Before We Begin: A powers!AU just because I'm in love with the concept/mythology/symbology of the Tree of Life and the guardian that lives among it.

Landing neatly on a thick branch extended specially for his arrival, Kris followed the natural appendage toward its trunk, his eyes trained on the thick scarring stretching from his left. It had definitely been a close call, but they had all come out of it no worse for the wear. Kris brushed a large hand over the large scratches marring the tree trunk, feeling traces of Lay's healing tingle his fingertips.

"How is She?" he suddenly asked. The air to his right shimmered with magic, and a female figure materialised out of the shimmering air out of the coner of his eye.

"The healer would exhaust himself if She let him, but otherwise She's healing naturally." she replied, "How did you know I was here?" Kris turned his head, catching serpentine golden eyes staring at him out of curiosity.

"Lay speaks of you often. Sometimes you startle him when you appear from nowhere." he replied, taking his hand off the scars while his silent question of 'how do you do it?' lingered between them. The girl giggled.

"That's my camouflage for you. She keeps me safe and in return I assist Her with Her needs" she shrugged.

"The only thing Lay hasn't spoken of is your name, though. He says you don't disturb him when he works."

"She asks me not to, but I do tell the healer - Lay, was it? - when She says he needs to stop. And since you asked oh-so-subtly, my name is Tora." Kris managed a short smile as Tora bowed at him slightly. He reached into the pouch on his belt and withdrew three long, thin strips of white cloth and a small bottle of a dark green fluid,its pungent smell making both noses wrinkle.

"She says She wishes the healer would stop making that." Tora commented as Kris handed her a strip of cloth.

"He'll stop when She doesn't need it anymore. And my name is Kris, in case you wanted to refer to me in some way." he said shortly, letting her giggle fill his ears as he took off to start work on the tip of the longest scar.