Closed Of Love and Murder (Madeira, Roland)

[Asterope]

35th/Autumn/517

(Continuation of Follow Your Nose*)

It had been a few days since Aster had discovered the body of a murdered man in the Garden of No Return, accompanied by a man she'd met outside of the maze named Roland. She'd managed to convince him to try and track down the dead man's family despite his obvious reluctance, but neither of them had thought to exchange information on how to contact the other. Not that there were many ways to do so reliably in a city where the streets were always changing.

Still, ever since then, Aster had taken to scouting the streets during the day, for either Roland or the blonde woman she'd met once before who she was hoping could help them in their quest; so far, she'd had no luck. Aster walked with the leisurely pace of someone who wasn't sure where they were going; Navi was still holed up in her room at the Cubacious Inn, seeing as the city had yet to give up on its abundance of strange smells. The blood-crusted handkerchief that had belonged to the dead man weighed heavily in her pocket.

A building to her left caught Aster's attention, a tall oak tree towering over it and the others around it. A fenced in yard contained a number of animals, dogs and cats alike chasing each other or simply sunning themselves and napping. Maybe I should see if they have treats for Navi, she mused. The poor dog could use a pick-me up. So busy was she looking at the pet store, lost in her own thoughts, that Aster almost missed him.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the flash of a familiar face, one she'd been searching for over the past few days. She whipped around on her heel, but either he hadn't seen her, or he was pretending he hadn't, because he had continued walking on the other side of the street.

Aster didn't know where he'd come from, or where he was going, and quite frankly at that moment she didn't care. She sprang across towards the opposite side of the street, apologizing as she dashed through the path of several people. He was taller than her, and he'd managed to get some distance from her in the time it took her to cross the busy street.

"Roland," she called, trying to catch his attention, breaking into a run, faster than a jog but not quite sprinting. She could see a corner up ahead; she had no idea if he was going to turn or not, but if he did, she might as well have never seen him to begin with. Turning a corner in Alvadas meant you would not find the way back the same, and they rarely lead to the same place for different people.

With one last burst of energy, Aster bounded forward, nearly tripping as she grabbed onto Roland's sleeve; she didn't stop to think how the man might react to having someone tug at him so suddenly from behind in a city he was still new to, so intent was she on catching him.

"You," she said, slightly breathlessly and borderline accusingly. "I've been looking for you everywhere!" She looked up at him, something between amusement and exasperation in her golden eyes. They had stopped in the shadow of a looming, somewhat intimidating mansion, one that Aster registered in the back of the mind that she hadn't recalled seeing around the city yet; she was certain she would have remembered seeing such a building.

Word Count: 588

"Common" | "Nari" | "Pavi" | Thoughts
"Other People's Speech"

[Roland Eir]

The last few days had passed uneventfully for Roland. He'd left thoughts of the dead man behind him. Other than the extra mizas in his pockets the event had done little more than rattle the man. He was more than happy to forget about the glassy eyes and bloodstained clothes of the mysterious "R.M." And he'd also been happy enough to go his separate way from Aster, the Ethaefall that had accompanied him into the Garden of No Return. She was intent on seeking out the dead man's identity, a job Roland had no doubt would end in nothing but trouble. Today he was prowling for a bite to eat. He'd spent the morning performing on the street and was still clad in his acrobat's apparel: crimson pants with a matching vest over a white tunic, though he'd pulled on his traveling coat to account for the autumn chill. In any other city the bright clothing--particularly the pants--would make him stand out, but in a crowd of Alvads he fit right in. The cold air had wicked away the sweat from performing, making him shiver despite the jacket. With the illusory smells still in effect finding palatable food was a difficult task, and he was beginning to give up finding anything when a force pulled from behind. With a gasp of air he spun about, yanking his sleeve out of Aster's hand. A fist formed in his hand, but he wasn't so reckless as to start swinging without seeing who it was. His father had taught him to swing first and ask questions later at times like these, but this wasn't Sunberth. It turned out he was right to be hesitant. Though Aster did seem unhappy with him, she wasn't picking a fight. "You! I've been looking everywhere for you!" "Oh," Roland mouthed, scrambling for a response. "I--me too! I mean, I've been looking for you too!" he lied. "Yeah, Alvadas is just crazy. I thought I'd never see you again!" That part was true. Inside he was cursing his rotten luck. How simple life could have been had he never met this woman. Or followed that cursed scent in the first place. "Did you find that person you were looking for? The one that could help?" It would be easier if she hadn't. With no further leads maybe he could convince her to drop this thing once and for all. The crowds that they'd walked through before had thinned out considerably, and Roland could see why. They all gave this street a wide berth, particularly the mansion that took up most of the block. It was one of the nicest buildings he'd seen here in Alvadas, but just looking at it raised the hairs on his neck. Something lay beyond those darkened windows he wanted nothing to do with. Uneasy, Roland tried to move them on. "Are you hungry? I'm hungry. Let's talk over lunch." Somewhere else. Word Count: 492

