Sunflower—After the Blast (EG_004)

[hengest]

[Hey, thanks!]

The "near" bank seems like a better bet to you. You are all but certain you could find enough dry material to start a fire. There is not much in the way of driftwood, but plenty of other material you might for kindling. And even what is near the riverbed is fairly dry to your eye. 

You hear another crunch or two, not like a human stepping on anything, but like something pressing through underbrush. You think. 

As you think about that feeling that says you are being observed, you realize that you reall have two feelings here: that this place is so unpopulated it is dangerous, and that it is packed with eyes. 

Shelter might be harder to come by here than a fire.

[If you say more what you consider to be shelter, you can get more information about that.]

[The Semi-Retired Gamer]

[You're welcome!  You earned it by providing a fabulous pbp experience.]

After some moments of consideration, I go to the "near" bank and collect some materials to serve as kindling for a fire.  I place them in a pile with the plan of using some tree limbs for fuel once the fire is lit.  In the meantime, I have to find a suitable spot for a shelter. I scan the area looking for the materials to suit my goal. 

<thinking> I still can't help but feel I am being watched from...everywhere.

I scan the area in hopes of seeing some sort of evidence of being watched.  The crunch I heard has me on alert, but I have yet to actually see anything that would pose a threat.

<thinking> A fire will help keep curious animals away, but a shelter will also limit their approach.  I bet I can find something.  I'm going for simple and easy instead of long-lasting.

[I'm going for something like the picture below but branches and leaves instead of the planks in the back.]

[hengest]

May 11, 2022 10:50:12 GMT -5 The Semi-Retired Gamer said:

After some moments of consideration, I go to the "near" bank and collect some materials to serve as kindling for a fire.  I place them in a pile with the plan of using some tree limbs for fuel once the fire is lit.  In the meantime, I have to find a suitable spot for a shelter. I scan the area looking for the materials to suit my goal. 

<thinking> I still can't help but feel I am being watched from...everywhere.

I scan the area in hopes of seeing some sort of evidence of being watched.  The crunch I heard has me on alert, but I have yet to actually see anything that would pose a threat.

<thinking> A fire will help keep curious animals away, but a shelter will also limit their approach.  I bet I can find something.  I'm going for simple and easy instead of long-lasting.

You don't have much of a problem with the fire, though there is much more kindling than large fallen branches. There are enough, however. You gut this micro-region of the larger sticks. To spend another night, you might have to go father afield. You are in a semi-clearing near the edge of the same wooded area, still near the bank of the dry river, on a flattish area between the downward-sloping wooded hillside and where the water must have been. 

Your scan of the area reveals nothing. 

You can start the fire when you want, most likely.

The shelter is somewhat more difficult. You can make use of hollow in the trunk of a tree or build something fairly similar to what you aim for. You might need to tear living bark for that, however. 

The travel is beginning to wear on you some. You can feel that when you sleep, you will sleep deeply.

[The Semi-Retired Gamer]

<thinking> I'm only staying long enough to get rested so that tree will suffice for now.

I proceed to get the fire started near a hollow in the trunk of a tree. I have decided to also use some brush and assorted material to slightly build up on both sides of the hollow.  Just enough to help block the view in and to help direct the heat.

[hengest]

Making the fire gives you a touch more trouble than expected, but you do get it going and most of the material you gathered burns fairly readily.

The sunlight is starting to fade by now, but you still have plenty of light for the moment, apart from the nascent fire.

Unmolested, you make your little nest. It does seem a bit odd that you have caught sight of no little animals or game, but you have heard them, you think. 

[Do you settle in, or do you habe other actions you wish to take?]

[The Semi-Retired Gamer]

Taking one last scan of the area I decide that I'm going to bed down for the night.  I get the fire stoked up so it will last for a while before needing any more wood added to the pile.  I lay down to relax and nod off into slumber.

<thinking> I still haven't seen any other people in this new place other than the guy I was trying to talk to.  What was he running from? 

After a few moments of contemplation, I realize that any answer I came up with would only be speculation.  I decide to turn my thoughts towards other efforts.

<thinking> I still have to find Alla and see if she's hurt or in some sort of peril.

I resolve not to abandon my search for Alla when I set out again on my journey.

[hengest]

As your body settles down, you realize you have been on the go for quite a while. Your heart seems to slow down for the first time in a while, and even before you nod off, you notice that your mind has stopped moving.

