After taking a moment to work up her nerve, Meryn raised her hand between them and tapped her knuckles against his arm to get his attention. Lifting the hand carrying the birdcage, she took her free hand and drew her fingers along the skin of her bare arm, eyes never leaving Spook's masked face. She let her eyes fall down to his own arm before looking up again.
Spook had gone back to staring at the sunlight that filtered through the leaves, content with the end of the conversation -- but he turned his head again, and the glassy eyes of the mask stared through Meryn. He waited silently, walking steadily forward alongside her, while Meryn gestured her questions.
"Magescript," he answered with an invisible grin. He extended one arm and let his sleeve naturally pull back to expose another rune. "It's used by the Magi and some magicians. You'll see more like this along the road as we get closer to the old temple. Like . . . that, up there."
With the same hand he pointed at the curve in the disused road ahead, where a bas-relief had been skillfully carved into the trunk of a thin white tree. The living wood had been stripped away in a perfect circle, leaving a single rune intact at its center. It had been done at least a year ago; the bark had begun to grow over it.
"It's a sentry. Part of a barrier that protects the temple grounds."
Spook dropped his hand in a pocket and watched the branches as he walked, satisfied that he'd answered several unsaid questions at once.
Sharie lead the way for the small team of ladies, although she tried to measure her pace and stayed only a few feet ahead. Believe it or not, this wasn't her first time outside of the walls of Enn, her job was to maintain all parts of the wall which included the external sections. Now that's not say this was nothing to her, because obviously there is a huge difference between venturing outside, and actually stepping foot into the wilderness. Still for the most part she felt fine, no sense of panic, but no real feelings of excitement either, she was pretty much neutral on the matter.
She glanced back and noticed Samieh trying to chat up Scarlett, whether or not she would be successful remained to be seen. It was good to see the brown haired girl trying to connect with her teammate, a little bit of friendship will go a long way that's for sure. Seeing this Sharie figured she should try to do some socialization herself, maybe learn some about Andica, the girl who so far seemed to be quite the nervous type.
She slowed down and waited for Andica to catch up with her, then gave a quick, friendly wave with her free hand. Sharie didn't say anything, instead she stared ahead in thought. She had to make a decent impression here, they're going to be together for awhile so starting on the wrong foot would be pretty bad. After a few seconds she came up with something to talk about. "So, Andica right? I'm wondering, who's this little guy." Sharie then pointed to Kavinika, she noticed him and found it interesting someone decided to bring a dog, there could be some story behind it.
Meryn's eyes widened with every word, delight coloring her features. She wasn't sure what excited her more – that Spook was actually answering her, or that there was magic. (Of course, magic won out in the end.) Spinning to see the rune he'd pointed out, she broke away from the path to peer at it more, lifting her hand to trace the worn design. Her fingers drifted over the wood as she studied the rune, so closely she was certain she'd be able to recreate it with her eyes closed.
She glanced away to see Spook's retreating back, and darted after him. She slowed when she reached him, walking a step ahead and turning towards him to make sure she was in his line of vision. Meryn looked up at him, her smile innocent and eager, her eyes bright.
People familiar with Meryn might've been surprised to see her so animated. She was usually seen with a blank expression, but there was something that delighted her more than she could ever describe: exploration. More than that, the ability to pick somewhere to explore and then get there, even when by all rights it should be impossible. Then again, she had never been particularly close to anyone before, so how would they know? She had the feeling everyone in Enn saw her more as another oddity of the town, the silent delivery system darting over the roofs, rather than an actual person. As though a lack of speech meant lack of depth.
With the Traveller before her, with all his experiences and knowledge, a new frontier was open to her, one she'd never even and her face lit up with an excitement she usually hid away. She looked up to him, walking backwards to keep facing him, and lifted her hand to point back at the tree. Almost immediately she seemed to reconsider though, and tapped her fingers against her arm again. She paused, her eyes drifting away for a moment in thought, before she changed her mind again and brought her hand up to her face, tapping her spread fingers over her nose and cheekbones as she looked into the glassy eyes of his mask. She paused one more time, biting her lip and moved her hand again – only for her heel to catch on a raised tree root.
Meryn, ever agile, was quick to right herself. But not before her mind caught up with her and she felt her cheeks warm. Giving a sniff, she reached up and ran her fingers through her still dripping hair, looking away. Turning so she was walking forward again, she couldn't stop herself from peeking back up at Spook through her eyelashes, hoping for her answers. @Mokley
Amelia walked along silently, humming to herself. She wondered how the other kids were fairing without her and if they'd gotten a meal yet. If she and Miss Lily had still been in town, then maybe she'd have gained some sweets by now.
As if on cue, Spooks pointed at the horizon and a great temple appeared, causing Amelia's heart to race. She released Novas' and Miss Lily's hand and ran forth to stand next to Spooks and the boyish looking figure.
