westwhere | I called out

Entry tags:

I called out

WHO: Eleven and OPEN to anyone around the Tree, chained to the Tree, or otherwise in search of one tree-hugger.
WHEN: May 31-June 10th-ish
WHERE: The Tree
WHAT: Tree simping/vibing
WARNINGS: tba?

It's simple curiosity that leads Eleven out to the tree when he hears of it. He doesn't expect more than a worn, old pine tree sticky with sap. But the moment he sees it, with wide-stretching branches held tidily up from its trunk and twining beneath the weight of a trim canopy, his breath catches.

Caught up in staring for several heartbeats, he becomes aware of a cold aura that the tree itself seems responsible for. Moreover, he senses the beginning stirs of life, entwined with another feeling that takes him too long to place: death.

Cold forgotten, his heart tumbles through his chest, tripping up his feet in his haste to reach the trunk of the tree. His marked hand touches first, palm thrust forward, fingers embedding into deep grooves in the rough bark. The whole of his awareness and focus narrows to the tree beneath his hand, seeking a connection that fails to immediately manifest.

A.

He wouldn't give up.

Over the next several days, Eleven spent considerably more time at the tree than the farmhouse. There was some connection to be made there, he was sure- it was just a matter of forging it. An effort well-worth his time if any of his suspicions or hopes came to fruition.

He spent hours circling the tree, prodding around its roots to extract visible shards of embedded glass with gloved hands, and occasionally stopped to examine an oddly shaped fallen leaf with focused intent. Sat between its roots and leaned back against the trunk to simply rest and attempt to feel for something else through the cold wafting from the bark.

Eleven spoke to it when he thought he was alone- voice soft with apologies, reassurance, or quiet concerns. Then near the end of the day, bent himself in prayer for lengthy spans of minutes, still and silent, willing his mind open to the brush of another consciousness until the sun began to set.

B.

Of course he's heard of the trials of Anurr and how he'd had to chain himself to this very tree for three days and three nights (or something?) and while he isn't surprised that Anurr's most fervent supporters have elected to follow in his footsteps, it does surprise him to discover slightly more familiar faces in the mornings he comes to visit.

Eleven crouches near them, tentatively reaching out to try and wake them if they don't appear to be conscious and anxiously hovering when/if they are.

"Hey, are you all right? Do you need help?"

C.

His persistence pays off.

Pressed fully into the trunk, Eleven knows when he's found it- a subtle feeling, but one that's reaching for the energy he's poured into the tree. The back of his hand shines with a soft glow just before he loses time and external awareness between one breath and the next.

He exists in a quiet, floating awareness, attached to a sense of aged perception. Understanding slowly permeates his mind quite without words, in the same manner his own questions reach out. It isn't much, but it's enough and he's grateful up until something within the tree pulls at him and leaves him cold.

Eleven starts back to reality with a sharp gasp and shivering breathlessness, cold and fatigue plaguing him with quaking arms and unsteady footsteps as he moves to peel himself away.

[ooc: action or prose is fine!]

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"Do you use a wand?" She hadn't seen one in his hand while he was working whatever magic it was over the tree to get in touch with it.

"Where I come from not everyone knows that magic exists, but here it's very different. It's been one of the biggest surprises, but I admit I still don't know that much about this place."

"Well, I wouldn't say everyone here knows about magic," Eleven hedged, then shrugged. "But it seems pretty common."

He cast a sidelong glance to her, curious. He's not unfamiliar with wands, but the ones he's seen used were far larger.

"I don't use a wand. I guess it would probably be better for magical focus, but I can't imagine favoring it over one of my swords. Is that what you were using?"

Nodding she pulled the wand out of her pocket, holding it out enough that he could see, but by no means offering it to him to take and examine more closely. It was slender, just over ten inches long, and looked - oddly well suited to the person who owned it. Life was full of uncertainty, especially in this strange place - but she could be sure she knew how to use her wand, and she wasn't going to let it out of her sight.

"We get them when we're about eleven years old - strangely enough," she laughed, turning it around so he could see the scrollwork on the handle. "The saying is that the wand chooses the wizard. It's meant to be with you for life."

[ they never gave lily a wand replica bc of course not so pls humor me and picture this but paler willow wood. ]

Eleven peered at it; the wand appeared rather unassuming, but there was something about its natural simplicity that spoke of a more raw power.

"For life," he repeated with a curious note. "I haven't heard of something like that. Serena's wands were rather different and Veronica used a full staff, changing them in favor of those with greater magical energy."

