Deep in the mountains of Mir, there was a tree so very old, some said that it had preceded the founding of Starria- and still others said that it predated Contracted Arms, and even other species finding their way into Earth.
The tree was, in some respects, just a tree; but in others, it was anything but. Gnarled branches dipped under their own weight, reaching across the path as if to say; ye tired traveler who wander here- let me shield you for just a moment, come what way. Rest here, with me, and take a breath.
There was another rumor, of this tree; that should you whisper your deepest desires into it- it would tell nobody. A silly thought- as silly as a thought might be and yet, there was an odd comfort in the idea that secrets whispered here could find no escape, no ear to enter, no quarter to fester.
So went the story, as best Lynx could remember Fox's words as she climbed the dirt trail, taking a slow, deep breath, letting her lungs fill- and there it was.
Framed by the afternoon sun, there was, indeed, an ancient tree practically grown into an arch, and for a long moment, she just stared at it, blissfully empty-minded.
Vilhelm was sleeping in a hospital bed.
Ica was researching likely targets for Alexei, who was contained in a Pixie-Steel vault.
For now there was only her, the tree, and the breeze.
"Hi, tree," Lynx mumbled tiredly, walking forward, boots crunching on grass and fallen leaves… and as she reached the trunk, and as she looked out at the view, the breath truly left her lungs.
Before the young woman, a grand emerald valley swept down and away into the distance, broken only by the surface of a lake gleaming like glass. Far off, she watched a helicopter and a dragon flying around each other as if playing games with one another, for a time, too far away to hear so much as a roar.
"Look at me," She whispered, leaning on the bark of the tree. "Talking to a tree… oh god, I'm tired," She laughed, leaning further, resting the side of her head against the tree now.
The helicopter was flying off, now, and the dragon plunged down into the surface of the lake, creating a magnificent azure explosion before, in a torrent of sea-foam, the dragon soared into the air once again, fading now. After a moment, there was just Lynx, standing on what may as well have been a mountain, looking out at the gorgeous sky and its puffy white clouds drifting from side to side.
For a time, that was enough. Eventually, she sat down, curling her tail into her lap and wincing.
"Well, tree, is it true? That you'll keep my secrets?" She asked, letting her head fall back against the bark and staring up at the branches growing over the path. "My only secret is that I'm… tired. I feel like I did something good, though, wouldn't you agree? Vilhelm is alive and Alexei has a chance. Aerendyl is safe, Ravenwood is safe, and… yeah. Too much yapping. I thought so too," She added, winking up at the tree with a quiet laugh- the first real, unbothered laugh that had spilled off her tongue in weeks, whether she realized it or not.
"I can breathe, now," Lynx whispered, and for a moment, cheeks reddening, she imagined Nara and Alice rubbing her head… and then she startled as something landed just there, on the crown of her head.
As she'd imagined her lovers patting there… a bright, healthy green leaf had fallen onto the crown of her head.
For a moment, Lynx smiled, closing her eyes. When she'd taken a deep breath, and when she'd inhaled the scent of nothing but earth and air and health, she laid her head back against the tree trunk and let herself drift off- this time, without any dreams, and without any obligations.
Hours and hours later, Lynx opened her eyes; the sun was bleeding orange and pink across the sky, and the water of the lake sparkled in brilliant shades of purple and crimson. Another leaf had fallen onto her head; bigger this time, and landed squarely between her ears. The cat-girl just smiled, not bothering to push it away, and shifted, slowly beginning to stand.
"Thanks for the head pats, Mr. Tree," Lynx sighed, too content to cringe at her dreamy voice as a purr rumbled up from deep in her throat- and at that, she did, in fact, flinch.
"What the- did I just- NO-"
Mr. Tree was silent- for of course, Mr. Tree tells the secrets of none.
"I'm going now," Lynx cautioned the tree as she stepped away, raising a hand as if to ward it from following her, giggling softly at herself. "Don't ask where, because I don't know."
There was a gust of wind, and the arched branches of Mr. Tree dipped slowly toward her- and then raised, again, as if nodding- as if promising Lynx that they would not question her.
