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Meishali

Fruits

Nov 15th, 2019
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  1.  
  2. Tieve Corwell keeps her hands joined in a silent prayer; at her feet, a stick of incense and several lit candles taken for the occasion. The altar's aether - a ruin half-eaten by the gigantic tree before her, echoes, pleased by her praise.
  3. Fae'ra YohkoBalmung II Rustling in the cavern too faint for most to notice as something other than the slither of scales over stone or the shudder of a great furred beast. No, this sound is more like silk, and the delicate patter of footfalls accompanies it. Faint though they are, they do come unmistakably closer. Closer. Closer. Until the voice sounds out sharply right behind her.
  4. Fae'ra YohkoBalmung: "I almost mistook you for one of the trees themselves."
  5. Tieve Corwell: "They understand what is said very well, once you imitate them." She adds, sun in her tone. Her eyes look somewhere by Fae'ra's silhouette, unfocused. "Good sun."
  6. Tieve Corwell: "Are you lost?"
  7. Fae'ra YohkoBalmung 's low chuckling echoes off the stone. "Would that I could be, pious one. Tell me, what is it the trees tell you?" He circles her, silvered claws catching at the hem of her sleeves curiously.
  8. Tieve Corwell flinches.
  9. Tieve Corwell follows his body to the best of her ability. "...A tribe of Keeper has recently started to care about this sanctum again. Because Gridanians do not come here. Someone cleansed the place, unbeknownst to the Wailers and the Hearers."
  10. Tieve Corwell: "Long ago, during the war of the Magi, many atrocities were committed here. No more. It is at peace, now. And the Keepers are glad for its little traffic. They exchange parcels, and put messages behind stones."
  11. Tieve Corwell: "They've seen them," she adds, "The trees."
  12. Fae'ra YohkoBalmung blinks. She might feel the warmth of him as he draws nearer, the fragrance of lily and woodsmoke clinging to his hair. He breaks into a smile. "You really /can/ hear them, can't you? And here I thought you were only trying to impress me the way you've impressed this place." She might feel the wind of his gesturing at the cavern at large.
  13. Fae'ra YohkoBalmung leans down to study her clouded eyes. "You really do believe," he murmurs.
  14. Tieve Corwell: "I have nothing to prove to a stranger." She smiles to him, this same warmth present, though an edge comes as he stands too close for comfort. She looks through him.
  15. Tieve Corwell stays perfectly still.
  16. Fae'ra YohkoBalmung 's nostrils flare as he memorizes her scent. "I am no stranger to those who speak with the trees," he says with sudden solemnity as he steps back. She seems to have earned that much respect.
  17. Fae'ra YohkoBalmung: "I am Fae'ra Yohko," he adds. "A Keeper born in these very woods."
  18. Fae'ra YohkoBalmung: "Who are you?"
  19. Tieve Corwell: "I am Tieve Corwell, of Hyrstmill. I am Hyur, and I was born in these woods too." She holds her arms for a moment, "If you are of the clan that would come through here, I may be from the city and the Fane, but I know better than to speak of it."
  20. Tieve Corwell: "I mean no harm."
  21. Tieve Corwell: "I know how we gridanians use and abuse of 'preventive measures' to keep poachers and redbellies out of our sight."
  22. Fae'ra YohkoBalmung chuckles. "They are not my clan, no. And were you one of those foolish Gridanians bent on ruling the Shroud, they trees would have nothing to say to you." Footsteps circle her, his fluffy tail bumping against her calves. The sound of sniffing. "You cannot see. And yet you see more clearly than those with both their eyes."
  23. Fae'ra YohkoBalmung the* ))
  24. Fae'ra YohkoBalmung: "It is strange how little you smell of the city. More like the water, the rock underfoot."
  25. Tieve Corwell follows him, still, by sound. Her head turns, "There are not a lot of things to cleanse in the city, I am no scribe, and I am no merchant. I have no family in the city."
