“UH!” He grunts, her release driving him faster as he drills into her one way then the next. It becomes harder given the additional tightness that sweeps over him despite the onset of those sweet juices that gush forth.

Her cries are all the enthusiasm he needs as he pushes within her folds eager making up for her slowing down. He certainly does not mind and while her body begins to show the signs of fatigue she has earned it.

Still this joining feels good and Birch does as she requests, he fuck his little Sapling. This is something to remember for him. His life had been relatively short up into now for he was probably about her age. Though he would live far longer he lacked he experiences of those ancient evils, he had not been corroded or jaded by time.

Regretfully she would probably be another that did not return so he made these memories last as he pressed into her fully, eagerly. He had not finished with her, not straight away though after a few more minutes there was the familiar gush of ha enzyme, his release pumping inside her as fluidly as his root that touched upon all those pleasurable spots within her. He groaned out, his body trembling as he emptied inside her and when he had no more to give he simply held her close to him fully imbedded within her for a bit before that root moved out of her body slowly as it retracted into hers.

Flowers bloomed and he laid her down in that path coming to rest himself at her side, a hand trickling up and down her side as he regarded her. He did not sleep, not really, but rather entered into a trance where he rested but was still aware of his surroundings and thus could wake at any time.

She was not the first student he had encountered, not the first to pass the night. Ginger, the wandering drug induced Nin and now her though he had not been aware of it Ortix had been partly responsible in delivering Nin and Lacey to him, not that he was complaining.

But he was aware that students needed to sleep. “You have certainly earned some rest. Thank you.”

"Hnnnh...Hhahh! Mmmhhh..." Lacey's whimpers continue as the tree-man pushes for his own release, pounding into her hypersensitive body and filling her with his root. "C...cum! Cum for me...!" She gasps up at him, doing her best to help Birch along. She's so sensitive it almost hurts...but it feels so good, there's not a single sound of complaint in her voice. She writhes between him and the tree, still riding the fringes of her own ecstatic bliss while urging him towards his own.

Arms and legs clinging to him for dear life, the redhead rides out the increased speed of his thrusts, trying to trap his root deep inside her body. A number of these thrusts striking at her sensitive walls sets her head to buzzing, and before she even realizes what she's doing, her teeth are biting at his shoulder, fingers clawing at his back. She's not trying to hurt him; it just feels so good, she loses herself for a moment. He pumps his hips up against her while she wails in mind-shattering bliss against his shoulder, squeezing him, milking him.

She hears him grunt next to her ear, feels him tremble against her own pleasure-wracked frame, and knows what's coming next; sure enough, he begins to gush for her, just as she had for him, filling her with that warm and tingling enzyme of his, pumping it out into her wet, silky embrace. She feels his warm essence splashing against her walls, filling her tunnel even as he pumps himself into her, spreading the sticky stuff around inside her. "Mmmmmmhhh...so good...." She coos softly, bringing her mouth away from his shoulder and leaning back against the tree, staring down at where the join to try and get a good look at his root entering and exiting her twitchy little sex, coated with the juices of their coupling. She shivers as she watches him continue to push into her, slowing down, before finally stopping.

Lacey leans up and kisses Birch, whimpering a little into his mouth as she feels his root pull out of her, retracting into his body. She quakes gently as he finally pops all the way free of her grasping body, feeling his enzyme and her nectar spilling from her netherlips, running down her thighs. He gently untangles her from around him, laying the shivering little redhead down on some soft grass, amidst some freshly bloomed flowers. She purrs happily, worn out and deeply satisfied, as he comes to lay next to her. Murmuring softly as he runs his hand up and down her side, tickling her a little, she rolls onto her side, curling her body against his, enjoying the nearness they share for the moment. She's not sure if she'll come back or not...but part of her thinks it might not be such a horrible idea.

She'd laugh at the statement that she's earned a rest, if she wasn't so exhausted; earned or not, the student isn't entirely sure she has a choice in the matter. She's already fading fast. She nestles up against Birch, settling in the crook of an arm as a thought strikes her rapidly fading mind. "N...nineteen..." She murmurs sleepily. "Not rings...years....I'm nineteen years...old..." There's no further explanation forthcoming; Lacey's already out like a light, and waking her would likely be impossible for a few hours yet.

His skin was rough like bark she would discover and the bite really did not bother him. Unlike a true plant he had a strange albeit complex nervous system that was wired throughout his very body.

Though their was a bit of sadness now that he laid her down and laid beside her. He knew how the pattern went though she was still here to the morning at least and while he rested there at her side he observed her all night long since he did not truly sleep.

Nineteen. He noted that. Though she was soon out when she did wake several hours later she found that he had not moved from that pot preferring to remain close.

“You are older than mine, I suppose I cannot call you Sapling.” He sat up and encouraged her to do the same then stood and assisted her to her feet. Scooping her up again he brought her back to the river. Various plants gathering up her clothing and shuffling along so that the uniform arrived there too.

“Did you sleep well?” He asked cleaning dried enzyme from her back as he posed the question to her. Rough hands applying the barest pressure as he worked. Soon she would be gone he though and Slarr would stay away for a number of days if he knew what was good for him so there were a few quite days ahead of them still.