"Spooks, do we get to go in there?" She asked eagerly as she tugged at his tattooed skin. She looked over at the boy and realized it wasn't a boy at all. "Roof top lady!" Amelia never really learned her name; after all, Meryn couldn't speak and Amelia couldn't read.
Before today, Lily had been quite proud of her worldliness. Some people from the poorer side of town had never been outside their neck of the woods, whereas her clientele had her traipsing all over the city. She'd seen the ruthlessly trimmed hedge mazes of the Marquis, the place where the river turned from brownish-grey swill to clear blue water, the jewel-bright bazaar at the end of Market Street. One client in particular had her picked up in a carriage that ran the scenic route every time they wanted to see her. It almost made up for the utter lack of personal hygiene.
But for all her travels across the city, there was always the Wall. She wasn't Meryn—she could climb just fine, but her limit was a story or two off the ground, and that wasn't near high enough to see over the battlements. Her father had told tales of his late wife, of wide open fields, bordered only by trees; a lake big enough to span most of the world—but she'd never seen them.
It made her feel...smaller.
Lily's introspection was ended by Amelia's hand slipping out of hers, the young girl running ahead to talk to their leader. She watched her go with a smile, before she followed the line of Spook's pointing finger to the strange tree standing just next to the road. The redhead frowned, speeding up slightly to reach the tree without being left behind just as Meryn darted away.
"Don't suppose this particular symbol means anything in the common tongue?" she called after Spook's retreating back, but her eyes were on the letter, tracing the delicate curve with her fingers. A slight frown still furrowing her brow, she let her hand slip from the bark after a moment of hesitation, regaining her place within the slow-moving group. She didn't know how, but—she was sure she'd seen this image before.
It was difficult not to gawk at her surroundings—all new and different and wonderful—but these were discoveries she should have been enjoying with her brother, and it lost half its magic because of that. Lux still marveled at the endless horizon, though. Somewhere out there is a cure for Lowell, and she was this much closer to getting it.
Emma caught up with her not a minute later, and Lux smiled at her affectionate gesture, one that reminded her very much of her brother. In fact, it wasn't the first time she'd thought that Emma made a great sister. When she was younger, she'd even fantasized about Emma meeting Lowell under different circumstances. They'd click instantly and get married right away and then Emma really would be her sister!
At her question, Lux snapped out of her reverie. Her soft smile turned into a sharp one, and her lilac eyes brightened almost manically; telltale signs she was in her investigation mode.
She considered the query seriously, her brows knitting and her lips puckering to the side as she mulled over the facts available. With no solid information about the masked man (boo!), Lux was unable to make any well-informed assumptions about motive. It didn't help that Spook was a particularly strange fellow, even for a Traveller. He had explicitly asked for courage and not experience in his flyer. That meant his mysterious mission couldn't be too dangerous or crucial, or it would have been wiser to recruit veteran Travellers instead (unless they didn't want to help him?), and it couldn't be too trivial either or why would he have bothered with recruitment in the first place?
As for the birdcages, well, that was another tricky one. Having empty bird cages could very well mean having to catch birds, but she had a feeling that might be a little too straightforward. She held out both birdcages as Emma did, staring at all three curiously. All iron, but of different sizes and quality. It seemed she must have subconsciously chosen Roy's in his image—big and sturdy and slightly unwieldy. The one she had gotten for herself was smaller, and one bar were discolored by rust. Emma's was sensible in size and quality, of course. But she was digressing: the point was, it was curious that the sizes differed. Was there a reason for it, or were these the only ones he could get?
"From what little I know right now, Emm," Lux pivoted, swinging the birdcages theatrically before she leaned in conspiratorially. "I'm guessing Mr. Traveller is up to something no good, and he needs help to do it. It should definitely be fun, though!"
She pointed to where Spook and Meryn led the motley crew. "I suppose there's only one way to know for certain, yeah? Let's go ask Spook!"
Before she raced forward to catch up to the Traveller, Lux turned to wave at the green-haired woodcutter staggering behind them. She had been watching Roy out of the corner of her eye, actively ignoring him because, as she correctly predicted, he would need some space to appreciate the vast forestry dotting the horizon. There were tear stains on his cheeks, and if crying over trees wasn't a forest spirit thing to do, then she didn't know what was.
"Roy! This is yours," Lux handed him the bigger birdcage, an amused smile on her face as she wondered what could be going on in his forest spirit mind. She let him juggle the iron cage with the rest of his things, and gave him a friendly pat on the back. "The call of the forest is probably hard to resist, huh? But try to keep up with Spook over there. I'm pretty sure he has more trees to show you."
After settling things with the confused forest spirit (she hoped that was enough guidance to keep him from wandering off), she turned back to Emma. Lux remembered the botanist's earlier nervousness; it had since dissipated, but it still bothered her. Emma wasn't easily fazed, after all.
"Whatever it is that Spook has in store, don't worry, okay? I'll always have your back!"