He straightened with a smile. "It's always interesting to learn about the differences between worlds."

Edited 2021-06-07 06:03 (UTC)

Pocketing her wand once more after letting Eleven get a good enough look at it, "I hadn't the foggiest that there were any other worlds to learn about," she laughed lightly, gesturing at the forest around them.

"Clearly, I have been deeply mistaken."

Falling quiet once more she gave another glance around. "We're getting close to where the farm is, aren't we?"

"Yes," Eleven said with some relief, steps quickening. "Through the treeline up ahead.."

They were lucky to make to back before dark, though Eleven paused just as they reached the forest's edge to peer out around the farmhouse. The touch of frosted bark reminded him once more of the lingering chill threaded beneath his skin and shuddered with it.

"..I don't see any wolves, so we should be all right to head in."

"Beg pardon? Wolves?" She tried not to look nervous at the thought, but the sudden tightness in her voice was unmistakable.

"Wolves wolves? Werewolves?" It was a very prudent question to her, and she desperately hoped it was not the latter. While she was loathed to do it, a well-aimed stunning spell was enough to clear a regular wolf away, but werewolves were another matter entirely.

Quick to bustle across the last bit of distance between the edge of the forest and the sprawling farmhouse Lily looked over at Eleven once they approached the entrance. "Are you still frozen? We'll get a fire going, and more tea."

"Still cold," he agreed, "Fire and tea sounds wonderful." Worst-case, his magic should return by morning, probably.

Eleven cast one more glance around, then reached for the door to haul it open.

"Undead wolves," he clarified, "They always seem to take exception to my existence. But we're okay now."

"Undead wolves," she repeated under her breath as she ducked inside and headed immediately towards the nearest hearth. "Naturally," Lily paused, considering her conclusion as she tilted her head towards Eleven.

"Or, I suppose unnaturally, given the circumstances." Reaching into her satchel she pulled a small handful of leaves out to rest on her palm. As with before she was quick to reach for her wand, using it to change the plant into another cup of tea, which she passed to Eleven as they walked.

"If you think it would help, I could try to find something to make a blanket out of, though I'm afraid everything I've tried so far ends up rather itchy."

Eleven flashed a grateful smile and huffed a laugh over the warm tea.

"No, that's okay," he assured, "I'll be all right, but I appreciate the thought."

He veered toward the parlor where he was delighted to find the hearth already lit and warm. Eleven swiftly settled into a chair, cradling the cup between his hands and nursing it between small sips. He delighted in breathing in warmth even as the remnants of the cold shuddered through his limbs.

"I really am very grateful for your help. If there's anything you need while we're here, I won't likely mind if I can assist."

While Eleven got settled Lily set about the task of building the fire a little more, hoping to flush out as much of the chill in the air as she could for her own benefit as well as Eleven's.

Turning towards him as she took a seat not too far from his chair Lily nodded earnestly at his words.

"Thank you, there is something you could help me with if I'm honest." Leaning forward in her seat she frowned across at Eleven, her expression taut with concern.

"Can you tell me what's going on here? Please?"

Eleven looked her over, brows creasing in a reflective concern. She was new here, he knew that much, but he dialed back his assumption of just how long she had been present in this world for.

"Of course," he said readily, fully happy to repay her with as much information as she'd like to ask for. "But ah, there's rather a lot, so where would you like to start in particular?"

Her shoulders sank with relief when he agreed to help her, and Lily scooted further onto the edge of her chair, eager to finally have someone willing to help her get a better grasp on what's happening.

"From what I've gathered, there's Anurr and Unhalad at war, the people in the forest are on the side of Anurr, and we come here because Unhalad brings us and absolutely nobody likes that. The forest people pushed me into the lake, so I know they don't like that." Lily looked over at Eleven, her eyebrows raised. "Am I on the right track so far? I know some of the ones staying here have been here longer than others, like yourself, and I don't know anything much beyond the farm and the forest though I know we're meant to go east."

Eleven nodded along as he listened, though he paused to frown a moment over the fact the forest people had.. pushed her into the lake? The lake with the body emanating a mirror's touch. Although, people had gone into the waters before without ill effect, so he can't imagine why.

"That's a good summary," he mused. "We stayed in the Citadel- Sa-Hareth- for several weeks before we were moved out here. At the time, Unhalad still held a lot of power. Now, there's a lot of tense unrest in the city. Anurr has gained a lot of strength and favor since then, it seems."

