( YAS )

Voltaire eye's were sullen and fatigued as they usually were, staring blankly at two shrubs shoving each other mildly from the force of the forests haunting breath that crept against the back of Voltaire's neck. Eloa had left and the chill of fear prowled up his spine, she was finding a friend. Not only was he nervous to meeting a new creature, he was more nervous than ever to attempt to find Maggie's spirit within the forest.

"Hello Eloa." Voltaire greeted with an arid pitch. His crimson churlish eyes fastened with the other who acquainted her. He said nothing but a stiff nod of his head and turned back toward Eloa, waiting for her to describe what would happen.

His soul began to hurt once she was there and his fear level was increasing at a shocking rate. His eyes were burnished like he had been mourning and his voice was scratchy and hoarse like he'd been yelling. He wasn't upset recently, it was almost like it would be kept like that until things were going to change within his life. There was too much negativity and sorrow for his soul and physical state to be viewed as healthy.

The doe glanced between the two and frowned before facing Voltaire again. "My friend Nilo here, he can help" she said slowly moving closer to nuzzle the other gently. To be honest however she wasn't sure at all how Nilo planned to help. He had taught her about portals and his love knew about souls so maybe, just maybe that was the key. Opening a portal to call for a soul? She wasn't sure. "Do we need to get anything...go anywhere special to do this?" she asked Nilo softly.

The Copperhead's gaze flickered away at the doe's question, focusing on the ground between them. Truthfully he had only taken her up on her offer simply because...no one did. How many times had he mentioned he could help others and actually had them request it of him? Only twice in his lifetime. It seemed like something that was in his wheelhouse. He worked with souls all the time. Granted, most of the time he worked with still living ones... the ones already in the afterlife were more in Vanitas' wheelhouse. And that was something he couldn't ask him to do without putting unnecessary stress on Eloa. Or this guy.

"That depends..." he started to respond quietly, voice trailing off a little before his gaze snapped up to focus on Voltaire, "...do you know where this ligh-...ah...soul is? Do you own anything that it once identified with? Was attached to?" He allowed a couple of heartbeats of silence before his gaze slipped over to Eloa as he added, "I've never actually asked a light to come to me, I've always gone to them, if I sought one out at all..." his voice went softer as he added, "I've guided them in the afterlife, I've healed them, I've helped them pass on, but I've never actually summoned one to me. If there was something to help them find him, hear us maybe...wherever the spirit is, that might help better. I could also go into whatever world this spirit is, and find them too."

Voltaire shook his head with disappointment at Nilo's question. His eyes fell to the earth and his eyes closed almost sheepishly. "No. I have nothing except a feather and this lovely necklace Eloa made for me." His tone was at a minor pitch with an almost smooth texture.

Voltaire's head bobbed up and his crimson eyes switched between the two deer as they conversed about a plan. The talking was foreign to him and his grasp on the idea was loose and unknown. He began to get impatient but he knew Eloa and Nilo had to figure something out. His mouth interrupted their conversation with his eyes towards Eloa. "I want you to-" Voltaire glanced back at Nilo and cleared his throat awkward and impatiently. "I want you both to be careful okay?"

"We'll be safe I promise" She said gently and smiled at him. She turned back to Nilo, glad that it sounded like a good idea. She was glad she had asked him for help. "How shall we start? Combine our light magic?" she suggested "And perhaps the bond with his daughter can be enough to connect us to her"

"That sounds like that would wor-" Nilo's attention swiveled to the other male, ears flicking forward as his mind switched focus. He couldn't help but sense it in him anyway- but it was always nice when others brought it up themselves. It was less of a violation of his privacy that way."Yeah? Great. If you can keep their memory strong, I can see where that leads. It ties them to you. What's their name?" He tilted his head slightly at the question.

( Sure x'D )

Voltaire felt his heart glaze with hope as she spoke his daughters name aloud. He felt the fur on his nape stand nervously as Eloa released a puff of air. He mimicked her and inhaled his courage and exhaled his skeptical state of mind, shifting his expression to be strong willed and ready for whatever was going to happen.

He stood back a little bit just in case the two needed room to build up their energy. His eyes jumped between them anxiously as he waited for the time to come.

"yes I have" she smiled. Especially with her portal abilities and how they related to her white magic. Closing her eyes she took a deep breath and released her white magic to become a sort of battery for Nilo to use to open the rift to the world beyond. Her legs shook violently but she held on. Angelic ghost like wings unfolded from the white aura that surrounded her and the halo that held her pictogram grew brilliantly.

Nilo cackled happily after a couple of heartbeats, his eyes a green fire as he connected with Eloa's magic and letting his run wild. The buck's tail perked up as he took a few steps around her, the world, the black stag, the ground under his hooves, fading away into nothing as he followed the soul's tie to the place she was in. Using a forehoof, he stabbed an uneven window out of the air itself, moving quickly and trying to coax it to drain more from him than Eloa, so there was less of a chance she would buckle under the added pressure.
"Okay..." he shifted himself around to focus on her and stand beside the door, glancing once at the black stag with a somewhat blank look, before focusing on Eloa again, "ready...?"

Voltaire stood completely stunned on what was happening. His body was numb and his crimson ivories were huge. His legs were stiff poles in the earth as he did nothing but watch the light unfold before him.