He cleaned her and focused on that task delighting in just touching her soft skin as a final reminder of the night passed. “You don't often set into the jungles do you?”

Green eyes flutter open gradually, greeted by bright sunlight and the sight of the tree-man. Somehow, the redhead finds herself absurdly pleased by this; it's nice to know he's been nearby. For one thing, it seems to keep other things away, and for another she doesn't mind the company at all. Lacey offers a sleepy smile. "Mmm...mornin'..." A soft murmur. She sits up alongside Birch, stretching her body. "NNnngh! Mmmmmm...sore..." She mumbles, still clearly very tired. She looks up at the sky, trying to judge the time...but scowls as she realizes she has no clue what to look for. It's morning, of that much she's certain...but beyond that, she can't tell. Still...the sky is lighter than it normally is when she wakes up and heads out in the mornings meaning..."Missed my morning workout...."

She thinks about that, then blushes a bit. Given all the physical exercise she'd had yesterday, she'd probably had more than enough of a workout. Mind-blowing orgasms certainly wear one out, and there's no way that something like that isn't a full-body deal. Her whole body has a delicious ache this morning, anyway and...she looks down at herself in dismay. "...Sticky..." his enzyme had dried on her skin overnight, as had her own sweat and juices. Needless to say, while this was a sexy thing last night, this morning it's less so. It does NOT meet with her standard of personal hygiene.

"Mmh?" Is her sleepy response to both Birch's revelation that she's older than he is and to his scooping her up and carrying her off. Needless to say, while Lacey is normally a morning person, she's out of it this morning. She wonders idly where they're going for a moment...then decides it doesn't matter, leaning against Birch and taking the opportunity to fall into a sort of half-doze. She snickers softly, murmuring "Rings..." up to the tree-man, in reference to her misunderstanding of his question the previous night. "Don't mind if you do..." She yawns, referring to his new-found inability to call her Sapling. The nickname doesn't bother her much anymore. She'll leave it to him to decide whether or not it's appropriate to call her such.

Slowly her mind wakes up, step by step. She hears the river nearby, rushing along its course and offers a sleepy cheer. A bath would be lovely. The river maybe isn't a hot shower, but it'll certainly do for her. Besides, she'll be able to wake up once that cold water touches her. Crawling down from the crook of Birch's arm, Lacey stumbles her way into the river. Finding a spot deep enough to sit in, she does just that before her mind has a chance to contemplate what's about to happen. She bites down a shriek of surprise at just how cold the water is over her body and sits there shaking for a minute. "GH.....c...colllld....."

She closes her eyes, sitting still for a moment, letting the water wash over her and pushing the chill away from her awareness for a moment. When her teeth stop chattering, she opens her eyes with a sigh. "That's better...." She says, much more awake now. Her arms move over her body, paying special attention to her thighs and between as she cleanses herself in the river. Scant seconds later, she feels Birch's rough hands scrubbing gently at her back, cleaning the enzyme splattered there off of her. She purrs soft approval and leans forward, giving him more access. "Mmmmm....let you know when I'm done waking up..." She murmurs her response to his question, letting her eyes fall closed as he scrubs her clean. It feels nice, like a massage...

Finally, FINALLY her mind decides to finish starting itself up. The cold of the river helps a great deal, though she can't remember the last time it took her THIS long to awaken fully. She wonders idly if her blood pressure's dropped or some such...deciding it's probably the fact that yesterday was so far outside her normal and far more physical than she's accustomed to. She stretches her back once again, this time feeling a series of pops run up and down her spine for her trouble. "Mmmmmm, there we go! That feels better." Tilting her neck pops that as well, and she feels ready to face her day.

Lacey looks over her shoulder at the tree-man, her eyes much brighter and far more alert and responsive as he asks her his question. "Hmmmm...Kind of. I tend to stick to the paths, and I don't go very far inside, but a couple of the areas I run through in the mornings dip into the jungle for a while..." She shrugs, pushing her lower back against his hands, clearly enjoying being touched as much as he seems to enjoy touching. "But if you're talking about taking nature walks and such then no...I tend not to come out this far. I wouldn't have been here at all last night except...well, you already know." She sends him a contemplative look. "Why do you ask?" She has an idea as to what he's getting at, but she wants to hear if she's right first.

If she were stiff he could use that enzyme like a lotion on her but he did not seem too bad. Just the casual aches. He made the offer though when it dried it left something to be desired. Still he did not shrink away from delivering a full body massage with it to provide temporary relief to those aches. He would have to wash it off though and once he had the effects would last an hour maybe. The enzyme functioned better for internal and not external use.

This did give him an excuse to touch her in a fashion though. When she glanced about it was for either one of two things and he had doubted that she was surveying the area for danger. It had to be some clue as to the time.

“It's half past six. I earned time from the scientists. They taught me a lot of useless things too, mainly to indulge my my curiosities. I noted one gazing at a wrist watch a lot and he explained it to me. I then had the scientists each me. In another fifteen I was going to wake you.”

