dead my old fine bones and dry my dreaming but still...

Zephyr Madril ~ Air Genasi ~ Druid (Circle of the Land [Mountain])

[zephyrmadril]

pyrope-almandine‌:

“We’ll play together someday.” Pyrope whispered, her words tumbling into one another as she grew almost desperate for sleep. Dirt already coated her pale pink dress, and her fingers were caked with mud and grass remnants, so what did it matter if she slept until the bark embedded in her matted hair? If it gave her the energy to stand and stumble her way to shelter, then she would be thankful for that. And if the new genasi remained at her side during her rest, all the better. It would certainly keep her opinion of them in a positive light. For now, anyway. Moods changed as the seasons did, she couldn’t deny as much. 

Lost in thoughts of slumber and safety, Pyrope felt herself tense as Zephyr began to play, surprised at the sound of it breaking through the quiet forest air. It didn’t take long for her limbs to relax, however, as the notes were played. Melodic and beautiful, they wrapped around her hunched form and blanketed her in warmth. She felt safe with the tune in the air. Dancing in her head and behind her closed eyes, soothing and lulling her into deeper thoughts. Memories of Kaivras and the queen, of her home and the streets she had survived long before that. Memories of faces beautiful and vain, or ugly and hateful, or the faces of men who loved her and women who did not. 

Thalra came and went, as did Afir. Her friends, her family, and even her parents, who she longed to forget. Until nothing was left but the past. Until she was lost in a world of dreams and normalcy. But it didn’t last for long, as good things rarely do. She saw flames and terror, death and destruction. The thing that Thalra became, and Dasratsel as it loomed above her, and the pain in her head when she hit the ground. Heartbreak and worry, guilt and despair. It swirled around her until she wasn’t sure if this was a nightmare induced by her feelings, or Mazek in her head. 

When she woke, her eyes shot open in fright. Though her body felt a bit better, and well rested, her heart thudded against her chest. Her fingers patted the ground beside her, unwilling to turn her head and look. Unwilling to see if Zephyr had remained, or if she was truly alone.

“Are you here?”

Zephyr doesn’t know when Pyrope had fallen asleep, they had glanced over to the genasi one they had finished playing, only to see her eyes closed, chest rising and falling with the steady breaths that come with sleep, although the crease in her brow didn’t seem to smooth out in the calmness of sleep, showing just how deep the pain she carried ran.

Leaning against the trunk of the tree, they allowed their own eyes to close for a moment, listening to the soft whistling of the wind and taking in the gentle warmth of the winter sun, though it wasn’t enough to cancel out the chill that lingered in the air and at a sudden gust of wind, cold enough to send a chill down Zephyr’s spine, they cracked open their eyes and looked over to the sleeping form next to them, a frown etching its way onto their face. From their handshake earlier, they knew that Pyrope ran hot, but unsure of how long she would actually sleep for and how warm she would actually stay, they shrugged off their cloak and leaned over to drape it over her frame, smiling down at her.

Reaching into her bag, Zephyr rummaged around before their fingers brushed against the soft, worn leather of their small journal that they had been ignoring for a little while, cracking it open and grabbing her inks, and began to write, recounts of their most recent days, of the people they have met and their adventures they’ve found themselves in, addressing the entries to Valrie, a soft, sad smile slowly finding its way on her face, imagining her replies to what they’ve gotten themselves into, the sternness of her voice as she would scold her for not being as careful as she could be.

Pyrope shifting and waking at their side broke them from their reverie, closing the journal and placing it back into their pack, looking over to the woman. “Yes,” she responded, solidly and resolute, as if there was never any other response to that question.

A beat passed for a second more before they shifted and began talking again. “Will you be able to travel? We should get you to somewhere with a bed before the cold gets worse out here.”

[zephyrmadril]

caputmxrtuum‌:

Patariki hung on every word they said. It was absolutely fascinating, hear about such abilities he didn’t have much familiarity with. He wanted to ask even more questions, but he stopped himself. He started to feel a bit sheepish. “Sorry, I don’t mean to pry. I just love learning of different kinds of magic. In fact, I was lost in the notes of my own magical studies when I carelessly bumped into you,” he told her, indicating his notebook still in his hand. “I’ve read of druidic magic before. But I’ve never personally met a druid before now.”