[Madeira Dusk]

"Roland!"

A little girl squealed in delight even as she did her best to hide behind her hands. She stood just on the other side of the fence marking the boundaries of the looming manor house. The ghost was barely visible in direct sunlight, but you could still see the bright brown eyes and delighted smile ringed with crusted sores. She seemed incapable of looking either adult in the eye for long, so she stole glances up at them from between her fingers. Roland, with his tall frame and windswept hair, was given the bashful attention of a little girl's crush. Asterope's sunlit beauty and glassy horns were regarded with wide eyed wonder.

"Did you want to see Maddy? I'll go get her!", she said excitedly, and the ghost vanished. She left a soft chill as she blinked away.

There was a moment of absolute silence, then a great bang as the heavy front door of the manor flew open.

It was obvious that the woman on the other side did not open the door herself. Madeira had the sunken, weak look of someone suffering from a long illness. But even so she was wearing a defiant, snarling dignity that radiated from her painfully straight back and bloodshot eyes. In her hand was a silver-headed black cane, and from under the skirts of her long dress came the sound of her dead leg dragging over the cobbles. A broad-shouldered ghost used his soulmist projection to shut the door behind her with another incredible bang that rattled the windows.

"Roland, what the Hai are you doing here?" she barked at the familiar man, her pale eyebrows contracting to one thin line of enmity as she crossed the short path leading to the gate. She was about to open her mouth and demand that he leave her poor delusional ghost alone, when she caught sight of someone she was not expecting. The Etheafel beside him radiated a kind of otherworldly beauty she had seen once before.

"Asterope?" she breathed in disbelief. She did not have to dig hard for the name, even if she only met the healer once. She had met only two Ethaefel in her life, and both made a lasting impression.

The fact that this unlikely pair stood at her door, and apparently wanted to see her, struck her dumb for a moment. She look back and forth between the two, both so much taller than her, and tried to find words for her confusion.

“I’m… assuming this isn't a social call?"

With a hazy shiver Emma, the little ghost girl, blinked into existence beside her. She looked up at the three adults and smiled, obviously pleased with herself.

[Asterope]

Aster furrowed her brows as the man before her stumbled over his words for a moment before inviting her to talk over lunch. She opened her mouth to decline the offer for food, but before she could say a word, she was interrupted by someone else.

"Roland!" The voice was soft yet shrill in the telltale pitch of a child's; a young girl to be exact. Aster glanced around in surprise; she hadn't been expecting anyone else to call her companion, and certainly not a little girl. Finally, her eyes caught on the hazy outline of the ghostly child, barely visible in the sunlight.

Aster's lips parted in a silent 'oh', her eyes going slightly wide. She knew, of course, that ghosts existed thanks to a previous encounter, but she had yet to see anymore since then. The girl seemed conflicted, big brown eyes drifting between herself and Roland. Aster shook off her shock, for the ghost was a child first and foremost, but before she could address the girl she spoke up again.

"Did you want to see Maddy? I'll go get her!" With that, what faint impression of her Aster could see vanished, leaving behind a faint chill in the air. Maddy? Madeira! It took Aster only a brief moment to make the connection, but then a thrill went through her; surely the number of women in the city who could be referred to as Maddy and were involved with spirits was quite low.

She sent out a silent thanks to the city for throwing the two people she'd been so desperately searching for at her, and at the same time on top of it all. Sure enough, her suspicions were confirmed a moment later; the door to the foreboding mansion blew open with a bang loud enough to startle Aster, revealing the thin blonde she had met on one previous occasion. Behind the woman, the door shut once more with an equally thunderous bang, though Aster was more prepared for it.

