Wild Wild Woods

Rance winced, a twitch of the corner of his mouth, as Maea denied worshiping the Voice. He nodded his head to the side in a gesture of concession. Unsure of what he should say — he wasn’t feeling particularly apologetic for something he couldn’t he known — he simply ground his teeth in the relative quiet of the woods, unsure of what he was feeling. Anger at this unknown god, of course, and that something like the portal even existed. Violation at being changed in ways he didn’t understand, bereft as he realized what that might mean for his future. He buried his face in his hands. If he was indeed a duplicate and not the real ‘Rance’ — a realization that made him shudder as he half listened to Maea’s reply — than, somewhere out there, he was recovering from his hangover in the inn he’d been staying at, or getting drunk all over again in a new pub.

Mind whirling, he lifted his head a bit, clouded blue eyes peering at Maea around his fingers. “There’s no going home, is there?” His tone was resigned, but even as he made his query, disappointment and shame were creeping into the already sour mix in his stomach. The part of him that still clung to a sliver of logic was ashamed that he would fall apart so quickly. “You talk like this has happened a lot, so you’ve got to know.”

MAEA

The silence was neither comfortable nor calm, but Maea weathered it with patience all the same. Her eyes softened once he broke it, sympathy written in every line of her pale face. She shook her head, sadly. "No," she simply answered. "There is no going back. What is done is done, and cannot be undone, as far as I know. But I don't know all the secrets of this world either, so... perhaps if you look, there might be some way for you to return. Others have tried, and failed, but... Caido is known to surprise."

Reaching up for her hair, she untangled a few strands of the ivory silk from the tree trunk behind her, and pulled it over her shoulder. Fingers combed through it absently as she studied his expression, measuring the pressure he was under, as if to try and determine how much more he could take today.

"Others have come through before you, yes," she confirmed. "Sporadically, over the past three hundred years or so, and with great frequency these past... oh, two years? Most seem to have arrived in the Hollowed Ground, before the barrier around it fell, though others have been scattered over other parts of the continent."  She thought of Neron, of other outlanders she had met; it struck her that the device that brought them here might not be entirely reliable.

I'm an angel bored like hell
And you're a devil meaning well

BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3

Hearing Maea admit to not knowing everything was a little more reassuring than the information had been, as strange as that was. The pale woman had come off as mysteriously knowledgeable, especially to the distraught Rance. A bit fallibility made her a bit less like an ancient Sidhe and a bit more mortal.

Less reassuring was the fact that all known attempts at leaving Caido had failed. However, if those like him were essentially creatures of this world and not their own, would it be right for them to return to a realm that was no longer their home? Even as that thought began to occur to Rance, he pushed it away, burying it in the corner of his mind to be considered later. Likely while deep in the cups of whatever this world had to offer for alcohol.

The knowledge that he was far from alone at least gave him a flicker of hope. Perhaps his next step would be to find some of them? Regardless, he dragged his hands from his face as Maea continued — leaving behind a few streaks, as his fingers hadn’t exactly been clean when he sank his head into his hands —  and crossed his arms instead. “I take it this isn’t the Hollowed Grounds?” His rough voice was tired, expression still unhappy, resignation having overtaken the flash-in-the-pan impotent rage. “And a falling ‘barrier’ sounds ominous.” Not that it was immediately effecting him, except perhaps that he appeared in these woods instead of elsewhere.

MAEA

Maea shook her head, glad to see he was still with her, still asking questions. "No, it is not. It lies a few hours journey to the south-west from here. We are currently in the Wildwood forest, within the Fae territory called the Greatwood."

Braiding the hair with deft fingers, the girl continued. "The barrier was the Old God's way to imprison The Voice, after she rebelled against them. It stood for about three hundred years... and many of the people who live there now were born under it. Myself included."

The implication was quite grim; a whole region sacrificed in the hopes of containing one goddess, leaving all the inhabitants to wither and die alongide her. That they still lived was a testament to resilience and stubbornness. "It was brought down about a year ago." She hoped she hadn't said that already.

I'm an angel bored like hell
And you're a devil meaning well

BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3

The word ‘fae’ had his heart leaping again before he could stop it. He clenched his jaw, using the ache to pull his thoughts away. He’d need to examine how he felt about being ‘something else’ later. Maybe after he’d talked to another Attuned and found out a bit more about what he’d been turned into.

Maea answered his questions with the same calm clarity as she’d used to respond to every other. He nodded, one brow arching at finding out she wasn’t native to the forest around them. The other brow joined it when she made the point that the woods and it’s inhabitants had only been accessible for a year. Of course, to a god, three-hundred years probably wasn’t long at all. Hells, to the many of fae he’d left behind it wasn’t necessarily all that great a span of time either. But to the mortals these ‘Old Gods’ had trapped, it would have been generations.