The sun set, and Lynx continued on, starting to stumble as she jogged down the path toward the floor of the valley, laughing; she'd warned Alice and Nara that she might, after Haru insisted that she use the five remaining days for her hunt to visit Mir and get herself out of the snow for a time.
Here she was, laughing like a little girl and running faster- yelping as she tripped, falling- it hurt, how hard her shoulder hit the grass, but she just tucked herself into a ball, cackling madly as she bounced down the hill, faster and faster, before rolling across the grass at the bottom and landing on her back, giggling stupidly, madly- for Lynx, exhausted woman she was, felt so in love with the world for just a moment as she tried to make sense of the slowly-appearing blanket of stars over her head that any trace of embarrassment could not have possibly stood a chance at survival.
There were many things that she wanted to say; some vulgar and some wholesome, but in the end, panting, trying to get her breath back after the laughter finally began to subside- due only to her own lack of oxygen and the yawns beginning to tear out of her, Lynx spoke only one word.
"Yeah~"
Yeah.
That was enough, for now.
I'll come home in the morning, yeah? I… oh gods, this is bliss.
In the distance, under a certain ancient tree, she almost might have sworn she heard a chuckle- but no, that must have been a trick of the wind.
-
Some time later, when she woke, Lynx stared at the sky for a long while, and for once her head just felt deeply, profoundly… empty. The sky was pretty. Alice and Nara? Pretty.
She didn't haul herself to her feet for quite a while; didn't want to. The sky was a deep, rosy purple fading toward deep blue- maybe she hadn't slept long? Or maybe she'd slept for twenty five hours, who could say. Eventually, though, she sprang to her feet- hungry, but food could wait, for the shimmering surface of the lake had caught her eye, and off she went.
Before long, her boots were skidding to a halt as grass gave way to sand, and then that, too, gave way to the lapis surface of the lake itself.
"Hm…"
You seem to love showers, especially for a cat, or whatever Nara said. That's what she said, right?
Snorting, Lynx lifted her shirt over her head, glancing around only briefly as she kicked her boots off.
Moments later, she was holding her breath and snagging a funny-looking shell from the sand, kicking off, swimming deeper and forcing herself to hold back a giggle- if only for the sake of not drowning.
She wasn't sure how much time had passed when she finally breached the surface, staggering onto the beach and coughing with a number of shiny shells in her arms, and something that seemed like a pink diamond but must not have been; and then, spluttering, shoving wet hair out of her face, she found herself face to face with Alice and Nara who were decidedly drier and more clothed than herself.
"You two- look at all these shiny shells I found!" Lynx grinned wickedly, glancing down. "This thing looks like a diamond but it can't be right because surely they don't just leave gemstones in lakes that are so accessible? Or does Mir not care about gems- I saw some sold for high prices in Ravenwoo- unf!!" She grunted as Alice hugged her suddenly, violently, one of the shells falling off of her chest and into the sand. Albeit more slowly, Nara paced around and slowly hugged her from behind, sighing, trapping Lynx between the two of them, pushing her face into Lynx's shoulder blade and inhaling slowly.
"Hey-" Lynx huffed, wrinkling her nose. "What are you two doing, I'm all naked and wet and you're just- I just wanna show you these shinies I foun-"
"I love the shinies," Alice smiled, kissing Lynx's nose.
"Fox told us where you were going, is all," Nara smiled, voice soft. "So we wanted to come after you, and see the sights. Haru said she wants to take us on a proper tour, and show us more of Mir."
"Hell yeah," Lynx grinned, tail starting to flick about excitedly as best it could while pinned by the Pempan kitsune. "Let's do it! No more industrial candyland for now, this feels like something a kid would dream about! I feel like a kid!"
"Yeah you do," Alice nodded, smiling a bit wider with that same dreamy quality as before.
"Hey, careful-" Nara warned, smirking- Lynx could feel the twitch of the dark-haired girl's lips on her back, and sighed, opening her mouth and closing her eyes; the moment the world went dark, her entire world shrank to them; their scents, their souls… and after drinking that in for a long moment, she opened her eyes and looked up.
The stars… they were visible in Ravenwood too, but…
"There's no city lights," Lynx whispered, eyes closing slowly again.
"It is beautiful, here," Nara agreed, and Alice nuzzled deeper into Lynx's collar.
