Through Glass

There was a buzzing of excitement in the young woman, happy that her first meeting with a Highlander off a battlefield had been so tame and to some extent cute. The talk of fairies was a little less so, hoping for answers and getting none at all; the whole reason she wanted to come up here. It was a little disheartening but it had swiftly dashed one of her beliefs from growing up in the Mainlands, not everyone were superstitious primal monsters and that boy had proved it. Sweet and civil, rational, funny. All things she didn’t discern with the Northern territory but now her little adventure needed to come to an end. To regroup with the one she came with, if only for her own safety, knowing she wasn’t the most safe here, even if she found one citizen that opposed her conceptions.

The light of day had started to dim to evening. Shadows stretching on the landscape in long haunting silhouettes as she followed her own scent trail back to where she was supposed to return to. Even with the trail, she felt like she could easily get lost in this maze of trees. Everything started to blur together as she maneuvered along each root system, nearly tripping time and time again. Dainty steps catching her from such mishaps every time, though it still made her heart skip a beat as she grew more and more weary of her surroundings. It would ease when she noticed the trees starting to thin and she could see the fields of Melrose in the distance, though it was a good ways away.

She was here, thank goodness and before sunset.

But where was mom?

The quick clicking of a heart feverishly raced in her ears as panic set in. A little early to the meet up spot but it wasn’t like the former Captain not to be somewhere before her. Not anymore at least, not since she stepped down from her post. She just needed to wait. Maybe her mother met up with some old colleagues and might make it just on time, after all. It was too early to get her fur fluffed up but she didn’t feel comfortable alone in this forest after dark, it just felt so eerie.

Gwydion! Perhaps she could go back and find his company again if he hadn’t gotten too far. No, she couldn’t go bother him just because he felt safer than being alone here. Taking a breath, she’d try to find a dense area to hide herself in while she waited, debating on reading her book but deciding it best she stay alert. This wasn’t a place of good memories but rather bones and rotting bodies.

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Lorelei Ambrosia

Every minute spent in this forest alive was a blessing from the Fae, and she felt it. Ever since her run in with the beautiful banduri, Yvaine, she felt her presence in this forest meant something in some way. In what way, she had yet to fully comprehend. She was confident that through her own endeavors and perhaps with a little guidance from Yvaine, that purpose would be fully shone in the light of the moon here, in this forest.

She did in fact hold a sharp feeling of fear in her gut deep down; the worry that she could be snapped from this life should the Fae deem her unworthy of this life, was always a feeling that she felt should be respected. Her time in the forest was always spent in the light of the moon, if not just before. And just like her previous endeavor, she wouldn't spend that time alone.

Just recently, the scent of another female crossed with her new path. She never took the same way in or out of the forest, she'd rather become a ghost of the forest than an easy target to stalk. She did everything she could to remain hidden as best she could, following this new creature from a distance. They were headed away from the abyss of trees and bramble and brush, and good riddance.

And then, the wolf she watched from what shadows she could form herself into retreated from the open space before her, as if being pulled back in. Instead of taking their exit, they came back into the forest, not too deep though.

Lorelei slunk between trunks and brush, inching her way closer to the wolf. She was hidden, but not invisible to those paying attention. Her snout did most of the work, leaving it to her wit and fake charm to do the rest. She drew in closer, slower. Before she made herself visible, she made herself heard. She swept a paw over the sharpest part of a small stick she found on the ground, giving herself a deeper than intended wound to the paw. There was a sharp sting in her paw as she waited and watched for a small, steady stream of blood to escape through her toes from her pad.
"Such a clutz" she whimpered out, a limp on that paw followed suit, too. She limped past the little spot that the wolf retreated to, waiting for the stranger to notice that she wasn't alone here.


speaking"

table by rae - image by ashon

None the wiser to another following her, she felt for the most part safe in her bits of snow frosted foliage, feeling her colors would blend in well in this landscape. It was her scent that was the bigger curse, not sure how to go about ridding that from the air, too much of a telltale sign of where she came from but that didn’t at least divulge who she was. Who she was related to. At least she hoped so, it wasn’t like she was the child of the head of her family, making the weight less prominent on her shoulder than had she been an heir to the family fortune. That was, so long as he kept heirs to remain above her, then whomever she were to marry would be the benefactor which mattered most. It only made her think of the arrangement she had almost been put in until his… vanishing. If he was ever found and not dead, would she be shoved into it? With seasons passed, she felt she didn’t have to worry much about that now, his hand was no longer in her reach though she could only guess her uncle was toiling for another to wed her in his place. It made her skin crawl a little, feeling so much like an object than a living being.

