She couldn't help but yawn, hiding her open mouth with her slender pale hand. She had come here to actually find a lead to her missing family but in the end, she sat down and had taken a pencil and a notepad and started to draw the sighting from where she sat. There were the tree roots just above the ground where she had sat herself on and looked at the sight of the castle on the hill that she was now trying to draw. It was a long time that she took the time to study in a way her surroundings. She had done meditating but it wasn't the same as trying to pay attention to the landscape and focus on that. She liked being outdoors, she liked watching people and see them develop, not so much as interacting with them. She rather stayed away and simply watched.

She liked the sight of the castle, if she forgot whose town this was, considering Phantom Lord, not that she knew much about guilds, she never actually paid interest into them and thus had not really cared. All she knew was that it was more of a bad town, everything seemed to be allowed, the reason why she came here, perhaps there was people trafficking.. perhaps she would be able to find a clue here to her missing family. But that could wait for a few more minutes, the rain that seemed to be coming, would be able to wait a few more minutes so she could sit here and sketch.

When Jian first arrived in Oak, his only goal had been to finally reunite with the brother he'd lost years ago. While the way in which the reunion occured wasn't exactly what he'd envisioned, it had still managed to culminate in a reunion that didn't end in any sort of violence - which was as good as anything he could have hoped for. Due, in part, to how positive of an event this had been, Jian began to wonder if he was beginning to adore this town as a result. Objectively, Oak was no different than any other town he was aware of in Fiore, however, he began to feel a sense of nostalgia as he traveled through the streets of Oak and interacted with the people, visited the places, and soaked in the scenery.

Even though he'd only been in Oak for a few days, people around the town had been able to recognize him now and had no qualms greeting him with open arms. He couldn't help but be reminded of his homeland the longer he stayed here. With a quick sigh and a slight shake of his head, Jian tried to physically "shake" these sorts of thoughts out of mind. Being homesick was one thing he couldn't afford to be on his assignment. He wasn't sure how long he'd been away from the people and home he loved, but the sooner he accomplished what he'd been sent here to do, the sooner he'd be able to see them once more. Crying and whining about it did nothing for him.

While thinking of all of this, Jian had slowly been traveling along a quiet street towards the outskirts of town. The location in which he was headed wasn't exactly outside of town, but it was an area in which many people didn't often travel. In this area there resided a tree that Jian had found quite interesting, but he hadn't had the time in his schedule to check it out. He'd been so busy going on back to back requests with Jiao that he never really found himself having time to explore everything this town had to offer. This area also seemed to give travelers a great view of the town itself; most noteably, the hill in which the famed Castle Phantasm rested.

This tree in particular stood out to Jian due to just how old it was, and with the magic he possessed, Jian felt communicating with it would offer him insight that many of the living would never have the ability to offer. Communicating with the flora and fauna around him was a pastime that Jian simply loved, almost as much as he loved meditating and conversing with the spirits. Many in this world simply viewed "plants" as scenery or some sort of backdrop within the grand story of their lives, but they were so much more than this. Just as we humans live, so too does nature live with us.

As he finally made his arrival, he found himself slightly disappointed by the fact that he was now in the presence of another human. He'd assumed that nobody else would be in the area during the time, but his disappointment soon vanished as he began to think that maybe this person appreciated nature just as he did. It was a stretch, of course, but maybe this was someone who was also able to appreciate how much nature had to offer. The woman in question appeared to be lost in thought as she gripped a pencil and continued to sketch within her notepad. Having walked up behind her, he began to realize that he'd been quite rude to approach without announcing himself.

"Hello there."

He figured he'd simply start off with a greeting in order to gain an idea of how she'd react. He stood about two meters behind her, so it gave her an ample amount of personal space, but he still couldn't predict how someone would react to having someone approach them from behind.

Oak had seem very busy when she had walked towards its town centre, Sorcha didn't mind a lot of people as long as she had no need to interact with them herself but the nature around the town was more pleasant and the sight made her focus on herself more than anytime before. If you didn't count meditation, which had been days ago last she done that. She should stop being so strict on herself but where could her parents be and what had happened in that night? Even if it was so many years ago already and she half-hearted had given up on finding them alive, she needed answers to understand.

