Eretria • Rover (eretriatherover) wrote in madisonvalley, @ 2017-12-14 21:45:00 |
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Entry tags: | !closed, !completed gdoc, ~2017 december, ~25 points, ~~eretria (eretriatherover), ~~~merlin (morethanblood) |
Who:Eretria and Merlin
What: A meeting of the minds
Why: Because I felt like it?
When: pre fight, a day or so after this
Where: Forest Grove
Status: Completed Gdoc
Warnings; None
Merlin was out searching the woods today, looking for likely places to build a home away from home, a sanctum sanctorum. He was not sure where he was headed, but he knew he would know when he had found it. He smiled as he walked, blindfolded, and yet sensing everything nearby more keenly than people with sight.
He wandered so, letting his senses carry him deep into the forest of the park, leading him farther from the town and out into the wilds between it and the dome.
And if by chance his feet, unclad in shoes, were a few feet off the ground, well… that was to expected.
***
Ere was in the area of the clearing her and Allanon had turned into… a sort of stone temple. She still didn’t quite understand what had happened - but she found herself feeling more centered there now. She was sitting in the middle of the stones, eyes closed, content to try to focus on just feeling.
She wanted to feel the Earth, she knew it was what she was meant for in the long run. She needed it like she needed to breathe. She couldn’t stop that need, she blamed Allanon but it was all in good fun, because she had chosen to walk this path.
She ran her hands over the ground, took in a deep breath. “Come on now.” she grumbled at the Earth before her head snapped upwards and a knife was in her hand before she found the person that was walking in the air.
Inner Ere sighed, more magic. She was going to keep running into it until she was dead, she just knew it. “Please introduce yourself.” she twirled the knife in her fingers, before shaking her head, she knew better, but she was still guarded at heart. Hard fought land was hard won, she was protective.
***
Merlin raised his hands and to the side, open palmed, still. “I mean thee no harm, milady. Not intrusion. I apologize. I am called Merlin, and I was but about and around, reacquainting myself with the land. “
His eyes were drawn to the new stones.
“And those are new. And intriguing.” Then he shook his head. “But again, I did not mean to walk where I was not welcome.” There was no submission in his voice,merely apology.
***
Ere made the knife vanish in a moment.
“Eretria.” she replied after a moment before looking over at him. “It’s fine, sorry.” she shook her head. “I’m a little touchy tonight, that’s all, no offense taken.” she smiled a bit, trying to sort her brain back out. She was working herself too hard to be that touchy with people in this place.
“They are new, yes.” she smiled faintly. “Kind of the fault of me and my mentor.” she tasted the word for a moment, she hadn’t said it outloud but it felt right so she smiled a bit more. Okay that was a good feeling.
“You’re welcome as long as you mean no harm.” she said simply
***
“No harm, done, then, milady. I have had such days myself. Would you care for a drink?” he sat in midair and pulled a bottle of very fine whiskey out of thin air, along with two goblets. He held them up in question.
Merlin flashed he a grin.
“No harm there. I’ve not seen such primal stones in many a year. Not since Stonehenge was raised all these years ago.” He chuckled. “Well done, milady.”
He nodded and his voice took on an almost seeming threefold tone. “An so long as no harm is done toward me, no harm shall I do to thee, this I swear, on the eldtree.” And there was something like a single ring of a bell, as the magic of a wizard’s oath swept across reality.
***
She eyed him for a moment. “Not going to knock me out, is it? Or kill me?” she asked because she’d been drugged before, and drugged people before. She really didn’t want the headache of waking up after one of those nights again. Ever.
“I’m too young to drink in this world.” she added after a moment, with almost a grouchy look. Because really, she didn’t think it was a good rule. She, after all, had done more than most people her age ever would. A drink was the least of her worries.
“Don’t congratulate me, I have no idea how I even managed to help with such a thing. I’m new to the whole things. It just… happened and he explained it, but I’m still processing it.” she laughed softly.
Then she tilted her head. “Okay you can ignore my first question then, because I felt that, what was that? What did you do?” she perked up a bit, she could feel the truth and honor that bound such words as it brushed over her skin. This was frustrating, she wanted to know everything, and not get random snippets.
***
Merlin smiled as she changed her words, and he listened to all of it, then nodded. “I can answer that, yes. That, what I just did, is a wizard’s oath. For a wizard, one steeped in magic, when they speak truth with intent, it invokes the magic of the world itself, the magic within every living thing. Creation magic, it is, and the most powerful of all. And it recognizes truth. And anyone who is sensitive, can then tell it, and knows that the wizard has bound himself, or herself, to his truth.”
He waved a hand. “It is both strength and vulnerability at once.”
