Aura - Right and Wrong?
Jan 10 15:09:50 2005

Aura remained at the pier for a good while after Seikou had left, completely
enraptured by the information she had obtained that same evening. Even as
the stars began to fade from the night sky, and the moon became less visible
as dawn began to break, she refused to move. Her bliss was only finally
disrupted by the collectively-bright flash of green light that nearly
blinded her, but brought Aura back to her senses, nontheless. As she became
aware of not only the time of morning it was, but her own fatigue level, she
gave a quiet sigh, folding her legs underneath herself.

"I'm sorry... I think I lost control of myself, for a time. What's so
much the matter?"

A small sphere of green light become apparent upon her left knee before it
soundlessly materialized into a small figure, about the size of an apple,
but shaped strangely like a miniature palm tree. Or, at least, as much like
a palm tree could be if it had a face, arms, and little brown stripes about
its trunk. The little tree-woman lifted off of Aura's knee and rose
effortlessly up to her shoulder, where it made a sort of perch, looking
up at Aura with wide, frightened green eyes. To this, she she simply
smirked.

"What are you all so worried about? Seikou hasn't done anything to hurt
me, and why would he? You were here, and you heard him, didn't you?"

The tiny tree folded her arms across her wooden trunk-chest, with a haughty
sort of glare up at Aura's face. All at once, another tree-person, not
even slightly different in any way than the first, formed upon her other
shoulder, copping a seat. Aura looked between them, her smirk fading
along with her good mood.

"You're insistent about this, aren't you? I know he saw you, and I'm
certain he doesn't know for sure. He didn't seem to care, in any
case. I wouldn't give you away like that.. don't you trust me?"

At this, still another creature formed out of thin air, this one a tiny blue
mermaid-like creature with enormous yellow eyes, which settled on her
stomach, nestled in Aura's midnight blue hair, and peered down at her
over the top. Simultaneously, both tree-women stood up on her
shoulders and gently patted her cheeks, swaying gently as a small
breeze blew in from the ocean. Aura giggled, rolling her eyes upward.

"No, I understand you only want what's best for me. But if I didn't
feel like what I was doing was right, would I be doing it at all?
Nothing's going to happen to me. I'm certain of it."

Both treefolk shrank back from her face a little ways, raising their tiny
hands to their own little faces in an expression of uncertain dread, as
they both looked up towards the tiny mermaid creature within Aura's hair.
The latter merely shrugged, tiny fishlike tail waving subconsciously in
the air over her. Aura herself lowered her gaze to the wooden boards
of the pier, thinking for a moment.

I wish I could understand if this was the Goddess's doing or not.. and
why? They seem so afraid of Seikou... and of everyone else, not to
mention...

"Why... why are you so afraid of him? You didn't mind Variance, when
you thought he saw you.. but you're terrified of Seikou?"

All three of the little creatures exchanged looks and glances amidst each
other, before looking back up/down at her.

"Is it because he's... a true reploid? And I'm not..?"

The tree-women seemed to contemplate this for not more than a moment
before they gave a simultaneous nod of agreement. The fishwoman, on the
other hand, simply remained neutral on the matter, content where she
was in the bed of Aura's hair. She sighed.

"So... I still don't know what's right and wrong, after all these
years... what am I supposed to do? He.."

Before she could finish her sentence, a loud chime rang through the
eastern end of truce, the ferryman calling for the final boarding
en route to Joel Island. The three strange beings instantly popped
out of sight in a flash of blue mist and green leaves, leaving her
visibly alone again. Aura glances about herself momentarily, before
hauling herself to her feet and making back towards the looming
Sanctuary in the distance, half a dozen thoughts rampaging in her
brain. The most prominent one...

But it can't be wrong... I love him...