Her mind had gone off on this automatic riddle of her solutions and plans and the normal list she always summoned up to stay sane in the insane world of human beings and betrayal. She had to know for sure that elves had taken her family as the other species couldn't reach their capital. I'm Sorcha, the only daughter and middle child of Giomanach and Moira Donovan. I'm twenty years old, I'm looking for my family.. A hello there pushed her out of her thoughts and she stopped drawing, thank god having her pencil just off the paper else she might have made a scratch on it out of surprise. Her shoulders moving up as she had not paid much attention anymore to the surroundings apart from looking at the castle. She turned around, her amber eyes looking big, like a deer staring at the hunter but she relaxed soon a little again, she had to keep up with this normal aspects of her life.

"Hello," she said softly but audible enough. She wasn't sure what more she had to say, it wasn't a beautiful weather and for the shortcut in her mind, she couldn't come up with a normal conversation to talk about. He was probably human and she couldn't help but stare at him, why would he be here?

After having reacted to his greeting, Jian couldn't help but feel a bit bad about saying anything at all. Not because she gave off any sort of vibe that made him feel unwelcome; but rather, he felt that he'd interrupted her during a serious moment. He was quite aware of what it felt like to be interrupted when one was in the midst of serious thought or contemplation. As a result of his guilt, he almost expected to be berated or given the cold shoulder as she turned around; however, she greeted him a manner far kinder than he was expecting.

One of the very first things that he found himself noting about her was simply how beautiful of a woman she was. There were likely hundreds of other adjectives, phrases, and expressions that he could have used to describe her physical appearance, yet "beautiful" seemed to sum it up far better than anything he would have been able to come up with. On top of this, he'd also noted the ears that seemed to poke out through her hair. An Elf? Throughout the 19 years of his life, he'd never encountered an Elf before - though he'd obviously heard about them. Encountering one in such a manner was something he hadn't expected, and he'd almost found himself at a loss for words before he realized just how awkward standing there in silence would have been.

"Please, excuse me. I had assumed this area would be empty. When I saw you, I felt that it would have been rude not to announce my presence."

Jian bowed slightly as he gave his apology to the woman in front of him.

"I have actually come to see the tree over there...However, I would hate to intrude on anything. If you would prefer, I could come back another time."

Where there human beings that did care about nature because at this point, she had not really met anyone like that. She wasn't entirely sure again what to say, what did humans talk about? She was sure what to say if he had been another elf or perhaps she knew questions when he would be a neko but he was a human and that was very interesting but she liked to observe and not talk. As the wind brushed a bit of hair in front of her face, she quickly brushed it behind her ear again, the braid would keep it away but it had been the little breeze as well as her turning her face quickly in surprise. She gave a soft smile, she should definitely say something to stop being so awkward.

She gave a bit of a warmer smile as he said something about not being rude, well at least this human had manners. "Oh no, you aren't intruding." she said as she stood up and was especially thrilled to hear someone coming here because of a tree and she looked at the tree that she had basically used as a seat because it had been so lovely. "I just arrived and this place felt so wonderful I just couldn't help but feel a bit at home here." She pressed the notepad against her body to hide the painting, perhaps a bit too shy about her not really excisting art talent or well that was her own opinion, her mother Moira Donovan had been better. "You came here for this tree?" she pointed at the one next to her, she wasn't sure if she didn't dare to ask him why as she didn't want to intrude at this point. It was already very interesting to meet a.. well she had thought that before.

Jian couldn't help but return the warm smile she'd given him. Once again, he hadn't expected that this meeting, however brief it was, could have become so amiable. Jian found himself starting to like Fiore the longer he found himself staying here - or at least Oak. He found the people to be a kind sort, despite the terrible things that many people seemed to associate with this town.

As the woman continued to speak, he noted the fact that she appeared to press the notepad she'd been working in against her body. To Jian, it appeared as if she was attempting to keep whatever it was hidden. He couldn't exactly fault her for this, as it was none of his business what she held in her notepad; thus, he made sure not to bring attention to the fact that he'd noticed her action. Instead, he merely began to answer her question with a smile as she asked it.

"Yes, I did. I've heard from many others that this tree is quite ancient..."

He began to think for a moment if he wished to explain exactly what he planned to do here, but he soon felt as though he at least owed it to her. After all, he'd interrupted her time alone. The least he could do was explain why he was there. Besides, what would be the harm?

"I actually planned to converse with it through the use of my magic. I figured that it would have some interesting tales to share."

