An early morning meeting (D'rorah and Chris)

[D'rorah Philosophy]

D'rorah wasn't quite sure what to make of Christopher Wren.  He was from the Ministry, which made her first instinct to distrust him.  But then, he seemed genuinely interested in helping the students of Hogwarts.  She made the decision to keep him at arms' length for the time being.  He had too quickly seemed to side with her.  Why would anyone trust the word of a student, especially one who claimed the Headmistress was corrupt?  He hadn't asked for any evidence, he hadn't even asked by she believed what she did... he'd simply taken everything she'd said at face value.

She'd made it a habit to observe him as surreptitiously as possible... she didn't intend to allow anyone near her team who might prove to be an agent of the Mage... or who would prove to be working for someone who was.  However, she increasingly came to believe that he was genuine.  She still couldn't explain why he had believed D'rorah or her claims so quickly.  Perhaps he simply had an uncanny intuition.  She had heard of such people before... those who could sense the truth in something from the outset.  Perhaps that was his talent... perhaps it was what had kept him alive as an auror this long.

But then, perhaps he really was an agent of the Mage and knew what story to expect and play along with.  Why did everything have to be so complicated?  He had seemed angry to learn about the Headmistress' true allegiance... again, such quick belief of D'rorah, someone he would have known nothing about other than whatever he observed on his own.  Of course, as she had observed that morning while dressing, there was a lot about her to observe after so many brushes with corruption had left their mark.  Grey hair, a constant chill... scars, though those were almost entirely covered by the robes she had altered specifically for that reason.  She made her way out to the courtyard near the Whomping Willow.  He seemed to prefer the tree for some reason, and so she thought she might perhaps find him here this morning.

Deciding to simply enjoy the peace of the early morning light and the calm of birds flitting around and singing their carefree songs, she seated herself in a shady spot and began a meditation to center her mind.  She stretched out her awareness and quieted her mind.  In her current state, she could feel the mental energy of everything around her.  It was this calm testing of awareness that had first helped her begin to harness and control her telepathy when it had first been discovered, so many years ago.  And so, she was aware of the approach of the person she had hoped to meet before she heard him.  Not moving or opening her eyes, she waited until he was close to speak.  [blue]"Good morning, Mister Wren."[/blue]

[Christopher Wren]

Christopher walked out of the castle early in the morning, stopped, and took a deep breath. The smell of freshly cut grass filled the air, it reminded him of his younger days of playing on the school grounds. He continued to walk in the direction of the Whomping Willow. For some reason, he felt drawn to it ever since he had returned to Hogwarts. The bright morning sun had already cast it's light onto the wet grass, causing the grass to look like a field of diamonds.

He didn't know why he had chose to believe this girl. He just had a feeling that this was right, he had a feeling that she was telling the truth. He had sat up for hours last night, after all of his training he should have asked questions. He couldn't get rid of his gut feeling though, it had saved him many times before. Now he needed to follow up last night with D'rorah. He needed her to tell him, so that he could justify it himself, for his own sake.

Christopher spotted D'rorah a few yards ahead, resting on the grass. She seemed to be enjoying the morning as much as he was. If only he still had the time to do it more often. Chris was just about to introduce himself when he heard her greet him. She wasn't turned around, there was no way she had known he was coming. Chris stopped a few feet away and began talking, "How.. You couldn't.. Oh never mind," he said in a flustered tone. "Good morning Miss Philosophy, how are you? And please, call me Chris," he said in a friendly voice. Christopher then walked up beside her and laid down in the grass, looking up at the sky. He didn't want to stand up and look down upon her, this way would make things more comfortable, for the both of them.

[D'rorah Philosophy]

D'rorah fought the urge to laugh at Chris' flustered reply to her greeting. [blue]"Your approach was not quite silent,"[/blue] she replied with a smirk, finally opening her eyes as he lay on the grass and looked up at the sky. [blue]"Whether or not you are aware, you have a distinctive walk. One has a much keener awareness of such things when meditating."[/blue] That was only partially true, of course. Certainly, every person had a distinct cadence in his or her carriage and general deportment, but it was the pattern of mental energy that jumped out at the Ravenclaw student before all else.

