The Preserve - Thursday after classes

[once_a_king]

Peter waited for Willow at the gate to the Preserve.  The rings that he and Susan had found a few weeks ago were safely wrapped up in a handkerchief and stowed in his pocket, and he touched the lump reflexively.  He wasn't any more comfortable with magic than he usually was, but if Willow was confident this would work and it would help Susan...

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[willbedone]

In the meanwhile Willow was somewhere with soft green light from above and darkness below. It was almost like she was swimming, only she couldn't remember having gone anywhere with water.

Before she could question that too much, she found herself rushing to the surface. She crawled to the shore, surprisingly dry for all that she'd just been in a pool of some sort, and looked around.

She was in a very dense wood, and she had no idea where she was or why she was there.

There were a few other question words that were lacking answers, but she stuck with these two for the moment just to be on the safe side.

[once_a_king]

Peter arrived in the clearing in the Preserve and touched the gold ring carefully.

Before he even realised that he was underwater, he shot through it to the top and, gasping for breath, scrambled onto the green, grassy shore. He stood up carefully, looking about. He noticed the stillness first, none of the usual sounds of a forest were to be heard, the the odd green light filtering through the trees.

He liked it here. It was peaceful and almost alive.

[willbedone]

Willow looked at the newcomer for a long time. He seemed familiar somehow. And yet what she said was, "Okay, if the population here keeps growing like this we're going to need more room."

[once_a_king]

"I beg your pardon, Lady," Peter replied, bowing instinctively. She looked like someone he knew a long time ago - if he knew anything about a long time ago. Or who he was. He frowned slightly at the thought.

[willbedone]

"Not your fault," Willow assured him. "Just if we keep increasing by 100% like this we won't have anywhere to sit."

[once_a_king]

"There's plenty of ground, Lady," Peter replied. "And the forest seems to be a large one. I don't think we'll have a problem."

[willbedone]

"Good point," Willow said. She stared at him, frowning a little. "Okay, I don't mean to be rude or awkward or anything, but have we met? Because I feel like I've met you before and I feel like I like you, but boy is that going to make conversation uncomfortable if it turns out we have met but you don't like me. Also there's the chance that we've never met and then you're going to be spending all this time looking at me like I'm a crazy person. Which will do interesting things to our small talk potentials."

[once_a_king]

Peter looked at her for a long time feeling there was no possible way he could have forgotten someone who talked as much as this girl did. And yet she seemed very familiar. "I rather think I have seen you before," he said. "Just a long time ago. Have you been here long?"

[willbedone]

"I've always been here," Willow said. Well, that's what it felt like anyway.

[once_a_king]

"Oh, but so have I," Peter replied.

[willbedone]

"Maybe that's how we met," Willow said. "You'd think after being here all this time we would've at least said hi to each other."

[once_a_king]

"I feel like I knew you in a dream," Peter said. "And there were other children there, and we did all sorts of thing."

[willbedone]

"Possibly plant care?" Willow suggested.

[once_a_king]

Peter chuckled and shot a grin at her. "Perhaps that was it." He looked around at the forest with its rich light reflecting off the pools. "It's so very quiet here." He looked back at Willow. "I think I like you. Or liked you. When I knew you before."

[willbedone]

That coaxed a smile out of her. "Past tense? I suppose that's better than nothing."

[once_a_king]

"Oh, no, I like you now too," Peter replied, smiling more warmly. "I just feel like I liked you in the past as well. Or is that silly?"