The Timekeeper was impressed that the nymph before him was keeping her cool resolve in the presence of his ire that rumbled just underneath the surface. Dark eyes like the night sky danced like the twinkling stones high up in the sky were dancing in his proud visage. For the first time since she had found him suspended like he was, there was intrigue reflected in his face. Especially now that he felt the edge of freedom that she bestowed on him, even if it was only a taste. He leaned forward in the sparse amount of room he had in his thorny cage as if to gesture her closer when she began to retreat, his marble cut expression softening to show emotion other than his own damnable pride.<br/><br/><br/>“Wait,” Tavyan intoned when he felt the sweep of her power gather back toward her. There was a command in his voice that demanded attention, but it lacked the arrogance that it had prior. There was something melodic and rich in the rich connotations of his voice, a whisper of his own power glancing across her fair skin to tempt her back to him or else give her pause before she could vanish into the safety of her mists. He was no fool; he saw his freedom even without his abilities that allowed him to scry what could be or would be.<br/><br/><br/>But it was too late. He felt her enveloping power dry up, shrivel away, its embalming waters returning to her to leave his skin irritated and craving it once more. Except he felt something else when the thorns around him shrunk once more. Because this time they turned brittle when they cinched him up. The binds were still painful, but something had snapped with the release of her power. His own surged to the surface, tempted now by something more reckless than simple coercion. His skin prickled as he shifted up, his numbed limbs flexing inside his cage as he stirred. The pupils of his were now were drowning with the infinity of the universe - or so it seemed. He Saw now more clearly the creature standing before him with scrutiny in her face and he smiled something both benevolent and harrowing at the same time. This time when he spoke, his power echoed through his voice, lacking the emotion it once carried, only to be replaced by something beckoning.<br/><br/><br/>“I beseech you, child of the air and of the elements. Do not part ways with me just yet. If you release me from this curse, I will owe you a bane, or a favor, to call on me as you see fit. Your heart tells me that you are alone and you seek solace in someone’s arms. Your mind tells me that you have a clear conscious; you do nothing impulsively, even if you are curious. Your soul is still pure; your intentions are pure, but you have many choices that you will have to make that could ultimately change the course of your future.”<br/><br/><br/>He sucked in a hard breath as if trying to pull all the air surrounding them into his lungs. He closed his eyes as his muscles seized from the Sight. When he opened them again, the intense gaze had turned back to normal. He was not about to stay suspended, however. He could already feel his binds crumbling from thirst. He forced his heavy limbs to lift up, and, ignoring the pain that seared through his skin and dug deep into his nerves, Tavyan Frey lifted up his arms and grabbed hold of the brambles that grabbed him, pushing them down and away from his torso even though they scraped his skin raw and left bloody rivulets in their wake. With a final groan, he hauled himself over the last of his prison, naked except for his flesh and blood, to stumble down onto his knees on the ground.<br/><br/><br/>“Little nymph, do not leave just yet,” he said quietly, the grimace on his face matching his voice.