Haven in the Woods

[Geldenwing]

"A door? No!"

Gelden stamped her foot for emphasis. A door on the tavern! As though visiters weren't welcome? No no, that would never do! But...

"Not a door, Lily, but maybe a spell. So only those with no bad intentions can see the entrance? That would be neat!"

The faerie felt that once upon a time she'd heard a story with a similar theme, and was quite proud that she'd found a way to use the clever idea for their own benefit.

She distracted herself with Ander's question about fresh water. True, the pipes seemed to be spelled to last and provide clean water for their benefit. The pond, though...that was covered in scum and filled with who knows what. Gelden ached just to look at the pitiful thing. She looked at Ander instead.

"Like she said, we've got fresh water in the pipes. But there's water outside, if you want to go out. Fresh air?"

The fae perked up at the idea. She was a child of the forest, and her nature lived outdoors among the wild flowers.

"We could make a mini trip out of it!"

[Ander Valman]

Ander went to the sink indicated by Illilli as she continued on. He didn't know how to use any weapons very well, but he had at least fired a bow before. He filled his water skin at the tap, noting that the water was indeed fresh. He had been worried that the water would come out looking like that in the pond.

Next, Ander walked over to where the glasses were, bringing three over to the table he had set earlier. He met Illilli there as Gelden started talking about a little field trip.

He smiled at her genuine enthusiasm, which turned into a shy smile as he looked to Illilli. He began pouring the water into the glasses, taking a moment to think about what had been said.

His first thought began with the door. "Where would we get someone to ... cast a spell like what you suggested, Gelden? I ..." he paused, swallowing nervously. Ander had never before admitted to having magic, or even spoken about doing it, and he was obviously still reticent about it. "... I might be able to do it, if I was able to control what I can do. But I don't even know where to begin! It only happens when I don't expect it!"

He shrugged, still looking down at the full glasses of water before him. He slid them across the table until they were situated in front of three different chairs, then slid into a chair as he quickly changed the subject.

"I think we should do a little exploring tomorrow, just to see what kind of wild 'neighbors' we have around us. But we should sit and eat the wonderful meal Miss Illilli has cooked up for us, since it's ready."

Ander looked up at Illilli before turning to wave Gelden to the seat next to him.

[Illilli]

"I think that sounds wonderful Gelden! That would certainly be a good spell to invest in if we could get it figured out, or find someone we can trust to make it." She looked up at Ander's admission of having some magic.

"I think it comes with practice, a few weeks ago I thought I was normal... Then I changed... and changed again... Now I can mostly control when it all happens, I think." She grinned at Ander and munched on her stew some more.

"The first time I changed, I almost suffocated from being trapped in my own clothing. I had to be cut out of my leathers." She smiled ruefully thinking about the crazy young blade with a penchant for mushrooms who had carefully freed her from that leather prison.

"Maybe when we are nice and refreshed from our trip, we can see about dredging up that little pond. That would definatly freshen it up out here. I'll also try to make a broom or something so we can keep the floor up a bit better."

After finishing her stew and the glass of water Illilli carefully shifted to her larger form and flew up to get her pack from where she had stashed it.

"I still get bad headaches doing this, but its not as bad as the first few times now..."

[Geldenwing]

Gelden plopped into her chair and wiggled with the enthusiasm of a child, clapping her hands in delight at the meal set before her. She couldn't remember the last time she'd had an actual sit-down meal. It was like an indoor picnic! With grown ups!

She eyed the food and served herself with a beaming smile, then ladled some into her friend's bowls for good measure. She took a little sip of the water, just to taste it - a woodsland creature could always tell the relative purity of the water - and was satisfied. Illilli was right; that tap and the pipes absolutely had to be spelled, for the water to run this clear and clean after so long.

She considered Ander and Illilli's words about exploring as she ate, her tummy happily swelling with the stew. She loved to explore, and exploring outside would be a delight. Once upon a time, she'd known this entire area - but now, she didn't know one tree from another, and she felt disconcerted about this.

Absently her free hand reached up to fiddle with the pendant around her neck. Now that she'd remembered its purpose, she wondered if keeping it was such a good idea. It just kept bad memories around...but she couldn't part with it. It was too sentimental.

