[SE] the eyes have it

Koa

There's going to come a day when you feel better
You'll rise up free and easy on that day

Where better to look for Vi's roses than in a place named The Eyes of Vi?

Thus was Koa's logic when he set out on this expedition, enthusiastic and determined and entirely ill-informed. It hadn't been a long journey - the Eyes were close to the heart of the village, relative to much of the sprawling Woods - and mild morning made for a pleasant enough venture, or as pleasant as tromping through the Greatwood could be. Pipsqueak had busied herself with chasing down will-o-wisps, much to Koa's amusement, and it was scarcely lunchtime by the time they crossed the makeshift bridge to the gloomy island.

Of course things couldn't remain simple. Where Koa had expected something akin to the Eye of the Storm back home, of course the Greatwood had to put a horrifying twist on it. Turns out the Eyes consisted of pockmarks punched into soft earth and filled with water of an unsettling ilk; one quick glance left Koa quite befuddled, the reflections within in no way representative of the dense canopy above. He'd been quick to step back, untrusting of the illusion; now he stands at the edge of the island, weighing his next move.

Through their bond pip sends flashes of the scene from above, queasy images of discrete holes that bounced the low light eerily among the trees. The whole thing seemed designed by the gods to trigger anyone with trypophobia, and Koa has to steel himself against the dizzying impression of countless hollows waiting to swallow him whole. He's just debating turning around and leaving when a sound disturbs him; slightly startled, he turns to its source, hand snapping instinctively to the chakram at his hip.

And float from branch to branch, lighter than the air
Just when that day is coming, who can say?

Alys

Alys had a very different reason for visiting the Eyes of Vi. Of course, she would be more than happy to find a rose, and it seemed like a reasonable enough place to look. But her primary goal was to gather some water to return to Mort, the last piece of her quest to return Sascha to the land of the living.

Where others might see something unsettling, the seer found the scenery here fascinating. Looking into the pools was no doubt disorienting, but to a master illusionist it was decidedly less so. She wandered by pool after pool, looking around with interest and enjoying the beautiful Flowerbirth day.

A sudden feeling of unease crept over Alys then, and she recognized the feeling as one belonging to someone else. Imagining that she might put whoever it was more at ease, she stepped towards the feeling - only to rustle against some bushes. As she stepped out from the brush, she saw a familiar face lifting a weapon, and she immediately called upon her magic to create an illusion of herself. Now Koa would be seeing double, purely out of instinct for the seer.

gather 'round, here's how to get what you want
introduce a new religion of feeling like a boss

The Peregrine had delivered Alys to the Greatwood as promised, and then Tal had gone off to make his usual rounds of deliveries, intending to join her as soon as he was finished. Boreal had elected to remain with her human for once, the hope of seeing her cub again - and Tal's trauma since LongNight - making her less clingy to the Seer as she did double-duty as a therapy dragon for both heart-wounded humans, but now she had flown ahead - or rather, down through the thin-leafed trees - to seek her human's mate.

What were the chances that she'd find Pip first?

The burly, glacial mastiff (dwarf) of a dragon let out a bright carol that could likely be heard from one end of the island to the other as she greeted her noodly friend and changed direction to say a more proper hello, as only a dragon could. Both Alys and Koa might notice the hull of a small, sleek skyboat coming into view overhead as a curious Messenger leaned over the side, be-Goggled eyes seeking the pair (trio??) below and then doing a doubletake upon realizing that Alys wasn't alone in the woods.

Koa

There's going to come a day when you feel better
You'll rise up free and easy on that day

The snap of a broken branch manifests quickly into a familiar figure; Koa smile in recognition, then balks in confusion, eyebrows knitting and voice lilting as a dramatic series of emotions playing through his expression and tone. "Miss A-aaaaalys?" Were there supposed to be two of her, or is this some weird forest-void-whatever trick?

Thoroughly bewildered and lost, Koa takes a step back. Unfortunately this brings him dangerously close to the edge of a pool; panicking as his heel sinks into the water, Koa scrambles forward, away from the abyss. At the same time Pip hears Boreal's greeting, her own piercing squawk of excitement upsetting birds from the canopy above. Newly startled, Koa has to windmill his arms to keep from falling, which certainly makes a comical image for Tal to observe from above.

