"Alright, up, come on." I tell that lazy thief, shoving her about her bed in the process while I held her son. It was moments like this that made it hard to believe that she was the mother of this sapling. He was up at a moments notice when I stirred, but she's stayed in this root-sutible bed.
"H-Huh?" she let out in confusion as she started to push herself up. Her son found it amusing to watch her move about so sluggishly. And while I would not deny him of that, I found her behaviour insufferable right now.
"Get up!" I nearly shout as I use my tube-covered point shoves her off the bed. Yet, that might've been a bit too extreme as her son whimpered in concern. So I made sure to hold him close and nurture him as well as I could to alleviate that concern.
"Ow..." was all she let out as she got up and rubbed the area I had forced myself upon.
"Let's get moving, I don't want to be here any longer than I have to." I tell her as I displayed how I was already dressed. Her son was too, but how I was, was simply more important. He was but a little sapling right now, I was a matured petal.
"My son needs to eat..." she warns as her son wipes his mouth with his arm. Then, with a gentle thud, his little head slopes down near my breast.
"Grab him something before we leave, then." I tell her with a roll of my eyes. We did not need to stay here for the sapling to be fed.
"O-Oh, you're leaving?" the old human mother asked in shock after I slammed the door on my way out.
"Yes." I snorted before I left this disgusting establishment for good. Thankfully, those who were up appreciated what I wore, unlike that thief. And she had yet to come out yet... I also did not want to go back in.
So I guess I just had to wait, I could make my peace with it when she came outside. For now, I just turned my attention to the sapling as he shivered in the morning cold. So I pulled him closer and let him share in my own heat. Then, I watched in curiosity as he stared at the morning dew throughout the area.
"What that?" he asked as he lazily raised an arm before he yawned.
"That is the gate we will be leaving through. Then, we can take you to your father!" I explained to him with a smile while hiding my own sadness. Even if I did not love him or long for him anymore. It was still a bitter memory. To be denied what should've been mine by some lesser petal...
This little sapling should've had traces of my rose-coloured hair...
"But I suppose it is a good thing you don't, right?" I asked him with a quick laugh as I started to think of my Love. If I had a child with the Gilded-Bark and then met my Love when he was simply The Champion to me... I'd have scared my precious son and confused him so much.
"Rose'lhia... Give me back my son so I can make sure he has breakfast." that lazy thief demanded from me as she stepped outside partially. She did not even have the decency to come out dressed. She was still in her sleepwear.
"Mama." her son longingly said as he reached out for her. And I just couldn't bring myself to hold onto him when his wish was to be with her. So I passed him over and then walked away from the building to be on my lonesome. I was not hungry so I had no reason to come back in.
So I waited and waited by a fountain while tapping one of my points. Occasionally, I put my hand into the water and let my magic flow out into it. It was but one of many things I learned to do while I was still an Ivy-Mother. To some extent, what I had learned was for nonsensical purposes.
But, the people listened when they saw water shape and morph. It was just for show, really. Yet, it held importance for me when I was an Ivy-Mother. We did not have magical screens like the wind-people did. So we manipulated water for an image for all to see.
Often, I just used it to make my dreams a seeable thing. But right now, I couldn't help but make a family portrait for a family that did not exist. A lovely little sapling in my arms while my powerful Love held us both. With the kind of care only a father and a lover knew...
Hearing the laughter and noise from that building even made me a little bitter. I was always surrounded by families, but I was denied the chance to make my own so often. That thief stole the Gilded-Bark from me and that incomparable beauty stole my Love from me...
"I suppose an Ivy-Mother must learn patience." I mutter as I start to remember the days I was being tutored by my elders and predecessors. To handle some of our roles, we needed to be able to tolerate it outwardly until it was resolved. But I could not for the life of me muster that strength when it came to who I loved...
I wanted them to be mine and only mine, even if he could have all he wanted. I just wanted myself to be the only petal they ever laid their eyes on. The only woman they would ever think about. So long as it was me that was sovereign over their heart.
But each time I tried to achieve that I fell down and never came back up. The Gilded-Bark only cared for Dandel'lhia and all the other forgettable yellow-haired petals. My Love was so entangled with a wounded woman that he became a vengeance-thirsty beast! The heart was my area of expertise.
Blessings of the First Mother and the All-Loved Pleasure were upon me! Their teachings were ingrained into me as clearly as the wind was in the people who filled the mountains. So why could I not understand why they never loved me back? I could see why people loved them, but never why they did not love me...
I was always there for the Gilded-Bark and I was even the one who chose him. A long time ago when we were both nervous about our positions. And it was like that with Nin too, I propped him up and was there for him. Yet, they both found someone else...
I just did not get it.
"Woah..." the sapling said as he suddenly appeared by the water.
"You are ready to leave?" I asked Dandel'lhia softly as her son stared at the fading image of my desires. I then briefly played with him as I rose to my feet, blowing my hand dry with my magic as I did so.
"Yes, we have a long journey ahead of us." she said with a smile and a nod as she started to likely think of the Gilded-Bark. To her, though, it was probably Oak'endoor. She was the only one I ever really heard call him by his actual name. Even as the Ivy-Mother, I could not be so informal with him unless I...
"Then let's get moving." I said all of a sudden as I picked up the sapling and started to walk. I did not want to foul my mood by thinking of something I could do nothing about. Unlike now, where I could make sure this sapling made it home. Even if they weren't there, he would still be safe at our Garden-Mount.
And, I had to admit, I would not have minded staying there for a short while. It has been so long since even I had been there last. The place I grew up and learned my craft. My true home.