He found himself smiling unbeknownst to himself as this last sentence allowed him to recall a few memories from his childhood. Nature had always been something that kept Jian company as a child. As the 11th of 15 children, he often found it hard to garner the attention from his family that many others in a smaller family would have been able to. The fact that he belonged to a Noble family didn't help matters. However, once he learned his magic and grew attuned to it, he found that the attention he sought from many members of his family could be found through the flora and fauna of the world around him. He'd even found that despite the fact that he hadn't been able to converse with them prior, many plants had grown to care about him as one of their own as he grew up in their presence. He could only imagine the sort of things a tree of this age would be able to tell him about the surrounding world.

"Oh! How rude of me, I almost forgot! My name is Jian. A pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Jian extended his hand out to her as he said this, but he soon began to wonder if such a handshake would be seen as too forward.

Assumptions made people blinded and that didn't stick to one race. Everyone could do it, the elves did it just as much as the humans could do it and so on. The thing was that Sorcha wanted to not make assumptions but the thing was that she had seen a lot of strange things done by well other beings. She had to get to the fact that the kidnapping of her parents and her siblings had been done by elves, who else would be able to reach their capital city without being spotted, stopped and so on and how would they be able to take four elves with them without any other news about it. It was a mystery and yet there was a dark thought in Sorcha her mind that she was left behind, she had not been worthy enough to come along.

She asked if the young man came for this tree as she let her amber eyes glide over it, it was quite a large tree and gave off a peaceful feeling, no iron bars and so on surrounding it as had happened in Magnolia in the park. It could do whatever it wanted, she nodded, "It seems so yes." Which only made it more pleasant than before. She turned her eyes quickly back out of curiousity towards.. she actually didn't know his name. But that was a matter for later as he surely sparked her curiousity, "Converse?" she could but it wasn't like really hearing, it was a sense, a feeling of understanding, "That sounds lovely to do." She didn't want to pry on his magic but actually wanted to see how he would use that. "Do you.." well curiousity would not be a bad thing, he could always refuse to answer her questions right, "Do you do that often? Converse with trees or other plants?"

Soon after that he introduced himself, stating it was rude and she remembered that she had thought that of herself a few seconds ago too. She looked at his extended hand and showed a questionable look on her face, she didn't understand why he extended his hand, "I'm Sorcha, it's nice to meet you." He had said it while introducing himself but it must be a human thing to do so she slowly extended her own hand, not sure how it worked.

It seemed that Jian had managed to garner the woman's curiosity through the mention of his magic. It appeared his initial assumptions about her and the appreciation she'd possibly held for the natural world had been correct. He hadn't encountered many others that seemed to hold the same sort of regard for flora that he did, so it was a welcome change from the norm. With a smile, Jian proceeded to answer her question.

"It's something I do as often as I am able to. I can't quite remember when I learned to do so, but I'm aware that I've done so since my childhood."

With the question answered Jian proceeded to introduce himself to the woman, who then followed up with the extension of her hand and an introduction of her own. She seemed a bit apprehensive as she extended her hand, thus, Jian figured it would be for the best to reassure her.

"That's fitting. A beautiful name for a beautiful woman."

He spoke these words a friendly smile and a gentle shake of her hand.

"It's nice to meet you as well, Sorcha."

He found himself chuckling playfully a bit as he said her name, finding that he quite liked the ring of it.

"So what brings you here today? Just taking in the sights?"

Again Sorcha thought what a wonderful idea that was, it probably had to do with a mage's magic, or just a very good talent. She wasn't sure if it would be something that humans would be able to do without the power of magic but perhaps it was something ancient, as she knew the origin about how humans got their magic in the first place, it made sense that some would have this ability. She as an elf had in a different matter, a simple understanding but not really a way to converse with trees or plants and that sparked her curiousity to ask questions and to understand how it worked, the idea that he had used it for as long as he knew made it a very lovely idea. Again it made her realize how many humans she had met and how much of an assumption she had made because of the idea of humans.

She smiled lovely as she got the compliment of her name, "Thank you." and she noticed how he softly took her hand and shook it, a human gesture she assumed, she had seen it sometimes and now realized that they did that when introducing or meeting each other again after a long time. How could she forget was beyond her but elves or well her family didn't greet people like that. It was Sorcha her turn to answer the question of what brought her here and she wasn't entirely sure how to answer, mostly as she didn't want to believe her only point in being here was finding her family, not that she was hiding that but she was afraid of disappointing herself again, "I'm looking for missing family members but actually you are not wrong, I bumped into this place and decided to try and sketch the view." Which was the point where she losely held the notepad now and in the end turned it around to show him the sketch of the castle and the view around it, a bit rough around the edges but she had a sharp view to draw things like this.

