I commissioned  CadmiumTea for this one. Thanks so much, Mus!
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Before coming to the Forest, Viola led a bit of a rough and tumble life. While it wasn't all strife—she's from a Pathfinder 'verse after all, not Berserk—her adventuring in a swords-and-sorcery setting has left its mark. It can take a little while for newcomers to get used to the Forest's slower, more peaceful way of life.

Viola's role as a Senior Researcher for Shift-Tec has allowed her much of the space, both physical and mental, necessary to decompress and settle in. Setting up her own office to resemble the guild studies back home eased the transition to a more tech-forward 'verse, and gave her a comfortable home-territory space in which to receive and meet coworkers and visitors. As time went on and Viola became more acclimated to the Forest, she found that she needed her little sanctuary less and less, becoming much more comfortable venturing out into the facility hallways with those curious florescent lights and engaging with her new neighbors on their terms. It was still nice to have her familiar workspace, though. She could think better around candlelight and proper mechanical clocks.

One visitor to her sanctuary she was always pleased to see was Cellina, or "Director Longfeather" to be proper about it. She was technically Viola's employer, the crane woman being both the chief executive of the organization and the person who offered her the researcher position, but Viola began to see her in a different light very quickly after joining the company. First simply her employer, but then soon an unusually competent businesswoman, then a curiosity, an enigma, and finally a friend. The Director was somewhat famous within the company for being difficult to read, carrying an impenetrable emotional barrier between her outward business acumen and her secret inner life. Silly rumors flowed in to fill in the empty spaces, but of course Viola rejected all of the gossip about her. Through regular visits by Cellina to check in on the progress with her research and with settling in, Viola put her fine analytical and observational skills to the task of understanding the mysterious crane.

Behind the mask, Viola found someone who cared deeply for the Forest and its inhabitants, and who worked behind the scenes to enhance its organization and standard of living. Through her quiet efforts, she helped to lift it up from a storybook magical wood astride a village, to a comfortable little modern town. Viola didn't expect the similarly Sherlock-y crane to spend just as much time and effort analyzing her, but through their many conversations, the two of them ended up developing a deep understanding of each other.

Quite some time after her arrival in the Forest, Viola had mostly acclimated to her new home. She rarely jumped at shadows any more, and no longer required inadvisably applied alchemy to calm her anxieties. Really, the only difficulties which remained were her occasional nightmares, fresh blends of old traumas and dangerous field work going suddenly quite wrong.

One late evening at the office, during a visit from Cellina where she asked after her progress, Viola confided in her about the nightmares. Viola offered her analysis that the frightening dreams were reflections of her past experiences, her subconscious remaining over-vigilant against the dangers of her previous home. In a moment of vulnerability, uncertain about the inclusion even as she was sharing it, she added her observations about the frequency and timing. The dreams mostly plagued her on the weekends and on Wednesdays. Viola turned back to her desk to hide her expression, leaving unspoken the obvious correlation between the nightmares and the days Cellina didn't visit her, either from the office being closed or the crane having obligations elsewhere.

Viola nearly jumped out of her skin when the grey-scaled hand settled on her shoulder, so startled by a physical gesture from the famously reserved crane that she almost didn't hear the words which came next. Cellina was of course no fool, and she could work out the implications of the nightmares' timing just as easily as Viola. In her calm, professional tone, Cellina said that Viola's apartment was clearly making for unsuitable accommodations, and she should move at once. Viola's heart sank a little bit, knowing that a simple change of venue wouldn't be enough, but Cellina continued. Until a better environment could be located, she said, perhaps it would be best if Viola relocated to the spare bedroom in Cellina's penthouse suite, for more consistent access to socialization. Just until a more suitable living situation could be found for her, of course.

Overwhelmed by the realization of what was being offered, Viola turned back from her desk and threw her arms around the wonderful crane, hugging her tight without a care for the appropriateness of the gesture. To her amazement, Cellina's arms settled around her in a mutual embrace.

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Viola belongs to  Caedere, and visits the Forest and my gallery with her permission. Cellina is, of course, mine.