LadyAnnaLee

The Tree of Astra (LadyAnnaLee and Blackfridayrule)

Ravi smiled at the young Elf, “Visons are remarkable things. They are always possible.” He, “They may even come to past, but not in the way you expect.” He let the girl, “Go and think. Be sure and remember to join us for the celebration.”

As he watched the Elf walk off her felt the human come and join him on horseback. The Seed-Bearer asked, “Will she be alright?”

Ravi sighed, “Perhaps. That is for her to decide.” Then he grew serious as he turned to look at the young human, “And so, Darin, you know the truth. What do you make of it?”

Darin sighed as she looked back towards The Tree, “Yes. I do know the truth. It is not a truth I wish to know.”

Ravi felt obligated to point out, “Truth is not something we often want to know. Lies bring comfort. Truth only brings reality. Yet you have never shied from truth.”

Darin turned her attention back to The Overseer, “No I haven’t. It doesn’t always bring despair. Sometimes it brings joy beyond measure.”

Ravi laughed lightly at that, “That is truth as well.”

Darin sighed, “I don’t know if I should tell Ridahne or not.”

Ravi shook his head, “I would not advise it.” He held up a hand to silent the human’s protest, “She is not your friend. You may wish to be her friend, you maybe her friend at some point, but you two are not friends yet.”

Darin was insistent, “I want to be her friend. She’s just so … prickly.” Darin quickly pointed out, “Not that I’m any better. I’ve never really wanted friends before, so I don’t have a lot of practice in making them.”

Ravi nodded in agreement, “True. But there’s no time like the present to start getting that practice.”

The girl couldn’t help but ask, “How do I start? Or rather what do I now? I already started. I did so badly.”

Ravi laughed again, “Just be yourself Darin. That’s all you can do.”

Darin grew exasperated, “I am a farmer! Not even a very good one. I have no idea how to be myself on the road. It’s not like my skills are useful on the road.” She pointed in the same direction Ridahne had left in, “At least she can fight! That’s useful!” She was just about ready to start shouting, “I spent the first three months of this journey lost! That’s not even a metaphor. I literally had no idea where I was.”

Ravi raise a carefully arched eyebrow, “You can’t tell me you are completely useless. Your farming knowledge is how you understand the truth so well. You might not have useful skills for the journey, but your skills will be in high demand at the end of it.” Ravi was blunt, “Besides; your ability to speak your mind will serve you well. You will have to convince others of the truth at some point.”

The human scoffed, “This whole journey is a quest to make as many friends as possible. I have no practice doing that. I think I said that already.”

Ravi nodded, “You did. Which is why you need to practice. Think of it. If you can make friends with Ridahne you could probably make friends with everyone.”

Darin laughed lightly, “Not everyone. Not everyone wants to be friends.”

The Overseer agreed, “True. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try.”

The Seed-Bearer let out a nasty laugh, “That’s all I can do right; try. Never mind the fact that if I fail all of Astra’s people will fall into to delicious ruin. Failing isn’t an option. It never was an option, and with reality being the way it is it is even less of an option than it was then. There will be no do overs or second chances. I have one chance, one hope, one option. I can’t afford to merely try. I have to succeeded and I have to succeed magnificently, and I can’t even make one friend!”

Darin’s voice had been increasing in volume and agitation. It was clear that she was not happy with the current state of events. The job had seemed so much easier when all she had to do was plant The Seed. It was so much bigger than that now. It had always been bigger than that, but The Gardener had refrained from telling the young girl that. Darin wasn’t sure that she liked him for that. The Gardener was supposed to be wise and all-knowing. That was probably why he hadn’t told Darin the full truth. She might have stayed home to let Astra fall into ruin. She had never wanted to leave home in the first place. Now she had to go farther than she every even thought possible.

Ravi felt compelled to point out, “You are not alone Darin. You have allies.”

Darin laughed again at that, “And the only one of them that sees me for what I am and nothing more is the horse that I borrowed that may or may not be a creature of myth and legend.”

Ravi’s voice left no room for question, “Or maybe, Darin, you are the one that does not see yourself for what you are. True, you ae a farm girl way out of your depth. That is true.” His sharp voice softened just a touch, “But you are still The Seed-Bearer. That is not an office or a performance. It could only be you. It is who you are; the same way you are a farmer.”

Darin had been shocked into silence. Her mouth opened a few times only to close. It was clear that she had no idea what to say or how to say it. She was at a complete and total lost. She didn’t know what that could even possibly mean. She wasn’t sure that she wanted to know what that could mean. Could being The Seed-Bearer be more than just some assignment. She wasn’t sure. Darin let out a shuddering breathe. Could Ravi be telling the truth? Could it really only be her?

Ravi smiled again, “Think about it, young Darin. I have to go finish final preparations for the feast. You think. I’ll send some one to get you when it’s time.”

With that Darin was left alone as Ravi walked off. She stared after him, and then flipped her gaze back to The Tree. Whether Ravi was right or not about her being the only one, she was The Seed-Bearer now. Maybe she should stop acting like it was a glorious burden and start actin like it was the magnificent honor everybody else seemed to think it was. It was probably somewhere in the middle, and Darin wasn’t even sure what to make of that. How was she supposed to be The Seed-Bearer the same way she was a farmer when she didn’t feel like The Seed-Bearer at all? Then again, she hadn’t felt like a farmer at first either. Maybe Ravi was slightly wrong, maybe. Maybe she wasn’t a person that could be The Seed-Bearer yet. But maybe, just maybe, she could grow into it. Darin thought about that. Maybe she should do that instead of scoffing at the notion that she was nothing special. Maybe she should actively work on become what everybody else thought her to be.

