Chronicles of The Omniverse Archived Lutetia City: The Monastery

Madison laughed softly through her lips as Aoife shared a subtle joke with her and smiled as she told her what she could retrieve to help with recovery.

"Of course. I'll bring you some tea in just a moment. Although I do have an idea. If direct contact with the earth is too strenuous for you at the moment would contact with plant life perhaps be easier?"
 
“Ahh think nothing of it , Aoife,” Kol beamed, leaning into the contact as she placed her hand on his, “you know me - always happy to land a hand. Or two. In your case, two hands would probably be necessary...”

Kol turned to Madison as she made her suggestion. “An excellent idea, Doctor. I think a little bit of green might be just what this druid needs to recover. Especially after... yeesh, all that? Really? Arianne did a number on you. Witches, man.”

He reached into his pocket and retrieved a smart phone. “Also, I ask this every time and Savien never tells me, but what the hell is the WiFi password in this place?”
 
Madison chuckled softly at Kol's request for the password as she reached up into her hair. She was a simple woman who didn't feel the need to adorn herself with expensive baubles or lavish clothing. The Order didn't permit her to own such things anyway. No, all Madison needed were fresh flowers from the gardens in the courtyard every morning. She pulled two large flowers and some small blossoms from her waves of hair before making them into a small bouquet. She stepped forward to hand them to Aoife.

"I just picked them fresh this morning."
 
The druid rolled her eyes and took the bouquet from Madison as Kol spoke. When she turned to look back at him, she just gave him a sympathetic look. He really did try, didn't he.

"Kol, with hands like yours, you might want more than two. Plus, you'd have to fight to be in control, and I think I could still take you, even now." She smirked and then sighed, smiling. It was strange to be so relaxed in such a near-sterile place as this, but despite the oddity, she was relaxed nonetheless. She lifted the flowers and inhaled deeply, their scent washing away all others from the room for her, a welcome relief from the slowly fading bile and tang.

"I appreciate your generosity with this. It's not the same as full contact, but it's more beneficial than sitting here and staring out at the greenery beyond." She set the flowers on her lap and pulled the heavy curtain of red hair over one shoulder, beginning to braid it without actively paying it much mind. As her fingers wove the locks back and forth with ease, she continued.

"I wonder if you might even make a fierce druid in your own right, if you took the time to study and work at it. You've already got a knack for healing, if you're here, so you'd be a step up from, say, Kol here, if he wanted to join." She chuckled and looked at him warmly. "And as for what Arianne did to me, it's both worse and not as bad as you might think. As it turns out, having both your magic and life-force being sucked away simultaneously is bad for one's health, especially if you're in the process of casting a rather focus-intense spell of your own, which could seriously hurt you and those around you if not completed properly."

Aoife's eyes went wide as she stopped talking. She hadn't meant to give so much away.
 
Madison was glad that she could help with Aoife's recovery in her own unique way. She listened to her as began suggesting that Madison would make a good druid and nodded as she described the toll her encounter had taken on her. When the expression of mild shock came across Aoife's face she wondered if something was wrong or if she felt ill.

"What's the matter, Aoife? Do you not feel well?"
 
“Aoife, you really musn’t tempt me,” Kol grinned, “and hey now, I’d make an excellent druid. Especially if I got to be surrounded by girls like you all day. Running half naked through the trees, communing with nature, getting to listen to those delicious Iverian brogues 24/7...”

Aoife’s next statement made him tense up a bit. “Woah. I had no idea we were so far in the mouth of he lion...” He rubbed at the back of his head. “...but hey! I’m still alive, you’re still pretty... all’s well that ends well?”
 
Aoife relaxed slightly, taking a few steadying breaths before trusting herself to speak. "I'm fine, honest, but I...'" She stopped again, putting a hand to the side of her head to both steady herself from a throb of her dwindling headache and to to collect her focus.

"I spoke of things that are not common knowledge. They might help in my recovery, but since I am the last of my Grove, my father notwithstanding, the teachings that were passed to me are something not often brought up." She looked at Kol. "I appreciate the compliments, but you really would have a tough time of it. As I said, I'm the only one, and I'm rarely even nude when at home. If I am, it's because I've taken on the form of an animal to better get around Lornanine. After all, humans run poorly, and slowly, compared to a deer."

