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+---- Thread: [SE] rebel heart (/showthread.php?tid=10402)
rebel heart - Jack - 11-28-2024
[say]"Okay, open your eyes."[/say]
Odds are good that Flora will have been able to guess where they're going purely based on the hush of the trees beneath The Ark as they descend towards the Greatwood, especially if she's grown up around it; even so, he's refused to let her open her eyes and see for herself until the Observatory and its skyport comes into view. Night has all but fallen, and as the last fingers of dusk stroke the horizon, already the first of Safrin's stars are peeking their way out.
Jack can only imagine what the blaze of leaves in the woods looks like in the full light of day; for now, even as darkness almost covers the wild expanse of trees, he can pick out ambers and reds and golds from branches still laden with colour. Having fallen quiet despite the fact that this is Flora's birthday surprise (this is Jack's first time having seen a proper forest, you know), the captain tilts his head thoughtfully as they descend into the skyport.
Treetrunks laden with fireflies, will-o-wisps and other lanterns illuminate the way, and a mix of Fae and others rush forward to help The Ark into harbour; evidently it has been some time since there were visitors to the Sidhe Village, wild and untamed as it has now become. [say]"Happy birthday,"[/say] Jack says with a smirk over his shoulder to the Doubletake when they are finally able to disembark, holding out a hand to help her down the gangplank.
Having left his coat in his cabin for the evening's adventure, he's dressed as if to match the Greatwood in a forest green shirt and a waistcoat of deep mahogany, his dark hair swept back from his face; since Flora had cut it for him in Longheat, it's already starting to curl back around his shoulders.
RE: rebel heart - Flora - 11-28-2024
Trying to out-think a telepath was nearly impossible, though it was what Flora had been doing the majority of the time she'd been forced to keep her eyes closed. If he knew that she thought they were going to the Greatwood, would he change his plans? But if he knew that she knew that he knew what she was thinking, then maybe keeping the plan the same would be the real surprise. On and on it went until Flora had lost track of who knew what, and instead kept herself occupied by peppering the captain's mind with all sorts of nonsense from tableaus of raunchy sex between members of his crew, to the latest gossip in Torchline.
Blinking almost hesitantly, Flora looks into the thick darkness around them. Indeed the familiar scent of mulch and mint was an almost immediate giveaway as to where they were, but the Doubletake hadn't let herself get her hopes up too much, just in case they were actually in the House of Midnight. Sipping in a quiet breath, though one might have expected the queen to gleefully launch herself into Jack's arms, instead she went to the Ark's railing, peering over at the Sidhe Village below where familiar sights and sounds rose up to greet her from the comfortable darkness below.
It wasn't necessarily how she remembered, not now seeing it through an entirely different set of eyes and from so high up, but gods, it was exactly how she'd expected it to be.
Feeling like her heart was fit to burst, not least of all because this was all thanks to Jack, as Flora reaches for his hand, rather than returning his smirk with one of her own, instead she merely squeezes his fingers, too overcome by the rush of girlish nostalgia to say anything sassy or even overly sweet. [say]"Welcome to the Greatwood."[/say] She murmurs. Despite not knowing where they were going, the queen couldn't have looked more like she'd planned her outfit; in a dress of sun-bleached lavender covered with embroidered flowers and a cream cardigan, she'd left her curls loose and her makeup simple.
RE: rebel heart - Jack - 11-28-2024
[say]"Welcome back to the Greatwood,"[/say] Jack replies as they head down onto one of the many platforms atop the Observatory, the captain raising his eyebrows at the sight of a few Fae fluttering overhead to go and look at the stars at the top of the great tree that houses the spyglass. [say]"D'you reckon they got the idea from Stormbreak, or the other way around?"[/say] he wonders with a smirk, before leading them down the winding path of boards and branches, letting his arm slip around Flora's waist.
[say]"I've never been here, so you'll have to tell me if there's anythin' worth seein' or avoidin', but I thought we could start by lookin' around the village and go from there."[/say] He can already hear the buzz of thoughts about a marketplace and things to eat and drink and see and barter, and based on how he knows Flora to be when they're perusing stalls and boutiques in Haulani, that should likely be enough to occupy them at least for a little while.
[say]"I know this isn't exactly where you grew up. Dependin' on how adventurous you feel, we can go find that place either tonight or tomorrow."[/say] Because for as rough and surly as the captain can be, it is the Doubletake's birthday.
RE: rebel heart - Flora - 11-28-2024
[say]"Here's hoping I don't get tossed about by a tree this trip."[/say] Flora agrees, a smile beginning to curl on her lips now that the awe of actually being back in the Greatwood was beginning to abate.