Jian could feel a frown forming upon his lips as he listened to the first part of Sorcha's reply. With the situation he currently found himself in as a spy within the country of Fiore, he knew full well what it was like to "lose" your family. He'd spent multiple years searching for his brother, only to find him just recently. Despite the fact that this "loss" wasn't quite equal to the loss of an entire family, he could imagine just how much something like this would bother someone. He attempted to smile as he heard the second part of her reply, but he could tell that his emotions likely continued to linger on his face through the smile.

"Ah, so you're an artist?"

Despite his attempt to redirect the conversation into more of a positive direction, he still couldn't help thinking about how he'd feel if he was in her shoes. One of his weaknesses had always been how empathetic of a person he was. Nothing within this situation was any of his business; yet, he began to feel as though he had a sort of obligation to help Sorcha find her family. After all, he'd managed to find a brother he thought he'd never see again. He was fully aware of how happy he'd become as a result of it - he could only hope that he could pass some of this happiness down to someone else.

"Sorcha, would you like me to ask the tree about your family?"

There was a brief moment of silence after he asked this question before he continued on. He was going to leave the question there, however, he felt a bit awkward after leaving some details out. He didn't want her to feel as though he was some sort of creep.

"Umm, I know it isn't any of my business, and maybe it sounds a bit creepy for some stranger to get this involved...I empathize with what you're going through, and I think the tree may be able to help you. It's old...ancient...and the amount of knowledge it holds could be immense. Maybe it'll know something about your family."

She was going to be honest as she prefered that in people even if it was no one else their business but her own, she hadn't been able to find her parents and brothers so it was perhaps nice to tell people, they could keep an eye out i case they spotted someone like that. Not that she would stay in places too long, as soon as she figured out that her clues were a no go, she would leave to find them probably and preferably in another city. She didn't mind Oak it wasn't like that but if they weren't here, her hopes went up higher to find them in another town. It was clear they weren't in and around Magnolia, she had only arrived her just yet so she wouldn't know but if they weren't in and around Oak, the chances only got bigger to find them.

"Oh I wouldn't dare call myself an artist, I don't sketch too much for that and.." She wanted to push the compliment away or well if you could consider that, she found that the sketch looked ridiculous but he asked if she was an artist, "I just like to sit and watch the scenery and sometimes draw it to be able to remember it properly." she kept that small smile on her lips because well it was the truth and she had the patient for it and the eyes to see sharp enough to really draw what she saw. Perhaps it could be seen as an artist or a drawing in the right direction. She knew there were elves out there far better at it than she was but she liked her sketches, the purpose of them was to remain a sketch so it was good enough.

She looked at her sketch again for a few seconds when Jian said her name, immediately pulling back her attention towards him, her amber eyes turning big in surprise by hearing his question and she didn't know how to answer, she simply looked at the tree and let her eyes wander over its being before she turned back to look at Jian as he spoke again, she had not been able to form an answer, how impolite. She nodded as he finished talking, "Yes, maybe he does. It would be nice to have a better idea of where to look or hear about them." She clenched her fist around the notebook, she was afraid that the tree would tell her that they were dead. Four years without a word, they might have left her and if that was the case there was a change that they were alive but if they were taken, what wuold that mean for four years.

Jian couldn't help but smile as Sorcha agreed with his suggestion to ask the tree for assistance. While there was a part of him that felt happy simply because he could be of some assistance, there was a part of him that felt happy simply because she hadn't taken his offer the wrong way. There were many things in life that most people would have considered taboo for another person to speak on in any form or fashion. While Jian's intentions were genuine, he had to worry that Sorcha would have been offended by the idea of a stranger intruding on personal matters. With her accepting his help, he felt even more of an obligation to find the answers she was looking for. He knew exactly how it felt to lose family, but he also knew how much joy he felt when he finally found them. Hopefully he could help to bring the same feeling to her.

"Okay, I'll start now."