How he told time was simple and amazing a the same time. As long as it wasn't overcast. He pointed to a nearby tree. “Shadow ...” he explained his trick with that one word. In the beginning he had a wrist watch but that broke not that he wore it but so he could figure out times. It told him when the students were likely be around too.

He lets her wake up spending time bathing her, in touching her until she moves to answer. He contemplates that for a moment before he supplies his answer.

“As doubtful as it will be that you return I was curious if there was a chance that I would see you elsewhere. It is a little inconvenient but there is a closer route to the North that gets one closer to the campus but I would not recommend that one outside of company … powerful company ...” he had to make that clear least she grab one of the girl's and think she was going to be safe after all.

Lacey simply sits there in bliss as he rubs her back clean, bathing her, gentle despite his rough skin. It's lovely...though there's some detail in the back of her mind that keeps nagging at her attention. Something he'd said as she was waking up..."Mmmmmmmmmmm that feels good...." She purrs at him. "If THIS is how you wake a girl up, I might just have to fight my way back here..." It's a joke, of course...but she's kind of surprised that the thought of coming back to visit isn't a bad one in her mind. Perhaps it's the fact that she has a choice in the matter...or some semblance of one. There's little doubt that if he wanted to badly enough, he come come onto the campus and drag her into the jungle...but something tells her that it likely won't happen that way. Not as long as he's in control of himself, anyway.

Her eyes narrow in thought. Something about shadows....what WAS it?! She's not the most attentive person when she's just woken up. She blinks as a different part of their conversation filters into her mind suddenly. "Wait...WAIT! I'm....I'm older than you?!" She's not sure why that startles her so much, but it does. Probably too much Tolkien and the like. Still, it turns her previous beliefs on their ear. She looks over her shoulder, up at the tree-man currently washing her back, the same tree-man who'd just spent an entire night turning her brain into something resembling tapioca with some truly mind-blowing sex...and she grins. "Heh...kiddo..." She teases him gently. If nothing else, she finds it amusing. Still...that's not what's been on her mind. It's frustrating...she knows it's right there, but she just can't think of it...

"I don't know..." She says distractedly. "I might come back. I'd rather you didn't attack anyone out of hunger; it's not good for them, or for you. You don't seem the type to enjoy doing that..." Shadows...he'd said shadows. Before that she'd been looking at the sky? She's pretty sure..."Hmm...bad things to the north...closer to home, though. Home....HOME! HOMEWORK!" She shouts suddenly. "Six?! I have assignments! I didn't get to do them...I didn't get half of them! Gone half the day yesterday...this is bad! I'm already going to be late for my first class!" Her thoughts and words bounce from subject to subject in agitation for a moment, her head turning this way and that as though looking for her missing homework assignments. How could she have forgotten?! Well...actually, it's pretty obvious how she could have forgotten. The redhead sighs and slumps a little. "Oh well...I probably wasn't going to go to class today anyway. I feel like I could sleep for a week straight..."

Heaving another sigh, she flops back against Birch, her small and wild storm of consternation past and done with. "So why don't you just meet people at the northern path? Things don't seem to want to mess with you much, particularly in the jungle. Wouldn't that make things easier for you? Your secret garden stays secret except for anyone you want to show it to, the people you want to return can do so in safety, and you stay fed. Everybody wins." She delivers this last as though it's a natural and simple thing, without any explanation as to her outburst a moment ago. It doesn't take much for Lacey to convince herself not to worry about trivial things like homework. She's fairly certain she can make the assignments up, and if not then she can make the grades up for them with extra assignments later and high scores on tests. No big deal. Besides, going to her dorm room and sleeping in her bed sounds like a very good plan to the little redhead at the moment...

To be frank he was afraid of leaving the jungles. He did once for less than a minute phasing out of it to a nearby palm tree, snatching Meredith then phasing back. It was a rare time for him, he had managed to transport someone with him but later in the week he found that the palm tree and the one they phased to had died so it was not so much he could not do it but would not do it since both plants would die.

The jungles were his thing though and he had figured that she was not serious about fighting off monsters to get back. However, that deterrent could be worked upon. “I can meet you elsewhere and bring you here as well if you are serious.” But that was thrown out there, something for her to consider.

Even if she did not return here but elsewhere he would find here. He had nothing but time on his hands and they could work out some sort of arrangement.

“Yep. Months maybe, a year at the longest. The Ashen woke me up recently and left a short while back with the war against the Ashlyn. I do not know their intentions, why they gave me life though I suspect it was as a weapon or going to be as a weapon … the things they tried failed like given me a scent that would draw in the Ashlyn like flies are drawn into a … I believe you call them Venus Flytraps.”

He had considered matters as to his origins and the fact that he was the only Yengal probably meant here were better methods for Aschen.

She runs through her outburst. Once upon a time he had “homework” too as he had been taught various things. Some matters were easier to learn then others. Knowledge on nature had been a breeze for instance, weather, plants that sort of thing. He does chuckle though as she flips out.

“You survive a firestorm and an attack by an ooze. I think you'll survive a few missed assignments.”

