Wisdom of the Trees [Destyn, Sivan]

[Destyn]

“Oh! A sked jewel is a red jewel!” Destyn exclaimed, clearly amused by the rhyme his mind had derived from the offered variables.

“Thank you!” He inspected the gemstone at length and, when he was satisfied, he tucked it into a pocket assuming it to be a gift rather than a mere demonstration.

Though Destyn offered no verbal reply to Hin'tai'oth, his broad grin along with the feverish fluttering of wings and bouncing at the knees seemed to indicate he was pleased with the response. He even made a little high pitched hum sound, but that was largely drown out by the beating of his wings as he lifted off the grass to hover just a foot or so above the ground.

He flew through the newly conjured portal, and rose a bit higher to take stock of the surroundings to figure out where exactly they’d appeared and what had changed noticeably since his last visit to the valley. Once he was satisfied with his light survey, he returned to the ground at Hin'tai'oth’s side and found Sivan in a meditative state. He pursed his lips, looking as though he had something to say but was biting it down.

His wings folded at his back as Sivan spoke in another’s voice with words of cold command. He narrowed his eyes, nostrils flaring slightly. Once again today, someone else was here to tell him what was best for his own gods-given charge and he did not care for it a whit. Erratic though he was, he kept his umbrage to himself and bit his lips to keep them closed as others of more measured mind than he responded.

[Talisman]

Rath had no intentions of asking for it back. He'd known when he handed it over that it would be a gift, and if it helped made Destyn happy, then it was well-used. There would always be others, and sharing some of the things he had found on his travels made them that much more enjoyable.

The Hytori nodded with understanding at Sivan's words, and he would wait and be patient. With old spirits, things only rarely happened quickly, and it was better to be on good terms with the gritaeri; especially as the young Fae wanted to place his baby tree and his family to rest here. If the gritaeri refused, then they would have to change plans again, and none of the trio of newcomers wanted that.

Kimith would follow Sivan, Hin'tai'oth flying with Destyn through the portal and taking to the skies, while Rath followed along with Laurevere. The portly Tanuki was scooped up on one arm, while the fluffy white bird had returned to the green-eyed elf's shoulder. Neither of his companions wanted to be left behind, it seemed, and he figured to take some stress off of the poor raccoon dog by carrying him. Once through the portal, they would look around - Hin'tai'oth to see just how far away the nearest settlement was, Kimith at the level of the ground, and Rath the ground itself, from the soil compaction, to how the plant life was doing in this climate.

"I offer greetings to you, ancient one," Rath answered the spirit that Sivan was now channelling. He understood, from the change in the elf's eyes and from Laurevere's commentary. "As a son of Aedrin, I am honoured to treat with you." Politely, of course, but they would understand each other - one was an Elemental Lord that was raised to this level by Aedrin, the other was well familiar with Him. Rath had not spoken such out loud, and shielded himself well to present simply as an Hytori, but the Gritaeri would know that it was speaking with a member of the Green Dragonflight. "The purpose of our trip here today is to scout the valley and make sure that it would be suitable for this tree."

Hin'tai'oth's hand found Destyn's, and he squeezed it silently, frowning, but reassuring the other Fae nonetheless. "The tree is not yet ready for transport," Rath continued. "It is young, it is hardy, and it is in good condition. It has no signs of disease, rot, or blight. As it grows, its roots will require a great deal of space, and there may be the remains of some Fae to be interred within those roots," he explained. "I do not know yet how many there are, or in what shape they will be if so, but they will need to come as well. If they are found, they will be prepared in a way that will not give harm to this land. I give you my word that the balance of this place will be respected and maintained."

[Sivan]

"Welcome to the Vale of Star's Dew, Greenlord."

Sivan arm rose, twisting into his chest. The fingers of his hand curled in a manner disturbing for an elven hand, but beautiful if one considered them the roots of a tree. The gritaeri indicated Sivan—and perhaps itself; this was Kindred magic, strange even to spiritwalkers and summoners.

"This one has kept faith with me and with the tenets of the Primals, as had his friend, the leader of the humans. If the wildkin wishes to plant his seedling here and the remains of his people, I will offer them peace. This one has requested protection from winter, so there has not been enough death to balance the new life—the humans, the wolves. The wildkin dead will feed new life here, and the tree will grow even if its song does not harmonize with the valley at first."

That would, it seemed, be enough for an Ecithian giant to survive in the remote mountains of Karnor, an entirely different biome.

Whatever had passed between Sivan and the gritaeri, it seemed to need little in the way of persuading to accede to the request. It also began to drift somewhat, having been woken from a sort of hibernation of its own. As it waited for their response, a snow-white rabbit bounded from snow-covered bushes to hop into Sivan's lap.

His grotesque hand relaxed, then formed a loose fist, and began to stroke the quivering creature. After a few strokes, the quivering narrowed down to its nose. One ear swiveled toward Sivan as if listening to something. Dark eyes peered at the rest of them, wary and weary.