Roy stared at the girl blankly as he accepted the birdcage into his arms. Accept was more of a loose term, as while he did accept the object the means to carry and otherwise appreciate it weren't really high in his mind. She spent time positioning his arms while they walked and soon he had his ax, his book, and this birdcage jumbled together as he began to have a little bit more trouble with his walking pace.
He had trouble accepting the fact that this was his. Just what about this birdcage signaled that it had belonged to him, because she gave it to him? Was this a trick perhaps, or maybe a show of disdain as the group was using these birdcages to start conflict with one another? It seemed to happen with another set of people a little while ago, so was this girl trying to make him angry while placing this birdcage in his arms?
Grr...how dare you birdcage. I'm...angry at you?
Roy stared harder and harder at the birdcage as he marched, unsure about how exactly he was supposed to be mad over this piece of equipment. All his carry on items were relatively easy to carry, and aside from the fact that this birdcage made it a little bit more uncomfortable to walk didn't really affect him in the slightest.
He couldn't be angry unless...
Then it hit Roy like a woodcutters ax striking hard into a tree. This girl was distracting him with this birdcage, he'd be too preoccupied wondering about...it...that...
He began looking at the trees once more and immediately he felt himself calming down. The calming sky matched with the swaying of the leaves eased his heart, and soon all it took was a few euphoric moments with the world around him to really let go of what he was fuming about. This girl had no reason to hate him, and rather than ignore him earlier she actually found herself smiling warmly to him. There wasn't any reason for her to dislike him, so this birdcage obviously would be a gift of some kind.
But...what was it for? Why did people have-
"The call of the forest is probably hard to resist, huh? But try to keep up with Spook over there. I'm pretty sure he has more trees to show you."
I'm pretty sure he has more trees to show you.
More trees to show you.
Trees to show you.
Trees.
TREES.
In the most inhuman way Roy found himself racing to where Spook was in a split second, next to Lux one moment and then next to the Traveler the next. A number of different people were already walking around the Traveler asking him questions, however the green haired woodcutter had a passion in his eyes. It was true, this was the man that was going to show all of them the world. And in turn, the trees.
"SPOOK!" Roy bellowed, not understanding the concept of a line and the etiquette of letting other people go before him. He held up his birdcage to the masked figure, ax and book attached, looking very intently at the grinning mask. The woodcutter's face was serious though, dead serious, as he was determined to get what he needed off of his chest. He knew what question he needed to ask, and what possibly might define the rest of his journey. Possibly even life.
The woodcutter took a deep breath.
"Is THIS birdcage something that discovers trees!"
He held it firmly in front of him, probably looking very comical to the rest of the people. He was breathing intensely and his arms were quivering slightly in front of him. Yet Roy didn't care, and for the brief moment that his eyes flicked over to the front of the path he saw it. Not the thick brown trees the woodcutter was used to in Enn.
No.
It was a white tree. A thin white tree that stood tall in front of them. He had never seen a white tree before, especially one that gave off so much history. Apparently there was something carved in the base of the tree, however Roy found himself far too busy flicking his eyes up and down the entirety of it.
It was at that moment that he dropped all of his things.
The weird wall-less line where the earth met the sky didn't seem to move at all, even though the group had travelled a fair distance. That was disconcerting to say the least. Even with that unnatural spectacle lurking in the distance, the land outside the city didn't seem too bad.
Certainly it hadn't become a landscape of hellfire and devoured them all, as some stories would have her believe. In fact, it was quite peaceful as the group walked along at a relaxed pace. There were no monsters, axe-murderers or ex-fiances. Not so bad, really. Even, possibly, quite good? Anica was starting to get optimistic about this trip. Without the threat of discovery and return to Enn fading into the distance behind, she could finally relax a bit.
Sharie came along side her and struck up a conversation about the dog loping beside her. She had let him free from the leash to roam around a bit, and while he moved excitedly from scent to scent as they travelled, often pausing to examine a tree or rock, he never let himself get too far from the pack and periodically returned to Andica's side.
"His name's Kavinika, and he's a year-old nastaali hound." She told the engineer. "It's a versatile breed - strong, smart, and not a bad nose either. They're not up on the same level as a bloodhound of course, but still able to do some tracking. He would have made a good guard dog, maybe even police work with a bit more training. I brought him out here hoping he'd be useful in the wilderness, and also because I don't trust man who wanted to buy him. He's got a sweet side, and I wanted him to have a good master."
"Oi, Kav!" She called out, whistling him over. "Kavinika, this is Sharie. She is a friend"
Sharie was impressed by Kavinika's discipline, he was a very well trained dog, at least far as she could tell. Animals were a rarity for her back home, her father had a strong distaste for any creatures, and that's putting it mildly. Then later in life Sharie still never dealt with animals in any meaningful way simply because they weren't needed for her job. When Kavinika approached them, beckoned by Andica's call, Sharie tried reaching out to pet the hound, although at the last minute she pulled back. He seemed friendly enough, but he was still a strange dog nonetheless.