Her idea had been on the bases of what he was thinking in far simpler terms. And the best thing was that when he lost it he was often in the jungles and probably would be too “bestial” to go there.

He rubs his chin a he thinks upon it. It did no good losing control as she pointed out and he had not considered it, since no one returned he just figured no one had wanted to. He had not considered even meeting someone someplace until today, sometimes he missed the obvious by making things too complex. “That is certainly an idea with merit. Of course I would still need those willing to do just that.”

He had to think of a means as to why a student would want to return.

Lacey laughs a little, shaking her head as she squirms her way up into Birch's lap. She's tired of sitting in the chilly water, and he doesn't seem to mind her leaning back against him much. "You're not an object; you're a living being. Not a weapon, but a person." She contemplates for a moment. "You seem to like these Ashen guys...even though they seem pretty cruel to me. Turning a living being into a weapon, calling him a failure...twisting his biology so that he goes stark-raving mad if he isn't fed on a girl's juices every so often."

Her head tilts back to look up at him. She wonders idly if this is loyalty or a case of not knowing anything else. "You don't seem bitter at all. Created and apparently abandoned here, yet you seem content enough...so why keep thinking of yourself as a failed experiment or a possible weapon? Maybe that's what they had in mind at one point...but don't you think you're...kind of entitled to be who YOU want to be now?" She shrugs. "I mean...I guess I don't know how things stand between you and them...my mom wanted me to take over her business, once upon a time. I was supposed to be her little clone."

She laughs again at that thought; she and her mother are two completely different people, the only things shared between them being their hair color and their stubborn nature when it comes to being forced into things they don't want to do. "I came here to learn to be a teacher instead, though. I bet she's still pretty mad about it...but I chose who I wanted to be, and so far I'm sticking to it. So who do you want to be, Birch? I think you've got an answer in there somewhere. Maybe you should think on it for a while." For some reason, hearing about these Ashen and the things they've done to Birch, the way they've toyed with his chemistry, infuriates her. He doesn't seem to mind things, accepting it easily enough...but it bothers her to no end that someone would do that to an otherwise gentle creature like Birch. Shrugging her shoulders, she changes the topic; she's not certain if she's trying to convince Birch of his freedom so much as she's trying to convince herself of her own. At this point, the topic strikes a little too close to home for her liking...

"Yeah, I know...they're not that big a deal." She sighs in a resigned fashion as she says this, though secretly she's pleased to hear him chuckle, even if it is at her expense. "And it was two oozes." She corrects mildly. "And I only survived the firestorm because you stepped in. And thanks for that, by the way." She'd thanked him last night, of course. But considering it's her life he's saved, a few more thank you's can't possibly hurt. She shudders against him as she considers the events of last night. "What a charmed life I lead...attacked by one psychotic ooze, let loose into the arms of another that needs food someone else is digesting..." She feels a little sick at that memory. "And then nearly burned to a crisp by a psychotic fire demon thing." She shakes her head. "Yay team. I don't want to think about this anymore."

She looks up at Birch. "Well...I could meet you every once in a while." She states simply enough. He'd felt fantastic and been fairly gentle with her, getting rough in all the right ways as time had gone on. Besides...the thought of being attack-free for even a brief period of time is enticing. Granted, she obviously can't stay near him 24/7; it would make school a little difficult, and he doesn't seem to want to leave the jungle much anyway. But to be free from an attack every once in a while, to have it by her choice rather than by someone or something else's whim...seems like a fair enough deal. "Just show me some place you feel comfortable coming to meet me at, and I'll try to get there before you get too hungry. There; you've already got one person!" She smiles triumphantly at him.

“As twisted as they are that science team is as close to a parent that I have.” He did not mind having her shift into his lap relishing the closeness for as long as it would last of course.

“You are correct, I am not bitter. They have been gone for some time now and truth be told I rather be doing this, tending to my garden, to treating sick plants rather then I would have had squashing some bugs that the Ashen created and have now run amok.”

He had not considered being a living weapon or manufactured as such too much and he had been making idle conversation with here. He didn't like many of the things that the Ashen had in mind for him but he was thrilled that they indulged his curiosity when he had brought forth a question … they were at least curious enough to supply him with answers and additional answers. His last teaching were about Earth and humanity so he suspected that they were knowledgeable that the war with the Ashlyn had turned for the worse.

His hand brushed against her submerged leg in a gentle caress as he considered her words. “I will keep that in mind Sapling, though for the longest time I have simply been Birch free to do as I choose … no, that is not entirely true. There were the years with Thudd but he is no longer a worry.” Still he gave the matter some additional thought as his hand rubbed back an forth against her.

“It does not matter how you survived but that you had.” He adds. “Even if it goes against your principals at the time you can later atone for them … but you are welcome nonetheless but Devil, Slarr is a Devil or rather a Belzar. He hate it when he is refereed to as a Demon. I do not know the difference and really do not care but from what I have figured out there are aliens that liken themselves more to one than the other for reasons I do not know. I suppose some prefer Pepsi, others Coke.” That was his best guess at it any way.

