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 Posted: Wed Aug 07, 2013 2:08 pm
Doucette skid to a halt as Alex came into view, the woman collapsing into a wheezing mess as Eiry took care of the Italian. A good thing that he was there to help, for all she could manage was some exceptionally concerned looks through a mess of matted curls and red cheeks. Her whole body felt like it was shaking in a way that would never stop.
Definitely time to get back to the gym and work on the cardio.
Thank god the forest was silent again, though she felt like she could hear the way the mass had moved under the carcass still. Certainly she’d never be able to close her eyes again without seeing the eruption.
And then she remembered Revontuelt, standing there so pristine, almost glowing as the black mass spread out around her. Adrenaline pushed the Irish woman to her feet and she looked about with wide, terrified eyes. She’d expected them to be right behind her and Eiry!!
“Ren!!” she called out, her voice greatly diminished for lack of air in her lungs.
But there they were, Zul hauling the lithe form of the aurora whose expression seemed to say nothing at all about the situation she was in. Doucette rushed towards the both of them, reaching out for Revon so Zul could go to Alex, sure that he would want to be by her side. “Thank god you’re ok!” the guardian said, tears welling in her eyes.
Revon looked about for a second, almost bewildered at how she’d arrived here when she’d been somewhere else but a moment ago. She remembered Zul’s apology, but wasn’t sure what he’d been apologizing for. He could not have known.
Suddenly her eyes darkened and she reached up and ran her fingers through her hair, scowling at the burnt strands that came away with some good ones. Doucette’s heart tightened for a moment. “Oh Ren...” she murmured, reaching out to touch the worst of the aurora’s hair, “This will definitely need a haircut...”
Ren turned her head, unaware it was a bad choice since it showed off the singed locks more clearly. “No.”
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Posted: Fri Aug 09, 2013 10:43 pm
And she gained bearing to her feet with Eiry's help, leaning on the Sigel and holding onto his arm with only partial mind not to squeeze him too tight. He well understood her choking upset, more than Zul, even, and she took solace and some strength from that knowledge. "We -- cannot -- stay here," she hissed in a near whisper, the edge of her voice enough to offer a strangled high octave.
Taking small but necessary gulps of air to not go entirely out of her head, her green eyes desperately sought a road more traveled, and instead was rewarded with darkness and more cobwebs. The only upside is that they were cobwebs and in a state of disuse, but after seeing the birth of screaming nightmares from a dead stag, there was no comfort to be had for the rigid Italian. She was very close to fleeing again, just for means to expel her nervous energy. "Eiry -- we have to -- not stay here." She looked imploringly at the Sigel, knowing she wasn't of sound mind and not too proud to admit it. "Please!"
Revontulet and Doucette reunited and the demon felt quickly ushered aside, though he had no need to run to Alex. He could see well enough her state and he knew he had no safety to offer her, and thus, he left her to Eiry's consolation. Instead, he gave the web a wide berth and peered down the two most obvious (and perhaps only) paths, noting the dregs of Alex's fear down one and something palpable and uncomfortably familiar down the other. There was a thicker, touchable gloom to one side that he'd just as soon avoid, even if it meant scaring Alex further. Spiders, they could deal with. Other worldly darkness? No, that's how things like him came to be.
"I would suggest the web-route," he offered to any who would listen, "only if you could grant Lex intangibility, if you've the strength, Eiry." He had no idea what type of reserves Eiry had -- goodness knew the Sigel played more tricks with intangibility on the Delaran household than any one lifetime could provide -- but he knew they weren't through the worst of things yet. "Then, if we can find a clearing not tainted by arachnid, you all should sleep." At least he could keep watch, when the time came.
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Posted: Sat Aug 10, 2013 2:02 pm
Gathering Alex into his arms, he took the time to just acknowledge her fear, make it known that he knew and he was aware of what she was feeling and going through. This was something that he had learned from both Alex and Isi and other members of the family. When they were upset and emotional, the best thing to do was to acknowledge that what they were feeling was real and understandable, instead of trying to comfort them and convince them that they were overreacting or that everything was alright when clearly it wasn't. That only made things worse. So, he nodded against her, rubbing her back with his cold hands. "We will not tarry here a moment longer, Alex, it is far too dangerous, you're right. We'll be up and away. Feet beneath you, then. I'll stay with you."
