"...other friends?" Neilina repeats in disbelief, her heart still pounding. She steps inside, her wolf right on her heels.
The crystal flower in her pocket feels heavier than expected.
"Yes yes! Friend Yelenn and Friend Yasmin and Friend Nalada and Good Friend Mylyna and Friend Cat and Friend Wallace. What's your name? I am Xeros." he says as he saunters backwards.
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"...Neilina. And this is Caomhnóir." The druid gestures to her wolf and looks down at him.
The wolf seems to have calmed somewhat at this point, and is glaring at his master with a look that just says 'I TOLD YOU SO.'
"Hello, Friend Neilina, and Friend Caomhnóir. Friend Cat is cooking Xeros fish. You can have some too."
"Um... thank you." Neilina nods and wanders over to a nearby chair in a daze.
She then buries her face in her hands and starts to cry.
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"Do... you not like fish?" Xeros asks before quickly running into the kitchen, obvious now from the pleasant smell of cooked fish emanating from it.
"Alright, alright," an eldery woman says as she emrges from the kitchen, wiping her hands on her well worn brown pants. "Terribly sorry about him dear, but in all honesty he seems like a puppy more than anything. A very large, very hungry puppy. Can I get you some tea to settle your nerves?" she asks Neilina.
"Please?" Neilina manages to get out between sobs.
The woman, Cat, offers the Druidess a kind smile and then turns to the kitchen, returning just a bit later with a steaming cup of tea on a saucer. "Here you go, dear."
The saucer doesn't quite to seem to be carried in tune with Cat's hands, almost like it was floating.
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Mylyna finally decided her answer to the question of inviting the devil to have a meal with them and said, "She's been living here, all alone, for who knows how long. As long as she promises not to do anything devilish I think we should invite her to eat with us since she lives here too."
It was then that Mylyna heard the doorbell ring and looked at the other's with curiosity, "were we expecting company?"
Having already set Wallace down Mylyna began to slither for all she was worth when she heard the door close signaling there wouldn't be more cold coming in and came rushing into the sitting room where the fireplace, and likely their guest, was. When she entered the room Mylyna saw the pretty lady with mismatched eyes and said, "Hi, I'm Mylyna!" She bobbed a curtsy in greeting before coming closer.
The first thing that would stand out, other than being a voluptuous woman with long red hair and pointed ears like an elf was that she was completely naked and far more well endowed than any elf ever born. As she came closer though her movements were off and as she came into full view it became obvious that below the waist she was a snake...a very big snake, thirty-six feet of what could only be a constrictor.
Slithered her way across the room and then saw that their guest was sobbing at the same time she noticed the wolf. Thinking it was a dog she was now torn, she wanted to comfort the woman, she wanted to pet the doggy, and her limited brain kind of froze up in indecision.
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Neilina sniffs and takes the floating teacup. "Thank you."
She takes a few sips of the steaming tea, her tears still running down her cheeks. Then she hears the sound of something slithering from a nearby room. She freezes up.
Oh f$+@ me it's loose and it's going to kill us all and save me for last I'm f!$!ed I'm--
Then Ms. Mylyna enters the room and causes Neilina's eyes to widen.
--oh f%%# me she's a giant naked snake lady. Is she the one the Blight wanted me to look for?
Caomhnóir tilts his head at the newcomer, visibly puzzled at the sight of someone half-elf, half-snake. He trots over to her and starts to sniff her.
"...Neilina?" She tentatively waves hello to the snake lady.
Mylyna shifted slightly as the wolf came to her and began to sniff at her. She despite her obvious desire to pet the "dog" she was nervous having him so close to her, possibly she'd had bad reactions from animals to her before, and she carefully kept one eye on him while watching the newcomer. "Nice to meet you Neilina."
Mylyna shifted and began to coil up her long body on the floor and then lowered herself to rest on top of them in a "sitting" position. "So how did you get here?"
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The wolf pads over to Mylyna's fingers and starts insistently putting his head underneath them.
"...I walked." Neilina responds, taking another drink of tea. "Out of the woods and up to here."
Catherine rolls her eyes with an amused smile as Mylyna barges into the foyer.
Neilina is able to identify the beautiful woman before her as a type of Lamia. A Lamar, sensual and deadly, if provoked, these ones lack the wisdom draining touch of their kin.
Wallace smiles as Mylyna votes toward inviting the devil to dinner. When she flees down the stairs he looks confused for a moment before shrugging and heading down after. ”... Gram?” he calls out on spotting Catherine.
”Hey kiddo, did you have fun exploring? Thanks for keeping an eye on-oh shit the fish!” Catherine begins talking before realization hits and she flees back into the kitchen.
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Neilina sets her teacup down.