Sharie smiled and nodded, "I got to admit I'm pretty unfamiliar with handling animals, but Kavinika looks like he's a great friend to have. Guess it's good you were able to bring him along, hmm?"
SPOOK!
She redirected her attention towards the front of the party, it wasn't until then she remembered that there were more people, that it wasn't just the four of them. Whoever that man was he seemed to be pretty excited about something, and of course had a seriously loud voice. It reminded Sharie of her days as an apprentice all those years ago. Vincent's workshop was filled with extremely loud, bellowing men that at first almost deafened her, although after long enough she got used to the noise and eventually she even found the commotion to be quite comforting.
Sharie chuckled then turned back to Andica. "That man's shouting is a little bit nostalgic for me. When I was younger I studied and worked in an engineer's workshop, yeah I know a pretty masculine profession for a woman, it was too obvious since I was literally the only girl there." Sharie glanced at her before adding. "Oh and in case you're still unsure, I'm an engineer. Guess you can sort of tell from my outfit though."
Emma took in the vast expanse before her. It was certainly grander than anything she had ever seen, except perhaps the Botanical Gardens. And it was full of promise Emma was eager to discover the plants that grew around her, but for now she had a mission. She took it upon herself to keep an eye out for Lux, as she was young and maybe a bit too curious for her own good out here. Emma smiled warmly at the girl, placing a hand gently onto her back as they walked after the Spook. "I know it. And remember, I always have your back too, we're a team after all, aren't we? I mean, we're all a team, but you and me especially." Emma winked at the pint-sized detective.
It appeared that her small inquisitive friend wasn't the only one Emma would take charge of. She observed the green-haired woodcutter making a spectacle, preparing to chase after a white tree up the road. Emma looked down at Lux, "I think I should go make sure he stays out of trouble." She said, coyly pointing at Roy. With that Emma chased after the woodcutter. Luckily, he hadn't run off just yet. She placed a hand gingerly on his shoulder. "Hey, Roy? Buddy, you alright? It's just a birdcage, y'know? we're all eager to go take a look at all the stuff out here, but I think we should stick with Spook for now. After we get out bearings a little, how about you and me both go out, and we can both take a look at some of the flora, alright?" It probably wasn't very safe to run around behind the wall by yourself, especially if you weren't a Traveler.
She hoped he hadn't already made up his mind. Knowing Roy, that was hoping for too much.
Sharie smiled and nodded, "I got to admit I'm pretty unfamiliar with handling animals, but Kavinika looks like he's a great friend to have. Guess it's good you were able to bring him along, hmm?"
"Yeah well, fourth generation dog breeder here, so I think I've got us covered there. And yeah, he is a good dog. Aren't you boy?" Squatting down to his level, Andica rubbed Kavinika's head affectionately, and the dog responded by enthusiastically licking her face.
Most of her words, however, were drowned out by the huge man with an axe, yelling some things that Andica couldn't quite make out. By the time he was done, Andica was done with her sloppy canine hug and Sharie was talking.
"That man's shouting is a little bit nostalgic for me. When I was younger I studied and worked in an engineer's workshop, yeah I know a pretty masculine profession for a woman, it was too obvious since I was literally the only girl there." Sharie glanced at her before adding. "Oh and in case you're still unsure, I'm an engineer. Guess you can sort of tell from my outfit though."
"I figured it was something like that from your goggles. What sort of stuff do you make?"
After Scarlett had picked up her cage as instructed, she followed her newly assigned group, taking her first few steps outside the sturdy walls of Enn. Millions of butterflies fluttered around in her stomach, and the goosebumps hidden under her top had started to rise again. The red haired woman was a little more excited at this point in time. She was finally going to venture outside the walls! There were so many things just waiting to be discovered out there, whether they were birds or entirely different landscapes… The possibilities were endless.
Despite Enn being a rather closed off city, Scarlett barely knew any of the people around her. It made her feel slightly lonely and embarrassed. Everyone else seemed to know each other, and those who didn’t would strike up conversations right off the bat. The red head was generally a quiet woman, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t properly socialize with other people, regardless of their age. As a former teacher, Scarlett was used to hearing many voices speaking all at once… Well, the voices of children to be specific.
"Its funny to see the earth meeting the sky isn't it? We are accustomed to have this damn wall between those two," said the girl to her right, seemingly letting her eyes wander to Scarlett’s set of arrows. If she could remember clear enough, this girl went by the name of Samieh… right?
“True… I’ve never viewed the world like this before, but now that I’m seeing it in a completely different perspective, it feels almost… satisfying, you know? Samieh, was it? Forgive me if I got your name wrong… It takes quite some time for me to memorize everyone’s names, especially considering the large amount of people here.”
