Skipping pebbles

Ray

Never underestimate
The lengths to which

Ray inhaled deeply, smiling softly as the fresh air of the Stonesong filled her lungs. The sound of the rushing water and whistling win was invigorating, and the herbalist was glad that she'd made the trip. Granted, it was for her quest. But that didn't make her any less happy to be here.

The herbalist carefully walked along the bank, eyeing the sand and stone with curiosity. Frey had requested pebbles but what defined a pebble from a rock? Bending down, Ray elected to simply get a variety of the smallest rocks and stones from the bank. Some were barely the size of a finger joint while others were larger.

Taking out a bag, Ray started to collect her pebbles.

Nature itself
Will kill you

the lullaby

I had a dream about a burning house
You were stuck inside, I couldn't get you out

It's a strange thing indeed, to have seen Ray in the company of Wessex and Nate, and then to find her shortly thereafter deep within the Greatwood. A place that the ascended could no longer go. Perhaps that was why the Lullaby had chosen to appear as a manticore instead of a man, or perhaps he'd simply been in that shift before coming upon her.

Ray. Thought without much inflection, though his accent made music of her name just the same, Remi emerges from the Woods with his tail drawn safely over his back and his wings folded comfortably against his sides. Glancing down at her bag and the rocks starting to be piled within, he raises his gaze to look at her carefully for a moment. Last I saw you, you were in the desert. With Wessex and Nate. The insinuation of wrongdoing is clear enough in his mental tone, and though Ray wouldn't be the first attuned to have a soft spot for the ascended, certainly it made him wonder what it was she was doing here if that's where her priorities lay.

I lay beside you and pulled you close
And the two of us went up in smoke

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

A bit surprised to find a stranger wandering the Stonesong, Juniper watched from the treeline for a while before approaching Ray. The woman seemed to be ... collecting pebbles? A harmless enough activity, but why here? This woman was no resident of the Greatwood; surely she could have found pebbles closer to home.

Part of Juniper lamented the sense of paranoia that made her wonder if any stranger in the Greatwood might be hostile. She knew that there was probably a perfectly reasonable explanation for the woman's presence. No amount of speculation would bring her that reason, but there was a simple way to find out.

But before Juniper could step out and ask a friendly question, Remi appeared, making the Fae's eyes widen. She hadn't even realized he was here ... And in his manticore shift, no less. His body language seemed relaxed enough, but if his thoughts had trended the same way as Juniper's ...

Well, again, there was a simple way to find out what was going on. Juniper stepped out of the trees. "Hello, Remi, and ... I don't know your name. Is everything all right?"

Juniper

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Ray

Never underestimate
The lengths to which

Ray turned when she heard a familiar voice in her mind, eyes widening at the site of a manticore. "Remi? Hi, you startled me." The herbalist stood up and faced the Demi-god as he questioned his last sighting of her. When iti processed, Ray paused. "Oh shit, that probably looked really bad."

It was then that a new face appeared, and Ray sighed. "Hi, I'm Ray. I'm a herbalist from Torchline. And last time Remi here saw me, I was with Ascended Demi-gods in the desert." Not a great look for her. Remi's reservation was understandable.

Context given, Ray turned to Remi, "They were looking for the Flowerbirth deity. I offered to come because I wanted to know their location for the sake of Torchline. And I'll admit, I don't hate the Ascended as a whole, so I was fine tagging along with them for my own means. My loyalty is to the people of Torchline. But I'm a healer, not a fighter. I'm not really capable of hating anyone."  

Her eyes narrowed, "But if the Ascended attack Torchline, I will be the first to start tearing off mechanical heads." She'd have to use a knife and not her panther teeth because of fluid, but she'd do it. It might kill her inside, but she'd do anything for her people.

Holding up her bag Ray added, "And I'm here collecting pebbles for a quest. Frey asked for them for some reason. They're to create an item for healing." That was why she was here today. Nothing more, nothing less.

Nature itself
Will kill you

aúsi, nos paramas // & still we stand

Twitching an ear, it's only because of how long he's lived in these Woods that he's able to pick out Juniper's arrival from the gentle movements of the Greatwood. Shifting back into himself that his fellow guardian might be able to hear what he was saying (and he was no less menacing for being a man, in all honesty), Remi folds his arms across his chest to hear Ray out.