Perhaps she could find a way to activate it again, and modify it so that it worked for someone else. She glanced at Ander while she considered this - always knowing that he was OK, just as she'd promised. The idea didn't seem terrible - which meant she'd run it by Illilli later to check and make sure it wasn't terrible.

Ander's question finally filtered through.

"Oh, there's always a magicker around somewhere. I think we just need to be careful - and specific - and probably rich."

She looked at Illilli with a scowl.

"They don't seem to like magic users in this place. Maybe...maybe this could be like a haven for them. A place to come and...and just be safe?"

[Ander Valman]

Ander settled in at the table, giving Gelden a small smile as she poured some stew into his bowl. He took a drink of water and slowly set to. He listened as Illilli and Gelden spoke, nodding when he agreed, but not saying much. He was a little surprised that he had admitted having magic, when he had been hiding it for several years already.

He shrugged at Illilli while she was saying that it took some time to learn. She seemed to have it under control after only a few weeks, and he had been trying to control his for several years. He frowned down at his suddenly empty bowl, letting the spoon drop into it with a clatter.

Ander leaned back in the chair, content to sit for a bit while they talked.

"I can help clean up that fountain..." He shivered as he remembered the crack in the back of it, which he had somehow magically viewed. It wasn't the fact that he had magic which upset him, although that was a large reason why he was in the woods with relative strangers and no longer welcomed in his family or home, but the fact that he couldn't control when he used it. It was a little unsettling to suddenly be whisked away in a vision, or to cause lightning from your hands, when you really had no intention of it.

He cleared his throat as he realized he had trailed off, a light blush creeping up his face. "I'd like to be able to do things to help keep this place clean. I think making it a place for magic people to stay would be a good idea."

[Illilli]

"That sounds like a good goal." She looked around the large cavern.

"We certainly got a good start on it, though we are definatly going to need to update a few things. I'm certain that pond is gonna be fantastic once the gunk is cleaned out of it."

Illilli was starting to get into much better spirits. Her belly was full and the plans for the next day were bouncing around in her mind.

"Would be great to have a safety spell on the door soon as we can get it though, never know if that hoodlum is going to come back or not. Might want to be a bit careful tonight."

She grinned at Ander and Geldenwing.

"I can hardly wait to get to it in the morning. This is going to be fun!"

She tidied up around her pallet and started preparing for sleep. She planned on sleeping in her minute form again, for comfort sake.

[Geldenwing]

Gelden saw Ander's shudder and took it for disgust at the rather sad state of the fountain...pond...puddle of algae. She looked at it and wondered if even one fish had survived all this time, and what state that fish might be in.

Then she shuddered herself and looked away. It was just so disgusting!

She sipped daintily at her stew, then took a mouthful and began devouring the bowl.
She didn't actually shovel the stew into her mouth, but it was clear she would've if she could've...

Finished and content, she abandoned her dishes and decided to wait until morning to clean up. She gave Ander a beaming smile and a quick peck on the cheek, then bounced to her own pallet and plopped down onto her bottom. She picked at toenails for a bit, cleaning dirt from under them, then finally settled down to actually rest. She was restless by nature, and most likely wouldn't sleep as long as her (more) human companions. She felt jittery, and also an impulse to go out and play with the fireflies.

"Good night!"

She sighed happily and closed her eyes, her hands folded over her tummy. But she wouldn't sleep until she heard Ander settle down, too.

[Ander Valman]

Ander watched as the other two began to get ready for sleep. He sat at the table, silently watching, listening as they spoke. Gelden popped up beside him and gave him a kiss on the cheek before he could more than open his mouth. It still brought a smile to his lips.

In minutes the two were bedded down. Ander stood, scooped up the bowls and brought them to the sink, leaving them there for the morning. He still felt a little weak from the spider poison, his legs wanting to give way after every other step. He knew he couldn't be up much longer, so he began his own preparations for bed.

After several more minutes of scuffling about, he finally lay down on his bed of pine, pulling his blankets up to his chin. His eyes remained open, and he stared at the ceiling. The glowvines slowly dimmed, again showing intellect at knowing when the humans were going to sleep, or would at least need more darkness.

