Knot Ablaze

[Wolfrin Fenris]

[spoiler]This Freeform is for Nature's Daughter (Ella) And Weald (Wolfrin)[/spoiler]

"Really?" A voice asked. The voice belonged to what at first glance might appear to be a man. Silver-gray robes adorned the figure, trimmed in greens and reds. What they covered however was of more interest. A humanoid shape, in form and features, but comprised of plant matter. Frost colored leaves formed the hair, bangs hanging in the young man's sun gold eyes, and a small pony tell hanging down to the shoulders. Bark-like cheeks converge above vine-like lips. Similar combinations of vine, leaf, bark, and fibrous plant material formed the rest of the mans body.

"Oh yeah! I've been all over Yslia. Travelled the land I have. Seen many amazing things too! But you!" The man paused at this point. Short and slim, he was rather nonthreatening. His words were accented by grand gestures, his pinkish skin contrasting the green skin of the young man he walked beside, "But never have I seen one like you! What did you say you were?"

The young man, leading slightly ahead of the human, turned slightly as he spoke, a large smile on his face, "Umm... I think... I think your kind call us...Briarborn?"

"Briarborn eh? Amazing. Just amazing! Hahaha."

"Actually, I never really understood that... Does your kind know we don't come from briars? Actually, we come from the earth. The spot that I came from, well me and my twin; did you know I have a twin? I think we're the first, at least the elder's have never heard of such a thing. I hear your kind has twins all the time. Do you have a twin? What's your twin's name? Where is your twin?"

[Ella]

Treesinger

Having begun training as a ranger prior to the arrival of the Treesinger Elf who had offered to teach her and her twin, it was still Treesinger's duty to scout around the the edges of the Knot's territory. This was a job that she took very seriously. In her short life, she had only ever run into beings and creatures who were accepted by her people as allies. The forest Elves, who had left one of their own behind when it offered to teach them, had returned only a few times so far. She had heard of others who, although might not know where the Knot was located, were allowed in the general area to interact with her people. Her people would be glad to know if such visitors were in the area. Still, the creatures that she was truly on the lookout for were ones she had been warned of. Truly horrible beings who cared little or nothing about nature and forests, with some even going as far to seek to destroy her people if they were found by such beings. Orcs and goblinkind were at the top of that list. Humans were also a race she had been taught to look out for, although they were much harder to figure out the intentions of.

It was much to Treesinger's surprise when she heard a voice she had never heard before and then the voice of her twin responding as she did her rounds that day. Perking up at the thought of a visitor, she had moved towards their voices. As she moved nearer, she began to make out the words that were being spoken. Whoever this stranger was must not have met a Briarborn before if her brother felt the need to explain them. Curious, but still cautious, she peered at the pink-skinned figure that walked beside her brother.

'What?! A human?!' She was taken aback at the sight of her brother talking with such a creature and telling it information about herself and their people. Quickly, she moved so that she could step in front of them and block their path.

"What is this, Treesinger?" Although called twins, the two Briarborn were very different from each other. While he stood at five feet and eight inches, she was a shorter five feet and four inches. The frost green colored leaves on his head were long enough that he had to pull them back with shorter leaves in front to form bangs, while her emerald colored leaves were shorter, but even all the way around so that her "bangs" framed her face. The way in which the bark, vines, and plant material that made up their bodies had formed also gave them different facial features, including different colored eyes, of which, hers were as black as coal. The clothing she wore was obviously completely made up of natural components; if one were allowed to look closely, they would find that the clothing was actually attached to her body as though she had grown and shaped it herself from her own body.

"Where are you leading this human?" She inquired, although she was sure that he intended to take the human to their home. Her face was serious, with not even a hint of a smile. Her eyes, however, betrayed the curiosity she tried to hold back at seeing a human, a creature she had only heard descriptions of prior to this moment.

[Wolfrin Fenris]

When his sister first stepped in the road Weald's smile broadened, and he turned to greet her. However, after she spoke the first time, his smile slipped a bit. She seemed...tense. Angry even. Oh boy...

"Treesinger! I'm glad your he-" he started to say when she then asked him where he was taking the human. "Well, to the Knot. He says he's traveled all over Yslia! I thought the elder's might want to speak with him. He's really nice, not at all like they told us about humans. And he has these amazing items. He has a horn he says he can blow that summons things to defend him. And a sword he says can slay a dragon. That hat he's wearing he says can make him invisible, and..."