And then from behind them, a slorping noise freezes Koa where he stands, one foot raised and copper eyes wide in confusion and alarm. "What was that?" he half-croaks, half-whispers, staring beseechingly Alys' way. From the surface of the water, the Seer - and the Messenger, should he still be watching - will be able to see violet tentacles creeping outward, heralding the presence of a Void river star.

---

Void River Stars (uncommon): The carnivorous River Stars, tainted by void energy, have become even more sinister. Their once vibrant appearance has faded into shades of deep black and purple. Now, instead of waiting for prey to step onto their centers, they actively seek out creatures, using void-infused tendrils to ensnare and drain the life force from their victims.

And float from branch to branch, lighter than the air
Just when that day is coming, who can say?

Alys

As Koa recognized her, Alys allowed her illusion to fade. "Sorry," she started with a wince, about to explain that she'd been on edge ever since the yeti battle in the tundra. But before she could get the words out, Koa took a step too far back and Boreal appeared, causing Pip to squawk with excitement - and Alys could do nothing but watch the chaos ensue.

Fortunately, Koa managed to avoid falling in, but a new noise distracted them all. Darting forward quickly, she reached out a hand to Koa, trying to grab him and haul him away from the pool. "Void river star," she spat, drawing a dagger with her telekinesis and aiming it at the creature. "They don't move very fast, but they're nasty little things. Come on, let's get away from it." Looking up (because where Boreal was, Tal was sure to be nearby), she spotted the Peregrine coming into view and waved up at her partner. "We're okay!" she shouted up, but tried to continue to shepherd the seemingly bewildered Koa away from the pool.

gather 'round, here's how to get what you want
introduce a new religion of feeling like a boss

Well, Boreal wasn't surprised at least. She was just happy to see Pip! And as the dragonfriends reunited it left Tal to watch in bemusement as Koa went through a whole ass situation that the courier was too far away to do anything about. Sure, he dashed back to the wheel and spun it, hauling on the ropes and working the mechanism to bring the skyboat down to scrape the tops of the mostly-bare branches, but by the time he'd gotten his ship close enough to do anything, Alys had already rescued the Dragoon from the pool.

Or, well. The pool and Friend.

Hail, the Peregrine wasn't big enough for this nonsense, but if she'd been any bigger he wouldn't have been able to steer her so close to the ground, either. And there were definitely easier ways to do this, but it didn't look like Koa was moving fast enough and Tal could already feel himself beginning to shake. He didn't even try to reach for his Dagger as he watched the purple monster heading towards his partner. Instead his hand dipped into his pocket for something else, and he managed to flick it loose from its chain on the second try.

"Alys! Catch! Bring 'im with you!" he yelled, tossing the Compass to her.

And then, knowing that the boat was about to get overcrowded real quick, he grabbed a rope and tied it off tight to his waist and a cleat before letting himself over the side, scowling all the while at the indignity of it all.

It almost made the shaking stop as he watched the Void Star edge closer and closer to people he loved while he gripped the rope instead of a weapon.

---

Type: Grey | Style: Other | Level: Mastered
Constellation Compass | A small compass that can teleport the user and one other back to the Peregrine so long as it is no more than 1 region away.

Koa

There's going to come a day when you feel better
You'll rise up free and easy on that day

Alright, well, there's only one Alys now, so that's very good. If only Koa had the wherewithal to appreciate this turn of events, but as it is all clarity of thought has taken a hard left turn. Though in Koa's defense, he'd be a lot less frazzled had this not all started with the abandoned manifesting in duplicate before his eyes. "A what?" he asks rhetorically, eyes bulging comically as he takes a couple more hopping steps away from the edge of the pool.

As he does, he's finally able to register the sky boat, which is in itself a fresh source of utter bewilderment - at least until he recognizes Talyson and Boreal. "Tal!" Koa calls up, waving, clearly brightening with relief at the sight of his friend, "Yo, a little hel-- OKAY NOT WHAT I MEANT!"