“You don’t have to apologize, I don’t mind it at all,” Zephyr smiled at Patariki and they couldn’t help their soft laugh at the look on his face, almost looking like a child who found where their parents hid the cookies, it was a very soft look, something that they felt they didn’t see very often with the dread of war looming over heads. “I haven’t met many other druids before, either, so we’re in the same boat.”

Zephyr glanced to Pat’s notebook and hummed thoughtfully. “What kind of magic do you study?” They asked, looking back to him. “Although, I should acknowledge, I am a little naive when it comes to the arcane.”

[zephyrmadril]

thea-wb‌:

Thea was kind of absorbed in her retelling that she almost didn’t notice the way the air genasi stumbled a bit as a reaction. 

An understandable reaction, if all things considered.

She has this immediate urge to rub her eyes at Zeph’s words, but she knew that would simply make her feel more tired and in the need of a real long nap. “It was pretty fucked up,” she said with a solid nod. “And your suggestion sounds like just what any healer I know would ascribe. Minus the drink, maybe, but I am nothing if not one to live on the edge of things. In the end, that place is gone while the people trapped are not.”

She considered her next question carefully, then decided to just go for it. “So what’s with the animal thing you did? That was real cool.”

Zephyr was still trying to make sense of everything Thea had told them, some kind of cohesive timeline for something so absurd they had a hard time picturing, but it seemed that Thea had started to, or wanted to start, to move on and now wasn’t the time to think too deeply into it. 

“Maybe you don’t know the right healers, I think a good drink is always a good choice, in moderation,” Zephyr laughed softly. They had found themselves falling back to drinks on really bad nights when it seemed nothing else could help to dull out the pain that lingered. “Well, I know I don’t know you, but I’m glad you made it out safe.”

At her question, Zephyr picked up a nearby abandoned stick and druidcrafted some blossoms on the stick before showing it to Thea. “It’s druidic, it’s a natural for me now,” they explained with a soft laugh. “It is really cool, it’s fun. Sometimes I prefer it.”

[zephyrmadril]

iseult-bechallard‌:

Iseult nodded. “I suppose it’s not the most casual of comparisons to make.”

She clasped her hands in front of her, listening to the rhythm of her steps and looking at whatever rocks lay before them. “I have always been curious about the way of druidism. I am more of a traditional arcanist myself, although my use of it in practice might not be quite as stereotypical.”

She looked at Zephyr. “What does it entail, if I may ask? The change to wild form and back appeared very effortless for you. In a way, it was captivating.”

Looking over to Iseult again, Zephyr’s eyebrows furrowed slightly at her comment she all but completely brushed away. They knew some people who were trained with the arcane, but not too many, although they themselves knew little about the subject; they knew about the different types of magics and of those who used to for good and health and others who used it for reanimation, and the view of those who study that type of magic were often not seen in the best of light. “Are you a necromancer?” They asked as their face softened. Iseult seemed a bit reserved but not cruel or mean. If she did study that type of magic, maybe she was doing so to bring a new light to necromancy.

“Oh, it’s, well,” Zephyr began before pausing and trying to imagine the transformation in their head from a different perspective. They didn’t often think about their abilities, only just throwing themselves into them and never questioning it, so putting the process into words or an explanation was something they’ve never had to do. “It’s very fluid and natural, and painless. I just think of the animal I want to be and I’m that animal.” They looked over to Iseult and smiled. “I’m sorry, not many people have asked about it before.”

[zephyrmadril]

rxnnxlhylxne‌:

Rinnil looked over at the genasi as they put their hand on his shoulder. He’d been so caught up in his own thoughts, he’d almost forgotten they were there. He appreciated their attempt at comforting him. But everything he was feeling was so much more complicated than a few words could convey. So much guilt and grief and self-hatred than ran deep, deeper than even he could conceive of. So much of it had laid dormant for so long. Recent events had awoken it all inside him, and now he was dangerously close to drowning in it.

