"You have?" Neilina slings her backpack around the front of her and digs out a black bag from inside it. "Well, I'm a right deft hand with herbs. If you like, I could see if I could whip somethin' up for ya."
The man chuckles. "Don't want to be tryin any of that, lassie. Some of it may be natural, but a lot isn't. It's from this wretched place, and it doesn't matter how good a healer you are, you ain't fixin that."
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
"Ya wanna bet?" Neilina approaches the man, and assuming he allows it, begins to administer what aid she can with her healer's kit.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
The man promptly slams the window shut when the helpful druidess approaches. "Thanks, but no thanks. Trust me, you don't want this." he quickly says from the safety of his carriage.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Neilina stops, her eyes widening at the sight of the man's... eye. Or, at least, what's left of it. Oh by all the Green in the fields...
"Um... alright then. If ya really insist." She replies, feeling rather unnerved--and perhaps a bit offended.
...well. Reckon I'll need to find a few special herbs for that sickness.
"Well, it's, uh, it's been nice ta meet ya. My name's Neilina. Sorry I couldn't be of any more help to ya." She walks over to the carriage's horse.
"Hey, uh... d'ya happen to know what happened ta your master?"
"Thanks, I appreciate it, but it's for your own good." he calls out to the Druidess.
The horse turns it's head towards Neilina, watching for a moment before simply speaking in a svelte tone. "No."
Neilina's eyes widen. Wait--you speak Common? Huh. That's... that's certainly new. Thought I'd need to translate for a bit.
"Oh. Well, that's... that's a mite troubling." She shakes her head.
"Anyways, have ya ever been to that... what'd he call it? That big fancy house by the lake."
"The manor? Ah, rich people dwell in those. No I haven't. Hopefully they have apples." the horse continues in the calm tone.
Neilina's wolf pads up next to her and sits down.
"That'd certainly be nice, wouldn't it?" The druid replies, sliding one hand into her pocket. Maybe they'll even know where exactly I am.
"Well, until then, I reckon you can have this one." She takes a green apple out and holds it out for the horse. "One for the road, then?"
The horse sniffs the air in front of him before happily whinnying. "Oh thank you, kind child of the moss." he says before carefully taking the apple out of Neilina's hand and begins munching it.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Neilina grins. "You're welcome."
"Reckon I'll be on my way, then. Daylight's burning and all that. Have a good one!" She waves goodbye to the horse and carriage and sets off down the road to the manor, her wolf following behind her.
...the man's eyes stick in her mind. How the pupils were collapsed--how they looked so bloodshot and wrong.
A curious song comes to her mind as she goes, dancing off of her tongue.
"Take care, young child." the horse calls out as Neilina heads on her way.
As she makes the half-mile from the treeline toward the lake she soon spies the river feeing it, coming from her forest. A metal fence runs the perimeter of the lake itself while bits of broken ice cover the surface.
Reaching the front yard she sees ground abruptly drop off opposite the house, save for one spot where a metal walkway extends out. Off the to the side is a large glass building, all of it's panes steamed.
Going up the steps of the house the entranceway is a intricately detailed glass door with a bell beside it. The grounds are soggy, moreso than simply morning dew, and a worked stone path from the manor's steps runs down alongside the cliff until disappearing behind a bend.
Neilina moves to investigate the front door.
Neilina is able to peer in and see a large entranceway, with a lit fireplace at the far end.
Not seeing any reason not to, Neilina tries to open the door and go inside.
"Hello? Anyone home?"
The door is locked.
"Aww."
Neilina sighs in despondence.
"Well, maybe there's something in the glass house..."
She turns and heads back the way she came to investigate.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Leaving the porch for the allure of the glass building, all the panes are covered by an opaque film of water vapor, hinting at the humid heat within. This is verified as opening the unlocked door she is met with a pleasant if nearly overwhelming warmth.
Impressive in size on the outside belies the fact that the inside had been excavated to an even larger extent. A large stone staircase greets the woman at the entrance, heading down to a pool that takes up most of the visible space within the greenhouse. Grown wild with no vigilance, the leaves, vines, and flowers of numerous plants run rampant over the walls and floors of the greenhouse, and even float upon the surface of the pool.
A large orb hanging from the middle of the ceiling emits a bright light that fills the interior of the greenhouse.
"Wow!" Neilina looks around the building's basement in wonder, taking in the sight of all the plants and seeing if she can remember any of their names--or at least if any of them are dangerous.