Meanwhile the short man accompanying the young briarborn stood poleaxed. After the barrage of questions and the arrival of another of these interesting creatures, this one a far more exotic example of their race, had left him momentarily speechless. Few in any of the land's he'd visited could leave him speechless. He sized up this new arrival. Though he could sense the more suspicious nature of this one, he had much practice in breaking down suspicions and ingratiating himself wherever he went. However once the young man started sharing the thing's he'd told him of his items, he knew it was time to take control of the conversation.

He reached over and clapped a hand on the young man's shoulder, and with a broad smile for the new arrival and a flourish of his other arm said "Okay now boy, okay. Haha. Allow my to introduce myself young lady. I am Melvorn Lionroot! Adventurer extraordinaire, treasure seeker, and tale spinner!" He withdrew his hand and tipped his hat to the young lady. He waited a moment but when she didn't seem to respond to the action, he continued, seemingly unperturbed.

"I ran across this young man on a trek through the forest. Helped me out he did, I was so turned around and lost I had no idea where to go!" he said, trying to give the young man some credit and forestall and issues. "Doesn't happen often that! Still, he helped me out and in exchange I wanted to tell him some stories. He mentioned this place you call home. This...Knot was it?" he said with a questioning glance at the young man but without and pause to allow him to speak. "Well when he mentioned a larger audience, how could I refuse? Haha. I'm always looking for an adventure, a crazy new item to add to my collection, or a place to tell of my grand quests!"

At this, the young man finally spoke up once more, "See sister? I'm sure the elder's would want to meet him and hear the stories he has to tell!" A broad smile lit his face once more as he looked to his sister hopefully.

"Sister eh boy? Is this the twin that you spoke of?" He stopped for a second to study the two of them, then he smiled as he said, "Well of course she is. I can see the resemblance. My eyes must be getting old not to have seen it right away, haha! It's very nice to meet you little Treesinger."

[Ella]

Treesinger

'All over Yslia? Horns that summon things? Swords that can slay dragons? Hats that make wearers invisible?' The more her brother spoke, the more curious she became. It was true that the elders might be interested in his tales of other lands, to gain more understanding of the outside world. And most of their brethren would find such tales fascinating in general. Though she did not see a need for a dragon-slaying sword or hats that make people invisible, she still wondered how such things had been made. What most caught her interest was the horn. To be able to summon things to defend herself and her people, that was one of the things she could do as a Treesinger. But such spells were limited. To be able to summon even more, outside of the magic that nature allowed for, sounded very useful. Still, she refrained from showing her curiosity. She had to be steadfast in her duties.

'Young... lady? What is a lady?' She wondered as the human spoke up. She had never been addressed with such a term before, not even by the visiting Elves. She, like many of her kind, was once Sapling and thus often called young Sapling; then, when she was considered an adult and began her training, she was Ranger. Now she was Treesinger. This human had many names. She did not know what Melvorn Lionroot meant, but his other names interested her. Adventurer Extraordinaire matched with his claiming to have travelled all over Yslia, but also made it sound like his travels were even more exotic than mere traveling. She supposed the other two were names he gained from being Adventurer Extraordinaire.

She continued to stand where she stood in the path, letting the human and her brother speak to explain themselves and maintaining a serious expression. She was sure the human was lying when he said he saw their resemblance; she looked more like some of the other children of the Dreaming Tree than her own twin. Then again, this seemed to be his first time meeting Briarborn, so he did not really have anything to go by.

"Yes, those who do not belong in the Springrove Forest often lose their way. You are fortunate Treesinger found you instead of some other." Though she had yet to actually meet other communities that lived within the forest, she was aware of how many of them were towards those who did not belong there. A Dryad may have have found him and charmed him to do her bidding. Or he could have stumbled across a Nymph and gone mad with obsession. If he gave off a threatening aura, many of the forest's inhabitants would even seek to kill him before he could do harm to their home.

"My twin speaks for you. I shall let you pass to share your tales with our brothers and sisters." She finally stated, making the decision to trust in her twin's intuition. The green figure studied the human a moment more before stepping to the side, attempting to put on a friendly smile - something that was much more natural on her twin's face than her own, especially in social situations. She would still accompany them, to support her brother in his decision and so that she could keep watch on the human in case he decided to turn on them. Or rather, that was her official reason for ending her scouting duty early. Secretly, she did not want to miss out on the tales the human would tell.

[Wolfrin Fenris]

"Why that's mighty kind of you," the human said with a flash of fairly-white teeth.

"Thank you sister!" Weald said at nearly the same time, a large grin now a permanent fixture on his face. "You're going to come with us too? You should ask him about his boots! I'm really curious what those do. And about his twin! Where is your twin? Are they also Adventurer Extraordinaire?"

