logs | {suddenly, you lose your way and lose the thread.

Entry tags:

{suddenly, you lose your way and lose the thread.

WHO: Aspen, various
WHERE: Shadowlands, Stygia, and more
WHEN: December
WHAT: Catch-all log (event + general)
WARNINGS: Refer to Aspen's blanket warnings to be safe. Includes nonsexual descriptions of nudity (nude model thread.)

→ harbor

( in this white-out winter, a slender figure steps through the snow with dogged determination. aspen acts like the wind doesn't really bother him, and in a sense, it doesn't - these winters are not unlike the ones he's witnessed in petir. he's missed them - in a sense that he hasn't seen snow for almost two years. he's been so used to rains that he almost forgot that most places got snow instead of flooding. while most seem to be bundled up and bustling, aspen enjoys the snowflakes dancing in the air and some that stick to his cheeks and lashes. that, however, doesn't mean he doesn't take notice when some people are freezing their tails off.

as he unlocks the side entrance to his still-remodeling shop, he calls - )

If you're cold, you can come in here for a reprieve.

( aspen's expression isn't as cheery as it usually is - even as he rustles and flaps his wings to knock the frost off of his feathers, there's something heavy hanging in the air about him. he pushes his braid out of his coat so it falls over his shoulder like usual, setting down the coat that he'd kept over his clothes. he's traded in pastels for darker blues and blacks, and he heads to the stone counter - opening the side gate so he stands behind the counter and starts taking care of the plants and walls of powders, tonics, and salves he has stashed away. )

What are you doing out here, if I may ask? You're not going to cross the sea, are you? If you get knocked off the ship, who knows if you'll freeze or not at this point - ghk...

( he covers his mouth as he coughs up a few flower petals, his sigh melding with an exhausted wheeze. he shakes his head with disappointment. )

Apologies.

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( he shuts an eye as he continues, trying to ignore the tickling in his throat. the surge of sentimentality hurts. he's been doing so well, and he's trying to force it down for good. instead he focuses on the way d holds him gently.

his heart thrums hard. his ever-present distrust and fear stays, even if it's dampened. he knows that d isn't the sort of person to hurt without reason - but even so, it makes him wary. he lets out a breath he hadn't been holding when he's done, letting out slow and careful breaths. he breathes in deep, and finds the rasp in his lungs to be gentler than usual.

he sniffs. )

It stings. But it doesn't hurt.

[The bare hand pulls away to give Aspen space, but the hand on the back of Aspen's neck stays for a few moments just to be sure nothing terrible happens. And then, slowly, that hand pulls away as well.

He keeps the one doused in oil rested on his thigh at the wrist. His eyes study Aspen's face, watching for any kind of signs of bad reaction. But it seems like it should work as well as it had for a few others.]

You can keep it.

[Even if Aspen doesn't keep using it personally, he's sure Aspen would at least offer to use it on anyone he saw plagued by the disease.]

Do you have something I can wipe my hand with?

( aspen doesn't even bat an eye before he pulls at a slit in his dress. pockets!

he hands a cotton handkerchief over. )

Thank you. I'm afraid for as much as I deal in medicine, I'm not the best convalescent. Better that I had this now, and... perhaps I can find out how to make something stronger.

( he wipes at his eyes before refocusing on d. )

You said you were meeting someone. Why for? You're not making trouble, are you?

( he jokes with a tiny, forced smile. )

[It feels almost crude to ruin this nice handkerchief. He takes it and hesitates for a long moment before he somewhat tenderly cleans a little of the oil off his fingers.]

You are free to try. It may be beneficial to others as well.

[He glances up with his eyes before looking down again at what he's doing.]

I'm meeting Sakura.

[He does not exactly answer the first question, and he cannot say whether or not he is making trouble. He doesn't think so. He's a good boy. Usually.]

Edited 2022-12-09 20:22 (UTC)

Oh!

( his smile turns more natural, the tension in his small shoulders ebbing. )

She's a good woman. I can't quite understand her, but nevertheless, I trust her. You'll be in fine hands.

The harbor seems more... busy, lately. Everyone seems in a hurry. I don't know why, but... I'm starting to sense that something is going wrong.

[Aspen had assigned him naughty boy...

Once he's finished cleaning his hands the best he is able, he neatly folds the handkerchief and somewhat hesitantly offers it back out to Aspen... as if he's maybe a bit ashamed having made it dirty.] Thank you. I'm sorry for the mess. [Perhaps he should have just asked to wash it.

