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 Posted: Mon Feb 26, 2024 8:26 pm
"One moment...let me check my notebook so I don't mix anything up." Vepkhia walked slowly behind him as she reached into her satchel that always contained her notebook that had some extra pages stuck in at random intervals where she had clearly written something down elsewhere and then reorganized the note. "So the mushrooms are a little more interesting than the other flower. There are a couple of different ways you're supposed to be able to prepare them that change the usage. If boiled, they're supposed to add some extra nutrients to whatever they're boiled in. If they're dried and then ground into a dust, they can be added to potions or tinctures, unfortunately this is where I'm a little confused...it should either fortify the solution so I guess it would make the effect stronger. Or it should strengthen the duration and make the effects last longer. Either way it would have a multitude of uses in a lot of the things I concoct. The flower...." Vepkhia flipped a couple of papers quickly before flipping through a couple of more at a slower pace as she reviewed her notes. "There it is....this information came from an older text which sounded like it might have been derived from some religious text...it says..." Vepkhia began reading out as if she was giving a report. "If used properly, it shall manifest a stronger connection between the body and the mind." She paused for a moment as she closed her book and placed it back in her satchel. "It's pretty vague but interesting enough that I want to keep an eye out if we're already out and about...you know?"
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Posted: Tue Feb 27, 2024 2:12 pm
Even though Eudom’s expression wasn’t always the most pleasant, the man constantly frowning there was a subtle difference in his walking speed as he slowed down to listen to Vepkhia and allowed her time to browse her notes. It was a sign that he did care despite the grumbling and was actually fairly attentive to the details that she was sharing with him at the moment. If anything it was kind of reminiscent of how he would go on walks with his grandmother and share all of his own information as she listened, talking about superstitions and everything he recorded in his own journals over the years. Perhaps he was a bit softer than the grumpy exterior let on, Eudom nodding his head slightly as he processed everything that Vepkhia told him. “It seems positive enough, regardless of how you prepare them.” Much better to just have varying helpful effects than having a risk of death if she boiled them the wrong way or something like that. “As for the flower…I’m not certain. You should study it more even if you do find it out here before doing anything more. Though you are correct, it would be a waste to not gather something that’s potentially helpful if we stumble into it.” Then again connection between the body and the mind? What if it meant something like eternal slumber? Eudom had heard tales of plants doing strange things, the Yaeli being warned about indulging in anything mysterious from the forest and hearing something was in a religious text made him even more wary. They would definitely need more research before using it for anything, that much was for certain. Even though it made him cautious, Eudom couldn’t help being intrigued by it as long as it didn’t pose any threat to them or the farm. He would just have to sit it outside in the moonlight for a cleansing, chasing away any darker spirits if they did want to cause issues once they returned from today’s excursion.
Not that it mattered if they didn’t find either thing today. Eudom’s gaze narrowed at the thought, the man reaching out with his glaive to try out a few more branches as they continued along. “Keep an eye on the underbranches of the darker trees, the others with green leaves usually don’t grow anything as their bark is fairly resilient to water.” Raindrops would just slide away from the smooth bark, moisture just accumulating on the other trees and the nearby moss instead. He checked a few more, the clouds growing darker and the Yaeli only pausing once he heard a slight rumbling in the distance. Surely not, right? Eudom’s frown grew, the Yaeli trying to get a glimpse of the sky through the tangle of tree limbs that blocked their view. “Our walk may have to end here.'' He started, turning to look at Vepkhia before a crashing noise from down the path they had already walked made him pause again. Had a limb fallen somewhere or had something else disturbed the forest now that the winds were picking up? Then to add to things, there was a cluster of drooping wildflowers flowers that way, something he had missed because he had been focused on the tree branches. An ill omen indeed! They couldn’t go back not with those signs, but there was another path that looped around but it was much further ahead. Could they make it? Eudom let out a soft curse, glancing around before looking back at Vepkhia. “I think we’ll have to keep going forward, actually.”