He stiffens, fingers pressing into her thigh. He looks at her, excitement, joy, his features are a bit tougher to read but he seems pleased. “The place we depart will do. If you tie a ribbon or some such to a branch there we can communicate silently and effectively. My ability to move through the trees will allow me to check often enough. Different colors could indicate no, yes or number of days or time, sunset, dusk, that sort of matter. I need only feed once a week or two and for this exchange to be more viable nothing need not happen all the time. It could be just spending the night or part of it knowing that there will be nothing to worry about that day.

“You could study and I can tend the garden for instance ...” That seemed to work, it gave her some incentive during those days that he was not too hungry.

Parents...that's a good point. Lacey herself doesn't see eye to eye with her mother...but she doesn't wish ill on her either. She loves her mother, even if she doesn't love the idea of what her mother had intended for her. She nods thoughtfully as he continues, idly tracing a finger over his forearm while she listens. He's already put thought into these very questions it seems...maybe it's Lacey who should be thinking about her own life instead. She smiles a little. "I can understand that much...children love their parents regardless of circumstances." She shudders at the mention of bugs. She'd had a run-in with a particularly nasty one, thanks to Ortix yesterday and--

Nope. She refuses to go down the path that thought leads to. Stewing in those memories isn't going to help her get over them. She forces herself not to squirm as his hand strokes gently against her leg, rough and gentle, reminding her of last night. The memories his touch stirs up are LEAGUES more pleasant by contrast. She doesn't mind thinking about those at all. She leans her back against his chest, looking up at him. "Thudd? That doesn't...sound good." She's curious and a little apprehensive, despite his assurance that whatever Thudd is, or was, he's not a problem anymore. "What is he?"

She gives a soft puff of laughter. "I suppose...but then, my mother can be a little vindictive. And I think I picked that trait up from her; I'd love to be on her good side again. I love my mom. But I don't think I'll ever be able to ask her forgiveness for choosing my own path. I'll apologize for dropping my coming here for school on her at the last second...but not for the reason I did it." She sighs. "I don't know...maybe I'm too prideful. She might have understood better if I'd explained it more fully..." The subject of Lacey's future is something she's butted heads with her mother over for years, so once she'd turned eighteen, she'd decided to look for a way to freedom on her own without telling dear old mom. She's not certain that her mother will ever forgive her that...

She makes a face as he tells her about Slarr. "I feel I can bear Slarr's disfavor with great fortitude; I'm not out to do him any favors. Still, I suppose I should watch what I say around him. I don't want to find my dorm room burned out because he decides to be a jerk again..." She doesn't like the devil or Belzar or whatever he is. She's fairly certain that Slarr's on the same page as she is on that count; there's likely no love lost between the two. She blinks as a thought occurs to her and groans. "Ugh...I was going to go around burning out the strawberry bushes just to spite him...but since you're the one taking pains to grow them, I guess I'll have to behave." She dislikes the creature intensely, the feeling actually much closer to open hatred...but she'd never go and ruin Birch's hard work just to aggravate the Belzar. Besides, it probably wouldn't be healthy for her to do so; he'd have figured out what's what fairly quickly, and likely would have paid her a visit shortly after she started her campaign against him, without the benefit of Birch's protection. "Oh well...I'll leave him be. No sense in poking a sleeping lion."

"Mmh!" She gasps a little as his fingers tighten on her thigh, prodding into a ticklish spot. "H..hey, glad to see you're excited about the idea..." She giggles. How lonely must he get, out here waiting for people to return who never show...? He seems really happy by the idea of someone visiting. He even goes so far as to assure her he won't be liquefying her brains everytime she comes by, making her stifle another laugh. "Sure, why not? Your garden is pretty, and it's peaceful. That's a pretty good place to work on my assignments. We'll work something out!" She seems satisfied by this system, herself. She blinks as another thought occurs to her. "Where...did you learn about Pepsi and Coke?" A pointless question, but her curiosity catches on odd things like that fairly often.

There would forever be a connection of some sort with the team that awakened him even if he had not agreed with what they were doing in whole or understood what hey were trying to accomplish. For a number of years he had to learn and while he was still naive to a lot of things they had imparted much wisdom in him as well. Of course there was always the fact that it had been too slow to raise a Yengal up to serve as a soldier once the war broke out and while the team had tried a little of this and that at the end they were called away to deal with more pressing matters.

“Was ...” Birch reflected on that. “At least I hope so bu regardless he won't return. He was a Giant, very brutal, a natural bully. It was back when Slarr was much weaker and was an Imp. His kind bullied by instinct, the strong reigning over the weak. He laid claim to the territory that is now the Spider's and so we made a deal of contact while at the boarders. He had already usurped Slarr to serve as a scout and had been impressed by my abilities. At first I could flee easily enough but he began uprooting trees day after day. The nannites would repair them but their deaths were excruciating to me each time. Finally I relented and the three of us had been a team for a few months.

“His people were more cultured … heir were several races amongst the species and when others came here he fled, apparently they were looking for him. I am told he died soon after. I do not think he was smart enough to fake his death but I doubt he will want to hide out here, even though this place is safe. Slarr hides out here for that reason, issues at home and since he cannot be forced off planet his is a sanctuary of sorts. Thudd panicked or was too stupid to realize, he was rather dense. He was much, much worse than Slarr.”