[say]"Oh, this was definitely here first."[/say] The Doubletake confirms emphatically. [say]"I can promise you that the very last thing the Fae would do is take inspiration from other regions, especially one as coldly architectural as Stormbreak."[/say] Independent to a fault, Flora was quite sure that the fae would rather see themselves lag behind modern advancements instead of being tricked or forced into moving with the trends. That, and they really didn't get out much, certainly not half a continent away.
Tucking her arm around Jack in return, Flora does her best to ignore the looks that are beginning to linger on she and the captain as they make their way toward the marketplace. Whether it was because she was remembered from when she was a child, because of who her father was and had once been to the Greatwood, because of Vai and what she had been to them, or because of recent events with the Mathair, she didn't know, nor did she want to. [say]"I can tell you that they'll all hate you. They can't lie, but they're extremely practiced in bending the truth, which.."[/say] You know, absolutely wouldn't work on a telepath. Grinning at Jack over her shoulder, Flora merely shrugs. [say]"Definitely wouldn't press your advantage with them though. They can't lie, but they can absolutely throw you into a pit and let you rot."[/say]
For as beautiful as the Greatwood was at night, Jack would feel her reluctance build up in her mind like a shiver before she even managed to shake her head no. [say]"I don't even know if I want to go back."[/say] She admits in a small voice. [say]"Probably not much of it is left standing, and.."[/say] And that's where Vai was killed. By her own father. If they did go back, Flora certainly didn't want to see it in the dark.
RE: rebel heart - Jack - 11-28-2024
Smiling to himself, not only because of the wealth of knowledge that Flora has about the Greatwood and its people (knowledge he's soaking up like a sponge and committing to memory, of course) but because of the golden sheen of pride that glimmers on all of her thoughts, Jack merely inclines his head in a nod. [say]"You can say that again - I can tell you for nothin' that a lot of these Fae would've been happy if the Greatwood had stayed out of bounds, though obviously without the void."[/say]
Scoffing to himself - because part of him can't even blame them, given how crabby Jack can be as well - he does let out a more genuine laugh to hear how much the winged folk would hate him. [say]"I solemnly swear, at least for tonight, love, that I won't get myself thrown into any pits."[/say] Not on purpose, anyway.
The ice that suddenly coats Flora's thoughts is enough for him to slow his steps somewhat and raise an eyebrow, the understanding dawning as her memories unfurl like night blooming flowers. [say]"I didn't realise,"[/say] he says, inclining his head in something close to an apology. [say]"You never think about this place unless it's for good memories."[/say]
RE: rebel heart - Flora - 11-28-2024
[SAY]"I believe it."[/say] Flora agrees quietly, her blue-green gaze skirting from face to face, taking in the familiar olive-skinned complexions of the fae. [say]"When we were younger it wasn't so bad, mostly because Remi never really...I dunno, attracted people here."[/say] He protected the Woods and was enough of an asshole that no one really moved in after he took over, which was probably exactly what the fae wanted.
It was absolutely criminal how easy it was for Jack to stir up butterflies in Flora's stomach, and both the look and the cadence of her thoughts said as much as she shot him a playful look. [say]"There's a Tulmhainar around here somewhere."[/say] She explains with a grin, her mind placing one of the local tumseas from home next to a creature it's gargantuan relative. [say]"They're super peaceful creatures, but of course outsiders don't know that."[/say] All of which was to say that if Jack found himself thrown into a pit, he'd likely laugh himself silly at the creature meant to strike fear into his heart and send him running.
Regardless, no pits tonight seemed like a good goal to strive for.
Forced to slow as well given the way she's tucked against his side, as Flora glances at Jack she just gives her head a little shake. [say]"I try not to think about it."[/say] She answers, as if to say she understood why he hadn't realized. [say]"Most of it is good, it's just...the parts that are bad?"[/say] The parts where Ronin was a living breathing monster that tracked she and Enzo through the woods, scenting them on Remi when he came home and tearing up entire trees in his anger? The parts where her father was made to kill her grandmother? [say]"Are really bad."[/say]
RE: rebel heart - Jack - 11-28-2024
[say]"Your father, the reason people avoided a region? Say it ain't so,"[/say] Jack drawls, his tone flat with sarcasm, amusement dancing in his blue eyes as they continue to flit from the Fae to the structures to the potential stalls and other opportunities to explore. It's been a long time since Jack has been to a new region and, like with Stormbreak, he's sharp for anything interesting or suspicious (or, yes, dangerous).