Raising his eyebrows in surprise as the herbalist so casually repeated his question for Juniper, the Lullaby considers. "So..you are on such close terms with not only the ascended, but their demigods, that they mentioned this plan to you?" He wonders aloud, not bothering to mask his skepticism. "Given that Torchline has stood for Safrin for seasons now, I find your closeness with Wessex and Nate very surprising. How was it they knew about the flowerbirth god if we were the first to find him?"

Famously not a fan of Frey's, the demigod could only shake his head. "Quest or no, I cannot say I approve of just helping yourself to bits of the Greatwood without permission."

THE

LULLABY

Table coding by Sky

Juniper listened to Ray's explanation and found it ... a little lacking, yes -- Remi made a good point when he asked why the Ascended demigods had offered Ray a place in their expedition -- but she didn't feel nearly the hostility Remi did. To Juniper, Ray's refusal to completely condemn the Ascended and refuse to associate them was fair-minded, not disloyal. And as for whether Ray could help herself to pieces of the Greatwood ... Well, come on. They were just pebbles.

But Juniper was also too much the diplomat to directly contradict Remi -- she might disagree privately, but that disagreement was not yet strong enough for her to be willing to show a stranger a rift between the Greatwood's leaders. So Juniper listened quietly to Ray's explanation and Remi's challenges, keeping her expression neutral, giving Ray a nod when she introduced herself but saying nothing.

Juniper

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Ray

Never underestimate
The lengths to which

Ray couldn't help it, she snorted in laughter. "Oh jeez. No. Let me explain. When Nate used to live in Torchline he and I teamed up at times. He'd prescribe his patients medicine that they would then have fulfilled at my shop. He knows I'm good with plants. I think that's the only reason that they asked me."

The herbalist hummed another thought occurring, "They might have also heard about Gideon in Torchline. He was ranting and threatening an Ascended in the market who was just there peacefully. I was one of the people who told him to back off since the kid was literally doing nothing."  Ray had the knowledge and shown that she didn't hate the Ascended and was even willing to help one at times. It was logical why she was asked, to her at least.

As for the rest of Remi's questions the herbalist paused, trying to recall what the Ascended Demi-gods had said. "I don't know where they got the initial information about where to possibly find him. I wasn't privy to that. But I have an idea. During the quest there were a few times where Wessex pulled out a book of some kind. I didn't see what was in it, but it seemed to hold answers to a lot of the questions that came up. Ray's guess was that it was some kind of magic item, but she had no further information on it.

Remi's annoyance about her collecting pebbles was irritating but Ray was in no position to argue. "Oh shit. I'm sorry. I'll ask beforehand next time if I ever need to collect anything again." The herbalist paused. "And I'll ask permission to enter too." Chastised, she eyed Remi, "What can I give in return to have some pebbles? Please?"

Nature itself
Will kill you

aúsi, nos paramas // & still we stand

However else the conversation might have gone, it was the revelation that Wessex was in possession of the Knowtbook that firmed extinguished any thought that Ray was a spy. Revealing such a crucially important piece of information surely wouldn't be what Wessex would want (and even were it a trick, it was one he'd happily exchange for some pebbles).

Nodding, Remi relaxes. "I hope you can understand how it looks from my point of view." He says. "Please do ask next time. Even a letter would be appreciated, to the both of us." Remi adds with a look towards Juniper, not wanting to make it seem as if she were any less of a guardian than he.

"Take what you need for your quest. The information about Wessex's notebook is certainly payment enough."

THE

LULLABY

Table coding by Sky

Clearly the information about Wessex's book meant something to Remi, something that mollified him and made him accept Ray's presence here. So while Juniper didn't fully understand the book's importance, she was grateful for the knowledge as well. And asking people to seek permission to enter the Greatwood probably was a good idea in times of war -- it was no more than what Delah had done years ago -- even if it conflicted with Juniper's desire for openness.

So she said nothing to contradict Remi, just smiled at Ray. Now that the conflict seemed to be resolved, Juniper decided it was time to introduce herself. "My name is Juniper -- I'm Remi's fellow Guardian. Do you need any help with your collecting?"