“I…” He tried to articulate all the racing thoughts and emotions, but he had never been good with words. All Rinnil ended up doing was just shaking his head a little as he struggled to keep his emotions in check. “I don’t think I can do this…”

From behind, he heard a pair of approaching footsteps. A pair of women, a dwarf and a human, were walking up towards the entrance of the temple. He stepped to the side so he wouldn’t be in their way and leaned against the stone wall next to the entryway. He kept his eyes down and he pulled his hood up to try and hide his face. The two gave Rinnil and the genasi a curious glance as they walked by, but otherwise entered the temple unhindered. He could hear his heart pounding loudly in his ears. He closed his eyes and struggled to keep his composure.

Zephyr didn’t know what to do to help the half-elf calm down, they weren’t sure there was anything they could do to calm him down. Grief was a hard thing to process, something they had recently come to realize themselves, and whatever it was that was eating away at him and Zephyr found themselves frozen next to him, completely lost as to what to say or do. 

Stepping to the side with him, they watched as he curled into himself and their heart ached for him and his sorrow. They didn’t know who he lost, how he’d gotten hurt, but they knew he was suffering more than they were, and they would be able to try and clean their wounds later themselves, if that meant making it a little less hard for the stranger in front of them.

“You don’t have to go inside, we can stay here,” Zephyr offered, swallowing past the thick lump in their throat as they leaned against the wall and looked down to the floor. “You’re here because something brought you here, it’s not like you’ve run away from it. There’s no rule that you have to go in the temple,” they looked back to the stranger, pressing their lips together as his smaller frame became even smaller.

“I don’t know who you are, and I don’t know what you’ve been through, but the fact that you got this far,” they gestured to the entrance of the temple and their general surroundings. “That’s pretty incredible.”

[zephyrmadril]

caputmxrtuum‌:

Pat was a bit confused for a moment as Zeph handed Elliott back over to him. But it all made sense once they shifted into the form of a goat. His eyes widened in delighted wonder at the sight. Watching it happen, he was able to determine that it wasn’t a spell they were casting but a natural-seeming ability, which pointed towards druidic magic. For obvious reasons, it was a kind of magic he didn’t know much about, which made it even more fascinating and interesting to him. He became slightly concerned when they shifted into the form of a cat, but luckily for him, they didn’t stay in that form long enough for it to turn into an allergy issue.

When they changed back to their normal form, Pat broke out into a wide grin. “That was amazing! So you’re a druid then. That’s absolutely marvelous. Being an arcane user, I’ve always been absolutely fascinated by more natural spell casters. How often can you do that? How long can you stay like that?”

Zephyr was glad to see a positive reaction from Patariki during their wildshape, taking note that he was seemingly more impressed or excited about their goat transformation rather than their cat, which wasn’t the expected reaction, but was a welcome one, and his extreme excitement from the transformation overall was completely knew, something they weren’t expecting, but it was a nice change.

They let out a soft laugh at his short excited ramble. “I can do it twice every hour, so unfortunately you’ll have to wait an hour for it again, and,” Zephyr paused a moment, they didn’t often think about or analyze their own abilities, so having to think about those aspects took a moment to recall. “It lasts for about four hours each transformation. The stronger I’ve become in my abilities though, the longer I’ve been able to stay in one shape.”

[zephyrmadril]

briarfoxglove‌:

She’d picked white on a sudden impulse. Something as pure as the snow that was sure to fall, keeping her cozy even as it crept in. She didn’t have a problem with the winter months, they simply snuck up on her when she least expected it. Now that she was on her own, she’d have to think of her own ways to prepare. She hadn’t thought of the other months, where there would be other bits of nature to contend with. “I didn’t even think of the mud.” There was a heavy sigh which escaped her, it was never going to be quite clean. Still, perhaps that was the life cycle of any well loved piece of clothing. “Then again, I don’t know that a brown would do it justice. I’m growing fond of the pattern.” She stopped admiring her own work for moment, only to see her new acquaintance in some discomfort. Some people were caught off guard with small talk such as hers, but she had a growing suspicious that wasn’t the case. “Are you alright? I know that the conversation can seem like a burden. But I love the input.”

