"Indeed.... but then again, Greek Mythology is also full of lust, forbidden love... incest, that sort of thing. And sorry for holding on to it for too long." He said neutrally as he returned her map to her.

He then nodded and said. "Well, Miss Nell, it is a pleasure to meet you... my name is Ethan Silvar... and yes, I do believe that I have been amiss in not introducing myself earlier as well. Forgive me for my oversight earlier." He then bowed to her politely.

"Ethan Silvar..." She repeated and for some reason the name didn't seem right. She wasn't sure why. Still, she smiled warmly at him and his cute little bow. "My, you are a polite one aren't you. I'm not sure I know how to deal with a polite man. I've met so very few..." She reframed from adding that she'd met so very few men, period. Outside of family and teachers most of the males she'd interacted with had been monsters and she did feel comfortable discussing that with a relative stranger.

She turn back to face the telescope and held the star map up high to compare it with the actual sky. She was trying to decide which constellation to look at next. She considered it for a moment then addressed the man behind her again. "Well, Ethan, we looked at my favorite constellation. It there anything in particular that you'd like to look at next?"

"Well out of the constellations I think the most interesting story is one of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl... and I think in Japan, they do have a festival called the Tanabata for it. Are you familiar with it, perhaps?" He said in a light and neutral tone to her, trying to gauge her response.

He then shrugged and said."Well... I don't know why you met so little men that are polite... perhaps those men are not schooled in how to treat a lady right, I reckon. And trust me, even the worst sort of person would probably have some manners... at least if they bother to show it at all, if you ask me."

Nell turned to blink bemusedly at Ethan. "The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl? No, I'm afraid I don't know that one..." She seemed a little embarrassed by this confession. Nell normally prided herself on how well read she was and this lack of knowledge felt like a blemish to her record. "I am familiar with most Western Myths and Folklore but... ummm... I suppose I neglected the Eastern Legends. How does the story go?"

((Honestly, I looked it up and realized I did actually know this legend, just not the name. Still, I didn't want to make Nell as big an Asian-ophile as I am... ~.~;; ))

'Welll..." Edward said to her as he paused for a moment, before he told the story.

"Orihime (織姫, Weaving Princess?), daughter of the Tentei (天帝, Sky King, or the universe itself?), wove beautiful clothes by the bank of the Amanogawa (天の川, Milky Way, lit. "heavenly river"?). Her father loved the cloth that she wove and so she worked very hard every day to weave it. However, Orihime was sad that because of her hard work she could never meet and fall in love with anyone. Concerned about his daughter, Tentei arranged for her to meet Hikoboshi (彦星, Cow Herder Star?) (also referred to as Kengyuu (牽牛?)) who lived and worked on the other side of the Amanogawa. When the two met, they fell instantly in love with each other and married shortly thereafter. However, once married, Orihime no longer would weave cloth for Tentei and Hikoboshi allowed his cows to stray all over Heaven. In anger, Tentei separated the two lovers across the Amanogawa and forbade them to meet. Orihime became despondent at the loss of her husband and asked her father to let them meet again. Tentei was moved by his daughter’s tears and allowed the two to meet on the 7th day of the 7th month if she worked hard and finished her weaving. The first time they tried to meet, however, they found that they could not cross the river because there was no bridge. Orihime cried so much that a flock of magpies came and promised to make a bridge with their wings so that she could cross the river. It is said that if it rains on Tanabata, the magpies cannot come and the two lovers must wait until another year to meet."

When he came to the end of the story, he smiled at her and said. "It is interesting, is it not?"

((Sorry, I copied and pasted the story from Wikipedia, I must I am a bit lazy today. Hope you don't mind.))

((S'ok, I did basically the same thing for my Seven Sisters story but mercifully mine was shorter.))

Nell listened to the story thoughtful and didn't say anything for a while afterwards. "Interesting yes but it's a little sad... I imagine if you true loved someone it would be hard to be forcibly parted like that." She looked up at the Milky Way stretching out in the night sky. If she'd been back home she wouldn't be able to see it at all. Still, she'd be back home and safe with her family who loved her. Her chest suddenly felt tight and tears started to well up in her eyes. She shook her head and forced the tears back. "I'm sorry... I'm zoning out on you..." She went back to fiddling with the telescope. Pretending to adjust the focus even though there was nothing really to focus on. She was a little embarrassed to look back at Ethan, afraid he might have noticed her almost crying. "I... ah... don't think those constellations are on my star map. You'd have to point them out to me..."

Edward listened to her and nodded. "It is indeed a sad tale.... and if I remember correctly, the star names are Altair from the Aquila Constellation, and Vega from the Lyra Constellation." He said curtly, though he gently took her arm in his hand.

