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 Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2012 3:17 am
  WHO: Willow & Venice.
WHEN: Mid-Morning.
WHERE: The outskirts of Whi Forest.
WEATHER: Clear skies, windless but frosty none the less.
Her Papa had been working all morning, he was always so busy with the inn, which left the young girl to her own devices for a large proportion of the time. She had tried to spend time downstairs with him, but that did not really work out that well for either of them. People were just so boring, and they could not take a joke. Fake eyeballs in the soup, frogs in their beds, honey in shampoo bottles, all her best material fell flat and only resulted in angry, red faces and a scolding from Papa. Even when she was behaving there were rather uncomfortable questions. Papa had told them that she was his long lost daughter, the result of a fling he had when he was a teenager. Her said her Mother had passed away, which meant the child was not his to raise. It was such a scandal and the townsfolk often gossiped about it. Willow did not like people who talked about others behind their back, and they were often the targets of her pranks. In the end, she was banned from downstairs during opening hours.
The girl huffed again, Papa had left chores for her to do and books for her to read. He said that education and hard work were the key to success, but she did not want to partake in either activity, especially on her own. She wanted to play, she wanted to explore, she wanted out of this room right this second! The girl jumped to her feet and put on her long brown coat, a red scarf wrapped around her neck followed by a pair of red gloves, and ofcourse her trusty hat. A quick adventure was on the cards, and she would be back before Papa noticed she had gone. What he didn't know wouldn't hurt him and she was sure that she would learn more from life experiences than she would from books! Or that is what she would use as an excuse if she was caught. The girl opened her window, and then ever so carefully started climbing down the wall which was overrun by ivy, it made for something solid to grip to and before she new it her feet were on the ground and she was free.
She was one lucky enough to be blessed with a human appearance, and the townsfolk often overlooked her thinking she was just another little girl. She did not have to hide herself and had free roam no matter where she ventured. Not that she thought there was any reason why she should hide what she was, Papa just said it was better that way, that some people would get nervous knowing they had a Dust in their mist. Human's sometimes feared and ridiculed things they did not understand, that is what Papa said and for some reason those words hurt. To be honest she was unaware that there was more of her kind out there, or the odd appearances they could take on. After walking for a little while she passed straight through the centre of the city, and found herself heading towards the forest. There were two forests which wrapped around Amies, but Whi forest had always held her attention more.
Papa said it was a gateway to a magical world, where faeries, centaurs and unicorns roamed the land! Ever since then she was fascinated by it, it was a host of a whole bunch of fairytales and she had always wanted to know if the stories were true. Maybe today she would find out. She knew that Papa would have a fit if he knew she was heading there alone, but she was a big girl and she knew she could take care of herself. She did not understand why he had to worry all the time, if she knew he would be cool with her discussions maybe she would not have to lie to him so much. Not that he could scold her for it, he had lied to everybody about who she was and where she came from. Willow continued on her path, her imagination running wild with all the possible creatures she could find there. Maybe she would even find something that resembled her, she was magic afterall! Or at least, that was what she was told. Not that she had ever been able to do anything even remotely magical.... despite how she tried.
The leaves were an array of orange and gold and the ground was dank with those which had fallen and decomposed, tread in the dirt to create a muddy mush of earth and plantation. The air was thick with a moist smell which filled her nostrils with all the fragrances nature had to other, though in truth it was not really pleasant. The trees where silent and the wind was still, meaning the common rustling that one would hear was not present. However that did not mean the forest was barren, there was a scampering of little feet as animals scattered due to Willow's arrival, beady black eyes looking on from tree tops and forest dens. Birds, squirrels and even insects surrounded her, maybe more species if she cared to look for them. The leaves were dying, but that did not mean the forest was void of life. The girl breathed out heavily, watching mist escape her lips and disappear into the air. She was here now, her adventure was waiting for her and now it was time to find herself the magic she was looking for.
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Posted: Sat Nov 17, 2012 7:59 pm
Forests, Wren had said once to him, are living, sentient creatures.
Venice understood at once the warning in the huntsman's tone. An argument had already coiled in his throat, but he was wise enough to know when not to trigger the man's unfailingly cold temper. Swallowing the words in his mouth, the swan had merely nodded, wings stretching out in the cool morning air. He imagined Wren had a depth of knowledge that spurred such a statement, one that Venice could not argue against and win. When he had given no response apart from an understanding nod, Wren grunted and lifted himself to his feet, whistling for the wolf's attention. They left together, a beast and a human, to hunt for a living, to tread the sentient creatures den until night fell. Though which was truly the beast and truly the human was up to debate, Venice thought afterwards with a wry smile.
The words were left, mere trophies without purpose in the back of his mind.
Until now at least.
The stretches of the Whi Forest were vast and unyielding. Some said magic existed within their tangling branches and long, never ending paths. Some said practitioners of magic lived deep within, conducting dark spirits and sorcery to do their bidding. But that was a silly superstition. Humans, after all, would believe anything presented to them in the right light. Venice padded lightly through the loose knots and tangles of trees that served as an unofficial entrance just beyond the farmhouse, lips pursing as the sunlight became shattered and dim beneath the canopy of trees. There was a weight within the forest, unbidden and unseen. A thick and heady aura that seemed to draft between the trees an whisper of secrets and old magic. Ancient magic. It is a living, sentient creature, Wren had said. Tread carefully. Or lose your head.
