<p>OoC;</p> <p>Yeeeeah, first post-hiatus roleplay. Sorry I'm so rusty!</p> <p>Oh, and I figured the Vivuli Jungle would be the best setting. Hope it works out for you too, haha.</p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p>iC;</p> <p> </p> <p>The air had been bright, thrumming, alive with light as Asphodel set out from his home a dozen hours earlier. It glimmered almost tangibly before him--morning, riotous with color, filling his head and invigorating his senses. Enthralled, he told himself (as he always told himself), "I must spend less time indoors. I must spend less time in the company of corpses." And yet, what was he doing right now? What had he been doing all day? Rooting around the damp, overgrown jungle floor like an animal, in search of suitably dead things. As if embalming the bodies of 'dragons day in and day out weren't enough, he now sought freshly-expired critters upon which to practice his taxidermy.</p> <p>Even corpse-hunting, Asphodel was dressed to the nines. His prim shirt--which began its day quite illustriously, pulled from a padded hanger in a vast, brimming wardrobe--was sullied, grimy and sweatstained from hours of hiking through jungle undergrowth and crouching in mud. He had long ago removed his jacket and unbuttoned his vest; gloves, too, he had stuffed back into his canvas field bag. The one piece of his attire which made sense for this outing was his footwear: sturdy leather boots, laced to the knee. Tucked into these boots, however, were soft leather pants. As Asphodel had no shortage of genteel attire, he wore finery whenever he pleased--which was always.</p> <p>Regarding his day's "catch," he reflected that he hadn't found much. For all his efforts, he had found naught but a pair of badly decayed rodents and the skeleton of some small feline creature, bits of flesh still hanging from the ivory splinters. He bagged all of it, regardless of its level of decay. What he couldn't make presentable, he would use as spare parts in the creation of larger, more monstrous taxidermied things.</p> <p>He was nearly ready to return home. It was growing late; the light was leaving the air, and the things he had collected were far from fresh. The stench which followed him, while familiar, was still rather far from pleasant.</p> <p>Asphodel stood straight for a moment. Patting the field bag at his side, he cleared his throat, peered into the dimming evening, and reached toward his pocket. One slender hand--almost feminine, with its carefully manicured claws and slight extension of the pinky--slipped into his vest pocket and withdrew a gleaming silver pocket watch. Thumb depressed a button. The ornate lid clicked open to reveal the time. "Best be getting home," he murmured to himself, ears lonely for the sound of a voice other than his own. He had always been one to speak to himself--if not for that habit, he would scarcely hear a single word on days he did not serve customers. Sighing, he carefully shut the lid of the pocket watch and slid it back into the brocade vest pocket. Ah, well. Another day: lonesome, well-spent, and now over.</p> <p>Or so he thought.</p>
<p>The dreams of trees, growing tall, reaching for the sky. Growing deep, reaching for the dead. Signs of life could be found everywhere a ‘dragon looked but for those unwilling to look, the jungle could be seen as empty and haunting.</p> <p>Teolun inhaled the thick jungle air as if noticing it for the first time after wondering the Vivuli Jungle for the past two days. She had started with a local tribe, participating in a ceremony that involved consuming a plant that was supposed to induce hallucinations. She wanted to learn about the plants so that she could hunt for them on her own, knowing that they would be helpful later on. But having taken more than the recommended dosage she had taken off into the heart of the Jungle on her own, following the spirits of the wilderness.</p> <p>If she could see herself, she’d see that she was a proper mess. Her hair had half fallen out of the bun she had once put it in, twins and leaves making their home within its ruins. Even a stretch of vine had made its way to hang between her large silver horns. The flowing burgundy dress that she had departed on her adventure in was holding up fairly well, only a few tears had formed around the sleeves and the hem that fell to her knees was splashed with mud and other jungle grime.