[RQ] Splash and Echo

Noah adjusted the strap of his pack, feeling the weight of it settle against his back. The Greatwood loomed ahead, its twisted trees rising like dark soldiers. Despite having been to the Greatwood several times since coming back to civilization, he couldn’t shake the tight knot of unease in his chest. The void continued to grow bolder. Before Cordelia’s death, Noah had come here to cleanse the Greatwood of the void’s grasp. While it had been accomplished, he barely escaped with his life, and the shadows of that crawled at his heels. He was here to guide and protect the other Halovians that accompanied him, and the weight of one of them being, essentially, Deimos’ son, did not leave him. "Stay close," he said over his shoulder, voice low, careful. "Don’t stray from the path. The Greatwood can grab you and spit you out anywhere if you don’t know which way you’re going.” Noah Olson lost in the shadow of an endless grace

style inso by odd and skylark

the harder the rain, honey, the sweeter the sun

Being grabbed by a sentient forest and spat out somewhere entirely different sounds exciting, if Amhran is being honest about it, but he knows better than to disobey a direct order to do something, especially given that he's in a new and magically charged place. Not to mention all the void stuff going on. 

"I will," he intones instead, his voice soft, his steps slow behind Noah. Very rarely does the Raeling see so much greenery, and the bright new Flowerbirth leaves have a smile blossoming across his face that he can't help.

"So we are going to a place called the Eyes of Vi?" he confirms. "Which has pools of water that we need to collect." It sounds easy enough, Amhran shifting his own pack on his shoulders, filled with empty containers ready to be dunked into said pools once they arrive properly.

Elizabeth

She'd spent more time in the Greatwood this season than she'd expected to - what with therapy sessions and flower searches. Elizabeth didn't mind, finding the twisting complexity of the woods something unexplainable that she wished to understand; however, no matter how much time she spent there studying and researching, she was never able to find any logical explanation for the shifts. It had a literal mind of its own, one that required something other than directional ability to navigate. 

Luckily, she wasn't alone in her journey through the trees, and Elizabeth didn't have to be told to stick close, already trailing within an arm's length of the men. Still, she gave Noah a warm smile, nodding her head. "Understood." Listening to Amhran speak, she shifted her own satchel over her shoulder, the one containing her usual travel supplies and various notebooks. Although she expected the trip to be quick, she hadn't actually visited the Eyes of Vi, leaving her with very little reference on what to expect.

Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength,
while loving someone deeply gives you courage.

The path twisted, barely visible, yet he knew it well now—etched into him by many, many visits to the Greatwood over the years, but concentrated since the arrival of the family. Noah stepped with confidence, eyes scanning the path and into the undergrowth. The weight of the expedition still kept his shoulders locked, bearing it carefully. It was like this every time any of them left Halo — dangerous. He carried more than supplies—he carried their lives, and he knew if anything were to happen Deimos would never let him forget it. The forest pressed in, thick with silence and old magic, and the flowerbirth air was damp against Noah’s skin. Each step forward felt like a promise he had to keep. ”Yes, but if either of you see the crimson red of a rose, we will need that too.” Noah said, casting a half-smirk over his shoulder briefly at the two. Breaking through a rather thick part, Noah breathed out a breath he hadn’t been realizing he was holding after his small jest, an attempt to break any tensions (that he probably caused, in all honesty). ”Here we are.” He said, gesturing for the others to head into the greatness of the Eyes of Vi. Noah Olson lost in the shadow of an endless grace

style inso by odd and skylark

the harder the rain, honey, the sweeter the sun

"Vi's Roses, the Eyes of Vi... I wonder whether this place thinks highly of him, or he of it," Amhran wonders absently, keeping as close as necessary but giving himself over to the woods just enough to be able to reach out and touch the trunks of passing trees. Smiling at the cool, damp air on his face and the rustle of branches in the breeze, he doesn't realise they've arrived until Noah announces it, the Raeling falling to a halt to peer around at the pools of strange, still water and their peculiar vistas.