Some New Plots!

Have a bump before I go to bed. BUMP!

The Tree of Astra (LadyAnnaLee and Blackfridayrule)

Ravi did not look at who he was speaking to as he continued, “You do know that the story you have just told me parallels with our dear Seed-Bearer’s rather closely correct? She may not be an orphan as you are, but she did lose one parent to heartbreak and another for reasons unknown at age fifteen. She was considered unladylike and disruptive by those who oversaw her life. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, a personage of high power and honor came to thrust her into a life of high honor and prestige that she is simply not prepared for. Tell me that does not sound familiar and I will laugh you to scorn.” He turned to smile at the warrior, “Perhaps you should stop looking at the differences betwixt you two and start looking at what is the same. Perhaps then you can discover a way for the two of you to start a friendship.”

Ravi was not trying to make Ridahne feel bad for not seeing the similarities even if they were painfully obvious to him. The two girls were simply to close to see clearly. The humans had a phase, “cannot see the forest for the tree,” that came to mind. He was also will to wager that the two of them were stuck in the circle of their own thoughts and couldn’t find a way out on their own. What Ridahne implied was correct; it would not be easy to travel together if they loathed each other. They would have to at least make peace between themselves if they ever wanted to move forward.

Ravi continued, “As for your sorrow, you are correct, it does define you. That does not mean you should let it consume you or you will drown in it. I doubt that is something you, though to be painfully blunt, you are coming dangerously close to it. It will not do to always let your emotions get the best of you; especially if you are traveling with someone who keeps her emotions so tightly wound up that she does not know what to do when when yours overwhelm her.” Ravi knelt down to take the young Elf’s hands in his, “You were chosen for this task for a reason. That reason is to help Darin; not just as the Seed-Bearer, but as Darin as well. The Seed-Bearer is not a title or office like being Eija or Overseer. To be The Seed-Bearer is to be a person and you must treat her as such. To be The Seed-Bearer is to have the potential to become a person beyond doubt and question. To be The Seed-Bearer is to be able to grow into pure magnificence; to grow to be The Gardener. She is not there yet Ridahne, and that is your job; to help that seed of potential grow into the stunning tree it can be. That will not happen if you cannot learn to see beyond yourself the way she is struggling to do. You need to be better than what you are. You need to be you. It won’t be easy, but it will be good.” He softly traced the black mark that marred the Azurei’s face, “You need to stop thinking that you are this, and remember,” His hand moved from her face to her heart, “that you are this. That is all she is trying to see. But she will not see it if you do not live it. Do you understand Ridahne Torzinei?”
-
Darin looked up as Talbot paused. She was curious as to why they stopped. Then she saw Ridahne on the ground. It looked like Ravi was comforting her. The young human wanted to make sure that her traveling companion was alright, but it looked like a private conversation. Slowly the animals pulled a way to go back to their lives. The butterfly stayed on Darin’s nose, but she hardly noticed. She was more concerned with Ridahne. She was desperately hoping that Ravi was scolding her because of the things that she had told him. That wouldn’t be fair at all. Darin absently waved at Mitaja in order to send the hunting cat to the warrior. Who knew if that would work?

The Tree of Astra (LadyAnnaLee and Blackfridayrule)

Ravi did not judge. He could not judge. The two girls, who were both young in his mind’s eyes, had suffered from a lack of communication. One of them had to take the first step. He did not know which one it would be. He did not think it would be Darin. She was so terrified of doing something wrong and upsetting Ridahne again that she might be inclined to just suffer in silence. Ridahne was so sure of her own suffering that it seemed that she was incapable of seeing the suffering of others. One concerned with doing right for their own sake, the other concerned with doing right for the sake of the others, both failing at it in a manner so spectacular fantastic they had to be youths with rampart emotions. He could not tell either one of them what to do, He had a feeling they might not listen to him anyways. He could only offer advice and hoped that it did some small measure of good.

He spoke with out malice. There was only a deep understanding in his voice, “Imagine for a moment, Ridahne, that you were not here as an exile. That you still received the vision that sent you here, to Darin’s side, but you had committed no crime. As such you were sent on assignment from the Solta-Sol herself; commanded to bring honor to all of Azurei and The Seed-Bearer and you were given full honors as you left. How do you think your actions would change? Would you treat Darin any differently than you do now? Would you currently be on the ground weeping in despair because of your own sorrow?”

Ravi was hoping to make a point. It was not a point he thought would be easy to make. It had to do with that fact, that whether she meant to or not, Darin had made Ridahne Seed-Chained. Being Chained to The Tree was a bittersweet honor. He imagined being Chained to The Seed was similar. It was definitely punishment, but it was punishment with the hope of redemption. Unlike the mark on the Azurei’s face being released from being Chained was not only possible, it was the end goal. It was supposed to be a mark of shame during the duration; a lack of freedom, an almost silent condemnation, that turned into a badge of pride upon being released; a sense of accomplishment, a knowledge that you were better now than you were then. Ravi did not think that either girl would understand this simple fact at this point of their lives. He could hope to put them on the right path.
-
Talbot returned to the Main Farmhouse slowly. In fact, Darin was convinced that he was taking a less than direct route. That was alright. She needed to collect herself before she returned to Ridahne. She couldn’t let her sorrow and despair get in the way of mending the gap in their relationship. She wasn’t sure it was possible, but she had to try. The Tree had managed to give her a better understanding of what being Seed-Chained meant. Darin wasn’t sure she understood it fully, but she understood that if Ridahne failed at being Seed-Chained, she would never make it home to die. Darin was the one to say the words with out knowing what they meant. As such it was her job to see that Ridahne had the easiest possible time to do that job. It would not do to always being running off from her.

