they will not protect you the way that they should

As soon as Alina had retrieved the branch, the final item she needed, she gathered up everything and flew to the Observatory. Laying everything on the altar there, she stepped back. Kneeling she clasped her hands in front of her and bowed her head, taking a deep breath as she did.

"Safrin, lady of the stars, I have collected what you tasked me with. I am sorry for how long it has taken me. I know it is inexcusable. All I can blame are my own failings and shortcomings." Pausing, she risked a glance up at the shrine. "I only ask that, whatever disappointment I have caused you, you will still help us defend the Greatwood." With that, she closed her eyes to await the goddess' judgment.

---

I will need clippings from the wings of a fae: til the old you is washed away Acquired clippings from Jiao's wings.

And ... bits of the other races as well, so that it can tell them apart. Hair, bones...:

{PQ} fire in our hearts Hair from Oliver, an Attuned/Ascended hybrid
baby shark doo doo Scale from Delta, a mermaid
{Training} even if you're little you can do a lot Blood from Iris, an Accepted
{Training} do you ever really crash or even make a sound? Hair and quills from an upgrade from Anden, an Ascended. The quills are from the following:
Spine Spikes | Anden has poisonous spikes that line the back of his torso starting at his nape to his waist. They lay flat against his body when not in use. Anden can shoot the spikes out as a defensive mechanism. In cases of sensory overload, the spikes will shoot out on their own. (50% bio upgrade)

And a branch from a Wicker Woman. (se) into the woods, the time is now Retrieved a branch from a Wicker Woman

make me a big tall tree

so I can shed my leaves

Alina

Base Code by Sky!

Safrin

Safrin appears, dappled in starlight with an unreadable expression on her face. "You were so adamant about keeping the ascended from being able to enter the heart of the Greatwood...what failings and shortcomings could have prevented you from so important a task?" Perhaps it's rhetorical, but the way Safrin's head tilts softly to the side suggests that she'd be willing to hear Alina's reasons, should there be any she wishes to expand on.

Glancing at what has been brought, the goddess pauses for a moment. "A hybrid, a mermaid, a fae, an accepted, and an ascended..." She frowns. "Not an abandoned? an attuned? a demigod?"

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

Alina's breath caught in her throat as Safrin appeared. Swallowing, the huntress bowed her head. "I...was too weak to take on the Ascended directly. Too ignorant of the outside world to know where to go to get what I needed. Too reluctant to venture outside the Greatwood. Worst, I was too proud to ask for help." She gritted her teeth.

As the goddess asked why the Fae hadn't acquired something from a few remaining races, her jaw dropped as her head snapped up. It was all she could do not to curse.

Blinking, she slipped her hand into a pocket and removed a bloodstained cloth. "I thought the hybrid would cover both Attuned and Abandoned. And there are so few demigods that I didn't realize I needed something from them." Pausing, she took a deep breath before continuing.

"But I have this from a pure Abandoned, and I can acquire something from an Attuned and a demigod swiftly." After laying the cloth on the altar she forced her gaze down again, unable to meet Safrin's eyes.

---

{Mini Event} oh what a celebration we'll have today Obtained blood from Theo, an Abandoned.

make me a big tall tree

so I can shed my leaves

Alina

Base Code by Sky!

Safrin

For one so clever, Alina had certainly overlooked some of the more obvious aspects of her quest. "The task was to ensure the Mathair would be able to identify all who came through. Hybrids are a race in themselves." Safrin points out with a frown, "As for the demigods? Without water around, you nevertheless gained a scale from a mermaid who will presumably never use this portal, but not a demigod? Two of which live in these woods now?"

Nodding, Safrin gestures toward the items Alina had already gathered. "Keep those with you and when you have all that is required, you may return." So saying, Safrin vanishes.

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

Swallowing, Alina nodded at Safrin's words. The Fae's cheeks flushed and her jaw feathered with tension. However, she had a clear course in front of her, and she'd swiftly make up for her mistakes and lost time. The goddess departed and the huntress collected all her items, tucking them away once more.

Then she turned and flew away. She was planning to head straight to Remi and Ianto, wherever they happened to be staying. Hopefully she could kill two birds with one stone and get something from each of them. If she did, she'd finally have everything she needed for her task.

-FIN

make me a big tall tree

so I can shed my leaves

Alina

Base Code by Sky!