Madeira addressed Roland first, and judging by the sharp tone of her voice and her words, she was none too happy to see him. "You two know each other?" She couldn't help her surprise as her golden gaze flickered between the spiritist and the man beside her. It wasn't difficult to deduce that the two weren't on the best of terms.

Her presence, it seemed, was at least somewhat of a deterrent for whatever terse exchange of words was about to happen. The blonde seemed surprised to see her. "Madeira, it's good to see you again." Aster gave a small but genuine smile as she greeted the other woman, inclining her head slightly; a small part of her was vainly pleased that she had been remembered.

She glanced to Roland beside her as Madeira spoke, trying to judge the man's reaction. "Ah, well, not exactly." Aster thought for a moment, then decided it was best to just be honest; besides, she had helped the girl before. Sort of. Surely a few moments of her time to ask a few questions wasn't a request of too much effort. "I...we," she amended herself, since Roland was still there, though whether he liked it or not was a different story entirely. "We need your help with something. Please, if you have a few moments."

The air beside the Craven shimmered once again, and knowing what to look for, Aster more easily spotted the form of the little girl. She returned the ghost girl's smile, brighter and more genuine than any smile she had ever graced upon either of the other two present. "Hello," Aster said to the girl. "Thank you very much for fetching Madeira for us." Despite not having asked her to, the girl had been invaluable in doing so; and besides that, she was just a child, and an adorable one at that, despite the faintly visible sores that marred her face.

Word Count: 655

"Common" | "Nari" | "Pavi" | Thoughts
"Other People's Speech"

[Roland Eir]

Who in this city knew his name? There were few, but Madeira Craven's ghost pet was the last being Roland expected to see when he turned his head to the mansion. From between her fingers he could see her smile. Bright, cheerful, and not at all what you'd expect of the dead. The light outshone her whispy frame, and looking at her was like searching for your reflection in a pond on a sunny day. Roland opened his mouth to say something but just like that the spirit was gone, promising to return with... "Gods, please don't." Roland groaned. The door to the manor crashed open, and that witch was hobbling down the steps. "Roland, what the Hai are you doing here?" Despite the useless leg and pale complexion she looked about ready to use that cane of hers. Roland returned the feeling, meeting her with a steely glare. The memories of their last encounter still stung. Looking between her and the manor house he put two and two together. This was where she lived, huh? That explained a lot. Her rail-straight back, proper clothes, and most of all that overbearing manner. True wealth was an unfamiliar sight to Roland, but he'd been taught to both crave and hate it from an early age. He kept his mouth shut. Somehow she knew Asterope, so they could have their little chat and then Roland would be on his way. "I... we. We need your help with something." What? "Please, if you have a few moments?" "Wait, this is the person you think can help us?" I don't believe this. "What makes you think she can help?" She talked to ghosts, that was all. Unless she could summon up R.M. and ask him who he was and how he'd died--a thought that made Roland extremely uncomfortable--he didn't see how the Spiritist could help. "She plays games with the dead, Aster." He leaned in close to his companion, and continued in a hushed tone. "It's wrong." His eyes also picked up the figure of Emma reappearing. He remembered what the Craven had said, about her little friend thinking he was "cute". A pit formed in his throat and he swallowed hard. It was unnatural. She seemed innocent enough, and harmless. Her sore-lined smile did little to set him at ease, but he had enough composure not to show his disgust. Instead he held his head high and faced Madeira like a prosecutor in court. Head high, shoulders back, face set in stone. It was a stubbornness that Roland rarely had cause to show, but he had no desire to be reacquainted with the pair in front of him. "If you really think she can help, ask your questions Aster. But I don't think it's a good idea." With that he walked off to the side and leaned against the fence, his body turned uncomfortably so that the spiritist and her ghost never left his sight. Asterope didn't seem put off by the spirit in the slightest. Roland wondered what life you had to live to be so comfortable with the unliving. Watching the light catch off her horns, he was reminded that she wasn't a normal being either. In this city he was surrounded constantly by the weird. Word Count: 550

[Madeira Dusk]

Asterope needed her help? No, Roland and Asterope needed her help. Somehow the two were in this together. She could not imagine how the sweet, gentle healer and hard-bitten liar ended up on any sort of team.