To feel the fertile soil around my naked points as the smell of sweet fruit and blooming flowers filled my nose. To take part in the congregation of our most beautiful which I could proudly say I was a part of. There was so much wonderful nostalgia I had for such a place. I just wished this journey was happening under different circumstances.
That it was my son I was planting within the soil of that sacred place. With my Love by my side as I did so before we turned away to make more. The thought alone made me red-faced and aroused. But now was not the time as I needed to have my wits about me.
Especially as we were now walking through the gate of this town. And while one could feel safe under the watchful eye of the wind-people's thorns. Out in these wild lands was such a different story. It was enough to make me grimace as I rubbed where I once had broken bones.
Sadroobell would make easy pickings of us if they saw our bags. Wild ryphurgok or juperse could trample us while osibindah stalked under us. And I had yet to even consider the truly magically-blessed threats we could face. All these problems grew with each step we took.
I had confidence in my abilities, but I was still an Ivy-Mother. I was no thorn or wild-seer. Combat was never something I learned even if I was beautiful. For the sake of this sapling, however, I had to try.
To make matters worse as well, the route we were taking seemed to split off heavily from the thorns. Their intentions were laid elsewhere so their presence would drive away no predators. That mass of magical auras would be missed... Especially when it was foolhardy to let mine out as if to challenge to world around me.
There was a mild appeasement to our worries, though. Even if the main body would not be along our way. There were thorns breaking off in small groups to observe the narrow countryside. So I made sure to guide us along their path while minimising the periods where we lacked supervision.
"Is there nowhere safer we can travel?" she annoyingly complained.
"We'll be in danger regardless when it is just us three!" I snap back at her before looking up at the mountains above. There were clearly paths up there, so maybe I could find a way up to one? It would certainly be better up there with a perilous drop than all the way down here...
"Rose'lhia, please, for the safety of my son. Can you not find us somewhere where we can look after ourselves better?" she pleaded before I looked down at her sapling. Holding him before me by the head while he moved his limbs about with a smile.
"Give me a moment..." I answer quietly as I held him close before I moved up a slope slightly. Gazing out across the valley once I found a sizeable rock to perch upon. The unmistakable peak of our Garden-Mount was so close yet so far... For now, however, I looked down towards some old ruins.
At the very least, it was somewhere for us to hold up in. To just observe the world around us while we rested. If there was anyone suspicious, we would hide, if there was anyone who looked strong, we could follow. A simple enough way to go about it until we could count on our fellow aelenvari.
"There are some old ruins we can hold up ahead. Either you can pick up the pace and arrive there with us or you can fall behind." I comment before I practically surged forward just so I could ensure the sapling's safety. If there was anyone behind us, we'd beat them there. The safest rooms would be ours and I could at the very least scare them off.
If they seemed suspicious at the very least... If not, it would be best to keep them close. Make it appear we were collectively a larger group. If the worst did come, I could abandon them all with the sapling. Let them deal with the issue while I made sure others took the fall.
"I hope you like worn-away stone." I jokingly whisper to the sapling as they started to become interested by the ruins. I had to admit as well, they were in very good shape all things considered. By no means a palace, but it would do for now I suppose... Naturally as well, there were even signs of aelenvari use.
The lingering smell of incense and the markings of furniture made it clear petals briefly called this place home. Outside of these familiar signs, however, there was not much else to it. The place was empty and of little value. But, upon moving deeper into the ruins, I did find what appeared to be a bedroom.
Yet, it confused me slightly as the entrance was almost hidden. I only found out about it because I was using my magic to sort of map the place out. Whatever the reason, though, there was an intact bedframe here. Even an old dusty carpet.
"I guess we can sleep here for the night if we need to..." I mutter as I come across an empty window frame cut into the mountain. It did not offer a particularly good view, but we could tell if day had gone or come with it. The entrance being rather hidden as well meant we could probably block it off as well.
"Rose'lhia! Where are you!?" an exhausted voice called out from outside.
"Mama." the sapling called back quietly as they turned to face the echoing noice.
"Right, of course." I let out with a groan before I traced my steps back outside. Coming to a stop by a balcony so we could look down upon her.
"Mama so small!" her son laughed out as he giggled in my arms.
"Oh, you're so high up!" she jokingly said back before she slowly made her way indoors. So, I then moved us towards the flight of stairs she had to go up before she then collapsed before us.
"A little help...?" she knowingly asked futily.
"You can rest when we are somewhere better." I tell her before I start to head towards the place I had found for us to rest at.
"Can you hold on please? I think I hurt my leg getting up here..." she groaned as she started to unload all our stuff.
"Gods', please forgive me." I muttered under my breath before I settled the sapling down. I then went over to her and roughly brought her back to her points.
"H-Hey! Ow!" she complained before I threw her towards our stuff.
"You're fine, quit crying already." I tell her as I picked up her concerned son. Placing his head over my shoulder while she slowly got back up to take our stuff with her.
"Ah..." she let out as we walked ahead.
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"Where now?" Paps asked me as I shuffled about on the moss-covered stone. Unfortunately, it made the stone wet without making it particularly comfortable either. So I was left staring at the wet patch it left on my leotard before I looked up at him.
"In the ruins. I dan't knaw the naaame af them, hawever." I answer before I look further down the valley with my scope. There was another group of travellers passing through here. If they came to a stop, that might help us get our pay.
"Don't provoke. Leave them." Paps warns as his paw lowers my rifle. I roll my eyes as a result as my trigger discipline wasn't that bad. If there was a need to, however, I would have...
"Da we caaall it in?" I ask before I look back at the equipment Hrurim gave us when we accepted the job. He was happy with the fact he did, but this wasn't exactly our speciality. We were slavers, we transported living cargo. It's what we did.