"Let's get back to the castle, and drop off these shinies of yours," The homunculus smiled, and Lynx chuckled lightly, nodding.
"Hey, Alice," Lynx raised an eyebrow as she started to clothe, not minding the drops of water still clinging to her body. "Earlier, I had a thought."
"You? A thought? Not today please," Alice sighed, looking down. "I don't want to fight for my life to save a drug addict from doom and despair," She added, and the snort that followed came from both Nara and Alice.
"Alice," Lynx pushed, a bit more serious now. "I haven't forgotten about your problem. I know it's been on the backburner for a while- but do you think there could be a doctor here in Mir that might be able to help you, for real?"
"Help me… get rid of that sludge for good?" Alice asked, angling her head.
"Yeah," Lynx nodded, and Alice stared at her, conflicting emotions dancing behind her eyes. "I get it; you're so used to this half existence, and lately we've had a million problems that were all more immediate- but do you think there might be a way?"
"I…" Alice trailed off, thinking as Nara stepped under Lynx's arm, the blonde now clothed, fastening her belt again. Nara's warmth against her side was a welcome reprieve from the chill, she noted silently.
"When I was growing up," Alice admitted, thoughtful, holding one arm with her other. "I always thought that I was going to get everyone around me, everyone I love, killed. I thought that when I met you too, but you're a little too stubborn to die, and… well, I guess. Outside of Ravenwood, I never really asked for help. Seems pretty silly, now."
"Then let's," Lynx grinned. "We can ask here and we can ask when we get to Pempa; maybe there's a god we can strike a deal with, or some really fancy healer."
For a moment, all three were silent; it was Nara to break the silence.
"Lynx is right," She began, smiling. "There may be a cure to your problem that falls outside of what you can find in your labs. If there is, we may as well try to find it."
Alice just stared for a while, eyes glassy, but eventually, she nodded.
"Yeah. Yeah, let's… let's ask. Would you… still want me, though, if I was whole? My… what if my personality changes? You've only been talking to half-"
"Shut the fuck up," Lynx laughed warmly, and Alice blinked rapidly, a tear sliding down her cheek as Lynx stepped forward, releasing the side hug with Nara and throwing her arms around Alice. "I love you. We'll find a way to help you," She added, and Alice shuddered, stiff.
"I…" Again, trailing off, but Lynx just held her, pushing a few streaks of snowy hair out of Alice's face; the orange dye was fading, she noticed, but still visible where she'd highlighted her locks.
"I guess," Alice continued softly, and now Nara was there, too, slowly hugging the homunculus from behind, mirroring the way they'd held Lynx. "I've grown so used to this whole… feeling, but it is terrifying, it, it fucking pulls at me, every time I rest I'm locked in that stupid lab again, and I…"
"Shhhh," Lynx whispered, slowly kissing Alice's forehead. "We will find a way- I promise. Now that we're not in constant danger of dying, and all that."
"Alice," Nara added, voice stiff, awkward. "I am… I may not be in love with you, but I have the utmost respect for you, and I would also be very happy, if we could find a way to save you from your misery. So um… I plan to help. We will find a way."
"I just… what if that's what I am, you know?" Alice asked worriedly, burying her face against Lynx's chest as if to hide. It should have been dark, but the starlight made the three seem almost to glow, and Lynx smiled.
"You mean, what if we fix this, and you end up as a pile of sludge again? Nah. I can smell souls now, or whatever- remember? You smell like campfires and love and smoke and hope and the kind of gooey marshmallows you only get from a bonfire smore," She laughed, shaking her head embarrassedly, cheeks flushing. "You might think like, shit, that might be what you are- but nah, I know a thing or two about sniffing out good people, and you're not some gross icky monster- not in any way that matters. So yeah, just- I'm rambling, sorry. We'll find a way for you."
"I hate you both," Alice smiled, closing her eyes, and both hugged her tighter. For just a moment, there was peace; the lake, the wind, the stars and three women finally allowed a mental reprieve. On the breeze, a stray leaf blew past; green and healthy, running over Nara's shoulder, then Alice's, before blowing up, bouncing off of Lynx's head and disappearing into the air over the lake.