Fantasy Poisoned Land - [ Zazz & Phoenix ]

[PhoenixMire]

Sylven smiled, somewhat self-consciously brushing her hair with her fingers and tucking a few strands of it behind her ear. She accepted a skewer of meat with a nod of thanks. Eagerly, she bit into it, savoring the taste of fresh food instead of the usual dried rations. The way the Virdan preserved meat was quite delicious - but the hard texture could still get tiring after a while.

Veyen and Tethran both accepted their servings with a quiet “thank you”, happily devouring the food.

As she ate, the clanmaid noticed the small wordless exchange between Haethryl and Azaria, and she cocked her head a little in confusion. What was that about? Probably none of her business. She shrugged away the curiosity and focused on finishing her food.

Veyen smiled widely at his new friend. He grinned, wiping his lips after a bite of meat. “I was thinking all night about how we grow some of your plants in our more humid climate,” he gushed. “I think nature magic could help! There’s so much knowledge both our clans could share, don’t you think?”

 

[Zazz]

"Nice cloak,  Lady Sylven," Haethryl said, grinning.

"I swear to all of the ancestors, I will cut off your ear," Azaria threatened. The other warrior laughed, earning him a hiss.

Brandyl glanced up at the two of them, confused, but had his attention drawn back to Veyen. "I think that would be neat! Do, uh... Do all of your people use nature magic? Or only some?" He had no idea how magic worked.

 

[PhoenixMire]

Sylven blinked in confusion, then made a small gasp. “Oh! I did not mean to take your cloak, Azaria. My apologies.” She handed the garment back to the other woman, completely missing the joke between the two Duindôr, instead thinking Azaria was bothered about the clanmaid holding onto something that wasn’t hers.

Off to the side, Tethran hid a snicker behind his fist.

Veyen didn’t even seem to notice the other conversation going on. He studied Brandyl’s face, considering how different their two clans were, and how strange his life would be without nature magic. “Everyone has the ability to learn nature magic, technically… as for whether we all do it, not really. The clanmother says I have a natural talent for it. Tethran can’t do any to save his life.” He smiled in the older hunter’s direction.

Tethran furrowed his brow as he caught Veyen’s gaze. “What? Are you talking about me?”

“Nothing!” Veyen chirped. He turned back to Brandyl. “Most of us don’t have to learn it if we don’t want to. The only ones it’s required of are the clanmothers or clanfathers, their next in line, and our healers.”

 

[Zazz]

Brandyl listened intently. He was excited by the possibility that he, too, might have the capacity to learn to use nature magic. "Could... Do you think I could learn?" It would be incredibly helpful, back at home. It could help his clan exponentially. "We could grow back the forest so much faster!"

Haethryl had to walk away in order to not say anything, making eye contact with the elder Virdan hunter. He shook his head, grinning.

Meanwhile, Azaria grumbled about Haethryl being a snot-toothed boar and took her cloak. "It's fine." She blew on the last piece of snake and chomped into it, ignoring the heat rising to her face.

 

[PhoenixMire]

Veyen visibly perked up at Brandyl's words. "You probably could! I could try to teach you!" His hazel eyes glittered in excitement. "I'm still learning, though... Lady Sylven is much better than me. You could ask her?"

With brows knitting together in concern, Sylven kept flicking her gaze between Haethryl and Azaria. Had she truly upset the other woman so much, just by using her cloak for the night? And here she thought she was making progress, getting close to the Duindôr... but Azaria seemed upset. Sylven cocked her head. "I truly am sorry. You could use my bedroll and I'll take first watch next time, if that will help."

Tethran tried not to make it obvious that he was eavesdropping on the women.

 

[Zazz]

Brandyl's face lit up. "Maybe you can teach me the basics. So I don't embarrass my whole clan," he joked, glancing at Sylven. She could be a little intimidating, in her own way.

Azaria groaned. "It's really not a big deal. I left it there, myself. Haethryl is just the BIGGEST ASSHOLE EVER," she said, raising her voice for Haethryl to hear. A deep bellow of laughter could be heard from his direction.

