brave_kreyu | OOM All Skate Skellig Dream Magic Weirdness -Part 12

They wind up staying two full cycles of the Moon with Tyr's tribe.

Time enough to learn the various dances, share recipes, race through the Teeth, make friends, share stories, BELONG.

It might even be enough time for Skellig to sort out how he feels about being among other people with wings!

Tyr clasps Skellig's forearm in farewell. "I would call you my brother, if you would permit it?" he says, voice soft.

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She leans into him, enjoying the closeness and the quiet. "I hope Silur will come out of seclusion, once her greatest work can be seen again."

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"Her work deserves to be appreciated in all the glory it deserves," he says honestly. "I do hope of it is able to be seen by those who would wish to view it, that perhaps she can regain her place as the creator of it. It truly is a wonder."

He glances up into the leaves.

"The amount of care and time that went into this is truly unimaginable."

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brave_kreyu

She looks up where he is, spots a cheeky looking squirrel peering down at them.

"I can't either," she admits. "To remain dedicated to a project for so long..."

She laughs. "My attention tends to wander, with projects."

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27_53

"It just gives you greater opportunities to create new things," he shrugs slightly. "What works for one soul does not necessarily work for another, and there is nothing wrong with that."

He strokes her hair lightly.

"What is your favorite project you have discovered so far?"

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brave_kreyu

She leans into his touch. "It depends on what you want to call a project."

"Ah, I have one, though I don't know that I would be able to claim it is my favorite tomorrow." She grins.

"This was early in the history of the Ring Islands, not long after the first people had come to settle. We started having other arrivals, in small, disparate groups. They were having far more trouble getting themselves set up properly than our first arrivals did."

"Different culture, different language, less of a community to draw upon for help. My students and I had settled in a complex they had already started calling the House of the Wise. We had taken the latest set of arrivals into our walls for quarantine, as there were many plagues about in those days. I knew they needed help, food, support, at least until they could get back on their feet. My students and I built something we called the House of Welcome, where one in need could go for food, shelter, supplies. It grew from there, we started taking requests for workers from those in need of such in the city, passing news of those requests to those who were staying with us."

She snuggles into him a bit. "There are many places in the Capital that fulfill that function now, including all of the temples."

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"A soft landing, so to speak. That is quite a large project to undertake, but based on what you have spoken of and the things I saw when we were in the Capital... it seems to have been quite well put into motion," he says proudly. "I am certain those who took use of it in the beginning upon their arrival were greatly appreciative."

He presses his lips to the side of her head.

"Similar to how you treated me when I arrived in a foreign land, unsure of the culture and where I could find help..."

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brave_kreyu

She blushes at the pride in his voice. "It has been the work of many hands, many minds, over the years. It is the people who have grown it, cultivated it."

"You will see one of them, almost certainly, when we head back. My great temple, where the ceremony is, sees the most people in need out of all of them. It IS centrally located, but I think the idea of it being so busy makes it...easier, for some people? Some of them feel ashamed, embarrassed, and being among so many gives them a feeling of anonymity."

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27_53

"It can be hard to ask for assistance," Skellig says. "Especially if you are completely lost. I...I know that oftentimes the reception that strangers are given, especially those who are in the greatest need of help, can be quite off-putting."

To say the least.

There are memories buried deep in the recesses of his mind, locked away from Before, that even though he cannot quite reach them here and now...they linger. Reminders of scorn, disgust, pain and mistreatment.

"A society will have levels, they always do, but it will function easier if there are not people who are lacking the basics for survival."

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brave_kreyu

"People can be cruel, especially when the fabric of society has been frayed by famine, by plague, or by war." And, of course, people seeking a home in a new place are often fleeing a famine, a plague, or a war in this time period.

She runs her fingers through his hair, wraps an arm around him to comfort him in the face of those deeply buried memories.

"Absolutely. What use, denying some what they need to survive when you have enough to help them? They will do what they must to survive, or perish, and either way what they could contribute to society will be lost. The world is cruel enough without our adding to it."

"I looked for compassion in those who would become my students, and that continues with those who are my Wise. It is safer to entrust the power of magic to the compassionate, though not foolproof."

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27_53

"It is less likely to be misused by those who would naturally be drawn to compassion, who would seek to aid others. Not foolproof," he agrees. "But the odds are better stacked."

Skellig is grateful for her fingers in his hair, her arm wrapped around his body, the relative 'quiet' of this little space they have found themselves tucked away into. There is more to face outside the walls of the tower, and he is certain there will be a 'mess' to contend with...but none of that matters here in this moment.

"I am most grateful I stumbled upon a soul with compassion," he whispers softly. "Who chose to use her magic to aid me."

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brave_kreyu

"So am I," she whispers. "The thought of what might have happened to you if you'd wound up somewhere else..." She shivers, although it isn't cold in here.

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27_53

"May have ended up like Tyr," he mutters softly. "Locked in a cage, as some plaything for the rich." Or worse...

Her shiver runs through him and he sighs gently, keeping their bodies close together, not just for warmth, but comfort.

From:

brave_kreyu

The mere THOUGHT of that happening to Skellig is too horrible to contemplate.

"My vote is for me concealing us with magic and Koschei pulling us through the wall to the outside of the palace. Letting the chaos be a problem for Ajax's brothers instead of us." She says, after a while.

