A Fairy In The Gardens
Vesale
For the longest time she had traveled, searching for any sign of nature, her forest home, destroyed, had long since been forgotten. Plants, trees, grass, there was nothing, everywhere she'd looked was dead, barren. The lack of anything green had the fairy in pain. It wasn't right, this was not right. Desperate for any sign of plant life she began her quest, not sure of her direction but always moving forward, passing through desecrated towns, deserted villages and valleys that had been reduced to harsh deserts.Then one day she saw it. A small wildflower, all alone, partially covered by an animal carcass, it's purple flowers a stark contrast to the dark red of the land. She'd touched it with her hands and felt it's pain, she offered it some of her magic, and the plant grew, only slightly, she wasn't capable of much. The plant had thanked her and her spirits were renewed. She continued in her unknown direction every so often a piece of greenery catching her eye, appearing in higher concentrations in the direction she went. She offered them what she could, intent now on finding their start.
After a while she noticed a small path of grass, it's edges dotted with different flowers, intrigued she followed, the width of the path growing, until she finally came to a door, standing upright, surrounded by plant life. The fairy approached, cautiously, checking behind, but there was nothing, to her all it was was a door. How strange. Curiosity getting the better of her, she moved her hand forward, gently grasping the knob and turned. What she saw was astounding, and, without thinking, she stepped through the doorway and into the place. Once through, the door closed and vanished behind her. The fairy, shocked, now found herself in what she could only think of as a garden. It had ponds, structures, plants. Overcome, her legs buckled, she fell to a seated position on the ground and stared around in awe.
Zero Dream
Thud.It was the sound of something falling on the grass that made the young boy perk up from his book. It was a very thick book for such a small boy, really, and it made it own thud sound itself after he had marked the page and let it fall closed again.
He peeked out from the side of the teahouse, then, and saw... someone ! Someone he'd never seen, eyes wide, sitting on the ground. She had wings, even ! But, she looked so lost. Too lost to be a goddess. An host, maybe ?
Hmmm. At any rate, no one else seemed to be around to notice her.
At last, Akakios let himself fall down his seat, and he approached her, slowly. "Are you okay ?" He asked, once he was right in front of her.
Vesale
Nissa, still flustered, almost missed the young boy speak. She looked up from her position on the ground and gave a weak smile. He was different than any young one she'd seen before. Admittedly she'd only ever seen young fairies, but still, he was an unusual site. His eyes in particular had Nissa entranced, she'd never seen anything like them before. So much so that she nearly forgot to speak. "Oh, I... I think I'm okay. I think I'm lost though." The fairy blushed. Of course she was lost, she had no idea where she was.Her wings lay listless against her back, a sign of her obvious distress. At least there was someone around. Perhaps the child would be able to help her. Wait. Her brain, regaining some of its functionality, had finally processed the fact that she was talking to a young boy. A boy who, to her eyes, looked far to be young to be out on their own. Instantly she was up, a hand on his shoulder, worry in her eyes. "Are you lost too? Where are your parents?! Aren't you too young to be out alone?" All the shock of her current situation was lost when she realized this young boy might be in trouble.
Zero Dream
"Im fine." He was used to these kind of reaction, but not so extreme. There was something odd about how he barely smiled to her, more as if it was for her own benefit than anything else, but yet he did not seem harmed. There was only the vague feeling of saddness, faint, lingering. But the boy didn't seem truly sad, either ?"Im not lost." He finally said. "And you're not lost either - you're at the Pantheon." There ! Now she wasn't lost either ! "What's your name ?" She asked, curious. He'd heard of mortals winding up closeby for no apparent reason, hosts or otherwise - perhaps she was meant for someone, or to serve someone.
Vesale
"Oh," she said simply, with not having to worry about the boy, she was back to worrying about herself. Her lost self. Where was she? Why was it so... green?"The Pantheon? But I don't even know what that is..." The boy said it like it made all the difference, but it still didn't help. She had no idea what the Pantheon was, or where it was, or anything else about it. The fairy was looking even more distressed than before.
"My name? I'm Nissa." She replied softly, still troubled as to her current whereabouts to think to ask the young boys name.