As the young Briarborn seemed to pause to think of more questions, the human cut in quickly, "Well you are a curious one aren't ya? Haha. These boots actually give me the ability to walk on water! Why I once carried a frog and a scorpion across a river to settle a dispute! Little scorpion did try to sting me though." Here he paused for breath, but seeing the young man's mouth open to ask more questions quickly continued, "Now, I don't actually have a twin. I had a brother once. Good man Therdon was. I do miss him sometimes. But I'm as curious about you all as you are about me."

He now turned his attention to the female Briarborn as they continued their trek. "Treesinger was it? Might I ask how you got that name young one? And this Knot your brother spoke of," Melvorn said, bringing a hand to his chin to rub at the stubble there. "What exactly is it? Your brother can talk almost as much as I can and he seems to skip around on topics a bit too often for me to get a good idea of what he was talking about."

Waiting to get more questions in, and now leaving the guiding to Treesinger, Weald felt quite embarrassed when the human mentioned how much he could talk. He was often lectured during their lessons for being too eager to question and not eager enough to listen. Its not my fault. I just.... I want to know about things! But sometimes the answers are so boring... He hung his head slightly, now keeping his eyes mostly on his feet. When his sister responded however, he did raise them to look at her.

[Ella]

Treesinger

Treesinger nodded at Adventurer Extraordinaire's and her twin's appreciation for her decision to let the human share his tales. Her response to her twin's request that she go to was simple. "I shall."

Her brother was more than talkative enough and full of questions, so there had been no need for her to inquire about the human's boots when instructed by her brother to do so. The human even willingly supplied the answer. 'Why would you need to walk on water when you can swim? Why carry a frog and a scorpion across water? Were they fighting over how to get across?' Like her twin, she had begun to open her mouth to ask questions about that before the human quickly continued speaking. She did not really care if he had a twin or not, though she would be interested in seeing what twins were like. The Elves that visited had told them that there are different types of twins, ones that looked exactly alike and ones that did not. She was curious to see what twins that looked the same as each other looked like. Surely there would be something different about them.

When Adventurer Extraordinaire finally stopped talking, asking questions of his own, Treesinger immediately asked the questions that had been spinning around in her head. "Why did you carry a frog and a scorpion across a river? What was their dispute that carrying them across would solve it? Why was the scorpion angry with you for helping them? Was it angry because it got wet? Is that why you would make boots for walking on water instead of swimming? What did the frog do?"

She waited quietly for him to answer, not answering any of his own questions. After all, she had said she would let him pass to tell his tales, not that she would tell him about herself and her people. She would leave answering such questions to the others who were more experienced in dealing with strangers.

[Wolfrin Fenris]

Melvorn blinked momentarily at the sudden onslaught of questions from the girl. Starting to see the resemblance after all, he thought wryly to himself.

"Slow down girl, slow down, Haha. Well you see, the scorpion needed to cross the river to get away from a fire. The frog was afraid that the scorpion would try to sting him as they crossed. The scorpion said, 'but if I sting you, we both shall die.' The frog was hesitant still, but eventually accepted. I happened to pass by as I escaped the fire myself, and offered to give them both a ride. They both accepted. The frog was grateful, but when I let the frog go first, the scorpion was angry. 'You ruined everything!' it said. It tried to sting me."

At this he reaches into a pocket and pulls out an odd sort of pen, segmented and slightly curled. Very quickly both young Briarborn were able to tell that it is in-fact a scorpion's tail. "That's how I got this beauty. Enchanted it is, never runs out of ink! And that's the tale of the scorpions tail! Hahahahaah! That's what I do you see, I turn bad situations into good," He said, offering them both a big smile.

When the human seemed to reach the end of his tale, Weald quickly spoke up. "But wouldn't the scorpion just sting the frog after they reached the other side? And why were they running from fire? Did you start the fire? I've heard humans love to start fire's. I don't understand how anyone could love starting fires. It's dangerous you know. You shouldn't have started that fire. And how does that never run out of ink? Did you enchant it? Did you make all the magic things you have? Is everything you have magical?" Not stopping for breath, he reached out and plucked at a button on the humans coat front, "What does this button do?!"

[Ella]

Treesinger

Treesinger frowned as the human told his tale. Frogs could swim. Why did he not just take the scorpion across and let the frog swim? How did he ruin everything by helping them both? The scorpion was rather rude to strike at someone who had gone to the trouble of helping it. She also had similar questions to her twin and was grateful when he began asking his questions immediately. They were all good questions and she nodded her head in agreement as most of them fell out of his mouth.

"Where does all the ink come from?" She asked the moment she managed to get a word in amongst her brother's. "Did you know that frogs can swim, so the frog could have swam across on his own."

