[SE] the poetry of the earth

JACK

It's a rarity for Jack to find himself this far inland, and especially without The Ark in tow. But he'd told his crew to stay between New Haven and the Skyport - told them specifically to have a grand old time without him for the evening, in fact - and has taken himself as far out of Mourn as possible. The result is this place - a sprawling hedge maze up ahead, clogged with fragrant blooms and looking, for all the world, like the pages of a storybook come to life.

Jack, though, is frowning. He stands at the entrance of the would-be maze, gazing up at it as if worried it's going to jump out and bite him. It's not the location so much as it's the abundance of plantlife, of earth all around, and it's with a curious itch in the back of his mind that he tries to shake the feeling off and focus. This very same feeling is what has brought him out here, and he clenches his jaw as if he might be able to crush it via willpower alone.

Nothing of the sort happens, of course, but his lingering near the hedgerows has brought the attention of something else, and he narrows his eyes at the sudden purplish writhing among the leaves. Void vipers, clearly intent on mischief. Jack is quite keen all of a sudden to ensure they find it.

when I look at something, I see it for what it could be
when I look at something, I see how it ends

Code stolen from Queen Sky