Delicate, slender fingers with carefully sharpened and trimmed nails reached from deep black sleeves, wide and airy, to pluck two of the fruits from the outstretched hands.  The cowl lifted to reveal a pale, sharply defined face no less exotic than the one they looked up at; almond shaped eyes, slightly larger than one might expect, delicately upswept ears, an bright, intelligent eyes.  There, however, all similarity ended.<br/><br/>This elven-blooded was also of distinctly Varisian stock, as her dark hair attested, but it was cut short, barely reaching the base of her neck, and swept casually, almost carelessly to one side.  Her clothing was similar to the shapeless and basic utilitarian style worn by the cloistered warrior monks of other lands, but it was entirely in black, and the sheer volume of jewelery the young woman wore was indicative that her choice of a noble's color was not entirely unearned.<br/><br/>Silver studs with tiny rubies decorated her ears; not the lower cusp near the lobes, nor the stylish tragus piercings of the jaded sailors of the town she lived in, but the sensitive and undoubtedly painfully pierced tips of her ears.  A torc of twisted gold held emeralds the size of her thumbnail in tripartite claws; a series of stout silver necklaces held held crystals and amulets in silver and quartz.  She wore no less than six rings, each styled quite differently, from a simple tarnished silver band to an ornate signet ring of gold, with a variety of silver, sapphire, and even electrum and diamond between.  Charm bracelets of gold decorated her upper arm on one side, while  a half-dozen simple silver hoops hung from the opposite wrist.  She had removed the chime-anklets, so as to walk somewhat more quietly.<br/><br/>Despite her well off appearance and clearly noble background, Teahuaxau - simply Tea, to her fellow travelers - was soft spoken, polite, and strangely humble, as though she actually had practiced the monastic beliefs of the order whose clothing she sported.  She did not; while she had taken up an appropriately militant stance when the shape-shifters had first attacked, it had been followed by a horrific and devastating series of spells that had rendered the monsters drooling idiots, unconscious victims, and raving lunatics.  Staying in her contrary nature, she made no complaints about performing tedious chores or simple day to day necessities that traveling in the deeps of the forest required, which made her unusual for any sorcerously inclined soul.  Even her lilting accent was Elven in nature, rather than Varisian despite her clearly human-make jewelery and clothing.<br/><br/>But it was her eyes that truly gave her away.  They were bright, a misty sort of light blue that hinted at cold mornings and wisps of cloud.  They held secrets, deep secrets, and never lingered longer than absolutely necessary on the face of their guide, though she made no effort to stop them from exploring the delicately dressed form and the graceful art that decorated her body.  Every few hours, almost as ritual, she would cover her eyes with one hand and whisper soft words only just lightly traced with power, at though to protect them from sights not meant to be seen.  Tea sighed, for despite the beauty of their guide, and the distinct pleasure she took in their company, she feared that their guide would be appalled to discover the eyes that lay behind the simple illusion that hid them.  For the same reason she had never undressed entirely before their guide, keeping at the very least a loose loincloth and a bandeau on to hide her own birthmark and what her tainted blood had given her.<br/><br/>And yet....<br/><br/>Despite Tea's ruthlessness in combat and her clear dislike of conversation that could turn towards the nature of the blood that granted her mystical power, the beautiful druid Tia had warmed to her.  As she ate sparingly of the sweet fruit, she could not help but let her eyes linger on the grateful creature that walked before her.  She was careful not to let her interest grow beyond admiration....but it wanted to.  She wanted to.  Tia would occasionally look down various forest paths, as though debating on which road to take, though it was a habit she picked up as they neared civilization, rather than when they had been far from it.<br/><br/>Tea finished the first fruit and pocketed the other, unable to tolerate too much of the potent sugars.  There were sweet things to be had in plenty, but there would be no way to indulge her desires.  And she found, for once, she did not want to.  The sorceress had once told her friend - a man more just and more kind than any paladin had ever claimed to be - that the only way she could ever obtain the pleasures that others indulged in so recklessly and desperately between the sheets could only be through rape.  Whether it was by her or against her, it was most likely the only way it would happen.<br/><br/>But she was finding more and more, as they traveled these green ways, that she wanted something else.  And she knew, without a doubt, that it was impossible.  Except she didn't know that.  Not really.  But she COULD know that.  It would be such a little thing, to cast a charm that would reveal the thoughts of her companions to her.  And it would not be a betrayal, per se; the shapely druid had made no bones about letting her feelings and thoughts show quite boldly.  Perhaps a touch too boldly, sometimes, Tea felt.<br/><br/>She continued her silent debate as the trio continued in the woods, lost in thought and finding herself hating her own twisted nature more and more....for there were not two sources of her blood, but three.  Elven, Human....and<em>Other</em>.<br/><br/>