It was late morning and the sun had long since rose, iluminating the living room with a soft golden glow as it streams through the tightly closed curtains. The smell of hot soup fills the apartment along with the quiet humming of classical music.
Hemlock finds that he has lost his shirt and his torso is now neatly bandaged. He is still laying on Destiny's couch with a throw blanket tossed over him.
It was dark and cold. So very cold. The metal holding his arm against the wall wasn't cold. It burned. Not so hot as fire, but too warm for comfort. A metal collar with a similar burn was clasped around his neck. It didn't take long for Hemlock to realize the metal, or at least the collar was restricting his powers.
A light flicks on briefly blinding him. Nublo crouches down on the other side, almost hidden in the shadows.
With quiet deliberation, looking over the paper he took from the man before him, with this, the man stood, he turned on his heel, long fingers brushing his linen apron. He approached the wall of tinctures, eyes scanning the lineup. His fingers hovered briefly over a dark green vial before plucking it free. "Azure snapdragon," he murmured, mostly to himself, "sharp, clean, commanding." He held it up to the light, where a golden tinge hinted at citrus beneath the verdancy.
Moving on. Another vial, this one amber-hued, called to him from a recessed shelf beside a small brass figurine of a fox. “Grapefruit, definitely.” He uncorked it just enough to catch the lift of its sweetness. “Earth root... and yes, a touch of Silver leaf.” He retrieved it without hesitation.
Then to the final shelf, lower, tucked behind a silver-trimmed curtain of velvet. He knelt without creaking floorboards betraying the motion, and his fingers closed around a cobalt blue bottle nestled beside a book of pressed moss samples. "Lemon top," he said softly. "Star Moss beneath. Earth root anchoring the rest. It breathes like rain on soil."
He returned to the polished blackwood table at the center of the room, placing the bottles down with a quiet clink, each one aligned purposefully with an inch of space between them—a deliberate presentation.
Leven straightened his spine, and gestured with a light hand, smooth in nature, his natural ways taking over him. The overwhelming fondness to match a person with their desire.
“The first,” he began, with a calm smooth voice, placing his fingers lightly behind the green bottle, “opens with citrus, orange zest, bright and quick to bloom. But what follows is more enduring… the warmth of marigold wrapping into the Azure Snapdragon. Expect the deeper, more resinous notes to last about two hours, then mellow into something cooler.” The Azure snapdragon would represent the pine scent.
He stepped to the amber vial, expression shifting to something more tender. “This one begins with fresh grapefruit, crisp and soft on the senses. It gently fades into a floral blend with subtle sweetness. The finishing note,” he said, tapping the base, “is earth root, and silver leaf. Dense, radiant. Not overwhelming, more of a presence."
Finally, his fingers curved toward the blue bottle, eyes narrowing slightly with curiosity. “Lemon hits first, refreshing and clean. Then it steps aside, allowing room for the fresh Star moss to expand. The base is earth root,deep, ancient. It clings, but humbly. This one is like walking through a forest at first rain.”
He stepped back, hands folding behind his back. Allowing the man before him to partake in the samples of his work.”All are strong and demanding for..”He looked at the paper within his grasp, nodding.”Your father. All of nature notes, something demanding."
There was a glint in his eyes as he noted the sudden change in her demeanor. He had awoken something within her that he did not expect. Especially all things considered she had just given him a choice that was rather unsettling to most. Even his smile seemed to falter as she asked him of his name.
" Hmmmm.. " He pondered the thought, her closeness building up a pressure between them that seemed to bear down on her presence with a heavy burden on the heart. The blues in his current eyes hid a great deal of scarring upon his soul that had been twisted into something more dangerous. "... my name, you say? "
The creature before her had many names to offer but there were names he removed himself from giving out anymore due to the nature of power a name can possess. The left corner of his left upturned and he resumed his status of approach, closing on her in his tall stance. A single canine peaking out as he uttered his answer to her.
Tammy had gotten distracted during the conversation and was playing with some berries while leaning on a nearby tree. She looks over at the mention of her name and tries to mentally rewind the previous conversation.
“Wait you want me to help you on your little buddy scavenger hunt? Well, I uh...”
Tammy spends a moment struggling to say no, it’s a losing battle as she sighs in defeat. She couldn’t just leave this dude running around alone, who knows what trouble they’d get into without help. Singular falinks aren’t exactly the strongest things. Tammy leans over to study the dirt doodle, a little jealous of Nick’s phone.
“Alright fine, not like I have anything better to do really. This could prove to be a fun adventure and I’m sure Nick has his own stuff to take care of so guess we’re gonna be questing buddies.”
“Really?! Oh thank you! Both of you! T-this really means a lot. I just hope they haven’t gotten hurt.”
Sometime had passed since Itachi and Sasuke decided to split ways for a few hours, the younger Uchiha had gone to gather up some supplies in a small village a little distance from the hidden leaf with the other members of Taka, while the older Uchiha had decided to find someplace quiet where he could rest a while and hope not to be discovered by other Shinobi who may be returning to the village. It didn't take Itachi long to find a place where he could rest until his younger brother and the other members of Taka returned.
As soon as the older Uchiha sat down in the grass and leaned his back against the tree trunk, he was instantly unintentionally falling into a deep sleep and couldn't hear anything from miles away or close by, the Uchiha wasn't sure on how much time had passed since he has fallen asleep but after some time had passed his ears picked up on the leafs rustling from someone stepping onto them and he could feel a presence now in front of him, when he heard the voice of the one giving him orders to not open his eyes, he recognized the voice and knew it was Kakashi."Oh...you will...will you?" he asked in a questioning but almost taunting voice. By this time Itachi could hear the famous jutsu that was created by the Jounin begin to chirp."And what is it that you think that I am after?" he asked."Would you...believe me if I told you I have just come here to rest awhile and then be on my way?" the Uchiha asked knowing full aware that Kakashi wouldn't believe a word he was saying and was prepared to battle the once Anbu captain if it came to it.