When morning broke, the sunlight glinting hazily over the jagged horizon, it was clear the tempest had discharged every ounce of its righteous fury upon the unsuspecting fortress. At least three buildings had suffered considerable damage, and an entire avenue of lamps that led towards the main mess hall had been unsettled and upended, sending a rage of fire that had needed to be quickly dealt with amidst the savage wind and rain, else many of the basic supplies the dwarves had brought with them into the outpost would be lost. The largest tree also had lost a hefty major branch which now dominated a road and had killed outright two riding goats and a young guard. Chaos had descended, reigned supreme, bitten and caused injury and panic - yet despite that Celandine found the dwarves ever hardy and capable than most.

The young faun admired their tenacity and workmanship. There was something to be said for the dwarves' dedication to the mission, despite the fact they had laid claim to the dark elven outpost. Within just two hours of the early dawn they had organised the restoration of their camp, and at least set temporary measures in place. The buildings that had collapsed were, for now, impractical to try to mend, but the trees, lamps and smaller damages were promptly cleared. The young dwarf guard who had been killed was reverently attended to by the elders, and Celandine found herself caught up in the practice of learning dwarven funeral rights.

Gazing at the tomb, body now cleansed and laid in a shallow grave with stones piled high as an eternal memorial, the scholar was lost in the meaning of life. Of how it was fleeting, of how she, now only ten years old, would possibly be dead by a mere thirty or forty, compared to many others who could expect to live into their seventies, and some races hundreds of years. Was that the fate that awaited her? Indeed she had blossomed into full faun maturity at the age of eight and had seemed to stop altogether at that age. But then was not that the natural time to pause in one's development to some extent?

In all honesty, Celandine did not know. Biology was not a subject she had studied extensively.

Nibbling at her lip she hid her hands behind her, going silent and mimicked stance beside Mistress Garrett. They had been standing in reverence for some long moments now, but the elderly scholar was master of all ceremonies here, adviser and history-keeper for the army.

"Ahem, sorry," came a polite but light cough.

Looking over to the end of the pile of rocks and dirt, Celandine and Garrett were faced with the weary-looking but still determined dark elf Vanimar; his short crimson hair streaked with mud and his deep red eyes focused on the faun. Quickly, realising the situation before him, he descended into a bow. Celandine imagined that if Commander Raimneth of the Sanctuary - and currently de-facto leader of Alerar after he had declared martial law - had seen him he would be appalled.

"You're interruptin' a very sacred cere-mony," the heavily white haired and bearded dwarf grumbled, glaring at Vanimar with intelligent eyes.

"I apologise," Vanimar reverently, once more, bowed low, sweeping his tattered cloak to the side as he did. "However, I wondered if I might join you, Mistress. And Miss Celandine."

Join her. The nibbling went to chewing. Hitching in her breath the young faun tried to not let her emotions get away with her - whether it was sorrow for the young dwarf's death, distraught at another year of her life passing, or excitement at seeing the drow's face again. Deliberately bringing the thought of the ruined flower on the floor of her room to the forefront of her mind she pulled her eyes away from him and towards Mistress Garrett.

"Hmmm," the elderly scholar stroked her long beard. Hidden beads rattled together.

"Hmmm," she repeated, looking Vanimar up and down with all the clear signs of his assistance at reconstructing their camp despite the fact this was his country and it was the dwarves who were trespassing on Aleraran land.

"Hmmm," she voiced for a final time, and then grunted, lifting robes shoulders and then turning around. "Ah, we'ave perf'rmed all the rites any the way. There is really nae issue." She smiled grizzly and surprised both faun and drow by stomping away almost carelessly from the grave, as if the sacred ceremony had never been sacred in the first place.

"Come, both of yous. I wan' t'show you whit came las' night."