[12:17 PM]sketti | Eben 🕶 + Isi 🍁:

"I guess that makes sense, but it really feels like they have more than enough here to give everyone a bit more time... I dunno, it's probably for a reason"

Isi shrugged and smiled at Taisto's question. "I think I'm a faun! I've never met another one" she replied. "What are you?" She asked, just as eagerly.

@Twig | Taisto + Yuga

[12:22 PM]Twig | Taisto + Yuga:

Taisto nodded. "I think it's just a safety measure. If their stock got damaged or something, the less some guests have feasted on them, the better, yeah? Or something like that." He shrugged.

"Ooh, I see, a faun", Taisto nodded a few times, intrigued, but some of the excitement in his eyes faded.

"I'm a haltia, guardian spirit! My ward is my forest."

@sketti | Eben 🕶 + Isi 🍁

[4:54 AM]sketti | Eben 🕶 + Isi 🍁:

Their ears perked up. "Haltia? I've never met one of those- considering how much time I spend in forests, maybe that's abnormal but now I've met you- that's so cool! "

@Twig | Taisto + Yuga

[5:19 AM]Twig | Taisto + Yuga:

Taisto nodded and smiled sadly.

"No, it's unfortunately true that there's very few of us anymore... I haven't met another haltia in about twenty years." He let out a laugh. Though it wasn't funny.

"However! It doesn't necessarily mean that there aren't haltia even when you don't see them. We are spirits, after all, and we can look almost like anything. As guardian spirits we often inhabit our ward, so if one were to for example, guard a grove or a certain rock, they might just spend most of their time unseen, sitting in that rock or in the overall space of the grove. I'm a very corporeal haltia, I always have my physical form, though I can shift through various shapes", Taisto explained, and his tail swayed. "I've never met a faun before, that's also really cool!" He smiled. @sketti | Eben 🕶 + Isi 🍁

[5:43 AM]sketti | Eben 🕶 + Isi 🍁:

Isi listened to his explanation attentively. "Being a Haltia sounds really nice. I hope you can find another one soon, I imagine it can get lonely" she replied.

"I've never met another one, but I really love seeing other not-thar-human people here, it makes me feel less out of place, y'know?"

@Twig | Taisto + Yuga

[9:55 AM]Twig | Taisto + Yuga:

"It is... nice, yeah", Taisto smiled his melancholy smile, and his ears shifted ever-so-slightly back. "It gets really lonely, yeah... That's part of why I came here, hoping I wasn't the only haltia that got invited. I've also been excited to meet nonhumans, heh, I've been hoping one of them would be a haltia, although even the most human-looking ones could be haltia too. But how come you've never met another faun before? Were you adopted?"

[9:55 AM]Twig | Taisto + Yuga:

@sketti | Eben 🕶 + Isi 🍁

[6:56 PM]sketti | Eben 🕶 + Isi 🍁:

Isi's ears drooped a little when she heard his reasoning, understanding too well

They shrugged. "I just woke up one day like this in a forest, about two years ago I think? I couldn't even walk properly at first, so I assume I wasn't always a faun, I dunno. There wasn't anyone nearby when I woke up. Not anyone nice, anyway." she replied.

@Twig | Taisto + Yuga

[5:56 AM]Twig | Taisto + Yuga:

Taisto blinked, and stared at Isi a bit baffled.

"You're two years old?!" Then he picked up all that Isi had said. "Ah... so you mean you think someone has cursed you...?" He tilted his head. "Who was there when you woke up?"

@sketti | Eben 🕶 + Isi 🍁

[6:10 AM]sketti | Eben 🕶 + Isi 🍁:

"oh, no! I'm older, definitely- I mean when I made it back out into cities and stuff I knew things, just not how or where I learned them." They paused.

"I don't think it's a curse. I mean, aside from humans thinking it's weird, there's not really a downside to being a faun at all" they replied, smiling.

At Taistos last question, her face changed as if she'd just smelled something bad or tasted something sour. "Hunters, I think. They had this big van and guns, they were just hanging out on the road near where I woke up, for some reason. They didn't look happy to see me, but they did help me figure out I could talk to animals, since there's no way I would've taken them all on myself" they told him, lightening up a little.

She looked back at Taisto. "Where you born a Haltia? What are the other ones like?"

@Twig | Taisto + Yuga

[7:25 AM]Twig | Taisto + Yuga:

"I see... that's certainly interesting." Taisto folded his arm across his lower ribs, and rested his other elbow on the arm, holding his chin in his hand, pondering.

He frowned, and his ears pointed back when he heard about the hunters. He let out a quiet growl. Then, he brightened up a bit. "Oh? You asked other animals to beat them up?" he chuckled lightly.

"Yes, I was. 'Born' might be the wrong term, since I'm not exactly sure if I even had a physical form when I came to this world. But yes, my parents were haltia as well", he smiled softly.

"Well... the ones I've met were my parents, and my father's sister and brother. I don't really remember my parents, they died when I was really little. They still are in my forest. They are giant dead trees, standing where a stream runs into the lake. My mother is a birch and my father is an oak. They were forest guardians like me.

