Arianrhod

After Adonis and Avid [dispose of the horse-pyre ashes], Totter steps out of the woods with a tall, beautiful woman, the same one Robin glimpsed in a tree before. She addresses Adonis. "Thank you, son of my sister. I could not show myself to be helping you in the face of your grandmother's displeasure, but I have protected this place from the approaching outsiders. I am Arianrhod."

Adonis moves toward her obliquely, not exactly as if wary of her. Someone with a slightly suspicious outlook and a grasp of spacial awareness might surmise he was trying to keep Avid in the corner of his eye as he salutes his newfound aunt.

"Greetings, Arianrhod!" [Khairetiosmoi Arianrhod!] he replies formally in Arcadian before switching to Thari for the benefit of Robin. "We thank you for your aid at this time. I have but recently met another of Mater's sisters and am pleased to make acquaintance of another of our pantheon, even leaving aside our current circumstances." If he's wondering how many more aunts are going to crawl out of the woodwork, he gives no sign of it.

He gestures down into the gorge. "I was unaware that grandmother bore us any enmity; Mater has always spoken of Leto with some affection."

"Would that your grandmother were still Leto, you would be safer. But she has taken on an aspect less favorable to Artemisi. Your mother had thwarted your grandmother's will for some time, and it has only recently come to light.

"War comes to Arcadia, and will spill out to the detriment of the people of Arden. I led these Rangers away from the approach of Maeneds who were under the influence of your mother's sister Calliste."

Adonis' eyes narrow. Presumably this is news of the bad variety.

She looks at him, and her eyes are piercing. "For all that your mother took unfair advantage of a situation, I fear the Callistae will destroy our heritage in her quest for justice."

Robin's head snaps around as she hears the sound of footsteps entering the clearing, but there is no disguising the pleasure and relief that light her eyes at the sight of Totter. The Ranger flashes a quick status-check signal to her friend.

As the woman speaks to Adonis, Robin mentally upgrades Arianrhod in her own mind from 'dryad-thing' to 'play nice with' and she nods in respectful acknowledgement of the Goddess' presence. Arianrhod's words though, they bring a thoughtful gaze to Robin's eyes as she looks around the clearing again.

Hunh. If this clearing is all the 'protected' space they have, then Robin better use it well. She starts calculating the water she and her fellows are carrying in their canteens and how much Dragon spore they can wash off with it. Otherwise, while still paying attention, she lets the Arcadians carry on their greeting rituals without butting in.

Water rations are tight, unless the enemies fallen have some.

Right! Well, what one has is what one has. With a couple of finger flickers, Robin stands Totter and Rain to guard and asks Levet and Avid to gather up what canteens they can find.

Keeping her eyes on Arianrhod and Adonis, Robin slips her canteen off its belt hook and, holding it under one arm, begins stripping the gauntlet off of her numb arm.

Robin's arm is quite tender but does not seem to have taken more damage than severe bruising. At a guess, it will be better not to use the hand for a few days. Robin will just have to fight with her off hand for a bit.

Adonis seems to be paying the rangers little attention, though somehow, even as he muses thoughtfully, they're never out of the corner of his eye. After spending some time gazing at the ground in introspective thought...

"Do the Titanoi still dream of war against the Olympians?" he asks, rhetorically, "Or is this something personal?" He shrugs." Whatever! Mater is of dual heritage and has ever kept aloof from the politics of Olympus since her sundering from the Skyfather. That Lil...Leto has allied herself with...Calliste grieves me but I know of no reason for it. Neither am I aware of any 'situation' or advantage taken thereof. Perhaps you may enlighten my ignorance?"

[Just so you know, Adonis regards Leto as a member of the Titans, a more ancient bunch of gods duffed over and partially asimilated by the 'Olympians' led by Zeus/Dyaus [?Finndo?], AKA the Skyfather. As Artemis, and presumably her sisters, were born of the union of Zeus and Leto, they can all rightly be regarded as 'dual heritage', ditto their brother, Apollo, but unlike the other 2 of the pantheon that Daeon has met, Thanatos and Dionysos, who are both pure Olympians. How this links in with Amber, et al, is anyone's guess. Of course, if Calliste and Arianrhod were not fathered by Zeus/Dyaus, then they might be of pure Titan blood, though it's hard to be sure as Leto certainly put herself about in all her aspects.