He had never seen Alex like this. She was always, in some way in control of herself and her fear, and always in control of her pride, but in this moment she was completely and utterly open, so honest, and so worn raw with fear. All of those defenses that she had been so good with controlling were now gone. Eiry lifted her onto her feet as best he could, pumping his wings to help balance her.
Behind them, the rest of the group was slowly reconvening. Revontulet had been reunited with her owner and Doucette was assessing the damage the young frei had suffered. Her hair had been burnt. Eiry spared a sorrowful look towards them, always sad to see beautiful things hurt, but he knew that she was in good hands with her owner. He nodded to them, and then perked his pointed ears when he noticed Zul peering with careful and serious thought towards the two paths that laid before them. One was immensely and terribly dark, and the other was tinted and touched with more spiderwebs. Eiry gulped, not liking either of their options.
"More webs, despite Alex's pattering heart?" he echoed as he looked to Zul with his ears lowering with thought. "Alright, I will grant Alex my power, and I will muster the strength. I should have enough to get us to the next clearing." he said. But in all honesty, he wasn't sure. He was feeling weak already and as he glanced around, he noticed that there was still more greenery than there was dead things. He would have to eat later if he could. His mind focused on the resounding reminder of "if".
"Let's go, Alex." he said, and he touched her shoulder, dipping her in that realm of intangibility. They would follow.
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Posted: Sat Aug 10, 2013 4:21 pm
The path was chosen and with the decision made Team A set off down the spiderweb lined route. The darkness that filled the air down this beaten path was fresher and clearer than that which had been down its brother, but still would need a light to keep those who walked upon the not-so-straight but terribly narrow.
As the group moved forward, the spiderwebs that had lined the path's opening increased in frequency and here and there in size. At one point Zul, Revon, and Doucette would have to clear a massive web from the path lest they end up like Alex had, as the nest had its gossamer spanned across four trees and stretched upwards into the leafy boughs overhead. If anyone was paying attention to their surroundings - perhaps on alert for anymore arachnids as they were heading deeper and deeper into what seemed like a spider sanctuary - they would quickly come to realize that every web was empty. From the ones that hung between branches and trunks, to the ones that clung low to the ground, there were no spiders. Certainly, there were a few cocoons where arachnid meals were sure to be found, but the predators to that prey were mysteriously absent. Coupled with the silence of the wood around them, the situation felt no less than eerie, and the feeling would only increase as they came upon the sacks.
Sitting along the ground and utterly covered with spider silk (the strands that held these white, beach ball-sized things far too thick to have come from some garden variety spider) were clusters of three to four sacks lining either side of the narrow strip of path. In the light of the flashlights, it was quite clear that the dew-covered pods pulsed, albeit gently, from something internal. Going around the silky sacks would have been an option, if thick brambles did not cover the ground between the trees like a carpet. Going through - at least for those with legs who weren't intangible - would be the only way.
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Posted: Mon Aug 12, 2013 11:09 am
Doucette felt like she might never sleep again. There was even a brief moment when she almost felt a slightly insane giggle attempt to escape her lips at the thought when Zul said it, but instead she cleared her throat and went back to tending to Ren’s hair. The spider-web path did not look any more appealing to her than the darker one, so whatever the others wanted to do she’d follow. Her opinion was to get the hell out of this area no matter how it was done or which direction that was accomplished.
As her guardian fussed with her hair, and more smouldered strands fell in clumps upon her shoulders and into Doucette’s hands, the aurora felt something welling up inside her that was almost painful. It gripped her chest and her rune with such ferocity that she too lifted a hand and clutched at her parka, fingers digging against the area just below her collar bone. “I don’t want to get it cut,” she said, the stubbornness replaced by the fear that was gripping her at how atrocious her beautiful locks must look at this point.