The sound of movement would draw her haunted thoughts away, her eyes shifting from tree to tree as her body tensed and the bristling of fur trailed down her back, heart pumping drastically in her chest. It could just be a prey animal, she needed to calm down before fear would linger sharply in her scent and only draw more attention to herself from predators bigger than her. Stronger than her. Experienced.

Her head shot over to the sound of twigs snapping that was alarmingly close to where she was hiding, making her debate if she should run or keep in place and hope the disturbance would go away. Chances are they wouldn’t though, it sounded big, bigger than her as she held her breath as she thought. She didn’t need to debate long with a woman’s whine sounded over the ruffling of sticks, causing her head to perk up immediately, taking in a long breath before taking forever to release it. Her gaze scanned the other curiously for a moment as they creeped closer before the scent of blood found its way into her nostrils.

She didn't’ trust them but the wound would cause her to reveal herself without too much thought in the matter, tail hard pressed against her inner thigh in a submissive fashion as she inched out of the brush. “Oh no! Where are you h-hurt, m-m-m-miss?!” she said on a breathy exclamation that was still soft and quiet despite herself. It didn't take more than a second to notice the apparent limp that affected the other's gait. Moving toward the other without any regard for her own safety, she didn’t hesitate to cut the other off from going any further. “Sssit-sit, please. L-let me s-s-see, maybe I c-can help,” she instructed gently, ignorant to her own foreign boldness in the moment as her social anxieties took a backseat to worry.

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Lorelei Ambrosia

Like a moth drawn to a flame, an easy catch. The creature took no time in coming to her aid, and seemingly no time to prepare the words that would fumble and stumble from her lips. This was boring, almost; there was no questioning, no hesitation- but perhaps boring was all she needed for the time being. As the girl approached from the brush, Lorelei made quick work to keep up the charade. “Oh no! Where are you h-hurt, m-m-m-miss?!” Her lips would keep themselves drawn tight when she listened to the girl stammer and stutter. And before she was able to open her mouth, the creature intercepted her, instructing her. “Sssit-sit, please. L-let me s-s-see, maybe I c-can help,” . She could just ditch the act and scare the girl away- either back into the forest or far from it. But, lately her patience in digging for information had been paying off, proving most useful and resourceful the longer she interacted and more she asked questions.

"oh, no, i wouldnt want to impose" impose on her time sitting alone, likely worried, on the outskirts of the Fae Forest. Maybe you could take a look-- if theres blood, oh gosh, blood i cant stomach. " she mused, slowly raising her paw as she reclined to her hind quarters. Blood: a common feat no matter where the woman went, perhaps it was a sign, a calling of some sort. But this girl didn't need to know that, at least not yet.

speaking"

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She’d say nothing to it being a bother, cause it was but it wasn’t nice to say so. This was why she was only learning medicine and not trying to be a practitioner of any sort. Wanting answers, wanting a way to help those she loved, not random strangers. Where she had a multitude of empathy, she couldn’t say she felt confident she could ever comfortably repair everything she came across. It would hurt so much more if she said she could help then not be able to. Little things like this, though, she supposed she could manage well enough.

“Hemophobia?” she asked gently, looking up for only a second before focusing on the task at paw. “Must be hard as a p-pr-rr-predator, it’s part of our diet after all. Can’t imagine a lady as pretty as you surviving on vv-ve-vegetation alone,” she smiled just a touch more as she examined the wound. The idea was humorous to think of eating only plants but not unheard of. She had seen it firsthand to those most addicted to her family’s luxurious wines, filling their bellies full of fermented fruit so much that there was no possibility meat could contend with the lack of space. The one bloke often bloated from sugar while his fur fell out as if he had the worst of skin infections, yellow eyes and their smiles often gaped from tooth rot. It was so odd to think something that wolves craved so much, would give their souls to keep drowning their sorrows, could hurt them so much if consumed often enough. She felt partially to blame for it because she played into that fact, knowing the industry from top to bottom and providing the spirits from time to time herself in exchange for goods she wished for. Aiding in the problem, not stopping it at all.