"Hello." She glances at the boy for a moment before sniffing and wiping her eyes with her sleeve.
"Ms. Mylyna, was it? The gentleman at the door--Xeros--said that-that you... um, you're a good friend of his. It's nice to meet you too."
"He also mentioned a Yasmin, Yelenn, Nalada, Cat, and Wallace...?"
She then notices Caomhnóir's frustrated attempts to receive head pets from the Lamae. "Oh, I think Caomhnóir likes you."
A thought enters Neilina's head.
What IS Xeros? I didn't want to be rude and come right out and ask...
Xeros' dark subdued tones speak of a rather dreary and stale environment he must have been living in.
"Was that Wallace's voice calling out to Catherine?" Yelenn asks looking down the stairs. "I guess we should see what's going on before extending the invitation." she says about to lead the way downstairs.
Coming down the stair Yelenn spies a petite, green haired woman sitting in one of the love seats sipping tea whilst Mylyna and a wolf engage in a cold war of affection.
Wallace on the stairs tunrs when he hears the Witchblade making her way down. "Grams is... okay?" he says, unsure. "She's making more fish for Xeros."
Cocking her head to the side, Yelenn takes in everything looking both puzzled and curious in reference to Wallace's words. Putting it aside for a moment she makes it the rest of the way down the stairs to greet the petite newcomer. Tall and somewhat imposing, possessed of a dark beauty that is at once enticing and intimidating, the woman in dark leathers that offset her pale skin while complementing her long raven-black, partially braided hair is quite memorable.
”Please to meet you!” she says extending a hand, a hint of warmth in her piercing crystalline grey eyes. ”I’m Yelenn.”
The petite woman on the loveseat looks like she's been crying. Her green hair looks damp, as if it was recently immersed in water. Her eyes are mismatched--one is a muted blue, the other is a bright green. She's wearing a very modest brown robe and sandals.
"...Neilina." The small woman reaches out to shake Yelenn's hand. "And, um, that's Caomhnóir over there." She points to the grey-furred wolf still impatiently waiting to be petted by Mylyna.
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Mylyna realized just who the person in the kitchen was when Wallace called out her name and went very pale for a moment. Absently her hand began to scratch the wolf's ears. Her attention was caught again when Neilina mentioned Xeros and she seemed to forget about what was troubling her as she said, "Yep! Xeros keeps me warm at nights."
"Is everything alright Neilina." Yelenn asks gently, crouching down so as to be at the same eye level.
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Caomhnóir starts happily panting when the snake lady starts scratching his ears.
"Is everything alright Neilina?"
The green-haired woman sniffs. "...I think I just made a horrible mistake."
"Yep! Xeros keeps me warm at nights."
I imagine he does. Maybe she'll let me borrow him or something--I need a hug.
Neilina swallows and tentatively slides the crystal flower out of her pocket.
"Do... do any of you know what a Blight is?"
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"Actually, yes. Blights are profane creations of ancient druids who stole life from the fey to empower the savagery and power of the wild into a corporeal malevolent beings. The rituals could be considered failures, or worse, twisted successes, creating these protoplasmic mockeries of nature.
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" the scholar recites comprehensively.
Neilina swallows. "Aye, that'd... that'd be right."
"I... when I first arrived, I took a look inside that glass building out front. Turns out it's a greenhouse, all nice and humid, and its basement is home to all sorts of rare flowers. Even has its own pool."
"Well, as I was exploring down there... well, bathing really, I..." The woman's tone starts to shake. "...I was greeted by one."
"It asked me if I owned the house. I asked it if I'd be bathing down there if I weren't--that answer seemed to satisfy it." Her words start tumbling out. "It asked if it could join me in the bath, and once I saw it in full I knew I had to get away however I could. Weird thing was it liked my magic--or at least my voice."
"I freshened up the water a bit for it, and as I was getting ready to leave, it... it asked me to deliver this--" She holds up the crystal flower. "--to one of its friends. It seemed to have forgotten what she looks like, but it told me that she's very pretty, very busy, bit of a scholar from reading a lot, and likes helping people. It said 'she'd be in the room' and that she didn't mind waiting."
"I accepted. Now I don't know if I've just agreed to set loose something that has no business being set free or if there's still time to put things right." Her tears start flowing anew.
"It sounded so friendly, too... and it looked covered in beautiful flowers when I left..."
"It's alright, we can figure out what exactly is going on." Yelenn says soothingly. "We hadn't explored the greenhouse much as yet."
She looks around at the others, considering what the Blight had told Neilina. "It's possible that the time that has passed since the creature had something for this person is way more than they realize....also, this place....well what's considered to traditionally be evil, and the truth can be very different here."
Neilina blinks a few times and wipes her tears on her sleeve again.
