[PRP] Meeting of Minds - Paion x Rosalind [RP 2024]

[Avid_RPer18]

Word list -

Besotted: Strongly infatuated
Pre-conceived: (an idea or opinion) formed before having the evidence for its truth or usefulness.
Ruptured: break or burst suddenly; breach or disturb
Still: not moving or making a sound
Audience: spectators or listeners at a public event
Contribute: give in order to help achieve or provide
Day-dreaming: what you do in class when bored with the lesson
Bane: Cause of great distress or annoyance
Cutting: the action of cutting something (when the definition, uses the word you are defining)
Scalding: HOT, BURNS
Familiar: in close friendship; well known from close association
Interpretation: the action of explaining the meaning of something.
Basket: where the babies are
Feline: relating to or affecting cats or other members of the cat family.
Doggerel: verse or words that are badly written or expressed; nonsense, drivel.
Ricochet: A glancing rebound of a projectile off a flat surface
Halcyon: a period of time in the past that was happy and peaceful
Budding: (of a plant) having or developing buds.
(of a part of the body) becoming larger as part of the process of normal growth.
(of a person) beginning and showing signs of promise in a particular career or field.
Annual: Occurring once every year
Draconic: Very harsh and severe law/treatment; features resembling a dragon  

[Avid_RPer18]

Paion was oft loathe to leave his herb beds and set creches where he worked to dry or powder botanicals for medicines, or turning them into pastes or ointments for topical applications, or tending to ill or injured herdmates, but things were relatively quite calm on the home front as far as the general health of the herd was concerned. This being the case, the herbalist had sought out an audience with the herd's alpha to request permission to depart from the herd, just for a short time, to venture out to see if he could collect some cuttings or shoots of some particular plants that he knew of that could be entering into their annual budding season that had some pretty punchy medicinal properties. If he timed it well, he could collect some of the buds before they opened and they could also be used in teas, but only if they could be harvested before they opened.

The stallion swore that it'd be a week, maybe a week and a few days, max that he'd be away. Such delicate collections had relatively small windows that they'd keep their potency anyway, so he wouldn't even want to be out and about that long anyway. After some deliberation, Paion was given the go ahead to go on his venture for the duration of the suggested time away, since it was going to contribute to the overall wellbeing of the herd and would assist in his own workings. The stallion thanked the leadership and excused himself to return to his nest to make himself ready to depart. He donned a basket hung around his neck for ease in collecting, but paused as his eyes passed over his herb beds, a contemplative hum rumbling low in his throat. He'd have work to do when he got back. Since Paion didn't presently have an apprentice or anyone familiar with the times for prepping the soil to make it ready for the upcoming planting and growing seasons, he'd have to play a bit of catch up when he got back. With how protective of his spaces he was, he wasn't especially wanting to randomly choose someone to leave instructions for. With how persnickety he was fully aware that he could be, the wind serpent worried that directions left behind may read as absolute doggerel to whomever selected to help him. No, he didn't want to leave anything up for interpretation, so Paion would just take care of things when he got back. He wasn't going for long. He shook himself to shake off the day-dreaming. No time to waste! He had a couple of days of travel ahead of him.

Once satisfied with his bit of prep, Paion unfurled his leathery wings and then took to the sky. His was looking for, ideally, old growth forest or similar enough thick woodland with a few specific species of plants that were due to come into season. And so he went, flying mostly, but taking breaks to walk or rest, making his travel time to the general area about two and a half days. With the trees looking denser and denser, Paion felt it was time to hoof it. Coasting in, he angled and beat his wings as he came in to land in a pretty small clearing. Pausing to look around, blinking to help his eyes adjust to the relative dim under the canopy, the stallion slowly began to walk to attempt to get his bearings.

[WC: 580 || 10/20]

show spoilerhide spoiler

Words left to use: besotted, preconceived, ruptured, still, bane, scalding, feline, ricochet, halcyon, draconic

Dea and #Teddy#

 

[Dea and #Teddy#]

Rosalind had promised Lilura that she would scout around the forest for any ingredients she might need for her newest concoction and any other mixtures she needed to make. It would also give her a chance to scout around the area, to make sure there was no one encroaching on the herd territory that may bring harm to their herd. Beside her trotted her familiar, Usha, who felt that an extra pair of eyes would be for the best. The feline pure shifter didn't know what she would do without her beloved bonded. The pair were keeping their senses about them, just to make sure nothing caught them by surprise.

"Lilura said that some of the flowers should be budding, but others should be more fully in bloom. She requested us to get some of both, but specifically a plant that is one that is only an annual occurrence for a short amount of time. She told me exactly where it should be found, so we shouldn't struggle getting it for her. You know this is why she is one of the ones who helps with some of the different roles of the herd,"the shifter spoke to her bonded with a swish of her tail. She was honored to be friends with the little mini, who was such a delight to learn from and interact with. The cat like shifter may have began day-dreaming about what rare things she might find, that Lilura herself may not have known the herd possessed.