Zephyr watched her deflate slightly at the realization of the future of her sweater, and they almost felt bad at being the one to point out the small flaw in the design, but then thought that it might be worse for it to happen later, at least now it was something that she would be expecting rather than something that she would have to deal with later when it finally happened without warning. “Maybe not brown then, maybe it will give it a well loved look,” Zephyr offered as a quick helpful sidenote.

The question she asked threw off Zephyr and they frowned at the idea that this person thought that they were uncomfortable with her conversation. They liked to think themselves a friendly individual and the idea that this was the vibe they were giving off while first meeting someone wasn’t something that sat well with them.

“Oh, it’s not- I have a bit of a headache,” They started, stammering slightly. “Please, this isn’t a burden at all.”

[zephyrmadril]

kitwhitriver‌:

Everything was moving too quickly for Kit to keep track. If the air genasi she’d healed earlier had made an attack, she’d completely missed it in her peripheral. She was too focused on making it to her fallen party member, sliding in and gripping either side of the fighter’s face as her magic warmed her hands. His eyes snapped open in an instant, and he attempted to stammer something that Kit couldn’t stick around to hear. If she wanted to stay alive, to be available to help the others, she had to stay out of this ogre’s reach.

She hid behind her shield as she scurried away, a decision she thanked herself for the moment the ogre’s weapon collided with the shabbily crafted metal. She noted, briefly, that a bear was now on the battlefield - and she had no clue where it came from. Behind her, one of the ogres screamed in pain, presumably as one of her party members landed a hit. The rogue of the group ran steadily past her, turning back only to shoot an arrow that flew far past the right ogre’s head. From this perspective, she was able to see details of the fight. She was able to see one of the ogres attacking the man she’d just healed, and the other cracking its greatclub into the bear’s ribs. 

“Shit,” Kit exhaled. She’d just realized who the bear was.

Zephyr could hear so much happening behind them, wanted to look behind and check it out, but feared for what they would see behind them, or that they wouldn’t be paying attention to any oncoming attacks, but then they saw one of the orges swing off to the side and Zeph, against their better judgement, looked to the side to see the cleric who just healed them, safe behind their shield, safe from the attack. To their side, they heard more yelling, from the ogres and also from their companions, hopefully striking true. 

That’s when the other ogre struck against Zephyr, it’s large club slamming into their back, almost knocking them to their side. They let out a roar of pain, dizzy from the pain and their ears rang loudly, anything that may have been happening around them, they couldn’t hear, and they focused their attention back to the enemies in front of them and bared their teeth.

They could still feel their spells magic radiating within them, and afraid to look away again, tried to see if they could slam the sphere into one of the ogres again, and to their delight, they were able to see a bright light enter their peripheral and slam into one of them, but Zephyr was unsure if the spell hit true or not, too focused on the other ogre in front of them, swinging and biting at the one who had hit them, a new personal vendetta against it, but was glad to see that their plan had worked, that they may have saved someone else from taking the hit they did, but could feel it, could feel that one more good hit and they would be back in their genasi form and could only then hope that they weren’t ganged up on.

[zephyrmadril]

briarfoxglove‌:

Date: December 5th Time: Mid-Morning Location: The Garden of Roses, Runswick Status: Open

She still didn’t understand the nuances of all the different towns she’d found herself in. People wandering in and out, hundreds of places to go. And still in the middle of it all she found nature. She could feel the thrum of happiness as she found herself once again nestled among flowers, the sun warming her skin, finally settling down with enough time to continue weaving her sweater. It was a beautiful cream, the fabric soft and strong enough to withstand the harsh winter chills that were building each day. Seasons changed, and with them she had to prepare. Before she’d always had more siblings to weave for, sweaters to pass around. In return she’d had them all to provide for the other facets of the growing winter. This would be her first alone—at least there was the sun. “Well hey there!” She chirped, looking up at the fast approaching person. They didn’t look as though they meant to stop next to the her, but she was going to start the conversation nonetheless. What was the harm, given the calmness of their surroundings. “What’d ya think,” She held up what was completed of the small sweater. “Should it be all white, or do I need a change?” 