With a sorrowful look and an attempt at a smile, Doucette took Ren’s free hand in an attempt to comfort her. Unfortunately there was most assuredly a haircut in the poor girl’s future and there wasn’t much she could do to protest about it. At least she had as long as they were trapped in these hell woods to distract herself.
And distract themselves they were. With wide, unhappy eyes Doe watched all the nests with hawk-like precision, turning to look between Revontulet and Alex from time to time to ensure the both of them were holding up well enough. After the experience in the clearing, added on to the obvious fear of arachnids, Doucette was shocked they had taken this path. Mercifully everything seemed clear for now.
Until they reached the pulsing sacks. Doe let out a whimper and tightened her grip on Ren, who only gave the pods a wary look, as if threatening them to explode in a similar way and risk her hair once more.
The both of them waited for Zul’s command, Doe unsure of the best course of action and Ren unwilling and unable to truly take a leadership role. The two of them hung in the back, bringing up the rear and keeping an eye out for anything sinister that might be following them from the clearing or the webs they’d passed.
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Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2013 9:51 pm
For a moment, the demon felt a flicker of frustration. Was he the only one who saw the bigger picture? "There are worse things to be had than spiders," Zul remarked tersely, "and as much as I am upset for Lex's condition--"
"I'll be fine." Alex's voice was thread-bare and obviously not okay, but she was resolute. Her olive skin was a strange ashen color and her hands held a fine tremor that she couldn't seem to get a handle on, but the most debilitating part of her fear had either run its course, or she was simply going to pass out if something else startled her too much. Her heart still hammered and she felt skittish, but her ward was right -- Kyou was out there. Whatever had him contained was surely worse than her silly fear of spiders. "Eiry, please -- just for a little while," she seemed to sigh softly with a long-lost comfort as the intangibility took over, even as bad memories threatened to spill forth again, "and then please -- save your energy. We don't know what's out there."
And so she lead with Eiry as her knight against the empty webs. It wasn't long in when she gently insisted to be free of the power, and she mostly kept her composure, still jumping a little when a cobweb caught her shoulder or glinted just right in their light. Zul floated behind Eiry, mostly to act as a buffer between the parties, and mostly kept to himself. His thoughts were on the others out there, who were undoubtedly facing their own troubles and trials. He was holding out for a more positive outcome for some of his precious ones that were traversing the same hell as they were.
At the sacks, the demon uttered an audible sigh through his nose. This was feeling more and more like a trial and given what little he knew of the magics that Kyou dabbled in, he was getting the impression that what Kyou had sought was responsible. This was in no way normal; even his woman being a zoologist didn't need to tell him that much.
"We can carry you both over, I imagine," he spoke up first, turning to face Doucette and Revontulet. "If you don't mind, that is. I can hold you," Zul nodded to Doucette, "and Revontulet can hold on to my - or Eiry's - back, if she wants. Otherwise, she can fly between us." He was beginning to wonder why they didn't just fly above the trees, or at the very least, dip in and out of the skyline to find Kyou. This just seemed haphazard and wasteful. If the humans hadn't insisted on coming along, they might have finished already--
The demon frowned, chasing away his dark inkling of annoyance, awaiting someone's idea to be spoken.Storei (( Apologies to both of you for skipping onto the GM's post, I get confused when I go back and forth in time! D: ))
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Posted: Thu Aug 15, 2013 1:38 pm
The bigger picture. Eiry had an incredible fondness for stories, but it took Zul's comment about worse things to be had for him to fully realize the nature of their quest. Things wouldn't get better for them. They would get worse. Such is the nature of stories, a series of conflicts and conditions that characters must overcome to achieve their ultimate goal, and in this case, it was the life of the doctor whom they all loved in one way or another. Things would get worse and they would have to bare through it for the man in white.
The question was whether they would be able to get through it with their sanity intact or not.
