RP:Sunny with a Chance of Daisy
Winter Berry Garden
Following the tiny passage through the hedges brings you into a secluded niche, a private garden sprawling out before you as a growing oasis in this frozen land. Bunched so closely together they create a living fence around the garden's perimeter is a sea of Winter Berry bushes, their tiny, snow white berries hanging heavy upon black thorned branches as strange insects hover about them. Upon close inspection, these creatures appear to be a species of bee, blue and white striped and far fuzzier than their warm-landed cousins, with even their wings and antennae coated in the insulating fur. Dutiful as any bee, these insects bustle about the garden, flitting between the various flowers with merry buzzing. Frost-Fire Roses, with their ghostly patterns of azure flames and glistening cloud of pollen, can be seen gathered in regal arrangements throughout, often nestled near patches of Blood Blossoms, strikingly beautiful with their deep crimson petals and toxic-yellow stigma. Other arctic or nocturnal flowers are visible throughout, clearly well tended by a determined soul to allow them survival in this harshest of climates. But most elegant of all in this floral display is the center piece, a Winter Willow, bent with ancient age but regal despite the kink in its thick trunk. Its gracefully bowed branches sprawl in all directions, leafy fingers brushing gently over flower heads and ground alike in an eternal caress, as if it were the loving gardener itself overseeing its charges. And yet, even here beauty has been marred, for directly in front of this arboreal sentinel rests a ring of destruction, earth blackened and dead, no plant daring to enter the space, nor snow willing to fall within its grasp. Not even the waving vines of the Willow crosses into the dead space, always sweeping past it as if brushing against an invisible bowl in the air. You can linger in and take in the pleasantries and wonders of this secluded nook, or you can return to the path by weaving through the enormous hedge once more.
Satoshi stands in the center of a ring of destruction situated in the middle of this private, out of the way little garden. Outside of that perfect circle a variety of tundra plantlife blooms, from the white berries of the Winter Berry bush, to the crimson sheen of Blood Blossoms, and ethereal glittering of the Frost-Fire Rose, but within the circle's borders is nothing but blackened earth and the dried, dead remnants of short-cropped arctic grass. Not even snow falls within its confines. Looming over the kit are the bowed branches of a Winter Willow, its foliage waving in a nonexistent breeze as if the leafy tendrils are reaching out for Frostmaw's Snow Maiden. And yet even they will not cross the invisible border created by the deathly ring, only the vampire seems willing or able to do so. As she stands unmoving, the magus murmurs, words woven into ghostly lyrics snatched around by the frigid air and drawn into the permafrost, the sorrowful melody not appearing to alter the environment in any way despite Satoshi's apparent efforts. Rage and sins incarnate create dead zones potent enough to trump even the cryomancer within her own territory, it'd seem.
Daisy makes her way to the little garden. She always liked the garden, but it has been a while since she has been able to make it to the area. There's so much to explore! But what is this? The little garden has been ruined! Who could be so thoughtless?! So careless! So destructive! Sad eyes fall upon the icy Queen. Is she the culprit? Couldn't be. The little feline moves closer. "Satoshi?"
Satoshi's arcane elegy comes to an abrupt end as ears twist forward and head is turned at the sound of her name. Daisy is immediately spotted, being the splash of sunny color among so many shades of blue, white, and black, and greeted with a wavering smile. "Hullo, little blossom. What brings you to my cozy little get-away?" And it's true, this garden, tucked away as it is behind a small opening in the monstrous hedges, has served as a place of shelter, relaxation, and escape for the kit, as her Frost Giant guards are too tall to take notice of the tiny entrance and thus are left searching helplessly for their wayward queen.
Daisy approaches the queen with slow and uneasy steps. Of course the small opening is no match for the teeny kitten! "I like coming here sometimes. Even though it is cold, it is pretty." She reaches a paw up to the willow branches above them then looks down at the destruction by their feet. "Or it was."
Satoshi follows the gaze toward the ground, adopting a rueful expression. "Aye. This here is a reminder of just how dangerous wrath can be, and how blindly it destroys all around it, even the most beautiful of things. I cannot decide if the sight of the damage is worth that stark and valuable reminder, tu sais?" Grimace deepening, the kit steps out of the ring and reaches up with her only hand to press her palm against the Willow's trunk."I'm not good with plants myself. I'm too cold for their liking, et we sing very different songs, but these ones have been willing to work with me. They're stubborn, they want to show outsiders that this land isn't purely unfeeling snow and harsh ice. That there's beauty and life here too, once you open your eyes enough to see it."
Daisy falls to her knees so she can press both paws to the ground. Who cares if her white cloak gets dirty? It's not like it is mud or anything. The dirt will brush away. No. The druid never really cared about being dirty. She presses her cheek to the ground between her paws. "There's enough destruction. You don't need it here." She closes her eyes and smiles. "It wants to grow, your highness." And in front of her nose sprouts a single blade of tundra grass.