She also looks around the basement to see if it's free of danger--and if any of the Green Provider's magic is lingering about.
Neilina recognizes almost all of the flora from her studies, exotic specimens from around the world. Nothing deadly, thankfully.
She does not spot any hazards or movements and no signs of familiar magics. Out in the middle of the pool she finds a raised platform hidden amongst the flowers. Within them is a trapdoor.
"Crimson Dawn, Maiden's Breath, and--oh my, is that a patch of Narcissas? Didn't think you could grow 'em here." Neilina stoops to sniff a few of the flowers. "Cool, innit Caomhnóir?"
The wolf huffs and trots to the edge of the pool.
"Hey--wait, why's there a door here?" The druid tilts her head and moves to listen at the door.
Neilina manages to hear what she thinks is water dripping on the other side.
Neilina starts trying to open the trapdoor.
The trap door opens with surprisingly little effort, revealing a ladder descending into the darkness. The light above glistens on the moisture soaked rungs. Moss has also spread along the rungs and the walls of the shaft.
Neilina pauses as she looks down the trapdoor, then she looks back at the pool.
There's a perfectly nice pool here... ...and I've come all this way already...
"Well, maybe a little freshening up wouldn't hurt..." She grins and heads back over to her wolf companion, putting her backpack next to him and digging out a bar of soap.
"Caomhnóir? Watch my stuff for me, okay?" The druid commands her wolf. "Make sure nobody steals anything."
The grey-furred wolf rolls his eyes and lies down next to Neilina's backpack, resting his head on his front paws. The druid takes off her sandals and slips out of her earthen brown robe.
Now fully naked, Neilina steps into the pool and takes a seat, lathering up her bar of soap before starting to scrub herself clean of the dust and dirt of the road and forest.
Neilina is able to enjoy the luxury of a comforting bath in the peaceful garden for some time before a voice breaks the silence. "Is this your home?"
It was pleasant and quiet yet still carried. And came from the trapdoor.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
The water felt quite nice against the druid's bare skin, lapping gently at her as she finally felt clean for the first time in what felt like weeks.
Neilina leans back against the edge of the pool, enjoying the humidity and quiet...
"Is this your home?"
Neilina's gaze sharpens, and Caomhnóir's ears perk up.
"Would I be bathing down here if it weren't?" The druid replies.
"... no, I suppose not?" The voice replies in an agreeable tone. After a bout of silence it is washed away in a chorus of slithering that only gets louder as it goes on, until a dark tendril rises above the trapdoor. Followed by another. And another. And another.
Reaching their peak the tips hang forward and begin monitoring the area. "Baths sounds nice." the voice says, still sounding at the same distance it had been.
Neilina blinks and Caomhnóir starts to stand up, hackles raising.
...oh my goodness.
"Aye, especially after a few hard weeks on the road." The changeling leans forward slightly.
What is that?
"I see. Might I join you?" the voice asks.
They do appear to have a more plant vine-like appearance rather than flesh, though it is rather blurry line. Talking vines don't really ring any bells for the Druidess.
...join me?
"I don't see why not. There's plenty o' water ta go around." Neilina shifts a bit in the water, looking back at Caomhnóir and pointing to a pocket in her robes.
Caomhnóir gets up and dips his snout into the pocket Neilina pointed to, picks up some sort of wooden token in his teeth, and trots over to his master to drop it in her hand. The druid gives him a pat on the head before directing him to return to his post.
"Thank you, this is a lovely house you have." the voice says, sounding rather grateful actually. There is more slithering heard as more tendrils join those already above, before a large mass unceremoniously slumps over the side and into the water and taking the tendrils with it. "Ah, this is rather nice. Thank you." the voice says, at which point Neiline is fairly sure the... whatever it is is not actually talking, but using some form of telepathic communication to converse.
Despite the unseemly sight of what looks like a large clump of rotting vines and moss it is soon covered up by numerous flowers sprouting over it's mushy surface, most matching those around it.
Neilina's eyes widen as her new guest plops themselves into the pool, her heart skipping a beat as she sees just how much larger they are than her.
She pulls herself up onto the edge of the pool, her feet still in the water. "Would ya like me to freshen the water up a bit for ya? I mean, I was just usin' it and all."
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
"Oh, would you? That would be wonderful, though this is rather nice as is." the voice says.