Darin slowly sat up on Talbot’s back. There were no people, but there were animals aplenty. Darin ahd a better understanding of what they saw in her. A bee came over to land on her finger. A butterfly landed on her nose. A mouser cat came and walked besides Mitaja. Darin was not surprised at that the hunter cat let the smaller cat near. They were both similar, and they both knew that neither would hurt The Seed-Bearer. A sheep dog came up the other side of Talbot. A wild hawk flew overhead. As they passed a small stream the fish got as close as they could. A frog jumped on to Talbot’s leg and onto his backside. It was a strange procession. All the animals were silent; quiet they knew The Seed-Bearer wanted, companionship they knew she needed.

The Tree of Astra (LadyAnnaLee and Blackfridayrule)

As Ridahne and Tax spoke to each other workers would come in and out of the room. They were excited as they chattered with each other and with Tax. The Seed-Bearer had finally made it to them! She was incredible! She looked like she could be one of them. She was everything they had hoped for and more. She was pretty and all the animals liked her! The reactions varied from person to person. Some of the younger Workers practically danced as they laughed and sang the news and joyfully relayed the wonderful gossip. Some were more sedate, but even their pure unrefined joy came shining though their eyes. Darin! The Seed-Bearer! She was here! They had to get ready! There would be a feast tonight! They had to celebrate.

Then a new conversation started to circulate, “I heard The Seed-Bearer tell Ravi that the Gardener died as soon as he gave her The Seed.”

“We knew he was dead. He sent no more messages. He didn’t come home. Pax did.”

“And then Pax died too.”

“His body? What did they do with his body?”

“I overheard her say that he was buried in the custom of her village. They burry their dead so when the bodies decompose, they can nourish the crops. There is a ceremony. The Gardener was buried under her farm.”

“You mean her family’s farm?”

“Ravi asked that too. She insisted that it was her farm.”

“If the body was somehow returned, we would have buried The Gardener at The Tree’s Roots. It seems fitting that he was buried to help her crops grow.”

“She did no wrong! At least not in this regard. Tonight, at the feast we will honor The Gardener as we honor The Seed-Bearer. It is only fitting.”

“Yes! It is.”

The excitement did not leave the air though the atmosphere grew more somber. It was a bittersweet day. The Seed-Bearer was here, and that was glorious! Yet, she brought news of The Gardener’s passing. The Workers missed him dearly. He had been like a father or grandfather to them all. He had lived a long life, longer than anyone else in Astra. His passing still brought tears of sorrow to many eyes. That did not halt the preparations for the meal. They still had to celebrate The Seed-Bearer’s arrival. They had to celebrate The Gardener’s life. There was much to do!

Meanwhile Ravi and Darin walked slowly to towards The Tree. Talbot flicked his reins at Darin until she finally just took hold of them in exasperation. Mitaja weaved in and out of the two people’s legs; causing both of them to laugh from time to time. Ravi felt so good that Darin found her baring her soul to him. In the short walk he learned everything she had told Ridahne and more. He learned of her father’s betrayal. He learned of her town’s treatment of her and of Thomas’s and Milla’s loyalty. He learned how she felt woefully unprepared for this job, how she felt like she was going to fail in one way or another, how she didn’t feel capable at all. Ravi learned how she didn’t believe in his kind words at about the same time as he learned about the incident with Mark and how Talbot came to be with her. He learned how she thought she was trying her best, but didn’t know that she was because she kept storming off from Ridahne in a huff, how she thought Ridahne had done the right thing doing what she had done to get exiled, (Darin had just enough sense not to spill Ridahne’s secrets. They weren’t hers to give.) but how she didn’t think the Azurei had done the right thing in leaving the man she loved behind to face the consequences alone. Darin relayed how she wasn’t sure she was right to think that, because she knew she didn’t have the whole story. She told him she hadn’t realized that she could Chain Ridahne to The Seed, how she wasn’t sure she should have, or even what being Seed-Chained meant. Ravi learned that The Gardener was dead and how and when he died. The Overseer learned that Darin missed her Mama, her farm, her home, and, just wanted to go home. He learned that even though the young Seed-Bearer knew it wasn’t right she was still going to try and break her father’s nose if she ever saw him again.

Ravi listened intently as he ensured that the clumsily girl didn’t trip as she talked rapidly. His brow furrowed as he frowned in concentration, but the kind look never left his eyes. He hadn’t realized that The Seed-Bearer was so young, even for a human. It was clear that all of these worries and concerns had been bottled up for a long time; perhaps even longer than her current journey. She needed someone to trust who wouldn’t get mad at her and would provide advice only when it was needed. Ravi was far older than he looked; nearing his fifth century. He had been a Worker for all but the first 150 years of his life. He had been the Overseer for close to 100 years. He was honored that Darin had picked him; even if it was just because he was the first truly decent person she had meet when since she had left home. She would not be betrayed by him. The Overseer would hold her trust above all else. That was his job.

When they got to the line of stones marking the border of The Tree, they both paused. Darin seemed nervous so Ravi put both his hands on her shoulders as he looked her in the eye with a smile on his face, “Seed-Bearer. This will not be easy. It will not be communication like you are use to, but I have every faith that you can do this.”

Darin swallowed as she nodded, “Right. Right. I can do this. I can do this.”

Ravi nodded, “I know you can.” He looked quickly at the hunting cat, “Hello little one. Can you watch the barrier to make sure she is not interrupted?” He turned to Talbot, “You should go with her. Bring her to the Farmhouse when she’s done.”