He disliked thinking about that horrible trinity as short lived as it was. During his time with I though he managed to get a few moments in. Pia came to mind and it was an amusing thought as far as she went in dealing with Slarr, who totally deserved I like usual.

“Then don't. Is it necessary to apologize when it is not meant?” He was simple in a way. “Couldn't you two forge a relationship and agree to disagree in a sense, not even bringing it up? Just a thought.”

He chuckles a little dabbling her nose with a finger. “Remember the firestorm? The damage? It would be the same with your room, chances are unless you were there at the time you would never know.

“I have discovered that large areas of destruction are fixed pretty quick though smaller ones not as readily so. A few burnt bushes in remote areas might be missed. When I … when two trees were dying they were not replaced as readily, one was because it was in a more public place, the other was left for a bit …

“I do not grow the plants save for the ones at my garden and some for Slarr elsewhere. Simply put he is a danger to the garden so I refuse to allow him there. He can go invisible though which makes it harder to detect him.”

He tended to want company as much as he would like to eat it was only necessary every so often and so safety for a night might secure a feeding. They would work something out. “The Ashen were quite thorough in their teaching methods. One was even addicted to the syrup of one of the drinks … the Ashen have a different reaction to caffeine hen humans just as humans and Belzar find the tastes of strawberries different. Of course, a Belzar need not eat save for by choice so I believe there must have and addictive quality in berries. He must have eaten one one a whim, maybe mimicking a blond student he was stalking and then,” he chuckled. “We both know the rest.”

She listens intently to his tale of his days around Thudd, up to an unspecified demise. There's a sense of relief at that; this Thudd doesn't sound like someone she wants to meet. She snickers a bit at his quip about Slarr. "Hard to believe ANYONE'S more dense than that pyromaniac matchstick..." She shakes her head. "So...it hurts a great deal then? When your trees are hurt?" Lacey takes time to consider that for a moment. "That's why you came so quickly after the firestorm...because it hurt. I didn't see you at all before Slarr lit up that area of the jungle...and then you were just...there. And somewhat peeved." She gives a small smirk at the memory of Slarr flying through the air, caught unawares by a vine across his face. Another memory she won't mind keeping. Still...it confirms that burning the strawberry bushes is probably a bad idea, for more than just the repercussions she'd suffer for the act. It'd likely cause Birch some pain too.

This line of thought brings another smile to her face as she puts something together. "Slarr annoys you to no end, but you still give him strawberry bushes. You see him as a nuisance, but you still let him through your territory, save for your gardens or whenever he slips up...like with the firestorm. And even when you're mad at him, you talk about him a lot." She rocks gently back and forth with silent laughter. "Despite your differences and how irritating he is, you like him, don't you? If nothing else, he's a source of company...but I think you enjoy his company a little. Even if he does annoy you sometimes."

Even as she draws the conclusion, she makes a mental note to cut Slarr some slack; it hadn't been a great night for either of them. She doesn't like him, doesn't want to form any sort of relationship with him whatsoever...but still. "I guess...I'll leave him and the things he likes alone. If I started burning his strawberries or warning off all the blondes and brunettes and making things harder for him, he'd just come and whine your ear off about it." The redhead chuckles. She can almost hear the heavy sighing Birch would likely do, hearing the easily-agitated fire devil whine constantly. It's an amusing thought. She blinks as he taps her nose and tells her that Slarr likely WOULD torch her room in retaliation. "Fine, fine...I'll leave him alone if he leaves me alone." She says it with a disappointed tone, but the smile on her face puts the lie to her voice.

Her smile fades a little, but doesn't vanish as he mentions the possibility of establishing a new relationship with her mother, the expression turning a bit sad. "I suppose that's true...there are plenty of things I really am sorry for. I shouldn't waste breath on the decisions I'm happy with..." She sighs. "It's hard...to explain my mother to someone who doesn't know her. She loves me, I know she does...but her idea of love is pushing me into a mold she knows is at least moderately successful. We could agree to disagree...until she starts disagreeing with my disagreement."

She shakes her head. "I'm confusing the hell out of myself just trying to explain this. Look...if I started talking to her again, my mom would be happy to just let thing lie for a while. Open communication means that she gets the chance to start trying to influence me again...and while saying she accepts my choices, she'd do exactly the opposite. She means well...but she's fairly one-track minded about things sometimes. I'm one of those things." She shrugs. "I'll...I'll talk to her again one day. I mean...I'm her daughter. I LOVE my mother, with all my heart...it's just, I love being free too. And while I know she can't really take that from me...it hurts that she tries. Even if it is with good intentions, it hurts. I just...from a logical standpoint, I get why she does it...but from an emotional one? It makes no sense. Who would do that to someone they love...?"

Lacey sighs again. "I'll figure something out with her eventually. I can't just never see my mom again...that would break my heart..." Her voice catches a little just at the thought of not seeing her mother again. Liselle Renault is not an easy woman to get along with...but she's also the woman who kept Lacey safe and fed while she grew up. Not mother of the year...but definitely not a terrible one either. She holds a large place in the redhead's heart, and despite their differences, Lacey wouldn't give her up for the world, regardless of whether or not she wants to hold a conversation with her mother at the moment.

