A Little Bit of Pixie Dust (Charlie and Ophelia)

People knew this forest. It was never good things about it that were said, however.

People went missing in this forest. It was advised never to go into it without someone with you. Every now and then, single individuals walking through could be spirited away, for seemingly no reason at all. And it never took a preference; Human or Midara, Male or Female. No one really knew why. Whether it was some kind of angry forest spirit, or simple rocky terrain, no one could say for sure. However, one word came up whenever the topic arose: Fairies.

No one really knew much about fairies. They were a fickle race, and most avoided both human and midara alike, staying among the nature that birthed them. Very few ever left the comfort of that which they were formed from, but the majority made it a point to stay as far away from them as possible, safe in their homes. And some spoke of the prospect of an Elder Fairy, a fully matured creature that could put the fear of god in a man. But, rumors are rumors, and they tend to spiral out of control in a hurry. Most people that have seen them firsthand always either tend to keep to themselves, making it a point to avoid sharing stories, or have wildly different accounts of many of the same creatures. What good was gossip in such a way? And, one individual thought it best to see things for herself, in the hopes that she might obtain something much more important than riches, or reward, regardless of the risks...

Charlie walks up to the forest she had heard so much about pulling out her newer staff as she smiled "if I can just learn something from them. Maybe I can get a power I never thought of possible!" She slowly walking in using her staff like a walking stick to give her some assistance from any difficult walking inside.

The forest that surrounded her was vast, and open. The trees were so large and encompassing that they blotted out the sun, making even a bright sunny day seem dark and foreboding.

Charlie had seen her fair share of things through her adventures, but something about the forest around her put her on edge in a way that few things had. Whether it was the gloomy nature, or the fact that she hadn't seen a soul present throughout, it was eerily quiet, and enough to get her own thoughts going.

There was no beaten path that cut directly through the forest. Travelers would have to brave through the thick trees and foliage to find their way through, and more often than not the repetitious environment led to people getting lost through it. Many streams ran through the forest, and the terrain shifted in height many times. Charlie had to be prepared for a hike, and no doubt that which she sought lived much deeper into the forest than any traveler would dare go to.

Charlie looks around concerned about being ambushed as she created a small flame on her staff to make light as it got darker on her trek. "Man I wish I knew it would be this creepy...kinda calm though!" She looked towards the brighter side of her situation as she searched

Charlie knew that nothing that sounded that mythical and mysterious was going to be found on the beaten path. Despite how dreary and dark things were, she wasn't going to find what she was looking for by playing it safe. And so, she took her first few steps deeper into the forest, looking for any trace of magic or trail she could find.

The farther in she went, the more ominous things seemed to become. She found various animal tracks as she walked, and yet curiously, could not find any trace of the animals that made them. The silence was piercing, and it was enough to drive a person mad. The slightest noises of nature were enough to make the girl jump, from the rustling of leaves in the wind, to the dripping of water onto the hard ground. And the whole time, she couldn't help but shake the feeling that eyes were upon her, watching her every move, despite her inability to see or feel anything doing such to her. Staying positive was going to be difficult.

The only solace she had were her own thoughts. She wondered what kinds of creatures fairies were. Hopefully they were friendly. She didn't know why fairies avoided people as much as they seemed to. The word "fairy" didn't exactly match with people's panicked and wild descriptions that she might have heard from various people. Were they dangerous? She had no idea. Deep in the silent forest, the thought that, perhaps, coming here might have been a mistake, crossed her mind, but even still, she pressed onward. Regardless of her growing sense of worry.

Charlie whined softly as she walked holding her staff closer as she continued into the deep forest before shaking her head. "I cant let this get me down!" She begins to hum a song hoping to calm her nerves a little as she kept her ears raised for any sort of alarming noises

All through the forest, the only things she heard were her own footsteps, and the sounds of nature. A bird chirping. The rustling of leaves, or the babbling of a stream. Maybe fairies didn't live here after all...she wandered for what felt like hours, trying to keep her spirits up, thinking of what the fruits of her labor would be like. Charlie was adept at staying positive in a bad situation, but even this was trying her limits. Maybe it wasn't a fairy at all that lived here, but something darker, and more sinister...

