Court of the Fallen was created in October of 2018 by Odd, Honey, and Crooked.
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Lisbeth frowned, tilting her head to the side. After a few moments, she got it.
"Right."
She braced her feet against the ladder and reached up to grab the branch. She felt even more unbalanced like this. Not that she had any doubt about her balance...it was more than she worried she wouldn't be able to keep a grip on the branch if the ladder slipped out from under her.
She started working the saw across the branch, still stuttering a bit. She shifted her grip a few times, ending up with multiple parallel cuts on the branch. But eventually the area she'd cut was wide enough that she could fit the saw blade right into the groove, making it easier to work the saw back and forth.
She was so focused on the work that she didn't stop to think about the branch's stability. When she was a little more than halfway through the branch, the weight of it caused the weakened area to snap the rest of the way off. Lisbeth yelped, feeling her weight go out from under her as she lost her grip and she went tumbling backwards towards the ground.
Ray let out a caw of alarm as Lisbeth went down alongside the branch. Diving fast the Attuned shifted partway into her much larger panther form. The cat landed gracefully, only to be quickly flattened by Lisbeth as she made contact with her back.
All of the air was pushed out of her lungs with an 'oomph' and the cat lay on the ground, legs splayed as she tried to get her bearings. Ray was just thankful that Lisbeth was so light. Otherwise, that might have done more damage than just knock the wind out of her. Her panther form was sturdy, but the impact was still painful.
Despite the rough landing, Lisbeth immediately rolled back to her feet, reflex taking over. She looked down at the panther she had landed on, it taking a moment before her mind processed that this was Ray again, in another form.
"I'm sorry!" she said, immediately kneeling beside the panther and running her fingers along the soft fur, searching for any signs of injury. She'd never been this close to a panther before, and had it been a real one, she would have been scared out of her mind. Instead, she was mortified, worried, and amazed all at once. The shift had been so quick and graceful that she hadn't even realized what was happening.
"Are you okay?" she asked, continuing to stroke the smooth fur. There didn't seem to be any damage that she could find. She was surprised at how soft the fur was. Not much different from any ordinary house cat. Though of course this creature was far larger and more majestic.
Ray came to her senses as Lisbeth stroked her fur, giving a happy little rumble as she stretched her paws out in front of her. Carefully, she stood, shaking out her fur to dislodge the leaves that had gotten stuck from the fall. Once she was satisfied, she playfully nudged Lisbeths' shoulder with her head before shifting back.
Ray returned to her human form, sitting cross-legged on the ground in front of the Accepted, "I'm ok. Are you? That was a bad fall." The herbalist eyed the younger woman in front of her with concern, trying to see if there were any injuries present.
When she didn't see anyone, her eyes crinkled with mirth, "But hey, we got your branch!" She pointed towards the cause of all of their troubles. The branch had landed just fine on the ground not far from them.
"I'm fine," Lisbeth said. "Thanks for your help." Had she been paying more attention, the descent would have been easy enough to handle, but as usual, her awkwardness had gotten in the way.
Lisbeth picked up the branch and looked it over. There were no signs of any cracks or breaks. The sawed-off end was ragged and sloppy, but that would be easy enough to fix. Though she would probably make her sister help.
"What do you think?" she asked, holding it up in front of her with both hands. "Think Frey will like it?" She still had more work to do on the branch before the quest was complete, but at least this part had been comparatively easy. At least, nothing would be as difficult as the trip up to the Climb for some volcanic ash.
Ray eyed the branch before nodding with satisfaction. "I like it. It's long enough to be carved into a bow. Sturdy too, but not too stiff. I think you'll be able to make a great bow out of it." A good bow was strong but had enough give to it to handle the backlash of the arrow release and string.
Plus, Frey was laid-back. The Attuned doubted that the deity would be picky about the branch. As long as it filled the requirements that they'd given Lisbeth, it would be fine. Ray stood up and rolled her shoulders, sighing when they cracked back into place. "Is there anything else that you need to do to the branch while you're here?"
"I need to coat it with ash from the Climb," Lisbeth said. "I...didn't bring the ash with me." It hadn't occurred to her to do so.
"It wouldn't be good to do it out here, I think. I don't want the wind to blow the ash away. I want to be careful, make sure to really rub it in, like oiling a blade." The exact instructions had been vague, but as with each other step of the quest, she intended to take it as seriously as possible.
"Thanks for the help, though. It was really kind of you to help out a total stranger."
Lisbeth blushed, looking down at her feet. She didn't know what else to say. But she wanted to say something. Here was this sweet, kind, graceful girl who had helped her for no reason or reward. And they were about to part ways. She would probably never see her again.
"Do you...do you live in Stormbreak?" She spoke a bit faster than she'd intended to, the words fumbling out in a rush. She mentally chided herself for a fool.
10-27-2022, 01:40 AM (This post was last modified: 10-27-2022, 01:40 AM by Ray.)
RAY
In ancient times cats were worshipped as gods
Ray let out a small laugh, "You're right. It's probably for the best. Plus, if it had been in your pocket when you fell, it might've ended up all over the grass." And then Lisbeth would have had to go collect more. And with how much trouble the Accepted had had with the branch, the mere thought worried the herbalist.
The Attuned waved off the thanks, "Oh no, don't worry. I'm happy to help." She grinned cheekily, "It's kind of what I do for a living after all." Helping people and selling information that was. And of course, working as part of Torchline's council. She was one busy woman.
The question is unexpected, but not unwelcome. Ray smiled warmly, "No, I'm from Torchline. If you ever visit, stop by the Lunarium Apothecary. That's my shop."
She held out a hand for Lisbeth to shake, "It was really nice to meet you, Lisbeth. I hope your quest continues to go well." Hopefully it went better actually. Or at the very least, she hoped there'd be someone to catch the Accepted if she fell out of another tree.
"Oh. Okay." Lisbeth tried to hide the disappointment from her voice when she realized how far away Ray lived. Not that it was so hard to get to Torchline via portal, but it wasn't exactly right around the corner either.
Not that it mattered. Not that she had any reason to be disappointed. She just...was.
She took Ray's hand, timidly holding it for a moment instead of shaking it. She tried not to think about how soft Ray's skin was.
She quickly let go of Ray's hand. "Lunarium Apothecary. I'll remember that." She didn't know when the next time she would be in Torchline would be, what with the war coming and all. But she definitely intended to stop by if she ever got the chance.
Clutching the branch to her chest, she took a few steps backward. "Thanks again...Ray. It was...it was nice meeting you."
She turned around, stumbling a bit as she nearly tripped over the branch. Her face turned an even brighter shade of red, and she was glad for that moment that her back was to Ray so the gorgeous girl wouldn't see her embarrassment.
