Eleven (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
bearshermark) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
westwhere2021-06-03 10:05 pm
bearshermark) wrote in westwhere2021-06-03 10:05 pm
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!]
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!]
no subject
"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."
no subject
"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."
no subject
"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."
no subject
"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."
no subject
"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.
no subject
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."
no subject
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?"
no subject
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."
no subject
Tilting her chin up she considered Eleven while he sipped his tea. "Is the fire helping?"
no subject
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."
no subject
"How much danger are we in now? The undead wolves, the terrible thing in the lake, the wind itself at night?"
no subject
"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.
no subject
"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."
no subject
"It's only information everyone should have. I'm happy to be able to help, so I don't mind if there's anything else you think I may be able to answer."