He is aware of some of Leto's other aspects and almost mentioned the one he thought might be the 'aspect less favorable' but then reverted to the technically incorrect 'Leto' to a) maintain the overall Grecian aesthetic of the conversation and b) avoid the risk of calling this aspect by name in case she paid a visit. Since Adonis has never met any of Artemis' sisters aside from Calliste and has only just heard even her name for the first time, he has no way of knowing if Arianrhod understands all this but his near slip over Leto's name was a deliberate signal of his suspicions.]

The woman who calls herself Daeon's aunt sit crosslegged on the ground.

Adonis remains standing. Something tells him it's not the time to get comfortable. Seemingly struck by some vague paranoia, he suddenly glances around the glade, both at ground and tree level. Robin may briefly note the similarity to some wild animal. He listens for a second and sniffs the air before returning his attention to Arianrhod. [I assume he hears or sees nothing to either allay or confirm his fears.]

[nope]

"It is complex, son of my sister. Arcadia was once a wilder place than it is now, and in those days your mother's mother and your father warred incessantly. You and your sister changed the balance, and a new equlibrium was established, with your mother's mother entering a less-active stage and my sisters and I being barred from Arcadia.

"Not all of my sisters took this well. And your sister's death again altered the balance."

Adonis gives no sign of having noted the use of the plural. He regards his aunt thoughtfully. "Arianrhod, my aunt! I have no way of knowing the truth of what you say; I am old but far from ancient and you speak of matters before my time. If you have been kept from anything that is rightfully yours then I sorrow but there is little I can do to rectify the hurt. As I understand these things, my mother and I are battling to save our very existence.

"I have dreamt of fire in the forest, vast sheets of flame. Forest fires are a fact of nature and trees may grow again; it may yet be better than many alternatives, from my experience of the last hour. But yet if you have anything to offer that may avert evil to all, please speak on."

[Adonis raises his voice for the latter, obviously intending the rangers to hear him clearly. Totter alone, as a veteran of the AEF, knows Adonis has heard the rangers speaking of the burning of Garnath and so knows that Adonis must understand how they feel about the thought of burning Arden.]

Robin's lips cock in wry irony at the mention of dreams of fire, but at the same time her eyes go far away. With a brief shiver, she brings herself back to the here and now.

There comes the sound of fabric ripping as Robin tears of a less spattered sleeve. Carefully conserving the water, she dampens the cloth and proceeds to quickly scrub as much of the horse's blood off of her exposed skin as possible. She indicates for Levet and Avid to do the same.

[I'm hoping that since Rain was on barbecue duty, she isn't spattered much or at all.]

As the Rangers scrub up, Arianrhod continues her conversation with Adonis. She is observing their work, too, but makes no move to interfere. Instead, she takes up twigs and grass and begins weaving them together.

"Your mother's quarrel with Calliste might be mortal, but I do not wish it to be so, nor do my other sisters. I will think on how to aid you in reconciling them, and you must think on how you might bring them back to sisterly love. But now I must leave, before my presence here is noted."

"If Calliste is the one I have met before, then I may know of one thing that might reconcile them." Without warning, Adonis switches into Arcadian. "Your sister's unborn children share with me a sire. She thinks they are a weapon but, like myself, their true natures may surprise their mother, and my own continued existence bought their conception so things may not go as she intends. Yet any reconciliation must depend on these goddesses willingness to accept each other and I have some doubts on this." He smiles apologetically, returning to Thari. "Gods are nothing if not dogmatic. But is not Leto the greater problem? Are not she and Calliste allied in this?"

She looks to Adonis and then to Robin. "I will leave you with a token by which you can contact me as long as you are within the great forest. Which of you would bear it?"

Adonis doesn't hesitate a second: "I must bear it for now!" He says in Arcadian. Something about how quickly he speaks might tell a highish water that he doubts Robin is at all the right person to carry such a thing - for many reasons.

At Adonis' outburst in Arcadian, one green eye peaks over the now-rag toward Arianrhod. With a casual toss, Robin send the sleeve chasm-ward and strolls the few feet to where the Arcadians are talking.