Zephyr was tired, there was no way around it. They ached as if they hadn’t rested in days and their head was pounding loud and heavy against their temples, pressure in their eyes and they felt like they wanted or needed to cry, almost hoping that it would be an easy way to release pressure. Instead they pulled their cloak closer to their body and continued onward.

They assumed that a garden would have cleaner air than a city, and even hoped they would find a place to finally relax and rest, connect with the quieter side of nature. The thought of it put a smile on their face. When they were younger, if they ever got stuffy or got a headache, the fresh crisp mountain air was usually enough to help relieve the pain, and even though the air was colder now, with winter nipping at everyone’s ankles, the air wasn’t as clean or clear as it used to be and they craved it, but the soft, floral scents surrounding them was a very close second to the feeling.

They were so in their own head that Zephyr didn’t notice the small gnome who called out to them, nestled in the flowers as they passed, knitting a sweater, looking as if they were born to do nothing but that. Zephyr turned to face her completely to better take in the sweater and they cocked their head to the side in though, wincing gently at the movement.

“White is pretty, but also it’s doomed to never stay that color. Maybe some darker colors to help make it still pop as it ages?” They offered with a small smile. 

[zephyrmadril]

rxnnxlhylxne‌:

In spite of his mood, Rinnil gave them a small smile back. He didn’t know how genuine it seemed, but that didn’t matter. They at least knew that his offer to go in together had been genuine. He took a deep breath, steadying himself for a moment. “Okay…” he said before finally walking forward slowly towards the open temple doors.

But then as he reached the threshold, he stopped. He tried to will himself to take that next step and go inside, but he couldn’t. Every terrible thing he’d ever done, every person he’d hurt and killed, rushed through his mind. He couldn’t help but think about the last promise he’d made to his father. That he’d always be by his sister’s side, to watch out for her and protect her. But he’d broken that promise, and that was the worst sin of all.

He looked up at the expansive room that laid in front of him, just a step away. He could see the prayer rugs and offerings left for the Revered Mother, as well as a multitude of lit candles left for those who had departed for this day. He’d been feeling drawn to this temple for weeks, months, wanted to see it in all its majesty at every moment because he knew his father had never been able to. But after everything that had happened recently, the words that had finally been spoken between the twins, he couldn’t help but feel he had no right to be there. He felt a burning behind his eyes and quickly, before the genasi could notice, he closed his eyes to keep any tears from falling.

Zephyr stayed back a moment, watching the stranger walk towards the temple that obviously meant a lot to them. The idea of battling their internal struggle in an unknown temple of a god they didn’t know, with the person in front of them, it was comforting, like something they should rush to, but that first step was almost impossible to take. Zephyr closed their eyes, another stray tear escaping down their cheek, before they opened their eyes again and finally willed themselves forward, following behind him.

They almost collided into him as they made their way to catch up with him, before the quickly side-stepped to the side, to avoid hitting the half-elven boy, looking over towards him, about to ask if they were okay, but quickly realized that he was, probably not. Zephyr awkwardly stood their, trying to decide what to do in the situation, before they gently placed their hand on his shoulder, in what they hoped would be a comforting fashion.

Zephyr tried not to laugh at the situation they were in, never did they think that they would be comforting a stranger  while trying to deal with the loss of their family and fiancee. 

“I don’t know if you want to talk about it tonight,” They began, looking into the beautifully lit temple, bathing them both in the calm, warm glow of candlelight. “I don’t know if I want to talk about it, but, maybe I’ll feel better if I do.” Zephyr left the invitation open and vague, something they could either talk about later into the night or never touch at all.

