Tree's a crowd
Talyson Seawright
the Messenger
Courier

Age: 27 | Height: 5'10" | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: King's End
Level: 10 - Strg: 44 - Dext: 46 - Endr: 50 - Luck: 52 - Int: 1
BOREAL - Mythical - Dragon (Fire Breath)
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MP: 10170
#1
The Hollow Forest was never not creepy, and though Tal would never admit it out loud he was kind of glad Alys had agreed to come with him. Though he'd passed through it before and even hunted in it with Sah on a different quest, he'd never really stopped to examine the Blood Birches that grew there.

If Frey hadn't given him this task, he still wouldn't have. If a tree wasn't being used for lumber he usually didn't pay much attention to them, and finding out that these particular trees could bleed did nothing to excite his arboreal curiosity.

Still, it was a Blood Birch he was on the lookout for as he and Alys and Boreal entered the steel-forged forest and Tal kept his knife at the ready in case something less friendly was waiting among the clashing branches. His companion paced ahead of them and a ways off to the side, her pale coloring blending eerily into the snow that lingered even in Longheat in Halo as she hunted rabbits.

"How's your trainin' goin'?" he asked curiously as they walked. Magic or physical, he figured she could take her pick and answer with either or both.


Blood Birch (common) - Found within the Hollow Forest and mutated by magic, these trees have white trunks striped with silver, and white, semi-translucent leaves that are replaced each Flowerbirth. The sap within the trees is warm, bright crimson and tastes faintly metallic, almost like blood.
Alys Glasse
Seer

Age: 27 | Height: 5'2" | Race: Abandoned | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: King's End
Level: 3 - Strg: 16 - Dext: 18 - Endr: 20 - Luck: 8 - Int:
SASCHA - Regular - Ursur
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#2
The Hollow Forest was an eerie place, with dark branches and leaves as black as ink arcing over their heads as Alys, Tal, and Boreal wandered along a path into its depths. Having never been, the place was fascinating to Alys; with a deep interest in the dark and macabre, she was enthralled with the forest. Her fingers itched for her journal; she could see this landscape inspiring a new set of cards, and she longed to capture it for later.

Still, that wasn't why they were here, so she stilled her hands by tucking them into her pockets. Today, she work a loose, light-colored blouse tucked into brilliant red skirts, all selected by Hotaru during their impromptu shopping session the season before. For not the first time, Alys silently thanked her friend for the advice to buy Halovian clothing. It was comfortable and warm, and it had made her time in Halo all the more enjoyable. Well, that and the cold resistance granted to students at the Academy.

In any case, Alys was happy and comfortable in the woods with Tal and his dragon. "My magic's getting stronger," she said with rather more cheer than was usual for her. "I can make bigger illusions now, although I still can't send them very far away. And I've been training to get stronger physically, too," she added. "I picked up a bow recently, and I've been practicing, but I'm not very good yet."
alys glasse
waiting for the right mind to drive insane
Talyson Seawright
the Messenger
Courier

Age: 27 | Height: 5'10" | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: King's End
Level: 10 - Strg: 44 - Dext: 46 - Endr: 50 - Luck: 52 - Int: 1
BOREAL - Mythical - Dragon (Fire Breath)
Played by: Cirago Offline
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Posts: 1,869 | Total: 7,219
MP: 10170
#3
Tal glanced over to her with a flicker of a grin breaking through his concentration before he went back to scanning the trees. "Yeah? Things're goin' good with Ru an' the Academy, then?" He was sure his best friend could charm the socks off just about anyone when she put her mind to it, but Alys had a way of seeing through things and Tal wasn't sure she'd be so easily swayed if she didn't want to be.