[Destyn]

Destyn's eyes snapped to Rath as he identified himself to the spirit and a blonde eyebrow cocked in response. As he elaborated upon today's endeavour, the Fae did feel inclined to assert:

"Of course the baby tree is not diseased! I taked good care of it and it is well hale and healthy." His already crossed arms tightened against his chest as he closed his mouth, if only to pout with it. He looked to Sivan, eyes falling momentarily to his hand and his head tilted as he registered what was happening there. It was the sort of thing he'd seen the Fae in his clan do with their bodies, but on an elf... on this elf in particular, it seemed odd.

He unpursed his lips, his face relaxing a bit as his focus on the entity's words caused him to forget what had been irking him, but he found he liked what the being had to say. It even sounded as though his desire to bury his dead here and remove them from the desecrated soils of the southlands would be a boon to this place, and that heartened him. When the figure in Sivan's shape finished speaking, Destyn just smiled mildly at it not realising it was expecting a response. It seemed their request had been posed and granted, so Destyn half-expected Sivan to uncurl his twisty fingers and return to being his friend, but that wasn't the energy his body was giving off at the moment, so it seemed it was still serving as host. Maybe it just wanted the chance to pet a bunny whilst in corporeal form, which Destyn could empathise with and, in fact, did. He knelt at Sivan's side and reached out to pet the rabbit, too.

"Tá fionnadh chomh hálainn agat, a choinín." He whispered the words, because rabbits had good hearing and he didn't want to sound shrill in its floppy ears.

[Talisman]

Rath listened as Sivan-Gritaeri conveyed their thoughts. "We thank you for your understanding. That is acceptable, and we will return soon with the tree and those to be interred," the elf bowed to the spirit walker before straightening. That was about as good as it could have gone to him. All of them that had gathered here understood the natural cycle, the dance of Raella and Wraedan that occurred within Aedrin's creations. Rath would make sure that Destyn's family, when they found them, would be wrapped in such a way that it would be respectful to the blond Fae's kin, while keeping in mind that which would go in the ground.

"We know," Kimith reassured Destyn quietly. "You have done a wonderful job with your baby tree, but the Gritaeri of the valley does not know that. Rath said it to reassure them, so that they would not be inclined to disagree with our request to bring your tree here." When Destyn approached Sivan, Hin'tai'oth made no move to follow, staying close by the diminutive horned woman and looking about, his head tilted with curiosity. He leaned down to murmur something into her ear, and while she looked at the other three, she smiled faintly and shook her head in order to whatever it was that had been said.

"This space will be big enough," Rath remarked. It may have been further north than planned, but the tree would adapt. Deep roots would not be touched by frost, and here, the tree could thrive. "Shall we return to Sivan's?" The younger elf may well need a rest after that; spirit-walking in such a way could take quite a bit out of one, and it might be best to let him rest and recuperate for the night and then go and look for Destyn's family on the morrow.

[Sivan]

The gritaeri might have responded to the offense Destyn took, but his companions smoothed things over before it could. In any case, it didn't seem to mind his petting of the weary rabbit.

"Tha e ag ràdh gu bheil a bhian nas gleansach agus nas buige nuair a tha e fallain."

If Destyn had any doubts that this was not Sivan speaking, they likely evaporated. The gritaeri spoke Valasren with greater fluency, albeit with cadences more ancient than those even his eldest of elders had known. Perhaps it had even seen the Everwilds from which the Fae'ethalan had come.

There was a pause from Sivan-indwelt, some communication, possibly, between Sivan and the gritaeri. A wolf padded up from the treeline. Sharp eyes might see young pups cavorting there at the edge, though they did not follow their mother into the open spaces.

For those whose senses were keen to such things, the gritaeri seemed to drain from Sivan like blood from a shocked face, slithering back into the cold embrace of the dirt and the stones, and evaporating into the air. His shoulders did fall slack, though he was hardly passing out from the effort of holding a gritaeri.

And for those who recognized the signs, Sivan spoke to the wolf in the manner of wolves; in this case, mostly with subtle shifts of posture and such. Destyn would recognize Huntress, the "dog" Aurin had brought to Torin's house and left for him. She seemed to prefer the wilderness of the valley to the city, even if Torin's house had become her den. Sivan rubbed his face against the rabbit, murmuring to it, and then held it out to Huntress, who took it carefully by the nape of its neck like one of her pups, paused for a moment to stare, and then turned back to her young.

The rabbit didn't protest.

It was Exael who helped Sivan to his feet, the celestial spirit manifesting in his uncannily humanoid form. Or one of them. He changed it on a whim, though he was always recognizable to those who knew him at all.

Sivan nodded to Rath.

"Please." A weary smile. "I don't want to be stranded here, nice as it is." Then, to Destyn, "Are you content with the plan?"

[Destyn]

"People are always doubting in me." Destyn said sounding somewhere between weary and vexed by this observation, but the response placated him enough, it seemed.

