Zenith of Crossroads

Hang your kisses on all my branches, please

Finding something that can wound without maiming, killing, or altering consciousness in Caido is a slog.

Hotaru normally has no need for things like that, but the Academy is holding a lesson on healing and she has a sturdy group of volunteers who had willingly offered themselves to be minorly injured for the sake of examination and treatment. Ordinarily Hotaru would merely prick them or incur a small laceration, but they'd already covered that in this multi-class on healing so noooo she has to go all the way to the Hollowed Grounds to find something else.

She's hoping to find seed ghosts, but apples are hard to source in Longheat. There are a few summer-bearing species, but it makes her job harder given she has to collect them on foot and hope they have a seed ghost riding along. Luckily she knows there are apples around, having scouted this copse from above in her falcon from before shifting to walk on foot and begin filling her basket.

Looking rather red-riding-hood with her basket full of apples and general woods-wandering, the storybook luck continues when a flinthopper startles at her passing and promptly sets fire to the dry grass around her, making her curse and jump aside - spilling apples out the side of her basket.

Sink your fingers into the darkness of my fur

Valkyrie

I keep on messing with your head
You keep on messing up my bed

Sometimes, Raelyn liked to go for a run.

But she hated running as a human: it was boring, and she was slow, and there was nothing to keep her attention. So she ran as a wolf, her paws padding almost silently against the ground, the scents of her surroundings filling her nose, her ears flicking this way and that to catch the slightest sounds. On this particular day, she ran in the Outer Brambles, following luxere trails through the dense brush as she pushed herself onward. It wasn't the easiest place to run, but she'd always liked a challenge, and there was enough here to keep her interest.

Such as, for example, little red riding hood.

It was the startled curse that had Rae's ear twitching towards the woman, and then the scent of fire turned her nose; the Attuned bounded through the brush towards the scent, concern coloring her thoughts. Had someone set fire to the forest? But no - upon reaching the source of the noises and smells, Rae saw a woman holding a basket of apples (or, at least, what had been a basket of apples) and a disappearing flinthopper. It didn't take long to realize what had happened.

Transforming gracefully into her human form, Rae ran a hand through her long hair and called a greeting to the other woman. "Hello!" she said, eyeing the flames. "Are you alright?"

I feel like we're two stoners, two loners
Who keep on forgetting everything they've said

Raelyn

Hang your kisses on all my branches, please

Normally Hotaru's keen senses wouldn't have missed the approach of a predator, much less a woman, but she can understandably be forgiven for her lapse in attention given the circumstances. Ruffled and determined not to let it show for any longer than needed, Hotaru flicks the hair out of her face and extends a hand with a severe frown to both dim the flames and suck the oxygen out and away from it, extinguishing the fire instantly. The fingers of that hand curl briefly into a fist - the only sign of her irritation - before returning to her side as she spins to look at the newcomer, trying to smooth her metaphorical hackles.

"I'm alright, thank you." The woman had come from a different direction so Hotaru frankly doesn't bother asking the same question in kind. Sighing slightly as she looks down at the scattered apples (definitely not intentionally in the hopes of currying the woman's aid) Hotaru kneels and begins picking them up. "I'd forgotten how annoying flinthoppers could be. I moved away from the Grounds years ago." Whether it's conversation or just venting is unclear - one is certainly more accurate, but Hotaru loves to dabble in the multifunctional.

Sink your fingers into the darkness of my fur

Valkyrie

I keep on messing with your head
You keep on messing up my bed

The stranger extinguished the fire, and Raelyn's brows rose in surprise. An Abandoned, then? She hadn't seen many of those around - though, to be fair, she could have met many and never have known if they hadn't used their magic. Still, the woman seemed to be a little irritated with the situation, and Rae offered a calming smile. "Here," she said. "Let me help you with that." And she bent to help with the apples, picking up a few that had rolled her way.

"I've lived in the Grounds all my life," she offered after a moment of gathering apples in silence. "And I still forget how annoying the flinthoppers can be." She'd had her fair share of incidents not dissimilar to the one in which the stranger found herself - but unlike the other woman, Rae had no way of getting rid of a fire once it was started. She'd been fortunate not to have started a wildfire or two over the years. "You said you moved away years ago? Where do you live now, if you don't mind my asking?"

I feel like we're two stoners, two loners
Who keep on forgetting everything they've said

Raelyn

You come across a fallen tree. It should be good for firewood, you think, but upon closer inspection, it appears completely hollowed out. Obsidian glitters within the trunk. How strange.