</p> <p>The more noticeable part of her look was actually something she had picked up along her quest. In the grasp of the drug she had found an old skull in a damp cave that she had decided to sleep in one night. The skull, some sort of tree dwelling creature she presumed, was a fair size. It was smaller than her own face but spotting some impressive incisors that would make smaller creatures flinch. Using her telekinesis the skull floated along in the air next to her, her new favourite companion.</p> <p>“I’m pretty sure they were yellow.” Teolun spoke clearly now, having mostly recovered from her chemically induced haze.</p> <p>“I recall them being pink.” The skulls jaw moved as Teolun provided the voice for the lifeless creature.</p> <p>“You weren’t even there.” She retorted, to herself. Which was also a little true.</p> <p>Having returned to what Teolun would consider a normal state of mind, she resumed her search for the powerful plant. The trouble was that her memory of a few days before was a little foggy. She picked at a blue leafed plant and chewed a leaf into a sticky mush. Having not found it bitter enough she spat it out and kept moving.</p> <p>She mumbled words under her breath as she pranced forward through the brush. The skulls mouth opened to reply to her, but to her astonishment, its voice changed.</p> <p><em>“Best be getting home"</em></p> <p>Head cocked to the side she gazed at the skull, mystified by this development. Her mind still addled enough to think Spirit Possession before an idea of another living soul in the vicinity. </p> <p>“I do not take orders from the likes of you.” She said to her skull, loudly enough to announce her presence to the jungle.</p>
<p>Asphodel cocked his head, ears swiveling to catch the tiny sounds his subconscious recognized well before he did. While Asphodel was still processing the thought that it was nearing dinnertime, his subconscious grew sharp, sifting wisps of 'dragon-voice out from the rest of the jungle's hum. Of course, even his subconscious couldn't tell what the voice said; it had been distant, muffled by foliage and humidity. And his hearing, though good, wasn't quite that advanced.</p> <p>Still, the sounds caused a small thought to flash in the back of his mind. <em>I am not alone.</em> The thought surprised him--why would his subconscious tell him this? He didn't put much stock in intuition. And so he thrust the thought away as quickly as it had come. <em>I am most definitely alone,</em> he declared imperiously. But then, aha:</p> <p><em>"I do not take orders from the likes of you.”</em></p> <p>Asphodel's skin prickled, fur on end. At the sound of the first clearly-audible word, he whirled around to see--</p> <p>Burgundy. Burgundy behind some foliage, so he couldn't tell precisely what it was that was burgundy. But it was moving. It looked 'dragon-like. And it had definitely spoken. He moved toward it--<em>toward her</em>, he corrected himself; the voice was feminine--and caught glimpses of dishevelment between the vines and broad leaves that separated them. His first thought was for her well-being (could she be lost? starving? had she been, Fronna forbid, attacked?). His second thought was for himself, and the way certain 'dragons reacted to his extra limbs. He held his second set of arms close at his sides; perhaps she wouldn't notice. If she did notice, he hoped she wouldn't care. There weren't many 'dragons these days who grew violent at the sight of Lukuo deformities, but those who did were merciless. It was much simpler to be careful than to run or fight.</p> <p>"Excuse me, madame?" he called out as he grew near. His voice was cautious, but also warm with genuine concern. "Are you feeling poorly? Do you require any assistance?"</p>
<p>The voice came again, but this time the skull hug unmoving in the air. <em>So not spirit possession then</em>, Teo concluded. More logical, but less fun.</p> <p>She leisurely spun around on the spot, trying to see through the tiny windows between the leaves. <em>There!</em> A flash of vibrant orange in the sea green. So lost in her own whimsies she probably would have stumbled right on past the other ‘dragon without even realizing that he had been there.</p> <p>Taking a few steps forward she took cover behind the trunk of a large tree. Putting her hands on the tree she leaned to the right to poke her head around the edge, causing pieces of her purple hair to tumble down in front of her eyes. Her hollow companion mimicked her own motions as it hovered a few inches above her head.</p> <p>Golden eyes worked fast to take in the new stranger. Fancy, fancy, fancy. Was the main thought running through her brain, which translated into her imaging herself in the same outfit. Would it make her look like a well organized and respectable individual? It wasn’t one of her normal goals. Now that second set of arms, those would definitely be handy. Haha, handy.