Blinking at the story Birch tells of the Ashen scientists with their caffeine addiction, and the thought of a possible encounter between Slarr and a strawberry-bearing blonde, Lacey doubles over with laughter. "GOD that WOULD fit him!" Her laughter slows to a chuckle. "And so now we have a fire-devil addicted to strawberries and blondes, and all possible combinations of the two. Fantastic." She shakes her head. "I feel bad for the blondes, though...no one should have to suffer his tender affections. Especially not just because of her hair color." She shivers a bit; her focus has wandered and the chill of the river is setting in again. Rising from Birch's lap, Lacey stretches. "I'm going to get wrinkly and cold sitting in the water all day." She says, walking towards the riverbank where her temporary uniform lays waiting.

"I don't have a great many ribbons...I didn't bring very much stuff from home. But still, I'm sure I can figure out something to use to let you know where and when I'll meet with you." She thinks to herself, running over things she can use. "Actually...a ribbon might work! I think I can get some of them from the student's store..." Things from the stores usually cost a fair bit, and she doesn't have a great deal to work with; she'd come here without her mother's consent, so her spending options are limited, not being funded by her mother beyond the basic cost of her tuition and the fees inherent in coming to this school. Even getting THAT much secured had been a war... "I'll figure something out on that count. If nothing else, I'm resourceful! We should probably talk colors though..."

“Slarr is not dumb, just predictable. There are few things he enjoys so it is easy to gauge his reactions. He responds like a child at times when things don't go hi way but he is capable of a great deal of cunning if he ever applied himself to it.

“The passing or destruction of the vegetation does not harm me, not psychically at least or that firestorm the other day would have gotten me quite irritated. It's more the psychological effects … I suppose you could liken it to your species loss of a pet, nothing lethal but it does sadden you. The firestorm would be repaired I knew though given the mass of destruction o those plants were never killed as far as I am aware. I do not fully understand this self repair process of the nannites, it still has an effect, not as strong, I do not like seeing it and Thudd even managed to wear me down with his destruction of these jungles until he stopped.”

He considered the matter of Slarr a bit, rubbing his chin. “He was not always so hard to control. Now that he has a small taste of power he hardly think twice about using it. I suppose it has something to do with his heritage … he is the only one to come back consistently.

“The growing of strawberries … it's an easy means of punishing him through denial of hi goodies. There was that association and I do let him pass through the area unhindered. At times I do assist him on his hunts mostly to serve as damage control. Fortunately his tastes are rather specific and he knows better than to try to steal any of the strawberries I grow.

“I suppose I have just gotten use to him after all this time. If he were a plant lover, had some sort of redeeming quality that did no make him so bad ...” He gave that issue a degree of thought. “I suppose I do take a mild delight in seeing his schemes blow up in his face or hear about his losses, a sort of twisted pleasure but hearing the same rants all the time gets a bit tedious. From time to time there is something new and with his promotion he's a bit more gun ho about working alone so it's more likely to hear a set back. Of all the monsters on this island I have heard of none loosing a target other than Slarr. Twice I gave up mine on the intervention of another and the last time wasn't really anything more than a rouse. The time before I was borderline … but gave up the girl in good faith to that Demon I mentioned. She ran straight to it, would you believe. Each time it was the same girl I think, at least she sounded like the same girl.”

It would be pointless for Slarr t do it but he was such a child tat he would. Birch noted the smile though it didn't not relay that deviousness in her. He isn't as good at discerning emotions outside of a sexual nature which he had begun learning over the last few months.

“You need not warn them of anything … just get them to dye their leaves or cut them off and he would leave them alone. I doubt you could convenience them all but Slarr would not suspect anything amiss. Of course I would hear about a girl changing leave color but I am use to his muttering … oh and no brown either, he targets them as well though the more yellow the hair the more likely he will strike,” he shrugged, “I have no clue as to his fascination.”

The matter of her mother is explained to him and he listens. “I can understand about being free, about loving your mother. Instead of one or two parents mine had been a team of scientists. What I am doing now is probably what they did not intend for me but I enjoy this role better than squashing bugs on some remote Ashen world. Failure, abandonment, whatever, it does not matter so much now.”

He gets out of the river himself following her to the shore. “Store? If there is such a simple option then it will be done.” He chuckles a little to himself. “I will merely have Slarr steal some. Invisibility is not his sole trick and he would be more than happy to steal ribbons for strawberries for a store, from other girls too … he would be curious as to what I needed them for but that's none of his business and if I just mention something like supposing he didn't want the strawberries after all that would shift his attention back to the task other than the reason why I want them.”

Colors were somewhat simple he supposed. “Red. Not coming, green coming. Yellow sunset, black for night. We can assign numbers to other colors. A green, yellow and blue combo could mean met at suet in four days. Or it can be as simple as no ribbon, not coming, green, coming and I can check daily each morning. It can be as simple or complex. We can decide to meet at a given time too such as sunset of night or what have you.”