She arched an eyebrow and turned her head to regard him. In spite of his repeated requests to call him Chris, she continued with the formal method of address she was accustomed to. [blue]"Do you find me unsettling, Mister Wren? You sounded almost... flustered,"[/blue] she remarked, her lips twisting into a more pronounced smirk before she closed her eyes and brought her head around front again. [blue]"I am, in fact, here because I discerned it would be the most likely location to find you, so I suppose I had the unfair advantage of expecting your arrival. I assumed you might wish to speak with me further after our previous conversation."[/blue] She took a deep breath, lifting her head slightly as a breeze blew around them and teased at the long hair that was so carefully pulled into a tight coif to keep it out of her way. [blue]"You see... the secrets you seek from me are not mine alone. They belong also to my allies. I am very protective of them, and I see it as my duty to keep them from harm."[/blue]

She turned her face toward Chris again, opening her eyes and leveling him with a piercing gaze. [blue]"So, I should warn you, before you begin asking questions. If your intentions are anything other than genuine, you would be best to turn aside from them now. I will not tolerate anyone who endangers my comrades. The last person who represented such a danger to us and subsequently put himself in my path did not live long enough to see the reward he expected from his mistress."[/blue]

Perhaps it wasn't the best way to begin a relationship with a potential ally... but then, if he were truly interested in her cause, he would realize that he would eventually fall within that protection himself and would hopefully be grateful for it. At least, right off the bat, he would be forewarned that betrayal wasn't tolerated. At least, knowing, he would have the same opportunity to choose that every other Lightfighter had. It was only fair he understood what he was getting himself into.

[Christopher Wren]

Chris let out a small chuckle, for a second, he almost thought she was going to tell him he sounded like an elephant when he walked. He stayed in his relaxed position, staring at the sky. Christopher propped himself up on his arms and looked in the direction D'rorah sat, "I am aware that everyone has a distinctive walk, but as for how you heard me coming from over there," Chris gestured in the direction he had just came from, "Has nothing to do with your since of hearing, Miss Philosophy." Chris finished and made sure he accented the miss. Chris relaxed back into his earlier position and took yet another deep breath. The weather outside was excellent today. The sun was shining and he just continued to lay there, soaking it up.

Chris was glad he was laying down when she commented on his flustered response earlier, he had felt his cheeks turn red. "I find you to be a very interesting person, Miss Philosophy," he said, once again accenting miss. "It's not that your unsettling, it's that you are intriguing. You seem to have a story about you, and for some reason, I fill drawn to that story," Chris finished and breathed a sigh of his relief. He didn't know why he was drawn, but his gut was telling him something was here. "And as for you comrades I do not ask that you come out and tell me who they are. I wouldn't expect that from someone I just met. Besides, I know you are still very weary of my intentions," said Christopher.

Chris nodded his head towards her, he didn't like that these times had made this girl being so tough on the outside. People hadn't been like this since Voldemorts reign of terror. "Thank you for the warning, but I insure you, my intentions are only to help the students of Hogwarts. As for the Ministry, no one else is here that works for them, they'll have to take my word on whatever I say," said Chris as he imitated her early smirk she had given him. Chris took a deep breath, this was the breaking point, "If you feel comfortable telling me your story, now is the time. What you say may even answer all of my questions I have prepared."

[D'rorah Philosophy]

D'rorah smirked slightly as Chris accented the "miss" before her name and countered about the possibility of her having heard him approach from so far away.

[blue]"Intriguing..."[/blue] she repeated thoughtfully. [blue]"I shall have to try harder not to... intrigue people so. I prefer not to draw attention to myself when possible."[/blue] She was slightly stalling from answering his request to tell her story. She preferred not to share her story with others when possible. And even whatever she gave Chris now, she knew would be an edited version. The personal parts were things she had only shared with her Elemental Masters... and then only because joining with them had automatically showed them the entire story. It wasn't something she had to actively do herself.

[blue]"My own story, personally, begins shortly after my birth. My father was a member of an organization known as the Order of Light. When I was born, my parents sent me to begin training with the Order as a scribe... but shortly into my training, I was identified as what is known as a Shadow Warrior... part of a select group of people whose duty it is to protect the earth from Darkness and maintain the balance between Light and Dark.

The Order itself is an ancient organization. We have our beginnings millenia ago when two opposing forces entered the world... Yin, who was the power of Light. And Yang, who was Darkness. They both needed to exist in balance in order for the realm to remain healthy, but Yang wished to have control of the realm. In order to protect the world from their influences, Yin banished himself along with Yang from the realm. But Yang would not yield. He placed the powers of Darkness within an elected agent--his Shadow Mage. Yin, valuing teamwork and the power of people to come together, divided the powers of Light among give Elements and appointed two guardians for each Element. An Elemental Master and a Shadow Warrior.

