Hidden Depths

The noon-day autumn sun was bright overhead, but as the alchemist ventured farther and farther into the glade the light became more and more dappled and the temperature dropped to a fairly reasonable and pleasing level. Rolling up his sleeves, the alchemist breathed in deeply. The air here was warm and heavy with moisture and smells and tastes that he didn’t quite recognize. That was precisely what brought him here though. Having just agreed to supply the Rathskeller with some of his signature liquors, Remi needed to find the botanical supplies that would allow him to make his drinks. And so he found himself in this new place. With charcoal stained pants and a whistle on his lips, Remi meandered without much thought or purpose through the glade stopping occasionally when he found a grouping of plants that he recognized, and more often than not, ones that he did not. remi Trying to teach my common sense to not waver with my confidence

G e o r g i a McCullough The glade was the perfect place to harvest plants that she wasn't able to grow in her garden. Every so often Georgia would make a trip there, basket in hand, and she would spend the day examining and gathering before finally venturing home. Usually she was there alone, quietly humming to herself while she worked, but today was different. She could hear whistling in the distance and slowly worked her way toward it, while still pausing to harvest the plants she wanted. He was someone that she didn't recognize right away, but that wasn't at all surprising. Georgia spent a majority of her time by herself in her little cottage, tending her garden, and making the herbal medicines that her grandmother had taught her. She stood at a distance, observing him as he stopped to pick at plants, just as she was doing. It made her feel a kinship with him, though she had no idea what his name was or who he was. It wasn't until he stopped to inspect a certain plant that she finally stepped forward and made her way toward him. The red berries were enticing, and looked edible to those that didn't know better, and she assumed that he didn't know better. "Those are poisonous." She interrupted, assuming that he was reaching for them. Georgia stopped, several feet away from the unknown man, and stood clutching her basket of plants. It occurred to her, perhaps a bit too late, that maybe he had known and wanted to use them against someone. The thought made her uneasy, and she tried to think of something else to say, but came up blank. Instead she settled on a smile and a simple "Hi." "." ooc://

Coding by Astralpaint

Remi was not one to be focused on his surroundings when his mind had drawn in on itself. Though he had not had an easy upbringing, the detriments he'd experienced had rarely been caused by being snuck up on. Thus as Georgia paused to watch him, though there were two dormant predators lingering inside of himself, the alchemist's mind was busy focusing on the brilliant red berries before him. Already he was thinking that whatever tartness they likely possessed would be useful, and the plant itself could likely be used as a garnish as well. Those are poisonous. Whirling around, a surprised by charmingly boyish smile spread rapidly across Remi's face. The woman before him was exquisitely beautiful, but it was her quiet and knowing demeanor that ultimately attracted him, as well as the basket of herbs that she carried. Glancing down at the berries, Remi's smile turned slanted as he ran a hand through his curls to display his obvious ignorance. "Ah." He chuckled, curling his fingers in a flourish back into his palm and stepping away from the plant. "Not quite what I was after, then." Remi added, his melodic accent rolling easily off his lips as he shrugged his shoulders. "Hello." The alchemist returned with a sunny smile, his sea-glass green eyes politely appraising her in more detail now that it appeared this was going to be the start of a conversation. "My name is Remi. I take it you've not just arrived here, as I have?" He inquired, his voice thoughtful as his head titled to one side looking decidedly avian in gesture, which was perhaps not so surprising given that he did spend a good amount of time as a bird. remi Trying to teach my common sense to not waver with my confidence

G e o r g i a McCullough "Sorry!" Georgia said quickly as he whirled around to face her. "I didn't mean to startle you." But better startled than writhing in agony, right? He seemed good natured, though, and Georgia relaxed visbily. Her smile was a little less forced as she stepped closer to the man to peer at the berries he'd been about to grab. "Not unless you want a blistered mouth and throat." She said, a bit lighthearted considering the topic at hand. "And, eventually, death." It was a horrible, painful way to go ... at least from what she'd been told by her grandmother. It wasn't something she wanted to witness, that much was for sure. She turned to face Remi as he introduced himself. "Georgia." She offered in return. "And no, I've lived here all my life." She took the time then to look the man over. By his own admission he was an outlander just as Tristan was, though he was decidedly smaller than the giant that had crushed her flowers. He seemed nice enough, if a little ill versed in the local flora, which was to be expected from someone new to the area. "What is it you're looking for?" She asked, turning to look around them at the abundance of plants. "Maybe I can help you find it. And if we can't find it here I might have it growing in my garden." "." ooc://