Because for some godsforsaken reason Talyson has pitched himself out of the damn boat, and Koa's heart leaps into his throat in time with the courier's abbreviated fall. "DUDE!" Okay, seriously - what the fuck has everyone been smoking today?!

And float from branch to branch, lighter than the air
Just when that day is coming, who can say?

Alys

Later, Alys might look back on this moment and laugh affectionately at poor Koa's reaction, but at this particular time, all she could do was grab roughly at his arm, using her telekinesis to catch the thrown compass from her partner and pull it into her waiting hand. There was a brief moment where everything went silent and still before they appeared, suddenly, on the Peregrine's deck. Dropping Koa's arm, Alys pocketed the compass and ran towards the side of the skyship. Poking her head out to check on Tal, she sighed with relief to see him anchored safely to the boat.

"Now what?" she called down, brow furrowed. She'd picked up on bits and pieces of how to fly the Peregrine on her travels with Tal, but she never liked to touch the wheel without his instruction - and she'd certainly never tried with him hanging off the side.

gather 'round, here's how to get what you want
introduce a new religion of feeling like a boss

Tal ignored Koa's yodeled question, more focused on making sure there was enough room to get everyone aboard a boat built for two. He grit his teeth against the inevitable, but Alys's easy catch of the Compass was a momentary relief. Especially when she and Koa disappeared and the Void River Star paused, tentacles wiggling tentatively out and around where its prey had been just a heartbeat before.

And then the Peregrine dipped perilously as two more whole-ass adults appeared on her deck. Alys's head poked over the side a moment later and Tal let go of the rope with one hand to wave up at her. "Just like we've done before. Steer her until we find a clearin' t'set 'er anchor in. She's goin' t'wallow like a pig," he admitted with a grimace. "Leastways til we lose some extra weight. So th'sooner we can find someplace th'better!"

He gave a tense flip of his head to encourage her to head for the wheel and then filled his lungs to yell up to wherever the fuck Koa was on the deck. "Don't touch anythin'! Alys's got this!"

Because the first thing Koa would notice once he was aboard was that the Peregrine definitely wasn't big enough to hold three people. They were pushing her limits as it was, and the little boat likely couldn't take the strain for long.

Koa

There's going to come a day when you feel better
You'll rise up free and easy on that day

Aaaand then they're teleporting.

This has got to be one of the most bizarre five minute interludes of Koa's life. Top five, minimum. Having never actually been properly teleported before (or not that I can remember anyway), Koa has no idea what to think as without blinking he finds his body in an entirely different location, and for a brief and horrifying second he's not quite sure his stomach came along.

But he doesn't vomit, Safrin be praised. Slowly his grin starts to steady, understanding cycling into his frazzled mind. Gripping the railing of the skyship, Koa peers down to where Talyson hangs, snorting derisively at his dangling friend. "Are you calling me fat?!" he demands, bemused- and then, holding up his hands defensively, "You don't have to tell me twice."

Figuring Tal's as safe as he's going to be (and confident that Boreal or Pip will let them know if that changes), Koa turns back around to where Alys is managing the wheel of the ship. "Thanks for the save back there, Miss Alys! Anything I can do to help?"

And float from branch to branch, lighter than the air
Just when that day is coming, who can say?

Alys

Teleportation was indeed a strange thing, but given that Alys had experienced it several times now, its novelty had somewhat worn off for her. Fortunately, Koa seemed to recover quickly, and as Alys hurried away from the side of the Peregrine and to the wheel, taking charge of the situation with a rapidly pounding heart, Koa seemed to take her place, yelling back at Tal with a bemusement that would later be hysterical. Indeed, the entire interaction thus far had been one that Alys would one day look back on with a fond smile and a shake of the head.

