalie. Fire is a massive issue with living in any sort of wooden structure; a tree most of all. However... I may have something. With Riley's new abilities... if she can help grow an Ironwood tree; we would be perfectly safe. The wood does not burn when alive; and it will grow into any configuration we wish. It would be a simple matter to create living spaces, storage and the like."

A soft smile; feral and scary to anyone that didn't know him; fangs glinting in the sunlight; he was happy, very much so. "I have lived in Ironwood trees before; it is... ideal, really. However... your mother still must agree. If you desire this... be ready to convince her."

"Convince me of what?"

Her form stepped forth from the shadows: where she had spent but a moment after she had realized that all of her family had been gathered together at the orchard. She had caught snatches of the conversation: and already knew about Riley's new power, so, it wasn't hard to pick thoughts from her daughter's minds and figure out the rest.

Shadow Manipulation:

Vampire Physiology:

"Ah, I see... to live in a tree..."

She leaned dramatically against a tree, and tapped her chin in an obvious method, as if seriously thinking over the idea: more to playfully tease Riley and Nanalie than actually needed to make a decision. She was already going to say yes: if her girls and Flynn wanted it, then they would have it, it was as simple as that.

"Hm.... a Vampire living in a tree... I dunno, that sounds very original.....", she paused dramatically for a moment, keeping a straight face up until a grin cracked it's way through the poker face she had been attempting to keep up. "And I am nothing if not original.", her playful way of saying yes.

Riley looked at her sister at her question, which was indeed a valid one, to her father who answered it. She smiled happily, a beaming smile that caused her eyes to light up. So now Nanalie was in agreement too, all they had to do was convince their mother and they would be all set!

Riley giggled in massive glee at both her mother's sudden appearance and then the game her mother seemed to be playing. Flowers bloomed rapidly around her, breaking through the ground as if they came from nothing more than her thoughts; some were blue, some pink, others purple, and others seemed like a mixture of all three colors together at once on a single petal. Her power's lovely reaction to her emotions: good so long as she stayed in a good mood.

Nature Manipulation:

When her mother said yes she began to jump up and down in excitement, laughing happily. "Yay! We get to live in an awesome tree!"

Hearing her father explain that the wood couldn't burn while it was alive was all she needed to then nod her head in complete agreement. So long as they couldn't accidently be burned she was fine with the idea; more than fine really, but she held back her more hyper reactions. Especially as Riley began to giggle and bounce in place in her own excitement. She did let loose a giggle, her gaze turning to her mother at her suddenly shadowy appearance.

Her sister's excitement over their mother's reaction was catching and she giggled again. She then looked to the blooming flowers and blinked, her head tilting in curiosity. They were growing so big, so quickly... and so colorfully. It was as if her sister was making them from nothing more than her own mind.

"Well, I heard she got an Oak tree to grow about a hundred feet tall in less then a minute, so it wouldn't surprise me if she couldn't get an Ironwood tree to grow pretty fast, too."

Yup, she was all on board with this plan, especially because the idea of living somewhere up high - something she was already comfortable with as it was - was awesome, and the sights from up there would be awesome too. Plus... there was something about high places she just naturally loved, and felt incredibly comfortable with.

No surprises here; he'd been expecting Demi to appear at any moment. Now he was moving again; just a simple few steps to resettle beside her; close enough for his tail to brush against her leg without actually crowding. "It is decided then. We will need to find an area that is very, very open; fully grown Ironwood trees are... well; they where once the skyscrapers of the world; some taller then mountains. If I remember correctly; the seed strain I have will kiss four hundred feet without much trouble. The trunk is easily as wide as a city block; if not more; and the root spread... I've seen villages smaller then that. They tend to have root systems that are half above ground; making hills and valleys that are perfect for springs and smaller buildings to be built upon. Really, a single tree can be turned into an entire community, when done right."