Juniper

"art nouveau winged fairy" by e³°°° is licensed with CC BY-SA 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit here

Ray

Never underestimate
The lengths to which

"I understand. And I will, thank you." Ray was relieved that the tension seemed to have passed. It was clear that Remi knew more about the book then she did, and the herbalist got the feeling it was something far more powerful than she'd anticipated. If she'd know, she probably would have sent word of it to Maeve to pass along to the Old Demi-gods. But at least now they knew.

Ray snapped her fingers and her eyes widened, "Oh! One other thing showed up when I was with Wessex and Nate. A nature spirit tried to make us go into a cave in the middle of the Oerwoud's forest, below a waterfall. It said the Flowerbirth deity was there, which I'm guessing was a lie since you found him elsewhere, I presume. But it might mean that there's something of interest, or even a monster or something in there." She might as well pass on all the information he gained from the trip. The herbalist was curious about the cave, but she wasn't sure if she'd have the time to scope it out herself.

When Juniper introduced herself, Ray sent the Fae a warm smile, "Good to meet you. I don't really need help to collect pebbles, but I would happily accept the company." Of all the things she needed for her quest, pebbles were probably the easiest to collect. Besides the slight issue a few moments prior that was.

Nature itself
Will kill you

aúsi, nos paramas // & still we stand

Biting the inside of his cheek thoughtfully as Ray elaborates, Remi bobs his head. "I bet that is where the deity lives." He says, of the cave. 'Though I would be careful if you do return. It seems like the sort of place another animal might happily move into.' Pausing for a moment, clearly on the verge of leaving Juniper and Ray to it, Remi stays and adds: "If you do decide to go and need someone for protection...let me know."

So saying, the alchemist nods a polite farewell to Juniper before smiling courtesy in Ray's direction. The Greatwood seems to swallow him up the second he takes leave of the two, and it's directly to pen a letter to the Order that Remi goes.

~Remi out!

THE

LULLABY

Table coding by Sky

Juniper nods, listening to Ray's account of her expedition, but deities and caves in the Oerwoud are a little beyond her typical purview, which remains at home in the Greatwood even if she does choose to explore sometimes. (And maybe she learned her lesson about exploring when she almost died in that cursed house.)

"Farewell, Remi," Juniper says to his back, a little amused by his sudden disappearance. Then she turns to Ray. "Did Frey say how many pebbles you need to collect? And what kind of healing item are you hoping to receive?"

As she spoke, Juniper bent to run her hands through the pebbled shore, picking up some smooth, smallish rocks.

Juniper

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Ray

Never underestimate
The lengths to which

"No, but I imagine just filling this bag should be enough", Ray answered as she returned to bent down to continue filling the pouch. She placed the small pouch on the ground in between herself and the Fae so that Juniper could reach it.

As they collected the pebbles Ray answered her other question. "I asked Frey for an item that could be used multiple times to stabilize people who have sustained life-threatening injuries. Something to help buy them time so that I could actually heal them with herbs and stiches." Something that could help her turn a hopeless case into a survivable one. That was what Ray had requested.

The herbalist smiled softly, a hint of excitement appearing as she spoke. "I'm really looking forward to seeing what Frey has in mind. One of the ingredients for this item is one of a Rae's Lillies. I went on an entire separate quest just to get that alone. So, I'm hoping whatever I receive is rather powerful given that it's taking two quests to acquire." She'd never heard of something requiring two separate quests to make, so the herbalist was incredibly curious to see the end result.

Nature itself
Will kill you

Juniper nodded along as Ray spoke, smiling a little. She could tell from Ray's words and the emotion behind them that the herbalist really cared about helping people. After all, she was doing this whole quest for an item that would primarily benefit others, not herself.

"I hope you do receive something truly powerful," Juniper said. "The world can always use more healers."

Especially in the coming war, but Juniper didn't want to insert that into the conversation. She also didn't want to mention the other question that rose to mind: whether Ray's healing item would work on Ascended. Juniper would tend to assume not, since they didn't function biologically like other people ... but whatever the answer was, Juniper didn't really mind if Ascended happened to benefit from Ray's quest as well. They needed healers too, didn't they?

Juniper poured a couple handfuls of pebbles into Ray's bag, then glanced down to see how full it was. "Do you think that's enough?"

Juniper

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