RP:Spit It Out. I Mean It
Paved with silvery gravel and lined by brush and rich flora on either side, the roadway between Kelay and Milous is one often travelled. A small wooden shack stands abandoned and decaying with time, once some type of guardpost, you assume. Harsh chittering and guttural growls echo from the rotting eaves, giving hint that some creature has now made it home. Turning away, you're faced with the option of heading east to Cenril or north to the dusty trail of Kelay Way. Rising up to the south are the grassy hills and woodlands of Sage Forest.
The thunder of frantic hoof beats is little more than an echo ringing in Seriis' ears, now, rebounding off the hillsides and mixing with his nervous, gasping breath. After riding hard and fast through the pass, galloping along the roadway leading through the shadowed cover of southern Sage and shattering the silence amidst the trees, the horses are exhausted and they've been forced to slow to a walk. There are only two of them, but there are three riders, all of them drow. Seriis shares the saddle with Reyik, sitting astride a panting chestnut mare with a book clutched possessively in his arms, while Avarn has the reins of a dark bay stallion that continuously tosses his head and snorts, uncomfortable. Both the scholar's bodyguards are far larger than Seriis himself, towering at least six foot where he is a diminutive thing just over five. They weigh far more, too - they might have gotten to Cenril without stopping were they not so heavy, Seriis thinks with a huff, as the mare comes to a stop and gives a tired whinny. She clearly needs to rest, and Avarn's mount shares her want for a breather. Reining in at the side of the road, the trio dismount and all cast wary glances back westward, but nothing breaks the silence. "I think we got away," Seriis says after a long pause, chin resting on his book.
Daisy rather enjoys this bit of road. Not that she needs her roads to be paved, but the lining is quite nice. She pauses to smell the roses since she was once told that is a good thing to do. She smiles and lifts the head of one of those roses by its chin. Such a noble flower. This one is already red and is in no need of paint. Then there is thunder and huffing and snorting and... Well you know how horses get when they're tired. They stop just short of running Daisy over. She doesn't flinch or jump out of the way. She just gives the roses another sniff, releases the flower, and turns her ever-glowing, polite smile up at Seriis. "Hello."
Seriis and his companions are so busy eyeing the road behind them that none of them notice Daisy until she speaks her polite greeting. Immediately Avarn's fingers curl round the hilt of one of his many blades, but Seriis catches him with a swift (yet gentle) kick to the back of the knee, hissing, "Wasn't earlier enough?" The language of his kind flows fluid and euphonious on his tongue, but his common is not so great. Peering round the larger drow's side, he levels a steely cerise gaze upon the feline and, after scrutinising her up and down a moment, asks in common, "What." Uncaring as to the wandering newcomer, the horses are busy munching at the flowers and sweet grass lining the road, while Reyik looks on in silence, a stoic sentinel looming behind Seriis to blot out a small patch of stars.
Daisy doesn't speak whatever language that was. She doesn't even know enough to understand what language it was! So it doesn't really matter. She has her secrets and they have theirs. They can keep their secrets with their secret languages and gently given quick kicks. Yes she noticed it all. That is what she does. Notices things. The other thing she notices is that the horses are hungry. Enough apples for the lot are pulled from her bag. What is a druid if she doesn't have plantish food in her bag? The giant, golden, delicious apples are offered to the animals. One eye is kept on them, so her fingers aren't nommed because that wouldn't be awesome, and the other eye is kept on the man that spoke. "Did you hear what I said or are you asking if I want something?" Her sweet voice tinkles up at him, always polite.
Seriis slants the appearing bag of apples a suspicious look. He attempts to snatch it from her but the horses get there first, delving in hungrily and thankfully, and there is no room for his hand to inspect the contents without great risk of getting his fingers bitten off in the process. Frowning, still watching the bag, the scholar huffs, "Better not be poisoned." Neither the mare nor the stallion are theirs, technically - they're hired from a stable in Cenril, and Seriis does not want to cough up the extra money he'd owe were they to die. Really, if that happened, he'd probably just kill the guy running the establishment. Daisy's question earns her a sharp look. "More like, who are you and what do you want, or something." In contrast to her sweet demeanour, he is impolite and distinctly aloof, watching her carefully from over the rim of his book.