Sure, it meant tracking and hunting, but just watching wasn't what we did. I supposed, though, we could not afford to turn the job down. The Academy was a strict customer and our problems did not net us even a sympathetic backrub. We received no pay and were given strict demands to reimburse them...
Their escort failed and it somehow fell on us... To say nothing of how they took no responsibility for their own students capturing us. Travesty after travesty and here we were. Following some aelenvari outcasts.
I mean, what else could they be? If you weren't in a flower, you were an outcast! I guess it didn't matter, though. What mattered was what they had with them.
A protected class with a contradictory life... Men. Or, in this case, a baby boy. A rarity that would bring even foreign flowers down upon us if word got out.
"Heiya!" Paps barked as he suddenly grabbed me by the scruff of my outfit.
"AAAlright!" I bark back as I free myself before I retreated closer to the path's natural wall. He still did not trust me fully... Still coddled me as if I was the brat down there! So I just crossed my arms and glared slightly.
Eventually, I went to grab the equipment we had been lent. And I fiddled around with it while Paps made an internal judgement call. Admittedly, it annoyed me, to be excluded from that process. But Paps did it how he did it, I guess.
"Call in." he tells me as he steps away from the ledge to go to another. He even walked a brief distance to observe the other direction.
"Shauld I mentian the ather graup?" I ask him when it became apparent that these other travellers were likely going to be stopping here.
"Yes." he answers before he pulls out a spyglass or something.
"Dane." I tell him once I set it up and put in all the details. It was a simple thing that might've not actually worked. As we had to uncoil an exceptionally long set of cables to bring it out this far. Thankfully, someone else was coming to pick it up.
"We go back." Paps then says as he walks by me and gently slaps my hand free of whatever it was holding.
"Shauldn't we staaay ta abserve?" I ask him as this was quite a risky thing to do. Follow the target all this way only to then just let it wander off.
"No. We paid for this." he reminds me to which I just shrugged. He was right at the end of it, we were just being paid to follow them until they stopped. Now it was entirely up to them. But, I suppose we would now have to prepare ourselves.
Such a risky way of departing the task could only mean a shaky paymaster. Even if Hrurim had been good to us before. It was just something I could see even him try to pull. Especially when he was acting on behalf of that hideous employer of his.
Then, my stomach started to ache and it groaned loudly. Paps looked back at me with worry and I just stared at it. I smiled slightly at him before he started to nod. Clearly he was worry once again.
"We gannaaa hunt aaa meaaal ar buy ane?" I decide to ask, having had that reaction just now.
"Bullet expensive." he rightfully points out.
"Faad aaadds up taa." I say with a shrug as I pulled out a single bullet. One shot is all I needed. For the price of one bullet I could alleviate one problem bearing down on us. We were scraping by right now, so the less we dug into our payday...
He stops and looks back at me, "See nest?"
"Nat fram here, na. Up there, maaaybe?" I say to him as we moved close to one of the split-offs in the path. Something we ignored the first time around but it was probably worth a look this time.
"Topped up. We make sure." he decides after he grabs the various pockets and small bags I had on. I would've complained about the roughness of his motions had he not stroked my spines at the end.
"Warks far me!" I chirp, happy to have had my pretty spines appreciated. Even gained a little spring in my step as we carried on our journey back to the town. Knowing Hrurim as well, he was going to stay behind to let others do the work.
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"Signal coming in, Bossman." one of my guys tells me as he leans back in his chair. His wet lips smacking about as he chewed on something as he worked.
"The hwardgon?" I ask without so much as glancing up from the gap in my legs. Right leg over the left leg which stayed on the ground.
"Came through cable." he says with a shrug before I get up and just assume it is them. They were the only one who got a cable-based device from us today. They didn't know the coded language and with the Union about, tapless means were needed.
"Alright," I say as I stare at the message, "Send a call out to the bay, I'll sort them all out."
"Fill me up, then." he impolitely asks while he shakes an empty mug in the air. A mug which I take before I stare down at him.
"Did you forget something?" I ask, referring to what our relationship was. He was the guy, I was the bossman.
"Milk and sugar." he adds on, to which I scoff in bemusement.
"Whatever he normally has." I say to an aelenvari serving girl as I leave the communications centre. But, I made a point of staring at her face for a moment just to make sure I gave it to the right one. Wouldn't want to be giving the amped-up-on-drugs ones a task like this. Needed to keep their fetish-driven minds away from my guys.
I mean, threats of eununciation did work. Proof of it did wonders as well. But I'd rather not as it was a grim, goddess-wrath-filled path. Then again, I liked to taunt His Lunar Majesty within his ever-present earshot.
Besides, the God of Law would back me up should divine retribution come. My guys had jobs to do and that included letting the merchandise stay clean. The Madame's girls were expensive, after all, free sessions could not be afforded.
"Oh, yeah, that's right. Didn't speak to her yet about paying Ivahstar and Heiya." I comment before shaking my head. Then, when I came upon a railing, I stared down at my guys as they went all over the place putting their equipment on. They were not soldiers, so I got no acknowledgement. But I really wish I did.
Could correct them on what they were doing wrong... We needed this job to be quick and inconspicuous. And some of them were going in far too heavy-handed. But, I said nothing and just rubbed my bare head with my hatless hand.
"Up to them, I suppose." I say before I start to head down the stairs towards them. Patting the back of one once he was done. Wasn't to reassure him, just wanted him moving. Thankfully, he was the start of what I wanted to see.