"Ma'am." She says with a polite nod before lowering herself to rest in a casual crouch, one knee on the ground, her eyes even in height with Arianrhod's. "Thank you for the warnings and the..." Robin gestures around the grove, unsure exactly what to call the havening of the place. A wry smile dances across her lips.

"And I sure don't want to keep you if She is sniffing around. But if you have the time for two questions, I'd appreciate it. One, do you know the mechanism for your mother's... displeasure? And how I can safeguard my men from it? And two, when Artemis invaded Arden to retrieve her son," the Ranger nods toward Adonis, "the Maenads that followed her -- were they backing her up? Or hunting her?"

[Arianrhod]
"She awakens and the forest, even the outer forest, will be a more dangerous place while she is active.

"Of the second I have no knowledge, but presume the former, for her children can wield some of the power of the dragon with no regard to the wishes of our mother. If it was not very recent, it might also have been before she awoke."

"As for bearing this," Robin gestures to the weaving, "I guess, we have to decide right now, Adonis."

Those green eyes look up at the Arcadian and soften somewhat. She stands dusting her thighs off. "Look, mon frere, I... we're" she gestures toward the other Rangers, "in dangerous hostile territory here. I don't have the time or the luxury to do a whole lot of negotiating and explaining. I would really like it if you stayed with us. We could certainly use a native guide. And I would... like to get to know you." A brief sparkle of laughter runs through the girl's eyes.

"But I can't do things your way here. I just can't."

Adonis' eyes also sparkle in answer to hers and a smile just glimmers, which remains even as Robin's fades.

Robin's gaze drop to the grass sadly. "Too much is on the line.

Her gaze comes back up sharp and clear. "So if we stay together, I make the calls. Though, I pro--" Robin chokes briefly on the word, she still can't use it, "I'll listen and I'll do what I can to meet your priorities. I will.

"Either way," Robin holds her hand out to Arianrhod for the token, "I figure I'm easier for you to find in here, Adonis, than the other way around." She finished with wry half-smile. She's obviously not used to that.

"I am the elder, Robin. You forget yourself." Adonis' face and voice are utterly emotionless. For a brief moment he sounds exactly like his father. But then his voice softens just enough to indicate a trace of wistfulness. "I also would wish to go with you but you make it clear with every word that this cannot be. Your first loyalties are to Arden and its warden, which is as it should be, but I must balance my loyalties to both my father and my mother. Until you show some capability of acceptance of things other than as you would have them, we cannot walk the same path and it would be dangerous to both of us to try.

"I will not leave wounded here to face our opponents, whatever their crimes and we have no evidence that they are guilty of anything more than being in the way of the Gods. We have seen what my grandmother can do to horses and I suspect she can do the same to men. I would not wish that fate upon them; neither would I want to face them in battle after. So I will do what I can to provide succour, even should all efforts be doomed to failure.

"As to this token: its purpose is to serve as an artefact of liaison between my aunt, here, and her sisters. Can you honestly tell me you intend to speak with Artemis with all despatch? Or with Calliste at all? Will you swear this on the love you bear my father? You whom, unless I am mistaken, have never set foot in Arcadia? I know you, Robin; I might be wrong but I doubt that you are my sister, and I do not think it a good thing, for anyone, that you have this. Am I understood?"

Arianrhod watches the exchange, but says nothing.

Green fire flares behind Robin's eyes and her left fist clenches. The girl flushes red and practically vibrates with anger for a split second. Then her nostrils flare as she gulps a huge breath of air into her lungs and she visibly struggles to calm down.

"Oh yeah. You're understood. But I've got two -- no wait, three bits of intell for ya, Nature Boy. #1 - Duh! I'm not Dione. Never have been, never will be, so you can just shove your 'eldest' right back up the hole it came from. #2 - Since the token's is Arianrhod's -- she's probably the one that knows what it's for and at this point, it's obvious that she's going to be the one to choose if either of us carry it. #3 - You are not nearly as telepathic as you think you are so why don't you just keep your f*cking tongue off of my loyalties, K? Oh, and #4 - You are SO LIKE J'RIM it's f*cking hysterical. 'Cept he's more subtle. And #5 - Since this is probably the worst possible time and place, I'll hold off. But when we meet in calmer, happier times I am going to mop the floor with you! Cause I'm not the solo stubborn idiot in this conversation. You stubborn idiot!"