As he spoke these words, he began to make his way towards the tree located only about a meter away from the two. Just as the "ancient" descriptions of the tree would have led anyone to believe, the tree itself was massive. One could simply look at it and realize they were looking at an organism from some bygone era. With his eyes now closed whilst standing in front of the tree, Jian began to clench his right hand into a fist while his left hand rested softly against the bark. With the activation of the spell, he could immediately feel a connection form between him and the tree that stood before him.

The feeling was unlike anything he had ever felt prior. It was almost an overwhelming sensation, to the point that Jian wondered if communicating with something of this caliber was above his ability. He felt himself being almost intimidated into breaking off the connection before he felt this overbearing sensation lighten almost immediately.

"No..fear..."

These words began to echo throughout his mind over and over, almost as if they were literally bouncing around within the confines of his skull. It was then that he felt jolt of an emotion that he could only describe as reassurance. It was something that he sorely needed due to the overbearing pressure he'd felt before. He was immediately able to tell that this feeling was something the tree was consciously sending in order to ease his nerves. Maybe it had reacted harshly before because it wasn't aware of his intentions? Not only were the tree's thoughts and emotions readable to Jian, but Jian was also open to the tree to investigate: his thoughts, feelings, and motivations.

"You...you...seek?"

The same voice as before spoke once again, and this time it appeared to speak with a tone that gave the indication that it wasn't sure of what it was saying. By this time, it was obvious to Jian that this was the voice of the tree.

"Yes, I-"

"Wait!"

Jian silenced himself immediately. He wasn't sure what was going on, but it made sense to allow the tree to acclimate to whatever it needed to. Maybe he'd taken a step too far by intruding? With a tree of such advanced age, it made sense that it would have times in which it would "hibernate". Perhaps he'd interrupted it whilst in the middle of one of these hibernation processes? Before Jian could think on this any further, he found his thoughts being cut short by the interruption of the tree.

"It..takes a while...to learn the barbaric languages you humans use. Seems there's a new one every few centuries...very inefficient..."

He found himself at a loss for words as he listened to the tree seemingly become more adept with the use of the human language with each passing second. Jian could only surmise that the tree was currently scanning through his memories and experiences, and piecing together the language and how it should be used. It was an ingenious way to utilize their telepathic connection, and Jian knew he'd attempt to make use of this same process in the future. The intelligence and wisdom this tree possessed was already astounding the young mage, and they'd barely conversed yet. He found himself so distracted that he began to forget the reason behind this meeting, until the tree interrupted his thinking, of course.

"You're looking for this sapling's family, correct?"

"Yes! Would you hap-"

"Tell her to place her hand against me. I've seen far too many of you humans throughout my life...you can't expect that I'd be able to differentiate you all from one another...in all honesty, you all look the same to me. No, the only way to find them would be for me to "feel" her mana. Once I've done that, I should be able to examine my memories and tell if I've "felt" that same mana signature before."

The tree sounded as if it were a sage as it spoke, and Jian found himself needing to ask no further questions as it had fully explained what needed to be done. Acting quickly, before the tree decided it could no longer be bothered by these humans, Jian opened his eyes and began to speak to the woman by his side - his left hand still firmly placed against the bark of the tree.

"Sorcha, please, place your hand against the tree. It must gain an impression of your mana in order to search for the members of your family."

She didn't ant to say too much things but if this situation could help her than it would only be better. She didn't like sharing her failures, her previous attempt for years had gone helplessly and she needed answers as soon as she could get them. So she let Jian ask the tree, her heart beating faster, she didn't know if it was her mind going crazy again or if she would be afraid for the answers that might lay in the dark and the future. Could the tree at least tell them that they were alive?

She simply took a step back and watched Jian his magic and what not, she had no idea how it worked, as she didn't understand his magic but on one hand it looked so simple. Sorcha simply stared, felt the magical senses, the energy that came from the earth and she was rather enlightened by the feeling. Time seemed to stand still for her and yet it went on. Until she finally got caught out of her mind that was whirling around, she had no idea what to think or do about it but it surely went better this way and she shook her long hair out as she nodded to Jian and a bit insecure stepped forward to place her hand on the tree as well. Not afraid to hurt it, careful where to step but afraid of the power and the answers.

Had she been doing right all along?