Scarlett smiled softly towards Samieh, trying not to make the situation too weird. She didn’t want to seem like some creepy, five-foot-eleven redhead that had the face of a ghost (even though she already was), and, after all, first impressions were pretty much everything. After she had replied in a rather awkward fashion, Scarlett returned her gaze towards the open horizon. It was gorgeous. This wasn’t anything Scarlett had ever witnessed in her entire twenty-five years on this planet, and, now that she had, the woman was astonished. In about a few hours time Enn’s walls would be nothing more than a tiny spec of grey in the distance, and covered sunrises and sunsets would be nothing more than a memory in Scarlett’s head. The excitement just continued to build up from there, just like the protective walls of Enn themselves.
Just what did this mysterious journey- no, the world- have in store for Scarlett Autumnwalker?
She looked up to him, walking backwards to keep facing him, and lifted her hand to point back at the tree. Almost immediately she seemed to reconsider though, and tapped her fingers against her arm again. She paused, her eyes drifting away for a moment in thought, before she changed her mind again and brought her hand up to her face, tapping her spread fingers over her nose and cheekbones as she looked into the glassy eyes of his mask. She paused one more time, biting her lip and moved her hand again – only for her heel to catch on a raised tree root.
Meryn, ever agile, was quick to right herself. But not before her mind caught up with her and she felt her cheeks warm. Giving a sniff, she reached up and ran her fingers through her still dripping hair, looking away. Turning so she was walking forward again, she couldn't stop herself from peeking back up at Spook through her eyelashes, hoping for her answers.
Spook watched Meryn steadily and silently; the mask betrayed nothing of his reaction, but only offered a frozen grin.
"If I didn't write down the runes, I'd forget them," he answered happily. "And my mask is a souvenir from Boom City. Isn't it great?"
Both no at all the answers Meryn had been looking for, and quite possibly lies.
As if on cue, Spooks pointed at the horizon and a great temple appeared, causing Amelia's heart to race. She released Novas' and Miss Lily's hand and ran forth to stand next to Spooks and the boyish looking figure.
"Spooks, do we get to go in there?" She asked eagerly as she tugged at his tattooed skin.
Spook tipped his head to the little girl and nodded. "Yes! Though there isn't much there anymore to go into. It's only a ruin. You might see something more interesting in the trees, if you look hard enough." He pointed over his head with a casual gloved hand.
"Don't suppose this particular symbol means anything in the common tongue?" she called after Spook's retreating back, but her eyes were on the letter, tracing the delicate curve with her fingers.
"Ah . . ." Spook scratched the mask's chin. "'Barrier' . . . probably." He breathed a quiet laugh and rubbed the back of his hood. "They're more like drawings than words, as far as I know."
"SPOOK!" Roy bellowed, not understanding the concept of a line and the etiquette of letting other people go before him. He held up his birdcage to the masked figure, ax and book attached, looking very intently at the grinning mask.
"Is THIS birdcage something that discovers trees!"
"Hey, Roy? Buddy, you alright? It's just a birdcage, y'know? we're all eager to go take a look at all the stuff out here, but I think we should stick with Spook for now. After we get out bearings a little, how about you and me both go out, and we can both take a look at some of the flora, alright?" It probably wasn't very safe to run around behind the wall by yourself, especially if you weren't a Traveler.
Spook only answered when the commotion had quieted a bit -- but the entire time the dead glassy eyes of the mask were set firmly on Roy.
"Those are just the cheapest cages I could find in Enn," he explained with a hidden smile. "If it has any tree-finding properties, they're not my doing."
pop! -- poof!
If Amelia were looking up at the trees as she was told, she might spot it: something small, winged and furry suddenly appeared on a branch with a pop! It leaped off the branch, and just as suddenly it disappeared into the empty air with a soft poof! It was gone.
A breeze rustled in the trees; sunlight swirled and spun between the leaves, and a cacophony of birds broke into song. They passed another sentry tree on the opposite side of the road. Some of the branches had tiny bells and weathered paper garlands hanging from them. If one were to look closely, they might spot two or three little mossy statues standing among the rocks and leaves.
"This is Nearlight Thicket," Spook said aloud to no one in particular. "Up there," he pointed toward a curving staircase off the road, partially hidden by hanging branches, "is the Temple of Spring Whistling."
Spook stopped, and he turned around, craning his neck to see how many had made it this far without wandering off into the woods.
Roy still found his time looking at the tree as Spook went around answering each others question, though at the point Spook could have answered his and he probably wouldn't even have noticed. The green haired woodcutter wiped away from of his tears, still sniffling at the site in front of him. As he reached down to pick up his items he found himself stopping himself immediately.
He needed to touch this tree.
Leaving his things and generally ignoring the words that was being said to him(A gesture that in his mind didn't seem rude in the slightest) Roy walked his way up the tree, holding out a shaky hand as a proceeded to touch the tree. The bark felt old, rich with history despite being so thin, and as he rubbed his hands against the wood he could almost read the tree as if a story was being read to him.