Zero Dream
...Apparently this wasn't doing it. But then, Lament had never been the only one present to try to calm someone down. He had no idea what he was supposed to do, pretty much.His mother made it all look so easy !
"Well, I didn't see how you came in." He admitted. "So I dunno where you came from... ? But, I know you're safe here." He nodded, trying to instill his own confidence onto her. Mom did that all the time with mortals. She nodded at them, gestured at them, stayed calm. "There's many different people from many different places here. Some just kind of... come here, all of sudden. This is the pantheon, and there's many gods and goddesses here." Akakios hadn't learned much about being subtle yet. "Im Akakios, Lament. You can just call me Kios." He offered her another smile, then blinked, apparently thinking as to what else he could possibly do to... ah !
"Your wings are very pretty." Aha ! A point for him. "Are you some kind of fairy ? I read alot about fairies in books. But I've never seen one."
Vesale
"I... I came through a door. It was over there." She pointed to where the door was before it had vanished into thin air. "I really came from my forest, well what used to be my forest. It's gone now. Dead, everything was dead. So I left, to find something... and I saw a flower. It kept me going, them I saw another, and another, and suddenly there was a whole bunch! It was beautiful. In the middle of the flowers was a door. I opened it, and this is where it went." Nissa sighed."Nice to meet you Kios," she smiled briefly, before returning to her disheartened state, though she wasn't as bad as before. At least this place was safe. Supposedly.
She perked up when he spoke about her wings, stretching them out to their full glory. She'd always been proud of her wings, all the others had been jealous. Not that there were any around anymore to be jealous, but still, she was quite fond of her wings. "Yes, I'm a fairy." She smile again. "A forest fairy, though not a very powerful one." She scowled, she'd always disliked the fact that she'd never developed any strong powers.
Wait. Did he say gods? "Gods? Here?! Why I... must be dead then. Dead!" At this thought the fairy looked to be on the verge of tears.
Zero Dream
"A door ?" The boy looked just as perplexed as she was - there'd never been a door here, as far as he knew ! "Hrm... People do end up here like that. Something about this being a place where all the worlds kind of go together." He scrunched his nose lightly - if she wanted an factual explaination, she had hit the wrong god.But then she panicked again. "Ah, no no no !" He hadn't meant to do that ! B-But !!!
One breath... Another...
"You're fine." He finally said. Then, he tugged at her hand lightly, hoping it would make her look down at him. "You're not dead. I can't see dead people, I just hear them. I can see you just fine." He kind of hoped it wouldn't just make her freak out worse. "You're just... in a different place than your forest. Im... sorry about your forest." He added, having completely forgotten about that when she had panicked. "There's a god of forests, though, so if we go and ask him nicely, he'll probably make it all green again." He'd never met him - Crys had, though, and had told him much about him. But... he had no idea where to find Glyph. And he didn't want to leave Nissa all alone.
"Do you want to sit, a little bit ?" He asked her, looking back to the teahouse he'd come out from.
SkieBorne
A certain someone's ears had been burning as he walked through the gardens surrounding the Pantheon, taking solace in the greenery and tranquility found in the quiet, winding paths. In his arms were a few sacks of seeds he'd gathered up after perusing the environs, hoping to use them during his travel to the Silent Forest. Pausing when he rounded a bend and the pair came into sight, their voices drifting in the air, he remained still long enough to hear of a forest dead and hope of greenery once more. He sighed, mourning the death of so much and added a mental note to invesitigate this mysterious place with the door in the flowers - another place for him to heal. The more he heard, he more Glyph realized there were countless things to do.
Shifting the sacks in his arms, Forest cleared his throat as he approached, "I assure you, fairy, that Forest is alive and well and that you are not dead. I am leaving soon, to assist a friend, but don't worry. Forest isn't dead and neither will your home remain if I have a say in the matter." He smiled at the girl then nodded to the boy, "Greetings! Is everything alright?" From the worried expression on the youth's face and the tone of the girl's voice, he suspected they might need a little help.