The events at Hogwarts now are but another chain in a struggle that has lasted for thousands of years. The Shadow Mage has taken up residence in the Forbidden Forest. It began simply with an increased presence of Dementors... but now there are Shadows in the Forest... and I believe also rifts to the Shadow Realm. I came to Hogwarts to find my fellow Lightfighters... and our purpose here is to protect the students from these beings in the Forest."[/blue] She paused, waiting to see where Chris might want further clarification and what questions he might have. That, at least, was the foundation of what was happening so far at Hogwarts.

[Christopher Wren]

When D'rorah started speaking, Chris sat up and leaned slightly on his right arm. He then brought his face up level to hers and began to process all she was saying. He had her whisperings of an order back at the ministry, but of course, all the members were unknown. Chris did agreed with a common opinion shared by most witches and wizards, some things the ministry shouldn't know. That fact that a group of people had gathered for the sole purpose of defending the place they called home, showed that this was a big thing.

Chris continued to look at her face to face as she continued on. He had heard rumors and ancient stories of Yin and Yang, but he never took them to be true. Hearing this story brought him back to when he was a little boy and his now late grandfather, would tell him stories of Yin and Yang, and how the world was almost consumed in ones fight for power. When she began her story about what was going on at Hogwarts is when Chris really became interested. At this point, he leaned forward, showing that he was truly interested.

It was here that he began to hold his breath. Was she really saying that the enemy was practically camping in front of the door to Hogwarts Castle? That was crazy! Chris thought this over and finally agreed that the enemy had to have massive forces, otherwise they would be fools to make a base this close to Hogwarts. The one thing that did confuse him was the part about the Shadows and Lightfighters. When she finished, Chris realized that had forgotten to breathe in all of the suspense. He took a deep breath and breathed a sigh of relief. He was glad that she had answered most of his questions. Chris wasted no time in asking his question, "You mentioned something about the Shadows and other Lightfighters. Correct me if I'm wrong, but are the Lightfighters a group of kids, who were chosen to fight this.. this evil?" Chris paused for a slight second and started with his next question, "And I'm assuming that the Shadows are the Mage's minions, sent out to do her dirty work?"

[D'rorah Philosophy]

[blue]"Lightfighters do not necessarily have to be any particular age,"[/blue] she replied. [blue]"However, the trend seems to be that they are younger. [blue]"There were Elemental Masters who were older... but they have died over the course of the year and the Elements have chosen new people to take their place. All of these newer people have been students."[/blue] She took a deep breath and closed her eyes briefly. The issue of those who had died was near and dear to her... partly because three of the people who had died so far had been her own Elemental Masters, but mostly because she felt personally responsible for the welfare of all of the Lightfighters.

[blue]"You are correct,"[/blue] she replied after a moment, continuing in her answer. [blue]"The Shadows are the servants of the Mage, creatures from her Shadow Realm... another world which was previously conquered by darkness and which now rots and spoils for want of Light."[/blue]

She pursed her lips slightly. [blue]"The largest problem I have with your Ministry is that they do not understand the mythology. Historically, they have refused to acknowledge the existence of Shadows or the Mage. Instead, they have focused on Shadow Warriors as the ones causing the trouble. After my last sojourn in the Department of Mysteries, I am understandably hesitant to trust anyone who comes from the Ministry. I have no wish to be tortured again."[/blue] She pursed her lips slightly and scoffed. [blue]"I had hoped my father would be able to change things when he worked with the International Ministry, but I suppose that will not happen now."[/blue]

She moved on to another point that had irked her somewhat. [blue]"Though we may be students, we are not... kids, as you put it. Every one of these individuals has had to mature and deal with a great deal of stress and trauma in the course of this war."[/blue] She fingered a lock of grey hair dismissively, [blue]"Though, I suppose I am the only one who actually looks the part of her premature aging."[/blue] She returned her hands to her lap. [blue]"The traits you noticed the other day, the grey hair, the constant chill..."[/blue] she trailed off, thinking of the scars the sneaked out of her sleeves and collar, but didn't mention them, not wanting to draw attention to them if he had somehow managed to miss them, [blue]"are all remainders of near corruption, the danger to every Shadow Warrior who finds herself in the hands of the Shadow Mage. I can do nothing with them, except try to draw as little attention as possible to them... attempt to keep warm, though it is a futile effort."[/blue]