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27_53

Though his energy is overwhelming full of Light and positivity at the moment, he ALSO does not want to contemplate the idea of himself locked up in a cage, wings tied back, feathers plucked and sold as trinkets, chained to the ground and unable to fly...

"As...strange as that was the first time, I think I would vote the same to make our 'escape', as it were." He nods slightly. "I don't think Ajax will want to encounter his brothers, either."

From:

brave_kreyu

Speaking of Ajax and Koschei, they'll hear their footsteps coming down the ramp.

"Ah, there you are," Ajax says, pleased. He's flushed and slightly disheveled, as is Koschei.

"Trouble outside," Koschei rumbles. "Make alternate exit?"

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27_53

Skellig makes no comment on either of their appearance - and likewise, no comment is made on them either.

"Yes, it seems Gorgon made...quite a mess," Skellig agrees - allowing his hearing to adjust to the sounds below them and outside. There is definitely shouting, and wailing. "It would be easier I think, if we were not seen leaving through the doors he tore off the hinges."

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brave_kreyu

Ajax grimaces at Skellig's words. "I would rather not deal with that mess, to be frank."

"I can conceal us, if you'll get us through the wall, Koschei," Kreyu offers, standing up from where they have been seated.

"Easy enough," he agrees.

They bid the Procession farewell, for now, and make their way out. Kreyu sighs in relief once they are out of sight of the palace. "It's been quite the day already, and it's not even noon."

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27_53

"How would you suggest we continue our course for the day?"

The question is mostly posed to Ajax - after all, he is the one who knows the most about this area and the things that there are to do - but anyone is free to offer input.

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brave_kreyu

"Many of my haunts other than the House of the Setting Sun are shut down at the moment, what with all the...mess, currently." He taps his fingers against one thigh. "A trip to an herbalist acquaintance of mine and then a return to the House to celebrate the rediscovery of such a wonder."

"I admit I haven't dabbled much with herbs for recreational purposes," Kreyu tells Ajax as she takes a hold of Skellig's hand. "Given my....metabolism, I've never had them produce a noticeable effect."

"So long as not red mushrooms with white spots, taste terrible, am game." Koschei rumbles.

"Red with white," Kreyu begins, mind whirring. "Koschei, those are POISONOUS!"

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27_53

Kreyu says it before Skellig is able to - after all, when they went foraging, that was one of the FIRST things she instilled upon his memory - which mushrooms were deadly and to be avoided!

"Think we'll skip those this time," he offers 'helpfully', softly squeezing Kreyu's hand as they begin to walk and follow Ajax through the streets.

From:

brave_kreyu

"Didn't notice," Koschei rumbles, looking a bit sheepish.

"I'm just glad they didn't make you ill," Ajax says, putting a hand briefly on Koschei's shoulder.

The herbalists shop is in a relatively well to do neighborhood, and it's nice to get out of the sun. The inside of the shop smells of an abundance of herbs, many hanging from the ceiling behind the counter.

"Ah, Prince Ajax," the herbalist calls in greeting. "And companions. I'm afraid I'm out of several of your favorites. Demand has been up and my usual suppliers have been...lacking."

Ajax gives her a charming smile. "That's quite alright, Hera. I would like to see what you DO have."

Some of the drugs are quite familiar to Skellig, the marijuana, the magic mushrooms, but there is also a black root that he hasn't seen before. The SMELL is familiar though, it was part of the sacred oils he's smelled on Kreyu before.

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27_53

The black root is what catches his interest at first - mainly because he senses it is familiar, but he can't quite put his mind on why right away.

(After a moment, he realizes it is the scent of the sacred oils, and his mind wanders to the way it smells when it has been dabbed onto Kreyu's skin...)

"From what Prince Ajax speaks of your products, I am not surprised that demand has been heightened," Skellig comments idly, as he browses a small shelf full of pots of herbal tinctures and ointments.

From:

brave_kreyu

Kreyu is surprised to see the black root. "You have moly? I only know of it from its use in certain religious rituals on the Ring Islands." The Ring Islands being where the Lair is located.

Hera smiles. "I do indeed, the same kind they use in the rituals for their Great Lady."

Kreyu grins at Skellig, as if at a private joke. "Vivid dreams and recovery of the mind and the body, moly can give."

"An interesting experience," Ajax offers. "Won't muddle your mind or your senses while you're awake."

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Skellig returns her grin with a matching one of his own - and hums appreciatively at the description of this 'moly' herb, and what it is able to do for a person.

"That does sound like quite the interesting experience," he agrees. "Especially if it is used in rituals for their Great Lady...we have heard a fair amount of tales of their goddess, and she sounds most powerful..."

And worthy of the finest herbs!

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brave_kreyu

"Dangerous to take too often," Hera cautions. "But safe enough if only used for no more than three days in a moon cycle."

"Brewed in water with honey and salt, as I recall," Kreyu adds. "The Great Lady is powerful, and hopefully kinder than the goddess they used to worship." She frowns slightly. "There are tales of the high priest dying from time to time when they served THAT goddess and drank the sacred moly."

Hera snorts. "I'd blame the moly for that, not their old goddess. It is harder to come by, off the Ring Islands, and the line between effective and toxic is hair thin in roots from other lands. Lost a former customer that way, the damn fool."