Wasn't long now and they were all in the next room over to be debriefed. Which, I needed to make thorough. So I grabbed one of the larger guys who wasn't coming along to rile them in. A glance here and there to direct them as I stood in front of them all by the clean wall.
"Pay attention here because once you leave those doors, there will be no contact between us until you come back."
"Get to it!" one urged impatiently before I tilted my head down.
"Now," I started to say before a loud slap filled the air, "as you are all well aware. We are after aelenvari. But in this case, you will not be swaggering into a flower to nick a few roots or entice a stem. You'll be chasing two lonely petals and their infant companion."
"So, so, so there are thorns and all that?" one asks nervously after having heard the term 'petals.'
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"No, just two petals and a little baby boy." I tell them, letting the last part resonate.
"Now that just don't make sense." one rightfully pointed out.
"Doesn't need to make sense, just needs to be in our hands. And you need to grab them." I explain further before stopping just before a toothpick flew at me.
"Anything else?" the soon-to-be-toilet-cleaner asked.
"There's another group staying at the old ruins along the path towards the no-go area."
"Ah, Castle Buugburth." one of the probably smarter ones said.
"If that is the name, yes. The aelenvari are staying there and there are more travellers heading there. Play your cards right, and they might believe you are the travellers."
"So move?" one stupidly asks.
"No, wait for the nearby flowers to stumble upon them." I sarcastically answer before gesturing to the exit. Thankfully, they were all smart enough to pick themselves up and head on out towards it. At which point, my involvement ended. Until they came back.
So, I headed on towards the Madame's office to check if she was in. Talk to her about our hwardgon helpers while telling her about that thing she wanted updates about. All seemed reasonably quiet as well when I got up there. At least until her greatest hypocrisy could be heard.
"AAAAAAAHHHHH!" one of her aelenvari screamed before the sound of a firm cane struck against flesh.
"My word..." I mutter before I open the office door of my own accord.
"Oh, Darling, sorry, I was in the middle of something." she said with a smile one moment before she became full of rage the next. And I apathetically watched as she started to lash out at the aelenvari again.
"Get someone up here." I mutter to the bodyguard behind me before I closed the door.
"Know your place, creature. KNOW IT!" she screams viciously before she strikes them one more time.
"Come on, let's get you somewhere safe." I breathe out, somewhat annoyed by the reckless behaviour. And while the aelenvari was happy to take my hand as they wobbled and whimpered. They were just as happy to let go of it as someone came by bearing a beloved symbol.
"Darling, they keep acting up... I try but it just isn't enough anymore." she sighs out stressfully as her jewellery rattles.
"I am sure it is not as bad as you say it is."
"DO NOT DISMISS MY CONCERNS!" she screams alongside a violent slamming of the table. Then, with one quick pocket-hidden gesture, she changed her tone and coughed into her hand.
"My guys are headed out now, just so you know. New girls of a high quality and that golden treasure you want so badly."
"Lovely!" she chirps before she lays back in her chair. Repeating what she normally does in order to get a hollow sensation going.
I then move closer to the glass and observe the daytime preparations. A busy work period was coming up so the Madame wanted it all pristine. At least, as close to as a place like this could get.
"So what are your intentions with the child, anyway, if you don't mind my asking?" I decide to ask after turning around to face her. The nature of this business meant we often ended up with out-of-commission girls who needed time off. But we forcibly cut them away from the seed once it was popped out.
Think we even got a mythical tradition going by letting the flowers stumble upon our dumping grounds... Like, I got it was a boy, but she had never cared for the children before. Even when it meant we could essentially cultivate our own girls. Minimize outside risks and all that.
"Because they would all do anything for them!" she sadistically cackles as she strokes the air as if the baby boy was already here.
"You will hurt the child instead of them when they act up?" I asked with a raised brow.
"Of course not!" she nearly screams, clearly offended.
"My apologies, then."
"It's fine... But, he will help me keep them in place. Because it means I can prove them all wrong... Each one of them... Their petals, their stems and their plentiful roots... What they mocked me over will be mine."
"Ah, a gardener's touch." I say as I noticed her more evocative movements come to the fore.
"A beautiful maiden will be proven right. As she always was." she says, her wounded pride showing clearly before she tried to focus on other matters.
"I suppose the petals will help with that, then?" I ask as she could do a lot if she made them break and submit.
"Exactly! They will play their part. By the cane if need be." she tells me with an ominous sneer as she ends her sentence.
"On another topic, though. I felt it best to hire a third-party to keep an eye on the aelenvari. So I will need your approval for the vault."
"When I get my treasure..." she longingly answers as she taps one piece from her acquired collection of aelenvari treasures.
"Our guys are bringing the petals and boy in, not them, Madame." I point out to her.
"Team effort, Darling." was all she was likely going to have on the topic.
"Of course." I say before I turn to leave.
"Darling..."
"Yes, Madame?" I ask back after stopping at the door.
"Do think it is possible... For me to steal that treasure's heart?" she asks as she starts to wander near some of her fantastical paintings. Pieces she made to cope with the loneliness certain problems of hers created.
"It would take some time." I answer with a shrug as that boy was certainly old enough to recognise its mother for a while. What it meant to love for them was just hugs and kisses before bed.
"So it could happen...?" she asks me with a potent and dangerous mixture of hope and anger. Hope that she could get what she sought, and anger that I was not fully supportive of her.
"Think of it like this, as it will be getting the child here, patience is what you will need." I tell her with a slight nod before I move to leave. The complication in their payment would need a hands-on approach. I guess that also meant I had to provide a down payment of some description.
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"Joke?" Ivahstar asked me with a clear glare on his face.