She sighed and dropped her hand, the pain having passed and her mind back in the now of the conversation. Her braid lay draped over her shoulder, nearly complete, and she put her hands back to the task. As she finished the braid, she plucked the flowers form the bouquet and carefully wove them into her hair, decorating it with nature's beauty.

"I'm sorry. I don't know how to talk about those kinds of things with others. Mostly, it's because I don't tend to spend any real amount of time among other people. Lornanine needs protecting, and my father can only do so much. If my mother were still around, she could help, but..." She grew quiet, realizing again where she was. After all, it had been the Church that had brought and end to her mother's life.
 
"It's alright. We don't have to discuss it any further."

Madison grabbed the two bottles from before and put them away, seeing that Aoife had recovered a bit and no longer needed them.

"I will get you that tea you asked for and be back in just a minute. You just take a moment to rest."

Madison turned and exited the room, closing the door behind her before making her way down the hall to the small kitchen designated to the medical ward. Once there, she pulled a kettle out of one of the cupboards and filled it with water. After placing it on the stove to boil she retrieved a small tea box from the back of another cupboard. It was a herbal tea blend she had made using what she found it the garden. Not only did it have a soothing scent and naturally sweet taste, but it was good for settling upset stomachs.
 
“Woah,” Kol went silent as Aoife put a bit of her history on display for them both. He had no idea what kind of responsibilities she’d been given in Lornaine. Not just a druid, it seemed. A protector. A guardian of nature. She had more in common with Savien then Kol had first believed - each of them a warden of a different world.

As Madison left to fetch the tea, Kol reached out and took Aoife’s hands.

“You may not have a lot of experience in a place like this,” he cleared his throat, smiling, “but hey - for what’s it worth, I’m glad you took a trip into town. My life’s better for it. And yknow what?” He winked. “I’d bet my jacket that other people’s lives are better for it too.”

He glanced at the door. “Now, we probably have two minutes before she comes back, so I say we get naked, put the window curtains in the center of the room, light them on fire and do a tribal dance around the flames. See how she reacts.”
 
Kol's words put a smile on Aoife's face, her spirits lifting away from the darkness that thoughts of her mother often brought with them. His life was improved, if not completely still a thing, because of her, and while he wasn't a member of the wilderness or a druid, he was important in the world. Every life was, and to have helped keep his intact was in line with her teachings.

"While the offer is tempting, I'm not sure I should be dancing. Hell, Kol, I probably shouldn't even be standing up until at least this evening. After all, once some of the attention dies down, I'm going to make things seem a little less well-kept in the garden. I need the energy, and one day I'll provide it back to Nature. She knows I will, so I won't harm any balances." She blushed a bit. She had explained the process to him before, she was sure, but she still wasn't overly comfortable letting people know how easily she could recover.

"Plus, there won't be any death this time around. It won't be like the rats. Only small amounts, but only once I've gotten my strength back a bit. The flowers are helping, and the tea will do wonders, if it's truly herbal. As for you, though..." She trailed off and smirked.

"I'm glad you're here. I was worried that Arianne would go after you next, or Sir Durandet. Even though I wasn't able to do anything once those chains got a hold of me, except pass out it seems, You held higher places in my mind than my life. I won't imply more than that, but you, and everyone else who helps keep things balanced, are important. I..." She paused again, sighing. "I just wanted you to know, is all."



In another wing of the Monastery, a greasy-haired paladin stalked through the halls, looking at the nameplates and descriptions of each patient as he passed the doors to different rooms. He'd heard she'd been brought in, that damnable daughter of the witch who'd dared to defy the Order and Writ of Mother Church herself, and he would find her if he could.

The Father was forever weakened. The Mother was gone. All that remained of the Luterian Grove was the Daughter, and he, Sir Darren Monteague, would not be hindered from completing a task that the foundations of the Evequist Church demanded of its champions.
 
Madison stood by the stove, adding the tea leaves after the water had reached a suitable temperature for steeping. She grabbed a tray from a shelf and placed a mug on it along with the kettle. Once the kettle had cooled, she picked up the tray and began making her way back to Aoife's room. She made her way down the hall and upon reaching Aoife's room she shifted the tray onto her hip and knocked on the door before entering.