Hang your kisses on all my branches, please

Whether it's because she's pleased her miniature ploy worked to inspire the woman to help her, or the stranger's calming smile that is far too experienced works its magic, Hotaru does indeed settle. "Thank you," she responds coyly, and intentionally looks up between golden lashes as she kneels to help pick the apples off the ground to deposit them back in the basket. Lovely ladies in the woods (herself aside) are a rare pleasure after all.

It's admittedly surprising to hear Raelyn has not moved away from the Grounds as seemingly every other soul in existence has, but Hotaru merely tucks that information away labeled under 'has bad taste' and says nothing. Which is perhaps unfair - during her flight she had seen countless changes in the land she'd once lived in, so maybe things have improved environmentally if nothing else. "Halo. I run the Arcane Academy there - these apples are actually for my students." Hotaru was never the type to conceal her abilities even here where the anti-Abandoned sentiment had been so strong in her experience.

Sink your fingers into the darkness of my fur

Valkyrie

I keep on messing with your head
You keep on messing up my bed

It was interesting to come across someone from Halo; they had so few visitors to the Grounds these days. Everyone seemed to have fled when the barrier fell, and they must have found happiness out there beyond, because they never seemed to return. Rae leapt eagerly on the subject, having never been to Halo herself. "Oh!" she exclaimed. "What's Halo like? I've never been, you see."

And an Arcane Academy? Rae had never heard of such, and she eyed the apples with interest as she considered. "If you don't mind my asking, what do you need apples for?" It seemed like an odd thing to visit the Hollowed Grounds for. Couldn't the stranger have simply ordered some and had them delivered? And what would magic students need with apples, anyway?

I feel like we're two stoners, two loners
Who keep on forgetting everything they've said

Raelyn

Hang your kisses on all my branches, please

Describing Halo is often difficult, as most people can't envision snow as more than a seasonal inconvenience or a day's worth of childish fun. "The majority of it is very cold, with snow year-round and icy caverns. The Citadel is the main city and has a magical dome that helps with the severity of the cold however." Picking up a few more apples, she maneuvers her arm to the side to allow Raelyn a better angle to assist in her own efforts. "However to the east is a narrow, long strip of blackened forest that sings when the wind passes through, and beyond it is tundra greenery. The fauna is quite dangerous, so citizens largely live in one area; it's a very closely knit community." And while Hotaru might not be the most touchy-feely Halovian, that brand of loyalty and devotion has always resonated within her.

Finished with collecting her apples, Hotaru extends the basket slightly for any Raelyn has left, quirking an amused smile at her ill-concealed confusion. "I won't know until I open them, but I'm actually collecting them in the hopes some will have seed ghosts. They only exist in the Grounds." Precisely why she'd been forced to come all this way. Luckily the company is good so far.

Sink your fingers into the darkness of my fur

Valkyrie

I keep on messing with your head
You keep on messing up my bed

Rae picked up apples as she listened, trying to imagine the snowy tundra. She pictured the Grounds when it was covered in snow, and then considered if it were that way year-round and shivered. She wasn't sure that she could survive in such harsh conditions. Spring and summer were her favorite seasons, with all the greenery and new life. How could people thrive in an environment where that wasn't available? "It sounds like an incredibly difficult place to live," Rae mused thoughtfully. "Your people must be very determined."

The young woman dumped her apples carefully into the proffered basket, then dusted her hands off as she stood. "Seed ghosts, hmm?" Rae asked, thinking ruefully of her own run-in with the creatures as a child. She'd been left with a massive welt on her hand when she'd unwittingly disturbed one in an apple she'd been slicing. "There's supposed to be a tree around here with a lot of them. People mostly leave the tree alone, since rumor has it that the seed ghosts have taken over all the apples. I think it's that way, if you're interested?" she asked, pointing deeper into the forest.

I feel like we're two stoners, two loners
Who keep on forgetting everything they've said

Raelyn

Hang your kisses on all my branches, please

"It is," she concedes easily, not one to make light of the trials and tribulations Halo often presents to her people. "But the leaders have done much over the years to safeguard the health of the people. A greenhouse, a dome over the Citadel to keep it much warmer than the rest of Halo..." Gracefully rising to her feet, Hotaru whisks the dirt off her knees with a bit of magic and a smile. "It takes adjusting, but Halo's extremes only offer even more extreme beauty." Beauty that other, more temperate regions cannot compete with in her eyes.