You're not sure what type of Blight this might be, or how old it is, but they are all noted for their cunning and endless patience and equally endless hatred for civilizations and creatures with any sort of sapience. They can also control their environment, and are loath to leave it, especially if it has to go through radically different environs. The more powerful ones can warp the flesh of creatures into the flora and minerals of their preferred environment as well.
This example before you appears to not exhibit any of those traits however, save for some powers over the plant life.
Neilina gives her guest a nervous smile and clutches her wooden token of the Green Provider in her hand, making a couple of gestures and sing-song-y prayers before pointing at the water she just left.
"Can't say I've ever seen you around here, before. What might your name be?" She asks in a pleasant voice, walking over to her sandals and slipping them back on her feet.
The creature begins to sway in tune with Neilina's prayer. "That was lovely. You have such a nice voice." It then promptly deflates and spreads out under the water, nearly doubling but still leaving plenty of room between it and Neilina.
"Oh sorry, I... I don't know where I came from... or how I came here. Oh wait, yes I do! My friend, my friend is nearby. She has helped me so much, and I owe her dearly. I hope she isn't mad at me for forgetting, it's so hard to remember. But I do owe her, and she's waiting for me. In the room. How do I get there... wait."
A large portion of the creature rises out of the water, now completely covered in vibrant foliage, and stops, but something within still stirs. Piercing the top is a set of two sharp stones, that keep rising and forming what look stoneworked antlers. Reaching their zenith a top of a skull is pulled up as well.
Lights flicker in its empty sockets before floating up inbetween the antlers, swirling and mixing brightly before stabilizing into a crystal flower. With that the skull sinks back down as a tendril emerges to gently grasp the stem of the crystal flower and extend it towards Neilina. "I'm terribly sorry to burden you in your own home, but you've been so nice to me. Would you please take this to my friend? I'm afraid I'd get lost again if I tried to take it. So while I remember right now, I have to ask, my apologies."
Neilina hesitates for a moment before tentatively reaching out for the crystal flower.
"Do ya know what your friend looks like? I'd be happy to help ya, but it'd make it easier on me if ya could tell me."
Caomhnóir's ears are folded back and the fur on his back is quivering as if ready to bolt.
"She's very pretty. And very busy, always reading, always helping people. She doesn't look like you, but she said she would she would be in the room. She said she would be fine with waiting. I hope I haven't kept her too long." the voice says, the whole of the body relaxing as Neilina takes the flower, as if a great weight has been lifted.
Neilina swallows and puts her robes back on, slipping the crystal flower into her pocket and shouldering her backpack. "I'll, uh, I'll see if I can find her." She nods.
The wolf lets out a terrified whine and moves forward to tug on Neilina's sleeve with his teeth.
The crystal flower, despite it's structure, is actually rather warm and soft to the touch, but also sturdy and easily fits into the Druidess' pocket.
"Thank you," the voice says one final time before the creature fully retreats underwater, completely covered in flowers at this point.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
"Oh, eh, you're welcome." Neilina chuckles before letting Caomhnóir tug her away from the greenhouse.
As soon as she's out of eyeshot of the pool, she breaks into a sprint and doesn't stop until she gets back to the front door of the manor.
OH BY THE GREEN THE GOLD AND THE POWERS ABOVE I'M A BLOODY IDIOT! 'LET'S HAVE A BATH', YOU SAID! 'IT'LL BE A WONDERFUL RESPITE', YOU SAID! AND NOW YOU'RE STUCK WITH THIS! YOU BLOODY NUMPTY!
Short the hectic pounding of her heart and feet Neiline makes it to the front door of the manor perfectly fine.
Finally noticing the bell next to the front door, Neilina decides to ring it.
Right. Drop the flower on the floor and just leave it there. No muss, no fuss, and hells, it's not like that Blight'll leave the greenhouse anyway.
Everyone in the house is alerted to the pleasant chime sounding and bounding throughout.
For Neilina, a bit after she rang a large figure comes trotting out of a side room she can see beyond the glass. Coming up it unlocks and open the door, revealing a large draconic humanoid, adorned in various bits of dark ornamental armor and two scarf like appendages and a tail drape it's back.
It sniffs the air in front of the Druid. "Food? Or Friend?" he asks.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Neilina lets out a terrified squeak.
"Friend! Friend!"
Caomhnóir immediately goes to her side.
The creature's mouth pulls back in a very toothy grin. "Yay!" he squeaks out for different reasons as he reverses his steps. "Are you here to meet other Friends?" he asks before turning his head to the room he just came from. "Friend Cat! We have another Friend joining us!"