"You've seen a lot of the world haven't you."
The woodcutter whispered these words to the bark, still feeling the texture in his hands. It was at this stage that he was finished his euphoric gushing, but now he took the time to admire and respect what was before him. This tree wouldn't be something he would cut, not because the tree wouldn't accept its fate, but simply because it had so much more to tell. This was a tree who's journey would be to lead Travelers down the road out of Enn, to lead all of them to a new life. The others possibly looked at Roy as some sort of comedic entity and the tree as simply just a tree. But this just a tree entrusted a relationship with the woodcutter that the others simply couldn't understand. This encounter had filled the woodcutters heart.
"It was nice to meet you."
He left the tree with a whisper, heading back to collect his things and rejoin the others who had walked a little ways ahead of him. To them they probably assumed he would catch up(Which he did), however as he walked off he couldn't help but feel a tinge of sadness. Sadness and determination. Picking up his ax, book, and a birdcage that POSSIBLY HAD THE ABILITY TO FIND TREES AND CHANGE THE WORLD FOREVER, the green haired woodcutter made his way back the group. He more specifically made his way back into the company of Emma and Lux, nudging the previous girls arm with his shoulder as apparently she enjoyed touching it. Did she say something to him earlier?
However joining in the midst of the group the once loud commotion began to settle down, and soon the green haired woodcutter found himself face to face with the Traveler himself(herself...themself...?). Despite the ominous aura that the mask gave off, Roy found himself slightly calmed by the sight. He could tell that this was not a malicious character, but he couldn't really say why.
"Those are just the cheapest cages I could find in Enn," he explained with a clearly displayed smile. Or that possibly could be just the mask. "If it has any tree-finding properties, they're not my doing."
Roy was a little broken hearted at the news, sure that he found a sacred relic that could have changed life itself. Still Spook hadn't ruled out the possibility entirely, however the woodcutter wasn't stupid when it came to these things. How could an old birdcage even hope to find trees, that entire concept was completely preposterous in itself. Roy simply craned his head and stretch the birdcage in the air, ax and book in all. Was there something else about this birdcage or...
Almost on cue a symphony of birds began to cry out, and soon the thicket of leaves appeared to sway to the music of the world itself. Roy's eyes began to sparkle, growing wide at the sight before him. He of course was right, it was a silly notion to assume that this birdcage would find trees. However it clearly could find...music? Birds- no no that couldn't be right.
"This is Nearlight Thicket," Spook said aloud, Roy realizing that the Traveler most likely was talking to him. So this birdcage finds Nearlight Thickets?
"Up there, is the Temple of Spring Whistling." Wait...so this birdcage finds Temple of Spring Whistling's? Roy couldn't quite understand the situation, his head still craned upward trying to understand more of what exactly he was looking at. The trees themselves were beautiful, however he was sure that they were hiding a secret from him. A secret that most likely would be shown to them by Spook, or possibly referenced and then never addressed again. No matter the case Roy felt awed to be in their presence, and took the time to mask himself in the trees and all of their glory.
To others his eyes were closed with arms shot straight up. Roy could tell he would be becoming friends with all of them.
Sharie rubbed her goggles while thinking, she wasn't sure when it started but the action has become a pretty entrenched habit of hers. Her job wasn't really to create things, how should she respond? "Well, you kind of confuse me with a craftsman like say a blacksmith." She said to Andica. "We did custom forge our own tools and whatnot, allows for more precision that way, but no otherwise I didn't make anything. Na instead I worked on larger things, more complex things. Windmills and waterwheels aren't something any handyman can manage, you need someone with a... uh more delicate hand."
That was the best description she could manage, her job was a pretty complicated affair. Sharie decided to shift the conversation from herself. "So, Andica... what about yourself? You got to have some history, being part of lineage of dog breeders is no small thing I imagine."
~Earlier that morning. Ally sat quietly in her room. She simply sat there in the silence, the only sound came from her slow and steady breathing. Her eyes absently looking out the window as the sun began to peak up over the city walls. 'Today's the day...' She thought to herself. She had always dreamed of leaving the city. Having a true and real adventure outside the walls. But now that it was here she was nervous. Not a normal level of nervous. The level of nervous she had to consciously focus on her breathing or she was certain she would hyperventilate. That was a real possibility for her.
Ally pushed herself up to her feet and lazily stomped into her washroom. She stood in front of the sink and turned on the faucet. She cupped her hands together and caught some of the cool water. Splashing her face she sighed, staring herself in the eyes as she prepared herself for what was to come.
~A little later. Light foot steps softly padded down the streets of Enn. Aeliir was dressed nicely, covered in white and gray body suit; embroidered in golden threads. Her full length, raven black hair styled elegantly and swaying faintly in the mid day breeze. It didn't take long before she arrived at the front gate. She arrived at the time that was posted yet there was no traveler present. Seemed as though the people in attendance where those also eager to explore beyond the walls.
