View source for How Aerith Got Her Groove Back, Part 3

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2012/12/13
|Location=Targ Woods
|Synopsis=Aerith and Pixi head for the Targ Woods in order to begin her first real day of training. Instead of the workout she expects however, she is tested by a strange presence as old as the forest itself, and is introduced to Pixi's former teacher. Within the sacred grove, the Cetra is offered a special gift...
|Cast of Characters=Pixi,  Aerith
|pretty=yes
}}
:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>The forest, unlike the last time she was here, was quiet. Serene.<br><br>Whatever she'd struggled against earlier was gone, and with it the ominous aura of dread and hunger that made her scream in terror. Plants greeted her, vines reached up to gently wrap themselves around her forearms, and she let them. The trees, while silent, resonated with the subtle aura she gave off.<br><br>Pixi had a natural set of senses. Enhanced sight, smell, hearing. She could sneak up on you or wait in ambush. Aerith had none of these instincts, but she had a different set. It wasn't necessarily superior, just of an entirely separate nature.<br><br>The vines retreated as she walked away, and everything seemed a bit greener, more alive, as she passed through.<br><br>Fortunately for her, Pixi was not around to see this. Yet. No need to make things strange between them.

:'''[[Pixi]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Inside of the forest, Pixi seemed to relax just a bit more. She was on the branch of one of the larger trees, looking through the forest as far as she could, and listening to the ambient 'noise'. She touched the tree she was standing on, with her bare hand, and smiled. She was, in a sense, home. Of course, she didn't notice Aerith's green 'aura' that was going on around her... yet.
 
:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Flowergirl approached said tree and looked up. There she was, as relaxed as she was before her... incident yesterday. She smiled and called up, "Having fun up there?"
 
:'''[[Pixi]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Looking down, Pixi smiled a little at Aerith. "Just... getting used to my new home, Aerith. it's a bigger world out here than it is in the jungle." She sighs a bit before turning towards Aerith. "How're you feeling, Aerith?"
 
:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Aerith stretched her arms over her head. "Better since I've had a rest!" She sighed and placed a hand against the trunk of the massive oak that Pixi rested in. "You picked a good one. Nice and sturdy." She knocked twice before taking a few steps back. "So then, how do we begin?"
 
:'''[[Pixi]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Pixi smiles a bit. "Do you wish to learn with that staff, or do you want a new one, Aerith?" She says rather bluntly. She then puts her gauntlet back on.
 
:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Oh she didn't mind Pixi being blunt. Aerith looked at her weapon, stripped of its materia, and shook her head. "Even I know the basics of leverage. The longer the lever, the more force you can apply. This isn't long enough, I could do without it." She kissed the metal rod, as if saying goodbye, then propped it against the tree. "Let's get a new one."
 
:'''[[Pixi]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Pixi smiles. "bring it with you, Aerith. But we're not cutting down a tree for a new staff." She says hopping down from the tree and starts to walk deeper into the forest. Her ears are perked, and she seems to look around. mostly quietly.
 
:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Aerith blinked for a moment and retrieved the weapon before following the Viera. "So how do you tell how long a good staff should be anyway? I mean, as much as I know about leverage, I'm not sure how long of a lever I need."
 
:'''[[Pixi]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Pixi says, "Worrying about leverage is one thing, Aerith. Comfort is another." She then looks around a bit. "You've gotta find a decent comfort zone between leverage and comfort. Otherwise, if leverage is all you want, what's stopping you from getting a 20 foot pole?"
 
:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>The Cetra chuckled. "Yeah, I know. It does sound pretty rediculous!" She rested her staff just behind her neck and along her shoulders. "So then how does one exactly measure how long a staff should be? I mean, there has to be some method, right?" Otherwise nothing would be suitable, right?
 
:'''[[Pixi]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Pixi says, "Comfort, of course. If you go for the 'macho' way to do it, like one of my clan sisters did, you're waste a perfectly good tree for a staff you'll never use." She then turns towards the trees and places a hand upon it. "If I am correct, Aerith, you have something special about you. Perhaps it's something about your magic, or something deeper, I don't know." She then looks up. "I'm going to keep close to you, but I want you to reach out with your senses, and listen for a tree... that will give you one of its branches."
 
:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>One of Aerith's brows lifted. So then she had a hunch about what she could do, did she? Aerith shrugged and walked forward, spreading her aura further outward. She didn't ask anything, she just searched for the right tree... how would she tell? No idea. She figured she'd just... know.
 
:'''[[Pixi]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Pixi says, "I would suggest that you hold the question your mind, Aerith. And just the question. Any dark thoughts, like greed, malice or otherwise can be felt." She says before she leaps into a tree and watches Aerith...
 
:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Aerith nodded and closed her eyes. The question came forth, but only the question. She asked once and only once, and simply continued to walk until she came upon an answer. Oddly enough, whenever there was a tree looming in front of her, she would move out of the way without lifting a single eyelid.
 
:'''[[Pixi]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>As Aerith extends her Aura, she'll find many small animals, large trees until she stretches her aura out as far as she can handle. That's when she feels a very very ancient presence.
 
:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Aerith's senses pick up something... interesting. The Cetra opened her eyes and smiled, heading toward the source of what she'd picked up. "Well hello there... were you calling for me?" She turned and called toward Pixi's last known location. "Think I found something!"
 
:'''[[Pixi]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Smiling, Pixi hoped down and began to follow Aerith. It was a long hime, to be sure, and in a forest, it seemed even longer. The presence she felt almost seemed to keep changing direction, determined to keep them inside of the forest, confusing, but would always pop up when they got close to the former presence, like it was guiding then... ''testing''.
 
:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Wait... it was just over there a second ago! How did it...<br /><br />Aerith's eyes widened. "It doesn't want to be found, almost." She tested that theory a few times... and then shook her head. "No... not that. It wants to find out if we're worth its time." Aerith smiled. "Okay, fine. I'll just keep going this way..."
 
:'''[[Pixi]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Aerith takes two steps in the direction that wasn't indicated, and the ground drops out from under her. Pixi, thankfully, has fast enough reflexes to grab Aerith before she falls into the spike pit that can barely be seen from the top of the opening. Pixi pulls her back onto solid ground and quietly lets go of Aerith. "Let me guess, the feeling you have keeps changing directions just before you get to it?"
 
:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Aerith nodded as she stared down at the pit she'd have fallen into, were it not for Pixi's timely intervention. "Yeah... changed on me just before I almost got dumped into this!" She climbed out with the Viera's assistance. "So then, how are we gonna do this? Splitting up is not an option, whatever this is will be expecting that."
 
:'''[[Pixi]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Whatever it is, Aerith, It's meant for you. I can't feel or smell it at all." Pixi says softly as she gestures for Aerith to lead the way. "I'm still following your lead though." The presence is still there, where it moved to before Aerith's ill-fated step into the pit.
 
:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Aerith made her way toward the next location, with a bit more caution this time. She wouldn't bother talking to whatever this presence was, it didn't seem to want to listen. And so she played the game, making her best guess at where exactly this... thing... was.
 
:'''[[Pixi]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>And Pixi followed. However, Aerith would note that the further along this path they went, the more fantastic the surroundings became. Eventually, after another 'turn' was made... a small fairy would flit around Aerith's head, then sit on her head. "Hi~!" It would say to her, after hanging upside down from her head.
 
:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Aerith blinked for a moment as the fairy came into view and greeted her from atop her head. "Um... Hi." She smiled. "Maybe you could help us... see, my friend and I are looking for something."
 
:'''[[Pixi]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Of ''course'' you are silly! Otherwise you wouldn't have been led here!" The Fairy says in an adorably cute voice before grabbing a couple of strands of Aerith's hair. "Mush!" Pixi walks a couple of steps before she's tackled to the ground with a loud OOF! When Aerith looks back, she'll find a tiger cub licking at Pixi's face, with the Viera giggling madly. However, other creatures seem to be gathering as well, large and small. It seems this is a very protected area, as one of the larger species... is a very very large red dragon.
 
:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Aerith chuckled and took a few steps forward, letting the fae have her fun.<br><br>Then she felt it.<br><br>Other creatures came forth, one of them a tiger cub that seemed all too happy to see Pixi. She smiled as they all came out to see what had come into their den... and then stopped as a massive red dragon came into view.<br><br>She stood stock still, her body refusing to respond.
 
:'''[[Pixi]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Pixi giggled softly and lightly pushed on the tiger cub, but then she looked around and gasped, ever so slightly. "I thought I recognized this path." Then the Red dragon appeared and she reached for her spear, but then her nose told her something different.......and she Immediately fell to her knees, hands pushed out in from of her and her head bowed in complete reverence of the dragon.<br><br>The dragon sees Aerith and snorts out a small puff of smoke. It's Pixi that grabs its attention, and its form glows and disappears. Emerging from the bushes a few seconds later is a red haired woman with dark skin and very very intense looking eyes, her voice somewhat gravelly and authroitative. "You may rise, my student, and join us... as a sister." Pixi does stand, somewhat bewildered, but the red haired 'human' hugs her, just the same.
 
:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Within the next few moments, Aerith's eyes widened as she realized several things.<br><br>First, how small she felt in front of the scales and claws and knives-for-teeth. Then the unique sensation of that same massive presence persisting even as the creature transformed. When she finally saw who it was, the Cetra recalled a story Pixi told her the other day, and knelt just as the Viera had. She didn't want to tick the ancient dragon spirit off.

:'''[[Pixi]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>The Fairy is practically bouncing on Aerith's head, giddy at the reunion. Pixi, on the other hand, finally hugs the red haired woman, tears running down her face. But the red haired woman pulls away from Pixi, and holds her hand, showing her obvious fondness for Pixi, but she walks to Aerith. "Greetings, Cetra. It's is an honor to finally meet you. I do apologize for how Pixi was greeted, however. it's been a while since Pixi had brought Sunetra here to care for her."
 
:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Aerith lifted her head. Of ''course'' the dragon knew what she was, what in this forest didn't? Her face took on a dispassionate cast as she addressed Pixi's former master. "Thank you for having me here..." She glanced toward the tiger cub. "So is that her name? She's adorable." The barest hint of a smile played across her lips as she turned back toward the spirit. "If I may be so bold to ask... why am I here?" After all, one doesn't go looking for a tree only to find an ancient and powerful dragon.
 
:'''[[Pixi]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>"No, this is Felicia. Or one of Felicia's daughters that is." The Red haired woman said, with the fairy giggling on Aerith's head. before they can get too much further in the coversation, a few more fairies fly up to Aerith and circle around her. One actually goes into her ear and picks something. "HEY! I GOT BRAIN MATTER!" "That's not brain matter you goof! that's ear wax!" "It CAN'T BE brain matter! Her head's empty! Look!" and she walks into one of Aerith's ears....and out the other. "You USED MAGIC YOU CHEATER!" "I AM NOT!"<br><br>"KNOCK IT OFF!" A very loud and ancient voice yells from behind them... but all Aerith can see is a tree.<br><br>An extremely large, ancient tree. It almost looks like it can dwarf Goug.<br><br>If Aerith looks to Pixi, she's back on her knees, bowing just as reverently to the tree, but instead of having her hands out in front of her.....she putting the stick she carries to her forehead.
 
:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Aerith glanced back at the tree, then at Pixi... and she spread her senses, feeling this massive oak out. When she was finished, she bowed as well. "So you're the one that brought me here." As if there were any doubt now that she'd heard it speak.
 
:'''[[Pixi]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>"You may rise, Pixi. But you need not bow in the company of friends." The tree says before addressing Aerith. "it is good to meet you Lady Cetra. I had hoped to meet one of your number before I felt your kind fade. I had heard your call for assistance, and felt the reason why you want it. It is a tragedy of what happened to that world, and how it was done. I shall give you one of my branches, but it will be up to Pixi to teach you. I see you also carry your old rod with you..."
 
:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Aerith declinged her head, just enough to offer due respect. "You have my thanks, but..." She glanced at her old, five foot long metal staff. The lack of shining materia in the weapon made it look plain, eerily so. "...What am I going to do with this? Even someone like me knows it's time to leave it behind."
 
:'''[[Pixi]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Sometimes, new and old can be made into something better, Lady Cetra. You have poured a lot into that rod, whether with the element you had used in it before, or making it into something new." The Elder tree's branch seems to swing a little bit. "Ixilthian. Would you assist?" The red haired human curtseys to the tree. "I would be honored, Elder." The tree then swings a branch to Aerith and seems to admonish her for a moment. "I also did not call you here. You were ''invited''. It was up to you to follow the trail.<br><br>And so, Aerith's rod is taken, along with one of the tree's branches... and they are left there for a few hours. A Nymph came forward and greeted Pixi and Aerith, talking about things going on in the world. Eventually, they get to the subject of Sunetra. "Has Pixi told you about her daughter then?"
 
:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Aerith blinked for a moment. She'd almost forgotten where she was. The flowergirl shook her head and glanced toward Pixi. "She never mentioned she had one."
 
:'''[[Pixi]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Pixi laughs quite a bit at that. "You... might as well call Sune my daughter. I practically raised her." She then turns towards Aerith. "I didn't actually give birth to her though. I found Sune, near death, on the side of a road. She was starving after some humans ran her off from a settlement. I don't know what happened to her parents, but I brought her here and raised her as my own daughter." She then facepalms. "I'm sorry. Sune's a Lamia. One of the larger ones. Or I didn't realize how big she'd get when I was carrying her on my shoulders when I was younger."
 
:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Aerith considered this information for a moment. She'd met another Lamia named Synestria, and considered herself good friends with her. So then was this one related to her? "Do you know where she is now?"
 
:'''[[Pixi]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Pixi says, "I don't know, Aerith. But when I left, she was learning some things from Ixilthian. Cooking was one of them. But she was beautiful. Not just as a Lamia, but as a person too."
 
:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Aerith nodded and glanced back at the tree. "So... how long have you and this fine gentleman known each other?"
 
:'''[[Pixi]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Pixi smiles a bit and holds up the stick that is her spear. "Ever since my banishment." She says softly. "To say I was in a low point of my life was an understatement, Aerith."
 
:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Aerith nodded. "I'm sure." She peered toward the tiger cub, reaching out one of her hands toward it. "And what about this one? She sure looked happy to see you... which means you've known her for some time, too. Or is everyone here a friend of yours?"
 
:'''[[Pixi]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Pixi says, "I'm... a friend of just about everyone in this grove here." She says just after the tiger cub literally flops into her lap. "The fairies didn't pick on me because I played a prank on them the last time I was here." She says as one of the fairies sits on her head. "Of course, they're sweethearts once you get to know them... and they protect this place pretty well."
 
:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>A chuckle from the Cetra as the little ladies played in her hair. "They don't bother me at all. Matter of fact, it's nice to see 'em." She closes her eyes and takes in a good breath of air. "Everything is so... clean here," Aerith sighed.

:'''[[Pixi]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Pixi says, "I know. There are many guardians in this area. We're also in a bit of a pocket dimension here. You have to be invited into here. Even then, if you happen to find your way here by luck? The faries are accomplished magic users. and there are ''hundreds'' living here. Then there's Ixilthian, a few Nymphs, some Lamiae, a couple of Giants, and the tree itself. You will be very hard pressed to corrupt this place."
 
:'''[[Aerith]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>The barest nod of her head is the only answer as Aerith took in the atmosphere of this place, basking in its radiance. Her breathing steadied after a minute, and within three, one could hardly notice her moving at all. The only sign she was still awake was the subtle sound of air passing in and out of her nose.
 
:'''[[Pixi]] has posed:'''<br><span></span>Pixi flops onto her back and seems to actually rest in that position, complete with the tiger nestled up against her body and purring quite loudly.