Talbot nodded as Darin exclaimed, “Wait! You’re not staying.”

Ravi pushed her hair out of her eyes, “No young Darin. I have things I must do. You will be alright.”

Darin nodded and she slowly pulled away from the Overseer. She paused for a moment, but Talbot slowly encouraged her with his nose. Soon she was over the line and headed even closer to The Tree. Ravi watched for a moment before heading back to the Farmhouse. The young human would be busy for a while. That gave him plenty of time to do what he had to do. When he got to the Farmhouse he went straight to where he knew the guardian would be.

He ordered, and his voice left no tone for question, “Walk with me Seed-Chained!” Once they were far enough away from people that Ravi was sure they wouldn’t be heard he asked, “Tell me, Ridahne, how did you come to be Seed-Chained? Not how you came to be with The Seed-Bearer. Tell me what happened during the incident you angered her so much she chained you to The Seed.”
-
Darin walked towards The Tree slowly. She thought that if Talbot wasn’t here, she would just not move. As it was the horse slowly pushed her towards her destination. Darin didn’t feel anything but nervous. It was almost like being summoned to stand in front of the elders without really knowing why. She didn’t think she had done anything wrong. That didn’t mean she was right in that thought. Other than that, it was almost going to go pick apples. The Tree looked like an apple tree. The Apples were bright red. They looked incredible. Soon Darin was under the canopy and standing next to the trunk. The Tree was certainly bigger than any normal apple tree. Darin slowly reached out to place a palm on the rough bark. The moment she did so she was locked into place. She was not even able to blink.

Locked like this, the images rushed through her mind in uncontrolled waves. Each time a stream of pictures came she was terribly confused for the first moment and then they made perfect sense in the next one. Then the next wave would come. As the images came Darin learned. She learned the History of The Tree, and The Tree before that, and the one before that. She learned the Future of The Tree, of her Tree, and the one after that. She learned Futures and Histories of so many Trees that it became one unbroken cycle; the only change being The Gardeners attached to The Tree. She learned the true purpose of The Gardeners and The Seed-Bearers they were first. She learned the truth of this world that turned out to be so much bigger than she thought it was. She learned the truth of the task she had been assigned, why she had been given it so much early then The Gardener had been given his and, the reality of the end of her journey. Most importantly, at least on a personal level, she learned she might go home, but she would never get to stay. The Tree finally released her, and Darin fell to the ground. There she cried and cried until she could cry no more. Even then she sobbed. What she had told Ravi was true. She was so not prepared for this. She never could be. She felt for sure she would fail. She still had to try. If she gave up now the cycle would be broken, and the world, not just Astra would, fall into ruin. At least now she understood why The Seed-Bearer was a farmer instead of a warrior. Only a farmer could understand the dreadful truth behind the situation Astra found themselves in. She still didn’t know why she had been chosen. Their had to be hundreds of better farmers than her out there.

The young human let Talbot push her to a standing position. Then the horse took pity on her and knelt down so she could mount easier. As he rose, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her face into his mane. He slowly walked towards the main Farmhouse. As they crossed the simple stone line Mitaja joined them. Darin just wanted to sleep. This was far too much information for her to deal with right now. She would deal with it, and if she would tell anyone the truth, tomorrow.

The Tree of Astra (LadyAnnaLee and Blackfridayrule)

Darin stumbled as Mitaja came to press close to her. The young human looked back at the trail she had been creating. It looked like the Elf and her horse had bent, broken, and trampled across several crops in her haste to get to the human. Talbot was joining them, but he was going slower. Like Darin he was trying not to damage the crops. That made sense. They were both farmers while Ridahne, Tsura, and Mitaja were warriors. As such they had different priorities. Darin thought that maybe why they were having problems seeing eye to eye. Then again there could be lots of reasons why that was the case, and she didn’t really care to think about it. Her gaze swung to back to The Tree as she contemplated the best way to sneak away and continue her journey. She might have to wait for this Ravi to show up.

Suddenly, a joyful exclamation filled the air, “Look at you! Just look at you!”

It was an Elf. Darin turned to see a male Elf come though the group of people. He was taller than Ridahne with skin so pale it was almost white. Darin wasn’t sure how that was possible given the fact that he was wearing the same uniform as the rest of the workers and a quick glance at his arms and hands showed that he was no stranger to working in the dirt. He had hair so dark The Seed-Bearer almost thought it was black until the sunlight caught it just right to reflect the brown tones. His eyes were an incredibly pale lilac color that fooled people into thinking they had no color at all. He completely ignored Ridahne and Tsura and Mitaja to come and take Darin’s face in his hands. His fingers felt rough and impossibly long. She didn’t think he was Azurei like Ridahne.

He stared straight into her eyes as he exclaimed again, “Look at you!” He was wearing the biggest smile on his face, “You’re gorgeous! You’re perfect! I never imagined you would look so beautiful! “He dropped his hands to her shoulders, and he bent so Darin would have to look up to see his face properly, “Darin, Darin, Darin, Darin. Darin, daughter of Martin, by Talia. You are incredible! You made it! We were starting to think you got lost. But now you’re here! And you’re beautiful! And perfect! And just right! And better than any of us could ever had hopped for!”