"No, the Madame is refusing because of other issues." I somewhat awkwardly answer while turning towards his daughter for an easier sight. But even she was annoyed by this outcome.
"This aaain't faaair! We did aur jab!" she rightfully complains as she also slams her paws onto the table.
"I know, I know. You will get paid, trust me in that regard. It will just be coming a lot later than planned..."
"We no stay. Urgent!" Ivahstar growls as his well-known set of bad circumstances is reiterated.
"Please try to work with me here, Ivahstar. By the morning tomorrow, you will get your pay." I sincerely tell him as there was simply no way my guys would take longer than this night.
"Work is paid!" he snaps before he gets down from the table. I then watch with some anxiousness as he opened the door to a balcony and slammed it shut behind him.
"Heiya... Can you honestly tell me that he understands what I am saying?" I ask her as she seemed to have it together a lot more than him. Yet, knowing him, he was probably in a better state than Heiya.
"Yaaah..." she answers bitterly and quietly.
"Look, I know it is not much. But here is something out of my own pocket for now. Think of it as a bonus, I guess." I say with a sigh as I slide over a hefty but not particularly big bag of Workman's Effort. They put in the effort, and now they had the proof.
"I'll ga tell him."
"Can you also say, then, that I am willing to pay for your dinner? You don't have to spend a single Effort from that bag." I add on before I grumpily pull out my pipe. Snorting at the no-smoking sign before I step outside to work my stress-reliever.
Shortly after, someone opens the door after me, "Were hunting."
"You can still do that." I tell him with an annoyed shrug as I tip out some of the ash that had already formed. My need to literally burn off the worries and grievances went through my loaded pipe quickly.
"Little reason." he replies as he moves up to sit on the balcony's wall.
"So how are things looking up for you, anyway?" I ask in an effort to move my mind to other topics. Even if I knew I basically set myself up for a reminder about his delayed pay.
"Bailiffs coming." he answers rather monotonously while he inspects the gun he had strapped to his leg.
"I did warn you about getting involved with that mafia or whatever you called it." I remind him. Smirking when he made a breath-like chuckle.
"Got to payback." he says as his voice suddenly takes on a darker tone.
"Right..." I say slowly and thoughtfully as I recall how he suddenly stopped talking about his wife. I suppose I could infer that she was killed intentionally or accidentally by them.
"Heiya safe. Important." he gruffly continues with a shaky lift of his head towards the girl indoors.
"She'll be safe within this town. They don't come up here, do they? Especially when a friend-by-coincidence is around." I point out to him, looking down at one of the Union's boys as I did so. And as if to prove my point, the one I looked at suddenly sprung into action against someone who came out running.
"H-HEY! LET GO!" the quickly captured man roared before a single punch from an armoured gauntlet knocked them out.
"They not up. We down." he tells me as his gaze locks itself on his daughter.
"My offer is still up, you know. Got an old house up north you could use to just settle down in. No one would know you are there." I decide to remind him as my pipe starts to run dry.
"Home below." he reminds me in turn before he pats my arm and hops down.
"Listen, Ivahstar... I know I don't even recall what they are called. But you can't do something like this on your own. You either need to let it go or you'll really lose it all."
"Prophet says help come..." he tells me sternly while he repeats what he learned during his superstitious habits.
"Now I don't know about that, but, for now, we'll assume it is something to fill you up." I joke to him before I wash my pipe in the decorative drain water beside me.
"Good meal." he nods happily, at least, I assume so as he was still stoic-faced even now.
"So, as I have said I'll be buying. How do you wish to empty my bank account?" I ask them. Now in a much better mood now that I was able to just go through a pipe's contents.
"Steak."
"Steaaak."
"Motrtha's skills, why not." I concur as I picked up a menu to see what else they had. Yet, once it came time to buy it, I did not add much on. So I marked down what we wanted and handed it to the waiter.
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"So you have family along this route?" I ask one of the travellers who had settled down here as well.
"Yeah, got a few cousins running a shop this way. Don't see them enough so I thought we would go and pop over." he answers as he leans back on his hefty bag. It wasn't as big as mine, but he did not seem to have much issue with it.
I then suddenly wince in pain, "This is quite bad, you know." his wife points out in regards to my leg injury.
"I know... We just don't have the magic to sort it out." I say with a sigh as she applies something to my wound to clean it and soothe it.
"Not to worry, we got a little witch right here getting ready for school." she proudly admits as she gestures to her distant daughter.
"Whatever." they reply back as they unamusedly play with some of their magic.
"I might be able to give a few tips with that, actually." I point out as I use my own power to shoot hers out of her grip. It might've seemed like a spell, but I just manipulated the flow of mine to interrupt her shaky control. If she had kept her concentration, as well, her magic would've flowed again like just now.
"What does an aelenvari know about magic? All the big academies are for humans."
"Hanrah!" her mother snaps lightly.
"It's fine, honestly." I say with a smile as being around Rose'lhia meant dealing with far worse barbs. At least with this girl too, the fact I barely knew her helped it slide away.
"Alright, I'll bite, then. Where'd you learn your magic, Aelenvari?" Hanrah asks.
"I learned it at my flower, who I hope to reunite with soon." I tell her before I looked longingly up at where Spruce was being looked after. I should be able to come spend some time with him again soon. Putting him to bed was something I would not let her have...
Until then, though, I needed something to keep my mind occupied.
"So, how about it, I teach you a few things and you can go into school knowing a lot more than anyone else?" I confidently tell her, hoping that she'd accept if I rubbed her ego a little.
"Sounds nice..." she mutters quietly to which I smile before getting up.
"Hold on, borrow this for now." her father tells me as he passes over a cane for me to use.