  26. Tieve Corwell: "My purpose is met outside, as it is for most hearers," she smiles at him as she cants her head. "I can not hear very well in the city. A lot of noise, a lot of people, a lot of stranger aether."
  27. Tieve Corwell: "If I see better than most, it is because I am outside."
  28. Tieve Corwell: "What are you doing here?"
  29.  
  30. Fae'ra YohkoBalmung grins at her. "I think I like you, Tieve. And I live here. The Shroud is mine to care for just as it is yours. That makes us allies-- and it makes me wonder what else you do besides pray." He crouches down, claws carding through his hair as he gets comfortable. "I need not remind you how dangerous it is for a young blind girl to be out alone."
  31. Tieve Corwell pauses, her smile faltering at Fae'ra's final note. It lingers, weak, and tired eyes fall to him. "Before the breach in Baelsar's Wall, many men of steel would come to map the Shroud, that it may give them a military advantage to subdue the savages."
  32. Tieve Corwell: "The woods tricked their senses. Even now, I stumble upon strange metallic fruits hanging low, vines on their throats, bodies limp."
  33. Tieve Corwell: "It is, you see, dangerous for everyone to be out a lone here. Especially those who would disturb the peace."
  34. Fae'ra YohkoBalmung hasn't stopped grinning. He sits there with his chin in his hand and gazing up at her like she's telling him a bedtime story. "You liked those, mm? I thought it would be pretty to string them up like the rotten apples they are."
  35. Tieve Corwell passes both hands on her skirt and lowers herself to sit by him.
  36. Fae'ra YohkoBalmung flicks his tail out of the way to make room for her, eyes gleaming in the dimness.
  37. Tieve Corwell opens her satchel, and reveals small cloth ontop of half-basket of wicker. Unwrapping, it, she presents it to Fae'ra, almost in reverence. "You did well. But remember young ones pass through the woods, too."
  38. Tieve Corwell || In there, traditional Gridanian food - no sweets, but minced beans that would look like croquettes, all perfectly aligned.
  39. Fae'ra YohkoBalmung sniffs at the basket before accepting it with a dip of his head, a lock of hair sliding over his shoulder to brush over her knuckles. There's the prick of claws catching on wicker, then the sound of fangs being licked. "Young fruits are not so sweet," he laughs, popping a morsel into his mouth. Beside her, his tail thuds. "I like to let 'em ripen, don't worry. Here, want one? They're delicious." Like Tieve didn't know. He holds a little minced bean croquette thing to her mouth.
  40. Tieve Corwell pushes it with just the tips of her fingers, gently, but firmly, before lowering her hand. "They are not mine to eat." She puts the basket by him, and closes her satchel.
  41. Tieve Corwell: "I will not come back here before a very long time. I do not think we will meet again."
  42. Tieve Corwell: "Do you need any help, before I go?"
  43. Fae'ra YohkoBalmung shrugs and pops the offering in his mouth. Ears flick forward. "Not even once?"
  44. Fae'ra YohkoBalmung: "I was about to offer you the same-- actually."
  45. Fae'ra YohkoBalmung removes the lily from his hair-- a normal, pinkish lily-- and offers it to her. His palm is flat, the way one might feed a horse, so she can avoid touching him.
  46. Fae'ra YohkoBalmung: "Here."
  47. Tieve Corwell does, infact, avoid touching him, accurate and deft in her gesture. "Thank you." She brings it to her coatee, attaching it to a clip there, close to her heart.
  48. Tieve Corwell: "I will find my way home, as I always do," she pushes herself up.
  49. Fae'ra YohkoBalmung also gets to his feet. The displacement of air suggests a creature larger than a single Keeper male, but it might just be a breeze. "Go with the Shroud's blessing, Tieve Corwell. Even if we do not meet again, I shall not forget."
  50. Tieve Corwell: "Matron's Blessings. And kindness."
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