[zephyrmadril]

caputmxrtuum‌:

“Oh, you do? What kind of connection, if I may ask?” Pat inquired curiously. He was always interested to learn about others, and the things they were interested in. He’d always been a people person, and he loved listening to other people’s stories. It was one of the many reasons why he’d started the work of chronicling the events of the war. Recording history was important not just so major events could be remembered but, in his opinion, so the people who lived through it were always remembered.

Zephyr paused a moment, trying to decide which route to go down. They could druid craft something small for Patariki and that would probably be enough for him to figure it out, if Zephyr was banking on them being a wizard with no other confirmation than that he had a familiar. They could also quickly wildshape, but they thought back to meeting Iseult and their confusion of if they were a lycan or not.

Deciding to throw caution to the wind, they gently moved the owl of their shoulder to their hand, and back to Patariki and wildshaped into a small goat, letting out a soft bleat before quickly transforming to a cat before returning to their genasi form. “That kind of connection,” Zephyr said with a short laugh.

[zephyrmadril]

thea-wb‌:

Thea reached out to stroke the heavy fur on Bud’s neck, listening to the even trot of his paws against the earthy road beneath. She looked up at Zeph, taking in their casual stride and utterly relaxed disposition. Not a lot of people with that sort of mentality in a time and place like this. Even Thea, who was one of the most fun and relaxed people she knew, found herself a bit on edge or tired from everything happening around them.

“Well, that’s rude of me, isn’t it?” she replied with a smile. “I… Usually I pride myself in being both honest and kinda fancy in my retellings, but I do wonder if the things I say are a bit out of this world sometimes. To put it plainly, I got caught up in an extradimensional – I think – place that was kidnapping people and had a nasty habit of driving its people mad and then disappearing off the face of the world for a few years or so. There was a big battle with a giant golden elf lady, and we managed to free the trapped ones somehow. It was a lot, which is why I am exhausted and out in nature hoping to get somewhere else.” She took a moment to breathe. “Kinda a lot, yeah?”

Zephyr’s even stroll stumbled for a moment as they were caught off guard from what Thea was telling them. It was far from what they expected, and they really weren’t expecting a lot. It was a lot to take in all at once and trying to picture everything as the information, Zephyr couldn’t keep track and had to take a moment to really process it all, pausing in their stride.

After everything had settled and they were able to wrap their mind, loosely, around the idea of it all, Zephyr started walking again, looking to Thea as she continued forward. She seemed lax and keeping up a good attitude, but she also had this deep rooted tiredness to her and tenseness in her shoulders that told Zephyr that, as crazy as that whole story sounded, Thea was telling the truth.

“That is,” Zephyr started, trying to figure the best way to approach the subject gently. “Fucked up, and probably calls for a drink and probably three days of sleep,” They laughed, although not in humor, but of sympathy.

[zephyrmadril]

rxnnxlhylxne‌:

Rinnil heard footsteps approaching from behind. He turned to see a figure walking up next to him. It seemed to be a genasi, which he didn’t see around very often so he was always slightly intrigued when he did. But he didn’t comment on it. He did notice that they also seemed to be crying, which he also didn’t comment on, mostly because he had no idea what to even say. He just looked down at the ground for a moment before looking back up at the temple. He absently crossed his arms over his chest as he spoke up. “It always has been… For me, anyway.”

Slowly, he looked back over at the genasi next to him. He had never really been good at comforting words. But maybe going into the temple would be easier if he wasn’t alone. “I know you don’t know me. But… do you want to go inside together?”

Swiping at their cheeks, Zeph took a moment to recollect themselves in the quiet of the night. It was a calm quiet, thankfully, they were glad they didn’t ruin a moment or turn it awkward. It helped them calm themselves down quicker, soft deep breaths and the wind the only things making noise around them.

They looked back over to the stranger at his invitation and smiled. He seemed friendly and and that he meant well, so they nodded silently. If it was because he wanted the company or he wanted to help them, Zephyr wasn’t sure, but they truthfully didn’t care which reason it was. They didn’t want to be alone right now, and maybe this would help them with their guilty conscious. “That sounds really nice,” Zephyr’s voice was soft and airier than normal as their breathing finally started to come a little easier.

