Ceremony 5

"Why. Won't. You. Just. Stay. Down!"

Diana was furiously alternating between licking her hand and brushing down the cowlick while slinging curses at the back of Donovan's bowed head. It had been two months since he had last gotten a haircut, so it was longer than usual, but it was still manageable.

At least he thought it was manageable.

Clearly Diana did not agree with that assessment.

They attracted some attention from passerby on distant branches, but they were far enough away that they couldn't make out any details, only the strange gibberish that carried over on the wind.

"I think it's good enough Diana. My scalp can't take much more of this." The embarrassment from being watched was burning more than the aggressive brush strokes though.

*sigh* "Fine. I'll admit defeat for now. If anything we can just pass it off as a fashion something or other." She directed the brush back at her own hair, setting the unruly bits straight before relinquishing it to the Skwiven who had brought it to them in the first place.

They were standing in front of a pair of massive arch doors, at least twenty times taller than Donovan and fifty times wider. The Gondola like ferry had dropped them off here before leaving, where exactly a mystery.

"Are you ready?" The Captain stood nervously to the side. It had been at least ten minutes since the struggle had begun.

"Yes." They both responded in the affirmative, prompting him to turn to the Skwiven.

"Please have the doors opened."

It scampered up the wall, entering an obscure hole.

With a groan, the doors slowly swung open.

Really slowly.

REALLY slow.

It took a whole two minutes for an opening barely wide enough for Diana to squeeze through to manifest itself.

Four for a hole Donovan could enter without brushing his shoulders.

It stopped at the seventh minute, now wide enough for them to enter side by side with some space between them, but definitely not open all the way.

"From here on out, you are on your own. I plan on seeing you later, but I cannot give my guarantee." He took the time to shake both of their hands. "For all I know, I might not be here in a few hours time."

"Don't say that. I'm sure you'll be fine." Donovan tried lifting his spirits.

"I appreciate the optimism, but I don't think you truly understand the gravity of the situation. Now go." He watched them enter before turning to leave, a Skwiven, the Courier, in tow.

- - - - - - - -

"Spoopy." Donovan omitted the bastardization of spooky at the sight of their current environment.

Green.

Green(s).

A host of luminescent mosses and foliage covered the inside of the hall they walked down. It was not at all scary, but slightly unnerving. When you couldn't tell a difference in shade from shadow, you started to question your footing.

"Try to keep it formal Donovan." Diana agreed with his outburst, spoopy fit the locale.

"I would prefer it if you didn't." A third voice entered the fray. It was soft, completely lacking in energy despite its apparent youth.

As they rounded the final corner, they laid their eyes on the source.

Maiden was definitely something Donovan would call her. Diana might even refer to her as a princess owing to her similarity to some fairy tale damsels.

Her dress, if it could be called that, covered here entire body with the exception of her extremities. It went so far as to have a collar similar to a turtleneck covering everything below her jaw. On top of this light green and brown fabric was an off white vest of sorts embroidered with golden thread, a frankly moderate amount in comparison to some of the other clothing they had borne witness too.

Her shoes, clogs, looked to be made entirely of wood with not so much as an engraving to add detail. A pair of black pants below her dress covered what little skin existed between the shoes and the hem. Her hands were expertly manicured, though lacking in the rings and other regalia they were so accustomed to aboard the Oberlux.

In fact, the only thing ornamental about her kit was whatever was holding up the cascade of chestnut hair descending from her head, a generously bejeweled set of hairclips.

Don estimated her hair to be at least twenty meters long based on the fold lengths and quantity.

"Before you even think of greeting me, I owe you an apology." She bowed as she turned to face them, her bushel of hair merely flowing out to either side instead of over her head. "I fear the blame for your people's demise must fall squarely on my shoulders."

As she righted herself, the Arboreal Maiden reveal a somewhat shocking sight to the pair. Covering her face from the bridge of her nose to the top of her forehead was a sash in the same off white coloration as her vest.

There could be no doubt that was a blindfold.

"You two seem surprised. Does my apology come as that much of a shock to you?"

"Can you see us?" Don couldn't keep his hand from waving. Diana just about elbowed him in the ribs.

They had not been briefed that she would be wearing a sash.

"If you are asking if I am blind, then no. I can see perfectly fine. However I have elected to obstruct my sight voluntarily. Once you have lived an aeon or two, you find you've seen everything. This way at least my encounters are entertaining. You can stop that motion with your hand now."

"How did you know-"

"'A magician never reveals her secrets' is how the saying goes if I remember properly. You are not yet equipped to understand even if I were to explain it to you, for now at least. Now about the apology."

"Please don't worry about it." Diana was trying to wrest control of the conversation away from Donovan, he had demonstrated he couldn't use it properly. "We have already come to terms with our current reality, even if we find it unpleasant."