Aeliir wasn't exactly a socialite. So she simply stood off in the back and kept to herself. Her eyes absently scanning over everyone else. Most seemed vaguely familiar, while others seemed less familiar. Only one girl stood out to her. A young girl, the daughter of a noble she guarded. She was actually the girls Mentor in swordsmanship. But it had been a while so she decided to leave her be for the time being.
Several hours passed and the Traveler finally arrived. She began to feel her heart race, setting her nerves on edge as it was all finally happening. She took a few slow, deep breaths; settling her anxiety. After a short and... a tad bit strange introduction Spook was off. As she looked around at her group of fellow vegetables she was grouped into. One of the two girls clung to another and insisted 'Pretty sword lady', which she assumed was herself as she was the only female with a sword in the group, to come along. She was a little set back by the friendliness by the girl she had never met before. But it was actually very nice and it caused a soft smile to touch her lips.
Ally hurried to catch up with the others of her group, quickly snatching up a bird cage of her own as she left the gate.
~Off in the forest. Aeliir walked silently among the crowded. Her soft brown eyes scanning around the foreign environment. She was a bit awestruck. It was bewildering such beauty lay beyond the stale grey walls. Suddenly a voice caught her attention. Looking over she noticed a man she knew from the guards. His name was Kelsier if she remembered correctly.
"Oh. Uhmm.. My father taught me the basics. But after that I am self taught." She stated casually. "Why did you start to learn swordsmanship?"
Meryn recognized the brush off for what it was. Enthusiasm doused, she was careful not to let her disappointment show, even if the change was obvious. Falling behind her usual blank face again (even as her cheeks warmed more in embarrassment), Meryn narrowed her eyes a bit at Spook, looking at him up and down. He knew what she'd been asking. But she supposed she'd had a feeling that he wouldn't be so forthcoming.
Her thoughts were interrupted when the youngest member of the party, a street urchin named Amelia, dashed up.
"Roof top lady!"
Meryn couldn't help the way the corner of her mouth quirked up. Letting out a little huff of air, she reached down to ruffle the little girl's hair in greeting.
As the woodcutter kicked up a fuss about trees or something, Meryn glanced up to where he was pointing. A curious light brightened her pale eyes yet again as something she'd never seen before fluttered into view and disappeared in a pop. Her eyes slid again to the Traveller, a challenge sparking in her eyes.
She'd just have to do some investigating of her own, if he wanted to be vague.
Taking her dripping jacket from her shoulder, she strung a sleeve through the hole atop her birdcage and tied it to the backside of her bag. It was bulky and awkward, and set her weight off a bit, but if Meryn was being honest, she'd had to carry more inconvenient packages in her years as a delivery girl.
She backed up a few steps, picked a tree, and bounced a few times on her toes. Then she took off. She sprinted at the tree, running a few steps up it and grabbed onto the lowest hanging branch. Keeping her momentum, she kicked off from the tree a few more times until finally she was high enough to pull herself up to sit on the branch. Testing its strength for a few moments, she carefully stepped so she was standing on it and looked around, before climbing a bit higher, from branch to branch. Meryn spotted a piece of paper on the tree across from her, tested her balance, and leaped over. She tottered a bit when she landed, the branch shuddering under the new weight. The jingle of a small silver bell startled her. Meryn was quick to brace herself against the tree, gaining her balance. She risked a glance down to the ground, a mischievous smile on her face. Turning back to the paper and the bell, she crept closer to inspect them.
Kelsier looked around as he considered how to answer the question. He found the grove of trees peaceful as the group traversed through. He noticed the symbol on the white tree and that axeman behaving...oddly. He looked back at Aeliir and said, "Life...was difficult when I was growing up." He paused again as he brought up some painful memories. "I often had to fight others who were bigger than I, or who outnumbered me just to get food or not get beaten or robbed. At first I simply used my bare hands, but one time I grabbed a nice study stick and thrashed a guy rather badly. I am not proud of what I did, but thats not the point. After that, I grew to keep a weapon at hand at all times." He chuckled softly. "At that time, I though I was top dog and invincible. But, later, when I had matured and joined the Guard, that impression was knocked clean out of my head, literally. I can't count the number of times I was knocked on my ass, pardon my language. So, in essence, I trained with a weapon simply to protect myself." He said, then he grinned at her, "I have enjoyed our talk, but I must see to my teammates now, best if you did the same." He didn't even ask her about herself because he had a hunch that it was very personal to her, and he always trusted his instincts. "Until next time, milady." He said, giving her a slight bow, going back to his formal manners out of pure habit.
Kelsier walked over, and caught up with the three other people who had been assigned to team broccoli. He walked next to them, as they began to talk about dog breeds. "Dogs?" He asked, after a pause in the conversation. "I like dogs, so I take it that you are a dog breeder, Miss Andica? He asked, politely.