[blue]"However, whatever else is lost, there is still the world to protect. And we shall do so as long as there are any of us left to fight for it."[/blue]

[Christopher Wren]

Christopher's eyes wondered off as he took in what she was saying. There were the Elemental Masters, and using what information he knew from the old stories, he assumed they controlled a specific element. Then, there was the Shadow Warriors. They were the protectors, so to speak, of the Elemental Masters. Christopher's eye's darted back to hers when she paused. He was just in time to see hers closed, and he could only guess that some of the Elemental Master's that had died, had been her own. He thought for a moment and then opened his mouth to say he was sorry. Just as he was about to speak, Chris stopped himself. He didn't know for sure how close she was with he people who had passed, and he didn't want to step over any boundaries.

Chris nodded at her when she said her peace on the Shadow Warriors. For some reason, he couldn't recall anything about the Shadows in the stories his grandpa used to tell him. Christopher then realized his hand had begun to ache, he quickly shifted his weight to the opposite arm, relieving the pressure. "To be honest, I have never heard of anyone speak of the Shadow Warriors back at the office. It could possibly be do to the fact that they are trying to keep certain individuals out of the loop," Chris replied. He then took a slight pause and continued, "Only corrupt Aurors would follow orders like that. All of the sane ones would have refused, even if it was an order from a superior. The corruption must be far more spread out that I had first assumed."

Almost as soon as he had finished, D'rorah had started up again, and he could since the irritation in her voice. He dropped his had, ashamed that he had offended her. Just form his conversations with D'rorah, he knew that she was more mature than most her age. He knew that the other's would be like her, this world wouldn't allow it's guardians to be small minded. D'rorah took a brief pause, and Chris chose this as an opportunity to inject a few words, "I'm sorry," he said smoothly. Chris tried to fake a smile in an attempt to bring some warmth to this conversation they were having. He shivered as he remembered the handshake they had shared the evening before, he couldn't imagine being that cold, all the time. "Is there a way.. A way to fix the chill," Chris trailed off, hopping D'rorah and her comrads were not doomed to this for the rest of their lives.

[D'rorah Philosophy]

[blue]"The corruption is certainly there,"[/blue] she agreed as Chris stated that only corrupt aurors would follow orders to torture a student. [blue]"Only a corrupt individual would torture anyone,"[/blue] she emphasized. [blue]"Actual physical torture is a very inefficient method of extracting information, in any case."[/blue]

As he queried whether there was a way to "fix" the chill that pervaded her being, she shook her head slightly. [blue]"I have been unable to discover any method of reversing the corruption that has taken hold thus far,"[/blue] she replied. [blue]"Strong, positive emotions seem to help very briefly, but the chill always returns."[/blue]

She shifted slightly, realigning her posture and wincing as a beam of light hit her eyes. The light had quickly grown stronger as the morning progressed and she could feel the skin on her face already beginning to wage a silent protest. However, it was warm out here and there was no one to interrupt them or eavesdrop on their conversation. [blue]"So then, what was it that led you to actually come to Hogwarts? And why, of all the people you may have encountered, have you decided I am the proper person with whom to cast your trust?"[/blue]

She watched for Chris' answer, interested to hear what he might say and interested to know more about him. She had given a lot of her own personal information to someone who was basically a stranger, and that wasn't something she did often... or easily.

((ooc: sorry for the crappy post from the brain dead blond girl... exhaustion is catching up with me))

[Christopher Wren]

"Well.. Maybe the effects will be reversed when this is all over," Chris said hopefully. Chris leaned over and laid sideways, propping himself up on his arm. "It's just that, you would think Yang wouldn't doom Earth's protectors to this fate for their entire lives," he replied warmly. Chris fidgeted a little as she continued to speak. He wondered if some of his past missions had been for corrupt purposes. Was he just a pawn of the Ministry? This was a question he couldn't answer. All he knew was that their were people in the ministry who were corrupt, and he could do everything in his power to find them out.

"I was given a mission by one the head Aurors," Chris replied. "I was offered the mission because they said they needed someone with experience, someone that they could count on," as he said this, he slowly began to straighten his posture, sitting upright and sticking out his chest, "With my past record, they assumed I would have no problem with this so called, simple, mission." Chris sunk back into his more comfortable pose and let out a half laugh, half sigh as he looked back to some of his older missions, and how he barely came out of them alive. Alot of the people back at the ministry thought he was just good at his job, but Chris knew that luck had been on his side almost every time. For some reason, he just happened to make the right decisions in life threatening situations.