Yet, she felt like she’d be doing a bigger disservice trying to stop her family’s production of it, even if criminals and wealthy snobs were the most common consumers. Those joyous drunken smiles often felt like wonderful rewards though the aftermath wasn’t so pleasant. She had smelled it on her mother’s fur frequently enough growing up, though never from their own products. Whatever reason she drank for, it didn’t seem to fix the problem or she would have surely stopped a long time ago. It was quite the conundrum and Aurora had no solutions for it but if it brought temporary solace, who was she to stop it?

Shaking her head lightly of those thoughts, she let out a relieved sigh as a paw gently cupped the ankle of the other. With some hesitation, she would lean down to pluck some stick fragments before gently licking away some of the blood so she could see the wound better. That metal tang not as appealing as the taste of prey, though she would not allow the disgust to show on her face. “Doesn’t look bad, though I think there is a sssplinter deeper in the wound,” her ears would draw back, uncertain how she could remove it without hurting her more. She only had book knowledge and what the Doctor taught her; she had no physical training yet.

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Lorelei Ambrosia

Was this even worth her time? She could pull her paw away from the girl and turn the other direction, forget she even bothered. And now, she wasn't even sure which was more annoying: the unnecessary ache in her paw, or the stammering girl that was examining it.

“Hemophobia?” her lips began to tug just so, expecting a smart remark or insult, until she continued to speak while lifting her paw to look further. “Must be hard as a p-pr-rr-predator, it’s part of our diet after all. Can’t imagine a lady as pretty as you surviving on vv-ve-vegetation alone,” her face was quickly turning cold, until her ears perked af3r the girl spoke. Pretty? She'd only heard drunken pigs stumbling down streets and out of bars in the towns try to slur out a compliment that only ever ended with her in disgust.

"Arent you just the kindest" she cooed, and perhaps she meant it. Then, a subtle "ooh" was breathed from between her lips as the girl leaned down to pull splinters from her foot. She tensed lightly with each little pluck. “Doesn’t look bad, though I think there is a sssplinter deeper in the wound,” lorelei pulled her paw away slowly. "Thatll do for now, youve done plenty here, thank you-- she trailed off her appreciation, waiting for a name from the girl.

speaking"

table by rae - image by ashon

Her head would tilt up just a tad to the other’s little comment, blushing a tad before turning her attention back to her process. “I was only s-stating an observation,” she said sheepishly, not thinking it much of a compliment when it was clearly a fact. This girl was rather pretty, especially those vibrant pools of molten emeralds that could rival the jewels themselves in their quality and worth. It made her almost want to shove her desire to keep her vision downcast and submissive if only to take those in but didnt’ want to come off too forward or bold. To escape from her little shell even for a moment had her heart already racing so much, even moreso with this close proximity she had established by doing this. Each little pluck, touch, taste; it was all out of her comfort zone, making her all the more anxious but she wouldn’t withdraw till she got what she came to do.

Surprise lined her visage as the other took their paw from her, making her think she hurt her at first but the drawback hadn’t been swift or sudden. Ears would flick a few times, lowering her own paw a little hesitantly, shrinking just a little till the comment ended in what sounded like a question. Brows would scrunch just a pinch as her gaze lifted once more to the other’s cream maw, trying to decipher what she was supposed to be answering. Then it suddenly dawned on her as she sat up more straight. “Oh, you’re wel-w-welcome. Best to see a true healer instead of a novice if you c-can and… I’m Aurora,” offered with a gentle smile, tail giving the softest of sways behind her in cordial greeting accompanied by a small curtsy. Normally she’d give a full introduction, one more Highlander in habit from her mother’s culture but without knowing who friend or foe, a simple given name would have to suffice.

She’d hope that wasn’t rude.

“May I kn-know what to call you?” she asked softly after a little pause, still fixated on if there was anything else she could do for the wound.

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Lorelei Ambrosia

For a brief moment, the girl's innocence fully comsumed lorelei's own thoughts- someone so pure, so naturally good was wasting her time with the likes of a no good, slithering serpent in the making. It was a shame, really-for the girl, of course.

“Oh, you’re wel-w-welcome. Best to see a true healer instead of a novice if you c-can and… I’m Aurora,”. Both of their attention were drawn back to one another once again. She gave a soft chuckle, lips curled into a small smile as she watched Aurora speak, then made it her turn. Ill be sure to follow that instruction, Aurora. " her tone was cooled, and every ounce of the fake interest she conveyed still remained hidden, tucked away.

