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Post by cassiroll on Oct 23, 2015 22:06:05 GMT -6
Celty and Oxy continued along the path for what felt like at least an hour. She couldn't believe how far away they had gone, and the state of her clothes still bothered her greatly. She remembered rips and tears and bloodstains that were sure to never come out, but now she was as clean as could be, mended without a stitch in place. She squinted as she noticed a familiar form in the distance and her face got brighter. "Gaynor! Seems you came out to the stream as well." Her happy moment was cut short as Oxy dashed past her and ran up to someone she was less than excited to see. "Rylan!" He cried, a bit excitedly. He pulled out the multicolored rock the man had given him and bounced up and down. "Play?!" Celty got closer to her son's side and frowned. "Perhaps we should just go back to the camp, Oxy." |
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Post by titee on Oct 23, 2015 22:33:59 GMT -6
"I was planning on just fetching you and returning, so that would be fine with me." Manasa said. She looked at Rylan and then over at the lady warrior. What could those two have been doing so secluded... alone? It made her think back to what happened last night in the woods and worry. Ashe she turned to head back down stream, something white floated fluttered by. And then another... Manasa looked up into the sky as a cold wind caused her to shiver. Tiny white specks had begun to fall out of the sky, specks Manasa had never encounter before. Were they sand? Dust? Manasa held her hand out to catch one, and as it touched her skin it turned to water." She was mystified. Manasa spun around, an expression on pure wonderment on her face. "What are these little thing?" She asked, looking down into the water and observing a few snowflakes drift on the water's surface. Her expression changed quickly though as she saw Oxy run toward Rylan. She swallowed and her brow furrowed. Why now? she did her best to push those painful memories out of her mind, but as Oxy just up and down excitedly in front of Rylan, she felt a sharp pain in her chest. ((jay gave the clear to change the weather to snow)) |
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Post by MonkeyandMooseInc on Oct 23, 2015 22:47:22 GMT -6
Rylan chuckled as he watched the small flakes fall from the sky. It was interesting to see snow this early in the year, but Rylan wasn't complaining. It was definitely a nice change of pace.
"This? Oh it's snow! Have you never seen snow before?"
As Rylan was about to continue with his sentence, he heard a familiar voice.
Rylan saw Oxy bolt towards him, excitedly, wanting the priest to play with him. And Rylan knew if Oxy was near by, that'd mean Celty was here as well. He looked up to see Celty clearly upset at the mere sight of Rylan and caused him to look away in dismay. He got down on one knee to get down to eye level with Oxy and smiled
"How about you and I play later, Oxy! Your mother seems to want to go back to camp! I'll teach you how to build a snowman later, and make snow angels, okay?"
He covered his hand in his shirt and patted Oxy on the head, following the example Oxy had done last night when he held Rylan's hand. Rylan stood back up and looked at Celty, trying his best to muster up a smile.
"Manasa, Gaynor and I were actually just about to head back to camp and head towards the village to get some new clothing. You two are welcome to join us, if you'd like."
Rylan had hoped he could somehow start to repair the relationship between the two, and at least make it so that it wasn't uncomfortable to be around one another.
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Post by cassiroll on Oct 23, 2015 22:54:52 GMT -6
"Manasa, Gaynor and I were actually just about to head back to camp and head towards the village to get some new clothing. You two are welcome to join us, if you'd like." Rylan had hoped he could somehow start to repair the relationship between the two, and at least make it so that it wasn't uncomfortable to be around one another. Celty pondered his words for a moment, trying to decide what to do. She liked her current attire just fine, but Oxy's cloths were starting to get a bit small considering how fast he grew. Those could do for a change while they had the chance. And besides, she really wanted Gaynor to be on her side were she ever to start revealing Oxy to more people. If they could accept him...well, her current worries of her looming debt collector finding them could be eased a bit. She nodded at Rylan, but moved closer to Gaynor. "Oxy could use some better protection. His shape-shifting is under developed for his age and I don't think the thin clothes he's wearing with help him much if the weather is turning. I..." She stiffened a bit before managing to bring herself to look Rylan in the eye, "...I would like to go with you, if you'll have us". She too wanted to get this awkwardness cleared up. If Rylan could handle her son, she could handle him. |
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Post by not u on Oct 23, 2015 23:02:58 GMT -6
Enoch nodded to Mimisko. "Good morning, I'm doing well, thank you." As the other members of the guild began to gather, looking to scavenge with them, he glanced back towards Ooro. Looks like she has her work cut out for her. He'd hoped they'd get the chance to continue their conversation they'd had at the church yesterday. Her condition and circumstances had greatly piqued his interest, but it seemed now would not be the time for that. He continued to check body after body, until he heard her begin to speak again. He shot another glance up at her, sitting up, watching as her demeanor suddenly became uneasy. Hm? Her eyes darted to the ground, as she turned her body away from the crowd. Her voice could be heard in a low whisper, "I would appreciate it if you still tagged along, Enoch- but... it is not required." Enoch cocked an eyebrow as she spoke, nodding and pushing himself up to his feet, setting down the too-small pair of shoulder plates he was holding. Waving a bit to the others, he looked at Nicolas and said, "Good luck," before starting to follow behind her. "I wonder what happened?" he thought to himself, trailing after her as she headed deeper into the woods, the thick canopy of leaves blocking out the first hints of snow. |
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Post by titee on Oct 23, 2015 23:05:00 GMT -6
Manasa stiffened and drew closer to Rylan, almost to the point she was leaning against him. She looked down at the child before her nervously, hoping that Rylan would reject Celty yet something in her gut told her otherwise.