"I imagine that she is hoping we might find something she can study, that we as a herd have just not gotten to yet. Maybe some potions she can make to help any future basket or baskets any of the herd may have if they get sick. I would imagine that would be a big way to contribute..."Usha began, before the wolf with draconic parts stood still.

"Let's see who is in the forest, I don't think Aiyana and Star were expecting company,"Rosalind whispered to her friend. She walked as quietly as she could, wanting to get a better look, hoping it might just be a bigger critter roaming around. She looked to Usha who followed after her, seeing her counterpart being as careful as she was. When they got close enough to where they heard the movements, she motioned to her wolf that they needed to observe whoever and whatever was here. She peeked through some foliage, seeing what looked like a snake like Soquili or dragon like, it was really open to ones interpretation. She knew they should confront the other and see what business they had here, maybe they wanted to become friends with the herd. Or maybe they had heard of something here that could not be found elsewhere, she wouldn't know until she asked. She wondered if the Soquili knew that they had an audience, she wouldn't be surprised if they sensed their presence.

"Hello, can we help you?"she called out to the other Soquili, remembering she represented her herd. (WC: 508 ) (Words from list: 11/20)

Avid_RPer18

 

[Avid_RPer18]

As he walked, Paion was searching his memory for the specifics of the particular trees and shrubs he was looking for around this time of year. The sought after trees that the budding around this time of year had palmate leaves, smooth grey-green bark. When fully bloomed, the blossoms were soft pink in color, which contrasted the more intense brighter pink of the buds. It had been a few years since he'd last seen and sought out said plants, but that felt correct. So, that's where his focus was.

Treading into a, not a clearing exactly, but a place where the trees were thinner, letting wider shafts of sunlight filtering through the crowns and canopy overhead to shine through the younger growth springing up here. The stallion's gaze followed the trunks up to peer up at the foliage and branches. Yep, it looked like he was in the correct place. Higher up in some of these younger trees, he could see mostly fully open blooms and further out from the trunk were everything from the tiniest subtly fuzzy starts to buds to half open blossoms. Paion was suddenly stricken with a feeling of nostalgia, a memory of one of the more halcyon days of his youth dredged up maybe by the play of the sunlight through the leaves, or something similarly ephemeral. It was a day not dissimilar to this one. Spring was warming lands, flora and fauna stirring back into lively abundance, the scalding heat of summer beyond the minds of the inhabitants of the area.

He had been feeling better, actually better and he and his mother were on the move. She kept urging caution for him to not overexert himself, but he, a little gangly colt, was excited to feel up to being out and about, to move his body without feeling exhausted, was feeling spritely. How he wanted to strengthen his wings, absolutely besotted with the thought of taking to the sky as he often saw his mother doing. He kept rearing up and beating his small, leathery, draconic wings, or kicking up his heels as he jumped or trotted over roots. At least until his carrying on had him landing on his rump after a time or two. Paion's mother tutted him and stated that he was getting too worked up and he needed a nap. Oh, how he had fussed, how he tried to assure he that he wasn't tired. The mare found a tree and spent a little time scraping a bit of a bowl amid the roots, pebbles and small stones bouncing and ricocheting away from the little temporary nest that she was preparing. Once she had been satisfied that the place was good enough, she stepped aside and told him to lay down. Grumbling and whining, he dutifully did so, tucking his legs up underneath him with a little flop as he pouted. The wind picked up and the leaves seemed to dance overhead, the shadows and sun playing in shades of green. Paion didn't remember being tired but, before he knew it, he had been out like a light. That seemed like yesterday...

A voice nearby snapped him from his reverie, the bubble of memory ruptured, and Paion froze stock still as the reality of the now required his attention, his eyes and head being the first things to slowly turn to look at the source. A Soquili and a wolf? The feline hide on the Soquili made him pause. A shifter? He couldn't recall ever having met one... or having heard talk of them in his circles. With no preconceived notions on the matter that really leapt out at him, Paion shook himself out with a slow exhale and responded.

"Ah, apologies. Hello. Have I... trespassed? Or are you here for the trees as well? I got a little distracted there, but I wanted to come here in time to collect a sampling of the buds, maybe some other herbs and plants more native around here before I return home. If that would be allowed, of course, and I'm not going to collect enough to impact the local sources. Perish the thought... I'm a herbalist and these don't grow around where I live..." The wind serpent said with a little upward nod to the trees around them.

[WC: 718 | | 19/20]

show spoilerhide spoiler

Words left to use: bane

Dea and #Teddy#

 

[Dea and #Teddy#]

Rosalind noticed the Soquili she was addressing had seemed deep in their mind, hoping that she did not startle him too badly. She waited for him to gather his bearings once more, knowing what it was like to be lost in thought. When she met someone who she had become besotted with since then, she had been lost in singing at the time. She didn't know what would happen with those feelings, only time would tell. While she could write poetry for him, she wanted to get to know him even better, so her verses would not have any needless doggerel in them, she always wanted her words to flow as lovely as ever. The time she met that certain someone, it had been a halcyon time of her life and for that of the herd, a time when nothing seemed to be able to go wrong. Yes, the herd always had its ups and downs, but that was the way it was when dealing with a herd.

