Surrechis stepped over the fallen branches and past some sturdy trees. She'd been traveling in the woods again for the past few hours, there was just so many little, hidden things spread across the forest. She could spend the rest of her life exploring and still just barely scratch the surface of caves, clearings and other such natural gems. Despite her own wishes to continue traversing the woodlands, she had to rest eventually. Typically, she would find a nice, secluded spot and begin to sing. It could be considered risky with the bandits and aggravated wild animals around but she hadn't been but Astorea was relatively safe. The terrain would also make it easy to lose any pursuers as the trees often obscured vision and obstructed movement. She had spotted this clearing a while ago and was returning there to rest. A nice, grassy hill with a clear view to the sky. A good place to rest, relax and think. However, on the top of the hill she could spot a girl sitting on a hill. It seemed that she was not the only person who had the same idea. The last suitable place to rest was so far away and the girl didn't look like the sort to be a bandit. Taking a deep breath to compose herself, Surrechis called out to the girl, "Excuse me miss, would you mind if I also took a rest here?" @Alice
_____Alice was not expecting someone to speak up, her frame bounced a bit as she looked for the source of the sound holding her heart as it raced from the sudden scare. She took a few moments before she could muster her voice enough to reply to the other Faerin, her words accompanied by lightly patting the area beside her and moving over to give the girl a bit more room. ”Oh… Um sure… S...Sorry, not used to people…” Alice’s voice was faint and innocent, the light blush on her face caused for admitting she still had trouble with people despite the few months playing the game. _____Moving to sit up slowly, her arms wrapping around her legs for a few moments before she reached out with one hand to offer it to the girl. ”I...I’m Alice…” More faint words as Alice let out a nervous laugh. If @Surrechis did reach for her hand Alice would have a brief moment she flinched and moved her hand away before she exhaled and reached it back out. She was trembling, even if the girl was the same race as her, or roughly the same height she felt so uneasy around other people. ”Sorry… Really am not that good… with social things… Used to living alone in a small room…” _____Keep a conversation going, talk some about yourself and listen if they had something to say. The books Alice read over making friends and meeting people echoed in her head as she tried to look less nervous. Moving to lay back in the grass as Alice forgot one of the more major facts was to look or be interested and try to keep focus with the person she was talking to. She looked a bit more relaxed laying in the grass and seemed to have a few hiccups, likely from getting startled from before. ”So… What brings you out into the forest… Most people stick to the roads or only out here to destroy the area… I would hope you aren't the type to destroy… I don’t need more work tending the forest…”
Surrechis could tell right away that the girl was shy. Looked to be around her age as well, which was interesting considering their environment. She wasn't much of a social person either, @Alice reminded Surrechis of herself when she was caught off guard. She accepted Alice's offered hand, giving it a gentle shake. Was the girl part of nobility? It would explain the comment about living alone in a small room but not the demeanor. Much of the gentry she had met were quite... forceful in expressing themselves. A necessity in the political intrigue that dominates much of their lives she supposed. In her experience, people were rarely offended at being mistaken for nobility. She walked over and sat a respectful distance away from Alice before speaking, "It is no problem, Lady Alice. I apologize for imposing on you and can assure that I am not looking to destroy the forest. I find it very helpful for when I am searching for inspiration and it is a beautiful place as well." The clearing was quite isolated, definitely not a place for a noblewoman to typically be unless she was disposing of bodies or something of that sort. And Surrechis couldn't see any upturned dirt so she assumed that wasn't what Alice was doing. Perhaps she was running away from an arranged marriage or something similar? It wasn't proper to just sit in silence so Surrechis resolved to fix the issue. She normally would be singing by now but that might disturb Alice and she felt apprehensive about letting someone listen to her original songs. They were far too rough and unrefined to have a audience, perhaps one day she could turn them into something worthy of being heard. "If I may ask, Lady Alice, what brings you out here? While it is quite beautiful it is hardly the most typical of places."
_____Hearing that the girl had no intention to destroy the area seemed to ease Alice’s nervousness slightly. But being called ‘Lady Alice’ only seemed to make her more nervous, she was far from something like that and it felt bad to let that sort of thing go on. Coughing slightly as she blushed a bit and tried to look over. ”J...Just Alice is fine… I’m not any nobility or someone to be called lady…” Alice would quickly look away after she spoke, she seriously needed to get used to people if she planned to keep playing this game no doubt. ”I’m out here because I live in these woods. Closer to the border between here and Brisshal. There is a cave I call home along with a few animals like Momma, and the twins Yin and Yang...” _____Talking about the others seemed to calm Alice down a bit more as she relaxed her shoulders and bounced slightly because of her hiccups. It would be some time before she got the courage to face @Surrechis again but it did not seem impossible as Alice was doing what she could to ease her mind enough to not run away if she noticed the girl moving closer or just suddenly. ”So what is your name? OH,... Um, Momma is a bear… and the twins are two foxes… They aren't exactly always ok with sharing with each other but I try to keep the peace... Berries and chin scratches most of the time actually…” _____Alice blushed, she just likely cut the girl off for her own rambling worried that the girl might think her family or random people live with her in a cave. From most the stories she read that either means she was kidnapped or holding the other hostage. Hands covering her face as she felt like a total fool and wanted to just vanish in some flowers or turn into a tree or something other than herself. Alice felt like she was only making Surrechis want to leave the area because she herself was just a clustered mess that ruined the atmosphere of the area.