"Well, sure. It's a lineage, so you learn the family trade from the time you can understand it. It's good work too, but well, not exactly the most lucrative you know? It takes a long time to reach a real quality breeding stock and then raise a litter.
We've had a lot of mouths to feed lately, human and otherwise, so three years ago I started working at the library as a bookbinder. It payed slightly better, and I've kept up work with the dogs as well. Between that and this trip though, I guess by now I'm a Garun who's not really a breeder anymore. I know I've got siblings who will continue on the lineage in Enn but... I'm not part of it anymore."
I'm not part of it anymore.
The admission hurt. That wasn't all there was too it of course, and that was what hurt. There had been other Garuns who had walked away from dogs, but she had walked away from her whole family, and she hadn't even said goodbye. There had been not explanatory note, no 'I love you', no tight and anxious hugs. Just defiance, yelling, an empty bed in the morning, and stolen supplies.
Andica knew that she was right to feel ashamed. They hadn't deserved that, any of it. But here she was, gone from Enn and still running away. Running from guilt as well, now that she thought of it. It left a bitter taste in her mouth.
She wiped the beginning of a tear from her eye and kept walking, slightly faster now as she willfully calmed her breathing. They were approaching some kind of ruined building. She tried to focus on her surroundings, but couldn't help noticing as Kavinika sped away to sniff at some rabbit hole. She thought about calling him back, but let the dog wander a little.
Spook stood haphazardly in the road, facing the company, a gloved hand clutching the rucksack and the other in a pocket. The mask's glassy eyes assessed each one of them.
The quiet curious one had monkeyed her way up into the branches. The smallest kid had latched onto him, grinning like this was a day at the circus. The red-haired woman had rejoined the group and seemed troubled by the rune. The green-haired one was worshiping a tree; his friend, the peacekeeper, had completely failed to talk him back to reality. @c3p-0h@Irisity@hoppiholla391@Darinthus@Diggerton
A couple of battle-ready sword-wielders were apparently discussing strategy, as far as Spook could tell from this distance. He spotted a boyish young lady with a rifle and thick boots, petting a dog; the dog's owner had the jolted but determined look of a runaway. A redhead with a peaceful smile spoke with a girl who was used to causing trouble, judging by her posture. @Vee@Crimson Raven@DFTBA@Damiann47@Jay Kalton@Magnato
Then there was that young girl with the gray hair and the outfit and the inquisitive eyes; the artist he'd seen drawing back at the gate; the lady with expensive armor, a sword, and a bossy voice; the bearded and neatly-dressed man who seemed lost in his own thoughts; the noble girl who had obviously not given this decision much thought, by the way she was dressed; a burly blacksmith, by the stains on his hands; and a city guardsman who walked along with his head down -- out of embarrassment or in deep consideration for his next prank, Spook couldn't quite tell. @Skittles@Takashi@Turboshitter@Bornlucky@t2wave@needlingAsklepios@jordy0403
The little bells on the trees jingled as Meryn navigated the branches above. The papers in the garland she found each appeared to have been sketched with a tiny ornate circle. When she touched one, the bit of paper made a loud pop noise, like popcorn, and split itself in two.
The Traveller looked up, and for a moment he appeared to watch something invisible floating in the air. With a quiet hum he dropped the rucksack at his feet and addressed the ill-prepared cityfolk.
"Hey," he called out. The mask grinned at them all. "So we're here to catch some felidrakes." Spook reached into his jacket and pulled out a folded, crumpled sheet of paper. He smoothed it out a little and held it up for everyone to see.
"They're fast, they can climb and glide, they can teleport short distances at will, and they need to be rounded up. How ya do that is up to you -- just don't kill them." He stuffed the drawing back in his jacket. "You'll want to check everywhere. Go on." Spook gestured lazily at the forest around them -- the trees, the bushes, the little statues, the staircase.
Here and there were signs of the felidrakes: a swishing marmalade tail under a bush; a pair of ears sticking out behind a little statue; a pair of yellow eyes staring from the crook of a tree; frightened birds flocking away from a moving shadow.
A breeze swirled through the trees. From the top of the stairs came a chorus of hollow whistles and raspy meowing.
There was little left of the tiny temple at the top of the stairs -- the roof and walls had long ago collapsed and been embraced by the forest -- except for a collection of plump statues of varying sizes, their mouths open and whistling as the wind blew across them. A few felidrakes sat on the statues' heads or slept between them.
While the cityfolk were kept busy, Spook knelt down and swiped the leaves and debris away from a mostly intact section of the road. He rummaged in his rucksack until he found a thick bottle of reddish liquid; with a dipped brush he began to draw symbols and shapes and runes in a circular, ornate pattern on the flagstones.
Feel free to find a felidrake wherever you wish, doing whatever you think a felidrake would do. Go nuts with narrative if you like. I'll jump in periodically to spice things up a little. Also, every single person does not need to capture an animal -- you're welcome to work together to capture a single one, or to refuse to participate at all, if you so choose!