Sakura is a good woman, D agrees, but he again doesn't say anything about it. He isn't sure if Sakura wants the business spread, but he doesn't think Aspen would necessarily be a terrible person to know what the meeting is about.]

What do you mean...?

( court-assigned naughtiness.

the court is aspen. naturally.

he chuckles when he's given the handkerchief back, and slides over a glass dish. )

No need to apologize. It's cotton. ( he reaches across the counter to take hold of his crystal staff. the air seems stuffier for a second, but after a shake - no, two, the first getting a frown out of aspen - the oil seems to slide off. it collects in the dish as if it hadn't soaked through the cloth at all. ) It's why I only wear cotton and linen. Well, until I can find some good silk. As long as my magic behaves, I can control plants - even ones that have been treated and woven into fabric.

( he actually hands it back to d to touch, so he can see that it's perfectly dry - like new. when he does that, he sobers, putting his staff back. )

... I mean what I say. Surely you've had a moment where you sort of - look up, and you can feel as if the air has grown thick with tension. Something like that? You wake up, and you know something isn't right. It's a dark feeling in the back of your mind, nagging at you.

That's what I feel now. It's not normal for so many people to be here, not like this. Not in this weather. And I think most are going to the docks, for gods know what reason. I wish I'd inherited my father's scrying... it'd be useful about now.

[The only things that move are D’s eyes. He sits and watches, transfixed, as Aspen rids the cloth of the medicinal oil. He doesn’t look amazed, or baffled, or fearful, only extremely clinical and studious, like a man watching the working innards of a clock.

When it’s handed back, he gladly takes it for inspection. He runs his fingers gently over the material, curious. Controlling plant fibers…

Then he lifts his eyes again, still holding the handkerchief in his hands. He doesn’t feel seen so much as Aspen simply says something very familiar. Understanding.]

The people on the docks are going to the Shadowlands.

[It has to be the only real direction those with anxious hurry are headed. (Like him? Perhaps without the worry.) It makes sense. Maybe not in the reason why.]

Pieces of who we were are there.

[But saying it now is an understanding something doesn’t bode well for them if that is the case.]

( aspen nods slowly. it makes sense - though he prefers to keep his excursions to the shadowlands short and early. the idea that they're going there for their 'homes', or the like - that, however, makes him purse his lips. )

I don't see how that would be helpful? Ah - or is it sentimentality?

( he tilts his head, thinking out loud. )

People do tend to get sentimental around the end of the year. Celebrations and holidays notwithstanding, I suppose some people would like to visit who they were...

[Normally, he would have no reason to disagree with this assessment. But something about the feeling... about what Aspen had said before, doesn't sit well with him.]

I think it may be something else.

[The hurry is one thing--the hurry itself--but the anxiety mingled with the rush. Almost as if people are urged by some seed of fear to race as fast as possible to the Shadowlands.]

The feeling you described... I've felt it once, just for a moment. Something must be happening in the Shadowlands.

... happening? In the Shadowlands?

( he does give pause, momentarily stopped mid-step of going back behind the counter. that sounds. concerning. he looks at d sidelong. )

Not me. ... but. I haven't seen Laurent in a while. Do you think... he went there? Not that I - ( he lets out a soft scoff. ) I'm not his keeper, but - if anyone, he seems the type to follow a bad feeling to its root.

Did you feel inclined to go, too?

[The former question makes his lips thin into a small frown. He mostly leaves Laurent to the man’s own devices (that isn’t his business), but the idea of Aspen not even seeing Laurent…

He thinks about Eddie being missing, about Sakura looking for a friend who is also missing.]

I don’t know. Laurent is foolish sometimes, but he isn’t a stupid man. I think he would take someone with him in case. [Someone who had some brute strength, someone who could be used as fodder if things got bad.] The feeling did make me want to investigate.

When was the last time you saw Laurent?

No, he's not stupid. Prideful at worst.

( he frowns, taking a moment to think. )

I saw him in passing a few weeks ago, now. I don't normally question his whereabouts, but with this cold and the strange feeling... I shudder to think. I know I'm one to talk, but - he's small, and smaller people have a tendency to grow cold easier.

What about you?

[Hmm. He doesn't try to make Aspen's concern a big deal. It's kind, to think of someone as prickly as Laurent when the hurt is so heavily concealed.]

A while ago. When he told me something I don't think he would tell anyone. He must have been cursed.

[Which... worrisome. But why expect any less in this place. This feeling in maybe just another "curse" of sorts plaguing them.]