Vesale
"I'm not dead?" The fairy couldn't have sounded more relieved when the young boy had told her this, her sorrowful expression turning to overwhelming joy. Although her home was destroyed and all her friends and family were gone, she had never once hoped she would die, only for things to get better.The comment about hearing, not seeing the dead was discarded, Nissa was too happy at the thought of being alive. "Thank you, my forest was a good place. I'd been there for a long time, to see it destroyed was terrible. Everything that has happened is terrible, yet here, everything seems perfect." It was strange. Everywhere she had traveled looked apocalyptic, yet here, it was beautiful.
"Please, a seat would be nice." Her head was spinning, all different emotions were coursing through her, all wanting to come out, Nissa felt as if she might explode from it all. She gave Akakios a nervous smile.
Before they could move, a new figure appeared. Nissa turned her gaze to look. He seemed familiar, yet foreign at the same time. It was a strange feeling. His appearance reminded her of a dryad, or maybe a wood sprite, but she could tell he was neither of those. How strange. She listened to his words. At first she thought he was talking about her home, and was going to interject, her forest was gone, she was sure of it! But then he did speak of it, was he referring to himself as Forest? What did he mean.
Nissa blinked, her face slightly confused. "Umm, hello. I, I'm not sure. I think I'm lost, but this young boy, I mean Kios was helping me." She shifted her gaze to the ground. Something about him made her feel uncomfortable, yet at peace at the same time. "You can help me with my forest?" Her words were hopeful, yet skeptical at the same time, there was so much to rebuild, the task would be nearly impossible.
Zero Dream
The sudden appearance of someone else did surprise Akakios a bit - he'd been so focused on Nissa that he hadn't heard Glyph come by at all. "Everything's fine." He had it covered now, really ! See ? Smooth operator and all that.Though he realized, a little bit late on the uptake, that he was exactly who he'd just talked about. Uh. That was handy ! He seemed to be more than happy to let Forest explain for himself, though, as he started heading toward the teahouse to sit on the step, his small hand still slipped into Nissa's, leading her where she could sit for a bit.
It was a bit of an odd sight, a child walking an adult, and not the other way around.
SkieBorne
"Kios?" Glyph echoed, following along behind them, "Nergal's son? Crys had much to say about you." He grinned at Lament, "Good to see you caring for people." Sinking down into the grass near them, he stuck his toes into the grass and set the seeds down at his side to regard the girl, a gentle smile playing across his face."Can I help you with your forest? Of course. I'd not be a very good Forest if I didn't, would I?" He leaned forward, one long-fingered hand outstretched in greeting, "I'm Glyph, Silvim Illustirre. It's a pleasure to meet you. Where are you from? What it your forest called? I ask because it's important and a name will make it easier to find."
He glanced to Akakios then, "I hear you're quite the author. Do you have a quill and a piece of parchment handy?" While Glyph might be a god, he was hardly infallible and did not want to forget this forest fairy's home. It was one of his wards and a strong sense of responsibility bid him at the very least note it for when he might be strong enough to do some good.
Vesale
"You can? Really?" She directed at the taller one. Her voice had changed now, she no longer seemed skeptical, she was still hopeful, and now, slightly excited. She'd traveled so long and so far, hoping for something to make a change, not sure if she would discover anything. And yet here she was, with another who was sure he could help. Perhaps things were on the up."My forest is, was called Silaera." She said, a touch of sorrow in her voice. She'd watched over the forest for nearly her whole life, and to see it all gone heartbreaking. Although she wasn't quite sure how he could help her with just a name. Surely he would need her to lead them back?
"It's in Gaia, that's where I'm from." She nodded. Although Gaia was a large place, she'd always been content with her forest, but other had told her stories of all the things you could find there. Now, she supposed, they were all destroyed as well, just like her home.
Nissa didn't seem to mind she was being led by someone so young, she was still feeling out of sorts, and Kios had been kind and helpful to her. Plus he knew his way around, so she followed along. She listened to the taller male speak to him, her interest showing when he mentioned writing. To Kios she said, "You write? I'd love to hear something." She smiled down at him. She'd often had bards, poets wander into her forest, hoping it's beauty would aid their muse.