 

[PhoenixMire]

Veyen grinned widely. "Yes - all right, I'll teach you! Just a little though, since I'm no expert myself. How soon do you want to start?" He was clearly very excited about teaching his new friend some magic. Sharing his passions was something he took great joy in, and the young hunter was practically beaming as he tapped his chin in thought, wondering what to start teaching Brandyl first.

"Ah. All right?" Sylven said slowly, raising a brow. Haethryl seemed greatly amused by the whole thing - perhaps everything was fine after all, and the two were simply sharing some joke she didn't understand. That seemed the most likely. She clutched her staff tightly and, having finished off the meat, suggested they move on.

Tethran shook his head almost imperceptibly. He stood, brushing off some dandelion fluff that the breeze had carried to his tunic, then stretched his arms over his head. He supposed he was as ready as he'd ever be to continue their journey.

 

[Zazz]

"You could teach me some on the way," Bran suggested, washing the salt from his hand with some water from his waterskin. He wiped his hand dry on his tunic. "I'm sure we'll be leaving soon." He looked over his shoulder at Haethryl, who was doubled over in laughter. "...What did we miss?"

"Nothing," Azaria snapped, still red in the face. "Tethran and Veyen, you're on clean up. We need to get moving." She shoved the rest of the meat in her mouth and stood, grumbling, "I have to piss." And walked off.

 

[PhoenixMire]

"All right! I think I'll start with just sensing magic. That's an easy place to begin," he rambled. But he too turned toward a laughing Haethryl and shared Brandyl's confusion. "What happened?" he asked, blinking.

Tethran threw his hands in the air in frustration. "Cleanup?" he complained, but it was impossible to hide the grin on his face. Spirits, these two women were idiots! But it was fun. Maybe these Duindôr weren't so bad after all. Still smiling, he got to work cleaning up, Veyen working quickly beside him, though the younger hunter still seemed completely puzzled.

Once they were done, they set off north again.

 

[Zazz]

This time, Azaria walked ahead, stewing over how frustrating Haethryl could be. It was just a cloak, she thought to herself. Just a nice thing to do. "Snot-toothed boar," she grumbled to herself.

Haethryl nudged Tethran with his elbow, grinning at the two women. "How long do you think it'll take?" He asked amusedly.

"How long will what take?" Asked Brandyl, who glanced back at them.

"Nothing, Bran. Talk about plants or something."

 

[PhoenixMire]

Sylven could not quite understand why Azaria seemed so frustrated. Was the other woman all right? What had happened during the night that had her so upset? And what in the Spirits' names did Haethryl find so funny? She felt so out of the loop! As a clanmaid, she sort of had to know every Virdan's business - it was her purpose to care for her clan, after all. So not knowing what on earth was going on felt a little frustrating.

Tethran snickered. He bit his knuckle to keep the sound from turning into a loud cackle. "Knowing Lady Sylven? Centuries. They'll both be skeletons," he said quietly enough so only Haethryl could hear. "One of the women back in Virdan dropped hints that she liked Lady Sylven for five summers. She only understood after I spelled it out for her!" Grinning widely, he shook his head in amusement. "Too late by then. The woman had moved on."

Veyen blinked. He leaned a little closer to Brandyl. "...What are they talking about?" he asked, puzzled.

 

[Zazz]

The young alchemist shrugged. "I have no idea." And truthfully, he did not. It was, however, refreshing to see the two men getting along, regardless of what mysteriously funny topic had brought them together so suddenly.

"So, how do you sense magic? Do you sense it all the time? Is it something you have to consciously do?"

Haethryl practically giggled, doing his best to keep it quiet so he didn't, in fact, get his ear cut off. "Five summers?!? Wow. That explains so much." Azaria, up ahead, stooped to brush the tall grass tips with the palm of her hand. "Az is usually much more forward, at least. We've all lost count of how many bodies she's racked up."