At the mention of the bow he grinned again and gave a shrug. "They're okay, I guess. Not a big fan of 'em, myself. If somethin' rushes you an' gets up close, it's not real useful. Daggers an' throwin' axes, now... you can toss 'em at somethin' from a distance or fight with 'em by hand if y'have to. But I'm biased," he admitted cheerfully - or as cheerfully as the grumpy courier ever got. "I like 'em because they're good tools, too. Not just weapons. I used t'have t'travel light, so everythin' in my pack had t'be good for more'n one thing." A flash of a pale trunk against the black forest caught his eyes and he angled their path towards it while they talked.
Alys Glasse
Seer

Age: 27 | Height: 5'2" | Race: Abandoned | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: King's End
Level: 3 - Strg: 16 - Dext: 18 - Endr: 20 - Luck: 8 - Int:
SASCHA - Regular - Ursur
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Posts: 574 | Total: 2,063
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#4
Alys smiled, thinking of Hotaru. The woman was a force of nature. "I like her," Alys confessed. "She's infuriating, but also..." Wonderful? Perfect? "I hope I can be as powerful as her, one day," she said instead, her voice wistful. She hadn't really thought about it, but maybe Ru had started where she was, once upon a time. And if that were true, and Ru could climb to where she was now - well, did that mean that maybe Alys could be someone, too, one day?

She followed alongside Tal, mulling over his words. "I hope I don't ever have to get up close," she said wryly. "But you have a point. Maybe I'll try some other weapons." She didn't like the sound of throwing axes, but daggers? Perhaps those, she could get behind. "Have you been traveling a lot lately?" she asked. "How's business been?"
alys glasse
waiting for the right mind to drive insane
Talyson Seawright
the Messenger
Courier

Age: 27 | Height: 5'10" | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: King's End
Level: 10 - Strg: 44 - Dext: 46 - Endr: 50 - Luck: 52 - Int: 1
BOREAL - Mythical - Dragon (Fire Breath)
Played by: Cirago Offline
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Posts: 1,869 | Total: 7,219
MP: 10170
#5
Tal grinned at Alys's description of his best friend, nodding in agreement. "Yeah, y'got that right!" 'Infuriating, but' was a great way to sum up Hotaru in a nutshell. He didn't miss the wistfulness in the seer's voice, however, and he looked around for the tree he needed as an excuse for avoiding Alys's gaze when he mumbled: "Yeah, but... sometimes power costs, too." What Hotaru had lost along the way to where she was now was a higher price than anyone should have to pay.

He found the tree and they approached it to the eerie tympani of branches high overhead clashing gently in the breeze. Tal eyed the Blood Birch dubiously and pulled out his knife, then glanced back to Alys with a snort. "Sure, nothin' wrong with hopin'... as long as y'have a back-up plan in case th'world decides t'disappoint you that day." His pragmatic pessimism was delivered with wry, jaded humor, but he nodded in satisfaction when she was open to exploring other options. He turned back to the pale tree and sliced into the bark gingerly, grimacing as the warm, red sap oozed slowly to the surface.

"Hmm? Oh fuck yeah, I've barely been home in the past month," he admitted, carefully smearing the sap on the Dagger's blade until it was completely coated in red. "Busier'n a bee. Haven't had time to open the new place in Torchline, yet... but I've been thinkin' maybe I should take on an apprentice instead. At least t'get started." He slanted a look at Alys from beneath his shaggy mop of dark hair. "What about you? How's the counselin' thing goin' for you?"
Alys Glasse
Seer

Age: 27 | Height: 5'2" | Race: Abandoned | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: King's End
Level: 3 - Strg: 16 - Dext: 18 - Endr: 20 - Luck: 8 - Int:
SASCHA - Regular - Ursur
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Posts: 574 | Total: 2,063
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#6
Sometimes power costs, Tal said, and Alys sobered, thinking of that day with Hotaru when she'd read the cards. Although Alys didn't have the details of the other woman's life, she knew that Hotaru had experienced great pain in her past, and that she felt that she was at a crossroads in her present. The cards foretold a brighter future, but nothing came without cost - not power, not happiness. Such was the way of the world. "I know," she said softly.