Zero Dream
Akakios only nodded in answer to Glyph, at first, his full attention clearly on the fairy. He waited until she was settled, and only then did he look up at Forest. "Crys told me about you, too. Just a second..." And then he entered the teahouse proper. Akakios had learned, with experience, to carry at least a blank notebook and a pen with him, as there was no true way to know when inspiration would strike. And by the time he had found paper and pen... he might very well have lost his idea.He came out with those two items, sitting beside Nissa again. He liked her, he decided - her wings were so pretty, and he could swear the smell of flowers and greenery still clung to her.
He started to note along, and looked out again when she spoke to him. "Hrmmmmmm..." Did he have something in there, though ? Pages started to flip, back and forth, and then... Ah, he did, but... "It's not done yet." It might have been sitting in there for awhile, forgotten - he could not remember when he had wrote that. "It's sad, though." He, at least, thought to warn her. "I only write sad things."
"Dreams long forgotten
The stars in your eyes faded
Im lost, I don't know where you are
Where are you
I miss you...
I look at the empty sky, and
I wonder, will I ever see you again
No matter how hard I look
You're not here anymore
I can't find you..."
Then, he stopped. "That's all I have." He didn't usually share incomplete writings, not to anyone that wasn't his sister, but... it was the only thing he had. And he liked Nissa.
SkieBorne
Glyph nodded at her question, "I can, in time. The Forest of Silaera in the realm of Gaia?" He echoed the name and tucked it away, glancing at Kios as he took notes, thankful the boy was so obliging. Glyph carried no paper or pen any more and his Host's journal remained tucked with his other treasures in his quarters at the Pantheon, safe.Glyph leaned back, hands splayed in the grass as he propped himself up and crossed his legs, bare feet dirty and soil-covered. He closed his eyes as he listened to Lament's work and smiled when it was done, letting his head loll to one side, "A very good start. I would like hear that dirge when it is finished, if you would be so kind?"
He remained silent for a moment before he sat up once more, fished in a bag and pulled out an acorn. "Everything has to start somewhere, so take this. When it grows, you'll know I've found your home and am healing it. For now, though, I must be going. I promise I'll restore Silaera -- I don't know your name. Forgive me. What is it?" He'd risen and had offered the seed when he realized that the name of the fairy had thus far eluded him. He glanced at Akakios then, "And might I steal that page of notes you took? I'll need it. In the mean time, take care of her? And if either of you need anything, my door displays the Golden Grove. You'll find shelter there if you require it." His eyes spoke of earnest intent and promises he intended to keep. Forest was no liar and wanted very much to help this newcomer but his current tasks lay incomplete as of yet and Endiovar would likely be waiting.
Vesale
Nissa listened intently as Akakios recited his unfinished piece. She was impressed that one so young was able to create something that good with words, and it was not even complete. "Very pretty. It's quite sad, but I liked it. You'll read to me again once you're finished?" Nissa nodded in agreement with Forest and smiled, this young boy had helped her, and that made her glad. "I wish I could write. I was never good, I always tried to observe the poets, I had quite a lot come into my forest, and yet I was never able to understand how to craft words like them.""Oh! I'm so sorry." The fairy blushed, she normally would have introduced herself straight away, however with her current situation her mind was not entirely in the right place. "I'm Nissa." Something clicked and before offering her hands to receive the gift she turned to Akakios. "Is he a god?" She recalled what the young boy had said about gods before, and there was something about the other that seemed, different.
Zero Dream
"Thank you." He did smile, a little wider than usual, before carefully ripping the sheet where he had written what Nissa had said about her forest, handing it to Glyph. "I will." Of course he would take care of her ! That's what he was doing right now, right ?"He is." He did say, before trying to look as tall as he was able. (Unfortunately for him, it still wasn't very tall). "Im a god too, you know." He didn't look offended, thankfully for her, but people tended to overlook him because he was, well... small. And certainly much more normal-looking than his siblings.
SkieBorne
Glyph blinked as he deposited the seed in her hand and laughed, letting Kios answer the question. Bemused, he nodded his agreement with Lament, "Forest, to be precise. And he does not lie, Kios is the son of Underworld and Music, Nissa, the God of Laments." Winking at Kios, he grinned, "A very inspired domain if you ask me. Now, I must be going. Take care, hrm? Good day. I don't know how long I'll be away from the Pantheon but asking Ankou to send a crow should be enough to contact me easily."Moving away then, he waved his farewell.
