pressing flowers.

yoo shiah. twenty-one. water witch. sacred grove. "for ivy climbs the crumbling wall to decorate decay."

[cvjiho-blog]

moonlight shadow ( kjh & ysa )

[cvjiho-blog]

“but at least i can finally reply to you now. well, i guess it’s going to be funny then, because i am wheein’s sister. kim jiho, at your service,” she widens her smile. “you must be yoo shiah, then! it took us a lot of time to finally meet, but i’ve heard about you before as well. only good things, of course!”

[cvshiah-blog]

she doesn’t mean to make jiho feel uncomfortable.  it just keeps slipping her mind, the lack of clothing on her body not important enough to be constantly relevant.  her parents would have a heart attack at the admission, but the witch quite enjoyed being nude.  the freedom it brought made her feel closer to nature in some sense, wearing only what mother earth had given her: skin and hair and a bright smile.  if it wouldn’t absolutely murder her parents (and if she wasn’t currently enrolled in school), she probably would have run off and joined some kind of naturalist colony by now.  who needed clothing when you could be happy without it?

well, the answer to that question was most people.  most people needed clothing to feel comfortable, and shiah was the odd man out, so it wasn’t appropriate for her to be conversing with a complete stranger in the nude.  even if she hadn’t expected to interact with someone else, planned her evening bath in solitude, the familiar’s presence had changed things.  she needed to be polite -- and at least somewhat normal, the voice that sounded strangely like her mother chipped in from the back of her mind -- , and in order to do that, she had to keep body far under the surface of the pool.

she slid underneath the cloaking of the water with ease, her muscles relaxing the moment they were submerged.  the pool always seemed to release all of the tension that would build up in her shoulders throughout the day.  perhaps it was because her body was engulfed in her element, but she always felt very at home in the water.  nothing could bother her when she floated delicately in the pond, moonlight illuminating the area and the rush of the waterfall filling the air.  she was completely at peace there, even under the gaze of an outsider.

for a moment, shiah had to wonder if the other had transformed into her animal form to escape some kind of conversation with her.  she wouldn’t really be able to blame her; if she had walked in on someone naked, she might have done the very same to avoid any further embarrassment.  it was beginning to seem very likely, the longer it took for the girl to shift back.  now, she was no expect on familiar powers and their limitations, but she was almost certain that they could control when they shifted pretty well.  at least, those who had attended the school for more than a year could.  and just as she was starting to feel insecure, ready to tell the other that she didn’t have to stick around if she felt uncomfortable, the fox very suddenly turned back into the beautiful girl from before.

hearing that the transformation had been an accident, it felt like a light weight had been lifted from her shoulders.  at least she hadn’t made her entirely uncomfortable.  “oh, don’t worry!  i understand completely.  but at least you’re back!  it can get a little weird talking to myself.”  she flashed another grin the moment their eyes met, genuinely relieved that she could receive responses to her rambling. “i knew it!  or, i didn’t really know for sure, but i just had a feeling it was you.  it’s so great to finally meet you!”  shiah had to stop herself from reaching out to offer her hand, remembering at the last minute that she needed the dark water to cover herself.  “that’s me!  sorry, i should have introduced myself first.  i don’t believe wheein is capable of saying bad things about anyone, so i’ve only heard good things as well.  she really adores you, and anyone wheein loves, i automatically love as well.”

[rndbt]

[cvwheein]

* of flower crowns and afternoon naps

[cvwheein]

“You’re right that it’s not easy,” she continues, her attention back to the flower crown in her hand as she slowly but determinately weaves the stems together, “but I will make it, you just wait and see.” She goes silent after that because she’s concentrating on the task at hand, but knowing Shiah, she would understand without the blonde needing to say much.

[cvshiah-blog]

from what the pair of friends had shared about their childhoods, shiah had noticed quite a few similarities between their upbringings.  they both had overbearing parents, each having wanted the absolutely best for their children, but went about it in the wrong way.  wheein’s mother acted as a teacher rather than a nurturing figure, pushing away comfort in the hopes that her daughter would learn everything she possibly could.  shiah’s parents, on the other hand, were a strange mixture of the two: caring and strict all at once.  they treated her like a child for most of her life, but they also forced her to study and practice until she grew to despise it.  and while she had learned to rebel and eventually found her own place in life, her friend still seemed to have trouble escaping it.  but that had only led her to be more understanding of the situation, all the more patient and caring.