Every emotion he was experiencing just seemed to slip away and leave a lost, blank stare into oblivion.

Once he was inside Eloa let out a soft gasp of air. A thin silver thread followed the male inside, acting as a tether to the land of the living so he could find his way back. Her eyes closed as she maintained the intense focus it required to keep the door open. The deeper Nilo went the more the world of the spirits attached to the tether and seemed to seep into her own body. The white light flickered and melted with a green light. Both lights danced about her and was able to help her maintain a solid open portal for Nilo.

---

and thus her green magic has been opened OUO

To Nilo, the afterlife was nothing more than a maze of energies and it took him a good deal of time sorting through all the information he was given- even with his path set out for him to follow. The last time he had done something similar, he had had Van to lean on and confer with, this time he was utterly alone. It was a fact he didn't think over until after he found the soul and was coaxing her back with him, trying to turn it into a game so it wasn't like he was latching onto her energy and dragging her back by force. That was something he had never been able to do.

Following Eloa's tether, he eventually stumbled out of the door after poking the little ball of light through with his snout, murmuring seemingly half-mad reassurances to her under his breath while he tried to regain a sense of himself and not completely collapse on his face. He barely managed it, pulling himself around to give Eloa a nod to close off her energy, or close the door-whichever she preferred- before giving the black stag a shaky smile, "Found her."

( Quick question, has Eloa mended Maggie into a body? )

(yes she did sorry XD the forest itself is forming a body for her)

The Copperhead tried to fathom what was happening around him, but it was all happening far too fast for him to comprehend. The ground kept slowly turning under him if he tried to focus on any one point, and though he kept trying to force himself to put up a brave front, he wasn't exactly succeeding in doing so. Head held low, he wobbled in a half circle when Eloa collapsed, half being pulled to her still and half just trying to keep up with the situation. His green eyes had dulled upon his return, his frame a bit haggard, his former enthusiasm gone. Somewhere in what felt like a minute he had been staring at the grass and earth, Maggie had taken a form, Eloa had collapsed, and he was left staring blankly at all three of them trying to sort out how that had happened without him realizing it.

Voltaire had his expression sincere as Eloa's face presented him that she would be just fine. He sighed with relief and glanced back at Nilo again making sure he was alright too. Then his cardinal flaming eyes fell on the little being curled up next to his large shaking body. His mind flooded with thoughts and his heart boomed so hard in his chest he could vaguely hear it.

As a few moments went by, Maggie's huge green eyes inched slivers, clearly sensitive to the light of the world she was now to begin a new life in. The Fallen Angel felt his tears drip on his daughters pelt and each droplet hit a shimmering glow to her body. He gawked with amazement at her beauty. Finally he collected himself enough to speak.

"Hey baby girl..." He said, his deep voice, usually hoarse, was toned to a sweet soothe. "I missed you." To his words, Maggie looked up hesitantly to meet her father's eyes. She stared for a few moments. Voltaire saw past her different body into her soul where he recognized her like she never left him, although she did seem older. But either way his heart melted as she watched him again. He wanted to look at her for so many years and tell her how much he loved her, and he thought that that was never going to happen again. Until he met Eloa and Nilo.
He couldn't explain the emotions he was going through with each second slipping past. It was like he was in a dream that soon he would wake up from and it would all be back in his bed in his old world. But he was here, and now was the time to take advantage to see his lovely little lady again.

"It's me... it's daddy."

----

( This is Maggie's POV )

The world stroke her soul like a dagger to the chest. The light pooling in from being previously blinded in such a dark tunnel was implausibly overwhelming. Her body was beginning to buzz with life like it did long before and the feeling was sensational yet utterly uncomforting. She felt the warmth of fur pressed against hers which made her eyes force open to meet a huge black stag with his body wrapped around her like a blanket. She was quite frightened before she met the eyes of this black monster. Looking deeper than before she found something familiar. Something she had been looking for.

It was until he spoke that made Maggie extend her vision and her eyes filled with tears. Now that the fawn was older (roughly 12) she could understand more and perceive the situation with rationality better than when she died. At first she only stared but as she opened her mouth to speak, a raspy tone slipped out painfully. "D...daddy?"

You can skip me from here on out since Eloa won't wake up with in this rp.

He nodded weakly at the male's response, trying to commit his name to memory and feeling uncertain as to if he actually managed it or not. Well...he'd just have to see later. The real test of his memory was when he woke up later from passing out, anyway. Nilo felt himself starting to slip in the silence that followed, head starting to list to one side in its path to flop off his foreleg and onto the ground.
An ear perked forward at his voice, mumbling a sleepy, "I'm happy to help...s-sss..." a yawn, "...souls need to go back to those that love them. Don't deserve to stay...apart..." he trailed off, ear lowering back as he almost fell asleep. Almost. Voltaire's voice pulled him back at the last moment.
If you want, you can join us, Nilo...
His eyes opened a fraction to find the black stag had moved the fawn and himself over by Eloa, suddenly conscious of the space between them. Permission to sit with his own friend? He coughed, his attempt at a scoff, but he was too tired to even be properly offended.
"...she...didn't say you were a family," his tone was soft, if not hurt or disappointed, "...in the way, I'll leave..." with a tremendous effort he rolled to his shaking, unsteady hooves..."...my...mate's probably worried anyway."

sounds good

That was fun and thank you for letting us be a part of it!