Coding by Astralpaint

"I do not." Remi agreed with a quick smile. That being said though, the alchemist pulled his notebook and a stub of charcoal from his pocket and immediately began to sketch. Those his movements appeared hasty, quickly a relatively good likeness of the berry began to show. Normally he would have taken the plant and rubbed it onto the page for colour, but given that it was a poison he opted against it. "Blistered mouth and throat...then death" He murmured, writing down the effects in the book with a lopsided smile. "Ah!" Looking fascinated, Remi extended a hand towards the woman. If she took it, she'd find his grip warm and firm, the palms of his hands calloused and well-muscled from all his time spent writing. As she asked what he was looking for, Remi smiled through a sigh and closed his notebook. Shrugging slightly he took a breath and held it as he looked around. "Anything, really. I am an alchemist. Or...I was?" Pausing with a confused but fairly adorable smile, Remi continued on. "I will be whatever I need to be here, but alchemy is what I focus on mostly. I was looking for things to infuse into beverages..but also anything I could use for pigments, or other tinctures." As she mentioned having a garden, Remi's pale eyes lit up and a smile creased his lips in two. "Your garden?" He asked delightedly. "Is it just a hobby of yours? Or..?" Trailing off, entirely unsure what professions there might be within this strange place, he merely shrugged his shoulders and raised his eyebrows, subtly suggesting for Georgia to complete the sentence as she wished. remi Trying to teach my common sense to not waver with my confidence

G e o r g i a McCullough Georgia chuckled as Remi confirmed that he did not want to die. She stepped closer as he produced a notebook and a piece of charcoal and, unable to resist, she peeked at his drawing. His movements were quick, but he was able to capture the likeness of the berry quite effectively. It was smart, she thought, to keep note of poisonous plants for reference. If he were interested she could let him look through a few of the books she kept at home that had more information about the local plantlife. She looked down as he extended his hand toward her, then shifted the basket to her other arm, she reached out to grasp his hand. He was surprisingly warm, though it could have been from the unsual autumn heat, and his palms were calloused. Obviously the hand of a working man, she thought. "It's nice to meet you, Remi." Releasing his hand, she turned her attention back to the plants, but quickly looked back at her companion when he said he was an alchemist. "Really?." She asked, intrigued, though he quickly backpeddaled and said he would be whatever was needed."I don't know of any alchemists around here." Georgia replied. "I think you would be successful in that venture." She nodded as she said it, believing whole heartedly that an alchemist would do well. "Oh!" She said happily as he continued on. "I have mint, basil, and rosemary at home." She was smiling as she listed them off. "And lavender. I have hibiscus flowers, but they've been dried. I don't know how effective they would be for drinks. My uh .. fresh flowers were crushed by a rather large man." She giggled as she thought of Tristan's face as he realized her'd destroyed the flowers. "And I have a few rose bushes that you could use for pigment." Georgia turned to face Remi as he showed interest in her garden and her smile brightened. "I'm a herbalist." She announced. "A healer. The garden was originally my grandmother's but I inherited it after she passed. I have a few of her books highlighting plants and their uses and dangers if you would be interested in looking those over and taking notes?" "." ooc://

Coding by Astralpaint

“Please to meet you as well.” Remi said, his accented voice perhaps making his words sound all the more polite. Releasing her hand, Remi beamed as she mentioned that there were no other alchemists. That was actually rather rare. So many considered themselves to know alchemy simple because they could mix two things together. It was a great deal more complicated than that, and had Remi been an altogether more egotistical or masculine sort of man, he might have taken great offence at those he’d met in the past that had boasted to have the same profession. Instead, Remi merely carried on as he was want to do, without judgement or criticism. Still. The thought that perhaps staying an alchemist, as opposed to a weapons creator as he was in Northwind, was a welcome one. “I suppose time will tell. My friend Vervain Calob has re-opened the Rathskeller and has placed an order for some of my liquors, so perhaps you are right.” As Georgia mentioned what she had, Remi’s eyes widened with delight and pleasure. The woman not only offered her assistance, but also confirmed that at least some of the plants in this place were the same as back home. It would be ludicrous to think that they’d merely be named the same without actually being the same. Perhaps this world wasn’t as fair off from his own as he had previously thought. “I would never want to take anything from you ... perhaps a small cutting though, so your garden could continue to flourish?” Swallowing and widening his eyes slightly, Remi tried on an awkward smile at the image of a large man crushing her garden. “A euphemism?” He asked shyly, wondering if there was some local lingo that he simply wasn’t privy to. The more Georgia spoke, the more Remi wanted to chalk this meeting up to fate. A herbalist and a healer? How wonderful! There was so much he wanted to know and ask...but then... “Am I keeping your from something Georgia? I have more questions I’d very much like to ask, being a newcomer and all, but I wouldn’t do so at the expense of your time.” remi Trying to teach my common sense to not waver with my confidence

