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Ari is... so, so lost. He didn't know this amount of lost was physically possible. One minute he's in a briar maze deep in Winter picking frostberries for a pie, then he takes four left turns and he exits the briar and he's in a temperate forest. Not even any snow on the ground. He turns around and there's no thicket to be seen.
He puts the frostberry pouch in his backpack and mutters the incantation to open a Way back to the mortal realm; he might land somewhere dangerous, but better endangered in the mortal realm than completely lost in the Nevernever. And... nothing. Literally nothing happens, no backlash or fizzling or anything that would indicate that he fucked up a spell, but the kind of nothing that happens when you don't have a spell to cast.
In something of a panic, he tests that he still has magic by punching a nearby tree, which splinters and crashes to the ground. "So that's still working, I guess," he mutters. "Punching systems: still online."
So, recap: magic works, he just got snatched out of deep Winter territory and put into something that kind of looks like the Wyld, and the Ways are on the fritz. Either something big is screwing with him or he's very much not in Kansas anymore. Either way, he'd better figure out what the hell is going on.
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bitterchill
bitterchill
Predictably enough, Ari grins.
The heart of the briar starts glowing slightly, and Ari leans forward in excitement.
Slowly, painfully slowly, the heart unfolds into a deep indigo rosette flecked with spots of lilac. It exhales a faintly glowing cloud of blue powder, which floats along the vine as if carried by an intangible breeze. In its wake, where berries would usually sprout, there are flowers- dozens of different breeds, colored in a dizzying blend of shades of blue and purple. It's a chaotic, riotous mess of Winter colors, well suited to a plant supposedly gifted to the mess of a princess that is Lady Maeve. Though Promise doesn't know that.
Once the tips of the vines have sprouted their flowers (each a different-shaded rose), the briar shivers violently and lets loose a shower of thorns. The vines are, for the first time since their birth, completely smooth and safe to touch.
"I didn't... know they did that," breathes Ari. "The thorn thing. But. Mothers and Queens, was that something?"
The heart of the briar starts glowing slightly, and Ari leans forward in excitement.
Slowly, painfully slowly, the heart unfolds into a deep indigo rosette flecked with spots of lilac. It exhales a faintly glowing cloud of blue powder, which floats along the vine as if carried by an intangible breeze. In its wake, where berries would usually sprout, there are flowers- dozens of different breeds, colored in a dizzying blend of shades of blue and purple. It's a chaotic, riotous mess of Winter colors, well suited to a plant supposedly gifted to the mess of a princess that is Lady Maeve. Though Promise doesn't know that.
Once the tips of the vines have sprouted their flowers (each a different-shaded rose), the briar shivers violently and lets loose a shower of thorns. The vines are, for the first time since their birth, completely smooth and safe to touch.
"I didn't... know they did that," breathes Ari. "The thorn thing. But. Mothers and Queens, was that something?"
imeanforever
"Oh, that's gorgeous," breathes Promise. "Do you suppose there's a way to preserve the flowers?"
bitterchill
"Not the heart flower, that's still the heart - but - yeah, I'm pretty sure we can take them. I don't know about the roses, they might be vulnerable too, best to be safe. But I know the flowers along the vine are fine, Belinda took me to a thicket during bloom once and I got a purple lily."
bitterchill
"Oh. Sorry. The roses are the round ones at the ends of the vines, see? And the heart flower is, you know, the one that started as the heart. I don't know if there are any lilies on this one, I'm not great at telling flowers apart myself."
imeanforever
Promise gets a closer look at the flowers, and finally pulls a camellia.
"I'm going to get to know this flower and bespell it and keep it."
"I'm going to get to know this flower and bespell it and keep it."
bitterchill
Ari picks an electric-blue balloon flower and nestles it in his hair. "Do I look dashing? Please tell me I look dashing, I don't know if my ego could handle if you said I didn't."
bitterchill
"No, I'll let it go as it will. It doesn't really go with my aesthetic. Well, I could work it in, my aesthetic is pretty simple at "ridiculous nudist wizard-man" at the moment, but I feel like I should keep it in check when it comes to flowers, at least."
imeanforever
"Why?"
Promise keeps getting distracted from what she originally tracked down Ari for! Well, no rush.
Promise keeps getting distracted from what she originally tracked down Ari for! Well, no rush.
bitterchill
"Seems a bit unmanly. I'm secure in my masculinity, but more in a "not pretending to like beer" way than a "running about with flowers in my hair" way."
bitterchill
"Extremely. I mean, I could disregard it completely like the abomination that is pants, but if I don't have pants and I put flowers in my hair I fear that reality might rip open entirely. The rules must be there for a reason, you know!"
bitterchill
"Yes, and I'm quite pleased with the results, so I'd rather not roll the dice again."
bitterchill
"It's nice. It's cold, I get to do magic all the time, I have a supply of frostberries... nice house... really fantastic roommate... Life in Fairyland has wildly exceeded the expectations formed by my initial horrible enslavement."
imeanforever
"I'm feeling more sorted out about the horrible enslavement thing, lately."
imeanforever
"Well, we've been here for a while and neither Yellow nor Thorn nor anyone associated with them has come after us and I've had time to think and if you're still interested in revisiting the question I don't think I'm currently totally soured on the general idea of sex and I do like you."
imeanforever
"Okay. This is where my information on how to accomplish related things without anybody giving anybody else orders or secretly planning to extract the name of the other party or something totally gives out, but rumor has it you know things about the art of seduction."
bitterchill
"I've been known to dabble," he hums. "No orders necessary."
He elects not to mention that orders can be fun sometimes, because while he continues not to have the slightest semblance of tact, he does know the very basics of Promise.
He elects not to mention that orders can be fun sometimes, because while he continues not to have the slightest semblance of tact, he does know the very basics of Promise.