</p> <p>A smirk flashed across her lips as she laughed at her own joke. When you spend a lot of time alone you come to appreciated your own humour more than most.</p> <p>“Poorly? No, I do not believe so.” She stepped out from behind the tree, not thinking about how wild her appearance looked next to this finely attired fellow. Even her own frock, when at its cleanest point in history could not compare to this young arden’s style. “Assistance? And what kinds of assistance are you qualified to provide?” She wasn’t one to often judge by appearances, but she didn’t get the feeling that she was standing in front of a dynamic adventurer ready to fight his way out of the heart of the jungle.</p>
<p>As Asphodel made his way toward the burgundy whatever-it-was, he caught brief fireworks of other colors through the leaves: a deep blue, like fathomless waters, and purple, and golden mustard hues. Whoever this thill was, she certainly seemed to like colors, and he smiled unconsciously at the sight of all this vibrancy. It looked lovely against the jungle's darker palette.</p> <p>He glanced down to gain a better footing in the tangled jungle undergrowth, taking slow but sure-footed steps. When he looked up, she had vanished. <em>Curious. </em>Silently, mouth ever so slightly agape, he scanned the surrounding vegetation.</p> <p>Ah! There, like a waterfall, lines of purple tumbled into view from behind a tree trunk. The motion attracted Asphodel's eye. But <em>what</em> on earth was that bone-white apparition, hovering above? He cocked his head, lowered his muzzle almost imperceptibly, as if giving it a somber nod. A skull--one of the few things in Ramath-lehi he could honestly say he almost worshipped. He looked back at the thill's face as she took him in. What sort of craft did she weave, to make the skull float so?</p> <p>The thill let out a laugh, startling Asphodel out of his revelry. Then she spoke. He sensed something inhospitable in her tone--perhaps condescension, or a hint of dubiousness--or maybe it was nothing more than a figment of his own dark imagination. But his self-loathing thoughts were tempered, for a moment, by her full reappearance; he noted that she looked a bit feral, a bit roughened by the jungle. How long had she wandered its maze-like paths?</p> <p>"I thought perhaps you might be lost," he replied softly to her question, keeping up a gentle front in the face of her (real or imagined) brusqueness. "If you are, I should like to help you. Of course, I am also quite familiar with 'dragon anatomy, so if you have any injuries..." But he trailed off. Upon seeing her closer, he doubted she needed anything from him. She seemed quite capable--fiercely capable, even. His eyes flitted back to the skull, and he couldn't help but ask, "How does it float?"</p>
<p>Teo watched as a smiled crossed the strangers face. She wasn’t sure what inspired the grin but it was better than a frown. Her body grew less tense as she let herself draw the conclusion that this arden wasn’t an immediate threat to her well being.</p> <p>She followed his gaze to the skull suspended above her, having already forgotten about its presence. The strangers eyes lingered there for a brief moment and hers for even less. A skull was a skull. Just like the one found in her own head. But if it could hold his attention long enough it could also be used to hypnotize the jungle wanderer if it came to that. An idea which she shoved to the make of her mind for safe keeping.</p> <p>“Oh. I am most certainly lost. But exactly where I had planned to be.” She reached up to move one of the strands of hair that was in front of her face. Putting in a half hearted attempt to fix the mess that she sure she looked like. He had spoken calmly enough, so she didn’t assume that he was afraid of her sudden appearance. If anything his questions made him sound concerned. Which was probably the normal reaction to someone looking the way she did in the middle of a jungle.</p> <p><em>“How does it float?”</em></p> <p>Her mind had already moved on, but apparently floating skulls were not a common thing. “Basic Telekinsis.” Not bothering to look up she lowered the skull to his height and gave it a mental push to move it towards him. “How do you find cloths?” She countered. Intrigued by both his style and build.</p> <p>“Oh. And you can touch him.” Male, female, little bit of both, she really had no idea.</p>