Gulping, Eiry focused his energy, extending his magic through Alex's body to give her a reprieve from the dreadful forest around them. She was beginning to shine through again, thankfully, that determined and strong-willed part of herself rising up above the muck that was her recently abused terror. They walked for as long as they could through the thicket, dodging spiderwebs and shadows, and soon, they came to a point where Alex requested to be free of his spell. He relented easily enough. He was tired. He comforted her as best he could as intangibility slowly relieved them from its protective cloak. "Such energy of mine can surely be replaced, should we find some dead trees or underbrush for me to feed off of. It is no hassle, no great worry," he said, but even as he confirmed this, he felt nervous. The trees had their leaves here, and despite their cumbersome many legged inhabitants, it seemed like they were healthy, and the thick brambles that obscured their path seemed stocky enough, nor brittle and hungry. "We only need quest for the dead foliage. That's all."
As he said this, Eiry glanced behind them. He and Alex were leading the party, with Zul following behind and then Doucette and Revontulet bringing up the rear. They would act as the plow for this next part of the journey, which was, as Eiry suspected, worse than the gossamer spiderweb left behind. It was a minefield of pulsing sweaty eggs, much like something he had seen on the television with Rivener at one point, another one of their shared scary movie nights with Isi long ago before he moved out. The raevan paused for a moment, feeling a fist of sadness knot itself in his stomach. He was sure Rivener was out here in the woods somewhere. He, too, would be facing these dangers, and he felt worry for his sibling, despite their slow drifting apart. He even wished his brother was here. He wished Rivener were here and he beside him, and they could face these dangers together, like they used to. That was a distant wish, though. Eiry couldn't remember the last time he saw Rivener.
Swallowing his momentary sadness, the raevan steeled his weary body as much as he could for this gauntlet of terrors before them. They knew what had to be done. They had to guide and help the ladies across the minefield of living eggs, without disturbing a solitary one, lest they awaken the herd of them. Allowing his fiery wings to stretch out again, spreading their eerie glow as a source of light for them to follow, he peered at the eggs, and then nodded to Alex. He would have to use his dwindling magic. His body's strength was weak enough as it was already, and he knew his endurance to be just as poor. He wouldn't be able to carry Alex without risking dropping her into the nest below. He would much rather chance it with his magic, which he knew to be his strongest attribute. Remembering the little snacks he had carried for himself in his backpack, he reached into it and pulled out a couple dead branches. With a brief inhale, he sucked the death off of their stems, forcing the branches to bloom to life. His rune, in response, glowed a little brighter and then dimmed again. It wouldn't be enough, he knew that so small a snack was like eating a tiny handful of grapes, but it was all he had on him. He then nodded his wispy hair, pushed his red rimmed glasses up his nose, and reached for Alex after situating his backpack around his shoulders again.
"Forward and onward, Alex, I will give you my power for this gauntlet, and after that, I heartpromise that I will conserve my energy and I will not give you the power of ghost touch unless the situation calls for it, for I know how much you dislike it. I cannot lift you, but I can make you like me." he said. He turned backwards to Zul, noting his superior strength, and wanting to make sure he had the best chance of getting across, he gestured towards Doucette and Revontulet, feeling a little guilty that his body couldn't lift everyone across the gauntlet. He would have lifted everyone with his telekinesis, but he knew that he couldn't do that. At best, he could lift a bunch of books, but he hadn't tried lifting a person and he wouldn't dare experiment with it now. "Zul, your strength is ten times that of mine, you the Hercules to my Homer. Could you carry Doucette and Revontulet both, should Ren desire to be carried instead of fly? Thank you. I'll make it up to everyone in turn."
With that settled, Eiry took a breath, extended his power to Alex, and began moving forward with her across the bed of pulsing eggs, two ghosts in the dimming light of the forest. "We'll move as quickly as possible, Alex," he said firmly, "We'll get to the other side, rush away from this horror, and onto some place safe enough to sleep and dream of better things, our friends in tow."
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Posted: Thu Aug 15, 2013 7:16 pm
With those who cannot fly lifted, Team A makes it safely across the hazard that blocks their path. For their efforts, the gods above smile upon them. Across the field of bramble and the sack-lined path is an area well suited for camping. Although not free of trees like a grove or glade the ground is level and mostly clear of rocks and roots, but lacks any source of water running through it other than the dew that collects on some of the larger leaves.