Raising his eyebrows in a silent oh? at the idea of sharing his pit with a Tulmhainar for the evening, he tucks that bit of information away as well as they finally reach the leaf and root strewn forest floor. Lanterns light the way in a winding path through the Sidhe Village, and although they are far from the first visitors back to the Greatwood, there are definitely more Fae than any other race around. Luckily, whether it's due to Flora's past or present, they are largely unbothered.
[say]"Yeah, I'm realisin' that now,"[/say] he says in a quieter voice as Flora wordlessly fills in the blanks of her past and fleshes out parts he'd only known vaguely. [say]"Well, then. I didn't bring you here for the bad, so where'd you want to go first?"[/say]
RE: rebel heart - Flora - 11-28-2024
[say]"I know, right?"[/say] Grinning at him, Flora shakes her head toward a merchant trying to wave them over to look at his wares. Unlike Jack, this wasn't Flora's first time wandering through the fae marketplace, and while normally she was always keen to shop, for the moment, she yearned to feel the Greatwood all around separate from prying and nosy fae stares.
[say]"I don't mind talking about it, I just..."[/say] Well, Flora had gotten quite good at editing the contents of her mind—or at the very least curating them—in Jack's presence given how easily she could influence his mood by silently ruminating on something.
Nibbling at her lower lip, not unlike when someone asks you your favourite song and literally everything you've ever known vanishes from your mind, so too did all the nuanced and exciting places in the Greatwood suddenly disappear from Flora's thoughts. [say]"Oh! Let's try and find the Wishing Wagon."[/say] Trying not to let her mind give away anything more than a flash of copper and the tinkle of windchimes on the outside of the wagon's door, the queen pulls away from Jack's side if only so that they might each be able to more easily pick their own paths over upturned roots and sprays of ferns.
[say]"The trees move around."[/say] Flora explains, glancing at the captain over her shoulder. Reaching out, her fingers softly dance across the trunks she passes as if caressing them; indeed, Jack would hear the silent way Flora was telling them what it was she wanted and where she wanted to go, reminding them who she was with everything in her being that the might not make things any harder than they needed to be.
RE: rebel heart - Jack - 11-29-2024
Uncharacteristically content to trail in Flora's wake whilst he completes his mental map of this section of the Greatwood, Jack lets his eyes land only briefly on the merchant before moving on, taking in the homes built into the canopies overhead, the stalls and businesses - some within hollows of trees - and the glittering river that runs through it all. Even at night it makes for a picturesque walk; if Jack couldn't feel the tension and suspicion from the Fae all around, he'd be inclined to believe it too.
His eyes land back on Flora and he's about to prompt her to elaborate when she swings on a tangent, Jack tilting his head as he follows after her. [say]"The Wishing Wagon,"[/say] he repeats, able to glean far, far too little from her thoughts before she's sending out all sorts of messages to the gods damned trees - and if they answer her, it's using no magic that Jack possesses.
Trying to consider whether this is some fairytale bullshit that comes part and parcel with growing up in the Greatwood, he - perhaps wisely - stays silent to see what comes of Flora's request.
RE: rebel heart - Flora - 11-29-2024
[say]"Mmmhmmmmmmmmm. "[/say] And as if well aware of the sorts of thoughts Jack was thinking, Flora adds, [say]"-it's run by a fox."[/say] Which, while not untrue, was sure to go far in reinforcing the idea that she had been raised in an actual fairytale.
If nothing else, it'd probably help explain her rather Disneyesque views on love and relationships.
The trees give no immediate answer, though the path the pair wander down does seem perhaps a bit easier to navigate in spite of the overgrowth, and despite having only walked for a few moments, there's an unmistakable feeling of being quite far away from where they'd started. Will o' wisps begin to flit and dance around in higher number, their light bathing the woods in a golden aura that radiated a good deal farther than it had any right to, as if the Greatwood was trying to compensate for the thick canopy of boughs overhead that blocked the view of the stars.
[say]"So?"[/say] Pausing once the path was wide enough for Jack to walk at her side, Flora tucked her curls over one shoulder and nodded around them. [say]"Enjoying your first forest?"[/say]
RE: rebel heart - Jack - 11-29-2024
[say]"A fox? Of course it is,"[/say] Jack drawls, glancing up at the canopy overhead as if silently asking it to give him strength as he's ferried further into the trees and the twinkling lights of will-o-wisps. [say]"Let me guess, it's also not really a wagon at all. And it does actually grant wishes."[/say] And it's almost certainly made up, he decides not to add, a small smile playing across his lips nonetheless; if this is what Flora is choosing to do for her birthday, after all, then this is what they're both doing.
