I worry that my time with Zeltzin would one day cause Nari offense and yet, Zeltzin is but a shadow now, a ghost who haunts when she desires but otherwise stays away. Perhaps I did not react the way she had hoped when Aranck had taken our daughter in the moors or perhaps there was another who was able to better cater to her needs but in any case, I am easily able to put thoughts of her aside when it comes to Nari. Even Achlys is but a spectral thing in the dull light.

For a moment, I am quiet, mirroring her silence as I watch her closely. I find comfort in her lack of concern despite everything that has happened - children, Aster, even the calls that echo from Diveen from time to time, youthful challenges made with what intention I cannot say. She is a comfort for I doubt there are many who might be as perceptive as she and so, I feel my blood cool, feel my muscles relax. Aster is less a threat than I know, perhaps, but still, a threat is a threat no matter its size.

I give her a flash of mischief within a grin, motioning for her to follow as I move towards the borders. "You have smelt her, yes? The woman of Asteraia?" I am sure she has for Aster was not particularly concerned, it seemed, with hiding her presence and the small victory that came with it. "I wish for her to leave this place more confused than she had been when she arrived." My voice swims with the hint of challenge, a snaggled grin issued to Nari as I lead down one of the overgrown paths of Glorall. I pause then, sinking my toes into the sand before I suddenly begin to rip it up, dismantling what little path there had been initially. There is a game to be had in such action as I lurch for a nearby tree, ripping away one of its lower branches and throwing it down; I reach for the leaf litter, kicking it across the path with a satisfied huff. "The paths will change, the dens will vanish, she'll chase the voices of children she can never find." I raise a brow and for now, I am content to play this game rather than immediately requesting she move herself closer to me, to a safer, more secure place.