Even Eiry is given a little reward for his hard work. A felled tree lays abandoned along the leftmost side of the spot. Here and there a few dead, dry leaves still cling to its branches while moss and all manner of fungi grow along its peeling trunk. The spiders well behind them now, there might not be a better spot for miles around; take caution still, but rest if you so choose.
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Posted: Fri Aug 16, 2013 11:49 am
The aurora looked between Zul and Eiry, brows furrowing. Why wouldn’t she fly herself? Although her wings could not loft her very high or very far, Ren was certain she could manage to get over the trees and past whatever it was that pulsed before them. Lofting her wings with a tilt of her chin, the young frei gave a small smile, “I can fly myself,” she said, giving the pale appendages a slight flutter.
Doe, on the other hand, had pales slightly. Carried over the trees? Yes, Zul certainly looked to be one of the strongest sigels she had met, but it did not make her entirely comfortable to think about being hoisted into someone’s arms so high over something so dangerous. It had been years since the last time she’d felt uncomfortable about her weight, but suddenly a lot of mean comments were filtering through her head, silly as it was in such a situation.
The woman wiped her sweaty palms on her thighs, wetting her lips with her tongue and listening to the others talk amongst themselves. She could tell by Zul’s expression that he was no happier about the situation the group had found themselves in, and so she did not voice her own unhappiness and general unwillingness to be carried. If it was all the same to them, she’d have taken her chances with the alien pods before them. But then she would just be more of a nuisance, so she smiled weakly at Zul when he came to lift her and shut her eyes tight the entire ride.
As the group soared over the trees, Ren fed off some of the patchy moonlight, the glow misty from the clouds that drifted over the orb. It was not a very filling meal, due to their quick jaunt above the foliage and the obstruction from the atmosphere, but it made her feel a little better. Thankfully, when her wings felt they could not carry her much further they began to descend. Eager to land, the young aurora became careless and a wayward branch clipped the largest section of one of her wings. Revon attempted to land gracefully, but without the aid of both wings she misjudged and rather haphazardly stumbled into their little area. Quickly she tucked her wings against her back and surveyed the area as if nothing had happened, ignoring the dull ache the wing was putting off.
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Posted: Mon Aug 19, 2013 11:02 am
Alex, like Doe, had kept her eyes shut through the intangibility of the pulsing sacks. She didn't want to see -- in truth, she was afraid she might very well have a heart attack if more spiders burst out of them -- and it wasn't until she felt Eiry's hand withdraw that she opened her fluttering green eyes, breathing in steadying breaths of humid, dank air.
For his part, Zul was as perfect a gentleman as he could be. He was mindful of his arms around Doe's back and legs, and made sure to fly not too high -- just enough to clear the potentially dangerous sacks that he could barely make out Eiry and Alex walking through. He held the red-head against himself supportively, even careful to 'land' with as little bounce or haste as possible, gliding back to the earth where it was open enough to do so. "Thank you for your trust," he murmured softly to Doe as he set her to her feet again.
Also in the small clearing, Alex still felt suffocated by the surroundings. The place had already betrayed her scientific mind and thus she didn't trust it nor find comfort in the familiar. Even so, she looked wearily around the immediate vicinity and sighed, looking to Doe. "I think we should rest here -- sleep if you can, just rest if not." She didn't want to add that she didn't know how many clearings they'd find like this -- devoid of death and spindly nasties. "We've already lost the sun and I don't want to waste our batteries if we can help it."
The demon was going to check on Revontulet, but her seeming disregard for her clipped descent and her intent to check out the area granted him enough sense of mind to leave her be, not wanting to coddle her. Instead, he turned to Eiry, knowing he'd done quite a bit for the humans already that he could not have done by himself. "Are you well?" he asked the elder Sigel, his expression a little tense with the slightest touch of concern in his brows. Zul didn't have to like Eiry to remember the Wisp was his boyfriend's brother -- he was family to the one he loved and he'd do all he could to make sure the other was safe. "If we run out of things for you to eat, I can always help." His powers were, of course, of the destructive-death type. That would lead to him potentially running out of magic, but he used his far less than most Raevans he knew.
