Shade grins when Farrah gasps at her launching herself into the air. "I do that a lot a lot a lot!"
"A shiny is a thing that is shiny, silly!" Shade says, pulling out a chunk of white obsidian and holding it out to Farrah.
group
Farah slowly reached out and took the obsidian. "Where did you get this?" she asked, turning it in her hands.
"Around! On the ground ground ground. Near the mountains!" Shade beams.
group
"Pardon my forwardness, but do you always talk like that?" Farah asked. Her tone wasn't demeaning or rude, she was genuinely curious about Shade's repetitive speech habits.
"Yup! I always have. I always always always will!" Shade laughs, spinning in circles. She stops suddenly, facing Farrah.
"Do you want to race me?" she asks, bouncing in place.
group
"What?" Farah asked, stifling a laugh. "Where would we race to? And why?"
"Somewhere somewhere somewhere. Does it matter where?" Shade grins.
group
“Traditionally, a race has a set end line,” Farah remarked knowingly.
"I don't follow old dusty dusty dusty traditions. That's boring. I'm not one of the Fae." Shade says, her eyes locked onto Farrah's.
group
Farah lifted her chin slightly. "Alright. Let's race," she conceded.
Shade laughs her wild lilting laugh and takes off, faster than thought.
group
Farah grinned and bolted after her through the trees.
(I have a plan, don't worry!)
Still laughing, Shade weaves her way through ancient groves, mystic meadows and babbling brooks, listening to hear if Farah is still following. Once they reach the edge of the forest, which is incidentally the edge of a cliff, Shade just continues on, flipping over the edge.
group
(Kk, I gotchu)
Farah followed, scrambling to a stop before she reached the cliff. She could catch herself if she fell, but then she'd give herself away as fae.
Just bellow the cliff, Shade is being held by a giant raptor. A peregrine falcon, to be exact.
"Hop on on on! We can go for an aerial tour of the forest on-" she said, the last word uttered in Peregrine. It sounds something like scree-AW.
group
Farah's eyes were wide. She grinned and didn't hesitate in taking a leap off the cliff.
Shade laughs. "And we're off!"
They sweep away over the top of the forest, exploring the entirety of everything. At the end of the day, Sahde starts falling asleep, so the peregrine sets them down on the forest floor once more.
group
Farah felt Shade falling asleep on her, and she gently shifted so the girl would be comfortable.
Shade yawns, then snuggles right up against Farah. The sprite makes its home in Shade's hair, and falls asleep itself, still clutching the diamond.
The next morning, Shade wakes up and climbs the tree, to better see where they are.
group
When Shade first woke the next morning, Farah was already wide awake and alert. Her head was on a swivel, keeping an eye out for anything around them. "What do you see?" she asked, following Shade up the tree at a slightly slower pace.
"I see trees trees trees! I know where we are. We are in the Grove." Shade says, leaping from the tree.
group
Farah followed, landing nimbly on her feet. "The Grove? We're that far out?" she questioned.
"Yup yup yup! The Grove the Grove the Grove!" Shade said.
She starts kicking up a tornado of dust around the base of the tree, running around and around and around.
group
Farah bit her lip. "Darling, maybe you could stop?" she suggested hesitantly.
"Stop what? Oh, running running running?" Shade says, nearly literally coming to a screeching halt.
She laughs. "What do you want to do? Oh, I know! Maybe we could visit your home! We've visited mine!"
group
"Ah…" Farah was hesitant. "When did we visit your home, exactly?"
"Silly, the forest is my home home home! And the trees are my parents!" Shade laughs, her eyes gleaming.
group
Farah nodded and hummed appreciatively. "I could say the same."
Shade grins with amusement. "Really? The forest whispers, you know. It tells me what you say is true. But if it's true, why have I not seen you?"
group
Farah traced her fingers around the edge of Shade's face and smiled. "Everyone loved the secret garden because it was a secret," she replied.
