My the trees are tall... [Rayla]

Breathing in deeply, Ranuki smiled as she and Indary leisurely tromped through the forest.

"Ever notice how tall the trees are?" Indary asked, echoing a previous thought that the clio had had.

"They're all old, tall trees. They block out the sun and make it nice and dark. It's soothing and relaxing."

"For once we agree on a place that we like! I say we come here more often." Indary pounced and snapped his jaws at a startled rabbit that exploded from the under growth. "I almost had that one too!" Indary whined, returning to Ranuki's side.

"You're such a puppy." Ranuki teased, earning a haughty sniff from the jackal.

Rayla and Baldrik had stumbled upon the forest by accident, but they were glad they had...At least, Rayla was.

"Ahh...The forest..." Rayla said, sighing and daydreaming slightly, almost running face-first into a tree.

'Can we just find our way out of here and go back?' Baldrik asked.

"No, silly! I've never been here, and I want to explore!!" Rayla announced

Baldrik groaned as they traversed further into the forest.

'I hear something.' Indary suddenly stated, ears perking upright.

'What do you think it is?' Ranuki answered back, curiosity piqued.

'I think it was a voice. Another clio, perhaps. Can we ambush them?'

'No.'

'Pretty please?'

'NO.'

'YES!'

'NO!'

"YES!" Indary's eyes widened comically as he realized he had just shouted out loud. Ranuki smirked. All the while the noises got louder.

By this time, Rayla and Baldrik were walking pretty fast.

"Those are definetly voices that I hear." Rayla said.

'I know...It sounds like someone's fighting...With themself..' Baldrik commented.

Suddenly, the two heard another voice.

'Okay, make that fighting with someone else.' Baldrik said, correcting himself.

"I think it's another clio and their daemon..." Rayla said.

The two kept heading towards the voices they were hearing.

"There goes your master plan, oh wise one." Ranuki said, scorn lacing her voice.

"You know that it would've been fun. You're just a stick in the mud."

"I hate you."

"Awww! I love you too!" Indary replied. "I think I'll cry if you say much more. It's a good thing I'm an expert in Ranuki-ese or I might have hurt feelings!" Indary sat down, panting contentedly as Ranuki rolled her eyes but ruffled the fur on the daemon's head.

"Yeah, that's gotta' be a clio and their daemon..." Rayla said.

Suddenly, she tripped over something and fell, causing a big ruckus.

'Nice going.' Baldrik teased.

"Shut up!" Rayla said. She slowly got up, causing a lot of rustling, for she had landed in a bush.

'You're gonna' alert them to where we're at...' Baldrik commented.

"They probably already know where we're at." Rayla replied. She looked around a bit, then noticed a clio and her daemon looking straight at her. "Eek!" Rayla crouched down behind the bush, her shyness kicking in.

Suddenly there was a gasp as someone tripped and rolled into some bushes. Getting up, the clio made even more noise. Ranuki and Indary stared as the clio attempted to hide behind the bush she had just gotten out of.

"Wow. That was graceful." Indary muttered for lack of anything better to say.

"Hello." Ranuki called, rather guarded and cautious sounding. She ignored the sarcastic statement, forgoing any audible agreement.

Hearing the other clio say hello, Rayla felt obligated to talk back. Fighting her shyness, she peered her eyes over the bush. When she saw the clio and her daemon giving her a "What in the world are you doing?" look, she stood all the way up.

"...H-hi..." Rayla said back.

"A fellow clio taking a relaxing walk? If that is the case, I'm surprised. Most don't usually come to this forest for a relaxing walk." Ranuki gave the dark surroundings a pointed look. This clio looked harmless enough. Relaxing, Ranuki continued after a momentary pause. "My name is Ranuki and my daemon is Indary. To whom do I have the pleasure of speaking?"

Rayla instantly took a liking to Ranuki's formality. "My name is Rayla, and my daemon is Baldrik. We actually stumbled upon this forest, and we just kept walking further in. But, why are you here for a relaxing walk? Isn't a little dark to be considered relaxing?"