"Oh," he breathes, immediately stepping forward to investigate. "I didn't realise the reflections showed different places. That is amazing... are they portals...?" He'd read a book on them not long ago, and this is exactly what he remembers the descriptions being like. Gently setting his bag down next to one of the pools - one with a snowscape rippling within it - Amhran kneels to admire it. "This one is a bit like Halo."

Elizabeth

Intrigued by Amhran's line of thought, Elizabeth tilted her head. "That's a good question, although I assume it's a little bit like 'the chicken or the egg' quandary. If the place thinks highly of Vi, he probably appreciates it enough to enjoy the area. And if Vi was the first to express his approval of the space, it probably chose to name itself after him." Her shoulders came up in a shrug, curious if she might be able to find history on the area to support one theory versus another. Maybe she'd investigate afterwards. 

But then they're suddenly amongst an array of pools that glitter like circular windows into other worlds. Her eyes widened as she walked slowly between them, taking in each sight with undisguised awe. "Some believe them to be images of real places, while others speculate that they're sights conjured from the magic of the Greatwood." Kneeling next to one depicting an island castle with a cascading waterfall, she added, "But don't try to swim in them." The brown of her eyes were filled with caution as she looked to Amhran, her words serious. "There's no way to know if you'll be able to get out." She didn't know him well enough to know if he might risk the swim or not, but she certainly hoped not.

Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength,
while loving someone deeply gives you courage.

His title was not unknown by the world at large—the Forsaken.  As Amhran wondered aloud about his patron, Noah offered only a half-smile, tired at the edges, and a quiet shrug. He wasn’t the one to ask about Vi—not really. He had loved his god, still did in the marrow of his bones, but love didn’t mean clarity. If he had known Vi better—if Noah had listened more, asked more questions—perhaps the road behind him would be less tarnished by regret. He was grateful when Elizabeth filled the silence, filling the air with her knowledge. As they entered the Eyes proper, Noah shrugged the strap from his shoulder, the pack sliding down with a muffled thud. He knelt briefly, fingers brushing over the worn canvas, before retrieving the empty waterskins. Wordlessly, he offered them to Elizabeth, then stood back up.  “I’ll stand guard while you gather. Just in case.” He said, eyes scanning the tree line for any sign of stray void-fauna or flora…or even the of the Greatwood deciding for itself it did not want them here. Noah Olson lost in the shadow of an endless grace

style inso by odd and skylark

the harder the rain, honey, the sweeter the sun

”Chose to name… itself?” Amhran echoes, as if never having considered such a thing within the realm of possibility. He’s also never considered swimming in the pools, though it’s true that as Elizabeth cautions against it, he’s already craning perhaps a little too far over the side to try and get a better look at the snowscape within. Clearing his throat sheepishly and sitting back to kneel at a safer distance, he glances over his shoulder to see Noah standing sentinel, and considers now as good a time as any to begin collecting the water.

”I bet you could see all of Caido on a tour through the Eyes of Vi, if you didn’t mind looking at it in reflections,” he muses; perhaps places even beyond Caido, if Elizabeth is correct about it potentially being affected by the magic of the Greatwood. Retrieving one of the containers from his pack, he carefully submerges it in the water, and whilst he’s perhaps a little disappointed not to see snow start to fill it, he tries to keep it from his face.

Elizabeth

Elizabeth shrugged at the question. "The Greatwood is magic, so why not?" It certainly seemed to have a mind of its own in other regards, and with the Mathair in residence, it would only make sense that some beings could understand whatever language the magical forest spoke. 

Accepting the waterskins from Noah, she gave him an appreciative smile for his protection as well as the supplies. Turning back to the pool depicting the regal castle, she cautiously dipped the pouch in to fill it. "It might be interesting, but wouldn't you want to see the places in person? Touch the snow? Smell the flowers? Taste the salty breeze? Hear the wildlife?" Elizabeth shot Amhran a playful wink before returning to the task at hand.

Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength,
while loving someone deeply gives you courage.

