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+---- Thread: [Training] here’s to being imperfect (/showthread.php?tid=3828)
here’s to being imperfect - Vervain - 07-05-2020
Two steps - one into the portal, the next into the Greatwood.
And the hush of the rain and the roar of the sea was replaced by softly chirping birds and the gentle whisper of branches, their leaves still fresh and bright. Sun filtered through the boughs of the Mathair behind them, and Vervain took a deep breath of the sweet air and let it out again. Flowerbuds and moss, it seemed stronger now than before.
[say]”So this is the Greatwood,”[/say] she murmured, glancing over her shoulder to Zeph to see what he thought of the canopy of trees, the sea of green all around them dappled by gold streams of light.
For her part, the witch was dressed in leather and fur, her bow and quiver over her shoulders, dark hair braided back out of her face. [say]”Fancy a little target practice?”[/say]
RE: here’s to being imperfect - Zephyr - 07-05-2020
Fuck portals. Fuck portals. And here you thought that boats were bad, but seriously, fuck portals. One step and your can feel your stomach rolling in a screaming protest, the desire to vomit only muted by the roaring in your ears. It takes literally every piece of self control you have to keep from collapsing to your knees and retching; as it is you stagger away while making some truly unsavory noises, trying to hide the fact that your face has gone entirely green.
[say]"Charmin',"[/say] you croak hoarsely, not particularly interested in the trees and the light and the fuckin' moss. At least you dressed for cold weather this time, though your hat and scarf and gloves and coat have earned no little amount of teasing from Vai.
Straightening up and wincing as you do, you grimace at your companion. [say]"In a sec. Rae's tits and balls. What the hell's yer stomach made'a, woman, steel?"[/say]
RE: here’s to being imperfect - Vervain - 07-05-2020
She hadn’t expected to see Zeph turn the same colour as the grass, brows coming together in a concerned frown for a second, Vai backtracking to make sure he didn’t need anyone to hold his hair scarf if he did decide to throw up. [say]”Sit down a sec, maybe?”[/say] she advised, in case he was still unsteady, though there was perhaps the hint of an amused smile trying to appear on her lips when it became clear that he wasn’t in any immediate danger - as shown by his colourful swearing.
[say]”You dared me to eat a raw oyster,”[/say] she reminded him, which should tell him exactly what her stomach was made of. [say]”I didn’t realise you got motion sick. How does that work with all of the boats?”[/say] She obviously assumed by his love of the ocean that he went sailing fairly often. That would show her for making assumptions.
RE: here’s to being imperfect - Zephyr - 07-06-2020
You don't sit down, but you do put out a hand to lean upon a root (what kind of tree has roots this big?!), gulping in deep breaths of moist, earthy air. Fuck portals. Fuuuuuck portals. You're never taking one of those again (you absolutely are); you'd sooner spend a season on a boat (you absolutely would not).
Speaking of boats. [say]"There's a reason I work docks."[/say] You're coming back to yourself slowly, though your nut-brown skin is definitely more blanched and boiled peanut than its usual toasted almond. [Say]"Right. 'm fine."[/say] (You are not)
You feel like you're suffocating. Time to pull off the scarf. [say]"So... This is th' Greatwood, eh? Seems more an Okaywood t'me. Perfectly adequate wood."[/say] You say all this, but your eyes are wide as you look from tree to tree, clearly awed and impressed despite your churning stomach.
RE: here’s to being imperfect - Vervain - 07-06-2020
[say]”Ah, I see,”[/say] Vai said nodding in understanding and stepping back to give him a little more space to breathe. Shifting her quiver on her shoulder, she turned her attention to the trees, the lay of the land, picking out the familiar trails and listening for anything that might be off. Things all seemed tranquil, though, and Zeph’s voice had her facing him again, a smile curling up the corners of her lips.
