RavenWolf

Rescue of the Prince [Angelfowl & RavenWolf]

It was wonderful! Thank you so much. I am planning on getting a reply up either tonight or tomorrow at the latest. I haven't been sleeping well, so that is making thinking quite difficult. Oh well. :-)

The Bonny Black Hare

Oh, Ha ha! I don't know if I would call it cruel to promote reading with children. I think it is a wonderful habit to develop. ;)

But it does sound like it produced quite the interesting results with the combination of influences you received as a child. I think it is a fabulous craft that you have there. You do quite beautiful work.

And my apologies on the lateness of my response. I haven't been sleeping well and that does not produce the greatest mental capacity for storytelling.

The Bonny Black Hare

"Come now dear James!" Branna formed his name with great care, enjoying the flavor of it on her tongue as she spoke the sound. "Is not the bramble thicket also a living creature? Why then should it not in envy of we of flesh and bone desire to have jaw and teeth?" Amusement danced brightly within her earth colored eyes, Finding herself in much enjoyment over their conversation. It had been many years since the last opportunity had arisen for her to play with words the way they were doing now, the thrill of it almost as enjoyable as the company. "But I digress, For you have asked me of my name and I have certainly received a fair offer for it. I am called Branna Windwood. It is quite the pleasure to make your acquaintance Mr. Rosmond." She lilted, smiling impishly with her teasing formality.

Turning once again towards the cottage, Branna gestured for her visitor to follow her inside., climbing the steps and pushing open the door to admit entrance. "Now, I wouldn't be a good hostess if I allowed you to catch cold by making you stay outside. I insist that you come in and get cleaned up. I will make you something hot to fill your belly."

Placing the lantern back into its place on the center of the table where it added the warmth of its glow to the surrounding room, the raven haired Woman busied herself with collecting several small pouches of herbs and a clean cup from the cupboard, placing both onto the table and preparing the same blend of tea leaves she had steeped earlier that day, the sweet smell creating a pleasant perfume that made her smile. "how fortunate for you that I was preparing to make myself a last cup before I retired to bed." She stated matter-of-factly as she collected the kettle from the fireplace, Once again using her skirts to take hold of the hot handle. Steam accompanied her pouring water into the fresh cup and the one she had had from earlier, creating a pleasant aroma of mint and sweet herbs that filled the room. "We'll let that work it's magic whilst you change."

Collecting the well Bucket that she had placed by the fireplace earlier, not having the strength to return it outside, she added the remainder of the hot water into the cooler contents, intending to offer it to James so that he could wash up. She plucked a clean cleaning cloth from the stack she had gathered earlier, holding it out to the young Lord with another gentle smile. "you can use my changing screen over there in the corner. I will fetch you some fresh clothing to wear. I think I still have something that is close to your height that I was mending to offer as trade in the village." She mused, Gaze drifting to a small pile of cloth in a basket she had next to a shelf in the kitchen.

The Knitting of Light and Shadow (Mandachan & RavenWolf)

Hesitating awkwardly in the entryway as Ella hurried into the kitchen, Jack's gaze swept quickly around what was visible of the apartment, lingering on luxuries he hadn't been in contact with in what felt like ages. The couch beckoned to him to sink onto the cushions, the television to absorb his thoughts and attention, the refrigerator making his mouth water with the images of the different foods it could contain... Jealousy and envy were the first emotions to strike at him, sprinkled with a dusting of longing, so strong that he struggled with the intensity for several seconds before he was finally able to shove the feelings into the back of his mind, putting A temporary lock around them so that he could deal with them at a later time. Blinking several times hastily, he finally focused is gaze on his hostess, His brain catching up with his surroundings and quietly informing him that she had asked him a question.

"I would kill for a shower right about now Ells, you have no idea." He chuckled. "I'm almost afraid to touch anything without one. And besides, I think your cat is telling me that I stink from the way he is avoiding me."

