Deep in the Woods (Serenity)

At the end of his trail was the small cabin lived in by a young woman named Irene Luxaria. It was a small home, made of stone and wood, tucked into a clearing. The cabin was well tended. Vines were trimmed, a flowerbed well-mended, and a garden out back if one were to take a look. There were cream colored curtains hanging closed over the two windows out front. A small white fence surrounded the property, but was obviously there for decoration as it was to short to keep anyone out. A cobblestone path led up to the front door, many different flowers lining the path and scattered throughout the yard. It was a quaint little home and it suit its purpose well for the one who lived there.

There was no need to walk up to the door because no one was home. Instead, a few quick noises sounded from off the path through some trees and brush that hid things behind it. A moment later, a vibrantly colored butterfly flew into view of the newcomer and then a green haired girl popped through the brush after it. She giggled happily, chasing down the agile little insect and not noticing the one standing at her home. She reached out toward the butterfly, almost able to catch it in the jar she was holding. Sadly, her dream to catch the butterfly came to an end when her sandal caught itself on a rock and she fell forward a few feet from her audience. The jar left her hand and shattered along the stone, causing the blue eyed girl to look sadly on the scene.

The poor girl whimpered, almost looked like she was ready to cry, but something caught her eye. She pushed herself up from the ground and looked up to see the one that was standing there. She stared at him for a while, silent and as still as a statue. Her bright blue eyes showed nothing more than curiosity. There was no fear or concern in them at all. After a few moments of silence, she raised her hand and waved at him. "Hi." she spoke in a melodic tone, one that could carry beautifully along a calm spring breeze, "Are you lost? A lot of people get lost in the forest and that's how they find me here."

Merely being in Irene's presence allowed everyone a sense of warmth and safety. It was like being around the people you loved and trusted most in the world or like being in a warm bath, knowing you wouldn't be disturbed. Some people could have their entire moods change from enraged to calm and content. Those who knew about it called it a shield of sorts; it was a way of keeping people from immediately wanting to harm someone as kind and innocent as Irene. In many cases, it was helpful. In some cases, people became offended by their emotions being altered. It wasn't something she could control, nor was she fully aware of its power. She enjoyed having it. To her, it meant that being around her made people happy and that was important.

"Thank you! I like it a lot too." Irene said with pride. This was her home. There weren't many like it, and this one was hers! "You're exploring? Well, you have to be super careful. There are lots of scary things out there as well!" she got to her feet and pointed out to the forest to give her warning, "There are big animals and some scary people show up sometimes too. It's why I stay at home a lot! I can hide in there." Irene looked down at her clothing when asked about her condition. She lifted the bottom of her dress above her knees. She had scraped them a little, but not much. She looked at her hands and noticed they were a little dirty, but mostly okay. "I'm okay, but gotta clean up."

Irene walked around the glass instead of stepping on it. She didn't have shoes on, which was silly, but something she often did. She made her way toward the house, passed it, and into a small shed that had a few tools inside. One of them was a broom. She hurried on back and began sweeping the glass off the dirt trail. "Lots of people take this to get to me. I don't want anyone cutting themselves on it. That'd be bad." she explained. It was likely a weird sight to watch someone sweep dirt, but it needed to be done! "I am sad though; that was my last butterfly jar. I broke the other ones too. I can't catch one. I never get to really look at the colors cause they always fly away..."

For many, living out in this forest would have been a death sentence. If Irene hadn't been extremely lucky, she likely would have been dead. For one, she had a friend who lived close by that not many messed with. For two, she had this aura about her. The energy that she naturally emitted at all times was angelically pure. Her power allowed her to destroy darkness and purify evil. It wasn't just in a physical manner though. The reason most people left her alone was because when they crossed a certain threshold, entering within one hundred feet of her, like Zane was now, they'd have their mindsets altered. Feelings of peace, warmth, trust, safety, and security would drown out the negative emotions a person could be feeling. It made people not want to harm her, seeing her only as innocent and kind. Rarely did people ignore their feelings, not always aware of her ability to alter them. And it is because of this power that Irene lives a mostly peaceful life here in Karakura Forest.

"My advice for living here is to be super strong or to be really nice and fun. Or hide. Hiding is sometimes the best. If I can't hide, I run to where I know it's safe and nobody can get me. Sometimes I'm too slow, so I scream really loud and then I'll be safe again. Rad won't let me die. He's my best friend."

His offer to help her was met with surprise and excitement. She had finished sweeping, so she dropped the broom into her yard and shuffled her feet, clapping like an excited child. She stopped when he spoke about him being a spiritual user. At first, it was like she didn't understand what he meant, but then she lightly knocked herself on the head. She could be a little slow sometimes. She was just so excited about finally catching one of those butterflies that what she knew as common these days escaped her mind.

"Do you mean it? You'll catch it for me? Do you have a jar?"

Zane! That was his name. Had she not asked before? Rude of her! She glanced at his hand and smiled to him. Her arms flew outwards and she quickly moved in for a hug. She didn't want a silly handshake! He was her friend now because he was being nice and helping her. She knew that she couldn't do it herself. And luckily for them both, Irene wasn't one to remember the names of super important people. She only remembered the names of those she called her friend. She'd remember "Zane" now, but his family meant little to her.

"My name is Irene. It's really nice to meet you, Zane! So... If you don't have a jar with holds in the lid, how are you gonna help me catch a butterfly? "

With help, Irene was certain that she was going to finally catch a butterfly! It had to be one of those colorful big-winged ones too! Because of her excitement, the hug was warranted! When he explained his abilities, Irene couldn't help but stare confused at him, but copied him a moment later when she got it, or at least when she thought she understood what he meant.

"I make things better, so I'm a band-aid."

As she said that though, things were happening around her. She released the embrace, giving Zane some room to breathe, and looked around in awe at what he could do! She always liked seeing what other people could do and this ability was better than people who just got stronger. She liked visual powers since a lot of them were pretty. The dorm they began to form only piqued a curiosity in Irene's mind. She couldn't help but reach out and touch it! She pat her hand against it and smiled widely at Zane, obviously impressed. Once the shield went away, Irene clapped her hands and gave him a big thumbs up!

"I like your power. You can catch one with this?"

Irene was ecstatic! She was finally going to be able to catch one of those agile little things. Well, she couldn't catch one, but Zane could! Upon being told to lead the way, Irene gently took his hand and began leading him off into the forest. The trip was a little bumpy. They had to walk over a lot of uneven ground, raised roots and other mini-obstacles in their way. Irene led him for a bout three minutes before she stopped and put a finger in front of her lips.

"Shh. Move too quickly and they'd fly away."

Irene crouched down and slowly moved toward a bush, pushing the leaves to the side. On the other side of this bush, there was a clearing of white flowers and an unbelievable amount of butterflies just scattered about. They were all different colors and shades of greens, blues, yellows, purples, and pinks. Seeing a sight like this, Irene always ended up much more relaxed. There was something about nature that made her feel at home. She didn't know what it was, but the feeling she got out here was similar to the feeling others got when watching a child sit in their room learning to read a book instead of playing a video game. To Irene, there was something precious about it.

"I hope you catch one of the blue and green ones. They're my favorite. I just want to get a close look for a little while and then let it go."