Well this was an interesting experience for Darin. Even if she temporarily ignored the fact that this strange Elf some how knew the name which The Gardener referred and the fact that he knew she was The Seed-Bearer it was still odd. No one, not even her mother, had called her beautiful before. The best she got was “passably pretty when you try.” She had never been called gorgeous or perfect before either. The strangest part was she thought that this Elf might sincerely mean every word he said. No, that wasn’t right. She knew that he meant every word he said. The same part of her that knew that Mark was pure evil confirmed that fact. He barely knew her, and he already loved her. Absently she noticed that the workers were chattering excitedly among themselves. They were all looking at her in awe and excitement. She was baffled for a minute.

Then it came to her and she spoke softly; interrupting the Elf’s praises, “You were expecting me. How?”

The Elf continued to smile as he reached up to push her hair out of her eyes, “It’s always been you Darin. It’s always been perfect, beautiful, amazing you.” His hand came back to her shoulder, “When The Gardener knew that The Tree was dying he enlisted us to do everything we could to save The Tree. When it became clear that it was impossible, he told us to stay at the far reaches of The Farm as he and The Tree talked. A week later he came out. He showed us The Seed. He said that what he had to do was a secret. We could tell no one outside of The Farm. He then told us that he had to find someone named Darin, daughter of Martin, by Talia, that she would be responsible for Planting The Seed; for saving Astra. And then he went out looking for you. He told no one who he was looking for. Then, about three months ago, he sent us a weekly update, as was his custom. It said, ‘This is my last message. I found her in a little nameless village west of a town called Lively. She is a farmer. She will come to see The Tree soon enough.’ We looked for Lively on the map. We figured it would take you two months to get here, what with getting ready and all. You hadn’t shown up yet. We were starting to get worried.”

She spoke again, “I can’t be the only Darin. And I’m fairly positive I don’t look like anyone’s daughter.”

The Elf laughed just a little bit, “True. But my people have visions from time to time. I saw you, but not like this. You were dressed in a floor length skirt. Your hair was pined up and you were standing near a man wearing a crown. You were punching a guard in the face. Your features are still the same. The vision came before The Gardner’s message. We thought you were a princess of some sort. To hear you were a farmer was such a relief. And here you are. In work pants with sensible hair. It’s better than we could have hoped! You are the most beautiful thing that I, that we, have ever seen. You are our hope! Yet you are just a simple thing! You’re armed with a sickle and not a knife or sword. A farmer’s tool!” He let out a breath that remind Darin of the noise Thomas mad every time he saw Milla, “You’re gorgeous.” He suddenly became serious, “Now! You need to eat something. You need a bath, and you need sleep in a proper bed.” He pointed at The Tree, “But first The Tree. It is waiting to meet you. Your guard must stay here though your companion may come.” He turned to one of the other workers, “Alix! Run and tell the Workers in The Tree to get down. The Seed-Bearer must speak to The Tree.”

Darin felt it was important to clear something up, “Are you Ravi? And why can’t Ridahne come?”

The Elf, Ravi, nodded, “Yes! That’s me! I’m the Overseer; the most recent in a long, long line of Overseers. These are the Workers. The Azurei can’t come to this first meeting. The Tree is sacred, and she is Eija. I am not saying her reasons are wrong, but she had killed before. It would not do for your first meeting to be tainted by that. Though she is Chained, I assume Seed-Chained, she can’t be evil if she’s Seed-Chained. The Tree, and by extension, The Seed refused to be Chained to evil. Though that doesn’t mean being Chained is a good thing. Tax will take her to the main Farmhouse where she can get some rest.”

Darin like this man. The same instincts that had warned her about Mark told her that Ravi meant every word he said. He had to be good if The Gardener made him the Overseer. The Seed tingled against her thigh, and the young Seed-Bearer was reminded of sitting next to a fire after a long day in the snow. Talbot finally joined them, and he pressed his nose to the back of Darin’s head in silent support. Darin didn’t think he fully knew what was going on, but she did know that he was on her side. She wasn’t sure she believed Ravi as he said all those good things about her, but she believed that he believed them. And she did want to see The Tree.

She turned to Ridahne, “I have to go. It will be alright. This is like the exact opposite of Mark. I’ll meet you at the main Farmhouse later. Is that alright?”

They had been ignoring Ridahne, and Darin felt slightly rude because of that. That didn’t change the fact this needed to be done and the sooner the better. Talbot was coming with her. She just didn’t want Ridahne starting a fight while she was gone. That would not be good.

Some New Plots!

Hello! My name is LadyAnnaLee! I already have an interest check which can be found here, but I have some specific plots in mind so I figured I would do a new one. The old one is still valid if you want to check it out. You don’t have to. It’s just a thought. Anyways, since I don’t want you to have to look at the old one, here are my rules.

Rules I refuse to break.

1. No sex! This is my number one rule for a reason. It makes me uncomfortable. I don’t mind gore or violence, but sex is a no go. If we start to head that way, I will call for a time skip. If that doesn’t work for you, I will call it off. If you are looking for sex, please look elsewhere.
2. No one liners. I like a paragraph at least. I aim for 400 to 1000 words. I know this isn’t always doable, so I don’t ask for it but, you should be able to give me at least a paragraph. Please and thank you.
3. No ghosting. Posting doesn’t happen every day. I get that I do. However, if we get to about a week with no response the person whose turn it is should be able to let their partner know if it will be a while. That’s just good manners.
4. No stressing. If our role play is causing you stress or you’re not having fun let’s just end it. I don’t want to be the reason anyone is stressing out. Life comes first. Role playing after.

Here are a few things I’m willing to be a little more flexible on.