But for now: steering. ”Just Alys, and no, just - just wait a second -“ she said, brow furrowed in concentration as she narrowly avoided scraping the Peregrine’s hull on a nearby tree. Wincing at the close call, she navigated as well as she could manage until she spotted a clearing that seemed big enough to set down in, then made for it. The skyboat limped along, but Alys was pleased with her ability to get to where she wanted to go and set down the anchor. Slumping over the wheel with relief, she paused for a moment to catch her breath before heading towards the ladder and unfurling it over the side. ”Come on, Koa,” she called. Time to check on Tal - and his poor ship!

gather 'round, here's how to get what you want
introduce a new religion of feeling like a boss

"Well I sure ain't callin' Alys fat!" Tal shot back up at his buddy, clinging to his rope and looking, perhaps, just a teensy but green around the gills. His hollers subsided to dire mumbles under his breath as the rope swayed and he hitched another loop under his arms. Boreal spared him a wicked chortle at his discomfort but didn't stop playing with Pip - though she did keep one eye on him, for Alys's sake. Most of her attention was on the little noodle, however, who was much better at navigating between narrow branches than the burly tank of a companion.

Tal's mumbles dropped to silence as the Peregrine slid past a tree. It wasn't just the hull that was nearly scraped, but the man who was hanging beside it, and he sucked in his stomach and flattened himself as much as he was able while hanging from a rope against the side of his own ship. The trip didn't take long, but it felt like several hours to the courier before the Peregrine began a controlled descent into a clearing far away from the Void River Star that had started their retreat.

Boreal knew her business, even if she would rather play. Besides, she wouldn't leave Alys hanging! As the Peregrine came to a hovering halt the dragon returned to the ship to wrestle the ground anchor over the side, nudging it into a thick tangle of roots thicker than Koa's thighs as the boat steadied. Tal began untangling himself from the rope and let himself down, dropping the last few feet to land on stable - well, soggy - land, tottering slightly and reaching for Alys's shoulder for balance once she was close enough. "Y'did great!" he assured her, pulling her into a quick hug. "Good thinkin'!"

And then, to Koa: "Flower huntin'?"

Koa

There's going to come a day when you feel better
You'll rise up free and easy on that day

It's a relatively short, nearly-eventful-but-thankfully-not trip. Soon enough they spot a clearing, Alys guiding the ship to safer harbors as Koa continues to keep an eye on Tal, calling out if the courier seems especially likely to crash into a tree. When at last they lay anchor Koa is quick to hop over the side, reaching out to steady Tal as he makes the drop onto the ground. "Steady there!" he chuckles, stepping back once he's satisfied his friend is stable enough for Alys to keep upright. A flicker of longing and envy flashes through his eyes as he watches them embrace, but it's gone as quickly as it appears, replaced by grinning, warm relief.

"Well, can't say I ever wanna experience that again, but it's good as hell to see you both!" Still chuckling, the young man shakes his head and shudders slightly, remembering the unsettling coils and tendrils of the infected star. "How 'bout we head back to the Bodega, and I we can catch up over a drink? My treat, as thanks for saving my skin. There's a place that does fantastic tea - spiked, if that's your speed." He winks, feeling very much like he, at least, could use a drink.

And float from branch to branch, lighter than the air
Just when that day is coming, who can say?

Alys

Alys moved to Tal’s side as quickly as she was able, happy to offer him support as he righted himself. He pulled her into a quick hug, and she reached up to briefly cup his face in her hands. ”You’re all right?” she murmured, checking to make sure she hadn’t accidentally scraped him against a tree. When she was assured that he was in one peace, she sagged into his hold before releasing him and turning her attention back to Koa.

”Tea would be wonderful,” Alys agreed with a small smile. ”Oh, but first -“ She pulled a jar from a satchel at her side and hurried over to one of the pools nearby - this one thankfully devoid of river stars. Leaning down, she scooped up some of the water and replaced the lid. Finally, the last piece of her quest to get Sascha back was complete. With a brilliant smile, she returned to the two men, beaming up at Tal. ”That’s the last thing,” she murmured excitedly. To Koa, she added, ”I needed to collect water for a quest. It was the last thing, so -“ Practically vibrating with excitement, she glanced up at the Peregrine, then back to Tal and Koa. ”Actually, why don’t you two go ahead and I’ll meet you soon? I’ll just go to Mort’s shrine in Ludo’s Woods first.”

gather 'round, here's how to get what you want
introduce a new religion of feeling like a boss