Reaching Salvation: Post-Acer Part 4

"I guess." Erika replied, before focusing back on Elena.

"Elena, I swear that if you come down from this treeand are nicer to Joey that I'll sleep with you whenever you need me to." Erika said to the girl.

"Ok.." Joey said, although not totally convinced, would trust his wife. "But take it easy, ok, just in case."

Elena hesitantly climbed down from the tree, though still watching Joey suspiciously. "He's Joey, right?" she asked, pointing at said person.

"Yes." Erika replied.

Elena stepped closer to Joey. "I'm sorry I threw fruit at you even though you deserve it," she muttered.

Erika raised an eyebrow.

"Apology accepted, Elena." Joey said. "...But might I as what I did to deserve it?"

Elena frowned when she looked back at Erika, crossing her arms. "He does deserve it," she stated, blinking back tears. Why should she have to apologize to the jerk who stole Erika away from her?

Erika's face softened at the look on Elena's face. "Sweetie... please come here."

Elena hesitantly stepped closer to Erika, not sure if she was going to get punished for being defiant or what.

Erika started stroking the girl's hair. "You have some awful tangles in here..."

Sage smiled as she watched the group from a little while away. She was there just incase the tree went over or something...if she could do anything.

"Simon's not very good at combing my hair," Elena muttered defensively, flinching at the touch. She still retained some not-so-fun memories of the tournament and a hair brush.

"Hey!" Simon spoke up, but Erika didn't say anything accept smile. "Would you be alright with me brushign it for you. I promise I won't pull it out."

"It's true," Elena told Simon, before falling silent at Erika's proposition. She nodded slightly, biting her lip.

"Okay then." Erika put her hand out to Elena, an invitation for her to take it, but not if she didn't want to.

Elena found herself crying, before hugging Erika tightly. "It's not fair!" she whimpered into Erika's shoulder. "You just spend time with him anymore! It's not fair! I hate him, I hate him, I hate him!"

Erika sighed. She couldn't pick up Elena like usual but settled for holding her as the girl cried.

Elena continued to cry, slowly quieting down.

Sage meanwhile had moved away onto the other side of the village, quite a distance away and called upon her circle. She muttered some words in Latin and was instantly blown back, her right hand, the one holding her staff was burnt.

Of course, there was a sudden gust of wind, accompanied by the smell of smoke. When the magic user pushed herself up with her left hand, she saw her staff burn up. The fire that had surrounded it, also vanishing instead of blazing through the whole village.

"What the---ow!" She had tried to move her right hand, the palm of it had a first degree burn.

Luke had gotten up, roaming through the forest. He had left his sword back at the treehouse, but he had brought his staff. He was mostly useless without it, anyway.

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Tom suppressed a sigh when he saw Nathan. Someone was gonna have to snap him out of it, or he could get them killed.

"Maybe I should talk to him," he murmured to Heidi.

Heidi shrugged in reply. "Go for it," she added, not really knowing why Nathan needed snapped out of anything.

---

Kira remained still on the ground, her knees pulled up to chest, and her face buried in them.

Victoria found herself wandering, she didn't remember getting up however. The place she was seemed to be a woods...

"Who are you?" came a rather gruff voice from a bit behind Victoria.

Nathan gazed darkly off into the distance, he could feel the flow near them, and from using his Instant Aptitude he could see that all flow was... flowing in the direction of something as well as seemingly going the other way as well.