1. Spelling and grammar. I would like it if you at least took a spell checker to your posts. I don’t care too much about grammar. That being said, I make typos too, so I don’t expect perfection.
2. Characters. I prefer female OCs. I can play males but, you’ll have to be patient with me if I do. I just don’t have the practice. I don’t play nonOCs but, you can. Just don’t make them too OoC. I tend to make a new character for each role play unless there is one, I desperately want to play that will fit. I like character sheets but, I don’t really care about needing an image. A good description works just as well.
3. Romance. I like a good romance but, I need to know if that is what we are aiming for before we start. Personally, I identify as demi romantic, so I need time to prepare for it coming. Otherwise I’m caught off guard when the romance does show up and, my writing suffers as a result. Just fair warning. I don’t care what the genders are as long as they are not related and, both are consenting. No underage stuff either.
4. Language. I prefer we keep it PG13 but, I understand that sometimes only certain words are the only way to get the correct tone across. Just don’t start swearing in every post.
5. Be polite. At least in the OoC chat. I get that not all characters are polite but, that doesn’t mean we have to be rude to each other. In my experience things go better when people are nice. That doesn’t mean we have to agree completely. It just means we aren’t mean about it as we try to resolve our differences.

Here are my plots. I currently have three in mind.

The International Bureau of Immortals

The International Bureau of Immortals, or just the Bureau, was such a tightly kept secret that there weren’t any conspiracies about it. As the name suggests it is an organization of beings that did not die. Yes, immortality is real. There are even different kinds of immortality. The Bureau sent the immortal agents off to fight against the forces of the enemy. The exact identity of the enemy was vague at best. Some of the agents whispered that there was no real enemy; that it was all a game invented by some ancient immortal to stave away boredom. Some said they fought against agents of chaos. Some said the enemies were those who would end the world, and the Bureau could not have that. If the world ended that would mean that most of the immortals would die as well. After all, there was no such thing as true immortality.

It was even in the Bureau’s motto: Memento Mori. Remember you will die. One immortal might be best with agelessness, but he could still be killed. Another immortal might be timeless, but still age. Eventually their mind would go, and when that happened even their involuntary functions would shut down. Some immortals would be what most humans called vampires. They did not age, it was difficult to kill them, but they could not make their own blood. As long as they had a supply of blood, they would be fine.

Archer Zahl had a form of immortality not even the Bureau had even seen. She did not even call herself immortal. She called herself death- intolerant. She could be killed. She had been killed numerous ways. She always came back. Depending on how quickly she died the sooner she came back. It always took at least a week. Sometimes it took months. The time she had been burned to death as a witch it had taken her a whole year. She never came back in the same body. That body would remain in place. She always came awake in a body of salt water. Whatever forces keeping her alive would also build her a new body. They didn’t always get it right. Usually her hair and eyes were a different color thought the changes could be bigger. The time she came back as male had been interesting.

She found the Bureau by accident and she had been dying for a long time at that point. She joined to stave of boredom. Archer has a nonchalant attitude to her death, and in the back of her mind she is hoping to find a method that will stick. The Bureau uses the fact that she is one of their only agents that has actually died to send her on mission that others will not touch for fear of dying. She had grown tired of dying at the enemies’ hands. Just because she can come back doesn’t mean dying is fun. She still feels pain. She still misses out on the world while she is reforming. She still wants to find a way to make it stick. She is far older than she lets on. She hasn’t aged much since the first time she has died. Then there is the fact that Archer is simply tired of the endless cycle of death and undeath.

She still goes on the missions. She still goes home to the apartment the Bureau makes sure she doesn’t get kicked out of. She still tried to enjoy life. Each time she comes back she grows a little more tired. Archer is worried that one day she will just be tired of even trying. It is hard to connect to the world when she leaves it so frightfully often. Maybe she has a counter that is counting down. She wouldn’t know. She just knows that she has to do the next mission and then the next one and then the next one. It’s a cycle she knows she should probably break. It’s just easier not to fight it. Archer is so tired of fighting.

I would be playing Archer. She’s an OC that I have had in the works for a while. You would be playing as her rookie partner, a new addition to the Bureau. I don’t care what their gender is, what their form of immortality is, or really anything about them. I’m trying to aim for a buddy cop story vibe or with a lot more grit. Other than that I have no idea what direction the story will take.

Broken in an Imperfect World

It’s simple biology. Everyone is an Alpha or an Omega. Sometimes a rare soul is a Beta. This is taught in every high school biology class in the world. Alphas are the protectors. They are stronger than Omegas. They keep the softer ones from harm. They are the providers. They are also more aggressive, harsh, and passionate. The Omegas are the caretakers. They are more compassionate than Alphas. They keep the tougher ones from trouble. They are also more timid, passive, and graceful. Betas fall some where in the middle. At least those are the stereotypes that have consumed the world for countless years. However, now, in the modern world, those stereotypes are crashing down around the Alpha Hierarchy. It’s not happening overnight, but slowly Omegas are gaining more rights in the workplace. Alphas are being allowed to express emotions without being mocked. Betas are being seen as something more than abnormal and strange. Still, somethings remain the same. Alphas biologically need control; especially when they randomly go into rut. Omegas still need to submit; especially during their quarterly heat. Prejudice still remains.

Alex has never been in proper heat before. When their father discovered that they were an omega he decided he was doing to beat it out of his child. When that didn’t work the monster decided that the omega was only good for one thing. It was not pleasant for Alex. Alex’s reproductive system was broken, and even now, years after escaping, they do not feel sexual urges. Maybe it’s what their father did to him. Maybe they were just hardwired to be asexual. Who knows? The result is same the other way. Alex has next to no interest in sex. The problem is that as an omega they still need to go into subspace for their mental health. They had managed to avoid it, but if they don’t figure something out soon, they will just slip wherever they are. Too bad he doesn’t really have a solution.