He held out a mug, where once there was a goblet, now full, to her.
***
“What in the Four Lands did I sign myself up for.” she said after a moment shaking her head, she wasn’t prepared for this. Not yet, but she was smiling as she said it all. Because really, she knew. Just as she knew that Allanon was right, she had it in her to follow his path. Just there in her bones. She knew it.
Just as she knew he wasn’t lying to her. “Oh, well, that’s interesting. And new. And does this whole magic world come with a codex? It really needs to. Do I need to reply in turn? I mean, I don’t know anything about this stuff yet.”
She took the mug. As long as he didn’t care, she’d happily take it. Because she had a feeling she was about to learn more things than she’d meant to.
***
“What is the four lands?” Merlin was curious and he sipped his drink, grinning at her, He recognized that smile. He knew it. It was a good one. One of thirst and hunger, one of joy in seeking and finding answers, one in being. He knew it, because he smiled it often.
“Everyone seems to write one. And usually leave important things out. You could try to change that.” he pointed it out gently.
And he shook his head. “Just like any other oath, a wizard’s oath is made personally. Not in expectation of another doing the same.” He held up a hand. “I would feel better if you did not, for now, until you know more and know exactly what it means, to the core of thee.”
He raised his glass in toast to her, for now it was a silvered tall glass flute with the drink within as golden as the sun.
“To learning, and finding what means truth to us.”
***
“Home.” she said quietly, she missed the simplicity of home. Oh life was far more complex, survival of the fittest and all that. But she missed that simplicity. There was a lot here she liked but a lot she hated, too. She didn’t know how to put into words everything she felt of this place.
“Clearly.” she groaned softly. “Like, forgetting to tell me just how hard things would be to start, that would have been good to know.” she groused a little before laughing. “No, I am sure I would leave something out. Writing is certainly not my forte.”
She waved a hand. “No, it’s fine, just asking.” because she really didn’t feel like doing anything that would make things harder on her. Nope, she was good. Allanon pushed her hard, and she pushed herself harder.
She lifted her mug with a smile. “I’ll drink to that one.” she grinned.
**
Merlin smiled. “Then i would enjoy going there. Any land that could bring about such a being as you is worth admiration.” There was a little of that admiration in his glance at her. Okay, a lot. She was competent, smart, and pretty. Not bad.
“Are not all important things hard?” He had always found it so. He chuckled at her response. “Every man or woman who sets out to write such a thing ends up feeling so. Something to do with the weight of it, I think. “
He raised his glass to her, clinked it, and drank.
Once that was done, he smiled.
“I have a feeling talking to you will be an enlightening thing.” he paused. “Do you dance?”
***
She blinked. “I'm nothing special, I'm sorry to say. But the Four Lands are beautiful in their own way. It is in the far future from this time. When the age of man has fallen.”
“They are. I'm learning that, though I already knew it to an extent.” She smiled gently as she looked up at him..”that's probably true, too much to stuff into one book.”
She took a drink and sighed, okay she wasn't a huge drinker back home, but she enjoyed being able to after a long day. She missed it here. Too young. Annoying.
“Uh depends on what you mean by dance, actually.”
***
Merlin laughed. “I think you are wrong, milady. I think you likely are far more than you appear.” he nodded, and swept her a bow.
He heard her sigh and leaned forward.“Is the drink to your satisfaction?”
“What do you mean by dancing?”
***
Eretria just gave him a look. “You're sounding like my mentor. “ She laughed as she sat back on one hand.
“Oh aye, been awhile since I've had a drink, tastes great.” She set the mug down carefully and rested on both hands. “One of things you don't think about much until you can't have it anymore.”
She'd laughed again, “I can dance to modern music, I suppose, but anything else, we didn't really have it back home.”
***
Merlin snerked. “I have taught many a student, over the years.” He had, after all, been alive longer than most cultures in the world had existed..”
Merlin nodded. “Well, you can always find me and I will provide. I am very good at making things appear.” he grinned wider. “It is a thing.”
“Modern dancing is fun. Lots of moving to the beat.” he chuckled.
***
“Of course you have.” She just shook her head, it was just her luck to find another teacher type.
“Oh you're going to spoil me.” She grinned playfully, because she wouldn't abuse the offer but she'd take him up on it at least a few times.
“Yes. That I find easy.”
***
Merlin snerked. “I doubt that. You look to be a fighter, and I doubt you would harm yourself by drinking enough to abuse my hospitality.”
He tapped his chin,, then bent down and knocked on the earth, once.