Vesale
Nissa didn't quite know what to say. Gods? Both of them? The fairy was slightly overwhelmed at this new piece of information, and also perplexed. For Gods, they certainly seem godly, in fact, they didn't seem to be any different from the array of species that one could find on Gaia. "I'm so sorry! I didn't realise!" She was quick offer an apology. She'd never encountered a god before, let alone two, so she added in a bow for good measure. She clutched the seed close, feeling incredibly honored to have been given a gift from a God. She looked up and watched him leave, "Goodbye!" she shouted as he left, feeling a burst of hope. If he was the God of Forests, then he would definitely be able to help her.
Zero Dream
"See ya !" He called after the retreating Forest, and then focused his attention on Nissa fully, once again. "It's okay. Most people don't really think about it, because im still a kid." He pouted. Some part of him did wish others could take him a little more seriously when he had something important to saym though... the fairy seemed to be doing just that, and it made him happy.Akakios pondered for a moment, before asking. "Do you want something to drink, or something to eat ? I know where all the best peaches are."
Vesale
So she'd just met the God of Forests, she could understand his domain, but she wasn't quite sure about the Kios', Lament seemed like such a minor thing to her, did that mean there might be a God for everything? "So what does it mean to be the God of Lament?" She asked, generally curious.At the mention of food and water the fairy's stomach couldn't help giving a little grunt. She'd travelled for so long and so far in such a wasteland that food had been scarce, and being in the new situation she was in had made her temporarily forget her hunger. "Food and drink would be nice." She said, smiling at the young boy.
Zero Dream
The fairy's question seemed to catch the young god off-guard. He was certainly a little young to have explored those things ! "It's like..." He trailed, as he got up and started to head off in the garden, certain that Nissa would follow him. "It's like..."...
"...Mom says ill understand when im older." He blurted out, suddenly sheepish, and certainly a little bit embarrassed. "That I should just be what comes naturally to me." He was thinking, and hard at that. What did it mean to be him ? "...When people are grieving, I... help them ?" It's what he'd done for Tian Yue, after all. And, he hoped, for Harmodius too. "Like... closure ?"
Vesale
Nissa rose and followed the godling as he talked. It was definitely interesting to hear him talk about his domain, it was something she would never had considered before, thinking that gods were only for the more prominent things, such as the elements. What is this place, that she could encounter gods."That makes sense," she nodded, encouraging him. "Certainly a noble domain." She smiled.
Zero Dream
Well, at least there was comfort in the fact that she hadn't laughed at him, in spite of his cluelessness. If anything else, it demonstrated that she should likely wait for someone else to come along to answer the more complicated questions.The praise made it all better, a soothing balm on his young ego, and he looked up at her. "Of course it is."
He stopped by a tree - and it was easy to see the ripe fruits hanging from the branches, ready for the taking. But, Nissa would have to serve herself, since her companion was on the short side, unable to even reach the lowest-hanging branches.
Vesale
"Here, let me." She reached up to the lowest branches and picked two peaches, one for each of them. She handed on to Kios before sitting down at the base of the tree, leaning against the trunk."It's so pretty here." She sighed in awe, this truly was an oasis. Then, she sunk her teeth into the juicy fruit, glad for some food.
Zero Dream
The boy at least did take the time to chirp a quick 'thank you' before starting to chow down on the fruit, carefully making sure no juice dripped anywhere on him. Akakios sat then, back against the tree's trunk."It's pretty." And he liked pretty things - it suited him just fine. "Harmodius made it like that. It wasn't so pretty before." The lava (though, back then, he hadn't known what it was called) had scared him, and he rarely ever went outside because of it.
Vesale
Nissa nearly dropped her peach. "Someone made all of this? That's... incredible!" The fairy couldn't even begin to imagine the kind of power it would take to create something like this from scratch.Her ears perked at the mention of another name she didn't know. "Harmodious? Who's that?"