"Thank you." I say as I move away to somewhere a little more open. The group was quite large so a few campfires had been made. And when the magic started to come out, it would be even brighter.
"So what do you want to show me?" Hanrah asks impatiently as she crosses her arms while chewing on something tackily.
"First, show me what you know."
"Nothing impressive." she says with a shrug as a weak light forms in her palm. A very weak sensation of blowing wind then washed under me when she chucks it away a short distance.
"Alright, first off, don't think of it like that." I say to her as I summon a weak spell that matched hers nearly in strength. Yet, it was far brighter and far more stable.
"You're better than me, so what?" she scoffs.
"It's not that I am better," I tell her, yet I was unsure if that was a peculiar lie, "It is because I did not let my thoughts decide for me how strong it was."
And when I let it drop, I nearly blew out several of the campfires.
"H-Hey!" someone complained as the sound of someone falling filled the air.
I laugh to myself in response, "Sorry!"
"If my magic isn't impressive, how am I supposed to not see it that way?" she argues.
"You won't be able to fully grasp it tonight. But, you'll figure it out along the way." I tell her as I gesture for her to do it again while I also did it again.
"Okay..." she says with a shrug before she carefully protects her magic sphere.
"Now get rid of it." I say as I swiftly dispel my magic.
"There?" she asks after she chucks it away again.
"No, dispel it, don't use it." I tell her as I move closer to then hold her arm. It was easier to teach her if I could feel how the magic flowed inside her. She initially, did not get it, though.
"Get off!" she snapped angrily.
"Hanrah, I'm sure she knows what she is doing." her mother tells her, which, thankfully, calmed her down enough to allow me to figure it out.
"Okay, now, make another." I tell her as I carefully feel her wrist out.
"How did you get those scars?" she asks me.
"Make the orb, first." I tell her, and that desire she had seemed to help her. As it came out a lot smoother this time. I nearly lost track of the flow as well as it just raced past!
"Now what?"
"Dispell it. Let your mind and body just go limp." I tell her vaguely for the moment. Her internal and external-magic were not tangible things. But they were there and apart of her. And she went on to do it!
"Well done." I tell her as she stares down at her now clear hand. Well, it was somewhat a done process. Some magic was still there, but the gathering had mostly dispersed.
"Okay, now?" she impatiently asked as her gaze started to make me feel uncomfortable. It was such an intense one but like with my leg injury, it was best to keep quiet on it. There was no telling what could happen if the perpetrator was found out by them.
Yet, I could also not just avoid bringing Rose'lhia up somewhat, "Someone I thought I could trust tried to keep me away from those I love." I angrily answer.
"Woah..." she let out with wide eyes along with her parents.
"You poor thing." the mother commented.
"It's fine, it's being resolved." I say as I start to focus on how Rose'lhia was the one leading me home. That thing I dreamed of every night was going to happen thanks to her. Though, now that the discussion had ended up going to her...
"Are your friends and family up in the keep? I know you made a point of warning us off when we arrived."
"Yes, my son." I answer before I moved to return the cane. Only to be rejected when I tried to do so.
"Go check on him if you need to." the father said to me as he smiled and waved me off.
"Maybe I can bring him down to meet you too!" I happily reply back with before I head back up into the ruins. Towards where Rose'lhia had me set down our stuff while she played with my son... She took to it quite well, despite not being a mother like me. But I really wish she would stop trying to keep me away from him.
She was doing this for both of us even if it was my son she cared for more. Our family could not be kept separate forever despite what her actions had led to. So I could only pray for divine help regarding her behaviour... Something would surely happen that made her consider me more, surely?
I know she wasn't short-sighted enough to just disregard me... I was Spruce'endoor's mother. His loving Mama. And Oak'endoor was my lover and his father.
"No, please, I told you not to come up here." I say when I suddenly started to hear noises behind me. So I turned to look at whoever it might be. If it was a child I could just...
"Damn!" an armed man cursed before he dropped his rifle and charged me.
"EH!?" I squealed as I was picked up and pinned against the wall. Thankfully, an old tapestry kept me from experiencing any noteworthy head injuries. Or maybe I was too full of energy right now from the sudden attack to notice.
"Wher-" they started to say before I struck them away with a blast of magic. But, that was all I had the confidence to do. So I struck at him with the cane before I hobbled further inside. It wasn't enough, though, and he came running after me angrily.
"ROSE'LHIA!" I screamed as he lunged at my nearest point and dragged me down as I was climbing the stairs.
"Whe-" he started to demand before I started to strike at his face with my tubes. Thankfully, I managed to get him in the eye and he let go with a howl. And he fell off the stairs with a crash.
"Help!" I called out once I got closer to the entrance.
"Alright, you damn prick-leg..." the man growled as he came storming up the stairs clutching his left eye. Yet, for the moment, I held my ground near a wall so I did not lead them towards Rose'lhia. Surely she was coming to help...?
"Well, come on." I tell him as I try to stabilize my footing. My points, even with their tubes were not ideal for the stone surfaces I had to deal with. And the old carpets were too loose! I just forced them up!
Yet... That might be able to help... So I made preparations by forcing it along before I then brought my magic forth. I was no thorn or a full-name petal. But I was still a petal!
This common brigand would not overcome me and endanger my son!
"Come on now, where is he?" the man ominously asked as he relinquished the grip on his eye. Then, in the brief moment he was distracted by the pain and the stinging. I lashed out with my magic. Striking him right in that same eye.
And he roared whilst stumbling back. Yet, even though my prior plan had to be abandoned, I kept up the pressure. I flung ferocious winds at him again and again until he was clinging to the wall. With a quick hop to the right, I then fired off one last spell.