Just when her paranoia and worry reached a fever pitch, and she was about to throw her hands up in the air and give up, she noticed something, far in the distance: a little glowing ball of light, floating in the air. It was too far away to make out details, but it was the first sign of anything she had seen in her trip.

It seemed to notice her presence, however, as it flitted deeper into the woods, curving and twirling through the air. If she lost it, she might never find it again this deep into the woods. She couldn't let it get away!

Charlie gasps noticing the light and smiled widely "Oooh progress!" She ran after it as fast as she could putting her staff on her back to focus on chasing the light

She ran as fast as she could towards the light, the sphere outpacing her through the air by only a fraction of a step. She could never get close enough to make out a shape, other than the bright glowing light that shined in the dark forest. As she ran, she felt like she could make out figures in the forest watching her, the glints of eyes deep in the brush, but it was never more than a fraction of a second, and every one she noticed only served to distract her from her first real lead she'd gotten all trip.

It knew the layout of the forest better than she did, as it zipped and weaved through the trees, getting farther and farther out of reach. Her one chance to finally make progress was slipping through her fingers, if she didn't pick up the pace. Faster and faster, she ran through the forest, going even deeper as her path twisted and turned to keep up with the object.

As charlie chases she turns to her deer form quickly and begins to bound more deer like after it trying to copy its movement through turning and dodging smiling more as she has fun with the chase laughing like a child in the summer.

With her improved speed, she was able to keep up with the spinning and flying ball of light, as it dashed through the dark forest, to an exceptional degree. They were moving at a blinding pace, although it was very much in Charlie's favor, now.

After a while, the orb stopped, however. It seemed to look around, as if trying to figure out where it was itself. And finally, it looked behind itself. Wait a second...where was the girl? The only one there was just a deer...it didn't look like any of the ones she knew, though. Maybe Ari knew this one!

"Hey!" The orb spoke. "Did you see where that girl went? I was running from her, and now she's gone!" The voice sounded like it was pouting, even as it continued to radiate light, enough that blocked her from making out the shape of the figure entirely, seeing only a faint outline. It sounded more than a little upset.

"What were you doing, following me like that?!? Don't you know that things get dangerous?!?" The voice groaned. It seemed to bounce forward her in a dismissive fashion. "Shoo, shoo! I need to go find that woman again...Mira's probably worried sick about you!" Whatever the case, it seems that Charlie's deer form had the strange ball of light confused for some other deer, perhaps one that naturally lived in the forest.

Charlie blushes and looks at the small ball of light and smiles as she raises her staff carefully igniting a small ember to create a light "Wow so you can talk? so strange! Surprising too that you don't seem to be able to detect or notice any magic around you...What are you miss shiny ball?" She looked like a kid in a candy shop with how excited the deer girl was

It seemed to take the sphere an extra moment to process what was transpiring in front of it. Raising the torch upwards, she was able to make out more of an appearance, with the figure of a small girl with wings, emitting the light around her.

And then, it suddenly hit her all at once.

"...OH MY GOSH YOU ARE HER!" The figure seemed to nearly jump out of her skin, her arm crossed over her face in sudden shock. She was at a complete loss as to how to process this. She was tricked! Bamboozled! Completely made a fool of! What was she gonna tell the others? They gave her an important job, and she blew it! She'll never hear the end of it! This was supposed to be their next big target, and one of the first ones she helped out with in a big way and-

The sound of sticks breaking was enough to snap her out of her panic. She looked down to notice that the ground underneath the woman was starting to sink, ever so slightly. Through a stroke of good luck, she was saved! She looked back up at the woman, giving her a cheeky grin, before the ground underneath her gave way all at once, leaves and sticks joining her as she dropped an incredible distance, landing directly onto her head, and the various debris falling on top of her soon after, close enough that she barely had time to process it all before her vision started to grow hazy from the impact.