She watched with interest as Tal took out his knife, scoring the bark of the tree deeply enough that a thick, red sap oozed to the surface. She would be the first to admit that she didn't fully understand his quest - in fact, she scoffed at the very idea of the gods sending people on what she felt was a wild goose chase in return for blessings - but she knew it was important to her friend.

As he smeared the red all over the blade, Alys listened to him talk. She was glad to hear that business was booming. She smiled at his mention of an apprentice, remembering how she'd interpreted the cards for his reading. She'd known back then that he'd need help, but it was always nice to have one's predictions come true. "I hope that you have time soon, or that a worthy apprentice shows up to help," she said. "As for me, it's going slowly, but it is going. I've had a couple of opportunities come up since we last spoke. It's better than nothing, but I'm starting to think I'm going to have to branch out into something more... lucrative."
alys glasse
waiting for the right mind to drive insane
Talyson Seawright
the Messenger
Courier

Age: 27 | Height: 5'10" | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: King's End
Level: 10 - Strg: 44 - Dext: 46 - Endr: 50 - Luck: 52 - Int: 1
BOREAL - Mythical - Dragon (Fire Breath)
Played by: Cirago Offline
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Posts: 1,869 | Total: 7,219
MP: 10170
#7
Her words were quiet enough that he almost missed them, but he heard them and was, in truth, relieved that she took it seriously. When it came to magic he couldn't really understand or help her much, so he was quiet and trusted to Hotaru to offer what guidance she could.

Once the knife was thoroughly coated in the sticky red sap he pulled out a flask and pressed it against the bark below the wound, using the blade of his Dagger to help direct the oozing flow into the container while they spoke.

"Thanks. If y'know anyone who you'd trust, send 'em my way," he asked with a faint grin. "Couldn't hurt t'see, right?" As she went on he was initially relieved that she'd been finding some work. He wasn't sure she'd find much at all among Halo's Naturals, but at her hesitant admission he looked over and cocked his head at her. "Somethin' like what?" he asked, curious.
Alys Glasse
Seer

Age: 27 | Height: 5'2" | Race: Abandoned | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: King's End
Level: 3 - Strg: 16 - Dext: 18 - Endr: 20 - Luck: 8 - Int:
SASCHA - Regular - Ursur
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Posts: 574 | Total: 2,063
MP: 3230
#8
Tal began to collect the thick, red sap of the tree as they spoke. Alys eyed the container with barely concealed distaste. What was the point? The gods could wiggle their fingers and grant someone deserving whatever they wished. Of course, then the argument would become 'who is deserving,' and she wasn't likely to appreciate that conversation any more than she would welcome one on the whys and hows of quests.

"I will," she said. "I'll keep an ear out. Do you want someone that lives in Torchline? Or who would move there?" If it was someone in Halo he was looking for, she'd offer to help, herself, but she wasn't keen to move now that she'd finally settled down. When he cocked his head at her, she flushed slightly, unsure of herself. "I don't really know," she admitted. "I don't really have any useful skills. Just illusions and divination. I'm learning to shoot a bow, but I'm hardly a hunter. I just - well, I need steady income, really. Then I can pursue what I'm actually passionate about in my spare time. I don't suppose you have any ideas?" she asked hopefully.
alys glasse
waiting for the right mind to drive insane
Talyson Seawright
the Messenger
Courier

Age: 27 | Height: 5'10" | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: King's End
Level: 10 - Strg: 44 - Dext: 46 - Endr: 50 - Luck: 52 - Int: 1
BOREAL - Mythical - Dragon (Fire Breath)
Played by: Cirago Offline
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#9
If she'd asked Tal would have been happy to explain his take on the whole quest angle - as he'd once asked and been taught by Noah and Hotaru. So long as Alys kept her questions and opinions to herself, however, there was little he could do but misinterpret her expression as disgust with the sticky, blood-like sap. He wasn't too thrilled with the substance himself, and he was glad for any distraction from it while he waited to collect it with impatience that was bound to be short-lived.