"I quite honestly don't know why I've put my trust in you," Chris hesitated as he went on, "I just felt like it was the right thing to do. My gut told me to trust you." Christopher cast his eyes to the ground, he was afraid that she might think he was some freak that never made wrong decisions. In fact, he had made a lot of wrong decisions. It's just that when his gut told him something, he listened.

[D'rorah Philosophy]

[blue]"Yin,"[/blue] she corrected as Chris postulated that he wouldn't allow "Earth's protectors" to suffer their entire lives. [blue]"Perhaps that would be true, except that he is no longer able to directly act within the world. When Yang was banished, Yin went willingly... it was necessary to do so in order to preserve the balance of the realm. Too much Light would be just as harmful as too much Darkness... though in a different way."[/blue] There were realms where balance had been lost that had been flooded with Light... they were just as desolate as realms where Darkness had taken over.

This was why they had to fight carefully, actually... there was a fine balance to maintain between bringing darkness back within balance rather than completely obliterating it. Tipping too far in one direction would be just as dangerous as tipping too far in the other. She listened as Chris spoke briefly about his mission, an amused smirk crossing her face as he stuck out his chest while extolling the virtues of his experience.

[blue]"I suppose it had not turned out as simply as you were led to believe,"[/blue] she replied. [blue]"But then, I suppose it is fortunate that things have become slightly more complicated. Otherwise, you and I might have found ourselves on opposing sides... those who serve darkness tend to be quite adept at convincing others of the legitimacy of their cause."[/blue]

She nodded briefly as Chris stated he had followed his gut in trusting her. She wasn't one to make decisions like that based on instinct. She was more analytical and more prone to making educated decisions, so she couldn't quite understand his thought process herself, but she could easily relate him to Sam Kelley. She entertained the notion that Sam and Chris would probably get on quite well at some point... after she had introduced them, that was. She inhaled slowly and squinted against the sunlight that had steadily strengthened as the morning progressed. [blue]"One thing that would be quite helpful,"[/blue] she remarked after a moment, [blue]"would be to find some way of keeping people away from the Forest. As a Prefect, I only have so much authority to enforce certain rules. Typically, by the time I encounter an individual who has decided venturing into the Forest is not as dangerous as we say it is, he or she is already in some manner of immediate danger. As a ministry official, might you be able to strengthen the restriction so that people less able to easily trespass against the ordinances?"[/blue]

[Christopher Wren]

Chris nodded his head in agreement, "Yes, I couldn't imagine facing you or your friends for that matter," he said, trying to shed some light on the situation. He had come back to Hogwarts, expecting it to be the way it was for him, but so much had changed. It was almost a gloomy place now. The kids had to walk around, constantly watching their backs for attacks. This wasn't the way Hogwarts was supposed to be, it was supposed to be full of fun, a place students could call home. Chris faked a smile as he stood from his then sitting position. Christopher walked over to a nearby tree and leaned against it as D'rorah began to speak about guarding patrolling the forest at night. "That would be a great idea! I could watch for any suspicious activity and I would be doing my job for the ministry," he exclaimed. "And for all I know, this mission could be a plot for me to weed out you and your comrades to the ministry."

Christopher walked towards the edge of the lake that was just a few yards away. He bent down and brushed the waters with his fingertips, the water level had rose since the last time he was here. He stood up and shook his hand, ridding it of the water he had just touched. Chris then turned to D'rorah, "Am I to stop your fellow lightfighters from entering the forest as well or do they have the privilege to venture into it?" Chris said as he extended his hand to D'rorah.

[D'rorah Philosophy]

"And for all I know, this mission could be a plot for me to weed out you and your comrades to the ministry."

[blue]"Quite likely it was,"[/blue] D'rorah agreed with a slight nod. [blue]"I am already known, so there is little worry about revealing my name. Though, I would prefer not to be carted off to the Department of Mysteries again anytime soon."[/blue] She fought the urge to take a deep breath cross her arms, feeling as though her scars burned with the icy chill of darkness at the memory. It was nearly physically uncomfortable, but she wouldn't allow herself to betray that sort of weakness here... especially given that Chris seemed not to have noticed her scars thus far.

