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[hereticofthewilds]

Gathering Spot of Elsie

At the edge of the forest, tangled roots creeping into more civilized spaces, is a large, moss covered tree adorned with bits of string, cloth, and shiny bits of glass or other trinkets hanging from its branches. There's a hole in the trunk from a creature long vacated, just large enough for letters or small packages to be laid within. The name 'Elsie' is spelled out about it with metal bits pressed into the bark and partially grown over.

Sometimes a young woman can be seen there, sitting on the roots with a mug in hand, watching the village with an amused glint in her eyes. Rumors say you can call out for Elsie there and she'll hear you, no matter where in the forest she happens to be. You have but to take a seat and wait for her arrival.

COMMENT ✦ GAME NAV ✦ CHILDREN OF THE WILDS

Comments

march

[abhorrently]

It's another early spring rain shower when she's out and about. The impulse to go out in it was strong, and with no work, she obeyed. No umbrella, no jacket - nothing but herself, and she's running through it with a smile on her face. Who cares if someone sees? The natural world hasn't lost its wonder yet, and she can't think about getting cold when she instead wants to get drenched by imperfect weather. It cleanses, it forgives, it hums with the magic in her veins.

Stopping to catch her breath, the decorated tree is a surprise, and she lays her hand on the tree's bark.

"Elsie."

She must be loved, to have her name commemorated so. The shiny objects wink in the light, gently jostled by the rainfall, and Fever gazes upwards while she gets breath back in her lungs.

Re: march

[hereticofthewilds]

One of the shadows beneath the roots of this tree seems suddenly darker than the rest. And from it comes a voice, "Yes?"

[abhorrently]

Oh. That must be the tree's name, then.

"Hello. Please, don't mind me too much - I've just got to take a break after running." But she's still pleased, wet hair sticking to her cheeks and clothes damp, looking at the shadow. "Did I wake you up?"

Do trees sleep at all?

[hereticofthewilds]

"Was dreaming," Elsie says still within the shadow. The rain is good for taking naps.

"Cold?" she asks. Because she can't help but notice Fever is soaked through.

package.

[abhorrently]

[tucked gently into the tree one evening is a package for Elsie. there's five mandarin oranges, and a small lantern there. where a candle might go, instead there is a glass bottle, full of stardust that Fever found after a battle. it glitters in the light, and it twinkles in the container.

there is also a note.]

May these bring you some joy.

-F

[hereticofthewilds]

If Fever comes to check on the tree or the gift, she will find that twinkling lantern is now hung in a place of honor, front and center over the name embedded in Elsie's tree. Around it are hung hand-made garlands, as well, fashioned from colored pebbles, pine cones, and, most importantly, the dried peels of those oranges. Those have been carefully cut into the shape of flowers and stars. They still smell sweet in the light spring breeze.

Early May

[astrogator]

The floodwaters are gone, and Tayrey has thrown herself into her work. Earning as much brass as she can. Repairing her damaged house. She's had the chance to catch up with almost all of her friends who stayed on the ship by now, but there's one she still worries for.

Tayrey ventures out to the forest, all the way to Elsie's special tree. She lays one hand against it. 'Citizen Elsie?' she calls out. 'Are you here?'

Re: Early May

[hereticofthewilds]

"Here!" Elsie's head suddenly drops down in front of Tayrey. The wild woman is dangling upside down from a low tree limb as if she's trying to impersonate one of her tree's hanging baubles.

"Hello, Citizen Tayrey."

[astrogator]

Citizen Tayrey makes her smile, because it's unusual, but it's not exactly wrong.

'Peace and prosperity!' she says, tilting her head sideways. 'I thought I'd stop by and see how you were. Everyone's had a rough time lately.'

[hereticofthewilds]

"Peace and prosperity," Elsie answers, right before she does a backflip out of her tree to land in front of Ari with all the confidence of a gymnast.

"I'm okay. Tree is okay. Are you okay?"

late july/early august

[yournewsidekick]

A breeze ripples through the trinkets adorning the tree. The glass clinks. A few shards reflect a new light: a bright pink spark, zipping and winding around the branches like a firefly.

When the spark lands at the roots of the tree, it sprouts like a time-lapse into something... uncertain. Wavering. She isn't sure what she wants to be, for a second, but eventually Nimona settles on the usual teenage human shape. She comes to life hugging her elbows -- and shorter than she normally is. Closer to Elsie's height.

Tentative, she whipers, "Elsie?"

so sorry for this delay!

[hereticofthewilds]

Two eyes peer out of the hole in the center of the tree. They blink once, and then a shadow spills out onto the roots, instantly forming into the shape of Elsie, sitting with her knees hugged up to her chest.

"Nimona looks sad."

no worries at all! <333

[yournewsidekick]

She'd been expecting a harsh go away at best, probably an attack at worst. When that's the first thing Elsie says to her instead --

Nimona hitches in a little breath, feeling her eyes sting.

"Yeah," she admits. Carefully, she lowers herself to her knees in front of Elsie. "I, um. I missed my friend."

cw: headlessness, in text and images, throughout thread

[holdontoyourhead]

One night, a galloping can be heard through the woods after dark. It is accompanied by a strange silvery mist gathering beneath the light of the trio of moons that float overhead, each and every one of them round and full. Pinpricks of light appear through the trees, a deep magenta glow piercing the shadows of the trees, seated right where the eyes of a horse should be. Instead, there is a smoky shadow in the shape of a horse, so dark it swallows the moonlight. And on its back, there is a rider.