Rance blinked, breathing in through his nose and releasing it through his mouth. Thinking about the change in his own situation felt… massive. World-altering and terrifying. Focusing on someone else’s ground-shaking changes — even for a little while — felt a little easier. He wasn’t at the point were he felt safe relaxing, but he could get out of his own head enough to ask, “So, in a way, this is all strange and new to you, too. At least, it was when that barrier thing fell.” He cocked his head, the gesture taken more from his raven form than the human. “Is that why you were exploring out in the middle of nowhere? Or, well, fuck, what I assume is nowhere since I haven’t seen a gods-damned sign of civilization before you showed up.”

MAEA

She nodded, expression brightening a little as he mentioned her exploration. Picking up the journal from her lap, she offered it to him, to look through if he wanted. "Yes, it really was. Still is, in truth. That insect you saw? It's called an Elephant Beetle, and apparently the Fae use it as a working animal at times. Like an oxen or a horse. But I've never seen one in person before... there is so much to this world, and it feels like the hours of the day just aren't enough to learn about it all."

Looking around at the marvel of the forest around them, her eyes glittered with interest, curiosity apparent in her whole being. "I'm part of a guild of Loreseekers... we gather information and share it with those who need it. If you'd like I can show you the way; you will have access to all the answers you need, far more than I can offer." Not to mention that Jigano would be able to settle the mans nerves far easier than she could. There was a reason why he was Provost.

I'm an angel bored like hell
And you're a devil meaning well

BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3

Even with Rance’s thoughts jumbled and emotions unsteady, it was impossible not to focus his attention on the book. For that he unfolded his arms and straightened a bit, the offer of written information doing what other reassurances had not. He brushed his hand off on his thigh before reaching out and taking the journal with another glance at Maea’s face to see if there was any hesitation. All he saw was an excitement he could empathize with, that of learning something new. He nodded as he opened the journal, skimming over the notes. “I’m more interested in people than bugs, but yeah, I get that.”

Focused on the book, he missed her look at their surroundings, but mention of the ‘lore seekers’ had him lifting his head. His eyes widened a bit as she made her offer. It wasn’t just that this guild was apparently a place where information was stored — and thus where he might find answers to his predicament on his own — it was the implication that they’d be getting out of the Woods and finding some sort of civilization. Had he been home, he would happily stayed in the forest for days, but this forest was terrifying in how alien it felt. Even just the idea of being near people and building instead was enough to pierce through the smoke cloud of worry and frustration still roiling in his chest. “I… yeah. I mean, you can just point the way, if you need to get back to tracking that Beetle thing.”

----
Maea used “Invitation to Library”. It’s super effective!

MAEA

She noticed the response to her invitation, the way it caught his attention, and gave Rance a wide smile. "The beetle will be here tomorrow," she said generously. "Making sure new arrivals are cared for and safe is also part of my job, so that makes you a priority."

Allowing him some time to look through the journal, she eventually stood and brushed grass and dirt from her skirts. The rest had done her plenty good, fit for another wrestle with the ever-changing woods. "Besides, the Greatwood has a way of...hm... twisting around those it deems intruders. Navigating these parts aren't always easy. Better that I come with you, just in case."

Holding out a small, pale-fingered hand, she offered to help him rise. Happy to help him get wherever he wanted to go.

I'm an angel bored like hell
And you're a devil meaning well

BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3

Rance didn’t know what to say to being Maea’s priority, as if she were a village representative welcoming a traveling entertainer. He used the journal as an excuse to say nothing, only nodding and humming a non-commital reply. Had Rance not been so happy for the unintentional rescue from the Wildwood, he might have been more suspicious of Maea. As it stood, he too caught up in the idea of and too grateful of her aid to wonder if the kind smile was a front for a trap. It was hard to doubt her when his own magic felt wrong, the transformation that had been a part of him since childhood suddenly alien, despite how naturally the change still came.

Rance could appreciate Maea’s note-taking, the variety and detail of what she wrote. He only skimmed it, realizing he’d been unintentionally handed a bit of proof of the strange land he’s stumbled into. If he’d had time, he would have liked to have matched the notes to what they described, but he wasn’t so rude as to hold onto someone’s journal for long. The motion of her standing caught his eye and, with a quiet sigh of regret, he closed the book.

The warning about the Greatwood’s inhospitality had a grimace twitching at the corner of his mouth. “You know a way out?” Before she could reply, he shook his head and reached up with one hand to accept her offered assistance, her journal held in the other. “Nevermind, you made your way in. If this really in the sort of thing you do often, walking around without knowing an exit would be insane.” Once on hie feet, he offered her back the book.