She looked up and watched as he walked over to the edge of the lake to brush the water with his fingertips before returning to her and offering her a hand. She eyed the hand with an arched eyebrow for a moment before deciding to accept the offered courtesy. Folding her feet beneath her, she rose from her seated position effortlessly, her icy hand only lightly grasping his own, rather than physically using it to stand up.

[blue]"I find it unlikely that my fellow Lightfighters would have reason to enter the Forest at the moment,"[/blue] she replied. [blue]"Certainly, none of them should be allowed to enter alone. Even if a Shadow Warrior is the only one with the ability to destroy a Shadow, she would need her Elemental Master with her to pull her emotions back after the fighting is done in order to avoid corruption. You would do well to inform me before you set out for patrols, so that I can monitor the situation remotely and come to your aid quickly should you encounter resistance from anything within the forest."[/blue]

[Christopher Wren]

Chris nodded his head in agreement, he wasn't to keen on willingly letting the students go in alone. He walked quickly to the edge of the pond and he was once again forced to face the harsh reality; Hogwarts was in no comparison, the same it had once been for him. For a brief moment he felt a wave of grief, realizing what they were missing out on. He raised his head and looked out over the lake, "How long do you think this war will last?", he said smoothly. He was hopping to hear her say that it wasn't long now, but he knew that this fight was far from over. From what he's gathered, the Mage's force was much larger. That was the reason they had suffered loses.

Surely Yin hadn't set them up for failure. There had to be a way to overcome her forces, he just couldn't think of way.. Chris dropped his head and stared into the water. A little ways in front of his feet, a small ripple erupted. He screwed up his eyes for moment, focusing on what was moving beneath the surface. A small fish had just swam up and swallowed a small tadpole. He had barely caught it, but the sudden realization hit him. The circle of life... everyone who was born into this world must, at some point, pass on. Were these student's lives to end up like the small tadpole? Where they destined pass on prematurely? Christopher shook the thoughts from his head, he had been sent here for a reason. As a strong believer in destiny, he believed that he had calling here, and that was to protect these students to the best of his abilities. "I.. I'm sorry," was he managed to choke out, after realizing just how much the lightfighters had given, and will give up. Did D'rorah know as well that he did, that many of them may not come out alive?

((OoC: Sorry it took so long for the reply School just started back today, so things should be getting back to normal shortly.))

[D'rorah Philosophy]

When Chris asked how long D'rorah thought the war would last, she thought for a moment before speaking. [blue]"It has already lasted centuries. I see no reason to expect a fast resolution. Certainly, I would prefer that it might be over quickly, but there is no way to predict such a thing. Given certain occurrences in this particular generation of Lightfighters, I speculate that we may perhaps be drawing somewhat nearer to some sort of resolution--a restoration of balance. Perhaps in five years or ten, we will find success. Unfortunately for my comrades, I have no expectation that a resolution will be acheived quickly."[/blue] She wondered, in fact, how long some of them would last with the stress if it continued on... many of them were worn down already by the things happening around them. Even D'rorah, relentless as she was in her desire to see this through to the end, wished occasionally for peaceful days.

Though, even that peace would be tainted now... with her looming dilemma between Kerridon and Dylan, she wondered if she would ever come to a peaceful resolution within her own heart. For someone who was typically so sure of what she wanted, the uncertainty was almost as unfamiliar as the dilemma itself. But then, finding a way to unbalance the leader of the Lightfighters had likely been Dark Phoenix's entire goal in turning Dylan against D'rorah in the first place. At least she was re-establishing a friendship with Dylan, though she knew he wished things would return to the way they had been. It made the necessity of keeping her relationship with Kerridon a secret all the more difficult, because she couldn't even think about the problem unless she was locked within the confines of the Room of Requirement, or somewhere else safe from anyone who might happen to catch her thoughts.

Hearing the ripple in the water as Chris dropped his hand, and seeing his eyes upon the lake, D'rorah spun with carefully honed reflexes to face the water herself. Seeing it was only a fish, she suddenly felt foolish. She regarded the water for a moment, her gaze snapping back to Chris with narrowed eyes as he choked out an apology. [blue]"Do not offer me your pity and apologies, Christopher,"[/blue] she replied in an emotionless tone. [blue]"I neither need nor appreciate them. And here, I was just beginning to fathom that I might like you."[/blue] Disgusted, she returned her gaze to the water for a moment, her arms crossed as a breeze brushed past her face, playing out ripples upon the water.