Within the Forest

Viviane quietly walked through the forest, a basket in hand. Her emerald eyes scanned over the herbs of the forest, searching for the correct one that she needed. She pursed her lips in thought. While she supposed this could be done somewhat faster with her elemental powers, she supposed she liked doing this by hand.

Viviane was in need of certain herbs, which she needed to tend certain wounds and ailments, all of them minor but the herbs themselves were proving tricky to find and she had been out for quite a few hours. She grumbled slightly, somewhat disgruntled that she could not find what she was looking for.

Julia was currently practicing her Time powers in the forrest. She was there because the loved the way the forrest made her feel. Peacefull and not alone. The soft whispers of the trees made her stronger, and helped her with practicing. She was just about the end her practice and go home, knowing her sister was waiting for her, when she saw a woman walking trough the forrest. She was trying to find something, but by the looks of it, she couldn't find it.

"What are you looking for?" she asked kindly, knowing she could use her elemental powers to help the woman.

Viviane was nearly thinking using her elemental powers to search for the herbs, as it was near time that she left. However, as the thought barely crossed her mind, she hewrd someone address her. Frowning slightly, she turned her gaze towards the source.

She was slightly surprised to see a girl. She wondered how on earth she had not heard her before, but the number of answers that she could come up were so numerous that she did not bother with coming up with an answer.

Viviane narrowed her eyes slightly "A few herbs." she answered, her tone unintentionally cold as she was unused to dealing with other people out of her occupation "Needed for a cold, bruises, and minor cuts." she said in a clipped tone. She pursed her lips slightly. She supposed that she just use her elemntal powers instead of needlessly searching like this.

Julia found the woman a bit rude, but she helped her anyway. In a few seconds, the trees had told her where to found the herb, she walked towards the spot, just a few foot from where the woman was standing. She collected the herb and walked back to the woman.

"Here you go," she smiled and offered her the herb, "this was wat you were searching for right?"

Luna walked quietly through the forest. She liked the forest well enough, just not as much as her sister did. She prefered rushing rivers, tranquil lakes, and the glorious ocean to the vastness of the forest. It fit her elemental after all. Water was what she controlled, and while she could feel small sources of water all around her, she still prefered the river. Her footsteps were quiet as she walked with a grace not many had. She held her head high, proud of herself and her sister. Her movements were much like the water she controlled. Fluid and graceful.

Hearing voices, she stepped up behind a tree and looked around it. Seeing her sister and another woman she didn't know, she sighed in relief. She didn't know if they were humans or not. She smiled slightly and walked out from behind the tree.

"Julia," her voice rang out through the trees. It was soft, gentle, and sounded much like a bell, "I've been looking all over for you."

Viviane could feel the emotions from the girl, and was quite aware of how she felt towards her attitude. It was times like these she was glad she had empathy, despite the pains of it. She was not used to other people, having only been around them when dealing with them at work and having grown up somewhat secluded off. As such, she supposed she could come off a tad rude...

She blinked as she watched what the girl did. Curious, curious. It was almost like the girl knew exactly where to look and as if....hmm curious...

Viviane nodded and softly said "Yes." she said, before adding "Thank you." she added, in an attempt to sound polite, or perhaps kind. She wasn't quite sure which, just as long as she did not sound cold. She accepted the herb and added it to the basket.

She frowned when noticed another person arrive, most likely a relative or such by the way she addressed the girl.

"Luun!" Julia said, as she saw her older sister walking towards her. "Sorry, I was just on my way home. I helped this woman find some herbs," she said, as she pointed to the woman. She then realised, the hadn't introduced herself to the woman. "Oh, I'm Julia, and this is Luna, my sister," she said, before turning back to Luna.

"Why were you looking for me?"

"I was wondering if you had practiced yet," Luna said as she stopped next to Julia. She turned and nodded to the woman that was standing before them. She was still a bit apprehensive. They didn't know if the woman was a mage or a human.

She smiled slightly and, with an air of a wise one, said to the lady, "I am sorry if my sister has bothered you in any way."

Viviane nodded slightly, a polite and intelligent ait to her. Deciding it vest not to be rude, she really did not want to come off as such, she decided to introduce herself.

"Viviane." she murmured, introducing herself. She shifted slightly, making her position somewhat more comfortable "And your sister was not bothering me. She merely helped me find something that I did need to find quite soon, quite helpful." she answered.

She vaguely wondered if the two were humans or mages. She had only really met mages before, not really any humans, but she had heard the stories. Nonetheless, it was not exactly like you could look at someone and immediately tell if they were mage or human, or at least she couldn't. 

Julia could see in her sisters eyes she was worried, and she could guess what it was about. She was wondering if this woman was human. Julia and her sister didn't like humans, they killed their brother. But Julia already knew this woman was human, the trees had told her so before she helped her. She would never help a human, but she could hardly say, "No worries Luun, she's a mage, the trees told me," no, that would sound silly, so she just kept her mouth shut.

"And yes, I have practiced, thank you very much!" she said to her sister, "why do you always think I'm so irresponsible,"

Julia turned her attion back to the woman, and smiled kindly at her. "Is there any other herb you need?"

Viviane could tell what they were worried about: whether she was a mage or not. It was a common worry really for mages upon meeting someone nowadays and it was rare to meet a mage who did not worry about such things upon meeting others, and vice versa.