Well, she had certainly misjudged the girl. It was intriguing, living out in these woods was something that she occasionally had flights of fancy about but to see someone actually do so was interesting. From they way @Alice spoke, she had some sort of affinity with animals. Quite unlike her, the exact opposite in fact. Majority of the animals she had met were aggressive or wary around her. Perhaps they could sense the presence of darker arts, hopefully it was just a coincidence or she might not be able enter another town again. "Apologies for the misunderstanding, Alice. My name is Surrechis, a traveling musician of sorts." It really made her think, finding companionship amongst those so unlike her. If she was trying to care for the whole forest, perhaps she would have allies? It was a very large region after all, and she couldn't imagine a way of protecting it without some sort of organization or divine help. "That sounds pleasant, do they also help you protect the forest? I can't imagine doing it alone... Also, if it's not too much trouble, could you tell me of any special landmarks in the area? I've found a fair few but you are much more experienced in this area."
”I’d love to hear one of your songs sometime then. As for them helping mostly Momma just protects the smaller animals I bring back while I tend their wounds. As for the twins they always cause trouble so most times I’m working on this forest and Brisshal by myself. Keeps me busy and feeling like I am making a difference for creatures and helping people sometimes also. As for Landmarks what exactly are you looking for, in general. Dens, ruins, caves, villages, scenic spots? Or there is spots like rivers, lakes, and the sort… Sorry I rambled… Very bad habit…” _____Alice would nervously lace her fingers, she did not intend to talk so much without giving the girl a chance to reply to what she was saying. Alice still kept her hands covering her face and for the added hiding she moved to ball herself up a bit. What she sadly did not account for was where she was as she felt her frame lean right and she began to roll down the hill. Thankfully she was balled up and protected her vitals as she crashed into a tree and started crying, a bad habit she never could get over either. @Surrechis
Surrechis was content in listening as @Alice rambled on about the various landmarks and duties that she fulfilled. She seemed to be quite busy and Surrechis was taking part of her spare time away, which she felt bad about. Right as she was about to thank Alice and leave, the girl leaned over a bit too hard was sent tumbling into the tree. Ouch. That looked like it hurt. Thankfully, Alice seemed mostly fine, if a bit battered and bruised. And Surrechis had just the right skills for this sort of thing. Walking a bit closer to the fallen girl, she began to sing. Arietta Affettuoso A soothing melody began to fill the air, mending any wounds Alice might have sustained. She watched as a few of the scrapes and scratches faded away. Once again moving closer to Alice, Surrechis asked, "Are you alright? That looked like quite a nasty spill."
_____Alice would be lying to herself if she was not afraid of the girl approaching her. She tried her best to move away until the girl started to sing causing both confusion and relief to wash over Alice. She was lost because the girl could have just sang from atop the hill and had no reason to get close to Alice. The relief coming from the fact she chose to sing and not touch, as well by the fact she felt better from the bump she got after her roll. Hands rubbing tears from her eyes and trying to stop her sobbing. ”I’m ok… Happens all the time… for me…” _____Alice would allow a half hearted laugh to escape her lips as she rose to her feet carefully and dusted her dress off a bit. The other girl had to be another Faerin, and sadly Alice couldn't exactly tell if she was a player or NPC. Asking would only make her feel bad so she just tried to get a weak smile as she offered her hand to help the other girl up as token of her gratitude. Once she had the other girl up she would step away slightly and move her hands behind her back. ”This might seem like a selfish request, but mind if I hear you sing some more? If it’s to much or not wanted sorry for asking… it’s just not common to find people who sing well and enjoy it… I mean if you don’t enjoy it sorry for thinking otherwise… I… just… sorry...” @Surrechis
Sing. That was what Surrechis came to this clearing to do, wasn't it? Well, song choice would be very important here. Too loud or frantic of a song would likely startle Alice, too somber would ruin the mood of the glade. Perhaps a slower version of a Harvest festival song, yes, that would definitely suffice. It fit their surroundings as well, which was always a bonus. She could work on her magnum opus at a later time. "Certainly Alice, it would be my pleasure. I enjoy singing, do not worry. I know how rare musical talent is in the world, and I hope that this performance will meet your expectations." Taking a deep breath, she began her song. It took a bit of getting used to, and her trained ears could spot the mistakes in her song due to the alterations but she stuck with it. If there was something she learned from performing in front of a crowd, it was that nobody would usually notice small mistakes if you didn't acknowledge them. Alice didn't seem all that musically inclined but she didn't know enough about the girl to tell if she was enjoying the performance. A few verses in, and she was lost to the melody, as she always was in the middle of a performance. When the song came to an end, she found her mind calm and steady. Turning back to Alice, she gave a short curtsey to the girl out of habit.