"Excuse the outburst, ma'am." Robin nods a little shamefacedly to Arianrhod.

Adonis isn't Julian, so despite his manful effort to control his emotions, the barest glimmer of an amused smile seeps to the surface, most notably at the 'f*cking tongue' phrase. [He's never studied Freud but he knows a slip when he hears one. ;-)]

"It was not my intention to be subtle, Robin; under the circumstances, it seemed wiser. But I feel you are entirely correct in all your points, including those stated covertly. When times are happier and calmer, I hope you will be gentle with me for you are not the only one who would wish us better acquainted." His smile broadens and for a second Robin might think he's taking the mickey but there's no mockery in the tone of his voice and the smile is genuine. "But for the moment, I trust our disagreement will not prevent you conveying my love and respect to my father?"

And though his eyes remain on Robin, Adonis is waiting for Arianrhod.

"Hell NO!" She hisses, "I fully intend to tell him that you are healthy, happy, snotty, condescending and as much a dangerous idiotic twit as ever! And now Mr. I-Know-Ever-So-Much-About-What's-Going-On I do have a man to see to. And it ain't you, Center of the Universe-san."

Robin mantles fiercely at Adonis, and then snorting turns away. A series of gestures, made sharp and jerky by anger, tell her team to gather for travel.

Robin probably hears his sigh, but does not see the fond, if troubled, smile. Once she's well into organising her people, he settles down on his haunches alongside Arianrhod and asks a question that is apparently worrying him. "I never met her before today; what do you make of her?"

She smiles, wanly. "It pains me to see the contentiousness of another generation, son of my sister." She holds out the woven bracelet to Adonis.

[Assuming he takes it.]

[Humblest apologies - I omitted to make it clear that Adonis does take it - when he has time, he'll make a lanyard from grass, bark, etc, to sling it over his shoulder. He has no idea how it worls but clearly assumes this will come naturally]

"She feels threatened," he observes quietly in Arcadian, "things may feel more comfortable when we know each other better."

She quickly weaves another in the same fashion. "Cousin!", Arianrhod says, loudly. "We will all have to leave quickly when I stop protecting this place. I also have a token for you."

At Arianrhod's words, Adonis hurls himself back into preparing his charges for travel. He prepares an indian litter for each from the surrounding woody materials, lashing branches together with strips of bark. Each man being lashed in place in a manner that best suits his injuries. Each letter is then attached to a horse. [I've a feeling that Adonis will be forced to kill the man with a broken back - this he will do using the vagus pressure point in his neck, a quick and probably least painful way to kill him. He doesn't want to but he can't be left for the Old Dragon.]

Robin looks back from where she was thinking about trails out into the forest beyond the shadow. For a moment, a scurry of emotions flicker behind her eyes; surprise, wariness, embarrassment... but she walks back over to Arianrhod and accepts the token. Gingerly she places it over her right wrist.

"Uh, thank you, ma'am. We're ready." The girl drops her gaze moment. "Didn't mean to hurt you, ma'am." She murmurs to the ground in about as close to an apology as Robin can get.

"Oh, and Adonis?" Still talking to the ground. "When you get done rescuing your enemies and balancing your loyalties, you... you might want to take a walk up to the Castle and have a talk with Paige. 'Cause," those green eyes peep over to her annoying aggravating brother, "it's really really important."

"Yes! It is!" He replies grimly. He stops work for a second as sudden thought strikes him and looks at the ranger questioningly. "Did Pater tell you to say that?" He sounds doubtful.

Robin's eyes wander up to the tree-tops, perhaps ever so slightly guiltily. "Uh, Dad... doesn't know I'm here. Well," she clarifies quickly as she looks back over to Adonis, "he probably knows by now. But he didn't send me."

Adonis opens his mouth to say something, but then thinks better of it and returns to his work. He seems serious. Someone who knows him well might recognise the signs of hard thinking.

Arianrhod does not pay attention to their conversation, but says "Tell me when you are ready to depart, son of my sister. You must leave this clearing posthaste when I release my concealment. There will be a ... noticeable effect."

Knowing haste is of the essence, he hurries, but not to the point of cutting corners. Soon he's ready, two bridles in each hand, each horse pulling a litter bearing a wounded man strapped as comfortably as possible and following them 3 more horses lashed up to the front 4, each also with one litter. The horses still bear all their tackle, including saddlebags. He glances to Robin to make sure they're ready and then nods to Arianrhod.