Intrigued and indeed hopeful at the notion of a more promising tree, Hotaru tucks the basket over her elbow and tilts her head towards the surrounding forest. "Absolutely. Would you mind bringing me to it?" If the young woman has the time of course. Realizing she hasn't introduced herself, Hotaru extends a hand with a royal smile. "I'm Hotaru, by the way. Thank you for your help."

Sink your fingers into the darkness of my fur

Valkyrie

I keep on messing with your head
You keep on messing up my bed

"It sounds like you have wonderful leadership," Rae said with a touch of envy. If only the Grounds had such stalwart champions - or, indeed, any manner of leadership at all. She couldn't remember the last time she'd felt like they were headed in the right direction (or any direction), and even though she wasn't one to keep on top of politics or current events, the lack of leadership was still keenly felt in the region. "I will have to make it a point to visit."

As for the apple tree, Rae had nothing better to do, and she was more than happy to show her new friend the way. "Sure. I think it's this way. I hope the rumors are true," she added, if only to help temper Hotaru's expectations. Like as not, they'd find an empty tree or apples without the seed ghosts that she was looking for. "I'm Raelyn," she added, reaching to shake Hotaru's hand. "And it's my pleasure."

After a moment's companionable silence, Rae decided that she should probably try to make some kind of small talk. After all, few people were as comfortable with being alone with their thoughts as she was. "So, this Arcane Academy - do you have many students?"

I feel like we're two stoners, two loners
Who keep on forgetting everything they've said

Raelyn

Hang your kisses on all my branches, please

"We do," she agrees, both warm and with a feline type of pride that is at risk of coming across as arrogance. In her mind, Halo having wonderful leaders is a separate entity from the Grounds having plainly none. Do better and all that. "If you visit, you should stop in King's End for clothing. Few other places are nearby enough to stock clothing for travelers that is of sufficient warmth for visiting Halo." After having rescued Alys from the tundra, underequipped and freezing, Hotaru makes a point to mention it to anyone who has expressed interest in tourism.

Shaking the woman's hand, Hotaru tilts her head slightly to the left with a winsome smile. "No worries, if we don't find it I still have hope some of these will work," she assures, gesturing to her basket. If not, well, she'll just have to come back out to the woods and try again.

She's either very lucky or very sharp, because talking about her Academy is a surefire way to get Hotaru to open up despite her normally wary nature. "Not as many as I would like given how large the Academy is, but there are fewer Abandoned these days. Right now I don't have more than twenty in any given season, though most stay on full-time." Not all participate in magical training of course, instead using the Academy for arcane studying even if they did not have magic of their own, but Hotaru still counts them among her flock.

Sink your fingers into the darkness of my fur

Valkyrie

I keep on messing with your head
You keep on messing up my bed

Raelyn made a mental note to make a trip to King's End. She'd never been, but she'd always heard good things, and if she was to plan a visit to Halo, it sounded like she'd better be prepared. "Thanks for the tip," she said with a smile. "Have you been to King's End as well? What's it like?" Gods, Raelyn thought to herself. I sound like I've never been anywhere. She hadn't, of course, but she rather wished she hadn't made it so obvious.

Listening as they walked, Raelyn steered them through the woods in the direction of the rumored tree. Fortunately, these woods didn't change like those in the Greatwood supposedly did, so it made things all the easier for them. "Why are there fewer Abandoned now?" she asked, curious. It was the first she'd heard of the numbers of Abandoned dwindling. Twenty in one place still seemed like a lot to Rae, who'd never really encountered magic users before. Of course, even if she had, they likely wouldn't have revealed themselves. It was the Grounds, after all, and there was enough anti-Abandoned sentiment in the world that she couldn't imagine them outing themselves to just anyone.

I feel like we're two stoners, two loners
Who keep on forgetting everything they've said

Raelyn

Hang your kisses on all my branches, please

It's either ironic or splendid luck that Hotaru spends most of her days in King's End when not in Halo, so she is happy to provide more information on the region. "Yes, plentifully. It's full of rolling hills, bordered by ocean and rather well-rounded in terms of temperature and seasons. It is the only region I've found to have bamboo forests, for example." The furthest reaches of the eastern lands had revealed those to her, and the bumbling pandas within - a creature she has never seen elsewhere.

The topic of Abandoned is unfortunately more fraught. "Racism, mostly. Many are cast from their homes, killed, or otherwise hide their abilities for said reasons." As they arrive at the tree, Ru begins to expand upon each of these - though Raelyn may not be Abandoned, if she can sway anyone to her cause of protecting them as a group, she certainly will.

- Fin <3

Sink your fingers into the darkness of my fur

Valkyrie