A moment later, there was a hum, and the ground in front of where he was standing changed, shifting magically. Suddenly there was a map of the forests in front of him, scaled down, and it even had images of them in the clearing. He looked it over, then nodded as his eyes lit up.
“There!” he points to one spot, not a long ways from where they were, but more secluded by trees. The map slowly moved in closer and revealed a hidden waterfall that stood at the top of a small hill.
“I’ll likely be near there, if you wish to come get a drink.”
***
“Nope, not my style.” she said as she looked at him. “I’m not big on self-defeating or drinking into oblivion. I knock people out, I don’t get knocked out.” she said easily as she leaned back on her hands.
She jumped, though, when he pulled a map out of the ground. Okay, that was cool, and she was on her feet in seconds to look at it over his shoulder, eyes eager. “That.. that is cool and hey, I like that waterfall, no peeking when I go swimming.” she said after a moment.
Slender fingers ran over the map lightly, carefully.
“That is so cool.”
***
“Good. Then there should be no problem.” He smiled to her eyes dancing to red, and black, and gold, and back to a more normal brown color. He was glad to hear she would not bury herself in drink.
Merlin chuckled at her reaction. “I will try to teach it to you, if you like. I do not know if our magics will be compatible, but I would try.” He smiled wider.
“No peeking? Well… I suppose. I do not mind peeking on my side, though I am now taken.” He chuckled as he stared down at the map. “The Earth knows what is upon it, and if we ask nicely, she sometimes tells us.” He patted the ground gently. “It’s alright, milady, you can let it go now. We’ve seen enough.” And with a slow movement, it subsided into the earth, until there was no sign the,map had ever been there at all.
***
Ere tilted her head back and laughed softly. “Oh, I'll warn you. I'm shameless. But I do respect things like being taken. But I'm still shameless.” She snickered a bit.
“I'd love to try to learn. I have no idea what I'm really capable of to be honest. I'm just starting this journey.” She shrugged a little.
“That is just… if it's tied to the Earth, I'm sure we can find a way for it to work for me. That's kind of the basis of things for me. “ her eyes were bright, on the idea of learning was addicting
***
Merlin chuckled. “Nothing wrong with that,. So am I, mostly. As long as we both know where the line is, that is fine.” He chuckled.
“Then i would be glad to try to teach you. We’ll see if you can learn anything from this ancient man.” He winked at her. Grinning.
Merlin nodded. “Aye, it is an elemental power, so it is one that is connected directly to Earth.”
***
“I'm good at knowing where lines are. I'm … let's just say I know what they serve and respect them.” She laughed softly. In some cases she danced on that line, but only with people she knew very well.
“I'm sure we can figure out something. You've got my curiosity piqued.” She grinned widely.
“Then I might have a chance to learn it. Everything I know is based off Earth. Mostly. I mean I think. Whatever.” She waved a hand. “I just mean I might have a shot here.”
***
Merlin nodded, and grinned at her. “Sounds perfect.” he cheered her on.
“Oh dear. Sounds like fun.” He chuckled, grinning himself. He found it easy to just talk to her, to relate to her warmth and kindness. And her edges.
“There is always a chance. Our choices dictate how well we do. Those along with whether or not the world gives us time to make them.”
He nodded.
“I understand.”
***
She laughed, “You shouldn’t encourage a Rover, Merlin.” she was smiling, though, so not really bothered or even serious about it.
“I know, you should be scared. I’m relentless when I’m after something I want. Knowledge has become one of those things as of late. Who knew? I didn’t. I thought I just was meant for one purpose and surprise, I have the ability to do a whole lot more.” Ere was nothing if not a living contradiction. Sharp tongued, hard edged, but kind too.
“I’ve become a rather eager student, willing to push my personal limits to see what I can do. I helped do this after all, so I don’t think much will stop me if there’s even a sliver of a chance I can learn.” she stated firmly, believing every word of it.
*(**
Merlin wiggled his fingers at her, sending streams of colored light swirling around her legs. “I enjoy people being encouraged and relentless. And since I am offering the knowledge anyway… I see no problem in it.” he smirked.
“Purposes and people evolve. Perhaps that is what happened to you.” A little smirk played around his lips as he let the light streams play along the ground around her and upward, and then back to him, and he reached out to touch them, and grip them, and in his hand he held a set of armor, in her size, ready for her. It was supple, fire proof, and warm.
“Perhaps this can help your endeavours.”
***
She laughed at the light and watched it before looking back at him, laughing a bit more, shaking her head, eyes bright. This was way more fun than she had expected. Things were looking up around here - first Allanon now Merlin. So much to learn. And such eager teachers. It was delightful.