Still, never let it be said that the captain can't be taken by surprise, because as the forest seems to expand and fold around them, swallowing them up, Jack is rendered silent, his brows drawing together as his quick mind fights to understand it. [say]"I was enjoying it,"[/say] he says slowly, [say]"now I'm tryin' to decide whether it's enjoyin' me instead. I heard the Greatwood did shit like this, I just..."[/say] Never expected it to be real.
[say]"What if it decides not to show you this wagon? Do we just stay lost?"[/say]
RE: rebel heart - Flora - 11-29-2024
[say]"No, no, it's a wagon."[/say] The Doubletake confirms breezily. The question of whether or not it actually granted wishes was a bit harder to answer. It did if the things you wished for was what Ianto had on hand, which, as a girl, was normally pretty stones, bouquets of wildflowers, or chinese-finger traps with which to annoy her brothers with. [say]"And I can safely say it has granted more than a few wishes in its time."[/say]
Glancing over her shoulder, the queen snorts. [say]"What?"[/say] Grinning, Flora reaches out to tug Jack to a stop. [say]"Thought it was all bullshit and fae rumours?"[/say] Biting at the inside of her lip to stop her smile, the queen tilts her head. [say]"Okay, listen for a minute."[/say] All but holding her breath as an example, Flora lets the sounds of the Greatwood descend down upon them. There is the predictable flitting of birds overhead in the branches, the soft hum of the wind rustling the leaves, as well as the unmistakable sound of dampening thanks to the moss that grew thick underfoot. [say]"Quiet, right? Because we're in the middle of a forest?"[/say] Raising her eyebrows to encourage his confirmation, Flora reaches for his hands, walking backward along the path and ferrying the captain along with her.
[say]"But now if I do this..."[/say] Closing her eyes, a slow smile spreads across the queen's face as she imagines playing along the back of the Stongsong as a child, of wading through the streams looking for goldish with Mateo. Despite having only taken a few steps, suddenly amidst the music of the woods came the far-away rush of the Stone Symphony, now a good deal closer than it had any right to be.
[say]"Not only is it not bullshit, but I promise as long as you're with me, you won't get lost. If you happen to fuck off though..."[/say] Flora raises her eyebrows, a mischievous smile playing on her lips and coiling through her thoughts.
RE: rebel heart - Jack - 11-29-2024
[say]"Ianto?"[/say] Jack echoes, plucking the name from her mind (and seeming, yes, oblivious to the fact that in these woods in particular, even saying that fox's name might be enough to bring him out). [say]"The fox who owns the Wishing Wagon, that sometimes grants wishes."[/say] Almost convinced that Flora is taking the piss out of him now, in truth as long as she's enjoying herself Jack is more than willing to continue to entertain it.
Maybe sits on the tip of his tongue, the captain jostled to a stop under Flora's direction until they are both standing in the thick of the Greatwood. And listen he does, even dampening her thoughts to make the most of it, and while he does indeed notice the creak and flutter of the boughs, the birdsong, the rustle of leaves, there's also the bone deep silence of having no one else around for perhaps miles. [say]"Mmhm,"[/say] he agrees slowly, distracted by the lack of more than anything.
And because Flora's thoughts are mostly muffled, the sound of the actual Stone Symphony, when it does appear, can't possibly be his misinterpretation of her thoughts. As such Jack almost flinches around, suspicion warring with logic as he tries to wrap his mind around the impossibility of the woodland. [say]"Does it have a mind of its own then?"[/say] he wonders. And if so, why the fuck can't he read it?
RE: rebel heart - Flora - 11-29-2024
[say]"Ianto."[/say] Flora confirms with a grin. [say]"And he has gold in his teeth."[/say] She adds, bouncing her eyebrows for good measure. It was all wonderfully absurd but true, which Jack would be able to glean from her thoughts as she imagined a familiar foxy face gnawing at a bit of chicken on the Wishing Wagon's steps.
Snorting under her breath to see small lines of tension appear on the captain's face, Flora releases Jack's hands and instead loops her arms around his neck, rising onto her toes in order to press herself against him at precisely the angle she so often favoured. [say]"Yeah, I'd say it does."[/say] She says after a moment of considering, and, having been around Jack long enough to guess at what he was thinking, added, [say]"-but it isn't human, so."[/say] Same way he couldn't read the minds of animals that they passed on the streets, it shouldn't really come as a surprise that a hive mind of trees wasn't the sort of thing he could tap into. (Tap, like tapping for maple syrup, get it?)
[say]"We can go toward the river, if seeing the water will make you feel better."[/say]