The Quake (FoxOfSpades & RavenWolf)

Surprisingly, Dusk was The first to respond to Tobin's distress, the small fox squirming out of Alice's arms and leaping nimbly onto The Coordinator's lap. He stared up at him with his icy blue eyes a long moment before quite suddenly pressing the side of his face into Tobin's stomach, small paws momentarily gripping at the fabric of his artistic hoodie. It caused a bubble of joy to blossom within Alice's stomach at the sight, A warm smile touching her lips. Her baby Pokémon was not usually known for his kindness or warmth, Usually preferring to be distant to anyone but her and likely to nip at any unfamiliar fingers. So for him to voluntarily offer comfort to A friend was quite the rare treat. Momentarily pressing her fingers to her mouth as she savored the moment, the young trainer then moved over and sat down next to Tobin on the small bench pushed against the wall. "I think that the professor is going to be just fine . Rai's willpower alone is probably enough to keep her going until she can get better, our fiery friend wouldn't have it otherwise. " She said confidently, though A small twinge of concern still nagged at the back of her mind. After a second of consideration, she also reached out to comfort Tobin, draping her arm across the back of his shoulders.

Her soft green gaze then also passed around the room, touching on familiar faces and feeling the taste of sorrow at the back of her throat. All of these people truly needed help, but she wasn't sure that a handful of teenagers could be able to do much more than what was already being done. They could bring any supplies of what could be spared, But she also didn't feel that it was right to separate from Scott and Rai, Not when they could run into Team Rocket again, especially with them being willing to kill children. She tightened her grip around her friend briefly before turning slightly and meeting is gaze.

"I'm sure that Twinleaf would eventually need help, yes, but I believe that our place is with Rai and Scott... I'm worried that Team Rocket is going to show up again...." She shivered A little at the idea. "They're headed to Jubelife city, so we should go along with that too. I don't want them to get into trouble."

"Glad to know you've got our backs Alice." Scott chuckled as he exited The professor's room, causing Alice to squirm slightly and go pink in the face. "We would love to have you both come along. Right rival?" He continued with another soft laugh, turning to lift both of his eyebrows at Rai.

"Did I hear that you four are planning on heading to Jubelife?" Another voice interjected, a young man stepping forward and looking slightly concerned as he cast his eyes around the group.

"Yes... Is that a problem?" Scott asked uncertainly, wary because of the expression on the man's face

"normally, it wouldn't be." The stranger explained, scratching at the side of his chin. "but I was out there not too long ago with a couple of my friends and we found out that the earthquake did something fierce to the land out there. Split part of it right in half and made this huge cliff wall that we couldn't find a way around."

There was a soft popping sound as Alice's mouth fell open with surprise, quite stunned at the revelation. She couldn't imagine the land changing so dramatically, having been so focused on the damage done to the objects on the surface. It was hard for her to wrap her brain around the information. "so there's no way that we can get into the city?"she squeaked, heart sinking at the idea that they might be stuck in Sandgem for a long time yet to come.

The man blinked, looking a little confused. "I didn't say that you couldn't get to the city. I'm just letting you know that you can't go via route 202. But we did find out that there is a way to get to the city if you circle around to the lake."

Scott looked relieved, glad to hear that there was still a way for them to continue on their journey. It would have been quite awful if they had to call it quits before even having a chance to get started. "thank you." He said to the man sincerely, offering him a small smile. "we do appreciate the help."

"that's going to slow things down..." Alice murmured A slightly worried expression turning down her mouth as she looked back towards her friends. "but maybe that means that it slowed down the Rockets too...?" A spark of hope lit her eyes at this idea. "what do you think Rai? Tobin?"

The Bonny Black Hare

Laughing gaily at his humorous statements, Branna Took a near instantaneous liking to the young man, Warming to his manner of speech and his fresh sense of humor. She allowed her shoulders to relax, the uneasiness knotting within her stomach to unravel, and dismissed any nagging thoughts that he had discovered her secret fly from her mind. Genuinely smiling now, the wood wife gave her head A quick nod to his inquiry after a brush for his horse, Turning to begin to step towards her cottage, But found herself hesitating at his interest in her relationship with the former owner of the property.

"honestly, I never met your uncle in person more than once, and that was only a brief thing.. It was more that I overheard him chatting with some of the grounds keepers about fixing up this old place and offering it to any interested party. I decided to look into it, though I had to do a lot of the work myself." Carefully weaving The truth together, even she thought that it sounded like a plausible and continuous story, Though she had looked into living in the cottage much earlier then when she had heard the conversation about the possibility of its rentabilty.

'Poor Ninny... I hope I didn't cause his lame leg.' She thought as she finally turned fully towards the Little cottage, limping over as far as the front steps and bending down to open a small plainly carved wooden box. Lifting the lantern to let a puddle of light spill over the contents inside, she quickly located the simple wire brushed used for horses' coats and scooped the tool from its corner. Using the lid of the box as leverage, Branna managed to get back on her feet steadily, Letting the container clothes with a soft thud before making her way back over to the young Lord, Offering him the brush.