"I've got you tea."

Madison smiled as she brought over the tray and set it on the table by her bedside.
 
Kol nodded, smiling. “I appreciate it, Aoife. Whatever happens going forward from here - I’ve got your back.”

Madison entered. “There she is. Mmm. That smells good.” The scoundrel gave the cleric space to work.

—-

As Monteague trounced through the halls, he would be approached by a younger paladin, strong in the jaw, acne scars flecking his cheeks. A wide grin spread over his lips as he saw his comrade’s face.

“Darren, you know how much I love seeing that look in your eye,” Sir Ethan Decker fell into step alongside his brother-in-arms, “that look means someone’s about to get a metal boot shoved up their ass.” He chuckled. Ethan had a reputation around the Monastery as one of the more... ethically loose Paladins on the Order. Some even rumored he was involved in criminal dealings, selling drugs and weapons to the gangs. Of course, no one could prove it.

“What reason are you gonna give the Council to suspend you this time?” He mused. “Gonna beat down a werewolf in lockdown? Hijack someone else’s case, blow up half of Adreiu?”
 
Aoife lifted the steaming mug in her hands, relishing the simple joy of the warmth flooding from her fingers into her. She seemed to huddle herself around the warmth for a moment, and beneath the blanket her toes curled, before she took a sip. Despite it still being almost boiling, the heat didn't bother her overly much, and the herbs in the water were delightful. A feeling like lightning lanced through Aoife, and she closed her eyes, keeping herself still as it flashed from her head to her toes.

Nature could perform miracles.

"Thank you. This is wonderful," she said, opening her eyes. Within the torus of green around her pupil was a healthy and visible glowing amber ring, the telltale signal that she was tapping into her magic. Though she did not pull energy from either Madison or Kol, she extended her power out into the garden through the open window, drawing in minute amounts of living energy from every tree, flower, and blade of grass within. Though small for each entity, the sum was large enough to truly fuel her recovery. As the process began, the amber glow from her eyes spread, her pale skin radiating the same glow, if faintly.



"Ethan," the paladin said, greeting his peer with a nod before continuing his search. He didn't mind the company, especially when it was someone like Decker. It made his life a little easier, having someone with a reputation similar to his, though it tended to draw the attentions of those who could make his life more hellacious. At the question, Darren stopped and looked at him scathingly.

"Nothing so over the top. I may not be the nicest guy we've got, but I'll be damned if I'm not one of the most devout. The Council has become soft, and they balk when told that certain things must be done. Must be. They have their heads so far up their pompous asses that they no longer see the direction that the Church is meant to go. Well, most of them, anyways." He cleared his throat.

"Still, I'm here to detain someone. Someone who, for one, doesn't belong here and, two, likely knows the location of something that rightfully belongs to the Church. Well, assuming the pieces fit together like I think they do. Years ago, I tried to recover the information, only to met with open hostilities from a female druid. Of course, considering it was the first time I got suspended, I'm sure you know the story, but the woman I'm looking for now is from the same cult of tree-worshippers. I mean to find out what I should've learned all those years ago."

"Just finishing what I started, you know?"
 
"Oh my goodness."

Madison was astonished by the sight before her as Aoife rapidly began to recover and glow with health. She wasn't sure whether she should be alarmed of ecstatic at the state of her patient and so she stood still and watched to see what would happen next.
 
"How about that..." Kol grinned ear to ear, "...you druids really have a way of kicking hangovers, dont'cha?"

---

Ethan whistled. "Hey now, they say Virn's going for the Council - trying to fill Rosseau's seat after she got killed by the Caer in Valentine." He hmphed. "Virn's a bit goody-two-shoed for my taste, but he knows how to deal with paranormals. A real patriot, that one. If he gets the spot, I think life'd become a bit easier for honest, God-fearing knights like you and me."

As Darren elaborated, Ethan became more and more interested. "Waitasec, you talking about that ol' text you annotated years ago? The one collecting dust in the Miroir de Feu? Light, there's no way this druid belongs to the same clan as the one you put down... what was it, a decade ago?" He smirked. "Or hell, maybe it is. I've heard tree-huggers aren't the most intelligent of paranormals. Whatever the case, I've got your back. This is too damn interesting to walk away from now."
 
