iliana amaranth

She's habitually paradoxical, a parallel perpendicular;

There were very few things actually planned within Iliana's life, she rarely followed a schedule, the free-spirited fae quite content to live by the jurisdiction of her own sporadic mind. The fae rarely visited the same spots, at least not too close together in time. Her cave, her home and her meeting spot with Mr. Crow, that was always so very consistent. It wasn't that she was against routine, no, she simply had too many ideas bouncing around with her head all at once. There were simply too many things she wanted to do, too many adventures to be had, too much of, well, everything. She finds herself frantically nodding her head even despite that wolfish smile upon his face, entirely willing to accept the jackal for his word. It seemed very animal and she yet it is distinctly that is what she liked about him.

Yet even like the flighty little doe she was still the gullible young woman who simply wanted to see the good in all the earth's living creatures.

The bronze haired boy then seemingly spoke about the imperative dangers of muscles and just what happens when they are touched. For a moment suspended in time, she simply allows her jaw to drop in a total openly shocked face, as though she had forgotten how the lower half of her jaw worked. She forgets her own heated cheeks, she forgets that she does not stare into other people's gazes for very long. Those silvery eyes seem to full on stare at him, eerily unblinking, boring right into those warm chocolate depths that seem entirely unphased. Yet his words have her nearly speechless as she considers the implications of having to marry someone after touching their... muscles. Oh dear! "That is a very scary power, you must have SO many wives and husbands!" She gapes at him, amazement and shock still clinging with resiliency upon her gentle features. Marcelo seemed to take to his bantering quite easily with the naive fae, how quickly she was to believe such devious words! He calls her 'pink cheeks' and her fingers as if on cue rise to caress her warm cheeks as though by feeling it would surely show her just how pink her own cheeks had become. "What do married people do?" She blinked at him suddenly curious and less shocked. While she had watched her parents and saw that they did truly love one another. She never really fathomed.. what they did. Thankfully, Marcello seemed to have ALL the answers, surely he could help her understand. What if some day she did accidently touch some muscles and ended up married?? What then? Being on her own now, she had no one to ask these burning questions and no one seemed to humour them before. Perhaps that golden jackal would be so kind.

How easily the devious jackal drops the bait at the simple mention of... secrets. She absolutely adores secrets, she almost liked them just as much as gemstones, but not as much because she couldn't hold them in her hands. Her eyes practically glitter with the brilliancy of diamonds with the prospect of it, and for a moment she looks at him like he were the sun itself. 'Sort of...' he responds to her questions. What did that even mean? She blinks, once, twice, no, three times almost in a slow manner, her eyelashes fluttering. Just as she is about to pelt him with MORE, until he distracts her, it truly was not a difficult thing to do either.

Mushrooms grow from dead things? She almost visible shudders. "EWWW. That sounds gross.." She frowns as though her dreams and hopes simply crumbled down around her. "But don't all things grow from dead things? Like...... broccoli, it comes from the ground, from the dirt beneath out feet. Isn't that dead?" She tips her head inquisitively. His hair seemed to gleam defiantly in the sun that visually sets him ablaze. The moonlight made her glow! While the sun seemed to prefer him.

His compliments fall so distinctly easy from his lips, not even daring to miss a single beat. A normal girl would have been right to become skeptical, but not Iliana, no she relished in it. She was certainly not used to such praise, not ever, never before. Her smile seemed to widen even more as that laughter flowing easily from her into the seemingly waiting forest. Her cheeks seemed to fire up, hardly able to handle an abundance of flattery! Not like this. She looks down coyly to stare at her feet for a second, a fresh giggle still falling from her tongue. She shifts her feet to scuffle along the ground, her expression remaining unchanged from that sheepishness. "Oh my, you have to be the NICEST person I have EVER met. In forever." She declares happily. She hardly saw his hand to reach out to caress the smooth expanse of flesh upon her cheeks. Her skin practically responds to it, her eyes raising once more to him. "I talk to all creatures.. not just weres. I have a pet crow and he is the best, he usually follows me around and helps me find... shiny things. He is SO good at it too. He can spot the most pretty gems that you have EVER seen from all the way up there.." She points suddenly to the sky. Nothing got by him. "I wish I could fly like him, he looks so happy... so carefree up there where nothing can reach him. I like that. I want to see everything from up there, just like him. Maybe.. maybe one day.." She adds with a distinct wistfulness to her gentle voice, as gentle as petals on a pink rose that seems to match her very cheeks. "OH I am also REALLY GOOD at being sneaky!" She bursts into a shower of giggles again.. not bothering with being quiet. As though she was entirely unaware of the covertness of this conversation.

She does call him the silliest. But she was also convinced in these moments that he was also the nicest and perhaps arguably the smartest too. He appeared to possess all the answers. She is inclined to nod at him with a vigorousness that make her brain feel funny. Too fast.. But she was simply too excited with his company, too content. Her mind still thought of the little rabbit... but the jackal seemed to take her mind off of the creeping sadness that dared to take over. Quite easily, he finds his clothes that were stashed away, dressing quite easily then. Oh good, he seemed much safer with his muscles covered up.

He offers his arm and she grabs it without a second thought, her grip is light. He calls her m'lady and her eyes widen! "I've never been called that before." She is convinced it sounds like marmalade. "Marmaduke!" She exclaims then. How exciting this was! She could hardly help the way she sways her hips so that that her dress billows out around her, almost wanting to spin around in a makeshift dance of her own making. "Spaghetti and a surprise! I think you are the best." She exclaims so delighted. "second to mr. crow..." She whispers. "He won't like it if I told anyone other than him that." She peers around as though he were lurking around ready to chime in with his words. He winks at her again and she couldn't help but look away. " So what is it?"

Another question sprouts so easily from her lips. "YOU DO? That sounds really amazing. I don't have a story like that. I was born this way. I can live forever... as long as no one... you know... " It was like she couldn't dare say the words kill me. "do what you did to the rabbit. I hope that doesn't happen. I want to see everything in this world, at least once." She pauses as if reveling in that very thought.

"My mother is fae and so is my father.. did you know.... He was actually a prince... and then someone did some things and he wasn't anymore.. and then someone took his ears and my moms ears.. I don't know why they were so fascinated by them.. But I hid.. I hid with my friend Hippopotamus and they couldn't take something from me if I wasn't there. So there is that!" She frowns for a second, but does not miss a beat in her smooth gait even as she walks over the tangled undergrowth. She forgot to breathe for at least 30 seconds.. and she gasps, inhaling a big breath. "I miss them.. but.. they told me... it was better this way.. Sooo.. I bet that water you drank was the tastiest. Right? Water always tastes so different... it depends on where you go and who you drink it with and whats in it." She changes the subject with a strange startling ease. She probably didn't even realize it either. Perhaps there were very few things she seemed to realize too.. even the horrors too.

barefoot in nightgowns, that's how she dances in the rain;