Watching him take in the trees, she could imagine that this was how he must have felt when she was looking at the sea, and his contradictory words had her scoffing out a laugh. [say]”It doesn’t hold a candle to your great wood, I’ll give you that much,”[/say] she said, rolling a shoulder to beckon him to follow her. [say]”Come on, I’ll show you where Felix and I live.”[/say]
RE: here’s to being imperfect - Zephyr - 07-07-2020
As the unhappy storm in your stomach subsides somewhat, your interest in the trees around you grows. To say you've never seen anything like this would be a statement of the obvious: you've never even imagined anything like this, and you're generally a pretty imaginative guy. Craning your neck to peer into the endless ocean of leaves that stretches above, it's a lucky thing you don't wind up tripping on any roots and falling ass-first into the damp ground.
Her joke about your great wood has you coming back to yourself, chuckling smugly as you fall into step behind the huntress. [say]"How'd the trees get t'be so big? 'Specially that one."[/say] You point a thumb back to the Mathair, beautiful and burnt, a giant in the moss. [say]"Lemme guess, ya live in one-? Wait. Y'aint gonna make me climb these, are ya?"[/say]
RE: here’s to being imperfect - Vervain - 07-08-2020
Vai had to resist the urge to glance over her shoulder for him, worried he would either get lost looking at the trees or walk into one - both of which seemed plausible at this point in time. [say]”They’re just very old I guess. Though they say it’s a magical forest,”[/say] she murmured, turning enough to see him gesture to the portal they’d just come through. [say]”That is the Mathair. The Fae call her a goddess - she is the Greatwood’s mother tree,”[/say] she explained with a smile, ducking under an overhanging branch and picking up a trail that looked, at a glance, like merely a less dense patch of woodland.
Chuckling as he spoke about climbing trees, Vai’s grin was audible in her voice. [say]”Zeph, would I make you do that?”[/say] she teased. Luckily no, Vai didn’t live in one - though there was a lookout built in one of the trees above the wild little cabin that came into view. Behind it, some targets had been set up. It wasn’t much, but most of the time living in the Greatwood was spent out in it. [say]”Ta daaaa,”[/say] she said, breathing in the fresh air. [say]”Home sweet home.”[/say]
RE: here’s to being imperfect - Zephyr - 07-09-2020
[say]"Absolutely,"[/say] you fire back, your own grin just as audible. You're beginning to feel that there's no limit to what this wild woman would make you do; moreover, you absolutely believe that in most cases you would do it. At least try, which is a great deal more than you've been given to historically.
The little cottage may as well be built from a tree, given how well it fits into the forest. Just like her: made for this close wilderness, you think, unsuspecting yet utterly charming. You can imagine Felix sprawled on the little lookout above, watching for unsuspecting passers by. Pushing your way through the last of the brush, you stop close enough to Vervain to loop an arm around her shoulders. [say]"Not bad. 'Cept for the trees. Seem a little excessive."[/say]
RE: here’s to being imperfect - Vervain - 07-11-2020
Glancing to the side as he stepped close, Vai smiled and leant into the arm around her, feeling a sudden pang for Felix to complete the picture. Zeph was right - her son would often fall asleep up in the lookout, often only crawling down to eat. It had been a breezy sort of existence here, but Torchline had been a lot busier. A lot better for both of them, in fact. [say]”It’s the woods,”[/say] she reminded him with a laugh, raising an eyebrow. [say]”It’s where excessive trees are a thing, if you didn’t notice?”[/say]
Nodding at the targets behind the cottage, Vai nudged him with the bow slung across her back. [say]”Want to have a little competition? Loser needs to do a forfeit,”[/say] she suggested. She had promised a little target practice, after all.
RE: here’s to being imperfect - Zephyr - 07-11-2020
[say]"Never seen woods before. I'm a lowly beach bum, not a well-educated traveler like you,"[/say] you remind her, raising an eyebrow of your own. Look, yes, okay, you expected trees, but can she blame you for being unprepared for the sheer number and magnitude of the things? You're a big fish from a little
Following her gaze to the targets, you let out a low snort and shake your head. [say]"Feelin' like this game is rigged."[/say] Still you follow along toward the back of the cottage, the challenge of a wager kindling your competitive nature. [say]"What're we forefittin'? Can't say I brought much more'n my charmin' personality an' some party tricks."[/say] As if to demonstrate this charm you pull an arrow from her quiver, balancing it unsteadily on your finger and extending your other arm in a flourish of ta da.