Catching Alex's words, the demon nodded his affirmation. "I don't sleep," he added to her suggestion, "so I will stay watch if you should slumber."
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Posted: Mon Aug 19, 2013 9:39 pm
The journey through the perilous floor of eggs had been the most intense part of the trip so far for Eiry, who felt like his heart might burst from the sustained string of suspense. He would have been find it was only himself, but knowing that if his power went out while Alex was in his hand, he felt much more tense. All he could imagine while they were passing the eggs, was the slow dwindling of his power, Alex's terrified screaming as they knocked into the eggs and startled them, erupting with eggs that they could not stop. Eiry had to stop thinking of these things. He quieted his thoughts, pacified them with some poetry from the 19th century, and pulled Alex slowly through the minefield. Happily enough, they were able to pass in peace and Eiry breathed with such relief that he even managed to laugh and giggle tiredly with victory. "We did it! We did it..." he said in happy relief, wandering with her toward the empty clearing ahead. Though not entirely bare. As they came to settle down on the clearing, searching the edges to deem it's safety, Eiry's tired red eyes focused in on a felled tree, stinking with death that no other nose could smell just as distinctly as he could.
"What luck!" he beamed happily, looking to Alex and wrapping her up in a quick hug before swirling around her, weaving through Doe and Ren and giggling again with relief. "A sign of good fortune! A turn of the wheel! For such, long hours we've been wrestled with fear, but now, there is a break in the horror! We may rest and dine and reorganize our thoughts into bravery! What luck, this is!"
For so long there was nothing but stress, but here, but this time, there was rest! There was peace here, Eiry was convinced. He floated to the tree and placed his hands upon it, breathing deeply of the musk of rotting tree. He clenched his fingers into the soft brittle bark, and then inhaled again, convincing the tree to live again as he sucked up the death from it's branches. The dead and dried leaves flowered back again into green, bursting forth with life as Eiry squeezed every drop of death out of the tree, his weariness fed by its energy. He had used a lot of energy, and thankfully this was a good meal for him. It wouldn't replenish him entirely, but it would be enough to give him his pluck again.
He was reveling in the warmth of the energy when he heard Zul floating behind him. Unconvinced that he was was the one being spoken to, Eiry looked up to him before glancing around at the girls to see if he was talking to them. They were moving about the clearing and start settling down. No, for sure, Zul was talking to him. He could hardly believe it, his red eyes widening even more at the fact that he was asking if he was well or not.
"With a meal in me, I find myself as well as any. Weary was I and aching, my magic nearly spent, but now I am feeling much better," he paused, dipping his head a little and twitching his ears as he studied the other sigel, "Thank you for asking, thank you very much...And yourself, Zul? The spiders and the flame? Did they catch you? Hurt you? Are you and Revontulet in good health?" He asked, and then, hearing his offer, he turned around to glance back at the lively tree trunk behind him that he had been feasting on, "...If it is within your power, could you kill this tree again? Freeze it cold, steal it's warmth away? Should I be able to eat again from it, I should have enough energy, with the aide of sleep, to continue on in full strength once we wake."
Having settled himself on the ground near the tree, the wispy raevan relaxed, letting his ghostly wings take a break.
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Posted: Fri Aug 23, 2013 7:02 pm
Although Alex is wary, the night passes without any incidents that would cause any alarm or harm. Around midnight, however, clouds cover the moon above and rain falls in fat, heavy drops appropriate for a jungle ecosystem. By morning the ground is muddy and littered with puddles of all sizes while the rain has only lightened a touch. Around the camp the air is misty and overhead the sky is dark grey, tumultuous, and perhaps threatening a thundershower later on.
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Posted: Mon Aug 26, 2013 1:15 am
“No, thank you,” Doe replied, a little shakily, as Zul set her down. The redhead gave him what she hoped was a warm smile, but it probably lacked a bit of lustre. Still, she was faring better than Alex appeared to be and she didn’t feel quite right complaining in that case. At the Italian’s words she gave a nod, looking around the learning for a moment before unshouldering her pack and beginning to dig about in it for anything they might need for their camp. She wouldn’t be much help setting up a tent with her arm as it was, but she could get a fire going and make a quick bite of food for the humans at least.