"...maybe. I dunno."
Caomhnóir pads over to his master and rests his head in her lap. "I thought I'd learn something about where the Green Provider disappeared to here--maybe she left a trace of her magics, or something."
"Green Provider?" Yelenn asks.
"Oh, right. Ya come from away." Neilina pauses, scratching Caomhnóir behind his ears.
"The Green Provider is... well, she's the Being responsible for my home's existence. It's Her magic, Her rites, that allow my home to have a guardian." The changeling sighs. "And for some reason, She's gone missing. I can't perform my duties as a guardian without Her."
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"Have you ever heard of the Green Provider?” she asks turning to Nalada and pitching her voice to let her know the question was being directed at her, something that was quickly becoming second nature. "It sounds like they have been a part of things here for a long time."
A Drow in thin nearly sheer robes saunters over at Yelenn’s voice with her eyes closed. ”Hmm, can’t say that I have, Kitten. But then I’ve been a part of... this place without knowing it for who knows how long.” she says matter of factly in her husky tone.
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Oh by the green and gold, you can see all the way to the rough in that dress!
...bloody hell she’s beautiful. They all are. Maybe one of them...
Neilina shakes her head. ”The Green Provider watches over my village, Fey’s Teeth. It’s thanks to her that the Coldwind Forest hasn’t swallowed us whole.”
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Mylyna kept petting the wolf, delighted the creature would let her do so, as they all began to talk. Something about what Neilina said was nagging at her and as the others started talking about some kind of green lady Mylyna kept thinking. Finally she seemed to perk up and said, "Ohohohohoh!"
Slithering to the side so as not to hurt the dog Mylyna slithered up to Neilina and said, "I think i know who you are supposed to give that too!" She bobbed up and down making all sorts of things jiggle and continued, "The scary lady in the circle upstairs! She's been here a long time, and she seems to know the Master of the house who has been missing a long time," Mylyna smiled brightly, "I bet she's the one that's meant for."
Neilina blushes when Mylyna slithers up to her and points out the crystal flower.
"You think so?" She asks as she looks at the crystal flower again, this time looking for familiar magics.
The flower and whatever magic composing it does not hold any familiarity to the Druidess.
Neilina blinks and puts the flower back in her pocket.
"So, uh, that's more or less my story. What about the rest of ya?" She tilts her head at Yelenn, Mylyna & Nalada. "I can tell from your dress--or, well, lack thereof--that you're not from 'round here."
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”And where exactly is here?” the Drow asks with a grin and without opening her eyes.
"Well... well, the island, of course. Bastarache." Neilina scratches her head. "What'd d'ya think I meant?"
”That you might know the local fashion trends. Maybe a boutique?” she continues, her tone unchanging.
Caomhnóir tilts his head at Neilina.
"...oh. Okay." The green-haired young woman sinks back in the loveseat, looking rather ashamed. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have assumed anything. It's-it's just that you lot are pretty much some of the first people I've met who weren't from Fey's Teeth, so... I thought you'd have stories to share."
"I do, of my homeland. None of... this place. I'm, how you say, a transient guest. The same as all of us here." Nalada states before adding. "What stories do you have of Fey's Teeth?"
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"She's right." Yelenn says standing up beside the drow and idly resting a hand on her ample hip. "Each of us was brought here for one reason or another, in many cases because we were in some way deemed a danger where we were, and now we're figuring out existence here and making what we can of it."
"What stories do you have of Fey's Teeth?"
Neilina smiles in remembrance. "It's..."
"...it's lovely. So many trees all around, with our homes built at the base of one of the biggest ones in the Forest. It's right next to a river we call the 'Abhainn Faoi Mhionn'--the Sworn Pact River. It's said to be the river by which the first of us made his pact with the Green Provider--to give Her a family, and She would give him and those with him a home."
"We live off the land and the good graces of the creatures within the Coldwind. Hunting, foraging, giving praise to the Provider. Sometimes, our hunters will even find deposits of iron deeper within the Coldwind--usually on the borders of its darker reaches."
Neilina snickers. "As for actual stories, well, there was that time Fergus and I snuck into Elder Aedan's home and gave Rádala a makeover. The little pup was so happy to see us, and was such a good girl--'course, once old Aedan saw us dyeing her fur red, he wasn't exactly happy."
"But Rádala liked it."
Caomhnóir wanders up to Yelenn and Nalada and starts sniffing them.
"It sounds like a lovely place." Nalada says before opening her eye just a sliver as she hears the telltale sniffing coming closer. "Sit." she softly says to Caomhnóir.
Yelenn smiles, reaching down to scratch behind the wolf's ear after he sits.
"Good boy," Nalada says while bending over to pet him as well.