 

[PhoenixMire]

Veyen furrowed his thin brows in confusion. It made him happy to see his brother-figure getting along with the man he'd seemed to so deeply hate not too long ago, but why were they getting along? He didn't understand the older elves. Adults were so confusing. At Brandyl's question, the young hunter shook himself from his thoughts, glancing up to meet his new friend's eyes. "Ah! Right! So... when you're first starting out, you have to focus to sense magic. But when you get skilled enough, you'll sense it automatically in large enough quantities, like Lady Sylven and our clanmother." He brushed his hair away from his face as he walked. "I still have to focus my own magic."

Tethran shook his head. "Yeah. She's intelligent, she'll be a good clanmother when ours passes on. She's just - not smart in these types of situations." His smile fell a bit at Haethryl's next words. "Hmm. Not sure how Lady Sylven will feel about that." But he shrugged his shoulders. He supposed he'd simply have to sit back and see how things developed. At the very least, it would be interesting, but he didn't want his clanmaid getting hurt in the process. He was trying to change his mind on these Duindôr, really he was, but the decades of mistrust was hard for him to cast aside so easily.

 

[Zazz]

Brandyl nodded along as he listened. "I see. And.. how exactly do you focus it? How do you even know what you're trying to sense?" With alchemy, there were things you could physically see, physically smell. Magic was unknown.

Haethryl sighed, remembering their... 'conversation' from earlier in their journey. "I'm curious. Do you Virdan not have any physical relations before you, ah, get married?" He couldn't personally see himself with one person for the rest of his life. If he died, he would want his loved ones to move on, keep living.

Azaria had finally calmed down, and was watching the herd of wild horses they had seen the day before. They were majestic, free beings. They didn't know the world was filled with horrors. Only grass, and the sun on their backs. She envied their ignorance, if only for a moment.

 

[PhoenixMire]

How to explain magic to someone who'd never sensed it before? Veyen tapped his chin in thought, trying to recall what he'd been taught from many years ago. "Look at the grass, as it moves in the breeze. Or the trees standing tall. Think about their spirits, their life. Think about what the grass may be trying to say to you. Really focus on that. And then you'll... you'll feel... um." Veyen paused to think of how to describe it. "Sort of like, a tingling sensation in your fingers, a warmth in your chest, that tells you the magic is there."

Tethran looked away, face flushing at Haethryl's question. "It. ...Depends. Most Virdan don't, no. Because we're stronger when devoted to one another, instead of running off and..." He trailed off, arms crossed tightly, staring unseeing into the long grasses as they walked. "Forget it."

Sylven kept glancing to Azaria, wondering what that morning had been about. She still didn't really understand. But she also lacked the courage to come right out and ask. She wanted so desperately for their two clans to get along, and it seemed to be going so well, and what if she said something stupid to ruin it all... She took a deep breath to calm herself. The clanmother did say Sylven tended to worry over nothing sometimes. So she tried to focus on something else. "The horses are so beautiful, aren't they?"

 

[Zazz]

The Duindôr woman glanced at Sylven, who seemed to have caught up with her, and smiled, running her hand along the tallest blades of grass. "They are," she agreed. The horse were grazing far enough not to be disturbed.

Looking up at the clouds dotting the sky, she inhaled deeply. The grass was fragrant with the beginnings of springtime. "What is your clanmother like? And... Why send a child so far from home?" It wasn't an accusation, merely curiosity.

Haethryl's brow furrowed, and he looked over at the hunter. "And what?" He genuinely wanted to know about their strange customs.

 

[PhoenixMire]

"They make me miss our unicorns, I have to admit." Sylven sighed wistfully. She too began to run her hands along the tops of the long grass, enjoying the feeling of them tickling her palms. It was a beautiful day. The air was warmer than it had been in a while, and it gave the clanmaid some hope that the curse wasn't quite as bad as she'd thought. Perhaps they really did have hope to turn the tides before the plague consumed the land.