“I’ll go gather some wood with Ren,” she offered, receiving a slightly unhappy look from the aurora. The short flight had tired the frei a bit and the unfamiliar discomfort of her wing was not putting her in the best mood. Gathering wood did not rank high upon her list of things she wished to do. But she silently obliged, stealing some moonlight here and there to reenergize herself whenever there was a moment when the trees and clouds did not obscure the glow. Revon could tell though, with the way the clouds were bunching, that their weather would not stay pleasant for long.
The two women returned to camp shortly with their arms full of firewood, the guardian setting up a small fire quickly so that she could put a bit of soup on – happy that the small fold up pot and travel packet of soup that she’d packed had come in handy. Unfortunately she had forgotten anything like bowls to eat it out of, so her and Alex were forced to spoon it straight out of the pot for dinner (should Alex be hungry at all) but it wasn’t such a sacrifice considering what they’d already been through.
Finally, after talking for a little while, but too mentally and physically worn out to stay up much longer now that the adrenaline had worn off, Doucette and Ren tucked in, Doe more grateful to Zul for taking watch than she could express and Ren offering a warm smile as her own thanks.
Even the rain didn’t wake the redhead, though the frei awoke a few times to the sound and eventually went to keep Zul company. She was unused to sleeping much at night and not able to force herself much at this point. Although Revontulet joined him, she stayed silent for a long while, not sure what to say. Instead she just watched the rain fall, gathering on the leaves before pouring onto the ground.
It wasn’t until the first rumble of thunder in the distance that Doucette shot up with a wild, confused look in her eyes. Her head turned this way and that, confused about where she was in the unfamiliar location. Just when the recognition of where they were hit her, another soft roll of thunder in this distance let the woman know that a full storm would be upon them soon. Doe’s hand groped for something nearby that wasn’t to be found.
Please god, not a thunderstorm.
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Posted: Thu Aug 29, 2013 4:07 pm
The demon dipped his head at the gratitude expressed and shook it again slightly at the inquiries after his own health; he was fine, and Revontulet seemed to be hale enough to brush off any invitations of worry. Bidding Eiry a good night, he helped set up camp for his companions to sleep.
And so the night passed uneventful, with Zul steadily killing the requested tree before midnight, settling at its base and simply listening and watching for the remainder of the time. Joined by the young Frei, he gave her a warm smile that had less to do with politeness or comfort and instead was a gesture of gratitude for her company. He was just as content as she to remain in companionable silence, eyes turned skyward as the first peel of thunder rumbled in the distance. The demon couldn't stop the small needle of discontent that threaded through his heart just then; he wondered if Melisande would be okay, reminded so freshly of their last meeting...
Alex didn't sleep much, but she slept enough. With the humid air more cloying than before and the perpetual dampness now an actual wetness that clung to the skin, making a hot breakfast was out of the question. She set about dividing up some of the dry rations she had on her person for herself and Doe, having not prepared for feeding the Frei and extra Sigel. She'd have to hope they'd have that which would sustain them.
She glanced in quiet askance to Zul, who simply shook his head subtly at her. He wasn't hungry yet, even though his deep freeze had put his ice powers a diminished low; there would be no ice to feed from, so he would have to use it sparingly from there on-out.
Exhaling softly, the Italian looked between her stirring party and those already awake. Despite the looming thunderstorm, their objective hadn't changed. Once everyone was up and moving, they'd be on their way.
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Posted: Thu Aug 29, 2013 7:18 pm
Zul was quiet. Then again, was he supposed to be anything else? Eiry responded meagerly to Zul's nod of his chin, the shake of his head, but there was nothing more to their conversation than that. They had answered each other's questions and that was the end of their discourse. Zul owed nothing else to Eiry. Yet, why did the ghostly raevan feel hungry for more? He swallowed sadly, his eyes tracing the smile that Zul had turned towards Revontulet who joined him. Eiry remained at the other side of the tree, near its dying branches, wishing that there was something he could say to Zul to keep their conversation rolling. He was starved for discussion, but not with anyone else, just the demon raevan. He wanted to know more, to be able to talk with him about Rivener and how they felt towards one another, their plans, and their adventures. Eiry wanted to share stories about their families, to talk about simple things like what made them happy, jokes or songs, and what kind of food they enjoyed now that they each had a stomach, things like that. He wanted to get onto level grounds with him, earn his respect again, something. He sighed, looking down again to the branches separating him and the other raevans.