"I was raised by my aunt and uncle, who were wolf guardians, and I lived in their pack for about ten years. That's why wolf is my most comfortable form even to this day. My aunt Surma was kind of mean-spirited?" He chuckled a bit. "She wasn't like mean to me, but she certainly hated humans, and she was more aggressive and short-tempered of the siblings. My uncle Huhta was calmer and more cautious. He didn't like humans either, but he did his best to refrain any of the wolves or Surma from harming humans, pets, or livestock, which... diiidn't always work out. They both took care of their pack to the best of their ability, and that included me, anyway. Their basic appearance was that of a wolf, but they could also shift into a more humanoid form. Though, heh, Surma never wanted to look too human. She resembled more like werewolf if she needed hands for anything. I learned my basic shapeshifting skills from them, but my first humanoid form wasn't that great either." @sketti | Eben 🕶 + Isi 🍁

[9:24 AM]sketti | Eben 🕶 + Isi 🍁:

Isi laughed at Taisto's question. "Something like that! They helped me out. Although I did have something stuck in my hoof for a while, I think it was a bone bit but it could've been a tooth. Got it out eventually though!" She over-explained, looking a little embarrassed or ashamed after, that stuff was usually TMI, right?

In any case, they were happy to let the topic change to Taistos history. They found it fascinating how Taisto described his parents, and although she didn't get along with wolves particularly well usually, but was clearly glad Taisto was raised by good wolf-haltia-guardians.

"It's so cool that you guys can change forms. I always wondered what it might be like to go full deer" they replied.

@Twig | Taisto + Yuga

[9:34 AM]Twig | Taisto + Yuga:

"Ooh, owch, that sounds nasty", Taisto chuckled with a sympathetic grimace. He... kind of seemed to miss the brutality of the statement. "Glad you got it out!"

"Yes, most of us can, I think. As a forest guardian, I have a lot more room to shift forms since there's more creatures I take care of and am in control of, so ye, but others can shift at leas a little bit, usually to hide from humans or to specifically communicate with humans", Taisto nodded. "Deer are cool! We talked a little about them with Glass earlier, when I was wondering which animal form I should learn next, and she said I should try deer. They are very sweet. I could maybe help you with that if we were in my forest, but here I don't have that sort of power over others", he smiled apologetically. @sketti | Eben 🕶 + Isi 🍁

[5:12 AM]sketti | Eben 🕶 + Isi 🍁:

"that's okay. If you wear to be a deer though, I think I could maybe still communicate with you? Maybe even better than in human form, seems to happen with me and deer" she shrugged. "Maybe I'll get to visit your forest sometime!"

@Twig | Taisto + Yuga

[5:18 AM]Twig | Taisto + Yuga:

"Probably! I can also speak human languages while in other forms. I share some level of connection with all creatures in my forest and can communicate with them more or less, but I'd still have to study deer a lot before I'd be fluent in their 'language'", Taisto smiled.

"You would be very welcomed to my forest! Getting there would be the trickier part. People in my country tend to be kind of prejudiced towards animal-looking people." Taisto's ears shifted lower and he tilted his head slightly, an apologetic look on his face. @sketti | Eben 🕶 + Isi 🍁

[7:00 AM]sketti | Eben 🕶 + Isi 🍁:

"no different than people here then, right?" Isi shrugged. "But I get it, id still love to see it if I ever end up in the area" they smiled, then frowned. "Wait, when do you have to leave?"

@Twig | Taisto + Yuga

[7:07 AM]Twig | Taisto + Yuga:

"Have people been mean to you here?" Taisto frowned. "Don't take that to heart. My country has a... complicated history with haltia, so you would probably have to prove you're not one, or something. I'm not sure. But if you ever go to Elkland, do go to Ulvskog forest. If you do and call for me, I'll be able to find you." He smiled.

"Ah, this evening, the boat leaves today." He glanced to the darkening horizon. "Yes, I should probably go pack my things..."

@sketti | Eben 🕶 + Isi 🍁

[7:22 AM]sketti | Eben 🕶 + Isi 🍁:

"oh, no- not here, people in general just suck." They shrugged. She listened to him speak for a moment.

"Elkland, Ulvskog forest..ill remember that!" She told him

Isi looked at the setting sun as well. "Yeah, I guess you should, before they come looking or something. I hope you have a safe journey back!"

@Twig | Taisto + Yuga

[7:49 AM]Twig | Taisto + Yuga:

"Well, that's good at least." Taisto smiled.

"Yes, I'd be happy to see you there!" He wagged his tail.

"Thank you. I wish you good luck for the tournament, Isi, and good evening!" He smiled brightly, and started back towards the guest builting, waving Isi goodbye. @sketti | Eben 🕶 + Isi 🍁

[12:31 PM]sketti | Eben 🕶 + Isi 🍁:

Isi nodded enthusiastically and waved back at him as he left, intending to stay on the beach a while longer herself.

@Twig | Taisto + Yuga