He wears simple clothing for the time, a long black jacket and dark riding boots. And on his shirt there is a high collar, obscuring the ring of raw flesh where a neck ought to give way to a head.

The headless horseman follows the road through the woods to Elsie's tree, where he stops, pulling the reins on his shadowy steed taut. The beast knickers and paces a bit before stopping to let him off. When he dismounts, he rifles through his saddlebag with gloved hands. A hand axe for chopping wood is attached next to one, which he opens, moving aside a lifeless severed head to rifle through a stack of letters. Somehow, despite his sightlessness, he finds what he is looking for. At last, he approaches the tree, and knocks on its trunk.

cw: headlessness, in text and images, throughout thread

[hereticofthewilds]

From within the hollow at the center of the tree, two pinpoints of light appear-- moonlight reflected in Elsie's eyes. Tentatively, she pokes her head out.

"Yes?"

[holdontoyourhead]

A ghostly head manifests above the shoulders of the figure, revealing a gaunt man with glowing golden eyes and a somewhat dowdy haircut, immediately making him less intimidating by a long shot. Even though his translucent skull is visible through his spectral visage.

"Elsie Helvig?"

[package left for Elise, approximately two days after the appearance of his "smithing injury"]

[theydrewfirstblood]

[The package is wrapped in brown paper and tied with baker's twine, with a small folded note tucked in the twine.

Inside the paper package is a small wooden box, and inside the box wrapped in a clean but careworn bandanna is a small metal leaf polished beautifully, with a hole bored into one edge and a length of string threaded through it.

The note is in a bold, neat masculine hand.]

Hi, Elsie,

Saw you like to hang shiny things on your tree, so I made you something. Not long ago, someone gave me an evil metal leaf, but it's gone now where it won't hurt anyone. This one I made thinking about you, and Ari, and how much fun I had when you ate lunch with me. Hope this good metal leaf makes you happy, makes your tree look nice, and keeps you safe from the dangerous things out in the woods.

Peace and prosperity,
Your friend
John Rambo

[hereticofthewilds]

Elsie gasps in pleased surprise when she opens the package and finds the beautiful metal leaf waiting for her. She immediately dangles it from the string and delights in watching the way light dances on its surface when she moves her hand back and forth. Who gave her such a fine gift? Oh, yes, she should read the note.

So, she does. And it's then that tears of gratitude start to fall. To be compared with her friend Ari feels like an honor she almost isn't worthy of. This leaf does make her happy. So happy. She must find a way to tell him! Yes, she'll write a letter too.

A few days later, John will find a small package waiting for him, wrapped in the same paper and twine as the one he left, and with a small note tucked into the twine in just the same way. When he opens it, he will discover a hand carved leaf pendant made from a dead limb that fell from Elsie's own tree.

The note reads:

Thank you for the leaf. It makes me very happy. I am sad that your other one was evil. I made you a good one, instead. Whenever you feel scared, you can touch it and you will be protected.

Peace and prosperity,
Your friend
Elsie

Next time John returns to Elsie's tree, he will easily be able to see that the metal leaf is hung close to the hollow entrance where she likes to reside. (It's so Elsie can gaze at it before she falls asleep.)

coming to say hello

[thaumatophage]

Kitty's heard tell of Elsie, of the Children of the Wilds, and something about them resonates with her. She has a small rock in her hand, with a tree she'd painstakingly painted on it. No runes, no sigils - she thinks it's probably rude to give someone something like that right off the bat, especially if they're another magic user. It's presumptuous, as Uncle Baz might say.

"Elsie?" she says, feeling a little foolish speaking when there doesn't seem to be anyone around. "Hi, um. I'm Kitty. I wanted to say hello."

:3

[hereticofthewilds]

"Hello, Kitty."

The voice belongs to a set of eyes that look out from the hollow at the center of the tree. The creature within seems to be made of fluid shadow, but it doesn't stay that way for long. A very solid head pops out. A head with hair as blue as the sky above.

"I'm Elsie."

Early December

[blindwatchersees]

The rainbow is gathering to overwinter.

They can be seen here and there and everywhere- butterflies of every hue, flitting over frost-covered gray and sunning themselves on trees. Sometimes they will congregate on the corpses of animals in the woods before they have a chance to vanish, lapping at the fluids while they gossip in the silent language of insects. Regardless, they all seem to be making their way down into Paradesium, like a technicolor breath being drawn down into the mouth of the world.

Early December

[hereticofthewilds]

Elsie watches the fluttering insects from her perch atop a fat oak branch. It hasn't escaped her notice that they all seem to be heading to the same place.

"Going south for winter?" she asks, tilting her head curiously.

[blindwatchersees]

We’re gathering in the roots, where it’s warm, and we can stay warm together! one of them answers as it flits by.

If enough of us gather, we can make sure the Worm stays warm, too!

[bugreport]

When Ginko finally finds the tree as instructed, he takes a long moment to simply bask in the calm around it before calling out. He watches the life pulsing around and through it, admiring the healthy flourishing of small symbiotic mushi that are attracted to thriving and powerful forests. Even if the people here aren't able to see it, clearly there's something about this place that draws them as well.

After a long, calming breath, he puts out his cigarette and steps closer. "Miss Elsie? Are you here?"

so sorry for the delay in responding

[hereticofthewilds]

While he watches life pulse, someone is watching him, too. In response to his call, two pale eyes look out at him from the shadowed hole in the tree's center, and her voice calls from it.

"Elsie here!"

She ripples out in a shimmer of shadow, and suddenly she is standing before him solid as always.

"Hello!"