I'll see if I find him in the Shadowlands. When I come back, I'll look around for him.

( ah. ... he might know what it is, but out of respect for laurent - he doesn't embellish or ask. still, it makes him a little happy that laurent might have people that will understand where he stands. he nods, then. )

Thank you - I appreciate your help. I'll try to let you know if I find him as well. Hopefully he's alright.

And you are too, I trust? I've been helping Augustine with a medicine, and I think you two are similar - if you need something...

[Me realizing they both could have pestered Laurent with the phone even if Laurent wouldn’t answer maybe.]

I’m alright.

[Would he say this even if he wasn’t alright? Probably. Much to Aspen’s irritation more than likely.

It’s fine…]

What kind of medicine?

[His brows pinch ever so slightly, but he keeps looking at Aspen.

Slowly, he offers the handkerchief back.]

( aspen's to medieval fantasy to talk on the phone. that's my justification. )

I can't tell you that. It's against a breech of my oath to tell others what medicines someone takes unless it's life-threatening.

( instead, as he takes the handkerchief back: )

Would you like to know my services? In case you have any need of it.

( he can't tell d what augustine is taking, but d can probably figure out if he wants to know. )

[It doesn’t seem to offend or annoy him when Aspen declines. In fact, it reminds him of Sakura’s honor for patient privacy, and he is quite glad for it.

If they won’t tell him and he acts relatively decently as a person, then he thinks that’s fairly trustworthy.]

Alright. I’m listening.

( he smiles a little. )

During the winter, I have a serum of everlasting warmth due to this bitter cold, taken with tea or water for best effects. It does not cure the chill, but it can make it more manageable. I also have a calming tea, meant for tamping down the bite of ones' Shadow, but it is still undergoing testing for a full effect. Nightbalm tea is a personalized bedtime tea blend that soothes the mind to rid oneself of nightmares - be aware that it requires consistent use to achieve medical stability and full effect.

I have normal winter items - balms to soothe sore cracked skin, beet sugar-salt mixtures to melt snow... and a tumeric-cinnamon honey milk recipe!

That one isn't mine, and it's given for free. One of the neighbors offered it to me.

[This is quite the apothecary list. He mills it over for a long, silent moment, eyes lowered beneath his lashes.

Then he looks up again. From within the confines of the long cape, he brings out a handful of coins. He didn’t inquire of any price—and who knows, it may be more—but he carefully spills the equivalent of thirty coins on the counter.]

I would like to buy the serum for warmth. [He says this like he is in a shop making a purchase.] And also the last recipe.

( aspen sputters a bit with a gentle laugh. )

I didn't think you'd actually try to buy something, darling. ( he does actually look through the labeled vials and plucks one out. it's long, about the length of d's palm and two fingers thick, with a transparent orange liquid inside. ) You're overpaying though. Even when I intend to be open for actual business, I'd only charge about ten coins for this.

( so he fishes five coins out and pushes the rest back to him. )

You get a discount since I'm not actually running yet. Do you want your drink in a flask or a glass?

[The coins come back to him, but he doesn’t take them. Instead, he takes the vial and puts it somewhere beneath the cape.

And still doesn’t touch the coins. Will he leave it there? Yes. It is simply how he is, paying the full price without negotiation, or paying more than necessary.

He finds value in other people’s hard work.]

A flask, if you have one.

I do.

( he turns to the shelves behind him. some ingredients are stocked, but most of the shelves house dried flowers, herbs, liquids of varying hues, and differently colored powders. underneath all of that and at aspen's level is a small icebox. he uses a copper shaker to meld a dose of honey, tumeric, cinnamon and a splash of milk together. that concentrated brew is the base for which he adds more milk and begins to heat it up for, whilst tying the recipe on a cord around the flask's neck. )

This'll hold its warmth through the cold for a time.

... you're really going to overpay? ( he hefts a fond sigh. ) I'll take it as a donation...

Thank you.

[Like with the staff, his eyes lift again and carefully, studiously watch Aspen go about the process. The other things receive a passing glance, but his attention is on what Aspen is making currently more than anything.

As expected, he still doesn't take the money he left on the counter. His job is done here...]

Do you practice botany?

Hmm? ( he blinks at d curiously. ) Of course...? It is part and parcel of a green mage's study to strengthen their magic - the fundamentals, you could say. You can't cast anything without some knowledge in botany.

Granted, I study herbology the most, as my use for flora is largely medicinal. It is but a small corner underneath botany.

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