Jian could only imagine what was currently going through Sorcha's mind as she stepped forward to act on his words. Would he have personally been this trusting if someone had asked him to participate in magic that he couldn't exactly understand? He couldn't believe that he would have been, but maybe this was telling of the sort of person that Sorcha was - an individual that could see the good in those she interacted with; a quality that Jian had always admired in others. As Sorcha gently, yet firmly, placed her hand upon the bark of the tree, he found himself smiling a bit.

Though, relatively speaking, it hadn't been that long since Jian had traveled from his homeland of Sin and became a spy in the employ of the military, in his mind, it felt as though he'd been burdened with this task for such a large chunk of his existence. His day to day consisted of stacking one lie upon another. These lies could be compared to Jenga blocks in that he fully expected that they'd all come tumbling down. He'd could tell that he was gradually losing himself amongst the smoke and mirrors of the life he now lead; yet, through by Sorcha's acceptance of his altruistic act, he felt a sense of normalcy returning to him. He could sense a bit of the person he used to be returning to him, and that mere feeling was enough to make everything else worth it.

Getting back to work, Jian reestablished his connection with the tree in front of him. Sorcha's hand had been placed against the tree, just as it had asked, thus he was sure the tree would be able to come to a conclusion soon. He waited quietly for a bit, not wanting to disturb the ancient topiary and shatter its concentration.

"...There were but two here."

Jian was caught off-guard by these words. Not because they held any sort of significance that he could decipher, but because he hadn't expected the tree to finish its search so quickly.

"Two?"

Jian could only assume that this meant "two" individuals. He hadn't asked Sorcha how many family members she was looking for, however, he didn't want to break his connection with the tree in order to ask. He'd simply let the tree continue speaking before relaying this information to her.

"Yes. Two. They are here no longer."

Hoping that this wasn't the only tidbit of information the tree was going to give him after all of this, he began to push the issue with further questioning.

"Did there seem to be anything wrong with them? Did their mana appear to be weakened in any way? Were they alone or escorted by anyone? Is there anything else you can tell me?"

There was a long silence after these questions. Jian wondered if the tree had already broken off the connection, but in reality, the tree was attempting to find further information that it could give the young mage. There wasn't much that it could actually answer through a simple "tasting" of Sorcha's mana - only that two people that shared a similar signature had, at one point or another, had been within Oak Town.

"One tastes of the skies, while the other...tastes just as you do. This is call I can tell you."

While it normally would have come off as if the tree was attempting to be evasive in its answers, it actually came off as if the tree was searching for a way to adequately describe what it wanted to put across. Language was very limiting - something that tree tree had hinted at in their previous conversation. There were many things that couldn't be described, and thus, Jian realize he'd have to live with this information - as vague as it was.

"Thank you."

With these last words, the connection between the ancient tree and Jian had finally come to an end. Withdrawing his hand from the tree, he turned a bit to face Sorcha and relay the information he'd been given. Personally, he realized that what he'd been given didn't amount to much, but he hoped that she'd be able to piece together the meaning behind the words he'd been left with.

"It seems that two members of your family were here. I don't know how many people you're looking for, but I suppose that's a good start. I was also told that..."

Jian paused for a bit. Internally, he was aware of how weird what he was going to say sounded and it made him cringe a bit. However, he had to relay this information word for word that way it didn't lose the meaning it held.

"One of the two "tasted" of the skies...while the other tasted just as "I do"."

As he said this last part, he pointed his thumb to his chest to further illustrate that the tree had been talking about him. What these words meant was lost on Jian, but hopefully she'd know something he didn't.

It felt strange the structure of the tree underneath the soft skin of her palm, that happened more often that she did that, to feel the energy, to understand the way it worked, what the plants felt but to really have it talk to you, that was something that Sorcha had not been able to accomplish and which meant that even if she was standing there now, she was but an attribute for this tree to understand a question. She wouldn't be able to hear it, to understand it but only to sense, the elderly tree and how many years it had gone through, some bits of pain but she couldn't really tell why and perhaps she made up that it was her own pain that demanded to be felt.

So she let it be, she simply waited, unmoved almost forgotten as if she was there. She stared at her own hand, touching the bark of this ancient being. One day, she would tell her family of the small adventures she had or the bigger adventures to find them, perhaps the tree knew but it would only help to know for certain if they had been here. But that would be something that the tree could answer too, perhaps they were not captured by people that sold elves for being different than humans or other species and because they were rarely spotted outside and.. her mind was making more thoughts than was necessary, she needed to wait, keep her face structure normal, no smiles, no tears, nothing but neutral.