"Are you alright there? You seem... distracted for a moment there. And I do not believe I know your name, young miss." He said with a tone of concern in his voice.

"Altair from Aquila and..." She began repeating his words and checking them against her star map when she suddenly felt his hand on her arm. She stopped at stared at his hand on her arm as though he shouldn't be there. He wasn't hurting her. He was only trying to comfort her but experience had taught her not to trust a man's touch. She fought the urge to pull away and she forced herself to meet his eyes. "I'm sorry... I... umm... Your story made me think about my parents and I suddenly felt very homesick. My name is Nell, Nell Apton. I'm sorry if I didn't mention it earlier..."

He drew back a little as he saw that she was slightly uncomfortable and shook his head. "It is alright.... I can tell that you love your parents very much... it is only natural to feel that way. I too, sometimes feel the pang of homesickness, though I have my means to contact them, so its not so bad." He said gently to her.

He then smiled and said. "My family is a loving one, though they are not considered normal by society's standards... each of them has their own quirks, I guess." He then turned to her and said. "How about you, Miss Nell? What is your family like?"

Nell shrugs slightly. She never felt quite right talking about her family at school. "Oh, I don't know that my family can really be considered normal either." In truth, they were rich but Nell didn't like sharing that information. She was afraid it might taint others feelings towards her. "They are very loving towards me but I didn't always appreciate that. I was their only child and they sheltered me too much... I left home because I wanted to get better acquainted with the world." She didn't add that she'd gotten more than she'd bargained for with Shokushu. "Why did you come to this island?"

Edward chuckled and said. "Then we have some similarities don't you think, Miss Nell? That is something good, I suppose."

He then paused for a moment, and then said. "Well, Miss Nell... it is good that you realized what you have done wrong. I may not be the best person to say this, but we should never take things for granted... for we only know what we lost... when they are not around. Treasure the love that your parents have for you... because nothing in the world, and all the riches that it can provide, will be able to replace that." The last few words were said with a wistful tone.

He then smiled at her again and said. "And I do not feel that there is anything wrong with seeing the world, I myself also decided to come here for the same reason... among other things, one of which is to be able to learn things in peace... and also to get away from the... politics I have to face back home."

Nell's brow knit together as she listened to Ethan's explanation of why he'd come to this island. Something seemed off about it. "Getting away from home politics I can understand. My father is in the trade business and my mother is a novelist so goodness knows there was enough politics improved in their jobs and balancing them with their home life. I also understand if you don't really want to go into detail about it, seeing as you came here to escape all that... So, I won't ask. Still..." She paused thoughtful while she tried to decide how exactly to phrase her next question. "I am curious... You said you came here in part to learn but... You can't be a student here. It's an all girl school after all... So, if you don't mind my asking, what exactly is your offical capacity here?"

Edward smiled at her question and said. "That is indeed a valid question, I suppose. Well... I am not learning here in an official capacity, if you catch my drift. Rather, my parents used their connections to send me here, in order for me to be able to study in peace and quiet."

He grinned at her and said. "Of course, the things I am learning here is definitely not covered in your school curriculum, you may consider me an in house intern in an unofficial capacity, I suppose. Though if you want to put me in an official role, I suppose I am one of the guardians of the forest here."

"Does that answer your question, Miss Nell?" He said pleasantly to her. "Or have you deduced something from the things that I have been telling you?"

Nell frowned slightly at Ethan's last question. It smacked of something dangerous and she wasn't sure she wanted to answer. She turned away from him trying to feign a lack of concern though, in truth, her previous suspicions were beginning to return. Still, she tried to act nonchalant as she replied. "Really, it seems there is very little to deduce from your words. I think it is what you are not saying that is the most telling but I don't begrudge you your secrets." She hoped that that had been a sufficent evasion. She was afraid that voicing her suspicions anymore than that would break the peace they seemed to be enjoying. Still, she kept a tight grip on the telescope in case she was wrong. If he was a monter then he would eventually make his move and she wanted to be ready. "I did not realize the forest had guardians... I have only been out in it once though. It was quite an... eventful experience. A little too eventual to be honest. I admit I have been wary of it since then."

Edward nodded at her words and said. "Indeed, Miss Nell... sometimes it is the hidden secrets that all of us hide within our words are the ones that betray our true nature... but as you said... all of us have secrets, and we are entitled to keep them." He then paused for a moment, before saying again. "That is of course, if we decide to share them with others... then it is a different story."

He then looked out towards the sea and said neutrally. "Have you now? I am not aware that you have already met a guardian of the forest... then again, we work independently of each other, so I do not know what experience you have with that guardian."