Noah left the two to their gathering and their conversation. His eyes scanned the undergrowth around them with quiet precision, half-shifted to be able to see further and sharper. The forest pressed close, branches twitching with the weight of unseen things. The Greatwood was home to many magical and normal creatures alike, and Noah was prepared for almost anything, but he prayed silently as he watched that no void touched creatures would step into his line of sight.  Behind him, he could hear the soft sound of water being gathered—both of his Halovian comrades carefully calm. He didn’t look. His focus remained outward, on the shifting shadows and half-breaths that lived between the trees. In the distance he heard a shuffling and snapping of branches. Every muscle in his body was ready, drawn tight as a string. He wouldn’t let anything near them. Celestial magic glistened at his fingertips, ready to draw, aim, and fire.  It drew closer, and Noah took a step towards where it was coming from and away from his counterparts. Lifting his hands every so slightly, Noah nearly shot his magic outright, when only an elephant beetle came into the clearing. It was large, as they all were, but very clearly young as it wasn’t as big as so many he had seen other times. Releasing a breath, Noah let his hands fall back to his sides. ”Are we almost full?” He asked over his shoulder, eyes not leaving the beetle as it ambled, unbothered, over the loamy soil and over smaller eyes. Elephant Beetle (common): A relatively unintelligent, giant black beetle that cannot fly. Males grow long tusks and both adult genders grow to around 4 foot. Though their brains are particularly small in proportion to their size, they are capable of carrying several times their own body weight and are commonly found around Fae villages where they labour in exchange food. These beetles can shift objects with their tusks and though slow, can be ridden or pull carts. Noah Olson lost in the shadow of an endless grace

style inso by odd and skylark

the harder the rain, honey, the sweeter the sun

”Oh, that is a good point,” Amhran reasons - to both of @elizabeth’s remarks, as it happens. ”I much prefer being here in person than looking at it in a picture, so I suppose I would feel the same about any other places I might visit too.” Capping off one container and submerging the other he’s brought, he glances from his snowscape to his companion’s castle, nodding towards it. ”Would you like to go somewhere like that?” he asks. 

At that moment a disturbance in the trees catches his attention, Amhran turning just in time to see the elephant beetle lumber out. Clearly delighted, he quickly finishes his second container and caps it off as well, before stuffing both into his bag. ”I’m finished,” he confirms, rising to his feet. ”I’ve never seen a creature like that before. What is it?”

Elizabeth

She smiled softly at Amhran's agreeance, feeling like it was similar to reading - the books being their own little portals to worlds that she wished she could actually experience. Would that include the castle in front of her? Elizabeth tilted her head, letting out a contemplative hum. "Hmm. Maybe. It depends on the people that live there." She mainly meant what kind of community might reside there, along with political and relationship drama that she might learn from, although she also wouldn't mind a handsome prince to sweep her off her feet. 

But then a large beetle came lumbering out of the woods, and Elizabeth very nearly tumbled into the water that she'd warned Amhran against. She caught her hand against the edge of the pool, holding her breath as she suspended herself at the near tipping point. It wasn't until she was fairly certain she wasn't going to lose her balance again that she leaned back onto the safety of the grass and rose to her feet, capping off her second pouch of water with a relieved sigh. "I'm done as well." Then she looked to Noah with a soft smile, letting him do the explaining of whatever the creature was.

Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength,
while loving someone deeply gives you courage.

The beetle did not seem to notice the trio as it made its way through the Eyes of Vi. Whatever it was doing, it was solely focused on it. It lumbered past them, slowly but with purpose, close enough for Amhran to reach out and touch.  Noah turned his body to watch it go, head tilting some as he lifted a brow almost lazily. ”That’s an elephant beetle. A young one at that. Pretty harmless other than their size. The fae have used them as draught animals for a long, long time.” He cast them a smile, looking to each of them but letting his eyes linger on the young demigod to capture his wonder. ”I’m glad its all we’ve seen today. Let’s head back towards the sky boat.”  And with that, the water collecting trio headed out with Noah guiding them once more, demigod abilities at the ready to defend them. FIN Noah Olson lost in the shadow of an endless grace

style inso by odd and skylark