Please note that even though this is A/B/O there will still be no sex. Alex is asexual and will be staying ace. There will be no “fixing” them. This is meant to be a story about non-sexual submission. I will be playing Alex. You will be playing their Alpha. Which way you want to do that is up to you. Harems are traditional in this world so if you want to double up or triple up or whatever that’s okay. You don’t have to. I haven’t picked out a gender though I am leaning towards male, but if you rather they be female I can work with that. I will confess that I will be heavily invested into this one. I think I’m somewhere on the aro/ace spectrum, so I will be using this this to explore some personal stuff. If that bothers you, I understand completely.

Our Parents War

20 years ago, the Magical Knights Everlasting Light and Consuming Darkness fought off the invading forces of the Chaos King. They saved the world from complete destruction. The world remembers their final battle every year one the Anniversary of the Battle of Balance. It was dazzling display as the brightness and the shadows worked in perfect harmony to defeat the Forces of Chaos that wanted to upset the fragile peace between two forces that relied so heavily on each other despite being so different. What the world didn’t know was that the two hated each other and after the final battle they agreed to never speak to each other.

20 years later the Chaos King has returned. Too bad the old Magical Knights can’t seem to find their old transformation amulets. There is still good news! There’s a new Everlasting Light and Consuming Darkness. Unbeknown to all four of the parties involve the new Everlasting Light is the child of the old Consuming Darkness while the new Consuming Darkness is the child of the old Everlasting Light. The two new warriors know each other identities, and unlike their parents they get along great! Maybe this battle won’t last as long. They don’t know that their parents were the old warriors and their parents have yet to find out their secret. That’s probably a good thing. If their parents ever found out they would lose it.

This is supposed to be a light fluffy magical boy/girl story. The bad guys will lose. No one will die. Maybe the very last scene will be a chaste kiss. Will there be drama? Of course! Will victory for out heroes come easily? Probably not. I would still like to channel Precure, Sailor Moon, Shugo Charo, and Miraculous. I would like this to a story we’re both comfortable telling an elementary aged kid. As for characters I am totally willing to play opposite whichever one you pick. We will be playing opposites. One of us will play a male and the other will play a female. If you play the female their ex-hero parent will be male and vice versa. As for powers I have a few ideas in mind, but can bouce ideas off each other. There will be no hiding secret identities from each other. I won’t have it. They’ll hid from everyone else, but not each other. I imagine they are 15/16.

Alright! There you go! If you are interested send me a PM. I probably won’t see a response in this thread. Let me know which one you are interested it. If you have another idea in mind let me know. I look forward to getting to know you! I hope we can have tons of fun!

Thank you for your time.

LadyAnnaLee

The Tree of Astra (LadyAnnaLee and Blackfridayrule)

Ridahne didn’t take the wineskin so Darin shoved it into her pack. It seemed like a good place as any. The second knife went in there as well. She supposed that was as hidden as it was going to get at the moment. She didn’t know how to use either of her knives to fight so keeping them out of the way seemed like the best think she could do with them for the moment. The human was starting to think that she would never learn to use her knife. Ridahne and her couldn’t seem to stay in one place together for very long.

Darin found that getting back on Talbot was getting easier each time she did it. She supposed she should start learning to get off gracefully. She tended to either fall off of or get bucked off. It didn’t help that Talbot was so big. As soon as she was settled Talbot took off at an easy pace. Darin hoped they arrived at The Tree soon. She couldn’t wait to see it. She had this picture in her mind of The Tree standing proudly in the middle of an empty field. It was a fruit tree that’s fruit resembled apples. She wondered if The Apples were green or red. Perhaps they were yellow. Regular apples came in so many different colors. Darin thought they might be red. She imagined The Apples as red.

Which is why, as the two traveling companions crested a ridge the human was caught completely off guard. It wasn’t an empty field at all. It was a farm! Granted it was about twice the size of the entirety of Darin’s village, but she still knew a farm when she saw one. There were wheat fields and rye fields and what looked to be like a barely field. There was a garden field that included peas, tomatoes, and beans. Darin identify what had to be a potato field and what looked like they could be carrots. There was a patch of grape vines and what looked like an orchard of all types of fruit trees. She spotted countless hives of bees scattered about to pollinate the plants, a sheep pen, a chicken coop, and a lake that looked like it could house all type of waterfowl. There were barns all over and Darin knew that they were countless horses, pigs, cows, and other animals. She was even willing to bet there were mouser cats and sheepdogs. She could even spot farm workers moving about even thought they looked like specks from where she had stopped Talbot to just stare. She had never imagined anything like this.

And there! In the middle of the massive farm; was The Tree. It was far bigger than the biggest apple tree that Darin had ever seen. It didn’t look like it was dying from up here. In, fact to Darin’s eye it looked perfectly healthy. The human stared in awe as she watched the branches of The Tree contrary to the wind. People were tending The Tree. She was willing to bet that they were picking The Apples. It was apple season so that made perfect sense. She wondered if all The Apples had Seeds like hers, and if not, how did hers become The Seed. Suddenly Darin was overcome with a sudden desire to be down in the farm that looked like home even though it was so much bigger. The problem with that was that the path curled away from the over loos. The human imagined that they had to follow the path to go down to the level the farm was on. That would take far too long! She needed to be there now!