Zero Dream
"Creation." He answered in between two bites of fruit, as if that somehow answered everything. And then, he remembered what else he'd been told. "Oh, and Destruction, too." He forgot, often. He's never seen Destruction at all, and it was hard for him to remember the fact that Harmodius was in fact two... influences ? People ? It was hard for him to understand that.Vesale
"Creation and Destruction?" She said between bites. Did he mean that as an influence? But that would mean... Nissa nearly dropped her peach. Was there really someone so powerful? But then, she supposed, she was here, and she'd already met two gods. And the boy said it so casually. This really was a strange place. She took another bite out of the peach.Zero Dream
"Hm-m !" Akakios was on the complete opposite side of the spectrum, so to speak. All of this was normal, made perfect sense, and was in a way a little comforting. Everyone and everything had its place, in a way."Maybe we'll see him ?" Or maybe not. Who knew ?
Vesale
Nissa continued to nibble away at her fruit until it was all gone, and she was left with nothing but the stone. The fairy let out a small yawn before realizing she hadn't had a good sleep in a long time, but even here she didn't have somewhere to stay. Perhaps she could make a make-shift bed at the foot of this tree. It certainly seemed welcoming enough. "That peach was delicious." She said, although there was a clear drawl on her voice, one of the many effects of tiredness. Nissa could feel all the lost hours of sleep catching up. She wondered if Kios would know somewhere she could stay.
Zero Dream
Akakios blinked, a little confused for a moment, until he recognized what all those little things meant. He'd seen them displayed by his mother and his sibilings, and very seldomly displayed by even himself."Are you tired ?" He asked her. "There are... rooms in my mom's room. Guest rooms, she call them ? You could sleep there. Ill make sure no one bother you."
And if anyone had anything to say against it, well, they'd need to go through him ! His mom and his dad both had mortals, so why couldn't he ?
Vesale
"I am, very." She said, stiffling another yawn. Nissa smiled with relief when the young boy offered her a bed."Really? They wouldn't mind?" She didn't want to barge in on someones home unannounced, but if his parents were as kind as him she hoped they wouldn't have a problem with her.
"A bed would be great." She nodded.
Zero Dream
"No one'll mind !" Well, his mom wouldn't. His dad... well, how was Nissa being here being any different from Falcatta being there ? There. Perfect logic.He'd just wail until he gave up on arguing about if it it happened.
He stood then, brushing grass away from his clothes and replacing his tunic. "Come with me, ill show you."
Vesale
"Okay then!" She smiled and rose from the ground. The fairy complemented getting another peach but decided against it. It's never good to sleep on a full stomach her mother had always told her.She waited for the young god to clean himself up before following him.
Zero Dream
His hand slipped into Nissa's again, and he led her toward the biggest building. From there on, he led her upstairs - and upstairs, there was only a very, very long hall with many doors on each side, each with different designs on them. The boy continued, stopping before a rather complex door and opening it without even bothering to knock."Here. This is..." He wanted to say his place, really, but that wasn't entirely true. "Mom's place." And it was massive indeed - much more massive than the outside hall would have hinted - with an interior garden to boot - but then Akakios was moving again, to the left, opening one more door to reveal a large, and currently unoccupied, room. "You can sleep here." He announced, apparently very proud of himself. "You come get me when you're awake again, kay ? My room is the second to last down the hall."
Vesale
Nissa knew he was just a child, but he made her feel safe, and she was glad for that. Perhaps this place wouldn't be too bad to her after all. Nissa walked wide-eyed, hand clasped to the young godling as he took her to his mothers home. The building was huge, and the stairs, and then the doors. The doors! There were so many, and each unique. Nissa attempted to have a look at each but soon got them all muddled up. When they stopped she knew she must be at an important door, and this she did memorize, in case she ever was alone and needed to find Kios again.The fairy was stunned when he revealed the inside of the room. How was it so big? Her jaw hung loosely as she took it all in. Yet another wonder to add to her list in this strange place. Normally, being the type of fae that she is, she would have dropped everything to take a look at the garden, but, being as tired as she was, merely glanced over it, making a mental note to observe it in more detail, after she'd regained her energy.
"Thank you, Kios," She said as he showed her to the empty room. "You're very sweet, and I wouldn't dream of exploring this place without you around!" She gave him a quick kiss on the top of his head before making her way to the bed, too tired to bother closing the door.