His last thought before he fell asleep was that he was too wide awake to sleep.

[Illilli]

Morning dawned brisk and clear outside of the cave. A very faint breeze brought the scent of freshly dewed grass and wild herbs of the forrest into the cavern tavern.

Illilli stretched her tiny body before once again going through the annoying headachy pain of transformation. Once human again she hastily dressed into her halter and roomy leather pants.

Unsure if the others were up yet she quietly walked over to the pond in the corner of the large room to get a good look at the damage.

*Schluurrp-Pop guurrrggle*

The disgusting off-green shifted and wriggled slightly, possibly from a trickle of whatever water fed the pond. The surface of the water was completly covered with the disgusting slime.

Illilli could not tell how deep the pond was because of the slime, but if deep enough the size of the pond would be just big enough for a person to do laps in the water. Small laps... but laps none the less.

She carefully poked the slime with a finger. It was the same gooey stuff she had encountered in the kitchen sink. The slime stuck slightly to her finger and peeled back in a sheet about an inch and a half thick. She could see semi-clear water under the layer of slime, but it was clear the slime had not just covered the surfaces of the water. It was also all over the rocks and sides of the pool that her limited visibilty through the water could offer.

[Geldenwing]

Flighty and energetic, the fae needed far less sleep than her companions and was already awake and outside by the time Illilli awoke and moved about. The faerie stood outside about thirty feet away from the entrance of the cavern, poking about in the underbrush with a stick. She was tormenting a small centipede as it crawled one way or another, and she was amused by its wiggling.

She had a small bag next to her tightly woven of some of the dying glowvines from the cave with a small bit of dirt in the bottom and an assortment of beetles, worms, and other crawlies. She was gathering what she considered bait. She had a notion that bait was a good thing that could help find food, specifically fish. She imagined sitting by a small pond or stream with a little wooden rod made from a stick and twine, and the image made her giggle. She imagined this particular crawly that she was tormenting wiggling as bait at the end of the line, and a yum yummy fish taking the bait and later on cooking over a fire. Maybe wrapped in leaves with some nuts for flavor...mmm...

The fae smiled to herself as she finally grabbed the centipede and tossed it into her bag, then poked her stick into the ground and began stirring the dirt to try and rustle up a few more worms or beetles.

[Xyon_of_Calhoun]

Sunrises are a beautiful sight. The red glow from the rising orb glinted in Xyon's tear-filled eyes as yet another sleepless night came to an end. As clouds raced in to cover the sun a little, and take some heat out of the morning, Xyon looked around himself.

Surpringly, he had no idea where he was. Must've walked miles in the dark last night, he mused, seeing trees around him that weren't there the last time there had been enough light to see properly by.

Sounds came from a little further beyond, and Inohen twitched slightly in her sheath. People, Xyon had figured out, in this place, didn't seem to like him very much. Trouble decided to come and find him on a regular basis.

Drawing the sword slowly, he held her ready and proceeded onward. Inohen's silvery glow reflected in the dew on the leaves, and the grass, as he tripped over a vine and fell headlong into a cavern.

Light seemed to be a scarce commodity here, but as he rose with a groan, it became less scarce. Several vines appeared to be making light for him, responding to the noises he'd made.

Keeping Inohen drawn, he proceeded slowly on, down the cavern, noticing footprints on the ground. Calling out, he surmised that whoever had made them might still be there.

[Ander Valman]

Ander cowered in the shadow of the presence above him. He didn't have to look up to know it was his other self, the other self from his spider-poison fever dreams.
He stared straight ahead at the blood red hem of the black robes his other self wore, his knees making twin imprints in the dirt of the forest floor. Ander was too scared to really notice the pattern of blood drops embroidered in that hem, as he was berated by his other self.

"Why do you insist on holding to the ideals of what our parents taught us? No one cares about us, why should we care about them? The only real way to get ahead in this world is to only look out for ourself. We don't need those other two we are with now. They'll only hold us back," his other self ranted on for a few more moments, then paused. A hand slipped into Ander's view, roughly gripping his face under the chin and lifting his gaze, fingers digging tightly into his cheeks.

