Video; un: petalpink

[pinkblinded]

[Gaura is honestly rather used to getting lost. He's been fired from enough jobs for being late to work because of it, after all. So now he feels like maybe that happened here? Yes, he's had everything explained to him but that certainly hasn't stopped the confusion.

But after going in circles for several hours he's finally discovered this feature and he's giving it a go.]

Hi there. [He gives a smile. A look he's figured out is usually the thing to get someone to help.]

Could someone help me out? I seem to have lost my way to my apartment and nothing is really looking that familiar. Is Koreatown familiar to anyone at least?

Comments

[pinkblinded]

[Taking his arm, he enjoys the closeness with his new friend while they way. Of course it helps him to know where he's going as well which is lovely.]

That will make shopping for groceries easier. I'm glad.

[inthewood]

It does, indeed.

(( The apartment isn't more than a block or so away, making for a short walk from the restaurant to their home. It's a decent size with a common living area, a dining room and kitchen, and two bedrooms. The place is furnished in the common Nippon style. Silver shows Gaura from room to room. The only room that didn't have papers and books scattered in it is the one that's to be Gaura's. The dining room is the worst of it, with Silver's notes and notebooks strewn across the table. But it has the best light for future plants. ))

Well, this is it.

[pinkblinded]

[Henry shows him the place and his eyes widen as he gazes at each room. There's papers and books everywhere and the furniture is modest really. Yet it's one of the most beautiful things he's seen. He's still holding his new friend's arm as he finds he just doesn't know where to look at any given moment.

Most would likely be distressed by the mess. For Gaura though?]

It's wonderful...

[inthewood]

(( What little embarrassment Silver felt disappeared as soon as Gaura uttered his statement. What's left is a mild kind of pride that the other man likes the place and isn't at all put off by Silver's clutter. ))

I guess all we nee are some plants to make you feel right at home.

[pinkblinded]

They'll fit in so well. The plants and the books...

[He finally lets go of Henry so he can step further in to wander around, gently touching books and papers without moving them.]

You've done so much work. It's amazing.

[inthewood]

(( It's all he had... until now. He smiles brightly as he casts his gaze around the room. All the books he's gathered, the notes he's taken, all the work he left behind that he tried to replicate. It's very much a testament to who he is. ))

There's still a lot for me to learn here.

[pinkblinded]

Will you tell me some of it? That you learned here?

[Gaura even goes to sit in one of the chairs with an eager smile on his face.]

I want to hear all about it.

[inthewood]

(( Silver takes a seat and nods eagerly. ))

Did they tell you anything about the ayakashi at the arrival orientation?

[pinkblinded]

A little. But you probably know even more now...

[inthewood]

I think you would like the Saiwaika. I'll take you to Nara so you can see them in person. They resemble deer, but they're incredibly small. It's hard to feel anything but happiness in their presence, and they're especially cute when they bed for food.

[pinkblinded]

[He looks enchanted already. Of course he's not really sure of the differences between deer and other antlered/horned animals but that's okay.] Do they do any magic? I know some supernatural creatures do.

[inthewood]

I believe it's their ability to make people feel happiness.

(( A giddy smile touches his face and he leans forward where he sits. ))

I have a story I think you'll like very much. Are you familiar with the tales of the Green Man?

[pinkblinded]

That's such a sweet ability.

[To bring happiness? He loves that. Just as much as he loves the body of the man leaning forward. It must mean something exciting is going to happen. So he leans forward too with eagerness then shakes his head.]

No. Please tell me more.

[inthewood]

(( This is quite a story. And Silver's absolutely pleased to tell it in all the detail (much of which he left out when he published his paper on the matter). ))

It was the first investigation I conducted on my own. Wait, let me start from the beginning: the Green Man myth. There are several versions of the story found all over the-- my world. They all vary a little, but the main story is a figure of spring and rebirth, guardian of the forest, et cetera. The Green Man, Jack in the Green, the Wildman of the Wood.

[pinkblinded]

[Gaura nods to let him know that he's listening and following what he's saying so far. But otherwise he stays quiet so that way he won't interrupt.]

[inthewood]

I spent years studying the stories and found one in England that seemed to align. Through careful research, I located a place that matched the stories: Greenhollow. The estate happened to be for sale, so I bought it from the Rafelas. You can imagine my surprised when I was walking through the adjacent wood and discovered that Wildman himself! I learned he'd been the avatar of the ancient Wood for over four hundred years!

[pinkblinded]

[Gaura's eyes went so wide at that.]

...four hundred...

[inthewood]

Four hundred years! And it all happened by accident! He lost his magic and immortality when he and my mother cut down the ancient oak.

(( His tone shifted to something a little sadder as he continued. ))

They were searching for me as I'd foolishly let myself be carried off by the Lord of Summer, a very powerful fae creature that haunted Greenhollow every year. It's because of him that Tobias became tied to the Wood to begin with.

[pinkblinded]

[The tone of his voice changed but he isn't quite sure what it means. Without being able to tell facial expressions apart he finds he can't always tell what a tone of voice means most of the time. It's amazing how closely tied the two things are.

But with the rest of the story told he assumes it to mean sadness. So he reaches out to rest a hand on Henry's. Just to offer his support. This tale is one of Henry's past so it's not like he can change anything. But he can be there for him now.]

[inthewood]

(( Maybe it's for the best that he can't see the way Silver's eyes go distant, a haunted shadow creeping over his face. It passes quickly enough and he picks up with the story. ))

After they took down the tree, they discovered the ancient faerie barrow beneath it! Once that was destroyed, with the Lord of Summer (and myself) in it, Tobias lost his magic. And after some months... I discovered I had gained it!

[pinkblinded]

[His eyes widen at that.]

Were you alright? Having that magic in you?

[inthewood]

Not really, if I'm honest. I struggled with the way time moved differently and I could just get lost in the flow of it. Whole days could go by and I didn't even realize it had been more than a few minutes. But there were good things too! Being able to actually communicate with the Wood. Making plants grow and bloom whenever I wished it. I'm glad it's gone, though. I was bad for the Wood. Not like Tobias. I was too selfish to really care for it properly.

[pinkblinded]

Does he...have the power again? [He's not sure how it works exactly.]

[inthewood]

No. It was given to the last faerie. Did you know, if you eat faerie fruit you change? Well, if they eat human fruit, they change, too. So he ate an apple I gave him and became part of my world. And the Wood approved of him.

[pinkblinded]

So the Wood has what it needs and Tobias is part of your world?