Falling in home

Ryven led Ryu around what can only be described as a warren of different platforms, stairs and walkways, ascending over huge branches carrying houses, huts and storage rooms, descending under and around them, disappearing between the big leaves once you got past them. Ryu's sense of direction had given up and fled the first five minutes of walking and he hasn't tried to recover it since. The turns and twists were just too...unforgiving for that. On the other hand, nausea had left as well, and Ryu had actually been able to divert some of his attention of putting one foot steadily in front of the other to listening to Ryven and looking around at the exotic sight. It seems Ryven was trying to hear him out about where he came from and why his clothes were so strange. He felt slightly irritated at his persistence so he made up some quick answers. Of course explaining about technology seemed to be as much as a pain in the backside as one would expect, he simplified his excuses very much. The clothes he couldn't explain at all, so he just said some stuff. Confusion seemed plain on Ryven's face, so Ryu stopped saying anything quickly enough. When one question about magic came up Ryu answered he liked made up stories from books, of course there being no "magic", but Ryven shook his head gravely. Ryu tried returning some questions, but Ryven also answered shallowly. He did seem to have a light sense of humor however, the occasional comment seemed aimed to make Ryu chuckle, and he forgot his worries for a bit. Ryu found it strange that such a bear of a man had such a light way about him. The worries and nerves returned however when Ryven mounted the steps to what seemed a quite and well-faring wooden house built on several of the huge branches. Ryu had no idea where exactly in the Tree City he was now, but as he looked around it seemed as this place was pretty isolated. Only a few houses were visible, and those some branches away. Which probably meant walking around for half an hour just to find the stairs that would give access to the house. Ryven waited for Ryu at the door as Ryu hesitantly made his way up to the front porch.
"Ready?" Ryven looked Ryu up and down as Ryu slowly shook his head and squared his shoulders. "Not really...but I guess I'll never be." Ryven heaved a small sigh as he nodded and turned to the door. He knocked the door gently as few times and waited, looking at Ryu hiding himself against the wall next to the door. Ryven shook his head and grabbed Ryu by his collar trying to drag him in front of the door.
"Oy, let go! Gahh!! Stop pulling you, dammit!". As Ryu got pulled backward, he felt his balance slipping and threw out his hand, which landed in Ryven face, earning him a muffled grunt.
Right at that moment the door opened and a smiling Sylvan woman looked upon the scene with warm eyes.
"Ryven, what are you doing here? Oh, this must be our guest then, Ryu right?". Ryu felt Ryven push him off and quickly regained his balance as he took his hand from the other's face, and apparently his fingers out of his mouth. Wiping the salivated hand on his leg Ryu tried to compose himself and failing miserably as he stammered an answer. "Ye-yes, ma'am. I-I'm Ryu." He coughed shyly and even managed a slight bow, but feeling quite foolish, he ducked his head and felt his face growing hot.
Ryven watched him with a doubtful look on his face and addressed the woman. "Yes, Leyra, this is the human that was found in the Eastern Desert." The woman - Leyra - turned towards Ryven with a slight frown on his face. "Don't talk about him like that. We're all children of the Mother, Ryven. If I remember what the Oracle said, his name is Ryu." Ryven seemed slightly abashed and nodded. "Sure, I'll use his name, as long as he refrains from further sticking his fingers down my throat." Ryu just grunted sourly and seemed unaware that he was still wiping his fingers on his leg. Suddenly the woman smiled broadly. "Don't just stand there, come in, come in!". She placed a hand on Ryu's arm and urged him in, Ryven following as Ryu let himself be guided. They quickly passed a small income hall where Ryu was instructed to remove his boots. Inside they entered what seemed the living room. It was an open and brightly decorated room. The lightly colored wood of the floor and walls was accented by light green plants and crystal objects ranging from purple to yellow through green -of course-. The room was neatly furnished to appear both cosy and open. On one end there was a large table elaborately carved with curved vines and leaves, with six matching chairs, two on each side and one on the ends. two peculiar leather sofas took up most of the other side, one large enough for thee persons, the other for two. Also some chairs designed for lounging were placed opposite the sofa's with a small table in the middle that looked like it was made out of hardened tree sap, only the color was all wrong. On the table was a crystal carving like the ones Ryu saw on the wall of the halls back at the Oracle's place only smaller and not casting light. Next to it was a stick of incense letting off tendril of scented smoke that seemed to cast slow eerie shadows on the walls of the living room. Behind the living place was a rail less staircase that seemed to go up to a second floor, part of which seemed like an open platform looking down on the living room. Ryu could also make up some doors up there, so he guessed those must be the sleeping rooms. Leyra put Ryu down in the smaller of the two couches, while Ryven sat in one of the lounge chairs. Ryu tried not to shy back as Leyra took a seat next to him and placed a cup of sweet smelling thee in front of him. Ryu felt uncertainty settle in for the long run.
"So then Ryu, tell me something about yourself". Ryu sighed momentarily and thought about the advice the Oracle had given him. And if this is where he was to stay, he shouldn't start by making the people here uncomfortable, so he shied away from the question while trying to keep the uncertainty from his voice. He failed miserably at that. "Hehe... I don't know. What's there to tell? I'm... not really that special." Leyra let out a giggle and continued smiling at Ryu. "Nonsense dear. You're the first human here in Tyranna in a few hundred years, you're special al right." Ryu felt himself falter and sighed again. "Right, ehh.... I don't know, I'm, 20 years old, I'm a kind of...eh student prog-- euh technical... stuff... magic, I live - lived - alone in a small studio... apartment, kind of a small house inside a house. I like music, I do some ...sports, and I try stuff out, like playing intruments and martial arts in my free time...aaaaand thats it?" Ryu finished with a half smile, feeling like he's been wrung out and hung to dry. Leyra picked up the half smile and nodded "I see, very well then. Well my name is Ley'ranah Ni'daliath, but everyone calls me Leyra. I live here with my two children, Dalhon and Vi'jona, eight and nineteen. I'm still quite young myself for seventy two years old." Her smile became a little brighter as Ryu's eyebrow shot up in surpise.
"Ehh, what, seventy two?? Young?... wait, Ryven how old are you?"
"one hundred and eighty six" Ryven casually answered.
Another shock entered Ryu as the pieces in his head came together. "You...live longer than us... I mean, hell, I wish I'd look like that when I'm your age... I mean I would have said a healthy 25...perhaps 30 in the extremes..but..." Ryu fell without words as everything flashed home. Why didn't he notice sooner? Magic healing, medieval swords and armour, elf-like people, rasicm against humans, huge lifespans. This was the stuff of fantasy. There are the kind of things that you read about in books, see in videogames, or see on TV. Not in front of you. Not sitting next to you. Not inside and around you...!! He took a slight sip of the thee, it tasted quite exotic, but sweet, he didn't know what it could have been made of. As he put the cup down Ryu noticed a sparkle dance in the thee. Suddenly he felt the pain in his chest he felt before in the infirmary and the blood suddenly pumping at an increased rate to his brain made Ryu feel very dizzy. He looked around the room as colours blended and sounds started to fade. He swayed once, as suddenly he felt several hands supporting him. He coughed once... twice and tried to sit up supported by the hands. He thought he recognised Ryven's voice through the haze.
"What thee is this Leyra? It made him sick fast!"
"It's Melve'eh leaf. It comes from the brushes near the mages' compound. Why is it having this effect, we drink this all the time. Perhaps humans are allergic to it?"
"Lay him down quick."
The voice haze got thicker soon, and Ryu closed his eyes as once again he felt himself slip away.

Oblivion beckons again, a call undeniable by all...