"How did you come to be at the citadel? Is it a safe place?" Since her arrival, Lily had kept very close to the farm and while she ventured into the forest she hadn't gone much further than to the trials and back again. After her first run-in with the people who lived in those woods, she was hesitant to go further and risk ending up where she started, or worse.

"Is Unhalad powerful everywhere else? Or is Anurr as strong?" Lily had so many questions, and the things Eleven imparted to her only brought up more. She paused, frowning at Eleven. "Would you be terribly offended if I wrote some of this down? I've been taking notes on what's happening as well as I can, and you know so much I don't want to miss something helpful."

It was flattering, that she thought he could offer a great deal of valuable insight. It certainly didn't feel like he knew all that much. But the fire was warm and unlike a good number of their group, she seemed rather nice.

"I don't mind," he assured, "But the Citadel isn't what I'd call safe- at least not for us. There's a lot of tension there, now. The people of Sa-Hareth seem to think he'll make for a better ruler than Unhalad, but Anurr's undead have long been said to be more vicious, so I'm not terribly hopeful it will prove true."

Uncertain as to how an undead overlord made for a good ruler at all, regardless of which one it happened to be Lily nodded attentively and dragged her bag onto her lap. Pulling out a notebook and a pencil she was quick to flip to a half-finished page before writing frantically, not wanting to miss a detail.

"Is all just after power? The war between the two, I mean." Lily had her suspicions that it was. She might not have seen much beyond Hogwarts and the town she'd grown up in, but she had seen enough to know power was an awfully tempting prospect for some.

"For control of the Citadel," he agreed, as it was effectively the same thing. "Unhalad brought us here, intending to kill and use us for our power, so it isn't as though his intentions can be trusted."

Eleven breathed a sigh and shook his head, shoulders slumping. "I think it's been so long since the citizens of Sa-Hareth have been led by someone living that they've lost all hope of it. I pray one day that will change."

Lily's expression darkened when Eleven spoke of the reason they had been brought here, she had not expected much, but somehow being harvested for her ability was far worse than anything she had previously contemplated. She knew they were meant to be used by Unhalad, but, not as fodder.

After jotting a few more things down she looked back to Eleven, nodding sadly. "I couldn't imagine living beneath a ruler like that."

Setting her pencil down she sipped her tea before speaking again. "Are there more like Unhalad and Anurr? Do we know anything of what lies east?"

Eleven straighten and followed suit, taking a wonderfully warm sip of his tea and letting the heat wash over his tongue, and down his throat in a refreshing wave.

He shook his head. "We know that the East is warmer from what Haltham's told us, but not much more than that, unfortunately. I'm hoping there aren't any other undead warlords we'll have to worry about once we leave here."

"And Haltham is like Karsa?" She had heard the name mentioned, but not with much detail attached. "As in, from here but more helpful to our group after a fashion?"

Tilting her chin up she considered Eleven while he sipped his tea. "Is the fire helping?"

"Yes," he said, smiling. "Much better, with the tea for the insides, thank you."

Warming swiftly inside and out, he felt infinitely better than only a quarter hour ago.

"Haltham has been helpful to us. He isn't the most straightforward at times, but has provided us with good advice since arriving."

"Please, no thanks needed. I feel like I owe you a great deal again, for how much you've been willing to share with me." She still had a list of questions a mile long but not wanting to overwhelm Eleven or take his kindness for granted she refrained, save for the one Lily thought was the most pressing.

"How much danger are we in now? The undead wolves, the terrible thing in the lake, the wind itself at night?"

Eleven hummed a considering note, taking a few moments to think it over. While he didn't wish to alarm her, they certainly couldn't be called safe.

"I think, if you're able to defend yourself and return before sundown, you're not in terrible danger thus far. If you need to go somewhere beyond the farmhouse, it's best to do so with at least one other person. Going between the Citadel and the farmhouse may draw attention to our location, so such trips shouldn't be too regular if you're planning to go there. Those are good practices to keep in mind to minimize threats to yours and everyone's safety."

Admittedly, he's guilty of leaving his own bodyguard behind, so it's with some chagrin that he offers that advice.

While she could and would defend herself if she needed to, Lily wasn't the sort to go actively looking for trouble and was quick to take Eleven's advice to heart.

"You've been so generous," she sounded relieved. "I know this discussion came from you making this offer but, if you ever need anything I can help you with, please don't hesitate to ask."

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bearshermark - 2021-06-14 22:58 (UTC) - Expand

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