as written by glmstr and Peachy00Keen
The forest before Eris seemed to grow denser and denser by the second, eventually the gaps between the trees drew so narrowly together that even a hunter on foot would have trouble traversing such vegetation. She slowed to a stop, eventually dismounting the vehicle and looking at the direction of which she came. The very path taken, formerly a clearly worn dirt and mud trail, was replaced by ancient oaks and willows and flora of unknown design, their twisting roots and crooked branches making the past few minutes of travel seem clearly impossible. On all sides, a wall of bark and leaves prevented any sort of escape. Next, the cicadas and beetles grew silent, the birds cut short their songs, and the distant wolves refused to howl.
The thick canopy let through only meager pillars of sunlight, rendering the veritable room dim but not completely black.
Then, cutting the silence, the crackling and croaking of bent wood echoed throughout the nearby area. When Eris turned to locate the sound, a seemingly-primordial oak tree's gnarled bark was twisting itself into a shape, the lines and swells in the sapwood further deepening or rising respectively until the end result could be easily made out: a face. Two knots converted to eyes blinked and examined the girl, the great tree's scowl lifting into a neutral expression.
The wooden lips opened, and forth came a drawn out sound, yet it was difficult to tell if it was a groan, a coo or even a sigh.
"You must be a guest of the Fabres. Arianne told me you would come."
The voice was booming, yet gentle and relaxed for its incredible volume. The corners of the tree being's mouth curled to the tiniest of smiles, most likely just to be polite. His eyes glanced to either direction again, at which point the trees and roots began to retract into the ground, revealing the only somewhat dense woodland she was actually inside. Additionally, at either flank of the talking tree, stood Arianne on one side and an unknown person on the other, who pointed to Eris. The stranger received a nod from the familiar witch, only to give a nod in return and then leave.
The ebon-clad Arianne stepped forward, standing around ten feet from Eris but not blocking her view of the grand wooded creature.
"I needed to pull a few strings to convince the elders to allow you to come here, but Madame Ylva requested to see her yourself and, evidently, she approved."
____
The suddenness of the change in her surroundings set Eris on edge, and then some. When she looked back to find the path she had just been traveling to be covered by dense undergrowth with no path in sight, her body tensed and her hand subconsciously went to the hilt of her sword. Anxiously, she checked her left and right flanks, her six, and she held her senses on high alert, keen to detect any slight shift in the wind, crackling twig, or scent in the air. When the silence fell abruptly around her, she could feel her heart stop for a beat before resuming its beating, double-time.
As the trees around her melded into a solid bark room, trapping her, she looked to Wisp. "What
is this?! Should I stay put or try to get out? What's the best way to not die, bird?" In response, it hovered silently, looking straight ahead at a gnarled old tree, seeming completely unfazed. Eris followed its gaze.
Before her eyes, the bark of the tree shifted and contorted into a definite face, which spoke, startling her body rigid. The hand that grasped her sword was so adamantly clenched, its knuckles were white and the sharp angles and ridges of the metal were digging into her palm and fingers. The muscles of her arm twitched, ready to draw at a moment's notice.
She listened to the tree, as crazy as she later realized that seemed, and waited to see if this was merely a formality of greeting or if it was a trap.
When Arianne and another figure became visible beside the tree, Eris slowly let out the breath she had been holding since the room had formed around her. She did not take her eyes off of the two witches and the tree. She thought the same to Wisp, not that she thought it would do any good.
After Arianne had spoken, Eris cleared her throat and nodded once, decisively. "I'm glad she approved. I wouldn't want to find out what happens to those who are unwelcome here." She looked around, wiggling her fingers that had been clenched tightly either in a fist or around cold steel; "How many are here? Witches, I mean. I just want to get an idea of what I'm getting into. And what am I going to be expected to do? I hope you understand and take no offense to the fact that I'm still a little be skeptical of this whole setup..." She hesitated, perhaps a moment longer than she ought to have, "But I'm trusting you."
____
"There are fourteen of us in total right now including myself, fifteen if you count Father Alder," Arianne gestured to the treant, "but you will
probably only interact with me unless something comes up."
The tree grunted in approval, and did not speak.
"If you are asking about some sort of arbitrary task or errand I will send you on to prove your loyalty, there is none. The fact you even came out here shows an acceptable level of drive," Arianne approached slightly and closed the distance to a few feet, something much more natural for a simple conversation. "If you're curious what I'll actually have you do, at least for now you'll just help with my investigation. Especially now that there's a hitch."
"Between the time we first met and now, a paladin from the Monastic Order wanted to ask me a few questions, as he is now following that case I'm working on. Unsurprisingly, we didn't see eye to eye. As of now, I am expecting him to try to harrass or arrest me, or those associated with me. Ser Savien Durandet is his name. Tall, dark hair, extremely arrogant and no sense of humor. That said, please try to avoid violent or hostile encounters with him, just let me know if he tries anything rash.