Soft purring now; he was really getting into the idea of growing the tree. Even if it took more then one session to grow the tree; if Riley could get one fully grown... words failed to describe how he felt about that. He would be home; in a way he hadn't been in a very, very long time. His children would finally have something that would help bridge the gap between the world they live in and the world they came from. Glorious, simply so.

"Can anyone think of a good place to start?"

She felt Flynn's tail brush against her leg and smiled: glad that all of this drama was over and done with and everyone was safe where they should be, and possibly even more safer here soon, depending on how fast Riley could get this tree to grow.

Seeing how happy everyone was made her incredibly happy, and a grin swept across her face. "Well, if we can't find a spot Amaranth said we were welcome to add to her island, or make some changes... so I'm sure we could always add more so there is enough room." She was sure her daughter was capable of such: if she could manipulate nature the way she had been then creating more land by either creating it from scratch or pulling it out of the sea wouldn't be hard to accomplish so long as she didn't get tired, of course.

"Yes, yes! I know a place! It's biiig!", she said excitedly, bouncing in place once more. And then, as if she couldn't help herself any longer or stay still any more, she took off like lightning. She raced through the trees, giggling happily and calling back to everyone else, "Come on, come on! I'll show you!"

She didn't slow after she was finished speaking, and instead just continued to dart and weave her way through the trees, shrubbery, rocks, and anything else that happened to be in her way. She wasn't running as fast as she could, of course, because she wanted them to be able to see exactly where she was headed, even if they could follow her scent trail anyway. After several minutes of running she disappeared through a wall of vines, emerging on the other side.

The other side of the wall of vines was an open space that was easily several football fields together, with more room to alter and shift as it hit the treeline. Beyond the trees was the ocean which wrapped around the back side of Amaranth's island. She personally thought it was perfect, and well hidden, a place that no one ventured much at all, especially the humans given how far it was from the resort and other parts of the island the humans populated. So, they'd be perfectly safe, or so she figured. Plus, it was a place she could work and grow the tree that she wouldn't have to worry about the humans seeing and raising a fuss.

"I think it's perfect!", she said softly, and happily. "Amaranth gave it to me so I could make a garden here, or whatever I wanted to grow.. but a tree sounds so much better!"

Nanalie giggled, watching her sister dart off like she did. She always was on the go, and she found herself wondering if her sister would ever really just calm down: she doubted it. But, excitement could do that to you, and she wasn't going to make her sister wait while she lulled behind. So, she took off behind her, following closely and carefully, moving just as her sister did around anything that might be in their way.

After a moment she parted the wall of vines and stepped into the giant clearing as well. Her mouth opened slightly in awe, surprised that such a massive clearing could be hidden so easily: but then again, this island was made by hand, so it shouldn't have been so surprising. "This is so lovely...", she whispered softly. "Is it big enough I wonder?"

That energy... definitely not from him. Even as a rebellious teenager, he'd never been that explosive. He was glad she was at least more thoughtful then children her age with that much energy; to show even that bit of restraint, to move in a way they could follow via sight and not having to track by scent; wonderful. Another moment in which he was supremely happy to be home, with them; where everything was happy and fun and safe.

He managed to rub against Demi affectionately as he stood; moving to follow the girls to the new area. Apprising the area was easy enough; wide open and empty and flat and just the right amount of salt in the air and ground. Dirt, real dirt; not just dusty sand. Good, good.

To his feet he rose; shifting form so that he could access his little storage rune. In his hand appeared a small bag; leather in appearance and seeming impossibly soft. It was a leather that no longer existed in this world; made from the hide of a creature that was long extinct even when he was a child; passed down from the time of his grandsire's grandsire. Long, long ago. A hand slipped inside retrieving a single golden seed; roughly the size and shape of a sunflower seed case.

"Place the seed in the center of the clearing. Make sure to bury it about a foot down before you start; or else the roots won't take properly. Trust me, I learned the hard way that these trees are... temperamental."