Aoife sighed contentedly and let the magic do what it would. Like setting a plane on autopilot, the spell she had effectively set up ran like near clockwork. It would slowly pull energy to heal her, but never enough to truly hinder those she pulled from.

"And you have an eloquence about you so dreadfully complex that those who have to writhe through the insanities and entendres are hardly able to breathe when conversing with you, Kol." She smiled and winked, then took another sip from the mug. The tea was really very tasty, and she said as much to Madison.

"Do you mind if I ask what herbs you used for this, by the way?" she asked after the compliment, turning her gaze to the nurse. "Because I'll be honest, it's definitely making me think you might be even better at brewing if you had a larger collection to start from."



"Virn, eh? Good. Although I'd agree that he lacks some of the willingness to put the Church first, he does have a way with helping to stymie if not remove paranormal problems when alerted to them." He checked another room and shook his head.

"And the very same group, yes. That text may be old, but it is a blessed piece of knowledge. Had it not been assigned to me, I might never have even thought of the Druidic groves being a potential issue. Light be praised that there are hardly any left." He stopped and flagged over one of the many men and women assisting in the monastery.

Addressing the help, he asked, "Tell me, have there been any new patients arriving within the last day or so? I'm looking for a young woman, plenty of tattoos on one side of her body."
 
"Oh, um I just use the flowers and herbs from the garden in the Monastery's courtyard."

Madison was still watching Aoife closely to see any change in her state aside from the obvious glowing.
 
"From the..." The druid looked out the window and smiled. It was a good starting point, if nothing else. She looked back at Madison and continued. "When I've recovered, you'll have to come out to my house in the forest. I've got a collection of herbs that'll make you wonder how you ever got by with what the Monastery provides, though even from here I can tell that the garden is very well tended. My compliments and appreciation to you and the others who must spend so much time tending it to keep it in such condition." She smiled at Kol and then finished off the tea, feeling the wave of heat race through her body as she swallowed. Almost in tandem, her spell made a similar wave, the golden glow around her pulsing slightly in a wave starting at the top of her head and quickly racing over her skin until the glow was beneath the blanket over her lower body.

Just as she was about to as the others to leave so that she could spend the next few hours sleeping, which would allow her healing to accelerate as her body shut down the extra and unnecessary functions like smell, sight, and touch to use that energy towards speeding her recovery, Aoife perked up and looked dead at the door.

"We have a guest," she said, quietly.



Having been given directions to the only woman who matched his description, vague as it was, Darren had made his way through the vast majority of the Monastery's halls, eventually arriving at the door to Aoife's room. He paused for a moment, taking a deep breath in and adopting a more civil demeanor, vice the gruff and rough resting face he had, hoping that this might be ended with a swift order to get everyone else out and then a single plunge of his sword through the chest of the blasphemous woods witch.

After all, even if they list as little better than the spawn of some demon's benevolent gift, no paranormal deserved to be ended without the barest modicum of humanity. That, and it would minimize cleanup later on. He could hear voices on the other side, but that didn't keep him from lifting his heavily armored hand and knocking brusquely on the door.

[Holy shit. I'm so sorry for having not replied to this. Please forgive me! @SerinaBloom @Ronin o.o]
 
"Hey now, inviting her to your home but not me?" Kol pouted, "what if I wanted a grand tour of Aoife's humble abode, huh? Don't I deserve one?"

A knock at the door. "Don't trouble yourself, Madison. I'll get it." He rose to answer...

...and went uncharacteristically silent as two paladins entered the room. He didn't recognize the older of the two, but he would have known the face of Sir Ethan Decker from a mile away. The brick-jawed knight was as corrupt as they came and had a burgeoning reputation around the slums of Lupaix. Those who refused to pay him off faced a particularly harsh definition of justice. His presence here couldn't be a good thing.

"...something we can do for you, gentlemen?"

((Wasn't it my post? Ah well. No harm done.))
 
Madison smiled as the two bantered together and was about to reply to Aoife's offer when there was a knock. She almost went to answer the door but was stopped by Kol. Madison looked at the two paladins inquisitively. She wasn't expecting any paladins to visit Aoife other than Saiven.

"Excuse me sirs, but do you have some important business here? My patient needs to recover."
 
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