Forcing him through the window he so foolishly backpedalled towards. With a terrified scream, that man then fell through. A sickening smack came moments later and I turned towards where my son was. Panting in pain as my leg became aggravated by the sudden movement.
"What was with all that noise?" Rose'lhia demands to know as she played with my son. The pair of them were as careless as ever despite what I had done... I screamed for her to help me and she was just...?
No, I needed to keep my focus, I needed to just explain things, "Someone just tried to attack me, I think they're after Spruce'endoor!"
Her eyes widen before they then narrow, "Are you certain?"
"I just... Killed one... He was asking me about a 'he,' it could only be my little one!" I explain further before I tried to take my son into my arms. Rose'lhia was far stronger than me, she was the one who needed to fight now.
Yet...
"Then I shall remind them of why that is a bad decision." she growls before she walks past me with my little one. My attempt to retrieve him was cast aside and she ignored me.
"It started outside, down those stairs." I decide to explain as I acknowledge it was probably for the best. I was in no condition to fight. So if someone got past her, my little one would be in danger! I only killed that assailant from before by sheer luck!
If he knew any magic at all...
"It was those damn humans I warned you about!" she snaps at me as magic starts to flow from her free hand.
"It wasn't them! The man who attacked me is someone else!" I try to tell her before she lashes out at the nearby stone with her magic. Carving it completely open and then some. And I was frozen in fear as I saw that magic.
Power I once had flow down my throat and burst out all about me...
"Then go down there and prove it, now!" she nearly roars as she forces me down the stairs.
"Mama!" my little one cries as the powerful magic starts to scare him.
"Rose'lhia, please, you're scaring him!" I plead to her as I desperately clutch the staircase handlebar. Tightly gripping it as she forces me to go down the relatively smooth surface.
"No, you're scaring him with your talk of kidnappers and brigands, so move!" she demands before she forces me down the stairs with a powerful blast.
"AH!" I scream as I fall down the last of the stairs and crash against the floor. My head felt a little wet as I got up, but I couldn't muster the will to go after her. I just looked at my son, fearing for his safety near such potent arcane might.
Yet, because I was either a coward or somehow trusted that malicious woman... I backed away from the staircase as my little one cried his name for me. He wanted Mama but I wasn't able to get to him. So I just did as was demanded from me...
"Where'd he go? We need to go now!" some man barked as the sound of gunfire suddenly filled the air.
"MOM! DAD!" I heard Hanrah scream before she was suddenly punched to the ground.
"Enough of this." a large man snapped before he walked past her and shot her. I gasped in shock and hid myself but then found myself looking up at where Rose'lhia was. Where my son was... We could not escape this.
Not with my leg injury, not with how she felt about me...
"WHERE IS THAT CHILD!? DO YOU NOT FEEL THE PRESENCE OF A WITCH!?" one of them roared as they all started to scramble about the ruins. But, I still kept my gaze on the keep.
"I love you, Little One... Stay safe, keep them safe..." I tell them both before I leave my cover and intentionally move out to get caught.
"We got an aelenvari!" one of them cheered to another before they harshly dragged me before what must've been the leader.
"We need the child you idiot!"
"You won't find him... We knew you were coming... He's long gone..." I spit up at him before he strikes me with his gun. But, I just spit out the blood as the pain of abandoning my child was far worse.
"So why were you left..." he started to ask before he noticed the bleeding injury on my leg.
"They can't have gotten far." one argues as their gun makes some kind of snap.
"No! Not with that kind of magic near here. Union will be sniffing about, let's bounce for now." the head one orders while two others kept me pinned.
"And this one?"
"She'll ease our punishment, so black her and heave." they order before one of them stands before me and raises their weapon before my face.
.
.
.
"MAMA! MAMA!" the sapling cries as I try to calm him. But each time I tried to do so, he only violently fought back against me.
"Shh, it's alright, I'll keep you safe." I coo to him as I bring him back into the room we hid ourselves away in.
"NO! YOU HURT MAMA! YOU HURT HER!" he cried as he suddenly escaped my grip and fell on a pile of old cloth.
"No... She needed to make sure the place was safe..."
"Mama hurt because of you!" he sobs as he rubs his eyes. And only anger ever came from his gaze when he looked my way.
"Stupid brat..." I mutter under my breath as I lean by the entrance with a spell in hand. I could not expect the sapling to understand what had transpired. So I just kept my focus on the issues at hand. I just needed that woman to make it clear who it was that was attacking.
Yet, outside of the sound of crying, I could not hear anything outside. It was getting very quiet out there... The loud bangs I heard moments ago had stopped and I could sense no magic. However, I dared not leave the safety of this narrow, one-way path.
"It shouldn't be taking this long!" I then let out in frustration as I stormed out towards the end of the path. Sending out a preemptive blast of magic to clear the area around the entrance. Only to be met with nothing but blowback as the magic came back towards me.
No one had come up the stairs and nothing had changed since I sent her down there. So what was going on? Whatever it was, it motivated me to at least move further until I reached the window. And I had little reaction to the violence I could see.
"Wonderful." I sarcastically answer as I look at the burning bodies down below. Whoever just came through here had torched that small campsite as well. It was likely every one of those humans was dead too. But there was a body below that was just bloody...
So I quickly headed outside towards it and glanced down at it. Staring briefly at the firearm before I looked onwards at the growing cloud of smoke. This body was not uniformed in any way and it was just a vile, root-like thing anyway. So I went back into the keep with a disgusted expression.
Firing off one more spell at the corpse before I properly headed inside again. However it was, I could not care. I just had to care for the sapling for the moment. Make sure it understood as best as it could what was going to happen.