Daisy's laugh flits through the air, giving the riders all a kiss on the cheek. That's right kitten. Show them how harmless you are. "I wouldn't harm an animal like that. They're hungry." She pulls another apple, just like the others, and has a bite. She really wouldn't ever hurt the horses. That would be cruel. She smiles around that bite of apple and then swallows. "My name is Daisy and I don't really want for anything. Really." Her head tilts in attempt to read the binding of that book. Curious kittens are curious. "You like to read?" More like you can read? She'd never ask that. Even though many people can't read, she wouldn't be rude enough to point it out.
That lighthearted, innocent laughter catches them all a little off-guard for it is the exact opposite of their own darker moods right now. If anything, the sound only pisses Seriis off further. He's had a hard night, a good part of which he brought upon himself in his furious questing for knowledge, and the book he clutches so tightly came with a high price...mostly for the foolish magelings that stayed up late to study in the library. Had it not been for that damned rat making so much noise, though... Blood still trickles in creeping red fingers down the back of Seriis' neck, where a few shards of glass are still imbedded in his flesh. He winces. The horses keep eating, unharmed. "Daisy. Fitting." She seems about as simple and infectious as those little surface flowers he sees growing everywhere unchecked. "Then why are you-- what? Yes. I do. I am a scholar." A very tired and sore scholar, at that.
The horses are fed more apples from Daisy's bag. It isn't fair to make them run so much without rest. They're tired and very hungry! And everyone knows that druid grown apples are the most delicious. The man says her name with that air of arrogance that always brings a little smirk to the feline's lips. Good. He thinks you're harmless, kitten. They always do. "I like to read too. Mostly books about plants." Yes, Daisy has her secrets, but it is no secret that she studies plants! She has to. A girl can't grow something if she doesn't know what it is. So she does her research and travels all over on any ship that will have her. Any ship. "You're bleeding." The other thing Daisy does well? Heal.
Seriis and co. were more focused on escaping potential pursuers than on caring about the state of their horses. Only now their mounts are so weary they literally cannot take another step are they taking their endurance into account and allowing them to rest, if only because the danger appears to have lessened and the fine for returning dead horses is sickeningly steep. "Plants. You know a lot about plants?" The scholar tries to recall books he filled with knowledge on surface foliage but he cannot think of any scribed by his own hand. He may have to interrogate her for all that information contained in her fuzzy little head. "...Ah." He reaches to rub at his neck slightly, wincing again when his fingers brush over the broken glass protruding from the wound. "It's nothing," he says unconvincingly, and Avarn cuts in with an unreadable look down at Daisy, "We'll take care of it." Which probably means 'I'll let Reyik bandage it up'.
Daisy slips her paws up two of the horses' necks, letting her druidey magic soothe and calm and ease their pains. I hear druids have a thing for animals. So she can totally do that. "I do." She gives the animals a good circling before looking back up at the man with no name and wonders if the horses have no names. Did they just come from the desert? "I can heal it for you, if you'd like."
Seriis' neck itches. To be honest, he's a little worried about the wound getting infected if it is not given proper treatment quickly. The heavy combination of pained, aggravated, and exhausted does not make for a happy Seriis, and really all he wants to do right now is return to the bedroom he claimed in Cenril's library and sleep for a long time. Daisy is unfortunately delaying that dream, and thus receives even harsher treatment than the drow might usually deal out were her in a better mood. "How do I know I can trust you?" he enquires sharply, frowning, still holding his book as though it's some sort of shield to protect him from her.