_____Alice would get lost in the song, her lips releasing a faint hum to match the song as best she could with a slight delay or rather echo of what Surrenchis was singing up until the end. A slow clap from Alice as she smiled and wen over to some flowers and chanted a quick spell to help more grow before pulling the older flowers and making a small flower crown to give to the girl with a playful smile. It mostly had white flowers but with help of her magic she made a few red colors to match the girl’s eyes. ”As a thank you for singing that song for me. It was truly moving Surrechis.” _____Alice’s humming did bring out some animals into the area, a few birds flying down to use the girl as a perch before she reached to get some seeds to feed them with a relaxed smile. Nature was her second home that she wanted to keep pleasant. After some time the birds would fly away from Alice or sooner if @Surrechis reached towards them. Alice would blink a few times before offer some seeds to the girl if she wanted to birds to get closer. ”The best way to get them to trust you in to spread your fingers and keep the food just in your palm. The other hand raised so they know you won’t try to grab them. Most of them will fly down and land on your fingers to eat some of the seeds.” _____If the girl did listen and wanted the birds to eat they would fly down and do just that. Alice smiled happily as she went to a bush and used some more magic to grow an odd plant that opened to reveal a small bowl filled with seeds for the birds to eat from. Magic was so much fun to Alice and it allowed her to try and get more animals to trust her. Watching from behind Alice seemed to be a larger black owl resting in the shade of the trees, head tipping left slowly.
Surrechis was glad that @Alice enjoyed her performance, it always felt good to brighten someone's day. She humble accepted the crown of flowers, a bit surprised at Alice's magic. It was quite a rare gift after all, and most would be apprehensive about showing it. Although, she was quite obvious Alice trusted her after her healing and little show. However, when the birds started coming in, Surrechis flinched. Animals were generally not friendly to her. Alice seemed to know what she was doing however, and managed to make the birds eat right out of her own hand. Incredible. When Surrechis heeded Alice's advice and tried to mimic her motions, a particularly scruffy looking bird perched on her hand and tilted its head curiously. It leaned closer and closer to Surrechis's face and she stared back, uncertain. Just as she was about to ask Alice what was going on with the bird, it let out a deafening squawk right in her ears. Startled, Surrechis let out a squawk out of her own, although it was really more of a squeak, and flailed about in surprise. Most of the birds scattered away from the loud noise and sudden movements. When things were somewhat calm again, Surrechis couldn't even bring herself to look Alice in the eye. And it was going so well, too. Facing away from Alice, she said, "I... sorry about that."
_____Alice would move her hands over her mouth to stop herself from giggling. She did about the same thing the first time animals got close to her and to see someone else do it caused her to want to giggle. ”It’s fine. I did the same thing when I first tried to feed animals but mine was this odd black owl who I can't seem to find since ha-ha.” Alice would try to assure the girl she did nothing wrong but did not want to call the animals back incase @Surrechis felt seriously bad for scaring them away. ”Animals are a lot like people. They can be skittish or aggressive, silly or stubborn. But above all they need time and patience to get along with. Any person can say hi to another person but only people who spend enough time with them can truly know them and be trusted.” _____Alice knew it was not exactly her place but she walked over to reach her hand out to lightly tap the girl’s shoulder and smile. She could not be mad at others, it was not her place or something she ever wanted to do to others and would not start any time soon. Looking to the area calmly, the owl once watching had vanish among the other birds but Alice got the feeling it was still around watching, but not yet trusting her again it seemed. ”I’ll get out of your hair. Sorry I tried to force something like that on you Surrechis. If you ever want to find me I guess just look in the forest and we are likely to run into each other again ha-ha.” _____Alice would smile again before offering the girl a handshake before she would start heading off into the forest. Alice did not want to keep the girl doing things Alice likes without considering the girl wanted to do other things or did not like the same things the girl liked. Eyes watching the sky as she walked into the forest area wondering where she should go with the rest of the day still ahead of her. ~Alice exit~
