Private Finished A Breather in the Brush

The recent camping trip made Remi realize how little she has been doing for nature. What has she been doing? She was not looking for a guardian, she was not tending to the plants, and she was not making sure the ocean was clean. She was showing off her human charm, trying out new makeup, and spending time with her boyfriend. Not that any of those things were bad, especially the last one, but she needed to remember her responsibilities too. Things needed to change.

Remi had been doing small things since before the camping trip which she still kept up: she would pick up litter she saw on the streets, do some cleaning for the forest when she hunted, and do small tasks for elementals. Those tasks were not consistent, however, and sometimes she would find herself bored and give up midway through. Now Remi wanted to get serious. She picked today to wander the forest in search of any litter, and would not let herself get distracted by the need to hunt. Just like always, when Remi took strolls through the forest, she left her human charm at home and took her cervitaur form instead. It made trotting through the area comfortable as she picked up trash and stored it in one of the two garbage bags she made. One for compost, one for recycling.

Remi's strong senses made telling where trash was very easy, but it soon backfired when a wail radiated throughout the forest. For a few seconds, she found herself disorientated as her ears screamed in pain. The yell was very close by, that was for sure. Was that a wolf? It definitely did not sound like one. Remi hesitated to follow the noise, but whatever they were, they sounded hurt and in need of help. Anger was also detected in that wail, but Remi was confident she could take whatever was thrown at her.

Upon arriving to the location of the wail, Remi could not see what was wrong. She approached the creature made out of roots and vines, who she was sure was the origin of the wail. Remi's heart instantly went out for the creature, nearing her with a look of sympathy and worry. "Are you okay? What happened?"

It was only when she got closer did she see what could have been the cause of such pain. There were cigarette butts on the ground and a burnt hole in the tree. Remi grimaced in disgust at the sight. She was neutral towards the act of smoking, but there was a natural, instinctual part of her that saw it and felt threatened by it. Threatened by the smoke polluting the air and those who did not take care of disposing of their cigarettes. Still, she had done bad things against nature herself, as have other oricenta. There was no point in trying to act like the bigger person.

The raw anger in the elemental's voice sent Remi back a few steps. Could she feel what plants felt? Back home, some oricenta who could do that would sometimes share stories about how happy the grass in their backyards was or how hurt the trees felt when people were not careful with them. That was not a power Remi had, but it was one she could understand and admire.

A smaller question Remi had tugging at the back of her mind was, Why does that voice sound so familiar? The image of a redheaded girl she met in the Community Center flickered through Remi's mind, but this was a completely different appearance, and her voice was somewhat distorted.

Never mind that. That could be figured out later. Remi was most likely getting people confused. Right now, Remi had to deal with the angry elemental in front of her. Her face was calm for the most part. More focused than nervous, though worry could be seen there too. The most important thing Remi had to remember was to be calm.

"I'm Remi and... I live here? I was picking up litter, but when I heard your cry I wanted to make sure you were okay." She meant to sound more confident in her response, but instead, she sounded unsure and slightly embarrassed.

Taking a slow breath in, then a slow breath out, Remi continued her response. "I guess you live here too? Do you, uh, guard the plant life here?"

Oluremi forced herself to stand straight with a composed stance and calm expression. She was royalty. Technically. She was royalty back on Ilada, and while she had no political power there and here, she still needed to act like royalty. If not royalty, she needed to act like an oricenta who knew what she was doing. Nothing about her was supposed to come off as threatening. If anything, she was trying to come off as the lesser person here.

With this change in expression came a more confident tone of voice. "You may call me Remi. Yes, I was picking up litter. No, these are not my plants to protect. I am not of this place either, but my home is here in these forests, and I am a servant to the elements. It is my duty to clean this area and make sure the elements here are happy."

That felt wonderful! Remi struggled to hold back a smile from how perfectly everything she said flow. It was like she was an actual adult. An adult who knew what she was doing and was impressing another fellow elemental. A fellow elemental that seemed to be calming down from her initial wariness to one that she swore was relaxation. That calm expression she had on so well earlier had now fallen away to reveal a proud, but somewhat timid, smile and a blush that was a vibrant orange.

The elemental responded in a way make the stiffness and worry Remi had ebbed away, only for more pride to flow in. So far, she was on the right track. Her comfort was helped by the revelation of the elemental being Ebbie, the red-headed girl she met back at the Community Center the other day. The convenience of the situation was a treat that Remi promised herself to enjoy.

"Oh, Ebbie!" Her smiled turned from one of (attempted) professionalism to that of relaxed friendliness. "I remember you. Usually, I go out with my human charm now. It's just... more comfortable to walk the forests like this. I'm happy to see you again."

Even better, Ebbie wanted Remi companion her while they worked on their own goals in the forest. Remi had not yet decided on if she was ready for a guardian yet, but if she were to make a list of potential suitors, Ebbie would be on it.

When Ebbie complimented Remi's colors, her blushing intensified, though she successfully resisted the urge to turn away and cover her face. "A-Ah... Tha—Uh, I appreciate the compliment very much. I think the form you're in currently is a sight to behold as well.

"But, yes, I'd be happy to join you. I don't have any abilities to allow me to heal plants, but I have family that knows how to care for plant life better than me. I could point them to any injuries you find when we're done. I think they'd be happy to get to know you too"

Remi gave an understanding nod in response to Ebbie. This was fun. It was kind of nervewracking to examine every movement she made and word she said to make sure she was portraying herself properly, but this was a challenge she was excited to take on. With Ebbie here, it felt much more relaxing.

Ebbie's giggle made Remi tilt her head forward a bit. Not in shame, but mild embarrassment. Ebbie seemed to have appreciated Remi's choice of words, however. If Remi was going to act like an oricenta, she could not let herself gives thanks or sorries like Halloween candy, nor could she just accept a compliment (or anything for that matter) without giving one back. Things were different here, but traditions ran deep, and it was difficult for her to just ignore them when she was not pretending to be human.

Seeing the butterflies become agitated when Ebbie looked back at the scar on the tree sent a stab of pain through Remi's chest. She marked this area down in her memory, then nodded at Ebbie's suggestion for what to do. When the elemental held out her vines, Remi handed her an extra bag she had in case there was more litter around than she was aware of. "I have my bags split into compost and recycling, by the way. Would you like to take the lead, or should I?"