You Can't Fight ... Gravity ...

God’s Garden was every bit as beautiful in the late summertime as she remembered it to be, and while she wasn’t really ready to depart back for Boreas, she was definitely needed the opportunity to get out of Hearthstone. And of course, she was happy to bring Quill along with her. To spend some time with him outside the scrutiny of her family, intentional or not.

With a confident stride, she led them away from familiar paths and towards a less explored direction- or at least, she thought she had been there before. Memories flooded back to her as she walked, each step bringing her closer to the familiarity of her youth. But it wasn't until they reached the edge of a clearing that was only vaguely familar that her excitement truly ignited. A large opening in the ground manifested before her, beckoning her forward with whatever lay in its depths. "Do you see that?" Talyssa asked Quill, her tone light and intrigued as she gestured eagerly towards the discovery ahead. The anticipation of what lay inside pulsed through her veins, igniting a spark of adventure within her. One she was happy to indulge.

Talyssa didn’t hesitate in approaching the edge of it. Testing the ground’s ability to bare weight with each ginger step as she peered down below. The way the angle of the sun shone into the cavern illuminated the entire space- bleaching the stalagmites in an ethereal glow. There was a more gradual descent on the opposite side of the opening. However, the lake below had her entirely entranced. “Whoa, I don’t remember this.” She murmured- and she certainly would have had this not been her first encounter. “I wonder how deep it is?” She mused aloud. But of course, the drive for experimentation was already churning in her mind. Looking along the rim of the pitfall, she noticed a rather large rock. Closing the distance between herself in it, she couldn’t help but tumble it off the edge.

It fell for several seconds before proceeding by a very large splash. The entire surface of the lake was cast in ripples. But even still, she thought she could see the gentle sway of the small boulder’s shadow as it drifted down to the crystal clear bottom. She wasn’t quite satisfied in her result, but for the first time she looked up to Quill, searching his expression for any sort of clue as to what he was thinking. And if it was anything similar to what she was thinking.

"Talyssa Carpathius"