Without really thinking Darin fell off Talbot and started heading down the gentle incline. She ignored Talbot’s shiny of protest as she suddenly tripping and went head over heels towards the bottom. She didn’t pause for even a minute. She was up running towards The Tree the moment she had regained her footing. Years of practice had her ducking and weaving though the crops without hurting a single one. She was taking the most direct path to her destination. She ignored the shout of the workers trying to stop her as she ran and ran and ran. Then, just as suddenly as she started, she was stopped by a massive being wrapping his arms around her form behind. She immediately began to struggle. Another being came up in front of her and pressed a knife to her neck. Darin stopped protesting immediately.

The female holding the blade hissed, “Who are you? How dare you think you can just enter The Farm without permission! Speak boy!”

Darin looked the person straight in the eye. She noticed a collection of workers gathering around her. They were all dressed in simple brown pants and tan shirts. Their boots looked impossibly sturdy. It was the uniform of the workers. Darin could figure that part out. She wanted one of their wide brim hats. She noticed that there were Elves, Sirens, and humans. She had never seen such a diverse collection of people. Darin was in pure awe. She had snapped out of her desperate daze. Okay, rushing towards The Tree was not her brightest idea. She was now in a huge mess and didn’t know how to get out of it. Ridahne and Talbot were too far away to help. Maybe she should just answer the questions. That seemed like the best course of action.

It didn’t even occur to her to lie, “I’m Darin. I just wanted to see The Tree.”

The man behind her let go of her like she had burned him. The woman with the knife jerked it back so quickly it did nick Darin’s skin. All of the workers were looking at her with wide eyes; like they had seen a ghost or couldn’t believe what they were seeing. Darin didn’t understand why. She wasn’t telling anyone that she was The Seed-Bearer. She wasn’t even going to tell them.

The woman with the knife whispered, “Get Ravi.” When no one moved she all but shouted, “Get Ravi!”

A handful of people turned and ran at that. Darin knew that Ravi was the guiding star in Astra. Following it would take you south. Having it at you back took you north. She imagined that whoever this Ravi was they had been named for the guiding star. She looked around at the people gathered to see if she could learn more about the people who worked this farm. They were all covered in dirt. Some were more covered than others. They all seemed tense. Darin wasn’t sure she could blame them. If a stranger had raced across her farm without heading instructions to stop, she would be tense as well. She supposed all she could do was wait for this Ravi to show up. Maybe Ridahne or Talbot would get here first.

The Tree of Astra (LadyAnnaLee and Blackfridayrule)

Random Question. How do you say Ridahne's name. Because I've been saying it as Rid-A-Hin and I don't thing that's right.

The Tree of Astra (LadyAnnaLee and Blackfridayrule)

Darin watched the Elf work. It was almost enthralling to see her move and act with the express purpose of scaring the two men. She wondered if it was a skill Ridahne had learned or if it was natural. The human was almost willing to say that it was both. Ridahne had honed a natural talent. It led to a performance that Darin thought she might fall for if she hadn’t had the Elf scream at her in pure simple rage before. Ridahne was a person just like everybody else in the glade. Darin tried not to draw attention to herself, but did let a small noise that sounded like, “eep!” when Ridahne had the two men strip everything off. Darin quickly looked away, suddenly interesting in the stars above the canopy of leaves. She was not used to casual nudity. Even when the kids her age went swimming they all kept on enough clothes to remain modest unless they were Jason, Jax, and Emily, but they did it when it was just the tree of them, and they were looking to start a life together so it was expected.

Darin finally dropped her gaze back to the Elf to respond to her comment, “It’s not a performance when fates are on the line. At least I don’t think so.” Darin walked over to the two men’s clothes to look at them, “And what am I going to do with their underwear Ridhane? I have no need for it/ I don’t think.” She did pick up one of the shirts, “I do like this shirt though. I’ll have to tailor it before I can wear it though. I don’t need it slipping of one shoulder while I ride.”

Darin looked thought the collection the men had left behind. It was a nice collection and include a better knife than she had but not better than Ridahne’s. It also included a small pouch of coins the farm girl didn’t recognize, but there were gold, silver, and copper ones, so Darin was willing to bet it was more money then she had ever seen in her life. She liked the smaller waterskin but taking a swing out of it caused her to sputter. It was not water. Darin thought the warrior was right. They had done well for themselves. She was willing to bet they wouldn’t stop despite the fact that Ridahne had injured them. They hadn’t regretted it after all. They regretted being caught.

That was just sad. They enjoyed making a living via a way that hurt others and, in the end, themselves. The Tree was failing, and Darin didn’t know why. She didn’t even have a guess. She needed to see The Tree and quickly. Maybe, at least she was hoping, that seeing The Tree would give her some clues. She didn’t know enough about trees, regular trees, to say that she would know for certain. She was crouched over the clothes as she stared off into the air. She needed to find a solution, and quickly. Well that wasn’t exactly true. She had a solution; plant The Seed. She just needed to figure out how and where to do that. Maybe The Tree would have a clue to that as well. Darin was distracted from her thought as Talbot let out a noise. Her head snapped around to look at the horse and then moved to look in the direction the he was looking. Darin picked up the collection of items as she slowly stood.

She started back towards Talbot, “You’re right. If the sun is starting to rise, we might as well keep moving. Let me pack this away and will get started.” She turned to look at Ridahne, “If that’s alright with you?”

While Darin waited for an answer, she started to pack her new clothes into her pack. She needed a new one. This one was going to be too small if she kept collecting things to put in it. She absently thought of the pack mule and supplies she had lost when she ran into the bandits when she first started out. Maybe it was good that she was collecting things. She did have supplies to replenish after all. She held out the wineskin to Ridahne. The human wasn’t going to drink it so she figured she would offer it to her companion. That only seemed polite.