Under developed.
The words stung Manasa particularly harshly.
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Post by MonkeyandMooseInc on Oct 23, 2015 23:12:34 GMT -6
"Oh, of course we'll have you!"
He tried his best to be as warm and welcoming as possible as the frozen flakes began to cover the floor. Snow hit his arms and he remembered he hadn't had the chance to bandage them. He grew a bit concerned and grabbed onto his arm, as to slightly cover it. He noticed Manasa was nearly leaning on Rylan and his face began to light up a bit.
"Uh..sh-shall we?"
Rylan began walking forward through the woods towards the camp.
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Post by cassiroll on Oct 23, 2015 23:22:18 GMT -6
"Oh, of course we'll have you!" Celty breathed a sigh of relief and began to walk with them. Oxy ran far ahead of the group, screaming excitedly as the snow continued to fall. He pointed up at the sky from quite a distance away and shouted back to the group. "You guys! You guys look!" He was jumping up and down and hollering and enjoying himself more than Celty had ever seen before. "It's his first snow," She realized, "I had him in a warmer climate, farther south from here." Her eyes got a bit teary and crinkled as she smiled. "I'm so glad he got to see it..." Without warning, she ran at top speed after her son and threw him up into the air. He screamed and giggled as she caught him and swirled him around. "It's snowing!" She said to him with a happy grin. He repeated it back to her with equal enthusiasm, "It's snowing, it's snowing!" The two continued to laugh and chase each other around ahead of the group, for once playing like a mother and son should despite how terrible the world had become. They were having real fun. |
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Post by titee on Oct 23, 2015 23:36:38 GMT -6
Manasa tried to look away from the scene before her, but Celty and Oxy's laughter filled the forest air. Tears welled in her eyes as she replaced the small shapeshifter boy's laughter with that of her own, projected child... They would would be five by now. She yearned to share her first snowfall with them. To hold them close to her and watch as the snow drifted down to earth and turned to water as it touched their skin like magic.
Manasa grab the tattered hem of Rylan's shirt as she covered her mouth to hide the grimace on her face as she did her best to avoid crying out- to avoid making a scene.
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Post by norimo on Oct 23, 2015 23:58:23 GMT -6
Ooro trekked on, still listening for anyone behind her. However, she became distracted when a white flake fell from the sky. It's snowing? Sure enough, she could see the leaves above her wet with the water of the melted snow, it looked like it had been snowing for a few minutes now. A few more of the flakes slipped through the foliage, and she halted her feet to watch them momentarily. While observing them, her ears had caught the sound of steps trailing behind. Almost instinctively, she swiftly dashed behind a tree to confirm who it was. She didn't want anyone to find her hideout unless she was certain of their character. Luckily, it had been Enoch who followed behind her. She let out a sigh of relief, as she wasn't sure if he would have actually taken up her offer in the first place. Slowly, she moved out into the open, and waited for him to catch up. Though as she did so, her hands shook just barely while holding the materials. When was the last time she was alone with one of her kind? It was nerve-wracking, to say the least. Even though the time-mage appeared to be accepting, he could only be cooperating under the given circumstances. There was always a chance he was looking down upon her. Her chest puffed out as she took a deep breath to try and calm herself. He said he was a traveler, surely he was more open-minded? Or was it just something they did back in his village? Her questions only served to bother her more. When he would catch up, she would open her mouth as to speak. "Sorry... about that. I do not particularly like having many people follow me to my home," she shook her head. As they would continue on, Ooro looked around her as to find a topic of discussion. "I didn't expect it to snow anytime soon. I might have to end up making coats for the guild members as well," a half-hearted laugh escaped her. "Which would be strangely nostalgic... I haven't made outerwear for so many others in years," her voice trailed off. "I, uh, used to be a tailor in my old village. At least for a little while." Her own words shocked her, as it had been the first time she spoke about her place of origin in decades. "I didn't learn leather working until after I lived in the woods, though." As they progressed through the forest, the trunks of the trees expanded, and their branches reached for the skies. They were of impressive size, with their width growing as they progressed. Just how far were they? A oddly fragrant scent wafted in from their bark, as though beckoning them to continue forward. "Don't worry, we're almost there. Can you smell that?" Her lips curled slightly, "There's a type of berry with an extremely strong scent- they aren't edible, but they're good for things like this. Back when I first was learning my way here, I made a jam out of them and slathered it on the trees so I wouldn't get lost. I know my way now, but I still use it to mark my h-" the sentence had met an abrupt end. She was still on edge about leading Enoch to her home, and now with it snowing- while she might be more keen on letting him inside; it may be best to have him forget his way there. It is best if visitors forget about me.