Satoshi crouches down beside Daisy to peer at the tiny blade of pale grass that's poked its way through the dead earth. She resists the urge to reach out and touch it, however, for fear its fragile hold on life cannot endure harassment. "Life always thrives to grow from death, but can it succeed here? It isn't natural death that blighted this patch of earth. Not even my snows remain long within it, sapped of its essence and reduced to dust. When I stand within it, I can feel it drawing on myself as well. ...or calling to moi. I cannot be certain. It... it is a vampire in its own way, I think, fueling undeath by feeding off life." Or at least that's what the kit herself believes. She is no druid, and none have visited this space save for the little feline beside her now. Such a person may have what it takes to rid the earth of its disease. While all this takes place, a small pair of eyes watch from beneath a bush, a faint sage green glow visible as well as the vague scent of fresh grass and wildflowers beneath the aroma of the garden.
Daisy has no qualms about touching the tiny blade. A single finger slides up along the grass' side, encouraging it to be just a little taller. "I think you just have to want it more." Want what? Ah. That doesn't really matter. The desire is what is important. And right now, Daisy desires to fix this patch of earth. Not just for herself or the sake of growing or because it is ugly. No. She wants to fix it for the Queen who looks so sad that she can't fix her ruined garden. Anyone that sad about plant destruction can't be a bad person. "I'll try for you." She backs up on her knees to the edge of the circle. Tail in the air, she peers at the death.
Satoshi looks between the druid and the dead earth, an almost earnest light appearing in her eyes. "Can you?" The faintest note of envy enters her voice with the question, the kit's own abilities best suited for dealing death, whereas this small feline carries the cherished gift of life. The closest Satoshi can manage to such a thing is shaping ice into creatures and granting them a false life with a spark of her own essence, and while many have gone on to develop their own personalities and even semblance of true life, the magus has never seen it as being the same as a druid's ability to grow plants. Such has always been a stabbing point of jealousy in the foxkin, the reason why she'd begged the Dragon Triarch to grant her the ability to heal, in hopes she could use ice and snow to create and not just to destroy. Such musings are interrupted, however, by the scent of wildflower thickening in the air, a heady, pleasant aroma for certain, but out of place so far north. Whiskers twitching, Satoshi glances around in search of the odor, only to have her gaze drawn downward a moment later by a squeaky yip. Seated at Daisy's feet is a pocket-sized fox kit, fur fluffed against the cold, yet not enough to hide its unusual coloration: a rich, earthy brown speckled through with various natural greens, some of which appear to be minuscule vines, leaves, and even petals. Planted--pardon the pun--in the center of the fox's forehead is a white cherry blossom in full bloom, petals bobbing and curling with each merry bounce of the creature's head as sage colored, brightly dancing eyes gaze up at Daisy. It'd seem one of those elementally-attuned foxes Satoshi encountered months back has been drawn to one of similar affinity to itself. In this case, Daisy and her ties with plants--much like the frosty Lorelei is bound to Satoshi, and the aptly-named Sparky follows Kasyr.
Satoshi gave 1 elementally-unstable pocket-fox to Daisy.
Daisy 's ear shifts towards the little yip. What was that?! Still on all fours on the ground, she peeks under an arm towards the animal. The amazingly adorable animal! "Oh!" Being a ray of sunshine that she is, Daisy brightens even more and reaches over to pick up the fox. "Considering everything that tries to eat me around here, it is nice to see something like this." The animal is cuddled to her chest as she stands up to face the kit. "The magic is very strong." She kicks the dark circle with a little wrinkle of her nose. "But I think I can overwhelm it. Or at least try."
Satoshi's ears take on a sideways tilt in her quiet amusement, for the tiny fox seems as eagerly delighted by Daisy as vice versa. As it's cuddled, the flower scent thickens with heavy notes of daffodils and buttercups to express its happiness. Daisy has found her match in all things bubbly, happy, and squishy, apparently. And Satoshi finds it endlessly amusing. "It's not from around here, although it's likely here because its sister and brother are~. What you have in your hands is one of the few -good- results of the Chaos meteors that rained down on the land." More than likely, the plant-kinned fox did indeed follow the scents of Lorelei and Sparky here, and was drawn to the garden shortly after, where it encountered Daisy's essence, a kindred spirit in the cold north.
Daisy cradles the foxlet in her arms with a sweet little smile. Stumpy fingers tickle the creature's belly as she rubs noses with it. Flowers! The little fox smells like flowers and that makes Daisy even happier. "Did you name her siblings?"
Satoshi watches the pair, momentarily cheered up by the sight as thoughts of the damaged garden at set aside. At Daisy's question, she nods. "The brother accompanies my husband, both being attuned to lightning. He calls him Sparky. His sister is like myself with ice, and named Lorelei. This one," a nod indicates the leafy fox, "I'm somewhat familiar with. She was bound to another druid, but it'd seem she didn't leave the lands when the druid did."