Now that Viviane thought about it there were ways for mage's to figure out who were which but not all the time depending on which powers they had been gifted with.

Viviane blinked and answered in a slightly distracted voice "No, no. I have all of the ones I need currently." she answered. She really should practice her own powers soon, you could never practice enough and it's not like she had them mastered yet, unfortunately.

Viviane turned her gaze towards another direction of the forest, which currently looked a bit darker, and she heard the soft whisper of the forest's plants telling her to go in that direction.

"I don't think you're irresponsible," Luna said quietly, so that way the lady wouldn't overhear her, "I just want to make sure you've been practicing."

She sighed and turned back to woman and smiled slightly, "As long as she hasn't been bothering you. Are you sure there's nothing else we can help you with?"

She wanted to ask Julia what the trees were telling her, but she didn't dare. If the woman overheard and turned out to be a human...

Viviane snapped her attention away from where she had been looking, trying ignore the way the trees regain said attention. She did not like it one bit and she had a feeling she might not like what was over where she had been looking.

"Ah, no." she said, trying to sound as if she was fully paying attention, though she was not sure if she was succeeding in said task "I am quite alright at the moment." she answered.

'Ignore it Viviane.' she desperately thought to herself 'Ignore what may be over there. You do not want to know.'

Luna decided to take the risk. She could tell the woman was distracted, even though she pretened not to be. And the way she was looking at the forest, Luna guessed she was an Earth mage. Placing an arm around Julia, and feeling out every source of water she could find, just in case she was wrong, she asked, "You're a mage aren't you?"

She hesitated for a moment, unsure, but deciding to continue anyways, "More specifically, an Earth mage?"

Viviane knew she was not being rather subtle about it, though normally she had a good amount of control over her powers, or at least enough to not make it so it was obvious she was a mage. However, something about the forest itself felt off today and it was telling her too. It was rather distracting.

Viviane narrowed her eyes slightly at the question. She was unsure if the two were mages themselves, but she was guessong that the younger had earth elemental powers due to how she had helped her. However, she was still suspicious. If they were humans...

Viviane clenched the basket tightly, and was somrwhat prepared to have to use any of her powers if she had to.

"Yes." she said slowly, deciding to take a chance "I am."

"Like me," Julia said happily, she was trying to make the woman feel more comfortable. She didn't need to ask the trees why she was acting so strange. The woman had the same suspisions as they had, human or mage.

"Do you have any more powers?" Julia asked, she couldn'tm really help herself, her curiousity was now awoken. She knew it was kind of rude, but she wanted to know so badly.

Viviane was somewhat relieved that one of them was a mage and since they were related that meant they both were probably mages, which comforted her a bit, even though she did not know that for a fact.

Viviane turned her gaze towards the younger of the two, feeling somewhat uncomfortable by the question.

"Umm well.." she started, somewhat unsure as to how to continue. She was not sure it was the best to say what her other power was. It was not the most exactly comforting power to know another person had, or she supposed some might think that but she could not really know. She had never really interacted with others, at least not like this, and did not know how they would react to that type of information.

"If it helps," Luna offered when she sensed the woman's uncomfortableness. She smiled slightly as she tilted her head and said, "I am a water mage. I control the water elemental. I also..." she paused slightly, wondering how the woman might take the next part. Not too many people liked her and her sisters powers, but this woman being a mage might be different, "I also am a seer."

Viviane relaxed slightly at what the older of the other two said. However, she was still slightly tense nonetheless. She was still unsure as to how the two might react to the knowledge. She did not know much about how people viewed those with empathy, or at the very least how mages did. She knew that if they had been humans that the reaction probably would have been horrific or something or that scale.

Viviane mentally weighed the pros and cons of telling and not. If she did not tell, the two might take it as rude or such and it would destroy a layer of trust that could of been formed. However, if she did tell it could create a layer of trust. But there was the chance that they could react badly. Viviane weighed them before making a decision.

"Ah, well I also-" she paused for a moment, before continuing "-have empathy." she said softly, preparing herself for any type of reaction.

Luna's eyebrows raised. An empath. She had heard of them from her parents, but never had actually met one. They had the ability to read one's emotions. She didn't know about her sister, but she found it interesting, "Really? I always wondered what it would be like to read someone's emotions. I can see snippets of the future, but not emotions."

"Cool," Juliet grinned before she could think the better of it. Yeah, she wasn't really tactic as it came to talking with strangers. She tend to say way to much. "Sorry," she said apologizing when she realised what she said might sound a bit strange.

"But it is though, cool, I mean. If you don't mind me asking, how does it work?"

Viviane nodded at what the older one the two said. It was quite different obviously and a bit hard to train in since obviously she could not quite train on people. But usually using it on people was hard unless she stuck to some of the more basic things, and usually that could take a bit out of her if she tried to feel beyond the most basic emotions.

"Well," she said, slightly cautious with her words as she did not want to say anything that might sound wrong or offensive " an empath can basically feel emotions and, if they wish, alter small or minor emotions once they have master empathy. However, changing emotions, no matter the subject, is extremely hard and only someone who has mastered it can do it." she added quickly "There are two types of emotions I believe. The more primal ones that wild animals or such believe, which are more...instictive. They are there, and they have hate and such, but it's very simple. And then there is the thought like with people, which is more complex and there are many more emotions to work with. As such, it's harder to learn to read people than anything else I find." she said, feeling somewhat wary within, but hoping that it did not show too much.