Emma seemed to practically melt under Asterope's thanks and shining smile. Her soulmist rose and curled in little storms of pleasure even as she buried her head in her arms. The little girl was starved for attention, Madeira knew. But she also knew the girl never really understood how to deal with attention when she had it. Especially since the only positive interaction she ever had was with herself and the stuffed tiger head mounted on her wall, and neither were terribly responsive to the little ghost's pleas for attention.

While Asterope was winning the ghost over with her kindness, Roland was making his displeasure known. Head high and a stubborn set to his lips, he backed away to wait for Asterope. But not before Madeira heard his hushed whisper to the Eth.

"Play games?" she snarled, nettled. "I don't play games with the dead, Roland. I'm doing some good in the world while you're jumping around on street corners."

Madeira turned back to Asterope, an angry blaze in her eyes, unaware she had just let something slip. Of course she knew what Roland was doing for work now. Emma had mention running into the man on her wandering through Alvadas a couple times. She was too embarrassed to talk to Madeira, but she had a habit of talking to Raj about it. So there was more than one night where the Spiritist would lay awake, listening to the nine year old tell her dead bondmate just how cool and handsome the acrobat was in a hushed, giggly voice.

Somehow that just made Madeira hate him more.

"What did you want to ask me, Asterope?" she asked, her expression settling into something searching and professional as she spoke to the Eth. "Is everything ok?"
Madeira had exactly one expertise. And if the healer, who's expertise was in saving lives, was looking for the woman who dealt solely in death, there was something terribly wrong.

[Asterope]

The tension in the air between Roland and Madeira was palpable; Aster's gaze flickered back and forth between the two uneasily. Her hands twisted around each other anxiously, hoping that whatever rivalry existed between the two wouldn't impede the progress on their...well, whatever it was. Investigation? Perhaps that was the right word.

Madeira snapped harshly at the man, causing Aster's shoulders to tense up, but then the spiritist turned to face her; her expression smoothed out when she addressed Aster, so she relaxed slightly. If she was going to have to play peacekeeper between the two then so be it, but she needed all the help that she could get.

Slightly distracted by Roland leaning off to the side, displeasure evident in every rigid line of his body and the scowl on his face, it took Aster a moment to process what Madeira had asked her. "Everything's fine. I mean, I'm okay, at least. Roland too." She hesitated then, her hand brushing over the pocket where the bloody handkerchief rested. How did one broach such a subject? Being blunt seemed to be the only way, but it was hardly something to discuss in the open in broad daylight.

Taking a step closer, Aster ducked her head slightly and lowered her voice to speak in a hushed tone so that only Madeira (or Emma, if the ghost girl decided to drift closer to listen in) could hear her. "I don't think it's a good idea to talk about it out here. It's about a murder." She straightened up, watching for the other woman's reaction closely, tapping her fingers against the side of her thigh nervously.

People continued to pass by on the streets, but Aster could feel the lingering, curious glances that were given to their rather odd group standing in the shadow of the Craven Manor. Glancing to Roland, she bit her lip, wondering if the man would cooperate. While Madeira processed what she had just told her, she leaned over slightly and murmured to Roland, though her voice was still audible to the Craven and her ghostly companion.

"Thank you for helping, by the way." Her voice was soft but sincere as she peered up at Roland, a genuine expression of gratitude on her face as her golden eyes met his. She meant it, of course; she was grateful for his help so far, as reluctant as it had been. But she was also hoping the thanks would encourage him to continue helping; surely she and Madeira could figure the mystery out on their own with enough effort, but three heads would be better than two, and he seemed on the verge of abandoning the situation altogether.

OOC :

I am so sorry that took so long guys, I've been dealing with finals. I'm done after today, though, so I should be back to posting regularly now!

"Common" | "Nari" | "Pavi" | Thoughts
"Other People's Speech"

[Madeira Dusk]

Murder.

The word made Madeira's bloodshot eyes widen and breath pause. The beautiful, gentle Ethaefel had no business being in the same postcode as that word. What the hai did Aster have to do with a murder? But as she thought about it, she realized she could see Roland embroiled in such a mess. So the better question would be: what did Roland have to do with murder that somehow caught the Eth?

Madeira rounded on Roland, ready to demand he explains himself, but the section of fence he had been leaning on was empty. The unreliable, snarky liar had abandoned them! As Madeira's blood was boiling with frustration, Emma drifted closer to the two women. She was interested in the adults conversation and was just about to ask what they were whispering about when Madeira threw out a hand to stop her.