The next think you know, you are asleep. You can feel each breath of your true body, but you find yourself here, in what must be a dream.

The colors are vivid but muted. You see a dozen trees comically close together, their trunks opening to reveal their hollow interiors. Figures step out of each trunk, and you cannot tell whether they are tall or small. Their limbs are longer than you expect but their faces are sweet. You stand here, but for a moment it seems you also see one of the faces from closer up, in profile, at the same time as you continue to see the wider scene. You can see this woman's face perfectly: sad mouth, smirking eyes, wavy chestnut locks all around. You feel certain you have never seen anything so clearly. 

Now you see only the scene again and the woman is one of many. They move about you and you cannot tell whether they think you are one of them. You can tell that your mind is still your own but you have trouble accessing its contents. Instinctively you try to orient yourself in space and time and you think only of Alla and the doubletree you came through. You feel sure you could find more thoughts if you pushed.

Now the folk are closer to you. You look to either side and you see that woman to your right and a beardless man to your left. They are smiling but you cannot read their smiles. They are guiding you towards the opening in one of the trees. You remember the warmth of your fire and feel fear that it will be cold inside the tree. As they take you by the arms you feel that your dream-body, and you are certain this is a dream, has some substance. Perhaps you could speak, wake up, resist them, or go with them...if you tried.

[The Semi-Retired Gamer]

I look from the man to the woman standing by me.  I still have no idea what their intentions are but I am assuming that they are not sinister because they have not attempted any aggressive or harmful actions so far.  I continue to gaze in wonder.

<thinking> I have heard of some sort of faeries that live in the woods.  What were they called back home?

I ponder for a few moments before coming up with the answer.

<thinking> Dryads!  That's what they were called.

I realize something seems to be "off" if they are, in fact, Dryads.

<thinking> I've always heard the Dryads were shy.  Maybe the whispered rumors and tales are not accurate?

After some internal debate, I settle on trying to communicate with these folk in an attempt to get some answers.

I turn towards the woman and say, "My name is Ethan Greyback.  I'm looking for my traveling companion Alla.  Have you seen a woman come this way?" but before she can answer I turn towards the man and say, "Where is this place?  Why have I seen no one else around?".

[hengest]

Your words sound odd, as if they are swallowed up by the wood as soon as you speak them.

The woman smiles a smile neither loving nor wicked, but does not reply. The man seems not even to notice you have spoken to him.

The wood seems utterly quiet now.

Perhaps feeling your apprehension, the woman lets go of you, steps ahead, and steps into the tree, turning to look at you for just a moment as she disappears.

The man gestures with his head towards the tree. He does not really seem unfriendly...

[The Semi-Retired Gamer]

I turn my gaze from the woman to the man...

I settle finally on the tree...

<thinking> The man's gesture seems inviting.

I step forward and advance towards the tree.

[hengest]

You walk into the opening, which now seems inviting. You see nothing after the wood fades from your peripheral vision. You cannot find yourself. Struggling, you find yourself falling unpleasantly and unwillingly out of sleep while someone shakes you by the shoulder.

Suddenly, you are regretfully awake and the hand withdraws. You can smell that your fire has been smothered. You can see no light at all at first. Then you hear a few muttered words in another tongue and hear some fumbling. A few seconds later, you see a point of bright light: a candle is being passed from one hand to another. Now you see a face: a man's face, very like the faces of those in your dream.

He says a brief speech, perhaps five words, of which you understand nothing.

You hear water.

[The Semi-Retired Gamer]

"What? Who's there?" I mumble groggily as I come awake.

I realize that my dream was more than a dream when I recognize the face before me.

"I'm sorry I don't understand you." I say as I try to make gestures to communicate that I hear but don't understand.

I mumble to myself, "He probably can't make it out in the candlelight."

<thinking> Is that...water?

I pat myself down to see if I'm wet from any rain.

<thinking> Is that rain or the river?

[hengest]

You are not wet.

The face looking down at you looks displeased, but not enraged.

When you speak, the man's face looks surprised and its eyes roll over to the side. It mutters something in its tongue and you hear the face of an unseen woman reply very briefly. A hand touches the side of your neck from behind you and immediately withdraws. You feel a not-pleasant sensation spread from your pharynx to your head. It feels like a numb limb waking up, but passes in seconds.

The face speaks again. "You can hear me now, Gatewalker. Why have you come nosing around here in violation of every agreement, pursuing us and even poking sticks at our fish?"