Her attention was brought back to the present, when the other spoke up, apologizing, before asking if they were trespassing. She listened as they spoke about how they were here to get a sampling of some of the buds that called this forest home. It seemed they would also like to gather some other herbs and plants, from the sounds of it, to learn more about what cannot be found in their own home. They were an herbalist, so they knew to be cautious on what they took, so they did not disrupt the ecosystem that blossomed here. She couldn't imagine that Aiyana or Star would mind the other collecting some samples to take home with them. It would be a good way to have a new ally, especially if this stallion belonged to a herd they could befriend as well.

"No need to apologize, you did not know a herd lived around this part of the forest. My name is Rosalind, I am part of the Odakota Herd that calls this area of the forest home. I was just out to collect some plants myself, for a friend who would like some for her own concoctions for the herd. Why don't you come with me, maybe we can get all the plants we both desire. I also assure you, that despite being a shifter, I am one of the good ones who just wants to help,"Rosalind explained to him. She didn't want to get any pre-conceived notions from him because of what she was. It had not occurred to her that he had not met one of her kind or known what reputation some shifters had. She was always prepared to explain herself, she knew that there were evil shifters who were a bane for all of those shifters like herself who were trying to do good in this world. She could only hope she, the other shifters who belonged to Odakota Herd, and others like them would show the different sides of shifters.

"If you would follow me, I will lead you in the direction of some plants my friend mentioned on where they were located. She said some only appear once a year, so maybe it will help you with your quest. I am sure we could have you meet our Alphas at some point, Odakota is always looking to make more allies,"the feline shifter explained. She began walking in the direction of the location Lilura had given her directions to. Lilura had made sure to be very precise with her words, not leaving any doubt in her words. It was quiet while she began to lead the way, at least until the silence was ruptured by something ricocheting off a nearby tree. A worried look came to her eyes, as she went to check on what it was that had come in so hot. She soon found a little bird, who seemed to be a little dazed. She placed a gentle claw on their body, wincing lightly at how scalding hot they seemed to be, probably the heat of the day getting to them. She knew there was a pond near, so scooped up the bird gently and walked over to the lake near by. Once there, she gently used some of the water to cool the bird.

"If you would like to look around at some of the plants around the pond, I am sure our alphas would not mind. Just gently take whatever cuttings you may like, I will be here to help anyway I can,"she explained gently to the other Soquili. She would need to get their name before this day was over. (WC: 781) (Words from list: 20/20)

Avid_RPer18

 

[Avid_RPer18]

Paion nodded as he listened attentively to the shifter's, Rosalind's, introduction and explanation that while he was technically trespassing, because he wasn't here with malicious intent, having fully laid what he was there for out in the open and while, she extended an invite to come along and they could collect plants together. Hm. Having someone familiar with the locations of the native plants would make for a more efficient trip. The stallion had blinked his eyes at the added disclosure about her own nature as a shifter. Again, he dipped his head in acknowledgement.

"Duly noted, Rosalind. My name is Paion, I am a Wind Serpent. That is my herd. Your herd's forests here are far more temperate than the jungles of my home. Since you're offering, I'd welcome the assistance of someone with the knowledge of the area, where such plants may be found. It'd make my trip here all the likely that I can complete the goals I'd set out for myself, for the things I need... or would like to find, at least. So... thank you. I'd appreciate that."

The stallion made a mental note of this stand of trees and dutifully fell into step with the shifter, keeping a respectful distance while still being within easy talking range. The mention of him maybe meeting their Alphas at some point had him tipping his head side to side thoughtfully. That was a level of attention he hadn't planned for, but perhaps as an unexpected guest in their lands it would be proper, and Rosalind seemed a decent sort herself, with her talk of ally-ship and her offer to help. "I would be amiable... If anything, the more information I could bring back to my Alpha from my jaunt here could only help with any decisions she could make."

The Wind Serpent and the shifter circulated through various patches, strands, beds, and fields of shrubs, flowers, greenery, stands, carefully collecting the plants he had come for and then some. Paion had stopped at a bountiful patch of flea-bane, a highly useful plant from roots to flowers. Funny enough, did nothing for biting pests, but could be used for clearing coughs and congestion, alleviate headaches, if brewed as a tea, it could help break fevers, all sorts. While collecting a few specimens, Paion looked up to see Rosalind seemed to be looking at a small bird. He watched as she collected the bird up and carried it closer to the nearby pond. With his basket just about full, he followed along. His alert, curious expression softened ever so slightly at seeing she was helping the little thing.

After the little avian was seeming to be on the mend, Paion did tag along to introduce himself to the leadership, again apologized for trespassing, but did express his appreciation at being allowed to collect what he needed to bring home. It had been a fair time! With a few farewells, Paion made some mental notes of things he needed to pass on to his own herd's leaders and took to the skies to head on home.

FIN

[WC: 516 | | 20/20]

Dea and #Teddy#