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Posted: Tue Feb 27, 2024 4:05 pm
As she talked, Eudom added his own thoughts in and the collaboration between them in this conversation drew her in so much so that she didn't notice the change in his demeanor. Once she finally put her notebook away and started to look on the trees that he had indicated. It wasn't until she heard the large crash from behind them that startled her from her thoughts. Having startled, she whipped around to look behind them and slowly backed up not realizing that Eudom had stopped. Her heart beat as he said they should go backwards, she didn't like the sound of that crash did they really have to go backwards? But then he changed his mind and she wondered what was going on. "What's going on?..." Still backing up, she had not noticed that he had stopped causing her to bump into him once again startling herself and caused her to let out a small scream in surprise. She whipped around in her shock to see what she had walked into. Sabra Knight I couldn't resist this opportunity lol
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Posted: Wed Feb 28, 2024 7:59 pm
Oof. Eudom had been so focused on looking for any additional signs that he hadn't realized Vepkhia was moving towards him. The impact made him let out a soft grunt with his glaive rolling from his hands and tumbling to the ground. For a moment the Yaeli's traditional scowl returned until Vepkhia turned around and faced him which caused a whole new emotion to twist in his chest. She was only a breath away at that point, Eudom freezing in place with an expression caught between frustration at himself and shock. There was a hint of a flush on his cheeks which made him nearly pull away until the first drop of rain hit him instead, the man moving to protect Vepkhia as lightning flashed in the sky through the tree branches. It wasn't going to be a simple rain, was it? Eudom kept his arms around Vepkhia as thunder rumbled around them, the Yaeli taking the protective stance without thinking. Though as the echoes of thunder calmed down his minded cleared enough for him to realize what he was doing and Eudom immediately let go and stepped away.
"It looks like a storm is coming. We should hurry and find some type of shelter." Eudom managed, swallowing against the embarrassment at having held onto Vepkhia for so long. What was he thinking?! It was just a reaction to the thunder, nothing else. That was why his heart was also racing, it was simply out of concern that was all. He crouched and picked up his glaive, Eudom trying to get a better idea of their situation as the rain started coming down more with another rumble of thunder echoing in the distance as the storm approached. "Can you keep up with me? We can try to find shelter up ahead." Even though his voice sounded confident there was a moment of hesitation. What type of spirits were messing with them to shove them in this direction? Still, with those omens and the crash from earlier there was no way that they could return the way that they came so Eudom just had to pray the path ahead would stay safe for them.
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Posted: Thu Feb 29, 2024 5:15 pm
Vepkhia's cheeks heated as a slight blush tried to color her cheeks. She registered his arms around her and yet the thought of moving away from him had not even crossed her mind. Standing there in his embrace, she had not noticed the rain until she heard the rumble of thunder that seemed to shock them both into action. She took her own step back and pretended to make sure her bag was secure as she tried to get her racing heart back in order. A storm was coming? It definitely sounded like it so she trusted his judgement. "I can keep up. If we have to do any climbing though, I will be a little slower. Have you ever been caught out in the forest when there is a storm?" Maybe he already had a system for if it happened though it sounded like he didn't necessarily have a place to head to so she would make sure to keep her eyes open as well.
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Posted: Thu Feb 29, 2024 5:32 pm
"Hopefully there won't be much climbing." Eudom replied though even now he was feeling doubtful that he truly had much idea of what awaited them. The storm itself was a surprise, the Yaeli having taken so much care to keep an eye on the horizon last night and this morning. That plus the crashing noise and the drooping flowers had already twisted his plans from a careful venture into the forest into something totally unexpected and potentially far more dangerous. Still, he had promised to protect Vepkhia and he was determined to continue doing so. After all it would only bring more misfortune if he backed down from his word now. At least that was what he told himself even as his heart twisted in his chest at allowing something to happen to the Shifter who had trusted him.