[The Semi-Retired Gamer]

I stare in amazement at being able to comprehend the words of the stranger now.

I rush out an explanation in hopes I don't offend.

"My humble apologies. I'm not from these parts - I don't even know where I am. My name is Ethan Greyback from Westford. I've lost my companion Alla. The only reason I'm in your place is because I was following a man in hopes I could get some answers. He wouldn't stop running.".

I hold my hands up by my neck with the palms facing them to show I mean no harm.

[hengest]

The man gives you a searching look as he listens to your speech.

"Following a man? This man?" He looks off to your right.

You have no idea who he is talking about, as you are completely night-blind from staring at his candlelit face. The man sees your incomprehension, rolls his eyes, and passes the candle over. Immediately you see the face of the young man whom you pursued after he peeped out at you from the doubletree.

[The Semi-Retired Gamer]

It takes just a moment for me to regain clarity to my sight and I recognize the man I was pursuing. I nod my head slowly up and down in recognition as I proclaim, "Yes, that's the man I was following. I only wanted to ask him if he had seen my companion Alla and where I might be.". I hold my hand up and move it as if pointing to the world around me.

[hengest]

May 13, 2022 18:45:03 GMT -5 The Semi-Retired Gamer said:

It takes just a moment for me to regain clarity to my sight and I recognize the man I was pursuing. I nod my head slowly up and down in recognition as I proclaim, "Yes, that's the man I was following. I only wanted to ask him if he had seen my companion Alla and where I might be.". I hold my hand up and move it as if pointing to the world around me.

You hear a bit of clucking and chatter from all around, all of it as incomprehensible as the man's first speech to you was. The young man you followed joins in, paying little attention to you. You hear perhaps half a dozen different voices and get a feel for their placement around you (you were surrounded, it seems). 

The man who first spoke to you now speaks again, although you can barely see him now at the edge of the candle's chamber of light. 

"You followed a stranger at speed into an unknown place to ask if he had seen the woman you lost. Not the wisest step, but it shows a bit of spirit, at least. I suppose the years lie easier on your backs in Westford." He pauses. "No woman has come here. Only you. We knew you were here when you first poked through and stepped away again. Of course, one of our own showed his own foolishness in darting through after you, who knows why." You get the feeling this is a rehash of some argument that has been had more than once.

"Well? Your woman is not here, nor ever was. We do not control this world but we watch over this part of it at least, waiting for a change of...it is hard to say so that you understand. What is your intent now?"

[The Semi-Retired Gamer]

<thinking> There's more of them out there than I could see!

I nod my head as he is speaking and try to look apologetic as I say, "Thank you for the answers" I pause and look around the front of me only able to assume where some of them are before continuing, "Yes, it was foolish to let concern for my friend guide my actions rather than caution.  I do not wish to disrupt your agreement or your duty to this place.  I only wish to find my friend.  If you would like to escort me to the gate, then I will take my leave and continue my search elsewhere.".

If they wish me to leave, then I will follow their escort and depart this area.

If they don't object to me staying, then I will ask them some questions before asking to be pointed in the direction of the exit.

[Trying out some of the pbp advice from other posters, I used the "if, then" approach above.   Not sure if I can remember to do it all of the time but I thought it was appropriate in this spot.   This was just for fun.  I don't expect us to change anything.  I like the way we're handling things.]

[hengest]

You hear muttering and sense motion around you, as if the "ring" they formed is now breaking up. It seems they have determined you are little threat and are not quite who they assumed.

When you try to feel the apparent leader out for what they want you to do, he frowns, then extinguishes the candle. Things go black, but you hear his voice: "Your night-eyes will return in a bit. We are not such squirrels as you think."

"We are not masters of this world. If you have nothing to do with...things, you may do as you wish. Although this world is not as hospitable as you might like. I cannot answer for your safety. If your concern is for your companion, I do not believe she is here. What gave you cause to think so?"

Your vision is flashing still from staring at that candle, but beginning to settle down.

[The Semi-Retired Gamer]

I blink my eyes a few times to try to help regain my night vision.

"Understood but what "things" are you referring to?  As far as my companion goes, we were in the woods on the other side of the gate.  She was walking in the general direction of the double trees, and I lost track of her.  I could only assume she disappeared through the gate but now I fear I missed my opportunity to assist her." as I shrug my shoulders in a "I tried" maneuver.

I blink a few more times and my night vision is better.

"To avoid any confusion, if you'll just steer me in the right direction then I will take my leave of this place.".