She squeezes her eyes shut, pinching the bridge of her nose as he explains the sort of pain that tearing up the jungle creates for him. "That's even worse somehow...I mean I thought you felt it like a cut or a bruise or something, not like someone was kicking your puppy..." She sighs. She'll have to be a great deal more cautious wandering through the jungle; a chance encounter with Slarr would likely result in a clash of tempers, and with the redhead's smart mouth in the face of worrisome situations, it's unlikely the jungle will go unharmed.

Still, she'd be foolish not to move cautiously regardless of the pyro-freak. On an island filled with monsters interested in taking things from her she doesn't want to give, caution is the word of the day, every day. She laughs. "It's...not always that simple to get a girl to change her hair color. Sometimes we dye our hair fo whatever reason...but some of us take it as a mark of pride...like me. Most of my outfits complement my hair or my complexion...and the dressier things I like to wear complement both. If someone suggested I not be a redhead anymore, for whatever reason...well. It wouldn't be pretty." Not to mention that it'd be worse for that 'someone' to be a complete stranger she'd never even seen before. "So a mass hair-dye party for all the blondes and brunettes is likely out. It's a moot point anyway; I'm going to NOT do things to aggravate him, remember?"

Lacey starts to dress; she doesn't like the way it feels to get dressed while her skin's still wet from the river, but there's not a lot she can do about it. Gritting her teeth, she buttons the blouse on over still wet skin. "Bien sûr..." She sighs in exasperation; naturally, the thin white blouse is all but see-through now. And with no bra on, her peaks push against the nearly-translucent article of clothing in a fashion that suggests she's been to a wet t-shirt contest hosted by a lech with a thing for catholic schoolgirls. Sighing again, she bends down and tugs her panties on, then pulls the skirt up, zipping and belting it. For now, she carries her shoes and socks; She's NOT putting wet feet into shoes and socks. The blouse is bad enough.

She can feel her mouth twisting into a frown at the thought of resorting to theft. She doesn't like theft; it goes against everything she believes. One of the core tenets of Tae Kwon-Do is integrity, and hers is sorely strained at just the thought of thievery. Her eyes narrow to little slits at the mention of using Slarr as the medium for the thievery as well. "Nope. Nope nope nope, I'll buy them." Adding her pride to her integrity pushes the matter out of the range of debate for the redhead. "Not going to rely on the pyro for ANYTHING. And I don't like theft." She turns and looks up at Birch. "Trust me, I'll make it work out! I'm smarter than I look! Just...not him. I don't want to feel like I owe that matchstick freak anything at all..." She almost growls just at the thought; despite earlier thoughts of cutting him a little slack, it seems some wounds heal only very slowly. Lacey's telling the truth when she says she gets her vindictive streak from her mother.

"Hmmm..." She considers. "No ribbon for not coming, green ribbon for a meeting. Yellow for sunset, black for just after moonrise. And since you'll be checking daily, I might as well just leave the ribbon on the morning of the day I plan to visit for now; if for some reason we need to delay the meeting a couple of days, I'll use a red ribbon to cancel, and leave a stack of stones for how many days we need to push it back." She thinks further. "If I come at the appointed time and the ribbon is missing, then I'll know you're expecting me, and you can give it back to me when I go to leave. If it's still on the tree though, then I'll know that it's not a good idea to visit you, that you've got something going on or something's come up. How's that sound?" She fidgets in her wet, ill-fitting temporary uniform. "Merde..."

She puffs out an exasperated breath and gives up fiddling with the blouse and trying to make it more comfortable...though a few seconds later her fingers return to the garment, unconsciously taking up the war once more. "For now, until I get the ribbons, how about if I just come to visit you in about a week?"

“A mass exodus to change hair color. I had already figured it was quite infeasible. There will always be someone that resists changing it, even if they knew the truth they may seek to roll the dice. Just because you are blond doesn't mean he'll target you. I think he loves his treats just as much and bargains and contracts fit in there somewhere. One of your fellow students managed to get the better of an arrangement with him … I believe he said that he name was Pia. He learned it after we had dealings with her and thud quite some time back, Thudd had been distracted by Aegir and pulled away leaving the two of us with her and she offered him a deal that he was happy with. Juniper too … nice name there … though she was a bit shrewd with her bargain.”

He sees that she is not pleased at involving Slarr or so he assumes that. It's hard for him to say. “OK, no Slarr. I will leave the acquisition of the ribbons to you.” He considers her arrangement for the colors and what not and it sounds find by him. The simpler the better after all.

“That sounds good,” he was excited to have been be in the planning stages for something as simple as this. Perhaps, even if this were a lie, it seemed more real for him seeing that they were considering something that they need not be discussing in the first place.

What made it more real was the time of a meeting. “A week? Then it will be a week in which I am in a hurry to end for a change. That sounds fine.” She kept playing with those wet clothes and he lured her away back towards the school. H noted that she did not put her shoes on and while he was conditioned to walk on harder surfaces she had been less adapted to it.

“Do you wish for me to carry you back?”