“That is pretty much what happened, I’d guess. I don’t know, and I’m not really worried about it. I happen to really like what has changed in the long run. It’s good for me to keep learning and well, I was getting tired of being just another florist here.” She watched him with curious eyes as he did something.
Then her eyes went wide. “Woah.” she breathed out a minute later, fingers reaching out to run over the armor. “It’s like you almost know my style.” she laughed softly as she ran her fingers over it, then shook her head. “Wow. That’s amazing. Did I fall into a dream or something? I’m not exactly used to random people giving me stuff that’s this interesting.”
***
Merlin nodded, watching her. He could see potential in her and he could see her most amazing possibilities. “You could be more, could find more. If you wish it.”
He nodded. “I would enjoy teaching you, I think, and it is okay with you and your current teacher. I do not with to undermine lessons or plans.” He grinned warmly.
“It is not hard to guess. Your body, the way you carry yourself, the way you walk. All of it points to someone who is a more militant person than not.” He smirked.
“Nay. Merely the dream of life.”
***
Eretria looked at him a little, then smiled softly. “Well, I want more so I guess that’s a good thing then aye?” she asked with a lilt and a smirk. “I like the idea. I love it.” he could also probably see what lurked beneath the surface. Things she didn’t even know were there.
“I am sure he would be alright with it, but I will speak with him about it when I see him next. I am sure he’d say something along the lines of knowledge is good, go find it.” she grinned a bit widely then shook her head at him.
“Well, less militant, more… street rat, I suppose. But similar ideas. A life suited to fighting, less about anything else, er, mostly before. Now fighting is just fun.”
She couldn’t believe today. “Thanks, really, this is amazing.”
***
Merlin grinned at her, enjoying her liking of things. “You’re welcome. You will learn, and you will sweat and work, and see how the Making works. Magic is hard work. And learning is hard work, though I have a feeling you already know that. Don’t thank me until you know what you’ve gotten into.”
“Do you know how to put this on?” He knew not all did.
***
Eretria just laughed as he spoke - “Someone once told me nothing is worth it if it isn’t hard work. I’m pretty okay with hard work, actually. It’s more worthwhile if I have to sweat and bleed for it. Means I really put my all into it.” she smiled at him and nodded. “But I’m sure I’ll still be thanking you.”
“Yep but they always need help getting things strapped on right. Gotta make sure you got the fit right.” she grinned and shrugged out of her coat, leaving her in a thin tank top this would easily fit over. “I have to try it on, after all.”
***
“Pretty smart.” He chuckled, listening to her and nodded. “You do not have to. Teaching those eager to learn is a joy,” He loved to help people realize new things and to see the looks in their eyes when they achieved it.
“Aye milady.” He watched her work, grinning as she stripped to her under clothing to put on the armor. It would all fit, he knew, but he was hopeful she would also like it.
***
“Oh, I think he is, yes.” she laughed softly. “Some days he can be pretty stubborn headed but ah, well, what can you do?” she smirked a bit before nodding. “I like the idea of learning. I never did before.”
She let him help her into it, it clearly fit. He was good. She shifted and rolled her shoulders a bit, getting comfortable. “Ooh now this, this I like. A lot” she grinned wickedly as she ran her fingers over it.
**
Merlin smirked and watched her, then nodded, helping out where he could. “Its fits and it seems to move well with you.” Merlin nodded again.
“Good. Armor like this is a good thing to train in.”
***
Ere took a minute to stretch then went through some simple forms, minus her weapons which weren’t here, getting used to how it moved on her as she moved. She made her way back over to him and smiled.
“Okay, yeah, I really do love this. This is amazing. Thank you.” she paused then hugged him. “It’s a really amazing gift, especially since you don’t even really know me. I really appreciate it.”
**
“I am Merlin. It is my way.” He nodded to her and hugged her back, shrugging one shoulder. “I have a feeling you will need it in time, and it is my duty to aid those who defend and aid others. And, also,. I thought it would look cute on you, which it does.’ He grinned silly-ly.
***
“You're as cryptic as Allanon” she groaned at him, then shook her head. “Duh. I'm adorable, good armor looks fantastic on me.” As if she'd look anything but good.
“I should get moving, though, it's almost time for work and training, I should probably get on that before I call in for the day and just play in this.” She grinned.
**
Merlin snickered. “Then I shall consider myself in good company.” He chuckled at her words and nodded. Perhaps she was right.
“Go, milady, and be well. And find time to play.” he winked at her, stepped back, and then in a glimmering moment, shifted from a man to an eagle, and with a cry, swept up into the sky.
***
Ere looked upwards after him, shook her head a bit, this was going to be an adventure, she just knew it.
Then she headed off herself, in a less dramatic fashion..