Markus had been waiting by the plaza nearly an hour at the request of Jonathan. After the trial, the old fairy rushed over to him to ask if he could stay, but never mentioned the reason why. Without anything else to do, Markus could only sit and watch the town above him. The backpack and rifle were already unloaded, laying beside a tree trunk as the waiting continued.

The plaza was now devoid of fairies except for a few passersby and guards near the platform. When the hour mark passed, some activity finally returned. Markus could see a small procession of fairies heading for the center of the plaza across from where he sat. Two of the group were carrying a wooden box together as they all drifted down to their destination. Relieved the wait was over, Markus stood up from the ground and walked over to see visitors.

Half of Markus' head peeked over into the plaza once again. As the group landed, he could spot six fairies all together. Jonathan was among them giving orders and organizing the process. Aurora was also within the group, escorted by two guards. Almost immediately, the entire group moved toward Markus.

For the first time since arriving to Little Creek, Markus finally has a clear view of Aurora. What he sees is a young fairy with a slender, athletic build. He notices her black catsuit accentuates her hips and petite chest without the armor. Her brown hair is indeed short, nicely styled in layers reaching just above her shoulders. Yellow tinted, black spotted wings highlight against her body. She carries a fierce gaze, with piercing brown eyes staring directly at Markus.

They silently look at each other for a few moments, but Aurora is the first to avert her eyes elsewhere. A small nose, natural lips, and light skin complete the features of her face. Although her eyes are sharp and fierce, Markus can sense a certain sadness from her.

“Ah, Markus! Thank you for waiting.” Jonathan's announces with a smile. Stepping ahead of the group, he walks to about six inches away from Markus' face. With a signal from his hand, the two guards carrying the wooden box gently drop it behind Jonathan. “I guess it's time we get things moving along.”

Jonathan walks over to Aurora who's standing between her two escorts. He then says “Let's start with proper introductions. Aurora Blackwood, meet Markus Winters.” Aurora's eyes look up to meet Markus' gaze, but she quickly casts them back to the ground. “I know you both met last night under dire circumstances. I truly wish things didn't turn out like this, but I hope you can help each other.”

Walking back to the wooden box, Jonathan flips open the lid to reveal several human-size rings, armor pieces, and a large rucksack inside. Markus can barely see the contents from his position and starts tip-toeing upwards to see everything. A small struggle ensues as Jonathan's flimsy arms pry free a plain looking silver ring. Once clear from the wooden box, he hooks the ring under an arm and starts walking back. Slowly, he takes it closer to Markus and says “Please put this ring on.”

Markus is curious as to why he needs to do this, but doesn't argue with the old fairy. “Alright, sure.” He says, taking off his right glove then reaching over the plaza to grab the silver ring away from Jonathan. He brings it closer to his face to inspect it, but sees nothing interesting about it. After a few seconds, the silver ring is placed on his right hand's ring finger.

After tugging on the ring for a moment, Markus says “It fits fine. Why do I need this?” He asks, lifting his right hand above the plaza so Jonathan and the other fairies get a clear view of the ring.

“Excellent, only took our first try.” Jonathan replies with a smile. He then walks over to Aurora again. Digging into his vest pocket, another silver ring is pulled out. It's a very small ring specifically designed to fit a fairy. Jonathan grabs Aurora's right hand to start sliding it over her ring finger.

Aurora now has a skeptical look on her face as she watches Jonathan try fitting the ring onto her hand. Markus watches as the young lady shows a couple of concerned glances toward him, which makes him think even she doesn't know what the old fairy is planning either.

Jonathan soon secures the tiny silver ring and lets out a sigh of relief. Soft, yellow glows of light then appear on the tip of his fingers as he starts tapping the ring. He quickly finishes and lets go, allowing Aurora to move her hand around to adjust to the new sensation.

“Show me your ring again.” Jonathan asks Markus as he walks back. Again, Markus' right hand is brought over the plaza. He flattens his hand directly in front of Jonathan to allow easy access to the ring. With his finger tips still glowing yellow, Jonathan moves quickly and begins tapping the ring.

For a split instant, Markus believes he sees a shining string connected from his ring to Aurora's ring. When he blinks, the strange vision is gone. Unsure of what he just saw, Markus decides to wait until Jonathan completes his task.

Jonathan ends his tapping, and walks back to the open wooden box. Before Markus can open his mouth to ask about what he saw, Jonathan speaks first. “ I'm sure your both wondering about the rings. They were an extra requirement for the exile. Markus, tap your ring.”

Markus gives a curious look to Jonathan. Bringing his right hand close to his face, Markus flicks the silver ring with his free hand. Instantly, the shining string of light appears again. He now sees it's clearly connected to both rings. Even Aurora is surprised, and curiously looks at the ring on her finger too.

After a few seconds, the magical string vanishes as if it was never there. “Hey Jonathan, what was that?” Markus asks with concern.

The old fairy stretches his arms apart as he points to both Markus and Aurora. Jonathan then announces “Your rings are tied by a magical tether that allows both of you to know where the other is at all times. All you have to do is strike your ring to show the way. The tether is only visible to the wearers of the paired rings.”

“Hold on. This isn't permanent right?” Markus quickly replies.

Jonathan laughs at the question “Oh no, of course not. This magic is actually very popular with angry housewives and dotting parents. You can take the rings off at anytime, but I think they'll be very useful as you make your way through a forest.”

“Ya... that does sounds useful.” Markus responds. He glances over to Aurora, and catches her already looking at him. She gives an understanding look at the situation, and visibly nods in agreement.

“Good, I'm glad that's settled. We're waiting for one more arrival, but until then please come over here.” Jonathan says as he uses a hand to beckon Aurora to the wooden box. There's a hesitation from her, but she quickly relents, walking over as asked. He says to her “I know your history as a scout. You've helped the town and others many times, so I'm not comfortable sending you out into the world defenseless. We'll allow you to take your armor and weapons.”

Aurora looks at Jonathan with suspicion. It's hard for her to imagine one of the council members that just exiled her was offering help. Glancing down toward the wooden crate, she gives a sigh, as she knows Jonathan speaks the truth. The armor pieces are pulled from the wooden crate by Aurora. Various pieces of leather armor are scattered across her feet as she begins to suit up.

Markus quietly watches as Aurora kneels down to dig through her armor pieces. She's moving quickly as she inspects each piece, before organizing the armor in neat piles. Standing up, she immediately starts the task of rebuilding her outfit.

Without regard to the audience around her, Aurora slips into the pieces of armor. It forms to her curves, with parts of leather armor covering her upper torso and shoulders. Her vitals are protected and stomach covered too.

Aurora's hands move fast as she bends over to secure shin and thigh guards to her legs, readjusting her brown boots to fit. With her legs now protected, the final touches are completed as forearm guards are added. Aurora pats herself and does an impromptu inspection of her armor set.

Markus is impressed by how quickly Aurora was able to equip her outfit. Clearly, she's done the exercise countless times. Noticing that her armor seems to be mostly made of leather and padded cloth, he begins to wonder if some protection would be a good idea for himself too. However, the brief idea is interrupted.

“Ah! Good timing, our late arrival is here.” Jonathan says as he looks behind Markus.

Markus can't help turning his head around in the direction Jonathan is facing. When he does, a familiar face is seen heading to the plaza.