Charlie giggled at the fairy and smiled before looking down at the ground in fear as she yelled falling into the pit "I think...i have a concussion..." She tried to sit up only to fall under debris and squeak feeling herself pass out

"I DID IT! They're gonna be so proud of me! I gotta go find Hermi! And the others! EEEEeeee.." The last thing she heard before the world went dark was the excited squees of the small creature, the glowing ball moving out of sight in a hurry.

-------------------------------

It took some time before Charlie awoke, a small bump on her forehead from the fall. She didn't wake up in the same pit she took a tumble in, however; groggy as her vision might be, it took her a moment to realize she was in a home, of some kind. She was in a surprisingly luxurious bed with plush, red covers, and the room was decorated modestly with some greenery coming in from the floorboards. She seemed to be alone in the room, and there wasn't any windows in it, so she truly felt alone. Somehow, this one room felt more unnerving than the entirety of the forest surrounding them, and she couldn't truly put into words why.

Charlie looked around and groaned from the small bump as she rubbed her head and whined softly "I better not have been kidnapped by some creepy hunter!" She slowly slid out of the bed and stretched before looking around for her staff

Charlie slowly pulled herself out of bed, still groggy and her head still hurting from the fall. Judging from the size of the bump and how sore it was, it couldn't have been more than a few hours. Her staff wasn't far from the bed, resting adjacent to the desk next to the bed. If someone had tried to kidnap her, they hadn't done a good job of it. The room was dimly lit by a lantern on the desk, and as she rose and walked to the door, she found it conspicuously unlocked. She turned the knob, the door clearly old and creaky, when...

POOF

The atmosphere felt like it physically hit her with...something. Her vision felt like it was tinted pink, and it took her a moment to stop coughing, her already existing fatigue causing her to stagger a little, holding onto the doorknob for leverage. Once it passed, she couldn't deny that she felt just a little bit relaxed, but she couldn't really explain why.

(Charlie's Hallucinogenic Cloud level raises by 2!)

She carried herself out of the room as best as she could, hoping to get some answers about where she was or who brought her here. She finally found a window, and could tell that it was quite a few hours since she first came, the forest floor pitch black in the dead of night. Finding her way back would be next to impossible, but it might be an option she'll have to take, depending on how friendly the individuals inside the home were.

Charlie looked around as she grabbed her staff and used it to support herself as she felt unstable slowly walking through the house "Hello? Is anyone here?!" she hoped if she found the person or persons here she might get them to help her with her fatigue

She shambled through the hall, hoping that someone would hear her in her moment of plight. Everything that had happened to her since she came to this accursed forest was starting to pile on all at once, and maybe, just maybe, she was getting a little bit fed up with it all. However, she didn't seem as panicked as she might have thought. Each breath surprisingly kept herself calm, in a way that she didn't really think too hard about.

(Charlie's Hallucinogenic Cloud level raises by 1!)

She heard voices down the hall. Multiple ones! Finally, something else in here! She tried to hurry as quickly as she could, almost stumbling due to her current wave of nausea and confusion, and into something of a kitchen when she saw the most wondrous sight: a woman with large, multi-colored and translucent wings, humming to herself in a wonderful tune. She couldn't help but be drawn in by her ethereal beauty, and her eyes couldn't help themselves as they glanced down at her near-perfect curves. The woman perked up as she heard the click of Charlie's staff moving with her, tapping against the floor, and she slowly turned to face her, her body moving in a graceful motion as her piercing eyes were the first thing that caught her attention, with a warm, open smile.