“if you didn’t, i would be very confused about how you always did my hair during sleepovers,” she teased lightly, gaze glued to her friend’s hands as she watched her apply the method.  it took a few weaves, bending the stems gently and knotting them together, but it appeared like she had gotten the hang of it pretty quickly.  the smile on shiah’s lips was more than enough to show how proud she was, the bright grin causing her eyes to nearly close with its force.  “there you go!  see, you don’t even need the wire as a guide.  it just takes a little bit of practice.  and before you know it, you’ll be able to make these in your sleep.”

at that, she turned her attention back to her own crown, much more complexly woven than wheein’s. she liked creating the crowns that blended together all different types and colors, a mixture of everything she could get her hands on.  it wasn’t always the most aesthetically pleasing, but it always made her feel a little bit happier.  somewhere in the back of her mind, it felt like a strange metaphor for harmony.  if she could make something beautiful out of all those contrasting flowers, then maybe it wasn’t so ridiculous for her to believe in things like world peace... although even she could recognize that the comparison was a bit of a stretch.  “that’s one thing i really love about you. you’re so determined, wheein.  if there’s an obstacle in your way, you’ll always find a way around it. it’s very admirable.”

[cvjiho-blog]

moonlight shadow ( kjh & ysa )

[cvjiho-blog]

a sudden shiver shakes her, the chill of the air causing a temporary discomfort, even though her fur should be thick enough to keep warm. but the water seems to have been way colder what it first felt like, because her body starts trembling, teeth grazing against each other as the coldness hits her. 

[cvshiah-blog]

the moment the familiar had appeared, all of shiah’s thoughts had begun wrapping around her.  as time ticked by, she found herself growing increasingly curious of the girl.  not only was she beautiful, but her actions thus far had been, at least in her eyes, quite endearing.  from her embarrassed expression when they first spotted each other to tumbling head first into the cool water, the stranger had done nothing to curb the witch’s interest in her.

pulling herself from the water, she took careful steps toward her earlier discarded clothing.  the last thing she needed was to slip and fall as well, turning the situation into even more of a mess.  jiho was probably feeling more than enough embarrassment for the both of them, and she certainly didn’t need to add to the stiff atmosphere.  she bent down to retrieve the dress, once again letting her nudity slip from her mind as she leaned over in a less than appropriate manner.  her cheeks colored a light pink once she realized that she was almost flashing the poor girl, a muttered apology slipping passed her lips as she tried to ignore her own actions.

the fact that her dress was pure white didn’t even cross her mind, only wanting to help the shivering familiar.  there was an awkward beat that passed as she wondered if it would be appropriate to actually pick up the other.  she wasn’t always sure of the etiquette one should follow when encountering someone in their animal form.  was she to treat them like a human and let them act independently, or help them like she would an innocent pet?  after a moment of mental debating, shiah decided to just act as she would with any other animal, moving to pick up the white fox and wrap her tightly in the fabric of her dress.

“there,” she expressed her contentment with a firm nod of her head, “that should help, right?”  despite knowing that there would be no verbal response from the girl, she still felt it was only natural to continue speaking.  the last thing she wanted was for them to fall into an uncomfortable lull, and the best way to avoid that was to just power through it.  it was a good thing she had been blessed with the gift of gab, able to converse with a brick wall if she had to.  “you know, it’s a shame that your fur got all dirty.  it’s very beautiful.”  unable to resist, shiah ran her fingers through the clean fur on the fox’s head, a small smile forming on her lips.  “i wish i had a blanket this soft,” she mused quietly, giving the fur one more stroke before coming back to her senses.  petting a stranger while holding them up to her bare chest was probably not the best choice of action.  without any more hesitation, she moved to place the animal back onto the ground.