G e o r g i a McCullough Georgia waved a hand in a dismissive manner when Remi seemed concerned about taking the plants. "I have plenty." She insisted, though she understood where he was coming from. She wouldn't want to take anything from anyone and leave them wanting either, but once he saw her garden and the abundance of herbs she had in it as well as what she had dried and stored inside he would understand. Parting with a few plants wouldn't be detrimental to her whatsoever. "You can take as many cuttings as you need." She paused for a moment, contemplating. "I could start a few plants for you." She offered. "You could keep them at your shop and use them as you need. And if you need different ones I could start those, too? Maaaybe tarragon? Or dill? Sage?" He seemed quite ... shocked? ... when she mentioned her flowers being crushed. "Hmm?" She hummed questioningly then shook her head. "Oh, he was very tall. I asked him if he fell off his beanstalk into my garden and he said that perhaps he had." She paused and looked at Remi again, appraising him. After meeting Tristan she had wondered if all of the outlanders were unnaturally tall, but Remi was not much taller than she was. "Tristan." She said a moment later. "I don't know if you know him, but that's his name." She doubted that the alchemist would know the giant that crushed her flowers, it was apparently a great big world. Georgia smiled and shook her head at Remi's question. "I was actually going to be heading home soon, anyway." She answered. "Why don't you walk back to my home with me? I can answer your questions on the way and you can get the things you need once we get there." "." ooc://

Coding by Astralpaint

Remi brightened considerably. Though he wouldn't be greedy by any means–and would definitely strive to pay Georgia back in some way–the thought of not having to start from scratch was surely a welcome one. He didn't doubt for a moment the herbalist possessed all that she said she did and likely more. If anything, he was most interested in the plants and herbs she had that were native to this place, and this place alone. "I would be so grateful." Remi said immediately, leaning forward into a small bow with one of his hands placed along his lower back. It was a habit from Northaven of course; Remi being a commoner was obligated to bow to just about everyone. Submissive by nature the alchemist had always been alright with this act, but now as he lowered his head with a warm smile on his lips, he meant the gesture more neutrally as a mere show of appreciation. Tristan? Know him the alchemist did. A slight flush crept into his cheeks as he nodded. "Our shops are actually right next to each other. He is a blacksmith." Perhaps that had come up in conversation and perhaps it hadn't. Smiling with a boyish eagerness, Remi nodded. Placing his sketchbook bag into his bag, he nodded politely that Georgia should lead as she of course knew the way back. "So you've just lived inside of this bubble the whole time? I–" Chuckling to himself, Remi ran a hand through his hair. "Well, I was just about to say that I couldn't imagine. But actually where we came from, there was a wall all the way around where we lived. We were not allowed to leave. In a way I suppose that is worse, because it was only rules keeping us in." remi Trying to teach my common sense to not waver with my confidence

Even in the glade, which was pretty peaceful (especially compared to everything else under the bubble), a short stroll could turn unusual. As Remi and Georgia strolled, they’d be startled by a sudden bark of thunder. Before they had the chance to recover, a very localized and very early winter storm would descend upon them. Indeed, it was actually just a single storm cloud over their heads, dumping an entire storm’s worth of snow on them. While they weren’t buried, they were essentially stunned for the duration. While it slacked off rather quickly, slowing to what would have been a pleasant powder drifting down if only they’d been prepared for such sudden and extreme weather, the snow that had just been dumped on the ground immediately began to stir. A form took shape, a vaguely humanoid figure, but with no discernable feature. And big. Much bigger than the two people who’d just been caught in an unexpected and freak snowfall. It was a golem made out of snow, a snolem. It immediately turned with shuffling steps, and, though it had no eyes, fixed them someone with an uncanny gaze. Then, it lumbered forward and swung a clumsy fist at Remi. It was moving at quite the glacial pace, but it was apparently aggressive. All the while, the snow drifted overhead.