"Well now, I see that you are finally awake." Her voice was melodious, and seem to dance in one ear and out the other. "You took quite a spill. Who knows what would have happened if I hadn't have found you so quickly? You should be more careful, dear." She approached her, the woman's features bouncing with each step, and lightly placed a finger upon the bump on Charlie's forehead. "Hmm...this will definitely need some more time." At this distance, it was much more apparent how much the woman towered over Charlie, at least half a foot over her.

Charlie blushes at the woman in front of her and smiles before squeaking as she gets close looking up at the larger woman "So you helped me? Thank you so much! I was chasing this ball of light that ended up being this small woman and before i could ask her anything about her i suddenly fell in this pit!" She didn't hold back with her explanation before looking around "where are the other voices i heard?"

The fairy traced her finger around the bump, feeling the protrusion and analyzing it. Charlie flinched a few times during it, but she never pushed hard enough to cause actual pain. It was oddly comforting, in a way. At her height, she was at breast level to the woman, and she couldn't stop her gaze from drifting to them occasionally.

(Charlie's Hallucinogenic Cloud level raises by 1!)

"The forest can be quite dangerous, dear. Especially on your own. What were you thinking, going so deep in without a hint of thought?" Her tone was chiding, like a parent scolding a young child. "The other voices were my children. They're quite shy." She looks around her, likely at places they were watching. Her gaze is quick to fall back onto Charlie's, however.

"What is your name, dear? And what brings you this far into our home?" Charlie was still wobbly and dizzy, clearly not recovered from the fall still, but the woman had a hand on her shoulder, keeping her steady.

Charlie blushed as she felt the woman rubbing her bump as her tail slowly wagged before she looked around with her seeing if she could catch a glimps of the children before she squeaked "Oh um my name is Charlie miss and i was looking for the fairies of the forest! I wanted to learn magic from them and maybe see if i could challenge them to a spar! but then obviously i got tricked by the small woman with the light...i think it was a fairy now that i remember it." she taps her finger to her chin before looking up at the large woman "Who are you?"

"Looking for fairies, you say?" A smile crept upon the woman's face, seemingly amused by the idea. "Not many people come looking for creatures such as us...you must have been quite determined. I hate to inform you that fairies aren't quite the magical creatures that you believe them to be, however. And fairies are most assuredly not the type to engage in a spar, as you call it. Many are lucky to be where they are, by avoiding conflict." Charlie couldn't help but unconsciously lean into the touch, enjoying her gentle prodding. She was starting to feel calm, and at ease, and a lot of her earlier panic seemed to vanish at everything that was unfolding around her.

(Charlie's Hallucinogenic Cloud level raises by 1!)

The woman tilted Charlie's chin upwards so that their gazes met. "My name is Ophelia, and you are quite in luck, in that you found what you were searching for. However, you're still injured, and it is quite late. Whatever talk you might have with us can wait until morning." The larger fairy took Charlie's hand in hers, firmly grasping it, and walked past her. "I insist that you get some rest, in your room. Perhaps by then, the children will be more than willing to meet you, as well." She gave Charlie a glance backwards that was equal parts stern and caring, like a doting parent that no person could say no to.

Charlie squeaked at her stern look and shivers as she found herself nodding before blushing "Wait if you're the fairies i heard about then how are you not magic?! i heard of people disappearing in the woods but nothing here shows that! Unless you had not saved them like you did me..."

As soon as Charlie finished her sentence, Ophelia moved closer to her, that sharp gaze never leaving hers. It was powerful enough that she wished she could look away, and yet she couldn't bring herself to.

"All will be explained in due time. As I said, you are injured, and fatigued. You look as though you can barely stand." She looked down at Charlie with a look that suddenly made her feel very, very small against this imposing and dominant woman. She could feel her face flushing from the thought of it all, and she couldn't really do anything to stop it.

(Charlie's Hallucinogenic Cloud level raises by 1!)

"You will get some rest. And we will speak, at length, in the morning." It was not a suggestion, but an order. And under Ophelia's gaze, it was going to be extremely hard to say no. Perhaps her worries were simply paranoia in a new location, with new people.