Daisy takes a step back, holding that forever polite smile of hers. You'd think her face would break, but it doesn't. Those furry cheeks radiate kindness and warmth. "You don't." She admits admittingly. Really he has no reason to trust her. She has no reason to harm him either. Be kind to those stronger than you, kitten. Favors might be had at a later time, yes? Absolutely. So she does her little favors and stays alive for another day. "I won't stop you." She steps out of the way to prove her point. Does he know what a druid can do? That they could be captured in a cage of roots within seconds if she wanted? Ah, she won't put those thoughts in their heads. She'll only smile and fold her paws at the small of her back.
Seriis rubs his neck a little more, almost in a nervous fashion. In doing so he pushes one of the glass shards a little deeper and, despite his best efforts to bite it back, releases a pained whimper as more blood surges up from the wound. Reyik, still standing behind the scholar, catches his hand and pulls it away with a low whisper of, "Stop touching it." The mage's eyes never once leave Daisy throughout this, however, and he continues to observe her intently from then onwards. "How...good is your healing?" His voice is uncertain. He's not used to trusting anyone, even less a surface dweller. She has no reason to harm them...but then neither do they, and Avarn looks like he's itching to skin her right there and then. Seriis has to kick him again to shake him out of it. "If you heal well, then fine." The horses are still eating and catching their breath, anyway.
Daisy's favorite thing to do, after growing plants, is healing. This little stuff she likes to use herbal things. Plants that heal! Just another reason to keep studying. She gestures for the man to come sit with her. "Come sit with me." Good job. Just in case he can't see or hear. She takes a minute to wonder how Kirien is doing and her smile softens. Over there in the grass, she opens her bag and digs through it a bit. Until she can see exactly what is wrong with him, she has no clue what she needs. That doesn't matter yet, though. What she produces from her bag first is a small, purple leaf with green veins. It is offered to the man when he sits in the grass in front of her. "Chew this." The leaf has a sweet taste. Like honey. "But spit it out when it turns bitter."
Seriis, after exchanging a wary look with his bodyguards, strides into the grass a short ways from the grazing horses. Leaving Avarn to tend to them, Reyik follows the scholar like a great dark shadow, the ragged edges of the scar marring his face visible in the pale light, and seats himself beside the pair without permission. In silence he watches Daisy produce a purple leaf - when Seriis casts him a sidelong glance, he thinks he spots a hint of genuine curiosity in the mage's eyes but he makes no comment on it. Taking the leaf, he squints at it for a moment, cannot recall any poisonous plant with such an appearance, then stuffs it into his mouth and begins to chew. "Tastes nice. What is it?" The book is set on his lap as Seriis draws back his hood and exposes his face to the night sky, his choppy silver hair shimmering like moonlight, the ends stained scarlet with blood. There is a nasty gash on the back of his neck, and a couple of smaller cuts, and all of it is peppered with stray pieces of broken glass that have sunk themselves into his flesh like the hungry teeth of a predator.
Daisy offers Reyik a tap on the nose with a single finger. "You should relax." She goes back to digging in her bag once the wounds are inspected and she knows what she needs. "It is called lilla blade. It will help with any pain or discomfort you might feel." A tiny little frown furrows her brow as she looks him in the eye. "Spit it out when it turns bitter. I mean it." She leaves him with this warning and pulls out a thin stalk. It kind of looks like sugar cane, only not as thick around. "This is sukkerror." The stalk is snapped in half and a black goo oozes from the ends. It looks and smells like tar. Pretty burly stuff. "This is going to pull the glass out." Seriis seems like the kind of guy that needs to know what is going on. His bodyguards too. Heaven forbid you just let the druid do her healing thing.