“May I kn-know what to call you?” her ears twitched, lightly and hardly noticeable. What could she use this time? The same fake alias she'd been using the past few weeks, or something new? This time, she would try something new-speaking the truth. Lorelei" and it was much simpler, to simply give her name and no fake ones, at that. And no extensive background to pull. That part, she would lie about surely.

A short yawn fell from between her kissers, her emerald hues traced Aurora for a brief second, then froze when something caught her attention: a satchel of the sorts- what goodies could that thing contain

Aurora, do you keep anything interesting in that?" she questioned, gesturing to the satchel of hers. Genuinely curious, but for all the wrong reasons. She lowered herself down to the earth beneath them, in an effort to try to show that she was actually interested in whatever Aurora may have stashed away in the bag.



speaking"

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She was happy to hear the woman would take her advice, though with them not running off to go find one, her hopes were only so big. Chances were it would be fine but what did she know? Not enough to say one way or the other on how bad it truly was. She needed more lessons, more everything really. At least she was acquiring new experiences, that was more than she ever expected and at this moment more than she had asked for. Seclusion in Castle Stuart most of her life made her not really know how to thrive in the world outside of luxury, needless to say if she didn’t find anyone to provide for her soon she would probably die in no time.

Truthfully, she never even hunted for food before, she always just had it available.

This thought sent a shiver into her body that would only be redirected by the name that was offered, causing her ears to perk up and a smile to touch her lips. “Lorelei. An equally pretty n-name to suit you,” she said lightly, liking how it felt on her tongue and sounded to the ears. It was perfect. She realized Highlanders in general seemed to have prettier names, at least in her opinion.

The yawn would draw her attention, her gaze turning up to the canopy above to look at the sky that was dimming by the second, making her realize just how late it really was. She was late now, something bad must have happened. Her lips pressed, about to say she needed to go but watching the other settle she thought maybe she could stay with her for a little while, it would be safer than running around like a fool with her head cut off. “Oh!? Ummmm there’s some of my medicines, mushroom and a book I’ve b-b-been studying up on. It’s… about the fae,” she said softly, expecting her to laugh or mock the last item just as Gwydion had. “It’s part of why I’m up h-here, I haven’t been aging and I overheard someone talking about the f-fae being the cause. I don’t know if I believe in them b-b-but if it can give me answer…maybe I’ll stop being stuck in time,” she tried to explain before that could happen. It probably wouldn't make her sound any less stupid though.

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Lorelei Ambrosia

“Lorelei. An equally pretty n-name to suit you,” How flattering this young little soul was. She wouldn't know it from the tone of her voice that she kept so calm and collected, but she was stroking that little ego that she kept buried. Still the woman watched Aurora, catching her attention drift to the darkening sky above them, then almost instantly it would return to Lorelei.

“Oh!? Ummmm there’s some of my medicines, mushroom and a book I’ve b-b-been studying up on. It’s… about the fae, She really didnt want to know, but prying to see if anything of value would be tucked away was the main goal-something she kept reminding herself of. It wasnt until the girl spoke of the Fae that her attention was most drawn. "It’s part of why I’m up h-here, I haven’t been aging and I overheard someone talking about the f-fae being the cause. I don’t know if I believe in them b-b-but if it can give me answer…maybe I’ll stop being stuck in time,”. Studying something that any true mainlander would rather see go up in smoke, right beside it's devotees. Surely she had influence from another of her kind, did they know she was looking to the magic, into the fae? She listened more, pulling herself from her own thoughts. The girl mentioned the doings of the fae possibly being the reason behind her.. lacking.
My mother would tell me the tales of such a phenomenon, but one thing is for certain: the fae works in such mystifying ways" she was never one to push her beliefs in strangers-until she'd met Yvaine, a woman so firm in both of their beliefs. But this girl was no Yvaine, she was a girl, and a mainlander likely lacking guidance from the scum of the territory just south of the fae forest. She'd help her out herself: by removing the book from her possession, it wasnt for the likes of a mainlander, the ones who were gaining momentum in stripping the land of Rionnach of the powers of the Fae.

Maybe this is all apart of the Fae's plan for you, Aurora- you and i meeting here, in the forest of the Fae, of all places. " she mused, half heartedly wanting that to be the truth, but she knew that couldn't possibly be the truth here.


speaking"

table by rae - image by ashon