Looking into his own face was disconcerting, but there was nothing he could do. It felt as if he was bound with something, although his hands simply rested on his thighs. Ander's other self bent, looking closely into Ander's face.

In a quiet, commanding voice, he said, "There's always power. We could be powerful, my little weakling..."

There came a sound; or what passed for a sound in a dream. Ander tried to turn towards the sound, but he was held solidly in his other self's grip. The other did turn, then thrust Ander back and stepped away.

"Wake!"

-----

Ander muttered and murmured in his sleep as the dream progressed, but strangely did not move.

And suddenly he was sitting up, eyes wide open, staring directly at the shadowy figure calling out from the entrance of the cavern. What appeared to be a large sword was gripped in both hands as the figure continued into the cavern.

Rage boiled within him, wrapped around a coil of fear. Rage at another person with a weapon invading their home; fear at what he knew he was about to do, and of what this person might be doing here.

One hand stretched out towards the door, fingers reaching, outstretched. His voice rebounded from the walls in it's sudden strength and loudness, echoing even into the woods. As he shouted, he clenched his outstretched hand into a fist.

"HOLD!"

The vines dimmed their light and appeared to wilt at the loudness of the shout, then grew back to their normal intensity as the echoes died.

He didn't know how he knew, but if the magic worked, the figure in the entrance would be frozen, held be an invisible force of magic wrapped around its entire body, not able to move or speak, only breath and blink.

[Illilli]

Illilli was still poking at the sludge in the corner of the cavern tavern when Ander shouted in a powerfull voice that set her markings shimmering just from the feel of magic in the command. That coupled with the flashing of the glowvines as they reacted to both the command and the person falling into the trench-like entrance to the cavern caused her to stiffen with a shriek, slip and make a not so gracefull bellyflop into the slimy water.

The slime may not have been sentient but it seemed to seek out and adhere to her body, coating her in grey-green greasy sheets of filth.

And that was not all, as the slime had its own peculiar scent. To call it a stench was almost an understatement.

"Ugh." was all Illilli could gasp.

The water of the pond, such that was, was a good 6 foot deep near the rim where she fell in. The pond probably deepened further back closer to the wall, but Illilli was far more interested in keeping her head above water, breathing and not trying to swallow some of the foul sludge.

She watched cautiously from her position on the pond rim.

[Geldenwing]

Gelden wasn't close enough to the cavern to notice the stranger's entrance with a weapon drawn and aimed at her friends. The site would have had the fae running at her fastest pace to try and tackle the man around the middle - which most likely would only lead to mild discomfort for such a large male.

But she was close enough to hear Ander's yell, which had her sprinting, buggy bag in her hand, at the fastest she could manage at such a panic.

"Ander! Illilli!"

Visions of her friends being attacked swamped her overactive imagination, and she had them both impaled and roasting over a fire before she'd managed ten paces. The entrance loomed into view, and the little faerie tore into the entrance, coming to skidding halt when she saw the figure with a shiny flashy thing.

A sword!

Without a thought more, Gelden flung the contents of her bag forward with a shriek.

"Get away from them! Don't you dare hurt them!"

Beetles, worms, a cricket and one very annoyed centipede flew through the air at their newest intruder - one who might not even be able to dodge the assortment of crawlies headed toward his back.

[Xyon_of_Calhoun]

As he approached the cavernous opening ahead, Xyon's eyes distorted the image to enable him to see in this half-light. Several... people... were present, running from him, from Inohen. He glanced at her, remarking in her glow, and then the shout rang out.

HOLD

The vines flashed with luminosity, and Xyon's eyes closed themselves swiftly, to avoid blindness. Once they had opened again, Xyon moved to sheathe Inohen, and declare himself of no ill intent.

Or at least, he tried to. Something was forbidding it, holding him rigidly in place and denying him movement to do even this. He blinked a few times, noticing he could still do that, and took a deep breath, which he could also do. As for shouting out, that seemed to be beyond whatever held him in place.

With superhuman effort, Xyon poured all his energy into one movement, and was rewarded with a slow, sluggish sweep with the sword. She flew out of his hand, up into the air and down, into her scabbard on his back. Then, with the greatest will in the world, Xyon moved his arms into what he hoped was a non-threatning posture, and froze.