[Wolfrin Fenris]

This was not at all the reaction Melvorn was expecting, from either of the strange new young ones. As the bombardment of questions renewed with vigor, the human's face went through a series of expressions; questioning, considering, consternated, affronted, frustrated, angry, exasperated, and finally desperate as he tried to find a place to get a word in edge-wise.

Many times during the tirade he opened his mouth to answer a question only to find there was no real chance to do so. When the boy mentioned starting the fire, red suffused his cheeks and he raised a finger up and opened his mouth to set the lad straight but there was just no chance. Weald's word's were like an avalanche rushing down a hill, and Melvorn was simply caught up in their path. Then the boy plucked at his coat button and he raised a hand to slap it away, his frustration having finally reached a boiling point. However like the last small pebble rolling down the hill just as he was recovering, the young woman's question hit him and stole his chance at escape.

When the tirade finally stopped for half a second, he quickly looked between the two, and then he laughed. And laughed. Uproariously he laughed, hand on belly, head thrown back. Startled for a moment by such an odd reaction to simple inquiries, Weald took a step back, and shared a look with his sister that said 'is he dangerous?' Before they could decide however, the human's laughter slowed to chuckles and he bent forward, hands on knees, gasping for breath.

Still chuckling Melvorn raised a hand saying, "I'm sorry. Hahaha. I'm sorry." He looked from one to the other, finally catching his breath and continued, "I don't think I've ever met the likes of your kind. But I think I like you! Hahaha. I'll answer all your questions. I will, I promise! But you got to give them to me one at a time! Hahaha, I don't even know where to begin... Oh. I know." He reached down and grabbed the button on his coat, pulling it softly to bring attention to it. "This button here is very important." He grabbed it and held it between thumb and forefinger, and then with his other hand pulled the ends of his coat together, popping it through the hole that presented itself for the job. "It hold's my coat closed! Hahaha!"

"Now, I didn't start that fire. You see what happened was-" Melvorn began to say, getting into his story telling the way he liked best. However, once Weald had realized that the man probably wasn't dangerous, although a bit crazy maybe, he had stepped forward once more. His eyes lit up when the human promised to answer all their questions. As soon as he realized that the answer to the great mystery of the small button on the man's coat would likely be a boring one, he turned and began rushing off; now not far from the Knot at all, though it was well hidden from view to those who didn't know where to look for it.

Calling over his shoulder he said, "I'll go get all the others so you can answer all our questions! They're going to be so excited!" Darting off, his form was quickly swallowed up by the verdant growth of the forest. Melvorn Lionroot, adventurer extraordinaire, treasure seeker, and master tale spinner was left standing in the road with the young female, hand raised, mouth open, mid sentence, speechless for the second time in the last minute. Turning his head slowly, and closing his mouth, he looked at the female and then he did the only thing he could do. He laughed. And laughed. And laughed.

[Ella]

Treesinger

The range of expressions the human went through as they asked their question intrigued Treesinger. It was the most expressions she had ever seen appear on a face in such little time. She was beginning to understand what the Elves meant when they said humans were 'emotional'. Showing all of one's emotions on their face as they occurred to them... It was both fascinating to watch and... worrisome.

Treesinger was also startled by the sudden burst of laughter, stopping in her tracks to turn to fully face her twin and the human and instinctively reaching for her weapon as she and her twin shared their worried looks. She would protect her brother and people if he turned out to be dangerous. When the human finally calmed down and spoke again, Treesinger relaxed back to the way she had been before. She was glad that he promised to answer all of their questions, though was unsure of what he meant by saying he did not think he had ever met the likes of their kind but thought he liked them. Did that mean he might not like them? Did that mean he might still be dangerous if he did not like them?

She watched as Adventurer Extraordinaire showed them the purpose of the button. Her twin most likely had hoped it did something magical, too. She had thought it a mere adornment. 'It is much better to just grow your own clothes. That way, you do not need extra things to keep them on or closed.'

Treesinger stared at her brother as he suddenly started to run off just when Adventurer Extraordinaire started to answer the rest of their questions. Although it was true that they were nearing a point in which they should stop and send someone off to bring the others, she had intended to wait until the human answered her questions before taking on the duty of retrieving the others. Instead, she was left standing guard over the curious human who may or may not be dangerous.

She turned to stare at the human once more, just in time for him to burst into laughter once again. Both times he had burst into laughter suddenly had confused her. She did not understand what was so amusing to warrant such laughter. "Why do you laugh so much?"