She opened her eyes as she had them closed to focus on the bits of energy that she felt, sometimes more close by as if the tree would be at that point talking to Jian, but she couldn't know and she would never know and she was actually quite okay with that. But she felt that Jian moved, or that he let go of the tree and so did she, softly and she turned to look at Jian. She was very curious. He said two, two! That was already half of them and she smiled, but that smile disappeared soon. That only did mean that they split up or that they were forced to split up, she didn't know, she of course couldn't know without them.

But Jian paused shortly and she titled her head a little to see what more information he could give her. But what he said next was a bit strange, peculiar, she didn't understand at first, tasted like the sky? But they were elves but than again the second was pointed out to be like Jian, so not like her for example. That meant it had nothing to do with being an elf. While she stared at the tree, head still tilted to the left, she suddenly stood up straight and lowered her shoulders and looked back at Jian, "You use Nature magic right?" She used Earth, which explained his connection and communication abilities with plants, flowers, trees and so on as he did as a child what he told her.

"Oh I understand." she cried out not too loud but out of happiness, "My brothers, they use wind and nature magic. That must be it, that must be what the tree means." Could it be! That Killian and Hunter had passed here, still united, still alright, "Where they okay? Not wounded, could the tree tell you that?" The elf spoke quickly, afraid if there was possibly anything more.

"Yes, I do"

Jian was a bit confused as Sorcha asked her question. Though he was sure she was attempting to piece a few things together, he couldn't exactly see what her question had to do with the current situation. He wasn't able to see her line of reasoning and deduction - at least not yet, anyway. It wasn't until her exclamation of understanding and subsequent detailing of the fact that one of her brother's used wind magic, while the other used nature magic, that he began to understand exactly what the tree meant.

"I see! Amazing!"

The words of the elder tree had been far too vague for Jian to figure out on his own. While he had pride in his intelligence, he had never been one for riddles and overly vague conundrums. He was glad that Sorcha had been able to pick up the slack and solve their problem. He smiled a bit after this, at least until Sorcha brought up other questions. These were questions that he should have expected; however, he'd been dreading the fact that he hadn't been able to get as much information for her as he would have liked.

"I'm...I'm not sure. While the tree had been able to sense your brothers, it could not tell me much more than that. They never came into personal contact with the tree, as you did, so it was a miracle that even the sensing was possible. I apologize, I wish there had been more to tell you."

Jian frowned slightly as he said these words. He could only imagine how she'd feel in this moment. While having the information that her brothers had been in Oak, there wasn't much else that she learned outside of this. The information was good, sure, but it didn't do much in the way of helping her. There wasn't even an idea of how long ago the pair had been in Oak. From what Jian could deduce, this left Sorcha with a few options: she could remain in Oak and continue to investigate with the hopes of picking up a trail, or, she could travel to Baska. Baska was the nearest town to Oak, and it only made sense that they would have had to pass through this town to travel anywhere else.

They were here, they had been here! Sorcha felt her heart skip a bit as she was so glad, she couldn't stop smiling and held on to her own hands as she had no idea what to do with them. It was after years of looking for them for as far as she could within the elven kingdom and her younger possibilities that she was trying to find them. She had to ask Jian what more the tree told him but there wasn't much. She felt her smile falter a little, so there was no idea if they were here or if there was anything going on with them, why they split with her parents and so on. Perhaps they were alone and there weren't more to look for, but she would be better off to find her brothers too. But she had to stay polite and possitive. "That's okay, it's already something. Thank you very much Jian." She said and she blushed a little, she was never so outbursting in thank-you's but that didn't matter because she was truly happy to find some news. At least it meant that they were alive and she had not even be sure about that.

She frowned a little, she wanted to leave as soon as possible or well to look around in Oak to see if she could find something more or a nearby city. She had thought about Orchidia because of the green vibe that she heard about and that suited an elf fine so they might be there. "I will look around Oak to find some other news but perhaps it's best to go to another town, either Baska or Orchidia, the latter sounds like a fitting place for an elf out of our green kingdom. I'm very grateful to you Jian, at least I know they are alive, the last time I didn't dare to think that positive." She smiled a bit more now, she thanked him for the third time and the tree, which was a way of showing respect before she decided to leave indeed, she would have to go through Oak and look around before leaving, she had no time to lose, "I do hope we meet again some time." She said before leaving indeed.