[zephyrmadril]

pyrope-almandine‌:

“Oh, the situation was very ideal. I left home for a reason, after all, and I couldn’t have asked for a better set of people to assist me.” On a day where she was at full health, perhaps she would have denied that the support was desperately needed. It struck her that she spent majority of her life reveling in the success of Quicksand and her career in Kaivras, but she would not have arrived there at all had it not been the trustworthy companions she had made along the way. And now two were out there, somewhere, and they sought her head on a platter. It left a bitter taste in her mouth as she turned her head away from Zephyr, spat into the leaves beside her, and sighed. 

“Do you believe me to be cruel and untrustworthy?” She asked, resting her head against the bark to stare at the sky above. It was bright, too bright, and she shut her eyes again to break the ache of her head. “Well, I suppose you don’t know me very well yet. You’ll come to form your own opinion of me, I believe. Next time we meet. When you see me at my best, yes?” She was curious about Zephyr too, of course. Pyrope knew very little about other genasi, or their stereotypes, or how she had been meant to act upon meeting one. She hoped they would meet again, she hoped to help them with whatever problems they had, and she hoped to talk them into remaining close by her side. 

“I’m looking forward to it.” She whispered, realizing just how tired she was as the effort to speak became more and more difficult. It felt as though her jaw had turned to lead, and her tongue had turned to cotton. But she wanted to ask many more questions, and she moved her hand to slip out of Zephyr’s grip, and instead wrap her fingers around their own. “Don’t leave.” She said in response to their question, and opened her eyes to finally look at the genasi once more. “Stay with me for a bit. I don’t want to be alone again. You’re a stranger but it’s…I need you to stay.”

At the offer to play, Pyrope felt herself perk up a bit. “You play?” She asked, a smile tugging at her lips. “Please do. I want to listen. Perhaps someday we can play together. I used to have a friend who shared music with me. We were brilliant.” Her head fell back against the tree again as she trailed along, eyes fluttering shut, her words almost dreamy as she spoke them. The fear, the anguish, it disappeared when she remembered all she had done with Thalra. All the positive. “Violins in the desert. I would love to listen to you, Zephyr. It’ll make me feel like we’ve become friends.”

Talking to Pyrope continuously seemed to be teaching Zephyr just how much she really didn’t know about the world out there. The idea of home lives that were less than ideal wasn’t something they had ever considered. They had never gone far from their home, never even left Khaggon before. They had never realized how ignorant they were to the world around them outside of their little village.

Zephyr looked at Pyrope with a small smile as they looked her over, truly looked at her sense they’ve met. She had given Zephyr no reason for them to not trust her, other than keeping a secret about what happened to her, but that was truly nothing but her own business and Zephyr couldn’t hold that against her. What Zephyr saw beside her was a woman who was physically hurt and needed attention. There was something in her eyes that Zephyr couldn’t put their hand on, it wasn’t a coldness, but it was something there, but nothing about her really tipped Zephyr off that they were like any of the stories they were told. “I don’t know you yet, but,” Zephyr began with a slow nod. “I can’t wait to get the chance to get to know you.” 

At her request to stay, Zephyr relaxed, they didn’t, rather, they couldn’t leave her alone and they were glad that she wasn’t ready to push them away. They raised their eyebrows in interest as Pyrope spoke about her past with music. Zephyr never played professionally, it was something they had picked up on their recent journey’s. It was nice when they didn’t want to sit in silence and their own thoughts, and it gave them something to focus on. They went into their side pouch that rested on their hip and pulled out their pan flute. Zephyr was never nervous or anxious to play before, but playing in front of Pyrope, who apparently played violin professionally, possibly even trained, they felt nervous. 

They let out a breath, they weren’t trying to impress her, there was no reason for them to overthink this. Smiling to themselves and taking in a breath and closing their eyes, Zephyr lifted the instrument to their lips and began to play. It wasn’t anything specific, it never was, it was just what came to them at the time.