They stopped when the sight of a colossal tree met their line of vision. Thick vines wound around its trunk, and curled up the branches before drooping downward. Their leaves simulated a canopy around the area, shielding it from possible rain and creating shade. From a branch on the far right, a quaint decoration hung from the trailing plant above. A wooden carving of a bird had been tied around it, swaying ever-so-gently in the wind. It was quiet there, with the exception of the occasional robin's song and breeze flowing. "We're here." Ooro's eyes had gazed at the gargantuan display of nature. Her expression was soft, with her eyes half-closed and lips parted. For a minute, her body seemed to be frozen in time as she peered on. What was more, something appeared different on her character when gazing back.  |
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Post by MonkeyandMooseInc on Oct 24, 2015 0:12:40 GMT -6
Rylan smiled as he saw Celty and Oxy playing in the snow together. It warmed his heart to see how excited Oxy was to see snow for the first time. It reminded him of his childhood, and this brought a frown to his face. He recalled back to his old home. The orphanage. A small Rylan, sitting on the steps as the other kids played and built snowmen together, while the young boy say there, crying. A large, cloaked man made his way over and sat next to Rylan and put his hand on his shoulder. "Oy, Rylan! You're not going to have any fun just sitting here, freezing yer but off!" The man chuckled. The small Rylan looked up at the man, tears streaming down his face. "None of the other kids want to play with me...it's cuz I'm new...they don't like me, Father Eltreese..."  The priest frowned, patting Rylan on the back to try and comfort him, although, Rylan being abnormally small for his age and the priest being a large man, it nearly knocked Rylan over. "Oh come now, they just gotta give ye a chance! And if they aren't willing to do that, they're missing out on making a great friend!" He pulled Rylan close to him and rubbed his shoulder. Rylan's tears began to lighten up a bit. "Would.....would you wanna build a snowman with me, sir?" The priests smile turned into a frown. "I'm sorry, Rylan, but I have a service to begin. I mean, if you'd like, you could come along." Rylan frowned and shook his head 'no' and just buried his head into his sleeves. The priest stood up and patted Rylan's head. He then walked off, leaving Rylan to himself Manasa grabbed Rylan's shirt, which snapped him out of his little flashback. He looked over to see Manasa crying. He put his hands on her shoulders. "Manasa, are you alright? What's wrong?" |
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Post by not u on Oct 24, 2015 0:34:52 GMT -6
As Enoch continued to track Ooro through the forest, the snow continued to pile onto the tops of the trees overhead. The leaves began to bend under the weight of the wet slush, and made way for the the flurries to cascade to the ground. Enoch wiped his cheek as some of the cold droplets hit his face, sighing and pulling his hood up and over his head. In the blur events over the past couple of days, he hadn't even noticed the weather beginning to turn.
He paused and looked around when he realized Ooro was nowhere in view, pursing his lips a bit. Did I lose her? he wondered, scanning his surroundings slowly when she came back around from behind a tree.
Enoch shook his head slowly as they began do walk. "Thank you for inviting me," he responded, tugging his robes a bit closer to his body as the chill started to set in.
Enoch nodded slowly as he listened to her speak, her words digging up questions that had been in his mind. Her leaving her village, giving up her profession... Clearly she must have belonged at some point and fit in with the clockwork of elven society. So, why?