"No, Em, I need you to go home." She said firmly. This was not something she wanted the child involved in, even if the child was already dead.

"But I want to stay!' Emma retorted immediately, glancing at the Eth she was quickly becoming enamored with.

"Do as I say."

"But-"

"Now."

The little girl pouted, sniffed mightily, and looked like she was about to protest, but when she met Madeira's eyes she suddenly thought better of it. Instead, the ghost stomped silently in anger, then vanished in a puff of warm air as she blinked away. Once she was gone Madeira waved Aster through the gate.

"Come inside and we can talk. I swear, the next time I see that acrobat I'm going to sic Jomi on him, mark my words. You shouldn't be involved with whatever he's in, Aster."

The tap of her cane preceded them up the short cobble path. She tapped on the door with the head of her cane and the thing swung open without it seeming like anyone was on the other side. The foyer of the Craven manour was made of shadows and dark wood. The light streaming through the high, narrow windows didn't do much more than force the gloom to slunk under banisters and around corners. The space was enormous and richly furnished in that specific way that made anyone stands in it feel very small. Whispers echoed down the stairs and branching halls, and ghostly flickers appeared in doorways.

Madeira lead them through a nearby doorway on the first floor and into what might have been a small office, though the thin film of dust on the desk indicated that the space was not often used. Next to the door was a black braided cord. Madeira gave it a gentle tug and a bell rang somewhere in the depths of the manor. As she motioned for Aster to sit on a seat in front of the desk, and lowered herself laboriously to another chair on the same side, the summoned servant appeared: a stern, sunken, grey haired woman in a starched uniform.

"Light the scones, please. And have the kitchen bring up tea for our guest and myself." Madeira rasped, using her hands to rearrange her legs into a more comfortable position. The woman curtsied, lit the gas lamps lamps with a long lighter from the pocket of her uniform, and bustled away, closing the door behind her.

As soon as she was gone Madeira leaned forward towards Aster and spoke softly, though there was nobody else in the room.

"What's this about a murder, Aster?"

[Asterope]

Aster glanced up to follow Madeira's gaze, and was both disappointed yet unsurprised to see that Roland had snuck away while the two woman had been talking. A bit of anger flared up low in her chest, but it quickly faded with her attention brought back to Emma and Madeira.

Poor thing; she couldn't blame the spiritist for not wanting the ghost there. While dead, she was still just a child, evidenced by her pouting and the silent stomp of her foot before she vanished with a gust of air.

Obediently following Madeira as the blonde waved her in, Aster smiled slightly. She had no idea who Jomi was, but she had no doubt that the spiritist was serious. "To be fair, this really wasn't his fault," she murmured. It seemed wrong to speak even at a normal volume in the shadow of the manor. "Just...the wrong place at the wrong time, I suppose."

Asterope followed Madeira into the Craven Manor, peering around uncertainly. The interior of the grand house was lavish but unfriendly; it was cast in shadows and dust, the very opposite of welcoming. The air was much colder, and Aster was certain it was because of at least one ghost in the immediate vicinity, if not multiple. She recognized the signs after having experienced them once already; the chill breeze from seemingly nowhere, the goosebumps and prickling hairs on the back of her neck.

Strangely enough, however, it didn't make her as uneasy as it had before. Madeira led them into a small office, just as richly furnished as the foyer, and Aster hesitantly sat in one of the leather chairs, a small cloud of dust wafting up around her as she did so. She clasped her fingers in her lap, wondering what exactly to say as the Craven rang for a servant and ordered tea for the both of them.

The second the two of them were alone, Madeira was leaning forward. Her voice was soft but her pale, tired eyes were intense. Aster found herself leaning forward slightly as well, so their knees almost brushed; some urge told her to speak as quietly as possible, despite nobody else being in the room.

"You know some time back, how the illusions were messing with the smells in the city?" She paused to wait for an answer before pushing on. "There was a very peculiar smell. I ended up following it. Roland had the same idea, which is how we met. It led us into the Garden of No Return..."

The Eth trailed off, worrying her full bottom lip between her teeth as her gaze became slightly unfocused; memories of the shadowed pathway and the unnatural silence were coming back to her. Blinking, she refocused on the woman in front of her, coming back to the present.