“you know, you seem familiar to me,” the witch began before letting out an abrupt laugh, catching her unintentional pun a little too late.  a hand flew up to cover her mouth, attempting to still her laughter before she tried to speak once more.  “not because you’re a familiar!  i meant to say that i think i know you.  not personally, of course, because this is definitely the first time i’ve ever seen you.  but my best friend’s sister is a fire familiar, an arctic fox like you.  i’ve never actually met her, but wheein talks about her all the time.  she sounds lovely.  that wouldn’t happen to be you, would it?”  she moved back toward the pool as she spoke, slipping under the cover of the water, “i didn’t get the best look at you before, but i thought i saw some similarities... that would be pretty funny, don’t you think?  if you were her sister, i mean.”

[cvwheein]

* of flower crowns and afternoon naps

Wheein glances up from the flowers in her hand and looks over at the brunette with a fond smile on her face, suddenly remembering back to the first time they met. The blonde had never met anyone like Shiah before but that only piqued her interest in the other even more. Fast forward a few years, and now they were best of friends and honestly, Wheein wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Shiah, am I doing this right?”

[cvshiah-blog]

it was important for shiah to spend her life doing the things that she loved.  after a childhood of being locked away by her parents, she didn’t want to waste a single moment of her new life.  she wanted to embrace nature to the fullest extent, be with those who made her the happiest, and do everything she could to enjoy every second of every day.  being with wheein happened fit under each of those categories, which only made her appreciate her friend all the more.

with wheein, she could sit in the sunshine, soaking up the warmth as her fingers worked to weave together a crown of flowers.  the pair had spent over an hour picking out just the right flora to fit their visions, the perfect shades and sizes to create a beautiful headband each.  these crowns, always handmade and personally picked by shiah herself, were a staple in her wardrobe.  it was one of two constants in her outfits, the other being her usual lack of footwear.  making these crafts were as simple as breathing after so many years of wearing them, and teaching the other witch to do the same had sounded like a easy task.

but unfortunately, it was not a very easy task.

“not exactly right...” despite the fact that her friend was not weaving the stems together correctly, shiah showed no sign of frustration.  she was an understanding person, especially when it came to her loved ones.  these things took time to learn, and it would be silly for her to think that wheein could pick it up in a matter of minutes.  thin fingers slipped away from her own crown, moving to help the blonde lace the flowers together properly, “here, like this.”

skilled hands worked to tie the stems of the flowers together, braiding them into each other just as she had shown wheein before.  “i promise, it’s much more simple than it might look.  you want to weave them together like you’re braiding hair.  i know you can do that.”  after finishing up a single flower, she handed the crown back over to her friend, watching patiently for her to employ the technique.  “maybe we should have done your first crown with wire.  that makes things much easier...”

[pocresourcing]

[cvshiah-blog]

fuck your white washed aesthetic !! (( the nature lover ))

“A garden requires patient labor and attention. Plants do not grow merely to satisfy ambitions or to fulfill good intentions. They thrive because someone expended effort on them,”

[cvjiho-blog]

moonlight shadow ( kjh & ysa )

[cvjiho-blog]

but for her temporary weakness to manifest right now, right here… is truly unlucky. especially since right now as well, just like on any other occasions when she would transform randomly, she can’t seem to go back to being human. jiho sighs, which probably sounds somewhat like a snort in this form. she jumps out of the water, shaking her now completely drenched fur and she is just happy that the air isn’t too chilly that night. 

[cvshiah-blog]

for a solid minute, it didn’t actually occur to shiah that her new company could possibly be offended by the fact that she was nude as the day she was born.  the younger’s stuttering was originally brushed off as a response to the slight chill of the autumn night’s weather.  her reaction was possibly because she wasn’t expecting to see someone else in the water.  and it was entirely too dark for her to register the rush of blood that had traveled to jiho’s face.  all in all, she just assumed that the other had stumbled upon something she wasn’t anticipating, and as a result, she had been caught off guard.

but then she thought she saw a flicker in the stranger’s eyes, the moonlight allowing her to catch her pupils traveling downward.  ah, that’s right.  people usually didn’t wander around the woods naked in the middle of the night.  “oh, goodness, pardon me,” despite the shy tone in her voice, shiah wasn’t ashamed of her body in any way.  in fact, if the girl didn’t seem so surprised by her chest, she probably wouldn’t have even bothered to think about the fact that she was showing all.  just to be polite, she gathered a section of hair on each side of her head, draping the wet strands over her chest in an attempt to cover up.  “sorry, i didn’t even realize...”