"Content." He agreed, withdrawing his hand from the rabbit as Huntress took hold of it, pursing his lips slightly before rising and brushing off his knees with his palms. "Let us go."

Today had taken strange turns, indeed, but many days did so for Destyn who eschewed routine when he could manage it. Today's twists were more jarring than some, but in the end they'd proven happy distinctions that left him feel better off than when he'd woken, even if there had been a few hiccoughs along that journey internally.

The fate of his kin had long plagued Destyn, of course, but the fact of their never having been properly laid to rest only compounded the already traumatic issues in play, so the opportunity to right at least part of that old wrong, was enough to leave him feeling optimistic as they geared up to return to Sivan's for the evening.

He sidled up beside Hin'tai'oth and smiled,

"An mbeidh dinnéar agat i dteach Sivan liom?" He inquired, tilting his head. "Sábhálfaidh mé thú ó chócaireacht na n-elf agus is féidir linn beathú a chuardach sa ghairdín!" He beamed. Surely there was much to plan and prepare, but planning and preparation were the province of those with less mercurial minds. He might go with the flow if it suited his purposes, but Destyn was not wont to be tied down to an itinerary. Those that tried to leash him thus were oft frustrated by his tangents and side quests. Hin'tai'oth, at least, seemed more likely to get that than many he'd met in the civilised world.

[Talisman]

The three newcomers watched the interaction, and made no move to interrupt or come closer. Rath might have offered Sivan a hand up after the wolf had left with the rabbit, but he had doubted that his guardian, standing sentinel over him, would have appreciated it. No harm may have been meant, but caution was understandable.

"'S e, b' fheàrr leam sin. Biastagan math, lusan ùra. Nas fheàrr na bòrd sam bith a-staigh!" Hin'tai'oth agreed, grinning at Destyn, his eyes bright with the possibilities and the chance of perhaps mischief. Kimith knew better than to get involved in the oddities of the Wildborn, and just smiled at them.

When all were ready and Sivan was on his feet, Rath opened the portal back to Sivan's garden, the fluffy white bird chirping at the youngest elf and wanting to make sure that he was feeling better. The tanuki, still tucked into the crook of Rath's arm, let out a rumbling grunt that got him a scratch under his chin and against his chest.

Dinner was had at Laurevere's, oddly quiet, perhaps, with the lack of Fae'ethalan who had gone off to enjoy the bounty of the natural world around them. Though it would have made it easier to talk as well, at least... at the end of the evening, Kimith and Rath thanked them for the meal and hospitality, and would retire to Sivan's when the time came, looking to keep their intrusion as least exhausting as possible.

When everyone was ready for the next day at the agreed-upon time, Rath turned his attention to Destyn. "Could you explain to me on what side of Zaichaer your family passed? I will make us a portal there, and we can begin the search."

[Sivan]

Sivan did his best to be a good host for such august guests, even as he appreciated Laurevere offering to manage dinner. It was no surprise that Destyn and at least one of their guests preferred to forage in the garden. Neither of them was wont to disrupt the delicate balance of life he stewarded there, and so he was able to relax.

He was the first to retire when Exael nudged him to. Between his aidolon and the host of spirits who called his tower and its modest grounds home, his guests were well taken care of.

Laurevere, of course, took Destyn to his own bed, most likely thinking he would have to wear the Fae'ethalan out so he could sleep that night rather than anticipate what might come on the morrow.

And on the morrow, Sivan woke up well rested, and bustled quietly about the kitchen to prepare food for his guests to break their fasts. Unsure whether his presence was desired or required, he kept an open mind about his plans for the day. At the mention of geography, he sent a thought toward one of the spirits and Perxy, a wind elemental blew a fine parchment from his desk on an upper floor down to where they were speaking.

Catching it out of the air, he spread it over the table so they could see a map of Zaichaer's environs, written over with Sivan's careful scrawl mapping out the ley-lines and such.

"This might help."

[Destyn]

Destyn was unaccustomed to having a playmate who was on his level as much as Hin'tai'oth, so he took full advantage of the opportunity and kept his fellow Fae busy until they were called back in by the others. He beamed as he sidled up next to Laurevere and kissed his jawline, before being led to his boudoir for the night. He'd rather tuckered himself out with Fae antics, so it wasn't difficult for Laurevere to put him over the edge and he slept through the night with no problem.

The next day, as he was scrounging around for fruit in the house, Rath posed his question and Destyn perked up.

"North of the city. East of a town called Grauschweig. It did not smell nice there, I remember, and the sky was not clear. There were, you know, obelisks that made dark clouds come out of them at the top and the clouds made the foul smell, I think." He looked to the map Sivan provided and pursed his lips, humming to himself as he considered the topography and, finally, pointed to a spot.

"This is where Prince Talon found me, I think. You did a good job with this, you know, map, Sivan." He said as he plopped into a seat and began to munch on an orange- skin and all.