Briar Moss (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
thornandmoss) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
triangularity2012-11-28 05:24 pm
thornandmoss) wrote in triangularity2012-11-28 05:24 pm
Into the Wood
Thinking about his latest conversation with Daja, Briar returned to the workroom to put away his tools. Trowels and pruning shears taken care of, he paused before opening a drawer to stow the twine, eyes darting quickly to either side and a small tendril of his magic reaching for the cords that held his wrist knives in place. He could release them immediately now.
Two rings sat in the center of worktable. One yellow, one green, they were polished to a mirror-bright shine and made of a substance the former thief couldn't identify but presumed to be stone of some sort. "Tris," he called out, "Has Evvy been by?"
The rings were humming slightly with magic, and Briar called up his magical vision for a moment to see the silver shine on them. "Who taught her that?" Briar wondered. It certainly hadn't been him. Briar snorted. "Well of course she's picking up new things. She'll have proper teachers now. I could take care of the basics, but she's better off with a stone mage."
Still having received no answer from Tris, Briar shrugged. Either she'd gone out while he was in the garden or his sister was so engrossed in a book she hadn't heard. Really, who but Evvy would come in and leave Briar rocks?
Reluctant to admit to his student that he didn't recognize the spellwork she'd done on the rings, Briar leaned in closer, wondering if they were a gift or a prank. Evvy wouldn't leave anything really harmful without at least a warning, though, so Briar reached down and picked up first the green one. Nothing happened. Noticing with a grin that his left hand tattoo was blooming a brilliant yellow that day, he put the yellow ring on the hand it matched.
Next thing he knew, Briar experienced a brief flash of confusion followed by the realization that he was absolutely not in his workroom. In fact, he felt almost as if he were underwater. But he couldn't be. Briar wasn't gasping for air, and it didn't feel wet. He didn't have long to consider other possibilities, as he felt himself propelled upward, toward a green light. If it were water, toward the light is exactly where he'd want to go, so Briar didn't fight the force. He ended up on hands and knees just at the edge of a pool of water, still dry.
Briar barely noticed the lack of sopping wet clothes, though, eyes widening in wonder and fingers pressing into the lush green grass and down into the soil underneath. Briar's head was reeling, surrounded by more green life than he'd ever felt before. It stretched as far as his senses did, and he rolled onto his back, looking up at foliage that filtered bright strong sunlight into a warm green light that also filled the entire space. He saw not a single break in the leaves, and the trees were almost dizzyingly healthy. Every bit of green in the forest was thriving. This was not a normal forest. No wood on earth felt like this. But then, Briar had no idea what that ring had done. Maybe Evvy didn't leave it. The forest was too organized and well-arranged to be the domain of the Green Man. Maybe if the Green Man and Mila of the Grain managed a forest together, the perfect harmony of their natures could make it. Briar's magic sank into the ground, intertwining with the roots of the trees. He let it travel up their trunks, out the branches and into the leaves, before settling back to him on the ground. If he were a tree, he thought he wouldn't mind sinking his own roots in right here. The evenly spaced pools would feed his roots, and his roots and branches would weave their way between all the others, the foliage cover solid but thin enough that every bit of the forest still got sunlight. His leaves would too.
Two rings sat in the center of worktable. One yellow, one green, they were polished to a mirror-bright shine and made of a substance the former thief couldn't identify but presumed to be stone of some sort. "Tris," he called out, "Has Evvy been by?"
The rings were humming slightly with magic, and Briar called up his magical vision for a moment to see the silver shine on them. "Who taught her that?" Briar wondered. It certainly hadn't been him. Briar snorted. "Well of course she's picking up new things. She'll have proper teachers now. I could take care of the basics, but she's better off with a stone mage."
Still having received no answer from Tris, Briar shrugged. Either she'd gone out while he was in the garden or his sister was so engrossed in a book she hadn't heard. Really, who but Evvy would come in and leave Briar rocks?