He had to do something. He wasn't sure what, but he had to find some way to earn Zul's respect again, to push their forced acquaintanceship towards something more. Eiry was no longer the frei that he was, a narrow minded and frightened little brat, desperate for attention and reaffirmation that he existed. Through everything, through trials and through laughter, he had grown, and he was different now. But the way that Zul looked at him...He was just a convenience to the group, an advantage thanks to his power, as well as someone that needed to be defended, not because he had any emotional worth, but because he was the brother to Zul's lover. It wasn't out of respect to Eiry, it was out of respect to Rivener. Without those ties, Eiry was...
Eiry grit his teeth and furrowed his brows, focusing again on the frost-bitten leaves of the tree before him. He had to stop thinking like that. Thinking like that would get him no where, and it certainly won't help him gain Zul's respect. If he really wanted to earn his good favor, Eiry would have to prove to him that he had grown and that he was worthwhile as an individual. An intellectual, Eiry reminded himself with a steadying breath, he was an intellectual with a passion for the celebration of life, the arts, the written word. He dealt with the immortal literature of those who were long dead, now resurrected through poetry and music. Like ghosts, they all are, just tangible things, like him, but ghosts nonetheless. And like the ghosts of artists and authors past, he deserved to be heard and appreciated.
Pressing his pale lips into a thin line, Eiry placed his hands among the dead branches, leaning close and inhaling, sucking the death from their branches so that, as he touched the knobs and ends of twigs, they burst back into life, new green leaves springing forth. He ate only half of the tree's death, leaving the other half for morning, and curled up among the branches beneath their lofty bow. He was a turquoise glimmer in the leaves, laying down to rest. Despite the horrors of the day, Eiry slept easily, exhausted by the toll on his magic and the trials of his body.
Ksss......
Eiry stirred. Awoken by the low roll of thunder, a prelude to the storm to come, he crawled out from his leafy tent and peered up at the dark forest above them. It was morning, he could smell it in the air, but the dampness of the trees and earth promised a wet morning. It had rained all night, but thanks to his tent, he escaped most of the heavy downpour. Nonetheless, he was still wet. Eiry shook himself awake, trying to rid himself from as much excess water as he could, extending his wings for a moment, before they hissed again from a drop of water falling upon them. It didn't hurt, but it did tickle. Thankfully, his ghost fire was no enemies with the rain, but he was still effected by it. It felt like someone sticking a wet finger in his ear, only that the feeling was centered in his wings. He shuddered, made a face, and pushed his skewed glasses up the bridge of his nose. First things first, though. Thanks to Zul, he had breakfast, and he broke off a couple of the branches and stowed them away in his backpack for later, should he need emergency rations. As for the rest of the tree, he devoured its death again, convincing the tree to spring to life. When he was done and fixed up, his clothes readjusted and his hair hand-brushed and just as wild as ever, the wet raevan nodded his good mornings.
"Morning! Morning. What a dreary day! All this new rain will either suffocate the humidity or ripen it to a thick haze, but regardless, it does feel much colder now, doesn't it? It's quite refreshing!" Eiry said aloud to anyone who was willing to hear. Idle chatter. That's all it was. Once they were all ready to go, the raevan peered into the forest, trying to gauge where they would advance next. "Whither and where is our precious doctor...? This rain won't do his condition any good...Not to mention ours...We must hurry before illness sets in."
Then, Eiry noticed Doucette's tense and scatterbrained look, her eyes staring suspiciously up at the dark clouds overhead, "...Lady Doucette? Beneath the trees, dear. Lightning will not harm us under the tree's protective boughs. It only strikes what's highest, does it not? Come, come. If you are so afraid of thunder, we may sing a little? If but to distract you."
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