The smile that she was quickly growing quite used to suddenly faded as his gaze trailed downwards and her leg need only to give a small twinge for Branna to accurately guess why it had slipped away. Her own smile diminished, though it lingered around her full lips, and she momentarily glanced down at the white bandages encasing her leg. "this injury is nothing that my Lord should concern himself over good sir. I ended up in a bramble bush earlier this day and the thorns were sharp. Pointed teeth in one's leg does Smart quite fiercely, I will admit, but the pain of it has lessened considerably since I clean my wounds. I am fairing quite well now, my thanks to you for your concern." She smiled gently, Reinforcing her statement, Before returning to another subject before her injuries could be further looked into. "but I can see that Ninny and I are not the only ones to have made a mess of ourselves this day. You look as if you have taken a dip in a pond and forgotten to take your clothes off. May I offer you an opportunity to remove your wet things, Put on a fresh pair of linen, and perhaps have some hot tea inside with me?" Then her smile brightened somewhat, her head tilting a little to one side. "but I think before I allow you inside, I should like to know the name of such a man that tries to outrun the sun, Enjoys riding when it is quite dark, and enjoys making merry in a pool of water without wearing proper swimming attire."

The Knitting of Light and Shadow (Mandachan & RavenWolf)

"Small world..." Jack mumbled under his breath, scratching idly at n itch on the back of his neck, the possibilities blooming into life within his mind as he started to walk once more, trailing distractedly behind Ella as she guided him to a nearby apartment building. He momentarily felt The first stirrings of awkwardness as his dirty sneakers came into contact with the lush carpeting of the entrance hall, The sparkling light of the chandeliers dazzling his unadjusted eyes. But close on the heels of that emotion came the withdrawal induced fantasies of the cash he could make from taking any number of items from such a ritzy place. Blinking several times and trying hard to keep the smile that threatened to bloom on his face away, Jack hastily shoved his hands into the pockets of his tattered grey hoodie, Stepping quickly over to the elevator as it chimed Saufley, following his old friend inside The dark stained wood interior. Shuffling his feet, he stared down at his Tangled laces and hunted vainly for something to say.

"So..." He said after clearing his throat once again, chancing a quick glance up at his elevator companion. "How long have you been living in such a fancy pad?"

Rescue of the Prince [Angelfowl & RavenWolf]

Awesome! I'm really looking forward to your post. :3

The Bonny Black Hare

Lifting quizzical eyes from the pages of her book, Branna rose from her chair by the fire where she had just sat down to read before retiring for the evening. Limp to her gait, she went to the table, lifting a small lamp from the center and moving over to the fire, collecting a stick from the edges to light the wick. A small flame quickly bloomed into life on the oil soaked fibers, illuminating the living space with a brighter glow that Chased The shadows from the walls. Closing the glass door with a soft squeak, she then headed for the front door, hesitating for a moment with her fingers above the handle before she finally pulled it open, looking out hesitantly into the darkness of the night, Lifting the lamp out in front of her.

"Oh!" She gasped softly as the glow washed over the small clearing and onto a rather familiar looking face of a young man, outlining the edges of his dark locks and intense eyes. She had only seen that face once before, and then only briefly, but it had been able to make such an impression upon her that she believed that she would never be able to forget it again. Before he could notice her hesitation, Branna allowed a bright smile to blossom onto her face, teeth a flash of White in the darkness. "good evening Sir. It's rather late to be taking a walk, is it not?" She teased lightly, gaze drifting to the beautiful gelding at his side, eyebrows lifting a little. "Or should I say, Late for a ride. It's dangerous to take a horse into such a place when it is dark. They might lame a leg in such conditions." As she spoke, She made her way down the front steps, crossing The short expanse of lawn before coming to a halt A respectful distance away, preforming what curtsy she could without causing further injury to her leg.

Her dark gaze studied the young Lord subtly, Making note of his good looks and stylish trim he had given to his hair, the rich texture of his clothing... Or what she could see of his features beneath the generous amounts of mud and algae that had undoubtedly come straight from the pond she had led him into. She suppressed the grin that threatened to split her lips, making an effort to remember to offer him a fresh set of garments and a washing cloth, if not a hot bath. It was the least she could do with her being responsible for his current situation.

Rescue of the Prince [Angelfowl & RavenWolf]

Yep! If that is still all right...?