it seemed as though maybe she had been a little too late, the other already turning around to avoid her gaze.  she felt guilty for making the familiar feel so embarrassed, even though she had really done nothing wrong.  bathing in the water was a very regular activity of shiah’s; it was the other that had interrupted her.  waiting very patiently for an answer to her questions, the witch simply carried on with her bath, leaning back in the water to float further from the bank.  she had been expecting a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ in response, but the girl instead reacted in a way that shocked her.  she turned into a beautiful, white fox and tumbled right into the cool water without any warning at all.

instantly wanting to help the poor familiar, shiah pushed herself closer to the fox, hoping that she knew how to swim.  well, she probably wouldn’t be by the waterfall if she didn’t, but the sudden flailing in the water made her nervous.  just as she was about to scoop the creature up in her arms, jiho managed to swim back ashore, letting out a sound that could only be characterized as slightly irritated.  it was probably for the best, she realized, as it would have only made matters worse if she were to hold the stranger against her bare chest.

“are you alright?”  her wide eyes managed to open as far as they could go, an inverted image of the full moon above them.  she was full of curiosity, watching closely as the familiar shook out her now soaked fur.  it looked so soft, and she briefly wondered if it would be inappropriate to reach out and try to give her a pet.  it certainly would be, she quickly decided.  “you’re not cold, are you?”  abandoning the cloaking that the water had given her, she moved out of the pool and toward her clothing, “let me get you my dress.  you can use it as a blanket and keep warm!”

[cvjiho-blog]

moonlight shadow ( kjh & ysa )

suddenly, her cheeks flush dark red, a sound of surprise involuntarily slipping past her lips, ruining every opportunity of hers to just quietly escape the scene. both her hands in front of her mouth, the words uttered next are hasty and squeaky, “i’m s-s-s-sorry, i d-didn’t mean to… peek… i’ll… i’ll leave now…”

[cvshiah-blog]

perhaps she embodied the meaning of her coven a little too much.  the sacred grove came together to bond over nature, their sisterhood formed from their common love for mother earth.  some of the other girls just seemed to like the aesthetic of it all, donning flowing dresses and handmade flower crowns because it felt nice.  and there was nothing wrong with that, especially not when they supported the shared idea of feminine power and unconditional love.  but shiah had always managed to take it one step further than the rest of them, truly embracing everything that mother nature had to offer.

if her parents could only see her now, the pair might just faint.  her childhood enthusiasm for wildlife had developed into a true lifestyle, dedicating more time to exploring the world around her than paying attention to her own safety.  she walked the academy’s surrounding grounds with determination in each step -- every tree, every bush, and every rock embedded so far into her memory that she could wander the deep forest with her eyes completely covered.  the forest was her home (maybe not literally, but in her heart and soul), and she made sure to experience a lifestyle that truly reflected upon that.

midnight swims by the waterfall had started for her a few years back, a tradition that she held onto dearly.  she believed that it was the very best way to rid herself of the day’s stress, enjoying the cool water against her bare skin and the moonlight that shone from above.  it was late enough in the evening for everyone to be tucked away in their beds, or at least too busy attending the latest party to venture out into the forest.  so when she heard a soft sound coming from behind her, fingers knotted through her hair as she tried to comb through it, shiah felt a bit shocked.

“oh gosh,” her initial response tumbled out in english, eyes struggling to adjust on the figure that stood on the bank of the pool.  she made no effort to actually cover herself, feeling absolutely no shame in her naked body, and instead just turned to properly face her company.  “hm?  no, no, i don’t mind at all,” the witch was quick to offer a delicate smile, hoping that the other wouldn’t be too embarrassed by the situation.  “did you come here to swim?  i’ve almost finished up, so i can get out for you.  or, well, i’m sure there’s more than enough room for the both of us, if you don’t mind sharing.”

[retratou]

[fatenumberfor]

[ma-demoiselle-cherie]