[Wolfrin Fenris]

"Why wouldn't I young one?" Melvorn asked, wiping tears from the corner's of his eyes. "Laughter is good for the soul, they say. It can turn your darkest days as bright as noon!" Now slowly calming from his second fit of laughter, the man's smile faded only a little as he asked, "Forgive my ignorance, but... Does your kind laugh?" On her guard she is. Seems very all work no play. But I saw the curiosity in her eyes. Have to see if I can bring her out of her shell! ....or would it be pod?

Turning to more fully face her, he fished around in pockets built into his coat and vest. Pulling first a small vial with a stopper in the top, then a small metallic silver pearl. A small ball of twine, a string wrapped and tied around itself, an assortment of small metal coins, and finally a small needle he managed to prick himself with were all pulled and subsequently stuffed back into pouches in his vest. Consternation painting his face, he finally pulled a small pipe from an inside pocket, his expression relaxing, and began to thumb tabac into it while he regarded her and awaited her answer.

[Ella]

Treesinger

His reasoning was... interesting. 'Laughter could make a dark day bright?' The idea was mind boggling. Was it some sort of magic? She tried to imagine using laughter to chase away sun-blocking clouds. Treesinger blinked at his question. "We laugh, when it is appropriate to show such emotion. But what kind of magic laughter that it can bring light out of darkness? How does it chase away sun-blocking clouds? Does this not alter nature's intent? What if you laugh too much and clouds never come to bring rain? It sounds like dangerous magic." Upon seeing the stuff he began pulling out of his pockets, two things caught her eye. She did not interrupt her string of questions on the magic of laughter to inquire about the vial and the small pearl, deciding to prioritize the questions she wanted answered first. Not to mention, she was sure her brethren would want to know what the items were as well. Still, she studied the items from where she stood.

[Wolfrin Fenris]

Melvorn Lionroot nodded to himself softly, almost expecting this sort of answer now. He pulled a small sliver of wood out of a pocket and touched the end of it to the tabac filled bowl of his pipe. The end began to glow red, and little wisps of smoke drifted up from the bowl. Now puffing lightly on the pipe to try and ignite the flame further, he spoke around the peace in his mouth, "Not magic young one. I was speaking metaphorically!" Seeing no recognition in her eyes, he explained "When speaking metaphorically someone....well let's just say the magic is for the soul! When I said it could bring light to your darkest day, I meant laughter could make you happy even when your sad."

Seeing a good ember burning in his pipe bowl, he pulled the stick away, the end of which stopped glowing red nearly immediately and appeared unburnt. Stuffing the stick back in the pocket from whence it came, he slid the pipe to the side of his mouth and puffed occasionally as he spoke. "Now let me ask you this young Treesinger. When is it ever inappropriate to laugh, and show joy? Hmm? It's a trick question!" He laughs slightly. "It's never inappropriate to be happy. You should try it some time," he offers with a slight smile.

[Ella]

Treesinger

Curiosity of the items that appeared from his pockets turned to a definite look of disdain as the wooden sliver the man pulled out started to glow red on one end and smoke started to come out of the item in his hands. Smoke was bad. Smoke meant fire. Whatever he was saying about speaking metaphorically went over her head as her mind whirled with warnings of fire. Fire was dangerous, as her brother had told the human earlier.

"Why do you start a fire here?" She inquired suddenly. "Why did that stick glow red and cause smoke to come from that," She pointed at his pipe, "but was unburnt when the red went away? They say orcs and goblinkind use fire to bring sadness and suffering to people like ours. Therefore, it is inappropriate to be happy with fire." She considered using one of the spells of nature her Treesinger mentor had taught her to put out the fire in the human's smoke device. With her people bound to arrive any minute, an item holding fire could be a dangerous thing. She hoped the human would understand and extinguish the fire on his own, though.

[Wolfrin Fenris]

His eyes climbed when she immediately started questioning his use of fire for his pipe, the worry detectable to one trained in reading people. And near people. So it is like that, eh? Interesting. He reached up to grab the pipe by the stem and pulled it from his mouth for the moment to put on a big smile. "Now, now, lass. Calm yourself. Why, the fire is already out! The little bit of smolder in this tiny thing," he gestured with the pipe slightly, bobbing the large bowl end, "couldn't even burn a leaf unless I stuck one in there!"

With his smile still present, he continued, "Look at me. Not exactly a spring chicken am I?" Having learned his lesson, he quickly clarified, "By which I mean I'm old. I know how to be careful with a bit of flame. I promise I'll bring no harm to you and yours. Relax." He put the pipe back between his teeth and puffed it for a few moments, before opening his mouth in a wide 0 shape and blowing a simple smoke circle. "Haha, see? Even fire can bring laughter and happiness. Should I take this to mean you don't cook your food? I was so hoping to find a meal in this 'Knot'."