At Azaria's question, Sylven sighed deeply, an exhaustion and heaviness in the sound. "I, for one, told the clanmother I didn't think it was a good idea to send Veyen along. But things are... complex. The mother, her advisor, and many of the clansfolk debated the choice for far too long. I was one of the ones against sending Veyen." She shook her head. "Apologies. That wasn't your question. Truthfully, some of our more experienced hunters have fallen ill, and the rest, we desperately needed to stay back and protect Virdan in case of any problems. Veyen is beyond his years with his talents - he already shows great promise for nature magic, and he's a prodigy with a bow. It was decided that some of our elder hunters would stay in Virdan, and Veyen would come with us."

Sylven pursed her lips. "The clanmother is kind and intelligent. She is very good at leading us. And she lectures us quite a lot." She laughed quietly at that. "I don't always agree with her, but I respect her deeply. And I hope she made the right choice in sending Veyen with us."

Tethran only met Haethryl's purple eyes for a moment before staring back into the grasses. He clenched his jaw tightly. "Instead of the man you're supposed to wed bedding a woman all while lying to your face about it." His words were quiet but full of rage.

 

[Zazz]

Oof. Haethryl grimaced, tugging on his earlobe. "Yeah... That's not... That's unpleasant," he agreed, clearing his throat. "It doesn't work without honesty. One's intentions should be made clear." He firmly believed that. There was no fun to be had by anyone if even one party was dishonest.

Azaria nodded, understanding the clanmother's logic. It was part of the reason she had not protested Brandyl's accompaniment, despite his youth and inexperience. Though, at the very least, Bran was considered an adult. Veyen was a meee child, by elven standards. She glanced back at the two misfits, finding them engulfed in some terribly intriguing discussion. "Well, at least they have each other." She recalled the orc attack, when the boy had frozen when told to run, and she frowned.

Returning her attention to Sylven, she asked, "Do you have many elders?"

 

[PhoenixMire]

"It's fine," Tethran said curtly. It was very clearly not fine. "I was younger. Stupid. Barely an adult. Can't believe I actually thought he cared about me. So I suppose I don't really understand how it can be pleasant for your partner if you're bedding others." He cast a quick, nervous glance in Sylven's direction, worried she was hearing his rant, but she seemed to be enthralled in conversation with Azaria. "Uh, no offense, I mean."

Sylven followed Azaria's gaze, also watching as Brandyl and Veyen rambled together about something or other. Magic, perhaps? She caught a mention of spellcasting, but turned her attention away again. "I'm glad Veyen's found a friend. Brandyl seems like a fine young man, very kind." She turned to Azaria, cocking her head a little. "Elders? You mean like your councilors, or simply older members of the clan? We don't have councilors like you do, but we have many folk who have lived to an old age. Their input in the clan is valued, because they have the wisdom of centuries, but we don't hold them in higher regard than our youth. The young ones are the future of the clan and all have a voice in decisions." Her mind flashed back to a couple of particularly stupid young elves that had tried to befriend a puma in order to pull their cart during migration, and had been narrowly saved by a Virdan unicorn. "...Well. Most have a voice, unless they're idiots."

 

[Zazz]

Haethryl nodded thoughtfully, perhaps beginning to understand. He patted the younger man on the back in sympathy. "I suppose it's different, for others. I'm sorry you went through that. I can't say I've been with someone who felt the way you do, but perhaps we are simply different breeds of men." He wondered to himself whether humans thought the way he did, or the way Tethran did.

Azaria laughed. "Yes, well, sometimes they can be." One of the horses met her gaze; a rich brown one that had a big white patch on one of its legs. A few of the others looked their way. "Our alchemists tend to live the longest, provided they aren't slaughtered in a raid on our home. ...Or picked off when gathering outside the wall." So many of her people had been lost to the orcs. "Lorthren, one of our councilors, he's about... 140? He's likely the eldest of all of us."

