public display of depression

and i'm still waiting for a life that never was

Alys had thought that her heartbreak had ended, when Sascha had returned to her from Mort's Halls.

She hadn't known then that it was merely beginning.

She'd come to the Greatwood straight away after the disastrous pool party, and she had been systematically combing the forest ever since, searching for a Vi's Rose. Or she'd been trying to be systematic, but the woods kept changing, the trees shifting to spit her out on paths she swore she'd searched twenty times before. At first, she tried to convince herself that maybe the Greatwood was trying to help her, and she'd searched harder in case she'd missed something the first time. But after she passed the same copse again, she had to admit that the forest was probably laughing at her.

Overcome with frustration and despair, the seer threw herself to the ground beneath a tree, tears welling in her dark eyes. Sascha, who had refused to leave her side since she'd returned to the Peregrine to collect the ursur before fleeing like a coward, sat beside her, pressed against her hip and trembling. There was something about losing Tal to the Family that had triggered the little bear, and she had grown increasingly skittish the longer they stayed away.

They were no closer to a cure than they had been at the pool party. There was no magic fix, and Alys didn't think she'd get lucky with the gods twice. Even if she tried, Vi wouldn't hear her call, or would ignore her, or whatever else happened when prayers went unanswered.

Alys drew her knees up to her chest, lay her forehead against her arms, and wept.

Alys

I am not a scholar and I don't believe in fate

From Torchline Noah headed to the Greatwood, for one search before he went to Vi. He had to make an attempt again before he sought out his patron, although he knew in his mind that any breaks in tasks would bring him back to these forests and rivers and winding, twisting paths until they had harvested all they needed.

Having grown more familiar with the Greatwood in his time here, Noah wasn’t was disoriented as the trees chose new paths for him. He was ready to recompose and continue as the dirt shifted beneath his boots. He kept his eyes up and scanned, keeping his head on a swivel.

He stopped suddenly when he heard the sobbing, the familiar cry of grief and despair. His heart lurched and he took off into the woods, slight panic racing through him. He turned a corner and spotted her, her dark hair familiar against the backdrop of the Greatwood. He slowed, but didn’t stop until he was near her, crouching down at her side, and pulling her into him. ”Alys, shhhh,”

NOAH

and i'm still waiting for a life that never was

The sound of someone approaching had Alys bristling, and she was on her feet before she realized who it was, daggers appearing in her hands and her magic at the ready. When she recognized Noah, she relaxed, shooting him an apologetic glance as she sheathed her blades, slumping against the tree trunk. Sascha made a disgruntled rumbling sound at her feet, looking at the Forsaken reproachfully. Still, she patted his foot with one paw as he pulled Alys into him, offering a greeting of her own.

For Alys's part, she didn't resist as Noah tugged her closer, instead turning her face into his shoulder as the tears returned anew. "Tal's infected," she mumbled through her muffled sobs. "I have to find a rose." Maybe that was selfish, but she needed her partner out of the Family's clutches.

And she would let the world burn if it meant saving him.

Alys

I am not a scholar and I don't believe in fate

Noah wished he had a pulse of gratitude to send over the bond towards the companion, but as a demigod rather than an attuned, he didn’t have that ability. Instead he reached down and pressed a hand to the bear’s head, letting his fingers spread into whooly fur. He held Alys with the other arm, keeping her close. ”Lets go, then.” Noah offered his hand for the seer, ready to lead her on the search through this wood to find her hope. ”We won’t stop.” Until we found one would have been the way the sentence typically finished, but Noah meant it as he said it — they wouldn’t stop. He wouldn’t stop. Not until it was complete, and Caido returned to the state it should be.

NOAH

and i'm still waiting for a life that never was

Somehow, things didn't seem so bleak when Alys had a friend to bolster her, and she pulled away from Noah with a small, if tearful, smile. She looked around them with a sigh, hoping that the trees hadn't changed again. If they had, then she had no idea where they were or where she'd looked already. Thankfully, she thought she recognized the path back towards Sidhe Village, and that meant that it was time to head deeper into the woods.

"I searched back that way, I think," she said, reaching up a hand to wipe away her tears. Then she turned to face the Greatwood. Noah was right. They wouldn't stop. Couldn't stop.

Not until everything was fixed.

Not until Tal was hers again.

fin

Alys