"Mm... startin' out, doesn't matter where," he admitted, thinking through the ramifications as she brought them up. "Eventually, yeah, once the 'prenticeship is over I'd like 'em to start runnin' shop in Torchline."

He glared at the sap, trying to will it to run faster before looking back to Alys and listening to her ideas... or lack thereof. "Well, I'm lookin' for a 'prentice." He offered her a crooked grin, figuring she would have already offered if she was interested. "But other'n that... um. What'd your parents do for a livin'? Did they pass any of it down t'you?" Some things ran in the family, after all. It was how Tal had gotten his own start as a courier; apprenticing with his aunt.
Alys Glasse
Seer

Age: 27 | Height: 5'2" | Race: Abandoned | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: King's End
Level: 3 - Strg: 16 - Dext: 18 - Endr: 20 - Luck: 8 - Int:
SASCHA - Regular - Ursur
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Posts: 574 | Total: 2,063
MP: 3230
#10
Alys considered Tal thoughtfully, wondering what he'd need from an apprentice and what it might be like to work for a friend. She had precious few friends, and she wasn't quite willing to do anything to jeopardize the friendships she had. But depending on the job... maybe it was doable. Just... not from Torchline. "That's why I asked," she explained. "I'm not so sure I'd want to end up in Torchline. I've grown rather fond of Halo." Despite her initial misgivings, the land had really grown on her.

At the mention of her family, Alys made a face. "My parents are merchants. I wasn't interested in learning the family trade, and they didn't approve of my choices." They didn't approve of me. "We haven't spoken in years. I suppose the best thing they gave me was sending me to school, so I know basic math and things like that. I don't know if I could do complicated accounting, like my mother used to do, but I could sell things, I guess." If she absolutely had to.
alys glasse
waiting for the right mind to drive insane
Talyson Seawright
the Messenger
Courier

Age: 27 | Height: 5'10" | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: King's End
Level: 10 - Strg: 44 - Dext: 46 - Endr: 50 - Luck: 52 - Int: 1
BOREAL - Mythical - Dragon (Fire Breath)
Played by: Cirago Offline
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Posts: 1,869 | Total: 7,219
MP: 10170
#11
The courier nodded in understanding, flashing her a crooked smile. "I get it. Halo's my home. Even if I had to stick it out in Torchline for a few seasons t'get set up, well... I'd always come back here eventually." His family was here, after all. Both the living and the dead.

He shifted, fighting the urge to fidget as he watched the sap with a glower. It was oozing into the flask, drop by precious drop, but it was sure taking its damn time! He was especially glad Alys had come with him now since their conversation helped him to stay focused.

"Oh yeah? I've got merchants in my family, too. Mom inherited th'family store, passed down for, uh... well, as long as there's been ice in Halo, at least." He shrugged a little, then realized the flask had slipped and quickly pressed it back into place. Luckily he hadn't lost any sap! "But my older sisters're both more into it'n me. So I didn't have t'worry about it," Tal admitted easily.

He went quiet for a minute while he considered what he knew about Alys. He chewed his lip, scowling at the tree as his face fell naturally into its more usual grumpy lines as he worried at the thought that was almost on the tip of his tongue before-- "Hey! What about sellin' art? Like y'do on your cards? Or at least, I dunno, maybe offer art lessons or somethin' like that?"
Alys Glasse
Seer

Age: 27 | Height: 5'2" | Race: Abandoned | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: King's End
Level: 3 - Strg: 16 - Dext: 18 - Endr: 20 - Luck: 8 - Int:
SASCHA - Regular - Ursur
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#12
"I'm an only child," Alys said, "So my family expected me to continue the business. I just... I never really understood what was so great about it, and I wanted something different from my life." She shrugged, watching as Tal continued to collect the sap. The way she spoke about her family was detached and distant, much like their relationship. "I guess they probably found someone to take it over when they're gone."