His plan is to backtrack to Arcadia but his route will have to be more circuitous due to the litters being less able to accomodate tricky terrain.

As Adonis gets on with his work, Robin examines the forest/ravine border on both sides of the clearing. There's a lot of Arcadia out there and one Ranger to find somewhere in it. The girl figures her best bet might be to parallel the ravine for a while to see if she can pick up the 'wild men's' trail once more. And if not that, at least maybe she can find a quick running stream that empties out into the river at its base where she and her team can clean up.

Either way, she figures no more distractions; no fun little tussels with mounted cavalry, no aggravating wing-binding brothers, no baby-snatching. It's time -- and past time -- to go straight for the goal.

Arianrhod watches the proceedings and when everyone looks ready, she nods, raises her hands in the air and issues a great shout. The light in the clearing flickers and the shadows seem odd and a moment later she says "it is broken. Go, now!" With three lithe steps she reaches the edge of the woods and leaps into the trees. She does not slow down but is soon out of sight.

With a click of the toungue and a silent prayer to Mum for a safe journey, Adonis leads 7 horses toward Arcadia.

Robin takes one step toward the upstream border between the forest and the chasm before she stops, quivering and red-faced with anger. Oh-so-reluctantly her green eyes turn back towards where her idiot brother is leading seven litters one slow step at a time out of the clearing. And into the area formerly occupied by mounted horn-blowing cavalry with supporting archery fire.

[Point of order - I don't think he can be going towards where the cavalry were coming from 'cos he's going toward Arcadia, which is not where they came from [I'm sure I'd have been told if he recognised them]. IIRC, Adonis entered the glade at roughly right angles to everyone else and must be leaving in approximately the same direction.]

[Robin's just thinking that in the time they had their initial fight and subsequent spat :) any decent horn-blowing cavalry types would have the entire clearing surrounded. But that's just Robin's assumption, not a fact of the world. :) And we've already seen how very accurate she can be in some of her assumptions. <laugh>]

"Shit. Shit, shit, SHIT!" She hisses to herself. Her voice becomes harsh with frustration as she clips out a new set of suggestions. "Rain, Levet. See if you can take the back three. Avid, Totter - wing. Stay in sight."

Feet pounding and face twisted in extreme irritation she overtakes Adonis. "Not one f*cking word, Nature Boy! Just point the direction you want me to push!" Robin's got the power of her heritage burning along her veins and she's using it to hopefully avoid any big concentrations of aforementioned horn-blowing cavalry with supporting fire.

Adonis shows no sign of exertion, evidently the horses are doing all the pulling without his help and he's just holding the bridles to direct them. Without pausing a step or even giving her a glance, he shakes his head. "I have already said we will not walk together, Robin, and you have admitted that Pater has not given his permission for your presence here. You have insulted me grossly in front of my kin and before your people and continue to do so; Pater deservedly killed two of my relations for a like offence. You are not welcome in Arcadia at this time."

Then, still without stopping, he turns that intensity of gaze upon her as a 'thought' occurs, dropping his voice so only she hears. "I do not recall giving my permission for your people to interfere with the traces. However, I appreciate the concern that lies behind this and I shall forget this further transgression if you will take some or all of the wounded and swear on the love you bare Arden's Warden that you will see them safely to Pater's camp in Arden. They will be safer there than in Arcadia."

His eyebrow rises in invitation but something about his tone of voice and the set of his shoulders makes it clear he's expecting another tirade centred around the word 'no'.

The Ranger glares briefly, then chuckles grimly and shakes her head, in a very Robin-esque mix of negation, baffled astonishment, and perhaps some form of rueful enlightenment.

"You can say what you want, Nature Boy. But you aren't the boss of me and where I walk. Beeeeeccccaause, Adonis," there's a lot of sweet sarcasm on that, "until you pick up your stones and throw, you're just a Shadow God of a Shadow world to me. And I don't answer to those. You decide to 'balance your loyalties' a little less 99% mommy and 1% Pater, then maybe, I'll extend you Family courtesy. And maybe then you can kick my ass." She grins wickedly at him. "But until such time, I'm the boss of me when we meet. Every time.