Now, perhaps, Venice was beginning to understand.
The soft fur of the heavy cloak he wore tickled at his skin as he walked, the sound of civilization drifting further and further away the longer he continued on. There was a minute hesitance in his step that sturdied out the longer he trailed the unseen paths of the forest. Why was he here? What if someone saw? He could have just stayed at the house. But no. He wanted to stretch his wings, and the forest was closer to the sky than any room with four walls could ever be. Sleeping beneath a low knot of branches, Venice made a soft noise of appreciation at the clearing ahead of him, fenced in by the wiry roots of trees. Sunlight pooled messily in corners and in blurry edges, giving enough light but not enough at all to be uncomfortable.
Sighing as he turned in a full circle, Venice made a not of the certain lack of humanity anywhere around with a pleased rumble. This was as close to perfect as he would get. Unclasping the cloak from his shoulders, the Dust shrugged it away and folded the dark blue fabric over and over again in his hands until it was a bundle. Crouching, he draped it against the base of one of the wiry trees, roots splaying out in thick, puzzling chords across the ground. Some large, some small, some knotted and diving. All of them covered in the color of autumn. "Ah." Venice murmured, straightening with a groan. After days spent roaming with a great portion of his body held in stasis, awakening his wings from the stiffness of being stone still was difficult.
Unfurling them was a slow and leisurely process. The thick white appendages stretched from their base against his back, snow white just like his hair. Once they had stretched out to their full width, almost longer that his own upper body, Venice gave them a tentative few flaps, causing leaves to flicker and shift beneath the pale autumn light. "That's better." he murmured, humming as he curved one around, running fingers delicately between the feathers. The frosty chill in the air was a slight hindrance, but compared to the need to stretch his wings, it became little more than a soft irritation butting its head up against his skin. He would have continued the slow regeneration of mobility to his wings had it not been for the slight snap and crackle of branches that did not belong to the wind, the shift in air and the by now nearly familiar pull on his core.
Another bottle-born? Here, of all places? Venice lifted his head to the clearing, sleek and regal and so very curious about what else was out here now. Fear might have clung to his ancestor's bones at the thought of a predator within the underbrush, but pride clung to him instead, forcing him to forgo any thought of fleeing at the simple scent of something new.
"Hello?" His tone was inquisitive and quiet. If someone was out there, it was their move now. He could do little more than wait.
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Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2012 1:29 am
Willow had spotted someone, he had appeared not too far away, and as soon as he had she had run behind a nearby tree to do a little spying. She was not a shy creature by any means, instead she liked examining people before she got close, it is how she differentiated between friend and foe, victim or ally. So for now she held her tongue and looked over at the white haired boy with mild interest. Truthfully, she thought she was the only child dumb enough to wander into this place alone, seeing someone else here was a surprise. The Pumpkin Dust squinted, the boy seemed to have some strange markings on his face, but she could not make them out clearly from this distance.
Then with one rather swift movement he took off his cloak and the girl straightened up with a surprised jump, her wide eyes looking off into the opposite direction. She must be seeing things, right? Willow blinked and then looked around the tree once more. No, her eyes told the truth, the boy.... he had wings? Was that even possible? Willow crouched down and took a moment to swallow the information that she had gathered. She had never seen a human with wings before, which meant the boy was not a human. Was he the magic she was looking for? Faust often said Dust's come in different shapes and sizes, some looking more human than others. Did that mean, this angel like figure was a Dust like her? Wow, she suddenly felt like she drew she short straw! Nothing about her was nearly that awesome! God Damnit! She sighed and hung her head, reflecting how boring she must seem to others of her kind.
Then his body language changed, she did not know what she had done to make her presence known, but she was caught. As his greeting reached her eyes she went back to hiding, feeling rather awkward. What was she meant to say? Sorry I was just back here staring at your... things. She rolled her eyes, that sounded so lame. No, she was just a girl collecting flowers and passing by. Even though she carried no basket and had no flowers. Meh, she would think of something! Anything was better than the truth. The Pumkpin Dust stood up, straightened out her long coat, cleared her throat and skipped over to the other. She jumped up onto a large tree root and ducked under long branches, weaving in and out of the forest like a child who was very used to manoeuvring around trees and foliage. In an odd way, she saw everything that grew as a distant relative of hers. It made vegetables nearly cannibalism in her eyes, or at least that was her cleaver excuse for not eating them because they all taste like feet.
A wide smirk formed on her lips as she got closer to him, and there was only one topic on her mind. "Hey. Can you fly? Or are they just for show?" It was straight to the point, direct and maybe a little forward. However she was already fixated on them, it was human nature to want to conquer the skies, she often wondered what it would be like to have a magic broomstick, to go where she wanted with the minimum of effort. She wanted to know what the clouds felt like, and feel the wind through her hair whilst looking down at the tiny, doll sized world bellow her. A twinge of jealousy struck her stomach, but it was subdued by awe. They were beautiful! He was beautiful! She just could not get over it, or stop smiling.
At this distance she was able to see the markings on his face, and the strange colour of his eyes. She leaned forward a little, her idea of personal space clearly none existent, or simply ignored. "Wow, you look so cool! So not fair!" She folded her arms and pouted, she had nothing that badass hidden away! Heck if she had those flappers she would not hide them from the world! What was he thinking!
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