Alternate universe!

Alternate universe with people in it!

Alternate universe with people in it who speak Anitami!

Alternate universe with people in it who speak Antiami and are part plant!

"- hello? I - wasn't - expecting to visit, I apologize if I'm intruding..."

Some of the people have picked up spears that were hidden in the undergrowth, but don't seem to be making any immediate threatening moves - in fact they seem as ready to defend from something coming from elsewhere than from those who have just appeared.

One of the closest men approaches her, cautiously, keeping a fair distance. He's in pretty basic medieval-ish clothing, quite heavy on the hide and leather despite the mild climate, and has quite a well made belt with a tool roll of some kind on it. "Uh, welcome to Foundhome. Are you okay? Did you not step through the Gate?"

"I wasn't aware there was a Gate! I've never heard of such a thing in real life."

"Oh, well, you must have come quite far, then! The Sentinel Gate is... well, I expect Allegra will want to actually explain things. I expect she'll be down here in a moment, if you had come through the Gate that would usually mean something was about to happen in the area - although hopefully nothing too exciting, as there's only one of you."

He seems to have gone on to 'chattering nervously'. In general, people are starting to relax and stare curiously, rather than continuing to prepare for some unknown danger.

"It's usually larger groups?"

"Yes, it's normally a small band of warriors to fix whatever the problem is. Or a diplomatic delegation, or ritual team, or medics... It seems unlikely anything would happen right here, we're really not that significant, but I suppose one could stage here to defend First Voice, that's the kind of place the Cold Sun might go after..."

"I'm not any of those things, I'm a sports blogger! What are First Voice and the Cold Sun?"

"Oh, a journalist! Perhaps we are about to be visited by a famous Foot the Ball team..." He does not seem inclined to immediately answer any further questions, and glances desperately up the path to the buildings, in the hope that he might be rescued from being entirely out of his depth.

The teenager is walking back down from the buildings, with a middle aged lady in tow.

She appears to be an entirely normal human apart from the brown hair and extensive tattoos on her face - a very stylised fountain or possibly tree on the right cheek, a deliberate brand on the left cheekbone, and a horrible blackened scar deliberately shaped like a line with a hook at the top under that, as well as one of the thorned branches over her left eye.

She is wearing a leather circlet inset with a green gem, bracers with matching green gems, and a wide belt with a tree motif; the quarterstaff she carries has silvery veins and autumn leaves which appear to be sprouting from it directly. The rest of her clothing looks extremely handmade, with big chunky wool stitching.

She radiates a wary tension, a readiness for action held carefully in check.

"Welcome to Foundhome!" she calls as soon as her voice will carry, which is quite far away but not unusually so, in a deliberately cheerful and friendly tone. "Here deliberately, or lost and confused?" she asks, as she continues to approach.

"Definitely the second one!"

Allegra looks Pelape over as she gets closer, clearly assessing her for weapons, bags that could be hiding dangerous substances, anything that might be a threat.

"If there's nothing urgent, I suspect the best course of action is to invite you back to mine for - tea? apple juice? - and we'll see where this takes us."

Some of the onlookers look mildly disappointed, and there is a general movement to drift back to what they were doing before the excitement started.

Pelape is unarmed; she is wearing a loose elbow-length-sleeve tunic-length shirt (dark blue) over leggings (black) and slip-on sandals (black). The leggings have pockets on the outer thighs, one of which contains a rectangle that is probably not a weapon.

Nothing terribly obvious; Allegra won't bother waving any Thorns over to escort them, she can probably handle any trouble herself.

"It's just up the rise and into the Steading - or I can get some chairs brought out here, if you'd prefer to stay in the open."

"Indoors is fine, though I don't walk too fast - bad balance."

"No worries, I'm not as speedy as I was either. If you'd like a walking stick, I'm sure someone can fetch you one?"

Allegra waits on the path for Pelape to head over to her, before starting to lead back up into the haphazard collection of buildings, letting Pelape set the pace.

"Sticks don't help but I appreciate the offer." Stroll stroll.

"Ah, I've always found an extra point of contact with the ground helps with my balance problems. If you do want tea, I'm going to have to task someone with fetching it, I think I only have apple juice in."

The buildings are not laid out in any kind of reasonable order, and people have laid down a variety of planks, stones and similar objects to attempt to stop the narrow passages in between from becoming quagmires in muddy weather, which have not improved the footing in the nice dry weather they're currently having.

"...we can go around the top of the village if you'd prefer, it's a bit longer but there's a wider path to my house," Allegra offers.

"Apple juice is good and longer is fine, I have good stamina, just bad balance."

Instead of plunging into the narrow alleyways, Allegra leads Pelape on a relatively pleasant level, grassy path around the edge of the buildings, then down what looks like an established cart track which is wide enough to have reasonably undisturbed edges.

The buildings on the forest side of the cart track appear to be slightly better ordered and more communal - one larger building with big doors, one roofed area that is open to the elements on two sides and contains some enthusiastic woodworking, and set slightly further back, a row of small individual shelters - possibly outhouses?

Allegra's house is just another of the smallish wooden huts; it doesn't even have a chimney or fireplace, it is just one quite large room which is absolutely full of Stuff.

There's a bed over at the other end, a table with chairs in the middle, a lot of shelves, a lot of cupboards, and every surface is covered in papers, some handwritten, some apparently produced by a printing press, or bottles of mysterious substances, or haphazard stacks of crockery and other things one might actually expect to find in a house.

Also, the entire thing is actually quite well lit, despite the absence of windows, by strings of glowing crystals hanging from the shelves (and quite a few stand-alone glowing crystals just left here and there).

Honestly fits quite well with everything else about the place. Like people being planty. Pelape sits at the table.

"So, uh, my name's Pelape."

"Allegra," replies Allegra, "more fully Allegra The Place Where We Founded A Home For Briars And Others Who Needed One, or Foundhome or Briarhome depending on how political I'm feeling."

Allegra starts opening cupboards, and eventually finds a covered jug of apple juice and a couple of glasses.

"Is that like a Meti accomplishment name...?"

"It's a Steading name - we take our names from the place we live or the set of people we travel with, and that name is often an accomplishment of the group, although not always. I'm not familiar with the Meti? You are currently in the Oakways region of Navarr, in the Empire often known as the Casinean Empire, a polity on the Bay of Catazar... if any of that helps?"

"Not in the least but you - at least sound to me like you're speaking Anitami - so I thought you might know more about my world than I do about yours."

"Hmm. If - Anitam? - is somewhere on this continent, that would explain matters - and I do suppose the Heralds speak the same language to us, although I expected that was just who chose to show up...

Generally heralds are not especially confused about where they've come from or what they are doing, though, especially ones that are as articulate as you.

But no, I have never heard of Antiam by name, or indeed a separate entire world that is a normal material world rather than a magical Realm. Or somewhere off in the Labyrinth, I suppose."

Allegra finally manages to move enough clutter off the table to pour two glasses of apple juice, and sips from one.