<thinking> I can't give up on Alla just yet.

[hengest]

"And we thought you were an invader. As it turns out, you simply lost someone. Well, it would have been interesting. Should you return this way, swallow one of our swamms and announce yourself to the wood. We will be able to avoid this little dance in the future. Since you already know each other, Finny will show you back to...the gate. You should be able to use our speech until then. May the waters guide you to your companion, and may the worlds be one again."

You hear several voices speak a ritual-sounding reply to this last utterance, although you cannot make out the words. The ring around you is really breaking up. Some of the members seem already to have disappeared.

Finny, the young man you pursued, steps close to you. You can make out his features now although your vision is still swimming a bit. He holds out his hand a little stiffly. "You ran quickly. I thought you were upon me and then you stopped."

[The Semi-Retired Gamer]

[Somehow I missed your post. D'oh!]

I listen intently to his words before responding with, "Hopefully, I am not too late to assist Alla.  I am gracious for your understanding in this matter.  Thank you for the assitance.".

<thinking> These people move like they are part of the natural surroundings.  They come and go so easily.

I receive his hand in mine and grip in an unchallenging manner while I respond, "My apologies for the confusion.  I stopped because I thought it would be a better way to show I only wanted to communicate rather than harm you. You give me too much credit.  You are a swift runner.".  I release his hand and nod for a second before looking around and relieved my vision has acclimated.  I look again to Finny and say, "I'm ready when you are.".

[hengest]

[Assuming you have your sword and all.]

Finny looks more normal now that you are not pursuing him. These folk seem all right, even if you are not certain what they are about.

He begins leading you uphill, taking a route unlike the roundabout way you came to this place. You suppose that, from a bird's eye view, you moved mostly downhill until you came to the dry riverbed and then moved along it. Now you seem to be walking generally upward and generally to your right. 

He leads you on a path whose specific windings you would not have anticipated or found in the dark, and you pass between closely-spaced trees at times, up nearly-invisible stone stairs that save you a step or two. You notice also that now that your vision is settling down even more, you see the outlines of some objects almost gently lit in the dark, as if their edges were lined with a bits of glowing spider's silk. 

"We knew someone had come through. I was hasty in chasing after you. That's the only reason you saw me."

[The Semi-Retired Gamer]

[To my best recollection, I should have sword and all.  I don't recall doing anything with it BUT if you remember something I don't then gently nudge me in the correct direction.]

<thinking> Now that I get a good look at him, he and his kind pretty much look like Alla and myself.  Not out of place.

As I am being led along this path, I remark that "This way is much easier to navigate at this pace then when we were running.".  I laugh hoping that he senses my honest humor about the situation.

I reply, "I can see that.  What is the agreement that was mentioned back there?  Why do you watch over this place?".

[hengest]

May 16, 2022 18:51:19 GMT -5 The Semi-Retired Gamer said:

[To my best recollection, I should have sword and all.  I don't recall doing anything with it BUT if you remember something I don't then gently nudge me in the correct direction.]

<thinking> Now that I get a good look at him, he and his kind pretty much look like Alla and myself.  Not out of place.

As I am being led along this path, I remark that "This way is much easier to navigate at this pace then when we were running.".  I laugh hoping that he senses my honest humor about the situation.

I reply, "I can see that.  What is the agreement that was mentioned back there?  Why do you watch over this place?".

[Not sure why I felt the need to confirm this. Ethan has everything he had before, no question.]

He sort of laughs. "We are supposed to be great woodsmen. But no one likes running downhill while being chased."

"The agreement...mm." He pauses, pushing up a steep bit of slope, but without holding onto the adolescent tree that stands to his left. This place seems almost pathless except for the "path" you are following. "There are...disturbances if beings wander excessively through gates. Is this not known where you come from? Sometimes there is no real disturbance. But sometimes even the well-meaning have the effect of...invaders. They disturb matters without intending it. A man comes through and courts a woman. But then those he didn't court also think they were courted. This happened to one of our people, a man of my grandfather's generation, when he was wandering. He made it home alive, but the women were so enraged that we had to watch over that gate for many years. Or someone comes through and their footprints burn with a fire they cannot even see. You seem harmless, but the agreements are there to prevent such disturbances until...well. Unless things can be solved. It is very slow. But if you know nothing, maybe things are more settled where you come from?"

"It is not too far now," he says, continuing to lead you up through the wood.