 

[PhoenixMire]

Tethran found himself surprised by the other man's gentleness. Some of his anger at the memories departed, and he glanced up to meet Haethryl's gaze. "Uh... thank you," he said, somewhat awkwardly, unsure what else to say. But he appreciated it. "I guess we are just different. Lady Sylven told me being unique is what makes us all beautiful. Or, some such sappy nonsense." He grinned.

Sylven winced at the thought of most the Duindôr dying young. 140, for a Virdan, meant they still had a good amount of life left in them. Poor Azaria. How did she deal with it? The clanmaid supposed it was normal for her... "I'm sorry," she murmured. "Perhaps our clans can reunite again someday. Sooner rather than later, I hope, and I believe we will all be stronger together."

 

[Zazz]

The Duindôr warrior laughed. "Women."

Brandyl and Veyen were still discussing the particulars of magic, completely unaware of the surrounding conversations. "How come Lady Sylven has a staff, but you do not? How do you cast spells? Do you cast spells? Does it make you tired?"

"Sorry? You did nothing. It's just... How things are." Azaria was nearly halfway to the elder alchemist's age, and she had the scars to show it. "Perhaps this adventure will be the start of that," she said, glancing at the clanmaid beside her with a small smile.

Up ahead, they could begin to see the edge of human life; a fairly large dwelling with small, moving dots behind a wooden fence peeked into view as they passed over a hill. "Looks like we might have a real bed, tonight."

 

[PhoenixMire]

Tethran chuckled at that. "Yes. Women," he sighed, running his fingers through his hair. Perhaps he had misjudged the Duindôr - Haethryl didn't seem so bad.

Veyen looked at Brandyl with a huge grin plastered on his face the entire conversation. His cheeks were beginning to hurt from it, in fact. "I don't have a staff - you don't need one to cast magic! Not technically. It just makes focusing a lot harder if you don't use one. Lady Sylven says having her staff helps her feel more at one with the earth, and she can listen to its magic easier. She doesn't use a bow, she's no good with one, so her staff is her main way of defense. Maybe I'll get a staff one day. Then I could have a staff and a bow!"

Sylven cocked her head a little. "No. I did nothing, that's the problem. Imagine if our clans had come together much sooner. How different would things be?" She frowned, gripping her oaken staff tighter, taking some comfort from its rough texture against her palm. "Never mind that. No use dwelling on what's past; we can't change it." With a sigh, she looked ahead, noticing that the human city was growing ever closer. The clanmaid swallowed. Her heart beat nervously. She had never been inside a human city before - the only contact she'd had with humans was when they came to the elves to trade. The city looked big, imposing, busy... so vastly different in every way from her humble clan. She didn't like it.

"What - what should I expect?" she asked Azaria in a hushed tone, trying to hide her nervousness.

 

[Zazz]

"Expect the unexpected," said Azaria. She thought of her last visit to athe human city northeast of home. "Expect it to smell." She glanced over, and took the clanmaid's hand. "I'm sure it will be fine, princess."

Brandyl chuckled, grinning aling with his friend. "Wouldn't that be a lot to carry? A bow and a staff? What can you do, what kind of spells can you cast?" Rapid fire questions. "What does dark magic feel like? Lady Sylven said she could feel it."

 

[PhoenixMire]

Sylven did not quite like the idea of walking into a human city's stench. Ah well. It would be a new experience, and she would try to think of it in a positive light. Then Azaria grasped her hand, and the clanmaid blushed, meeting the other woman's eyes for a moment before averting her gaze. A smile played at her lips. "Thank you. I'm so new to - all of this. I've rarely left Virdan. I mean, I have, but it isn't a common occurrence. ... I'm beginning to notice our clans keep to ourselves perhaps too much."

"Ah, you're right, it'd be a lot to haul around everywhere," Veyen said with a disappointed sigh. "What kind of spells can I cast? Mostly I just help the forest flourish when we harvest berries and mushrooms. You always want to give back since the land gives to you!" At Brandyl's question of what dark magic felt like, Veyen looked at his boots and shuddered. "Oh. That. It... feels cold. There's a horrible icy feeling in your chest. I don't like it."