"There was a body. We found a body," She whispered, her brow creasing slightly. "He was stabbed to death, and just...left there. I found this on him," she fished into her pocket and carefully withdrew the bloodstained handkerchief, gingerly handing it to Madeira.

"His initials are on it. He was an older gentleman, grey hair, seemed well-off. I was hoping, well..." She trailed off once more, suddenly hesitant, aware of just how little information she had. Would the spiritist think she was being foolish, and simply wasting her time? She hoped not.

"I was hoping you could help. Figure out who he is, at the very least. Figuring out his murderer would be all the better, but that seems like a bit of a stretch."

Asterope fell silent, sitting back and watching Madeira intently, her fingers smoothing over the skirt of her dress nervously as she waited for a response.

[Madeira Dusk]

Madeira listened intently as Asterope spoke. The story started with the strange smells from a day or two ago. She ran into Roland, and the two followed the scent into the Garden of No Return...

Madeira shivered. She had no love for the Garden at the best of times. The maze had a terrible habit of swallowing people whole and leaving them lost for days. As someone who appreciated nature only at a distance, this made her extremely wary. Yet compounding that natural aversion, last season she was forced to enter the maze to track down an incredibly thick client and save him from his dead wife. Madeira only survived that encounter because Penny had been with her.

As Madeira shook off the sour taste the memory left in her mouth, she noticed Aster was dealing with her own. The Eth was still facing her, but her focus was several meters behind the Spiritist. There was something heartrendingly tragic about watching an Ethafel get lost in it's own head. Madeira instinctively reached for her knee, intending to give her a reassuring touch, but several decades of ridged propriety reared its ugly head and she retracted the reaching hand.

"There was a body. We found a body," Aster went on to say, snapping back to herself. And it was obvious to the spiritist that the healer was not disconcerted by the death, but rather what had caused it. The body had been stabbed, and Aster's voice grew tight as she explained that it had just been left there. From a pocket she pulled out an embroidered handkerchief and handed it to her, and gave a very generic description.

Madeira took the handkerchief halfheartedly, and chose her next words very carefully.

"Aster, I'm flattered that you think I can help, but I'm not a Listener. I don't deal with murder so much as I deal with murder as a... a catalyst for what happens after. If you'd like I can introduce you to my aunt Minerva. I'm pretty sure she knows everyone in the city, and she might... be able to... help... you."

Madeira looked at the initials on the handkerchief for the first time, and something in her mind ground to a halt. Between blots of dried blood on the clean white cloth, the initials R.M were visible in pretty, curling font.

No, that was not possible.

At that moment there was a smart rapt at the door, and the grey-haired maid came in bearing a silver tray. A pretty floral teapot sat on top, along with two cups and saucers in a matching set, with cream, sugar, lemon, and a plate of iced cookies loaded between. She silently placed everything on the desk, then bowed her head with her hands primly folded over her apron.

"Anything else I can do your you, ladies?" she asked woodenly, her expression having not changed at all since she was summoned.

Madeira blinked, opened her mouth, paused, opened again.

"There is a rucksack on the coffee table in Frode’s rooms." she said, doing her best to sound collected as her thoughts spun out of control a million miles away. "Can you bring it to the front door please? Then you can go."

Alvadas was a big city, she reasoned. There were probably plenty of wealthy grey-haired men with the initials R.M. Those probably wen’t even the corpse’s initials! The handkerchief might very well be a wife or lovers favour. Or it could have been stolen. It was a coincidence, that was all. Roger Martin, the man she and Penny saved from the ghost of his wife Olivia in the Garden of No Return, was save and well hidden away in his house petching someone half his age.

But deep in her heart, she knew that was not how Alvadas worked. A foreigner might see the chaos and illusions and think the city worked on the random thoughts of a half-mad god. But an Avalad knew better. The city schemed and plotted. It had moods and whims. It wouldn't have had Madeira and Asterope meet like they did if it wasn't doing so for its own amusement.

"Aster, when you and Roland found the body, was there... anyone else there? Think hard, please, it's important." she pleaded as the servant left. She picked up her teacup and took an absent sip, completely oblivious to the fact that it was empty. "And... if you had to… would you be able to find the murder site again?"

Gods, she would do anything not to go back to the Garden of No Return. But something was telling her she would have to.