[The Semi-Retired Gamer]

I laugh and reply, "I'm pretty sure no one likes being chased; especially, downhill.".

<thinking> Good.  There doesn't appear to be any ill will.

I listen to his explanation before responding. "I knew nothing about these gates until I learned of them here."  As we continue along the path that isn't really a path - at least to my untrained eyes - I can't help but be amazed at the skill it takes to be able to travel this smoothly in such conditions. "You people have a far great ability in the ways of the woods then I have even seen.".

<thinking> I wouldn't necessarily say we are more settled.

"Oh, I don't know about that.  Our disturbances are just different.  I come from a small town back home.  We enjoy our lives day to day but there is an occasional disagreement among people.  The larger world can be quite different.  There are some men back home that crave power and wish to take it by any means necessary.  These types of conflicts can be long and drawn out with a cost of many lives.  Some want more land and wealth, some try to seize political power, and some have even gone to war over a woman." I pause momentarily before continuing, "Those men are some of the worst of my kind, though.  There are others that protect the common people and fight against those that would attempt such vile actions.  Peace comes eventually in one form or another.  It never lasts as long as you would like.  Different conflicts than your people have encountered but I understand your position.".

I continue to follow Finny. "That was pretty quick.".

[hengest]

Indeed, he seems moderately open to companionship and does not appear to think of you as an enemy.

"It's just knowing the woods. I have no such skill as my grandfather did. We don't patrol or even roam such a great area anymore, so I knew each step of this hillside by the time I could walk. I think. If I went beyond my ken in this light, I would be falling down every third step."

He listens carefully to your talk about the troubles you know, his eyes growing wide with interest. "We have stories of such things, and I believe we were once such people. We still do make trouble for ourselves in many of small ways." He laughs. "Women, little arguments...funny to think how small it would all look to the eyes of a stranger!"

He goes on. "I was surprised you were allowed to go where you would. I think even in my father's day, you would have been expelled immediately. There was a time when you might have been killed, but we learned that killing is not always to our benefit or even our convenience. Those who pass through the gates can be dangerous even dead. It's not their intent. It's some power they bring with them that is too bright for us. I suppose Endel sensed that you were not of that kind and were likely to follow your own path anyway."

"None of us are now like the leaders and warriors in our stories. It's hard to remember why we keep patrolling when intruders are so few. But I suppose men everywhere watch over the borders of their lands, for some reason or another."

You get the feeling that, despite his young look, Finny has spent many hours in silent converse with himself. 

"It's just over here. You may recognize it when you..."

He stops. You do not see the doubletree but the lay of the land is familiar and you assume it is nearby. Some twenty feet ahead of you floats a figure taller than a man but without a man's shape. It is blacker than the surrounding area with a yellow sheen to its edges. It has no other features you can see. Your perception of it makes you think it is hunched over while eating something, but your mind also tells you quickly that, since you have little idea what you are looking at, you could be dead wrong.

[The Semi-Retired Gamer]

<thinking> Despite the differences, we seem to share many similarities in the pasts of both of our peoples.

I begin to respond with "Yes.  I see -" and I immediately go on alert at the pause in his speech.  Looking at Finny and then following his gaze my eyes rest upon the shape before us.

<thinking> That's unusual.

"Finny, is that one of the things that caused the agreement?", I ask as I continue to stare at teh shape instead of looking towards Finny or any of the surrounding area.  

[hengest]

You hear no reply from Finny, who remains utterly still in your peripheral vision, as far as you can tell.

The being "turns around" when you speak: at first it seems to become thinner, little more than a dark line in the air, then wider again. Though it takes only a second, you almost get the feeling you are watching a flat humanoid cookie be "flipped" to reveal its face. In this instance, however, the "face" of the cookie looks like a net of interwoven lines of indeterminate color. The creature has not moved towards you, you think, but it seems that these lines are somehow, despite being stationary, projected out towards you.

It may be "holding" something, but you cannot see what from here.

[The Semi-Retired Gamer]

Without looking away I say with earnest - like a harsh whisper instead of a loud proclamation - to Finny, "Hey.  What the HELL is that thing?! NOW is NOT the time to freeze up.".  I hope my utterance will stir Finny to some sort of response.

<thinking> I don't know what to do.

I stare for a few brief moments before coming to a conclusion.

"Finny, if you can't come up with anything better then I'm going to try to communicate with this thing.", I say in a whispered tone.

<thinking> Help me out, Finny.  Give me a hint.