A shame it's mother was now gone, but I had no issue with it. I could now do my duty for this sapling without issues. I would deliver it to our Garden-Mount and nurture it there. Then, I would head back for my Love.
Maybe, finally understand how I could make him mine!
"MAMA!" the sapling squealed once again as I walked in. The utter horror that I saw on his face when I walked in made me uncomfortable. Why was he looking at me like that? I was here to help him...
"Shhh, shhh!" I coo to him once again as I tried to reach out for him. Only to be attacked by the younglings who then carried on crying. So I just watched him cry and scream until he just fell down in exhaustion. At which point, I picked him up.
I then moved him over to where I had made a bed for him and laid him down on it. Sitting beside him while keeping my eyes locked on the entrance to this room. If someone was still out there, I would stop them. And while one hand maintained a spell, the other stroked the little one's hair.
Yet, even asleep, he still recoiled at my touch. So, eventually, I stopped trying to soothe him and I just let him sleep. I don't understand why, though, but what he had said was lingering in my mind. I was having arguments with a sapling in my head and losing them...
"Certainly take from your father..." I joke in an effort to ease up on the stress this spell was causing. The moments I had been holding it in had turned into what must've been hours. But still, no one came, and I was forced to let it go. Blasting apart the entrance and collapsing what was beyond it.
It was, however, a mild complication I could sort out later. For now, however, I chose to go to sleep beside the sapling. With the entrance collapsed, I would not have to worry about anyone getting in. We were safe for the moment.
.
.
.
"Thank you for coming, you two. My guys should be on their way back now." I tell Ivahstar and Heiya as I opened the door for them. And as I ushered them in, I internally hoped that this morning fog would cover their entrance. Didn't need issues to be further complicated by the Union.
"Aaabaut time!" Heiya said as she stretched her arms and popped the joints.
I huff in amusement as we walked through the quiet establishment, "Indeed, no more delays."
"We go. To her." Ivahstar tells me as we walk past my guys swapping shifts and rotations.
"Of course, just, be a little more patient." I tell them as we arrive just before her office.
"The Madame will take you in when they get back." the bodyguard at the door tells us as he and the other one move to stop us.
"Come on, let us pass." I tell them as this was a little ridiculous. Sure, she was the establishment owner, but these guys were all under my employ.
"No, sorry, Hrurim. With the treasure or nothing at all."
I tut in response, "Fine, get me a line to the bay area." I tell one of the others. Snatching up the phone once it was done.
"Yeah, Bossman?"
"Are they back?" I demanded to know before I gave a thumbs up to Ivahstar and Heiya.
"Yeah, we got word they're coming through the passage."
"Excellent, make sure it is brought up to the Madame's office!" I say with a smile before I slam the phone and turn to the bodyguards.
"Still going to have to wa-"
"No, it's fine. I overheard!" the Madame says excitedly as she opens the door for us. I then make sure the other two went in first before I went in. We then found ourselves waiting as the Madame paced about eagerly with a wide-smile.
"She's haaappy." Heiya quietly quips up at me.
"Of course." I say with a shrug as noise started to fill the hallway on the way to here. Yet, concern started to root itself in my head when the Madame lost that smile.
"Where is it!?" was the first thing she demanded to know as she started to get upset.
"There were..." my guy started to explain before he was slapped harshly.
"WHERE!?" the Madame roars before an injured aelenvari is dropped into the office. It was that one who I helped back on the Spiral-Tram as well.
"Hold on, Madame, I'll handle this." I say as I gently grab her to move her away before I stood before the red-faced guy.
"A witch was there, at the ruins!" he exclaims.
I look back at the other two first, "Did you see them?"
"No... But we felt the magic!"
"I even saw it! Cut straight through the old stone like a hot knife in butter!"
"So you ran away before you even saw the treasure?" the Madame asked with a disappointed tone as she moves to her chair.
"That is true... Yes..." he finishes answering before I punch him down on her behalf. His lack of a reaction as well made it clear he understood where I was coming from. Even if his later reactions seemed to indicate otherwise.
"Easy." I whisper to him as I turn to face the Madame.
"It was supposed to be simple... Ambush the petals, grab them and bring the sapling to ME!" she explains with a low tone before she suddenly gets violent.
"Madame, calm down, they couldn't have gotten far."
"CALM DOWN!? THEY'RE PROBABLY AT A FLOWER BY NOW!" she screams at me before a glass shatters against my raised writst.
"God's dammit..." I mutter as I pat the glass off my leather jacket.
"You pay. What owed. And more. We find them." Ivahstar offers as he steps forward, unaffected by the Madame's anger.
"YOU AREN'T OWED ANYTHING TIL I GET WHAT IS MINE!" she roars down at the stoic hwardgon.
"So what about this one?" I ask one of my guy's as I step forward to inspect her.
"She just ran out at us after we cleaned up another group of travellers." they answer before I sigh in frustration. That only meant they went off the rails with their actions.
"Right..." I comment thoughtfully as I ponder why an abused luggage carrier would just do that. Could it possibly have been a sacrifice of sorts? Her leg injury certainly made it clear she would slow them down...
Or maybe she just made the best of her situation as she was being abandoned anyway?
"Spruce..." the scarred petal mutters worriedly as a nightmare seems to plague their thoughts.
"I think we might have the mother here." I say as I rise up to my feet again.
"The mother?" the Madame asks doubtfully.
"Yeah, call it a little guess." I mutter as I swirl that name around my mind. There was no way she was speaking about the red-head. So that only meant it was the child's name.
And maybe, just maybe, I could work with that small detail.