I've already warned him once,," Arianne smirked.
"Anywho, first order of business. I still need to find Cerise. She hasn't come looking for me yet, and I still need answers from her."
____
Eris nodded attentively as she listened to Arianne's instructions. It wasn't until the mention of the paladin's name that she lost her composure.
"Sir
Durr-ahn-day?" she said, with a mocking tone and a snort. "That thug? I've heard of him. I'll keep my distance as long as matters remain peaceful. Let me know if he does bother you. I don't care whose side I'm on -- yours or mine -- I would just
love to knock some sense into his pompous skull if I get the chance." She wiped away a trace of a tear as she stopped chuckling; "But please, continue. I apologize for the interruption."
Arianne continued on conveying Eris' first assignment: Cerise.
"About that..." she hesitated. "As I'm sure you've already inferred, the kid and I aren't exactly pals. Last I saw her, she gave me the most fiercely indignant look before hissing her farewell at me and taking off as if the building were on fire. I can find her for you, more likely than not--" Eris glanced at Wisp, "--but I doubt she is going to come along willingly, and frankly, kidnappings just aren't my cup of tea."
She leaned back on a nearby tree, flinching at the last second as she made contact, remembering how they had moved a moment earlier. When the tree didn't budge, she continued. "Me tracking her down alone and convincing her to come with me without any apparent reason other than word that you want to talk to her will probably only drive her farther away from you, me, and the forest in general, and knockout and abduction is definitely not happening again. Unless you've got a plan, I'm kind of at a loss for how this one is going to work, chief."
As she spoke, Eris fiddled with the straps of her armor, nervously. Despite her casual tone, the whole forest had her on edge. The thought of being surrounded by the very type of people who had destroyed her parents and her life made her extremely uncomfortable. The sarcasm was merely a coping mechanism that came out when she was stressed. So far, these particular witches had given her no real reason to show too much concern (other than the clear magical strength they possessed, though it was not directed at her), and she knew from past experience that there were at least
some witches out there who could prove useful when given the chance. Still, she remained vigilant, though she was fairly certain that, should they wish to eliminate her here and now, there wouldn't be a damned thing she could do about it.
Shaking her head slightly to clear the encroaching cloud of doubt that had been creeping forth from the back of her mind, Eris focused on the task at hand.
____
"Not to mention that another instance of kidnapping will make her even less willing to cooperate," Arianne nodded. This put the witch in a mild bind. There was nothing she could (or was willing to) have Eris do at the moment, at least nothing strictly productive. She swiped the hat from her head, exposing her feathery raven hair and offering a better view of her face.
"Say, Eris, is there anything on your mind that
you need or want to do? I don't have much for you right now, as all I am doing at the moment is waiting for Cerise to make her next move."
____
Eris stared off pensively into the forest. "Actually," she began, still lost in thought, planning, "I think there are some things I'd like to get together before we head out on our witch hunt. For starters," she gestured to the air beside her head where Wisp hovered, "I'd like to figure this thing out a bit more. I have a feeling there's more to him than I'm aware, and he's probably going to be useful."
I also need to get away from this witchy business for a while. A good shower would serve me well... Magical freaks make me feel all twitchy, and I want to get the hell out of this forest... she thought to herself.
"I assume," she continued aloud, "once I'm ready or once you catch on to a lead we can use, we'll be able to contact each other, you through your..." she twiddled her fingers as she gestured up and down the witch's figure, "mysterious magical ways, and I via Dial-A-Ghost over here," she said, nodding her head and pointing with a thumb at Wisp. "We'll be in touch."
Eris turned to leave, realizing she had no idea which direction was out. She rolled her eyes and sighed before turning back around and glancing at the ebon-clad witch with a tight half-smirk-half-unamused-grimace. "Which way to the parking lot?"
____
"Very well. It wouldn't hurt to perform some of my own preparations, as a matter of fact," Arianne nodded, "and yes, you do in fact have the bird. That little one is full of surprises, I'll give it that."
"You can also just call me," the witch smirked and whipped out a cellphone, a surprisingly new model as well. She produced a pen and paper and scrawled down a phone number, handing the note to Eris and stuffing the phone into one of many pockets.
At the question of where to go, Fabre glanced up to the silent treant that stood with them. He huffed and pointed a branch towards Lutetia City, knowing where it was even though it wasn't currently visible.
"That way."
"Just drive in that direction, you'll find a road or something quickly enough."
____
Eris stared down at the piece of paper in her hand. Somehow, she just hadn't expected a century or more old witch to have a cell phone.
I learn something new every day, I guess, she thought to herself as she turned in the direction the treant had pointed.
"Uh, thanks," she ventured. What were you supposed to say to talking tree that had just given you directions?
Sure enough, Eris wandered through the forest, keeping mostly along a straight path, until she came to a clearing. Her motorcycle sat where she had left it, leaning against a tree. She made her way over to it, hopped on, and gladly drove far away from the forest and back toward the city.