"When one is a member of Deilig, one tends to like the darkness. Since I am Deilig, I like the darkness." Ranuki replied, mentally taking note of Rayla and Baldrik.

"Welcome to the dark side, Rayla and Baldrik! We have cake and cookies!" Indary added, grinning for all he was worth.

"Well, that would explain why this forest is so relaxing to you..." Rayla commented in response to Ranuki's statement.

As soon as Indary finished speaking, though...Well, Rayla and Baldrik broke out laughing. They thought Indary had said the single most hysterical thing ever. His huge grin added to their reasons to laugh, too.

"Ham. Your name should be Hamlet." Ranuki commented rolling her eyes at her grinning daemon. "So which Eilemaiden are you? You obviously are not Deilig."

"Actually..." Rayla began. "...I'm still Unsettled...And I'm taking a beating because of it. Everyone wants me to join their Eilemaiden..."

"I should be attempting to recruit you, but I wont. Being unsettled is not fun. Do you know what Eilemaiden you think you're going to join?

Indary, who had calmed down by now, was listening attentively.

"No, not yet." Rayla answered. "...But, why isn't it fun being unsettled?"

"Well, its fun, but all the hassling from clio of different Eilemaidens gets irritating. Even if most do not resort to out right battling, many clio seem to think of it as a competition of how can get the most members. Its unnecessary in my point of view."

"Oh. I see what you mean." Rayla said. "Yeah...It does get irritating...But, I never thought of it being a source of competition before, actually..."

"Think about it. Every Overloridian wants to get the most members. And then, clio of an Eilemaiden want to get the most members. Its almost like a huge competition going on, to see which Eilemaiden can get the most clio to join." Indary answered, receiving a glare from Ranuki. He had taken the words almost directly from her mouth without giving her a chance to speak. The jackal just gave his clio, Rayla and her daemon a funny face, rolling his eyes and wrinkling his nose while letting his tongue roll out. Ranuki sighed but smiled anyways.

"Seriously! Think about it! You must agree with me, surely!" Indary gazed up at Rayla with huge glistening puppy eyes. Ranuki grinned slightly at her daemon's behavior.

Rayla couldn't help but laugh at Ranuki's daemon. She was laughing so hard, in fact, that she couldn't talk. So, Baldrik replied for her.

"I think what she wants to say is that she agrees with you..." Baldrik answered, a little embarrassed of his clio.

While Baldrik was talking, Rayla had time to calm herself down. "Sorry about that..." She started, clearing her throat. "...So, how long have you been settled for, Ranuki?"

"About, what... eight years now?" Ranuki questioned, eyes locking with Indary's.

"Yup. Boy those were the days. Hiding out from clio who wanted us to join... your extreme mood swings..."

Ranuki scowled at the smirking Indary. "I hate you."

"As always, reciprocate." Indary managed to pull off a bow, leaving Ranuki just a tad mystified.

"Ignoring the fool jackal, just how old are you? You seem to be around the settling age."

"Me? I'm seventeen." Rayla answered. "...Why do you ask?"

"You just looked about the settling age." Ranuki shrugged, looking off into the forest before speaking again.

"Just make sure you aren't pressured into choosing one Eilemaiden over another. Make sure it's what you want, not because of something else. I sometimes regret become a Deilig..." Ranuki trailed off as Indary nudged her hand in a comforting fashion.

"Not to seem intruding or anything..." Rayla began, pausing a little bit before finishing her question. "...But why do you reget becoming a Deilig sometimes?"

"I became Deilig to spite my father." Ranuki started slowly, rather startled. Normally she wouldn't tell anyone these things, but Rayla seemed like someone who wouldn't gossip. "He is... or was?... an Aite. Since Deilig is naturally stronger than Aite, I became an Aite. I hate him. For eternity." Ranuki's voice was dark, her face twisted with pent up fury, hate and depression.