MAEA

Helping him up, Maea accepted the book back with a nod of thanks, and grinned at him. It wasn't often she was accused of being insane... she found it strangely novel, and rather invigorating. At least she wasn't boring then.

"Oh, don't worry. Getting out is not a problem. Only thing is, you don't always know where you're spat out, and preparing you for all the possibilities would take all afternoon." She pocketed the journal and pointed back in the direction she had come from, and began to walk off, counting on him to follow.

"Let's go, shall we? There will be some walking; if you'd rather fly, I don't mind." Though asking questions would definitely be easier if he stayed in this shape, and something told Maea he wasn't quite done with being curious yet. Which suited her fine, she was only happy to help.

I'm an angel bored like hell
And you're a devil meaning well

BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3

Maea’s shift from patient instructor to excited guide and explorer had begun when Rance showed interest in the journal, but it became much more obvious once they rose to their feet. Even with the possibility of being thrust from the forest into unknown and potentially dangerous territory, Maea seemed interested to discover the outcome. Rance found amusement twitching the corner of his mouth, her obvious good mood infectious. As she pocketed her book and brought up the Wood’s fickleness, Rance stepped over to where he’d tossed his pack in frustration. It held little at this point, just his own journal, a few coins from the country on the other side of the portal, and a precious stick of wrapped graphite, but he wasn’t about to leave it behind.

He quickly caught up to the pale woman, falling into step beside her as best he could. He grunted at the offer to change shape. “Walkin’s fine. I don’t even want to know where this place might send me if I wander off on my own again.” He unconsciously shifted his pack on his shoulder.Not being able to wrap his cloak around it and carry it with him was annoying, but if this was his new ‘normal’, he was going to have to get used to it.

“So, what’re the possible places for us to be ‘spat out’? Are we goin’ to step around a tree and fall off a cliff?” Which wouldn’t be too much of a problem for him, but he wasn’t nearly strong enough to catch Maea as a raven.

MAEA

"Fair enough. It is your choice," she smiled, readily accepting whatever he chose to do. Maea kept the pace brisk but not so much that they couldn't talk while walking. "Let's see... There is a risk of doing just that, I think the place is called The Drop... a big waterfall that tumble down from a great height. Then there's the Crimson Cataract, another waterfall where the water supposedly runs red. There's the Sidhe village, a trading station... And a few other places I can't recall the names of.

"Oh, there's the Mathair, too. A big tree, with a portal set into it - no doubt you arrived not far from it. I've never been to most of these places, mind, so pardon me if the descriptions are brief."

Maea threw a glance at her findling, to make sure he could keep up. "Where did you come from, if I might ask? I rarely meet anyone who was in possession of magic or shifts before coming here."

I'm an angel bored like hell
And you're a devil meaning well

BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3

Hearing that there really was a possibility of accidentally falling off a cliff — well, a couple of waterfalls — was more amusing than alarming. The amusement faded a little on hearing ‘Sidhe’, but Rance pushed the ache to the side in the mental box labeled ‘later’. Maea had already see enough of him falling apart, he didn’t need the embarrassment of a repeat performance. He forced himself to focus instead of remembering the places she was listing, if only so that he could look or ask for more information at the Guild. 

“It’s fine, you did say you weren’t local.” He stepped across a tangle of roots that arched up from the soil. “I’ll have to take your word about the huge tree. It was dark and I was pretty fuckin’ drunk when I got dumped here.” 

The question about his homeland was only a surprise for half a second, there and gone with a moment of recognition. Of course, she’d want to know, especially given what she did for a living. It certainly wouldn’t hurt to satisfy her curiosity a bit, as she had his. “Yeah, well, not sure place names are going to mean much when you can’t visit them. Being a shifter is a lot easier to explain. I am —” He hesitated and corrected himself, “— was one of the Hidden. One of the fae folk. I was born a raven and only learned how look human when I was a few years old. We lived out by the edge of the woods instead of in the village, but I guess my parents were worried I’d change by accident in front of the humans if they didn’t teach me early.” 

MAEA

She nodded understanding, and tried to picture herself in that same situation. It was not very hard, as Maea indeed had experienced something similar. Lost, dazed, flung into a landscape entirely unfamiliar, and left to the mercy of strangers to find her way back. Except, there was no going back for Rance, and she felt her sympathy deepen. In that sense, Maea had been lucky indeed.

Listening with keen interest to his story, she would indeed not have gained much from location names. He could offer them of course, but this way was perhaps better. Now she could focus on his journey, instead of distant locations in a world she would never see. "Was it a good life?" she asked, kindly. He certainly seemed peeved about not being able to return.

I'm an angel bored like hell
And you're a devil meaning well

BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3