"Now I, for whatever stoooopid reason, happen to give a damn about you. And since you've claimed these..." she gestures back to the litters, "as part of you. And they're binding your wings when you really, really need to fly, I'm taking an interest. But I still don't care..." a thoughtful look goes through the girl's sparking green eyes, "Though I supposed you might want to ask one of the more conscious ones some pointed questions about how many friends they have out there and why they were pouncing on your man so dramatically. 'Course," she shrugs, "that'd be up to you. Because they're your kill, not mine."

"Fuuuurrrthermore. Duh! Of course, I'm not welcome in Arcadia. From the moment I put my delicate little boot in here, I've been hunted by Maenads and visited with the Big D's displeasure. Why do you think I'm ssssooooo eager to rush off to see your Mom and her sisters? Who knows what kind of fun they have in mind for me? But I'll bet you, it won't be 'negotiation.'" She sings the last word sarcastically.

"Brothers!" is Robin's final pronouncement as she pulls ahead into a forward point position.

Where she quickly finds she's walking by herself as Adonis brings all seven horses to a halt. It's not that easy to do this quickly, it takes a few yards and as many seconds but any driver should be impressed at his control. If any horses are untied, anyone trying to lead them finds they don't want to move.

[Presuming at some point Robin turns around.] Adonis wears an expression of serene patience as he fondles a horse's muzzle. He seems again to be thinking deeply. Once he sees her look his way...

"Robin, I am not prepared to entertain a contest of wills. As you have observed, we are both stubborn and of limited intellect compared to our Elders and I am very much afraid my Grandmother will catch us if we tarry further. However, I am not prepared to walk any further with you.

"I do not presume to tell you where to go but I cannot risk you entering Arcadia because of the damage you will do to my home and because I do not wish again to bring news to Pater of the death of a daughter; he cares deeply for all his children, but especially for his daughters and I am sure he sees you as such.

"As to balance, I think you might best ask Pater his thoughts on the matter. For my part, I wish he had warned you against going anywhere near Arcadia. When I see him next I shall ask him to formally bar you from approaching the borders of my home.

Adonis is suddenly genuinely distressed. "In Arcadia you would do so much damage before you were killed; my home is already vulnerable and I am sick of death. I do not want to see someone close to Pater and I needlessly slain; I will not be able to protect you as I would wish. There are things far worse than Maenads.

He pulls himself together and once again is serenely unemotional. "Arcadia is far from 'just' a 'shadow' and its fall will severely damage Arden, with which it is intimately linked. Furthermore, I may be just a poor 'shadow' god but I am also family and I think you will find Pater will agree that it is considered poor manners to enter the home shadow of one of our family when asked not to.

"What you are doing now will most probably destroy Arcadia, my mother and myself. But it will also destroy you and is likely to hurt Arden and Pater. I suggest you consult him before proceeding further. He needs you with him to prevent Arcadia's imminent fall from overwhelming Arden. If you love him, you will not do this to him."

As Robin and Adonis have stood there arguing, a cool wind has started to pick up, coming from Arcadia. It is not abnormally or unseasonably cold, but noticeably cool.

Avid signs to Robin, to get her attention. The hand signs say "old trail".

As the wind flows around her, Robin turns her head into the coiling breeze, an odd smile on her face, her glimmering eyes half-closed for a moment. "Mmmm... death approaching," she murmurs to herself in a very quiet and almost sensuous whisper.

Adonis taughtens and looks into the breeze as the wind blows over him but at Robin's words drops his head and raises an eyebrow. Somehow the gesture conveys that he's at last sussed out something about the girl before him and he doesn't like it...at all!

"Huhn, Adonis." She blows her breath out as she looks back to her brother. "You know? You're almost sweet when you're not being a pompous git." There's a bright sparkle of fond humor to her eyes. "Did you ever think that I might not want to carry word back to 'Pater' that I stood by and watched as my brother immolated himself uselessly before my eyes?

The Ranger claps her hands together and gets down to business.

"K. Seriously? Yeah, I know I'm a spark in the deadfall. And while I may have my wings turned to a holocaust, I'll admit that other people might not want that and there's certainly no reason to trash Arcadia just 'cause I've got my panties in a bunch." Robin shrugs regretfully, a flat line to her mouth.