Daisy presses her lips together as she moves closer to Satoshi, carrying the fox. She doens't want to be rude, but oh how she loves this little fox! She'll just ask and hope for the best. What is the worst that could happen? The Queen could say no, that's what! And what a horrible day that would be. Daisy would for sure wish the kit off a cliff... but... well that wouldn't matter, Satoshi can fly! Sort of. Magically. Yes. Back to the situation at hand! "Satoshi..." She takes an encouraging breath and lets it out with a barely audible question. "Do you think I could keep her? Please?"
Satoshi meets Daisy's question with a blank, stoney expression, all traces of mirth wiped clean like a slate. And she manages to keep the lopsided grin away for an impressive amount of time too before amusement eventually overrides feigned seriousness. "Little flower, I don't think you could rid yourself of that creature if you -tried-. Nor do I claim any ownership of it, it is free to choose who to follow~."
Daisy shifts. Blank. Satoshi is blank and stony. And quiet. Oh god, did she offend the queen? She totally did. Lips part to make an apology, but Satoshi's smile interrupts her. "Really?" She beams happily before pouncing the frost queen, still holding onto the little fox. She pounces like a boss too! There's no escaping the druid kitten's attack, so don't even think about it. They tumble to the ground for autohittingly good time cuddles. "Thank you! I love her." Somehow Daisy missed the part about Sato not having a part in who keeps the pet. She still feels the Queen is totally a honeybadger and can take what she wants.
Satoshi might consider Daisy the honeybadger, what with her taking hugs all she wants and such, and not giving people any say! But that's okay, since the kit doesn't mind. It's rare to find someone who doesn't mind Satoshi's frigid skin and volunteer contact, so she relishes those sparse moments. After all, contact is unspoken praise, and this kit loves praise. Daisy would even get a pat on the head, if Satoshi's only hand wasn't preoccupied with keeping herself propped upright. She's beginning to think if anything can rid the garden of its vampiric blight, it's the indomitable spirit of this happy-go-lucky kitten and her equally mirthful new companion. Even Frostmaw needs a little sunshine now and then, after all.
Daisy nuzzles into Satoshi with a purr. Damn right the kitten purrs. But she's not so quiet about it. It really is embarassing how loud the kitten's purr is. See that frost giant on the other side of the garden hedge? Yeah, he can hear it. Totally gives him a wtf face too. The feline shivers a little and sits back from Sato with a sheepish grin and a tiny apology.
Satoshi, now that she's unpinned from the Pounce-Machine, can sit up properly and spare her single hand long enough to ruffle the kitten's hair. As the blonde locks fall back into place, the foxkin can't help noticing how similar Daisy looks to Aurelia, if only their hairs were the same color. It's the similar height, green eyes, and joyful personality that's so striking to Satoshi. "Y'know, I had a kitten not unlike you. She used to do that to me all the time, in fact." Aurelia had likely picked it up from Satoshi's own habit of tackling Kasyr as a way of greeting. Like mother like daughter, even if not related by blood.
Daisy dips her chin as her hair is ruffled. She doesn't mind. Her hair is always messy. She actually leans into the ruffling, aiming her ear for that petting hand. She kind of falls over a little when Sato pulls away. "What happened to your kitten?"
Satoshi shifts slightly so that she can lean back against the willow's trunk, sighing with the motion. "It is a dangerous thing to have loved ones, when you sit upon a throne. They're always the first to be targeted by those that wish to hurt you." Her eyes darken with the words and her gaze shifts toward the direction of Frostmaw's fort, where the head of the dragon that killed Aurelia is now mounted on the wall. A smirk draws a cruel line across the kit's face at the thought. "But I always ensure the price is returned ten fold."
Daisy 's demeanor saddens a bit as seh follows Sato's gaze. "I'm sorry for your loss." She turns to smile at Satoshi again, cuddling the fox. "I will do my best to fix your garden."
Satoshi matches the kitten's smile with her own, although it doesn't entirely reach her eyes. "You'd be a blessed little miracle if you could. And succeed or not, you're always welcome here." She can hardly refuse one of those rare creatures that knows about the life that lurks in and beneath the snow. And like Frostmaw, the glacial kit needs a bit of sunshine now and again too, or she'll lose herself in the daily shadows far too easily.
Daisy reaches out to tug Satoshi up to her feet by her one hand, keeping a hold of it with a little squeeze once the queen is standing. "I promise to do my very best." She smiles and stands on her toes to kiss Satoshi's cheek. "Thank you."
Satoshi said to Daisy, "Thank you as well, Sundrop. Now then," she pauses to press a light, frosty kiss to Daisy's forehead, "I've business to tend to, and an anxious bodyguard to put at ease. I'll see you again, I have no doubt. Until then, you and your companion have fun~."