His expression softened a bit as he spoke. "A tailor, hm? I'm sure the others will appreciate it, I'm not sure how prepared some of the members are that are more acclimated to warmer climates." He sighed softly, keeping his more burning questions at bay and speaking a bit wistfully. "I have some outerwear with my gear back at camp so you won't have to concern yourself with me. When traveling up in the northern regions so much, there's really not too much of a choice but to lug around an overcoat."
Enoch continued to observe the surroundings as they walked. Never having gone this deep into the forest, he was rather intimidated by the thick, looming trees. And by how she became slightly more guarded in her speech as they approached their destination, it seemed that was the way she liked it. As they finally came to the base of the massive tree she called home, he glanced over at her curiously, freezing as he noticed a certain trait was now different.
"Ooro...?"
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Post by titee on Oct 24, 2015 0:42:16 GMT -6
Manasa swallowed, trying to find the right way to diffuse the situation before turning it into an incident. She wanted to confide in Rylan, but with the others right there it was the worst possible timing. She stopped walking, burying herself in his shoulder and letting out a small cry. "Why...?"
Why was this upsetting her so much? Vishkanyan mothers expected to lose their children, so few of them were deemed worthy. Was there something wrong with her? Was she weak?
"I... I can't bare to look at him..."
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Post by MonkeyandMooseInc on Oct 24, 2015 0:49:34 GMT -6
Rylan looked at Manasa, disheartened. How was Oxy upsetting her so much? Rylan had reasons not to trust the two, but as far as he knew, Manasa had never really interacted with Celty or Oxy. He tried rubbing her shoulder to comfort her.
"Hey, hey, it's okay..Just calm down, Manasa, everything is fine. Do you want to talk about what's bothering you?"
He looked back at Oxy and Celty. It was clear they were enjoying themselves and probably wouldn't continue moving if they didn't.
"Let's get back to the camp and you can tell me what's upsetting you, okay?"
Rylan motioned to Gaynor to keep moving, and Rylan began walking forward again with Manasa.
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Post by norimo on Oct 24, 2015 1:21:05 GMT -6
Ooro snapped out of her brief daze, as she turned to look at Enoch. He seemed alarmed, but at what? Her eyebrow raised, "What is it?" As she asked him, a cold droplet fell on her ear. Some of the melted snow and seeped through the canopy, and her hand went to wipe it. Though as she felt the skin, she noticed it was precisely that. Just skin- no hair. Her fingers frantically gripped at the lobe, before reaching up to feel its entirety. Ooro's eyes had widened, and her jaw opened wide in horror. Both her hands now grabbed at her ears, dropping the materials without thought as she panicked.
She couldn't hold her voice back in that moment. "When did they!? Oh Gods!" Her pupils darted to the tree, and she quickly scaled up the vines without another word. There was shadow within the leaves or reflected on the branches, did she somehow manage to get inside?
It would appear strange that Ooro had asked such frantic questions upon their first meeting, as it would seem she wanted to reverse what was happening to her. Though now that it almost showed signs of doing so, her reaction was quite the contrary. The area became deathly silent now, and it became a question on whether or not Ooro would return at all. The wooden bird swayed in the wind, north, west, and south...
The vines on the tree rustled, and an opening began to form. Under the vines was a hidden makeshift door, from which Ooro sheepishly peeked from. Quitely, she whispered, "I'm sorry." Her eyes slowly moved to look at the pile of materials she abandoned, "Would you... bring those in?" Her figure disappeared into the crack, leaving it open for the time-mage to follow.
Walking inside the tree would show it hallowed out, with a disarray of items stacked into messy piles. Most of the piles were shoved to the walls, so that an opening could be made in the middle. If there was a hoarder one ever saw, Ooro would appear to be it. At the top of the clearing, there was an opening, covered up by a slab of bark on it's top side, with vines covering that as well. One could assume the main door couldn't be opened from the front. However, the hole above was slightly open for the time being, as to let some light in.
Some of the piles appeared to be fabrics and armors of sort, another consisting of hunting goods, and then others that were just seemingly junk. There were even a few jars filled with what looked to be blood. Ooro called out from the center of the hub as she sat, "It's animal blood; I use it for hunting purposes." She hadn't turned to face him, but she was clearly embarassed, as her ears were a bright red.
It was surely the picture of someone who had lived alone for sixty years- not needing to worry about having others see their space. While the outside had been quiet, at least the distant chirps of birds could be heard. Yet, it was if the world sat still inside the bark. Nothing was to be heard, minus their movements.
"Bring that stuff over here, please." There were a set of knives around her, along with more leather pieces and even some fur. Her face was still turned away.
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