Reluctant to admit to his student that he didn't recognize the spellwork she'd done on the rings, Briar leaned in closer, wondering if they were a gift or a prank. Evvy wouldn't leave anything really harmful without at least a warning, though, so Briar reached down and picked up first the green one. Nothing happened. Noticing with a grin that his left hand tattoo was blooming a brilliant yellow that day, he put the yellow ring on the hand it matched.
Next thing he knew, Briar experienced a brief flash of confusion followed by the realization that he was absolutely not in his workroom. In fact, he felt almost as if he were underwater. But he couldn't be. Briar wasn't gasping for air, and it didn't feel wet. He didn't have long to consider other possibilities, as he felt himself propelled upward, toward a green light. If it were water, toward the light is exactly where he'd want to go, so Briar didn't fight the force. He ended up on hands and knees just at the edge of a pool of water, still dry.
Briar barely noticed the lack of sopping wet clothes, though, eyes widening in wonder and fingers pressing into the lush green grass and down into the soil underneath. Briar's head was reeling, surrounded by more green life than he'd ever felt before. It stretched as far as his senses did, and he rolled onto his back, looking up at foliage that filtered bright strong sunlight into a warm green light that also filled the entire space. He saw not a single break in the leaves, and the trees were almost dizzyingly healthy. Every bit of green in the forest was thriving. This was not a normal forest. No wood on earth felt like this. But then, Briar had no idea what that ring had done. Maybe Evvy didn't leave it. The forest was too organized and well-arranged to be the domain of the Green Man. Maybe if the Green Man and Mila of the Grain managed a forest together, the perfect harmony of their natures could make it. Briar's magic sank into the ground, intertwining with the roots of the trees. He let it travel up their trunks, out the branches and into the leaves, before settling back to him on the ground. If he were a tree, he thought he wouldn't mind sinking his own roots in right here. The evenly spaced pools would feed his roots, and his roots and branches would weave their way between all the others, the foliage cover solid but thin enough that every bit of the forest still got sunlight. His leaves would too.
no subject
He was also curious, though. Curious about the way her power worked and about the pools in the wood. "As far as I can see or feel, the forest stays the same. Exploration might not be too interesting." He smirked, gesturing grandly at Ashley. "The company more than makes up for that, of course, if you'd prefer it."
If one pool leads to Taxon, and one pool leads to Summersea, where could all the others lead? It might be reckless of him, but Briar leaned toward finding out at some point.
no subject
"It'll have to be on foot," she told him with a glance through the trees. "I can't teleport where I haven't been before." Or, well, she could, but the chances they would re-materialize inside a tree or something equally unpleasant was quite high. Ashley would rather avoid that. "I mean, I can but I don't think either of us wants to risk what would happen."
She was thinking along the same lines, wondering if one would lead to the Sanctuary, to home. If that were true... She glanced at one of the unfamiliar ones. It was so tempting; she wanted so desperately to see her mother again, but she had no idea what would happen.
And that was half the fun.
no subject
His idea of exploration didn't include teleporting in the first place. Briar shrugged, grinning. "My feet work fine," he informed Ashley cheekily. "Yours?"
He watched as her gaze shifted toward one of the pools. Reaching for Ashley's hand, Briar took it and squeezed lightly. Then he said softly, "Pick one."
Briar was curious too, after all.
no subject
"Never better," Ashley answered with a grin to match. For a moment, she cast her gaze around the pools of water, turning a few times to determine which would be the most interesting. Once she'd chosen, she wrapped her fingers around his hand a little more fully and pointed. "Let's try that one first."
She glanced at him once more before she started walking for that little pool. How one of these things could lead to a separate world was a mystery to her, but she liked mysteries. This would just be one big adventure and she liked that just fine.
no subject
Briar spent enough time traveling that he's more used to road than home lately. He doesn't think it will hurt to spend a little more time on the road, as long as he makes it back before his sisters start to worry too much.
"On the count of three?"
no subject
She nods at his question, preparing herself. "On three. One... two... three!"
And in she jumped. It felt a lot like it had the first time, which was nice. At least she knew what to expect. Once they'd reappeared somewhere else and stepped out of the pool, she glanced around. The first thing she noticed was the forest.
"...Those are some impressive trees."
And that was an understatement.