Seriis laughs an almost incredulous laugh at Daisy's bravery, or perhaps her foolishness. Of his two bodyguards, Reyik is the more reserved and relaxed but he is still drow, prone to violence without needing to give a warning or reason for it. The magelings he wrecked earlier know all about that. He takes the nose tap without retaliating but levels a dark look on the feline, clearly not settled by her words. In the meantime, Seriis continues chewing on that leaf as Daisy goes about taking note of his wound, detects the changing taste in his mouth, and spits the pulverised plant out into the grass. Part of him does wonder what might have happened had he kept chewing, but he's not one to risk such things just for the sake of idle curiosity. "Sukkerror," he repeats, intrigued and then suddenly disgusted at the sight of that tar-like ooze. "...Great." He secretly appreciates her explaining everything to him as she goes, though.
Daisy relaxes a bit more when Seriis laughs. Laughing is almost always a good sign. Especially after nomming on that purple leaf. She stomps on the wad of leafgoo he just spit out and grins widely - so wide that her eyes look like (n.n) anime eyes. "Too much of that will kill you." She bounces back lightheartedly and smears the sukkerror ooze around his neck a little, making sure to get all the wounded areas where the glass is. The tar is actually kind of cool to the touch, but very sticky. It will feel super gross, but there will be no pain as the tar sucks the glass right out of his skin. The druid pulls a jar from her bag. It is a clear jar with a thin, liquidey white substance in it. She holds it out for Seriis to see. "This..." and there is a dramatic pause. Mostly because she thinks it is funny when people stare at her so intently when she does this. "... is milk. Cow's milk." A towel is draped over the man's shoulders and the milk is poured over the tar. The tar pretty much jumps off his skin and onto the towel, bringing the glass with it. "So easy," she chirps in a sing song voice. Finally a large leaf is pulled from her bag. It is shiny on one side and kind of hairy on the other. The hairy side is given a few good licks then stuck to the back of Seriis' neck. Those hairs form a bonding glue that cling to the man's flesh in a soothing kind of way. "That will fall off when your wounds are healed." She rounds to the front of the man and takes his face in both hands. All seriousness now, with her nose inches from his. "Don't pull it off. It will fall off like it did from the tree."
Seriis says, "Oh," and is quietly glad he did as told and spat the plant out at the right time. He notices how Reyik looks even more intrigued now and realises he is probably considering the multiple ways he could use that leaf to his advantage, through subtle and 'accidental' poisoning and the like. Rolling his eyes, the scholar concentrates on keeping still and not flinching away whenever Daisy gets close. It's probably obvious he is not fond of contact. "Feels weird," he grumbles as the sukkerror is applied, though due to the lilla plant he does not feel the pain he expected; instead, a sort of numbness. When milk is produced, both Seriis and Reyik blink in surprise and Seriis protests, "This is actually healing, isn't it? You're not just...joking?" but before he can escape, a towel has been laid over his shoulders and the milk poured on. A slight tugging sensation has him wincing, though more from how uncomfortable it feels rather than any true pain - when he looks at the jar, he realises the glass was pulled out smoothly along with the sukkerror, and blinks again. The final touch is a strange leaf that clings to his skin without hurting it and he almost sighs at the feeling before catching himself. Daisy's hands on his face have him stiffening, half in surprise and partly in disgust, and he recoils away from the touch with a childish flailing motion. "I won't take it off!"
Daisy folds her paws in front of her with another sweet smile as she backs away. "Good." Her things are gathered and the two horses get more apples. "Find me if you get hurt again. I'm guessing you will." She giggles and heads down the road, off to do who the heck knows what. She's so strange sometimes. Really. Follow her around for a day and see what happens.
Seriis takes a moment to register that low blow to his pride and huffs after her, resisting the urge to throw a dagger at her back and be done with it. He offers no gratitude for the healing, at least not until Reyik catches the youth by the arm when he attempts to storm back to the horses, then points in Daisy's direction, silent. Seriis' cheeks puff up as if to intimidate him as some animals do, but it clearly has no effect. "It was weird. But thanks," he calls reluctantly as he hefts his book up into his arms then hops back into the saddle, settling down as Reyik walks alongside the mare with the reins. Avarn comes up alongside them astride his stallion, snickering. "She poured milk on you," he laughs, and Seriis throws a dagger at him instead.