[zephyrmadril]

iseult-bechallard‌:

Iseult didn’t take notice of the way Zephyr tried to hide their smile as she was busy checking the silver clasps of her own coat; delicate fastenings in the shape of leaves and curled filigree. It was delicate work, but she could see the way the metal looked beat and dirtied after her journey in the city of illusions and potential imprisonment.

She looked up at Zephyr and gave them a smile. “To be fair, I almost did not see you coming myself.” With a pause in her words, she considered the way they had encountered one another. “If I might ask, are you a druid?”

It made sense, all in all. The seemingly effortless shapeshifting from beast to person, the strange air of magic surrounding them and their way of dress. Not that she would judge someone on their fashion… Oh, she was definitely judging someone on their fashion here, there was no hiding from that.

“I was thinking with your shapechanging,” Iseult explained as an add-on. “It was either druidic magic or lycanthropy of some sort, and I don’t believe that option is quite so … impulsive. I am not too sure of that, actually. Please don’t take me on my word here.”

Zephyr’s own smile faltered as they were momentarily taken aback from Iseult’s question, not because they found it rude or insensitive, but more so they just weren’t expecting the question itself. They were used to strangers being curious and asking questions about their race, curiosity of the unknown often driving to those questions, but people asking about their druidic nature was a question they rarely got asked, if they have ever been asked about it. Zephyr also had to assume that if Iseult was curious or were to ask, she would’ve asked a few minutes earlier when they met, not now, out of the blue.

“I am a druid, yes,” they eventually stated after their pause, nodding their head as they spoke. They had never thought about the similarities that they shared with lycan’s, never thought about the possibility of someone not being able to discern the difference when they were both in an animal form. Truthfully Zephyr didn’t know much about werekind, they knew they existed, but had been told that they only lived in feywild or would try and stay away from civilization. “I don’t know much about lycan’s, really, and I guess I never realized how similar we could appear,” Zephyr said with a laugh and a small shrug.

[zephyrmadril]

caputmxrtuum‌:

“The pleasure is all mine, Zeph.” He smiled as Elliott fully indulged himself in the attention Zeph was giving him, his feathers fluffing up happily. “He’s usually as friendly as I am on any given day,” Pat told them. “So normally, very friendly, with anyone. As my familiar, we share a special bond.” Indeed, Pat was quite attached to Elliott. He saw the creature as more of a constant companion and friend. “You seem to be quite good with animals as well. Do you have any pets?” he asked curiously.

Zephyr continued to pet the small owl as they turned to look at him perched on their shoulder. A familiar, that made sense, considering that Zephyr didn’t know too many people who owned a pet owl, even though they knew that it was a definite possibility. They wondered for a quick moment if they would be able to talk to his owl the same way they could other animals or if his arcane nature would cancel that out, before their attention was captured by the tiefling’s question.

“No, I don’t have any pets at the moment, unfortunately, but I have quite a connection to animals,” Zephyr chuckled.

[zephyrmadril]

thea-wb‌:

Thea gave Zephyr a bit of an amused smile and shrugged. “I’m not really one to wish for fear or obedience in others. I like people to be themselves, be nice to each other and have a good time!”

“I guess, in a way, you could say he’s the god of beginnings,” she explained to them. “Not like in the beginning of the world, but the beginning of the day, the beginning of life, the first stroke of a masterpiece, the first seed in fertile soil. He’s the god of dawn and renewal. A great one for the early birds!”

She giggled at that.

Zephyr smiled as Thea talked about her god, she was definitely closer to her god than a lot of others they have met in the past, closer than Zephyr themselves. They quickly looked Thea up and down as she continued to ride on her large spectral dog, determining that with deeper connection to her god and her ability to harness magic, she had to be a paladin or cleric of some kind.

“You know,”  Zephyr started and turned to look to Thea, taking in her current appearance. She didn’t seem as tired as she did a little earlier, but it didn’t seem to be completely gone, and they wouldn’t think that a stroll near the coast in the colder seasons would be the first choice, as hypocritical as it seemed. “I told you what I was doing out here, but I’m curious about you.”