"As for being caught out in a storm...we'll be fine." He wasn't going to lie and say this wasn't his first time, but he also didn't want to worry her and simply avoided the truth. Instead Eudom keeping one hand on his glaive while he offered the other one to Vepkhia. "It's best if we hold hands, just in case something tries to separate us. The rains can blind us if it truly pours." Which with how the day was going so far it wouldn't surprise him in that case. So for now Eudom focused on holding tightly onto Vepkhia's hand, if she allowed, and guiding them further into the forest as the wind and rain slowly started picking up around them.
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Posted: Thu Feb 29, 2024 6:19 pm
Vepkhia nodded in understanding. With any luck, they wouldn't have to climb and she prayed for that. She trusted his judgement and knew they would both work to make it out safely. When he held out his hand she felt the warmth return to her cheeks but could understand his reasoning. She had just been about to grab onto his hand when she remembered something. "OH! I wonder..." She dug in her bag for a short moment before she pulled out a small leather bundle. Unwrapping it, were about 7 glass vials, only 3 of them were filled. She grabbed two of the filled ones and pulled them out. "I had been working perfecting this potion but it's supposed to help increase your walking speed. You're welcome to this other one if you would like but I understand if you don't want to ingest a strange liquid." She pulled the cork out of one and downed it's contents, barely making a face as she swallowed it down. "It's supposed to last for an hour but since I still don't have it perfected it might not last as long." She held the vial out for him in case he wanted to accept her offer. It wasn't a large vial, maybe the size of her palm but she knew it was a little unsettling to take something you weren't quite sure what it was.
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Posted: Wed Mar 13, 2024 8:12 am
Eudom froze at the offer. Anyone else would have seen the vial slammed to the ground in a quick rejection, but he was honestly torn since it was coming from Vepkhia. She had been at the farm for a bit now and he had gotten to know her better, the Yaeli doubting she had a dishonest bone in her entire body. Unless she was a good liar? Still, she had taken the drought for herself and it looked exactly the same as the other vial offered to him. Was that enough to curb the usual suspicion that he had for others though? Despite her words...wouldn't she be hurt if he refused? Dammit. This was truly why he was better off living alone without worrying over others! A new flash of lightning spurred his reckless movements as nature reminded him that they had little time for debate, Eudom quickly popping the cork out and offering a silent prayer to the gods before swallowing a bit of the potion, recorking and dropping the rest into his pocket.
"We shouldn't need an hour." He explained, not offering anything more to ease her mind for why he may have only tested a drop of the brew instead of the full amount. Eudom took her hand again, guiding them along the path even as the wind and rain began to pick up more despite their increased pace. Neither of them had dropped over since drinking the brew so he held onto his belief that it would be alright until another flash of lightning resulted in a huge booming noise up ahead, a large tree falling over into the path directly towards them. "Trust me." Even though Eudom said the words he didn't know how much faith he had in his own abilities now with nature raging against them. Had he somehow pissed off the spirits by bringing in a foreigner? Either way they were in the midst of things now and he was determined to see it through! So Eudom gave a tug, pulling Vepkhia out of the way of the rolling tree and down an incline that he had noticed. It was barely a path, something worn down by forest animals, but one that had them basically sliding forward as gravity tugged at them in the midst of the storm and ended up with Eudom having to grab a tree to stop their momentum. His hand was still firmly clasped around Vepkhia's and he nearly dropped his glaive as he used his other arm to hug at a smaller tree to stop their descent, the pair of them having ended up in a lower area of the forest. "It looks like shelter is there." He yelled over the rain, noticing something at the base of their descent that looked almost like a shallow cave. Nothing large enough for any big predator but perfect for two earthlings looking to avoid the rest of this storm, Eudom hoping that it would suffice and allow this to pass over so that they could figure out exactly where they were now. It would have to do and so that was where he guided them, Eudom pushing against the torrential downpour that had taken over the forest.
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