Without really changing his expression of implacable dislike, a few rapid blinks might make someone not completely obtuse think [Adonis is] having some trouble parsing idiomatic Thari.

Then [Robin] turns glimmering pleading eyes to the man with the horses. "But please, Adonis, please. What you have to... what I really, really wish I could get across to you is that you are a spark too. Your presence and the presence of your children is unbalancing Arcadia's nature to the point of explosion.

"And that's what I came here to try and, well... at least slow down. Now maybe, just maybe, if you're fast and stay on target it's possible for you to walk in there where I'd just set up flame after fire after explosion. Soooo here's a suggestion before we start the war, right here, right now, ground zero." The Ranger stamps her boot playfully and pointedly on the forest floor where they both stand -- Arden and Arcadia stupidly locked in a contest of pride.

"I take your stupid horsies and your wounded whatevers -- and yes I treat them nicely -- to a neutral corner. You stay light, stay fast, and don't get involved in anything else -- no negotiations, no carrying word to Mommy, no divine duties -- and find Breeze and any others of Arden that might have been pulled out of her. Maybe take one of the guys with you?" She gestures to the Rangers around them. "You bring my friends to said neutral corner in say, 3 days?, so I can assure myself of their freedom.

"And then we decide if we still want to punch each other's lights out or not." She grins. "Whaddaya say?"

"I have no desire to fight you, Robin. If I had we would not be talking now."

The girl shrugs one shoulder sympathetically. She can certainly understand that position.

Adonis looks all around, including up into the air and the trees as if searching for something. His expression is serious, determined but otherwise unreadable as he continues the conversation.

"I confess I find your idiom near incomprehensible but if I understand you correctly: I am not to inform Mater that her mother has entered the field against both Arcadia and Arden; neither am I to advise her of her sisters' desire for peace. And in return you will take the wounded and care for them while I collect your renegades? Mmm!"

Robin blinks a little in surprise. Interesting take, but well yeah. That is what she asked. Though an odd little smile dances across her face at the thought of Adonis meeting her 'renegades.' Might do the guy some good.

"You can send messages to Mommy if you want." Robin allows. "I ain't trying to throw some big conspiracy down on you." A wince crosses Robin face. Yep, she's upset. She's all idiomanic. Luckily she hasn't reached squawking and chirping phase yet. "Just please don't tarry." Better -- actual Thari.

He muses, obviously working out if this constitutes something he can work with. Then he shrugs, perhaps it's the best he can expect from this unreasonable wench. At least it keeps her out of Arcadia.

He sighs resignedly. "Very well! If it is the only way to be rid of you and assure the care of the injured, how can I refuse? But if I am to 'stay light' and 'stay fast', I cannot be hampered by your 'guys', all of whom I suspect you may need, wherever you go. We will meet at the third dusk from now at this spot - alas I do not know Arden as well as you and I know of no 'neutral' corners, so we must make the best of the situation. I promise I will bring at least one of your rangers with me. I cannot guarantee more but I take it at least one is the excuse for this charade."

Robin laughs, thinking of games other than charades that this bears more resemblance to. "Works for me. The trail of the guys my man went with is that way." She nods to where Avid signaled from.

And with a sigh, tries to become a little less manic. "Thank you, Adonis." She says clearly, carefully and sincerely.

Adonis, with equal sincerity and care, does not respond.

Adonis pays a fond farewell to each horse, singing gently into the ear, before turning and walking directly into the woods. He vanishes almost immediately and without a sound.

"Dung," the girl curses under her breath as she watches her brother walk away with a sad shake of her head. Then looks back to her team with a rueful chuckle. "Guy definitely brings out the best in me." An ironic smile pulls at one corner of her mouth.

"K. Let's get these boys out of here as fast as we can without bunging 'em up irreparably. Rain, Levet, Avid? Think you can handle two each? Totter, overwatch."

The rangers take up positions as requested.

Robin approaches the horses with a smile. "Heeeey, ladies." Friendly voice, happy eyes, playful girl. "What say we take a brisk walk away from all this unpleasantess?" She chuckles warmly. With her good arm, Robin pats and rubs the horses' necks and noses.

Tying the reins of the last horse safely around the pommel of its saddle, Robin whickers a little come-along and starts trotting Arden-ward.