When Tal suggested selling art or giving lessons, Alys stilled, mulling over the idea. "I never really thought about it," she admitted. Her art had always been something almost sacred to her; the thought of sharing it with others, particularly because her pieces tended to be darker, wilder, more viscerally raw - it left her feeling uncomfortable and vulnerable. And art lessons? "I don't think I'd be a very good teacher." She tapped her fingers against her leg, deep in thought. "But maybe, with the right students..."

It was something to consider, at least. She remembered having at least one client who had been drawn to her darker, handmade deck. Perhaps they would know others who would appreciate the unique art style. "I do have one client that might know some people," said Alys. "Maybe I'll reach out to them. Thanks, Tal." She smiled shyly at her friend. It was strange to think of the grumpy courier as such, but he'd proven to be kind and loyal, always offering help when she needed it.
alys glasse
waiting for the right mind to drive insane
Talyson Seawright
the Messenger
Courier

Age: 27 | Height: 5'10" | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: King's End
Level: 10 - Strg: 44 - Dext: 46 - Endr: 50 - Luck: 52 - Int: 1
BOREAL - Mythical - Dragon (Fire Breath)
Played by: Cirago Offline
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Posts: 1,869 | Total: 7,219
MP: 10170
#13
"An only child..." Tal repeated a little wistfully. There were times he'd dreamed of being an only child - mostly when his older sisters were picking on him or embarrassing him in some way - but the truth was that he couldn't imagine life without them. Whatever happened, the Seawright siblings were a united front against the world, and Tal nodded in understanding as Alys continued. "I couldn't've done it, either," he confided in her. "Stayin' in one place, jugglin' numbers all day? I'd've gone crazy in half a year!" Even with his own strong family loyalty he wouldn't have lasted, and he made no bones about supporting Alys's decision to leave.

He let his friend think about his suggestion while he coaxed a little more sap into his flask. "No one's good startin' out," he said with a small shrug. "Well, mostly. I figure teachin' takes practice just like anythin' else." He finally pulled the little bottle away and capped it tightly before looking at his now-red knife dubiously. "Hmm... but yeah, anytime, Alys." He wrinkled his nose in lieu of further gratitude, awkward with her thanks until another thought struck him.

"Say, y'know your numbers an' letters an' all... so why don't y'work as a writer?" He tucked the flask into his Bag and gestured in the air with his Dagger to illustrate his point, using it like a pencil. "Y'know, writin' letters an' receipts an' stuff for people who never went t'school? Like a... shit, what's the word... a scribe!" He found the word he was looking for triumphantly and looked over eagerly to Alys to see what she thought of the suggestion.
Alys Glasse
Seer

Age: 27 | Height: 5'2" | Race: Abandoned | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: King's End
Level: 3 - Strg: 16 - Dext: 18 - Endr: 20 - Luck: 8 - Int:
SASCHA - Regular - Ursur
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Posts: 574 | Total: 2,063
MP: 3230
#14
Tal was finishing up with the sap, and Alys listened as he continued to try to help her, offering him a grateful - and finally somewhat excited - smile. "Actually, that's the best idea yet," she admitted, thinking about the suggestion to be a scribe. "I could do that and still do everything else I want to do!" Like read the cards, or travel, or any number of other things. And it would be steadier income than just being a Seer alone. "I'll look into it more when we get back to Halo," she promised. Perhaps this would be the answer to her problem! She hadn't exactly been wanting for anything, thanks to Hotaru's generosity, but it would be nice to be able to pay her own way. She wasn't one to accept charity for very long.

With that settled, Alys eyed Tal's bag, where he had tucked the vial of sap. "Hey, Tal, can I ask you something?" she said hesitantly. "I don't understand why you're doing all of this." She gestured at their surroundings, the dagger still in his hand, the newly scarred tree. "I mean, I get that it's for your dagger, but why do you have to do special tasks? Couldn't the gods just... make your dagger better?"
alys glasse
waiting for the right mind to drive insane


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