RE: here’s to being imperfect - Vervain - 07-15-2020
[say]”Excuse me, I think you are quite the well-educated traveller. Here, Torchline, the Grounds - you’ve been all the places I have in Caido,”[/say] she said, sounding proud. [say]”Probably more, if you had the stomach for sailing.”[/say] They strolled around the cottage and Vai scanned the ground automatically for traps, signs of a break in, the usual. Finding nothing, she turned her attention to the targets, already grinning.
[say]”Winner’s choice of forfeit, so get thinking,”[/say] she advised, glancing to the side to see Zeph and his famous arrow balancing act. [say]”Bravo, sir. A lover, fighter, entertainer. Anything you can’t do?”[/say]
Vai plucked the arrow from his fingertips, drawing back her bow and firing it off towards a target in one fluid movement. It wasn’t a bullseye, but it looked cool. [say]”Your turn,”[/say] She winked. [say]”It might be rigged. Same as eating oysters and swimming in the waves is rigged.”[/say]
RE: here’s to being imperfect - Zephyr - 07-15-2020
Oh, so the winner picks the punishment, eh? You smirk at this, waggling your eyebrows suggestively as she comes to snatch the arrow away, plucking it off your fingers and putting it to her bow. Damned impressive already, and when she follows through with a fluid pull of the string and a far better shot than you could manage... well. Let's not beat around the bush: you're impressed, and it shows clearly on your face.
Chuckling at the suggestion the game is rigged, you take the bow and an arrow from her, looking them both over curiously. Looks easy enough, you think, just knock the thing and pull the string and away she goes. Vai certainly made it look like the simplest thing in the world. No way it'll go wrong.
You knock the arrow. You pull it back. And you let go and watch as it flies away in entirely the wrong direction, missing the bullseye by a solid foot and vanishing into the brush. Well, fuck.
With an embarrassed half-laugh-half-grumble and a flush in your face you offer back the bow. Injury to insult, your arm is already aching in protest, because it turns out pulling that arrow was kind of a lot of work for your fucked-up delt.
Rubbing the place where your long sleeves cover the old wound you continue grumbling as you go in search of the errant arrow, muttering something mock-disgruntled about damned rigged contests and leaves in my eyes.
RE: here’s to being imperfect - Vervain - 07-16-2020
Surrendering her bow and arrows, it would be a lie to say that Vai isn’t just a little curious about how well he might do, standing back to watch curiously as he drew back the bowstring, his stance a decent replication of her own, the arrow knocked securely. Only problem apparently was the aim, and she bit her lower lip to hide her laugh as the shot went wide, disappearing into the brush. [say]”Hey,”[/say] she called after him as he grumbled on his way, her bow back in hand. [say]”You don’t have to fetch it, it’s— oh, never mind.”[/say]
She waited until Zeph returned, checking over her weapon and tightening the string in places, before knocking a second arrow and letting it loose to join her first in the target. [say]”I think I’m going to have to start thinking of forfeits,”[/say] she remarked, handing back the bow. [say]”Mind if I give you a hand with this one?”[/say] Waggling her eyebrows, she left it up to him.
RE: here’s to being imperfect - Zephyr - 07-18-2020
You return with the arrow and your temper in hand, most of the genuine frustration already abated. It's hard to be angry when there are tall trees and a cool breeze soothing you, and a beautiful woman firing arrows like a fucking warrior queen.
And you're not too proud to agree to the offer of help, pulling a wry but amused face. [say]"Please do."[/say] Extending your arms for her to guide, you take back the bow and knock the same arrow, wincing as the pain of drawing back once again stings your arm.
Still, with her tutelage you manage a rather more successful maneuver, your arrow landing not so very far from hers. With a bright grin and whoop of triumph, you turn back to Vai, rubbing your arm. [say]"Better start prepatin' fer yer forfeit,"[/say] you tease, leaning forward to kiss her nose.